Bell woke up in a cold sweat. His hands were clammy, and he was breathing heavily. He had another nightmare, the third one this week, about Shocker killing him.
Bell knew he was alive and safe, but the events kept playing back in his head over and over again. His thoughts were always the same.
What if I didn't dodge? What if that strange power didn't save me? What if he made my head explode?
These thoughts raced through Bell's mind, but once he caught his breath, he remembered that he was safe. He was in his bed and alive, and Shocker was in jail. Peter had taken off patrols for the time being, and Bell didn't protest.
However, Peter did keep him updated on Shocker and his interrogation. Bell materialized his mask over his face and asked Mayday to play the video.
A screen popped up in front of him and showed Shocker handcuffed to a table as Alise interrogated him.
"So, shocker, why rob a bank with no hostages? Seems to me you didn't really have a plan," she said as she sat across from him.
Shocker had a slight smug smirk on his face as he leaned back. "No, I did, but I'm not gonna tell ya."
Alise clicked her tongue at the answer but decided to press on. "So, was it your plan to get caught."
Shocker shook his head. "I'm not telling you. But I will say one thing. Somethings coming, and soon. Will you be ready little police officer"
Alise looked at him, confused. "What do you mean by something coming."
Shocker yawned. "Can't tell ya."
He then looked directly at the camera and spoke. "But I will say one thing. You better be lucky little spider, because you're gonna need it."
The recording then ended as Bell got rid of his mask. Shockers words ran through his mind. He had to be lucky but why? Shaking his head, Bell looked at his phone to check the time. It was early, around 7 AM, but Bell knew he was up for the day. No going back to sleep after something like that.
So he got out of bed and put some clothes on. Today was game day, and he had to be ready for it. Sure, the game wasn't until ten, but as the saying goes, early bird gets the worm. Or, in Bell's case, it'll give him a chance to calm down his nerves before the game.
He stayed in his room for about an hour, taking deep calming breaths before heading downstairs. He ate a light breakfast and, at around 8:45, left for the stadium. It was about a 20-minute walk as he arrived at 9:05 and was greeted by Bete, who tossed him a jersey.
"So you ready to get warmed up, rabbit," Bete joked.
Bell flicked him off. "Ha ha, funny dickweed. Need me to kick your ass again."
Bete put his hands up in mock surrender. "Oh no, not the rabbit boy"
Bell playfully shoved Bete as he took his shirt off. "Just wait. I'll kick your ass after this game."
Before Bell went to put his jersey on, he heard a cheer.
"God damn, you're ripped," Tione shouted from the stands.
"Keep the shirt off. I like this," Tiona cheered.
Bell fumbled with his jersey a little before being able to put it on. Once he did, he looked at the bleachers and saw Tiona and Tione sitting there.
Bete let out a laugh as he wrapped an arm around. "Oh look, you have fans."
Bell rolled his eyes and pushed him off him. "Yeah, yeah, be jealous. I'll be right back. Start warmups without me."
Bete let out another laugh. "Alright, go say hi to your girlfriends. When you get back, you're playing defense."
Bell rolled his eyes and flicked Bete off as he walked up to the twins. When he got to the twins, they both gave him a smile.
"Didn't expect you two to be here so early," Bell commented.
Tiona held up a foam finger while Tione had a sign that said Go Bell.
"We wanted to get good seats," Tiona said, waving her foam finger.
"Look, I even made you a sign," Tione pointed out, showing Bell her sign.
Bell felt a little flattered and rubbed the back of his neck while laughing nervously. "Well, thank you, I'll uh make sure to play well."
Bete then called Bell over, and he said his goodbyes to the twins as he went back to the field. After doing their stretches and warmup drills, Bete gave everyone their positions to play. Bell would be playing center defense.
Before the game started, however, Bell noticed a boy around his age with black hair looking nervous.
So Bell tapped Bete on the shoulder and asked him who he was. "Who's that? I thought you didn't just let anyone on your team."
Bete turned his head and looked at the boy. "Oh, that's Raul. He's a good dude, and he's got potential, but he's nervous he's gonna mess up."
"Want me to go talk to him," Bell asked.
"I mean, you can. I've already tried to encourage him, but I don't think my words got through to him," Bete responded.
Bell walked over to Raul, who was looking nervous, and his leg was bouncing up and down.
Bell took a seat next to him, causing the boy to jump in fright a little.
"You nervous" Bell calmly asked.
Raul gulped and nodded his head. "Yeah. I'm scared I'll mess up and cause the team to lose."
Bell nodded his head. "Well, that's a valid concern to have. Why do you think you'll fail."
Raul let out a sigh as he leaned his head forward. "Because I'm not good at defense. If someone gets the ball, it's almost a guarantee they'll get past me."
Bell nodded his head as he stood up. "Grab that ball. I'm gonna teach you a trick."
