Phineas Mason - Tumblr Posts
Hi! Story three had been posted within my Refuge series.
TW: Blood, injury, non-consensual drug use, insomnia, daggers, stalking, anxiety, sensory overload
Disclaimer: I do not own anything.
Story under the cut!
Months passed, and luckily things calmed down, especially after Montana hired a lawyer and media specialist to help Peter make an official statement and answer questions so that they wouldn't rag on him too much. The worst thing still remaining from the events in the past though, was the fact that Harry was fighting a battle to become an emancipated minor, and with little to no money of his own left, it was quite hard especially since he refused to take any of the money Norman had left Peter, but so far, he'd been allowed to live by himself so long as a social worker came by every day to ensure that he was fine.
One of the best things though, was that all of those close to him now knew his identity. Though, some were quite aggravated that they'd been hurting a minor for all that time. It had resulted in a couple of arguments, but soon things were settled.
He had had to take about a week off from school, and a press release had been issued about the kidnapping, so everyone unfortunately knew about that, but at least he didn't have to hide why he was injured that time. Peter had healed well from his wounds though, and he'd been back out patrolling for the past few weeks. He'd wanted to start patrolling again earlier, but May decided against it, as Peter was still healing. One good thing to come of it though was the fact that he'd gotten more work done in the labs and earned more money from the Tinkerer. The best part was though, that with some of the inheritance money, they'd been able to rebuild their home in Forest Hills, so they were no longer living with Montana.
The uncles were all even more protective than before. Peter'd seen more than one of them during his patrols just to keep an eye on him ever since he'd gone back to being Spider-Man. Not to mention Quentin was hanging around the school more as well. He blended in quite well, and made a splendid drama teacher after the old one passed away recently. He'd had to leave his old job, but he'd discussed it with Montana and the others and everyone liked the idea that Quentin would always be at the school if Peter ever needed anything immediately. It also helped that Quentin also wanted to be there for Harry.
Not to mention, things in the criminal underworld had deescalated and become less harmful when Hammerhead took over after Tombstone's arrest. There were way fewer dead people. Hammerhead found it more useful to keep people alive and use them as informants as opposed to killing everyone who had any information he wanted. Crime had also gone down since Peter had revealed his identity to the rest of his group of Uncles because some of them had been really confused when they'd taken him to Ock instead of an actual medical doctor.
Peter was enjoying this night though. It was beautiful and it was the best for just taking a relaxing swing through the city.
He couldn't help but sigh and take off his mask when he reached one of the highest points with no cameras near in the city. It was so much better to see the view with unmasked eyes. Though, he had to wonder why his spider sense was still on the fritz. It always seemed to be at a low hum ever since he'd been rescued.
~~~~~~
Kraven growled as he used his long range goggles to watch the spider perch at one of the highest points in the city. He smirked as he saw the spider unmask. He'd been watching the spider-child for a while, but it was great to get confirmation that his target was indeed Peter Parker. It would be time for the final hunt soon. The spider would fall by his hand.
~~~~~~
Peter yawned as he did his best not to fall asleep in the middle of English. He'd gotten plenty of sleep the night before, but the book they'd been assigned to read in the class was just so boring, and he couldn't help but doze off out of pure boredom.
Luckily, the bell soon rang and he was able to go to his next class. Harry met him in the hallway, as they had the next class together. Peter immediately noticed that Harry looked more downcast than usual.
Peter furrowed his brow and questioned "What's wrong Harry?"
Harry sighed and responded "I can't live by myself anymore and I don't qualify for emancipation. My social worker wants to place me in a foster home with the next couple of weeks."
Peter grimaced and looked down.
He looked up and responded "Do you think they'd let Aunt May take you in. I know that she wouldn't hesitate to take you in."
Harry shook his head and said "It has to be someone already registered to be a foster parent, and I know that's not your aunt."
Peter sighed and said "I'm sorry, Harry."
Harry just nodded as they proceeded to their next class.
~~~~~~
The school day went fairly quickly, and Harry was allowed by his social worker to go to Peter's home and work on a project they had been assigned.
May overheard their conversation about Harry's current living situation as they were coming in.
She spoke "Hello Harry. I couldn't help but overhear that you're having some issues with emancipation. Let me get you the number of a friend of mine that helped me when I last had some legal issues to take care of."
