Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Every story has a beginning. A beginning that thrusts a new destiny on some young guy with no powers, a bully, something to shove them right into the world and the bumbling through new powers. Yet here I am, Jackson Steven Parker, flying through the storming air with lightning flashing and wind howling with a line of webbing the only thing between me and a long fall. Moving like I never moved in years, my aching legs less, my grip steady.

Everything changed with that Spider… and as I swing into the unknown, my mind goes back to how this day, no, this week had been.

Life is good. At least that's what I think when I wake up every day. Just getting up from my bed to the sun shining in from outside on this beautiful Queens Monday. Arms go up, stretching for the sky, a rush of a yawn sounds from my throat. Shifting aside my haphazard sheets and going over to my dresser, ambling along trying not to be so stiff. I ditch my sleeping shirt off my chest, throwing it towards a growing pile near my hamper. I open one of my drawers, digging for just the right shirt to wear.

Long sleeved because I don't like looking at my right arm. The splotchy burns still scarring it and making me wince every time I look at it. I slide on a nice thrash metal shirt from my Mom's collection. I shimmy it straight and get off my pajama pants, also whipping them towards the hamper, it flutters through the air and misses by a mile. I never was good at that. I get on my pants and belt, my socks on already from last night.

Getting on my white plastic braces, binding the straps and making sure it was all good to go. It's routine at this point. Putting on something like this. Something I'm born with. A knock sounds at my door.

"Come in!" I exclaim, the door moves aside and it's my Dad. Tall, a little bulked up from years out in the sun doing hard labor, rough handed and graying brown hair. A normal contractor for the city, Skyscrapers mostly.

He's wearing his usual t-shirt and jeans, hardhat already in the truck I bet. Everything he needs on his waist in a toolbelt laden with what else but tools.

"Ready to go, kid?" he asks, grinning at me with his dark eyes twinkling. I grab my already packed backpack from the floor by my bed.

"Yep!" I exclaim.

He ruffles my hair and we both head out to the kitchen, grabbing toast and tapping it together. Hugging me with one arm and heading to the truck as I walk to the bus stop. My earphones thunder in some metal. Metal is one of my favorite genres of music. From Nu to Grunge to Heavy Metal to Ballad Metal. All of them are my favorites and I can't just choose one. It's all amazing! I jam and jive to the stop and end up thrashing to System of a Down. Just going ham.

But soon the honeymoon period of it dies and I'm left going for some weird alternative or folksy stuff, not that it's bad it's just… not as exhilarating. That's something normal guys get to do, go on the football teams and punch each other. I'm lucky enough to stay stable enough to stand. Waiting for the bus is kinda boring. Of course sometimes we don't get to live close to the school or anything like that so of course it'd be boring. I check my phone with a big pair of arms wrapping around my shoulders. Turned to face whoever's got me in a near-headlock. Or whoever's leaning down to look me in the eyes.

Blue eyes meet my dark brown and my best friend laughs and lifts me, "Oogh! That's my best friend!" he yells, "How ya doing, Jack?" He's got buzzed strawberry blond hair and he's built like a brick house.

"Uh, I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine." I say, a smile on my face and earbuds low. He puts me back down gently enough and grins down at me. We've been friends for years so I don't mind him picking me up. He's a big guy on the football team, quarterback.

Eddie Brock and I, two guys fighting for a cause only we know. Two rebels without one as far as we know! The bus comes up the street, the engine rumbling and the door opening right in front of us. He helps me up the steps and I amble up, grabbing the bar and letting Eddie go ahead of me so he can sit on the inside in the first seat with me on the outside.

Just so I can get out easier, he's on his phone.

"So, what's your interest today Eddie?" I peek over at him and he shows me his screen.

"See, look at this." he shows me some pseudoscience article about sciency stuff that my cousin would probably be going gaga over, "Oscorp's been doin' some really cool genetic experiments. Maybe they can figure out how to… ya know, fix people."

Eddie smiles shyly and all I want to do is smack him, "By 'fix' they mean erase guys like me. Unless they can lower chances of preemies and complications to zero, I don't think I'll be outta style."

He laughs, "You're sounding like a fashion trend!"

"Them's the breaks." I shrug and he still nudges me for a little bit just to get my attention. Something he usually does. I peek over at him and he still is scrolling through that article about altered spiders they're using for balance issues and all that. I just stare, knowing that he's just trying to help but if I had the choice I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't change my physical ability for anyone or anything. If I was given the choice, mind you. The bus trundles along and comes to a stop in front of the school with me getting off first.

The hallways are a natural enemy of guys with physical disabilities, well I think it's number five behind Bikes, Bus Steps, Trolley Boarding, and anything having to do with declines and Gravity. It's like a god-ordained rule that you have to eat linoleum at least once a semester. Bad for health and for bones. Eddie however acts as my shield, a big muscly shield. The tide of students jostle him but he still has a smile on his face and a huge warding stance.

I cling to him like a life preserver. Of course I don't have much of a choice in the matter, one breakaway and I'm beaten and battered around. The tide calms and he lets me come out to stand beside him.

I wish he didn't have to do that but ever since we were little he's been that way. I think back to it. Our first meeting as kids. We walk side by side, his big arm engulfing my shoulders and hanging over my chest. Assuring. He looks down at me with a smirk.

"I gotcha, Jack." he pats my chest.

"I know you do." I pat his back and he chuckles. I drift back to the memories.

I hit the ground, lunch skittering out of my hands like a rocket. My Captain America shirt splattered with the school spaghetti. My hands and legs sting with scrapes. I blink back tears as I try to pick up what I could.

"Oh no! What happened, Parker? I thought you could balance!" one of the kids jeers.

"I can! I can, you just pushed me!" I yell, getting surrounded by them and after they're done jostling and throwing things on me it's just a mess. But then just as they were about to beat me up, someone comes to my rescue.

Shielding me from the hits was a bigger kid with blond curly hair and dark blue eyes, staring daggers into all of them, "Get away from him!" he snaps. There's a symbol on his shirt, a spider. It looks homemade and once he chases them off he kneels.

"Hey! Nice shirt!" the boy who'd become my best friend said, "Name's Eddie."

"Jack." I sniffle, "Nice shirt."

"Yep! It's Spider Man!" Eddie exclaims, "You like Cap?"

"Mmhm. He's like me." I state, "Small, skinny… but he's a hero anyway."

"No he isn't, he's big n' muscly on your shirt!" Eddie laughs a little and noogies me.

That first interaction made us lifelong friends. As we both get into Homeroom for the day I stick by his side. Always his shadow and nothing else. Wearing my button festooned vest with the Mothman on the back, red and yellow with pine trees surrounding it.

Eddie and I are inseparable. But sometimes… especially during class rotations and schedules, we're separate. That's when they strike. Who? You may ask. Well, I'll tell you. I can normally smell the muscle, the prissy mean girl looks almost doll-like with all the makeup, and the rich good boy in the middle of them is Harrison Osborn, the pain in the neck.

I dig in my locker for what they're after. Essays, book reports, narratives. I do them all to earn some kinda cash. Is it right? No. Is it a good way to get revenge? Yep. I pull them out and Jaysen, his redheaded highness himself, looms over me.

"You got the essay?" he gets in my face and I hand it over. He paws me a twenty instead of thirty but I take it.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Jay." I bow my head and he moves off for his next class. My petty form of revenge is in motion. The sweet, sweet vengeance drips into my mouth and tastes so good.

Class goes by in an almost blur, just normal things happening, a normal schedule until Lunch. Lunch is when shit really hit the fan.

One of the best things about high school is the fact that you get your lifelong friends. At least that's what Mom says. But I guess Eddie was late today for lunch because I'm being tailed by Harry Osborn, Jaysen Lawrence, and Jaysen's girlfriend. All I know is that Harry's…

"Hey, Parker!" he barks, his snobbish drone screeches through Oildale and I don't bother turning around to face him. Dad's constant line about ignoring them is gonna be put to the test. I rake a hand through my messy brown hair, standing taller and skipping Oildale for Thoughtless.

The cafeteria is nice enough, maybe there's something good to-

That's when it hits me, an old slice of pizza, an apple core, and I think some milk nobody bothered to drink crash into me. Harry walks up behind me and snatches one of my earbuds out of my ear.

"I said hey, Parker. Are you deaf too?" he snarls.

"What's the problem this time, Harry?" he thrusts Jaysen's test into my face and I glare at him. The bad grade smolders on the page almost looking branded in there in red ink. An F. Too bad.

"Look man, you can't keep using me." I sigh, "Upcharges."

Jaysen almost looks like he'd pop my spine with one hit, he's big and muscular and on the football team like Eddie is. His hair is bright red and greased with gel. But before he can bull rush me Harry gets in his way.

