[*Monday morning, back in school*]
Peter was sitting up front in class, feeling worse than ever. Carl sat behind, kicking him in the rear. He wasn't listening to the teacher's lecture because it was hard to concentrate with this aching headache, and double vision. Peter has not yet checked in with a doctor. He had all the time he had yesterday. Maybe he was just afraid. That damn spider. He may be dying anytime soon. His queasiness started to build up, but he managed to hold it down. Until, one last hard kick from Carl, and he sprayed his desk with his own vomit. Some students laughed. Most were just disgusted. This was just as bad as the museum outing. The teacher then commanded the sick boy to head straight to the nurse's office.
Sometime later, sitting in the nurse's office, Peter thought back at the incident. Boy, they're probably never gonna let him live this down. If they don't forget this eventually, he may have to beg his aunt and uncle to transfer him to a different school. The nurse then examined the sick boy. She checked his throat and pulse, then started to ask questions to know the cause of his illness. Peter tried to explain that it was just from natural causes. She probably wouldn't believe him if he told her it was from a radioactive spider bite. Then suddenly, a sharp pain ripped through the teen's body.
The unexpected happened right there. He grew four extra arms (which one of them had grabbed the nurse by the neck), thick black hair all over his body, a set of four eyes, and a pair of huge fangs. He began to look lesser and lesser like a human, and more like a giant arachnid freak. With one of his free arms, he grabbed a mirror to take a good look at himself. Scared, he dropped the mirror. He couldn't even speak words anymore. Just some disturbing, squeaky squeals, a language he's not familiar with. Panicking, he put the nurse down, and broke through the door he came in from, rather than opening it. The kids see a giant, spider-like creature crawling its way down the hall, which drove them to run and scream. He was squealing for his life. Tears cascading from his six eyes.
Peter tried to tell everyone not to panic, and that he's under a disease he can't control, but he forgot. They can't hear him. They only hear a monster. If they can't understand him, he may never be able to explain this mess to Ben and May. He should've checked in with a doctor when he had the chance. Peter stood still in that empty hallway, now fallen to silence. His tears continued to drop, thinking this is what his new life will be. On the spur of the moment, Peter got hit in the back of the head with something. Captain America's shield? Not only that, but some flying rope then tied all his limbs together. There was the Avengers, standing right in front of him. Ironman, Cap, Hulk, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Black Panther, etc. Once again forgetting he couldn't speak human words, he tried to tell them that this is all a misunderstanding. Ironman just aimed his repulsors at him.
"Good riddance, bug."
Peter woke up in shock, right off of his bed. It was just a dream. No, it was a nightmare. He's back in reality, where he only has four limbs, two eyes, no fangs, and speaking English again. And, that sleep really did the trick. He feels better. No more nausea or headaches. That's not all. He felt like he was all charged up, full of energy, like he could run a hundred yard dash. This is the feeling of being reborn. He was more than better. He felt great. Peter suddenly looks up to find his bed, and other stuff, on the ceiling. Now that's just uncanny. How did it all get up there? Unless this is another dream. WAIT, Peter thought. His stuff wasn't on the ceiling. He was. The surprise made Peter let go, and then fall onto the ground with a hard thump. It hurt. But not how it's supposed to hurt. Somehow, that fall felt like it was no big deal. The pain was more bearable.
Another thing Peter noticed was that his sight was so clear. He began to feel around his face to check if he was wearing his glasses. He wasn't. And when he put on his glasses, everything became blurred. So not only has his flu healed, but his vision too. Weird. He checked the date on his phone. It's Sunday, 10:14 am. Peter apparently slept through an entire Saturday. He went down the hall and called for Ben and May. No response. Oh, he forgot. They're working. And Uncle Ben has a full-time shift now, so he might as well get used to that. On his way to the kitchen, he found a note, left by Ben himself, stuck onto the fridge.
Peter,
There's some medications and soup for you to reheat, in case you're still not feeling so good. I planned to give it to you yesterday, but you were really a heavy sleeper there! No matter how hard I tried, all you did was toss and turn. Take care of yourself. Get plenty of rest. Drink lots of fluids.
Sincerely, Ben. And your loving May.
P.S. I wrote the note. She made the soup.
Soup, huh? It must be that nasty, oxtail and spinach soup remedy again, the one that smells like a rotting corpse. What does May even put in it? Peter decided to get dressed and head out, for he was hankering a deli sandwich. He put on his coat, grabbed his keys, and then walked out the door.
