Chapter Text
Everything has a Beginning
The glow of the moon was the only thing illuminating a figure perched high above the city of New York. Normally this individual would be swinging here and there across the city on a never-ending quest to stop crime and otherwise pick up the spirits of the citizens. Providing a level of comfort that was often in short supply due to the constant villainous activities that plagued the city. But on this occasion there was a distinct lack of drive that was afflicting one of the most prominent heroes of New York.
Peter Parker, otherwise known as “Spider-Man” was currently experiencing one of the lowest time periods of his relatively young life. For just under 2 years he had his life stolen away by one of his most prominent enemies, Otto Octavius. Otto managed to swap their minds, forcing Peter into a dying body while Otto took over his healthy one. Soon enough Peter “died” within Otto’s body and his consciousness was forced to spectate as an unwilling passenger.
He ultimately had to watch as Otto systematically alienated him from everyone in his life. Otto utilized Peter’s powers in an overwhelmingly aggressive and down right brutal manner. Believing that he could become a superior version of Spider-Man through his own means. This would lead to the rest of the superhero community believing that Peter had gone way off the deep end. Suspicions were high but ultimately did not lead any of the heroes to doing any actual investigation outside a simple brain scan at Avengers tower. When the test came back negative they just assumed he was either going through some personal issues or had decided on a different approach to being a hero. Between that and his ever-increasing attitude issues they simply wrote him off. Long time friends such as The Fantastic Four went so far as to ban Peter from the Baxter building due to their unwillingness to have him around Franklin and Valeria. His best friend Johnny Storm even fully renounced their friendship due to these drastic changes. Otto of course couldn't care less about this loss, but it hurt Peter’s soul to see the separation. Felicia Hardy or “Black Cat” as she is more infamously known, was another relationship casualty caused by Otto’s possession. While attempting one of her usual sultry interactions with the wall crawler she was struck and arrested by Otto. She would go on to become the “Queenpin” following the significant loss of reputation and identity due to this arrest. Causing havoc and becoming a villain in her own right.
On an even more personal front, Otto managed to alienate Peter’s Aunt May and destroy any hopes of a full rekindling of his relationship with long time love interest Mary Jane Watson. His now toxic attitude as Peter Parker, and brutal actions as Spider-Man caused the two pillars of his life to distance themselves from him. Not able to understand why Peter was undergoing such a drastic change in personality. The only positive actions that Otto took during this period were the push to obtain a PhD and the foundation of Parker Industries. Parker industries would go on to become a key player in the tech industry through the production of advanced nanotechnology and other specialized tech. The devastating downside of this was the attention it garnered from the villains of the city. Many of them were clamoring to get their hands on some of the advanced tech that was being developed. The supernatural villain known as Blackout even went so far as to kidnap Peter’s Aunt May once it became common knowledge that Parker industries was supplying Spider-Man’s gadgets. During the ensuing conflict, Aunt May unfortunately lost her life due to Otto's negligence. The torture he would go on to inflict upon Blackout was just the icing on a miserable cake. All of this ultimately caused Otto to give up on the idea that he was capable of surpassing Peter as Spider-Man. How can you claim to be a Superior Spider-Man when you also fail at protecting one of his most important loved ones? Faced with his own failure and the immense pressure that Peter’s consciousness started inflicting on him, Otto decided to relinquish control of Peter’s body. Leaving Peter to mourn the loss of his dearest Aunt May. A feeling that left him nearly catatonic for days on end before he had to push forward with her funeral.
Shaking his head to ward away those awful memories, Peter refocused on his current situation. In the two weeks that have passed since regaining control of his body Peter had been going through a whirlwind of negative emotions. The tearful private funeral that he held for his dear Aunt May was a test of resilience that had not experienced since the loss of Gwen and Uncle Ben. Among the limited Attendees was Mary Jane, who despite the large rift between them had still shown up to mourn. Following the service he attempted to explain to her that the last two years were not him and that Otto had taken over his body. She seemed somewhat receptive but had since maintained a distance from him that said otherwise. Others in the superhero community were just as skeptical once he enlightened them as well. Most took his words with nothing more than a grain of salt despite the numerous unorthodox situations that they had experienced. His brief encounter with Felicia was as disastrous as he expected. She was unwilling to even consider hearing his explanations and proceeded to attack him quite viciously. He hoped that she would seek him out of her own accord some day, but he would not hold his breath.
Sitting on one of his favorite gargoyles atop one of New York City’s many high rises, Peter is at a loss. The isolation was devastating his usually unending sunny disposition. Causing him to ask himself some hard questions that he was sure he did not want the answers to.
