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Chapter Text

     “—and he even said I could fly the helicopter—“ Peter and Gwen listened as Harry talked about his weekend plans. Apparently, Norman Osborn had thought it was finally time to spend some quality time with his son. About 16 years late. Not that Peter was concerned; he was happy for Harry.

Gwen looked over at him; a bit skeptical. “You sure he isn’t just dragging you to some old, rich people event? Like golf?”

Harry shrugged, “I don’t care what we’re doing—” Peter cut him off by grabbing the back of his shirt; keeping him from walking into traffic. The three teens waited for the lights to change before continuing. “I’m just happy to spend some actual time with him…”

They talked as they made their way to the park. Soon, Gwen had hopped on a bus home, and after that; Harry was picked up by his dad. Peter stared up at the midday sky; it was cloudy with a depressing gray and it would definitely rain later. He could smell it. 

Peter looked around one last time before slinking off into an alleyway. He crouched behind a dumpster; trash and garbage crushed under his feet and he felt something wrapped around his ankle, more trash perhaps, but he paid little attention to them. He dug around for a bit until he found his gloves, boots, mask, and web-shooters. He went to pull his shoes off when he noticed something on his leg.

Thick, black slime wrapped around his leg; like a mummified hand crawling out of its grave.

It only took Peter a moment to realize what he was looking at. And panicked.

He kicked hard enough to dislodge both the symbiote and his shoe. He jumped backwards and landed upside down on the wall opposite the alien gunk; letting out a low hiss. Grate, his gear was behind it. 

Strangely, it didn’t try to move closer; it just writhed in place. Part of it rose up and twisted together to form a familiar and unwelcomed face. ‘A new trick it got from another host?’

The form of its face was dripping into itself; probably unstable without a host. It bared its teeth and lashed its tongue like a snake. It stared at him for a few more moments before It open and closed its ”mouth” repeatedly; garbled sounds escaping it, until it managed something understandable.

“H…p…Hel..p”

‘Help? This thing needs help? MY HELP?!’ It came to him. It seeked him out. Peter wonders if he should believe it. It had the chance to bond with him a second ago, and he knew it didn’t even want to bond with him. Peter glared at the goop as it continued to repeat the word “Help”; speech vaguely improving. ‘It…must be desperate…’

Hesitantly, he retched out a shaky hand. Just to hear what it wanted, and if it tried anything funny, he could easily get it back off. Milky white eyes widened, looking between the offered hand and Peter’s stern glare. It waited a second before its viscous form crawled closer. Inky black tentacles slither over his hand and seeped into his skin.

‘We need your help.’

It spoke in his head; voice laced with poison. Peter leaped off the wall and retrieved his belongings. “Bit of context would be nice.”

The symbiote hissed. ‘Eddie. We need to find Eddie.’

Peter froze mid change. It wants his help? To find Eddie? After everything it's done to them!? He was angry. “Why should I help you? Why my help? Why not highjack some poor pedestrian?!” Not that he wanted anyone to be this thing’s victim.

A quick, sharp pain ran through his body and he fell to the ground. ‘We know; you’ll do anything to help those you care about. Anything…’

Peter sighed; it was right, and he did want Eddie to get better. He wanted his brother back…“Hay, wait! Didn’t I gene cleanser you? You shouldn’t even be able to bond with Eddie anymore?!”

‘Ah, you see, Spider, we’ve evolved, and adapted. We are able to overcome any challenges. Given enough time.‘

Peter pulled his mask over his face and began to scale the wall. Scowling to the voice in his head. “Why do you want Eddie anyway? Gonna make him hurt more of our friends?”

The symbiote was quiet, thinking about what to say next. Spider-Man swung up to a higher building and sat on the edge; watching cars drive below. It was a brief moment of silence. ‘…Because we care about him. We care so deeply for him, and we NEVER got to tell him that before YOU ripped us apart…’

Spider-Man slammed his first down, hard enough to crack the cement. “Why should I believe you, huh?! You manipulated me and almost cost me my friendships! You made me think you wanted to help me! Why should I help you with anything?!”

‘Spider, we love him!’

“And I loved him! He was the closest thing I had to a sibling AND one of my closest friends! He protected me when I couldn’t protect myself and I tried to help him anytime I could, but I couldn’t apologize for all shit I messed up because YOU took him away!” He was yelling now; voice hurting as his throat closed up and tears stained his mask. He was glad he chose such a tall building now; nobody could hear him up here. Except the alien in his head. He lay down on his back and wiped the tears under his mask. ‘God, I’m pathetic.’

‘You really are…’

He stayed there for a few minutes. The rain smelled closer and the sky was darkening by the minute. He should head home soon, but he didn’t want the symbiote near his aunt.

