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Sometimes, taking up another’s mantle doesn’t lead to the best of outcomes.
He should have figured, really. It was dumb to think that sparing one person from Fate would make things easier on him. Because, honestly? Felix didn’t feel like he was being repaid for his good will at all.
As he looked at the rubble of the collapsed building, the regret and dread coiling in his stomach felt palpable on his tongue as the smoke made his eyes water behind the ski mask. He couldn’t help but think that this had everything to do with that damn spider-bite and the bad luck that came with it.
Felix could draw this trail of shitty luck for a couple months now - all starting when he woke up in that alleyway. In the Big Apple, where dreams were stomped under corporate ownership. Or, at least that’s what his friends told him.
Yeah, he didn’t remember traveling to New York. That was what scared him shitless.
Oh, and the Iron Man posters and Avengers headlines didn’t make it any better.
The city wasn’t kind to him. He quickly found out from the police department that one “Felix Gabe” didn’t exist in their databanks and that his ID wasn’t picking up any hits either. Needless to say, he got some judgmental looks as he left. He wasn’t an illegal immigrant - he was a goddamn born and raised citizen of the United States of America!
Because of his “fake ID”, work was rarer then snow in the Sahara desert. Every time he showed up, wearing his original clothes that he tried to maintain his best with, he was always escorted out the door with one excuse or another with suspicious eyes on his back.
When thinking of how he would possibly exist in the Marvel universe, living amongst the homeless never came to his mind. However, necessity called for shelter and food - things he was lucky to find when he did.
The F.E.A.S.T shelter was an honest to god lifesaver for Felix. It kept the question of his next meal out of mind while he continued to job search. He even got to meet May Parker, who was as sweet and kind as every piece of Spiderman cannon made her out to be. She also had quite the witty tongue once they really started talking.
Of course, immediately after that, one Ben and Peter Parker walked through the doors. It made Felix double-take on his water hard enough that he started to choke on it. Thankfully, Ben saved the poor shocked man before he died so embarrassingly.
When he left that night, Felix had a lot on his mind - mainly, of course, that Peter wasn’t Spiderman yet, but seemed at the right age that the fated field trip might be soon.
‘Poor kid.’ He had thought to himself. ‘So much pressure on someone so young. How did he have the strength to do it in the comics?’ Felix never liked seeing kids get hurt or saw them helpless on the streets - just in the days before he fought off a creeper going for a runaway teenage girl. In another twist of bad luck, right as he took the creep out, the teenager kicked Felix in the balls before he could state his good intentions. Just what he got for trying to help. Despite the negative encounter, that event was that line of thought that had him going down a weird path. ‘...But what if the kid didn’t have to?’
Now, it wasn’t as if Felix wouldn’t give his right arm to become a superhero - which, he realized morbidly, in this universe that might actually work - but he wasn’t about to take something so pivotal to the young man’s life without a good ass reason for it. Who would be worthy for such powers wasn’t exactly on his mind at the moment, as important of a question as it was.
As he thought about it, one reason would be his age - or, more specifically, his inexperience. That same inexperience with life and how people worked was probably why JJJ was so hot on Spiderman’s tailcoats about destruction to the city or people. Although, Felix thought with a smile, maybe that was just Jameson being Jameson. Nevertheless, the reason refused to leave his head.
The second reason was one he actually found instead of thought up as the man walked by Middletown Highschool. Why did he discover this reason?
Flash Thompson. Specifically, the bully holding Peter up by his shirt at the school gates.
Concerned, Felix rushed over, wondering what the hell Peter did to get beat up after school. When he got nearer, the anger in the bully’s face seemed like it was boiling over, a fist raising threatening at his side. The fact that this scene was nearly public didn’t even seem to occur in his mind. Of course, Felix wasn’t letting this shit slide. “Hey, kid! Put the other kid down, now!”
“Fuck off!” Seemed the almost instinctual retort, but when Thompson actually looked up and at his situation, his face paled. Nearly five passerbyers were watching the scene intently as a man stomped on over to them. The bully showed a modicum of human intelligence by deciding that this was a battle he would be forced to give up for another day. That didn’t stop the kid from giving Peter the Evil Eye™.
“Oh my lord.” Peter wheezed, gently adjusting his shirt collar, “Man, the last time he was that angry was when his volcano science project didn’t get first place. It was pretty clear to everyone after that though what was really going to explode.” He said absently, as if just to himself as he watched Thompson stomp off.
Felix couldn’t help but snort in laughter after the mental image of volcano Thompson. It fit too well.
Peter blinked at the noise, then jumped. “O-oh! I didn’t realize you were, u-uh, still there!” He stammered. He suddenly squinted, then widened his eyes in realization behind his wide glasses. “Wait a second, you’re that water guy from F.E.A.S.T!”
Felix tilted his head in faux confusion. “Water you talking about?”
