MAB86: Good to know. I often try to keep the humor between the brothers since I feel like, being twin sons of someone as talkative as Peter, Ben and Casey tend to argue a lot.
Tonyprime: I'm thinking about maybe making a prequel to the story telling how their first year together was and then making one-shot chapters of important moments for them like their wedding and the moment when Kitty told them she was pregnant but nothing confirmed.
vfc15650: And here's another chapter!
Secret Origins #3
Ben, who was now an adult, was in an incredibly desperate situation.
Ben had grown to a tall, strong build, very similar to his father. It seemed that years of training with the X-Men had really paid off now.
He wore a red and black suit, with the black sections running down to his chest and ending when they reached the large White Spider that was on his chest, proudly displaying his father's symbol.
From the area near his collarbone, the classic web pattern on top of the red colors began and extended to Ben's mask, which was very similar to Peter's mask. Ben liked to have a wide field of vision, so the lenses were quite large.
In addition, there were other details. His web shooters were exposed and he wore black arm wraps, like a ninja. In addition, he wore a utility belt, with an X symbol, where he kept his gadgets. To top it off, he also had a katana with a black handle and red accents.
These things were gifts from Kitty that she gave him when Ben turned 18.
(Think of his costume as a mix of the Superior costume and the Insomniac costume from the second game.)
Ben was on his knees, concentrating, with his sword on the ground as he faced an army of robots in front of him.
Ben put his hand to his ear and activated his communicator to talk to Casey.
Ben: I told you the plan would work. - He said, with a joking tone.
Casey: Your plan was crazy! What kind of crazy person would ask Alexa to teleport him to a ship full of killer robots? In Earth's orbit! - He shouted into the communicator and that bothered Ben a little.
Ben: I'm not deaf, you know? And much less crazy. I may not be the master of crazy plans like you, but I'm very good at improvising.
Casey: You're good at doing stupid things and doing crazy things. - He said, while giving himself a facepalm. Ben knew this because Casey did this often when they argued.
Ben: You can call it whatever you want. The important thing is that I'm here. And it's not like this is the first time I've dealt with an invasion of something. Relax, I'll end this soon. And you pay for the pizza for dinner! - He hung up the call and focused on the adversaries in front of him.
The robots had a very threatening appearance and were all armed and heading towards Ben.
Ben: I know it's going to sound a bit alien but "Take me to your leader!" - He said, with his usual calm but the robots didn't even care about that. - I think the Transformers movies were wrong about you guys having a sense of humor.
Robot: What's your mission here, Earthling? - He asked as he pointed a gun at Ben.
Ben: I'm just a guy who came here to calm the situation. We don't want any war. I just want to talk to the owner of this ship. And ask him who polishes these things. - He looked at his reflection on the floor. - We should use this to polish the BlackBird.
Robot: We don't want to know about your intentions, human. We came here with the mission to conquer our planet for the Empire.
Ben: Cliché. But I get it, sure. - He said, with the classic Spidey sense of humor.
Robot: Identify yourself and tell us your name so we can kill you and see if there are others like you. - The robots seemed to be cocking their weapons, ready to shoot Ben.
Ben shrugged quickly and raised his arms.
Ben: Okay. My name is Spider-Man. And, for the record, I'm not human. I'm a mutant. - He pulled the sword from his back in a movement so fast it was almost imperceptible.
Robot: Shoot him! - About six robots shot at Ben at the same time but, thanks to his spider reflexes, Ben managed to dodge some bullets, cut others and use a web-line to get close to one of the robots.
Ben threw him towards the rest of the team and took advantage of the moment of distraction to pull everyone close to him and cut them all with a perfect side cut.
Ben looked ahead. What was once just the deck of the ship was now full of robots coming towards him.
Ben: I don't know who owns this ship, but he's insistent. Okay, I respect that. - He looked at his web-shooter that had an advanced interface and connected to his phone.
He put on Spotify and pressed the Shuffle button.
Ben: Let's do this! - He was in a fighting stance.
The song that started playing was Bang Bang by K'NAAN and Adam Levine.
Ben: Ah, that's my jam!- He smiled under his mask and jumped towards the army of robots. He shot two lines of web and propelled himself towards them, cutting a robot in half vertically as he fell.
Robot: Kill him!- One of them shouted but Ben just ignored it as he continued fighting.
He reached into his belt and took out a Web-Bomb and threw it into the surrounding area, trapping several of his opponents in the web.
Ben: Gonna catch them all!- He made a joke about Pokémon as he ran towards one of the robots trapped in the web and jumped over it, using it as a surfboard to go towards another.
Ben cut off the head of the robot in front of him and cut the next one in a vertical cut from bottom to top.
Ben was in the air now and took advantage of the moment to pull one of his enemies up and cut the robot in half.
Ben: Is this more of a Musou or Hack'n Slash game? Man, I've never really been into Musou. Like, yeah, Persona 5 Strikers is cool and I also liked Hyrule Warriors a bit but... - He said as he cut and mutilated an absurd amount of robots.
Robot: Does anyone understand what this so-called "Spider-Man" is talking about? - Ben was so good at making random jokes that not even the robots understood what he was saying.
Ben saw a robot that looked like it was about 10 meters tall and was incredibly armored and seemed to be ready to throw something.
Ben: Pacific Rim? I wonder if Casey would be happy to be here or sad about being forced to destroy an army of robots. - He joked as he used his webs to swing towards the heavily armored robot.
Ben dodged several shots while in the air and, when the robot reached out to grab him, Ben narrowly dodged it and started running on the robot's arm.
The machine's reflex was to try to crush its other arm to try to kill Ben, but Ben was extremely fast and used a web line to avoid the attack and land on the robot's remaining arm.
