I DO NOT own Marvel or Highschool DxD
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Riser was staring daggers at Peter, who did this human think he was speaking to? If he wanted, he could set him on fire without a second thought.
"I asked for your name trash…", Riser growled
"Trash? Is that the best you can do? I get called waaayy worse on a regular basis. Look I don't know if its because you got rejected just now, but c'mon man leave the lady alone…"
"No one rejects Riser…"
"Pretty sure you just got rejected, but don't sweat it. I'm sure you'll meet a nice girl who's into guys that talk about themselves in the third person…"
Riser was fed up with this human's nonsense, he raised his arm to set the boy ablaze. However, he was impeded when Peter fired his web shooter and stuck Risers hand to his chest.
"W-What is this!?", Riser struggled to free his hand.
Deciding to go even further with the hot head, Peter then yanked Risers pants down using his webs, putting Risers undergarments on full display.
"So you're a polka dot guy huh? I'm more of heart pattern guy myself…", Peter joked
Rias' peerage was trying their hardest to suppress their laughter, but it was becoming more and more difficult with each passing second. Even Grayfia was having trouble trying to keep a straight face.
Riser was fuming, burning the webbing off his hand he hastily pulled up his pants and began charging Peter. His rage had made him forget why he had even come to the human world, it didn't matter, all he wanted to do was to set this scrawny smart mouthed human ablaze.
Just before they made contact Grayfia stepped in between the two…
"Sirzechs has asked me to make sure that things remain civil while I'm here…"
"But he-"
"Sir Phenex if I do recall you were going to attack first, its only natural that this young man would retaliate. I will ask that you behave yourself while you're here, let this be the last time I tell you…"
Riser relented, he was strong, but there was no way he would take on Sirzechs' queen. He would let this one slide…for now.
Grayfia then directed her attention to Peter, "…you must be Mr. Parker…"
"How do you do ma'am I-"
"While the display you put on was…amusing to say the least, I would hope you don't act like that all the time. I agree that Sir Phenex was acting out of line, but you shouldn't have provoked him, please do refrain from acting so childish in the future…"
"I umm…sorry…", Peter wondered why he was the one being scolded.
"In any case, my master sent me here as a last resort should Ms. Gremory and Sir Phenex come to a disagreement. If Ms. Gremory insists on putting her personal preferences above those of her family then the only way to settle this would be with a rating game…"
"A rating game? What's that?...", Issei wondered
"A rating game is a competition between two devils with a peerage. It's used to measure a devil's power, which will in turn reflect their social standing in the underworld.", Akeno answered
"Thank you Akeno…", said Grayfia, "…though there is the fact that rating games are reserved for mature devils only, we'll make an exception for Ms. Gremory."
"Oh please you really think her meager peerage can take on mine? Ha! Let me show you a real peerage…", with that, Riser snapped his fingers and the room seemingly caught fire. Only this wasn't the case, after the flames he summoned calmed down, a group of women with different builds and heights appeared before them.
After examining all the girls that appeared, Peter assumed that they were all apart of Riser's peerage, the thing that bugged Peter the most was that he had a full set. If what Rias had told him was true then every girl had a piece assigned to them. Looking over to see Rias' peerage, he knew that they would struggle. As he was about to ask Rias to let him help, Issei cut him off…
"Woah…They're all super hot…dammit…THIS GUY IS TOTALLY LIVING THE DREAM!", Issei began crying, catching the attention of everyone in the room.
"What are you talking about…", Peter asked in a terse tone
"Look at him! Sure, he may be a douche but he's got a harem Pete! A HAREM!"
"Are you being serious? He's a grade A jerk wad! Out of everything that we just heard that's what stuck out the most!?
"You wouldn't understand Pete…to obtain a harem should be everyman's dream…"
"I can't believe we're doing this right now…", said Peter as he facepalmed
"IF HE SUMMONED A BUNCH OF TEXTBOOKS OR SOMETHING YOU WOULD'VE CREAMED YOUR PANTS!"
"OKAY…FIRST OF ALL, NO I WOULDN'T. SECOND, THAT HAS GOT TO BE THE DUMBEST THING YOU'VE EVER SAID, AND THIRD…"
As the two brunettes continued to bicker, everyone felt a bead of sweat form out of embarrassment. Its as if they had completely forgotten that there were other people present.
"Are…are they always like this?...", Grayfia asked Akeno
"I'm…not sure, but…fufu~ I doubt it's the first time…"
"Hmm, so you want to have a harem of your own? Ha! Yubelluna, come here…"
"Yes my lord…", the one that stepped forward was a mature looking woman with long dark purple hair with matching eyes. Her attire consisted of a revealing blue dress that had a slit which exposed her left leg and a top that exposed her massive bust. On top of it all was a white overcoat with black and gold accents, along with a mix and match of different kinds of jewelry, most notably the jewel encrusted headband on her forehead.
Issei and Peter hushed themselves when he called her name, curious as to why Riser had called over the voluptuous woman. As soon as she was within range, Riser pulled her in close and began tongue kissing the woman. Disgusted with his behavior, Rias' peerage grimaced at the sight.
"Hey there Romeo, how about we keep the PDA to a minimum. We're trying our best not to hurl."
"You bastard…", Issei growled
After releasing Yubelluna, Riser opted to cop a feel to aggravate Issei even further.
"You fool, for as long as you live you will never have what I have. I suggest you sit there and watch like the helpless little wretch you are…
"Shut your mouth! I don't need some scumbag like you to give me life advice!..."
"What did you call me…"
Issei manifested his boosted gear, "…You know what, screw the rating game! I'll take you on here and now!"
"Issei that's eno-", Rias was cut off
"There's no way in hell I'm letting you get your grubby mitts on Rias!"
"Issei…"
Issei began charging Riser, attempting to put an end to his unsightly behavior. Before he could get any closer, Riser had called for Mira, one of his eight pawns, to handle the situation.
"What's she gonna do?..."
Suddenly Mira plunged her wooden staff into Issei's stomach and launched him into the ceiling. Issei was down, despite her small stature, Mira was more than capable of dispatching of him with ease.
"Issei!", Rias and Peter shouted in unison, as they ran over to tend to the injured pervert. Riser began laughing at Issei's expense. Peter glared at him, now he was certain, he wanted to help Rias put this guy in his place.
