Chapter 20
Hey everybody, hope you're all having an enjoyable end of Spring sure the weathers nice, especially the thunderstorms, but fuck the pollens out with a vengeance. Anyway here's chapter 20 for you all, sorry i had to postpone it but Tribulations needed an update and they'd all been waiting since February so again I do apologise but it had to be done, i just wasn't expecting the damn thing to be 14k in length!
Chapter 2 of Tribulations is bigger than the biggest chapter of Choices, it blew my mind tbh when I was finished.
In regards to this chapter length, if everything goes to plan it should return to my usual 5k amount so I can get it out in time before May ends but please see the end of the chapter for a very important authors note when you're finished
Onto the reviews then shall we.
Spectacular Web-head 11: Thank you for the review! Poor Curt indeed, just wait till you read this chapter...
Bufa Mic: Thank you for the review. As I said in chapter 19, this chapter could be delayed till May which it ended up being, I'm sorry but life's tough at the moment and I can't devote all my time to writing.
Frosty Wolf: Where to begin, oh my gosh these reviews helped a ton in pushing me to get this chapter out in time so thank you so much for leaving not only just reviews in general but such engaging reviews, they were all an absolute treat!
Since there's so many I hope you don't mind if I only reply to the last two as I don't want to take up too much of the wordcount :(
The references in chapter 16 were a cartoon (Total Drama which I am so glad you got), a streamer (The cab driver who drop Peter and MJ off at the airport is not only a big Mets fan but also has a pet tortoise called Tortellinni which is a reference to the streamer ChilledChaos, happy accident that Spider-man is a legit Mets fan that I only found out last week!) and the last big reference is a tv show (When the plane lands the young man behind Peter who sees the chauffeur Geoffrey, his name is Will, and his words afterwards about trying not to get arrested before he springs with the quickness are all refrences to The Fresh Prince of Bel Air), hope that clarifies things :)
In regards to your lastest review- he does indeed need more allies, it must be lonely being one of only two superheros at the moment ;)
Thank you very much for the compliment, I'm glad to hear that those dumb teenage moments feel authentic sure i've been trying my best to try have it all flow together as realistically as possbile
Again thank you so much! MJ and Gwen are both really fun to write so i'm glad their characters and the relationship MJ has with Peter is being well received whether it turns romantic or not.
I'd have similar thoughts regarding Uncle Ben but Peters got it so ingrained in his head now that changing it isn't going to be easy sadly.
Thanks alot sure I like showing my love for other forms of media and it's like my own little easter eggs for you all so it's pretty awesome! Those two were the main cameos but there were passing references to GTA, ET and Batman (particularly the Joker and Batgirl) aswell.
UPDATE: TO THE ONE PERSON WHO SAW THE WRONG POSTED CHAPTER, PLEASE DON'T SPOIL ANYTHING. FUCK PLEASE.
"Spectacular" = Speech
'Spectacular' = Thoughts
"What is a 'Hero' though?" = Speach with a quote
*BANG* = Important Noise?
-Flashback- = Flashback setting
"I love you" = Written words
{4:00am} = Important Time/ Date
Disclaimer: Spider-man, Marvel and related IP belong to their respective owners. The author of this story owns jack-shit and holds no fantasy that they ever will.
Peter blearily opened his eyes, wondering if he really had heard that distant thud or if it had been his imagination. Upon seeing that it was dark out though Peters eyes went a bit wider as he sat up in the bed, cursing his inability to do something right, he needed to check the time and see when dawn was so he could get back to the swamp.
*THUD*
Peter looked up from his phone search upon hearing another thud, this time louder and closer, naturally causing him to turn over and see if perhaps Flash was in the bathroom or something.
"Huh?" Peter so eloquently put it as he spotted Flashs empty bed, the bathroom door open but light off...now slightly more on guard, Peter got out of bed and made his way over towards the bathroom door.
"Flash, you in there?" Peter called out concerned but tense, something didn't feel right, he just couldn't put his finger on it.
Flipping the light switch for the bathroom, Peter carefully poked his head around the corner, making sure there was nothing dangerous waiting to surprise him but all he saw was an empty bathroom, Flash nowhere in sight.
