Guest who commented on chapter 3 on Jan 3: I'm glad you are liking Ben! His character is one that's so inconsistent in the comics, so I really have had a lot of fun characterizing him. Fun fact, most of his characterization comes from his hoodie costume. The Scarlet Spider design always gave off this carefree and laid-back vibe. So I'm glad you are enjoying him! Also, the Gwen/Ben pairing is an idea that popped into my head when I was writing the Peter/MJ pairing last season. It has a lot of possibilities for stories that I wanted to explore.
Whoo, so, this chapter is the biggest one I've done for either story. This turned out to be a whopping 20 pages, so please, let me know if you like this format of a longer chapter or if you prefer the shorter stuff.
Okay, onto the chapter! Hope you enjoy!
Choices Part 1
The first few months of school had never been Ben's favorite time of year. The teachers pull the rug out from under you and start to assign more homework than the syllabus told you they would, and the subjects of high school drama had been chosen. Normally, Ben didn't really care about the drama. He was more of a go-with-the-flow type of guy that kept to himself when he wasn't doing something he considered to be fun.
Plus, after a month, Ben finally had figured out who was part of what clique. A lot of people had reached out to him, trying to get him to join their group, but Ben declined several times. He just liked to be friends with people, he didn't need one specific group of friends.
Of course, that didn't mean that he didn't like to hang out with some people more than others. Peter and MJ were great when they weren't doing couple things. Ben loved going out on patrol with Peter, and he enjoyed talking movies with MJ. He even made friends with people outside of his cousin's friends. Rand Robertson was cool, and he seemed to have more energy than he let on.
Ben absolutely loved hanging out with Hobie Brown! The senior was just so chill and quiet. The two had hit it off fantastically, Hobie even invited him over to the Lincoln Youth Shelter he volunteered at to meet the kids he worked with. He'd never seen Hobie light up quite like he did when he was at the center. The other times, Hobie would be so quiet that if it were anyone else, they probably would've been made uncomfortable by it. But not Ben, when those silences hit, he never felt more comfortable. He didn't realize how much of a pain it was to constantly try to keep in conversation with someone. The only person Ben felt more comfortable with than Hobie, was Gwen Stacy.
If Ben was honest, he'd never really cared much for science. Sure he was smart, but he really only used his smarts to develop his web-shooters and fluid. Gwen, however, loved it. And Ben could listen to her talk about it for hours. Sometimes he'd just say the wrong thing just to listen to her correct him or watch her push up her glasses as she realized he was messing with her. He even loved it when she gave him the infamous Look he'd seen Peter cower to.
Things were going great for the young hero. People were even starting to look to him, The Scarlet Spider, sometimes instead of Spider-Man (a fact that he'd like to joke around with Peter about). That didn't mean that everyone loved him. Within a day of him making his debut from Stark Industries, The Daily Bugle put out a scathing article speculating about his intentions and the danger that two masked vigilantes swinging across the city posed.
When Ben had seen who had taken their pictures in the Bugle, he wanted to storm to Eddie Brock's dorm room and teach him a lesson. However, Peter explained the whole situation, telling Ben that Eddie needed that money to pay for college. When Ben tried to argue that Eddie could at least tell Jameson that he was there to help, Peter gave a laugh. "I tried that too when I sold J.J. Spider-Pics," he said. "The Jolly one has selective hearing."
With The Daily Bugle's newest issue fresh in his mind, Ben left to go on patrol. He wanted to swing to soothe his nerves, but punching a few baddies usually soothed them faster, however, it was a slow night. Just as he was about to call it quits for the night and head home, he saw the familiar black headband that adorned the top of a very familiar and cute blonde. I think I'll say hi!
Ben swung low to the ground and was about to shout out to Gwen when he realized he was still in his suit. Gwen knows Ben Reilly, not the Scarlet Spider!
But, it's not like we're two different people, he thought to himself. I don't have a split personality. What's wrong with talking to Gwen how I am?
You remember what Pete said, the lone voice of reason in his head thought. She's better off not knowing.
