As I stepped out of the shower, the hot steam filled the bathroom and enveloped me in its warmth. With a towel wrapped around my waist, I reached for the mirror. I wiped away the thick condensation that had accumulated on its surface.
As I stared at my hollow reflection, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sorrow. I am staying in a billionaire's house, while last week, I was sleeping in the warmest clothes I could find because the heater in Aunt Mays's apartment was broken.
I should feel happy to be here, but I'm undeserving and out of place. The outline of my ribs sticks out from my paled skin, scars and bruises scattered around my torso. Seeing my ribs oddly fulfils me; I'm doing one thing right, a counterweight to this rewarding situation. Wanding out of the ensuite and into my temporary room, I saw some extra stuff had been added while I was at school.
The desk has improved, with many shelves abstractly placed above it. I run my fingers across the books on the shelves: mechanics, engineering, bioscience and many more scientific titles. Maybe Mr Stark wants me to study these.
As I glance around the closet, I notice that the clothes are neatly organized by colour, style, and material. The shelves are lined with shoes of all types, from sneakers to dress shoes. There are also several hats and belts hanging on hooks along the wall. The note on the folded shirts catches my eye: 'an upgrade -S', and I unfold them to reveal a new, stylish t-shirt set. I select one of them and put it on, admiring the softness of the fabric. However, as I look in the mirror, I realize that the Ironman face on the shirt is much bigger than I had anticipated. Despite this, I can't help but chuckle at the thought of Tony Stark picking out my clothes for me.
I pull my phone out to check the time, only to see a few messages from Ned and Mj in a group chat. While I was away, they became good friends; Mj seems a bit weird, but she's really pretty with her curly brown hair and shining hazel eyes. I've noticed how she sees things differently from me. She seems to find beauty in the weirdest things, which is admirable.
N: Pete, you must tell us how your first afternoon at the internship was! I can't believe you get to work with Tony Stark.
M: Yeah, dweeb, spill the details.
P: It was pretty awesome, guys! Mr Stark is helping me create my very own assistive lab robot.And guess what! He called and asked my Aunt if I could stay the weekend to work more on lab stuff! I'm going to have dinner with them all again soon!
N: What! No way, dude, that's so cool. I wish I could have dinner with a Billionaire.
I quickly laughed, reacted to Ned's response, and turned my phone off. It was only 6pm. I pulled out one of the new books about biomechanics Mr Stark put in my room. The book smelt of freshly printed paper as I opened the first page.
As I started reading, I was deeply engrossed in the subject matter. The author had a way of explaining complex concepts in a simple and easy-to-understand manner. I made a mental note to thank Mr Stark for the book the next time I saw him. After an hour or so, I realized I had been reading non-stop. I looked up and noticed that it was already dark outside.
Exiting my room, I was in a long, white, empty hallway. I aimed to find Mr. Stark, who was supposed to prepare dinner. One suddenly opened while walking past several closed doors, and I bumped into Miss Romanoff.She was holding a tray with glasses of red wine, and I could see she had been busy with work. Miss Romanoff looked at me and gave a small smile.
"Are you looking for Tony?" she asked, taking a small step back.
I nodded, and she pointed towards the end of the hallway.
"He's in the kitchen," she said. "But be careful. He's in one of his moods today. I heard a bunch of cussing and cursing about an hour ago," chuckling to herself.
I thanked her and continued walking towards the kitchen, wondering what could have put Mr. Stark in a bad mood. As I entered the kitchen, A waft of burned food burned my nostrils. Mr Stark was leaning against the counter with his head frowning into his hands.
He looks up at me and gives a troublesome smile. "I think... I'll just order you takeout for tonight", He grumbled. I never pictured Mr Stark as a lousy cook, but it's funny.
A huge grin appeared on my face as I nodded in response.
" I can only be a genius in so many things, kid; why waste time learning to cook when I can save the world?" he admitted with a smile.
"Don't worry, sir; I can cook next time." I offered.
Mr Stark puts an arm around my shoulder, leading me to the couch, bringing up his phone and ordering takeout.
Before sitting on the couch, I noticed someone with their back turned to me talking to Dr Banner.
"Oh hey, Peter." Dr Banner said as I caught his eye.
"This is Steve Rogers, or uhm, people know him as Captain America."
My eyes shot out of my head; I was not wearing an Ironman shirt in the same room as Mr America.
"H-Hi, Mr. Rogers. It's a pleasure to meet you." I stutter out.
"Hey, Kid, Peter, was it? What's a kid this young doing in Stark Tower? Does Tony have a long-lost kid or something?" He jokes.
"ah, no, sir, I'm an intern in his lab", I reply
Steve nods in approval and returns to what sounds like a mission debrief with Bruce. As I sat on the couch, trying to process what just happened, I couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated. Captain America was sitting just a few feet away from me, discussing important matters with Dr Banner.
Throughout the evening, Mr Stark sat with me, discussing ideas about my assistance bot and then watching movies on his flat screen with different Avengers coming and going - I knew I had to sneak away soon if I wanted to get out as Spiderman tonight, so I excused my self acting tired with a yawn.