'Were those noises coming from the hallway?' Peter suspected due to the rooms lack of hiding places for that which could make such sounds, turning towards the door and catching a flash of green by the window that looked out into the hall which made him tense.
'Was that...?' Peter thought to himself, now fully on guard as he made his way over to the door, opening it and peeking up the hallway to see nothing but when he had look down the hallway to his left, another flash of green darted past his vision at unnatural speed.
Quickly darting back into the room to look for his dads old suitcase and subsequently his Spider-man stuff that was contained within, Peter saw nothing and cursed quietly to himself before making his way back to into the hall and down towards where he'd seen the green flash.
If the Lizard had followed him back then the situation was even more serious than he'd first thought, hopefully though Peter was just spotting someone in outlandish pjamas at the most inopportune time.
Turning around the corner however erased those fears when he spotted near the middle of the hallway, the heavy wooden door to the stairwell bent shattered just like its small window, a victim of great force.
Running towards the destroyed door, Spider-senses on full alert Peter made his way into the stairwell just in time to hear another door be smashed, this time coming from a lower floor that Peter was unable to directly pinpoint.
Peters response was quick as lightning however as he began running down the stairs, checking the floors to see if it was the correct one smashed before continuing when seeing them intact.
'Tch, classic Parker luck, of course it'd be the ground floor door.' Peter thought to himself dejectedly as came down the final set of stairs, eyes taking in the state of the door and watching the shadows for any surprises that could come rushing out.
Walking through the doorway, Peter found himself in the atrium, walking past the shop Toko Gifts where he and Gwen had bought the stuff to sandproof his camera for the day at Cocoa beach.
There was an eerie silence that permeated the air of the atrium, not a soul in sight as Peter kept watch and listened for anything that might give away the perpatrators location.
The room was dimly lit by a few lamps and what Peter assumed must have been the chandelier above him, the light seemingly fighting a loosing battle against the encroaching darkness.
*CRASH*
Peters head turned like a swivel towards the Tuk Tuk Market cafe in the atrium where the loud sound had originated from, rushing towards it to hopefully catch whoever or whatever was hiding and wrecking the hotel.
Rushing into the pitch black cafe, Peter didn't have to look long before he found the source of the noise surprisingly, the cash register mangled as if someone had torn or beaten their way into it, a few dollars laying scattered along the counter.
Peter looked at the scene oddly, afterall something wasn't right, if it was the Lizard then why would he be going after the money? Had his inteliigence grown to the point it understood the value of currency or was he just overthinking it?
Shaking his head in confusion once he'd finished surveying the scene and finding no-one, Peter walked back out into the atrium, once again starting to wonder just where everyone was like there wasn't even anyone at reception last he checked!
That is...last he checked. Peter felt some relief and concern enter his frame when he spotted the unmistakeable frame of Gwen Stacy standing with her back to him near reception, silent as a stone.
"Gwen?" Peter called as he started to run up to her unmoving form, his own going straight under the chandelier that was swaying alot more than earlier...ignoring it as he went to run under it however proved to be Peter's fatal mistake.
"Ugh!" Peter grunted in pain as all the air left his lungs, a result of the body landing on his back and slamming him into the ground, their green fingers ending in a sharp point finding themselves tracing an imaginary shape along Peters cheek.
"Now, now, Spidey, when were things ever that easy?" The unmistakeable and haunting voice of the Green Goblin spoke up as he taunted the frozen stiff Peter, his eyes wide with fear before they locked onto the back of the still silently standing and unmoving form of Gwen Stacy causing him to begin thrashing.
"Ah, ah, ah, you can struggle all you want Pete but do you want to know a secret?" The Green Goblin said as he bent down to whisper in the struggling young adults ear, Peter's thrashing doing little to dislodge him, it was as if he was the greek titan Atlas forever stuck holding up the sky.
"You're gonna fail. You always fail. You failed Uncle Ben, you failed Eddie, you failed Harry, you failed the Connors and most importantly you failed Gwen. Sweet, sweet Gwen who doesn't even love you anymore, another failure. Face it Peter, you're a failure and you always will be." The Goblin tormented the still struggling Peter as he fought to ignore the words which cut so deep, only to watch in mounting horror as his nemesis took out a pumpkin blade which he aimed at Gwens neck.