"But you're the best at literary analysis! Couldn't you help Jaysen just out of the goodness of your-"

I take a deep breath, trying to keep down the red hot ball of sheer hatred burning in my gut, the fire spreading from there to my hands and feet, my arms tingling as well. Anger at this. In this entire situation.

There are times in life when a fight changes everything. When you get the feeling of someone's face against your fist and you wanna cave them in. You wanna destroy them. The insults I can take, the constant mocking I can take. But the second Harry Osborn threw trash on my head from the big can?

And the little comment about how I was deaf too? Egged on by the vocals of Korn, but this time it wasn't fantasy. This time…

My size 10 Black Vans shoes go right for the family jewels. Hard and fast, almost like a pro Soccer player. He stumbles and I try to tackle him down. But I guess I was overconfident, because his fist goes crashing towards my face. Everything goes dark and screams in pain from my left eye. In seconds, I'm on him, everyone in the cafeteria staring in shock and I keep pummeling him, my bony arms going a mile a minute, all I do is yell.

"You fucker! I'm sick of you! Sick of this! Leave me alone!" My hand digs into his smarmy brown E-Boy haircut and pulls hard, my fist rocketing into his nose, once and twice, a third time! I let go of his hair to use both my hands.

I almost feel like digging my nails into him but he throws me off, with me being smaller and lighter I go flying. Crashing to the linoleum and my buttons on my Battle Vest scatter. I let out a wheezing cry, tasting steel in my mouth. He busted my lip too.

I lay there as Jaysen and his girlfriend both help Harry up. Nobody helps me up. Not a single one of them, I push myself back up and pick up my buttons. Ignoring the pain and the shock, the tears came out of my eyes. I'm going to the nurse. And then the Principal's office. I gather my buttons and adjust my vest. Despite the stinging tears and the throbbing. My smile is shit eating. Fuckin' deserved, bastard.

The ticking of the clock in the Principal's office drives me insane, my eye staring out towards Harry Osborn, who looks pretty banged up himself, all bruised with purple and yellowing skin. Makes him look miles better in my opinion. His hair sticks up in all directions, I kinda pulled on him a little too hard so some of it got torn out. He's holding his nose as still as he can. I got a black eye myself, and my battle vest lost a few buttons, I smirk at the satisfaction of kicking Harry in the balls. I press the ice to my eye, the shifting of it breaking the silence. He glares at me.

"You don't know the hell you've unleashed, Parker!" he snarls.

"Oh yeah? I just think you're mad 'cause a Special Needs kid like me kicked your ass." I clack my braces together and lean back in the stiff chair, why couldn't the school just keep me away from this guy? Dude practically KNOWS how to piss me off and does it because he wants to. I bet that's why he does it. He's always so smug and so superior just like his smarmy jackass dad. The office is quiet, the secretary going about her business as we hear the verbal carnage coming from inside the principal's office.

Lord knows my Dad's doing all he can to stave off the father of the guy who beat him up. Harry and I look at each other again as the clock keeps ticking away. The noise of our dads talking is getting louder, apparently because of something my dad said. I look down at myself knowing that I'm in for a five hour long lecture from Dad and a worried Mom once she comes home. I suck in a breath through my teeth when my eye throbs, the pain is dull and I press the ice back to my eye.

The door surges aside and storming out is Harry's Dad in a very orderly suit and almost looking at his son like he stabbed me rather than just punch my eye closed. Norman Osborn is reedy, like he never really ate much in his life and his hair is short and combed back away from his face. His blue eyes burn into Harry as he gets to his feet.

But his stance is relaxed, almost assured and like he knows he has all the power in the world at his fingertips. All he has to do is snap them and bam, he gets anything he wants. Not like Dad who stands like he's got the weight of the world on his shoulders. Norman's dangerous lips part and there's almost perfect white teeth with a gap in the middle, not too bad but still. Why is he smiling? Didn't he want to yell at me too? Or did he just not care about me going after his son's jewels?

"Harrison, don't you have something to say?" his voice is like a sharpening knife and Harry turns to me, almost a terrified glint in his own blue eyes. I cross my arms and look up at him, almost catching the gulp as he speaks.

"I… I… I'm sorry," he offers with a weak smile, "I won't bother you again." he gives me a pointed glare, not meaning a single word. Of course he doesn't, that's why he fucks around with me. He looks towards his father who is crossing over to me.

He puts his thin hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry for what my son did to you, Jack." he pats it and I almost want to hit him too but I'm gonna swallow this down. I don't wanna say it was okay at all.

"Hey, don't make any bones about it." I answer, knowing that even if I tried, Harry would probably make my life even more of a hell even with my disability. They both leave and Dad comes over to me.

His warm dark eyes are full of disappointment, "Jack. You know what you did was…" he stops at my clenching of fists. Rage is still bubbling from deep inside. More than just deep. It's an old anger from years of guys like Harry and people like Norman holding us down.

"Dad, I've had it up to here with guys like the Osborns." I admit, "I tried keeping quiet, I've tried that. But he crossed a damn line expecting me to keep on helping with his dumbass friend."

"Jack…"

"No, dad. Norman pushes you and the guys around. I'm not gonna stand for being terrorized anymore by Daddy's Little Boy!" I stand still shaking, wobbling with rage. Dad wraps his arm around my shoulders and guides me away from the front desk after signing me out.

Silence except from my footsteps and his, cloptocking and echoing together. Ice on my eye and his arm still secure around me. He and I get into his truck and I shut the door, my bag between my legs.

He glances at me, hands on the wheel, finger tracing the hard surface. The smell of the tools and rust, the smell of diesel. It's all comforting. He starts it and we rumble into the streets. He sighs. In these moments, he slumps. His older face shows his age. Wrinkles and smile lines mar his face. He rubs his eyes and almost taps his wheel in frustration. The inside of the truck is close and small. The cab is not very roomy.

"Look." he says, "It's not that I don't appreciate it, but what if he hurt you even more?"

"Then I'd want him to try. I want to see him try." I look out the window at the traffic going by, Dad's sigh shooting bullets into my chest. Almost like it really did hurt him that I got into a fight. Maybe I should've held it in again?

"Buddy, I expect more from you," he turns back towards home, "You… shit, you get good grades and all that, you were going to Oscorp later on this week, you love that kinda tech stuff."

"No I don't, Dad." I slide up my sleeve, "I…"

Dad puts his hand on my shoulder and I don't want to brush it off. He gently traces the scars,

"Son, you loved it so much. I know what happened was shitty and I wish he'd handled it better but…"

"You're just saying that so I can use computers as a reason to go into that field." my hands clench into fists, "Dad, I get that you want me to succeed but the thing is… the thing…" tears sting my eyes.

"I don't know what I want." there's a hitch in my voice, my motions too. Everything kind of fades into a blur. He blinks and tries to find the words to say. His mouth works, his eyes scanning the road, then me, then back to the road.

Sitting in near awkward silence we ride home. The music playing is Don't Give Up by Peter Gabriel. An encouraging but sort of strange song. The idea of the song is that the singer lost a fight and changed everything about him because he lost. Of all the songs that could define my life at this moment it was this one. But the empty noise on the outside, the din of the city and the cold air just kiss me and tell me it's okay. Keep taking your licks and keep marching on. Once we get back home, Dad doesn't bother talking to me.

I guess I ruined more than enough. I go into my room and take out what I got for homework already. Working on it until I hear the door open. Mom's home and she lets out a sigh. I scuttle to the door and peek out.

"Hey, May…" Dad hugs her and kisses her on the forehead, "Jack got into a fight today."

"What?!" Mom gasps, running straight over to the stairs and up towards my room, her coat billowing as she sends my door flying aside, brown hair tied back from her face and eyes wide, hands immediately grabbing me and yanking me close.

"Oh my baby!" she wails, "You got hurt!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know…" I look down at myself, "But he started it."

In moments she pushes me off, the scrubs pulling away and she studies my face. I'm sitting back down on my bed after the rush Mom made to go into full Mama Bear mode.

"Didja get him good, sweetie?" Mom asks, checking my face and arms. The bruises smart a little but other than that I stay strong, Mom's brown eyes full of pride. I get a little bolder in sitting, sitting up and beginning to get snappy.

"Uh, I kicked him in the balls, almost broke his nose, pulled some of his hair out…" I list on my fingers, "I think I'd go for another nutshot."

Mom chuckles and Dad glares at her, "May, don't encourage him!"

"What? You know I got up to the same stuff! Jack was just defending himself, didn't they throw trash at him?"

I didn't answer but Dad still stands his ground, "We raised him to be better than this, May…" he looks at me with an almost apologetic glint in his eyes. Of course the punishment hits but I don't really care. Not going to Oscorp sounds like a dream come true to me. But then I realize that Eddie's gonna be on his own. Not that I can't leave him alone, it's the fact that he's going to be alone without me there that bugs me because I know Osborn would have Lawrence try something with me there or not.

