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Chapter Text

"Who are you," the soft voice spoke as they stood upon a tower.

The sun was shining, its radiant light reflecting off the multitudes of gasses and particles causing the sky to appear in a vibrant calming blue.

Disoriented, as if he had just discovered he had consciousness, the boy looked around at the setting he found himself in. Pigeons were soaring across the horizon, automobiles and their unfortunate drivers were stuck dealing with traffic down below on the bridge, and up on the tower, a brunette boy with bright blue eyes was standing with the prettiest girl he had ever seen.

"This is where it happened…" he thought, his memories slowly making their way to his subconscious self.

She looked exactly like she did on that day.

Wearing the same green coat, same black shirt, same purple skirt, and the same headband she enjoyed maybe a little too much.

He looked at her with disbelief within his eyes, mouth quickly forming into the biggest smile he could possibly muster – a smile that only her sight, her body, her being could bring.

"It's-its me Gwen!," Peter said as he interlaced their hands together affectionately, "It's me, Peter!" He answered her question, pulling her into a great big hug.

But she did not reciprocate it, nor did she when he grasped for her cold hands.

In his embrace, she remained the same.

Just standing there, limply – no warmth to her as if life had left her long ago, leaving only the cold, heartless touch of death.

"Who are you?" she said again, her voice causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand with the fierce tone that hauntingly reverberated throughout the world they were in.

The boy pulled away, gazing at the girl whose skin was swiftly changing into that of a deathly white. She refused his actions though, forcing his hands to remain on her shoulder with her unbreakable trance that hastened his heartbeat to speeds that made him want to tremble in pain.

"Who are you?" she demanded to know, staring blankly with her cold dead eyes as the sun above them died out.

"It's me, Peter...Peter Parke-,"

"No you aren't," she boldly interrupted the boy's declaration of his name, refusing his answer adamantly. Perplexed at her answer, confused, scared with the dying of the light around him, and stuck in a panic-inducing trance he could not break free, the girl asked her questions again.

"WHO ARE YOU?" her voice asked with such fury and rage that the boy winced in fear – he trembled in fact, despair coursing through his body as dread had tears begin welling in his orbs of blue light.

He tried his best to let go of her, to look away, but he couldn't, she wouldn't allow it, not until he answered her question.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" her voice echoed within his mind now, causing him to sweat and stumble, unable to form coherent words as his body moved by itself.

"WHO ARE YOU!?" His eyes widened as he had both hands on her neck.

To his great fear, he could see red and blue cloth enveloping his body, giving him strength, giving him power, giving life to not just the world around him, but to the girl before him.

And in a moment, in a moment where the sun was shining, where the girl was alive, where the costume was on, the boy looked into her into the girl's blonde eyes, his hand holding her cheek, as the other held the back of her head lovingly.

There was a loud 'snap.'

It echoed throughout the world, causing a great cataclysm that sunk the world into the deepest darkest abyss.

The boy snapped her neck.

He killed her.

He jolted out of bed, eyes wide as he panted heavily.

He had the same nightmare again.

The same horrifying dream that left him sweating in his bed with tears welling in his eyes.

Chapter 1: I Get Along Without You Very Well

Looking around he found himself in his dimly lit room and sighed. He shifted from his position and sat down on the side of his bed, still breathing heavily as he rested his head within his hands in a fruitless attempt to comfort himself; he stayed like that until his breathing soothed his heart. Looking past the strands of his brunette hair, his azure eyes glazed at the vibrant red light that belonged to his digital clock.

He sighed once more, realizing that he once again woke up well into the afternoon, keeping the ever-growing streak going.

He left his position, deciding to scour the mess of clothes that decorated the floor of his neglected room. The lack of light combined with the lifelessness and lack of energy he had made it difficult for him to find a pair that was not dirtied so he reluctantly decided to move his window curtains to brighten up his depressing room without blinding himself to its electrical light.

Preparing himself to be blinded by the overbearing summer light, he squinted his eyes as he parted his blue curtains but to his surprise, darkened clouds hovered above not just Long Island, but all of New York once again.

"Good to know you're feeling the same way I am, God," He joked with a small chuckle but his voice lacked anything positive, and his laugh was devoid of any joy.

He turned to see his reflection in the mirror which had grown to be even more unrecognizable as he wore a stained sleeveless shirt with a pair of wrinkled boxers. His brown hair had grown enough to cover most of his neck and his bangs long since covered his blue eyes.

He wanted to cut it but he would, like his room, deal with it later.

"Least I'm still shredded," he thought, looking at his muscular body that was littered with scars.

It was one of the few things he liked about his reflection.

One of the few things he liked about the visage of Peter Parker.

Peter went back to his original task of finding clothes that were suitable for the weather. He started picking up clothes from his floor but felt his face go inwards as they emitted a horrible stench that annihilated any notion of wearing them.

He decided to look under his bed, knowing he exhausted all the clothes his dresser had. With the limited space available, all he could do was go on his knees and have his hand aimless search for the clothes that hid in the shadows of his wooden frame but as he was looking for something, he stumbled upon something else – something soft and smooth, lightweight with a unique elasticity that allowed for movement of inhuman levels.

Stumbled was the wrong word for he knew it was there, he knew what he grabbed.

The webbed pattern that stood a layer above the spandex cloth was a dead giveaway.

He sat back down, silence ringing inside of his head as he just stared at his own reflection within the lenses. There were scratches on the one-way white plastic he created and dark spots caused by explosives within the fabric of the mask. It was torn in some places and the webbed design was starting to peel off the fabric but despite the lack of care, Peter still looked at his reflection within the lenses with a wistful gaze.

Peter gazed at it, his body moving without thought to scrub off the soot that was on the lens he remembers designing until they perfectly fit his tastes.

He let out a small – genuine smile.

He hasn't been doing that much as of late.

Looking at it– along with himself and feeling something other than disdain was even rarer.

But as he looked at his own reflection within the lenses, the memories came back and so did the loathing he retained for both it and himself.

He squinted his eyes and looked away.

"I am Spider-Man, no more," he softly declared, reiterating his vow. It's almost been two years and what happened? His uncle died, his girlfriend's father died, his girlfriend died, countless people he couldn't save died… and how many of them were his fault?

The answer was all of them.

All of them died because of him.

But still, even after making so many vows, he's still found himself questioning himself more and more as the days go by.

He could feel the migraine coming again, the painful throbbing within his head, the suffocating feeling that found itself within his lungs, the rapid beating of his heart…

...the glare that's never wavered.

He knew she was there, waiting for his answer but he refused to look at her – refused to acknowledge her existence. He couldn't bring himself to, just like how he couldn't bring himself to wear the mask.

He was Peter Parker, just some kid from Queens.

That's all.

He threw the mask across his room and lowered his head in shame. She still stood there though, her cold breath putting his body on high alert as she awaited his answer.

He still couldn't give it to her.

Peter managed to find some clothes, ignoring the presence before going to the bathroom and taking a shower.

Hearing the footsteps of her nephew creak the staircase he walked down, a woman approaching her elderly years as shown by her gray hair slightly smiled as she took the meal she prepared hours prior from the oven so that she could serve it to him as she always did.

"Good morning…Aunt May…" Peter said in his dreary half-hearted voice, devoid of all enthusiasm and energy it once had.

"Morning? Peter, it's three o'clock in the afternoon," May Parker jovially declared to her nephew who seated himself in their modest dining room that could fit an average family. The dark and gloomy outside contrasted against the warmly lit house that the two sole members of the Parker family called home.

The loving Aunt's light-hearted declaration had the adverse effects she wanted on the boy, his gaze falling onto the ground in shame as he mumbled an apology which caused the woman to chuckle.

"Peter, you don't say 'sorry,' you say, 'good afternoon,'" She lectured, taking the food she was going to serve him out of the microwave, she served it to him before kissing him on the side of his head before going back to washing the dishes.

"Yeah…" he murmured, diving into his food without a thought of praying – something his Aunt would normally reprimand him of but she overlooked it given that missing a prayer was the least of his worries.

Aunt May's gaze fell, the light-hearted attitude she was trying to put up quickly faltering as her ceaseless attempts to see the light Peter's eyes once had failed once more.

"You know, Peter…" she tried to say to get a response from the boy but he didn't bother looking, what little desire he had being focused so that he could eat the spaghetti she had made, "...Your friend Johnny called earlier," at this though, she did get a response as the Peter looked at her, surprised.

Figuring she was on the right track, she continued, "He wanted to know if you were available tomorrow to hang out."

"I don't know…" he replied, hesitation in his voice twirling the spaghetti with his fork. There was a deep wish to see his friend again, to talk to someone – to do something, but that was silenced – overrun – drowned by the desire to just be left alone.

"I think it's a wonderful idea, Peter, it's been a long time since you've left the house," May said giving her opinion, trying to nudge her nephew into taking the invitation but all she got was an inaudible murmur.

She sighed, dropping any attempt to be the beacon of light she was not, and ceased washing the dishes, turning to her Peter once more with worry overflowing in her aged eyes, "You know… he's worried about you, Peter, he asked me if you were alright," May said with a suddenly serious tone.

She'd tried to have this conversation before but always stopped herself before going too far.

"I'm worried about you too," May added, hoping that it would push for some sort of change, some new reaction.

"I promise I'm fine, Aunt May," Peter stated with false confidence, everything about him betraying what he said, but said everything also informing her that he did not want to talk.

The conversation ended soon after, the both of them feeling an awkward silence but Peter didn't care, and Aunt May didn't know what to do, so the silence stayed.

The only things that could be heard were the twirls of Peters's fork, Aunt May washing the dishes, and the T.V. playing in the background.

"...It's been one month since The Brooklyn Bridge Disaster which claimed countless lives that hundreds of families are still grieving about, including the lives of thirty-seven-year-old, CEO of Oscorp, Norman Virgil Osborn and daughter of the late and great police captain George Stacy, sixteen-year-old, Midtown Highschool student, Gwendolyn Stacy; both of whom, along with the rest being victims of The Green Goblins final attack which we now know was thwarted by Spider-Man, whose absence has still continued. With crime at its peak, growing unrest on the streets and fear in the hearts of many, there is one question that is on everyone's mind right now: will we see the costumed vigilante again, or has the time of The Amazing Spider-Man finally arrived?"

"I sure do hope that he comes back soon, wouldn't you say so Peter?" Aunt May said absentmindedly, striking conversation up once more as plates clanged under her soapy grasp.

"...I don't know…" Peter replied, doubt emanating in his voice from the train of questioning that left him uncomfortable and desiring a change of topic or better yet – silence.

"Why?" May said in a confused manner as she looked at her nephew, "I was under the assumption that you thought he was a hero," she stated, causing Peter's mind to enter conflict with itself.

A conflict that was swiftly won as shown by the aversion of his gaze.

"Peter?" Aunt May called out his name, wanting to know if he even heard her.

"If…if he was a hero, Aunt May...then how come he couldn't save her?" Peter reluctantly asked Aunt May – the only person he could ever ask for guidance - a question he so desperately needed an answer to.

"Peter…" May said as she paused her dishwashing, "...He's not God you know, he can't save everyone-"

"Yeah, well like God, he lets them die," Peter bitterly spat to his aunt who looked at the soured boy with wide eyes, understanding of his turmoil beginning to dawn over her.

"Is that what this is about…?" Aunt May reluctantly asked, though Peter didn't respond but this all but confirmed her suspicions, "It wasn't Spider-Man who threw Gwen off the bridge," she told him, ceasing her chore and taking off her yellow rubber gloves to stand beside her nephew.

"...He let her fall..." He argued against his better judgment in his disheartened voice.

"But he tried his best to save her as he did the others," Aunt May defended Spider-Man, but this infuriated Peter – caused his anger to instantly flare out, and with a loud bitter roar, Peter said:

"AND HIS BEST WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH! GWEN STILL DIED, AND IT'S HIS FAULT!" He slammed his fist against the table, tears welling in his eyes and though his Aunt instinctively recoiled at the sudden outburst of emotion, she quickly closed the gap between her and Peter to comfort the boy who finally showed emotion to her.

"Peter….we all make mistakes...sometimes we aren't good enough...and superpowers or not, Spider-Man is still a man, no different from the rest of us…" May paused as she placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to find the right words – the right things to say, "...What's important is that he doesn't let those mistakes stop him from doing what's right."

"And how's he supposed to do that?" Peter asked from under his breath, breaking eye contact with his Aunt once more to look at the ground, doubt washing itself over his face.

"By doing the hardest thing: forgiving yourself," She stated with passion as if she spoke with experience, "I believe in Spider-Man, Peter, you should too. It takes a special kind of person to be able to have the gifts he has and use them for the sake of others. I know Mr. Stacy – God rest his soul, believed in him among many others, and I know that if my Ben were here today, he would pray for him every day for all that he has done for us," she wholeheartedly declared to Peter who refused to listen to her words – refused to believe them.

"What if you're wrong?" He doubtfully asked his Aunt who let out a small laugh.

"Well it wouldn't be the first time – or the second, but I'm willing to bet that I'm not," she reassured Peter who internalized her words before looking down once more.

"What if I can never forgive him," Peter asked once more, turning his gaze back onto his aunt, his blue eyes exposing vulnerability, confusion, conflict, and doubt.

"Then you'll continue pinning the blame on those who aren't responsible," Aunt May stated to Peter before taking a pause, "You really mean yourself when you talk about Spider-Man, don't you, Peter?" She declared to the brunette boy who hesitantly nodded in response.

"I…I keep thinking…that maybe if I was there with her that day… then mayb–"

"You can't be hanging yourself up on maybe, Peter, that's only going to give you more pain. You couldn't have done any more than Spider-Man could that day," Aunt May comforted Peter, putting her hand over his to soothe his body and his thoughts.

"He could've done more…" He stubbornly mumbled.

"Maybe he could've, we really don't know, but I do know that he will do more the next time when he comes back," Aunt May confessed to Peter who huffed in amusement – genuine amusement.

"What makes you think he'll come back?" He challenged her belief with a lighter infliction – with life in his voice.

"Because the city needs him Peter and for the brief moment I was with him, never did he strike me as someone who would willfully ignore someone in need, whoever they are." Aunt May finished.

Peter looked on as she left her spot to continue her dishes, staring absentmindedly as he took in everything she said. Everything within his body screamed at him that she was right but as he saw the silhouette that stood afar outside his window, he still questioned himself.

Still questioned if he really could forgive himself for what happened.

His Aunt's words were not forgotten, however.

"Hey, Aunt May," Peter said as he gained his aunt's attention.

"Thank you."

After finishing his food he left his house in Forest Hills much to his Aunt's worry but he reassured her that he would be back by eleven. With great reluctance, she agreed to let him go after she approved of what he was going to wear. Donning heavy clothing which was underneath a red raincoat, waterproof black pants his Uncle wore for fishing, and blue rubber boots, she kissed him on the forehead, allowing him to leave the home to get some air but not before sternly telling him that he should return one hour before midnight.

He nodded and she let him go.

His walk through Queens was a peaceful one, albeit a windy one but the strong winds didn't phase him like they did most people. Though he stopped about mindlessly, his subconscious had a destination in mind, and unbeknownst to Peter, he soon found himself walking down an old path in a park he's been down a million times.

The trees rattled in the fierce wind, the sound of the leaves violently shaking with the whistle of air in motion casting a melancholic ambiance that was only furthered by the absence of others.

He could hear the sound of the lake nearby and fondly remembered a spot he used to go to with his Uncle. Peter changed his course and reached the entrance that belonged to a small bridge that arched over a river that led to the lake. Walking to the top of the arch and leaning over the edge of the stone warriors which prevented his fall, Peter gazed at the dark blue water that reflected the countless trees and monotone sky.

He took in a deep breath as he recalled and relived the fond memories he had with Benjamin Parker.

The old man always liked this spot – it was quiet, peaceful, and removed from the outside world and all the unneeded problems it brought.

What would Uncle Ben think of him if he saw him like this?

Would he be disappointed? Would he be sad? Would he understand?

Peter let out a saddened smile as his uncle would most likely just walk to his side and wrap his arm around his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him.

He needed his uncle right now, needed to hear his voice and his infinite wisdom.

He needed him to tell him another corny catchphrase.

He let out an empty chuckle.

He missed him so much.

He solemnly looked down at the river beneath him, looking at his own reflection once again but to his confusion, in a twist, he did not see the reviled form he loathed but one that made his heart beat with hope - with love.

He saw his Uncle.

He blinked multiple times, wondering if it would go away but it didn't.

He was smiling at him, his warm blue eyes looking at his own.

He missed him so, so much.

If he just stopped that man that day, Uncle Ben would still be here.

Instead, he died senselessly.

With another blink, his Uncle's reflection twisted and malformed into his own, but instead of seeing his own blue eyes, he was greeted with white lenses reflecting his body. He could see Spider-Man, copying his movements, casting an aura which forced the boy to hold his gaze.

"Not senselessly. You gave it meaning" He declared in his stern voice.

He knew what his mind was trying to tell him but as he could feel the cold gaze yet again he looked the other way.

"You looked the other way before," Spider-Man bitterly stated as memoires began playing in his mind.

He closed his eyes as the sound of police sirens began to ring throughout his head.

He could hear his aunt crying in the back as the voice of the officer spoke to him.

"Your uncle's been murdered."

"And you're doing it again," the soft voice of Gwen spoke behind him.

"What do you want from me?!" he asked, breathing heavily as he turned around to face the girl, "I thought you wanted Spider-Man gone," he furiously asked but she wasn't there.

No one was.

He turned to the river only to see his own ugly reflection.

He looked around as the leaves whistled around him and sighed, "Maybe I'm not as fine as I thought I was…" he said as he went the way he came.

He decided to go into the main part of Queens, hoping that the area that bustled with people and cars would distract him from his internal struggle.

He always liked how walking through Queens was like traveling around the world. You could have Tibetan dumplings for lunch and empanadas for dinner. There was a little Italy, little China, and little everything, and the best part about it was that there were so many different people from so many different places, with so many different stories.

He looked through a restaurant's front windows as he walked outside on the sidewalk. There were people enjoying time together with family, friends…

...He didn't have many friends, with one of them dead and the other ghosting him, the only friend he really had was Johnny and he hadn't talked to him in days.

He should take him up on his offer to hang out tomorrow.

He was lucky to have him as a friend, he was even going out on patrols to make up for Spider-Man's absence, Matt as well but Matt was...well, he was Matt.

He looked up at the horizon, looking at the city whose call he had to fight everything within him to ignore.

People were getting hurt, crimes were happening much more now and if Matt's info was right, there was even a new player in town.

The city needed him now.

Knowing about all the things that were happening and realizing that he was just sitting around selfishly was killing him in the inside but could you blame him? He watched the girl he loved die right in front of him, because of him.

"Because of Spider-Man," he corrected.

He could feel raindrops start hitting his head, taking him out of his thoughts. Quickly putting up his hood, not wanting to get his hair wet Peter looked up to hear the growls coming from the clouds, taking it as a sign to head back home, but despite this, his gaze was still locked on the city that sat on the horizon.

He looked down the street he was on, noticing the endless cars that went as far as the eye could see.

But from afar he could see a bus with orange lights on it.

He turned back to the city that seemed to be calling to him and then back to the bus he knew too well.

He forgets when his simple walk around Queens becomes a walk down the city streets he's spent so much time soaring above. The rain was going full force now as he was standing within the heart of the storm. The rain gear he was wearing however made him all but invulnerable as his body, except for his face, remained dry from the storm that blackened the sky.

He would have to thank his aunt later.

He always liked the rain, there was something about it that always soothed his mind; It was like a shelter he could take solace in – find peace in. He walked down the desolate streets, wondering where all the people were for it was only seven O'clock and no one was around. Sure, there might currently have been a rainstorm going on but it was still New York, the city that never sleeps.

With all the crime going on however he couldn't fault people for wanting to stay indoors. Superstitious and cowardly criminals went as well with rainstorms as peanut butter did with jelly.

To his surprise though, he did hear the rumbling of a motorcycle. His hood hid his blue eyes as he watched the Harley drive past him with interest. The driver from what he could briefly see was a girl – at the very least her build was, as her face was covered by a visored helmet, her black locks flowing in the wind as she drove past him, not even batting an eye.

He would be lying if he said he never wanted a motorcycle, taking the transit sucked, and cars were far out of his budget – motorcycles were too but he could dream.

He couldn't drive though.

"One day," he said to himself, and on that day the world's first wall-riding motorcycle would come to existence. He wondered what the raven-haired girl was doing at this time, hopefully not sulking like he was, and off to go someplace where people cared about her.

With how angry the weather was though, he was more so wondering if it really was safe to drive her pitch-black motorcycle in her pitch-black attire in the pitch-black weather – she didn't have spider-powers that could have her survive a car crash unscathed.

But he did.

He couldn't help but remember the words of his Uncle. They belonged to his father apparently, and from what he found, they were an abbreviation from the gospel of Luke

From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked (Luke, 12:48)

Peter did tell his aunt he would keep up with the bible.

He would never tell her that he liked his Uncle's words more.

Her relationship with God was a lot stronger than his.

That statement could actually be disputed because he and God do have this little game. It hasn't been long since the game started so they're still working on the finer details but it works like this: God does something really spiteful to someone Peter cares about, and Peter gets to ask questions.

They usually go like, "Hello God, it's Peter again, why did you do this to me?"

He looked up and actually started talking to the one who stood above all.

"Why did you give me these powers? Why do you insist on making my life hell? Like am I supposed to be the modern-day Job?" he looked down, trying to find words, trying to order his thoughts, growing storm of thoughts before looking up again, "I know my aunt speaks highly of me and I know my uncle thought that I was destined for great things but... I'm just Peter Parker...a guy from Queens..." he said, finally putting his head down, "If this is a test then let me fail because I got something to tell you...I'm this close to breaking," he said as he looked at his own reflection on the side of the building.

He didn't do anything and that's what got his Uncle killed. He put on a costume and helped people and that's what got Gwen killed.

What was he supposed to do?

God replied by casting fierce winds that sent his hood fiercely off his head, drenching it in water as Peter grew increasingly irritated at the thousands upon thousands of questions he had that remained unanswered.

"C'mon God! Give me something!" he yelled, not wanting this question to join the ones that have remained unanswered.

Thunder roared as he heard the faint sound of cars crashing.

Instinctively, in a heartbeat, he looked towards the direction where it came from but before he could investigate a sudden sharp throbbing pain sent his mind into a frenzy – preventing him from going to aid and causing him to lean against the glass building next to him as support.

He was worried, people could be getting hurt right now and he was stuck in place because of a migraine.

He didn't want more people to die.

The headache subsided and finding strength once more Peter aimed to move to where the sound of echoing car horns came from, but the cold chill on his neck, the glare that pierced deep into the soul, spurred him to turn around in a reluctant trance and look at the window that was beside him.

There she stood.

Her dead eyes hauntingly looked at him as she stood limply, like a puppet on strings. Her mouth opened and as he expected her question as she always did, "Now is the time to choose," she stated in her layered voice, surprising Peter and putting him on the spot.

He broke and rebuilt the gaze he had with her multiple times, opening and closing his mouth, trying to say what he wanted but, "I can't…" Peter confessed, saying all he could to the presence that controlled him.

"Leave then, let someone else bear the burden," She said as lightning struck.

"There is no one else!" Peter urgently yelled as the thunder roared with him.

"There was the girl, she could help."

"You know I can't just leave it to someone else," Peter argued, not wanting to bet on the off chance the girl on the motorcycle would help, and wanting even less for her to danger herself.

"Can't or won't?" she asked as lighting once again struck once again.

Peter paused and looked at her cold dead eyes before letting out a sigh.

"They're the same thing," He said in a defeated tone, looking away as the thunder growled above.

"Then answer the question…" she demanded.

He sighed in defeat, heart sinking to the blackest depths as he was going to give her the answer – accepting all that came with it, but a monstrous roar reached his ears.

Gwen just looked at him blankly.

The roar was followed by an even louder crash with car horns echoing down the streets.

"Who are you?"

He gave his answer when he heard the cry for help. As he ran at a pace faster than most cars, he could hear the soul-shattering snap that would haunt him for the rest of his days, but he didn't look back.

He didn't see the smile that crossed her face as it watched him run off.

"...Peter…"

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Strangers in the Night

"...Peter…"

He gently heard within the back of his mind as he raced through the streets. Sprinting as fast as he could as he followed the sound of car horns and screams. He cut through in an alleyway, using the cover it provided to jump the height of a building in a single leap. The sound of thunder was an almost sickening perfect partner to the primal roars that dominated the streets. As Peter reached the edge of a building he was greeted with the mother of all car crashes down on the street below.

His attention moved to his right side as at least a block away a singular car stood ahead of the crash and at the top of it, a seven-foot creature that he could only pinpoint as a human dinosaur. It was prying open the top of a car belonging to a woman and her child as countless civilians ran away from the creature.

On instinct, he almost took off his clothes but quickly remembered that his uniform was in a state of severe disrepair underneath his bed.

"Least I have the colors," he thought. He put up his hood and hoped that God was on his side as the hood and the storm combined with bad New York street lights would be the only things concealing his identity.

He started running away from the crash and towards the creature until he was close enough. There was a group of civilians that were getting people out of their cars so he could ignore them and focus on the woman who was in immediate danger of getting her head ripped off.

Peter leaped from the ledge of a building that was seven stories high, as he fell, he grabbed onto the street light that was below him and used it to propel himself into the lizard creature's side. The combination of his momentum and force sent the creature flying meters away before it could grab the terrified woman through the hole it had made.

The woman and her child screamed as it happened, preparing for the worst but looked on in shock as they saw the bright red jacket that belonged to Peter Parker. He was standing right where the creature stood just moments prior and instantly put up his hood again before the two could get a sight that wasn't his underside.

"It's Spider-Man!" the kid yelled enthusiastically as he associated the red he wore with New York's trademark and infamous law-breaking web-slinger. The cry of relief and hope that had cast away all fear had the boy smirk – had him feeling right when all he had felt this past month was wrong, but it fell as the monster that he had struck down, rose back up – refusing to be beaten so easily.

As always.

"Get to safety!" Peter commanded, eyes locked on the animal that stared him down, stalwartly standing between it and the family it sought to devour, "I'll deal with this barney reject."

"My husband! He - he…" the woman tried to say but Peter stopped her. He already noticed the few people who were trapped in cars, unconscious due to the impact of the collision. "Don't worry, once I'm done beating the bejeezus out of this thing – which won't take long, I'll go and help him – It's what I do," He stated confidently as he flashed the two a smirk before running off to face his new foe, getting cheered on by the boy who roared an enthusiastic chant as his mother desperately carried him away from the danger the brunette ran towards with a smile on his face.

His colossal combatant however would not allow its prey to escape its sight, and in rebuttal to the boy's attempt to protect them, it roared with harrowing anger that sent fear down the spines of those who heard it, and with mighty power from its monstrous form, the reptilian demon leaped high into the air to give chase – to kill – to devour the family it chased with unfathomable hunger.

Peter Parker was not to be ignored, however.

Though a boy he may be, he too contained great power, and he displayed it by meeting the monster head-on with a similar feat of power that had him propel himself into its trajectory like a missile and with his amazing power that he summoned into his fists, the boy delivered a crushing blow that sent the monster back with a breathtaking display of power and heroism that would be ingrained into the young child's mind as his mother whisked him away.

But no less than a second as the fleeing family turned the corner did Peter begin to get a picture of not just what he was fighting, but its power as well for his punch seemingly did as much damage to himself, as it did the monster who shrieked in pain as they were both brought back down to the cold and now damaged streets of a storming New York City.

Growling with hate as Peter observed his throbbing hand, the monster's obscured form faced the direction its senses told was where its targets were, but once again, as it made moves towards them, Peter had thwarted its attempts. Silencing its howl with a punch that collided against the scaly face, Peter's eyes widened as a familiar buzz – an instinctual alarm warned him of impending danger that was hastily coming.

And it did.

Feeling muscle coated in hard scales and reptilian skin wrap around his waist the very moment he was warned, the brunette hero was thrown with so much force that the wind howled at his speed as he was thrown through a store window that shattered instantaneously along with the wall was in his chosen path.

Believing itself to be victorious, the creature stood tall, lighting unveiling its draconic form clearly for but an instance. Just as he had felt, its skin was coated in green scales that could defend itself from powerful attacks, and its vicious claws that were on the ends of each finger allowed it to rend flesh if its muscular seven-foot body could not demolish those it stood against.

Its snout was to the sky, rapidly searching for those it was after, but accompanying the reverberating deep boom of thunder was the loud and determined voice of Peter Parker who stood tall, gaining its attention with a spiteful hiss at the boy's confident grin.

"Hey, Earl Sinclair! It's gonna take more than that to beat me" Peter yelled, ignoring the bad feeling he was getting from the cluster of vehicles that were beginning to deepen the darkness of night with smoke that unnerved him.

The towering creature roared, the message Peter sent being clearly conveyed and listened to.

If it was to get what it wanted, it would have to go through him.

It sought to do this, lunging at Peter with focus now purely on him but his spider speed and strength allowed him to react by flipping over it and using the tail that had attacked him to his advantage, Mid-flip, the boy grabbed its extra appendage and with his might, brought the creature over his head and back down to the ground.

Thunder roared with both the street and the creature as they were heavily damaged by the boy gracefully landing in the space between its legs.

Spider-sense warning him again of another surprise attack, Peter retreated with a backflip that carried him a lengthy distance away from the monster who had aimed to savagely swipe at him. Peter watched, formulating a plan as he saw the creature get up, its claws piercing through the pavement. He shook his head, throwing away whatever plan he had in mind and choosing to barrage the monster as it was still recovering.

With no web-shooters, he was limited to just his wits and his strength – but fortunately, he had plenty of the two. He ran towards the creature preparing a sucker punch that the Rhino could feel but unlike Peter's large and sluggish foe, the monster was fast, and it sidestepped the attack. Blue eyes expanding once more as he could see its tail move in his direction, Peter leaned backward, faster and deeper than any normal human could possibly do, barely dodging the attack however the monster wasn't done and went to instantly grab Peter with its right hand but in response to this Peter did a simple back spring away, gaining distance from the monster.

As he was going to stick the landing the creature tackled him to the ground. Pinning him down, it roared in his face, bombing his nostrils with the most repugnant stench that caused him to visibly scowl in disgust, "ugh, yikes," Peter said as he visibly cringed at the monster's breath. Stopping its attempts to devour his face with his forearm that held the monster's jaw back, Peter delivered a left hook with a bit more power to get it off of him. The impact sent the creature's face forcefully to the left as expected but what he did not expect was the monster to let go of him, roaring in agonizing pain, standing up tall once more, now set on desperately clawing away whatever it was that was on its back as its cries of pain were now conjoined with the growls of something else.

Peter took this chance to roll away, entering a familiar spider-crouched position as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

The roars of a girl gave him hints, but it was the flash of lighting that told him everything.

As lightning flashed once again, he could ever so briefly see a Caucasian-looking girl with waist-length black hair get off the creature's back, elegantly evading its relentless attacks and leaving huge gashes around its body in her wake. The creature tried grabbing her with its left arm but she swiftly dodged the attack before digging something into the creature's side and circling around to its back, leaving another gash on its body.

From her position behind the monster, the mysterious girl was ready to deliver another strike, but she was unaware of something that Peter had just quickly learned. The rampaging beast could heal. It could heal fast too, all the wounds the girl inflicted closing seconds after, and with speeds that could catch even himself off guard, its large hands wrapped around her small body, and she let out a cry of pain as her body was getting progressively crushed by its force. It lifted her into the air, restraining her movements but before it could do anything else, Peter joined in and hit it with even more power – all his power, in a desperate attempt to free her. Combining his strength with his speed, Peter's fist crashed against its jaw with such force that it was sent tumbling – freeing the girl in the process as it was completely floored by the power the boy rarely used.

The usage of his power came at an excruciating cost as Peter felt like he had nearly fractured his fist. Clenching his fist and sucking up the pain, Peter turned his attention to the girl who was currently on her knees, quietly gasping for air, "are you alright?" he asked before sticking his right hand out to help her get up.

He didn't show it but he recognized that girl.

This was the same one on the motorcycle earlier.

She wore a black leather jacket with black fingerless gloves, and black jeans with a pair of black biker boots were what dominated her lower half. She had waist-length hair that was as dark as the sky and her face was the shape of a triangle adorned with almond-shaped eyes.

Her vibrant emerald eyes met his blue ones as she got up on her own, completely ignoring the hand he held out for her.

"You're welcome," he mumbled to himself, returning his hand to his side.

"Last time I checked, I was the one who saved you first, you twit," the girl stated in an aggressive manner.

"Touché," was all Peter could say.

"What is that?" the girl asked as she looked at the creature that was slowly recovering from the boy's devastating attack.

"I don't know but it seems to be after one of the civilians," he said as he turned his attention from the girl onto the creature, "We hold this Godzilla wannabee here before it can hurt any of them," he declared, rolling up his sleeves and brushing off bits of the creature's scales off his face. The girl nodded and followed his actions, clenching her fists before the lethal and formidable sound of blades being swiftly released – a 'snikt' pierced his ears. Out from her knuckles were two long metallic claws on each hand and one on each foot that were more terrifying than the monster's ravenous talons.

Pushing the initial surprise of the display of her powers to the back of his mind along with the many questions he had, the corners of his lips lifted up ever so slightly as the tables turned in his – their, favor.

"I'll hit-"

"Do not get in my way," was the only thing the girl said as she ran at the monster before he could even state his plan, "...okay… never mind…I guess I'll follow your lead instead…" Peter accepted her blunt course of action, dashing behind her as she charged at their enemy. The scaly monstrosity roared as it tried to maul her with its claws but the girl managed to dodge it by ducking under the arm, leaving the creature open to attack – an opening Peter used.

He jumped as he approached the creature and combined the momentum and his strength to punch the creature's face yet again causing it to take a few steps back. The raven-haired girl tried to go for a strike but the creature recovered quickly from Peter's hit and went to attack her again. She swiftly dodged the attack allowing Peter to go in for another one but the creature didn't fall for the same trick twice. The creature used its advanced physiology to grab the girl while she was still in the process of dodging its first attack. wrapping its palm around her face to Peter's surprise, panic started to settle within him as he was worried for her safety.

The girl struggled and tried to cut the creature's arm but she only managed to make it halfway. "Let her go!" Peter demanded as he rushed the creature. He stood on its back as he barraged its face with attacks to little effect. It only relented as the girl used the claw on her foot to impale the creature's abdomen. In annoyance, it threw the girl's body with all its strength into the air prompting Peter to let out a "No!" as he jumped from the creature's shoulder and towards the girl's body.

The force of the throw made it impossible for her to gain control and break her fall but luckily she didn't have to. The boy managed to catch her before she hit the ground, unfortunately though, there wasn't enough space for him to land with her so he did the next best thing and used his back to break their fall.

They bounced down the street in the opposite direction from the crash with Peter taking most of the damage. They soon came to a stop and the two found themselves lying beside each other as the creature stood meters away.

The girl got up immediately and looked at the boy, a look of surprise across her face as she watched the boy do the same, "ow…" he muttered to himself, coping from wounds that would leave most paralyzed as if he had just lightly stubbed his toe.

"Are you alright?" He asked a familiar question, though the girl this time around did not have the indifferent expression she did the first time around, but a perplexed and almost infuriated one.

"Why did you do that?" she asked with curiosity and bafflement that almost made it seem that she was angry with him for preventing her harm.

He looked at her dumbfoundedly, "...cause you were gonna get hurt," he stated as if it was the obvious answer.

"I heal quickly. I do not need your concern," she furiously and sternly stated, brow furrowed for she was not one who needed worry from anyone – who wanted worry from anyone – much less him. Instead of choosing to continue their assault, he moronically chose to prevent harm she could easily rejuvenate and recover from.

"Well, you have it," Peter replied with an infliction that there was nothing he or she could do about it.

"You know, you have a funny way of saying 'thank you,'" He added, preventing whatever it was she was going to say to be said, but chances are it was going to be more reprimands for saving her.

She didn't like his addition, evident from her lack of response and scowl.

"So...are you done with the lone wolf schtick? or do you wanna be his squeeze toy some more?" he chuckled at the joke which deepened her scowl.

The girl just glared at him.

"I'm gonna take that as a 'yes,'" He said in a more serious tone as he looked at the monster that was now perched atop a parked car as it watched them like a predator in the bushes. "Godzilla over here is almost as fast as me and possibly stronger," he paused for a moment, "Its scales prevent me from doing any real damage but your claws seem to do the trick," he said as he turned his attention to her.

The girl looked at him, understanding what he was saying. "I'll distract it this time, while you use those claws of yours to make mincemeat out of this thing."

"Alright," the girl agreed as she withdrew her claws.

"So you can play nice?" he joked with a grin of his own as he slammed his fist into his palm.

"Shut up," Was all the girl said before the violent roar of their monstrous foe signaled them to begin their assault.

They ran at the creature with the girl following closely behind Peter. The creature left its perched position from the car as it watched its "prey" approach them and lifted the car above its head before it threw it at the two. The girl swiftly moved right as the car approached them but watched as the boy ran head-on, still retaining his grin.

She watched how the boy waited for the car to get closer to him before he jumped on it. He ran on it with ease as if the laws of physics did not apply to him before launching himself even farther into the air. He twirled in the air with a level of superior agility as he did a front flip with so many twists that it seemed impossible for a regular human to accomplish. The acrobatic spectacle seemed to confuse the creature as it couldn't comprehend what he was going to do next, which helped Peter as he turned the stylish move into a deadly kick.

The creature barely ducked under Peter's kick and as he landed behind the creature it spun around going for a hit which never came. The monster shrieked in pain as the girl's claws dug deep into its back, sending the message to never turn its back to her. She dragged them out through the creature's sides before cutting its legs tendons deeply as Peter from his crouched position pulled his fist back before doing a spinning uppercut to the creature's jaw.

The sheer force of the attack sent the creature into the air but as it tried to land the deep gash it had on its calves caused it to collapse and fall to its hands and knees. The girl ran at the creature, jumping over the creature's head as it tried to bite her. She twisted her body with the same elegance she showed when she saved Peter and dragged two claws from the creature's shoulder down to its upper back as her legs pointed towards the sky. It shrieked again as it straightened its back, allowing the girl to wrap her legs around the creature's waist as she was coming down.

She pulled out the claws that were stuck on the creature's back and used her left arm to wrap around the creature's neck. She then used her right hand to once again impale the creature, this time striking its ribs. With her against its body, its tail had no way of grabbing her, and any attempts to do so with its hands were thwarted as once again the creature was struck by the boy in red.

After that hit he struck the creature again, putting more into this punch than the previous ones prior. As his fist collided, the creature's waist twisted and the girl swiftly got off from it, but not before slitting its throat with the hand that was around its neck.

Its body limply fell upon the pavement.

An odd silence washed over the two as they could only hear the sound of raindrops and each other panting. The girl found a place at the boy's side as he looked at the creature's body with a soft expression. "It's dead," she simply said as she looked at the boy, but he gave her no response.

"Yeah…" he says with a hint of sadness in his voice. She recognized the sad expression and tried to console him, "It was not human."

"It was still alive," he solemnly said. It may have been an animal of some freak experiment but it didn't deserve this. He looked at the girl, his saddened expression slowly morphing into a small smile.

"Thank you, though," he graciously declared to the girl who assisted him on her own volition, "We make a pretty good team if this is anything to go by," he finished, admiring not just the efficiency of teamwork but the reliability he so very rarely experienced.

She crossed her arms and let out a small "hmph."

The girl with long flowing raven locks believed she could have handled this without him, but she could not deny the results. He could do what no one else could, fight alongside her without slowing her down.

If only he talked less.

"Why did you go help that woman?" she asked the boy, aware that he had come to the rescue and recklessly battled that creature before knowing anything about it.

Peter looked down for a second, trying to find a good answer, but there was only really one and as he saw the reflection within the puddle beneath him, he looked up at the girl with his bright blue ignited eyes and with a wholehearted voice he said, "Because I could, meaning I had to."

Within the puddle, he saw Spider-Man.

He saw himself.

His declaration that was finished with a smile took the girl he spoke those words to off guard as she tried to decipher their meaning but her nose picked up the putrid stench of burning rubber and the intrinsically alarming smell of smoke had her eyes instantly dart past the boy.

"There is a fire," she stated, spurring the boy to turn around and his eyes to widen in fear. The calamity of crashed cars the now-dead creature had spurred caused the amalgamation of crushed cars to catch aflame. That was not the least of their worries however for a truck that contained gallons of oil would soon join the metallic vehicles in their hell which would create a mass explosion that would devastate everything caught in it.

On reflex upon hearing the urgent cries for help, Peter went to move and answer the call but as soon as he did – at inhuman speeds, the creature's reptilian tail lashed at the girl he stood beside at lightning speeds, but his spider-sense alerted him of this. Tackling her to the ground before it could strike either of them, their monstrous draconic-like foe took the opportunity to escape and leaped stories high before using its amphibious powers to scale the building which would lead to its escape.

Caught in a crossroads as the both of them immediately got onto their feet, the girl growled, aiming to give chase at the monster but was stopped from doing so by a force that held her in place by her arm.

"We have to help them!" Peter yelled in a mix of an urgent plea and serious command, pointing at the people who were trapped in the confines of the burning metallic mess which would soon be their coffins.

The girl faced him, her immense anger exponentially growing at the stupid boy's actions, "These claws were made for killing, not helping!" she declared with the utmost hatred in her voice.

She was angry that she fell for such a stupid trick. Angry that she briefly dropped her guard.

But Peter Parker wouldn't have it, not when people's lives were at stake.

"Then let's change that!" Peter roared, challenging her ferocity with his own, letting go of her arm as he bolted into the flames that would be his end.

"You are a fool if you think you think you can save them!" She yelled. That truck would catch ablaze and incinerate all who were trapped, including the boy who either didn't understand the danger or just didn't care.

"Then I guess I am a fool!" he yelled back, informing her that he simply did not care if it would explode – he would try and save those death had already claimed.

The girl glared at him, a look of surprise and anger as she watched the boy's figure get smaller as he ran towards the fire. She turned her gaze upwards to where the lizard creature was, its figure all but gone except for its tail which slowly disappeared from the edge of the building.

She looked back at the boy as he leaped into the heart of the crash.

He would not be able to save all of them.

His young mind looked at the rapidly growing flames, desperately trying to come up with a way to save those who remained in the disaster which kept growing. There was a crowd nearby, made up of those who managed to free themselves – who instead of running away like most, decided to stay and help just as the boy did. They said things to him, locations of people, but his senses had already told him. In the midst of the rapidly growing flames were two in a flipped-over Nissan, with another two being pinned by a truck that crushed their metal coffins, and finally two more who were in their own vehicles, unconscious and unaware of their fates.

The girl was right, at any second the truck would erupt and incinerate everyone caught up in its blast, and even with his powers he knew deep in his bones that he couldn't save them all, but he grit his teeth, he ignored the reality of his situation and he…

"I will get those in the Nissan and the Civic," a voice flatly stated, reverberating hope into his mind.

Peter turned around, eyes wide with a smile – heart pounding and given energy once more as he watched the girl in black fight go towards her targets, "I knew you'd come!" he yelled, his faith in her rewarded as he leaped from car to car, evading the flames just as the girl did.

She easily maneuvered around the cars until she reached the Civic, failing to keep her eyes on it as she watched the boy excitedly and easily free one of the trapped civilians from her intended tomb.

Who is he? Was the thought that pervaded her mind as her body moved on its own again, doing things she could never see herself doing – things that were done after witnessing him.

She regained focus, effortlessly making a hole in the car which she would pull the hefty man that was entrapped in it through. His weight commanded the usage of both her arms but she managed to lift the almost three-hundred-pound man out and lift him to safety before moving to her next target.

She could hear the barely conscious man utter the words "Thank you."

She furrowed her brow.

She did not deserve praise.

The flames were growing rampantly now, emitting such a heat that she had begun to sweat, the threat of doom that was already close getting nearer and nearer by the second – they were threading the needle, and yet she watched how this did not stop the boy who ignored the flames to save the last two who were pinned down in their coffins by a crushing pick up truck.

There was about to be a mass explosion any second now and he was heading towards the heart of the disaster.

So was she.

On the cluster of cars, in the midst of a blazing fire that would soon be an incinerating explosion of great magnitude, a girl with viridian gemstone eyes and a boy with glimmering azure ones rushed into danger – ran in toe with one another with a shared goal to save those from what would be a certain death. She ran in toe with him until she reached the one who she was supposed to save, using claws which were made to reap lives to save them. She put the woman whom she saved on her back, bolting out of the impending explosion but not before giving a glance as the boy who she fought alongside, who she was saving these people with, used his impressive power to toss the three-ton truck that utterly crushed the vehicle it was over.

The raven-haired girl set the woman down not too far from the crowd that stood afar from the catastrophe, and she turned her gaze back to the flames that had swallowed up even the sight of the boy, but she knew he was still alive.

She watched with eager eyes, with suspension and unease that was foreign as the crowd chanted for him, cheered for him and her, but in the midst of those cheers, a name that was used had captured her attention.

Spider-Man.

They called the boy that.

They believed him to be the infamous hero.

Her mind said otherwise, but his actions and words had her doubting her own thoughts.

She did not know him, but she did know one thing.

He was running out of time.

Aware of this predicament with the constant buzzing of his sixth sense, Peter Parker hastily tore the roof of the car right off, unveiling the man inside who desperately cradled the body of his son.

Not knowing if the boy was good or bad, or if he was here to help or save, the man pleaded regardless to save his son over him, to take him and leave.

"Nuh uh sir," Peter refused, causing the man to freeze, "I came here for the package deal and I'm not settling for any less," he smirked offering his hand to the man who passed the body of his son – his sacred child to the boy who speedily kept the boy snug under his harm.

Regardless if he was Spider-Man or not, with the way he spoke, the way he cared, he was most certainly more than just a boy.

With the delicate newborn handled and time not on his side, using his strength and speed, the father was forcefully lifted and carried on Peter's opposing shoulder as he began his sprint against the closing of time. The mysterious unnamed girl watched with more focus, more attention, more care, and worry than she would ever admit, urgently awaiting him to escape the inferno that made moves to swallow him whole but she was not privy to God who always had another idea when it came to Peter Parker.'

In a twist of fate, her prediction that she now wanted to be so desperately wrong was proven correct in the haunting display of purgatory capturing three new souls with its ear-shattering eruption of fire and flame that had her heart stop.

"No!" she yelled, heart dropping as she reached out to where the boy once stood, a look of anguish and pain – deep regret crossing her face as he was devoured.

"Ha!" But just moments later her look of anguish was one of surprise, of awestruck, of disbelief, as the boy that was devoured came souring from the explosion like a shooting star that captivated everyone's attention.

Time stopped as her agape expression looked up to meet his grin, his blue eyes meeting her green ones as he laughed to himself, the man he was holding contrasting against the boy not just in age, but in emotions as he screamed for his life – the top of his nose blackened from burns.

Heroically – triumphantly soaring through the skies with everyone safe – everyone alive, Peter Parker landed from his last minute – last second last-ditch leap with a smile on his face, the cheering of people accompanying it as the man he saved was let go.

Gently falling onto his knees to catch his breath, the middle-aged man as soon as he could – ignoring the gash on his head and his wounds turned to the boy who saved him and his son and voiced his only concern, his only worry, "My-my son...is he…" he tried to say, his eyes full of worry but just as he escaped unscathed – mostly, so did his son – completely unwounded, unharmed, undamaged.

"He's safe," Peter softly said as used his other hand to gently change the boy's position from a hold underneath his arm to a more parental one. He then gently gave the boy who appeared to be no more than five to his father, who then clutched him as if his life depended on it.

The man teared up as he looked at the brunette boy who just saved them and the only words he could find himself saying were "Thank you…thank you so much…."

Peter looked at him with wide eyes before taking a step back, watching the father clutch his son as if the ending of the world had just been prevented and then he looked around. He looked at the scenes which were illuminated by a soft orange glow. He looked at the people who were saved, who would live to see another day because of him.

Because of him…

The girl quietly observed the boy as he looked around, deep in thought. She noticed how his jacket wasn't fully on now, just barely hanging on his elbows as the outside was covered by black soot from the explosion and her eyes gravitated to the name that was written on the tag.

"Parker"

They were then pulled by his blue ones which turned around to specifically meet her green ones once more, and Peter Parker flashed her a small smile with warm glowing eyes.

It wasn't just because of him that they were alive.

But because of her too.

"That was a blast," he chuckled, not shying away from the banal joke and instead finding it amusing.

She gave him a deadpan look.

This only made him laugh more.

"You didn't think you could get rid of me that easily, did you?" he light-heartedly asked the girl, putting his hands on his waist, the gentle smile morphing into a playful grin.

"Do not be a fool," she dismissed his question, averting her gaze from him and crossing her arms, amusing him even more.

He let out a small laugh at her response.

"You know…I wouldn't have been able to save all of them if it weren't for you," He began to say as he looked back at the crowd. "Thank you for that," he said with all his heart, holding a soft gaze with the girl before she looked away, opting to look at the crowd of people she helped save.

People she did save.

He did the same.

"Shame that thing got away," Peter noted as he put his coat on properly.

He didn't get a response from the girl but at the mention of the creature he got something else. He stared at her oddly as she started sniffing the air, like a dog tracking things before sharply returning her gaze to him causing him to jolt a little.

"It is not gone," she stated.

"What?" Peter asked dumbfoundedly.

She pointed west, "it is somewhere there."

"Wait..." he said, recollecting the area. "That's where the waterfront is, there's an entrance to the sewers down there... You don't think?" he said as he looked at the nearest manhole cover.

The girl simply walked towards it and looked at him.

"Yes," was all she said.

He followed her and crouched down beneath the manhole, putting his hand over it and using his powers to lift it. The girl quietly observed how the boy lifted the manhole, palm fully flat on it before lifting it, almost like it was stuck to his palm.

Peter looked up at her and got the feeling he should clarify what he just did.

"Stick'em powers," he casually said. She already saw his face, how he fought, and how he lifted a truck with ease. Didn't help that bystanders called him out but he did appreciate it at the same time and while normally he was extremely worried and paranoid about his identity, there was something about this girl that made him feel at ease.

She looked at him, visibly displeased with his childish response however, it did confirm her doubts. What were the chances that she met the hero the news loved talking about?

"Ladies first?" he gestured as he looked at her.

She glared at him again.

"Never mind," was all he said before jumping in first, not bothering to use the rusted steps built in. She followed suit, albeit not as reckless as she decided to use the steps to go down the hole.

She closed the manhole as she went further down, the repugnant smell of the sewers burning her nostrils but she could also smell the boy and the various soaps he used, standing right beneath her, obviously waiting for her to come down.

More importantly, however, the more she went down the stronger the creature's faint smell became.

It was here.

The hunt was on.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Look To Your Heart

They walked together as they traversed the sewers, the girl taking point as she followed the creature's scent. Peter was close behind her as he felt sprinkles of water splash at his side.

They were currently walking down a sewage passageway, which so graciously had space to walk on as water rushed down to the right of it. The velocity of the water put rapids to shame as it traversed at deadly speeds down the designated way, courtesy of the storm. The two of them followed where the water went, coming to a unified agreement that if they followed the way it traveled, sooner or later they would find the creature.

The thing is that the New York sewer system is vast. It spanned a total of six thousand miles, with most of it made with a combined sewer system, making it so that the pipes carried both stormwater and wastewater to the nearest treatment plant. As luck would have it though, the nearest treatment plant was far from where they currently were to his knowledge and all the monster had to do was find a point in the sewers that would allow the tides to carry it and it would be halfway across the city in no time.

Hopefully, it wasn't that smart, Peter hoped as he looked at the girl who sniffed the air, continuing to track its scent through the stench that surrounded them.

The two reached the end of the passageway and were greeted with two options they could take: There was a door to the left of them which they could use or they could go down to where the water was. It rushed into a pipe that was big enough for an average-sized person and past a pair of metal bars that were presumably there to prevent people from falling down into the vast room it led to if they were ever caught by the water.

The girl watched as the boy immediately used his "stick 'em powers," his words – not hers, to cling to the top of the pipe before tearing the bars off. He then signaled her to follow him but she stared at the running water for not even a second before turning to face the door.

She ignored the pout he made as he crawled into the room.

she would prefer a choice that would leave her less drenched than she already was.

Slicing open the lock on the door, she kicked and entered the desolate room. It was dusty and dirty, ilk all over the floor as it contained a singular pipe that hugged the ceiling – clearly a room solely for maintenance, but a room that led to the same space Peter arrived at, without her getting soaked.

"Boo!" Peter yelled from above her as she opened the door, hoping to startle her but only getting a deadpan reaction from the girl who was unphased by his antics.

"I knew you were there," she plainly stated, moving past him to traverse the steps that led down into the large room that water ran through. Peter followed her, doing a flip off the wall and landing right beside her as she finished going down the stairs, once again unphased.

"You are an idiot," she declared as the two followed the river of sewer water that lay in the middle of the room. For once, Peter could say that taxpayer money was being put to good use through the graciousness of whoever designed the New York sewers, there was an area where they could walk, and Two cement walkways that were big enough to fit equipment were what hugged the walls as water flowed down the middle, sparing them from being submerged in water that was intermingled with who knows what.

"It was the nose, wasn't it?" Peter asked the girl, long since coming to the conclusion that her sense of smell was far greater than others.

"A single whiff and I know what you ate, how long you used deodorant, what brand it was, and how much you've been sweating since you put it on," she informed him with a fierce voice that said all that needed to be said, but this intrigued him.

Really?" Peter asked, wanting to learn more.

"You use Irish spring deodorant with Colgate mint toothpaste. You had spaghetti recently and you use Charmin ultra-soft toilet paper," she said in a factual manner, listing off facts that Peter knew to be true.

What else did she know based on his scent alone?

"I'm feeling really uncomfortable right now," he jokingly responded which surprisingly amused the girl who was satisfied by his response.

"You are Spider-Man, aren't you?" she asked, changing the tone of the conversation and turning her attention back to what lay in front of her. "

"What makes you say that?" he sarcastically asked her, knowing that it was obvious at this point.

"The powers, the way you-"

"I was being sarcastic," he said, stopping her from listing off all that confirmed her suspicions.

"I thought you quit," She did not know much about the hero before her, but she did know that he had been gone – seemingly forever, until now.

"I...I did," he lowered his head, regretting the action – the ignoring of his responsibility that left who knows how many without someone to help them.

Someone to save them.

"Then what are you doing here?" she asked as she turned her head to look back at him, the sadness and shame that was in his eyes being something she recognized – something she knew.

Peter pondered her question before letting out a chuckle of both acceptance and resignation, "...Because... some things never change," he stated with a small smile.

She understood completely what he meant.

Some things never change…

She shook her head as memories that were better left forgotten came to the forefront of her mind and needing a distraction, she asked the boy another question.

"What made you quit in the first place?"

"Now, believe it or not, being a superhero is quite hard. I was actually dealing with a crisis just before this whole thing," Peter explained his trial and tribulations in ways that almost made it seem like a joke – which was the point – heck, it even had PointClaws huff.

"You think you deal with things," she said with slight inflictions of a mocking tone behind her stoic voice.

"Wanna make it a competition?" Peter asked with a raised brow, picking up on the girl's tone which challenged if his experiences were really as bad as he put it.

"I'd win," the girl retorted in a monotone voice.

Peter let out a drawn-out whistle as if he didn't believe her – which he didn't, but he played along, wanting to find out more about the leather jacket-clad girl he was with.

"Does God like to make your life a living hell?" He rhetorically asked.

"I do not know what god is," The place she grew up in didn't really give her classes about religion, "...and my life is hell," she finished in a stern voice which surprised Peter.

He looked at her, bewildered for a second before saying...

"Please don't tell me you were out sulking like I was," Him sulking out on the streets, yeah that was normal, but finding someone else – a girl who had powers like him, sulking out on the street was something only found in corny pieces of fiction.

"That is none of your business," she instantly stated.

"She was," he thought.

She most definitely was.

What were the chances?

Then again, what were the chances of a teenage boy getting bit by a radioactive spider and getting powers?

"...and what if I were?" she looked back at Peter, her voice now more powerful in an attempt to be threatening which was bolstered by the raising of a fist that warned him of razor-sharp metallic claws.

"Can you read minds too!?" Peter asked with pure panic and surprise upon her seemingly responding to his thoughts, lifting his hands up into the air in a juvenile form of surrender.

She looked at him and came up with a very simple realization.

"You are an idiot," she stated as she turned back to face forward.

They returned back to position and followed the monstrous scent of the creature they were hunting. It took them to the end of the room and more, for the water broke off to the right, onto a tunnel that wasn't made of sleek concrete but of old crumbling bricks.

She noticed that there was a wall in the near distance but no place for the water to go, but as she sniffed the air she knew that the creature they were hunting was down that way, so dead end or not, that was where they were going to. She met the boy's blue eyes and moved her gaze in the direction of the crumbling waterway and the boy nodded, understanding what she meant.

They entered the waterway, finally submerging themselves in the running water which contained the filth of a city but at the very least it was diluted by the sheer amount of clean 'water' that rained from the sky.

Clean in quotations because rainwater was acidic.

That was still preferable to fece water in Peter's opinion.

Despite preparing herself, the girl was still caught off guard by the rapids and lack of leveling on the ground which almost had her fall over if it weren't for Peter catching her before she did. She looked at him, surprised by his actions before brushing him off and regaining her footing. The water was running fast and threatening to push her off her footing at any given turn but she would not let it make a fool of her.

She watched as the boy followed suit and entered the water, unphased by the speeds and more concerned about the water that was filling up his boots which caused him to visibly cringe.

"You don't see the Avengers going into sewers…" he grumbled as he got accustomed to the cold water before turning to the girl, wondering how she didn't seem to mind having water in the deep negatives submerge her knee down.

He actually had many questions about her, but one just came to mind.

"What's with all the questions anyway?" Peter said as he looked at the girl, "You a fan?" he asked her with a raised brow, amused at the possibility that she scoffed at.

"Do not be delusional," she shut the idea down, "I do know a few though," she added, perking his interest. "They talk about you sometimes, how you're a hero. One girl even has newspaper clippings of you on her wall. She and the others... are disheartened by your departure but she made a bet with someone that you would come back," she finished, causing Peter to think about the consequences of his action.

Peter looked down.

He didn't fully recognize how much his disappearance really affected people…

He looked back at the girl, his blue eyes burning with resolve.

He'd make up for all of it, ten times over.

"You can tell her that she won the bet when you see her again," Peter said with determination in his voice.

They reached the dead end, looking over the edge where the water rained from towards archaic depths that were unknown. It was at least a ten-story fall from what Peter guessed, and while he could survive such a fall, he wondered if the girl was in the same boat. She had claws that could cut through the monster like butter, an inhuman sense of smell, and healing abilities which made her beyond concern in her words, but he knew nothing of durability.

For all he knew a fall like this could kill her…

"That's not going to happen," he thought as he recalled the event at the bridge.

"No matter what," he vowed as he took a glance at the girl with long onyx locks.

The act of the girl rapidly inhaling through her nostril, detecting the scents nearby would put the boy's vow to test for a familiar soft tingle had begun warning him of danger just as her senses were doing for her.

"Hey..." Peter trailed off, trying to locate the monster both their senses were warning them off, "...we got trouble…" The brunette warned the girl, playing a game of hot and cold with his senses, and right now, he was really warm, "I've got a sixth sense for this sort of thing and…"

His eyes widened as the tingling went full swing, "move!" Peter yelled at her as he turned the other way, just in time to meet the monster who had come bursting through the wall. Instead of dodging, he chose to meet the monster's might with his own, giving the girl enough time to react even with the speeding tides that limited her movement.

He locked hands with the beast, the two glaring at each other as they battled to see who was stronger. It was a stalemate, the two of them being nearly identical in strength but the monster had something Peter didn't.

It had talons.

Razor-sharp nails that were beginning to dig deep into his hands, but Peter also had an ace up his sleeve.

He endured the pain the creature's claws brought, knowing that the girl who accompanied him would pay it back tenfold. The monster knew it too. It tried to retreat, to back away, but Peter held it in place as she charged at it – powering through the knee-deep tides and slicing the integral parts of its arms to allow the boy to gain ground. Its wailing tail prevented her from outright cleaving through it, and with the tides, she was reduced to dodge the extra appendage which only gave her enough time for limited slashes that could only help Peter in his battle of power.

It still was not enough. Equal in physical power they may be, the monster had size, it had weight, and it was pushing Peter back. She had tried to strike a spot that would be lethal for the creature but its tail prevented her from doing so again and it grazed her leather jacket as she dodged it the first time a second attack came, an attack she could foresee, but not react to due to her hindrances.

And like a crackle of lightning, the sharp piercing whip of its tail hitting her across the face reverberated throughout the small tunnel that they were in, throughout the boy's mind as a familiar scene started playing through his mind as she was flung off the dead end by the force of its appendage.

"No!" Peter exclaimed – he cried, letting go as soon as the scene played throughout his mind to go save the girl from a demise he hoped had not already happened, and to his relief – to everything that was good, she was alive.

She was holding on to a crevice within the floor, feet stabbed into the wall, but the weight of the water was pushing her down, commanding her to either fall or drown for the knee-deep water turned into a crashing stream that submerged her without breath.

She would drown if he did nothing soon.

"Don't let go!" Peter urgently pleaded, every bone in his body commanding him to save her, but the monster stood in his way, wrapping its large hands around his back and throwing him into a wall with a loud 'thoom' that echoed throughout his body in the form of pain, but if the monster was going to stand in his way, if it was going to stop him from saving the girl he had just met – who had helped him out of the goodness of her heart, Peter Parker would run it over if he had to – obliterate it if he must.

He would not fail her.

Not again.

He got back onto his feet, attacking the monster with everything he had, pushing it back as he begged the girl to "Hold on!."

She could barely see what was going on, barely understand or paint a picture with the water that overwhelmed her senses and body, but she could hear through the raging waters that he was giving everything he had to save her.

Her of all people.

She did not deserve to be saved.

Even drowning like this was too light of a punishment…

"Please!" She could hear Peter continue for her to hold on, to continue fighting against the darkness that invaded her vision as his battle against the monster brought him pain he would continue to power through, taking blows that knocked his teeth out, and threatened to floor him, but he refused to be knocked down.

"I won't let you die!" he yelled to her, struggling to fight against the monster that had already considered the unnamed girl to be dead, "Not like Gwen!" Peter roared but was silenced as the creature punched him across the face, knocking the wind out of him, before picking him up – preparing to devour his head like a rabid beast.

Peter refused this desire. With adrenaline pumping through his veins, with the threat of failing once more, with the girl's life on the line, he headbutted the creature as hard as he could – more than he could, bashing his skull against its snout, having it recoil in pain and release him. He didn't stop there though, he relentlessly bashed the creature with his might, preparing one final attack that was fuelled by all his power, his speed, and will, and more, with the goal of flooring the monster and for all.

With burning blue eyes Peters roared, releasing all the power he could muster to punch the monster across the face with a blow that echoed throughout the caverns, that broke through its thick hide with might very rarely summoned.

The sheer impact tore its jaw completely off, but as he did this the creature backhanded him with a force that had his brain rattle against his skull, having the both of them hiss out in pain. Peter eyed the monster as it glared at him with its blood-red eyes, getting up as he did so, keeping his gaze on the girl who was still managing to hold on.

He could fight forever but she didn't have that long.

As the creature roared he instantly moved his head in its direction to see it slowly stumble off the edge, its fight-or-flight instinct commanding it to flee.

There was a choice to make.

Save the girl who was in the process of drowning and let the monster go, or chase after it and let her die.

He knew who he would pick.

Peter let the creature go without so much of a second thought, instantly grabbing the girl's hand and carrying her within his arms as she was repeatedly coughing in her attempt to gasp for air. Bringing the both of them on dry ground, he urgently but gently placed the girl down where she would then put herself onto her knees in her battle to release the water that she choked on.

Assisting her with pats to help with the excess water, through their combined efforts, the translucent liquid of life had been expelled from her body.

With a sigh of relief, Peter placed himself onto his butt, panting along with the girl who breathed heavily, the both of them being pushed more than they expected, but all that mattered to him was that she was alive.

"She's alive…" Peter muttered, basking in those words, in her existence and life that had not been taken. That had been saved. He didn't fail her. He didn't let her die.

Letting the monster get away was worth it.

He kept his hand on her back as she breathed heavily, ready to help her again if anything were to happen but once her breathing recovered she instantaneously grabbed him, eyes burning with anger, "Where is it!?" She yelled, unaware of what happened or to blind with anger to even care.

"It got away," Peter pointed towards the ledge that led to the depths of the sewers – to the unknown where the monster had long since disappeared too.

It was long gone.

"You idiot! You let it get away!?" she angrily hissed, turning her exponentially growing anger which tunneled her vision for the creature, onto him.

The thing is though, Peter Parker had anger issues too.

"Hey! Would you rather I let you drown and die!?" he asked, rivaling her anger with his, not scared to face off against the girl and her tremendous hate which had no rebuttal to his question.

"I don't know about you, but your life matters much more to me than capturing that thing," Peter stated with the utmost passion and sincerity, standing by his actions and pointing at the girl who was stunned at the sudden outburst, and more so, his words.

"If I had the choice to do it again I would! That monster thing could be The Red Skull or any other world-ender ender for all I care! I'd still choose to let them go to save your life!" He continued, his tangent siphoning his anger and using it as fuel to declare words he meant with all his heart, "I'd choose you again! and again! and again!"

The girl in front of him took a pause, taken aback by words that spurred her to release him in shock at both his words and her actions towards him, "...You do not know who I am," she murmured in a calmer but bitter tone, looking at him through strands which hid her face from his gaze.

She might be seething but even she knew that the boy didn't deserve the outburst.

He did everything he could to save her and she yelled at him for it.

"I don't need to," Peter declared, knowing all he needed about the girl.

"You do not know what I am!" she warned him, but her sullen fallen expression betrayed her foreboding warning, "You do not know what I've done."

She was better off not being saved with what she knew about herself, and if he knew too, he would share her sentiments.

"You're a person!" Peter sincerely stated, pulling the girl's gaze instantaneously with words that surprised her, "That alone makes you worth it," he disregarded her previous word, the temper that was in his voice now slowly dissipating

"And yeah…I might not know anything about you but what I do know is that you went out of your way to not only help me but to save those people from that fire, and to me – that's the only thing that matters," he finished as he flashed her a smile which cemented words which were frantically echoing throughout her mind.

Confident eyes that held the color of the bright blue sky looked into surprised viridescent ones that contained life that had long since been abandoned, disregarded, ignored, and mistreated underneath the shadow of darkness.

Life that had been given light, seen by the glistening of her eye upon hearing words spoken with such passion that it visibly caught her off guard.

She could hear her heartbeat get louder and louder as his words played again in her mind.

"You're a person."

The girl looked at him before instantly looking away, averting her gaze away and onto the dead end the monster escaped to…

"It will come back…" she muttered to the boy, knowing that it would return with a vengeance.

Peter let out a sigh, "They always do…" he relaxed his shoulders, resting his weight onto his hands which supported his preferred seated position,"...but I'll be there to stop it," he promised the girl who returned her gaze back onto him.

"What will you do? Fight it?" she asked with curiosity and a twinge of concern, shifting her body to sit beside him, but opting to hold her knees close to her chest, contrasting with the boy who sat with his heart on full display.

"Probably," Peter guessed with a shrug and huff.

"That did not go so well tonight, now did it?" she took note of the damage the both of them sustained from the battle with it.

"Worried 'bout me?" he joked with a raised brow and grin, taking interest in her sudden questions.

The girl scoffed "No," she said, putting on a good voice and posture which would have convinced him had he not been looking into her eyes which conveyed the opposite.

"Wanna help?" Peter offered, intriguing the girl.

She raised a brow to this, "Like…team-up?" she voiced the word as if it was foreign.

"Yeah, but we never call it that," Peter nodded confirming her question but giving her another one in the process.

"Who is 'we?'" She asked.

"The superhero community," he answered.

"I am not a hero," she staunchly declared, shutting down the stupid, baffling, unbelievable notion before it could even fully form.

"Yeah, you just happened to save my ass from that 'thing' cause you had nothing better to do," he sarcastically quipped with great joy.

She glared at him for this response before looking away once more.

"Who are you?" she spoke up after their small moment of silence, wanting to know the boy's name – his real name.

Peter tilted his head at this, "You know it's called a 'secret identity,' right?" he didn't just give people his name – in fact, he didn't give people his name, like, at all.

This did not please her.

"I already know your name is 'Parker,' and I can track your scent back to where you live and find out then," she flatly declared to the shocked and surprised Peter who was left stuck and frozen when she said the name, "Parker.

Before he could even ask "How," she answered the interrupted question, "It is written on the tag of your jacket."

He raised a finger to say something but dropped as he sighed in defeat.

She was cold.

He furrowed his brow, stuck on a crossroad he'd never been on before.

Give his identity to someone who practically already knows it, or don't give it to someone who practically knows it and could find it out completely with ease. Peter sighed a long sigh.

She was right.

She could easily find out who he was.

She'd already seen his face, knew his last name, and she could track him.

He looked at her.

There was a softer expression dawning on her face this time, different from the stoic or the scowling he'd only seen from her. Like her powerful and angry voice, behind the flat face she put up was a girl that gave him an odd feeling, an attraction you could say, and it wasn't because she was pretty.

She was pretty – in the moment they shared, Peter Parker could not deny that fact, but as he looked into her green eyes, he couldn't pinpoint it, he didn't fully understand it, but he could just feel a sense of…safety? Similarity? Trust? Inside those eyes of hers which quelled his paranoia, his fear, his worry.

She looked at him, she watched, she waited for the answer he struggled to come to, but with the meeting of her gaze which was then constantly broken only to be repaired, the odd brunette boy scratched his head.

"Peter…" he answered with uneasiness in his voice. He was never good at introducing himself, "...Peter Parker."

"Spider-Man," He added, holding her gaze permanently this time as he confidently declared the piece he had been denying prior to this moment – prior to meeting her.

Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

"You?" It was his turn to ask her for her name, "and you better not say 'that's none of your buis-'"

"X-23," she declared, voicing out her name which had the boy look at her with complete disbelief.

"Really? I give you my real name and you give me your super-hero one?" he asked with utter bafflement which she did not understand.

"That is my name," the girl staunchly defended as she furrowed her brow.

"Really?" he asked again, not believing her for a single second even though she nodded to reaffirm that it was indeed her name, "That's the name your mother gave you?" he questioned the girl, his skepticism.

The girl met his gaze before looking down, doing the same thing he did as she went back and forth between holding, breaking the stare they held, unsure if she too should answer – if she should give out a name she gave only two others…

She muttered something after a moment of silence, holding herself tightly as she held a gaze with the boy who raised a brow.

"What?" he exclaimed, unable to understand what she said, prompting her to repeat herself in the same hushed whisper that he once again could not understand.

The boy turned his ear towards her, trying his best to genuinely understand her mutters but upon having her attempts be fruitless, the girl whose name Peter Parker did not know – a name which only one other person in the girl's life knew – the same girl who had tendency of reacting volatilely when things did not go her way, yelled.

"My name is Laura!" she yelled in annoyance that sparked from miscommunication preventing the sharing of something sacred, "Laura Kinney! You deaf-dullwitted-dolt!" She declared so fiercely that it caught Peter Parker off guard, causing him to lean back as her face nearly crashed into his.

In the heat of her anger, Laura Kinney found herself regretting making Peter Parker the first person she's told her name to in this new chance of hers.

But upon being met with a smile, she found that regret quickly subsiding.

"Well, Laura Kinney, it was nice meeting you...all things considered," Peter honestly declared with a whole-hearted toothy grin.

Laura thought about the events that transpired, "Can't really say the same, Parker," She was soaking wet, almost caught up in an explosion, battled a giant sewer gator, and was on the precipice of dying but…

…She saved people.

And was saved herself.

"If you're gonna use my name, at least call me 'Peter,'" he exhaustingly begged, not too fond of being referred to as "Parker."

"No."

"Please?"

"Fine…Peter…" she put extra emphasis on the syllables as if she was mocking him, "When are we doing this?"

"Doing what?" he asked, mind blanking on the important event he had asked her to take part in.

"The team-up," she reminded him, unsure if he had genuinely forgotten or was simply joking.

"Oh yeah...what happened to not being a hero?" he asked as he looked at the girl, a playful grin crossing his face once more as she scowled at those words.

"I am not! and shut up about that!"

With all the things she's done, how could she call herself anything but a weapon?

Peter laughed.

He took time, trying his best to figure out a good spot for them to meet up, "...Washington Square Park…at... seven o'clock," he said, before adding something else, "in the afternoon," he looked at her with a furrowed brow. "I once had a team-up with someone who thought I meant the morning," he clarified to Laura who gave him a look of skepticism.

"He sounds like a bigger idiot than you."

"He is," Peter grumbled, but he smiled as he thought about that flaming idiot.

"What is your phone number?" she asked much to his confusion.

"Why do you need my phone number?" he simply asked her, not threatened or uncomfortable by the notion but genuinely curious.

"So I can contact you when I am there or if something comes up."

"Good point."

"You have your phone on you?" he asked the girl who pulled out her mobile device from the inner pocket of her drenched jacket. She gazed at it, remembering that all the pain and troubles she had faced in this past hour had also been experienced by the phone which was also submerged alongside her by the repugnant sewage water. She doubted if it was even still functional but upon pressing the side buttons and met with the glowing lights of her LED screen, she was left proven wrong – again.

"Wow, and I thought Stark Industries was lying about their waterproofing," Peter mentioned, admiring the technology behind the device which was still functioning through means he would remember to find out about, "How could you even afford that?" he asked, curious as her model's retail price was at least in the thousands to his knowledge.

"I have over a hundred thousand dollars in cash," she stoically declared, but her statement which carried no value to her seemingly had a large one to the boy who was left with his eyes threatening to leave their sockets with how far they bulged.

"What?!" He questioned the girl in an over-exaggerated voice, unable to fathom how Laura had a hundred thousand times more money than he did despite being the same age.

"Your number?" she asked, going back to the subject.

"Oh, it's, 718-080-1963," he said off the top of his head, to the girl who took note that the area code of his phone told her that he lived somewhere in Queens.

A new contact was created, "Peter Parker" was the name, the second one she had with the first being 'Logan."

Peter yawned, relaxing himself more – leaving himself more open beside someone he just met which confused the girl who ironically did the same, shifting in place to get more comfortable on the hard and rough cement ground.

Today's events were...tiring, to say the least.

She silently gazed at the boy who spurred all of this to happen.

In her mind, she considered all the things that had transpired today, and she couldn't help but silently agree with his sentiment.

It was nice meeting Peter Parker.

All things considered.

She wondered if this was just another day for him, as she gazed at the boy.

"You happen to know the time? I left my phone on my bed," Peter spoke through the oddly comfortable silence they shared.

"It is ten-forty," Laura told him as she pulled her phone to fulfill his request but her gaze was quickly averted by the sudden and brisk movement from Peter who seemingly jolted upon hearing the time.

"What?!"

"It is ten-forty. What are you so concerned about?" she repeated, curious as to what panicked the boy so greatly.

"I told my Aunt I'd be back by Eleven! She's going to kill me!" He sprung up to his feet as soon as he could, "We gotta go like yesterday, Laura," He urged her to get up, which she did – slowly albeit she was more focused on the information that his urgency gave her.

Spider-Man had a curfew.

She watched in amusement as his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets as he said, "C'mon!"

Peter and Laura bolted through the way that they came, their wet boots and leather squeaking and making noise throughout the now peaceful sewer system. As they reached the manhole however she stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder before saying, "Cops."They were right above them, probably investigating the scene, which prompted them to go further and find another manhole to escape from a good distance away.

He jumped up, scaling the wall opposite the ladder as the girl climbed it, lifting the manhole ever so slightly to scan the area, making sure it was clear of anyone and anything before exiting. Peter got out first, his spider powers obviously giving him the advantage – an advantage he shared by an outstretched hand he gave to the girl as she nested the top.

Laura paused, eyes locked on both the hand and the boy who was offering it, mind contemplating what she should do as he expected her to ignore it as she did prior, but Laura Kinney surprised him, for after a moment, she took his hand, allowing him to lift her out from the shadows of the sewers and onto the streets which were now lit up by the light of the sun which reflected off the full moon. It cast a pale glow that gave the darkness of night shades of blue in a beautiful atmosphere that complemented the eyes of those Laura was holding hands with.

They turned to each other, hands returning to their sides but still feeling each other's lingering touch, "So…tomorrow?" Peter spoke up first.

Laura nodded, confirming that she would be there.

"Washington Square Park?" he added in a questioning manner, she knew what he was doing.

"Yes, at seven," she stated, understanding that he was trying to confirm the plans.

"Go on…" he gestured for her to continue.

"In the afternoon," she added in an irritated manner.

He was giving her a headache.

"Good," he said as did a finger gun gesture towards her, "Until then!" he yelled as he turned around to run towards a building.

She looked at his fleeing figure before turning the opposite way towards "her," motorcycle.

"Bring a mask!" Peter Parker's juvenile, energetic, and excited voice abruptly spoke up from above her, prompting her to cease and turn around to the boy who stood on a wall as if it were ground.

"Why?!" she yelled back, unable to understand why he wanted her to bring a mask when it would serve no purpose.

"It's essential to the whole hero gig," Peter explained with a chuckle, arising a reaction he knew would come…

"I told you I'm no-"

"And I'm telling you that you are!" Peter Parker declared, interrupting and silencing Laura Kinney with a voice that left no room for argument. Heroes saved lives, they did good, that's what Laura Kinney did, and that's why she was a hero.

Emerald once again widened as they stared into blue, and Laura found herself remembering that she had not done something she should have, "...Thank you – Parker…for saving my life…" She thanked the boy who saved her.

It was Peter's turn to be surprised, by the thanks given by the girl who expressed it with a face that was touched by his words- - by his actions.

Beside the gracious form of Laura Kinney, there was Gwen Stacy.

Smiling.

"...it's what I do!" Peter Parker declared to the girl with a smile, "...It's what we do!" He confidently added with a laugh before disappearing into the night.

Laura looked on, surprised how he included her in that sentence.

She didn't glare, however.

She did not deny it at this moment.

She huffed.

She smiled.

Laura Kinney let out a small smile at Peter Parker as he did the same for her.

She reached the institute by eleven forty, the hour drive from New York to where she resided allowed her to fondly ponder and think about the events which had just transpired. Everyone by then was already fast asleep as she pulled into the large garage to park 'her' motorcycle beside a bright red car and other vehicles that did not belong to her.

Her nose told her that someone was standing at the entrance to the garage but she ignored him. He wore his typical white wife beater that clung to his heavily muscular form with dirty unclean jeans.

"Where were you?" His gruff and stern voice demanded to know.

"Out," she answered with tamed ferocity as she took off her helmet.

"You smell like shit," he bluntly declared, his nose being able to smell the same things hers did.

She refused to look at him, finding it somewhat satisfying that he suffered the stench of the sewers just as she did.

She only turned to look at the scruffy hairy man when he asked, "Who is he?"

He could smell the boy's scent on her.

"No one," she sharply stated, not wanting to give information about things that did not concern him.

She got off his motorcycle, ignoring his gaze and presence as she walked past him, but a hand on her shoulder – a gentle touch and a long drawn-out sigh kept her in pace, "At least tell me what you were doin' in the sewers," was all he asked for in his exhausted voice.

She looked down for a moment, contemplating what her answer should be.

She remembered the words of Peter Parker….

"I told you I'm no-"

"And I'm telling you that you are!"

"Saving people," she wholeheartedly answered, leaving his reach as she paced towards her room. The man was surprised, not expecting the answer she gave which only prompted more questions – more things he wanted to know, but he decided not to pry.

He turned around, looking at his motorcycle before turning once again to look at the direction Laura went in.

As her figure turned the corner she looked at him briefly, "You lost your bet with Pryde," was all she said before she left.

The widening of his eyes showed that she knew what he meant.

She was out saving people with Spider-Man.

Things were most definitely going to get troublesome from here…

"That's tomorrow's problem…" the man sighed as he scratched his mutton chops.

Laura took a shower immediately, trying her best to wash off the stench off her pale and petite body to the best of her abilities. By regular standards, she accomplished that long ago but it would take longer than she wanted to get herself smelling cleanly to herself.

She changed into clothes that were not hers, evidenced by the colorful designs that contained heroes of old. They had been given to her a week ago, along with the room that she slept in, but that was all she used it for. Her room had no decorations, no utilities of her own, just drawers full of clothes she wore two bags underneath her bed, one containing her money, and another containing undisclosed items.

In the shadows of her room, the girl looked at her reflection in her mirror. She looked at her own ugly visage which brought nothing but shame, regret, hate, and a lifetime of mistakes and horrible memories that had her glaring as she began loathing herself more than anything…

"...Don't leave me…"

Pain.

That was all she brought, all she knew, all she was good for.

She extended a singular arm, resting it on her thigh as her forearm faced her…

She hears within her mind as she begins to draw her arm out, her forearm facing her.

"When are you gonna realize that you aren't a person X?"

She could hear a loathsome dreadful voice that played with the faces of those in their last moments.

Of lives she had stolen.

Of people she had hurt.

They commanded her to unsheathe her claws.

"You're a weapon."

Tears welled up in her eyes as her face couldn't hide the pain, the hurt, the desperate expression that was on her face that expressed all these things.

Shame, hate, regret, pain, desperation to be anything else, to do anything else, but at the end of the day, she wasn't.

She hurt people…

She killed people…

She was a weapon…

"Then let's change that!"

A new voice commanded – it roared, spitting in the faces of those who commanded her to be punished, preventing her cold claws from going no further than just grazing her flesh.

The voice of Peter Parker rang through her mind, leaving her perplexed and confused.

"I don't know about you but your life matters much more to me than capturing that thing."

She began trembling, unable to fight against the voice that compelled her to stop, which told her that she was not what they thought – what she thought.

"You're a person," she heard him say, being able to see his smile which had her claws go back into her body. Conflicting words and memories played within her mind, but the memories of today, of the last couple of hours...

"You went out of your way to not only help me but to save those people from that fire, and to me – that's the only thing that matters!" The acts and words of genuine care given to her gave her the strength to overpower those that haunted her – to fight against her need for self-punishment.

It gave her the ability to let things go, to release emotions bottled up for far too long, and though she trembled, though she cried tears filled with lifetimes of pain, the unbearable weight that crushed her was relinquished for a moment, by words and actions of a fool.

A fool who did not know who she was. A fool who did not care.

Who saved lives. Who helped them, who cared about them…who had them hold on for just a second more…

A fool who did the same for her…

She wiped the tears away.

She laid down on her bed.

For the first time in her life, demons and ghosts were not hovering over her, screaming at her, yelling at her, clawing at her in her slumber.

For the first time in her life, Laura Kinney slept peacefully to the tune sung by memories of a boy named "Peter Parker…" she mumbled as she drifted off into the welcoming embrace of sleep.

The boy who saved her life.

Peter Parker made it home by eleven twenty-five.

His Aunt scolded him.

She wouldn't have if he simply called to tell her that he was coming home, but he didn't have his phone so scolded him on that too along with the stench that was originating from him.

But instead of a sulkish disheartened reply, a small chuckle from him had his Aunt forgive him for all his mistakes. He took a shower, of course, a long and hot one before eating the dinner his aunt made for him.

It was a nice meal.

When 'good nights' were given and the lights were turned off, Peter Parker was once again in the darkness of his room, but it was not cold, it was not lonely, for a bedside lamp gave enough light to warmly illuminate his surroundings.

Warmly illuminate the costume he held in his hands.

He looked into the lenses which glistened in the light along with his eyes, the realization that dawned upon him from previous events casting their twinkle and a solemn chuckle.

"Despite all my vows and promises, I turned back on them the first chance I got," he found amusement in his actions, "I can't ever give up on being Spider-Man, Gwen ...it's who I am. Who I'll always be," he turned to meet the ghastly form of the girl who stood in front of him, keenly listening to every word, "I can't let people get hurt when I can do something about it – and I can always do something about it…So I'm always going to have to…no matter how unbearable it can be…" he sincerely told the ghost girl.

"Yeah…it's my fault you died, because I was Spider-Man, because I do what I do…" He admitted with a pained expression on his face, accepting the role he had to play, "...and I guess…In my own twisted way…it was me who killed you…" he stared at her broken neck, "...But it's because of me that countless others get to live another day…" He remembered the people he saved, lives that were returned to the people they loved, lives that were allowed to see another rising of the sun and falling of night, "...and it's why I'm never going to stop being Spider-Man," Spider-Man battled evil. He saved lives. He gave meaning to his Uncle's life, "But…for your life to have any meaning…for your death…I promise you that I will be better," Peter solemnly vowed to the ghost with all his heart.

"So I won't fail anyone else like I did you," he finished, tear-stained blue meeting cold dead eyes that nodded with his words, accepting the promise she would hold him too.

The ghost got what it wanted.

Her question had been answered.

The boy in front of her was a boy named Peter Parker, and as the aberration left his now freed mind, or as the ghost left this realm for the next, he cried tears that were imprisoned for far too long.

And those tears were wiped away.

They were wiped by a loving hand.

Eyes that were once dead were now full of life, and a neck that was once broken had been healed.

"Peter Parker," The voice of Gwen Stacy declared as she left him, taking the heavy burden that was crushed away, leaving him with the sight of his own reflection.

He saw the boy she was looking for.

He saw Spider-Man.

He chuckled.

He smiled.

His vision was beginning to blur.

His consciousness was fading.

Was he really that tired?

Who knows?

His final thought, his final memory that drifted him to slumber was the picture of a girl getting a beast off of him, releasing him from its grasp.

A girl who saved lives.

"Laura Kinney…" Peter Parker muttered fondly, falling asleep to the memory of her and the promise of seeing the girl again.

The girl who saved him.

Who marked a new point in his life.

A point where everything he knew would change.

For the third time in his life.

How did you guys like this?

We're just getting started here so I hoped you enjoyed the show because you have alot to look forward for if you did.

I've reworked these first three chapters to be on par with my current writing styles, which believe have gone far. How do you like my interpretations of Peter and Laura? or is it too early to tell? regardless, leave a review if you liked this and I hope you continue enjoying my story.

I know I say this later but I'll say it again.

Peter Parker  created by Stan Lee (1922 - 2018) & Steve Ditko (1927 - 2018)

Laura Kinney created by Craig Kyle (1971) and Christopher Yost (1973)

To Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Peter Parker is someone really important to me. Someone who has taught me valuable lessons, who made my childhood, who got me into superheroes and comics which I love with a passion.

To Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, Though I haven't been with Laura Kinney as long as I have with Peter, her character is someone I resonate with just as I do with Peter, for reasons both similar and different, reasons I hope to show and explain why I think the both of them work really well with eachother.

Both Peter Parker and Laura Kinney inspire those who have been hurt or wronged to do good - to be good, and I hope I can to that in story.

Thank you all for creating these characters I love so much.

Chapter Text

Sometimes when she dreams she's running from a river of blood.

Sometimes it's fire.

The promise of death always follows.

She was in a fire this time.

Smoke blocked out the sky as rampaging frenzied flames consumed everything in its rageful incineration.

There were screams, people voicing out the agonizing pain of their skin peeling, of their lives being taken away.

They yelled at her as they always did.

For her to join them.

And yet…

She was not running away this time.

" I knew you'd come!"

Breaking through the painful roars and the crackling of flame, soaring high above her was a boy. There was a smile plastered on his face, unphased by the rampaging flames, blue eyes burning brighter than they did as he went deeper into the blazing inferno, and for some odd reason, she followed him.

She kept her gaze on him and watched how he pulled people away from the flames, carrying them in his arms as if it were second nature.

She looked down into her own arms to find a man in hers.

A foreign feeling was within her mind as she ran in toe with the boy, fighting against the promise of death – saving people from the fire.

It felt right.

Saving people when she was created to kill.

They saved everyone from the raging inferno.

The people all looked at her with nothing but gratitude.

The boy – Peter, was smiling.

She was too.

In that small moment, she didn't feel like a hollow machine made for killing.

She felt like a person, she felt like...

Laura Kinney woke up to the soft light of the sun shining through her window, illuminating her excessively large room. Her petite figure arose from her bed with ease, giving her thanks for giving it the rest it so very much needed.

Her mind did the same.

This feeling that had embedded itself into her mind was so foreign that she felt like a stranger in a new land. She looked around her gently lit room, eyes covering every corner. She was still in the same beige room that was left barren with only herself and the necessary components of a bedroom occupying it. Still in the same institute and grounds too, upon pushing her vibrant red drapes to the side, the same surroundings she knew like the back of her hand was shown.

The chirping of birds pulled her attention onto a small nest that was hidden away in a distant tree.

That's why everything felt off.

It was peaceful.

For once, she was allowed to have a peaceful slumber without her mind plaguing her.

Chapter 4: Troublesome Developments

She mindlessly looked past her vibrant red drapes and out her window. Her subconscious had her look past the many trees and grassy friends, past the large town that was close by, and into the direction of the city that was miles away.

The memories of yesterday came flooding in.

She recalled the beginnings of what would seem to be another day she was indifferent to. She remembered the accident that changed that, her choice to leave the mansion and get as far away from everyone as possible. She remembered the weather that seemingly mimicked her own thoughts, she remembered the boy that was her own age…

She remembered meeting Peter Parker.

Spider-Man.

She had fought alongside him against a savage creature.

Adding more to her sheer disbelief, she remembered the faces – the people she had saved with him.

She remembered her smile…

The more and more she recalled the events the more and more her mind rationalized that it was nothing more than a deluded fantasy that only the likes of a girl named Katherine "Kitty" Pryde could come up with.

And yet her room still retained the faint stench of the New York sewer system.

She let out another sniff in a hopeful attempt to find another scent, and past the stench that burned her nostrils, she indeed found another. It was a pleasant one. One that distinctly belonged to the boy she met yesterday. She turned to her bedside and grabbed her phone, recalling how he was amazed at the fact she had such a device.

She went to her contacts, her emerald eyes slightly widening as she read aloud the alliterated name.

"Peter Parker."

So it was not just a delusion.

She felt relief wash over her.

Despite how unfathomable it may have sounded, she did meet the brunette boy named "Peter Parker."

She did save lives.

And she was going to do so again, today.

She got off her bed and approached her dresser; opening up the top drawer she was greeted with clothes that were given to her by Pryde. It was full of graphic tees and colorful sweaters, clothes unfitting for her and the task she had. She did manage to find a pair of black leggings which was given to her for training and whilst she had never gotten the chance to use them for their intended purpose, she found a greater usage for them.

A greater purpose.

She grabbed them and then proceeded to the second drawer, taking out clothes that belonged to her. It wasn't much – but she didn't need much, all she needed was if it was adequate or not, which they were. Upon donning the pieces of clothing she looked at herself in the mirror.

She wore a black sports bra, a pair of black sports arm warmers that covered her upper arms down to her knuckles, a black choker with a pendant most precious to her, and the pair of black boots that she always wore.

The attire itself was good enough for her but she furrowed her brow as she was missing something vital.

"Bring a mask!"

That's right.

She did not have such a thing and while she knew where to get one, it would be challenging to do so without being seen by prying eyes, but she came up with a plan as she put on a pink shoulderless sweater.

Had she woken up earlier, it would have been easier to retrieve a mask but considering the fact that it was nine-thirty and she had slept in for an hour and a half, she would have to do it later in the day.

Breakfast was going to start any second now and everyone was required to show up.

She stepped into the grand hallway that had beige-painted walls and white pillars. The hallway was littered with doors leading to rooms just like hers, though most of them were unoccupied. The walls beside her were decorated with the finest of paintings, while luxurious chandeliers hung above her and a beautiful red carpet was gently placed with glorious golden tiles underneath her feet. She walked down the hallway, her head slightly tilted up as she thought about Parker.

She was taken out of her thoughts though as the scent of a girl was trailing right behind her. She could smell the nervousness on her before her voice shakingly radiated with it.

"Hey… X!" the high-pitched voice of a girl hesitantly said behind her in an attempt to grab her attention. It belonged to the aforementioned Kitty Pryde, one of the handful of students who lived here alongside her. She was sixteen like herself, and she stood at five feet, five inches tall, like her as well, but that was where the similarities had ended. The brunette girl who had hair that reached past her shoulders always made attempts to converse with her and despite her efforts to ignore them, she never got the hint nor did she get the concept of walls either.

Laura halted her walk and turned around to face the innocent girl who had called her by her "name." Her emerald eyes blankly watched as Pryde nervously approached her, uneasiness on full display on both her face, her body, and her behaviors.

"I uh...I just wanted to say... sorry about yesterday…" Pryde said as she guiltily lowered her head and held her elbow. Laura looked at the girl, perfectly recalling the events that led to her leaving the manor yesterday and though bitter and angered did she leave, such frustration could not be found ever since the events that had transpired.

She could tell from the regret that came from Pryde's voice that she was heavily scolded like her.

She could smell the bandage that was gently placed over a small wound.

While what she did was stupid, even Laura knew the naïve girl only had innocent intentions in mind.

She did not deserve nor did she need more scolding.

"Do not do it again," she simply said in her monotone voice, and upon hearing her words Pryde lifted her head, surprised by the sudden acceptance of her apology.

"I-I won't. I promise," she sincerely vowed to Laura who simply turned away, satisfied with her answer. She continued on to her destination, proceeding to walk towards the steps that would bring her down to the first floor and to the kitchen.

Pryde followed her.

"I'll uh…I'll make it up to you," she said as she walked side by side with her. "Like…If you ever need anything, just ask?" Kitty enthusiastically said however Laura just let out a simple "hm," to acknowledge her offer. She would never take it though, Pryde could not offer her anything outside information on the latest trends and superheroes.

Superheroes...

Laura looked at the innocent girl who adored the few characters that "Saved the day." She could not gather information about Parker yesterday but she knew Pryde could provide important details about him for she borderline obsessively drowned herself with knowledge concerning them.

"Spider-Man," Laura simply said, causing confusion to appear all over Kitty's face.

"What?" she asked as she was confused by the sudden mention of the red and blue superhero.

"What do you know of him?" Laura expanded upon her initial statement.

"uhhh…what would you like to know?" the girl asked, she was caught off guard by the request but quickly grew increasingly excited as she got a chance to talk about one of her favorite superheroes whom X was apparently intersected in as well.

"Anything," Laura stated as both girls reached the stairs leading to the main room.

"Well, he's a hero," Kitty stated strongly with the utmost belief in her voice.

Laura already knew that but it was a start.

"Despite what others might say," Kitty added, which gained Laura's interest.

"What do they say about him?" She asked as she only knew he was on every headline.

"Well…a lot of people call him a menace. They all blame him for every disaster that happens even though he's the one that stops them," she said with pure annoyance in her voice. "Ever heard about the mass murders that took place a month ago?" Kitty asked Laura who shook her head in response to this.

"Really? It was like, national news," Kitty exclaimed which caused Laura to shake her head again. "Well anyways, there was this villain called the 'Green Goblin," Kitty began to say as they finished walking down the steps to the living room. "He was a monster who murdered countless people. He's fought the likes of Iron Man and the Fantastic Four but the only one that beat him was Spider-Man. Last month he and Spider-Man fought on the Golden State bridge where I think at least twenty-five people would die from explosions caused by the Goblin and another eight-ish would be personally killed by him; Do you know who Norman Osborn is?" Laura nodded, aware of the multiple industry titan who created and ruled the multi-billion dollar company known as Oscorp, "Well, he was one of those people who were killed along with a high school girl who he threw off the bridge before he was once again stopped by Spider-Man," Laura listened intently, she was not aware of any of this.

She hung on the mention of a high school girl.

"Who was the girl?" Laura asked curiously.

"I don't know, I think she was related to a late police chief or somethin' which is why the Goblin held her hostage," Kitty said with a shrug but Laura looked at her wide eyes.

Hostage?

She already thought that it was oddly specific to be dropped off a bridge if he had the capabilities to slaughter multiple people, but to be held hostage as well…was the Gwen girl she heard Parker speak of the one who died? It would explain the manner in which he spoke about her.

It would explain a lot of things.

Pryde was already passing on valuable information.

"The Daily Bugle: a media company that runs a smear campaign on Spider-Man broadcasted a story that Spider-Man was responsible for the deaths that occurred on the bridge without there being any real evidence. Other news agencies started picking the story up so much so that S.H.I.E.L.D. had to make a public statement that Spider-Man wasn't in leagues with the Goblin and that he stopped him before he could take more lives," Now this was not surprising to her. People making false accusations formed by information passed from 'News' Agencies who only wanted to further their own agendas.

"The only one to even publicly defend Spider-Man was Johnny Storm, you Know? The Human Torch, a core member of the Fantastic Four. While taking autographs from fans a reporter asked him if he would apprehend Spider-Man which caused him to say on live T.V. that he's a hero and that he'd gladly fry the face off of anyone who thought otherwise. " she finished saying.

To be the only person to come to his defense… this Johnny Storm must've been some close ally or friend. To her limited knowledge, she knew the Fantastic Four was a superhero team situated in New York so there was no doubt they must've crossed paths with Parker, but did those paths intersect? And if so, by how much?

Her thoughts dwindled on Storm though, taking autographs? It seemed like the actions of a glory hound more so a hero.

She wondered if Parker did such a thing.

"Does he take autographs?" Laura asked.

"Who? Spider-Man?" Kitty asked with a raised brow, unsure if she was referencing Spider-Man which a nod from her confirmed that she was.

"No, he doesn't do any of those things. He just appears when people need help and leaves when they no longer need it. It doesn't matter what it is, he just helps, and now he's gone…" she finished with a downcast expression, still disheartened by how one person who did so much was so mistreated.

Laura noticed this.

"He will be back," Laura declared as she kept looking forward.

"You think?" Kitty hopefully asked the raven-haired girl she knew little about.

"I know," Laura stated confidently as the both of them entered the dining room area.

Kitty let out a smile, "Better not tell Logan that," chuckling as she did so, imagining the man's reaction to losing the bet they had made.

"I already did," Kitty looked at Laura, the girl she's only known as "X", who she's only seen have two expressions: stoic and angry but to her surprise, she witnessed a new expression.