‘How bout this: you get us back to Eddie, and we will not hurt you or your loved ones ever again. Deal, Parker?’ It purred.

He thought for a minute; maybe if he did reunite the two, he could reconnect with Eddie. It was worth a shot. Spider-Man sighed; standing up. “You also can’t take control of my body or mess with my emotions.”

The symbiote growl, the sound resonating in his skull. ‘FINE!’  

Spider-Man sat perched like a gargoyle on the high fence of Ravencroft; the atmospheric sound of distant thunder roared around them. The building was a lot scarier in person, especially at night. He was pretty sure vampires used to live here.

‘What are we waiting for? He's right there!’

The symbiote demanded; its inky form extended from his shoulder to form into a vague hand shape and pointed to a window. With his enhanced vision; though he was sure the bite should have made his vision worse; he could see the familiar face of Eddie Brock. He had an annoyed look on his face as he interacted with a person with red hair.

With a “thwip” of his web-shooters he leapt off the fence.

Away from Ravencroft.

‘Where are you going?!’

Spider-Man spoke sternly, “We have to wait.” He swung a few more blocks and landed on another building. “We need an opportunity to sneak in. If we just break in, we risk everyone escaping. There are a LOT of dangerous people there.”

‘It would be easier…’

Peter found his backpack and changed back into his normal clothes; raindrop falling and making him shiver. “…no it wouldn’t.”

‘…you know, deep down, a part of him DID still care about you. The part he tried so hard to bury wanted to rid you of your powers BEFORE killing you instead.~’ The alien purred, clearly trying to guilt trip him into rushing in stupid.

“That’s nice!” He cheered in a slight mock; hoping on a bus.

The bus ride home was surprisingly quiet. Peter softly hummed to himself, watching the raindrops run down the window. He had a feeling the next while would feel long with the symbiote yelling at him, or maybe he had made a mistake in trusting it. Maybe they would kill him once he reunited it with Eddie. Maybe it was just wishful thinking that he could help him.

When he got home the first thing Peter did was fall directly onto his bed. His Bestest friend. Feels softer every time he comes home. 

He turned at the sound of the door opening, and Aunt May walked in. Her voice was soft but slightly hurt. “Oh Peter, is something wrong? You ran up so fast you didn’t say hello.” She sat on the edge of the bed.

“Ah, sorry Aunt May. Guess I’m just tired. How was your day?” He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, awkwardly.

Her expression changed to that of concern and sadness. “Peter, did something happen? You look like you’ve been crying.” 

He thought he cleaned his face enough, could he not feel more tears with the rain? “I-I uh…I” he tried to speak but his throat was closing up again. More tears bubble at the corner of his eye.

“Oh…” She pulled him into a tight hug; running her fingers through his hair. “It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me right now if you don’t want to, but you shouldn’t keep things that are bothering you bottled up.” She murmured while her nephew sobbed silently into her shoulder.

They stayed like that form a while; even long after Peter ran out of tears and his breathing sputtered out into slow, uneven breaths. Soon, they parted, and May headed for the door.

“…It’s about Eddie…” Peter said softly before she left. She sat back and clasped one of his hands in both of hers. “I’ve been thinking about Eddie recently and… I miss him…”

“Oh Peter, it’ll be alright. He is in therapy, remember?” He hoped that was true; Aunt May didn’t know everything that happened, all she was that Eddie had some problems and that he and Peter had a fight and got hurt. Her eyes widened with an idea and she smiled. “Oh I know! How about, when Eddie gets back and he’s had time to readjust, we throw him a party! We can bake a cake and everything!”

It sounded like a good idea. “That sounds amazing!” He smiled.

”Wonderful! Now, I have to go to the bank and run some errands, will you be alright for a few hours?” Peter nodded and May ruffled his hair before leaving.

‘She really cares about you. Both of you.’

Peter lay down on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. “Of course she does! She has kinda been my mom for almost fourteen years…. I never knew my real mom…” his voice trailed off into a murmur.

‘Mom?’

“You know, a parent. Someone who takes care of you before you're old enough to take care of yourself. Someone who’s supposed to love their whole life…” Peter turned to look at the photo of him and Uuncle Ben on his nightstand. “Does your species not have those?”

The symbiote growl ‘Our kind becomes independent near immediately after spawning! We do not require “parents”.’

Peter just rolled his eyes, “yeah, I can tell by the way you act.” He was met with another growl in response.

Almost an hour later, Peter jumped out of bed and stretched; a satisfying crack from his arms, back, and neck. He quickly changed into his costume.

‘Are you going out again?’

