Chapter 4: Escalation
It felt like it had been forever since he drifted off to sleep, a deep slumber that had been undisturbed despite the events of last night, but Peter finally awoke as his eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the light in the room. He yawned and stretched his limbs, blinking as he came to his senses and realized something. This was not his bedroom.
"Where… am I?" Peter murmured and sat up, looking around the room to get his bearings. He was lying on a white and dark gray bed big enough to fit two people, a very comfortable bed in fact. Looking out the window, he noticed that he was in the middle of New York and high up, meaning that he had to be in an apartment of some kind. Getting up, he also noticed that the Black Suit had changed into a sweater and a pair of black jeans at some point when he was asleep. He looked around the bedroom and noticed that the colors mostly consisted of black, white and dark gray. It looked like a bedroom in a 5-Star hotel, a place he had never even dreamed of staying for one night. But despite that he still wanted to know what was going on, so just a moment later he left the bedroom to explore the rest of the apartment.
"What's that smell?" Sniffing the air, he felt the scent of what smelled like… breakfast? It reminded him of his years back in high school, earlier even. On the weekends Aunt May would make him pancakes, eggs and bacon, and so much more. They were good days.
Following this scent, it eventually led him to the kitchen of the apartment. And there he saw a beautiful blonde woman wearing a white button-up shirt and gray sweatpants, which were hugging her curves a lot. In fact, her shirt looked quite strained holding her massive bust in, almost as if it could burst open any second. But as his eyes went up and down admiring her figure, Felicia turned around and smiled at him while her right hand was holding a pan. She was making pancakes, evident by the two plates with several pancakes on them.
"Morning handsome, how did you sleep?" She asked and flipped the pancake in the pan.
"Well, now that you mention it, I think I had the best sleep of my life. I feel more rested than I ever have before." Peter replied. "Are those pancakes?"
"Yes, freshly made too. Please, have a seat. I'll bring them to you in a moment." Felicia said and Peter sat down by the kitchen table. A moment later a plate with pancakes and strawberry jam was put down in front of him. Felicia herself then sat down in front of him with a plate of pancakes of her own. "Enjoy."
Peter did not hesitate to dig in, immediately taking a bite. As soon as he felt the flavor on his tongue the memories of the old times returned, making him smile as he was quite fond of those old memories of Aunt May. He continued to eat, albeit a bit slower now to enjoy it more. "These are really good Felicia. Delicious."
"Thank you. I made them with love." She replied and winked, making Peter chuckle a little. They continued to eat for a while until Felicia noticed that Peter seemed to be thinking about something. She looked at him and tilted her head slightly, her gold blonde hair moving slightly. "Is something on your mind dear? You seem troubled."
"Not really. Just wondering how I got here is all. Last thing I remember is going to sleep in my bed… and then I woke up here." Peter explained.
"Hm… I see. Well, I guess I have some explaining to do." Felicia said and leaned back in her chair. For the next few minutes, she explained everything that had transpired last night, from the Hunters going to Peter's house to Venom taking them both to Felicia's apartment. "And I think that's everything that happened."
"Wow… if it wasn't for Venom then I would probably be in a cell right now… or maybe even dead. He never ceases to surprise me." Peter replied.
"Oh yeah, you also refused to let go of me, so we just held each other in bed the entire night."
This made Peter's face go red, but after he got a hold of himself, he spoke up. "Did we… um… you know…?"
Felicia laughed a little in response, but then shook her head. "We didn't. But it was nice though. I forgot how good and comforting it feels to cuddle with you."
"Hehe… thanks… I just wish I remembered any of it." Peter replied awkwardly, but the playful smile on Felicia's face told him she wouldn't mind doing it again. But eventually they went back to eating and finished their breakfast. "That's the best breakfast I've had in so long, thank you Felicia."
"Anytime darling." Felicia smiled at him as she grabbed his plate and started processing the dishes.
"Let me help you out." Peter said, taking a deep breath as tendrils suddenly protruded from his back. They moved smoothly through the air and grabbed the dishes, going to work much to both Peter's and Felicia's amazement. "Wow… I didn't know if that was actually going to work."
"Well, that's good to know. Should save you some time at home." Felicia replied and returned to her seat at the table. Anyone else would have freaked out seeing black and goopy tentacles doing dishes, but after Venom's "approval" last night she didn't fear the Symbiote at all.
"Oh my god, how could I forget about that?! Aunt May's house! I need to go back, check if the Hunters are still there-" Peter rose from his seat, but Felicia suddenly grabbed his hand, gently motioning him to sit down.
"Which is probably why you should stay away from the house for a little bit. Remember, they're after you, if you're not there then they have no reason to be there." She said calmly, but Peter still seemed stressed out about it. She sighed, gently rubbing his hand with her thumb. "Look, why don't you take this day off? You're clearly stressed out and you need to relax. Just for a little bit."
"But Kraven-"
"Is looking for Spider-Man, not Peter Parker. If you just go like this then he won't find you." Felicia cut him off, reassuring him that it was going to be okay. "Besides… I would like to spend more time with you. As Peter and Felicia, not Spider-Man and Black Cat. Please… just a little bit. It doesn't have to be more than a day."
Peter looked down at the table, his tendrils retracting as the dishes were done. After some thinking he looked back at Felicia and nodded. "You're right, I do need some time off. And spending time with you sounds nice. So, what do you want to do?"
"Have fun. Let's make a date out of it." She responded with a playful wink.
For the next few hours Peter and Felicia went around New York, doing different activities. They went to Coney Island, had lunch at a nice restaurant, went for a walk on the beach and more. Peter had not had this much fun since he went to Coney Island with MJ and Harry, but luckily no Hunters got in the way this time. It was just him and Felicia this time, having fun and relaxing. Felicia was right; he really needed this. He had gotten used to putting the city before himself, but if he wasn't doing well mentally and/or physically then he wouldn't be able to protect the city, now would he? And it was like Felicia said, just a little bit of time was all he needed.
In the afternoon they went to visit Aunt May's grave. Peter hadn't visited it in a while due to Kraven and his Hunters, so he felt obliged to do it now since he had time. He had brought Aunt May's favorite flowers and put them down in front of the gravestone, with Felicia standing behind him, her gold-blonde hair waving beautifully in the wind. Peter was kneeling, looking at the engraved name as he was deep in thought.
"Who was she?" Felicia slowly asked, not wanting to bring up any sensitive subjects. Silence greeted her which made her look to the side in guilt, but after a moment Peter eventually spoke up.
"Aunt May. She… was like a mother to me. She supported me when no one else did, helped me through a lot of difficult times. Taught me so many things. I never told her that I was Spider-Man, but she found out on her own. Despite that she kept supporting me… even when I felt that I didn't deserve it. She was always there for me, there for everyone. She pretty much dedicated her life to helping others… not unlike me, I guess. But in the end… I couldn't save her…" Peter explained, a single tear running down his cheek as the memories of her death resurfaced. He suddenly felt a soft hand in his left hand, and also a slight tug. Following the movement, he leaned on Felicia's shoulder as she comforted him.
"Peter, I… I am so sorry. If I had known that you were- I would have never lied to you like I did. I should have been better." She whispered.
"It's okay, it's not your fault." Peter replied. Shaking his head, he let out a long sigh. "I have been trying my best to not let her down, but it's getting harder and harder… all because of those damn Hunters…"
Felicia could feel how Peter's muscles tensed, a clear sign of his anger rising.
"So many people have died because of them, Harry could die because of them, we lost the EMF and now I'm gonna lose May's house because of them… it's the one thing I swore I would preserve and now it's slipping out of my hands and I can't do anything to stop it. It's all because of-" Peter's anger only grew as he remembered who was behind it all, who was responsible for all of this. "Kraven."
"Kill… Kraven."
"What-" Peter stumbled back, breathing heavily after hearing a deep and rumbly voice tell him to kill Kraven.
"Woah, hey, easy… what's wrong?" Felicia asked worryingly and helped him sit up again.
"You didn't hear that?" Peter asked in confusion.
"No, what was it?" She replied, now confused as well.
Breathing heavily, Peter held his arms out in front of him and looked at them. The symbiote, or Venom as he had been named, wasn't active at the moment but perhaps there was even more to him than they thought. "I think… I heard Venom."
"Wait, really? What makes you say that?" Felicia checked his forehead to see if he had a fever or something that would indicate that he was sick, but he seemed fine. "What did you hear exactly?"