Do any of the people he cares about actually hold the same sentiment for him? Were the relationships he cultivated so flimsy that no one could tell that something was amiss? Did his words mean so little to them that his explanation was not enough?
Surely some of them would be able to realize that not only was he acting bizarre the past few years, but that nothing about him matched up with what they knew of him. When had he ever fallen so far as to exercise the extreme brutality that Otto was perpetrating? Should that not have been enough of a red flag to them that they did more than just assume he was going through some issues? Someone had to have been willing to push for some sort of clarity into his situation right? The amount of telepaths that he was familiar with should have been able to figure out something right? He knew that Otto had made some threats and modifications to combat this possibility, but such things had never stopped the more determined telepathic individuals that he knew. All of this is making Peter reevaluate the relationships he has with his so-called peers. It really makes him wonder whether any of his fellow heroes did anything more than tolerate him. Add in the complications with both MJ and Felicia, and you have a cesspool of toxic thoughts running through his mind.
It has ultimately led Peter to consider a difficult set of paths that each hold their own merit. On one hand he could continue to stubbornly push forward and show them all that occurred was not indicative of who he is and that he would do whatever it takes to make amends for the wrongdoings that were perpetrated by Otto using his body. The more radical approach would be to just not attempt to do any form of proactive reconciliation with them. Just take a step back from the situation as a whole and focus on the part of him that he had neglected since making the decision to don the mask all those years ago…Peter Parker.
His life as Peter Parker had been a combination of tragedy, failed relationships, and abject poverty since he was bitten by the spider. Losing Uncle Ben, failing to save Gwen, and most recently Aunt May being most prevalent. All the trouble he has had keeping a relationship could also be tied directly to his responsibilities as Spider-Man. He had put MJ through enough trouble both before she learned of his secret identity and after to last a lifetime. Any potential with Felicia always seemed fleeting due to her focus on his alter ego as opposed to Peter Parker. Never being able to hold down a steady job outside of selling photos of himself had made advancing near impossible. Otto’s push to obtain a PhD and create an immensely profitable company opened an avenue that he could easily walk. He could focus his time on helping improve the city in ways that did not include breaking himself out on the streets constantly. Is it wrong of him to focus on himself? Would Aunt May and Uncle Ben think less of him if he decided to be a bit selfish for once? Would it be such a crime for him to live a life that was more than suffering? Almost 15 years of constant fighting and do-gooding had to have earned him a bit of leeway.
As he listened to the sounds below, Peter came to a decision that would change his life forever. He is going to find out what Peter Parker can be when he is not focusing all of his time and energy on being Spider-Man.
For the first time in two weeks, Peter is up bright and early to start what is hopefully a new chapter in his life. Standing in front of his apartment's bathroom mirror he takes a moment to examine himself. The twenty-nine-year-old could definitely start getting more sleep if the bags beneath his eyes are any indication but overall he looks to be in good shape. His brown hair is unruly as ever, a set of brown eyes stared back at him nestled behind a pair of pristine glasses, his facial hair gave him a distinguished appeal, and his muscular physique complemented his 6 '2 height. All in all he looks much better than one might expect someone who's gone through so much tragedy to look. Throwing on a nice pair of black dress pants, a white button-up shirt, and some comfortable dress shoes he leaves his apartment.
He arrives swiftly to Parker Industries main headquarters in Manhattan, offers a quick greeting to his front desk staff and takes the elevator to his office. Upon exiting the elevator he is immediately greeted by his secretary Martha. Martha is a dark haired middle-aged woman that Otto hired early on to organize his day-to-day activities while he worked in his lab. She has been helping to keep things running smoothly during Peter’s recent absence.
“It is great to have you with us today Mr. Parker,” she says with a bright smile. “I know things have been hard on you recently, but I’m glad that you are with us today.”
Peter offers her a brief smile. “Hello Martha, thank you for keeping things running while I was gone. I know that my absence wasn’t exactly ideal.” Dumping all his responsibilities on her over the last few weeks had Peter feeling quite guilty.
Smiling just as brightly, Martha shakes her head at Peter’s words. “Think nothing of it sir, you experienced an awful tragedy, and it is entirely understandable for you to need some time to grieve. Everything was business as usual while you were gone, so I really just made sure everyone was unhindered.”
Shaking off the brief feelings of depression that emerged due to the reminder of Aunt May, Peter nodded his head. “Is there anything pressing that I do need to focus on today?”
“Representatives from SHIELD have been visiting frequently during your absence and are asking to speak with you regarding their ongoing contract.”
Grimacing a bit while thinking about whom the representatives could be, Peter nods his head once again. “Well I guess I’m going to need to meet with them soon enough. Wouldn’t want to cause issues with one of our primary contracts. If anything pressing comes up, please notify me. I’ll be in my office.”
