DOUBLE CHAPTER UPDATE DAAAAY! You may have noticed that we've gone from SIX chapters to EIGHT and that's because I love you all and decided to do a holiday double whammy :) And I'll be posting an angsty one shot sometime next week!

TW and spoilers/ there is some blood mentioned because whump train is coming into the stationđź‘€ also if you're sensitive to burns (not described in a gory way but there nonetheless), flashbacks, or panic attacks, here's your warning! 3

Have fun and stay safe ❤️️ 💛💚💙💜

Chapter 7: It's All Fun and Games

By the time Peter gets home, May is waiting inside his room as he crawls in the window. May immediately shoots up from where she was sitting on his bed and pins him with hesitant yet concerned eyes.

"Uh," Peter slowly takes off his mask to reveal his confused face, "hi?" May doesn't respond, but bites her lip anxiously. Why would she be anxious? "Am I missing something?" Her obvious anxiety only succeeds in making Peter's heart pound with his own.

"No freaking out," May prefaces with her phone clutched tightly in her hands. "We'll take it one step at a time. You and me, okay? Like always." Peter's eyes dart between her face and the phone multiple times.

"You telling me not to freak out is making me freak out, May," he says, his voice cracking from the anticipation. With sympathetic eyes, May holds out the phone which Peter eagerly takes. His hands shake slightly, but it's ignored as his eyes widen at the screen. "This, this has to be some kind of joke, right? That's, why would they, what?! Me?" He looks back up at May, then back to the online article.

The Daily Bugle Publishes First Online Article Claiming Spider-Man is "taking the working man's job"

Photo credit: Peter Parker

His entire world is flipped upside down in an instant. This has to be fake. Since when do they publish online? Do people actually believe this? Is this why those cops were so defensive? Do they really think I'm gonna steal all their work? I'm just one person! I don't even get paid to be Spidey!

"Hey," May snaps him out of his spiraling thoughts and places her hands on his shoulders, "This is just a challenge, right?" Peter takes a deep breath and nods. "And we can overcome challenges." He nods again before groaning and holding his head in his hands.

"There can't be that many people who read it. It's just a stupid newspaper! There's, there's no way the Bugle can turn the city against me. Sure, they could, like, convince a few paranoid people but, but people know Spidey! I'm the friendly, neighborhood hero!" he rambles out his concerns laced with anxiety as he starts to pace.

"Nope. No pity parties." May immediately puts a stop to his negative trainwreck of a thought process. "A newspaper isn't going to convince everyone. People have seen what a great person you are. You've proved that. Rumors happen, sweetheart. We can't change what other people think." She smiles sweetly, which Peter shakily returns. "What we can change is that sour attitude with a fun day at the boardwalk. Get your sweaty self out of that suit and get ready." She ruffles up Peter's damp hair and he swipes her hand away with a chuckle as she leaves the bedroom.

After a quick shower, getting dressed into some winter appropriate clothes, and stuffing his backpack with the suit just in case, Peter is ready for a fun afternoon at the Coney Island Beach and Boardwalk. The drive isn't too far from their apartment, but it's still enough for a good thirty minute ride. May plays Goo Goo Dolls in the background as Peter brings her up to date on how he discovered plates of Scorpion's armor in the sewers and Flint's arrest. On the way, they make a pitstop per Peter's request for snacks and a disposable camera, considering he kind of had to destroy his phone. Once they get there, they wait near the entrance for Ned and MJ.

True to his word, Ned and his parents pick up MJ and drop them both off. With their wristbands on and sunblock applied, the small group consisting of May, Peter, Ned, and MJ enter the boardwalk with a goal to simply let loose.

"We have to go on the Cyclone!" Peter excitedly recommends it as the first ride they go on.

"Thunderbolt looks cooler," MJ counters instead, eyeing the roller coaster with a high drop and a loop. Ned, on the other hand, gapes at both of them.

"Are you guys insane?! Can't we, like, go on something that doesn't make our life flash before our eyes?" he questions as the lot of them meander down the seemingly never ending strip of wooden walkway.

"Oh yeah?" MJ challenges with crossed arms. "Then what do you want to go on? The ferris wheel?" For some reason, Ned involuntarily shivers.

"You know what, I think I'll stay on the ground where I can't die. Ferris wheels are my mortal enemy. They give me bad feelings." MJ rolls her eyes at Ned's excuse, but doesn't argue with him further.