"It… was a deep voice… I have never anything like that before." Peter's breathing was still heavy, but he seemed to have calmed down a bit now. "He… told me to kill Kraven."
Felicia was silent for a moment, but after some thinking she asked a question that she had been thinking about from time to time. "Do you want to kill him?"
"I mean he deserves it for everything he has done, but I shouldn't-" Peter began to hyperventilate, feeling conflicted about killing Kraven. "I don't know! My number one rule has always been to never kill, but I…"
Felicia gently cupped Peter's cheeks and made him look into her eyes, giving him a calm and reassuring look. It took a moment for Peter to calm down from his panic attack, but Felicia waited patiently. "Shh… I got you. Let's leave your aunt and uncle to rest, and we'll discuss this at the park. How does that sound?"
"Yeah… yeah, let's do that." He nodded, slowly standing up to leave. Giving May's grave one more look, Peter and Felicia left the graveyard to go to the park. No words were spoken between them on the way, but their hands were firmly interlocked with each other the entire time, showing their growing bond. Once they arrived at the park, they sat down on a small grass hill with a nice view of the sky and a nearby pond. A few birds were looking for scraps of food and there were some people here and there, but for the most part it was empty.
"Come here." Felicia patted her lap, smiling softly at Peter as she motioned him to lie down. He did so without a second thought, letting out a content sigh as his head lied comfortably on her thighs. His face was now facing upwards, having a nice view of the sky… and an upside-down view of Felicia's beautiful face. "That's better, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is." He smiled and chuckled. His mood had improved considerably since the "incident" a few minutes ago, which the blonde was happy to see. But he knew that they had to address the elephant in the room, so it was better to rip off the band aid sooner rather than later. "I guess we should talk about… you know…"
"If you're up for it, then yes. You said Venom told you to kill Kraven?" Felicia asked softly.
"Yes… but I don't think it's that he has malicious intent. This whole time he has been protecting me, protecting you. Connors said it's symbiosis, right? Hence the name symbiote. I think we share our thoughts and feelings in a way, so if I'm going to be completely honest with you… deep down, I want to kill Kraven." He explained.
"But you have a no-killing rule, don't you?" Felicia asked as she gently massaged the sides of Peter's head. "I have always wondered why you had that, especially when it comes to the big supervillains."
"Because I… it shouldn't be up to me to decide who lives and who dies. Some of the guys I fight have killed and hurt people, a lot of people. But some people can change for the better and I want to give them that chance."
"Do they change?" Felicia asked curiously.
"Sometimes… yes. Tombstone went from being a gang leader to a mechanic at Coney Island and Mysterio tried to open his own amusement business. There's also Doctor Connors who wants to leave the Lizard behind. But then we have guys like Scorpion, who stabbed Miles with his stinger as thanks for being saved by him. A lot of the criminals I fight I recognize, not just the supervillains, but the regular thugs too. But Kraven isn't like the other villains I have fought." Peter sighed. "He's not like Martin Li or Octavius who wanted revenge, he's not like the gangs who want money and power… he just… wants to die. He's dying from cancer and he wants to go out like a warrior while he still can, so he does anything to find a worthy opponent capable of killing him. So he's going to die either way, so would killing him be the right thing to do? It's what he wants after all, but I… I just don't know."
A moment of silence passed, then Peter gazed into Felicia's eyes with a lost look. "I… I don't know what to do Felicia. Locking him up isn't going to work. I don't think I even can lock him up. His Hunters broke out Scorpion and Li like it was nothing, and if he somehow went to jail then they would pour all of their resources into freeing him. We would just end up back at square one. It's like that one shop keeper said: this is his jungle now. I just- what… what do I do…?"
Felicia ran her fingers through his hair, gently hushing to soothe him. "I'm not a superhero by any means, as you know. I'm a burglar. And if there's one thing that I have learned as a burglar is that not even the best lockpick in the world will unlock all locks. The same goes for problems. Not even the best solution can solve every problem and when that happens, you need a new approach. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah… it does." He smiled at her, clearly feeling a bit better. "I am just afraid of what people will say if I kill him."
"Do you do it for the recognition? To get people to like you?"
"It's a nice bonus, but no. I do it to keep people safe." Peter replied and shook his head.
"Exactly. And think of it this way; you catch criminals just like cops. And they always try to arrest criminals first, but they will still kill if they are forced to. So I think the same goes for you and your supervillains, or at the very least for Kraven. Like you said, he wants to die so he's a very special case." Felicia pointed out.
"I really hope it doesn't come down to it, but if that's what it takes to end this then I will do what must be done." He said and sighed. A moment of silence passed, but then he smiled a little and looked up at Felicia. "You're amazing, you know that?"
Felicia giggled. "I thought that was your thing Spider. But thank you.~"
They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment and smiled while Felicia massaged Peter's scalp, gently running her fingers through his hair with delicate care. Eventually she slowly started to lean in, and he did the same, until their lips met in an upside-down kiss. For a moment they remained still and just enjoyed the connection, but then they deepened the kiss as it began to turn into a make-out session. But it was suddenly interrupted by a notification on Peter's phone, making them pull away from each other and breathe heavily.
"Wow… I forgot how good you are at that." Felicia said and panted a little.
"Thanks. You certainly haven't lost your touch." Peter replied and smiled before he checked his phone. But his smile then quickly faded when he saw what his notification was. "What?!"
"What is it?"
"Mj… she uploaded an article about me on the Daily Bugle."
"What does it say?" Felicia asked curiously.
"Reports are flooding in about the city's veteran web-crawler acting very un-Spider-Man. Reckless property damage, violent outbursts- is he doing more harm than good? More harm than good?!" Peter read the headline for the article and was not happy with it. "MJ, what are you doing?!"
Felicia hugged Peter from behind and sighed. "She's probably terrified of Venom after what happened last night. He did lash out against her, but she did also have a weapon in her hands."
"He was protecting me… if it wasn't for Venom then I would probably be Kraven's prisoner if not dead right now. Why can't she see that?"
"People fear what they don't understand, what's different. That's why some people don't like you even when you're saving the day as Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man." Felicia whispered, holding him close from behind.
"Maybe I should go talk to her, ask her myself why she published that. I also need to check on Harry, see how he's doing." Peter responded.
"Should I move my things into your house in the meantime?" Felicia asked as Peter slowly stood up, but he was completely taken aback when she asked him that. Slowly he turned around and looked at her with a look of surprise in his eyes.
"You… want to move in with me already? You don't want to stay in your super fancy apartment?"
"Of course dummy, that apartment wasn't going to be anything permanent anyway. Besides, I would say it's a good next step in our relationship, isn't it?" Felicia said and stood up as well, stretching her limbs.
"But the mortgage-" But Peter was quickly silenced by a gentle finger to his lips.
"Let me worry about that, okay? You have so much on your shoulders already, so let me handle that." Felicia cut him off and gently rubbed his cheek. He was still in slight shock that she wanted to move in with him so soon, but it wasn't like he was against it in any way.
"Okay. I'll go and talk to MJ and Harry. You can start moving your stuff in and I'll come help unless something big comes up, okay?" Peter said after a moment of thinking.
"Sounds good to me dear." She smiled and ruffled his hair before giving him a peck on the cheek. Giving him a playful wink, she began to leave the park to go and get her belongings. "Be safe."
"You too." Peter nodded and smiled before he went a different direction to suit up and head to Oscorp.
In Oscorp, Harry Osborn was sitting by a desk with a small plastic bottle of pills in his hands. His skin was ghostly pale and he had bags under his eyes, the sickness clearly taking a huge toll on him. Staring at the bottle, he seemed to be hesitant to take them, but eventually took a few since he didn't have much of a choice at this point. To his surprise the door to the room opened and Peter stepped inside, the Symbiote Suit now looking like clothes in the form of a black sweater and pants.
"Hey buddy, how you feeling?" Peter asked and walked up to his friend.
"I need that suit back." Harry said tiredly and nodded at Peter's clothes.
Peter seemed on edge now and took a step back. "I… I can't do that Harry."
"What? Why not?" Harry was confused by this. Didn't Peter want to cure him?
But before Peter could reply, MJ suddenly entered the room with a mug in each hand, surprised to see Peter here.
