Author's Notes:
Q:
1. Herman is getting interesting going forward and I still hate him because he killed Ben but respect he's still trying to take care of Mary Jane
2. Mac is psychotic without a doubt. I mean the things he said the way he acted was just insane. Hope to see more of him sometime
3. JJJ isn't screaming "SPIDER-MAN IS A MENACE (yet) and i actually like it. It gives some depth to Jonah and I appreciate it
4. That first Spider-Man appearance was well done. I could tell it was inspired by TASM and it was very well done
5. HOO BOY NORMAN OSBORN. Is it wrong to hate a guy who makes it seems like he does nothing wrong SO MUCH. he's so egotistical and yet he keeps his cool. His demeanor, way he talks it's like whenever he's in a part of any chapter he steals the spotlight completely. I love it
Overall amazing chapter again.
A: Thank you for the simple, short review. It basically sums up everything I'm trying to do. Get a good mix of sympathy and hate for Herman, introduce a good villain in Mac that is undoubtedly evil (In contrast to Herman) which people look forward to seeing again, and getting good reaction to introducing JJJ as Gwen's dad. And yep, the first Spider-Man Vs Crime thing was definitely inspired by TASM1. And you've pretty much summed up what I was trying to convey with Norman, always egotistical and petty and in control.
Q: I love this, I'm sad ben died but i think its good for the fic, can't wait for the invertible confrontation between spider and shocker, also peter and mj as mj knows about shocker killing him.
quick question:will peter be a bit more violent in this story as i hate it when heroes are all dc like (lets let a mass murder who always escapes in jail and then fight him all over again) i get killing is bad but it is a reality that a real life hero would be faced with.
A: The whole dynamic between Peter, Mary Jane, and Herman is definitely a fun one. And will Great Power's Peter be more violent? Almost definitely? Heroes like Batman and Daredevil have a philosophy for why they don't kill, but Peter is a normal guy, and normal people want extreme, evil people dead. He is more pragmatic than 616 Peter: He would not let unrepentant monsters like Cletus Kassady live. If I did a comic accurate series, he'd probably kill in there to. Why? Because it's a bit more realistic. I think the most interesting Spider-Man origin story (Aside from my own, of course, lol) is when Peter killed the burglar who shot Uncle Ben. Why? Because it's a spin on the "Get revenge" Trope, gives JJJ/The Police/The Public reason to distrust Spider-Man, and adds a layer of guilt on Peter's conscience, how he's now a killer, and how he chooses to not kill again unless it's necessary. Spider-Man isn't a hero because he doesn't kill no matter what, but also because he knows when he has to. Great Power Peter, I believe, would know when he has to.
Q: I wonder if you'll include Peter's genius? In the comics hes very intelligent and the Raimi films do nothing to show it, so while I loved those movies and its fine to take after them in some regard, try not to lose the mind that makes Peter... well Peter.
A: Great Power Peter is the smartest kid in his grade and on the path of becoming a Valedictorian. His tutoring had given his friends Straight A's. Norman is interested in giving him a job at OsCorp. Otto Octavius had complimented him. Peter is a smart person. I'm guessing you mean "Will Peter" build gadgets"? I mean, as of now? No. He's not even an official superhero yet, and he's pretty broke, he has no reason to really go around making little gadgets, especially the types in the PS4 Game (Which he made in College with resources my Peter doesn't have) but that doesn't mean Peter will never invent anything. I just don't necessarily think Peter being a super genious who can MacGyver himself out of situationz. I find his powers and creativity with them more interesting, and I don't want to seem like I'm trying too hard if I try to make Peter look TOO intelligent. But eh, I'll pace and show off Peter's intelligence when I want to.
For Mac Gargan, I'd say he either looks like: Michael Mando's Mac Gargan from Spider-Man: Homecoming, a handsome and lean Hispanic guy with a sexy trimmed beard and we'll come hair, or literally Mac from It's Always Sunny.
Mary Jane wasn't stupid. She knew her father was the Shocker. It was her idea for him to become a wrestler, and it was his idea to tell her who he was.
It wasn't her fault the Shocker killed Ben Parker.
But she didn't want to connect the dots. But it was so easy to just make a mental flowchart. Her dad becomes the Shocker, her dad is the one that...
She didn't want to believe it. If she never brought it up, they didn't have to acknowledge it, right?
Well, too late for that now.
"Mary Jane..." her father began, his tone menacingly neutral. "Don't do this."
She knew her boyfriend was Spider-Man. She had seen him on Monday night crawling out of his window in that badass costume of his, then he swung away with...whatever came out of his wrist. Then she saw him save her and her father from Mac. She recognized his voice. Maybe her father didn't, but Mary Jane had known Peter for far too long not to recognize him.
And once she could finally connect the dots on her father and boyfriend's secret identities...it all came crashing down.
Her father and Peter were both wrestlers. Peter defeated her father in a match. Her father robbed the place. Peter let him escape. Her father...
Her father shot Ben Parker. Her father had killed Ben right in front of him. And the two had no idea how much they were connected. It was like some horrible soap opera.
She didn't know whether or not she wanted to laugh, cry, or scream.
"I know you're the Shocker." Mary Jane said, doing her best to stand her ground and look her father in his eyes. "I heard you say it. I'm not stupid, don't like I am."
"Mary Jane-"
"I want you to say it." She asked. "Tell me the truth."
There was a horrible, defeaning silence.
"God damn it, dad!" She cried out, tears in her eyes. "Don't like I'm stupid! I know what you did!"
Her father couldn't even look her in the eyes anymore. "And what would that be?"
"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" She pressed, aggressively pointing a finger at him. "And so do I!"
"Then we don't need to discus it any further." Herman said, doing his best to shut the conversation down.
He failed.
"Say it." Mary Jane demanded.
"Say what-"
"SAY IT!"
"SAY WHAT?!"
The silence was back again. Now Herman and Mady Jane were two very angry people glaring at each other...and they had no idea what to think of each other.
It was Mary Jane who broke the silence. "I know you killed Ben." She said softly, tears in her eyes. "I can't believe you-"
"What, you think I just went out and gunned him down on purpose?" Her father interrupted, anger in his eyes. "Because I wanted to?!"
"Then why did you do it?!"
"He was going to arrest me!"
"So you shot hin?!" Mary Jane almost screamed. "He was our neighbor! Out friend!"
"It was an accident!" Herman tried to explain. "I didn't want to-"
"You think that makes any of this better?!" Mary Jane yelled. "He's dead! Dead because of you!" She was glaring at Herman with nothing but hate now. "Twenty thousand dollars! That's how much you robbed the place for! Is that how much Ben's life was worth?!"
