The Infinite Child

“Hey Karen,” Peter greeted in a hushed tone.

“I’ve been ordered to inform Mister Stark of when you put on the suit again,” The AI informed him, her tone suggesting she was waiting for the teen to give her an excuse not to..

“Don’t Karen. I don’t want Mister Stark to know I’m out. I just need some time to myself. I promise to be careful.”  Peter didn’t need any more future stuff. He didn’t want the man he barely knew now to come in and confuse him more. He just need some time to himself to think. He needed his old life. That will make things better.

“As you wish.”

The hero couldn’t help but smile. He could always counted on Karen to understand.

The teen took one last glance at the door, hesitating. He knew his Aunt wanted him to stay low and leaving would mean breaking his promise. It felt like old times when he used to sneak out.

“I’m sorry Aunt May,” He whispered before opening his window and climbing out.

Swing through the streets was exhilarating. The wind rushing through him, the city noise, the feeling of flying, the freedom. The familiar feelings left his body buzzing with excitement. He forgot about the snap, Thanos, space, the stones, dying, and life. It felt like those five years never happened and everything was as it should. It was like he never left. He felt alive. It was breathtaking.

Peter tried doing some riskier jumps and flips that past him never done before for the hell of it. He realized life was short. His life meant nothing compared to the whole universe. At any moment the universe can decide it’s done with him and take everything from him again. He wasn’t gonna waste his life anymore. He was gonna live it. Be a kid while he still was. Continue to stay on the ground.

The sound of gunshots echoed through the city, snatching his attention away from his thoughts.

Peter turned his direction towards the sound, landing on a building by a drug store two blocks down. He peaked down to see what was going on.

Two masked shooters were inside the drug store holding the cashier at gunpoint while they loaded the cash into a bag. He could hear them shouting at the cashier to stay down, who looked like they barley were of age.

“Karen, how many people are in the building?”

“I’m picking up two intruders, both armed, and three hostages. One adult and two underaged based on the size.” Peter looked around but couldn’t see where the other two were. Without them in sight just barging in would be dangerous.

“Okay Karen talk plans to me.”

“I suggest using the back entrance and using your wall crawling abilities to ensure that you have the element of surprise.” Peter nodded. He took a deep breath, releasing all his locked up nerves before jumping.

“SHUT UP BITCH BEFORE I BLOW YOUR BRAINS OUT!” The masked intruder pressed the gun closer to the panicking cashier who couldn’t control the sounds escaping her mouth.

A sob escaped the girls mouth before she covered her mouth, trying the best to keep herself quiet. The gunman turned to his partner who was occupied gathering their reward and shouted, “Hurry up!”

“I got it!” The money man grabbed his loaded duffel bag. The other two hostages whimpered as the man turned to face them. Though masked, the people inside could tell the men were smiling.

Both men moved their fingers towards the trigger, ready to clean up their work, when suddenly both guns went flying out of each of their hands. The lights flickered off for a moment as the men looked around in shock. The could see flashes of red and blue in the corner of their eyes, but they were unarmed and felt exposed like two calves exposed to the hunters in the wild.

“What the hell?!”

Pow!

“Did you just hit me?!”

“No!”

Bam!

“Ow! I told you I didn’t hit you!” The men felt all of the air leave their body when the lights flickered on revealing Spider-Man standing over the counter in his signature pose with his hand held out in front of him with the other in the back while bent down. The hero's lenses narrowed onto the two men.

“Holy shit!” One of the men exclaimed.

“Woah! Watch the language buddy!” Spider-Man exclaimed in his natural joking manner. “B-But you’re supposed to be dead!” The money man stuttered. The hero couldn’t help but roll his eyes, feeling slightly bitter at the mention of his untimely death.

“I’m a bad bitch, you can’t kill me!” The men tried to run off, leaving behind the hostages to run free. Once directing the hostages where to go, Spider-Man jumped off the counter whipping out his wrist, his webs shooting out to block the men's path. They turned to face the hero, realizing the only way out was through. They clench their fists ready to put up a fight.

“Just when I thought this was gonna be easy,” Peter muttered under his breath.

The men charged, throwing their fists and legs. At first he managed to dodge the hits, moving as agile as a cat. He managed to kick one of the men away, throwing him into the freezers knocking him unconscious, before getting hit with a duffel full of money. It surprisingly hurt alot.

“God I’ve never felt so poor before,” The hero muttered before suddenly getting a kick in the chest. The hero managed to catch himself before colliding with one of the aisles. “Not so tough are you?” The man taunted, his fist colliding with the masked vigilantes face, his confidence rising. Spider-Man fell backwards.

Well that definitely wasn’t how this was supposed to go.

“I forgot how weak you were! Then again so did most of New York!” It was a threat meant to get under his skin and it worked. He felt his blood beginning to simmer. Water begging to bubble.

“Should’ve stayed dead if you asked me!” Another blow. “World was just perfect without you!” Peter clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. Under the mask, nobody could see the rising anger and frustration. The words hitting far too close to home.  

