Chapter 9: SPLIT
Disclaimer: We don't own any of the Spectacular Characters or Marvel Characters, we just do this for fun :)
Also, this chapter will be very visceral, and there will be plenty of blood… and sadness
8 YEARS EARLIER - PARKER RESIDENCE
8 years earlier, during Christmas day, two young boys, Peter Parker and Harry Osborn, spent the holiday in Peter's room, playing plenty of video games on the Xbox 360, such as GTA San Andreas, Call of Duty, and Halo, while the adults had their own fun downstairs.
For the young Peter, being the only child in the house, he treasured Harry's company. There's one in a million chance that there was another kid in the Parker house. But he wondered why Harry didn't spend the holidays with his parents. The holiday season was the time to spend with family and friends. But his Aunt told him that Harry's family sent him here because his father, esteemed Norman Osborn, had business to do at Oscorp, overseas, and his wife followed. It also seemed like he didn't have any grandparents to stay with… which was a bummer.
Nevertheless, the two had immense fun, but fun could only last so long, till they dropped to the floor, tired and sweaty.
"Jeez, that was tiring," the young Peter confessed.
Harry didn't respond, being in deep thought.
"I'm sorry to be bothering you during Christmas, Pete," he apologized.
"You're kidding, right? This is my favorite Christmas cause you're here!"
"Really… You mean that?"
"Yeah… you're welcome here anytime, Harry. And I don't think my Uncle and Aunt would have a problem with it. Just tell them before"
"Thanks… I'm glad I'm spending it with you, and your family"
Peter could only smile after he heard that.
"So… you wanna hear another joke?" Harry asked.
"Let's hear it!"
A large grin formed on both children's sweaty faces, laughing at the silly and dumb jokes they spewed. Laughing, chatting, screaming on the floor for an eternity didn't sound so bad in the moment.
WAKE UP CALL - SOMEWHERE IN MANHATTAN
Things change, when you get older. Sometimes in small ways, or in very destructive ways. Especially in the city that never sleeps.
From below, Manhattan sounded and looked like a war-zone, with thick orange gas clouded the area, and a bomb going off. Many people rushed out of the smoky area, covering their mouths. Paramedics tried to help and bandage as many people as they could, while the police officers tried moving as many people out of that area.
Subsequently, the tattered web headed hero was limping and bleeding all over the area. Yet with one web fluid refill, it could cover the bleeding. Then he tried helping anyone that passed by him. Finally, he got to the blown up police car and peeked to see the unspeakable. It was like there was nothing left of the two men, only charred bone and ash. He deeply sighed at the sight of it. For Peter, underneath the mask, his breath tremendously shuddered, and his heart… it was like he couldn't feel it. All he heard was this high pitch ringing… and his mind…
His mind kept dreadfully envisioning how'd Gwen react to this… travesty of an incident. He grimaced at the thought of it, even let out a little roar.
'DAMMIT! DAMMIT - DAMMIT - DAMMIT! This can't be happening to Gwen now! This can't!'
Then, from above, the nefarious Hobgoblin hovered above with that demonic glider. His blazing red eyes burned through the smoke. Those blazed as bright as his smoldering sword. That's all that Spider-Man could see of him through the gloomy smoke.
But once Spider-Man caught a glimpse of him, he shot off the ground and launched himself at the villainous foe.
BAM!
The Hobgoblin powerfully backhanded him onto the roof of a nearby building.
THUD… his body skidded on the rooftop, with Peter feeling every single tumble.
"Love what you did with the new suit, Pete… but you seem a bit torn on it," Hobgoblin jabbed once he glided near him. He saw how damaged his cheap spandex red and black suit got. His small spider-emblem, completely blown off, like the rest of his suit, which hung by a thread.
"You've no idea what you've done, Harry!" Spider-Man muttered.
"Yeah, I do. I got rid of another crime boss… you're welcome," the Hobgoblin menacingly grinned.
"You got another person killed!"
"Just a police officer. And he tried to get away with Tombstone-"
"Just a police officer? Harry, that's Gwen's dad. Do you not care what happens to her?!"
"Wait… now you want me to care about Gwen?! After you tried getting with Gwen last year… when I was still dating her"
"What?"
"You thought I didn't know that, huh? The little scheme you two were planning. God, some friend you are"
"You weren't supposed to hear that"
"Well, I heard it loud and clear!"
