Title: Fragility

Patrick was laying on his bed as he pulled out his phone. "Yeah Felicia?", he said tiredly.

[We need to move in on Oscorp tonight, or else our whole work would be for nothing]

"Understood.", Patrick said as he looked out the window, the sun went down slowly as he sat up. He looked over to see Peter at the door way, or peeking in. "C'mon.", he said as he moved his legs and just sat on his bed.

"Are you going to leave us forever?", Peter asked in a childlike sense of curiosity.

Patrick chuckled. "Of course not, I'm just going to move somewhere else. I'm not gonna leave forever, imma visit every now and then if I'm not in College.", he said with a little shrug.

Peter walked in, the first thing he immediately noticed was his Crimson Spider shirt. "But you always leave, and you never come back until night time."

"Well I can do whatever I want to now that I'm a college student, just lookin for a job and a nice college.", Patrick said with a smile as he got up and pats his little cousin's head, who's basically like a brother at this point. "I love you man, don't think I'm going to leave for long. Anyways, I gotta work on something in the basement." He walked past him and went to the basement to work on an 'electric web'.

["Welcome to Doctor Johnlings science investigator, today we'll be talking about electricity! Batteries, insulators, electro magnetic currents. Batteries can withstand a lot of incoming charges, the more powerful the battery the bigger the charge it can withstand. But if the incoming charge exceeds the outgoing charge, it'll explode! When doing experiments, use protective gear."}}

Patrick was standing in front of a web line he shot from his web shooters, covering himself with a blanket as he used a jumper cable to charge his web, in which the large battery exploded. "Goddammit."

He tried again now wearing black scuba diving suit he bought, using his goggles and attached the jumper cable again, in which sent him flying back along with starting a fire from the web. "Oh shit-", Patrick leapt up and put it out with the fire extinguisher.

"How the fuck is making an electric web harder than making a suit like mine. Fuckin hell.", Patrick said with a sigh as he grabbed his web shooter and put it back on his wrist.

Over the night, he updated the web shooter designs, having a basic similarities but with blue coloration and much smaller.

His phone started ringing, in which he shot a web to drag it over but was hit in the head by a wrench. "Fuck!", Patrick yelled out and threw the wrench away, shooting another web and managing to get the phone this time. "Yeah?"

[Meet me at Oscorp, we're finishing this tonight]

"Yes ma'am.", Patrick yawned, in which Felicia hung up. He ran up the basement stairs. "Mom, I'm going out-", he turned into his room to see his mother.

"Where are you going?", May asked him.

"I'm going to a house party tonight, but imma meet up with Felicia first.", Patrick's eyes moved to the briefcase she had in her hand. "What're you not telling me mom? What're you not telling Peter? You lie to him, you lie to us. I know you love me but you lie, just tell me. That's his dad.", he said as May looked down before looking at him.

"Yes he was his father, but that didn't stop him from dropping a one year old at our doorstep and leaving us to take care of him.", May said with teary eyes. "He was this little boy who had no clue what was going on, we did the best to raise the both of you, your father and I. Who else was going to protect you and care for you two and worry for the both of you, his father? No. I was the one who wiped his nose and made you two brush your teeth and wash your dirty underwear's. Me! Your stupid non scientific mom, who doesn't know how to make ends-meat, who has to take nursing classes with twenty two year old kids so I can pay for you to go to college. And I don't know how to do this without Ben.", she said as she wiped away a tear. "I don't. And here you are, thinking about someone who wasn't there and going to leave me with an eleven year old to live in a penthouse. No I won't tell you, as far as I'm concerned you two are my sons! And I won't hurt either of you.", she said as Patrick knelt down.

"I know... you're my mom, and someone Peter can trust. Youre more than enough.", he said with a teary eyed smile. "We love you so much.", Patrick said as he hugged her. "Mom, I'm going to be moving out... but just tell Peter so he doesn't know why his dad never came back for him.", he said, in response his mother only nodded. "Alright, I'm off Mom... I love you.", he said as he went over, grabbed his backpack and left the house

After a long day of work, just before he was about to leave, Morgan pulled him aside. "Max, I...", he hesitated. "After the explosion done to Oscorp tower, they pulled away funding, or at least most of it from my project. They're blaming me for the most part... I'm sorry Max but... you're fired."

Max looked at him in disbelief. "No! No! I need this job! Without it, I'll be thrown to the streets!", Max said begging him.

"I'm sorry Max... it's not my choice anymore", Morgan said as he walked off. "It's best if you pack your stuff quickly and find a new job."

Max ran to pack his stuff, standing in front of the window. Through fear, anger and confusion... he felt the electricity surge through him once again. "No no not again!", he took deep breaths, distracted himself and so on but that didn't stop it, it only made it worse. "I need help...", he looks out the window and sees a familiar figure swinging to a nearby rooftop.

The Spider lands on a roof overlooking the Oscorp tower, Felicia landing shortly after dressed as the Black Cat. "If I'm right, we can use these access codes to break into the archives and find out what happened."