Ben: Wow, this is going to take a while to heal. Do you have some kind of health plan? Or would it be "technical support"? Did I overdo it? I overdo it, right? - He joked with the robot as the latter prepared to fire a missile from a cannon on its shoulder, but Ben jumped over the robot's head and the guided missiles were now heading towards Ben, facing the rest of the army.
Ben smiled and his eyes glowed red for a moment and everything seemed to slow down, including the missiles.
Ben then kicked one of them and they were now pointing downwards and after that, he changed their angles using the webs and then, to finish, he threw an Electric Web gadget at the remaining missile and time returned to normal.
Then, the entire army had been blown up because of the missiles.
Ben: That's an explosion that would make Michael Bay proud. - He turned and looked at the giant robot, which was still resisting. - Speaking of Michael Bay...
Ben was about to pull the sword from his back but the robot was quickly cut in half and from its wreckage, what looked like a cyborg samurai with a pair of swords appeared.
Cyborg samurai: Useless old junk.
Ben: Shredder? Is that you? I mean, the 2014 movie version? I like that movie too. It has some flaws but I still loved your performance in it. - He pointed at the samurai.
Cyborg samurai: I am King Shujin. I come after this planet looking for a worthy opponent. You ran over my army as the first line of defense.
Ben: Oh, thank you. At least you know how to praise. The other conquerors just get angry and swear revenge on me.
King Shujin: But you have the fatal flaw of talking too much. - He spoke with a cold and murderous tone.
Ben: Oh, they say that all the time. - He joked. - You know, is there any chance you could take your ship and turn around?
King Shujin: It depends on whether you can defeat me and stop me from turning this ridiculous planet into my own private coliseum.
Ben: When you talk like that, it's hard to refuse! - He spoke with determination as he drew his sword and ran towards King Shujin and…
The alarm clock rang!
Ben just woke up and, by reflex, hit it with such speed and force that he broke his alarm clock while the music stopped playing because, well, the alarm clock was now shattered.
Ben: ...I hope Uncle Logan has a stock of spare alarm clocks. - He said, remembering the fact that Logan always cut his alarm clocks when he woke up.
Casey: Dude, what happened? - He looked at the destroyed alarm clock. - Wow, even I, who hate waking up early, am not that violent. - He joked and Ben just grumbled as he got out of bed.
Ben: Shut up! - Ben threw himself on the floor to start doing push-ups and, although it seemed easier thanks to his powers, he still had some difficulty.
Casey: What are you doing?
Ben: Training! - He shouted through his teeth, to save his breath.
Casey: You already have super strength now, you don't need to train. And just for the record, it didn't work before. - He said while pointing at Ben.
Ben: Yeah, but warriors never stop improving themselves. - He said with a tired voice.
Casey: And warriors are over 1.44m tall and don't wear glasses. - He was sarcastic once again.
Ben: Did you come here to tell me something or just come to make fun of me? - Ben grumbled as he continued his push-ups.
Casey: Yeah, I almost forgot about that. Have you made up your mind yet? About Xavier School? - He asked as he leaned against the door frame.
Ben: Nope. - He spoke quickly but Casey felt that Ben was hiding something.
Casey: Are you sure? Because if you don't talk much, it's a sign that you're hiding something.
Ben: I just... I don't know what to do. After yesterday, I... - His arms gave out and Ben lay down on the floor. - I don't know if I can really do this. I've been waiting for this my whole life but now...
Casey: Yeah, I got it. - Despite the constant arguments and fights, Casey was good at understanding his brother's feelings quickly. - We better get ready. Mom and Dad said we're going out to train and then have breakfast.
Ben: Cool.- He said and Casey noticed that Ben wasn't getting up from the floor.
Casey: Can you get up from there? - He asked.
Ben: Sure, I… - Ben tried to do one of those movie moves called Kip-up where the fighters throw themselves up and land on the ground standing up with style.
Casey just ignored Ben's failed attempts and helped him up.
Ben: Why did you do that?
Casey: Honestly, I was embarrassed for you. - He said and they both went to the bathroom to brush their teeth.
Ben: My arms hurt… - He squeezed his arm to try to ease the pain.
Casey: Maybe the problem is that you're doing everything the wrong way. I like anime too, but you're not a martial arts monkey or the vessel of a demon fox.
Ben: I just thought spider powers would help me become stronger. - He said as he put toothpaste on the brush.
Casey: Yeah, but we don't even understand these powers yet. - When he finished speaking, Ben shot toothpaste at the mirror above the sink.
Ben: Eh, I guess I have to learn to control my strength. - He then grabbed the toothpaste that was on the mirror while Casey looked at him. - What? I'm not going to waste this.
Casey: You're such an idiot, you know that? - He laughed as he turned on the faucet but he ripped the lever and water started to gush at them.
Ben: Karma! - He laughed as Casey tried to grab the towel from the side of the sink but ended up ripping the towel holder off the wall.
Casey: Shut up! - He yelled as he placed the towel on top of where the lever was.
Ben: We better get out of here before we accidentally cause a flood. - He pulled the doorknob but ended up ripping it off. - C'mon!
Peter: Guys, what happened? - He asked as he opened the door and saw the bathroom destroyed.
Casey: The powers of the amazing "stick-man"… - He laughed lightly.
Kitty: Oh, that's going to be hard to fix. - She looked at the bathroom.
Ben: Sorry, guys.
Peter: No, it's okay. The same thing happened to me when I got my powers.
Kitty: Same. Well, not the thing where you rip things out of their places, but something similar. - She laughed a little. - Go get dressed while we try to fix this.