A tiny smirk was on her face as she said this.

It lasted for just a matter of seconds before she defaulted back to her stoic look but it was there.

Kitty let out a small laugh at the raven-haired girl's response as the both of them took their seats. Laura turned her attention to the T.V. to dwell upon her recently gained knowledge but the voice of Kitty stopped her.

"I didn't know you were a fan?" Kitty said with a smile.

Laura looked at the girl, an unamused expression on her face as she flatly said, "I am not."

"Then why all the questions?" Kitty said in a teasing manner which Laura ignored.

"That is none of your business," She flatly declared, turning her attention away from her and ending the conversation before it became foolish and trivial.

"Is Kitty talking about Spider-Man again?" a male voice asked from the kitchen. Kitty turned to look at who spoke while Laura kept her sights on the T.V. She knew who said that. It was Scott Summers, a twenty-two-year-old man who stood at six feet with short brown hair brushed to the side and had an athletically built body.

He was in the kitchen with two others, a woman named Jean Grey and a man named Henry "Hank" McCoy. Grey was twenty-two as well, standing at five-foot-six with waist length-curly red hair and green eyes that were darker than hers. Grey was slim, proportions resembling that of a model for that was what she was in her spare time. McCoy on the other hand was muscular and wide, standing at five-foot-eleven, his build nearly resembling that of an ape if it weren't for his mostly dominant human features. McCoy is caucasian, like Grey and Summers, however he had long blueish-black hair that dominated his body, a thick but well-kept beard, and bushy brows.

He is a man of science from what she's seen, preferably spending most of his time isolated in his laboratory.

The three of them were making breakfast and were just about done if the sheer overwhelming smell of the pancakes was anything to go by.

She did not pay any attention to the conversation Pryde had with Summers, choosing to keep her eyes focused on the TV as she dwelled upon what Pryde had told her.

It was not much but furthered her original assumptions of him.

He is a hero, she knew that the moment she saw him run off to save those people yesterday. People didn't like him though, they called him a "menace," however not everyone seemed to have agreed with that sentiment. The people yesterday were relieved and thankful for his actions and whether they represented a small minority or the majority was something she would have to look into.

As for possible allies, it would be obvious that Johnny Storm was one of them. She's never heard of him, but she knew the Fantastic Four was a renowned superhero group like the Avengers, however, unlike them, they prioritized the advancement of humanity through realms of science that the simple mind couldn't comprehend. If Storm felt so strongly about Parker that he would go out of his way to defend him in front of millions, then did the other members of the Fantastic Four feel the same way? Did they know who he was? Did he have other allies? Was S.H.I.E.L.D. one of them?

She was taken out of her thoughts as she heard a voice boom from the kitchen.

"Breakfast is ready!" She heard the voice of Summers yell from the kitchen. She watched how the others who resided here quickly came. The first to arrive was nineteen-year-old Robert "Bobby" Drake who stood at about five-eight and Twenty-one-year-old Kurt Wagner, who stood at five-nine. Drake was still in his pajamas with his blonde hair bedridden, Wagner was the same but he at least smelt like he had a shower. Appearance-wise Drake was average for a young adult but when it came to mental faculties, she deemed him to be that of a twelve-year-old. The boy had spikey blonde hair and Caucasian skin. Wagner's appearance was vastly different from everyone else's as he had blue-tinted skin with two-toed feet and three-fingered hands, flat yellow eyes alongside pointed ears, and a prehensile tail.

Ironically, despite his demonic appearance, he is deeply religious.

Laura watched as Pryde's attention was now fully on Drake as he took a seat in front of her, Wagner sitting to his right. To her knowledge, Pryde and Drake were in a romantic relationship with each other, how she could stand him enough to be in one with him though was beyond her. Summers and Grey were also in a relationship although theirs was much more serious as they've been together for years.

Like many things, she could only watch and imagine what it would be like.

Love was a concept she did not understand.

She turned her attention to the T.V. It was simple news playing. Stocks within Stark and Trask industries were rising as Oscorp and Roxxon went down. It would stand to reason that the deaths of multiple officials alongside the CEO would put any company in a less-than-desirable situation but the news moved on, proceeding to cover the current poverty and crime crises that were currently happening.

She glared fiercely as the news reporter stated that Wilson Fisk acquired another piece of property in the city.

Ororo Munroe soon came walking into the room. She was a beautiful African woman with long wavy white hair. She stood at five-eleven and was in her mid-twenties. She was a calm and well-mannered woman and she dressed like it too. Adorning a white blouse with a long purple skirt. She greeted the students gently with a soft "Good Morning," everyone responded to it, even Laura, though she opted for a nod.

Logan soon came in, wearing nothing but jeans and a wife-beater, "Mornin," he said casually as he walked into the kitchen to grab a beer.

"Morning Logan," Jean and Kitty happily said.

"Mornin' half-pint," Logan said with a small chuckle.

He turned his attention to Jean.

"Mornin' Jeanie," He said in a slightly flirtatious voice.

"Morning Logan," Scott said as he slightly glared at the gruff man who ignored him.

The final one to enter was Professor Charles Xavier, dressed in his usual suit as he came through the door in his wheelchair. Xavier was a bald caucasian man who always dressed professionally. He had a soft smile on his face as his hazel eyes watched over his students.

Everyone sat within a pre-established spot at the dining table with The Professor eating at the head of it. The ones on the left started with Logan, Munroe, Grey, Pryde, and her in that order, with Mccoy, Summers, Wagner, and Drake on the right.

No one sat in front of her.

McCoy, Grey, and Summers brought out the pancakes they made for everyone, with everyone having two pancakes with a mini bowl of maple syrup on the side. Everyone said "Thank you," as they received their meal but she once again opted for a small nod.

Pryde and Wagner let out prayers before eating their food while everyone else went to immediately devour their thin flat cakes of batter. Uninteresting conversations she paid no mind to soon came up.

Munroe had made a light-hearted insult about Logan's attire and choice of beverage.

He let out a gruff chuckle as he took a sip from his beer.

She ate quietly, watching the T.V. as the channel quickly cut to a scripted breaking news segment.

"Spider-Man is back!"

At this almost everyone went quiet, turning their attention to the T.V. that was just moments ago on for the sake of background noise. The Professor even went to raise the volume as he and the others watched with undivided attention.

"Reports from last night indicate that a man dressed in red and blue alongside a girl battled against what witnesses can only describe as a 'monstrous dinosaur.' Reports of its details are unclear, but what is, is the clear detailing of the hero battling it alongside an unidentified girl, before saving the lives of everyone at the scene."

Pryde turned her attention to Laura, unable to comprehend or understand how her prediction had come true, but the possibilities as to how were sidelined by the realization that she had actually won her bet against the man who had promised a hefty reward.

"I told you!" She exclaimed, pointing at the man who grunted. The other students watched the scene with small laughs as Summers listened closely to what the news had to say, a small smile on his face as he heard about the hero's return.

"You gott-," she tried to say but Logan interrupted her.

"-I know!" he said in an annoyed tone.

"Wonder what Jameson has to say about this?" Scott asked with a mouthful of pancake in his mouth, mood lifted by the return of the one who he considered to be a great hero.

"Let's see," Jean said as she decided to change the channel.

She watched as the channel quickly changed from the Globe and onto the Daily Bugle, but the very moment they changed the channel they were greeted with rampant frustration by a mustached man who went on a tirade about how the hero inspired others to do what he had done, put on masks and use their powers to help, but of course he twisted those facts, wording it to sound like it was wrong, evil, dangerous.

The channel was switched shortly after.

"And that's why we watch the Globe," Jean reminded herself and others, none of them fans of the aggressive personality of the ridiculously mustached man who now gained another personality who thought little of him, for Laura Kinney did not like him.

"I swear that guy isn't living in the same reality as we are. A massive earthquake could happen and he'd blame Spider-Man." Bobby said, causing Kitty to chuckle.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks," The Professor said as he watched the screen carefully, "Spider-Man has proven himself to be a hero on numerous occasions. I only wish that I could learn about the man who is underneath the mask and why he does what he does," The Professor said as he looked at Laura but she ignored it.

"Same here," Logan said as he looked at Laura.

She also ignored that.

She just met him, she did not know everything about him.

But she learned enough from just being with him, and they were not entitled to know what she knew.

"He does it to help people, why else would he do it?" Pryde answered as she was oblivious to whose words Logan's words were directed too. Most of the students and faculty agreed with her however Logan had his own answer.

"Wealth and fame," Logan answered in a confident tone.

Pryde retorted by saying, "If your definition of fame is getting slandered by the media then yeah."

"Some people look for that kind of attention half-pint," Logan refuted.

"He doesn't even get that much attention, most of the time he ends up being ignored in favor of other heroes," Kitty replied as she dismissed Logan's words.

Wagner tried to support the brunette girl, "Yeah, and If he was doing it for money Logan don't you think he would be doing sponsors or be providing a similar service like the heroes for hire?" he said with his heavy German accent.

"Heroes for hire?" Logan raised a brow as he heard the term, "Never heard of 'em," he said as he drank his beer.

"They're new in town. From what I've heard they're just mercenaries with ethics, using their powers to help people if the dime is good enough," Summers said as he partook in the conversation.

"Where can I sign up?" Logan joked, causing a few people to chuckle.

"It's probably too late, with Spider-Man back, why would anyone want to pay for their service when he'll do it for free," Pryde stated.

"They only got business because of the rise of crime due to his absence, but with him back I doubt they'd last long," Wagner added with a smile.

"He just sounds like an idiot missing a good chance to make money," Logan said as he went back on topic. "Anyways, helping people, isn't that what the Avengers or the Fantastic whatever are for?" Logan asked.

"It's the Fantastic Four," Pryde corrected, earning a low growl from Logan. "And Spider-Man arrived before the Avengers did. He and the Fantastic Four are the first modern-day superheroes to appear," she spoke with a passionate voice.

Summers decided to add to Pryde's statement as he too was well-versed in the topics of superheroes. "The Fantastic Four is more like adventurers though; discovering and exploring realms of science first, saving the world, being superheroes second. The Avengers on the other hand only deal with world-ending threats, like how we only deal with mutant ones," Summers added, finishing off the final part with a hint of disappointment and wanting. "Spider-Man is the only actual dedicated superhero. He deals with everything, kids about to get hit by a car? He'll be there, a thief running off with a woman's purse? He'll be there, a mo-"

"I get it, I get it," Logan said as he was getting annoyed at Summers's admiration for the hero. Laura listened closely however, Summers, Pryde, Wagner, and even The Professor spoke highly of Parker and she could only validate their beliefs.

"But back to Elf's point about wealth, how do we know that he's not getting rich off of this? As far as we know he could possibly be getting paid by some corporation or government," Logan pointed out. The students who tried arguing against Logan tried to answer but were left speechless as he could be right, they didn't know the web-slinger outside the news.

Judging from how Parker reacted to her having a Stark Phone she could tell he was not getting paid.

"Give me one good answer as to why he would want to run around in a stupid-lookin' costume and help random people who hate him?" Logan challenged the lot.

Laura pondered her answer as she knew she was the only one who could give one.

Logan did have a point though, why was he doing this?

"Chivalry died long ago," She heard a voice within her head say but she mentally berated it, shaking her head at its words – refusing what she mockingly told her. She did not know much about Parker – in all actuality, she knew next to nothing. All she had to go off of him were his words and actions, but…that was enough.

She did not think of him when she passed him on that street, she was too preoccupied with her own thoughts, with her own troubles.

From what she understood, he was doing the same.

Minding his own business, thinking about his own problems, but then the roar happened. She remembered how she abruptly stopped her motorcycle to look in the direction where it came from, only to change her focus when she saw him instantly break out into a sprint when people instantly cried for help.

A part of her wanted to ignore it and drive off but when she saw him answer the call…she followed him. She watched him jump stories high which surprised her, and to add to her astonishment, was surprised even more when she saw him instantly battle whatever that creature was in order to defend that woman and her child.

She could not put it into words but when she watched him use his powers to fight – to help, she could not just watch from afar when she too could do the same.

"Because I could, meaning I had to,"

Is that what he meant? That if you have the power to help, it is your duty to?

That was the reason he gave her for saving the woman but with how confidently he said those words it was as if he was speaking about something greater.

Logan who had his eyes on her the entire time took notice of her shaking her head.

"Got an answer?" He asked.

Everyone around the table had their gaze on the raven-haired girl now, watching with anticipation as the girl who spoke few words met the gruff man's blue eyes with her green ones. Laura looked at him, matching his glare with her own; he instigated this whole conversation for her answer.

And she would give it to him.

"Because he can, meaning he has to," she simply stated as she crossed her arms. She was confident with her answer despite it not being a complete one. She may have been grasping at straws but that answer strangely fit the boy when it came to her understanding of him.

"So she can speak?" Drake muttered.

"What did you say?" she asked in a threatening manner, causing the blonde fool to instantly deny he said anything for his own safety. He was similar to Parker when it came to the incessant jokes but that was it. Parker was different from him, he was different from the rest of them, and not for the obvious reason. He has experienced pain, while most here don't even know the meaning. She knew this by the way he answered her questions, by the look of guilt in his eyes.

It was the same guilt she found in hers.

But in his words, there was something else.

There was purpose.

"Because he can, meaning he has to," Logan reiterated as he looked up to ponder his words. Xavier did the same, "That is quite noble if you ask me. That is a good answer, X," The Professor finished with a small smile.

"Good enough," Logan said as he leaned back on his chair, satisfied with the retrieval of what he wanted.

She did not know what her purpose was.

Everything she's done up until now has left her feeling hollow and lifeless.

Wrong.

But when she was there with him, running into the fire and saving those civilians, she didn't feel any of that.

She did not know what words to use, but she knew she wanted to do it again.

She was going to.

Breakfast was finished shortly after this conversation.

Many of the students left to go do their own things, Drake and Wagner left to go play their games while Summers, Grey, and Pryde went to venture into the nearby township. Pryde invited her; She declined. McCoy left to go do some tinkering in his lab while Ms. Munroe was off in the garden tending to her plants.

The Professor was in his study as always.

Currently, she was on the second floor standing in front of one of the many elevators that were within the building. It would be safe to assume that the mansion housed not your average everyday teenagers, so it would stand to reason that the mansion itself wasn't your average everyday building and that was the case. While the mansion itself housed two grand floors alongside a luxurious basement, below all that were the sublevels that housed the finest of technologies and a room where she could easily acquire a mask for her ventures with Parker.

And Logan…well he was standing right in the middle of the main room watching her, not even bothering to hide for they shared the same nose. She had ignored his presence but he let it be known by being the first one to speak up.

"Didn't think you of all people would partake in that conversation," he said as he walked towards her. She had stopped what she was doing and turned around to face him, "You started it so that you could hear my answer," She flatly stated.

"It worked didn't it?" he said with a smirk as he walked up the steps at a modest pace. "I'm going to help him again," she bluntly said as he stood across from her causing Logan to drop his smirk in response to this.

"No you're not," he said in a way leaving no room for arguments.

"Why?"

"You know why or do we need a repeat of yesterday?" he said accusingly to the girl.

"It was an accident," she said, referring to the events of yesterday.

"And that accident is exactly why you can't help him," Logan said firmly.

"She went through my wall, how do you want me to react to that?" Laura fiercely defended herself

"I want you to react by not immediately killing someone as a first reaction, you're lucky all she got was a tiny scratch on her arm," Logan retaliated with the same amount of ferocity. "It won't happen again," Laura replied, hoping that it would end this pointless conversation.

"It will," Logan said, dismissing her comment.

"It won't," She reaffirmed.

"It will," he stated once again.

"How do you know?" She said angrily as she was more than fed up with this whole entire interaction.

"Because I know that the only thing you know how to do kid, is to kill; you seem to have forgotten that," He said bluntly but upon seeing her shocked reaction he immediately followed up on this. "I…I didn't want to say it… but you've forgotten that killing people is the only thing you know how to do. It's not what you chose… and it sure as hell ain't what you wanted but that doesn't change the fact that it's the only thing you know how to do," he said softly with regret at his sheer bluntness and sympathy towards the girl's misfortune.

Her fierce and angered demeanor quickly changed upon hearing those words escape his mouth. She stood up straight, looking at him with an expression of disbelief before bitterly looking away.

He was right.

The only thing she did know was how to kill.

"...you said that I could be more if I came here…." she said lowly as she tried to hide her sadness. He looked at her softly before putting an arm on her shoulder, "And you will be, but that takes time. Right now you aren't ready and the only thing you'll end up doing is hurting more people," he said with the utmost sincerity.

Despite his words, however, the events of yesterday had echoed within her mind. She remembered the people she saved, the words of thanks she gave. She remembered the blonde-haired boy she saved all those years ago. She remembered the brunette one she just met who told her she was more.

She was more.

"You are wrong!" she said fiercely as she batted his arm away.

Logan grit his teeth, "I wish I was but on instinct, you almost mauled Kitty yesterday. It doesn't help that you let your anger get the better of you either."

"And your anger doesn't get the better of you?" she countered upon hearing his hypocritical statement.

"I'm not saying it doesn't, but at least I can control myself. You can't, and because of that, you will kill someone," he stated with whole-hearted belief.

"I can do more than just kill!" she yelled fiercely which caused him to take a step back. "I saved people yesterday. I am more than just a killer. I can help," she stated with the utmost emotion in her voice as she shook him as hard as she could. After shaking him viciously though, she still retained her grasp on him as the conviction that was within her was exponentially dwindling.

"...I can do good…I want to do good…" she said in a softer, wobbly tone as she looked down. Logan looked at her, taken aback by her words. He started regretting his own. He wasn't there yesterday, maybe he was wrong…maybe….

"Logan!" the commanding voice of the Professor said behind him. He turned around to look at the crippled man and asked, "What is it Chuck!? I'm busy," he said as he gestured to Laura who had a gaze on him as she still retrained her grasp on him. "I need you in my office," he said calmly as he flashed a small smile at Laura.

Logan turned his attention back to the girl who looked at him with a pleading look in her eyes, was she looking for his approval? Did she want him to stay and finish this conversation?

He shook his head and let out a sigh.

"We're continuing this later," was all he said as he brushed her grasp away and went to go towards the professor.

She clenched her fists as she saw the retreating figure.

She would not be here when he returned.

Peter Parker's morning didn't start until eleven o'clock.

He opened his eyes slowly and was greeted with a snail's point of view of his floor. Regardless of where he slept, his body rewarded him pleasurably for giving it rest, and the young boy basked in it, taking his time getting up, outstretching his arms as he let out a yawn.

Waking up never felt so good.

He ran a hand through his hair, brushing the long and uncut hair to the sides. His wounds from yesterday had been healed, along with the teeth, and though his room remained messy, he felt good and recharged.

He still had to clean his room, however.

He sighed, getting up to do exactly that, brushing his blanket to the side but stopped abruptly as the texture of wool was not found. His blanket was smooth and soft, yes, but last time he checked, blankets didn't have layered designs.

Unless the blanket was a dirty and tattered superhero costume.

That would explain it.

He must've grabbed it subconsciously while he slept, confusing it for a blanket.

"I really couldn't have stayed awake for a couple more seconds?" Peter complained to himself, putting the costume onto his bed that wasn't even a meter away from where he collapsed. The fight from last night must've taken more out of him than he thought which was weird because he's faced stronger foes before.

He didn't feel sore though, in fact, he felt...amazing...spectacular even.

Peter hadn't felt this good until he woke up with eight-pack abs and a body more defined than Olympic contestants, in fact, with the way he was feeling, he felt like he could on Aleksei, better yet, have round two with that monster head-on.

He'd wait on Laura for that one though.

He recalled the girl who seemed to be rough around the edges with a fond smile. Something about her made his gut scream that he could trust her, which was rare because that gut feeling was only shared with five – no – six people, and those people took time to get that feeling where she took a day.

There was something about her…

He shook his head, he'd figure it out later.

Right now, his body demanded him to follow his regular morning habit. He hesitated though as he approached his window, looking at the white light that shimmered through his blinds. He almost wanted to leave the blinds closed for he had no trouble seeing within his darkened room but the morning habit compelled him.

He reluctantly complied.

The moment he moved them out of the way he instantly put his arm over his eyes in an attempt to shelter them from the literal blinding light.

"Ugh…" he took a step back and looked the other way as he wasn't expecting it to be this bad.

Tears started to form in his eyes.

Was this how Mole Man felt when he gazed upon the sun?

Peter shook his head, if he had to use Mole Man as a comparison then something was bad. It took a couple of minutes but his eyes soon recovered. When he looked out his window yet again he could only smile, it was a beautiful summer morning. The sun shined brightly as birds flew above the quiet neighborhood of Forest Hills. He decided to open his window and pop his head out, closing his eyes as he felt the nice summer breeze on his face which cordially contrasted with the warm temperature.

He looked down his street of twenty-one Ingram, everything seemed to be…clearer, which was strange because his vision was already perfect. To his astonishment, he could even discern what the rolled-up newspaper that was in front of his neighbor's door said, "Spider-Man Returns. Masked vigilante returns with mysterious accomplice to battle ravenous reptile," Peter read aloud.

He rubbed his eyes and checked again, to make sure he wasn't just seeing things but he could still read the title as clearly as if it was right in front of him.

"That's odd," he thought to himself. Peter could never see things so clearly before and he had perfect vision. He looked up when he heard the roar of an airplane above him and looked at it. He gazed at the flying vehicle and once again to his surprise, he could distinctly make out the symbols and name of the company that was adorned on the side of the plane while it was still far above the clouds.

"Woah…" was all he could say as he was left speechless, confused, and almost…scared.

He pulled his head back and shut his window, even shutting the blinds to make sure no one else could see into his room. This good sensation he was feeling…something was happening to him…something had happened to him. He turned his attention to his mirror, observing every little detail his body had.

Nothing seemed to have physically changed. He was still five-seven, had a body that could both do feats of power and agility that were beyond human capabilities, his overgrown hair made him look like someone from Twilight, his eyes were the same color – which was good, he still couldn't grow chest hair, and his you know what was still the same length as well.

He confirmed this by pulling on his boxers and looking down.

Something had changed, more, he knew it – he could feel it – he could literally see it, but nothing about his body told him that anything had changed outside his eyesight.

Maybe he was just seeing things…

No, no, he knew he had undergone another transformation, he felt stronger, more powerful, but there was more, he could feel something, something odd and misplaced inside his forearms which compelled him to investigate – to give his undivided attention.

"What the…" Peter questioned, scared and unsure of what had happened to his own body. He could almost see it, the thing that was within his arm, maybe if he just clenched the muscles then maybe…

Instantaneously something came sprouting out of it.

It ran amok, tearing through his arm – his muscles, having him recoil in an excruciating, agonizing, burning pain that would have been an agonizing scream if he had not grown accustomed to muffling himself. The pain lasted for only a fraction of a second, but it was so excruciating that he had to give himself a couple of seconds to regain his composure.

When Peter Parker regained his composure, when he looked on to what he had unearthed, he was left completely, utterly, dumbfounded because what came out of his forearm, what had been unsheathed on both his hands were…foot-long…skewer? Stinger?

"...ho-ly…s%^&..." Peter whispered, observing the razor-sharp stingers which were constructed from his bones.

"Where...Where did...Where did these come from?" he said in complete and utter bewilderment as he looked at them from every possible angle.

"Peter! Is everything alright?" Aunt May spoke up in a worried voice fuelled by concern spawned from his cries that were silenced too late.

"Ye-yeah!" he said as he tried coming up with a somewhat coherent lie, "Just-just stubbed my toe!" he answered as he kept his own concerned gaze on his bone blades.

"A-alright…Breakfast is ready by the way," she said but he didn't respond, turning his focus back onto his new additions which filled him up with worry.

Why was this happening? How did this happen? How did he get them?

Did he get these from Laura?

She also had claws.

Maybe she had some virus that just gave people claws.

Maybe it was God.

He always did like screwing with his life.

Maybe this was God's way of thanking Peter for accepting who he really is. Maybe God just noticed that he hasn't been in the patch notes recently and was in due for a buff, after all, whenever the villains come back they always have a new gimmick or power to make them even more threatening and an even bigger pain in the butt but did he really need to give him more lethal options? he didn't need to be able to stab people, nor did he want to. They were long and based on their appearance alone they were lethal, sharp on the sides – even more so on the point, and because of his superhuman durability, there was no doubt they could cleanly slice someone in half without even a crack…

…more strength would've been nice.

You don't have to worry about stabbing someone with more strength, nor do you have to worry about accidentally slicing them. Your only worry is if you accidentally blow someone's head clean off, or drive a fist through their body, which doesn't sound any better – if not, it sounded worse, but at least strength gives you muscles.

You can explain away muscles with ease or you can do what he does and just wear baggy clothing.

Footlong stingers on the other hand…how the hell do you explain that?

Better yet...how do you hide them?

He remembered how Laura's claws worked, they retracted into her hands, right? Maybe it was the same with him, after all, they came out of his body… surely they could go back in...right?

He tried taking the same approach he did when he controlled his strength but they remained unsheathed, frustrating him greatly.

He was taken out of his thoughts as he could hear his aunt coming up the stairs.

"Oh no..."

His eyes practically came popping out of their sockets as he inwardly panicked.

What was he gonna do? If his aunt saw him he would be completely 'boned.'

He would have laughed at that if he wasn't in such a dire situation.

He tried retracting them, as each footstep of his aunt told him that she was quickly approaching but each attempt which lasted less than a second was useless, and Peter was forced to rely on the classic.

He hid underneath his blanket. He grabbed his costume, stabbing his mattress in the process as he stuffed it underneath his bed before he followed suit with his bedsheets, squirming and moving around to find the best position like a child who was caught staying up too late. Her light knock forced him to remain in place, as it was followed by the opening of his door which his aunt peered through.

"Peter, Breakfast is ready by the way," Aunt May said as she perked her head through Peter's door so that she could look at him but to her confusion, he didn't even look at her, for his gaze was stuck on his wrists for some odd reason…

He sat up, his attention changing from his aunt to his wrists.

"Th-thanks, I'll be down in a sec..." Peter said as he looked at his wrists which now showed no sign of his stingers. The only thing that was off-putting now was the odd behavior of May Parker's nephew and his contradictory statements.

"What are you doing on your bed, Peter? I thought you stubbed your toe," Aunt May asked as she was

"I…I did and I…fell on my bed," he uneasily said and she raised a brow.

"and your sheets?" she pointed out as they were over him.

"They uh…they fell on me," he finished with a nervous smile, aware of the ludicrousness of his story just like his Aunt.

"You know, Peter, you can always have breakfast later. If you want to get a few minutes of extra shut-eye it's fine with me," she warmly stated to the boy who immediately sat up.

"No-uh, it's fine… I'll-I'll have breakfast now, I am kinda hungry," Peter admitted, not wanting the food she prepared to just sit there.

"Well then go, it's on the table, I prepared a nice meal for you," she ordered as she closed the door to his room before going back downstairs.

He stared at his wrists where his stingers once were.

The good news is they can retract into his body and it wasn't as painful.

The bad news is that he doesn't know how to do that, nor does he know why he was dealing with this in the first place. He got his powers from the spider bite, but these stingers, his vision…where did they come from?

Peter discarded his questions for now, he'd figure them out later. What mattered was that as of now, his stingers were concealed and that breakfast was ready. He'd make sure to keep a distance from Aunt May so as to not unintentionally harm her.

He got dressed immediately, putting on a white t-shirt underneath a green zip-up sweater with a simple pair of jeans before going downstairs. When Peter Parker arrived, he was left surprised by the warm greeting of bacon and eggs, a whole lot of bacon and eggs, along with a smile on his Aunt's face. He looked at her with a combination of bewilderment and excitement for bacon was like a once-a-year thing reserved for special occasions since Aunt May was scared that it would give him cancer – something he was pretty sure he was immune to.

He dived in, getting reprimanded for doing so since he forgot to pray, but after his Aunt's behest, he grabbed a whole stick of the salt-cured pork and devoured it whole, relishing the flavor of the crunchy and chewy meat.

Upon looking at her nephew's satisfied smile Aunt May let out one of her own.

"You know, the news said Spider-Man is back," she said to the boy which caused him to immediately stop eating the breakfast she prepared. "You wouldn't have had anything to do with that would you?" she said in an almost all-knowing way.

"I just take pictures of the guy," he tried saying nonchalantly, Aunt May always assumed he was friends with Spider-Man or at the very least had some sort of relationship.

"I assume with his return you're going to go back to the Bugle then?" she said as she turned around to wash the dishes.

He scowled at that, trying his best to push that thought to the back of his mind. He knew he'd have to come back, the bills don't pay themselves and despite him intentionally ignoring his bank account, he already knew he was flat broke after paying for last month's bills.

The only thing he had to his name was the twenty that was lying in his wallet.

"Yeah…" he begrudgingly said in a deadpanned tone, enjoying the break he had from J Jonah Jameson, but breaks for him were always typically short if they weren't non-existent, and that was a trend that was followed to a 't' when he jolted at the releasing of his stingers. He grunted, dealing with the immense pain as silently as he could to not startle his aunt or even bring awareness, but that was given regardless when the table shook with his movements.

"Peter, Is everything alright?" she curiously and questioningly asked as she looked at her nephew who looked to be extremely frightened.

"N-No-No, I just- there was a centipede," he lied through his teeth, biting through the excruciating pain while he attempted to hide his stingers behind his now-crossed legs.

"Where?" she asked questioningly as she looked around the room.

"It crawled underneath the fridge," he said, nudging his head towards the appliance, spurring to look around it.

As she went to circle around the fridge Peter took the opportunity to freely panic within his mind. He didn't know what to do, what could he do? He knew how to control insurmountable strength, not foot-long bone stingers, but there must've been a reason why he was still here and not bleeding out on his bed.

The body protected itself, it did everything it could to stay alive. Everything inside of it followed this principle, it's why you could only bite your finger off if you really really tried.

There was only one route to go down…

Peter looked at his aunt who let out a sigh before turning around causing everything around to move in slow motion. He looked at his legs, he looked at his stingers, and then he looked at his aunt.

He looked at his legs, and then back to his stingers, and then to his aunt.

He braced himself for the worst possible outcome and slammed his hands onto his quadriceps.

"Peter...what are you doing?" Aunt May asked questioningly as she looked at her nephew who had his eyes closed and his hands flat on his legs. He opened one eye and tilted his head, there was no pain and it wasn't because of the shock of impaling one of the body's largest arteries.

His stingers had retracted.

"Peter stop goofing around and eat your food," Aunt May scolded, he reluctantly raised his hands and to his relief, the stingers didn't instantly pop out again. He nodded and hesitantly went back to devouring the food in front of him, wary of summoning forth his sharpened cartilage.

The food was good.

It was really good.

It helped him clear his mind from anything that could possibly trigger his stingers.

"How do you like it?" Aunt May asked as she watched her nephew lose himself in the food.

"It's amazing," he unabashedly declared with a mouthful of food – a bad habit his Aunt could never weed out no matter how hard she tried and tried she did.

"Peter!" May said in a scolding tone but she sighed, resigning to the fact that her nephew had a few bad manners, but bad manners she missed, manners she wanted to see again, "I'm guessing that walk of yours helped?"

He looked at her for a second before nodding, "Yeah...yeah it did," he stated with a sullen smile, "I uh…I was thinking about him a lot yesterday," he confessed to her, prompting her to instantly take a seat in front him with a mournful smile.

"Ben is always there for me when I feel lost too," She admitted, putting her frail hand over his, "Not a day goes by when I don't think about him," Peter looked away from her warm gaze which hid away the pain she hid from him.

Pain caused by him.

"How…how did you get over it?" he reluctantly asked her, wanting to know how she dealt with the pain of losing him – looking for answers on how to deal with his own.

"Who said I did?" she chuckled but he could hear the slight tremble of her voice – hear her anguish, "I'm not over it Peter… I don't think I'll ever be…but I've learned to live with it thanks to the people dear to me like you and Ana," Peter smiled at that but the guilt still remained. "We Parkers may be made out of stern stuff," she said as she grabbed his bicep, aware that he had taken up the hobby of lifting weights, "But even then, there are some things you can't handle alone, and know that I'll always be here for you whenever you need me," she said with an encouraging loving smile that was so infectious that it had him smiling too.

"I know," he said as he held her hand, he was so lucky to have her.

"And I won't be the only one," she added.

He let out another laugh, "I know."

"I'll take that as you're going to go meet your friend Johnny then?" she said with a raised brow.

"Yeah…I think I will…" he finished with a smile.

He had to thank him for everything, although knowing him, that would definitely go to his head. That thought actually had him shivering as he thought more and more about thanking Johnny Storm, the boy who practically forced people to take his autograph and follow his social media had him come to fictitious and over-exaggerated situations that both amused and horrified him to great extents.

"He sounds like a really good and caring boy Peter, I'm glad he's your friend," Aunt May said with a smile, and though he shivered at the thought of thanking him because of his traits, he knew better than anyone that there was also good in the boy.

"I am too," he admitted to his aunt, picturing the blonde-haired moron whose brain had been burnt to crisps long before he received his powers.

He was looking forward to seeing him again.

Not just him but the others as well, Ben, Sue, Reed…

He thought about Reed for a second. He was the smartest man on the planet, had access to technology that no one else had, and had personal expertise when it came to "developments."

If there was anyone who could help him with these recent developments it was him.

He continued on with breakfast talking to his aunt for the rest of it, his stingers not resurfacing once.

"So what are you two going to be doing today?" May asked.

The answer to that was obvious, he'd go on patrol with Johnny for a little bit, maybe have a race around New York again, but he couldn't tell her that so he thought about the other – 'normal' activities they did with each other.

"Hang out I guess, play games," Whenever crime was low or it was a quiet day and Johnny was in this dimension they would always play some games and hang out, like regular kids for a change.

"That's all?" May asked, expecting more.

"Well, I have to meet someone later," Peter said through a mouthful of food, unaware of the great interest that sparked in her aunt.

"Who? Harry?" She guessed the only other person she was aware her nephew was antiquated with, and though she would be right any other time, this time, she was wrong.

She was very wrong.

"No, it's someone you don't know. I uh…I met her yesterday," He hesitantly admitted as he scratched the back of his head. He already regretted mentioning Laura to his aunt as she abruptly stopped washing the dishes to look at him upon hearing the word "her."

"Her?" Aunt May said to her nephew as he raised a brow, her voice brimming with undivided attention at the mention of the word 'her.'

There was no turning back now.

"Yeah…her name's 'Laura,' I met her yesterday," Peter's lips joyfully curved at the memory of the girl who was unlike any other he had come to meet.

"Really? In the storm?" Aunt May asked, recalling the vicious weather and wondering if this 'Laura' had a part to play in the revival of her nephew.

"Yeah, she uh, uh…," he tried his best to come up with a good lie but none of them sounded good in his head.

Who said he had to lie though?

"...she helped me when the storm got really bad," he said to her. He watched how his Aunt took in his words before letting out a small smile.

"Laura," she said warmly, "She sounds like a nice girl," Aunt May wholeheartedly declared, coming to the conclusion that she was good even though she never met her.

"Little rough around the edges…" Peter said as he remembered her aggressive attitude, "...but… she is," he admitted softly, "No matter what she says," he added with a small laugh because he knew that if she were here she would staunchly decline that statement.

"I am not a hero," he mockingly said, using her voice within his mind which caused him to let out a smile on the outside.

Aunt May noticed the wide smile he had on his face while he was talking about her.

"So where are you two going to go?"

Where were they going to go? They were going to meet at Washington Square Park but that wasn't really a good answer. They were going to hunt down a giant mutated gecko. Where does one find a giant mutated gecko?

"...The zoo…" he answered. She raised a brow to this prompting him to continue, "...to look at…alligators," alligators were reptiles, and they were giant reptiles too, close enough.

"Does she like alligators?" Aunt May asked.

Did she like alligators? He didn't know, all he really knew about her was that she dressed in all black and had a motorcycle.

"Um…I think so," his aunt didn't look satisfied with his answer, "She likes motorcycles too," She let out a laugh at that.

"And what does your friend Johnny like?" Aunt May questioningly asked. He could tell Aunt May was amused by this conversation. It was very rare that he talked about his friends for he didn't have many to begin with due to being not the most popular kid on the block.

His attitude may not have helped in his endeavor for companionship, but it was enough for Johnny Storm, the only other teenage superhero who – after a lot of battles, arguments, and insults, became his friend.

A real friend who could spend time with, whom he could hide nothing from, and as such, he knew a lot of the boy.

"Cars," he confidently answered, for Johnny Storm had a hard-on for cars.

"That's all?" she asked as if she was expecting more.

"Cars and girls," he didn't know which one Johnny liked more, to be honest. Aunt May let out another laugh at this.

"Your friends seem like quite the characters Peter, you'll have to bring them here one day," Aunt May hopefully ordered, looking forward to meeting both Laura and Johnny.

Peter knew she'd like them both.

He'd have Johnny meet Aunt May sometime soon – after putting on a disguise or something along those lines of course, but Laura? Sure, he trusted her more than most people, but inviting her to his home? It would at least take a couple more team-ups before she steps foot in here.

"One day," Peter simply replied.

Aunt May lovingly stroked his cheek.

"I'm glad you have friends now Peter…and it seems you're not the only one, even Spider-Man, someone who has always worked alone seems to have some friends now. That fiery fellow from the Fantastic Four and now this mysterious girl," Aunt May said offhandedly as she listened to the TV.

Peter laughed at the comparison – if only she knew, "Yeah…I guess he does," Peter pondered about his friends and acquaintances with a fond smile.

He finished his breakfast soon after this and washed his plate despite his aunt insisting that she would do it, but he refused her insistence. After washing the dishes, the boy set out to his room to retrieve the stuff he would need when he arrived at the big N.Y.C.

When Spider-Man arrived.

He'd stop by the Baxter building first thing and once everything was figured out, go on patrol with Johnny until he had to go meet Laura at seven.

Aunt May was right when she said that he did have friends.

He absentmindedly closed the door behind him.

When he turned around after shutting it he froze in place, blinking multiple times as a pair of emerald eyes blankly looked at him.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: Breaking and Entering

The conversation Laura had with Logan was left unfinished as she abruptly left, taking his motorcycle with her.

She'd prove him that he was wrong.

She'd prove everyone wrong.

She kept her mind focused as she drove down Highway six-seventy-eight. She couldn't smell Parker's scent but she knew the area code thanks to the phone number he had given her. She continued towards the area with deadly focus until she caught a whiff of his scent, and a whiff – no matter how faint, was all she needed.

Her motorcycle echoed down the streets of Queens as it obeyed the quest the girl conducted with a one-track mind. Disregarding many of the red lights that stood in her way, she followed the scent until it brought her to a quiet suburban neighborhood called "Forest Hills." She slowed herself down upon entrance, not wanting to divert any attention onto herself as Parker's scent radiated in the neighborhood.

She traveled through the neighborhood observing how the presence of the outside world dwindled as she went deeper and deeper. Tall, lush green trees blocked out the horizon while the sound of leaves rustling drowned out all other noise.

It was calming.

Parker's scent grew exponentially stronger as she continued to go down.

She could see children ahead of her, laughing with each other while they played basketball on a singular basketball hoop. She came to a stop when she neared them and watched with little amusement behind her black helmet as the kids quickly scurried to the side while saying "Sorry."

She let out a small nod, trying her best to gesture that it was alright.

This was a nice neighborhood.

She proceeded to go down until Parker's scent commanded her to turn left on Ingram Street.

She went down the street for a couple of seconds until she abruptly stopped in front of a white house with the address of fifty-one. The house looked like any other one within this neighborhood. From the outside, it looked to be two stories high with an attic, presumably a basement if the window at the bottom of the house was anything to go by. There was a nicely kept garden in front of the house, one that rivaled Ms. Munroe's.

Parker lived here.

She got off her bike and approached the house, from what she could smell only two people resided within the average home. She quickly hurried down to the side of the house after analyzing that no one was around to witness her doing the act which would bring unwanted attention and suspicion.

The backyard was of moderate size, housing multiple plants in a variety of pots with two chairs and a table on a stone pathway that led to a side door. She pressed her body against the wall of the house as she heard the clanging of plates right behind her. She moved swiftly until she reached the side door which she watched through the small window it had and observed an elderly lady washing dishes who was completely oblivious to her existence.

If appearance was anything to go by, she was a frail woman who had long gray hair tied into a bun. She couldn't see him but she knew Parker was in the room with her, eating what she smelt was bacon and eggs.

She could assume that this was the Aunt he was referring to yesterday.

"So what are you two going to be doing today?" she heard her ask.

"Hang out I guess, play games," Parker answered but judging from his tone of voice she could tell he was lying.

But why though? What type of activities would he be doing that made him have to lie? Was it Spider-Man related? Did his Aunt not know?

She remembers him saying that it was a secret identity but to what extent did that secret go?

"That's all?"

"Well, I have to meet someone later," she narrowed her eyes at this.

"Who? Harry?" she could assume that this "Harry," was another one of his friends.

"No, it's someone you don't know. I uh…I met her yesterday," was he referring to her?

"Her?"

"Yea, her name's 'Laura,' I met her yesterday," He was.

"Really? In the storm?"

"Yeah, she uh, uh….she helped me when the storm got really bad," Laura narrowed her eyes even further as she heard this, "She didn't know," she thought as she climbed through a window. She could hear the conversation with ease upon entering a room full of vintage furniture and wallpaper the color of lime green. There was a queen-sized bed that had two pillows on each side of it as if it was occupied by two people but she could only detect the scent of one person on it.

"Laura…She sounds like a nice girl," his aunt said warmly which caught her off guard.

"Little rough around the edges…" she heard Parker say, sparking her to immediately furrow her brow in annoyance at the comment. "...but… she is," she heard him genuinely say which made her posture lighten significantly.

She was not a-

"No matter what she says," She let out a breath as a tender feeling washed over her.

Like yesterday, he was saying what he truly believed.

She couldn't help but remember how he thought she was a hero like him.

She wasn't…

… but…she was more than what Logan thought of her and Parker's words helped reaffirm that belief.

She looked around the room she was in. There was a cross on the wall above the bed, beside it were two pictures of a couple holding hands. The first one was a photo of age, displaying a young woman in a wedding gown holding the hand of a man in a suit – both of them smiling widely.

She looked at the man in the aged photo who she could only assume to be his uncle. He bore a resemblance to Peter, their smiles were so similar that it was almost uncanny. Photos of him and Peter's Aunt decorated the room, with one of them having the two holding a baby alongside another couple.

There was another photo next to that one, it was one of a young, brown-haired, blue-eyed boy, who wore almost comically large round glasses.

It was Parker.

He looked to be around the age of eleven, smiling as he held a science award with his uncle behind him.

She looked at it for a bit wondering what his childhood was like.

When it came to such things she could only imagine for she never had one.

Although the smile he had when he was looking at his uncle, it reminded her of the ones she used to have with her mother….

She shook her head and left the room, remembering what her mission was.

She wanted to gather more information about Parker.

She exited the room, once again making no noise.

"So where are you two going to go?"

"... The zoo…" Parker said, lying again.

"The zoo?" Laura thought.

"To look at…alligators," Alligators? His attempts at lying were pathetic. It was as if he was just making things up as he goes.

"Does she like alligators?" his aunt asked.

"Um….I think so," She did not like alligators, "...and motorcycles," he added, which caused her to shake her head.

"And what does your friend Johnny like?" She raised a brow at this, so she knew about Storm, it would stand to reason that Storm also knew who Parker was. She would listen attentively to what would be said next as learning what the Human Torch is like would prove to be valuable information as well.

"Cars," That wasn't much.

"That's all?" Her thoughts mimicked his aunt's words.

"Cars and girls," Based on that description Storm sounded like Drake.

She didn't like Drake.

She stopped at the end of the hallway in front of the door where his scent was the strongest. She looked around, wondering if there were any traps but there weren't. She rotated the doorknob slowly, careful as to not make any noise that would alert others to her presence.

She entered the room.

The fragrance of his scent was intertwined with that of cheap air freshener that poorly masked the faint smell of chemicals.

The walls were colored light blue and clothes littered the floor. There were countless posters ranging from Albert Einstein to Captain America adorned on his walls. He had a full-sized bed that sat on an oak bed frame and a headboard that housed multiple books. They were all about science, each book covering each field with some covering all the various disciplines such as biochemistry and biophysics.

"He studies science," she thought, advanced science.

It would explain the faint smell of chemicals she detected when she entered his room.

Across from his bed was a table where his computer sat. Above it were shelves that housed even more books and awards, all relating to science however most of them were uncleaned and covered in a small layer of dust save for a simple microscope which was in pristine shape.

Beside that though was a massive box that caught her attention. It was a massive black box that had a picture of an old TV connected to one of those systems Drake uses on the main TV back in the mansion. She reached for it with the contents of the box shaking as she did.

'Nintendo entertainment system' it read in yellow font with the top left reading 'Lego'.

What was this?

She shook her head, she was getting off track. She put it back in its place and continued observing her surroundings.

She walked towards his window and noticed small droplets of dried-up blood that had blended themselves within the dark oak frame. Judging from the smell they were from battles long ago.

She decided to follow the faint smell of chemicals.

They came from his closet.

She opened it and was greeted with multiple boxes. She scoured through each one gently. On the left side of the closet was a box that took up most of the space, it was an old and beaten box that was simply labeled 'Parker.' It contained beakers and flasks, among all the other necessary components when it came to mixing chemicals. On the right side, there were boxes that her nose told her housed graphic novels but beneath them all was one that contained metals.

She moved all the boxes to the side quickly and efficiently, remembering every spot they were in until she reached the box she was looking for and grabbed it with care.

She placed it on the ground and took the lid off, only to be greeted with two metallic objects that she could only describe as 'bracelets'. She grabbed them and observed every angle of them. They seemed to be some type of weapon due to the nozzle and the trigger but she hadn't seen anything like this before.

The closest thing that resembled them were the gauntlets the KGB supplied its agents, but those were rudimentary.

Despite the bracelets being bulky, taking up almost all of the lower wrist, they were ingeniously made. The trigger perfectly mirrored the shape of her upper palm, while the nozzle barely stood out, making it easy to conceal. There was also an interchangeable cartridge on each device that popped out when pressed lightly.

She picked it up and put it back in, watching how it snapped back in its place instantaneously.

"Interesting," she thought.

Whoever made this was a genius. The placement of the trigger made it so that unintentional activation was impossible and that if needed, changing cartridges would be fast and efficient. She didn't know what was inside the cartridges, nor what would happen if the trigger were to be pressed but she was bound to find out.

Although they piqued her interest immensely, she decided to place them on the ground and move on. The next object was a belt made with the same craftsmanship as the bracelets. The belt contained the same cartridges that the bracelets used, although instead of just one, there were thirty. It didn't just house cartridges though as there was a digital camera alongside a USB but in between both of those, at the center of the belt was a symbol.

She's never seen Parker in costume but she's seen what it looks like thanks to Pryde's newspaper clippings. The symbol looked to be a simplified version of his mask, although what interested her was how it was caved in and made from the same protective glass found on flashlights.

There was a button right above it.

She reluctantly pressed it and the moment she did a red light shined through the belt, illuminating his room in a crimson glow. She looked up to find that the symbol on the belt was now on the ceiling, bigger and brighter than ever.

She looked at it blankly.

What purpose did this serve?

She shook her head and put it away, grabbing the final contents of the box which was a simple notebook. Despite knowing she'd already taken too long, she decided that she would risk it and browse through the contents of the book. She flipped through the pages mindlessly, stopping only when she recognized certain things. There was a diagram of the bracelets, according to the notebook they were called 'web-shooters,' and it described almost every little detail and function of the device.

The cartridges were high-pressure containers for 'web fluid' with the nozzle having an adjustment ring to change the patterns of webbing. She read the notes; each cartridge contained a mixture of chemicals that when exposed to oxygen would form a thin, tough, and flexible adhesive that resembled a spider's webbing which would dissolve after an hour.

She was so lost in reading about these "web-shooters" that she didn't hear the clanging of Peter washing the dishes.

She flipped through the pages more. The light on the belt was called 'The Spider-Signal,' According to the text underneath it served no real purpose, he just thought it was a 'cool' thing to have.

Parker made all of this…

Maybe he wasn't so much of an idiot after all.

She browsed through the contents of the book more, it contained designs for other tools called 'spider-tracers,' though there was a big note saying 'needs funding,' another page contained a potential formula for a pseudo-metallic compound if she understood it properly, but it also had a note saying 'needs funding.' After that, the notebook only contained costume designs that were… horrible…to say the least.

She put everything back exactly where it was before shutting the closet.

She's learned a lot in these past couple of minutes but almost all of her questions have gone unanswered. The only thing she gained that was new was that Parker is a genius, everything else was just a reaffirmation of what he had told her yesterday.

She already believed him due to her being able to decipher a lie with ease but this just reinforced her beliefs.

She noticed the red and blue sleeve that was poking out from underneath his bed.

She went on her knees and grabbed it.

She pulled it out and came face to face with a torn and tattered costume that had traces of blood – a lot of blood, alongside traces of nitroglycerin which a normal person couldn't detect thanks to the overwhelming stench of it being unwashed. There were dark spots on it, the webbed design that stood over it was peeling, and the small spider-logo was almost indecipherable thanks to the diagonal tears. The part that would cover his right bicep was completely torn and the translucent nylon that had a webbed design underneath his pits didn't fare any better.

She looked at the costume with a searching gaze.

Why does he do it?

The people hate him and yet he chooses to help everyone he can, if Summers was correct.

She wanted to know what he meant by "because I can, meaning I have to." She had a rough understanding as to what he meant but that wasn't enough. Because you have the power to help, you should, but who says you should?

She put his costume gently underneath his bed.

She didn't quite understand his powers but from what she's seen, he was able to do whatever he wanted and yet here he was, helping people because he could.

She was taken out of thought as she heard the doorknob in his room begin to turn. She whipped her head towards his window and contemplated jumping out of it but at the pace his door was opened there was no doubt in her mind that Parker would see her do this and that would cause problems.

So she decided to stay put not wanting to cause a misunderstanding.

She watched how he – through otherworldly means, didn't notice her right away.

In the midst of recognizing his genius, she had forgotten something she learned when she was with him.

She glared at him as he shut the door.

He is an idiot and she could have left without him recognizing a thing.

Her emerald eyes met his blue ones for what felt like an eternity. She watched how he blinked repeatedly as if his brain was still comprehending the situation.

"AHHHHHH!" he girlishly yelled, pressing his back against his door. She looked at him with a blank expression however that would soon change into one of interest as his sheepish yelp would turn into one of agonizing pain.

She looked at what caused the sudden cry and looked on with surprise at the two bone-like skewers that had protruded out of his arm

She observed them; they seemed to have been a new development due to his response to them coming out. The shape of them resembled that of a blade and from what she could see, they were around sixteen inches long.

After a couple of seconds, Peter had recovered from the still overwhelming pain and the unexpected shock of seeing Laura in his room. His pained expression soon morphed into one of urgency as he looked at her with a glare of his own.

"Wh-wha-what are you doing here!" Peter angrily whispered to her.

"What hap-" she tried to ask in her regular voice but he shushed her.

"Shhhh! My aunt!" he said in a low but urgent tone.

"Peter, is everything alright? Is it the centipede again?" his aunt asked from downstairs as she had heard his yell.

"No! Just…just…" he tried to come up with something as he looked at Laura who had an impassive look on her face.

"She does not know you are Spider-Man," she stated to Peter who frantically responded.

"Of course, she doesn't know, she's my aunt! I'm the only piece of family she has. She'd have a heart attack if she learned her nephew fought super-criminals!" he exclaimed to her in a single breath.

So he keeps it a secret so as to not worry her.

"Peter?" his aunt said once again.

And that secret was in jeopardy.

"Spider," she said in a low and flat tone.

"What?" confused as to what she said.

"They are the most common things people are scared of," she added, clearing up his confusion.

He looked at her skeptically for a second before saying…

"...Just got scared by a spider!" he yelled back at his aunt.

"It fell on you," she furthered, already coming up with a clear and concise story to answer whatever question his Aunt had.

Peter tilted his head with complete disbelief, "You're a terrible liar," before reiterating what she said, "It fell on me!"

"You killed it."

He let out a sigh, this was just getting worse and worse. If he was going to expand upon an already half-baked lie he would at least put a twist that his aunt would like.

"Don't worry though, I'm putting it outside right now!"

"Good!" His aunt replied before continuing with her activities.

"Why would anyone go through the hassle of putting an insect through a window?" She asked herself. She pushed that thought to the side as Peter let out a "whew," causing his stingers to go up his body which intrigued her greatly.

Peter turned his attention to Laura, a look of relief all over his face as her lie had seemingly worked.

"...T-thanks," he said to her before immediately furrowing his brow and saying, "What are you doing in my house? I remember saying seven in the afternoon at Washington Square Park, not eleven forty-five in my bedroom."

"I wanted to learn more about you," she admitted to him flatly and honestly, flabbergasting him.

"So you broke into my house!" he bewilderedly concluded, she nodded. "Yo-you have the internet! Heck, you have my phone number! You could've just asked instead of breaking into my house!" he said in a frustrated and baffled voice which caused his stingers to pop out yet again.

He winced in pain again as well.

"What happened?" Laura sternly asked with curiosity and hidden worry, noticing how the ability he had not displayed yesterday caused him great pain.

"I was hoping you could tell me," he said as he looked at the girl, perplexing her, "I come back home from a team-up, go to bed, and then I wake up with new powers!'' he said in an exaggerated voice.

He let out a sigh.

"I think you have a disease," he joked prompting the girl to scowl.

"You're stupider than I thought you were if you believe this to be my doing," she flatly retorted. She was not to blame for these new developments.

"Stupid? I'm not the one who broke into someone's house to learn more about them," Peter bafflingly replied though Laura couldn't see how doing any of what she had done was 'stupid.' There were multiple reasons why infiltrating someone's home was one of the most efficient ways of learning about an individual but before she could voice them, Parker decided to speak up, "I told you who I was so you didn't have to break into my home…" he frustratingly explained to the girl, however, he took a pause as his demeanor lightened up a bit, "...You know…you're lucky I trust you," he reluctantly stated, exhaustingly crossing his arms and looking away.

She was caught off guard by this.

He…

…trusted her?

"You… trust me?" she asked in a surprised tone, wondering if she had heard right.

Peter chuckled, "I let out a girlish scream instead of punching you in the face, Of course, I trust you… and I'm the one who's stupid," he mumbled the last part under his breath.

She heard that but decided not to say anything.

"Why?" she asked him, Logan didn't trust her, the others didn't trust and they knew her much longer than Parker did…

"'Cause I got a good feeling about you," he said to her as he looked into her eyes with a small smile, "Despite you breaking into my house," he added in an annoyed tone, immediately furrowing his brow.

"You…shouldn't…" she hesitantly informed the boy in an anxious voice but he scoffed.

"Yeah well, I still will," he adamantly – stubbornly declared, raising the girl's spirits, "You doing this though isn't helping," he stated, pointing a finger at her, still displeased at the fact that she broke into his house.

She looked at him with a contemplative gaze upon hearing his words.

"Sit," she simply commanded.

"What?"

"Sit," she firmly said again as she found a place on his floor.

"Why?" he asked as he watched her cross her legs.

"You said I wasn't helping. I want to help," she genuinely stated, looking at him with a glint in her eye which took the boy by surprise before inevitably bringing a smile to his face and removing all his previous frustrations.

"You can't control your…" Laura began to say, trailing off due to the lack of a proper name or term for his new addition, but Peter, already had her covered.

"Stingers," Peter stated, causing Laura to accept the adequate name after pondering about it.

"The best I can do is have them go back inside by putting them in contact with my body," Peter displayed the act which prompted the girl to raise a brow, "I found that out because it was either my Aunt finds out I have built-in hotdog skewers or I impale my legs," he said to the girl in an unpleased voice.

She looked at them, comparing his stingers to her claws. She had a similar problem a lifetime ago though…that was corrected quickly.

"Your singers come out when the muscles that surround them contract. You need to relax them if you wish to have them go back in," She explained in a matter-of-fact voice.

"And how do you do that?" Peter asked her as that was easier said than done.

"Close your eyes," she commanded and he obliged. "Empty your mind and alleviate your wrist muscles," he tried doing that. He was good at control, not too many people can comprehend how careful you have to be when you can lift a car with one hand. His stingers were different from his strength which was shown by his attempts at seething them earlier. Fortunately, he was lucky to have Laura – someone who conveniently had expertise in having knives come out of your body.

He wondered if Laura felt the same excruciating pain he felt whenever her claws came out.

Maybe that's why she had a temper.

Or maybe he just met her during "that" time of the month.

He wondered about a lot of things that concerned Laura, like how she broke into his house without him noticing. Did she really have to break into his house too? Didn't she know fans? Couldn't she have asked them instead of breaking in?

Where was she from? Must be close by if she was in New York the other day…

…Did she really have to break into his house?

Like why does everyone have to break into his house the moment they find out who he is?

"Clear your mind and focus," Laura reiterated as no progress was being made much to her annoyance.

"I am, they aren't going down," he staunchly replied, even though he was doing no such thing.

"Then you're not focusing," she snapped, her patience was thinning.

"Maybe you're just a bad teacher," Peter retorted, obliterating what patience she had to spare.

"Maybe you're just brain-damaged," she angrily said, however, she still controlled her volume so as to not have his aunt be aware of her presence. "Excuse me, but I actually have an IQ of two hundred and fifty. Do you know who else had an IQ that high at the age of sixteen? Reed Richards! the smartest man on the planet," Peter proudly declared.

Laura scoffed at that.

He furrowed his brow in annoyance "Can you tell me about the physics of Pym Particles?" he challenged the girl.

"Can you?" she fired back.

"Pym particles work by putting matter in the Kosmos dimension if you want to shrink things, and taking matter away from the dimension if you want to enlarge them," Peter confidently answered with a tiny smirk.

She didn't answer as she didn't know how Pym particles worked.

Upon her saying nothing Peter took this as a victory over her, "Now who's the one that's damaged?" with a self-assured smile on his face.

She fought the urge to gut his tongue out right then and there.

She sighed…this was going nowhere, and she did not like that.

She looked at his stingers. While they do work on muscle control they can also be instinctual if one does not have the proper control… She recalled the countless stories and fairy tales her mother used to read to her. The heroes within the stories always had someone they fought for, someone they could never hurt...

"Try thinking of someone you could never hurt," she said, getting back to the point, hoping that this new approach would get them somewhere.

"That wasn't a half-bad idea actually…" Peter thought, complying with her request.

He thought about his uncle and his aunt, and as he did this he could feel his stingers going down.

He thought about Johnny and immediately discarded that thought as he felt them going back up again.

He thought about Gwen…

He thought about the strange – really strange, and aggressive girl who broke into his house.

Who is currently helping him…

The girl watched his stingers slowly go back into his body, satisfied with the results. With a deep and focused breath, Peter's stingers went back into his arms, and upon feeling the odd sensation, he opened his eyes and looked at the girl who sat across from him…

And he smiled, "Would you look at that, you aren't that bad of a teacher after all," he complimented the girl softly, not wanting to spark his stingers again while also wanting to display his gratitude to the girl.

She crossed her arms and let out a small breath, "You are still an idiot."

Peter rolled his eyes, "You've called me that at least a hundred times for like, the day I've known you.." He amusingly pointed out.

"And?" Laura said with a raised brow at his statement.

"You're not going to stop calling me that are you?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"No," Laura simply said, causing Peter to chuckle.

She let out a smirk before getting back to what they were doing.

"Try and bring your stingers out," she asked in a lighter tone of voice than normally.

"Sure," he nodded as he proceeded to comply with her request, trying his best to bring out his new lethal additions to his vast superpower arsenal.

Peter clenched his fists, following the gesture he'd seen the girl do numerous times to no avail but an idea crossed his mind though… if someone he liked made it so his stingers would retract then the thought of someone he hated should do the opposite…

He thought of the middle-aged man who for some otherworldly reason had waves.

And almost immediately, out came his stingers and the immense pain that came with them.

Out came his stingers and the immense pain that came with them while Laura was satisfied at the display of control he now had.

She gave him a look of approval, and he flashed her an uncertain smile that grew to be confidant…

However, all he could say was…

"Why do they hurt so much?" Peter comedically and exhaustingly asked the girl who let out an amused 'hmph' before withdrawing her own claws to show the blood that briefly spilled out her knuckles.

"You get used to it," Laura amusingly declared at the boy who was left awe-struck.

"Woah…" he was left speechless which surprised her, she didn't think he was capable of that.

"...I don't think I will, but…thanks," he graciously thanked the girl, giving her a genuine smile before adding, "See? This is why I have a good feeling about you," he declared upon having his faith be rewarded by the girl who looked away, flattery causing her to take her eyes off of him.

"It's nothing…you do…significantly more for others…" she genuinely reciprocated the complimentive gesture.

"That doesn't change the fact that you helped me. If it weren't for you I would've stabbed more things than just my bed. I could've accidentally cut something off while peeing!" he exclaimed with a mock shiver.

She let out another breath at that, that would have caused problems.

"So thank you," he said to her sincerely and Laura accepted his thanks with a simple nod, finding herself – once again, shifting in place to get herself more comfortable on the floor by bringing her knees close to her chest. Peter did the same, opting to lean back on his hands.

"So anyways… You said you broke into my house to find out more about me right? While I'm still not happy about that, since you're here… shoot," he said to the girl who was interested in his choice of words.

"'Shoot?'" Laura reiterated, unfamiliar with the way he used the word.

"Yeah, 'shoot.' It's an expression for asking a question," She raised a brow to that, causing Peter to expand, "...like…someone says 'I have a question,' the recipient goes like, 'alright then, shoot' like, shoot me your question," he tried explaining to Laura who found it both amusing and interesting how he explained the expression to her.

She would remember it.

She let her thoughts drift about the questions she had earlier, there were so many that she couldn't possibly ask him all at once. There was her question as to why he did this, why does he believe her to be things she knows she isn't, who is Gwen? However, out of all those options, she chose to ask something else…

"The spider," she said out of nowhere.

"What?" he said as he raised a brow at her words.

"You said that you threw the spider out. If the circumstances were real, would you have done it?"

He tilted his head at this, what was this about?

"Um…yeah…" Peter answered with uncertainty, unsure why she was asking him this.

"Why?" she asked him with a fierceness that caught him off guard.

"...be-because it's alive?" Peter answered again, though this sparked Laura to furrow her brow.

"It's an insect," she adamantly said.

"It's still alive…" What was this conversation about, wasn't this common knowledge? "...it can feel things like you and me and even though it's different, it's still a-a…sentient being…and it deserves to live its life – why are you asking me this?" When did this conversation become one about philosophy?

"All spiders do is kill," Laura staunchly declared with anger in her voice.

"Yeah… but that's the only thing they know how to do. You can't really fault someone for doing the only thing they know…and even if they do kill...it's still a sentient being…so its life still matters," Peter said as he wholeheartedly expressed his beliefs.

"So because it is sentient its life is valuable?" Laura asked, taking the conversation deeper down the route she wanted.

"Yes…sentience is…one of the many things that makes a life valuable…" Peter said as he started collecting his thoughts. Whatever this was about – he didn't know but he did offer Laura a question so he was obliged to answer. "Like look at plants for example, they're also alive, they eat, they reproduce but they can't feel pain, they can't perceive things like we can. They just sit there and flow with the wind or get stuck to your butt if it's burs. We can though, we can experience all the things the world has to offer, We have a sense of self and that alone makes our lives important. And while other species have it to a lesser extent it still makes their lives important too," He finished with confidence in his answer which contrasted against the growing doubt that found its way on Laura's pale face.

"Are the lives of killers important?" she asked him out of the blue.

Peter paused for a moment while Laura watched how he collected his thoughts, gripping her knees even tighter as she anticipated his answer.

"...yeah…yeah… I-I would say that their lives are important too…" he said with a mix of uncertainty and firmness as he looked at her.

"All they do is take lives away," she hastily stated.

"...And taking theirs won't bring those lives back…" he said as he thought about Gwen. Norman's passing didn't bring Gwen back, nor did it make him feel any better.

It just made him feel empty, washed out, angry, and just a little bit more alone.

"...I say this…after a maniac killed someone dear to me…" he said softly to her which caused her to look at him sympathetically.

She wasn't a fool, she knew he must be referring to the Gwen girl and the Goblin.

She wouldn't ask any questions that could possibly concern her.

She looked down as she asked him another question.

"What… would you do…if I told you that I was a killer?" She softly asked the boy with uncertainty and insecurity that she could not hide. Her heartbeat grew ever more noticeable…

Why was this happening? Why did she ask him that? She did not care what he thought of her….

She instantly raised her head when she heard him laugh.

"I'd say you tell bad jokes, 'cause last time I checked killers don't run into a fire to help people," he playfully said before changing his tone to a more sincere one, "Heroes do," he stated with a smile as he looked at her sincerely.

She widened her eyes before facing his floor, loosening her grip on herself as she could feel a small brimming smile.

She let her emerald eyes travel around his room yet again.

"This is your room?"

"Yeah…" Peter said as he looked around it with her.

"It is messy," she stated, looking at the state of negligence his room was in and the multitude of shirts that were sprawled all over the floor.

"Yeah…" Peter scratched the back of his head, berating himself for not cleaning his room before the girl – the pretty girl, appeared in it, "In all fairness, I wasn't expecting a guest and I'm pretty sure I was going through depression," he light-heartedly joked.

"..."

"Hm?" Peter said as he noticed the girl wanted to say something.

"...Sorry…for breaking into your house, Parker," she apologized with regret at her choice of action.

Peter let out a sigh, "It's alright, you made up for it plenty with this," he said as he withdrew his stingers with a friendly smile. They still hurt a lot but he was beginning to get used to them already, "Next time you do it though, you better tell me first," he told her with a laugh, all right with her doing it again just as long as she told him beforehand.

"You should get better security," she recommended; It was easy to break into his home.

Peter laughed at this, "I can barely afford to pay the bills, you expect me to get security?"

"Do you not have enemies?" she asked him, he is a superhero, he should have people after him, and yet all he as security were the locks on his doors.

"Yeah… but that's what the mask is for, plus I got something they don't," he said with a grin which caused her to perk up, "Remember that sixth-sense I told you about yesterday?" he asked her as he tilted his head.

She nodded, recalling how he predicted the Lizard creature's attacks.

"Don't tell anyone, but that's my spider-sense," he told her in a whisper.

"Spider-sense?"

"Warns me about danger, maps out a whole entire area I'm in including the people in it, and any super-secret part of a building; It also does a whole other bunch of other neat stuff," he said as he listed off what it does, interesting laura greatly.

"How?" she asked him. If what he was saying was true then he had a form of precognition.

"I automatically sense my surroundings while danger is a little tingling in my brain – sometimes a headache depending on the severity of danger I'm in. Really useful when I don't know where the enemies are or surprise attacks, and because it maps out a whole entire area like a second set of eyes that see everything, I can do anything blind," he excitedly exclaimed to the girl who took all the information in, "cool right?"

It was more than "cool," this spider-sense seemed to be powerful, a form of precognition so surprise attacks could never work on him. If you managed to blind him he could still fight without any hindrance.

To what extent could his spider-sense go?

If it could map out an entire area why was he caught off guard when she was in his room…

"How come you didn't know I was in your room then?" she asked, wanting to know the specific reason why? Could he not map out people? Was there a weakness he did not tell her?

"Oh, I just wasn't paying attention, Plus, you didn't mean any danger so it didn't go off," he casually said, shrugging as he did so.

The only known weakness of his spider-sense was distraction?

And if you don't mean any harm, it won't go off?

She wanted to test if this spider-sense was real.

He had his eyes closed as he shrugged and she immediately went to punch him in the face. He tilted his head to the left, however, a grin on his face as he effortlessly dodged her attack. Pulling her fist back, Laura removed the surprised expression that crossed her face at the feat he pulled by dodging her swift punch with his eyes closed.

"See?" he told her as he opened his eyes, still grinning.

She crossed her arms, and let out a satisfied "hmph."

"Better than any piece of security which is good because I can't afford any. Pretty sure I only have twenty dollars to my name," he said offhandedly, and Laura looked at him confused as to how he was flat broke. "What? I've got bills and an aunt to take care of and being Spider-Man doesn't pay squat, now unless you want to give me-"

"No," she answered immediately.

"C'mon," he said in between small laughs, "You could be like, my sponsor-"

"No," she reiterated in the same flat tone.

He laughed at that, and then proceeded to put his palms in the air and make a rectangle gesture with them, "The Amazing Spider-Man, brought to you by Lau-"

"No!"

"I can run around with your pretty face as my new logo!" he said as he pointed at his chest with both hands.

She looked at him blankly as he burst out laughing.

Her stoicism soon broke though as she let herself have a little smirk on her face.

He is an idiot.

She watched him laugh with interest.

It was easy being with him.

She noticed something different about him however as he laughed, something piqued her interest.

"Keep your mouth open," she commanded.

"Huh, why?" he asked her but to his surprise and confusion, the girl put her hand in his mouth and ran her thumb on his teeth.

"What are you-"

"You have fangs," she stated as she pulled out her hand and wiped the saliva off her hands using one of the many shirts on the floor.

"What?" Peter said in disbelief as he immediately put his hand in his mouth to feel his teeth. "I do!" he exclaimed as he immediately turned to his mirror. "They're massive!" he pointed out, running his finger through his vampire canines, questioning how he did not notice them before?

Did Aunt May see them? No, or else she would have asked him about them. "They are barely noticeable," Laura said as she watched him worry over his newfound fangs. "Really?" he asked her in an unsure voice.

She nodded which relieved his worries. These new additions were odd, and Parker seemed to have no idea what was happening to him?

Could he be a… no, he couldn't have been one…

There was a possibility though…she thought as she looked at him.

"How did you get your powers?" she asked him, as that would be the key to all of this.

"I don't know about these new ones but my original powers came from a genetically engineered spider that bit me," he casually said but to his surprise, the generally inexpressive girl tilted her head and raised a brow in utter confusion and disbelief.

"What?" did she miss something? A spider bit him and gave him his powers? Even with it being genetically engineered that was the stupidest thing she's ever heard.

"Yeah...I attended a science exhibition where it would bite me after breaking out of whatever was holding it," he nonchalantly informed, vividly recalling that day.

She said nothing as she gave him a deadpanned look.

"I'm not lying!" Peter exclaimed.

Laura was not amused.

"I know it sounds stupid but that's how it really happened! I was minding my own business when I felt something on my arm. I looked to see what it was and it was this decently sized spider just crawling on me. I panicked, it bit me before dying and I got powers," he truthfully stated to Laura who ceased her look.

She believed his answer no matter how stupid it sounded.

He wasn't given these powers through tests or birth, he got them by pure accident alone.

"What are those powers?"

"Super Strength which is proportional to the strength of a spider, the ability to cling to any surface, super speed, agility, stamina, enhanced reflexes, perfect vision and you already know my spider-sense," he listed off.

She thought about the powers he listed off. The proportionate strength of a spider was at least ten tons – he could smash a human skull with a flick if he wanted to. He could cling to any surface and was just about superhuman when it came to every category.

She was also considered to be "superhuman," her senses were far superior to that of a regular human which is why she could listen in while he and his aunt talked downstairs. She too had "super," speed and stamina, along with reflexes but if they were inferior, superior, or on the level of Parker's has remained to be seen.

On the topic of strength though, he was worlds ahead of her, coupled with his speed and other powers…her brain concluded that Peter Parker was a danger…

…but a danger to her?

His powers may have been dangerous, but the one to whom the powers belonged – she knew she would not have to worry about him being a threat to her.

"And your new powers?" she asked him, wanting to be able to draw a line being the powers granted by the spider and the powers he received today.

"You know just about as much as I do there. All I know is that I got stingers, fangs, and my eyesight got better which is funny because I didn't think it could get better," he said to Laura who pondered the possibilities…

His new set of powers could just be a secondary mutation of his original powers.

There had to be more though…

Peter let out a sigh, "I don't have the slightest idea what's happening to me and I'm gonna guess you don't either?" he asked her.

She nodded, keeping her own ideas to herself.

"I have a friend who can probably help," he said, gaining her interest.

"Who?"

"Reed Richards," he told the girl who was stunned, recognizing the name that belonged to one of the smartest people on the planet.

"You know the Fantastic Four?" and a founding member of the superhero team.

Peter let out a fond chuckle, "Yeah… they're the only people who know who I am outside of you and two others. You up for it?" He asked the girl who didn't give an answer.

She was hesitant based on past experiences but…

"Do you trust them?" she asked with uncertainty.

"Most of 'em," he said truthfully but Laura narrowed her eyes – she wanted a better answer. "Alright, all of them," he said as he noticed her glare, "One of them is just an idiot," he finished with a small laugh as he got up.

Coming from Parker that meant something.

She was going to go into unfamiliar territory, she didn't like that.

She looked at the hand Parker gave her though.

If he trusted them then she'd go…

…because she trusted him.

"Okay, I'm up for it Parker," she said accepting the hand he gave and allowing him to lift her off the floor.

"For the last time, it's 'Peter.' Keep calling me 'Parker,' and I'll start calling you 'Kinney,' see how you like it," he lightheartedly warned her. Someone calling him "Parker," reminded him of two things: the principal calling him down whenever he had a late streak and Jonah when he popped a blood vessel.

He didn't like either of those situations.

"Now get outta' my house, I gotta get clothes," he said to her as he pointed at his window.

"You're already wearing clothes," she pointed out, not understanding what he was referring to.

"Just go, you'll see what I'm talking about later," he eagerly told her, ushering her out her window.

She didn't understand but obliged anyway.

A couple of minutes later she was outside on her motorcycle waiting for him to leave his house. She watched how the door opened with him leaving and his aunt standing in the doorway. "Be back by eleven this time, okay?" she heard his Aunt say.

"I will!" Peter said in a confident tone, the woman raised a brow however, "I promise," Peter reassured as he went down the stairs of his porch.

"Have fun with your friends!" his aunt said as she bid farewell and shut the door.

"Peter's aunt was a nice lady," Laura mentally noted.

Peter was wearing the same clothes from earlier but she understood what he meant by "getting clothes," as the contents that were within his blue bag were ones she familiarized herself with earlier. After exiting the grounds of his home he looked around until he found her parked to the left side of his house and Peter quickly made his way to the girl he quickly made acquaintance with – and who he trusted as well.

"What now," she asked him as he approached her.

"There's an abandoned warehouse five minutes near here; it's a good place to changed," He said hoping that she'd understand and she showed she did with a simple nod.

"Get on," she requested him to do while she put on her black visored helmet once more.

"What?" he dumbfoundedly asked.

"Get on," she said again, prompting him to take a seat closely behind her – and by closely, Peter sat really closely.

He let out a quiet yelp as she started to drive quickly down his neighborhood. He quietly hoped that no one would see him like this. Nothing having to do with Laura, it was just because despite it being a quiet neighborhood, the people who resided in it talked. His hopes were let down though as he saw a group of kids he knew very well look at him and Laura as they played basketball.

"Oh no…" he muttered quietly as the two came to a stop in front of the group of boys that played basketball – a group of kids Peter knew. Laura watched with confusion as instead of moving out of the way this time, the group instead gawked at her and approached her this time.

"Drive," Peter urgently asked the girl who was confused.

"What?" she asked him, did he want her to run over children?

"I know these kids if they see me like th-"

"It's Peter!" one of the kids exclaimed as they ran in front of the bike and he let out a sigh.

"...Hi Lemar," he awkwardly said, peering past that shoulder that belonged to the girl who looked at all the children who seemed to be overjoyed to see the brunette boy behind her.

"Is this your friend?" the boy named Lemar asked as he turned his attention to Laura who turned her gaze back to him, wondering what his answer would be.

"Ye…yes?" he asked questioningly as he looked at her.

Was she his friend? She's helped him at every turn he's known her and she's going to help him track that Lizard monster. She knows who he is and cracks tiny little smirks at his jokes, but a friend?

She was more than an acquaintance, that's for sure.

She mimicked his thoughts.

"She's so cool," another boy said as they looked at her motorcycle, "Wanna play with us," one of the boys offered the both of them as they lifted the ball up.

She shook her head slowly.

"N-not not now, I'm – we're kinda...kinda busy right now," he said to the kids much to their displeasure but he quickly rectified his mistake upon seeing their disappointed faces. "But I promise I'll play with you when everything's all done, okay?" he said to the kids with an enthusiastic grin and at this, their expressions lightened.

"Promise?" one of the boys asked as they raised a pinky to him.

"Only if you don't tell my Aunt about this," Peter said with a friendly grin. The boy nodded, and Peter intertwined his pinky with his, "Then I promise to beat you guys again later," he quipped, sparking intense but joyful reactions from the group.

"You always lose," another kid said with a laugh, "That's because it's one of me against you three little rats," he said with a laugh of his own. "You just suck," one of the boys said with a laugh. "I'm gonna remember that when I beat you," Peter said as the boys moved out of the way.

She waited for them to say their goodbyes before proceeding to her destination.

"Who are they?" Laura asked as she was intrigued with the relationship he had with those children who made it obvious that they all really liked the boy she transported.

"Those were Tyler, Henry, and Lemar, they're the neighbor's kids, I used to tutor them," he fondly recalled to Laura, who noticed that despite not wanting to interact with them, the infliction he used displayed he liked them as much as they did him.

"You tutored them?" she asked with genuine interest.

"Yeah, they had some pretty bad grades but the parents couldn't afford a tutor so they asked my aunt if I could help them. She asked me, and I said 'yes.' I stopped a couple of months ago after they became the top students in their class. Now we play ball every now and then," he displayed the pride he had in them with a smile

"You always lose?" He furrowed his brow at that.

"Only because I let them," he defended.

"Why?" Laura asked, curious as to why he would let himself lose.

"Because they need a win, it helps build confidence. If I just steamrolled them every game it wouldn't be fun for either party," He explained to to Laura who who peered over her shoulder to look at him and said…

"That's…very kind of you," she stated, flattering him and catching him off guard.

"Eh…it's nothing," he said, trying to downplay her comment and the blush that was appearing on his face, "...You're not that bad yourself you know," he added, trying to reciprocate her compliment. "Helping me with that 'thing' yesterday, and then my stingers today, I owe you a lot," he said to the girl who shook her head.

"You owe me nothing," she stated.

He laughed at that, "Well if that's how it's going to be then at least let me say 'thank you."

"You already did," Laura fondly stated.

"Well…I'll just… say it again," he stubbornly added, chuckling as he did so.

She rolled her eyes.

"If you want to say 'thank you,' then save it for later, we are not done yet. We still… have an alligator to see," she finished with a lighthearted voice, poking fun at his lie.

Peter laughed at that.

They made it to the abandoned warehouse he spoke of in a matter of minutes. She waited underneath a street light with her helmet in her hands as he scurried off to go change.

He excitedly ran into the desolate and abandoned building and into the only room that wasn't full of used needles or empty glass bottles. He placed his bag gently on the ground and went on one knee as he eagerly undid the zippers.

The light from the window illuminated the room with a heavenly glow that beamed down onto the boy who grabbed the costume that called to him.

He smiled brightly as he started putting it on.

Meanwhile, Laura had her head tilted up as she thought about Parker

Par-Peter is nice.

She didn't get a chance to ask him why he did this, why he felt like he had to help others.

He knew what pain was, she already dwelled on this, but he'd found a purpose for that pain.

Maybe if she stuck with him she'd find an answer as to what she could do with hers…

His scent emerging from the building caused her to turn her attention to the roof of the warehouse, where he slowly walked to the edge of it. Awed by the sight, Laura watched as he adorned his tattered costume, standing tall with the loose cloth flowing in the golden light of the sun which made him look more heroic than he already did.

She knew he was grinning underneath the mask.

"You done?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Gimme two more seconds, it's been a while!" he happily shouted back at her, it felt good to wear the whole thing again. Laura crossed her arms and let out a sigh; they were wasting time but it wasn't a big deal, they had up to eleven at night and it was currently twelve.

Not like she was eager to go back to the mansion where she would be stuck with those who bothered her…

She took this opportunity to observe his costume. It clung to his body, showing off his build and leaving little to the imagination. She already figured that he was athletically built due to his powerset but the baggy clothes she's only seen him wear did a better job at concealing his form than she thought.

He leaped into the air, doing an impressive upside-down twirl before landing on his knees right in front of her, ever so slightly cracking the cement ground with a loud 'thud.'

She rolled her eyes.

"What? It's the superhero landing," he told her as she got up.

"It is an inefficient and stupid way to land," she commented.

"Look, I know, everyone who does this knows, but we're super, we can handle it. Besides, it's not about efficiency, it's about looking cool and more importantly, feeling cool," he said with a grin underneath his mask.

"You look anything but 'cool," she said as she looked at the cracked lenses of his mask.

Getting what she was referencing he pointed a finger at her, "I'd like to see you stay pretty while a maniac throws exploding pumpkins at you," he said in an annoyed tone which prompted her to shake her head at that ridiculous statement before roaring the engine of her motorcycle.

"Do you know where the Baxter building is?" he asked her as he loaded his web fluid.

"The one with the giant four?" she asked as she thought about the ludicrous building she'd only seen once.

"Bingo," he said as he rolled his glove down.

"Remember the plan?"

"Yes, Pa…Peter," she struggled to say. She wasn't on a first-name basis with anyone but… it…it felt right being on one with Pa-Peter.

She would have to get used to it though.

"You said my name," he joyfully noted, enthused by no longer being called 'Parker,' "Now, I need you to remember one very important rule," he said to her as he brought his head close to hers.

She listened attentively.

"When in costume outside my house or the Baxter building it's 'Spider-Man,'" she looked at him once again with a deadpan expression causing him to add, "..Or Spidey… webhead, webs, wallcrawler, slinger…you get the gist," he said to her, "Just not webster," he hated that name.

"Fine, Spiderman-"

"Spider-Man," he corrected, "There's a hyphen between 'Spider' and 'Man," he said to her.

She glared at him.

"There's going to be a space if you keep talking," she said, withdrawing her claws and causing him to stumble back.

Even though his spider-sense wasn't going off, he was still terrified of them.

"Spi-Spiderman is fine," he quickly corrected as he looked at her claws.

Laura smirked.

That's what she thought.

"Now are we going or not?" she impatiently said as she put on her helmet and roared her motorcycle once more.

"You ready?" he asked her as he tilted his head in excitement.

She nodded.

He grinned at that, he's kept the people of New York waiting for too long.

But now…

"It's showtime."

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: The Prelude

The sound of gunshots and police sirens could be heard throughout lower Manhattan.

Speeding at over a hundred miles per hour was a battered-up ,two-thousand-and-six, Honda accord.

There were three masked men in the vehicle and a bag full of stolen cash.

Three police vehicles were in pursuit but they were struggling to catch up to the battered car.

"We're almost there, once we lose them in Chelsea we dump this piece of junk for the lancer and we're home sweet home," the driver said to his accomplices, "Easier said than done Frank! How the hell do you think we can shake off a police helicopter?" one of the men said as he started blasting at the aircraft.

"We'll shake em', the fortune cookie I had earlier said that I had good luck coming my way," the driver said confidently.

"They're slowing down!" one of the men said in astonishment as the police cruisers abruptly slowed down.

"See!" the driver said with a fat smile on his face, "I'm lucky."

"Wanna test that?"

All the men in the car instantly perked up at the unfamiliar voice, "Who said that?" one of them said urgently as they looked around.

"Take a guess?" the mysterious voice said cheerfully.

A split second later all the thugs inside the vehicle froze as something landed on the hood of the car as hard as possible, causing the back wheels to lift off the ground temporarily. They stared wide eyed, in complete and utter shock, as the form of Spider-Man was sprawled in front of them, his white lenses staring back at them with their own reflection.

Showing them how screwed they really were.

"It's Spider-Man!" they yelled as the back wheels landed on the ground.

"He-Hey, you guessed right! Wanna take another shot and tell me what happens next?" Spider-Man cockily asked as he looked at the three men who were swerving on the street in an attempt to get him off.

"Your goddamn brain on our windshield!" the man in the passenger seat retorted as he leaned out the car window and aimed his gun at the web-slinger.

"Wrong!" Peter said as quickly kicked the man in his face before kicking the gun out of his hand. "And I had such high hopes for you," he mockingly said as the man was knocked out cold by his swift movements. The other man in the back seat sought to capitalize on Spider-Man's attention being on his friend and fired his gun at the hero clad in red and blue spandex, however, his sixth sense had other ideas.

His Spider-Sense went off immediately as the trigger was pulled and he turned his attention to the man who sat in the back, but everything suddenly slowed down. The car, his surroundings, the gun, the bullet, they all slowed.

"Woah," Peter thought as he saw the bullet spiraling towards him before he flipped off from the hood of the car and onto it's back. Everything resumed it's pace quickly. Spider-Man grabbed the man who had fired the gun through the rear windshield, and he, in turn, screamed in fear and panic as Peter fired one web line at a building before connecting it to the man. He watched how the man shrieked like never before as he was instantly yanked out of the car. He then hopped to the roof of the car and grabbed the knocked-out man before throwing him out and webbing him to a wall. He and the driver had eye contact as he peered his head through the passenger seat window and all the thug could say was: "Can you be gentle?" he asked in a hopeful tune as it was too late to surrender now.

"Sure," Peter said as he launched his body through the passenger window, forcefully kicking the man out of his car and taking the door with him. He contorted his body as he left through the driver's side so that he could once again be on the roof of the car. Within the scuffle, it did a hard turn to the right causing the vehicle to lose control and flip over. In a swift motion, just as the car was in the air and the roof facing the street, Peter, from his spot on the roof, planted his feet on the street, catching the vehicle effortlessly before it even hit the ground.

It was lighter than he expected but it has been a while.

And yet it felt like it was yesterday.

"No…better than yesterday," he thought as he put the car down and dusted his hands.

The police cars had pulled over at this point but before they could say "Freeze," he broke out into a sprint, jumping on their cruiser and using it to launch himself even higher before swinging off, leaving them to only adjust their hats and sigh.

Laura was at the intersection, watching on at the spectacle alongside everyone else who was in the vicinity. When he got close enough she turned her motorcycle around in the direction he was going and started to drive off with the both of them being neck and neck.

He gave her a little glance and a sailor salute before going up into the sky.

She watched how he let go of his web line and let out a loud and jovial scream as he did multiple tricks in the air.

He seemed to be enjoying himself.

Peter was enjoying himself.

He smiled widely at the feeling of the wind upon his face, the strength of it being one you could only feel if you went free falling. It felt good to be doing all of this, to be wearing the suit, to be stopping crimes, he could go without the police trying to arrest him but that would be asking too much. So far that was the first crime he's stopped and they just entered New York through the Manhattan Bridge minutes ago.

If things were this bad during the day, he could only imagine what it would be like when night came along.

Laura and Peter traveled through the city at a steady pace, despite their introduction they made it to midtown with ease. They would have reached their destination much sooner but Peter insisted that she oblige to the rules of the road after she ran a red light to catch up with him the first time.

She stared at the red light, and then back to Peter who was high in the air, impatiently, as she waited for the light to turn green.

She looked around, the people took out their phones to take pictures and videos of him, some people cheered him on, some people called him things such as a 'menace.' There was one man earlier who had a giant sign that proclaimed he was a threat to the city on the corner of a street.

He was busy arguing with a woman who was saying he was a hero.

Peter was quite polarizing, to say the least.

The red light came on and she immediately pressed forward with Peter firing a web line high above her. They were nearing the Baxter building now for she could see the giant and ridiculous 'four' on it. As she neared it, she turned left on a nearby parking lot and entered an alleyway.

The plan was simple: they meet on a rooftop of a nearby building and he brings her to the roof of the iconic thirty-five-story building. According to him, there was an entry to the building in the form of a large hatch door to accommodate for the countless flying vehicles they have and the Human Torch, who he referred to as "Flamebrain."

She climbed to the rooftop of a building of her choice using her claws and then simply waited for him to notice her. He did, and immediately went to meet her.

"Alright, not so bad, honestly I was expecting to run into like, three more crimes while getting here," he said truthfully.

"What now?" she asked him as he didn't inform her how he would bring her to the building.

"Climb on," he said as he turned his back to her and hunched a bit forward.

"What?" she asked him as she looked at the round spider logo on his back.

"Climb on," he said gesturing to his back, "I'll swing us to the building and then I'll run up the wall and bring us to the rooftop," he said to her as he did little gestures with his fingers which resembled the plan.

She just looked at him and he stood back up, extending his hands out wide.

"Look, it's better than taking the first-floor elevator, " She didn't say anything.

"I'm all ears for a better idea if you have one?" She did not have one.

"I'm gonna take that lack of a response as a 'no, I don't have a better idea,'" Peter said to her. "It won't be that bad," he said trying to win her over, "...unless you're afraid of heights," he added.

She continued to say nothing.

"Are you afraid of heights?" he questioned.

"No," she immediately said.

She was not afraid of heights.

"Oh my god… you are!" he exclaimed in a surprised tone, eyes wide beneath his lenses.

"I am afraid of nothing," she stated fiercely as she glared at him but he started chuckling.

"I can't blame you given how short you are," he joked in between laughs.

"I am not short," she stated angrily. She was the average height of a girl and he was not so much taller than her.

He laughed harder.

"Stop laughing," she demanded.

He laughed even harder at her demands to cease which caused her to grit her teeth and try to contain the anger that was quickly making its way to the surface.

She let out a growl and the idiotic superhero that was right in front of her quelled his laughter to look at her with confusion. "Did you just growl?" he asked before he saw the expression of pure hate on her face. He quickly stopped laughing at her and raised his hands in the air as a sign of forfeiture.

He did not want to piss off a lady who had metal claws.

She let out a breath as she tried her best to calm herself down.

"Ever been on a rollercoaster before?" he asked her after giving her a minute.

"Once," she said, referring to the moment she once shared with her first and only friend.

It was one of the few times she's had fun.

"Web swinging is kinda like that… but better…and without the safety," That didn't convince her.

"But who needs safety when you got me," he said with a smile as he pointed to himself. "I'm the dude who invented web-swinging, I promise ya, you're in safe hands," she was feeling a bit better about it.

"Besides…even if you somehow manage to fall, I'll catch ya. I am a super-hero after all," he struck a stupid pose as he said that last part confidently.

She let out a sigh.

"Fine," she finally said.

He had won her over.

"Sweet," he said as he once again turned his back to her, "It'll only take a second."

"It better," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Ready?" he asked her as he leaned forward off the edge of the building. She nodded and instantly regretted her decision as the both found themselves plummeting down to the street below.

She held on to him as tightly as she possibly could, expecting him to immediately fire a web line.

He didn't.

A panicked expression soon found its way on her face as the ground grew closer at an exponential rate.

She could feel him holding back a laugh as he waited for the last minute to fire a web line.

She was going to kill him…

…but as she felt the wind upon her face, that thought quickly disappeared. The speed they were going at was…exhilarating. As they reached the end of the swing he let go of the web line and they briefly stayed floating in the air.

It stopped as soon as it started however as Peter was now stuck to one of the walls of the Baxter building. "Told ya it would only be a second," he said as he turned to look back at her.

"How was the Spidey express?" he said lightheartedly.

"Not…bad," she replied, as the pounding of her heart persisted.

She liked it.

He had a feeling she'd like it.

"You need a breather or-"

"-I'm fine," she responded instantly. He nodded at that and proceeded to run up the wall, keeping his back hunched as far as possible in order to keep her comfortable.

They made it to the top floor in seconds with Laura instantly letting go of Peter, for once, grateful to be on solid ground. She followed him as they walked on the roof of the famous Baxter Building. Like she always did, she observed her surroundings: There were a couple of trees that decorated the roof, giving the building some life to it; In one of the corners there was an observatory class telescope and opposite to that was something she noticed to be unnatural to the building.

The unnatural addition to the building was a silo.

She could smell…fuel…rocket fuel, among a variety of other things that were inside.

They had a rocket ship.

She expected them to have such a thing but that didn't stop her from being surprised.

The Fantastic Four was already bigger than she imagined.

"And Peter is friends with them," she thought as the two of them approached a large circular 'four' insignia. It stood above the ground by at least half a meter and was huge.

This was the hatch.

He walked to the middle of the hatch while she waited and watched. When he was at the center a blue light that seemingly came out of nowhere began to shine and envelop his entire body before abruptly turning off.

"Welcome: Spider-Dork," a robotic voice said flatly.

"What?" Peter and Laura both thought.

He let out a small laugh as he immediately knew who it was who did this.

"He found that funny?" Laura thought as she heard his laugh.

He did a flip as the hatch doors began to open and landed right next to her.

She looked at him, his heart was beating faster than usual.

He was nervous.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

He looked at her, a bit surprised by the concern the girl showed, "It's just…it's...it's been a while," he said nervously.

When he was gone, all of them left him messages and calls, making sure he was doing fine.

He listened to each and every one of them.

"I…I don't know what to say…"

"Webs! Peter! get down here!" a voice boomed from far below as the hatch had completely opened.

They both stared down with surprise at who said it. Peter let out a small laugh though and gestured for Laura to once again grab on for the distance between the roof and the floor was quite big and she didn't feel like breaking her legs.

He landed on the ground in a crouched position with Laura doing the same as she let go of him.

Large footsteps that practically shook the floor approached them at an alarming rate and she looked up to see a giant rock 'thing' come up to Peter.

Instinctively she withdrew her claws but stopped as she saw the scene before her.

Peter and the rock thing- "man," she corrected as she noticed the humanoid body, hugged. The orange golem practically crushed him. He wore a pair of blue shorts that had a black outline with a giant circular emblem at the centre of the belt area. It had a black outline and stood above the cloth, a white background, and a blue four.

The contents of the uniform were something she's never smelled before.

"I didn't think ya'd come back!" his foghorn voice boomed as he let out a joyful laugh. They stayed like that for a couple of seconds before letting go of each other.

She retracted her claws before he could even notice.

"You always gotta be so negative orange slice?" Peter said with a laugh and a smile as he took off his mask.

She watched how "orange slice," let out a small chuckle at that before saying, "When you're on a team fulla' nothin' but dreamers, ya gotta have at least someone livin' in reality," he replied back in a friendly tone.

He let out a sigh though as his smile morphed into a softer look, "How've ya been webhead," the man asked in a concerned tone as he had his hands on Peter's shoulders.

"Good…I think I'-"

"He's lying," Laura thought as he spoke.

"-You can lie to that aunt of yours but not to me webs," the golem interrupted fiercely.

Peter looked at him stunned for a moment before letting out a small laugh.

"...It's...it's been hard but...it's getting better," he told the man in a sincere tone.

"We're always going to be here for ya webs, you just gotta give us a call instead of sulking by yourself," the man joked as he tapped his shoulder. "If ya stayed in that little home of yours fer' another bad guy attack, I would've dragged you're sorry butt out, secret identity be damned," He finished with a smile.

"Yea and you'd scare my aunt to death while doing so too," he retorted.

"I mean it, you know we think the world of you," The man said with a firm voice, each syllable in in that sentence full of sincerity and truth.

Peter looked away, feeling both honored and embarrassed at such words but looked back at the golem, reciprocating the warm look he gave Peter.

"I know, I feel the same way about all of you," Peter said with a smile.

Both men smiled at each other before the rock man turned his attention to her.

"This da girl I've been hearing on da news?" He asked Peter as he pointed at her.

"What?" Peter asked, confused.

"It's all ova' town, you and a girl stopped a dinosaur-thing before saving a coupla' lives, is that you?" Ben asked Laura.

She nodded, and the man made out of stone let out a smile before putting a hand on her shoulder. She froze in place, her base instincts told her to brush it off but the man had a warm presence to him, not to mention that based on his interaction with Peter, they were good friends.

"Thank you," Ben said to Laura, causing both her and Peter to look at him with wide eyes. He then stuck out his hand, "Any friend of webs is a friend of mine," he said in a friendly manner to the girl.

"Names 'Ben' by the way, Benjamin Grimm. If ya wanna go by superhero names, it's the ever-lovin' blue-eyed, Thing," he said to the girl as he stuck out his hand that was many, many times the size of hers.

She looked at his hand briefly.

"X…"

She looked at Grimm who held a friendly smile.

She looked at Peter who was also smiling at the scene.

He trusted them.

"...Laura, Laura Kinney," she hesitantly said to Ben as she slowly shook his hand.

As she was shaking his hand her nose immediately picked up fire and not even a second later, a figure made out of flames came zooming into the room through the stairway. The flames around his body immediately extinguished revealing a caucasian boy with wavy blonde hair. He wore a blue full-body uniform which had a black collar, gloves and a belt; at the center of his chest was the same circular emblem that Grimm had.

She assumed that this was The Human Torch.

He was the same height as Peter and if she could guess, they were the same age too.

Him and Peter stood in front of one another, looking at each other with their azure eyes. Their expressions went like this: surprise, observation, and a playful grin on the blonde-haired boy's face as Peter had a soft smile.

"What happened to your hair? You look like shit," the blonde-haired boy said.

"Least I can say it's temporary," Peter retorted with a grin that caught the boy off guard. He was stunned for a second and turned his attention briefly onto her before focusing back on Peter. "You're back," He said in a relieved and happy tone as he walked towards Peter who opened his arms for a warm embrace that the two shared.

"I'm back Matchstick, so get ready to be moved back to page eight," Peter joked.

"Who's verified on Twitter again?" he rhetorically asked as they pulled away from the hug.

"No one likes you," Peter said as he furrowed his brow in mock annoyance.

"That's ironic coming from you, and for your information, everyone likes me," the blonde-haired boy said confidently.

"No one does Torchie," Ben added.

"My three million followers says otherwise," at this Peter and Ben rolled their eyes. He turned his attention to Laura, "I would introduce myself but you probably already know who I am," he finished with a shrug.

She looked at him blankly, this was the idiot Peter was talking about.

"Johnny Storm," the blonde-haired boy said as if it was obvious.

She remained unphased.

"The Human Torch?" he asked questioningly.

She said nothing.

"Hello?" he asked as he was unsure what to do in the presence of the girl with jet-black hair who seemed to ignore his very existence.

Johnny turned his gaze to Peter, "Does she speak?" he said in a low whisper as he put his hand to cover his mouth from her.

"When she's not planning on killing someone, yes," Peter joked.