"Grayfia tell my brother that I have agreed to the rating game.." Rias growled
"…Understood, I will let him know at once…"
"Rias…."
Rias looked over to Peter when she called his name, in all the commotion she forgot that she hadn't spoken to him in a while.
"Let me help…I'm not familiar with the small details regarding rating games but…we can't just let this pompous ass get away with this…"
"I…I appreciate it Peter but…", Rias began caressing Issei's head hoping to soothe his pain. "…you're not a part of my peerage, therefore making you unable to participate in the rating game. I'm glad you want to help, but it simply isn't possible…"
Peter swallowed his saliva; he was unsure what to do. Joining Rias' peerage meant he would have to hang up the web shooters. On one hand he couldn't abandon Kuoh but on the other he couldn't just let the ORC go into this without him. He looked down at his best friend, who was now unconscious. He weighed his options, he thought over both scenarios in his head, and only one of them seemed right. After a bit Peter had come to a decision much to his chagrin…
"If that's the case then I'll…I'll…I'll join your-"
"There is one way we could remedy this…" added Grayfia
Everyone turned to face the maid…
"Mr. Parker I'm aware that your choice of profession keeps you tied to this city. Sirzechs, Ms. Gremory's older brother, was saddened that he could not make your acquaintance the other day. He had originally come over to thank you for your assistance, along with handing you this.
Grayfia presented a small red and black box and handed it to Peter. Upon opening the box, Peter was surprised to see what appeared to be a chess piece. Something was off however; the piece didn't resemble any of the chess pieces he was familiar with. It had a square base and had a fine point at the top. It had four more points jutting out from each of its sides. It resembled that of a miniature harpoon.
"On the off chance that I saw you while I was here, he asked me to give it to you…"
"What…piece is this?...", Peter said examining the odd looking trinket
"This is a substitution piece; it enables the user to join a peerage momentarily for the sake of taking part in rating games. As of now, you are the first mortal in history to posses such a piece. Be sure to thank Sirzechs the next time you see him, he went through a great deal to prepare that for you."
"I-I will ma'am! I'm truly grateful for it. I promise I'll give him my thanks the next time I see him! Wait…I don't even know what he looks like, how does he know about tha-"
"His son is a big fan of yours and surprisingly enough so is he…"
"So…he knows I'm…"
"Very much so…"
"…Huh…might as well not even wear the mask at this point."
" Sir Phenex, I trust that you don't have any qualms with this young man taking part in the rating game?"
"What, you mean this trash? Hahahaha not at all, my dear Rias is going to need all the help she can get. Besides, this way I can pay him back for making a mockery of me…", Riser glared at Peter, Peter shot him a look of his own, neither one backing down.
"Hmph, anyway I think I'm done here. I can't stand staying here a moment longer. Despite how pointless it is, I'm still looking forward to our rating game Rias. Do try to make it somewhat entertaining, will you? Until next time Hahahahahaha….", with that Riser and his peerage vanished in a swarm of flames, the same way they entered…
"…Asia, could you tend to Issei please…", said Rias
"O-Of course….", as Peter lifted up Issei and placed him on one of the couches, Asia got to work on healing the brunette's injury.
"Ms. Gremory if I may, even with the assistance of Mr. Parker you are still at a disadvantage."
"What are you trying to say?..."
"I'm saying that Sir Phenex, while brash and arrogant, is a force to be reckoned with. Your peerage is also lacking in strength and numbers. So it may be in your best interest to prepare yourselves appropriately, I'll see to it that you have enough time to do so. Ten days, that should be more than enough don't you agree?"
Rias would've liked a month at least, but she wasn't in a spot to make demands. Ultimately, she settled for the ten days.
"Very well ten days it is…"
With that Grayfia nodded and took her leave, making sure to report back to Sirzechs.
Peter looked at the piece he was given once more and sat down on the couch across from Issei. To think, he had come over to the ORC clubroom to make up with Rias. Instead he got wrapped up in some lovers' quarrel between devils.
"*sigh*…Its just one thing after another…huh?...", Peter looked up to see Rias and her peerage looking at him with solemn looks on their faces, all of them except for Konkeo. The nekomata quickly stomped over to Peter and gave him a swift kick to the shin.
"O-OW!...What was that for?", Peter said rubbing his leg
"Idiot…"
"Huh?..."
"Don't make us worry like that…"
"Uhh…yea…sorry about that…"
"I think what Koneko is trying to say is that she missed you fufu~" Akeno teased, "…though to be fair…I think I speak for everyone when I say we all missed you Peter…"
"She's right Peter, its good to have you back. ", Kiba welcomed the egghead back with a warm smile
Peter was about to stand up from the couch and reciprocate everyone's feelings until Asia buried her face into his chest and wrapped his hands around him.
"We…We were so worried about you! Issei and I went over to your house so many times, but your aunt kept telling us you weren't home. I though that wed never see you again and… and…"
"I'm sorry…", Peter placed his hand on Asia's head, "…I shouldn't have just up and disappeared like that…I was selfish…I made it about my self when Rias was just trying to protect you all..." Peter then looked over to Rias, " To be fair, with friends like these I'd fight tooth and nail to keep them safe too heh heh…"
Peter wandered over to Rias who was still a little ashamed to face him. As he stepped up to her, he offered her his hand. Confused by the gesture Rias spoke up.
"What are you-"
"I'm sorry…"
"Wha…Peter no I-"
"I should've listened to what you had to say instead of running off like that. You have a lot of good friends Rias, that goofball included…", Peter jerked a thumb in Issei's direction. " No matter who it was they all defended you heh heh…Also, Id be lying if I said I didn't miss you guys too….I forgive you…I know why you did what you did, and I understand your reasoning for doing so. But next time you want to kill me, give a guy a heads up first will ya?…"
"Peter…I'm the one who should be apologizing…I never meant to…I don't deserve your help…"
"Hey, its water under the bridge…I know! How about we tell each other a secret."
"A…secret?"
"Yea to solidify the friendship, best buds should know at least one secret from one another don't you think?"
"Umm…okay"
"Here I'll go first, but you can't laugh…I'm…ugh…I'm…afraid of heights…"
"…pfft…"
"Don't…"
"….pfffHahahahahahahhahaha!"
"Jeez, Issei didn't even laugh that hard…."
