Chapter Text
Editing credits for this chapter go to FallFell!!!
Spiders have been tangled up in their fair share of folklore and legends. The Greek Goddess of War and Knowledge, Athena, turned the seamstress of legend, Arachne, into one as punishment for her hubris. The ancient legend weaved creativity and artistic expression into their identity. Tsuchigumo and Jorogumo appear in the stories of Japan as monstrous Yokai that feast on humans, ensnaring fear and death, as well as transformation, into part of their being. On the contrary, Islamic tradition describes the Prophet Muhammad receiving aid from a spider, which makes our arachnid friends creatures of divine intervention and protection. All of these traits and many more are what create what we see in spiders. And of course, only one person has embodied this balance of creation and destruction so well, serving as a protector of our world.
His name is Spider-Man.
Peter Parker lived a normal life for any man his age. He worked a job to support his family and came home from work tired, but happy to see them. His 41st birthday had just passed, and the summer made a fast approach right behind it. His daughter, the young May Parker, had just finished her last day of school for the year and walked in the door of the home Aunt May left behind for Peter and the family. “We’re home!” Mayday announced, excitement brimming from her very breath as she burst through the door. She had finally returned home to start the summer vacation she’d been waiting for since September.
“Mayday,” Her mother quickly hollered back from her kitchen, “You’re gonna do me a favor and define who’s involved in ‘we’, right?” Mrs. Parker had expected that she’d only be feeding three mouths tonight. But her daughter had a habit of bringing unexpected guests over the house at the last minute, specifically when she was the least ready.
The daughter’s response came not in the form of words, but laughter and hustled footfall as she ran upstairs to her room. Mrs. Parker sighed as she quickly trotted over to the fridge, praying there was more food to cook, “You and your friend better be ready to wait until your father’s home!” She shouted, dowsing through her abundant, yet completely unneeded plethora of options.
“Do you need an extra set of hands, MJ?” oh, how she loved a last-second miracle, “Sounds like you might need ‘em.”
Mary Jane Parker pivoted on her heel, relieved to find the extra person Mayday dragged in a familiar face. It was the handsome young man she watched mature into her husband over the past 25 years. “Hey, Tiger,” she still stared at him how she used to. Those hazel eyes always greeted her with compassion and affection since high school. “Wasn’t expecting to see you home so soon,” she smiled, finding out Mayday’s special guest was her father. Hopefully.
“Wrapped up all of my project notes early. Double-checked with the director, he was fine with me takigng off a little early. Figured I could pick the girls up from school.” He let Mary Jane press her hands against his chest, and prepared himself for a customary greeting kiss.
But MJ noticed something in his words that made her rear back at the last moment, “She brought Saya home with her, didn’t she?”
“Yes, but I grabbed extra groceries.”
His wife huffed in relief, “You’re amazing,” she murmured as she planted the kiss on his lips. “Girls, dinner in thirty!” MJ directed her gaze towards Peter once more, “You know what the plan is?” He blissfully nodded. Of course, he knew what the plan was. Mayday always looked forward to a certain food whenever she had a big event to celebrate. Whether it be her birthday or acing her finals, she knew there’d be a shared favorite of hers and her dad’s awaiting her that night. “Alright. Show me those cooking skills again, Petey.” Peter began to work according to the direction of MJ’s finger. He plopped a bag of groceries onto the island and began mixing ingredients into a pan, making more of the sauce for this highly anticipated dinner.
“So, how’s your day been, sweetie?” MJ had begun unpacking her husband’s groceries by this point, relieved to see he bought the right brands. He usually did, but as of recently, he’d been making little slip-ups. She hoped that if he was getting the right groceries again, that meant work hadn’t been overloading him either.
Peter replied as he watched the pan, “Good, it was good! Finally, out of the whole hiring dilemma we were having with the software team. The new guy in my department’s been doing quite well, too.”
“What was his name again? Miguel… Mater-”
“Miles!” Peter caught her before she could make his laughter worse, “He’s a human, not a tow truck.”