The boys left the bathroom and Peter went to the sink and tried to turn off the water.
Kitty: I wonder if the kids of the guys had problems like that too… - She had a thoughtful look.
Peter: Maybe, but I don't remember them mentioning it. We have to remember that the situation is different. Ben and Casey are the only ones of their generation who got their powers so late.
Kitty just sighed.
Kitty: You're right. I'm just worried about how this will affect them. After all, they don't have just one power. They have strength, speed, agility... and how will that increase? Their genes are a mix of ours. The possible genetic variability only increases the chances of them developing more mutations even more - She became more and more thoughtful.
Peter: I know we're worried but you look hot when you talk like a scientist. - He laughed and flirted with her.
Kitty: I think the same of you when you act like a muscular nerd plumber. - She smiled at him and they both stared at each other for a few seconds.
Ben and Casey: Ewww. - They said in unison.
Peter: I hope they don't have super-hearing. It's hard enough not to make noise at night.
Kitty: Just for the record, my "screams of joy" are your fault. - She pointed at Peter.
Peter: And I'm extremely happy to know that. - They both kiss quickly.
A few minutes later:
The Pryde-Parker family was now outside the house, all dressed in sportswear, appropriate for a day of training.
Peter wore a white tank top and dark blue track pants.
Kitty wore a black polyester jacket over a black top that showed off her abs and gray leggings.
Both Ben and Casey wore T-shirts with harem pants. Ben's shirt was wearing a red shirt and the pants were black. Casey's shirt was blue and the pants were white.
Casey: I still don't understand why we have to wear these pants.- He looked uncomfortable.- Baggy pants like that should have been in the 80s.
Ben: Oh, stop, we look great. These are Japanese pants, samurai fought like that.- He said excitedly.
Casey: So why aren't you the only one wearing the pants?
Kitty: Because the promotion said "Buy two pairs of harem pants and get one half off." - She said and Peter laughed lightly.
Peter: Ever since our college days, we learned how to take advantage of a good promotion. - He said and then used his reflexes to catch a baseball that was about to hit Kitty in the head.
A 12-year-old boy with a baseball glove was playing with his father across the street.
Ethan (the 12-year-old boy): Throw the ball back. - The boy yelled somewhat rudely.
Jack (his father): Ethan, don't be rude. Peter, can you give the ball back? - The guy said with a certain arrogance in his voice.
Peter: Oh, sure. - Peter quickly looked at his sons and threw the ball hard.
Jack: Ouch! You're not as soft as I thought.
Peter: Oh, sure.- He just rolled his eyes.- (I thought I got rid of those wannabe jocks when I graduated from high school…)
Jack: Hey, where are you guys going? Are you going to practice a sport?
Peter: We're going…- He was about to explain but was interrupted.
Jack: I was just kidding, of course not.
Ethan: It's not like those two know how to throw a ball.- He pointed at Ben and Casey.
Casey was about to give Ethan the finger but Ben stopped him.
Ben: Let's wait until our parents aren't around to ground you.- Casey could be a pain in the ass, but if he got grounded, Ben got all the blame when he messed up. At least with Casey, the blame was split 50%.
Casey, against his will, lowered his arm.
The family decided to just ignore the neighbors and leave.
Jack: Hey, wait a minute. Have you guys seen anything weird lately?
Kitty: Like what? Bears in the bushes? Alligators in the sewers? UFOs? - She was sarcastic.
Jack: No. It's just that my wife started making cakes to, you know, sell at the annual school bake sale. And they always disappear.
Kitty: What are you implying? That our kids come into your house and eat the cakes? - She was sarcastic.
Ben and Casey could be extremely chaotic to deal with, but they didn't break into places. At least, not private property. Warehouses and abandoned buildings were another matter.
Ben: Yeah, we only break into abandoned places. And it's not really breaking and entering, really. The places don't even have owners. And they're safer places for experiments. - He spoke honestly.
Casey: Dude, just…- Casey facepalmed and Jack continued explaining himself.
Jack: I just want to know if your cat is missing. You know, like they are. If he was in my house, I'm going to call animal control.- What he said made Kitty angry but Peter held her back for a moment.
Peter: You can rest assured. Lockheed is inside the house. He's been pretty quiet these days, actually. No need to worry. I think we should go now, okay guys?- He looked at his family and they all got in the car.
Kitty: I hate that man. He's only lived here for a year and I feel ten years older.
Peter: Really? Because looking at your body, you look even better than when we first met.
Kitty laughed lightly.
Kitty: Oh, stop it.- She blushed slightly.
Ben/Casey: Yeah, stop it.- They both said, with annoyed voices.
Kitty: It's just that, damn, he and his family show up here and pretend to be the normal "American Family". C'mon, even I know that's an act.- Kitty had a bad feeling about families that were always trying to prove how "normal" and perfect they seemed to be.
Since a good part of these families seemed to be secretly anti-mutant terrorists. It's not like she had anything against normal people. But they could at least be less arrogant.
Peter: I know, I know. I don't like him either. At least Lockheed gets revenge for our family. - He laughed, because everyone knew that Lockheed was the one who ate the cakes.
Lockheed was the purple dragon and one of Kitty's best friends. When Peter and Kitty started dating, it took a while for Lockheed to start liking Peter, but he got used to his presence.
When Ben and Casey were born, Lockheed would always fly over their crib, to make sure they were okay. But sometimes, there were moments when Ben and Casey would pull him out and use him as a stuffed animal. Lockheed didn't like it, but moments like that made for great photos for the family photo album.
Since the Pryde-Parker family started living in a neighborhood of normal people in Queens, Lockheed used a holographic device to look like a cat to avoid attracting attention.