Rias was tearing up, not only that but the rest of her peerage was trying hard to not laugh at Peter's supposed phobia. The idea of spiderman being afraid of heights was hilarious to say the least.
"Yea yea yuck it up…"
"I'm sorry Peter b-but you're Spiderman! How can you be afraid of he- hahahahahahaha!"
"Look there was this one time where I may have a climbed a tree and I may have fallen off and broken my arm ok? I've gotten better about it since I became spiderman, but it creeps up on me every now and then."
After the laughter in the room had settled, Rias had wiped the tears off her face and opted to tell Peter one of her secrets.
"I'm afraid of camels…"
"Pfft really? They're harmless…"
"NO they are not! They're terrifying creatures…", she pouted
"Well what'd you do to it?"
"Pardon?"
"Camels are usually docile unless you mess with them, so what'd you do to it."
"Th-That's…Maybe this particular camel was just mean!"
"I don't know, you're looking pretty guilty~"
"Ugh…I might've made fun of the camel's humps…but that doesn't give it the right to bite me! Hmph!"
"It bit you? HA!", Peter didn't laugh too hard at Rias' misfortune but it was still pretty funny to visualize. Not thinking it was very funny, Rias folded her arms and turned her back to Peter. Still, Peter was able to get Riser off all their minds for just a moment. Like if there wasn't anything wrong with the world and they were just high school kids that were up to after school shenanigans. Unfortunately, fate isn't so kind as to let this group live quiet lives. All the more reason to enjoy the calm while it's here…
"fufu~ Very well Peter…thank you…", Rias accepted Peter's handshake.
"Oh I'm glad you two are friends again…", Asia cheered
"As am I Asia. Peter, if you really are going to take part in this rating game then you're going to have to get a lot stronger."
"Is that right? This Riser guy is really that tough?
"Incredibly so, his rating game record is 9 wins and 4 losses. Apparently, he lost the first two matches out of respect for one of the households his family was close to."
"Yea I'd probably go with that excuse too if I got my butt kicked…"
"One more thing, since you excel at hand to hand combat and your wits are quick enough to get you out of most situations, you're still a novice in the magic department. While Issei has his moments, he's still lacking in these areas. Not only that but Asia could do with a little more practice as well. Because of the time constraints, we won't be able to help the three of you train. Since Issei and Asia need more fine tuning than you do, we'll be helping them with their training."
"Sooo…am I just supposed to figure things out myself then?"
"Not at all, I have someone in mind who we can bring along. I only hope that she says yes…"
Rias asked Asia to stay with Issei, while she and her peerage (along with Peter) ventured to the student council president's office.
"Wait…are we asking Sona?!", Peter cried
"Yes, will that be a problem?"
"No its just…I kind of acted like a spaz the last time we talked…welp I guess today is all about apologies."
As they entered the room, Sona and her peerage were surprised to see Peter accompanying Rias.
"Hello Sona, I hope I'm not intruding~…."
"N-Not at all…", Sona pushed her glasses up with her index finger and tried to regain her composure. " How can I help, you today Rias.."
"I was wondering if you could do me a little favor-"
"Hold on…", Peter cut Rias off, there was one thing he had to do before any favors were asked of. He marched his way up to Sona to apologize. She felt a bead of sweat forming as he got closer, she recoiled a little when she noticed the intensity in Peter's eyes.
"M-Mr. Parker I-"
"Sona…"
"Y-Yes?..."
"I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted that night. I know you were only trying to help and I'm sorry…."
"…huh?...O-Oh! Well, think nothing of it, I may have said somethings that I shouldn't have. I owe you an apology as well."
"Whew, that's a relief. I was thinking you'd never talk to me again heh heh. Still BFF's?"
"Um sure, still BFF's…Though one thing still puzzles me…."
"What's that?" Peter wondered
"If…If you don't mind me asking Mr. Parker, why are you so strict about not killing?"
Everyone looked at Peter, it had always been on their minds. Not once had they ever seen Spiderman take another life. Though Jameson would often write slander about him, everyone knew it wasn't true. Initially everyone believed Spiderman to be a weirdo in tights, but as time went on, they saw things differently.
Seeing that Peter wasn't responding, Sona assumed that she mustve hit a nerve again.
"Mr. Parker forgive me, I didn't mean to… "
"Its fine, I guess I should tell you all how Spiderman came to be…."
Everyones lips were sealed, they inched a little closer to hear what Peter had to say.
"As I'm sure you've heard I got my powers from a radioactive spider bite and-"
"What happened to the spider?", Tomoe asked
"Tomoe, mind your manners…", Sona growled
"It died, I'm pretty sure I saw Issei step on it right before I passed out…"
"Issei was there? Wait…you passed out?!"
"Saji!"
"its okay heh heh…Yea it was right before our first year at kuoh, I had dragged Issei with me to a science convention in town. It was only gonna be open for that one day so I had to see it. Anyway, I woke up a few hours later to see Issei his parents and my aunt and uncle standing over me. I was transported to the hospital…oh man the look on Issei's face was priceless…
2 Years Prior…
"Pete! Oh man Pete are you ok!?"
"Ugh…yea…I think so…are you crying?"
Issei quickly wiped his tears away before anyone could notice.
"N-No way! Of course not!"
"Even if he was crying, its totally warranted haha. How you feeling Peter? We rushed right over when we heard what happened."
This was Issei's father, Gorou Hyoudou, a kind man who usually just gave Peter money on his birthdays. Not that he was complaining…
To his left was Miki Hyoudou, Issei's mother. She and Aunt May frequented spending time together, merely by sipping tea and chatting about just anything.
"I'm okay Mr. Hyoudou…just really thirsty…"
"Issei can you go find Peter something to drink? I think I saw a vending machine in the lobby.", Miki handed Issei a buck and sent him on his way. Issei sprinted out of the room as he was given the task of finding something to drink for his friend.
"Hey sport, you sure you're alright? Issei told us that you took a nasty spill at the convention. Now the doctors told us that the bite wasn't venomous, and you didn't have an allergic reaction to it, but you never know. I knew a guy back in the day who was bit by a rattlesnake, nastiest thing I ever saw. Turns out he was-"
"Ben…youre scaring the boy…"
"Oh sorry Pete heh. You sure nothing hurts though? No headache or nothin?"
