Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was a normal case, at first. Some rich housewife wanted to hire a private investigator to get some dirt on her husband. Yang & Lester Investigations had done this many times before. Parker would trail Mr. Faust and get photo evidence of anything incriminating, while Arthur did more behind the scenes work, checking online data and records.  Only problem was they weren’t finding the right kind of dirt on the man.  Mrs. Faust had suspected cheating, but on his first data sweep, Arthur checked employment records to find her husband was no longer employed by Oscorp like she claimed. This made it all the more strange when Parker followed him to one of their labs all the way out in Harper’s Hill. An old laboratory certainly wasn’t the weirdest place for a hookup, but it wasn’t exactly the most common, either. 

From outside, the lab still appeared to be active and in use, but as Parker quietly followed Mr. Faust’s path, he started to think otherwise. This lab site had clearly been abandoned months ago – there was broken glass everywhere, strange marks on the walls, and no sign of any life except for Parker and the man he was following. The whole place was generally unnerving, sending a bit of a chill down Parker's spine. He took care to stay out of sight as he followed Mr. Faust down a well-used path towards Lab - 130. 

The lab itself was behind a large metal door with a keypad. Mr. Faust input a long passcode before entering the lab swiftly. The door closed behind him before Parker could get a good look inside, but there was a small rectangular window set into the metal that he could peer through. 

Inside the lab there were two large glass canisters. One had shattered, with a trail of what Parker could only assume to be blood towards a massive hole in the wall and presumably into the next lab over. The other contained an ever moving black fluid, almost as though it was alive. Mr. Faust stood in front of the intact canister, staring at it for a moment before he pulled out a small handheld device. 

“This is Aaron Faust recording,” Parker could barely hear through the door, even with his ear pressed up to it. “I was let go from my position three months ago following the incident that occurred here in Oscorp Delta Lab - 130 on May 16th 2025. The Symbiote Project on record may be shut down, but I cannot let my work go to waste–” 

Parker missed the next bit as he scribbled some notes - dates, the name of the lab, and whatever the "Symbiote Project" is - to look into later.

“ –since the incident his whereabouts have remained unknown, all we know is he is likely still under the control of the Beta specimen. With no way to track and study what has become of the Beta specimen, I will simply study the Alpha specimen in its containment until the project failure cooldown period is over and the Delta lab is reclaimed. I have been removed from this project and from my position because of my alleged obsessive behavior. I prefer the term dedicated.” 

Parker continued scribbling notes - Beta Specimen, Alpha Specimen, cooldown period . He was so focused, he didn’t even notice when a spider had landed on the sleeve of his coat.  

“For whoever finds this, whoever takes over my position, I have left a hard drive in my desk. It contains all of my notes surrounding the incident, along with reports I theorize to be sightings of the Beta Specimen. I wish you the best of luck. End recording.” 

When Mr. Faust turned off his recorder,  Parker felt a searing pinch on the back of his hand. A bright blue spider had sunk its venomous fangs into his skin.

“ Shit- Fuck-” Parker swore quietly, smacking the spider off his hand. It hit the wall before falling to the ground, and Parker squished it under his shoe for good measure. Fuck this. It wasn't what he came for, but he had evidence of breaking and entering, and he could not be bothered to care about this scientific bullshit. He had enough of this creepy lab, and he left as quickly as he could.

༺🕷༻

It was around 10 PM by the time Parker got back to New York City. He shot Arthur a text, asking if he wanted to get a drink over at Jack’s and discuss their respective day’s findings. He headed in that direction anyways, knowing the answer would probably be yes, and waited for him at their usual booth.

“Mrs. Faust will be rather disappointed by the lack of infidelity involved, but I must say this is a lot more interesting. I mean, a freak science experiment rampaging in Harper’s Hill? Just more evidence of Oscorp’s questionable experimentations and business practices, but I'm curious about this 'Symbiote Project' you mentioned. Very interesting indeed.” Arthur said, looking over Parker's hastily written notes. 

“Yeah, maybe for you, I prefer something more cut and dry. But hey- maybe we could use the pics I got as leverage or  blackmail or something.” Parker suggested. 

Arthur shrugged, taking a sip of his drink. “If that’s really what you want to do. I am much more interested in researching, and maybe even finding, this missing 'Beta Specimen'.” 

“Artie, with all the love in my heart, your interests don’t pay the bills. As much as it'd be awesome to be do-good detectives who solve crimes for fun, save the day like real life superheroes, we both got rent to pay. For ourselves and the office.” 

“I suppose you’re right.” Arthur frowned slightly, closing the notebook and handing it back across the table.

“Speaking of, how was the office today? It was Noel’s first official day, yeah?” Parker asked.

