Stories Focussed On Spider-Man

(USM) Public Speaking (All Dialed Up P2)

Info: just a short little scene I thought up today that follows the events in "All Dialed Up." Enjoy...

Spider-Man was dreading. Not necessarily anything specific, he was just full of dread. And with good reason, too.

While his overload had official been declared gone about two days prior, his senses were still sensitive and extra jumpy, which earned him plenty of strange looks throughout the day when he would accidentally wince or yelp in pain. It was an issue, but there was no way he was going back to the quiet room. And then, he got the call from Nick Fury.

"Spider-Man, report to the helicarrier as soon as possible," was all he had said before hanging up without letting Peter get a word in edgewise. Ugh, super-spies were really the worst sometimes.

So, that's how he ended up swinging from his small burrow in Queens to the massive sky ship that was headquarters to the world's largest and most efficient intelligence agency, the cherry pit of general dread in his stomach welling up to something much greater. He quickly made his way to Nick's office upon arriving. "Hey, Nick, you needed me?" Further inspection proved to show that Tony Stark and the rest of the Avengers dressed as civilians were in the room. A door opened and his team also filed in. "Us? What's this about?"

Nick smirked an unsettling smirk and suddenly Spider-Man knew what his spider sense had him dreading: it was whatever was about to pop out of the black man's mouth. "You've been invited to a banquet."

"So? I decline. Big whoop."

"It's a Stark banquet, and I think you should go."

"What? Why? I don't fit in with that crowd at all!"

"He wants to celebrate the good job you did during that overload. You're giving a speech and everything. It would be extremely impolite to decline a party in your honor. You're going, and so is the rest of your team. That's final." The gleam in his one eye really showed off how much he was enjoying sending one of his most socially awkward superheroes head first into a public speaking situation.

"But, I can't speak in front of that many people, I-"

"SHIELD will supply you with formal wear and the details will be sent to you. Good day, Spider-Man."

"Nick, I can't-"

"C'mon, Webs," Power Man chuckled as he grabbed his friend's arm and began to pull him out of the room, despite his protests.

"This is going to be hilarious," Nova grinned. "Like, internet famous hilarious."

Only one thought raced through Spider-Man's mind: option C. "Heckity heck, I crave death."

Stark snorted and walked up to the ragtag group of teens. "Eloquent, but not quite what I had in mind."

The web-slinger rolled his eyes beneath his mask, not that anyone could see or appreciate the gesture. "Then what did you have in mind?"

"Look, all you do is take down criminals and yell puns at the top of your lungs and check up on the occasional civilian afterwards. You're a mystery to the public, which can make you an easy target for slander and bad publicity," Stark explained. "But, play your cards right on what you say tomorrow night, and that could very easily change."

"I don't want to be a public figure, I want to save lives!"

"How can you save lives if they've been swayed not to trust you?" the billionaire countered. "You might not be a big public speaker, but it's for your own good. I can help write your speech if you want?"

"Y-yeah, that would be lit."

Less than half an hour later, he was sitting on a couch in Stark Tower, mulling over possible topics with a billionaire who was still somehow under the impression that he was speaking to a grown adult. Like, how was he so oblivious? Spider-Man literally compared what they were doing to book report prep less than five minutes prior. Tony Stark was supposed to be some sort of genius.

"Okay, so you want your speech to sound personal without giving away too much information about yourself."

"How do I even do that?"

Stark sighed. "Here. You're obviously still keeping your identity from me, so tell me as much about yourself you're alright with sharing."

Spider-Man shifted, uncomfortable. "Uh, I like Star Wars? I don't know what I'm supposed to say." Stark sighed for the umpteenth time that day.

~le skip~

Ah yes, radiant lights, the chattering of reporters and snobby guests, and the pungent smell of champagne and alcohol was just what Spider-Man liked to surround himself in those especially sensitive days that followed an overload. Note the sarcasm. Or don't, it's your choice really.

He wasn't even out in the open yet and he could feel his senses spiking. Yep, this wasn't going to end well, but maybe he could get his speech over and done with before things really took a turn for the worst. He clung to that thought like it was his only hope, which it was in a sense. He could hear Stark's hammering heartbeat as he walked out on the stage to introduce him. Despite his claims of never getting nervous in front of the press, Spider-Man saw through the persona, though he was kind enough not to say anything about it. And then, he was being cued up to speak a speech he had abandoned with Stark.

"Hello, fellow human beings," he began, chuckling at his wording and pausing so that his audience could reciprocate the amusement. "I'm Spider-Man. Uh, I can do whatever a spider can, I guess. Perhaps you've heard of me. I'm a superhero, so I wouldn't be surprised if you had - the news tends to blow up about supers. Although, it's not always good news. Guess the dudes at the Bugle aren't my biggest fans, but you can't please everyone, right?" He sighed. "Some of you are probably aware that I recently got employed by SHIELD, and I have a team to look after, but that makes Nick Fury my boss. He's literally the only reason I'm up here because I'm probably one of the most awkward people on staff, which basically rules out me being comfortable in front of large crowds." There was a mild pause as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Mr. Stark actually was going to help me write this, but even his suave coolness isn't match for me. So, we kind of gave up? Which lead to me scrolling through Pinterest wondering what makes a good speech topic. Hehe. Not exactly one of my finest moments, let me tell you. But, I guess I know kind of what I want to say, even if I couldn't really write it all out beforehand.

"People are asked all the time why they do what they do. I don't know why this is a common question, but it certainly seems to be. I know I've seen plenty out YouTube videos trying to figure out why I'm doing what I'm doing, so I figure that I might as well tell you so you can stop beating around the bush. Look, when you- when you can do the things I can do and you don't and then the bad things happen, they happen because of you. That's a paraphrase of something my late uncle used to tell me, or at least what I took away from what he told me. Considering that my uncle is the man who raised me, that has a pretty big impact on the way I think. But, it doesn't just apply to superpowers and superheroes and supervillains. Heck, Uncle B didn't even know I have powers! It was just about doing the right thing. So, yeah. You should probably do that." He shifted, the awkwardness setting in once again. "My senses are still on the fritz, so I'm just gonna go," he grimaced, floundering off stage at an alarming speed.

A/N Dad tested positive. My entire fam is under quarantine😞 I'm going to be so screwed in AP Calc when I return