EVERYONE AT THE venue was about done with their dinner. It was now time to present their honored guest with a thank you and a gift.

Martin Li was at the podium in front of the attendees. The spotlight shined on him as he spoke.

"Now, I'd like to call up one of our esteemed benefactors...the beautiful and amazing Katherine Bishop."

There was applause as the young woman got up. People sounded off as the well-dressed and stunning heroine walked from her table to the stage.

Back at her table, Indira and Harry were there, even Jack Duquesne, who was there to support her as well.

Y/N couldn't attend because he was preoccupied with a project, or at least that's what Indira and Harry believed. He was in fact investigating another one of Mister Stone's rackets, which Kate knew about.

Kate went behind the podium and waited for the applause to halt. She beamed and touched her heart.

"Thank you all so much." She cleared her throat. "I—really don't know what to say. Out of everything I've tried out...the awards I've won...public speaking was one I flunked."

They laughed at her joke. The young woman continued.

"The work that's done here at F.E.A.S.T is extraordinary. This is one of the best parts of New York, as it helps not only the ones in obvious need...but everyone. That's what I learned when I first came in as a volunteer over a year ago."

She kept speaking. "When you help someone, you help everyone. Those are words that were once told to me by May Parker...words her late husband, Michael, lived by as well. We try to honor that. I do."

Sitting at a nearby table, May smiled and teared up at her words. Kate saw her and smiled back.

"So this honor shouldn't just go to me...but to everyone here. And everyone that does what they can in making F.E.A.S.T an amazing organization."

With her speech concluded, the crowd applauded. A group of people came out from behind the curtains with bundles of flowers and one man had a trophy. They all gathered around her to give her the gifts.

The man with the trophy handed her the award, but upon her trying to take it...he spoke.

"Mister Stone sends his regards."

Kate reacted with a confused look, then suddenly saw the man pull a small gun from his coat. She immediately grabbed it and jolted his wrist, causing him to misfire.

The people around her and the attendees were startled by the gunshot. Kate and the gunman struggled for a couple of seconds before the heroine was able to swiftly bring him to the floor.

She put his left arm in an arm bar and locked the other between her feet.

"Drop the damn gun!" She exclaimed.

The man grunted and ultimately let it go. Kate got up and a couple of people nearby kept the man pinned down.

The girl caught her breath. Suddenly, she heard someone cry out behind her.

"Oh, my God! Someone call the ambulance! Please!"

She turned around and saw a woman knelt over a young man. He was bleeding from his chest and she was applying as much pressure to the wound as she could. Martin Li ran in and helped.

"Someone call 911!" He shouted.

Kate just stood there in shock. She immediately realized that the scuffle she had with the gunman caused the stray shot to hit the man.

She let out a shuddered breath at the thought...that she was going to be responsible for the man's death if he didn't make it.

There was a lot of commotion. The people in the venue were sounding off, the two men were shouting at the gunman they were pinning down, and the woman was still crying out beside her wounded friend.

It all seemed to blend until it was simply white noise in Kate's ears. She was amidst all that chaos.

Kate was then grabbed and she got startled, but quickly realized it was Jack. He started ushering her off the stage.

"We have to go." He said.

"I—I—We—"

"Come on!"

Jack wanted to hear none of it as he feared for the young woman's life after the sudden assassination attempt. Although her mother killed his uncle and tried to frame him over a year ago, the two were still close and he cared for her.

Kate didn't argue and allowed herself to be taken off the stage. Still, the sound of the chaos currently happening was something she wouldn't forget.

• • •

KATE WENT BACK home after the incident. Police questioned her and made sure she was fine while she was there. This included Captain George Stacy.

Y/N, in his civilian clothing, exited the elevator and entered the penthouse. He saw Kate in the living room with Lucky speaking with George and another officer. Jack was also with her.

"Kate." Y/N called out.

He walked up and joined them in the living room. Y/N touched her shoulder and knelt.

"I heard about what happened at the event. Are you okay?" He asked.

"I'm fine." She reassured him, touching the hand that was on her shoulder.

Captain Stacy looked at him. "And you must be...?"

Obviously, George did not remember Y/N, the longtime friend of his daughter, Gwen.

"Uh...I'm Y/N. Y/N L/N." He replied, then gestured toward Kate. "I—I'm—"

"We're together." She interjected.

"L/N, huh?" He asked him. "You work for the Bugle?"

"Yes, sir."

"And you take the pictures of Spider-Man, huh?"

"Uh, yes."

George nodded. "Well, apologies that your work is used to demean him. He deserves better."

Y/N simply chuckled. Again, it was nice to know that Stacy was a supporter of Spider-Man. He did in fact save him from being arrested that night when Kate took down Kingpin.

"If there aren't any more questions..." Jack began.

George nodded and glanced at his partner, Yuri.

"I think we're done here." He looked back at Kate. "Thank you, Miss Bishop. Are you sure you're okay? No need for a—?"

"Like I said, I'm fine. Thank you."

"Okay. Have a good night, then."

The two officers bid farewell and left the penthouse. Jack looked over at Y/N, who had a reassuring grip on the girl's arm.

"I'm surprised to see you again, Y/N," Jack said. "I rarely ever do."

"Well, you know. School...work...all that stuff."

"That kept you from attending your beau's important night?"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Jack."

He put his hands up.

"Sorry. I'm sorry." He looked back at Y/N. "Just busting your chops, young man."

Y/N feigned a chuckle. Jack rubbed Kate's back as he made his way out.

"If you're good, I'll get going."

"I am." She replied. "Thank you, Jack. Really."

He nodded. "Of course."

Jack also gave a nod to Y/N as he left, bidding farewell. Y/N reciprocated the act and the man left via elevator.

Once it was just them and Lucky, Y/N immediately sat down beside her and began to ask questions.