I never promised to not reveal my identity to her, he countered. I told him that I don't put the mask on for thrills or for the fans.
Ben's argument with himself went on like this for a few more blocks until he finally decided to land and change out of his suit. "Hey Gwen!" he said brightly as he rolled out of the alley he changed in.
Gwen jumped, dropping her book. "Ben! God, don't scare me like that!"
"Uh, sorry?" Ben said, giving her a lopsided smile. He bent down to pick up her book and handed it back to her.
Gwen accepted, then gave Ben a critical look. "What are you doing over here? I thought you were with Peter and Eddie?"
"You know," Ben said, as the two started walking to wherever Gwen was headed, "I didn't know I'd run into you, but you seemed to always know where I am. You stalking me or something?"
"What, no, I–" Gwen narrowed her eyes at Ben as his poker face failed and his laughter poked through the cracks. She then slapped him with her book. "Has anyone ever told you that you're annoying?"
"Only pretty girls," Ben replied easily, placing his hands in the pouch of his blue hoodie. Gwen looked down as Ben caught a glimpse of the pink tinge to her cheeks.
This seemed to happen a lot in their interactions. It honestly confused Ben, every time he paid Gwen a compliment that he was sure someone had already said to her, and she acted like it was the first time a boy noticed her. How could anyone not? he thought. Gwen's awesome!
"So, what are you doing over here?" Gwen asked. "Did you get lost on your way home?"
Ben smirked. "That only happened once, thank you very much," he said, feigning offense. "If you must know, I was just swinging through the city looking for a good hotdog. Don't tell him, but the stands Peter goes to are not the best." When Ben heard silence after his question, he turned to find Gwen staring peculiarly at him. He looked at his clothes, then behind him to see if anything caught her attention. "Don't tell me you like the hotdog stands Peter likes too? I thought you had taste buds."
That jogged Gwen from her stupor as a look of distaste covered her face. "Of course I do!" she said adamantly. "I don't understand how Peter can stomach those things. Besides, everyone knows the best hotdog stands are in the Park, not by The Bugle."
Gwen and Ben turned the corner as Ben said, "I didn't, maybe you should show me which ones exactly to buy from tomorrow afternoon?"
Gwen stopped abruptly in front of the door to her house, her book clutched tightly to her chest. "Y-yeah, sure," she squeaked out.
Ben clapped his hands together. "Great! I'll see you at twelve-thirty," he said as he backed down the street.
"Wait, where are we gonna meet?" Gwen called after Ben.
"Don't worry," he called back to her, spotting an alley he could use to change. "I'll find you!" With that, Ben turned into the alley, changed into his suit, and zipped off for home with a smile on his face.
Gwen sat at the dining room table looking at her dinner. She'd been so distracted by what happened with Ben that she didn't even notice her father leave the table.
Ben always made her confused, ever since the first day of school. The way he just rolled with everything and made friends with everyone. It was honestly hard for her to believe that he was related to Peter. He was just so different.
And now she was going on a date with him. How did that happen so fast? It's not like she wasn't attracted to him, she'd heard tales that traveled from the boy's locker room to the girls. The fact that Peter Parker and Ben Reilly were both in ludicrously good shape had spread like wildfire across Midtown High. Of course, only the boys knew how true those tales were, and Gwen and MJ numbered among the few people who had seen Peter with his shirt off. Gwen felt her face get warm every time she thought about what Ben was hiding under his hoodie.
His hoodie! Ben never seemed to go anywhere without it. It was his trademark, like how Flash always wears his Letterman Jacket, or how Peter always wears his shirts over a long-sleeve one. Or at least, he used to.
Now that the dice were rolling in Gwen's head, the theories kept on coming. There was only one Spider-Person before Ben showed up. Then this Scarlet Spider appeared, with the most obvious distinction between him and Spider-Man being the sleeveless blue Spider-Hoodie he wore.
The more she thought about it, the more it clicked for her. Ben was athletic to be sure and then there was that time in P.E. the other day when he did a series of acrobatic dodges in Dodgeball. The last dodge he made was the most eyebrow-raising as it looked like he knew it was coming before it was even thrown. Just like how Spider-Man always seemed to know when to dodge when he was in a fight.
