Chapter Text
(Present Day) August 1, 2027
A news chopper is flying near the top of a tall building. The cameraman points his camera at the building’s spire, where a man clad in a blue and red costume with a shite spider emblem on the front is perched on top. The reporter on board the chopper begins his statement as it hovers from a distance, camera zoomed in and focused on the odd figure.
“This is New York 1 chopper reporting live from Pa…”
The man in red and blue pays no mind to the broadcast whatsoever. The man has his eyes closed, and appears to be in deep focus.
As the broadcast continues, a crowd begins to form beneath him. People starting taking out their phones, and pointing them at him. He is used to the attention. Any chance people get, they’re going to take pictures or videos of him, whether in action, or simply doing other unremarkable things. Today, however was different.
“Over there!”
“It’s him!”
“Obviously! It’s on the news!”
“Someone get a picture!”
The man chuckles at the various chatter from below. He is feeling nostalgic. Afterall, it’s not everyday one gets to-
His thoughts were cut short from sounds of police sirens, and speeding vehicles from a distance.
‘Way too early for a chase’ He thought.
Eyes still closed, he turned his head towards the direction of the commotion. He takes a deep breath, and leaps off the building’s spire. The people scream, not in terror, but in awe.
Before he could hit the ground, he aims his arms up, taps something on his palm using his middle and ring fingers, and suddenly a string of what appears to be a silk-like substance shoots from his wrists and sticks to the nearby buildings. Using those, he propels himself upwards, and starts swinging towards the direction of the commotion, high-fiving a couple of pedestrians along the way.
Just as he was making his way there, a ringing could be heard. Answering the call, there was a pop-up from within his mask and blocking just a small corner from his overall vision.
“Spider-Man.” The caller called out to him. “We have a situation. One of Stark Industries’ trucks carrying dangerous artillery has just been high-jacked.”
“Well, good morning to you too Yuri!” The man known as Spider-Man greeted cheerfully as he continues to swing across the city. “Don’t tell me your team is having problems handling just a mere robbery.” Spider-Man said jokingly.
The woman – Yuri replied, tried to sound unimpressed. “You know as well as I that there isn’t usually just one person involved. It’s a moderately sized group. All armed.”
“Any casualties?” Spider-Man asked worryingly.
“None.” Yuri replied reassuringly.
“Good.” Spider-Man said, relieved. “Out of curiosity, how the hell did they managed to pull off a heist against Stark Industries?”
“Apparently it was an inside job. The C.E.O. is currently away in D.C. for a showcase. It was their head of security, Harold Hogan, who made the call. He only noticed it after they made off with everything in the truck.”
That still made Spider-Man scratch his head in confusion. He knows the C.E.O. pretty well.
“Alright, I'm gonna have a word with that idiot once this is over.”
Before Yuri could reply, the sound of gunshots could be heard.
“Yuri?!” Spider-Man called out, panicking.
“We’re alright!” Yuri told him with bated breath. “We’re close to the truck, but we can’t get any closer without getting shot at. Please get here quickly!”
“Already on my way!”
With that Spider-Man ends the call and starts picking up speed with his swinging. He starts to hear police sirens and knows he’s getting close. After a couple more swings, he finally spots the truck as it was crossing the Brookyln Bridge.
He continues to swing past the police cars, and finally caught-up with the truck. He made sure he was at a high enough vantage point that he wouldn’t be spotted.
‘7…. no 10.... definitely 12’ He said to himself as he listened for the heartbeats coming from the truck.
Spider-Man surveyed the scene. From what he could tell, none of them have spotted them yet, and bridge is mostly clear of civilians.
“Yuri must’ve called for an evac as soon as she figured out where they were headed. Always ahead of the game.” Spider-Man noted to himself, approvingly.
“Alright then, this makes my job easier.”
Without the presence of civilians, the hero wouldn’t need to worry about dividing his time between stopping the criminals, and saving people. This time around, he could just focus on stopping this.
“Call Captain Yuri.” He said to his suit, which did just that.
“Spider-Man.” Yuri answered.
“Yuri, I’m at the bridge and out of sight. I can disarm them with my webs, but I need you guys to draw their attention.”
“Copy.” Yuri then disconnected the call.
From what he could see below, the police are keeping the thieves’ attention by firing warning shots. Before the thieves could respond in kind, Spider-Man immediately took action.
“Hey!” He called out as he shot webs at their weapons and takes them, disarming them immediately. He then lands on top of the truck in front of them.
“Didn’t your parents ever teach you these things aren’t toys?”
