Spider-Man: Fire and Desire
Author's Note: ….Guys…. Well, where do I begin with this? How many months has it been? *Checks* EIGHT MONTHS?! An update shouldn't have taken this long, so once again, I deeply apologize. Though, as Jeff Goldblum would say, "Life, uh, finds a way," I can confirm life certainly did find a way. College almost killed me again, but it seems like I explain that in every author's note whenever I don't update. It went beyond just college stuff this time, however. For a long, long period of time, my laptop suddenly decided it was going to stop working. I can't explain it, I don't know what happened that could have caused it, but all I can tell you guys is I literally couldn't turn the thing on. Then one day, a miracle happened. It rose from the dead… only for it to not be able to connect to Wi-Fi. Keep in mind, I'm still in college with mostly online classes, so yeah, that was fun to go through. Believe me, I tried to update this story a LOOOOOONG time ago, along with my other stories, but I quite literally couldn't do so.
Even after my laptop stopped acting like it was sick or whatever, (meaning for whatever reason, it decided to connect to the Wi-Fi again) I got sick in the early parts of summer, and it lasted for a good month. I have no idea if it was Covid or not, but what I can tell you is I felt absolutely miserable. Keep in mind, summer is usually the time where I do most of my updating with my stories, but I guess it simply wasn't happening this time around. I never wanted this update to take this long, but a lot of things were really out of my control. It's like I had my own form of Parker Luck going for me, as all of these things were happening in a row. Let's get right into the reviews so we can get to the story.
Joe: MERRY LATE CHRISTMAS, JOE! Thank you for your kind words. Hopefully, you're still reading.
UI Ghosty: Spider-Ham, huh? And a version of Ben Reilly that's just Spider-Man and not Scarlet Spider? Hmmm…. Well, stay tuned. Also, once again, sorry for the late update. Hopefully, you're still with me! Thanks for all the reviews!
SpiderCatForever: You would be correct on how my Peter is pretty much a combination of all three live action Spidey's. It's combined with some others, too, but mainly those three. Tobey has always been my personal favorite as well. And yes, HAPPY LATE NEW YEAR! Thank you for all the reviews as well!
And without further ado, let's get this party started!
Chapter 15: Aftermath
I believe there's a hero in all of us
That keeps us honest
Gives us strength
Makes us noble
And finally, allows us to die with pride
Even though sometimes… we have to be steady and give up the thing we want the most
Even our dreams
Graveyard
When you talk about life, you're bound to experience ups and downs. It's unclear how many times a person may be on top, or reach rock bottom. There's ways to define success, and there's other ways to define tough times.
So, how can this whole situation be described with one word?
Tragedy.
Unfortunately, that seems to be the theme of Peter Parker's life.
No parents, no uncle, and now… no Aunt May.
Grey skies covered all of New York, as nothing but a somber tone filled the graveyard. The small amount of rain falling on the graves described a perfect picture on how everybody felt. The rain would blend in with tears from other people, as it continued to stream down the faces of individuals who were close with May Parker. Her grave was right next to her husband's grave, Ben Parker. Both graves were covered with flowers.
Ben Parker's Headstone - Beloved Husband and Uncle
May Parker's Headstone – When you help someone, you help everyone
Both of them died on the same day.
Maybe you could say the two were finally reunited. Maybe it was meant to be.
But… for Peter Parker… did it have to be this way?
The last two conversations he had with his aunt and uncle were arguments. And after those arguments, an event occurred to where it would lead to both of their deaths. These were events that Peter Parker could have prevented.
It was his own selfishness and revenge that got Uncle Ben killed. After that, he vowed to never let it happen again.
But he couldn't save his Aunt May either.
The night, both nights to be specific, were replaying over and over in Peter's mind. From the sirens of police cars surrounding Uncle Ben's body, to the explosion that not only killed Aunt May, but destroyed his entire childhood home.
Peter looked lifeless. It's like his soul left his body, but truth be told, the boy was feeling a lot of emotions. There's certain things that can never truly be put to words, especially when you're living in the moment.
