Aight guys, things are gonna start to get different now. Updates are going to take longer since I am working again and I'm going back to class. Plus, chapters are going to be longer so I hope you enjoy dual narratives cause we officially have two Spider-Men!

Hope y'all enjoy the chapter!

Extended Family Part 4

Ben never felt happier than when he was swinging, but swinging with his superhero cousin was a new high. Normally, Ben hated being in second place, Peter was a faster webslinger than him, but it didn't bother Ben all that much. He knew he looked cooler while doing it.

It took them forever to get wherever Peter wanted to take them, every few minutes a siren went off or someone cried out for help, so the two swingers would get derailed to help those in need. At least, Peter did. Peter wouldn't let Ben get close to the crooks, instead telling him to focus on getting the innocents to safety.

That part bugged Ben a little. He didn't mind saving people, he'd done it before, but it wasn't as exciting as taking down the bad guys himself. The only upsides were that people kept complimenting on his suit, and that he'd received a kiss on cheek from a girl he swung to safety. It was as if Peter didn't trust him to take the criminals down in a safe manner. They only got the drop on him once!

"Hey Scarlet," Spider-Man yelled as he swung toward Ben. "Let's go, we're close!"

"Finally!" Ben exclaimed. He gave the people a small two fingered salute before stylishly zipping away after Peter. "So, you ever gonna let me take down some baddies, or what?" he asked.

Peter spun around mid-air, and answered as he continued to swing. "There's a couple things we need to talk about before we get to that part."

Ben scoffed. "Like what? You've already seen me in action, you know I can handle it!"

"It's not about whether you can physically handle it," Peter said, yanking hard on his line of web. The maneuver sent the crime fighter high into the sky, where he landed on the Chrysler Building with Ben closely behind him. Peter sat down and removed his mask, revealing his determined face. "It's about whether or not you are right for this life."

Ben furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Peter sighed. "Look, there's been a lot of times where I've thought about giving up the mask, my powers. It's hard to do this when the people closest to me think I'm a flake, a coward, or selfish for disappearing all the time to take pictures of Spider-Man." Peter looked at his mask. "Sure, I've put away a lot of criminals and done a lot of good, but I also had to put away my ex's brother while we were dating, and I live with the death of my best friend's dad. This life…it takes a toll on you."

"But, wouldn't it be easier if you told someone about this?" Ben asked. "You could have someone to talk to, someone to share this load with."

Peter gave a dry chuckle. "That thought has crossed my mind more times than I could count, but I can't do that to the people I care about. Imagine how much they'd worry if they knew I was the guy fighting all those wack jobs?"

Ben shook his head. "I disagree. Think about what we can do, our strength, how we can take a hit, our Spider-Sense for crying out loud! If anything, wouldn't that make them feel better knowing that we can take care of ourselves," he said. "I saw the way MJ and Gwen looked at you when you were fighting Flash! Sure they were nervous, but they knew you'd be fine!"

"Again, this is all stuff I've thought about!" Peter retorted, standing up "Revealing who we are is a no no. It might be a pain, but we do it for them. We don't do this for the thrill of swinging or the thanks we get at the end of the day from whatever girl we save. We do this because will our power, we have a responsibility to. If you can't handle that, then I don't think I'd be able to let you go out there in good conscience."

Ben stood abruptly. "If I wanted thrills and love, I wouldn't be wearing a mask!"

Peter rose to meet Ben and placed his hand on his shoulder, smiling. "Good answer," he said. "Come on, there's something I want to show you." With that, Peter put his mask back on and fell backward off the Chrysler Building with a shout of delight.

Ben grinned and dove after his cousin. For as much as he looked at life as fun ride, he was serious when he told Peter he could handle this life. For a year, he'd watched Spider-Man swing in and save the day from bad guy after bad guy. Dealing with the press slamming him and half the city hating him, especially after the death of the Green Goblin, Ben couldn't help but admire the hero. Figuring out that it was his cousin who was swinging in and saving everyone was just the cherry on top of that sundae.

Then, he got bit by that ESU Spider. When he woke up from the coma that it put him in, he was surprised at what he could do, but to say he was excited would be an understatement. If Professor Warren hadn't made him undergo some tests, Ben would've run to the nearest building to test out his powers.

For three months Ben went through those tests with Warren. It wasn't all bad, he got to develop his own webshooters and suit–for as crude as it was–and he got to study how Spider-Man operated. He was confused as to why his mother hadn't come to see him, but with how some of the tests with Professor Warren went, and Ben's tendency to show off, he couldn't blame the professor for not allowing visitors. The last thing Ben wanted to do was hurt his mom on accident.

Without a doubt, the best part of his summer was the end. He got a letter from his mom letting him know that he was going to school with Peter this year. Ben was so happy, that he left an hour early for school just so he could see his cousin again. Of course, he ended up getting sidetracked on his way there by a few crooks who made him late for school, but he ended up getting the meeting with his cousin that he wanted.