Gwen shook her head. It was just too far-fetched. Maybe I should ask Peter, she thought. He lives with Ben, surely he'd know if his cousin was sneaking out at night to fight bad guys.
Somehow, Gwen found herself in her room, looking at the most recent issue of The Daily Bugle. She'd gotten in the habit of getting the paperback when Peter started working for them. She liked his pictures, but never truly considered how much danger Peter was in until he wound up in the hospital after the Scorpion attacked. She was glad to hear he was doing good in fashion, but she'd listened to him hem and haw all summer about how much he'd rather be taking Spider-Pics.
The most recent Bugle had a picture of Spider-Man and The Scarlet Spider fighting the Enforcers. That had been a brutal fight. Spider-Man and The Scarlet Spider both had apparently been unprepared for the newest upgrades Shocker, Ox, and Ricochet brought to the party, and in their haste to save all the bystanders from the damage, they'd taken several blows that tore their suit's in different places. Though it was from a fair distance away, Gwen could see exactly where The Scarlet Spider's blue hoodie had gotten torn, and looking back at Ben's hoodie, it always looked as good as new.
However, there was one more detail that sent her head spinning. She grabbed the magnifying glass on her desk and hovered over the torn mask of The Scarlet Spider. A small sense of deja vu crept up Gwen's spine. The last time she did this had been for the stretch of time where Venom claimed Peter was Spider-Man. She remembered spending hours pouring over all the pictures of Spider-Man that she could and comparing them to pictures of Peter, and she would've kept doing it if her father had not talked to her about how Spider-Man kept his identity a secret for a reason.
But this felt different. Spider-Man had made it known that he wore the mask for a reason, The Scarlet Spider didn't give off that same feeling. He felt more easy-going, more carefree than Spider-Man. Gwen zoomed in on the torn scarlet mask and found a brown eye poking through the eyepiece. Despite the chaotic battle going around him, he looked like he was having the time of his life. It was a look that reminded her all too much of a certain blond.
Gwen dropped the magnifying glass and backed into her bed, hugging her knees. "No, there's no way," she said to herself. "It's just a coincidence, like how Doc Ock showed up at Coney Island when we went after Harr's big win." Gwen shook her head, trying to derail her train of thought as she changed into her pajamas and curled up under the covers of her bed. However, her mind decided to play one last sick joke on her as it lingered on the choice of words Ben used when he told her what he was doing in this part of town.
If you must know, I was just swinging through the city looking for a good hotdog. Needless to say, Gwen knew she was in for a long night
Central Park, 12:25
Gwen sat at a bench in the park with her knee bouncing uncontrollably. She'd just arrived, and she couldn't shake this nagging fear that Ben would stand her up. She knew it was irrational. After all, where Peter was late, Ben was always on time. Any time Ben said when he would arrive, he would quite literally pop out of nowhere on the dot.
The bushes behind Gwen rustled, and there came Ben Reilly rolling over the back of the bench and landing on his butt next to Gwen. "Evening," he said casually, as if he had just bumped into her on the street. "Told you I'd find you."
"Good afternoon," Gwen said with a smile. She looked him up and down. He was in his usual blue hoodie and shorts combination with a small backpack slung across his chest. It was only when Gwen caught herself staring that she realized Ben wasn't wearing a shirt underneath his hoodie. Feeling herself blushing, Gwen shot to her feet. "Come on," she squeaked. "Let's go get some hot dogs!"
Ben tilted his head and cast Gwen an amused look, but didn't say anything. He put his hands in his hoodie pocket, then offered his arm to Gwen. She hesitated for a moment before threading her arms through his.
The pair walked around the outskirts of the park in one of the most comfortable silences Gwen had ever experienced. Usually, Gwen hated silence. Silence, for the daughter of a police captain, always had a chance to mean the worst. There was no learning about someone in silence, but with Ben, she felt like she learned more about him than when he talked. He seemed so at ease with everything, with her! Could it be possible that—No! No, you don't go down that road anymore. People get hurt when you try that!