"What do you want me to say? I'm sorry that your girlfriend loved me more than she ever loved you… and now you got her father killed," Peter ranted.
"SHUT UP!" he screamed.
But Peter continued on his tyrade, "And now you're getting other people killed because you can't accept the fact that your father was a monster by his own hand!"
"SHUT UP!"
"And you're becoming just like him!"
"NO NO NO! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" he screamed.
The Hobgoblin violently launched himself at Spider-Man. There was this killer look to his flaming red eyes.
After moments of twisting and tumbling, with razor bats and web tangling, Spidey grew frustrated and threw Hobgoblin off him. Especially after the plenty of slashes all over his chest. At last, the hooded menace noticed the hero had stopped chatting, which was a grave sign the Hobgoblin was all for.
"There it is," he deviously smiled from ear to ear.
A blood lusted, Spidey growled, before he brutally tackled him down. Then he laid his hands around the neck of the menace and tried choking him, but the Hobgoblin brushed him off. His hand tried to reach for his sword, which was not that far away.
'Thwiiippp!'
Suddenly, he felt a web attach to him, and he instantly shot forward to Spider-Man.
'BAMMM!'
Once he was in close distance, the wall crawler punched his face straight into the ground.
'Thud'
Then he strutted to his body and powerfully wailed onto the Hobgoblin.
Loud hysterical laughter came from the hooded menace, especially after he coughed up blood.
And the enraged Peter couldn't hear those meaty and heavy punches he laid onto him…
And kept going…
and going…
and going.
BAM.
BAM!
BAM! Blood spewed all over his already red gloves, which left Peter in a haze. He felt disoriented, so he stepped away from the body and saw more blood oozing out of the shattered goblin mask.
'What am I doing?'
At that moment, he realized he was more like Harry… more like Norman… more like his father than he wished. He despised that dirty feeling. This isn't helping anything or anyone, so why is he doing it?
He ripped off the Hobgoblin mask to find the terribly damaged, and swollen face of Harry. The sight of it terrified him. But knowing he did this, made his heart sink into deep depths.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Har," the hero backed away with his hands up. He finally came to his senses.
"C'mon… finish what you started," Harry spat.
"FINISH IT"
"No Harry, I-I won't"
"Don't be soft, dude! DO IT!"
"I won't," Spider-Man's voice crumbed.
An enraged and damaged Harry sprung up off the floor. He stomped toward Spidey like a predator. Then when he viciously clocked the damaged Spider-Man to the floor which he ruthlessly wailed onto him like a barbaric madman. He wore himself out with every single punch thrown. So he stopped for a moment to breathe and… contemplate, especially when he caught a glimpse of what he'd done.
'Finish him! C'mon, do it!' the voice viciously urged.
He thought he was hallucinating when he saw a familiar little boy's face. A face that he'd remember seeing every day when he played video games with him. Harry teared up at the thought of it, but he tried to shake them away.
'Don't be a coward, Harry! C'mon… DO IT! ONE MORE PUNCH! FINISH HIM !'
"NOOO!" he screamed before he threw his final punch into the floor.
Once this devious voice kept yelling at him. It kept insisting. And it grew to sound less familiar to his voice… and more like his father's.
'DON'T BE SOFT!'
"FUUUCCCKKK!" he thunderously roared.
It echoed and disturbed the birds in the sky, and they flew right out of there.
Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Peter's blood on his hands. It horrified him and immediately turned his eyes away from them. Blood on his hands, dripping down to the ends of his elbows.
He reluctantly gazed at Peter's body, bloodied and broken… especially his face, which looked like it was puffing up around the eye area. Harry was aghast at this realization. Huffed, puffed, and shook in horror. He slowly stepped back from Peter and cried out his name.
"PETE!"
The teary-eyed Harry crumbled to his feet, and laid next to his battered "friend," who struggled to breathe, coughing out blood. His eyes laid open and locked onto his friend.
"I-I am so so so sorry, Pete! Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!"
He tried to turn his head toward Harry, but struggled. Harry silently observed him from the side, trapped in his wave of guilt and disarray.
"I'm sorry, Harry," he mouthed.
He reached out his hand to him, which Harry could only admire at. However, it was too bright and glorious that it'd blind him.
Harry couldn't believe it, even after all of this damage, all the recent atrocities committed by his own hand and…
Peter freaking apologized.