"Well then what're we waiting for?", The Spider said as he scanned the building. "There's a vent over there.", he said pointing over and swinging towards it, Black Cat shot her grappling hook and followed suit, both crawling into a vent and looking down to see a guard standing. "Pardon me."

He grabbed the man by the head and webbed him to the ceiling of the absurdly large vents. "They're so cute when they're oblivious." The Spider chuckled with Black Cat smiling behind him. The two dropped down, with Patrick picking up the taser.

The two made it in through the door, looking at lasers guarding a door. "Think you can hack through it?", Black Cat asked as Spider finally made the web gadget.

"No, but this could work too.", The Spider adjusted the settings and shot it at a junction box, deactivating the lasers in the process

"Well, here we go.", The Spider said as he and Black Cat the right code and managed to get inside the archives. A room with file cabinets reaching the ceiling. The spider themed hero crawled to where the Parkers were, opening the file cabinet up and opened up the file... only to see nothing in there, it's empty.

"Hey Patrick.", The Spider looked over to see Black Cat holding a sealed envelope in her hand. "Remember when that explosion happened a week ago? Well during that I stole this."

"What about your father?", The Spider said, flipping off the cabinet, feeling more and more betrayed once she told him this

"My dad? Hah, I lied, he was sent to jail anyways.", Black Cat said with a devious smile. "What I was actually doing is using you to track down their most prized project. A super soldier serum based on the one that made Captain America.", she said approaching him with a smile, showing him a paper with a 'GR-3314' or as it was code named, Goblin. "I was gonna sell this bad boy, and thanks to you. I know exactly where it is."

"I'm not letting you leave.", The Spider said as Black Cat ran out of the archives, laughing as she evaded a drop kicked.

"C'mon babe, think about it.", she attached a rope to her waist and narrowly dodged another hit from him. "We can ditch this place and live like royalty!"

"Yeah...", The Spider stopped what he was doing, through his rage he was willing to kill her but realized what he was doing was already something he shouldn't have been doing. "We could, but there's people in my life who cares about me. While I'm here chasing a ghost of a man who was never there, and falling for those lies you spit out.", he said turning away from her and perching on a nearby window.

"Wh-What're you doing? C'mon Patrick don't you wanna know what happened to them?", Black Cat said as The Spider looked at her.

"No, we're done.", The Spider said, leaping out the window and swinging away.

Black Cat stood there and felt her heart shatter to pieces. But who she didn't notice next door was Max, standing there flickering with electricity... remembering Patrick Parker. He looked down at his hands to see electricity coursing through his veins.

"He can help me...", Max tried his hardest and managed to focus on Patrick's electrical signature. The only person who could help him now... is him.

Patrick, stuffing his costume and knocked on the door to his new apartment to see Rick. "Who the fuck invited Parker?", he looked around, before laughing as Eddie dragging him in. "You hit the jackpot."

"Didn't think you'd be here on time.", Eddie laughed as he patted his friends shoulder. Patrick's jaw dropped as he gazed on his new living space. His apartment is a massive, luxurious penthouse overlooking Times Square. Something he's never even seen. "He sure as hell did.", he looked over to see Betty Brant there, smiling at him.

They heard the excited yell of Harry, full of confidence and charisma and pulled his friend aside. "Hey man, where's Felicia. I thought she'd be with you."

"We're deciding to take some space.", Patrick said with a sigh, in which his friend hugged him.

"Don't worry, plenty of fish in the sea my dear friend. Nothing a good party wouldn't fix!", Harry laughed as he smacked him upside the head. "Let's get this going!"

A while later, a couple of dozen people arrived to celebrate Patrick and Harry's new place... well they're mostly here for Harry. Patrick was sitting on the couch, rubbing his eyes.

"Why the long face Parker?", Betty sat on the couch as more people arrived. "This is your party... well your and Harry's party. You should be smiling till your cheeks hurt!"

Patrick laughed a little bit. "Never knew that had to be a rule. Then again I don't go to party's much."

"I figured.", Betty looked up at him and smiled. "Alright, let's go.", she stood up and pulled him up. "I'm not taking no for an answer.

After partying for at least an hour or so, before they all heard a knock, a very loud knock, almost as if the door was going to break down. This silence everyone else. "Did you invite anyone else?", Patrick looked at Harry who shook his head.

"Not anyone I could remember no...", Harry said as Eddie walked over and opened the door to see Max, panting and exhausted from running.

"I'm looking for Patrick Parker.", Max said looking up at Eddie, as soon as he said this, the crowd parted. Patrick's spider-sense going off like an alarm. He stumbled in slowly. "Please, I need your help."

Harry looked at Patrick. "You know this guy?", he asked him. In which, Patrick tried to remember his face, he really did but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't. So in response, he shook his head.

It was at that point, Max's world shattered. His hero, the one person in the entire world who cared about him and made him feel special, the only person who gave him hope in thinking life would let up on him... it was all a lie.

The Spider doesn't care about him...

No one does...

And nobody's going to help him when he needs it most...

Max stumbled over to him, the electricity surging through his veins uncontrollably. "C'mon! It's me! Please remember!", he begged him, slowly turning into Electro.

