Chapter 63 - Fight Club

 

Tyler POV

 

 I had a pleasant time with Henry, and true to her word, Rachel kicked me out after an hour. Feels weird getting kicked out of your own place twice, kind of thought it was a joke only said amongst men. I can't really say I want to be near my mother, or any of my women, if I can call them that. Though I don't want to be alone. Matt would probably take me in for a night or more, he would have some conversation for me, but the whole block where I grew up gives me the chills whenever I think about it.

 

I tried getting a hotel room, but Cortana had drained my bank account, obviously still mad from the things I said.  Ever since I got here, it feels like I've been doing things I don't want to do and saying things I don't want to say.  If only I knew what to do to fix this situation I'm in and everyone else's suffering around me. It's a funny situation to be in, feeling like you know too much about everything you don't need and knowing too little about the things you do. Evidently the thoughts, emotions and memories of two 18-year-olds does not add up to that of a 36-year-old man, either that or I've grossly overestimated the wisdom of most men.

 

When I look down at the people enjoying New York City's nightlife Inoticed something they have that I lack. Well there are a lot of things they have that I lack, some not so great, but there are good ones, like friends...

 

I should probably check on Peter. He's probably still pissed at me, but I owe him whatever guidance I can offer. Plus, I'd be remiss if I let his life play out like it normally would.

 

=<=>=

 

My original plan was to stay and wait till daylight until Peter would wake up to check in on him but as I approach the little town house where he lives, I can hear he's not there. I can also hear Uncle Ben up in the kitchen. Peter is already doing things that leave his family up at night. And I didn't even know about it.. some friend I am. If I do nothing, it won't be more than a week before his Uncle Ben dies, or worse. And I can't let that happen.

 

I knock on the door of the aged house.

 

"Peter!" Uncle Ben yanks the door open, but upon seeing me, his demeanor quickly dies down to match his aged body, "Oh, Tyler. It's been a while since I've seen you. Do you have news about Peter? He's not answering my phone calls."

 

"Sorry for not coming around so often. Me and Peter hit a rough patch and I came here to check up on him."

 

"In the middle of the night?"

 

"I thought it would be better to wait, but sometimes the best thing to do when you're hurting is to help someone else." I smile wryly.

 

He squints at me for a half-second. "Why don't you come on in, we can wait for him to get back together." He waves me in and with a glance back, I walk in and close the door behind me.

 

"Does Peter leave in the middle of the night a lot?" I ask as Uncle Ben guides me through the narrow hallway and into the cozy living room. A small pot of coffee and two mugs sit on the table, one half-full.

 

"He's been doing it for a while now, about a week or so. I always wait for him to come back." He gestures to the empty cup of coffee. "Not that he ever uses the door." He falls into the plush and worn sofa chair. "You can have his cup."

 

"Thank you." I sit down beside him on the couch. Instant tiredness floods me, my movements miles away like a dream. 

 

He pours me some coffee and takes a long sip of his. "So, what happened between you and Peter?" 

 

"The short answer is that I made some hard choices. I choose to act like nothing happened. But it was only when I told the truth that our relationship fell apart."

 

"They say that the truth will set you free, but they fail to mention that both truth and freedom are messy things."

 

"Yeah."

 

Silence fills the room for a while, and I try to fill my head with it, to stop the thoughts from creeping in.

 

"Tyler, you know that you can always come to me and May if you need help or advice. You might feel like you have to be strong for your sister ever since your parents died, but that doesn't mean you can't depend on others."  I flinch and my stomach rolls at his mention of my parents.

 

"Thanks, Mr. Parker-"

"I've told you, you can call me Uncle Ben.  May would be livid if she hears you speaking so distantly."

 

"Thanks, Uncle Ben. I just feel like everything in my life has been in chaos since my parents died. Every time I get a rest, new problems threaten to swallow my peace."

 

"That's life, the role of a parent and guardian is to protect their children from that fact until they know how to handle it. I'm sorry that you've had to learn it on your own."

 

"Peter's really lucky to have you guys as parents. It almost makes me wish I was him."

 

"Your parents loved you just as much as we love Peter."

 

"Oh, I'm sure. They raised me to be who I am today, and they provided well for me and my sister. It's just unfortunate that I can't thank them for anything else. And it's infuriating that I still care for them." My body clenches with anger as I let out the last few words. I close my eyes and put my fists against my thighs. Partially to collect myself, partially to hide the claws threatening to unsheathe themselves from my arms.

 

"...do you want to talk about it?"