The lights flickered. The man paused for a second but didn’t stop kicking him down. He ignored it, feeling far too cocky to give a damn. Not heeding the warning the flashing lights and now trembling shelves.

“Looks like I’ve got to do god's work and get rid of his mistakes!” Spider-Man snapped. He managed to grab the man’s fist mid throw stopping it from colliding with his face. The man gasped as the the hero looked at him with an angered look. The grip on the fist tightened, crushing the bones slowly. He gasped as a strange burning feeling ran up his arm.

Spider-Man stood up, his lenses glowing a strange purple now.

“The stone reacts to anything organic. The bigger the target, the bigger the power surge.”

Unlike the glowing orange when in space, this was dark darker and much more sinister. It’s darkness cracked revealing small strands of bright lavender underneath.  

“Everything it touches, it destroys.”

“AAHH!” The man cried as bright purple light shot through his arms looking like little veins, glowing. It felt like his whole body was being crushed in a second, his insides burning.

“I will not be your slave anymore!”

The man’s skin began to crack like some sort of old marble statue.

The hero doesn't flinch, just tilts his head slightly: the way a predator would assess prey, ready to deliver the final blow and sink its teeth in. A dangerous look that would make anybody piss themselves.

“Take my hand!”

Peter’s mind was yanked out of the smoke, his mind pulled himself out from underneath like a fish line reeling in the catch of the day.

The sound of screaming caught his attention, jumpstarting his brain again. The vigilante stumbled backwards releasing the man from his deathly grip.

“What-” Peter let go, watching the man before him crumple onto the ground, the cracks in his skin faded along with the purple around him as if nothing happened. He reached down to help, frightened and dazed, but the man backed away from his touch clearly frightened of him. “Get away from me you f-freak!”

“I-” Spider-Man was speechless, unsure of what had just happened to him. His head pulsed, temples throbbing, brain exhausted from the strain. The sound of sirens echoed, cutting off his panic momintraily. Both of the intruders were subdued, neither looked like they were gonna run.

What just happened?

The hero bounced, unable to breath in that little drug store anymore. He swung away feeling his heart run away from him. He suddenly needed to puke.

“Your heart rate has increased intensely and you seem to be struggling to breath. If you do not calm yourself I will have to inform Mister Stark,” Karen’s voice popped up.

Peter shook his head. Mister Stark couldn’t know what happened today. He would be so angry. He’d might actually kill him again.

The teen stumbled on the nearest roof, tripping over his feet when he landed, rolling until his back hit the edge.

He laid there, trying his best to calm himself.

“AAHH!” The man cried as bright purple shot through his arm looking like little veins, glowing.

“Get away from me you f-freak!”

Peter felt his brain pound against his skull, making it impossible for him to understand his surroundings. He felt hot tears threaten to pool down his cheeks. Somebody could’ve died and it would’ve been his fault. He hurt that man. How could he forgive himself for that? What if he hurts Mister Stark or his family? The Avengers? Or worse, his Aunt.

Why is this happening to me?

“Calling Mister S-”

Peter yanked off his mask, disconnecting Karen, unable to listen to her voice. He just laid of the roof, staring at the sky as his vision went blurry. He felt like he was dying. Like any moment he was gonna drop dead and feel the sweet release. It never ended. He was suffering and it never ended. Like a man being stabbed continuously but is cursed with immortality. All he could feel was the pain his body was forced to endure.

He wasn’t ready. That was painfully obvious. After all that happened he sees that now. He almost killed a man.

Spider-Man almost killed man.

Oh god he’s gonna be sick.

Peter wanted to cry. He was afraid and felt utterly alone. He knew his Aunt was on his side but this was beyond just normal teen angst or Spider-Man.

This was dangerous.

He was dangerous.

He doesn’t even know what he was anymore.

Peter curled up into a ball, shaking. He thought of his life before. All the fun he had hanging out with his friends. He tried to think of that and forgot of what happened.

He thought of MJ. Her curly hair, dark coco eyes, tomboy clothing, and her neutral attitude. She was funny yet quiet. She hardly would speak and when she did it would always be something that’d surprise everyone. Though she always had her head buried in a book and never socialized unless it was to state the obvious. She always smelled like freshly baked cinnamon rolls. It was an odd scent but Peter found it appealing.

She’s gone.

Peter shook his head, thinking of Ned next. His Star Wars shirts, upbeat attitude, and large brain. They’ve been friends since the start of seventh grade. He was one of his best friends. They connected on all things nerdy like Star Wars and science. It was basically what made them friends in the first place. He was the only one in school who knew his secret yet was the first person to accept it at a first glance without changing his opinion on him.

Peter felt calmer now. He no longer was struggling to breath. The memory of his friends managed to bring him back from his downhill cycle. No longer feeling the need to jump of his skin, the teen released a long tired breath. His pain turning him numb. He uncurled from the tight ball he was in.

He exhaled and looked to the sky.

Peter found very little comfort in the stars above him.