“Spider-Man?!” One of them yelled, frustratingly.
“The one and only!” He quipped with a bow.
The goons have now pulled out knives and extra pistols.
“The boss said there was a chance you would’ve interfered!”
“Of course I would.” Spider-Man remarked. “Now, we could just do this quietly and you guys can just turn yourselves in. We really don’t need to escalate this to a fight. We all know I’d wipe the floor with you anyway.”
He wasn’t wrong. He knows it, and the thieves know it. Over the years it has been made abundantly clear that there was more to Spider-Man’s strength than he initially lets on. While he has never outright confirmed it, the people he fought have started to have the inkling suspicion that Spider-Man was more focused on incapacitating his opponents in a non-lethal manner using his webs rather than just winning the fight out-right.
The goons knew they stood no chance, but with so much money on the line, they just couldn’t resist. So against their better judgement, they began to charge at, and shoot Spider-Man.
“Come on guys.” Spider-Man remarked as he dodges a few bullets. “I don’t exactly have all day!”
“Then stand still you bug!” One them said yelled in frustration as he attempts to stab the hero on the side, to which Spider-Man dodged.
“No thank you. Do you know how expensive medical costs are in the U.S.? Especially nowadays?” Spider-Man said, as he webs the attacker to the top of the trailer.
A tingling sensation then comes to him, and his body weaves out of the way of an incoming bullet.
“I mean seriously!” He catches another one by the arm and webs him up to the trailer. “Rent’s bad enough, but come on!”
He jumps over several bullets, and uses his webs to yoink them out of their hands.
“I actually saw an animated short about this.”
He dodges another knife. Spider-Man effortlessly weaved through all their incoming attacks as if they were nothing while he continues talking
“So a cartoon character got into a car accident, right? Okay. So she hears sirens and spots an in-coming ambulance. Normally that would be a good thing. You’re injured, you get help. The problem is was that those medics were doing an evil laugh while they’re driving their way toward her. She saw them and was like “Oh no! I can’t afford that ambulance!” Then she starts booking it. The medics chasing her were like, “Stop! We just wanna charge- I mean help you.” And starts sucking the money out of her pockets with a vacuum cleaner I think.”
One by one he disarms, and webs each one without as much of an issue, while his attackers grew increasingly frustrated.
“The lead character then started getting dizzy, not from the injuries, but from losing too much money. She then rolls down a cliff into a bed of thorns. She thought she got away, but then she was suddenly strapped to a stretcher, and this IV started sucking out money from her wallet and – oh we’re done.”
He didn’t even notice it, but all the goons have been defeated, webbed to the trailer and groaning in pain and frustration. He sighs and shakes his head.
“Come on guys. What’s the moral lesson of this story?” He chides them, like a mother scolding her children.
“Don’t trust hospitals?” One of them replied, deadpanned.
“Uh, no? That would be stupid. It’s important to go to the hospital to get treated.”
His assailants stared at him blankly, clearly unimpressed. Spider-Man then quickly defended himself.
“Okay, I know that sounds hypocritical coming from me, but…” He drawls out. “I’m a special case! I can’t just have my blood out there. What if they I.D. me or something?” He reasoned, though omitting other very valid reasons.
“Pretty sure you have a lot of your blood already out there.” One of the goons muttered.
Spider-Man shrugged. “Okay, fair point.”
In all his time as Spider-Man, he has been shot, stabbed, and beaten. The hero is often seen with cuts and gashes from stopping crime. It’s a miracle no one has ever gotten a hold of his blood yet, given how reckless he could be.
“But what I’m trying to say is that prevention is better than cure.” He continued. “You won’t be needing to go to the hospital if you don’t do something like this in the first place. I mean, I guess I can’t exactly blame you for taking up this job if money’s tight, but you’re also putting a lot of people at risk, and it’s not like you’ll be the ones paying for their medical bills. I mean seriously, you guys can’t just-“
“JUST GET THIS OVER WITH ALREADY, PLEASE!” One of the goons yelled, clearly having enough of his chatter, while the others groaned in agreement, and frustration.
“Ugh. Fine. I was just trying to impart some wisdom. Tough crowd today.” Spider-Man said jokingly.
He crawls down and knocks on the driver’s side window.
“Mr. Criminal?”
The driver rolls it down, clearly agitated.
“Hey! My name’s Spider-Man.” The hero greeted gleefully. “You can call me Web-Head, you can call me Amazing. Just don't call me late for dinner. You get it?”
The driver attempts to punch him, but Spider-Man caught his fist, and webbed it to the car doors.
