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- vfc15650: Thank you! I'm glad to hear that. What are your first impressions on Tombstone and Kingpin though? By the way, to clarify about the Dmitri (Chameleon) and Kraven namedrop, it's a teaser for the fanfic's sequel, not the sequel to chapter 4. (And to give a bit of history between Dmitri, Kraven and Herman.) The story already has three main villains and one big bad in the background (like Thanos before Infinity War). It's best to save Chameleon and Kraven the Hunter for a later story. Sorry if there's a misunderstanding but Peter and Kaine are really back in this chapter! :D (Speaking of Kaine in a movie, maybe Sony doesn't have to do the Clone Saga. Like make an alternate universe story with a reimagined origin. And have Peter in it too because you can't have Scarlet Spider without Spidey :D This is basically the idea I came up with and became the basis of "Scarlet Spider: Sin", the predecessor to this fanfic.)
(The next day...)
*song plays as an alarm*
"Hhh... Fuck... Okay, okay dammit. Just a moment..." Anna yawned as her hand reached to her phone on a small wooden cupboard next to the bed. She grabbed it and turned off the alarm as she rose from her bed. Anna rubbed her still heavy eyes and blinked a few times. For a few moments, she just looked at her room while calming down after the alarm surprised the heck out of her.
The room seemed somewhat...bizarre and contradictory. Its walls were black and the color of red was splattered on it. Horror and gory movie posters were also plastered on the walls, along with a huge sticker of a puppet riding a tricycle. There was even a sticker of a slender marionette with rosy cheeks popping out of a gift box. Yet, K-Pop posters were seen on one side of the walls.
As she calmed, a thought about her friends hiding their secrets passed in her mind. First, Kaine ghosted her and Peter a month ago because of him feeling underserving of friendship. Now, it was both the cousins, hiding secrets for a reason she didn't know. Annabelle let out a sigh and brought the phone in front of her eyes and noticed she got new messages. A sarcastic chuckle escaped from her lips when she opened the messaging app and saw no message from her father. "Yeah... of course." The one who messaged her at the moment was Gwen Stacy. Oh well, at least it was one of her friends. Just her presence and messages could brighten her mood a little.
Heyyy XD Whaddup, Annie?
Hi, Gwennie. Uh nothing, just woke up. You?
Just played FNAF 4. Kept getting jumpscared by Nightmare Foxy on night 1 :') And uh, you okay? You don't sound good
Pfft, at least your favorite animatronic got you lol. And...no. Not okay. Just had a thought about my friends. And...my dad still doesn't text me.
Has he ever..?
Rarely. Hhh, fuck.
Hm, wanna call?
Eh, sure.
Just a few seconds later, Anna's phone received a call from Gwen, which she accepted.
"Hello from the other sideeee," Gwen giggled from her end.
"I must've called a thousand timessss."
"To tell you I'm sorry for breaking your heart."
"But when I call, you never seem to be home." Both girls laughed in unison. "Geez, that's just so random."
"Appreciate the randomness, girl," Gwen chuckled before changing her tone to somewhat serious and concerned, "Anyway, you wanna talk about your friends, Ann..?"
"Sure. My friends, Kaine and Peter; you've met them. They...have been hiding something."
"Oh, them?" Gwen recalled the moment she met the Parkers, "Yeah, I remember meeting them when Kaine got back to school after weeks. And why are they doing it?"
"That's the problem, Gwennie... I don't know. As if they...don't trust me? I don't know."
"They don't have trust issues, right?"
"They don't as far as I know. I just don't get why my friends would hide something. It's important but they said it's complicated to tell."
"Do they feel guilty for hiding it?"
"They do. I saw the look on their faces. I don't know why though."
"Hm... They don't intend to hurt you. And both just do what they have to out of necessity... Whatever they are hiding, I believe they have a good reason for it."
Anna sighed, "And could be something big, which I intend to find out. Whatever it'll be, at least I get answers."
"Best of hope for you, my girl," Gwen cheered, "Oh, oh. You free today?"
"Mhm. What? Got something in mind?"
"I do. Been meaning to ask if you wanna join me on the practice for next month's competition."
Soon, a smile formed on her face, "I'm free. Since my day will be sooo dull, might add a bit of color to it. So arghhh, I shall join you, Cap'n."
"Pfft, I'm not a pirate captain," Gwen said.