Peter and Harry just stood there as May pulled out a business card for Nelson and Murdock's firm. Peter wasn't really surprised that those were the people she had been talking about.
Harry took the business card from her and saved the number of the firm into his phone.
He responded "Thanks, Ms. Parker. I'll give them a call tomorrow. Do you think they'll actually be able to help?"
May snickered as she said "Trust me, they're some of the best lawyers I've ever known. They'll take your case."
Harry nodded and he and Peter went up the stairs to Peter's room. May called up to them that dinner would be ready in about an hour.
~~~~~~
Peter and Harry worked on the project for a little while until Peter cringed hard.
Harry was surprised when Peter just dropped his notebook and gripped the back of his neck while looking towards the window.
Harry spoke as he looked around the room "What's wrong, Peter? What's the danger?"
Peter cringed and said "I'm not sure, but I know it was a brief spike in my spider sense. I looked out the window, but nothing dangerous is there, and I don't hear anything abnormal. It's been going off all the time ever since I was rescued from Tombstone's base, and sometimes it just spikes randomly. It's become quite annoying and even painful sometimes. Almost like a miniature sensory overload."
Harry frowned and said "Maybe you should tell Ock about it. I know that he's been helping you with some of the more spidery aspects of your biology."
Peter nodded and said "Yeah. I'll do that. Right now though, we've got to work on this project. it's due next week, and I cannot afford a fail."
~~~~~~
Kraven left quickly. He had deployed an experimental drone to spy on the spider-child. He was quite fascinated by how well the child's danger sense worked. As soon as he had the drone close to the window, the child had cringed and looked towards the window, but not in enough time to see or hear the spy drone. Kraven was so glad that he had invested in getting the tech from A.I.M.. Both that and his enhanced cat senses were coming in handy. It would help him monitor the spider's actions without ever having to be close.
~~~~~~
Gwen and MJ noticed the next day that Peter was rubbing his neck more often and seemed to be unfocused.
MJ spoke "Did you forget to buy anxiety meds or something, Peter?"
Peter shook his head and said "No. I don't take anxiety medication. That is something to think about though, considering how I've been feeling for a while."
Gwen pulled him to the side after MJ left and questioned "What's really up, Peter?"
Peter rubbed his neck again and answered "My danger sense just won't stop going off no matter what I do. It's constantly buzzing and now it's causing sensory overloads more than it ever used to do."
Gwen still seemed concerned, but the bell rang and they were both about to be late for their next class.
Peter said "I'll see you later Gwen."
Gwen watched him go with worry.
~~~~~~
Peter and Harry walked together to a convenience store after school. They'd be going back to his aunt's house to just relax since it was a Friday night and they planned on hanging out for a while since Harry's social worker had already approved.
Honestly, Peter was just glad that he wasn't being tailed by one of his uncles. Quentin had offered to drive them, but Peter had declined. He needed a little bit of space, and luckily Harry understood. Peter never liked having a lot of attention on himself.
The walk to the house would be a lengthy one, but it would be worth it. Peter needed the time to just walk and hopefully clear his head. He needed the time to just walk around without thinking about any of his problems or Spider-Man things. Maybe that would help his spider sense calm.
He and Harry walked quietly together. Granted there were still a lot of people around, but it was nice to try and tune them out. It was harder to do with enhanced senses, but not impossible.
All was pretty calm until Peter felt a sting on his neck and reached up to feel what had hit him. He didn't feel anything though.
Harry had stopped and started questioning "What's wrong, Peter?"
Peter didn't feel anything abnormal so he just said "I think that I got stung by something. Do you see a bump on the side of my neck or anything?"
Harry took a look and hummed as he said "It looks like a bug sting? It's red, but not swelling very much. You okay?"
Peter rubbed his neck again as his spider sense amplified again.
He groaned and said "I'll put some antibiotic cream on it when we get to my house. It should be fine."
Harry nodded and they continued walking, unaware that they were being watched by a grinning Kraven, who was very satisfied with the micro-sized darts that his supplier had developed. A.I.M. would be pleased to know that the items he had commissioned were working quite well. The little spider had no idea what had just hit him.