"Nighty- night." The Green Goblin said in a sing song voice.
"NO!" Peter said with a gasp as he shot up from the bed, eyes wide as the sun beamed in through the window, the sound of Flash's singing coming from the shower being the only noise outside of Peter's labored breathing.
Shaking his head and dragging himself back to reality, Peter reached over for his phone to check the time, a determined look on his face.
"I hope my plan works."
llllll
"So you promise if I help you with this then you'll talk to captain Stacy back in New York about a reduced sentence and letting me see my family?" Flint Marko asked as he flew above the swamp water in Kissimmee, his bottom half just swirling sand that allowed him to fly.
"Spidey's honour." Spider-man said as he tore his eyes away from the Lizard tracker to look at Marko, giving him a thumbs up as if to cement it which got a skeptical nod from Sandman.
"So what's the plan again?" Sandman asked curiously as they searched the swamp for the elusive and dangerous LIzard, Spider-man wading through the waist high water.
"Well first we use the tracker to find him, then I was hoping with your help we might actually be able to subdue him long enough in this enviroment to make him drink one of the last two gene cleansers i snagged on my way to meet you." Spider-man explained the game plan to Marko who was keeping his eyes open.
"And that should make him human again?" Sandman questioned, a hint of doubt on his voice that was only being held back by the fact that unlike the rest of Spider-mans rogue gallery, the Lizard hadn't shown up for revenge or in prison like the others had so there was some credence to the idea that he was a human who'd been mutated.
"It did last time." Spider-man said simply as he watched the blinking red dot get closer and closer to them on the tracker. "Eyes sharp, he's here."
The warning came just in time too as not a second later did the LIzard come barrelling out of the water, claws outstretched and jaw wide open as he tried to pounce on the slightly surprised Sandman.
'Tried' being the keyword here as Sandman just burst into sand from the violent impact, Spider-man already moving to begin webbing up the Lizards jaws.
"Oi! If I hadn't been sand that would've hurt like hell you scaley prick, I am NOT a chew toy!" Marko complained as he reformed behind the Lizard grabbing him in a full neslon hold, sand starting to race up from the water around the Lizards legs.
Sadly before Marko could get a firm grip on him, the Lizard managed to break free from Sandmans grip, throwing him at Spider-man who looked up with wide eyes at the speedily incoming form of Marko.
"Oof/Ugh!" Spider-man and Sandman grunted in pain from the impact whilst the lizard roared from behind them, snapping out of the webbing that had sealed it's jaws shut, his long tongue flicking out to taste the air as he advanced on the quickly recovering duo.
"Looks like we're gonna have to do this the hard way Spidey!" Sandman said as he threw his right hand to the side, sand rushing at his command to alter its shape into that of a large sand hammer.
"We'll wear him down then try to subdue him after, this should all end once he's drank the gene cleanser!" Spider-man agreed as Sandman met the Lizard mid-charge, his hammer whacking the reptile in the gut with a heavy slam as its claws slashed Marko's chest, sand pouring from the 'wound'.
Meanwhile, Spider-man circled around and began shooting webs at the Lizard as a distraction whilst Sandman wore the Lizard down physically, Spider-man catching the occassional tail or claw swipe from bursting Marko apart.
This went on for what seemed like an eternity but in reality was only around ten minutes as the duo fought the vicious villian infront of them as much as the swampy enviroment would allow them until finally after taking one too many sand sledgehammers and spider-powered punches, the Lizard began to slow down.
"Marko, now!" Spider-man shouted as took advantage of an opening in the Lizards guard to web up his arms to his torso in an obscene amount of webbing.
"On it!" Marko replied as he shot forward towards the Lizard, reaching him in record time as sand raced up the reptiles body, restricting the exhausted beast who tried in vain to free himself, his thrashing growing ever fiercer as two tendrils hooked themselves gently but firmly into the top and bottom of his jaw to force it open.
Spider-man was quick to approach with the gene cleanser in hand, not willing to risk messing things up a second time after already failing the night previous.
Nervously getting close to a still struggling Lizards jaws, Spider-man couldn't help but think of how much easier this was in the artic exhibit back in New York City zoo. Pouring the gene cleanser down the Lizards throat, Spider-man and Sandman watched the Lizard give a violent shudder before passing out...still in his reptile glory, what the heck was going on?