Ben: Have you seen him, by the way? I thought it was weird that I didn't see him all day yesterday.
Casey: Yeah, me too. What happened to Lockheed?
Kitty: Don't worry, boys. He does that. You know how he is. Ever since you guys grew up and didn't need him as much anymore, Lockheed started flying around. You know, enjoying his freedom.
Peter: He should be back by late afternoon. Sometimes I feel like he has a more active social life than the two of us.- He laughed briefly.
Kitty: That's true. It's been a while since I've gone out with the girls for drinks.
Peter: And Johnny always invites me to poker nights.- They said.
Ben: You know, you two can go. We can take care of ourselves.
Peter: Do I have to remind you about the "blackout"?- He said.
Casey: That only happened once. And, we promised not to do any experiments. At least, not ones that could cause any damage.
Kitty just stared at him.
Casey: Okay, let's not do any experiments.
Ben: But seriously, we'll be fine. We have powers now.
Kitty: Benny, no offense, but the fact that you guys have powers is what worries me.
Casey: If it's any consolation, I promise to stop doing experiments at home. Any kind of experiments.
Ben: Same here.
Peter: Oh, how mature. I think maybe we can trust you guys. - They looked at them in the rearview mirror.
Kitty: Yeah, I think so… - She said with a worried tone.
Peter: Relax, they'll be fine. They're our kids. Hey, what do you think about tomorrow night? - He asked with that charismatic smile that Kitty couldn't resist.
Kitty: (Damn, he's so cute.) - She thought.
Kitty: Okay, fine. But, you two heard me, boys. No experiments. - She said with a stern tone.
Ben/Casey: Okay! - They said in unison and Ben found Casey's attitude strange and nudged him with his elbow.
Ben: Are you really taking a break from experimenting? - He whispered
Casey: Nah, a lot of my ideas involve flammable and explosive materials, so it's better to work on that away from home. It's just that my cool stuff is there.
Ben: Oh, okay. That makes more sense.
A few hours later:
The Pryde-Parker family was now in an old warehouse, full of dangerous things scattered around like destroyed, rusty and sharp parts.
Peter opened the door for them and left it open so that the sunlight could enter.
Casey: Wow, I guess mom really applies more radical teaching methods.- He said as he looked around them.
Ben: She learned from "The Best There is" so that doesn't surprise me at all.- He joked as he mentioned the title by which Wolverine was so well known.
Peter: Well, sorry to disappoint you two, boys. But those things around us won't be relevant. We came here today to put your powers to use.
Ben/Casey: Damn…- They grumbled, since they wanted to learn cooler things like blows and acrobatics. And some sword techniques.
Peter: We both know you're excited. But remember, understanding your powers is the first step before learning to fight.
Kitty: Combat skills, weapons and gadgets should come later. After all, they are things that are used in conjunction with your powers, to create synergy.
Ben: Yes, Mrs. Mom-yagi. - He joked, making a reference to Karate Kid and this drew a brief laugh from the whole family.
Kitty: Okay, that's new. - She laughed a little. - But seriously, we have to understand your powers. Don't be in a hurry to learn to fight.
Casey: How long did it take you to learn to fight?
Kitty: Uh, some time after I joined the X-Men. - Kitty didn't remember exactly but she believes it was a few months after joining the team.
Ben: Great. It seems that I'm behind even in that. - Ben tried to avoid it but couldn't. After all, how can you try to measure up to a mother who was practically a prodigy in everything?
Kitty: Hey, hey. Stop putting yourself down, okay?- She went to Ben and grabbed him by the shoulders.- Benny, when I was your age, joining the X-Men was the craziest experience of my life. I left a good part of my life behind in order to help people and follow the dream of coexistence. Many of those times, I needed to adapt. Damn, I was put in life or death situations when I was still entering adolescence.
Ben: I don't quite understand what you mean...
Kitty: I'm saying that I learned everything quickly and did those things because it was necessary. The team was smaller and we didn't have as much support as we do now. You don't need to be so hard on yourself. Your time will come for both of you.- She said as she looked at both Ben and Casey, who smiled slightly.
Ben: Okay, let's get started.- He clapped his hands in preparation and Casey just followed suit.
Casey: Yeah, anything to learn how to stop ripping furniture off the wall.- He mentioned.
Peter: That reminds me, we better buy that "anti-power" furniture that Reed and I made.
Kitty: Yeah, that came in handy when the X-Men had kids.
When Peter talked to Johnny and Reed at a poker night about the potential risks of having a child with powers, Reed decided to use his experience as a father and scientist to help Peter create a line of "anti-power" products to protect household items from children with powers.
This proved to be quite useful, as these items were quickly manufactured for several superheroes who were having children.
Johnny had the idea of making these products profitable, in the hopes of helping Peter make more money for when he became a father, but it seemed that they were only bought by selfish parents of mutant children who were only interested in protecting their useless material possessions.
They decided that it was best to make this idea as a kind of "support" for other superheroes, since being a parent of a child with powers was extremely difficult. And thanks to the alliance between the FF and the X-Men that Peter and Kitty formed, Xavier School was even more protected from cases involving the loss of control of superpowers.
Ironically, Peter and Kitty never needed it, since Ben and Casey were born without powers.
Not to mention that, thanks to the help of Reed and Sue, Peter and Kitty were able to implement the multi-dimensional system that had been in the Baxter Building at the school when Kitty became principal. This came in handy as the number of mutants increased and the school almost faced the problem of overcrowding.
Peter and Kitty stopped thinking about the past and focused on what was happening now.
Their children had powers and now, more than ever, they needed to be taught how to use them.
(BGM: Till Kingdom Come - Coldplay)
Ben and Casey ran to what looked like a rusty, curved side of an old ship.
