Chapter Text
Ben Parker once had a belief. A belief that in every person's life, a day comes where they are presented with a choice. And whether the person knows it or not, whether the choice seems important or mundane, the decision they take reveals the core of who they are. And it determines what path that person goes down, defining them for the rest of their life.
Ring already, Peter Parker silently demanded. It was the last class on a Friday, and he wanted to go home. His eyes were stuck on the clock placed above the classroom door. Whatever the teacher was saying about the Industrial Revolution went in one ear and right out the other. He hadn't been able to properly focus at all since returning from summer break. School just didn't feel very important.
"Pst, Pete," came a whisper from beside him. It snapped Peter from his trance. He turned his head to nod a what's up at his best friend.
"You've been staring at that clock for like, a minute already," Harry Osborn whispered. "You look like a zombie."
"I'm exhausted, dude," Peter replied. Harry shook his head with an amused grin.
"When aren't you these days?"
"It's not my fault Jameson has me taking pics at 10:00 every other night," Peter said.
"Dude, why do you still work for that guy?" Harry questioned. "I mean—the money's not great, you're tired every day. There's so many other jobs out there."
Peter was quiet for a moment. Whatever excuse he came up with would make him sound like a major masochist. But he couldn't just tell Harry, 'Yeah, bro I'm Spider-Man. That's why I let Jameson pay me pennies so he can use my pics to slander me.'
Shit, maybe I am a masochist.
"I know," Peter said. "But it's not that bad—the pay's okay enough, and besides, Jameson's kind of funny once you get used to his yelling. And it's the only place I could find with a flexible schedule."
"I don't get you, man," Harry said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, the bell rang.
Thank God, Peter thought. He didn't waste any time, grabbing his things off his desk and stuffing them into his backpack.
"I mean, why do you need a flexible schedule anyway? You even turned down an internship from my dad—paid," Harry continued as he packed up.
"I gotta be there for May. You know I'd take that offer in a heartbeat any other time." Half-truths. Definitely on the list of his top five favorite things. Peter thought back to a few months back, when Norman Osborn walked up to him and said "Peter, how would you like to intern at Oscorp? It's paid."
The word 'yes' almost came out immediately. It was his golden ticket. Working for the best R&D firm in the country, getting a head start on his science career, impressing everyone. That would've been his future secured—all while making more money than Jameson would give him even at gunpoint. But he stopped himself and said no. He couldn't do it. There was no chance he would've lasted with how many times he'd have had to sneak out.
"Dude, you coming or what?" Harry pulled Peter from his thoughts. He was already by the door, and every other kid had left. Peter rushed over, and they walked out. The Midtown hallways were already cramped, kids rushing around to do whatever it was they were doing. It was a mystery how a human crush hadn't happened yet. The school was close to a hundred years old, and definitely wasn't built for over a thousand students. Luckily, he had a few advantages. He slipped through bodies, making sure not to leave Harry behind.
"So you going home after this?" Harry asked.
"I gotta drop off some pics at the Bugle first."
"How do you get so many pictures of that Spider-Man guy?" It was hard to hear Harry over all the chatter and slamming lockers.
"A magician never gives away his secrets."
Harry let out a laugh. They walked down the stairs to the first floor, which was even more crowded.
"You busy this weekend?" Harry asked while they trudged towards the exit.
"Uh... maybe."
"You wanna come over to my place tomorrow? Dad's out for the weekend so I got the pad to myself. We haven't hung out in weeks, dude."
"Yeah, my bad. I'll see if I can make it."
Harry was quiet for a few seconds. His face had dropped a little. "Cool."
"Aw, c'mon, Harry. It's not anything against you, I just—"
"You don't know when something's gonna come up, I know."
Peter went quiet.
"I'll, uh, see you Monday Pete." Harry sped up his walk, leaving Peter behind to his thoughts.
Fine—be like that. Not like I expected the son of a billionaire to understand.
