STAFF MEMBERS FOR Kingsley Corp were in an offsite facility clearing out various equipment, technology, and prototypes they were working on. They were ordered by Norman Osborn, the now-current CEO and big boss of the company.

Roderick had been pronounced dead after police found the car wreck two weeks ago. They figured his body had washed away along with the two other officers transporting him. Norman had no time to think about it and simply moved on with business.

With him out of the picture, he was now in charge of the company. People had a sour taste in their mouths after finding out their previous CEO was the Hobgoblin, so he planned on operating off a clean slate and reviving it.

So, he had a new name in mind for the company: Oscorp Industries.

The first order of business was to clean out anything Roderick was designing or had planned to. The staff members were in the offsite warehouse doing just that. But...they weren't told to destroy them. Norman still wanted them in his possession...just in case they were needed.

For the benefit of the company, of course.

The staff consisted of 6 men and 3 women. Some were outside loading the equipment into trucks, and others were inside, taking count of the various prototypes.

"Look at these..." One man holding a clipboard spoke. He was eyeing a glass case containing orange spheres. "Wide-area fragmentation explosive rounds?"

His colleague chuckled. "Ha. WAFER."

They laughed together. A woman passed by them and rolled her eyes at their immaturity. She stopped at a table and started jotting down details.

"Razor-sharp bat-shaped projectiles?" She shook her head. "Mr. Kingsley had a theme going, huh?"

"Hobgoblin?" One man replied as he read a magazine article. It was about the aforementioned villain and published by Empire One. "Why couldn't he go with one more fitting like...Jack-O-Latern?"

"Ha. That's a good one."

"I'm on a roll today."

Nearby, a woman removed a trap from a large equipment hanging over a table. She gazed upon it and was in awe.

"Holy shit."

A couple looked over at it, too. It was a prototype glider. It seemed just about finished.

"Ah, it's that shit he flew around in." A man said. "Looks gnarly up close."

"Sure does." One added.

The woman pulled out her radio and called a colleague outside who loading things into their trucks.

"Make sure we got room. We got a big one in here."

She waited for a response...but there wasn't any. Her coworker usually replied rather quickly and had been doing so the entire time they were there.

"Dan? Do you copy?"

Unbeknownst to them, the staff members outside were all lying on the floor, dead. It was a rather bloody scene, with them suffering stab wounds or broken necks. The woman's voice came out of the radio beside Dan's body.

"Dan?"

Inside, she was still trying to radio him. Suddenly, all the lights in the facility shut off, and it was almost pitch black. Their only source of light came from the evening sky through the skylight.

"Shit. You got your flashlight?" One man asked his friend.

"Yeah."

He pulled it out and turned it on. The woman told him to check on the breakers in the office nearby.

"All right."

The man walked off alone. He reached the office and went up to the wall where the breakers were. He saw that they weren't switched off but damaged.

"The hell?"

Before he can take out his radio and inform his colleagues, his head was grabbed and slammed into the wall. The force broke his nose, and he was in a daze.

"Argh!"

He stumbled back but reached for the switchblade he had. His assailant ended up grabbing his arm and breaking it with ease, causing him to shout in pain.

"Aaah!"

He was soon quieted with a swift snap of the neck. His body fell to the floor, and the killer walked off.

Back in the lab, they heard the yell and were bewildered. The woman radioed the man but got no response.

"Can you read me?"

Suddenly, they saw a beam of light coming from the shadows. They thought it was their colleague returning, but moments later, the flashlight fell to the ground and rolled toward them.

"What...?"

One of the ladies went over to pick it up. She held it and turned to the other staff members but was soon grabbed from her feet and dropped to the floor.

"Aaah!"

She screamed as she was dragged into the shadows. The three remaining employees were shocked and also in awe.

"Oh, shit! I'm out of here!"

One man ran toward an exit he knew was close by. His friends shouted.

"Wait!"

Suddenly, razor bats flew at him and pierced his back and neck. He fell to the floor and began to bleed out.

The last man tossed the magazine he had aside and grabbed the woman's arm, making her follow him another way. They made some distance and the woman got in front of him. Suddenly, she heard him groan.

"Argh!"

She looked back and saw the man standing still, but a piece of rebar was protruding out of his chest. The man looked down at it for a moment before falling to his knees and then to the floor, where he soon died.

"Aaah!" The woman shrieked.

She kept running. Finally, she made it to a door and tried to open it, but the attempts were fruitless. Upon hearing footsteps, she turned around but was immediately grabbed by the throat.

Their killer, an unmasked Hobgoblin, started to choke the woman. She struggled in his grasp as he lost breath second by second, also looking into the cold eyes of Kingsley.

The man didn't snuff her out quickly with a neck snap. He simply suffocated her and watched the life leave her body. Soon, she became motionless, and the deed was done. He let her body drop to the floor.

With everyone at the facility dead, Hobgoblin now had free reign to retrieve what he needed. He gathered his weapons and the prototype glider he had been working on. They were things that would aid him in his crusade of chaos and against Spider-Man.

While retrieving some bombs, he saw the magazine one staff member was reading. It was open to the page that included the article of him. Out of curiosity, he picked it up and started reading.

It was an exposé about Roderick Kingsley and the revelation of him as Hobgoblin. It detailed his early life, his rise to power, his affiliation with men like Silvermane and Tombstone, and his framing of Ned Leeds.

But what angered him most were quotes from business partners and other affiliates saying he was a fraud. That his ideas were always pointless. That his pursuit of such pipe dreams was what likely spurred him to become the villain.

He grit his teeth, gripped the magazine harder, but kept reading. Roderick saw the pictures, including one clear and crisp photo of him and Spider-Man fighting in front of the Opera House. He looked back to the top of the page and saw who had written the article...

Empire One's Indira Sanduval, with photos by Daily Bugle's Y/N L/N.

THE COUPLE WAS at the Sanduval Household in the Bronx. It was only the second time Y/N had met Indira's family, but he was still as nervous as the first time. Fortunately, they all seemed to like him.

Her parents were Leopoldo and Isabella. Her mother was the sister of the late Hector Ayala. In the living room, there was a memorial for deceased family members that included him.

As they conversed, Y/N found himself looking at it. He thought of people he had lost before, such as his mom, Tony, and his dad. There was also George Stacy, who he saw as a close friend.

"I miss him every day."

Y/N turned and looked across the table upon hearing Isabella speak. She noticed him looking at the memorial.

"Hector was my big brother. He always cared for me and my cousins. When I got married and moved her he stayed in Puerto Rico."

Indira, who was sitting beside Y/N, chimed in.

"I only got to see him a handful of times growing up. He was so cool. I always asked why he didn't want to move in with us...but he always said the same thing..."

"There's still work I gotta do here." Isabella interjected.

Indira nodded. "Yeah."

"He always took his duties as a policeman over there seriously. Always wanted to make our hometown a better place."

Beside Isabella, her husband simply nodded. It was like he wanted to say something but couldn't. Like he knew something about Hector that only he knew. The man stayed quiet.