"I did that for you!" Herman desperately tried to explain. "We can't afford the place, MJ! I was trying to pay the bills, so we can stay here, so you can stay here, with Peter and Gwen! Ben was going to-"
"Do his damn job?!" Mary Jane spat. "I loved you dad! Idolized you! You were my inspiration! And you, you just threw it all away!" She was crying now. "Would you rather be a criminal than a father?" She could see a lot of pain in her father's face as said this. She didn't care.
"You are a terrible parent-"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Herman screamed, and Mary Jane felt her further accusations die down in her throat. She had never seen her father this angry. Not even her mother got him this riled up. It was...it was terrifying.
"I did all of this for you." He once again stated. "For us. And it was your idea for me to become a wrestler in the first place, so don't pretend I'm the only responsible for all this, it's on you to-"
"No!" She interrupted. "Don't you dare place this me! You're doing - This is the kind of things mom would do! You're just like her!"
Herman slapped her across the face, with enough force to knock her to the ground. She held a hand against her cheek, where the pain was, and she could only stare in shock at her father.
She could see a flash of shock and sorrow and regret and pain on his face. He looked like he wanted to apologize...but then he stopped himself.
"I am not like your mother." He said.
Yeah, she's not a murderer, is she?
"Your mother doesn't love you." He spat. "I do." He was stepping forward towards her, reaching a hand out to, to do something, but Mary Jane recoiled and flinched and slapped it away. Herman kept looking hurt, but he didn't try his luck again.
"Mary Jane..." Herman took a deep breath. "I love you." He said, and now he was trembling, and his eyes were tearing up...and fuck, she knew, despite all everything, he was telling the truth. "You, you make my life have meaning, worth living. I just, I just wanted to give you the best life I could, okay? And...I need money for that, and..." he trailed off. "Can you please let me explain?"
Mary Jane spent a long minute giving no reaction...before she nodded her head.
"OsCorp paid well." He began, doing his best not to tremble and shake. He wasn't really succeeding. "And it paid the bills, but now I don't work there, and, and...fuck, MJ, there are just so many god damn bills." He explained. "And I can't fucking pay them. I had a decent gig at wrestling, but it...it fell apart."
He was getting to the tough part now.
"When I robbed the place..." he was looking into his daughter's face, and she could tell just how much regret and sadness were in his eyes. "I was just supposed to get away, go home, and find a decent job. Never commit another crime again. But Ben caught me outside...I didn't want to kill him."
He kneeled down and put his hands on Mary Jane's shoulders. "You have to believe me." He pleaded, his voice and his hands trembling. "I was just going to steal his gun and run away but..." sorrow took over his face, and he took one hand off Mary Jane's shoulder to wipe at his eyes, briefly turning away from her.
He took a long moment to compose himself, then he looked back to her. "The gun went off." His voice was quiet. "It was an accident." It was barely whisper. "I didn't, I didn't want to." He continued, and Mary Jane knew he was telling the truth. He really didn't. "But it just...if just happened. And I can't change that. Fuck, MJ, he was my only friend. He was your Godfather. And every day, every time I try to sleep...I think of him. Of what I did."
Tears were going down his face now, which matched his daughter. "And I'm sorry." He sobbed. "But I can't take back what I did. And we can't let anyone find out, or...they'll take me away. And we can't let that happen, right? I love you, Mary Jane. I love you so much."
He suddenly brought her into a tight hug. One full of love and sorrow.
She didn't hug him back.
"I'm sorry MJ..." Herman cried, burying his face into her shoulder. "For being a terrible parent. For not standing up to Anna sooner. For killing Ben." He stroked her hair. "And if you want me to turn myself in...I will. I promise." His voice was soft. Carpeting. "I'll do it for you."
There was a long, long silence.
Mary Jane hugged Herman back, began to cry, and said "Don't." She begged. "Please."
He was all she had. Throughout the years, when her own mother caused her pain, her father was there for her. Defended her. Protected her. Everything he did was for her. Because he loved her.
And she loved him.
They were the only family they had left...except for Mac. But he didn't really count, did he?
She had lost a lot over the years. Her own mother, who had hurt her so much. Flash and Liz and Jessica, who had once upon a time been her friends. But through all the pain and hardships, she had constants. Peter. Gwen. Their parents. And most of all, her own father. He loved her, and she loved him.
And that was all that mattered, right?
"I can't lose you to." She said softly.
And for a long, long time, they cried.
Together.
Not too long after, Mary Jane decided to visit Peter in his house next door.
The very first thing she said was "I know you're Spider-Man."
And that's the story of how why Mary Jane was in Peter's bedroom and being told the origin story of Spider-Man.
"So...the spider at OsCorp." Peter began. "Remember how it bit me?"
"Yeah." Mary Jane nodded. "Must have sucked."
"You laughed at me!"
"It - It was funny!" Mary Jane tried to explain, but she crumbled at the unimpressed look Peter gave her, and apologized when he said "You sound like Flash and Liz."
"Anyway..." he continued. "It gave me super powers."
"Super powers." Mary Jane repeated. She seem just a bit skeptical, and tilted her glasses down for dramatic effect. "Super powers?"
"Yes, superpowers." Peter repeated.
"Huh." Said Mary Jane. "I would have thought you were a mutant."
"I'm clearly not. Mutants get their powers-"
"During puberty?" Interrupted Mary Jane. "As teenagers?"
Peter tried to figure out something, then sighed in defeat.
"Peter, I'm not going to like, try to murder you for God or anything." Mary Jane reassured him. "I think it's kind of badass."
"Well that's nice of you to say." Said Peter. "You're not the one who has to deal with them."
"Oh c'mon, they can't be that bad." Mary Jane said. "Tell me about them!"
"Fine, fine." Said Peter, as he began to prepare an explanation of his powers. "I've got like, sort of super strength and durability. I lifted a car on the weekend, punched through a concrete block without any pain, and survived a thirty foot drop."
"...what?"
"I also-" Peter continued. "Have this uh, weird organic webbing that comes out of my wrist. It's kind of weird, but it's really useful. I can use it to swing around buildings, and it's definitely the most fun I've ever had. Oh, I'm also really agile for some reason. And my vision is 20/20 now. So is my hearing."
"You have 20/20 hearing?" Asked Mary Jane, a smirk on her face as she played along with his lame joke.
"Yep." Deadpanned Peter, a smirk also on his face. "I can see sounds now. Anyway, it also cleared up all my acne, so that was nice. Oh!" He remembered something, and snapped his fingers to signify that. "It also gave me a uh..." he rubbed the back of his head. "A uh, a six pack. I'm really muscled for some reason now, I don't really know why-"
"Oh bull. Shit." Mary Jane laughed. "You had me up to there."
"It's true!" Said Peter, his face now red.
"Prove it then." Mary Jane challenged, crossing her arms as she smirked. "Show me. Take off your shirt."