Harry dropped his head down, trying with all his strength to fight back his tears. It strained him of what his father would think if he saw him like this… but now he couldn't care in the world what that monster thought. They overpower him, flowing down through his face. He ripped off sections of his cape and wrapped it around Peter's open wounds to stop the immense bleeding. Looking at all of this, Harry knew what he needed to do.
Through his tears, he glanced at Peter one last time… and painfully gulped and called over his damaged glider. EMTs could do more for him than he could've. But he couldn't bear to see or hold him. So he left him there to find an EMT or officers to help with his damaged best bud.
Yet, when Harry observed the debris on the street below, the blown up car, with Captain Stacy's burnt body inside it… it haunted him. He never thought he had it in him… but he did. So he flew down to the large police force, who pointed their guns directly at him, but to their surprise, he raised his hands up. Once, as he set foot on the street, officers powerfully restrained him, throwing his face into the pavement.
"Please, please, PLEASE HELP MY FRIEND!" he pleaded while getting arrested.
"He's still up there!" he frantically pointed his head at the roof.
"PLEASE!" He pleaded them.
It took a while for the officers and the medics to mull their options… which they got up that rooftop, armed and ready for anything to go down. But to their surprise, there was no trap, or nobody there.
"There's no one here, sir," the officer reported back.
There was, in fact, nobody there. Just a torn goblin mask, and a blood trail smeared the rooftop that only led to the bottom of the building.
…
ALLAN RESIDENCE
Apparently, it was a minimum day at Midtown, especially since Senior's Finals were the next day. So Liz rushed home, especially when she saw thick clouds of orange smoke coming from downtown Manhattan. She didn't want to be on the streets when inevitable chaos occurred.
'Please don't tell me Petey's a part of that!'
She also needed to study for Finals… and hopefully that'd take her mind off her Petey. She knew what she needed to do, but her heart was reluctant to do it.
Oh Petey, Petey, Petey…
Liz really loved Petey, with all of her heart, because he was a genuine guy, who believed in her, and that she could be more than the 'peaking at highschool' stereotype.
And she knew a part of him loved her too… well, she hoped.
Yet now she finally understood what she needed. Even though she wished she didn't. She really wished hard… Hell, she even prayed, and wasn't even the religious type.
She understood and even loved the noble reasons Peter can't be there at all times, but still… it bugged a part of her, and she couldn't shake it off.
Yet, that idea couldn't last forever in her head, because once she entered her room, she felt the cool breeze flowing through the window.
'Jeez, did I forget to close the window?'
Then her eyes darted to a battered and bloodied Peter, who was tirelessly wheezing by the open window.
She sprung into action, and rushed to him, then frantically closed that window.
"Oh my god, Petey!" she exclaimed.
"The Bugle wished they could see me right now…" he lowly mumbled.
"Petey, you need to stop talking, and rest," she calmly recommended. Well, she tried her best to be calm.
"This would be quite the story for Ol' Jolly Jameson… he'd want some pics of this"
"Petey, please"
Suddenly Peter's once joking expression slowly transformed into somberness, with tears coming out of his eyes.
"I-I couldn't save him… Ca- Captain Stacy," his voice croaked.
"What?"
"I couldn't save anybody, Liz… not Billy, not Mrs. Connors, not Sally… not even Tombstone…"
Liz remained quiet, especially when she heard Sally's name uttered out of his mouth.
"I keep imagining Gwen… in my head. Of how she'll take it. I-"
"Petey, you need to calm down and rest… please," Liz urged, as she softly placed her hand over his.
"Liz, I can't-"
"Please-"
He ragefully threw off her hand, and ranted, "I CAN'T REST! Don't you see… Captain Stacy is DEAD, HARRY IS GOD-KNOWS WHERE… AND GWEN!… WHAT'S SHE GONNA THINK WHEN SHE FINDS OUT HER FATHER IS DEAD! SO NO, I CAN'T REST… I WON'T!"
His eyes instantly caught Liz's speechless expression, with her jaw to the floor. It frightened her by how pissed off he was…
Peter immediately noticed this and dropped his head into his hands. He kept picking himself in the sake of self loathing.
His voice muffled through his fingers, "I'm sorry… So so so sorry."
Liz could tell that was a voice of sincere regret, so she slowly moved in slightly closer to him, till she got so close and comfortable, she softly embraced him.