"You got any family, Y/N?" Isabella asked.

The question caught him by surprise. He touched the can of soda they had given him and thought about it.

"Uh...I did. Just my mom and dad but—but they're gone now."

Indira glanced at Isabella. "Mom..."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't—"

"It's fine, Mrs. Sanduval." He reassured her. "It was some time ago. I'm all right now."

Moments later, Indira's grandmother, Maria Ayala, entered the room. She went straight for the stereo system and played some Latin music. It was rather loud.

"Mama. What are you doing?" Isabella called out.

"It's so quiet and depressing in here. We need to liven it out."

Isabella chuckled. Maria looked over at Indira and called her over.

"Come on, Ava. I know how much you love this song."

Indira laughed and rolled her eyes. Her grandmother often called her by her great-grandmother's name since they looked so much alike.

"No, thanks, abuela." She replied. "I've been feeling sick lately, and I don't think I'll get through the song."

"Really?" Isabella asked. "You need some Advil or tea...?"

"No, just a little nauseous. I'm sure it'll blow over soon."

Maria overheard as she was lightly dancing to the music. She called out.

"Ay, ay, ay. Nuestra preciosa está embarazada."

They all reacted to the old lady's outrageous assumption.

"Mama!"

Leopoldo spoke. "Yeah, I'm not ready to be a grandpa."

"Yeah...I don't know." Y/N rubbed the back of his neck.

Indira chuckled. "It's not that. I checked."

"Are you sure you didn't do it too early?" Maria asked. "There's false negatives."

"That's a thing?"

Isabella looked at the couple. "Do you two use—?"

Leopoldo wanted to move on. "Okay! Let's not talk about that here right now while I'm in the same room as my daughter."

There was a collective laugh shared between them. Indira didn't want the silence afterward to be awkward, so she decided to get up and join her grandma and dance.

"Fine."

"¡Vamos!"

Que No Quede Huella by Bronco was playing, and the young woman moved with her grandmother. Y/N watched and laughed softly.

"Joven," Maria called out to him. "Baile."

"Uh, I don't..."

Indira also egged him on. "Come on, my grandma doesn't take no for an answer."

Y/N chuckled and relented. He got up and went into the middle of the room, where he danced. The anxiety seemed to disappear quickly, and he held Indira's hands where they some cumbia dancing. Maria moved aside and applauded.

"¡Oh, él sabe bailar!"

The couple laughed as they danced. Indira had some knowledge of it due to growing up in the Latin household and attending many family parties. The case was similar for Y/N due to his Hispanic heritage from his mother's side.

Isabella, Leopoldo, and Maria watched with smiles and light laughter as Indira and Y/N danced. They were really starting to like the young man and felt they were a great pairing.

• • •

NORMAN OSBORN WAS alone in his penthouse. He exited his office and was in the living area, where he went to the bar and started serving himself a drink.

He stood there as he swirled the glass around and drank it. The man was thinking about what had transpired the last month with Spider-Man, Silvermane and Tombstone, and Kingsley. There was also the re-emergence of Wilson Fisk that took the city by surprise.

The man also thought about Harry. He looked back at the time when he snapped at him and regretted it, but he couldn't get himself to say sorry. As his father always said...Osborns don't apologize.

His phone rang. He picked it up and saw that it was from the number an associate of Wilson Fisk gave him earlier that week. He had told Norman he wanted to talk business with him.

Before he could answer, there was a sudden cackle. It startled him, and he looked around, seeing nobody. It then happened again, and it echoed across the room.

"Who—who's there?"

"Your friend."

He spun around and saw Roderick Kingsley by the open doors of the balcony. He sported his Hobgoblin armor but was still unmasked. The villain didn't care about his face being visible and would keep it that way.

"Ro—Roderick?" Norman stammered. "I thought you were dead."

"Roderick is dead." He clarified in a stern tone. "There only is the Hobgoblin."

Norman didn't respond, only glancing at the nearby drawer. Instantly, he bolted toward it and tried to retrieve the pistol within.

It was a fruitless attempt as Hobgoblin's peak human speed beat him there, and he pinned Norman against the wall. He held his face and also picked him up.

"Rod—Roderick..."

"THERE IS NO RODERICK!" He shouted, then smirked. "It's only the Hobgoblin."

Norman writhed in his grasp, and his feet flailed a couple of feet over the floor. Hobgoblin held him there and continued.

"I came here...as a friend. Are you still my friend, Norman? My partner?"

"You—you ruined everything. I'm goin—going to have to bring this company back up after how much you tainted it."

He glared before tossing Norman across the room. He hit the sofa and rolled across the floor. Norman groaned.

"That was your plan the entire time, huh? Take my company. Be the face. Reap the benefits. I should kill you right now..."

Norman looked up at the villain. Hobgoblin towered over him.

"But...that is of no importance to me now. I just have one thing on my mind..."

Norman didn't reply or even ask what it was. Roderick put his hands on his hips and looked down at the man.

"I need your help developing a gas. One that dampens senses. One's like our good friend, Spider-Man."

Norman and Roderick were part of the few who knew about the hero's spider-sense. It wasn't common knowledge, and it was just mere rumors to the public. Norman had started developing a gas that could reduce its effectiveness but stopped earlier in the year because he felt it was unethical if used on the web-slinger.

"I—I stopped that. There's no need for—"

"Don't get soft now, Osborn. You know how much Spider-Man had messed up our endeavors...your endeavors. He's a nuisance and always will be. A menace."

He spoke. "N—Not as much as you."

The villain snarled. Immediately, Hobgoblin reached down and grabbed him by the throat. He once again held Norman up in the air. He brought him closer and was face to face with him.

"If you don't help me...then I'll just go down the line. I'm sure the other Osborn could help me if given the right push."

He dropped Norman and immediately made his way toward the balcony. The man knew he was inferring that he would go after Harry and likely hurt him. He called out.

"No! No, please! Not my son..."

Roderick stopped by the door. Norman was on his knees and lowered his head. He couldn't bear knowing that his son was hurt or that he was the reason he died.

"I'll—I'll do it. Just don't hurt Harry. I'll do it."

Hobgoblin turned around. He menacingly smiled at Norman.

"That's the spirit."

• • •

Y/N PICKED UP the box and put it with the others. He dusted off his hands and walked out of the storage room, entering the kitchen. May Parker stopped her food prep and went to thank him.

"Thank you so much, Y/N."

He smiled. "Not a problem. Got anything else you need me to do?"

She glanced around.

"Not with anything in here." May looked at the decanter of coffee and picked it up. "But of course, the people always love—"

"Coffee," Y/N interjected and was handed the pot. "I'll go ahead and do that."

Y/N walked out of the kitchen. May smiled as she watched him. She always appreciated the young man and how much he helped around at F.E.A.S.T. Y/N always had good morals and was friendly. He reminded her of her late husband, Michael.

The young man walked into the large open room where everyone was. He approached a group of people and offered them coffee, which they took. Y/N then went to two homeless folks playing chess and poured them some as well.

