Peter Parker

The morning after, I woke up earlier than usual. I slowly sat up and looked around. There was Ned in the same bed I was in. There was Craig on an inflatable mattress nearby. I blinked a couple of times, trying to remember yesterday. Then it all came back to me – the drive to Little Haiti, the rituals… ah, the rituals, which was accompanied by the music played from a radio, consisting of drums and music. The rest was a bit hazy, though I remembered the part where Craig revealed that Ned accidentally sent him a dick pic meant for Betty and me spending time with MJ by the pool. We would be heading back soon. But it looked like I woke up earlier than everyone else. I looked down at my clothes. I was dressed in a pair of blue shorts and a black t-shirt. Both of them belonged to MJ.

"She might as well be my stylist," I muttered to myself as I carefully got out of bed. I quietly walked out of the room, making sure not to wake the others.

I made my way downstairs. A bit to my surprise, Carmilla was already downstairs along with Craig's parents. The three of them were sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee as they talked.

"…but, we trust our son, and it's obvious you care about him a lot, so you're okay in our book," Craig Senior said.

"Thank you," Carmilla replied with a smile. "Thank you both." She then looked over at me. "Hey, Peter. How're you feeling?"

"I think I'm okay, Millie," I replied. I frowned. "Um… I didn't interrupt anything, did I?"

"Not at all," Craig Senior assured. "We were just finishing. Please, sit."

"I'll pour you a cup of coffee," Desiree said as she stood up. "How do you prefer your cup of joe?"

"Just black is okay," I said as I walked over. I sat next to Carmilla.

"So, are you back to normal yet?" Craig Senior asked.

I shook my head. "I'm not, not yet. I was told it's going to take some time, so I just have to wait and be patient, I guess."

At that, Craig Senior hmphed. "If it ain't one thing, it's another with you hero folks. I don't how y'all can do it, but bless your hearts." He shook his head at me. "I'm surprised your folks are cool with you running around in red and blue tights." The room became rather quiet after that. Carmilla and I shared a look. "…Did I offend?"

"…Um, remember what I told you about my family situation?" Carmilla said as we looked back at Craig Senior. "Peter is… kind of in the same boat."

Craig Senior groaned as he clenched his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Ah, hell, I really should have known better than to assume." He opened his eyes and gave me an apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Peter. I didn't know."

"You have to forgive my husband," Desiree spoke up as she walked over and placed a mug of hot coffee on the table in front of me. "We sometimes forget that the backgrounds of Junior's friends could be rather… unsavory." As she said that last part, she sat down.

"It's okay," I replied with a slight smile. "Really, I'm okay." I picked up my coffee. "Thank you." I took a sip of the beverage, savoring the hot liquid.

"I have to ask, though," Carmilla spoke up. "How come you guys are okay with Craig doing superhero stuff?"

"I don't know if 'okay' is the word we would use to describe our feelings about it," Desiree replied with a shake of her head. "We didn't like it, to be honest. He kept it a secret for a while, but when he told us, we practically lost it."

"Thank God for Scott's patience," Craig Senior continued. "Because, to be honest, if I was him and he was me, I would have blasted me across that whole mansion for the way I was speaking to him." We all chuckled at that. "Eventually, after we all cooled off, we sat down and talked about it. When we realized the boy was dug into it, we gradually came to an understanding. It kind of helped that, a little before the talk, we saw a news report on a situation Craig helped out in that probably would have turned a lot worse if he didn't." He tilted his head briefly. "The only I wished was that he did not wear a hoodie as part of his costume."

"That's kind of my fault," Carmilla admitted. "I kind of got on his case about him wearing bright clothing."

"I understand why uses that kind of costume," Desiree commented. "I just didn't want him to be more of a target for…" She trailed off.

"Target for what?" I asked. Carmilla leaned over and whispered into my ear. I froze for a moment. I then cringed. "Oh… Oh."

Eventually, the others came down. Craig's parents insisted we had breakfast before we left. So, we sat down around the table and ate. After we were done, we all got ready to leave. We bid our farewells to Craig's parents and promised we'd visit again under less drastic circumstances. After Ned opened up a portal, we left Broward County and stepped right back into the Yonkers safe house. Right after that, Carmilla was ported to a SHIELD facility.

From there, we gathered around in the living room before Kitty turned on the TV. She switched the channel to MSNBC, which showed a news report.

