Scarlet Spider: Sin

P2B - Chapter #9: Downfall Part 2

"Ben! Oh welcome back," May hugged him, while Kaine ignored him as he ate his lunch. She then noticed the bags under Ben's eyes, giving him a concerned look.

He simply laughed it off, "Work was hell... But I'm back!" Ben then put the bags on a couch and approached his son. "Hey, little angel. How have you been? How was your school?"

"Uh... hi," Kaine replied nonchalantly without looking at his father, "Been messy, dad."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Don't wanna talk about it."

The man turned to May, confused with why this kept happening to him. She could only look down and sigh.

He returned his attention to Kaine, "Kid... If it's about the past, I'm sorry."

"Don't. Even start with that, Dad. I don't fucking care, you hurt mom," he continued to eat his lunch, but he ate his food quickly because he did not want to talk with his father. "Nothing will make me forgive you for that."

"I- I know I'm not a good father, Kaine. I'm just trying to-"

"Yeah? Then stop acting like a good one!" he hit the table with his fist, leaving a crack. Everyone was shocked, even Kaine himself. He shook his head and finished his lunch, afterwards putting his plate and spoon inside the dishwasher.

Inside his mind, the voice laughed, "Good. Good!"

Ben walked closer to Kaine and put his hand on his shoulder. "Son, I know things have been rough between us for years. But I want to fix it. Will you at least give me a chance..?"

The teen glared at him with such unforgiving anger and he removed his father's hand from his shoulder. "Chance? Chance!? Fuck no! You are the very first reason why I'm suffering! Why we are suffering! You are the reason I envy Peter and his family!"

"What?"

One of Kaine's hands curled into a fist. "I keep getting reminded that I have a terrible father like you... Do you know how much it hurts me, Dad..? Seeing my cousin and his father have a good relationship everytime. Like seeing a perfect, imaginary mirror of yourself... IT HURTS ME SO FUCKING MUCH THAT I WANT YOU DEAD!" He raised his fist, about to beat the hell of his own father... Until at the last moment, he hesitated.

"Is violence really the answer?" He remembered what his counselor asked yesterday. With heavy heart, Kaine opened his fist and lowered his hand.

"What!? What are you doing? That bastard is in front of you! Kill him!"

"FUCK!" Kaine screamed as his mind was filled with confusion. Suddenly, his hand was curling into a fist, not by his will. His eyes widened in horror.

"If you won't do it," the voice spoke in an irritated tone, "Then I'll do it myself!"

As his fist was being raised, Kaine used his other hand to prevent his darker self from killing his father. This made Ben and May look bewildered at their son, not knowing what had happened to him two days ago. As he didn't want another bad thing to happen, Kaine stormed off the apartment suite and headed to the elevator. Luckily, the doors were still open. So he quickly entered it and pressed a button to go to the lobby.

Ben looked at May and sighed, "I'll be right back, May. I'll get our son back..."

"Be careful, Ben," she said to him in a worried tone, earning a reassuring smile from him.

"I'll come back with him. Don't worry." And with that, Ben exited the apartment suite, rushing to the elevator and to the lobby. There was no sign of his son, even when he checked outside. So he decided to drive his car while looking around for Kaine. On his way to the parking lot, he texted the family group chat.

Kaine is not at home. I'm looking for him. If anyone is outside at the moment, please help me find him...

Ben got inside his car, turned it on, and drove out of the parking lot. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for any signs of Kaine on the streets. At that moment, all he could think of...was his son.

"Kaine...where are you..?"

---

(Several blocks away...)

"Man, you really should put a better fight next time," a red-and-blue masked figure finished webbing muggers to the wall, "Oh well, say hi to the boys in blue soon! Ciao!"

A store owner, a man with glasses, rushed outside, "Oh, thank goodness." He then turned to the masked man, offering him a handshake with a grateful smile, "Thank you, Spider-Man. I appreciate your help for catching these muggers."

"S-Spider-Man? No, I'm just...a guy who wants to help people."

The store owner chuckled, "That's what the Bugle has been calling you since...Thursday or Friday?"

"Huh... Spider-Man..." He giggled when something popped up in his mind, "Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. That's gonna stick for a while." Spider-Man accepted his handshake, "You're welcome, Mr. Ditko. Please be careful, alright?"

They shared a smile, before Spider-Man swung off to a rooftop and sat down on the ground. Peter looked at the street from up there, enjoying the view for some time. His phone in his jeans' pocket suddenly vibrated, prompting him to check the notification. When he saw what it was, his smile underneath the mask disappeared. It was a message from uncle Ben.

Kaine is not at home. I'm looking for him. If anyone is outside at the moment, please help me find him...

Peter made a frustrated noise, "Gosh... What are you doing now, Coz?" He shoved his phone back into the pocket, leaped off the rooftop, and started swinging from building to building. All that while looking around for his cousin and using his spider sense to track him.

"Kaine... Wherever you are, please don't get into trouble..!"

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A/N: Things are gonna get really messy in the next chapter XP And it will change Kaine's life. Absolutely.