"I don't mind starting off with bumper cars," Peter chimes in with a shoulder shrug. After he played bumper cars with Flash's Audi, however, it just doesn't have the same thrill to it. As the three weigh out their options, May listens to them with a fond smile.

"Well you better pick soon or I'll pick for you," she warns mischieviously. MJ hums and purses her lips.

"It'd probably make things easier. And faster," she admits. Peter pins her with a look of betrayal, which doesn't seem to remotely phase her.

"I thought we were adrenaline junkie buddies?" He sticks out his bottom lip. "Who's gonna go on the drop tower with me?" MJ's eyes widen minutely and she lifts her eyebrows.

"Not happening, Parker. You couldn't pay me enough money." Peter pouts, very purposely sagging his shoulders and glancing back at the others. The only one who gives in is May, who playfully rolls her eyes.

"I'll go on with you," she relents, "but only once. My adrenaline rush days are over." Peter instantly brightens up and carries himself proudly.

"It's insane how you're fine with falling to your doom but still can't kill a spider by yourself," Ned mentions out with a pointed side glance. All their eyes are suddenly on Peter as he tries to force back a blush of embarrassment.

"I'm not gonna murder my own kind!" he instantly defends. "That's, like, blasphemy! There's an unsaid code, Ned." A rainbow array of beach umbrellas speckle the beach to their right, leaving hardly any sand visible. The sea of colors catches Peter's eye and he can't help but be mesmerized by the gorgeous scenery under the light blue sky. It's a miracle that it's a sunny day, so people are most likely soaking in the last of the sun before the first snow day hits. He smiles slightly before pulling out the disposable camera to take a quick picture.

"That's not the reason." Ned gives him an unconvinced look, causing MJ to narrow her eyes at both of them. Peter laughs nervously and goes to argue when May cuts in.

"That's definitely not the reason," she agrees. Finally, Peter gives in.

"They're creepy okay! With their, their beedy pigment-cup ocelli it's just gross. And, and their hairy, creepy crawly legs," he rambles as his face morphs into one of pure disgust. His eyebrows pull together and he sticks his tongue out. The irony of it all makes May chuckle while MJ looks at him in disbelief.

"You're…spider inclined, but you don't like spiders?" MJ recaps with the single raise of an eyebrow. Well, when she puts it like that, it sounds…less reasonable. However, Peter stands his ground.

"You're forgetting that I was bit by a radioactive spider. Not a fun experience," he stresses in a quiet voice to not draw attention. MJ gives a noncommittal shrug and Ned doesn't look any more convinced than he was before.

"If you think that's bad, you should see him around-"

"Okay, Ned!" Peter quickly interrupts as he pushes his best friend forward. "We'll do the games first then go on the rides. Happy?" Ned's face brightens as he's pushed towards the booths and MJ and May follow.

"Oh, cool," Ned nods with an absentminded smile, already forgetting about his previous point.

First off, the four of them head to the Water Racer, which is just a typical aim and shoot water until the tube fills. Peter's powers don't necessarily give him insanely precise aim, so MJ is the first to take a win as well as a prize; a stuffed dog. Peter shoots her a smile, Ned mildly pouts at the fact that Peter couldn't beat the rigged booth, and May gives her a celebratory high five. In May's interpretation, MJ winning means the ladies are winning.

Next, Ned drags Peter to the Pyramid Smash while May and MJ observe. Pyramid Smash is one of the traditional tin can toss games, which are usually infamous for being rigged. Peter is reluctant at first to use his strength to essentially cheat, but Ned whispers the point that the booth is cheating by rigging it. Some quote by Gandhi pops into Peter's head, but he shrugs his shoulders and adds a bit of extra strength to his throw. As soon as the ball hits, the cans go flying and scatter to the ground with metallic clangs. He and Ned throw their arms up in victory and double high five as the booth worker stares at the cans with his mouth gaping. May gives Peter a stern look of warning, but can't hold back her smile. With an innocent look, Peter accepts his pink, huggable stuffed bear.

After that, MJ insists that they play Lobster Pot, a game where you toss balls into horizontal tubs to win, in order to win Ned one of the giant Pokémon plushies. Peter decides to let them have a go at it to not get himself unwanted attention due to his spidery abilities. Instead, he pulls out the disposable camera and takes pictures of his family as they throw the balls. He frames the shots just right so that he can get all three in the pictures with the beach behind them. Ned ends up landing two in a row and yells his victory before wisely choosing a large Bulbasaur plush.