“Understood sir. I will let you know if SHIELD sends anyone else to meet with you or if anything else pressing arises.”
Nodding his head once more, Peter enters his office and sits behind his desk. He had quite honestly forgotten that SHIELD was one of Parker Industries leading clients. Otto had been providing them with some advanced technology for their operations. It is surprising that they have remained a client considering all the issues that “Superior Spider-Man” had caused them. It is no secret that shield knew that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and considering the numerous incidents that have occurred between Otto and SHIELD it is very surprising that they still want a relationship. Not only that, but it actually reminds Peter of some of the changes that are going to be made within the company. He wants to shift focus towards tech that will make lives easier for as many people as possible, instead of creating hardware that aids in surveillance or harming others. It would also be nice if he could help with the reform of some of the villains within the city. Offering them jobs and fulfillment could go a long way towards keeping them on the straight and narrow.
As he stares out the window of his office he begins to understand that the path forward will likely set him at odds with many in the superhero community regardless of his intentions. SHIELD will certainly not take kindly to the changes in philosophy, and it is likely that some of the heroes will not like the fact that some of their enemies will be using Peter’s company to turn over a new leaf. It will certainly be a test of patience dealing with the challenges that await him.
He also needs to consider how much time he is going to allocate to being Spider-Man. He certainly will not spend as much of his time patrolling the city as he did before and will need to determine how often he will be the one to respond to villains causing chaos. There are a plethora of heroes that are just as capable of dealing with some of his rogues, and it might be better to just let them handle it. It might be a bit petty but letting them deal with some of what he has experienced over the years would be interesting. Maybe a more direct understanding of all that Spider-Man goes through will go a long way. The only one of his enemies that will likely hyper focus on him regardless of what he does is Norman Osborn. His Green goblin persona was so obsessed with making Peter suffer that it is unlikely that he will be taking a step back in the same way. He will likely have to consider a more permanent solution for that issue sooner rather than later.
In order to optimize his time as Spider-Man and make sure that he can successfully get things done without damaging Peter Parker’s life, he is also going to need to do a bit of upgrading. His limited funds in the past made sure that he couldn’t fix some of the limitations he experienced in the field. Whether it was the price of creating more web fluid or utilizing material in his costume that would not deteriorate as fast. There are also some advancements that he could make that could help deal with the various abilities of his foes much easier. Otto definitely had the right idea with some of the enhancements that he made to the suit. The mask plating to help deal with mental intrusions and the armor enhancements were a plus. He was not too keen on the retractable talons, but he can learn to love them after enough practice. He was also considering making a change to his overall color scheme. Something to signify a change from his previous outlook. His red and blue would always hold a special place in his heart, but he wanted to make a change that gave him a sense of newness. He was thinking about a suit that was primarily white with blue lenses and spider accents. He would begin working on bringing his vision to life over time, but for now he limits his Spider-Man outings to the most dire.
While ruminating on all of this Martha knocks on his office door. “Mr. Parker, two individuals from SHIELD are here to see you.” Realizing that one of his more pressing matters is coming earlier than he expected he gives her the go ahead to let them in.
Entering his office are two individuals that he recognizes immediately. The Black Widow Natasha Romanoff and the acting director of shield Maria Hill. As always Widow was dressed in her sleek black bodysuit that does a fantastic job of emphasizing the red-haired femme fatale’s legendary curves. A fact that Peter observes out of sheer habit. Maria Hill on the other hand is looking every bit the director of SHIELD in her blue and silver attire.
“Ah take a seat, to what do I owe the pleasure of the director of SHIELD and one of its top operatives coming to see me today?” Peter calls out with some amusement while sitting up straighter behind his desk. “It can’t be something minor, otherwise you would send someone of lesser stature.”
Director Hill takes one of the offered chairs before Peter’s desk while Natasha remains standing. “Considering all the turmoil that has impacted your life as of late, I found it prudent to come see you directly.” Hill states with the professionalism that he had come to expect from the woman. “Seeing as it is now clear that all our dealings with you were false due to lack of control of your own body. It seems necessary for us to understand whether we are still on the same page with your company. The equipment that Parker Industries has been providing over the last 2 years has been invaluable for our operations.” Ahh, so this is just to make sure that Peter will be continuing the status quo. It is a pity that he was initially hoping that sending people that he actually knows would be a sign that they were feeling some actual care for him after this whole debacle.