"…and, as recently announced, the lockdown will be lifted this Sunday. Schools will be back in session on Monday. That is also when government offices will be open. While every escaped prisoner has been accounted for, the NYPD is still investigating the incident. In related news, there's a new Spider-Man in town as Kraven The Hunter has taken over the mantle. For more on this story, we're taking you to field reporter Trish Tilby."

I narrowed my eyes as Trish Tilby was now on the screen, microphone in her hand as she stood somewhere in Time Square.

"Thank you, Jose," she began. "Ever since The X-Men has seemingly disappeared and Spider-Man is, once again, being targeted by the U.S. Government for Accords-related infractions, Kraven has stepped in and taken over the mantle as Spider-Man. While a lot of people have openly welcomed Kraven with open arms, just has many people expressed disdain towards that development."

From there, the video report cut to an image of Kraven. I raised my eyebrows as I leaned forward. Not only was he wearing what looked like one of my suits, it looked like a version of my quickly change outfit. The only real difference was that the mask he was wearing left the bottom half of his face exposed.

"…What?" I muttered out.

"Dude!" Ned exclaimed.

"He jacked your whole style!" Craig added.

"…I…" Kitty muttered out.

The footage showed highlights of Kraven stopping crime as Trish spoke via voiceover.

"As Kraven's hunt for Spider-Man continues, he has taken it upon himself to fill the void left by Spider-Man after he was taken down. While Spider-Man is on the run, Kraven has been fighting crime all over New York. With the opinion on The Accords being rather divided across the nation, it was not unexpected that Kraven's presence has been rather polarizing for the people of New York. Some people have been rather supportive of Kraven being the new Spider-Man, like Stanley Carter, owner of Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop."

"You have got to be kidding me," MJ muttered.

Sure enough, there was Peter Pan's owner, speaking on camera.

"Look, I get it, Spider-Man's a New York icon and all that," he said. "But the law is the law, and if Spider-Man don't want to register, who's to say he's doing everything else on the up and up? What does he have to hide? So, Kraven has to come in. And he's doing a great job, in my opinion. I never felt safer."

"Asshole," MJ grumbled.

"However, some people are outright against Kraven's presence," Trish continued. "One of the biggest critics of Kraven's being Spider-Man is prominent defense attorney Matthew Murdock."

My eyebrows shot up. That was a name I haven't heard in a while. As he popped up on the screen, dressed as sharp as I remembered with a pair of shades on his face, I felt a bit nostalgic. He's a great lawyer, and he was able to help me walk away from the Beck accusations without charges. Unfortunately, as he warned me, the court of public opinion was not done with me.

"Replacing Spider-Man is no small task," Matthew explained. "You're talking about a hero who has been entrenched in the city for years, doing everything to stopping bank robberies to getting cats out of a tree. This is despite the fact that someone with his powers and skillset would be a prime candidate to be an Avenger. For a lot of people, having an outsider forcefully take over the identity of Spider-Man could be seen as an insult to both Spider-Man and the city of New York. On top of that, as a hunter, Kraven has allegedly engaged in illegal activity all around the world. Can we really trust him not to do the same while he's here?" He shook his head. "Personally, I wouldn't count on it."

"People still got your back," Joanna commented.

I smiled a bit. It did make me feel good a little bit. It also made me wish that my powers would come back already. Kitty turned off the TV.

"So things will be back to normal in New York," Kitty mused.

"So what's the next step?" Craig asked.

"Well, on Sunday, we're going to drop Ned, MJ, and Betty off to their respective homes. After that, we'll go over the information that Carmilla's 'friends' were able to get out of the guy we captured once we get it. Then we'll go from there." Kitty sighed. "I'll have to check in with Scott tonight."

"Yeah, when you do, ask him when he'll come home," Joanna grumbled. "And tell him that when he does come home, he's a lot to make up for."

Kitty chuckled. "Of course he does."

Sunday rolled around. We all went home, with Joanna dropping off MJ, Ned, and Betty. Using one of the spare cars we had situated into the mansion's garage – a 2006 Dodge Magnum – Kitty dropped Craig and I off at the nearest train station. From there, Craig and I took the next train to Harlem. On the train ride, I looked forward in thought. An idea popped into my head.

"We should go see Kaine tonight," I said.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Craig look at me. "You sure you don't want to just go home and rest?" he asked. "We've had a long few days or so."

"I think tonight would be best. I want to ask him if he's willing to help us out, at least until my you-know-what comes back."

Craig made a noncommittal noise with his throat. "He does seem like he can handle himself." I looked over at him. He nodded. "A'ight, we'll talk with him. Soon as we get to Harlem, we'll give Betty a call to find out where we can find him." He sighed. "I really wish I had my Scion right now."

