Chapter Text
The car pulls up into the warehouse, parking directly in front of the nearby van. Four men exit the vehicle, all of them carrying large duffle bags. Your typical New York gang banger that Peter's seen a thousand times. He takes a quick picture of the four, pocketing his phone afterwards.
"You in there? Got your shit! Come and get it," one of the four men says. Peter, from his spot on the ceiling waits with bated breath as the back of the van opens up, five men with machine guns climbing out of it.
One of them was massive.
The four smaller men point their guns at the gangbangers, who stiffen up.
"Open the bags. Slowly," the large man says, with a very noticeable Russian accent.
"Holy crap, Gwen this guy must be at least six and a half feet tall," Peter whispers quietly.
"Sure makes you feel smaller than usual, huh?" Gwen teases.
Peter ignores her in favor of the scene unfolding, as the men carefully open the bags, then dump their contents out, producing huge piles of money on the cold floor. The large Russian laughs loudly.
"Is pleasure doing business with you. I love the Americans," the giant says. He nods his head towards two of the other guys from the van, and they grab a large crate from inside the back of the vehicle. They set it down and the large man easily opens the lid, revealing heavy grade assault rifles.
Peter snaps one last photo, and decides he's definitely seen enough. He shoots two webs at the armed thugs, yanking the guns out of their hands.
"Oh boy! Are we having a party? Why did you guys not invite me?" Peter jokes, as the men all turn upwards.
"Oh shit, it's that spider freak!" One of the gangbangers scream. Suddenly everyone is moving; the gangbangers towards their cars and the two armed thugs point their guns upwards. Peter's tingle goes off, and he quickly leaps - falls? - off of the ceiling, using his webs to disarm the remaining two thugs. Then he quickly uses his webbing to stick each of the four gangbangers' shoes to the ground.
"Dude what the hell!? I'm stuck!" One of them says to the others as they frantically pull at their feet.
Once Peter lands on the floor, the thugs rush him. Peter's tingle continues to go off as he ducks under the nearest punch, sweeping the thug off his feet.
"Help! He's fallen and can't get up!" Peter screams, as he flips over the next thug, kicking him in the face as he flies over him. The thug goes down, and Peter watches as the other two thugs rush for the crate. Peter webs them both in the back, pulling them both back violently and slamming them into the floor. They both groan in pain.
"You boys hit the bottle too much or something? Don't worry, take an aspirin and drink some water, and you'll be just fine," he quips, before turning around to see the large Russian grabbing the huge crate of guns and throwing it in the van. The man slams the doors shut, as Peter webs his hands to the door.
"Woah there comrade!" Peter says. "Let's just rest for a second and discuss what proper party etiquette you should follow. Such as never leaving without saying goodbye!"
The Russian grumbles.
"You are no comrade of mine! Get this off me!" He yells, pulling hard. Peter tsks several times, as he shakes his head.
"That ain't gonna work comrade! My webs are top notch, no one's breaking out of -," the man manages to break free with his insane strength, and uses Peter's shock to rush to the driver's side door. As he turns the key and starts the van, Peter webs the vehicle, and hangs on for dear life as the van tries to escape.
The only way out of here is past the gangbangers, who are still stuck next to their car. Peter can't let go. His fingers grasp the webbing tightly, as he tries to hold the van back. His arms start to give, and he hears the gangbangers scream.
"Dudes come on, we need to go!" One of them pulls out a knife, and starts to cut his webbing. Peter has a choice; stop them from escaping, and probably breathing, or let them escape, but live.
But... But what if they kill someone? What if someone dies because of him? But if he lets the van go, there's a good chance that the gangbangers would be seriously hurt, maybe even die themselves.
Peter makes his choice. He holds on tighter, and watches as slowly all four men get freed.
"Come on, in the car, let's hurry!" One of them says.
"You don't need to tell me twice, fuck this shit!" They pile into the car and in seconds they're gone. At that point, Peter lets his webs go, and the van moves. It speeds out of the warehouse and Peter follows it, first on foot and then by webs.
"Peter, what's going on? You've been quiet for a bit," Gwen asks.
"Had most of them tied up, but the big one got away! I'm chasing the van now!" Peter relays the information, before taking a hard turn as he catches sight of the van. He throws out a web, desperate to get a hold of the vehicle.