“Yes, I spent much of the day helping him get his computer set up and briefing him on answering the phone. I am sure, as Roland said, he's a wonderful detective, but the man truly knows nothing about modern technology. When I had done his background check I thought his lack of digital footprint was suspicious, but no, he simply does not know how to use anything from the digital age. Perhaps we should sign him up for one of those ‘Computers for Boomers’ classes they offer at the library.” 

“Yeah, well I wasn’t much better when we first met, and you've kept me around all these years.” Parker grinned, teasing.

“Yes, I suppose that’s true.” Arthur smiled back, then changed the subject back to work. “A few new interesting cases came in.” 

“Oh yeah? Tell me about em.” Parker sipped his cocktail, leaning back in his seat as he listened. 

“I got an email about a missing girl, I did a little bit of digging and I’d say it’s likely a body will be found soon, as it has a similar MO to the recent murders just outside of Harper’s Hill. Then there's a man who suspects his wife is living a double life and that she has secret children, that one seems more up your alley than mine. And lastly, I got a call from a woman named Marie. She’s looking for her sister, though she was rather tight-lipped about details on the phone. She did say she could offer more information and even a lead if we took the case. We have a meeting with her at 11 tomorrow.” 

“Hm. All interesting, for sure…” Parker trailed off into a yawn. “How bout we sleep on it, discuss it all in the morning? We can give Noel a better idea of how we handle things.” 

“That sounds good to me. See you tomorrow, then..” 

"See you, Artie."

༺🕷༻

That night, Parker barely slept at all, and when he managed to drift off, he had strange dreams. Climbing on walls, wrapping giant insects in white silk threads. The last thing he remembered before waking is crawling on some large hairy creature, biting it, and seeing his own face as a massive hand tossed him aside, and he fell.

Chapter Text

Parker opened his eyes with a shout and quickly tried to sit up in bed. Only… he wasn’t in bed, he was already standing… upside down? 

"What the.." Everything in his room was in place, only it was all, somehow, on his ceiling. He looked down to his feet, doing a double take as he realized that no, his belongings were not on the ceiling. He was. Along with gigantic silky white spider webs. 

 "I'm still dreaming. This is a dream. I just gotta wake up. To wake up I should just have to go back to sleep. Get back in bed and go to sleep, then bam, dream over"  

As he attempted to enact his plan, Parker found his feet to be glued to the ceiling. He bent down (up?), trying to physically pull them off, but his hands stuck to his pant leg as he did so. 

“What the fuck is happening to me?” 

The world suddenly felt louder, and as panic rose inside of him he realized he could hear his heart and his breathing speed up. The usually muffled noises outside  were so loud, almost as if he was in the middle of the street. He could hear his upstairs neighbors snoring. A car horn sounded a couple blocks away, but it sounded like it was right outside his window. Everything was too much. Parker felt his chest start to tighten, and he instinctively brought his hands to his ears, ripping the bottom of his pajamas with too much ease. He could feel - no, hear - his lungs struggle to draw in air, and he frantically tried to control his breathing. 

He remembered the times he'd watched Arthur freeze, how his breath would quicken when something reminded him of his past. Parker remembered how he would help Arthur, grounding him with a hand on his shoulder and calming words until his panic subsided. 

“Deep breaths, c'mon.” Parker muttered the words he had said to his partner many times before. “Everything's fine. You're okay. Just breathe, yeah?.” 

As he began to relax, Parker’s hands became free, the ripped pieces of cloth fluttering towards the floor. Then his feet loosened, gravity took hold, and he fell back onto his bed with a thud. 

He looked over to the alarm clock on his nightstand - 3:32 AM. Christ. He reached for his phone, but with the sudden movement something shot out of his wrist, sticking to the wall where it hit. 

Parker let out a high pitched shriek, moving away from the stuff and nearly falling off of his bed before realizing it was still attached to him. 

“What the fuck is happening??” He tugged lightly on the sturdy white silk now stretching from his wrist to the wall. It didn't budge, and in the back of his mind he wondered how much it would be able to hold.

“Suppose that explains the web then…” He found he could easily detach the strand from his wrist, and he turned his hand over as he processed everything that just happened. When he did, he caught a glimpse of the spider bite he'd gotten at the lab. Instead of the tiny red bump that was there previously, he saw a perfectly healed scar in the shape of an eight pointed star. Whatever was happening to him had to be related to the failed experiment, at the very least something they were doing in that lab… 

No. Parker decided. This is all just some fucked up dream. I’m gonna wake up in three hours when it’s time to get ready for work, and all this bullshit will be gone. I’m gonna go to work and laugh about this weird ass dream and keep living my normal goddamn life . 

So Parker laid back down and went right back to sleep. 

༺🕷༻

He did wake up to his alarm three hours later, only when he tried to turn it off, the clock stuck to his hand. 

“ Fuck .” 