"What happened? What'd you tell them? How about the others? Harry? Indira?"

"They're fine. But...someone got shot. I tried to get the gun out of his hands and—"

The girl stopped after feeling herself about to cry. Y/N held her hand and offered comfort.

"Hey...it's fine. That's not your fault."

Kate took in a breath.

"I don't even know if that man's okay. I'm afraid that the first thing I'm going to hear in the morning is that he didn't make it."

"Don't think about it. He'll be fine. You...you stopping that guy might've helped save a lot more people."

"But I didn't help him." She butted.

Y/N exhaled through his nose. He glanced at the floor for a second.

"What did the guy look like? Did he say anything?" He asked.

"He looked like a normal guy from the staff. He had the trophy and was going to give it to me."

Kate thought back for a moment. She then recalled what the man said before he pulled out the gun.

"He—He mentioned Mister Stone." She added. "That Mister Stone sends his regards."

Immediately, Y/N remembered all the intel he had gathered from racket busts he and Kate have done the last few months. He even found out that another alias he went by was Tombstone.

Then he recalled the encounter with Robbie Robertson's friend, Alonzo Lincoln. He mentioned that he would go by Mister Stone during their childhood. He wasn't 100% sure, but there was a chance that he was involved somehow.

"He's taking action now..." Y/N said. "And—And he's coming after you."

Kate let out an exhale through her nose and looked down. She had come up with that conclusion a while ago.

"Yeah..." She replied.

There was a moment of silence. A lot of things were going through Y/N's head as he tried to figure out what else to say.

"I have to find this guy. I have to stop him."

Y/N got up from the couch. Kate raised a brow and looked up at him.

"What? What are you going to do?" She asked.

"Like I said. Stop him."

"Do you even know who he is?"

"Uh—I—I have an idea." He rubbed his face. "I don't know!"

"You can't just go after a guy based on an idea." Kate butted. "You have to be sure because if you get it wrong, then it's an entire shit show."

"I'd rather take that chance because if we wait any longer...he could act again."

She walked up to him. "Y/N..."

"We've seen the number of guys he has! And if he's like Fisk, he's gonna have someone like Yelena or the Prowler on speed dial. I don't want to wait and find out—"

"Y/N." She tried calming him down by grabbing his shoulders. "Please."

The young man took a breath in. Even Lucky on the side was starting to get frantic based on his owner's tirade. He then let a breath out.

"You good?" She asked.

Y/N stood there for a moment.

"I just..." He began. "I just don't want anything to happen to you. To anyone...again."

Kate understood his fear. She was also pretty scared of the situation. Y/N didn't want to lose a person he cared about again and the archer was afraid that more people around her could get hurt.

"We'll deal with it together," Kate told him. "Right now...just stick with me. That's what I need the most right now."

Y/N ultimately nodded. Slowly, they closed the space between themselves and hugged, the young man rubbing her back.

They stood there in silence, embracing one another in the middle of the living room. She had her arms wrapped around his torso and Y/N moved a hand to her hair, touching it.

"Yeah." He spoke near her ear. "I'll stick by you."

• • •

A COUPLE OF days passed. A prison transport vehicle containing two inmates, a guard, and the driver, went down the street.

The twin inmates, restrained in a chamber and having syringes stuck in their ankles, were being watched by the shotgun-wielding guard.

"Freaky looking duo." The guard remarked. "But the girl's got a nice bod."

"Stop staring at them." The driver replied.

"They don't even know I'm looking. They're heavily medicated." He said. "Why are we transporting these guys again?"

"The new prison in Jersey got a backup power system. The one Ossining, those rod things kept shorting out."

"Heard they're supposed to sap their mental powers. What happened? Twins say boo to their guard?"

"Guards. Plural." She replied. "Three of them."

The guard nodded and the driver continued to elaborate.

"The twins took control of the weakest. Made him turn on the closest one. He worked him over until he bled to death. The third one just curled up into a ball and started crying."

The guard was taken aback by the story. Suddenly, a noise from the chamber startled him and he spun with his shotgun aimed at the twins.

They were still sedated and had their eyes closed...but their mouths seemed to be moving as if they were inaudibly whispering.

The transport kept making its way down the road. Suddenly, a truck came out of an alley and hit both the cruiser in front and the prison truck. The vehicles went out of control and came to a stop.

The prison truck was stalled on the side of the road. The driver opened her eyes and saw that smoke was deployed outside, obscuring their view. The guard finally gathered his bearings.

"Wh—What the hell happened? I didn't see anything."

"Boost their meds!" She shouted at him. "Hurry!"

The guard knew she was talking about the twins. He went up to their small holding chamber and saw that the syringes that kept them medicated were now out. Out of fear, he backed up and held up his shotgun.

In unison, the twins lifted their heads and turned to the guard. Their eyes were glowing and they stared straight at the man.

Shoot now.

The driver, shoot, then set us free.

The guard groaned and held his head. The twins continued to dig into his mind.

Shoot.

Shoot.

Shoot.

Shoot.

Now in their control, the guard lifted his head and turned toward the driver. He had his shotgun trained at her. She looked at her colleague but didn't get a chance to react before he pulled the trigger.

With the deed done, the twins, Roland and Roxanne, were freed and let out.

Portrayed by Dylan Sprouse

Portrayed by Cara Delevingne

Before Roxanne could close the door, she gave one last look at the guard.

Shoot.

He quickly shut it. As per the order, the guard put the barrel underneath his chin and fired.

Roxanne and Roland met up with the man that aided their escape, Willis, and entered his truck. They needed to leave the area and meet up with his boss.

They drove away. The trio was only able to go down a block before Spider-Man thwipped above, following the speeding truck.

The breakout interrupted the hero's ongoing investigation and search for Tombstone, so he wanted this over with.

