Work Text:
"And before we look at this week's weather here's some good news: Crime rates have hit a historic low in New York City! Whether this can be attributed to the new mayor or our friendly neighborhood spider is still unclear. And now, the weather!"
Peter sighed and muted the TV. He didn't need this nice lady to go over next weeks weather report, it was summer and it was New York so it would be very hot, he knew that much, thank you! Still, he watched the sun shine over the digital map of New York while the banner on the bottom of the screen explained mayoral initiatives to keep busy during this historically hot summer.
Low crime rates should please him, hearing about them should make him smile and look forward to calmer nights but the harsh reality was that he hadn't been this bored in years. Fighting crimes on this level kept him busy all day, every day. It kept him from thinking about his lifes circumstances for too long, a positive that would sound very negative for other people but he needed this distraction. It was all he had.
Sure, New York had always been a but of a problem child but it had been his problem child. He had spent the majority of his formative years fighting crime on these streets and he simply didn't like it when habits changed. There was no use of this much free time for him.
Zohran Mamdani had only been the mayor for a few months, Peter had proudly voted for him and he had almost endorsed him as Spider-Man too, and in these months this man had turned New York upside down entirely. It used to be a risk to greet random people on the street,now it almost seemed like something that was expected of you. Sometimes when Peter came back to his apartment his face hurt from smiling at everyone he passed. It was ridiculous to be annoyed by someone as charismatic and genuinely kind as Mamdani but he just couldn't help himself.
"E.V. I have a question", he proclaimed as he turned the screen off. He rolled off the couch as elegantly as possible and came to stand in front of his computer setup.
"Fire away!", the friendly voice replied.
"The crime rates in New York City have hit a historical low. Do you think it's because of Mamdani or because of me?", he asked and immediately regretted it. This wasn't a competition after all. Low crime rates helped every New Yorker, they helped every tourist and traveler.
"The crime rates of New York City have hit a historical low this year, they are as low as they last were about twelve years ago. In that time Spider-Man already roamed the streets, the only difference to now is Zohran Mamdani. This indicates that his involvement in this citys politics have made the impact that led to these low numbers", the computer replied and Peter knew why he had regretted it immediately.
"Okay, whatever", he muttered under his breath and turned away. This was good. He knew it was. In all his life this city had never felt as lively as it felt now. The people were happy and they were safe and the youth had places to go to that weren't online and dangerous and everything was perfect. It felt like they were living in a TV-show sometimes with how often Mamdani did announcements and news recaps on TV, how clearly he showed his care.
"I just need some air", he said out loud to absolutely no one at all as he slipped into his shoes and gathered some of his things. It wasn't exactly the best thing to sit with your anger all day, especially not in this extremely hot attic unit. He swung his backpack on as well, you never knew when the city needed its spider.
Even with this miserable heat wave Queens had kept its cool. Some hydrants were spraying happy kids, every store advertised their AC and most importantly, the streets were packed. Peter smelled at least three different barbecues going on, probably on every rooftop around him. He made his way through the masses, tried to walk through as much spray as possible and when he turned his last corner he frowned.
There were some things that never changed, like his never ending appetite for Delmar's sandwiches. He had grown up on them and the fates had decided that his luck should be directed toward keeping his favorite spots in the city low-key. So he had never waited in a line at the Deli, but that had apparently changed.
The crowd was mixed in all regards. In age, ethnicity and also professions. At least two people were news reporters and prepared to go on air, something Peter dodged with a low hanging head and a determined pace. The deli was surprsingly empty for the crowd outside, a few guys stood in different corners, all of them in suits and all of them pretending to be overly interested in the ingredients they could read on the products in their hands.
Another suited man stood at the register but he was very chatty. Both Delmar and his co-worker were beaming at him and chatting with him like he was their long lost bestfriend or something like that. Outside he saw two people press their phones against the glass, obviously trying to record them all.
The guy at the register wasn't buying anything. At least he didn't look like he was, his hands were empty, nothing lay in front of him and he didn't look like he was about to reach for his wallet, either. And because Peter preferred not being filmed he decided that today was the day he would get to be a bit of an asshole, just like his New York residency allowed him to be.
"Sorry, do you mind?", he said as he pushed the guy to the side, comfortably positioning himself at the registry. He put two things down, an electrolyte drink (just like his mayor had recommended) and a protein bar (just like his metabolism demanded) and smiled at Delmar who didn't seem pleased at all.