"What, is this all some sort of elaborate ruse to get you to see me shirtless?" Asked Peter, trying not to blush too hard.
"You know it." Said Mary Jane. "C'mon Peter, when a girl asks you to take your shirt off in your bedroom, you take your shirt off. Don't pussy out."
"How many sex predators have said or believe someone like that?" Deadpanned Peter, and Mary Jane snorted. "MJ, it's nice you want to see me shirtless, but I mean, this is just, it's really sudden-"
"All right, all right." She conceded. "You don't have to show me if you don't want to."
"But I do want to."
Mary Jane facepalmed. And groaned. "For God's sake - Then take your shirt off!"
"All right!" Said Peter. "But I mean, this is just, it's my first time doing something like this." He admitted.
"We're not going to bang, Peter. Jeez." Mary Jane said, rolling her eyes. "Hell, I'll take my shirt off if you want to. You know, equality and feminism and all that."
"You would?" Asked Peter, laughing, as he in no way believed Mary Jane would do that.
"Yeah, I would." Nodded Mary Jane. "But only if you're comfortable with it."
"You would?" Asked Peter, now baffled. "Why?"
"Cause we're dating!" Mary Jane explained, exasperated.
"We are?!"
"Yes!" Said Mary Jane, now frustrated as she fell down into Peter's bed. "Do you not remember when you asked me out on Monday? When I said yes?"
"I do, it's just, I mean..." Peter began to fumble over his words. "I haven't talked to you in like, a week. Cause Ben..." he trailed off. "It's just, I might not make the best boyfriend, you know?"
"Peter, I don't care about that." She tried to explain. "I won't hold it against you if you don't want us to continue, you know, being a thing, but... I mean, if you do, I wouldn't...you know...mind." She elaborated. "I still want to date you. Even before the OsCorp field trip." She admitted, and Peter felt his depression decrease. Just a little bit. "We're best friends. I mean, Gwen and Harry are in there to, but we're obviously not dating them, and..." she trailed off. "You get what I'm trying to say, right?"
Peter nodded. Mary Jane smiled.
"Then uh...I guess we're uh, officialy official." Said Mary Jane, doing her best not to grin too widely. "Nice."
"Nice?" Snickered Peter. "Our love story has been years in the making and all you've got to say is nice? C'mon, show some enthusiasm!"
"I'll show some enthusiasm..." she said, leaning forward until her face was inches away from Peter. "Once you take off your shirt."
Peter looked into her eyes, grinned widely, and took his shirt off.
"Holy shit!" Was the very first thing out of Mary Jane's mouth. "Peter, you're, you're fucking...from a spider bite?" She had a stupified look on her red face. "What?"
"Yeah..." Peter said, fighting off the instinct to put his shirt back on. As embarrassing as it was, he kind of...liked the reaction he was getting from Mary Jane. For example, she licked her lips and began to bite down on her lower one, and admittedly, that was weird for Peter, but he just decided to roll with it. Cause, not going to lie, it was kind of hot.
"I don't get how the science of that works." Peter admitted. "I don't exercise at all either, I'm just kind of like this all the time." He shrugged. "I'm not complaining."
"Yeah, I'm uh, I'm not either..." Mary Jane muttered. She hadn't looked Peter in the face for some time now. "Can I touch it?"
"Could you at least try not to make it sound too inappropriate?"Asked Peter, fighting off the weird mix of embarrassment and pride he was feeling. "No banging, remember?"
"Yeah yeah, we'll get to that part later." She said casually, as she began to, for a lack of a better word,feel up Peter. "Man, this feels really nice..." she muttered. "Peter, you're like, the definition of a teenage fantasy."
"Am I the definition of yours?" Asked Peter, doing his best to sound suave. He wasn't sure if he actually was, but he thought he sounded suave, and self confidence was all that matters, right?
Mary Jane seemed to agree with that, because she looked him in the eyes and smirked widely.
And that was the story of how Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson had their first kiss together.
Gwen Stacy was the kind of girl that liked to volunteer at homeless shelters in her free time. Which was what she was currently doing.
Alexander Thompson was the kind of person that made his two children: Flash and Jessica Thompson leave his home out of fear. Which was exactly what was happening right now.
That meant the three teenagers were currently at the same shelter together.
"Hey Jessica." Gwen said with a smile, and Jessica just beamed. She was a tiny, petite girl with glasses. Flash was probably a foot taller than her and had a hundred pounds on her, it was hard to believe they shared the same parents. Especially considering how Jessica always seemed to be either sad, anxious, jumpy, mousy, on edge, or some sort of combination of those four traits. Then again, it was also hard to believe that the Flash Thompson at the shelter, who was serious and protective of his sister, was the same arrogant, obvious Flash who bullied people at Midtown High.
Gwen intended to put a stop to that.
"I know you don't have the best home life, Flash." Gwen said, as she sat down and stared at the teenager. But that doesn't mean-"
"Our dad only does it cause he loves us." Jessica practically squeaked out. She was shaking and trembling and shivering in a way that reminded her of a Chihuahua. Jessica wore a hoodie that could probably be worn by someone less then ten years old. "It's just that, that sometimes he gets angry. And he, he tells to leave when that happens. He doesn't want to hurt us, and its, it's not his fault he gets angry-"
"Shut up Jessica." Flash said quietly.
"That's what I'm talking about!" Gwen snapped at Flash. "You're mean! Stop, stop being mean!" She demanded. "You always have a choice, and you're just choosing to be mean! And no matter how many times I see you here, and no matter how many times we have a nice conversation, you always start acting like a bully! I can't stand it! I won't! Flash, if you ever treat me, my friends, or Jessica like trash again, my friendship with you will end." She said coldly.
Jessica made a weak gasp, then looked down at the table with her perpetually sad, defeated look on her face. Like a puppy that been kicked. "I guess you're...you hate us to, huh?" She said weekly. "That's okay, it's not, it's not your fault, it's ours..." she trailed off and began to sniffle.
"Don't be like that, Jessica!" Gwen said in her most, soothing, comfortable tone, because if she was too snappy or agressive, it could worsen Jessica's already incredibly low self esteem. "I'll always be your friend! And I'm sure MJ and Peter and Harry won't mind you..." she placed her hands over Jessica's and squeezed. They were soft, tiny, and cold.
Jessica weakly smiled and squeezed back.
"It's just that your brother." She turned to Flash. "Is being..." she took a deep breath and did the Sign of The Cross. "A dick."
"Woah, you kiss your mother with that mouth?" Asked Flash with a laugh, in his causal- douchebag-asshole-attitude-type-of-tone.
"Shut up, Flash." Gwen shot back, and Flash was so baffled by the intensity in Gwen's voice that he did, in fact, shut up. "I'm serious!" Gwen continued. "And not just you, but Liz! You can't just... you can't be bullies anymore! I won't allow it!"