"Why can't they just do their time like good inmates?" He muttered to himself.

He zipped onto the truck and landed on top of it. Inside, the twins heard the thud and knew exactly who it was.

"Spider-Man is here." Roxanne said.

Roland chuckled. "As predicted."

They looked up toward the truck's ceiling, their eyes glowing once again. Their mental powers started affecting Spider-Man and he groaned.

"Argh!"

He held his head with both hands as he grunted. Y/N has his eyes closed as he writhed in pain and everything felt like it was closing in on him.

Your mind is ours.

Come...join us.

• •

HE WAS IN A black void for a moment once he opened his eyes. He blinked a few more times before reappearing back on the truck, but he was still weak.

He then stumbled back, but before he can fully fall off the truck, he grabbed on. He then stuck to the side and climbed to the driver's side window.

Willis didn't even see Spider-Man before he was punched out of the seat and knocked down. Y/N climbed inside and stood before the twins.

"I don't think so." He webbed the two of them, then tugged both lines and slammed them against each other. "Not today."

Roxanne quickly looked up at him from the floor and used her powers again. Y/N heard high-pitched squealing and grunted as he put his hands over his ears.

The twins got back up, their eyes glowing and staring right at Spider-Man. They spoke but their mouths weren't moving, as Y/N could only hear their voices in his head.

Don't you see? We have you right where we want you.

Y/N held his head and groaned. Suddenly, his surroundings distorted and turned into the black void once again.

He closed his eyes and tried to bear the pounding in his head and the sharp squealing in his ears.

What's your greatest fear?

Your mind is ours.

Join us.

"Aah!" Spider-Man fell to his knees. "No!"

The twins watched as he struggled to keep them out of his head. Roxanne smiled.

Good. He's ready.

Spider-Man practically bowed before them as he groaned in pain. He slowly looked ahead, spotting the loose syringes that dangled from their ankle contraptions.

He then dove forward, grabbed Roxanne's needle, and jabbed it into her foot. The woman grunted.

"Argh!"

Spider-Man flipped backward and then sprung himself forward with his hands, kicking the twins back. Y/N quickly leaped toward them and grabbed Roland's needle, stabbing him in his ankle right when he landed on the ground.

"Aah!"

With the twins now on the floor and medicated, Spider-Man looked back at the wheel and saw Willis still driving. The hero held up a fist and pointed at it.

"You want some of this?" He asked.

Out of fear, Willis immediately hit the brakes and stopped the car.

It didn't take long until the police arrived to apprehend the culprits. Among them was Captain George Stacy, which was a pleasant sight to see.

"Careful. They'll mess with your brains." Spider-Man told the arresting officers.

"Blindfold them." Captain Stacy ordered.

They listened to their superior's request, putting them on their knees and blindfolding the twins. They were brought back up and taken to the police car.

"Thank you again, Spider-Man," Stacy said. "Word on the street is that these two are very dangerous."

"I bet." He replied. "Anyways, it's always a pleasure, Captain."

"Please. Call me George."

That came as a surprise to Y/N. He had always referred to Stacy as Captain during his time knowing him and the man wasn't the type to let people at his job refer to him by first name, especially a vigilante like Spider-Man.

"Really?" Y/N chuckled. "I'll think about it."

Spider-Man looked up and shot a web, swinging away from the scene.

A few buildings down, he stuck to a wall. Y/N felt some thumping in his head and tried shaking it off. He hoped it was just an after-effect of the twins' attempted mind control.

"Ugh...freaks." He muttered, before continuing his climb up the wall.

MJ walked down the sidewalk. She held a camera and was taking photos of everyday things, such as a sitting pedestrian, graffiti on the wall, and the occasional dog being walked.

It could've been for a class. Or maybe a scrapbook. Or maybe she wanted photos as references for her sketches. Who knew?

She stopped by a shop and began to snap photos of a mural that was painted in the alley beside it. MJ was very focused...to the point that she wasn't paying attention to what was happening behind her.

A car tried taking the red light and ended up hitting another car. The force of the impact caused the other car to speed toward the sidewalk where the girl was.

She was the only one there...and would be the only one hit by it.

MJ looked back upon hearing the commotion and was frightened upon seeing the oncoming car. She braced herself and closed her eyes, expecting to feel the impact. But...there was nothing.

She opened her eyes and saw Spider-Man in front of her pushing back the car. He grunted as he held on to the bumper.

"I got it...I got it."

He let it down. Spider-Man made sure the driver inside was okay, who informed him he was with the tip of the cap.

"All good?" Y/N held a thumbs up at him. "Okay! Good! Someone call 5-0 on that guy who tried to run a red!"

Spider-Man looked back at MJ. She caught her breath and looked at him too.

"Uh...you okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Heh...déjà vu, right?"

"What?"

"Like that time you saved me from that car that flew toward me years ago."

Y/N immediately remembered. It was when he was chasing down Rocket Racer and caused a crash that almost harmed MJ who was grocery shopping. This confirmed to Y/N again that all her memories with Spider-Man stuck...but not of Y/N.

"Oh...yeah! Yeah, right." Spider-Man replied with a chuckle. "Feels like so long ago."

MJ stood there and fiddled with her necklace. The hero noticed that but didn't say a word.

"Um...well, if you're—"

MJ got closer to him. "It's nice to see you again."

"S—Same. I...I didn't think you'd be back from MIT so soon."

She shrugged. "I guess I missed you."

MJ then reached out and caressed the side of his arm. As much as he'd like to reciprocate some kind of action, he was already taken and she was with Harry. He began to stammer and quickly backed away.

"Uh...I—I gotta get going. It was nice seeing you again." He shot a web line upward. "Watch out for more cars."

The hero swung away. MJ just stood there, softly laughing to herself and walking off.