"Sorry kid, you gotta wait", he said and turned back to the suited guy who hadn't complained about Peter's misbehaviour at all. So he turned to the guy next to him as well and felt his jaw fall open.
Zohran Mamdani stood there, beaming with joy and even though he was in a suit and this was one of the few Delis in the city that didn't have any AC he wasn't even sweating. How was that fair?
The freaking mayor was just stood here smiling, looking like it was his greated pleasure to just talk with someone who owned a deli. "Oh, I'm sorry! We got carried away in conversation, is there anything you can recommend here?", he asked with a sincerity that sent a small shock down Peter's spine. The mayor was taller than him, because of course he was, so Peter had to tilt his head up a bit to talk with him in a manner that was expected of him.
"Best BLTs in Queens man", Peter replied and for the second time within minutes he regretted saying something the second he said it. Seriously? That was all he could say? The BLTs here were solid, sure, but he could have at least made it a whole sentence. He could have smiled at him like he had meant to, could have displayed just the tiniest bit of gratitude toward the man who was changing New York for the better every single day.
But that didn't seem to bother Mamdani at all. Somehow his already big smile got even bigger and he nodded. "Right, thank you!", he said and put his pointer and ring finger on the two items Peter meant to buy. "These are on me, for making you wait. And could I get one of your famous BLTs?", he asked, this time he was speaking to Delmar who looked like God himself had just spoken to him.
"Thank you", Peter said and removed his two items from the register. He turned to leave the Deli again and before he did he turned around one last time to say: "I voted for you." Mamdani gave him a salute before he turned back and finally let Peter go.
The protein bar was melting in his hands who were sweating even more than before. All this because of a guy who was ruining Spider-Mans whole career path.
…
Today it was a year since Mamdani had been elected into office. Under him the crime rates were lowered monthly, the people got happier and basically everyone who needed it got their rent stabilized. It was a great first year, one that would be followed by at least three more, maybe even more if he kept this whole thing up.
And by now both Peter and Spider-Man had gotten used to his presence. Over the past few months he had actually been consulted by his people quite a lot, he would give them all the intel that he thought useful for them and oftentimes they worked side by side. A few years ago he had sworn he would never attach Spider-Man to anything political but over these past few months he realized that that had mostly been because no political figure had represented his values.
But Zohran Mamdani was everything that every decent human living in New York City had ever wished for so when he had asked him to appear in his little videos where he would explain how new policy changes protected the people of New York it had only taken him a few minutes to say yes.
Now he was waiting behind the stage where Mamdani held a speech, thanking the people of New York for their trust and patience. Spider-Man had been personally invited to make an appearance today, though Mamdani had promised that he would not have to hold a speech or even say anything at all.
"And now I would like you to welcome someone without whom this past year wouldn't have been as successful as it undoubtedly was! Spider-Man!", Mamdani said in his every charming voice where you could simply hear that he was smiling.
Right on cue Peter made his way to the stage and was met by these huge blinding lights but also by quite a few cheers that came from the limited audience. They were live, he remembered, and let himself be pulled into a hug.
"Thank you for having me!", he said, slightly leaning over to speak in to Mamdanis mic.
"Despite my best efforts to lower any and all crime rates petty crime has not yet been eliminated on the streets of New York, though we are working hard on it! As long as the numbers aren't zero you should always know that this absolute hero is only a few blocks away!", Mamdani continued, lightly patting Peters back.
Even after all these years it felt good to be acknowledged on a stage this big. Under his mask he couldn't help but smile. "And even if crime is eradicated omce and for all I'll still be around, there is always someone around who you can lend a hand!", he said, once again leaning to speak into the microphone. This earned him the typical big, teethy Mamdani smile. The one he had once hated.
"You heard it here first: If you find yourselves bored, ask if someone around you needs help, even if you have never spoken them before, even if you never would have spoken to them." He just had a way to turn even the most simple sentences into these motivational proclamations. It was a skill that Peter would forever envy him for.
"Thank you for being here! Now go and save the world!", he commanded softly, making Peter wave to the cameras. And as he walked off the stage he heard him continue: "And by 'world' I of course mean this wonderful city that we all call home, the one you have trusted me to lead to a better place."