• • December 2015 • •

Y/N AND PETER walked into the science exhibit. They were with their group as one of the guides escorted them through. Y/N looked around the room at the many different experiments they had showcased.

"Whoa..." The teenager breathed out as if he was a kid in a candy store. "This is awesome."

"We're so lucky we got selected to be on this trip." Peter replied as he held his camera by his side.

Flash Thompson pushed them aside so he could walk to the front of their group. "Move aside, dickwads."

Y/N huffed and shook his head, looking at Flash walk away.

"Not so lucky after all, at least with him here."

They continued through the exhibit as the guide stopped and let them check out different experiments. A couple of scientists also came over to further explain what they were trying to do.

Peter nudged Y/N's arm and pointed ahead. He looked over and saw Gwen Stacy, who was asking one of the scientists about the arachnids inside the case.

"She's so pretty." Peter remarked. "And smart. Let's not forget very smart."

"Then why don't you go talk to her, Romeo." Y/N said with a chuckle. "We already showed her around Queens a bit, how about you step it up a notch and ask her on a date?"

"Oh, no. I'll pass out even before I could get those words out."

Gwen looked back at the boys and waved at them. Y/N smiled back while Peter responded with an awkward wave. The blonde turned back around and looked at the exhibit.

"If you don't, maybe I'll ask her then." He joked and faked as if he was stepping forward.

Peter immediately stopped him. "Fine! I'll go talk."

At the same time, the group moved on and was going to check out another experiment. The two were going to follow but they heard a scientist speak to a man that walked up to the spider exhibit.

"Time to move them back into storage."

"All right. Wait...weren't there supposed to be five?"

Peter had his camera to take photos for the school paper. He wanted to snap pictures of the spiders but really wanted to meet up with Gwen and bond over the next experiment.

"Dude, can you do me a favor?" He handed Y/N his camera. "Take like a few good photos of these spiders while I go talk to Gwen?"

"Really? I mean...I'm not much of a—"

"It's easy, dude. Just point and shoot. Get good angles. Done."

Y/N sighed and held the camera. He let out a snicker. "All right. Go on, lover boy."

Peter shook his head and ran over to the group. Y/N went up to the people about to move the cases of spiders.

"Hi. Can I take a minute to snap a few pictures? Of the spiders?" He asked.

They looked at each other for a moment before one of the men replied. "All right. Make it quick."

Y/N smiled as the men stood aside and started to talk to each other. The boy began to take photos of the spiders and snapped a pic of each one. Weirdly, one of the cases was empty but the teenager paid no mind.

"I could get the hang of this." Y/N spoke to himself as he stepped back.

He went into position to take the last photo of all five cases. He raised the camera to his face and looked through the lenses, focusing on the picture the best he can.

"Bingo."

He snapped the photo. Y/N smiled, but his happiness was short-lived as he felt a sharp pain on his right hand.

"Argh!" Y/N flinched and swiped at whatever pricked him.

The spider fell to the floor and scurried away. He looked at the bite on his hand and then glanced at the floor, seeing no sign of the bug that bit him.

Y/N looked up and saw that his class was moving on to another exhibit. Peter looked back at Y/N and waved him down. The boy let out an exhale and rubbed his hand as he moved on to rejoin him.

He passed by Cindy Moon, who was leaning against a wall as she responded to her mother's text. As she typed, she felt a prick on her left ankle. She let out a quiet yelp and bent down to swat away whatever bit her. Upon seeing the spider on the floor, she stepped on it. The Korean girl looked at it in disgust before walking away, noticing that her group was leaving the room.

After the trip, Y/N was feeling sick. He felt ill throughout the whole train ride home and Peter was pretty worried about him. The two friends bid farewell at the intersection and walked to their respective apartment buildings. Y/N went to his apartment and entered the room, seeing his father at the dining table on his computer.

"Hey, Y/N." Michael greeted and looked at him. "How was the field trip?"

"Good." Y/N quickly said, not looking at him and going toward his room.

"Everything all right?"

"Just...feeling a bit sick. I'm going to take a nap."

"Oh, all right. Do you need any medicine?"

"No."

"Want to eat before-"

"No, thanks. I had a bite."

