Disclaimer: Characters belong to Marvel comics. I am not for profit.

It was not a secret that Peter Parker was Spiderman. Quentin Beck made sure the world knew. He liked the boy, it was no secret, but he had had bad experiences in his life with people he had trusted and they always ended up betraying him. He had only anticipated the inevitable, he had already lost many things in his life and he was not going to lose everything for a hero boy. Quentin Beck had always wanted to be the hero, never the villain of the story. It was known to all that heroes got everything and that no one cared about villains. So for Peter Parker, being Spiderman and Quentin Beck, being Mysterio, to care for each other was completely absurd. Quentin knew that he cared for Parker, that's why he did not permanently harm him, he was not a child killer and even if he did everything possible to achieve his goals, even though Parker was always in the way, he would never kill him. Reveal his identity to the world? Yes, that was his method. A victory without blood. But only as a last resort, deep down he wanted to be a hero, one of the greats, an Avenger. Too bad Parker got in the way.

For some years he had fought against Spiderman, being one of his main villains, hooking on the adrenaline rush he had knowing that it was a controlled fight, because, although he was physically weaker than Spiderman, he was capable of creating a technology that could confront him. . Like Stark. Mysterio had gone from being a shadow in Stark Industries to rubbing shoulders with big-name villains. That may not mean much to an ordinary person, but sometimes everyone forgets that the main villains of Spiderman are scientists, doctors, engineers, Nobel laureates. It was not easy to fight them, it took an equally ingenious mind to defeat them and having met Parker, Quentin could affirm without any doubt that while Fury, the Avengers, SHIELD and some not so renowned superheroes saw a child, the Spiderman's own villains knew how to value his intelligence, among them was Quentin. He wouldn't be surprised if Parker ended up winning the Nobel Prize in the near future.

It was amazing to fight Spiderman, because Quentin, like the other villains, had to be able to cope, outdo themselves, constantly create new technology. It was an amazing thing, a feeling he had only experienced years ago, when he was twenty-five years old and hired at Stark Industries, before he realized that he was totally expendable to the company, that Stark took all the credit for his work and that he did not No matter how hard Quentin tried, he would never move up in the company and he couldn't quit because he knew he would find no better.

The truth was, he wasn't lying to Parker when he told him that there once was a woman and that he had lost her. He had only changed the story a little. The truth was that his girlfriend had gotten tired of being the second in his life, tired of waiting for him to finish work because sometimes he slept in the office, other times he was called so much by Stark Industries that it was practically impossible to go on vacation or Taking a day off was like telecommuting and that entailed heaviness, boredom, a feeling of discomfort and a lack of rest. But that was his life. He had to always be available while the boss rested and took credit for everything. Quentin was slow to realize that his girlfriend preferred Stark's company to his, but he quickly understood when he caught them naked in Stark's office. He couldn't do anything, just hold on, he was afraid of losing his job if he faced them. His girlfriend had made the decision for her voluntarily and from the rumors he heard from his companions, it wasn't the first time it had happened either.

Stark had taken everything he had fought for, so he couldn't let Parker steal anything else from him. Deep down he was scared of having to live on the streets because he couldn't pay the rent because he couldn't find a job, because Stark had fired him without a recommendation letter and at his age it was difficult to find a job. Companies preferred to hire younger employees like Parker, because they paid less for them by hiring them as interns or trainees rather than as actual employees, thus saving costs. He lashed out at Parker unfairly and had regretted it all these years.

For some strange reason, Peter had forgiven him and it was no longer strange to see them in a bar having a drink after having fought each other as Spiderman and Mysterio. That was a frequent theme at the villain bar Mysterio frequented, but Quentin suspected it was more due to the envy of the villains, because no other hero would invite them to have a drink with them. Even Guterman and William were suspicious at first, but they had gotten used to it over time, seeing for themselves that Peter was not leading him into a trap and not letting him drunkenly wander the lonely streets on his way to his house. Peter looked after him and that had reassured his team, who could be somewhat overprotective, distrustful of the kind nature of all heroes.

Over the years he and Peter had fought. The Spiderman and Spiderman villains had fought. Sometimes they made things a bit easier for him and attacked when he wasn't exam time or when Peter was available and not on a date. They knew his schedule from Norman, to whom Harry kept telling how his friend Peter was doing. It was no secret that Oscorp Industries had hired the majority of those laid off at Stark Industries, Spiderman villains included. Everything had changed overnight. Quentin, like the Spiderman villains, had received a huge bank donation and an envelope with a different content. Quentin's envelope had the BARF patent on it. In his name and with his team names as collaborators, not Stark's. No one on his team could believe it. They didn't know how it happened, but suddenly someone was recognizing his work. But it was impossible that he was Stark. That same day, Stark had released a statement to the press and through social networks: Anyone who had contact with Spiderman or Peter Parker, could not work in Stark Industries. Spiderman would never be an Avenger and anyone who hangs out with him could never be an Avenger.

Quentin remembered the announcement as if it were yesterday and that was more than a week ago. He was at the villain bar, planning his next attack on Spiderman. The bar erupted in cheers, celebrating that there was one less hero in town, one who, unlike the Avengers, did eliminate crime on the streets. The Spiderman villains had fallen silent. They were fired. Because without a hero to fight against, they couldn't show off their technology that they would then sell on the black market for a profit. What had Parker done to piss off Stark so much? Although it was no secret that Stark could fire you simply for being the first one he saw after a night of hangover.