"So how's the ESU internship?" Ben asked, jogging Gwen from her thoughts.
"Fine," she answered. Then her face scrunched up. "Professor Warren's been pretty weird lately though."
Ben snorted. "Weirder than normal?"
Gwen looked at Ben, confused. "You've met the Professor?"
"Last year," he answered. "My old school had a field trip to ESU. I got the feeling that the dude didn't like anyone who wasted his time."
Gwen nodded at this. She had always got the feeling that if she and Peter weren't as smart as they were, Warren would've gotten rid of them when he took over the lab. "He keeps giving Peter these long looks," Gwen said. "Almost like he's analyzing him."
Ben laughed at that. "I'm sure Pete loved that!"
"He hasn't actually noticed!" Gwen exclaimed. She felt a little bit of ire rising inside of her. "He's really good at picking up on subtle stuff, but if you throw something at his face it's like he's blind!"
Ben cocked his head to the side. "A little sense of mine is telling me you were the one doing the throwing," he said, his eyes twinkling.
"Well, I've learned to stop throwing," Gwen said, looking at her feet. "People get hurt when I do." It was true. When she and Peter agreed to break it off with Liz and Harry, four people ended up wounded because of it. And it was all because she wanted something she couldn't have. She didn't want to repeat that.
"Good thing I heal fast then," Ben quipped.
Gwen whipped up to face his impishly grinning face. Her heart and mind started racing on two different tracks. Her heart was jumping and dancing with joy at the fact that Ben wasn't backing down from her, but her mind was screaming at her to stop that right now. Screaming that there was no way Ben could like her, he's just being himself, like how Mary Jane likes to flirt.
Then, Ben stopped them and pivoted in front of her. He pulled his hood down, letting his now shaggy blond hair fall just above his eyes. Gwen stared at the carefree brown eyes and saw nothing but happiness. This could be her chance, her chance to have someone whose attention wasn't being pulled in five different directions. To have someone that didn't show her off like a prize or trophy. To be someone's first choice as opposed to their second.
She felt Ben push a stray lock of her hair behind her ear, then cup her cheek. Instinctively, Gwen moved forward, placing her hands on his chest. She looked into his eyes, searching for any hint that he would back away, but he just got closer. So close…
Suddenly, Gwen felt Ben's arms wrap around her torso, then drag her to the ground. Over his shoulder, she watched with wide eyes as a police car flipped over them and slammed into a tree behind them.
"Hey, hey, you okay?" Worry was not something Gwen had ever heard in Ben's voice, and it scared her to hear it. His face hovered over hers as they scanned each other for any damage.
"Yeah," she breathed back. Ben lifted his weight from Gwen, then pulled her up off the ground. As she felt Ben back away from her, Gwen's grip on him tightened. "Where are you going!?"
Ben looked at her and his face shifted through a sea of emotions. She recognized frustration before resolution wrestled control over his face. "I'm gonna go see if someone else needs help," he said, loosening her hold on him. "Please, I have to go."
Gwen refused to let go though. Why does something always happen whenever things are finally going right for me! "Ben, what—"
Her voice stopped as Ben pulled her flush against him and his lips crashed into hers. It wasn't perfect, or anything like how she'd imagined, but it still lit a fire inside her. When Ben pulled away, that fire inside her refused to die down, but her grip on his hoodie had loosened enough to where Ben could back away from her. Her eyes widened as Ben cracked a lopsided smile. "You owe me a hot dog," he said before he turned around and ran toward the damage.
Gwen watched his retreating form, her mind still fuzzy from that kiss. However, one thought had gained enough space in her brain to take over: how did Ben know that car was coming? She hadn't even heard the sound of tires screeching, or the roar of their engines, so how did Ben know what was happening?
Before her mind could answer any of these questions, Gwen heard the telltale thwip of a Spider's webs. She looked up to find the new blue hooded Scarlet Spider swinging after perpetrators of the damage. Her eyes widened as she spotted the small backpack slung over his chest. Oh. My. God.
