At the Silver Spoon Café…
Peter was going over the textbook despite his pupil not paying attention.
Liz Allen was just prattling on her phone via text while Peter was going over the important parts of Biology. But she was in her own little bubble, her bubble of popularity and being the head cheerleader girl. She doesn't see where her life will end up if she doesn't apply herself, she doesn't care about her future like other jocks. When Eddie was a jock, he would still apply himself, having Pete study with him with some bribery of his cooking, but he would never cheat for him just help him understand and learn. That was what separated her from Eddie. Eddie wanted to learn, she didn't.
"Everything is connected in a biological sense that benefits the other… bio-organisms are uniquely linked to each other-." Peter informed as he was trying his best to teach his student.
"Uh-huh. Does that book say anything about bio-organisms being boring?" Liz scoffed not really paying attention to anything he is saying.
"Y-yeah, I guest Biology can be a little bit humdrum and redundant." Peter chuckled a bit, trying to be nice, though it was kind of getting painful for him.
"Wow, that's what Flash said, but about you." The girl insulted as Peter was getting agitated.
Perfect timing came from a phone call from Eddie. The man knew how to get him out of a jam.
"Listen, Liz, I can see you are not interested in learning anything right now and I have other places to be. Why should I waste my time on someone who doesn't even want my help, especially since they need it? If you are ever ready to learn, you know where to find me."
She looked surprised but for Peter, he felt good. Once he was out of range, he accepted the call.
"Eddie, you have perfect timing. Another second and I would have torn my hair out-." Peter began but was cut off by his bro.
"We got a problem. Max Dillon has left the hospital with electric mutant powers and is becoming unstable. I need you to find him and calm him down." Eddie warned, his voice showing concern for his friend.
"I'm already on it."
Looks like it is time to go to work.
A half an hour later…
He should have stayed at the Silver Spoon.
If he did, then he could have caught up to Max faster. But he's here now and it looks like Max isn't doing so well. When he entered the empty café, it was already a disaster with the mutant starting to blast lightning everywhere.
"Hey, are you Max?" Spider-man called out to the sparky man.
"So, what if I am? Are you going to hound me and have me locked away like a criminal?" Max demanded as he looked ready to kill the bug.
"No, if I wanted to fight you, we would be fighting already. I just want to talk. Your friend Eddie sent me for you; thought I could help you." He explained calmly, trying to show he was not a threat.
"Eddie, Eddie sent you?"
He was calming down a bit.
"He's worried about you… and so am I. Look, I just want to know how you're doing." Spider-man offered in a friendly manner.
"How am I doing? Look at me! I am a freak, I can't taste, eat or drink anything, I can't watch the tv, and every time I get upset, this happens!" He bellows as sparks are flying.
"It's okay! It's okay! You are not a freak, just different than you were before. Listen, I know how you feel, to feel so out of control." He provided comfort, but the electric man didn't believe him.
"You lose control? You are never a threat; you can't electrocute someone to death." He scoffed at him.
"You're right about me never electrocuting someone, but I can be a threat. Watch."
Spider-man then picked up a piece of cement from the debris like it was nothing more than an egg and easily crushed it into the sand. Max gasped at the sight as the sand fell onto the floor, then Spider-man sat next to him on the floor again.
"See? I could crush cement with my bare hands, bend steel like it was nothing, and flip guys a hundred times my sides on their backs. So yeah, I know how it feels. Believe me, I was super clumsy when I got my powers, I had problems with them."
"So, how did you do it? How did you cope?"
"You practice, you endure, and you keep cool under fire. A wise man once told me with Great Power comes great responsibility. I take those words to heart and use my powers to help others."
Max smiled slightly through the mask as the spider helped him up.
"Come on, let's take you back to the hospital, I'm sure they can help you out and if they can't, I can." Spider-man offered.
"You would really help me?"
Before he could answer that the police officers soon appeared. His spider-sense was going nuts!
"FREEZE FREAKS! DON'T MOVE!" They ordered as their guns were raised.
"Wait! Don't! You don't understand-!"
BANG!
Spider-man went down hard as his shoulder experienced unbearable pain!
He was on the floor as Max was holding him.
"Spider!" He gasped as the hero moaned in pain.
"You idiot! You weren't supposed to fire until I gave the order!" One of the cops scolded.
"Hey, it means one less freak in the world than I'm happy. Don't move Electro! Or you'll be eating lead like your buddy!" He threatened as Max was pushed way too far.
"YOU'RE THE FREAKS! ALL OF YOU ARE THE FREAKS! HE WAS HELPING ME AND YOU SHOT HIM! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!"
In a cascade of lighting, the police were flung away just as the hospital staff and Eddie appeared! Max came out enraged.
"Max." Eddie uttered as he looked behind him and saw an injured spider-man, "Pete."
He had no choice but to sneak past Electro and everyone to get Peter to safety. He noticed that Peter wasn't electrocuted, he was shot. It didn't take much thought to figure out it was a police officer.
"Petey, this world is too cruel for you."
In an abandoned building…
Peter soon awoke while Eddie was kneeling by his bedside.
"Pete, you're okay." The blond smiled and hugged his friend, hissing from the pain, then letting the injured spider go with an apology.
"What happened? Where's Max?" Peter gasped as he touched his wound.
"You calmed him down, but a cop shot you and sent him over the edge. I got you out of there and hid you here to take the bullet out." Eddie explained as he checked on the wound, already almost closed up.
Thank goodness he took the bullet out.
"And Max?"
"I don't know where he is, Bro. But I have a feeling he's going to show up soon. Come on, let's get you back to Aunt Mays."
"No, we should go to Dr. Conners and see what we can do to help. Max needs our help more than ever."
Sweet Pete, making friends in an instant. Just needed to come out of his shell.
Days later the Ravencroft Institute for the criminally insane…
Max was still processing everything.
After that kid, Peter tried to coax him to stop, after Spider-man stopped him, stopped him from getting justice on people that turned them into freaks, he couldn't understand why.
Why protect the people that were hurting him?
"Mr. Dillion, you have a visitor. An Eddie Brock." A nurse informed.
Eddie?
Eddie wanted to see him.
He was soon led to the visitation area, where Eddie was there with a box. The blond was smiling as if he was still his friend. Max sat down and they began to talk.
"How have things been treating you at Ravencroft?" Eddie wondered, trying to be friendly.
"As much they would for any other freak, I guess."
"You're not a freak, Max. You're just in a bad place right now and I think this gift of some Petey will help with that."
He opened the box to real weird flasks of a strange bubble substance. Eddie pulled out a pink one first.
"Stick your finger into this one. Trust me, it will help."
Electro was reluctant but he gave it a try. He stuck his finger then suddenly tasted…
"Peaches? How-?"
"My bro's a genius, no doubt. He heard you couldn't taste anything and made you some batches to help keep you together."
"That cutie of yours-."
"He's not my cutie!" Eddie protested, his face completely red.
"Is truly an angel. Thank him for me and let him know that I'll work hard to get better."
"Just remember that you're not alone and Pete's going to help you with your powers."
"…He seems like the only one who isn't letting me down."
"It's the Parker way."
Yep, Peter was really good at making friends, first Liz and now Max. That's his little Bro.