“Um, yeah?” He looked at the. Alarm clock, it read only 6:47. It was dark out, but not too late. “S’not like I have anything else to do. Aunt May out, Gwen wants alone time, Harry’s… with his dad, Liz has cheer practice, and Mj’s with Glory.” He crawled out the window and onto the cold, wet roof, ready to take off. “Besides, there’s this weird guy in a green bodysuit who’s ass I need to kick. I'm sure you’ll love him! I sure don’t!”

Chapter Text

     Cold rain beat down on him more like hail than water. Swinging between towering buildings high above the ground probably wasn’t helping. Cold wind wrapped around his limbs; strangling him. Peter didn’t always have problems with chilly weather, but it seems to get worse every year after the bite. He was pretty sure he was going to die next winter.

‘Did you know the average human body temperature is about 98 degrees?’ The symbiote teased. 

Spider-Man rolled his eyes. “And is MY body temperature that high?”

There was a beat of silence as the symbiote thought. ‘No. It's quite concerningly low actually, BUT it is still warmer in here than out there.’  

Spider-Man shivered, he probably would have nodded off into a small spider-nap if he hadn’t heard the whirling of helicopter blades. It was close enough to be clearly heard over moving cars and rain. It was too close. He swung up to land on a building to get a better look. While he couldn’t make out the driver he could see that they were flying solo. They flew in pretty big circles high above; if they were tailing him, they were doing only semi-decently at hiding it.

He was about to swing up to see the driver when even the sound of the propeller was drowned by a manic cackle.

“Great, just who I wanted to see!” Spider-Man changed directions to follow the haunting laughter.

‘Where are you going?’ 

“Goblin trumps ambiguous stalker.” A few turns and a flip over a building later and he finds who he’s looking for; The Green Goblin, in all his goofy glory.

“Hey gobby! Lovely weather tonight, but I think soap would help with that nasty green you’re covered in!” As dangerous as The Goblin was; he was the only villain he had that could keep up in the comebacks. If Spider-Man was going to respect him for anything…

The Goblin’s head snapped; toxic, yellow eyes pierced though the young hero easier than the throwing knives. The Goblin grinned wide; Spider-Man’s just amazed his mask hasn’t torn under stress. “Awwwww, but I took a nice warm shower this morning! Oh, but Gobby knows spiders hate water!”

“Sorry Gobby, but I’m built different.” As Spider-Man caught up Goblin, he noticed two things; first, he was holding a large, metal box. Second, he had… a tail. Long and pointed, like an odd creature. “You know, you can’t just make a major change to your look after you make your debut. What’s the tail for anyway?”

The Goblin chuckled, wiggling his butt so tail would sway.

The symbiote purred, and Spider-Man could hear the mischief in its voice. ‘We like this guy, he’s funny. Much funnier than you.’

“HEY!” Spider-Man shouted ,ignoring the slightly confused look from The Goblin. “I’m plenty funny!” He said, a bit offended. 

Some well aimed webs; one on the wing of the glider and one building ahead of them, and Spider-Man easily able to latch onto the underside of the glider. Felt nice to give his arms a break, and he took the opportunity to refill his web-shooters. He pulled himself forward and peeked over the edge; making sure not to put his face in front of the glider’s “mouth”. “What’s in the box, Gobby? Y’know Christmas was, like, two months ago?”

Goblin crouched; alternating the box to be held under his right arm and patted the top with left. “Oh, just trying to spread some late Christmas cheer! But it seems I lost my reindeer…” His tone got a lot more serious at that last part, and he shot a disappointed look towards the helicopter; that was still following them.

A sharp pain shot through his foot caused him to leap off the glider and was now swinging ahead of it. ‘He can stab with his tail? A bit inefficient. ’ He just barely dodged bolts of energy that were fired at him.

‘You know, you might have an easier time fighting if you were a harder target… with darker colors.’

“No thank you! I love my vibrancy!” He shouldn’t be getting distracted by the symbiote’s teasing in the middle of a chase. He was stressed enough with the maniac behind him.

“Talking to yourself, Spider?—“ he shot another bolt of energy, this time it hit the hero in the shoulder. “I’m supposed to be the crazy one here.” The Goblin chuckled.

The symbiote screamed in pain; tightening itself around his muscles. His body tensed up and he let go of the web mid swing; tumbling across a building’s roof. He was pretty sure he sprained his ankle. “Easy symby, it was just one shot, and not the worst thing he could’ve hit us with…”

‘We change our mind, we don’t like the green man!’

“Well Spider-Man, our little game of chase was fun, but The Green Goblin has more important things to do!” The Goblin zipped down the road; pressing a button on the side of the box.

It was spring loaded.