Aside from Peter Parker, others were attending the funeral as well. Harry Osborn's family, Gwen Stacy's family, Miles Morales' family, Flash Thompson's family, Peter's Daily Bugle co-workers, Martin Li, May's F.E.A.S.T coworkers, Mary Jane and her aunt Anna Watson, and even Felicia Hardy. For Felicia, she only had the chance to speak with May Parker a couple of times, but May's kindness and acceptance of Felicia really stuck with her. Deep down, Felicia feels like she's responsible for May's death. Clearly, she's not, but once she figured out what was going on at Fisk Towers, she made it her mission to save the Parker family in time before it was too late.
Obviously, things didn't turn out that way, and Felicia hasn't stopped blaming herself since then.
An eerie silence, at least for Peter Parker, overtook the funeral. He was sitting on a chair, his hands being clasped together as the boy thought about his entire life up to this point. Was he eternally destined, bound to struggle? Was he bound to eventually lose everyone he loves? If the two people that essentially raised him are gone, given how his life has turned out, who says it stops there?
"Peter."
Someone was calling his name, but he wasn't listening. Not intentionally, though. It has more to do with the current circumstances.
"Peter."
Once again, his name was called.
The second time his name was called is when he slightly started to snap out of it. Peter looked and saw Martin Li trying to speak to him.
"Do you feel good enough to add anything about May?"
What Martin Li's question really meant was, 'are you okay enough to give some kind of speech?' Which, to clarify, Peter's not sure if he'll truly ever be okay again. He was already barely speaking at all, and now he was being asked about doing a speech?
Peter wasn't sure how to respond to Martin Li at first. It wouldn't be a crime if he said no, but… once again, May Parker is the woman that raised him. Could he really let this whole thing pass on by without saying anything?
He wasn't ready in the slightest. Mentally, Peter was all over the place. He was in between the lines of where he could say absolutely everything or say absolutely nothing at all. How could he put this into words? Adding to that, how could he put this into words successfully?
With Peter continuing to think, he would soon give Martin Li a blank expression with a verbal response. "Yeah… yeah, I'll be okay." Peter assured, giving a single nod before getting up and facing the crowd of people. A small pause would occur during this moment, as everyone wondered what Peter had to say, and how he was going to get through it.
Peter himself didn't know how he was going to get through it either.
Honestly… the best thing he could do right now, was to simply say what he wanted to say.
With one deep breath, Peter would just let the words flow.
"Hi, everyone. I, uh… just want to once again thank you all for coming." Peter began, looking at the audience. "Ever since that night, there's not a day… that goes by that I don't think of my Aunt May and the principles she taught me. May Parker… I adored her. She taught me so many things. One of the biggest lessons she taught me was how to be kind to others, and in that kindness, you can help others as well. I think about her when-"
Suddenly, Peter stopped. His once blank, soulless gaze that represented the face of a boy with no more hope, a boy that faced an unbelievable amount of pain and struggle in his life, his face would now visibly represent those feelings more as his eyes started to water. Once again, he didn't know how he was going to get through this. Peter's silence overtook the graveyard, and while almost everyone else began to start crying as well, they knew he needed some support.
So, they clapped for him.
Everyone.
Those claps, as simple as they may have been, would prove to be huge for Peter Parker to keep going.
Peter looked up at the grey skies for a moment, trying his best to pull himself together, but it was a struggle. "You know… Mr. Li asked me if I would be okay enough to do this, but… it's a difficult thing for me."
One more pause.
A few more thoughts.
He would finish his speech in honor of May Parker.
"Okay." Peter told himself, being more determined than ever to finish this speech.
"I, um… can only hope that… in everything that she's taught me, that somehow… she's somewhere watching me. I hope that I've made her proud of the man I've turned out to be. I haven't always been where I should've been in my life, but… I was trying. And I look at my life and where it's turned out, I think about all of the moments we shared, the lessons in helping others, and I try to live by those same values every day. The one and only May Parker taught me to live this way. She taught me how to love others unconditionally."