~~~~~~
Peter tossed and turned. He was so restless, and anytime he came anywhere close to sleeping, his spider sense would screech or he'd have some sort of nightmare if he managed to fall asleep. Whenever he'd wake up, he'd be breathing hard and he could hear an eerie echoing of drums.
No matter how much he tried to get comfortable, they nightmares and drums wouldn't stop haunting him.
~~~~~~
Harry frowned as he glanced at Peter. The teacher was in the middle of a discussion about natural selection, and Peter looked like he was about to drop off. Harry was used to Peter looking like he was tired, but right now, he just looked like he was sick as well.
After class ended, he approached Peter.
"Hey, Pete? Are you sure that you don't need to go home?" Harry questioned.
Peter rubbed the back of his neck and replied "No. I'll be fine. I just didn't sleep well last night, and I've been having nightmares."
Harry grimaced and replied "Anything you think I can do to help?"
Peter sighed and shook his head "No. They'll ease off eventually. I just happened to have a really bad night, and I think that I'm going to have a sensory overload soon. My neck is aching massively."
Harry grimaced. He knew that whenever Peter's spider sense became overwhelming, Peter would pretty much shut down.
Harry nodded and said "Yep, I'm calling your aunt to check you out for the rest of the day. You don't look very good, especially compared to how you usually look when this happens."
Peter sputtered and said "But I was going to study with MJ and Gwen at lunch."
Harry hugged and said "I'll just tell them you got sick. It's not a lie."
Peter sighed and nodded. To be honest, he wasn't feeling great, so it probably would be better if he went home.
Peter heard Harry make the call, and soon he was called to the office and checked out by May.
May drove him home. They didn't talk. Harry had warned her that Peter had seemed to be about to go into a sensory overload.
Once they got back home, Peter went straight up to his room and collapsed on the bed. Hopefully, he'd actually get some rest this time.
~~~~~~
It was not a restful period. The nightmares continued, and the drums pounded louder each time. Peter had no clue what he could do to get them to stop.
~~~~~~
Another week passed, and Peter's friends were worried. He continued to look worse and worse as the week went by, but he'd refused to stay home.
Harry had even texted Quentin about the situation. Quentin had come down at the lunch period to check on Peter and grimaced.
Quentin spoke "Kid, do you need to go to Ock? Maybe he'd be able to help or figure out what's causing all of this?"
Peter sighed and said "Probably. I'll go after school though. I've got a few errands to run."
Quentin grimaced and replied "I can drive you. You don't seem to be in any condition to be off by yourself."
Peter nodded. He was glad that he had protective uncles.
~~~~~~
Kraven watched as the boy left Beck's vehicle. He smirked as he took note of how sluggish the boy's movements were. He'd been watching the boy via a camouflaged drone throughout the day, and he was looking weaker and weaker. The boy looked exhausted. It would be time to strike soon. He needed to weaken the prey before trapping it and taking it to a location where a true hunt could take place.
~~~~~~
Peter got even less sleep the next night. He and Harry were going to go to the library after school to study, but Peter wasn't sure that he'd actually be able to focus.
He couldn't help but yawn and hope that he'd get more rest later. He hadn't yet remembered to go see Ock and see if there was a solution to whatever was happening. He'd been forgetting to go to either of the labs ever since the nightmares came back with a vengeance, and he knew that his uncles were getting worried.
~~~~~~
Peter was slightly surprised when Montana came to pick he and Harry up after school. He and Harry got into the vehicle. Harry sat in the back and listened as Montana and Peter talked.
Peter smiled warmly and said "Hey, Montana."
Montana frowned and said "Kid, it's been a while since you've come around my place. Have you been looking at the group chat? We've invited you quite a few times, but you've only responded a couple of times.
Peter rubbed the back of his neck as he said "I haven't been feeling great lately, and my spider sense has been off the charts for some reason. I can't sleep without having nightmares or even fall asleep easily. I forgot to stop by Ock's lab the other day and keep forgetting to go to the Tinkerer's lab as well on the normal days which I work."
Montana grimaced and replied "You haven't been out as Spider-Man in a while either. I should have asked you about this sooner. Harry, do you mind if we skip your study time and I take Pete to Ock's?"
