Chapter Text
14/2/2016
Hell’s Kitchen W 53rd St
01:12am
He had been searching for him for two days now and he finally tracked him down.
Hell’s Kitchen was a bit far from Queens but if skipping a few bus stops would bring justice (revenge) then so be it. So he wore his red hoodie and dark faded jeans and hit the streets.
It was raining when he finally had him in the corner scared, as scared as someone would be if a guy (child actually) punched right in his face as he walked out of the bar he usually hangs out and gets drunk, took him by his dirty jacket and threw him across an alley with such force if he was sober he would realize it was with superhuman strength.
As scared as someone would be for killing an innocent man in cold blood with payback right in front of him.
As the thug tried to get up Peter kicked him in the gut and he fell on his hands and knees. Another kick came and he fell all together.
“GET UP!” Peter screamed with fury. He was way past angry at this point, he was livid. He screamed as kicked once more.
“I SAID GET UP!”
The thug was spitting blood from his mouth, it was dripping steadily and fast. Noticing it Peter took him by the front of his shirt and pinned him on the wall. For the thug it seemed like those were the last moments of his life but for Peter it was the moment of truth. After...after he started looking for anyone that fit the description the police gave about the man that killed his...no he couldn’t think about that right now he had a job to do. He took a glance at the man’s face and recognition hit him harder than Flash had ever did at this point.
No, no it wasn't possible. No. NO!
His eyes went wide as he realized that he was the guilty one, he was the one responsible for his own suffering.
If he had stopped that thief back at the arena he wouldn’t have...he wouldn't have...
So he let his emotions take over him and started punching the thug holding back just enough so he wouldn’t kill him. He wouldn’t kill him...right?
“YOU DID THIS!” another punch. The man whimpered.
“YOU KILLED HIM!” another punch.
He heard thud as if someone had jumped from a roof but he didn’t put much thought to it as he continued to hit the thug. The rain was getting stronger by the second. His shoes were soaked along with his clothes and he just didn't care!
The whimper stopped, the man's eyes rolled back.
“TELL ME WHY?! FOR FUCKING MONEY?! WHY!” he screamed asking for himself more than the man in front of him.
“I think he had enough.”
Peter jumped at the voice and looked behind him. It was a man in a red and black costume. His helmet had horns and his appearance screamed danger but his newly acquired senses were quiet, his senses never failed him yet so he decided to trust them. His first thought was to run, but didn't so as the man in front of him could easily catch up to him.
“You-you are the Daredevil.” Peter decided to answer more trembling than he liked to. He had heard of him on the news. The man that beats up criminals during the night in Hell’s Kitchen like a superhero however the police prefer the term “vigilante”. He wouldn’t attack him, he hadn’t commit a crime but as he glanced the unconscious man with his face now covered in blood and bruises said the opposite. His heart stared racing as he realized what he had done and looked at his bloody hands.
“Didn’t know the residents in Queens had heard of me.” the devil said and he took a step forward as Peter’s eyes moved from his hands to the vigilante in front of him and took a step step back. “How do you know I am from Queens?” he asked. Maybe he was actually the devil and just knew stuff. It didn't cross his mind that the devil of Hell's Kitchen recognized the smell that Queen's sever waters on him.
“How old are you?” he ignored his question to ask his own. Peter perhaps should do the same thing but was too scared to not answer. It seemed that the strong rain became a light drizzle.
“Seventeen.” he tried to lie.
“Try again and this time the truth.” of course he knew he was fucking lying. The theory of him being actually the devil himself didn’t seem too farfetched at the moment, even the news were sceptical whenever he was an actual human being. Lying didn’t seem like an option so he went with telling the truth.
“Fourteen...” he said this time, the devil let out a sigh as if he was sorry for him.
“Were you born that way or was it an accident?” he asked.
Peter understood exactly what he was referring but wouldn’t the devil know that like everything else? He really didn't want to answer, he was a freak and that was the only thing the man should know.
