The Light Within the Darkness: A Spider-Man Fanfiction

The Story

*drops of water raining down onto the bathroom floor*

Inside his bathroom, Peter Parker was showering. The teenager let a continuous stream of water run across his whole body, while he stood still. His eyes were closed as the cool breeze of water wrapped him, washing away the foams of shampoo, facial wash, and soap. Despite having been washed away, the shower was still running. The teen felt encapsulated by the refreshing sensation of the cool water. Just to fill the void inside him... The boy let out a sigh and moved his hand to the shower control, rotating it counter clockwise, turning off the shower. He walked out of it, knowing he could not dilly dally.

He checked himself in front of the bathroom mirror, revealing a boy with soaked brunette hair. As he looked at himself, something made him deep in thoughts. It was the black eye sockets and his eyes... There was no life in his eyes, just pain, disgust, and distrust. Those feelings would always remind him of one moment in his life. One moment when he had trusted someone... A "friend," who ended up betraying him.

Now, he felt nothing.

He closed his eyes, trying to shake it off. But the painful reminder was still there. Irritated, Peter decided to just leave it be and took his grey toothbrush with mint toothpaste. However, he paused for a moment. The reflection of his eyes meeting his own, mirroring the burden of the pain in his eyes.

Gosh, the burden that he had been carrying for two months. The burden that made him sunk into his own emptiness and cry when he was about sleep, just to feel anything. The burden that made him suspicious of others, except the ones close to him. The pain that killed him inside, leaving only parts of his old self. The very pain that reduced him to nothing... but a shell of himself.

This caused Peter to strengthen his grip on his toothbrush. There was a radiating rage in it, as if it was screaming like a wounded untamed beast. His hand was shaking as his grip tightened more and more. The anger, the rage; they were slowly consuming him.

At the last moment however... his grip loosened, becoming more relaxed. The brunet froze, tears began to fill his eyes and trickle down across his cheek. He knew he could not channel his rage by breaking the toothbrush. Peter sighed to himself and started to brush his teeth while sobbing. He could dilly dally no longer, knowing that he would hang out with his friends later.

Even if that meant that he would meet Gwen Stacy again, a girl that he had met a week ago. A girl who wanted to enter his life and help him; a help that he refused.

He shrugged it off as he finished brushing his teeth and began to prepare himself for later.

---

(Two hours later; At a Chinese restaurant...)

On a table nearby, Peter and Gwen were waiting for their food and drinks. The boy remained silent, hesitant to talk with the blonde girl, who was sitting opposite of him. He turned his eyes to another table, where his friend Annabelle and his cousin Kaine were conversing about something that he couldn't hear. When the two noticed Peter was looking at them, they simply smiled and winked in unison.

"Gosh, I hate you guys... Why did you have to set me up with her..?" The brunette teen let out a groan and rolled his eyes.

"Hm?" The blonde girl slightly tilted her head in curiosity.

"Huh?" Peter's hazel eyes then met with Gwen's blue eyes, "Oh, nothing. Nothing really."

The young brunet looked down to the table and sighed.

Minutes later, they still didn't talk. The male teenager's eyes were staring on the table, with the emptiness reflected on them. He really didn't pay attention to anything, but the same couldn't be said for the blonde. Gwen had been looking at the boy for some time. Her eyes were filled with sympathy.