"No nothing like that…although the bite is pretty sore…"
As Peter examined his hand, he was shocked to see that the swelling had gone down. It was nowhere near as big as it was initially. It didn't burn as much either, when the spider bit him Peter thought that his hand had been set on fire.
After a while. Issei had returned with the water bottle. The doctor came in shortly after, telling May and Ben that Peter was free to go home, he also mentioned that if Peter shows any concerning signs such as a fever or vomiting that he should return to the hospital immediately.
That night Peter was in his bed looking up at the ceiling, wondering why these sorts of things always happened to him. Suddenly he heard something tap his window, as he got up to investigate the noise, he was surprised to see Issei I his front yard throwing pebbles at his window.
As he lifted up the window, Peter was hit in the face with one of the pebbles…
"Oh crap, sorry Pete…"
"Agh…what are you doing here? Do you know what time it is?", Peter said massaging his nose
"Oh cmon it's a Saturday night! Don't tell me you're not up for some samurai cop, plus I came to see how my bedridden friend was doing…"
"I'm fine Issei, but…I could go for some samurai cop…."
As Peter and Issei stayed up all night watching hilariously bad movies together, they were unaware of the fact that their teenage lives would never be the same.
"…Hey Pete…"
"What's up?..."
"…I'm glad you're not dead…"
"…heh…Thanks Issei…"
As time went on Peter noticed a few things about his body changing, at first he thought it was a random growth spurt, but it was something much more. His vision had had become much better, no longer needing the use of his glasses. Not only that but he had become significantly faster and stronger.
When looking at himself in the mirror one day, Peter spotted muscles that he had never seen before. Even going as far as poking them to see if they were real.
This topic came up when Peter and Issei were playing street fighter one day…
"Pete I've been meaning to ask, have you started lifting? You're turning into…super nerd or something…"
"Well…no actually…not really…"
"What do you mean not really?"
"They kind of just showed up…I don't know. Besides, if PE is anything to go by, you should know I'm not very good at sports…"
"That you are not…BOOM! Not very good at street fighter either! Hahahahaha!"
"…show off…"
More and more time went on, until one day Peter knew that this wasn't a growth spurt. Peter and Issei were sitting out PE again and just talking about things that the two usually talked about.
"Some spiders have a cloaking technique, like chameleons or octopi, that let them blend in to their environment. They use it to evade predators in the wild…", Peter was once again rambling on about random science facts, much to Isseis displeasure.
"Uh huh…", Issei couldn't be bothered as he had snuck in yet another lewd magazine.
"I still don't know how you can just read that thing out in public like that…"
"An egghead like you wouldn't understand Pete. See this…this is art."
"Heads up!"
A stray baseball was headed towards the two friends, neither one being aware of it. Until suddenly, Peter felt a cold chill run up his spine. He quickly darted towards Issei and reached out his hand to catch the baseball. Issei nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw that Peter had caught the ball that was only inches from his face.
"Woah…n-nice catch Pete….Pete?..."
"Uh y-yeah…thanks…"
Later that day, Issei and Peter had a run in with their good ole friend, Flash Thompson. As the boys were simply walking down the hall on their way to their next period Flash opted to kick Peter right in the rump. Things wouldn't go his way this time…
As he launched his kick, Peter felt that chill again. He quickly pivoted out of the way and caught Flash's foot, letting his instincts take over Peter proceeded to flip flash over.
"Woah! Holy…Pete that was amazing!", cheered Issei
Peter thought so too but was still trying to process what just happened. His body just reacted to the incoming kick. There have been moments where Peter's body has moved faster than his brain, but this was on an entirely different level. Its as if he saw the kick coming before Flash even though about doing it.
Snapping out of his trance he noticed Flash getting back up. Flash looked like he was about to bust a vein, he saw red and Parker was his target for the ass whooping he was about to release.
"H-Hey flash take it easy now, I didn't mean to-"
"Shut it Parker when I'm done with you, you're gonna need to eat through a straw!"
As this was going on, the hallways had become filled with students waiting to see Parker get snot beaten out of him. Fortunately, Mr. Connors had heard the commotion and had gone to investigate.
"Thompson, Parker what's going here!"
Flash and Peter shared a look before Flash swung his arm around peters shoulders.
"Nothing Teach haha! Peter and I are just horsing around. You know just us dudes being dudes…"
Connors stuck a finger in Flash's face, "…You're on thin ice Thompson, don't think that I don't know about the crap that you get up to. You are this close to being kicked off the team, is that understood?". The teacher then directed his attention to Peter, "…Parker, you okay son? Did Flash here do anything to you?...", Peter spared a glance over to Flash and was greeted with one of the most menacing stares he had ever gotten from the bully. Peter didn't need telepathy to know what Flash was trying to say with that look, 'You open your mouth and you're dead'. Peter opted to hide the truth from the Connors….
"Um…no sir…i-its like he said. Just boys being boys heh heh...", although not satisfied with that answer, Mr. Connors had other matters to attend to.
As the action died down and with the school being over, the students continued with their day unsatisfied at not getting to see a fight.
As Peter tried to break away from Flash's grip, it tightened, and the jock pulled him in.
"You're lucky I've got practice Parker, tomorrow after school. I'm gonna beat your scrawny ass into the pavement, and don't even think about calling the dean or something stupid like that. If you're really as smart as they say you are, you'll come and take your ass kicking like a man…", Flash shoved Peter away and began walking towards the gymnasium.
Later that day…
Issei's House
"I still don't know why you didn't rat him out to Connors. All you had to do was tell him that he was being a dick and boom, no more Flash."
"What are you talking about, a lot more Flash. If I got him kicked off the basketball team, he would've comeback with a vengeance. I probably got let off easy today."
"Are you gonna see him after school tomorrow?"
"No way! He straight up said that he was gonna kick my ass if I showed up…"
"I'm sorry to say Pete, but I think he's gonna kick your ass regardless…"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence…"
"Why don't you just knock him on his ass like you did today?"
"I'm not gonna fight him Issei…"
"Well he definitely wants to fight you sooo…"
Thinking back Peter wasn't sure how he pulled that off, Flash was at least a foot taller than him, he weighed a lot more too. Yet Peter was easily able to flip him over with just one hand…
Later that night, Uncle ben had come to pick up Peter. On the way home Ben noticed that Peter was looking pretty glum..
"Hey what's wrong Pete? Something happen at school today?"