"I keep saying that more and more these days," he softly admitted.
"You've had a rough day," she acknowledged as her fingers gently combed his hair.
"Yeah, but you didn't deserve that… you never did. You've had it rough too, and you managed"
The moment he said that, she stepped away from him and gathered her supplies to cover up his wounds. She even grabbed an ice pack for his bruised face.
'Was this the right time?'
"What if I said I've been hiding it really well?" she spouted.
"Hiding what?"
He could tell she was hesitant to say anything more than that… but it just left him more curious.
"C'mon Liz, you can tell me anything," Peter insisted.
She gulped before elaborating. 'Here it goes.'
"I'm crumbling out here, Petey… I've been crumbling ever since Sally's death. She was the one person I vented to constantly… It was great. Sure, it could be toxic, especially when she assumed the worse of you… but she was there, listening. It was a safe space between her and I. And that's all I can ask for"
She tried to do two things at once and kept trying to wipe off the blood from his wounds.
"But now I have all of this baggage that keeps eating at me… it's suffocating… I don't wanna keep dumping it on others, but it feels like I need to. Especially when you're not here… and I get why you're not. But still… it hurts. Specially if… I'm scared you won't come back in one piece next time…"
Peter sat there and listened to every word she said, but couldn't get through what she was saying. Probably was the multiple head wounds..
"But I don't want you to take a break from being Spidey, cause you're needed out there and you know-"
"What are you trying to get at, Liz?" Peter wanted some clarification in the midst of this rambling.
"I-I just want you here… with me. And listen and be honest to each other. That's all I want. But it feels like I'm at the bottom of your list, recently… and it's lonely"
"You really feel that way?"
"Yeah… and the worst part is that it's not all your fault. You can't control what's out there. What new psycho roams the streets. But that's why you're gone most of the time… it's a never-ending cycle we keep trying to work on… but nothing happens," she expressed, with tears rolling down her cheek.
"I wished… it wasn't that way," Peter softly uttered before he sniffled.
He reached out for her hand and admitted, "I want us to work, Liz. I really do."
"But we keep going in circles, Petey… we're going nowhere, and we keep going that way"
"Then… you know what the next step is, Liz. It's what best… for both of us," he sniffled.
"Yeah… I know," she sighed, with her heart dropping into the Mariana Trench.
There it was. The final nail to the coffin, to their 2nd go-around of this relationship. Yet a part of them knew this would never work out… no matter how hard they tried to convince themselves.
"Don't think I can go home anytime soon. So, can we have one last sleepover?" he proposed.
"Let's do that," she grinned, with a little tear trickling down her cheek. She sniffled as she continued to clean up and stitch his wounds.
'Jeez Parker, to think Harry would be the least of my problems'
"So… can you… um text my aunt, and tell her I'm staying at your place, please," he kindly requested. She instantly nodded, reaching for her phone and quickly typed away on his phone.
"You gotta start being honest with her as well," she pointed out once she wiped the rest of wounds on his chest.
'I know, I know. Don't have to remind me!'
STACY'S RESIDENCE
That dreadful afternoon, one person still hadn't gotten the dreadful news, Captain Stacy's daughter, Gwendolyn. Not news on the TV, cause she doesn't watch the news. Not from any friends, cause her phone was on silent.
Especially since Gwen's glued to her laptop all day, doing research on each of the 16 colleges that accepted her.
And nobody has rung her door yet… till…
Ding, Dong…
The doorbell rang, which Gwen caught her attention. She tippy-toed and peeped through the peephole to see the three officers, all who were recognizable to her; Officer Dewolff, Officer Carter, and Officer Davis.
Once she opened the door, they seemed off to her. Officers Dewolff and Carter kept their composure, albeit, had wetness around the corners of their eyes, but the composure of Officer Jefferson Davis… triggered her worries. His forehead got sweaty. Tears collected at the bottom lid of his eye. And his mouth tremendously when he tried to speak… so close to tears raining down from his face.
'Oh goodness. Oh goodness, oh goodness, oh goodness! No, no, no, no! Please, please, please… I beg to you! Dad, this better be some sick prank, cause I'm not buying it…'
'Please…'
'Daddy… please come through that door'
Gwen froze in place… till reality finally hit her like a bullet train.
Chills sent up to her face.
