saudade

“Are you sure that I shouldn’t accompany you two to the bank?”, Harry asked, “Maybe I could help you somehow.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t think Aunt May would let you. You know she’s stubborn. I’ll tell you how it went and then we can think what we can do”, Peter responded and kissed Harry’s cheek.

“Best of luck.” Harry kissed Peter on the lips. “You’ll beat the bank’s ass.”

Peter grinned. “I hope you’re right. And you’ll beat the asses of the board members.”

“Absolutely.” They kissed again before they left the flat.

Peter picked up Aunt May and together they went to the bank.

“We got this, Aunt May, I promise”, Peter tried to encourage her.

“Oh, Peter, I wish you were right. I love you, boy.” She took his hand, and they entered the building.

Aunt May took some papers out of her purse to give them to the bank employee who served them.

“That’s the social security”, Aunt May explained.

“Yes, I see.”

“My Uncle Ben’s life insurance”, Peter added.

“Yes, but I’m afraid it’s just not sufficient to refinance your home”, the employee said.

“Oh, but I’m giving piano lessons again”, his aunt said.

“You are?”, Peter said before he could think twice about it. He should’ve kept his mouth shut.

“Ouch!”, the employee yelled and rubbed his leg. “We appreciate that you’ve just opened up a new supersaver account with us today, but the fact is you do not have the assets to justify this loan. I’m really sorry.”

The sadness in his aunt’s eyes made Peter’s heart break. It was so unfair. She didn’t deserve this. There must be a way to help here.

“Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out”, she tried to encourage Peter. He should be the one trying to encourage her and telling her not to worry, not vice versa.

The door of the vault flew into their direction and separated them. In shock, Peter looked around the room to see Dr. Octavius standing in front of the vault. Peter ran away to hide and pull his normal clothes off to reveal the Spider-Man suit he was always wearing under his clothes.

He climbed on the wall and carefully approached Doc Ock but he was discovered almost immediately and the metallic arms threw bags full of money after him. With one of his webs, Peter caught a bag and threw it at Doc Ock.

Then he jumped onto another wall. When another bag flew in his direction, he wanted to catch it again but there were no webs coming out of his arm. This never happened before.

The bag hit him in the stomach and Peter struggled to breathe as he fell on the ground. He wanted to get up, but the metallic gripping arms did it for him and squeezed his ribs.

“You’re getting on my nerves”, Doc Ock said.

“I have a knack for that”, Peter responded, trying to sound tough.

“Not anymore.”

The arms covered Peter’s head and tried to squeeze it. His head felt like it was about to explode but Peter needed to focus on his webs. He desperately tried to shoot, and he needed all the concentration to manage it. He pulled his wrists away to make two tables fly to Doc Ock who had to let go of him to protect himself from the table attack.

Doc Ock crashed through the big window in a taxi standing on the street. Peter ran towards him but one of the taxi doors crashed into him and threw him in the bank again. It took some while to free himself from the door but then he ran outside. Peter heard a familiar voice screaming. Doc Ock had taken Aunt May hostage!

They were climbing up a house wall. Peter didn’t hesitate and swung up another wall just to jump on the wall they were climbing up.

“Hand her over”, he demanded.

“Of course.” A suspicious grin appeared on Doc Ock’s face.

Peter stretched out his hand to grab Aunt May but when he almost had her, the gripping arm let go of her.

Peter shot a web to catch her and pulled her up to grab her, but a little too hard, because she was flying way too high. What had he done? He had to save her!

Peter wanted to climb up but one of Doc Ock’s arms grabbed him and smashed him into the wall multiple times. He shot another web to grab his head and smash his opponent into the wall.

Peter could free himself and bought some time.

“Help me!”, Aunt May screamed, her voice full of fear.

“I’m coming!” He climbed up the wall as fast as he could and when he almost reached her, he was pulled away from her by one of those bloody arms.

Doc Ock and Peter were falling but he didn’t leave out a single chance to punch the scientist who has been his idol for so long. He put his aunt in danger, so he was Peter’s enemy.

Then they broke through a window, scaring a woman in her flat half to death. Peter punched Doc Ock in the face as the arms grabbed him and threw him from bookshelf into the other and then out of the window.

They punched and fought against each other while climbing up the wall but then Peter was thrown into a window at the other end of the street. Peter’s back hurt like hell but as he heard his aunt scream, new energy spread through him. He had to save her.

“You’ve stuck your webs in my business for the last time. Now you’ll have this woman’s death on your conscience”, Doc Ock yelled at him.

Peter shot web to both window frames and took some steps backwards to tighten them before he let go and catapulted himself directly into his enemy.

Aunt May slapped Doc Ock with her umbrella which is why he was able to hold on to one of the gripping arms and jump on the wall. She saved his life. At the same time, his aunt was falling into death.

He immediately jumped after her and shot his webs to catch her. As Peter grabbed her, he let out a sigh. Relief spread through his veins. His aunt was safe. He shot a web at one of the buildings and they swung through the street. Gently, Peter put her down a few blocks away.

“Thank you so much”, she said.

“We sure showed him.”

Then Peter swung through New York on his way back home. He enjoyed the wind in his face, relieving him from his worries. Aunt May was safe. He just needed to find a way to solve her financial problems. When he jumped into Harry’s and his bedroom, quickly putting on his clothes.

“Pete? Are you there?”, Harry called from below.

“Yeah, I’m here”, he called back and went downstairs.

“How did the bank appointment go?”, Harry asked.

“Don’t ask”, Peter sighed.

“Hey, come here.” Harry opened his arms and Peter let himself sink into them. “Couldn’t you achieve even a small victory?”

Peter shook his head. “She won’t be able to refinance her house.” A few tears found their way out of his eye, and he buried his face in Harry’s shoulder.

“She’ll stay in her home, I promise”, Harry whispered and rubbed Peter’s back to comfort his boyfriend.