It connects, and he uses his other web connected to a building and ties it together. The car ain't going anywhere now. He sighs in relief.
"Got 'em Gwen. Four guys got away though."
"Damn. I wish we could track them somehow."
"Oh! I've been working on something like that! Well, more a concept really. See, if I can take -," a loud crash makes Peter whip his head downwards. A large semi truck just collided with the van. Peter's heart nearly stops.
"Peter! What was that!?" He ignores Gwen, as he drops to the street below. Peter rushes over to the truck, and breathes easy when he sees the truck driver alive. Stunned, looking confused, but fine. Peter then rushes over to the van, and yanks the car door off its hinges.
The Russian man is... There's so much blood.
Peter doesn't move. Doesn't even breathe. Not until he notices the smallest movement coming from the Russian's chest.
"Someone call an ambulance!" He hears from across the street. Peter needs to go. He takes another look at the Russian. His arms are mangled, and his right leg is - fuck - his right leg is definitely broken.
Peter shoots out a web. He's got to get away. He has to. Peter shoots out another web. Then another, and starts to swing away quickly.
"I wish that random goon had never told me about this," he whispers to himself.
"Peter, it's - are you ok?" Peter doesn't know. Not really.
"Yeah," he lies. "I'm good, I just... I'm good," he says. Gwen chuckles.
"You're a terrible liar. Get back here ok, we'll talk some before my parents get home."
Peter changes direction mid swing, and flies towards her house.
"Sounds good to me Gwen, be there ASAP," he says, before turning off the call. He wants to swing in silence for a while.
....... [Spider-Man] .......
"Ok now divide this by seven, and then you subtract that by nine...," Peter says, and Gwen nods in deep thought.
"Huh, that's interesting. Also Peter," Gwen says, looking up at him. "Are you sure you want to sit on the ceiling?" Gwen asks. Peter looks down at her and waves.
"It's the best seat in the house! And I get it all to myself," Peter says, and Gwen raises an eyebrow.
"You have two chairs and my bed to sit on, the same places you've always sat in for years," Gwen says, and Peter scrunches his face up.
"You're just jealous you can't have my seat."
"Peter, it's my ceiling. It's legally mine."
"I don't see your name on it."
"That's because I can't reach the ceiling."
"Therefore, it's not yours, and is now mine," Gwen pouts at him, and Peter laughs. "Ah this is fun, I wonder what else of your room I can claim for my own," Peter says, before a distant thud is heard.
"Dad's home, get down!" Gwen says in a hushed tone. Peter quickly climbs down the wall as Gwen opens her door up. Gwen's mom might not mind Peter being in her room with the door closed, but her dad would definitely not be ok with it. Why, Peter has no idea. She's his bestie! He's not even attracted to her at all!
Hmm, her hair IS nice though. Has he told Gwen that lately? If not, he definitely should.
His mind quiets as Gwen's dad pops into the room, his uniform still on.
"Gwenny!" Her dad says, and Gwen jumps off her bed, hugging her dad.
"Hey daddy. Was everything at work ok today?" Gwen asks. Mr. Stacy - should Peter call him captain? Probably not, maybe if he meets him as Spider-Man though - rubs a hand across his face as he sighs.
"Ah, I don't wanna talk about work right now. Dinner will be ready soon and I dunno about you, but I'm hungry enough to eat a horse," Mr. Stacy says, before turning towards Peter.
"Hey Peter, you doing good?" Mr. Stacy asks. Peter nods.
"I'm holding up Mr. Stacy. Thanks for asking," Mr. Stacy smiles.
"You know my wife always makes too much to eat. You're more than welcome to stay for a plate if you want Peter. I can drive you home after too," Peter was hoping for this actually. From what Gwen said earlier, her dad was prone to complaining about work to his wife.
And since Peter has suddenly gained a huge number of reasons to know what the police are up to, this could be very helpful. And hey, if it doesn't, at least he got a free meal out of it.
He nods. "Sure Mr. Stacy, I'd love to! What are we having?"
....... [Spider-Man] .......
"Oh this is so good. Helen you are a master of cuisine," Mr. Stacy says, and his wife waves a hand.