Johnny took multiple steps back away from her after this which made her inwardly smirk inside.

"Where did you find her?" he questioningly asked Peter, "On the rainy streets of New York City," Peter simply responded.

"Last time I checked, It was I who found you," she said confidently as she grabbed the attention of everyone in the room. "Getting beaten by a green reptile on the side of a street," she stated as she recalled his less than desirable situation.

Johnny and Ben chuckled at that, making it only get worse.

"Hey! Who was getting squished by it like it was a carnival won plushie?" Peter rhetorically asked her.

"Your point?" Laura asked him.

"You weren't faring any better against it than I was," Peter defended himself.

"That wasn't the point of this conversation. The point was who found who, and I found you," She stated strongly. Peter tried to come up with a rebuttal but she had a point and he ultimately stopped whatever it was he was going to say as there was no point in arguing with her.

He wouldn't win.

Ben and Johnny were amused by this interaction.

"Does she know who you are?" Johnny asked as he just realized that Peter was unmasked in front of someone new.

"I have my mask off, what do you think?" Peter said to him.

"What!?" Johnny exclaimed as he turned his attention to her then back to Peter.

"How long have you known her?" he asked as he looked at Laura, completely and utterly flabbergasted.

He thought about it, "Like… two days?" he said questioningly as he was unsure of the exact time he came into contact with the girl known as Laura Kinney.

"Sixteen hours and twenty minutes," she stated to the astonishment of Peter and bewilderment of Johnny.

"It took me a year!" Johnny frustratingly exclaimed to Peter.

"Look, maybe if you saw me out of costume and read my name on the tag of my jacket, you might've figured out who I was...but then again, you'd have to read and I don't think you can do that," Peter retaliated.

The two members of the Fantastic Four looked at Laura, with a surprised expression and increased their guard ever so slightly, however when Peter said, "I trust her," they immediately returned to their casual behavior; in fact, upon hearing his words they let their guards completely down.

His words meant that much to them that they would trust a complete stranger.

The elevator to the room dinged and out came the other two members of the Fantastic Four if their uniforms meant anything. One was a young adult woman who had blonde hair and a resemblance to Storm, while the other was a man who looked to be in his late-twenties. He was tall and had a lanky build with neatly combed browned hair, and was the only person inside this room outside of her, to not have blue eyes, with his being hazel.

The both of them wore the same uniform Storm did, however, the man wore a labcoat over his, alongside a monocular magnifying glass which was rested aboce his eye.

"Peter!" the woman exclaimed happily as she hugged him. "It's so good to see you again," he let out a smile as he reciprocated the hug.

"Who's this?" the man said in an interested voice as he looked at Laura.

"That's Laura," Ben said as he put his hand on her shoulder as if he's known her for countless years, "She the girl that helped Pete with the Dinosaur thing-"

"-That was kicking his ass," Johnny interjected.

"-that the news was talking 'bout earlier. He trusts her," Ben said with a smile.

The man turned his attention from Ben and onto her, a warm smile adorned on his face.

"Reed Richards, It's a pleasure to meet you Laura," he said as he stuck a hand out to her.

She took it.

He gestured to the blonde-haired woman who was looking at her with fond eyes, "This is my fiancee, Susan," Reed said with a loving smile.

Susan extended her hand out as well, "Susan Storm. Friends call me 'Sue' and as far as I'm concerned, you can call me that too," she said warmly.

She shook her hand after she was done shaking Richards.

She wasn't expecting such a warm welcome.

They all seemed quite fond of her already just by the fact that she assisted Peter. No questions about who or what she is outside her name, no nothing, just warm introductions and trust that was immediately given.

She didn't get any of that back at the mansion, although, she should've expected that after Logan introduced her. He said that she'd kill them if they pissed her off and while that was true, it made the other students hesitant to even speak to her.

Which is something she preferred but…this...wasn't so bad.

"So what brings you here Peter? I take that everything's alright, right?" Reed asked in a concerned tone.

He scratched the back of his head, "I wouldn't say 'alright' but… it's getting better. I actually wanted to stop by and say 'thank you' for the messages you guys sent me when I was gone. Sorry I didn't return them." he said with regret as he continued his instinctive nervous gesture.

"It's alright, we understand," Reed said empathetically.

"I listened to every last one though, especially the one where Ben caught Johnny wearing Spider-Man-themed pajamas," Peter said with a laugh to the embarrassment of Johnny.

"You promised not to tell anyone!" Johnny frustratingly yelled at Ben who let out a laugh.

He smiled softly, they helped a great deal, a lot more than even he knew.

"But that's not all you came for is it?" he said in an almost cold manner. Peter knew that Reed said that with no intentions of being cold, it's just that because he was incredibly smart, he knew the reasoning behind the things people did. He was often blunt and almost always unapologetic about it though, still, that didn't stop Sue from glaring at him.

He let out a sigh which grabbed everyone's attention

"I uh…I got new powers and I don't know why," he awkwardly said to the interest and confusion to all inside the massive hanger.

"Really? Dude, what are they?" Johnny said excitedly as he wondered what his friends new powers were.

"Well I got these guys," Peter said as he opened his mouth wide to reveal his fangs.

They gained the interest of everyone in the room.

"They're massive!" Johnny exclaimed.

"What?" Peter said in a confused tone, "You said they were barely visible," he said as he turned to Laura.

Laura scowled at him, "They are," she stated.

"I don't know Pete, I can see them perfectly from here," Johnny said, increasing his growing worry.

"You didn't even notice them before he pointed them out," Laura said with annoyance reeking in her voice.

"Yea, but I notice them now," Johnny replied.

"Only after he pointed them out, you dimwitted fool," Laura retorted as he just proved her point.

He went to open his mouth but Sue had stopped him.

"Don't mind my idiot brother Laura, he can be like this sometimes," Sue said with a furrowed brow as she turned her attention from the raven-haired girl and onto her blonde-haired brother.

"I won't," Laura coldly replied.

"And Peter, Laura is right about your fangs. They are barely visible. If you hadn't pointed them out, we wouldn't have noticed them in the first place," Sue said encouragingly which helped quell his worries.

"However, once you see them it is quite hard to unsee them," Reed stated as he kept his gaze on them. "I'm guessing there's more to these new powers than just fangs?" Reed asked with immense interest.

"I also got these," Peter said as he unveiled his stingers, at the fascination of Reed and surprise to everyone else. Those were quickly sidelined however as when he withdrew his stingers a loud "pop" could be heard.

He swore his heart stopped beating at that moment.

There was a pause in the room as webs started to drip from his wrists.

She watched how he shriek-ishly screamed "no," in response to this.

The three adults in the room held in their snickers and chuckles.

She looked at him with a deadpan expression as Johnny burst out laughing.

"You idiot!" Johnny said between laughs.

She was thinking the same thing.

The mess was cleaned up immediately with a dissolver that was in Peter's belt.

The damage to his web-shooters couldn't be so easily reversed.

The damage to his pride was permanent.

Most of them laughed as they all traveled to the lower levels. She preferred to stay quiet and observed the interactions and the information given through casual conversation. The Fantastic Four operated on the top five levels of the Baxter Building, with the room they were just in being the hanger that housed countless aircraft vehicles.

The Storms saw fit to prioritize Peter's appearance, instantly getting a robot helper to take measurements of his stingers. She looked at the odd-looking machine with mild interest as it floated around him.

The best way she could describe the robot was a washing machine with four thrusters at the bottom with a computer monitor at the top of it. It had two, cartoonishly big yellow eyes that displayed its "emotions."

Could it even have emotions?

From what Richards had told her, it had a name: H.E.R.B.I.E, which stood for Highly Engineered Robot Built for Interdimensional Exploration. It was built and created by Richards just like she was by the men in white coats.

But unlike it, she was a person.

She was sentient, she could think for herself and do things she wanted.

She was a person…she thought as she looked at Peter.

She wondered if he would have said those things to her if he knew what she's done.

She hoped that he would.

She shook her head, now was not the time to dwell about such things.

She watched how the robot started to cut Peter's overgrown and uncut hair, styling it to what it "used to be." He was visibly pleased with the outcome as Johnny had given him a mirror. It was shorter now, allowing you to see the back of his neck and instead of bangs covering his face, now his hair was styled upwards.

"Now you don't look like you just came out of twilight," Johnny said, which made Peter scowl, "I hate you."

In comparison to what it was previously, she much preferred it this way and from it appeared, so did everyone else.

She stood side by side with Ben in silence as they watched the two tend to Peter. Reed was in another room preparing the machines they were going to use to observe every aspect of his body.

As the robot went to fetch a new and repaired version of Parker's costume, it passed by them and Ben simply said, "Could ya' get me a glass of lemonade too Herbs?" The robot nodded before turning to her "Error: Unregistered biometrics."

Ben stroked his chin, "Forgot bout' that, register her with level two clearance," Ben simply said but he stopped himself before turning to her, "Wait a minute…he said he trusted ya' right?" he asked her as he stroked his stone chin. "Actually Herbs, make it…make it level three clearance. Anyone who's got a problem with that can come talkin' to me," Ben confidently said as he looked at her. She looked at him very confused by the sudden change, "Level one gets ya past the secretary, level two allows you entry at all points, level three gets ya to use anything outside of ole' Stretch-O's lab, and level four is free reign, which includes access to the keys of the fantasticar," he explained with a raised brow.

She still didn't understand why she was getting such authorization?

"Webs got level three, we've been thinking of making it level four but don't go telling him that," he said offhandedly, she nodded. "Seeing as ya already got his trust which is higher than any level of security, I think it's fitting to give ya three. If he trusts you, then we all trust you," he explained much to her surprise.

"Register your name," Herbie said to her.

She looked at the robot before saying her name.

"Laura Kinney."

"Laura Kinney," the robot reiterated before taking a scan of her, the scan was done in a matter of seconds and what the robot said next surprised her. "Welcome to the Fantastic Four: Laura Kinney," H.E.R.B.I.E said before a ding could be heard on her phone.

Ben watched with an anticipated grin as she went to her contacts. There were new names now: Ben Grimm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, and Susan Storm. Ben simply put a hand on her shoulder as she was still surprised,

"You can call us wheneva' you need us."

"Who…who else has level three?" she asked as she was still caught off guard by this warm welcome.

"Outside of you and webs? Just the love of my life: Alicia Masters," he said softly.

His gaze was on Peter, and a soft look found its way on his hard and stone-like face, "He saved her ya' know," he said in a gentle, almost whispered voice.

She had her gaze on Peter now who was talking with Storm.

"Because he trusts me you are giving me all this?" she asked.

"No, it's cause' ya helped him," Ben simply stated as he saw the smile that was on Peter's face. She was confused, she merely stopped a giant creature with him but she decided not to press the conversation on.

She didn't regret agreeing to come here.

"Query: would you like a cold beverage as well Ms. Kinney?" Herbie asked.

She looked at it before simply replying with, "Water," she did not yet have the adequate amount of water needed for the current time it was and energy that was exerted.

In other words, she was thirsty.

The robot displayed a smile before blasting off to another room.

It came a minute later with the drinks and Peter's costume.

She sipped quietly alongside Ben as they watched the conversation.

"Wow," Peter said as he held a new costume in his hands.

"That quick?" he asked Johnny.

"That quick," he responded.

"Can I come to you guys now for costume repairs? You don't know how much money it costs to be constantly repairing this thing and the time that goes into sewing this too," he joked.

"You can always come to us webhead," Ben reiterated.

"Now go change into that dorky costume of yours, the one you're wearing smells," Johnny said to Peter, shoving him off to a room.

Though she was not a fan of the younger Storm, he did agree with him.

It did smell.

He came walking out just moments later in the new costume given to him, there was very little difference when it came to his previous one. She could see the spider logo on the front now, it was a simplified angular spider placed at the center of his chest with four legs pointing up and four legs pointing down. For obvious reasons, it wasn't dirty anymore and the red shined brightly as it was complemented with the dark navy blue.

"Dr. Richards has requested that there be mini slits into your costume so that it wouldn't tear when you retract your stingers. The instructions as to how to do this manually have been sent to your mobile device should your costume need manual repair," Herbie said to Peter as he observed his new costume.

"Nifty," he responded as he drew them out once more.

"Those things are too cool for a dork like you," Johnny said as he looked at them once again, "It's like the hidden blade from the assassin's creed games."

"Brotherhood and two were the only good ones and hers are cooler," he said as he looked at Laura.

Johnny looked at her with surprised eyes, "You got stingers too?" he asked her as he approached her.

She waited for him to get close before withdrawing them in his face causing him to step back in surprise.

"Holy shit!" Johnny said in a startled voice.

He looked at hers and then back to Peters, "...I think hers are cooler," Johnny said to him as she pointed at Laura's claws.

"Hers is made of metal, mine is bone-"

"-Disgusting by the way," Storm inputted.

"-Of course hers are cooler," Peter exclaimed as her metal claws looked a whole lot more appealing than his stingers.

She agreed with that statement.

"Why are yours made out of metal anyways?" Peter asked her with a furrowed brow.

"I would…prefer not to say," she told him, at least not in front of everyone. Peter understood her tone and decided not to ask, surprisingly, Johnny did the same.

"Alright, everything has been prepped, please, everyone, make your way to the laboratory," Richards said over the intercom. She followed them as they all made their way, she was going to find her answers.

Peter had reported a new power, when he stopped those thieves. He said that he could see the bullet approach him, while also saying that the car he lifted felt lighter than usual.

She wondered what else he had…

They took a blood sample of him first and had him bite into something with his fangs before putting him in a room. The first test was a strength test, which could easily be measured by the device Richards had. As she suspected, he was a ten-tonner which was stated by Richards when discussing his previous results.

Peter simply stood on a circular platform, underneath a device that was designed to push against him, inputting whatever amount of force the person in charge wanted.

Essentially, it was a high-tech, hydraulic press.

They started off with one ton which was nothing, five tons and he still didn't feel a thing, ten tons he was starting to feel but it wasn't straining, at fifteen tons there was physical exertion, and at twenty, he started to bend his knees.

At twenty-five tones, he was letting out groans and was struggling to stand even after bending his knees. At thirty tons, everyone was starting to get worried as it looked like he couldn't hold on but to the surprise of everyone, including herself, he managed to push back.

"Go for thirty-five!" Johnny and Ben cheered while Sue looked at Reed worryingly, "Maybe we should stop this here."

Laura wasn't worried as machinery as complex as this most likely had multiple safe guards in check. She wanted to see Peter's limits and she could tell Peter wanted to see them too.

"No! I…can...still do more," Peter said through grunts as he stood his ground. Reed reluctantly complied and increased it to thirty-five. The machine pushed down on him heavily and his legs were beginning to shake as if he was on the precipice of breaking but he still persevered. His newly refurbished costume was starting to tear as his muscles expanded under the pressure. He was barely holding on as the machine had once again started to gain significant ground on him.

He let out an agonizing yell as he started to crumble underneath the weight and Reed frantically began to shut it down.

"Wait," Laura simply said as she kept her eyes on him.

"He can do it," She said as she observed how his legs were no longer shaking. They all watched with astonishment as he continued to yell his lungs out as he started pushing the machine back up, ever so slowly. He managed to bring it up so high that he could fully extend his arms and when he did that, Reed had decided to end it there.

"Holy shit," Johnny said with amazement written all over his face.

"And that's why…they call me…'The Amazing…Spider-Man…'" Peter said between breaths before eventually collapsing on the floor.

Johnny and Laura instinctively went to his side. One going to watch over him while the other went to pester him.

"Not bad webs. Still nowhere near me though," Ben both proudly and cockily said as he stood beside Sue and Reed.

"You're a class one-hundred-plus Ben, the only one near you is the Hulk," Reed inputted. "Still, Peter's results are impressive, and this changes my initial thoughts about the future possibilities of his strength," Reed said loudly so that the three teens who were currently standing in the middle of the room could hear him.

"...What?" Peter tiredly said as he turned his head to look at the scientist.

"Your strength is proportional to that of a spider, well originally at least. I estimated that you'd only get stronger as you grow. My initial thoughts were that in your prime, you'd be class thirty or forty in strength but with these enhancements, I believe you're gonna be more in line with a class fifty level of strength, most likely sixty," Reed said as he was impressed by the boy's display of strength.

"I like the sound of that," Peter said as he sat back up, slowly feeling his strength and energy come back to him.

"But can you go nova?" Johnny rhetorically asked with a smirk.

"Shut up, Johnny," Peter said irritably,

"Just admit my powers are better than yours and I will."

"Your powers were really cool when Doom took over your body and used them to fight me," Peter retorted.

Laura focused on the word "Doom," There was only one person that came to mind and that was Victor Von Doom, Supreme Leader of the Kingdom of Latveria, the most dangerous man on the planet.

From what little she knows of him, she knows this: almost all who cross him end up dead.

And yet he talked about him as if he was just another foe.

Storm and Peter continued their back and forth while she simply stood next to him, observing their friendship. The others gave him twenty minutes of rest alongside repairing the minor tears that were within the costume before proceeding with examination. Storm and Peter were close, they were relaxed with each other and though they incessantly bickered with each other, they looked at one another with genuine care.

The second test had him have his stingers get scanned by another machine before proceeding to slash and pierce through multiple objects made out of different materials and metals.

Thanks to his superhuman durability and the inherent sharpness of the stingers, he managed to cut though most of the metals easily.

While his stingers paled in comparison to her claws, they were still impressive considering the fact they were bone.

The final test had him hooked up to a device that scanned his brain as he performed tasks that would activate his spider-sense.

"I still don't believe that that's real!" Johnny said as he watched Peter do the tests.

"Believe it!" Peter yelled as he dodged multiple objects that came behind him.

There was no way for them to detect the spider-sense, which was odd, but they found that his optical nerves operated at an accelerated rate than that of regular humans, explaining why he could see the bullet that was fired at him earlier. While that didn't sound like much to most people, based on how Storm said "lame," for someone who understood what that meant like her, it was a terrifying power.

He could see anything no matter how fast it went, or how fast he went, and he comprehended things so fast that things seemed slow at times. While it was limited to just whenever his spider-sense went off according to him, she wondered if it could be used outside of that.

The tests were done by the time a loud 'ding' echoed around the room. "Lunch is ready," one of the robot helpers said which prompted Johnny to abruptly turn aflame which caused her to instinctively back away immediately and draw her claws.

Peter immediately hopped over her and seemingly raced him as they went to the living room, however, as the two made it to the stairs they abruptly slammed against…nothing? their bodies seemed to have been splattered on an invisible wall.

She quickly regained her composure and put her claws away as she witnessed the two boys who were now on their backs. There was nothing there, nothing she could smell, she looked around to see Storm's sister holding out her hand. This wasn't a form of telekinesis or else they would have stayed in place, could she create invisible constructs?

"Johnny, you should know that there's no hurry for lunch, everyone eats at the same time, and Peter…I expect better from you," she scolded the two like children.

Ben simply shook his head and said "Teenagers," as he made his way to the kitchen.

"Unruly children," she corrected, she was not to be grouped with those two.

Ben let out a huff, "Keep that up and you'll get level four in no time," he said with a smile.

He took a glance at her and she did the same.

She liked Grimm.

They went to the thirty-first floor which was starkly different from any of the other floors. Instead of metallic floors and walls that were decorated with intricate and advanced technology, the thirty-first floor looked like a floor that belonged to a regular house. The floor was covered with a light yellow carpet as the walls were painted lime green. There was an orange couch that was against a wall, with another one beside that one leaning against the other wall. In front of both couches was a vintage coffee table with a huge television opposite it, which lay on a massive stand that had countless devices such as a recorder and the exact system that Drake used back in the mansion.

The dining room had a clear view of the city and in the middle of it was a simple wooden table that could fit a whole family. Richards sat at the head of the table with Sue and Ben to the left of him, Johnny and Peter sat to his right, and she sat beside him.

Robot helpers immediately came and plated their food, with the food itself being a roast beef fillet. Peter was given the food alongside repaired web-shooters with Richards saying playfully, "I recommend not using your stingers when you have those on Peter," Peter let out an embarrassed chuckle as he put them on again.

Peter was given extra portions of food, alongside Grimm and Richards, to accommodate the demands of their powers.

She ate quietly and so did Grimm, it was good.

She listened in on the conversations that took place at the table, keeping her gaze on her meal until she found a piece of food on her plate that wasn't hers.

She turned her head slowly to see Storm and Peter…

…playing with their food…

"Hey Pete, look, it's Big wheel," Storm said as he pointed at two pieces of roast beef which were crudely put together to form a circle.

"And that's you," he said as he rolled the beef over a flat-leaf laughing as hard as he could. "Oh will you shut up about that, you don-" he stopped talking abruptly as he leaned back on his chair as if he was knocked out.

"Pete?" Johnny asked as he abruptly stopped playing with his wheel of beef.

Peter started drooling which caused Ben to give a snicker.

Johnny didn't get what he was doing.

Peter and Ben tried hiding their laughs at Johnny's cluelessness.

"What is he doing?... did the brain damage finally get to him?" Johnny asked Ben.

"No you numbnut, that's you when you were under da' control of da' monocle," Ben stated with a laugh and Peter soon broke out of his act laughing as well. Johnny furrowed his brow, "That's not funny!" he said as he flung some of the shredded herbs on his plate at Peter, and inadvertently at her as well.

She picked it up and looked at it blankly.

…these two were renowned superheroes?

Sue looked at the display of immaturity with a warm smile.

Richards seemingly was oblivious to everything around him as he was looking at a datapad, observing Peter's blood. He said words such as "fascinating, interesting," and "amazing," not even paying attention to the food in front of him much to the dismay of Storm's Sister.

Peter and Storm only stopped fighting with each other when the sound of sirens could be heard from the streets below.

She made the mistake of not thinking much of the police sirens.

Instantaneously, both Storm and Peter got up from their seats and ran towards the window with Reed simply saying at the same time, "Open the kitchen windows."

Upon his command, the windows next to them opened wide and she realized too late what the two heroes were going to do.

"Time to hero up!" Peter yelled as he put on his mask and jumped out the window.

"Stop saying that dorky catchphrase," Johnny said as he too jumped out the window with him.

She tried to follow them as they jumped out the window but was left in the dust as they free-fell together.

She watched the two flatly as she wondered what just happened.

"You get used to it," Grimm said to her as he looked at her briefly before returning to his food.

She did not like this.

And she would not get used to it.

Peter smiled to himself as he dived out the window.

Being with Laura, Johnny, and the rest of the FF made him feel like himself again.

"You should've stayed back in the dining room Webhead, I don't need you for this," Johnny cockily said as he free-fell side by side with Peter.

"I remember when there was a time where you didn't deal with these types of crimes," Peter retorted.

"I remember there was a time I thought Jameson was right about you!" Johnny said back.

"Better times if you ask me," he added with a shrug.

"So you mean you liked being my punching bag?" Peter rhetorically asked.

"I could beat you any day of the week, at anything," Johnny stated with the utmost confidence.

"Oh, yea?" Peter said challengingly, "First one to the crime has to do whatever the loser says."

"Deal," Johnny said before clenching his fists and shouting his own iconic line.

"Flame on!" he excitedly yelled as he blasted away from Peter who fired a web line to give chase, however, he could only stare deadpanned as Johnny started flying over the buildings.

"You're breaking the rules you idiot!" Peter yelled as he tried to catch up to him.

"Stay on the goddamn ground, you hear me!" a gunman said as the hostages within the bank panicked at the sound of an explosion. The plan was simple: use explosives to make their way to the safe, so that retrieval of money was quick. Threaten to kill everyone in the room if the people didn't comply, grab as much money as they could, and get one hostage per person to warrant the police not to shoot.

Simple, easy, ingenious, if you asked him.

They've already gathered almost half a million dollars alone.

No one could stop them.

The unnamed gunman immediately retracted the statement as the ginormous window that belonged to the bank immediately shattered.

As if he was seeing his imminent death, in slow motion as the glass flew, he could see Spider-Man and the Human Torch come bursting out the window.

He didn't see anything else as Spider-Man had webbed his face.

Upon firing a web line Peter had pulled on it and immediately had the gunman's face collide with his fist.

"Spidey's here," he said as he stood at the center of the room.

The eight, now seven, gunmen in the room however paid no attention to him as they all had their guns pointed upwards. "The Human Torch is here!" Johnny said confidently as he hovered in the air and had his hands on his waist.

They all fired at him however Johnny only laughed at their attempts.

"You do know my flames melt bullets right?" Johnny said as he scratched a nail.

Peter rolled his eyes and effortlessly dodged gunfire as they turned their attention to him

"I know I've been gone for a month but don't you guys remember? I can dodge bullets, which is infinitely cooler," He said as he gracefully dodged their fire.

He landed next to Johnny, "No it's not," Johnny stated before turning his attention to the gunmen.

"You can always surrender," Johnny recommended.

"You don't know who you're messing with!" one of the crooks fiercely said.

"Do you guys have some supersecret superpowers I'm unaware of? Because last time I checked you were a bunch of unnamed nobodies and I was Johnny Storm, The Human Torch, and he's Spider-Man," Johnny cockily said as he pointed between him and Peter.

"We work for the Kingpin!" one of them stated, which immediately caused Peter's demeanour to change. He immediately clenched his fists, "Good, cause I got a message for him!" Peter yelled as a news helicopter filmed them through the busted window.

He took a step forward which caused the crooks to take a step back.

"I'm back! and he's first on my list of bad guys to beat," he said fiercely.

"Not before I burn him to a crisp first!" Johnny added with a smirk as his flames burned stronger.

The gunmen stood their ground and just before one of them could pull the trigger, Peter punched him right across the face, knocking him out cold.

"But before I get to the entrée I gotta have the appetizer first," he said with a small grin.

They readied their guns with their minds set on blasting him but they were missing something…

There was a reason why Peter wasn't facing Johnny right now.

"It's looking a bit dark here though Spidey, I think we gotta...Lighting up the place!" Johnny said as he instantaneously heated his body up, exponentially increasing the light his flames generated, resulting in an effect that was similar to that of a flash-bang which blinded everyone in the room. He then immediately flew towards one of the gunmen in an instant, delivering a scorching punch that would leave a personal signature on his face.

They took a glance at each other and smirked before going after another pair of goons, swapping sides as they once again knocked two out with one hit. Three remained, and they bundled up with each other as they were starting to recover from the flash.

Peter swiftly jumped in the air and kicked one across the face while Johnny simply flew into another. The last one to remain fully recovered and could only look on in fear as he could see the grin Peter had underneath his mask as he punched him right across the face before doing a sweeping kick that took his feet off the ground.

He followed this up by doing a backflip kick which propelled the guy up, allowing Johnny to deliver a bicycle kick from above, he then immediately flew around Peter in a half-circle as Peter drop-kicked the gunman into Johnny who flew at him, delivering the finishing blow with a powerful punch to the face.

The non-superpowered, and extremely regular human gunman, who is very susceptible to brain damage, was sent tumbling to the ground.

"Ouch!" Peter mock winced, "You're gonna feel that in the morning," he said with a small laugh.

"...Mother…" were the only words that escaped the gunman's mouth as he succumbed to the immense pain of getting hit by a teen with superstrength and another who had control over one of the four major elements.

Peter and Johnny stood together triumphant, bumping their fists together before crossing their arms as the crowd and cameras looked at them in awe.

They grinned at their victory.

"Four to three," Peter said to him, "it's four-four, that last one counted," Johnny replied. "If it counted then it should be five to four," Peter replied. "I delivered the finishing blow, so no," he replied with a smirk.

"You're lucky that it's even a draw Spidey, if I was really trying it would be eight to zero," he said cockily.

Peter scoffed at that.

"The Human Torch is second to no one," Johnny bragged.

"When it comes to coping," Peter retorted, "It's better than self-loathing," Johnny said with a smile.

The two laughed at each other.

He missed this.

They both did.

What he didn't miss was the fact that civilians instantly swarmed Johnny, completely ignoring his existence. He shook his head and smiled underneath his mask before jumping to the wall that was next to the broken window.

He allowed Johnny a moment to take praise.

"Oh my god, Johnny Storm, you're amazing," One girl said with complete praise and worship.

"I know, I know, you don't have to tell me that beautiful, but keep talking anyway," he said flirtatiously to her which got him a giggle from the girl.

Peter rolled his eyes.

He was glad that Johnny at least had the common sense to not do this with Laura.

He let his interaction with the masses pass for at least two minutes before deciding that Johnny's ego had been stroked enough.

"Torch!" he yelled, grabbing his friends' attention. Johnny looked up at him and reluctantly followed his friend but not before saying, "You guys can follow me at 'TheRealJohnnyStorm' on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube!" he yelled as he flew off.

"Oh yea, and tik tok!" he added causing Peter to roll his eyes as the both of them left the building, with the civilians cheering them both on, mostly Johnny though.

He looked at his friend giving a blank stare, "You have a tik tok?" Peter asked.

"Yea, it's all the rage," Johnny said casually.

"I hate you sometimes you know that?" Peter said light-heartedly.

"What can you hate about me, I'm perfect," Johnny said as the both of them landed on a nearby building.

"And you of all people should be thanking me, I was covering your butt this last month," Johnny said as he crossed his arms waiting for his thanks. Peter paused for a moment, looking at his friend before softly saying, "...thank you for that."

Johnny was taken aback by this because he wasn't expecting a 'thank you,' and he recognized that voice.

"...it's no problem," Johnny said sincerely as he scratched the back of his head, "I can handle your dorky little world with ease," he said with a grin.

Peter let out a soft laugh.

"You…you alright Pete?" Johnny said in a soft and concerned tone as he put his hand on Peter's shoulder.

He looked at his friend who had his hand on his shoulder. For a very brief moment, the oblivious expression that was constant in his eyes was replaced by an all-knowing and concerned one.

"...I…I Loved her Johnny…" he said as he looked at his friend, he could hear the pain that was in his voice.

"It wasn't your fault," Johnny said in a wholehearted attempt to console his friend.

"It was my fault Johnny…it was my fault…" Peter looked down as he said this. "...and now this 'Kingpin' is flooding the city with crime because I was too busy crying in my room," he said bitterly. "How bad is it? DD's been giving my updates but…"

"It's pretty bad Pete. I don't know much but I do know he has at least half the villains are under his payroll," Johnny said truthfully. Peter angrily stomped his foot on the ground, "I'm such an idiot! I never learn, this is what happens when I-"

"Hey!" Johnny said as he yanked on his shoulder, "It's not your fault! you're not the only hero in New York remember? It's all of ours, you were the only one who dealt with this type of stuff when me and the others stayed comfy on our couches waiting for the next big bad guy to destroy the earth when the people who live on it, the little guy, were having their lives, their own world, destroyed," he said sincerely.

Peter looked at him stunned for a second.

He blinked a good couple of seconds before responding.

"Johnny Storm? taking responsibility? Caring for the little guy? When did this happen?" he said with a soft laugh.

Johnny let out one himself.

"When I met someone who taught me what it was like to be a real hero," he said with a smile. "This stupid idiot taught me something about power and responsibility. He taught me that there were different ways to save the world that didn't include stopping world-ending threats," Johnny said as he looked at the civilians hugging their loved ones from down below.

He looked at Peter and shrugged.

"Honestly, those two things were all he was good for," Johnny finished with a small laugh.

Peter let out a laugh.

"Can't be as bad as that one moron who came to my school one day and taught me that I should never give up," he finished with a small laugh of his own.

"Obviously that speech flew over your head," Johnny retorted.

They both shared a laugh before looking at each other solemnly.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"...No…not yet at least, but it helps that you're here."

"Always Pete," Johnny said with a smile.

"You can always drop by the Baxter Building you know? We meant everything we said earlier," he reiterated.

Peter let out a laugh.

"I mean it, after everything you've done, after saving Alica-"

"I didn't even know who she was before Ben came along and broke my spine with that 'hug," He said with a mock shudder recalling that moment. .

"That's a point for a future topic Pete. Right now, the one I'm trying to make is that whenever we need help, you're always there. Always willing to do some weird, borderline suicidal plan that Reed comes up with. You're more than just a friend to us, you know, and while the words might not be coming up right now, you'll always have a place for yourself in the Baxter Building as long as we're there. As long as I'm there," he said strongly towards Peter.

Peter looked at him stunned for a moment before letting out an earnest joyful laugh.

"Spider-Man and Human Torch?" Johnny said as he held out a hand.

"Peter Parker and Johnny Storm," Peter said as he raised his.

"Friends forever," they both said as they firmly shook hands with each other smiling at each other in the process.

"Anyways, how is it going? How were your exams? How's Dorrie?" Peter asked as it's been a month since he's seen Johnny.

Johnny's eyes drifted to the ground.

"What is it?" Peter asked his friend, he knew he wanted to say something.

"It's nothing," Johnny said immediately.

"C'mon, after saying we'll always have eachothers backs you pull this," Peter said bewildered.

Johnny let out a sigh.

"Me and Dorrie broke up,"

"What? What happened?" Dorris Evans was Johnny's longtime girlfriend for at least a year now, from what he remembers of her, she loved him, so what happened?

"The Beatle happened," he said bitterly. "He stole something for someone who I would later discover was the Kingpin. I was with her at the time, as I left to go 'hero up' as you put it, she told me that if I left her she wouldn't be there when I returned," he said looking down.

Johnny paused for a moment.

"I left, kicked his ass too, but when I came back she wasn't there. When I tried to call, she didn't answer. She eventually picked after half an hour to say we were over," Johnny said, holding back tears.

"...I…I'm sorry Johnny," This was all his fault. If he hadn't left, then he would've been there to stop the Beatle, the kingpin would never have come to power. He ruined his only friend's relationship.

"Sorry about what?" he asked his friend but as he looked at his friend's demeanor he instantly said, "NO!, NO!, NO! NO! this is not your fault!" he said as he pointed at his friend.

"If I was there to stop him you could-,"

"This is not your fault Peter. I-I think it was going to happen anyways… she wasn't too happy with the whole superhero gig," Johnny said truthfully.

"Johnny…"

"Don't feel sorry for me webhead, she'll call back," he said with a forced laugh.

"I'm…I'm the Human Torch, you don't dump the Human Torch…"

Peter simply hugged him.

He hugged back and let the tears flow from his eyes.

"I'm such an idiot, I don't even know why I'm crying, your girlfriend died, mine dumped me. I have no right to even feel-"

"You loved her Johnny, you have a right to be sad," Peter said.

"But-"

"-Mines dead, so what? That doesn't mean you can't feel bad about yours," Peter said adamantly.

"When did it happen?" Peter asked as he and Johnny let go of the hug.

"Three days ago," he said, wiping some tears off his face.

"You could've told me," Peter said sincerely.

"You would've punched me in the face," he said with a laugh.

"Yea…yea, I would have. You actually made a good choice for once," he said as he thought about what he would've done in his previous month-long mindset.

"It's why I wanted to hang out with you today but I see you're busy," Johnny said, referring to Laura.

"We're going to hunt down a giant alligator, wanna come?" Peter could picture the three of them working together.

"And be a third wheel? No! Besides, I think she'll kill me," Johnny said honestly as he looked at his friend, "Maybe another time though."

Peter looked around the city, wondering what the two could do together.

He nudged him with his elbow when a good idea came to mind.

"Hey, I think we got time to do a little something before we head back," he said, hinting at something, Johnny perked up at that. "Pretty sure the score is still one-one right?" Peter asked.

"If you're demented," Johnny scoffed. "I beat you earlier so It's two-one," Johnny said as he got what he was referencing, "You flew over the buildings, that doesn't count," Peter said.

"Doesn't matter, the results would still be the same."

"Really," Peter said, not believing his statement.

"I can show you," he said with little sparks coming off of him.

"Lap around New York?" Peter said as he started hopping between feet.

"Of course," Johnny exclaimed.

"Remember the rules?"

"No flying above street level," he said in a mocking tone but Johnny rolled his eyes.

"It's the only way it's fair," Torch could fly at supersonic speeds if he wanted to, flying at street level was the only way to make it fair.

"So you admit that I could beat you under any other circumstance?" Johnny said as he raised a brow.

"I didn't say that," Peter playfully denied.

He shook his head as he gazed at the horizon.

"Get ready to lose," Johnny said as flames engulfed his eyes.

"On three Matchstick," Peter said as he got ready to jump.

"One," Peter said.

"Two," Johnny said.

"Three!" they yelled together as they blasted off from the rooftop, going as fast as they possibly could around the concrete jungle, leaving a trail of webs and flames in the process.

They were dishing out quips and insults as this happened. Peter tried firing webs at him but they burned on impact, and Johnny tried retaliating with fireballs only for them to be dodged with ease.

Despite this, the both of them tried their best to let the other person win without them knowing.

They ended up drawing.

They were laughing the entire time they raced around the city.

When they came back to the Baxter Building an hour later they were greeted with a "Who won?" and Laura simply glared at Peter fiercely for abruptly leaving her.

After declaring that they ended with a draw Ben disappointedly yelled "Oh come on!" as he handed a twenty to Sue who smirked at his loss.

"The one time I bet on you Torch," he muttered.

Reed walked towards the two, mainly Peter in an attempt to deliver the news of his blood test…however Laura beat him to it, abruptly standing in his way and looking at Peter seriously.

"You're a mutant."

Four figures stood watching the news play out before them.

Three of them stood in front of a desk as a large man in a white suit had his fingers together with his brow furrowed as he stared silently at the sight before him.

"Whaddya reckon we do," a western accent spoke as he held onto his cowboy hat.

"We work for the kingpin!"

"Good, cause I got a message for him! I'm back! And he's first on my list of bad guys to beat!"

"Not before I burn his butt to a crisp first!"

"First Spider-Man returns with an unknown acquaintance, and now the Torch is with em'," he continued to say. "I say we dust em," another man who stood at five- three said.

Another man who stood at six-eight nodded, silently agreeing with the midget.

"We do nothing Montanna," the large man powerfully stated.

"Nothin'?" the western man named Montanna said questioningly.

"I want to get the word out: all activity is to cease immediately," he commanded.

"But-" one of them tried to speak but was quickly interrupted.

"Do you understand?" the man said threateningly.

"Yes sir!" they all said in unison.

"Contact every super we have, we shall hold a meeting tomorrow," he said as he got up from his chair. "Does anyone know what happened to the group that was sent to the Connors last night?" he asked as he looked out his window.

"They were all killed, nothing left of em' cept' bones," Montana said.

"Good," he said firmly. "I need every edge possible, the 'Devil' and those 'heroes for hire,' were tolerable but Spider-Man?…alongside both the Human Torch and a girl who was powerful enough to stand her ground against Connors…it changes everything," he said as he pondered upon what he should do. "Scratch what I said," he told the group as he turned around to face them. "Contact every super you can find, tomorrow we plan for war," he commanded firmly.

"Yes sir!" they all said.

"That is all," he said as he dismissed them.

As they left his room the man in the white suit let out a sigh.

"Spider-Man is back…" he thought to himself as he fell onto his chair.

Chapter Text

They were all gathered in the living room now, sitting down quietly as they listened to what Laura had to say.

"A-a what now?" Peter asked, completely dumbfounded by the revelation bequeathed to him by the raven-haired girl.

"You're a mutant," she stated once again.

"No-no, see…I get that part…the thing that I don't understand is, what's a mutant?" he asked Laura, unfamiliar with the term she had just given him.

"A mutant is someone born with a special gene that gives them powers. I am one of them. You are too," she flatly explained which should've cleared things up but had the adverse effect of just confusing him even more because what she said didn't make any sense to him – at all.

"I clearly remember telling you I got my powers from a genetically engineered spider," he reminded her with a furrowed brow and a finger pointed right at her. He was not born with powers, he was bestowed – given powers by the spider which altered his body.

Expecting him to say this though, Laura turned her gaze to Reed who was all too happy to explain to him what she meant – and what happened to him.

"The thing is Peter, these new developments are because of the spider," Reed stated, backing what Laura said while also reaffirming the notion that Peter staunchly believed.

"What?" Peter exclaimed in utter confusion at the fact that two pieces of contradictory information could co-exist.

"This gene that gives you your powers-"

"The x-gene," Laura stated as Reed was blanking on the term.

"-The x-gene - Thank You, Laura, is something that you've always had but you've never developed powers because it was damaged," Reed said as Peter observed his blood. The pad displayed three blood samples: one from years ago, one he gave Reed six months ago, and the one he gave Reed now.

He looked at it, completely understanding what was displayed, but baffled at the same time.

"You suffer from a chromosomal deletion syndrome on your twenty-third chromosome, where the gene is set on," Reed stated at the same pace Peter was reading the results.

"I don't understand though, shouldn't I look like Jason Voorhees if I'm missing a couple of genes?" he asked the world-renowned scientist. It should go without saying, that having such a syndrome should and would have grave detrimental effects but to his knowledge, he had no such disability due to this.

"Like you already don't?" Johnny joked, earning an unamused glare from both Peter and Laura.

"That's the thing Peter, you don't have any damage when it comes to normal standards, but when it comes to the development of powers, you were never supposed to get any, but that all changed when the spider bit you. As you know, it rewrote your DNA alongside changing your physiology. This includes adding the genes you were missing alongside the necessary proteins your body couldn't generate because of your syndrome," Reed said to Peter's wonder.

"That makes sense, but if I had this the whole time, why did I get these powers now and not when the spider came in and did the stuff," Peter asked Reed, knowing that these new powers really would've come in handy in the past.

"From what the data displays, combined with what Laura has told me, the X-gene activates under a variety of different circumstances, usually in puberty, sometimes randomly, sometimes…when there's great trauma or a great presence of emotions," Reed had paused, turning his attention from his datapad and onto the young boy who has experienced more than most people and as such, lost more than most as well.

"You said that you developed these powers last night…can you tell us...what transpired before you went to bed?" He hesitantly asked Peter, wishing there was another way to find out why without having to pry the teen.

"...I...I made a promise," Peter hesitantly declared to all the members of the four who only needed that brief statement to understand what he meant.

"That promise Peter, the resolve that came with it must've been a catalyst to the activation of your x-gene. Did you happen to pass out after making it?" Reed asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah," Peter responded in surprise.

"That's because your body was in the process of generating the proteins you needed to activate your X-gene, and because of the multiple powers you've now acquired, it would've taken too much energy for you to stay conscious while developing them," Reed clarified towards Peter which made sense as to why he passed out yesterday although that wasn't a prevalent thing within his mind. "On the topic of your new powers though…" Reed said, shifting his tone and topic of the conversation to a more exciting one, "Because your x-gene was activated thanks to the spider, all of your new powers complement your old ones. Your faster optical nerves – which I've taken the pleasure to dub 'accelerated vision,' allows you to process things much faster than the regular person, so it makes it seem that everything moves in slow motion, which is perfect for your spider-sense. Alongside that however, you can see clearly while moving at fast rates and see other objects moving at the same speed with just as much clarity," Reed stated matter of factually which prompted Peter to ponder what he just said.

His spider-sense was already handy as it is, its only weakness, him not being fast enough to react to it, was practically annihilated with these new eyes of his.

He was excited to learn more about his newfound powers.

Reed noticed the excitement that was in his eyes and delightfully fed it.

"Those fangs of yours also produce a non-lethal paralyzing poison that can instantly neutralize anyone who doesn't have an enhanced immune system and even then, depending on the strength of them, you can still paralyze them or slow them to give you an edge," Peter liked the sound of that. "We've already touched upon your strength so I won't go over that, but I guess the one thing you really want to know about are those stingers of yours?" Reed asked with a smirk and Peter nodded.

"Well Peter, this is only a guess but I hypothesize that those stingers of yours are your original mutant abilities – the powers you were supposed to receive hence the stark difference to the rest of your powers. With the reasoning as to why you have them out of the way, we can now get to the fun part about them: because of your bone density, your stingers can easily pierce through anything that isn't adamantium or vibranium-"

"-Or my skin," Ben added.

"Or Ben's skin, I don't know why you would ever need to do that but that is also another one of the few things you can't cut through," Reed added with minor amusement.

"Who knows, maybe Doom will pull that body-snatching thing again and rampage through Ben's body? Or the Wizard will mind control him again, or he'll-" Johnny said as he listed off all the times Ben has been mind-controlled.

"Enough Torch!" Ben interrupted, not a fan of remembering the times he didn't have autonomy over his own body.

Johnny let out a laugh at this.

"It's not funny when you're the one getting mind-controlled now is it?" Johnny asked as he was getting payback for earlier.

Ben scowled.

"When Ben gets mind-controlled again I'll just hit him really hard, ole Yancy street style," Peter said mockingly.

"You better," Ben said with a smile but then he paused as he registered Peter's words.

"Wait…'When I get mind-controlled again?'" he asked him, his brow furrowing deeper within his literal stone face.

"What?" Peter asked as he put his hand in the air, "It's going to happen again. I just hope they make you wear a ballet dress while doing it," he said, unable to contain his laughter.

"With a pretty pink tutu, it'll make you look cuter than you already do," Johnny added as he laughed with Peter.

"Why I oughta-" Ben frustratingly said as he got up from his seat to walk towards the two teens only to be stopped by Sue who was holding back her own laughs.

"Th-they're only joking Ben," She said as she tried defending the boys.

He grumbled when he placed himself back into his spot.

"...unruly children…" he mumbled to himself.

After settling down and having Reed say what he had to say Peter turned his attention to Laura who was simply standing there observing the whole interaction.

Not wanting her to be left out or feel like she didn't belong, he decided to go and ask questions he had about mutants.

"So I'm a mutant now," he said as he looked at Laura who did the same.

"Yes," she simply said.

"What does that mean?" Peter asked Laura.

"It means that you now belong to a class of people who are hated and feared by the few that know of them," she stated to his surprise.

That doesn't sound so good.

"There is a place for us, an Institute; It is run by a man named Charles Xavier," Reed perked up at that.

"Charles Xavier?" Reed asked her with a raised brow. "If I'm not mistaken he wrote a paper about the development of a special gene within humans, but if I recall, it was widely refuted," Reed recalled to the girl who – along with Peter, were living proof that the controversial paper was indeed true.

"I have been there only a week, so I don't know much, but from what I have been told, Charles Xavier has dedicated his life towards the goal of having Mutants and Humans live together in harmony while safeguarding them from evil mutants," she declared all that she knew about the man she recently met, to the group and the boy she had just associated herself with.

"Evil mutants?" Peter asked with a raised brow.

"That is what I have been told, outside of that, I know nothing," she admitted which left the group of superheroes with more questions than answers at the mention of a possible threat.

"This sounds like Transformers," Johnny inputted which caused Peter to turn to him with perplexation plastered all over his face, "What? Two sides of a secret race of people, one aiming to protect humanity while the other wants to do evil things," Johnny explained his reasoning to his friend who didn't respond which prompted him to continue.

"What? You made me watch those movies Pete," Johnny defensively added.

"Yeah and for the entire time you ogled at Megan Fox," Peter retorted, recalling the days when they watched that movie franchise.

"Can you blame me? She's hot," Johnny proclaimed passionately, forgetting that there were others in the room or just not caring.

"Johnny, you know there's a place on the innernet' fer' that type of stuff," Ben disappointedly shook his head.

"I know," Johnny stated with a playful smirk.

The younger Storm most definitely reminded Laura of Drake.

She didn't like Drake.

"So let me get this straight," Peter said, turning his attention to her.

"I'm a mutant, someone born with a gene that gives me powers?" he asked her which prompted her to nod.

"And people are going to unjustly judge me?" she nodded much to his growing dread.

"And I'm going to guess that these 'evil mutants' want to kill me?" He inquired, wondering if new powers brought on new enemies.

"I can only assume so given your alignment," she rationally answered.

"Is there anything good that comes with being a mutant outside the powers?" Peter asked her, as so far, all he's only received was a whole lot of bad news.

She thought about the current situation and the possible future ones.

"No."

He let out a sigh, leaning as far back as he possibly could on the couch he sat on, unsurprised by the pattern his mutant powers followed.

"Of course, it can't be as easy as getting new powers," he ranted to no one which amused Johnny greatly.

"What can I say? Your life is just destined to suck Pete," Peter looked at Johnny, once again unamused by his comment.

"You don't say anything," Peter replied, knowing what he was just told and not needing a reminder.

"Anything else I missed?" he asked Laura, wondering if there was anything else that would make his life harder.

"The institute."

"Ah yes, The Institute," Peter said as he leaned back on the couch once again. "I'm guessing it's full of superpowered teenagers too?" he asked in a mocking tone, expecting a far different answer than the one she would give.

she nodded.

"No way!" he said with disbelief as both he and Johnny immediately sat up.

"All this time I thought we were the only super teens," Johnny said as he looked at Peter. Them being the only teenagers in this weird world of theirs was what brought the two together, even if they didn't like it at the time. "Now you're telling us that there's a school full of superpowered teenagers like us?" Johnny asked with surprise.

She nodded.

Sue and Reed perked up at that.

"Ain't this a revolting development," Ben said with surprise.

"And you didn't invite us?" Johnny asked as he looked at Peter. "I mean, I get not inviting him, but me as well?" Johnny said as he pointed at himself.

"You two did not meet the requirements and you still don't," she stated fiercely at Johnny.

He put his hands in the air, "Who cares? I'm part of the world's greatest team, plus I'm Johnny Storm, That should be the only requirement I need," He said with pride.

They all looked at him again with a deadpan expression.

Peter and Laura bid farewell to the Fantastic Four, they all said their goodbyes and Peter told Johnny that he'd see him tomorrow.

Dark clouds overlooked the city now as it was about to rain again, although not as violent as yesterday. He was perched silently on a rooftop with Laura standing beside him, his white lenses reflecting the streets below as he was still processing all of this.

She looked at him, noting that he was unusually silent for once.

"So I'm a mutant," he asked her once again while he pondered his thoughts.

"Yes," she simply responded.

"I don't feel like a mutant," Peter noted, turning to her.

"What's that supposed to mean?" How does one feel like a mutant?

"I don't feel any different, Outside my new powers it's practically the same thing with a different name. The situation isn't different either as people are still going to hate me. It's like doing those DNA tests and finding out your family's history. You think it's going to be a big deal, but it's nothing more than a fun fact," Peter explained his view to the girl who was beginning to understand it.

"Who said things have to be different?" Laura replied, casting a new light on his perspective.

"You…you actually have a good point," Peter thought as he dwelled upon her words.

Just because he was a mutant doesn't mean things have to be different. He's still Peter Parker, still Spider-Man, that's all that really matters.

He got up from his perched position and stood up tall.

"I take it that we'll go hunting for that 'thing' now," Laura said, watching him gaze out into the gray horizon. "Yeah, let's hope that's going to be the only thing we'll have to deal with today. I don't want more bank robberies that'll distract us from a rampaging Dino," Peter said, not wanting his attention split and more people to get hurt.

"You left me to handle that," Laura fiercely snapped, none too pleased being left behind as he and Storm dealt with crime.

Understanding her frustration, he nervously scratched the back of his head as he apologized, "Yeah…Sorry about that, force of habit. I'm not really used to team-ups like these," Most of the time, team-ups ended when the bad guy retreated, but then again, most of the time, the people he was teaming up with didn't immediately find out who he was, nor did he trust them as much as he trusted her.

"Do not do that again. I am here to help, not be left behind waiting," she passionately declined, looking into his white lenses with firm resolve.

"Well then, let's get started, shall we? You got a mask on you?" Peter eagerly asked, smiling underneath his mask at her drive.

"No," she bitterly admitted. Logan had thwarted her attempts.

Peter sighed, "Well… you're lucky it's dark," he said to her, looking at the cloudy atmosphere which grew darker by the second.

It would provide some cover at least.

"You got a uniform at least?"

She nodded and proceeded to take off her pink sweater which caught Peter off guard.

"What are you-"

"-This is what I will wear," she said to him, unveiling her chosen attire which consisted of a black sports bra, and long blank arm warmers. Her onyx attire which contrasted against her skin was a good outfit but…

He thought his uniform showed off his body.

She couldn't see it, but he was really pink underneath his mask, and finding himself relieved that he thought ahead to cover his eyes.

He has spent too much time with Johnny.

Yea, he'd pin these thoughts on him and not on the fact that she was extremely attractive.

"Is there a problem?" she asked him, wondering why he was just looking at her.

"N-no... It's just…just…where are you going to put that?" he asked, pointing at the shoulderless sweater which was now in her grasp.

"In your bag. Where else would I put it?" She told him, putting her gaze onto the blue backpack that was planted beside his feet.

"G-good point," Peter said, quickly grabbing his back and opening it up as he berated himself for not thinking about using his bag as storage for her stuff.

"You have your phone on you?" he asked her, telling her that it was best to put the device in his bag as well to avoid damaging it while they went out and did activities they both looked forward doing.

"Alright, so you know the rules?" Peter asked her after webbing his bag on the wall closest to them.

"Always call you Spider-Man," Laura reiterated the one rule she had been told by the superhero she was going to be spending the night with.

"You remembered the hyphen! Good, now for rule two of this superhero gig," Peter said which prompted her to listen keenly, hoping that it wasn't another stupid rule. "At the sound of sirens, cries for help, or just anything that could possibly endanger people, we drop everything we're doing to go and help, Capeesh?" he said with underlying conviction in his jovial voice.

She nodded, internalizing what he said.

That was a good rule.

"We're gonna go back to where we initially found that 'thing' and see if you can track where it came from. If we're lucky, it'll lead us to some mad scientist or one-note villain," Peter shrugged, expecting it to be the usual schtick.

receiving another silent nod from her, Peter smiled.

"Alright Claw-Girl!" he said with a laugh as he walked to the edge of the building, "Try and keep up!" he cockily challenged her, letting the primordial force of gravity pull his body off the rooftop.

Laura tilted her head.

"Claw-Girl?" she thought as she followed him off the rooftop.

Chapter 7: The First Night

Peter smiled at the feeling of the smooth wind on his face. He ran on the cluttered New York rooftops he could traverse with his eyes closed. He did flips and tricks over small objects, parkouring with his spider-like flair, just like he used to – just like he does now.

He leaped between the gaps of buildings with the thought of leaving Laura behind crossing his mind much later than it should have.

Did he leave her behind?

He looked behind him only to be left surprised at the sight of the girl who was in toe with him despite his head start.

This impressed Peter greatly.

"You're fast," he pointed out with amazement at her speed.

"I'm faster," she confidently stated which caused him to grin.

"Really? Let's test that," Peter had upped his speed, immediately finding himself multiple buildings away in a matter of seconds. Lading on a building a couple blocks away, Peter expected Laura to be a lengthy distance behind him but left surprised once again, the girl was still next to him, even in the same crouched position he was after landing on their new building.

"If this is a test, you should know I have done harder obstacles with ease when I was merely a child," Laura hadn't even broken a sweat from the upping of the pace they went at.

She was unimpressed.

Fortunately, Peter was far from going his fastest.

"Well, lucky for you, we're just getting started," Peter said with a grin, starting and taking their rooftop race to new speeds. While it was childish, she would entertain him for the sole fact that if she didn't, she would be left behind again.

She would admit that it did take effort to keep up with him.

They ran for minutes without either of them tiring or showing signs of exhaustion. Laura ran with no style or added flair – unlike Peter, choosing to conserve her energy by not doing extravagant and pointless tricks.

Though she did partake in their race more than she herself knew, pushing herself to overtake him instead of simply choosing to remain in toe. The thought of losing to him was what pushed her to go faster and while she wouldn't say it, she was impressed with Peter's speed.

"You might be fast, but how long can ya last!" he yelled in the air above her, overtaking her with a simple bound that carried him over multiple buildings.

"Twenty-four hours at maximum efficiency before tiring," she matter-of-factly stated, overtaking him the moment he landed.

"What are your powers again?" Peter asked, catching up with her and choosing to remain in toe – an act she did as well.

"Enhanced speed, senses, agility, reflexes, stamina, immune system, a regenerative healing factor, and my claws," she listed off her abilities which a good portion she oddly shared with him.

"I heard nothing about enhanced aggression and soul-piercing glares?" he joked with a laugh that carried no scorn but genuine amusement.

"I heard nothing about your brain damage earlier," She retorted flatly, which caused him to chuckle.

"You cracked a funny," he declared with amazement.

"I wasn't joking," Laura flatly stated which caused him to genuinely laugh due to her delivery.

The corner of her lips slightly curled.

"You can be real mean, you know that Claw-Girl?" he said in a mock hurt tone.

She scowled at that, "Do not call me 'Claw-Girl,'" Laura aggressively demanded.

"What else am I gonna call you? 'Snikety-Snikt?" Peter asked her as that name rolled off the tongue automatically.

He paused for a moment and widened his eyes behind his lenses.

"Oooh! That's a good one," Peter said with overwhelming joy which contrasted with the expression that appeared on his partner's face.

"Do not call me that! Ever!" Laura instantly snapped, displaying her great displeasure at the name given to her.

"Alright, alright, sheesh…how about…'Claw…Woman?'" Peter recommended in an actual attempt to create a name that wouldn't be bad.

It was a shame it was.

"No," Laura would not be called that either. "Do you just use the simplest of nouns when it comes to naming things?" she said as she noticed a trend: Spider-Man, Spider-Signal, Web-Shooter, Claw-Girl.

He stared at her for a good second before simply saying, "Yes."

"That is lazy."

"Hey, I'd like to see you come up with a name," Peter argued, not liking the criticism he was getting.

Spider-Man was a fantastic name, not a lazy one.

The girl took him up on his challenge.

"...Claw…" Laura voiced the name she would give herself though it was a failed attempt which Peter made sure to rub in.

"Oh. 'Claw,' that's…that's really creative and original and it doesn't use the simplest of nouns either," Peter mockingly said much to her dismay. "Thankfully you can't use it though because there's someone else with poor taste in names," he added which piqued her interest.

"Someone else's name is 'Claw?'" she asked as she was curious as to who would name themselves that.

"Yeah, he's this one note supervillain who has a supersonic megaphone as a hand but he spells it with a 'k' for some reason," Peter said, recalling the so-called "Master of Sound."

She let out an annoyed sigh and tried again.

"Fang."

"You don't even have fangs," Peter commented, pushing her volatile and easily raised annoyance further.

"And you're not even a man yet your name is 'Spider-Man,'" she irritably retorted, turning her gaze away from him.

"That… hurt…" Peter pouted.

"I do not need a stupid name, just call me 'X-23,'" she angrily requested, giving up on her futile attempts to come up with a 'superhero name.'

"No," Peter simply replied, however, not accepting her request and causing her gaze to fall on him once again.

She looked at him and narrowed her eyes at his response.

"Why?" Why wouldn't he call her 'X-23?'

"We're heroes, not different variants of fridges. You think people are gonna look up at the sky and say 'Hey look, it's X-23!' No – That's dumb. You gotta have a name that inspires hope, that brings safety and smiles when people hear it and it's gotta ring a couple bells too. More importantly though, it's gotta be something you want, and be honest here, do you really want to be called 'X-23?" Peter asked her with passion, not too fond of the name 'X-23.'

And with her bittered delivery every time she said that 'name,' he knew Laura wasn't fond of it either.

Laura paused her speech for a moment and thought about it, her gaze on the ground as she trailed behind the boy….

"No," she declared with emotion in her infliction which was rare when it came to her.

But she could not remain stoic for 'X-23' was a name she did not want to be called.

That was the name of a weapon.

"Then I'm not gonna call you 'X-23.' I'll stick with 'Claw-Girl' until you find a name for yourself, alright?" he warmly told with such sincerity that she was found gazing at the masked boy for a prolonged period of time.

"...Alright," She said softly as she looked forward, smiling inwardly.

This was nice.

However…

"Do not call me 'Snikety-Snikt," she added fiercely, not wanting him to refer to her with that dreaded name.

"Alright…. " Peter too eagerly agreed, though, that was for a reason…

"...Snikety-Snikt," he added with a laugh before speeding up to avoid the repercussions that he would face. Laura let out an audible growl, convincing him that he had made the right move but just as he was far enough, right when no one was around…

The girl let out a faint smile before catching up with him.

They made it to the location of their first encounter smoothly – without any interruption.

They backtracked their steps from the street they battled on and onto the rooftops which the girl had deciphered to be the ones the monster they battled traveled on before their encounter.

Using her enhanced senses – her enhanced nose, Laura sniffed the air, looking for the creature's scent as Peter searched his mind.

They had arrived here uninterrupted.

Something was off.

Crime was supposed to be at an all-time high and yet he's only stopped two today, That was less than a good day which averaged seven. Either the Kingpin was taking a holiday or he saw today's broadcast.

Whatever the case was, it would make today's task simpler than it already was.

"What is it, Scoob?" Peter asked, noticing how Laura had locked onto the creature's scent like a bloodhound, but more appealing – more alluring.

"The scent seems to have come from that direction," Laura pointed in the direction the scent came from.

"You know with that nose of yours you remind me of one of my friends. He goes by the name 'Daredevil,' he can also track things with his nose," Peter said, drawing a comparison between the two who not just had enhanced senses, but also left him to do most of the talking.

"Mine is better," she confidently declared, which Peter backed up.

"You don't have to tell me that. Ole' DD can only track fresh scents. The fact that you can track it when it's a day old is amazing," he said, repeatedly finding himself wowed by Laura's capabilities.

"I can clearly track scents that are utmost a week old," She factually informed him which blew him away.

"Can I give you a call when I'm fighting The Chameleon?" Peter jokingly asked the girl.

"The Chameleon?" She raised a brow, unfamiliar with the name.

"Yeah, he's a supervillain I've had the pain of facing," Peter grumbled, recalling the countless sour memories he had of the villain who left him feeling stupid.

"He sounds stupid," Laura commented with the utmost belief.

"He is stupid. He has no powers. His whole gimmick is that he carries around a whole bunch of face masks that resemble real people and impersonates them. It's the absolute worst 'cause when he runs away he'll put on a different mask and blend in with a crowd and it's just a big pain – plus, he's just a weirdo," Peter commented with great displeasure.

"Should he be such a bother, then yes," Laura answered, taking his joke seriously and offering her service wholeheartedly which took him off guard.

"Wait-no, I was-I was joking," Peter tried to clarify to her but it was fruitless.

"I was not," Laura affirmed, informing the boy that she would aid him should he call upon her.

Her brief answer left Peter happy, not just uplifted but…warm…

He liked being with Laura.

"Now come, we have a Lizard to hunt," Laura brought them back to the task at hand, though what she had said left Peter focused on something else…

"Lizard…" he said out loud. "...The Lizard!" he abruptly exclaimed, causing her to look at him questioningly, "That's what we'll call it! You know, You're not bad at this."

She gave him a deadpan look.

"We are not calling it 'The Lizard.'"

They started calling it 'The Lizard.'

The two teens ran at a modest pace as Laura took point – guiding the both of them to the place which they hoped to be The Lizard's origins. The giant reptile's vile stench was easy to follow, however, what interested her was the constant that no matter how many turns they made, or how far they went, it was intertwined with two other scents.

Scents which belonged to the woman and the child Peter had saved yesterday.

It was following them before the events of last night.

She looked at him as he continued to run on the rooftops, prompting him to return her gaze.

"What is it?" Peter asked, noticing that she wanted to say something.

"The woman and the child you saved yesterday, The Lizard was after them," She firmly briefed the boy who began searching his mind to recall the signs that backed her statement.

"...Their car was singled out from the accident last night…" Peter recalled how the vehicle the family occupied was singled out from the rest, "And I'm so glad that you're calling it 'The Lizard.'"

"Did they mention anything? And I am only calling it that lazy name because we have no other term for it," Peter chuckled before seriousness returned to his being.

"The lady mentioned something about her husband but…" Peter said off the top of his head, vividly remembering the woman pleading about her husband but he interrupted her before she could say anymore.

"There was no one there yesterday that had their scents on them," Laura recalled the various scents that were there yesterday. If her husband was indeed on the scene then there should've been a scent that had traces of the two in it.

But there wasn't.

"That's odd," Peter thought.

There should've been someone who had the woman's scent on them, she said her husband was there….

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait…

"No one but The Lizards," Peter exclaimed as his brain started to connect the dots which Laura hadn't yet.

"What are you implying?" She asked upon noticing that the boy had stumbled upon information she hadn't yet.

"Their car was singled out. The Lizard was only interested in the two, and all the woman said was 'my husband!' while looking at The Lizard," Peter informed Laura who was beginning to follow his thought process.

"The husband is The Lizard," Laura came to the same conclusion Peter had but it was still strange to her. That mutated creature was once a person? It would certainly explain why it targeted the two but the thought was preposterous in her mind.

"It's either that or we stumbled upon a new breed of reptile or shapeshifting aliens, and I'm willing to place my bet on the first one," Peter rationalized.

"But how? And why?" Laura questioned the blanks in their shared hypothesis.

"I don't know, maybe he was bitten by a genetically engineered Lizard?" Peter quipped with a tiny chuckle, though his joke had adverse effects on the girl whose brain had noticed that both the boy and The Lizard had similar powers, though the overgrown alligator took that to new extents…

"Maybe…" Laura responded in a low tone. She looked at Peter who ran beside her, Spider-Man was someone who dealt with everything – whose absence allowed for the arrival of a massive crime wave. He was powerful, their tests proved that, excelling in every category short of energy projection, like her – like The Lizard. The Lizard had shown to have almost all of his powers save for his spider-sense but what it lacked in a precognition-multi-purpose-sense it had redeemed itself with almost instantaneous regeneration.

"We need to hurry, it's already dark and it could be on the move," Laura urged, noticing that the clouds had gotten significantly darker, and rain already started to drizzle.

"Grab on, I'll swing, you'll be my GPS," Peter sped up past her, reaching the edge of the building first and jumping off the building, Laura did the same, wrapping her arms around his neck as gravity pulled them down. This was still new to her, the wind, the speed, the height – the amount her life was placed into the boy's hands, but with each swing, with each word he spoke, she grew more and more comfortable.

She did notice he was going slow for her, however.

"Do not go slow for me," she demanded, tightening her hold on him by wrapping her legs around his body.

"You sure?" Peter asked, but he received a nod.

"I am sure," she reaffirmed her request.

"Well then hold on tight! David Icke, We're coming for you!" he said out loud causing Laura to look at him with confusion. "What? Ever heard of the Lizard People Conspiracy," he asked her as he started to swing down the streets of New York at a much faster pace.

"I do not concern myself with ludicrous works of fiction," she was unfamiliar with the 'lizard people conspiracy,' but it already sounded stupid.

"Ludicrous? You belong to a secret race of super-powered people and are currently soaring through the skies with a teenage boy dressed in red and blue spandex with spider-powers on a mission to find a possibly mutated husband and you think the possibility that dragon-like, green-skinned aliens that can shapeshift, who could very well be living among us, is ludicrous?" he asked the girl with an abnormal amount of passion which she didn't reciprocate.

"Yes," she flatly responded.

"I'll remember that when the world is going to be invaded by shape-shifting aliens, and when that happens, I will give you a fat 'I told you so,'" he promised the girl who rolled her eyes.

"Don't forget your tinfoil hat when doing so," she retorted with her flat voice which caused him to genuinely laugh, and though it lightened her mood, she would make sure that they kept on track and remained as serious as they possibly could be.

"Now go faster," she staunchly demanded.

They followed the stench at swift speeds she knew could go faster but didn't for her sake. She did not protest at this speed though – it allowed her to adjust on her own without forcefully having to which was peaceful. The pendulum motion, the speed, the wind, the proximity she had with the boy who she trusted to be her means of transportation was still new to her – foreign to her, but with each passing second she spent in the air, and every irritable question the boy gave her which inquired if they were close or not, Laura grew comfortable.

Her stoic face had increasingly become a relaxed one, but as the stench grew, as they reached the house that reeked of it, her face hardened, as did her voice while her mind and body prepared itself for conflict.

"That's the house," Laura pointed at a townhouse which from afar was pristine but upon closer inspection, upon noticing the scuffle marks and shattered glass and detecting the various scents which carried blood, the clean visage was shattered.

Peter ceased his swing, slowing himself and letting go at the lowest point, stepping foot on the ground once more as Laura dismounted him, observing every aspect of the home and the contents inside it. The multiple scents it radiated informed her that the mother and child from yesterday were inside, while there were another three which carried the scent of blood which she hadn't recognized, The Lizards scent which told her it was not here, and another which vaguely carried it but smelt like a human.

Peter's assumptions were quickly proving to be correct.

He took point this time, asking if anyone was home like he was selling cookies as if he was a boy scout but as she expected, he got no response. So they did it her way, and they broke in through a window. The home looked like it had been a victim of a hurricane, its furniture and decorations wildly thrown all over the place – destroyed.

It was eerily quiet, the absence of life but the clear presence of it according to Laura putting the both of them on guard. The overwhelming stench of the house they were in prevented her from pinpointing who was in the home and where…

Their footsteps unavoidably creaked the damaged wooden floor they walked on, alerting all who laid dormant in the house that there were unwelcome intruders.

In an instant, the moment they turned a corner which Peter blindly didn't check, Laura caught a glimpse of a woman, and then a flash, and then before she knew it, she was on the ground, tackled by the boy who was given a heads up by his sixth sense.

She gazed at him instantaneously, analyzing him if he was hurt which he wasn't due to her relief. That relief turned to easily flared-up anger. She growled, the seething of her claws following the animalistic rage as she stared down the blonde-haired woman with the smoking gun.

She was shaking, her hand trembling, her heart rate increasing by the second when she caught the terrifying glimpse of the girl dressed in obsidian sportswear.

"You're out of bullets," Laura nearly snarled, her glare making the woman shrink within her own skin and back away as Laura entered the room she was in.

All of that ceased though when her eyes widened at the contrasting boy who adorned colors of red and blue.

"But you're in luck," Peter said lightheartedly, chiming in and peering his head through the door as soon as Laura uttered her menacing statement.

"Oh my god…" The woman was left speechless, lowering her emptied weapon to the ground and her jaw as she gawked at the hero who had saved both her and her child yesterday, "It-it really was you…"

"Well of course, who else did you think I was?" Peter rhetorically asked with his friendly voice, stepping beside Laura who was very clearly displeased by being shot at.

"I see you've met my trusty sidekick," he snickered, walking past Laura who hardened her gaze upon hearing that word.

She was an expert at everything, martial arts, stealth, assassination, and battle tactics to name a few.

She would not be reduced to the role of sidekick.

There was a moment of silence in the room the three occupied, a silence which informed the woman who wanted to say so much that they knew or at least had some idea as to what happened.

"I think you can figure out why we're here," Peter said to her, sharing the same thought process she had, "...That 'thing' was your husband wasn't it?" he hesitantly and gently asked the woman.

She slowly nodded

"He-they…" she tried to tell them but couldn't muster the words, The overwhelming memories and emotions that brought her into turmoil yesterday, which kept her in turmoil today, taking hold of her once more but the teenage hero's soothing voice took her out before she was overwhelmed.

"Hey…it's alright, Why don't we sit down somewhere, and then you can tell us," he encouraged the woman who brought them to the only place in the house that didn't appear ransacked. The woman sat in the living room now as the teenage duo stood, Peter patiently and Laura with patience that was thinning, waiting for the woman to give them the information they so desperately needed.

She started her informative speech slowly, searching her mind and speaking her words carefully to not break down and voice out a jumbled-out, incoherent mess. Her husband is a man named 'Curt Connors.' While he was in the army, he lost his dominant arm years ago which hindered his life in ways only those who live with a missing limb could possibly understand.

"It was the reason why he went back to school…he wanted to make it his life's work – his purpose to not only get it back but to give others their lost limbs too," The woman continued, telling them that he studied lizards, admiring and wanting to give human abilities their regenerative capabilities and succeeded in the initial trials, "But after…after the accident, the…the university had deemed human testing to be too dangerous and effectively shut the project down," The woman struggled against the emotions which refused to be held back as she continued her story.

The Doctor had rectified his initial formula – made it do more, presented it to the University he worked at but they fired him for even pursuing it, but someone else had come to give him the resources he needed…

The woman looked away with great fear upon even mentioning the man who had come to give Curt his second chance which intrigued the two greatly.

"Who was it?" Peter asked with concern.

"He didn't give us a name… all he said was that he was interested in Curts's work and that he would support it…" she fearfully said, her voice shaking – breaking, in utter fear at the man who came into their lives with a warm smile however her words – her lies, did not please Laura.

She did not like getting shot at.

She did not like liars.

Nor did she have time for them.

"Name!" Laura roared, not giving the woman any more time to spew her lies which simmered her blood. Her blunt and aggressive approach caused the woman to whimper and shriek – something Peter was not too fond of.

"Hey, be gentle alright," he snapped, pointing past Laura and taking her gaze to the tiny boy who was peeping his head into the room.

Her gaze frightened him, causing the boy to yelp and retreat back to where he came from.

"We're here to help, not scare them," Peter gently lectured the slender girl who slowly recognized her mistake, her black strands obscuring the anger that crossed her face.

Anger which was placed onto herself…

"I never met him, it was only Curt who did but…but I've heard his people call him 'The Kingpin' once," The woman said in a low and fearful tone which made Peter's blood run cold and instantly whip his head, the woman's way in utter disbelief, "He gave Curt the money, the resources – everything he needed under one condition…" Peter didn't like where this was going.

Doctor Connors didn't know his employer was a crime lord, using the front he put up to all to bring the man to work for him – and accomplish his dreams under the condition that the serum would do more than bestow gifts of regeneration but enhance the human physique, to give power to those who are helpless. He pitched it as if he wanted to aid not just those who were missing limbs but who had broken bodies which would be given strength, but after more encounters with his employer – more cracks in the front he put up which the naive and optimistic Doctor witnessed, he slowly came to the realization of the grave mistake he made.

He had just dealt a deal with the devil, and when that came to light, his employer unveiled his horns and tail in a show of unfeeling force which subjugated The Doctor to fulfill his project which his employer…

"Wanted to weaponize," Laura finished the woman's story with her bittered voice.

The woman nodded in confirmation.

"Why didn't you just run?" Peter obliviously asked.

"Run? You can't run from the Kingpin, his criminal organization covers the entire country. The only thing Curt could've done was fight. When the next visit of The Kingpin's men happened yesterday, Curt made sure that we made it out safely before…before…he injected the serum into himself…" The woman said with so much pain – so much anguish in her voice, on her face, that Peter's heart ached more than it already did upon realizing that the Kingpin was at fault for the trauma this family had faced.

That he was the fault as to why this was all happening.

"We were driving for god knows how long. After a while, we stopped, and I tried calling him but nothing happened…I got worried, so despite his pleas for us to never come back, I did. That was when I saw him….I-I immediately drove off but he chased after us. The crash happened shortly after…and I'm pretty sure you know the rest…both you and her saved us," The woman finished, the tears she was holding back welling in her eyes as she graciously thanked the two who she shot at it.

It only lasted a second though.

"Is he still…" She weakly asked, hope, love, reluctance, and hesitation all in her voice which pained Peter to his core, knowing that the answer she wanted was not the one he could give.

"He is," Peter said softly which caused her to cry.

"Hey, hey, hey ...We'll fix this okay," he tried to console her, however, she angrily spat and bitterly spat, "How? You're just a kid!" she roared through tears of despair but Peter Parker grinned.

"A kid with spider-powers who just so happens to be really good at science," He said with an uplifting confidant tone which caused the woman to freeze, getting what he was implying

Hope returned to her eyes.

"You-You think you can create a cure? He-he has a lab upstairs," she asked with hope in her voice.

"If you still have his notes, then maybe," Peter reassured her, seeing the formula and how it affected his body was the first in learning how to reverse what happened, and eagerly hearing what he said, the woman guided the two to the Doctors personal lab – courtesy of The Kingpin.

Laura watched how he interacted with the woman, how he uplifted her and gave her hope.

Maybe she wasn't much of the expert she thought she was.

The woman brought them to Curt's lab where Peter looked at his notes with fascination, "This...this is amazing…" he said as he ogled at them, "He made it so that reversing it could be possible," Peter observed the notes, completely understanding the intentional way it rewrote the man's body.

"Can…can you make a cure?" she hopefully asked the teen who turned to her with excitement and confidence.

"Can I?" he rhetorically asked with excitement as he looked at the notes, "I'm pretty sure I can," Peter stated, looking at the tools of his disposal which caused the woman to almost collapse before running to her son to tell him the overlaying news.

Leaving the two alone.

Laura simply walked towards him, noticing how the confidence he put up fell when the woman left.

"Can you really make a cure?" she asked him as the skills required to do such a thing, with the equipment before them, was next to impossible for even the smartest of people.

"Yeah, but it'll take time…" Peter said as he started to set up the professional-grade lab equipment.

"How much time?"

"Two hours – possibly three," he said, brewing up the concoction he would make inside his head.

"We won't have that long," she looked out at the abyss which hovered above them. Lizards preferred the dark. It would only be a matter of time until it came looking for its family again – if it wasn't already.

"What are you getting at?" Peter narrowed his eyes, his voice displaying his displeasure at her train of thought.

"We might have to kill it," she flatly stated, which caused Peter to drop everything he was doing and passionately snap at her.

"No," he firmly said to her, "We don't kill people. We save them," he adamantly declared with powerful emotions – with conviction.

"Not everyone can be saved. You heard what she said – He's a monster," she declared, recalling his bestial actions.

"No, he's not. He's still a person and he's still in there Laura. If he wasn't, I doubt he'd be chasing after his family. He just needs a hand," Peter rationalized, staunchly declining her statement.

"If he is, he'd want us to kill him before he harms his family or anyone else," she stated with even more drive in her voice, not liking his naïve thinking.

"Then we don't let him harm his family or anyone else," Peter replied, not backing down from the girl who was getting in his face.

"It is not that simple!" She yelled, "You don't know what it's like…being a monster…" Laura trailed off, her gaze falling to the side as sadness quickly replaced the anger in her voice. Peter paused, taking a breath and vividly replaying what she told him in his mind.

"I know what it's like to lose someone important…" he confessed to her with the same sorrow that was found on her face, grabbing her doubtful and anxious gaze.

"Do you?" Peter asked her softly, genuine emotion seeping his every word, his tone pleading her to see things his way.

She paused for a moment, wondering if she should even acknowledge the question, but then she thought about it…

And then she lowered her gaze, not wanting to see the reaction he might have to her answer.

"I…I do…" she crossed her arms – holding herself.

Peter gazed at her, before turning away from her and saying, "You know…I was responsible for losing the ones I care about…" he confessed to the girl who looked at him with wide emerald eyes behind her loose strands of black hair.

"I...I was too…" she admitted, sharing a gaze that exposed the pain both she and him felt.

"...I don't think I have to explain to you how much it hurts then," Laura nodded.

He didn't need to explain that pain.

She felt it every single day.

The cold numbness which was left in the absence and departure of those who warmed it…the want to be with them and the heart-wrenching realization that she never would…

Peter Parker felt that pain too.

"Laura…would you…as someone who has suffered the loss of losing someone you care about, willingly inflict that pain onto someone else?" he asked her with the utmost emotion in his voice which reached the girl's well-guarded core effortlessly.

"...N-No…" she said as she shook her head, giving her answer in a gentle voice as she recalled her own pain.

She did not want to give anyone what she carried.

If anything…she wanted to prevent that pain from ever existing.

Peter let out a small smile at this.

He knew she'd say that.

"Doc Connors may be a monster, and he may have already killed people, and he may be too far gone, but he's still that boy's father. Still that woman's husband. Still a person, meaning he's still worth saving," Peter said with soft conviction which the girl internalized, her stance on the Doctor quickly shifting.

"How...How sure are you that you can cure him?" she asked with uncertainty.

"I can create a serum that can reverse the mutation in his cells, reversing the transformation," he told her with hope.

"And what about the mental faculties?" Those were just as important as the physical body and surely transforming oneself into an out-of-control reptile would affect the mind just as much as the body.

Peter didn't say anything at first.

"I…I don't know…but Laura, if there was even the slightest chance that you could have prevented the person you lost, would you have taken it?" Peter answered her question with one of his own, not shying away from the fact that he didn't know what would happen to the doctor outside the physical transformation.

"Yes," Laura declared in a heartbeat.

They both turned their attention to the child who suddenly ran in the room, "Can you really save dad Spider-Man?" the boy asked with hope in his eyes as he looked at the hero.

"I can and I will," Peter displayed his faux confidence once more.

He has to.

The boy smiled widely at this.

Laura looked at the boy who longed for his father's return, and she saw a girl who longed for her mother.

She was suggesting that they should kill his father.

She suggested inflicting the same pain that was done to her…

Maybe Logan was right…maybe the only thing she does know how to do is to kill…

She looked at Peter who started mixing chemicals together as the boy eagerly watched. The amount of time they had to create a cure was completely unknown, but she knew that they had little time. Anything short of a genius wouldn't cut it, but Peter had an IQ of two hundred and fifty…if anyone could do it…he could.

Even if he were to revert the transformation there were too many things that could go wrong, Yes, Connor's wouldn't be The Lizard anymore but what of the damage that it could have possibly caused to his mind? There were too many questions, too many unknowns, and judging from his response, Peter knew these things as well, but he was still creating a cure because he hoped that everything would turn out fine.

She had killed her mother.

She had caused enough pain in one life.

And while she may find it hard, she would believe in the hope Peter held in both herself and in Connors.

"And I will help."

She moved next to Peter, scanning the doctor's notes with her green eyes which surprised both Peter and the boy.

The boy's smile grew larger.

"You said that you could create a serum that could reverse the transformation. To do that, you need the original serum first," Laura stated to Peter who was stunned at her actions. While not as well versed as Parker was in science, she was no idiot.

She could still be classified as an expert.

Peter was still flabbergasted.

"I will work on that, while you work on the necessary compounds to create the cleanser," she set herself up to do just as she had said.

"Y-Yeah…Alright, I'll get on that," Peter excitedly agreed with her plan, completely motivated by Laura's assistance which warmed and honored him, "I didn't know you knew science," Peter said with astonishment.

"I know enough," she simply said.

"Wow…Spider-Man, your sidekick's awesome," the boy said much to her annoyance.

She was not his sidekick.

Peter let out a small laugh.

"She's not my sidekick," Peter said, which caused her to move her gaze onto him, eagerly anticipating what she was to him along with the boy.

"She's my partner," he declared with a smile.

"Partner," Laura ought.

She liked that.

"And she is pretty awesome. I'm glad I have her with me," Peter said sincerely as he gave her a small glance which she reciprocated. She would have never imagined herself to be complimented in such a childish way, nor did she ever imagine being touched so severely by such a compliment.

She was glad to have Peter with her too.

It took them an hour to create the cleanser with her aid. The way Peter went about things was simply ingenious as his approach saved them countless hours though, his genius was only a second trait which greatly increased her favor of him, the first being the way he treated the bow whose name is "Billy."

He had noticed how the young boy had a yearning gaze to help them and so Peter had offered him a chance too despite the boy's lack of knowledge in science. For the entirety that he allowed him to help, he explained every little thing in minute detail, but in a simplified way that the child could understand.

It was sweet.

It had strengthened her already positive opinion of him greatly.

The three of them stood in front of three vials full of the same compound. Connors had an excess amount of equipment and material which allowed them to create multiple serums – which was her idea, as a precaution should anything go awry. All that was left to do now was to drop a tiny pellet that was currently inside each of their hands inside a respective vial, and if it turned green, then they succeeded in creating a cure.

Peter counted to 'three' and at the same time, they all dropped the pellets into a respective vial.

They watched with anticipation as the pellets instantly dissolved…

…turning the compounds green.

"We did it!" he exclaimed to Billy who got off his stool to hug the leg of Peter.

They did it.

He let out a nervous chuckle, gazing at Laura who looked on at the sight before her gently – fondly.

He was so glad he had her with him.

When Billy pulled out from hugging him, Peter simply bent down and raised his hand up to the boy, "Give me a science five," he gently said to Billy who immediately high-fived him. He turned to Laura who still retained the softer expression and did the same gesture, reiterating the words "Science five?"

He watched with amusement as her expression instantly changed into that of a flat glare.

She would tolerate his childish antics, not take part in them.

"Science five?" Billy said as he looked at her with a smile.

She looked at it for many seconds before slowly bending down to the boy's level and reciprocating both the childish gesture which was allowed due to the boy's age, and the smile he gave her with a faint one of her own.

"Oh come on!" Peter exclaimed with disbelief causing the boy to let out an innocent laugh.

Laura could feel her heart be uplifted at the display of unbridled optimism and awe the boy had for the two who would save his father.

This was what being a hero felt like…

…to have people look up to you, not in fear, but with joy.

She liked this.

Her nose caught a whiff of a familiar scent and she immediately put the boy behind her guarding him and releasing her claws which grabbed Peter's attention.

"It's here," she stated, and Peter nodded, sealing the compound with a cork before putting it inside his utility belt underneath his costume.

The mother "Martha," immediately escorted her son to the safest place in the house as the two teen heroes rushed to face the monstrous doctor and cure him – returning him to humanity and his family.

"Where's Lizzy?" he asked her as they bolted out the door.

"Two blocks west, closing in on us from the rooftops," she said, pinpointing the rampantly increasing pace the mutated doctor approached them at.

"Let's meet him head-on shall we?'' Peter said as he immediately jumped in the air and started to swing towards the creature.

He saw its monstrous green figure running on the rooftops on all fours but it ceased as the boy's familiar and hostile accent entered its two nostrils. It detected him, but fortunately for Peter, it couldn't locate Peter before he crashed into it with a powerful swing which sent the creature forcefully crashing into the streets below as Peter landed next to Laura who just arrived.

"Aye Rango!" Peter pointed at the creature who was slowly getting up, "Remember us?" Peter said as he watched The Lizard slowly get up on its two powerful legs but he was left speechless and Laura surprised at its visage.

"...Oh my God…"

It was eight feet tall now, prehistoric spikes decorating its tail which went up his spine and ended at the top of his head. Its talons which could maul vehicles and tear people to shreds were much longer now, with the jaw Peter blew off the previous day being fully reconstructed, the lower teeth now being too large to be housed inside its mouth.

"...zilla…" Peter finished as he was left speechless...

For about two seconds.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who got upgrades," Peter madly declared, clenching his fists and getting into his fight pose.

She did the same, this would not be as easy as she suspected.

While manufacturing the cure Peter came up with a 'plan.' That 'plan' was to find a way to dump the vial down the Lizard's mouth, which wasn't really a plan until she recommended that they cause an efficient amount of pain that would cause The Lizard to slow down and give them a brief moment to dump the cure down its throat without interruption, for if they missed even a drop of it, there could be vast and irreversible consequences.

They must also cure him with all appendages intact or else the limbs might not grow back.

The sound of its animalistic roar was the bell that initiated the fight.

The Lizard ran at them on all fours, leaving a trail of cracks in the street that couldn't handle its power.

Laura was going to play defensive until she could create a complete threat assessment on The Lizard's new form. It would stand to reason that there could be possible enhancements that she wanted to know about before making her move.

Peter had a different idea.

He recklessly went to immediately challenge The Lizard without knowing what it could do now.

He ran towards The Lizard and swiftly dodged its telegraphed punch and moved in closer to get a hit in but the Lizard dodged that as well. It went to strike him with its other hand but Peter dodged that, it didn't relent though, as it spun around and whipped its tail at him at lightning speeds.

Lightning speeds weren't new to him though and he dodged the attack but like the previous ones before it, The Lizard was too fast and spun around once again, thrusting its head towards him in an attempt to bite him. He managed to back away before swiftly webbing up its jaw and going between its legs, forcing it to land on its back.

Finally given a chance to attack, Peter took it and aimed to slam into the Lizard's body, but as he jumped in order to do this it quickly got up and grabbed him by the neck before jumping high into the air. It held on to his neck as tightly as it could and let out a hateful roar before viciously slamming his body down into the street below, using its momentum, its strength, and body weight to completely shatter the street and sink Spider-Man into a deep creator.

"Not a good start," Peter thought as he felt his body create a distinct imprint in the road.

The Lizard roared in his face once more where he couldn't help but tell a joke upon smelling its breath, "Can you say halitosis?"

It punched him in the face, cracking his right lens.

"...I'll take that as a no," Peter said through the pain.

The Lizard got significantly stronger and faster too

Laura let out an angry roar, abandoning her threat analysis to go assist Peter who was in a vulnerable position. As she charged at The Lizard, it let go of Peter and spun around quickly in an attempt to backhand her but she swiftly dodged it, digging her claws deep into its arms and slicing through it and down to its torso like butter. It tried striking her with its other arm but she rolled underneath it, gracefully going into a handstand where she used her foot claws to tear through its left popliteus causing it to slightly fall.

She then jumped on its back and stabbed it repeatedly causing it to howl in pain and move away from Peter's body in an attempt to get her off of itself – what she intended. "Note to self: never get on her bad side," Peter thought as he got up to assist her as soon as The Lizard left him.

The Lizard was spinning around, trying to reach behind its back to grab the girl who shredded his insides, waiting for Peter to strike him and he did. His fist collided with its prehistoric face, allowing Laura to safely leap off as it was left skidding meters away.

"Ya like that? Cause I sure did!" Peter yelled at the scaly monstrosity that was once a man – and would be soon, but before that, he would be his punching bag. Laura gracefully landed next to Peter, observing how the damage they inflicted had hastily been undone in a matter of seconds.

"It got stronger," she simply stated to Peter as she referenced its strength, speed, and regenerative power.

"What makes you say that?" Peter sarcastically asked her.

She wasn't amused.

"Its healing capabilities have increased greatly. Everything I've inflicted on it is quickly becoming healed. We must bleed it out in order to negate its healing factor so we can tire it and end this," Laura simply explained, ignoring his sarcasm and explaining the plan.

"Alright, so what we did last time basically. I hold it off while you do the snikting," Peter said as he understood what she was saying.

"Yes," Laura simply replied as she was confident with her abilities to bleed the Lizard out.

Peter was glad at that. While he would love to use his stingers they would utterly destroy his web-shooters alongside the cartridges that are full of webbing. Both of which cost him an extreme amount of money.

He took a small step forward and in response to this, The Lizard let out a growl.

"Oh, what's wrong Lizzy? Scared? Is it muscles? Or the pretty mask," He taunted, causing Laura to give him a deadpan expression but to her surprise, The Lizard roared in pure hatred at his antics and Peter immediately fired a web line at its mouth and ran towards it.

"Got ya. Sorry, what was that? He asked as he yanked the line with all his might causing the Lizard to forcefully move towards him.

"I couldn't hear you over this!" He yelled, hitting the scaly monster right in the face and causing it to stagger back.

Somehow he had agitated The Lizard allowing for an opening.

Upon hitting the eight-foot monster Peter didn't waste the opportunity to hit it again. It tried sweeping him with its right hand but he simply dodged it and webbed the hand right to its face as it tried freeing its mouth. He ran at it again, and it tried hitting him with its free arm but he batted it away and once again punched it in its face with a little more force than last time so that it would twist, allowing for him to web its other hand to its back.

But as its body twisted the Lizard decided to go with it and spun its body around, whipping its tail at Peter who just barely dodged it after webbing its arm.

"Hey, gimme a hand," Peter tried to yell for an assist but Laura was already steps ahead of him as she ran past him and took advantage of the plenty of openings Peter had given her. She swiftly decapitated its right arm as it was webbed to its mouth causing the Lizard to let out a mighty muffled agonizing roar.

Laura didn't waste time, digging her claws deep into its side and tearing chunks of meat out as she drove them through its body, but not going to allow this any further, the Lizard turned around to face the girl who dared to rip its appendage with a one-track mind on destroying her.

She had gotten a couple more attacks in but It simply took them, glaring at her as it focused on tearing its dangling arm off, growling fiercely in the process.

She let out a scowl, its regenerative capabilities were stronger than she thought, for immediately after decapitating its right arm, the wound closed up and just like before, all of the wounds she had inflicted were instantly regenerating.

The Lizard threw its dismembered arm at her and in response to this she simply clawed through it but that left her open to an attack from its tail.

It never came though.

"Uh, uh, uhhh, Lizzy, you seem to have forgotten that she isn't alone," Peter said as he caught its tail which surprised Laura. She looked at the scene for a brief second before running towards Peter, slicing its tail off in the process and causing the Lizard to once again roar in pain.

Peter took a couple of steps back, the force he used to hold the Lizard causing him to stagger back at its severance and be disgusted by its wild flailing despite it being severed.

"Ugh! Disgusting," he said, batting The Lizard with its tail as hard as he could, causing it to stagger back more, and even further when Peter hit him with a left hook. Planning on sending the creature flying, he pulled his arm back during its dazed state, planning on hitting it with as much force he could possibly muster.

However, The Lizard had spun around and hit him with its fully grown right arm, which he saw coming by the way. Arguably the worst and best part about his accelerated vision. He could see things go slow which was cool, it wasn't cool when all he could do was try his best to move out of the way only for him to ultimately know he was still going to get hit.

Immediately after it did this, just as she was reacting to it, The Lizard used its speed to grab Laura by the face and slam her to the ground before tackling Peter who was still staggering back from its attack.

They crashed onto the ground and the Lizard immediately grabbed his wrists forcefully, using its might to crush his web-shooters.

This frustrated Peter greatly.

"These don't grow on trees," Peter yelled, using both his legs to propel the creature high into the air.

Peter looked at his web-shooters which were now completely busted and then back to Laura who was glaring at the monster. She underestimated its healing capabilities greatly, the fact that it could heal a full appendage in a matter of seconds was beyond what even she could do.

"I don't think it's bleeding out," Peter observed as it was growing back its tail at a rapid pace.

"By the time I inflict a wound another one heals. The decapitation of its limbs slows its healing factor but it is still too fast for me to cause enough damage in order to overwhelm it," Laura said as her glare on the creature never wavered. It only changed when she heard an almost familiar sound come from beside her.

"Well then, I guess it's a good thing you're not the only one who can 'snikt' things," Peter said with a smirk, withdrawing his stingers, "Although I think for me it's more like a 'schlikt.'"

"You think it'll be enough?" He asked Laura hoping that it would indeed push the odds in their favor.

"It would be more than enough," Laura said, playing the multiple scenarios where both she and Peter used their claws to deal with The Lizard.

They all ended in their favor.

The Lizard was glaring at them as its tail was rapidly regenerating back.

"That's good, now before we actually do this, could you give me some pointers on how to use these? If you haven't noticed, I'm more of a 'thwip, thwip' kinda guy," Peter asked, not really an experienced stabber.

"Go for deep gashes and slashes, and be quick about it too. I'll try to decapitate its right arm while you do its tail. After that, our main priority should be to inflict as many wounds as possible," Laura planned out.

He let out a sigh.

"This is gonna be bloody isn't it?" he asked her, already knowing the answer.

"Yes," she simply replied.

"I'm going to have to take a long shower after this," Peter said with dread.

"Yes."

"Do you know how expensive the water bill is?" he asked with a chuckle.

"No, but you can tell me about it when we are done with this," Laura said with a smirk before turning her attention to the eight-foot monster in front of them.

"Well then partner, let's get this dance started shall we?" Peter said as he took the lead, Laura followed suit, letting out a roar as they charged at the monster in front of them.

The Lizard roared back as it lunged at them.

"Try something new already," Peter said, lunging at The Lizard as well, meeting him head-on. He impaled both his stingers through its collar bone and out its back before having the both of them tumble to the ground.

While he was told that he could cut through most things with ease, he was still surprised at the fact as to how effortlessly he pierced through the Lizard's thick hide though when they landed on the street, he found great difficulty when trying to pull them out which allowed The Lizard to get a hit in. It followed this up by wrapping its tail around his body and slamming him into the pavement – once again, creating an imprint of his body on the road.

He was really hoping that this wouldn't be a trend.

The Lizard turned its attention to Laura entering combat with her before she could come to Peter's aid – again. She let it have the first strike like she did before and dodged it seamlessly before countering. She knew that she was outmatched in every physical category so she opted to fight smart which was something the Lizard couldn't do. It savagely and brainlessly attacked her with everything at its disposal and she weaved through its attacks, delivering deep gashes in retaliation.

The Lizard's speed was ramping though, and soon its attacks would just barely graze her, but its time had run out.

"Let's try this again!" Peter yelled from behind the creature, thrusting both his stingers deep into its back, getting blood all over his costume.

Peter wasn't squeamish when it came to blood, his own or others. He's been covered with both multiple times and the mental scarring and fortitude needed was already there. He was used to it. What he wasn't used to was stabbing people but he was learning how to quickly. He backflipped off the Lizard's body as it tried sweeping at him and with its focus on him, Laura managed to deliver a massive gash to its side.

Peter followed this up by trying to do something risky. He jumped over the Lizard's body and did a twirl, delivering a deep diagonal gash down its chest, cutting it open with ease.

He was starting to like his stingers.

While not the best strategist, Peter knew that by having one person cover the front while another covered the back would quickly overwhelm the Lizard.

Laura kept up with her offense as Peter was starting to find his. With each attack, she noticed how the wounds started healing slower and slower and the creature's speed as well. Peter was following her advice, going for deep gashes and slashes, and whilst the first couple were not as deep as she preferred, but he would rectify that as he got more comfortable using them. They took turns with The Lizard's attention and Laura had found that Peter's speed and up-close style of fighting had complimented hers.

She had already analyzed the way he fought, allowing her to maneuver around him without any complications. He was very instinctual, with everything he did seemingly coming up on the fly and taking advantage of his enhanced and superior body.

Peter was surprised as to how well this was going, but then again, every time they fought together they did kick The Lizard's ass. Laura was fast, and she knew what she was doing, hitting vital parts that would hinder the Lizard even more. Laura had even managed to decapitate the Lizard's right arm with ease which gave him an opening to do the same to its tail. They continued on with their assault, noticing that with the decapitation of both its added appendages alongside the wounds they delivered, the healing factor was slowing down tremendously and so was its speed. It was so slow in fact that Peter started adding more flair with his dodges and attacks which did not surprise the girl found herself slightly amused.

"When do you want to end this little dance of ours?" Peter asked as both he and Laura attacked The Lizard at the same time.

"Now would be good," she replied, noticing that it wouldn't be able to compete with their efforts in curing it.

"Am I that bad?" Peter said with mock insecurity.

"End this and I'll tell you," Laura said as she sent a deep gash behind its knees causing it to fall on them.

Peter let out a shrug as he stood in front of the Lizard, "You heard the lady Lizzy," Peter said, sucker-punching it and sending it on its back. "She wants it over and as the eligible bachelor that I am, I gotta comply," he said as he grabbed the cure and popped the cover out.