"Pete!" She called out quietly, carefully setting the mugs down on a nearby glass table. She looked nervous, maybe even a bit afraid. "Um, what do you remember about last night?"
"I just remember feeling tired…" Peter slowly replied as he tried to remember anything from last night. Despite Felicia telling him everything that happened he still couldn't recall anything.
"Is… Felicia okay?" MJ carefully asked.
"How did you- oh yeah. You two met last night." Peter remembered Felicia's story and how she had saved MJ from Venom. "Yeah, she's fine. She let me stay at her apartment for the night and told me what happened when I woke up."
"Did she tell you about…" MJ seemed hesitant to ask, seemingly out of fear, but eventually took a deep breath and continued. "When you attacked me?"
"She told me, yeah. And I didn't 'attack you', Venom did it to protect me."
"Peter, you lashed out against me! You could have killed me!" MJ spat back.
"He was protecting me! You were holding your Symkarian taser, weren't you?" Peter replied.
"Yeah, of course I did! That thing is a monster!"
"Don't call us a thing!" Peter snapped, breathing heavily out of anger. But when he noticed that he was getting angry he took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.
"Pete…?" Harry weakly called out to his friend, getting his attention. "What you said earlier about the suit- I mean… Venom. What do you mean you can't give it back?"
"Well, there are several reasons for that. First of all, Connors won't help us so we have no idea of how to even do it to begin with." Peter said.
"What? Why?" Harry was puzzled by this.
"Well, he showed me a piece of the meteorite that Venom arrived in. When he was going to put it back in the container Venom suddenly grabbed it and it showed me a vision. When Venom arrived on Earth, Connors went to examine Venom and Venom tried to bond with him, so Connors ordered one of your dad's guards to shoot off his arm. He's clearly traumatized by it, which is why he's so afraid of Venom." Peter explained. "He wants to destroy us, Harry. There's no way he's going to help us get Venom back to you."
"But that's not all, is it?" MJ pointed out as she subtly grabbed her taser, holding it with one hand behind her back.
"No." Peter looked at MJ, then at Harry with a serious expression. "Remember all of the times it looked like Venom was lashing out against me? He wasn't trying to attack me, he was trying to bond with me. That's why he left you when I was hurt and has refused to go back to you ever since."
"Can't you just force the suit back onto Harry?" MJ asked.
"I'm not going to force my will on Venom! He's a living and sentient being just like you and Harry! He chose me as his host, Connors said so himself. Even if we somehow got Venom back onto Harry, he would just come back to me sooner or later." Peter turned back to Harry. "I'm sorry Harry, but Venom just isn't an alternative anymore. All we can do now is hope that your dad manages to make that cure or that we find another option. I'm sorry.
Harry looked at Peter with a mix of disbelief, confusion and exhaustion, then looked down at the desk without saying a word.
"And you…" Peter said and turned towards MJ. "I saw your story."
"I tried to tell you about that-"
"But you didn't, did you?" Peter said angrily. "You didn't even send it today, did you? You sent it to Jonah as soon as I went to sleep. You could have waited until morning at the very least so I could read it, but no, you did not."
"I can't lose this job, Pete." MJ's grip on the taser tightened.
"So you sacrificed my reputation for it? By telling them lies?" Peter replied.
"Peter, did you forget what you did to the museum-"
"What I did to the museum? Are you really blaming me for what happened in the museum? I didn't rip apart a dozen buildings throughout New York, the Lizard did. Or did you forget about that? If it wasn't for me, he would still be doing that. Hell, none of it would have happened in the first place if he hadn't roared and exploited Venom's weakness to sound during round one." Peter took a step closer, obviously very pissed. For a second the "fabric" of his sweater shifted into tendrils, then shifted back. "Tell me MJ, have you seen any evidence of me recklessly destroying property? Or did you just make it up to make a good story? To fit Jonah's agenda?"
"That's enough Peter!" MJ said and aimed her taser at him, red lightning crackling around the tip of the barrel. Peter growled as the clothes on his body slowly began to shift into the Symbiote Suit but stopped when a voice weakly called out to him from behind.
"Pete…?" Harry said and stood up with the help of his cane, but it was clear that even that took effort. "Please… stop."
Peter looked at his friend and then back at MJ, letting out a sigh as the suit stopped transforming and reverted back to clothes again. He walked over to his friend and helped him sit again. "We'll find a cure for you Harry. I promise buddy."
Turning towards MJ, his facial expression turned into that of a scowl. "As for you… we're done, MJ. For good."
And with that he left the room, closing the door behind him on the way out. He made his way to the elevator, pressing the button to call it to the floor he was currently on. His mind was still on the conversation just a moment ago and he felt restless, pacing back and forth while he waited for the elevator. However, suddenly he heard a scream of frustration from Norman Osborn. It sounded like it came from the laboratory on that floor, so Peter made his way over there. In the laboratory he found Norman Osborn in front of a computer, still trying to create a cure for Harry. He hadn't shaved in days and he had bags under his eyes, showing just how tired he was. On his computer screen was a tab that displayed "Genome Recombination: FAILURE" which was probably one of many failed attempts. Peter entered the room, standing a few meters away from Norman who didn't even seem to notice his presence. After a moment of silence, besides the clacking from keyboard, Peter cleared his throat to gain Norman's attention.
"How was your visit with Harry?" Norman asked.
"It went okay… I think." Peter shrugged, feeling a little unsure himself. His fight had been with MJ, but Harry wasn't exactly happy to hear that Venom wouldn't bond with him anymore. Norman sighed and picked up a tablet on his desk, standing up to walk over to a table next to some shelves. "Don't worry, Harry's gonna get better."
Unbeknownst to both of them, Harry was standing just outside the room and could hear everything they were saying. Norman leaned back against the table, looking at Peter with a tired and sad smile.
"Thank you… for being his friend." His voice trembled and it sounded like he was about to cry. Norman held up a hand, making it look like he needed a moment, but instead he moved over to Peter and hugged him. Peter was a bit confused, but he still returned the hug albeit a bit awkwardly. Harry was peeking around the corner, watching this father-son like moment unfold.
"Watching you two grow up together… you're like a son to me." Norman pulled away and looked at Peter, putting his hand on his shoulder like a proud father. "I am so proud of the man you've become."
"Thanks, Mr. Osborn. I… I gotta run." Peter said, still feeling a little awkward about all of this. Norman nodded in understanding and watched Peter leave before turning towards the empty tank where Harry was kept during his treatment.
Speaking of Harry, he had already left so neither Peter nor Norman was aware that he was even there. He had gone back to his room where MJ was waiting for him. MJ watched as Harry slowly entered the room, using his cane for support as he walked up to the window. Not far from it Peter swung away while wearing the Symbiote Suit, going back out into New York as Spider-Man. Once Peter was out of view, Harry looked down at the floor and sighed. He was clearly weak and exhausted, evident by how much he was relying on his cane to walk and stand.
"Are you okay?" MJ asked with worry in her tone.
"MJ…?" Harry said weakly, still looking at the floor.
"Yeah?"
"Can you… leave me alone? Please? I just- need some time to myself. For a while at least." Harry requested and slowly made his way back to his desk.
"I- okay. If you are sure… but call me if you need me, okay?" MJ complied hesitantly.
"I will."
As Peter swung across the streets, he suddenly received a call from Rio Morales, Miles's mother.
"Peter?! Where is Miles?! He didn't come home last night, and he's not answering my calls…"
"I haven't seen or heard anything from him either. I don't know where he is." Peter replied.
"I'm at my office. Tell him to come see me. Now." Rio said with a hint of impatience in her voice.
Peter knew better than to keep a worried mother waiting, so he got up on a high building and jumped off. Using his web wings, he soared above the streets and the buildings until he eventually reached Rio's office. She was currently on the phone, sounding very stressed and worried.
"N-no, I'm sure he's fine, but give me a call if you see him? "Thanks, Teo."" Rio said, drumming her fingers restlessly on her desk. Just as she ended the call Peter suddenly landed in the window. "Miles?!"
She stood up, thinking that it was her son for half a second before she saw that it was Peter with the Symbiote Suit. "I've been calling you. For hours. Nothing. You KNOW Miles has been hunting Li."
"I'll find him." Peter said, not as an encouragement, but rather as a fact.
"I'm calling the hospitals." Rio replied and went over to her desk to pick up her phone.