It's me and him against the world, right? It's not right that I get punished for something that rich asshole started! I get up and storm out, my earphones in. Cranking up Twisted Transistor and raging out. Just wanting it all to disappear. Shoving past my parents and almost running downstairs, I throw aside the door and step out into the hallway, still burning with rage.

"Jack? Jack!" Dad yells after me, "Get back here!"

Walking down the street, frustration making my steps harder and my music making things more and more drowned out by Korn and System and Metallica. My fists flying, my feet stomping in a random alleyway across town.

I don't care, I thrash because it gives me some kinda release other than screaming into my pillow. Or beating the shit out of it. All I want is to change this scenario. This sick, twisted scenario being pushed around just because of the braces on my legs. Just because of being me. I want this all to change! I punch a trash bag, kick a can, I want it all to change! Swinging more and more, hearing banana terracotta pie and remembering why exactly Eddie wanted me to come to Oscorp too.

Because he just wanted to help. He wanted me to see the Spiders. He wanted me to change my future and if I continue letting people like Harry push me around then I already lost it. I kick the bag a few more times before… Something lands on my hand. Crawling there is a red and black spider. Before I could swat it, it bites down hard, pain shooting through my body and rushing through my brain. It's almost like I got shot in the head.

Stumbling back home, my hands hurt, my wrists, every inch of me aches and burns. Every step is like knives stabbing into my feet. But I keep walking. I keep going because I gotta get home. I gotta get back before Mom and Dad worry about me too much. I teeter and totter, trying to keep me from getting home. My hands stick slightly to the wall, making me scrape out some of the plastercuts in the brick. I ignore it, sweating and finally turning back on our street. I'm home! I'm safe! I'm… I'm good!

The stoop door crashes in and I amble to the elevator, cracking the button and mooring as it slides down to collect me. I fall into it and break the button for our floor too. Going up and up, and my stomach lurches, turns somersaults. I fucking hate this.

What's happening to me? When I asked for change I didn't mean it literally! God, what's happening?!

My hands push open the door to our apartment, my arms burning and my head almost pulses like the heaviest bass guitar is strumming. Mom left back for work and Dad is probably out looking for me. Dragging myself through the doorway and pawing the door to pull it back closed. It just barely does. Shaking and barely staying on my feet sweating bullets and vertigo making my vision zoom in and whirl.

Up the stairs I go and I hold on to the rail like a lifeline, my legs aching like crazy just trying to move. My muscles pull stiff and I lurch myself through my door, pulling it shut behind me but before I could lie down my limbs go limp.

Blistering pain rockets through my system, the feeling spreads through my entire body. My entire head has that kinda ringing feeling you get after you listen to something really loud but it's through my head. Heat rises from my body and I at least try to drag myself with my arms but they stalled out too. All I can do is lie on my floor and hope that this is all gonna be over soon.

My eyes are so, so heavy. I can barely… barely lift my… head. Making a grab for my blanket, I miss and crash onto the floor in a heap. Everything burning, everything hurting, every breath feeling like I'm breathing needles. Hot, stabbing, my head ringing, my arms and legs hurting and stretching. Every muscle loosening and contracting in a mad repetition.

I pass out.

The night buzzes on, the new sensation of a constant pulse goes through my head. Getting stronger and stronger as I sling on, the events of the day still fresh in my mind. These powers are new. Swinging through the air, body soaked and pants too. Lightning flashes as I dive into pursuit.

Officers zoom by below me, and the thrumming pitches up when I hear the heavy drum of bigger guns going off in the distance. My body moves before my mind could even catch up and here I am speeding towards the Big Wheel with my slats not even open but trusting in the rest of my powers to pick up the slack. I don't even have a suit and I'm already trying to be a hero. Flipping and jumping down from on high onto the wheel itself, at least one of the arms on the side, the guns still going. But I don't care, I stick on no matter what!

My heart pounds in my ears, my eyes fill with tears but I blink them away, I can't be scared! I have to do this! I have to because… because who else will? My mouth opens, and instead of screaming I pop my head near the cab.

"Hello! Do you have any idea how fast you're going?!" the wheel tilts and I leap onto the side, running with it and making sure my hood is still on my head, "Whoa! Whoa! I'm like Captain Jack!"

I leap as it rights itself again, grabbing onto two of the spokes and pulling with all my might. But the motor steams right on, flicking me right under it and rolling over me. Well, that would be me if I didn't let go.

My back flares into pain and something long and black, at least four of them tipped with red come shooting out, despite the pain they stick themselves into the wheel and the other two stick into the pavement, I flip it up and the pilot inside comes face to face with me. His face is twisted into a terrified mask, his hands off the controls and almost surrendering. The terror on his face makes the sick satisfaction return, the victories of today could be counted up to three today~! I almost want to tear it open and get him down to the cops but I think I wanna play with him a little.

I mean, he's driving something like a Hot Wheel so maybe I can spin it a bit?

"Hey man, let's stop tearin' up Midtown, 'ka-" my body moves again as my Spider Legs spring me upward and dodge some shots from the boys in blue. My eyes widen and I take off running. God god god! Oh fuck, oh FUCK! More shots whiz by me and all I want to do is find somewhere to hide so my legs just go away! Just go away! GO AWAY! My upper legs lash out and cleave the air, lashing a water tank to burst and soak me to the bone.

"Fuck fuck fuck!" I hiss, looking back down to my pursuers, "Sorry!" my voice is rough, thick, my mouth spitting out ropes of something. I don't know what but wherever it drips it burns away. Spackled with burn holes and already losing my hood I just scramble for anywhere and anyone to save me. Searing, tearing, ripping, my wrists are on fire. Every sense, every sound, every feeling just gets magnified as I fall into an alley, the officers pursuing me already checking after their own. I lay there.

Fucking hell, what just happened?! My legs… they grew! My webs went out! My… my wrists! My mouth! Something's in my wrists! Something's in my mouth! Fuck! Fuck! What the fuck?! The sun shines on something poking out of my wrists, a long thin bone, a growth of something. My heart jumps to my throat, my eyes bug out and I let out the biggest scream of my life, spittle flying and ramming into the back wall, my legs retracting and the weird growths doing it too. My mouth doesn't drool the weird burning liquid though.

I slide down and huff, my entire body shaking, digging out my phone and trying to call Eddie or someone to just take me home, or no, a hospital! Mom would know what's wrong with me! Or Dad! Someone would know! I press Mom's contact and go to the mobile call. It goes right to voicemail, but Mom's voice calms me down either way. I just… I need someone. I need someone to help me understand what the hell just happened.

My tiny, well, now retractable, spider legs tap me almost as if telling me they're sorry as I curl into a little ball, the rain soaking me even more. All I want is to know why this is happening. Why me? What I wanted was a miracle. Something that CHANGED everything.

I don't un… I don't understand…

Tears rain down from my eyes, a warbling cry splits me down to the bone, exposing my heart and everything else. This one sliver of phone backlight cutting down my joy and I just wanna cry. So I do.

I cry and cry and cry. Just laying there as my legs tap out apology after apology, I know they're sorry, they're a part of me now. I don't realize it but I'm still recording a message to Mom.

"M-Mom… I'm okay, I'm okay Mom, really. Just… just going through weird stuff right now, I uh…"

I swallow down the lump in my throat. God, I got shot at. I got shot at. What the hell was WRONG with me?! Stupid Jack! Stupid Jack! Fucking STUPID!

"Just… just don't worry, okay? If anything weird happens, just uh…"

"Think of it as puberty!"

Puberty? Really? What kind of puberty is this? Sudden mutations?! Webs?! Dodging BULLETS?! I DODGED BULLETS! What is WRONG with me?! I lay there, curled in a ball, my phone hanging up the call and just before I could get up there's a shadow over me.

If… I… I look up and see someone I never knew I'd see. Dad stands there, gasping and huffing, doubled over and catching his breath. I scramble away from him, my hands sticking me to the wall and my legs too, ready to get out.

He kneels, "Jack, I saw what happened. What are…"

"D… Dad, don't. Don't." I raise my hand, "Don't do this."

"I don't know what's going on, all I know is that I got legs, and- and webbing! And… and… god, and-" sputtering, tears hot and heavy run fast down my cheeks.

Dad's face falls and I know he means well but at the same time I don't need a lecture, I just need HIM. I need him so badly. He holds out his hands, his arms outstretched and I almost ram into him, hugging him.

"Let's go home, kiddo."

Chapter Text

Home is quiet. Dad is sitting across from me on the couch, dinner between us. Takeout. I didn't really care where or what. I shovel it in all the same, stuffing it down my throat and staring at him. Of course we both know who we're missing and she'll be here any minute. The door jumps aside for the train that is my mom Maybelle Parker, raging right for me, brown hair out of the bun she kept it in for work, she grabs me, my shirtless chest still normal but she looks at the ruins of my pajama pants.