• •

Y/N ENTERED THE café he always frequented with his friends. He looked to the left and expected to see their usual spot, but noticed it was replaced with a counter, stools, and a sofa.

He went up to the front and spoke to Jimmy.

"Hey...what happened to the table over there?" Y/N asked.

"Oh, the manager had us move stuff around. Sorry."

Y/N simply nodded. He went up to the new counter by the window and, since it was empty, sat down.

He got his usual drink order and also some nachos. The door to the cafe opened and Harry came in to join him.

"So this is where you're hiding." He spoke to Y/N and sat down beside him, not even asking about the changed seating area.

"I'm not hiding." Y/N replied as he bit into a nacho.

"Oh, don't get fresh with me, young man," Harry said and took a chip for himself. "I tried calling you last night, and it kept going straight to voicemail."

"Oh. I was with Kate." He replied as he chewed his food.

"Aha!" Harry exclaimed. "Wait. But I thought you said you went with Indy to see that Spanish band?"

"Yeah, that was in the day." Y/N nonchalantly answered and ate another nacho. "And the band was Maná."

"No wonder he needs so much fuel." Harry chuckled. "You prepping for a three-way or something?"

He scoffed. "All right, man."

At that moment, Indira and Flash came into the cafe. They joined them, and like Harry, didn't seem to question the fact that their spot was forever changed.

"Ooh, hell yeah! Nachos." Flash cheered and took one.

"Sure, Eugene, just take my food."

Flash ignored him, even brushing off the fact he called him by his real name, and ate the nacho. Y/N continued eating as well and went to dip one that he already bit.

"That's double dipping, Y/N," Indira said by his ear and then sat down. "Allow me."

She took a chip, dipped it, and ate it in one go, all while humming as if she really enjoyed it. The three guys just observed as she sensually cleaned her finger.

"Hi, Harry." She waved. "That lesson was free for you."

Y/N chuckled. "You mean it's gonna cost me?"

"Yeah...maybe the rest of your nachos." She replied with a laugh.

She reached over and started eating some more while looking at him. The young man chuckled again. Flash sat there and watched her eat the nachos.

"Can you do that thing again?" He asked.

Indira laughed and tossed a chip at him. Y/N looked toward Harry and remembered a plan he had the night before.

"Hey. I was thinking you and MJ could, like, do a double date with Kate and me. There's this place—"

"Uh...nah, man." Harry shook his head and exhaled. "Her and I broke up."

The entire table was shocked. Y/N arched a brow.

"What? What happened?"

"It's...it's a weird reason. I'd rather not get into it. Let's not."

The three friends chose not to pry. Flash pat Harry's back.

"It'll be all right, man." He said.

"Thanks, Eugene."

Flash nodded. Indira also offered some solace by rubbing the top of Harry's arm. Y/N just sat there and sighed, not knowing what to say.

"Enough of my moping. Let's have a great time, you know? Shit, I'll even buy us a ton of nachos."

"I actually got to get to E1," Indira said and stood up. "Got wind of a scoop that I need to bring up. And don't ask. It's an exclusive and my lips are sealed."

Y/N nodded. "Sure, but—"

"Okay, you twisted my arm." She sat back down and began explaining to the three. "The other day when the Gaines twins were delivered to the big house after their fight with Spider-Man, they managed to break out the Shocker and Silver Sable."

"What?" He asked. "How?"

"They worked their mind control thing on a prison administrator. Did you know they were born that way? Apparently, HYDRA did some experiments on their parents."

Suddenly, the television nearby played a broadcast. The café didn't have many people, so there wasn't a lot of noise to overlap with what the news anchor was saying.

"And just hours after the prison snafu that got them released, the Shocker, Herman Schultz, has been cornered by police at the construction site of the new E.S.U Science Center."

"Oh, shit! I'm losing my scoop!" Indira exclaimed. "How can they do that to me?"

"You?" Harry got up. "My dad gave good money to build that science center. I don't want that quilt-wearing jackass doing anything crazy...like blow it up!"

"I'm off to the station." Indira gave a friendly peck on the cheek to Y/N. "I'll see you guys later."

The young man was taken aback by the action. He expected Harry and Flash to have some sort of reaction to it, but they didn't. They instead chatted about stopping by the construction site.

"Y/N, you coming?" Flash asked. "This could be exciting."

"Uh...I think I got enough excitement in my life."

The two shrugged before bidding farewell and leaving the café. Y/N sat there and looked at the television for a moment, before getting up and stepping out of the building too.

• •

THE SHOCKER WAS at the construction site in Union Square. He raised his gauntlets and shot in the direction of fleeing workers. Both a police helicopter and a news one circled the area, while cops were behind barricades surrounding the site.

Herman began yelling at the helicopter, assuming they could hear him.

"Bring me, Spider-Man! I have some words for him..."

Funny enough, the hero had already arrived. He was perched on a stack of metal beams.

"Hiya, Herman." Spider-Man greeted. "Heard you wanted to chat."

Shocker turned to him. "You..."

"Meeeee..." The hero imitated his voice. "You said that's who you wanted."

Shocker raised his gauntlets and fired blasts at him. Y/N jumped off the beams as they were blown to oblivion. He landed behind Schultz.

"Someone's in a mood. Forgot your morning breakfast?"

"I'm going to kill you!" He shouted and fired again.

Spider-Man jumped away again and landed on a scaffolding nearby. He called out to Shocker.

"Kill is a nasty term." He remarked.

Shocker panted and turned to the hero. He could see a glare through his visor.

"My niece is dead because of you." He spoke.

Spider-Man was taken aback. "What?"

"The money was all I needed to keep her alive. But you took it all away!"

Y/N thought back at the one time he stopped Shocker after a robbery months ago. That was likely why he did that.

"Herman—"

"You let her die!"

"I'm sorry, but—"

"Shut up! Shut the fuck up!" He shouted.