He must have not been sarcastic enough because Peter looked legitimately confused. “I’m talking about when Uncle Ben saved- Wait.” He narrowed his eyes, “I’ve just got punked on, didn’t I?”
It was almost unsurprising how quickly puns got to a Parker’s heart. Ben was a funny guy too. “Just got out of the pun-itentiary and everything.” There was a spark in Peter’s eye, but before he could quip back, Felix continued. “Look, I’m pretty sure we could go back and forth til the sun burns out and the world becomes a ball of ice, but I think we should talk about what happened back there.
Peter stiffened noticeably, his expression forming a nervous smile. “A-ah, no, it’s not a big deal, Mr… Uh.”
“Gabes.”
“Mr. Gabe.” He paused a moment. “Has anyone told you that your last name-”
“-sounds like a first name. Yes, I am aware.” Felix finished with an amused smile. “So, I’m assuming your first name starts with a “P” because you seem like an alliteration kind of guy Mr. Parker.”
“How did - wait.” Peter sighed. “It was Aunt May, wasn’t it.”
“Sure thing, Peter!” Felix smirked. “Told me all about your big brain.” His grin soured when he looked back at the school doors. Thompson must have left out a side door. Again, surprisingly smart kid for being a Flash Thompson, although he couldn’t exactly hold real people to cartoons anymore. “The bully part of the equation wasn’t too hard to figure out.”
Peter seemed to speak more of his thoughts as they kept talking. “I think he’s jealous, in a weird way.” He blinked. “Erm, not to be arrogant. Ben said arrogance is a friendship killer and all that. Uh…”
“It’s alright - I’m fine with listening.” The older man said with a smile.
Peter returned the smile faintly before continuing. “Flash is good at a lot of things. Football, guitar -” Flash played an instrument. That was new. “ - and, um, staying the most popular I guess? Is that something you can be good at?” He questioned, puzzled.
Felix shrugged. “Dunno. Never was too popular in High school.”
“Um, anyway, so Flash likes being good at things. But he doesn’t have good grades and I'm pretty sure his home environment isn’t too peachy keen, if you get my drift. So that’s why he targets me as the, uh, smartest kid in the class.”
If he was sure patting Peter’s head would have been socially acceptable, he would have done it. Sadly, Felix doubted it with how scruffed he looked now. Instead, he patted the boy on the back. “You’re a pretty mature kid for your age.”
Peter gave him a frustrated look. “I sometimes wish I wasn’t so I could actually get angry at him instead of pity him.”
Felix scoffed amusedly. “That’s the funny thing with maturity. You tend to understand things that others don’t. But,” He paused. “Experience is what puts it to good use.” He finished, tone thoughtful as his eyes lit with a realization.
“Mr. Gabe?”
“Nothing Peter. Just had something on my mind for a while now that I figured out.” He smiled gently. “You don’t have to worry about it kid.” He gave a stretch of his arms. “Welp, I guess I should head off now that Mr. Stompson is gone.”
Peter slightly frowned, but then sighed. “Alright. I hope everything works out for you with your job and stuff.” He finished with a grin as Felix pasted him.
The adult just responded with a shaky smile. As he walked away, the adult sighed. “Me too kid. Me too.”
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Almost as if on cue, Felix finally managed to find a construction job. It wasn’t the most legal of places, since they accepted that he didn’t have an ID with a sharp grin. He was unnerved by his employers so he gave a fake name, but if it meant he wouldn’t have to go scrambling back to F.E.A.S.T every week, then he’d take the chance wholeheartedly. Independence from anyone was one of the few things that Felix enjoyed about adulthood. He would start work in a week.
Within that same time, Felix picked up from May (after bringing up Peter as naturally as he could) that Peter was having a field trip on Wednesday to the Oscorp Open Science Fair. It was supposed to be a way to inspire the citizens of New York - although, knowing Osborn it was probably a way to increase his voter count for the mayoral election.
Osborn running for mayor was another difference from the original Spiderman world he knew, although it may have been from the comics. Either way, it made the man antsy about his plan of action. He knew he wasn’t as genius smart as Parker, but experience had to count for something. Maybe someone else would be better for Spiderman.
No, he decided with a shake of his head, Peter’s smarts could be used better to save the world in a different way.
That is, if this worked out how Felix wanted it to.
He fixed up his sunglasses, hat, and new F.E.A.S.T donated clothes the best he could back at the abandoned apartment complex he had begun to call home. Looking up at the Oscorp sign, Felix shot up a prayer to whatever deity was out there. He walked inside.
It was easy for him to find Peter’s class. The following part was a tad bit difficult. As Felix discreetly turned away from another camera’s vision, he felt like a trained spy. Only, he didn’t become very concerned with his target before they entered the spider section of Oscorp.
As Peter was both the photographer and nerd of the class, he was easily in the back of the pack with one Harry Osborn at his side. Felix was happy to see that that still remained the same.