"So, " Ben grunted as they swung through the city, "where are we going?"

Peter said nothing, allowing the towering Stark Tower to answer Ben's question. The two landed in an alley to the side to change into their streets. Peter put his clothes on over his suit, while Ben stripped his suit completely off, then turned his insideout blue hoodie back to its original way, concealing the large black spider logo.

As Ben pulled his pants up, he looked to find Peter staring at him in disbelief. "What?" he asked.

Peter opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again. "Come on," he said, rolling his eyes. He lead Ben across the street and toward the back door of Stark Tower.

"Dude, are you friends with Iron Man?" Ben asked, excited as Peter punched in the code for the door.

"I'm actually better friends with J.A.R.V.I.S," Peter responded, pushing the door open.

As Ben was about to ask who J.A.R.V.I.S. was, his question was answered by a mechanical, dry voice, "I don't know whether thats endearing or sad Mr. Parker."

"You saying you don't value our friendship?" Peter asked, placing a hand over his heart. "You wound me J."

"Pardon me, Peter," the A.I. said, "but I think I must be due for an update. I'm reading two of you in here."

"There is," Peter said brightly, he then placed a hand on Ben's shoulder and pulled him toward the Fabricator. "Ben Reilly, my cousin, meet J.A.R.V.I.S."

"No," J.A.R.V.I.S. stated adamantly. "I'm reading two Peter Parkers."

"Well, we do look a lot alike," Ben said with a laugh. "Didn't know we looked that much alike."

J.A.R.V.I.S. was silent for a moment. "Making the appropriate adjustments. I apologize Mr. Reilly."

"Ben is fine," he said, being referred to as 'mister' just felt weird. Then he pointed to the Fabricator. "What's this giant box?"

"This is where you get your suit," Peter told Ben. "The onesie and hoodie combo was cool, but you need something a bit more durable. Especially around the fists, some of these supervillain suits are pretty tough. Gotta hide the bruised hands so no one gets suspicious."

Ben felt his hands clench around his hoodie. It was the first thing he was given after he woke up in Professor Warren's lab. He wasn't quite ready to part with it, plus, he wasn't a fancy guy. All thos webbing lines Peter had on his suit were just a bit too much for him. Just the blue and red was enough for him, nothing too fancy.

There was only one bit he felt like changing: his mask. He'd been using a pair of goggles and a crappy mask that made his face itch. He looked at the designs on the Fabricator display in front of him and back at Peter. Peter's mask was chill, but he had that awesome white spider on his chest and back. Ben knew his spider symbol was unique enough being attached to his hoodie and crooked, but the mask was where people looked when he saved them. That had to match his vibe.

He scrolled through the lens designs, all varying in styles, but the one that stuck out to him, were a pair of wide, arched lenses.

"Oh dear," J.A.R.V.I.S. said, "it appears we are once again breaking Mr. Stark's protocol."

Peter grinned and nudged Ben approvingly on the shoulder. "Guess good fashion sense runs in the family."

The Silver Spoon

Gwen sat outside The Silver Spoon waiting for Mary Jane to return with their snacks. After the boys left, Gwen agreed to accompany Mary Jane to the open house at the theatre. It was the first day of school so she had practically no homework to do. She did think it was quite odd that Mary Jane, the social butterfly of Midtown High, had asked her to join.

From the moment she first met MJ at the Fall Formal last year, Gwen wouldn't have guessed that the girl needed anyone to accompany her anywhere. She was the life and soul of that party, dancing with nearly every guy there even though she'd come with Peter. Though Gwen couldn't exactly blame MJ for that, Peter did disappear halfway through and didn't return until the very end.

If Gwen was honest with herself, she had been worried about Peter and MJ's relationship when she found out MJ was going to California for the summer. MJ had a tendency to flirt with everyone, not to mention the fact that she was one of the prettiest girls Gwen knew. With her and Peter being thousands of miles away from each other for almost two months, she didn't know how MJ would keep the relationship alive.

Gwen hated herself for thinking this way about her friend, but she couldn't get the thought out of her head until she saw Mary Jane's wide smile when she told Peter that one of the directors there asked her to come for an audition.

"Here is your scone," MJ said brightly, sitting down across from Gwen.

"Thanks," Gwen answered. "So, any idea what Peter is showing Ben right now?"

MJ shrugged. "Knowing Peter, probably showing off the Bugle's new website that he helped designed and which hot dog stand is the best in the city." Then, MJ's green eyes sparkled with mischief. "Why so interested in Ben?"

Gwen looked at the table, feeling her cheeks warm. Why am I so interested? she asked herself. Ben really confused her. He looked so much like Peter that if he didn't have the blond hair and scar, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between them. Of course, the more time she spent around Ben that day, the more she realized that he and Peter couldn't be more different.

