Chapter 3
“You can bring Harley!” May bribed.
“I don’t know May… Do you really want us there?” Peter asked.
“Yes! I want you to meet him.”
May and Greg had been dating for about four months. Peter hadn’t had time to meet him with all his Spider-Man stuff and school. So, he invited Peter and May to his house for dinner.
“Do you really want us there?” Peter asked again.
“Peter,” She said. “I want you to meet him and tell me what you think of him. Your opinion is important to me.”
Peter wasn’t fully convinced. But, he didn’t want to argue. “Ok… I’ll ask Harley.”
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Of course Harley said yes. Peter was so relieved. He really didn’t want to go to this thing alone and third wheel. It’s not that Peter wasn’t happy for May. He was so glad she was dating Greg. She seemed so much happier. It was good for her to have someone other than Peter. Since he wasn’t always home.
May had left for Greg’s house a few hours early to help him set up. So, Harley picked Peter up and drove them together. Greg lived in the suburbs. That excited Peter a bit. He had only been there a few times.
“You think he’ll let me have a beer?” Harley asked.
“You’re driving,” Peter said, raising an eyebrow.
“What if I tell him I’m 21?”
“You go to my school… I think May knows that.”
“I didn’t say I would ask May…”
Peter rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long night.
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They pulled into the driveway and got a look at the house. It looked just like Liz’s house. The windows were huge and it had a pool.
“Dude…” Harley said. “This is awesome.”
Peter shook his head and headed for the door. He could hear music playing from somewhere in the house. It was a song he’d heard Uncle Ben play. It was a beautiful song. Peter stood and listened. It made him sad and happy at the same time.
“You gonna knock?” Harley asked impatiently. Peter snapped out of his thoughts and knocked on the door. Obviously Harley couldn’t hear the music. Greg answered the door. Light flooded the dark lawn. The music was louder now. Even Harley could hear it. It smelled good too. May had never made anything without burning it before. Greg must’ve done most of the work.
Speaking of Greg, he was a good looking man. He was tall, buff, and a nurse. He worked with May. Which meant they got to see each other every day.
“You must be Peter!” He said with a smile. He outstretched his hand and Peter shook it. Greg’s eyes moved onto Harley. “And you’re Harley,” He said shaking Harley’s hand too. “Come on in guys.”
Peter and Harley shuffled into the house and took it in. It was huge. Well, huge for New York…
Greg reminded Peter of someone. He couldn't quite place it though.
“You’re just in time! Dinner’s just about done.” May called from the kitchen.
Peter followed her voice to the kitchen. It was nice. Really nice. It was big and lightly coloured. The food looked good. They made some ravioli.
“Peter would you mind going to the cellar and grabbing a bottle of wine?” Greg asked. “And Harley would you help set the table?”
They both nodded and got to work. Peter found the stairs to the basement and climbed down. The floor was concrete and had dents and holes. The walls were unpainted drywall and it was dark. There was one lightbulb hanging from the ceiling. Peter tugged on the chain hanging beside the bulb. It buzzed to life. There was dust everywhere. It was a stark difference from the beautiful house above. Peter and found the cellar. He looked around for the closest bottle before spotting something in the corner of his eye. He turned to look at it. A small book was tucked into one of the wine racks. He reached and pulled it out. He opened it. At first he thought the pages were blank. He skimmed through the book until he saw a page with writing. There was a drawing of May. It was in charcoal. It made Peter uneasy for some reason. He flipped the page and was met with writing. His stomach dropped when he read what had been written.
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“He’s been down there for a while…” May said setting the last plate onto the table.
“I’ll go see what’s happening,” Harley said heading for the basement.
“No!” Greg shouted. He cleared his throat. “I’ll go check on him. He’s probably wondering which bottle to grab. May why don’t you show Harley the pool and we’ll catch up with you.”
May nodded and headed for the pool. Harley reluctantly followed.
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Peter felt sick. Greg was writing about his plans… His plans to kill May. He was sick.
Peter jumped when the door to the basement slammed shut. Peter’s spider-sense went off. He closed the book and shoved it back onto the cellar shelf. He grabbed a bottle and pretended to be walking towards the stairs. He froze when he was met with Greg.
