Patreon: patreon.com/Subaru710772142.
The Following TWO Chapters are available for Patrons.
Chapter 8 (Where the Night Takes Me (2/2)), and Chapter 9 (On the cat's trail (1/2)) are already available for Patrons.
***
Yuri watched in horror as Spider-Man continued to punch the thug. Each blow was harder than the last.
She knew she couldn't let him continue. Even if those men were enemies, even if they deserved to be punished, she couldn't allow Spider-Man to do this.
"Stop!" Yuri shouted, stepping toward him, ignoring the throbbing pain in her injured side. "Spider-Man, stop! That's enough!"
He didn't hear her—or maybe he didn't want to. His fists kept coming down. Yuri saw the man beneath him, already unconscious, his face unrecognizable beneath blood and bruises.
"Spider-Man!" she shouted again, this time closer. "You're going to kill him!"
Finally, he stopped. His fist hovered in the air, trembling, as he stared at the man beneath him. His breathing was heavy, uneven, and Yuri could see the tension in his body, as if he was fighting something inside.
She approached carefully, keeping a safe distance but close enough for him to see her. "You're not a killer," she said firmly.
He turned his head slowly to look at her, and Yuri felt a chill run down her spine as she noticed the wild look in his eye, exposed by the tear in his mask.
Spider then looked at the unconscious man beneath him, then at his bloodied hands. Yuri saw his fists clench and then slowly relax.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice coming out rough.
"Yuriko Watanabe," she replied promptly, keeping her stance firm.
He looked down at the ground, as if ashamed. "Thank you... for stopping me."
Yuri nodded. "It was nothing—" A wave of weakness washed over her, making Yuri lose her balance and fall to the side.
Before she could hit the ground, Peter moved quickly, catching her in his arms. "You've lost a lot of blood."
"Yeah... I think I have," Yuri murmured, already feeling an overwhelming urge to fall asleep right there.
"Stay awake, officer. I'm taking you to the ambulance," Spider said before Yuri felt the world blur into nothing.
***
Peter left the officer in the care of a newly arrived ambulance, exchanging a brief glance with the paramedic before heading back to the accident.
He first ensured that the criminals were contained and then went to find survivors.
But all he found were bodies.
Five in total, scattered among the rubble and scorched concrete. And the helicopter passenger... or what was left of him.
'Damn it.' Needing a moment to breathe, he leapt to the top of a nearby building, his eyes fixed on the flames being controlled by the firefighters below.
The hero closed his eyes for a second, trying to push back the lump in his throat. It wasn't enough. 'It wasn't supposed to end like this.'
Six lives were lost, and for Peter, most of the blame was his. 'If I had been faster...'
"Haa..." Sighing, Peter shot a web to another building and swung toward where he had left—or rather, thrown—the helicopter pilot.
'I need answers.'
***
Stuck to the side of a building with a web was the man that Spider-Man had managed to pull out of the helicopter before it exploded.
Several minutes had already passed, and the man was starting to lose hope that someone would get him out of there.
'They won't forget about me… right?' he thought, risking a glance downward and seeing how far he was from the ground. 'Please—'
That was when he felt something grab him by the chest.
The man almost screamed, but the sound died in his throat when, in a swift motion, Spider pulled him free, tearing through the webs and placing him on the rooftop.
"Relax, you're okay," Peter said, carefully letting go of the pilot. "You're safe now."
The man gasped, trying to catch his breath, eyes wide. "I thought… I thought I was gonna die up there…"
Spider-Man crouched in front of him. "Are you hurt? Anything broken?"
The pilot shook his head, still panting. "Just… just scared."
Spider gave a slight nod. "Alright, but I need you to calm down and explain what happened. I don't think that explosion was caused by engine failure, was it?"
The man hesitated, swallowing hard. "I—I don't know? My boss seemed nervous. He told me to take off as fast as possible. S-so maybe?"
'Not very helpful,' Peter thought. "Okay, let's start with something easier. What was your boss's name?"
"Was? He—"
"Yeah, I couldn't save him."
The man looked down for a second before answering. "William Blake."
"Where did you take off from, and where were you headed?"
"...We left the Westbridge building downtown and were heading out of the city."
"Hmm…" The hero reflected for a moment before continuing. "Do you know why he was nervous?"
The pilot shook his head. "I don't! Blake got a call before takeoff. After that, he got tense, told me to hurry. I… I didn't even wait for the full safety protocol."
"I see." Spider-Man stood up slowly, his gaze shifting to the sky, where the rain had let up. "And I assume you didn't hear anything?"
"No…"
"Alright, come on, I'll take you down," Spider said, offering his hand to the man, who took it after hesitating for a second.
***
'He didn't know anything, just another unlucky guy caught in the middle of this,' Peter thought as he swung between buildings, the cold wind hitting his face.
'Argh.' He swallowed another pained groan as his burned hand gripped the web, a wave of pain shooting through his arm. The pain had been constant, but now it was becoming unbearable.
Minutes later, he landed softly in the alley where he had hidden his backpack under a trash can. Peter grabbed it, looked around, and started removing what was left of his suit, being careful not to touch the cuts and burns across his body.
'I look terrible. May can't see me like this.' He put on his shirt, muffling a pained sigh as the fabric brushed against his wounds.
Leaving the alley, Peter walked to the bank, deciding to cash the check to buy bandages.
***
In the silence of a corner restaurant's bathroom, Peter set his backpack on the sink, his pale face reflected in the cracked mirror, with fluorescent lights highlighting every scratch. He slowly pulled up his shirt, gritting his teeth as the fabric, stuck to his wounded skin, peeled away.
The cuts burned, and the burns throbbed in a painful rhythm. 'What a wonderful situation.' He opened the small kit he had bought, spreading gauze, ointments, and adhesive tapes across the counter.
Before he could start, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Peter took it out and saw it was his aunt's fourth call. He took a deep breath and answered, putting it on speaker.
"Hey, May," he said, trying to sound natural as he applied the cold ointment to one of the deeper cuts.
[Peter. Are you okay? You didn't answer my calls.]
He clenched his teeth when the cotton touched one of the burns. "Ah, yeah… about that."
[Peter?] Her voice sounded worried. [Did something happen?]
He closed his eyes for a second. "Yeah, actually… yeah. I'm helping a friend with a computer problem. Last-minute thing, you know? He asked for my help and… well, I'm kinda busy."
There was a brief silence on the other end. [So, you'll be back late?]
Peter wrapped one of the cuts with gauze. "Hmm… I'll take a while. I might even sleep over if needed. He said he'd pay me, so I wanna do a good job."
Another pause, and this time he could almost hear the weight of her concern. [Alright. Just… let me know if you're staying over. And if you need anything, okay?]
"I will, I promise," he said, even though he knew it was an empty promise.
May sighed but didn't press further. [Okay. Take care, Peter.]
"You too, May."
He hung up, the weight of the lie even more uncomfortable than the physical pain. 'Okay… okay. Now I just need my healing to work its magic.'
***
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fanfic.