Raul did what Bell asked and kicked the ball over to Bell.
Bell then pointed at his hips. "Something I learned while doing kickboxing is to keep your eyes on a person's hips. That way, you'll know where they're going, and it gives you time to prepare."
Bell then gave a demonstration to Raul, who seemed to pick up what Bell was saying. Bell then dribbled the ball to Raul, telling him to keep an eye on his hips. Raul did what Bell said, and when Bell was about to go around him, Raul stopped him.
Bell smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "See much easier that way. Now you won't see instant results, but if you practice like that, you'll have it locked down."
Raul smiled and let out a nervous chuckle. "Uh, thank you. Besides Bete, everyone else always yells and belittles me. So thank you for not doing that."
Bell felt his hand shake in anger a little. "Oh, really, well, I guess I'll just have to show them up," he said through gritted teeth.
Raul looked at Bell and felt a little scared but didn't say anything.
Bell then flashed Raul a smile, his previous anger disappearing from the surface. "Well, good luck out there, and remember what I told you."
Bell then went and took his position in the center of the field, ready to play defense. Raul sat on the bench and watched Bell closely so he could see how Bell played and maybe get some more insight on how to play better.
What Bell didn't know was that next to Tiona and Tione were Ais and her friends. Next to them was Welf, and Bell's parents had to work today, so they couldn't make it. They did, however, wish their son luck and wanted to know how the game went.
The whistle was blown, and the ball was passed to Bete, and he took it down the field. He dribbled the ball down the field and juked a guy out.
The ball was then taken from him and kicked down the field. The ball was intercepted by Bell and passed to Bete, who scored.
After more plays like that, the score was 5-0, with Bete and his team winning. It was an easy game. The other team sucked. Raul actually scored a goal as well.
After Bell grabbed his stuff, he walked to the bleachers and noticed that Tione had some cuts on her face and hands while Tiona was sitting in between her and Welf, with Welf sitting next to Ais. Bell looked at Ais indifferently and saw scratches and bruises on her face as well.
Bell quirked an eyebrow looking at the scene. "We'll talk about this later. For now, let's leave."
As the twins and Welf stood up to leave, Ais spoke. "That's right, walk away bitch"
Tione turned around and shot forward, trying to attack Ais. Bell wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back, dragging her out of the stadium while Tione's tried to break out of Bell's grip.
Once they were out of the stadium, Bell set Tione down and took a look at her. "Hmm, you won't need stitches, but you will need to be cleaned up."
Bell then felt his phone ding in his pocket. He took it out of his pocket and saw a text from his mom.
Mom: Hey, your dad and I won't be home tonight as we have to work late
Bell: Alright, so what do you want me to do
Mom: I know you don't like to be alone, so you can either stay with a friend or invite one over
Bell: ok
Bell then put his phone away. "So my parents aren't gonna be home tonight. Welf wanna stay the night."
Welf shook his head. "Sorry, man, can't. Dad is taking me somewhere for once in about half an hour, so I won't be home either. Lili's hunting with her dad this weekend."
Welf then put his hand on Bell's shoulder. "Sorry, man, I know you don't like being alone."
Bell let out a sigh. "It's alright. I'll, uh, I'll figure something out."
"You can stay with us," Tiona said as she wrapped an arm around Bell.
Bell felt his heart beat a little quicker. "Are you sure" he nervously asked.
Tione touched her face and winced. "Yeah, it's fine. Our parents said we could invite anyone over as long as we feel comfortable with them."
Bell swallowed a lump in his throat as he nodded his head. "Uh, thank you. I'll uh clean up your sisters uh wounds."
The three bid goodbye to Welf and walked to Tiona and Tione's house. He was nervous for two reasons. One was that he was going to a girl's house alone without any parents there. The twins told Bell of their new living situation. Their dad made so much money that they were able to afford two houses. So Tiona and Tione stay at the one in Orario while their parents remain wherever they are.
The second reason he was nervous was because he knew they would ask why he didn't want to be alone. Bell didn't have an excuse to brush it off, so he knew he would have to tell them the truth. He feels like he should. They are his childhood friends. People he hasn't seen in a while. He can trust them, right?
The three arrived back at the twin's house and opened the door. Bell told Tione to sit on a stool and asked Tiona to go and fetch him a first aid kit.
The twins did as he asked while Bell grabbed a stool and sat across from Tione.
"Welf seems like a nice dude," Tione commented.
Bell nodded his head. "Yeah, he is. Always has my back when I need him."
"He didn't this time," Tione pointed out.
Bell let out a slight chuckle. "Well, his parents never want to do anything with him. This is the first time in five years his dad has wanted to do something with him. So I wanted him to go."
