Chapter 2
The rising sun illuminated the sly smirk on Ben's face as he crept down the stairwell of Peter and MJ's house. Now, normally he would just walk down the creaky stairs with nary a care in the world and make all the noise he wanted. Hell, sometimes he would try to make a beat out of the creaks and squeaks just to make Mayday laugh. However, this time was a teensy bit different. This time, he had a mission, one of the most important of his life. Everything was riding on this, and he couldn't screw it up, which is why he had the sleeping Mayday safely secured to his bare chest as he made his way down the ceiling. Thankfully, Mayday had stayed sound asleep throughout the night. Of course, that wasn't entirely surprising to Ben. A late-night swing through the city before Kaine got back from patrol would knock out any toddler for the night.
Ben crawled through the downstairs hallway and into the Family Room to find Kaine–not on the couch he usually slept on–sprawled across the wall. Gravity forced his long hair to act as a curtain over his face.
Good, Ben thought, now he can't see me coming! Ben scurried across the ceiling and thwipped himself up a web seat in front of Kaine. Mayday stirred against his chest. "Shh, hatchling," Ben whispered. He lifted Mayday from his chest, and she grimaced at the loss of warmth. "Uncle Ben really needs those five dollars. Your mother has been entirely too smug lately."
Ben placed Mayday right in the crook of Kaine's arm, and immediately she snuggled up to her sleeping uncle. Ben grinned and pulled out his phone, making sure to get a nice zoom-in on them so MJ couldn't see that they weren't in the crib.
The moment he pressed the camera button, his Spider-Sense flared! But alas, Ben was too slow! He looked down to see a long, sharp stinger stabbed into his thigh. He followed the stinger back to its owner to see Kaine's left arm extended. The curtain of long hair disappeared and for a moment, Kaine's eyes made contact with Ben's and that's when Ben realized that Kaine had been watching him the whole time.
"Worth it…" Ben grunted as the venom from Kaine's stinger entered his body. All feeling in his body disappeared, and Ben fell backward off of his web hammock and slammed face-first into the floor!
Mayday grimaced again and burrowed herself further into Kaine's side.
Kaine righted himself on the wall and gently tucked Mayday into his chest. He looked out the window, saw the rising sun, then glanced back at Ben.
Am I in danger, or is that the venom? Ben thought as a tingling sensation spread across his body. It felt as though his whole body was asleep.
"Reilly, what time is it?" Kaine growled. Anger simmered under his voice, but his volume never rose beyond a whisper.
Danger, definitely danger, Ben thought. He used every ounce of his Spider-Strength to flop onto his back. He cracked a lopsided smile. "I thought sleep was overrated?"
Kaine's eye twitched and he gently lowered himself off the wall and onto the couch. He made to place Mayday on the couch where she would be more comfortable, but the second he tried, a noise of discontent escaped Mayday's lips and she clung to his chest. Kaine looked down at his niece and sighed. He supposed a few more hours of sleep wasn't a terrible thing. For Mayday of course. Now that he was up, he might as well get started on the day. And first thing first; he needed a shave.
"Hey," Ben said, "out of curiosity and totally asking for a friend; how long does your venom last for?"
Kaine stood and walked to the downstairs bathroom. Leaving Ben paralyzed on the floor.
"Kaine? Bro, my brother from the same donor…my nose itches, c'mon man!"
About an hour later, Kaine stood in the kitchen, freshly shaven with his hair tied back as he cooked himself some bacon and an omelet. Mayday bounced contently in her baby chair with a sippy cup of milk in her mouth.
Mayday tilted her head and set her sippy cup down. A smile formed on her face, and she pointed ahead of her. "Dada!"
Kaine grimaced but turned around. He followed her stubby little finger to the chair across from her to see a hand flop onto the table! Then another. A grunt of exertion, and slowly a mess of untidy blonde hair popped up over the table.
"Oh, don't mind me," Ben said, his face screwed up in concentration. Mayday giggled as she saw her uncle's funny face pop up. "I'm perfectly fine and dandy. I can totally get into my chair with zero assistance required. Yup, I got this! No problemo!"
"Good to hear," Kaine said. He scooped his omelet and bacon off the pan and onto his plate. He moved to the fridge and pulled out the carton of chocolate milk and took a drink from it.
"I think that might be the most heinous crime you've committed!" Ben cried out. He'd made it half into the chair. "You can't just drink from the carton!"
