Sinister Year

Quietly, the hunter moved. Every step with careful placement. The prey was sleeping.

Just as they were about to jump, the target spun around and grabbed the assailant.

"Gotcha!" Peter started tickling her.

"STOP!!!" Morgan giggled and kicked.

"You can't sneak up on me, Morgan." Peter said as he sat up, still holding her.

Morgan gave a mock glare. She was sure she had him this time! "You ruined it. I wanted to wake you. Tell you ‘happy birthday’ first."

"You still can." He smiled.

"Happy birthday, Petey!" She tackled him.

They laughed and fell back on the bed.

"Thanks, Morgan."

It wasn't his birthday just yet but Morgan couldn't wait until Saturday.

A couple months after Beck and Europe, Peter was finally setting into a semblance of normal. 

He was starting his senior year. His grades were the best and Spider-Man was still swinging.

There had been no major disasters. No super-powered villains. 

May had started volunteering at a place called F.E.A.S.T. and he would make appearances there for the kids. Something he loved doing.

All in all, he was having a good time being Peter Parker and Spider-Man.

After he let Morgan go, they made their way to the kitchen for breakfast.

"Morgan give you your wake-up alarm?" Tony asked from the table.

"He was already up." She pouted.

Tony smirked. He'd make her something that let her get the drop on Peter next time.

"Ready for school?" May asked.

"Yeah. A senior." Peter grinned.

"Baby Spider’s all grown up." Tony pretended to wipe his eyes. "So emotional."

"You ever going to grow up yourself?" Peter asked.

"Never!"

The two shared a laugh. 

"Sure you don't need any help with that project Fury has you on?" 

"Relax, Underoos. Cap and I got this. We’ll handle the rest of the world. You take care of New York."

"Fair enough." 

"Peter, are you going to be driving to school?" May asked with a smirk.

"Driving?" Sure, he had a license but was still short a car.

"Think fast." Tony tossed him some keys.

Spider reflexes easily caught them. Peter looked between the two. "You didn't."

Both May and Tony smiled. "Happy early birthday!" They exclaimed together.

"It's in the garage." Pepper smirked as she sipped her coffee.

Peter ran out of the room to the elevator. It was probably the longest ride of his life before he made it to the garage.

Right out front was an Audi R8. Red and black in color.

"Couldn't get out of your pajamas first?" Happy asked, grinning, as he leaned against the car.

"This… I… holy shit!" 

May, Tony, Pepper, and Morgan came down a few minutes later to find Peter almost hugging his car.

"Wow. Am I going to be safe leaving you alone with the car? Don't you think Michelle will get jealous?" Tony asked.

"Don't ruin this." Peter replied as he sat behind the wheel. "I can't believe you guys bought me this."

"Technically, you bought it." Tony explained. Peter's confused look had him chuckle. "You didn't think all those plushies and action figures were free, did you?"

"Pepper put the patent on Spider-Man. All those products net you a fair amount." May informed him.

"I didn't want any of that."

"Which is why 70% of the profits go to charity. 20 for college and the rest is in a bank account."

"10% bought this?!"

"Kid. Thanks to Pep and those royalties, you're never going to have to dumpster dive again." Tony assured.

Peter couldn't believe it. He never really thought about any of that. May had a really good job working with Pepper and he lived rent-free so money wasn't anything he worried about.

He didn't go around acting like it though. And he did sell his toys to buy MJ her necklace. But that was something he wanted to do.

"Thank you. I can't thank either of you enough." 

"Stop saying ‘thank you’. That and ‘I'm sorry’ are now on a list of unacceptable things to say around here." Tony gave him a small smile.

"Sorry, can't do that. Thanks again." Peter smirked back.

"No reckless driving with this." May gave him a stern look. "One wrong move and I'm trading it in for an old driver's ed car." 

"I'll be careful. Promise." 

"Karen is synced to the car so you better keep that promise." Tony said.

"What? An AI babysitter…?"

"No. Just an accessory."

"Babysitting is not one of my directives. But you have needed monitoring before, Peter. Your past actions have left something to be desired. " Karen spoke through the car.

"Hey, that's… okay, fair point." Peter conceded.

"Alright, let's go have breakfast." Pepper said.

They went back upstairs, even if it took several long seconds for the group to pry Peter out of the car. Finally, Morgan had to pull out the puppy dog eyes and he followed after. 

Tony and May were working together to give Peter a good birthday party this weekend. It was going to be at the Tower and all of Peter's friends had already agreed to come.

It wasn't a surprise party, thanks to Peter's senses possibly reacting and someone winding up stuck to the wall with webbing. 

Peter pulled up and he laughed at Michelle's stunned face. He rolled down the window.  "Need a ride?" 

"Really milking the billionaire friend, aren't you?" 

"Hey, this is all mine." 

"How?"