"Oh stop it George, you sweet talker you," Peter eyes Gwen, who gives him a look that says 'I'm sorry, they're always like this', and Peter just takes another bite of his steak. Very slowly. So far the captain hadn't said much about work.
"So George, you look stressed. Are you sure you're ok dear?" Mr. Stacy sighs heavily, as he takes a bit of food.
"I'm fine Helen. It's just been a long day," Mr. Stacy takes a drink of water. "There was a huge wreck downtown earlier. Was real bad," Peter's heart skips a beat. He drinks some of his tea to calm his nerves. Thankfully Gwen holds one of his hands under the table.
She's the best bestie ever man... What would he do without her?
"Oh that's terrible! Was anyone hurt?" Ms. Stacy asks.
"Two people. The first was a truck driver who hit the other guy. He's mostly fine, though he's got a few injuries. The other driver...," Mr. Stacy shakes his head.
"Guy's in the ICU, but he's stable. I'll tell ya, he's lucky to be alive. His arms were injured so badly that I'm not sure if they'll ever recover. One of his legs were completely shattered too," Peter grips Gwen's hand tighter. She isn't saying anything, so he assumes he's not hurting her.
"What happened to cause this dear, it sounds so awful?" Ms. Stacy asks.
"Well, the guy in the other car, his name is Alexei Sytsevich. Some Russian criminal or something. I didn't get the full details, but apparently he was involved in some sort of weapons deal that Spider-Man broke up tonight," Mr. Stacy shakes his head.
"Eyewitness reports claim that Spider-Man webbed the van to stop him from escaping, and then moments later the truck driver turned the corner and hit the van at full speed," Ms. Stacy gasps.
"Oh that poor child must feel so bad," Peter nearly chokes on his food.
"Ch-child? Isn't he called Spider-Man?" He asks confused, his confusion only slightly fake. Mr. Stacy raises an eyebrow.
"Peter, have you seen Spider-Man?" Peter shakes his head.
"Well that makes sense. No one's been able to get any good videos or pictures of him," Mr. Stacy mutters.
"Anyway Peter, this kid definitely isn't a man. I'd be surprised if he's older than fifteen. He's absolutely tiny. Shorter than you, from what I've heard," Mr. Stacy says, and Peter doesn't know whether to be relieved that Mr. Stacy thinks he's taller, or upset that he thinks Spider-Man is so short.
"That's not even the worst part of today. There were three different bank robberies in the area in the last four days, and we have no clue who did them."
"Maybe it was that Shocker person you told me about dear."
"No, Herman Schultz is still underground. Haven't seen him in nearly two weeks."
Peter has to stop himself from laughing. That guy's name is Herman? He was technically beat by a dude named Herman. Gwen obviously holds back her laughter too, and Peter knows she's gonna tease him about this later.
"Are there any leads at all dear? There must be something," Ms. Stacy asks. Mr. Stacy rubs his forehead in frustration.
"Nothing. The cameras caught a man - he angled it so we never saw his face - walking into the banks when they were all closed. We have no idea how he got past the doors or the alarms. And the weird part is, we never saw him leave. In all three robberies, he goes into the back and no camera sees him again."
Ms. Stacy rubs his arm. "That must be so frustrating dear. I know you'll catch him though. I can feel it," Ms. Stacy says, and Mr. Stacy smiles.
"We did find something though. At the second bank, we found a few trace amounts of sand," Peter knows that that's weird. Like they aren't even near a beach, why would sand be there?
"See? You've already found something. It won't be long before you'll find this person too."
"Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Mr. Stacy says, and Ms. Stacy blushes.
"All the time dear, but I don't mind hearing it again," Ms. Stacy says, and Gwen scrunches her face up in disgust.
But, Peter does know a few things now. He needs to find Herman and this bank robber before anything else happens. And... It's good to know that he didn't kill anyone.
Else.
....... [Spider-Man] .......
"School has been even more exhausting than usual," Peter says to Gwen, as he swings through Queens.
"Is it because you're busy saving the city, or is it because you're not actually that bright?"
Peter flips through the air with ease now; it almost feels like he was born to do this. He easily glides through the air with a butter like smoothness as he casually chats with Gwen.
"I'll have you know that I'm like, the smartest person in school! I'm even smarter than most of my teachers!" Peter says, as he makes a sharp turn in the air. "The only teacher objectively smarter than me is Dr. Conners actually. Guy is a veritable genius."