"Ben, Jack, what's this about Spider Powers?" her tone is tense and Dad looks up at her.

"Sit down first, hon." Dad pats the spot beside him but she sits next to me, checking over my shoulder, she shrinks back.

"Ohmygod! He has- You have- Oh my GOD." she reaches down and my legs whap her fingers away, still tiny, "Do they hurt?"

"No, they only hurt when they extend…" I look at my mom with my tired eyes grow heavy, "Also I can web things and… and… haaaahhh…"

Yawning, Mom grabs my face, looking close at my teeth, "Ben, look at this!" Dad gets up and looks closer.

"Holy shit," I get a little freaked out. What? Did I have a bunch of needle teeth now? Oh god do I have MANDIBLES?!

"Hhwhat?" I look at my parents and they look up from my teeth.

"Honey, you have longer than usual canine teeth, but they're…"

"You got those venom sacs." Dad gets a smack, "Ow! I'm right!"

Mom lets me go and I'm sitting there, realizing what I'm becoming. Am I a monster? I have all this power and I don't have a clue what I am or what it does. Other than making me almost fly with webs, dodge impossible things almost instinctively, and sprout all kinds of new things.

I curl into a little ball, my eyes closing and my parents both noticing the change. Whatever I do is going to drag them into it. Being a hero, being a villain, it doesn't matter. What matters is that whatever I do with these powers I have to take responsibility. I have to make this thing right. I have to use these for whatever I end up doing and whoever gets hurt I have to own it. Mom lets out a soft chuckle.

"What?" I look at her and she's smiling just a bit, kinda looking down on me kinda energy but I know she's just being nostalgic. She winds her arm around my shoulders and squeezes.

"Honey, I know you're going to go through a lot of changes, but I want you to know that regardless of that, your father and I will be here, I don't know half of the things that are happening to you, do I need to research spiders now?"

"Well, looks to me like it was one of those weird Spiders Osborn was babblin' about on site once." Dad looks at Mom and they both get a determined look on their faces. The chance that Osborn is involved just makes my legs extend and shoot me towards the ceiling, spittle dappling the couch and burning holes into it. Small spikes wiggle out of my wrists and Mom and Dad both jump up.

"Don't send me to Osborn. He might cut me open or keep me locked in a weird place an' all that!"

"Yeah, yeah baby, we won't." Mom grabs me and my legs and stingers retract, slowly I sit back down and wipe the venom away. Everything is going to be okay. I'm sure it will. Mom and Dad hug me and my arms squeeze them back.

"It's gonna be alright, Jack. You just keep on living and we'll take it one day at a time."

"Yeah buddy, we'll just take it as it comes." they sit with me for a while.

"I got shot at."

"Yeah, what were you doing-" Dad starts before Mom comes in with a…

"Jackson Steven Parker! What were you doing to get SHOT AT?!" she screeches with my Sense going off and my legs shoot me back to standing over them. Raising my hands and resisting the venom drool.

"I chased a guy driving a big wheel! And the cops saw me and shot at me. Then Dad came and got me, and the rest is history." Mom sighs and I lower myself. It's unconscious. My Spider legs act on their own… which is weird.

"Jack, just… be careful with these powers," she hugs me again, my legs patting her on the back and she flinches just a little at that. Dad stares almost in shock at it but my spider legs slowly shrink and retract.

I pull away, "Did that feel weird? I bet it felt weird. Sorry…" Ambling towards my room, I get up the stairs, "Goodnight."

They watch me go and I get to my room, falling onto my bed with everything aching and pulling soft and harsh burning. Every dream I had, every moment where I thought I'd finally get my miracle never ended like this.

Tossing, turning, flipping backward and forward, my Sense pulsing out, out and far away to somewhere I don't know. A constant stream of buzzing like static and white noise fills my ears in this fitful dream beyond the reaches of my normal.

A lightning crackle fills my body, the electric tingle spreading out like I got kissed by a Tesla coil and a flashing barrage of color fills my eyes with blazing bright lenses of energy. Floating through some kind of void, some kind of sensory overload that even I can't figure out.

Then. I see it.

A throne, a web behind it, and a woman. She's old, but what I can tell is that she's not angry. She's not what makes my Sense wild. She smiles and my Sense calms. But before I can talk to her I'm catapulted back to my room, back to my bed, and awake.

Trudging out of it, I find my dad already eating breakfast and Mom of course already at work. Here I am though, barely making sense of that weird old lady in my dream. Yawning and fixing myself a plate, I sit down and eat as quietly as a mouse. I have a lot to think about and my mind can't stop sticking to that dream. Is that who put the Spider in that alleyway? Did she know what I could do? I finish eating and I get up to clear my plate.

Dad notices and smiles.

"Hey, Jack?" he looks up from his food and I meet his gaze. Of course I do. It's something important and everything. He clears his throat.

"No fighting, got it?"

"Yeah, I gotcha. I'll be uh… fine."

Dad raises an eyebrow, "You sure?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I will! This is just… you know, things being weird. Big changes."

Dad gets up and hugs me, "Just be careful okay?" he ruffles my hair, "Be better."

"I will."

I smile and head out the door, my earphones playing Alive as I jive and dance along to the music, moving towards the bus stop, and just thinking about how light my body feels. How everything feels so nice. I still feel like something's off. Like I shouldn't be waiting for the bus. Midtown High is kinda far, but… there's an itch. I look up at the nearest skyscraper, and High is due east so if I just follow the bus route…

I flip up my hood on my hoodie and bound towards it. My braces clacking from me running, almost perfectly taking them off in one go with my quick movements. I sling my bag off and toss them in there, putting my shoes in there too. I tie my hoodie strings as I hear the bus's airbrake and clamber up the building as fast as I can.

All I want is to web sling, and if I beat the bus? That means it'd be really cool bragging rights! I face the nearest building and aim my hand, index and pinky flicking out and… out goes a line! It goes taut as it sticks, and I gulp hard, edging to the end of the roof.

I look over the edge and see the moving cars and all that, but all I want to do is run back down and get back on the bus. What if someone sees me doing this? What if I can't do it? I gulp back more fear, my fist aimed with fingers pointing. Am I fucking insane?! I just got this new body and amazing powers and I'm already gonna dive into the unknown?! Fuck…fuck this… this is… I steel my nerves,

"Woooff… Okay… Okay, you got this…" I coach myself, "Just… just a leap of faith! No one's gonna shoot at you…" There's a moment where doubt crosses my mind, just the little sickening seed of it.

Last night, the fear of what I am made me run. But now?

I soar. The wind rushing through my ears, the city zooming by and strings of webbing coming out of the slats between my middle knuckles. Pushing off buildings and launching into the wild unknown.

What I was fades away, the feeling of sheer freedom takes over. Possibility opens her arms again, I track the route of the bus and I'm a few streets ahead, keeping that lead. I'm keeping that fucking lead! Keeping going, ignoring the dull ache in my arms, the pain thrumming from any concern forgotten fast. I'm above it. I'm far above it.

When the school's in sight, I land on the roof with my legs coming out and flipping me back over the side of the roof and near the entrance. Adrenaline pumping as I remove my earbuds and pocket them.

That's when it fades and the pain sets in. My landing was messed up by the fact that I can't run from my condition. My legs seize and retract, shrinking down behind the holes in my shirt. Everything hurts. Then there's a hand helping me up. Eddie stands there with a shocked expression.

"You okay?" he asks.

No, I'm not okay. I had a weird dream and now I webslinged to school and now everything hurts like I got stabbed with a billion tiny knives. But I smile.

"Yeah, yeah. I am. Psh, this is nothing." scoffing, getting to my wobbly, barely functioning feet. He loops his arm around my shoulders. Leaning my weight against him, he half-drags, half-carries me to the lockers.

All I can do is lean on him, all I can do is fumble with the combination lock. All I can do is just stuff what I don't need in that locker, pull out what I need, and go through the motions. I ask myself one question, one single question.

"That's it?"

The million dollar question with no right or wrong answer. Just a disappointed sigh, another moment where everything becomes… clouded. Eddie jolts me out of my weird as hell moping.

"Dude, you have to see this." he pulls out his phone and it's that weird guy online that spouts conspiracies, he's pudgy and looks like he probably would say some weird shit. He's got an egg shaped head.

"Today from New York, fellow Eggheads, terror in the night! A weird man spider took down the notorious thief known as Big Wheel! Is he part of the new world order's insidious plot to overthrow all that is good and just?!"

I grit my teeth, "Oh fuck off, Egghead!" I snarl, "Just… just…" my legs almost snap out of my shirt again but Eddie turns it off.

