Spider-Man: Fire and Desire
Author's Note: Soooo, as of today, April 9th, 2021, it's been over a month and whatever how many days since I said I was gonna update this… WELP. I deeply apologize, guys. Midterms showed up, other things showed up, life showed up… You know, all that stuff, and it all happened at once. Maybe this is why I like writing about Spidey so much since I know what he's going through. I AM THE PROTAGONIST! Lol.
Anyway, you guys have been waiting on this chapter for a good minute now. This will be part 1 of a three part series, (maybe 2 parts, depending on how much I decide to put in the next chapter) because if I gave you guys all the drama immediately, I honestly feel like it would be an overload. This part will have the least amount of drama compared to the other parts, but this chapter is still VERY important because it sets up vital future things in the story.
BUT FIRST, SOME REVIEWS! *Troll Face*
Akira-Hayama: Yeah, I definitely thought about the whole 'Felicia giving a Valentine's Day card to Peter' thing because I wondered if it wasn't forward enough, but I'm glad it turned out well in your opinion.
HaywireEagle: Aha, my friend! The last two chapters may appear to be filler, but as the story advances, let's just say it won't be seen as filler anymore. They're more pivotal than what they seem.
Leviathan117: Thanks for your opinion on the whole crossover thing! I totally understand where you're coming from, because universal crossover stories can get a bit wacky.
anoyak111: Absolutely, that's a valid concern, because adding too much can be detrimental.
Spidey-Boy21: Oh boy, hopefully you weren't in the doghouse, my dude! But I'm glad the update made your day.
Guest: Thanks a bunch! Keeping the story tied to just other Spidey's from different universes seems like the thing that would fit the most.
zoofu28: Thanks! I love doing the voice overs because they can lead to some funny interactions that we probably wouldn't get in the main story.
SalazaSAUCENeo: Peter, Mark Grayson, and Stewie Griffin?! Oh boy, what an interaction that would be, lol. And thank you for liking my fic!
josereyes121367: Lots of stuff to cover here! Having Peter and Felicia go to the same high school so their relationship could develop was definitely a big focus of mine. As for what Kingpin will do… Well, that's classified, lol. And yes, I love Martin Li just as much as you do, haha. He was great in Spidey PS4. I can tell you his appearance is definitely based on his PS4 counterpart. Though, that's obvious. As for if his history and all that is gonna be based on his PS4 counterpart… well… Guess you're gonna have to keep reading to find out. And as for Noir possibly getting in on this action, the reasons you listed definitely made sense. Now, how long do I plan to keep this story going?! Well, I'm happy to say that this whole senior year high school arc is only the first arc of many. I fully intend on taking the gang through college, adult life, and beyond! Which means I'm never going to stop writing this story… PAIN.
Nah, I'm joking. I have too much fun writing about my favorite superhero. But yes, adult life and beyond is the plan. I have no idea how long it'll take to actually get to that point, because if I'm being honest, I don't have a definitive ending right now. Who knows how long this thing will last? I could be like Eiichiro Oda with One Piece and make a story that LITERALLY NEVER ENDS. I will say this, though. Even if I don't update after a long period of time, this story will never be dead. It becomes dead when I stop loving Spider-Man, and given how much Spidey has meant to me throughout my entire life, me suddenly not loving him is never going to happen.
Finally, is Felicia suspicious of Peter? Does she even know anything at all? I HAVE NO IDEA!
(I actually do, I'm just not saying anything, lol.)
Avatar5555: You're amazing! Thank you for liking my story!
Ghostly25: I know it's been over a month; I apologize! XD
Drunken rambo: This story… SHALL BE CONTINUED!
LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!
Intro Music: The Amazing Spider-Man 1977 Theme
Chapter 9: Big Change Part 1
EARTH-92131
BGM: Spider-Man TAS 1994 Theme
"Okay, Madame Web… I'll bite, where are you taking me exactly?" Spider-Man inquired, although, the voice was slightly different compared to usual. Kinda older sounding, to be honest, but not that much older. The reason for this?
This Spider-Man was from a different universe.
The two were traveling throughout multiple universes, a variety of colors surrounding them and showing up all at once. But why would they be traveling to different universes?
"You want to find Mary Jane, correct?" Madame Web asked in a casual manner, and as a result, the question made the web-head nod.
"I mean, that much is obvious." Spider-Man confirmed. "I'll do anything to get her back."
Madame Web smiled at the comment, giving a nod of her own. "The Mary Jane of your universe is trapped in another Spider-Man's universe. However, it is not the right moment to go there now."