Peter continued trudging behind the crowd. Who am I kidding? Harry deserves better... I'll text him in a bit. Tell him I'll show up.
"Damn. Your only friend ditched you too, eh, Parker?"
Great. Just what I needed. Just what I wanted. "Go bother someone else, Flash." Peter continued walking.
All he got in return was laughter. "I get it, you're salty. Osborn finally realized he can do way better than the school's biggest loser."
Peter stopped and turned towards Flash. "You ever plan on running that mouth for something useful?"
Flash snorted. "You tryin' to act tough, Parker? Adorable."
"You're lucky I haven't—" Peter cut himself off. What the hell am I doing?
"Lucky you haven't what?" Flash leaned in. Peter didn't answer. Instead, he turned and walked away. He heard Flash laughing again behind him.
"That's what I thought. Go cry into your pillow!"
You're lucky I haven't smashed your face in. Brainless ape.
Peter walked out through the doors onto the sidewalk, relieved to feel the warm spring breeze. Midtown wasn't a fancy school. Hell, the football field wasn't even next to the building; it was a bus ride away. And it wasn't even in Midtown Manhattan. It was in Long Island City, which wasn't in Long Island but Queens. It was weird. But, that was why Peter loved New York so much.
Okay, time to drop by the Bugle. Peter started the walk towards the subway, but he didn't make it very far before he started yawning. On second thought, I'll just drop them off tomorrow on my way to Harry's. I'm going home.
With that change in plans, Peter felt a little lighter. The past few months had been rough. Now it felt like some psychopath in a costume was showing up every week to blow up the city. It was a little fun at first, but now he felt decades older than he really was. He couldn't wait to flop onto his bed and nap.
"Petey!" a voice from behind called out. It startled him a little, but once he processed who it was, his heart skipped a beat. He turned his head to see Liz Allan walking over with a beaming smile. He stopped so she could catch up to him.
"Hey, Liz," he greeted her. She was the other friend Peter had besides Harry. They'd started hanging out a couple of months ago, a few weeks after she dumped Flash. Which was pretty satisfying. They'd hang out so he could help her study, sometimes for lunch. But they'd never spent time with each other outside of school.
"You going home?" she asked him. Peter nodded.
"What about you, though? Do you normally walk this way?"
"Nah, usually I hang out with my friends for a while or I take the bus. But the route's closed today and I have some things to do."
"Gotcha. So, you headed to 21st?" Peter asked as they began walking side by side.
"Mhm!" She nodded. "That where you go?"
"Yeah. Luckily it's one of the nicer stations," he joked.
"So what do you normally do after class?" Liz wondered.
"Um... I normally go straight home—or drop off pictures at the Bugle."
"Aw, really? We should totally hang out sometime."
"I wouldn't say no to that," Peter said. Maybe today's not that bad after all. She looks really pretty today.
"Perfect!" she clapped her hands. "We could go to this Dominican place a few blocks away. The food is so good."
"Oh, you're Dominican, right?"
Liz snorted, trying to contain a laugh and failing. "Puerto Rican."
"Oh—right." Peter rubbed the back of his neck. The two continued walking, falling quiet. Peter kept stealing a few glances at the girl. He'd been crushing on her since freshman year. And then she got with Flash, which sucked. He would never say it out loud but the crush didn't go away when she joined in on making fun of him. She was never as bad as Flash—not even close. And then those two broke up and she started hanging out with him. And his crush had only gotten deeper since. She was like an angel.
"So how was your day?" she asked him.
"Uh, pretty boring. I'm glad the weekend's here."
"Me too. I've had so many tests this month."
"I'm sure you did fine," Peter reassured her.
"Thanks to someone, yeah," Liz smiled. Peter grinned.
"I wonder who that could be..."
Liz giggled. "You know who."