One more deep breath, as the tears streamed down Peter's face.
"May Parker… was not only my aunt, but she was my mom." Peter proclaimed, believing every word he was saying. "I love her."
…
"I'll love her forever."
BGM: Jimmy Cliff – Many Rivers To Cross
When Peter finished his speech, he immediately broke down right where he stood. Harry, Miles, Gwen, Flash, Mary Jane, and Felicia all came to Peter and tried to hold him up. They were crying too, but they realized Peter needed them more than ever.
As Peter was being held up, he would look at the grey, rainy skies one more time, hoping that May Parker would hear him when he said this.
"I did it… I did it, mom. I did it, mom." Peter said over and over again through his tears. "I finished it for you… I finished it for you… I hope you're proud of me." The pain in his voice wasn't leaving, but he truly hopes May Parker, somehow, someway, heard his words.
While all of this was going on, one man was attending the funeral, but nobody could really recognize him. People assumed he knew May Parker in some capacity, so nothing was said to him. He was a blind man with shades and a cane to help him walk.
"So, what do you think, Matt? Should we talk to him?"
The blind man known as Matt would give a disagreeing nod to his friend standing next to him.
"Give him some time, Foggy. It's the least we could do for him right now."
As time passed, people started to leave, but Peter was left staring at May's grave, and Ben's grave. Some of his friends were still there with him, since they knew he needed support. Flash placed a hand on Peter's shoulder, saying, "She'd be proud of you, ya know." he said sincerely, wanting to make sure Peter knew that.
Unfortunately, Peter was unsure.
"I don't know about that." Peter replied solemnly, as Miles tilted his head.
"What? Are you kidding me? You help so many people, just like she did." Miles added, of course not knowing Peter is, or was, Spider-Man.
"That's not the vibe I got from you guys not too long ago." Peter reminded, talking about the situation where Miles, Harry, and Gwen were all calling him at once, only for him to not reply at all during the moment. Peter felt bad, and since he brought up the situation, it made Harry, Gwen, and Miles feel terrible, because not too long after that, Aunt May died.
Some friends they all turned out to be, right?
"That doesn't matter now, Pete." Gwen assured him, wanting to put everything in the past. "We're here for you. Whenever you need us, we'll be there."
"I guess that especially goes for me since you'll be living with me now." Harry added. Once word got around that Aunt May died, Norman Osborn was the first person in line to give Peter a new home. Captain Stacy and Jefferson Davis also would've welcomed him with open arms since Peter was essentially family to them, but in Norman's case, Peter was the son he never had.
So, it was talked about, and Peter agreed to move in with Harry.
However… Harry is… conflicted on this. There's one part of him that loves the idea of his childhood best friend, his brother essentially, is now going to live with him. On the other hand… Harry knows how highly Stormin' Norman thinks of Peter. Comparing Peter to himself, when it comes to his dad, makes Harry… insecure?
Slightly jealous?
He wants to get these negative thoughts out of his head, but he can't help but feel that after a while, Norman won't even acknowledge him due to Peter's presence.
"I think living with Harry will be good for you, Tiger." Mary Jane said, trying to be encouraging. "You'll be right next to Oscorp."
Peter softly shrugged. "I guess." he managed to say. He knew MJ was trying to help, but the fact remains that his childhood home was gone. You can never really replace it if the home meant anything to you.
Before long, Norman walked toward the group, beginning to speak. He would speak to both Peter and Harry, but mainly Peter. "Are you ready to go, Peter? No rush." Norman said, as Peter became quiet for a moment. The boy still had a lot on his mind. Eventually, though, he would come up with an answer.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Peter said, continuing to look at Aunt May's grave, kneeling and placed another flower by it. The rest of his friends would do the same.
Harry and Norman were headed to the limo, while everyone else started to go their own separate ways for the time being. As Peter took one last look at the grave, he started to walk away, until somebody stopped him.
"Peter."
