I do not own Spiderman or any of the characters.


Refused

I focus, struggling to find any sort of warmth. All I feel is cold. Oppressive, all-encompassing, smothering scold. After another few minutes I open my eyes, staring at the ring of frost on the ground around me. I'm sick of being cold. It sucks, it hurts, I'm sore everywhere, and I've been shivering for damn-near a week now. After getting my bracelets, I messaged my cousin to let him know I'm safe, then I set to work trying to figure out what I can do besides freeze to a wall. Apparently not much. It's already Tuesday morning, a week after I was bitten, and all I can feel is cold.

"Any luck?" Gwen asks, walking over to sit beside me.

"No," I grumble. "Miles said to find something warm, but all I can feel is cold."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't be looking for warmth," Gwen says. "Miles' ability is electricity, which generates heat. But your ability is ice, or so we're assuming. Maybe you're supposed to embrace the cold. Maybe you're stuck with the cold."

"There's a wonderful thought," I grumble. "You know I hate spiders? They terrify me. They're hairy, poisonous, they have eight beady little eyes, and they're all fucking disgusting. And I can't stand Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat. Now I'm basically a Sub-Zero Spiderman."

"Sounds like a good name to me," Gwen shrugs. "Now focus."

I sigh, closing my eyes and focus on the cold this time. For lack of a better idea, I try focusing it to my hands. After a moment, I open my eyes. Nothing. I grumble in annoyance. I'm getting nowhere. All I'm doing is feeling more and more cold.

"Dammit!" I growl. "This isn't fair! I just wanted to be a normal kid! I didn't want to always feel like I'm in Antarctica in my underwear! I just want to go home!"

I slam my fist into the ground to try and relieve some of my anger. Instead, I send massive ice spikes bursting up from the ground in a wave reaching out from me about ten feet, Gwen barely avoiding it. I stare at them in shock, then up at Gwen.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

"I'm fine," Gwen nods. "How'd you do that?"

"I don't know," I say. "I just got really angry."

I notice something else as I'm staring at the ice. I'm warm. Really warm.

I pull off two of my sweatshirts, draping them over the ice spikes only for them to instantly be covered in frost and frozen in that position. I pull them off and the frost steams and thaws, the sweatshirts drying almost instantly. I toss them to Gwen and hold out a hand, focusing. After a moment, a small, round cloud of what looks like powdered snow that scattered but can't go far from itself forms over my hand. Like Sub-Zero's basic ranged attack. I turn and throw it at one of the suit displays and it streaks through the air, remaining together mostly, except for a trail behind it, until it hits the glass in front of the display. As soon as it does, it bursts, enveloping the display case, leaving it covered in several inches of ice.

"Wow," Gwen says. "That's...that's actually probably really useful."

"Yeah," I say, walking over and resting a hand on the ice, trying to will it to thaw. After a moment, it does. "Let's head up to the house. I'm getting a little hungry. And I need to apologize to someone still."

"For what?" Gwen asks as we step onto the elevator.

"I was supposed to go on a date with her but I got bit by that spider and got really sick and had to cancel," I say. "And then I haven't talked to her since."

"Ouch," Gwen says. "She's going to be mad."

"Probably, yeah," I agree, opening the door of the shack.

We walk into the house just as the doorbell rings. May answers it and I see it's a pizza delivery guy. She pays him and thanks him for the pizza, then closes the door and brings the four large pizzas into the dining room where we all sit around the table.

"You two have perfect timing," Peter says. "Any progress?"

"Some," Gwen says. "He can generate a blast of cold air that freezes whatever it hits."

"Wow," Peter says. "That's...borderline magic."

"Yeah, I'm not a huge fan," I say. "But at least I can use it on the symbiotes."

"Actually, you can't," Miles says. "Their only weaknesses are sound and heat. So...your ice will be...basically useless on them."

"What?" I blink. "Then...how do I fight them?"

They all look around at each other.

"We don't think you should," Spider-Ham says. "You're still new to this, and these things are dangerous. Really dangerous. If you fight them...there's a strong chance that you'll die."

"Wha...so what then?" I ask. "These things are going to be hunting me, and you want me to just do nothing? That's all I've done my whole life! I've lived by a policy of not getting involved with anything unless it directly involves me! Well this directly involves me!"

"Not anymore," Peter says. "Those bracelets will hide you from the symbiotes. You can go back to being normal."

"Yeah, except that I generate ice!" I say.

"I'm sorry," Peter says. "We're not letting you fight them."

"Fine," I growl, standing. "Then when you all need more help, you can kiss my ass. Don't bother asking me for help. You won't get any."

I turn, storming out of the house and start heading down the street back toward my school. I've probably got more homework than even I can handle. And I know I've missed at least one test. I stop at a small diner and call a cab, then, twenty minutes later, I get out in front of my dorm building. I head up to my room, gathering what I'll need for class and changing out of my borrowed clothes into the school uniform, struggling not to shiver. I head to whichever class I'm currently missing and sit down, the teacher watching me for a moment before turning back to the white board. I actually pay attention today. I've lost too much time. I've been gone for a week, so I need to know what we're doing. As such, today passes slowly. Very slowly. By the time I collapse on my bed, my brain's fried from trying to struggle through boredom so long. I'm starting to fall asleep when my phone vibrates. I pull it out and see it's a message from Lexi. My gut drops. I had completely forgotten to message her after being told I was useless by Miles and the others.

"Hey, it's been about a week since we talked," Lexi's message says. "Are you okay? Jake said he couldn't get ahold of you for the last few days. I'm not mad that you had to cancel, if that's what it is. Text me."

I swallow hard. She's a better person than me. I'd have been pissed. Probably.

"I'm so sorry for not talking to you, and for cancelling," I type. "I got really sick and couldn't even get out of bed for a few days."

"I heard," Lexi responds. "Are you feeling any better? Your cousin said when he went to check on you there had been some kind of attack at your school?"

"Yeah, there was some guy causing trouble, but it got handled," I reply.

"Oh, okay," she says. "Well, I'm glad you're feeling better."

"Thanks," I say. "So, can we try that date again?"

"I'd love to!" she responds. "How about Friday?"

"Sounds great," I smile, looking around my room. I'd need to dress nicely, and take her somewhere nicer than a random diner somewhere. "I'll take care of everything. You just pick out your outfit."

"Okay," she types. "What should I wear?"

"Something nice," I say.

Her reply is just a winking emoji, so I find myself a little excited to find out what she chooses. I put my phone away, getting on my computer and quickly searching for restaurants nearby. After about ten minutes, I find the perfect one. Then, I check what movies are playing that day. Almost instantly, I find the perfect choice. I make reservations at the restaurant and buy our tickets, then email a few more publishers about my book. Once I'm done, I shut down my computer and spend a few hours working on trying to produce something other than cold air, struggling to get anything. Finally, I go to bed, falling asleep quickly. Hopefully, I'd be able to make it through the rest of the week without any problems.


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