She jokingly gasped, pretending to be offended by his quippy retort. “Well, sorry, Pixar Pete! I was just trying to remember!” MJ reached over to backhand her husband in the bicep, and then quickly tossed her arm around him, just in case he needed the reminder she was only kidding. “That’s great to hear he’s doing so well though. Miles sounds like a great kid.”
“Oh, he is,” Peter agreed. “He’s almost too good to be true. I’ve been introducing him to some of the projects I’ve been working on and he’s picking them up right away. It’s strange, he’s almost like-” his head lurked out to the doorframe, double checking to make sure nobody else would hear him, “It’s almost like he’s become my work-son, it’s crazy.”
“Damn.” MJ smirked, “That’s impressive, he’s only like… what? 24?” She gave a gentle rub against his back before returning to the groceries, as well as grabbing a couple of mixing bowls she had been using earlier.
“About to be 25, yeah. And he’s getting it so quickly, it’s amazing. Apparently, his physics degree's helping him understand most of it.” Peter stopped speaking for a moment, thinking fondly about the new hire’s work. “He's really impressed me in a lot of ways.”
A pause came to their conversation as they worked, both of them with the idea of their ‘children’ in mind. Though, MJ’s thoughts about it differed a bit from Peter’s… “So…” He should’ve known she’d bring this up again sooner or later, “Since you seem to be enjoying having a work-kid so much… Any new thoughts on bringing another into our family?”
Peter sighed, he really hadn’t been thinking much about it at all since they discussed it last week. But that’s the last thing he wanted to say, both for MJ and himself. “Well…” If he was going to think about it, talking through his thoughts would probably be the best way to do that right now. “Are you going to be okay with having four people at the table everyday?”
“Oh please, the only reason it bothers me with Mayday is because she doesn’t tell me until the last second,” she remarked, “I can absolutely keep a second kid fed,” she scoffed lightly. “You doubting me?” She teased.
“You think I can when she plays Friend of the Week with you this often?” Peter quipped back, “And we definitely would be able to support another little one financially,” he really didn’t want to say no, or imply that he was going to. In totality, he didn’t think he would mind having a second kid. There was just one small problem in the back of his mind…
“Mhm…” His wife agreed. “And if money does become a problem, I can always take on a couple more shifts at work. And I’d imagine once Mayday’s situated with a job, she could help out every now and again.”
“Yeah, absolutely,” The money wasn’t his concern at all though. Even with a second kid, it’d be shocking to think MJ would need to pick up any hours in the slightest. “What about how dangerous it is here though? Spider-Man’s fighting off super-villains pretty often nowadays...”
MJ clicked her tongue, she couldn’t deny that he had a good point, “Counter-argument: thanks to Spidey, we’re safer from bad guys then… Wait.” She gasped, a thought hit her mind harder than a punch from the Hulk. “Wait, is that what this is about?” She stepped away from the bowls immediately, the realization hijacking her focus. Peter’s lack of response told her enough, “You know that wasn’t your fault, right? I don’t know about you, but when a crazy person dressed up like a rhinoceros is charging around the streets, it makes sense that it’s pretty hard to get to-”
“MJ, I-” She instantly stepped and the moment Peter stopped her. Dammit, why did he interrupt her like that? “Sorry… I want to talk about this properly, and it’s definitely a talk we should have. And soon,” He stepped away from the pan for a moment to place his arms on MJ’s shoulders, “This isn’t something I want to dance around. And I’m not trying to, I swear. But… can we at least wait until it’s just us in the house before we talk about that?”
MJ waited, caught in pondering concern for a moment. But soon enough, she broke the silence, wrapping her arms around Peter. “Just promise me you’re not coming from a place of guilt with this? Because seriously, you being upset about it is really understandable, but I’m not letting you take responsibility for something you had no control over.”
She cracked a sheepish grin loose from him, “I promise, MJ,” he answered before planting a kiss on her forehead. “I promise.”
