Chapter 5

Whoo! Chapter 5 is up and I'm working on chapter 9! The buffer is still going strong!

This Corona virus is crazy though. I wish you the best of luck in staying healthy!

Predictably, time went on.

Less predictably, life went on.

Bad guys did bad things. Peter and his team stopped them. School assigned tiresome assignments. Peter and his team did them. Shield continued giving them training. Peter and his team completed it. Life wasn't entirely glorious, but it was going well, and Peter treasured that.

There was also a news story on the lives saved by a revolutionary new cancer treatment. That had made one particularly tough week a little brighter.

It was times like this that Peter did appreciate living a double life. While Spider-Man still looked at his friends out of the corner of his eye to see if they really were okay with the Octavius thing, Peter Parker didn't have to worry when he met up with MJ and Harry. Of course, Peter Parker was still Spider-Man, so there was still worrying and wondering going on in the back of his mind. And, to be honest, meeting with his team while they were civilians made sure that it never really went away. But they all acted accordingly with their promise that his being a clone changed nothing. The topic was avoided like the plague. Not even Sam joked about it.

Peter had honestly been surprised by that. Maybe the Buckethead was more empathetic that he usually let on.

Or maybe they just wanted to forget. Peter didn't blame them.

"Hey, Pete, what's up?"

Peter looked up from his textbook to see Harry approaching his table in the library. He dumped his backpack on the floor, pulling up a chair and running a hand through his hair. It was currently wilder than its usual waves; he must have just gotten in from the autumn wind. "Nothin', just looking at how doomed we are in the next quiz. Mr. Castle told us the wrong topic, so we only have tonight to read up on the right thing."

"Aw, man, I forgot. Studying at my place tonight? Pizza and video games to help us forget afterwards?"

"Sounds great. We may want to ask Ava to come too. She's gotten ahead of me in Physics now."

"Really? I thought you did Physics problems for fun."

Peter chuckled. "I do them, but I don't know if I'd go so far as to say for fun. I'm more of a hands-on engineering and chemistry guy. She's got every single equation memorized by heart."

"No way."

"It's true. I tested her just last week. And I made sure she couldn't cheat."

Harry craned his neck up to look at Ava on the other side of the library. "Do you think she'd be my best friend?"

"What am I? Chopped liver? Just be warned that if she does come tonight, we'll spend the entire time doing Physics. The entire night. No video games."

Harry sat back in his seat. "Oh, ouch. I don't know if a B is worth that."

"Come on, you can get an A with the extra practice."

"Not if my brain turns to mush halfway through."

"Touché."

The irony struck Peter then. For several months now, Harry had some resentment towards Spider-Man, blaming him for his father's lasting . . . condition. Honestly, he actually had quite a bit of resentment, but he didn't always show it. He also resented Dr. Octopus, who was the real culprit behind Norman's transformation into the Goblin. And here he was, best friends with Peter Parker, who just so happened to be Spider-Man and the clone of Otto Octavius.

"So, are you going to bring an actual date to my party for once? It's this Friday"

That snapped Peter out of his thoughts very efficiently.

Sam and Luke had spent the last week begging him to go to the party. He had agreed because they convinced him that a party might do him some good. But when Harry put it that way . . . "Harry, I can hardly get my friends to go to your parties with me."

Harry grinned mischievously. "Come on, I know you've got a thing for MJ. Just ask her to go as friends if you're chicken. We'll see where your Parker charm takes you by the end of the night."

Peter's breath hitched. "I—No, Harry. After this week, I'll barely have the energy to party." He clenched his fists, trying to even out his breathing. He was a mess right now, but he wasn't going to let Harry know that. Harry was one of his most normal friends, which, considering Harry's own life, wasn't saying much. But Harry was pretty grounded for a rich kid with a crazed super villain for a dad.

"You'll have to put yourself out there eventually, Pete." Harry frowned at him. "You alright?"

"I'm fine. It's just been a busy week."

Harry watched him for a moment, still with that frown on his face. "Okay, I guess I'll see you later, then."

Peter watched Harry walk away, then left the library himself.

It was a strange feeling, feeling almost okay, but not quite.

He hadn't felt that way since he lost Ben.

Was he losing himself now?

He tried to forget, to pretend he was just Peter Parker. Octavius hadn't been spotted in weeks now. It was silly to let himself be affected for so long. But everything just kept reminding him about it. And remembering started off a cascade of thoughts. Parts of him that had once simply disliked Doctor Octopus now loathed him. Parts of him that sometimes cared just a little too much wondering . . . Why? How? Would Octavius have been just like him if he had had a caring aunt and uncle? Would Peter have been just like Octavius if May and Ben hadn't been there for him? And other parts, smaller but deeper, these asked the tougher questions. Which was it, nature vs nurture? Were Octaviuses villains anyway?

It was less like a chill, more like an icy arrow shooting up his spine, when Peter thought of himself as an Octavius.

But he wasn't. He was a Parker. A fake Parker, but a Parker nonetheless.

Peter had never really cared about names until now.