They both tried to run and jump to get on top of the piece, but they realized they couldn't.
Peter: Boys, remember this. You have to think before you do it. Calm down, and think and then put it into practice.
Ben: But you don't seem to think much. No offense.- He apologized after thinking about what he said.
Peter: Meh, it's years of practice.- He clapped his hands, telling Ben and Casey to start running again.
And then, the twins ran towards the rusty piece and jumped, at the last moment, they were both stuck to the side.
Ben: I know we did this yesterday at the museum but this is still insane.- He looked at his hand.
Casey: How does that work, anyway? - Peter smiled slightly and climbed the wall towards them.
Peter: Well, I think the spider bite resulted in a mutagenic alteration in the entire cerebellum of my engrams. Because of that, we have the ability to mentally control the flow of interatomic attraction between layers of molecular boundaries.
Casey: So, it's basically the power to control electrostatic force. - He thought.
Ben: Awesome. There's nothing better than powers connected to scientific principles. It's almost like bio-magnetism.
Peter: Basically, yes.
Kitty: I love you guys so much, but you're such nerds. - She laughed.
Peter: Yeah, but you're just as nerdy as that. I fell in love with you because of that and they inherited it from you too.
Kitty: I thought you fell in love with me because of the leather outfit. - She joked.
Peter: It was for a combination of factors. - He laughed briefly.
Then they went to an old forklift.
Ben: Yeah, I think this forklift has seen better days.- He was about to mess with the controls but Kitty stopped him.
Kitty: Wait a minute. Today is not the day for you guys to play "build deadly weapons".- She said.
Casey: Just for the record, a good part of our ideas are for improving humanity's coexistence.
Ben: Yeah, only a small fraction of them involve creating weapons. And a good part of it was my idea.- Ben was honest and Casey was about to facepalm himself but Peter stopped him.
Peter: Son, for the sake of your brain, I think you better stop doing that.
Casey: I don't know if I can. It's my reflex when Ben says something stupid.- He pointed at Ben, who groaned in response.
Peter: Yeah, but you have super strength now and so many slaps to your own forehead can't be good. - Peter said and Casey could only agree.
Casey: True.
Ben: Just to be clear, the weapons we want to make are not deadly. They are all high-tech swords or blades. - He said, proud of his ideas, but Casey couldn't help but facepalm himself.
Casey: Ouch! - He said, before taking his hand off his face.
Kitty: Okay, now, let's test your balance. I want you to get on this forklift and try to balance yourself for as long as possible.
Ben: Doesn't seem that hard to me.
Kitty: You two are going to balance the rest of your bodies, using your hands for support. Like this. - She climbed to the top of the forklift and used both hands to balance herself while her torso and feet pointed upwards.
After a few seconds of demonstration, she got off the forklift.
Peter: Moves like that remind me of the time you taught the boys how to dance.- He laughed lightly.
Casey: Please, Dad, don't remind me of that...
Kitty: Hey, you'll thank me when you can stretch your leg like that.- She took her leg and stretched it up, at a 180 degree angle, like gymnasts and dancers did.
Peter just clapped his hands. He loved it when Kitty did that.
Ben: We've tried this before, but I think we did something wrong because our legs hurt for a week.- He said as Ben and Casey climbed on top of the forklift.
Kitty: Because you two tried this a week after school. Remember, boys. You have to first understand your limitations and then overcome them.
Peter: Spoken like a real coach. Like Mickey Goldmill.- He mentioned the coach of the movie fighter Rocky Balboa.
Ben: Who is Mickey Goldmill?
Casey: Did he appear in any movies?
They both spoke while balancing on top of the forklift.
Kitty: No, he was Rocky Balboa's trainer.
Casey: Stallone's character in Creed?- He asked and Peter and Kitty looked at each other and felt old.
Peter: I don't know if I feel old or like I failed as a father.- He joked.- You know? Let's watch the movie tonight.
Kitty: How do you guys know Karate Kid but not Rocky?
Ben/Casey: Because of Cobra Kai!
Kitty: That makes more sense…- She said and then remembered to help the boys with their training.- Remember. You both have to focus, control your breathing and find your rhythm. When you do, all the training, movements and techniques will be nothing more than a mere reflex and muscle memory.
Ben: Hey, I think I'm doing it. - He said, but a bird flew by him and Ben tried to scare it away using his legs, but he lost his balance and fell off the forklift. - Oh, crap!
Casey: Haha, too bad I didn't record that! - He said, while he was still on top of the forklift.
Ben took out his phone and turned on the camera, then kicked the forklift, making Casey lose his balance and fall.
Casey: Ouch!
Ben: Lucky I recorded that!
Casey: Delete that video! - He pointed at Ben's phone as he stood up.
A few minutes later, Ben and Casey were now looking at the top of the warehouse, where there were several wooden planks nailed together in a segment that extended to the area near the warehouse's ceiling.
Peter: This is another principle of being a Spider-Man. Parkour. Agility and quick movements are the key to everything.
Kitty: And this extends to combat training. After all, you never know when someone will try to shoot you and using the surroundings and the place in general to your advantage, whether for combat, escape or the mere principle of shortcuts are essential.
Ben: In short, do you want us to climb this with style? - He joked.
Casey: Try to beat me. - He proposed a challenge as he began to climb the wooden planks.
Ben: Hey, that's cheating! - He said as he tried to keep up with Casey.
Casey: The loser gives his breakfast to the winner. - He shouted, and Ben only felt the rumble in his stomach.
Ben: Oh, I'm not going to lose. - He got motivated and started using more of his instinct and skill to get to the top. He started climbing through the gaps and the sides of the planks, using his speed.