Parker sighed and tried to relax, the alarm clock eventually falling back onto his nightstand and landing on its side. He dragged a hand across his face, took a deep breath, and got up to start the day. The sticking to objects was becoming easier to control, even though he had to consciously remind himself to relax every time he touched something, but the webs shooting from his wrists were proving to be more of a problem. By the time he finished brushing his teeth, the wall next to the sink had more than a few silk strands hanging from it.

When Parker looked in the mirror, he felt as though his body itself had.. changed, somehow. He wasn’t out of shape before, but looking at his reflection it seemed like he had more muscle definition than before, and he was ever so slightly taller than he had been.  He wasn't complaining, but then he went to shut the bathroom door and ended up pulling the doorknob clean off. He stood there for a second, staring, then he just set the handle on the ground and made a note to be extra gentle with things in the future. 

 Along with the physical changes, Parker felt more aware of everything around him. The sounds of the city were overwhelming, not nearly as bad as they were before, but he winced every time a car honked on his street. And, when he accidentally bumped a vase on the way back to his room, he managed to catch it before he even knew it started to fall. He paused, set it back down on the small table, and continued down the hall. It was almost as though he could sense things before they happened in real time, but that sounded insane, so he very purposely did not think about it.

Parker finished getting dressed, taking care to pick a shirt that would cover the small slits in his skin that the webs seemed to come from, grabbed his briefcase and coat, and headed downstairs and out of his apartment building. He stopped by his usual bodega to get a breakfast sandwich, two coffees and a tea before heading to the office. 

༺🕷༻

Arthur was helping Noel with something on his computer when Parker arrived. 

“Yes, so then you are going to want to click 'file', then 'save as' and select the PDF option– good morning, Parker– perfect, now you're going to need to send it to a location on the computer,” Arthur explained  as Parker nodded a greeting, setting their drinks down on Noel's desk, taking one  and heading towards his own desk. 

“Noel, I brought you a coffee. I hope you don’t mind it black. Should be some creamer in the fridge, dunno if we've got sugar though." 

“I have sugar packets at my desk.” Arthur grabbed his tea. 

“Black is perfect, thank you.” Noel smiled. 

“What are you working on there?” Parker asked as he sat down and turned his computer on.

“Arthur is just teaching me the basics of these fancy computers you guys got.” Noel took a sip of his drink, a little relieved to get a break from the computer. 

“Believe me, they are not fancy.” Arthur corrected. He looked over at Parker, studying his face for a moment. “Are you feeling alright? You’re looking a little flushed.” 

“Huh? Oh, uh- yeah. I had a hard time sleeping last night, probably just that.” Parker fidgeted with the cuffs of his sleeves, trying to pull them a little further over his wrists. 

“Fair enough, I suppose.” Arthur shrugged. “That Marie woman I told you about should be here in a few hours. I forwarded you the information on the other two cases as well.” 

“I’ll take a look in a bit, gotta transfer all the pictures I got last night first so we can close the Faust file.” Parker took his camera out of his bag, focusing so he wouldn't accidentally break it as he removed the SIM card and plugged it into his computer. 

“Oh yeah, what ended up being the result of that?” Noel asked. 

“Well, the guy’s not cheating, but he’s lying to his wife about his employment status and breaking into the place he used to work every night.” Parker recapped only the relevant information, not wanting to talk about it more than he had to. 

“Huh. That's still weird behavior though, I mean… could he have been on something, or what?” Noel wondered out loud. 

“Eh, maybe. Not really our business anymore. I got evidence of illegal activity and proof the guy’s not cheating, which is all we were hired to do.” Parker shrugged. Arthur eyed him again, a question clear in his eyes, but Parker turned to his computer and he looked away. 

༺🕷༻

Marie arrived at the office at 10:27 AM, exactly three minutes early for her appointment. She was accompanied by a man with black curly hair, slightly shorter than Arthur, wearing a cassock. 

Arthur greeted her, holding the door so they could enter. “Hello- you must be Marie. I’m Arthur Lester, we spoke on the phone.” 

“Yes. This is Oscar.” The old woman gestured to the holy man next to her, “He is who you will be contacting regarding any developments or information in this case.”

“I see… well, why don’t you both take a seat, and you can explain more of those details you mentioned on the phone.” Arthur led the pair to the chairs in front of his desk.  “Oh, and this is my partner, Parker Yang, and our new associate, Noel Finnley. They will be assisting, should we decide to take the case.”  Noel waved, and Parker nodded slightly as he pulled out his notepad. 

“Very well.” Marie regarded them, her lips pursing slightly, but then she nodded and took her seat.  

 “As I mentioned over the phone, my sister Hattie is missing. She has a.. complicated past. Drug use, delusions- in the past, she has had episodes before where she disappears for a few days, a week at most, but she always comes back. But it has been years since all of that, she has been sober, living with me, medicated for her delusions, going to church- she was doing well, and now, suddenly, she has been gone for a whole month. The police have done nothing, I- I have nowhere else to turn.”