Mayday and Saya rushed down the stairs as they heard MJ call for them; her exclaiming “Dinner’s ready!” and ringing an ornate little bell in the doorframe of the dining room. Upon their arrival, the scents of lemon and parsley welcome them to their seats. The girls found themselves treated to a family favorite, chicken francese.
Peter had only walked into the room before the two began reaching to fill their plates. “At least let me sit down before we start dinner, geez!” He joked, taking his seat. This moment invoked that thought yet again, of having a second child of his and MJ’s at the table. Sure, Saya’s more awkward and stoic nature is probably not something a future child of theirs would inherit. But that excitement and sisterly love she has for Mayday? That was definitely something they’d get. Even with the fact of her coming from a different family, Peter couldn’t help but think of her as one of their own at this moment.
“And we’re saying grace before we eat, young ladies!” The teenagers groaned in annoyance at MJ, but followed her directions note for note. As always. Mayday reached for her mother’s hands while Saya took hold of one of her friend’s and one of Peter’s. Closing their eyes in respect, MJ began the prayer. “Give us this day, our daily bread…” Normally she’d carry out this little dinner ritual a bit slower, but the girls seemed starving with how they attacked the food so instantly. She supposed she could speed it up a little, just for them.
With their moment of prayer quickly passed, the girls picked up where they left off, ravaging the supper like famished little beasts. It was a miracle May’s parents could get any answers to their questions about how the last day of school was for either of the two. It was only after they finished eating that they discovered Mayday had received a profession of love from a young boy just a grade below her. “But it was rather romantic,” Saya noted while Mayday rambled on about how tough it was to shoot him down.
“Well, yeah, but I don’t want my summer getting hijacked by a boy! Of course, I was gonna say no!” Mayday retorted.
“I’m just saying, not many women get a confession like that often,” Peter and MJ shared a glance. Did they detect a hint of jealousy in Saya’s voice?
Mayday glared back, “Okay, I’ll play wingman for you and Lie next semester. How’s that?”
“Ew! What? I don’t like him, what?” Saya shouted, hiding her face in her hoodie.
“Then stop blushing and watching him shadow-box so often then!” Mayday exclaimed. “Seriously, I hardly saw you at all after school this year with how often you did.” She pouted with folded arms.
Peter popped his brows to MJ as if to say, ‘Your turn,’ as MJ mouthed back for him to speak up. Somehow, she fell for the puppy dog eyes he replied to her with. Astonishing that it still worked with a well-groomed beard on his face. She rolled her eyes before giving in, “Is now a good time to ask who this ‘Lie’ is?”
“Nobody, he’s just a guy-”
“Lie Lin, upcoming senior class,” Mayday immediately gave her mom the answers Saya definitely wouldn’t. “Long term foreign exchange student from China, best martial artist in the school by far, was homeschooled by his monastery in Shanghai before spending high school here and keeping up his Kung Fu training here. Practices a lot on the football field with his sword and in hand to hand.” Saya’s jaw dropped, unable to gasp from her breathlessness. “What? I interviewed him for the yearbook a couple of times over the past year. Apparently he’s moving back home after graduation while he sorts out what he wants to do for college.”
“Are you kidding me?!” The Parkers have never seen Saya get this energetic before. They practically felt her anxiety ripple through their bodies as she shot up from her seat. “No, you’re joking, right?”
Mayday shook her head hesitantly. “No, that’s what he told me when I asked about his plans after high school.”
Saya froze in grief. She’d been so nervous to talk to him for months, thinking she was so awkward or weird to even be seen around him. But now she was on a time limit? “Is he planning to come back for college? O-or is he-” Her voice became faster and more frantic, losing what little composure remained to a worried mind.
“Woah, Saya, slow down. You’re getting shaky.” Maybe Mayday shouldn’t have mentioned that last bit. She was now sweating bullets trying to settle her best friend down.
“Saya, sweetie, drink a little water.” MJ suggested, reaching across the table to grab her water and lift it up to her.
Saya’s trembling hands took the glass, and brought the liquid to her lips. She exhaled heavily as she put the now empty cup down. Her hair fell over her eye in the heat of the moment. “Thank you, Mrs. Parker.” she slowly spoke while pushing the dyed purple back to her wavy black locks.