Gwen snorts. "Veritable? Peter you talk like you're ninety."
Peter gasps. "How dare you!? I'll have you know I'm not a day over seventy-five."
"Pete, leave the quipping for the criminals," Gwen says, and Peter can hear the deadpan in her voice. He chuckles as he lands on a nearby building.
"Speaking of, you making any headway yet?" He asks his partner in crime-fighting. The sound of her fingers hitting her keyboard are just barely audible.
"Well still nothing from Herman Schultz. You know. Herman. The guy-," Peter sighs loudly, and Gwen quietly laughs. "Nothing from Shocker. Though I am looking at the banks in the area. If any silent alarm is tripped, you'll be the first one I tell."
"Gotcha, thanks Spider-Lad!"
"Peter I hate you."
"Queen Bee?"
"Gross, I'm not popular."
"Oracle?"
"How is every name you're saying worse than the last?"
Peter opens his mouth to retort, but Gwen responds faster than him.
"Peter, a silent alarm just went off. The bank down on 176th Street," Peter immediately takes off like a rocket as he gets a running start from the building, leaping into the air and quickly swinging.
"Thanks Overwatch, I'll be there in no time."
"Peter just catch the damn crook."
....... [Spider-Man] .......
The bank appears in his vision not too long after Gwen gave him the warning. Peter doesn't have any clue what's waiting for him, but odds are this guy is either a Mutant or something of the sort. His first encounter with a villian didn't quite go so well, and his last encounter - he doesn't want to think about it. He refuses.
Instead, he swings faster, doing a flip in the air and swinging off of a lamp post to safely reach the ground. The bank doors - a People's Bank no less - are still locked - the place temporarily closed for an exterminator to spray it apparently - and Peter clicks his tongue.
"So far everything looks quiet in there. You sure this is the place?" He asks.
"Positive. You'll have to break in there yourself to find the thief," Gwen says, and Peter feels slightly ill at the thought of committing a crime. But he steels himself, and opens the door, using his strength to break the lock.
They can afford it, it's totally fine! Right?
Peter walks forward into the bank, his eyes tracking the place immediately. He doesn't notice any immediate movement, but he doesn't let his guard down.
"Hello? Housekeeping," he says, and just barely hears a small thud in the distance. Peter frowns, before his tingle hits him. It's soft, but urgent. Peter quickly attaches a web to the top of the bank and pulls himself up onto the ceiling quickly. Not a few moments later does he see a... A puddle of sand slowly trickles out from the back room.
Peter is thoroughly confused, before the sand starts to swirl and form into a man. It takes seconds, and soon there's not a drop of sand. Just a large man - maybe mid thirties, shaved head, green shirt and brown pants - with two large duffle bags.
"I know I heard someone! Come out and this doesn't have to get ugly!" The man says, and Peter takes a deep breath. This is it. His first super villain - Herman doesn't count - He's got this. He's definitely not nervous at all. Peter sits still as the man slowly wanders below him, clearly looking for him.
"I don't want this to get ugly. I hate it when things get ugly, let's just come on out and talk alright?" The man says, a thick New York accent on his voice. Peter takes one last breath before he shoots a web into the ground and quickly zips down, aiming a punch for the man's head.
"Donkey Punch!" Peter yells, as he swings his arm down - and finds himself fist deep into sand. The man's head is partially sand now, with Peter's fist stuck in it.
"Gah! Holy shit!" The man yells, dropping the duffle bags, before his arm becomes a massive, sandifed - is that a word? - version of itself, and he knocks Peter back harshly. Peter manages to flip into the air, the attack only winding him slightly, as he lands on a wall.
"Ahh! Sand, my only weakness! How did you know!?" He says dramatically, pointing at the sandy man. Huh. Sandman? Sandman works. Sandman seems absolutely baffled as he stares up at Peter.
"Are... Are you a child?"
Peter almost facepalms.
"Of course not! I'm Spider-Man! Protector of Queens, savior of all People's Banks across the nation!" He quips. Sandman shakes his head slowly.
"I'm not fighting a kid, get on out of here before you hurt yourself," Sandman says. Peter is almost insulted, but hides it easily.