"Maybe I do, maybe I don't," Peter fired back. It earned him another giggle. Is it just me or are we flirting? Probably just me. Then again... we could be. Nah, she's probably not into me that way. But she could be. I mean—should I go for it? We've been friends for a while... I don't wanna ruin that. But she did ask me to a restaurant alone, I think. That's kind of a date, rig—
Peter was pulled from his thoughts by a collision. A man sat on the ground, glaring up at him.
"Oh, shit—sorry, that's my—"
"Fuck is wrong with you? You blind or something?" the man complained as he stood up. "Watch where you're going, fuckin' punk." He brushed past Peter, angrily rambling to himself.
"I said sorry..." Peter muttered under his breath. He turned to Liz, only to see her aiming her phone at him, laughing as quietly as possible.
"Seriously?" he deadpanned.
She pulled her phone down and stuck her tongue out at him. It was adorable, and seriously evil. She definitely knew what she was doing. "Don't worry, I'll keep it to myself," she said.
"Like that's any better!"
All Liz did was giggle more. She turned her head down to watch the video again. "Damn, Petey."
"Huh?"
"You sent that guy flying." Liz pushed the phone into his face.
"Oh—uh, physics, am I right?" Peter deflected. I really need to be more careful about exposing my secret—
A sensation against his arm pulled Peter right back out of his head. He looked down to see Liz pressing a finger into his arm.
"Not bad," she said approvingly. "Been hitting the gym, hm?"
Peter tried to keep his heart rate in check as they started to walk down into the subway. "Uh—yeah. Been trying to get some workouts in when I can," he lied. I'm not being delusional, right? She's flirting.
They walked quietly along the hallway leading to the platforms. Peter cast a side-glance Liz's way. She seemed at ease. He, on the other hand, swallowed a lump while he tried to decide whether she was hinting at something. While he figured that out, he didn't even realize he was about to bump into someone else. It was only because Liz managed to pull him aside in time that he avoided embarrassing himself again so quickly.
They were up against a wall, with Liz trying to control her laughter. "Petey, you're gonna fall onto the tracks at this rate."
The boy cleared his throat, trying to maintain some composure. "Y-yeah, sorry, super tired."
"Uh huh, totally." She definitely didn't buy it. "Something on your mind?"
"Nothing important," he responded, probably a little too frantic.
"Oh, so there is something," she grinned. Peter averted his gaze, fumbling for his phone. Maybe he could switch the subject by reminding her of the trains.
"There's actually something on my mind, too."
The words hit Peter like a truck. "Huh?"
Liz tapped a finger against her chin, eyes locked onto his. "There's this guy I think I'm into. He's a dork, but a cute one. Helps me get good grades... you think I should ask him out?"
Peter felt his body fail him. Did he hear her right? He knew he looked dumb, staring back like a total idiot. But what else could he do? Liz stifled one of her little laughs. "So... you wanna be my boyfriend?"
"U-uh, you're... serious?" Peter stumbled. "Because this isn't very good for my heart."
The girl rolled her eyes. "Duh."
"Holy sh... I mean—definitely. Yeah, I do."
Liz snorted and pulled Peter down by the neck. "C'mere."
And all of a sudden, he was being kissed by Liz Allan. In the middle of a New York subway station. Her smell completely cancelled out the stench of rat piss and lethal chemicals. Her lips were so soft and moist. Okay Parker, you've faced death about a hundred times this year—you can kiss.
Peter didn't even know where to start. He'd never had a kiss. He tried to follow her movement, and he knew he was completely messing it up. But the longer it went on, the less he cared. The moment was perfect. A first kiss in a busy, rancid subway station. He wouldn't trade it for the world. It felt like half an hour before Liz pulled away.
"First kiss?"
"Uh, yeah... sorry."
She tapped her finger lightly against his nose. "We'll work on it."
They stayed still for a moment, the euphoria of everything still wearing off. Liz eventually cut through the moment. "We should go before the trains get here."
"Yeah, we should."