He shot a blast at Y/N again. The hero dodged and webbed a metal beam, tossing it at Herman. The villain blasted it and broke it apart, but Spider-Man immediately swung at him and kicked him.

Shocker landed on his back but immediately got to his feet and faced the hero.

"This day will be your last, kid." Herman seethed.

"Again, I ain't a kid anymore, Shock."

Suddenly, a group of policemen arrived led by Captain Stacy. They had their guns aimed at Shocker.

Y/N quickly noticed them. "Captain! Stay back!"

The Shocker laughed and aimed at the cops. He fired a blast toward a few of them and sent them flying several yards back.

Spider-Man web-zipped toward Herman and kicked him in the face. He was down for a bit when a sudden shout got Y/N's attention.

"Schultz!" Captain Stacy shouted. "Enough of this!"

Herman quickly shot Spider-Man with a blast and sent him flying, where he crashed into a stack of plywood. Stacy was still standing with his gun trained at the villain.

Shocker looked above the Captain, seeing a steel beam hanging from the wire of a crane. He immediately raised his arm and shot it, snapping the wire.

The steel beam then fell. Captain Stacy was only able to look up for a second before it landed on him. Y/N was barely recovering when he witnessed it happen.

"No!" He exclaimed.

The Shocker turned around and faced Spider-Man. He charged up the right gauntlet on his arm and was prepared to fire, but Y/N immediately webbed it up.

Herman stumbled back, looking at his right arm as the gauntlet kept charging. The webbing was interfering with the mechanism...and it started to overcharge.

"Oh, sh—"

The gauntlet exploded, blowing up Herman's right arm. Y/N looked on in shock at his doing.

"Aah! Shit!" Herman cried out and fell to the floor, clutching his stump.

He writhed in pain on the floor. Herman began to mutter something which Y/N could somehow make out.

"You'll pay...you will. He will make sure you do..."

Policemen began tending to both Shocker and Captain Stacy. Spider-Man went over to George to see if he was okay.

Using his strength, Y/N lifted the beam off of him and put it aside. Stacy was groaning in pain.

"Captain?"

"I'm fine..." He grunted. "Ugh."

Sergeant Watanabe went up to her colleague and knelt beside him. She looked at his legs and then back at him.

"Can you get up, Captain?" She asked.

After a pause, George shook his head. Y/N feared the worst. Yuri glanced at Spider-Man before gazing back at the Captain.

"I—I can't feel my legs, Yuri."

• •

THE NEXT DAY, Y/N was in J. Jonah Jameson's office. He had presented his pictures of the battle with Shocker the night before.

As he looked at them, Y/N just stood there in thought. He clenched his fists at the fact that so much pain was caused yesterday. How Herman lost a family member, how he maimed him, and how Captain Stacy was caught in all that chaos.

It was likely that George would never be able to walk. The damage to his spine was too great. Y/N couldn't bear the thought of it. The force lost a great officer and he lost a good colleague.

Then there was his family. He thought of Gwen and how she must've felt hearing that her father was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life. Y/N shook his head.

It was all his fault.

"L/N?" Jonah asked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You dozing off already? Already in need of a pick-me-up at 9 AM?"

"Sorry, Mr. Jameson." Y/N apologized.

JJ looked back at the photos on his computer. To his surprise, he really liked them.

"Wow. These are quite amazing. These will blow up for sure!" He said. "Oh. Apologies to Herman for the remark."

Y/N simply nodded. JJ spoke again.

"I'll give you your usual rate for these."

"Sounds fine."

He sat back on his chair. "By the way, I got news that Kraven the Hunter is in town."

"Sergei Kravinoff?" Y/N asked.

"Yup. Guess he decided to resurface after his spat with Spider-Man those months ago. Watch for the U-Hauls, never know if he's gonna wanna peek through those again."

"Maybe I should check that out then."

"You should! Get me the goods on that fur-wearing lunatic. I'll even double your rate!"

The raise came as a surprise to Y/N, to the point that the entire thing felt weird. He decided to reject that offer.

"My regular rate is fine."

JJ arched a brow. Y/N then bid farewell and left his office.

Y/N walked down the street. As he did, he felt a dull pain in his head. He thought it was just a headache coming on and ignored it.

Nearby, two people were on a rooftop surveying him. It was Kraven and Silver Sable. The hunter was looking at the young man through some binoculars.

"Sable, this is a waste of time. He's just some college kid."

"A college kid who's good friends with Spider-Man." She replied. "Trust me. I know the whole group."

Kraven took out a dart and examined it. Sable looked over at him and rolled her eyes.

"Lovely. I'll order some from the Kravinoff catalog." She jested. "What the hell are you doing?"

Kraven deployed a collapsible crossbow and put the dart inside.

"Maybe killing this kid will let Spider-Man know that he messed with the wrong guy."

He slowly aimed it at the strolling Y/N, preparing to shoot him. At the same time, the young man's spider sense went off.

Before he can pull the trigger, Sable stopped Kraven. He didn't like that and stepped up to her, but she held her ground.

"Idiot. You want that kind of revenge, you have to do it right in front of his face."

They both looked at the street where Y/N was, where he was now running across the street and into an alley.

"Well, we don't have a choice now, do we?" Kraven replied before running off with her.

Y/N went through the alley and tried crossing another street. He made sure to avoid the cars passing by and ultimately entered another alleyway.

Kraven and Silver Sable were on his tail. They turned into the alley they saw Y/N enter but lost sight of him.

Kraven grumbled. "How...?"

Suddenly, the two were kicked in the back by a swinging Spider-Man. They fell on their stomachs while the hero flipped and deftly landed in front of them.

"Gosh, didn't realize you two were an item." Spider-Man quipped and held his chin. "I'm sure Twitter would've gone crazy already with the fan edits."