"Saw 'aw'" Peter said with a smirk, preventing The Lizard from closing its jaw with one hand while he used the other to dump the compound both he and Laura created down its mouth. He flipped off its body as it started to spasm on the ground.

He gave a little glance at the sight and turned his attention to Laura.

"So how did I do?" he said with a smirk, crossing his arms.

"Not bad," she replied with a smirk of her own.

"Not bad?" he offendedly reiterated.

"It would have been better if you hadn't run off ahead to immediately and recklessly deal with it on your own," she commented as she gazed at his white lenses.

"Well, look, when you have a sixth sense that predicts danger you can get away with recklessness," Peter said back.

"Explain the craters in the street then?" she rhetorically asked.

"That was me warming up," Peter simply dismissed.

She raised a brow in complete skepticism.

"Okay look, maybe that was me being a bit dumb-"

"-A bit?"

"-but it all worked out, right?" Peter asked happily as he turned to look at the now-cured Doctor Connors who was behind them.

He didn't see a cured Doctor Connors.

"It all worked out, right?" It took him a little while and a whole lot of blinks to register what he was seeing.

He saw a barely standing dinosaur letting out growls as its throat expanded. The wounds they had delivered were slowly healing as it seemingly prioritized its arm and tail.

"It didn't work out…" Peter said with shock as he took steps away from it. Laura did the same, unsheathing her claws immediately and watching on as the bloat in the throat of the creature got larger and larger.

"Hey…Hey…Hey… Lizzy, you know I was joking when I said try something new, right?" Peter asked the creature as it eventually regurgitated a green liquid.

It threw up the contents of the cure.

"Oh that's not good…," Peter said as he watched it glare at them, all of its wounds now fully healed, "... Oh that's really not good."

He turned his attention to Laura, "We made spares right?" he worryingly asked her, while his spider-sense blared what he already knew.

"Yes…" Laura said as The Lizard was slowly walking towards them.

"You don't happen to have one on you do you?" he asked her hopefully.

"No."

"%&*#," was all Peter could say.

The Lizard instantly dashed at the two with Peter managing to dodge it thanks to his sixth sense and powers, however, Laura wasn't so lucky as she was grabbed by the abdomen, its talons piercing her body before she was viciously thrown down the street.

With her out of the way, The Lizard focused its attention on Peter whose gaze was on Laura with extreme worry.

He turned his attention to the creature who had just tossed the girl he cared about and just as it was going to attack him, he grit his teeth in anger before meeting it head-on instead of dodging the attack.

"You're really starting to tick me off, you know that?" Peter frustratingly said, clashing with the eight-foot reptile. It hissed in his face as it tried attacking but Peter dodged it and landed a hit of his own which caused it to stagger back. "And I can tell I've ticked you off too. Is it because I took off your jaw?" Peter taunted as it relentlessly went to attack him.

He angrily batted the attack away.

"Well guess what? I'm going to do it again!" Peter angrily yelled, using all the might he could muster to punch its jaw. A loud 'thud' could be hurt as his fist came in contact with The Lizard's mouth. The hit shattered some of its teeth but it didn't take off its jaw, the most it did was recoil its head.

Peter swore that if it could smirk, it would, as in that moment it retaliated with a punch that knocked all the wind out of him. It then turned around to meet Laura who was running at it. She managed to dodge its first initial hit just barely and land a deep gash but before she could even react, it punched her right in her stomach, shattering almost all of her ribs before delivering a punch to the face that had the same intensity that it had hit Peter with.

She didn't have superhuman durability though.

A loud 'thud' could be heard on impact.

But it was overshadowed by a sharp snap.

The sound of her neck snapping….

The dazed Peter watched in shock as her body lifelessly fell to the ground.

His blood-curdling scream followed the silence.

"LAURA!" He yelled in utter panic, frantically hitting the creature who felled her in a desperate attempt to reach her side. His blood ran cold, his heart threatened to burst due to its uncontrolled beats which were only increased by the panic thoughts that ran through his mind.

Memories he made of the girl flashed throughout his mind.

Her face, her looks, her voice….

"NO, NO, NO, NO, NO…." he urgently pleaded that what transpired was not real, coping in his mind that she was alright, that she would heal – that she was alive but a giant hand prevented him from reaching her limp body.

"LAURA!" he yelled again, ignoring the creature's attacks, its roars, and its existence as everything in his being was focused on the body which was so full of life.

so full of beauty.

It hit him with all its might over and over, leaving him completely dazed though the numbness he felt at the sight of Laura mitigated all of it.

It whipped his body across the street as if he was a stone getting skipped.

He kept his eyes on her lifeless body though.

The sky was blue now.

He was on a bridge….no…he was on a street….it was dark…

There was Laura…Gwen…Laura…Gwen…

There were primal red eyes glaring at him, yellow ones maliciously laughing…

There was a snap…

…it was his fault….

It was his fault….

He could feel something heavy land on him.

He could see that malicious smile as he felt himself getting beaten.

He could hear laughter.

"She's dead Spider-Man, the girl you love is dead! and there's nothing you or any other costume interloper can do to bring her back. But don't worry, you won't be long apart!"

He deserved this.

"That is what you get for being weak!"

He's such an idiot.

He never learns.

How many people had to die because of him?

Captain Stacy.

Gwen.

Laura…

She had nothing to do with this. She wasn't someone who supported him, she wasn't anyone he knew, she was just someone who was minding their own business until he had roped her into this mess of his.

This couldn't be real.

This had to be a dream, some nightmare.

Why did the people he cared about always have to die? Why couldn't he be the one who died instead? He deserved it, he got his uncle killed, he got Gwen killed, he got Laura killed…how much longer did Aunt May have?

He's such an idiot, he never learns.

Everyone who gets close just dies.

Past the blood, past the pain, past The Lizard, he could see Laura.

She was standing, her neck still twisted as she faced him.

She was letting out growls and snarls and all he could do was succumb to the overwhelming sadness which had sunk his heart to new depths.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he madly muttered with tears staining his face, ignoring The Lizard's attacks on his soon-to-be corpse.

He didn't want her to die, he never thought she'd die, she was super like him.

She was different…

… she was different…

Her neck unnaturally cracked as it seemingly undid the damage that had been done to her.

He could see blood-red eyes full of rage.

She had every right to be angry at him.

He failed her…he failed everyone…

His eyes widened when The Lizard stopped beating on him to face the aberration of the girl it could also see.

"...what…?" he weakly said.

He could feel his heart start beating faster, feel hope return to his body, causing his sunken heart and breathing to pick up pace as he gazed at her bloodshot eyes.

She was dead, her neck snapped, she was supposed to be dead, she was supposed to…

"I heal quickly."

His eyes widened underneath his damaged mask.

She was different.

She was alive.

She was…

She unsheathed her claws and from her mouth came the most vicious howl he's ever heard.

"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Come Fly With Me

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Laura yelled snarled, embodying animalistic rage just like The Lizard as she sunk her claws deep into its chest, causing the creature to howl and rid itself of the girl who savagely chopped off its hand before it did so. She cleaved through its entire upper body, causing its organs to be exposed before they were quickly covered up by the creature's regeneration which stopped its utter decimation at the hands of the girl who caused it to screech and shriek in pain which allowed the girl to use its body to give her the reach to slash its throat which squired blood from the wound.

She attacked its legs next upon landing, cleaving the creature off its feet and causing it to fall onto the ground and allowing the five-five girl to shred its insides into microscopic pieces. Her yells drowned out its screams of pain as she stabbed it again, and again, and again, showering herself in its blood as all it could do was lay there and take it.

Peter watched, eyes shining with beaming light full of nothing but relief and joy as he saw the girl deal with the reptilian monster who he believed had stolen her life. He tried to get up to assist her but stumbled and ultimately fell back down, his body still needed to recover from the powerful blows he allowed himself to take when he believed the girl had died.

He still needed a little bit more time to gather his strength back.

He watched how The Lizard's tail slowly made its way towards her.

"Look out!" he yelled but she didn't budge choosing to gouge it's inside instead.

It wrapped around her body and instantly flung her through the nearest wall.

"Laura!" Peter yelped in fear but ceased when she got up, unphased and unscathed by The Lizard's attack which had given the creature a moment of respite to regrow its lost limbs. The two looked at each other with their blood-red eyes as they growled and snarled with pure hatred for one another like wild beasts.

They both ferociously yelled before charging at each other once more.

They clashed like two rabid dogs fighting each other. The both of them took each other's attacks, unphased by the gashes and lacerations that were inflicted upon each other as they were dead set on murdering the other.

Any wound The Lizard would inflict on her would instantaneously heal and any wound she inflicted on it would heal as well – but at a much faster rate.

Laura had held her ground for as much as she possibly could but The Lizard was faster than her, bigger than her, stronger than her and it only took one swift hit to have her be sent tumbling away.

In her savage state though, she refused to lose to it and dug her claws deep into the concrete street.

The Lizard lunged at her, but she simply slashed at its mouth, taking chunks of it off as its body crashed into hers, pinning her body to the ground with its hand and tail while using its dominant hand to beat her with hits that echoed into the street.

At least that's what it intended to do, but putting the girl in a vulnerable state gave Peter's body plenty of motivation to get the energy he needed to fight it once more.

"Get off of her!" Peter angrily and protectively yelled, tackling the creature off of the girl to give her a moment to breathe.

The spider and The Lizard both rolled down the street, hitting each other with blows of equal force that echoed throughout the entire block. Neither of them were pulling their punches, but Peter couldn't keep this up for long as he wasn't lucky enough to heal instantaneously as Laura did.

However, he would take a page out of her book and use one of his stingers to decapitate one of its hands. It was the farthest thing from a clean-cut, the lack of space and time not allowing Peter the luxury to cleave through its hide effortlessly but what he lacked in space, he made up with force and powered through The Lizard enhanced bones to complete the decapitation.

"Not so fun now that you're the one on the bottom, is it?" Peter asked as The Lizard was now pinned down on the street, barely enduring his blows as he tried to come up with some type of plan. The Lizard's second wind had greatly increased its healing abilities, he and Laura had to make it back to the house to get another one of the cures before he got another power-up.

His spider-sense went off.

"Oh crap," Peter thought, bracing himself for the oncoming attack from its tail – which he was seriously starting to hate a lot. He was smashed onto the ground and the Lizard had quickly reversed their previous positions.

Laura had once again come to his rescue for she lunged on its back and savagely made it resemble Swiss cheese coating every single party in its blood.

His heart skipped a beat as he saw her claws effortlessly pierce through its body and barely graze his chest.

Did she forget that he was still here?

Her relentless strikes had caused The Lizard's body to be pressed against his and he tried his hardest not to get his face bitten off as he had his arm underneath its jaw to prevent that from happening.

"I'm still here!" he yelled at Laura in an attempt to have her cease. She didn't. The Lizard used its tail to strike the savage Laura once again, who once again, found herself flung by it.

But by having the Lizard focus on her, it gave Peter an opening to give it a powerful right hook, sending it off of him.

He quickly stood up and watched as Laura once again charged at it.

She attacked it in a flurry that only left blood again but because of her state, she was blatantly ignoring its attacks, leading to her getting backhanded by it.

Peter punched it, sending it spiraling back.

He was standing next to the savage Laura who went to attack it but he grabbed her arm in an attempt to stop her.

This was going nowhere and if they continued on like this then…

His spider-sense went off immediately and he turned to look at The Lizard who was letting out a roar as it prepared to pounce at them.

It just wouldn't give him a break.

He really wanted a time out right now to digest all that was happening. It regurgitated the cure, it snapped Laura's neck, she died, came back, got a second wind like this whole Lizard, and went all anime come back.

She died.

She came back.

That alone made him want to ball out in tears of joy right now but as you could see: he was really busy with a ginormous sewer gator and Laura who was seemingly out of control.

He'd have to try and get through to her cause going on like this would waste time and he was really missing those pretty emerald eyes of hers.

His spider-sense was still going off like crazy though, he had to be missing something…

He felt the feeling of cold metal slice his chest open.

He looked at Laura whose eyes were still bloodshot as her claws diagonally ripped open his chest.

Oh.

In hindsight, it probably wasn't so smart to grab her hand when she was angrier than the Hulk.

He let go of her immediately and stumbled back a bit, clutching his chest tightly as blood seeped out the deep burning laceration which caused him great agonizing pain which he broadcasted through his cries.

Laura's growls instantly cease.

She blinked multiple times, disorientated by the abrupt state of consciousness she was now in and the new scene in front of her.

Peter wasn't pinned down to the ground, screaming her name as The Lizard beat him senseless.

He was stumbling away from her, holding his hand over two gashes that she hoped were from the Lizard.

"P-Peter…?" he anxiously called out his name, raising her hand in an attempt to reach him; however to her horror, to her distraught, she found that her right hand was covered in blood.

His blood…

Her blood ran cold, her body froze as she gazed at the boy whom she just maimed, the boy who she trusted – who she cared about.

Who she hurt…

Upon hearing his name, the stumbling boy lifted his gaze from the blood that leaked from his two gaping gashes and onto the girl who inflicted them. Her eyes weren't bloodshot anymore, and the stoic, usually angry face that belonged to her was full of anguish, worry…

…Fear.

The raven-haired girl could only watch as Peter quickly ran to her, shoving her to the ground – moving her out of the way from The Lizard's imminent pounce which crashed into the boy. It dug its talons deep into his body before viciously ripping them out and pounding him with all its might.

This was really painful, but he didn't have to say it as his agonizing screams did it for him.

Laura's heart sank as the terror she rarely felt prevented her from moving despite her hardest efforts.

It grabbed him by the neck with one hand and his legs with another and Laura could only watch in absolute horror as it raised his body above its head before sinking its teeth deep into his hip.

He thought the last one hurt.

He let out another scream of pain which could be heard throughout the entire neighborhood.

Her heart sank further down, the feeling of helplessness, the memory of the snowy mountains replaying in her mind…

The memory of a corpse…

She threw those memories to the side, not wanting – not allowing that moment to repeat itself but her attempt to save him was easily thwarted by The Lizard who whipped his body in her direction, shaking the ground with the boy's body after it cast Laura back the way she came with it.

With each slam, he was beginning to feel less and less and he lucidly wondered if The Lizard wanted him to have an intimate relationship with the ground. He didn't know how many times he was slammed before he was inevitably tossed at the girl who frantically scrambled to get onto her feet before she was swooped off of them once more by his body which sped at her.

Laura ignored the Lizard's victorious howl as she got up. She ignored its existence entirely as her main priority was looking for Peter while her mind was in turmoil.

Her movements were erratic, her heart threatened to burst.

She attacked him.

Animal.

She found his body limply lying meters away from her and she quickly scurried to his side.

Weapon.

"Peter!" she screamed out in fear, quickly using her hands to cover the numerous wounds that his life escaped through.

He was bleeding everywhere, and severely injured.

Because of her.

Monster.

He violently coughed out blood underneath his mask as she said this, letting out a brief chuckle before weakly saying "...still here…" his strained voice joked though his joke had the adverse effect

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I-" she frantically apologized, tears streaming down her face as she battled against his wounds.

Logan was right about her…

…they all were…

How many times did she have to hurt the people she cared about until she accepted the fact that she was a monster?

"It's…it's alright, tis' but a scratch," he attempted to put on a voice but it still sounded strained and weak regardless.

In his weakened state where everything was spinning and he was seeing threes, he gazed at the girl's face which oddly remained clear as day.

Stared into her eyes which were full of life.

He placed a hand on her chin which caused her to freeze, "I'm…I'm so glad…you're alive…" he voiced his relief, putting his hand on her face which caused her to freeze.

She held onto it, looking at him with a mixture of almost every emotion on the board.

She couldn't get to ask why, as a powerful footstep interrupted her.

She instantly turned around, looking at The Lizard with apprehension as it walked towards them, its tongue fully extended at the sight of Peter which ignited a hungry fire in its eyes.

She looked back at the boy who wheezed, "Oh…that's not good…can I call a timeout?" he asked with his voice which had a bit more strength in it but it was not nearly enough for him to speak clearly – not nearly enough for him to even move.

She got up and withdrew her claws. The worry, the shame, the guilt, was quickly subverted by a quiet anger at herself which she used to stare the creature down.

Killer.

She didn't care that it was a human once, nor that it had a family. It was either the creature or the boy behind her, and she would choose him over the creature's life.

"Curt, that's enough!" a female voice yelled from down the street.

The Lizard immediately turned to face who it was, completely ignoring the two teenagers as if they had suddenly become negligent.

Peter and Laura both looked on in shock as its wife – Martha was the one who bravely grabbed its attention.

"No…" Peter said as he knew what was going to happen.

He rolled himself onto his stomach and with all his might tried to get back up.

"It-it's me you want, right?" she asked in a shaky voice, completely and utterly trembling in fear at the monster who was once her husband.

It was completely silent as it approached her.

"I-I know you won't hurt me," she said as her legs threatened to shatter.

With its guard completely down, Laura had gone to use this brief moment to deliver a fatal blow that would kill it but Peter taking slow steps forward made her instantly throw all those plans away.

Her eyes bulged at his broken and mangled body which should be resting.

He shouldn't even be able to stand, let alone walk.

He was losing too much blood.

The Lizard stopped right in front of Martha but she didn't budge as she looked into its eyes. "...That's right, you won't hurt me," she reiterated, catching glimpses of the man it once was which gave her the courage to slowly approach it.

"Dad!" the voice of Billy boomed from the left as he ran towards his family.

"Billy, I told you to stay in the house!" Martha urgently yelled as she looked at her son who disobeyed her frantic order.

Laura had gone underneath Peter's arm in an attempt to support him but he remained unphased as he still strode towards The Lizard. "Spider-Man and his partner made a cure Dad! It can help you!" Billy exclaimed while he was lifted into the arms of his mother.

The two teens who were left completely ignored watched with anxiety as The Lizard slowly grabbed Martha.

It brought its finger to stroke her cheek with the hand it now had, "Curt…" she said as she knew her husband was still in there.

Curt in question gently placed his hands on both his wife and son.

"...dad?" Billy asked with a hopeful voice.

Its grip got stronger and before any of them could scream, they were taken blocks away with a massive leap.

"NO!" Peter yelled as he tried to run in chase but his wounds were still fresh and he collapsed to the ground as soon as he escaped Laura's grasp. She urgently went to his side, falling onto her knees and using her body as a means to support him. The fears she had temporarily put to the back of her mind were quickly coming to the surface but she kept them at bay no matter how overwhelming they were.

"Don't move," she commanded, wrapping her arms around his body softly with the utmost care.

"We…we have to go after them," he weakly but determinately stated.

"You're hurt," she declared with worry, which was just a glimpse of the emotions that threatened to drown her.

"That doesn't matter," was what he tried to say but Laura interrupted him.

"It does matter!" she snapped instantly as she guided him to a discrete area. She gently placed him against a wall in an empty alleyway, before breaking into a desolate apartment through a window.

She searched for a first aid kit while her mind tormented her with flashes of her life as the voices she tried to ignore came back. She saw a mountain made up of piled corpses that dwarfed her, staring at her with their lifeless eyes as her mother inhumanly stood at the top, along with the brunette boy who uttered a simple word…

Weapon.

She instantly came back with a first aid kit and immediately tended to his wounds with her trembling hands. She tended to his hip first for it was the gravest of all but upon grabbing the disinfectant, the boy she wished to save – to live, told her, "Not…enough… time."

The more time they wasted on treating his wounds the more time they gave the Lizard to do whatever with its family.

She didn't listen to him and tore pieces of his costume that obstructed her from cleaning them. He hissed, tightening his body as she proceeded to clean his wounds while letting inaudible murmurs that escaped her mouth which was covered by her obsidian locks.

"...remind me not to get on your bad side," Peter said with a pained laugh, unable to register the utter distraught she was in.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled as she finished patching the bite wound.

"You better be…those claws of yours are real painful ya know," he light-heartedly added but his words sunk her heart further.

"I'm sorry…" she muttered once again, her voice trembling significantly more this time as she treated his second most fatal wound.

A wound inflicted by her.

Now despite how oblivious he could be, the uncharacteristic apology she gave him, her voice which was on the precipice of breaking down, and the severe trembling of her arm caused him to instantly shut up. He berated himself – scowled at himself inwardly for only making the girl's saddened state worse.

In an attempt to console her he held it.

She whipped her head up to face him as he held her hand softly within his.

He could see the tears that were welling in her eyes.

"...It's alright, believe it or not, I don't really care about this…I'm just glad you're still alive," he confessed with all his heart before breaking into another uncontrollable and painful burst of claws. Sure she might have attacked him but considering the fact that she was growling and snarling, she probably wasn't in the right mind at the given time. He couldn't fault her for that, and even if he could, he wouldn't anyway.

He was just glad that she was alive.

"Why?" she weakly asked him, staring at the white lenses that reflected her own pitiful, distasteful, ugly visage that belonged to one who could only hurt.

"Because I really care about you, Snikity-Snikt," he admitted with passion and sincerity which made it harder for her to hold back her tears. The voices that were berating her had stopped, the flashes had gone away and all she could see was him.

Her heartbeat grew louder and her fingers were slowly overlapping his but before they could, she looked at the two deep wounds on his chest and violently released herself from his soft grip, and shook her head with anger.

"YOU SHOULDN'T!" she yelled at him with the utmost hate, refusing his kind gesture, his forgiveness, his care.

She was a monster.

A killer.

She didn't deserve care.

"You keep saying that but then you give me so many reasons as to why I should," he retorted, patting his hand over the bandage she had just wrapped around him.

"I hurt you…" she mumbled, her voice radiating guilt and self-loathing which wouldn't allow her to register his words.

"Now I know I said your claws hurt earlier but the truth is I barely felt-"

"-WILL YOU SHUT UP – FOR ONCE?" she yelled at the top of her lungs, grabbing him by his shoulders which caused him to indeed, shut up.

"I KNOW WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT ME AND YOU'RE WRONG!" She stated with firm conviction, but her lack of eye contact betrayed her firm belief.

"Laur-" Peter tried to call out her name but at the mere mention of it, she reluctantly lifted it up, meeting his gaze, meeting her reflection which she both spoke to.

A single tear she could not hold back went down her face as her eyes displayed nothing but pain, regret...resignation…

"I know what I am….I'm not a hero…I'm not a person…I'm a weapon…" she confessed to him with the utmost shame, unable to meet his hidden eyes, unable to meet her reflection.

"I hurt people…" his weak and shaky voice added which was the final straw for Peter who wanted to disprove all she had just said.

"Laura, that's not tru-"

"IT IS TRUE! I'VE HURT PEOPLE! …I've killed people, it's the only thing I've done…it's the only thing I can do," she admitted with the tears she was holding back now traveling down her face which whimpered at the realization that she so desperately wanted to disprove but only furthered it which each attempt she made.

Her hold on him had weakened, her gaze was stuck on the ground as her mind was too preoccupied with the seas of sorrow which burst along with her hope of being anything other than a killer. She expected him to forcefully remove her from him, to try his best to get away from her but instead, he visibly relaxed his body and gently placed his hands on her shoulders.

"I already guessed that part Laura," he said softly, which surprised her, causing her tear-stained eyes to look into the lenses she so desperately wanted to remove.

"Well…the killing people part at least. 'These claws were made for killing. What would you do if I told you I was a killer?" he mimicked her saddened voice with a chuckle.

"Why then?" she asked with nothing more than a want to know why he allowed her to help him, why he cared about her, why he protected her when he knew she killed people.

Why he said all those things which lifted her heart…

"Because I've hurt people too, Laura," he confessed, removing his warm hands which left her shoulders cold and barren as he took off his mask to reveal solemn blue eyes that looked into her green ones.

Blue eyes which reflected her pain…

…her sorrow…

…her guilt.

"I've hurt a lot of people Laura…especially the ones I care about…who all wind up dead because of me alongside a mountain of others no matter how hard I try…" he admitted with guilt and disdain reeking every word he spoke.

She widened her eyes in response to this and lost her grip.

"I wasn't always like this Laura," he started to say as he gestured to his mask, "Once upon a time I was just an orphan kid from Queens who lived with his aunt and uncle who took him in within a heartbeat after his parents died. Despite them being anything but rich and barely middle class, they gave me everything I could ever ask for…but they couldn't give me friends. No one liked me in school, I was always made fun of and ignored as if I straight up didn't exist or didn't matter – the only time I was given any attention was when they wanted to hurt me for their laughs. It didn't take long for me to grow into someone who was bitter– someone who hated everyone else. I hated everyone so much that if the whole world burned alongside everyone in it, I wouldn't care as long as my aunt and uncle were okay," he passionately stated, recalling the immense anger he had for the world – for the people in it who he was just a single step away from wanting them all to burn.

Laura believed his words but at the same time, she couldn't.

She couldn't picture him bitter and angry at the world.

"Then on one fateful day, everything changed. My passion for science led me to this public exhibition where this one in a million chance – straight up complete and utter accident, where a bit me – granting me powers," He laughed in amusement as to how stupid that sounded.

"I gained all these amazing and spectacular powers. I was no longer this frail kid who had to wear rounded glasses and hide away from those who picked on him. I was built like an Olympian and had the strength of Hercules. I could walk on any surface, I had a sixth sense that alerted me to danger. I could lift up a car with only my fingers and I wouldn't even break a sweat. I could jump stories high with minimal effort, and I had the agility and acrobatic skill that no other human could possibly have," He stated with complete wonder in awe in his voice at his extraordinary power but it soon dropped along with his face.

"...Do you know what I did with them, Laura?" he asked her, looking past his brow which displayed nothing but shame.

"What?" she hesitantly asked.

"I used them to beat up the people who bullied me and then I used them to get myself rich through wrestling. Did that for weeks, and I even became a superstar. Contracts, signings, you name it, I got offered. I had everything I ever wanted: power, fame, money – I had everything that was owed to me," he said with a hateful voice that didn't sound like him at all.

"Then one day after a match with some guy who had a stupid name, I went to collect my money as I did the previous matches and I saw some guy running down the hallway approaching me. He had a bag of money in one hand, a gun in another and the police were chasing him. He had robbed the people I made a deal with for my matches…I guess he saw the money I was making and wanted a share or something…" he paused, vividly remembering that day…

"...He was right in front of me Laura… the police were telling me to stop him… and I could've by simply sticking out my leg…Do you know what I did instead?" He asked Laura who he expected to say that he stopped him, that he thwarted the robbery and saved the day.

She looked at him with a soft expression instead.

"Nothing…I did nothing….It wasn't my job after all," he started letting out some chuckles and she looked at him worryingly, "When the officer asked me why I didn't stop him, I told him that I only look out for myself," he burst out laughing in complete disbelief at himself before putting his hand on his head and saying, "..The man I let go later broke into my house and shot my uncle," he finished, tears going down his face as well at the cataclysmic event which forever changed his life – more so than the spider.

Laura's emerald green eyes gleamed at him with nothing but sympathy and complete understanding of what he felt – of his pain.

"My uncle! the only person outside my aunt to ever care about me – died because of me!" he said in an overexaggerated tone, accusing himself loudly for all to hear.

"...because of me," he murmured, dropping his head as the crushing weight of his actions made it hard to keep up.

"Ever since that day I've used my powers for the sake of others, but at every turn I did the right thing someone else always got hurt – some of them even died. The only person to ever support me died because I failed to save him. He asked me to protect his daughter…" he tried to stop himself but it was too late now, the dam was open and there was no closing it.

"...She also died because of me," Tears were going down his face now, "Her name was 'Gwen Stacy.' She was the smartest, weirdest girl in the world. She wore lots of hair bands and raincoats but it worked for her. She died because some guy found out who I was. She died for no other reason than she was associated with me….she died because of me…" he let out.

She didn't say anything.

"For the past month, I thought of myself as nothing but a failure, a miserable excuse as a hero, much more a person. I'm pretty sure you know how that feels too," Laura lowered her gaze and nodded, knowing and constantly feeling what he just confessed to her.

He let out a couple of sniffs but the tears were done going down.

"You asked me why I let you come along Laura, and the answer is pretty simple really. You wanted to help me, and I wanted to help you," he stated with conviction, putting a hand on one of her arms which still loosely held his shoulder.

"You said you hurt people, that you've killed people, that it's the only thing you know how to do, Well I'm here to tell you that you're wrong. You can do more than that, you've shown it time and time again for the brief moment I've been with you," he said with wholehearted belief but she still couldn't be convinced.

"But I hurt you."

"And you're also bandaging me up. I know what it's like to see yourself as only your failures, but despite how hard it can be to believe it, we are more than them. No matter how much they hurt, we learn from them and then we do our best to make up for them," He told the lesson he learned from his own personal experience but the girl lowered her gaze.

"I could never make up for them…" she began to say as she returned her hands to herself.

"...I was not born…I was cloned from a man by a facility with the purpose of being the perfect weapon. For most of my life I was kept in a cell as they conducted experiments on me…." she softly confessed as Peter's eyes widened at this revelation.

"Is that why your claws are made of metal?" he hesitantly asked.

She slowly nodded, recalling the memory which was burned into her brain.

"They took them out and coated them in adamantium before putting them back in," Peter looked at her with worry in his eyes as he couldn't possibly imagine what that must've been like, "They trained me to kill at a young age. They treated me as if I was a weapon – a machine…" she held herself, trying to keep steady.

"My master and mother were the only people who were kind to me…" her voice began to tremble.

He didn't like where this was going.

"They made me kill my master…" he didn't like where this was going at all.

"They made me kill my mother…" and as she looked down in shame, she relinquished her hold and attempted to wipe away the tears that had gone down her face, but the action left her body cold, exposed – vulnerable.

That was until arms gently wrapped themselves around her.

She froze at the foreign gesture, but she didn't fight, she didn't retract, she didn't leave.

She allowed him to pull her close, to secure her, to hide her, to keep her safe and warm

"They made me kill hundreds of people…" he held onto her tightly and she rested her head on his chest.

"You don't have to say anything else…" he said as he brushed her hair with his hand.

"I can see them when I close my eyes…" she said in a low whisper bringing one of her hands up to loosely hold onto him.

"You want to know something?"

She nodded.

"When I close my eyes, I see the people I failed too," he tightened his hold on her, needing her as much as she did him, "This facility of yours, you said they made you kill all those people," he reiterated her words.

She nodded.

"It's not your fault then," he stated though she refused to listen to him.

"It was me who killed them," she guiltily said.

"You didn't have a choice."

"Doesn't change the fact that I am a killer," she snuggled her head deeper into him.

She fought him as he pulled her away, wanting to bury herself in him but she gave in, and she began straddling over his damaged legs once more, dejectedly staring at the wound she had inflicted instead of his welcoming and warm eyes, "I know killers Laura, and I can tell you that you aren't one of them. Killers are people who can take someone else's life without a hint of regret, you're not that."

"Then what am I?" she said as she finally looked at him with a soul-searching gaze, pleading for him to tell her what she was.

"That's up for you to decide, but I can tell you that from what I have seen, you're a girl who goes out of her way to help others. You care about others, it's why you helped me yesterday – it's why you're helping me now. You may be blunt, and snarky, and aggressive…very aggressive-" she narrowed her eyes weakly as he started listing off her traits, "But, you're also a very beautiful- extraordinarily beautiful, smart, intelligent, and while you may not believe it: kind, 'cause only someone kind would lament over the wrongs they were forced to commit," Peter stated passionately which had the effect of speeding up her heart as she internalized all he thought about her.

"But more importantly, you're a girl who is trying to do the right thing and that's more than anyone could ask of you," he wiped away some of her tears which didn't help with her heart problem. "The people at the facility must've done a horrible job 'cause I don't see a weapon in front of me, I see a hero," he stated firmly with a soft smile as he looked directly into her eyes.

"And if you're planning on dismissing this by telling me some other wrongdoing you were forced to commit then save it. You aren't changing my mind. It's been set since the moment I met you," he said with belief that would never be changed.

She let out a small laugh at that.

As he was bringing his hand back to his side after wiping her cheek she stopped it, keeping it planters on her face and grasping it with her own hand which refused to let go.

"Do you really think that I can be a hero?" she anxiously asked, looking deep into his azure eyes.

"Have you been listening to what I've been saying this entire time? You already are one," he said with a big smile which caused her to smile too, "Anyone can be a hero, Laura, All it takes is just a little courage to do what's right. And luckily for you, you've got the baggage to be a good one too," he added with a small laugh which amused her.

"This isn't a time for jokes," she said with poorly masked amusement.

They brought their hands down, and Peter got up onto his knees, mirroring the girl who retained her hold on his hand and captured the other with her free one.

They looked at each other fondly.

"Who said I was joking? Everyone has pain Laura, but what makes us heroes – what makes us better, is that instead of letting it crush us or use it as an excuse to hurt others, we choose to learn from it and define it – instead of letting it define us. When I lost my Uncle Ben Laura, I learned the responsibility that comes with my powers. I learned that I can't just sit on the sidelines and wait for someone else to deal with a problem no matter how big or how small it is," he said with all his heart, "Gwen's death though… it was senseless and that's what hurt the most about it, but it doesn't hurt as much anymore because last night I gave her death meaning by promising to become a better hero, a better Spider-Man…I guess it's why I got these new developments, to help me with that," he said with a small smile that exposed his fangs.

She listened carefully to every word he said.

"You've already learned from your pain Laura, it's why I can tell that you don't want to hurt anyone anymore," he said, voicing out his read on the girl who was surprised as to how accurate it was, "Now it's your time to choose how you can define that pain of yours," he told her, showing her the next step.

She held his hands tightly as she thought about his words.

"They made me because they wanted a weapon – a weapon to hurt people, to kill people. I do not want to be what they made me to be…" she voiced her thoughts – dreams, her heart, "...But I do not know how to do that," she disclosed which prompted Peter to chuckle.

"I think you do, but if you need me to spell it out for you then by simply doing what's right shows that you aren't what they made you to be," he stated with confidence though Laura looked the side.

"Sometimes I do not know what that is…"

"Same here, but do you know what helps me?" Peter grabbed her attention by briefly squeezing her hands which took her gaze off the floor and back onto him.

"What?" Laura asked as she searched his eyes.

"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility," he reiterated his sacred tenant, his core creed, the dogma he lived by.

"With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility," she reiterated, carving that sentence into her mind, taking up Peter's creed and joining him.

"My Uncle used to say it to me all the time, I never really understood what it meant until he died. Ever since then Laura, I've been trying my best to live by those words every single day of my life. I know it's corny and not really specific but…" he was trailing off and looking away from her but she squeezed his hands tightly this time, bringing his attention back to her.

"I think it is perfect," she said with a smile, gazing at the boy with extreme fondness – with extreme

tenderness.

She thought about those words and held onto his hands tightly.

"...I want to help, Peter," she stated, speaking from her heart which had opened its gates widely to the brunette boy whose presence warmed her.

Peter smiled at the girl he had a penchant for.

"Then get back up Snikity-Snikt 'cause the Connors still need us and I can't do this without you," he encouraged her, uplifting her both mentally and physically as he gently brought her onto her feet.

They still retained their hold on one another, neither of them wanting to let go.

"I told you to not call me that," she reminded him, trying to keep her voice stoic but miserably failing to hide the incredible amounts of favor she had for the boy.

"What are you going to do about it Snikity-Snikt?" he teasingly challenged her, bringing his face close to hers and giving her a mischievous smile.

She hesitantly – reluctantly let go of him, trying her best to threaten him with her claws but he wasn't phased at all when they appeared a great distance away from his face, In fact, he merely pushed them gently back with his fingers.

"I know you're not gonna hurt me," he said with a grin he flashed to the girl he was quickly doting on.

She let out a huff in response to the boy she endeared.

"No…" she softly said, looking at him sincerely as she said this.

She would never hurt him.

"...I'll tear up your mask though," she said, trying her best to sound threatening.

"I know you won't do that either," though Peter didn't buy it, clearly amused by her empty threats.

She sheathed her claws and let out a breath, "No, I would not do that either," she said with a small smile.

"At least…not at this moment," she said with a playful smirk which he reciprocated.

"Well, you can tear it up all you want later when we're done saving the day," he said with a laugh, putting on his mask which hid her for a brief moment.

She gave him a heartfelt gaze during this.

"What are we going to do? It beat us," Laura stated as defeat was foreign to her.

"We do what heroes always do: get back up, and never give up. Johnny taught me that," he said with a smile. "We still have two more cures thanks to you, meaning we can still cure Connors, and last time I checked, it only beat us with a stupid gimmick," Peter with infectious self-assurance she was falling victim to.

"How are we going to administer the cure if it can't drink it?" she inquired, wondering how he would solve their predicament.

"We find another way," he simply said as they walked out the alleyway coming up with a plan.

"You said your claws were made out of adamantium?" Peter recalled the very important detail that her claws were coated with the strongest metal known to man.

"Yes."

"Explains why it can cut through the Lizard's skin like butter. If Lizzy won't drink the cure then we'll force it through him another way, and we'll use your claws to do it," he said with a smirk, coming to the conclusion as to what to do.

"How?" she asked, wondering what his plan was.

"We administer the cure through a syringe. Now I know you might be thinking: a syringe can't break through its hide but that's where your claws come into play. Just like last time we're gonna tire it but this time you'll administer the cure through a deep wound courtesy of your adamantium claws," Peter laid out his plan which impressed the girl.

She was impressed by it.

"Not a bad plan… Spider-Man," she said as they entered the Connors house.

"Of course, it's not bad, I came up with it," he scrambled towards the lab to grab the remaining cures, quickly rushing back down with one he was in the process of stuffing into his belt.

"Only one?" There should've been two.

"We'll only need one," he confidently declared, and whilst she found it foolhardy to not take the third one, a part of her agreed with him.

"You have its scent?" Peter asked as they walked out of the house.

"Yes," she said, knowing full well where to guide them.

"Good, let's go," Peter eagerly ran off in the direction it left, leaving a confused Laura behind him.

"What are you doing?" she asked him as she watched him run off.

"What do you think I'm doing? I'm going after the Lizard," he said as if it was obvious, however she merely shook her head and made her move towards the car that was parked in front of the Connors family household.

"What are you doing?" He walked up behind her curious as to why she just busted the window and entered the random vehicle.

"Going after the Lizard," she stated as she started hotwiring the car.

"By stealing their car?" he exclaimed to her in disbelief.

"It will get us there in time. Now get in, before I make you get in," she demanded in a voice that left no room for argument.

He looked at her not really knowing if he should enter the car or not.

"Do not make me repeat myself," she said as she watched him just stand there completely dumbfounded.

He submitted to her will and entered the passenger seat with a sigh.

"I feel like a criminal," he grumbled.

"Vigilantism is indeed a crime, so that does make you a-"

"Oh will you just get on with driv-AH!" she immediately floored the gas making him shut up immediately and look at her as if she was crazy.

She merely smirked.

She was crazy.

"Where did you learn to drive!?" Peter screamed from the passenger seat, peering past his shoulder and looking at through the ginormous empty space where his car door should've been.

"The facility," she responded, making a sharp turn to the right which caused Peter to use the handle at the top to stop himself from falling on her.

"They did an awful job at that too! If Connors doesn't kill them – which he won't, then the costs for repairs will!" He yelled, glaring at the bullet holes that were in the back window.

"You are overexaggerating," she flatly said as she continued to follow the scent.

"The police were after us!"

"We lost them."

"The police were after us!" he reiterated.

"Do you want to drive?" she irritably responded.

"I can't," he responded.

"Then be quiet, we are almost there."

As Laura attempted to run a red light, a truck that was crossing suddenly appeared and she made a hard turn to the left so as to not collide with it.

The whole entire time his spider-sense was going off.

"I'm gonna die," he said, sinking into his chair and resigning his inevitable death.

"No you won't, I won't let you," she said confidently as she started driving on the wrong side of the road. There was no way in hell that he was going to die after what they had just gone through together, it wouldn't matter if The Lizard would suddenly have another mutation or if the sky were to fall.

She would not allow him to die.

She kept her word as they safely made it to the Central Park Zoo in one piece.

"The zoo?" Peter observed the surroundings he knew too well.

"Of course, it's the zoo, Why wouldn't it be the zoo?" he said out loud as he exited the stolen, damaged, and almost inoperable vehicle they used.

"You did tell your aunt that we would come here to see giant alligators," she amusingly responded, searching for the family's scent.

Peter chuckled, "'Least I won't be lying, I hate having to do that to her," he sighed before asking Laura if she had The Connors family scent.

She nodded.

They were alive and unharmed which Laura could tell due to the absence of blood in their scent which relieved Peter. They would get the family out first before curing the quintessential member of said family just as they promised.

They entered the park with caution.

"I've never seen this place so quiet," Peter said as he took in the silence. Only the sound of the animals inhabiting the place could be heard and he wasn't gonna lie, it was quite nice.

"I have never been here before," Laura said as she looked at the pool in the middle of the park where the smell of sea lions remained.

Peter looked at her with disbelief, "Really?"

"The majority of my time spent has been running from the facility, and for the months I have spent here in New York, it was as a forced prostitute," she admitted with zero emotion in her voice as she followed the family's trial.

Peter looked at her with a sympathetic gaze.

"Is the facility still after you?" Peter asked, wanting – hoping that the answer would be a 'no.'

"They will always be after me," it wasn't and his blood went hot.

He clenched his fists and stared at the girl who was forever haunted by those who experimented on her, tortured her – who would relentlessly chase after her and he let out a sigh.

He gave a glance at her before looking away and letting out a sigh.

"Well, they'll be after us now," he declared which caused her heart to skip a beat and her to instantly whip her head his way.

"You do not know how dangerous they are," She hastily tried to deter him from such a thought – from their harm, but his mind had been made up.

"Doesn't matter, if they want you, then they'll have to go through me and besides Laura, after everything I've told you, you think I'd turn a blind eye to you and your problem?" he rhetorically asked the girl he jumped in the way to protect. He cared about her – and even if he didn't, Laura knew that he would still involve himself with her affair.

She looked away feeling the corners of her mouth uplift into the warm curl,"...No, no you wouldn't, but they'll become your enemies," She fruitlessly tried to dissuade him but all she did was make him laugh.

"Do you know who you're talking to? I'm just about enemies with practically every evil organization and person on the planet. Adding this facility of yours to the mix is like adding chocolate sprinkles to a triple chocolate fudge cake!" Peter amusingly declared, forgetting that they were hunting a giant reptile who had enhanced senses, "Besides, if anyone's making enemies here it's you – being seen with me. I am the dashingly handsome superhero here," Peter pointed out as he struck a stupid pose that showed off his body.

She thought about that sentence.

"Am I wrong?" Peter asked with a raised brow.

She let out a huff, and lightly shook her head, "No, you are correct"

"On the enemies part or the dashingly-handsome-superhero part?" He asked once more with a grin spurred on from overconfidence which deserved to be knocked down.

"Both," Laura simply declared, giving him a small smile that shattered his confident behavior and caused him to look around the park in an attempt to ignore the burning sensation she had inflicted him with.

"You um…you said you've never been here before right?" he asked her, looking where the sea lions would be.

"Yes," she simply replied.

"H-How about I take you sometime…you know? When we're not hunting a giant mutated lizard?" Peter nervously asked out of the blue and hastily which he quickly rectified, "Y-you don't have to answer right now, in fact, you don't have to answ-"

"-No," she simply answered.

"Oh…" he simply said as he put his hand on his face, incredibly embarrassed and disheartened…

"I will answer now," she added, causing him to look at her surprised as he was anticipating her answer.

"I would like to go to the zoo with you," she stated, expressing the delight he brought her as she looked at him.

Everything in his body stopped at that moment.

He blinked multiple times.

Did she just say yes?

"When we're not hunting a giant mutated lizard," she added, noticing his odd behavior.

He let out a cough to excuse himself, "Y-yea…of course," he said as he still couldn't comprehend what just happened but he wouldn't question it.

"W-where is it anyways," he asked, shoving all his thoughts to the back of his mind and focusing on the task at hand.

"In there," she said as she looked at the entrance to the tropical zone.

"Again, I am not surprised…" Lizards were cold-blooded creatures so they relied on getting their warmth from external sources, and the tropical zone just so happened to have an artificial heating source to replicate that of a natural environment for the reptiles they housed inside it.

They were greeted with the sound of an artificial waterfall alongside the croaks from frogs and the chirping of birds….

"Spider-Man will save us! Spider-Man will save us!"

Laura instantly withdrew her claws upon hearing the high-pitched scream and Peter let out a shriek, utterly startled by the abrupt sound that his Spider-Sense hadn't warned him about. They both looked in the direction those words came from only to stare deadpanned as they were greeted with the sight of a colorful bird.

"Stupid parrot," Peter mumbled as Laura sheathed her claws, agreeing with that statement.

They walked through a dark hallway that was only illuminated by the displays that were in it. The animals were all rattled, and the bats that were inside their display were all screeching as they flew around in circles – a clear sign that they too were startled just like the rest.

He went to give them some light using his spider-signal but she stopped him.

"Don't, it will alert it to our presence. Use your spider-sense, I can see perfectly well in the dark," she informed as there was no need for his signal which was designed after his face.

He nodded.

They made it to the rainforest and Laura looked around the enormous room full of animal and plant life. Her sinuses had warned her that The Lizard was near as a light tingle from his spider-sense did the same for Peter. The room was dark, only briefly illuminated by the moon that shone through the glass ceiling.

It was eerily quiet, the only thing they could hear was the sound of water crashing into itself.

Peter followed closely behind Laura as they traversed down the wooden pathway. The scent guided her to look past the edge and down towards a small river that was below them.

The river led into a small cave, and inside that cave was where the Connors family were.

She gave a glance towards Peter and he nodded silently.

They silently made their way down into the river and cautiously made their way into the darkened cave. Now in the pitch darkness, Peter let his spider-sense guide him, being able to decipher that Laura's distinct form was still next to him and two people huddled up within the corner of a cave.

Laura could see the frightful expression on their faces as they tried their best to keep quiet upon hearing the sound of movement in the water.

"Curt?" Martha frighteningly whispered.

"Yes, honey?" Peter jokingly responded as he tried putting on a deep voice.

"Spider-" Billy tried to say in an excited voice but Martha had stopped him by putting a hand over his mouth.

"Spider-Man," Martha said in a relieved whisper, "and Claw-Girl," Peter added, causing Laura to give him a deadpanned look.

"Where's Curt?" she asked him worryingly.

"I don't know, probably shopping in a re-tail store," Both the hero and the little boy chuckled at his joke.

He didn't have to see Laura to feel her face shape into an unamused flat expression with his spider-sense and the stare she was giving him.

"What? That was a good one," he defended though the girl wouldn't be convinced, and with a single alteration of her look, he went back to recognizing that they were in a serious situation which was further perpetrated by the fact that just like the sewers yesterday, the area was rich with the Lizards scent so it was hard to track it.

"Look, Mrs. Connors, I wouldn't worry about your husband. Right now, we need to get you to safety first before any of you get hurt," Peter said, assisting the woman with getting up and getting sure footing.

Laura stood in front, leading the family while Peter stayed behind, guarding their backs. His spider-sense was going off softly – it was watching them, but where?

They had exited the cave with it still being unnervingly quiet, but there was at least light from the moon which made things visible at least.

He noticed Laura's sniffing was becoming frantically faster.

She had picked up its scent the moment they had exited the cave.

It was fresh as if it had exited the cave while they were still in it.

It wasn't as if.

It did.

Peter's spider-sense went crazy as the trees started rattling and the birds hastily flapped their wings – abandoning their homes to avoid the incoming danger. The Connors family had to hold in their panic as they were quickly overwhelmed by the sounds of things escalating without warning.

They could hear something jumping around the trees.

"Claw-Girl! Get them to safety!" Peter ordered, bracing himself for a fight, she tried to refute but he quickly interjected, "Don't worry about me, they are the number one priority," he stated as he looked around.

Hastily running towards an employee-only walkway after grabbing the hand of the mother who carried her child. This sparked a reaction from The Lizard who leaped to give chase but Peter intercepted it by punching it square in the face, sending it back to where it came from.

"Alright, Doctor Connors, I'd like to prematurely say 'I'm sorry,'" Peter said as the creature he batted away slowly got up from his blow, "'Cause this is gonna hurt," he finished as he clenched his fists.

Laura was running down a narrow hallway leading the Connors family to safety as fast as she could so she could return and assist the injured Peter who was left alone to battle a monster who dwarfed even him.

"Will he be okay?" Billy worryingly asked in his mother's arms.

"Yes, he can take care of himself," Laura stated, trusting the boy to survive until she could help.

Peter came crashing through the wall right in front of them.

"Oh, man…It did hurt…" he said from his comfortable crater in the wall.

She abruptly stopped running alongside the Connors and stared at him as he immediately got back up to grab the Lizard who had aimed to leap on him and proceeded to slam it into the ground before throwing it back out of the hole they had created. He looked at the three who were staring at him and simply gave them an 'okay' gesture before jumping into the fray once again.

Peter's throw had the Lizard slam its back on one of the many towering tropical trees that were in the room. It latched onto one and with its might, tore the upper half off and used it as a weapon to swing at Peter who dodged the attack and ran on the tree before hitting The Lizard's face hard, sending its scaly eight-foot figure off of the tree it was latched onto and down into the ground.

"You know, you'd be a real danger if you had a brain," Peter quipped from The Lizard's previous spot before running down it and towards the Lizard. It roared angrily and aimed to lunge at Peter once again but he prepared for this and like a bullet from a gun, he propelled himself off of the tree and hit it once again – harder this time.

On impact, The Lizard was sent back down to the ground viciously but it wouldn't accept defeat and landed on its feet with a loud 'thoom.'

As this was happening, Peter landed on his hands and launched himself off the ground and onto another tree, and bounced off of that and back into the Lizard and punched it square in the face, causing it to viciously stagger back. He continued his assault, bouncing off the trees and using his insane speed and strength to continue to stagger the Lizard with his maximum assault.

Each hit grew louder and louder with him getting more confident that it could take more and more of his strength.

The Lizard clenched its fists and let out a roar angrier than it ever had before and took one of Peter's hits, ending his assault and starting its own. It went to hit him and he dogged it so it went to swipe him with its talons and it just barely grazed him, scratching his uniform. Its pace started getting faster and faster and Peter struggled to keep up despite his own speed and processing power.

It speedily went to punch him with all its might but Peter weaved and was glad he did as when that punch collided with one of the enormous thick trees it instantly demolished it.

Peter managed to get a hit on it and stagger it once more and proceeded to repeat his previous assault but the Lizard grew tired and caught one of his hits before coming to the conclusion that it was best to take Peter out of this environment.

So it simply threw him through the glass ceiling.

Laura was guiding the family out of the park when she heard the silence-piercing sound of glass shattering. She looked on with a blank expression as Peter's body soared high into the air like a shooting star before crashing back down to the ground right in front of them.

He groaned over the large crack he created with his impact.

She looked at him with a blank expression as he struggled to turn his head to face her.

"Don't let this fool you, I was actually winning," He said from the ground, the bandages she had placed on him earlier going completely red, showing her the real pain that he hid from her.

She snapped her head towards the building to bear witness to the sight of The Lizard who let out an ear-piercing roar that would echo throughout all of New York.

She let out a growl before unsheathing her own claws.

"That's it!" she angrily yelled as she saw the Lizard leap high into the air after them.

She wouldn't play the babysitter any longer.

If her mission was to get them to safety then she'd do that by getting rid of The Lizard.

It landed and shook the ground beneath them, scaring the Connors family but she wasn't daunted – she was angry.

She ran towards it and waited for it to attack her before dodging it and countering with an attack of her own. With each hit it tried landing on her, she retaliated with deep gashes on important muscle groups which would weaken it. With each counter-attack, her approach would slowly morph into one of complete decimation that The Lizard couldn't keep up with but either through adrenaline or more mutations, with each gash she created – two more healed, forcing her to revert to her previous approach.

But like with Peter's encounter, she found herself struggling to dodge its attacks as they started to barely graze her.

She let out an angry snarl as it tried sweeping her with its tail but she decapitated it, alongside the right hand that it tried to follow up on but she was open to a hit from its left hand that sent her tumbling.

It stomped on the ground, cracking it before launching at her fallen body, its fist pulled back as it aimed to destroy her but a red and blue blur prevented that.

Peter's fist collided with the Lizards, creating a loud "boom," that beings made out of pure physical power could only make.

"The kiddie gloves are off!" Peter yelled as he overpowered The Lizard.

It shrieked in pain as the force from his hit traveled throughout its body, enabling a new assault from Peter as Laura proceeded to get up, impressed by the equal feat he pulled to protect her but that was quickly put aside as she noticed how its tail wasn't regenerating and how its arm was at an increased rate.

It was learning how to prioritize certain spots with its healing factor…

…she didn't even have that much control over hers.

It was time to end this before it could continue to learn more.

As Peter was barraging the Lizard, he was caught off guard by how fast its arm had regenerated and had to halt his advances in order to dodge an attack from it. An angry yell from Laura would put the odds in his favor though as he backflipped over the girl who flung herself like a missile at The Lizard. Digging her claws deep into its chest, she pushed herself off it, doing a flip and using one of her foot claws to send a gash from its neck up to the tip of its chin. Peter came up from under her and uppercutted it, widening the gash and causing it to scream in pain. He continued his attack by planting his feet on its chest before jumping and kneeing its chin; he followed this up by turning his simple knee into a flip kick that sent its head soaring up into a powerful overhead slam that brought it back down. He launched himself off the Lizard, pushing it towards Laura who slit its throat before going underneath its arm and slicing deep into its armpit leaving its arm dangling, before severing the still healing tail again.

It turned around, hell-bent on striking her in her open position but there was a funny thing when you work in two's.

You had someone watching your back.

As it turned around it was met with a fist from Peter whose force made the two-deep gashes in its neck even bigger. Continuing their tag-team assault, Laura used Peter's hunched-over body as a platform to jump off and over the Lizard with a front flip that allowed her to use her claws to land a pinpoint strike in between its upper vertebrae.

Temporarily paralyzing it

Peter was impressed by this.

He took advantage of this greatly, channeling as much as he possibly could and sending the packaged punch right into its face, sending the eight-foot creature tumbling away.

The two teens stood beside each other as they saw The Lizard slowly get up, its body battered and beaten but still regenerating at a fast rate despite all the blows it had taken. It wouldn't matter though, the concussive force that Peter had dealt to it was enough to tire it physically, all that was left was to bleed it dry.

It was the final hour, Peter could already hear the fat lady start to sing.

The Lizard knew that too as it stared at them, too damaged to run, and literally an animal backed into a corner, the only thing it could do was fight.

The Lizard roared, giving the two its last stand.

Peter and Laura took a glance at each other, "You ready?" he asked her.

She smirked, "Let's end this!" she yelled, charging at the Lizard with Peter in toe.

All three of them let out a yell as they charged at each other.

The Lizard prioritized Laura for she was the closest but she effortlessly dodged its slow attack and chose to slide underneath its legs and slice open the back of them as Peter striked it causing the foe to take steps back. It tried to fight back but with the two working together seamlessly it was outclassed, outsmarted – outmatched.

Every time it tried hitting one, the other would strike, however, it still stood its ground, its regenerative capabilities allowing it to do so. Which worked in their favor as they didn't want Doctor Connors to suffer permanent damage if they were to cure him.

After most of its wounds had healed, Peter and Laura stood on opposite ends from the mutated reptile and she gave him a glace.

He took out his stingers.

"Try and keep up," he cockily taunted.

The both of them slashed both sides of The Lizard effortlessly exchanging sides at the same time, though Laura was a hair faster.

"Like I said, 'I'm faster,'" she declared, Peter's cocky behavior igniting her own.

"And like I said, 'Let's test that!" he eagerly exclaimed as they attacked The Lizard again.

They danced around him in a flurry of red, blue, and black, the both of them trying to one-up another by picking up speed only to find that the other could go faster. To the human eye, they were nothing but blurs that left splatters of blood in their wake, going so fast and creating so many wounds that the Lizard's healing factor couldn't keep up with them.

They had smirks on their faces as the Lizard shrieked in pain, unable to match them as they worked in complete synchronization. Littered with wounds that didn't run deep but overwhelmed its healing factor to the point that it was significantly slower, Laura broke the pattern and decided to initiate the finishing move.

Peter continued to blitz it as she let out a yell as she dug her claws deep into its upper right trap down its lower left hip. She repeated the process by circling around it starting again from its upper left trap and down to its lower hip, leaving a nicely shaped 'x' right in the middle of its chest – over its heart.

Peter pushed himself off The Lizard and landed right in front of it before striking the sweet spot Laura had created, sending it flying with its wounds deepening and ribs shattering.

The Lizard tried its hardest to get back up but all it could muster was to get on its knees – now no longer able to fight, much less stand.

Peter pulled out the syringe from his side and offered a hand to Laura who took it without a second's worth of hesitation.

"Let's finish this dance for real this time with a power move," he eagerly stated, offering a hand to the girl who avidly took it.

"I'd like to call this one: The fastball special!" He yelled, hurling Laura at The Lizard with all his might.

The Lizard could only watch in complete and utter despair as he flung her at the speed of a bullet, aimed right towards the 'x' that was on its chest, and in an instant – less than a second after she was thrown, her claws had pierced the makeshift target and forced The Lizard to get propelled off its knees and dragged on its bag by the sheer force of the attack.

"Bullseye," Peter said proudly.

As they stopped moving, Laura immediately stabbed the syringe right in the middle of the 'X' she had made, injecting it right into its heart which pumped the serum throughout its being.

She got off of it and stepped back as the cure slowly made its way through its system. She breathed heavily, heart pounding and energized by the high of the fight which was beginning to wear off with the decrease of adrenaline.

Peter found his place beside her, watching on with the same anticipation she had as The Lizard's body reacted to their concoction. The Lizard let out shrieks as its skin started peeling off of it. It struggled, it wailed, it roared, trying to get back up as its form began shrinking, its tail slowly rotting away, eventually falling off its body it became more and more human.

In a matter of seconds The Lizard was gone and in its place was a blonde-haired Caucasian man who looked at himself with disbelief and relief.

He was also naked.

He looked at the two heroes, instantly recognizing the situation as he recognized Spider-Man but before he could ask who Laura was the sound of the footsteps that belonged to his family caught his attention.

"Curt!" Martha yelled with joy as she ran towards her husband "Dad!" Billy followed suit, entrapping his father in a suffocating hug in tandem with his mother.

Peter and Laura looked at the scene with fond eyes as the family was reunited with each other. The boy would grow up with both his father and his mother in his life, and though Laura couldn't help but feel the bittersweet sensation of never experiencing it, she felt glad that she could prevent that sensation from ever happening to the boy named Billy.

And when she saw the doctor cry tears of joy as he held his family within his arms, she could feel cracks begin to heal…

Dr. Connors held his family tightly with  both  his arms.

Laura looked at Peter with confusion. If what Mrs. Connors had told them was true then Dr. Connors should only have one of his arms, and yet, he had two now…

"You did something so that he could have his arm back," Laura stated softly so that only he could hear her words.

"Well, let's just say the cleanser kinda cleanses ninety-nine-point-nine percent of Lizard cells, keeping just enough so that he can retain his arm so that the cells in it can be replaced by human ones," Peter casually explained which caused the girl to curl her lips.

"You didn't have to do that," Laura fondly stated.

"I didn't, but he dedicated all his life to getting his arm back, I just thought he deserved it after everything he's been through. It's like I said earlier, Laura, we don't just save people. We help them too 'cause that's what heroes do," Peter said sincerely with a smile.

"And we are heroes," Laura finished as she looked at him with adoration.

He let out a breath at that.

"Yes, we are Claw-Girl. Now c'mon, we're done here," he gently said as he proceeded to leave the scene.

She nodded and followed suit, smiling in the process as a warm feeling found its way around her body.

This was how it felt to do good…

…it felt…

…It felt good.

It felt right.

"Wait!" Curt yelled as he saw the two figures retreating into the shadows. The two teens turned around to see him stumbling towards them, his naked body covered by Martha's long jacket.

"Thank you…Thank you so much," he said with pure gratitude, looking at the two with eyes full of light, appreciation, and recognition of all they had done.

Peter let out a quiet chuckle before crossing his arms confidently.

"It's nothing, just…all in a day's work Doctor Connors," Peter humbly said, relishing speaking those words once again.

"Well it means everything to us Spider-Man, we'll – I'll never forget this," he gratefully said to him before turning to Laura, "The both of you, Thank you…" he bowed his head to the girl who did the same.

"...all in a day's work," she reiterated before turning away with Peter.

"Before you go, I just want to ask one thing," Curt asked, causing the heroes to turn back. "Who are you? I want to be able to remember the hero who helped save my family's life and my own as well," he passionately asked, surprising her.

She looked at him for a moment and then back to Peter who simply crossed his arms.

She didn't need to see his face to see the smile he had.

She pondered about what her name should be.

The Facility had created her to kill, and they had enhanced her claws to do so.

But her claws – her talons, were the reason why The Doctor was cured…

She smiled at Peter giving him a nod before turning to the people she saved.

"Talon. My name is Talon," she stated confidently.

"Thank you for saving my family, Talon," he warmly said to the girl.

Peter nudged her with his shoulder as she simply nodded at the Doctor.

She liked this.

"Talon, huh?" He said her name in his mouth, feeling how it sounded before chuckling, "I like it."

She liked this a lot.

"What are we going to do about the Kingpin Curt?" Martha worryingly asked.

"I wouldn't worry about that, he's next on my list," Peter said as he reassured the family. " I just need to figure out who he is…" he muttered which prompted Curt to speak up but Laura's voice silenced his

"I know who he is, and I know where he is," Laura stated to the shock of everyone around her, "I won't let him hurt you," she reaffirmed Peters's words, calming the family down.

Before he could even ask her who The Kingpin was, Peters's attention was pulled to the sound of sirens which caused everyone to perk up

"We lost them," Peter said as he mocked Laura's voice.

The family looked at them confused for a moment.

"We kinda stole your car to come to your rescue," Peter said nervously, causing the family to laugh, "It's okay," Curt responded. "We uh, we also broke a lot of laws while driving it…and it's kinda damaged," he added.

They raised an eyebrow at him as Billy let out an innocent chuckle.

"Our car was destroyed yesterday," Martha said to the two heroes.

Peter was left dumbfounded for a moment.

"Oh...you wouldn't happen to have two cars would you?" he hopefully asked.

"No," she responded.

All of them, with the exception of Laura, just stared blankly as they realized they hadn't taken the Connors family car.

They could hear the sound of police cars opening and closing in the distance.

"And that's our cue to leave," Peter said to Laura as he turned to make a run for it.

She rolled her eyes and followed suit.

The family let out a laugh as they looked at the two with smiles and gratitude plastered all over their faces.

"Go Spider-Man and Talon!" Billy yelled gleefully as he watched the two heroes disappear into the dark. They looked at each other and smiled at that.

Spider-Man and Talon.

They liked that.

"Wilson Fisk is the Kingpin?" Peter asked, gazing at the tower in the distance.

"Yes," Laura answered, eyes narrowed at the highest floor where she knew the man was sitting, "He hired the facility to kill for him once – they used me," He averted her eyes from the tower and looked on at the boy who she knew wouldn't judge her.

"Maybe it's best if you stay here while I go and introduce myself," Peter recommended to the girl who still believed his plan to be borderline suicidal.

"I still do not like your idea," she staunchly affirmed the belief that just waltzing in his tower – in his current state, was beyond foolhardy.

"Don't worry, I can take on a fat guy even in the worst of conditions," He boasted as if Wilson Fisk was the only threat in his tower, "He doesn't have any superpowers, right?" Peter instantly questioned the girl, just wanting confirmation that he was dealing with an overweight man and not a superpowered overweight man.

Laura shook her head.

"I'll be back," Peter told her, turning his back to make his entrance but the girl still refused to let him go, and made an attempt to keep him on the rooftop they were situated on. Initially, she went to grab his hand but stopped herself, The sudden burst of movement though was all that was needed to stop his advance and cause him to turn around, looking at the girl questioningly as Laura tried to form the words she was going to say.

He looked at her questioningly as she formed the words she was going to say.

"Don't…don't do anything stupid," she pleaded for him to do, wanting him to return once it was all over.

"I'll try, just for you," He comforted the girl before leaping away.

Grandiose and lavish doors were blown completely off their hinges as the men who guarded it violently came crashing into the room, making way for the superhero who walked into the large office which contained items and furniture that displayed inconceivable wealth.

"I got an appointment to see a Mr. Fisk. I checked in with the secretary but for some reason, she called security on me," Spider-Man said with mock ignorance, walking on the clean white marble floor while never breaking eye contact with the hazel ones who were unthreatened or phased by his abrupt appearance.

"I can only imagine why," The man in the white suit remarked in his deep and stoic voice which reverberated throughout the room. His elbows rested on his table, hands clasped together in a sophisticated way that put up the front that he was a man who called for respect.

"Probably because I'm also here to meet The Kingpin of Crime," he spitefully added.

"I don't know what you're implying," He casually denied the accusation they both knew was correct.

"Let's take a step back here. We haven't been properly introduced, have we?" The web-glazed hero said as his casual demeanor quickly shifted into one of seriousness, "I'm the guy who's gonna stop your plans. You're going to leave the Connors family alone, and I'm gonna bring you to the nearest police station and-"

"-And what? arrest me?" he taunted the hero who stood across from his desk and let out an amused laugh.

"Yeah, I'm glad you already know what's going to happen – makes things a whole lot easier," Spider-man stated but the man merely leaned back in his chair, amused by the boy's thought process.

"Alright, let's say I allow you to do all of this, what are you going to arrest me for, boy?" He asked him with a smug and superior expression which only grew at his naïve answer.

"For…turning Doctor Connors into a giant lizard," Peter confidently answered which prompted the man who had plenty of width to chuckle.

"And how did I do that?" He asked the boy who answered that he sent men to the Connor's family home.

"And where are these 'men' you speak of?" Fisk rhetorically asked once again, prompting the boy to pause, "Oh wait, they're dead. Connors killed them – devoured them, what's left of those paltry men being intertwined with his waste," he sneered with his disgusting face folding into itself as he smiled.

"If anything, I should go to the police station right now and-" With one hand Peter flung Fisk's desk across the room, having it shatter into millions of pieces as it smashed into the wall.

"You're gonna do nothing to the Connors family," Peter hissed with the utmost hate which was reciprocated by the man who stood tall, dwarfing him with his size but contrary to the sight, the boy was a whole lot more powerful than the man.

"Or what? You're going to fight me?" he goaded the boy who unleashed his stingers at the man.

"I'll pop you like a balloon," He threatened through his teeth, reminding the man that it was not Spider-Man who should be standing his ground, but the suited man instead.

Fisk yielded, stepping away from the boy and turning to his windows which displayed all of New York before him, "I have all I need from Connors and his pathetic family," Fisk bitterly stated, eyeing the boy's reflection.

"Just because you're done with them doesn't mean I'm done with you," Spider-Man growled at the piece of filth before him, "You're coming with me," He demanded but the man remained in his spot.

"I am going nowhere," he casually rebuked, though the police sirens said otherwise, which the hero pointed out.

"You think they're coming for me?" He asked with sheer disbelief at Spider-Man's statement which amused him greatly, "They're here for you," Fisk informed, dumbfounding the hero.

"You must be delusional because last time I checked I'm not a criminal!" he argued back to the man who scoffed.

"You should check again boy because the records say I'm Wilson Fisk, multi-millionaire philanthropist, owner of Fisk Industries, and co-owner of Damage Control and you're a vigilante who hurt my men and threatened my life," he gestured to this shattered desk.

"I've got proof that says otherwise!" Peter yelled back, growing increasingly frustrated at Fisk's sly and confident answers which simmered his blood.

"And where is this proof? Is it the scientist who turned himself into a monster? Or the word of a masked vigilante who could be anyone?" He challenged the boy's empty threats, not at all feeling jeopardized.

Peter started to stutter which caused him to laugh.

"You've got nothing on me boy and if you don't want to hear it from me, hear it from him," Fisk pointed from behind Peter.

He turned around to see…

"Daredevil?" the young boy exclaimed, seeing the man who dressed in a Kevlar suit of deep reds and dark blacks appear from the shadows behind him, a stoic, almost disheartened and resigned look on his dirty scruffy face.

"Let him go Spider-Man," Daredevil said calmly, much to Spider-Man's confusion.

"But DD he's-"

"He's right," he flatly stated to Peter's surprise.

Fisk merely smirked at this.

"We can't just let him go unpunished," Peter yelled as the vigilante went to his side.

"We won't," Daredevil eyed the man while putting his hands on the young hero, "Mark my words, he'll be going to jail with the rest of them but not today, today he gets to enjoy his stolen spoils for however much longer he has," he hissed at the man who scoffed at him.

"We have to go," The older man was the first to make the steps out of the room which reeked of riches earned from the blood of others as the 'man' who caused mass suffering for his own gain dusted his suit, smiling at the victory he had over them.

"Next time we meet Spider-Man you're going to wish that you never came back. New York isn't your city anymore, just ask your friend here. I'm sure Mr. Murdock, would be glad to explain the whole situation to you," he said, taking great joy in his power, his influence, his victory – his knowledge as the two heroes heard his triumphant laugh echo through his halls.

There was an uncomfortable silence that was shared between the two who stood blocks away from the tower and the man who left Peter with so many questions that he couldn't even begin to talk less he stutter and spew incoherent sentences.

"It's…it's good to have you back, Spider-Man," the older man spoke up with a proud and gracious smile upon gazing at the boy who was typically worse for wear.

"...he…he knows who you are…how?" Peter asked, still taken aback by the revelation which was a tight secret.

If he knew that…what else did he know?

"That's…that's not important right now, what is, is you being here," He stated in a voice that was inflicted with relief that was plagued with over-encumbering exhaustion that was on full display. The man whose name was Matt Murdock was tired, his suit torn and dirtied as his smell reeked of sweat and blood that worried the boy who had never seen him be this desperate before.

"How…how bad is it?" he hesitantly asked however their conversation took an abrupt turn when the man sniffed the air and raised his signature multi-purpose clubs instantaneously.

Peter asked and Daredevil began to speak, however, he stopped as he sniffed something coming at a fast rate, instantaneously retrieving his signature multi-purpose billy clubs in response.

"What is it?" Peter asked, putting up his guard as well just as the man did but his answer would instantly drop it.

"Someone is coming our way, a girl…" he detected the scent which had a faint semblance of one he knew but couldn't pinpoint – leaving him perplexed, which was advanced by the boy's instant relaxation.

"Oh, she's with me," Peter gladly stated, causing the horned vigilante to holster his weapons in surprise at the fact that Spider-Man – the loner boy was working with someone for once.

Daredevil was left utterly dumbfounded, blown away, and caught off guard when the girl landed next to the boy, her scent being one he most definitely recognized – most definitely knew.

Laura did the same, staring at the blind vigilante with a surprised expression on her face as well.

She recognized his scent too.

She knew him…

"Daredevil, this over here is Talon. Talon, this is Daredevil, another one of my superhero friends," Peter introduced the two who stared at each other blankly.

"We've met before," Laura informed Peter, eyeing the lawyer with her emerald eyes.

"What?" Peter tilted his head in confusion.

"I thought Captain America arrested you?" Daredevil asked with sheer disbelief.

"What?" Peter asked once again.

"He let me go," Laura answered, putting a surprised expression on Daredevil's face which morphed into a smile.

"What?" Was someone going to explain what they were talking about? Captain America arrested Laura? And somehow she knew Daredevil? And what about Captain America, the sentinel of Liberty, the living legend, his childhood hero and idol arresting Laura?

"I was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D. months ago, arrested for the killings I had committed while under the facility. He acted as Captain America's legal advisor when he captured and interrogated me," She gave Peter all the answers he needed while also confusing him further.

"Oh," Peter replied.

"What are you doing here?" Daredevil asked her with extreme interest, looking between both the girl and the boy he knew and cared about.

"Helping people, with him," she stated gently, looking at the boy who had done so much for others – for her.

The blind vigilante lifted his brow in complete surprise before completely registering what she said before huffing, "That's… good," he proudly stated watching on with a growing smile as she turned her attention to Peter.

"How did it go?" Laura asked, observing if he sustained any new injury.

Peter scowled, "Went as good as that Broadway musical of me," He bitterly spat but upon noticing that she did not get the reference, he told her – much to instant disbelief which quickly became frustration, that nothing happened, that they couldn't do anything, that the cops came for him.

"What?" She hissed in bafflement, turning her attention to the man who she knew was an expert lawyer and now a vigilante like Peter – who knew who Wilson Fisk really was.

Daredevil told her the same thing he told Peter and she scoffed.

"Just because we can't touch him now, doesn't mean we won't be letting him continue to walk. I've set up a meeting with DeWolff to deal with him," Daredevil let Peter in on his plan to take down the Kingpin.

"How'd ya do that? I thought she hated us," Peter asked, genuinely intrigued how he brought the commissioner he's only ever seen on TV bash him and the other superhumans who did her job for her.

"She doesn't, but she doesn't have a choice. Fisk has the mayor and the force all under his payroll alongside most of the crime in the city – if not the state, possibly the country," Daredevil informed the surprised Peter who doubted his words.

"Even the Maggia?" Peter asked as he knew Hammerhead wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Fisk has forced the Hammerheads to work with the Nefarias," Peter's eyes were practically bulging.

"Hammer Head and Madame Masque?"

"Unlikely allies," Daredevil said.

"What about Tombstone? I thought he was supposed to be 'The Bigman.' There's no way he'd let Fisk take control of his entire empire," Peter said as he recalled the pale man in a suit.

"Fisk has. He's turned Tombstone's entire drug operation into his own and has used most of his fronts as a means to smuggle in more than just drugs," Daredevil added, implying things that didn't please Peter.

Things which angered Laura.

"Fisk is smuggling illegal weapons from and into the country, alongside humans as well," He said bitterly and Peter could feel his blood boiling, Laura on the other hand was struggling to not make the tower before them covered in blood.

The only thing that stopped her was the red and blue hero that stood beside her right now.

"No way…" Peter uttered with disbelief.

"That's not it," Daredevil added, surprising Peter even more.

"Fisk is in business with a new organization that traffics superhumans. The number

of superhumans grows each day Spider-Man, people are starting to take notice," Daredevil said as he looked at the horizon," And more importantly, people want to capitalize. They want their hands on human beings who can lift tons with a finger, who can fire lasers out of their eyes, who can survive a nuclear bomb without even a scratch, or create cities with a flick of their finger. Fisk is working with these traffickers, in turn, they give hundreds of millions – even billions, of dollars to fund his campaign, which he perpetuates by buying up property and making it expensive, forcing others to turn to him – to a life of crime, He stated with the utmost disgust his voice could muster while the boy was caught completely off guard by the sheer scale and impact the man who he once stood in front of had.

A man he allowed to come into power.

"This…this is all my fault," If he hadn't left, if he was there to stop him, if he did, then none of this would be happening…

Laura's anger did not stop her from wondering how all of this was his fault. This sizable operation may have taken hold with his disappearance but she had more of a part to play in helping its rise than he did.

She killed people to help him rise.

All Peter was the gatekeeper whose absence allowed for it to quietly set in.

She aimed to tell him that – to absolve him, but Matt Murdock beat her to it.

"It's not, Fisk has been planning this for decades," Daredevil said adamantly in a vain attempt to console him.

"And I gave him the perfect opportunity to enact it!" Peter said as he was enraged with himself.

"You're back now, that's all that matters and with you now with us, we'll be able to burn his empire to ashes," Daredevil consoled, intriguing Peter.

"'We?'" he asked.

"Fisk has almost all of the super-criminal underworld – that's not in Rikers or the Raft, under his payroll. We can't beat him by ourselves, so I'm assembling a team that will meet with DeWolff on the nineteenth precinct tomorrow," a team…Peter didn't know how to feel – he didn't play well with people who weren't The Fantastic Four, and now Laura, but…

"Well…count me in. I know I'm not much of a team player but I'll do whatever it takes to take the Fatman down," Peter said with resolve, willing to compromise and change if it meant bringing the insurmountable foe down.

Daredevil smiled.

"Good, I'll send you the details later. Tomorrow we plan to take the city back. Until then, rest. We need you for this war. Fisk might not look like it but he's afraid of you, it's why he put a cease on all criminal activity the moment he heard of your arrival, it's why he only stepped out of the shadows when you left," Daredevil stated to Peter's confusion, not being able to see the reason which was as clear as day but not questioning it.

"With you on this team, I know we can take him down," Daredevil said with complete conviction, signaling the end of their conversation for now, but the man still needed to say something…

…to both of them.

"And Peter…I meant what I said, it's good to have you back. You're one of the few I trust now," the man without fear confessed to the promising boy whom he knew he could trust.

"I won't let you down DD," Peter promised the man who was a part of his superhero circle of people he trusted too.

"I know," Daredevil said with a smile before turning to the girl who observed the trust they had in each other silently.

"And you, I want to speak with you privately," he asked the girl, which didn't bother Peter, and upon looking at the girl who signaled that it was alright, he gave them their privacy where their voices wouldn't be able to be heard.

"So you're with him now," he asked Laura who nodded with a faint smile.

"Why?" The man who knew her history, who knew what had happened to her, what she had done and been through asked Laura who could answer his question with conviction, with pride, with everything in her body telling her that this was right.

"Because I want to help…because I can, meaning I have to," she repeated the core lesson she learned from him which prompted the man to soften his brow.

"You know who he is don't you?" Daredevil stated more so than he asked.

"And he knows who I am," she softly declared a sentence which comforted her heart.

Daredevil understood her words and let out a huff which grabbed her attention.

She could see him smiling proudly.

His approval, his smile – it made her glad.

"You know, if I was given custody to you all those months ago, I would have introduced you to him," Daredevil told her much to her surprise, "He's a good boy, and despite his jokey exterior and age, he's one of the best. Him being here after everything only cements that, but you already knew that didn't you," he said with a small smirk, knowing that the girl could see what he saw in the boy.

"Yes," she nodded, her time with the boy showing her how special he was.

"The both of you are good for each other," he added with a sly smile and chuckle which caused her pale face to turn a lighter shade of red.

Was he implying…

He laughed more at her poorly hidden reaction.

"I assume, I'll be seeing you tomorrow, then?" Daredevil lifted a brow, knowing that this would not be the last he saw of the girl.

"If he is there, then yes," and he assumed correctly.

"Until then…Talon," Daredevil bowed his head to the former weapon, now superhero before heading off to rest for the coming conflict.

Laura watched him leave before telling Peter who was clinging to the wall on the building that he could come back to her side.

"So what was that about?" he curiously asked Laura who answered him.

"He was glad to see me doing this. When I was getting interrogated by Captain America, he vouched for my goodness, like you did for me today," she stated with lips that softened at the sight of the boy.

"Well, we are good judges of character," he praised both himself and his horned friend.

He didn't really know where to go from here.

"This Kingpin talk has left a sour taste in my mouth," Peter said with disgust, scowling underneath his mask as Laura looked at him curiously, "I'll deal with him tomorrow but for the rest of the night, would you like to celebrate that we saved a family today?" Peter asked the girl who pondered his request.

"Yes, we should celebrate," she said softly. Though The Kingpin was still at large, they saved a family, they gave the young boy Billy a life which would include both of his parental guardians being there for him.

That alone was worth celebrating.

He was happy at her response.

"Do you wanna know how Spider-Man celebrates happy endings?" Peter excitedly asked the girl who wondered just what Peter Parker did after giving others their own happy ending.

"How?"

"With a good ole fashioned Neapolitan pizza from this pizza place in the Greenwich village," He stated which confused the girl who raised a brow.

"'Neapolitan pizza,'" She reiterated, unfamiliar with the term.

"Ever heard of it? It's like regular pizza but gourmet," he informed the girl who shook her head, still unfamiliar with the type of pizza.

That's right, most of her time being in New York was spent doing things he didn't want to think about.

"Ever had pizza before?" he asked the girl, hoping that she had at the very least had the iconic fast food everyone has had at some point in their life.

She shook her head again.

Peter's gaze on her faltered…

…there were probably many things in life she hadn't experienced.

"Come, they make the best pizza in all of New York. I'll even get a sixteen-inch pizza for us, it'll be my treat" he eagerly offered, extending his hand out to the girl who looked at it with shimmering eyes.

"Don't you only have twenty dollars?" she recalled the limited amount of money he had.

He embarrassingly chuckled, "Yeah… but I can make it work. I saved the owner's daughter once so I get a lifetime supply of free pizza. Any type I want, as much as I want, and anytime I want," he reiterated the owner's promise which has never taken him up on.

"'Best pizza in all of New York,'" she softly stated his words which he bolstered by saying that it was the best in the country.

She looked at the hand which asked her to join him.

The hand which belonged to a boy whom she had found companionship with, found trust, found solace….

…a boy who helped her find a way to be not what The Facility wanted…

…but what she wanted.

"I'd like to try it, Peter," she answered softly, putting her hand into his, interlacing her fingers in between the spaces and holding it tightly.

"I just want to know one thing: What type of food do you like?" Peter asked Laura, wanting to know what she liked – what she wanted, so he could get her a pizza that she would like with all her being.

"I like…spicy food," Laura answered, not used to expressing what she liked to others.

"Spicy food? I wouldn't have been able to guess that," Peter shrugged, surprised at her confession but excited to know what her taste suited.

"The food the facility served me was bland as it was meant for nutrition – only nutrition. That…that is why I like spicy food as it is full of flavor…and it is one of the few things that make me forget…" she confessed to the boy, her voice lowering as the memories flooded in again.

The more he heard about The Facility the more he wanted to find them – to fight them, to have them cast off the face of the earth, but he couldn't do that, not right now at least.

Right now, all he could do was comfort the girl who's a thousand-yard stare told him that she was reliving her horrible memories.

He grabbed her other hand to bring her back to the present.

She looked at him, surprised and caught off guard when he secured her other hand within his own.

"How about we get a diavola pizza then? It's full of spicy meat that I know you'll love," he exclaimed to the girl with his jovial voice which uplifted and flattered her spirits.

"I-I would like that," she confessed to the boy with an unabashed smile and cheeks which slowly grew more colorful as she gazed at his lenses.

She wished that he had his mask off so that she could look at his face.

"Great! We'll just head back to where our stuff is and I'll order it," Peter exclaimed, abruptly letting go of the girl who tried to hold on but was left disappointed at the bottom of her heart.

She nodded and followed his steps.

"First one there gets the first slice?" Peter asked the girl who stood beside him, the girl who was quickly getting acquainted with his competitive nature.

Who was finding herself amused by it.

"If you want the second slice you can just say it instead of making a pointless competition where you know I'd win," She intentionally stated, provoking the boy in a friendly manner who reciprocated it with a smirk.

"Oh, it's on," Peter said determinedly as he abruptly took the first step in their race.

He lost.

Laura sat quietly on a tall rooftop that was beside the small pizzeria, donning the pink shoulderless sweater she had worn earlier once again.

She gazed at the soft violet sky as she pondered about today's events. Her argument with Logan felt like ages ago. She had met the Fantastic Four who had greeted her warmly as if she were a part of their family – they had even included her in that family to an extent and she had met Daredevil – Matt Murdock, a man who she thought she would never see again.

She had saved a family today.

She felt good today.

She felt right today.

She felt like a person today.

She felt like a hero today.

And it was all because of a boy named Peter Parker.

In that moment as she stared at the sky, the mention of his name made her heart flutter. It provided warmth in places that she now realized were cold.

It made her smile.

She had instinctively brought a hand close to her chest the more she thought of him.

She dropped it though as she heard him plop behind her.

She looked at him as he carefully made his way towards her with a ginormous box of pizza in his hands which smelt delightful.

"Okay…" he said, gently approaching her, being careful to not drop the pizza he held in one hand while he held a plastic bag of drinks in another. He handed her the bag of drinks as he plopped himself next to her, placing the box in between them.

He took off his gloves along with his broken web-shooters, and lifted up his mask over his nose as Laura watched him lick his lips fondly.

"Ho, ho, ho," He exclaimed, opening up the box which released steam that made him shiver in excitement.

Boy, it looked good.

The fresh mozzarella shimmered with a heavenly light, and the tomato sauce filled his nostrils with a pleasant smell that made every cell in his body want to devour the cheesy dish and the spicy sausage looked like it was cooked by the gods themselves.

He raised his gaze to look at Laura who was looking at him with a soft expression on her face.

He nudged his head towards the pizza, gesturing for her to take the first slice.

"Go on, you get the first slice since you won. I promise you'll love it," he told her with a smile that amused her.

She nodded and went to slowly grab the pizza with one hand. She immediately used her second one though as the cheese on the piece she grabbed was getting dragged off by the other slices which she sought to prevent.

Peter chuckled as he saw her awkwardly take out a simple pizza slice.

She looked at it briefly, observing all the ingredients before finally taking a bite out of it.

Peter watched as she chewed ever so slowly on the Pizza.

It was cute.

It took a while but she finally swallowed the bite she took.

"How is it?" he eagerly asked, hoping that she liked it.

"It is good," she did.

It was really good.

The cheese had a nice creamy and chewy texture, the tomato sauce was perfectly sweet, and the spicey meats on it provided flavor that was much to her liking.

This was much to her liking.

"Yes!" Peter exclaimed, happy to see that she was pleased. Now it was her turn to watch as he took his own slice with ease, however she would race a brow when he started coughing a few seconds after taking a bite.

The pizza was spicier than he remembered.

He tried cooling his mouth down with the coke at his side but the burning sensation from the spice combined with the burning sensation from the soft drink created hell in his mouth.

The pizza was really good though.

He noticed Laura looking at him again, a concerned expression on her face.

He let out an embarrassed laugh, "Spice…isn't really my strong suit," he admitted, cooling his mouth more with the soft drink he nearly downed in one gulp.

"Then why did you order the pizza?" she questioningly asked, wondering why he would get something that was not his strong suit.

"Cause… you'd like it," he answered, explaining why, which caused her to look down.

"Could you…remove your mask?" she asked him softly, looking back up and gazing into his lenses which she wished were removed so that she could look into azure eyes that were full of light that she wanted to see.

"Why?" he asked her, tilting his head in confusion.

"I like it better when it's off," she admitted, sparking a reaction from Peter who found himself all of a sudden wondering if the pizza was spicier than he imagined because all of a sudden it felt like he was getting heartburn alongside a roasting of the cheeks.

He was reluctant but his spider-sense would tell him if anyone was looking.

He took off his mask and she looked at him for a good while which got him all nervous.

She much preferred looking at his long angular face and his bright blue eyes than she did his mask. She enjoyed looking at the hair that blew in the wind, the Caucasian skin with blemishes of pink, the mouth that had laugh lines, and more importantly, the eyes that displayed everything who he was.

"So uh…how'd ya like today?" she nervously asked the girl whose gaze melted away every wall he had.

"I liked it a lot," she sincerely stated, taking another bite from the pizza which brought her great pleasure with Peter doing the same.

"Is every day like this for you?" she asked, wondering if she should start expecting the rest of her days to be like this one.

"Well…it's not every day that you get new powers and find out you're part of a secret race of people but outside of that…yeah, pretty much," he looked up, browsing his mind and comparing it to the rest of his other days, "Sometimes it's hard though, actually, a lot of the time it's really hard…" he paused, recalling all the events that transpired in his life – the nightmare sights, the disheartening days, "but that sight with the Connors, seeing them be so happy and relieved because of us…knowing that I at least do some good…makes it all worth it in the end," he told the girl with all his heart.

She noticed the wording he used, the guilt that secretly infected his words…

"You do a lot of good," Laura stated, causing him to look at her with surprise, "Many people would have just killed him and been done with it, but you went out of your way to cure him, even allowed him to retain his arm," she admirably stated, knowing full well that if it was anyone else who wasn't Peter Parker, they would have just killed the desperate Doctor instead of conducting the painstaking task of curing him.

"Well, that's what we do Laura, we do more than just save people, we help them too," he said with a gentle smile she reciprocated.

"You care a lot about people," she said with adoration that flattered him greatly.

"I'm not the only one," he retorted with an infectious smile that made the girl's own display of happiness increase.

"I want to do more of it. I want to save more people…with you," she earnestly confessed with passion and drive that surprised the boy but he looked away, causing her expression to instantly change into worry.

Did she say something wrong?

"I appreciate it Laura…but…I work alone," he said with hesitance in his voice but Laura furrowed her brow upon noticing his doubtful answer.

"The Kingpin is still out there and with what Daredevil said, you need all the help you can get," she strongly stated, not taking "no" as an answer.

He shook his head at this though.

"Maybe I do, but this is my responsibility, not yours. The Kingpin is here because of me and I have to be the one that stops him…alone," he declared, putting up the fiercest voice he could muster but try as he might, he could not hide his uncertainty – his sorrow which she recognized.

"...It's better this way," he muttered in a voice she recognized as well.

"How?" she pried, sparking the boy to turn to her with pained eyes.

"Because I'm the only one who gets hurt," he admitted to the girl who looked at him with complete understanding, "Laura…the people near me…when they get involved…they get hurt and I don't want them to get hurt. I don't want you to get hurt," he confessed to the girl who found herself now on the opposite end of the conversation she gave to those who got close.

She knew what would happen next.

The distance, the withdrawal, the disappearance…

"I can take care of myself!" she yelled, refusing what he was trying to do but Peter wouldn't give in. He would try – no matter how hard it was, to get the girl out before she dived too deep into his life.

"You already got your neck snapped, Laura-" he passionately argued, fearing for her safety.

"-And I came back," she argued back, refusing his efforts to have her just cease the path that she liked, that she wanted to be on for as long as she could remember, the path that he showed her.

"And what happens when you don't!? I don't want you to die, Laura…" he expressed his utmost want which caused the girl to freeze upon hearing just how much he cared about her. The fear in his eyes to have people get close – the trauma of losing ones who were, it was on full display to the girl who could relate in ways no one else could.

"You're scared that I might end up like Gwen, aren't you?" she asked him softly, knowing the source of this conversation – of his fear, of his pain.

"I'm scared that you'll end up like everyone else who gets close," he admitted to the girl who sympathized with his pain – who shared it.

"Everyone who gets close to me gets hurt too," she said, placing a hand over the pendant which belonged to someone dear – someone now out of her reach, "But I am not like everyone else, and neither are you," she stated, drawing one of the many parallels she had with him.

"I was created to be the perfect killing machine. Anything short of drowning, decapitation, or complete annihilation will not kill me. I am an expert in every martial art, stealth, strategy, deception, I know every possible way how to kill a person, I know-" She listed off her numerous skills, trying her best to sway the boy who reluctantly listened.

"Alright, Alright, I get it, I get it, but still, I-"

"-You do not have a say, I will help you, whether you want it or not," she strongly stated. It would not matter if he did not want her, she would assist him tomorrow, the day after that, and the day after that.

She would help him as he helped her.

"Why?" Peter sincerely asked her, wondering why she refused his efforts, why she wanted to stay by his side…

"Because…I do not want you to die too…" she confessed to the boy whom in this day alone made a connection like no other with, "...Because with great power comes great responsibility. I have the power to help, to do good, so I must," she stated softly with a smile, catching the boy who was completely off guard – completely touched, by her words that he should've seen coming.

He let out a small laugh, "What happened to not being a hero?" he playfully asked.

"You showed me that I was wrong," she stated fondly, brushing her hair to the side to show him her tender look.

They shared a gaze but he quickly looked away…

"You should know that not too many people like me," he said once again trying to fruitlessly dissuade her from her choice.

"That does not concern me," she answered in a low voice.

"Some of them aren't just villains."

"It doesn't matter what they are, if they start a fight, I will end it," she threateningly declared, unsheathing her claws to display to the boy that she was not scared.

He got the point and she quickly put them away.

He let out a sigh and looked at her softly.

"Are you sure about this?" he hesitantly asked her, finally realizing that she would not be swayed.

This was the surest she had ever been in her entire life.

"Yes," she firmly declared, looking at him with a soft gaze.

He let out a smile while briefly closing his eyes.

"Well, then partner, to Spider-Man and Talon?" he said as he lifted up his pizza into the air.

She lifted up her own pizza slice, "To Spider-Man and Talon," she finished with a smile.

They bit into their pizzas together, and Peter found himself coughing almost immediately as Laura stared at him with complete amusement as he downed his soda only to instantly regret it, again.

"You know, despite my taste buds being completely annihilated and my mouth in constant agony when I take a bite, I actually really like this," he said with a chuckle.

Laura let out a small giggle at that.

Her giggle surprised him to his core and when he turned to look at her, he was met with the most beautiful small smile that he had ever seen plastered on her gorgeous face as she looked at him with her enthralling eyes of emerald while her long majestic onyx locks flowed gently in with the soft wind.

He let his mouth go on autopilot.

"You know you should stop glaring every now and then, you're really beautiful," He told her with a smile, catching the girl completely off guard.

He registered what he told her almost immediately.

"S-sorry…I-I…," he was stuttering, oh, he wanted to punch himself in the face.

He looked away from her.

She kept her gaze on him.

&*^$, he hated his mouth.

She remembered the things he called her earlier.

Why can't he ever shut up?

Smart. Beautiful. Kind.

He didn't know what he hated more, the intense heat on his cheeks or his heart literally screaming at him for not knowing the most basic human skills.

While she found his ceaseless talking to be headache-inducing sometimes, it was nice, it was comforting, and it reminded her that she wasn't alone.

God just kill him now before he did it himself.

He was too embarrassed to wonder why it sounded like the pizza box was moving.

He felt a small weight on his shoulder and the intoxicating warmth that came with it.

What?

He turned his gaze to see her resting her head on his shoulder.

"I will try," she softly stated, finding her place on his shoulder.

He was glad that she couldn't look at him because right now his face was just about as red as his mask. Laura was dealing with her own issues, finding herself nervous for the first time in her life, fearing that he did not like what she had done to the spike in his heart rate.

She was relieved when she heard it go down and felt his shoulders relax immensely

It took a while but he managed to get words to come out of his mouth once again.

"So…this...this institute of yours…you live there right?" he asked her, remembering that she briefly mentioned that there was a place for mutants and that she had been there for a week.

"Yes," she answered, shifting her head to get even more comfortable on his soft and warm shoulder.

"And the people there are like us? powers and all?"

"Yes, if you want, I can inform the professor and we can come to your house tomorrow and talk about your enrollment," she said as she was informed of the procedure they conducted when recruiting mutants with families.

She could feel his muscles get stiff.

"You are worried that if you enroll that the others will also be put in danger," she stated more so than asked, Peter hesitantly nodded, "Do not fret, the headmaster alongside another student are powerful telepaths that can render the whole world – including you and me into vegetables if they were pushed. One of the teachers has complete control over the weather, and the other one – the man I was cloned from, has all my abilities alongside an adamantium skeleton which makes him virtually indestructible," she stated, quelling his worries.

"Does he growl too?" Peter asked with a small laugh.

"Yes," she simply answered, causing him to chuckle more.

"Great," Peter said as he finished a slice of pizza. The girl had noticed it and grabbed one from the box before handing it which pleased him greatly.

"Thanks," he said as he took it with his left hand while her head rested on his right shoulder.

"So the students, do they also have emotional baggage like us?" Peter asked, taking a big bite but also being careful as to not get anything on the girl who rested herself on him.

"No," she wasn't aware of anyone in the institute who had gone through the same amount of tribulations they had.

"Aw… and here I was hoping I could start a club for super-teens who feel sorry for themselves," he said through a mouthful of people.

"I would be the only one who could attend," she said, amused with that possibility.

"Well, no offense to them, they're probably great n'all but you'd be the only person I'd want to attend," he said in a mock whisper. "We're like, two of a kind you and I!" he said to the girl who thought about that sentence.

She thought about how they shared the same fear of losing the ones they loved, how they were responsible for hurting them, and how they carried the insurmountable guilt of doing so.

They had their differences too, but that did not change the fact that they were indeed, "Two of a kind," she reiterated as she crossed her legs which dangled off the rooftop.

She liked that.

"So what are the other kids like if they don't come with an overbearing amount of baggage and angst?" Peter asked with a small laugh.

"A girl our age named 'Kitty Pryde' is a big fan of you, She has pictures of you on her walls and she can phase through objects," Laura said as she remembered the brunette girl.

"Okayyyyy," Peter nervously replied.

"Another one is a boy named 'Bobby Drake' who is exactly like Storm with the only exception of his powers being the elemental opposite," Peter shuddered at that, one Johnny Storm was enough for him.

"Kurt Wagner is also a fan of you, but not to the extent of Kitty. While I haven't interacted with him, the others say he is nice. His mutation causes him to have an imp-like appearance and teleportation powers but despite that, he is a devout Christian," Peter chuckled at the irony.

She continued to give a description of the others but he was noticing a trend, she didn't really know much of the other students.

"How come you don't really know the others well?" He asked her with a raised brow.

"They…aren't like us…" she answered to the boy who she took comfort in – who she found similarity with.

"You mean they aren't baggaged and damaged when you say 'like us' don't you?" Peter said as he understood her tone, she nodded. "You don't hang out with them do you?" he asked her, having walked down the route she was on before.

"I prefer to be alone."

"Well that's a shame Snikety-Snkit, 'cause now that I'm around that's not going to be happening anytime soon," Peter said with a little nudge to her side.

"You are different though," Laura stated, his comment reaching and warming her core, "You understand, they do-"

"-Ughh, don't give me that," Peter exclaimed, shaking his head, "Is that why you don't hang out with them? Because 'they don't understand,'" Peter said as he tried to make his voice as flat and depressing as possible, she nodded and he looked at her softly, "You know I've been there before so believe me when I say, just because they haven't gone through the same things you have doesn't mean they can't understand, it just means the only way they can is if you let them."

"What does that mean?"

"It means, you gotta give others a chance," she didn't respond to that.

"People might not seem like much but if you give them a chance Laura, you'd be surprised," Peter said encouragingly.

"If I gave them a chance, would they give me a chance, if they know what I am?" Laura hesitantly asked as she shuffled in anxiety, in insecurity – in the fear of being judged, of being left alone.

"If they're worth anything, then yes," Peter said as he hoped that she would take his advice.

She thought about his words. The people back at the mansion weren't bad but telling them what she told Peter…"You don't have to tell them everything now," Peter said as he saw the look of hesitance on her face, "But…you know…maybe a nice 'hello' or a 'good morning' could be a start," He recommended.

"I'll…think about it," Laura said as she thought about the others back at the mansion.

