"May's house is officially yours then huh?" MJ said, thanking the waiter as he brought them more water
"Yeah, a homeowner in New York... after everything, it's like she's still looking out for me."
MJ smiled, Peter deserved it and more. It was a relief that he finally had a place that couldn't be taken away from him. Spider-Man hours had cost him his home more than once. How messed up was it that Peter could fight supervillains and maniacs but have no home to return to? It was bittersweet for Peter she knew. Peter would sleep on the street for the rest of his life if it brought May back. They'd been in Symkaria when the paperwork had finally settled. Maybe it was for the best that he hadn't been around to worry about it for a bit
"So, when will the renovations be done?" MJ teased "I want to see if your handyman work is as good as your cooking."
"Well there's no fire so far so you can probably guess"
MJ laughed, thrilled to hear Peter joking around again. He'd been slowly getting back to normal, but that was one of her favorite things about him. An alarm on Peter's phone went off, and MJ caught the words 'system failure' before Peter was up and out the door faster than she'd ever seen him go. Usually, he tried to make it look like some kind of work situation or something, but Peter was running like it was life or death. New Yorkers should be yelling at him, not moving out of his way like they'd caught onto his urgency.
MJ frowned, a bit uneasy as she watched him sprint past the window. The waiter came over to ask if everything was okay. Peter really had caught some attention this time.
"Everything's fine, he just had something come up."
"Would you like some to-go boxes?"
"Yes please," MJ said. She was used to Peter rushing out the door, but this seemed different
'system failure' she wasn't sure what that meant, but it couldn't be good.
~o~o~o~
Peter swung fast towards Greenwich, following the coordinates the system gave him. The warning flashed in his mind 'Spider-Man health system failure'. Miles was hurt. The system was malfunctioning though. It wouldn't tell him if it was anything major. It tracked breathing, heartrate and measured impact. It was supposed to tell the other Spider-Man if they were unconscious and should tell them about how much damage they'd taken with special attention to signs of organ damage.
'With any luck, the whole things toast and this is a false alarm'
As Peter got closer, he knew things were very wrong. He was headed straight for Tombstone's repair shop. Peter double-checked the coordinates and stopped on a rooftop a few blocks away. He needed more information, Lonnie was after a fight nine times out of ten. Would he think killing Miles would make Peter fight harder? The guy was insane- Peter wouldn't put it past him... and it's not like he'd be wrong.
'You're getting ahead of yourself. You don't know Miles is in that kind of situation'
Peter was at a huge disadvantage without any intel on what was going on. Lonnie had faced him many times and knew how Peter operated. Peter couldn't risk a miscalculation.
Peter drummed his hands against the concrete where he perched. Anxiety was settling in the longer he sat there. What if Miles was hurt? He'd lost his friend Phin and Peter knew how grief clouded your senses... but had Peter missed something when training Miles? Was this something he should've been prepared for, but Peter neglected to teach him?
'You're getting distracted- focus!'
Peter didn't want to get closer without knowing more. Maybe he should send a spider drone over to see what was up. Could he get close enough without being spotted?
'Wait- Ganke! Miles said he could set up the camera to see everything Miles sees... If I can connect to that...'
Peter pulled up his phone, he'd need a computer to do it himself, but if he could borrow Miles' "guy in the chair" just for a minute.
A few rings in, and Peter prayed Ganke would answer an unknown number. Peter Parker had his number, not Spider-Man.
"Hello?"
Peter sighed in relief "Ganke! This is Spider-Man- well the other Spider-Man- Miles gave me your number. I need your help,"
"Spi- I- Uh-" Ganke paused, taking a deep breath "I... How can I help?"
"I think Miles is in trouble but I can't get closer. I need you to connect to my suit system and show me what Miles is seeing"
"Oh! Let me get to my computer" He heard Ganke moving around "How much trouble?"
"Tombstone, that's as much as I know based on the location. I have no idea how bad" Peter sighed, tapping his hands again. He wanted to move, jump in and take down Lonnie- or whoever, but he had to be smart about this.
"Tombstone!? Is he hurt?" Ganke asked
"I don't know, the health system says he is, but it's malfunctioning so it might be wrong" Peter hoped it was wrong
"Aw man, I wonder if venom fried the detectors or something," Ganke said. Peter hadn't considered that, but he was probably right. "Wait, when we were going through the suit system, I didn't see yours."