"Yeah sure," Anna scoffed, "I thought someone wanted to pilot a chocolate ship. Goodness, this reminds me of you wanting a chocolate house-"
"Okay, okay- Enough, girl- Anywhooo, meet me in my apartment in three hours? I know a place where we both can practice."
"Okie dokie then. Oh. And, Gwen?"
"Hm?"
"Thanks for talking with me... I feel a bit better."
"Anytime, Annie. Okay, see ya, Red!"
"See ya, Blonds," Annabelle giggled after ending the call. Well, perhaps she could deal with the matter on a later time. She needed a productive distraction. Though really... What was it that her friends were hiding..?
*
(Meanwhile, at Kaine's apartment...)
"Mom, will you be at the shelter today?" Kaine asked May as he took a spoonful of rice, vegetables, and a few pieces of sausage from his bowl to his mouth.
She shook her head, "No, Candy Cane. I'm taking a break from work for now. Though I'll still be handling things. Work has been stressing me..." May rubbed her forehead gently, gritting her teeth before continuing to eat her soup.
The teen stopped eating after seeing his mother like that. "Mom... You've been overworking. You have to stop."
"I can't, Kaine. Since your dad died, I have to work harder."
He looked down, filled with shame. "I'll...I'll look for a part-time job-"
"No," May stopped her son.
He turned his eyes to her, "Why?"
"We each have our responsibility, hon. Yours, as a student, is to study, not work. And mine is...different. So at least, study the best you can, okay..?"
"Okay, Mom..." A deep sigh escaped his mouth as he ate again. "This is all my fault..."
Then, there was the demonic laugh in his mind. "My, my. If only you had stayed in the apartment, your dead father wouldn't have gone to find you and this would've not happened. You really should've listened to your mother and Peter."
"You again..." Kaine snarled quietly, "All you do is ruin me and my family. Taunting me, tempting me. Feeding me with negative thoughts. And you even told me to kill my father. Now this? Going back against your own words? Be silent, you piece of shit."
"Oh ouch, that stings. Calling yourself a piece of shit," the Other replied in a sarcastic tone, "Heh. You can't silence me. You can't win this time. I can pester you and bring you down all the time."
"Oh yeah? Good luck with that. I'm not falling for it anymore."
"Too bad... May I remind you about yesterday?"
Kaine froze when his darker self mentioned that very day.
"Our cousin almost dying in the hands of that ridiculously-looking Shocker guy? Then, your Annie being unhappy and hurt over you and Peter hiding superhero secret? Her smile disappeared because of that. Breaking your own promise from two months ago, just wow. She probably even remembers the time you ghosted her."
"Anne... No..." Kaine blurted out, earning a laugh from the Other and a concerned look from May. "You- Shut. Up. Whatever you're trying to do, I won't fall for it."
"Oh yeah? Well, good luck with that. We'll see how it goes," the Other laughed in a taunting manner before he went quiet.
May frowned and asked Kaine, "What is it? Is something wrong?" Her son just nodded. "Can I know why?"
"I uh..." Kaine cleared his throat, "I've been hiding a secret from my close friend, Mom."
"From Anna?" He nodded. "What secret? Why?"
"Uh... It's pretty complicated. Which is why I can't reveal it," he replied. "But...I didn't think clearly. And it hurt her. It's not what I wanted." He let out a sigh, "I promised to myself that I would be a good friend to her. But I broke her heart, Mom. I didn't make her smile...and it hurt me."
A smile formed on May's face; the sweet and amused kind. "Is my little candy having a crush on his friend?" she teased him.
"Huh-? Uh. Uh..." Kaine's cheeks reddened as a tomato, which May responded with a laugh. "Um... Maybe a little... I-I mean," he couldn't help but smile, "I found someone not so different than me. We both love superheroes. Then there are the daddy issues, something she understands... And, I just love her darkness. It's so special, beautiful, and attractive in a way."
"Wow. Didn't expect Candy Cane to express his feelings for his loveeee," May giggled, "I'm so happyyy."
Embarrassed, Kaine covered his face with his hands. "Mom, really? Please stop it."
"Okay, okay," she now spoke in a normal tone, "Anyway, the problem you have right now? You've got to do something about it."
"Like what?"
"Like, not keeping her in the dark perhaps? It will lead to further miscommunication and misunderstanding. A friendship will get ruined."
