Spider-Man Mayhem

[Third Person's PoV] 

Spider-Man lowered himself from the ceiling and onto the ground, the blood rushing to his head as he was dangled by his web for too long. Dropping lightly to the ground near the cell, he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"You know... I can't help but feel a little guilty about what happened," he admitted.

Dr. Connors wiped away his tears, shaking his head firmly. "You have nothing to feel guilty about. The reason I'm in this cell is entirely due to my own actions. I have no one to blame for my situation but myself."

Spider-Man shifted uncomfortably, his gaze dropping. "Yeah, but... don't you have a wife and kid? I feel like, with how I handled your situation, I might've messed up your marriage... maybe even your relationship with your son."

It was something that had been weighing on him for a while.

Connors gave a small, understanding smile, noticing Spider-Man's awkward posture, which told him everything he needed to know. "You're a very kind person, Spider-Man." He chuckled softly. "But you don't need to worry. My wife... I'm fortunate to have her in my life—"

"You're still married?!" Spider-Man blurted out in surprise. Realizing how rude that sounded, he quickly covered his mouth. "Sorry!"

Connors didn't look offended. He simply nodded. "That's why I say I'm fortunate. Although she resents me a bit for everything that's happened, she's still willing to forgive me—for the sake of our son. She thinks him having to deal with me being in prison is enough of a burden. He doesn't need the added pain of seeing his parents go through a divorce."

Connors looked down, his fingers interlaced tightly, his expression darkening with self-loathing.

Spider-Man didn't need to be a mind-reader to know what was going through his head. Connors hated himself for putting his family through so much. He felt like he'd failed them.

"I heard from my wife... that my son's being picked on at school because of me—" Connors started, but Spider-Man quickly interrupted.

"Leave it to me," he said, his voice suddenly serious.

Connors blinked, surprised. "What?"

Leaning back against the railing with his arms crossed, Spider-Man repeated, "You can leave the matter concerning your son to me. I'll make sure he isn't getting bullied."

Tears welled up in Connors' eyes again. "Why? Why would you go so far for me? It can't just be guilt. You even helped me recover my arm! You're the hero here, and I'm the villain of this story, so why?!"

The tears streamed down his face once more. In his heart, he saw himself as the unworthy villain, defined by his mistakes and regrets.

"And who decided that?" Spider-Man tilted his head slightly. "Of course you think you're the villain—you've labeled yourself that way. But this isn't a story, Dr. Connors. This is real life. It's not just black and white. I don't see you as a villain. I see a man who made mistakes under unfortunate circumstances."

He stepped closer, his voice firm but gentle. "Do you deserve to be punished for your decisions? Yeah, you do. I'm not saying you're innocent. But do you deserve to be the villain forever? Not a chance. But that's not up to me. It's up to you—if you want to stay the villain in your own story."

Connors buried his face in his hands, his body trembling as he sobbed. But this time, the weight pressing down on his heart began to lift. The label of "villain" started to peel away, and it felt liberating.

When he finally calmed down, he looked up at Spider-Man with a small, grateful smile. "I feel unworthy of your words… And I'm not a doctor anymore. Just Connors."

Spider-Man nodded in understanding. He walked up to the cell, extending his hand through the bars. "Well, Connors, I hope you find success in turning your life around."

Connors stood, taking Spider-Man's hand firmly. "Thank you. I can't say it enough to express my gratitude. Thank you for believing someone like me deserves a second chance. You truly are the definition of a hero."

"Stawp it, you~" Spider-Man teased, holding his cheek dramatically and swaying side to side in mock embarrassment.

Connors chuckled, shaking his head.

Spider-Man glanced toward the hallway. "Sorry to leave so suddenly, but the police are going to come back in and reclaim the prison."

Connors nodded in understanding. As Spider-Man leapt onto the railing and shot a web toward the far wall, he turned back and called out, "I'LL SEE YOU ON THE OUTSIDE, MR. CONNORS!"

Connors sat back on his bed, looking down with a warm smile. "What a good lad..." he muttered.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man swung toward the entrance, humming his own theme song.