"Did I arrive at the wrong time?" Asked Mac Gargan, walking towards the table. "As much as I love teen drama, I don't think I'm best suited for it." He smiled.
"Hey, Mac!" Said Gwen, Flash, and Jessica at the same time. They all liked Mac Gargan. Sure, he had fallen on tough times, but he was nice, funny, and charming, and had good life advice. All in all, he was a pretty swell guy.
Everyone liked Mac Gargan.
"You and Flash seem to be having a uh, a heated discussion." Mac observed. "Not sure if it's making Jessie uncomfortable or not." He not so discreetly nudged his head in the direction of the shorter blonde. "But if you don't mind me voicing my opinion, Flash," He looked towards...well, Flash. "Quit being a dick."
Flash looked like he wanted to say something, but he gave up.
"Flash and his girlfriend Liz keep being bullies to my friends!" Gwen tried to explain. Usually she'd chide people for their language, but she had given that up on Mac a long time ago.
"Liz?" Asked Mac, raising an eyebrow. "She still doin' that?"
"Her and Flash!" Confirmed Gwen, agressively nodding her head.
"To be fair, Liz and these two," he pointed at Jessica and Flash. "Have a thing in common: A crappy home life. I know her dad, he's a real asshole."I'd recommend talking things out with her, or getting your mom to deal with her. All else fails..." he leaned forward, a wicked grin on his face as he put his hands on the table. "I'll deal with her myself."
The three teens laughed. Mac Gargan had a weird sense of humor, sure, but he had the comedic timing for it.
And besides, he was harmless.
"I mean, if you two," he pointed at Flash and Gwen. "Want to keep the discussion between you two private, I can just uh..." he looked at Jessica. "Keep Jess company, I guess." He smiled at her. "I promise not to be too terrible."
Jessica smiled back.
"That was..."
"Wow..."
"Amazing."
"Spectacular."
"Marvelous."
Peter and Mary Jane's first kiss has been, in summary and conclusion: Perfect.
It was with a dumb, satisfied smirk on his face that a shirtless Peter continued his story, while Mary Jane laid on her stomach, her legs in the air behind her and her elbows propping up her hands which she used to keep her head (Which also had a dumb, satisfied smirk on her face) off the bed and staring at Peter.
"I've got like this...this weird, precognitive danger alert thing I call Spider-Sense." Peter rambled. "Like, I have this buzzing in my head whenever there's danger: Someone tries to punch me, I dodge it. Someone tries to shoot a bullet at me, or run me over, I dodge it. Cause, like, the spiders at OsCorp could sense things in the environment and dodge out of the way of danger-"
"Yeah, but they have eight eyes." Mary Jane deadpanned. "And you smacked the spider that bit you to death, so it doesn't seem that effective. I mean, this, that justs... it doesn't make any sense!"
Peter smirked widely. "It doesn't make any Spider-Sense."
The two snickered at how dumb and lame the joke was. Then they began to laugh. Then they began to laugh at how they were laughing so much. And maybe it was because the two hadn't laughed once since Monday, but they laughed and they laughed and they laughed.
They laughed for a long time.
And they loved it.
"You should let your hoodie down." Mac suggested, taking a seat in front of Jessica as Flash and Gwen left to continue their conversation. "You look nicer without it."
Jessica blushed. "Aww, you really think that?"
Mac smiled and nodded. "I do."
Jessica smiled and let her hoodie down, revealing her hair and letting it fall.
"You're beautiful." Mac complimented, and Jessica just beamed and blushed.
Her father was...an asshole, to say the least. Her mother was...let's just say not in the picture. She was close with her brother, but he could be kind of a dick, and she was friends with Liz, but she was...also kind of a dick. The closest thing she got to actual affection was from Gwen.
And Mac.
But Mac and Gwen were different. Mac was just funny and he understood her. A much better parental figure than her father had even been.
Mac knew this. He knew exactly how to work with girls like Jessica.
It was just too easy.
"The shelter's a nice place." Mac began. "But don't you wish you just had...you know, money? To go to MacDonald's?"
"I can't go your place, MacDonald!" Jessica giggled, because she knew Mac's full first name was MacDonald. "You're homeless!"
Mac laughed with her. And not because he had to, but because he actually thought she was funny. He was nice like that. "You know what I mean, Jessica." He continued, the charming smile still on his face even as he got serious. "Or even just enough money to get something from the gas station. Like candy or drinks."
"I never really have any money." Jessica admitted, hugging herself. She had a habit of doing thst. "And neither does Flash or our dad."
He really did feel sorry for the girl. He really did. But he wasn't sorry enough for her to stop what he was planning.
"When's the last time you've actually had money?" Asked Mac, genuinely curious.
"Sometimes Liz gets me and Flash money to buy things." Jessica admitted.
"That's nice of her." Commented Mac.
"Yeah." Jessica agreed, nodding her head. "But she likes keeping money for herself and Flash, for when they go out on dates. So I don't really get much. And not often."
"That sucks." Said Mac, and Jessica just said "Yeah..."
"I can give you money." Offered Mac. He was finally setting his plan in motion.
"You can?" Jessica asked, suddenly interested. Then she seemed to realize what was happening, and said "Wait, you can't give me any money, you need it more than I do-"
"No I don't." Said Mac, pulling out his wallet (And doing his best not to accidentally show off his hidden gun or knife) and revealing it's contents: Lots and lots of hundred dollar bills. "I've got a lot of cash, I just don't have a home." That was a lie, but she didn't need to know what. "I've gotten by on less, and trust me, you need this a lot more than I do."
Jessica's desire to be selfless was of course, crushed by her desire for money. "So you can..." she was leaning forward, and Mac could see all the beautiful, perfect imperfections on her face. "You can give me your money?"
Mac did his best not to smile like a predator. "Well..." he began. "I need you to do something for me..."
"So the very first thing you did after getting your powers..." Mary Jane wheezed out; she had laughed too hard and too much, and now her throat and chest were sore. "Was become a wrestler?" She laughed, then groaned in pain.
"Yep." Peter confirmed, nodding and doing his best not to laugh, but that sure didn't stop him from smiling. "The Amazing Spider-Man!" He said, doing a bad impression of Sullivan that made Mary Jane laugh in pain. "Fuck, ah, stop..." she laughed, trying to catch her breath. "I can't laugh..." she laughed again. "It fuckin' hurts..."
"And there were all these othet lame wrestlers to!" Continued Peter, going in for the kill. "There was a huge hairy dude, he called himself The Grizzly!" He laughed out loud.
"The Grizzly?!" Mary Jane shrieked, laughing.
"And there was another guy with this lame costume, and he, he called himself..." Peter did his best to compose himself. "The Human Fly!"
Mary Jane's laughter rang throughout the neighborhood.