“As much as I’d like to continue this conversation, this needs to stop.” Spider-Man said.
The guy groans in frustration as Spider-Man then proceeds to web the man’s foot to the breaks, effectively stopping the vehicle in its tracks before it could cause more damage.
“So…” The hero drawls out as the truck finally stopped. “Are you a shaker-“ He offers his hand to shake. “-or a hugger?” He spreads his arms out for a hug.
“I’m a killer!” The man’s pulls out a pistol with his free hand, but Spider-Man quickly used his webs to disarm him.
“Whoa, okay. None of the above.”
At that, he hears police sirens approaching, and decides to gather all the criminals in one spot for the police to collect. As he finished up, he spots the police cars, and quickly takes this as his cue to leave. He shoots out a web and hoists himself up, salutes the police, and quickly swings away as they are thanking him.
Later, he waits on top of the roof of a building with a camera in hand, taking pictures of the scenery. As he was doing so, he hears footsteps from behind him. He knows who they belong to, so he doesn't need to be on guard.
“Good job out there.” The voice of Captain Yuri Watanabe says from behind him. He turns around to greet her.
“You too. The mopped-headed idiot really should invest more into his security.”
Captain Yuri snorts. “Believe me. Mr. Hogan said he intends to, and I’m quoting him on this one “scream in his ear about this until he finally gives a damn”.”
“Yikes. But shouldn't that be Happy's job anyway?” Spider-Man quipped. “What about whatever was in that truck? Are they still good?”
Yuri raised a brow. “You never checked?”
Spider-Man shrugged. “Heard you guys coming. Didn’t really get the chance to.”
Yuri sighed and leaned her arms forward on the parapet wall. "Yes. They're all intact. You know they won't shoot you. Right?"
Ever since becoming Spider-Man, his vigilantism was never looked upon favorably by law enforcement. What he did was technically still illegal, and as such, they were given orders to take him into custody. It got better after he got recruited by Tony Stark for a "mentorship". A time Peter didn't exactly looked back upon too fondly. Still, it at least got the NYPD to at least lay off him for a bit.
The real turning point however was what has been forever been etched into history as "The Decimation", where half of all life in the universe turned to dust at the hands of of the mad titan named Thanos.
Yuri Watanabe was hesitant to accept his help at first, viewing his vigilante justice as taking the law into his own hands, but she couldn’t help but agree with the results. In the first 3 years since The Decimation, crime in the city has gone down immensely. After witnessing him lift up a whole building to keep it from falling on civilians, and not even asking for anything in return, Yuri and the rest of the NYPD have come to accept him, and even made him an honorary member of their forces, complete with a badge, and contact info. She had become his main point of contact within the force, as they can see that he deemed her to be the most trustworthy among them.
Spider-Man sighed and leaned against the parapet wall next to her. "Sorry. Just... force of habit I guess. That or the caffeine coursing through my veins. Seriously, it's way too early for this." He finished with a yawn.
Yuri chuckled in agreement. "Comes with the job." She then straightened up. "As for who did this, it would appear that they were former Stark Industries employees with a grudge against the C.E.O. for firing them."
Spider-Man scoffed. "More like Buster weeded them out."
Yuri quirked a brow. She understood what he meant, but the nickname confused her. "Buster?"
Spider-Man giggled. "It's what we call him. He's pretty bad at poker. Actually any game involving gambling."
Yuri smiled in amusement. "And let me guess. That's how they started calling you "Ace" because you're the exact opposite."
"We'd have to play a couple of games for you to find out." Spider-Man replied cryptically.
Yuri shook her head in amusement. "It's both incredible and ridiculous how far you and your friends have come."
Spider-Man tilted his head towards the sky. "Yeah... My life is weird."
"I swear. Others at the precinct have all joked about how you guys are all gonna rule the world one day. Honestly, in a way, you kinda do have us all wrapped around your fingers."
Spider-Man laughed at her admission. "Don't even joke about that. The world would be on fire within a day if we were in charge. I mean that both metaphorically, and literally in that Flaming Idiot's case."
Yuri snorted. She pulled a box from her bag, and handed it over to him. Spider-Man looked confused, but accepted it anyway.
"What is this?" He asked.
"They wanted you to have it. It's your day afterall." She told him.
"Pretty sure the company's website said my birthday's not today." He said, half joking.
"No, but it is still your day and you know it. Stop deflecting." She chided.
Spider-Man rubs the back of his neck in embarrassment.