"Yeah, about that." I tilted my head. "How come you insist on driving everywhere? Isn't it kind of counterproductive to have a car in New York?"

"I know it's kind of ironic coming from me, considering I'm a rideshare driver, but I have a thing about trusting public transportation," Craig explained. "Like, I don't mind taking it every now and again, but I prefer to be behind the wheel. People tell me it's better to get around by bus or train, and they're not wrong. Thing is, old habits die hard."

Once we reached Harlem, Craig called Betty for the address of the bar. Once he got it, the two of us made our way over there. We stepped inside. I smelled the faint scent of cleaning chemicals. I looked down at the floor. It looked like it was mopped. Despite that, it still looked a bit dingy.

"We're not open yet," a voice said from the bar. I looked forward to see Kaine behind the counter, wiping down a glass mug with a rag. "Come back in a couple of hours."

"We were hoping you'd make an exception for us," Craig replied. He walked to the counter, prompting me to do the same. Kaine looked at us as we sat down. "How're things?"

Kaine set the mug and rag down as Craig and I sat down on the stools. "It was quiet since the lockdown, though that'll change tonight with things going back to normal." He scoffed. "Or, rather, what passes for normal in this city." He looked. "Were you able to get your powers back?"

"Not yet," I replied. I smiled. "I should be back to normal in a week or so."

"Good." Kaine scowled. "I'm getting tired of hearing about Kraven as Spider-Man. It's all everyone wants to talk about these days."

Craig and I didn't respond at first. We looked at each other for a few moments. Craig beckoned me to speak. I cleared my throat before I looked at Kaine.

"Well, funny that you mention it." I took in a breath. "Look, I know I said my powers should be back in a week or so. But, with me being sidelined, the X-Men are a little shorthanded. Now, you kind of have my powers and abilities, so I was thinking that maybe you could –"

"Absolutely not," Kaine interrupted.

"Bruh, we kind of need your help," Craig insisted.

Kaine shook his head. "I get that. I really do. But, with all due respect, I'd much rather drink a cup of rusty razor blades than get involved in superhero shit."

"Why?" I asked. "You're more than strong enough, you have powers and –"

"I got my reasons. Reason one, I'm trying to stay low key so I can avoid being found by certain people. Reason two, I don't I have the patience for it. Right now, you two, along with the rest of the X-Men, are no doubt on the shit list of the U.S. Government and quite a few criminal organizations, so working with you guys would bring me unwanted attention. And even if I was willing to deal with that, I have no intentions on playing hero for people who are ungrateful and fickle."

Craig leaned in slightly. "Do you mean us, or…?"

Kaine glared at Craig. "The people of New York, Craig."

"The city needs heroes," I pointed out.

"The city needs a lesson in appreciation." He looked at me. "Look at you, Peter. You could have done anything else with your life, but you decide to devote half of it to being there for the people of this city. You do everything from stopping major crimes and criminals to helping old ladies cross the street. And despite that, it took only a video – a sketchy video shown by The Daily Bugle – for half the people in this city to think you're the worst person on Earth." He scoffed. "But I shouldn't be surprised, should I? These are the same people who think Thanos was right." He shook his head. "I respect the fact that you two and the others each have a heart for helping people, whether or not they deserve it. I need you all to respect the fact that I don't."

We all fell silent for a moment. I wanted to retort. I really did. But what could I say? He wasn't wrong. If anything, what he said was an understatement. Like I told MJ, there have been many times I thought about quitting being Spider-Man, and the Beck video and everything that resulted from it almost made me do it. As much as I try to shrug it off, there was a part of me – a small part – that holds some resentment over how easily turned on me.

Craig sighed. "We get it," he said. He then stood up from the stool. "We'll get out of your hair."

Kaine's expression softened a bit. "Look, if you want to come by to just talk or hang out, you're free to. Just keep me out the superhero stuff, okay?"

I nodded as I stood up. "Okay," I replied as I stood up. "…We'll see you around."

After Kaine nodded at us and went back to wiping down mugs, Craig and I left. As we walked down the street, we looked at each other.

"Well, that was a bust," I commented glumly. "Sorry for wasting your time."

"It was worth a shot," Craig replied with a shrug. "We just got to wait things out now." He then lightly slapped my arm with the back of his hand. "But while we're here, let's hit up Shawarma Palace. I've been craving a wrap. I'll pay."

I raised my eyebrows. "Okay!"