He would stop in his tracks, turning around to see Felicia and wondered what she had to say. Peter wasn't sure what to think about her, really. Ever since Captain Stacy gave Peter the news that Walter Hardy, father of Felicia Hardy, was the one who actually killed Uncle Ben, he's been trying to avoid Felicia before he says something he might regret. He knows they're different people, and he's been trying to focus on that, but it's been getting more difficult to do with each passing day.
He won't bring it up now, but maybe… there will be another time.
"I don't want you to have any doubts about your Aunt May being proud of you." Felicia stated, meaning every word. "You may not realize it now, but you've helped all of us in some way."
Peter looked down at the ground, shaking his head. "It's not just about that." he clarified. "It feels like I'm reliving events that I don't want to relive, yet life keeps finding a way for it to keep happening to me." Peter clenched his fists out of frustration, once again trying to keep himself together. "I have to live with the fact that the last time I talked to both of the people that raised me, I argued with both of them. And after those arguments, they both died on the same day. That's the last memory I have with them, and that's the last memory they had with me. That's how I showed my thanks to them after everything they've done for me."
Felicia knew what Peter was trying to say, and it was some heavy stuff to talk about.
"I don't know if I'm gonna get over this. Heck, I don't know if I'll ever get over this. I told myself after Uncle Ben died, I would never let something like this happen again, but look where I am today."
Felicia took all of this in, feeling sad for Peter, but made sure to stay composed for his sake. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey," she began, saying, "Even if that's how it turned out, it doesn't change the fact they still loved you. It doesn't change the fact they were still proud of you." Saying this, Felicia would then give Peter a soft hug, to which he would take a while to return. The news Captain Stacy told him would still be in his head. Though, for the sake of the hug not being awkward, he would eventually hug Felicia back. It would last for a few moments, before they would stop the hug. Afterwards, Felicia would flash a small smile. "And if you ever have trouble realizing that, then you can talk to me anytime."
Peter still wasn't sure how he was going to deal with this, but he did appreciate Felicia trying to help him. Felicia Hardy isn't Walter Hardy. Felicia Hardy isn't Walter Hardy. He tried to keep telling himself this, because once again, he didn't want to take it there. Not today. "Thanks, Felicia." he told her, forcing a smile on his face to try and show his appreciation, but it was hard to genuinely smile about anything currently. The two would say their goodbyes, as Peter would get inside the limo with Harry and Norman.
Soon enough, the limo would drive off.
Osborn Penthouse
It didn't take too long for Peter, Harry, and Norman to arrive at the penthouse. Peter's been in the penthouse before, but never in a million years he thought he would be living in it. Obviously, with how much money Norman has, the penthouse was huge. It resembled an English manor, and it truly was a sight to behold. The Osborn's know how to live in style, to say the least.
Greeting them at the door would be their butler, Bernard Houseman. "Welcome home, sir." he told Norman.
"Good to be home, Bernard." replied Norman. "Is Peter's room fully set up?"
"Indeed it is, just as you requested." confirmed Bernard, taking a look at Peter, obviously having knowledge of what happened to Aunt May. "My condolences, Peter."
Peter would only give a nod in return, as all of them would head into his new room. Well, it's safe to say that it was a whole lot bigger than his old room. It had a bunch of stuff in it too. It was technologically advanced in every aspect. A heaven for science geeks to do whatever they wanted. There was some casual stuff too, because Harry suggested to Norman the room needed some character. So, some comic book-like posters could be seen on the walls, along with a big TV and everything else people dream of, especially people around Peter's age.
"Welcome home, Peter." Norman said proudly, smirking as he looked around the room himself.
If Peter wasn't an emotional wreck right now, he would be jumping through the roof out of pure joy, but it's hard to do that right now. Still, it's not like he could remain silent at all this. He felt like he had to say something just to be polite.
"This is…" Peter tried to find the words, or specifically, the right word to say. "Unbelievable." he finished, as Norman would keep his smirk.