"MAX! Max! I'm so sorry, I remember you! We met at the elevator!", Patrick finally realized, lightening crackled around Max causing his spider-sense to go off more than it has ever before. He places his hands behind his back and attached his web shooters. "Max... please don't do this, there's people here."

"I-I can't control it. I'm sorry.", Max said as before Patrick could cry out for people to run, Electro exploded with lightening. Sending a shockwave through the apartment, launching anyone nearby onto the ground. In the split second during the explosion Patrick slipped on his Crimson Spider mask.

Dust and dust filled the apartment as lightening shot through wildly, causing walls and ceilings to collapse. His spider sense alarmed him of danger approaching people, he couldn't see anyone so use his spider-sense to drag people out of any danger. "I can't keep this up, I have to bring him out fast!"

That's when there was a loud battle cry, Lance charged though, covering his eyes from the smoke as he tackled Electro through the massive window. "You dumbass!", Patrick lunged forward and shot two webs to grab them. One managed to grab Lance just in time but Electro's electricity shoots up through his web and fired his left web shooter, completely frying his left web shooter. Max fell and created a crater in the middle of Times Square.

Lance looked at Patrick, then looked at the web, then back at Patrick, paused for a second. "Holy shit, Osborn! I didn't know you invited The Spider to the party!"

Electro stumbled up in pain from the impact, he jolted up as lightening crackled front the crater, nearly striking a nearby crowed of civilians. Patrick leapt out of the apartment, falling behind a building before leaping up again, fully suited up.

Electro began to panic, causing even more electricity to shoot out. A nearby officer moved. "Sir! Put your hands up over your head!", he said, Officer Davis looked at Electro again. "You stay right there sir, do not move! Freeze! Get down on the ground.

Out of fear Electro backed up, but in response he stopped and oncoming truck on complete accident. "Everybody move!", Officer Davis said as people began running away, more cop cars surrounded him.

Yuri along with her other units pointed a gun at Electro. "Get down on the ground now!", she said before whispering into a radio.

"Sir! I'm gonna need you to get sown on the ground, now!", one of the officers said.

"Stop, it's not my fault, please!", Max yelled out in futility, he looked around on the screens of Times Square... seeing himself, and what he's turned into. His heart racing.

"On the ground, now!", they threw smoke bombs at him, Yuri looked at her units in surprised as she never gave that order.

"Wait! Don't do that- stop!", Max looked around to see more thrown at him, he turned around in fear. "It's not my fault!", he said as they continued to shout at him, anger and frustration overwhelming him. "I SAID STOP!", he yelled out and sent out a shockwave, sending cars flying.

The car was sent into a crowd of civilians, The Spider's spider sense rang in his skull. Time seemed to stop as he planted his foot on the roof of the police car. He predicted the motions of the electricity, nodding to himself as he stopped the car and stopped people from being electrocuted, saving them all. "That was close, hey Yuri.", he waved at her in which she just looked already annoyed.

Anyone nearby started to cheer, but them being New Yorkers immediately turned their attention to Electro. They began to boo at him, yelling obscenities and insulting him, making Max feel more and more alone. Causing Max to break down, creating a field of electricity that gets more and more dangerous.

The Spider realized what was going on. "Hey! Stop that!", he hopelessly yelled at the crowd who were unknowingly making it all worse... before an idea struck him. He shot a web at a nearby street light and connecting to the ground, he continued to do this with each street light and post around him creating walls of web that desperate himself and Max from the world around them, sealing them inside and away. Not only for the civilians safety, but for Max's as well. The electric field began to grow more dangerous, but The Crimson didn't fear it. The lightening could tear through his costume and burn his skin but the last thing he could feel is fear as he approached him.

It was at this moment, Patrick realized that he didn't have the same effect as Avengers. Crimson Spider is supposed to be the person to tell someone they matter and that it's going to be okay, he has the power to inspire people even in their darkest moments. It was a responsibility.

"I don't know what it is you're going through, but I can only imagine how hard things must be for you right now.", The Spider said to him, Max looking up at him. "I just want you to know that everything's going to be okay, all those people out there, they don't know you, the real you."he said pointing out at the web walls. "But I do. I've been in your position, more than you might expect. You feel lost and alone and like there's nobody there to help you through this. But you're not alone, Max.", he said as he placed a hand on his shoulder, taking his mask off. "I'm here. The Spider's here, and everything's gonna be okay.", he said with a smile.

Tears start to roll down Max's face, quickly evaporated by the electricity. Wrapping his arms around The Spider in a hug.

"I'm here as long as you need me."

Outside the cocoon, Eddie, Harry, Betty and the others raced down to join the confused crowd.

A moment of silence filled the air, as if time had stopped. But, The Spider broke out of the cocoon, followed by Max Dillon in his human form again. Max braces for another barrage of insults and shame, but it never came... his face lights up as he was met by cheers and applause.

Crimson Spider lifted Max's arm up, smiling at him under his mask. Max smiled as he finally felt worth something.

/End/