What makes a hero?

Beware the monster (it stares at you)

Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-man (Tom Holland Movies)

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Characters: Peter Parker | Spider-man, New York City

Tags: BAMF Peter Parker, New York City, Overpowered Peter Parker

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Brief Warning: this has mentions of a fight and canon-typical violence, as well as mentions of discriminatory acts. if these are some of your triggers, please proceed with caution.

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Spider-man was a study in contradictions, at least to Shaun.

The hero was something that he couldn't quite understand, an enigma; one he couldn't comprehend into words.

Publicly acknowledged as Queens' hero, Spider-man was a rising star in heroics. One of the most well-known in the state and was fast becoming a symbol of heroics in America despite not being part of the most well-known hero teams in the country like the Avengers or Fantastic Four.

Close to the people, technically skilled and with the charisma to boot, Spider-man was the hero.

But to Shaun who had only arrived in Queens for less than three weeks, the hero was an enigma.

The hero was loved - adored, really - in this part of the US but Shaun had grown up in an area of the country where people like Spider-man were killed without remorse, buried with no funerals and discriminated against for fun. Mutants like Spider-man were regarded as monsters; mutants like himself were regarded as monsters; practically criminals in the making.

Shaun was taught to hide the features that made him unique, to 'keep the monstrosity that was himself hidden'. He was taught that the only way he could live was to become average.

Yet, when he moves to New York in search of a safer environment, he is faced with a mutant, much like the ones back home, much like himself, that was not killed or hated or discriminated against but adored.

He didn't understand - couldn't understand.

Sure, the Avengers had saved the world. But, they were so far away and out of reach from his hometown that their achievements were practically meaningless. To them, the Avengers were practically myths, too ridiculous to be real. After all, how could six people defeat an entire army?

Where he came from, to be different was a death sentence.

So, as he watches Spider-man swing through the city, whooping and hollering as if it was just a part of the routine every night for two weeks straight, Shaun didn't know what to make of it.

He who was taught to hate himself, to hide himself; who was taught that safety was being average and mutants were abominations; Shaun who was taught that he was a monster from a very young age, had, for once in his life, been presented with a new idea.

Because, like himself, Spider-man was a mutant. Whether he was a mutant of his own making or of nature's designs, he could never know, yet, he was a mutant all the same.

Spider-man was just like him.

And despite that, despite everything, Spider-man was also many things that wasn't Shaun.