Ben Parker was not himself. He was literally a walking corpse; the color of his skin, his clothes, his lifeless eyes, nothing about him said he was alive, except the blood stain on his shirt that was slowly getting larger.
"Peter... how could you do this?" Ben asked, looking desolately at his nephew, "Where did we go wrong with raising you?"
"Uncle Ben..." Peter tried to form a sentence, but to no avail.
"I help you, I support you, I stand by you... and this is how you repay me?" He asked, referring to the hole in his chest. "I thought I had raised a good boy, but good boys don't kill their uncles..."
"Ben... It was an accident... I didn't know that man would-" Peter couldn't contain the river of tears that soaked his face, and the lump in his throat only grew larger.
"An accident? AN ACCIDENT!?!?" He asked, looking furious, "You stop fighting criminals, let one go, and that very person shoots me!!! How is that an accident!?"
"Ben... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry-" "Oh, you're 'sorry'!?" Ben looks at him, "'Sorry'!? You killed me Peter! It wasn't a burglar, it wasn't a gun, it was YOU! YOU KILLED ME!!! IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!!!"
"I KNOW!!!" Peter screamed at the top of his lungs. But he was screaming at nothing. He was completely alone again. Falling over and hugging his knees, he finally lets himself cry, "I know... I know..."
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"Peter?"
Not wanting to hear any more, the boy doesn't bother to look. He heard footsteps approaching through the void, until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Peter?"
He gasped at the touch, it was Wanda's voice. The boy turned slowly to see the visage, but she was normal. Her eyes were no longer shadowed, but misty and looking him over worriedly.
"Peter..." She gently reached out a hand to wipe Peter's tears, but the boy flinched and moved back. The girl then lowers her arm, "It's okay Peter..."
"No, it's not... I killed him, I killed my uncle..." Peter said coldly.
"I saw your memories..." She said. "That was an accident Peter..."
"No, it wasn't! I had a chance to stop the guy before he broke into my home and shot Ben, and I let him go..." Peter revealed, "What kind of hero lets a criminal run off when could've stopped him? It's my fault that my Aunt's a widow. I'm not a hero... I'm a villain. A monster..."
"He didn't think so..." Wanda replied. "And I don't think so either. We won't always be able to save everyone, but we'll always try. Your uncle wasn't a victim, he was your hero. And all he wished for was that you could be too." She squatted down slightly, getting down to his level.
"That's why we're here," Wanda went on. "Learning, training, to save as many people as possible. Because a hero needs to help those in need. Your Uncle is gone, and it's tough, it's hard. But he trusted you, knew that you'd be responsible with your powers. It will be a difficult journey, but we need to be strong... for everyone who isn't here anymore..."
"But what if I can't?" Peter asked, finally looking up at her. "What if I can't be strong enough?"
"Then we'll be here to help you..." She replied, as the world around them lights up. Peter sees his Aunt, his friends, all smiling at the boy.
"Thank you..." He said, gratefully.
"Don't thank me yet," she replied, getting up and extending her hand. "We still have a long way to go... So are you coming?" He nodded, taking the girl's hand as she helped him stand up.
Peter blinked a few times, slowly getting used to the brightness of an all too familiar room. With how often I'm in this place, they'll start charging me rent, he thinks to himself. Looking around, he was lying on the bed. A table with a chair and some papers were a little further on, but he didn't see Night Nurse anywhere. He then looked to the side and recognizes an auburn mane and a red bow lying somewhat on top of him.
"...Wanda?" He asked, making the girl stir.
"...Peter?" Still groggy from the experience, she didn't seem to register her reality, until her eyes went wide. "PETER!!!" She screamed, and threw herself at the boy, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Yeah, that's my name, no need to shout..." He quipped weakly, hugging the girl back.
"I was so worried," she said, letting go and then punching him in the shoulder. "Don't ever scare me like that again!!"
"Hey, that hurt!" He retorted.
"Good!!" Wanda pretends to be angry, but quickly softened and smiles. Peter glanced to the side and saw the scars on his wrists, "Night Nurse said you have to find a new way to use your webs, or in a while the damage will be irreparable..."
"..." Peter looked seriously at his wrist, he expected something like this to happen, but not so soon. He sat up, looking at the girl again, "Yeah... I had a feeling this might happen. But I've actually been-"
"PETER!!!" A sudden chorus of the three voices of echo through the infirmary as Gwen, Danny, and Kei almost burst the door, interrupting the boy.
"THEY TOLD US THAT YOU DIED!!! WAAAAAAH!!!" Gwen screamed, jumping onto Peter and crying.
"Actually, Reyes told us you were in the infirmary after my fight with him..." Danny elaborated.
"I'm glad you're alright, Peter," Kei added. "You had us all worried, man."
The memories came back to Peter, the whole situation inside his mind; his parents, his aunt, his friends and classmates, Uncle Ben... Even though he always tried to look beyond, the memory of that fateful night continued to invade his mind and his nightmares. Aunt May spoke with him about it at times, but she always said that talking to more people might help. Peter looked to his friends, and the image of everyone smiling at him when Wanda had gone to rescue him came back. They deserved to know…
"I have something to tell you..."