“You ok down here? May’s getting worried you got lost.” He chuckled. Peter hated how he said May’s name. He needed to get out of there. He suddenly regretted bringing Harley. Peter noticed Greg’s eyes moving around the cellar. That’s when Peter realized he put the book on the wrong shelf.
“Yea I was just trying to decide which bottle to bring up. Does this one work?” Peter tried to make himself sound less scared. He wasn’t sure if it was working.
Greg pushed past him and picked up the book. “You didn’t read this did you?” Greg asked. Peter suddenly realized what Greg reminded him of. Toomes. The vulture. Peter slowly backed out of the cellar.
“I’ll go put this on the table,” He said, raising the bottle. He turned to the door and ran up the stairs. Greg chased after him and grabbed Peter’s ankle. He yanked Peter down the stairs. Peter’s fingertips grazed the doorknob. He slammed down onto the stairs. The wine bottle smashed in his hand. The glass cut deep into his palm.
“Harley!” Peter yelled.
Greg grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him back off the stairs and slammed him into the wall. Peter wanted to fight back. But, he couldn’t risk giving away his identity. If Greg found out he was Spider-man, he would target May or Harley.
Greg punched Peter hard in the jaw. Peter fell to his hands and knees. Greg was stronger than he thought. He landed a kick to Peter’s stomach. He fell onto his back and coughed harshly. Greg got on top of him. Peter tried to push him off but, His wrists were held to the ground with incredible strength. He must be enhanced. Peter struggled to get free. He had to get May and Harley out.
“When I’m finished with you down here, I’m gonna get that beautiful aunt of yours.” Greg laughed. Peter panicked. So, he did the one thing he could.
“Harley! Harley! Get May out of here! Call Mr.-” Peter was cut off by Greg grabbing him by the hair and smashing his head into the concrete floor. Peter saw stars but, he didn’t pass out. He hoped Harley heard him and got May out. Greg was confused as to why Peter hadn’t passed out. But, he didn’t stay shocked for long. He just wrapped his hands around Peter’s neck.
“Harley!” Peter rasped. He clawed at the huge hands around his neck. He kicked his legs around uselessly. His attempts to free himself slowly got weaker. His vision darkened and it became hard for him to keep his eyes closed.
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Tony sighed as his phone rang for the third time. He rolled his eyes and asked FRIDAY to answer the call. As to not interrupt his work.
“TONY!” Harley yelled over the line. There was a crash and a yell in the background.
“What’s going on? I thought you were at Aunt Hottie’s boyfriend’s,” Tony asked dropping everything.
“Peter went down to the basement and Greg went down to check on him and then we heard yelling and crashes and we need your help!” Harley said followed by Peter yelling to them from the basement. Tony’s stomach twisted.
“I’m on my way. Get May out of there!”
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Peter gasped as the pressure was released from his throat. He coughed violently and crawled back into the wall. He panted for a moment before looking to see what had happened. Greg was fighting against iron man. Peter stood and leaned against the wall for support. He balled his fists and joined the fight. He punched Greg in the back of the head and dodged his incoming fist. Greg grabbed Iron Man by his neck and slammed him against the wall. The drywall shattered behind him. Greg pulled Mr. Stark’s mask off and punched Tony right in the face. That’s all it took for him to be out. Then, he turned back to Peter. Peter backed into the wall. He was so screwed.
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“We can’t leave him in there!” May shouted.
“Tony said to get you out of here!” Harley replied pulling her to the car. They climbed in and Harley fumbled for his keys. He deflated. He left them in the kitchen. He buried his face in his hands.
“What? What happened?” May asked.
“I left the keys in the kitchen…” He thought for a moment and weighed his options. “Stay here!” He said jumping out of the car and ran for the front door. He cracked the front door open. It was quiet. Not like it was when he and May ran out. He ran to the kitchen and grabbed the keys. He pressed the button to lock the doors of the car. He silently thanked himself for messing with the buttons on the keys to make them long distance. He was slowly and quietly making his way back to the car. That’s when he heard Peter scream. His blood ran cold. He couldn’t just leave him down there.