"Uhh no…just a long day is all…"
"Oh I know the feeling. But don't worry Pete tomorrow is a new day, try not to focus on the past so much. Or you'll grow a bunch of white hairs like me heh heh…", Ben noticed that he had managed to get a laugh out of Peter with that one, but his nephew still seemed a little down.
"…You know May is making meatloaf tonight…"
"Yay…", Peter muttered. Aunt May was an exceptional cook, but Ben and Peter hated meatloaf day. It simply wasn't good, it was terrible to be honest, though the two would never say this to her as she enjoyed making it.
"…yay indeed, but you know I'm not really up for meatloaf tonight, how's about you and I stop by for some pizza…"
"Wait…you mean it?"
"Just don't tell your Aunt or we'll never hear the end of it haha…"
Aunt May knew exactly what the two had done when she noticed the marinara sauce on Bens pants. This hadn't been the first time they had done this and they had received an earful that night….though Ben and Peter agreed that it was totally worth it…
The Next Day…
Flash had managed to corner Peter and Issei on their way home, they decided that leaving through the back of the school today would be the safer option.
One of Flash's cronies had trapped Issei in a headlock, they were going to make him watch as Flash mercilessly whaled on Peter.
"Don't worry Perv, after I'm done with Parker here, you'll get yours haha!"
As he tried to escape the headlock, another one of Flash's friends came up to Issei and drove his fist right into his stomach.
"Issei !", Peter cried, "…come on Flash, he doesn't have anything to do with this just let him go!"
"Tell you what, if you strip down to your underwear and run around the school, I might let you guys off!"
"You'd better not do it! UUAGH!", Issei's body tensed up as another punch was delivered to his gut.
"Stay quiet horndog. Flash is bout to lay the smackdown on Puny Parker and you're getting a front row seat, lucky you…"
Suddenly, Flash closed the distance between him and peter in a second and began swinging at the bookworm. However, Flash wasn't connecting, not a single punch was landing. Becoming infuriated, Flash swung with a right hook, hoping to slam his fist into Peter's cheek.
Seconds before the punch made contact, Peter side stepped out of the way and ended up behind flash. Peter nearly tripped at the burst of speed his legs had just given him. Seeing his chance, Flash darted towards Peter with a straight right.
Unable to maneuver out of the way this time, Peter caught Flash's arm and flung the hulking jock over him, hearing a meaty thud when his back hit the ground.
Everyone was shocked, Puny Parker had just slammed Flash Thompson into the ground like he was a ragdoll. Even Peter was at a loss for words, he couldn't believe what he had just done but he'd be lying if he didn't enjoy it at least a little.
As Issei finally broke free by elbowing the jock in the gut, he ran over to Issei and congratulate his friend on his apparent victory.
"Pete that was incredible! How'd you even do that?! Did you start taking lessons or something!?..."
Peter would've added insult to injury by shouting insults at Flash, only the jock wasn't moving, or rather he couldn't. When he hit the pavement, he landed on his neck causing three fractures. Peter had swung him over with such force that he had broken his neck, he was horrified, he had never meant to hurt Flash that bad. Peter hadn't even planned on fighting, his body just reacted again…
One of Flash's friends went over to check on him…
"H-Hey Flash…c'mon get up man…Flash?", Flash could only reply with a groan and stated that he couldn't move at all.
"No…I didn't mean to…I was just…", Peter nearly vomited, sure Flash would go to far sometimes but that didn't warrant breaking his neck.
Much to his dismay, Issei called an ambulance for Flash. He didn't care for the bully, but his condition would've worsened if he was just left there.
After this incident Issei wouldn't see Peter for a while and little did he know that he would never see Uncle Ben again…
"What were you thinking!? Do you realize you could've crippled the boy!?"
"May take it easy…Peter what's going on with you. You're not one to start fights, what happened?"
"I told you I didn't start that fight!"
"…Peter, regardless of who started it you could've seriously hurt that boy. Luckily it wasn't too bad, and the doctors said that he'll recover."
"So what? I'm just supposed to let myself get beaten up by any guy who wants to rearrange my face!?"
"Watch your tone young man!", May shouted
"Peter we didn't teach you to act this way we-"
"No! You taught me to act like a loser, just like the two of you! Maybe I'm tired of always getting picked on! You always tell me to turn the other cheek, but that doesn't help! I still get beaten up or shoved into a locker or…or.."
"That's enough young man, your uncle and I believe its time you head up to your room. Were going to visit the Thompson's in the morning and you are going to apologize!"
"No…"
"Excuse me!?"
"I said no! There's no way I'm apologizing to that jack off and-"
"Peter watch your mouth; I won't tell you again."
"You know what! Screw you guys! You two are a bunch of spineless idiots who will apologize for anything! Even if were not in the wrong! You'll just roll over and let people step on you! Well I'm sick of it!
Ben walked up to Peter and pointed at the stairs, " I think its best you got to your room…now…"
With tears streaming down his face and anger welling up inside of him, Peter lashed out
"I hate you…", he growled, "….I HATE YOU AND I HATE LIVING IN THIS STUPID FUCKING HOUSE!", he rushed upstairs, why should he have to shoulder the blame if he was the victim. He never caught a break, for as long as he could remember he had never gotten what he wanted. It seemed like no matter what he did, it would always blow up in his face…
"Oh, Ben…were we too hard on him?"
"Ah hes still just a kid, hormones and all that. He'll come around, its not easy being a kid his age…"
"He seemed pretty mad, Ive never heard him yell like that…"
"He didn't mean it, the boy adores you…"
Later that night, Peter couldn't stop tossing in turning in bed. He was sweating profusely, and the bite on his hand was flaring up again. It was evident that Peter wouldn't be getting much sleep that night…
The Next Morning…
As Peter made his way to the door, Uncle Ben offered to drive him to school.
"Morning Pete say why don't you let me drive you to school today?"
"Its fine I'll walk…"
"Nonsense! C'mon, May toss me my keys please!"
Much to Peter's dismay, Ben ended up driving him to school. Now the school wasn't that far from Peters house, probably a twenty-minute walk give or take. However, the car ride felt like an hour, neither Peter nor Ben were speaking. Mostly because Peter was still a little mad about the night before.