Her breathing was short and stunted.
Her eyes immensely watered up.
Her hands shook and twitched.
Her entire body stiffened up.
As her chest felt like it was about to explode, with her heart was the ticking time bomb.
And her legs felt weak and collapsed before the three officers.
That's when her world fell apart, and eventually she did.
The concerned officers quickly crouched down and embraced her, and they finally let out their tears in front of her.
…
PARKER LUCK - MIDTOWN'S FOOTBALL STADIUM
2 momentous weeks later, it was finally graduation day. Thankfully, on a nice Friday afternoon.
A day filled with celebration for most of the well-dressed senior class.
A day that many seniors expected and dreaded.
Of course, there's that small portion who doesn't even walk… because of what's dubbed as, 'senioritis.' It happened to the several who don't even care about school in their senior year.
Anyway, that day wasn't for them. It was for those who actually did the work and got the job done. Some excelled more than others, and some were just on the top of the class. The salutatorian who was Gwen Stacy and the valedictorian who was…
"For this senior class's valedictorian, please welcome PETER PARKER!"
A small amount of applause and cheers came from the audience in the bleachers, but a large amount of senior crowd erupted once Peter slowly and nervously stepped on to the stage.
'Woo, here we go!'
Peter nervously gulped once he reached for the mic.
"Ahem, hi everyone… It's a nice afternoon here. And look, it's crazy to be up here at this moment. After everything we've been through… it's, um… been pretty crazy!"
Peter takes a second to clear his throat as he gazed upon what felt like millions of eyes staring at him.
Yet his eyes solely focused on his blonde friend, Gwen. Every second he blinked, he remembered a moment from her father's funeral. A funeral that happened on the Sunday of that week. So much for Sunday worship… and it was numbing to Peter. It felt like he's been to so many of these in his lifetime.
From the whole police force being at the funeral to the lowering of the casket into the ground, every other moment felt like a blur… except for this one.
The moment when Peter tried to use his words to help Gwen through this feeling he's familiar with, but the right words couldn't come out. So without saying a word, he opened his arms, and allowed the grieving Gwen to break down into his arms, as she shed pounds of her tears. Those feelings of vulnerability and loss filled his heartache.
At that moment, his eyes became watery at the thought of it, but he quickly wiped them away, and gulped.
"But we fortunately made it through this crazy year," Peter continued.
He was reading through his written speech on the podium, but it didn't sound right in his head. So it was time to improvise…
"Obviously those moments… they don't last forever. Just like our years in high school, and like everything else. Everything ends. Look, I don't wanna seem like a debby downer on our last day…. But it's a fact: no matter how high up you are… you could even be on cloud nine, but you will always fall back down. That part feels inevitable. You expect it, yet it still hits you like a truck. I-I struggled with this myself. Constantly depressed, overwhelmed, and lost cause I could never get what I truly wanted…" his voice cracked. Peter gulped for a moment, holding back his emotions, and continued the speech.
"Anyway, it feels like I'm rambling on… but the whole point of life… or what makes life so valuable, is the small moments. The small choices you make can change the trajectory of our lives. It's not like you can go back in time and change them. And if I could… I would change a lot of things. Wouldn't we all?" he smiled.
The audience shared a little chuckle with him, which built Peter's confidence further.
"Sadly, we… can't. The funny thing is… if we could, each choice would be less valuable… so scratch that. Especially a choice to do the right thing. That it wasn't just a choice, but a duty for all to do that… even if the right thing isn't the thing we want… that we still do it, anyway. That's the true beauty about life. To do right by each other. And doing the right thing will inspire others to do the same thing. It's leaving something worth leaving behind. This is IMPORTANT, today of all days, to remind us we have so much time in our hands, cause once we get out of here, we're officially young adults in this big crazy world."
Peter noticed some folks near him grew impatient, which was definitely a sign to conclude.
"What I finally understand from my highschool experience… is that we must leave behind something good for others to look up to, because, yes, we won't last forever… what we leave behind on this earth will. And it's our choice to do that!"
Once Peter's speech ended, a much louder and prouder applause emerged from the crowd, both from the bleachers and the senior class. Peter's smile grew as he stepped down from the stage, with that relief off his shoulders. He gazed across the hundred people in the stands, searching for his aunt. His eyes finally pinpointed Aunt May, who cried and immediately wiped them away. But her smile cemented into his heart.