"We will have to find another hero." Electro said.

- Who? The rest of the heroes are very violent and could hurt us easily. "Adrián said." Some of us do not have powers and Spiderman did everything possible to defeat us without hurting us.

"Something's wrong here." Rhino said. "Stark is passing, it's like the matter of The Socovian Accords again." He sees that he can't handle the boy and so he tries to get him out of business. Go get Stark, he's meddling in our business again.

Quentin didn't say anything at the time, he just took his cell phone and texted Peter asking if he was okay. He wasn't the only one who did it. He knew exactly what Peter was feeling. Peter would be lucky if Venom didn't show up at his house to make sure he was okay. There were villains who were really attached to Peter. He wouldn't be surprised if any of them paid Stark a visit now that Peter could no longer meddle with them.

"Gentlemen, I have something to show you." Loki said the following week, handing a USB stick to the waiter so that he could put it on the television and everyone could see what was without a doubt the interior of the Avengers Tower.

A copy of the security cameras from two months ago. It had sound and was perfectly audible, but the bartender turned up the volume so that everyone could hear it better, even though the bar was expectant. It featured Peter and Stark arguing. For the first time, the villains saw Peter Parker really pissed off.

"I want to talk to you, don't shy away." Said Peter. "I know what you've been doing and I want you to know that I'm going to sue you." I have found the BARF project, I know who the engineer who created it really is. You're going to give him all the credit and you're going to change the patent to his name.

"Absurd." Stark replied. "He's a villain and a lunatic."

"We both know it's not true." Said Peter. "That's the excuse you used to fire him and steal his job, his life's project." Beck is completely sane, he's smart and he can beat you, that's what bothers you.

- Why are you doing this? They are your villains.

- No, actually they are your villains, they became mine because I am the only one who pays attention to them.

- Ignore them.

"I don't want to." Parker replied. "Because they are already my villains and I am going to ask for justice for them." You ruined their lives, their careers. You are not a hero Tony, you just mask your evil deeds with new armor and technology. Deep down, you also know as I do that you are the villain.

"As if you were better." Tony answered with mockery. "You fight against them every week, sometimes you let them escape." You will never be a hero, Spiderman, you will never be an Avenger.

"I don't want to be an Avenger." Peter replied. "I turned down the position when they offered it to me." Not everything revolves around you, Tony. It is an honor for me to fight them. Do you know how bright they are? I have to work mentally and physically to beat them and every day I have to see how their technology is despised by the people, by the Avengers and by SHIELD, when in reality that technology can compare or exceed yours, but they will never get the credit that they are. They deserve to be villains, because you are Iron Man and you have managed to make everyone believe that only you are worthy of creating technology powerful enough to fight against Earth's enemies. But those projects are not yours, they never were, you only owned them.

"Nice speech." Stark replied. "But it's just that, a speech." If you do something, I have the money and the influence so that you can't go back to work in your life, Parker, neither as Peter Parker nor as Spiderman.

"There are more countries to work in, Tony." Peter replied. "I don't have to stay in the United States." Your influence does not reach Europe or Asia and in Africa they fear you. You don't scare me and I'm going to go all the way to show that my villains should be recognized. You've done enough damage already.

This was followed by a copy of the security cameras of the trial, where Matt Murdock, Peter Parker's lawyer, had surprisingly managed to win the case and, in addition, made a surprising amount of money by claiming damages and villainy cause of the villains.

The bar was silent. Quentin could only look at Parker's figure in front of Stark's, it wasn't the first time he thought the boy was big, but it was the first time he saw how small Stark was in front of him. Before him was not a child, but a man who had overthrown an untouchable, a giant, something that many villains had proposed and none could do.

Fuck. It was the only thought of him. He looked at the rest of the bar, there was no one to move even though the television had been off for five minutes. Drinks and board games had been left on the tables, untouched.

Quentin felt a shiver all over his body, goose bumps, a deep admiration he hadn't felt in years. He wanted to say thank you, jump, maybe even cry. He didn't know it well. How could he thank Parker for what he had just done for him, for his team always in the shadows, and for the rest of his villains?

There was applause from the crowd, Quentin didn't know who was the first, but then everyone started clapping and cheering. He did too. By Peter Parker, a real hero. He screamed through all the hubbub, though his voice contained a mixture of his emotions.

Otto was the first to move, snapping at Quentin's papers, asking for a copy of the USB stick. A few minutes later he was already on the network, the villains made sure that the news spread like wildfire. Eddie promised to take it to the Daily Bugle, wanting to be the first to end the censorship that Stark had imposed, thus taking the scoop.

Parker received an offer to work at Oscorp Industries, courtesy of Norman Osborn, and for the first time, Harry had nothing to do with it. Norman knew how to respect a worthy adversary and at the insistence of the Sinister Six wanting to work with Peter Parker, now that he could no longer be Spiderman, he could not refuse. Quentin was looking forward to working with Peter. He had wanted it since he met the boy in Europe, at last he had one more chance to prove himself in front of Parker, the only hero he longed for recognition from, the only one who had given it to him.

Peter Parker was the real hero, not Spiderman.