"And the champion, oh my God, the champion, he was this other huge muscle hairy dude in a speedo, and he, he called himself Bonesaw, and he, he'd say..." he stopped talking, as he suddenly had the greatest idea in the history of mankind.
He suddenly stood on the bed, did Bonesaw's pose, and in a wonderfully awful impression of the former champion, roared "BONESAW IS READYYYYYYYYY!"
Mary Jane's laughter somehow became even louder, and she rolled off the bed, falling onto the floor, still (You guessed it) laughing all the while . That made Peter laugh, and Peter laughing made Mary Jane laugh, and the two laughed and laughed until it hurt, and then they laughed some more.
"Hey.." Peter made a dumb, rather unmanly giggle. "You uh..." he got off his bed, kneeling down to Mary Jane, who was still on the floor. "You need..." he snickered some more. "You need some help?"
"I'm in the mood for a bad pick up line." Said Mary Jane, a wild grin on her face. "I'm running out of oxygen, give me yours."
She grabbed Peter and pulled him closer for a kiss, and it would have been romantic...if they hadn't started laughing again, causing Peter to fall on the floor. Or more specifically, on top of Mary Jane.
That just made them laugh even more.
A few minutes later, a panting Peter got off of a panting Mary Jane so they could catch their breath (Ooh, that sounds a bit lewd, doesn't it?) and he rolled onto his side...still on the floor.
"So..." panted Mary Jane, no longer compelled to laugh. "What happened next?" She asked. "On Monday?"
Peter sighed. "Remember when I picked a fight with Flash?"
"Yeah, it was pretty badass."
"It's nice of you to think that, but Charlotte, Ben, and May sure wouldn't agree with you." Peter muttered. "When I got home, I got into a bad argument with them. So I left to go wrestle, cause I liked it. I liked being powerful, defeating other guys, getting money. Ben and May had bills to pay to-"
"You did it to pay your bills?" Asked Mary Jane.
Peter nodded.
Huh.
"Anyway." Peter continued. "I got into a match with..." he took a deep breath. "The Shocker. Usually I put on a show for the crowd, but that day, I was really frustrated, so I just...I knocked the guy out in one punch. I didn't get any money for that, and neither did the Shocker. So he robbed the place."
"And then what you said in the alley..." Mary Jane said, still baffled by the irony that Peter had potentially saved not just her life, but the Shocker's.
"Yeah... guy said he had a daughter and bills to pay. And I mean...I saw his eyes, MJ. I really think he was telling the truth. And I... that's why I let him go." A pause. "And that's why Ben died." He said quietly. "Because of me."
"Don't beat yourself up like that, Peter." Mary Jane said, doing her best to comfort him, but not really understanding how. It's not like she could say "Sorry my dad killed your uncle."
"You couldn't have known what was going to happen. And besides, it was the Shocker who killed Ben. He was the one that pulled the trigger."
She didn't even know if that part was true. Her dad said they were fighting for the gun, and then it went off. What if... what if Ben had accidentally shot himself?
She didn't want to think about that.
"I don't care, MJ." Peter admitted. "I was there. When Ben died. Right in my arms. I heard his last words. He said he loved me."
There was a sad, solemn calm to the way Peter said that, and it broke her heart.
"And every time I'm alone, or when I try to sleep...I go back there. I keep seeing him die. I keep hearing him getting shot. After I saved you and your dad in the alley, I realized I dodged bullets. And the moment I remembered that, it was like I was back. I saw Ben getting shot. Him die. I was trying to swing back home and I..." he sighed. "Its overwhelming. I get like, these panic attacks. Anxiety attacks. And it happened, right when I was swinging, and I fell on a rooftop and I just...I just curled up in a ball and had to ride it out. It fucking sucked."
"Jesus..." Mary Jane whispered. "You're... God, Peter, I think you have PTSD." She admitted. "Like, fuck, you need help-"
"I don't deserve help." He muttered. "I got Ben killed, so this is my karma. My penance."
She could tell trying to press this subject wouldn't be very effective.
"Peter..." Peter was sitting down and leaning against his bed, so she sat next to him and held his hand. "I'll be here for you, okay? Always."
"Thank you." Peter said, his voice barely a whisper as Mary Jane leaned her head against his shoulder.
They were like that, for a long time. In comfortable, content silence.
Peter was the one who broke it.
"MJ..." he began. "I ever find the Shocker..." he suddenly got very serious. "I'm going to fucking kill him."
She wasn't sure if Peter was actually being serious. She didn't want him to be. But a part of her, deep down, that Petwr wasn't lying. That he was perfectly willing to kill her dad, just like her dad had killed Ben.
And that was what she was afraid of.
"You even been with anyone before, Jessica?"
Jessica shook her head. "No, I've never had a boyfriend...and I don't really have any friends, and I'm hardly the prettiest girl at school."
"You could have fooled me." Mac smiled, and Jessica blushed and smiled and said "Thanks." It was fucking adorable, and Mac loved it.
"I'm going to ask you to keep a secret, Jessica." Said Mac "I'm going to trust this between you and me. Think you can do that?"
Jessica vigorously nodded, and it reminded him of a bobblehead. Girls like Jessica always wanted someone to be able to confide to, and more importantly, someone who could confide in them. And Jessica was no different.
And yet, she was perfectly different in all the right ways.
"I'll give you my money..." Mac showed her his wallet. "If you let me..." he leaned in and whispered "Do things to you."
Jessica looked nervous now. But she didn't look disgusted, or horrified, or revolted, or betrayed.
And that was good.
"What kind of things?" She asked.
"I want to make you feel beautiful." Mac said, doing his best to sound sincere and genuine, which wasn't difficult, because he was. "To feel like a woman. To feel, to be loved."
Jessica looked around nervously, but she wasn't looking for a way out, or for help. She was making sure no one else could hear them. "But Mac, I'm... I'm an eight grader. And you're-"
"I can't help that I feel attracted to." Mac said, pretending that he actually felt bad about it. He really didn't, but girls like Jessica loved it when the guy made themselves seem vulnerable. When they believed they were so beautiful they could make men fall for them when they know they shouldn't. More often than not they didn't want that kind of attention because it came from creepy men. But Mac Gargan had perfected his technique, and they never thought he was creepy. At least, not until it was too late.
"And maybe... maybe that makes me a bad person." He even acted like he was ashamed. He really should have been a Hollywood Star, then he could have diddled all the underage girls he wanted. "And I know it's wrong, but..it doesn't feel wrong when it's you."
Jessica was just eating it up. His plan was finally coming together so perfectly, he had to stop himself from being giddy.
"And I know we could never be together, or anything..." Mac could never date anyway, but that was hardly the point. "But I just...a lot of guys want to take advantage of you. I just want to make your first time special. To make you know that someome loves you, even when it feels like no one else does. Is that so wrong?"