"I'll explain on the way." He motioned for her to hop in.

Michelle sat inside and pulled off the beanie she was wearing.

Peter did a double take. Her hair was straighter than usual but that wasn't what got his attention. She had dyed it too!!

"Like it, Tiger?"

"You look incredible." He said, stunned.

"Therefore I have value?"

"That's not what I meant!"

"You still are so easy to mess with." She smirked.

Peter wasn’t letting her get the upper-hand though.

"You're the most valuable person in the world to me." As he took her hand and smiled.

Michelle smiled back and leaned over the seats. The honking behind them told them the light had changed.

"Peter, distracted driving is dangerous." Karen said.

"Karen..." He groaned. So much for making out in his car. 

"To school, driver." Michelle ordered as she sat back.

"Yes, dear."

"Yeah, don't call me that one."

"I got to come up with something. You have two for me. Could I call you ‘Red’ now?"

"No."

"Red Sonja?"

"What?"

"No idea, just said the first name that came to mind."

"Next time, keep it in there." She chuckled.

Peter kept pitching new names but she shot down each one. He remained determined though.

Karen threw out a few as well. They got better reception but were still voted down by Michelle.

"Do you remember what was asked of you?" Norman sat across from Harry.

"Yes." Harry stopped from rolling his eyes. "I don't know why you need Parker anymore. You already won."

"Do you really not understand how much influence that boy possesses?" Norman shook his head at his son's lack of vision. "Every country and person on the planet owes him a debt of gratitude. Having friends like that isn't just beneficial to me, but you as well."

"I'll do my best, Dad." Harry said softly.

Norman rose up and placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Do better, then I'll be impressed."

Harry fought back the urge to retort. Nothing was ever good enough for his father. His mother was the only one who ever had a calming effect on him.

God, I miss you, Mom.

"Get your head out of the clouds or you'll be late."

‘Have a good day, son. Sure, will do, Dad!’ Is that so much to ask? 

Harry grabbed his bag and went to the waiting driver.

Peter was used to being the talk of the school. So him showing up in his new car and people gawking at it no longer bothered him.

"It's kinda funny." Michelle observed. "You have a multimillion dollar arm and they focus on this."

"They're used to the arm. Maybe I should see about getting something less expensive. More down-to-earth."

"Why? No matter what you do you'll always be a God among men to some. Might as well ride like one." She jumped out.

"Hey. Gods are a lot more humble than you might think. Next time Thor is around, I’ll prove it."

"Thor’s not exactly the best example. Boastful is one of his biggest character traits."

"True, but he's a great guy. Sort of like a giant Golden Retriever."

"Call him that next time. Let me know how that goes."

"He'd never hurt me. We're eye brothers." 

"PETER!!" Ned came running over. "Dude, you didn't tell me about that?!"

"Just found out this morning." 

"Text next time! This is the Spidermobile!"

"We are not calling it that!!"

"No, we definitely are." Michelle smirked.

"Woah. Nice hair, MJ." Ned saw her.

"Thanks. So are we going in or standing out here all day?"

She didn't wait for a reply and grabbed Peter's hand, pulling him into Midtown.

"Thanks again, Happy." May said as she stepped out of the car.

"Glad too. You need anything else, let me know." 

She gave him a smile that practically turned him into an obedient dog and then walked into F.E.A.S.T..

"May. Glad you're early. I could use a hand." The owner greeted her.

"Martin, good morning."

Ever since the Snap and the Blip, Martin Li had dedicated his life to helping the lesser known population affected. F.E.A.S.T. became his life's work. May Parker did an amazing job volunteering and with Spider-Man making frequent trips for the kids, the morale was at an all-time high.

"How are things here?" May asked.

"They're well. You and Peter have really helped me, more than you can imagine."

"Always happy to. Peter should be swinging by later."

"He always does." Martin smirked at that. "How is Peter? It's his senior year, right?"

"He's good. Already looking into colleges."

"He's smart enough for any of them for sure. But I don't see anyone turning him down."

"They're not. There's a list of ones begging to get him in."

"The 'Savior' being an alumni would be big PR. No question."

"That's the problem. Peter wants his grades and intelligence to be what gets him in, not his suit."

"Can't imagine that will be an easy task."

"True. At least he's having a better time with the fame. Of course, he's driving now, which gives me more of a reason to be terrified." She joked. "But luckily, no one seems to be after him anymore."

"Crime-fighting — a dangerous hobby, but I've seen Spider-Man in action. You raised an incredibly strong young man."

"He is, but I wish he didn't have to get involved. Peter always seems to find the worst of people in this city when he's out."

"We all have a dark side, May. The challenge is finding balance with the light." Martin advised. "That's something my father taught me."

"He sounds like a wise man."

"He was. Now, let's get these things sorted away."