 

"No, I think I've shared enough of my shame today. Sorry for unloading on you like that, I just had a rough day."

 

"Anytime."

 

"What time does Peter usually come back?" 

 

"Every night is different. He's usually gone for 4 or 6 hours, 8 at the latest." He takes a sip of his coffee, now cold. "Do you know what's going on?"

 

"Probably. I know that MJ and Peter have been pretty serious lately, she would know better than me."

 

"Peter didn't just change because of some girl. I know young men change with their relationships, but not like this. He doesn't share things with us anymore, and what with the disappearing every night. I've met MJ's parents and I know they're not the type to let their daughter play around with a young man like Peter every single night."

 

"Uncle Ben, I just meant that if Peter shared anything, it would be with her. Has Peter said anything about money or a job? Has he broken anything recently?"

 

"Yeah…he said he got a job in construction.  He broke and fixed his bedroom door twice."

 

"I'll talk to him and try to convince him to talk to you guys. But I can't tell you anything unless he asks me to. I've taken enough choices from him."

 

"So you know what's going on with him?"

 

"As I said, not for sure. I'm going to go look for where I think he might be."  I stand up. He's probably been in an underground fighting club, likely mutant-related.

 

"I'm coming with you." He stands up.

 

"No, Uncle Ben. Stay here."

 

"Peter is like my son, he is my son. I'm coming with you."

"Uncle Ben. This isn't a discussion. For reasons, I can't tell you, I won't let you come with me."

 

"I have a right to know what's going on."

 

"Mr.Parker-" I stop for a second and remember what a heavy-handed approach has gotten for me. "Uncle Ben. Please stay here. I'll try to come back with Peter as soon as I can. Trust me." I try to reassure him with a smile. He grips his hands around my shoulder.

 

"I do trust you Tyler…Thank you for your help."

 

"Thanks for the coffee, Uncle Ben." 

 

And with that, I leave, stepping back out into the brisk New York air. Without Cortana's help, the only way I know of to find Peter is by tracking his smell.

 

=<=>=

 

I follow Peter's trail through many alleyways and streets, having to double back multiple times.  He was smart about being unfollowed at least. Knowing that I'm getting close, I don an all-white mask and matching hoodie, pants, shoes, and gloves. It's something a teenage hero might put together at a thrift store. Hopefully, it contrasts enough with my personality and other persona to keep a few people off my trail.

 

The smell of marijuana, alcohol, and cigarette smoke hits my nose before I even see my destination. Peter's trail eventually leads me towards the club, but other smells like perfume mask it too much to guide me any further. 

 

I walk towards a bouncer at the door, a large man with significant facial scarring, and with one look, he nods his head to the side of the building. At the back of the building, I'm met by three guards at another door with a sign reading 'FREAKSHOW'. The smell of blood reeks here.

 

"Name?" one of them asks, a tablet in his hand.

 

"I'm a newbie," I answer, doing my best to sound  non-threatening.

 

"No shit. We need a name to identify you if you come back." 

 

"Purity." My response makes one chuckle.

 

"Okay, Purity." He takes a picture of me with the tablet, and another guard opens the door to a set of stairs leading underground. " Be careful to not get dirtied." He chuckles

 

A guard walks behind me as the door closes and after two flights of stairs,  we arrive at a dimly lit concrete corridor. At the end of it is a dainty woman at a desk with another two guards and a door leading to the sounds of fighting.

 

"Are you paying for a membership or earning it in the ring? We only take cash." She asks, looking at some paperwork.

 

"The ring." I don't have money on me and I might as well fight, the opponents sound interesting from here.

 

"Do you have an account with us that you want to use, or do you need one?" She looks up at me, a hint of disdain in her smell.

 

"I need a new one." I'd ask why I would use an existing account if I was a newbie, but I can think of a few reasons why they’d make it an option.

 

"You'll have to win two matches before you can leave then. If you agree, please sign here." She hands me a tablet and pen. 

 

I memorize the document, so Cortana can use the data in the future, and I sign at the end. Whoever owns this place must be quite the sponsor.

 

"Here's your ID, use it next time." She trades me the tablet for a metal card with my moniker and photo on it. It's practically the same as a credit card, but I can feel a secondary RFID used for tracking. I could scramble it right now, but that's probably not a good idea. I can just put it in a special sleeve.

 

"Go on kid." One of the guards motions me towards the door.