Tione put her non-injured hand on Bell's. "You're a kind soul Bell. But something happened to you after we left. Can you tell us"
Bell nodded his head as Tiona came into the kitchen with the first aid kit. Bell grabbed it and took a few bandaids out, as well as some rubbing alcohol to clean Tione's wounds.
He took Tione's injured hand in his and started cleaning as he began his story. "When I was 12, I met up with my Aunt at F.E.A.S.T. She was preparing food like she always did. It was her job, and she loved it, so when she finished, she said we would go get some ice cream. She just had to run up and grab her purse. So she went to the employee room to grab it, and I waited and waited. After about three hours, my mom came to get me and asked where my aunt was. I told her what happened and she took me home. That was the last time I saw my aunt. She just disappeared off the face of the planet. So after that, I just kind of stopped caring about things and put up walls to make sure I couldn't get hurt"
Bell discarded one alcohol wipe and grabbed another as he kept cleaning Tione's hand. She kept wincing from the sting but stayed still.
Tione looked at Tiona and had a sad smile on her face. Why would his aunt do something like this to him?
"I'm sorry to hear that Bell. But you know we would never hurt you, right" Tiona softly asked.
Bell didn't answer for a second as he discarded the second alcohol wipe and grabbed a third. "I want to believe you. I do. But if my aunt, my own flesh and blood, can do that to me. What could others do."
Bell then grabbed some bandaids and put them on Tione's cut knuckles before grabbing another alcohol wipe and dabbing her forehead, which had a cut as well.
The twins felt sad hearing this, but they understood where Bell came from. So they both made a silent vow to prove to Bell they wouldn't hurt him.
Tione kept wincing and moving, causing Bell to laugh a little. "I can't clean the cut if you keep moving."
"But it stings," Tione whined.
Bell let out a sigh and stuck out his hand. "Hold my hand and squeeze it if it hurts too much."
Tione took his hand immediately as if she was looking for this opportunity. Bell didn't pick up on this, as he was too focused on making sure her wounds were cleaned. She squeezed his hand a lot, and while to her she was squeezing tightly, Bell didn't feel any of it, thanks to his superhuman durability.
Once Bell was done cleaning the cut, he put a bandaid on there as well before throwing his trash away.
"There all better. Now mind telling me what happened" Bell asked.
Tiona giggled while Tione crossed her arms. "That blonde bitch was talking shit about you, so I told her to shut up. She didn't listen, so I smacked her. Bitch fought back."
Bell just looked at her before he started laughing. It confused the twins a little, but they were glad to hear it. It had been a while since they heard Bell's laughter, and they liked it.
Once he was finished, he spoke. "Thanks, I'm flattered. But I don't really care what people say about me."
Tione pouted. "Well, you should. You're a nice person. People shouldn't say mean things about you."
"Yeah," Tiona agreed.
Bell just smiled and shook his head. "Thanks. It means a lot that you're willing to stick up for me."
The twins smiled and then teased him that he was alone in a girl's house. Bell blushed and hid his face as the teasing ensued.
.
.
.
.
It was nighttime, and Bell was asleep on the couch. The twins had offered him to sleep in one of their beds with them, but he declined, saying he didn't want to make them feel uncomfortable or having to go out of their way for him. They assured them it was okay, but he still didn't feel comfortable doing so. Not yet, at least.
But he was awoken as his spider-sense went off. Something was wrong. He quickly looked around the room and saw glass on the floor and a broken window. He quickly got out of bed and stuck to the wall to not make any of the floorboards creak with his footsteps. He made his way to Tione's room and shook her awake after unsticking from the wall.
She awoke with a jump, but upon seeing, she had a teasing glint in her eyes. Before she could tease him, however, Bell put his finger to his mouth, signaling her to be quiet. Tione's heart started to beat a little faster, but she did as Bell asked.
"I want you to lock your door after I leave, then find somewhere to hide and call the police. I'll make sure Tiona is safe and then find somewhere to hide myself," he whispered.
Tione quickly nodded her head as Bell slowly creeped out of her room, hearing the door closing behind him. Once he knew Tione couldn't see him anymore, he used a small web canister to make sure her door would stay shut for at least 15 minutes. Plenty of time for the cops to arrive.
He once again stuck to the wall and made his way into Tiona's room and waking her up as well. She had the same teasing thoughts as her sister, but Bell signaled to be quiet. Tiona's heart started to beat a little faster as well.
"Lock your door after I leave. Then find somewhere to find and be quiet. Tione's calling the police," he whispered.
Tiona's eyes widened with panic. "But what about you" she whispered shouted.
Bell moved his finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. "I'll make sure they don't leave before the cops show up. So please hide."
Bell didn't give Tiona a chance to respond as he stepped out of the room and shut her door. Like Tione's, he webbed it shut but made sure the web would dissolve in 15 minutes.
"Mayday give me a scan," Bell whispered. He couldn't suit up as Spider-Man, or else the twins would know his identity. So Bell would have to deal with this.