Y/N walked through the hallway and entered his room. He shut the door and immediately took off his shirt, feeling hot underneath his clothing. He was left with just his boxers as he plopped onto his bed.

The boy felt weak and exhausted. He didn't know what he was going through. Y/N closed his eyes and buried his face into his pillow as he muttered.

"What...the...fu..."

• • July 2024 • •

THE BOY WAS in shock. He had his hands on his head as he looked on at the big screen.

"What the fu—!"

A car horn nearby blared over the second time he cursed. The Daily Bugle's J. Jonah Jameson continued speaking on the large screen and the people on the street paid close attention.

"That's right, folks. Y/N L/N, an eighteen-year-old high school delinquent...harboring a homicidal hunger...is, in fact, the vile vigilante villain Spider-Man."

MJ stood within the crowd below. Some people noticed her looking rather nervous, and once they saw the girl and Spider-Man lock eyes, they chose to confront her.

"She knows him."

"Are you Spider-Man's girlfriend?"

"They swung in together."

"Are you Spider-Man's girlfriend?"

Y/N looked down from the streetlight and noticed she was getting overwhelmed. It immediately brought back the memory of sophomore year when students barraged her with questions about her being saved by Spider-Man.

The boy dropped down and rushed through the crowd to get to MJ. People looked on at the web-slinger, both in awe and confusion.

"Please, don't touch her, sir." Y/N said to a man who was very close to MJ. He grabbed his girlfriend's hand and tried to walk away but people got in his way.

"You're just a kid?"

"You murdered Mysterio?"

"Did she help you murder Mysterio?"

One lady reached out to Y/N and tried to remove his mask. "Come on, kid, let me see your face."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" MJ exclaimed.

Y/N swatted her hand away and moved through the crowd with MJ. The lady started to yell out to the people.

"He hit me! Spider-Man hit me!"

Y/N held MJ close as they got out of the crowd. He leaped onto the hood of the car and shot a web above, swinging away from the scene as the girl held on.

The big screens around Pennsylvania Station had Y/N's photo still up. Jonah continued his report.

"All this time, people looked up to this boy and called him a hero. Well, I'll tell you what I call him, public enemy number one!"

Y/N swung through Times Square as MJ held on tightly. She didn't even have time to recover from having swung through Manhattan just five minutes ago.

"I told you I never wanted to do this ever again!" She cried out and grabbed Y/N's head in an attempt to hold on.

"MJ. I'm so sorry! But I can't see anything with your hand in my face!"

"Sorry! Sorry!" She moved it away and held on to his shoulders. "Where are we gonna go?"

"I don't know. Maybe your house?"

"No! We cannot go to my house! My dad will kill you!"

"What? But your dad really likes me!"

"Yeah, well, not anymore!"

The couple made it to Queensboro Bridge and landed on top of it. Y/N put MJ down and felt his phone vibrate in his suit's pocket. He took it out and saw that it was an incoming call from Ned.

He answered the FaceTime call and saw Ned with a shocked expression.

"Dude."

"Dude."

"Dude!"

"Duuuuuude!"

MJ tried her best to balance on the beam they were on. Her equilibrium wasn't as advanced as her boyfriend's so she wanted to get out of there immediately.

"Dude!" She shouted.

"Oh!" He hung up the call and walked back to MJ. "I'm so sorry! Are you okay?"

"No, not really."

Suddenly, they heard someone in the distance call out. "Yo, Y/N!"

He turned around and saw a group of people inside a car from the Roosevelt Island Tramway going across the bridge. They snapped photos of the two.

Several news helicopters came to the scene as well and watched Spider-Man. They could hear the shouts, cheers, and angry exclamations of people from down on the bridge and on balconies nearby.

"We should go....we should go. Come on." MJ quickly said.

"But I thought you said you don't want to swing."

"Just swing me! You should just swing me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay." He grabbed onto MJ. "We can take the subway back to Queens."

"Oka–"

MJ let out a shriek before she can finish her reply as they leaped off the bridge. Before they can hit the sidewalk, Y/N webbed a metal grate on the floor and pulled it off so they can fall through.

They entered the subway and swung through the dark tunnels. MJ held on to his neck and looked ahead to see an incoming train.

