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SPIDER-MAN: DARK WOUNDS

EMBRACE:

I scribbled furiously at the paper, pencil shavings dusting the immediate area. I nervously glanced at the clock beside my bed, rubbing my eyes to keep them open.

6:12 AM

Good, I still had time. Last night's adventure had put me back on homework and had exhausted the last of my energy. With fifteen minutes to spare and half a sheet left, I was on the right track. Feeling slightly more confident, I put pen to paper and continued.

A light clicking got closer to the door. On any given day, I would be confused, but Ben's broken leg limited him to crutches. The tapping stopped right outside my door, the knob turning and being pushed towards me. Ben stood there, hobbling around to face me on his crutches, right leg being used as a focal point.

"Morning." I greeted, tearing my eyes away from my homework to look him over.

"Hey, pal. Sleep well?"

No. "Yeah. I guess."

He twisted his body so that his right side was facing me. "Come into the kitchen, we'll take there." He hopped off to the kitchen, leaving me to follow.

I opened my mouth to say I needed to finish homework, but decided I could finish it during school. "OK, be there in a second."

I closed the notebook and put it in my backpack with the pencil. The use of energy to pick myself up off the chair made me yawn uncontrollably. I needed to get more sleep. Trials of being a full-time superhero and a full-time student.

xXx

Ben was 'making' cereal. Not that there is a lot of preparation in cereal, but there isn't much you can prepare with crutches. The way he hobbled around while pouring milk made me smile.

Ben noticed. "What?"

"Nothing." I scratched my upper lip to hide my smile.

"Lemme break your leg and see how you move." I ignored him and took my seat at the island counter closest to me. He slid a bowl of Cornflakes in my direction. Aside from the occasional 'crunch' from either me or Ben, the apartment stayed relatively quiet. "Hey, sorry about the whole 'calling-you-at-one-in-the-morning-to-come-get-me-at-the-hospital' thing…" Ben smile, not looking at me.

"Oh, no problem…and thanks for the whole 'taking-me-in-when-my-aunt-and-uncle-were-brutally-murdered' thing…"

Ben's smile dropped from his face. I regretted saying it instantly, but it needed to be said. We continued eating in silence, the awkward tension like a thick cloud of fog around the two of us. Ben took a deep breath and changed the subject, much to be pleasure. "So how are things with Gwen…ya know, with her father and everything. Times must be hard on her."

I hadn't told anyone about Gwen breaking up with me just a few days earlier. It wasn't exactly the most ego-boosting event of my life, and if Flash ever found out I wouldn't hear the end of it. A nerd being dumped by a nerd wasn't exactly ignorable news. "Uh…yeah. Me and Gwen broke up." The look on Ben's face was of complete shock. "There were some…misunderstandings…"

"With her Dad?"

"Kinda."

"Death isn't easy, Peter. You should have seen yourself the first few weeks you were here. You were always tired, depressed and never felt like eating. I almost called a psychiatrist."

"Really?" I hadn't noticed how bad I must have been.

"Yeah, but you began to come back around within a few months. I'm betting Gwen will do the same."

"Yeah, I guess…" I still wasn't sold on Gwen coming back around and it made me sound like a hypocrite, but I couldn't help but feel like Gwen was beginning to push me away before her Dad died. Maybe Spider-Man had altered my social life…?

Ben placed his empty bowl in the sink behind him and hopped over to me. I kept my eyes trained on the remains of my breakfast, my sleep-deprived body not quite in the mood for food. Ben placed his hand on my shoulder and patted it lightly. "C'mon, you're gonna be late for school."

xXx

7:01 AM

Day Two of being friend-less in school. Though, by this point, me and MJ were relatively close enough to be considered friends. I entered the school through the side, where the buses unload. MJ's locker was only a few feet from that door. I figured I would get the 'drop' on her. Entering the school, I scanned the hallway for MJ.

She wasn't there.

I checked my phone for the time again, making sure I hadn't shown up too soon.

7:02 AM

Nope, perfect timing. I wasn't the one late. I decided to stay at her locker. I had to do my homework anyway.

I pressed my back against the wall and slid to the ground, my knees easily buckling under my weight. I pulled out my homework, the hum of a bus arriving to the school outside. I dabbed the paper with the top of my pencil, eyes scanning the sheet of paper for the answer I left off on. My eyes began to feel heavy, eyelids giving out on me. The pounding of feet on the parking lot outside was like a lullaby to my ears and I found myself unable to keep my eye-sight from going dark.

xXx

The school bell rang, the alarm positioned directly above me. My eyelids pulled back, brain trying to make connections above the scream of the bell. I looked side-to-side, trying to establish a safe ground. After a few moments, I realized I was in the hallway, next to MJ's locker. Aside from one person who was sprinting down the hall to my left, there was no one in the hallway. My homework lay across my lap, untouched. I had fallen asleep. That meant MJ hadn't showed. She would've at least woken me up. Something by fellow classmates failed to do.