Dozens of compact pumpkin bombs exploded from the box, Goblin vanishing into the rainy sky. The pumpkin’s timers louder than his laughter.

“NO!”

Spider-Man shot off the building, spider sense blaring like a siren. Webbing up a few bombs and using the momentum from a midair spin to fling them above the buildings. He was about to launch another three—

They all went off. Hot, green smoke, and chemicals, and the scent of brimstone engulfed the web-slinger; the screams of the bombs and the people below deafened him. All his senses were ringing. He didn’t even know which direction he was going until his back hit a wall and his head hit the pavement.

‘Parker.’

His head hurt like hell, yet he couldn’t sense any immediate danger. Maybe he could sleep a bit longer…

‘PARKER.’

There was a large weight on his back; adding that cold weather, sleep sounded really good right now…

‘PARKER!’

He couldn’t hear any screaming and only one of his ears was ringing. People must be safe and he could rest for a little while longer…

“Spider-Man?”

He awake to someone shaking his shoulder. His eyes slowly adjusted to the flashing lights and met the eyes of captain Stacy. The man sat crouched in front of the hero; worry washing off of his face as he woke up. Spider-Man pushed the chunk of wall off himself with ease, to the surprise of the nearby paramedic. He took a quick scope around; the buildings were pretty damaged and the road had large craters filled with water from rain that had long passed.

He climbed to the top of a lamppost to get a better look; most of the chaos caused by The Goblin by the time he woke up. As he jumped from light to light, he noticed the bank. It didn’t look any more damaged than the rest of the buildings, but it did make him feel haunted.

‘Aunt May said she’d be at the bank. But she couldn’t have been there when the Goblin…’

‘Calm down, Parker.’ The symbiote’s voice resonated in his head, making Spider-Man aware of how fast his heart rate had gotten.

He took some deep breaths before leaping off the light post. He ran to the nearest paramedic. “Hey, uh… do you know what happened to the people in that building?” He gestured to the bank. The paramedic’s face fell a bit.

“Anyone who was badly injured has already been taken to the hospital…”

He gave them a small nod before shooting a web off and swinging away. His breathing quickened as he panicked.

Peter stumbled, running through the front entrance of the hospital. The room was very loud and crowded and Peter bumped into several other people, and shoved away by others. It made the boy feel suffocatingly claustrophobic. 

He managed to push his way to the front desk. The lady running the desk was stressed and frustrated.

“I’m—uh, I wanna know if my aunt is here?” He was shaking and his throat felt sore.

The lady looked more annoyed now, even when not looking at Peter. “I’m sorry sir, but I’m currently busy.”

“PLEASE— I’m looking for May Parker!” His nails dug into the metal; the desk warped in his grip. “…She left earlier, and when I heard what happened downtown- I tried to call her and—“

”ALRIGHT! I’ll check to see if she was Admitted.” The lady was frustrated from overworking, and the teenager panicking in front of her wasn’t helping. Peter held his breath and his body was tense and rigid; the symbiote stiffened around his muscles. He wasn’t even sure he was blinking as he watched the lady type on the computer. Her expression had changed from idle frustration to that of sympathetic sorrow.

She turned back to the boy. “I’m sorry sir, but… May Parker has already been pronounced dead…”

Peter’s heart dropped. She was dead. Aunt May was dead, and he wasn’t there. He was asleep under a wall.

He was alone now.

‘dammit! ’ His vision became blurry. He pushed through the crowd of people and ran out the door.

Chapter Text

    Peter didn’t remember getting home.

He didn’t remember going to bed.

He didn’t remember waking up.

It had to be a dream. He would go down stairs and May would be cooking breakfast; a smile on her face as she bids him a good morning. They would talk about the day as the news told of the latest supervillain to emerge. Peter wouldn’t care, he would spend the whole weekend with his aunt. His family.

But that was never going to happen. 

The creaking of the floorboard echoed throughout the house. A deafening quiet followed the boy to the living room. The lack of lights drowned the house in gray, but teasing rays of sun clawed at the blinds and curtains. The house felt empty, cold, unwelcoming.

Peter lied down on the couch and flipped the tv to the news. They were talking about yesterday; Spider-Man fails to save people and runs off. Jamerson must be having a field day. He would have to wait for any new pictures of Spider-Man. Everyone would have to wait for Spider-Man.

A small weight appeared on his chest and pooled outwards. The symbiote’s form partly leaked out his body, Peter almost forgot it was here. Tentacles twisted together and formed a small head. Its “neck” bent awkwardly to stare down at him. “Your insides taste bitter.” Its Tongue lashed out as it spoke, voice more clear than before.

