New Beginnings, Part II: Discovery

Hello all, Back here with the second chapter and Part 2 of 3 of the Origin story of Aaron Braddock,

Before I started I just wanted to personally thank writerbyday05 for the review and kind words, I also completely agree with the criticism and may try to amend the previous chapter (And this one if I feel it shares the same problems) at a later date, once the 'Origin' story is all out.

Thank you to anybody reading for taking the time to do so, with that said, On with the story.

Disclaimer: I do not own Spider-man, Marvel or any affiliated characters.

"Hey! Braddock! Get lost on the way to school?!" Josh grinned as Aaron entered the grounds.

"Leave me alone, Josh." Aaron spoke up, surprising even himself. Josh scowled and looked at Nadia who was stood with him at the time. She shrugged, looking just as confused that Aaron had spoken up.

"You're gonna apologise for that Braddock. Right now." Josh walked over to Aaron, getting in his personal space, which was usually enough to get the quieter boy to back down, but not this time, Aaron felt good today, he felt oddly powerful.

"Or what? You're gonna beat me up? Threaten to sue me? I've heard it all before and frankly it doesn't impress me like it seems to impress your girlfriend." Nadia folded her arms, huffing.

"Just kick his ass Josh. I'm bored." Nadia examined her nails idly.

Josh nodded "Alright, I will." Suddenly, Josh threw a punch directly for Aaron's face.

Aaron quickly but clumsily ducked, Josh scowled and kept throwing punch after punch which his would-be victim kept dodging with graceless speed. The more attacks that missed, the more frustrated the bully got, eventually throwing a powerful right hook.

At that moment, everything slowed down for Aaron, acting on pure instinct, he caught the fist and threw his own free hand back in return.

Josh fell backwards, landing on the floor, his nose at an off angle, bleeding heavily, obviously broken. Aaron stepped back, breathing heavily.

Nadia squealed and ran to Josh's side "Help! Help! Braddock attacked Josh!"

Aaron looked at the crowd that was gathering, most glaring at him, but a few had knowing looks, assuming it was Josh who started it. Haley folded her arms, not convinced by Nadia.

But Aaron was spooked, he turned and ran out of the school grounds, heading into a nearby alley to calm down and steady his breathing. "That was crazy...I'd never fight back...I never do, Why did I? What the hell is happening to me?"

Aaron looked at his hands, backing up further into the alley, as he did so, he stood on a Cat's tail, the cat squawked and hissed, surprising the boy, who sprang up into the air, clinging to a wall.

It took a few seconds for him to realise what he'd just done, he was stuck to a wall. Aaron tried to peel his hands off the brick, but couldn't he pulled harder and ended up taking a hand-print out of the brick work, some sticking to his hand. Aaron stared wide eyed "Don't freak out...Don't freak out...Don't freak out...I'm freaking out." Aaron began breathing heavily "Definitely freaking out...Definitely freaking out...Oh god…" Aaron suddenly slipped off the wall, landing on his backside in the cold and damp alley.

He sat there, silent as he brushed the brick remnants from his hand. "So you're like Spider-man...No big deal...Stuff like this happens all the time...Or it's a dream...Or I'm dead…Could be any. Jesus, I hope I'm not dead! Please don't be dead!" Aaron checked his pulse then sighed, satisfied he wasn't deceased.

About ten minutes later, Aaron was still sat in the alley, thinking to himself, his brain working frantically to understand what had happened to him. "I'm just like Spider-man...I'm just like Spider-man!" Aaron thought, overjoyed. Climbing the wall, grinning like an idiot.

"I'm just like Spider-man...Does that mean villains will come looking for me? Spider-man's dead though! Am I gonna die?" Aaron thought, terrified, dropping off the wall and pacing back and forth like a paranoid maniac.

"Spider-man's dead...because he used his powers to help people who were being stepped on. The little guys. Like...me." Aaron thought, feeling a slight pang of guilt that the first thing he did was beat up his personal bully instead of living up to the example that had been placed before him, even if he hadn't realised what was happening at that point.