As he flipped over the heads of the approaching police officers and guards, he called out, "Make way for the Amazing Spider-Man!!"

He landed gracefully, striking a heroic pose with his fists on his hips.

MJ approached him with a loving smile. "That was really sweet, what you did back there..."

Spider-Man scratched his cheek, embarrassed, as he walked over to Captain George Stacy.

Watching Peter's shy reaction to a simple compliment, MJ couldn't help but tilt her head endearingly. God, he's so cute…

"Good work, Spider-Man," George Stacy said, tipping his cap.

"Thanks. And good luck to you guys—you're the ones who have to deal with the aftermath," Spider-Man replied respectfully.

Some of the nearby officers, overhearing the exchange, were mildly surprised by Spider-Man's acknowledgment. Their opinion of him shifted ever so slightly.

"Anyway, Captain," Spider-Man said before glancing at Yuri with a teasing grin, "Lieutenant. We'll be on our way now. The city needs all the help it can get!"

With that, he shot a web to a distant building and swung into the air.

MJ gave a playful two-finger salute. "Bye, everyone! Good luck on your endeavors!" she called out cheerfully before webbing after him.

As Spider-Man and MJ swung through the city, the skyline blurred beneath them, glowing under the city lights.

"Alright, Aria, get me in contact with everyone," Spider-Man said.

"Reconnecting..." Aria's AI voice responded in his earpiece.

"How are things on your end?" Spider-Man asked once the line connected.

"We're almost done," Nightwing sighed. "There were a lot of them."

"We're just not sure what to do with them…" Gwen added. "They're not exactly human, so we can't just haul them to the surface and have them arrested."

"We'll leave them be for now," Spider-Man replied.

"What? But—" Felicia started to argue, but Spider-Man cut her off.

"Ghost-Spider's right. We can't bring them to the surface; they'd definitely be experimented on. We're talking about imprisoning an entire new race here. They didn't exactly choose to attack—they were ordered by Mole Man. If we take him out—"

"—Then they'd have no real incentive to attack the surface world," Reed finished, picking up Peter's line of thought. "I get your point, but there's a flaw. They see Mole Man as their leader. They're going to want to rescue him."

"Well," Firestar chimed in, "we could have Aria keep constant watch on them, like she does with the rest of Spider-Man's villains. That way, they're technically imprisoned underground. If they try anything—like rescuing Mole Man—we'll be ready."

"That's smart thinking," Spider-Man said, sounding genuinely impressed.

"Do you have to sound so surprised?" Firestar replied flatly.

"What about you guys?" Felicia asked, her voice curious as faint grunts and cries from the Moloids echoed behind her. "How did it go?"

"It was a pretty straightforward task," MJ replied. "Spider-Man handled Tinkerer and Shocker."

"Give yourself some credit," Spider-Man said with a faint smirk. "She secured the hostages and got them out safely."

"Oh, and Spider-Man here had a sweet little moment with Dr. Connors," MJ added teasingly, her voice warm with pride. "You guys should've seen it."

Spider-Man suddenly webbed towards a nearby building, motioning for MJ to follow.

"What's wrong?" MJ asked, swinging up beside him.

"Is something going on up top?" Susan's voice crackled through the comm, curiosity in her tone.

"Yeah…" Spider-Man said, pointing toward a cluster of webbed-up buildings—and the news van parked nearby.

"Reporters?" MJ asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why's that interesting?"

"Don't you get it? Reed and the others need to establish themselves as an independent group of superheroes, separate from us. This is their chance to do it," Spider-Man explained.

"We're gonna be on the news?!" Johnny exclaimed. "Awesome! Hey, don't take it personally if my popularity suddenly skyrockets past yours, Spider-Man."

"Ugh…" Both Ben and Susan groaned in unison at the idea of being on the news.

"That's just fantastic…" Ben grumbled.

"Wait… say that again?" Spider-Man asked, suppressing a grin. 

"Ha!!" Johnny exclaimed although he understood the joke he didn't understand the reference. 

************************************************

+5 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3