"And there's more where that came from." Norman told him, turning to Peter. "You've always been family, Peter. You and Harry are like brothers, and now you two are officially living together." With that, he would also say this. "I know it's been rough for you. I know I'll never be able to replace your wonderful Aunt May, but I swear to you, I'll do my best to live up to her and provide you with anything you need. That's a promise from me to you, son."
As Norman basically declared Peter as his second son, Harry wasn't sure how to take this. His expression was… blank? Like, he had a moment of realization of Peter living with them was actually happening, but all of those thoughts weren't positive.
"Thank you." Peter managed to say in response to Norman's speech. "And I'll try not to be too much of a burden."
"Oh, that's nonsense." Norman replied, waving it off. "There's no burden here." As he was speaking, his phone began to ring. He took a look at his phone, then back at Peter. "Looks like I have to take this." Then, he would turn to Harry. "Harry, I trust you'll make Peter feel right at home?"
"Why do you even have to ask me that?" Harry replied in annoyance.
"Just making sure." Norman said, soon turning to Bernard. "And Bernard, make sure to whip up some food for these boys. I think I'll be gone for a while."
"Right away, sir." Bernard said, heading to the kitchen to prepare some food. As for Norman, he would take the phone call and leave the penthouse to go somewhere else.
After Norman left, Harry looked at Peter, wanting to break the silence between the two. "So, Pete… Does all of this feel… weird? Like, living here?"
Peter thought about the question, and sighed a bit. "I wish it was under different circumstances." he said simply, as Harry got where he was coming from. "I should be overjoyed, right? Living with you, living in this huge penthouse, but… knowing why I'm here… I don't know, man. So many things are happening so fast, and I'm not really sure what to think anymore."
Seeing his friend needed some support, Harry would try his best to offer that. "Well, I'm here for you, buddy. My door is always open if you ever need anything. Like dad said, you're family." Harry explained, smiling. Peter would smile back and the two would embrace in a bro hug.
Nothing could ever come between these two.
…Right?
Nighttime at the Osborn Penthouse
BGM: Al Green – How Can You Mend a Broken Heart
Peter was sitting on the edge of his bed, looking outside the window as he viewed the city that never sleeps. To be honest, he hasn't came out of his room ever since he got here. The door was closed, leaving him and his thoughts to himself. His eyes had a lot of pain, a lot of rage as he still thought back to the night May was killed. One man's face kept showing up in his mind, and it was no one other than Wilson Fisk.
The Kingpin.
Peter's never considered himself to hate anyone except the man who killed Uncle Ben, so Fisk is in a pretty exclusive club here.
He would look at his phone for the first time since he's gotten here, and saw that he got some voicemails.
Voicemail from Miles: Hey Pete! Just checking up on you man. You don't have to call back or anything. Unless you want to, of course. Talk to me anytime, bro. I'll be here.
Voicemail from Gwen: Hi Pete. Hopefully you and Harry haven't gotten into too much trouble yet. Joking aside, I hope you're doing okay. Call me whenever you wanna talk.
Voicemail from Felicia: Just checking up on my favorite tutor. Hope everything is going well with you and Harry so far. Let me know if you need anyone to talk to. I'm only a text or a phone call away.
As Peter listened to these voicemails, he turned his phone off. He did appreciate the voicemails, but for the time being, he wanted to be alone.
BGM: Spider-Man 3 – Transformation
Deciding to get comfortable, or rather as comfortable as he could be, Peter was now lying in his bed. A thunderstorm was starting to occur outside, along with flashes of lightning. He would close his eyes and fall asleep… only to have a nightmare.
He started moving frantically in his bed, as sweat started to appear. The nightmare felt so real because… well, it was real.
Meanwhile, something was getting closer and closer to Peter.
The sound of a gunshot, killing the man that raised him. Uncle Ben was gone.
Peter gritted his teeth in his sleep.
The face of the man who killed Uncle Ben was no one other than Walter Hardy, showing no remorse for the man's life. Gasping for air, but yet still going through his nightmare, Peter clenched on to the covers of the bed, as something started to cover his body.