The search for the spider wasn’t hard to find, what with it crawling on the ceiling. It was hard to tell if it was zapped already, but Felix didn’t have much time to find out as it was already beginning to slink downwards towards Peter.
‘Here goes nothing.’ Felix thought, easily meandering over to Peter as his eyes watched the spider almost reach the boy. The teenager seemed like he was enraptured with the lesson, which is why when Felix bumped into him, he completely startled, backing away in confusion. “W-wah?”
The spider landed on Felix’s shoulder instead.
Felix didn’t want to stay there for much longer, turning immediately to go to the bathrooms, where he had a bottle ready for the little bugger. His heart was pumping loudly in his ears, his hands shakily ready to grab the spider at a second’s notice. His eyes were locked onto the bathroom door with all the focus adrenaline could provide.
It was in that exact moment that he felt a stab of pain from his neck.
“Fuck!” Felix hissed as grabbed at his neck. As he saw a small ball fall to the ground, dread turned his heart to ice.
It was the spider.
Felix got bit.
He gave himself a second to panic before he chucked the spider into the bottle and sprinted to the door, consequences far from his mind. Already he could feel the pain spread from his neck to his chest, making it harder and harder to breath. Felix just barely made it to his apartment before he was knocked out entirely.
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He heard the panicked screams long before he smelt the smoke. Groggily, Felix awoke, but it took just a minute for his mind to scream at him to move, move, move now!
He shouted in alarm as he rolled off his makeshift bed. The sound of crackling fire spreading across his bedsheets had his eyes opening faster than anything else in his life had.
Everything was on fire. Felix had to scramble to get to his feet and move before the weakened floor fell out beneath him. The noise was even worse - he could hear the screams of his homeless neighbors as they fought to get out of the building, as well as how the supports of the building were going to come down if this fire kept up.
Felix was no Spider-Man, but he would be DAMNED if he didn’t try to help these people.
Armed now with two mismatched oven mitts and a ski mask to help with the smoke, Felix searched for anyone in the building that needed help. Sometimes, when sending them down the fire escape wasn’t an option, he’d leave out the window and crawl down the nearest building’s walls with people in his arms. Needless to say, it was some very high pressure practice.
Right as he let down the latest bunch of people, the building started to buckle.
“Shit!” The man rushed back to the building. To his horror, the fourth and fifth floor still had some occupants inside.
“Wait!” A hand slapped onto Felix’s shoulder before he could jump inside. He jerked to a halt.
“What?!” Felix snapped, whizzing around to the person. “There are people still in there-”
“Listen, Mr. Skii.” The black woman said, her tone deadly serious. “That building is about to come down, and if you go in there, you’re going to get your damn self killed!”
“I’m strong!” Felix hissed, but didn’t run in once she let go of his sooty shoulder.
“Strong enough to hold up at least 36,000 tons of apartment complex? Honey, I’m a retired engineer and I know for goddamn sure that unless those powers are from Hulk 2.0,” She gave him an quirked eyebrow, “I’m pretty fuckin sure you’ll get squashed like a bug.”
“Arachnid.” He muttered, as if compelled by a spirit.
“Alright then, Spider Man.” She rolled her eyes.
The man heard the supports buckle before the actual building sagged.
Felix was sure that the moment the screams were violently silenced as the ten story apartment building toppled was going to haunt his dreams for the rest of his life.
“...Guess this is one way to topple that old thing.”
“I heard it was housing homeless people before, but to see this? Guh, it’s like living in a horror show.”
Felix, as out of it as he was, could still hear perfectly well. Slowly, he turned to glance in the speakers’ direction.
Two Oscorp security members were stationed not that far away from the crowd of people formed by the fire trucks. They didn’t seem surprised in the slightest at the sight of the collapsed building.
“Wonder why now of all times that Mr. CEO wanted this thing destroyed. I don’t think this is the most legal way to go about it.”
“I heard the science nerds muttering nervously about some spider gone missing.” The man scoffed as Felix felt his face go snow white. The connection was begging to be made.
That this was all Felix’s fault.
He should have never taken the damn spider to begin with.
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A/N: If you guessed that the prompt was "Face the Music", then ding, ding, ding! We have a winner!
I had this story idea before I picked up this idea for a prompt. It's a way for me to write with a purpose so that I'll actually do my hobby! Hurrah!
I won't make this into a bigger story because of Felix's character. When I first started writing, I had in mind a more reluctant hero. However, as I continued to write, I realized that he was becoming more of a older brother/fatherly kind of person who was legitimately concerned with how super-heroing would affect Peter's life in the future. Suddenly, that reluctant and selfish hero just kind of... disappeared.
Fun stuff!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading Mantle Music and that you have a fabulous rest of your day (or night, for you fellow shadow-dwellers).