"Eh Spidey, wasn't that supposed to you know, turn him back to normal?" Marko asked kinda dumbly as he kept his hold on the now unconcious Lizard in case he was faking it.
"It should've..." Spider-man said worriedly as he began thinking about what this could mean for and his family, he hoped it was something as simple as a defective cleanser but something told Peter that things weren't so simple.
With careful steps and a floating gurney made of sand used to restrain the still unconcious Lizard, Spider-man and Sandman made their way out of the everglades, their mission a partial sucess but the future uncertain.
lllllll
"Curt..." Martha Connor whispered in abject horror as she watched the Lizard, chained and bound, being loaded into the military plane by the Florida police at the behest of the man standing infront of her.
"Don't worry Dr. Connor's, Rykers Island in New York is the most sophisticated facility for housing superpowered individuals. They're the best at protecting not only the public but the individuals themselves. It's the best place to hold him whilst we work on a cure." Captain Stacy said as gently as he could to the grieving wife, having flown out personally to oversee the transfer of the Lizard to his jurisdiction.
"I'll help in anyway I can...Billy and I aren't going to abandon him, we'll be moving back to New York as soon as possible." Martha explained as she wiped away a tear from her eye which got a nod from George Stacy.
"I'm sure the help will be invaluable. Now if you'll excuse me I need to go discuss a reduced sentence with Sandm- Mr. Marko." With those last few words, Captain Stacy said Goodbye and walked a ways away to where Marko was standing awkwardly beside some armed guards who were there for show more than anything, the super-powered individual being prepped to take the same flight as the Lizard and Captain Stacy.
Turning around Martha tried to adopt a happier expression as she made her way over to the group of Gwen, Harry, MJ and Peter who were all minding Billy for her whilst she talked to the police captain.
"Thank you for minding Billy everyone." Martha said simply as she bent down to hug her son, desperate for some comfort after the upheaval to their lives, her eyes glancing around to meet the concerned looks of the group around her, two pairs of guilty eyes looking back at her from Peter and Gwen.
"Dr. Connors I'm so sorry." Peter said as he tried to hide the true extent of his guilt from those around him, he may have come through on his promise and found him but a family is still failing to be reunited and that's something that hits Peter on a personal level. Although, had Peter looked around, he would see he wasn't the only one taking this situation personally.
"Martha...I promise, no I SWEAR to you that I will cure Dr. Connors." Gwen proclaimed passionately, guilt and no small amount of determination lacing her tone that predicted many long nights ahead.
"Thank you." Was all Martha could whisper, her eyes once again wet with tears as she looked into the driven eyes before her with no small amount of relief that she wouldn't be alone in the endeavour.
And so ended the holiday down in Florida, the trip to the sunshine state ending on a somber note as the Midtown 3 group packed away their things, everyone thanking Harry for the trip even though some got to enjoy it a bit more than others before they headed to the airport where the plane would take them home to New York.
Once again going through the airport security Peter was nervous that his web-shooters would be flagged in his dads suitcase as they went through security but once again miraculously they somehow got through, something Peter was no doubt relieved about.
Their plane got them all back in New York around 7pm, most splitting up to head home eager to regal their family with tales about the holiday whilst others like Peter and MJ who lived nearby made their way home together, something similar happening with Harry who gave Gwen a lift home as she did research on her phone.
"So Tiger, which photos are you gonna use to show May that you had fun on the trip? I'd recommend the one Gwen took of you surfing before your wipeout, your smile looked pretty genuine till then all things considered." MJ remarked as her and Peter made their way over to the airports taxicab stand.
"That's a great idea! That one alongside the photo she took of me beside Alan Shephard's space suit, plus recounting the day at Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure with Flash should show I listened to her despite the other events of the holiday..." Peter started enthusiastically before finally finishing in a melancholy tone.
"...Speaking of Flash, he's over there by the ATM and looks pretty stressed." MJ pointed to said machine near the taxicab stand, the afformentioned blonde looking frustrated as he smacked the side of it and MJ sufficiently distracting Peter from darker thoughts.
"Everything okay Flash?" Peter asked carefully as he and MJ walked up to the irrate jock who turned to look at them once he'd heard their approach.