"But I'm a coward...right? How can I help people? I'm just some stupid kid." Aaron spoke to himself as he left the alleyway. "Then again...I won't know unless I try..But where to start? New York's a big place.." Aaron sighed "And I can't shoot webs either...I thought that was a thing Spider-man could do." Aaron tried positioning his hand like Spider-man used to. "Nope...No dice."

Aaron eventually reached home and slipped inside, his father asleep on the couch. John was muttering in his sleep, Aaron managed to make out something about a 'Big score' and that's when he remembered. Last night John was on the phone.

"...I could finally have my Dad pay for everything he's done to Mom…"

Aaron closed his door and began searching for clothing to make a makeshift costume. He eventually settled on a black hoodie and jogging bottoms, along with red gloves, which he cut the fingers off of in order to allow him to stick to walls more effectively.

"Need a mask…" Aaron frowned, then he slowly and carefully snuck into his parents bedroom, grabbing one of John's old ski masks from the closet as quietly as possible. He then moved quickly back into his own room, his heart pounding. He'd never rebelled against John, he didn't know how, until now. The biggest Bully in his life, the one who had caused him and his mother the most misery along with countless others was going to pay, and on the day that he thought would be the happiest of his life, John would be arrested.

Aaron smiled slightly at the thought, but then the smile faded. "But...Would Mom want this? Does she love Dad?...I- No...Can't think about that...Da- No….John is a monster...And he's going to pay for what he's done."

Aaron packed the very makeshift suit into a bag and then opened the window in his room, looking down at the drop. Aaron gulped "Okay Braddock...No more being a coward...You can make this jump...Just a simple drop...You're just like Spider-man...Spider-man could take this. Any day." Aaron hesitated, then went to leave through his door, when he heard John stirring.

"Damn...Not much choice now…" Aaron took a deep breath and dropped his bag out of the window, before climbing out onto the ledge. He took another deep breath and jumped after his bag.

Aaron felt pure terror when falling, closing his eyes. The young man then opened them again a few seconds later and found himself sitting on the ground next to his bag. He laughed to himself "No freakin' way…"

Aaron grabbed his bag and left the small back garden of the apartment building, running to the local library.

A few hours later, and Aaron yawned, he was reading over an old archived blueprint for the bank John was planning on robbing, having told the librarian he was studying architecture in school. "Just gotta find a route in...Wonder if that skylight will work…" Aaron frowned. Eventually, he had what he felt was a solid plan of action and walked back home.

When Aaron arrived, he managed to avoid John and get to his room, however, he felt a strange tingling sensation in the base of his skull, just like he had the night before. He scratched at the back of his head, trying to make it go away. It wouldn't, he let out a slight groan and opened his door. Amy was sat on his bed waiting for him.

"Aaron. I think you know what I want to talk about." Amy folded her arms, not looking impressed.

"...I don't-" Amy gave a glare.

"You broke a boy's nose."

Aaron rubbed the back of his neck, looking guilty "...Oh...that…Well he dese-"

"Aaron Braddock, if you finish that sentence, I will ground you for life."

"Sorry…" Aaron looked at the floor

Amy sighed loudly "Come here Aaron, we need to talk." Aaron nodded, doing as he was told, sitting next to Amy on the bed.

"You're growing up...In a frankly awful situation...And I wish I could do something about it...But I…" Tears began to form but Amy fought them back. "I can't...I'd love to send you somewhere safe but I'm scared John would come after you if I did...Look...Your Father is not a good man...Maybe he was once, but that's not important...You broke this boy's nose, so the question you have to ask yourself Aaron, is do you want to be just like your Father? If so...carry on, but if you want to be better? To be the man I know you can be? You have to try to focus all this anger and hate onto something more positive...Alright sweetheart?" Amy looked Aaron dead in the eyes as she spoke.

Aaron nodded "Yeah...Okay Mom...I get it...I'm sorry."

Amy smiled slightly "I know you are, and luckily they're not pressing charges because a girl came forwards and stated Joshua started it. Just think about what I said, Okay? And Make sure you eat." Amy got up and left the room, closing the door quietly after herself.

Aaron sat in his room, taking the bag off his shoulder. He put it under his bed and lay down, reflecting on the words his Mother had offered.

Who did he want to be?

Next time: New Beginnings, Part III: Rebirth.