" Alright, Kid, See you tomorrow. We have a lot of work to do in the lab, so I want you up early, right?" Mr Stark spoke,
" Yes, sir, I'll be up."
And with that, I slid into the dark hallway and entered my makeshift room. My backpack was against the head of my bed, leaving on the pillows. Being heavy, the windows were sealed shut; I would have to break the window or sneak out through the main lobby. Breaking a window would cause much attention, so I would need a plan to get in and out of the building without anyone noticing. I remember seeing a fire exit from the kitchen at the other end of the hall; if I disable the alarm system without anyone seeing me, I should be able to wedge the door open with a book for when I return later tonight.
I pressed my ear against the door, attempting to listen to anyone still in the lounge; I could hear the soft snores of someone on the couch. I take that as my queue to sneak out the door and along the hallway. Reaching the alarm system while next to the fire exit, I quickly disarmed it; though Mr Stark has the best alarm systems in the country, it was pretty easy for me to hack.
I slip out the door and jam a book on mechanics between the door and the door frame, stopping it from slamming shut. Once out on the emergency stairs, I change into my ragged Spiderman costume I made from clothes I found at Good Will. A widow across from me looked rusted and easy to open; I slid the glass across and climbed through, webbing my backpack to the side of the building and crawling up the rest of the wall to the roof of Stark Industries Tower.
As I reached the roof, I took a deep breath and surveyed my surroundings. The view from the top was breathtaking, with the city skyline stretching out in all directions. The Stark Industries Tower's towering height and sleek, modern design were impressive. I quickly made my way to the edge of the building, looking out towards Queens. I turn to face back at the roof of the building and take a quick step backwards off the ledge. I close my eyes and let the forceful wind flow around my body.
"1.. 2.. 3..."
On three, I shoot my web at the building behind me and glide to the left. I throw my body forward, propelling me towards the trees surrounding the property. Then, I continue into the cold, dark city, listening for any signs of danger.
Soon enough, I was plenty busy with the troublesome acts of the city; a boy around my age was getting backed into a corner by a bunch of Neanderthals smelling of whiskey burning through my senses. I jump from the street light, landing between myself and the kid.
"Hey! What's up, fellas! Shouldn't you guys pick on someone your own size? or I don't know, have a nap or whatever old guys do." I say with a sense of satire.
All four men look at me with a fire brewing inside them. "It's the spider thing.""smaller than expected" "We can take him, men."
The last one sneered and started swinging his baseball bat in hand. Another broke the old dirty whisky bottle he was sipping from on the dumpster beside them, shattering it to a sharp point. The biggest swung his bat in my direction, but with my reaction speed and his drunken delay, it was an easy miss; moving to the side, I webbed onto the bat, pulling it back in my direction, which the greasy man decided not to let go bringing him stumbling forward only to be met with my foot hurling him backwards to the ground like a slingshot.
On seeing their buddy knocked to the ground, the other two goons approached me, snarling with a demonic look on their faces; they always look so deadly but never can follow through with doing much damage.
The first goon swung. The shard bottle barely missed my cheek as I moved away, but on dodging the third, good put his fist into the back of my ribs, slamming his entire body weight through the punch. I stumbled for a second, then webbed onto his fist and pulled him into a forward spin, tangling him up in a cacoon-like state. He wasn't getting out of it anytime soon, I generated this web formula, which is very sticky.
Soon, the fight was wrapped up; it felt good not being the person on the floor after a battle, being able to use my powers to protect someone. I reached my hand out to help the kid up.
"Thanks, Spiderman!" he said, limping out of the alleyway.
I shot my web up to the top of the building and started looking for more trouble. As I swung through the city, I couldn't help but feel grateful for my abilities. It wasn't always easy being a superhero, but knowing that I was making a difference in people's lives was worth it. The feeling I get while on patrol is compared to nothing. I finally have the space to be me, to be free.
Suddenly, I heard a loud explosion coming from downtown. Without hesitation, I swung towards the source of the noise, ready to do whatever it took to protect the people of my city. As I got closer, I saw a group of armed robbers holding up a bank.
I landed in front of them, my eyes glowing with determination. "You picked the wrong city to mess with," I said, my voice low and menacing.
The robbers hesitated for a moment, then opened fire. I started dodging bullets, but not before one nicked my shoulder, planting itself deep in my skin and leaving a trail of blood. My spider sense guided me to safety before. I webbed up my would and shot out for their guns.
In minutes, I had taken down all the robbers and secured the stolen money. As I turned to leave, I saw a young girl watching me from the safety of a nearby alley. I smiled at her and gave her a wave. "Stay safe out there," I said before swinging away into the night.
Once I swung into the skyscrapers, I looked down at my wound; I must somehow pull this out of me. But not now; I'll need to do it at Stark Industries. This gave me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. I started swinging with my right arm, resting the wounded left against my body, and headed back towards Stark Industries, where hopefully Mr Stark and the Avengers were sound asleep...