Spider-Man tilted his head in confusion. "Why not?"
"Let's just say this Spider-Man… has been going through it, to put in the simplest terms." Madame Web told him honestly. "That Spider-Man has recently found out he's supposed to be the one destined to save not only his universe, but your universe, and all the other universes as well. It's safe to say it's taken a toll on him."
"Please don't tell me you told him he's some savior out of the blue…" Spider-Man said, his fingers going to his temples.
"How else do I do things, Mr. Parker?" Madame Web pointed out, making Spider-Man sigh deeply. "Though, it is important to let the other Spider-Men know that their universe is in danger."
Spider-Man crossed his arms, wanting to get to the bottom of this. "Alright, so which universe are we going to?"
"It's a surprise." she replied.
Spider-Man loudly groaned. "I hate your surprises."
BACK TO THE MAIN UNIVERSE
Chrysler Building
Sitting on the Chrysler Building was no one other than Black Cat, who was not feeling great whatsoever. In fact, she kinda felt like jumping off the building and let the pavement do the rest.
She messed up.
She messed up big time.
The one person she cares about so much, the one person who gives her so much thrill, the one person who truly cares about her and wants nothing but the best for her… She didn't tell Spidey he was being led into a trap.
A trap set up by no one other than the big man of crime, The Kingpin. He played both of them like they were fools.
Black Cat's tears were slowly streaming down her face, continuously thinking about the massive mistake she made. She wishes she could take it all back, but she can't.
"I'm sorry, Spider…" she muttered, the events playing out in her head over and over again.
She wanted to stop thinking about this, because it was only bringing her down, but something like this is not so easy to forget.
In fact, it's kinda impossible, considering the magnitude of the situation.
As she was sobbing to herself, all of a sudden, Black Cat heard somebody land right behind her, taking a few footsteps towards her. Already not being in the greatest mood, Black Cat immediately turned around and got into a fighting stance, getting ready to annihilate the buffoon who would dare try to attack her when she's in this state.
However, this 'buffoon' had no intentions of attacking her at all.
"I don't know who you are, but if you take one more step, my claws will-"
"Easy, easy," the person said, raising his hands to show he had no ill-intent. "I come in peace."
"Prove it." she told the person, looking up and down. From what she could tell, this was a man who was well built, had an all-red suit, the main feature of it being two letter D's on his chest, and a brown belt wrapped around his waist. The only parts of his face that could be seen was the bottom half, as the top half was covered.
"All I want to do is talk." the man said honestly, but Black Cat scoffed.
"Not really in the mood to talk." she replied harshly, still being in her fighting stance.
"I understand why you wouldn't be, but trust me, this talk would be beneficial." The man said, keeping his calm demeanor. "You're Black Cat, correct?"
"What's it to ya?" Black Cat replied, still really not wanting to hear what this man had to say.
The man continued to keep his composure, replying, "My name's Daredevil, and the reason why I'm here is because you know Spider-Man."
Oh great, the perfect name to be brought up right now.
"I'm giving you two seconds to get out of my face." Black Cat angrily responded, trying to get the web-head out of her mind, but lo and behold, he was brought up once again.
"I know the reason why you're not in the greatest state right now, but trust me, I can help Spider-Man clear his name. I know Kingpin set him up, and set you up as well. I've dealt with him more times than what I would like." Daredevil explained, making Black Cat's eyes widen a little bit.
Still, after everything that's happened to her, Black Cat was still suspicious, and rightly so. "What do you mean you can help clear his name?"
"I know a lawyer who's… rather good at his job." said Daredevil. "But for me to help Spider-Man with anything, you have to tell me where he might be right now."
For the first time since this conversation started, Black Cat eased up and got out of her fighting stance. However, instead of looking angry, her face turned into one of sadness, resembling the look she had before Daredevil showed up. She turned around and looked down at the streets of New York, watching all the cars drive.
"You're too late." she simply said, trying to be stern.
Daredevil's face turned into one of confusion. "What do you mean?"
Black Cat was silent for a moment, not wanting to let these words come out of her mouth, but since Daredevil needed an explanation, she had to say something.
She gritted her teeth, finally deciding to say it.
"What I mean is he's gone… Not dead, but he… He quit."
Now instead of confusion, Daredevil's face looked surprised. "What?" he replied, not believing the words for himself.
Afterwards, silence overtook everything once again, as the realization set in for both people. Even though this was the millionth time Black Cat thought about it, it didn't hurt any less. In fact, each time she thought about it, the pain got worse.
As for Daredevil, he wasn't sure where to go from here. This was certainly an unexpected turn, but if anyone can figure this whole thing out, it's most definitely him.