The two got up and faced the hero.

"I could say the same about you and L/N," Sable said. "What do you do, follow him around like a puppy dog?"

Kraven glared at the wall-crawler. He took out his crossbow and aimed it at him.

"Yes, you are a mongrel, not a man."

"Hmm. That's real clever, Krave." Sable remarked, then immediately tried roundhouse kicking Spider-Man.

He ducked under the attack and backed away. Kraven quickly pulled the trigger of his weapon and the dart went straight at Spider-Man. As if it was in slow-motion, Y/N dodged the incoming poison dart.

Sable charged at Spider-Man with her baton and ended up striking him in the back. He fell to the floor onto his stomach.

"That's for knocking me into the river." She said.

Spider-Man got up and she was about to attack again, but he dodged the swipe and webbed her on the back. He then pulled and threw her at a wall, where she crashed into a few trash cans.

Before she can get up, Spider-Man webbed her arms and torso together, keeping her from moving. Kraven was nearby, chuckling as he aimed his crossbow at Spider-Man.

"Thank you for helping me live out my two favorite fantasies—seeing Sable tied up, and sending you straight to hell."

Suddenly, police arrived and parked at the end of the alley. Sable immediately picked up a trash can with her feet and kicked it toward Spider-Man

"Ugh!"

It hit him and sent him to the floor, giving Kraven the chance to make his escape. He leaped onto the fire escape and climbed up to the roof of the building. The cops ran up to Sable and began to apprehend her.

"Kraven, remember what I said?" She began to call out as she was being taken away. "There are other ways to get revenge on Spider-Man!"

The cops took Sablinova away. Spider-Man was perched on another rooftop, looking over after hearing her statement. He squinted his eyes before swinging away.

• •

EVERYTHING HAD GOT the young man thinking. The situation with Tombstone, the twins, Shocker, Captain Stacy, the return of Kraven and Sable. It was hectic.

But the ultimate burden on his shoulders...involved MJ.

For some reason, he felt like he couldn't keep the secret anymore. He needed to tell her everything. Maybe it was because she wasn't with Harry anymore? Y/N wasn't sure what gave him the idea. His heart and mind were making him feel completely different things.

Y/N didn't even expect the two to be together if he told her the truth. He was still with Kate. But he just felt like it was time to get it off his chest. To alleviate that burden on his shoulders that somehow started to become heavier.

MJ was walking down the street. She was eyeing something through a shop window when a sudden voice behind her spoke.

"Window shopping?" He asked.

She turned around and saw Spider-Man upside down hanging from his web. MJ chuckled.

"I do that often." She replied. "And you? What are you doing?"

Spider-Man let go of the web and stuck to the wall nearby.

"Just...wanted to see you."

"That's a surprise."

He chuckled and got down. "Why?"

"You've been quite distant lately. But I understand...your whole hero thing. I just...miss the times we used to have."

Y/N stayed quiet. He looked down for a moment before letting out a breath.

"I have to tell you something."

She arched a brow. "Wha—?"

"Not here."

He grabbed her arm and walked with her into an alley. Y/N made sure nobody saw them or followed.

She chuckled. "What's this?"

"I..." He tried to find a way to begin. "I've been meaning to tell you..."

MJ was taken aback by how nervous the hero was. It really seemed like he was struggling to get something off his chest.

"You deserve to know. What had happened...to me...to you...what—what you had to forget."

He stood there for a moment before reaching out to touch her necklace. Spider-Man held it by her neck.

"This...I gave this to you, right?" He asked.

"Well, yeah—"

"In Europe. Venice. I bought it from a glass shop. A—And I tried to find a time to give it to you but by the time I was able to...it was broken."

"Yeah. After your fight with Beck. I was honestly surprised you were even in Europe."

"Why do you think I was there?" Y/N asked.

She took a moment to answer. For some reason, there was hesitance as if some things were foggy in her memory.

"Some...S.H.I.E..L.D thing right?"

"I was there because of the field trip. I—I was part of your class."

MJ was confused. The young man continued.

"I was part of your class since freshman year. I was your friend, along with Peter, Gwen, and Ned. We went to homecoming together. We spent that time in Europe. You—you were there for me when Beck exposed my identity."

The girl was still confused. He spoke lowly and started to get personal.

"You were my first. And I was yours. What we had was special."

That was a time MJ remembered now. But now it was starting to not make sense. It was like pieces of the puzzle were missing.

How can she have made love with the hero...if she had never even seen his face? Having to know who he was would've been the first thing to get out of the way before doing so.

Y/N continued. "It's a lot I have to explain...but first..."

Spider-Man began to reach for his mask. MJ simply stood there, surprised that he was about to reveal himself.

Ultimately, he did. The hero removed his mask and she saw the face of her friend, Y/N L/N. He was looking down and slowly gazed back up at her.

"You used to know me...before that meeting at the party last month. We've known each other for years. I've known you."

MJ was in utter shock. She was speechless. Y/N ended up taking out a note, the same one he planned to give her in the coffee shop a month after the initial spell. He handed it to her.

The girl read it, and she seemed to read it rather quickly. She didn't even hand it back and simply let it fall from her hands. The words on the paper stunned her even more.

"I felt like now was the best time." The unmasked Y/N said. "I'm thinking I should get in touch with Peter somehow...let him—"

"You've waited this long?" She abruptly asked.

"What?"

"That entire thing...what happened at Liberty Island, that was early November...two years ago."

He didn't know what to say. "I—"

"You didn't tell us right away. Like you said you would've in that note."

"I wasn't sure at the time. You—you all looked so..."

"You moved on." She said. "You didn't care anymore."

"I did care! That's why I tried to move on. I felt like you guys being around me would hinder your livelihoods again."

"And that was your choice to make? What about what we wanted?" She asked. "What about me?"