Her eyes softened as she continues. "I know you're not one to accept gifts, but please at least consider this one. Don't worry about it being pricey. It's more of an... arts and crafts project everyone worked on together."
Spider-Man tilts his head to the side. "You too?"
"...just open it once you get back to your day job. Or by yourself. Or whatever."
The hero chuckled at her embarrassment. "Aww... I KNEW YOU LIKED ME!"
Her gaze hardened at him. "Don't push it. You're still a pest. Even with your public identity."
"But I'm a useful pest. Right?" He joked.
She rolled her eyes, and pushed herself off the parapet wall.
"They're expecting me back at the precinct. I would say to take the day off, but knowing you, I know you won't listen. So instead, I'll just say, enjoy your present and the rest of your day. You've earned it."
He looked at the present appreciatingly. "Thanks Yuri. And tell the others too."
"You could just come tell them yourself, but sure."
She waves and started to walk away.
"See you around. Parker."
"You too."
She leaves, leaving him alone with his present. He stares once more at his present, then gazes at the city skyline. The wind blows against him, and he yearns to feel the cool breeze.
He then takes off his mask, and ruffles his flattened hair. Beneath, it reveals a sharp jawline, brown wavy hair, and brown eyes. The man appears to be in his mid 20s. He spreads his arms and lets the cool breeze envelope his body. He takes a deep breath, and just enjoys the moment a bit longer. Then, he lets out a deep exhale. He dons his mask again, then starts swinging towards his intended destination.
On the way, several people spot him, and they yell his name.
"Spider-Man!"
Spider-Man gives them a salute as he swings past. "Morning citizens!"
As he continued his journey, his ears pick up the sounds of something akin to a jet flying towards his direction. Or rather, propulsion engines. He doesn't even turn to whoever this was. He knew already, and doesn't question how he could even be here.
"What do you even pay your security for?" He called out.
The sound grew louder, and someone in red and silver armor flew next to him. The man in armor then spoke.
"In my defense, I thought Happy had it handled."
"Oh yeah?"
More people from below started cheering and documenting with their phones and cameras as they swing and fly past them. The two tried their best to ignore them.
"Really. He's been at this job for years so I trusted he knew what he was doing." The man piloting the suit said.
"Have I ever told you about Coney Island?"
The man in the armor chuckled. "Way too many times."
"Welp. Would've been nice for you to have been here to handle this. Right?" Peter looked at him pointedly.
His friend laughed. "Tell that to Pepper!"
"I'd rather not catch her fury. You're not throwing me to the wolves."
The man gasped, mockingly. "Did you just call Pepper a wolf?"
Spider-man rolled his eyes beneath his mask. "You know she'd take that as a compliment. And for the record, I consider her a Canis lupus occidentalis variant."
"A Northeastern Wolf?"
"She's fierce. I mean, she has to be to straighten you up."
The man in the armor shuddered. "You don't know the half of it."
"I'd rather not. By the way." He looks at the man. "When are you getting back?"
"Already on it. We haven't taken off yet though."
It was then that the faceplate of the armor opened up, revealing that it had no one inside. In place of the head, however, was a box.
"But I thought I'd give this to you anyway."
Spider-Man shot out a web to the box and retrieved it, formed a web bag with his free hand, and hoisted it over his shoulder with both presents inside.
"Buster, I swear if this is-"
"I'm telling you, it's not another glitter bomb. My sister and I worked on it together."
"Ah. In that case, I feel a lot safer."
"Oh screw you! And don't open it yet! Wait for all of us to get together."
"Totally not suspicious."
"Whatever. Listen, I'll be back later this afternoon. Well actually I'll be back earlier than that, but I'd like to get some stuff in order first. That Matchstick already told the others to meet at the usual place."
Spider-Man rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. I saw the group chat."
"Whatever man. If you don't show up, we'll drag you over there kicking and screaming. Or we'll have the Jack Frost freeze your sorry ass so you don't resist."
Spider-Man gasped. "This is kidnapping! I'll have my lawyer on your case for this!"
'Buster' scoffed. "Pretty sure he'll agree with us and encourage it."
"Yeah, he probably will." Spider-Man muttered.
It was then that he hears the sounds of engine coming from the other end of the line.
"Listen, my plane's about to take off. I gotta jet."
Spider-Man scoffed at his joke since he's usually the ones who would come up with lines like that.
"Yeah, yeah. See you later Buster. Safe trip!"
He hears the line disconnect, and a different, female voice responds.
"Boss is no longer available."
"Thanks FRIDAY. Look after his company. Pretty please?"