"Good," Peter said with a smile, gazing at the horizon with her.

"Anyways, if I agree to join you at this institute, will you guys come to my house tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Will you come?" he asked her, hoping that she would say yes.

"Yes," his hope came true.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then?" Peter asked with an excited voice.

"You will see me tomorrow regardless," she said as she looked at him, still retaining her spot on his shoulder, "But yes, if you agree to join then I will come with The Professor, and we can see each other much earlier."

He liked the sound of that.

"Well then…sure, I'd like to at least hear you guys out."

"I will tell them then," she nodded, glad that he agreed to hear them out and the possibility of him moving in that came with the decision.

"What will we be doing?" she curiously asked, wondering what they would be doing in the day outside of their superhero activities.

"Well, I gotta go to the Daily Bugle first," Peter answered, confusing her.

"Why?" What business did he have to go to the news company that ruined his image?

"I work there."

"Do they not slander you?" Why would he want to work there if they made the city hate him?

"They do, but it's the only job where I can make money to support my aunt while helping people as Spider-Man," Peter shrugged, already accepting the circumstance.

"That's why he does it. So he could support his aunt while helping others," Laura thought. She wasn't surprised by this answer, however, weren't there better options?

"There are the heroes for hire," she recommended, remembering the conversation from this morning.

"See, I don't know them, but I have read about them. While I would love to get paid being able to do this superhero gig it would never work out 'cause I'd do it for free anyway so nobody would pay me, cause why pay someone when they'd do it for free? Now if I was smarter, I would find a way to get paid but I'm an idiot so just helping people is enough for me, despite the fact I'm constantly desperate for cash," he laughed, finding joy in his situation that could be so easily fixed if he were anyone else.

"You may be an idiot-" Laura began to say.

"Hey," Peter interrupted with mock annoyance.

"-But you are a very noble and admirable idiot," she said with adoration, shifting herself so that she could get even closer to him.

Peter's heart found itself getting lifted up to new heights by each word Laura said, by each smile she flashed, by each glimpse he caught of her.

He pushed his luck and put his hand over hers.

She froze a bit, but she ever so slowly found herself putting her fingers over his.

They held onto each other with a gentle lock that refused to be broken.

"Could you say that again? I don't get complimented a lot," he asked in a teasing manner.

"You are a very noble and admirable idiot," she stated once again, willing to entertain him.

"What was that? I couldn't hear you?" he said with a small laugh.

"Shut up," she replied with a laugh of her own, shutting her eyes as she basked in the warmth she found in him, in the peace, in the quiet, in the safety.

He let out a small chuckle and remained silent as he watched the streets.

It was a comfortable silence.

Peter was happy.

Laura was happy.

They wanted this moment to last forever.

Peter looked at her figure with a soft expression all over his face.

"You know… I was wondering about something. You haven't experienced much of life because of the facility have you?" he asked her, wondering if his suspicions were right.

She nodded confirming that they were.

"I was wondering that maybe… maybe I could uh, show you all the things that you haven't done yet?" he nervously asked her, wanting her to experience all the good life had to give just like Aunt and Uncle did for him.

"What do you mean?" she curiously, opening her eyes in intrigue of his request.

"I mean that…when we're not superheroing… I could…maybe… take you to not just the zoo but amusement parks as well…or nice restaurants with a wide array of cultural foods or build that Lego set that's been sitting in my room for months," he's been lazing around from building that lego N-sixty-four but its proved to be a good thing.

She didn't waste a second on answering that.

"I… would…like to do those things with you, Peter," She eagerly expressed her utmost desire to experience things she hadn't yet, things she didn't understand, with him.

Peter was inwardly bouncing around his brain in joy however he had to clarify one thing.

"Now don't expect anything fancy like trips to Paris or five-star restaurants but-"

"I do not need any of those things," she simply stated. As long as she had someone to experience those things with, as long as he was with her, it would do.

"Well…uh…well good, that's good," Peter was surprised by her instantaneous answer.

He briefly looked up to the sky and thanked God.

She closed her eyes as she let his scent fill her lungs.

They didn't say anything for a long time and just found joy and peace in each other's company. It was a small moment of respite in their lives, a moment where they were allowed to express themselves – to be themselves, to be people. They held onto each other for as long as they could before they reluctantly departed and while they were saddened by the day's ending, the promise of seeing each other tomorrow, and the day after it, was what kept them smiling long after they had said their goodbyes.

Peter arrived home much later than intended but upon seeing the smile that was on his face his Aunt quickly forgave him and excitedly asked about his day, most of her questions involving the name "Laura."

Who was responsible for his bright mood,

He answered them with a smile on his face.

He took a shower and entered his darkroom, a smile still plastered all over his face as he thought about the girl he just met.

"Didn't know a girl was all it took to get past your spider-sense," an amused voice said from the corner of his room.

Peter jumped as he watched the figure of Nick Fury emerge from the shadows.

"Does everyone have to break into my house?" Peter said as he looked at the bald African-American man who wore his iconic trench coat alongside his famous eye patch.

"I did it first," Fury defended as he took a seat on Peter's computer chair.

"Yeah…yeah, you did, but you know, there's a thing called a 'front door,'" Peter said with both annoyance and fondness as he took a seat on his bed and looked at the man who ran the world from behind the scenes.

"You're right, next time I'll be sure to knock and explain to your aunt why the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to speak to her nephew," Fury quickly retorted.

"Touché," Peter said with a small laugh as he found Fury's rebuttal funny.

Fury let out a breath in amusement before getting to the point.

"So, you're back now," Fury stated to Peter who simply nodded and said,

"I'm back."

"You're a mutant now too," he stated to the surprise of Peter.

"How?" He questioned as only the Fantastic Four and Laura knew about that but Fury merely smirked and Peter rolled his eyes, "Forgot who I was talking to for a moment," of course, Fury knew.

"Xavier's people are good. If I were you, I'd accept the offer tomorrow. It would do you some good, alongside your aunt as well," Fury had a point, if he left that would greatly relieve the stress she had of taking care of him.

"How come you know about Xavier? I thought mutants were supposed to be this super-secret race," Peter asked as he was wondering how Fury came across this.

"Kid, there's more than just mutants on this planet," Fury said to the surprise of Peter, "You can't hide a race of people for long without others finding out and you can't hide anything from me. Right now, Xavier has an agreement with the president to allow him to mentor and hide mutants away as the government figures out what to do when they eventually become revealed to the public but I'll get to that later. You're going up against Wilson Fisk," Fury said, pulling out a big file from his coat and passing it to Peter.

"You're gonna need to know what you're up against," Fury said as Peter looked at the folder named "Wilson Fisk."

"It has information on the fat man and his operations but nothing steady that can be used to incriminate him. I have agents working on the inside collaborating with the FBI on this," Peter was surprised by this.

"Why?"

"Fisk runs the biggest criminal organization that spans across the country, parts of the world even and he's connected to one of the largest superhuman trafficking operations in the world. We don't know where the trafficking is situated but we know that multiple enemies of the state, alongside enemy countries, are a part of this in an attempt to get a head start in a superhuman arms race. The only exception to that list would be Latveria," Fury finished as Peter skimmed through the file.

"Of course," he thought as he read on the intel. Only someone like Doom would refuse to take part in a superhuman arms race because he was confident that there would be no threat that could best him.

He scanned through most of the file before putting it underneath his bed.

"Do you think that he'll leave Doctor Connors alone?" Peter asked Fury who shook his head.

"No, he already sent men to his house to kill them," Fury flatly stated much to Peter's surprise.

"What?" Peter said as he looked at the eye-patched man in shock.

"They would have killed them too if it weren't for S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel to come and help them with relocation," Fury said to the relief of Peter. "We're going to be moving them somewhere…close by," Peter raised a brow, Fury was hinting at something that, a trait that he hated whenever he did it – why not just tell him directly?

"Moving from Fisk though, that new friend of yours is running from an organization I think you should know about," Fury changed the subject, handing Peter a smaller folder titled "Weapon X-23." he looked at it for a second, looking at the distasteful name written in black ink before passing it back to the man.

"You should know what she is," Fury firmly stated but Peter shook his head.

"I do," Peter adamantly declared.

"She's killed hundreds of people and is currently wanted by multiple government agencies, S.H.I.E.L.D. being one of them," Fury stated again with a tone of voice that Peter couldn't decipher, "I could march to the institute and arrest her, and I should," Fury firmly declared as if he was trying to convince himself of what he should do.

"But…you're not," Peter said following picking up on this attempt.

"No, I'm not," he shook his head, admitting that he wouldn't lay a finger to both himself and the girl.

"Could, 'cause if you did then I'd have to fight you," Sixteen-year-old Peter Parker declared to the most powerful man on the planet who gave him an amused look.

"You'd fight the whole entirety of S.H.I.E.L.D. just to protect her?" The adult man cloaked in shadows asked the boy, intrigued with the answer he knew he would say.

"I'd fight the world," Peter staunchly declared which prompted the man to wave the folder of her in her face, convinced that the boy would be able to answer the question he needed to be answered.

"This file contains all the information about her past that exists nowhere else. It was created by one of the smartest people on the planet, and one of the few I trust. It tells me exactly what she is: a cold-hearted, unkillable, killing machine and one of the most dangerous weapons on the planet, but I don't care about that. I want to know what you think she is," Fury genuinely asked the boy who had just spent two whole days with the girl – who knew her better than the heartless agent who wrote the report.

He gave a soul-piercing glare to the boy with his one eye, silently telling him that the answer he would give now would dictate what Fury would do with her.

"She's a person just like you and me, who's been forced to do horrible things all her life, and it haunts her. But despite that, when given a choice, she chooses to do what's right. She's a hero. And her name isn't 'X-23', it's Laura Kinney. Talon," he passionately informed the man, leaving no room for argument and demanding Fury to rename it.

Fury let out a smile, satisfied with Parker's answer.

"That's all I needed," Fury told the boy with an eager smile, before pulling out a lighter and setting the document which contained sensitive information ablaze, tossing it into the air as both he and Peter watched the folder fade away with dying flames that had nothing else to burn.

Peter let out a smile.

"You're not as bad as you set yourself out to be, Nick," Peter said, grateful for his action.

"You haven't seen me when I'm angry," The man lightheartedly retorted.

Peter let out a mock shiver.

An angry Nick Fury was the stuff of nightmares.

"I do want to know one thing, Peter," Fury asked, gaining the interest of him.

"Being a mutant, does it change anything?"

Peter thought about it for a minute before shaking his head.

"It's the same thing with a different name, Nick," Peter confidently answered to the man who expected the answer.

"I wish it was. but you represent a people now – you hold newer responsibilities. Not too many people know about mutants, but the ones that do overzealously persecute them; it doesn't help that the self-proclaimed 'leader' for mutant-kind is a terrorist."

Peter raised his brow at that, "Wha-what are you getting at, Nick?"

Peter asked as he was hesitant to draw conclusions as to where Fury was going.

"When mutant-kind goes public it'll shake the world to its very core. People will get scared, they'll want answers, and they'll turn to people to find them," He educated the boy who hadn't thought about that.

"I…I still don't know what you're getting at," Peter honestly said, oblivious to what The Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. was alluding to.

"I want to know what you're gonna' do when the world calls for you," Fury bluntly explained, trying his best to disclose what he was getting it while also not directly saying it.

Peter let out a huff, "You already know the answer to that."

"I do, but I want to hear you say it," he eyed the boy who was always of great importance but with the recent revelation, it had been increased by tenfold.

"The same thing I always do, Nick, I'll answer it, because with great power…"

""Come's great responsibility,"" The two declared in synchronization, looking at each other with firm determination, and in Nick Fury's case, hidden Pride.

The look of conviction in Parker's eyes, the spark that Fury saw was more than enough to convince him that the boy would step up when needed.

"Glad to have you back, Spider-Man," he said with a relieved voice, patting the boy on the shoulder before making an exit through his bedroom window.

"Glad to be back," Peter replied.

Peter watched the form of Nick Fury effortlessly slip through his window and he let a simple question escape his lips.

"Nick…. Do you know who took the Goblin gear off of Norman's body?"

As he was halfway out his window Fury paused to look back at him.

Fury shook his head and Peter's heart sank.

"We will find out eventually. Rest easy though Webhead, Norman Osborn is dead, and he'll stay like that for the rest of eternity," Fury said as he left the Parker household.

"Yea…he is…" Peter thought as he was left alone in his room.

He is.

Laura had walked to her room slowly as she recalled the events of today, instinctively putting a hand over her heart, still retaining a smile. The hallways were empty, the lights were off, all occupants of the mansion had long since put themselves to bed, and soon, she would follow them.

She stopped right in front of her door and through her eleation she managed to recognize a familiar scent that patiently waited on her bed. She gave herself a second to hide any sign of emotion before entering her room.

As she expected, Logan sat on her bed, a briefcase in between his legs as he sat beside a simple lamp that warmly illuminated her room.

"Took you long enough," Logan light-heartedly told the girl who narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists.

"I'm not going to stop," she declared as strongly as she possibly could.

To her surprise, he simply let out a soft chuckle before saying, "I know…" he gave her a soft gaze before patting the spot beside him, and she slowly found herself moving toward it.

"Heard you and him saved lives today," he said as she sat down beside him.

She nodded.

"Tell me about it," Logan asked, interested in what the girl had done outside his supervision.

There was so much that had transpired that Laura couldn't figure out where to start.

"...There was… a scientist… who was forced into becoming a monster by a man named Wilson Fisk. Spider-Man manufactured a cure to reverse the transformation and we cured him alongside saving his family," she said as she looked at Logan who was surprised.

"Spider-Man manufactured a cure?" Logan asked with a raised brow, knowing that the task in reverting a mutated scientist took great skill and knowledge that was beyond him.

She nodded, "He used his expertise in the sciences alongside the Doctor's notes to create a serum that would cure the doctor while also allowing him to retain the arm he sought to recover. He thought that with everything the doctor had been through it would be nice for him to get what he wanted," she recalled with a tenderness in her voice that Logan caught.

"So…Spider-Man…he's a brainy?" Logan asked her, wanting to know more about the boy who had spent a whole day with the girl beside him and by all means had a great impact on her.

"Yes…he is incredibly smart with an IQ that rivals that of a young Reed Richards," she said, answering his question as her lips slightly went upwards the more she thought of him.

"Who's that?" Logan asked as he was unfamiliar with that name.

"A scientist who's a part of the Fantastic Four. I met him today," she informed the gruff man who lifted both his brows in utter surprise.

"You met the Fantastic Four?" he asked her with disbelief.

She nodded again, "He took me to their base. He is very close with them and because of that, they greeted me warmly and already took a liking to me because I helped him the day before. I also saw someone I'd thought I'd never see again: his name is 'Daredevil' he was the Lawyer I told you about, the one who took my side when S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogated me," Logan nodded, recalling what she had told him a couple days ago. "I am going to be seeing him again tomorrow alongside a handful of other superheroes with Spider-Man in a plan to rid Wilson Fisk who is the man behind the crime wave in New York," she said, finishing the small part with minor hatred though with all that had happened, it came off as just minor irritation.

Logan took a second to digest all this.

"So…you and Spider-Man…what are you two exactly?" Logan asked as he was curious about their relationship.

"We're… partners," she fondly stated with pride.

"Partners with Spider-Man, huh?" Logan asked again, wanting confirmation which Laura gave with a swift nod, "And you also met The Fantastic Four, who like you?" she nodded again.

"They even gave me the same level of security access they give Spider-Man, allowing me to come and go into their base freely alongside their numbers should I ever need their help," she showed Logan her ever-growing list of contacts.

He let out an exaggerated huff at that.

"Don't tell Kitty that or else she'll latch onto you like a bunch of fleas that'll never leave," he told her with complete and utter seriousness.

"I have no intention of telling her or anyone else," she stated.

"Good."

He noticed something weighing her down.

"Is there anything else you'd like to say?" he asked, trying to get her chest free.

"When we tried curing him the first time, it didn't work. The mutated scientist snapped my neck…I lost control…I-I attacked him…you were right…" she admitted to Logan with guilt at the heart-dropping sight of the wounded Peter Parker clutching his chest.

Logan let out a soft laugh, "I was… but I was also wrong…you can do more than just kill. I was just too stupid to let you prove it to me," Logan shook his head, ashamed of actions he already accepted and sought to amend.

His words surprised Laura who widened her eyes before looking down – touched by his words, and the words of Peter that echoed within her head, "...he also said that ...even after I told him what I was, he said that I was a person…a hero…" she said with endearment and a genuine smile as she brought her hand over her heart once again.

Logan noticed the smile on her face and the gentle tone she spoke used when addressing the boy.

"He was right," Logan stated as he looked up, searching his mind.

Laura watched as she saw him smile at the ceiling, "You know kid…I…I didn't really know what to do with you this past week. A child who was raised from birth to kill, calling you 'problemed' would be an understatement," he said with a small laugh, "Hell, even Chuck didn't know what to do either outside of respecting your space…but…I think I've got the right idea on what to do with you now," he confidently declared as he put the briefcase he was holding on his lap.

She looked at it with keen eyes, "Just one question," he asked her with a gaze that reached into her core.

"Why?"

She paused for a moment

There were so many answers to that question, and yet there was only really one…

"Because I want to help…because with great power comes great responsibility," she stated with conviction that caused Logan to huff.

"That's…That's a good answer," he told her with a smile as he handed the briefcase to her.

She opened it up to be greeted with a sight that left her baffled and eyes completely wide, "Birth certificate, social security number, driver's license, passport, citizenship, you name it," he told her as she looked at the documents.

She looked at the documents where it labeled her parents.

She saw the name of her mother, "Sarah Kinney," and the name of her father…

Unknown.

Her heart sank a bit and Logan gave a solemn gaze.

"You've still got one more thing…" he added, replacing her disappointment with confusion.

She couldn't smell anything else.

"There's a cover, made it so it hides the stuff unnerneath,'" he told her with a sly grin.

At the mention of a cover, she noticed it immediately upon taking all the documents that made her an official citizen of the United States out of the briefcase.

"Go on…take it off," Logan nudged her softly.

She took it off only to be left stunned.

"If yer gonna be a superhero kid you're goin' to have to wear more than just a bra," Laura informed her as she looked at his gift.

She looked at the gray mask with long pointed ears.

She turned to Logan with surprised eyes, it was exactly like his, just excluding the yellow, "Thought you'd like it," he said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I…do…" she gazed at the uniform given to her by him, the uniform which displayed his support, his care, and the new path she would take.

"There's more, Kitty helped me with the rest of the costume 'cause I dunno' what girls like nowadays," he admitted as she pulled out the top half of the costume to reveal a short-sleeved crop top that was black in the middle and gray on the sides. The sleeves had gray stripes as the rest was quite simple with long black gloves, and black and gray pants alongside a belt with a red circle and an 'x' in the middle.

"I know you like them boots of yers so I decided not to do anything for the feet," Logan said and she let out a small smile at his consideration.

He watched as she stared at her mask and he decided to pass on something he wished he learned long ago.

"This is going to be one of the few good things I'll ever say so remember this alright?" Logan said, gaining her attention, and having her keenly await what he was going to say.

"When you're out there, you're going to see things – experience things…and I just want you to remember one important thing. When you're out there bein' a hero, it's not about getting revenge nor is it even about huntin' down the guilty. It's about savin' lives, as many as you possibly can, and doing whatever you see fit to accomplish that," Logan expressed and passed down his core lesson to the girl who not only internalized it, but decided to add a part to it herself.

She nodded but decided to add a part herself.

"It's not just about saving lives, it's about helping them too," she said with conviction to the surprise of Logan.

He was quite proud to hear her say this.

He squeezed her shoulder and nodded his head, agreeing with her new addition and adding it to his beliefs along with the other lesson she told him.

"I'm sorry 'bout earlier…I just didn't want you to be makin the same mistakes I did. I wound up hurtin' a whole lot of people before I started out actually helpin'," Logan shook his head, regret in his voice but the girl absolved him, understanding why he did what he did.

"I almost did that today. I wanted to kill the doctor without even trying to cure him first. He showed me that there was another way," Laura told Logan who smiled at that.

"Spider-Man doesn't sound so bad," Logan bequeathed to Laura what he genuinely thought of the hero.

"He isn't," she passionately snapped, "He is very kind and caring and humorous when he isn't annoying," Logan was surprised by her instantaneous defense of him. "The people who know him speak highly of him and he even gets free pizza from the best pizzeria in all of New York."

"What would this pizzeria be exactly?" Logan asked with curiosity.

"It's located in the Greenwich Village, they make Neapolitan pizzas. He took me there'" Logan widened his eyes at that.

"That is the best Pizzeria in all of New York. It's expensive as hell though, twenty dollars for a twelve-inch…" Logan mumbled as he started stroking his chin, "He gets it for free?" he asked her with a raised brow and glint in his eyes.

"Anything he wants. As much as he wants. Any size he wants. The owner told him that on the day he saved his daughter from dying," Laura stated much to Logan's interest.

"Hmmmm…" Logan said as he started forming ideas in his head,"Well I'm glad he's a mutant now," Logan said with a grin that surprised Laura.

"We detected him earlier," He explained to her, Laura wasn't surprised by this, "Peter Parker, huh?" Logan questioningly asked and she nodded. "Lives in Queens, fifty-one Ingram Street," Logan factually stated and Laura nodded confirming his statements.

"I told him about us, and he said that he'd be interested to hear us out," Logan patted her shoulder, impressed and relieved that they spared them of having to market their institute.

"We'll go to his house first thing tomorrow – immediately after breakfast. It'll be just us and the instructors, no one else," she nodded, liking Logan's plan, "And then the two of you can be doing the superheroing just be careful not to be in the spotlight though, you don't want to grab unwanted attention," Logan made sure to remind her of the threat she hadn't forgotten.

He patted her back one more time before leaving her with her stuff.

She watched his retreating figure, expecting more – wanting more, but she was grateful for all the things they covered.

He stopped at her door frame ever so slightly, there was still something left unsaid.

He just didn't know how to say it.

"And kid..." he said with a bit of nervousness as he looked over his shoulder.

She watched him with keen eyes, eagerly waiting for what he wanted to say.

"You did good," he confidently said before leaving her room.

She was taken aback by this immensely and looked down as she comprehended his words.

He was proud of her.

She looked up towards her mirror and stared at her own visage once again.

She stood up and grabbed the top half of her uniform, putting it over her body in an attempt to see what it would look like on her. She didn't hear the voices that plagued her, she didn't hear the psychopathic and malicious voice that called her things such as 'animal' or 'weapon.'

She smiled to herself as the voice of a gruff man told her that she did good and her heart fluttered when a soft yet strong, jovial voice called her things such as beautiful and kind. She could feel that warmth again, she could feel her heart beating for a singular name. She didn't know what this was but she would allow herself to bask in this nice feeling for as long as she could.

Logan walked outside the mansion to gaze at the stars far above.

"Spider-Man…" he said out loud once again.

He is a superhero, the students looked up to him, and the others spoke highly of him, Ororo, McCoy, Charles…Fury.

He's been requesting those damn documents for days now but Fury always fought him on it every single step, but the moment Spider-Man stands up for her and defends her, he gives him the documents, renames all of her files personally to 'Talon,' and flags them all and when Nick Fury flags something there is no way in hell you could access it, and if you do, he'd know.

He took out a smoke.

"Peter Parker…"

He let out a sniff.

There was no blood coming from her room for two days now.

Whatever problems he might add, whatever he might bring, what he could do for her was well worth the risk.

Logan wasn't an idiot, he knew what he was. If this chance meeting never occurred he would've just used Laura like everyone else – a weapon to be aimed at, cause if you asked him, he would have never imagined Laura doing the things she did today outside his dreams.

There were just some things he couldn't teach her but Parker could teach her those things.

He already has.

She was smiling whenever she was talking about him, she was laughing, she was even excited.

That smile alone was all it took to convince Logan about Peter Parker.

"Parker…" he mumbled as he looked at the stars.

Why does it feel like he's heard that name before?

"I see that you're already looking forward to our new student," a calm voice said behind Logan.

"I am Chuck. After seeing her today – I am. Question is: why are you?" He asked the man sat next to him on his wheelchair.

"Same reasoning as to why I have you, old friend," He solemnly told Logan who knew that the man had great plans in mind that needed specific people.

"Cause' mutant-kind needs a weapon," Logan said, reiterating his words from long ago "He isn't a weapon though," Logan aggressively stated, discarding the notion with passion.

"I know…he's something more…something better…" he trailed off as he looked up to the stars, no doubt brewing about the possibilities Parker brought.

"He's a hero," Logan stated to the man who let out a smile.

"And mutant-kind needs just that: A hero," he informed Logan who knew just what he was planning with his excited tone alone.

"You want him to be a figurehead don't ya?" Logan asked as he knew that Charles had big plans.

Charles nodded.

"That's a lot of weight to put on a kid's shoulder," Logan said in an almost accusing fashion as he narrowed his eyes at the bald man.

"I know, but I have faith that Mr. Parker will rise to the occasion. After all, Logan, isn't that what heroes do?" Charles rhetorically asked as he gazed at the soft light of the moon.

I'd like to end this first arc by paying respects and giving credit to all the creators of the characters used.

Spider-Man created by Stan Lee (1922 - 2018) & Steve Ditko (1927 - 2018)

X-23 created by Craig Kyle (1971) and Christopher Yost (1973)

The Fantastic Four & X-Men created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby (1917 - 1994)

All other characters used are owned by Marvel.

I don't want to stray far from the creators original intentions for these characters and I'll try to keep the core aspects of them.

If anyone from Marvel has any problems and tells me to stop i'd happily oblige cause these characters aren't mine.

If Christopher Yost happens to be reading this, i'd like to say i love everything you've done, I love all your marvel cartoons alongside your x-23 books.

I also like your twitter content.

Chapter Text

A new day had come.

The sounds of birds chirping and trees rustling could be heard as the sun radiated a moderate heat and Laura Kinney had once again woken up from a blissful slumber that was full of delightful dreams that involved a certain red and blue boy.

A boy who she was going to see again today.

The faintest hint of a smile found its way on her face as she got out of bed. Her thoughts were on Peter and the things they were going to be doing today. She had found a purpose yesterday, a mission, a goal: to help, to do good because she could. Such a goal would bring many enemies, many unknowns on top of the ones she already had. She pondered about the possibilities as she sat up on her bed, mercenaries and political leaders were no doubt on Wilson Fisk's AKA The Kingpins payroll, super-powered folk as well…she furrowed her brow as she pondered about the countless possibilities as to how she would deal with such situations…she would gain information from Peter later for no matter how much she was trained, the realm of super heroics was one that was still very new to her.

But it was a realm she wanted to be in.

With fire in her emerald eyes, she got up and found a change of clothes. Before she could do anything, first, she had to deal with the mundane activities of 'normal life.' She had woken up later than she had planned but it was still early enough to use the bathroom she shared with the three other girls in the mansion; The other three spent more time than needed and she did not want to be wasting countless minutes while they wondered what conditioner they would be using.

She left her room, clothes and towel neatly in hand but as she made her way, the dorm next to her opened with a swing.

And out the room came Pryde, her hair in a mess as she looked tired and drowsy. She rubbed her hazel eyes, yawning in the process and upon seeing her raven-haired neighbor, Kitty let out a small smile before waving at her and saying, "Good Morning X."

Laura didn't respond and merely looked at the girl that wore a pair of Fantastic Four Pajamas.

Kitty slightly furrowed her brow at this.

It was odd seeing X get up so late, or well early, well, early for her, late for X. Normally the fierce and quiet girl would always be up and about while everyone else was just getting up, but for once, or well twice cause yesterday, X had decided to sleep in which made Kitty glad because that signaled that she was slowly warming up to the place.

The lack of a morning greeting though did show that the girl needed more time to adjust.

And Kitty actually thought that she was getting somewhere with her after their talk.

Maybe one day she'd-

X paused as she took her first step away from Kitty which caused her to raise a brow in confusion.

Did she forget something in her room?

X turned around to look at her with a flat and unreadable expression which confused Kitty even further but the movement of her eyes showed that she was contemplating something, but what wa-

"...Morning…" Laura said as she looked at Kitty before swiftly turning away and proceeding with her task leaving Kitty completely dumbfounded.

Chapter 9: Slice of Parker Life One

The peaceful and quiet awakening of Laura Kinney was something that Peter Parker would envy for the loud bang of his door opening was the sound that abruptly woke him up from his less-than-stellar slumber. Even though he saved the day, that didn't fix his costume, his web shooters, or even clean the mess of Nick Fury's greatly appreciated, but over-the-top gesture for his approval of Laura and that's not even mentioning the bodies the Lizard ate, must've been weird on the dispatchers end to hear a teenage boy tiredly and nonchalantly give locations of bodies left over by a monster.

The only reason he was up was due to his Aunt bribing him with a large number of wheat cakes and his responsibilities to clean the house for Laura and Professor Xavier's arrival. He forgot to do some research on the guy but Laura lived at the institute and Nick Fury vouched for him, besides, he'd learn the things he could find online in a couple of hours anyways.

He finished the last of his aunt's famous and amazing wheat cakes with a satisfied smile.

He enjoyed them.

He did not enjoy cleaning the already clean living room.

He had the TV playing in the back as he lazily swept the floor. His aunt was busy in the other room, baking her famous cherry pie with increased proportions so that it could feed multiple people with multiple slices.

"Peter, sweep under the rugs too, I want this floor spotless," May ordered, Peter reluctantly complied. "Also, get the handheld vacuum and clean the spots underneath the couch pillows aswell. I know that there's chip crumbs underneath them," May added from her spot in the kitchen.

Peter let out a groan.

"But Aunt May, they won't even notice it," Peter said as those spots were not worth cleaning.

"No 'but's' Peter, I want this spotless for Professor Xavier and Laura. How do you think she'll feel when she sees that this house is a mess?" Aunt May rhetorically asked him.

Considering the fact that Laura had no trouble traversing the sewers he knew that she wouldn't care.

"If you don't do it, I will," Aunt May stated and he let out a sigh.

"I'll do it," Peter said as he reluctantly did what his aunt told him to. After cleaning the floor and making sure it was up to his aunt's standards, Peter got the vacuum and proceeded to do what his Aunt had asked him to do.

He did that mindlessly but stopped because something had caught his eye on the TV and he turned around in interest to see what it was.

He let out a deadpan expression and he knew that somewhere out there, Johnny was laughing.

The mayor had called a meeting for the arrest of Spider-Man after his assault on billionaire philanthropist Wilson Fisk and destruction of the zoo.

"Footage of the assault and of the destruction of the zoo have remained to be missing but injuries and reports from multiple witnesses have claimed that the masked vigilante Spider-Man broke into Wilson Fisk's office at night and assaulted both him and his guards. Along with earlier reports about the masked vigilante speeding down the streets of New York in a stolen car with an unidentifiable accomplice, Mayor Blasio has called a meeting for the possible arrest of the divisive vigilante and the person who aided him with his midtown escapades," A news reporter recapped as the students of the Xavier Institute ate their breakfast with interest.

Some of the students wore their casual clothes while others wore their sleepwear. Laura donned a simple black and white striped tank top along with a pair of black skinny jeans that had multiple straps that wrapped around each thigh. Her boots and pendant were things she always wore but she added a pair of black wristbands on each wrist this time, completing her attire that was adequate for the weather.

She ate quietly as the students gave their opinions on the news that surprised them. She was unphased by it though, with the mayor apparently being nothing but a puppet for Fisk, it was obvious that there were going to be talks about a possible arrest. There was some annoyance from her though as the news had decided to play up the opinions of people that aligned with the story they were trying to perpetrate.

That story being that Spider-Man was no hero.

And that his "Sidekick" would be just as bad as he was.

The students were more so interested in the mention of a possible sidekick than they were in an arrest for Spider-Man due to it apparently being not a rare occurrence for him to come into conflict with the law.

Her brow furrowed deeper and deeper the more she was referred to as his "sidekick."

Logan didn't bother hiding his amusement.

The students bickered amongst themselves, wondering who Spider-Mans 'sidekick' was and what they could do. Each time they unknowingly referred to her as his 'sidekick' a new vein was slowly appearing on her face until a tired and annoyed Laura said….

"She is not his sidekick. She is his partner," Laura stated in a flat and adamant tone which surprised everyone.

"She?" Bobby asked with a raised brow, clearly interested while Kitty was interested in something else.

"H-how do you know that?" Kitty asked in a curious voice as she and the other students looked at her questioningly.

Logan let out a chuckle as Laura soon recognized her mistake.

She paused for a moment before meeting the brunette girl's hazel eyes and stoically saying, "That's none of yo-"

"-It was stated in an article by the Globe," Ororo said over Laura's voice, drowning out her response and grabbing everyone's attention. "I read it earlier this morning and I'm guessing so did you," She finished as she flashed a small smirk at Laura.

Laura looked at the woman with blue irises and vertical-slitted pupils with well-hidden surprise before nodding her head.

"Yes," she said, strengthening Ororo's lie which got all the attention off of her and onto the silk-haired woman.

Laura watched as she furthered her lie, explaining the contents of the made-up article which used untrusted sources about the possibility of Spider-Man's female sidekick which effectively brought the students to believe that it was fake and drop the subject entirely.

Laura watched as she returned to her food, satisfied with her work.

Why did she do that?

"Peter! Are you done cleaning the bathroom!?" Aunt May yelled from downstairs.

"Just finished cleaning the toilet!" he yelled back as he took off the yellow rubber gloves that protected him from the chemicals he used to clean it and the tanker.

"We don't have whipped cream and we're running low on milk; can you go to the store to get the two alongside other things? I'll give you a list and some money!" Aunt May asked.

"Yea! I'll go once I'm done taking a shower!" Peter yelled as he put the gloves with the rest of the cleaning materials.

"Thank you, dear!" Aunt May happily yelled as she went back to baking her cherry pie.

Peter let out a relieved sigh as he wiped his forehead.

His cleaning duties were done and now it was time to take a well-deserved hot shower.

He absentmindedly took off his clothes before stepping into the bathtub.

A hot shower always brought a smile to Peter Parker's face. It didn't matter if he had a bad day, or multiple gashes and holes in his body, a hot shower would always get a groan of relief and a smile out of him.

It also brought out ingenious thoughts which is something he needed because currently he was in the process of brainstorming about making a new pair of web shooters. He needed a new pair because it was impossible to avoid damaging his current ones if he wished to use his stingers and besides, he's needed to upgrade them for a while and he was going to be going all out on these guys instead of cheaping out like he did when he first started out. These new guys wouldn't be made by a fifteen-year-old boy with the purpose to increase his showmanship as a spider-themed wrestler but made by what he would consider a seasoned superhero, with the purpose to save lives and take down the bad guys.

His knowledge had vastly grown since he was bitten by that spider since you can't stop supervillains and mad scientists by just being good at science and math alone.

He'd be using his extensive knowledge to make these new web-shooters as best as they possibly could, they would even be-

"Motion controlled in place of an actual trigger!" Peter yelled out of the blue mid-shower.

Note to self: Do more thinking in the shower, thoughts move more freely.

Peter would continue to spend another fifteen blissful minutes in the shower brainstorming, completely unaware of the time he spent until his aunt came knocking on the door. When she told him about the amount of time he spent on the shower he widened his eyes in surprise and he immediately ceased the activity.

After getting out of the shower he wrapped a towel around his body and went to brush his teeth but froze when he saw something within his reflection which caught his eye.

The wounds he sustained yesterday had fully healed but left some new scars on his body which didn't surprise him at all for he had the great displeasure to witness the scabs that were on his body when he took a shower last night.

He grimaced at the sight of a bite mark on his side courtesy of The Lizard; fortunately, they were faint, in the form of miniature dots where the teeth had pierced his body with no indentation or skin damage in sight which relieved him greatly.

The other wounds he sustained that night from the Lizard had fully healed.

But what captured his attention wasn't the bite mark.

It was the two diagonal slashes that were over his heart.

He grazed them with his fingers for a second before looking at them.

He winced a bit, cringing at the memory and the feeling of pain that came with it.

The painful face he made soon subsided though as a new memory came in.

He let out a smile as he looked at his new scar.

He brushed his teeth and took his stuff into his room, changing into his costume first before putting on a simple yet iconic attire that consisted of a gray long-sleeved shirt underneath a blue t-shirt which was accompanied with brown jeans and black high-top vans.

He exited his room and walked down the hallway towards the stairs but stopped as he noticed that the door to his aunt's room was open.

Common courtesy had led him to close it for her but something on the nightstand had captured his attention and curiosity got the better of him. He entered his aunt's neat and clean room and stared at the table that had a pile of letters which were scattered.

He looked at them with interest but as he sorted them out for his aunt who absolutely hated messes and disorganization but big red font had caused him to freeze and his blue eyes to widen.

Laura had emptied the duffle bag full of cash on her bed with full intention of using it as a place of storage for her costume as Peter did with his yesterday.

She had no issue with leaving all her money there for they all carried her scent which she could easily track. She then opened the suitcase Logan had given her and gently took the uniform he had given her out.

Laura looked at it with purpose in her eyes before gently putting it inside her duffle bag.

She then grabbed a stack from her pile of hundreds of thousands of dollars and took a bill out, putting it in her pocket before putting the rest of the clip in her bag.

She was ready to go now, all that was left was waiting on the others.

Laura exited her room and saw Ororo walk down the opposite end of the hallway wearing a stellar Ankara dress while Logan spoke to her wearing an exquisite black suit.

Laura looked back at her own attire before going back to her room.

She stared at her reflection.

Everyone was dressing nice for the occasion while she was wearing a simple tank top.

She had no need for dresses, nor did she have any desire to get any for they were nothing but nuisances with price tags but there was more than just the desire to do the bare minimum now.

She grazed her lips.

Ororo was wearing lipstick and make-up.

Maybe she had some.

She scoured her other duffle bag, the one that housed her belongings and to her frustration she had none. She grit her teeth and grumbled but ceased as she heard a knock on her door.

The knock was then followed by the opening of her door and she stared flatly at the ebony-skinned woman who had opened it.

"May I come in?" Ororo gently asked.

Laura didn't respond and the silk-haired woman took that as a 'yes' for she had begun to take steps inside Laura's room. She ignored the mess of money that was on the girl's bed and watched in amusement as the girl she only knew as 'x' was crouched beside a bag that presumably housed her belongings.

"I'm sorry for the intrusion but I couldn't help but hear sounds of vexation coming from here, do you need help with anything?" Ororo happily offered as she gave Laura a warm smile.

"No," Laura declined as she turned her attention back to her bag.

Ororo stood there however, an all-knowing smile plastered on her face.

"Well, I was just wondering, that is if you aren't busy…if you would like…to put on some war paint?" Ororo said curiously.

Laura turned to her, a blank expression on her face with underlying confusion which Ororo picked up on.

She let out an awkward chuckle, "That is what we used to jokingly say back home when we applied make-up," she finished with a nostalgic smile. Laura's eyes fell to the grown as her mind held off the urge to reject the offer as she contemplated it. "We have plenty of time before we depart to the Parker household, so if you would like, I could give you some of mine," Ororo offered.

"N-" Laura was about to decline the offer but stopped herself before she could.

"..." she looked down as she remembered Peter's words from last night.

"You gotta give others a chance."

She looked back up to the woman who was still smiling at her, a slight fracture within Laura's stoic expression was all she needed and Ororo's smile grew larger.

"Come, follow me," She said as she gestured for the girl to follow.

She did.

Ms. Munroe's room was vastly different from hers.

It was full of cultural paintings, statues, and clothing, some of which she could pinpoint to be actual authentic imports from Egypt. Photos of ones who she could assume were important to Ms. Munroe decorated her furniture while a wood pendant encased the light above.

Laura followed Ororo as she walked towards her dresser which was accompanied by a mirror with various types of makeup that was scattered across the counter, "Take your pick," Ororo simply said and she gazed at the multiple cosmetics that stood in front of her before picking one.

Laura looked at the woman beside her, wondering if it was alright to use it.

Ororo let out a nod.

"Go on," she simply said as she moved to take a seat on her bedside.

Laura complied, putting on the cosmetic as best she could, careful not to make an error. When she was done she sucked in her own lips and puckered them out, tilting her head as she looked at herself once again.

She felt…better.

"Black lipstick suits you perfectly," Ororo complimented from behind Laura as she watched her admire herself.

"Thank you for this," Laura said with gratitude in her voice.

The ebony-skinned woman smiled, "Anytime child." She's never heard X speak with emotion before, to get a response, much more a 'thank you,' was something that made her smile.

She perked up as she saw the green-eyed girl put the black lipstick back in its place.

"Oh, you can keep that," Ororo said, earning confusion from Laura.

"I never use it anyways so it would be a waste if it remains in my possession. I also did say that I would give you some of my makeup, should you follow me," Ororo said with a raised brow and smile.

Laura looked at her with surprise as she retained her grasp on the small cosmetic.

"Why… are you doing this? Laura asked the silk-haired woman.

"Why did you cover for me?" she asked again as the kind woman's actions had left her confused. This was the second time she was interacting with Ms. Munroe, the first being an introduction she didn't reciprocate.

She had done nothing for her and yet she covered for her and was currently helping her.

"I was once a young girl just like you, you know?" she answered and Laura quickly furrowed her brow in response to this.

"We are nothing alike," Laura started with firm belief.

"Oh really? Cause I would beg to differ," Ororo said as she disagreed with Laura's statement.

"You don't know anything about me," Laura declared as she took steps away from the woman.

"And do you know anything about me?" She countered which caused Laura to pause.

"You are not the only one who has done horrible things. I too, have done them for the means of my survival…at least, that is what I tell myself," Ororo admitted to Laura's surprise.

"The streets of Cairo are different from the ones of New York," she stated with a wistful smile and an underlying look of pain in her eyes.

"I…I didn't know," Laura began as she found herself regretting how she spoke to the ebony-skinned woman.

Ororo let out a small smile, "It is not a story I tell many. Come, Sit," She said as she patted a spot right next to her and Laura sat down. "Now.." she paused softly as she looked at the raven-haired girl, "I won't bore you with my story…well…not now, at least…I just wanted to tell you that should you need anything, anything at all, you can always come to me," she finished in a soft and sincere, almost pleading tone which broadcasted a message that even Laura could pick up on.

That it wasn't just anything, but anytime.

Laura looked towards her new cosmetic gift in her hand as Ms. Munroe's words rang throughout her head.

"And well, if not that, I have clothes from my younger years I believe you might like," she added with a raised brow and smirk.

Laura raised a brow of her own.

"I do have a gorgeous leather jacket," she stated with a raised brow and devilish grin.

Laura let out a small huff.

"Another time then child," Ororo chuckled as she waved off the idea and leant back. There was a moment of silence between the two, but a comfortable one. Though she didn't say much, the way she spoke, the infliction in her voice, the look in her eyes, Laura knew they all told a story which was similar to hers.

She did not regret taking her up on her offer.

She made eye contact with her again, and with the faintest of smiles she looked at the woman with silver-silk hair and genuinely said, "Thank you, Ms. Munroe."

The older woman shook her head and smiled, "Please, we are far past formalities X. You can call me Ororo."

Laura was surprised for a brief second and paused, turning away before turning back and saying, "You can call me Laura."

"Past Due…" Peter mumbled to himself as he made his way toward the closest convenience store. Mixed up with all the mail that was on his aunt's desk was a simple white envelope stamped with bright red font that always made his heart sink whenever he saw it.

Aunt May had missed a mortgage payment.

Peter was still registering it within his mind.

He tried to wrap his head around how his aunt missed a payment for there was no way on earth that she couldn't afford it. She worked at a homeless shelter which was run by a billionaire who paid her enough money to be able to pay for the mortgage and other expenses.

Sure, it would barely be enough to cover all the bills but that's where he came in.

He would pitch in and give her money he made at the Bugle so that she could pay off whatever she couldn't.

He would get paid for his photos and at the middle of every month, he would give his aunt five hundred dollars.

That's how it's always been since he got his job at the Bugle and he's never missed a month, he's…

He…

He had given her less than he should've last month.

Peter widened his eyes as he remembered it as clear as day.

With the death off….

…with the death of Gwen…he hadn't worked and opted instead to give Aunt May what little money he had but he starkly remembered her saying that it was okay.

Aunt May said that she had enough money to cover everything.

She lied.

She lied so that he had time to grieve.

Peter clenched his fists, it was his fault that she couldn't cover this month's mortgage payment.

Here he was thinking about making new web shooters.

He's so stupid, of course, she would lie and say that she could cover it.

Now they missed a payment, a mortgage payment at that, which meant that Aunt May's credit score would go down drastically and that…

Wait…no…Mortgage payments were different from other bills.

"There's a grace period," Peter said out loud with a combination of severe surprise and relief upon remembering that mortgages worked differently from other bills.

Mortgage Payments had a fifteen-day grace period; If you couldn't pay for it on the first which is when it's supposed to be paid, then you had up to the fifteenth of the month to make a payment before there were serious reprimands.

Since it was the twelfth, they still had three more days to make a payment.

There was still time.

Peter started hypothesizing about his current situation.

Aunt May probably still had some money left but obviously not enough to pay the mortgage bill.

All he really had to do was give her the amount he usually did, which would be troublesome because Jameson only paid him fifty dollars for a photo, and while that was good, what made it troublesome was that he would only usually buy six photos for three hundred dollars which he would then use throughout the week for the paper, online articles, or the news network.

Three hundred dollars was the bare minimum he needed with four hundred being the safest amount but Jameson never really bought more than six photos at a time.

The reason behind this was while Spider-Man was something that captured the public's interest and a problem that should have a light constantly cast on it, there would always be something else in the week that had more priority to cover like politics, celebrity scandals, or even other superhero shenanigans.

But Spider-Man's been gone for a month now.

With his return surely J.J. would want more pictures than usual.

He still had a batch of old, unused photos he never gave to ole pickle puss cause they weren't the best photos among the best.

If he sold them all to him then that would put him at five hundred which would be more than enough.

He started to grow a smile on his face.

Jameson would definitely buy all of them, after all, everyone was talking about him yesterday when he made his long-awaited return.

"Maybe things aren't so bad after all," he thought to himself as he had his head up, a confident smile on his face as everything was going to be alright.

He made it to the store in a matter of minutes.

It was a small cozy store that had everything someone like him, who shopped at midnight, needed. He grabbed the things his aunt wanted: eggs, milk, whipped cream, coffee mix, flour and baking powder for Aunt May had used all that was left.

He made it to the checkout where the owner scanned his items before saying, "How'd ya like to pay, Peter?"

"Cash," Peter replied as he immediately went to go into his pockets.

The owner pressed a couple of buttons and opened the cash register as Peter put his hand in his left pocket to grab the money that was in there.

It only contained the list his aunt gave him so he decided to go into his right pocket thinking that he had put it in there instead.

It wasn't in the right one either.

An amused expression found its way on the owner's face as a look of confusion dawned on Peter as he frantically checked all of his pockets for the money he was supposed to have on him.

"You forgot the money didn't you?" The cashier asked with an amused grin.

Peter let out a sigh.

He was so blown away by the mortgage bill that he forgot to take the money.

He would like to retract his previous statement about things not being so bad.

"The hell is taking them so long?" Logan asked no one in particular as he impatiently waited with the other instructors in front of the entrance doors.

"Be patient Logan. Whatever it is Ororo is doing, I believe it will end soon," Charles said as he patiently clasped his hands together.

"You've been saying that for the past twenty minutes now Chuck," Logan replied.

"Why don't you try reading a book, Logan? I find that time goes by quite swiftly when one immerses themselves within literature," Hank said as he turned his attention back to the book that was within his hands.

"I haven't read a book in decades," Logan said as he dismissed Hank's recommendation.

"I'm surprised it's been that recent," Henry said with a chuckle which earned a small growl from Logan.

As the instructors of the institute waited within the lobby, in a different room, the students watched with curiosity as the gathering of their well-dressed mentors didn't go unnoticed by them. They whispered among themselves as they peered from the room they were in, watching the group with keen eyes as they came up with conclusions as to why they were gathered in the first place.

"I think we're getting a new student," Bobby said as he peered his head through the door frame.

"Like, of course, we are," Kitty said with the utmost confidence, "Since when do the professors dress for anything else?" She added.

"All of them seem to be going though, there has to be more," Kurt said as he's never once seen all the instructors go to the standard meet and greet when it came to recruiting someone new.

"What do you think, Scott? You've been here longer than all of us?" Kurt asked as he looked at the young man with red shades.

"I don't know Kurt, I've never seen them all go for one student before and the professor didn't mention anything about a new mutant being detected," Scott said as he looked at the group.

"Maybe it just happened," Jean speculated.

"Well whatever it is, I'll find out," Scott said as he walked out of the room to face the group, full intention of finding out what was happening and why the professor had not informed him.

"Professor, What's all this for?" Scott asked as he approached the group earning their attention.

"None of your business Summers," Logan harshly said but Scott paid no mind to him, though bitter glares were exchanged.

The bald man in question simply turned his wheelchair around to face the young man, "I'll tell you Scott, as soon as Jean stops poking around in my head," He finished with a smirk as he turned his gaze to the direction of the red-haired woman.

Jean stopped her foolish attempts at going through the Professor's head and stepped into the room with Kitty, Kurt, and Bobby following suit as they were also interested in what was happening.

"What do I keep telling you about going through other people's heads Jean?" Professor Xavier said with a raised brow as he looked at the young woman.

"That I should respect their privacy and refrain from doing so," Jean reiterated, "You've been saying that since I was sixteen Professor," She added.

"I know, and you still haven't listened well into your adult years," he said with a level of fondness as she shook his head.

"I've gotten better," Jean defended herself, earning a snort from everyone who was there.

"You are correct about the fact that you have gotten better," Xavier said giving credit to the girl, "but, please do refrain from pulling this on our new student, I doubt he'd like having someone poking around his head."

"None of us do," Kitty muttered, earning a chuckle from Logan who was the only one who could hear the girl's words.

"That's what this is about? We're getting a new student?" Scott asked and the professor nodded.

"Indeed we are. Peter Benjamin Parker, age sixteen and turning seventeen like most of you. He lives in New York Queens with his Aunt and his mutant powers just emerged yesterday morning but due to some…special circumstances, we couldn't reach him," Charles informed the students who looked at each other with surprise.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Scott asked.

The professor simply let out a smile and shook his head.

"No, not this time Scott."

"Wouldn't it be better to have his aunt meet a student though?" Scott asked.

"It would, which is why we're bringing one with us," He simply answered.

"Who?" Jean asked as the students looked at one another wondering who it was that was going to be tagging along.

Logan let out a sniff and the Professor merely turned his attention to the top of the stairs.

Everyone else did the same.

"X?" Kitty asked with disbelief as the raven-haired girl in question stood atop the steps with Ororo beside her and a green bag over her shoulder.

Laura looked past the crowd of students who looked at her completely dumbfounded.

"X... is going with you Professor?" Scott asked the man as his mentor with blatant confusion.

"Yes, she is," he responded as if there would be no issue.

"Are you…sure about this?" Scott questioningly asked for the impression he got from X was that she was the farthest thing from a people person, if that wasn't obvious enough with her preference to be alone and ignore everyone.

"Indeed I am Scott. It is actually because of X that Mr. Parker agreed to see us in the first place," Professor Xavier added, which surprised the students once again.

Laura walked past him and everyone else, not batting an eye as she focused her attention on Logan.

"Have everything?" he asked her as she stood before him.

She nodded.

"Alright then, let's not waste any more time," Logan said as he made his way towards the garage with Laura following him.

The students still looked at her with bafflement all over their faces as the instructors followed both her and Logan.

"Scott, as usual, I entrust you with everything in my absence. If anything happens you know what to do. We'll be back soon and I'll inform you all if Mr. Parker agrees to join us, until then, stay out of trouble," The Professor routinely said as he turned his back to his students who all stared at them, still perplexed about what they heard.

The students made their way to the living room, their minds on the new student as they heard the sound of a vehicle starting.

"Peter Parker huh?" Bobby said as he thought about the possible new student.

"I still can't believe they're all going just for him," Kurt said as he walked side by side with his friend.

"I can't believe that it's X of all who is going," Bobby said, "The professor must be out of his mind to think that having her will convince him to join. One wrong move and she might just kill him…" he said with underlying annoyance as he looked at Kitty.

"The professor did say that it was because of her that he agreed to see us today Bobby, he might be a friend of hers," Jean stated as she recalled the Professor's words.

"She has friends?" Bobby said with complete skepticism.

"Possibly, we don't really know much about her," Jean said with a shrug.

"We don't know anything about her," Scott firmly stated.

"I don't think he's just her friend," Kitty said as her unusual silence was broken.

Everyone looked at her confused, "what makes you say that?"

"She was wearing make-up."

Peter came scrambling home to his frantic Aunt who immediately opened the door for him, a look of panic on her face as well.

"You forgot the money Peter!" Aunt May stressfully exclaimed as she handed him the money.

"I know!" Peter instantly replied as he stuffed the money into his pocket.

"They're gonna be here any second now," Aunt May said, adding fuel to the fire.

"I know!" He replied in a more urgent tone.

"You have to hurry."

"I know!" he yelled as he ran out of the house.

A long black limousine parked on fifty-one Ingram Street.

"This the house?" Logan asked as he pulled over to the side.

"Yes," Laura simply replied from the passenger seat as she looked on at the familiar home.

Professor Xavier, Ororo, and McCoy sat behind them, their eyes glued on the average-looking home. They all got out of the car, grabbing the attention of every passerby due to their fine appearances.

"I was anticipating something a bit more…grandeur in scale," McCoy stated his opinion as he observed every detail of the home the group was walking towards.

"I think it is a wonderful home," Ororo said as she looked at the well-tended garden while escorting Xavier.

"I can see how such a place can house such a magnificent mind, however," McCoy added.

"Eager to meet him, Henry?" Xavier asked with a knowing smile.

"As much as you are, my friend, but for different reasons. While Mr. Parker's…'activities' is what got everyone so thrilled to meet him, I am more fascinated by his mind. From what the records show, he is nothing short of a boy genius, a child prodigy. Top in every class he's in, appropriately named 'Midtown High's best and brightest,'" McCoy said with excitement as he recited his knowledge on Peter.

Logan rolled his eyes as he walked on the steps that led to the front door.

"Yea, yea, we get it, you're in love," Logan said as he looked at the hairy man, "Just keep the science talk to a minimum, we're here to talk about his enrollment, not trans-whatever travel," Logan said as he knocked on the door before standing behind Charles.

"It's transtemporal travel, Logan," McCoy corrected, earning a scoff from Logan.

Everyone, including Laura who stood behind everyone, watched the door with pure anticipation as they heard footsteps slowly approach them.

When the door opened they were greeted with the sight of an old woman wearing a vintage yet beautiful pink dress with a white apron over it. She had a smile plastered on her face as she looked at the group of people who stood before her.

"Oh hello, you must be the people from the institute who are here to see my nephew Peter?" Aunt May asked with excitement in her voice.

"Indeed we are Mrs…" Professor Xavier spoke up.

"Parker. May Parker," Aunt May said with pride.

"Well, Mrs. Parker I am Professor Charles Xavier, and we are indeed here to talk about your nephew and his possible enrollment within my institute," Xavier said, finishing it off with a smile and in response, she opened the door wide for them.

"Well come on in, make yourselves at home," She happily said as she moved to the side, letting them enter her humble abode.

Logan took Professor Xavier from Ororo and rolled him into the house with McCoy right behind him.

"Would you like us to take off our shoes Mrs. Parker? I'd hate to dirty this floor of yours," Ororo asked before entering.

"Oh it's alright, you can come on in. I doubt you could dirty the floor anyways with how beautiful you look Ms…"

"Munroe," Ororo said with a smile as she entered the Parker household.

Laura had managed to sneak in with Logan and McCoy. She looked around the house that Peter grew up in with interest as the adults introduced themselves to his Aunt. The first floor was decorated with a collection of vintage and modern furniture. The living room was quite big, housing a couch and two chairs which surrounded a fireplace and the T.V above it. The dining room and kitchen were not far from the living room and both were pleasant which attributed to the warm and welcoming feel the Parker's modest home radiated.

The house had a pleasant smell that made her feel at peace and there was an even nicer one emanating from the oven.

But something was missing.

She let out another sniff, trying to find what she was looking for while the others continued their introductions.

"I'd like to first thank you for having us on such short notice, Mrs. Parker" Charles said as everyone got set up in the living room.

"Oh, it's nothing to worry about Professor Xavier. When Peter told me that people from an institute were coming to see him today I was more than excited," Aunt May said with joy in her voice.

"Well, we're just as excited about the possibility of your nephew joining us as you are Mrs. Parker. You've already acquainted yourself with one of our administrators Munroe, let me introduce you to the others," Charles said as he gestured towards Henry who stood beside him, "This over here is Dr. Henry Phillip 'Hank' McCoy who has a doctorate in the sciences," he said as Hank took a step forward and let out a bow.

"It is a pleasure to make acquaintance with you Mrs. Parker," Henry said with a friendly smile.

"A doctor?" Aunt May said in an impressed voice.

"Indeed I am a Doctor. Graduated the top of my class at Bard College over by the Hudson River," He said proudly.

"Do you know that my nephew, Peter, is also into the sciences?" Aunt May mentioned.

"Midtown highs best and brightest if my source is correct?" Henry asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, he is," May confirmed with a proud smile.

"I look forward to getting myself acquainted with him," Henry said as he took a step back.

"And this over here is Logan," Charles said as he looked up at the nicely dressed but still gruff man who stood behind him.

"Nice place," he said as he nodded.

"He's in charge of the student's health and safety," Charles said before turning his head.

He turned his gaze and let out a small smile as he watched the X-23 slightly look around, no doubt wondering where the focus of this meeting was. Her stoic expression slightly hardened as she felt his gaze on her and she turned to face him as she threw her thoughts to the side.

"And this is…"

Aunt May took a step forward towards Laura.

The warm hazel eyes of May Parker met the gorgeous ones of Laura Kinney and Laura found herself unable to meet her eyes for long. She did not know why but there was something about the lady whic-

"You must be Laura!" Aunt May happily said as she quickly made her way towards the petite girl.

She brought the girl's hands together and wrapped them within her own as she warmly stared at her much to Laura's surprise, "Oh, Peter's told me so much about you," May happily said as she observed the girl.

At the mention of her name, both the Professor and Henry were left surprised.

"He said you were an extremely nice girl," Aunt May said with a smile and all Laura could do was look down. She wasn't expecting such a warm and accepting introduction and yet she found herself reciprocating Aunt May's grasp.

She let out a nod, "He says…a lot of things like that," she said as she found herself quickly at ease within the woman's presence. "He also said you were rough and the edges," May said playfully and Logan let out a snort at that. She didn't know how to respond, "Sometimes I wonder if he has head on straight for you seem wonderful," she said as she moved her hands to her cheeks.

"And beautiful too," Aunt May said with a warm gaze. Laura simply nodded at this, extremely glad at her response.

"Where is he?" she said slowly as Peter was nowhere in the home.

"He's just at the store getting some groceries. He would be here right now but he forgot the money I gave him so he had to come back," she said with a laugh.

Laura let out an amused huff.

They heard footsteps quickly approaching the door and both Laura and Logan immediately recognized the scent. Aunt May immediately turned around, always excited to see the nephew she loved dearly.

"Ooh, That must be him, would you be a dear and-" May tried to ask Laura to open the door for him but when she turned to look at her she was gone.

She turned back to where the door was and watched with surprised eyes as Laura had immediately gone to open the door for him.

"-get the door for him…" she finished with a small smile as she looked at the retreating form with fond eyes.

Peter carried a bag of groceries alongside milk in one hand as he fumbled to get his keys with the other. He managed to grab his keys but the change that was in his pocket also came out much to his annoyance.

He let out a sigh.

"C'mon God, please don't make this a bad one," Peter asked the unseen figure.

He let out a grumble as he bent down to pick up the coins. The front door opened and he didn't bother batting an eye as he figured that it was Aunt May who had opened it for him.

"Now look, Aunt May, I got everything that you asked for but they didn't have the coffee you wanted so I just go-" He immediately stopped talking as he noticed a familiar pair of black boots at the top of his vison which only belonged to one person he knew.

He looked up and was met with the stunning sight of Laura Kinney which left him completely dumbfounded. She stared at him for a while before her eyes drifted to the coin that was right in front of her.

Laura bent down to pick it up as Peter still looked at her with his mouth agape.

"You dropped your coin."

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Slice of Parker Life Two

"You dropped your coin."

Laura held up the quarter, completely unaware of Peter's surprise and shock. Many, many things were running through his head right now, but he managed to take the coin within her hand.

Somehow she was prettier than the last time he saw her.

"T-Thanks," he managed to say as the both of them got up from their knees. Silence followed the two as they locked eyes with each for a moment, only to look away as they figured out what to say to each other, or well, as Peter figured out what he was going to say.

"I'm uh…I'm happy to see you again," Peter sincerely said as he gave her a genuine smile.

She met his eyes briefly before crossing her arms, "...Likewise," Laura said with a slightly happier infliction within her stoic voice. She observed him narrowly, noticing how his movements indicated that he had fully recovered.

"You are okay," she commented, relieved of his condition. "Well, you're not the only one with a pretty cool healing factor," Peter said as he patted himself, "Though, I think you have me beat in that aspect; some parts are still sore," he added with a chuckle, rolling his shoulder.

"That and many others," she said with a slight curve on her mouth, "like speed," she added with a small smirk.

"Hey, you only won that race last night because, for some reason, the Lizard thought I was a medium rare steak with legs," Peter said in his defense as he patted parts of himself where the wounds once were.

"Right," Laura sarcastically said as she shook her head. She stopped though, tightening her grip on herself just a bit as she asked, "Do they still hurt?"

Peter instantly shook his head, recognizing the underlying worry in her voice, "Nah...My healing factor might not be as good as yours but, I can sleep off most things, so don't worry about me."

She nodded her head, worries swayed, she remembered that there were others who were waiting for him as well.

"We should head in. The others are waiting for you," Laura stated as she moved to the side, letting Peter get in.

"Others?" Peter asked as he closed the door behind him before kicking off his shoes and immediately going to his living room. He was greeted with the sight of four, unfamiliar adults who all stared at him with surprise and a singular thought within their minds.

This is Spider-Man.

Each and every one of the instructors observed every little detail of the brunette boy named Peter Parker; each of them having their expectations met or fell short.

Ororo expected the sight of a clean-cut, well-mannered boy, and she wasn't disappointed.

Henry was expecting someone who appeared to be an intellectual, someone who wore things such as white button-ups, yellow sweater vests and slicked-combed hair.

Logan was expecting more, yet, at the same time, looked just as he expected him to, like an image that was lost in the back of his mind.

Peter was expecting them to say something.

"The other instructors wished to see you as well," Laura said as she stood next to him.

"I…I can see that. Are they supposed to be staring at me?" Peter asked Laura in a whisper as he felt their gazes on him.

"They are observing you," Laura stated.

"Do they know?" he asked as it would explain the odd behavior.

"Yes," she responded.

"Did you tell them?" he sharply asked her.

"No," she replied and he let out a sigh, but Logan's form caught his attention before he could guess how they came up with his identity. The short and hairy man's hair resembled Laura's, the way he carried himself, even his resting face was like hers but…much more uglier, that's for sure.

And that glare he was giving him, there was no mistaking…

"Is that hairy guy the one you were…" he asked her as he leaned his head closer to hers.

"Yes," Laura responded, which cemented Peter's suspicion.

"And I thought you were short," he quipped to her in the lowest whisper he could make. He let out a snicker as Laura furrowed her brow in annoyance but stopped as he heard a little growl from Logan.

"Did…did he hear that?" Peter asked as he looked at Logan with a worried expression written all over his face.

"Yes," Laura replied in an annoyed tone.

"Is he going to snikt me?" Peter asked as he noticed the death glare he was giving him.

"If he does then I won't stop him," Laura simply replied, causing him to gulp.

"Peter," His Aunt began to say in a slow and incredibly deceiving warm tone, "Don't be rude to our guests, please, introduce yourself; they've traveled a long way to see you," She finished with an eerie smile all the while glaring daggers at her nephew.

All thoughts aside, Peter cleared his throat multiple times, trying his best for words to come out until they eventually did.

"Um…He-Hey everyone," Peter awkwardly said to everyone in the room as he waved his hand.

Laura simply shook her head upon witnessing his pathetic attempt to introduce himself.

"Hello," Ororo said as she gave a slight nod to Peter with an amused smile on her face from the interaction between him and Laura.

"You must be Peter Parker," she stated more so then asked as she looked at the brunette boy with warm eyes.

"Unfortunately," he quipped, which earned a chuckle from her.

"I have heard a great deal about you. My name is Ororo Munroe, I am one of the instructors at the Xavier Institute, and it is both a pleasure and honor to meet you today," Ororo said as she finished her introduction with a bow that left Peter speechless.

The gesture was unfit for someone like him and frankly too much too.

"T-The honor is all mine, Ms. Munroe," Peter said as he reciprocated the bow with a humbled expression on his face which did not go unnoticed by his companion nor the woman in front of him.

"Please, call me Ororo," Ororo said with a slight nod.

"Only if you call me Peter," He happily replied with a smile which Ororo returned.

"Gladly, Peter, and with our introductions done, I would like to introduce you to Professor Xavier, the man in charge of all of this," She said as she moved aside and gestured toward the bald man who sat beside his Aunt. Peter followed the gesture, having his eyes fall on the acclaimed Professor as he moved towards him with great interest.

"Greetings, young Peter, my name is Professor Charles Xavier; I've been looking forward to meeting you," He earnestly stated in his soft yet professional voice as he stuck out his hand.

"You too Professor. I've heard great things about you," Peter said as he shook the Professor's hand, noticing his firm grip.

"And I have heard better about you. I trust that I don't need to explain as to why me and my associates are here?" He asked with a raised brow.

Peter reciprocated it with a small grin, "Yea…it's...It's for my enrollment to your institute for…'talented kids' like me, right?" Peter said, trying to convey that he knew what the school was really for.

Professor Xavier let out a satisfied smile as he clasped his hands together, "Correct. Come, we have much to discuss," Xavier said before turning around from the two teens as Aunt May got everyone seated in the living room before putting Peter's groceries in their respective places.

While everyone was finding their place, Peter was introduced to Henry "Hank" McCoy. The Burlish man in only appearance surprised Peter with his advanced and sophisticated vocabulary and honored Peter with his knowledge of Peter's accomplishments. Though there was embarrassment too, as Peter was caught off guard by the compliments alongside the shame of not knowing Hank's own.

His introduction with Logan was short, names were exchanged and a firm, really firm, handshake was given. He wasn't expecting anything more due to obvious reasons.

Everyone soon found their place after that; Ororo and Henry sat adjacent to Aunt May and Peter while Logan and the Professor stood near the fireplace.

Laura stood in the middle between Peter and Logan but upon witnessing her standing, Peter quickly moved over to give her some space on the couch.

She noticed this, and the two made eye contact with each other. He smiled slightly as he patted the spot next to him. Laura, understanding the gesture, went to move towards the space made for her but stopped herself. She gave a small look to Logan, meeting his eyes, and after a brief second, he gave her a little nod, and she allowed herself to sit down.

The conversation of Peter's enrollment soon started. Professor Xavier used the cover that Peter's exceptional grades were what brought him to his attention and the reason why he wanted him to attend his institute for "Gifted Youngsters."

Hearing "Gifted Youngsters" caused Peter to let out a chuckle.

He really wasn't trying to hide anything with that name.

As the Professor continued to talk to both him and his Aunt, mainly his Aunt, the more and more he found himself looking forward to this school. It was relatively new from what he gathered, only having six students and three graduates, which confused Peter because Laura only mentioned that there were eight students at the school, not nine.

This ninth student must've left before Laura arrived, meaning he was probably one of the three graduates.

The institute itself did not replace school; instead, its primary purpose was to foster the growth of children and school itself would take place at a nearby school, where the students would partake in the highest level classes that the school could offer.

In other words: he would be attending regular school like he was now, the only difference being that he would be living in a fancy mansion and on his own time, he would be focusing on the growth and training of his powers. Though the idea seemed nice, it wasn't something he really needed. Thanks to Laura, he had control of his stingers which were the only things he had trouble controlling. The real reason why he was intrigued was that living in the mansion would relieve the burden that his Aunt had of taking care of him, not to mention, relieve him of the stress of her finding out he was Spider-Man.

Fury did say that these people were good, which was just about the highest compliment you could get from him.

Plus, the concept of moving out and living with people who had powers like him seemed pretty cool. Johnny was his best friend and closest friend for many, many reasons, but a big one was because he could relate to him, and Johnny could to him. They were the only teens to their knowledge who had powers, who were heroes, and as such, they would confide in each other as to avoid the loneliness which surrounded them.

It also helped a lot that Laura lived there as well.

The Professor would also give Peter another reason to attend the school when he mentioned the word "Scholarship." Apparently, by attending this institute there was a possibility for Peter to get a full scholarship to a post-secondary of his choosing if his grades continued to stay as high as they were.

Peter widened his eyes.

He could get a scholarship?

Not even Midtown offered a full scholarship.

Sure, there were some scholarships worth a good amount of money here and there, and Empire State University, the school he's always wanted to go to also offered scholarships too but the ones he could get were nothing compared to the overwhelmingly, surprisingly legal prices of post-secondary.

But Professor Xavier was blatantly just saying that he would completely cover Peter's post-secondary fees. That, with everything else had practically sold Peter, with the only thing holding him back from simply asking 'where does he sign,' being that the Professor wasn't done talking.

There was always a catch somewhere, something that would completely ruin the deal and He didn't want to agree to something until he heard it.

"And where is this institute?" Aunt May asked a simple question that, for other-worldly reasons, was not already answered. Raising a brow due to his failure to mention its location, the Professor sought to rectify it.

"Oh, it's just located in the northeastern part of Westchester, in a township called 'North Salem," The Professor simply answered and both Parker's eyes widened upon hearing that.

"Westchester?" Aunt May asked, seemingly needing confirmation that she heard right. The Professor nodded much to her delight.

"Oh Peter, that's wonderful," Aunt May said ecstatically, "You get to go to school, live with others like yourself, and be up in Westchester where it's safe," she exclaimed but as she looked at her nephews faltered expression, hers also fell a little.

There was the catch.

Westchester? Was far, like, really, really far.

At least a fifty-minute drive, and wherever North Salem was situated, it could mean more.

Were there even trains that went there?

"What's the matter Peter?" The Professor asked the young brunette boy as he noticed his disappointed expression.

"No-nothing…" Peter said as he was taken out of his thoughts, "...it's just…isn't it…" Peter stammered, struggling to express his thoughts to the man in front of him. Though he was a phenomenal telepath, that wasn't what Charles Xavier strictly was, even without them, he had a fantastic read on others and understood what they could never say.

"You are worried that it is too far," he stated in a soft and understanding voice. Peter let out a nod and The Professor let out a smile, "Your worries are honorable Peter. You do not want to abandon your Aunt nor your other responsibilities?" Xavier said, already knowing that having Peter choose between going to his school or being with his Aunt and serving as Spider-Man for New York would be a lost battle not worth fighting.

"Yea…yeah," he nodded once more, lowering his head. He could, and would never abandon his Aunt, nor his home, New York, no matter how good things could get.

"Oh Peter," his Aunt said as she put a hand on his shoulder, touched by his admittance, "You don't have to worry, I can take care of myself and you can always visit on holidays," May told him as she rubbed his shoulder, trying her hardest to convince her nephew to take this once in a lifetime opportunity.

"Oh, he can visit more than that," The Professor exclaimed happily which earned the attention of both Parkers, "On top of being more than willing to provide a means of travel, North Salem and the other townships nearby have garnered a lot of attention as of late and due to this, trains have been installed in order to provide transport to those who wish to go to New York and back. Allowing him to come and go when he pleases and continue with his work and his other responsibilities," The Professor stated as he looked at Peter with a smile that quelled his worries instantly.

The catch was gone.

That was it. His only concern, gone.

What came after was just the typical end to a conversation such as this, questions being asked and answers being given until the final question came.

"Well, what do you say?" The Professor asked as he looked at both May and Peter. They both looked at each other and Peter gave her a nod, and gleefully May said, "I'd love for Peter to be a part of your institute."

Everyone save for Logan and Laura smiled upon hearing the news.

Logan let out a sigh, glad that the talk was finally over but his patience was rewarded for Aunt May had invited all of them to stay for she had just prepared a large cherry pie made specifically for them. He and everyone else had eagerly moved into the dining room, conversing with the elderly woman as they praised and looked forward to try the pastry dish made just for them.

Peter and Laura stayed behind though, relaxing a bit as they conversed with each other without anyone listening in.

"Well, looks like it's official Snikty-Snikt," Peter said with a mischievous smile as he nudged her side, "You aint ever going to be able to get rid of me now," Laura scoffed at this, crossing her arms.

"It was official since yesterday you dolt," Laura stated as she threw away his comment, reminding him that neither she, nor he, will be going anywhere.

"Yeah but now it's irreversible," Peter said as he leaned back on the couch, imagining what it would be like seeing Laura every single day.

"And I would want it to be reversible, why?" she asked, genuinely wondering what was going through his head.

"I can think of a couple reasons," he slyly said.

"Not good ones," she stated with a small huff, leaning back on the Parker couch as well. Her reply had brought a genuine smile on Peter's face as he looked away from her and stared on into the distance.

"Hmph…you know…" Peter paused, "I'm actually looking forward moving into this place…it sounds pretty good and it would help my aunt a lot if I moved out," Peter expressed his thoughts to Laura, finding the same comfort they had with each other last night again.

"Hmmm," Laura simply let out as the same comfort the two shared washed over her.

"You ever managed to talk to some of the students there by the way?" He asked, genuinely wondering if she took his advice.

"I said 'good morning' to Pryde," Laura told Peter.

He let out a laugh, "Well, we all start somewhere" he encouragingly said. He was both surprised and glad that Laura had actually listened, and though it might not seem like much, he knew it was a lot for her.

Peter didn't notice the happy look that was on his face when she mentioned this, but she did…and something about it compelled her to say more.

"Ms-Ororo… helped me this morning too," She admitted, looking at Peter, hoping he would understand what she was referring to.

"Really? With what?" he asked in an excited voice as he sat up a bit.

He didn't understand what she was referring to, meaning he didn't notice, and upon this realization, she scowled and looked away. Though Peter wasn't friends with many girls, or well, people in general, he didn't need to be an expert to know he had said something wrong though.

He quickly raced through what he had said which might've caused Laura's volatile reaction. What did Laura need help with? She was literally the most capable person he ever knew. According to her, she was a master at practically everything, what would she need help with?

His eyes widened slightly as he looked at the side of her face properly.

She had black lipstick on and eye shadow. She was wearing makeup, that's why she was somehow prettier than before. That must've been what Ororo had helped her with because Laura never seemed like the type of person to ever put on makeup, much more even considering using it.

Not like she needed too.

But then again…she was a girl…A highly trained, really deadly girl but…a good one…and a really pretty one at that too.

A disappointed one as well if her eyes told him anything.

Oh, he was such an idiot.

"Oh…uh…" he began to say to her but she paid no mind to him, "Well…I think…" he scratched the back of his head as she looked at him from the side, "...I think she did a good job," he finally managed to say as he embarrassingly looked at her with rosy cheeks.

She looked at him fully now, feeling that strange inner warmth which was making its way inter her core once more.

She let go of herself, uncrossing her arms and instead holding onto the edge of the cushions she sat on.

"You are a fool," she simply said with a fondness she did not bother masking.

"Yeah…I know…" He said with a gentle laugh as he looked at her with an honest smile.

She rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh of her own.

There was a nice silence as others in the next room laughed. He heard a gruff voice ask his Aunt some questions concerning him and this prompted Peter to ask Laura some questions he himself had.

"So…that Loga-" he tried to ask but was quickly interrupted.

"Later," Laura simply said in a louder voice so she could drown out his words.

"We can talk about him later," she said again as she looked at Peter who understood.

"Alright then," Peter simply said, dropping the subject. "I'm gonna go help Aunt May with the pie; wanna come with?" he asked as he stood up from his spot. Laura nodded as she got up as well, and the two made their way to the kitchen to assist his Aunt.

"You ever have cherry pie before?" Peter asked her, wondering if it would be her first time like the Pizza last night.

"No," Laura said, wondering if that was what she was smelling.

"Then, well, you came to the right place," Peter happily said, "Aunt May bakes the greatest pies you'll ever have. Trust me, you won't ever gonna be able to try another pie ever again once you try her's," he confidently stated with his arms out, looking at Laura with excitement.

Laura let out a small smile as she brought her hands behind her back, amused by Peter's enthusiasm for her.

She did indeed come to the right place.

She followed Peter as he went into the kitchen to help his Aunt serve the pie. She watched as he grabbed a pair of oven mitts which were burned at the tips, no doubt because of him, before taking out the delectable dish. She looked at it intently as its pleasant smell dominated all others. The pie appeared to have a nice buttery crust with small amounts of sugar sprinkled above it; The crust was in a crisscross pattern with the cherry filling beneath it glistening a beautiful ruby red which invited her and others to eat it, and she would be lying if she said she wasn't looking forward too.

Peter flashed her a knowing smile before walking out with it and towards the dining room where the others, including Logan, let out sounds of approval and wonder at the work of art that they would soon be eating.

His Aunt was busy making coffee in the other room though. Taking out the jug of milk that Peter had just bought and opening it, she planned to make coffee for everyone as well but placed it on the counter as she got distracted by other chores.

She stopped doing them soon enough however…

"Peter…" Aunt May said as Laura began sniffing the air.

"What?" he casually asked as he arrived back in the kitchen, standing next to Laura.

"You took a shower, right?" Aunt May asked with genuine curiosity as a putrid stench had filled both her and Laura's nostrils.

"What?" he asked in a more serious tone as he furrowed his brow.

"It's just I smell something awful and-"

"-Why are you asking me? You should be asking him," Peter said as he nudged his head Logan's way. He sat at the head of the table, the side closest to the kitchen and though he was firmly entranced by the pie in front of him, the gruff man with years behind his belt was not completely at a loss, and had heard what the boy in the other room had said.

"What did you say?" Logan asked him in a half harsh, half growl voice as he turned around his chair, daring the boy to repeat what he just said.

"Peter! Be respectful to our guests," Aunt May said with a light slap to his side, earning an approving look from Logan and a groan from Peter.

"Tell him your 'sorry,'" Aunt May ordered Peter to say as a smug look quickly found its way on Logan's face. Peter looked at his Aunt with disbelief on his face and he looked at Laura with the hopes of her doing anything but she too had a smug look which caused Peter to sigh at what he had to do.

"S-sorry…" he mumbled his apology.

"What was that? Couldn't hear you," Logan smugly said, putting his pinky to mockingly clean his ear, knowing full well the Parker boy knew he was lying.

He went to say a retort but his Aunt prevented him from doing so.

"Peter, speak up, and look him in the eyes when you apologize," Logan snickered.

Peter let out a sigh again, embarrassment written all over his face as his blue eyes met Logan's brown ones.

"I'm sorry," he said with every fiber of his being, Logan let out a snort, reveling in the embarrassment Peter was suffering in. Aunt May pat him on the back, keeping her arm on it so she could lock him in place.

"Sorry about that, my boy Peter isn't usually like this. As an apology, you can get an extra slice from his portion?" Aunt May offered the gruff man who eagerly took it.

"Fine by me," he said with a smirk before turning his attention to Peter, driving the nail in the coffin, "Right kid?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Right…" Peter sourly said, completely annoyed, embarrassed and defeated.

The moment his Aunt let go of him was the moment he turned away, burying his face in his hands. Laura moved to stand beside him, hands still behind her back as she watched in amusement as Peter was suffering from his actions.

"You deserve this," she commented with an amused voice, maybe this would teach him to shut his mouth sometimes.

"You aren't helping," Peter snapped in an annoyed tone.

"I'm not trying to," Laura retorted.

"However…" Laura began to say as her eyes moved towards the opened jug of milk, "The stench your aunt was talking about was not you. It was your milk," she stated as she looked at the jug.

"huh?" he said with disbelief as he went to go check. He knew she was right, but he was hoping that she was wrong but one quick whiff near the jug annihilated all hopes of it being the latter.

He turned to his Aunt, already knowing what she wanted him to do before she told him.

He rubbed his face with his hand as he let out an annoyed groan.

Logan was amused at this.

"I'll try and save you a piece."

Peter and Laura strolled through the quiet streets of Forest Hills; With the jug of milk in one hand, Peter made the painful stroll back to the corner store with Laura beside him.

The walk wasn't so painful though; the gentle breeze that blew in his face alongside the company of Laura did make it better, although he would've preferred not having to make a trip to the store three times now.

"You know you don't have to come, right?" Peter asked as he felt guilty that Laura was with him instead of being back in the house enjoying the pie.

"I know," Laura simply said as she walked in toe with him, her luscious black locks flowing with the gentle wind.

"They might eat up all the pie," Peter said as he was genuinely excited for her to try it.

"Your aunt said that she would save me some," Laura stated, easing his worry.

"Well, at least you'll be able to try it," Peter mumbled, scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

"You will too," Laura simply stated.

"You really think the Logan guy will save me a piece?" Peter asked her, doubting the guy would even consider him.

"I did not say that," she said with a small smirk.

Peter let out a small huff, before having his mind drift off on other things.

"So…do you…wanna talk about him?" Peter asked Laura, wondering if she was comfortable talking about the subject now.

She let out a nod, confirming that it was okay to ask questions.

Peter looked down, wondering what question he should pick out of the many he had to ask first.

"So, he's really the one you were cloned from?" Peter genuinely asked, needing confirmation again.

"Yes," Laura simply answered, wondering why he would ask a question he already knew the answer to. Feeling his gaze on her though, she turned to look at him only to be met with a puzzled look which caused her to say, "What?"

"It's just, I see it and I don't see it at the same time," Peter said as he observed her.

"I am an imperfect clone," Laura stated flatly.

"Oh…" Peter simply said before adding, "Well, I can see that," while pointing at her figure. Though he did not ask any further questions, she decided to expand anyways.

"When the facility tasked my mother with cloning him, she could only salvage his 'x' chromosome for the 'y' chromosome within the DNA handed to her was damaged," she said with a lack of emotion in her voice that bothered Peter to his core.

"So uh…your mother…she worked for the facility?" Peter asked as he scratched the back of his head, hoping to change the subject into a more, lighter, possibly happier one.

"Yes. She was Doctor Sarah Kinney. The Facility had hired her because of her expertise in genetic replication and hoped that she could produce a complete and accurate clone of him," Laura explained. There was a hint of pride in her voice for her mother, but as she moved toward the clone subject, that pride was replaced by disappointment.

"And…why did they want to clone him?" Peter asked as he wondered what made Logan so important that they wanted a clone of him.

"Because he was the original weapon X," Laura factually stated once more.

"Oh," Peter simply said as that explained everything while also leaving a lot of questions.

"I am the twenty-third failed attempt at recreating him…" Laura said as she lowered her head which saddened Peter.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Peter noted as he looked at her softly.

"It…it is…" Laura said in an unsure voice as she still had her gaze locked on the ground beneath her.

All she's ever been told was that she was a mistake.

"I don't think so," Peter earnestly said, however, his words seemed to have been lost on her, for she didn't seem phased by them. He was disappointed by this but raised an eyebrow as an idea had just come to mind.

He turned away from her and let out a carefree shrug before saying, "Unless you changed your mind and want to be what the facility wanted you to be."

"No!" Laura staunchly said as she brought her gaze back up to face him.

"Then I guess it's a good thing that you are the way that you are, huh, Snikity-Snikt?" Peter stated as he turned around to face her, a small smile on his face.

She looked at him with wide eyes as it took her a second to realize what he was doing, but when she did, she lowered her shoulders and let out a little huff, all the while, the corners of her lips found themselves softening once more.

"Quit calling me that, you idiot," Laura said in a failed stoic, mostly light-hearted tone that Peter enjoyed.

He let out a chuckle, "Quit calling me an 'idiot 'and then we can talk about a change in nicknames?" he retorted before looking into her beautiful emerald eyes once more.

"So I'm going to guess the reason that your eyes are green and his are brown is also because of your 'genetic imperfection'," he said doing air quotations with both his hands.

Laura shook her yet once again, "My mother's eyes were green," she clarified but this confused Peter even more.

"Can you say that again?" he asked as he tilted his head in confusion, wondering if he had heard what she just said correctly.

"My mother's eyes were green," she simply repeated.

"Wait…how…how did you come to be exactly? If you don't mind me asking?" Peter asked as things weren't making sense in his mind.

"The DNA they had given my mother to clone was damaged so she supplemented that by using her own and creating my embryo. After that, they needed someone to carry me and that someone was her," Laura explained to Peter who was trying to make sense of it all.

"I thought you said you weren't born and that you were a clone," Peter said in utter confusion.

"I was not, and I am," Laura stated confidently but her tone betrayed her.

"But you were carried within your mother?" Peter asked, completely puzzled.

"Yes."

"And you have both her and the Logan guy's DNA inside of you?"

"Yes," Laura stated once again.

Peter paused for a moment as he collected this information and made sense of it, which was hard because it didn't make sense at all.

Unless Laura was…

"You're an idiot. You are an idiot," Peter blurted out after taking his pause, stopping their walk.

Laura was not amused by this comment.

"I am not an idiot," Laura stated in a firm voice as she crossed her arms.

"Really? Cause I think you are if this conversation is anything to go by," Peter said to her, which confused Laura.

"How?" she said simultaneously with a furrowed and raised brow.

"What you just told me basically contradicts the fact you're a clone, if anything, you're more like…like their child," Peter said as that was the closest thing to label her. She would be an imperfect clone if she just had his DNA inside her but because she also had her mothers, then that fundamentally doesn't make her a clone because the meaning of a clone is a cell that is produced asexually that is genetically identical to the cell that produced it.

She wasn't produced asexually due to her mother supplementing missing DNA with her own, meaning that Laura fundamentally wasn't a clone.

"You don't know what you're talking about," Laura quickly said as she quickly dismissed that possibility.

Peter seemed to have taken offense to this.

"Really? Me? The guy who came up with a genetic gene cleanser off the top of his head, doesn't know what he's talking about?" he rhetorically asked Laura whose gaze was on the ground.

She didn't answer.

"Think about it for a second. You have your mother's DNA alongside the other guy. She was pregnant with you; she gave birth to you-"

"I wasn't born," she interrupted.

"Did you come out of her body?" he asked her sternly.

"Yes," she answered.

"Then I'm pretty sure you were born," Peter said with the utmost confidence.

She thought about it as she held both her arms tightly. Peter looked at her, noticing the insecurity that was refusing to be hidden, realizing well too late that the Facility probably told her that she was a failed clone in an attempt to dehumanize her so they could control her more. Mentally severely berating himself once more, he gently placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her during her moment of self-questioning.

"Maybe I'm wrong Laura, but… I'm pretty sure you're more like that guy's daughter than an imperfect clone," Peter gently said with complete belief as Laura's eyes were still locked on the ground.

"I wish…I wish he saw it that way…" she said softly as she loosened her grip on herself, turning her gaze once more unto Peter who looked at her sympathetically.

"How…how long have you been with him?" Peter asked in a softer voice.

"A week," she stated to his relief. A week was the same amount of time that she had spent in the institute. Knowing her, and hoping about Logan's character, Peter guessed that Logan was the reason why she was in the institute in the first place because he couldn't see any other reason why she would be there other than that.

"A week is nothing. There's still plenty of time to-" Peter tried to comfort her, only for her to interrupt him.

"Up until yesterday, he's barely interacted with me," Laura said with a hint of bitterness, her mind forcing her to forget the heartfelt moment the two shared.

"What happened yesterday?" Peter asked, hoping that it was something good.

"He gave me a costume to help, and he…he said I did good," Laura admitted, Peter's question forcing her mind to remember the honest and kind words which were said.

"See? at least the guy cares about you," Peter reiterated once more.

She looked down.

"Hey…Look, Laura… maybe this…maybe this whole thing is new to him. I don't know anything about the guy outside that he's smug as all hell but if I had someone who was my clone-daughter come into my life randomly it would take me some time to come around too," Peter honestly said, giving hope to Laura who thought about both his words and Logan's words yesterday.

Logan did admit that he did not know what to do with her up until now, but….

"What if he decides he does not want anything to do with me?" Laura asked Peter, doubt and insecurity showing themselves on her face with little to no resistance.

"Well seeing as to how he gave you a costume n'all I don't think that will ever be the case," Peter said as he looked at her confidently, "But if it is, then…well…unfortunately for you, I guess you'll just be stuck with lil' ole me," Peter said as he flashed a warm smile.

The warm feeling she felt by being with him had grown exponentially and she found herself looking down at the ground but not in doubt, nor insecurity this time, but by...feelings which were welcomed.

"You keep saying that as if it is a bad thing," Laura noted as she looked at him once more, brushing hair to the side as she gained control over the foreign emotions which grew larger with every beat of her heart.

"Well I am prone to ruin the lives of the people around me," Peter added with a chuckle and she let out a small snort.

"I am as well," Laura replied.

Peter let out another chuckle at that, "You know you have problems, right?" he teasingly said with a smile on his face.

"You don't?" she responded with the same tone.

"Yea, well, at least I don't wear black lipstick," he joked but upon hearing this her expression soon changed into one of fearful realization.

"Do you not…" Laura began to ask but Peter was quicker to realize his fumble.

"No, No, No, No, I-I do, I was jus-" he struggled to say before Laura would go back to scowling and growling but she caught him saying something which prevented all of that.

"You…do?" Laura asked Peter who stopped in his tracks, realizing that, once again, his mouth moved faster than his brain. He didn't shy away though, not like he could anyways, and instead rubbed the back of his head again.

"Ye-yeah…I..I do…" Peter said as he fidgeted a bit, "I think it…I think… it makes you look prettier than you already are," he said as it took all of his power to force out those last few words.

Caught off guard by the direct compliment, she could feel the same fluttering within her heart that had first appeared yesterday. Struggling to limit how much she expressed though, she looked away, and Peter did the same, but only because he was embarrassed due to directly expressing his thoughts and complimenting her.

There was an awkward silence between the two that even the neighbours who took a brief look out their windows could feel.

The silence was soon broken though as a snort from Peter caused her to move her gaze on him once more.

"I guess that's another reason why it's a good thing that you are a failed clone," Peter stated with a light pink tint on his cheeks.

She tilted her head and looked at him questioningly.

"Cause you know….instead of l-looking like you do now…" Peter said as he started nervously stuttering and blushing once more, "...If the facility had their way you'd be a short…and smelly, and ugly….and hairy, midget," Peter said as he let out a laugh.

Laura stifled her own.

She looked at him fondly before an idea came to her mind.

"He can hear that," she stated which caused him to abruptly stop laughing.

"What!?" Peter said in a panicked and distressed voice as he frantically turned around to expect the small form of Logan to come barging out of his house, claws out and all.

"Can he really?" Peter asked with distress in his voice which amused Laura.

"No," Laura simply stated which left him utterly confused.

"Then why did you…" he stopped as he looked at her warm face that had an amused smile plastered on it.

The battle to limit her expressions and emotions was lost.

"Yo-you were joking, weren't you?" He said accusingly as he pointed at her.

"Yes, and you were stupid enough to fall for it," she said.

He looked at her with surprise before letting out a little huff.

"I…I guess I was," he said with a little chuckle.

Peter had managed to return the jug of milk and exchange it for a new one. With a fresh jug now in hand, Peter and Laura walked back to his house, taking a different route this time because Peter wanted to show Laura around his quiet little neighborhood. Little did he know that she had traversed the street they were on yesterday when she was tracking his scent but she enjoyed the little stories he told her, so she stayed quiet on their way back.

Just like yesterday, however, a familiar sight of children playing basketball could be seen not too far from them. There was an extra net this time, one on one end of a neighbors garage and one on another end of the house opposing it. It was a typical view for Peter though, Lemar's family, the Johnsons, and Henry's family, the Jacksons, were close, so it was no surprise seeing the children use both of their driveways to make a big mock-up court for some streetball.

The net wasn't the only new addition to the scene however as Laura had noticed a little girl sitting close by.

The girl, dark-skinned in color, who resembled the little boy whose name she remembered to be 'Lemar,' was sitting on the sidewalk as the boys played on the street, watching on in boredom as the others had fun with each other. Laura watched as the girl's face displayed nothing but boredom as she started at the other kids who were having fun with their game.

The girl looked to the side, hoping to find entertainment by watching those who passed by only to widen her eyes in disbelief and excitement as she saw who was approaching them.

"Peter!" she shouted as she quickly stood up to approach the brunette boy who had helped her with her studies long ago.

Laura watched as a smile made its way on Peter's face as he took out his free hand from his pocket to wave at the young girl who he was acquainted with.

"Hey, Leah! Long time no see," Peter said warmly as he watched the girl excitingly run towards him.

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in like, forever!" she said in an over-exaggerated voice that only a child could muster.

"I've been at home," Peter simply replied with a shrug.

"Oh…" Leah said as if she was expecting more.

"Nothing too special, right?" Peter said as he noticed her disappointed reaction.

"Mom told me not to tell anyone but said the reason you were gone was because you were sad…" Leah said as she looked away and Peter's happy expression morphed into a surprised one.

He didn't think that Mrs. Johnson would tell Leah about him but considering that the girl could be as stubborn as he was, he wouldn't be so surprised if Leah pestered her mother until she eventually caved.

"I…I was," Peter admitted, which caused Leah to look up at him in surprise.

"You…are…are you still sad?" she asked questioningly in a worried voice and Peter let out a chuckle.

"Well, I'm certainly feeling a lot better than I was a couple days ago," he said with a smile and Leah looked at him with surprised eyes yet again but diverted them as she noticed a girl she's never seen standing beside him, observing the whole interaction.

"Is-is this your new friend," she asked as she looked at the raven-haired girl.

"Hm?" Peter raised a brow, how did she know about Laura?

"Lemar said you made a cool new friend who was a girl and had a motorcycle," Leah said and Peter slightly shook his head in response.

"And I told them not to say anything…" Peter muttered before saying, "Yea…. she's a new friend of mine. Go on say 'hi,' I promise ya she doesn't bite," Peter said with a small laugh in order to put Leah more at ease, it did, for she let out a chuckle but it also prompted Laura to give him a little glare which he felt, but that also gave him another thing to add to put Leah even more at ease.

"Instead, she glares and growls and calls you an 'idiot' all the time but get past all of that and she's actually really nice," Peter said confidently and Laura merely rolled her eyes upon hearing his simplistic summarization of her.

She didn't say anything though as the girl, Leah, walked in front of her.

"I…I am Leah," she introduced herself hesitantly as she shyly waved her hand.

Laura looked at her.

"This is the part where you introduce yourself," Peter whispered in her ear.

She scowled.

"…Laura," Laura said.

There was silence.

A long silence.

Peter let out a whistle.

"Wow, watching you guys try and talk is making me feel a whole lot better about my social skills," Peter commented, hoping to break the ice.

It did because Laura instantly snapped at him.

"Your social skills include telling bad jokes at the wrong time and being a clown," she harshly replied, causing Leah to giggle a bit.

Peter raised his in defense, "Hey, still better than yours, and watch it on the bad jokes, okay?"

"Why?" she asked, wondering why she should stop commenting on his 'jokes'.

"Because my jokes are funny," Peter said wholeheartedly.

"More like, annoying," She replied wholeheartedly.

"Hey! They get people to laugh," Peter pointed out in a comically harsher tone.

"Like who?" she asked, crossing her arms and raising a brow.

Peter paused for a moment as he thought about her question.

"Like…you…you laugh at my jokes," Peter said as he pointed at her triumphantly.

"I have laughed at your jokes, once," Laura stated, prompting Peter to count the times she's laughed.

"You've done it twice. Actually, you've done it three times- no four. You've laughed at four of my jokes," Peter said confidently as he held up his fingers.

"I do not recall any of that," Laura stated as she recalled the moments she's laughed, which was easy because she hasn't done much up until recently.

"You let out little huffs," Peter told her.

"That is not a laugh," she matter-of-factly stated.

"Maybe, but I'm counting it as one though."

Laura crossed her arms and let out a little growl.

"See what I mean? I bet you she was biting her tongue from calling me an idiot there," Peter said as he pointed his thumb at her, which amused Leah even more.

"You are an idiot though," Leah said before letting out an innocent chuckle which left Peter completely bewildered and Laura smug about having her choice words for him proven.

"H-ho-" Peter tried to ask 'how' but was left as the backseater between Leah and Laura's conversation.

"D-Did Peter ever tell you how he broke his high school's basketball net?" Leah nervously asked Laura who shook her head.

"No," she replied, tilting her head a bit in mild interest as Leah expanded on Peter's misadventures, "He-He tried showing off to the girls in school and he ended up breaking the glass net in front of everyone," she said in between giggles.

"He even got suspended," shee added much to his embarrassment.

Laura raised a brow as she turned to Peter who was visibly flushed upon hearing the intentionally embarrassing story with twisted facts.

"Tha-That was when puberty struck," Peter said in code, Laura knowing full well he meant when his powers first arrived. "I wanted to show off to Flash and all the others in school," Peter said as he crossed his arms and looked away. Laura, given what she knew, looked at him with sympathy hidden behind her eyes, knowing well that those were just the actions of a boy wanting to prove to others he wasn't what they said he was.

The moment they had shared yesterday, where they confided in each other, she knew others did not treat him how he ought to be, which was why she perked up at the mention of a name.

"Flash?" she asked questioningly, Peter did not answer her though and instead, Leah took his place.

"The guy who used to be your friend right? The one who bullies you?" Leah said in a minor sour tone, knowing something about MidTown High's star football player.

"You get-" Laura tried to inquire more about what she just heard but Leah was not the only one to notice the brown-haired boy who she accompanied, and either they grabbed his attention instantly or he just wanted to just sweep the subject under the rug, he let them capture his complete attention.

She wasn't unaware that Peter was once a victim of bullying, he had told her that when they confided in each other yesterday, however, she was under the impression that such a thing would have ended when he was bestowed his powers.

The girl's choice of using present tense words proved that assumption wrong however.

The words and "jokes" he told about himself had not gone ignored, and put inside a different context…she was noticing a behavior that did not sit well with her.