"If by okay you mean completely screwed then yeah that sounds about right." Flash groaned as he tried hitting the machine again. "Bloody thing ate my card when I tried to take out money to cover my cab fare home, i've enough to get me 1/3rd of the way there but that's it, cause of this fucking thing."
Peter and MJ looked at each other for a moment, a silent conversation going on between them before Peter turned back to Flash as he scratched the back of his head awkardly unaware of how what he'd say next would go down.
"Eh Flash...if you want you can split a cab with us, we're all going to the same place afterall so it really wouldn't be any hassle." Peter proposed clumsily but it didn't seem to matter to Flash whose eyes lit up alongside his smile.
"Right on Parker! Thanks aswell Watson, really appreciate it you two, wasn't fancying the long walk home in the slightest." Flash cheered as he picked up his suitcase, following the duo of Peter and MJ towards the nearest cab which thankfully didn't have anyone waiting for it.
Putting their suitcases in the trunk, the trio squeezed into the back of the classic yellow New York taxi cab and were soon on their way through traffic towards home.
The group arrived in Forest Hills around 8pm after accounting for traffic, Flash waving goodbye to Peter and MJ as they walked up to Peters house where Aunt May and Anna Watson were waiting for them.
"Aunt May, we're home!" Peter called out once he'd unlocked the front door, placing his suitcase alongside MJ's just inside the door out of the way whilst the sound of approaching footsteps could be heard.
"Peter! MJ! Oh it's so good to see you two!" Aunt May said joyfully as she came out of the kitchen to give him a big hug, MJ receiving one not a second later. "Anna's just in the kitchen watching the dinner dear, lets dish it out and then you can tell us all about your holiday!"
And that's exactly what happened, the group walked into the kitchen where Anna Watson was quick to give MJ a hug of her own before Aunt May dished up lasagne for dinner and the group all sat around the table eating a lovely home cooked meal, laughing and chatting away for hours as Peter and MJ showcased their pictures whilst telling stories of the trip to accompany them.
It wasn't until around 10pm that the Watsons left, bellies full and sleep close to claiming them for the night just as it was close to claiming the Parkers, so it was with one final hug that Aunt May wished Peter a goodnight as they both turned in for the night, happy that he was finally home safe and sound in the comfort of his own bed.
lllllll
Peter woke up feeling refreshed as he made his way over to his computer, hooking his camera up to it as he began scrolling through the photos and selecting which ones he'd decided would best suit the Orlando travel exposé that Robbie had him working on.
Photos from the Kennedy Space Center such as the rocket garden, the open Atlantis space shuttle and the satellite launch made the cut from that area alongside ones from Universal Studios/ Islands of Adventure but of course it wouldn't be Florida without sun and where's the best place to spend a sunny day? The beach.
Photos of the beachs amenities and the hilariously unique sandcastle competition both made it in but it was the next set of photos that he scrolled to that gave Peter both pause and a blush for they were the ones of the white haired beauty known as Felicia as she showcased her outstanding surfing talent.
"I wonder if she ever got back to me with that consent form?" Peter asked himself curiously and a bit hopefully, afterall he was still kinda banking on that surfing shot and now that he was home in New York it was a bit late to get another one should she say no.
Checking his emails however produced a sigh of relief from Peter when he saw he had one from FeliciaH, clicking into it Peter began to read:
"Hey Peter, It's Felicia, you know, that smoking hot babe you couldn't keep your eyes off on Cocoa beach? ;)
Kidding, I'm kidding of course but I couldn't resist, teasing is just in my nature as i'm sure you'll come to find out if that offer for coffee is still on the table?
In regards to the consent form btw, you'll find it attached to the email, your boss better show me in a positive light after all this trouble, would hate for something someone else did to reflect badly on yourself afterall it wouldn't be fair.
See you soon,
Felicia H"
'Wow even through email she still manages to get me flustered.' Peter thought to himself wth a blush as he checked the attached document to make sure everything was in order, copying the file alongside all the selected photos over to a USB stick.
"Atleast Robbie accepts digital photos rather than physical ones, unlike Jamesson." Peter muttered to himself as he packed up his stuff before quickly replying to Felicia saying thank you and wondering if she wanted to meet in the Silver Spoon next saturday at 1pm.