"Which I don't want to happen. Because I don't want to lose someone who understands me."
"Yes. So, what will you do, Candy Cane?"
He remained silent for some time, unsure what to respond...
"This is something you need to take time to think and consider. So whatever it will be, be careful," May advised to her son, "I hope for the best for you two."
"Thanks, Mom. I appreciate it," Kaine smiled slightly. This wouldn't be an easy one...
*
Sometime after May had gone to work, Kaine set up a video call with Peter through a secure messaging app on his phone. Waiting for his cousin to accept it, he scrolled through his past chat with Annabelle on a different app. When Kaine came across the time he ghosted his close friend, guilt stung him. She was worried and this was how he treated her...
"I gotta fix this. I can't make her misunderstand with what we're doing..."
Seconds later, Kaine's phone showed Peter's face—the boy was resting his head against a head pillow.
"Hello, Coz! Whaddup?"
"Uh hi, Pete. I need to discuss something really important. Am I interrupting whatever you're doing?"
"Actually, yeah. I was just looking up news articles about Mr. Quilt Guy and his boy band." The nickname to Shocker given by Peter earned a chuckle from Kaine, who was shaking his head. "Weird thing is that there aren't many. Though he seems to be a longtime criminal. Anyway, what is it you want to discuss?"
"It's...about our friendship with Anna."
Peter's casual tone changed to somewhat serious and concerned. Even the look on his face too. He was right that things would get complicated. "I think I know where this is going..."
"Yeah. Look uh... Pete, you saw the look on her face at the café yesterday, right?"
"Yup... I know you feel guilty, I do too. But what else could we do?"
"Telling our secrets?" Kaine suggested, which made his younger cousin frown. "I- No. We are confusing her. She thinks that we don't trust her. I don't want any further misunderstanding. And losing her is an absolute no no."
The younger Parker closed his eyes for a moment, resting his forehead on his hand. "Yeah but- Need I to remind you about superhero stories? When ones close to the hero know who they are, either death or villains follow them. I don't want that happening to my friend."
"Oh for fuck's sake, Pete!" Kaine snapped, "I just don't want her to be hurt! We are basically hurting our friend right now."
"Kaine...do you think you can live with the fact her life can be in danger just because of secret identity?"
"I. Don't. Know. Fuck, I can't even live with the other me laughing and taunting me in my mind. Can you live with the fact how we treat our friend like this?"
Both just remained silent...
"There is no easy way, is it..?" said Kaine.
"No..."
"Peter, she is important to me. Anna understands me and I don't want to lose her. I...want her to be happy. She's already got enough problems..." he begged.
Peter closed his eyes and let out a sigh. "Alright... I guess you can. But you can't just tell her out of the blue."
"W-What? Just like that?"
"Yeah, just like that," the younger Parker then looked at his cousin, "I see your reasoning, Kaine. And I can't stop you further. She's our friend and she deserves to know... But I still stand firm with what I believe. And please don't bring me into this."
"Thanks, Pete," Kaine smiled slightly.
"Don't mention it, Coz," Peter smiled back. "Wanna go on a patrol today? Like, in a few hours or something."
The older Parker nodded. "Alright, I'll let you know where and when. See you later!"
"See you later, Webs."
Decision had been made. It was just a matter of how she would take the news eventually...
A/N #1: One more chapter left for the first part of "Enter the Black Cat." Felicia is finally suited up as the Black Cat so expect some action and stealth segments XD And she's definitely gonna meet the arachnid duos ;) If you want to see more of the villains (except the Other), they are in the next chapter too! So stay tune by following this fic. Don't forget to favorite it, leave a comment, and share this. It'll let me know I should keep writing more chapters and fics :D I hope everyone has a good day. See ya in the next chapter!
A/N #2: I added some references (FNAF, K-Pop, horror) for Anna and Gwen because both Marvel characters' portrayal are inspired by my two friends, who have a hyge influence in my life. Hope the explanation clears things if you're confused. Oh and about Gwen Stacy. This isn't her first cameo appearance. When Anna texted someone back in Chapter 2, it's her friend Gwen though I didn't show it XD And she even made two cameo appearances in the previous story "Scarlet Spider: Sin." Kaine and Peter even met her in Part 3 (last part) of "Sin." So check out the fanfic! (All the cameos will lead to a somewhat bigger role in the next sequel featuring Kraven, Chameleon, and Kingpin.)