Peter attempted to push the symbiote away, but its face just morphed around his hand and between his fingers. It let out a short hiss and bit down on the hand. Peter had gotten hurt so many times, the small bite was only a bit uncomfortable, even if blood was drawn.

The symbiote yanked its head back; tearing a bit off. He stared at his hand, watching tiny skin fibers criss cross each other like a blanket. He’d never actually observed his enhanced healing before; he usually sleeps any injuries off. The symbiote licked the off his hand; eyes still staring at him.

They were both startled by a knock at the door. He guessed his friends saw the news and came to check on him. The black goop receded into Peter as he moved over to the window. He pulled back the curtains to see which of friends was here.

It wasn’t a friend, it was Flash. Of all the people to check on him, it’s the person who made his life hell since middle school. Flash noticed him in the window and awkwardly waved. He shifted from side to side a little bit before speaking. “Can I talk to you? Just for a minute.” His voice was muffled by the house.

Peter stared at the bully for a few minutes; watching him intently. After a while, he closed the curtains and flopped back onto the couch; burying his face into the arm of it. Half an hour later, he heard footsteps leaving the porch. Flash had left.

“You don’t like him.” The symbiote stated; it’s voice right in his ear. He didn’t know why it kept talking to him, after all, it had access to his memories. And this isn’t even the first time it has been with him. Maybe it just wanted to torment him. 

The sooner he gets it back to Eddie, the sooner he won’t have to deal with it. He’d hope so at least.

Peter didn’t bother going to school Monday, or Tuesday. 

Maybe he didn’t want to interact with anyone, maybe he didn’t want to deal with all the chatter that comes with high school. Or maybe he just didn’t want to deal with all the kids, who would laugh and tease him over any thing, to suddenly look at and talk to him; offering support as if any of them really cared for him. As if they weren’t also causing him so much pain. AGAIN!

He felt like his body was on autopilot; doing his daily routine with little thought or care. Spending his time in between lying in bed; staring up at the ceiling, or staring down at the floor from the ceiling. Sometimes, the symbiote would yell at him to eat something. Occasionally, he’d get a text form Gwen or Mj asking how he’s doing.

The lack of activity made Peter feel tired and almost sick. He used to think a few days with no crime fighting would be a miracle he’d eagerly take advantage of, but now, it felt like a curse to have so little to do. His wrist ached to swing.

Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to go out; it’s not like he had a timeframe to worry about. 

So Wednesday morning came. Peter stretched and showered; Spider-Man should always look his best after all.

‘Aw, should you not be dressed for mourning~”

“STOP!” Peter gritted his teeth; sharp canines snagging on his inner cheek. He couldn’t understand why the symbiote was insisting on Peter wearing it. Maybe it was just that eager to get back to Eddie. Maybe it just wanted some sort of control, even just over want he wore.

He wasn’t sure how long he could deal with it.

Swinging from the tops of buildings felt much better than staying inside, the strain in his arms felt so natural for him.

Even from so high up, he could hear people shout his name; most in surprise, but some in disgust. Nothing new to Spider-Man, but it hurt more now after The Goblin attacked. He knew everyone would blame him for people dying more than The Goblin, it is his job to protect everyone.

Just thinking of The Goblin made Spider-Man angry. He had hurt so many people and caused so much destruction, and he didn’t even have a proper reason, not one that Spider-Man knew at least. Any motives he got out of the green maniac were inconsistent.

If he was after power, he would abandon those who had it just fight Spider-Man through the city. If he was caught stealing tech, than he would destroy it, just so Spider-Man didn’t have a victory. It felt like Gobby just wanted to fight Spider-Man more than anything else. All of his villains wanted to destroy him, but that was out of anger towards the young hero; he knows them and their other goals. He doesn’t even know who The Green is.

He didn’t know who he was beforehand or why he became The Green Goblin, and it made Spider-Man angry.“When I fine Goblin, I’m gonna—“

”You’ll what?” The symbiote draped its form around his neck and shoulder like a scarf. “What will you do, Parker?”

He wasn’t sure what he would do. Spider-Man knew he wouldn’t be able to…kill him, but he also knew no prison could hold The Goblin. He wondered what other options he had; ones that were effective.

The sound of cars honking caught his eye. Following the commotion led him to a familiar face. The Sandman.

He swung down and landed on a long since abandoned car. “ Hey sandy, great to see your face again.”

The villain turned around; shifting his fist into mourning stars and took a swing at the hero. “And where have you been, huh? N’one seen ya in a while.”

Spider-Man dodged out of the way; kicking off the weapon and landing onto a streetlight. He webbed up a piece of debris and swung it into his foe, who collapsed into a cloud of sand. “Thought I’d take a rest for a few days. It’s hard being the only hero in New York. Some of your buddies make it difficult.” 