Paperwork and boxes. Fun time for all. Not.

"The car is awesome, Peter." Betty said as she and Ned sat down at the lunch table with them.

"Thanks, Betty." 

"It's the Spidermobile!" Ned told her.

"No, it's not!" Peter argued.

"Give it up, Tiger." 

Peter groaned and waved them off.

"Hey, isn't that Osborn's son?" Ned asked as he saw the guy walk in the cafeteria.

"Yeah, I saw him at the big inauguration of Norman's mayorhood." Michelle answered. "And he was in my first class."

"So we got the mayor's son going to school? Cool, but he's not Spider-Man." Flash sat across from them. "And Peter, what the hell is up with the new car? Outshining me as a superhero wasn’t enough?"

Peter observed Harry. Osborn was a conflicting matter. Peter was Spider-Man because of that man’s company and that did not sit well with him. 

Have they ever found out that I'm superhuman because of them? 

"Peter!" Ned grabbed his attention.

"What? Sorry. I was thinking about something else."

Peter told them about the car and they all confirmed they would be at his birthday party.

They chatted about everything. Peter had to give recaps of his nightly patrols. To think, once he would be flinching and lying to hide it. 

"Got a video of you catching that jumper." Betty brought up.

The “jumper” was a middle-aged man who decided to end his life. Peter didn't get the whole story but by the time he arrived, the guy was already halfway down the building.

"Yeah. Hope he gets the help he needs." 

It was a few minutes later when Peter noticed someone had come up to their table. He saw Harry standing there.

"Sorry to interrupt but I had to come meet you." Harry said.

"Yeah, most people do." Peter sighed.

"I'm not some crazy fan. I just wanted to thank you for stopping Thanos." 

"It was a joint effort. The Avengers are the real heroes."

"You are all heroes. But I'm not in school with Captain America or Thor."

"Fair point. Would you like to sit with us?" Peter asked.

"Sure. If that's alright."

No one disagreed and Harry sat next to Flash.

"Welcome to the most popular table in the school. We have our intel man, Ned. The local anchor, Betty. The awesome cool man, me—Flash. There's Peter and MJ." Flash smirked.

Peter smirked too. Flash's antics were funny when he wasn't the target. 

"Nice to meet you all."

"So what brings an Osborn here? Aren't you more of a private school person?" Michelle asked.

"I was. My dad offered to let me have this last year in a more normal school, MJ." Harry smiled at her.

"Michelle. ‘MJ’ is for friends. We're associates at the moment."

"Well, I’ll try to not screw up in hopes for a promotion."

"Smart." She went back to her book.

Harry's focus went to Peter's arm. The shiny metal hand was fascinating. He tried to get his dad more involved in projects like that. Something that could help people but it went nowhere.

Peter pulled back the sleeve of his shirt when he saw Harry looking. "Go ahead. It's the second thing most people ask about."

"It's incredible. I've tried a lot to get my dad to invest in technologies like that but he's not interested. My mom was the one who wanted Oscorp to branch out. But since her… passing, it's the same old thing."

"Sorry to hear that." Peter said.

"It's fine. It's been a while since then." 

"Well, welcome to Midtown." Betty said happily.

"Thanks. I have to admit... it's strange going to school with a superhero."

"You'll get used to it. But don't be surprised when Peter disappears at random times." Michelle said casually.

"Hey, I haven't skipped any classes today!"

"It's the first day and not over yet."

"Still counts!" 

They locked eyes and grinned at each other. 

Later that night...

Peter landed on the top of the police station. He saw Yuri smoking as she waited.

"Those things will kill you. You know that?"

"It's an excuse to come up here." She put out the cigarette. 

"What's up, Officer?"

"Detective now."

"Nice. Good for you. You earned it."

"Just more paperwork. Got something for you." 

Peter took the file and read through it. "A lot of stolen and expensive things here. But no real connection."

"That's the problem. Top brass thinks these are random. I think it's the work of one person."

"What makes you say that?"

"A feeling. I could use another set of eyes if you're up to the challenge."

"Me? Of course. Spider-Cop is always ready to help."

"You have to stop that."

"Yeah, not happening." He handed the folder back. "I'll call if I come up with anything."

"Just keep this between us. The last thing I need is my bosses discovering that I'm using a kid to help."

"You didn't mind when I stopped that car."

"Not all of us can actually force a speeding car to stop by picking it up."

"It wasn't that heavy." Peter shrugged.

"I better get back inside. Keep me informed and don't get yourself killed."

"Yes, ma'am." He gave her a salute and jumped off the building.

As he swung, Karen was checking feeds of possible break-ins.

It was a few hours later when she said, "There's reports of an alarm being triggered three blocks east."

"What's the store?"

"Jewelry."

"Sounds like Yuri's thief. Let's go."

Tony read through the reports of all possible Skrulls hiding amongst the populace.