 Oscar took Marie’s hand in his own as she started to get more emotional, placing his free one lightly on her back.

“I just want my Hattie back. This isn’t like the times she was taken before, but the police won't listen. I just know it, I can feel that something’s wrong. I need you to find her. I need her back.” Marie squeezed Oscar’s hand and looked at Arthur expectantly, her eyes wet with tears. 

“I see. When and where was the last time you saw her?” Arthur folded his hands together on his desk, his eyebrows furrowing together as he processed what Marie was saying. 

“July 17th, She left for work and she didn’t come home that night.” Marie replied, then quickly added, “Although, Oscar saw her later that day.” 

“Aye, she stopped by the church for prayer and confession that night.” Oscar had an unexpectedly thick Scottish accent. “She and I spoke briefly, but I was not who she confessed to. Even if I was, I would not break my vows. Neither would Father Jackson if he were still with us, God rest his soul.” 

“Father Jackson was who she had confession with?” Arthur confirmed. Parker had a bulleted list outlining Marie's story, and he circled the Father's name to research later.

“Aye, sir.”  Oscar nodded.

“And he passed away?”

 Oscar nodded again. 

“Exactly how soon after his encounter with Hattie? May we get his full name?” Arthur continued to probe. 

“Father Alan Jackson passed away on the 20th of July. I believe it was a heart attack, though I never saw the body. Came as quite a shock, to be honest.” Oscar frowned slightly. "As long as I knew him, he never got sick besides your usual cold every once in a while."

“Are you going to accept the case or not, Mr. Lester?” Marie interrupted, annoyance seeping into her tone. 

Arthur glanced at Parker and Noel, and when both of them nodded assent, he smiled slightly at Marie. “Yes, we will be taking your case. I'll have you fill out some basic paperwork, both for contacting you and information on our invoicing system. Please remember you are paying for investigation, not results. If you are displeased with what we uncover, think about whether you are upset with the quality of work we put in, or if it's simply not the truth you wanted.” 

Arthur handed over a small packet of paper and a pen, and she quickly got to work filling it out.

Chapter Text

After Marie finished the paperwork, she left with Oscar, Parker handed over his notes from the meeting, and Arthur dove into pulling public records and articles in any way related to Hattie or Father Jackson. When the Faust case had been finalized and sent off, Parker looked over to Arthur. 

“So, what are you thinking? Definitely not just some addict,”  Parker crossed his arms, leaning on his desk. 

“Well, clearly the death of Father Jackson is connected to Hattie’s disappearance. Him dying three days after her confession is already suspicious, but adding on that the coroner's report states cardiac arrest as the cause of death -  I mean, we'll have to wait to get access to his medical records, but based on what Oscar said, Father Jackson seemed to be incredibly healthy, so I have a feeling that is not entirely correct.” Arthur explained. "The most interesting thing I’ve learned about Hattie so far is that she has a husband.” 

“Odd that Marie didn’t mention that.”  Parker shifted in his seat. He was getting a bit warm, but he couldn't roll up his sleeves without the.. web things being visible. 

“Exactly. From what I can tell, the marriage is separated in every way except by law–” He continued talking, but the sounds of the city gradually started to get louder, and though Parker could see Arthur's mouth moving it was like he was speaking across five lanes of traffic. 

He tried to focus on Arthur’s words, but everything else was just too loud . A car accident happened three blocks away, and Parker heard it as if he was there. The rubber tires squealing on the asphalt, the crash and grind of metal on metal, the shattering of glass, people screaming, sirens as the ambulance got there. Six blocks in the other direction, he heard gunshots and more screaming, more sirens. Something was about to fly at Parker’s head. Something was about to fly at Parker’s head? Without even looking, he caught the paper airplane Noel threw at him inches before it hit his face. 

“How’d you do that? You just caught that thing without even looking!” Noel exclaimed, his voice dragging Parker's awareness back to their office. 

“Parker?” Arthur had stopped talking a moment ago, and he looked concerned. “Are you alright? You look faint.”

“I- uh…” Parker could feel the sweat on his brow, and he quickly rested his hands in his lap so they couldn't see him shaking. “Yeah. I’m uh- I’m alright. Just- spaced out for a second, I guess. What were you saying, Artie? Something about Hattie having a husband?” 

“Right… yes, well I think we should start by looking into him a bit. He may have something to do with her disappearance, there may be a reason that Marie didn't mention him.” Arthur hesitantly went back to business, sharing what he found as he went. 

Parker continued to hold onto that paper airplane, mostly because he knew he was stuck to it and had to relax before he could let it go, but also the feel of the paper between his fingers gave him something tactile to focus on. So he listened as Arthur spoke, adding input where he could. 