"Hey Leah, wanna play?" Laura pushed those thoughts to the side as she witnessed behavior that she was fond of. Peter had the children's basketball in his hands now, extending it out to the girl who was surprised by the gesture. She was hesitant, her behavior indicated that she did indeed want to play but…

"Isn't basketball a boy thing?" she asked, unsure if it was or not.

"Maybe if we were in the sixties, but it's twenty-twenty-one and besides, with the way they play, they're gonna need you if they wanna beat me," Peter said with a wink which caused the girl to giggle, getting rid of any of all insecurity she had.

"You're on," she said happily as she took the ball from the young man and joined her friends as they talked about how they would oppose him. She watched Peter with a soft, interested look as he went on his side of their makeshift court. He placed the jug of milk on the porch belonging to one of the neighborly kids' houses, before returning with a cocky grin on his face.

"Four against one, eh?" Peter said as he cockily rolled up his sleeves, "The odds are never in my favor are they?" he added with an overdramatic shrug with his eyes closed.

"Oh well…" he said as he brought his arms back down.

"I guess I'll just have to take you all on," he opened his bright blue eyes and let out a confident smile before gesturing to the children to approach him and start the match.

The children let out their own excited smiles but before they could start, something had caught Peter's eye.

"Wait a second guys," Peter abruptly said, which caused the children to stop.

"Why?" one of them hastily said for they wanted to start the game as soon as possible.

"I gotta even the odds," Peter said with a smile before turning away.

"Hey, Laura!" Peter yelled as he made his way back to Laura.

She was standing on the sidewalk where Leah had initially approached them, silently observing the whole interaction as if she was an outsider peering through a window.

Upon hearing Peter call to her she perked up immediately, wondering what he needed from her.

"What?" she asked in her usual voice.

"Wanna play?" he offered, his head tilted to the side with an inviting smile plastered on his face.

Laura was surprised by the offer if the slight widening of her eyes was anything to go by.

She had never been offered to play a sport before nor had she ever played one before.

She didn't give an answer.

"I could use the help," Peter added as he gestured his head towards the four children behind him.

"No, you don't," Laura stated as she crossed her arms.

Peter let out a chuckle, "Yea, I don't. Beating these guys would be like taking candy from a baby," he said as he briefly turned to look at the children to give a sneering look before turning back at Laura, "But I still want you to play anyways," he said as he genuinely smiled at her causing her to question her reluctance.

"Why?"

"Cause it'll be fun," He stated with a big smile.

"Fun?" Laura asked as her natural expression morphed into one of uncertainty.

"Yeah, fun. You know? Starts with F, ends with N, and in between them is a U for you and me," he said with a laugh causing her to shake her head in an attempt to shame for what he just said.

Their eyes met though and his blue eyes looked at her with the utmost sincerity, "C'mon, I think you'll like it," he said gently. She looked to the side though, still unsure of her answer. As her eyes wandered, she looked at the group of children patiently waiting for Peter to return, more specifically to the girl who extended the ball out in her direction.

Peter looked at the gesture and pointed towards it with his thumb, "It'll be fun beating them together, then it will be just watching me," he said with a smirk.

"Fine," she gave in, "But I do not know how to play," Laura admitted, causing Peter to let out a small breath.

"Eh, it's fine, I'll show you. Leah! Ball!" he asked, turning his attention to the girl with his hands up. The girl threw it to him and he caught it effortlessly as he gestured to her to follow him. She was on their side of the court now, staring at their net as Peter began to explain the simple game of 'streetball.'

"The nets are pretty self-explanatory, right?" Peter asked as he looked at their net.

Laura nodded, "That is ours, and that is theirs," she said as she looked at the respective nets, "To score, one must be in possession of the ball and put it through the opposing team's hoop," Laura stated as she gave Peter all the knowledge she knew about the sport.

"Yea," Peter said as he was glad she was at least familiar with how to score, "But when you have the ball you can only move by dribbling it."

"Dribbling?" Laura reiterated for she wasn't acquainted with that word.

"Yea, dribbling," Peter said as he started dribbling the ball to show her the action.

He did the gesture for a while and she observed it, but in the midst of her watching him, he abruptly passed the ball to her with the hopes of catching her off guard.

She caught it effortlessly and gave him a flat glare to question if he really thought that would work.

He let out a chuckle, and she shook her head before copying the gesture perfectly.

She looked at him, waiting for his approval.

"Not bad Goth-Girl," Peter said as he was impressed with her form. She learned how to dribble much faster than he did but in his defense, when he learnt to dribble it was when he was in kindergarten and severely asthmatic.

"Goth-Girl?" Laura reiterated in an unamused voice as she hoped that that wasn't her new nickname.

"Hey, You were the one that wanted a new nickname," Peter said playfully before going back to explaining the game.

He explained the basic rules to her for this was a simple game which didn't need many rules.

You could move two steps without dribbling the ball if you wished to score or pass. You could also steal the ball from the opposing team and block others from passing as long as there was no physical injury.

In order to score you simply had to get the ball through the hoop with either a throw or a dunk.

"A dunk?" Laura questioned as there was another term she wasn't familiar with.

"It's better if I show ya," he said with a smirk before running towards the net.

Laura watched as Peter approached the net, dribbling the ball in the process before jumping in the air and flamboyantly doing a complete three-sixty spin while putting the ball in between his legs and through the hoop.

The children who watched this were dazzled while Laura's expression remained flat and unamused.

Peter gracefully landed as the ball bounced away from him.

With his eyes closed he let out a shrug before dusting himself off, "Now you don't gotta do it like that, a simple jump and -"

The bouncing of the ball caused him to cut himself off.

He opened his eyes just in time to see Laura perform the same trick he did, with even more gracefulness which astounded the children even more than Peter's original dunk did.

"Is that all?" Laura simply asked the surprised Peter whose mouth was currently agape.

He let out a sigh, of course she wouldn't let him show off so easily.

He shook his head and let out a sigh, "Well, there is one more thing that is important to the game," Peter began to say as he gestured for Laura to give him the ball.

"And what is that?" she inquired as she gave it to him.

"We make up rules as we go, and we make sure to have fun," he said with a laugh as he went to meet the kids in the middle.

Laura followed him, sharing his enthusiasm as she found herself looking forward to playing this game.

Chapter Text

I wrote this chapter listening to "Rat a Tat" By Fallout Boy.

The sound of an elastic ball bouncing echoed through the quiet streets; the sound of rapid footsteps and children yelling followed suit.

A little boy named Henry Jackson was racing down the court, dribbling the ball to the beat of his heart, hell on his heels, selfishly keeping the ball to himself for glory if his plan pulled through.

Eyes locked, arms ready, he held the ball firmly within his tiny grasp, taking the two steps before his legs lifted him far into the air, and like a machine that has performed the movement a thousand times, he raised his arms and took his shot.

The trajectory of the ball was perfectly aligned.

The speed was what he had aimed for.

By all indications within his child-like mind, it was going to go in. His expression grew from one of seriousness to a celebratory one as he got excited, a proud smile plastered on his face.

"Nah."

Henry stopped his celebration upon hearing those simple words.

He turned around in shock as his hazel eyes met blue ones.

Peter had caught the ball and with an overly self-assured smirk on his face, he tilted his head and simply said:

"You didn't think it'd be that easy, did ya?"

Chapter 10.2: Rat a Tat

With his ego hurt, Henry made an attempt to challenge Peter but he simply weaved through Henry when he attempted to take the ball. Tyler then tried to make a move immediately after this though, which forced Peter to spin around the young boy as Tyler tried swiping the ball from him but not one to be a bystander, Leah joined in and tried taking the ball from Peter mid-spin.

The game was reduced to the three children trying to take the ball from Peter, who elegantly danced around them, a big smile on his face as he toyed with them. He got so cocky that he started doing freestyle tricks which completely baffled the three children. He crossed, he twitched, he even delayed his movements, breaking their brains.

They stumbled, they fell, they recovered and tried again.

As they tried taking the ball from his hands, in a blink, it would be in another, and eventually, Peter decided to confuse them by doing back dribbles and tricks from behind the back.

It worked because they eventually lost track due to the ball no longer being in his possession. They looked at Peter, wondering if this was another trick, but he gave a shrug, for he was just as confused as they were.

Where had the ball gone?

The sound of hard elastic hitting the ground behind them had reached their ears.

The three children managed to turn around just in time to see their defenseman, Lamar, fruitlessly chasing after Laura, who was mid-air, in the process of dunking the ball.

Their jaws dropped with the ball as it fell down through the net, earning another goal for team Peter and Laura.

Peter held his stomach as he burst out laughing.

Laura simply rolled her eyes as she travelled back to her side. Peter's trick on the children was far too flashy.

"Must you show off?" Laura asked as she and Peter got ready for the next round.

"No," Peter casually said, "But it's like half the fun," he finished with a laugh.

Laura shook her head in response to this, but that didn't stop the corner of her lips from softening and the pounding of her heart.

She snorted in the next round as Peter was left utterly dumbfounded upon having the ball taken from him in the middle of a trick.

Served him right.

The children got points that round and the one after that.

She tried to recover points by scoring, for she was not fond of losing.

There were issues with how she scored though.

Apparently, it was against the rules to start a round by scoring.

She did not know that.

Now there were new rules.

She and Peter had to pass the ball twice in order to score.

"Goth-Girl!" Peter called out as he passed the ball to her.

He had just stolen the ball from the children, and upon catching it, Laura made her way towards their half of the court with no effort or contest, for she was faster than those who opposed her.

She looked to the right side of the court where Peter was, not surprised by the overconfidence he displayed by running backwards.

They locked eyes, and she passed the ball to him.

He caught it with a devilish smile, but that quickly changed as he tripped when trying to turn around. He fell, face first, on the hard pavement beneath them, the ball leaving his grasp and 'randomly' approaching the children who took the opportunity and scored.

Laura was surprised upon seeing Peter make such a clumsy mistake.

With his powers and experience, such a fluke-

Peter sat up and smiled as he watched the children cheer upon scoring.

Laura's surprise quickly faded away.

She should have expected his "fluke."

Logan was still inside his spot in the Parker dining room, quietly enjoying the pie he immensely enjoyed. The others had moved to the living room once more, finalizing the enrollment by having his aunt sign the papers for guardianship and things like that.

He cleaned up his plate, gobbling what was left of the mixture of cherry pie and whipped cream which was on his plate before looking to grab some more. Plenty of pieces remained, reserved for the two teens who were still strangely absent. The Parker kid and Laura had left to get milk to replace the expired one Parker had mistakenly bought. It had been about half an hour, and yet, the two were still gone.

He could detect they were nearby through his nose, but what were they doing?

He shook his head; it was none of his business.

He looked back at the pieces of pie reserved for Parker and half contemplated eating it, with that half contemplation turning into full intention. He took the portion given to him, halving Parker's own, before putting whipped cream over it and gobbling it in a matter of seconds with great pleasure.

He breathed in deeply through his nose and sighed as he got up.

"Damn, that pie was good," He thought as he tucked his chair in.

If he could get more of that pie, he could certainly stand the Parker kid's incessant 'jokes.'

He furrowed his brow as the scent of Nick Fury filled his nose once more.

He noticed that scent the moment he walked into the house; it was faint, as usual when it came to Fury, but still present, meaning he left something within the kid's care.

Probably relating to the whole Wilson Fisk shit he, Laura, and the other costumed heroes would deal with.

It was none of his business.

He found himself inside Peter's room shortly after that previous thought.

He grumbled; he was horrible at minding his own business.

He let out a sniff, trying to locate and find out what Fury had left. With the smell of paper and plastic intertwined with it, he knew it was a document of some kind, holding information most likely classified at the highest level.

He went down on his knees, finding out that the folder was hidden underneath his bed. He scowled slightly as the smell of dried blood hit his nose when he raised the sheets, hiding what lay underneath Peter's bed.

There were used bandages dried with blood hidden underneath his bed, not too far from the folder.

They were laced with Laura's scent, which surprised Logan.

She was a superhero and was now playing nurse for the Parker kid.

What the hell else was she going to be doing next? He asked himself as he grabbed the folder and stood up with it.

He ignored the printed S.H.I.E.L.D. logo and the red stamp over it and went right into its contents. With each page turn, his eyes grew wider and wider until…

"Shit…" he mumbled.

He should've just stayed downstairs.

He read through most of the document before returning it, gaining all the essential details.

To avoid being caught snooping, he flushed the toilet in the bathroom before descending to the lower floor, a sour look on his face as he pondered his thoughts. Though the contents of the folder were severe, they weren't what annoyed him; what troubled him was why he went through them.

If he just looked at the folder for Laura's sake, he would understand it a little, but it wasn't just for her, but for Parker's sake too.

Was it because he cared about Laura and that she cared about him, which made his mind command him to know what they were up against? Why was his mere appearance gnawing at the back of his mind and consciousness? It was as if his mind was growling at him, viscously snarling at him for not knowing why? But what the hell was he supposed to know? He asked himself as his gaze instinctively fell on one of the many photos which hung on the wall beside him.

He shook his head in annoyance as a headache started to set in.

He needed booze.

Instead, he got Ororo, who had just entered the house once more after being gone for some time.

"And where have you been, Ro'?" He asked his friend, hoping it would help him get his mind off things.

"Well, I would tell you, but I think it would be better if I just showed you instead," Ororo cryptically said with a smile as she beckoned Logan to follow her.

Logan raised a brow, wondering what this was all about, already not a big fan of cryptics.

"That is... if you aren't doing anything, of course," She politely told Logan, who she knew was not doing anything.

Logan sighed as he put his hands within his pockets, "Eh…sure… beat's waiting on them," he admitted as he nudged his head towards The Professor's way. "But can you at least tell me what we'll be doing for once instead of being mysterious all the damn time?" Logan added, openly displaying his annoyance with cryptic answers.

He was too old for that.

Ororo chuckled, "But where would the fun in that be?"

"It is quite a sight, isn't it?" Ororo asked as she watched the scene before them with amused eyes while Logan was still comprehending it.

Laura and Parker were playing basketball with children.

Laura Kinney, X-23, one of the most dangerous assassins in the world, was playing basketball.

She had just blocked a shot and was currently running down the 'court' with Parker ahead of her. The children they were facing had made attempts to take the ball from her, but she gracefully danced around them, giving them multiple chances to take the ball only to take it away. Her movements were not nearly as smooth as Peter's though; holding herself back to allow the children to stand a chance was not something she had ever done before.

She got the idea from Peter, who gave them several chances to take it from him, which gave them hope of being able to take it; it was like gambler's fallacy, though not random, the children believed that their chances of taking the ball were getting larger based on their previous attempts.

It was fun for them.

She passed the ball towards Peter, who had a broad smile on his face as an idea came to mind.

He caught the ball, and as one of the boys went to take it from him, he circled the ball around the impulsive child's head, making him believe that he had passed it to Laura, only for the light bounce of it off his back to inform him that Peter still had it.

Peter had a smile that displayed he was having too much fun with this, and while dribbling the ball, he used his other hand to cover his eyes before looking away, daring the children to come and get it.

And they took him up on his dare.

Soon enough, Peter, with one hand, and no eyes, was fending off the little fiends who wished to take his ball with ease. His tricks had gotten more eccentric. He was crossing and dribbling with much more extra movements, blatantly doing things that only the greatest of players could do.

She did have to admit, though, his showmanship was making things more entertaining than they already were.

Eventually, he did a trick with the ball landing on his fingertip. Knowing that he was setting her up, she ran up to him, grabbing the ball from his hand and dunking the ball.

But unlike the other times when she simply did it, she copied a move from Peter and put it in between her legs first before putting it through the net

"Did she just do an Eastbay?" Logan asked himself as he watched her come back onto the ground.

The children looked at her in awe, and Peter merely put his hands on his waist as he locked eyes with Laura.

"Did you really have to do that?" he asked her with a smirk.

"No," Laura simply said softly, with a slight curvature at the edge of her mouth.

Peter let out a chuckle as they both returned to their sides to continue their game.

"She's…" Logan began to say as he had his eyes glued on Laura's figure.

"She's having fun," Ororo stated with a pleasant smile as they watched the children slowly move away from their net and prepare their counterattack.

Logan let Ororo speak for him as he watched Laura. She had managed to snatch the ball from them. Her face had a softer look on it, devoid of all attempts to keep it stoic. She managed to grab the ball from the children and passed it to Peter, only for him to fail to catch it and have it hit him square in the face. He recoiled in mock, poorly acted-pain before he fell flat on his ass. The children had once again gained possession of the ball and passed it towards one another hastily with the idea that Laura couldn't steal it before eventually scoring on the two teens yet again.

She did not bother contesting them.

If the Parker kid's poor acting wasn't a giveaway, the fact that she did not have the ball within her grasp ten out of the ten times showed that both Laura and Parker were letting the children win.

However, she did it in a manner that didn't embarrass herself.

She had gone to make a gesture to try and help him up but immediately retracted her hand before it even left her side as she felt the gazes of the children fall on them, as they made fun of Peter with joy and fun written all over their faces.

Instead, she opted to shake her head at Peter, judging him for his less-than-stellar acting skills.

"I didn't know you were an acting critic," Peter said as he dusted himself off.

"I am a master actor," Laura stated, as acting fell under a category of deception.

"What aren't you a master of?" Peter asked as they made it back to their sides.

"Losing," she stated confidently.

Peter chuckled, "Well, let's hope we cancel each other out then cause I'm a master at that."

"Hmmm," she simply responded.

"How long have they been at this?" Logan asked as he looked at the woman who stood beside him.

"About twenty minutes," Ororo stated. She had left the house initially to observe and smell Mrs. Parker's fantastic Garden, but her ears had caught the sound of children playing sports, and the woman couldn't help but take a glance.

Much to her surprise, she found that the cause of such joy was Peter Parker and Laura Kinney.

"You know Logan…" she began to say as a nostalgic smile hit her face, which did not go unnoticed by the smaller man who accompanied her, "Me and this boy…we would always play soccer with the neighboring kids…and just like Mr. Parker, he would always let them win," Ororo said with a soft smile.

"Did he also make himself look stupid?" Logan asked with a snort as he watched Peter fumble yet again.

"Not intentionally, no," Ororo commented with a small laugh, "Nevertheless, Mr. Parker reminds me a lot of him," Ororo said as she looked at him with fondness and nostalgia.

She turned her attention back to her hairy companion as Peter and Laura made it back to their sides after scoring another goal, despite Peter's earlier fumble.

"You think she's ready?" Ororo asked her friend.

Logan sighed as he thought about Ororo's question, Laura's behavior with the others, and her behavior with Peter.

"I dunno…I don't think she'd be a team player with the others. I doubt she'd even take orders from Summers…" Logan said as he thought about the brown-haired pain in his ass.

"You don't take orders from Summers," Ororo commented with a short and soft laugh.

"Yeah, and you know where she comes from?" Logan rhetorically asked with a snort.

"I do…" Ororo said softly as she briefly turned her attention back to her friend before returning it to the game. "Is that why you expect the worst from her?" She said as she watched the raven-haired girl.

Logan scratched his mutton chops, "It's why I did, but… now…I dunno what to expect…"

"From her or yourself?" Ororo stated, finishing his sentence.

Logan didn't respond.

"Maybe we can run a couple simulations with her once she gets back," Ororo recommended, which prompted him to shake his head.

"She'll be getting back late… but…we can try it out tomorrow though. Parker will be arriving in the morning anyways; maybe, it could go smoothly with him there," Logan said as she watched her pass the ball to him, emphasizing the word 'maybe.'

Laura was not one to hold back because he was not one to hold back. Even in a simple streetball game, he noticed her difficulties of not using her abilities to the fullest.

If she were to go and do simulations with the others, who were mostly significantly inexperienced and not nearly as skilled as her, two things might happen: She might just end the simulation herself, or, she might end it herself and get angry at the others.

Peter Parker had the experience, however, and the capabilities to keep up with her.

Not to mention he had something else too.

"If the news is correct, though, Spider-Man is kind of a loner," Ororo pointed out as she tried doing research on the webbed-wonder once news of him being a mutant reached her ears.

"Well, the two can clearly work together, and that's fine with me," Logan stated as he sighed before putting his hands in his pockets.

"It won't be fine with Scott," Ororo said with an amused, gentle laugh.

"Yeah, well, he can kiss my hairy ass once he's done with Chucks," Logan said as he blew off her statement and decided to walk back to the house.

Ororo rolled her eyes.

"You're not staying for the finale?" She asked as she saw the form of Logan get even smaller as he walked away.

"Eh…Leave her," Logan said as he took one hand out of his pocket to make a waving gesture. He didn't bother turning around to face Ororo, "Don't think she'd like it too much if she caught us watching her like this."

Ororo contemplated his words, giving the game and the teenage duo one last look before following Logan back to the house.

Logan was right.

Besides, she knew how this would play out.

Laura briefly looked down the empty street before returning to the game. It was match point now, and the children were slowly coming down to their side as they planned out their victory.

"Don't win too hard," Peter said to her with a smile as he challenged the kid one last time in the twilight hours of the game. She paused, contemplating his words, before following suit.

Henry had begun passing the ball to his friends slowly, not wanting to ruin his chances of winning due to his ego. They all stared Peter in the eye as they passed the ball between them. It was like a cowboy stand off, as they waited on the other to act, Peter could swear he could see a tumbleweed in the background.

A car horn going off in the back prompted them to make their move, and instantaneously, Peter had the ball in his grasp once more. He moved toward the enemy net, the kid's behind him desperately trying to give chase. They pulled on his shirt in a folly attempt to slow him, but he managed to pass the ball to Laura, who was parallel to him.

They let go to chase her, but she effortlessly avoided their moves and passed it back to Peter.

She watched him trip, screwing up on his shot on their net, the ball hitting the backboard and heading in her direction.

She caught it and re-oriented herself for the perfect shot before…

…She had accidentally stepped with the side of her foot, stumbling and missing her shot.

It hit the back of the rim, bouncing vertically up before landing right in front of the kids who were chasing her. Surprised, caught off guard, and not expecting a fluke coming from her, they paused in shock, surprise, and hope, before claiming the ball for themselves.

With no one to give chase, they passed it amongst themselves until it fell inside the hands of the only girl on their team, Leah. With her brother and his friends urging her to score, she used their hopes to give her power and lift her up farther than ever.

And with a large smile on her face, she dunked the ball within the net, winning the game against the two teens who were left in the dust.

When she landed, she was overwhelmed with praise and hugs as her friends gathered around her, cheering her and each other on as they let out a collective roar upon their moment of triumph over Peter, who did nothing but show off, and Laura, who was seemingly an unstoppable and uncontestable force.

From his spot on the ground, Peter turned his attention to Laura, a confused look written on his face as he looked at her. She uncharacteristically stumbled, missing the shot and almost tripping in the process.

Last time he checked Laura was a master…

"…Actor…" he thought as he watched her look at a group of cheering kids with praise with a small smile that brightened her pale and petite face.

She turned her attention onto Peter and made her way towards him as the children started to recollect the previous' plays' they had made throughout the game.

"I thought you were a master of not losing?" Peter said with a stupidly large grin on his face.

"Unfortunately, I am tied down with you," She stated in her typical flat and harsh voice, "Besides…it is better this way..," she stated as both she and Peter looked on at the children who laughed with each other, "...it is… fun… this way," Laura said as she let out a gentle smile towards Peter which made everything in his body stop.

Peter let out a brief chuckle.

He shouldn't have expected anything else from her.

He returned her smile with one of his own.

He turned his head around to admire the sight of a happy crowd but Laura kept her gaze on him as she moved.

Hearing the shifting of movement, Peter brought his attention back onto Laura, but doing so caused him to freeze in surprise

Laura was bent over, her face near his as she slowly but surely extended out her hand towards him. With the sun shining above her and its bright light reflecting off her emerald eyes, Peter found himself captivated by her figure.

"Are you going to get up? or are you planning on sitting there all day?" Laura impatiently asked with a furrowed brow, for she wasn't used to doing such gestures and hoped he'd take her hand as fast as possible.

Realizing that he had been staring, obviously flustered, Peter's cheeks soon turned a shade of pink as he took Laura's hand while struggling to maintain eye contact.

Laura pulled Peter back onto his feet and he immediately went to dust himself off as she returned her hand to her side, questioning her action.

"Thanks," Peter genuinely said, which caused Laura to look at him and be met with his gentle smile.

She merely crossed her arms and looked away from him and back to the children.

Peter let out a small amused breath and shook his head before putting his fists on his waist and doing the same.

Chapter Text

Short Story: Who's Peter Parker?

Starring: Kitty Pryde, Bobby Drake, Kurt Wagner, Scott Summers, Jean Grey.

Westchester County, North Salem

The Charles Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters

"She's wearing makeup."

"I can't find him. All I'm getting are adults and retired white dudes - No, No, Nevermind, there's some Spanish and Black guys here too," Robert "Bobby" Drake said as he scrolled through the numerous search results under "Peter Parker."

"Did you add in the 'Benjamin?'" Katherine "Kitty" Pryde said as she sat cross-legged on the lavish couch in the recreational room within the Xavier Institute.

"..."

"...No," He admitted, quickly adding the middle name to his search result.

Once their instructors and guardians had left the building for the boy, and alongside Kitty's observations on the girl they only knew as "X," the students had immediately gone to find out who the boy was, with the intention of gaining information on who would be their new student and the connection he had with their new mysterious acquaintance.

"Sh-Should we really be doing this?" Kurt asked as he nervously stood behind the couch, watching his peers continue their quest for information.

"We should wait to meet him and the -" He tried to voice his thoughts, but the Six-Foot Brunette man who stood beside him cut him off from doing that.

"- Everyone googles each other nowadays, Kurt," Scott said, rationalizing his actions. "And besides…" he paused, a stern look crossing his face, "I doubt they'd tell us anything about him."

"What makes you say that?" his blue elvish companion asked.

"Cause they haven't told us anything about X. She's been here for more than a week now, and we know nothing about her outside that she has some relation to Logan and will kill us if we get too close; The accident with Kitty proving that," He explained with frustration growing in his voice.

"It was my fault," Kitty sternly said, turning away from her research to face Scott, "I went into her room, remember?" she stated, putting the blame rightfully on her.

He went to open his mouth to say something, but Kitty interrupted him before he could, "She's not as bad as you think," she firmly said, defending her raven-haired neighbor.

"She's pretty bad," Bobby offhandedly said as he scrolled through his phone, letting out a small laugh as a thought came to mind, "Makes me wonder what her boyfriend looks like," he said as he thought about the possible appearance of Peter Parker.

"We don't know if he's her boyfriend," Kitty stated, regretting her previous assumption that everyone now latched onto. "L-like, he could be her friend? or someone close," she recommended, trying to dissuade them.

"Do you put on makeup to meet your friends?" Bobby retorted.

"Ye-yeah, sometimes… all girls do it, right Jean?" She asked the redhead who sat beside her, trying to garner support for her point.

"Yeah, but I don't think 'X' does," She stated as she too, scrolled through her search results.

"Whatever he is, He's someone important to her, and if we can find anything out about him, then maybe we can find something out about her," Scott reasonably deduced. "I still can't believe the Professor didn't tell me about him as soon as he popped up," he bitterly said in a softer voice.

"Scott, you know the Professor; he has his reasons," Jean said as she turned to her partner.

They met each other's eyes before he looked away, letting out a sigh, "I know, but…I thought he trusted me enough to share them."

"He does, but not everything is meant to be shared," Jean said as she reiterated one of the many lessons he tried to teach her.

"You're one to talk," Bobby said with a snicker, but it stopped as she glared at him ever so briefly.

He decided to change the subject, laughing to himself once more.

"I bet you he's a goth," he said as he returned the subject to Peter. "Hair over his eyes, makeup to make him pale," he laughed as he built his image of Parker.

"Bobby…," Kitty said as she huffed, amused by his mental image but not fond of his assumptions.

"Okay, okay…" he said as he stopped voicing the image he had for Peter, "But if I'm right, then I get to pick where we go for our next date."

Kitty rolled her eyes as she continued her search.

"Well, save your pick for later Bobby," Jean said as a smile grew on her face, "He's not edgy," she stated to the surprise of others.

"He's far from edgy…" she added as her eyes widened.

"You found him? Show us!" Kitty said in a demanding, excited voice as Jean let the young woman take her phone.

Upon taking her phone, everyone around the young girl who sat in the middle scrambled to get a good look at the boy on the screen.

"He's…"

"He's…"

"He's a complete Dork," Bobby stated as he looked at the picture before them. On a small page, followed by only four people, stood a singular, high quality, yet low effort, awkward picture of Peter Parker, presumably standing in his room. He had bright blue eyes, slight sideburns, extra fluffy hair styled upwards, and an awkward, half-hearted smile on his face.

"I was going to say 'cute' but…" Jean said as she shook her head, slightly agreeing but not wanting to admit that Bobby's comment was right.

"Well, he is that too, "Bobby nonchalantly said, "But you can't lie, he looks like a total loser."

"You would know," Kitty jokingly said as she passed the phone back to Jean before returning to her laptop.

"Is there anything important on it?" Scott asked as he leaned forward on the couch beside Jean.

"Well.." she began to say as she gained information off the page, "...'He only made it at the behest of friends,'" she stated as she began to read his bio. "He goes to Midtown High, and he's a freelance photographer," She finished with a shrug, as that was all the page had said.

"Who are his followers?" Scott asked, wanting to gain more info. Jean tapped to see the four who followed him.

"Well, there's a 'Gwendolyn. Stacy,'" she said as she read out the first name that popped up, "an 'H. Osborn'...a 'Flash. T,' and…" she stopped speaking as her gaze fell on the fourth follower.

"And what?" Scott asked, wondering what had caused her to stop.

"and 'TheRealJohnnyStorm,'" she said as she looked at her partner.

"The Human Torch?" Kitty instantly snapped as she recognized the username. "The Human Torch follows him!?" She yelled in disbelief as she immediately went to find the page Jean was on.

"Oh my gosh, he does," She exclaimed as she looked at Peter's follower list.

"Why?" Scott asked as he began to ponder the countless reasons why The Human Torch cou-

"He's a freelance photographer, right?" Kurt asked no one in specific, "Maybe he takes pictures of him?" Kurt guessed with a shrug.

"He's right," Kitty said as she looked at his tagged photos. They were full of Human Torch pictures which were posted on his account. She clicked on one of them, which featured a selfie of the teenage hero and a surprised, caught-off-guard Peter, holding his camera with two hands, "Like to give a shout out to the man responsible for these amazing pictures, Peter Parker. The greatest photographer in all of New York," she finished reading the text below the picture.

"Oh," Scott simply said as his guesses were thrown to the wayside. Peter Parker was just a photographer.

"He doesn't just take pictures of The Human Torch though, lookie here: he takes pictures of Spider-Man too," Bobby said as he browsed through his professional page, "He's the one that takes the pictures of Spidey for the Daily Bugle," he flashed the photo's for all to see.

"No way," Kitty said as she recognized them, "I have that one in my room," she pointed out as Bobby scrolled through the page more.

How could she not have noticed?

She went back to searching more about him as the others listened to Bobby as he recapped his professional experience. "He also volunteers at the F.E.A.S.T. homeless shelter," Scott stated as he and Bobby reviewed his public resume.

"He seems like a good guy," Kurt said as he smiled upon hearing about Peter's volunteer service.

"Yeah…" Scott said, agreeing with Kurt on this. Though not much, Peter Parker did seem to be at least good.

"I can see the appeal," Jean commented, earning a raised brow from Scott.

"You do?" he said, extending the last word too long.

"Yeah, I do. Not my type, though," Jean said with a smile as she turned to her partner, shutting down his creeping jealousy and replacing it with something else.

"What is your type then?" he asked with a smirk, leaning himself further on the couch..

She put a hand on his face.

"Big and strong," she said in a low voice before closing her eyes and giving him a peck on the cheek.

Scott smiled as they returned to their previous positions.

He crossed his arms, dropping his smile though his expression was much softer than it usually was.

"This still doesn't explain why the Professor kept him a secret and his relation to X," Scott said, sighing.

"We'll find out eventually, my friend," Kurt said as he put a hand on Scotts shoulder.

Kitty remained silent.

Upon her search, she had found herself on the page of a small article published by The Daily Bugle; It was dated November twelfth, twenty-nineteen, with the title reading:

"Benjamin Parker, Sixty-one, killed in house robbery; Leaves behind wife and nephew," She struggled not to put her hands to her mouth in shock and sadness.

Instead, she opted to close the tab before anyone noticed.

She had mistakenly voiced her thoughts once today; she would not do so again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: The Calm Before The Storm

Peter and Laura were walking down one of the many crowded streets that belonged to New York City. They had exited Pennsylvania station a while ago and were near Peter's place of work. Laura had her duffle bag over her shoulder, and Peter had his Uncle's leather messenger bag over his, containing the photos he was intending to sell to Jameson and a folder given to him by Nick Fury.

They had returned to his house shortly after their game, and the good-fun ridicule Peter faced at the hands of the children. The papers for his enrollment had been signed when they arrived with the instructors leaving soon after, but before they did, Logan handed Laura her duffle bag before giving her a nod which she reciprocated. No words were needed to be exchanged, she knew what he meant with it. Threats were to come with this choice of hers, but she was more than prepared and equipped to deal with them.

She would try her best to save lives and make the right decision.

Once they left, both she and Peter were treated to the leftover pieces of pie reserved for them and the two greatly enjoyed it together before he took her into his room to retrieve his items. She had detected the folder's presence just as Peter was telling her about it. It was intertwined with Logan's meaning he had taken a look at it while they were gone, but there was another scent on it that she did not recognize.

Peter then nonchalantly told her that Nick Fury had stopped by to give him information on Wilson Fisk's occupation as he flashed the confidential S.H.I.E.L.D. document.

She thought she heard the wrong thing at first, but no, Nick Fury, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D, one of the most influential and powerful people on the planet, who was in charge of a powerful organization which was after her, was someone who was a friend of, or at the very least, looked after, Peter.

He merely shrugged and said, "Yea."

But then he corrected her on the fact that S.H.I.E.L.D. was after her because, after their short meeting, Peter had informed her that S.H.I.E.L.D. and the agencies it was tied to or in charge of, were no longer going to be after her.

When she asked "Why?" he simply told her that, from what he could tell, "She was in Fury's 'good books' now." She thought about the possibilities and things that could entail with that, but there were a lot of questions that had entered her mind. Most of which being her concerned about Fury's interest in Peter, which she did not like.

She did not like that at all.

Whether it was due to her previous encounter with the shady organization which led to her arrest, or just the fact that not even The Facility knew much about them outside of what it stood for, it did not sit right with her that Nick Fury had an interest in Peter.

She had voiced her concern but he told her that there was a difference between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury.

He didn't trust S.H.I.E.L.D, but he trusted Nick Fury.

He had cracked a joke about the man, which gave her the information that he was Captain America's number one fan, even more so than Peter was.

She looked at the poster of the living legend that was on Peter's wall as she contemplated all the information just given to her before a worrying thought came to her mind.

She wondered if Fury told him anything about her…

She masked her question with another, wondering if Fury had informed him about anything else but he told her that he wasn't interested, adding that if it was anything important, he'd hear about it anyways.

She understood.

It made her relieved and happy that he trusted her so much.

Though she had already informed him about her time with and after The Facility, there were things she would much rather tell him when she was ready.

She then called him out for telling her yesterday that 'not a lot of people liked him,' which he staunchly defended, saying she's met everyone who was in his corner.

Despite the number being low, he just so happened to have The Fantastic Four, an expert and knowledgeable lawyer, and Nick Fury in his corner.

He was certainly in with the right people, she could say that much.

But she'd have to remind him to add her, the world's deadliest assassin - former, assassin, to that list.

They had left his house soon after with his Aunt telling him that his curfew wasn't needed, with recent developments, however, she asked that he didn't come back too late cause he needed to pack for tomorrow.

He agreed and the kind lady wished the both of them to be safe.

Without Logan's motorcycle, which she 'took' whenever she pleased, much to Peter's amusement, and him not wanting to swing there, they relied on public transportation to bring them to Manhattan.

They missed the bus which took them to the train station.

When they arrived at the station, they just barely missed the train.

When they finally got on the train, there was maintenance that had to be conducted on the track causing them to wait even longer.

Her patience had never been tested so much before.

Peter simply sighed and just went along with it.

Eventually, they arrived, bringing them to where they were now, standing in front of the headquarters of most-read newspaper in all of New York City: The Daily Bugle. The building was large, due to it being the base of operations for the news network, the online website, and the newspaper, with the last two essentially being the same.

From what he had informed her, he was a freelance photographer for the Daily Bugle and they were simply here so that he can sell some photos and inform Jameson that he was available to work again.

They passed the security guard with no questions upon their entrance with Peter diverting their path to show her around. The majority of the building were office workers who worked on the website or behind the scenes for the news network. Two floors were allocated for the network, one of which for the regular cast and news reporters, with the other being solely dedicated to Jameson's time on the show which was always set in the morning.

The top floor was where Jameson's office and primary work of the News paper took place, with everyone who worked there being some type of important or top person who was vital to the whole operation.

When they reached it, he asked her to wait by the elevator because technically she wasn't supposed to be up there, and there was a whole bunch of exclusive, under the wraps stuff which not even regular employees knew about.

She did not like it, but she obliged, sitting on a nearby chair as Peter made his way.

He walked through the ever-so-busy office of the Daily Bugle; things were just like they always were, phones ringing non-stop, while reporters, editors, interviewers, managers, and basically anyone else of importance frantically typed away the information given to them.

The only thing that was missing was the overly-loud, angry voice of J.J. booming through the entire floor.

That was not a bad thing though as he was still mentally preparing himself for the interaction he was going to have with his foghorn boss who unfairly reported on his alter ego.

He could feel eyes on him as he travelled closer to Jameson's office, he could hear conversations stop as others noticed him. He wanted to say something, to call them out with a joke or break the ice with something but he just opted to ignore it and push through it.

He wasn't here for them anyways.

He soon found himself in front of a desk, with a woman he knew, so neck-deep in her work that she didn't notice him as she frantically typed on her computer. The Caucasian woman in her mid-twenties with short brown hair only came to know that he was standing there due to him letting out a forced cough and an awkward, "hello."

Betty Brant's jaw had never dropped so low in her life as she saw the familiar teenage boy she knew too well.

"Peter!?" She asked as if she wasn't sure he was real, her hazel eyes full of complete shock. She stood up from her desk, her black dress fluttering and heels rapidly moving towards him as he simply, and in Peter Parker fashion, awkwardly said, "H-hey Betty…"

He was cut short though as the adult woman immediately hugged him.

"Oh my god, Peter, how are you? It's been so long," she happily said as she pulled away from the stunned young man, "Is everything alright?" she asked in a concerned tone as she looked at the boy with sympathy radiating off her eyes and very being.

"G-good…everything is good," He began to say as that was his automated response to most things, forcing a meek smile to not worry the lady.

"I'm glad," Betty genuinely said as she smiled with relief.

At most, the people at Bugle only knew that Gwen was one of his classmates which was something he was glad about because he was spared from talking about her because of it.

"What about you?" Peter asked as he wondered what the secretary of J. Jonah, has been up to the past month. Betty Brant was someone of importance to him at the Bugle due to her kind nature and amazing work ethic. It took someone extremely capable to meet Jameson's extremely high demands, and she did that on the daily.

"Oh… you know…" she said as she waved her hand, "Neck deep in work as usual, though it's lighter than it usually is."

"Really?" Peter asked with a raised brow as he was a staunch believer that her work could only get harder. She let out a small laugh, "Yeah, Jonah's been doing more and more things personally now…I bet it has something to do with the project he's been working on though," She said with a shrug, before widening her eyes and realizing her mistake.

"Project?" Peter questioningly asked.

The woman with short brown hair let out a sigh as she crashed back down onto her chair.

"Yeah…" she said as she rested her face on her hands.

"You-You weren't supposed to tell me that were you?" Peter asked as he recognized the gesture he's done about a thousand times.

She nodded her head in her hands before turning to face the boy once more.

"Don't tell anyone, and I mean don't tell anyone," she stated in a firm voice as she gestured Peter to get in close, "But Ned's been telling me that Jonah's been working on this big project this past month," she said in the lowest whisper she could muster as Peter listened closely.

"What is it about?" Peter asked as he was extremely invested now.

"I don't know, I don't even know if Ned knows, but he's been telling me that he sees Ben typing away about something on his computer for the brief moments he's here, and with the amount of time's he's been entering Jonah's office lately, I honestly think he's right," She said with a shrug.

Ned Leeds was one of The Bugle's top reporters alongside Ben Urich, which was an accomplishment due to how young he is. He's a kind man, an honest-to-god reporter, extremely helpful co-worker, a complete geek, and the loving partner of Betty.

Nothing in Peter's summarization of him insulted his intelligence.

"Must be some project," Peter mumbled as he and Betty returned to their default positions, using their regular voice. Though he was the founder and owner of The Daily Bugle - a reporter by heart, Peter found it strange whenever Jonah kept things close to his chest due to his very open and loud personality.

"Must be, which is why I'm telling you not to tell anyone about it," The young woman said sternly as any leaks of it might lead to the jeopardization of everyone's job or more, depending on how important it was.

Peter let out a nervous chuckle, prompting her to repeat herself, "I mean it, Peter," she said again as she gave the boy a fierce look.

"I know, I know. I won't tell anyone, Betty, I promise," Peter said as he put his hands in the air.

The young woman let out a smile before leaning back in her chair.

"I know," She knew Peter Parker; He was a good boy, with a good heart, who would never intentionally wrong the ones he cared about. She and everyone else knew that when the frail young boy dressed up as the web-swinging hero Spider-Man to save her.

"I think they're talking about it in there, right now," She voiced her guess as she nudged her head towards Jonah's office whose blinders and shutters were fully down, hiding whatever it was they were doing from everyone and the outside world.

Peter looked at it before turning back to her, "About that…" he began to say as he nervously shifted in place, "I was wondering if I could talk to Mr. Jameson?" he nervously asked the mustached-man's secretary.

"What for?" she asked as she tilted her head in confusion only for the obvious reason to dawn on her much later than it should.

"For-"

"-For pictures, right?" She asked as she suddenly remembered that the young boy wasn't just her friend, but also the news agency's freelance photographer.

Peter nodded and she quickly picked up her office phone.

"For sure Peter," She said as she was happy to oblige Peter's request, "Jonah will definitely let you see him, he was just talking about you the other day," she said as she began calling Jameson's office phone.

He could hear it ring as he was caught off guard by what Betty had said.

He was?

He shook his head as Betty gave him a thumbs up, allowing him to enter the office.

"It's been good seeing you Peter, I'll tell Ned you said 'hello'," she said whole-heartedly before returning back to her work.

Peter let out a nod as he nervously put his hand on the knob to the office, pausing for a bit before eventually turning it all the way and opening the door slowly. He entered the office which had awards and clippings of masked heroes, mainly Spider-Man, adorned on his wall. Every window was covered, even the giant one behind Mr. Jameson's desk which displayed the New York skyline was covered as three men hovered around his desk.

The flat-topped, middle-aged man who had jet black hair graying on the sides, and his iconic, but odd, square mustache on his wrinkled face was sitting in his chair, as another middle-aged, African-American man, with gray curled hair, stood at his right.

That man's name was Joseph 'Robbie,' Robertson, who was the city editor of the Bugle, and Mr. Jameson's right-hand man. He was the foil to Jonah, his straight man, his opposite. If Jonah was the demanding boss with inhuman expectations, then Robbie was the second in command who told you to take it easy, who told you that you were doing good, and who looked out for you.

He was even Spider-Man's biggest advocate.

Peter already liked the man more than anyone else here based on his personality alone, but the constant defense of his alter-ego gave him a lot of brownie points in Peter's eyes.

The man to Jameson's left was slightly younger than them, but not by a lot. His hair still retained its natural brown color but wrinkles were very easy to spot on his forehead. His very appearance screamed that he was a reporter, his glasses helped with that too.

If Robbie played the hopeful, and positive reporter, then Ben Urich was the cynic.

But all three men in the room shared one key defining quality, though, and that was their dedication to their work and spread of honest news.

At least when it wasn't on costumed heroes, though that mostly was just Jameson.

Ben did have some cynical biases towards superheroes as well though, and I guess you could say Robbie had them too just in the exact opposite way.

You could also say Peter's opinion was biased extremely due to him literally being a superhero but he knew a whole lot more than any of them would ever know, and was more often than not, the star of the events they reported on.

He'd be surprised if they even knew there was someone behind the whole downward spiral New York was experiencing at the moment.

"Parker…" Jameson said in a surprised voice as he stood up on his desk and made his way towards the young boy. His hazel eyes looked at the young boy's blue ones with surprise, confusion, and relief.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" He asked as he stood in front of Peter.

"Well I-" but before he could even say a word, the flat-topped man put a hand on his shoulder and led him into his office before closing the door, "-Come in, sit down," he said in his regular disgruntled voice which was always demanding, loud, and fast.

A voice of a man who you knew was born and raised in the big ole' NYC.

"Peter, it's good to see you," Robbie said with a small smile and nod, happy to see the promising young man again. Like many of his other traits which were opposite to Jonah's, Robbie's voice was soft and gentle, which helped put you at ease when you were in the always stressful environment of the Daily Bugle.

Peter smiled back.

"Parker," Urich simply said as he too nodded at the young boy he wasn't really acquainted with.

Peter waved, feeling the same sentiment.

"How are you?" Jonah said as he lifted one of the blinds behind him, letting natural light illuminate the room.

"Um…good…" Peter said as he didn't know how to respond.

"Good? Good?" Jameson said, reiterating the word louder each time and visibly straightening his body as well.

Peter simply nodded.

Jameson let out a smile, "That's good, I'm glad you're doing good Parker," he said as he relaxed his body before hunching forward to get closer to Peter who sat opposite him.

Peter let out a gulp, "Um, what about you… Mr. Jameson?" Peter politely asked the man he was sitting opposite to.

"What about me?" he simply asked as he instantly stood from his fine leather chair to look out towards the city skyline. "It's the same as it always is with me…" He stated as he lost himself in the sight before him, "...Protecting this city by holding those who others don't, accountable for their actions…" Peter knew where this was going.

"...Like that menace, Spider-Man," he confidently stated with a proud smile as he aggressively sat back down on his chair.

Peter hid the sour expression that was threatening to make its way onto his face. There were times, very brief times, when Jonah actually seemed to be a really nice guy in his mind, only for those thoughts to instantly vanish as soon as his opinions on Spider-Man came up.

"He's not a menace Jonah," Robbie said from the sidelines.

"Then explain what happened at the zoo? or him zooming down New York like he was starring in a Fast and Furious film?" he asked his city editor before snickering to himself, "Next thing you know he'll be… talking about family…better yet, driving a car to space with that bumbling idiot Storm," Jameson said as he chuckled at that sight.

"We've been over this a thousand time's Jonah! he's saved the city!" Robbie sternly stated with passion in his voice, though this soured Jameson's expression.

"And what?" Jonah asked rhetorically in the same firm voice, "Because he's saved the city once, once," he reiterated with fierceness in his voice, "I'm supposed to give him a pass for the amount of times he's trashed it? For the times he will-"

"Let's not do this again Gentlemen, we have more important things to discuss," Urich said from his corner, bringing the two back on track and their focus onto Peter.

The two paused, recognizing that they had gotten carried away again with their usual shtick. They took a moment to reset themselves, sighing or shaking their heads, ultimately apologizing to Peter for what had happened before him.

He had tuned out the moment Jonah was talking about Spider-Man due to him not wanting his mood to be ruined, but he didn't need to be actively listening to know that both Jonah and Robbie must've been at each other's throats this past month.

Jonah looked at the boy in front of him once more with softened brown orbs before asking, "All courtesy of not wanting to bother us aside, you doing alright kid?" he asked worryingly before shaking his head.

"Ah, don't answer that," he swiftly stated as he leaned back in his chair, "it's not my place to ask, besides, I don't think you came here to have a sappy conversation but if you did, then I can have Ms. Brant come in with a violin," He ended the sentence in a much more livelier voice then it was when it started.

Peter let out a small chuckle, though Jameson didn't have many redeeming qualities, he had to admit that he was funny at least.

"No… no… I… came to see if you wanted pictures of Spider-Man," he said as he started opening up his bag to retrieve his photos.

"Well, actually Peter…" Robbie began to say though his expression told him that it was nothing good, "...We just... bought photos from Brock, so…" he trailed off but he didn't need to say anything else.

Peter understood though that didn't stop his heart from sinking.

"Nonsense," Jonah aggressively stated, throwing Robbie's previous comment to the side and gaining Peter's full attention, "You have pictures on you?" Peter nodded.

Jonah gestured his fingers towards him, "Show me," he demanded and Peter quickly grabbed the bunch in his bag and splayed them across his desk. Jonah looked their way but not directly at them as he contemplated what he would do next.

He let out a sigh as he brought his hands to the bridge of his nose saying…

"Two hundred dollars…" Peter mumbled as he and Laura exited the building. She could clearly see the bothered expression on his face, but what worried her was what lay inside his eyes. They were dulled, void of any of the light they had, as if all hope had left his body.

Peter was busy mentally berating himself in his head. Putting all his cards in the thought that Jonah would buy all his photos was stupid, beyond stupid, actually.

He was lucky that Jonah, for some otherworldly reason, bought four of his pictures out of his batch.

But two hundred was nothing, he…

"You were expecting more," Laura noted but got no response.

He needed more.

He let out a sigh.

She watched as he shook his head, putting the money in his wallet before gazing at her, a fake smile on his face.

"It'll do," he lied which didn't go past her, "Jonah said he'll call once something comes up, and if nothing does then it's back to what it was, handing in a batch of photos every week," Peter said as the man had informed Peter, after confirming that this is what Peter truly wanted, that he was back to working for the Bugle.

He shook his head again in disappointment which tugged at her heart. She looked at him with sympathy behind her stoic face. There was no doubt in her mind that Peter needed money, the reaction he had to the measly two hundred he got, showed that.

As for why? She could only suspect, knowing him, that it was for the purpose of supporting his aunt.

"At least I got money…" He said as his eyes fell on a disheveled and starved homeless man who held up a sign that the masses went out of their way to ignore.

He turned to Laura with a softer look on his face this time, "Hey…wanna get a hotdog? I'm feeling kinda hungry," Peter asked in a softer tone as he nudged his head to a nearby stand.

She looked at him, still noticing the underlying disappointment and sadness, but not one who was good with any of that, she had decided to say nothing and nod.

Though delicious, the pie did not fully satiate her hunger.

Peter let out a tiny little smile at that and made his way towards the stand with Laura following closely behind him.

Wanting to take his mind off things, he asked her a question.

"Ever had a hotdog before?" Peter asked her with a raised brow, fully expecting her to say 'no' but to his relief and surprise, she said the opposite.

"Yes," she responded as she remembered having the basic sandwich.

"What do you like on it?" he asked as he started taking out money.

"Mustard, and whatever the green topping is," she stated.

"Relish?" Peter asked as there was only really one thing that came to mind when it came to a green-colored hotdog topping.

"Yes," Laura replied as that was the name of the green topping she liked.

"You like relish?" Peter asked with a look of skepticism.

"Yes," she simply responded.

"Finally!" he exclaimed out of nowhere, "Someone other than me who likes it," he happily said as he looked at Laura.

"What are you on about?" she asked as she was confused by his childish outburst.

"Everyone I've ever met hates relish, they always say it's disgusting," Peter explained to her.

"They are wrong," she simply replied.

"I know," Peter said confidently, "However, I don't think I heard ketchup in that mix of yours."

"I do not like ketchup," Laura stated to the surprise of Peter who had his mouth agape upon hearing those sacrilegious words.

"How can you not like ketchup?" Peter asked as complete disbelief was all over his face. Ketchup was sweet, and thick; perfect for hotdogs and burgers, essential food for any New Yorker and human being in general.

"It is too sweet and sour," she said with pure disgust in her voice.

"Yea, that's what makes it good," Peter said.

"That's what makes it horrible," she stated firmly.

"Have you ever had it on a hotdog with mustard and relish?" Peter asked, hoping that she has.

She shook her head and plainly said, "No."

That answer made everything in his brain click in that moment.

"See, that's your problem, once you have it on a hotdog it'll blow you away," Peter said as he came to the conclusion that she must've had ketchup with a food that didn't complement it like rice or something.

Maybe even a ketchup sandwich.

He almost outwardly shivered.

"I am not having 'it'," she stated strongly with pure disdain for the red topping that had a disgusting taste.

"C'mon, you've never had a proper hotdog until you have it with ketchup," Peter said as it was his own personal belief that ketchup was essential to the hotdog. He turned away from her and to the guy at the stand who greeted the both of them with a friendly smile and a "hello."

"Hey," Peter replied with a little wave before going to order their meals. "Could I get two hotdogs with mustard, relish, and…" he paused for a moment and looked back at Laura who was giving him a glare in the hopes to deter him from adding anything else.

It did.

He willingly got Laura her hotdog despite it going against his beliefs.

The man at the stand gave Peter the hotdogs he ordered and he handed Laura hers. She had a neutral expression as always but he could tell that she was pleased that he didn't add ketchup to her hotdog.

He opened up his wallet, looking at the whole two-hundred and twenty dollars he had to his name before taking out a twenty, but as he did, he looked over his shoulder for a brief second before turning back to his wallet.

Doubt and insecurity crossed his mind, wondering if he really should be doing what he was about to do but…

"Could I get another one with ketchup and mustard please?" Peter asked the man at the stand who happily obliged to make the third hotdog.

Laura had tilted her head in mild confusion, surely he wasn't so hungry that he required two hotdogs.

She looked in the direction he turned to briefly only to find nothing.

"With a water, if you don't mind," Peter added as he was handed his third hotdog.

"T-thank you," Peter said as he grabbed the bottled water that was handed to him and put it in his armpit. He struggled to get the money with his free hand but he eventually did, and he paid for everything, stuffing the change he got into his pocket before wishing the man at the stall a good day.

Laura was ready to get moving but was left confused as Peter did not return to her side.

Instead, he was walking in the direction he was looking at before.

She inspected the area again and only when Peter stood in front of the decrepit homeless man did she notice him. He was visibly hungry, starved, reeked of drugs, and in need of help.

"E-excuse me," Peter said as he bent down on one knee in front of the man grabbing his attention.

"I couldn't help but notice the sign so…I got you these," Peter said as he extended his hands out for the man to witness his gifts, "The hotdog close to me is mine but everything else is yours," Peter clarified to him as the homeless man looked at him with shock.

He shakily reached out to grab the items, all the while still immensely surprised by the generosity this random brunette boy displayed to him.

"T…Thank you," The man said with complete sincerity in his gruff and ragged voice as he looked at the food that was now in his hands.

Laura could tell that he hadn't eaten in a day or so…

"Geez kid, this…this is awfully kind of you," the man said as he was touched by the action.

"It's…it's no biggie, it was only just three dollars," Peter said as he downplayed the gesture.

"Not so many people do these kinds of things these days…" he solemnly said, which disappointed Peter. The ragged man watched Peter with warm eyes before surprise and confusion entered them as he watched the young boy scramble to get his hands into his pockets.

"You know…I think…I think I got a five somewhere…" he said as he rummaged through them for the bill he got as change from buying the hotdogs. "I do!" he happily said as he felt the bill before handing it to the man who was left stunned.

He grabbed the bill and looked at it for a little bit before looking at the brunette boy who had a warm smile on his face.

"Say, kid…if you don't mind me askin', why-why'd ya gone do all this for me?" he asked as he lowered his head in shame.

"Cause you're a person and you needed help," Peter simply said which surprised the man.

He stared at Peter with his hazel eyes before letting out a gruff laugh.

"Maybe the world isn't doomed," he commented which earned a laugh from Peter.

"I don't think one guy can stop the world from ending," Peter honestly answered.

"Then you'd be surprised by how much of a difference one man can really make," the man said with a friendly smile. "Hey, lemme ask you one more thing kid before you go," the man asked with a soft and contemplative look on his face.

"What?" Peter asked as he was wondering what he wanted.

"What's your name?"

"Peter. Peter Parker, what's yours?" he gave his name immediately before asking the man for his.

"I haven't been asked that in years," The man commented with a humorless chuckle.

"Well, I'm asking you now," Peter replied.

"James…James Johnson," he answered with a smile.

"Well James, you know…" Peter said as he took out his wallet and started to grab something from it. "There's…there's this place down in China Town…it's called the F.E.A.S.T shelter and it's run by a businessman named 'Martin Li.' The people there are nice and there's plenty of food and water, they also have beds for you if you don't have anywhere to go," Peter said as he took out a card and handed it to James who was once again surprised.

He grabbed the card and looked at every little detail that was on it.

"They could even help you get back on your feet," Peter added, hoping to convince James who had a hesitant look on his face.

James let out another humorless laugh upon hearing that.

"It's a little too late for that. Peter," James said as gestured at his current position to Peter but he merely shook his head and stood up.

"I don't think it is," Peter simply replied, which earned him a surprised look from James.

With his gray eyes, James looked back at the card, eyes focusing on the address that was situated on the right side of it.

"I'll…I'll go check it out Peter," James said as he turned his attention back to the brunette boy, a little honest smile forming on the man's crusty lips.

"Say 'hi' to my aunt for me when you get there, alright? She's one of the workers," Peter happily said as the sun shined brightly behind him.

"I will," James said as he mimicked Peter's mood.

"Enjoy the hotdog too," Peter said as he waved him goodbye.

James nodded, raising the hotdog with a big smile on his face, "Thanks Peter," he happily said as he started unwrapping the foil that was covering the hotdog.

Peter shifted his attention back to Laura, her untouched hotdogged within her grasp as she stared at him.

"You helped him," Laura stated as she witnessed the entire scene.

"Yea," Peter said softly.

"You gave him money you needed," She pointed out, though there was no judgment or hostility in her voice.

"Yeah," Peter said in a lower voice as he contemplated what he just did.

"That is-"

"-I know, I know, it's stupid and I'm stupid for doing it but…I'm not the only person in the world who needs money," Though he needed, and was certainly in no place to be giving out money like he did just now, it didn't seem right to him to ignore the man.

"I was going to say… good," she corrected him as she witnessed Peter Parker conduct another strangely-kind act which she had already associated him with.

"Yeah well…it's just something my Uncle would have done…" he shook his head, putting the reason as to why he had done it all on his esteemed and loved uncle, "You know…' with great power comes great responsibility,'" he simply said to her.

"I thought that saying was only meant for power," Laura explained her one interpretation of the quote.

"It is, but power is more than just strength or metal claws, Laura. My uncle couldn't fly and yet he lived by that saying every day of his life," Peter said as he looked up in admiration, a nostalgic smile slowly growing on his face as he continued to speak about him, "Power is just the ability to do something, and everyone has that to some extent. No matter how big or how small, we can all do a little good, and he believed that if we just acted on it, then…then maybe we could make this little broken world of ours a little bit better," Peter said as he reiterated his uncle's words as if they were a sacred text while looking at Laura with a softened gaze.

She returned the expression and gave a glance to James who was happily eating his hotdog, then back to Peter.

"Here," The brunette boy turned to face his black-haired companion only to be left stunned, surprised, and utterly speechless as she held out a hundred-dollar bill in front of his face.

"I-uh, uh…" he began to stutter as he was left speechless by the gesture.

"Take it," She basically ordered but he was still at a loss of words, and backed up from her ever so slightly, "You need it more than me," she flatly reiterated.

"I…I…I-uh…I can't," Peter said as he was extremely flattered by the gesture, though extremely embarrassed that it was out on the street, and a twinge feeling of being unworthy of such a generous gesture.

"Why?" There was no reason why he wouldn't take the money. She knew he needed it, his decreased heart rate, disappointed expression, the infliction in his voice, they all told her that he was desperate for more…so… why?

"I just...I just can't… there's-there's probably better things to use that money on…" Peter mumbled as he trailed off trying to find a valid excuse. He did not know why he declined the offer he so desperately needed, well actually, he knew why, there were just too many reasons that he couldn't pick up one. None of them were due to Laura, actually, he was incredibly honored and surprised by the gesture but it just felt wrong. Wrong in the way that he didn't deserve it, like he was taking too much or asking too much from her.

She's already helped him a whole lot with Connor's, and the Institute, heck, she even volunteered to be his partner despite the risks.

He hasn't really done much for her in comparison.

Laura watched his face; knowing human complexes, and especially knowing Peter Parker, and continuing to get to know him, her mind had told her things she did not like.

But she could understand it given what she knew…given how alike and riddled with failure they were…

"If there is, I do not care," She flatly stated as she gave him a fierce and tense glare which refused 'no,' as an answer.

Peter was at a loss of words but she simply shoved it on his chest and let go, causing him to instinctually catch it before it fell on the ground. He looked at it with wide blue eyes, before turning to her, a stunned, surprised, humbled, and grateful look on his face.

"I…I…"

"If it bothers you so, know that it's not for you, but… for your aunt," she stated once again. He looked at her absolutely befuddled before…before…grasping it.

Peter was aware that he wasn't good at a lot of things, not like his Uncle. If he was here, he would have humbly taken it and thanked her but… Peter was far from being the man his Uncle was.

"I'll pay you back," he simply said with a nervous chuckle, putting the bill in his wallet.

She let out a small snort at the idea of a broke Peter Parker paying her back money despite her having so much that she didn't even know the exact number.

It did fit with him though.

"It is not important," she said as she dismissed his offer.

If he wasn't such a moron maybe he'd figure out that she was paying him back.

"I guess but…it's important to me…" he said as he gave her a humble smile, the sound of his heart beating within his ears as genuine gratitude and life thrived within his blue eyes once more.

She shook her head, expecting him to say such things.

She began unwrapping her hotdog and he did the same.

"Though…you know what else is important to me?" He asked as he looked at her softly.

"What?" she responded, reciprocating the tone, wondering what else he deemed important.

"How you don't like ketchup."

She paused and gazed at him as he let out a whole-hearted laugh before instantly moving to devour his sandwich.

She let out a sigh.

Of course he would bring that up.

Only Peter Parker could be so childish she fondly thought.

"Hey, you're the one that doesn't like ketchup 'cause it's 'too sweet and sour,'" he said as he mimicked her voice, and put on a mock scowl in response to her sigh.

She rolled her eyes.

They walked side by side with each other on one of the countless streets that were in New York City. There was no goal in mind, no task they were headed to, no one they needed to fight, just two teenagers walking beside each other, eating their hotdogs.

She found it peaceful.

"...Ketchup is the base layer, It has to be. It's like hot dog icing. Can you call a cake without icing a 'cake'? I say 'No.'"

Mostly peaceful.

"Jonah…" Robbie said in a sense of wonder and astonishment as he watched his boss close the blinds once more as Peter's figure had long since left the small office.

The Daily Bugle, despite being the most-read paper in all of New York, was suffering a lot financially. Having a government agency come out with a statement blatantly saying your news was false had significant reprimands, and not having a public statement about it, or even acknowledging the statement also had much more significant consequences.

Money was tight.

He made sure to remind Jameson of his mistake, of constantly fighting for The Web-Slinging hero who was unjustly, and unfairly treated.

Such actions usually put him against his boss but for once, very rarely…

"...You're a good man," The city editor earnestly said as he agreed with the sighing man's actions.

No words were needed.

The phone on his desk rang shortly afterwards.

He picked up.

"Mr. Jameson, that private investigator Gargan is here," Betty Brant, his hard-working personal secretary stated.

He and Urich both perked up upon hearing that name.

The familiar man who wore the obvious private Investigator garb hung up his trench coat and hat, unveiling the white dress shirt, and suit pants held up by suspenders underneath.

The well-built, six-two giant with dark-brown eyes and messy short brown hair then took out a folder from his briefcase before plopping it out on Jameson's desk.

"Let's get this started."

Chapter Text

The bright, brimming light of the sun and the summer heat which came with it had long been taken over by the chill of night.

A ghastly fog – a chilling mist, had set itself in the streets below as the moon cast a pale light on everything below it.

The gunmetal pattern of a glove glistened as it was put on.

Heavy black leather boots echoed with each stomp, the straps and laces tightly put together.

The red fabric and its hexagonal pattern shimmered as blank white lenses covered bright blue eyes, hiding the one underneath with the world's reflection.

Elegant and lengthy black hair went through a gray cowl, its long black ears and blood red eye's giving its wearer's petite figure a demonic appearance.

Red met white as Peter and Laura, now Spider-Man and Talon, looked at each other, observing Laura's uniform.

It fitted perfectly to her body, its muted black and gray color scheme contrasting against his bright red and navy blue one.

"I like the uniform," Peter commented as the simple gray striped design, which could be interpreted as her claw slashes, over her shoulders was a good design choice. The sleek black gloves reaching just past her upper elbow, and the skin-tight pants with a gray design matching the top were icing on the cake.

"Though…" he trailed off as he pointed a finger at her in a casual way, "Not too friendly looking, now is it?" he asked with a small grin.

She unsheathed her claws, "I'm not here to make friends."

Peter shook his head as he looked at the skyline before him. They had gone through the folder of Fisk's occupation. Daredevil was right, he was in charge of it all, trafficking, gun running, drug smuggling, the politicians, the police. Those that didn't get the message would soon be the leading cause as to why others did. Numerous disappearances of honest people and the outright murder of competitors had shown how far deep New York was within his grasp.

The city was only quiet because of Fisk.

Every two-bit mugger, pimp, D-list supervillain all the way up to some of the A's were under his payroll.

He'd take them all down.

"Yeah… neither am I," Peter said as he cracked his knuckles.

Chapter 12: Select Your Fighters

The two teens stood beside each other, ready to move but the default ringtone of a phone had stopped them before they could. Peter turned around, tilting his head as looked at their webbed-up bags, recognizing the default chime of Stark Industries first and successful attempt at a mobile phone.

He looked at Laura who was more confused than he was because no one calls her – was it Logan? It couldn't be, he had no reason to call because he knew what she was doing and the others at the mansion didn't even have her number.

She was contemplating ignoring it for she had more important things to do at the moment but a shrug from Peter had persuaded her to go check it out.

She raised a brow as she grabbed her phone.

"It's Grimm," Laura said as she read out the name that was displayed on her screen.

"Grimm?...You mean Ben?" Peter asked as he peered over her shoulder.

Laura nodded.

"Well…answer it I guess – I dunno, let's see what he wants," Peter suggested as Ben wasn't one to call for small talk.

Though she liked Grimm more than most people, she narrowed her eyes in slight annoyance due to the setback his call presented.

Nevertheless, she answered for there must have been a good reason.

There better have been a good reason.

She stayed silent as the line connected.

"..."

"Aye' Laura, you there?" Ben asked as the line was connected yet nothing was said.

"Yes," She simply answered.

"..." There was a slight pause as Ben wasn't as antiquated with her social habits.

"...Is Peter with you?"

"Yes."

"Knew it," a voice who she could distinguish to be Storms – The younger Storms, said in the back.

"Don't go actin' all smart, we all knew it," she heard Ben respond to the distant voice before returning to the call.

"Can you put us on speaker? I gotta talk to both of ya," she complied, taking her mobile device away from her ear and in between her and Peter.

"Hey, Ben wha-" Peter tried to inquire but was quickly interrupted by the man, who berated the teen who had a bad habit she would soon find out about.

"Why do you even bother havin' a phone if yer not gonna use it?"

"Hey, wai-wha-"

"Fer a guy who doesn't like to waste money, you really are just throwing it down the drain constantly buying things ya don't even use."

"Hey! I use my phone," Peter exclaimed, defending himself.

"Then how come I had to call ya seven times, only for Laura to answer with one?

"Cause…you know…I have it on mute…"

"Mhmm….hmm."

"Hey, that's not fair alright, I-"

"-Yeah and I ain't ugly – look, where are you two?"

Peter walked over to the edge of the building, looking down at the streets below to find the closest intersection.

"Rooftops near 5th and Twelfth Street, why?"

"Cause we're pickin' ya up ya goof. Da' both of ya just stay right there, we'll be there quickly."

The line ended.

Both Peter and Laura looked at each other, the same question appearing in their minds as there was only really one possible reason as to why he would pick them up.

Was he going to help them with the Kingpin?

They held onto their question as they waited for his arrival.

Laura watched as far in the horizon a…a flying bathtub was speeding towards them. It piloted smoother and better than anything she has ever seen or used before despite its odd, blocky, and stupid appearance.

As the driver of the vehicle caught sight of the two of them, more importantly, Peter, the vehicle suddenly kicked up speed, taking unnecessary large turns in an attempt to impress.

No doubt this was the younger - stupider, Storm driving the vehicle.

Though Peter had told her that Storm was an advanced pilot, she did not want to give the blonde buffoon credit due to the general irritation he brought to her during their initial encounter.

The vehicle parked both smoothly and harshly near the building they were on and they were met by Benjamin Jacob "Ben" Grimm, also known as 'The Thing' and Johnathan Lowell Spencer 'Johnny' Storm – The Human Torch.

On top of studying Wilson Fisk's occupation, Laura had Peter inform her on the possible enemies and allies they had. Knowing what you were up against and what you had at your disposal was the first step in winning, and she would not allow any other outcome.

Not uncommon to the trade, the count of those who would use their powers and gifts for evil or self-serving purposes vastly outnumbered those who used theirs to help, but they were vastly more powerful and vastly more driven.

Starting with Peter's closest allies – The Fantastic Four, they are a group of interstellar space travelers. When The government threatened to pull funding from Reed Richards's experimental starship for space travel, his partner and girlfriend Dr. Susan "Sue" Storm, and best friend and pilot – Ben Grimm, accompanied him with the hijacking of the starship named "The Marvel-1," to travel to another solar system and back to prove its potential.

An adventurous teenager at heart, the then fifteen-year-old Johnny Storm – Susan Storm's immature brother who was aware of the plan, had snuck on the ship with them unbeknownst to the group's knowledge, and the four of them blasted into the depths of space never yet explored.

During their travel, the ship's shielding had malfunctioned and the group came across a new phenomenon called "Cosmic Rays," – Something that has yet to be understood. Due to the lack of shielding, and being caught in the middle of a cosmic ray storm, all four passengers had found themselves irradiated.

Upon crashing back down to earth, all of them found that they had all been irreversibly changed.

Johnny Storm had found himself with the ability to control ambient heat. He can absorb the temperature of people, places and things, raising them to several hundred degrees or below zero. He was also gifted with the ability to mentally control fire, being able to create flames of various shapes and sizes, while also being able to do the same with concussive heat.

Because of his altered physiology, he was able to create and convert excess energy his body produced into plasma-like energy hence his flames.

His flames – due to their high hydrogen count, allowed him to fly, and his abilities allowed him to propel himself at supersonic speeds.

They were also extremely versatile, containing a high hydrogen count which allows him to fly or do anything related to the matter.

Storm also had the ability to go "nova," meaning that his flames are at their highest possible temperatures and being anywhere near him while he is in this state would spell instantaneous death for anyone not bestowed with gifts which made them resistant to fire.

He could go one step further and do a "nova burst" which was a violent discharge of all his power – more deadly than any nuclear bomb on the planet and possibly capable of destroying a small moon but this powerful and deadly move has never been used before due to its sheer devastation.

His powers – though extremely powerful, had their drawbacks. If he expended all his energy he would essentially be depowered until recharged or through absorbing heat and like any fire, he needed oxygen to stay a flame. Flame-extinguishing materials would also put him out should he not be at such a temperature which did not disintegrate them.

Storm is Peter's best friend and the first person who he ever revealed his identity to. Though she has yet to see anything out of him outside a pompous, immature, glory hound, show off who never shuts up, Peter has told her that he is a kind soul, a good person, and an even better friend.

Also, he is surprisingly a talented mechanic and engineer.

Though she did not like him, she would tolerate him for the foreseeable future.

Peter had told her that he would grow on her, cause at first he didn't like him either, but she found that preposterous.

Ben Grimm's powers were much simpler than Storm's. The cosmic rays changed his body, giving him a rock-like hide and increasing the toughness and density of his skin down to his internal organ composition. He is one the strongest men on the planet, standing in leagues with the Hulk, and more than frequently being called in to stand against the incredible force of pure strength.

Peter had told her, however, that due to the permanent and very obvious change in his body, the giant whose heart was bigger than himself, struggled with his appearance on a daily basis.

Grimm had her sympathies, for despite the man underneath, most only saw the monster outside.

She could relate.

At some point or another, others only saw the monster she was.

That was until…

She gave a glance to Peter.

He had seen the monster she could be…the weapon, but he also saw her, and saw something else within her that she was beginning to catch glimpses of.

It was because of him that she was standing among heroes as a hero, and she would try her best to keep it that way.

"Sup," Johnny said in a smooth, deep voice as he winked at the both of them with a smirk on his face.

Peter, unimpressed by the attempt to show off, but also fond of his friend, simply rolled his eyes and said, "Shut up Johnny."

"I literally just said one thing," Johnny said in a mock disrespected tone, attempting to open his mouth to show his offense but failing, instead, showing his joy with a big open smile upon seeing his friend.

"Yeah," Peter said, crossing his arms and chuckling.

"I'm sorry – My bad, I forgot you were a complete brooding loser," Johnny said with a small life, remembering all the times he's caught Peter perched on a rooftop, mumbling to himself. "Would you rather me be a melodramatic angst fest instead? So you can have someone to cry with about how horrible your lives are?"

"Nah, I got her for that," Peter laughed as he pointed his thumb at Laura.

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance.

Melodramatic implied she was exaggerating.

She did not exaggerate.

If she was the melodramatic angst fest – which she was not, then Storm was the idiot who Peter was an even bigger idiot with.

Johnny snorted before looking at Laura.

"So what's your superhero name?" he said as he eyed her costume from top to bottom, his eyes avoiding certain places to avoid possibly irritating the girl or worse.

"Talon," Laura stated both fiercely and proudly, as she watched where Storm's eyes fell on her body, also aware of his flirtatious behavior.

"Talon," Johnny said as he eyed the new hero before him, "Talon…" Johnny said again as if he was trying to piece something within his brain. The cogs were turning, and Peter swore he could see smoke coming out from his friend's head as he thought about Laura's name.

What was there to figure out?

Peter's question would soon be answered as Johnny's eyes lit up upon making a connection.

"Cause you have claws, right?" he exclaimed to Laura as if he had solved the world's greatest mystery.

Laura was not surprised that it had taken him that long to make the connection.

"No, it's because she can stick to walls – of course, it's because she has claws, why else would it be Talon?" Peter sarcastically and rhetorically asked, scolding his friend for taking so long to draw up the conclusion.

"Yo dude, I dunno? you know how many supers have names which have literally no connection to their powers? Remember Incandescent Man? Do you know what incandescent means? I do! It means emitting light due to heat, that guy's body grows from the light he absorbs, I'm more of an incandescent man than that bozo," Johnny said, his voice mirroring Peter's as he staunchly defended himself.

"I was half expecting her name to be something half-baked like Claw-Girl, knowing you," Circling back to Laura's superhero name, Johnny pointed at Peter, all too familiar with his habits and more than willing to take shots at them.

"I picked my own name," Laura stated again, correcting Johnny on his presumed assumption.

"I can tell because it's not lazy," Johnny replied as Peter could never come up with a name that more than two seconds of thought put in it.

Irritated at the fact that both his friends had taken shots at his name, Laura yesterday, and Johnny numerous times ever since he met him, Peter responded with criticisms of his own.

"I'm not taking this from the guy who literally stole the original Human Torches name," At least he made his name, what Johnny did was the equivalent of him taking Captain America's name because he also had super strength, speed and agility, which far outclassed the Captain's.

"I didn't steal it, I took it up to honor him, and in all honesty, you should've done the same with Captain America. Imagine that, we could be Captain America and the Human Torch fighting in a new age," Johnny imagined both him and Peter standing together, donning modernized costumes of the heroes of yesterday.

"One - I need a shield, and Two - That would be awkward cause Captain America is still here," Peter said as he too thought about that possibility, but with him standing before the living legend who was giving him a raised brow in confusion.

"Yeah well, you'd still end up with a cooler name and costume. Like, look at her, she's just three days in on this and already better than you in both aspects," Peter rolled his eyes.

He had to admit – yes, Laura's costume was good, and her name even better, but he was iconic.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Peter forfeited, not wanting to argue more, "What are you guys here for anyways?" he asked the two members of The Fantastic Four.

Ben, who was seated in the back seat and silently watching the interaction between both teens had now stood up, turning the focus of everyone on him.

"Fer a guy who can be really smart, ya' can be real stupid too webs," Ben said, already anticipating the teen to ask such a question. "Whaddya think we're here fer? to say hello? We're here to help ya with the Kingpin, ya maroon" He finished with a smirk.

Peter's posture jolted, showing that the teen was caught off guard by the answer the man had given him.

He turned to look at his friend Johnny who merely smirked too.

"I told you that I'd fry him first," he said with enthusiasm as he emitted a powerful flame within his palm

"Bu-But-"

"But nothing, this ain't just yer neighborhood – it's ours, and I've been in it far longer than you. We ain't gonn' stand by and let some two-bit chump ruin it," Ben firmly stated, crossing his arms and furrowing his brow. His posture, his face, and his tone, all telling Peter that they could not – and would not, be swayed.

The man lived in New York his whole life, it was his home, its people were his people, and though exploring different dimensions and universes was amazing, his place was in this dimension, in this universe.

"Yer not the only one who da' horn-head contacted," The nightly vigilante had contacted them due to their mutual interests and mutual friend. He was more than willing to lend a hand, and knowing that Johnny was as well – and that he couldn't stop him, the two had departed with the other members of the four bidding them luck and support. Reed wasn't that much of a fighter, and Sue would have joined as well if her predicament allowed her to get into the deep and the gritty.

The loving couple however had informed that they would do whatever they could to assist in this occupation, ready to do any of the background work and go out into the field if needed.

Peter stared at the two, his posture unmoving and tensed before loosening up and letting out a small chuckle.

"We're in this togetha'. Now come on, da' both of ya, we don't wanna be late."

Up in a Harlem – a small neighborhood in New York, a man who stood at about six feet, who donned a muted red and black costume made up of various protective materials awaited for the arrival of other heroes on the rooftop of a construction site.

Though he was well built with a body better than any olympian athlete, the six-six man who accompanied him dwarfed him greatly. The Black-American man born and raised in the very streets he stood above was built like a goliath, his attire flaunting it. Where the man with red eye's costume was designed with practicality and fear in mind, the six-six man wore a yellow disco shirt which had a deep v-neck collar which exposed his well-defined chest. He donned large steel bracelets which matched the tiara atop his head and the heavy chain wrapped around his waist.

The black pants and boots he wore which had yellow cuffs was a good compliment to the yellow top.

Though the costume itself wasn't bad by any means, upon looking at its wearer as a whole, it looked almost…disingenuous.

"I thought'cu said others were comin'?" Lucas "Luke" Cage – Power Man, quoted with annoyance and skepticism as he leaned against a lone concrete wall.

"They are," Matthew Michael "Matt" Murdock – Daredevil, said as he had his head tilted up, basking in the soft cold breeze of the night as he tried searching for familiar scents and noises.

With his superhuman senses, he could pick up the other occupants quickly making their way towards them. His spirit lifted upon detecting that all of them were accountable, though his heart simultaneously sank due to having to rely on them for a chance of victory.

"They're here," He stated as he walked away from the edge he was and stood side by side with Power Man as he looked to his left to see who would be aiding them in their occupation to rid this city of the man who was poisoning it.

His hazel eyes which were usually unphased by most things slightly widened as he recognized the otherworldly vehicle which quickly parked itself on the building's rooftop.

Out of it came a hero who only those who lived under a rock wouldn't know – The Thing – the muscle man of the Fantastic Four, stepped out the vehicle with a short girl he did not recognize following suit.

As they exited, two other heroes accompanied them, dramatically landing from their respective means of travel and striking a subtle pose in an attempt to impress.

It was Spider-Man and The Human Torch.

The group of heroes quickly got into position, with the three teens standing behind the adult of the group. On their way here, Ben had warned them that though all parties involved were desperate and in great need of help, having Johnny who was known to be a teen, and Peter who was theorized to be one had brought difficult dilemmas.

Having to resort to the aid of kids was a very rough and touchy subject for adults.

This prompted a response of the three of them to give their own, very teenage-like response, claiming, "I'm not a kid."

He rolled his eyes in the irony that was not lost on him.

Chief Jean DeWolff would aid in the police part of this operation but it was openly known that she was not fond of costumed superheroes. Ben already knew that knowing that half of the party was made up of costumed – teenage – superheroes was most definitely going to cause discourse, though he was hoping that Daredevil would back him.

He didn't know him well, the four only really interacted with him sometimes due to their shared mutual care and friendship with Peter. He did know, however, through Peter moaning and complaining, that he wasn't too fond of a teenager being a costumed crime-fighter at first.

He has warmed up as time went on, coming to the same conclusion Ben had come to long ago.

Both men would much prefer that the teenagers who accompanied them would be much better off living their own lives and being kids. Going to school, being with others like them, completely sheltered and oblivious to the evils of the world but they could never do any of that once their fates had been irreversibly changed.

Johnny Storm and Peter Parker could never go back to being regular kids after gaining superpowers – especially Peter.

They were different, even before they got their powers.

Inspired by the heroes he adored, Johnny sought to use them to help, and upon realizing his responsibility, Peter Parker did the same.

Despite how immature Johnny could be, neither he nor Peter could ever live with themselves if they let others die.

They couldn't and wouldn't be stopped – like any teenager, so the next best thing was to monitor and tutor them, help foster their growth instead of hindering it.

Being more involved in their lives would prevent another Green Goblin situation from happening.

Green Goblin…

His inner self growled and snarled upon thinking about that fiend who he personally believed to be the incarnation of evil.

His mind pulled him back before haunting memories could come again once more.

In the short time he's known her, Ben knew Laura was very much the same as Peter and Johnny in their shared aspect to do good.

It was admirable – they were admirable, and Ben couldn't help but feel proud that he was seeing and aiding in the beginnings of not one, not two, but the growth of three astounding and very special teenagers.

But there was also a sense of shame that came with it.

A feeling like…if he had done his job, if his generation had done their job correctly, then none of them would be here.

It was something that only an adult could understand.

Because of this, and already knowing that both teenagers, and he assumed Laura as well, had hair-trigger tempers and weren't afraid to get physical – and more often than not, did, he let it be known that he would take charge to avoid all that.

He needed them to be the teenage hero trio, not the temper tantrum three.

Daredevil regarded all four members.

"We got yer call, what now?"

"Now we wait for DeWolff," Daredevil stated.

"Hol' up a sec…this is it?" Powerman incredulously asked as he gestured towards the group, "This is the team you were putting together? The Thing and three teenagers?" He was baffled, first of all by the sight of Spider-Man instantly informing him that he was a teen, second of all by the sight of that glory-hound Human Torch, and now a girl who stuck close to the web-slinger.

"He-" Ben tried to say but Johnny interrupted, offended by the fact that he was thought of as lesser due to being a kid.

"And who are you?" the hot head sarcastically asked, already failing with the simple request to keep it under control. Though Peter and Laura also hated the idea of being thought of as lesser, especially by those who they deemed themselves superior to due to their experience, they had kept their mouths shut for Ben's sake

"Names Powerman," The six-six man proudly, loudly, and threateningly declared.

"Yeah and I'm-"

"-I know who you are, I'm just surprised you're up here instead of flaunting how much of a superhero you are to your fans," Powerman spat, all too aware of The Human Torches habit to indulge himself with the praise and fame of being a celebrity superhero.

Johnny went to flare up a response but Peter stopped him, wanting to de-escalate the situation before it got worse but too busy dealing with his friend, his mouth once again went on autopilot as Powerman made a sly comment at his stupid, worse temper than him, idiotic, but dear friend.

"Hey, at least he doesn't have to get paid first to help people," Peter retorted though he wished he hadn't.

"What did you say?" No going back now.

"You heard me, you call yourself a hero but you're just a glorified mercenary," Peter fired at him as his attention was turned away from his friend and onto this 'hero' for hire.

"Hey, The bills don't pay themselves. You think you're better than me just because you do this for free? Huh? Is that it?" Powerman angrily asked, offended at the self-righteous attitude of Spider-Man, but also angry at something else.

"I know for a fact my costume is," He quipped as he pointed at his tiara, Powerman's attire screamed 'look guys, I'm a hero,' and Peter didn't know if it was intentional or not, nor did he care at the moment.

This did it though, and Powerman – who also had anger problems, had begun walking closer to Peter, and Peter to him. With clenched fists and eyes dead set on each other, the two heroes who weren't afraid to get physical were about to collide until…

"Touch him and die," four simple words irradiating pure hostility, anger, and determination, came out of Laura's mouth as they were followed by an iconic 'snikt.'

She eyed Cage as she took her stance in front of Peter who was briefly stunned.

This did not sway the man, nor did his glare sway the teens but what did were the forms of The Thing and Daredevil which had dragged both parties away to come to their senses or at the very least, cool off.

DeWolff came soon after.

Wearing a standardized police trench coat which displayed her rank, the woman with short curly ginger hair with skin the color of sienna, gave a hard, stern look with her long face as she eyed all the costumed "heroes," before her.

"Let me make one thing clear," The red-headed woman said as she turned to Daredevil, "I don't like you."

She then turned to Powerman, "I don't like you."

"Feelin's mutual," he replied.

She turned to Ben, "I don't like you."

"Great start so far" The golem mumbled, not too fond of that being a first hello, nor the three teens breaking his very simple request.

She turned to Johnny, "I certainly don't like you," but he winked at her.

She turned to Peter, "I really don't like you," who was currently drawing comparisons to the late and great Captain Stacy.

And then she turned to Laura with the girl giving the chief an even more fierce glare, "I don't even know who you are and I don't care because I don't like you either."

"Now with that out of the way, can someone explain why there are goddamn teenagers here?" The police chief asked the three adults.

"Cause we need their help," Daredevil said with his head down, ashamed of needing to rely on Teenagers, but he soon raised it as he laid it down to the chief as it is after she threatened to arrest each and every one of them for child endangerment and the kids as well for the numerous crimes they have committed.

"Torch is one of da' most powerful superhumans to walk da' planet and he's earned da right to be here due to da' countless times he's helped save da' earth and you have no need fer an introduction to Spidey," Ben staunchly said, defending his two companions.

"Since ya know, I do your job for you," He snarkily chimed in before Daredevil took reigns on the conversation.

"Outside of his wide array of powers, he's the smartest person here right now, while Talon is the most dangerous. She's an expert in everything relating to combat, whose powers and skills would allow her to kill us all ten times over – with ease," He stated to the group who were stunned by her capabilities.

The masked vigilante knew their power set and yet declared that statement with the utmost confidence.

"Even if you did want to take them in you couldn't, and whether we like it or not, we need them," he finished, knowing full well that having the three teens would certainly make the odds much more favorable.

"I wish things were different, but the world we live in is far from the one we want, and sheltering any of them would be pointless for they have already seen it," He declared. Though He was lacking in the trauma the other two shared, Johnny Storm had seen his fair share of things during his time as a hero and both Peter Parker and Laura Kinney have experienced things which have left him speechless.

With both teens having lost more than they should, going through more than they should, and committed wrongs which will forever haunt them, it is no wonder the two had found each other.

They were similar in a lot of ways, kindred spirits even, if you knew what Matt Murdock knew.

Where Laura Kinney had The Facility.

Peter Parker had The Green Goblin.

The Green Goblin…

The mere thought of him sent shivers down his spine.

Not much scared him, it was why Peter had nicknamed him 'the man without fear,' but recent events within his personal life were proving that to be false, but no matter what The Kingpin could do, would do, will do, he could never match – never come close, to the depths of pure, unfiltered, unrestrained evil that the Green Goblin emerged from.

The senseless slaughter he gleefully conducted, the absolutely terrifying, heart-wrenching – sheer maniacal laughter which was always followed by sounds of death and pain, were so dark, so malignant, that even his own nightmares were a safer place than memories he had of The Goblin.

He could hear his glider echo within his mind.

The predatory sounds it emitted, the hysteria it caused to those who recognized it.

The Green Goblin relished in it – in all of it, but above all else, adored the power he had.

But the most terrifying thing about The Goblin was his endless hate. It was a fire which burned throughout his entire being, fueling his every move. A fire, which if manifested, could burn the whole world down thousands of times over, killing everyone and everything on it, and he would not care.

The whole world could burn, alongside everyone on it, and The Goblin would not care.

He would just watch.

And laugh.

That monster who masked as a man – that devil, scared him deep in his bones.

He was pure malevolence incarnate.

Not even hell could forge someone so evil.

He was a terrifying mix of pure insanity, intelligence, technology, power, and sheer will which could not be triumphed over.

He had tried to thwart him but he found himself drastically out of his league.

S.H.I.E.L.D. attempted but they failed.

Mr. Fantastic and The rest of The Four battled him with all of them left wounded and scarred, both mentally and physically.

Ironman even stood in The Goblin's way – a man who has traded blows with the Hulk, but The Goblin still won anyway.

But that all ended with Spider-Man.

A kind boy who masked as a hero, or a hero who masked as a boy, or maybe both, was able to best the force of evil with his matching indomitable will, cunning genius, and admirable sense of responsibility to help his fellow man.

But this impressed the devil.

Put his gaze on someone who was generally ignored.

Where people like him or Reed Richards or even Nick Fury slowly started to see just how truly special Peter Parker was.

The Green Goblin saw it first.

But there was more to it all, so much more that he knew the young boy was withholding but he didn't push, and neither did the three adult members of the Fantastic Four who were really the only ones who looked out for him when they could.

All they knew was that after a week-long desperate manhunt where those close to the young boy scoured every rock – every pebble for a mere hint of where he had gone and disappeared, the brunette boy suddenly came crashing through the windows of the Baxter Building in the shadow of night.

He was unrecognizable due to the haunting, unimaginable lifelong traumatizing acts which were conducted on him which had left him on the precipice of death during a time when he should be enjoying himself like any other teen on spring break.

After that encounter, The Green Goblin was nowhere to be seen, which had told those who knew him all they needed to know.

He remembers that month a lot.

It was the same month when he had encountered Laura Kinney – X-23, for the first time. A young teenager just like Peter Parker, who had gone through unimaginable things.

The way she hauntingly spoke and looked empty just like Peter did when he recovered…

Both teens lived with demons hovering over them, insidiously watching, waiting to take hold and twist them into something unrecognizable, something worse than what came before…

But they both endured.

They were two of a kind.

Ironically however, despite Laura being more reserved and closed off, and Peter being the more talkative and seemingly open, when it came to the trauma shared between the two by those demons, the former was much more open than the latter.

He doubted she even knew just how much of a presence The Green Goblin had over Peter Parker's life.

He didn't know the full extent either.

Not even his best friend Johnny Storm knew the full story, nor did he know what happened to Peter Parker on spring break twenty-twenty-one.

DeWolff submitted for even the chief of police knew that the horned vigilante was correct, they did indeed need them, and it was too late to shelter them from the horrors of the world for during a period of time, they all manifested into a being which petrified her, with the only one able to contest him being the masked vigilante in red and blue.

"So, what now?" She asked as an understanding was formed between the entire group.

"Now, we get started," Daredevil stated as he gestured to everyone to get close.

"Wilson Fisk is the Kingpin," He declared, wanting to get that vital piece of evidence out of the way. Everyone save for Peter and Laura were surprised by this revelation but it gave reason as to why Spider-Man had invaded his office last night.

Daredevil explained to the group the lengths of Fisk's operation with Peter filling in things he missed.

You can't just waltz in and strongarm every major crime lord and boss without any help. Fisk had a coalition of powerful allies both in New York and across the seas which made sure that he stayed in power so New York could be the center of multiple operations.

"What's stopping us from sendin' him to the hospital? We know who he is, we know where he is, I say we pay him a little visit and save everyone the trouble," The answer to what to do with Fisk was clear to Powerman. He was a blend of the two things he hated: rich corporate snobs who ruined everything they touched, and a man who would use and abuse others for personal gain.

Being able to smash his fist into his face would almost be like therapy, Powerman thought.

"What's stopping 'us' is that outside of it doing nothing, – the law. We know who he is, but if we can't prove it, it means next to nothing. We send him to jail now, he'll be right back out tomorrow," DeWolff stated as she was well familiar with what happened when you arrest someone without a sufficient amount of evidence.

You needed beyond a reasonable doubt to incriminate, and there was plenty of doubt of Wilson Fisk, billionaire philanthropist being The Kingpin, someone who didn't even exist in the public eye.

Daredevil then explained that even if they could get rid of him, that would just leave power open for someone else – someone possibly worse, to take. What they had to do was to dismantle his organization from the ground up, from petty criminal to scumbag crime boss until it all came crashing underneath his feet.

Everyone agreed that this was the right thing to do but he had made it adamant that they bring him to justice when they talked about outing him which required much less effort. Peter knew Fisk had enemies, if they just outed who he was then he'd be forced to leave due to the sheer amount of them but Daredevil's pursuit for the justice of others had convinced them to follow through with the goal, for now at least.

It would be hard, the mayor was in his pocket along with most of the police force, Powerman added, but the DA would follow through as long as there was sufficient enough and 'legally' obtained evidence.

Hard did not equal impossible though, Peter thought. Due to the recent spike in superhuman presence within the last two years, and the government taking forever to actually do anything, a temporary superhuman response division had recently been developed in place due to the…

…The Green Goblin's attack on the city which killed approximately fifty-one people.

Fifty-one people Peter was responsible for…

He subtly shook his head as DeWolff continued with her explanation of the response division.

The division which was in the works for a while is a co-joint division with S.H.I.E.L.D. This temporary force – until a proper one was to be installed, was made up of agents belonging to homeland security who were specifically trained and equipped with armor and gear meant to deal with and contain superhumans.

The existence of such a division also allowed for a loophole. There was a reason why you didn't see The Avengers or The Fantastic Four deal with regular crime and that was because they operated on such a grand scale, far above the law, which allowed them to operate the way they did, but the moment they start operating within the law – like vigilantes, was when problems on their presence would arise.

Both Captain America and Johnny have been told off because of this according to the chief.

But with the existence of this group, Powerman – who was being paid for his services, Ben and Johnny – despite his age, were going to be a part of this task force which would allow them to conduct business as usual.

There was confusion for it was jarring for the two world-class heroes to be technically considered super-powered cops, while Powerman wasn't too fond of the idea, but upon being reminded that it would be temporary and that they would pay him his rates was enough of an incentive for him to be down with the idea.

Because of their vigilante status, Daredevil, him, and Laura by extension of him, couldn't and wouldn't be a part of it and would have to be 'apprehended' by them, but the police chief had made it clear that all they had to do was make it look like they were chasing after them and she'd make it so that they were a low priority to the force.

While there was some worry on Johnny's part for his friend, it was nothing new, and honestly, not even a thought for Peter.

It was nothing he couldn't handle, he slyly remarked.

And that was it, the plan had been formed.

Take down his operations from the ground up, beat the bad guys that needed beating, arrest the mastermind behind everything, and save the day.

There was even a time frame.

Within two months, Wilson Fisk would be behind bars.

Johnny had even given them a name, a riff on the Avengers though everyone scoffed at it.

Same ole' superhero business.

Except it wasn't for due to The Green Goblin's perceived 'victory' over him which lead to his absence, The villains had followed suit with his example.

He had already shown every lunatic out there that they could put on a mask and cause mayhem but now he showed the rest how to finally beat their eternal enemies.

That didn't matter though.

It didn't matter if the stakes had been raised, or if the rules and the villains had been changed.

He has too.

They made plans to move out shortly afterwards, with Torch and The Thing accompanying The chief at the docks where they got a warrant out for illegal weapons while Powerman and unofficially Daredevil would search out a warehouse suspected for Drugs.

There was a nightclub with suspected criminal activity from a trusted informant Powerman had passed onto the Chief but they couldn't get a warrant so the next best thing was to have him and Talon make enough noise to give them probable cause.

It was a bit of a bending of the rules.

Maybe slightly illegal, but like Laura did say yesterday, vigilantism was indeed a crime.

So were a lot of the things he does but uh…um…he wouldn't think about that now.

"Everyone knows where they need to be?" DeWolff asked in a commanding voice, knowing that they all did but wanting to hear it from them.

Everyone responded.

"Then let's not waste any more time," She stated as she was the first one to move out.

The others followed suit with everyone but the three teenagers standing on the roof.

"See you on the other side?" Johnny said as he stood beside his best friend.

"Unfortunately," Peter retorted, causing a small laugh to come out from the both of them but it was quickly replaced by the sheer gravity of the situation they were in.

The two paused as they glanced at each other, a shared sense of seriousness and worry for the other but where Peter Parker stood in somber silence, Johnny Storm stood in unbridled confidence.

He smirked as he turned aflame, casting a light on his two gloomy friends, "We'll beat these guys with Summer to spare. Once all of this blows over, wanna do something?"

"Like what?" Peter inquired as he thought about a summer vacation free of a crime lord.

"I dunno? The beach? Something regular people do for once," Johnny shrugged as ninety percent of their life was superhero.

Peter thought about it, "How bout bowling?" Take down a Kingpin after taking down The Kingpin.

Johnny chuckled, "Sure."

"You're coming with us too," Peter said as he turned his attention to Laura.

"Figure out what we do in the summer after we've beaten Fisk – after we've beaten him," She stated fiercely, getting the two back on track. Right now was not the time to plan for future events, now was the time to get ready for the coming conflict they would incite.

"Good luck you two," Johnny said as he began hovering in the air.

"Yeah…you as well," Peter said as Laura nodded her head Johnny's way.

Johnny acknowledged the both of them before blasting off, leaving a streak of flames as he rocketed towards his target.

Peter and Laura shared a glance before they too did the same, leaping off the building they were in pursuit of their target destination.

The stage had been set.

The players had been chosen.

But where there were heroes...

...There were also villains.

Lightning – electricity in its most violent and powerful form illuminated the darkened sky. Gusts of wind so powerful that they took people off their feet, swirled and conjoined to summon a hurricane so violent that they threatened to swallow the city whole. Forces dedicated to the sheer wreaking of havoc joined together once and forever more as a body of pure titanium licked his lips, his wrecking ball shattering the ground beneath – the weapon thirsting for battle – for conflict, just as he was.

Ghosts, Skeletons, Hunters, Assassins and Mercenaries of all kinds stalked the rooftops for their targets.