"It's all over the news, buddy. I've seen everything." He scrolls through articles all yelling that I was some sorta SHIELD plant or a hoax. Some even said I was another Supidaman. I like the sentiment but when we get to 1st period…

All I can think about is how wrong it all is. Going through my day when gym comes after Math, which comes after history. Now the most dreaded section. The one that made me want to die every single day. The one class with the most jackass of jackasses that would constantly try to get under my skin. Harry Osborn is the only guy in Eddie and I's grade I wanted to punch and ended up doing it. That's saying a lot considering how I can barely gather strength enough to do push ups.

He swaggers into the gym. His blue eyes narrow as he sees me "Well! If it isn't Jack Parker…" he greets. He still has some bruising, his hair buzzed down to fuzz after what I did to it.

I grit my teeth and Eddie looks over at me. "Calm down man…" he cautions.

I look down at the line of dodgeballs as I answer, "The one and only."

Harry laughs as he runs his hand across his brown hair. "Right, and you're going to beat me this time?" he asks.

"I'll try to." I growl, taking a rubber ball from the floor with murder in my eyes.

He was just a sheltered rich kid. Something about him just made me so angry. He had money. Automatic status. Everything he could ever want. While I just barely inch by with what I have. Mom works long hours, Dad even more so.

What right does he have?! I hate bullies. I hate them with every bit of me. Mostly because this snooty ass is throwing his weight around. I bounce the ball and Eddie tries to toss it at Harry and hit him before I could wallop him with mine.

'Showy bastard…' I think. Eddie's ball whistled by me and got dodged by Harry. He counters with his own ball aimed right for his chest and it hits… My own. The two balls slam together with a satisfying thwack!

They fall to the gymnasium floor with them bouncing uselessly. We snatch up new ones and duck and dodge through the hail of them from the newly gathered team he's got from the locker room. Eddie gets out most of Harry's teammates before getting hammered in the face by one.

He goes down and it's just me and Harry. We glare at each other. Our dodgeballs in our hands. Almost like a Western we stare each other down. I could almost hear the Ecstasy of Gold playing in my ears. I hover my hand into a throwing stance and the weird ringing goes off, time slows and I see the other balls coming at me.

Moving through the hailstorm. Harry's ball comes careening at me and I see it coming. Vaulting over the ball and slamming mine into Harry's shoulder on the comedown. He gets knocked back and I run over to help him up.

"Next time, try to be a little faster." I say, breathing a little heavier. I hold out my hand and Harry smacks it away.

"Tch. You got lucky." he scoffs as he gets to his feet. That's when I get hit with a heavy feeling. Tired and slogging back to the bleachers, I sit down and Eddie joins me and rubs his nose a little.

I buzz with so much energy, my hands shaking and adrenaline still running high in my body. I still can't believe I did that! I shot webs! I climbed a wall! I jumped between buildings like nothing! And… and I…

I won dodgeball. Me! Jack Parker! This is amazing! I'm amazing! Woo-hoo! I run towards the nearest table, dodging through the crowds and plunking my lunch down excitedly in front of Eddie, who has a fry sticking out of his mouth mid-chew, his dark blue eyes widen at my excitement.

"Whoa, what's up with you?" he asks.

"I won! We won! I mean, I was so fast I was like wizzhu! And Harry was like, 'Oh no, don't!' and I was like, 'Not today, fucko!' and WHAM!" I drive my fist into my hand, it stings a little harder than it used to do, "Out like a light!"

Eddie nods, "Glad you're happy, buddy." he smiles and reaches across, ruffling my hair and I bat him away gently, "So, any more cool stuff you can do?"

I shrug, "I dunno. Never tried anything beyond what I did before." I look down at my hands, the jittery warmth still surging through them. All of this power is like a gift from whoever's watching out for me!

After this big victory, I guess I don't feel that bad anymore. I don't notice the fact that Jaysen is looming over me, and a rough hand grabs my shirt collar from behind.

The next thing I do is the worst thing imaginable. Jaysen lays on the floor of the cafeteria, groaning as my legs flick around, bounding me away from him and above everyone. I run so fast and so far away that the teachers can't even stop me, no one can and no one will.

Just get me away.

Get me out.

Hide me.

Climbing, running, swinging. Breath coming out fast as Eddie's voice shreds away in the chase. Heart pounding through my ears, Sense going into a tizzy, everything blurring into colors and shapes, rough pavement and cement.

Brick.

Grass.

leaves.

wood.

Dark.

I finally stop running and skid into the shade of an old bridge in Central Park. Breathing so hard and fast that I can't even begin to describe the fact that it might've knocked the wind out of me. My legs pat me, my Sense calms, but the heartbeat still pounds.

I'm still here, I'm still here. I'm okay. There's nothing to worry about. Peeking out of the shadows I notice something odd. A girl. Not just any girl. The silver blonde hair, the piercing ice blue eyes, the tough leather jacket with silver studs and peeking over her glasses.

I glare at her, "What?"

She blinks but then chuckles, "Well, you're friendly."

I roll my eyes and she joins me across, sitting in front of me. She smiles and holds out her hand, black, long nails tip her slender fingers and I take it.

"Felicia Hardy." she says.

"Jack Parker." I answer. My legs softly tap my back, giving me a little more grounding. Felicia lets go but the thing is… I know her. I know Felicia. The smartest girl in our grade, the smartest girl in the history of ever, is sitting across from me in a damn drainage ditch under a bridge nobody really walks over anymore.

What is my life right now?

Felicia lets go of my hand and I curl back up, "Are you here to stare at me too?"

"What? No." she scooches a little closer, "I have a question."

"Shoot." I look into her eyes and she seems honest enough about it. She's not a monster in disguise, at least I don't think so.

"What do you want? You have these powers, so what now?" she asks, I scooch back further into the shadows.

"Prob'ly be a freak for the rest of my life." I grumble and she puts her hand on my knee.

"Or you could be more." she nudges me, "You've done so much more lately."

Of course the question now is, "Are you stalking me?"

Felicia bursts out laughing, almost doubling over and I can't help but laugh back. She stops laughing eventually and I do too. Quiet settles back in and we both stare at each other with questions aplenty.

But I smile. Calm. Calmer than I've ever been before. Felicia walks over to the wall and pushes in a slat. There's a soft whirring clicking sound as it shuttles open. A door down into the ground. A staircase with lights softly clicking on.

"Okay, so MAYBE I might've stalked you just a little bit." she admits with a smile, "Of course, I had to get everything ready."

"Wait, you know about the Spider bite?"

"It's all over the news, of course."

Her smile is radiant and all I can do is look at her like she's insane. Because having a stalker is completely normal. Totally. Yeah. What's down here is a bevy of stuff. Art, treasures, jewelry and all kinds of different expensive things.

But in the middle is something neatly folded, something she probably got from somewhere. It's a normal enough black bodysuit, but when I touch it… it explodes into a spider. A bright spider, I take the suit into my arms and the outfit forms into something extraordinary.

"Is this thing alive?" I ask.

"No, it's a little something called Unstable Molecules. I'll letcha take it, think about what you wanna do." she pats me on the shoulder.

"Keep in touch, Recluse."

She leaves and I take the suit with me, ambling to catch up to her.

When we get back to school, they pull me right out of the last period study hall. Same circumstance as last time. They had me talk to him, I only concussed him. He was fine. But this time Mom was here instead of Dad. Mom sits with her arms crossed, glaring at Jaysen and his parents like her eyes were a dragon burning their crops. She sees me and I look at her, all I can do is sit there and take it. The Principal sits in the middle, behind his big desk.

Mom doesn't start, they do.

"Mrs. Parker, your son is a freak!" Mrs. Lawrence crows, Mom takes it, smiles and says something that makes my spine chill.

"He had it coming, Patty. Do you know how many times I had to clean the blood and snot off my son's face? How many times did I press ice to the bruises your son and Osborn's little shit made on him?" Mom looms over them, almost like she's about to knock her out too.

Mrs. Lawrence and Mom glare at each other, Mr. Lawrence pipes up, "You can't speak to her that way, May!" he barks.

"Oh yeah? And what do YOU do, Doug? Beat your kid up? Yell at him? Take away his things?" she smiles and reaches over to me, patting my knee.

"My boy did nothing wrong. All he did was exist. All he does is exist. Your son just didn't get the memo that he's stronger than him now." His parents are struck dumb but the Principal, a reedy older man who kind of looks like a worm given human form pipes up.

"Mrs. Parker, you DO realize your son may face expulsion if this continues." he says, and Mom nods.

"Yes, I know. But the thing is… maybe this wouldn't have happened if you'd listened to my son rather than take this meathead's word." she stands up, shoulders her purse, and grabs my hand.