 

As soon as I enter, I wish I knew about this place sooner. The sheer volume of information that flows through this place in hushed whispers almost rivals the stank of sin and blood. I mark several vampires among the mostly masked crowd, but I didn't come for them. Screaming masses stir in bleachers surrounding a large boxing square, caged on all sides with a ceiling.  The entire place is covered in soundboards for noise dampening, and various alcoves give some privacy to groups who want to do business.

 

"Oi, Squirt!" An older man comes out of nowhere and throws his arm around my shoulder. His suit is so shiny and colorful that it looks like he got a 90s pimp costume at party city. "The name's Zeus. I manage the newbies like you." He drags me over to the front row of a fighting ring and puts a tablet in my hand before pushing me down on the bench. "Just watch the fights and put down whether you think you can beat them or not. Don't be too cocky, kid, because whatever you put down will determine who you fight against, and nobody can  save you once you're in there." He walks off, chatting and joking with people as he goes by.

 

Most of the fighters that I watched were ordinary, either humans with some fighting experience or mutants with minor physical alterations. The rules of the match were announced beforehand and seemed to be pretty tame. The most interesting thing I saw was a man with cybernetic limbs fighting a guy who could breathe fire. The cyborg guy ended up as a sparking, molten slag, his murderer taking a mad pleasure in it. His was the only death in the ring I saw, not that the other fighters couldn't have died after they left. No vampires joined in the ring, they probably are just scouting out the participants for more recruits or snacks.

 

After a boring few hours of saying I could beat every opponent there, the tablet got a notification, telling me I should head to one of the fighter rooms.

 

The instructions lead me down a nice carpeted hallway, stained in blood. Entering my assigned room, I meet Zeus again, and someone I didn't expect here, Luke Cage. He towers a foot above me. Combined with his dark prison physique, and hard demeanor, he looks like he could crush my skull in a single blow, to an outsider at least. The baldness of his head makes him look younger than I know he is. Still can't wrap my head around how he and Jessica ended up together, though. 

 

"You're my opponent?" Luke says.

 

"That's what the kid says. Too late to back out now."

 

"Bullshit it's too late, the match hasn't been announced yet. Listen, kid, this isn't a place for pups, people die here." Luke softens his expression.

 

"From what I've seen, only animals die here. It'll be a miracle if you or I break more than a few bones. Let's get this over with." The sooner I can get this done with, the sooner I'll be able to take Peter out with me. Hopefully, before he gets beat to a pulp.

 

"You heard the boy. Now on to discuss the rules and payment of the fight. Phone calls?"

 

"No tag team, I don't have any companions," I answer shortly.

 

"And-"

 

"We'll take the lowest percentage. I'm not going to kill a kid." Luke cuts him off.

"Pussy. And what are  the winning conditions?"

 

"It's up to you." Luke nods to me.

 

"Whoever can put their opponent off their feet for the longest total time wins." I can't afford to injure Luke, since he keeps the black gangs around New York in check. 

 

"Alright, The time limit will be 30 minutes split into 3 rounds. I'll go let the announcers know. Oh and kid, Luke doesn't really like putting a show on, but your pay is based on how much betting goes on, so try to make it exciting." And with that, Zeus leaves us by ourselves.

I wait for our match to arrive, focusing on the barely audible sounds of Peter getting ready for his own fight coming through the vents.

 

"So why are you fighting, kid?  The fights only pay you minimum wage if you count recovery time. Unless you have a record, anything except street work is better than this.`` Luke breaks the silence.

 

Touching my finger to a power socket, I flood it with charge, causing the light to flicker and two tiny surveillance devices to fry.

 

"I'm not here for the money. And the truth is, neither is anyone else." 

 

"Okay, then, why are you here?"

 

"Maybe I just want to blow off some steam like you."

 

"What the hell would you know?"

 

"Nothing that you don't let everyone in this part of the city know.  It must suck to have your life ruined by false testimony. Probably sucks more to have been made a test subject."

 

That turned him quiet, though his strength and his resistance to bullets are common knowledge around here, the origins of it aren't. But I don't want to antagonize him.

 

"DId the procedure hurt? Most supersoldier experiments tend to."  That lightens him up.

 

"It didn't hurt as much as the time I had to spend locked up..Sorry for calling you a kid."

 

"No, it's true."

 

"How do you know so much about me?"

 

"No disrespect, Luke, but you're innocent. Both literally of your accused crime and figuratively. You aren't even capable of deceit."

 

"I don't have a need for it."

 

"No, you don't. That's good, but monsters like the ones out there, ones like me do need it, and we use it a lot. Come on, our match is starting soon." I get up and walk out the door.