As the man strolled through, he saw the six-year-old girl sitting alone and in a sad state. It was Anya who came with May to the shelter. Y/N went up to her.

"Hey, Anya..." He crouched. "What's wrong?"

She held up her favorite book, a story called Pedro Goes to the Aquarium. Y/N softly smiled since he remembered reading it to her before the spell.

"The page has a big rip." She pointed it out. "I ruined it."

"Aw, it's okay." He took it and looked at the tear. "Nothing some tape won't fix. Come on."

Anya followed him. There was a table with some arts and crafts supplies for the people there, and he used some scotch tape to fix the page. He showed it to the girl.

"There. Good as new...kinda."

Anya smiled as she looked back at the book. Just like May, she appreciated Y/N. Whenever she was there, he always found time to talk or help her.

"Thank you."

The young man saw her smile, and he reciprocated it. Seeing her grin brought him joy, but there was also a sense of sadness. He struggled not to tell her how he was her half-brother and that he knew her mom, dad, and cousin, Peter.

But, of course, he couldn't.

They looked over at May, who had come out of the kitchen and walked toward them. At the same time, Y/N heard his phone chime, and he saw a notification from his police scanner app about a fire near Two Bridges.

"Uh, May? I gotta go. It's...for work."

"Oh, that's perfectly fine." She replied. "You've done enough."

"Yeah. It's urgent. Life of a freelance photographer."

"Hey, we live with who we choose to be, right?"

He nodded. He surely did choose to be who he was and lived with it. And he was perfectly fine with it.

"Right." He started walking away. "I'll try to be back, though, and help clean up."

"Don't worry about that. You don't have to."

He smiled. "I'm always down to help. I'm a helper. It's who I choose to be."

The young man left the room. May smiled, taking in his words and recalling what she and Michael would always say: When you help someone, you help everyone.

Spider-Man swung over to the burning building. Firefighters were already there but still hadn't gone in to help those trapped.

"It's Spider-Man!" One lady below exclaimed.

He swung toward the building and crashed through the building. Y/N walked through and traversed the floors, listening for shouts and searching for the people.

As he was saving them, there was a peculiar smell along with the smoke. He couldn't really pinpoint what it was but assumed it was maybe a gas leak that likely caused that fire. The hero kept moving.

Y/N brought the last person down and helped him toward the ambulance. He gripped Y/N's arm as an act of thanks since his coughing fit kept him from saying it himself. Y/N nodded and let the paramedics take him.

Among the people of authority was Grills. While his colleagues were dousing the fire, he went over to the hero and thanked him as well.

"That was dope, Spider-Man. Things could've gotten bad without you."

"No problem, Grills." He replied.

The man was taken aback. "Oh, shit? You remember me?"

"Of course I do." Y/N pat his shoulder. "That Christmas two years ago was crazy."

"It sure was, huh?"

They shared a laugh. Grills needed to go back to work and bid farewell.

"I'll see you around, Spidey."

He walked away. Y/N turned around and jumped before initiating a swing out of the area.

He traveled back to the F.E.A.S.T shelter in Chinatown. Y/N landed in a nearby alley were he left his backpack. As he walked through the alley, he could hear a faint buzzing between his ears.

"Huh?"

He shook his head and then looked around. Y/N wasn't sure what he was hearing. His spider sense wasn't alerting him of anything, so he found it strange. The young man kept moving.

Unbeknownst to him, it was indeed his spider sense that was alerting him. It just had dampened immensely. The threat was Hobgoblin, standing on a nearby rooftop looking down at him.

He watched as that hero grabbed the backpack from behind some boxes and started taking out plain clothes. Spider-Man then stood up and removed his mask...revealing to Roderick the face of Y/N L/N.

Hobgoblin, earlier that the day, had looked into Y/N of the Daily Bugle since he was the one who had been taking pictures of Spider-Man and took the photos of their battle at the Opera House.

It all made sense to Roderick how he could have such great snapshots...Y/N was the hero himself.

Finding that out angered him. Not of the fact that it was Y/N, but that Spider-Man was a mere kid. A boy. A child had bested him and ruined his life.

Y/N finished changing back into his regular clothes and walked out of the alley carrying his backpack. He still heard the faint buzzing but ignored it and kept walking.

Roderick stared at him with a glare. He then walked away from the edge of the rooftop.

• • •

THE NEXT DAY, the friend group was at the cafe. And, of course, they were in their usual spot.

Y/N, Flash, Randy, and Harry were sitting down and talking. The conversation bounced between movies, video games, and sports, the usual trio of topics between the boys in the group.

"You know the Mets are having a Spider-Man night next week?" Flash asked.

"Really?" Randy replied.

"Yeah."

Harry chuckled. "Of course you'd know."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Flash asked.

Y/N cut in. "Well, you are a Spidey super fan."

Flash thought about denying it, but he knew it would be a fruitless attempt. He simply shrugged.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hey, that's fine," Y/N said. "He's a cool dude."

"You think they pay him to have all that?" Randy asked. "Like, all the promotion and Spider-Man souvenirs?"

"Heh, no," Y/N replied with a scoff, then quickly added. "I mean—maybe. But I think not."

Flash looked at the counter where MJ and Indira were waiting for the latter's drink. He saw them talking, and they were sort of whispering. They were even glancing back at them...more specifically, Y/N.

"Wonder what that's all about." He remarked.

They all looked at the girls. Instead of discussing what it could be, Randy decided to ask Harry something.

"Hey, uh...so are you and MJ good?"

He let out a sigh as he looked at his coffee cup. He looked back at Randy.

"We're good, just...not together anymore. It's for the best. Better as friends, you know?"

Flash pat Harry's back. Y/N nodded and simply looked down at his hands. Again, he felt it was his fault since his false assumption of Norman being Hobgoblin likely caused it.

Soon, MJ and Indira walked back to the friend group. They sat down with MJ sitting beside Flash and Indira being with Y/N. Immediately, the Latina spoke to her boyfriend.

"Hey, are you busy later tonight?"

He thought about it for a second. "Not really. Why?"

"Let's go on a date. I'm thinking Proto's Pizza on East 3rd Street."

The mention of the pizza place brought back memories of their first date a couple of months ago.

"That place? What's the special occasion?"

She smirked. "We'll talk about it there."

"Oh, man. You know how I am with surprises."

"Well, it will be worth it."

The two smiled and soon shared a kiss. At that moment, he heard his spider-sense as cop cars sped down the road outside. Indira parted and smirked.

"Go be a hero." She whispered.

He chuckled. "It's who I chose to be, right?"

Y/N then said goodbye to his other friends, telling them the usual gotta go to the Bugle line. They let him go, and he left the cafe.

Indira looked over her shoulder and smiled as she watched him leave. She then turned back around and took a sip of her beverage.

• • •

IT WAS THE EVENING. Y/N was at his apartment and getting ready for his date with Indira. She said she was already there and would wait for him, so the young man had to pick up the pace and not be later than he already was.

His cell phone on the desk rang. He glanced at it and saw that it was an unknown number. Y/N let it ring and kept prepping. Not even a minute later, it rang again. He saw that it was from the same number.