“It’s okay, sweetie. You still have a whole year. You can absolutely still squeeze in a little time with him before he goes,” MJ suggested. The poor girl should at least talk to him once before he’s gone, she thought.
Her daughter’s friend shrugged. “That’d be nice if there was a way to make it happen without just bombarding him in the hallway or something.”
“I can always ask if he’s around, I have his number.” Mayday offered. “Can’t get as many interviews with him as I do without that.”
“So… what? You’d set me up on a date with him before he leaves?” Saya pondered. Mayday wasn’t kidding about playing wingman for her, was she?
May shook her head, “Nope. Just a casual hangout with me, you, and any of his other friends he wants to invite. Just a little chance for some chit-chat, give you guys a chance to hit it off, you get his number and then boom! You’re set to do whatever you really want involving him after he leaves for a year.”
Peter smirked, “That’s a pretty solid idea,” he conceded. “Worst case scenario, you at least get to talk to him a little and get the groundwork for a friendship laid.”
Saya shuffled her feet back and forth as she contemplated. “Uh, maybe, I don’t know. We’ll see.”
Peter scoffed, but kept his grin through it. “Well, you aren’t going to make as good of decisions on an empty stomach. Go on and eat. Before it gets cold.”
“Mm! Right!” Saya quickly sat back down, pulling her chair back into the table, “Thank you, Mr. Parker.”
Later on that night, New York City stayed as noisy as it was in broad daylight. The people throughout the bureaus added to the hustle and bustle of the honking horns flooding the streets. The flashing lights and blasting sounds made for the perfect camouflage to a lone hunter out in the concrete jungle. He stalked his prey from the shadows, hiding with weapons at the ready as he gazed at iconic Stark Tower. It had been a long time since a famous team of heroes were called together here. Now it was a reminder of the past. But the Hunter craved much more than nostalgia of the simpler days.
Unyielding tough claws sank into the tower’s metal frame as the lone predator began the treacherous climb. A surveillance light passed over him but failed to be aware of his presence. “Works like a charm!” A husky russian accent whispered pridefully through his invisibility. He continued on, unphased as he clawed his way onto the top balcony of the skyscraper. His feet touched the floor of what once was the Avengers Headquarters. “Finally!” he laughed as he wandered. “Now, what’s next?” The once hidden villain came uncloaked unveiling the skin-tight suit resembling a black feline, complete with claws built into the gloves and ears adorning the mask. Accents of purple along the back formed something resembling the stripes of a tiger. He revealed this new costume to the world. And the building security cameras. “Oops,” he snarled with a shrug as the alarms blared. He didn’t bother to recloak.
MJ had already settled in for the night, but Peter found himself halted from his homely sleep. The wristwatch he wore to work blared with an emergency alarm, jolting his attention away from his bed. Peter groaned in reluctance, knowing that as much as he wanted his day to end, this was part of the job description. ‘INTRUDER IN STARK INDUSTRIES TOWER,’ read the text of the watch. With a quick snatch the watch was secured to his arm. “Of course, the one night May has her friend sleepover ends up being a superheroing night-” At least MJ wasn’t up right now. He’ll never understand how she did it, but that alarm never got her out of bed no matter how horrible of a time it rang at.
But he couldn’t worry about his sleeping wife right now. Stark Industries needed help.
Peter reached beneath his bed, pulling out his briefcase he always brought to work with the Stark Industries branding across the front. He hustled to the room across the hall and locked the door. Nobody could walk in on him ‘using the bathroom.’ As many times as he’s run through the motions of unlocking the briefcase and opening the hidden compartment, he never slowed down when it came to dawning the iconic reds and blues.
A blur suddenly thwiped out of the window and yanked it closed behind him with a strand of silky white. A red gloved hand hid away the Stark Industries briefcase in the bushes. In an instant, the masked hero shot across the rooftops, traversing the night sky into the city. Within only a couple of mere moments, Peter Parker was a being of the past, and Spider-Man had joined the hunt.