You guys! When I posted this story I totally didn't expect the amount of feedback I got. I am blown away by your responses and it was all so encouraging. To all those who reviewed, thank you so much, I couldn't stop grinning while reading them!
I'm so glad you enjoyed the first chapter and, yes, I do have more in store. The lengths of the chapters will vary depending on the content and to be honest, I don't know how often I'll be able to update. But, never fear! I will update.
I've had most of this chapter finished, but I couldn't get the beginning right. Or the ending, for that matter. But it's done and I really wanted to post it today.
Before we begin, I'd like to point out that in this story, I'm not actually following any of the Spider-Man movies, but when I wrote this, I had Tom Holland in mind because I may be a little obsessed with his portrayal of Spider-Man. To clear timelines up, Spider-Man was in action during the Chitauri Invasion, though he had just recently received his power and wasn't as known to the public.
With that out of the way, on with the story!
EDIT: now with less spelling errors :)
Chapter 2: Spider
Saturdays in the Big Apple were always busy. The abrasive honking of car horns and the blaring of music from every street corner were the norm of the bustling city for as long as anyone could remember, not to mention the occasional wailing of sirens when some criminal tried to push their luck.
Today, however, the city was quiet, though that hadn't turned out to be a bad thing just yet. The weather was stunning. The sun glinted off the glass that lined the buildings of the great concrete jungle and there was not a cloud to be seen in the sky. It wasn't too hot, and a cool breeze wound its way through the trees of Central Park.
People milled around, relishing in the beautiful weather and taking the opportunity to do some shopping and spend some time in the sun. It seemed that even the villains had decided to forgo their usual fun and games and take the day off.
Not that Spider-Man was complaining.
The city was still recovering from the Chitauri Invasion a couple months ago. Even as the hero did his daily patrol, he could see signs of damage and construction throughout the city. Manhattan had taken the brunt of the damage way more than most places. Trees had been uprooted and bridges collapsed. A number of the water pipes had exploded, though no one could quite figure out how that had happened. Heroes had come out of the woodworks to help with the cleanup while the Avengers and SHIELD worked tirelessly to help keep the peace and send out relief workers to other cities.
Spider-Man had spent the morning swinging through Manhattan on a mission. He didn't normally stray too far from Queens, but his Spider-Sense had gone crazy, though not in the watch-out-someone's-trying-to-kill-you way. It was softer, like it was trying to pull him in one direction. So he'd followed it and had ended up on the roof of a bunch of apartments, totally confused.
Even weirder, he swore he smelled a sea breeze, but he was nowhere near the ocean.
Spider-Man sat cross-legged on the lip of the roof. The warmth of the sun soaked through his suit, though not to the point that he was burning. It was nice here. It was like all the tension accumulated from months of crime fighting melted away leaving him calm and relaxed. He wasn't even worrying about that assignment he'd barely started that was due in a few days. Honestly, he felt like he could sit here all day.
"Hey Spider-Man!"
Spider-Man looked down to see a teenager leaning over the fire escape and looking up at him.
The teenager looked about a year older than him. He had perfectly tanned skin, which would have made the arachnid slightly jealous if he himself hadn't just been swinging over the city. He held up a plate of blue cookies.
"They're fresh out of the oven. You want some?"
Now how could Spidey possibly turn down the offer of free food?
"Don't mind if I do," he said and dropped down onto the fire escape. He perched himself on the railing, and pulled his mask up to his nose. The cookies were amazing, and they melted in his mouth. Fresh, warm. Amazing.
The teenager grinned. "I know, right? Mom makes them perfect every time. I'm Percy. What are you doing all the way on this side of Manhattan?"
Spidey shrugged. "I'm following something. What that is, I have no clue. My Spider-Sense is going crazy. I followed it and ended up here." He didn't know why he said that, but he felt comfortable here. With a stranger. No, not a stranger. Percy, who gave him delicious cookies.