"Weird."

Y/N picked up his phone and answered it. He held it to his ear.

"Hello?"

Immediately, he heard a cackle. The same cackle that has stuck to him after several encounters with the Goblin. His heart dropped.

"Can the Spider-Man come out to play?"

He could tell it was Roderick by his voice. He was also stunned that he somehow knew who he was. He glared ahead.

"Kingsley....I thought you were dead."

"You thought wrong, boy."

"What do you want, Gus Fring? Are you trying to taunt me? I'll just find you and kick your jack-o-lantern ass again."

"What I want...is to see you fail...fall...die trying. And as you do...I want to see you in utter turmoil."

Y/N didn't respond. Hobgoblin continued.

"We both choose to use our power, but for different reasons. We're the same, yet dissimilar. But one thing you have that I don't...is something to lose."

"What are you...?"

"I know who you are, Y/N. I know about your friends. I know about that little Hispanic girl you frolic with. And I know she's in the Bowery waiting for you."

"Don't you—"

"I see her right now. Outside...sitting down among many other inferior beings...beings that don't deserve to share the same air as I. As us."

"Don't. You. Dare." Y/N said more sternly.

There was a moment of silence. Finally, Hobgoblin spoke.

"Come along, hero. I'll be waiting."

With that, he hung up. Y/N immediately dropped his phone and ripped the clothes he had on off. He went straight for his Spider-Man suit in his closet, put it on, and leaped out of his open window.

Meanwhile, Indira was sitting outside the pizza place. She was on her phone and texting Y/N, but he wasn't responding. She let out a sigh and looked to the side.

Spider-Man was a few blocks away. He swung as fast as he could to the shop and was like a blur to many below. He was getting close to his destination.

Indira crossed her arms and sat back against the seat. Suddenly, she started to hear beeping. She wasn't sure where it was coming from. Some people sitting nearby also raised their heads and wondered what the sound was.

Y/N zipped onto the street where the pizza shop was. His spider-sense blared, and in mental flashes, he saw a pumpkin bomb underneath the table Indira was sitting at. He kept swinging and zipped toward the shop.

People looked on and saw Spider-Man coming through the air, with Indira even glancing at him. The hero immediately shot a web at the table and pulled it up...just when the bomb detonated.

The blast was rather large, and the shockwave sent people flying back along with shattering windows. Spider-Man even was hit and landed on the street below. He was in a daze.

Everything was blurry, and all he could hear was ringing. Sounds around him were echoing, but he could hear cackling along with the sound of a glider.

People who were affected by blast looked on and saw the Hobgoblin pick up the unconscious Indira. He carried her bridal style and hopped back onto his glider. At that moment, Y/N fully gained his vision and saw them.

"Indy!"

Hobgoblin laughed again and flew away. He stumbled forward and jumped up, shooting a web at them. It missed. He then shot another web and started swinging to give chase.

Hobgoblin flew erratically through the streets as Spider-Man chased him. The villain laughed again.

"The wind in my hair and a girl in my arms! This is the life, ay, hero? AH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

The chase went through borough of Two Bridges before making it to the Brooklyn Bridge. Y/N shot a web line that stuck to his glider, but the Hobgoblin immediately cut it with a razor bat.

Y/N landed at the top of the bridge and looked up at Hobgoblin, who was very high up. He tried to jump up and shoot a web at him but it couldn't reach him. He was starting to panic.

"Let me show you the price of your fruitless endeavor!" Hobgoblin shouted.

Y/N exclaimed. "She's not a part of this, Kingsley! This is between you and me!"

"You associating with her...you working with her on that article. You both tainting my name! That made her part of this."

Hobgoblin flew away. Y/N leaped off and followed. He made it to the other tower of the bridge and landed on it. The villain still had Indira over his shoulders and was floating a long ways above.

"Roderick, stop!" He yelled but then calmed a bit. "Okay...okay, let's work together. Just let her go."

"You chose to become a hero. I chose the path I'm on. We are who we choose to be." Hobgoblin replied. "Now...it's time for you to choose again."

Immediately, rockets shot out of his glider toward Y/N. He flipped and dodged them, but Roderick didn't mean to hit him.

The impact of the missies caused debris to break off the tower and rubble to fall toward the civilians and vehicles below. Y/N's spider sense alerted him of it, and he dove down to save them.

One large chunk was about to land on an old man. Spider-Man dove toward it and broke it apart with a single punch.

He then swung over and grabbed a couple about to get rubble dropped onto them. He moved them to a safer place before zipping back up the tower to deal with Hobgoblin.

Roderick watched as he dangled Indira off the glider with one arm. Little by little, she was stirring awake.

"Hurry, I think I'm slipping!" Hobgoblin taunted. "AH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

Spider-Man zipped toward him, but that is when Hobgoblin let go of her arm. Indira began to fall...and everything seemed to go in slow motion for Y/N.

He dove toward Indira, but his spider-sense alerted him of a mother and son behind him who was in danger of being crushed by another falling chunk of concrete. He needed to react fast...and choose.

As he was in mid-air, Y/N whipped around and shot a web out of his left wrist, and it stuck to the falling debris. He kept diving and going after Indira, reaching out with his free right hand.

The web holding the debris suddenly got caught on the top cable of the bridge, stopping Y/N's dive. He hit the side of the tower with a grunt.

"Argh!"

Indira kept falling. Y/N couldn't let go of the web he was holding, or else he'd willingly let the chunk of concrete crush the mother and son. But...he also couldn't let Indira hit the water. So he acted fast.

He immediately reacted and shot a web line out of his free right hand toward Indira. It traveled to the falling Indira, where it stuck to her feet.

snap!

In the young man's view, it halted her fall, and she was now safe.

"Gotcha!" He sighed in relief as he held both lines of webbing. "Phew...that could've gone bad. Thank you, superpowers."

Meanwhile, citizens below saw what was transpiring. They even saw Hobgoblin, who was now low enough for them to throw stuff at him. He was hit with various objects from bottles and cans.

"Hey, you pumpkin-themed freak!"

"Take this, asshole!"

"Hey, I got something for your ass! You mess with Spidey, you mess with New York!"

"You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!"

Hobgoblin was getting annoyed and ended up flying away. Meanwhile, Spider-Man got back on top of the tower. He ensured the concrete chunk was brought down safely and then pulled Indira back up to him.

He exhaled as he picked her up and held her bridal style. Y/N crouched down and spoke to her.

"Indy...it ain't safe here. The folks down there will get you to a hospital while I go stop Kingsley."

Y/N looked down at Indira, who still had her eyes closed. He let out another breath and spoke again.

"Indy? Hey...hey, Indy?"

There was still no response. As seconds went by...he felt dread. He felt a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time. Not since he lost his father.

He put his ear to her chest...but heard no heartbeat. Still, he kept trying to speak as he was in denial.

"Indy? Indy, come on. Come on...talk to me. How about you just open your eyes for me? Can you do that? Please?"