Mere moments later, they finally moved their tassel on the top cap. From the left to the right. And the graduating class felt butterflies fluttering inside them, ready to the big moment. Then they officially and cheerfully threw their cap up in the air, with huge smiles on each of their faces. IT'S OVER… FINALLY!
So many warm hugs, especially toward Peter. Even Flash Thompson, Kenny Kong, and Rand Robertson gave him a tight farewell hug. There was a time in his life where he wished he had never seen those guys again in his life… but now, it was bittersweet. Also, from the corner of Peter's eye, he could see so many tearful goodbyes. He just wished Harry Osborn and Sally Avril were here with them.
After many more moments of celebrating, Peter got a text from none other than Liz.
'Meet me at the back of the cafeteria,' - Liz
So he did what he was told and snuck over to the empty cafeteria… which was bittersweet to see. He waited for a moment, till from the corner of his eye, he saw her.
"Hey, where are your parents, young lady?" Peter asked humorously. She smiled when she strolled toward him.
"Chatting with the other parents," she replied.
"So, how'd you like my speech?"
"Well, it was kinda on the nose"
"On the nose?" Peter asked.
"Yeah, but it was good overall. So good job, Spider-Man," she playfully nudged.
Right away, Peter's eyes curiously wandered to the brown bag that hung from her forearm.
"What's with the bag?"
Her attention sprung into action, and she handed it off to him.
"I wanted to give you this"
When Peter peeped in the bag, it brought a large grin on his face. This gift was certainly a useful one, being a new red and black spandex costume.
"Awe Liz, this is great… thank you! Thank you! You're the best!"
"It's the least I could do since your suit was pretty trashed, so…"
"You don't have to remind me. But thank you… thank you so much…"
"You know, I'm really gonna miss… this," he added.
She nodded along to his praises, but she still had something left in her mind, and wanted to put it out there, so there's no regret.
"Gotta ask… I know it's really late for this question… but… was there a part of you that… ever l-loved me?"
To her surprise, Peter answered no long after.
"Yeah. I loved you Liz. And I won't stop… even if we're not dating… cause you helped me… through all of this. I'm sorry if I never could say it out loud… but I did"
Liz stood there, zoned out. Peter looked down at his feet. There was one more thing he wanted to know the answer to. He didn't need the answer, but he couldn't help himself.
"Well… I mean, what about you? Did… did you ever-"
"Yes," she instantly responded.
Both of the young adults shared a chuckle till Liz gently wrapped her arms around his neck. Her hand softly caressed his cheek for what felt like a lifetime. Liz gingerly pulled his face toward hers, and their lips tenderly met. They lingered with each other's lips, unwilling to let go, till… they pulled away once they needed a breath. Then they rested their foreheads on each other as they panted.
Peter gazed at her soft hazel-tinted eyes one last time before pulling her back in for an affectionate embrace.
"Take care of yourself, Liz. And I know you'll be great"
"I know I will too. And stay safe, Petey," she tearfully uttered once she pulled away from his embrace.
They slowly stepped away from each other and with each longing gaze shortening till they were out of sight.
JFK AIRPORT
It wasn't a long drive, from Forest Hills, Queens to John F. Kennedy International Airport, but it certainly was a quiet drive. Especially with Peter appreciating every single moment he had left with his best friend, Gwen.
He still remembered when he first got the news that she'll go to Oxford and made his heart drop. Obviously he'd wished she'd stay, especially since so many people are popping out of his life every second, but he got why she wanted to leave New York.
He still remembered when the two first met in middle school. While the other girls in their grade strolled around the field, and talked about God-knows what… a soft-spoken blonde girl sat by herself, studying the next chapter in her science book. Most of the people knew her as Captain Stacy's daughter, but she was much more than that, at that young age. And a shy Peter would find that out himself, when he struck up a conversation with her. It was the first time he interacted with a girl since… God-knows how long. Most girls strayed away from him because he was a so-called geek. But it was nice that they got along right away once they started talking about science. It was a nice change of pace, since the young Harry loved to talk about video games… but he couldn't complain, since he loved video games too. And he wouldn't have made it through middle school without those two, especially with Flash becoming more of a jerk every second, and girls growing in disliking of Peter's "geekiness." But not those two… Gwen and Harry. Their friendship was going to last forever… or till they're dead. Man, they should've made a pact.