Lincoln Youth Shelter
Mary Jane walked with Peter down the street toward the Lincoln Youth Shelter. She knew this wasn't his first time visiting the center. It had come up several times in their phone calls during the summer, ever since Mr. Foswell's book came out and exposed Lincoln as the Big Man of Crime, all the organizations he'd been a part of had suffered. None more so than the Shelter.
Peter had tried to go and help with whatever money he had left and with whatever time he had to spare, but the people there refused his help. It lit the fuse on Mary Jane's anger. He's only trying to help! He didn't mean to make things harder on you guys!
"You don't have to be here, you know," Peter said, shooting MJ a worried glance. "I know there are auditions you could be going to right now."
"If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were trying to get rid of me," MJ responded, tightening her grip on Peter's hand.
"It's just…this is my mess," he said, looking at his feet. "I'm the reason these kids are struggling to find the money. You shouldn't have to put off what you want because I screwed up."
"Tiger," she said, stopping him in his tracks so she could pull his face to hers. "There will always be another audition. Kids will always need a place like this to go to when things get difficult." Then, she looked at the floor, remembering a time when she desperately wished to have a place like this when she was younger that she could run to.
For a second, Mary Jane felt as if she'd shared too much and her shields instinctively went up. She trusted Peter, she really did. He was the first person she told about the program in California, the first person she really felt like she could cry in front of, but when it came to her life before living with Aunt Anna…that was something she'd rather keep hidden behind her flirtatious exterior.
Then, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, holding her close. She didn't even realize she was shaking until she felt how still Peter was. He didn't say anything, and for that, she was most grateful.
"Parker!" Mary Jane and Peter looked up. Standing ahead of them with his arms folded and a scowl on his face was Hobie Brown. "How many times do I have to tell you; you're not welcome here!"
MJ felt Peter's body sag. "Hobie, please, I just want to help," Peter pleaded.
Hobie's eyes flared. "If you wanted to help you would've thought twice about taking those pictures!" he yelled.
MJ stared at Hobie with wide eyes, she couldn't quite believe this was the same quiet kid from Midtown High. The same kid who had been smiling and laughing along with the rest of her friends at her welcome home party. If glares could kill, then Hobie would've cut Peter down in a second. MJ felt her hackles rise. "He's just trying to help, Hobie!" she yelled back, standing in front of Peter. "It's not his fault that the guy who built this place was a criminal!"
"He should've thought about the people his pictures would hurt!" Hobie shouted back, refusing to be cowed. "Lincoln was a criminal, no one is denying that. But that doesn't mean he was a bad man!"
"Did you not read what the Bugle printed!?"
Hobie let out a merciless laugh that echoed down the street. "Of course an airhead like you would believe what that rag prints!"
MJ's eyes widened in shock. She knew Hobie was mad, but this was different. Since the start of senior year they'd watched Hobie shoot them nasty glares and refuse to stay in the same room as them, but he'd never done anything more. They even knew that he didn't badmouth them behind their backs like most high schoolers would.
Behind her, MJ felt Peter stand up straight, and instinctively, she moved her hands behind her back, stopping Peter from taking another step toward Hobie. She looked back and instantly felt a sense of deja vu. The only time she felt this scared of Peter was the day Eddie showed up in his hospital room. "Let's go," she muttered to Peter, "we'll try again another day."
Mary Jane stumbled a little as she felt Peter push against her. She knew he was stronger than her, hell she'd seen the evidence on the first day of school, but she also knew from experience that if they got into it with Hobie right now, something would get said that no one could take back.
MJ turned around fully to hold Peter back. "Peter," she said, pleading with her eyes.
She watched as the tension slowly released from his jaw. Taking his hand, Mary Jane steered Peter away from the Lincoln Youth Shelter and down the street. She didn't know how long they walked in silence, but it didn't soothe her nerves. Then Peter sighed. "I should've known."
Hobie Brown, what have you done, she thought angrily. Peter had done so much good for the city, and this was not on him. She wouldn't allow him to fall into this pit. "Peter, you tried to help," she said earnestly. "It's not your fault they're too proud to accept it. I just hope it isn't too late when they realize that."