Y/N touched her face. The girl was still not reacting. He moved his hand to her hair and caressed it.

"You're okay...you're okay."

Y/N knew she wasn't. He was just telling himself that. But soon enough, that denial was washed away, and was quickly hit by a wave of grief upon the realization.

"No...please...please!" Y/N sobbed. "Indy, please!"

He lowered his head by her chest as he rocked her body. He kept crying and muttered.

"I—I saved you...I saved you."

He then heard the cackling again. Hobgoblin floated above him. Roderick smirked.

"Oh, Spider-Man...you poor poor fool." He began. "All it takes is some pretty thing, and you forget all about me."

Y/N kept looking down at Indira's body as he held it. He let out shuddered breaths.

"You—you're a dead man. Tonight..." Y/N looked up from her body and shouted directly at Roderick. "Tonight...YOU DIE!"

"Now you're getting into the spirit of things," Hobgoblin replied and immediately flew away. "AH-HA-HA-HA!"

The villain left the scene, leaving Y/N there grieving over his lover's body.

Later, Y/N rappelled down the tower with Indira's body. He landed on the bridge where there were people who saw him. Spider-Man had her in his arms and didn't say a word.

Suddenly, the old man he saved earlier took off his cap and spoke.

"Don't give up on her."

After, the mother he saved also spoke. He held her son close to her.

"I—I lost my newborn. It took years for me to know that it wasn't my fault. I feel the pain behind your mask. We can't save everyone."

Y/N took in their words. Moments later, a Hispanic man spoke as well.

"We feel your pain, mijo. I lost my best friend. I...I was drunk. I insisted that I drive him home. I regret it every day. In the end...you must keep going forward and do your best. For them."

An African American man, about the same age as Y/N, stepped forward and approached the hero.

"There's not really much I can do, but we'll take care of her." He said. "You go stop that freak, Spidey."

He reached out and offered to take Indira's body from him, but Y/N flinched and stepped back a bit.

He didn't want to let go. He didn't want to leave her. He felt like he couldn't.

Y/N looked at her lifeless face another time. Still, it was as angelic as ever. The young man closed his eyes for a moment and breathed.

Finally, he decided to give her body to the young man. He took her and looked back at the hero.

"You got this, man."

Spider-Man nodded. He appreciated the words and the act of kindness by the strangers. Citizens. His people.

He shot a web and swung away. The crowd cheered him on.

"Go kick his ass!"

"Get him, Spidey!"

"Yeah!"

Y/N swung across the bridge back into the city with a look of determination beneath his mask. He was going to stop the Hobgoblin.

To what extent? Well, he'd know when the time came.

Hobgoblin soared near Randall's Island. He traveled a couple of blocks before hearing the familiar thwip. He smirked and glanced back.

"Looking for me, boy?"

He tossed a pumpkin bomb at Spider-Man. The hero reacted by webbing a nearby manhole cover and batting it away with it. He then flung the steel disc at him, but Roderick was able to jump over it and land back on the glider.

Y/N was still able to launch himself at him and punched him across the face. He held into Roderick as they wrestled on the glider.

Hobgoblin parried a punch and put him in a chokehold. He cackled but was quieted with an elbow to the face. Y/N broke free but was grabbed by the throat. Roderick tried to punch him, but Y/N held his fist before headbutting him.

Y/N dropped from the glider and landed on a rooftop. Hobgoblin flew at him and tried to burn him with the exhaust coming out of the glider, but he backflipped away.

The villain was about to fly away again, but Y/N reacted by shooting a web line toward the building across the one he was on. Hobgoblin didn't notice and flew right into it, forcing him off the glider and causing him to crash into an empty floor of a nearby condemned building.

Spider-Man zipped through the broken window and landed near him. But suddenly, his spider-sense blared. The prototype glider had switched to autopilot and flew in, shooting missiles at him.

A couple hit his feet and sent Y/N crashing through a wall into another room. Rubble fell onto him, but he could get back up, albeit with his suit somewhat damaged.

He ran back out and saw Hobgoblin back on his glider. He laughed.

"AH-HA-HA-HA!"

He fired the gun from his glider, but Y/N was able to dodge it. He leaped off a pillar and landed behind Roderick, grabbing him.

"I don't need weapons to beat you!" Y/N exclaimed. "I'm going to kill you with my bare hands!"

Roderick struggled in his grasp. He tried reaching for a razor bat on his belt. Y/N stopped him by grabbing his hand.

"Oh, no, you don't! No more toys, Kingsley!"

Immediately, Hobgoblin opened up his other palm and held it in front of Y/N's face. A searing hot flame blasted out of his glove and burned him.

"Argh!"

Y/N fell off his glider and landed on top of debris. He grabbed his face. He only had minor burns, but half of his mask was burned off.

"Commendable attempt, L/N. But rest assured...that will be your last."

Hobgoblin tossed a bomb at him. Y/N leaped out of the debris he was in, but the blast still sent him flying forward. He crashed through a column and rolled across the floor. Before he can get up, another bomb exploded near him and sent him against the wall. He landed on his stomach and groaned.

Hobgoblin hopped off his glider and walked over to the maimed hero.

"You are no match for me, Spider-Man. I will always be superior! Always smarter! Only a warrior of a cunning mind would be able to orchestrate all of this."

Roderick cackled. He continued.

"Stealing Silvio's vial of the super soldier serum. Adding fuel to Tombstone and Silvermane's turf war, hiring Pterodax, giving Gargan his suit, supplying Hammerhead with weapons, brainwashing Edward Leeds and making him my pawn, pointing Lincoln toward Kasady, and planting evidence against Osborn. All have led to my victory....and your downfall."

Y/N grunted as she tried to get up. The villain spoke again.

"It's what you deserve. You chose the path of the weak! I chose the path of power. Of strength. But, I guess we are who we choose to be."

Hobgoblin smirked.

"Farewell, boy. Say hello to Miss Sanduval for me."

He hopped back onto his glider and took out a pumpkin bomb from its compartment. He held it up.

"To oblivion, you go!"

He tossed it at Spider-Man. Y/N reacted by rolling over and shooting a web projectile at it. It hit the bomb and caused it to fly back toward Hobgoblin.

"Aaah!" He exclaimed.

He shielded himself with his arms, but the blast still sent him flying off his glider. The aircraft also crashed down and began to spark. Y/N panted as he got up.

"You—you're finished, Hobgoblin."

Roderick got off his stomach and grit his teeth.

"Wrong!"

He sat up and aimed at Spider-Man with his gloved fingers, where he shot lasers out of them. They were a prototype weapon he had been working on and now chose to use it.

Hobgoblin kept shooting as Y/N dodged the blasts with flips and jumped across the room. Roderick started to shout.

"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!"

Y/N ended up getting closer to the downed glider. He grabbed it and held it up, shielding himself from a few laser shots. It damaged it further, and it was surely now destroyed. Roderick reacted.

"No!"

"I've had it with the stupid thing!" Y/N shouted and threw it aside.