He knew he was a hypocrite. All those nights spent trying to reason with super villains, very often succeeding, and here he was freaking out just because—

He was technically one?

No, Otto Octavius was a super villain. Peter Parker was a hero. He had proven that.

But those were just names. Two different names, but were they really two different people?

Yes, that's why the names mattered. Even when DNA tests said otherwise, the names mattered.

At least the spider bite made their DNA a little bit different. That had almost made his day a few weeks ago.

Then he had realized that he was nerding out over the genome.

Octavius had probably been a huge nerd in high school.

He knew there were a million other nerds in the world, a million better ones like Hawking and Feynman. But somehow that one made it that much more bittersweet.

"Hey, Sam, Ava." Peter leaned against Sam's locker, pulling out his phone to check the time. "Where's Luke and Danny?"

Peter really wanted to ignore everything, but sometimes he knew he had to face things head on. And that required talking to people who knew all his secrets.

"They're playing basketball in the gym. There's a casual game going on." Ava grinned wickedly. "Sam's only here because he didn't get picked."

Sam stuck out his tongue, scowling. "That's 'cause everyone else is a glory hog. They don't want me showing them up."

"Says the king of all glory hogs." Ava cackled as she opened her locker, hiding herself from view.

Sam glared at the door for a second before turning back to Peter. His gaze softened when he saw the strained smile on his friend's face. "So where have you been?"

"Talking to Harry. He's excited for the party this weekend."

Sam threw his arm around Peter's shoulders. "I hear it's going to be an epic bash. Now aren't you glad we convinced you to go?"

Peter shrugged exaggeratedly, trying to pull out of Sam's grip, but failed. "I guess. Did Harry get a date?"

Leaning back so they could see her face, Ava glanced around before speaking. "I think he plans to. He asked both MJ and me for advice. I have a feeling he's going to ask Tassiana, or maybe Kuri."

"That explains it," Peter muttered.

"Explains what?" Sam asked.

"Nothing."

Ava's lips formed an o shape before she went back to looking through her locker. "Oh, that explains that too."

Sam turned on her. "What does it explain?! Don't you dare say nothing too!"

She rolled her eyes. The clicks of pens and pencils being sorted through reached the boys' ears. "Harry's obviously asked Pete if he's got a date. Since he doesn't, Harry hasn't asked anyone yet either."

Peter frowned. "Why would he do that?"

"He's the rich, handsome best friend. He tries hard not to make you jealous or make it look like he's trying to show off."

"He knows I would never be jealous!"

"Well . . . you know when we first started dragging you away for training? He used to think you started spending time with us because you were jealous."

"But I wasn't!" Peter stared shrewdly at her. "How do you even know all of this?"

The sound of Ava's hand rummaging through her pencil bag stopped. She closed the door to her locker to give him a reassuring look. "Pete, don't worry. He's put all that behind him, and he's even been talking to us more. Just ask Sam. They spent some time together the other day. What did you do? Soccer or something?"

Sam coughed. "He—uh—he showed me how to play chess."

Peter's eyebrows shot up. "Harry's a monster at chess. How upset were you to lose?"

"For your information, I beat him once!"

"No way."

"Yes way."

"No w—"

Snap!

Sam and Peter started. Ava pulled her hand back after snapping it between them. "Anyway," she said. "Getting back to what I was saying, Harry's just trying to be a good friend. I'm sure he'll ask someone in a few weeks though."

Peter shook his head. "He shouldn't feel like he has to wait for me. It's not like I'm going to have a girlfriend by the end of high school."

Ava crossed her arms. "Peter Parker, what would your aunt say if she heard you right now?"

Peter's fists clenched again. He glanced around, both to check if anyone was listening and to avoid looking her in the eye. "Ava, I—I don't have the Parker charm anymore. I never had it."

By the time he looked back at her, her expression was decidedly softer. It wasn't the look of worry and pity he had grown used to seeing though. "I'm sorry. I hadn't really thought of that." She uncrossed her arms. "I get it, you still have things to go through. Just promise you'll go through them and not just declare yourself single for life just yet, okay?"

Peter managed a small smile. "It's a work in progress."

She smiled back, though there was a hint of mischievousness in it. "Great, because I have a plan that should make both you and Harry feel a bit better."

Peter narrowed his eyes. Sam began chuckling. "Exactly what are you suggesting?"

"So, you're Ava's date to Harry's party?"

"Reluctantly."

"And this is your first date?"

"If you can really call it that."

Luke snorted. Danny only smiled pleasantly. Peter glared at them both.

The Parker house found itself busy today. The entire team had come to get ready for the party. This wasn't usually the case when it came to Harry's parties. Sure, they were great, but they were far from proper. Harry never had a dress code, although he did ask that guests remain reasonably dressed while in the living room (and his butler had a tendency to lock all bedroom doors).

Today, however, the topic of dates had inspired the team. May was helping Ava do her hair. Sam had commandeered the guest bedroom to 'get his awesome on' ("I have to find someone before Peter manages to find himself a real date. Can't let the nerd beat me."). And Danny and Luke had wandered into Peter's room, where they were apparently content to sit and talk as he tried to get himself ready.