Before long, he was now outside, walking across town. It was freezing outside, considerably it was December. But Peter was too lost in his own thoughts to be bothered by the cold. All of his senses, they felt so sharpened. He could detect the barking of a dog, or a scream from a young child, despite being drowned out by all these car engines. The rattling of a soda can startled him. He could sense the presence of a few flying insects. Peter kept cautiously turning his head to any slight sound or movement. The boy could hear his own heart beat, pumping loudly in his chest. His veins were warming up, at least that's what it felt like. Peter eventually snapped out of it. It's probably just some crazy reflex.
The teenager reached into his pocket to see if he had enough on him to purchase a sub. He dropped some cents, while two quarters rolled their way across the street. Peter ran after them. They eventually stopped in the middle of a crosswalk. As Peter bent down to pick them up, some weird, little tingle started ringing in his head. He wasn't sure what it meant, but it gave him the instinct to turn his head towards a car coming right at him- Oh, sh*t! The teen then jumped out of the way, safely onto the sidewalk. For some reason, his head was trying to warn him he was in danger. A normal pedestrian wouldn't have been so lucky. It could have something to do with that brain tingle.
He tried to go on with his day, putting the quarters in his pocket while ignoring the remaining of his cents on the other side of the street. Peter began thinking about all that has happened today. This morning, he woke up on the ceiling. A few moments ago, all of his senses grew sharper than they were before. Then this tingle in his head, rang like a radar. What is happening to him? Could this be a side effect? The more Peter thought, the more he picked up his legs. The fact that he stopped paying attention to where he was going, he recklessly, accidentally, bumped into a trio of hoodlums, and made them drop their coffees. Looks like Peter just got himself into a fight. The head hoodlum grabbed Peter by the coat, lecturing him.
"What the f*ck, little man?! Did you even think to watch where you're going?!"
"I'm sorry, I-I just had something troublesome on my mind recently!"
"A simple 'sorry' isn't gonna repay our espressos! You can give a proper apology by handing over your money!"
"What?"
"I said, HAND OVER!"
The man began to shake Peter violently. Out of fear, he punched the guy, which wasn't intentional, on the side of the head. He punched him so hard, he basically knocked him out cold. He knocked out some tall muscle dude cold. That has never happened before. One of the remaining crew, a chunky guy, got mad after what Peter did, and started to charge at him. Instead of running, the teen put his hands up in front of his chest, as blockage. When the big guy soon came in physical touch with him, Peter pushed him back into a wall. He was not only out cold as well, but he appeared to have made a slight hole in the architecture. The last hoodlum standing, a skinny guy, didn't wanna fight him, and ran for it. That's no kitten! That's a tiger! Since when did he become this strong?
For some reason, Peter completely lost his appetite. Instead of buying that sandwich, Peter decided to head home. He had to leave sooner or later, and those goons won't stay unconscious for long. Those guys were gonna hurt him, and he was scared. But he managed to defend himself. Yesterday, he was Puny Parker. So weak, he couldn't beat an eight year old in arm wrestling. Now this. Something's happening to him, and you can bet it's not puberty.
As the boy reached home, he went to his room to think about it. He sat on his bed and thought it through. All of these changes his body is going through: What could they mean? Is he still sick? How can he? He feels powerful. He can see without his glasses now. All of his senses have gone enhanced, including this new tingly, sixth sense. He fought off those guys like he were as tough as Carl. If he's sick, then he doesn't want to get better. This is giving him superhero vibes right now. Is there more he doesn't know about? Peter stared at the wall for a brief second. Earlier, that's where he found himself hanging from. He wanted to try out a test run. He took off his shoes, leaving him in his socks, and pressed his fingers against the flat surface.
His grip against it felt sticky, but can he make it up? He decided to cross his fingers on this, and slowly scaled his own wall. He was really sticking. Peter was crawling up that wall, and now upside down on the ceiling again. At first it was scary, because Peter didn't think he'd make it, but now it seems thrilling. He's got to run more tests to see how good he really has turned out to be. He went to the outside yard. First, he checked to see if there weren't any neighbors around. Now was his time. He took a few steps back, paused for a moment, then dashed. He ran faster than he usually ran. As he reached the fence, Peter took a leap over it. His heart pounded in his chest, from the sudden adrenaline. He actually did it. The boy was so proud, he did it again, and again, then with back flips, and cartwheels. But then he had to stop eventually when one of the neighbors stepped outside to water the plants.