"Well," Percy said. "I'm glad you came. Maybe it was telling you that the cookies were out of the oven."
"Man, I wish that's how it worked."
The two of them chuckled at the idea.
Percy leaned against the railing and looked at him. His eyes were a brilliant sea green. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for helping out around here. I know people don't trust you just yet, but I know a lot of people who wouldn't be around if it weren't for you."
"Aw, you're welcome," Spider-Man replied. "All in a day's work for you Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man. But I can't say I've done as much as I should have. I'm no Avenger."
But Percy shook his head. "The Avengers keep the city safe, but you're keeping my home safe even though Queens is your usual territory. Also you're much more approachable than Iron Man. And cooler. Seriously, my girlfriend loves Mr. Stark, but he's so out there. He's too much like Dionysus and Apollo mixed together." He made a face.
"Comparing Iron Man to Greek gods would totally boost his ego through the roof," Spidey said.
Percy chuckled. "You have no idea."
A horrible thought bubbled to the front of his mind and Spidey looked down at the half-finished plate of cookies. "You're not going to get into trouble for talking to me, are you?" Percy looked at him with a frown etched across his face. "Why would I?"
"J. Jonah Jameson has it out for me," he explained. "He's trying to hire people to find me. You know, out of the suit." He'd rather face the lizard again than have someone be arrested for helping him.
"I don't think they'll be much of a problem," Percy said. An amused look crossed his face, and he tilted his head to one side. "Actually, I'd like to see them try. Besides, they're too dumb to think to look for a teenager and actually catch you."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Spider-Man spluttered.
Percy laughed. "You might be able to fool the adults, but I can tell. I've known a lot of heroes. I'm not going to ask how old you are, don't worry. I'm one of those fans who actually respects others' privacy."
"Well, thanks."
There was a pause while they munched on the cookies. Spidey looked around. There was a small plant growing in a flower pot. It was an odd silvery colour that he'd never seen before, which was strange because he lived with his Aunt May, the flower fanatic.
His Spider Sense buzzed slightly, humming a fraction louder when his eyes caught strange symbols around the window to Percy's room. Naturally, he asked about them.
"What?" Percy glanced up at the Omega symbol that was painted above the window and the trident beneath it. "Huh, I can't say I've ever noticed those." There was an odd note to his voice, but Spidey brushed it off as confusion. "I'll have to ask my dad about that." He paused before shrugging. "He's into the whole Greek thing."
That ocean breeze wafted through the air again, reminding Spider-Man that he'd yet to finish his patrol.
"I'd better get going," he said reluctantly, pulling down his mask. "Places to be, city to patrol, the usual. Thanks for the cookies."
"No problem, man," Percy said, straightening. "If I was working to keep the city safe, I know I'd want cookies. I hope you find whatever you're looking for. Oh, and you're welcome to drop by whenever, by the way. My fire escape is always open and I'm sure my mom wouldn't mind feeding the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man."
"I may just take you up on that offer." Spider-Man gave him a two fingered saluted and swung away.
His Spider-Sense had quieted down to a soft thrum that dulled as he moved further and further away. It dropped off softly.
Spider-Man swung through the city, finishing his patrol and heading back to Queens. As he slipped into his own room, he closed the blinds and pulled off his mask and fell back onto his bed, grinning. He'd made a friend. Not only that but a friend who didn't care who he was regardless of what others said. Peter wondered if he'd meet Percy outside of the suit. Probably not. They didn't call it the Big Apple for nothing. But still, that would be awesome!
"Peter," his Aunt May called from downstairs. "Lunch is ready."
"I'm coming, Aunt May," he replied, quickly changing out of his suit and into something much less inconspicuous. He hid his suit in the back of his cupboard, still thinking about his new friend. He looked in the direction of Percy's apartment and his Spider-Sense hummed quietly in the back of his mind. With a grin still on his face, Peter made his way downstairs knowing that he'd found what he'd been looking for.