Without hesitating, Liz locked her fingers around Peter's. It caught him off guard for a moment, but it felt safe. And eventually they reached the platform. Luckily, the trains weren't there yet. They never let go of each other's hand while they waited.
"So... you think Flash'll freak out?" Peter tried to break the ice.
"Don't ruin this," Liz sighed, "but yeah, probably."
"Sorry," Peter offered. "You look really pretty today."
Liz leaned her body against his. "You're the sweetest," she said. "You look nice, too." Once those words left her lips, a loud horn blared from down one of the tunnels.
"That's my train," she said, pulling away. She let go of Peter's hand and gave him a quick peck on the lips as the train pulled up to the station. "I'll see you Monday!" she called out over the screeching wheels.
"See you!" he called back, watching her disappear into one of the silver cars. He let out a breath full of relief, beaming. He watched the train pull away, disappearing down the dark tunnel. He bounced on the balls of his feet. "I'm dating Liz Allan..." he whispered to himself. If it was a dream, he hoped he never woke up.
Peter impatiently jammed his key into its slot, pushing the door to the Parker residence open. The old thing opened with a heavy creak. The living room was empty as usual. Ben was always the one watching old movies in the afternoons. May was more of an evening soap opera person.
Not wasting any time, Peter dropped his bookbag onto a sofa and rushed into the kitchen. "I'm home!"
"Hi, sweetie," May said. Her back was turned to her nephew as she pulled something from out of the oven.
"What's the smell blessing my nose?" Peter asked. He knew exactly what it was, and it had his stomach growling immediately.
"I made some apple pie earlier. I know you like it warm, so I was just reheating it a little."
"You're the best," Peter said. He flopped down onto a chair, sighing happily. "Guess what?"
"Hm?" May asked, tilting her head at Peter. He could barely contain the smile.
"I have a girlfriend."
May's face immediately shifted to one of joy.
"Oh, my God, Peter!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands over her mouth. She walked over to her nephew, embracing him tightly. "That's so wonderful," she said. "What's her name?"
Peter waited for his aunt to pull away. "Liz Allan. We've been friends for a few months."
May walked over to the counter, gathering a few plates and utensils and setting the table. "That's lovely. Although, I was hoping you'd hold out for Anna's niece."
"You're still on that?" She'd been pestering him with it for the entire year. Strangely, he'd never seen the girl next door. Apparently she went to another school. Peter didn't like to judge too early, but all May ever mentioned was her 'wonderful personality'... not a good sign.
"She's a lovely girl, Peter," May insisted. "I am happy for you, though. How long have you been with her?"
"Like... thirty minutes? We got together since we, uh, took the same subway station."
May let out a laugh, almost hysterical. "You made it official in the subway?"
"Maybe..."
"You kids today know nothing about romance," May teased as she brought over the pie. "Ben and I made our relationship official at the bridge in Central Park. That was twenty years ago."
"Hey, I wasn't the one who decided." Peter grabbed a knife as May set the pie onto the table, picking out a slice for himself. May sat down across from him. She grabbed her own slice.
"Have you been hiding any girls from me all these years? Or am I right in saying she's your first?"
Peter swallowed his first bite. It was delicious. "Yeah, she is."
May smiled again. She hadn't been doing a lot of that since the night Ben was killed. Her auburn hair was full of grey streaks that weren't there a year ago. He looked away, down at his pie. Sometimes he didn't know how he was able to sit down and smile around her, knowing he was the reason she no longer had a husband, the reason she had to work two jobs to keep the house. Friday and Saturday were the only days she had off.
"Hm, well, I hope you're prepared."
"Huh?"
May paused to take a bite from the pie. After swallowing, she continued, "You need to be ready. Emotionally. Otherwise it'll end before you know it."
Peter chewed on his pie. Was he ready? He hadn't even thought about it. How was he gonna handle his secret identity? Should he tell her, wait, keep it to himself?