“You could just as easily have sent some of your low level bureaucrats if that was all that you were after Director Hill. Such understanding could just as easily have been reached without the two of you taking time out of your days. Unless of course you are hoping to play on a bit of my personal sentiment in this case.” The inclusion of Natasha distinctly brings up memories of their brief romantic entanglement during the whole “Nancy Rushman” saga. He had developed something of a connection to the woman regardless of how brief their romance was.
“I assure you Mr. Parker, we are not here to trade on some old feelings. We are merely here because it was simple enough for the two of us to do so and to maintain the deal that was in place prior. We imagined that it would be difficult for you to reconcile all the things that Otto Octavius put in place while he was in control. It would have been just me alone that was meeting you today, but Natasha decided that she would like to join me. This was not something that we planned in advance.”
“She is telling you the truth Peter.” Natasha spoke for the first time since entering into his office. “I wanted to speak to you after we concluded all of SHIELD’s business. This meeting was just the perfect opportunity for me to get the chance to see you. I am sorry if it appears like something untoward.” Something about her tone did make Peter believe that she was being sincere. Obviously her occupation makes it likely that she could just as easily be putting on a convincing act, but that nagging feeling in his head says that she is not acting.
“Alright Natasha. We can speak privately after all of this is settled. Director Hill I currently see no reason to disband the deal that was in place before I regained control.” This statement caused Maria to release a sigh of relief.
“Thank you, Mr. Parker! I am glad that the unpleasantness has not caused issues with our agreement.”
“I wouldn't thank me just yet, Director.” Peter remarked with something of a lopsided grin. “I have decided that some aspects of the company will be undergoing some changes now that I am in control.”
“What types of changes do you mean Mr. Parker?” Maria asks with some trepidation. “I am planning to move away from the more dangerous tech that Parker Industries was providing. I want to focus more on making lives better and offering less harmful alternatives to peacekeeping. I believe that I can create systems that make apprehension much more feasible for New York’s law enforcement.”
“What does this mean for SHIELD Mr. Parker?” Maria asked after hearing his thoughts.
“It means that I will no longer be providing any form of weapons to SHIELD or any other company for that matter. I am still willing to provide improvements to surveillance and communication technology, but I am going to do my very best to avoid offensive equipment. I hope that this will not become a problem between us, Director Hill.” Peter says while narrowing his eyes a bit behind his glasses.
“I do not see a problem with the changes, but I would hope that you would consider continuing to offer help with our defensive capabilities. The improved material for our helicarriers in particular has been a boon to our abilities to function. It would cause several issues if we were unable to receive the same consistency that you have been providing.” Maria is hopeful that he will see reason on this one request at least. It is clear that there have been some lasting changes in Peter, and it would not go well to have him as an adversary.
“I am amenable to that Director Hill. I see no issues with continuing to provide in that manner. As long as you are accepting of the changes that will be happening, I can make exceptions in the case of the helicarriers. Is there anything else that we need to discuss today?” Peter expected more resistance honestly, but is glad that SHIELD is being reasonable for once.
“Thank you, Mr. Parker. There is nothing more that we need to speak about on behalf of Shield today. I will take my leave and will be in touch another time if we need to speak further.” With those words Maria Hill stood up, shook Peter’s hand, nodded to Natasha and exited Peter's office.
As soon as she was gone the room entered into an awkward silence with neither Peter nor Natasha making the effort to end it. Finally after growing annoyed with the situation, Peter stood up from his desk and moved towards one of the couches in the corner of his office. After sitting down he motioned for Natasha to take a seat on the couch in front of him. Taking his invitation, Natasha sits down across from him.
“So what would you like to talk to me about Natasha?” Peter asks the woman sitting across from him with curiosity.
“How are you honestly doing Peter? I am surprised that you are back in action soon after all that has occurred. I figured you would have taken a month or two to sort things out and try to rebuild things.” Natasha still experienced issues due to her stint as Nancy Rushman years ago and could not fathom how Peter had managed to seemingly bounce back so soon.
“Who says I’m back in action Natasha?” Peter says with a little half smile that causes confusing feelings within Natasha.
“But you are clearly here running your company, and we have had reports of Spider-Man being seen stopping some minor crimes in Lower Manhattan. Are you saying that you are only temporarily acting right now?”
“No, I am definitely going to be running my company, but it is safe to say that the appearances of Spider-Man will be somewhat lessened going forward.” This causes Natasha’s eyes to widen quite spectacularly as she processes this bombshell news.
“But... Why? You have been going strong for so long and have weathered numerous storms. Is it because of the loss of your Aunt? Do you feel as though you can no longer be the hero you have always been?” Natasha rattles off these questions with a sense of nervous urgency.