"My glider! You destroyed my glider!" Hobgoblin exclaimed as he got up. "You'll pay for this, Y/N! You will pay!"

The hero's glare was visible due to the torn half of his mask. He stepped up to the villain.

"You are insane!"

Roderick swung at him, but Y/N dodged and countered with a punch. He kicked him to the wall and landed another punch and an uppercut.

"You kill the closest person on this Earth to me...and you care about a stupid toy!?" Y/N shouted.

Hobgoblin grabbed his fist and headbutted Y/N before attempting to punch himself, but Spider-Man held his arm and landed an elbow to his face. Y/N then followed with a straight punch to his throat that sent him stumbling to the wall.

He coughed. "Well...you are a superb specimen."

They circled each other. He continued.

"You are destined for greater things."

Hobgoblin charged at him and tried to land a punch, but Y/N parried it and hit the back of his arm. He then grabbed him and threw him over his shoulder. Roderick grunted as he got back up and laughed.

"AH-HA-HA-HA-HA!"

He took out the only pumpkin bomb he had in his satchel and activated it. Roderick threw a punch as he held it, but Spider-Man grabbed his wrist and forced him to drop it.

Before it can hit the ground, Y/N caught it with his other hand. He then kicked Hobgoblin back and at the same time, threw the bomb at him. It exploded upon impact and smashed the villain against the wall.

"You think that hurt!?" Y/N shouted. "I'll show you what real pain is!"

Still, Hobgoblin was able to get up. He spat out blood and looked at the hero.

"She didn't matter...anyway."

Y/N panted and continued to glare. The villain continued.

"She was just a pawn. Just another causality in this fruitless crusade you follow! Think about it. She...was worthless. Just like the other inferior beings who occupy space! She deserved to die."

Those words enraged Y/N. His blood boiled, and all he could see was red. He bellowed as he ran at Hobgoblin and grabbed his throat, pinning him to the wall.

"SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH, YOU VERMIN! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT'S LIKE TO LOVE SOMEBODY! FOR THEM TO MEAN SOMETHING! AND THEN HAVE THAT SOMEONE TAKEN FROM YOU! TAKEN FOREVER! SHE'S DEAD! YOU KILLED HER, YOU MANIAC! YOU TOOK HER FROM ME!"

Roderick writhed and coughed in the grasp of the enraged Spider-Man. The hero threw him to the floor and started wailing hits onto his unmasked face.

He kept going and going. Roderick's face was getting bruised, and he was spitting out blood. The vengeful vigilante landed two last hard hits before stopping.

"Now...I'm going to kill you."

He wrapped his hands around Roderick's throat and began to strangle him. Y/N had to add more strength due to the villain's durability.

Roderick was losing air by the second. A part of Spider-Man even thought to get it over with and snap his neck. But he didn't want to grant him that mercy. He wanted to prolong his demise and watch the life seep out of him.

He kept strangling him. But, as seconds went on, he started to think about his actions. He thought about his battle with Green Goblin after Michael's death and how he was adamant about killing him, but his variant stopped him. His variant understood that if he went through with the kill...it would change him forever.

Y/N now started to think that killing Roderick would make him no better than him. He'd be a murderer like him. If he killed him, what's to stop Y/N from doing the same to another foe that crossed him? He'd then be a monster like Roderick.

He couldn't let that happen. Doing so would go against everything he stood for. Everything that his father stood for.

Y/N let go of the villain. He rubbed his face and got up, then looked down at his hands.

"Oh, God. What am I doing? I was gonna kill him. I was really going to kill him."

Roderick coughed and crawled over to the wall where he sat against it. The weakened villain looked up at the hero.

"You misguided fool...why didn't you kill me?"

He turned back around and faced Roderick, giving him a stern look.

"I'm not like you, Kingsley. I'm better. I'm superior. I told you before...when you have the ability...the justification to kill...but don't, that's true power."

Roderick chuckled. It then soon turned to a harsher laugh and then a cackle. He slowly got to his feet. As he did, he discreetly tapped a button on his belt.

"You—you are full of surprises, boy. But the best surprise is still to come."

Little by little, the damaged glider nearby started to float. The Hobgoblin kept speaking to Y/N.

"You keep choosing to be a hero in a city of weaklings. People that take advantage of you. Soon enough...everyone you care about will die because of what you do. And the people...they will still take you for granted. The day you die...they will just move on to the next hero in this vast universe."

Y/N thought back at the people who helped him cope right after Indira's death. He also though of the people he knew and the bonds he made. Roderick was wrong.

"Like you said, right?" Y/N replied. "It's who I choose to be. And I chose right."

Roderick's demeanor changed, and he glared. At the same time, the glider has positioned itself behind the hero.

"Godspeed, Spider-Man."

The blades protruded from the front and sped toward him. Y/N's spider sense blared, and he reacted fast enough to backflip over it. The glider now flew straight at Roderick.

"Oh."

It crashed into him, the blades also stabbing through and impaling him into the wall.

Y/N perched onto a broken pillar and watched as the glider powered down. Roderick struggled as he bled from both his wound and his mouth. The hero was silent.

Hobgoblin looked back at Y/N. There were no final words said to his adversary. He just gave a toothy grin, with blood and all, and soon dropped his head.

The villain was dead.

Spider-Man stayed there and let out a breath. Hobgoblin was defeated for good, and the city was free from his chaos.

It was a win for the people. A win for Spider-Man. But, because of the death of Indira, it also made it a loss for Y/N.

• • •

INDIRA HAD RECORDED a pitch for the magazine article she was going to write up once being hired full time at Empire One. In the tape, it was just her voice.

"For a city that has gone through so much...from September 11th to the Battle of New York, to the decimation of billions...many expect it to fall. To crumble. To let each other down. To give up. But that's not what happened..."

Y/N sat in the cafe. This time, he was alone. He had just come from Indira's funeral and was dejected.

Later, his friends came. They knew he'd be there after the ceremony they all had just attended. MJ went up to him and hugged him first, offering solace. The young man began to cry, finally doing so after holding it all in at the event.

Harry embraced him next, then was followed by Randy and Flash. They all offered as much comfort as they could.

"We all came together. We all persevered. We all found hope through it all. We helped each other. Even doing the smallest thing to do so....from helping someone with their bags or walking across the street...it makes a difference. Late NY Bulletin journalist Michael L/N once said that when you help someone, you help everyone..."

Ned Leeds was sitting in the interrogation room. The police were about to question him about what he went through as the Hobgoblin. They knew Roderick was the real culprit, but Ned still broke the law despite being brainwashed. Surely, there were going to be charges.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. A detective went over and opened it. Ned looked up, seeing a well-dressed man with a walking stick and red-tinted glasses. It was his lawyer that would help him through the case...

Matt Murdock.

"That quote means a lot of different things to many people. But all comes back to one single thing: service. To offer assistance while not expecting anything in return. Service such as the work our very own hero, Spider-Man, does. He still does what he does and keeps doing so despite the failures..."

The young man stood beside a tree and leaned against it. He was far away but could still see the Sanduval home.