Eventually, May's competitive nature takes over and she absolutely destroys the teens in a basketball booth called Basketball Extreme. This wins her the choice of a round plush as wide as her arms can carry, which ends up being a purple monster with one eye. Of course Peter can't miss the opportunity to take a picture of May lugging around that giant thing. She shoots him a look of playful betrayal, but he just grins as he takes another picture.

"That was insane!" Ned exclaims, holding his Bulbasaur tight. He frantically mumbles the rest to keep a low profile. "Those cans didn't stand a chance! You were all like 'cans, meet Spidey' and then the ball went fwoom and the cans all went wham to the ground! And did you see the look on that guy's face?! Spider-Man is the best thing that's ever happened to me, I swear." Peter fondly rolls his eyes and noncommittally shrugs a shoulder.

"Not as cool as May was shooting hoops," he points out, deliberately turning his head to smile smugly at May.

"What can I say?" May shows off her prize, "My true calling was the NBA." She overdramatically flips her hair and they all crack up, save for MJ who smiles.

"At five foot five, I'm sure it was," MJ responds sarcastically with a hint of humor.

"Yeah, good thing you missed that calling," Peter teases. May scoffs indignantly, albeit accompanied by a wide smile, and places a hand over her heart.

"You better watch your sass or you're all walking home," she threatens without any intent of following through. She shakes her head, but pulls out her wallet nonetheless to hand MJ some cash. "You and Ned get some food, we'll find a spot to sit," she offers. MJ, being the only responsible teenager, accepts the money with a smile and she as well as Ned walk to the corndogs.

"So," May starts as she and Peter walk, "you've been taking a lot of pictures today." Peter is slightly taken off guard by the observation, but supposes it's a valid one.

"Oh! Well, uh, I want to get in the habit of it for Mr. Jameson's pictures. Good, good practice. And, y'know, it's kinda fun. It's like keeping tangible memories. Good memories, y'know?" And I don't have a lot of those, goes unsaid. They sit on a bench and wait for the other two.

"I know," May replies in understanding as she puts her arm around her nephew's shoulders. She gives him a light, reassuring squeeze. "You're really starting to like this photography thing, huh?" For some reason, her inquiry makes Peter nervous.

"I guess so," he halfheartedly agrees with a shrug. "I mean, kinda? It's, it's just an undercover Spidey thing so it's not like I'm, y'know, gonna keep doing it." Peter anxiously clears his throat and nods like he has many times before. May has noticed the nervous habit and uses it as an identifier.

"There's nothing wrong with having a hobby," she gently reminds.

"Spider-Manning is my hobby," Peter counters, though his voice doesn't have much force behind it. He really does like photography and he has no idea why he finds it so fun and fulfilling. It's just scary to find something new that he might fail at and he can't take time away from patrols. That's his responsibility and there's plenty of other photographers out there. His eyes lock onto Ned across the way trying to carry four drinks without spilling them. "I'm gonna go help carry stuff," he says before jogging over to his friends. One of the drinks slips out of Ned's hand, but Peter manages to catch it with his lightning reflexes and the swift swipe of his hand.

"Woah, thanks," Ned says with a grateful look.

"No problem, man," Peter replies as MJ joins them holding four corndogs.

"You don't want to know what these are made of," she assures with a disgusted expression. Peter narrows his eyes in confusion, looks down at the number of corndogs, then looks back to her.

"You got four," he says slowly. MJ, however, doesn't move her unwavering eyes and simply raises her eyebrows.

"And?" she challenges, but neither Ned nor Peter are about to start World War Three. For some reason, Peter's Spidey Sense begins to tingle, sending goosebumps down his arms. He stands up straighter, grabbing the attention of his friends, and looks around.

"Peter?" Ned prompts cautiously. The danger isn't close, Peter mentally notes, it's either a small threat…or far away. "Peter," Ned repeats when he doesn't get a response.

"Spidey Sense," Peter mumbles, still trying to concentrate.

"Here?" MJ clarifies. To her it just doesn't seem like a good place to attack. What would a villain go after? The roller coasters? The beach? There's barely anyone at the park, but the beach is packed.

"I dunno," Peter answers softly. When he can't spot anything out of the ordinary, he decides to listen instead. He hopes that some kind of sound or voice will stick out more so than the rest. The voice that instantly stands out the most…is one he wished he wouldn't have to hear over the break. He closes his eyes and his shoulders sag in defeat.