"If that's all, we're going." she pulls me along with her as I hear the last words of Jaysen's family. A kind of anger, a sort of snarling and biting tone.

"If he's got what's coming to him, then you'll get it too!"

I close my eyes and Mom squeezes my hand, "I know it's hard, baby. But you'll figure it out." When we get into the car, she blasts Korn and we head home.

"Why aren't you working late, Mom?" I ask.

"Well, I kinda got another shift change, plus… I'm worried about you." she pats my tiny Spider Legs, "Especially since you have these now." Heat burns my cheeks and I look down at my knees with a peek into my bag at my new suit, the spider, plain white, staring at me.

I know what to do now. We get home and I head upstairs without much of a word, dropping my phone off downstairs but focusing more on my new suit, shutting my door behind me. Taking it out, it's a black and white suit, a blank slate that seems a little odd but when I put it on…

It fits to my body, forming colors, following the crimson of my Spider Legs and the black tips, Red and Black. The colors of my suit meld into the Spider, the legs following my actual Spider Legs, adding black. I slide on the mask, the bottom part can flip up for my fangs, but when it's down it's light and breathable fabric. Who really made this? Lenses tint red, the suit adjusting for my powers. I can't help the smile coming to my lips as I leap out into the night. Time to give it a test run!

Chapter Text

Shit. Shit. SHIT. I run through the apartment, getting into my future brother-in-law Reed's lab. Of course I have access for the weekend because my sis and him needed me to watch the place. They could've gotten Ben but he's worried about his rock skin but that's besides the damn point.

The lab was pristine. Not a single thing out of place other than the missing suit. It's like the party last night never happened thanks to the H.E.R.B. . But they never noticed the hot platinum blonde girl coming in and yoinking something this important?!

'Great job, Johnathan Lowell Spencer Storm, you lost a very, very important piece of science. Kiss your ass goodbye.'

The door slides open and I come face to face, eye to eye with the one thing I never wanted to see. Reed's prototype suit is completely gone! It was meant for Ben! God he's gonna KILL me when he gets back! Where's the suit?! It was right here!

I mean not to mention Ben himself.

Crap, what do I do? What do I…

There's a soft beeping on a screen, a softly shining blue dot near… Midtown. Wow. Easy as pie, huh?

I stretch and open the skylight, "Okay… weird blippy thing, get ready to face the Human Torch! FLAME ON!"

Flames leap from my skin, bathing it in orange, shining around me, or rather. I'm on fire! Alright, look out New York, here's Johnny!

The air hits my new suit, there's no drag or any resistance, smooth and aerodynamic as my legs stab their tips into the buildings as it bounds me skyward, my lengths of webbing sending me tearing through the air.

Everything whips by and I easily slide into a flip. Just soaring above all the noise and bedlam. The city's people going on their merry ways and not noticing a web slinging Recluse just flinging himself through the skies of New York.

My Sense jolts through me and I just barely dodge away from a bolt of flame being lobbed at me, burning past as a flaming… man? Boy? Roars up on me like a bad tailgater.

"Rrgh! What's the big idea, Shithead?! I was slinging!" I yell, dodging another blast, "Oh come on! If you're after me, just get in line behind the big wheel!"

The flaming boy sighs, "Look man! Just strip off the suit and hand it over!"

"Over my dead body, Flames for Brains! My friend gave it to me!" I don't try to fight him because if I do then I'm gonna be one cooked spider and we're not in a country that eats stuff like that! Dodging, dancing, swinging through the air with fireballs whizzing by like fastballs.

"Yeah no, not giving it back!" Webbing up a manhole cover I whip it at him, he melts it midair with *Fwoom!* a jet of flame. He's seriously taking the wind outta my sails…

Dodging more and more bolts, my arms and legs finally seize and I hit the roof hard. Sense and pain rollicking through me as the burning boy lands. Arm, help. Leg. Come on. Trying to get back onto my feet.

He walks up to me, "Spider dude, hand over the suit and I won't burn your legs." he sighs, "I need it back, my sister's gonna KILL me."

"I don't care…" Wheezing, my entire body seizes and my legs retract. Then my mask retracts and my fangs hook up the venom sacs. Drool runs from my mouth when my wrists hurt and my stingers unsheathe.

But it's not for him. My Sense zeroes in on a constant, thrumming pulse. I glare behind me at the formerly immolated boy and snarl out.

"If you want the suit back, you'll have to help me, I can barely move as it is." my Sense screams with the louder pulse as I close in on the bank below. The flaming boy comes with me. His eyes stare at me as I just walk in.

"What? I'm not gonna sneak up on him."

"Hey, hey, your call, dude. I'm just here for-"

"The suit, the suit, I know." I glare at him with a, 'Yeah, I know, shut up.' look.

He's standing next to me, the guy in the busted-out safe filling stacks and stacks of money into a bag with a bunch of other guys too. The Human Torch and I both clear our throats. He turns to us. His guys are all posting up. All armed with rifles, pistols, batons, shields, the works.

"Evening, gentlemen! I'm what you call a pest!" I sling a vent grate into one of the armed guards, picking up his rifle and dodging through a blitz of gunfire, "Whoa whoa whoa! Fingers off the red-hot triggers!"

Tossing the rifle and beaning a guy right in the goddamn face with it is me. I did that! Hell yeah! And tore that vent right off the- Bullets whiz by and I just barely scramble behind some cover under the desk nearby. This is insane! Crazy! What the hell was I thinking?! Stop thinking in circles, dumbass! Sorry, I panicked.

Meanwhile, Torch is going ham with the fire, keeping things wound tight as the sprinklers keep them contained.

The wall bursts into shards of plywall and framing, tearing into the fabric of my suit is the force of a heavy blow right to the back. Hurtling head over ass into the deeper reaches of the bank is me, my legs sliding out and stopping me.

"Oooweee! Lookit you!" Quilted Guy marches into the room, The Human Torch handling the lower goons. "Ain't y'all just sweet? Bein' friends!"

"Oh great, looks like Gramma's Quilt is from Tennessee…" I crouch and my legs shorten, "Unless you're from Texas… actually, I don't wanna know." My muscles tense and Quilted Guy reloads his gauntlets, firing them again, I roll out of the way, my Sense frazzling at every blast.

"I ain't 'Gramma's Quilt' ya big bug! I'm the Shocker!" he barks.

The feeling of it all crashes down on me, smashing into me and tearing things apart in my head. Ducking and dodging as the shockwaves try to hit me. All I can think of is Johnny Cash blasting from out of nowhere. Cutting it close, I bound through the waves and smash my fist into his face, the cartridges springing out of his gauntlets in the heavy shunking of my stingers cutting them to shreds, the dull throb of my wrists beating through it all.

"Listen, yew little dickshart, yer gonna regret that." Quiltman smirks under his cowl and I hold my stingers to his throat. My sense pulses hard and I snap my head up to where Torch is. He's trying his best to not burn them to a crisp, but at that an intense blast of shockwaves slams me into the globe and it bursts into shards and sparks, my body and legs flaring into so much pain.

But I stand back up, swaying to my feet, my body on autopilot. Moving like water, shockwaves running by me, Torch backing me up as best as he could. Everything was swinging madly in my vision, barely awake. All I need is to push a little more. Just a few more blows and this guy goes Goodnight Irene. Shocker reloads but Torch gets him in the chest with a fire bolt, the guy stumbles and I web him down.

He lays there and I grab a piece of paper and a pen, writing…

Courtesy of the Recluse and Human Torch. At that, he and I leave, he's flying near me and all I want to do is go home.

"About the suit…" he starts.

"What, you still want it?" I ask, "Because I'm not giving it back. This doesn't make us friends, Torchhead."

He raises his hands, "Whoa whoa, no. No, I think you should keep it. If I explain to my sister and brother in law who has it, I think I can get you off the hook with them. Also it's Johnny, not Torchhead, not Flames for Brains."

"I get it." I leap away and sling through the city back towards home, Johnny… he's on fire… where'd I hear that before? Ah well, I'm tired anyway. Getting to my window and pulling off my mask and my suit gloves, pushing up the window and heading in. Once I'm inside, I hit my bed face first and pass out. Every inch of me is relaxing and aching. There's no dream of that old lady surrounded by that web. Just a gentle haze of sleep takes over me. No other dreams. Just me asleep and blissfully unaware of anything.

Overtaxed and hurt are my two MOs pretty much. So I sleep.

Chapter Text

Stuck in bed. That’s what I’m doing. Every inch of my body hurts, every tiny movement makes my body just scream in pain and laying here is the only thing I can do. Dad comes into my room with his case and work stuff on him, kneeling and putting his hand on my forehead.

“I’m not sick, Dad…” I groan.

“Then what’s up? Why’re ya wearin’ black?”