"They can't do anything. If Kraven has Miles, then there's nothing the authorities can do. I'm the only one who can help Miles now." Peter pointed out and started walking back towards the open window. But as he stood in a crouched position on the windowsill, ready to leave, Rio suddenly spoke up again.
"All Miles talks about is how to be a better Spider-Man. Not school, not his friends. How to help you." Rio said, but Peter didn't give her a response. She looked a little annoyed and even a little angry, but she kept her composure. "Go. Help. Him."
Still remaining silent, Peter shot out a web and swung away into the city.
About an hour later…
Peter had just dealt with a small gang trying to rob a store and was sitting on a rooftop when he suddenly received a call from Ganke, who finally had a lead.
"Hey. Got a report that Mister Negative's near F.E.A.S.T. in Chinatown. But nothing from Miles. Do you think-" But before Ganke could finish his sentence Rio suddenly interrupted him, who had just entered the call as well.
"Miles is fine, we're out looking for him right now. Find Li! Miles has to be there too. He has to be." Rio said with confidence, but it was pretty obvious that she was worried sick about her son.
"I'll go check it out." Peter replied and ended the call. He immediately began making his way towards F.E.A.S.T. and kept swinging through the air, using his web wings from time to time to cover long and open distances faster. But just as he was soaring through the air, he suddenly got a call from Dr. Connors.
"Hello? This is Dr. Connors. Sorry, I just wanted to check on you after everything that happened with the Hunters last night. Is there… anything you would like to report?" It was obvious that Connors still wanted Peter to get rid of the symbiote, but he was too afraid to bring that up again.
"Well, Venom controlled my body to protect me when I was asleep. If it wasn't for him I would be Kraven's prisoner right now." Spider-Man replied.
"Venom?"
"Oh, right. That's the name of the Symbiote." He explained.
"You… named it?" Connors was silent for a moment, but then spoke up again as Spidey kept making his way to F.E.A.S.T., concern and a hint of fear evident in his voice. "Anything else?"
Peter remembered how he heard what he assumed was Venom's voice back in the graveyard, but he wasn't sure if he should tell Connors about it. "No. That's all."
"Can you please come by the lab for more tests later? Please, I fear that the suit-"
"After Kraven is no longer a threat, we can do all of the tests you want. But right now I don't have time for that. We'll get to it, eventually. Okay?"
Connors was again not fully onboard with all of this, but he didn't have much of a choice at this point. "All right. Let me know when you're available."
"I will. Stay safe doctor, let me know if the Hunters show up again." Spider-Man said and ended the call. And just as he did that, he finally spotted Li, who was looking at the F.E.A.S.T. building from the top of a building opposite of it. His body was glowing white and black with sparks of energy crackling around him, but despite that he didn't seem to be expecting a fight of any kind. Spider-Man landed behind Li with his classic three-point landing, not sure what the former villain was up to. He slowly rose to his full height, his eyes narrowing at Li.
"I left the best parts of me here." Li said, reminiscing about old times as he kept looking at the building across the street. Spider-Man slowly walked up to him, standing to his right as he looked at the F.E.A.S.T. building as well. He remembered how May used to help people there all the time, until the very end.
"I'm not looking for a fight." Li added for clarity, turning off his aura as he turned towards Spider-Man. "Kraven has the other Spider-Man trapped in an old mansion east of the city. He saved me, told me to find you… this was the only way I knew how. I owe him my life… and much more."
Peter remained silent for a moment, thinking about Li's words before he spoke up. "So how come you're here and he's not?"
"Kraven made us fight each other to the death. At first he was going to fight me like the others he had captured, but he changed his mind after he thought about how hellbent the other Spider-Man was at finding me. He said that a Spider-Man that killed could be a worthy opponent and that I could be the 'trigger' for him." Li sighed. "And… it almost worked. He kept telling me throughout our fight that I didn't deserve mercy and that he was going to kill me, but I guess he realized what Kraven's plan was at the very end. But maybe he changed his mind about me, or both. I have no clue."
"I'll ask him after I've saved him." Spider-Man responded, wondering if Miles was actually going to kill Li or not.
"If we hurry-"
"No. I have to go alone. Since Spider-Man didn't kill you, Kraven is just going to use him as bait now, bait to get me to fight him. It's me he wants, and I'm going to find him. If you go as well then he will just see you as a hindrance and kill you." Peter said.
Li seemed hesitant, but realized that Spider-Man had a point. "If you're sure you can take them on by yourself, then I trust you. Good luck."
"Thanks." Spider-Man turned around and began to walk away but stopped when Li spoke up again.
"You should be proud of him. He reminds me of you."
Spider-Man turned his head back slightly, then looked down at the ground. "Yeah."
With no time to waste Spider-Man swung away, making his way to the eastern outskirts of the city. After gaining enough altitude he let his web wings out to soar through the sky. As he traveled through the city several thoughts and emotions were swirling in his mind. The city had been in great turmoil ever since Kraven arrived, so many people had died and more would die as well if he wasn't stopped. Harry could die, Peter could lose May's house and now Miles was Kraven's prisoner. Hell, he could be dead for all Peter knew. Clenching his fist, his eyes narrowed with determination and anger. One way or another, Kraven's hunt ended tonight.
Soon enough Spider-Man arrived at the mansion and it looked like Li had been telling the truth, as he could see numerous Hunters patrolling outside the entrance. He landed up in a tree and got an overview of the area.
"I wonder if the little Spider will survive." One of the Hunters scoffed, completely unaware that the other Spider was looking right at him. Spider-Man's eyes narrowed and he jumped down right in front of them, deciding to throw stealth right out the window.
"Where is he?!" Spider-Man demanded to know, immediately grabbing the nearest Hunter by the face and slamming her into the ground.
"Kill."
"Where is Spider-Man?!" He asked again, beating a crossbowman relentlessly with his Tendril Arms.
"Find him yourse-" A swordsman replied cockily, but soon found himself flying into a wall from a strong punch to the face.
Spider-Man hit another Hunter with a Symbiote Punch and then followed up with a Symbiote Strike on another one, knocking both of them out swiftly. He then turned his attention towards a group of Hunters who were aiming their crossbows and sniper rifles at him, but he quickly grabbed them all with a tendril each and slammed them into the ground.
"Tell me! Where! He! IS!" Spider-Man demanded again, but now his voice sounded like there were two of him speaking at the same time, with one of the voices being slightly darker. "TELL ME!"
A Shield-Bearer and a Brute with an axe along with several swordsmen tried surrounding him, going in for a united attack, but it proved useless as they were all sent flying by a Symbiote Blast. A truck with reinforcements arrived and started using its built-in turret on the roof to fire at Spider-Man, but he quickly jumped to the side and ripped it off. He then tossed it at another brute before knocking out another Hunter with a punch to the gut. This continued on for a few minutes until all of their available fighters had been exhausted, leaving a lone sniper to fend for himself. He looked around, seeing his beaten comrades around him and a burning truck behind Spider-Man. Despite being trained to be the best and bravest warriors in the world, he dropped his rifle and tried to run while screaming in terror. But it was no use, because Spider-Man easily grabbed him with a tendril and slammed him into the ground, then tossed him into the lookout tower next to him. Looking around again, he saw a beaten Hunter who was dazed but still conscious, so he decided that he would "ask" him where Miles was. Landing in front of the Hunter with his three-point landing, he slowly stood up and glared at him menacingly.
"WHERE?!" Spider-Man roared in the Hunter's face, making him crawl back a little in terror.
Seeing as how he wouldn't give an answer, Spidey decided to show just how powerful he had become. Large tendrils suddenly protruded from his back and grabbed an intact Hunter truck, lifting it over his head like it was a paperweight. He then tossed it through the giant window above the entrance to the mansion, sending it across the arena inside and into the wall on the opposite side. Jumping inside, he growled quietly as he landed and closed the entrance he had made by pulling down parts of the wall behind him with his tendrils. Walking into a large puddle in the center, he looked around to see if anyone was there, but it seemed empty. However, his Spider-Sense suddenly warned him of incoming danger and flipped to the side to avoid a huge double-bladed axe. It hit the ground with a clang, digging into the ground a bit. But the second after he had dodged the axe some kind of box-like metal cage came down on him, trapping him inside.
"I'm assured that material is unbreakable." A voice spoke up from the shadows, which turned out to be Kraven as he stepped forward. He grinned, clearly pleased by this development. "But I believe… anything can be broken."