"Love is a beautiful thing, Peter. But the most important thing in a relationship is boundaries. You sit down with Liz, have a conversation about it. Talk to her about what you both want, what you both expect."
Peter nodded slowly. May continued.
"Once that's clear, you make sure you respect the boundaries she sets and that she respects yours. But never forget to respect your own boundaries."
Peter nodded again. May had a serious way with words; it was hard not to pay attention to the advice she gave. And somehow, she'd never been wrong yet.
"Thanks, May. You're really the best."
She sighed. "I forget how fast kids grow. You're already a man, Peter—almost off to college. I'll have to get used to being alone."
She laughed, but it stung Peter to hear. "Like I'd abandon the woman who raised me like her own son. What do you take me for?"
"I know you won't, Peter. But, once you're out of here, I want you to focus on yourself and your future." Peter could only offer another nod. But what she was asking felt impossible. She was his responsibility, and he didn't intend on changing that anytime soon.
The two continued to eat their slices of pie quietly. He could tell she was feeling it too. They were both missing Ben again. His jokes, his complaints about coworkers... And it's all my fault. Peter shook the thought out of his head. For today at least, he didn't want to deal with it.
Not too long later, once he finished his meal, Peter stood up. "Thanks a ton for the meal, May. This one might've been your best pie yet."
May giggled. "You're too kind, sweetie. Where are you off to now?"
Peter let out his first yawn since... probably before Liz caught up to him. The exhaustion was coming back full force. "I'm gonna go take a nap. If I don't wake up before you go to bed, don't forget to take melatonin for the insomnia," he said, backing out of the kitchen.
"I know," May said. "Try to wake up before eight, though. I don't want you awake all night."
"I'll try," Peter said as he started up the stairs. "Love you!"
It'd be fair to say he didn't wake up before eight. It was 11:17 when Peter groggily checked his phone. The house was dead silent. He had one text from Liz.
'heyyyy' was all it said. Peter felt bad for leaving her on 'sent' for so long already.
'Hey Liz! Sorry I was taking a nap. Was your afternoon ok? Sorry to bother if you're asleep.' He pressed send. The reality that she was now his girlfriend filled him with warmth all over again. And moments later, another message came through.
'i was about to. and no worries. ill talk to you tomorrow. Gn ily <3'
Peter felt his heart melt. 'Gn! Love you too!'
Peter shut his phone off, smiling at the ceiling. His mind wandered to May's question about being ready. Telling her wouldn't be so bad, right? As long as I make sure nobody else finds out, she'll be fine. And I mean—come on, she'd probably fall even harder knowing 'Petey' is actually Spider-Man. He nodded to himself approvingly. He'd tell her soon. He let the feeling of joy sink in for a while further before something in him felt off. He tried brushing it off, but the feeling wouldn't let up, and eventually it hit him. Shit, I forgot to text Harry.
Peter opened his phone and rushed to his texts with Harry. No message all day; he was definitely mad. Still, Peter typed away. 'Hey Harry, sorry for the whole thing earlier. You're right we haven't hung out enough this year. I promise I'll visit tomorrow. Sorry again.' Once he pressed send, Peter let out an anxious breath. Hopefully, Harry would forgive him. Shutting his phone off again, Peter tried to fall back asleep. No point being awake at this hour. After a few minutes of tossing and turning, though, nothing. He groaned in annoyance. He'd opened the window to let some cool air in, but maybe it wasn't enough.
If only we didn't have to sell my AC to make up money last fall. Peter sighed. He lifted off his shirt, revealing, to his surprise, his costume underneath. He'd entirely forgotten he never took it off. He started to lift the top off before stopping. Who was he kidding? He hadn't done anything all day. And he wasn't going to fall back asleep. Peter grabbed his long-sleeved shirt off the ground and slipped it back on. Quietly, he opened the door to his room and snuck along the hallway to May's bedroom. He cracked the door open just slightly.
