Someone knocks on my door, calling me from the silver seas of sleep to the world of the waking. Of course I dunno who'd be knocking on my door like… eight? Nine? No, it's ten. Ten. Ten in the morning but here I am shuffling.
"I'm comin' I'm comin'..." I yawn and rake my hand through my hair, seeing the tiny points of my stingers under my hands. So it really happened. I touch my doorknob and turn it, opening it to someone I've never met.
Or at least in the hubbub of me being bit and passing out I forgot about him. He's wearing a ballcap, gray hair shoved under it with a trenchcoat on, military issue. There's a heavy buzz coming from him as he smiles.
"You're Jack, right?" he asks.
"Yeah? What's up?"
"Oh don't mind me, I just live upstairs. Remember?"
"Oh right, Mister Sims! Sorry about the other day… I was just so busy with getting in and I didn't introduce myself." I rub the back of my head cheekily, and he smirks just a little. He's older than Dad and Mom by a good amount. He doesn't have shoes on. That's weird. Weirder still is the fact that the buzzing I'm feeling almost matches mine. He glances at my wrist, the point had gone fully back in, so he couldn't see it.
"Huh. Well kid, nice meeting ya properly." he pats me on the shoulder and walks down the steps. He's… well, a weirdo. I head back in, get my clothes on for the day, and fix myself a quick breakfast before heading to class.
I get in and the class hasn't started, I amble my way to the back. Just so I don't have much of a- Huh. There's a girl right next to me. Long, platinum blonde hair, almost silver. Bright blue eyes wearing a black shirt with a band on it that I don't really know.
Babymetal?
She smiles, her eyes sparkling with interest and I offer her a slight smile, "Felicia." she says, holding out her hand. I take it, it's soft and well manicured, but I could recognize that hair anywhere.
"Jack." my voice is normal, toned nicely enough. Her slight smile doesn't widen or change and I let go. Watching as our professor lopes in. I'm just taking a science credit so hey, a class with an award winning temporary professor is an opportunity.
But there's someone else my Sense blares at. A boy a few rows over. He's got slicked back dark hair and I don't get a good look at his eyes but there's something about how bored he's sitting that reminds me of…
That Goblin guy and the way he kind of crouched over his glider. What are the odds I have the Maybe-Gold Goblin and the Sorta-Black Cat in my class? Maybe a million to one or a billion or a trillion or a quadrillion? I don't ask them about it, but she shadows me. Follows me and I still feel her languid unchanged signature. I don't even know why she keeps following me, it's creepy. I stop and turn a bit.
"Listen, stop following me." I say.
"Aww, why not?" she croons.
"Because I don't know you and you're freaking me out?" huffing that out, she's pretty but stalking me isn't very nice at- the boy from earlier comes up to us.
"Felicia!" he greets, grabbing her in a one armed hug, "Haha! Good to see you again!"
"Hey Harry…" she looks away with an almost glower in her eyes but then Harry turns his attention to me.
"Oh, you must be…"
"Jack Parker, future rockstar." there's a grin and a chuckle. Good, good. I got him laughing. Gotta ease him into what I'm thinking. That or I'm just being paranoid about a potential new friend. That's a problem.
Yep, definitely an issue, "So, what's your major?" he asks, "Mine's Engineering, of course my Dad…"
"History. Well, that's what I say anyway." I cut him off, "Sorry," Harry shrugs and I smile. Of course I'd love to get to know him, but when you open up first about parents it sorta makes me think you're sheltered.
I mean considering the Rolex I've considered that as a possibility. That and the fancy stuff he's wearing compared to my grungy look, something Eddie would always poke at like I would poke at him too.
"Eh, sometimes people find me being an Osborn free license to bow and scrape." he laughs a little, "There's only so long I can go with a 'Mr. Osborn.' this or a 'Mr. Osborn' that."
Felicia cuts in with a clearing of her throat, "Right, isn't it interesting?"
"Not really…" I sigh, "Growing up rich had to be easy."
Harry snickers, running his hand through his dark hair, laughing a little, "No, no it wasn't. I mean, sure I could get anything I wanted but then my Dad was always busy."
"I guess my dad wasn't?" I shrug, "I just… well, I'mma go." Things always get awkward with me and it doesn't ever slow down and stop, you know? I'm just a weird guy and it just snowballs into a big mess.
Felicia still tails me and I look over my shoulder at her, "You stalking me?"
She shrugs off the accusation and smiles like she's been doing all day so far.
"I wouldn't call it 'stalking' Jack." She hovers close, the smell of something more expensive than my apartment wafts into my nose and makes things haze over.
"Do you ever believe in 'love at first sight'?" She leans on me and my cheeks go beet red. Backing off her, my eyes widen and I make tracks. No, I don't, thanks!
I screw my eyes shut, "Dammit! Dammit! Fuck me!" Stuck to the upper wall and gripping my hands into it. Is that crazy? Is that wrong? She's pretty, but- How do I know her?
Night is the domain of the Recluse. That's what I determined just now. I have time at night, I have all the time in the world. Slinging through the cool summer's night. Just slinging around trying to find something to do. Until I see a little silver dot in the distance, moving along the rooftops towards the Financial district. Here we go! Slinging towards her and closing in, she looks over her shoulder with an almost fond smile.
"You can't just stay away, can you?" I land and she meanders close to me. Hanging over her upside down.
"Come on, I'm just being polite…"
The Cat brushes her gloved hand against my jaw, "We really have to stop following each other like this, Recluse."
"Listen, about the other night..."
"Oh don't worry about it, I had fun."
She smiles, "And about this goggles and bandana setup? It's... not great." her opinion slides off my skin like water.