༺🕷༻

Most days after work, Parker and Arthur would head to Jack’s Bar, each have a Blood and Sand, and relax. Sometimes they would talk about work, other times their personal lives. Their usual booth is where Parker met Arthur almost ten years ago now, drowning his feelings in liquor. Today they decided to invite Noel, to get to know him better outside of the office. The walk to Jack’s was quick, and the bar wasn’t busy at all, given that it was 8 PM on a Wednesday. The three of them got their drinks and went to sit down. 

“To a new case, and a new associate.” Parker smiled, raising his glass. Arthur and Noel clinked theirs against his, and they all took a sip. 

“So this is your usual spot eh?” Noel looked around the place. “It’s cozy, I like it.” 

“Me and Parker met here, actually. God, that was so long ago.” Arthur chuckled. 

“I was still a solo act back then, and you… well.” Parker gave Arthur a knowing look. 

“You can say it, Parker, I was complete and total fucking mess.” Arthur rolled his eyes. 

“You weren't that bad- well, no, you were, you just needed someone to pull you up from bedrock.” Parker patted his friend's shoulder. “We’ve all been there, right Noel? You ever hit rock bottom?” 

“Oh, yeah. If we're being honest, I was getting close to goin' back there if you hadn’t hired me.” Noel smiled, as if he was joking, but it didn't quite spread to the rest of his face. 

“See! Sometimes you just need a helping hand, a friendly neighbor to snap you out of it.” Parker put an arm around Noel, patting his shoulder. “We’re glad to have you on the team.” 

“Hm, yes. Looking forward to working with you more.” Arthur smiled, taking a sip of his drink. 

“Thank you.” Noel smiled back, grateful. 

They passed the evening with jokes, tales from cases long since closed, and eventually said goodbye, heading their separate ways home. 

As he walked, Parker started to hear it again. The sounds of the city. He tensed, but the sense of panic and overwhelm that he'd felt before didn't hit him the way they had before. Instead, he felt a strange tingling sensation all over his body, a buzzing that started at the top of his spine and spread outwards, as he took a breath and listened . There was yelling about a block away, and Parker felt as though he honed in on that sound, the rest of the noise fading away into the background. 

"Ohmygod, please, don't shoot!"

"Empty your purses, gimme everything valuable, and I'll let you go. Phones, wallets,  jewelry- I want it all." 

“God dammit…” Parker hesitated for only a second before taking off in the direction of the alley. 

When he got there, it felt like instinct kicked in. He shot webs at the gun, yanking it out of the man's hand. It clattered to the ground nearby, and Parker quickly tucked it into his own belt. The man was running towards him, and he barely had time to think before he was dodging the fist that had been aimed at his face. He was wearing a ski mask, all black clothing, and had an air of confidence to him - this wasn't his first fistfight. Time seemed to move almost comically slow, and Parker watched the assailant's expression morph into shock and surprise as he returned the punch, hitting him square in the jaw. Something cracked, and the man collapsed onto the ground, one hand holding the side of his face. 

The women had cowered back into the alleyway, and were staring at Parker, unsure if they should be scared of him, too. Adrenaline still coursing through him, he went through the now unconscious man's pockets - had he really done that with one hit? - and found their belongings. He held them out, and the women quickly took their things from him and left. 

As Parker stood there, he realized what he had just done was probably very much illegal. That thought made his breath catch in his throat, and he took off down the street.  He didn’t stop running until he was behind his apartment door, panting. He leaned his back against the wood, shutting his eyes and forcing himself to take deep breaths. 

He hadn’t considered what these… abilities could truly mean. He could be an actual real life superhero, help people where the law couldn't. The rational side of Parker’s brain knew this was a ridiculous idea. It would never actually work, he would get caught, get arrested, lose his job and probably his friendship with Arthur along with it. But that rational side also didn’t think being bit by a spider would give him fucking super powers .

He went to bed that night thinking about the possibilities, no matter how unrealistic he knew they were.

Chapter Text

It had been four days since Parker had visited that lab in Harper's Hill, and Arthur wouldn’t be a very good detective (or friend, for that matter) if he didn’t notice his partner's strange behaviour. Parker wasn't usually a nervous person, but he had been jumpy lately. He kept losing focus and spacing out, sometimes even in the middle of speaking. But the most certain sign that something happened was that since that day, Parker had not once rolled up his sleeves. He was hiding something. 

Arthur tried to broach the subject, and even recommended returning to the lab both out of his own curiosity around it, and to see Parker’s reaction. His suspicions of something happening were all but confirmed when Parker shut down the idea of going back without any hesitation. So that settled it. Arthur was going to go and investigate the lab for himself. He told Parker that he was following a lead on finding Hattie’s husband, which wasn’t a complete lie – he'd discovered that the elusive Mr. Scratch was a resident of Harper’s Hill. 