"Much obliged, Mr. Parker. And happy Anniversary."
The armor leaves his side and flies off in a different direction. Spider-Man chuckles at the A.I.'s greeting.
'Anniversary, huh?' He thought to himself.
Along the way, he spots several balloons, floats, and people wearing costumes of himself, as well as several other Spider-Man themed decors. He looks at all of them fondly, but also makes him feel weird. He can hear several people shouting for him, and others trying their best to take pictures and videos of him.
As Spider-Man closes in on his destination, he swings past a futuristic looking tower with a big number 4 on the side. His senses then picked up a small incoming projectile, and weaves around it.
"Hey! Watch it, Torch!" He yelled.
He sees a man engulfed in flames flying above the tower he just passed, and give him a mocking salute.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Too hot for ya?!"
"Go bother Iceman, dude! I'm in a rush!" He shouted.
Although his friend was too far away, he just knew he was laughing.
"Whatever! See you later, Webs! I'm bringing extra food over!"
"Take a shower too!"
"Fuck you!"
Spider-Man smiles, gives him a salute, and continues swinging toward his destination.
It wasn't long until he arrived back at the same wall building he was perched on before going off to stop the robbers. From where he was at, he can see the giant letters P and I in red circles to the side of the building. He lands on a balcony and sets the presents he got on a nearby table. He walks towards the edge of the balcony, and leans on the handrail. He gazes at the view of the city around him.
"Guys." He whispered. "What do you think?"
He takes off his mask, and closes his eyes and and reminisces about everything he experienced leading up to where the was at. Both the good, and the bad.
“Alright, let's do this one last time. My name is Peter Parker. I was bitten by a radioactive spider. For 10 or so years, I've been the one and only Spider-Man. I didn't become Spider-Man right away after receiving my powers. Not even after donning my suit."
He remembers a middle-aged man dying in his arms, and the terrible feeling he felt in that moment.
" I learned a very important lesson after losing my uncle, due to my inability to take action. That with great power, must also come great responsibility! Beyond that, I'm pretty sure you know the rest."
He reminisces about many of the times he's spent saving people as Spider-Man.
"I saved a bunch of people, fell in love, saved the city, and then I saved the city again, and again and again, and again. And I did, uh... I did this."
He remembers a time he did a cringey dance in the streets in his suit, though it is black.
"We don’t really talk about this. Look, I'm a comic book, I'm a cereal, did a Christmas album. DJ Khalil even made me an awesome song!"
The Hero fondly looks back to a time he and 5 others were at a premium karaoke room singing along to a song while drunk, and one blonde boy live-streaming. Peter and another boy with green eyes, auburn hair, about his height sang the main lines, while the others sang back up. They were singing their heart out, heads bobbing, but because of how drunk they were, they were slurring a bit, and the back up vocals were pretty much just screams.
♪Stepped out of my zone!♪
"MY ZONE!"
♪I had to get out all alone!♪
"ALONE!"
♪And figure it out on my own!♪
'MY OWN!'
♪And I know what I really want now!♪
"WANT NOW!" This time only one of them sang it. He had light brown hair - almost blonde, and blue eyes. He looked like he was close to crying.
♪Can't stop me, can't break me!♪
"CAN'T BREAK!"
♪What don't kill me, gon' make me!♪
"GON' MAKE!"
♪Shoot for the stars, no safety!♪
"NO SAFETY!"
♪And now I see clear in HD!♪
This time, all of them sang (yelled?) together.
♪GOTTA GO HARD! GOTTA GO HARD!♪
♪I AIN'T GOT TIME TO WASTE! I AIN'T GOT TIME!♪
♪I GOTTA GO HIGH! GOTTA GO HIGH!♪
♪I GOTTA ELEVATE! I GOTTA ELEVATE!♪
Peter laughs at the memory, and all the comments from the livestream and it's countless reposts. It's become one of the most viewed videos, and people won't stop bringing it up. Yuri especially got a lot of mileage out of it now that he had something on him.
"That was a lot of fun. The most I've had in a really long time. Of course, with every action, there is always an opposite reaction. That's just how life of being Spider-Man is. But after everything, I still love being Spider-Man. I mean, who wouldn't? So no matter how many hits I take, I always find a way to come back. Because the only thing standing between this city and oblivion is me. There's only one Spider-Man, and you're looking at him."
"Peter?"
A voice snaps him out of his thoughts.
"Is that you?" The female voice asks from inside the building.
"Yeah, It's me!" He calls out. "I'm coming in now!"
He takes the presents from the table, and walks back inside.