"What? What is it?!" Ned questions, suddenly on high alert. Even MJ's eyes widen as she searches Peter for any kind of clue as to what's happening.

"You don't wanna know," Peter grumbles. Then, the voice becomes unavoidable.

"Spider-Man's cleaning up New York." The voice practically grates against Peter's ears. "Did you hear about how he single handedly stopped that criminal in Queens? What a hero." Ned and MJ both turn towards the voice. Of course they can't even go a few weeks without seeing or hearing Flash. He's with some other kid that goes to Midtown High, but come to think of it, Peter doesn't usually see Flash hanging out with much of anyone.

"But that Daily Bugle site said that Spider-Man is just stealing cops' jobs," the other kid says, obviously unconvinced. The thought of someone believing he would be Spider-Man just to take jobs makes Peter's stomach twist into knots. He'd never try to take people's income. At least, not intentionally… Am I taking people's work? he wonders with slight confliction.

"So what? Who needs cops when we have Spider-Man?" Flash easily challenges, glimpses his smug face showing through the crowd.

"Let it go," MJ mutters. Peter is unsure if she's talking to him or herself, but he decides to take the advice nonetheless.

"Come on, why can't you show him up already?" Ned whines as they walk through the small crowd towards the bench where May is waiting. "He's a jerk and you could, like, sneeze and beat him at anything." With a sigh, Peter sighs even though Ned is right.

"I can't, alright? It's just not the right thing to do," Peter disagrees, his teeth clenched. As they squeeze through the people waiting to get food, Ned is accidentally bumped into and pushed off balance. Peter acts fast, his hand shooting out to grab Ned's elbow and keep him from falling, but it isn't enough to stop the drinks from tumbling out of Ned's hands.

One of the drinks drops to the ground and the soda splashes over the pavement, but the other two fly outwards. One explodes over someone's shoes while the second drenches their shirt in the sticky, sugary substance.

"I'm so sor-" As fate would have it, that person just so happens to be Flash. Frozen in shock, Flash looks down at his shirt with his arms held out, then slowly looks up to see Ned being held upright by Peter.

"You're dead, Leeds," Flash threatens in a dangerous tone. He takes a menacing step forward, but Peter doesn't hesitate to move in front of Ned. Peter can take a lot, but Ned getting bullied is not one of them.

"Back off," he warns without any heat. "It was an accident." MJ carefully eyes them to judge whether or not she needs to step in.

"Tell that to my ruined shirt. This outfit costs more than your rent," Flash insults. He doesn't back down, his hard look staring straight into the three. As he does so, his friend stands off to the side disinterestedly.

"Then you have enough money to buy a new one," MJ chimes in, crossing her arms. "Or just wash it like everyone else." Her backhanded advice only serves to make Flash more angry. The bully's eyes lock on to Peter again.

"Some hero you are." Peter's heart skips a beat. There's no way he could know. Could he? No, there's just no way. "Still have MJ standing up for you? How do you expect to live up to your supposed boss Tony Stark when you can't save people by yourself?" Flash continues to berate as he crosses his arms over his chest.

"I said back off." The low tone of Peter's voice seems to catch all of them off guard. Ned's eyes widen and MJ sends him a side glance, but Flash somehow manages to keep his cool and scoff.

"Oh yeah? You think you're all that, Parker?" he challenges with a humored smile. It seems as though this is just a game to him, which wouldn't surprise Peter in the slightest.

"No, but I know I'm better than you," Peter shoots right back. What am I doing what am I doing what am I doing wha-

"Prove it then," Flash challenges confidently. Peter stares like a deer caught in headlights as people walk around them. He swallows thickly.

"Um, what?" How is he supposed to prove it? At a boardwalk nonetheless?

"The Extreme Strength test if you can handle it," Flash fires back without hesitation. Peter steals a glance at Ned and MJ, but doesn't have enough time to say anything before Flash talks again. "What? Are you gonna chicken out like you did in gym?" Crap. Last time Flash challenged him to something like this, it was to climb the rope in gym class. Peter had seriously thought about doing it, but he didn't want to give his new strength away. This time though…this time there isn't an audience. MJ must see the wheels turning in his head, because she interjects.