He saw Leopoldo walking out with another box and loading it into his truck. His wife, Isabella, stood by the door and said nothing.

Y/N figured their daughter's death must've caused some rift between them, and he understood the pain they likely felt. He dropped his head and let out a sigh.

"That's the main point: resiliency. Bouncing back. To keep on going even when all seems lost. No matter how buried it gets or how lost you feel, you must at least try to hold on to hope and keep it alive. We have to be greater than what we suffer."

Y/N was on the Chrysler Building overlooking the city. He was still in his regular clothes, but he didn't care if anyone saw him up there. His Spider-Man suit was back at his apartment, and he wasn't planning to wear it anytime soon.

He had his elbows resting on his knees. Y/N let out a breath and dropped his head. As he always did when he was up there alone, he called for his dad and asked for support. Even if he couldn't respond...it just made him feel better being able to talk.

"You don't have to be a superhero like any of the Avengers or Spider-Man. You can be your own hero. You can be a superhero to others by simply becoming hope yourself; people need that. Even if we fail, what better way is there to live?"

With that, the recording ended. Empire One actually ended up running her article and published it posthumously in her honor.

The title: Go Be A Hero.

• • •

THE YOUNG MAN was back at the cemetery for the third time that week. He stood before the headstone momentarily before finally placing the purple anemones in front of it. He kissed his hand and touched the name engraved on it.

INDIRA SANDUVAL
2006 2026

He stood back up and stuffed his hands into his pockets. Y/N took in a breath and let it out, the resulting vapor signifying the current mid-December weather.

Y/N had read her article countless times after it was published. It really spoke to him. The mention of his father and his belief in Spider-Man also made his heart swell. They both believed in him and considered him the beacon of hope in the city.

But still...he wasn't so sure. He wasn't sure if he could go back out there. The wound was still fresh...and the guilt of what happened was still within.

"I don't know, Indy." He began, reaching out to touch the stone again. "I don't know if I can. If...I can go back to being that hero. But...I can promise you that I'll try. One day I will. For you. For my dad. For...for everyone that needs hope."

With that, Y/N walked away from the headstone and made his way out of the cemetery.

Y/N was back at his apartment. There was the thought of finally going back out on patrol...to somewhat fulfill that promise to Indy...but he still wasn't sure. Even if he wanted to...he would've found a way to procrastinate and delay it.

For some reason, he just felt scared. Scared of failing again.

But then again, he remembered Indy's words. To bounce back. To keep on going despite failure. Resiliency. He knew sooner or later, he'd have to go back out there after a few weeks of not doing so.

One day.

Suddenly, there was a knock. Y/N got up from his desk and went over to the door. He opened it and saw who it was.

MJ.

He was surprised to see the young woman. "MJ?"

"Hey." She greeted. "I've been trying to call you."

"Uh, sorry. I've—I was at the cemetery."

"Oh." She replied lowly. "I hope you told her I said hi."

Y/N nodded. "Of course. I...I always do. On behalf of everyone."

He let her in, and she shut the door. Y/N went back over to his desk and stood by it. He crossed his arms and looked back at her.

"What is it you wanted to see me for?"

MJ writhed her hands and leaned against the wall. She looked down at her fingers as she fiddled with them.

"I..." She began. "I wanted to tell you something."

Y/N nodded and continued to listen. MJ took in a breath and let it out rather slowly. She finally spoke.

"I know about everything, Y/N."

The young man arched a brow. She continued.

"I remember everything."

It took him a moment to process what she said. He wasn't sure if he even heard her right. What did she mean she remembered? It couldn't be...

"I remember Midtown. I remember homecoming. The Vulture, the Blip, Europe...everything that happened on Liberty Island."

The young man could not believe it. He stood still with his arms crossed but could not get himself to utter a word.

MJ looked down for a moment, touching the black dahlia necklace. She gazed back up at Y/N and continued.

"I know you're Spider-Man. I know you've been Spider-Man for years now...and I remember that very day you first saved me. That same day, I found it out for myself."

"H—How?" Y/N asked, finally able to speak. "How are you...?"

MJ took out a piece of paper from her sweater pocket. Y/N looked at it and immediately realized it was the letter he had written to her almost two years ago. He thought he misplaced it or had thrown it out. The girl went over to his bed and sat down.

"I found this when I came over earlier this week. I know...how nosy of me." She said with a chuckle, opening the crumbled letter again and looking at it. "But as I read it...something in my head just clicked. Like—like this wave of...memories...just popped into place."

Y/N didn't know what to say. How was that even possible? Was that some magic loophole he didn't know about? Was reading the letter herself the key to unlocking her memories?

"MJ..." Y/N began. "I—I don't know what to say."

"All this time, I always knew something was...wrong. That whole time I was with Harry, too, it was just...weird. It felt like something was missing. Like there was this void."

Y/N let out a quiet breath and looked down, closing his eyes. She looked up at him.

"But now I know what it was. It was you, Y/N. You are what was missing in my life."

Finally, Y/N decided to let it all out. He was feeling guilty and wanted to apologize for not telling her sooner.

"I wanted to tell you, MJ, right after that whole Liberty Island fiasco. I walked into that coffee shop and was ready to tell you. But...something in me couldn't. There was the fear that once you were in my life again...you would get hurt."

"I—I get it." She replied, standing up and stepping closer to him. "And I want you to know...I don't hate you for that."

Hearing that was a relief for Y/N. Still, he felt guilty for not telling her and the rest of his friends. He immediately thought of Ned, Peter, Gwen, May, and Anya.

"It was so hard. Having to...leave you guys. But it's what I thought was best. For all your sakes."

MJ got closer and held him by each side of his shoulders.

"Because that is what you do, Y/N. You think about everyone before yourself. I've always understood that."

Y/N nodded, trying to hold back tears. They stood there momentarily before MJ slowly leaned in to kiss him. Y/N watched her briefly before stepping away, which took the girl aback.

"I—I can't do this, MJ." He said, turning toward the window. "Not now."

"Y/N—"

"I'm sorry. I just can't start this again and think everything will be all right. I just—"

"You won't have to worry. Like we did before...we always put our heads together. We plan things out. We find—"

"Times change, MJ! It's not like how it was before!" Y/N shouted, startling her a bit.

The young man rubbed his face as he turned around and looked out the window. He leaned against the windowsill and took a breath.

"I don't just deal with just crooks or thieves or the run-of-the-mill mugger. The city is filled with mob bosses, murderers, maniacs..."

Y/N turned around and faced MJ as he continued.

"Maniacs like Kingsley! You've seen what he did! What he did to Indy! Then there are guys like Fisk that just show back up out of nowhere! I chose not to tell you about the spell back then because I was afraid. Afraid that what happened to her would happen to you."

MJ took in his words. Y/N began to tear up, and his voice broke as he spoke.

"And if anything did happen to you...I don't think I'll be able to live another day on this earth."

He looked down and slumped as if all the energy seemingly escaped his body after his speech. He let out a shuddered breath as he shut his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt her palm on his cheek. She gently lifted his head back up. He slowly opened his eyes and met her soft and empathetic gaze.