Peter felt like a ball of nervous energy wrapped up in sarcasm and everything that makes a nerd a nerd. Ben felt like a show-off, but not in the way Flash did. He didn't seem overly full of himself, in fact, in every story he told her that day, they always ended with him doing something stupid but acknowledging that he did it. It was more like he had no shame. She'd never met anyone like that.

"Well, he is Peter's cousin," Gwen mumbled.

"God, that feels weird to hear," MJ said, her voice holding a small note of astonishment to it.

Gwen nodded in agreement. "They look so similar!"

"You noticed it too!"

Gwen snorted. "I think everyone did."

MJ shook her head, a smirk forming on her face. "I don't think Sally did. You saw how she practically jumped at him. It was like all she could see was his arms," she said. MJ then gave Gwen a knowing look. "She wasn't the only one I saw staring at them."

Gwen straightened her back. "Like you gawking at Peter during his little boxing match." Unfortunately, Gwen's words did not have the desired effect as the redhead burst out laughing.

"We're allowed to ogle each other," she said shamelessly. "We are dating after all."

"How did Peter even gain that kind of muscle?" Gwen asked, decided it would be better to focus on this topic rather than her confusing feelings. This at least had a scientific explanation behind it. "He used to be a skinny little twig sophomore year."

"I can't help you there girlfriend," MJ said. "Pete's always been in shape to me. I mean, do you not remember last Halloween? I wasn't just flirting when I said he filled out that costume."

Gwen furrowed her brow. Now that she thought about it, that costume did seem to really fit Peter. She shook her head, he had to have started working out with Mr. Parker before he passed and just kept going. She knew Mr. Parker had always encouraged Peter to be a bit more physical, maybe Peter did it as a way to keep his uncle's memory alive?

Before Gwen could think anymore on the subject, she heard a shout of delight come from down the street. The two girls looked toward the sound to see Spider-Man and a new person in a red bodysuit and a blue hoodie that had its arms cut off and a large skewed spider logo on the front swing down the street.

"Man, is that the best you got?" Spider-Man called out to his companion. "You're never gonna beat me if you swing like that!"

The blue hooded Spider-Man swung high into the air, did a series of flips, then fell toward the earth, shouting back, "You can't rush art!"

Gwen nearly screamed out when she saw the blue hooded Spider-Man plummet until a line of web shot out at the last second, allowing him to skim the road as he swung. Gwen watched the red mask turn to face her, and for a moment, she was transfixed by the wide white lenses on the mask. Then she blinked and the two Spider-Men were gone, zipping off toward who knows where.

"There's two of them now?" MJ said, her own eyes wide. Then she laughed. "Oh, Pete's so gonna get an earful about this from Jameson."

"Yeah," Gwen mumbled. There was something about that new guy that was familiar. His outfit…was so much more laid back than Spider-Man's. Sure the red bodysuit was in that form-fitting style that all the superheroes seem to have a fascination with, but the blue hoodie was too…familiar. It almost looked like it had been pulled inside out.

The Parker Residence

Peter made sure to stop Ben from swinging into the neighborhood. There was still some light out and Ben was a little too flashy to be sneaking into a house with an old lady with a heart condition. Plus, he called Aunt May to let her know they were coming.

Ben had surprised him earlier. He knew from seeing him in action that Ben could handle this part of the job, but the way he nearly dropped the ball on Peter's ID scared him. Ben's time in school did him no favors either. Watching his cousin, good lord that feels weird to think, show off all day nearly raised his blood pressure to the moon. But when he sat down to talk with Ben, saw his anger when Peter insinuated he couldn't handle it, soothed his worries a bit more. There was definitely more work to be done on Ben, but he felt extending the olive branch of the Fabricator was the best thing to do at the moment.

"Hey, Aunt May!" Peter called as the two of them walked into the house. "We're home!"

"In the kitchen!"

Peter motioned for Ben to follow and the two walked into the kitchen to find it full of inviting aromas. With his mouth salivating, Peter walked over to his elderly aunt and gave her a hug. When he let go, he was confused to see Ben leaning on the wall, looking at Aunt May with a wary look.

Peter looked to his aunt to see her face full of understanding. Then, the comforting smile he knew and loved appeared on his aunt's face. "Come here dear," she said, opening her arms.

Ben smiled and moved into Aunt May's loving embrace. "I'm sorry," he said. "With everything my mom said, I was a little surprised she reached out to you, and you were okay with me staying here."

Aunt May looked down at the blond boy. "Whatever differences Jan and I have had, you are still my family," she said resolutely. Aunt May gestured at the table of food for the two boys to start eating. "How was your first day of school?"

Ben looked at Peter and grinned. However, this time, Peter didn't get the feeling that he'd have to shut Ben up. "Couldn't have asked for a better start," Ben answered.

Peter smiled, after all the heart-stopping moments he'd experienced this day, he found that the day was probably the best start to the school year he'd had. He had friends, a cousin, a girlfriend, and best of all, he finally got to punch Flash in the face!. This is gonna be one interesting year.