"I'm not a seamster, okay?"
"I know, Recluse. Which is why..." All the sudden my bandana's down and she kisses me, her lips soft even tasting sweet, "Mm..." she coos before pulling back and pulling it back up, "Don't be a stranger." she leaps away and my webline snaps.
"Shit shit shit shit shit!" I squeak, swinging away and landing near the Empire State building, I breathe softly, trying to steady myself. My legs pop out and stab into the roof just to help me out. I know this is about to sound really lame, or look really lame...
But that was my first kiss. And it wasn't even from that cool girl from Music Theory class! Dammit, that really stings! I close my eyes and think about it. Okay, so her voice and eyes are familiar, her hair color is matching that girl, and she's just as confident...
Is Felicia the Black Cat? I think so.
I could be wrong. She could just be wearing a wig, or have a twin sister, or I'm running on two hours of sleep, a doubleshot Starmaid's coffee, and a single sandwich slapped together and shoved down my gullet. I'm still hungry. Not only is my metabolism super high but it's even higher now with all my powers. But... other than that the whole not having a legit suit thing is really bugging me. Of course I could be alright but...
That's when I feel something in my Sense. Something that goes from normal buzzing to a constant thundering pulse. Screaming towards me on a pair of mighty wings is a guy flying through the air with duffel bags in… her? Industrial metal claws. Big and obvious warning signs but whatever. Hitting the air, I swing off towards adventure and glory, the screaming engines and the feeling of the air hit me all at once. My webbing goes taut and I whip into action.
The winged lady is wearing a dark green flight suit with the wide metal wings and massive whining hover engines. She whips to the right, I run alongside a building. The webline strains and I leap off, using a new one and slinging off a building this time.
"Hey buddy! I think you're from outta town! Vultures are in the desert!" I yell, the Vulture lady looks over at me.
"AHHHHHHH!" she screams in pure fear. My spider legs jab at her and she whips her wings, feathers shoot out and I dodge them, a sharp pain going through my side, I got grazed! She's got throwable feathers!
The webline snaps and she swoops down, her claws gripping me and slamming me hard into the pavement, my shirt shreds and my jeans ripped. In a sheer panic she slams me again and again screeching.
"DIE! DIE! DIE YOU NIGHTMARE FROM HELL!" but that's not what my Legs thought, bursting out of my back and unhooking the claws, grinding me to a halt as the Vulture wheels back towards me, money flying everywhere since he tore through the bag like nothing to it.
"Oh, it's the legs, isn't it?! You know you're TECHNICALLY being ableist, right?" My legs weave up a better hold as I try to slingshot myself away from her, just to find something to ground this madcap flier. I kick up a manhole cover, breathing in as I twirl it around me like a discus.
It snaps out of my hand like the deadliest Frisbee known to man. But then shots ring out from her wrists, it's not a gun but installed wrist cannons. Taking to the air again I chase her down.
"Listen, Duck Hunt's a fun game but I don't think-" Outta NOWHERE comes this massive horned beastie, rocketing at me with a low bellowing, my Sense gets me out of the way. In seconds it rounds and Vulture hovers nearby.
"Aidranne, come on! To crush a spider is simple business!" the armored Rhino-thing thunders. Vulture shakes and shivers, her eyes wide.
"But LOOK at him, Alexei! He's DISGUSTING!"
"What? He is spider! Spiders are weird and fascinating!"
"Do NOT support him!"
Aww! They're fighting like an old married cou- my muscles seize right as the Rhino rockets at me, my Spider-Legs scramble to try to flick me out of the way but I get clipped by the Rhino and go for a flight.
I twirl through the air, my Sense and everything overwhelmed and overtaken. As the Rhino and Vulture close in… there's a brown blur and a heavy WHACK. Standing in front of me is Ezekiel! He looks down at me, his face splitting slightly into armored mandibles and drooling out of his fanged maw.
"Kid, get outta the way!" he snarls, "Do you wanna die?!" My eyes screw shut as my Spider-Legs retract, my head fuzzing with my Sense, my fangs aching and my vision swimming like nobody's business. My hands find where they are, my Sense still buzzes, there's no reason why I'm doing this. Why am I becoming a Spider-Man knockoff? Why? Is it fame? Glory? Standing up, I watch as Zeke and the other villains fight.
He makes it so effortless, so clean. So clearly his own talent. But… Here I am. Drooping legs painfully, and slowly, retracting into my back. My wrists and hands hurt from the web and stinger slats, why should I risk myself? Risk my youth? If out of the eight point eight million people in New York City, why was I the one bitten? Why couldn't have it been Peter? I'm no one special, the only thing that's special about me is the fact my brain got damaged from a lack of oxygen.
What's the big play here? What's the world thinking of making a boy from Queens with Cerebral Palsy a Spider-Man? Through the pain, I crouch and my muscles strain. My Sense hones in on The Vulture, still wheeling through the air but I don't hear her screeching. I always wanted to be something more. To be something great. Here I am, legs pounding the pavement, launching myself at her with all my might and the leftovers of my strength. I leap, feet leaving the ground and everything falling away, the weightlessness as my web slats fire, the pain numbed and I close in, my feet lashing out and scoring a huge hit.
She goes tumbling, end over end, wings sparking and crackling as she lands in the thick webbing Zeke put out. I land and stumble, my breath panting and wheezing. I close my eyes and raise my fist in the air.
Why do I want to be Spider-Man?
Why do I want to be one of two?
I don't know.
As I fall, I'm caught by strong, old arms. A warm chuckle and I'm moved to his shoulders.
"Good job, kid. That's step one."