"At least your plan worked," Danny said from his position cross-legged on the floor. "Harry successfully gained Tassiana's company for tonight."

"Well, yeah, although I think he would have asked her anyway." Peter rifled through his dresser. He had some nice shirts in there somewhere.

"Maybe, maybe not." Luke wandered over to look at his wardrobe over his shoulder. "I think he was actually kind of afraid to ask her."

"Harry? But he's . . . Harry. He practically has his pick."

"You really need to listen to Ava more. If I understood her right, she said that some girls weren't interested in Harry because he's so perfect. They don't want it to seem like you can buy their attention, or something like that. I don't know, but she said Tassiana felt that way too."

Peter pulled out a red shirt. "Yeah, Ava said she planned this so that we could boost Harry's confidence."

"It makes sense," Luke continued. "And considering that every guy is afraid to ask her out, it makes you look cool too. That shirt won't, though."

"What's wrong with this shirt?"

"It's too bold. Ava's fierce, but she doesn't like to be the center of attention." Luke reached his hand into the drawer. "This one's better."

Danny shook his head at the gray button-up. "I don't think that's right for Peter. The lines are too straight. It will give him stiff Chi."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "I thought Chi was only for rooms."

"Chi flows through everything." Danny stood and went over to the dresser. He scrutinized each piece of clothing, finally pulling one out. "This one will help him feel calm."

"Exactly how will green plaid help me feel calm? I'm not in the mood to look Scottish today." Peter pushed the other two aside and grabbed a dark blue shirt. "I'll just go with this one, if neither of you have any objections."

"Eh, it can work."

"Excellent choice. Blue is also a relaxing tone."

Rolling his eyes, Peter went to the bathroom to finish getting ready in peace. By the time he came out, he wore his chosen shirt paired with black jeans, and he had attempted to gel his hair into that perfectly mussed look that most male models seemed to sport. It took some finagling, but he managed to make his hair look presentable and not like he had just gotten out of bed. Danny and Luke were still waiting for him.

"Do you guys approve?"

Luke nodded. "Not bad. You don't have to button it up all the way though. It's a party, not a fancy restaurant." He fiddled with Peter's collar and undid the first button.

"Okay, fine." Peter eyed Danny warily; he had just taken a small bottle from his pocket. A quick spurt later and Peter's eyes were watering. "What—cough—cough—what was—cough—that?"

"Eucalyptus extract. It is calming, and also opens the airways."

"That's—cough —very strong. You might have sprayed—cough—a bit too much there. But yeah, I can feel my nasal passages opening up."

Luke grabbed Peter's shoulders and moved him to stand in front of the mirror. "Well, there you go. You can look pretty good when you try."

Peter blinked at his reflection. There he was, looking like he had on his first day of high school. May and Ben had made such a big deal about first impressions that day. May had dressed him up. Ben had sat him down and gave him an advanced class on girls and manners. And right before he left, they had squeezed in a few minutes to take a picture and—

Wrenching his gaze away from the mirror, Peter suddenly became focused on fixing his cuffs. Something must have shown on his face though, because Luke and Danny exchanged looks.

"What is it?" Danny asked. Peter stared at him for a moment, debating whether he should brush it off, but decided to just roll with it. Despite how he appeared to have his head in the clouds while he meditated, Danny always seemed to know what was going on in their heads.

And maybe Peter wanted their opinions on the matter.

"Nothings, it's just . . . my cheekbones."

Danny and Luke exchanged another glance. "Your cheekbones?"

"May and—and Ben once said I have my da—I mean Ri—"

"Stop." Luke held up a hand to emphasize his words. "Seriously, Pete. Stop worrying about the names. You know him as your dad, so he is your dad. It's as simple as that."

"I know, it's just—" Peter began to try to explain again, but Danny interrupted him this time.

"Peter, I always wondered. Why did you never call your aunt and uncle mother and father? You were very young when you came to them."

Taking a moment to think, Peter realized he hadn't asked himself that question in nearly ten years. "Oh, it's um . . . not exactly complicated, but it's kid logic." He looked down at his hands. "When they first took me in, I didn't fully understand that my parents weren't coming back. My six-year-old self thought it was rude to 'replace' my parents by calling May and Ben mom and dad. I know they did everything a parent would do, but I never could bring myself to say it."

"Well there you are. You have already realized a philosophy I hold today. It is a saying you might appreciate." Danny softly cleared his throat in that way he did whenever he was about to say one of his mystic quotes. "Who is declared the blacksmith: the man with the title, or the man with the hammer?"

"Hey, yeah, that's a great philosophy," Luke agreed. "See? Your parents and May and Ben have the hammers. Octavius never even glanced at one."

Peter nodded, muttering a thanks. That was true, but not what was really bothering him at the moment. But now he couldn't get the words out. He didn't know if he wanted to.

His cheekbones.

Who said they had inherited their father's cheekbones?

The answer was obvious: people who couldn't really see a resemblance between parents and their child.

May and Ben would never have been able to guess the truth. But had they wondered?