Jessica didn't know how to answer. You'd think someone whose father was on the force would know better than to accept this offer, but Jessica's father was a shithead. The sad thing about it was Mac was far better to Jessica than her parents, then even Flash or Liz or anyone had even been.
And that's why she thought it wasn't wrong.
"You don't have to make up your mind right now." Said Mac. He saw Flash and Gwen in his peripheral vision. He knew he had to cut this conversation short, he couldn't risk them overhearing it.
"Just keep it in mind, yeah? Keep me in your thoughts and I'll keep you in mine ." He put his wallet away. "And remember, there'll be money for you at the end of it." He stood up and ruffled her hair, and he could tell she liked it. "Remember, Jessica." he briefly put a finger over his mouth to indicate: "It's our secret."
Gwen and Flash returned, apparently having come to an agreement or whatever, but Mac hardly cared for that. He had one last thing to do.
"Hey Gwen." He began, and the blonde with self esteem turned to Mac with a "Yeah?"
"You know a guy named Herman, right?"
"Of course I do, he's my neighbor! My best friend MJ's dad!" She explained enthusiastically.
"Would you believe me if I said I was MJ's uncle?" He asked.
"You are?!" Gwen gasped. "How?!"
"You know her mom, Anna? I know we don't have the same skin color, but we're siblings. We hadn't really kept in touch, but I mean, me and Herman used to be best friends back when we were kids until high school." He explained. That was actually true. "You have his number?" He asked. Gwen nodded. "You mind sharing it? I wouldn't mind getting in touch with him again. I've never met MJ either."
A little bit later, Mac had Herman's phone number, which he thanked Gwen for. "Hey Gwen..." he begam, not bothering to hide the smile on his face. "You mind if I take a picture of me and you to send to them?"
"Not at all!" Gwen said cheerily.
And that's the story of how Herman Schultz got a text from an unknown number which had a picture of Mac Gargan and Gwen Stacy smiling together, followed by a text.
This cutie is MJ's best friend, right? Your neighbor? You two think you could set us up?
Herman got a second text shortly afterwards.
With love, from Mac.
And then a third one.
P.S: Tell MJ I love her.
Herman Schultz had been working on homemade prototype gauntlets ever since he had been fired from Oscorp. They were basically oversized boxing gloves that had enough force in them to shatter concrete, and had enough electric circuits to maintain a safe circulating loop on the fist part of the gauntlet. It could be used to punch things until they broke or to use electrity on what needed electricity. He intended to try and sell it to make some quick money, maybe as a weapon.
In the past, he had refused to produce weapons. It's why he had been fired from OsCorp. Then again, the gauntlets OsCorp wanted him to make were much more advanced. Also, in the past he hadn't killed Ben Parker and wasn't swamped by bills to pay, so now his morals were a bit more lenient.
He had been working on the gauntlets in his crappy basement where his workshop was (He really needed to fix the pipes, they were starting to leak) but it wasn't as if he needed to hide them. Mary Jane had told him she was going to Peter's house to say hi. And to comfort her him. He wasn't sure if they were dating or not, but comforting someone in their grief really transcended petty teen dating drama.
You know what also transcended petty teen drama?
Mac FUCKING Gargan.
He knew Mac was trying to get a reaction out of him, it's the only reason he didn't respond to Mac's text. God knows what kind of sick game Mac was playing. Herman didn't want to risk Mac escalating it, and if Herman acknowledged the text, Mac might try to do something else to garner some sort of reaction out of him, because that's the kind of asshole Mac was. And he couldn't risk Gwen getting hurt. If he pretended he hadn't seen the text, Mac might think he actually hadn't seen it, and he'd wait. Either until Herman responded, or he got bored. The element of surprise was potentially the only advantage on Herman's side.
He was going to the shelter to confront Mac Gargan once and for all.
Ben's Gun, the one that had fired the bullet that ended his life, was still in Mac's possession, hidden away in his room. He intended to use it one more time.
But he needed to warn Mary Jane.
And that's the story of how and how and why Herman suddenly burst into Peter's room and saw his daughter on top of Peter. A shirtless Peter. Making out with him. They were getting pretty handsy to.
Peter and Mary Jane noticed Herman at the same time he noticed them. The result of that equation was Herman shouting "GOD DAMN IT!" and the two teens shouting "Oh SHIT!"
"DAD!"
"HERMAN!"
"I DON'T CARE!" Herman snapped. "MJ!" He turned to his daughter, who was just about the most embarrassed she had ever been in her life. He looked at Peter, then at her, then he took out his phone and showed her the image of Mac Gargan taking a selfie with Gwen.
"Oh shit." She muttered.
"Oh shit is right." Said Herman. "Call Gwen, tell her to be careful, to call the police, and if Mac messages you, don't answer him. If he stops by, hide, run away, call for help, doesn't matter. Just stay safe."
And with that, he turned around and ran out of the room. Mary Jane was the only one that noticed the gun he had on him.
"MJ..." began Peter, peaking out from the covers he was hiding under. "The hell was that?"
"I have an evil creepy pscyho uncle who is my mom's brother, his name is Mac Gargan. He was the one that attacked me and my dad in the alley, the guy you webbed up." She quickly explained. "And right now, he's at the shelter Gwen is volunteering at, and I think my dad is running off to kill him."
"Just a normal Saturday for us, I guess." Peter said, because it was either try to be funny to calm himself down, or freak the hell out.
"Peter, you can like, web swing over there, right?" Mary Jane asked. She could see her father speeding off in a bicycle taken from Peter's garage. Her dad was going impressively fast, he could probably make some money by doing the...Tour De France? Those French bicycle race things.
"I can." Peter's nodded. "But MJ, don't you think we should..." he trailed off. The last time he let a criminal do what he wanted, his uncle had died. He was not going to let that happen again. Not ever, and certainly not with Gwen. "We should go there." Peter stated, steeling up his resolve.
"Hell yeah we are, I am not letting that creep have his way with Gwen." Mary Jane vowed. "Just put on your badass Spider-Man outfit, and I'll hold onto you while you swing us over there."
And that's exactly what they did.
Mac knew Herman was going to have a fun reaction. What he did not know was that Herman was going to stop into the shelter while Mac was having a nice little group chat with Flash, Gwen, and Jessica, and immediately hold him at gunpoint.
"Mac, you motherfucker!" Herman spat. "I fucking knew you'd relapse! You always pull this shit!"
"Hey Herman, quit being rude. You're scaring the kids." Mac said casually, still sitting down and not having any sort of reaction as Jessica screamed and hid behind Mac, Flash went "Oh shit!" and backed away from the vicinity, and Gwen screamed "HERMAN!"