Y/N stayed quiet. He immediately thought back to the moment he had with MJ on Liberty Island, when the spell was about to be cast and he was bidding his friends farewell.

Y/N stared at her for a moment. "I love–"

"Just wait." MJ stopped him. "Wait and tell me when you see me again."

As if he was in that moment again, he spoke to her.

"I did...I did what I did because I love you."

MJ was on the verge of tears. Not ones of joy, but ones of sadness. She was disappointed. She felt betrayed.

The girl wiped her eyes and walked passed him. Y/N tried stopping her but she quickly moved her arm away.

"MJ—"

"Just leave me alone. Like you did before."

The young man's heart felt heavy. MJ looked back for a moment, then took off her necklace and put it in his hand.

She didn't even say a word before turning around and leaving. Y/N just stood there, staring down at the black dahlia necklace.

Suddenly, he felt light thumping in his head and groaned a bit, but ended up shaking it off.

He looked back at the necklace and gripped it in his palm. He sighed before putting his mask back on and walking away.

Unbeknownst to him, a man had been on the rooftop watching them. He witnessed everything, but what was of the utmost importance to him: the unmasking.

Kraven the Hunter now knew the true identity of Spider-Man.

• •

THE YOUNG MAN was at Kate's penthouse. He was mostly quiet throughout his brief time there, still pretty shaken by the conversation he had with MJ hours ago.

He had told Kate what he did. She honestly thought that his choice to drop it all on her like that wasn't very smart, but she also wasn't going to knock Y/N for telling the truth.

Y/N was sitting on the couch on his phone. Kate was checking on Lucky, who was asleep in the office. The young man kept scrolling through his feed, which was usually a mix of posts about movies-slash-television and the Knicks.

Kate came into the living room, sporting her casual indoor clothing like Y/N currently was. She walked up to him and didn't even give him a warning before plopping down onto his lap.

"Oh!" He reacted and chuckled. "Hey."

She smiled. "Hey."

The young man placed his hand on her thigh and ran circles on her skin. She bit her bottom lip and touched his face.

"Remember when that whole mommy thing from a few weeks ago?" She asked.

He played coy. "What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yeah, right. I guess if you don't want to..."

She tried getting off his lap but Y/N kept her there.

"All right. All right." He said. "You got me."

"I'll be in the room."

She smiled and kissed him. As she got up, the man gave her a light spank which garnered a quick yelp from the archer. He chuckled as she made her way out of the living room.

Y/N sat there for a second and glanced at the terrace. He noticed that the doors were open...and he remembered seeing them closed some time ago. He raised a brow.

At that moment, he felt a dull pain in his head again. Like the other times before, he brushed it off.

The young man got up and made his way out of the living room, still eyeing the open terrace. Suddenly, he bumped into someone...but the someone was Kate.

"Oh, crap." Y/N chuckled. "Sorry."

"So eager to get to bed, huh?" She teased and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Heh...you got me again."

They then closed the space between them and kissed once more. As they embraced, the hero's spider-sense blared.

He pushed Kate away and then dodged the incoming poison dart, grabbing it in midair between his fingers.

He turned around, seeing Kraven step out of a corner with his crossbow out. The man simply smirked as he gazed upon the couple.

"Kravinoff?" Y/N muttered.

"Hello, Spider-Man." He greeted, then looked at Kate. "And the archer. Hawkeye."

The two glared at the villain. Kraven still had a smug look on his face.

"Apologies if I intruded on date night." He added.

"How did you...?" Y/N asked.

"I eavesdropped on your conversation with that other girlfriend of yours downtown. Guess your senses aren't as keen as I thought."

Kraven had his crossbow trained at Y/N but then moved to Kate. He immediately got in front of her.

"This is between you and me, Kraven." He spoke.

The villain still held the weapon at him. They began to circle each other in the middle of the living room as he kept Kate behind him.

"Do you know what I lost?" Kraven asked. "Do you understand what you did?"

Y/N didn't respond. He allowed Kraven to continue.

"I needed that amulet...and because of you, I wasn't able to acquire it to heal my wife. And now she's dead! She's dead!"

He held a hand out. "Kraven..."

"And now you're gonna be."

Before he can fire, Kate ended up grabbing the letter opener and tossing it at Kraven. It ended up stabbing into his shoulder and he groaned in pain.

Y/N charged the villain but the hunter was able to grab onto him and a struggle ensued. They hit the wall and knocked down a couple of frames.

Kraven headbutted Y/N and then kicked him across the living room. He crashed on top of a table and grunted as he laid on the floor.

Kate engaged him next. She threw a flurry of attacks, varying from different types of punches and kicks. Some actually landed, but Kraven was able to parry most and ultimately had her foot in a hold.

He flung her against the wall hard, breaking a large frame in the process. The archer laid on top of the shards of glass and groaned.

Y/N got up and faced Kraven. The villain picked up his crossbow and shot at him, but the hero was able to deftly evade it with a back handspring. The young man stuck to the wall.

"Venom from the black acantha spider," Kraven mentioned the poison darts he had. "They use it to kill other spiders."

"Don't try to start a family spat." Y/N butted.

The older man heard the moans coming from the injured Kate on the floor. He glanced at her, then looked back at Y/N with a smirk.

"Interesting thought..."

Kraven shot at him again but Y/N dodged the dart and it whizzed passed him. The hunter backed away and bent down to force Kate to her feet. He holstered his crossbow and had her in a chokehold.

"Let me go, you bitch!" She grunted as she writhed in the strong man's grasp.

Seeing her at the mercy of his villain made Y/N's eyes widen...and it scared him. He stepped off the wall and landed, holding his hands out.

"Okay! Listen...let her go." He pleaded. "I'll do whatever you want."

Kraven stared at the young man for a moment as Kate attempted to get out of his hold. He glanced at her and then glared at Spider-Man.