"Peter, let it go." Her warning is lost among Peter's rampaging thoughts. Is it worth it? If I just prove I'm a bit strong, that doesn't give my identity away. And Flash might leave us alone. Mr. Stark wouldn't back down from a challenge, right?

"What's going on over here?" All of them turn to face May, who's approaching them with her hands on her hips. She stares down Flash with a particularly scrutinizing, expectant gaze. Flash, of course, freezes upon being caught, his jaw going lax in the process. The only one who recovers quickly is Peter.

"Nothing," he says as he turns back to Flash. "We're just gonna play a game." His hard eyes don't move from the intense eye contact he makes with Flash, then he walks over to the Extreme Strength booth.

It has two areas where someone can hang from a bar. The goal is to hang from the bar, using only your hands, for two minutes straight. This is child's play to Spider-Man. Peter shakes out his hands and takes a deep breath, but he knows he's got this in the bag. May, however, watches with a wary look on her face. MJ looks downright disapproving, but since when is she not? Ned just looks as nervous as ever, and Peter can't blame him. Still, Peter stands below the bar and looks over to the one next to him. Flash waits under his as well, as confident and cocky as usual. They both jump up and grasp their respective bars at the same time.

Now it's a two minute waiting game.

Peter could do it all day. His grip strength is considerably stronger than Flash's, but he has to at least look like he's putting in effort. He adjusts his hands every few seconds to make it seem like he's losing his grip. Regardless of this, he's going to make sure he wins. He's sick and tired of Flash's bullying. Yet…he feels guilty for doing it? Dammit, why do I have to have a conscience, he wonders as he presses his lips together in concentration.

He glances to Flash, whose muscles seem to be shaking slightly, but he isn't giving in either. It just then strikes Peter how stupid this whole stunt is. He breathes in harshly through his nose at the realization and sighs. I shouldn't be doing this. It isn't the right thing to do, no matter how satisfying it'd be to see him lose. This isn't what a superhero does. Flash isn't that strong, but Peter Parker was never remotely strong. Flash can climb the rope in gym and Spider-Man can lift cars above his head, Peter Parker can hardly do push ups. If Peter Parker couldn't do it before… With that last thought of inner turmoil, Peter makes it look like his muscles give out and lets go of the bar, dropping onto the mats below.

"Ha!" Flash immediately exclaims, still holding on. "You lose, Parker!" he brags. Peter keeps his head lowered to shadow his brief expression of frustration and anger. Then, he takes a calming breath and stands.

"Yep. Congrats," he mumbles. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walks back to his friends and aunt. Ned pats his back in an attempt to comfort him and MJ gently elbows his ribs before shooting him a soft smile.

"You did good," May mildly praises and rests her arm over his shoulders. Peter knows it was the right thing, it just sucks to do the right thing sometimes.

"Don't be a sore loser!" At Flash's comment, May whips around and pins him with the most ice cold glare she can muster. It instantly does its intended purpose and shuts Flash up.

"It's fine, May." Peter wants to let May chew out Flash, but what would be the point? If anything, it would just be another thing for Flash to rub in his face. The once dull tingling in the back of Peter's skull skyrockets into a steady thrum.

"He gives you anymore trouble and I-" May starts, but yells and shouts of distress cut her off. Peter turns just in time to see people start to run and a booth to be torn apart. Wood goes splintering outwards, shattered glass flies to the ground, and countless stuffed prizes scatter. His eyes widen as Scorpion emerges from the wreckage, the villain breathing heavy and looking around with wide, crazed eyes.

"I know you're here, you spider freak!" Scorpion yells. His monstrous metal tail takes swipes at nearby railings, which crumple underneath the sudden pressure. Peter doesn't waste anymore time in tossing Ned his prize and yanking off his sweatshirt.

"Peter?!" May demands, frantically glancing between her nephew and Scorpion. MJ's eyes dart around in panic, searching for what to do as Ned pulls out his phone with unsteady hands. "What do you think you're-"

"It's kind of my job!" Peter shouts over the growing chaos. "As soon as you guys can, hook up to Karen! But being safe comes first, you hear me?! Don't call until you're safe!" he orders, ignoring their arguments, and bolts through the crowd. There isn't any delegated privacy to change, so he runs to a booth, slides across the counter, and crouches behind it. The first thing he does is slip on his mask.

"Hello, Peter. Are you having fun at the boardwalk?" Karen calmly inquires, oblivious to the pandemonium. Meanwhile, Peter wrestles with his shirt to pull it over his head.

