"Hey, Gobbie!" Peter called out. "How're you doing lately? You mind telling me your evil plan so that I don't have to bother finding it out?"

The Goblin didn't reply, instead throwing one of his usual bombs at him.

"... Not up for talking, then?" Peter tried, wanting to keep the Goblin distracted as best he could. "Come on, Gobbie, please! I thought we had a best friend club or something! We meet up, like, every week."

Okay, so maybe Peter wasn't distracting the Goblin very well. Although for he did give him an exasperated look, so that counted for something, right?

Peter smirked, even though the Goblin couldn't see it through his mask.

"Come on," he groaned. "You're making me tense! I wanna know! Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Quiet," the Goblin growled, that being the first word he'd said in the entire battle.

In all honesty, Peter didn't think he'd be able to last long without talking.

At that moment, Peter developed a serious look (though, again, the Goblin, nor anyone else, wouldn't be able to see it). There was only one reason he was out here, and that was for his best friend.

"Look, Gobbie, I know we're fighting and all -" Peter stopped, trying to think of the best words to say. "But - I want to know something."

Peter hung from a web for a moment, tilting his head slightly.

"And you've gotta promise that you'll answer. I need to know this, Gobbie."

The Goblin paused, a sure sign that he was listening.

"It's just - well - why did you ask Harry to come back after all these years?" Peter spluttered. "You sent him away because we're apparently 'bad influences' and now he's suddenly back? For what, bait?"

The Goblin's eyebrows raised, before he gave a slow clap.

"Well done," he said, pulling Peter into an awful flashback of when he'd said it before.

"Well done," the voice whispered in his hair, dark, evil, and strangely familiar.

It was the Goblin.

"You know -" Peter started softly, before hesitating. He carried on. "You know, that hurt me a lot. And when I'm hurt - you hurt Harry too. I thought you cared about him."

The Goblin snorted. A horrible, loud, belch-sounding sort of snort, but a snort nonetheless.

"Care about him?" he said, as if Peter had said the most ludicrous thing on the earth. "I don't care about him. I couldn't care less about him! Yet you care for him yourself, and I intend for him to be my hostage."

Peter's entire demeanour seemed to change with those words.

"You intend to sell him out?" he said quietly, not his usual witty self. "Why would you do that? He's your only son!"

"He was never useful to me, Parker," the Goblin hissed, glaring at him. "Perhaps if he was more useful, he wouldn't be in the situation he is in now!"

"It's not Harry's fault thought!" Peter protested. "He can't choose to immediately understand things! You have no idea how long Harry studied for when we were eight - eight - just to impress you. And you shrugged him off - like ninety eight percent was nothing.

"Highest score in the class, you know that? And you were too busy trying to sort out your illegal spider experiments that you couldn't care less.

"Yeah, I know what you were doing. Even as a kid, I snooped around. I had to know what was going on. I had to know why you just shrugged Harry off like that.

"And, apparently, all the snooping stabbed me in the back later, because when I went on the field trip to Oscorp and I saw those spiders, I immediately thought of that time. And they bit me. And changed my life.

"And now all I do is keep secrets. The only person I can be my real self to is you, Gobbie. Ned wouldn't understand. How stupid is that? The only person I can be myself to is a villain."

The Goblin snorted again.

"That sounds unfortunate, doesn't it?" he said, showing off his nasty, yellowed teeth as he grinned. "And while you are off monologuing, I managed to sort out this bomb. And isn't it lovely?"

Peter looked at the bomb, gasping as he saw it.

He recognised it.

The Goblin had used it once before, and nobody had even seen it, since Peter had managed to throw it into the ocean.

He'd felt bad for days after that.

There had been no news footage of that fight, none for this fight either.

(At least, that's what he thought.)

Peter had forbidden it when he was fighting super-villains. He didn't want anybody to get hurt - he'd told the people of the Daily Bugle himself.