Despite his gut telling him to leave, he opened the basement door just a bit and peeked down. Peter was lying face down on the concrete. There was a puddle of blood around him. Tony was halfway through the wall and his face was bloody. Harley just stood and stared at the scene. He felt sick.
Greg’s head suddenly snapped toward Harley. He slammed the door and ran. He had the keys. He just needed to get out. He pulled the front door open and got one step outside before being yanked back into the house by his arm. He fell backwards onto the floor. The keys fell and bounced under the table. Greg was looming over him.
“Shit…” Harley breathed.
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Tony opened his eyes. His nose was definitely broken. He gently shook his head to clear the grogginess. He looked around until he saw Peter. He was lying face down in a puddle of his own blood. Tony pulled himself to his feet and flipped Peter over onto his back.
“Read vitals FRIDAY,” He said. His heart was beating out of his chest.
“I’m detecting a heartbeat and regular breaths. He’s just knocked out,” She replied.
Tony’s sigh of relief was cut short when he heard a shout from upstairs.
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“Fuck you! You asshole!” Harley yelled.
Greg seemed a bit tired of fighting. He just grabbed Harley by the shoulders and threw him into the glass door to the pool. It shattered under him. It gashed into his back and his head. He coughed and rolled over in attempts to get away from the glass. All it did was get glass stuck in his side and front. Someone came up behind him and grabbed him by the hair and smacked his face into the stone of the pool deck. His vision went dark for a minute.
He could distantly hear and feel things happening around him. He felt someone grab him by his hair and lift him to his knees. He tried to struggle. But, he could only let out a small groan. And suddenly, he was cold. Freezing cold. Water filled his lungs. He was in the pool. His eyes shot open. He tried to swim out. But, he couldn’t move enough. He could only watch the surface get further and further from him. His lungs screamed for air. He thrashed under the water until his vision went dark.
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Peter groaned. He opened his eyes to the basement ceiling. He gasped when he realized what was happening. He stood and ran up the stairs. He looked at the shattered glass door and ran to the pool deck. Mr. Stark was still fighting Greg. It seemed Greg was losing this time.
“Kid-pool-Harley-” was all he said. Peter rushed to the pool and dove in. He grabbed Harley and swam to the surface. He shoved him onto the deck and tried to pull himself out. His left arm collapsed. Searing pain travelled through it. He looked down to see the bone sticking out. He sucked in his yell as he pulled himself up with his right arm.
Harley was still unconscious when Peter got out. Peter leaned over his head and listened for his breaths. There was nothing.
“Mr. Stark he’s not breathing!” He yelled.
“You’re gonna have to do CPR!” He yelled back.
Peter panicked as he lifted Harley’s chin and began compressing his chest. He bit his lip to keep his yell of pain. His arm screamed at him.
After 30 chest compressions, Peter plugged Harley’s nose and breathed into his mouth. Nothing happened. Peter did 30 more chest compressions. That time, he couldn’t keep his pain in.
“Come on! BREATHE!” He screamed. He plugged Harley’s nose once again and blew into his mouth. When he pulled away, Harley coughed. Water splashed from his mouth. He rolled onto his stomach and coughed. Peter sat back and buried his face in his hands.
“You guys ok?” Mr. Stark asked after finally knocking Greg out.
Peter stood and ran to the front door. May got out of Harley’s car. She grabbed Peter and hugged him. She sobbed and rubbed his back. Peter sighed in relief. They were all ok. May released from the hug.
“Are you ok? Are you hurt?” She asked scanning him for injuries. Her eyes widened at the sight of his arm.
“It’s fine May,” He said pulling his arm away from her sight.
“Where’s Harley?” She asked looking at the shattered door. “I saw him go in the pool.”
“He’s fine. He’s with Mr. Stark” Peter sighed. He led her to the pool deck where they saw Harley leaned against the fence. He was still coughing violently. Tony had exited the suit and was now patting Harley on his back. May took over and let Tony talk to Peter.
“What happened?” Tony asked. “Guys don’t just almost kill two 17-year-old kids.”
Peter led Mr. Stark down to the cellar and handed him the book. “I was getting a bottle of wine and I found it. He saw me reading it and he attacked me.”