It wasn't a small list. He had been working with Talos in hopes of finding a way to identify them but so far, the aliens had found a way to work around them.

With all the suspects, Tony knew he wouldn't be spending a lot of time in New York. 

Cap had finally come back from his conflict with Helmut Zemo. He didn't say much, but the man was firmly back in custody. The Raft, to be more precise.

Tony had heard about more super-soldiers and Steve looked affected by what they discovered. Either way, he was dedicated to finding the Skrulls.

Bruce was helping as well. With Thor who knows where, they worked with what they had. Which meant Tony had to see Barnes again. 

Peter found the store. It didn't have any clear signs of a break-in. No locks tampered with. No glass broken. But the alarm was still going off.

"Peter, I detect a heat signature on the roof."

"On it."

Peter swung up and found someone casually examining a very expensive-looking necklace.

"I thought you'd be taller." The white-haired woman observed as she sat on the edge of the building.

"You usually wait at the place you robbed?"

"Only when I'm curious about the masked hero showing up." 

"Who are you?"

She stood up and Peter didn't sense any danger, which had him confused. Especially when she touched him.

"You're a cute kid." She ran her hand down his chest.

Peter was frozen. This was a different criminal. ‘Kid’? She can't be that much older than me.

"And you're a thief." He reasoned.

"You're a vigilante." She teased back.

"We're not the same."

"No. Some of us aren't a billionaire’s protégé." She stepped back and sat on the ledge.

"I'm Spider-Man, not Iron Man, Jr." Peter defended.

"Hmm." She leaned back and fell off the edge.

"Shit!" Peter jumped over, only to see her using some rope hook device to swing from building to building.

"Catch me if you can, Spider!" She yelled.

"Who the hell is this?!" Peter swung after her.

The two engaged in a cat-and-mouse chase over the city.

Peter was impressed. She was skilled and kept ahead of him. She really seemed to be enjoying it. 

And he found himself having fun too.

Finally, she came to a stop on top of an apartment complex. 

"Not bad, Spider." She smirked.

"Seriously, who are you?" 

"Lucky. To some." She tossed the necklace at him. 

He caught it easily. "You're giving it back?"

"I got something much more valuable tonight." She stepped forward. "I've seen the photos without the mask. Nothing personal, but I like it better. Gives you a mysterious feel. Very attractive."

When she rested beside him, he grabbed her wrist. 

"Sorry, you're under arrest." 

She smiled at him. "Am I?" Suddenly, she was covered in smoke as something detonated.

Peter wasn't prepared for it and after his mask adjusted, the thief was gone and he found himself handcuffed to the railing. "Really?" He easily broke the cuff. "Who the hell was that?" 

"Peter, the necklace she gave you is a fake."

He looked at it closer. "Of course it is!"

He noticed a small piece of paper where she had been.

Bad luck, Spider. I've crossed your path.

"This definitely isn't going to end well."

"How was your first day?"

"You mean ‘did I talk to Parker’?" Harry tossed his bag down. "Yeah. Even ate lunch with him."

"Don't screw it up."

That was as close as Harry expected to get to a compliment.

"I'm going to go to my room and get to work on homework."

Norman's phone went off as Harry stood and he wasn’t acknowledged so he left the room.

"Is it ready?"

"I'm still not sure about this, Norman."

"You worry too much, old friend. I trust you with my life."

"That's exactly what you're doing."

"We'll run the test this weekend. Take care."

Norman hung up and looked at the spot Harry had been. Just now realizing he was gone. A small pain at how he was using his son was pushed aside.

Everything I've ever done has been for him. Harry will realize that one day.

His eyes bore into the man across from him. A suit and tie. A ring that was purely worn just to show wealth.

Family was a stretch for these people. It was business and profit. They paid for the best but that didn't mean he enjoyed conversing with them.

"I don't care what your personal inconveniences are with Parker. You want him gone, you have the price."

"I just want assurance. My brother is in prison because of that child. I need to know you’re as good as advertised.

Kraven didn't show any signs of even listening to the other man.

"You paid for the job. I never leave a hunt unfinished."

"I need a demonstration of what I am paying for."

Kraven tilted his head in annoyance. Then, someone attempted to grab him from behind.

With one hand, he snapped the man's arm with ease and tossed him against the wall. When another pulled his gun, Kraven’s knife moved so fast all that was seen was a shiny blur. The gun was sliced in two.

Kraven held the other man by the throat with one hand and looked at the employer. 

"I'm sold. The money will be transferred before you leave the building."

"Parker’s remains. Do you wish to have them?" Kraven dropped the guy.

"Yes." Many possibilities were available with the corpse of Spider-Man.

"Then our business is concluded." Kraven grabbed the door handle. "One other thing: Stay out of my way."

He slammed the door behind him and began his hunt.