Harry let out a sigh of relief "I don't mind at all. Gwen, MJ, and I have been worried about him for a while. Quentin's been keeping an eye on Peter as well and recommended that he go see Dr. Octavius, but I think you're the only one that could actually get him there at the moment."
Montana smiled and nodded as Peter leaned his head back a little. He let out a sigh. He didn't even remember talking to Quentin about going to Ock's.
~~~~~~
Kraven was ready. It was time to get the spider. As soon as that car stopped, he would move.
~~~~~~
The ride to Ock's didn't take very long. Peter's head was pounding with a headache. He hadn't even attempted to fall asleep and he was hearing the drums and his spider sense was going crazy. He stepped out of the vehicle and was dizzy as he stood. He gritted his teeth and held his head as a wave of pain hit him.
Montana and Harry stood with him, but there really wasn't anything that they could do to help him. Peter felt a pinch in his neck and yelped. He began to feel drowsy and sick. The last thing he heard was Montana's startled yell as he collapsed.
~~~~~~
Kraven acted. The dart to the boy's neck worked quickly, especially since the slow release microchip filled with drugs from last time was still affecting him.
Kraven quickly dropped down and grinned as he took in the other boy's terrified gaze and Montana's furious one.
Kraven growled as he bared his teeth and said "Move aside, Shocker. The spider is mine."
Montana was holding onto Peter as he said "No. Not a chance. You aren't going to hurt him, Kraven."
Kraven just laughed as he replied "You are weaponless Shocker. You have no say in this matter."
Kraven lunged and pushed Montana back. Montana unfortunately had to let go of the unconscious Peter, whose body rolled to lie beside Montana's vehicle.
Neither Kraven nor Montana had noticed that Harry had run into Ock's base to try and get help.
Kraven easily knocked Montana out and grabbed Peter. His parkour was quite impressive as he escaped with his prey.
~~~~~~
Ock grumbled as he collected the unconscious Montana. He had seen a scuffle break out on his cameras, but he had not arrived on the street in time ot pursue Kraven and get Peter back. He would have to track down Kraven's base if they ever wanted to see the spider child alive again.
Montana most certainly would not be happy upon regaining consciousness.
~~~~~~
Peter groaned as he woke. His head was hurting, and his spider sense was going off. He could also faintly hear the pounding of drums. He tensed as he heard a menacing laugh.
He groaned and sat up. When he dared to look up, he was met with the sight of Kraven.
Kraven laughed as he said "I knew it would work, little spider. Your danger sense has been off even more since I used a microdart on you. It included a microchip inundated with drugs that would release in periodic intervals. I knew that you'd be so distracted that I'd be able to catch you and bring you here to my estate. Not to mention the near constant presence of my camouflaged drone has had you on edge as you could sense, but not see it once it was completed. All you can sense is danger, and I can tell that it's been driving you insane. I have brought you here tonight to face me in a battle to the death. I know you can hear the drums! You will fall by my hand tonight, spider. You will have a few minutes to run as a head start as I like to chase my prey, but it won't do you much good. Prepare to die."
Peter cringed and groaned. He was breathing hard as he stood and stared at Kraven. He wasn't scared of this psycho! Man, he hated the aftermath of being drugged, He still felt so weak!
He curled his fists as Kraven threw a fake spider suit at him.
"Suit up, spider! The final battle will begin soon once you have regained your full mental capacities!" Kraven said as he left the room.
~~~~~
Montana was furious when he regained consciousness. What use was he if he couldn't even help his nephew escape a threat?! He immediately got his suit and put his gauntlets on. He'd be prepared to fight as soon as they could figure out where Kraven had taken the kid to. He had noticed that Quentin and Tink had arrived though. Ock, Quentin, and Tink were working on trying to track Kraven down and checking cameras. Harry was sticking around and Montana took note that the laptop screen showed some of Kraven's financial records.
Unfortunately, the other two Enforcers as well as Toomes, O'Hirn, and Flint were all out of town. They wouldn't be able to help with this situation. Montana curled his fists. He recalibrated his gauntlets as he waited for anyone else to say something. Every once in a while he would glance at his phone when a message came through in the group chat. Everyone was worried about the kid.
The dang kid just couldn't stay out of trouble.
~~~~~~
Peter had reluctantly taken the head start. He had enough time to look around, but all he could see were trees and grass. No sign of any roads or anything to help him get a sense of direction. He figured that Kraven must own a rather large property. Too soon though, Kraven made his first move and tackled Peter.