"Look out!"

Y/N quickly shot another web to his right and maneuvered away from the train before it can hit them. They swung through the subway until Y/N was sure they made it to the right place. He climbed out of a manhole in front of one of Delmar's bodegas and helped MJ up onto the street.

"That was so much worse." She breathed out.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

Y/N placed the covering back onto the manhole and motioned MJ to grab onto him again.

"Come on, come on, come on."

She listened and held on once more.

"Again, I'm so sorry!" Y/N quickly apologized and initiated another swing.

They traveled through Queens until they made it to Y/N's apartment. He stuck to the side of the building beside his room's window, letting MJ open it and go through. He helped her but accidentally grabbed her buttocks and flinched.

"I'm so sorry!" He apologized.

Y/N followed close behind and entered his room. Immediately, he was in a panic. The boy began to remove the pieces of his suit, knocking over his chair in the process.

"Oh, my God...oh, my God!" Y/N exclaimed.

MJ was also panicking. "Y/N?"

The situation was starting to hit him. He was close to hyperventilating which made the task of taking off his suit harder. Ultimately, he got it off and held the bundle in his hands.

"Oh, no."

"Oh, God."

"Oh, no."

"Y/N? Y/N?" MJ went up to him and grabbed his bare shoulders, trying to keep the jittery teen in place.

"I don't know what to do!"

"Y/N!"

Suddenly, the door to his room opened. Michael and May looked in to see what the commotion and heavy breathing were about, and all they saw was their boy in only his underwear standing beside his girlfriend.

Y/N and MJ looked back at them. The boy dropped his clothes. "Uh..."

"I didn't see anything." Michael looked away. "I didn't see anything."

"This isn't what it looks like, Dad!"

"We're so sorry." May apologized and began to close the doors. "Practice safe–"

Y/N waved his hands. "No, no, no! May!"

May went back into the room and feigned a smile as she looked at the boy's girlfriend.

"Oh, hey! You must be MJ."

"Yeah." She nervously chuckled. "Nice to meet you."

"So nice to meet you."

Y/N glanced at his dad, who took his hands off his eyes and looked back at his son.

"Don't wanna be a grandpa yet. You have condoms with–?"

"Dad!" Y/N exclaimed.

Car horns and shouts from out the window got their attention.

"Hey, Spider-Man!"

Y/N quickly shot a web at the window and shut it. MJ handed him a t-shirt she grabbed from his bed and Y/N slipped it on.

"Uh..." He tried to think of a way to distract them from the noises outside. "How have you guys been? Is Peter home? Where's Anya?"

"Um...she's in bed." Michael answered.

"Cool!" Y/N grabbed May and motioned them out of the room. "With the kid asleep you have time for a date yourselves. Doesn't that sound nice?"

"You're right..." May replied. "Your dad did promise me we'd check out that new steakhouse in Tribeca. That was three months ago."

"It's still up on the mental pinboard, hun'." Michael replied.

MJ shut the door and they all walked down the hallway. The doorbell suddenly rang and got their attention.

"Let me answer the door." May said.

"Uhhhhh, let's go in here!" Y/N diverted her into the living room.

MJ ran past Michael and went to the door. One of the neighbors looked through the open doorway.

"Hey, is it true?"

"Not now!" The brunette exclaimed and shut the door on him. Michael looked on in confusion as she sped walked into the living room.

May was sitting down and spoke to Y/N. "Michael's told you about safe sex, right? Now that you and Peter have girlfriends, we need to have a discussion."

Y/N shook his head. "May, this has nothing to do with sex."

MJ closed one of the windows in the living room. The sound of a helicopter outside could still be heard and it got Michael's attention.

"What's that sound?" He asked.

Y/N ignored his dad and ran over to one of the windows. He webbed it closed and slid over to another one to shut it as well.

Y/N ran over to the last one and closed it, but it reopened and he made sure to web it closed the second time.

The adults' phones were going off. May had hers on the coffee table while Michael took it out of his pocket.

"What's up with my phone?" May asked and leaned over to grab it.

Y/N immediately snatched their phones and held on to them. "Will you get off your phones for like five minutes? I just want to...talk about your dating life! Gotta live young." He glanced at Michael. "So how about that steakhouse, Dad?"