“It’s my suit, I’m… Well… I…” I roll over, the pain thundering through my body like ten billion jackhammers punching me in the face, “I’m sorry about Jaysen and Osborn…”

“Kid, it’s not your fault, your powers…”

“Were a complete coincidence, right?”

Dad laughs, kissing me on the temple, “Sure, sure. Yeah, but how’d you get it?”

“Get my suit?” I roll back over and smile, “I… well, it’s from a secret admirer.”

Dad grins, “A secret admirer? A girlfriend?” His excitement is kinda rewarded considering how I always hang out with Eddie rather than scope out any ladies. So any mention of a potential future Mrs. Parker always has him perk up. 

“Well… no. She just…” I close my eyes, remembering the old bridge in the park, “She…” Felicia’s smile, the way she called me, ‘Recluse’ it felt like she knew where I was at, this new thing.

“She’s amazing…”

Dad gets up, “Well, looks like you got something to do. Remember, you gotta-”

“Do my schoolwork, yeah… and other stuff, right?”

He nods, “And no going out, got it? You’re still grounded!”

Dad leaves me be and I close my eyes, reaching over to my bookbag and pulling out all the schoolwork I was loaded with. History, Drama, Math, Science, etc. It just kept piling sometimes and with this aching, this buzzing? It’s not stopping. Unfolding myself from my sheets and blankets, I amble to the bathroom. Nothing but the thought of getting my suit off. Every motion is overtaxing pain but I grit my teeth and muscle through it anyway.

Peeling it off, I get into my tub and start the shower, washing off all the grime and sweat caked onto me. It’s like my humanity is restored and all that. But standing under the spray, the hot water helps the pain ease. Thinking about what I could do. What I did with the Human Torch, what that means for everything. My parents, my friends, what Felicia knows about me. What everything could amount to.

When I get out of the shower, there’s something off, my Sense goes off, gently thrumming and spreading, I toss my suit into the hamper, getting my computer open and firing up some Metallica, grabbing the rest of my clothes and shoving them into the washer, starting it and headbanging around. My homework goes finished, my chores all wrapped up in a neat bow, everything I’m responsible for is done. Man, I should get suspensions more often. I mean, it’s not that bad but at the same time I’m sitting here doing nothing and staring at the ceiling.

Just me.

The same popcorned ceiling, the same four walls filled with things I loved. I look at my right arm, splotchy with burn scars from grafted skin, then at my suit hanging in the closet. I can’t just let it go. I won’t let a day go by without at least SOME Recluse work. But then my body’s aches start pinging again, forcing myself back to bed, my Sense still thrums strong and constant. That’s when there’s a heavy plunk on the fire escape outside. Jolting up despite the pain I get downstairs and see someone standing on it that really shouldn’t be.

Felicia kneels, her bright blue eyes shine as she waves at me. Getting to the window and opening it for her, she traipses in almost like she owns the place. Even though this is my house.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asks.

“What are you doing here? How’d you get my…”

“Eddie gave it to me. So how are you?” she lounges on the couch and I sit on the arm, my heart beats soft in my ears, knowing that my friend, a girl, is in my house lounging with her heavy black boots and silver studded leather jacket giving her more of a punkish look.

“Well, I’m hurting.” I sigh, “Suit was amazing though.”

“Aww, I’m glad you liked it! It was a lot of work stealing it,” she smiles and giggles, “Oh, and you’re hurt?”

“Well, no. Just… it’s something with my powers. They just don’t work sometimes.” I explain, a small hissing jet of air coming out of my web slats, aching like a motherfucker but she nods and smiles at me.

“Well then, seems like you’re busy, so…” she gets up and stretches, “All I wanted to do was- Wait a minute, is that a guitar?” she sees a small case and I snatch it, holding it to my chest.

“It’s my bass.” I snarl, “My precious.”

“Oho kay, Gollum. Just uh… I’ve been looking for one.” her cheeks turn a little red but she unclips it, “Play something for me.” I take my guitar out, the body is black and brown, I shuffle over to the amp and turn it on.

“Alright… this is Spiders by System of a Down…” I dive right into the baseline, mostly by memory. Once we hit “Through my hair! THROUGH MY HAAAIIIRRR!” Smashing right out of Spiders and into my own chunky baseline. Closing my eyes, ignoring the pain and the fact that I was playing my bass, my Sense calms down and I just keep playing, the song ebbing through my body, the vibrations making everything a little calmer.

When I open my eyes, Felicia claps, “Wow, that was…”

“Great, right?” I ask, setting it back against the wall after I unplugged the amp. She smiles, nodding and at that there’s a moment where all I want to do is get out of here. Powers or not I just want to follow her.

She stands up with a soft smile, my legs’ excited tapping encouraging me to just go run out with her. Walking close, Felicia leans down and kisses me on the cheek.

“Nice work with the Shocker, Recluse.” she purrs.

My cheeks burn hot and I look away, “Oh, you… you saw that. Yeah, I remember. All over the news…”

She nods, “Yeah, I’ll see you later. Maybe tonight?” she steps away and out onto the fire escape, turning around and winking. Leaping over it and landing perfectly, bowing and leaving.

What’s up with her?

Slinging through the air never gets old. I land on a roof, laying down and resting a bit. I sit back up. My Sense buzzes and there's someone in the distance. The wind rushes through my ears, slinging closer to see the person better. Silver hair in a black bodysuit with what looks like fur on the sleeves and lower legs. She’s kneeling in front of a window packing some tools up. Her hair flows in a ponytail, shouldering a bag loaded down with jewels and other things.

My legs spring out of my back and I leap after her, she’s got a lead on me but closing in is easy enough. Bearing down on her there’s a moment where she glances over her shoulder at me, eyes covered by slightly shaded goggles.

“Aww, you really did come when I said! Good boy!” she stands up and I land near her.

“What’re you doing with that bag?”

“Oh, this?” she smiles and chucks it at me, valuables scattering everywhere and I flip over it with a stinging gob of webbing hammering it into the wall. She takes off running and there’s no time to lose, leaping off in hot pursuit. Wind ripping through my ears and staying almost laser focused on her.

She darts and jumps between the rooftops, my legs going at full tilt just to catch up despite the pain they’re in. This girl has something that she shouldn’t have and the other thing I can’t really tell. The silver moonlight shines down on us, the lights of the city drowning out the stars. Slinging and running after her, dodging more and more things she tosses at me. All I need to do is keep dodging and catch up. Stay on target… stay on target… like the Death Star run just stay on target. Soon enough she tires out and I land near her, my legs making me loom over her like a monster.

Her eyes meet mine and she smiles, “Having fun?”

“If pushing my Cooldown Clock further is your idea of fun.” I scoff as she pounces on me, bowling me over with a wild gleam in her eyes. Her hair billows in the motion, hands on my chest, body aching but she stares into my eyes, legs wiggling in the air.

“Hmmm… look at you. Mr. Short, dark and handsome.” she says with the smirk of someone who just caught themselves a pretty good fish, leaning down to slide up my mask. Closing the distance, she’s inches from me now.

Her smile widens to a grin, her hair billows in the breeze. Her weight presses gently but she stares into my eyes.

“So, what’s it gonna be, honey?” she purrs, “If it were me… I’d leave me alone.”

“But you want something, right? Maybe…” she touches my cheek and brings herself in, her lips meeting mine and her eyes closing. She pulls away and my legs spring me up. As she stands in front of me, she smiles.

“So, I have a plan about something really fun… a little revenge against the guy who made that Spider, it’s tough living like this, being suspended and missing Eddie and I, right?”

“It’s just me and Eddie… Felicia.” It wasn’t much of a shock, she always gave my sense a weird vibe and I always filed it away as ‘Oh, she’s just really weird.'

“Call me the Black Cat, or just Cat for short. But don’t you want revenge against Osborn? Against Lawrence? Don’t you want to hit them where it hurts with me, babe?” she leans against one of my legs with a soft grin. She rubs it gently.

“Come on, babe…” she croons.

“Why do you want to help me? Why go through all this trouble to bait me out?” I lower and she drapes herself on me, pressing a kiss to my forehead, my cheeks warm but I shake it out. She’s playing me and I know that but…

“Because you and I are kindred spirits, Recluse…” she squeezes me and pulls away, “I’ll give you time to figure it out!”

She runs off the roof and grapple guns into the night, leaving me standing there thinking… do I hit Osborn now and maybe show Harry I won’t fuck around anymore? Or will I just wuss out? I dunno anymore.

"It's him!"

"Geez, him and Hardy? What is the world coming to?"

“Is he a Mutie…?”

"Fuckin' freak…" There're students all over the place muttering about my powers. About how I could websling and dodge things I couldn't dodge before and of course me flickshotting Jaysen across the room with my spider legs was a hot topic. Eddie was nowhere to be found. Of fucking course he's probably trying to spelunk who did this to me. Felicia grabs my hand, squeezing it. All the eyes on me just makes it worse. 