Nightmare
"DON'T HURT ME! JUST GIVE ME A CHANCE!"
"WHAT ABOUT MY UNCLE?! DID YOU GIVE HIM A CHANCE?! DID YOU?! ANSWER ME!"
…
"Was he the father of Felicia Hardy?"
"Yes, he was the father of Felicia Hardy."
…
"Peter, while I'm not forcing you to accept my offer right now, I do want to say that this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I would hate for you to go through your life… and regret the choices you've made."
"I've made choices that I regret, and you can't help but to look back. Sometimes, I wish I didn't choose this life. Sometimes, I wish I could start completely over, but I'm too far down this road that it makes it impossible for me to come back."
…
"Aunt May!"
He called her name, but his efforts were futile.
No one could've survived that explosion head on.
He continued to refuse that this was his reality, he simply refused to accept it.
He refused to believe the woman that raised him… the woman who was essentially his mother…
Was now gone.
Now, on the anniversary of Uncle Ben's death, on this same day… he would lose Aunt May too.
He would punch the ground beneath him, creating cracks from pure rage and sadness.
"AUNT MAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!"
In the end, the only one laughing was The Kingpin.
End of Nightmare
And that's when Peter woke up in a cold sweat, not sure what was happening to him until he was engulfed by the darkness.
…..
…..
"Where am I?"
When Peter asked himself that question, he saw a reflection of himself hanging off a building. More importantly, he saw himself in his… Spider-Man costume? When did he even make a new one?
Wait… something was off.
Why in the world was his entire suit black?
Why was the Spider symbol on his chest white?
And why… why did he feel so much more powerful?
He attached himself to the building, taking a closer look at his reflection. "What is this?" Peter asked himself, seeing a black suited Spider-Man. More specifically, HE was the black suited Spider-Man. Peter started looking at his hands, while flexing his muscles a bit. "Wow… this feels… good."
Peter would then stand on the building, doing two front flips and then a backflip off the building, yelling out, "WOOOOOOOOOOOOO! YEAH!" He shot a web and started web-swinging at speeds he's never experienced before. Using his momentum, he would swing off the web and stick to another building, looking at all of New York from above.
He took off his mask and looked at it. For the first time today, he showed a genuine smile. It's almost like this suit was a drug that made him forget all of his problems, even if it was only for a moment.
"This is somethin' else!" Peter exclaimed, having the biggest grin on his face.
END OF CHAPTER 15: AFTERMATH
BGM: Spider-Man TAS 1994 Ending Theme
Norman: I'm the best father Peter has ever had!
Angelica: One day in? Seems like a bold thing to claim, don't ya think?
Kamala: Have people forgotten that I'm in this story?!
Ava: Join the club.
Norman: Were you even at the funeral?
Ava: That's classified.
Next time on Spider-Man: Fire and Desire!
Promethium X
Anya: Ooooh, I can't wait!
Author's Note: MY PEOPLE! CHAPTER 15 IS FINALLY DONE! WOOOOOOO! It kept on getting pushed back and pushed back for all the reasons I stated in the initial author's note, and once again, the worst thing about it was it was pretty much out of my control. Hopefully, I won't be going through that again. But anyway, this chapter was a depressing mess for like… 99% of it. Peter didn't feel happiness until, like, the last few lines lol. There was a lot to tackle in this chapter, and there will be a lot to tackle in the next chapter, and also there will still be a lot to tackle in future chapters due to things that didn't get resolved in this chapter! Am I confusing you guys a bit? My apologies. Basically, what I'm talking about now is the relationship between Peter and Felicia, and how Peter is going to view Felicia since he knows Walter Hardy is the one who killed Uncle Ben. And then there's the whole Kingpin thing… Harry thing… there's a lot that I'm setting up.
Anyway, if you guys like what you read, follow and favorite this story! Don't forget to READ AND REVIEW! See ya guys next time! I'M BACK, BABY!