(He'd never said they couldn't zoom in though.)

That meant that nobody had seen the bomb that the Goblin held in his hands. Nobody but Peter and the Goblin himself.

And, to be frank, Peter had wished that he'd never had to see that again.

It had haunted his dreams, turning even the nicest ones into nightmares.

He could remember the explosion, how the water had turned green, smoke flowing throughout it.

How the Goblin had told him it was poisoned. Luckily, Peter had managed to contain that area of the ocean.

How exactly he'd done that, he couldn't exactly remember. He'd tried so hard for so long to ignore that time, those memories, that he couldn't remember the good he had done.

"No... Gobbie, no," Peter breathed, eyes directed onto the bomb, widened in horror. The eyes of the mask copied - Peter thought he was half asleep when he added it in, but it worked nonetheless. "Not again!"

"I will detonate this, Parker," the Goblin threatened.

Peter had no doubt that he would.

"I won't if you do something I want."

"And what's that?" Peter felt an unpleasant feeling in his throat and he swallowed, wincing.

"Stand there. Take my hits. Stay until I'm done with you. And then let me go."

"... Only for this time," Peter conceded, looking down sadly. How long would this go on for? "But I swear, next time I see you, you're going back to jail."

"If you call the police before I've gotten away, I'll set this loose in Oscorp," the Goblin warmed

"But - all those innocent people!" Peter cried. "Harry!"

"So you'd better stay there, Parker. Or you're going to do something you'll really regret."

And an unwilling Peter stood there as the Goblin punched him, again and again, uncaring if his skin was broken in areas, uncaring that he'd already hurt him enough.

He just didn't care.

He got a notification from Karen. He opened it.

DatGuyInDaChair
Pete? [6:43]
Hey, Pete, what's going on? [6:43]
You're on the news. [6:45]
Peter, why are you just standing there? [7:01]
Why are you just taking the hits? [7:06]
PETER [7:17]
PETER, ANSWER [7:17]
I KNOW YOU CAN USE YOUR SUIT TO ANSWER [7:17]
SO ANSWER YOUR DAMN PHONE [7:18]

Peter almost sobbed. Ned cared. He cared so much, and Peter was forcing him to watch him getting beaten.

He had to answer. Didn't he?

DatGuyInDaChair
I need to tell someone [7:18]
Please Pete [7:18]
Tell your dad [7:19]
Or Pepper [7:19]
Or Natasha [7:19]
Anyone who can help you [7:19]
Please [7:20]

He couldn't leave Ned hanging like that, having to watch the news to see what was going on.

"Karen," he coughed, making sure his mask was soundproof so the Goblin couldn't hear what he was saying.

No need to get Ned targeted as well, after all.

"Send Ned a message. Listen to what I say -"

He got struck with a coughing fit, but managed to spit out the words. Karen, being the AI that knew all, understood what he was saying and sent Ned the messages.

Spooder-Man
I'm getting Karen to write this. She's more reliable than Siri so this should make sense. I'm sorry that you have to see this. The Goblin - he threatened Harry. I can't hurt him, Ned. I can't call the police. I can't do anything. I'm sorry. [7:25]

After the message was written he turned off the soundproof, needing to speak to the Goblin.

(As much as he didn't want to.)

"Gobbie..." he said wearily, as though he didn't want to be there. And truthfully, he didn't. "We need to stop. You can go. I'll - I'll capture you another day. Just - please."

The great Spider-Man, reduced to begging? Peter wished he'd never seen the day.

"I haven't got what I want, Parker," the Goblin said, narrowing his eyes. "I want to hear your screams."

"You haven't heard them enough?" Peter shot out, regretting it as the Goblin punched him hard enough to crack his jaw.

Karen.

No, no, no. She had to be fine, he needed to assure Ned he was okay, he needed to -

He needed to calm down. It would be fine, everything would be fine. Karen was fine - she would be okay. Peter could fix her up, it'd be fine.