Peter got out of his grip and punched Kraven. He then kicked him back by a few feet. Kraven ran at him again.
Kraven growled after Peter flipped over him.
He spoke "I see that you failed to put on your costume, little spider. No matter, I still know that you're the spider. You will not escape me!"
Peter couldn't help but grimace. This guy truly was nuts.
~~~~~~
Tinkerer spoke "Kraven has a property located in upstate New York. If I were a betting man, I'd sat that he likely took Peter there. I've sent my research on Kraven to you, Octavius. Do either of you know anything else useful about the man?"
Ock simply said "No." as Montana elaborated.
Montana said "No. Kraven was very secretive. None of us knew much about him. Thanks for sending me the location. Our posse will be ready to roll out soon. Thanks for the enhanced cuffs as well. At this rate, I'm going to have to carry them everywhere I go with how much this kid gets into trouble. Are you going to fly us?"
Tinkerer snickered and said "Yes, and good luck. The property will have enhanced security systems around it, but I'm sure that won't be a problem since Quentin is coming with us as well. Not to mention, most of it can be bypassed since we'll be taking the copter."
Montana nodded. It was time to go get his kid......again.
~~~~~~
Peter struggled in Kraven's grip as the man pinned him to the ground. Peter was breathing hard. He grimaced as Kraven moved one hand to get a dagger off of his belt, and Peter used Kraven's minor distraction to punch him in the solar plexus. It had been a quite awkward and uncomfortable maneuver to perform, but Peter had managed, thankful for his flexibility. Kraven grunted and fell back as Peter jumped back up into a fighting stance.
He gnashed his teeth as Kraven got another dagger and now wielded one in each hand. Peter kept his eyes on Kraven as Kraven circled him. Kraven once again made the first move. He lunged at Peter with one of the knives. It grazed Peter's left bicep, but Peter now had an advantage. He was behind Kraven, and had the ability to kick him in the back. Kraven flew forward and rolled after Peter's hard kick.
Peter quickly grabbed a dagger that had fallen to the ground. He definitely wasn't experienced in fighting with weapons like that, but he had to think of something, especially since he'd refused to put on that fake costume and web shooters that the guy had provided him with. Luckily though, he had some training with knife throwing thanks to his extended family on Montana's side. Hopefully, using the same techniques with a dagger would be similar.
Kraven came rushing at him again and went for a headlock, but Peter dodged just in time and managed to get a cut in. Kraven had howled in pain as the dagger sliced some of the skin on his side. His claws seemed to sharpen as he observed his wound.
Peter's eyes widened as Kraven spoke "You have drawn blood, spider. I'm rather impressed. Let's finish this though."
Peter could practically hear the memory of Billy instructing him on the best spots to aim for in a fight if someone were trying to hurt or kill him. He knew what places would be best to go for when going for either the kill or even a non-lethal blow. He never thought that he'd have to apply the knowledge to real life, but it may very well save his life if he acted soon.
Peter bit his lip and threw the dagger, hoping that the calculations he'd quickly made in his head would account for the difference in the blade size of this dagger and the knives that he's learned with on the Brice family's land.
Peter ducked and rolled out of the way as Kraven released an angry roar and rolled. Kraven made injured wildcat sounds as Peter's heart raced. Peter couldn't help but be relieved. The knife had hit the exact spot that he'd aimed for. It had hit the patella of Kraven's dominant knee and downed the man. Peter had thrown the dagger with enough force to break the bone. Peter couldn't help but cringe at the amount of blood flowing from the wound though.
He quickly took in his surroundings and grabbed another dagger from the ground that Kraven had lost his grip on when he'd rolled after being impaled in the knee. Peter didn't hesitate to run. He just hoped that he was running in a direction that would get him as far away from Kraven as he could.
~~~~~~
Montana and Quentin both were well equipped as they arrived at Kraven's place. Tinkerer had given them infrared goggles, so that it'd be easier to track the whereabouts of Peter and Kraven since Kraven's property was rather large. They'd arrived by helicopter. Tinkerer had flown, and he'd continue to scan the area from above and report anything of use to Montana and Quentin through their comms.