He might have to take matters into his own hands, just like many times before in his life.
Aunt May's House
BGM: Eels – I Need Some Sleep
Peter Parker was lying in his bed, not being able to get any kind of sleep whatsoever. So many things were going through his mind at a rapid rate, and he couldn't stop it whatsoever.
Uncle Ben, his parents, Kingpin, other universes, Black Cat, quitting to be Spider-Man…
You wouldn't want to be in his shoes right now, I'll tell ya that much.
He continuously looked at the ceiling, not sure what to think about his life right now. I mean, Peter Parker's infamous Parker Luck has made him gone through some crap before, but this?
Poor Peter Parker is really going through it now.
He thought he was just going to wallow in his misery by himself tonight, but that wouldn't be the case.
A few seconds later, and Peter heard his phone vibrate, signaling that he got a text. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wondering if he should even read it. He really, really doesn't want to be bothered right now, and for good reason.
But… if it was Harry, Gwen, Miles, or Felicia texting him to maybe see how he's doing, he would feel like a horrible person if he didn't respond.
As he contemplated the whole thing a bit longer, with a heavy, deep sigh, Peter grabbed his phone to see who texted him.
It was the last person he expected.
Eddie: Hey, Parker! This is Eddie Brock. Just checking up on you!
Upon first glance, Peter was dumbfounded. Eddie Brock? How in the world did he get his number?
"Ohhhh, it's too late for this…" Peter told himself, rubbing his forehead. But in a way, for him to be annoyed at Eddie when he's really done nothing to him, it is kinda messed up, don't you think?
In fact, just looking at the surface, Eddie was texting him to check up on him.
Besides, it's not like he and Eddie are going to be competing to take Spider-Man pictures, because well… You know, Spider-Man is kinda outta the picture now.
Wondering how he should respond, he would first go with the obvious question.
Peter: How did you get my number?
Eddie: JJ gave it to me.
"Yep, and everything suddenly makes sense now." Peter said to himself, shaking his head.
Peter: Oh… Well, I appreciate you checking up on me. Means a lot.
Eddie: No problem. Though, I am sorta surprised you're still up this late. Aren't you still in the hospital?
Peter: I'm out the hospital now. The doctor said I was good enough to go.
Eddie: Whaaaaat? Well, that's definitely a shocker! The way your injuries were described, I thought you would be out for weeks!
Peter: Well, you know, I guess I heal pretty fast or something.
Telling the truth without telling the whole truth. Brilliant Peter Parker move right there.
Eddie: Huh. This is an unexpected turn of events, but a good turn. Since you're out the hospital, wanna go grab some coffee in the morning? If you feel like it, no pressure.
In all honesty, this was the last thing Peter wanted to do. He wanted to say no. Ohhh, he wanted to say no.
But even after all the crap he's gone through recently, even with Eddie saying there's no pressure, Peter is just a good dude.
Curse his good dudeness, because it was going to make him say yes.
Peter: Alright, Brock. I'll accept your coffee offer.
Eddie: Sweet! Trust me, having the chance to relax over a nice cup of coffee will be good for you. We'll meet up at Times Square.
Peter: Times Square? Aren't they still trying to fix it up over there ever since that robot attacked?
Eddie: They are, but fortunately for us, the café was untouched. Guess that killer robot had a soft spot for coffee or something. Anyway, see you in the morning!
Peter: Yeah, see you.
Peter placed his phone back on his nightstand, trying his best to close his eyes and get some sleep.
The Next Day
It was morning time, and what that usually meant was the aroma of Aunt May's cooking was spreading throughout the house. Peter was still in his bed, and to no one's surprise whatsoever, he barely got any sleep. Like, if he was lucky enough to get any sleep, it probably lasted for a minute.
And you wanna know this? He wasn't even tired.
All that adrenaline, everything that's happened to him, all of it was still running through his mind. Not only was it running through his mind, but it was FRESH in his mind. Horrible combination for somebody who wants and needs to get some sleep.
"Why did I even accept Brock's coffee offer… This is the last thing I want to do." Peter told himself, slowly getting up, got ready, and walked downstairs. The smell of Aunt May's cooking was now in full effect since he was really close by it. As always, it smelled so good. It usually tasted good, too.
But he wasn't thinking about the cooking, though. He was thinking about how this conversation with Aunt May would go, seeing as their last conversation… well, it got real emotional.
Still, what was he gonna do? Not talk to the woman who essentially raised him? Ridiculous.
