𝐝𝐞𝐣𝐚 𝐯𝐮, peter parker

lxvi. meaning of responsibility

chapter sixty-six
meaning of responsibility

PETER HONESTLY never thought being Spider-Man would lead him to this exact moment: working on advanced engineering and mechanics in the back laundry of Happy's Long Island condo with three out of five supervillains in the sitting room with his aunt, one of them still in the F.E.A.S.T. truck below and the last working right alongside him. But he's learned pretty quickly that crazy stuff always happened▬most especially to him.

They have been working almost non-stop for hours, it was now night. Peter tried to keep Nina and their friends updated so they didn't freak out and press the button too early. He didn't mention that he was working right alongside Norman Osborn▬but so far, there was nothing about him that seemed as evil as Nina said. All he held was an inquisitive nature and a genius mind▬he wasn't threatening, he wasn't sending Peter's hairs on end; unlike the rest of the villains, he was incredibly docile.

Dr. Osborn stayed at Peter's side as he engineered and re-crafted the chip on the back of Doc Ock's neck. The idea was to recreate the protective system Octavius had in place before it had been fried; and hopefully, this time, Peter's mechanism would be at a less risk of exposure.

"Remarkable," Osborn murmured as Peter delicately slipped the final pin into place, his tongue between his teeth in his concentration. "The technology and you. When all this is over, if you need a job and you're willing to commute to another university..."

Peter's breath hitched. He barely listened as he pulled off his goggles and glanced at the simulation. His eyes widened▬he almost couldn't believe what he had just achieved. A grin started to tug at his lips. "It worked," he gasped, shocked at his own genius. He laughed and turned to Osborn with a delightful smile. "That totally worked!"

He snatched the chip and sprinted back into the main living room. "I got it! I did it!" Peter announced to May who was sipping water behind the kitchen counter. She immediately set it down. "Will you send him up?"

"Oh! Oh▬yeah▬" his Aunt May quickly swiped upwards on the hologram of Peter's nanotechnology belt. Doc Ock could do nothing as his metal arms lifted him up to hover at the height of the stairwell above. He struggled and complained, but Peter just raced to the next landing with a bright grin on his face. "Hold on, Doc!"

"Oh, will these humiliations never cease?!" cried out Doc Ock in vicious exasperation. Peter readied himself at the edge of the landing as Octavius grew closer and closer. "You!" he snapped at Spider-Man as he lifted himself up onto his toes to reach. "Keep your science fair project away from me!"

Peter ignored him and reached out to pull the collar of his jacket down. He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to keep Doc Ock still to attach the chip. Octavius wasn't helping with his furious struggles.

"It'll work," reassured Osborn from below as the rest of them all looked up to watch. "Have faith."

Octavius gave another struggle. "Says the reckless fool who turned himself into a monster!"

Peter gritted his teeth▬Octavius's words filtered right past him and he didn't stop to consider what he meant. "Stay still▬" he told Doc Ock, not wanting to lose sight of his strength right now. He needed to be gentle. "Please stop moving your head. Hold still▬"

"Don't you dare▬"

Spider-Man huffed and reached out, snatching Doc Ock's hair lightly and pulling his head up straight, but with enough strength to keep him still. The rest of Octavius's objections were buzzing in the back of Peter's mind as he leaned forward, biting the bottom of his lip in concentration as he gently hovered the new chip over the old, damaged one. Below, his Aunt May, Osborn, Electro and the Sandman were all watching in silent anticipation.