She was fast asleep. Hopefully she took her pills, Peter thought as he closed the door. Sneaking back to his room, Peter reached into his pocket for the mask. He dropped his pants and kicked them to the side, leaving him in just the red and blue spandex. Before sliding the mask on, he checked his web shooters. All was good there. Peter ruffled the mess of wavy brown hair on his head and slipped the mask on. He really needed a haircut soon. He fired a web and yanked his camera from his desk and into his hand. Might as well take some extra pics for tomorrow's Bugle trip. Give Jonah a two-for-one.
Peter slipped the camera and his phone, into his costume. Not the most convenient, but he didn't have money for pockets that wouldn't ruin the look.
Spider-Man slipped out through the open window, scaling up onto the roof. He loved Forest Hills, but he didn't love the lack of height. Luckily, the spider gave him enough jumping power to make up for it. The masked teenager leapt from rooftop to rooftop, heading for the subway station at the heart of Forest Hills.
The moment the E train made its first stop in Manhattan at 53rd and Lexington, Spider-Man hopped down from his exclusive seat on top of a car. It took him less than a minute to maneuver through the station and make his way up to the street. One of the best parts about riding the train in costume was not having to pay the fare. The police gave up on trying to stop him a couple of months into his gig.
The wall-crawler fired a web onto the side of a building and took to the air, savoring the rush of wind while he defied Newton's laws. He threw himself along the sky, his body snapping every time he caught himself on a web. He threaded the needle through trucks and their cabins, dragged his fingers along the asphalt between lanes as he pulled himself along. Web swinging was one thing he would never grow tired of.
And it didn't take long for him to start hearing sirens. Like a moth to a flame, Spider-Man switched trajectory to follow the sound. A squadron of cop cars raced north towards Oscorp Tower.
"All units, be advised. Break-in at Oscorp is reported to involve superhuman elements. Be on lookout for Spider-Man."
Spider-Man snickered as the radio message hit his ears. He finally managed to tune his phone into his costume, so now he could listen in on the cops without wasting time. I'll be in 'n out before you boys can say 'donut.
The webhead dived down towards the streets before catching himself, using the momentum to launch himself blocks forward and ahead of the cop cars. Making a sharp right, Spider-Man landed on top of a street lamp outside Oscorp. A massive hole was blown into the side of the building. "Real subtle," Spidey muttered. The security team must've been asleep to allow this to happen. The hole was way too uniform to be Electro. Not big enough to be the Rhino.
Spider-Man zipped in through the makeshift entrance and pulled himself up to the ceiling before he struck the ground. Laid along the ground were unconscious security workers. Spider-Man quietly dropped down to the ground. None of them were seriously hurt, and obviously whoever had broken in was in a rush. None of the guards seemed dead, so he moved on. By this stage, he had a solid idea of the one behind this. A blast radiated from beneath him. Yep, he confirmed.
Spidey made his way to an elevator and forced its doors open, revealing a shaft. He ducked into it, crawling down towards the underground levels. Apparently, Oscorp kept the super experimental stuff down there. And he had no reason to doubt it. As Spider-Man crawled further, another massive hole caught his eye. He zipped in through the hole into a massive room with a massive machine.
What the hell is that? The machine didn't look like anything he recognized. It almost looked like some gateway—like in a video game.
"You never know when to quit, you bastard."
Damn, got distracted. Spider-Man leaped out of the way of a blast. "I could say the same to you, Herman. How many times do you have to go to jail to realize you should consider a career change?"
"Wouldn't have to if you stopped screwin' me over."
The acrobatic teenager evaded another shockwave. "You know I can't do that, I have attachment issues." While he quipped, he did his best to set his camera settings. More blasts came his way. He leaped and ducked out of the way of each one. "Gimme a sec!"
Finally, Spidey thought. He fired a web at the Shocker's face, momentarily disorienting him.
"Damn you!" Shocker shouted. Spider-Man positioned his camera where the wall met the ceiling, holding it up with webbing. Just in time, as the Shocker managed to tear some of the webbing off.