"Y/N?" MJ called out and pointed at the television behind him.

He looked back and saw that it was on. It showed a live news broadcast of a helicopter's feed, which was of their apartment complex.

"Is that—Is that here?" Michael asked.

"Uh...um..."

Y/N sighed and dropped his head as he walked over to one of the windows. He opened it and allowed May and Michael to look outside, where they saw a crowd of people on the street and several helicopters above.

At that moment, Peter was somehow able to enter the apartment. He walked up to his family and held up his phone, which was a social media post of Y/N's face with half of his Spider-Man mask overlayed.

"What the hell just happened?" He asked.

Y/N didn't know what to say. He rubbed the back of his neck and looked out the window. He looked back at his family and tried to be optimistic.

"Maybe it's not such a big deal."

• • •

NEWS STORIES STILL ran rampant on Spider-Man and the revelation of his identity. Many people also believed that he was responsible for the attack in London and the murder of Mysterio.

Smear campaigns were at the forefront, all spearheaded by The Daily Bugle's J. Jonah Jameson.

"Spider-Menace! Governments around the world launch investigations into the murderer known as Spider-Man, aka Y/N L/N, aka the web-headed war criminal, who, for years, has been terrorizing the decent citizens of New York. Well, now this city and the world see him for what he truly is."

Many agencies tried to investigate the matter further. Other news stations reported on their findings.

"New details from last week's devastating attack in London have emerged. For more, we go now to Joint Intelligence headquarters."

"Authorities, just a short while ago, confirmed that the deadly drones used in the London attack were designed by Stark Industries."

Y/N, Peter, and the rest of the family were watching the news report in the living room. They ignored the shouts from the crowds outside the apartment building, but a loud knock on the door got their attention. Instinctively, Y/N held on arm out in front of Anya who sat beside him.

"Federal agents! Open up!"

"Federal agents?" May sneered and got up from the couch. "I got this."

Michael was going to join her but the lady stopped him. She went up to the door and opened it.

"Department of Damage Control." Agent Cleary said and held up his badge. "We have a warrant for the arrest of Y/N L/N."

May eyed the man and the other agents behind him. "You know the fourth amendment?"

"Sure." He replied.

"Unreasonable search and seizure?"

Cleary rolled his eyes and called out to his team. "Get in here guys. Let's go!"

Despite her objections, they walked passed May and began to search their apartment. They took photos of anything relevant to their case and Spider-Man. This included his Iron-Spider suit charging chamber, web shooters on his desk, and pictures of his friends.

While searching Peter's room, they also found objects that associated him with Y/N. They took photos of his nanotech watches containing his armor and the EDITH glasses. They seized his belongings just as they did Y/N's.

They ended up arresting Y/N and taking him to the police station. Agent Cleary was interrogating him as they waited for the rest of his associates to arrive.

"I didn't kill Quentin Beck. The drones did, okay?" Y/N said.

"The drones that you co-own?" Cleary shot back, pointing at the photos on the table.

"No. Well..." He hesitated. "Look, Nick Fury was there the entire time. Just call him up and have him tell you everything."

"Nick Fury has been off-planet for the last year."

Y/N spun around and looked at the man in confusion. "What?"

At that moment, his family along with Peter, Ned, MJ, and Gwen were being escorted through the room. Y/N spotted them through the window and MJ called out.

"Y/N!"

"MJ!" Y/N pointed and looked at Cleary. "They have nothing to do with this."

May and MJ shouted at Y/N in unison. "Don't say anything without a lawyer!"

Agent Cleary interrogated MJ first. They were in a dimly lit room as the man sat across from the eighteen-year-old.

"I want a lawyer." MJ said for what was probably the fifth time.

"Miss Jones-Watson." Cleary spoke as he looked through the files in his hands.

"Jones. I don't go by Watson."

"Miss Jones." He corrected himself. "Why do you want a lawyer if–?"

"If I have nothing to hide?"

"Exactly. Unless–"

"I'm actually guilty of something? I'm very aware of your tactics and my rights."

The brunette turned to the one-way glass and waved at the person behind it, knowing they were being monitored.