Parker tried to talk him out of going on his own, but Arthur insisted. “Parker, all I am doing is going to the Harper’s Hill public library to look at records and local papers.” 

“Can’t you do that shit on your computer?” Parker argued, his arms crossed over his chest. He was leaning against his desk in the office, fiddling with the cuffs of his sleeves - something else that he hadn't done before the lab. 

“Well yes, some of it, but there may be some newspapers that aren't digital. I'd also like to drive by the address that we have, and online information might not be updated or accurate..” Arthur explained. 

“Okay, fair, but can’t me – or Noel – come with you? I just... I got a bad feeling about you going alone.” Parker had the same uneasy look on his face as all the times he’d spaced out recently. 

“You have plans with your sister, remember? And Noel has that meeting with Oscar. Besides, I am going to visit an old friend while I’m there.” Arthur lied, attempting to get Parker to lay off and stop asking about it. He wasn't a bad liar, but they'd known each other for far too long. If anyone was going to see through him, it was Parker.

“Hang on- you, Arthur Lester, have a friend other than us?”  Parker laughed, his concern momentarily forgotten. 

“Is that really so hard to believe?” Arthur’s voice cracked slightly, and his eyebrows furrowed. He didn't, but it's not like it was obvious, right? 

“Yes.” Parker and Noel said in unison. 

“I have friends other than you two! There’s Lily, and there’s… shit… there’s Roland!” Arthur tried futilely to defend himself. 

Noel laughed, “Roland doesn’t fucking count. He was your landlord or something, right? Landlords are never friends. Who’s Lily though?” 

“Yeah you never mentioned a Lily before. Are you finally getting back out there?” Parker’s eyes lit up at the idea. 

“Oh, God no. Lily is an old classmate, she works at the hospital in Harper’s Hill. I figured I'd stop by while I'm there.” Arthur strategically left out the part where he was not particularly close to Lily, even when they were in school, they haven’t seen each other in almost 20 years, and honestly he doubts that she would even recognize him.

“Well if this Lily really isn’t an option, I’ll make sure to tell Penny you say hi,” Parker smiled and winked teasingly at Arthur.

“Not this again. Please, stop trying to set me up with your sister.” Arthur rolled his eyes, gathering his things. “I’m leaving. I have to get to Harper’s Hill before the library closes. Noel, good luck with the meeting with Oscar. Remember to take lots of notes. Parker, please do NOT give Penny any ideas, but enjoy your dinner, and do tell your parents I say hello. I will see you both tomorrow.” Arthur grabbed his bag, making sure he had his phone, keys, and wallet in his pockets before heading towards the door. 

“Have fun with this mysterious Lily,” Parker called as Arthur walked out into the hall.

༺🕷༻

To his credit, Arthur did most of what he told Parker he was doing. He went to the library first, pulling whatever public records he could find on Hattie and Ben Scratch. There wasn’t much except for an old local news article about a teenage Scratch winning some bio engineering award through Oscorp. Arthur sent himself a copy, but didn't really think it would be useful. 

After he was done at the library, he drove by the address he could find connected to Scratch. The house looked old and the yard was unkempt, with grass and weeds growing past knee height. The paint outside was chipped and peeling, and the tiny front porch seemed to sag under the weight of a single plastic lawn chair. Arthur didn't see anything incredibly suspicious, but still made a note to return with Parker to take a closer look. With all that done, he headed to the real reason he came all the way to Harper’s Hill. 

It had been 12 years since Arthur had stepped foot into an Oscorp facility. And even then, he only worked part time at the lab in New York. The layout had been intuitive though, and this lab seemed similar enough, so he wasn't all that worried. Arthur left his bag in his car, only bringing his phone and pocket notepad, not wanting to lug around more than necessary. He took a deep breath before punching the access code into the small keypad by the door, half expecting it to set off alarms, but nothing happened. He started to get a little anxious that it wouldn't open at all, but after a second, the door opened silently, and Arthur stepped through. 

He turned his phone flashlight on, shining it at the walls so he could read the signs. The whole building was in varying states of disrepair. Arthur’s flashlight revealed broken glass everywhere and trails of what could only be old blood and carnage. Damaged equipment was scattered along the hallways, and it looked as though something had punched through the walls in places. Had it been disturbed since Parker was there? He mentioned it seeming abandoned, but nothing like this . Even though he'd been weird, Parker wouldn't have kept something this big from him. Against his better judgment, Arthur followed the biggest trail to a room labeled Lab - 131. 