"First floor, kitchen," Mayday responded.
Bell felt his heart drop a little. He was on the couch in the living room right outside the kitchen. He knows what would've happened had he woken up a minute later.
He slowly crept his way back downstairs and saw someone dressed in black latex. It appeared as if they were looking for something. Bell took a deep breath. He just needed to stall for time.
"Can I help you" Bell announced as he walked down the stairs?
The figure turned around, and the moonlight shone on her face. Bell could tell the figure was a woman thanks to her curves and breasts. She also had long black hair that reached to her waist. He couldn't see the color of her eyes as it was too dark, and he couldn't really make out her face because of the darkness and her mask.
"Uh oh, nobody was supposed to be here. It seems my intel was wrong. Oh well. Say, how about you be a good boy and go back upstairs? I'll promise not to hurt you," the woman said.
Bell stepped down from the final step. "Can't do that. Why are you here."
The woman sighed before she walked up to Bell, her boots clicking on the wood. "Why couldn't a cutie like you just listen."
The woman threw a punch at Bell to knock him out so she could continue her job. What she didn't expect was for Bell to block it and kick her in the stomach.
The woman stumbled back as Bell delivered a roundhouse kick to her liver, causing her to gasp for air.
Claws came out from her glove, and she swiped at Bell, who drew his leg back right before she clawed him.
"You're fast, mama likes," the woman cooed.
She charged at Bell again, swiping her claws at him. Thanks to Bell's spider-sense, he dodged each swipe before kicking her in the ribs.
This didn't stop the woman, however, as she grabbed Bell's leg and dug her claws into it. Bell grunted in pain but didn't scream. He didn't want Tione and Tiona to be more scared.
The woman then threw Bell's leg into the air, causing him to lose his balance. His back hit the ground with the woman's claws aimed at his face.
He moved his head to the side to avoid getting his face scratched. His foot shot forward like a canon and kicked the woman in the stomach, causing her to stumble backward again.
He got to his feet and ran at the woman, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up, and slamming her through a coffee table.
The woman groaned in pain as she held her stomach while Bell caught his breath. Until a table leg hit him in the head, thrown by the woman and causing him to stumble backward into the wall.
The woman threw another one, but Bell blocked it with his arms. The woman was behind him, her arms wrapped around his neck, trying to choke him out.
Bell ran backward and slammed her into the wall. Her grip loosened a little as Bell grabbed her arms and threw her over his shoulder, slamming her on the ground.
The woman reached into her cleavage and threw a capsule at Bell. The capsule exploded in Bell's face causing a tiny smoke screen to manifest in front of his face.
Bell coughed and waved the smoke away, and once he could see again, the woman was gone.
The door was then kicked open as two cops came in with their guns drawn.
"Police hands up," one of the officers said, aiming her gun at Bell.
"Hang on, Ardee, that's my son," the other said, lowering his.
"Oh, sorry, Lieutenant," Ardee apologized.
Seth holstered his gun and walked up to his son, putting his hands on his shoulders. "Are you ok, Bell"
Bell coughed a little still feeling the effects of that smoke capsule. "Yeah, just a few cuts and bruises. Tione and Tiona are locked in their rooms. Burglar was a woman with black hair and was in a catsuit."
Seth gestured for Ardee to go upstairs and get the girls. "Sounds like black cat. You were stupid to fight here. But I'm glad you're alright."
Bell coughed again. "Someone had to stall for time waiting for you to show up. What took you so long" he joked.
Seth chucked a little. "Got caught up in traffic."
The father and son then heard footsteps running down the stairs, and before Bell could say anything was hugged by the twins.
"You idiot, you said you were going to hide," Tione cried.
"You're such an idiot. Why would you fight that burglar alone? Dummy," Tiona cried as well.
Bell looked to his dad for help, but his dad whistled and looked away.
Bell nervously chucked before answering. "Well, you're my friends. I didn't want you two to get hurt," he mumbled.
"And we don't want you to get hurt either, dumbass!" the twos yelled.
Bell let out another nervous chuckle as he once again looked to his dad for help. Seth smiled and shook his head, deciding to help his son.
"Sorry, girls, you'll have to blame me for this one. I taught him that a man always protects what's important to him. He was just following my advice. Besides, once his mother hears of this, he'll be in a lot of trouble," Seth joked.
Bell felt his face and his heartbeat faster. "Fuck"
This caused everyone to laugh as they knew how screwed Bell was. However, Bell wouldn't have time to dwell on this for long as a much bigger problem had already arisen.
Well, I think this is a good stopping point. If you were excited for the soccer game, sorry I didn't write it out cause when I got to it, I just did not know what to write, so I skipped it.
So sorry about that. If you're mad, that's valid. Anyway, I'm gonna dip now cause I gotta go write another chapter for Bell the white core mage. See ya.