Peter then told his story. While he said nothing relating his Quirk to Iron Man, he told them about being Quirkless, the spider bite, acting as a vigilante, his encounter with Daredevil, the death of Uncle Ben, and capturing the man who shot him.
Since Wanda was in touch with Peter's memories, she understood his inner turmoil and how hard this was for him to say. She stood beside him, stroking her hand lovingly on his back, helping the boy find the courage tell everything to his friends. In the end, Peter felt much lighter. His eyes were slightly watery as he waited for his friends to respond.
Danny spoke first, "...You've been through a lot Peter, more than most of us here. But don't worry, we're friends, and we'll always be here for each other."
"What? No pearls of wisdom now?" Gwen asked, teasingly to the blonde. She giggled lightly and wiped away a tear, "But he is right, Petey. We're here for you, all of us..."
"Yeah, we'll make each other better. Let's become the greatest heroes!" Kei said, raising his fist, "You really inspired me, I'm gonna take training more seriously. I'm even going to stop watching hentai! For a week, at least..."
"Hehehe," Peter laughed weakly, but a real laugh nonetheless. "Thanks guys, I don't know what I'd do without you."
"You'd be in a coma, for starters..." Wanda quipped cheekily, holding Peter's hand. She was smiling, and with her cheeks slightly red.
"That's true..." He said, remembering what happened. "Thanks, Wanda."
"GROUP HUG!!!" Gwen called out, pulling Danny and Kei into the embrace. She became off balance and they all fell on top of Peter. Everyone burst into laughter at the situation.
After they split up, Peter's mind came back to reality, "Wait a minute, did you already fight against Reyes, Danny? How long was I out? What round are we in!?"
"They're about to start the second semifinal match between Amadeus and Tyrone!" Kei answered, looking at his phone.
"Amadeus? Did he beat you, Wanda?" Peter questioned.
"No, I... gave up," she said sadly. The boy couldn't believe it. "In order to help you, we didn't have much time," Wanda elaborated.
"…" Peter felt the shock of that information. Everything Wanda had said about wanting to help her mother, everything that disappeared because of him. Of course, it wasn't 100% his fault, but he still felt guilty, "Wanda..."
"No." She said firmly, "This wasn't your fault, and I don't want to hear you apologize for that! I chose to help you, and I'd do it all over again. A hero has to save those in need, right?" Wanda sent his own words back at him with a smile.
"For sure," the boy said, putting that matter aside. Another thought came to mind, "But Danny, you fought against Reyes, right? What happened?"
"Well..." Danny scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he remembered.
Several Minutes Ago
It had been a few minutes since the start of the match and Danny felt the advantage; he was a master of different combat styles, and having discovered Reyes' prowess in boxing, he already knew how to face it.
After a succession of punches, kicks and other maneuvers, Danny managed to corner his opponent at one end of the stadium. One good push and victory would be his.
Danny used a few seconds to prepare a blow with his energized fist, but Reyes already seemed to have predicted it.
From inside his clothes, a chain shot out of his sleeve, quickly coiling around the non-energized part of Danny's forearm, and yanks it away.
In a few seconds, having achieved an opening, Reyes struck Danny, taking his arm and throwing him off the arena and onto the field. It wasn't the cleanest judo throw, but it was enough for to give Reyes the victory.
"It wasn't one of my finest moments, I'll admit..." Danny said with his head down.
"Aw, you were amazing Danny," Gwen put in, hugging the boy's arm. "And look on the bright side, you can still fight for third place!"
"You'd better go then, the next fight is about to start," Night Nurse stood by the doorway smiling. "Come on, everyone out! Parker might be my only patient, but I'm not done with him yet. He'll be joining you in a bit!"
The four teens walk head out the infirmary door, however Wanda held back, letting the others get ahead. In a moment of bravery on her part, she rushed back to Peter's side, kissed him on the cheek, and ran out after her friends towards the arena. Her face was as bright red as the ribbon in her hair.
Peter lightly touched his cheek, blushing just as brightly as the girl.
"That girl's something special, isn't she?" Claire smiled knowingly at Peter.
The boy broke out of his trance, a small smile growing on his face, "She saved me. In more ways than one..."
"Yes, speaking of which, would you mind explaining to me why you fought so recklessly agains Mr. Reyes earlier?" Night Nurse brought him back to reality. "You nearly caused permanent damage to the nerves in your arms. We need to have a serious discussion regarding the use of your Quirk..."
Coming out of the alley, the man in the skull vest wiped the blood from his knife on a cloth. Leaving without much hurry from his fallen opponent, he doesn't want more company. As he listened to the 'hero's' radio with someone speaking worriedly on the other side, he'd be far away by the time the cavalry arrived. But in the end, the supposed hero had been tested, failed, and was subsequently punished. He started up his white van and drove away. There were no real heroes anymore, and he was going to prove it.
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Barber's Chair
• Peter and Wanda grow closer here. Should I make this the main ship? Or should I introduce actual Spider-Man love interests later on?
• In place of Stain, I thought a suitable stand in would be the Punisher.
• Peter's hands are becoming a recurring problem, perhaps now it's time to work on some Support gear?