With the implications of him not being a threat, Sandman shot a large fist at Spider-Man, who was not able to dodge in time and was slammed into the ground. He groaned; he was pinned to the ground by a sand hand. “Oh yeah? For what I heard; you hid away after Gobby one upped yah.” He was picked up and repeatedly slammed into the side of a truck; his face making an indent in the metal while the other man mocked. “Poor, lil spidey; can’t handle his first proper loss.”

Spider-Man felt more irritated now and slipped out of Sanman’s gritty grip; ducking underneath the truck and placing his feet on the underside of it. “I was NOT HIDING !” He yelled; launching the truck into the air and using his webs to yank it back down, right into the villain.

Sandman slithered out from under the truck. He attempted to reconstruct himself, but Spider-Man ran up to him; hitting him enough to send a cloud of dust. The dust blew down the street to reform again. “Hey take it easy man!” Sandman put his hands up in defeat, but Spider-Man buried his fist in his chest; sending them both to ground.

Spider-Man kept punching and kicking the sentient sandcastle, though it wasn’t very effective as he was made of sand and could not be hurt with brute force. Grains of sand scratched and scared his fist; he felt his body trembling.

His body was lifted into the air by a sandy hand; arms pinned to his sides. “You have some issues, man.” Sandman held the hero at a safe distance away. “If you need to blow off steam, I suggest getting a punching bag, or an indestructible friend. Keepin that much pent up frustration ain’t healthy.” He gently sets Spider-Man down. The arachnid crunched down, still shaking a bit. “Hows about you head back to your, uh, spider-den or something, and I’ll call it a day. Anger issues and super powers is what makes villains, not heros, and you are New York’s only hero…” he pats Spider-Man on the back before blowing off into the wind.

Spider-Man sat there, dumbfounded. He felt a little embarrassed for losing his temper during a fight. He felt more embarrassed that one of his villains; Sandman of all people, had told him off. One of his oldest and easy to anger villains. One he knew by name.

His sulking was interrupted by aching pain in his wrist. It had become unbearable since earlier and he couldn’t understand why. He’d thought slinging would have made it feel better, but it felt worse. It almost felt like muscles and tendons were moving unnaturally under his skin. Spider-Man had torn muscles and severed arteries and tendons before, and he healed every time; he guessed he was just so used to pain that something that would leave a normal person writhing around in agony only felt like he stubbed his toe. 

‘You should probably take care of that.’ Spider-Man was positive the symbiote was feigning concern because it could also feel the pain in his wrist. As much as the thought of the parasite suffering made him a little better, even he wasn’t that stubborn, not today at least.

The moment Peter got home, he filled a container with cold water and submerged his hands in it. It stung pretty badly but nothing he wasn’t used to. If he can dive in the river in the middle of December, than he can put his hands in a bucket. After a few minutes, he emptied the container and refilled it with warm water to see if that felt better.

His phone, which had been sitting on the counter nearby, dinged with a text. He dried his hand on his shirt to check the message. It was a text from Gwen that read: “think you can come to school tomorrow?”

Peter checked the; 8:37 in the morning. If he leaves now he could get there in time for second period. He was already up, and being able to talk to someone that wasn’t an evil slime. “I can come today.” He texts back, smiling to himself. His friends are worried about him, so might make them feel better if he told them himself that he was okay even with Aunt May gone. 

Which reminded him of something; something he’s been meaning to do for days, but haven’t gotten around to it yet. Now is a good time to get it done. He could practically feel the symbiote smile when he found what he was looking for: a pen and paper.

It was a little after 9:00 when he got to school; everyone was in class now and while he could go to his before any lesson properly started, he realized that he really did not want to go to history class right now. So here he was; Peter Parker, orphaned again, hiding in a school bathroom. 

The bright lights irritated his eyes. He never liked using the school bathrooms, it felt weird. He looked at himself in the mirror, he looked exhausted despite having spent a lot of his time sleeping, his hair was also pretty messy. He ran his hand under water to try and fix it; Peter didn’t usually care about his appearance that much, but maybe his friends won’t freak out if he looked to be doing alright.

Lunch started and Peter slipped outside with everyone else, he didn’t feel like eating right now. He saw Gwen and Harry sitting close to the wall. He walked over to them and smiled. “Hey!”

”PETER!” Gwen shouted, her face lit up when she saw him. She ran up to him but stopped, making odd gestures with her hands, unsure what to do. Frustration was clear on her, so Peter pulled her into a hug. “I’m so glad you came today!”