"Karen! We, we've got a situation!" He finally gets his shirt off and kicks his pants off as he rips his suit out of his bag. The crisp winter air bombards his bare skin all at once. Shit, it's freezing. "Remind me to make a faster way to put on the suit in emergencies! And, and turn on the heaters! Don't forget Droney!" He does his best to get his thoughts out as his teeth chatter.

"Note has been created and Spider Drone is deployed," Karen confirms. Droney flies out of the suit and positions itself to take pictures. As soon as Peter hits the center of the suit, a clawed hand shreds the counter of the booth and exposes him in the process. Luckily, the suit is all ready to go. Scorpion's nose crinkles in hatred and his tail makes a move to strike, which Peter swiftly ducks away from.

"Woah, don't sneak up on me like that!" Peter warns in a lighthearted voice. The tail's blade pierces the ground and he takes his chance to shoot a web from each wrist aimed at Scorpion's shoulders. Once they attach, Peter quickly closes the distance between them and delivers a solid kick to the villain's chin. He flips out of the attack and lands on his feet with a bounce. "I'm like a wild arachnid when backed into a corner." Regardless of his strong kick, Scorpion doesn't seem all that fazed.

"You screwed up my face!" he accuses in frustration. His lightning fast tail swipes at the already destroyed booth to fling broken wood, metal, and glass in Peter's direction. Peter's mechanical lenses widen with his eyes and he webs a giant stuffed bear in front of him to take the brunt of the airborne attacks. Thankfully, the glass impales the bear and not him.

"Dude, your face was screwed up before I even did anything." When the bear falls to the ground, Scorpion is already on top of him, pinning him in place.

"Screwed up my life!" Scorpion shoots a fist rocketing down, but Peter manages to twist his head out of the way. The fist leaves a dent in the ground and sends painful vibrations to his ears. "Sent me to jail!" Another punch, another dodge. "Eight months!" This time, Scorpion's rage induced punch slams into Peter's cheek. Peter's world tilts and his ears ring, but he recovers fast. He kicks Scorpion off of him and shoots a Splitter Web to slam Scorpion back into the ground head-first.

"Don't break the law and you won't have to go to jail!" he counters. The tail still retracts its blade to shoot a thick spray of acid in defense. Peter webs a sheet of metal, from the debris flung at him, and uses it to shield himself from the corrosive acid. The acid splatters, but luckily none of it lands on him.

"I'm gonna find out who you are!" Scorpion continues to threaten and jumps to his feet. "And I'm gonna rub it in his face!" The villain sprints at Peter head-on, using his tail as a bludgeon to hit Peter with over and over. Usually blunt force doesn't bother Peter, but the reinforced steel making up Scorpion's armor and tail is much tougher than what he's used to. "Then I'm gonna kill you and that no-good liar! You'll pay! You'll both pay!" Peter puts up his arms to block the tail from hitting his face and manages to shoot a Web Grenade. It sticks to Scorpion's chest and beeps before exploding to give him a face full of webbing.

"What is it with bad guys and announcing their evil plans? Do you take constructive criticism?" Peter uses his brief advantage to get more distance between them and reload his web-shooters. If I can stay out of his tail's reach, I can use my long-range webs to my advantage. As fast as Scorpion is distracted, he uses his claws to shred the webbing from his face.

"You'll regret everything!" Scorpion roars in protest.

"I'll take that as a 'no.'" This time, Scorpion curls his tail underneath him and uses it as a spring to leap forward a good thirty feet. Peter doesn't waste any time and shoots a web at the top of a booth sign to avoid the villain, but he isn't fast enough. Scorpion grabs his ankle with an iron grip that almost makes him cry out and hurls him to the ground. Peter gasps in a breath at the harsh impact, but he's had way worse so he picks himself back up…only to be slammed back into the ground. His head smacks against the pavement as claws dig into his chest.

The claws remind him too much of Vulture's talons when they dug their way into his shoulders and chest. Scorpion's metal coated fingers tear through his suit and pierce his skin as they grip his shoulders. He screams out in pain, but it's nothing compared to the fear. The sensation is too similar to Homecoming night and it doesn't help that they're at the same beach where he crashed Tony's plane. He can practically feel the heat of the fire from the crash, the sand in his hair, the metallic taste of blood in his mouth. Then the same bright green eyes are staring back at him. His chest rises and falls too fast. You're not there. You're here. You're fine. Dammit, how much trauma can one night cause?!