"Hey. I... Just doing some- I forgot. See ya!"
After that, Peter decided to take his stunts to a new level. He put on some pads, kneecaps, fingerless gloves, a helmet, and strapped a pillow to his butt. Also, to keep himself from being humiliated, he covered his mouth with a bandanna. The teen then visited a downtown alley. He was soon face-to-face with a dumpster. This morning, he wiped out two hoodlums in one blow, but how strong can he really be? He placed both of his hands on the right bottom side, and slowly picked it up. It wasn't that heavy to him, surprisingly. Then, he lifted the whole thing over his shoulders. The teen laughed out of victory. He felt like Hercules. Okay, that's enough for the strength trial. Peter wanted to climb a much higher wall, because he's taking it all the way now. He took it easy for a moment, and told himself not to look down.
"You're sticking on tight, Peter. You won't fall. Don't think about falling. Don't think about falling. You got this. These sticky fingers are on your side. Trust in them."
As Peter continued to be confident in himself, he was scaling higher, and higher, and higher, until he reached the rooftop. The teen looked down for a moment. He couldn't believe he actually made it, but he wasn't ready to stop yet. He looked at the other rooftop across. If he managed to leap over that fence, maybe he can jump to that other rooftop. This may be a death wish here, but if he ever falls, he's got his sticky grip, and his pillow butt. Besides, it's not that high. The teen took a distance, inhaled and exhaled deeply, then ran at full speed. He jumped over to the other side like he was flying. His heart pounded faster. In spite of the excitement overwhelming him, that was actually fun. If he can do that, than he can pretty much do anything.
Peter leapt to another rooftop. Then another. He has never felt so alive. That's not all he did. The young lad decided to try parkour. He was running and leaping against the walls, catching attention to the people in the city. He performed flips and tricks on rooftops, even some breakdancing. He could walk across a tightrope like a professional trapeze artist. His balancing came natural, so falling won't worry him. Peter was a whole new man today. He became strong, fast, and flexible. All because of that radioactive spider. Its bite had effected his blood, giving him the super abilities of an advanced arachnid. If he knew this would happen to him, then he would've have thanked the little critter. A zero one day, and then a hero the next.
He practically owns this city now. Nothing can stop him. These powers are the next big step to becoming an Avenger. If joining their team required to have powers or skills, that's what Peter had. He's got the proportionate strength of an arachnid. The dude can crawl up walls, leap higher than an average human, and possesses speed as fast as a cheetah. There's this radar in his head that detects danger. He has the keen senses of a blind man. Well, not that keen. He's also very smart, which means he could be an ideal pal to Tony Stark. Peter can make it into the Avengers. All he needs now is a costume, and a superheroy name. He could see it right now: Standing with the Avengers, accepting an award for their heroics. Peter giving autographs to fans from young to old. Crooks will run when they see him. He'd totally have late night sleepovers with Falcon, Cap, Hulk, and Natasha, bonding over pizza and video games. Super friends are better than normal friends.
Being an Avenger would probably mean he has to cut school. No more waking up early, no more piles of boring homework, and no more Carl. Some day when the time is right, he'll reveal his identity, and show them what Puny Parker has become. Yeah, Carl King can suck on that. Also, he'd be making big money with his new career. Uncle Ben and Aunt May would never have to work again. He could pay them back for what they've done for him. Maybe they could move into the Avengers' tower. The three of them, together like a big happy family. He'll have all the time to spend with them. If there's any evil or villainy plots washing over the city, he can let someone else take his place. He doesn't have to worry. The Avengers always have things covered. Although Ben has always dreamed of his nephew becoming a scientist, maybe he'd be just as proud to see him as an Avenger. Speaking of Avengers, he should start working on a costume. And a name. Wait, with all these powers, there's at least one aspect of spider behavior he didn't develop after that bite: Webs. Well, he played with enough brawns for the day. Now to try out the brains.
Hang-ups used to bring me down
A twist of faith turned it all around
Now I escape to a higher ground, cuz I'm free
Frustrations are finally dead
I'm free to be the me that's in my head
And no one can tell me where I should be going instead
Woah, I'm finally free
Yeah, I can fly
City lights are shining bright
I feel so high
New York City, you look brand new
I can see ya from a new point of view, yeah
I can see ya from a new point of view