“Are you going to hand me over to the police?” the question was told in a whisper however Daredevil seemed to have heard him.
“No, you should go home.” he said with a serious tone.
“I am not done with him.” Peter tried to mask his fear with anger, it wasn’t difficult but he was still trembling. He should have wore a coat.
“And what are you going to do? Beat him to death? He’s already unconscious.” he took another step forward but Peter didn’t step back. It was his problem, his responsibility to make him pay for his crimes. But didn’t he let the criminal go the first time? Well, he wouldn’t repeat the same mistake again.
“You don’t get to say that, I have heard what you do to criminals. You don't have the right to judge me!” it came out angrier than he wanted to, however he didn’t care that in front of him was the man that could put him into some serious trouble.
“You are angry at the moment, I get that, but believe me when I say that revenge won’t bring him back.” he said sympathetically. How did he know about that? Oh, he had screamed loud enough for the whole street to hear. Nobody else came to stop him, perhaps because that happened daily in New York for anyone to care enough. Daredevil did, maybe he was more human than what others give him credit for.
Peter lowered his head once again realizing that this wasn't what he really wanted.
“I know.” he knew that already, he wasn’t stupid. “I don’t know what to do anymore.” now that he calmed a little grief was taking over him, tears that weren’t supposed to be there were mixing with the raindrops on his face.
“Let the police handle him.” he tried to give advise in what to do since he knew the kid in front of him didn’t know what to do with the man behind him. The kid had powers, to be able to take on a full grown man and almost kill him made that obvious. So he did something stupid.
“If you need any help legal or otherwise call this number.” he took a card out of one of his pockets and extended his hand for the kid to take.
The kid took the card that somehow didn’t get soaked by the rain hesitantly and read it after that he looked up again.
“A law firm?”
“You can trust them.”
The kid scoffed. “I don’t think I will need legal help anytime soon.”
“Maybe, but who knows what will happen in the future.” he made a nod for him to look behind.
The rain had now completely stopped and only small droplets fell from the fire escapes from above. Peter looked back at the thug that was still unconscious and then back at Daredevil, but he was already gone.
***
19/7/2024
Queens Forest Hills
10:25am
Peter was sitting in his room looking at the card that he was handed to him all those years ago. The card was a bit crumpled at the corners but otherwise remained intact. After Beck outed him as Spider-Man to the whole world, he was going on trial so he needed a lawyer he could trust, something he had a problem with lately.
Should he trust them? If Daredevil did maybe he could too. Putting it in his pocket he exited his bedroom.
He went to the living room only to find May sorting through stacks of papers looking exhausted with dark circles under her eyes. A few moments later she noticed him and let out a deep sigh.
“I am sorry honey all this paperwork is taking a toll on me and I can’t find someone to represent you in court without having to pay an arm and a leg.” she putted her hands on her face. She lost her job as her boss didn't want a nurse affiliated with a terrorist work at a hospital, so now they had money problems.
He had done this to her, with Happy in Washington for an assignment, his aunt had to pay for his mistakes alone. He couldn’t let her suffer. He took a seat next to her on the couch.
“No May, I am the one that put you in this mess.” suddenly he remembered the business card.
“Hey about the lawyers, maybe these guys could help.” he showed her the card.
May furrowed her brows. “Peter I don’t think we can afford the-”
“I know but I looked into them and they were the one’s that represented the Punisher and I doubt he was able to pay them.” everyone had seen the trial on the news, despite that more serious events have happened, most people still remembered the impact the Punisher had on New York. Now only God knew whenever he is still alive or not.
May let a sad smile to form on her face “I remember when that happened, the hospitals were flooded with gang members. It was a few months after...are you sure you want them to represent you?” she now had watery eyes trying her hardest to keep the tears from spilling. She was trying to be brave for him, it was time to do the same for her.
“Yes I’m sure,” and he gave her a hug.