"No can do cowboy, I'm the sheriff in these here parts and you're coming with me," Peter says, and flings himself down at Sandman. He does a flying kick - and once again finds himself half embedded into the man, with his body partially turned into sand. Peter's foot is stuck.
"Well ya stop doing that!? It feels weird!" Sandman yells, before the villain tries to swing his arm, which once more turns giant, at Peter. Peter rotates his body in midair, and manages to untangle his foot as he dodges the blow. He shoots a web at the Sandman's face, but it merely goes into his face as it's absorbed by the sand.
The Sandman spits out the webs, as his body begins to elongate, becoming bigger and bigger and more importantly, more sand-ish. Or something. He's incredibly nervous right now ok!?
"Listen kid," - his voice is even different - "I don't want to hurt you. I need this money. Let me go or this'll hurt," his tone almost seems pleading. But Peter won't back down. The last criminal he let go... He shakes his head.
"Sorry pardner, but this town ain't big enough for the two of us," Peter says, before his tingle alerts him to an attack. Peter does a backflip as the Sandman's large arm swipes at him, narrowly missing him. Peter attempts to catch the arm, but his hands only grab sand. Peter is getting frustrated. He can't beat this guy with strength or speed. He needs something else.
Sandman moves forward slowly as he continues to swipe and slam his hands at Peter. Peter expertly weaves back and forth, trash talking him all the while.
"Man keep your hands to yourself! I don't need sand in the mask, that'd be absolute hell to clean!" Sandman huffs and puffs at Peter's words, which in turn makes his assault sloppier and easier to dodge. Huh. Maybe Peter found a cheat code with his jokes...
As Peter is lost in thought, he mistakenly dodges slightly too soon, and gets nicked by Sandman's arms, sending him across the bank. He lands on the wall, and shakes himself off.
"Damn does anyone have the number of that truck?" Peter says aloud. Sandman yells, as he charges for Peter. The young hero jumps off the wall as Sandman crashes through it, but something unexpected happens.
On the wall, there was a water fountain. As Sandman destroys the wall, a bit of water leaks out around them. And Peter... He notices something. Instantly, Sandman's body partially collapses.
"Gah! I hate when this happens," Sandman mutters to himself, as he pats at his body. The water hurt him. Which makes sense scientifically now that Peter thinks about it. But to do actual damage, he'll need a lot of water. And he means a lot.
He chuckles to himself. There's a fire hydrant outside.
"Hey! Tall, coarse and irritating! You forget about me!?" He yells, as he swings towards the bags from earlier. Peter swipes them up as Sandman yells.
"That's my money! I need it, give it back!" Sandman exclaims, as he follows Peter. Peter swings outside the bank, rushing towards the nearest hydrant. He drops the money a few feet away, as he lands on the ground in front of the hydrant, hopefully obscuring it from view.
"Peter, what's going on?" Gwen asks. Peter shushes her.
"Giant sandy guy was stealing the money, I've got a plan, talk in a second," He says quickly, as Sandman bursts out the doors, taking a bit of the wall with him.
"Don't you dare take my cash, I earned it fair and square!" Sandman calls out, as he nears Peter. He breathes deeply as his tingle once again warns him of danger, and at the right moment, jumps away as Sandman brings his arm down.
The hydrant breaks, and Sandman screams as the water engulfs him. His body breaks down much faster than it did before, and the criminal quickly tries to move away. He's sluggish though, and Peter is able to finally counterattack. He rushes the criminal, punching his large face.
A surprising amount of sand falls to the sidewalk and the road, all clumped together as Peter hits the Sandman once more, this time with a swift kick to his midsection.
"Stop, stop it!" Sandman calls, as his body completely turns into sand, most of it wet and useless. Though the criminal's face is now void of any distinguishing features, Peter can easily see fear on the man's face.
"I just need the money kid, let me take it and go, please," Sandman begs. Peter refuses, shaking his head. He remembered what happened last time. He'll never let that happen ever again.
"Sorry. The cops should be here soon and the money is getting returned to the bank," Peter says confidently. Sandman shakes his head.
"You don't understand! My daughter is going to die unless I get this money!" Peter tilts his head, and for a second he almost believes him. Sandman IS being very pathetic right now and Peter could see his fear of being arrested being used as a copout for a fake child.