The door had been blown off its hinges - by what, he couldn't tell - and was laying dented on the floor of the hallway. Arthur cautiously peeked around the doorframe before entering, and he jumped slightly when his footstep crunched. The floor was covered in unnaturally colorful dead spiders, creating a sick sort of carpet. Arthur shuddered, and did his best to ignore it as he stepped further in. The whole thing was only made stranger when he looked up and saw that hanging from the ceiling were dozens of intricate white webs. Most of the equipment in this room was gone, and what remained was broken and largely unrecognizable. Looking to his left, he saw a hole larger than the other ones he'd seen, and through it a room that matched Parker's description of Lab - 130. 

As Arthur stepped into the lab, his foot caught on a jagged piece of the broken wall, and he tripped. He tried to catch himself, almost regaining his balance before falling into a glass canister, shattering it.

Arthur’s head hit the floor with a crack, the pain blurring his vision. There was glass everywhere, and he was bleeding, though he couldn't tell from where. Whatever had been in that canister was leaking all over him, an oddly warm ooze that seemed to shift and move all on its own, but something was covering his eyes, and he realized with a sudden panic that he couldn't see . 

This liquid was seeping into his body through his eyes. Vaguely, Arthur heard a door open. He tried yelling for help, but the thing encasing him (he decided it was moving too purposefully to just be liquid) filled his mouth, cutting off any noise he could have made. He wasn't sure how much time had passed, or if he was even alive, when he suddenly regained his vision. Everything had an odd yellow tint to it, almost like a movie filter. Arthur was standing, he didn’t remember standing up. He was taller than he used to be, his line of sight much higher.  His whole body felt wrong. He tried to move his head, but no matter how hard he strained his neck, he seemed frozen in place. He heard someone speak and his head whipped towards the sound, like someone - some thing - else was controlling him. 

“S-specimen A… Oh- oh no…” It was Mr. Faust. He was holding a small black device in his hands, Arthur couldn't see it clearly enough. What he could see was the look of absolute terror on the man's face.

“You.” A distorted voice came from Arthur’s mouth, but it wasn’t his. It wasn't like anything he had heard before.

The next thing Arthur knew, his body was on top of Mr. Faust’s, and he was tearing him limb from limb, ripping through flesh as easily as if it were clay. Mr. Faust screamed, and Arthur tried to stop. With all the strength he could muster, Arthur fought to regain control of his body. 

His vision returned to normal for a split second, his body trembling with panic and exertion. He spoke with his own voice as he looked at Mr. Faust, eyes wide.

“Help- I’m sorry- What- What’s happening to me?” 

The man didn't get a chance to respond, his vision flickering as the distorted voice forced its way out of Arthur's mouth. 

“ We are the King.” 

As his vision turned to yellow and his consciousness faded, Arthur could taste the blood and raw flesh of Mr. Faust entering his mouth and settling in his gut. 

Chapter Text

As Parker walked from the office to the subway station, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling he had about letting Arthur go off on his own tonight. But he didn’t have time to dwell on that, he had to get to the restaurant, and god save the man who leaves Penny Yang waiting.  

Penny was standing in front of the restaurant on her phone as Parker walked up from the station. She was shorter than her brother, with long black hair that was braided to the side and big round glasses with pink frames. She waved as he approached. 

“There you are, Petey!” Penny smiled widely, opening her arms for a hug. 

“Good to see ya Pen.” He wrapped his arms around her, picking her up off the ground slightly. She laughed, leading him inside once he set her down.

“Our table should be ready. I’m really excited for you to try this place, I was here on a date a few weeks ago and the risotto is to die for.” Penny  turned away to talk to the hostess, and soon the pair were seated at a table in a quieter part of the restaurant. 

“So, you were here on a date, how’d that turn out? Will I be meeting the guy soon?” Parker questioned as he looked at the menu. 

“Ugh, no. He was so boring. I’ve decided to take a break from the apps and try to meet people the old fashioned way. Viv from finance is setting me up with her cousin who lives over in Manhattan, we have a date next Tuesday, so we’ll see how that goes.” Penny shrugged and took a sip of her water before asking, “What about you? Any new love blooming? You mentioned a new business partner, are they perhaps also a romance partner?” 

“Fuck no. Noel is great, but really not my type. Besides, I don’t have a lot of time for dating right now. Got cases to solve, missing people to find. Hell, I'm missing out on an investigation right now to be here with you.” Parker tried to fake annoyance at being pulled from his work. “I’m a very busy man, you know.” 

“Yeah yeah,” She rolled her eyes a little, “Speaking of business, how are things? How’s Arthur?” 

“Things are good. Just closed a case, opened a new one right after. Can’t tell you anything about it cause confidentiality clauses and all, but Arthur is currently off following a lead, and Noel is meeting with the client’s representative.” Parker shrugged and then smirked at his sister, “You know, if this Manhattan guy doesn’t work out, Arthur is still single, just saying.” 