I pulled myself to my feet homework and pencil sliding off my lap, the paper swaying gracefully in the air. I ignore the sheets of paper, now scattered across the hallway, and yawned, stretching my back out in the process. I checked my phone for the time and to see if Mary Jane has sent me a notice of her absence. The time read "7:37 AM"; no missed messages or calls accompanied it. Figuring I was already late enough for class as it was, I gathered up my homework and headed to class, dreading the oncoming lecture for my tardiness.

Guess there's a first time for everything...

xXx

2:34 PM

I burst through the front door of the apartment building, using my right hand to swing the door shut quickly behind me. It was still early January and the blistering cold was not helping the already crappy couple of months I've had. The apartment lobby was a comfortable seventy-eight degrees, the few residents within it wearing light clothing; a stark contrast to the double sweatshirt look I was pulling off at the moment. The lobby warmed me quite a bit and put me in a noticeable better mood. I headed towards the door, still rubbing my hands together to create friction, despite my rising body temperature. About fifteen feet from the stairs, I was stopped by a familiar face racing down the stairs before cutting left towards the public bathrooms.

It was MJ.

I figured this was as good of a time as ever to ask her why she ditched me without so much as a text to explain herself. I stopped my assault for the stairs and headed for the girls bathroom. There were only two people in the lobby, neither of them looking in my direction, and the front desk clerk was oddly absent, so I had no reason to worry about entering the bathroom. I pushed open the door slowly at first, making sure I didn't catch anyone with their pants down before realizing the female bathrooms don't have, or need, urinals. Ignoring my stupidity, I forced my way into the crowded room, and shut the door behind me. The farthest stall from the door was closed, a stifled whine coming from it. I walked over slowly, unzipping the first sweatshirt as the heat began to get to me.

I knocked on the three times in rapid succession, Mary Jane's startled voice answering me. "Oc-occupied…sor-sorry." She stuttered through sniffling moans.

"It's me." I sighed, slightly embarrassed by my presence in the girl's bathroom.

"Peter?" Her voice became slightly more natural. "What the hell are you doing in the girl's bathroom?"

"I…well, looking for you."

"How romantic…" She sighed.

I laughed at the situation. "Yeah…"

"Why are you really here?"

"No, I'm serious. I wanted to talk to you."

"Can it wait? I'm sorta IN the bathroom."

I took a few steps back, placing my back up against the wall, and titled my head to look beneath the stall door. "You know, when people go to the bathroom…they usually pull their pants down."

"I-uh..well…" There was the sound of crumbling clothing and quickened breaths for a few seconds before one last, depressed sigh. "Shit."

"Can I come in?" I asked, shyly.

"Why the hell not?" MJ sighed, again, unlocking the stall for me.

I walked in slowly, uncomfortable that I was both in the girls bathroom and about to engage in conversation in the bathroom. Mary Jane's head was faced slightly towards the wall to her right, hiding the right side of her face from sight. "Why are you hiding your face…?" She didn't answer at first, just continued to stare at the far right corner of the stall. I opened my mouth to ask if something was wrong, but was stunned speechless when she turned her head.

A bruise, about the size of my fist covered her cheek.

"What the hell…?" I gasped, stopping in my tracks, not sure of what to do. "What happened?"

"Hit in the face by a pigeon." She refused to make eye contact with me.

"Deadly bastards." She smiled at my joke, showing her teeth, but I didn't come for a smile. "What really happened?"

We sat in silence as I waited for her answer. I heard the sniffle of the lobby clerk outside the bathroom door. My mind began to secretly squander up excuses for me being in the girl's bathroom, but I figured that could wait until after I sorted things out with MJ.

"Nothing." She finally look me in the eyes, and saw that I didn't believe her. "Really."

My heart leapt out of my chest as I suddenly recalled the awkward conversation with Max. I knelt down besides her, staring her in the face even as she looked away.

"Her Dad hits her…a lot."

"Your Dad did this…didn't he?"

"I-" Her throat closed up on her, tears filling her eyes. She looked up at me. The pain in her face was overwhelming.

