Merry Christmas, guys!

InkMelody, Lolli, MarvelousManiac, and Suteko1, I am unbelievably excited for you guys to read the next couple of chapters! It gets so intense and angsty! I am excited for the rest of you to read it, but these guys talked to me and dey be real people for me now.

Stiff. Every one of his joints ached, begged for the relief of movement. But his muscles were too heavy and completely unresponsive. His head hung forward, causing the worst kink in his neck. Someone was smacking his face.

"Wakey, wakey, Spidey boy."

He inhaled sharply, trying to get his eyes open.

"There you go. C'mon, I'm tired of waiting around."

His head swam, and his eyes were much too heavy. A sudden jolt of electricity ran up his arm and made his head snap up as he yelped.

Electro grinned in his face with Sandman and Rhino right behind him. Peter's arms and legs were tied down tightly to a thick wooden chair with chains. His web-shooters were gone.

"See, Marko? He just-"

Peter pulled, instantly breaking the chair beneath him. His foot shot up into Electro's chin. Chains still wrapped around his wrists, he flipped over Electro and punched Sandman's head off in a cloud of sand. The Rhino made a grab for him, but yelled in surprise as Peter jumped on him and pulled the chains around his neck.

Peter yanked the chain as tight as he could, sticking to the man's shoulders as he slammed into the cement walls trying to dislodge him. After a few attempts Rhino got his aim right, but Peter leapt off of him and onto the wall, still holding the chain around his neck before Rhino hit the wall.

Electro stumbled up off the ground, blood pouring from his mouth. He roared in rage and sent electricity flying towards Spider-man. But he dodged out of the way, tossing the other end of the chain in the line of fire and onto Sandman.

Electro saw his mistake a second too late and lit up his teammates.

Peter stayed high on the wall across the room from the villains, and grabbed the chain still dangling from his ankle. The exit was right below him, he just needed to distract Electro long enough to run.

Electro glared at him, panting. Peter opened his mouth to goad him, but the door suddenly burst open.

Norman Osborn stormed in, "Max, you absolute idiot! Where is-"

Peter lunged and his spider-sense screamed that he'd made a mistake. Norman spun around, smiling like a maniac. Hurtling through the air without webs, there wasn't much Peter could do to avoid the punch to his gut that sent him flying in the other direction. He slammed against the wall, and before he even hit the floor, metal arms seized him. They bashed him back against the wall, pinning his arms outstretched on either side of him. A third claw pressed his pelvis painfully into the wall.

He thrashed against the claws, but they only pressed harder. Finding that there was no way to get the doctor's arms to budge, Peter slummed, panting.

"Five against one is just unfair, you guys," Peter complained, heart hammering in ice cold fear.

"That's six against one, bug," Shocker seemed to brag.

"You literally haven't done anything, Shocky," Peter rebutled.

Shocker growled, charging up his gauntlet, which Peter would really like to know how he got those back. But Norman put a hand on the man's chest to keep him from advancing with a stern glare.

"Maxwell," Norman barked, his dangerous gaze switching to the idiot. "What did we agree on?"

"The freak-!"

"I don't care what he says or does! You're doing exactly what he wants, you dult!"

"Oh, he wants me to fry him to kingdom come?!" His eyes literally crackled with energy.

"Of course not! He wants you to lose your temper and stupidly attack. I would have thought you all would have noticed this tactic of his by now."

The tension in the room was thick enough to suffocate on.

"C'mon Normie, we both know it won't make a difference if they understand or not. They're just so easy to- hck."

Octavius's forth claw suddenly pressed against his throat, cutting off his air. The doctor himself smiled as Peter kicked and struggled.

"Otto." Norman's voice held a warning edge.

The doctor let go and Peter inhaled greedily. He coughed through his abused throat and was distantly reminded of before he'd been kidnapped.

"If anyone else goes against our agreement and hurts him, they'll answer to me."

The threat seemed to subdue everyone's anger. Electro muttered something then stormed out of the room, followed almost sheepishly by Sandman and Rhino. The twisted realization that Norman was probably the only reason why he was alive set horribly wrong in his gut.

Slowly, Norman turned around, appraising Peter with a lifted eyebrow. He squirmed under his gaze and flinched when the man suddenly jumped, landing in a crouch on the metal arm pinning down his stomach and pelvis.

For a moment the man only watched has Peter tried and failed to get a hold of his panicked breathing. He did not like Osborn being so close while he couldn't move.

"Take a picture, it-it'll last longer." His voice shook more than he wanted.

Norman's mouth twitched into a smile. But he didn't respond. Instead, he reached out and pinched the top of Peter's mask. He could only sit while Norman slowly peeled it away. He took another moment to study his face. Peter tried to glare past his fear, but failed miserably.

"Hiya Petey, long time no see." Norman grinned broadly. He held up the mask in his hand, and looked it over like it was a work of art. "You fight magnificently." He chuckled, shaking his head. "Nearly took out three grown men with very useful powers minutes after waking up. You really never cease to amaze me."

"More like milliseconds after I woke up." Peter grunted. "But I'm impressed how well you guys are getting along. Kidnapping together, coming to agreements and everything. I'm so proud of you all. Keep this up and you might start a podcast together."

Norman looked back down at him, unbothered by his jabbering. In fact, Peter would say the man was enjoying it, as if he knew something Peter didn't. Or maybe he was just getting a kick out of how his voice wobbled from strain and panic.