Jumping down from the platform he was standing on, he slowly approached the cage while Spider-Man snarled and punched the cage. He pressed his hands up against the glass-looking wall as tiny tendrils spread out on it. Growling and breathing heavily, he glared at Kraven with burning hatred. But Kraven wasn't fazed by this at all and just put his hand up against the glass-like material, mirroring the tendrils that were like fingers. He tapped the cage a few times, deep in thought as he studied Spider-Man.
"You still hold back." Kraven murmured, which was an odd statement considering that Spider-Man was angrier than he had ever been in his entire life and probably wanted to kill him. After tapping the cage a few more times Kraven turned around and began walking away. But Spider-Man snarled and began hitting the cage with his tendrils, seemingly with little to no effect. Several of them protruded from his back and pressed up against the ceiling as he roared in frustration.
"Maybe you lack… motivation." Kraven said and turned around to look at Spidey, before letting out a loud whistle. A few meters above him were a regular metal cage, with a lamp that lit upon Kraven's command. Inside the cage was a beaten and dazed Miles Morales, barely clinging onto consciousness. He groaned and used one arm to support himself, moving his head to look outside. Seeing the other Spider-Man trapped, he knew what would happen next. Especially as this enraged Peter even more, hitting the cage harder and faster with more ferocious strikes than before while snarling and growling angrily.
"Now you're in for it…" Miles muttered as he lied down and passed out.
Peter continued his assault on the cage, attacking it repeatedly with his tendrils and his fists. Slowly but surely the cage was starting to break apart, which Kraven noticed.
"Yes…" Kraven said as Spider-Man was screaming anger and frustration, tendrils filling up the cage as it continued to weaken. "There you are."
All of the tendrils retracted back into the Symbiote Suit as Spider-Man crouched down with his arms close to his body, before he let them all out at once with a powerful scream. The cage was split into pieces and scattered all over the arena, while the tendrils slowly retreated back into the back of the Symbiote Suit. Glaring at Kraven across the arena, Spider-Man knew that their fight was about to begin.
Kraven made the first move as he leapt into the air and tried to land a punch on Spider-Man but was parried by the wall crawler's tendrils and got pushed back. Spidey retaliated with a punch of his own, which was deflected before he got sent back a bit by a kick from Kraven.
"Let us make this a glorious ending!" Kraven said with glee as he charged at Spider-Man again.
"You destroyed my city, took the lives of so many people…" Spider-Man said angrily as he sent Kraven into a wall with a Symbiote Punch. But unlike his Hunters, Kraven immediately stood up and got back into the fight.
"That was their fate, just as this… is ours." Kraven replied and attempted to grab Spider-Man, but he jumped to the side and threw a large rock at him. Kraven caught the rock and smashed it into the ground, before pressing a button on a remote in his hand. Beeping could be heard all around Spider-Man, coming from the entire puddle. He quickly used a web to move and it was just in time, as several explosions suddenly went off.
"Mines?" Spider-Man noted in annoyance.
"Observant." Out of the smoke came Kraven charging, hitting Spider-Man with a shoulder tackle followed up by an uppercut and a slam to the ground. "Am I too quick for you?"
Spider-Man growled and grabbed Kraven with two webs, pulling him down before kicking the Hunter Leader over his head. But Kraven quickly got up and picked up the axe from earlier, grinning at Spidey.
"Come, do not hold back!" He said but was then knocked down on his back by a whirlwind of black goo and tendrils as Spider-Man hit him with a Symbiote Strike.
"Your followers treat you like some kind of god!" Spider-Man growled and began punching Kraven repeatedly, making him drop the axe as he grunted in pain. He then hit him with an uppercut and followed it up by slamming him into the ground with a Symbiote Yank. "But you're just a dying old man looking for a way out!"
"So you know then?" Kraven retorted and went in for a punch that Spider-Man ducked under, flipping to the side to avoid another grab move. But Kraven suddenly grabbed his axe and swung it at Spider-Man, which he barely avoided before receiving a strong kick to the chest. "Then you know I will not die in a sick bed! Only an equal may taste my last breath!"
Spider-Man shook his head and snarled as he stood up, using his webs to pull the axe out of Kraven's hands before breaking it apart over his knee. He then parried a punch from Kraven and retaliated with a kick, followed by a swipe attack from a Tendril Arm.
"Rip me apart and parade your achievement through the streets!" Kraven said as he felt the strength behind the attack, trying to push Spider-Man even more into killing him.
"I hope you're enjoying this. Tonight won't end well for you!" Spider-Man warned him as he threw him across the arena with a Symbiote Yank, but Kraven managed to land on the wall and launch himself back at the wall crawler with a shoulder tackle. Kraven then grabbed Spider-Man and slammed him down over his knee, before tossing him back into the center of the arena.
"I study all of my prey. You are agile. Intelligent. Vulnerable to emotion." Kraven said and threw a right hook at Spidey who blocked it with an X-block but stumbled back a bit because of it. But Kraven suddenly threw a flash grenade on the ground, blinding and dazing Spider-Man momentarily. "Show me what you are capable of! Stop hiding!"
By the time Spider-Man's vision returned to normal it was already too late, as Kraven sent him up in the air with an uppercut before slamming him into the ground. He then punched Spider-Man in the face, then again, again and again. Spider-Man suddenly screamed and sent Kraven stumbling back with a Symbiote Blast, before standing up and going in for another attack.
"I'll show you what I can do." Spider-Man muttered before landing a few good punches on Kraven.
He hit Kraven in the face with a strong punch that sent him back, but Kraven suddenly picked up a javelin and threw it right at the crime fighter. But Spider-Man thrusted his right arm forward, tendrils wrapping around it and moving forward. The Symbiote Punch completely engulfed the javelin and then hit Kraven straight in the face. As the tendrils retracted the javelin fell down and clanged on the concrete, but Kraven did not attempt to pick it up again. Instead, he just grinned and looked at the wall, before letting out a whistle like the one before.
Out of nowhere a bell began to ring, making Spider-Man groan and the Symbiote Suit shriek in pain, tendrils freaking out as he frantically looked around to locate the source of the sound. He was growling like an animal, reaching out to the brick wall Kraven had looked at before and ripped a hole open with his tendrils. Snarling, he leapt through the hole and ended up on the other side of the wall. On the other side was some kind of garden that looked like a tiny forest. As soon as he got past the wall he immediately crashed on the ground, clutching his head and writhing in pain as the bell from the chapel was ringing. Kraven had removed it from the chapel and strung it up between two trees, just to give himself an edge in this fight.
Speaking of Kraven, the leader of the Hunters walked through the hole in the wall and jumped up on the bell, punching it to keep it going and keeping Spider-Man in a state of agony. After jumping off the bell, he watched as Spider-Man slowly got back up on his feet. But he quickly threw a javelin at the bell, making it ring again before using some kind of stealth device to turn himself invisible for a few seconds. Spider-Man screamed in pain, but quickly used his webs to stop the bell from moving.
"Why do you hide your strength from me?!" Kraven demanded to know as he became visible again and knocked Spider-Man down on his back with a kick to the chest. "You call me a dying old man and yet here I breathe!"
"Shut. Up." Spider-Man snarled and got back up, raising his arms just in time to block an incoming punch. He then used a Symbiote Blast to send Kraven back and started walking towards him as his eyes narrowed.
"Come! Crush my bones into powder! Leave my body for the maggots and the field mice!" Kraven urged him but was suddenly knocked back by several punches and a kick to the face.
"SHUT UP!" Spider-Man screamed in anger and hit Kraven with a Symbiote Punch that made him grunt in pain. But when Spidey shot out a web and launched himself towards him, a flashbang suddenly blinded him which allowed Kraven to change position. Spider-Man shook his head and got up from the ground with an annoyed hiss. "Get back out here!"
A green laser suddenly hovered over the wall crawler as Kraven was positioned on top of a tree branch, holding a sniper rifle in his hands. The sniper rifle rang out, but Spider-Man flipped to the side and avoided the shot. First, he grabbed the sniper rifle with a web and yanked it out of Kraven's hands. Then he grabbed Kraven with another web and pulled him back down on the ground, kicking his head before doing a backflip.
"More!" Kraven chuckled darkly and turned invisible again, disappearing before Spidey's very eyes.
"You can't hide from me!" Spider-Man turned his head back and forth, trying to spot Kraven but to no avail.