"Looks like it might rain today…I've got an umbrella in the trunk if you want it…" Ben offered
"Ill be fine…", Peter just wanted this car ride to be over. Hoping to get the hint across, Peter was being short with Ben and continued to look out the window.
"You know I saw the darndest thing on TV last night heh heh…I swear the things that they put on television these days…"
"…"
"*sigh* Listen Pete, we scolded you like that because we care, ok? I understand that you're young and you're going through a lot. Maybe that fight wasn't your fault, to be honest, it doesn't matter to me anymore. Highschool has a big part in shaping who you become as an adult Peter, and it will determine what kind of person you are for the rest of your life. May and I don't want to see you become someone you're not, the world has so much in store for you Pete. You were blessed with that big brain of yours and I know its gonna take you places. But I want you to remember something Pete, even if you're the smartest guy in the world or the strongest or…whatever! If you don't use it correctly, it won't amount to anything. The strong should protect the weak, those who have a lot should give to those who are less fortunate. Do you see where I'm going with this? With great power, then must come great responsibility Peter, remember that. Now I know I'm not your father but I-"
"Then stop pretending to be! I don't need another lecture about how to live my life ok? Stop treating like a kid all the time I'm not stupid…just…leave me alone…"
"…I see…well…I guess Ill get out of your hair then. Do you want me to come get you or are you alright wa-"
Peter had slammed the car door in Ben's face before he could finish. Peter was so sick of being told what to do and how to do it. This all started when he got bit by that stupid spider…hold on…Ever since that spider bite Peter had been experiencing strange things with his body. Initially chalking it up to puberty, he made the connection that he gained his strength, agility, and that weird chill he kept feeling from the spider bite. Deciding to test his hypothesis, Peter dove into a deserted alley and looked up at one of the walls.
There was no way, right? Even if he had gained the abilities of a spider there was no way he could crawl up a wall like one. It was impossible…it was…
Before Peter knew it, he was already halfway up the wall. He was shocked, confused, scared but mostly he was intrigued.
Peter ditched school that day in favor of testing out his new abilities, jumping from rooftop to rooftop and crawling up walls. This was the most fun he'd had in a long time. With powers like these, Puny Parker would be a thing of the past. No more getting picked on, no more being pushed around, from today onwards he would be different.
But who would he tell about his new powers? Should he tell anyone to begin with? May and Ben would most likely freak out if they saw him hanging from the ceiling so that was out of the question. If he went to a doctor, they would probably hand him over to the FBI or something. All that was left was Issei…
Deciding to have a little more fun before heading over to Issei's house, Peter spent the entire day exploring and testing his new abilities. As the sun began to set, Peter figured that that was enough fun for today and started making his way to Issei's. As he dropped down to take the sidewalk, he looked around to make sure nobody had noticed him fall from the sky.
He began thinking of all the ways he could use his powers, he could probably make a couple bucks as a street performer or something.
"HEY STOP!", Peter was pulled from his thoughts as he heard quick and sharp footsteps heading in his direction. He looked up to see a disheveled middle-aged man with a plastic bag containing a bunch of singles and twenties. Peter locked eyes with the apparent criminal and stepped out of his way, he could've intervened but why should he? Its not like it was his money being stolen…
A few seconds later the owner of whatever shop the burglar had just robbed caught up to Peter. It was clear that his man would not be giving chase, he had pools of sweat forming under his arms and chest, not to mention he was a little on the heavier side.
"What the hell was that!?", the man shouted at Peter under labored breaths. "All you had to do was stick your leg out and he would've been kissing the pavement!"
"Buzz off lard ass, it's got nothing to do with me if your shop gets robbed. Maybe lay off the pizza rolls next time, yea?"
"Why you little…"
"Its not my problem, go file an insurance claim or something see ya…"
With that Peter was on his way. He had never spoken to anyone like that before, but if felt pretty good. Peter thought he looked so cool, wearing a smug grin all the way to Issei's house. Who knows., maybe if he did stop the thug the shop owner would've given him a reward or something, oh well.
As he continued making his way to Issei's place he kept getting calls from Aunt May, she was probably gonna chew him out for not going to school today. The last thing he needed was another earful, so he decided to ignore the calls. Mysteriously enough, a few minutes later Issei called him. Deciding to see what his friend wanted, he answered.
"Hey man I really need to show you something it's-"
"Peter?! Peter where have you been!?"
"Woah relax man, you're starting to sound like my aunt haha. Are…are you crying?..."
"Pete…oh man…it's your uncle he's…he's…"
Peter sprinted all the way home, not stopping for a second. As the drops of rain began hitting his face, Peter didn't want to believe what he had just heard. If this was Issei's idea of a joke, it wasn't funny. However on the off chance that he was telling the truth…
Once he arrived, he saw two cop cars parked outside of his house, this was real…it was all real. Which mean that Uncle Ben was really…
He slid over the cop car and rushed inside, he saw May on the couch with Issei and Miki trying to comfort her, it was obvious to see that she was shaken up. She was explaining what had happened to the officer. Over to the right he saw Gorou talking to a different officer, Ben was nowhere to be seen...
"B-Ben and I were in the kitchen talking about the medical bills for the Thompson boy. That's when we heard a noise coming from the back door. A-At first, we thought it was Peter because he usually uses the back door to come in…that's when he…he came in and h-he was already holding the gun. He looked so angry, he shouted at us to tell him where the money was. Th-That's when Ben got in front of me and tried to calm him down. He said that we didn't have any money, then…I don't know what it was but….I guess the way Ben said it made him even more mad. He joked that he probably had more money than we did…that's when he…when he…oh my god!...", May began sobbing into her hands.
Peter wandered in and saw the outline of a man drawn on the kitchen floor, there was a blood stain accompanying it. Next to it was a forensic officer talking photos of the supposed crime scene. It all came crashing down on him, Peter came to the realization that his uncle had been gunned down in his own home. Tears began streaming down his face as he continued to stare at the outline on the floor.
May and everyone else had finally noticed Peter in the house, Issei rushed over to Peter.
"Pete…I'm so sorry man. We tried to get ahold of you sooner but…"
Peter never averted his gaze from the outline, to think that his uncle was lying right there, bleeding out…dying…
Suddenly Peter heard one of the Officers radio beep to life.
"Be advised, we have a 10-57, suspect is hold up in the old industrial building located on 114th street. We have reason to believe that the suspect is related to the shooting at the Parker household, additional officers requested…"
That was all he needed, Peter ran back outside and headed towards 114th. Issei and May called after him attempting to stop him.