"I just wanted to help," he said, looking down at the ground.
MJ wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him close. "I know, Peter." She rested her head on his shoulder and felt him drape his arm around her shoulders. They stood in each other's embrace for a long time, taking comfort in each other's presence.
Suddenly, Peter's head shifted as a siren wailed in the direction of Central Park. Not a second had passed when Peter's phone rang. He stepped back and looked at it. "Sorry, it's The Bugle," he said. MJ nodded and watched him step away from her. It was a sight she was used to, going all the way back to when they first met at the Fall Formal. So much so, that the ring of his phone usually signaled the start of a long night for her.
"I'm sorry, MJ, but—"
"You have to go?" she said, a small smile forming on her face as he looked at her surprised. "Go get 'em, Tiger."
"How did I end up with the most amazing girl in the world?" he asked.
Mary Jane lifted herself onto her toes and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "It's your wonderful personality," she said, flashing him a cheeky smile.
Peter laughed, then turned and ran off in the direction of the sirens. MJ's smile faltered as he disappeared around the corner, and she hugged herself as she walked home toward Aunt Anna's, preparing herself for the long night ahead of her.
Central Park
The Scarlet Spider swung in pursuit of the thugs chasing after a police escorted Oscorp vehicle. He'd chased them for a few blocks, but every time he got close, his Spider-Sense would go haywire and he'd zip off to swing a civilian out of harm's way or stop a chunk of debris from flattening them. Because of that, it was a stalemate. Someone knew exactly how to keep the young hero away from them.
"Hey, Scarlet," Spider-Man voice said in Scarlet's ear. "What's going on?"
Scarlet placed his finger on his ear. "Same old, same old," he responded. "Although, I did just get my date interrupted by a crime; does that mean I've officially made it as a superhero?"
"Oof, that's rough buddy," Spidey said. "If she gets pissed off at you for ditching her, then yeah, you've made it."
Scarlet's eyes widened as he rounded the corner, and he shot out a wall of webbing to stop another police car from rolling into a crowd of civilians. He landed on the car and helped the officers out, before thwipping into the air again.
His Spider-Sense hummed, but instead of the usual alarm clock beeping, he felt a radio-like wave. Scarlet looked to his left and waved at Spider-Man swinging next to him. "Who knows, I did kiss her before I left," he told Spidey.
"Nice!" Spider-Man gave him a thumbs up before looking at the high-speed chase happening before them. "So, uh, why haven't you stopped this already?"
"Well," Scarlet said, catching the line of web Spidey shot at him so he could slingshot Spidey around the next corner, "I think these guys have someone prowling about. Every time I get close, something happens that puts people in danger. It's kind of annoying that the bad guys are figuring out how to distract us."
"Don't forget, they don't know how to deal with two of us!"
Scarlet nodded. "So what's the play?"
"You know the scene better than me," Spidey answered. "Call it captain!"
The Scarlet Spider opened his mouth to speak when the shrill sound of an alarm clock rang in his head just as he let go of his line of webbing. Something strong collided with him midair, sending him crashing into the roof of a nearby building.
"Scarlet!"
As the dust cleared around The Scarlet Spider, he looked up to find a man in a purple suit and mask with glowing green eyes standing over him. The man tilted his head at Scarlet, then turned around, and sprinted for the edge of the building, his purple boots glowing bright green as he did.
"Oh no you don't!" Scarlet called out, landing a line of webbing on the man's back just as a stream of green fire from his boots propelled the man into the air.
"Scarlet!"
"I'm good!" Scarlet called as he slammed into the wall of a building as the man chased after the Oscorp vehicle. "I found our prowler! I'll get him, you stop the thugs!"
"On it!"
Scarlet held on tightly as 'The Prowler'–as Scarlet dubbed him–tried his hardest to shake the superhero off of him, all while the young hero was looking for a safe place to drag The Prowler to so he could go to town on the baddie. "Hey, Prowler!" he shouted, climbing closer to the flying maniac. "Not that I'm judging, but flying in kind of overrated! It's kinda mindless if you think about it, you ever thought about giving swinging a try?"