Air violently quivered, annihilating all in its path as villains once thought as jokes had been so drastically armed for the coming conflict that they had the utmost confidence in the coming war.

Lunatics and Unstable individuals donned their costumes and bore their twisted hatred as they looked forward to setting the horizon aflame.

The Goblin had shown them how to win, The Kingpin had given them the tools, now it was up to them.

And where Spider-Man had made his grand return, someone else would do the same.

A lone tune was hummed.

A nursery rhyme was sung.

"The…itsy bitsy spider…went up… the water spout…"

"Down came the Goblin who took the Spider out.

Chapter Text

Music which played at a near deafening volume boomed and roared at the pace of fast-beating hearts while the crowd chanted and cheered in unbridled excitement as they danced within the large lavish club which had a high-quality and classy yet industrial and underground theme, unknowingly far above an operation that would leave most appalled.

Laser lights and dots cast the room and the artificial fog with a wide array of colours which added to the sheer mysterious fun and appeal of the nightclub which was full of both your regular occupants and staff, though, those who were regular to the club could even notice the sheer overabundance of bouncers and security which would soon be justified.

For as everyone in the club had their fun, there were two whose fun would just be getting started.

The lights and music were abruptly cut as all power had left the building, leaving the countless occupants disoriented, confused, and even fearful, while the staff got ready.

The backup generator soon kicked in, giving power to everything in the building but due to being abruptly shut off, the lights were reset to their default red glow, casting the room in an ominous, menacingly, crimson glow.

Gunshots and grunts could be heard but they were silenced almost immediately, with one of the progenitors of such sounds screaming in sheer terror as he was flung across the club and into a bouncer with a lone figure following suit, swinging through the crowd before extravagantly landing on one of the many beams above which held the lights.

It was Spider-Man.

"Yoo hoo, everyone, pardon me, sorry to intrude but due to a bad case of bad guys being behind this whole entire operation I'd like to ask everyone who isn't a walking slimeball to leave," Spider-Man asked nicely from atop his high spot, but everyone remained locked in, either due to a lack of fear or the sheer confusion which brought them mass amounts of interests.

But Spider-Man would only ask nicely once, "That means parties over! Get out of here!" He yelled in a louder, fiercer voice as the masses complied with his demand this time, exiting the club as fast as they could as bouncers and guards found themselves surrounding him from far below.

"Good," Spider-Man said to himself as he watched the last of the 'innocent' occupants leave, "Now, that just leaves me…" He eyed the man who adorned clothes finer than anyone else slowly approaching him from the ground, "...With the head dirtbag in charge who was probably expecting me," He finished in a louder voice for all to hear.

The head dirtbag in charge was a middle-aged man who had an aged face and a sumptuous black suit which had falling cherry blossoms the colour of soft pink.

"You must have a big pair of cojones comin' round ere' and actin' like you do, ese," He asked with hostility being masked as him being impressed.

"That's not the only big thing I got, ese" Spider-Man replied, snapping his fingers and pointing at the guy in a more than confident voice which showed that he was not threatened by his presence nor his underlings which were quickly surrounding him.

"Hoo hooo, funny guy ¿hablas español?"

"Por supuesto que puedo, soy de Nueva York."

"Of course I can, I'm from New York" Spider-Man responded in a half-decent Spanish accent which clearly impressed the man in charge. Being midtown high's best and brightest didn't just mean just math and science.

"Oh-ho! me voy a sentir mal matándote, ese."

"I'm going to feel bad killing you, friend" the man reluctantly declared which prompted a snicker from Spider-Man.

"Si te hace sentir mejor, no lo harás."

"If it makes you feel any better, you won't," Spider-Man remarked much to the bafflement of the club owner.

"You kiddin' me? I got a whole bunch of guys with guns all pointed right at ya," He stated as he spun around slowly, cockily gesturing to bouncers and guards and more, armed with rifles and guns of all kinds aimed right at the costumed hero but he simply shrugged.

"Yeah, and I'm Spider-Man," The hero simply replied, no need to declare his skills or talents with a reputation like his.

A reputation which was known to most in the criminal underworld.

The owner of the club included.

"Mierda, buen punto…me alegra haberlo planeado."

"Shit, good point…makes me glad I planned for that" but with a snap of his fingers, even more men appeared on the ground and the balcony near him but this still didn't phase him.

He let out a disinterested whistle.

"Wow, planning for the superhero to come and stop your illegal operation…want a medal?" he taunted, his lack of care for the whole ordeal and mocking presence getting on his nerves.

"Talkin 'bout illegal, I didn't see no warrant when you came crashing in here," He countered, pointing out the blatant hypocrisy of the hero's actions.

"Do I look like a cop?" Spider-Man simply replied, subtly calling the man stupid for even expecting him to go through the same procedures.

"What gives you the right to come in here!?"

"Nothing in the constitution, but I wouldn't know… I follow a thing called moral responsibility which means I'm in charge of kicking your butt, pretty sweet right? Well not for you but…I'd be lying if I said I cared," Spider-Man laughed to himself, treating the whole situation as if it was a mundane occurrence which even got those below second-guessing themselves despite their numbers.

"Look...we don't have to go down this route, ese. We got a lucrative business goin' 'round down here, maybe we-" The Club owner tried to strike a deal, realizing that the orders of taking down Spider-Man were a lot simpler said than done.

But surrender was not an option.

Neither was an ending where any of this ended well for the owner.

Spider-Man made that clear.

"Lemme stop you there, cause this is the part where you realize you're screwed and you want to be friends and make a deal or whatnot – look, I'm not here to make friends," The hero finished in a threatening voice which caused a few below to gulp, while those who weren't already tensed soon joined those who were when the heroes demeanor quickly changed.

"What happened to bein' your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?" The owner asked, hoping that he could get the Friendly Neighbourhood hero who saved cats from trees.

But that treatment wasn't typically given to men like him.

And it wouldn't be given today.

"I'm not," He stated with such fierceness that it initiated the nightclub brawl. Bullets of various calibers speeded towards him, but, as he's displayed many times prior, he was faster than such things.

Leaping from his spot with an over-the-top backflip, Spider-Man made the first move by swinging into – and absolutely demolishing, the man in charge. His combined momentum and increased strength sent the man flying into the air as his feet collided with his stomach.

Where the man was instantly winded by the attack and suffered large amounts of pain upon landing on his backside, Spider-Man gracefully landed in between the sea of men, a brow raised as he knew that this would be fun.

"You know, this is the thing I don't get?" He began to say as he blitzed the men surrounding him, dodging their fire with ease, jamming their weapons with his webs, and overall enjoying himself as one by one they fell with one hit.

"You guys always act like knowing I'm coming will do something, like, wow, you know I'm coming to stop you? Shocker," he said once more as he sent a goon violently crashing through multiple other foes.

"So people like you go and set up a whole bunch of goons and try to make a deal, shocker," he said in excitement as he used all four of his limbs to strike at four men simultaneously.

"I end up more ticked off, shocker," he stated in an annoyed tone as from his sprawled position on the ground, he instantly popped up, doing an uppercut before contorting his body in inhuman ways to strike foes once more.

"And we fight," he did an aerial cartwheel, using his hands to bash the faces of two foes together before casually dodging bullet fire which came behind him.

At the same time the fight on the main floor took place, the armed men looked down their iron sights as Spider-Man initiated the fight.

Spider-Man had swung into their boss but before they could even fire at him, out from the shadows – like a dark creature which left you terrified, Talon came out and took down the lines of men, each one falling like dominoes from bone-breaking blows and lacerations which were just on the cusp of being lethal.

Her speed and efficiency, combined with her fighting style which made use of every martial art and her superhuman capabilities made it impossible for any of the foes to tag her, much less warn the others before it was too late.

As Spider-Man and Talon finished dismantling the small army, she made her presence known by kicking the final thug through the balcony railings and down on the ground.

His landing was so hard that it echoed in ways that even Spider-Man couldn't ignore.

The fall wouldn't kill him, just as she knew, it wouldn't even cripple him just as she had intended with the way she struck, but…it would certainly leave him in pain.

"Ouch, did that hurt as much as I think it did?" Peter chuckled as he lost his train of thought as he heard the man's screams. He then turned around to go back to what he was going to say, and who he was going to say it to.

"Where was I – oh yea, And I win-what?" Peter asked as he looked swiftly from his left to his right, the club owner nowhere to be seen.

"He fled downstairs," Laura stated as she fell from the balcony, landing gracefully before following his trail, "But there is nowhere to run."

"You're right about that, I just wish I could've finished my cool speech," Peter admitted as he followed Laura who was dead set on his tracks, but still gave a slight shaking of the head to disprove his child-like antics.

Due to it being a nightclub, there were rooms underneath which were intended for those who did not wish to dance, but instead wished to sit at bars and such.

She followed the cowardly man's scent as they descended through the club, taking out the frightful, unskilled, and non-threatening underlings which were in their way, destroying the club in the process as the two sent adult bodies flying into walls, tables, and even behind the bar which sent the racks and shelves full of expensive alcohol shattering like their enemies hopes.

Upon taking down those who were stupid enough to stand against them, Laura continued to follow the scent which took them behind the bar and into the back kitchen which was full of standard equipment with the only oddity being a door in the corner which led…

...Down…

…Same with the scent.

The two traversed further down the nightclub, going through the door which the club owner's scent directed them to go through, but the aesthetic quickly changed with dirty concrete and poor lighting showing that the area had been neglected.

But the presence of multiple scents contradicted that.

Upon traveling down the stairs, they were led into a lone long hallway with it ending at a rustic door which both beckoned at them and warned them to stay away.

Poor ventilation sent a cold chill as the sounds cast an unnerving ambience.

Sparse light bulbs above them poorly lit up the hallway which combined with all the previous factors into a scene only found in horror movies.

"Definitely not ominous," Peter couldn't help but joke about the sight before him.

They continued to walk through the hallway, only stopping halfway as there was a small room in between the staircase and the door.

Peter opened it, expecting nothing…

And the room had practically nothing, save for small pipes and adjustable valves.

But on those pipes were multiple handcuffs…

…beside a lone bed…

…littered with stains…

Chapter 13: Brace Yourself

Peter Parker froze as he looked at the sight before him, his brain, his mind, his consciousness all trying to stop his genius from coming to the conclusion Laura Kinney had angrily come to.

She growled and snarled before running toward the end of the hallway, determined to find out just what kind of criminal operation they were looking for.

Peter followed her, almost dreading the sight he might witness when the two entered the room.

When they entered the room they stopped in their tracks.

Peter Parker was stunned - speechless, no words, no thought, just sheer shock as his brain tried to comprehend what he was witnessing.

There were girls…

Teenage girls no older than him…

And women in their twenties, stuck in makeshift cages which only had space to house the singular cheap mattress they laid in.

His brain couldn't make sense of it, this was it? This was the criminal operation which was taking place down here? He was expecting drugs, guns, maybe something stupid like scam coin operations but…humans?

He was going to hurl.

No…he was going to do more than that.

His body threatened to puke out all his contents inside as his heart fell down to depths very rarely reached.

They were hurt…kids who at most could be in their final years of college were stripped down to nothing but their undergarments, their bodies and acts of abuse they suffered laid barren to all.

"Told you we had a lucrative business," before he could even register that his spider-sense was going off, he was hit with a blistering amount of electricity which left his body limp and him dazed beyond all belief.

He couldn't really think at that moment, the blast leaving his body slightly pulsating and completely and utterly disabled while his already scrambled mind was so overloaded by so many things happening at once that it left his body entirely.

For a few, very important seconds, Spider-Man was out.

But his senses soon came back to him.

He could hear things in the distance… snarls and growls…sounds of fear… gunfire maybe?

He soon generated his first thought as his mind came back to him.

Was Laura alright?

Were the girls alright?

Was he alright?

He didn't care about that last one as much as he cared about the other two, the mere thought of the victims and more so his cleaving companion giving him the power to get up despite his head spinning, ears ringing, and senses too overwhelmed to pay attention to.

He stumbled, getting his reins in.

One by one his senses came back to him and as he shook his head to focus his vision, the various blurry things around him started to make sense again.

The first thing he saw gave him the answer as to why he was so suddenly disabled: he was hit with a high caliber S.H.I.E.L.D rifle, no wonder it did what it did but how did these guys get their hands on a S.H.I.E.L.D weapon?

His eyes moved past the rifle as another gun was laid down beside it.

But as he looked further, the weapons quickly became an afterthought

Red crimson stained the floor as the body of a bouncer was quickly becoming deathly pale due to being maimed to the point of near death if immediate medical attention wasn't done to him.

Blood-soaked boot prints trailed out of the room and through a back door.

"Oh no…"

Thunder boomed as rain started to pour down violently.

The excess water flooding the streets in a thin layer before ultimately getting swallowed up by a lone storm drain.

But in a rare occurrence, water was not the only life-giving liquid which went down.

For there was scarlet ichor in the mix.

Like a wounded animal running from its hunter, a victim running from their killer, the disgusting and vile club owner who oversaw and was in charge of the utterly despicable operation fled through an alleyway.

Fear, panic, pain, and desperation all appearing on his blood-stained face.

He stumbled multiple times, the loss of blood and overwhelming fear combined with adrenaline making it hard to control himself.

Not like it mattered anyways, for before he even tripped and pathetically fell on his front, he reached a dead end.

He looked behind him as a horned silhouette slowly approached him, cold, unfeeling, blank red eyes watching him struggle like dying vermin.

Despite reaching his end, he fruitlessly tried to crawl away from the horned silhouette but with his back now against a wall, all he could do was watch as darkness which lacked mercy slowly got larger and larger.

As blood left his body and intertwined with the rainwater below, creating a puddle below him of deep crimson red, his mind raced on any possible way to get out of his dire situation.

He bargained, then he begged, and finally, pleaded but they all fell on deaf ears.

His eyes locked with ones devoid of pity or sympathy of any kind.

Eyes devoid of any intention of letting him go.

Face lacking all emotion.

Lightning crackled once more as Laura got close, never breaking eye contact with the man whose scent quickly changed into one who was disgusting and slimy.

One who would use sweet words and false promises to get what they want.

One of a liar.

He shrieked as she bent down, trying his best to get away from the demon before him but the wall behind him, nor would she, allow that.

She put her fist against his forehead, brought her face closer to his as she stared directly into his petrified eyes.

Voices and memories replaying in her head, falsely telling her things she wished she believed.

That she mattered…was cared about…was good….was safe…

When in all actuality she was none of those.

Just a tool for a goal – again.

Not safe.

Not good.

Not cared about.

But men like him – monsters in flesh…

She would let it be known that they were not safe.

Not good.

And that she did not care.

She unsheathed her claws.

Blood was spilt.

The man screamed in agonizing pain.

But he was alive, for in a split second, Laura Kinney found herself not in front of a corpse, but in an insurmountable grasp which held her waist and arm, now stretched out upwards as two giant lacerations found themselves on the man's forehead.

"Hey, Hey, Hey, that's enough!" Peter frantically yelled as he pulled Laura away from the man who she came so close to killing. But caught off guard while she was deep in a focused rage within a storm of memories, in between a boy important to her and a man whose ilk she had no remorse for, Laura Kinney reacted how Laura Kinney would…

…In uncontrolled rage.

"It is only enough until he's dead!" She roared, her silent rage now explosive – anger filling every drop of saliva which escaped her mouth as she used her free hand and legs to aimlessly slash at the foul man who was far from her reach.

"He's trash!" lightning cackled, "I'll kill him, I'll kill him!" Thunder boomed.

"He's a monster!"

He hated everything about this, hated how he was defending a man who had done unspeakable things, hated how Laura struggled against his grasp, hated the words that escaped her mouth, hated the uncontrollable anger that was surging through her.

Hatred the words which echoed throughout his mind.

"For the months I have spent here in New York, It was as a forced prostitute."

"But you're not!" Peter spat as he managed to get a good hold on her now, but that didn't matter because she froze upon hearing his words. "And I'm not going to let you do something you're going to regret," He stated adamantly, but in response, she violently shook herself in a half-hearted attempt to get free.

"I won't regret it!" Laura snarled angrily.

"You're lying," Peter stated once again much to her anger.

"How would you know?" Laura asked in a low hateful growl. Anger and hate had her mind in their grasp once again, deluding her thoughts. What did he know? He didn't know her full story, he didn't know what fully happened to her, they'd only been acquainted for the last two days and here he was acting like he-

"Because I know you, Laura," He whispered softly, his voice cutting through her anger like a hot knife with butter.

He knew her.

They've only been acquainted for the last two days but Peter Parker knew her.

Peter Parker cared for her.

Made every possible attempt to make her feel like a person.

Who nearly died for her just to keep her safe.

Who gave her a choice.

Her resistance and anger quickly dissipated.

"You're not a killer," Peter reminded her as she slowly fell into his grasp which was quickly becoming a hug. Peter Parker knew Laura Kinney, he knew that her anger was once again getting the better of her, knew that if she were to follow through then the pathetic man before them would be another ghost that haunted her.

Something far more than he deserved.

But there was also another reason why he stopped her from ending the man's life.

To give into that anger, to want others to suffer…

"You're better than that," his voice echoed throughout her now sound mind, consoling her as doubt and regret had now seeped in the absence of anger.

Her claws sheathed themselves as she found herself falling into his embrace.

Anger-inducing memories were now replaced with what happened afterwards….

…flashes of others looking at her in fear…

…her being left alone again.

Left alone with a shadow behind her, whispering things in her head with her venomous words.

She was caught in the middle of all of these voices and memories…and Peter, who told her with all his heart, things which contradicted those words.

"You're a good person," He said as he hugged Laura tightly from behind, keeping her upright for her legs no longer could.

"Better than him," Peter finished as he looked at the shriveling man before him with a hateful glare.

Laura had lifted her gaze to look up at the man as well, but neither of the two were really looking at him.

They were looking at monsters.

Peter saw a demon of hate.

Laura saw a murderer.

They goaded them as they took refuge in another.

When she was able to stand on her own again, Peter left her to go tend to the man as she looked away and held herself.

The cold now more noticeable than ever with his absence.

Was she really better?

She had made the mistake again – of resorting to killing.

She had forgotten what Logan had told her and both blindly and strictly gone to chase the man.

In her anger she didn't even bother checking on Peter…

Heroes, above all else, saved people.

They did the right thing.

They didn't kill.

She was a hero.

Right?

As she was doing this, Peter knelt in front of the man who looked at him with gratitude – who thanked him countless times through the adrenaline which was running through his body, but none of this made Peter feel good.

With a harsh and swift, "Shut up," he used his strength to flick the man's forehead, rendering him unconscious as to make tending to him more bearable.

Allowing him to contemplate things…

As shadows began creeping into Laura's mind, the girl turned to watch Peter tend to the now unconscious man. The mere sight – the mere smell of him, still angered her to her bone but it was circumvented by the overall shame she had in herself.

The darkness of her mind had taken the form of a woman she knew too well.

Thoughts that scared her soon followed.

As Peter tended to the man, the dark silhouette within the corner of her vision whispered things to her.

Telling her that he would leave, be disgusted, be scared…

Peter let out a long drawn-out sigh as he finished tending to the 'man.'

His wounds were fully covered with Peter's webs in an almost airtight seal, keeping his blood in and allowing him to make a recovery should emergency services be given to him in the next couple of hours.

He stood up, his back turned to her as she anxiously waited for what he was going to say.

"You know…I hated – still hate, someone too…" Peter began to say as he gazed at nothing, trying to find the right words to say all the while blocking out memories better left alone, "He um…He did things I didn't really appreciate…" Laura noticed how he clenched his fists in an ineffectual attempt to stop their trembling.

Peter Parker has dealt with monsters before – suffered at the hands of monsters just as Laura had. He fought against the same temptations to leave them for dead, the same rage to kill them where they stand.

In a flash, he found himself in darkness, his body constricted and bound, wounds – soon to be scars, decorating his body. His spider-sense going constantly going off, conveying a message he already knew.

Hands he's become quickly acquainted with gently caressed his shoulders. His Spider-Sense caused tremors throughout his brain – again, his heart rate spiked – again, he let out muffled howls – again, as he frantically tried to break the bonds that held him – again.

"I haven't talked about it before…" he said as he shook his head, "I don't like talking about it, and even if I did, I don't think I could ever form the words to make others understand what it's like…I don't even know if I want others to…I don't even know if I fully understand what happened myself…" his voice was getting quieter and quieter as faint memories were coming to the forefront of his mind.

He turned to face Laura again, his posture more limp, more dead than hers.

"But…You…You get it," He said, his voice mimicking his moment of vulnerability.

She nodded.

There were things she had done in which she didn't fully understand, things that happened to her and because of her which were nothing but faint dreams, but she knew the outcomes of most of them.

They ended with death.

But he…

"I wasn't-I wasn't kidding when I said we were two of a kind," his body moved as he let out a hollow laugh.

She had told him that she had been used as a weapon, forced to kill people.

With that knowledge, he still said that they were two of a kind.

The same.

But that meant…

She looked at him now, concern and questions rapidly growing within her being – within her heart as now, he looked so different.

He was staring her way with a thousand-yard look which she knew too well.

"At the end of it…I managed to break free…and I made a choice…"

He was in a fire now, standing near an unconscious man about to be devoured by endless searing flames which burned down everything in their path.

Despite the things that transpired, the multiple, countless scars given, and the nightmares he suffered and would continue to suffer from, Peter Parker…

"I saved him," he said with guilt so immense that it could not be measured.

"And then he went on to kill forty-nine people…" Flashes of that harrowing battle flashed in his mind. Every single card the both of them had was laid flat, every punch being fueled with so much will that it made the both of them exceed their natural strength.

There would be no battle after this.

It was the endgame.

And everyone around them knew it for their battle had left trails of destruction far above those who were considered 'street level.' There were no maniacal laughs, no quips or jokes, just grit, determination, and tenacity as equal opposing forces clashed.

Good and evil.

The light and the dark.

The Spider and The Goblin.

The Yin and the Yang…

Spider-like acrobatics and agility contesting against the high-tech arsenal of the Goblin as they battled above the Brooklyn Bridge for all to see.

In a ploy to get the upper hand, the villain who contrasted against his nemesis littered the sky with countless bombs packed with so much destructive force that they could instantly vaporize anything in their path. They rained down over the bridge, the harrowing screams which emanated from the bombs mimicking the screams of those below but Spider-Man was there. Diverting his attention from the Goblin, he got rid of the weapons only made by insanity incarnate before they could spell instant death, but The Goblin wasn't done.

He let out a harrowing laugh as an opportunity presented itself. He circled around Spider-Man who was busy with his bombs before zooming past him, both him and his glider raining down his carnage.

Scrambling to save lives, Spider-Man followed, pushing himself harder, making his body move faster, his mind think quicker, as he used his webs to toss the bombs far away before they could incinerate the bystanders…

…but he was too slow.

There was one more left, it's shrieks getting louder and louder, drowning out all other noise as a father sheltered his little girl and without even thinking, Spider-Man used his webs to pull the family as far away as he could before he used his own body to shelter the blast.

His body refusing to be destroyed, tanked the explosion, the searing burns, and the shockwave which sent him down the bridge like a skipped rock, his body being flung at such a force that each time it hit the street it cracked.

Peter struggled to get back on his feet.

His blue eyes widened in sheer horror as he watched The Goblin hover over the two he had saved.

His intentions and desires displayed clearly by his yellow eyes.

He wasn't laughing.

He wasn't bluffing.

He wasn't joking.

Spider-Man ran it through his mind countless times if he could make it, if he was fast enough, if he could save them…but he couldn't.

In the split second, millions – billions of thoughts ran through his mind, telling him that it was impossible to stop The Goblin…but maybe he could get through to the man underneath…

"Norman! Please! Stop! Plea-" Spider-Man tried to plead but to his horror, they fell on deaf ears and in a matter of seconds, ghastly horrifying screams mixed into one, before there was nothing...

He paused in pure shock upon seeing people, a man, a child, be rendered to…to nothing…but The Goblin didn't stop.

He hatefully sped towards the teenage hero, using his moment of Trauma to his advantage, wrangling his hands around Peter's throat as he brought him face to face.

"I told you! I warned you! The next time we meet, one of us will die!" He screeched before he bashed him through the center of one of the pure brick structures before ripping off his mask to unveil the beaten teenager underneath and tossing him onto the ground.

"I made you – everything that you are right now is because of me! I opened my arms! Opened my heart! Made you the son I never had! My Rightful Heir! And like an ungrateful little rat you spat in my face! You chose the light! I tried making it easy for you boy but you didn't listen, but now that daddy has the belt you want to cry and say he was right? well it's too late. I'm going to kill everyone on this bridge, I'm going to kill your little girlfriend, I'm going to kill that aunt of you-"

"No!" Peter yelled as he punched The Goblin right in his face, sharing the glider with him as he bashed him with all his strength and more, over and over, no regard, no thought, no care for his life at all.

"I won't let you!" Peter yelled in pure hate but he was flung by a backhand from The Goblin which sent him crashing back down to the ground.

The Goblin looked at the glare of pure hatred – pure darkness… and smiled, gleefully wiping the blood from his mouth.

"The lines are blurring again aren't they?" He taunted as he noticed that familiar look, "…You're thinking about killing me… well if that's what's going to take for my son to be born then so be it!" He roared.

"I have to thank you Peter! not only for saving my life so I could stand here today but also showing me that the lines have been blurred for not just you, but for me too," and just like his foe, The Green Goblin took off his mask to unveil his green eyes which bore nothing but hatred and insanity.

"I used to believe that The Goblin was what weak and pathetic Norman Osborn always wanted to be but that's the opposite. Pandering, paltry– fragile, Norman Osborn was just The Goblin in a cage, just like you…" He narrated with a bone-chilling voice, whatever left of the man that once was now fully enveloped by the persona.

Or maybe that was just who he really was…

"Wallflower, nobody, orphaned Puny-Peter-Parker, never existed just like stupid Norman," The Goblin said with such confidence and fluidity that shook Peter to his bones.

"No, that's not…" He tried to say, denying the possibility of him being remotely close to The Goblin, Spider-Man was just a persona, a…

"Try as you might to deny it, but we are the same…" The Goblin said, goading him.

"...When the masks are off, when the cages are opened…" his spider-sense began to cause massive tremors in his brain as in a split second, with enhanced speed which rivaled his, The Green Goblin armed both himself and his Glider with an array of pumpkin bombs that not even he could deal with.

And with arms fully extended, body fully open, and mouth stretched in a wide smile as if he had just taken in the incarnations of darkness entirely, The Green Goblin threw countless bombs as his glider did the same, swarming the bridge, Spider-Man, and all the bystanders in a harrowing sea of haunting screams.

"THIS IS WHO WE ARE!"

"In twenty minutes he slaughtered forty-nine people who I can all name. Forty-nine people who all had families, and lives, and friends, who were someone's mother, father, son, daughter…they all died…and…you already know about Gwen…" Peter lowered his gaze, remembering the faces of sheer terror, pleading for him to save them as he desperately scrambled to get rid of the countless bombs which rained down above.

He remembers the devastation and death….

Remembering that it was all because of him saving Norman Osborn from the fire that night…

"I don't know if it was the best choice to make…I know it wasn't the right one … maybe I should've left him for dead, hell…maybe I should've killed him myself but…I don't really know…" leaving him to die that night, letting the flames kill him, they would have prevented all of it, all those people would still be alive, Gwen would still be alive, but…

"In all honesty I don't really know much…but…I know that…stooping to their level…doing things that they would do…that can't be it…" Leaving him in that fire would've been choosing the darkness, would've been something an Osborn would've done – A Goblin…

"We fight monsters Laura and they…they'll do what monsters always do," They'll push, they'll gnaw, make you think of things you've never thought of before, tempt you to do things you would find appalling…

"So we gotta try and do what heroes do," Heroes endured, they did the right thing, they saved lives and stuck to their morals no matter how hard it was.

Captain America and Uncle Ben did that….

"Or else we might become monsters ourselves."

"The lines are blurring again aren't they?"

"You looked at The Darkness and blinked…"

"And we aren't monsters, neither you, nor me," Peter said in a firm, self-assured voice.

Despite the things The Goblin did to him, He chose the light.

And despite the things others had done to her, Laura Kinney did the same.

"We're better than that," Peter declared as he looked at her, his confidence filling up Laura as she listened to what he had to say.

"We have to be…" He said more so to himself than her, but those words had weight to her as well.

The emptiness, the void…The lack of humanity that followed her when she was forced to cross those lines…when she willingly crossed them…

She nodded her head at Peter.

He let out a smile underneath his mask before getting back on track.

"Now let's go, the ugly part has yet to come."

They returned back to where the girls were, being able to hear conversation and panic strike up amongst them before they inevitably went silent upon witnessing their return. Peter found it hard to look at them, to see their injuries, the bruises, to see them bare…to see trauma in their eyes…the silent plea of help in some while others contemplated if he really was there to help being in the eyes of others…

It made him sick to his stomach.

So he did something about it.

He made eye contact with the first girl closest to him and she slowly started to unravel herself, the fear in her eyes turning into a silent plea as a tiny sliver of hope had returned into her hollow eyes. The makeshift cage she was in was quickly destroyed due to his sheer strength fueled with unbridled determination to help, but despite it being destroyed, the girl remained in place as if she was being held by something unseen and insurmountable.

"Everything's…Everything's going to be alright now," The masked hero said in the softest and gentlest voice he could muster in an attempt to console the frightened girl.

Slowly but surely, she was unraveling, leaving her spot and beginning her hesitant stride to him.

In his good nature, he raised a hand in an attempt to comfort her even more, but his naivety had resulted in the opposite effect.

She frightenedly flinched.

"Hey, wait, I-" He frantically tried to explain that he meant no harm; all he wanted to do was make her feel safe, he didn't want to…but on instinct to the raised voice, the girl squealed in fear, putting her arms up to defend herself much to his disheartenment.

A hand gently placed on him by his partner had brought Peter's attention on to Laura who gave him a look, not one of reproach, but one telling him that maybe this was something Spider-Man couldn't do.

Peter took a step back.

Laura had more experience with…this…sort of thing.

For better or for worse, she understood.

Men and women in masks, those of the unknown…they would most definitely terrify those who have been used in countless different ways by others who used their tactics.

So Laura took hers off to unveil the girl underneath for all to see.

Peter was stunned as to how easily she took off her mask without checking her surroundings but upon witnessing the reactions of the others…

There was shock, surprise…but…there was also…relief…solace in knowing that there were people underneath those masks.

People who wanted to help.

Peter looked around, noticing a lack of security cameras…obviously having video evidence proof of the operation would be disastrous…

He gulped as he contemplated what he should do…

Maybe this was something Spider-Man couldn't help with…but Peter Parker…

He put his hands on his head, waiting to feel a tingle but…he didn't.

And following his dark-haired partner's lead, to the shock and surprise of everyone…Spider-Man took off his mask too, unveiling the boy underneath.

Laura was stunned briefly by Peter doing the gesture, knowing he had far more at stake than she did, his look of insecurity and instant regret showing that.

They shared a glance with each other, wondering if it really was the right thing to do.

And she let out a little smile calming his fears.

She turned her attention to the young girl who had lowered her guard upon seeing a bit of herself in the two as the raven-haired girl in front of her softly said, "We are here to help."

Laura Kinney slowly extended her hand toward the haunted girl.

And the girl took it.

Laura Kinney and Peter Parker, not Spider-Man and Talon, proceeded to help and free those from their prisons. Each victim reacting in different ways: some being reserved and quiet, opting to help themselves out without saying a word to others instantly collapsing and hugging their saviors as they broke down in tears.

The two comforted them for as long as they needed.

Sheltering them from the evils that were committed.

She looked at Peter as he gently held one of the victims as they cried into his chest, recognizing the guilt and sadness he had in his eyes as the girl thanked him profusely.

It took a while, but they soon finished tending to the seven victims who all had names: Taniyah Williams, Eun-Sook Cho, Abigail Jackson, Ella Campbell, Gabriella Lopez, Imani Singh, and Imanuela Andre.

When they were done comforting and aiding them, they put on their masks as the girls huddled together, still in tears due to the influx of harsh memories and being saved, having survived the whole ordeal.

Despite having a mask on, she could tell Peter was still feeling guilty as he watched them.

He turned away abruptly, quickly taking off his gloves and web shooters much to her confusion, but adding to it even more, he passed them to her.

He held them within his hands in open palms as he gestured for her to take them.

She tilted her head to the side which prompted him to say, "You can uh…you can…you can make clothes out of webs…I think…I think it's the least I can do," Peter said in a quiet voice with underlying guilt, his gaze stuck on his homemade gadgets.

Now she understood.

"I-I think it would be better if you do it," He managed to let out as proven by his earlier, massive – stupid, slip up earlier, the presence of a man was something some of them were not comfortable with.

Laura took them.

"You um…know how to use them right?" Peter asked as she put them on, she nodded, doing his iconic hand gesture which immediately caused webs fire in a random direction, the purpose of such an action being that she could get a feel of them.

After that, one by one, she used Peter's web shooters to spin clothes for them so that they were no longer bare, so that they could have their privacy once more, so that they could feel safe.

Once she had finished, she had returned to Peter who was facing away, most likely as to not make them feel uncomfortable.

"It is done," she stated as she stood beside him, his gadgets in her hands.

He stuttered and stumbled, thanking her for doing such a thing all the while she knew that he berated himself for actions that he was not responsible for. Blaming himself for what evil men had done, completely blind to the sheer and vast pure amounts of good and kindness he has displayed, rendering himself vulnerable and putting his identity and life at risk, just to make them feel safe.

"You are good," she stated with all her heart, grabbing his full attention and shutting down any of the thoughts he might have.

She would never, nor would she ever let him, forget that.

"...I…I always thought…you spun webs naturally…" Taniyah Williams, the oldest one of the girls – a young woman with almond skin, spoke up as she deviated from the group to approach the two teens who saved them.

Still out of his element, Peter fumbled his words, "...Well…Um…no…that…that would be kinda weird, wouldn't it? - bu-but I can see why you - others, could totally- um - think…that-"

"It's alright…I uh…I think it's pretty cool," She said with a small laugh as she gestured towards her 'clothes' before seriousness washed over her once more, "You…you know…when I heard you came back I…I knew you'd come," The girl said in an attempt to raise the hero's heart but it only fell.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner…" Spider-Man stated as sorrow and guilt had quickly returned despite Laura's efforts which left her angry.

"You don't have to be sorry about anything…this…isn't your fault," The almond-skin woman tried to say but Peter's mind told him differently.

"If only you knew..." Peter mumbled.

"What?"

"We…we aren't out of the woods yet. C'mon, the cops should be here any second," Peter said, changing the subject and wanting out of the cesspool they were in.

Desperately in need of punching someone.

He and Laura led the group up the stairs and into the black marble-styled bar just below the main dancefloor.

Some watched for and stepped around the countless unconscious bodies while others kicked specific ones for reasons Peter didn't need to ask to know why.

His wish to punch something had been granted though as they halted the group abruptly, leaving them confused and scared even.

Laura let out a sniff.

And Peter's spider-sense let out a small tingle.

Danger was near.

"Stay here and hide," he turned to them, "If things get quiet and we don't come back go through the exit down there," He ordered as he and Laura aimed to move towards the danger.

"Why?" one of them asked as they didn't pick up like the others had.

"The cavalries here," he stated in a fierce tone which didn't bother hiding his disdain nor his desire to hit something evil.

"Man, I wouldn't wanna be these guys," A man in a black-skintight costume said, a giant Eight-Ball on the top of his head as he poked one of the many unconscious thugs on the ground with his cue stick.

"Whoddya' think we got?" He asked his partner who wore a high-tech armor with a brown spandex under-suit which covered him from head to toe. It was stylized to have long ears on the top of head to match with the kangaro-esk appearance of his armor.

"Oy! Shutcha gobbah, yeh bun-bakin bahstahd! We're supposed to be stealthy," The man in the kangaroo armor berated his eight-ball friend in his clear-as-day Australian accent.

"That's what you're trying to be?" A voice asked from the unknown, instantly putting the two on guard.

"Oi! Who sai-" Kangaroo tried to ask but his question he never managed to fully ask was answered as Spider-Man had instantly appeared in front of him.

"And here I thought you were trying to be stupid," He said before instantly one-shotting the Aussie-man who was unfortunate enough to be the first to take on Spider-Man's anger.

Before his partner could even exclaim the webbed-Wonder's name – before he could even register what was happening, he found himself instantly knocked out, his mask shattering like porcelain as the figure of Talon stood over him.

The two heroes stood side by side, on guard and focused as more threats were soon to be followed.

And there were.

Peter's spider-sense kicked off full force on more, and with it, his new accelerated vision which made everything seem slow.

He looked around, using his eyes and spider-sense to guide him to where the danger was until it was as clear as day.

A sight he had seen all too much.

Air, vibrating and traveling at a speed so violent it annihilated all in its path.

It was moving right at them, at paces much faster than they should, too fast for him to fully get both him and Laura – who was oblivious due to it being air, from the blast, so he did the next best thing.

He grabbed her, cradling her into his arms before letting his back take the full blast.

It hurt.

It hurt alot.

The both of them were sent rocketing out the club as the vibrating air collided with Peter's body which withstood the blast.

With a loud 'boom,' the air, Peter, and Laura, all collided into the building opposite to the club.

Being the first to get back on her feet, Laura snarled defensively as Peter got back up.

Unless there was a new enemy, there was only one of Peter's rogues who could send an attack which she could not detect with her nose.

As smoke from the blast still blocked her view of the multiple silhouettes which stood opposite to them, a lone figure belonging to a man who should be in an insulated quilt-costume was the first to unveil his appearance.

Donning high-tech armor which protected him from head to toe, on a budget that only Wilson Fisk could afford, Herman Shultz, a petty criminal who created gauntlets which could vibrate air so violently they became shockwaves, came out the smoke.

"Shocker," Peter said as he got back up on his feet, his voice having pure disdain for his newly upgraded foe.

"Long time no see Bug. I see you got a new friend," Shocker said as he nudged his head Laura's way.

"I got new friends too," The Petty criminal said as out of the smoke, new figures were unveiled.

It was Boomerang, Frederick Myers, someone who she initially thought was a joke, looking like a walking armory and Scorcher, Steven Hudak, whose powered suit protected him from, and allowed him to use, powerful flames.

But that was not it.

They were then followed by three mercenaries she was aware of, The Reaper, a man who is outfitted with multiple cybernetics, his most iconic being the giant scythe he had in place of his right hand, Crossbones – someone rumored to have the capabilities of Captain America, and Constrictor, an assassin who was also outfitted with cybernetics, donning a snaked themed blue and yellow battle suit which had thirty-foot long adamantium cables he used as whips which could be electrically charged through the suit.

Though some may consider them deadly assassins.

She did not.

"I didn't think you would stoop so low as to work for The Kingpin, Herman," Spider-Man yelled at his foe who he once thought had standards.

"Low? I'm livin' in a multi-million dollar condo right now webs, standing up here with the big leagues, and the only thing I gotta do to keep it like that, is to kill you," Shocker said with such joy that it almost seemed like he licked his lips underneath his metal helmet.

"Which is something I'd do for free."

"Hmm, big leagues huh? So you moved up from what? Recreational to house league? Good job there," Peter replied, mocking Shocker who was, and always will be, someone who couldn't even make the cut for Villain of the Week.

"And kill me? Of course, you'd do it for free 'cause if you were paid to do it, it would mean you'd actually have to kill me and let's face it Herman, You're just a glorified goon out of his league, but if you want to step into the ring with me, be my guest," Peter said through grit teeth and anger as he stepped out of the hole to square off against his foes. Laura followed suit, taking the time to analyze all of them before coming up with a plan.

The two having no intention of losing.

"Just know that whenever I step into it, I bring everything I have!"

Next Chapter: Dare to Believe you can Survive! Fight!

Chapter Text

Forces of pure elemental nature collided with each other with such intensity and fierceness that only onlookers could describe the sight before them as the end of times.

Devastating winds, moving faster than two hundred miles per hour, had conjoined into a violent vortex of air that towered over and threatened to devour the city. The winds worked in tandem with the Hudson River, which had taken the shape of a man, as it attempted to extinguish the relentless candle that battled against them.

Down on the streets, Earth-shaking blows were traded by beings made up of pure strength. A man made out of rock battled a woman who pushed him in ways few could, while a man of power battled those, who together, rivaled his own destructive capabilities. And up above, on the rooftops of New York City, a battle – much smaller in scale, but just as important took place as men – as a man, battled unyielding, unending warriors of the shadows who he refused their attempt to envelop and devour him.

All of these battles concerning unending legions and super-powered criminals all conjoined into one battle which starred our two protagonists. Perhaps it was because Spider-Man was just the most active hero who had battled it out with most of them, or because The Kingpin placed him at a higher priority, or he was just – in the villain's own, dim minds, 'in their league' Spider-Man and Talon found themselves the center of attention, as villains of all kinds had come to get their chance to kill the web-slinging hero.

One such of these newcomers was an insignificant assassin by the name of 'DiamondBack', a pink-haired woman who donned a pink and black costume which was littered with diamonds – her very obvious and very boring motif. While Spider-Man skillfully dodged shockwaves, explosive boomerangs, and incinerating flames, the enthusiastic new challenger leaped into the air, hurling a barrage of elongated diamond-throwing spikes But this was Spider-Man we were talking about. A guy who could dodge bullet fire and lightning.

While scaling the walls and evading his attacker's maneuvers, his Spider-Sense tingled, alerting him to the impending 'danger.' He swiftly launched off the wall, contorting his body in unnatural ways to navigate through the storm of sharpened diamonds unscathed and like an unstoppable missile, he hurtled toward the airborne woman at speeds she could not react to.

She looked on, wide eyes displaying emotions he loved to see in bad guys, regret, questioning of life choices, wondering if his punch was going to hurt…

It would, but DiamondBack wouldn't feel it because she was instantly knocked out cold by a punch delivered from the hero who, in his eyes, just beat another barely C-tier criminal he didn't even recognize or bother to know before using his webs to swing away from another one of Shockers blasts.

Simultaneously, The Reaper's iconic scythe clashed against Talon's claws as she briefly turned her attention from The Constrictor and onto the mostly cyborg man, the sole human aspect of him which remained being his decaying face.

The collision of scythe and talons resulted in Laura's adamantium-laced claws effortlessly slicing through The Reaper's feeble weapon and his cybernetic body, rendering him in a state mirroring his shattered scythe—split and divided into three pieces.

His torso and abdomen hung momentarily in the air, the man's decaying face reflecting sheer shock at the astonishing ease of his defeat.

Constrictor's white slits would soon share the same expression for as a man who was an assassin, a merc, a man who adopted the theme of a snake to match his slimy and dishonorable nature, had cracked both his electrically charged adamantium coils with an overhead motion before bringing them back down on the girl who had just cleaved through The Reaper, but she swiftly evaded them.

With a fluid motion, Talon rotated her body, aligning herself parallel to the imminent strikes of the borderline nonsensical weapons. Like any other whip, once they were brought down, there would also always be an opening followed suit for they had to be brought back up to be used again. But that would not happen, as she continued her spin, she used her momentum to carry her and her claws as they cleaved through Constrictor's torso, and the power source which was nestled in his chest.

The Facility had made her – trained her, to be the best.

She would not fall to a fool whose weapons were even more foolish than he was.

She would not fall at all.

Chapter 14: Fight!

"That the best ya got!" Powerman's voice boomed as he felled one of the many robust and brutish men who he now stood against.

Dust and rubble littered both him and the street they were now on as blood which was not his own, dropped from his knuckles.

Staring down the three in front of him with his narrowed hazel eyes which held a fierce fire; The unwavering confident stance he took, and the man who stood beaten and unconscious at his feet all told those who opposed him that he was not afraid of the group who could individually take down armies of men.

The man he felled was known as 'PileDriver,' a six-four, blonde-haired man, who wore a red, white, and blue costume, who – more importantly, was a member of a powerful – and in Powerman's mind, pathetic group.

All four members of the crew were powerhouses which could level city blocks, and they would, should anyone meet their price, hence their name: 'The Wrecking Crew.'

And their leader, the man who led and kept such powerful and volatile men in charge, was a man who the crew was named after, 'The Wrecker.'

Donning a heavy green jacket and pants, with matching purple gloves and boots, he took point as 'BullDozer,' A man who donned an orange suit and apparatus with a titanium helmet which encased his head, and 'ThunderBall,' a man of equal size who wore a green and yellow costume while holding his crude ball and chain weapon, stood at his sides.

"Now that's unfair, this whole entire thing was supposed to be a surprise attack," The Wrecker smugly shrugged as he hit his crowbar against his palm, a malicious smile being displayed through the open mouth portion of his purple balaclava as he got increasingly excited upon seeing what his foe had done to the companion he had no care for, all the while not feeling threatened at all.

Powerman would change that.

"Well I hate to break it to ya but 'surprise' means unexpected, not 'leave a whole buncha signs and light up arrows tellin' everyone and their mama what's gonna happen," Powerman remarked in a belittling voice which intrigued The Wrecker as his two remaining groupmates snickered amongst each other behind his back.

The Wrecker shared a glance and words with his crew mates, words that Powerman didn't need to hear to know what was being said. A super-powered gang was still a gang, and from the body language alone, he knew that they didn't take him seriously.

"And what were these signs, smart guy?" The Wrecker goaded as he took mild interest in what gave them away.

"Well excusin' the open doors and your big ugly boot prints, the quantity of your packed product in comparison to the whole operation implies that most of it was moved – moved today, but with how old the tire streaks are, you could've moved all of it before we even arrived," Powerman aggressively stated as he willingly answered The Wreckers half-hearted question, using it as an opportunity to show that he was more than just his muscles.

Something which the Wreckers weren't.

"The only reason why you didn't, was to make it seem like you had no choice but to leave all of it behind before we busted all of ya to lead us into a false sense of security. Unfortunately for you though, you failed cause your muscles are the only thing that's big about you. You honestly should've taken a page out of your ninja friend's book and hid in the surrounding buildings but like I said before, 'your muscles are the only thing that's big about you,'" He smugly finished as he grinned at the surprised expression which found its way on The Wrecker's stupid face.

"Ho-"

"I'm a private investigator and my daddy was a detective on the force for thirty years, a damn good one too, couldn't hide nothin' from him," Powerman stated with pride but in the span of two seconds, He crossed his arms as The Wrecker closed the gap between them, clashing his crowbar powerfully against Powermans guard as the two grit their teeth and struggled against one another.

"Tell me then, 'Mr. Investigator,' what's gonna happen next?" The brutish man rhetorically asked as he spat in Powermans face, the force of his attack causing Cage's feet to dig into the concrete street due to the sheer force of it but Cage's strength matched his resolve and he refused to be pushed back.

"Outside of me collecting a big check for all this? It'll be me sendin' you and your group of misshapen, misbegotten, chopped-up bums to the damn hospital, crying for your overweight employer."

"Fight Back!"

"Fight Back!" A loud and proud voice yelled as her brutish and powerful attacks yelled louder than her words. Standing at about six feet and six inches tall and weighing at five hundred and forty-five pounds of pure muscle, was the towering, the tough, the terrifying: Titania.

Donning a purple wrestler-themed costume which was crossed with that of a seductress, the well-built, big, and buxom woman with long strawberry blonde hair pummeled The Thing's rock hard skin – cracking it, as her overwhelming confidence was not without backup, for Mary MacPherran was the strongest woman on the planet.

The raid on the docs lead to success with everyone involved: him, Torch, The police and S.H.I.E.L.D agents, all finding crates loaded with stolen weapons which belonged to Hammer, Trask, and more importantly, S.H.I.E.L.D, but as the current situation showed, they were not exempt from the trend that the others had found themselves in.

Beginning the engagement with a gust of wind that blew all the storage crates from their positions, Titania violently emerged to begin the battle which had taken them from a ship and onto the New York streets which was the only ground around that could endure the weight of their battle and even then, it threatened to collapse underneath their feet as blows The Thing tanked with minor injury caused great strain on the pavement below.

Just barely moving out of the way from a devastating elbow drop that shattered the ground below, The Thing put up his guard once more as the powerful, but surprisingly fast woman got up to continue striking him with her theatrical blows.

"This is the problem with you Grimm," She yelled, using her strength to bash through the man's simple yet effective boxing guard to land an uppercut which sent the five-hundred-pound man off his feet.

"All that strength, all that size, and underneath it all is a giant wuss," she said with disgust as Ben spat out a mixture of saliva, blood, and rock before getting back on his feet.

"Bein' a wuss an' bein' polite are two different things ya dumb broad," Ben angrily said as he clenched his fists, his furrowed brow displaying the irritation and temptation he withheld from using his strength against a foe who by every single account save for one, warranted a show for him to use all of it against her.

"Da only reason yer still standin' Mary is cause my Aunt Petunia raised me to neva' lay hand's on a woman," he spat as he blocked another blow from the red-headed powerhouse.

"My heart goes out to your woman then," She retorted as she broke through his guard once more to land another blow on his face, "Then again, if she's with you then she-"

A powerful blow sent her face in the opposite direction and stumbling back, ceasing everything she was going to say as she stared at the man in front of her with shocked eyes.

"That's it, I'm makin' an exception!" Ben yelled as he slammed his fist against his palm.

You could say whatever you wanted about him, but the moment you even spoke bad about the love of his life, you best be running for life soon after.

Titania wiped the blood from her nose before grinning.

"The Yajū has sentenced you to death."

A raspy voice of death echoed as Daredevil fought against the hoard of living shadows doing the work of the devil they came from. The ninja's clad in clothes of blood and weapons of old used their skills – honed and passed down for hundreds of years to fulfill the contract, the deal they had, to kill The Devil of Hell's Kitchen.

These assassins have gone through many names, throughout the countless ages they have appeared, but all translations, all variations, all lead to the same meaning.

The Hand.

An overzealous ninja clan that does the work of their "Yajū", which translates to "beast." This 'beast' is unknown, their goals are unknown, and with how these warriors didn't even seem to register what pain was, if they were human was unknown.

What was known is that their service is only available to those who threatened modern Global civilization, those like Hydra who sought to rule humanity underneath their iron tyrannical grip.

And it would appear that Wilson Fisk was evil enough for their service's to be available to him.

They had infiltrated the nearby buildings as both he and Powerman entered the warehouse, and upon recognizing that both the Wreckers and other parties were nearby, they decided to split up, Powerman taking the streets below, as he took the rooftops.

"Then I'd like to make an appeal for Judicial Misconduct and Fraud," Daredevil sharply replied as he spun around to use his clubs to halt the vertical slash from a katana which threatened to split him in two. Sparks illuminated the horned vigilante's gruff and unkept face as the two metallic weapons collided but in a swift movement, he dodged another blow coming for him before using his other hand and weapon to take out the ninja clad in red who sought to cleave him in two.

That just left about thirty more.

Best of the best fighting skills and expert acrobatics was what kept the blind vigilante from succumbing to the overwhelming numbers his tired and wounded body struggled to keep up with, but those two alone were not the only abilities underneath his belt which helped keep the man afloat.

Saving a blind elderly man from death fifteen years ago, then, twelve-year-old Mathew Michael "Matt" Murdock found himself blinded by a radioactive material which spilled onto his face from a truck crash as a result of saving the man.

Losing his sense of sight, he found that his other senses had been enhanced, resulting in him gaining a new one as well, a sense similar to that of a radar hence the name "radar sense." Similar to the sixth sense of the much younger hero Spider-Man, but less refined and inferior, lacking the precognition, and its famous tingle, Murdock is able to gain a sense of his surroundings due to his brain emitting electromagnetic waves which travel outwards and bounce off his surroundings before ultimately being picked up again.

Alongside that, his peak physical condition due to his strenuous training by both professional boxer and loving father, Jonathan Murdock, and a blind man who helped teach him to hone his senses, he was able to keep up with the hoard of shadows.

But he was still a man, and despite his training and his senses, he was a tired man, an exhausted man, a wounded man.

While he was dealing with five foes at once, a sixth one had managed to thrust his katana just beside his abdomen, not piercing through it but slashing it deeply and causing him to wince in pain.

"The Yajū denies your request, only your suffering is permitted."

The many cuts and wounds gained from today, from yesterday, the day before that, and the week before this one, they were catching up, slowing him down, his breathing slowed as he took deeper gasps for air, and his legs started to give in, his grip was slipping…

"...But… even if you should suffer for righteousness sake, you will be… blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled…" He recited to himself as his body moved once more, dodging and attacking his foes after the split second of overbearing exhaustion.

Once strong and burning bright, now weak and dim flame rocketed around the dark – stormy skies as beings in control of both wind and water threatened to extinguish his cosmic given flames.

Evading a towering hand constructed of waves which carried the weight of the very river, The Human Torch continued circling around the vicious waterspout before him which was going against and reversing the rules of nature with its catastrophic and brisk winds which had forcefully overtaken the clouds which caused them to swirl into a cyclone which produced even heavier winds and squalls.

The young blonde boy squinted his eyes and grit his teeth as he struggled against the fierce winds that made flying an uphill battle which was made even harder due to the various debris from the ship cargo and the containers themselves being shredded into pieces and carried with the Whirlwind that used such things in an attempt to give him more scratches and cuts then he already had.

And that wasn't even mentioning the numerous and seemingly infinite water tentacles which suffocated his trail of flames as they attempted to grab hold and snuff him out.

Johnny Storm, the hotheaded boy who fittingly found himself with the ability to control fire had found himself in battle with men who had control of his nature counterparts.

At the center of the devastating tornado before him, Whirlwind spun in his gothic, muted, and expressionless iron armor, with Hyrdroman accompanying him down below, who used his powers to become one with the Hudson River to create a towering, thirty-foot-long apocalyptic – human in shape monster, who swatted at him with his winds, and chased after him with numerous lashes which sprouted out his body like heat-seeking missiles.

"Yo, the both of you have a better chance killing me with tinnitus than whatever it is you're doing right now," Johnny spat as he spun around in order to dodge chunks of metal fragments but his voice was drowned out by the deafening sounds of sheer calamity.

"I almost regret turning Sandman into glass just so he could give you guys a hand but…actually – nah, I take that back, he made a pretty good statue to take pictures with," The teen added as he found himself getting quickly surrounded by a spiral of tentacles made up of water which caused him to abruptly rocket upwards before they strangled him in their grasp.

"C'mon Hydroman, I'm not Spidey, this whole entire thing only works when someone else is talking, and Whirlwind's voice is so muffled by his stupid helmet that you'd have better luck talking to Klaw!" Johnny flew through the crevice between Hydromens fingers as vicious tidal waves aggressively yelled in place of his lack of voice.

Eyeing the biggest thorn of his side, Johnny circled around Whirlwind before creating and tossing a ball of scalding flames at the iron-cased man only for it to be blown away like all his previous attempts.

He scowled in vexation.

Beams of Fire, constructs of concussive heat, and now fireballs were rendered useless by the cold chill wind.

"Look, guys, I know you aren't so bright; You can control the elements and yet you choose to be goons for a man who had one too many ice creams, like, can't you dream any smaller? Why do you even work for him?" The teen asked without any purpose, subconsciously distracting himself from his increasingly dire situation while his mind scrambled to figure out what to do.

But his attempts were thwarted as when the teen made another lap around the man-made tornado, he was left surprised at the now towering form of Hydroman who had amassed the entirety of the water and more, to create a giant, dwarfing form which made Johnny resemble a cheap candle you'd find at a dollar store.

Eyes widening in pure shock, he quickly went on the move as both of Hydromans giant hands came rocketing towards him as he audibly made a sound which distinctly sounded like "money."

"That's a good point, but have you ever thought that maybe there's other alternatives? Like, I make a lot of money on youtube showcasing my powers, and it doesn't lead to me getting beat up by a good looking hero and sent to prison, where I'll be exploited for a couple of cents," Johnny blasted the giant creature with beams of fire which barley evaporated any water as he once again went on the defensive and just barely missed Hydromans hands.

"I've faced people far bigger, far stronger, and far smarter than you!" he yelled to himself this time as he fought through the brisk winds which threatened the foundations of buildings.

Refusing to allow them to overcome him, refusing to be put out, and more importantly, refusing to lose, Johnny Storm grit his teeth as his anger and irritation grew upon the countless fruitless attempts he made which played in his mind over and over again, his flames grew larger, grew bigger, grew stronger, and he flew through the gust of wind that held him in place, brighter, stronger, more livelier than ever.

With newfound confidence, he arrogantly smiled.

"Now you can surrender, no one will blame you since it's me you're up against bu-" all his confidence faded immediately as his gaze moved from the eyes of Whirlwind and onto the giant aquatic hand right in front of him.

A giant hand he had failed to notice due to his tunnel vision.

Due to his speed and physics he knew but could never explain clearly, he smashed right into the equivalent of hard cement, going through the hand with great pain and his flames totally extinguished.

Coming out from the opposite end of the hand, disorientated by pain and just entering and exiting water, he fell with all his momentum lost which allowed for him to get picked up by the powerful winds which carried him around and around and around, bringing him closer and closer and closer, before Whirlwind delivered a powerful hook at speeds over two-hundred miles per hour which further disorientated him, which furthered his pain immensely, and which sent him flying like a falling meteor down towards the streets of New York City where he would inevitably crash with even more pain.

Body feeling like spaghetti, face all bloodied from his nose, mouth, and wounded cheek which were all excreting vast amounts of blood, The Human Torch coughed with great affliction as his body refused to listen to his efforts to get up.

Sent off his feet by ThunderBalls ball and chain which sent his course right into the Wrecker's Crowbar like a baseball, PowerMan was sent tumbling with an echoing blow and a trail of blood escaping his mouth.

Stunned and dazed by his foe's vicious blows, Titania had taken advantage of The Thing's moment of disorientation and picked him up horizontally before using his and her body weight, along with her strength to crash into the ground with a powerful slam that collapsed the street they were on with an earth-shaking tremor.

Daredevil found himself on his knees, bloodied and wounded, utterly exhausted as a ninja stood beside him with their katana high in the air.

"Christmas…" Luke Cage muttered as he caught his breath, The Wreckers crowbar echoing along with his laugh.

"What's wrong Mr. Investigator? thought we was gonna 'be sent to the hospital?'" The Wrecker mocked as he burst out laughing with his group.

"AND FOR THE FINALE! FOR A GAPING, ASTOUNDING, TEN-MILLION DOLLARS, THE EARTH MOVING, THE POWERFUL, THE STRONGEST WOMAN ON THE EARTH: TITANIA, WILL END THE FANTASTIC FOURS, EVER LOVIN BLUE EYED B," Titiantia theatrically yelled to a non-existent crowd and to a Thing who was too dazed to even register what she had just declared.

"今あなたは死ぬ、他の人と同じように"

"Now you die, like any other," a hand ninja spoke as the tip of his katana glistened with the moonlight.

The now human Johnny Storm struggled to get up as he bled from his mouth, eyeing the two elemental powerhouses which had cast him away, with anger beyond hate at the moment.

These two were far below people he's triumphed over, they should've been easy, less than easy. Instead, they just sent him with his tail between his legs and were more importantly heading to the city which would no doubt endanger and cost the lives of too many people.

And that was a price he wouldn't pay.

"Alright that's it…" he bitterly mumbled to himself as he turned his attention to Fisk Tower which was facing towards them from a distance. He could feel Wilson Fisk's eye's on him, feel him be pleased with the sight before him…well he'd have to savor the next couple of seconds because what Johnny Storm would do next would burn it off the face of the earth, alongside both Whirlwind and Hydroman.

"It's…"

"And who are you?" Spider-Man asked as he effortlessly dodged bullets from a muscular man clad in black militaristic gear who wore a mask with a skull printed on it.

"I've already told you my name!," He yelled as he dropped his dual submachine guns in place of a knife to enter hand-to-hand combat' with his target.

"Did you? My bad, but if it's anything like your costume then it's extremely forgettable," Spider-Man retorted with a laugh as he effortlessly and minimalistically dodged CrossBones attacks.

"Then remember that you're fighting a super soldier!" The Merc yelled as he tried to catch him off guard with a roundhouse kick.

"Right," Peter sarcastically agreed as he leaned all the way back to avoid the move his sixth sense warned him about.

"I've beaten both the Black Widow and Swordsman!" Crossbones stated proudly as if those achievements meant something to Spider-Man.

"Wow, only the strongest of Avengers, next thing you're gonna say is that you've beaten Hawkeye too."

It didn't.

"Who cares if you've beaten the Avengers B-members? What about Captain America – a real super soldier – The First Avenger? " Spider-Man asked as he became slightly more aggressive, choosing to block CrossBones attacks which didn't phase him at all.

But quickly growing tired and needing to move on from him, Spider-Man fiercely intercepted a punch from The Merc and sent his fist to the side, sending him off balance and leaving him totally open.

"Who am I kidding? A guy who embodies a twelve-year-old's create-a-character could never swing his league," Spider-Man stated firmly as he readied a fist to deliver to a wide-eyed Crossbones.

"And you don't swing mine," Peter stated both confidently and violently before delivering an uppercut which sent him off his feet and instantly knocked him out.

While all of this was happening, Talon was busy dealing with Shockers and Boomerang's gaze along with plenty of other villains of zero renown. Their initial battle with six foes had more than tripled, with newcomers too low to name coming with the intention and goal to kill Spider-Man.

She would not allow that.

Evading dangerous shockwaves, and explosive boomerangs, Laura patiently waited for the next array before using one of the unnamed villains as a foothold to propel herself toward Boomerang's next wave of explosive weapons.

Leaping herself over Boomerang's wave of boomerangs, she grabbed one in the same manner and the same conduct Boomerang did before throwing it and catching both him and his armored partner in an explosion.

She positioned herself next to Peter and narrowed her eyes as Shocker remained unphased by her attack, though the same could not be said for his knocked-out and blackened partner.

Her attention was soon diverted however as more foes were coming their way.

"They keep on coming," Laura stated as the foes they faced increased once more.

"Good, 'cause that means we keep on fighting," Peter replied as he stood next to her, posture wide and fists clenched, displaying nothing but an eagerness to fight and the confidence to back it up.

"I would not suggest anything else," She would not lose, surrender, nor flee to the walking jokes in front of her.

Peter chuckled.

"Get ready then! Cause…" Spider-Man said for all to hear, extending his arm and pointing his finger right at his foes as Talon hunched over, one leg forward and the other far back as she prepared for what would happen next.

"IT'S ALL OR NOTHING!"

Splitting the sky in two with flames so bright and hot that he no longer resembled a human torch but a blazing comet – a shooting star, The Human Torch rocketed towards his elemental foes at speeds of Mach-one, Mach-two all the way to Mach-five as the annoyed, angered, bittered teenager grit his teeth as his thoughts raced at an even faster pace.

His mind burned as hot as his flames as millions of thoughts concerning just how fast, how badly, and how brutally he should embarrass the two in front of the city he called home, in front of the denizens and fans he had in New York – in front of their boss who was no doubt watching the catastrophic spectacle, praying on his downfall.

And when he came to the split-second, almost instinctual conclusion as to what he would do…

He grinned.

Hydroman's monstrous form could only look on in fear before his entire torso was instantly evaporated, collapsing the body and causing the river to violently shake the earth as it violently returned to place.

Immediately after piercing through Hydroman, he turned his sights onto the spinning man in iron armor. Their eyes met, and Whirlwind's heart stopped as the burning eyes of Johnny's which held uncontrolled and unfathomably powerful flames displayed his full intentions.

The Human Torch, like a wolf hunting a wounded rabbit, sped towards Whirlwind, and like a wounded rabbit, all he could do was watch as the teen circled around him, dead set on showing that Whirlwind's powers – the only thing he was known for, was something he was better at.

His trail of flames surrounded the gothic man who desperately tried to put them out but his attempts to do so proved to be his downfall for the fire burned at searing temperatures. The rampant viscous flames used – fed off Whirlwind's power, to make them stronger, to surround him in an incinerating entrapment he could not get out of.

But this wasn't even an attack of some kind, just a display of power and helplessness.

Trapped inside a cage of undying flames, Whirlwind could only look up in shock and surprise as Johnny entered the eye of the storm with him, a devious, almost malicious smile on his face and as if he was containing a vast and uncontrollable power, the boy cradled himself before exploding in a bright light, instantaneously harnessing his power to create an even larger, horrifying, viciously powerful vortex of flames which encased the villain in a burning blazing inferno that cast an orange glow across the sky.

When the flames faded and the smoke cleared, Johnny Storm stood in the air, looking down at the now, unconscious, and badly burned bodies of Whirlwind and Hydroman who were floating in the completely normal, sometimes safe-to-swim river as the clouds above relaxed and went back into formation, with the rain quickly leaving to reveal the clear night sky.

"Do you understand now?" He asked the unconscious villains with a wink.

Bulldozer, at the behest of his leader, prepared to deliver the finishing blow to Powerman who was now on his knees, sweat pouring down his face as the helmet wearing Bulldozer stared back at him with shadowed eyes.

Staying true to his namesake, Bulldozer shook the earth and flattened everything in his path with every step he took towards Powerman, fully intentending to ram his titanium-encased head through Powerman's skull, but angered and battered by being close to the hands of defeat, and never one to back down, Luke Cage grit his teeth as he stayed in place.

With clenched fists and a desire like none other to topple those before him, Luke Cage didn't bother moving out of the full-throttle Bulldozer before him, didn't bother thinking of a strategy to get out of this, didn't bother thinking about anything other than fighting.

Letting out a mighty yell, Luke Cage slammed his head – his tiara, against that of Bulldozers and instantly demolished his helmet, sending him collapsing in pure pain with the shattered pieces of his helmet.

Not expecting such a thing to happen, the other members of the crew sought to quickly rectify the error with Thunderball taking a mighty spin of his ball and chain with all his strength before sending it Powermans way.

The weapon ripped through everything in its way as it circled towards Powerman but Powerman, true to his namesake, shattered the ball with a punch of pure power.

Thunderball couldn't even react because immediately after, Luke had grabbed hold of the chain and used all his strength to yank the man his way.

With Thunderball being forcefully sent his way, Luke ran with legs stronger than any cheetah, faster than any animal, faster than Thunderball could even register, and with his powerful legs and surprising amounts of agility, he drop-kicked the man square in the face, shattering all of his teeth, breaking his nose, and sending him flying back the way he came before landing and blocking an attack by The Wrecker whose smugness and laughter could not be found, only anger.

But he wasn't the only angry one.

With The Wrecker's crowbar against his forearm once again, Luke in a very rare display used all of his strength to push it away and deliver a mighty punch to the Wrecker's cheek but to his surprise and dismay, the man took the blow in stride and sent Luke back with a punch stronger than anything he's felt in his life.

His eyes fell on the fallen Bulldozer, only to see that his powerful, six-foot mammoth-like body had been replaced with that of an overweight man.

He turned to look at Thunderball who was now average, and Piledriver who was scrawny.

The Wrecker smirked, he explained to him why his strength had increased like all villains do. His crew did not contain their own powers, instead, he shared his own with them, greatly reducing his strength to ten tons, but at full power, he had the destructive capability of fifty tons.

He stated this in an attempt to terrify Powerman, but he merely smirked.

Fifty tons?

He hasn't been pushed like this before.

He's always wanted to know his limits.

The two destructive forces clashed with one another on plateaus that could only be rivaled by beings like Titania, The Thing and Thor, but with every punch he took, with every punch he delivered, Powerman pushed himself harder, and harder, hitting harder than The Wrecker himself as the rush of the fight, the beating of his heart, and instinct drove him.

The Wrecker had found himself overwhelmed – yes, he was a being of pure strength but Powerman…Powerman was more than that. He was fast, agile, and with a body that appeared to be unbreakable, The Wrecker's initial even match had suddenly become one-sided with Powerman giving him a beatdown which ended with The Wrecker out cold inside a crater with his imprint.

"THAT'S HOW WE DO IT UP IN HARLEM!" Luke triumphantly yelled.

Just before Titania could conduct her theatrical finisher, The Thing, wounded and injured, and more importantly irritated, caught her ferocious two-handed slam from his knelt-down position with one hand, slowly lifting his head so that the woman could see his burning blue eyes.

Ben's insurmountable strength held her in place as he slowly got up from his knees, blood boiling hotter than ever.

Yes, he was raised by his aunt who taught him to never hit a woman, and yes, he did go against it, but he still held back, never one that was too fond, comfortable, or for hitting a woman, and he still wasn't, but auntie's boy Ben Grimm was put to the side.

See, he may have been raised by a fantastic aunt and uncle, but he also grew up on the poorest and most dangerous streets of New York, during a time before all the governments and such realized that maybe a good way to prevent crime was to invest in poor neighborhoods.

Aunt Petunia may have taught him to be too polite, maybe even a wuss, but someone else was there to correct that.

Ben Grimm was a nineties kid who grew up in a nineties Yancy Street, who was raised by a gang who took their name sake straight out of the worst slum New York ever had – has.

And during his time as a member of The Yancy Street Gang, he learned a bunch'a lessons, all of which his aunt would disapprove.

He has forsaken such lessons with time, age, and maturity, but there was one lesson he'd never forget.

It didn't matter if you started a fight or not.

And It didn't matter who you were fighting unless it was your ma', your grandma', your sister, or your girl.

All that mattered was that you won.

And that was exactly what he was going to do.

Titania may have been the strongest woman on the planet, and most likely top four of the strongest people to walk the earth but she was not the Hulk at one, nor was she Thor at second, and she was most definitely not third, cause that was him.

Tossing her hand to the side which sent the woman off foot, Ben Grimm raised both his hands in a similar fashion she did not too long ago, and with all his strength equal to that of a hundred tons – if not more, he brought them back down on her head with so much force that it shattered the ground she stood on and sent her limp and unconscious body crashing through so many levels of the sewers that the everyday taxpayer would notice a slight increase in their dreaded annual bill for Damage Control.

"I'd say I feel bad Mary, but you was askin for it," he stated as he slowly picked up the unaware woman before making the climb back up to the New York streets.

Sharing the same burning determination to win and second wind that others had received, just before the sword came down to detach his head from his body, Daredevil instantly rolled backwards from his knelt position, having his bound legs intercept the blade and slice through their binds before, in a show of peak human agility and skill, using his legs to kick the blade and take out the ninja in an instant before getting back on his feet.

Arms tied behind his back and surrounded by expertly trained assassins, Daredevil fought using only his legs, his senses, and his skills.

Dodging kama's, kitana's, shurikens, sai's and even kyoketsu shoge's, Daredevil bounced around the ninjas, with flips and acrobatic moves, while taking them out with swift and expert kicks hailing from Muay Thai, Taekwondo, and Kickboxing.

Even when he was stationary, the man in red was still on the move, bouncing between his feet, always ready to be on the move, not allowing any of his foes to lay a single hit on him. Doing a spinning, seven-hundred-twenty-degree quadruple kick on one of the ninjas, he saw fit to release his hands after giving himself enough room.

Upon Landing after his move, he flipped over a foe who tried to catch him from behind and brought his bound hands over his legs and to his front, where he would incorporate them on his assault before they too would soon be released, by an attack from a kyoketsu shoge which was thrown with the intention of hitting his heart, but sliced through his binds instead.

With all four – eight limbs now available, his fight had become more and more in his favor and when he managed to recover his weapons, it was practically won.

Combining the two batons into a massive staff, he fought off all his foes from all angles with devastating twirls from his staff which was used not only to attack, but to defend him from the multitude of weapons, while also allowing him to lift himself onto the air.

With only ten now left and completely surrounding him, the Hand ninjas sought to put an end to Daredevil by attacking him all at once but contorting his body to simultaneously dodge while also allowing for high-speed complete spins from his staff, The ninjas were all left bruised, blooded, and out as Daredevil stood above them, his staff now two batons once more as he wiped the blood from his mouth with his thumb, a small smirk on his face.

"For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."

Shockwaves, incendiary grenades, micro missiles, and grenades all conjoined into one massive explosive wave which shattered all the surrounding glass in an attempt to thwart the advancement of Spider-Man and Talon but like two unstoppable forces who were much more superior to the lofty group, the two briskly burst out of the smoke and flames at the speeds of their own heartbeats.

Speeds their opponents could not compete with.

Taking point, Laura bolted towards Shocker, dodging his shockwaves by using the surroundings to leap over them. Once she had gotten close enough to do so, Laura waited for Shocker to fire another blast towards her before using a parked car as a platform to leap off, jumping over the blast just barely and leaving his outstretched arms open for her to slash, and with a spin, she did just that.

Landing on her feet with the now defunct gauntlets, she looked up at the armored man who simply laughed.

"You think my gauntlets are the-" but he was quickly silenced as she circled around him, slashing at pieces of his suit and his backside. Based on the information given to her by Peter, Shocker's only weapons were his gauntlets, but due to his new armored attire, advancements, and employer, she assumed that the flaw was corrected and that the armored suit he wore could vibrate the air like his gauntlets.

And she assumed correctly.

Shocker was left speechless, but there was someone else to fill the void.

"What's wrong Shocker? She ruin your moment?" Spider-Man asked his longtime foe as he appeared right in front of him.

"If it makes you feel any worse, with a name like 'Herman', winning was never in the cards," Spider-Man quipped before befalling his foe in a blow and following Talon who had already moved to Scorcher.

Moving faster than the hydraulics in his suit could catch up with, Laura wreaked havoc upon his suit, cutting and slicing through it and the man underneath it just like Shocker, destroying his fuel lines and weaponry in the process while Spider-Man smashed through his protective see-through dome to knock out the regular man underneath it.

But at that same moment, a volcanic tornado lit up the sky in a bright orange which left everyone stunned at the display of power but Spider-Man could only stand with impressed excitement.

"Look at Torch go! We can't let him one-up us like that," Spider-Man excitedly stated to his partner who was also impressed by the display of power despite her knowledge of it.

The sheer cataclysmic sight the blonde haired boy had created, along with the wave of heat that washed over her certainly proved that he was undoubtedly one of the strongest superhumans to ever walk the earth.

"He won't," Laura confidently stated as she picked up their pace. With Scorcher and Shocker now down, the only 'threats' which remained were paltry villains, mercenaries, and those who would too fall at their feet.

Increasingly getting faster and faster as they went on, Spider-Man and Talon rapidly exchanged sides as they blitzed the unnamed villains who unfortunately swarmed them. Each time they crossed one another, they picked up their speed, and even set the other up.

"Catch!" Spider-Man yelled as a villain with a squid-themed costume was thrown not too far from her. Intercepting the airborne villain, she leaped into the air before contorting her body sideways and kicking him back down to the earth, instantly knocking him out.

The two, unsurprisingly, ultimately won, along with the other heroes winning their own victory.

With Grins, smiles, and in Talon's case, stoicism with a sense of satisfaction being hidden underneath, the heroes basked in their victory.

But despite the tribulation…things were only just beginning.

Looking down at his befallen and badly burned enemies, Johnny Storm embodying the element of fire smiled but that was instantly changed as in a second – no, faster than a second, as fast as lighting, he was blasted with an excruciating pain that pierced every single part of his body.

What happened in the next couple of seconds was unknown to him but when Johnny regained his consciousness and recovered in the air, the answer as to what happened would be terrifyingly shown to him.

Eyeing around his surroundings to see what had just attacked him, his eyes widened at the 'figure' before him.

"E-Electro?" The Human Torch hesitantly asked as he looked at a blinding blue figure which was now barley human.

"Yeah…LongtimenoseeTorch," He speedily replied in his now static-like voice as a smile quickly found its way on his face. Maxwell 'Max' Dillion, known as Electro, was one of the many villains he shared with Peter. According to his friend, he was an electrician at an Oscorp facility which was experimenting with electric eels. One day when doing maintenance in a severe lightning storm, lightning struck through the skylight and hit him, causing him to fall into a tank full of eels, but by a stroke of luck, he survived and gained powers of electricity but this…this was different.

Floating in the air with electricity violently branching off of him, violently illuminating the now cloudy skies with a bright blue, Electro flew above him. The man who was once human with Caucasian skin now had seemingly discarded his mortal flesh, his body instead of being constructed by flesh and bone was now electricity incarnate, barely able to maintain shape as it twitched violently with its once yellow, now blinding white layered with blue electrical powers, showing it.

"Like The new look? – IHAVENTFORGOTTENABOUTLASTTIMEWEFOUGHT!" He violently yelled in a different tone which caught Johnny off guard.

"Are you okay?"

"IWASHOPINGTHEWEBHEADWOULDBEHERETOOBU – Oh-oh, I'm better than okay," Electro changed the subject once again.

His body was not only different but he was too.

His voice and his mannerism were as volatile as electricity itself with his fingers and head twitching rapidly like he couldn't contain himself.

Electro was never on the stable side of mentality but the unhingedness of him, the terrifying power he displayed which was several thousands of volts stronger than his usual output had put Johnny severely on edge.

"See – I was hoping – wanted, to be the one who would fight you – glory hound – Torch," Electro spat as his tone fluctuated with his body, "You sit there with your – bootlickers – fans, praising you, people loving you – IT SHOULD BE ME!" with his vicious yell, electricity violently discharging and utterly destroying the parked cars and lights below them with miniature explosions.

"You and Spider-Man — LAUGHATME! – but now…now things are different. The – GOBLIN, showed that I don't have to play by your – RULES! And the Kingpin – fatman, made it so – I CAN BE MORE! I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT LIVES OR WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG! – I CHOOSE WHAT'S RIGHT AND WRONG! – I CHOOSE THE RULES! – I TAKE WHAT I WANT – WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!" With each word he spoke, with his anger quickly rising, so did Electro's power as he began destroying everything in his presence with wild electricity that made it seem that the skies itself were shattered like a window when met with a powerful force.

"AND I WILL HAVE ALL BOW BEFORE ELECTRO!"

Johnny didn't need Peter's stupid sense to feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand, telling him that the joke who wore a stupid starfish mask was gone.

"Ho-Ho, Look at you! I came here lookin' for Powaw'man, not Waltaw' Awange," an amused voice with a clear New Yorken accent due to the dropped 'R' boomed in amusement and laughter.

Taken off guard by the new arrival, Powerman quickly turned around to see a man standing opposite to him, a longsword resting on his shoulder, as a shield remained on the other.

Donning a navy blue skin-tight costume – which the six-two male filled out well, russet accents like a collar and sleeves, was a man who wore a long white hooded cape that was of the same brown on the inside, long white gloves, and cuffed boots, with multiple belts and pouches around his body.

His key defining feature was his surprisingly expressive skull mask which hid everything save for eyes.

A mask which was currently laughing to himself as he stared at Powderman's attire.

"Da' seventies cawlled by da' way, they want their short back, and wow, what's with the chain belt? I thought – wait, how do I not make that sound racist…um…I can't, neva'mind, fugget' I said anything – actually, fugget' da' last sentence cawse everythin' else was piddy funny," The man snickered to himself before quickly getting serious and pointing his sword right at the confused and unamused Powerman.

"What's with da' hokey outfit though faw 'eal? Awh' you also a man out of time or do ya' just have a pooha' taste in clothes?" he asked as he slightly tilted his head.

"I dunno, what's with the underwear bein' on the outside," Powerman retorted as he pointed out the also corny design the man in front of him had.

"Don't diss the undies, They're awh' a supaw'hero classic," The skull-faced man staunchly defended with hostility in his voice.

"Yeah, it's the same thing with my outfit; sure it may be hokey but that's what this hero business is all about," Luke Cage stated, which intrigued the man in front of him.

"So you weah' dat' stupid costume for your business?" he asked which prompted a nod from Powerman.

"Wouldn't be caught dead wearing this thing outside of it."

Upon hearing this the man smiled, before instantaneously pouncing towards Powerman with such speeds and strength that were far above the average human.

Barley stepping the way out of his sword, his attacker ceased, bringing it down to his side and circling around him as he let out a chuckle.

"I knew I made the right cawl choosin ya' ovaw' Spidaw-Man," He excitedly declared before reading himself.

Powerman scoffed before standing up straight and eyeing the skull-faced man fiercely.

"Yeah, well you should've chosen him," Luke declared as his attacker went to slash him with his sword. In attack Luke would fully take to display his power, "I have unbreakable skin and your swo-"

He stopped himself as his attacker brought his sword to his side.

The tip and edge was covered in blood.

Luke looked to his side, completely and utterly bewildered upon seeing himself, seeing his skin, be sliced open for the first time since he received his powers.

He let out a muffled grunt as the giant wound reached from his shoulder down to his abdomen, blood squirting and staining his dusty and torn shirt.

He looked at his attacker once more, a smug smile on his face as he expected the surprised look on his target.

"Swawd is secondary grade adamantium, not unbreakable like the true primary bouge stuff but it does the job," he explained as he twirled his sword with pride.

Powerman still looked at him with surprise, he first thought the man in front of him was a joke but if his sword can pierce his skin then what else could he do?

"Whawt? You have unbreakable skin, I got daw' internet, an ubaw-expensive arsenal, and a killaw goil-friend much smartaw than me. I didn't even want to use the swawd cawse even though it's not primary it's still adamantium and this stuff is expensive but my goil' was like 'the ad says he has unbreakable skin, adamantium slices through everything, bring the sword,' and I had to bring the swawd and – look, it doesn't mattaw, you'll be dead in seconds. I was given the task of killin' you and I'll see to it since my name ain't 'TaskMaster' for nothin," Taskmaster proudly stated before getting ready to begin their fight.

"Just in F.Y.I though, None aw' this is personawl, I'm only here to collect that bag, yaw feel me?" He added with a shrug.

Powerman paused before letting out a snicker, "Yeah, I feel you, I can say the same thing," he stated with hostility before clenching his fists and reading himself for their fight as well.

"Here lemme help you," a hand was given to The Thing who was in the process of carrying both himself and Titania out of the wreckage they had created for themselves.

"Thanks," The Thing said as a big and strong had clasped his, lifting the both of them up and out onto the New York streets once more.

Ben, ever the gentleman, gently placed Titania on the ground as he thanked the man for helping him, conducting the same manner he always conducted when people always helped but then his brain kicked in, and his autopilot turned off.

Since when could anyone lift both him and Titania up with one hand? that was almost a ton…and with one hand…

"Who are you?" He asked as he turned around to come face to face with the man who helped him. Standing before a shirtless and bald six-four male who wore black and white striped pants and boots, Ben Grimm was left frozen in shock as the man's Caucasian skin was quickly changing into…into his, with his large ball and chain doing the same.

"Right now…I'm you," he smugly stated before sending The Thing skipping down the street with a mighty punch.

"Names Absorbing Man, The Kingpin's hired me to kill you, and I'm here to do that…gleefully," He stated with a heinous smile before leaping up into the air and spinning his ball and chain.

A sharpened playing card being thrown at him instantly put Daredevil at the highest priority as a familiar scent quickly appeared right in front of him.

Not even bothering with taking him by surprise due to knowing it wouldn't work, a man in a dark spandex suit with white gloves, white boots, and a white collar, Bullseye, one of the world's deadliest assassins who was even on a higher level of killing then Laura Kinney was, appeared with a fond smile on his face, as if he was seeing a longtime friend once more.

"Hiya DD, It's been a while," The death-worshiping assassin happily said with a large smile on his face, "You look like shit, what happened?" he mocked as he smoothly stroked his clean-shaven chin, something Daredevils stubble made impossible, "Oh wait, the biggest crime lord to ever exist found out who you were. Man, I do not want to be in your shoes, now don't go all worrin' about If I know, I sure as hell don't cause if I did, The Kingpin would have me killed, and here's the thing, I like Killing – Hell, I love killing, but I'm not a big fan of being killed, since I kinda like being alive and I can't kill when I'm dead, but then again, both of those things don't have to be stated," Bullseye said with a laugh.

Daredevil remained silent and unamused which caused the man to pout.

"This is why I like the kid more, he actually talks to me, plus, He. Is. Terrifying. Really puts the adamantium bones to the test," Bullseye patted his bicep, "I almost was going to be going after him, try something new for once, but then I saw you and I just. Could. Not. Help MYSELF! I might be zero and one to the kid, but I got a huge score to settle with you," Bullseye angrily and fiercely stated as he readied himself with Daredevil doing the same.

"I hope you've still got some juice left in you buddy, 'cause I've been thinking of plenty of ways to repay you for the last time we met," He finished as he licked the edges of his razor-sharp cards, hatefully glaring at the blind man before him.

Still tired and exhausted, the smart choice would be to run when in the face of one of the most dangerous men on the planet but that would be pointless.

But that smart choice was very rarely the right one.

And he would not run.

He would not give in.

"Bring it on Bullseye."

In an instant, Peter's Spider-Sense went off, and things slowed once more for him, while Laura let out a sniff. Automatically, she moved out of the way for what she smelt like was a projectile coming her way while Peter caught it in an attempt to figure out what it was.

"A blowdart?" Spider-Man said as he looked at her, his voice being a mix of disbelief and amusement as he took the outdated weapon lightly whereas Laura…

"Give it to me!" Laura harshly demanded much to his surprise as she forcefully took it before he could even pass it to her. She observed it as she frantically sniffed the air around her, her mind instantaneously coming to the conclusion but surprised that he would even pick up a bounty such as this.

Very, very few, used them in the profession of mercenary work due to guns and other weapons rendering them useless and impractical.

But there was only one she knew who could use such an old-fashioned tool and still make it look like a threat.

Only one who would also use a deadly neurological poison only found in Africa.

Spider-Sense going off once more, Peter looked around his surroundings before catching sight of an orange blur falling right towards them, meeting whatever it was halfway.

In an instant, his arm clashed with a long metal pole as he glared at a six-foot Caucasian male with long, sleek, black hair and a beard which lacked any gray hairs.

That was the best look he could get for almost immediately, he could feel a foot step on his chest and push him back as the man used him as a platform to leap off of before landing on a misplaced car, his weight caving in the roof upon his landing.

Laura looked at the man with wide eyes as his scent was non-existent, untraceable – untrackable… and he had even managed to sneak past her enhanced senses as well.

"Whose this? Off-brand Tarzan?" Peter jokingly quipped as he gestured at the man who had her mind racing.

The man before them wore a vest constructed out of a lion's head, with its luscious mane flowing with the wind and keeping his entire back both covered and warm. His attire was mostly constructed from that of a lion, possibly even the same one he wore as a jacket with a necklace, belt, and pant cuffs being constructed of large, and sharpened teeth.

Wearing black leather boots, loose dark brown, an armband crafted from the skin of a cheetah and two wrist braces which were constructed of the same unknown metal of his spear, one of the world's deadliest assassins, an assassin whose reputation she knew, stood before them.

Armed with countless weapons holstered along his belt and possibly more tools in his pouches and jackets, Laura Kinney glared at the man The Facility had warned her about.

"His name is Kraven the Hunter, a title given off to the chosen male heir of the Kravenoff family. Those who bare the name a-"

"-Are the best hunters to ever walk the earth," Kraven finished off proudly with a thick Russian accent as he eyed the two teens. Laura eyed him too, The Kraven she was familiar with was a man named 'Sergei Kravenoff,' who at this point in time should be in his eighties, but the man before her looked no older than thirty.

The Kravenoff family for countless generations were the greatest hunters to ever walk the earth, with the family possessing a tradition which enhanced the human body, but after World War II, Sergei Kravenoff who was the head of the wealthy and esteemed Russian family based in Africa had gone through experiments by The Russian Government to go through even further enhancements, but that was all she knew - all The Facility would tell her.

Even with such an experiment, the man before could not possibly be Sergei due to his youthful appearance.

"It would seem your Malen'kaya l'vitsa seems to know a thing or two, Pauk," Kraven said as he brandished his spear in excitement which instantly caused her to defensively stand in front of Peter which caused Kraven to raise an amused brow, while Peter remained oblivious.

"Shame I can't say the same about you. Greatest hunter in the world must be a pretty low bar if you show up to fight two superheroes with a spear, some knives and a blow dart," Spider-Man pointed out before laughing, and much to both his and Laura's surprise, Kraven joined in too, letting out an amused chuckle.

"Ha, you put it like that Pauk, and it would indeed be foolish to show up with what many would consider rudimentary weapons but the old ways are why we are here, to begin with, and sometimes, the best thing to return to," He stated in an educational voice before instantly narrowing his eyes and lowering it, "but do not be mistaken into believing that these are my greatest weapon for that title…"

"...belongs to me," he declared as he walked off the roof of the car he was on and landed on the street, cracking it with his sheer weight alone.

"And as such, I have come here to hunt another weapon, like me, but to my surprise, I have found more…" he said with a tilted head and smirk which caused both Peter's and Laura's mind to draw conclusions?

Was he with the facility? Did they hire him to look for her? Did The Kingpin hire him? Did they know?

"Weapon? Hey, wha-" Peter tried to ask but was quickly cut short due to Kraven interjecting him.

"-Though I may not hail from America, as a Hunter, it would be foolish to not get myself antiquated and informed of The Hierarchy…and systems of power in whatever grounds I hunt in," He explained as he looked around his surroundings.

"And I know that you, Pauk, stand at the top of the food chain. Belonging to a class of apex predators that few belong in – That I belong in. As a hunter, and more importantly a Kravenoff, I had intended to lay claim to you to test my skills, however, someone else had beaten me to it," Kraven stated with a disappointed and bittered tone.

"Boo hoo?" Peter replied as he was trying his best to follow what Kraven was saying.

"And if it is one thing my father told me, 'it is to never get in between a battle of two apex predators.' For in my research on the hierarchy of this concrete dystopian jungle, I have come to the knowledge that it is not just Spiders who stand at the top…" Kraven trailed off as he looked behind him, Peter's and Laura's extra senses going off as they both warned of something coming in quickly.

Both warning them of something dangerous.

"But Goblins too."

At the mere mention of that word, what once was a tingle became a searing headache as every hair on his body spiked up along with his heart rate.

Immediately before Spider-Man could react - before Talon could react, a blur had come and grabbed Peter by the neck before racing down the street they were on and bashing his body through a building.

Taking him far, far away, from Laura Kinney.

Instantaneously registering what just happened, wide eyes fixated on Peter's body which was forcefully bashed through countless walls, she instinctively, consciously, willfully, disregarded everything and everyone around her – even Kraven, as her mind and otherworldly forces she did not know demanded her to follow, to help – to protect, to keep him at her side, but her stride was cut short as the tip of a spear had moved to attack but years of training – a whole existence dedicated to combat, her body moved on it's own and her claws clashed with the body of a spear.

The body of the metallic weapon remaining unbroken despite coming in contact with her primary adamantium claws.

She growled and snarled and hatefully bore holes through The Hunter's excited expression.

"Your fight is with me," Kraven stated as he licked his lips with excitement.

Brought through too many walls he couldn't even count, nor register, Peter Parker struggled to get a look of his attacker due to the immense noise, dust which obscured his vision, and the tight suffocating grip around his neck which was slowly killing him.

His mind and heart raced with his body as fear, dread, disbelief, and panic all battled for control over his brain.

Goblins?

It couldn't be, it just couldn't be real, there was no way Norman Osborn was back, no way The Green Goblin was alive.

He watched him die.

Impaled by the two prongs of his glider….

…but the hand around his neck, the predatory noise of an engine which almost purred…The harrowing, screeching, laughter….

They all pointed to the contrary.

Before he could be brought through another building, he wildly struck at his attacker's, hitting what he felt was hardened skin.

With his wild strike that fortunately hit his assailant's chin, the iron grip on his neck which was digging into his costume and neck was released, causing him to free fall.

Gasping for air as he fell, he frantically looked around for any possible sight of his attacker as he began to web swing.

Preparing himself mentally for The Green Goblin.

But like a creature of the night, a monster in a movie, he was all gone.

His spider-sense went off.

Not even ten seconds after being released, the wall closest to him exploded and his attacker came once again, full intention of impaling him with the armored glider's prongs, but Spider-Man's enhanced senses and lighting speed reaction time prevented that.

Pulling himself upwards and above the figure which had just come close to killing him, Spider-Man found his place above the hole in the wall, standing on the side of a building with wide eyes beneath his lenses.

"You're not The Goblin…" Spider-Man as he made eye contact with the man riding the glider.

Instead of green armor which had purple cloth put over it, there was a skin-tight costume that had dark harbor blue contrasting against bright Halloween orange.

The orange bits of the man's costume tightly covered his chest, abdomen, and shoulder muscles, mimicking their shape as the material – that was certainly not cloth, used for the orange gave them the texture of a pumpkin.

His sleeves and pants were blue, providing a nice color balance.

He wore a matching pair of orange gloves and boots of somewhat loose fitting gloves and boots which were torn and tattered at the cuffs.

The boots were pointed while the finger parts of his gloves were torn completely off.

He wore a skirt made from heavy, clean-cut cloth that covered his front and back upper thighs while leaving his pelvic area completely open for a free-flowing, longer piece to dangle sharply down to his lower calves on both his front and the back sides.

A large black belt was strapped around his waist, housing large leather pouches full of who knows what, and even a metallic handle which was connected to a demonically winged guard which had a smiling pumpkin in the middle.

Peter's gaze was stuck on the face, however.

Following the medieval-inspired look, the man who he thought was the Green Goblin wore a torn and tattered medieval hood which was connected to a tattered cape which wrapped around and covered both his neck and collar bone entirely.

He stared at the mask.

It wasn't smooth or sleek like the mask he had been so acquainted with – yes, some details were the same like the long pointed ears which went through holes in the hood, but where Norman's mask was still obviously a mask, this one was rough, full of detail and rough speckles, having lines and wrinkles which made it resemble a decrepit human face.

But more importantly, it was flawed.

With his aforementioned exposed obliques and fingers following the same texture and color of dead rotting skin, but with protruding, sharp, and large scales being seen from his sides, while his fingers had miniature ones as they ended with jagged and sharp talons in place of nails.

Whoever was behind the costume made a great attempt to make it seem real but the real catch was the eyes.

instead of one-way plastic yellow eyes which were hollow…these ones were a bright crimson red which he swore glowed if the small ambient light around them was anything to go off of.

They seemed alive…real…

The demonic face that Peter Parker was watching, observing, and questioning, merely smiled as he spun around to come face to face with the wall-crawler, costume and appearance on full display.

The mysterious new foe who had simultaneously calmed his fears while creating new ones, smiled in a twisted manner upon hearing Spider-Man's surprise.

"Oh, I am a Goblin…" He cooed in his warped voice as he reached into his leather pouches with both his hands causing Spider-Man's spider-sense to go off.

"JUST NOT GREEN!" He excitedly and proudly yelled as the familiar howling screech of The Green Goblin's pumpkin bombs reached his ears as a barrage of them was thrown immediately at him.

Quickly propelling himself off his spot, Spider-Man dodged the massive explosion which annihilated all in their path and landed on the rooftop of the opposing building, with The Goblin before him hovering high above in the air.

Looking down at him with his crimson eyes and demonic smile which showed his excited and impressed smile.

"YOU CAN CALL ME: THE HOBGOBLIN!"

Yo potato famine, I apricate the comments and how you like the story, I hope you will continue to like this chapter and the ones coming after. 

sane with you incomplete idiot. 

Chapter Text

All was quiet at the Charles Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters.

It was one hour away from midnight and those who weren't already in bed were getting prepared to end the current day and begin the next.

The young but long-lasting couple of Jean Grey and Scott Summers had returned after venturing outside and spending time with each other, unabashedly entering the red-headed woman's room where they would spend the rest of the night in a loving slumber.

Professor Xavier was in his study, conducting late night work, filing the papers which were needed for Peter's enrollment in not just his institute but the local High School.

Ororo was in the kitchen, getting a late-night snack.

Hank was in his lab, researching groundbreaking advancements as usual.

Kurt was in his room, already drifting within the lands of dreams.

"X still hasn't come back yet?" the drowsy and tired voice of Bobby asked as he plopped himself on the couch, beside his girlfriend, Kitty "Katherine" Pryde who was simultaneously on her phone and browsing the endless channels the T.V had in one of the many recreational rooms that the large and lavish estate of Charles Xavier's contained.

"No, she hasn't," Kitty responded, their most recent student, a girl known only as 'X', had left with the instructors to go and visit a new mutant by the name of 'Peter Parker', who would be arriving in the morning tomorrow.

There was a lot of excitement and mystery that all the students had for the boy, along with the girl they knew nothing about.

According to the Professor, it was because of X that Peter agreed to meet them which led to his enrollment, and as such, theories were going around as to what his relationship was with her.

Kitty, with her teenage curiosity and lack of thinking, had instantly – without thinking, voiced the thought of him being a potential boyfriend due to the already pretty girl putting on makeup – an act no one has seen her do up until now, for her visit to the Parkers.

A visit she hadn't yet returned from which bolstered the idea much to the brunette teen's dismay.

"I guess that's why the atmosphere doesn't feel so depressing," Bobby replied, not a fan of the girl who instinctively – mistakenly, attacked Kitty after her stupid and well-reprimanded mistake of invading her privacy abruptly.

Kitty scowled slightly, nudging her elbow into his side before closing the small distance between them and leaning her head on the boy's shoulder which caused a slight jolt.

"Bobby," she scolded in her tired voice, taking comfort in his presence while also calling him out on the unwarranted and undeserved joke.

"What? Am I wrong?" he rhetorically asked but Kitty shook her head, "I wonder what the two could be doing?" he inquired, still suggesting his partner's initial – now discarded, theory.

"Whatever it is, it's none of our buis-business…" She yawned near the end as she snuggled against his surprisingly warm shoulder, taking the boy off guard.

"Debatable," Bobby replied, slowly – almost forcibly, wrapping one arm around her, taking the remote from her hand while the other hung on the backside of the couch.

"Not right now," she pleaded, bored and tired hazel eyes half-heartedly gazing at the well over-a thousand dollar television set, preferably wanting to find an interesting thing to watch rather than debate if they should press to learn more about the new girl who lived in their home.

Who had a name, origin, and relation to Logan and now, Peter Parker, which they didn't know a thing about.

"Is Logan out doing Logan things?" Kitty nodded upon hearing the question.

The burly man – who was her favorite among the four instructors, had left without telling anyone – a habit he did often, once the sun had set.

"You think it's related?" Kitty chuckled.

"If X is who we think she is then for Parker's sake, I hope not," Kitty replied which caused Bobby to snort.

"This is -" a professional and recognizable female voice said, capturing the girl's attention before Bobby flipped to the other channel.

"Wait, go back," Kitty asked her boyfriend, waving her hand to the right, gesturing him to do so.