Tony flipped through the pages and read it. He swore under his breath before closing it and dragging his hand down his face.
“Don’t show May… If she saw it she would freak out.”
“Yea yea and when she freaks out you freak out,” Tony said. He seemed to think for a minute before completing his plan. “I’m gonna wait here for the police. You get Cho to look at that arm and get her to fix up Harley while she’s at it.”
Peter nodded and looked around the kitchen for the keys. He found them under the table and snatched them up. He ran to the pool and gave May the keys. He told her to go start the car and she ran off.
“Can you walk?” Peter asked Harley. Harley nodded and stumbled to his feet. Peter had to grab him before he fell forward. Peter put his good arm around his hips and half walked half dragged him to the car. In the light of the house, he could see a trail of blood coming from his head. He carefully put him in the back seat and climbed into the front.
“We need to get to the tower. Harley needs his head checked out,” Peter said as May pulled out of the driveway.
After a few minutes of silent driving, Peter was suddenly hyper-aware of all his injuries. His right palm was now gushing blood. His nose was definitely broken too. His whole body just hurt.
After what felt like hours, they finally arrived in the garage of the tower. Cho was waiting there with two gurneys. Cho’s team helped Harley out of the car and onto the first gurney. Peter declined his gurney and chose to follow behind Harley. Cho gave Peter a blanket to wear while he waited for Cho to check him out. He shivered from the cold water regardless.
After an hour, Cho rushed into Peter’s room. A nurse had already looked at Peter and diagnosed all of his injuries. Cho was muttering about needing more than one doctor.
“Alright Mr. Parker,” She said. “We’re going to need to reset your arm.”
Peter nodded and placed his arm in her hands. He had Cho reset his bones before. But, none this bad. Of course he didn’t have any aesthetic. They still hadn’t found one that would work on him. He gripped the edge of the table he was sitting on and shut his eyes tight.
“On three ok?” Cho said. Peter nodded. He took a deep breath and held it. “One-” his arm crunched and he screamed.
“Sorry… It’s just easier on one,” She said releasing his arm. Peter nodded and caught his breath. “Now comes the worst part.”
“That wasn’t the worst?” Peter breathed.
“We still have to stitch you up.”
Peter sighed. It was going to be a long night.
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Peter walked out of his bedroom after changing into his pyjamas. There was a box of Pizza on the table beside Mr. Stark. Peter smiled and sat in the closest seat. He grabbed a slice and practically inhaled it.
Mr. Stark looked rattled. He had some butterfly bandages around his face and on his nose. He was sitting with his head resting on his fist. He looked like he was in deep thought.
“Everything ok?” Peter asked between bites of pizza.
“I read the book…” He said. “He was enhanced. He was born into hydra. They experimented on him. They were trying to recreate Cap. But he broke out as a teenager and went into med school to try to fix himself. He wrote about other women he’s killed. At least four.”
Peter didn’t feel very hungry anymore. He put his half-eaten slice down and rubbed his hands over his face.
“May’s lucky to have had you there. I don’t want to know what could’ve happened if you and Harley weren’t there,” Tony said sincerely.
Peter nodded. He didn’t feel lucky. What would’ve been lucky was if May had never met Greg.
“Is Harley ok?” Peter asked to stop his mind from spiralling further.
“Thanks to you yea. Just a concussion. How’s the arm?”
“Fine.”
Mr. Stark just nodded. “We got May a room. She’s fine just a little shaken.”
Peter nodded.
“You should get some sleep. You can see May and Harley tomorrow.”
The thought of sleep was hypnotic for Peter. He nodded again and walked to his room. He fell into his bed and asked FRIDAY to turn the light off.
He didn’t fall asleep right away. He just laid and thought about what had just occurred. It happened so fast.
After an hour, his bedroom door opened. Peter sat up and squinted at the figure. It was May. She walked in and sat on the end of Peter’s bed.
“You ok?” Peter asked.
“I was just checking on you.” Peter knew she was lying. He did the same thing after he had a nightmare. He opened up the blankets and let May crawl in with him. She wrapped her arms around him and he felt better. They were both ok. And that’s all that mattered.