“Natasha I have had to come to several unfortunate truths over not only the last few weeks, but the last 2 years as a whole. You see, not only was Otto in control of my body, but I had to watch almost the entire time as something of a ghost. I had to witness every action he took and all the interactions he had with those that I care about. I saw the way that the people who thought had some understanding of my personality just dismissed the possibility that someone was very wrong. All of you just assumed that I was suddenly willing to operate in the extreme manner that Otto was doing. I know that I wasn’t the closest with all of you, but it just does not make any sense to me. Did all of you think so little of me that you just assumed that one day I would suddenly start acting that way?” Natasha’s expression became more and more despondent as Peter continued to speak. She really had not considered how far their lack of action would have affected Peter. It was also a huge shock to think that he had to see what was transpiring throughout his displacement.
“Peter… I’m sorry. I had no idea just how deep the situation was. None of us ever considered the possibility that you were present for everything that was transpiring. I know that it should have been clear that something was wrong, but I never could have guessed what the situation actually was. When Reed and Tony had your brain scanned, I just assumed there was nothing foul at play. There also wasn’t a symbiote in play so it just made sense to think what was going on had more to do with a change of philosophy than anything else.” Natasha was beginning to feel a strain on her normally tight emotional control. Seeing someone that she secretly cares for more than she would admit was being to crack her usual facade.
Offering her a sad smile Peter shakes his head a bit at her words. It makes sense from a logical standpoint that they wouldn't consider the possibility that there was a mind swap in this situation, but it is hard to focus on that fact. All the chaotic events that had transpired throughout their history should have kept everyone’s mind open to alternate possibilities.
“I understand what all of you thought when I really consider the circumstances, but it does not make it any easier to accept. I just thought I had built a better bond with all of you than that.” When Natasha attempts to speak in response to that statement Peter raises his hand. “I’m not blaming any of you nor am I particularly angry by any means, but it has made me put things into perspective. If such drastic changes are not so out of character that the people closest to me don’t think something serious is wrong, then maybe I need to try and build better relationships.”
“What do you mean by that Peter?” Natasha asks, almost afraid to hear his response.
“I mean that I need to spend more time focusing on building deeper relationships with those around me. I need to have people that see Peter Parker and not just Spider-Man. I am well aware that a good chunk of the community sees me as an annoyance due to my antics, and that others actually believe some of the nonsense that Jameson spews at the Daily Bugle. Likewise, I want people who would go as far for me as I would for them so that nothing like this ever happens again. In order to do that I need to spend more time outside the mask.” As he is saying all of this Peter is taking note of the range of emotions that are being showcased on Natasha’s face. He is surprised that the normally Stoic superspy lets him see as much as she does. Her beautiful face flits between sadness, guilt, shame, and finally hope at a surprising speed. Finally, she settles on a hopeful look that includes a small smile that lights up her face.
“If that's how things need to be then I would be happy to try and get to know more about the man beneath the mask. It would be nice to learn more about you when I am not suffering an amnesia episode. I’m certain that you will still be the same kind, caring, and heroic man that you have always appeared to be.” Natasha finishes saying this with one of the most genuine smiles he has ever seen from her.
Surprised, Peter blushes and rubs the back of his neck a bit while staring at her. He did not think she would be as receptive to this change as she is. Hopefully she isn’t the only one that will understand where he’s coming from.
“If that’s the case then a new introduction is in order. My name is Peter Parker, I run a tech company that will be helping people on a grand scale, and I sometimes spend my time stopping crime as the spider-powered hero known as Spider-Man.” Peter finishes his reintroduction with a bright smile and an outstretched hand.
Taking his hand in hers, Natasha returns his smile. “Hello Peter Parker, my name is Natasha Romanoff, and I am a superspy that also spends time as a spider themed hero.”
As the two fall into a comfortable silence Peter begins to hope that all of his future interactions can end in a manner such as this. He didn’t expect Natasha to be the first of them to end this way, but as he looks at her, he is glad that she was. Despite knowing that she wasn’t herself while she was Nancy Rushman, it is hard for him to forget the connection that the two of them shared. He isn’t exactly expecting something romantic to come from this new-found relationship that they are beginning though so he tries to put those thoughts aside. He is completely unaware however that Natasha is having entirely different thoughts on that front. The hidden part of her that often reminisces on their brief romance is at the forefront of her mind right now. Blasting the possibility that they could actually develop something between each other that is not built on a false persona.
The two part ways after spending another hour in each other’s company with Natasha making it known that she intends for them to spend more time together going forward. Peter is left alone in his office again and watches as the afternoon begins to slip into the evening. The first real day after his change of direction has gone smoothly. He decides to forgo any Spider-Man activity for at least a week. Thinking to himself: What could possibly go wrong?