(If Peter got out of here alive.)

"No, Gobbie, stop!" Peter screamed, finally giving in.

After all this time, he just gave in? He was worthless, hopeless.

"I don't want to fight anymore! I just want to - I just want to - I -"

Peter felt his eyes dropping, forcing them open. He made his mask soundproof again, needing to send another message to Ned.

DatGuyInDaChair
I've told Harry. [7:40]
I'm so, so sorry. I know you wouldn't want me to, but I needed to rant to someone and you - [7:40]
You weren't responding for fifteen minutes, Peter. [7:40]

Harry knew? Harry knew that Peter was Spider-Man?

Spooder-Man
I'm sorry. I'm going to end this. [7:41]
I don't mind. [7:41]
You're my best friend, you and Harry both. Just remember that. [7:42]

Ignoring that - it had taken him fifteen minutes to have that conversation the Goblin? Peter was more sluggish that he'd thought.

YouHaveCoolNamesAndICan'tThi
Hey, Peter. [7:43]
Are you okay? [7:44]
Ned told me. [7:44]
I can't believe my dad's fighting my best friend.
But if I had to choose... I'd choose you, okay? I'd always choose you. [7:48]
You cared when my dad didn't. My dad doesn't. [7:48]
I know, I'm bait. The news crew for close enough for that, before they retreated again. [7:48]
I'm rooting for you. [7:48]

YouHaveCoolNamesAndICan'tThi has changed their name to SpideySupporter. [7:50]

SpideySupporter
Always. [7:50]

Peter gave a weak grin.

Spooder-Man
Thank you. You're the best person I could ever ask for. And I swear, I'll find your dad and I'll make sure he goes to prison unharmed. Or relatively unharmed. Or not too beaten up. [7:56]

SpideySupporter is typing. [7:56]

Peter turned his notifications off.

He turned towards Norman. Because that's who he was. He wasn't the Goblin, no, he was Norman Osborn.

He always had been. Peter just hadn't seen it.

Peter turned off the soundproof again, for good. He wouldn't be using it again in this fight.

He stood up weakly.

"I know you don't like me," he breathed out. "I know why, too. I'm not going to tell you how I know. I just do. But let me tell you, I will get you in prison one day. Not because I have to or for the 'good of humanity' or whatever, but because I promised my best buddy."

Peter gave him a glare, the lenses of the mask following suit.

"And I swear, that's a promise I'm going to keep."

And with those last few words, Norman walked away.

Calmly.

Slowly.

He knew Peter would do nothing about it. Not if he wanted to risk someone's life.

"Until next time," Norman whispered darkly.

"Until next time, Normie. When I finally get you in prison," Peter vowed.

And that was where he collapsed.

He lay there for a while, contemplating what to do next.

He could go to Ned's? But Ned didn't know any medical stuff and besides, Peter didn't want his best friend to see him any worse than he already had.

Maybe Harry's? But Norman could be there, and he could view Peter going there as a chance to get him to prison. He could detonate the bomb.

Michelle's? But Michelle didn't know that he was Spider-Man. He didn't know how she'd react. Not just yet.

That only left one choice, really.

He sighed, hand shaking, bringing his phone out of his pocket, and dialled Tony Stark.