"Hell be back ma'am, kids always take these things the hardest…", said the officer
He was filled with anger; he wouldn't let this murderer get away. Peter knew the building; the thug could hold off the entire police force in that fortress. But not him, he would make him pay, with god as his witness he would make him pay…
Using the method of scaling rooftops from earlier, he was surprised that he was able to stick to the walls even with the heavy rain fall. It didn't take long for Peter to find the building, the abundance of police copters and search lights made it obvious.
The killer was taking potshots at the police from one of the windows and shouting demands. The police may not be able to get inside without getting shot, but there was no way this guy was getting out either.
Luckily Peter snuck inside, completely oblivious to the police and the suspect.
"Murderer…", Peter growled
The killer whipped his head around and scanned the room a few times before he noticed some kid sticking to the ceiling, he was completely drenched.
"What the hell…", he muttered. Completely taken aback by what he saw, Peter dropped down and kicked the gun out of his hand. Peter then proceeded to grab him by his collar and threw him into the wall. The suspect was horrified, some fifteen-year-old who was a foot shorter than him had managed to pick him up and fling him across the room. As he stumbled to his feet, he ran as fast as he could...
'Gotta hide…I…I must be seeing things…", he muttered. Suddenly, Peter dropped down in front of him, the anger he saw in the kid's face will stick with him until the day he dies.
"Mister…", Peter swung his fist into the man's jaw, knocking him to the ground, "…there's no where on earth where you'll be able to hide from me…"
"N-No wait hold on! ERK!-", Peter kicked the man in the face forcing him to the ground once more. He pinned the man to the floor and began beating him mercilessly. Peter hated this man with every fiber of his being. He was gonna let it all out, his frustrations, his pent-up anger, all of it. After his hands had been caked with the killer's blood, he wrapped his fingers around the man's throat and began to squeeze. It would've been so easy, as the man pleaded through a restricted windpipe, Peter tightened his grip even further. He took something from him that he could never get back, the closest thing he had to a father was gone because of this waste of human life.
As the Helicopter shined its searchlight over the building again, it lit up the two individuals inside. For a brief moment, Peter saw the man's face. While he was a bit unrecognizable due to the beating he received, Peter had seen that face before.
It was the man from earlier, Peter didn't recognize him at first because of the lack of lighting in the old decaying building. There was no mistaking it however, it was him…Peter had let him get away, he had the opportunity to stop him, but he didn't. He let his anger get the best of him, and because of it, he lost something important to him.
"No…I…I didn't…", Peter felt bile rising in his throat, he was responsible for the death of his uncle. If he had stopped the thug when he did, Uncle Ben would still be here.
Thirty minutes had passed, and the police hadn't seen or heard from the suspect in a while. Eventually the swat team arrived to storm the building and apprehend him. When they finally found him, he was a bloody mess, but he was alive. His jacket was missing and he had difficulty breathing as his nose had been broken and one of his eyes had been swollen shut. After he was taken into custody, the doctors in the med bay reported that his right eye had sunken into his skull due to the zygomatic bone being shattered, his jaw was broken in four places and his nose had been so horribly contorted that it was piercing the skin, exposing the bone. The man recovered but was left blind in his right eye and every time he opened his mouth there was always a clicking sound. A reminder of the brutal beat down he received that day.
After scrubbing the blood off his hands in the rain, Peter went home. When he arrived, the rain had finally let up and May along with the Hyoudou's were waiting for him on the porch. As soon as May saw him, she ran up to him. May nearly tackled Peter when she wrapped her arms around him and began sobbing uncontrollably. Hearing the pain in voice, Peter began sobbing as well.
The Hyoudou's helped with Flash's medical bills, along with the funeral plans for Ben. Peter only told Issei about what really happened, his spider powers, how he was responsible for getting uncle ben killed, all of it.
Issei denied the fact that Peter had anything to do with Ben's death, but Peter thought otherwise.
As time went on, Peter developed the web shooters, and donned the ski mask with goggles attached to it. While not the most flashy or intimidating attire, it hid his identity, and that was all that mattered at the time. Eventually going on to design and craft his red and blue suit, he was finally the hero he was always destined to be, the one Uncle Ben knew he would become…
Peter wished he had listened to Ben that day, he shrugged off most of what he said. The one that resonated with him the most however was 'with great power, then must come great responsibility', these words echoed through Peter's mind every day. He had a moral obligation to help those in need, to do what the fire department or what the KCPD couldn't. He would use his newfound powers to help people, even if it meant he wouldn't receive anything in return. He wouldn't let uncle ben down again…ever again….
Present day…
"…That's pretty much it, I…I still tear up thinking about it heh heh. I just hope I'm making him proud. Sorry, you asked a simple question and I turned it into a three-part act, but…that's why I refuse to kill. My uncle's death is on me…and I can't ever forgive myself for that. But I'm gonna make it up to him in the best way I know how."
The room was silent, the devils had no idea that Peter had gone through so much. Some of them were even shedding tears at the heartbreaking story, especially Tomoe.
"Th-That's s-so sad* sniff* I had n-no idea y-you were in so much p-pain Petey *sniff*", Tomoe proceeded to loudly blow her nose into Tusbasa's skirt.
"Sorry I didn't mean to be such a downer…huh?...'
Peter looked down to see Koneko holding his hand and giving him a warm smile.
"I think…he would be proud…", she said
Suddenly Sona broke the silence.
"From this day forward my peerage will not spill another drop of blood unless absolutely necessary! Is that understood?", Sona's peerage looked at each other and then back at their master, seeing where she was going with this, they all answered.
"Yes President!'", Sona then directed her attention to Peter.
"Mr. Parker, while I am moved by your story, I cannot guarantee that my peerage will not kill in self-defense. Things can evade our control, and in the moment its kill or be killed. It is simply how our world operates. However, know this, from now on we will only kill unless there is no other way. I'm afraid this is all I can promise you…"
"I…appreciate the effort Sona, I guess even Kuoh's finest have to unholster their weapons sometimes…"
"That goes double for all of you!...", Rias addressed her peerage, "…Is that clear?..."