"What I want...is to see you suffer...as I did."

Kraven immediately jabbed the poison dart into her neck. Kate let out a pained grunt.

"No!" Y/N shouted.

Kraven let her fall to the floor. Y/N didn't even pay attention to the man and went straight to her, allowing Kraven to escape.

Y/N knelt over his partner and held up her head. His eyes were widened and every feeling of panic and fear coursed through his body.

"Kate! Kate! Say something..."

The girl was struggling to breathe and Y/N could see how pale her skin was becoming. The poison was acting very fast.

She looked at Y/N and tried reaching for his face, but was already too weak. Kate just stared at him and let out a few words.

"S—S—Stick with...me."

Y/N nodded and rubbed her hair. "I'm here. I—I'll stick by you."

Kate didn't respond but kept her eyes on him. A few seconds later... his eyes stopped moving and her head went limp. The hand she had up trying to reach out to Y/N also fell to her side.

And that was it...Kate Bishop was dead.

Y/N still held her head, tears welling up in his eyes as he finally let out a sob. He moved some hair from her face, then closed her eyelids.

That sob then turned into a wail as he cradled Kate's body, rocking back and forth in the middle of the penthouse living room as he held her close.

• •

IT WAS YET again another evening at the gravesite. Y/N knelt, holding the bundle of purple anemones and placing it in front of the marker.

He kissed his fingertips and then placed them on the stone, running his fingers along the name etched into it.

KATHERINE ELIZABETH BISHOP
2004 2026

The young man knelt there for a moment before stepping aside and going to a stone railing that I overlooked the field ahead.

He leaned against it and sighed, closing his eyes for a few seconds before starting down. Y/N then caught eye of a spider crawling before him. He had a sudden urge to crush it, clenching his hands hard and gritting his teeth.

Ultimately, he decided not to. He let it scurry away and Y/N closed his eyes again. But that only lasted for a moment...as he then let out a yell.

"Argh!"

Y/N slammed his fists down at the stone railing, cracking it. He picked up the slab of loose concrete and threw it away, watching it hit the grass ahead.

He heavily panted as he attempted to contain his anger. Suddenly, a deep voice spoke up.

"Not very satisfying, is it?"

Y/N turned to his left and saw an old man looking out at the field too. He had his hands behind his back.

"She's dead. And I assure you nothing can bring her back. But...wouldn't that anger you feel be better channeled into..." He turned to Y/N. "...revenge?"

Y/N waved him off and started to walk away. The old man kept speaking.

"Isn't that what you really want? To avenge Kate Bishop's death?"

The young man stopped and turned around. He glared.

"Who are you?" Y/N asked.

"How does it feel every time you picture her in your arms...dying...and Kraven just running off?"

Y/N's eyes were filled with hate. He continued glaring at the old man.

"If I had the chance..." Y/N clenched his fist. "I will kill him with my bare hands."

"Good." The old man replied. "Then make the chance. He deserves it doesn't he?"

There wasn't any hesitation in the young man's answer. Y/N stepped up to him.

"Yes."

"So what would you give to make that vengeance real?"

"Anything."

"You're sure then? You want this?"

"I'm sure."

"You're sure?" He asked, then his voice began to distort. "You're completely sure?"

"Yes," Y/N spoke with a glare. "I want revenge."

• • •

SPIDER-MAN LAID ON the floor within the parked prison van. He mumbled while in the trance he was put in.

"Revenge..."

Knelt over him were the twins, Roland and Roxanne Gaines. They sported all-black clothing instead of the orange jumpsuits they had hours ago.

"Good." Roxanne looked at her brother. "He's ready."

"I can feel it in his mind. He believes it all." Roland chuckled. "As if he ever could've gotten the better of us."

In reality, the last few days Y/N experienced was all an illusion orchestrated by the twins. Spider-Man was put in a trance back when he attempted to stop their breakout. He didn't even get a chance to enter the prison truck before he was in their clutches.

"Your overconfidence undermines you, brother." She stood up. "Did you not feel his subconscious? He is strong. His own thoughts and feelings trickled in at every twist and turn."

"Not strong enough. Not when we put our heads together."

Roland got up as well and offered his hand. She took it and they stepped out of the truck.

"I guess you're right. Together, we can do anything."

"Kraven will finally pay for what he did to our parents."

"After all these years, we will now avenge their death." Roxanne replied.

Roland nodded. "If only they were here to see this."

The twins turned back toward the open truck doors. Spider-Man started to come to and get up slowly.

"It's time to rise and seek revenge." Roland told him.

The still-entranced Spider-Man stood straight up and then flipped onto the top of the truck. He looked down at the twins who stared back at him with their glowing eyes.

Go to Kraven. We found out where he is hiding. Avenge Kate Bishop's death.

The hero's eyepieces formed a glare and he immediately leaped off the truck and dashed out through the garage doors.

With the hero gone, Willis came out and joined the twins. Roland turned to him.

"Where is she?"

He motioned to a door. They followed Willis and opened it, seeing Hawkeye tied up to a chair in the room. She had tape over her mouth to keep her from sounding off.

"Good. Spider-Man must think she's dead." Roland said, then leaned closer to her as he spoke into her mind. "And if that means having to really kill you...no problem."

Roland touched her chin and she quickly moved away, glaring at the twin. He chuckled and then turned to Willis.

"Tell your boss we have the girl. Once we get word that Kraven is dealt with...then we'll deal with her."

Willis nodded and left the room. The twins looked back at the bound Kate before stepping out as well.

Meanwhile, Spider-Man swung through the streets of the city. He was at his top speed, looking like a blur to the New Yorkers below.

Knowing the location of Kraven's current whereabouts, he had one goal...one thing in mind... and he was going to make sure it would be done...

He was going to kill him.