Desperately hoping he wouldn't answer.

~~~

In all honesty, Tony was having a great day before he got that phone call.

He'd went and had breakfast with Pepper.

("Oh, stop it, Tony!" she exclaimed, slapping his hand playfully. "I said I'd pay, and I'm going to follow through with that! Stop being such a - such a billionaire.")

He sat down in the kitchen and exchanged a few words with Bucky.

("Hello." Tony spoke clearly, coughing slightly to attempt to stop the awkwardness. The air was icy between them.

"Hi," Bucky said, giving him an easy grin. "How is Peter? He said he was going to see Harry, do you know when he's back? He promised me a board game. I fully intend to make him keep that promise."

"Oh, I don't know," Tony said, shrugging as he grabbed an apple. He was trying to eat healthier. That didn't really work when he turned on the coffee machine as well, which immediately started yelling insults at him.

"IF YOU KEEP GOING LIKE THIS, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO WORK IN THE LAB WITHOUT DROPPING EVERYTHING!" it yelled.

He was used to it by now. Peter had named the coffee machine Dylan. He also insisted the Dylan wasn't an 'it' but a 'he'.

Peter happened to be the only person Dylan liked.)

He'd agreed to go to lunch with Steve, Bruce, Natasha and Clint.

("Okay, for the new prank was, I'm thinking that we just have a few people on a team," Clint started, placing his hands on the table as he spoke. "It gets a bit insane otherwise. But the others still have a job!"

"Maybe..." Tony stroked his goatee thoughtfully, "we can have them still on a team, but nobody can attack them? They can plan out the pranks, but nobody can prank them. If that makes sense."

"It totally doesn't," Clint said. "I agree!")

To be honest, it was mainly Clint and Tony discussing what to do in their future prank wars. Tony and Bruce did a little science talk, but not too much that they'd scare the others away.

After that, Tony had attempted to call Peter and see if he wanted to do anything tomorrow.

There was no answer.

Tony had just shrugged it off, assuming that because Peter was at his friend's house he'd turned his phone off. No biggie.

And then he'd gotten the phone call.

The time had been ten minutes past two when he'd called Peter. It was now quarter past eight.

Why was he only now receiving a call?

Maybe Peter just needed a lift, he reasoned. Nothing would be wrong.

He picked up his phone and answered it.

~~~

"D-dad?" Peter stumbled in relief, falling to his knees as his dad picked up the call.

"Peter? Pete, where are you? Are you alright?" Tony's worried voice came through the phone, and Peter coughed, hacking blood and wincing as he saw it on the ground.

"Dad, I - I need h-help," he whispered, not wanting to admit it; if he did, Spider-Man will be over, he won't be able to do the thing he loves the most.

Not ever again.

"Help with what?"

"It's - I - dad!"

"Whats wrong, Pete? What's the matter?" Tony sounded urgent now. "Are you hurt?"

Peter closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He snapped them open again.

He was in danger of falling unconscious, and he didn't want to tempt the fates by closing his eyes.

"Y-yeah," he unwillingly admitted. "It hurts, dad. Can you - can you pick me up, please?"

Tony sounded concerned over the phone, but Peter honestly couldn't be bothered to console him right now.

"Where are you, Peter? I'm on my way,"
Tony said. Peter could hear his footsteps, which proved his words to be true, yet Peter couldn't make his mouth move.

"Peter? I need you to answer me."

"Y-you know that place on the news?" he whispered. "The one where Spidey and the Goblin were fighting?"

Norman, he corrected in his mind.

(It didn't even matter right now.)

"Oh, Pete, why were you there?" Tony exclaimed, starting his car.

Peter could feel his eyes droop again. He opened them fully, trying to stay awake just to tell his dad one more thing.

