"I love you like a really, really older uncle Cap, but…"
But he's not uncle Ben.
Uncle Ben, who took him to Coney Island, and showed him the world of candy coloured big tops beneath the arc of the Ferris wheel.
Uncle Ben, who pawned his favourite golf clubs for the microscope he used through college, and still keeps on the top of the self in his bedroom.
Uncle Ben, who wiped away the tears when the bullies were gone.
Uncle Ben, who brought him all those Superman comic books, and showed him the newsreel footage of Captain America and Bucky he kept in a super secret box in the basement.
Uncle Ben, who taught him the most important lesson this world of guns and broken necks and pumpkin bombs and death.
Uncle Ben, who isn't here anymore.
"…but I have this whole guilt thing about putting other people in harms way. So let me do what I can here and then we'll…see what we need to…"
Spider sense reaches out, stroking the air around the hole in the wall with invisible radar fingers, warning…
"Um…hello?"
Big warning…
He realises the glows below him aren't all eyes.
"Uh oh."
Heat, sound, light, pain…
He barley hears what that arrogant fop Nefaria is talking about, steel cold air and rain running through the gash in his mask. And suddenly he's down among the bullies.
Jigsaw grabs a handful of mask and hair, pulls extra hard.
"You remember me, ass?"
"Didn't we date in high school?"
"Always with the funny!"
He hears his arm breaking before he feels it.
He's down among the bullies…and Uncle Ben isn't here for the tears…
Fool killer, Crusader, Cutthroat and Jigsaw yell out, adamantaium shield hurling them back into the other maniacal idiots, and he can suddenly breath again.
Cap's royal blue, red and white costume stands out in the shadows like an angel out of hell.
"This ends now!"
Suddenly the bullies aren't so big anymore.