Chapter 4
It would be several more days before Peter would experience his next 'episode.' Several days of poking and prodding by three very excited scientists, Richard Reed, Tony Stark, and Hank Pym. Peter was far less enthused, but since every time he complained, Tony would try to joke (Peter privately thought Tony should stick to what he was good at), he kept most of his grumbling to himself.
Kraven was there when the vision struck. Tony and Reed insisted on speaking to him since Peter remembered so little of his first visions. Kraven came, albeit it reluctantly, his reluctance only increased by the New Avengers suspicion of him. His initial reaction to their cool greetings ("A guy and his father try to kill Spider-Man once or twice and he's judged for life? Let's get over it!") had not gone over so well. However, Peter was so delighted to see someone who didn't want to take any blood samples from him, he chose to stay. The evil thrill he got from Captain America's and Tony Stark's obvious displeasure at having no reason to deny Peter's request that he stay was just a bonus. Plus, he would get to eat dinner at the same table as Captain America, Iron Man, and a little old woman from Queens (who he was under strict orders not to mention Peter's difficulties to). Who would pass that up?
This vision gripped Peter far longer than the others. They were eating dinner when he dropped his fork and fell out of his chair, barely save from smashing his head into the floor by Kraven. The old lady cried out in horror and bent to touch her nephew.
"Peter? Peter what's going on?"
Peter didn't respond. His eyes rolled up and his body flopped like a dying fish.
"Get him to the lab," snapped Tony. "Hurry!"
The old woman demanded to know what was going on, trying to follow, but Cap stopped her in the hall. Kraven heard him whisper words of assurance to her as he followed Tony, carrying Peter carefully in his arms. Peter convulsed against him, his gasps punctuated with short screams. Kraven lay him down on the bed Tony had set up in the lab and watched helplessly as Tony did his best to calm Peter down. Peter lashed out at him, knocking him clear across the room.
"Can't you help him?" cried Kraven after ten minutes of watching Peter seizure, blood dripping from his nose and his eyes rolled up to the back of his head.
"I can't!" snapped Tony. "If I sedate him, he won't be able to tell us what he saw."
"He's in pain!"
"Don't you think I know that?"
"All you're doing is studying him!"
"So I can help him next time! I don't see you doing anything to help!"
Peter let out a final cry which cut off so sharply Kraven was afraid he had passed out. But he opened his eyes and looked up, eyes wild and unfocused. He saw Kraven standing over him.
"Al?" he whispered.
"I'm here Pete."
Peter whispered words so low that Al, even with his enhanced hearing, had to lean over him to hear what he said. He bent over him for a long moment then stood up.
"I'll take care of it Pete. Just rest for now. My turn for some of the glory, huh?"
Peter grinned up at him weakly and croaked out, "You said you were bored."
Kraven turned and strode to the door.
"I'm going out," he informed Tony. "Tell your super-friends they can follow me if they want to help out. But I'm sure I can handle it. Peter better be resting comfortably when I return."
He ran out, leaving Tony to scramble to notify the other Avengers to follow. Peter closed his eyes.
…...
When Peter awoke, Kraven was reading a book, looking none the worse for wear.
"Was she alright?"
Kraven looked at him, expression somber.
"I'll tell you the truth Pete - it was a close call. They hadn't raped her yet, but they beat her up a bit and already had her clothes off. A few more minutes…" he trailed off.
Peter closed his eyes.
"I should have told you sooner."
"How, Pete? You were in no condition to tell me anything."
"No! I should have been able to, I know it." He frowned. "This isn't right. This isn't the way things should go."
"Well, we caught the bad guys, Pete. The girl's going to be ok – they were going to kill her when they were through."
"But-"
"No buts, Pete! You're a hero, I'm a hero, the girl is fine, and the bad guys are going to be put away for a long, long time. End of story."
"But, I should"
Kraven was so aggravated, he didn't even think. He bent down, grabbed Peter by the shoulders, and kissed him. Thoroughly.
Peter was so startled by this that he didn't respond at first – he just sat there, eyes wide, not responding. Then his eyes closed and reached for Kraven, fisting his hands in his shirt, kissing him back.
They broke free for air. Alone, breathing heavily, they didn't look at each other at first.
Then at the same time, they spoke.
"Umm…" said Peter.
"Umm…" said Kraven.
"That was nice."
"Yeah."
"Do it again?"
"Yeah."
And so Peter began another relationship, this one begun with a sudden kiss and continued with a series of awkward moments and bad jokes. He was very comfortable with that.
…...
Spider-Man's visions continued – and so did the close calls, each one closer than before. Someone was always with Peter now, out of fear they would miss the vision and both Peter and some unknown victim would bear the consequences. Kraven became a permanent fixture in Stark Towers, too worried about Peter to leave him alone. The visions themselves grew longer and more painful – Peter would pass out after telling them what he saw, sleeping for up to two days at a time. All, New Avengers and Kraven both, were relieved whenever Peter finally woke up, allaying their fears that he would sleep forever.
However the constant attention began to wear on even Peter's playful nature. He couldn't go anywhere without someone tailing him, watching to see if he would suffer another collapse. Tony and Captain America both begged him to stop web slinging by himself, which he did, though not without harboring some resentment towards both. He would fight crime when he saw it, but he rarely went out anymore – the school had fired him and he feared having an attack in the middle of a photo shoot for the Daily Bugle. So he mostly stuck to Stark Towers, having visions and recovering from them, he and his aunt both driving themselves sick with worry about each other. But life went on, painfully.
Then came Stamford.
The vision struck late one night. Spider-Man, Kraven, Cage, and Spider-Woman were together in the common room, just shooting the bull after a late night patrol. Spider-Man was in a good mood – he had been missing web slinging and the four of them decided to go out together behind Tony's and Cap's back. The night had been uneventful, filled with stupid crooks easy to subdue. Now they kicked back on the couch, laughing and talking. Then Peter fell silent.
Kraven had never seen anything like it. Peter seized up then began screaming wordlessly, reaching out for something only he could see. Nothing they did could stop him. When they touched him, he lashed out, screaming all the while. Tears ran down his cheeks in a never ending stream and his pupils dilated to the point where his entire eye was a glassy black orb.
This went on for hours, the screaming, the sobbing, the reaching. When he began to tear at his face and his hair, they had to restrain him, but that only increased the screaming. No one could help him. They called in Tony, Reed, Dr. Strange, and even Emma Frost (getting her away from the Xavier Institute was no mean feat). The men were all stumped and Emma walked away with a throbbing headache and the feeling that something terrible was going to happen. It went on all night and through the next afternoon.
Then it happened. They learned about it from the news first. They stared helpless at the television then ran to Peter's room. Peter was shuddering in his restraints, his black eyes glittering at them. He turned to Tony and spoke in a voice that was not his own, a hissing, sibilant voice.
"Thissss issss what happenssss fool."
Tony went pale at this. Logan and Kraven, the only other people able to hear this, narrowed their eyes. Peter stiffened and abruptly went limp, his face turning slack and empty, eyes fading back to their normal brown.
"Too late," he murmured in a voice raspy from screaming. Bloodshot brown eyes focused on the others in the room for a moment before falling shut of their own accord.
"Too late."
…...
TBC