Making his way out the door and saying a speedy goodbye to Aunt May, Peter started making his way towards the city, particularly the Daily Buggle where he needed to drop off this USB stick before he could continue on to the part of the day that made him anxious even thinking about it.
llllll
Dropping off the USB stick took little time at all, Betty, thank her soul, being kind enough to accept it for him so he didn't have to see Robbie just yet but he would have to wait for Ned to finish writing the article before he got paid which sucked, looks like it was back to the Spidey pics in the meantime!
Speaking of Spider-man, Peter was currently dressed as his alter-ego as he swung through the city of manhatten on his way to his next destination, his thoughts wandering a bit to what he'd discovered back in Florida.
'Florida Unlimited is a drug smuggling front that's connected to many large business here in the city and not only that, they're certainly in cahoots with the bigman himself, Kingpin... in regards to discovering who he is though my only lead is Dr. M who is probably somewhere in this city by now, fuck it's like looking for a needle in a haystack!' Spider-man recounted as he ran along the side of a building, flipping off before shooting another web to slingshot him around the corner of a building.
Spider-man continued on his way swinging through the city until he finally found an alley to land in near to his destination, changing out of his suit and back into his civies before he walked out and across the road to look up at the gate.
"Ravencroft" the sign above the wrought iron gate read as Peter walked under it and through the front door, going through the usual song and dance until finally he was sitting infront of his estranged brother in all but blood, Eddie Brock.
"H-hey Eddie, sorry it's been awhile, there's been quite a bit to tell you if i'm being honest..." Peter began a bit guiltily before his tone gradually shifted to one that sounded overwhelmed.
"I'm sure there is Pete. I saw the news, down in Florida, bet you had a great holiday chasing Sandman whilst I was stuck in here!" Eddie spat, the usual vitrol accompanying his tone alongside...envy?
'I guess it makes sense...a holiday probably sounds like heaven to him... even if not all of it was positive' Peter thought to himself with a guilty wince before he took a deep breath to calm his breathing, his mind drifting to the biggest failure of the holiday, Dr. Connors and how to not only tell Eddie but also to tell him what he'd decided upon at the dinner in their house.
"Eddie. There's something important I need to tell you that happened down there...during the end of the holiday we payed a visit to the Connors but that night, Dr. Connors, he... he mutated back into the Lizard and we haven't been able to reverse it yet." Peter said as carefully as he could, Eddies eyes getting progressively wider the more Peter spoke until he shot up from his seat in an outrage once Peter had finished.
"WHAT!? How could this happen, he knew not to touch the serum again!" Eddie ranted, a furious look in his eyes that hid something deeper...was it, concern?
"We don't know what happened, according to Martha Connors it just happened in the middle of the night out of the blue although she did mention there was a hole in the backdoor window...she thinks someone might've broken in but the police couldn't find any evidence aside from that." Peter explained as Eddie listened with rapt attention, an ever increasing frown growing on his face...was it wrong that Peter was happy to see this? Obviously he wasn't happy about the Connors situation, but Eddies reaction...it reminded him of the old Eddie, before his mind got all jumbled.
"Fuck! Do you think someone did this to the Doc? Do they have any leads?" Eddie asked Peter as he tried to brainstorm a possible answer to the situation he'd just been informed of.
"I don't know for sure, the initial serum could have any number of delayed side-effects but if I had to guess leads, there is one. Dr. M, he was the Connors assistant down in Orlando but I have- I mean Spider-man has reason to believe he was engaged in illegal experimentation working for a company called Florida Unlimited which has ties to Kingpin." Peter elaborated seriously.
"What does Kingpin want with Dr. Connors...man if i still had the venom symbiote I'd show him what happens when you go after people I care about..." Eddie muttered audibly to himself.
"...Just like what you did to me?" Peter asked a bit sharply, and did his eyes decieve him or did Eddie just wince? Either way it was time Peter got something off his chest and he wasn't stopping now "I understand that you were angry at me, honestly I do but you crossed a line going after Aunt May and Gwen! They've been nothing but lovely to you and you put them in danger all to hurt me, you Eddie, who used to volunteer at homeless shelters decided to hurt innocent people! Look me in the eye and tell me you've changed so drastically that is that who you are now!?"