Casey: I think I finally figured out what motivates you. With Uncle Logan it's cigars, Aunt Emma it's diamonds and with you it's...mom, what's for breakfast? - He asked.
Kitty: Banana muffins. - She said as she held a basket and used her phasing power to "walk on air" and go to the roof through a skylight. Ben followed her.
Peter climbed up the planks and found Casey climbing.
Peter: Come here, son. Let's be like Kratos and Atreus. - He offered his hand to Casey and he then started holding on to Peter's back.
And Ben took another picture of this moment.
Ben: Now that's a good picture for later.- He said as he showed his phone to Kitty.
Casey: I liked him better when he said stupid things every day.- He said as Peter climbed up to the roof.
Peter: Well, Casey, that's part of life. Ben won't always be the little brother who follows you around and depends on you. He'll start doing his own thing after a while.
Casey: Wow, really? You promise? - He said, joking as if he wanted Ben to stop spending so much time with him. But, Peter and Kitty knew that Casey cared about Ben, in his own way.
Kitty: Now, now. Let's stop arguing and have breakfast. - She started serving their food and they enjoyed the view.
Casey looked thoughtful and wanted to ask his parents something.
Casey: Do you regret having entered this life? You know, being a hero? - He asked, expecting an honest answer.
Peter: No. I had some complications but... - He was talking but Ben was curious.
Ben: What kind of complications? - He wanted to know. Peter could feel a certain desperation in his voice and Peter and Kitty looked at each other.
Peter: It's kind of hard to explain. There are too many years as Spidey to sum it up. But, I will say this, these bad times don't last forever. When I look back now, I can only remember the good things. The friends I've made, the alliances I've created, the family I've built. Not to mention all the lives I've saved before and continued to save when I met Kitty.
She looked at him and smiled.
Peter: I've never regretted being Spider-Man. But that was my decision. And you two have the right to make your own decision. Whether you're masked or just two scientists, we'll always be here for you. You'll continue to be everything we need you to be.- He squeezed Kitty's hand and allowed her to finish what he was saying.
Kitty: Our children. I know what's the biggest concern for you. You're mutants now, and even though everything has gotten less complicated, there will still be trouble along the way. But just like my parents, who continued to love and support me even after choosing a life that caused my mother to have an infinite number of migraines…- She joked a little and everyone laughed lightly.
Kitty: We'll be here for you. We'll always be your parents and we'll always take care of you. When the world looks back at you and poses some kind of threat, you'll always have a place to come back to. I feel like you're both going to be the best at what you do, definitely. But my biggest fear is that... - She sounded like she was crying a little - you'll feel too much pain on the path you choose. And I know you'll be strong and you'll be able to get back up because you're stronger and more special than you think. You're all the most special people in my life and I'll never stop loving you or protecting you. And even if the world comes crashing down on you, we'll be here.
Kitty spoke sincerely and the Pryde-Parker family hugged each other.
Ben: I love you all. - He said, with all sincerity in his heart.
Casey: I love more. - That was completely true. Casey may have been arrogant, but the truest thing about him was that family was the most important thing to him.
And that sentiment echoed in the hearts of all the Pryde-Parkers.
After a few more moments, the family broke away from the hug and Ben noticed some chains fixed to the ceiling of the warehouse below them.
Ben: Hey, Dad? Do you think it's too early for the next lesson? - He quickly went down and the family followed him.
Peter and Kitty landed on the floor of the warehouse, but Ben and Casey remained on the boards above.
Ben was now upside down and had an idea when he saw the chains suspended from the ceiling.
Ben: This is something I've wanted to try since I could walk. - He jumped and began to swing on the chains. - Haha!
Casey: You're not stupid! You're crazy! But I'm even more so! - He laughed briefly and then grabbed another chain and began to swing.
Ben was smiling more and more as he held onto the chain and ran along the wall, going to the ceiling and jumping towards another chain.
Casey sees one of those boards that mechanics use to fix the underside of cars and takes the opportunity to unhook the chain, jump on the board and do a trick, stopping on a table.
Casey: And you two still say I can't skateboard. - He smiled and Ben stopped at the same table as Casey. - So, chains? How does it feel to be the Spectacular Spider-Edgy?
Ben: WOOOOOH - He shouted, with all the joy he could and smiling too much, a feeling that Casey also felt.
Peter saw all this with a smile and Kitty did the same, shedding a tear. They both hugged each other.
Peter: They're going to be fine. I think it's time we teach him what we know.
Kitty: I know. God, how I love my two babies. - She took out her phone and took a picture of Ben and Casey.
Peter: This year's photo album is going to be awesome.
A few moments later, Ben and Casey were back on the ground and Kitty decided it was time to move on to the next phase of training.
Kitty: Okay. It's time to move on to the next phase of training. It's no mystery to you guys how strong your dad is.
Ben: Yeah, I started to understand that when I saw him lifting a refrigerator. With one arm.- Ben admired how strong Peter was. He respected him even more when he saw how modest he was about it and hoped to be as strong as him one day.
Casey: Or when Dad lifted the couch to get the batteries for my Voltron action figure with sound and light effects. Thanks again, I forgot to say last week.- Peter just smiled.
Peter: Hey, this is what super strength is for. Now, let's test your strength.- The Pryde-Parker family walked to the old, rusty bow of a ship.
Kitty: You two are going to punch the hull as hard as you can and then we'll see how far your strength extends.
Ben and Casey are fast and then they both punch the bow but end up hurting their hands.
Ben/Casey: Ouch!- They hold their hands to try to ease the pain.
Peter: I think I better teach you how to throw a real punch. Look at us two.- Peter and Kitty position themselves.