Cleary spoke. "Just answer my questions. I've seen your file. You're a smart young woman with a bright future ahead of her. Why would you risk it all by getting involved with a vigilante like Y/N L/N?"

She sat there in silence for a moment. MJ then leaned forward and stared at Agent Cleary.

"That vigilante saved not only my life but hundreds of others these last few years. He helped save the world. And what risk? He. Did. Nothing. Wrong."

Ned was waiting in a room alone. The boy was a nervous wreck and fiddled with his fingers for some time. Finally, Agent Cleary walked in.

"So sorry to keep you waiting." He apologized and looked back at his colleague in the hallway. "Can we get Ned a snack? He's been waiting."

"Absolutely. I got you." The agent said and left the room.

"Dude, I'm so sorry about that." Cleary said again, trying to warm up to the teenager.

"I'm not supposed to say anything to you." Ned spoke.

"No, Ned. Not even a thing. I just have one question." He let out an exhale. "When MJ told you Y/N was Spider-Man—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Ned interjected.

"What's up?"

"I knew way before MJ did. I found out about the exact same time Peter did. Well, he told us. Me, I was his guy in the chair."

"I know about those. Dude, half my guys are guys in the chair."

"Exactly. You would know. I literally helped him find the Vulture."

"I didn't know that."

"I helped him hack a suit once and kinda helped him get to space."

Cleary's tone became cold. "So in Spider-Man's illegal vigilantism...you were his main accomplice."

The room was silent. Ned stared at Agent Cleary and gulped at the realization of his mistake.

"I would like to have my words stricken from the record."

Gwen Stacy had her arms crossed as she looked straight ahead. Agent Cleary leaned against the wall and talked with her, looking at the files in his hand.

"You moved from D.C to New York back in 2015. Must've been a no-brainer for Midtown Tech to accept you...look at these marks."

Gwen didn't say a word and kept looking forward. Cleary cleared his throat and walked up to the table, eyes still on the folder.

"Dad didn't have to stress out with that, huh? Just focusing on his transfer while his little girl settled into one of the top schools in the state."

Gwen finally shot a look at the agent, arms still crossed. Cleary looked up from the file and at the blonde.

"You have a bright future ahead of you, Miss Stacy. How can you associate yourself with Y/N after all your father's done for you?"

"Even as Captain, my dad knows this is all a lie." She shot back. "He doesn't believe for a second that he's a criminal."

"He could believe what he wants to believe. But the force he works for, the badge he wears, he has a duty to condemn his vigilantism."

Gwen huffed and looked at the wall again. Cleary finally sat down in front of her, and the girl diverted her eyes to the other wall. Cleary stood silent for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Y/N isn't the only vigilante you know, isn't he?"

Gwen shot him a glance after his question. Cleary continued.

"You seem quite fond of Peter Parker, who was another one of Tony Stark's protégés. I suspect...he may be more involved in this event than we think."

Gwen kept staring but ultimately looked away. Unbeknownst to her, Cleary and the DODC already knew what she knew. With her reaction, the agent gave a nod and got up from his seat.

Cleary plopped the files down onto the table in front of Peter. The boy had his elbows planted on the flat top as he held his hair.

"The glasses were also yours, Peter." Cleary began. "You have ownership of the drones and you allowed Y/N to use them to kill Mysterio."

"He did not kill Mysterio." He butted as he looked up. "Beck stole them from me and used them to attack London."

"And how exactly did he steal them, then?"

Peter tried to come up with what to say. He wasn't sure how to answer without saying that he worked with Beck in fighting the Elementals.

"...I don't know."

Cleary leaned over the table and looked at Peter. "We know more than you think, Peter. We searched your room. We have your tech."

Peter stared at the agent before letting out an exhale and looking back down. He buried his face in between his hands.

"The Silver Centurion." Cleary said. "Another vigilante just like Y/N who doesn't abide by the rules put in place. In turn, it lead to what happened in London."

"We help people! Just like Tony Stark did, like Steve Rogers, Bruce Banner, Natasha Romanoff." Peter emphasized. "I made a mistake and Beck took advantage of it which lead us to now."

Cleary crossed his arms. "If that is true...then your mistake surely screwed things up, didn't it?"

Peter looked down and sighed, burying his face back into his hands.