"Yes president!", they shouted
Peter couldn't help himself he started crying, these devils were willing to change the way they operate just for him. They would be endangering their lives now that the option of killing an opponent was out of the equation. They didn't care, if it meant that Peter would be satisfied, they would change. After all, he's given so much and received so little…
"I don't mean to brush your story aside Peter, but I still have to ask Sona for that favor.", said Rias.
"Oh right! Yea uh…go ahead…"
"Sona…would you be interested in helping Peter with his magic? Pretty please?..."
"Pardon?..."
After Rias had explained her situation to Sona, she seemed a little more inclined to help.
"I see.. a substitution piece…interesting. Well, I don't really care for Riser, frankly I think he's a rude arrogant pervert. I guess…", Sona looked over to Peter who had a hopeful expression on his face. Blushing once she noticed he was staring at her with those hazel eyes of his. "…I-I guess, I could offer my help to you…ahem…However I'm expecting a favor in return for this Rias."
"Of course, feel free to ask whenever you'd like~"
"Alright, I guess I'm in your care Sona heh heh…"
"I-Indeed…", Sona felt her face get hot
"Oh crap!..."
"What is it?" Rias asked
"I forgot that I'm totally grounded, May isn't gonna let me go anywhere with you guys. There's no way I can convince her either…", Peter looked over at Sona, and had a ingenious idea pop into his head, "…unless…"
Meanwhile...
Back in the ORC, Issei had just awoken from his slumber, his abdomen felt fine thanks to Asia. He looked over to see she had fallen asleep and was holding onto his hand.
"Um Asia?..."
"Hmmm? Oh! S-sorry Issei, I didn't mean to…", Asia quickly withdrew her hand and averted her gaze. A red tint appearing on her face.
"It's okay, I'm guessing it was you who healed my injury?"
"Y-Yes, you were out for a while are you feeling okay?"
"Yea, a little stiff but overall, I feel fine. Say where did everyone go?"
"Rias and everyone else went to Ms. Sona's office. Rias said she wanted ask her for a favor."
"What about Peter? Is he okay?"
"Yes, he's fine. He went with them….Issei?"
"Yea?..."
"Were going to be fighting soon aren't we…"
"…What do you mean?..."
"Rias said that we would need to get stronger if we were going to beat Mr. Riser in this rating game. I'm scared, I've never participated in something like this before. But…I don't want to be a nuisance! I want to be of use to Rias, Peter, Kiba, Akeno…and you! I'm going to try really hard Issei, I don't want Rias to go with that man. I want all of us to stay together! So, in order for me to be able to help I'm…I'm going to get stronger as well…"
Issei saw the determination in Asia's eyes, something about her rose his spirit. He was right there with her, he wanted to get stronger too.
"Yea, you took the words right out of my mouth Asia. Let's get stronger…together!"
"Right!"
Sirzechs had just received the news from Grayfia about the rating game between Rias and Riser. As he departed to his study room, to attend to personal matters, a green magic circle appeared. A man with spiky green hair emerged from the circle.
"Ah Ajuka! How've you been?"
"Just fine Zechs, did that human receive the piece I made him?"
"I'm told by my queen that she personally handed it to him. So yes, thanks again for making that piece, I owe you one!"
"I still don't know why you're so fixated on this human, Spider…man was it? What an odd name…"
"If only you could see him in action Ajuka, I have high hopes for him. I've no doubt that he will be a key factor in my sister's victory. I'm afraid this is the only way I can help her avoid this arranged marriage. So I'm betting it all on him…"
"Well I hope your right, it would be a shame if he loses after all the trouble I went through to make it."
"You'll see, personally I think we've just had a hand in making history haha!"
"Is that so?"
"Very much so…Oh! I've been meaning to ask, have you heard from the Rider at all?'
"No, not since his last update...what was it…nineteen days ago?"
"*sigh* That's a shame…has Serafall heard anything?"
"Doubtful, she's busy on damage control regarding the kidnapping of lower-class devils. Speaking of, some middle-class devils have gone missing as of late…"
Sirzechs' eye twitched when he heard the news, "…did you say middle class?..."
"Yes, I don't see why you didn't just leave this with Fury. I don't mean to be rude Zechs, but I feel he's better equipped and experienced to handle this matter. Rias and Sona are still children, for goodness sake…"
"You and I weren't that much older than them during the civil war between old and new devils. I have nothing but the upmost faith in my sister and Sona's peerage. I know they'll come through."
"I hope your right. Anyway, regarding The Rider's mission…don't you find it concerning that we haven't heard from him in a while?"
"You know how he is, hell reach out to us when he feels necessary. So in the meantime, I guess we should just wait until we hear from him…"
"What if he's dead…", said Ajuka in a serious tone.
"The Rider? Highly unlikely…"
"But what if, Zechs…"
"…The only person capable of killing the Rider is god himself, and no one has heard from him either. If someone other than god has killed him, which again is highly unlikely, we have a much bigger problem on our hands. Otherwise I don't see him dying that easily, I'm not even sure the combined power of the satan's could kill him…"
"…Very well, I guess I'll let you get back to it then. Do you want me to invite Strange to watch the rating game?"
"Oh yea! Thanks for reminding me, he got pretty grumpy when we didn't invite him last time hahaha…"
.
.
.
.
Chapter Nine finished
I'm just gonna address some questions real quick, forgive me if I'm a little vague in my answers though.
So I don't think ill be adding anymore spider powered beings into the fic as it would diminish Peter's uniqueness in the story. I'm still undecided however so who knows.
As for adding more marvel females to peters harem, I'm not entirely sure I want to do that seeing as it may get a little too cluttered and a bit overwhelming to have that many girls in his harem. I've already figured out whos going to which harem so ill probably just leave it the way it is. While I'm not against adding more marvel characters to the story, I want their being there to impact the fic in some way, rather than just including them for the sake of including them.
Will Peter get stronger? Absolutely.
Does he know Irina? No...not yet anyway...
Will there be a chitauri attack on kuoh? Probably not, but that doesn't mean that there wont be a large scale threat attacking it in the future.
Avengers? Maybe not the traditional avengers that everyone knows like iron man or captain America. Some dxd characters may become shield agents later though.
Vali is still the possessor of the white dragon, he's just a little different these days
Spidey's current suit is the classic red and blue, though he will get a different one later
Anyway sorry for the chunky authors note, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Reviews of any kind are always appreciated...
Take care...