"..." The silence was defeaning as Eddie refused to meet Peters eyes, staring at the ground instead until finally, he spoke with a faint whisper full of remorse.
"I'm sorry Peter, I was blinded in my hatred, it was just so consuming...I can't even fully blame the symbiote, they were my ideas, the symbiote just fed on my anger at you and heightened my emotions till it felt like i was lost in a storm...it's not an excuse but an explantation, something you deserved a long time ago." Eddie avowed sincerly, Peters eyes widening the more he heard until Eddie looked up and met his gaze and Peter could see that behind the anger Eddie still held for him there was genuine remorse for what he'd done.
'Wow...that's, that's the old Eddie!' Peter thought to himself a bit misty eyed, yes it wasn't like he'd gotten his bro back but it was a start and Peter couldn't thank the heavens enough that Eddie was showing improvement, he was sick of losing people.
It also made Peter think back to the dinner he'd had at the Connors house and his thoughts regarding Eddie that night...the more he thought about how much anger Eddie must hold for him to hurt Gwen and Aunt May, well it made him reflective of his actions and if he was honest he could see where some of that anger was coming from and more importantly he hadn't done anything to curb it, fuck he can't even remember if he'd apologised!
"Eddie, that's- just thank you. Whilst i'm still angry at you for targetting Gwen and Aunt May, i can understand that the symbiote heightens emotions till it feels like your drowning and that you truly regret your actions...just like I regret my own." Peter said honestly before finishing with cliffhanger that made Eddies eyes go wide as he waited with baited breath for what Peter said next, completely surprised by this sudden shift in him.
"When I destroyed the symbiote, or thought I did, that night in the lab I was terrified. I knew so little about it but it had caused so much damage using me as a puppet that when I was finally free of it...I took matters into my own hands when I had no right too. The symbiote could've saved your job, your career and your life yet because I was so scared of it I even ignored that fact it was a sentient being and I tried to kill it." Peter continued as Eddie watched silently with rapt attention.
"I took the situation into my own hands since I had experience with it but I didn't have the authority to make that judgement call. It was like I took a brand new car for a joyride and declared it too dangerous to drive so I destroyed it before others could examine it and find out why it was dangerous, it wasn't right of me and you payed the price so from the bottom of my heart Eddie, i'm sorry." Peter professed honestly, his misty eyes finally letting a tear free as it ran down his face.
"Pete...that's, that's very big of you to admit and likewise whilst i'm still pissed at you for it...the apology means more than you know. You've done alot of maturing there haven't you? Glad to see it, very glad." Eddie said breathlessly at the start before finishing with a smile, a genuine smile that Peter reciprocated.
'God how long has it been since he's smiled at me like that, no malice, just a genuine smile?' Peter thought to himself as he smiled back before the buzzer went off and just like that the session was over for today, for once to boths chagrin.
Standing up off the chair as the guard waved impatiantly at him from the door, Peter paused when he heard Eddie speak from behind him.
"Hey Pete...see you next week right?" Eddie asked as nonchalantly as he could, a small smile now on his face.
"Of course Eddie, I'll see you next week." Peter replied back, his smile still plastered on his face as he wiped away a stray tear before turning around and walking out the door, optimistic thoughts for the future racing through his head.
llllllll
Meanwhile, in the Midtown sewers a bulky but decaying rat that was somehow still moving could be seen slowly running across some pipes, its destination a certain institution as black strands acted in place of muscles where they'd rotted away.
The rat moved onward despite it's slow speed, determined to reach it's partner, it just had to follow the scent...
And that's a wrap folks, Chapter 20, done and dusted. Hope you enjoyed the return to Manhattan sure mainly a wrap up and set up chapter but they have to come some time sadly.
Now for the bad news...I regret to inform you all that this fic will be going on a 2 month hiatus whilst I sort some stuff out for it. The next arc will be the start of a tonal shift for some important factors and contain key events that are crucial for the arcs afterwards so it's a bit daunting tbh and I want to make sure it's a solid 5 month post block without fail when I return so this should hopefully give me the time to prepare for that. Sorry to everyone this dissapoints but I don't do this lightly, I do think this is the best way forward for what I have in mind for this fic.
See you soon,
LovecraftianShaggy