"Yeah, it's hidden in the background, I'll guide you through it"
Ganke hadn't actually needed much guiding. Peter told him the first step, and he took it from there. Peter suspected he just hadn't looked for the connection. Peter suddenly remembered the opening screen he kept personalized because no one else should see it 'Welcome Peter' Peter, not Spider-Man or Spidey. He sighed, he couldn't avoid it, besides Miles trusted Ganke, and that was more than enough for Peter. Using the Spider-Man number had been pointless.
"Hey Ganke, when the system pulls up, it's going to tell you my real name"
"I- uh..." Ganke stammered " I won't look, I won't look! I promise!"
Peter rocked his weight between his feet, trying to keep the anxiety down. Miles might be in real danger "We don't have time, my name's Peter, now look at the screen and help me see what's going on with Miles"
Ganke was quiet for a moment "The guy from FEAST??"
"The guy from FEAST. Thanks for your help last week by the way"
"I was just hanging out with both Spider-Men??"
"Ganke,"
"Right, focusing. Best friend in need of rescue. I'll be connected in just a moment"
Peter pulled up his phone when it beeped
'New connection- accept?'
Peter double-checked the info and accepted
"Okay, I'm seeing what you're seeing now," Ganke said, still typing. "Oh man, here's Miles"
The feed took up all of Peter's vision, and it was a little disorienting. Peter clung a little tighter to the concrete under his hands.
Miles was tied to a chair, something was definitely wrong. He should be able to break out of those no problem. Miles followed Tombstone as he paced back and forth in the shop. No audio
"What do we do?" Ganke's voice was filled with anxiety, reflecting Peter's own nerves.
"Hang on- keep that feed up" Peter pulled up the mask to see his phone, sending a text to Miles.
'Connected to your camera. What's going on' He kept the message short to make sure Miles could read the whole thing from the pop-up.
Peter put the mask back on, seeing the message notification on Miles' system
"Smart" Ganke's voice barely registered as Miles slowly looked around. Peter's heart dropped at the sight of men with guns pointed at Miles from all angles. Snipers were lined up at the windows, pointing rifles out the building.
It screamed 'hostage'. Peter clenched his fists
"What's going on?" Ganke whispered, sounding about as terrified as Peter was.
Peter had his suspicions, but if he could get away with getting more information...
Peter texted Miles again 'Can I call?'
"Why would you call?"
"If his ringtone is off, we can get audio. I need to know if he can get out on his own once the guns are down"
The feed moved up and down slowly as Miles nodded
"-any minute" Tombestone's voice broke through
"Kind of got knocked around there. What are you wanting?" Miles asked
Tombstone chuckled, low and annoying "Must be used to fighting the other Spider-Man. He can actually take a hit"
"I mean, you did shoot me"
Ganke gasped and Peter had to brace himself against the fear in his chest. Where was he shot? How bad? If he got out, could Miles swing away himself?
Tombstone stopped in front of Miles "We both know Spider-Man can hit much harder than he lets on. He's been holding back on me all these years. He just needs some motivation."
In less than a minute, Miles had informed Peter of Tombstone's intentions, that he'd been injured and that he was at gunpoint. Peter was proud
"I'm coming to get you," Peter said quietly. Tombstone shouldn't be able to hear him, but Peter didn't want to risk it.
"He's taking his sweet time," Tombstone said, resuming his path through his shop
"Well, I couldn't exactly call him when you jumped me. He doesn't know where I am, maybe you should have planned this better"
Tombstone paused, turning around slowly and pulled a gun from his jacket "You want another bullet boy?"
Peter was swinging through the air before he really processed moving. Ganke quickly moved the feed so Peter could actually see where he was going.
"Holy- I thought Miles went fast"
Peter barely heard him over the blood in his ears, launching himself over buildings and whipping around corners towards Miles and the gun pointed right at him by a psychopath.
'I have to get there in time' If that call cost him...
"Slow down! They're going to see you!" Ganke yelled
Peter broke through the window, kicking one of the snipers across the shop into another. Peter webbed the other two to walls. He pulled Tombstone off balance, webbing his gun to the floor when he fell. Peter swung high into the center of the room yanking guns away. He didn't have time to web them to anything, but he needed them pointed away from Miles
Peter felt the spider-sense before a shot rang out and Peter's heart stopped. He heard a cry of pain from Miles and how messed up was it that he was actually relieved to hear it? He was alive at least, he could handle anything else.