It's inevitable to be naïve as Peter was. Yet who could blame him? Life loved to shake things up when it felt like it… for better or for worse. And life was taking another person he cared about to a place he had no care for. Of course, he cared for the people in London, like he cared for the rest of the world… but he wished someone would stay in his world.
"Here we are," Mary Jane pointed out, once she parked the car.
Peter and Mary Jane helped move her baggage out of the trunk. She asked when she darted back at the blonde, "You get everything?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I did. Thank you MJ… for everything"
"Oh c'mon over here, you can't leave… especially without a hug goodbye!"
"I'll call you every chance I get, okay?" Gwen assured her.
Mary Jane smiled so hard, she shed a tear while she gave Gwen one last warm hug.
"Yeah… I count on it"
She glared at the red-head one last time, before she moved onto Peter, who seemed like he was breaking into tears at the seams.
"Go enjoy Oxford, alright? But don't… enjoy it too much," Peter tearfully expressed.
"I will, Pete. But what about you? You better not have too much fun without me"
"Trust me, I won't," he assured.
"Hopefully you and your aunt stay safe"
'Too late, huh?'
Peter pulled her into a warm embrace for one last time. But he wished he wouldn't let go… but should let go. Before he did, he kissed her on her blonde locks, which a little smirk grew on Gwen's face. He gazed at her from afar as she stepped toward the line for her airplane.
And she glanced back at the two waving back at her… and remembered snapshots of her life in New York City. This crazy adventure started when she met her best friend, Peter Parker. Wasn't like life was lifeless without Peter, but dull in comparison. That's where she met Harry Osborn, who's been a blessing and a curse to her life… but someone who she'll always have a soft spot for. Then Doctor Connors and his family came into her life, which was a major mixed bag for her. And that's when she appreciated the father in front of her, yet that moment ended as quickly as it started. By mourning the loss of her heroic father. Which led her to where she stood at that moment, in the airport. A small part of her wished she would stay, but Gwen instantly blocked it out.
Living in New York City was a crazy rollercoaster ride. A rollercoaster ride that she'd rather reflect on than experience again.
TRUTH - PARKER RESIDENCE
A physically and emotionally exhausted Peter went straight to his room after coming home from the airport. He was still wiping his tears from his eyes as he sat alone on that dreaded twin bed, with no one to talk to, like how it was before senior year.
So what was the point? Back at square one. Life really loved to go full circle and tear you down to where you started.
And that fact made Peter tear up in his room.
Everything he had was gone… no girlfriend, no friends, even his newfound popularity at school, having graduated. Now he had to endure, and be the hero this city needed… again.
Wait, no, that's not true… people actually know who he was now.
Liz knew, Harry knew, Nick Fury knew, Captain America knew… even Captain Stacy knew… maybe? Nevertheless, it was a relief to finally not blatantly lie to someone in the face about where he was going, because she'd get it. Now Liz was gone from that life, and he needed someone else to confide in, or else this was going to blow up in his face… not like it hadn't already.
Suddenly, his moments of reflection interrupted when his aunt knocked on his door to grab Peter's attention.
"Peter, if you want to talk, I'm right here. I know what you've been going through alot… recently"
Peter sat there frozen, unresponsive to what she said. He just gave her a simple nod and requested,
"Can you please close the door on your way out, Aunt May?"
"Well, I'll be in the kitchen if you want to talk… okay?" she softly voiced, before she stepped downstairs.
'I shut her out again… she's already suspicious. It's still the right thing for her.'
'But what if this isn't the right thing? Lying to her face doesn't sound right… She deserved to know, just as Liz said. But I don't know if her heart can take it… I can't put this on her now. Plus, I can't keep her worried… but she's already worried… I mean, she's always worried. What would change?'
'She would know who I am, and what I do and she can't stop me from doing it… She would nag me to death about it… I can't have that. But she can't have this dishonesty, she doesn't deserve it'
'What to do, Parker… What to do, Parker?'
He forcefully shut his eyes, and heavily gulped, before he slowly got off his sulking and his twin-sized mattress. He crouched down and reached for his clunky web shooters from underneath his bed. Right as he reached for that doorknob, his hands searched through his pockets, where eventually he found his mask.
Peter looked up at his popcorn ceiling, and gulped one last time, before his sweaty hand reached for the doorknob, and opened the door.