 

"We're supposed to wait for-"

 

"Sorry, but they pushed up your fight, you're up next." Zeus runs into us, dangling his arms around me. I shrug him off.

 

We walk down the corridor and I find Peter, dressed in a costume made from blue and red sweat clothes. His face is covered by a red ski mask and his hoodie has a large spider emblem on it. Next to him is his opponent, a large, ripped man in black wrestling spandex.

 

When I get next to him, I give him a little secret fist bump.

 

"T- What are you doing here?" He asks in surprise.

 

"I should be asking you that question. We should leave."

 

"I can't leave, I still have 3 more fights lined up."

 

"Don't care. If you want money, I'll give it to you. This isn't the place to be fooling around."

 

"The only people that die here are people that agree to it. And you can't just leave when you feel like it. Don't tell me you didn't read the contracts." He says defiantly, though a hint of fear slips out from him.

 

"Those contracts are empty paper in the underground. They create the illusion of legitimacy and you know it."

 

"NO ONE gets to break the rules here. If he didn't agree to major injury or death, then he'll be fine. So st-" Luke speaks up, only to get cut off by Zeus.

 

"Come on, the people are waiting for you. You better not have been bluffing, kid." Zeus pushes us to the cage.

 

Upon entering the cage, I feel a pressure as the crowd's gaze bores into me, and a sadistic impulse creeps into my mind, one that has gotten me in trouble more than once, but also one that has proven benefits. Just when the thought of whether I should fight or leave, and more importantly, how I should do either, the announcer makes my decision for me.

 

"Patrons of our humble establishment, we bring you a special fight today. Still seething from his incarceration, our previous rookie champion has returned even stronger. Please welcome our very own, Mr. Luke Cage!!! Aaaaand his opponent, a mysterious young man who just joined our ranks of fighters today, Purity. And while this match is supposed to be one of skill, we all know that this battle is really between Luke's Herculean strength and whatever tricks our newcomer has brought for us.  The counts begin 3 seconds after a fighter does not have their feet and weight on a surface. Killing and disabling are not allowed in this match. Place your bets before the third round. And with no other rules, the fight begins." A bell rings at the end of the announcement.

 

Luke walks up to me in the center of the cage and puts out his fist.

"This is going to be a long fight, so let's take it easy and get to know each other in the first round." He says.

 

I make no response or movement, remaining like a statue, only a dart of my eyes to the betting counter behind him. While I don't earn any money from my first two fights, and wouldn't care if I did, there are still benefits to a good performance. And with how my life's been going, I need all I can get.

 

Luke's eyes flash a hint of understanding, and with a big wind-up, he hurtles a swing at my chest, something that looked strong, but was more of a warning shot. I shoot out my fist to make up for the weight behind his. And still, I'm pushed back, only a millimeter before I stick to the ground beneath me. Staying still for half a second, I grasp his wrist and sling him to the side like a rag doll. My arm returns to my side, matching the same statuesque character I displayed before, and one that I hope I can keep. 

 

I might be a lot stronger than him, but he's more than double my weight, so it'll be difficult to make this as frightening as I want it to without hurting or bullying Luke.  I want to stay on his good side, and I definitely need him to stay functional.

 

I walk slowly to Luke picking himself off the ground. He rushes towards me with a real punch, knowing that I can take it, but I stick my feet to the ground and lean back, causing him to miss me by a mile and placing my spine almost parallel to the ground and my head next to his stumbling legs., looking like I've defied gravity. I grab his ankle and dangle him in the air, hoping to get a few points, but he's too tall for that. Grabbing the back of my knee, he pulls me out of my cool, but admittedly weak stance. 

 

I drop my other knee in a squat to regain control over the situation and keep my performance up. I let go of him, making him fall to the ground and before he can do anything, I flip him over and stick my hand onto his compression shirt before pulling him over my head, giving him a slight amount of whiplash. David toying with Goliath

 

As he recovers his bearings and struggles to understand what is going on, the announcer starts to count the points for each second that passes. Some time passes as betters scream at Luke to stop screwing around. But eventually Luke figures out what I'm doing and with a deep breath, he yells out and his shirt explodes. He rolls onto the ground and immediately flows into a haymaker punch to my head, a real one this time. My spider-sense goes off violently, telling me to dodge, but I stay put and prepare.