Tombstone had pulled a second gun and had shot Miles in the shoulder
"Kids get into so much trouble these days don't they?" The gun clicked as Tombstone loaded another bullet into the chamber.
"You want a fight?" Peter felt anger fueling his movements and he always tried to avoid fighting angry, but he'd never had to watch a friend get shot in order to rile him up.
Tombstone grinned, dropping the gun and before he could even get his hands up, Peter jumped forward, his fist connecting cleanly with Tombstone's face. Peter held back as much as his body would let him. Tombstone crumpled to the floor, not showing any signs of getting up.
The fight, if you could call it one, was over but Peter still felt anger rolling in his chest and tried to push it down. He approached Miles, his head leaned back as he breathed against the pain. Peter noticed blood on his leg too. Both wounds seemed to only have entrance wounds. They needed to get those bullets out before they healed over
Peter broke the ropes tying Miles and turned to the guards around the room. They all jumped and flinched as he stared at them, several backed away, staring at Tombstone.
"You better hope you have a first aid kit"
Men scattered and a bald muscular man shuffled over, shakily handing Peter a red box.
Ganke laughed over the call, "Dude, they're terrified. You okay Miles?"
Miles made a confirmation noise, letting them know he was coherent, but not exactly okay
"Alright Spider-Man, those bullets gotta come out. This part might actually be worse than getting shot," Peter pulled out some tweezers and glanced at the few goons who were still standing around "Don't get any ideas fellas. Any of you get a gun, and you'll learn just how hard I hit your boss there"
Peter heard the last few men scramble out of the shop. They'd get away tonight, but that would be fine. If a civilian had been shot, Peter would have made the same call.
The bullet in Miles' leg was tough. The wound had already started to heal, causing the need to fight to get the bullet out. Miles squirmed, attempting to hold still as Peter held his leg in place. If he hadn't been holding him down, matching his strength, he would've been kicked across the room. The arms of the chair were crushed in Miles' grasp and Peter tried to ignore the pang of guilt, focusing hard. The tweezers kept slipping on the blood before he finally got a good enough grip on the thing.
"Alright, alright, got it!" Peter threw the bullet to the floor, quickly wrapping the would tightly in gauze- over the suit- and moved to Miles' shoulder
The second shot was much more recent, which should help things go smoother, but Miles was at his limit
"Just leave it, we can get it out later, please- I don't care" Miles' breath hitched, and Peter felt awful. He couldn't let the wound heal over. With Miles, it would only take a few hours at the very most. It would need surgery to remove it safely after that.
"I know, I know, but I can't. It'll be over soon"
Peter wiped blood away from the wound with a piece of gauze hoping for a clear look at what he was aiming for. It gave him a better look at the tear in the suit and the entrance point, but the bullet was deep
"Okay," Pete said as a warning, but not letting Miles anticipate it too long. Ganke was talking, but Peter couldn't focus on his words
The strained cry from Miles brought tears to Peter's eyes and he wished he could have taken his place. He was no stranger to getting shot and he wouldn't mind a few bullets to keep Miles from getting hurt, but he couldn't. He just had to keep going, hating that he was causing so much pain in the process of helping. He had to ignore the cries and just keep going. He'd learned long ago that it was better to just keep going until the bullet was out. Retrying was so so much worse. He finally got ahold of the bullet and the worst part was over.
"Okay done!" Peter threw the second bullet away, dropping the tweezers. He wrapped the shoulder in gauze too. He'd have to properly bandage Miles later when they were away from Tombstones stupid shop, but the gauze should keep pressure at least a bit.
"You still with us?" Peter asked
Miles nodded, his breath shaky "That... kinda sucked,"
"What? I love getting shot" Peter said rummaging through the first-aid kit. There wasn't anything else that would be useful "Can you stand?"
Miles moved to get up, his bad leg buckling under him, Peter caught him, pulling his good arm over his shoulder
"Guess not. Look, you're not swinging with that shoulder, so we have two options. I can carry you while I swing, or we can take the subway."
