Peter sighed, hearing even more rubble settle far above him. At least he was able to take Shocker down before the building had fallen. Peter was laying in a small space on broken glass and bits of metal- small, cramped, and dangerous. The debris was caught on something, leaving the tiny space for Peter to huddle in
"Well, this is lovely. How much is rent?" Peter said aloud. He had a bad habit of talking when he was nervous. Did everyone else get out? How long until emergency services got to him?
A few scans confirmed Peter was likely the only one trapped, it helped him relax a little. He could handle this. Peter started pushing up on the debris and with a quick warning from his spider sense, immediately stopped, hearing things shift. A metal frame slid and Peter lost a good 3 feet of the already tiny space
"Okay, no touchy- got it"
Peter was stuck waiting for help. It was kind of nice to just lay there, he always had something he had to do but right now all he could do was sit there and wait. The glass and impending doom wasn't preferable, but he would take what he could get.
Peter pulled up his phone, a little surprised that there was a signal down here. He pulled up the news, seeing the fight he'd just finished. No casualties, but massive property damage.
"A win in my book" The building was insured, as long as no one died, everything would be fine
There was an interview with a woman Peter recognized as one of the last people he'd send out of the building.
"You said that Spider-Man held up the building for you?"
"Yeah, we wouldn't have been able to get out without him. The ceiling was falling around us!" The woman shook her head "I wanted to thank him, but he swung away before I got the chance"
"Uh oh," Peter muttered. He'd bet that was Miles, checking that things were handled or if he could help. The two had different suits now, but it wouldn't always be easy to tell when they were swinging around.
Peter closed the article, going to call Miles but paused. The FNSM app caught his attention. Ganke had set things up for Peter to use the app the same way Miles did, but Peter still kept tabs on it as a user too- also he'd made sure to snag his social media handle there. The last thing he needed was Fisk or whoever posing as him on a crime-reporting app.
It would be hilarious to use the app. Peter grinned, pulled it up, and started a request
Help I'm stuck!! The walls are closing in around me!
Good news! I took down Shocker
Bad news- I'm stuck under the building he knocked down. I need a hero!!
#SMsaveSM
Peter killed time by finally watching videos Miles had sent him and catching up on news outside New York. He never had time to just lay around like this.
Peter's phone rang
"Hey Miles"
"I'm on my way! Are you okay? Why didn't you call me?"
"I made a request, that's just as good right?"
"Ugh, well if you're messing around like this, I'll assume you're fine."
"Oh, I'm doing great. I never get to just lay around in the middle of the day. I might fall asleep- if I do, don't panic when you get here"
"Best I can do is panic... dude, all the first responders are gone. Did you call them to let them know you're still trapped?"
"Uh..." Peter hadn't thought to call. Once he knew everyone else was out, he just trusted Miles to help him.
"Seriously? How did you even survive before I got here?"
"Good question!" Peter said, not having an answer
"Alright, where were you when it fell?"
"Main floor in the lobby on the west side. Things are a little touchy so try to be careful"
"Sure thing" Miles paused for a moment and Peter heard other voices in the background "Hey guys, I'm here to dig Spider-Man out... No, that was me, he got stuck... Oh yeah! Thanks!"
Miles was probably talking to some of the people clearing the rubble from the roads.
"Hey Spidey, I've got some people helping me dig you out. Fire and rescue are on their way too."
"I knew Spider-Man could handle it" Peter heard someone talking to Miles, but couldn't quite make out specific words
"Are you hurt?"
"Not really, just some scratches at the worst"
-----
"Okay, hang tight" Miles looked around, the building was completely leveled. Glass, metal, and concrete were everywhere. Peter must have managed to find a cavity in the collapse. He seemed casual and not squished over the phone.
Miles was glad Peter called him- or contacted him- for his help. Peter had jumped in to help Miles several times before and Miles was determined to help Peter this time. It honestly was a little reliving that he wasn't the only one of the two needing outside help.
Miles carefully walked around the rubble, keeping in mind how fragile things might be. After a few scans, Miles found Peter's heat signature far below. He'd been on the ground floor so every floor was sitting on top of him. Miles tried not to feel overwhelmed.
"Okay, I found you"
Miles saw Peter put a hand to his head before looking in his direction and waved
"You're buried pretty deep here, I hope you're comfy. I'm going to start moving things. Let me know if you sense something I don't"
"You got it"
Miles started carefully clearing things, extremely careful of his footing, Peter's warning at the front of his mind. Miles only risked his weight near Peter if absolutely necessary. He opted to web things and drag them away, it was slow work, but his spider sense was quiet. Miles was so tuned into his spider sense he jumped at the sound of a car door closing.
Miles took a deep breath, he hadn't squished Peter. Fire and Rescue were here, they'd be able to help
"Hey Spider-Man, names Doug, we can take it from here"
"Uh, I already know where he is, I can-"
"We just need to confirm son, we're trained for rescues like this"
"Uh... okay" Miles was a little annoyed they weren't willing to listen, but couldn't argue or they'd try harder to kick him off the scene. It'd be a lot harder trying to rescue Peter if they were trying to arrest him or something.