 

When the punch lands, I don't feel it where it lands, I feel it everywhere else. I feel my skin form waves, my muscles tear against the strain, and my bones vibrate, crack, and shatter. My left eardrum explodes, and the right almost does the same. But I've had some experience with pain, enough to know which wires to cut until my body can regenerate, not enough to stop myself from waking the ninja turtles up as my head smacks into the concrete several miles away. 

 

With a lot of effort and quick damage control,  I manage to keep my appearance up and remain seemingly unfazed, even as the crowd covered their ears from the sounds of both me and Luke's bones cracking. Luke is also unfazed, likely from his experiences, or maybe because of the adrenaline causing his corded muscles to ripple and his skin to sweat bullets. With his shirt gone, I can tell his physique isn't for looks. No abs can be seen on him, just a slab of meat that looked like it would need a pickaxe to break.

 

Seeing me still standing and keeping my act up, he laughs and begins to go on an all-out assault, changing the rhythm and flow of his strikes as I block or redirect the few that could pose some damage. Eventually, he stops with the light attacks and starts giving heavy blows in chains, chains that I can't stop or avoid without breaking character. And just when I get used to it, he moves past me and with one move, sweeps my feet out from under me, and grabs my ankles like I did to him. He spins me around and flings me into the side of the cage.

 

I remain still to recover so I can keep the act, even at the price of two measly points for Luke. I get up slowly and come face to face with the concerned and even more confused friend, Peter. He's fighting that ordinary wrestler, even though he should be nearly as strong as me… I flash in front of Luke, almost like I'm teleporting, and I grab his face in my palm and smash it into my knee, sending him flying into the air.  I catch him and place my hand onto his back and  hold him in the air for a few seconds before the bell rings, ending the first round.

 

The first round ended with me firmly in the lead, but the second did not go so well. Luke understood what limits I placed on myself, even though he might not know why, but thankfully no one else did except Peter, not even the vampires who could do much the same as I could. Luke didn't make it easy for me, though. He pushed my act harder than I felt comfortable with, but thanks to it, I developed an inhuman personality and fighting style. My ability to keep hold of two bodies definitely increased. I was even blessed with the opportunity to prove one of the unfortunate side effects of my original powers that I thought about before -Fun Fact: dying at the center of an explosion gives no pain at all, only a creeping sense of cold that digs into your brain and heart- and enough time for Luke to manhandle me into a pretzel while Peter calls me gay.

 

The second round ended in Luke's favor by a hair, with me being too inexperienced and out of sorts to get a hold of him. But 30 minutes is a long tie to fight, one of us had 3 different healing factors and Luke did not. I let Luke off easy though in the third round and focused on building muscle memory. The match ended with my win.

 

I ignore one of the stage girls coming to prance me around, head back to the fighter's rooms with Luke.

 

Making sure we're alone, plop down in a chair, completely exhausted mentally. Luke begins to bandage his arms so they can heal better later on.

 

"You're too strong to be fighting here. You don't seem the type to get off on beating people weaker than you. And you're not short on money. I know you came for the kid. I just can't figure out why you're  putting up that act."

 

"...There's maybe 15 people out there who, on a pure strength basis, could go toe to toe with me. And most of them just suck out what little life this city and the people around them have.  I get off on being the thing monsters like them fear. Even if…I have other responsibilities."

 

"Yeah, you're a kid alright. An edgy one. Word of advice, stay focused and don't spread yourself thin."

 

"Advice taken."

 

Zeus barges into the room with a duffle bag bursting with cash. He tosses the bag at Luke, who catches it with one hand.

 

"You two did far better than I expected. The way the crowd bought your act, kid, just…*mwah*. Your little wrestling match brings up good memories of mine, and it definitely reminded the admins how much more money non-lethal matches make."

 

"I won't need to fight for a while with this," Luke says as he inspects his winnings.

 

"The kid's next fight is going to be elimination, though. No rules." Zeus says, earning the attention of Luke.

 

"They can't do that! Fighters choose the rules."

 

"But admins decide who fights and when. He has to stay here until he fights his last one. Whether that's tonight, or tomorrow, or next week, or next year.  Apparently, they're willing to give up all the profits on the fight though, much to my disagreement, so there's that." 

 

"There are other clubs too, the fighters will go to ones with fairer environments," Luke says.

 

"We're all owned by the same people with the same rules. Just different names really. I doubt-"

 

"I'll do it." I interrupt, having already heard who my opponent will be.

 

"Alright, I'll let you know when your match is next," Zeus says before leaving.

 

Luke eyes me as I leave. He follows me out down the hallway.

 

"Have you ever killed someone?" He asks.