"Stay away from him, Gwen!" Herman demanded, holding Mac at gunpoint. "Mac Gargan is an evil, psychopathic, rapist, murdering piece of shit." Herman viciously spat, venom and hate in his voice. He clicked his gun. "Not so fun when I'm the one holding the gun, huh?"
Mac immediately stood up and aimed his own pistol at Herman, earning another scream from Jessica, another "Oh shit!" From Flash, and a "MAC!" From Gwen.
"I've got a gun to, bitch!" Mac said triumphantly, repeatedly making the gun click. "C'mon, quit clicking the gun, pull the trigger!" He taunted. Under most circumstances he would have never pulled out his gun and risen to Herman's challenge, to maintain the moral high ground, but that wouldn't be nearly as fun. "Don't pussy out, Herman!"
"Both of you, stop!" Gwen said, leaping onto the table in between the two gunslingers (As they were on opposite sides of the table) "I won't let you kill each other, not here! Please!" She begged. "Can't we talk this out?!"
Mac immediately placed his gun on the table and held his hands up. "Hey, I'm willing to talk this out if you are, buddy." Now he acted like he wasn't at fault. And really, he wasn't. After all, Herman was the one that started the Mexican Standoff.
"I should fucking kill you." Herman hissed, stepping closer to Mac, so he could take his gun off the table. "I'd do this entire damn world a favor-"
Herman was interrupted when Flash punched him across the face, which caused Herman to accidentally pull the trigger, which caused Jessica and Gwen to shriek, which made everyone else at the shelter scream.
Mac attempted to aim his gun at Herman (He had no intentions of actually shooting him, he just wanted to taunt him) when one of the shelter workers stepped between Mac and Herman. Unfortunately, this caused Mac to accidentally pull the trigger.
Jessica screamed.
Mac took his gun and shot the worker in the head.
Now Gwen was screaming.
Herman, who had been preoccupied with Flash (By shouting "Get off me you fucking moron!" and punching him across the face and to the floor) was now suddenly very aware of the chaos the shelter was in.
"AND THE MAN IN THE BACK, SAID EVERYONE ATTACK!" Mac yelled, kicking a shelter worker who made the mistake of trying to stop him into a table. "AND IT TURNED INTO A BALLROOM BLITZ!" He shot him a couple of times.
Herman retrieved his gun, wrapped an arm around Gwen protectively, and took her behind a table where Flash and Jessica were cowering. "You believe me now?!" He asked, as he peaked over the table to try to get a good shot at Mac. Which was difficult, as everyone was frantically running around the shelter because Mac was aimlessly gunning people down, screaming things like "RUN, FORREST, RUN!" Or "PEW PEW PEW!" And all the while, enjoying it, laughing like the pscyhopathic madman he was. And even worse, while some people in the shelter tried to fight back, they met resistance...from people wearing scorpion tattoos.
Herman realized in horror that Mac had infested the shelter with his own gang.
"I got you and MJ's texts!" Gwen cried out, unable to tear her eyes off the carnage she was witnessing. Near her, Jessica was curled up in a ball, bawling her eyes out as Flash hugged her tightly against him and desperately tried tp comfort and calm her down. "I'm sorry I wdidn't believe you!"
"That doesn't matter now!" Herman said. Fucking Mac had made things worse than what he thought possible, he didn't even know how the bastard did it. Was he really this shortsighted? This evil? So desperate for simulation he picked a fight with Herman and shot up a shelter because he was bored? Because he enjoyed it?
He could see someone stab Mac with a shitty kitchen knife. Mac pulled the knife out of him and slashed his opponent's throat, and he fell against a table, clutching it and gargling his blood. Mac looked down at him, with that evil grin in his face. His victim, it wasn't some gang member, it was one of the workers at the shelter, desperately held their hand up, to beg Mac to stop.
Mac said "Hi-Five buddy!" And high fived him.
Then he stabbed him to death.
That was when Spider-Man came in.
"What the fuck is going on in here?!" He yelled, stumbling through the shelter door in the same clothes he wore when he had saved Herman and Mary Jane earlier: Blue jeans, his red and blue underarmor shirt, and a red ski mask with sunglasses.
"You?!" Herman asked in shock.
"You?" Spider-Man asked in confusion.
"YOU!" Mac yelled in excitement, opening fire at Spider-Man, who yelled "OH SHIT!" And dodged out of the way. Mary Jane, who came in stumbling after Spider-Man, immediately saw what waa happening, regretted entering the building, and yelled "OH SHIT!" As she lept under the cover and safety of some tables. Then she whacked a guy with a scorpion tattoo who tried to grab her with a metal tray
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE?!" Herman screamed, motioning for Mary Jane to join him and the terrified teenagers he was stuck protecting.
"I CAME HERE TO HELP GWEN!" Mary Jane yelled, gesturing to the baseball bat she brought from home.
"HOW DID YOU GET HERE?!"
"I RAN!"
'YOU RAN?!"
"YES!"
"HOW?!"
"WITH MY LEGS!"
Mary Jane closed the distance, and was now with her father and Gwen. She didn't even notice Flash and Jessica. "Does that really matter now?!"
"God damn it, MJ!" Yelled Herman. "Just stay behind here, keep an eye on Gwen and the other blonde, and don't, don't die!"
Meanwhile, Mac saw Spider-Man (Once again) dodge all his bullets. "God damn it!" Yelled Mac. "Who are you?!"
"I'm Spider-Man, bitch!" Yelled Spider-Man, bitch. He dramatically landed on the table in front of Mac, having already webbed up mostly everyone in the shelter that was fighting someone to the ground. "And I'm going to put an end to this madness!"
Well, he would have, if one of the remaining non-webbed up Scorpion Gang Members still in the shelter hadn't roared "Fucking mutie!" And smacked a food tray across Spider-Man's face.
Mac laughed at the sheer absurdity of it, said "Thanks, you fucking Kelly supporter!" Then he skedaddled right the fuck out of there, but not before yelling "JESSICA, REMEMBER MY OFFER!"
Jessica kept crying, but Mac didn't know that, because he was long gone.
Spider-Man watched in horror as Mac Gargan escaped yet again. "You asshole!" Spider-Man yelled at the asshole who smacked him across the face with a food tray. "You let him get away!"
"Shut up, freak!" Spat the bigot, who punched Spider-Man in the face. Or tried to, since Spider-Man caught the punch with his left hand, crushed the bigot's hand, and then punched him hard across the face, knocking him out cold, and sending him plummeting to the ground, where his bloodied face hit the ground.
Peter didn't care. This moron had let Mac Gargan escape! He couldn't believe how utterly fucking stupid and pointless the fight with this waste of space was.
He looked around at the shelter, and people were still fighting. Why? Mac was gone, yet Herman and Mary Jane and Gwen were cowering for their lives and innocent people were dead or dying on the floor, but who cared about that when you could start a mass brawl with each other instead? In a fucking homeless shelter!