"MJ…" I started, unable to finish my thought. She used the silence to fall into me, her face buried into my shoulder. I slowly wrapped my arms around her, stunned by how quickly her emotion changed. Her body wretched with each sob, my sweatshirt soaking up her tears. I patted her back, still weighing the situation in my head. As much I wanted to hold her, as much as it made ME feel good, I still needed to help her. I put my arms on her shoulders and gently pushed her away from me. Getting the hint, she slowly pulled herself together and looked me in the eyes. Her mascara ran down her face, hair unkempt and frazzled. She looked like a mess. It hurt me to see her like this.

"What's wrong?" she asked, confused as to why I pushed her off.

"THIS is wrong." I said, coldly.

"Oh…oh, I'm sorry." To my surprise, she picked herself up, wiping her eyes and fixing her hair. "I forgot you were with Gwen…"

I stood up with her. "No, I'm not. Not anymore."

"Oh! I'm so sorry…"

"Forget it. You and your Dad: it's not right. Something needs to be done."

"No! No. Don't." Her face froze in shock, nails digging into my shoulders as he pinned me up against the stall. "It wasn't his fault. It was mine. I shouldn't have thrown that party. I shouldn't have stolen his beer. I should have listened to him! I know he likes his beer. I was-"

"MJ!" I grabbed her shoulders, breaking her from her trance. "Forget what you did. This is wrong. I'm calling the cops."

"No! Please. Don't. It's doesn't happen often. Once every few months, I swear."

I wasn't understanding her here. She wanted to protect her Dad, despite her own health. "He's hurting you! Why won't you let me help you?"

"Because he's my Dad. I can't lose him, not since I lost my Mom…"

Deep down I wanted to tell her she should be grateful. I lost my parents AND my aunt and uncle, all she lost was her mom. But loss is loss, and MJ was seriously hurting, and she trusted me. I couldn't betray her. "Fine…fine. I won't tell anyone, I swear."

"Thank you!" She hugged me again, sighing out of relief. "Let's get out of here." He collected herself once again, fixing her hair and wiping her face with toilet paper. I followed her as she headed for the door. She stopped abruptly, turning towards me. "Why did you come here for real?"

"For you." I smiled. "I wasn't kidding. I wanted to see why you ditched me at school today."

"Oh. I'm sorry… I never quite had the chance…"

"Don't worry about. Let's just not bring this up again. OK?"

"Deal."

We exited the bathroom and into the lobby. The receptionist didn't notice me, and the handful of people gathered in the lobby where too busy with themselves to concentrate on me. Good thing, too. I hadn't thought of an excuse.

xXx

We stopped outside MJ's apartment, the long flight up the stairs hadn't taken its toll on me this time. I suppose I was too concentrated on MJ's personal problems to care.

"Thanks again, Peter…for everything."

"Don't worry about it." I reassured her with a smile and a nod of the head.

"You're a great guy… Gwen doesn't know what's she's missing."

I really wish I hadn't brought this up. It was like opening a fresh wound. "Thanks."

She unlocked the door to the apartment and I watched as she stepped into the darkness, smiling as she shut the door behind her. I ran my hands through my hair, trying to keep myself composed despite all the crap I had to go through. I promised MJ I wouldn't get involved. I told her I wouldn't tell anyone. And I was going to keep that promise.

Spider-Man is a different story.

xXx

As I pulled the mask over my head, I took a quick glance at the clock beside my bed.

12:36 AM

Ben had gone to bed about an hour ago; he should be fast asleep by now. Plenty of time to have a chat with Mary Jane's father.

I slid the window open slowly, hoping to limit the amount of sound produced. The night air froze me in place, bits of snow swaying around me as the wind picked up. I couldn't let too much snow in my room, for obvious reasons, and so I pulled myself out the window faster than I wanted to, freezing my body more than before. My right hand gripped the portion of the brick wall below my window as I spun my body around, my feet sticking to the wall, as well. With my left hand, I slowly closed the window again and took a deep breath, my body slowly adjusting to the considerably colder temperature.

I trudged on, twisting my body ninety degrees to the right, and scaled the apartment wall towards MJ's place. Upon reaching it, I pulled my eyes up above the window sill, making sure no one was on the other side of the window. It was the bathroom. The lights were off and the door was closed. Once again, I opened the window and pulled myself into the apartment. Only after closing the window did the stench reach me. It was a vial, acidic smell that burned my nose and made me hold my breath. The toilet was full of puke. It was barely puke, really. Just pure liquid, as if someone had nothing but alcohol to eat and drink that day. I almost thought of leaving the apartment and letting MJ's father die of alcohol poisoning to solve her problem.