"I - I am Spider-Man," he muttered, before falling into a black abyss.

~~~

When Peter woke up, he found that he couldn't move. Or rather, it hurt too much to move.

"H-hello?" he called out, wincing when he heard how croaky his voice was.

When nobody answered, he looked around at his surroundings, taking everything in slowly.

(And considering he could barely move his head without getting a splitting pain in it, he considered that an achievement.)

There was a TV. He didn't want to look at what the news was - it was likely something to do with him and Norman. Not to sound big-headed, or anything...

It took him a few seconds to turn his head to see a chair next to him. And the figure sitting in it?

Well, to be honest, Peter almost cried from joy.

His dad was here. That had to mean that he didn't hate him, right? He wasn't going to throw him out now, was he?

Peter came to a sickening realisation.

What if Tony was only staying there so that he could tell him that he had to move out?

(Like the orphanage had, but he just didn't want to tell Bruce that.)

Maybe that was the reason.

If that was the case, then shouldn't he leave? Before there was any trouble?

But the fact that he could barely move might contradict that idea...

Okay, maybe he should see Tony's reaction to him first. Wouldn't that be best? Before he made any rash decisions?

"D-Dad?" Peter said, hating the stutter that he couldn't seem to get rid of. Maybe he'd ask Bruce about that later. "Wake up!.. Please."

Tony jolted up out of the chair, and Peter was honestly scared he'd given him a heart attack.

(And then he remembered the arc reactor, but he pushed the thought out of his mind.)

"Peter!" he exclaimed, giving him a bear hug. "I was so worried! Don't you dare do that again!"

Peter snorted (since when did Tony act like a dad?) before he gave a small wince of pain.

"U-Um, can you get off me? P-please?" Peter asked, gasping as he felt his ribs twinge.

"Oh right, sorry Pete," Tony said, giving him an apologetic look.

That meant he wasn't going to be sent away, right?

"Are - are you mad?" Peter asked, fearful of the answer.

"Yeah. Terribly mad." The sarcasm in Tony's voice couldn't be any more obvious. The deadpan look on his face may have helped a little, too.

Peter gave a small giggle, before his face scrunched up in pain.

"Er - don't make me laugh," he said, giving a small smile. "It kinda hurts a little."

"Sorry, Pete," Tony said.

(Two apologies from Tony in a day? Must be a new record. It went from zero to two.)

"I - I guess you wanna talk, huh?" Peter said after a moment of hesitation. "I - I get it if you wanna - throw me out, or something. I know that you never really liked Spidey, so -"

"Never, Peter," Tony interrupted him. "I won't ever throw you out - unless you, I don't know, decide you wanna be mean old Green's accomplice?"

Peter grinned, holding in his laughter for the moment.

"So... I'm Spider-Man," he said, testing the waters.

"I know." Tony thought for a moment, before he added something new to the conversation. "Why didn't you call the Avengers when that fight was getting hard? We would've come, I promise!"

"I couldn't risk it," Peter whispered, looking down, ashamed. "I didn't want you guys to kick me out - you guys are my family."

Tony smiled.

(And it was a real, genuine one, too. Peter always felt special when he received that smile.)

"You're too important to me as well," he went on, not wanting Tony to cut him off. "I didn't want the Go - I didn't want Norman to hurt you guys. I didn't want one of your deaths to be on my conscience."

(Not like Ben's already is.)

That part was left unsaid.

"We're superheroes, Peter," Tony said. "There's always gonna be a casualty involved. Whether it's major or minor."

"We?"

Tony brought him into another hug, albeit more carefully this time.

"We," he agreed.

Oh my god I don't wanna finish this. I don't wanna post it. Can I just keep it going?

Except this is a pretty dam good ending, so I think I'm gonna have to leave it here.

I bet you guys were expecting a realllyyyy long authors note here, weren't you? Don't worry, I made sure this chapter was really long and the authors note is on a separate chapter for you guys :)

(I don't want it to end, though...)

Serious question time: should I post this on fanfiction.net? Just wondering if I should share this fic 🤷‍♂️

Also:

You guuuuyyyssss! Thank you loads! This book would've never gotten popular without you guys! I appreciate it so much!

There won't be a catchphrase in this chapter, I'm afraid (sorry Cemmy), but in the next author's note thing, there will be a small thing at the end, so yeah :)

(This is just me begging you to read a 2000+ authors note wow)

It's important though, I swear. It also reveals the next book's title ;)

One last thing: the next book will either be released NEXT Thursday or NEXT NEXT Thursday. It depends how quickly I finish it.

If it's not next Thursday, then definitely the one after.

And this is the last thing I'm gonna say. You guys are all amazing, keep it up!

- WriteCrazyForLife