“I mean I did chicken out of history, but I’m glad to be here.” Peter laughed, Gwen led him to the table and he sat between his friends. Even with his friends by his side, everything still felt tense. Other kids kept looking over at him, and he knew they were talking about; enhanced hearing not needed.  He’s known a lot of these kids for years. They knew he didn’t have parents, and he’d gone through this same scenario when Uncle Ben was killed. He knew they didn’t actually care about him, it’s just a human response. It still didn’t make him feel better.

His hands clenched into fist in his lap; the symbiote purring loudly in his head. In a few weeks everyone would go back to laughing at him after everything blows over.

“Hey, Pete… h-how are you?” Harry asked, breaking Peter out of his thoughts. His voice was unsteady and his breathing was thick. Tears were bubbling at the corner of his eye, making them look even greener, threatening to spill down his redend face.

“Oh, Harry.” Peter pulled him into an embrace. Harry buried his face into Peter’s shoulder; he gripped the back of his shirt. “I’m doing fine, Harry, are you okay though?” Peter found that he liked hugs from Harry more than from others. Maybe it was because before, Harry didn’t even like to be touched, now he’d  jump at any chance for contact. It felt… earned.

‘WE don’t like this contact though, make him stop.’

“I-Im fine, I’m just…I’m…I’m—oh god, Peter, I’m so sorry! I'm so, so sorry!” Harry pulled any, there was something in his eyes. It wasn’t sympathy or pity, it was haunting. Peter didn’t quite know what it was, but it felt genuine.

“Hey, Harry, it’s ok, it’s ok…no need to cry for me.” Both Peter and Gwen had to calm him down. He had not expected Harry to be so emotional; he seemed so guilty, like he was responsible for…everything. He did suspect Harry to be The Goblin at some point, but too many details line up with that thought. Norman was also a suspect with little contradictions, but also few confirmations.

Besides, Harry said he was with his dad over the weekend, and last time he checked; Goblin didn’t have a sidekick. Not that he wanted his best friend to have any sort of relationship with his enemy.

“Heya Tiger.” MJ had snuck up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Heard you were giving out hugs this afternoon.”

Peter had jumped at the surprise attack, but leaned into it either way, ignoring the symbiote’s protest. The redhead parted and took a seat across from them. They soon started talking about what he had missed in school and joking around; keeping things lighthearted. Everything was great.

“Hey, Parker!” Everything was awful. Peter spun around to face Flash. “Didn’t think you’d leave your house.” The teen  leaned against the wall, arms folded over his chest.

“What do you want, Flash?” Gwen demanded, standing between the two boys. Peter looked down, rubbing at his wrist.

Flash scoffed, rolling his eyes. He kicked himself off the wall to be closer to Peter. “Was just noticing that you’ve been a shut-in for days now, just curious to know how you’re doing.” He crouched down to be level with Peter; their eyes not meeting. “Sinse, you know, you’re all alone now.” He stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

Something about that had really stung. Peter knew he was alone, he felt it, he’d seen it. Hearing it out loud finally had the realization that he is alone sink in. His Aunt May, his only family, is dead and he couldn’t be there. Last she saw him, he was upset and overwhelmed; had she died worried for her nephew or how he would handle himself? Yeah, the symbiote was writhing inside him, but it had to get back to Eddie, and it wasn’t exactly the best company.

The more his mind lingered on that realization, the more he started to shake, and the symbiote started to growl. Tears streamed down his face and his breathing hitched. He put his face in his hands to hide from any prying eyes; a hand was placed on his back, and he blocked out everything else.

“He’s not alone, Flash, he has us! He’s doing fine !” Gwen snapped; some other kids had turned their full attention to the group. “In fact, my dad said he could stay at our house if he felt alone!” She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, but pulled back when he flinched a bit.

“If he’s “doing fine” than he can say it himself.” His voice was stern but quiet. He grabbed Peter by his shirt, pulling him up to look into his eyes. He was too close, whether he knew it or not. “Tell me that you’re really okay, Peter.”

“I AM OKAY!” Peter screamed. He crumpled to the ground, howling in pain with hot tears blinding him. Harry and Mj pulled him close, glaring at the offending teen.

Flash had stumbled backwards, caught off guard by the outburst. All the other kids were staring at them now.

Mj stared daggers at him, holding the distressed teen. “ You’re an asshole, Flash. seriously. I don’t know what he ever did to you, or care. Either you apologize to him, or you leave !” 

Flash looked between her, the other kids, and the crying boy. Peter was choking for air; curling in on himself. The other three teens were reassuring him.