Michael was the last to be interrogated. May was outside with Anya as Agent Cleary took his chances with the father of Spider-Man.

"With all due respect, sir, unless you have some real specific charges to throw at us, legally, you can't hold us here." Michael told the agent, knowing his rights and how the system worked.

"You should definitely lawyer up." Cleary simply replied.

He arched a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Child endangerment is a nasty rap. You are the legal guardian of not only your son but your significant other's nephew. You're essentially his father too."

Michael breathed in and sat back in his chair. The agent continued scolding him.

"You not only allowed Y/N to endanger himself, you encouraged it. And then you and Ms. Parker allow the same thing to happen to Peter. Endangerment...in the same household where your four-year-old daughter lives. What kind of parents do that?"

Michael glared at Cleary, trying to hold himself back from either shouting at or even grabbing the man.

"I want to see my boys right now."

• • •

A FEW WEEKS passed and Y/N was still front pages news almost every day. His attack on London and murder of Quentin Beck weren't seen as definite facts anymore, now viewed as mere indictments. People around the world now had varying opinions on the Spider-Man/Mysterio controversy.

The change of opinion was mostly because of Matt Murdock, who represented Y/N during the few court proceedings they had the last month. He felt obliged to help since he remembered the time Spider-Man assisted him in arresting Wilson Fisk. Aside from that, Matt knew Y/N was a good kid in general.

The lawyer even represented Peter in a separate case, who had been exposed by the NYPD and DODC as the Silver Centurion. With both boys' names being dragged through the mud, Murdock made it his goal to help them.

Y/N sat down at the table, his leg bobbing nervously. May and Michael sat with him while Peter was on the sofa with Anya. Happy was also there, wanting to support the family through this tough time.

They all watched the television as they continued reporting about the current events.

"Stark Industries was caught in the web of the Spider-Man/Mysterio controversy today when federal agents opened an investigation into missing Stark technology. Agents want to know exactly what was taken and whether or not it is in the wrong hands."

They showed a picture of Happy on the screen. It was of him in the late 90s with what looked like a mullet. The graphic showed that he had no comment on the matter.

Happy cringed at his photo. "At least they used a good picture."

"You really rocked that style, huh?" Michael remarked, thinking back at a time he had the same hairstyle.

A/N: *cough* Obi-Wan in Episode II *cough*

Y/N had his chin resting on his hand, muttering as he stared at the screen. "What is happening?"

Matt Murdock came out of the hallway and sat down at the table with them. He was finishing a conversation on the phone. "Thank you."

He hung up the call and put away his device. The blind man held his walking stick by his side and spoke to Y/N.

"I have some good news, Y/N. I don't believe any of the charges against you are gonna stick."

Y/N looked at him in shock. "Wait, seriously?"

"I knew it." May said happily.

Michael slapped the table and cheered. "Nice! Thank you, Matt!"

"Yes, Mr. Murdock, thank you." Y/N also said.

"You're welcome."

Matt then faced Peter, who was sitting on the sofa nearby.

"Expect your charges to be dropped too, Peter. I should be getting a call back later today since there isn't much they have to hold against you either."

"That's great." Peter said with a smile as the rest of the family cheered again.

"But..." Matt added. "The feds are still investigating Stark Industries and the missing technology. This means it won't be smart to go back out as Silver Centurion, at least for the time being. It could pull you back into even more legal trouble."

Peter understood and shrugged. "Yeah, I know. Either way, they took away my tech and most of the materials I use."

Matt faced Y/N again. "Y/N, may have avoided conviction on Beck's murder, but things will get much worse. There is still a court of public opinion."

Y/N nodded, but at the same time, he felt his spider-sense go off. He looked to the window behind Matt and held up his hand, ready to catch the incoming brick that was going to crash through.

When it broke through the window, Matt caught it instead. Michael, May, and the other non-enhanced people in the room ducked down and shielded their faces. A shout was heard outside.

"Murderer! Mysterio forever!"

The blind man handed the brick to Y/N, who looked at him in confusion. He was taken back by the lawyer's reflexes.

"How did you just do that?" He asked.

Matt cleared his throat and turned his head toward the boy. "I'm a really good lawyer."