Kitty: Right foot back, put your thumb below your fist.- They both position themselves.
Peter: Take your arm back a little, punch and distribute the weight.- Peter and Kitty punch the bow of the ship, their punches were strong and made the bow vibrate and left the mark of both their fists.
Kitty: Who needs initials on a tree when you have the marks of a couple's fists on an old and rusty bow?- She joked. And she concentrates to make her fist return to its normal density.
After years of fighting alongside the X-Men, Kitty realized that her powers were not limited to just making her less dense so she could phase through things. She realized that she could also control her density to become Hyper-Dense and increase her durability, resistance and strength.
Casey: I'll land the first punch.
Ben: Why are you always the first to do everything?- He asked.
Casey: I came into the world first, so... I have preference.- He positioned himself to throw the punch.
Kitty: Seriously? Then why did you push Ben to be the first to get vaccinated and enter the public pool?
Ben: Not to mention when you forced me to go first when we went to the haunted house in Coney Island.
Casey: I... oh, I don't have to explain myself.- He ignored the accusations and then punched the bow of the ship.
There was a slight vibration from the bow and the mark of one of Casey's knuckles left a slight mark on the structure.
Casey: Not bad. And you're still wasting your time trying to do push-ups. - He said and Peter felt obligated to speak.
Peter: Casey, trust me, son. Relying too much on your powers is bad. Trust me.
Kitty: Your father is right. Not to mention that, with your X-Gene, the chances of you having a temporary loss of powers due to one of those inhibitor collars are high.
Ben: Haha, I'm right! - He pointed at Casey and he just rolled his eyes.
Peter: But, Ben, you have to take it easy on your exercises. We'll review your training routine later in the week. Now... - He pointed to the bow and Ben prepared to throw the punch.
Ben's punch seemed a little more effective than Casey's. Paying close attention, Peter noticed that Ben seemed to be faster than Casey, since the punch took less time. And the mark his punch left on the bow was more evident than Casey's.
Ben: I did it! Yeah! - He and Casey high-fived.
Casey: At least you have strength, it already makes up for your stupidity. - Casey said and Ben gave a look of "If our parents weren't here, I would give you the middle finger."
Kitty: I think you two have already tested the limits of your strength. Now, I think we should move on to the important part. - She went to the gym bag she brought and took out two things.
In one hand, she held a pair of blue fighting gloves, similar to what MMA fighters used.
And in the other hand, she held red handwraps.
Kitty: Let's see how you guys learn to fight. - She went over to them and let them choose the gloves. Obviously, Ben got the red ones and Casey got the blue ones.
Ben: Thanks, mom! - He said as he wrapped the handwraps around his hands. - I love this. I feel like a ninja.
Casey: Man, I'll never understand your lifelong tendency to be the most edgy hero this world has ever seen. It doesn't matter what it looks like, just make sure it's functional. - He said as he put on the MMA gloves.
Kitty: I guessed that when I picked up these gloves from you. A mother's instincts. - She smiled proudly and a part of her couldn't help but be happy to see her sons looking like two fighters (short and extremely cute).
Peter: You two didn't know how to throw a punch, but do you still remember the self-defense training your mother gave at the FEAST Center? - He asked. Sometimes, Kitty gave classes like that at FEAST to help the people there, since New York was a dangerous place and she thought it would be good for Ben and Casey to know about it too.
Casey: Yeah. Oh, and just for the record, me doing the punch the wrong way was just an extremely rare mistake. - He tried to explain himself.
Ben: Sure… - He said in a tone of disbelief and Casey looked at him with slight anger.
Peter: Okay. Kitty will go over some fighting techniques. Try to learn the moves and don't use full force- He glared at the two of them and the twins knew better than to challenge Peter.
Ben/Casey:…okay.- Was their only response.
Kitty: I'm going to teach you guys some moves. Ready? Hajime!- She said the Japanese shout to start a training.
Ben bowed to Kitty like they do in karate fights, but Casey used both of his fists to lightly hit him on the head as he bowed.
Ben: Ouch! Why?
Casey: I thought that was the kind of salute they did in a fight. You know, when fighters knock each other's gloves before a fight starts.
Ben: This is just a class, not an MMA match. This is not Never Back Down.
Casey: If this was Never Back Down, Jake Tyler would beat the crap out of you, bro.- He pointed.
Ben: He only won because he was the main character. Ryan McCarthy was better. He fought better and had been fighting longer, he looked better and had a badass catchphrase. "If you want to be the best, you have to take out the best".
Casey: Do you really want to start a discussion forum now? Because, I can beat you in a fight and in an argument.
Kitty: Who would have thought that even when fighting, they still talk about some movie.
Peter: Hey, they fight while talking too much. If that's not being Spider-Man, I don't know what is.- He laughed lightly.
Ben: Forget it. Let's just get this started.- He positioned himself. Ben placed his left arm near his face, with his fist raised upwards. And the other arm was straight, pointing at an angle to the ground.
Casey: Okay.- He placed his left arm near his chin and his right arm protected his waist.
Kitty: Hey, boys? What are those postures?- She couldn't help but think that the boys were remembering something.
Ben: Scorpion. I mean, not the bad guy. Hanzo Hasashi. Mortal Kombat.
Peter: What about you, Casey?
Casey: Ryu. Street fighter.
Kitty: I think these stances were designed specifically for fighters who are more skilled, experienced, and taller than you.- She laughed lightly.
Ben: Ouch!- He pretended to be offended.
Kitty: Oh, you get it. Now, let's get started.- She was ready to start training.
Casey: Wait, shouldn't we put on some background music for the movie montage?- He joked.