"But I have to ask, what's this about not wanting me hurt? I distinctly remember you telling me exactly how much you wanted to hear me scream in agony during our last date. I'm getting mixed signals here."

A grin spread across Norman's face, making him look more goblin than human, as if he were just waiting for Peter to ask. Peter regretted asking. The man ran a hand over Peter's head, pulling back his hair. He tried to struggle away, but it was fruitless.

"Oh, Peter, Peter, Peter, always with the jokes. My boy, it's not that I don't want you hurt, no. I don't want you hurt unnecessarily. Because, there is something else I want."

Norman snatched up his jaw in an iron grip, forcing him to look up directly at him. Peter had forgotten just how strong Green Goblin was.

"I want you to behave, Peter."

His eyebrows shot up, and he snorted, "if you think I'm going to do anything you say-"

Norman's fist slammed into his temple. Peter gasped in pain. His head immediately pounded angrily in rhythm with his heart. He heard Doctor Octopus chuckle happily, and he wondered if Shocker was still there or not. Had Norman told them all who he was?

"Now, now, my boy." The man was rubbing his hair again, still holding his chin and watching his dazed eyes come back into focus. "We'll have none of that."

"I don't care how much you hurt me," Peter spat.

The man only hummed and smiled. "That's what I thought you'd say, and I honestly believe you. But I'm sure you do care how much I hurt dear Aunt May."

Peter froze. "She's-"

"Safe? With the Avengers? The same way you were? If they couldn't keep a super powered teen safe, how safe do you think a weak, old lady would be?"

The color drained from Peter's face.

"But I wouldn't just kill her the first time you misbehaved. Oh no, no, no." Norman let go of his face. Leaning back in mock contemplation, he tapped his chin. "Maybe I would kill her darling friend first, Mrs. Watson, was it?"

"Don't."

"Oh, if you kept misbehaving, I might send her one of your fingers, or an ear." He ran his fingers gently over Peter's ear, making the skin tingle. "Could you imagine her devastation? Her poor heart may not be able to take it."

"St-stop it." Peter's breath came out in small gasps.

"Ah, and if that doesn't do it for you, I will bring her here and you will watch as Electro slowly cooks her from the inside out."

"STOP IT! DON'T YOU TOUCH HER! YOU STUPID EGOMANIACAL BAG OF FILTH! DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!"

The metal arms creaked under the strain of keeping him pinned as he struggled against them, tears and murder in his eyes.

"Don't go you near her."

Norman pat him on the head and smiled, as if his outburst was cute. "Now, now, if you behave yourself, you won't need to worry about her at all! It's all dependent on you. Do as I say and absolutely no harm will come to her. Of course, I do want you to understand before you get any bright ideas, if you somehow incapacitate or kill all of us here, -you're definitely clever enough to find a way if given the chance- your dear sweet auntie dies. I have multiple people hired and capable as soon as they receive the signal."

Norman wiped away the stream of tears running down Peter's stunned face.

"Are you going to behave yourself, Peter?"

Peter couldn't breathe. He couldn't do this. He didn't know how to handle it. Were the Avengers coming for him? Would they be able save him? Keep May safe? He didn't want to know what Norman had planned for him. He didn't think the Avengers would get here before Norman told him to do something heinous, something he couldn't do. He definitely didn't think the Avengers could stop Norman from hurting May. He couldn't do this.

"Answer me, Peter." Norman growled, threatening. "Are you going to do as I say, or do we need to take disciplinary actions already?"

That snapped Peter back to reality. "Don't." he started, his voice small and shaky. "I'll listen. I'll do what you want. Please, please, just don't hurt her."

Goblin grinned and Peter felt sick.

"That wasn't so bad, was it?" the man asked, knowing full well just how bad it was, and pat him on the head. "Otto, you can release him. He's going to be a good little spider now."

Norman gracefully hopped off the arm, and Doctor Octopus dropped him. Peter barely managed to stay on his feet as he hit the ground. He swayed dangerously. Lightheaded, queasy.

He took a few steadying breaths to keep himself from fainting, and to try and clear his throbbing head. The Avengers would come for him. He would just have to hold out until then.

He jerked away when Norman tried to grab his shoulder. The disapproving glare the man gave him made his eyes widen and slip to the floor. He held still, stiff as a board, while Osborn placed his hand on his shoulder.

"There's a good boy."

Peter wanted to throw up.

"Now, you're a little too good at getting under people's skin, so do not speak unless spoken to. And I expect 'yes sir' and 'no sir' to be the only words you speak unless someone specifically tells you to say more. Do you understand?"

Peter nodded once, and Norman grabbed his chin again, wrenching it up.

"Do. You. Understand?"

His furious eyes bore down into Peter's, making him feel small and want to shrink back. But he didn't. Instead he set his jaw, and glowered. Ignoring the way his stomach twisted, threatening to spill its contents.

"Yes, sir." He poured as much animosity into the words as he could.

But his defiance only seemed to please Norman.

"Very good." He praised, patting Peter on the head again.

Norman then slipped his Spider-man mask back over his head. He cupped either side of his face for a moment, looking him over.

"Me and Otto are the only ones who have seen your face and know your name."

Peter's eyes flickered over to the uncharacteristically quiet doctor and shivered at the hungry expression on his face. His eyes flicked back when Norman continued.

"Keep your chin up, stick close to me, and let's keep your secret between us." He dropped his hands, and began walking out of the room. "Come along, Spider-man."

Peter made it two steps, before he pitched forwards into darkness.