'There's no going back, Parker,' Peter Parker concluded, as he momentously stepped out of that door and turned to the stairs.
THE END.
Addressing Comments from the Previous chapters:
fire3: Harry Osborn is a stone-cold menace to society. and i'll for it! great chapter!
Yes he is. Kinda concerned that you're all for it though, ahaha!
~TheTypingAvocado
Guest: I didn't think you would go after Captain Stacy like that but makes sense. poor gwen!
Yeah, I just feel like Cap Stacy does get killed in every iteration of spider-man
~TheTypingAvocado
Chet: Man, just when things start looking up hor harry he buries his head in shotnagain
Yeah, harry's quite the destructive type
~TheTypingAvocado
Chet: One of the only ongoing SSM fics.
And easily one of the best.
Awe, you're too kind! But I try to do better with every chapter! At least this is one of the best.
~TheTypingAvocado
Guest: Thank goodness it was Daredevil who found Spidey vunerable. I think Harry is too far gone to be saved.
So Peter and Liz are over?! Damn. That was why i checked this story out sinec there isn't many stories with that pairing. I'm gonna keep reading though cos this is too good and I want to see this to the end.
And Captain Stacy? Will he survive? Will Tomstone survive?
I sense a big battle ahead. Nice job
I'm glad that I put Daredevil in this story. Well, based on this chapter, Harry isn't too far gone. I believe Norman Osborn is more than far gone. Also, I love the 'Peter & Liz' ship, especially since they made Liz so complex and enduring. She's my favorite love interest from the show, but she was more than that. I also believed that this ship would never work out, since both people have different priorities. But these two love each other unapologetically, but that love isn't romantic anymore. Also, I'm glad that you made it this far in this fic, since this is the very end. Also, Captain Stacy and Tombstone didn't survive.
~TheTypingAvocado
XenoSlayer983: I just hope Harry will listen to Peter's entire truth so he can surrender peacefully. There's so much chaos in these last few arcs, I just hope one of them will have some resolution. Maybe in a later arc, I hope he'll rejoin Peter to fight against the Green Goblin if he shows up, or even against Carnage.
Obviously, based on this chapter, Harry surrendered. And if I were to do another continuation fic, it would be with Norman showing up and Carnage showing up. But I don't plan on doing that anytime soon.
~TheTypingAvocado
Guest: I'm loving the rivalry between Harry and Peter! The next chapter can't come soon enough
Glad you do! I hope this chapter truly did justice to their rivalry!
~TheTypingAvocado
This will be the last time I'll be addressing comments in this story, so thank you for all of these comments in the last few years, they really put a smile on my face!
Authors' Message of (7/24/22)
TheTypingAvocado: This will be the end of the story I tried to tell.
From NO-MORE to FALL-OUT, that's the continuation story I had in mind for this fantastic Spider-Man adaptation. I truly love Spectacular Spider-Man, and I'd love to see an official revival for this wonderful show. And I may do a remastered version of this story, where I clean up a few things in this story, because I admit, I rushed some of these chapters, to where that they're silly mistakes, that I didn't realize till after I released them.
So there's that, but I've been wanting to take a break from making fanfics, and focus on other things. I even want to read more fanfics, especially potentially great ones.
Overall, this will be the last author's message, so thank you for these constructive and kind comments throughout these chapters.
PS: The epilogue has a cool bit, where it teases things for the future of Harry Osborn, (if that were ever to be explored) so don't forget to read that.
Benny: Hello my name is Benny, and I was a co-writer on this SPECTACULAR fan fic and um this is my main message to y'all. It's easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us too. There will be days where you feel all alone, and that's when hope is needed most. No matter how buried it gets, or how lost you feel, you must promise me that you will hold on to hope. Keep it alive.
Big Wheel: Hey guys, I go by Big Wheel. It's been great being a writer for this project. Avocado is really a naturally talented writer the way he can create a lot of suspense and drama in these stores. Lot of times fan-fics are written very plainly and rushed but when I worked with Avocado I realized he put in a lot of effort and dedication into this project. I hope all of you understand and appreciate his effort. I would love to see Avocado do a season 5 later on. I'm happy to know I was able to help Avocado out for this project because it makes me feel glad I was part of something good. Anyways, peace out guys whatever happens, always stay strong.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST: THE EPILOGUE