He sighed, putting a hand on his shoulder; bloodshot amber eyes snapped towards him. “…Hey, Peter, I, uh, didn’t mean to make you upset. I was just—“

“UPSET?!” Peter jumped up, pinning the other boy to the wall with one hand. Eyes burning red, yet clouded with pain.“Y-YOU THINK I'M ”UPSET”?!” His voice cracked; choked breaths flickered into broken laughter. “I’M NOT U-UPSET! I HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU!” He gritted his teeth and snarled; his eyes, face, and throat burned. Anger was boiling over and threatened to strangle him.

The surprised expression on Flash’s face quickly changed to a calmer one, though his eyes shone a bit of shame in them. He held up his hands beside him in defeat, taking a deep sigh. “Go ahead, if it’ll make you feel better…”

Peter had his fist pulled back; his nail digging into his palms. “… I can live with a black eye for a few days, really.” He closed his eyes, bracing for impact. He would get so much more than a black eye if Peter punched him, and he didn’t even know it.

‘ Go on, he’s causing you such turmoil; It’s his own fault if it hurts…’

His fist made contact with as much force as he could. His knuckles bruised and bloody, and felt as if they were on fire. He dropped the other teen to the ground; having intentionally missed him by a few inches.

‘He’s not indestructible.’

 Everyone was staring wide-eyed at the wall. A large crater spiraled out of the wall and large cracks were etched into the brick and even onto the floor.

His heart rate was fast and loud, drowning out every other sound. It was suffocating him, he couldn’t breathe. He didn’t want to be here. He didn’t want to be anywhere .

He ran for the door, easily dodging anyone who tried to stop him. His shoes squeaked as he rounded the corner; ramming into the wall doing little to stop him. Bright lights of the hallway were disoriented and the shouting of his name stabbed in his brain.

He rammed his shoulder into the door and ran out the school. Car horns blasted as he darted across the street, not caring if he got hit or not. He didn’t know where he was going, but as long as he was far away from that school; away from people, than he didn’t care .

Many twists and turns were made; time spent running was lost. Peter’s mind dissociated and his body felt numb. His vision was blurred and made it difficult to see; it was surprising he didn’t run into anything. Until now.

His foot clipped the steps to an apartment and he tumbled, landing on his face; blood dripped from his nose. The sudden stop and fall caused the strain from running to catch up to him; limbs and lungs burned, and Peter knew he wouldn’t be able to run anymore. He slunked his way into a nearby alley.

Peter gasped for a desperate breath of air, but his lungs could only expand so far. This was all the symbiote’s fault. Last time he had it, Aunt May ended up in the hospital, and this time she’s gone. Best case scenario; Venom will hightail it out of New York when Eddie and the symbiote are reunited, and Peter will be alone.

His breathing became slower and deeper. A warm feeling spread from his head to the rest of his body and his eyes became heavier. He wiped his face of tears and blood. “…what are you doing?” His voice was quite raspy.

The symbiote’s ”head” slither around Peter’s neck and rests on his shoulder “ increasing your dopamine levels. You’ve had enough today.”

Peter wanted to protect the foundry breaking, especially while he was so vulnerable. But the warm and tired feel, and the exhaustion from the day made the thought of sleep very enticing. He curled up, pulling his legs closer in defeat. He’ll let it slide, just this once, and never again. “I…hate…you…”

“We know. Sleep.”

“Hey, I know we haven’t gotten along or talked since… you know. And I know I’m probably the last person you want to hear from, but a lot happened recently and I thought you should know. Aunt May passed away Friday and I’m kinda on my own now. I know you don’t care or are probably happy even. There‘s also something I need to give you, something I know means a lot to you. I miss you bro, I really do, and I plan to visit you soon, when I have the opportunity at least.

—love, Peter.”

Eddie read the letter again, getting more upset as he did. May Parker was dead. A statement which felt impossible to him, but that’s what he thought when Ben Parker died as well.

He wasn’t happy about this, quite the opposite. He didn’t want Aunt May dead, but he knew why someone would think that; he’d tried to hurt her, he tried to hurt Gwen. Two people he cared so much about, and he’d completely forgotten how much they meant to him when he was consumed by his anger and hatred.

He read the note again, scowling. Of course his “little bro” waited almost an entire week before letting him know. Maybe he buried himself in his “work” and “lost track of time”. 

A small part of Eddie wondered; was Peter sleeping and eating properly? Was he making more time for his friends, the people he has left? And what did he need to give him?

“Hey man, what’s wrong?” Electro, who had been sitting next to him, asked. He leaned over Eddie’s shoulder to read the note, his mask hiding any expression he made. “ …That sounds… not good— ain’t that your brother too?”

The letter crinkled in Eddie’s hands. He was angry. Angry with himself, angry at Peter, and angry at whoever killed Aunt May. He folded the letter up and shoved it in his pocket. He didn’t want it to tear. He would find whoever killed Aunt May, he’ll make sure of it.