"I get that life can be cruel. It will be." She said. "But you can't just push people away during times like this. Times when you need help. You have to understand that sometimes...Spider-Man needs saving."

Y/N didn't respond but took in her words. MJ used her thumb to rub away the wetness from the tear that had rolled down his face.

"I love you, Y/N."

With that, she leaned in and captured his lips. The young man didn't step away and part. He simply melted into the embrace and kissed her back.

After a few moments, they parted. MJ opened her eyes and looked back at Y/N, whose eyes were half-lidded. He stayed quiet as he fully opened them.

"Do you still love me, Tiger?" She asked.

There was a beat. Y/N reached out and gently touched the side of her cheek.

"I do love you. I always have."

She softly smiled. Y/N also smiled, but it began to falter, and he let out a breath through his nose.

"And I will always be there for you...as a friend."

MJ's smile disappeared. Although she was disappointed and a bit heartbroken at his statement...she understood. She let out a breathy chuckle.

"Just a friend?" She asked.

It also hurt him to say that. But that is what he had to do. As much as he really wanted to continue where things left off with MJ, his one true love, he couldn't. It would go against his mission of power and responsibility if he allowed her to be romantically involved with him again.

And he didn't plan on being in a real relationship any time soon, especially after Indira and what happened to her.

He continued to caress her cheek. The man softly smiled.

"That's all I have to give."

Moments later, his spider sense went off. He looked over his shoulder and could hear the faint shouts of people trapped in a car wreck. His phone also notified him of the incident.

He honestly wanted to get out of the situation he was in currently. It was a lot for him to take in. So, somewhat selfishly, he decided to finally act on his responsibility...just so he can get out of that room.

Guess that one day was today, after all.

"I have to go."

Y/N stepped away, going to his closet and bringing out the case containing his spider suit, which he stored a few weeks ago. He started to take it out as MJ silently watched.

She just stood there and watched him suit up. He walked over to the window with his mask in hand but looked back at the girl for a moment.

All MJ did was nod. Y/N did as well and quickly put on his mask. With that, Spider-Man leaped out of the open window and swung down the street.

The young woman let out a sigh, rubbing her face and processing the entire conversation she had with Y/N...her ex-boyfriend...the beacon of New York. Although it hurt, she respected the decision he made not to get back together.

MJ went over to the window, touching her necklace and holding the broken black dahlia between her fingers. She leaned against the frame...looking out onto the busy streets of Manhattan.

I do love you.

I always have.

Everything seemed hazy. May Parker was cleaning up her kitchen when she heard someone come in. She turned around and saw her husband, Michael, walk in with their daughter, Anya.

"Hey, honey." He greeted.

She smiled, turning back around toward the sink.

"Back so soon?"

"Well..." He began.

"Guess who we found, mommy!" Anya exclaimed.

She arched a brow. Michael chuckled and patted her head. He spoke.

"Yeah. We ran into someone on the way."

They moved aside and let their guest come into the kitchen. May turned to them and saw who it was: a young man around the same height as Michael. He even had his features too.

She kept looking at him, and suddenly...a wave of emotion hit her. It was if she'd finally found someone that's been lost for so long. It was like...everything clicked.

The young man, Y/N, smiled at her.

"I'm back, May."

May woke up with a gasp. She sat up on her bed within the dimly lit bedroom, catching her breath from the shocking dream she just had.

The older woman continued sitting there momentarily, processing what she just dreamt about. Weirdly, everything she took in and learned stuck with her...all the memories of Y/N.

He wasn't just the young man who helped her around FEAST. He was the son of her late husband, her nephew's best friend, and brother to her daughter.

The revelation wasn't even overwhelming to her. It was just a gentle yet surprising reminder that someone existed.

At the same time, she heard Anya call out from her room. May immediately got out of bed, jogged down the hall, and entered the room. She saw the six-year-old sitting on her bed and clutching her Spider-Man toy.

"Mommy?"

She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her hair.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" She asked.

"I...had a weird dream."

May nodded. She found it ironic that they both woke up from a dream. She continued caressing her hair.

"Me too."

The girl kept holding onto her toy and looking at it.

"Mommy?"

"Yes?"

"I had a dream about daddy reading me that book...Pedro Goes to the Aquarium."

"Yeah, I remember that. You always loved it."

"Uh-huh. But then he had to leave. I was very sad. But then...I wasn't sad anymore."

"Why? What happened?"

Anya turned to her mother. She spoke lowly but had a soft grin.

"Y/N came in and started reading it to me. Like he always would."

• • •

IN PUERTO RICO, there was a town called Playita. It was a little ways away from the city of Yabucoa, which was the usual tourist attraction.

Within a house, a young woman was in deep slumber, and she had been for quite a while. Suddenly, she woke up in a gasp and darted her eyes around the small space.

Before she could panic, an older man came in. He had a bowl of soup and a glass of water on a tray. She didn't recognize him and called out.

"Who—who are you? Where am I?"

The man, Leopoldo, sighed and put the tray down. He gave her a sincere look as he folded his hands together.

"Do...do you know who you are?"

She tried to think back...but couldn't remember anything. She tried her best to pull a memory out from her head, but it was a struggle.

"N—No."

The man sighed. He was upset but also relieved that everything worked out. She was awake and seemingly able. He spoke up.

"You were once Indira Sanduval. You died several weeks ago."

The young woman was perplexed. She looked down at her chest and arms, trying to find evidence of injury. She couldn't find anything...just an amulet that hung from her neck.

"Your uncle's amulet saved you." He said. "It's properties were able to revive you."

"My uncle?" She asked.

"Hector Ayala. He once donned the name White Tiger. He was a hero here in Puerto Rico."

She looked back down at the amulet and touched it. Leopoldo kept looking at his daughter...who still didn't even know her father was before her.

"With your revival, you've also been imbued with its power. You've been given a chance at a clean slate."

"Clean slate?"

Leopoldo sighed. "There—there is little chance we can even give you your memories back. And even if you get some semblance of it...will you even fully accept your past life?"

She didn't know how to respond, simply looking down at her fingers.

By deciding to revive her, Leopoldo understood that he would never truly have his daughter, Indira, back. But that was something he accepted. He just wanted her alive...if even the rest of the world didn't realize she was.

"So...you're now a new person. And what you choose to do is solely up to you. Hector was also given the same choice when accepting the amulet."

She once again looked at the amulet. It had a green hue, and she could feel the power coming from it.

Despite being told about her revival and amnesia, she somehow felt comfortable. It was as if she felt a connection through the amulet to her deceased uncle and others who once wore it.

And with that...she was inspired with the responsibility of being a wearer. She accepted being the White Tiger.

"And it's the same choice I'll make." She said. "There's still work I gotta do here."

Leopoldo nodded upon hearing the words Hector had said before. A soft smile grew on his face. There was a name in mind that he wanted to give her that came from the familial line of the Ayalas.

"Then go on and live your life, Ava."

END OF SEASON EIGHT