Angered beyond reason, Spider-Man grabbed a table, lifted it in the air, yelled "EVERYONE SHUT UP!" Slammed that table against another, shattering both, and continued with "AND STOP! FIGHTING!"
And somehow, against all odds, it worked. Everyone stopped fighting. There was no more ballroom blitz.
He saw Gwen just staring, utterly shellshocked at the what she had just witnessed. She wasn't even crying. She just had a blank look of horror on her face.
He heard Herman mutter "Fucking Christ."
He saw Mary Jane share a look with him.
I guess this what being responsible with my power is like. Are you proud of me, Ben?
He walked over to where Herman, Mary Jane, and Gwen were at. "You guys okay?" He asked, making his voice a bit deeper, not wanting to be recognized.
"I'm gonna need therapy..." Gwen muttered, as Mary Jane hugged her, before the redhead muttered "I can't believe I thought it was a good idea coming here."
"I can't believe it either." Deadpanned Herman. "I'm going to fucking tear you a new one when we get home MJ, I swear to God!" Herman did his best to sound pissed, but there was too much gratitude in his voice, and he wrapped Mary Jane in a tight hug that she reciprocated. "You scared me! You could have gotten killed!"
Mary Jane didn't have an answer to that.
"Spider-Man?" Asked Flash, suddenly very confused as to why his favorite wrestler had saved his life.
"Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, at your service. Don't wear out the name." Spider-Man muttered, finger gunning Flash, not even bothering to try and figure out why Flash and...was that his sister Jessica? Apparently it was. He wasn't going to bother trying to figure out what they were doing here. "Remember kids, don't do drugs, use protection, and don't uh..." he looked around the shelter. "Don't shoot up homeless shelters."
And somehow, that got the five of them: Herman, Mary Jane, Gwen, Flash, and Jessica, all to laugh.
And just for a little bit, things weren't so bad at all.
Flash and Jessica's father had arrived quickly, wrapping his two children in a hug they both gladly accepted. He cried. Flash and Jessica didn't expect it, but they sure weren't complaining. They cried to.
Gwen, Charlotte, and Jonah had done the exact same thing.
Officer May Parker was there to, and Spider-Man fought the urge to hug her and cry. It probably wouldn't end well.
May, Alexander, Jonah, and Charlotte all had the same question: "Who did this?"
They all got the same answer: "Mac Gargan."
As far as Peter was concerned, Mac Gargan had joined The Shocker on Spider-Man's shit list.
"Where's Peter?" May had asked Herman and Mary Jane, with the latter quickly answering "At home."
Unfortunately, it all went south when Herman and Mary Jane made the mistake of trying to tell them how Spider-Man had saved their lives.
May didn't like Spider-Man. Can't imagine why.
She held him at gunpoint. And considering how Peter witnessed Mary Jane and Gwen and Jessica and even Flash get parenal love, seeing his only family left look at him with hate in her eyes and a gun in his hand, it had hurt. Especially as Peter began to go back there. Back to watching and hearing Ben die.
And that was the story of why Spider-Man ran away from the police for the first time.
"Holy shit!" Mac Gargan laughed, stumbling out of his (Stolen) car. "I just had the fucking time of my life-"
"I don't care." Deadpanned Norman Osborn. "Is Herman Schultz dead?"
They were meeting in their usual, isolated spot near a bridge The only other person there was Felicia, and she was more than qualified to be Norman's driver and security detail.
"Pfft, no." Mac laughed. "Why the hell would I kill him?"
"BECAUSE I ORDERED YOU TO!" Roared Norman. "BECAUSE I PAID YOU TO!"
Mac rolled his eyes. "Norman, quit having your autistic tantrums and let me explain." He said casually, and Norman did his best to calm down. It didn't really work, but it was a nice effort. "Norman, for the past few years I've been begining to have existential and mid life crisises."
He was talking in that stupid tone of his where you couldn't tell if he was being serious or not. Most of the time it was funny, but right now it was pissing Norman off.
"I don't care, Gargan-"
"And Herman, he makes me feel alive. I've talked with him twice today, most fun I've had in years." Mac said, putting an odd amount of sincerity in his words. "And I'm not going to kill him. And if you find a way to kill him, I'll kill the guy who killed him. Then," he looked Norman in the eyes. "I'll kill you to."
"You..." Norman gave Mac a look of pure disgust. Under most circumstances, he'd carefully craft a deadly combination of words to verbally destroy someone, but in this special scenario, Mac Gargan didn't deserve that. "Are fucking retarded."
Mac just laughed. "Norman, buddy..." he tried to place a hand on Norman's shoulder, but Norman said "Don't touch me." And slapped it off, much to both of their annoyances. "Some things in life..." Mac continued. "Are worth more than money." And he really did mean it.
"That's a nice saying Mac, but it doesn't excuse the fact that you have not only made me come out here to find out about your failures face to face, but have stained my suit, which is worth more than your life, with your filthy hands." He spat.
"Oh, suck my dick." Mac said, rolling his eyes yet again. "What are you going to do, fire me?"
"I don't have time for this." Norman muttered, as he began to turn around and walk away.
"In my defense!" Mac called out. "I got my ass beat twice by some punkass mutant kid named Spider-Man!"
Norman stopped in his tracks. "Spider-Man?" He asked, laughing turning his head back around. "What kind of name is that?"
Mac didn't need to know that Norman himslef had come up with it.
As Norman stepped into his limo and began to be driven away by Felicia, he recalled how he had said "Spider-Man"on Monday. He had said it to Peter Parker. Who had been bitten by a genetically engineered super spider amd survived with no negative side effects.
Maybe...
He was going to have to investigate this himself.
Author's Notes:
My longest chapter yet. Was an absolute roller coaster to ride.
Mac is fun to write. So evil and oddly obsessive and fixated on certain people while having a complete lack of empathy for others. Have you ever played a game and just enjoyed and had a ton of fun while kiling a bunch of people? That's what Mac is like when he shot up the shelter. He just enjoys things like that, because he's a short sighted monster who does what he wants.
Also, I introduced Jessica and Alexander Thompson. Jessica is based slightly on the actual character Jesse Thompson, but I've made her my own character. She is currently 14, which means when Peter's a sophomore, she'll be a Freshman at Midtown. Alexander is based on Harrison Thompson, but I changed his name to Alexander because one: I've already got a Harry, and two: It sounds cooler. In the comics he's a cop, but here...well I won't give it away just yet, but he's not a cop.
What Mac meant by "Kelly supporter" was a meta reference: In the Great Power Verse, Senator Robert Kelly is anti-mutant, so his supporters generally are to.
As usual, remember to follow, share, review, favorite, PM if me if you have any questions, leave constructive criticism, tell me what you like, and all that jazz.