God, I already feel like a bug under a magnifying glass. I just barely squeeze her hand back but at the same time my legs seize, making me stop and double over. She wraps her arm around my shoulders, pulling me up and supporting me. Her eyes meet mine.

"We're in this shit together, Recluse." she's kissing me on the temple, "You gotta remember that." her voice is low and all I can think of is how right she really is. She yanked me into this before I was ready. Hell, I barely know what all I can do beyond my legs and stingers and Sense.

Eddie bustles over from the football crowd, anger in his dark eyes, leveled squarely at Felicia and I get in front of her.

"I know what the hell you did, Hardy!" he points at her, "You… you… gggh! You know what?! Meet me after school, Jack! You bring your little girlfriend too!"

He storms off and I look back down at myself, Felicia still clinging onto me. She smiles and nudges me. Still being happy enough and in her metal queen look. I can't look at her. I don't know what Eddie knows and well, knowing how he slips deep into the web to get dirt on anything and anyone it's kind of his thing.

"Harsh, ain't he?" she bats her eyes and I slip out of her grasp. I gotta go to class and I know she's in Science with me. But this… I don't know what to do or say or if I even want to BE the Recluse anymore.

This is just a lot at once, and people skidding out of my way like I'm the plague doesn't help much. All I listen to is Cast No Shadow on loop. Drifting through classes, my half-passionate soul just burning through it all. Come Lunch and I sit alone, far off in the corner, but that doesn't stop Harry's mug from popping up in my periphery. Smarmy smile and everything, sauntering closer and all I wanted to do is slug the shit out of him.

My legs slowly slide out, just barely being held back by the pain. Every movement today was just a heavy-limbed burning pained struggle. Whatever I had before is gone. He sits down next to me with the smarmy smirk he always has.

"So, what does it feel like to be absolutely alone?"

I don't answer, not wanting him to have the satisfaction of a victory. Everything about him sucks and I don't want to stir up the pot anymore because already there's going to be more bullshit than it's worth.

He puts his hand on me and I push it off, "Leave me alone, Osborn."

"Oh please, I'm just drinking in the sweet sweet karmic retribution of your actions."

My thoughts are screaming at me to punch him again, but at this rate how I stopped the Quilted Man rings so many alarm bells that it's almost a chorus at this point. Just one shot is all it could take to send him packing. But I sit quiet as a mouse. Harry moves off once he realizes I'm not gonna fuck around with him. I slump and I can't even keep it together. Eddie comes in and sees me almost in tears. He rushes over and plops down his own lunch.

"Dude, did Osborn-"

"It's not Osborn, Eddie…"

He closes his mouth and I cover my face with my hands, "Listen, what have you got about Felicia? You keep on being all uppity about her being around me and all that." I dry my tears and he sighs.

"Okay, so… the thing is at Oscorp the other day we were looking at those spiders, right? And Felicia's got her hood up and looking all suspicious as Osborn's preening like a motherfucker and everyone's eyes are glazing over."

"Yuh-huh." I look down at my food and eat it, "So she let them out?"

"Only one, seemed to be a real nasty one, and well you got bit by it. Now I dunno if anyone is after you but I did some more digging, that guy on the news that you cramped the style of is a real nasty piece of work."

He slides over a file of printouts, some of them look like he hacked into the NYPD and snuck them out. I dunno why he'd do that. Seems extreme and really, really stupid for a Freshman star quarterback to do but here we are.

"Why'd you do this, Eds? You know you're gonna get in trouble and no amount of begging or pleading is gonna keep you away from Quantico."

He leans forward with a smile, "I want in, Jack. I wanna help. You an' I have always been friends, and well with me by your side we'll figure out what those shitheels out there wanna do." I take up the file and flick through it.

"And these are…"

"Records, research, real dark web shit." Eddie seems to never lose the smile even when talking about shit that might get us killed but still, that's how he rolls. Some of these are weird. A guy named Lonnie, a lady named Delilah, some things about a Taskmaster…

"What? You want me to get on my suit and start punching guys out?" I shake my head with a bitter smile, "I'm grounded 'til I figure my shit out."

Eddie nods and seems to take it well enough. But passing by behind us is Felicia. She strides over, hair flouncing and Eddie glaring at her. She slides in next to me and looks down at the printouts.

"Yeesh, casting a wide net, Brock?"

"Not as far as I can throw you, Hardy."

The tension between these two is thick enough that a knife won't cut it. I clear my throat and she sneaks a quick peck on my cheek. Eddie rolls his eyes and munches on some chips.

"See, the way I see it is that Jack and I are a two person outfit," Felicia smiles and squeezes me, "That means no smelly third-wheelers."

"Hey! I got the marks you guys can go after, you already bagged Herman so this Taskmaster guy and-" she cuts him off with a pointed glare.

"Nah nah nah, Eddie. This isn't how we're gonna do this, 'kay? We bag them when they show up, or Jack builds up his presence all around the city. We have to be careful. Me and Jack are new, and acting too quickly or hitting the heavies are gonna get people nervous."

Felicia smiles, nuzzling me, "And my poor little Recluse got his suity taken away~" she kisses my jaw and I can't help but let out a shaky giggle. God, she's just yanking my strings like nothing, huh? Some luck I guess. Either way these two are kind of a riot all on their own. Just what I need. Eddie and Felicia and me caught in the middle of these two going absolutely insane. This is just going to be a fun little time with my best friend and girlfriend.

After lunch, the second half of classes goes on. More people move away from me, some avoid me in the hallways, and my powers are still active and making me amble around so carefully. Of course I could say that things couldn't get any worse but judging by whatever Eddie wants to do after school it'd have to be kept on hold. There's a heavy shove and I eat linoleum, my body falling to the floor near the lockers. I scramble to get up but a foot shoves me back down. Looming over me is Jaysen Lawrence, absolutely pissed and probably going to be just because I beat the shit out of Osborn.

"Jack, you missed my fucking call," he growls, grinding his heel into my Spider Legs, a stabbing pain shoots through there and I see spots. Black and splotchy, great! Just what I wanted!

"Well sorry, I got… grounded!" I close my eyes and grit my teeth trying not to cry. He kicks me in the side and suddenly I hear…

"Hey! Leave that kid alone!" a shadow falls over me and the weight and pain comes off my back. Kneeling down is a man with graying brown hair and blue eyes, bearded and almost nice looking. He's wearing a hoodie and jeans.

"Hey, you okay?" he asks, offering me a hand up. I take it and he hoists me, setting me back down on the floor. I lean against the lockers, seeing him checking me over.

"Thanks…" My voice is heavy and tired and all I want to do is drag myself home and sleep. He grins and dusts off my shoulders.

"Yeesh, rough, aren't they?" he tuts, "Name's Mr. Beck. I'm new."

"Jack Parker, I've been here a year and already I want out."

Mr. Beck laughs and hands me my schedule, I take drama and I think Mrs. Kirby was already on her way out, so Mr. Beck was her replacement? I don't remember I was too busy trying not to pass the fuck out but now it all makes sense.

"So you're one of my students?" he nudges me, "Looking forward to it, you do all your own stunts, right?"

"Yeah, yeah I do. I’m kinda a natural."

Mr. Beck laughs again and he reminds me a bit of some movie star named Daniel Beck. Made a bunch of movies real famous with his acting. Still though, lucky me. It's only just the issue of keeping that luck now. Because I don't know when it'll run out. I part from Mr. Beck and go off to see what Eddie wanted, but Felicia runs into me just about there. She smiles and wraps her arms around me.

She squeezes me, “You know something, Jack? Maybe this little arrangement won’t be so bad…” Her nails trace my collarbone and she rests her chin on top of my head.

“What say you? Shall we get revenge on your bullies and steal some cool shit? Really eat the rich?” she purrs, rubbing my aching shoulders. I close my eyes and think of Mom and Dad. What would they want me to do? The right thing, yeah?

Stealing from the rich isn’t bad. It’s just taking back blood money and putting it in the hands of those who need it the most, or serving your own goals. It’s no different than survival. But then this is petty revenge against guys weaker than me.

I can’t start the Recluse’s rise to heroism by being a villain… can I?

Felicia still waits for my answer, and I open my eyes, the decision coming easily enough. They beat me up, made fun of me, ruined my Battle Vest multiple times, everything about this was wrong. What’s going to stop them from doing it again?

“Let’s do it.” I say.

She kisses the top of my head, “Good boy, I’ll see you on Saturday at seven… AM.”

“Why AM?”

“We need to case the place, duh!” she sighs, “You have a long way to go, fortunately you have me.”

I smile, “I guess, just don’t be bad luck.”

She smiles widely and I just know I jinxed it. Me and my big mouth.