"Don't want a lot of attention, swinging is fine"
"Where are you guys going?" Ganke asked, sounding like he was moving around
"My place, I've got the best first-aid kit you'll see outside a hospital"
"Oh..." Ganke said, the background noise suddenly quiet. Of course, he'd want to be there to see if Miles was okay. He'd seen what had happened from both Peter's and Miles' point of view.
"I can send you the address," Peter pulled out his phone, sending the message "From the dorms, take the 7th line. It'll get you close"
"I'm on my way," Ganke said, cutting the call
Peter walked Miles towards the window
"If you need a breather, just let me know" Peter swung them up, and out the window Peter had crashed through. Peter found a balance between keeping his movements smooth while still going relatively fast. Miles was coherent enough to stick to Peter as much as Peter was sticking to him. He was the most secure passenger he's ever carried, allowing for faster movements.
Peter swung high to avoid attention from New Yorkers but they still for shouts from a few people on rooftops. Peter's apartment building came into view and Peter landed on the fire escape carefully pulling Miles into the apartment.
"Okay, how are we going to do this?" Peter asked mostly to himself. He would need to change at least, the suit wasn't exactly sanitary after swinging around New York, and Miles still needed stitches.
"I'll get changed. Make it easier" Miles said, carefully taking his weight, bracing himself against the wall.
"Only if you're sure, let me find you something." Peter threw his mask onto the kitchen counter and hurried to his dresser. He found a pair of shorts and an old t-shirt, bringing them back to Miles, and helped him to the bathroom.
"Yell if you need me, got it?" Peter said and Miles nodded.
Peter quickly got himself changed and moved around the apartment, pulling out the first aid kit and taking it to the living room, unlocking the door for when Ganke got there and went to wait in the hallway for Miles.
The door opened and Miles limped into the hallway. Peter grabbed his good arm and started helping him to the couch. It only took one tiny whimper of pain and Peter felt something break in him, and he let go of formalities
"Sorry about this," It was the only warning Peter gave before picking Miles up and carrying him to the couch
"Could have walked" Miles grumbled
"Well when I get shot, you can carry me," Peter said, "Don't go anywhere."
Peter ran back to wash his hands and grabbed a clean towel and a blanket. One to use for the wounds and one for Miles to hang onto during stitches. Peter returned and handed the blanket to Miles and pulled his desk chair to the couch in front of Miles.
"Never seen you angry like that," Miles said and Peter didn't say anything, not sure how to respond. "You okay?"
"I'm not the one who got shot- twice," Peter said, wiping blood away from the wounds. The wound on Miles' leg was a little above the knee and the shoulder wound wasn't life-threatening. It seemed Tombstone hadn't been aiming for lasting damage
Miles changed the subject "The way he was talking... I think Tombstone thinks you're my dad"
Peter scoffed before really thinking about it. He had nothing on Jeff.
Miles shook his head "You know what I mean. I just think it's funny,"
"Does Spidey look old enough to have a kid your age?"
"People don't know how old you are. One source says you're a 70-year-old man in a wheelchair faking dementia."
"That book does more to protect my identity than I do" Peter grinned. Norman had that book and based on the notes sticking out, he took it very seriously "Did I ever tell you about the rant Osborn went on about Spider-Man in front of MJ and I? I think he's the furthest "expert" out there to finding me"
"Don't tell me he believes the dementia guy"
"He says it's one of the most probable possibilities. He was born under a rare night sky and a mutant was born the same night. People think they both got powers"
"...and he's Spider-Man."
"He lives in New York, moved here right before Spider-Man showed up. He was military so he has a lot of fighting skills to draw on. A lot fits apparently"
"Well I'm convinced"
Peter was satisfied at how the blood was slowing and both wounds were at a good spot to start stitches "Alright lucky you, you get to choose. Are we stitching the leg or the arm first?"
"Leg, I just want that to be over with"
"A fine choice," Peter said, pulling out the stitch kit "Hold still okay?"
The wound had already healed a bit and Peter just had to do a few stitches to get it closed. He covered it with gauze and taped it into place
"Alright, halfway done. Not as bad as before right?" Peter was rambling a bit but was also making sure Miles was still coherent. He had lost a fair bit of blood and it was something he was keeping an eye on
Miles looked exhausted and glanced at the shirt he was wearing "I bled all over your shirt"
"That's fine, I've got experience getting blood out of things." Peter helped Miles get his bad arm out of the sleeve.