Ben: Leave it to me.- He went to get his phone but the battery was dead.- Damn! The battery must have died while I was editing the video of Casey falling.
Casey: Did you edit that?
Ben: Relax, I just sent it to Alex.
Casey: I hate you.- He said quickly.
Ben: I know.
Peter: Hey! Stop insulting each other. We have to start training here.
Ben: Oh sure sorry.- He smiles briefly at Casey who just nods saying "I don't even care about that".
After a 40-minute training session, Kitty taught Ben and Casey some fighting moves. The moves were mostly basic, for dealing with taller and stronger human opponents.
Kitty: You both have the advantage of being short. So, you're harder targets to hit.
Ben: Hmm, finally being short is an advantage.
Casey: Height is the only thing that matters to you, isn't it? - He asked.
Ben: That and being able to straighten my hair into a samurai bun.
Kitty: cough* - She pretended to cough to get their attention. - Now, something that you guys should learn.
Peter was bringing what looked like a large tire under a refrigerator. And there was a rope wrapped around the tire.
Ben: Let's destroy a refrigerator. Wait, is there a villain like that?
Casey: Maybe, I've seen around that there's a villain that's a wall. I mean, a wall. - He repeated his sentence because the fact that such a ridiculous villain existed surprised him.
Peter: I don't doubt the existence of a refrigerator-themed villain, but this isn't about him.
Kitty: Your dad brought this up as a demonstration. We don't know how Scorpion came to be, and we don't know if he'll ever show up again.
Peter: So, we think you should be prepared. Think of this refrigerator as Scorpion. You can see his structure. He's big, heavy, and tough. But he has one clear weakness. - He grabs the rope wrapped around the tire. - His tail. Scorpion is one of those villains whose greatest strength can be his greatest weakness. If you can grab his tail and pull as hard as you can...
Peter demonstrated his idea as he pulled the rope and the tire, causing the refrigerator to lose balance and fall to the ground.
Ben: So, it's the classic Bowser strategy in Mario 64. We grab his tail and throw him to the other side.
Peter: It would have been nice to know that example before I spent the last half hour looking for that old refrigerator. - He said, smiling slightly.
Casey: Hey, Dad, when are you going to teach us some fighting techniques?
Peter: Oh, another day. It's still too early.
Ben: C'mon, I really want to learn your Spider-Fu.
Casey: Wasn't it Way of Spider?- They started arguing about the right name.
Kitty: Both names are right, actually. One of your dad's many good qualities is that he's not picky when it comes to names.
Peter: Yep. But, well, Way of Spider is kind of advanced. In fact, it reminds me of what you said earlier, Casey. I was like you. Before, I thought my powers were all I needed. But one day, I didn't have Spider-sense anymore. I felt defenseless for the first time since I was 15. Luckily, Shang-Chi taught me how to use my abilities and powers to the fullest. Needless to say, Way of Spider helped me a lot.
Kitty: Yeah, it's thanks to the Way of Spider that you two are here. - She remembered Peter and Kitty's sparring match that ended up resulting in the conception of Ben and Casey.
Ben/Casey: What? - They both didn't understand what Kitty meant.
Peter: Oh, don't worry. But, do you understand what I mean, Casey?
Casey: Yeah, Dad, I think so.
Ben: So, let's learn the Way of Spider? C'mon, that would be so cool. Just imagine: Me using Mom's martial arts and Dad's Kung-fu. If you give me a sword, I'll basically be a Ninja Spider-Man.
Casey: Wait, isn't that Deadpool? Not that I agree with that but it seems like the general opinion.
Ben: At least me being recognized as a true ninja Spider-Man and not Deadpool should be one more reason for Mom to teach us sword fighting, right? - He smiled at Kitty.
Kitty: Fine. But let's do that another day. - She sighed and gave a resigned smile.
Casey: Hey, a question I just thought of. We've only tested the spider powers so far. But... what about our mutant powers?
Ben: Wait, Casey's right. Why can't we become intangible?
Kitty: That's something we've been waiting to analyze. You two are the only spider-mutant hybrids in existence. So, we don't know how your powers work.
Casey: Maybe it's even luck that we got the spider powers.
Ben: I think so. But it would be so cool if I could use the phasing power.
Casey: Oh, come on. You just want this power to keep fighting like Obito Uchiha.- He said.
Ben: Well, that's obvious, right.- He said and Casey just smiled.
Peter: Okay, okay. I think we've trained enough for today. It's time to go home.- He said and the boys ran to the car.
Peter and Kitty stayed behind a little to look at them.
Kitty: Oh, they grow up so fast.
Peter: I know. But, hey, you saw their faces while we trained. They'll be fine. They're strong like their mother.
Kitty: And selfless like their father.- They both looked at each other.- And stubborn like the two of us.
Peter: That's true.- They both laughed lightly and went to the car.
All four of them were happy to have spent this morning together, as a family. Maybe it wasn't the most normal morning in the world, but that didn't matter.
What mattered was that the Pryde-Parker family would always stay together.
Wow, this chapter was so emotional. I tried to delve deeper into the bonds of family and Peter and Kitty's attempts to come to terms with the idea of their children possibly choosing the life of heroes while Ben and Casey try to decide what they want to be and do.
I put a lot of easter eggs in the opening scene from things like Sonic Unleashed, Ninja Gaiden, and Metal Gear. I hope you enjoyed it.
If you're interested in more stories about Spider-Man and Kitty Pryde, check out the stories by MAB86 and Shadowspider17. They're big fans of the couple like me and deserve recognition. If you're interested, check out Shadowspider17 on this site to join his Discord server about the Spidey and Kitty couple.
And check out the link on my profile to access the Omni-Spider Discord server.