“Oh shut up!” Penny laughed. “Stop trying to set me up with your fucking business partner slash homo-erotic best friend.” 

“Homo-erotic best friend?!” Parker laughed loudly, earning him a few glances from other patrons seated near them.

“Isn’t he also like a widower or something? I am not willing to take on all that baggage.” Penny said definitively. 

The waitress came to take their orders, so they paused their conversation for a moment. 

“How is work going for you? First few months at a new job are bound to be interesting.” Parker changed the subject. Talking about Arthur had just brought back that sense of anxiety from earlier, and he wanted to enjoy dinner.

“I’m really liking it at the Bugle. I’ve had a few second page articles already,  and it pays way better than writing for neighborhood news. My boss is.. kind of eccentric, though.” 

“Eccentric?” Parker raised an eyebrow. 

“Yeah, according to Viv his family is old school rich, they owned a mining company and then bought out the Bugle after selling off the mines a year before they dried up. So now we have Mr. Larson who acts and dresses like a cartoon oil tycoon, complete with the southern drawl.” Penny giggled, “I swear I have heard this man yell about how we need to ‘get the children back into the work force’. Literal cartoon character.” 

“Wait, I think I’ve seen that guy on TV, he’s the one who’s always angry about something stupid, right?”

“Yup. That’s my boss. Wallace J. Larson. I don't think he knows what the concept of an 'inside voice' is. ” Penny sighed. 

As they continued to talk, Parker’s senses started to spike again. He was able to tune most of the sounds of the city out, but couldn’t get rid of the uneasy feeling in his gut in regards to Arthur. 

After dinner and saying goodbye to Penny, Parker decided to call Arthur on his walk home. He called once, no response. Weird. He tried again, nothing. Parker remembered Arthur showed him how to check his location, in case of an emergency. He hoped it wasn't that serious, but the part of him that had been on edge all night knew that it was. He opened the map app Arthur downloaded for him and looked at Arthur’s current location. 

He was still in Harper's Hill, only he was not where he said he would be. He was in the Oscorp Lab. 

Fuck.  

When he got back to his apartment, Parker quickly grabbed a red sweatshirt, a flashlight, and his car keys. He was on his way out when he paused. If this is as dangerous as he thinks, he may need to use his new abilities. But if someone sees, and they recognize him... he needed a disguise, a way to hide his face. He wasn't sure if he had anything, then he remembered the ski mask and goggles he'd been given a couple Christmases ago. They were still sitting in their box in his closet, completely unused. He grabbed those too, and ran out the door. 

༺🕷༻

Parker drove straight to the lab. He felt a mix between relief and anxiety when he saw Arthur’s car there. He must have been here for hours, which meant he'd found something, or he was in trouble. 

Parker stuffed the mask and goggles into his pocket, grabbed his flashlight, and marched into the lab. The door was still open, which was good for Parker, but didn't do anything to reassure him. Arthur could be anywhere here- wait , no he couldn’t be. Parker could think of only one reason why Arthur would have come here, in fact he had asked Parker to return with him before. He has to be in Lab-130. 

Parker could feel the hair on his arms stand as he walked the familiar path through the facility, doing his best to stay quiet in case there were other people here. When he made it to 130, he almost didn't recognize it- he wouldn't have if not for the sign. 

The door was ripped from his hinges, the other glass canister was smashed, there was fresh blood and a black substance splattered everywhere, and a body on the ground. The body was barely even a body anymore, closer to just a skeleton as almost all the flesh and organs had been torn from it by something insanely powerful. The body was unrecognizable, but Parker didn't know who else it could be. 

“Arthur..?” He said, not expecting a response as he stepped closer to the body. He saw a glint of metal, nudging it with his foot. Arthur's phone turned on, the light shining weakly through the coating of blood over the screen. “No, this can’t…” 

He sank to his knees, not caring that it got him covered in blood - Arthur's blood , he reminded himself - and bit his lower lip to try and hold himself together. A sob broke its way out of his throat anyways, then another, and he curled in on himself as he cried for his friend. His best friend, who he'd been stupid enough to let come here on his own, who he had just seen not even a day ago, who he hadn't been able to save. He didn't know how long it had been when the sobs finally lessened to choked hiccups, and he could see through the tears again. 

“I am gonna find whoever or whatever did this to you. And I’m gonna fucking kill it. You hear me Artie? I will avenge you, kid.” His voice was quiet, still shaking slightly with pain, but also anger. Anger at whatever had done this to him, whatever had killed him in such a brutal way and then left him here to rot. He took a deep breath, rubbing his face on his sleeve, then he stood up and slowly left the lab. 

With a new mission in mind, Parker began to sweep the streets of Harper’s Hill. Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, using the webs from his wrists as ropes and grappling hooks. He was going to find who did this and give them what they deserved.