Prowler sped up, this time flying toward a billboard and turning hard, whipping Scarlet into another solid wall.
"Are you mad at me?" Scarlet shouted, inching closer to the Prowler. "I feel like your mad at me." There!
Scarlet shot a line of web at an abandoned construction site and pulled hard on both lines. The Prowler, not expecting the sudden pull, went careening toward the construction site at top speed. Scarlet, not wanting the Prowler to become a purple and green puddle in the concrete, shot another line of webbing at his boots. The thrust behind the Prowler's flight was lost, but instead of crashing into a heap in the sight, The Prowler latched on to one of the support beams.
"Whoa, you can do that trick too!" Scarlet said, landing on a beam opposite to the Prowler. "What else can you do?"
The Prowler said nothing as he ripped off the webs clogging his boots and shot at The Scarlet Spider with a burst of speed the hooded wall-crawler was not expecting. It was at that moment that The Scarlet Spider saw The Prowler's sharp claws just as they sunk into his chest. Scarlet cried out in pain as The Prowler flew them toward the ground and dragged the young hero across the rough ground.
Scarlet cocked his right fist back and slammed it into The Prowler's mask with enough force to send the baddie flying to the right. There was an unfortunately painful part of this plan, and that was due to the Prowler's claws raking across Scarlet's chest. Scarlet rose to his feet, placing his hand across his exposed flesh. "You messed up my hoodie," he grunted, anger quivering beneath the surface of his voice. "Now it's personal!"
The Prowler took a step forward, popping his claws when he suddenly stopped. He stood still for a moment, and Scarlet took a defensive stance, ready to leap away or attack at any moment. The Prowler retracted his claws, turned on a dime, and flew away.
"Everything's clear on my end," Spidey's voice sounded in The Scarlet Spider's ear. "You catch your prowler?"
Scarlet's eyes narrowed. "He was kicking my ass when he just left," he said, letting his frustration out by slamming his fist into one of the stray metal poles. It bent with a strained groan.
"Danm," Spidey said. "We'll get him next time, for now, let's just help out with some clean-up. Might help you get on Captain Stacy's good side."
Scarlet gave a weak snort. As much as he wanted the approval of Gwen's dad, he really wanted payback for the damage done to his hoodie. It was one of a kind after all. "I'm on my way."
Underground
The Prowler walked through an abandoned subway tunnel that used to run through the ESU campus. He was angry. The Scarlet Spider had got in the way and caused some damage to the rocket boots he'd spent months making.
This was supposed to be a one-and-done job. Once he did that, he would have enough money to get the Lincoln Youth Shelter back on its feet long enough for the fundraisers planned to raise enough money to support it. All he had to do was keep the Spider-Men occupied long enough for the mercenaries to steal the blood from the Oscorp convoy.
Damn Scarlet Spider! He wouldn't shut up! If it weren't for him, he'd have the money and would never have to wear this costume again! The Prowler growled and took a swipe at the walls, clawing chunks of cement from the tunnel.
"There's no need for temper tantrums, Prowler," a voice echoed down the tunnel. The Prowler said nothing but retracted his claws. "Now, it is unfortunate that my men were not able to procure the samples like I hoped. However, that is not bad news."
Prowler cocked his head to the side and huffed skeptically.
"In fact, this is quite the good news for you," the voice said. "The fewer partners, the larger the take."
Prowler folded his arms, a larger take meant that the Shelter would be in a much better place than his previous offer would leave them. The masked man nodded his head, beckoning for the voice to continue.
"Good," the voice said cheerfully. "All you need to do now is steal the samples from Oscorp. Considering how much tech has already been stolen from that place, it should be the easiest job of your life."
The Prowler nodded and turned around, heading out the way he came in. Then, his boots sparked, causing him to clench his fists.
"Ahh, I see," the voice said. "Take your time in repairing your equipment. I'm a busy and patient man. Return here when you are ready."
With that, The Prowler whipped around. It was going to take him at least a few days to repair his boots, but that would give him plenty of time to formulate a new game plan of how to deal with the Spider-Men should they decide to show up and ruin his night.