"Appreciate the cooperation, Herman. This is why you're my favorite bad guy." The man growled, angrily firing blast after blast. Spider-Man appreciated the large room, using webs to yank himself away when acrobatics weren't enough. "Man, your aim is worse than usual today. You been getting enough sleep?"
"Shut the hell up already!"
He's not letting up. Spider-Man tried to find an opening among all of the man's enraged blasting. He let himself drop to the ground, springing away from another predictable attempt. After that, though, the blasts stopped.
"What the—shit!" The Shocker tried again and again. But they wouldn't budge. Spidey seized the opening, firing a barrage of webbing to cocoon the crook.
"Yikes. My expectations for you aren't high, Herman, but I at least expect some understanding of your own toys."
The older man desperately wriggled, trying and failing to break the webbing. He looked adorable. His attempts ultimately ended in him falling over, where he continued to squirm.
Spider-Man placed his hands on his hips. "For the record, I think you'd make a great street performer."
The words left the webhead's mouth, and then his head felt like it was being split open. A sensation so strong he couldn't even process what it was. His world suddenly turned a blinding white, his eyes shutting instinctively. His muscles felt like they were being ripped to shreds. He couldn't even be sure he was screaming. His ears felt like they could burst from how loud the humming was. It felt like an eternity before everything started fading. He was helpless, and all he could do was hope he'd wake up again.
After a couple of minutes, the machine came to a stop. The gateway shut down, leaving a very satisfied orchestrator. A stifled laugh slipped through the teeth of the Green Goblin. "So, so predictable," he sang. He stepped away from the controls in the observation deck and marched down the steps towards his pawn. The Shocker continued to wriggle like an upturned cockroach.
"Quite a fine job, Herman." The Goblin grinned.
"Y-you-you killed him! You fuckin' killed him!" His struggles grew greater. The poor fool—so simple-minded. It was why he made such a good piece of bait.
"You can relax. All I did was send him... away." The Goblin tapped his foot against the metal flooring. But the man was lost in hysteria, continuing to exhaust himself in futility. "I TOLD YOU TO RELAX!" The Goblin's voice sharpened. Immediately the Shocker froze, his body quivering with fear.
"Stay still," the Green Goblin commanded. He leaned over the petrified thug and tore away at the webbing, supposedly stronger than steel. But to the Goblin, it was like opening a wrapped Christmas gift. Once free, the Shocker scrambled back without getting up, aiming his gauntlets at his superior. The Green Goblin calmly walked over, waving his finger. "Now, now. Let's relax, shall we?"
"L-let me go."
The Goblin leaned in. "You can go. But you'd be wise to keep your mouth shut. Let the city believe their savior is dead. Or... you will be."
The Shocker nodded frantically, struggling onto his feet. He rushed away like an insect. Pathetic and weak. But, now left to his own satisfaction, the Goblin's grin widened. Oscorp's collider was a revolutionary piece of technology, to be sure. An invention that would give Oscorp unlimited access to the resources of the multiverse. It just so happened to be a brilliant way of removing his most frustrating obstacle from the board. The Green Goblin's plans had been foiled by the Spider-Man for five months. But now the city would be his and his alone.
"Now then..." the Green Goblin muttered. He pressed a button on his wrist to summon his glider. Leaping onto the vehicle, he made his way over to the camera Spider-Man had set up. Tearing it from its web, he studied the item. His grin grew unnaturally wide. He recognized the device. He had seen it hanging around the neck of his son's best friend before. Maniacal laughter escaped his lips. "Of course!" the Goblin rejoiced. "Peter Parker is Spider-Man!"
The irony amused him to no end. That his mortal enemy was the same boy who declined him not long ago. Suddenly, the idea of controlling the city seemed nothing more than a vapid waste of energy. New plans began forming in his head. The sounds of sirens cut him short. "Peter Parker," he spoke to himself as he flew away.