However, he suddenly sensed an attack coming from behind, so he turned around and used his tendrils to block an axe slam from Kraven. He pulled the axe out of Kraven's hands and tossed it to the side, going in for a punch that Kraven blocked. They both went in to attack each other, resulting in a grapple between the two as they grabbed each other's hands and tried to overpower the other. Seeing as how Spider-Man was starting to win the struggle, Kraven headbutted him in the face before kicking him away. He then grabbed his javelin and threw it at the bell, making it ring again and send Spider-Man into a frenzy. After Spider-Man had managed to web up the bell again he immediately turned around and hit Kraven with a Symbiote Strike.
"Kill. Kill. Kill." Venom urged Spider-Man, strengthening his resolve.
Spider-Man began pummeling Kraven with his Tendril Arms, which pushed him into using his stealth device again. But this time Spider-Man caught him with his tendrils before he could disappear, throwing him into a tree before knocking him to the ground with a vicious left hook.
"Rip him apart!"
"I'll tear you limb from limb!" Spider-Man yelled and ducked under a punch before retaliating with a gut punch and a roundhouse kick to the face.
"Do it! Or I will gut you and mount you on my wall!" Kraven retorted, wiping some spit and blood off his face. Raising his hands, he let out a whistle that summoned two robot Hunter dogs. "Attack, now!"
"Couldn't fight me yourself?" He mocked Kraven, crushing one of the robot dogs with a dropkick before ripping the other one into pieces with his bare hands. Seizing the opportunity as Spider-Man was distracted, Kraven picked up his javelin and threw it at the bell. But just before it could hit the bell a tendril suddenly grabbed the javelin, redirecting it into a tree. Spider-Man snarled as the tendril retracted, swirling around his arm before he went in and hit Kraven in the face with a right hook that sent him stumbling backwards.
"So many years I have waited for a predator capable of defeating me." Kraven said as he blocked a punch from Spider-man and tried to kick him but failed as Spidey flipped to the side.
"Enough! Talking!" Spider-Man retorted angrily as he hit Kraven with a Symbiote Punch that sent him into a tree, making him grunt in pain. He then followed it up with a Symbiote Strike, but missed as Kraven dodged and elbowed him in the back of the head.
"And then… I found you." Kraven continued and kicked Spider-Man in the back.
"And you'll regret that." Spider-Man replied menacingly as he used a Symbiote Blast to send Kraven flying back.
"No. I won't. I will not let God decide my fate!" Kraven yelled and stood up, wiping a little bit of blood off his mouth before pulling the javelin out of the tree and throwing it at the crime fighter.
However, Spider-Man just glared at Kraven, swatting the javelin to the side with just a simple backhand. He then used a web to launch himself at Kraven, hitting him in the face with a right hook that sent him down on the ground. Kraven lied on his side, coughing as he had reached his limit. Spider-Man just glared at him, slowly walking up behind him while Kraven caught his breath.
"Beautiful." Kraven uttered after taking a few deep breaths, turning his head slightly to look at the wall crawler. But out of nowhere, he suddenly spun and swept Spider-Man's legs away which made him fall to the ground. Kraven then grabbed Spider-Man and slammed him against a nearby tree, clutching the wall crawler's skull as he began to apply more and more pressure with his large hands. "But you still hold back. Kill… or be killed!"
Kraven attempted to crush Spider-Man's skull, making him cry out in pain until he suddenly let tendrils wrap around Kraven's arms and throat. More tendrils protruded from the suit and he raised himself up in the air with two clutches of tendrils attached to the tree and one tendril wrapped around Kraven's neck. As he suspended himself in the air and raised Kraven up as well, he began to strangle the Hunter leader, slowly but surely.
"Harder." Kraven wheezed, wanting his warrior's death as soon as possible. Spider-Man obliged and strangled him even harder, making him gurgle as he was going limp. But his warrior's death would not come this time. Out of nowhere, Miles suddenly entered the fray and landed on the bell.
"STOP!" He cried out, not wanting Peter to break their number one rule.
"No…" Kraven realized that Miles would try to stop Peter, so he quickly grabbed and bit the tendril around his next which made Peter screech in pain. Maybe if he angered Peter even more then there was a chance that Peter would kill him before Miles could intervene.
However, Miles acted immediately and hit Kraven in the chest with an electric punch, sending him flying into a wall. Kraven fell down on the ground, letting out a grunt as he went unconscious. Miles landed on the ground but looked up as Peter seemed to be dazed by the lightning that had shocked him as well. He was completely limp and his tendrils retracted back into the suit as he fell, but after his landing he seemed to come back to his senses. And he was not happy. Slowly standing up, he was staring blankly forward as he was trying to process what just happened.
"Sorry about that, I just…" Miles tried to explain himself, but stopped when Peter slowly turned his head and glared at Miles with anger he had never seen before. Letting out an angry growl, he took a step forward in a very intimidating manner. "H-hey, i-it's just me…"
In response Peter roared and giant tendrils slammed into random places, spreading black goo and tendrils everywhere that covered the trees and created a big wall around them. Now there was no escape for Miles, and it was clear that they had to fight.
Peter made the first move and launched himself towards Miles with a web, growling as he threw a punch that Miles blocked. He then swiped with a tendril arm, making Miles duck and hit him with an uppercut. But Peter quickly shrugged it off and sent Miles flying back with a roundhouse kick.
"You almost killed him man! What are you doing?!" Miles asked and regained his composure, parrying another attack from Peter's tendrils by pushing them back with his lightning-charged hands. He then flipped over another tendril and hit Peter in the face with a divekick, before unleashing a barrage of kicks at him. But in the midst of the assault Peter suddenly grabbed Miles by his right leg and tossed him away.
"You're in the way Miles!"
"Always in the way!"
"I could have fixed everything!" Peter said angrily and deflected an electric punch from Miles before swatting him away with a tendril. He then grabbed his pupil midair and threw him at a tree, but Miles used the momentum to launch himself from the tree and back at his teacher. Both of them cocked their right fists, preparing to punch each other. Their fists collided with a small shockwave, Miles's blue lightning shocking Peter while Peter's raw strength hurt Miles's hand.
"How? By strangling him?! That's not what we do!" Miles pointed out and thrusted his hands forward, blasting Peter with a beam of blue lightning. Peter growled in pain, but quickly swiped a tendril at Miles, forcing him to jump out of the way.
"What we do is keep people safe! Kraven has killed so many people, taken so much from me and the city, it's time it ends!" Peter snarled and parried a roundhouse kick from Miles with his tendrils, before grabbing his face and slamming him into the ground. Miles freed himself by charging his fist with orange lightning and smashing it into the ground, creating a shockwave that forced Peter to let go. But Peter was quick to act and immediately hit Miles with a Symbiote Strike, an attack that he couldn't dodge as he was literally backed up against a wall.
"Come on man, it's not up to us to decide who lives and who dies!" Miles quickly attached a web to a tree and got some distance between himself and Peter, before going back in with a right hook to Peter's face. It was then followed up by a few more punches and a kick that sent Peter stumbling back a bit. But when he tried to launch himself at Peter, his webs were suddenly grabbed and was pulled in before getting a punch to the face.
" We haven't decided Kraven's fate, he has! He's literally doing this because he wants to die! He wants to die a warrior's death before he dies from cancer, so why not give him what he wants?!" Peter unleashed a flurry of punches, and even though they were blocked by an X-block from Miles they still hurt his arms a lot, showing just how strong Peter had become. Peter then sent out several tendrils, wrapping them around Miles and lifting him up in the air. "And don't tell me he's going to change, because we both know that's bullshit."
Miles focused his power and blue sparks began to appear around his body, before unleashing the Mega Venom Blast, his most powerful attack. A large web-like shockwave of blue lightning appeared all around him, making Peter stumble back with an annoyed hiss. He then used his webs to pull the bell, making it ring which stunned Peter. "Hey man, some villains change. Tombstone and Mysterio did!"
"Oh yeah? Do you think Li can change, Miles? Huh?" Peter asked between the groans of pain as he held his head, which caught Miles completely off-guard.
"I… I…" Miles did not have an answer for that.
"He told me about your fight with him. You wanted to kill him to avenge your dad, so don't act like you're better than me you damn hypocrite!" Peter yelled and webbed up the bell as it finally stopped ringing. Leaping forward, he slammed his fist into Miles's gut, sending him crashing into the hardened Symbiote wall and making him cry out in pain.