"Hey, Aunt May." Peter casually said, and upon hearing his voice, Aunt May freaked out. She turned around, her eyes being wide as she was clearly not expecting Peter to be home this early.
"Peter?! You're home?!"
"Yeah," Peter said, being casual about everything once again like him recovering from supposedly life-threatening injuries was no big deal at all.
"But… I…" Aunt May rubbed her forehead, trying her best to process everything. "I'm so confused. Why are you home? How are you home?"
"The doctor said I was good to go. Said I was physically fine and everything." Peter shrugged, soon walking over to Aunt May and suddenly gave her a hug. She was a bit taken back by this, but she ended up hugging her nephew back.
"Sorry how our last conversation went." Peter told her sweetly.
"I'm sorry too." Aunt May said, hugging her nephew tightly.
"I would talk more to clear the air on some things, but I gotta meet up with somebody at Times Square." Peter told her, as the hug ended.
"You're not rushing things, are you? Make sure to take things slow." Aunt May told him, earning a slight smile from Peter.
"Aunt May, I'm fine, trust me."
Physically, he was fine.
Mentally?
He was not fine.
"Well, don't you need to eat something before you go?"
"I'll eat something when I get back. Don't wanna be late to another meet-up, you know? Trying to change that bad habit of my life." Peter seriously said, which really meant, 'I'm not Spider-Man anymore, I will never be late again.'
He gave a wave, before walking out the door. Aunt May would watch him walk off, giving a goodbye wave of her own.
Times Square
BGM: Amine – Invincible
Upon seeing Peter show up, Eddie started to clap like he couldn't believe his eyes. "Well then, I guess the rumors aren't completely true. Mr. Parker can be on time!" he joked, as Peter rolled his eyes and sat down.
"Where'd you hear those rumors, Brock?" he asked.
"Oh, you know, heard em' from everyone." Eddie snickered, causing Peter to sigh.
"It might be true right now due to my reputation, but that's gonna change. Believe me." Peter said seriously, as Eddie noticed the shift in tone.
"Hey, don't worry about it, Parker. It's just a joke." Eddie assured him. Last thing he wanted to do was to piss Peter off. "Like my life. My life has been a joke." he said, hoping to make Peter laugh, but instead got an opposite reaction.
"Your life has been a joke?" Peter raised an eyebrow at that statement. "What makes you say that?"
"Well, my attempt to lighten up the mood failed." Eddie thought to himself. "Ah, don't worry about it. It's too long of a story to tell." Eddie said, sipping his coffee. He didn't mean for the conversation to go this way, and it's obvious he didn't want it to go any farther.
Unfortunately for Eddie, Peter's 'good dudeness' would strike again. Just because he isn't Spider-Man anymore doesn't mean he can't help people.
"Come on, Brock. You're the one who invited me over here, so we might as well talk." Peter told him, waiting for Eddie to say something.
Eddie wondered if he should even talk about this, but in a way, Peter did make a point.
Eddie shrugged. "When I say my life is a joke, there's a whole lot of things I mean by that. You could talk about me once having a Mom and Dad, only for them to die in an unexpected plane crash when I was young. Or you could talk about me growing up in an orphanage afterwards, where pretty much nobody liked me and I grew up alone. There's a lot of other crap that happened along the way, but I try not to think about it too much."
Once Eddie explained a brief summary of his childhood, Peter's eyes widened, now feeling bad for how Eddie grew up. When Peter compares his situation to Eddie's, at least Peter had Uncle Ben and Aunt May to take care of him.
But, as far as he's able to tell, Eddie had nobody.
And there was another thing he noticed, but he would mention it later.
"I'm… I'm so sorry, Brock. I had no idea." Peter said awkwardly, trying to figure out the best way to reply to that.
"Don't worry about it, Parker. Childhood trauma is a part of life. You may not ever get over it, but hey, at least you made it through!" Eddie exclaimed, putting a fake smile on his face.
"I can tell when a smile is fake." Peter pointed out.
Eddie tilted his head. "You can?"
"I've done it too many times to others, so I know when it's being done to me." Peter replied. "Take it from somebody who's gone through their own childhood trauma."
Eddie raised an eyebrow. "Should I be afraid to ask what you've gone through?"
"No, and since you told me some of your past, I'll tell you some of mine. It's only fair, right?" Peter said, shrugging. "I guess the part in your story that gets me is your parents dying in a plane crash. Oddly enough, my parents died in a plane crash too."
Eddie's eyes widened at this news. "Wait, for real?"