Kaine shrugged, then kept drinking.
"Dude! I wanted some of that!" Ben shouted. He had made it to the chair and stared at Kaine like he was an alien.
"So have some when I'm done with it," Kaine said. He sat down at the table and dug into his omelet.
Ben cringed. "I don't know how we come from the same gene pool."
"It was scien–"
"The question is rhetorical!"
"Someone's in a mood," Kaine grunted.
Ben, finally having regained access to his limbs, shoved his phone in Kaine's face. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to send a picture just by using your nose!? And after all that hard work, this is what I get back!"
Kaine looked at the text messages between Ben and MJ. Though he'd never show it outwardly, he smiled at seeing Mayday tucked into his side. Even if the picture was taken just \ so Ben could win a stupid bet with their sister-in-law. Or rather, attempt to win.
Ben: Picture taken. I'll be makin' room for Abraham next to Mr. Washington in my wallet. No need to thank me.
MJ: I know what the walls in my Family Room look like, Ben. I've christened them.
Ben: Ugh, too much TMI!
MJ: You're slipping, Reilly.
This time, Kaine had no qualms about letting his emotions show on his face. It was damn satisfying to see his little brother get dunked on. "Guess it wasn't worth it." Kaine glanced at Mayday and gave her a wink, causing her to giggle and clap her sippy cup.
Ben stared at Kaine. "...I don't like you."
As fast as a bullet, Mayday's sippy cup shot across the table and smacked into Ben's face!
"Ah! What the–"
Ben and Kaine's eyes landed on Mayday at the same time. She smiled and then bounced in her chair. Delighted that both her uncles looked at her!
"Did she just…throw the sippy cup at me?" Ben asked.
"No…that was…too accurate," Kaine drawled.
The brothers examined Mayday from all angles as they slowly walked toward her. Their inner scientists were coming out. Ben placed the sippy cup in front of Mayday, and she picked it up and immediately started drinking from it.
"Stand in front of her," Ben said, nudging Kaine forward when Mayday showed no signs of stopping.
"Why am I standing in front of her?"
"Cause I've taken enough lumps for one morning!" Ben argued. "And she called you Dada. If she thinks you're Peter, she may be willing to do it again."
Kaine growled. "It's bad enough she calls me that, and now you want to confuse her even more!?"
"Dude, she's two years old," Ben said, deadpanning Kaine. "She hasn't gained enough sentience to recognize what being confused is. Just get out there!" Ben shoved Kaine forward.
Kaine allowed himself to be pushed and stood in front of Mayday. Her eyes lit up as she saw Kaine. "Dada!"
Kaine forced his grimace down and smiled at Mayday. "Hey Little Girl," he said, doing his best impression of Peter. "Can I have your cup?"
Mayday tilted her head at Kaine, then she lifted her cup toward him.
"It's not gonna work," he said.
"What kind of Spider-Guy are you?" Ben exclaimed. "Last I checked we didn't give up after one try!"
Kaine's eye twitched, but then, an idea struck him. "You know I ain't one of the 'Spider-Guys.'"
Ben shot to his feet, his usually loose and carefree body now rigid with anger. He strode past Mayday and stood nose-to-nose with Kaine.
"Knock that off! You are a Spider-Guy, just like me and Pete!" Ben said, poking Kaine in the chest. "You have been for—"
Kaine was smirking.
All of his anger disappeared from his face as Ben realized too late what Kaine had done. "I hate you."
Mayday's sippy cup smacked into the back of Ben's head with so much force that when combined with Kaine's venom in his system, it sent Ben flying forward into Kaine! Of course, Kaine sidestepped out of the way, and Ben crashed into the floor!
Kaine smirked and winked at Mayday who laughed and reached for Kaine. "Fine, but let's not make a habit out of it," he said. Kaine lifted Mayday out of her baby chair and set her on his shoulder. She cried out in delight and ran her stubby little hands through his shaggy hair.
Ben rolled over to his back. "So, how does she do it?"
Kaine shrugged. "One minute she had the cup in her hands, the next it shot across the room."
Ben eyed Mayday with a sly look in his eye. "We need a guinea pig," he said. The sly look in his eye extended down to his smirk. "I know just who to call for that!" Ben took his phone from his pocket and lifted it to his ear. "Hey Brooklyn, you busy?"