At the door, I dropped my stature to a crouch. If anyone was in the room on the other side, I would be out of sight for a few moments, at least. The door creaked as I subtly pushed it open, my heart jumping at the unexpected sound. Luckily, there was no one in the hallway, and I squeezed my way past the half open door. The hallway was pitch-black, as well, a thin stretch of carpeting leading me to the kitchen. I was thankful for the carpeting as it was much easier to sneak around with a soft surface beneath me. Instead of heading for the kitchen, I turned out and entered the first door on the right of the hallway.

It was a bedroom. The bed was horribly unkempt, old food, bottles and wrappers littering the floor and furniture. The room smelled of rotten food and mold. The room was bland in taste: white walls and wood flooring as far as the eye could see. It didn't take long to come to the conclusion that this was not MJ's room and that the other door, at the end of the hallway, was hers. I left the bedroom with pleasure, saving my nostrils from another beating. A faint sound pierced my ears from the right, towards the kitchen. It was laughter, but it was robotic, fake. A laugh track. The TV in the living room was probably on. I cursed at myself for not arriving later to avoid catching Mary Jane's father awake. Still, I decided to check the living room, anyway. There was always the possibility that he was asleep, more so with his system just recently emptied of booze.

I crossed the kitchen and pressed my chest up against the wall beside the arch leading from the kitchen to the living room. I lowered myself down to a crouch and slid my head around the corner. The TV was facing me, its light blinding me as I looked at it. I covered most of the light with my left arm and slowly pushed my head forward to see if anyone was in the room. My breath was caught short as I captured the image of MJ's father sitting on the couch, facing the TV. I couldn't take my eyes away, the sudden shock freezing me in place. It took me a few seconds to realize he couldn't see me anyway.

He was passed out.

I stood up, laughing to myself at my reaction to Mary Jane's father, and tip-toed into the living room. The wall to the right of MJ's father had three windows. I snuck past TV, my shadow being cast upon Mary Jane's father. I opened the far right window, the one in-line with the passed out man on the couch. The rush of cold air was just as unpleasant as before. I would have to do this quick as to not wake up MJ's father faster than I wished. Hoping my accuracy was as good as I hoped, I grabbed MJ's father by the collar and launched him towards the window. He awoke mid-flight, not yet screaming. His voice rang out as he realized where he was: seven stories above the ground, with no support. He continued to scream even as I followed closely behind, catching him by the right leg with my right hand, my left pressed up against the brick wall of the apartment building. His wails continued, despite the fact that neither of us were moving anywhere.

I lifted my right arm up as high as it could go, bring his face closer to mine. "Stop crying."

"What the hell is going on?" He squealed, eyes concentrated on the ground.

"I know about you and your daughter." I snarled, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him up to my eye level.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" He began to gather a steady ground now that he was upright. I was gonna change that. I let him go, his body plummeting towards the street below. His cries were shrill and full of fear. He reached the fourth floor before I snagged him by the back with webbing, his body hanging limply from my web strand.

I reeled him in, his whimpering becoming more audible as he came closer. "Wh-whatya wa-want?"

"What I want is for you to leave your daughter alone. If I find out you even lay a finger on her, I don't know if I'll be able to catch you next time."

"Sure sure sure! Whatever you say, man!" He took a deep breath to regain some composure. "Can-can I go home now? I'm not feeling too good..."

xXx

The cool of the pillow on my face was more than relaxing than I remembered. Sounds of screaming and yelling from nearby awoke me, my eyes slowly adjusting to the light of the sunrise. I figured it was the elderly couple on the other side of us at first, my mind still groggy from my slumber. Once my mind got settled, I realized it was coming from the other direction, towards MJ's apartment. It sparked interest in me. Enough to get me dressed on the spot.

According to the clock, the time was 5:57 AM. Plenty of time for school.

I pulled myself up from the bed, my sheets barely damp from the barrage of snow a few hours before. The yelling was getting louder, but still not quite understandable. The slam of a door followed soon after I put my shirt on. I started sliding my pants on when there was a rapid knock on the door. I was still too tired to completely piece things together, but I was awake enough to know that I should probably get there before Ben. I headed towards the front door, the knocking becoming pounding. I quickened my pace as I heard my name being called from the other side of the door. By the time I opened the door, my mind was fully awoken.