"Yeah no. I doubt that buddy, just give it up already," Peter says. Sandman opens his mouth, but sirens in the distance could be heard.
"I guess the police are finally getting close. Took them long enough," Gwen says in his ear. Sandman's head snaps towards the direction of the police, before his head then turns wildly. Peter tsks.
"Man, just give it up already! You do the crime, you do the time. You have to take responsibility for your actions," Peter says, ignoring how he hasn't taken any responsibility for his own mistake.
Sandman practically growls at Peter.
"How DARE you! My daughter is going to die and it's all your fault!" Sandman screams. Peter is really getting tired of this excuse. Sandman's eyes narrow, and Peter's tingle goes off once more. He flings himself into the air as a clump of sand flings itself at him. He easily dodges it, but as he lands, he sees most of Sandman's sand falling into a nearby drainage ditch.
"I won't forget you kid! I swear if my daughter dies, you'll be next!" The criminal says, as he disappears into the ground. Peter rushes over to the ditch, but catches nothing but stray sand as he reaches for the man.
"Dammit!" Peter says, as he stands up.
"What's wrong? I thought you had him?"
"He escaped into the drain. Guy is like part sand or something-"
"-I gathered that from 'giant sandy guy'"
"Whatever! I'm going after him!" Peter says, as the police car finally turns the corner and gets dangerously close to the bank.
"Change of plans, I'll find him and Herman both later on," Peter says, as he swings away, just barely hearing the voices of the police in the distance.
"Any description of this giant sandy guy you can give me?" Gwen asks.
"About maybe six foot, short brown hair and a really mean look on his face."
"Wow, that narrows it down significantly. Thank you so much Peter."
"Ugh Gwen! I'm sorry that he didn't look any different from your average crook! He had a thick Queens accent if that helps?"
"Peter... We live in Queens."
As Peter lands on a nearby rooftop, he rubs his face harshly.
"I don't expect you to find much off of that, but anything you do find is going to be extremely helpful," Peter says, appealing to her. Gwen sighs.
"Alright, guess I'll try. I know you probably didn't catch his name, but -"
"Sandman. We're calling him Sandman."
There's a pause over the coms.
"Really Peter?"
....... [Spider-Man] .......
"Of course, tomorrow is perfect," an older voice says on the phone. He nods his head excitedly. "Yes, around noon is good. I'll see you then, thank you so much Mr. Osborne. You won't regret this purchase," the man says.
"Yes. Yes, goodbye Mr. Osborne, I'll see you tomorrow," the man says, hanging up his phone. He sighs happily as he leans back in his chair, and looks out his window. He'll never see this view of the city again.
Oh well, the money he'll make is far and away more important.
"You've done it Gregory. You've done it," he says to himself, as he sips on a glass of wine.
He chuckles softly. He's had a hard life up until now, but it's all been worth it for this. After a few more minutes, Gregory packs his things, and heads downstairs, locking up the building as he heads for his car.
As he hits the button on his keys to unlock his door however...
He's suddenly grabbed and yanked into the air.
"What!? Hey!" He yells in surprise as he keeps flying up further and further into the sky. He doesn't attempt to struggle, the arms around his waist are strong. Extremely strong.
"It's been a long time Greg!" A voice yells from behind him. Gregory's heart drops, and the being holding him turns him around. Gregory's eyes widen.
"You!? But you're supposed to be-"
"What Greg? Dead? Wasting away? Broke and forgotten?" The assailant says. He laughs.
"I'm far more than the man I was now, Greg. Much more. And I promised you something that I'm going to deliver," the man says. Gregory shakes his head.
"Adrian, I - I'm selling the company. We can split the profits, half and half just like we used to!" The man - Adrian - chuckles darkly.
"I don't want or need your money Greg. Not anymore. No, no you remember what I said to you, that you'd regret ever crossing me?" Greg starts to cry.
"I'm so sorry Adrian, I should never have -"
"Don't call me Adrian Greg," Adrian says, as he loosens his grip on Gregory. Gregory tries to hold on, but Adrian rips his arms away, holding him in the air with one arm as they fly high and fast above the New York skyline.
"Call me Vulture," Adrian says, as he lets Gregory go.
Gregory's life seems to flash before his eyes, and the last thing he ever feels is a sharp, intense pain... And incredible peace.