"But I didn't kill him… I spared him…" Miles said weakly and got up as he held his side.
"Oh please, we both know that you only spared him so you wouldn't have to fight Kraven, but also so you could get me here. Tell me Miles. If it was just you and Li, no Kraven or Hunters involved, would you have spared him? Huh?" Peter glared at him, demanding to know Miles's answer.
"…"
"That's what I thought." Peter said and turned his head to check on Kraven, but to his dismay the Hunter leader was nowhere to be seen. He must have regained consciousness and left to tend to his wounds.
But with Peter distracted Miles seized the opportunity and launched himself at him using two webs, delivering a double kick to Peter's chest that sent him tumbling back. Just as he got back up Miles leapt through the air, cocking his right fist as blue lightning crackled around it. However, black tendrils swirled around Peter's right arm before a large tendril shot out and grabbed Miles, pulling him in and slamming him into the ground.
"I'm not going to let you, MJ, or anyone else get in my way again! Not again! You probably want to separate us too, don't you?" Peter snarled as the tendrils tightened their grip around Miles's torso, before slamming him into the ground again.
Miles grabbed the face of the Symbiote Suit, trying to tear it off, which made Peter hiss in annoyance and Venom shriek in slight pain. "All I want is to save you!"
"I'm not the one who needs saving right now!"
Miles blasted the ground with lightning which launched them both up in the air, before he blasted Peter with another wave of blue lightning that sent them both flying away from each other. But as they got up, Peter immediately hit Miles with a mighty Symbiote Punch that seemed to hit even harder than before. Miles shook his head and groaned in pain but rolled out of the way as the giant tendril then slammed down on the ground from above. It was clear now that Peter was holding back before, but now he was going all out.
"Stay out of my way Miles! I'm just trying to protect the city!" Peter said as he leapt forward and threw a punch that Miles just barely dodged.
"You know I can't do that!" Miles retorted and tried to return the favor with a punch of his own, but it was parried by Peter's tendrils. He then groaned in pain as he was hit by several strikes from Peter's tendrils but managed to avoid more strikes by doing a few backflips.
"All I wanted was to save everyone! MJ, May…" Peter said with a hint of a sadness and frustration in his voice as he kept attacking.
Seeing as how Peter was more ferocious with his attacks now, Miles attempted to restrain him by webbing up. It seemed to work as Peter hissed in frustration, trying to free his arms. With Peter temporarily immobilized, Miles went in to strike Peter with an electric punch. But just as Miles got close, Peter suddenly exploded in a ball of tendrils. It turned out that Peter wanted Miles to get close and think it was safe so he could hit him with a Symbiote Blast. Tearing off the last piece of the webbing, he cracked his neck and snarled angrily.
"Now the city thinks that I'M the problem!" Peter continued and grabbed Miles with a Symbiote Yank as he was about to blast him with lightning, lifting him up before slamming him into the ground.
"You think I'm the problem!" Venom chimed in, his dark voice seemingly echoing from everywhere.
"But I'm not anymore!" Peter added, pulling Miles towards him with a web before delivering a strong punch to the gut. He then kicked Miles in the chest, knocking him down on the ground.
"I'm the solution!"
Miles coughed and stood up, feeling his entire body ache with pain. He yanked the bell again, allowing him to attack Peter again as the ringing stunned him. Both of his fists charged up with lightning, his right one with blue and his left one with orange, before he began beating Peter with everything he had. Peter groaned in agony, but as soon as the bell stopped, he immediately headbutted Miles to stop his assault. Then he hit Miles in the jaw with a powerful uppercut using a tendril, then webbed the bell up again before slamming Miles into the ground. Miles was dazed but stood up anyway, determined to keep fighting. However, just as he looked up, he suddenly saw a giant ball of black goo coming his way which had to be a new attack Peter just invented. Miles let out a battle cry and punched the ball with an electric punch, destroying it and making it splatter into pieces. But just as the ball exploded a giant tendril slammed into his chest, before retracting back into Peter's arm.
"I won't be lectured by a hypocrite with a superiority complex. You have no right to try and stop me after you were going to kill Li!" Peter said angrily as numerous tendrils protruded from the suit, wrapping around Miles's limbs as he was raised in the air, gasping for air as he was being restrained. He wasn't trying to kill Miles, just making sure that he couldn't attack back.
"I was just… trying to protect… everyone…" Miles wheezed as he struggled to break free.
"Protect everyone? If that's what you wanted to do then you would have focused on Kraven, not Li! You knew that Li was most likely going to die after what happened to the other villains Kraven caught, yet you still put all of your time and effort into finding Li!" Peter's grip tightened. "So, do you have any other excuses lined up? Any more lies you tell yourself to feel better?"
Miles had no answer to that, because he knew Peter was right. Not that he would admit it of course. But he didn't have more time to think about it right now. Despite his own actions he still felt that Peter was in the wrong and had to be stopped, but how was he supposed to stop him? Even without the suit Peter was still stronger and smarter, and with the Symbiote Suit he was just on another level of power than before. The only two things keeping Miles in the game was his lightning and the bell… wait, that was it!
"I don't know if it will work, but it's my only shot now." Miles thought to himself as he focused his remaining strength, charging up the lightning in his body. With a yell he freed himself using another Mega Venom Blast, but that had used up most of the power left in his body. Peter hissed in pain as the lightning shocked him, but Miles wasted no time and immediately got on the bell. Without hesitation he charged up his fist with lightning and punched the bell as hard as he could. The bell rang and Peter grabbed his head, groaning in pain. But Miles kept going, hitting the bell over and over again. Peter's groans turned into screams of pain as he writhed on the ground, with Venom shrieking as small tendrils flailed around.
"STOP!" Peter screamed, but Miles just ignored him and kept hitting the bell. Peter entered a fetal position, and it felt like his entire body was on fire, one of the most painful things he had ever experienced. "PLEASE! You're hurting us!"
"No, you need to stop Pete! It doesn't matter what I was going to do or thought about doing, I didn't kill Li! So I'm not going to let you kill Kraven, you hear me?" Miles said and hit the bell again. With Peter immobilized and screaming in pain, he felt much better now that he was in control. He realized that maybe he could do something to give himself an edge, perhaps strike a deal or bargain of some kind. "I'm going to keep ringing this bell until you get that suit off, you hear me? It's not good for you Pete! So this can stop anytime you want, just take the suit off!"
"AGHHHH! PLEASE, STOP IT!" Peter pleaded, feeling his body getting weaker and weaker. Eventually he stopped screaming and he went completely limp. Not even Venom was moving or shrieking. Only then did Miles stop, but he was ready to hit the bell again after noticing that Peter was still conscious, albeit just barely. For a moment there was just an eerie silence, the air filled with tension Letting out a weak groan, Peter turned onto his back and looked up at the night sky, too tired to even sit up. "You… don't understand… no one… does. Except… except for her."
Miles was confused by this. "Who? MJ? May?"
"No. Me."
Miles's Spider-Sense suddenly went off and he turned his head to look behind him, only to be met by claws to the face. He cried out in pain, but before he could do anything else he got kicked off the bell and landed on the ground. After wiping off the blood from the scratch marks he looked up, a look of surprise and shock on his face as he saw Black Cat. He thrusted his hands forward to blast her with lightning, but to his horror nothing happened. Looking down at his hands, he saw that only small blue sparks would come out, meaning that he must have ran out of power at this point.
"And you're not hurting my man on my watch." Black Cat said before she leapt up and cut the ropes holding up the ball, making it land on the ground with a loud clang. Once the bell had been taken care of, she immediately went to Peter's side, helping him up while checking how he was doing.
"Felicia… what are you… doing here…?" Peter asked weakly. Now that the bell had stopped ringing and Venom was back in action he could feel his strength returning, but it would take a moment before he was back in fighting shape.
"Shhh, don't talk. I'm so sorry I didn't come sooner." Felicia let Peter lean on her and had his arm wrapped around her shoulders, but she had not forgotten about Miles. With her free hand she shot several webs on Miles's feet, sticking him to the ground. She then webbed up his wrists against the wall, making sure that he wouldn't go anywhere while Peter recovered. "What did he do to you Spider?"