"Yep. Still, I was lucky enough to have my Uncle Ben and Aunt May raise me. My Aunt May is the only one left, though." Peter explained, not knowing how to feel about this ever since he found out the 'truth' when he fought Kingpin. "I can't imagine not having them by my side. I might've lost it a long time ago, so I can only imagine how tough it was for you."
Eddie leaned back into his chair, thinking about how he wanted to reply to this. "First, sorry about your uncle. Second, I may have not had my parents, and I may have not had many friends, but there was someone who cared about me."
Peter was clearly curious to hear this. "And who's that?"
"My childhood friend, Cletus Kasady. We grew up in the same orphanage. Dude went through a lot himself, but I think that's what caused us to become friends. Best friends, really, since we could relate a lot to each other. He's a bit… crazy, but he never means to hurt anybody intentionally. His heart is usually in the right place." As Eddie was talking about Cletus, he smirked. "Don't know what I would've done without that maniac being my friend. Probably would have killed myself."
As Eddie said this, he and Peter continued their conversation after this point, and after they got their brief history summaries out the way, they found out they could actually relate to each other on a lot of things.
"You know what, Parker? You're a cool guy." Eddie said.
"I can say the same for you, Brock. But from now on, call me Peter. No need for the last name stuff." Peter told him, making Eddie smirk.
"Is this the part where I say you can call me Eddie?"
Peter had a smirk of his own. "Only if you want to."
"Fine then, you can call me Eddie." he jokingly said, putting his fist out for a fist bump. "Or you can call me bro. Whatever works for you."
Peter laughed a bit. "I'll be sure to keep that in mind… bro." Peter brought his fist out, connecting with Eddie's fist which completed the fist bump.
Looks like these two are cool now.
IN ANOTHER UNIVERSE...
EARTH-90214
"One day, I'll find out the secret to this Rubik's Cube… And once I do, it will be revolutionary!"
The person in question was obviously playing with a Rubik's Cube. The appearance of the person was a well-built male who had an all-black suit on, black trench coat, white goggles, and a black hat.
He was perched onto a ledge of a building, until a blinding white light suddenly appeared around him. At first, he thought he was dying or already dead, but once he heard the voice, he might have preferred to be dead in this moment.
"Ohhhh, Noir!"
Madame Web was calling out his name, signaling she and the Spider-Man of EARTH-92131 successfully made it to a different universe.
Once the light cleared, Spider-Man Noir looked at Madame Web and 90's Spider-Man, having a deep sigh.
"This can't be good news." Noir said, already dreading what he was about to hear.
"It's not." 90's Spider-Man replied seriously.
END OF CHAPTER 9: BIG CHANGE PART 1
BGM: Spider-Man TAS 1994 Ending Theme
Gwen: Who's ready for the Oscorp fieldtrip?!
Miles: I am!
Flash: NEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRDSSSSSS!
Harry: Oh joy, I get to visit the place I've seen over a billion times.
Peter: Surely nothing crazy will happen.
Felicia: Uhhhh, yeah. Sure, Peter.
Next time on Spider-Man: Fire and Desire!
Big Change Part 2
Miles: Change? *looks down* YEP, BIG CHANGE!
Gwen: Oh my God…
Author's Note: And there you guys have it! Chapter 9 is in the books! This 3-part special is going to ramp up the intensity eventually, trust me. Like I said, this chapter is vital to future chapters, especially since it introduces Daredevil, 90's Spidey, and Noir. Oh, and a slight mention of Cletus Kasady. To all my Spidey and Cat shippers, there's a reason why I gave you guys two fluff chapters (again, not really fluff as it will prove in future chapters, but for now, it's seen as fluff), because I knew this chapter wasn't really gonna have Spidey/Cat nor Peter/Felicia. BUT THAT WILL CHANGE IN THE NEXT CHAPTER, TRUST ME!
Anyway, whaddya guys think? How do y'all feel about Daredevil, 90's Spidey, and Noir being here? How do you guys feel about crazy Cletus? IS THERE ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS ABOUT PETER'S AND EDDIE'S PARENTS DYING IN A PLANE CRASH?! YES, THERE IS! WHAT'S THE TRUE REASON?! I'M NOT TELLING! WHY AM I TYPING IN CAPS?! Lol
Friendly reminder, you guys can still leave requests on which Spider-Men you'd like to see show up. I'll still say the lineup I have is mostly set for story purposes, but still feel free to request on who you'd like to see. Also, once again, sorry for updating later than what I wanted to. Life finds a way of, uh, kicking the crap outta you. *Jeff Goldblum Voice* As always, if you like what you read, leave a follow and a favorite. DON'T FORGET TO READ AND REVIEW! See you guys in the next chapter!