 

"You can't kill something that's already dead. But yes."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

I don't answer him,  he'll understand soon enough, they all will once I stop the undead infection from spreading. 

 

I stop at the end of the hallway, looking at Peter in the cage with his opponent, and I wait for the iconic line in the not so iconic place.

 

"BONESAW IS REAAAADDDYYY!" Peter's opponent yells out. 

 

I watch Peter bounce and flip around, dodging more than fighting, while his opponent tries to catch him and sling him against the cage, trying to disorient Peter.

 

"Your friend needs some fighting lessons," Luke says.

 

"Yeah, but I wish he didn't. I wish a lot of things."

 

"I'm going to head out, I've got work in the morning, but it was nice meeting you."

 

"I'll give you 50 thousand dollars if you do something for me."

 

"What? I don't do work like that anymore."

 

"Relax. There's a library not too far from here. Somewhere between here and there, an old white man might show up. Just stay with him and protect him until I get there. Take him to someplace public or convince him to go home if you can."

 

"Protect him from what?"

 

"A bullet probably, maybe a knife."

 

Luke nods and walks off, not even asking how he'd get the money.

 

I should've left with Peter as soon as I found him, but that would mean earning the ire of this establishment, and Peter doesn't need that.

 

I watch Peter flail about until he eventually wins, using a small portion of his strength. His other 2 matches happen back-to-back, and he loses both of them without so much as a tear in his clothing. He's done a good job of hiding his abilities, but I'm sure this place already knows who he is. Let's just hope they don't care enough to keep tabs on him.  

 

There's no discussion required for my fight, the rules were decided for me. Besides, I'm not sure that it would be able to speak to me. The wrinkling and hairless sack of flesh at the other end of the cage bared its long fangs and screeched at me. The poor soul must have been a feral vampire for decades, only knowing to obey commands and to feast. 

 

Without a second thought, I teleport in front of the thing and tap its head, sending a needle of white phosphorus into its brain and instantly turning the thing into dust, with the leftover light burning the faces off the weaker vampires.

 

I walk out of the cage and slowly make my way towards the vampires in the crowd, and they sprint out of the club faster than most people could see.

 

With both my fights done, I leave silently, knowing that I've left an impression on them, one of fear.

 

Peter eventually follows behind me down the street as I follow the sound of Uncle Ben and Luke talking. Once we make it to an alleyway, I form some new clothes for him and throw them at him before forming my own.

 

"Never go back there again, Peter. If you need money, you can talk to me. If you require help to understand your powers, you can talk to me. If you need to take your anger out on someone, you can do it to me. If you require anything at all, I can do it for you. And if you need someone to talk to…you should talk to your Uncle Ben and Aunt May. I'm sorry that I'm such a shitty friend and I'm sorry that I put you in this position, but I'm not letting you risk your life because you're emotional."

 

"That's rich coming from you."

 

"When I'm out there, my life isn't at risk."

 

"I'm not talking about your secret life. I know you know how dangerous genetic mutations are. And it's not just the spider bites. You've altered every single part of your body from your skin to your brain and you're lucky that you're not dead a vegetable, or worse. You're even luckier that Nia and Gwen haven't figured you out."

 

"I'm not going to die."

 

"You didn't know that. And you still have no clue what you're doing.  We both know that.  I may still be pissed at you, and you avoiding me isn't helping. But you're still one of the few people that I care about in this world, and literally the only one I can relate to."

 

"You're…you're..right…I shouldn't have avoided you and left you by yourself."

 

"I forgive you," he says rather quickly.

 

Ouch.

 

"Thanks…Let's go." I quickly hurry out of the alley and continue towards Uncle Ben and Luke.

 

They notice us before Peter notices them.

 

"Peter!" Uncle Ben calls out.

 

Peter runs to meet him while I go over to Luke.

 

"What's with the band-aid on his face?" I ask Luke.

 

"I scratched him when I pushed him out of the way of a falling A/C unit."

 

"Thanks. Do you want cash or do you want me to transfer it to you?"

 

"I couldn't call myself a man if I took money for saving someone. Especially so much money."

 

"Then I owe you. If you ever need my help." I hand him a card with my number on it. Hopefully, Cortana will let his call through."

 

"See you around, kid." Luke heads off.

 

I turn around to see Peter and Uncle Ben looking at me with off-putting looks.

 

"Do you know the future, Tyler?" Uncle Ben asks.

 

"No, Uncle Ben. Let's get you home."

 

=<=>=