"So… much… pain…" Peter whispered tiredly, the memory of the excruciating pain still fresh in his mind. Felicia held him close and gently squeezed his hand, happy that she got there in time, but still felt a little guilty for not getting there sooner. After taking a breather Peter stopped leaning on Felicia and stretched his limbs, cracking his neck as he was starting to feel a lot better now. He looked at his hands, flexing his hands as his strength returned. He looked up, then slowly turned around and glared angrily at Miles.
Miles saw this and began to panic, tugging at the webs holding him in place. Bit by bit they got looser, until he eventually managed to free his right foot. The left one followed, then his hands. But just as he freed himself he was suddenly greeted by a fist to the face, too quick for him to avoid even with his Spider-Sense. Peter than punched him in the gut, then in the face again. More punches followed, turning into a barrage of pure fury as Peter beat Miles against the wall. He wanted him to feel every bit of pain he just went through, so even when Miles was spitting blood and his mask had been torn to shreds he just kept going.
"I told you to stop, I begged you to stop… you heard how much it hurt me… but no. You refused. So let this be a lesson." Peter grabbed Miles by the collar of his suit, even as Miles's head hung low and blood dripped from his lips. Peter raised his fist to hit him again, but he suddenly felt a soft hand on his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Felicia looking at him with a soft expression before she cupped his cheek, gently rubbing his masked face with her thumb.
"It's okay. You can stop now. He has learned his lesson." Felicia said softly. "He can't hurt you anymore."
For a while there was just silence as Peter contemplated what he wanted to do with Miles, still feeling the anger burning in his soul. But after taking another look at Felicia he finally made up his mind. Returning his attention to Miles, he slammed him into the wall to "wake him up" and get his attention. "Here's the deal Miles. I'm going to stop Kraven one way or another. I will protect this city. And if you want to protect people? That's fine, do that. But if you get in my way one more time… I will make sure that you can never be Spider-Man again, understand?"
Miles just stared blankly at him, nodding slightly as he didn't have much of a choice.
"Good." Peter then grabbed Miles's web shooters and removed them, putting them away. "Just in case. Ganke can probably make you new ones anyway. Now go home, your mother is worried sick."
With those words spoken he threw Miles over the wall, making him land on the other side with a thud. Miles didn't move for what felt like hours. He just stared at the starry night sky, counting the stars until he passed out.
And that's the chapter! It took a while, but it's finally here. I hope you guys enjoyed it! But please, I don't want to hear any complaints about Miles acting out of character. Anytime a character in this fanfic is not acting like their canon counterpart then it's either unintentional or on purpose. And Miles doing and saying the things he did was fully intentional. I also wanted to show how much more powerful Peter with Venom is than Miles, since let's be honest, if Miles had failed his Talk No Jutsu then Peter would have whooped his ass. But anyway, time for reviews! And after that I got some stuff to tell y'all, so stick around for some news and what not.
spiderfanboi: I don't really like that Peter kissed Felicia without breaking things off with MJ first, but I do like how Venom is chill with Felicia, like the dog likes the new girl better than the soon to be ex gf
You got a point and I thought about including a scene where he did just that, but it just didn't fit in anywhere so I just rolled with it. I hope it worked out though, from a narrative perspective I mean.
Alucard43: A part of me wants the fake son to be real. And let that be the real reason for his return. Because I don't see it as very real that Felicia is so calm that her girlfriend has left chapter was cool anyway. I'm just commenting that for future reference.
No, the fake son is still fake. He doesn't exist in this story. As for Felicia being so calm, I don't really have an answer for that. I'm glad you liked the chapter though.
J0ker st0ry: PEEEEEAAAAAAK
Thanks man!
J0ker st0ry: I really hope in that in the 'im the hero here not you' argument that Peter or Felicia brings up the fact that the 'suit' is alive cause execpt for when it was revealed it felt like the 'alive' part was just forgotten cuz even if they managed to get it of Peter to give to Harry its obvious that it would of just bonded back to Peter regardless considering it was shown through the whole game how this version of the simping Slime wanted to be with Peter so much that it tried to bond to him the moment Peter got close to him despite basically being the life support of Peter's bestfriend (when Harry figured out peter was spiderman) realising it had no way to bond to Peter it opted to try to copy a little of Peter because it yearned so much for him (after the tombstone rescue) Then the second it got the chance to bond with peter when he laid lifeless on the floor thanks to kraven' knife it immediatly leave Harry who was gonna die without it to bond with Peter and what did it do first, yes show the full extent of its power unlike with harry who didn't even know the suit could change into clothes.
Buddy, pal, are you reading my mind or seeing the future? Whatever it is, stop doing that or else you're going to spoil the story for everyone! Seriously, I knew I was going to include this before I even started writing the first chapter. I hope it turned out like you wanted!
Guest: This is sooooo good
Thanks man, I really appreciate it.
Guest: Really good stuff! I hope you keep putting out chapters:)
Thank you! As for more chapters, I'll get to that in a moment.
SpideyXBC: TBH, I can see the Symbiote causing Peter to slowly lose his hair and become bald. That it would kill off the roots of his hair, seeing them as an impediment to connecting further to his brain.
Similar to how some drugs have a side-effect to causing hair loss. And maybe the Venom Symbiote would think that baldness actually fits better for Spidey under his mask.
Huh? What? No, I'm not making him bald.
Fate-Be Changed: What the previous guy said is interesting. I think a bald Spider-man would actually be something new here. Besides, I just realized that many of Spidey's rogues are bald; ranging from Rhino, Shocker, Electro, Scorpion, Spot, Vulture, and even the Kingpin in particular. So this could very well put him on their level.
Goddamn it, I'm not making him bald! Don't bring it up again or else I'll have to call Deadpool. But seriously though, I'm not making him bald so don't ask about it again.
Ciel Binns: This was really good, it's honestly hard to find Pete and Fel stories especially since no one wants to try and adapt the second Spider-Man game. Keep it up. Btw don't make Peter bald, it's one of his best features xD
Thank you! I'm glad I can provide. And don't worry, I'm not making him bald.
Guest: Really really good job, I love this. Please finish this story, it's so good.
Thanks for the kind words. As for finishing the story? I'll get to that in just a moment.
Guest: Now that I think on it, baldness would actually be something new for Spider-man.
There's hardly been any heroic characters, outside of ones like Professor X, in Marvel who have been bald. I believe this would add something new to the character that's never been done or attempted before.
Oh my god, STOP IT! NO! No bald Spider-Man!
Marvel Nerd: Going off of the comments, seems like the idea of bald Peter Parker is growing.
If I can be honest, I would like to see how such a concept could be used. If anything, it might work best for the Insomniac Spider-man series with how serious it gets. Many bald characters are from badass franchises, like Breaking Bad (which had Bryan Cranston in it, ironically).
Also, the Symbiote would indeed be the ideal way for it to happen. I have done my research on the Symbiotes (AKA the Klyntar in the comics) and they do connect to the brain for full synchronization. So it would make sense for it to cause the hair to fall out, seeing it as an obstruction to further connection to the nervous system.
For the last time… no. No bald Spider-Man. I don't care if you subscribe to the highest tier on my Patron or call Deadpool, I'M NOT MAKING HIM BALD! NOW STOP ASKING ABOUT IT! AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH!
So, anyway, I got news for you guys. Good news and bad news. The good news are that now I have a Patron where you can support me (You can go to my profile to find it.) and I will be adding a fourth tier to it soon, with a Discord! Hooray! But please don't feel pressured to donate anything, I'm going to keep writing regardless. Speaking of writing… let's get to the bad news and… well, just news I guess.
This story first started with just one simple concept in my head, which was Spider-Man keeping the Symbiote Suit and getting back together with Black Cat. I have learned so much in just these four chapters and the support I have been getting from you guys is just crazy! I seriously can't thank you enough. Don't freak out, I'm not discontinuing this story. It's just that I don't have a clear view or "timeline" of what chapter 5 should be like, I only got bits and pieces figured out so far. And I have been working on this story for over half a year now, so I want to change things up a bit. I have other stories I want to share with you guys, so I'm taking a break from this story. I will work on it from time to time, but I am going to focus mostly on new stories. If you only came here for Spider-Man and nothing else, that's fine. I appreciate that you have taken the time to actually read this fanfic up until this point. But if you are willing to stick around to see what I have in store then that would mean the world to me. I will finish this story sooner or later, but it's going to take a while. But that's about it for now, have a nice day and I'll see you soon! Take care!