"Alright, Penny are you ready?" Doug called to a white and brown border collie who sat at attention on the sidewalk
With a hand signal from Doug, she was off, smelling and searching the rubble. Miles stood still as he watched her, listening intently to his spider sense. When she got close, she spent a second smelling Miles before stepping close to where Peter was buried. She was well-trained Miles noticed. She would test her weight before moving and seemed to know what to avoid stepping on. She sniffed the area Miles had been clearing and stopped, tail wagging, and looked to Doug.
"Did you find someone?" Doug asked, his voice going a little higher as he spoke to the dog
Penny's tail wagged harder and she sniffed the rubble again before looking back to Doug in a clear confirmation.
Miles found it hard to stay annoyed with the dog around
"Sorry Spider-Man, we gotta do things by the book. Even with superheroes"
"Sure," Miles fought to stay annoyed as he watched the dog carefully make her way back to Doug for praise and attention
"Just... let me stay and help. I'm on call with him, so that should be at least a little helpful right?"
Doug seemed to think for a moment "We'll just mark you down as a trained volunteer"
Miles found himself working more confidently with a team trained in rescue. They had a keen eye for spotting where rubble was supported and how to move it as safely as possible. They worked together to clear things and all went much faster than when Miles was alone.
"We usually would use a crane to lift this, but it's not exactly gentle. Can you lift it?"
Miles looked at the slab of concrete. He could definitely lift it, but he still used the same technique as before. He webbed it up and carefully dragged it away. Miles returned and suddenly everything shifted under their feet. Miles managed to keep his balance but everyone else fell as things settled and slid in an explosion of noise.
"Spidey, you okay!?" Miles hadn't felt his spider sense, but he couldn't help but worry
"All good down here" Peter's voice relieved any anxiety and Miles took a deep breath as Peter kept talking "Did you know Jameson's coming out with another book? I'd bet you'll have a chapter or two to yourself."
"Ugh, you're not going to buy it are you?"
"I've got it pre-ordered. The first round of books come with a Jameson action figure"
Miles couldn't help the laughter, causing the others to stare at him
"Sorry, I'm paying attention, I promise"
"If he's in good spirits down there, that's a great sign," Doug said with a smile.
They all continued to dig by hand, floor by floor. Penny the rescue dog reconfirmed Peter's position as rubble got moved. The piles of debris were all set far away from their work area to ensure the safety of the team and to limit the risk of collapsing Peter's shelter. Doug insisted everyone take breaks every so often and Miles found himself antsy and restless when they insisted he sit down. Peter wasn't in any immediate danger but that could change fast. When his 10 minutes were up, he had to stop himself from running back to the scene.
After what felt like hours, Miles lifted a metal sheet and passed it to the team. Penny carefully stepped onto the newly uncovered wood, nosed at one of the holes, and looked to Doug.
"Go ahead girl"
Penny nosed her way under the wood and disappeared
"Woah! Hello," Peter said, Miles heard him over the phone and from below. Miles heard sniffing and excited whines from Penny
"She found you huh?" Miles said, unable to keep from smiling. They almost had him out of here
"Aww thank you! What a good girl!" Peter's said, pretty much ignoring Miles
Miles webbed a metal frame to some of the support beams still standing before carefully moving the last piece of debris that was caught on the metal. The red and blue of Peter's suit came into view and Miles felt a huge sense of accomplishment and relief. Penny was cuddled up on Peter's chest, her tail wagging.
"Hey Spider-Man" Peter waved
"Hey yourself"
Peter moved to stand, but Penny pushed further into him, whining and nuzzling her head under his chin. It was adorable and stopped Peter in his tracks.
"Good girl!" Doug called before addressing Peter "You're sure you're not injured?"
"Totally fine, thanks for the help"
Doug nodded and whistled. Penny jumped up and climbed her way out of the rubble. Peter got up and stretched, brushing off dirt and glass from his suit before webbing a support beam and launching himself out too.
"Alright Spider-Man, we do need to take you to the hospital, just to make sure you don't have any internal injuries"
Peter took a few steps backward "Yeah... the thing about that is-"
Peter swung up and away, disappearing behind the buildings
"Yeah that checks out" Miles muttered "Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on him. Thanks again, guys!"
Miles swung up and followed Peter, who was definitely headed to his apartment. At least he seemed to be calling it for today, He'd been through enough
-----
There was a picture on social media that was catching a ton of attention. A selfie of Spider-Man laying around dust and debris with a black and brown border collie cuddled up on his chest.
NYCWallcrawler: The FNSM app is fantastic! I was buried for hours and Spider-Man helped fire and rescue dig me out! Shoutout to Penny who showed them where to look. Fast response 10/10 will definitely be using it again
BKLYNSpider42: Just call me next time!!