"Peter your heart rate is increasing," Karen warns and Peter latches onto it. Karen wasn't with him on Homecoming night, so he can't be at the crash. He pushes back against the crushing force above him, but the cool, constricting space coupled with the pain makes him think of the warehouse. The memories start to blend together. The warehouse was cold but now he feels like he's on fire. Vulture's talons can't be embedded in his shoulders if he's being crushed, but then why does he feel like he's being stabbed? Instead of trying to make sense of it, he thrashes against the suffocating pressure.

"Come on, Spider-Man! You can beat this loser!" Wait. He knows that voice. No one was there during that night, so then who's… He gasps in a sharp breath, struggling to push back the pressure, and turns his head to see Flash standing not too far away. Peter's eyes widen at what Flash has done; grabbing the attention of what's on top of him. Peter looks back to see he has been holding back the pointed blade of Scorpion's tail mere inches from his face.

The world harshly comes back into focus as the momentary haze lifts from his senses. He's in a fight with Scorpion and he needs to focus. The sounds of shrill screams and Scorpion's shouts accompany his descent to reality.

"Who the hell are you?!" Scorpion demands, his head whirling around to face the disturbance. All of Flash's gusto vanishes in an instant and he freezes, slack-jawed and wide-eyed. Peter pushes back harder with the villain momentarily distracted, but doesn't fail to notice that the vague green tint to Scorpion's face is more noticeable this time around. It isn't a sickly shade, it's more like the pigment in his skin is shifting to green. That's…strange.

With a surge of forced strength, Peter pushes the blade farther from his face with a grunt of effort, only for the mechanical tail to overpower him. The blade retracts, which seems good until he remembers the tail is multipurpose. His Spidey Sense explodes and makes all his hair stand on end before a globule of acid comes spraying out of the opening. He's pinned in place, but he manages to sharply turn the end of the tail with shaking fists instead. The acid is flung off to the side, away from his head, and he takes a ragged breath of relief.

"No one is gonna stand in my way!" Scorpion shouts, his crazed eyes flitting from Flash to Peter again.

"Oh yeah?! Well I! I, uh… Dammit it's too early in the fight to run out of banter," Peter mutters nervously. He makes his move, planting his feet firmly on Scorpion's chest and tugging on the tail as a fulcrum to flip the villain over his head. As Scorpion is flipped onto his back, Peter keeps his feet planted so that he lands on the armor-coated chest. Scorpion lands with a resounding thud, but it just seems to increase the intensity of his anger and the whites of his eyes become bloodshot.

If long-range isn't working for Peter, he'll just have to change tactics. With the quick selection of his Rapid Fire Webs, he shoots web after web at Scorpion to coat him in the sticky, restricting substance. Peter's hope is that if he adds enough, Scorpion won't be able to break free. That is, until he runs out of webs and hears the empty clicking of his web-shooters.

"Shit shit shit shit," he mumbles with dread. As quickly as Scorpion was restrained, he expels the restraining webs and, before Peter can detect it past his rising panic, backhands the hero across the jaw. The strike has so much force that Peter is sent ragdolling through the air and collides with a wooden bench. The bench splinters around him at the force and tumbles across the ground for too long until his back crashes into a metal lamp post. A fiery pain erupts in his back as the lamppost creaks and falls over due to the impact, the light shattering once it hits the ground.

"Multiple contusions sustained," Karen speaks up again, her worry showing through. "Peter, is there anything I-" Her offer is drowned out by Scorpion's yells.

"No one! Not even you!" Peter rapidly blinks to clear his blurred vision and locks eyes on the villain just in time to see him towering over Flash, who's now on the ground.

"Screw this! You're on your own!" Flash's friend screams before running in the opposite direction from where he was hiding.

"What?! You, you dipshit!" Flash's voice cracks and he tries to scoot away from the approaching Scorpion. Peter jumps to his feet, swaying slightly, and sprints towards the two. Scorpion's tail transforms once again, but this time into something new. Peter's heart picks up speed as well as his legs. The tail's opening widens to accommodate a large, spherical orb of pulsating energy. His eyes go impossibly wider as it's aimed at Flash. He uses his webs to try to get there faster. The tail fires the charge.

"No!"

Because of the double chapter update, I see this cliffhanger doesn't phase you! But just you wait...

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