On the other side was MJ, in a tank top and gym shorts. Her hair was a mess, face lacking make-up. She looked like she just woke up…aside from the split lip and new bruises. My heart sank as I saw the pain in MJ's face. We stared at each other in silence for a second, neither of us quite sure what to say.

I went first. "MJ…? What…what the hell…?"

"Did you tell anyone?" Mary Jane growled, moving in closer to me.

"What are you talking about?"

"Did you tell anyone?" She repeated, slightly calmer than before, making sure to perfectly pronounce each word.

"About your Dad? No, no one."

"Well, SOMEHOW, Spider-Man found out."

I began to fear the worse. "What? Spider-Man? You're kidding me."

"No! I'm not! He harassed my father last night!" She moved in closer and I took a step back to let her in the apartment. "He thinks I talked to him. Me! Like I know how to speak to Spider-Man."

"I didn't tell anyone…" I reassured her, shutting the front door and facing MJ.

"Well, somebody did!"

I tried redirecting the topic. "What happened, MJ?"

She kept quiet for a while, looking at the ground as she formulated her thoughts. "My Dad kicked me out." Tears began to form in her eyes.

God dammit. "What? What do you plan on doing?" Don't tell me those injuries are old, either."

"I…" She broke down, falling into me. I held her tightly, my left hand lightly patting him back. "He beat me for, apparently, telling Spider-Man."

"Do you have anyone you can stay with?"

"Yeah, I have an Aunt not too far from here."

I gently pushed MJ away from me, my hands resting lightly on her shoulders. "Call her. I'll deal with you father."

"You're not gonna attack him, are you?" Her face dropped even more than before.

"No." Her face stayed worried. "Trust me. Get yourself cleaned up in the bathroom or something. I'll deal with this."

She slowly peeled her eyes away from me and headed for the bathroom. I ran my hands through my hair, taking a deep breath to compile my thoughts. Spider-Man had caused more harm than good once again. I was starting to realize that intervention isn't always the best course of action. I needed to learn my limits if I was gonna be an actual hero.

Ignoring my petty problems, I picked up the phone and called 9-1-1.

xXx

I watched out the window as MJ's father was escorted out the building and into the back of the police car. There was more than enough proof within the apartment and on MJ herself to convict him. Ben kept me home to help deal with MJ before her Aunt showed up. Ben was more human than most people I've ever met. The past few months hadn't been easy on me, and even though Ben didn't know exactly why, he noticed and was kind enough to give me the time to sort out my problems. Next year I'll give him a better Christmas present.

I left the light of the window and headed for the hallway. Down the right, towards the stairs, MJ was finishing up her conversation with the police. She would definitely have to go to court for this. I leaned up against the wall and checked my phone, the sound of police sirens peeling away from the building outside.

7:33 PM.

MJ turned away from the police as they headed down the stairs and towards me. The bruises on her face were just as vibrant as before, but the cut lip had been cleaned up and was now barely visible. She smiled as she got closer. "Hey…"

"Hey…" I responded back, pushing myself off the wall.

"I'm gonna have to go to court for this…"

"I figured." I shrugged, looking at the ground. "Ben suggested a lawyer by the name of Matt Murdock. If Ben likes him, he can't be too bad."

"I hadn't really thought of court yet…"

Thinking I might have brought up a sensitive topic, I tried to apologize "Oh, I'm so-"

"Thanks." She interrupted me, a soft smile following closely behind.

"It's no problem. Anyone would have done it..." I shrugged off the compliment, trying not to look so modest.

"No, they wouldn't have. That's why this is so special." Her smile was sincere and heart-melting. I smiled back out of instinct.

"Ah, don't-" She cut me short with a hug. It was a tight hug, one that meant more than any of the other hugs she's given me the past few days. I hugged back, her warm breath just barely skimming past my neck. Again, goosebumps ran up my back. We released each other, MJ taking a step back to give each other some breathing room.

We smiled at each other for a while before her phone vibrated in her pocket. She read the text on her screen, puling her eyes away from mine. "My Aunt's here…"

"Are you still gonna be in school?"

"She doesn't live very far away, so yeah."

"Well…I'll see you when I see you."

"Why not tomorrow?" She headed towards the stairs, body twisted to face me and the stairs at the same time.

"I have a funeral…"

"Oh…" The smile dropped from her face for a second. "Gwen's Dad?"

"Yeah…"

"Tell her I'm sorry."

"Will do." I fell against the wall again as she began heading down the stairs. Before she went out of sight, she waved at me one more time. I waved back and before I knew it, she was gone.

I was lonelier than ever, and virtually nothing had changed.