Miles gasped when Peter touched the wound. It was more recent so it was probably a lot more tender. The healing ability hadn't had time to do much yet and was already dealing with the first shot.
Peter heard footsteps and Miles glanced at the door. It was quiet for a second and they heard a few muffled words
"It's open, get in here" Peter called
Ganke opened the door hesitantly, making his way into the apartment. His uncertainty vanished and he took a few steps toward them
"Geez Miles, are you okay??"
"Better than ever," Miles said giving a thumbs up
"Hold still one more time," Peter said, starting the stitches while Miles was too distracted to tense up
It was clear this one hurt more than the last, but Miles managed to hold still, holding the blanket tight as Peter pulled the wound closed. After just a few stitches, it was done. He taped gauze over it and set the supplies down
"Pretty good considering I've only done stitches on myself. You hurt anywhere else?"
"Nope, all good"
"Alright, let me get you a new shirt"
"Probably would've been best if I hadn't worn one yet, my bad"
"It's a proven psychological fact that covering injuries makes you feel better about them. It's why kids like band-aids even if there isn't blood. I don't mind"
Peter tossed Miles a new shirt and returned to his chair to pack the first-aid supplies away, tossing anything that had been used.
"Hey Ganke, thanks for your help," Peter said
"Oh! Uh no worries P- uh- Mr. Parker"
Mr. Parker always reminded Peter of Uncle Ben no matter how many years passed. It still hurt a little hearing it in regards to himself rather than his uncle
"Mr. Parker is a man much greater than me, call me Peter. You knowing doesn't change anything okay? Secret identity and all that"
"Oh right- yeah. It's just... I mean you're Spider-Man! The amaz-"
"Pretty sure I heard that whole speech already. You need to treat me the same" Peter smirked "The weird old guy"
Ganke bawked, turning to Miles "You told him??"
"I have superhearing!" Peter said and Miles laughed
"I- you-" Ganke stammered "I'm so sorry!"
Peter grinned and cleared the scraps of packaging and medical tape and gestured to the couch. Ganke sat next to Miles shaking his head
"I can't believe I called Spider-Man old"
"So Miles, what happened? I didn't even realize Tombstone was back" Peter said. Usually, Yuri gave him a heads up when big names made it on parol or something, but after recent events, he was kind of on his own.
Miles looked down "I... well I haven't been sleeping much and wasn't paying attention like I should've. I was kind of on auto-piolet and I ignored the spider-sense when someone told me their kid got stuck in that shop. When I got in, they shot me and next thing I know, I'm waking up in the chair like you saw."
"Dude..." Ganke shook his head, "It's dangerous to drive tired, but web-swinging? Fighting? Any kind of Spider-Man stuff would be dangerous sleep deprived"
"I get it," Peter said "After May died, and Otto... I didn't sleep for days at a time. Stopping to rest was too much, I just wanted to keep moving. Cleaning up the convicts and the demons was how I stayed busy. If it got quiet, I'd go to FEAST. You need to be careful though. I nearly got myself killed when Electro escaped on the way to the Raft"
"You both need a curfew," Ganke said "People literally go insane from lack of sleep. The longest anyone has gone is 11 days and he died"
"So the limits 10 days?" Miles asked
"Very funny" Ganke grumbled. The mask on the counter got his attention "So uh... I've been wanting to ask... did you design the suit system yourself?"
"Yeah, I mean it's gotten to where it is over several years. I'm still modifying it. Like I need to fix the sensors to withstand Miles' electricity"
"Hey Pete, show him the gadgets you're working on"
Ganke's face lit up "Is that okay?"
"Sure," Peter said, going to his desk and grabbing a few things before returning to the two of them
"Are those the origonal webshooters?" Ganke asked
"Yeah, not the prettiest but they worked. I still use the same basic design in the ones I use now"
Peter, Ganke, and Miles sat going through gadgets Peter used and ideas he had for future ones. Ganke did the same thing Miles did for the first few weeks after Peter told him, asking about specific fights and events.
"What was your first battle with Electro like? The news never got there in time to catch anything"
"Oh yeah, I'm a little grateful honestly. Up to that point, I hadn't ever fought someone with powers, just guys in fancy suits. Electro was a big change. I ended up winning by throwing stuff at him until he stopped moving"
Ganke just stared at him
"Okay, so I was like halfway across New York when I got the call..."