"Babe, it's the news – late-night news, c'mon," Bobby stated, the nine-teen-year-old adolescent was much more interested in channel surfing than watching the news but already knowing what she was going to say he sighed and did just that.

Only to widen his eyes for the late-night news was much more interesting than anything else they could find.

"-porting for The Globe," The female reporter dressed in storm attire said as she constantly looked behind herself, "Reports indicate that the catastrophic hurricane which was felt by all who live here in New York City was not the cause of the abrupt change of mother natures will, but of super-criminal 'David Cannon' more commonly known as 'Whirlwind. 'Insider reports say that Cannon alongside 'Morris Bench: Hydroman,' and 'Merry MacPherran: Titania', were trying to thwart a massive police operation we don't yet know of, where they would be stopped by The Fantastic Fours, Thing, and Human Torch, however…-"

The broadcast shut down.

There was no cutback to the news station.

Just static.

Bobby and Kitty looked at one another.

On the highest floor of the pristine Fisk Tower, Wilson Grant Fisk watched with pleased eyes as New York City flickered and shook by his command.

The four-hundred-and-fifty-pound Caucasian man wore an extravagant and priceless white suit jacket with dark purple trousers, and leather dress shoes made from the skin of a crocodile.

The entire cost of the outfit being three times that of the average American income.

He scoffed, his gaze on the multiple fights which took place in his city – his kingdom.

"You've done well, Montana," He turned to his second in command, Jackson W, Brice, known only as "Montana." On such short notice, his enforcer – his underling, had organized their assets into strategic positions where they would encounter the proper foes. Knowing where the heroes and the police would strike was easy when officials inside and outside the police would constantly be feeding him information on their attempts to thwart his rule – his dreams.

The only outlier he could not predict was Spider-Man and Daredevil due to their vigilante status which kept him outside the law – outside his sights — but the horned vigilante was slightly easier to deal with because he knew who to look for – finding him was just the problem.

Murdock would get sloppy eventually however, and when he did, The Kingpin would be there to smite the devil but he was more so concerned with the spider-themed hero who was a much bigger thorn in his side.

Unlike Murdock, Spider-Man had power – and if his victory over the Lizard had shown him – more power than before, possibly even a partner who was just as skilled.

And despite his vast resources, he could not find a single piece – a single sliver of evidence that even pointed him in the right direction which would lead him to uncovering the web-slinger's secret identity.

Every single path he looked, every single stone he turned, showed Wilson Fisk one thing.

Death.

Death by complete obliteration at the hands of The Green Goblin.

He shouldn't have been surprised.

He's done the same thing to Murdock.

The degenerate who had come to him with the invaluable piece of information was buried in a ditch somewhere in the country along with those who would miss him.

From what The Goblin had displayed, he appeared to be a man like him, a man who didn't subject himself to the whims of others, a man who set the rules, not follow them, who did and took what he wanted – what was his. But no matter how much he respected the man who embodied terror, Wilson Fisk cursed him, for The Green Goblin took Spider-Man's identity to his grave.

If there was any consolation, despite The Goblin ending all possible leads to Spider-Man's cursed identity, he made it much easier for him to take over that weak man's – Lincoln's, empire.

During his year-long rampage, the monster's campaign targeted Lincoln's empire, leaving it weakened with each body that was piled – with each employee switching a suit for a twisted mask but somewhere down the line, The Green Goblin's occupation ceased – he disappeared for months before coming back with a vengeance, slaughtering many before meeting his demise.

"Do you know what Lincoln and the heroes have in common, Montana?" Fisk asked with great eagerness to bash the former 'big man,' interrupting whatever it was his underlying was informing him about.

"Lincoln was a small-minded fool, if he had just an ounce – a sliver of ambition, all my hard work for the last twenty years would have been for naught but he limited himself, kept himself in the shadows, kept himself confined by rules created by weak men before him," Fisk gleefully scoffed as his 'conversation' was just him belittling his 'predecessor,' an act he always took great joy in doing.

That's what got his blood boiling like none other, men with power following rules – subjecting themselves to others, when it should be the opposite.

People – heroes, like Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, and The Avenger's had unrivaled power he could only dream of but they squandered it doing petty acts. Even Stark, a man who he once regarded with respect years ago had wasted both his money, his intellect, and his brain to give service to those beneath him, like the aforementioned heroes.

When Lincoln was in charge, fools like Spider-Man were allowed to roam the day as men like him hid in the dark, but now he stood in broad daylight, appearing on live television as the heroes connived and schemed in the shadows. One of the perks of owning the mayor and being in a climate where the superpowered wild west was coming into question, a couple of suggestions to people in high places here and there was all that was needed to to get them out the way,

Now if wasn't some world-ending threat or Hydra terrorist attack, The Avengers or The Four had to be called in, or join the new Super Human Response Division – which was out of his control due to S.H.I.E.L.D. management, but not his gaze.

It was easy to plan with the information at his disposal, and it was easy to deal with the heroes with the people at his fingertips.

With a single word, seas raised, cataclysms formed – the very earth trembled.

He made the rules. He had the money. He owned New York — taking full advantage of his power — his influence, to maximize his rule. He was better than that mediocrity settling Lincoln, who was probably off in a slum working, pleased that he wasn't dead.

Wilson Fisk scoffed.

"Any news on the shipment?" he asked, his voice stoic and calm once again.

"It'll reach St. Petersburg in seven days where they'll collect more merchandise before reaching Madripoor in ten," Montana informed, pleasing his boss.

"Good. What of that reporter for the globe?" He sat back down on his lavish executive chair, pleased with the sight from his window, and proceeded to do more of his duties.

"Killed along with his family. Daughters and wife on their way to Libya as we speak."

He did those duties with a smile.

Chapter 15: New Challengers

Divine forces revered by man throughout the course of history battled each other for supremacy, their conflict taking them all around the city, causing sheer terror to all who were caught in the vicinity of their otherworldly elemental battle.

Electricity and fire, both destructive and uncontrolled sources of energy responsible for life.

Electricity for the birth and fire for the perseverance of the most sacred thing in the universe.

Control over one of them being strictly to the gods in texts of old.

Jonathan Storm and Maxwell Dillion raced each other as equal opposing forces, defying the laws of gravity with their sheer power alone.

Chasing the volatile foe who appeared in one place and instantly in another, The Human Torch grit his teeth, speeding past the electrical storm which sprouted from the out-of-control, out-of-his-mind Electro whose mind and powers perfectly reflected the other – both of them turned up to levels of pure insanity.

Behind his confidence, there was a sense of uneasiness…fear…behind the adolescent's mind. To be up against someone so out of control, so wild – so volatile, it was different from his experience – different from extra-terrestrial aliens, flying ancient – also alien, dragons, and even Doctor Doom.

Doctor Doom was single-handedly the most powerful, the most fearsome, and intelligent man on the planet – in the universe. The only person who could ever beat him – who has beaten him, being Reed Richards, the man who Doom was second to when it came to intelligence.

But Doctor Doom – though, incredibly egotistical to a fault, was of sound mind – logical mind. The battles he waged against Reed were either about petty revenge which he was not above and the right to rule – those elected and chosen or those who could lead – forcibly if needed, the world into a better place.

He would not slaughter needlessly, he would not kill a child or a baby, not target a family out of a whim, destroying and shattering worlds – the regal man would only slaughter one man instantaneously and that would be Reed – solely Reed – maybe Johnny too, he wouldn't bet against it.

He was not like The Green Goblin who would intentionally go out of his way to just slaughter.

When he heard that he had been killed, outside of his immense worry for his dear best friend, Jonathan Storm was relieved.

Relieved that the nightmare was over.

But unfortunately, much to his dismay of having to deal with such a foe again, it would seem that Electro's instability had taken hold, resulting in the young boy being left uncertain if the man still had lines.

He was unsure of a lot of things when it came to Electro right now, all his past experiences were rendered useless for he didn't just fire electricity now, but was living electricity – containing power which could reach levels that both of them were just witnessing for the first time.

And this power brought Electro great joy.

"YOU'VE GONE SILENT TORCH? – WHERE'S YOUR JOKES? – WHERE'S YOUR MOXIE!?" Electro taunted, firing a storm of electricity at lightning speeds towards the boy who had just managed to change his course at a sharp angle, avoiding the high voltage strike which annihilated its point of contact.

"It's still here, I'm just trying to wrap my head around your plan, which by itself is making me crazier," He retorted, retaliating the destructive electrical blast with a blazing beam of fire.

"You want people to like you…forcefully?" He mocked as the two illuminated the sky with their primordial attacks.

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE STORM–TO BE INVISIBLE–TO BE A JOKE!–YO-" Electro yelled at the top of his lungs, changing in between his body form and a bolt of lightning to dodge the array of molten fireballs heading his way but he was sandwiched between that and an arc of solidified fire – of plasma, which hit him from behind - enveloping him, and carrying him through the sky.

"-You literally put a starfish on your head and you expected to be taken seriously? And don't get me started on 'all will bow before-'"

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHH" howling like a rageful beast, Johnny Storm's mouth froze in surprise upon witnessing the vast electrical surge – the showcase of limitless power, which traveled throughout the entire neighborhood, killing every single electronic caught in the blast and fiercely electrifying those which were not grounded.

The only one of which was The Human Torch whose body fiercely twitched and spazzed as thousands of volts traveled through his insulated suit designed by Reed Richards, paralyzing him and leaving him open for an onslaught attack from Electro.

Like a glowing ping pong ball, Johnny Storm was sent flying in opposite directions from violent attacks and blasts from the sentient lightning bolt which fiercely chased after him, not allowing the boy a single moment to recover.

"SOON YOU'LL KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE!" The living lightning bolt relished in his retribution.

The instant change of his emotions, the blitz which ceased any attempt to fight back or recover was too much, and like the electrical blur he was facing, Johnny Storm roared, his power contracting within before expanding outwards and shielding him from any further assault by annihilating everything around him in an explosive wave of incinerating fire.

Emerging from the flames was a much more annoyed – patience exhausted, Johnny who had sought to get this fight over and done with.

"I'll pass and I think my fans will pass too 'cause here's the thing Electro," Johnny looked at the growling, nearly livid blue man whose body was in the process of getting ripped apart by his much more frequent twitches which were spurred on by his violent emotions.

"I routinely save the planet, you routinely get bullied by teenagers," The Human Torch stated with the utmost confidence, fully extending his arm to ready a powerful blast that would end this battle.

The flames on his hands dispersed.

As did the flames on his body.

Gravity soon came into play and he found himself face-planting on a rooftop.

Groaning in pain from the fall, the boy lifted his face with a fearful, all-knowing, dreadful gaze full of disbelief.

He had just depleted his powers.

The battle between two goliaths was contained in a single – now flattened area, the ruins of a construction site being the ground that made up the ring The Thing and Absorbing Man fought in.

The ground shook, the rubble and dusted lifted off the shaking ground – the trembling earth, as the two titans – the absolute powerhouses of their respective factions battled each other with matching might and visages, but the determined expression of Ben Grimm, and the excited smile plastered on The Absorbing Man's face displayed the vast differences of the two beings heart's.

The two lumbering and sluggish beings giants of might traded blows which echoed when they came into contact with their cosmically-cursed rock-hard skin.

Wanting to relish in the fight more, The Absorbing Man had dropped his ball and chain and opted to combat his stone foe, who was responsible for his newfound might and durability, in hand-to-hand combat.

And boy he loved it.

"Holy S&it…You really are a monster!" The Absorbing Man yelled with exhilaration, taking a full-powered blow from The Thing which only caused his smile to grow larger upon feeling the energetic sensation of pain.

Powering through the attack, The Absorbing Man retaliated with a powerful right hook which echoed throughout the whole neighborhood they were in but even more to his excitement, his goliath foe tanked it as he did with his prior attack and repaid the Absorbing Man with an uppercut which sent him soaring into the air and shaking the very earth upon his landing.

"Shut up," Ben replied, spitting out blood from his mouth – irritated and angry from the literal mirror match-up he found himself locked into. The Absorbing Man was not only just a walking reflection of him, but he was also a talented and blood-crazed fighter whose boxing prowess was better than his.

"Come and make me," The Absorbing Man licked his lips – licked the blood seeping from his mouth and taking great pleasure with the thick, stinging taste of iron, and loving it.

"I think I'm gonna keep these permanently!" The Absorbing Man burst out in joy like a child who had just received his new favorite toy, but his rock-hard complexion, and his visage, combined in tandem with his words did nothing but irritate The Thing further.

Blocking an earth-breaking punch, The Thing countered by hooking the Absorbing Man right in the gut and using the recoil to give him time to haymaker the brute with all his might, sending him into the air like a flying brick and moving their arena elsewhere.

"KEEP 'EM, I DON'T WANT 'EM!"

"Ya' fight like a hoodrat!"

Luke Cage grit his teeth, feeling Taskmaster's cold sword graze his skin once more and pierce through it, leaving the burning sensation of pain in its wake as Luke tried to retaliate with another large arching punch which the man easily dodged, like all his previous attacks.

The skull-faced foe who incessantly talked had proven himself to be a challenging match for Luke Cage, often leaving him perplexed as to how easily he evaded his skills and slightly amazed by his traits.

He was stronger, faster, better than what a regular peak human could ever do – like him.

Powerman growled, "Well, I AIN'T, and don't you dare call me that 'less you wanna get your head smashed in," he upped his brutish and swift assault built upon years and years of street fights which Taskmaster recognized.

He also recognized the offence Powerman took.

"Hoodrat! Hoodrat! Hoodrat!" Taskmaster gleefully repeated, dodging and countering each one of Cage's moves, staining his once yellow – now red and torn disco-shirt even further with Luke's blood.

Each swift swing, each powerful punch, and uplifting uppercut Powerman threw, Taskmaster dodged – and it wasn't by a hair, he dodged perfectly, his flowing white cape remaining untouched and unstained, mimicking his swift movements elegantly.

But to Taskmaster's surprise, Luke had managed to see a pattern and baited him, leaving the mercenary open.

Realizing his trap, Taskmaster raised his shield which soaked up all the damage – instantly shattering it from the force of the punch which sent the skele-assassin tumbling in the other direction, dirtying his clean white attire.

Getting up from the powerful blow, Taskmaster looked at his shield and snarled, "Did ya' really have to destroy my shield!" He exclaimed with annoyance, discarding what remained, "This stuff ain't adamantium and they don't grow on trees!" he berated.

"Crap…I'll have to go buy another one…and I gotta wash my cape too! Thanks a lot!" He frustratingly yelled, inwardly scowling at the chores he now had to do, but all of those thought went away once he voiced his frustration. He dusted himself, visibly impressed by Powerman's attack, "That was some good stuff, been a while since I've gotten hit," He praised Luke who took this moment to come up with a plan and get a breather, "I take back what I said about you," Taskmaster twirled his sword while pointing at his foe with an impressed and eager smile.

"'preciated," Luke remarked, tearing off what little remained of his blood-stained shirt and exposing his herculean body.

"'Don't mind me askin' but how did ya' get your powers?" Taskmaster raised a brow from his fair distance, impressed and curious as to what gave the man of power before him his impressive stats and oddly fast reaction time.

"Why should I tell you?" Powerman spat, wondering why his foe would ask such a sudden and irrelevant question during their fast-paced battle.

"Just curious," Taskmaster responded before pausing, "You tell me how you got yours and I'll tell ya' how I got mine," Taskmaster added, appealing to Powerman as one businessman to another, knowing that if he wanted to get that knowledge he'd have to give something in return.

He did read the art of the deal.

Powerman raised a brow.

Now he was no fool, any bit of information could be used against him but the seemingly genuine nature of his assassin told him otherwise – and any chance of learning what kind of powers he had would most definitely aid him.

So he decided to give a short – very abbreviated version, of his origins which lacked many key details.

"Experimented on by getting submerged in a serum," Powerman bitterly stated, remembering what followed – the attempt on his life, which if you looked at it from his perspective – worked. Turning him from an average man to one given powers he never asked for nor wanted.

"Hmmmm…" Taskmaster thought, eyeing the man, "I got mine drinkin' a serum, enhances all my stawts but that's nothing compared to what goes on up here," he tapped on his head with his finger, "I was born with a photograwphic' memory, it enhances it so that I can instantly memorize every single move my opponents use, and replicate it," Taskmaster cockily informed, much more intrigued by his foe who internalized what was just told him.

The reason why Taskmaster could effortlessly dodge and counter his moves, the reason why he couldn't touch him was that Taskmaster had most likely watched him from afar, analyzing how he fought when he battled The Wreckers – taking in as much as he could before striking.

Taskmaster snickered upon seeing the look Luke gave him, "Whawt? I told ya didn't I? I did da' research. I always did like to study before my tests," he winked, knowing that his target had come to the conclusion all would inevitably come to when they faced him.

"I winged mine," Luke retorted, the two engaging in combat with each other once more. He was more defensive this time, knowing that he could no longer be on the offensive against a man who knew how he fought but Taskmaster upped his game, no longer fighting like he usually did but incorporating, moves, techniques, and patterns, which were wildly different from one another, making it hard for the man of power to defend, much less strike.

"So what?" Luke harshly asked, dodging an upper diagonal slash just barely, "You got all those powers and decided to be a merc? Or were you always a man who only cared about the bag?" Luke hissed but Taskmaster laughed.

"I always wanted to be a hero – actually, but found out I couldn't make money out of it. You can't necessarily live comfortably being a do-gooda'," Taskmaster declared dodging Luke's attacks.

"I do," Luke slyly remarked, attempting to thrust kick Taskmaster who looked at it and smirked.

He horizontally flipped over the kick, his sword following his movements and horizontally slashing Luke who powered through the attack and kept up his string off attacks.

As Taskmaster landed the moment his foot returned to the ground, Luke clenched his fists and aimed to smash the ground Taskmaster was on but he gracefully spun around the downward one handed smash, going under Luke's arm and horizontally slashing his rib cage.

"If we're playin' pretend," Taskmaster retorted with a chuckle that angered Luke. Pushing his speed to his limits, he attempted to annihilate the skulled-masked man but just like before Taskmaster dodged, clearly having more fun as his dodges resembled dance moves, even covering his mouth with his fingers in mock shock upon how close Luke had come to hitting him – which wasn't close at all.

"Been meanin' to ask ya that but what make's ya' a hero, anyways?" Taskmaster goaded, bending backwards completely to dodge one of Luke's attacks.

"What makes me a hero is that I fight bad guys like you!" Luke earnestly declared, increasingly getting infuriated with each move which missed its target completely.

"And then get a good check, right?" Taskmaster remarked which angered his foe further.

"You're one to talk, how much do you gettin' paid to do all of this?" Luke smashed the ground – shaking the street but Taskmaster leaped over him, slashing at his back and avoiding the swift backhand which came immediately after the two handed smash.

"A whopping one and seven zeroes – forty of which I'm gonna use to bring my goil' to watch the doll movie with!" He stated with a wink, "But I don't mawket myself as a hero," he added which sparked a more intense reaction from the man.

"I am a hero! A hero for hire!" Luke proudly affirmed.

"Yeah but what happens when no one can hire ya?" Taskmaster rebuked.

"That's their problem!" he yelled, anger fueling his answer.

"Thawt's what I say!" Taskmaster expressed with a happy expression like he just stumbled upon someone like him.

"I'm nothin' like you," Luke hissed, realizing that he had said something in his anger which he didn't mean.

"Really? Cawse the way I see it, da' only difference between us is the one payin' our salary."

"And the hole in your abdomen," He added, pointing down at the gaping wound caused by sword which stained his white glove and hood.

Taskmaster snapped his fingers.

It was dark.

The smell of sweat, the scuffling of movement, the feeling of the wind with each swift strike dictated what the blind vigilante would do, his maniacal opponent's incessant words which aimed to get to him, aiding him along with his sixth sense, but having to constantly listen – to obey what his senses said, required him to listen to every word spoken, every word whispered, by the psychopathic killer in front of him.

A relentless, heartless, killer who didn't just enjoy the slaughter he conducted, but whose psychosis also demanded him to push – to break the minds of the ones he sought to end.

It was dark, and all he had were the words which rang through his mind by an opponent who unfortunately knew more about him than he liked.

Who knew how to get into his head.

"Your heart is poundin', cold sweat is pourin' down your face – down your body. You're over here fightin' me but your mind is preoccupied. You're wonderin' if the safe house your stayin' in right now is compromised, wonderin' if I'm the last foe you'll face tonight," Bullseye's voice dripped with malice, taking great joy pushing him not just physically, but mentally too. They battled on equal terms – like they always did, the crazed man creating a distance before throwing in an array of razor-sharp playing cards Daredevil weaved through before sucker punching the foe right in the face, but Bullseye wasn't a regular human.

He was not super, but the man did have his bones covered in strips of adamantium, allowing him to soak up his punch with a smile, and retaliate with a flip kick which sent the horned vigilante on his back.

"Wonderin' if you can endure," Bullseye continued, eagerly goading his foe, knowing full well just based on looks – how he fought, that he was a plank of wood put under a great stain on the precipice of breaking.

"Be quiet, Bullseye," Daredevil spat, getting back onto his feet, but his vocal response which was so different from his usual silence had told the serial murderer he was starting to win on the mental playing field.

"Why!? I'm havin' fun. I love bein' the one to break it to ya, ol' buddy – ol' pal, but the safehouse you're stayin' in is compromised," He hissed with joy, "You're gonna have to move somewhere else or The Kingpin will come get ya for the hundredth time this month," Bullseye blocked a blow from his foe, spitting in his face before following it up by tripping him.

"I'm gonna be the last foe you'll face but not today, no, no…today…today I'll have my fun – let you suffer, leave you alive so you can go wriggle and worm back to build yourself back up only to crumble back down because. THATS. HOW. YOU. REALLY. KILL. SOM-" Bullseye was silenced when a metallic button struck the bottom of his jaw, jolting his sinuses and altering his blood and oxygen flow which caused the man's consciousness to leave his body temporarily.

"I said be quiet," The horned vigilante hissed, spitting in his foe's face.

Johnny Storm was sitting atop the giant torch held by Lady Liberty herself, his friend – Peter Parker, sitting with him as the two ate ice cream.

It was their spot, their big getaway from the city and super heroics.

A spot where they can just be teenagers, and more importantly – friends.

"So you ran out of gas," The unmasked Web-Slinger stated, licking the large vanilla ice cream he always got and would always defend.

"Yeah…" Johnny admitted, licking his own chocolate one due to the unquenchable hunger for sweetness he had.

"Can't you like? Hypothetically, destroy a small moon with your power?" Peter brought up, turning to his friends with a perplexed look.

"Yeah..." Johnny reluctantly verified, unable to meet Peter's gaze.

"So how do you manage to run out?" The ultimate question about his current situation was asked.

"..."

"I'm fasting," he let out, completely and utterly embarrassed that the reason for his dire situation was because of his dietary choices. His body turned nutrients into energy which enabled him to use his flames, now the conversion from a meal to usable energy was vast, adding a couple of extra hours of normal use but with the one-and-a-half meal with a bunch of snacks diet he's been doing, along with the more frequent use of his powers due to patrol, and the sher display of his power earlier, he had used up his energy sources.

His friend didn't respond.

"What?" Johnny snapped, wanting his friend to say something, "Not all of us have super stamina and regeneration which makes getting a six-pack easy!" Johnny defended his actions.

"Johnny…"

"Don't say it…don't you dare say it."

"You're an idiot."

"You're not helping!" Johnny vocally replied, running for his life atop the New York rooftops, the heat of annihilation literally on his heels as bolts of lighting aimed to incinerate him.

Zipping past him, behind him – all around him, Electro took great enjoyment in the situation the boy was currently in.

But helpless was a word Johnny Storm hated – a word he was not.

He used what little energy he had to fire blasts from the tip of his finger at the eye of the electrical storm behind him.

"Well, what do you want me to do?" The voice of Peter rhetorically asked from his mindscape as Johnny blasted at Electros' static form.

"I want you to start helping!" He asked, heart skipping a beat as he barely dodged another one of Electro's high-voltage blasts. He was out of his element – literally, depowered, running on fumes; the only reason he was even still standing being the madhouse who chased him wanting to toy with him, his cosmically powered physiology which gave him durability, and the insulated – covered in scorch marks, Fantastic Four uniform.

Which was put to the test again as an electrical bolt struck him, having the young boy squeal in pain and lose his footing, falling off the building in sheer terror before having his screams be silenced upon landing in a garbage bin.

At least he was immune to burns.

"Look, I would love to, but I don't have a lot to go off of since I'm using your brain," Peter quipped while Johnny instantly hopped out of the bin before it was propelled in the air by a devastating blast.

Peter made it seem a whole lot easier when he dodged Electro's lightning bolts with ease, but then again, Peter was just about super in every stat and his stupid spider-sense which was just unreal.

"You're just mad that it works at video games too," Johnny's figmentation of Peter quipped.

He was mad that it worked at that too.

But that was a negligent thought for the teenage boy's mind raced, the voice of his sister berating him for expending too much energy as she worryingly told him to find a safe place and reassess the issue.

But with each and every building within the block, the city – the state, being powered by electricity, there was no place that was safe from Electro's presence.

"Are your jokes still there!?" Electro enthusiastically and provokingly yelled, chasing the boy, embodying a force of pure destruction, the wild lightning storm which originated from him getting increasingly more violent and powerful, covering the street in what seemed to be a wall of electricity.

Johnny didn't respond as sweat dripped from his forehead.

The voice of Reed tried giving him ways to beat Electro but all of them seemed implausible with his current situation.

He grit his teeth in anger.

Dammit it.

He's a part of the world's greatest superhero team – a team full of world-renowned scientists.

His sister is a leading figure in her area of study, her boyfriend, his mentor, and his teammate, Reed was the smartest man on the planet, his best friend was a boy genius who – with no doubt in Johnny's mind, would one day stand amongst a pantheon of intellects and yet he couldn't even figure out how to beat a mentally unstable guy who was allergic to water.

His eyes lit up.

Water.

"There ya' go Torchie, ya' do have a brain up there after all," the voice of Ben praised.

"Hey, we never said he didn't, I'm team Torch all the way!" The voice of Peter defended.

With a newfound plan, the boy eyed his surroundings while he bolted down the street – a New York Street.

New York City was synonymous with a lot of things: crippling rent, high crime rates, poor governmental management, construction projects which take far longer than they should, hotdogs, the only place for an alien invasion to happen, neon lights and signs which illuminate the night sky, and water towers.

Water towers that littered the rooftops of most buildings, and as luck would have it, there was one right in front of him.

Running as fast as he could, pushing his body which he spent countless hours to maintain for situations like this, he bolted while the electrical storm behind him flung street poles, cars, and just about every metallic surface which could be lifted.

Taking great pleasure in playing with his food, Electro – who has always been a joke that was looked down upon, would make sure that this would last until he was satiated.

He watched one of his tormentors squirm and run like a rat from a cat, breathing loudly and frantically, ducking behind the vehicles he flung at him through his powers of magnetism which he received due to some science he didn't understand.

"HOW DOES IT FEEL STORM!? TO BE ON THE OTHER END OF SOMEONE'S POWER – TO BE MOCKED, TO BE HUMILIATED?"

"Nothing new to me, I've been in the public school system my whole life," Johnny retorted but his sly expression would soon change as in a fit of rage and fury, a blast he could not dodge sent him off his feet, roaring in pain once more due his current airborne status leaving the electricity to travel nowhere but throughout his body.

Tumbling down the street with his back blackened, Johnny Storm looked through his squinted eyelids to see the airborne figure of Electro hovering just above him.

A malicious expression on his face like an animal cornering its prey.

Widening his eyes though, Electro just barely moved out of the way from the last bit of Storm's power which rocketed up to the sky.

Electro looked at it before turning back to his soon-to-be victim, scoffing at his final attempt to try and escape his fate.

"Well…you won't be anymore," he growled with hate intermingled with excitement, but instead of fear, the teenage boy who he was about to wipe from the face of the earth grinned.

"Let's drink to that, I'll have water," Johnny confidently stated, pointing upwards.

Electro instinctively following his gaze before his blue body was squashed by a wooden tower which contained hundreds of tons of water.

Bringing the embodiment of electricity back down to the ground, Electro howled in a string of hate and curses before he was inevitably silenced by the bursting of the tower which submerged the street – and Johnny, in a giant wave of electrified water, which…in Johnny's mind…was not pleasant.

It really was not pleasant.

When everything dried out, the young boy was on his back, lying down on a thin layer of water which was slowly dissipating – his foe was nowhere to be found.

He coughed.

He wheezed.

He rested on the street.

He'd take the bullying he received in public school over facing Electro again.

Then again, in his current situation, Johnny Storm didn't think public school would wanna take him.

God, an institute for gifted youngsters seemed so cool.

This was just a short one to show you the themes and battles of the future characters, it was originally supposed to be in the next chapter but that would have ruined the pacing and take away time from Peter and Laura.

Chapter Text

Peter Parker's life has always been complicated.

Whether it was his parents dying, leaving him orphaned, never fitting in with others, never having friends, and getting whatever semblance he had of a normal life shattered when he was given powers, there has never really been a moment where things have been easy.

But, with the year-long living nightmare he would find himself immersed in, his first eight months as Spider-Man and everything prior would be looked back on with fondness.

For the most part.

Invading The Fantastic Fours headquarters and battling them as a way to introduce himself and get a job, constantly hitting on Sue, and not being friends with Johnny sooner would be memories of sheer embarrassment that would keep him up at night.

But everything changed on July Fourteenth of Twenty-twenty.

Before that day, it was villain of the week stuff, Dock Ock out for revenge of some sort, Vulture Electro, Sandman, and Rhino out robbing a bank or doing whatever, with the occasional team-up from the Fantastic Four and Johnny happening at least once a week, and on the Peter Parker side of things, he would just be doing what he usually did, go to school, hang out with Harry, figure out his feelings for Gwen, get bullied, go on ride-alongs with Captain Stacy and attend his Internship at Oscorp where he was unofficially Norman Osborn's apprentice...

He missed one of those, the other he desperately regretted.

It was summer, and he was spending time with the only two friends he really had until their phones alongside everyone else's blared the ominous alarm which told everyone in the Manhattan District to stay inside due to a monster on a glider causing mass terror and death in the downtown area.

Confusion, fear, and a want to know what was going on had crossed everyone's faces but when the friend group looked at one another, they would find that one of them had gone missing.

He remembers swinging as fast as he possibly could, a trail of police vehicles, ambulances, and news 'copters behind him.

He remembers seeing The Human Torch, seemingly dead, lying limply on a rooftop.

At this point in time, they had warmed to one another, their bitter rivalry becoming a friendlier one.

Obviously, he worryingly went to go check on the blonde-haired idiot, and obviously, Johnny waved it off like he was fine despite him wheezing as if breathing was an exhausting challenge which took all his effort.

But despite the front he put up, there was a look in his eye which conveyed that he was deeply scared...fearful...traumatized…a look that he too would share.

They bantered a bit, the two still actively denying that they didn't care about the other even though all evidence pointed to the contrary.

But when the obvious question was asked, The boy merely pointed at the horizon.

Wearing green armor which had a tattered, stitched-up medieval-inspired purple shirt over it, with boots and gloves that had razor-sharp metallic tips sharing the same pattern, was a masked monster wearing a long purple hat which danced with the wind.

"Can someone give me something good to eat!"

His twisted green face malformed for the demonic laughter which ensued upon besting a man in bulky golden armor.

Down below was a sight he could never forget.

He's dealt with death before, rushing into his home while the medics picked up his Uncle's dead body.

But to see what he saw that day…

He wasn't really the same after that.

Johnny had warned him that the Green Goblin before him had tricks up his sleeve and hit as hard as Peter did.

He took that note into consideration and his plea to be careful before slingshotting himself with his webs to reach The Goblin.

The two foes clashed, white lenses meeting yellow ones.

"I don't know if you've noticed but it's a little early for Halloween!" Spider-Man sternly said which prompted a chuckle from the villain responsible for mass death.

"Said the itsy-bitsy-spider in costume and mask!" The Green Goblin hysterically responded, batting Spider-Man off his glider and knocking his tooth out.

"Every day is Halloween little spider and The MONSTERS HAVE COME OUT TO PLAY!"

Spider-Man and The Green Goblin fought in the skies.

Spider-Man and The Hobgoblin did the same.

It was eleven-thirty at night.

A middle-aged man clinging to what was left of his balding hair leaned back on his chair and let out a sigh of relief for his pain-staking shift had just ended. He needed to stay overtime to complete some forms and documents for his boss who was always up his ass which was the most aggravating thing for him due to him being – in his mind, the most productive and hardworking employee in the building.

He closed his eyes and loosened his tie, relishing in the idea of going home and spending time with the man he loved.

Today they were going to have lasagna and binge-watch horrible movies on the couch, a hallmark staple for any life-lasting-loving relationship.

He let the knowledge of future events push him up onto his feet and off his chair.

At least, that's what he was planning.

Right now… he was in the air.

Blown right off his chair along with every other office appliance by an explosion of such devastating yields and capacity that it had sent him soaring through the sky, rupturing his ears which disoriented him further.

Bursting out the ear-shattering explosion was The Hobgoblin who landed with a roll, observing the new building he had just entered and looking for the quickest way out. Swiftly looking around, his orbs of blood paused on the airborne body of a man, his mouth fully open in fear, and eyes pleading him to save him from his inevitable demise.

The Hobgoblin looked at the man who had his own life, who had his own friends, and lover, and family and he simply smiled, giving him a sailor salute and wink as the man's body collided with the window he was approaching – breaking it, and sending him plummeting to his death.

His fate – sealed.

Realizing he had been stationary for too long, The Hobgoblin immediately broke out into a sprint for Spider-Man had caught up with him, but he let out a chuckle upon hearing the terrifying screams of the falling insect.

Following quickly behind, a cut-up and darkened by soot Spider-Man entered the room, eyes deadly focused, completely tunneled on the fleeing form of The Hobgoblin but not unaware of the man who was currently plummeting to his death, he changed his course while The Hobgoblin body checked the wall before him.

Jumping out the window, Peter caught the man just before he hit the pavement while simultaneously using another hand to start his web-swinging pursuit.

At the lowest point of the pendulum motion, Peter released the man onto the ground in a motion he's done more than a hundred times, not even sparing him a glance as the man stumbled for the Hobgoblin was at the top of his priority list.

Spider-Man turned the corner of the building, eyes narrowed with the faintest growl, catching sight of The Hobgoblin landing on his glider before jetting off in hysterical laughter.

Far from even considering ceasing his pursuit, Spider-Man hastily gave chase, using as much strength as he could in tandem with his web-shooters and physics to up his speed and contest the Goblin who wouldn't simply just allow Spider-Man to do this.

'Thwips' were instantaneously drowned out by the ear-piercing explosions of The Hobgoblin's wildly thrown pumpkin bombs which caused Peter to abruptly change his course during his pursuit to avert coming into collision with his ghastly inspired weapons.

Peter Parker and the residents of New York City had found themselves once again forcefully taking part in The Goblin's game.

Created by the sick and intelligent mind of Norman Osborn, The Pumpkin Bomb was a compact – easy to carry explosive which despite its size, had a devastating explosive yield which could atomize regular humans who were caught in its blast. Stylized to resemble a Halloween pumpkin that was carved with a sinister smile, there were internal lights underneath the metallic casing which illuminated the smile and the button above, which broadcasted to its user that the explosive payload underneath had been primed while the screams it emanated got progressively worse until the payload went off.

The bombs had three modes: Contact explosion, timed explosion, and timed-contact explosion.

There were slight, very, very, very slight, visual differences that displayed the modes which only those who were experienced with the weapon could tell.

And Peter Parker could tell.

The Hobgoblin had made an error when he tossed one of the bombs and instead of dodging it, he grabbed a bomb mistakenly set to timed and threw it right back at him which caused him to swerve, just barely missing the explosion.

Looking over his shoulder almost immediately to see Spider-Mans form still after him, The Hobgoblin stared at his own reflection within The Web-slingers reflective lenses and chuckled like a child who knew something his parents didn't.

The commotion outside prompted a young, curious, and naïve child to open the window in his room. Peering his head out from the twenty-third floor where his parent's apartment was, a young – no older than thirteen-year-old boy of Arabic descent looked around the New York horizon he often stared at with immense curiosity to see what was causing the noise only to be left shrieking and traumatized for The Hobgoblin soon quickly appeared, coming into view with his decrepit demonic visage, snarling at the kid like a monster about to devour him while he violently wrapped his hand around the frightened boy's tiny skull but he abruptly retracted his grasp for a powerful blow had sent him spiraling far away from the child who had recoiled and fallen back onto his floor.

Once horrified eyes had widened and looked on in disbelief as Spider-Man stood over his window, looking past his feet and sharing a glance with the child to make sure he was alright.

Letting out a little nod, the child confirmed that he was and Spider-Man once more followed The Hobgoblin who felt the spot Peter had struck him with his no-holds-barred punch. Laughing in amusement, he turned his excited red eyes onto the horizon once more, greatly increasing his glider's speed, its afterburner pushed to the max and exhaust on full throttle, with Spider-Man following closely behind.

The monsters had come out to play.

And he was going to bring them back down to whatever level of hell they crawled out from.

Chapter 16: Brimstone Boscage Brawl

The thrust of a spear sparked the reaction of a back heel sweeping kick meant to slash at his tendons but The Hunter expected such a counter so he leaped over the attack and adjusted his spear for a downward thrust which caused the girl to spontaneously go into a backward handstand roll, keeping her body parallel with the spear which had viciously planted itself in the ground.

Forced to dodge the crescent slash in the only way possible – a way Talon had planned, Kraven – the moment his spear pierced the ground, stepped on its body and leaped off it.

Soaring in the air from a backflip, Kraven landed on his knees a good distance away from his opponent who had just separated him from his preferred and second most powerful weapon within his arsenal.

"Neveroyatnyy…"

"Incredible…" Kraven muttered with amazement, hungry eyes fixated on Laura, "Not only did you manage to close the distance between me and my spear but you forced me to abandon it less I suffer a devastating injury. Well done Malen'kaya l'vitsa, well done," Kraven commended, admiring the small wound he sustained.

"Your creators taught you well," At the mere mention of The Facility, Laura lunged at Kraven which prompted him to block her claws with his metallic bracelets. Spark's illuminated both their faces as they entered combat once more, neither inflicting wounds on the other, constantly pulling moves from their extensive catalogs of combat which spanned knowledge and skill over all one-hundred and eighty styles of martial arts.

Laura had gone on the offensive, her hard-wired brain already aware of Kraven's fighting styles and patterns, had pinpointed several flaws in his technique.

"They may have sent you here to capture me, but all The Facility did was send you here to die," Laura had gone to strike. She slashed, she fainted, she countered, but each attempt to harm was just met with The Hunter blocking or parrying her attacks effortlessly, but that would all change for this was bait to get him to repeat a move.

And her plan worked.

She weaved through a punch from Kraven and aimed to thrust her claws deep into his side, but breaking his patterns, he ducked onto his knees, sweeping her off her feet with a kick and uppercutting her while he came up and she fell.

Sent on her back, her nose and teeth both broken, Laura got up onto her feet quickly before Kraven could strike; narrowing her eyes and spitting out blood jumbled with broken teeth. The Hunter raised an amused brow and watched with intrigue and amazement upon witnessing her impressive healing capabilities rejuvenate her nose and teeth at speeds he hadn't seen before.

Laura glared angrily at the man, her burning fury more so aimed towards herself due to her foolishness for even believing that she had him understood – something he wanted.

Where she was a master of most martial arts, those who bared the mantle of Kraven The Hunter were masters of all, and as Laura quickly learned, this whole entire time…he was toying with her – seeing what she had to offer.

She would show him that she was made to be the best there is.

"Oh, Facility? Capture you? I know of no such thing," Kraven slyly remarked as Laura wiped away the blood from her face.

"There is no point in lying, you said you came here to hunt a weapon – to hunt me," she declared, circling around Kraven as he did her, the two resembling two hungry predators analyzing the other.

"Undoubtedly, you are a weapon, a good one too, but you and I both know that I was not lying when I said 'I know of no such thing,'" Kraven pointed out which confused her. Yes, she could detect that he was not lying when he was talking about hunting her, but there were other a plethora of things she could not detect from him, and taking him at face value was beyond naïve.

His previous statements indicated that he was here for a weapon – her, until Peter caught his attention but much to his dismay, he was stolen by the monster who she would deal with after him.

Any other interpretation of his words contradicted her knowledge but if he were to be telling the truth, if he did not indeed come for her...

"I said before, 'I came here for the spider – to hunt a weapon, like me,'" Laura Kinney paused.

Her stoic expression shattered.

Weapon?

Kraven The Hunter, a renowned and deadly title given to heirs who were known to all related in the criminal and mercenary business had not come for her at the behest of The Facility.

If she was not plagued by the statement he just spoke, she would almost be relieved but Kraven The Hunter knew something about Peter Parker which she didn't.

Something that was not possible.

"He is not a weapon!" Laura staunchly snarled but this earned a snort from Kraven.

"The arrogance of the young, you think you know, but you do not," he scolded before continuing what he was going to say, "Here is a little question for you. You call yourself a weapon, no? Your skills, your abilities, your body crafted for perfection – crafted for battle, but do you not find it odd that he is almost the same?" Kraven asked which caused Laura to slightly lower her gaze, contemplating his words.

Kraven had a point, she was crafted for battle, and her powers resembled that. All of her abilities allowed her to excel or be proficient at all things, enabling her to adapt to countless situations and battles quickly but Peter Parker was the same.

His speed, his reflexes, they both matched hers and though his primary senses may not have been enhanced to the same levels of hers, his sixth one had equalized it, and if her theories were correct on its potential, then it could possibly far exceed hers when it came to combat efficiency.

But his power, his durability, even his stamina when it came to regeneration far outmatched hers. Where she could regenerate wounds instantaneously, a small amount of respite was all Peter Parker needed to regain his strength and fight at full capacity despite being gravely injured.

All of these traits made him perfect for everything combat related.

Like her….

"On this beautiful blue marble we call home, there are those who have been bestowed gifts through multiple means. Those who are born with them, those who gain them through a mystical mist, and those who gain them through fate, but what all these sub-races of superhumans have in common is that they all follow the same principle," Kraven spoke, lifting up a finger, never once dropping his guard, "They have control over one theme or one ability. Take your fellow geroy The Human Torch, he can generate flame and control them, yes? Or Electro, who is living electricity. Now there are exceptions, those who have more, but then there are those who have everything."

"Those who have the strength of goliaths."

Powerman grunted as he swung his fists Taskmaster's way.

"Speed faster than any cheetah, reflexes as fast as lightning."

Taskmaster chuckled, effortlessly dodging the brain-splattering punch which traveled at inhuman speeds with a modest display of agility.

"Senses so keen, so advanced, that they make a healthy man seem blind and deaf."

In an area of the city separated from the battles that took place but related, blood seeped past the crevice of a door that caged prisoners – men, women, boys, girls, and anything else watched with desperate and hopeful eyes upon hearing gun fire and yells be silenced.

The door was kicked down.

The victims who were subjected to treatment which made them feel like less than human eyed the three blood-soaked claws belonging to the man who had just dealt with their captors.

"And a brain so smart – so fast, that everyone else seems slow."

Shurikens in the shape of bats quickly sliced through Spider-Man's web-lines, which precisely led him into The Hobgoblin's pumpkin bombs that were seemingly wildly thrown but always a quick thinker, Peter Parker survived the array of weapons thrown at him unscathed.

"And do you want to know why these select few have such abilities which make them perfect for most, if not all situations? It is because they are weapons, and once you know this, it is easy to differentiate a weapon from the rest. When I look at you, I can easily tell that you are a weapon, but I can also tell that you are one who is also born with power due to your claws and impressive regeneration – a trait not displayed by all weapons," Kraven explained to Laura who was still trying to wrap her head around the possibilities of what came with this knowledge.

If everything that he said were to be true then Spider-Man…then Peter…was a weapon…but…that did not make sense.

He was bitten by a spider which was the source of his powers, and she knew that Peter Parker had not lied to her because that was not who Peter Parker was but…

"The Spider…" Laura thought within her mind.

Peter Parker was bitten by a genetically engineered Spider.

She had not questioned it – had not even thought about it, but why would anyone be genetically engineering spiders which could grant powers?

What could possibly be given to create such spiders?

"But the term 'weapon' is too broad, used in order to replace the other – more accurate term," Kraven trailed off which piqued Laura's interest immensely.

There was another term for weapon?

Kraven grinned upon noticing the keen interest on the weapon's face.

"You see Malen'kaya l'vitsa, the other term for 'weapon'– the proper term is…"

"The Super Soldier," Kraven eagerly and proudly declared.

Though her expression remained stoic, the slight jolting of her body had told Kraven enough.

Told him that she was caught off guard by such a revelation.

"Yes Little Lioness, you, me, your spider, The so-called 'Powerman' and a select few at some point have all been exposed to our government's attempt at recreating the legendary super soldier serum. Me, through inheriting my father's apex genetics which was then furthered through the KGB's own attempts, and you and your spider through your own means."

"We are real super-soldiers, unlike this poor excuse who sullies us by laying claim to the title with his lackluster skills," Kraven spat at the unconscious body of Crossbones, "Though he is a good example, for all the flaws that he is riddled with, are flaws that we too have – though, not nearly to the same extent. We all lack certain abilities or do not meet the same capabilities as our apex, the first, the perfect weapon… The Sentinel of Liberty, The Living Legend, Steve Roger's: Captain America," Kraven stated with the utmost admirability and respect.

"These flaws however allow us to be superior in certain aspects, like you with your incredible speed and senses, and me with my senses and strength," Kraven informed her.

Captain America.

She had encountered him before, even battled him for a brief moment, but despite all her training, all her abilities, the relic of a bygone age had easily bested her in a matter of seconds.

Too many thoughts were running through her head, despite her vast knowledge of most things, she lacked much when it came to her own origins due to The Facility limiting information relating to the matter but…but everything made sense. It made sense as to why both she and Logan had vastly more powers than the other mutants at the Institute, made sense as to why Peter Parker had matched her in most feats.

Everything made sense, save for one thing…

"Why are you telling me this!" Laura demanded to know why The Hunter would even bother informing her of such a thing.

The Hunter chuckled.

"Because everyone should have the right to the knowledge of their heritage, and it is the very reasoning as to why I am here…you see, your Pauk and Powerman are the first of the next generation of Super Soldiers, not meant to recreate but to Evolve it. Powerman however, isn't as nimble, sacrificing agility for power, whereas the Pauk, doesn't just take strength to the next, but speed and agility as well – maintaining the perfect balance as seen with The Captain. Who better than to test my skill and power than him!" Kraven excitedly explained, his simple, modest, and methodical voice had ramped up to be uproarious and untamed.

"Me," Talon staunchly declared as she entered her fighting stance once more, putting all her thoughts to the side, "You will not touch him," she hissed.

Kraven laughed in amusement, taking out a pair of dual machetes which were sheathed on his back in response to her words.

"You are good lioness, you truly are! This fight has not let me down and I have truly found more than what I was initially looking for but all this battle has done is make me reconsider my previous arrangement. Once I am done with you, I will slay the Goblin who dares take my hunt, I will kill your Pauk! And I will be a living legend, Just like my Father!" Kraven madly yelled, rushing towards her as she did him.

They clashed with each other once more.

"You'll be dead meat!" She snarled, immediately fainting, baiting Kraven to attack which prompted her to counter, giving her the opportunity to carve open his side, but a powerful elbow to her check had ceased any attempt to continue her assault.

Stumbling back a bit due to the force of what she believed to be two tons. Laura quickly recovered as both she and Kraven opposed each other, The Hunter greatly impressed by the wound he had just received.

"Such anger, such lethality, such loyalty for the boy! perhaps I misjudged you…" Kraven backtracked with fire in his eyes, going on the complete offensive this time – fighting for real, with levels of excitement that were unbounded appearing on his face.

The girl was not just second's he received, no, she was an equal and perfect substitute for his burning passion for fighting – for hunting.

Gritting her teeth, Talon kept up with Kraven's offensive assault, able to not just stand before, but fight the esteemed assassin whose prestige was earned. Where she fought with speed and agility, incorporating acrobatics and gymnastics to incorporate her foot claws into her string of attacks, Kraven used his power and fighting prowess to mitigate the damage she could do and predict her moves.

Though he was marginally slower, his battle intellect was much above hers, allowing him to diagonally slash her against the chest.

Stopping the other machete from doing the same, she growled in pain, not expecting her wounds from the machetes to heal due to the radioactive smell they emitted.

And her wounds did not indeed heal, which proved her suspicion that the metal which made up Kraven's machetes was that of Carbonadium – a radioactive metal that was stronger than steel and much more malleable but this caused it to be weaker than any grade of adamantium but still nearly invulnerable, making it hard for her to cleave through.

But the metal, outside its greater affordability, had the advantage of negating healing factors due to its radioactive properties and it would make sense that The Hunter would have such weapons for not only would they be useful against a being like her, but the metal had also hailed from his family's home country.

And The Kravenoff's were a very influential family.

"I call you Lioness because The Pauk is a lion, has the lion's heart, its power, it's conviction, but you…you are a wolf…yes…a wolf, that is what you are…" Kraven stated, noticing how much harder she pushed when he mentioned Spider-Man, witnessing the traits she displayed which were common with the hound that did anything to survive and protect the ones it cared about.

"You have the wolf's undying loyalty and protection when you step in front The Pauk in the face of numerous enemies, you have their ferocity with your anger, and you have their instincts," He blocked a move from her which would have killed him should he be anyone lesser, "But you waste them, rather choosing to fight like a computer – planning out every single optimal move before striking, instead of letting instinct guide you," and as he said this, he blocked each one of Laura's moves as her brain did exactly what Kraven said.

Planning and choosing the most optimal move.

"And you have their nature – hunting and murder being rooted within your own," He slashed her on her collar, just above her breasts, adding to the numerous scratches and wounds which littered her body.

"You are wrong!" She spat, managing to clash against Kraven's weapons once again, ceasing his assault which surprised The Hunter.

"Am I?" Kraven arrogantly rhetorically asked, "Like I was wrong with the Super Soldier? What about those you bled dry in that club or that seks-torgovets who is teasing Lady Death herself not too far from here?" He viciously pointed out, managing to get the upper hand, headbutting her and sending her stumbling back.

"If anything, it is you who are wrong, you who does not know your nature. Even as we fight, every move you make is intended to be a fatal blow and yet you argue that killing is not in your nature?" Laura had gone on the defensive at this point, Kraven pushing her more and more, The Hunter being able to read her as easily as he would a children's book.

"You are a wolf standing amongst lions, trying to live their way, trying to believe you are one of them, that you do not want to kill," With each slash he attempted to maim her with, Laura blocked and weaved, pushing through the pain, refusing to let him attack her again and with her staunch determination, in a moment where she didn't think, she managed to devastatingly impale her claws deep into his side before pulling them out with an animalistic roar.

"I don't!" Laura staunchly declared before making a move to attack him again,

"Then tell me, why is it that you're trying to kill me?" Kraven asked, countering her lethal blow, ceasing her momentary triumph.

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Kraven instantly ceased whatever it was he was going to do as the battle between Hunter and Assassin had been interrupted by the hysterical, deranged laughter of The Hobgoblin who was speedily approaching them at a hundred-thirty miles per hour.

Starved eyes locked on Laura, The Hobgoblin shifted his weight to have his glider rotate in a series of three-hundred-and-sixty-degree spins while excitedly and repeatedly tossed handfuls of horrifically smiling bombs that were yearning to fulfil their one and only purpose of conducting death through complete obliteration. Ceasing their fight with an elbow across her cheek, Kraven got a head start on leaving the blast radius as he and Laura ran to opposite sides but where Kraven would just make it out, Laura Kinney's brain informed her that escape would be impossible through the countless scenario's that played within her head.

Fortunately, her brain failed to think about the scenario that would most likely happen

Peter Parker came just in time, speedily collecting all the airborne bombs around her with his webs before tossing them high into the air and at The Hobgoblin who was vertically looping above him.

Immediately after the explosion, Kraven leaped through the cloud of combustion and instantly went after Spider-Man who was still in the air.

Completely and utterly focused on The Hobgoblin and protecting Laura, his spider-sense was the only thing that alerted him that Kraven was going for his heart, and in a split second, he managed to kick both the machete's within his grasp out of his hands which left the Russian Hunter resorting to tackling him to the ground.

Initially aiming to aid him with Kraven, Laura had rushed towards Peter but her senses dictated her to look up into the sky, watching on as The Hobgoblin finished his vertical loop and aimed to take advantage of the heated scuffle Spider-Man was tangled with, a devious smile displaying his intent to crucify the both of them with his gliders razor sharp prongs.

Seeing the surprise attack heading towards Peter, Laura intervened, slashing at The Hobgoblins prongs before they could impale the two.

"Yes, I can finally have my hunt!" Kraven excitedly declared, pinning Peter to the ground, saliva dripping from his mouth due to him having the moment he was dreaming of.

"Oh, No-no-no!" The Hobgoblin violently shook his head, bringing his glider beyond Laura's reach before regaining control of it. "That was going to be a phenomenal death – a perfect death, a poetic death! oh well...I'll just kill you instead," he raged before shrugging, changing tone and deviously rushing at her with deranged laughter.

"You're gonna have to take a rain check on that!" Spider-Man's voice violently spat, flinging Kraven off of him with his feet and directly at The Hobgoblin, diverting his course from Laura before forcing him to stay as far away from her as possible.

With both parties resuming their battle with their matched opponents, Peter attached himself to the Hobgoblin's glider with a web-line before he rocketed above the clouds while Laura clashed with Kraven, intercepting his attempt to take Spider-Man all for himself.

Ceasing his ascent, The Hobgoblin reset himself and looked around for Spider-Man, only to be flung off his glider by him. Peter had propelled himself into a loop, hitting The Goblin square in the chest and forcing the two to trade blows with each other as they free-fell in the air.

The Hobgoblin joyfully laughed, enjoying the exhilarating high-speed free-fall combat he had with Spider-Man and the empowered blows he hit him with. Even with his increased strength, The Hobgoblin took his blows – which were stronger than anything he gave Norman, with a smile.

Peter's mind told him it was most likely due to some shock-absorbing material in his garb.

In their midst between who would hit the ground first, The Hobgoblin chuckled and Spider-Man's spider-sense went off, and already knowing what he was going to do, The Goblin experienced vigilante decided to show that he had already done this dance before.

Instead of the glider ramming into Spider-Man, getting him off The Hobgoblin and allowing him to set foot on his advantageous glider, Peter used his spider-like agility to contort his body just enough to dodge it, and with him being parallel with the glider, he did the only thing that he could.

He took control of it.

The Hobgoblin watched with dazzled eyes as The Spider-themed hero jet past him until enough distance could be made between the two, and with a specific movement from his right foot, a cable ejected from the bottom of the glider, ensnaring the Hobgoblin in a tight metallic cord specifically crafted and designed to hold and contain Spider-Man himself.

Commandeering the glider with a tight hold around The Hobgoblin, Peter waited until he almost collided with the street to instantly pull up, sending The Hobgoblin to violently create a crater within the eight-inch concrete street – but this was just the beginning. He dragged his body across the ground at high speeds, planning on using him as a makeshift wrecking ball to ram into Kraven and assist the struggling Laura.

He forced Kraven to dodge lest he be hit with a more than two-hundred-pound man of pure muscle which allowed Laura to slash him across his chest and put him on the defensive.

After having him crash into the surrounding area, Spider-Man pulled up once more, forcefully taking the Hobgoblin with him. Pushing the glider to go as fast as he could, he released his bound assailant, leaving him suspended in the air. The Hobgoblin quickly took this as an opportunity to free himself but upon hearing the roaring of a familiar engine, he turned around only to get instantly clotheslined from his foe who spiraled at him like a twirling torpedo which had sent him crashing onto the rooftop of a building.

Quick to get on his feet, he watched as Peter flew overhead, instinctually – as if it was hard-wired deep into his being, doing a small trick where he briefly jumped off the glider only to land back on it, using the abrupt weight to sharply pull up into the sky.

He commanded the glider to summon a pumpkin bomb in each hand as he blankly – hauntingly, stared at The Hobgoblin who watched him in amazement.

Leaping off from the glider, Peter tossed both bombs at it, causing a sky-shaking explosion and deafening scream by the ignition and explosion of the endless supply of bombs that the glider contained.

Firing a web-line with the full intention of ramming his two feet into The Hobgoblin's torso, Peter was about to do such a thing, but the predictable motion of the swing allowed for the Hobgoblin to dodge it and instantaneously wrap his arms around Peter's torso.

With an excited chuckle, he suplexed him so hard that the two of them fell through the roof and entered the apartment down below, absolutely terrifying the family who were left shrieking upon witnessing the two costumed powerhouses that abruptly came crashing into their living room, destroying and demolishing everything in it.

The Hobgoblin was the first to stand and upon witnessing the family he maniacally laughed, pointing his fingers at them – aiming right at the child who was stuffed behind his father.

Panic crossed his face, already knowing what he was going to do, Peter jumped in the way before the violent aggressive current could vaporize them.

Another one of The Green Goblin's weapons, interwoven in the gloves were micro-circuit-conducting filaments that were connected to a battery pack in the cuffs which allowed for the discharge a volatile electrical current – named The Goblin Blast, at the tip of the index finger which would kill any regular person with a single strike.

But instead of a green electrical blast hitting him and him recoiling and spazzing from the excruciating pain which surged all over his body, he was met with a blazing blast of flames and overwhelming heat which scorched his costume, the concussive force of the blast sending him crashing out of the room.

Matching Spider-Man's tumbling speed, The Hobgoblin aggressively gave chase, reaching out into his back leather pouch before throwing six razor-bat shuriken's which sped past Spider-Man who the Hobgoblin picked up by the neck and spun around with, the razor bat's he threw ricocheting off the walls and lacerating Peter while The Hobgoblin choke slammed him through another floor.

Again, The Hobgoblin was first to get onto his feet but he was soon sent off of them as his chin came into contact with both of Peter's heels. Turning the tables, Peter came rocketing from his spot, lifting the both of them into the air. Using his momentum which carried him past his foe, Peter used both his web-shooters to fire two web-lines at the floor beneath them, using his strength to pull himself down to crash into both The Hobgoblin and the ground, causing the both of them to crash through it, and the floor underneath.

Backflipping away from The Hobgoblin who sought to get him off with an attack, the two – both on their feet, charged at each other, dodging each other's moves and attacking before their fists collided, and as if it was two equal opposing forces, both Spider-Man and The Hobgoblin recoiled from the power of the other before instantly entering a grapple.

Red and white eyes fiercely and intensely started the other down as they battled for control.

"I'll give it to you Hobby, you're pretty good. You pull off the disgusting, evil, psychotic maniac part well, but I've done this dance before, and I've done it with someone better than you!" The Hobgoblin certainly had the insanity part down, alongside the proficiency of his gadgets, but he was not Norman Osborn. Insane he may have been, Norman Osborn was an expert at using his arsenal, more than proficient at hand-to-hand combat, and what made him terrifying was how seemingly everything went according to his plan.

And there was something about The Hobgoblin losing the grapple, getting sucker punched across the face and bleeding from the mouth which informed Peter that this was not a part of whatever plan he had.

The Hobgoblin fought like a wild beast – like Rhino, wildly and un-strategically using his power for the sole purpose of killing him – different from Osborn who fought strategically.

The Hobgoblin, however, as Peter noticed, was much stronger.

Though he still held himself back from using his full strength, he wasn't exactly pulling his punches.

He wondered if The Hobgoblin was holding back.

He narrowed his eyes.

It wouldn't matter.

Now Peter Parker wasn't the best fighter either, but having to fight multiple assassins in the past, The Green Goblin, and having some fighting tips from Daredevil himself, he was at least better than average and with his powers, better than average allowed him to win most fights.

And he was going to win this one.

"Oh spider, you have to give me a chance, I promise you I'm a whole lot better than what Norman ever could be," The Hobgoblin smeared the blood from his mouth onto his glove before launching himself at Spider-Man, swiping at him with his talons.

"A whole lot better in what way? Not being my competition? Or wearing prison orange?" Spider-Man snickered, weaving The Hobgoblin's animalistic slashes, "A real Goblin uses his power to take what he wants, you use yours to follow the orders of someone who The Green Goblin wouldn't even look at," Spider-Man stated fiercely, catching The Hobgoblin's animalistic slash and hitting him with all his might, the force sending The Hobgoblin straight out of the building.

The Hobgoblin during all of this though…was laughing like he had the entire time.

But his laughs were quickly silenced, replaced by grunts and screeches as he clenched his fists so hard – digging his talons deep into his hands that blood came out.

And with a shriek, his momentum ceased.

The Hobgoblin found a spot in the air.

Peter Parker widened his eyes.

Out from The Goblin's back came wings.

What?

Large, demonic wings which had unfurled themselves underneath his cape had left Spider-Man completely stunned.

The Hobgoblin hauntingly screeched before instantly rocketing towards Peter at speeds which left him unprepared.

Grabbing him by the mouth, he rammed him through the opposite end of the building he was in with a grip so hard, so strong, that it threatened to break his jaw.

The unveiling of his wings accompanied by The Hobgoblins new found strength, or strength he always had, left his mind in a frenzy but discarding all his previous thoughts due to his currently dire situation, Spider-Man struggled against The Hobgoblin's hold on him, a hold he once could break but now no longer.

But an idea soon came to mind which made it so he didn't have to.

The Hobgoblin wasn't the only one with upgrades.

On top of more strength and sixteen-inch stingers – which destroyed his web-shooters, Spider-Man had another ability up his sleeve.

He had fangs laced with poison.

And a hand right over his mouth.

Biting through his mask and deep into The Hobgoblin's hand, Peter Parker's fangs courtesy of his recent mutation pumped a paralyzing poison deep into The Hobgoblin's body which immediately froze him and caused the two to crash for his wings had ceased to flap as well.

They went through a billboard, ceasing their momentum and causing them to tumble across the concrete rooftops just above Kraven and Laura.

Struggling to get up, Peter got his reins as quickly as he could to avoid any attack from The Hobgoblin but upon getting onto his feet, he saw that his body was still frozen.

He hesitantly made his way towards the frozen body of The Hobgoblin, his mind racing with too many questions while he constantly searched for his spider-sense.

He told himself that the wings were not real, that the exposed goblin skin and mask were just a part of the outfit, with the wings just being a piece of technology that followed Norman Osborn's flair for medieval theatrics and monsters.

"You're not the only one who's better than what came before Hobby… I am too…" Spider-Man declared in between breaths, kneeling down beside his paralyzed opponent.

"Now it's time to see who you really are," Spider-Man said as he wrapped his hand around The Hobgoblin's mask.

He paused for a moment, contemplating who it could be before taking a firm hold and pulling it off.

Except he didn't take it off.

He didn't pull on a mask.

He pulled on skin.

The Hobgoblin's eyes lit up.

Spider-Man's spider-sense went off.

It went on overdrive, warning him to get as far away from where he was as possible.

In no less than a second, The Hobgoblin's body blew up in a flash of light and flame which sent Spider-Man off the rooftop they were on.

Catching himself, he latched onto the opposing building and watched with growing anxiety.

With fearful eyes which were behind scorched lenses, Peter watched as The Hobgoblin slowly raised to his feet, his malignant primordial roar echoing while flames surrounded and encased his darkened silhouette like he was a demon from hell.

This was no illusion, no trick, no piece of technology created by Norman Osborn.

This was power.

Real power.

The Hobgoblin stood up strong, the flames which once encased his body quickly dissipating as he devilishly grinned at the hero's expression which could easily be seen despite the mask.

"Oh…you are fantastic…I'm glad I decided to give you a chance," He praised hysterically as if he had already triumphed, "I can see why Osborn lost himself with you!" He enthusiastically roared, his voice hitting new depths while his eyes emitted red embers.

"Osborn?" Laura thought as she overheard what the demon in orange said but all current and future rapidly growing questions would all be answered and quickly replaced by even more alarming ones upon hearing what came next.

"YOU TRULY ARE HIS GREATEST CREATION!" The Hobgoblin continued as Spider-Man watched on blankly, unable to comprehend what was happening.

"HIS GOBLIN HEIR!"

Laura looked in surprise, Kraven doing the same thing as The Hobgoblin laughed viciously.

"Greatest creation? Goblin Heir?" The Hobgoblin's words rang throughout her mind as she looked at Peter who was clinging on a wall.

In the span of three sentences, The costumed villain who Peter was battling had all but confirmed what Kraven had said, confirmed that he was a weapon like her while giving her the invaluable pieces of information that Norman Osborn was the notorious and murderous monster known as "The Green Goblin."

Someone who had created Peter Parker, or at the very least – as she theorized, the spider that bit him.

Someone who wanted to turn him into something he was not.

Her heart sank a bit.

He had not told her any of this.

"YOU ASKED ME HOW I WAS BETTER? I'll TELL YOU!" The Hobgoblin yelled, reaching for his belt, "NORMAN OSBORN WANTED SO DESPERATELY TO MAKE YOU HIS SUCCESSOR, WHERE AS I…" he pulled out a sword with no blade, it's gothic hilt in the shape of a winged pumpkin's smile, lit up.

"I JUST WANT TO KILL YOU! AND GET YOU OUT OF THE WAY!" And out from the hilt, with a mighty 'fwoosh', The Hobgoblin illuminated the sky with an orange blade constructed of pure plasma which was encased in a vicious storm of flames before rushing at him with a harrowing screech which sent terror down Spider-Man's spine.

Barley dodging The Hobgoblin's attack, Spider-Man watched as when The Hobgoblin struck previous his spot, everything which was caught in the blade's path was atomized.

As The Hobgoblin turned around, Peter immediately broke into the opposing building, his brain trying to come up with some semblance of plan as to what to do against an amped goblin who could fly, had fire powers, and a laser-fire sword.

A freaking fire laser sword.

What the hell could he do against that?

He looked down at his wrists.

"Your bone density allows your stingers to cut through most metals with ease, while also being extremely hard to break, Peter," He heard the voice of Reed Richards speak, his brain recalling the various tests they did.

Trying to instinctively tell him what to do.

Oh no…

He didn't like what it was trying to do but with no other option, he gulped.

Reed's never let him down before, he won't now.

"Reed Richard's you better be right!" Spider-Man urgently took off the web shooter on his right hand and webbed it to a wall.

His spider-sense went off as he pulled his glove back up.

Whipping his body around, he watched The Hobgoblin come bursting through the floor he was running on, sword over head, aimed to split him in two.

Putting all his faith into the smartest man on the planet, Spider-Man withdrew the stinger on his main hand – a gift from his x-gene, and clashed against the plasma sword.

Sparks flew wildly everywhere as both The Hobgoblin and Peter were stunned by his stingers resilience, but feeling the odd sensation of the sword making its way through his now much-loved power, Spider-Man pushed The Hobgoblin's blade to the side and punched him as hard as he could with his left hand, sending him back.

The Hobgoblin snarled, spitting out blood.

Peter's punch obviously damaged him.

Angering him.

Strengthening the flames of the sword by imbuing it with his power, he let out a primordial animalistic roar and instigated combat, swinging his sword more viciously and speedily at Peter who dodged when he could and used his stinger when he couldn't.

Clashing and slashing, Peter's bone-blade had an easier time contesting The Hobgoblin's plasma brand, but with each clash – he made sure to be no more than a second, he could feel more and more of the bone marrow quickly giving in.

Peter wondered if he could heal these back.

They were a big help.

What would've been a big help would be Laura's adamantium claws but having her fight The Hobgoblin was something he would not – under any circumstance, allow.

But that would quickly change as The Hobgoblin instantly went to strike, using his superhuman strength and wings to go at fast speeds.

Spider-Sense going off yet again along with his accelerated vision, he managed to dodge The Hobgoblin's vicious strikes which left a trail of flames, but forced to clash against his sword once more – for the fourth time, Peter had to sacrifice his stinger to keep the rest of his body intact as The Hobgoblin overpowered him.

"I've told you how I'm better than Osborn – showed you that I am, now tell me, how are you better than the you from before!" The Hobgoblin angrily asked, both he and Spider-Man battling above the streets once more. Peter struggled to move in his domain, the absence of one of his web-shooters hindering his movement greatly and leaving him susceptible to The Hobgoblin's suffocating aerial assault, "Is it because you have new powers?" he shouted, flying around Peter who was barely able to keep up.

Unrelentlessly The Hobgoblin propelled himself towards Spider-Man, taking large swings at The Webslinger who just barely managed to pull himself away with his webs or contort his body just the right way, causing him to zoom past him.

Whatever gave The Hobgoblin his powers made him stronger than the Green Goblin, not as strong as Peter but his hide – his skin, turned the odds in The Hobgoblin's favor on a physical aspect and The Hobgoblin's wings had given him more prowess than the glider.

"What is this? Fanfiction? Oh, How do I make my M.C. better – more interesting? OOOH OOOH I know, I'll make him super-overpowered and screw every girl in the story!" The Hobgoblin laughed as he used his whole hand to conjure up a goblin blast of scorching heat which hit Peter directly in the shoulder, the pain of the burn leaving him too preoccupied to deal with the fact that he was falling.

He crashed down onto the street.

The Hobgoblin did the same, ceasing the movement of his wings and having gravity use his weight to send him onto the street with a loud 'boom.' Shattering it with his landing – with his power.

He looked past his hood with his hellish eyes, relishing in the sight of Spider-Man who grunted in agonizing pain from the quickly dying flame which burnt his shoulder.

"You think more power makes you better? Please don't ever pick up a pen," he laughed to himself, beginning his menacing walk towards the struggling hero, flourishing his eager blade.

The rampant flames generated by whatever mechanism were brought to new levels; the out-of-control, unshackled flames of the sword displaying The Hobgoblin's burning intent to eviscerate him from the face of the earth.

"Now, you see, I'm an honest believer that narratively a hero is better the more they struggle – the more they suffer!...But in the real world!" He yelled, bringing his sword overhead in a reverse grip, "THEY'RE BETTER OFF DEAD!" he brought it down with all his might, intending to impale the hero.

"No!" Laura growled, her claws instantly meeting the blade and stopping it from going further.

Crouching over Peter's body so that she could simultaneously protect him and meet the Hobgoblin's sword, her adamantium claws effortlessly endured The Hobgoblin's plasma sword much to his vexation.

Snarling fiercely like a rabid animal, The Hobgoblin eyed Talon as she did the same to the demon before her.

"You wretched interloper!" He viciously spoke through his teeth, using his strength to push against her claws and win the stalemate but with Peter Parker's life on the line, Laura Kinney refused to crumble against The Hobgoblin's daunting might.

Panicking immediately as Laura had joined in their fight, Peter from his fallen position immediately tripped up The Hobgoblin and threw him as far away as he could by his leg.

"Get out of here!" Spider-Man stood up, imploring her to get as far away from here as possible, "This isn't your fight!" having Laura fight The Hobgoblin was the last he ever wanted to happen right now.

"IT IS!" She snapped, glaring at the wounds and burns that adorned his body, her blood and anger reaching new heights at the sight before her.

Super Soldiers, Weapons, Norman Osborn, The Green Goblin, The Goblin Heir, Kraven, her nature, none of that mattered in the moment for her.

All that mattered was Peter Parker and the bittering, infuriating, wrathful idea of someone taking his life.

"And I'll end it!" She charged at The Hobgoblin who did the same, flying towards her, his sword eagerly craving for her head.

"YOU'LL BE ENDING YOUR PATHETIC LIFE FIGHTING ME GIRL!" he screeched, readying his sword for a strike but this was Talon – not Spider-Man, someone who was not just proficient, not just an expert, but one of the best.

Dodging his sword strike, she slashed across his side which caused him to agonizingly grunt and a punch from Peter who had quickly jumped in to assist Laura, capitalized on his distraction and sent the creature back the way he came.

The Hobgoblin dug his feet into the ground but immediately tumbled, realizing that his tendons had been slashed. He grit his teeth and recovered, using his Goblin strength - his tenacity to force his legs to bear his weight and allow him to wildly slash in a large arc behind him where he knew Talon was.

His sword being made of plasma and flame – wielded by The Hobgoblin who had monstrous strength and stamina, had practically no weight which allowed him to rapidly swing, leaving Laura no room to attack. She blocked each strike with her claws, finding that The Hobgoblin's speed was a perfect match for hers – a perfect match of Peter's.

But could his speed keep up with two?

Spider-Man joined in quickly and The Hobgoblin took the two teens on.

But the demon's speed allowed him to take both of them on.

With a petrifying open smile, The six-one devil weaved their barrage with his intense speed and agility, using one hand to wield his mighty sword and the other to use his demonic strength and control over scalding fire.

He pushed the two heroes reaction times and speed to their limits with his hastened attacks but with having his attention split between the two, the tag team duo had found that there were more chances of attack, and upon taking advantage of such chances, they quickly found themselves gaining the upper hand.

Snarling, he sent the two back with a burst of flames, using his wings to gain altitude and come up with a plan.

He hadn't counted on the rumors of Spider-Man's partner being true.

Even with his augmented form, handling both of them would prove to be a challenge.

It was why he didn't outright murder Kraven, putting the hunter in his place and having him settle for his partner while he went off to kill Spider-Man but even that paltry task seemed to be too much for him.

No matter, he would just –

He shrieked in utter pain, feeling the excruciating sensation of flesh tearing – the sting of cold metal piercing his back, causing him to fall back down on the ground in agony. Ears twitching, hearing the rustling of clothes in the wind and the singing of a metal, The Hobgoblin instantly turned around, using his sword to clash against the metallic spear which went for his heart.

"What are you doing?" The Hobgoblin hissed at Kraven who had just aimed to kill him, "They are the ones who we are supposed to kill, not me, you brain-dead dog!"

"I have not forgotten, demon! But Kraven The Hunter will not settle for seconds! I came here to kill the spider, to test my skills –"

"And I gave you the girl!" he angrily growled, pushing The Hunter's spear back, but moving with his spear, Kraven spun around and twirled his weapon, meeting The Hobgoblin's sword once more

"And I am taking her too, along with your head!" and with that declaration, The Hobgoblin found himself battling Spider-Man, Talon, and Kraven The Hunter.

Not a coward, The Hobgoblin was going to fight all three, however, he ceased his dash and screech when an odd feeling commanded him to look at his hand.

He narrowed his eyes in absolute loathing upon witnessing talons retract and the decay of skin.

He growled.

"You want to take them…FINE! JOIN THEM IN ANNIHILATION!" He yelled and in swift motion, he yanked his belt from his side and threw his pouches full of bombs far into the air, before clenching his hand as if he was hurting himself – pushing himself beyond his limit, and releasing a devastating beam of fire headed straight for a bag of explosives.

And in an instant, the blast eviscerated the pouches – igniting the bombs, in a blinding light and incinerating flame which enveloped the surrounding area in a catastrophic explosion which emitted frightening screams that jumbled together into a ghastly and deafening cry.

When the dust settled, Laura Kinney regained consciousness with her head throbbing, ears ringing, and nose blinded by the powerful and eye-irritating black cloud of smoke she was immersed in.

Body feeling like it unable to support itself and her once clean and brand new costume now torn and tattered, covered in soot in blood, Laura Kinney searched her surroundings – for Peter, her exposed emerald eye and her covered one scanning the area frantically, her last memory of the boy being him sheltering her from the blast.

Nose rendered useless, she urgently scoured the area for any indication of Peter Parker, not letting any of her injuries get in the way of the task.

Unintentionally, she found herself walking outside of the smoke cloud.

The Hobgoblin was gone.

Her emerald eyes instantly widened before angrily glaring; her claws followed suit as she caught sight of Kraven wielding his spear, facing her with an intense gaze.

He was also wounded, cuts from her and minor burns from the Hobgoblin's bombs decorating his body.

She grit her teeth.

He holstered his spear on his back.

Her claws remained ready.

"Smart, very smart," He praised her once more, "You have impressed me a lot Malen'kiy volk, you really have done well," he finished as he subconsciously spoke in his native tongue.

A tongue she understood.

"I could kill you and the Pauk, however, that would be beneath me, much less than either both you and him deserve. I will kill the both of you on my own terms, in our own battle, and when that happens Malen'kiy volk, one of us will not be walking out alive," Kraven said as he began walking away, stopping only once to look at her over her shoulder.

"Until then, sharpen your fangs little wolf, remember what I told you," he said with a grin before disappearing into the night.

He carried the scent of the mad demon's bombs with him, meaning that she could detect him while he fled, and she made sure he disappeared far from her range before taking her eyes off the direction he was in.

She could track him – yes, chase after him even, but that was not the most optimal thing to do.

Neither was it a priority right now.

Coughing in the distance had caught her attention.

She rushed towards the cough which belonged to a distinct voice she could instantly recognize, letting the sound of it guide her through the quickly fading smoke cloud.

Her heart skipped a beat when she caught sight of him, getting up on all fours, his costume looking even worse than hers.

Head throbbing and ears ringing, Peter Parker powered through all the pulsating pains to search for Laura, his train of thought already reaching levels of worry beyond all reason, but his heart stopped when he caught sight of her.

The two looked at each other, their minds sharing the same thought process before Peter Parker ultimately bolted her way and did something which overwhelmed her to lengths never reached before.

He hugged her.

"I'm so glad you're alright!" He graciously admitted, holding her tightly, smothering her and securing her limp body in his grasp.

She blinked a lot.

Her cheeks became rosy.

Her heart skipped multiple beats.

She did not know how to react.

"Wha…What are you doing?" she questioned, no indication of displeasure or a want of him to cease however he did so immediately upon hearing her question.

She was left…disappointed as Peter was left incredibly embarrassed.

"I was just ...sorry, I-" He stammered, trying to explain the brainless move he often displayed to those he cared about when his mind led him to new levels of worry, but to his comfort, the girl he just hugged had no issue with it.

"There…there is nothing to be sorry about," Laura slowly affirmed, regaining control over the profuse reaction which sparked within her – which touched her.

Peter nodded, fortunate that despite his mask being torn and patches of hair poking through the holes, his cheeks were still mostly covering the massive blush he had.

He lowered his gaze, unable to meet her eyes due to his embarrassment which was quickly put to the side, upon looking at the wounds which still hadn't healed.

"Hey, your wounds…they…" He instantly pointed out in a worried tone, but she quickly soothed his worries.

"They will heal, you should worry about yourself," She added with concern of her own, looking at the burns, lacerations, and bruises which adorned his body.

"I'm not really too good at that," Peter huffed before offering to use his webs to cover her wounds.

She told him that it would not be needed for they had stopped bleeding but he did it anyway.

She forced him to do the same for himself.

They were on a rooftop now, the streets quiet once again as the two gazed at the night sky.

"Looks like The villains got away – again," Spider-Man mumbled bitterly.

Standing behind him and gaze locked on his wounds, Laura lowered her gaze, "For the best…" she stated softly before her mind trailed back to the information given to her and memories of her actions and words played within her mind.

She had so many questions...

Norman Osborn was The Green Goblin.

He had something to do with Spider-Man's creation.

Wanted him to be his heir.

He probably also knew what Kraven had told her….that they were super soldiers…weapons.

She did not want to believe it but it would explain a lot.

Explain why he never called her by her number after she initially told him….

Why didn't he tell her about The Green Goblin's involvement? Why didn't he tell her that he too was a weapon? Why didn't he…trust her…?

What did being The Goblin Heir mean?

Her gaze fell lower.

"I don't like talking about it…but you get it…I wasn't kidding when I said we were two of a kind."

It raised, as a surprised expression found its way on her face.

He had.

He did tell her.

He just did it in his own, indirect way.

He did trust her.

And he never lied.

Though relieved at the thought, she was now left with questions of her own nature.

She could do more than kill but…could she ever stop?

"You are a wolf standing amongst lions, trying to live their way, trying to believe you are one of them, that you do not want to kill."

Every move when pushed was a killing blow.

Even though she claimed that she did not want to kill…

…she still made attempts to do so.

On Kraven…on the sex trafficker….

And she wanted to kill them both.

Wanted to kill The Hobgoblin.

Peter had told her that anyone can be a hero…but could she ever escape what The Facility had intended for her?

Was her nature really to kill?

She did not know.

Laura Kinney looked at the sky.

Peter Parker was doing the same, laughter and screams replaying in his mind.

Next: Farewell to The Amazing Spider-Man

How was it?

What was your favorite part?

I wanted to shorten this by like 2k words but I was like, nah, lets spoil you guys.

You don't know how long I've wanted to write this part, it's been in my head even before I left, back when I was writing the ending of the Lizard arc and I had a lot of fun writing this and it took like, a quarter of the time of chapter 14 did.

This and Brace yourself, and the next one are chapters im proud of.

This is the moment where this Peter Parker and the world will drastically deviate from the Spider-Man and world you know, if anything prior did not do that already.

This and the chapter before it also will show and dictate how our heroes will progress.

Writing will be easier now since I've set everything in place. The first act of this arc is done with the next chapter.

Yeah, I just did what I did with The Hobgoblin.

Anyone who knows, you know.

There is a very specific reason why I showed a very specific scene in Spider-Man vs The Green Goblin's final battle. Norman Osborn needs to reach a character point which allows for…well…things…lets just put it like that.

Not only is it just really sick, it plays well into themes and what I want to do with Peter and Laura.

The Goblins medieval/fantasy themes play well with an aspect of Laura that has been forgotten and I want to explore it.

I hope you guys liked these chapters, and I hope you'll like the next one cause after that, Peter Parker will be heading down a new path, and his cast will follow, with Laura Kinney at his right, and Johnny Storm at his left.

P.s: It is now canon That any Goblin(s) who appears or will appear in this story listens to opium.

Norman Osborn listens, well – listened, to Carti, Yeat, and Destroy Lonely.

Yeat x Dxnnyfxntom "Talk" and Destroy Lonely "If looks can kill," helped me write the fight.

Chapter Text

Spider-Man swung through the quiet desolate streets of New York City.

For once, there were no lines of taxis, no crowds of people underneath, no street performers nor preachers and musicians – just him, swinging through the empty skies alone.

The battle which had taken place was but a distant memory, the wounds already ceasing their bleeding, his body already healing for the next fight – the next conflict of his never ending crusade.

Johnny and Ben had gone to check on both him and Laura, both of them and the others of their little group sharing the same battle damage and the same outcome save for Johnny and Daredevil who had best their foes.

Peter walked Laura to the station, staying with his companion until her train arrived to take her to a place he would soon join her in.

Though, unlike their walk from earlier, the joyful comfortable presence the two normally had with each other was muted with somber melancholy, the both of them reflecting on what had transpired throughout this long and tiresome day.

There was a glimmer of light though – a small smile the two shared, when he offered her to wear his long sleeved undershirt for the striped tank top she wore was out of its element with the sun long gone – an offer she took appreciatively.

Peter Parker watched with distant eyes, the sight his lenses reflected, contemplating things.

Just when he thought his nightmare was over – that The Goblin was gone, a new one had come – not just embodying insanity but becoming it. The Hobgoblin was a step above The Green Goblin – not just containing but being able to manifest his hate in the physical form of burning fire.

He knew that Norman Osborn was The Green Goblin.

Did he also know who Spider-Man was?

How much did he know about Spider-Man and The Green Goblin?

Based on how he spoke – how the Hobgoblin wanted to see for himself as to why Norman was fixated on him, The Hobgoblin had some information on the twisted dynamic the two had but… but he didn't know who he was.

If the Hobgoblin did indeed know who he was, did indeed just want to kill him like he claimed, he would have snuffed Peter Parker out when he was sniveling in his room but he waited for Spider-Man.

Guess there are some secrets you keep to your grave.

The existence of The Hobgoblin only inclined him further to join The Charles Xavier Institute. Not only was it packed with fellow mutants who were powerhouses much above his league, it took Spider-Man out of Queens – away from Aunt May.

Prevented him to be followed.

Which would prevent The Hobgoblin from potentially doing what Norman did all those months ago….

Norman….

Peter Parker's brain recounted the various life changing memories which had transpired in just these few months alone.

"Peter Parker…Spider-Man…you? And you better not say 'that's none of your buis-"

Memories he could never forget played within his mind.

"X-23."

"Laura Kinney!"

Some of them were good.

"You're an idiot."

"He can hear that."

Some made him laugh.

"CAPTAIN STACY!"

"GWEN!"

"I KNOW WHAT I AM! I'M NOT A HERO! I'M NOT A PERSON! I'm a weapon…"

A lot broke his heart.

"You are a very noble and admirable idiot."

"If there is, I do not care."

While others fixed it.

However, most memories plunged his heart – summoned fourth wraiths which haunted him and dragged him down into the endless abyss.

He was in the dark again.

Constricted and bound by metals beyond his strength – metals which kept him in place while taloned gloves slowly and gently caressed his body, a gesture his aunt has done to him a thousand times – a gesture a parent does to their child to make them feel safe but this…this had the adverse.

The loving stroke – the caressing touch, made him want to jump out of his skin, sent tingles of absolute fear and despair throughout his tortured and bloodied body.

Made him feel helpless.

"The-The Spider made me, you-you didn't…" Peter Parker exclaimed, unable to comprehend – unable to accept what he had just been told.

A finger grazed his bleeding cheek, while the other felt unwelcomed heat

"And please do remind me just what kind of spider gives a person powers with a bite?" The malignant voice cooed within his ear causing every hair on his body to stand in utter fear.

"Do you remember where you were when it happened?" The voice excitedly whispered, the owner's hands gripping his shoulders, locking the squirming, bleeding, tear stained boy in place, forcing him to vividly remember that day…

"I was at a…science exhibition…at…at…"

"At?" The voice asked in a hastened impatient voice, eagerly wanting his knowledge to be shared.

" Oscorp… " Peter trailed off when realization of what that implicated soon washed over him but he jolted in absolute terror with his captor's abrupt actions.

"BINGO! Now you're getting it…" The Green Goblin excitedly yelled, leaping from his spot, ecstatically circling around Peter, his front barely illuminated by the window beside him which was the only source of light – the only thing which kept the darkness at bay.

"But…why…?" Peter's blue disconcerted eyes met the cavernous blank yellow ones of his captor.

"Why would we have spiders which give people powers? Well… It's because of this," The Green Goblin pulled out a green luminescent vial, smiling like the devil before pouncing on the boy – terrifying him to no bounds.

Peter struggled, whipping his head to the left and right, trying his hardest to escape, to stop The Goblin from getting a firm grasp but it was fruitless.

The Goblin's firm grip held his face in place, keeping his mouth forcibly open and eyes utterly petrified.

"Keep that away from me!" Peter shrieked but The Green Goblin laughed, taking great pleasure in the fear.

"Oh Peter, you're so quick to refuse…tell me…is your spider-sense tingling right now? And no, it's not going off because I disabled it," The Goblin stood up, giving the boy his space, allowing him to recover and search for the tingle that was nowhere to be found.

"It's not going off simply because you're pumped full of the stuff!" The Goblin laughed, chucking the vial behind him like common trash much to Peter's surprise.

"What?"

"That over there is what gave you your powers! It's what made you,  YOU! " The Green Goblin exclaimed, pointing at Peter Parker before chuckling in excitement and pointing at himself.

"AND IT'S WHAT MADE ME,  ME! " He stated loudly before freezing, a gesture Peter Parker knew all too well.

The Green Goblin's excited and lively posture fell, his smile too.

His mask was stuffed into his tunic as he stood strong and tall now, looking at Peter with a stern gaze and furrowed brow.

"Now listen up boy, 'cause I'm about to give you a history lesson," The commanding voice of Norman Osborn spoke, "What do you know of Captain America and The Weapons Plus program?"

Spider-Man came crawling into an empty, decrepit, and war-torn building, the result of his doing. It was abandoned, the only beings who occupied it being insects and ghosts.

He paced himself slowly and silently as if any harsh movement would awaken and anger the dormant spirits which slept within the forgotten building.

He moved his head, following the path phantoms took as they battled it out with all their might.

The spirits of the past – of the dead, warred against each other with explosive rage and words that were still fresh in his mind. Each step he took creaked the dusted rotting wooden floor which was stained with dried-up blood and explosive ash.

"Evolve or die Peter it's as simple as that – and we are evolution!" a ghost whispered within his mind.

He ceased his venture when he found himself in front of a wall.

A wall that had nothing but two holes pierced through the hard brick.

He looked at it and took a deep breath.

He took off his mask.

He lowered his gaze.

"Bet you weren't expecting me… Norman. I wasn't really expecting to visit here either… but…we have some unfinished business…" Peter Parker stared at the two holes, a mixed expression on his face as his mind summoned the unseeable figment of Norman Osborn: The Green Goblin.

"Peter, this is my father," Fourteen-year-old Peter Parker stared at the fabled billionaire father of his one and only friend.

The scrawny, barely a hundred-pound boy looked at the intimidating authoritative man with astonished yet frightened eyes.

The man returned the look which sparked the boy to take a step back but his amused smile ceased the gesture.

"My son says a lot about you," The oddly warm and gentle voice of Norman Osborn spoke as he analyzed the boy before him, "He tells me you're the smartest person he knows – even smarter than me," He finished with a raised brow and slightly threatening tone but that was quickly changed by a laugh upon seeing the boy's nervous stutter which attempted to sway such notions.

"That's a good thing, Peter, I'm glad Harry is friends with someone like you and I look forward to witnessing your smarts myself but that would have to be saved for another day, I have a business meeting I have to attend too," Norman ruffled the young boys head before turning to his watch and then his son.

"You two behave yourselves, alright? I have plenty of food in the fridge and the maids can assist you should you need help. If you wish to have any snacks or that dreadful fast food you kids seem to love, I've told them that you both have a hundred-dollar limit to spend on those wretched delivery services."

That was the first time Peter Parker met Norman Osborn, before the exhibition at Oscorp, before the Spider, before Norman Osborn gave into the insanity and hate in his heart.

It was a couple of weeks after he became friends with Harry, he took him to his condo at Billionaire's Row and they played as many games and ate as much food as they possibly could.

It was a good memory.

Very different from the last memory he had of him save for the one he was forging right now.

"Mr. Osborn left you something in his will."

"I thought it was over with your death – done – you forever out of my life," Peter huffed at the fond thought but it was swept to the side when he looked at his hand, "But I guess you'll always be a part of it, huh?"

The funeral for Benjamin Parker was a big one, neighbors, friends, and people he helped all attended and wept at the departure of such a great man.

The large and lavish service courtesy of his best friend's father – Norman Osborn, did the man who sought to always help, a man who was always kind, and just, and just amazing in every single possible way, justice.

The service was over.

Fifteen-year-old Peter Parker let the freezing November drizzle do the crying for him as he waited outside for his aunt who refused to leave.

Listening to cries and wails upon losing the man she loved was torture of the highest degree.

He wanted nothing more than to leave but he couldn't.

This was his penance.

Two men stood beside him.

He looked to his right to see the pristine and well-dressed form of…

Captain George Stacy, who looked at the boy with his slightly wrinkled face and bright blue eyes with a sympathetic and saddened gaze. The man who has most likely seen this sight hundreds of thousands of times didn't even hesitate.

He put his umbrella on the ground and knelt in front of the boy, soaking up and ruining his expensive suit, but he didn't care.

He wiped the boy's tears away with a handkerchief designed with a black and white American flag that had his name embroidered on it.

The young Peter Parker struggled to meet the Captain's warm gaze for even the slightest movement, the slightest acknowledgment, would tear him to pieces.

"Here, take it," The Captain's gentle voice said, placing the fine handkerchief on the surprised boy's chest, "You're gonna need it more than me," he held his shoulder – securing him, with his other hand.

Peter Parker sniffed, and he blinked, and he took it.

Wiping away the tears and mucus which came from his poorly contained sobs.

He let them go when the warm and tight embrace of the middle-aged man told him that it was alright to do so.

Peter Parker doesn't remember how long he took, all he remembers is that the kind man stood with him in the rain until he could no longer cry.

He remembers The Captain holding him tightly like his Uncle Ben does – did.

"It's going to be hard son…but…you'll…you'll be alright…I  know  it," The Captain gazed at him with a grim smile, eye's shining with hope and pride, "But remember son, you…you're not alone. If you ever need anything, anything at all, it doesn't matter how big or how small it is, you can always come to us. We'll always be here for you," He gestured towards the people around him, himself, Mr. Osborn, and Gwen who was in the distance, her expression mimicking her father's – telling him sternly that she would always be there for him.

The Stacies left him soon after, giving him his space.

"You know I've lost someone important too," Norman Osborn broke his silence, staring into the distance as the young Peter Parker looked at him. "She was the most beautiful, most kind woman I've ever known…I loved her with all my heart," Norman stated, his voice and expression stoic, holding back the emotions he very rarely displayed.

"Loss is something we all go through – all live with…You're a strong boy Peter and I know you'll be able to live with it too – you have to, for your aunt, for the memory of your Uncle," Norman encouraged the boy who was simultaneously riddled, encouraged, and determined by his words.

"I know this is a poor time but I've been meaning to tell you that your internship at Oscorp has been approved and no, it has nothing to do with your ties to me. You got in by pure wit alone," Norman praised the boy next to him.

"Uncle Ben would've been proud…" Peter Parker mumbled, using Captain Stacy's handkerchief to wipe the tears which refused to cease.

"You know…I've had…I've had plenty of time to think to myself…about you…about Gwen…about me…and what you told me all those months ago and I…I just wanted to say… you were right…" Peter admitted, unable to look at the marks of death before him.

"You were right about us being the same, about who we really are…" He looked at his mask.

"I tried and I tried, but as the days passed… the voices grew louder until I could no longer stay in my room…and then I heard the call…." He looked at himself within his reflection, smiling just a little bit for a brief moment.

He took a deep breath.

"I told you we were nothing alike back then, but…that was me just trying to hurt you like you hurt me…but…you were right though…you were right about a lot of things…" he shamefully looked to the side.

"I did want to kill you on that night for what you did to Captain Stacy…to me… and that time on the bridge…and after…" He clenched his fists, digging his nail deep into his hand, trying to summon the endless hatred he had for the man.

"SHE WAS ALIVE! A LIVING BEING WHO YOU KILLED! AND YOU'RE RAGING ABOUT A %&* BARGAIN-BASEMENT TOY?"

"LIFE? YOU TALK TO ME ABOUT LIFE? WHAT WORTH IS THERE IN THE WASTED EXISTENCE OF A USELESS FEMALE WHO NEVER DID MORE THAN OCCUPY SPACE!"

But he released his hand, the fire he once had now nothing more than cold ashes.

"I understand now…" he turned back to where he imagined Norman to be, "After being alone in the dark too…I understand why you hated everyone."

Gwen Stacy died at one-twenty-one am.

Norman Osborn died at two-fourteen.

It was at three in the morning when a devastated, wounded, and broken Peter Parker finally let all his emotions lose.

But even he couldn't do that because the news blamed him – Him, for everything that The Green Goblin had done…

"Truth is Norman…I felt the same way once. For a very long time I wouldn't have cared if the whole world burned, and maybe if things played out differently, I would've wanted it too…"

Fourteen-year-old Peter Parker was running for his life, screaming in absolute terror when he found that the alley he had run into was a dead end.

He stared at the group which pinned him down, a mix of seniors, sophomores, juniors…and freshmen, all of them with their phones out as a blonde-haired boy he once knew stepped out of the crowd.

When it was all over, his body, his stuff, his clothes, his glasses were all left torn and destroyed – again.

He could not stand for even attempting to do so brought him great pain.

He slammed his fist against the ground, growling and snarling in pure anger as hate-filled tears streamed down his face.

"But I had my Uncle Ben and Aunt May to show me that…there were good things in the world, that light and love didn't always hurt," Peter Parker smiled, recalling the various memories he had.

"C'mon Kenny Anderson, let's see if you can get past me!" the joyful voice of Uncle Ben challenged as a young thirteen-year-old Peter Parker duked it out with him in his middle school's outside Basketball court.

Aunt May was sitting to the side, cheering him on as he poorly dribbled the ball, his mouth open wide with excitement and joy.

That was the first memory he had of ever scoring in a game.

"But you…you were all alone…"

"We both hated the world, both felt like we should take what was owed to us, but more importantly, we were both afraid of being alone…" Peter Parker's voice cracked.

Four-year-old Peter Parker was in his Aunt and Uncle's home, playing around with the both of them one last time, his stuff packed and ready to be picked up by his returning parents.

There was a knock on the door and his Aunt ushered him to get his stuff as his Uncle answered it, expecting it to be them.

It wasn't.

"I still am…I always will be…" He always had the crippling fear of losing the ones he loved ever since his parents.

His worst nightmares being him…alone…in the dark, forever.

Peter Parker rubbed his eyes, pausing to keep up the dam which kept his emotions at bay before returning to what he had to say to the man responsible for so much.

"I get why you did all the things you did to me…I was the only person you saw yourself in, and you so desperately wanted me to see things your way just so you weren't alone anymore…I get all of that now, because…because I've met someone like me too recently…"

"She's been through a whole lot – more than we have. Where you were groomed to be a man, and where I – by you, to be your heir, she was made to be a weapon at birth…but…the crazy thing is, she didn't hate the world because of it…she hated herself instead…" Peter's heavy-hearted voice lifted up, his eyes getting brighter as he stared at the spot, continuing to speak about the girl who meant so much to him.

"She's endured the same – if not worse things than us and still strives to do what's right – what's good…" Peter Parker smiled in amazement, thinking about the girl who had snikt-ed her way into his life, his heart beating faster and faster – color returning to his eyes.

"For a time, I thought that if I lost anymore I'd end up like you…but when I look at her – when I see her still strive to do good things despite all that's happened to her…I know that's not true anymore," he lifted his head up high, memories of the girl flooding into his brain, moving him – inspiring him.

"You once told me that 'we are who we chose to be,' you were right. Yeah…maybe there is the same darkness in my heart which is found in yours, maybe there is a Goblin in me…but…I have a choice and I'll keep choosing the light no matter how much it hurts because it's right – it's good…it's what she would do…it's what my Uncle Ben would do…it's what I would do…" He said with the utmost resolve, pounding his mask to his chest – to his heart, as he thought about the people he looked up to.

A blonde-haired idiot, a raven-haired beauty, a father he would forever look up to, an aunt he loved dearly, a captain who stood by him at every turn, and a living legend who was responsible for his creation.