Ock would make use of his time by raiding the mansion and seeing if he could find anything of use. He was also in charge of calling the authorities in to come get Kraven once they were able to incapacitate him and find Peter. Montana and Quentin made sure that they were connected on comms and went separate ways in order to cover more ground.
~~~~~~
Peter was breathing hard as he ran away. He didn't even really know what direction he was going, other than away from the main threat.
He let out an 'oof' when he hit someone though. He felt arms come around him and immediately started to struggle until he finally heard his Uncle Montana's voice. Peter only relaxed slightly as Montana released him.
Peter turned towards him with a smile and did his best to regulate his breathing. Eventually he was able to speak again.
"H-Hi." Peter simply said as Montana shook his head and pulled the goggles off.
Montana calmly took Peter in his arms again and hugged him. The kid had really needed it. Peter just let his head slump against his Uncle's shoulder for a minute.
Montana spoke "How injured are you?"
Peter sighed and said "Not bad. Just a few cuts, and lots of bruises. I got a good hit in on his knee with a dagger, but I wasn't sure about his stamina even with an injury, so I just started running."
Montana hummed and said "We're not far from the tree line. I've already sent a discreet message that I've found you, but we've still got to track Kraven down. The authorities should be here any minute if Ock did his part right, so we'll be skedaddling pretty quickly."
Peter nodded as Montana started to lead them out of the woods.
It wasn't a long trek, but soon after leaving the woods, they heard growling sounds. Peter knew that Kraven was close. His spider sense spiked and he pushed Montana away just as Kraven launched himself out of the woods and pounced on Peter. Kraven's claws dug into Peter's shoulders. Peter couldn't help but let out a cry of pain. He blocked out whatever nonsense Kraven was trying to spout and acted upon instinct.
He curled his legs up towards his torso as best as he could and he kicked. Kraven flew backwards and hit a tree. Before he could even think of getting back up, Ock was on the scene and restrained him as he cursed and continued going on about how they were ruining his destiny.
Peter had stood shakily and Montana was quickly by his side again. Peter leaned on him heavily as the wounds on his shoulders continued to bleed.
They were all startled as they soon heard multiple alarms blare. Montana listened to Tinkerer through comms about what was going on and repeated "It's the proximity alert. Police personnel along with a Ravencroft transport vehicle are arriving. They've been looking for him for a while now.
Soon, Quentin had joined them back at the scene, and all of them watched as the police finally arrived. They had aimed their guns at the villains, but hesitated when they saw Peter and the state that he was in. Then they realized that the one called Kraven was restrained by Ock. They were still wary, but they knew who the real threat was.
Ravencroft personnel took charge of the scene and had Ock assist them as they restrained Kraven for transport. They made use of the cuffs that Tink had created. They also took care of bandaging Kraven's injured knee.
Kraven hissed and growled as he yelled "No! NO! I will not let you restrain me any longer! It is my destiny to destroy him!"
He could be heard growling and snarling up until the back doors of the Ravencroft transport vehicle were closed.
The cops were just standing around, and were surprised when Ock spoke to them. He approached the one in charge of the scene.
"Hello, officer. This drive contains all of the incriminating files you need along with other sensitive information on Kravinoff. I trust that no move will be made against me or my associates at this time, as this was a rescue?" Ock spoke calmly.
The officer replied "No. We're not even equipped for that. We were just called out here on emergency. No hostilities."
Ock just nodded and the officer called his superiors. They woudl need a detective on the scene and would have to close off the property to conduct a full investigation of events. Ock was not worried though, he had already hidden the information that Kraven had been after Peter because of the Spider-Man persona. It was quite easy to fabricate evidence that Kraven had gone after Peter because of his closeness to many of the members which used to belong to the Sinister Six.
The chaos had quieted some, but it was still a rather eventful time.
Peter was still trying to regulate his breathing. He had defeated Kraven on his own. He had defeated the crazy guy on his own as Peter Parker. It had been rather different using his spider abilities while outside of the costume, but it had saved his life.
He leaned heavily against Montana as a wave of exhaustion hit him. The adrenaline rush must have worn off. Not to mention, for the first time in a while, his spider sense was silent.
The last thing he heard before passing out was Montana's startled shout as he started to fall.
~~~~~~
Peter couldn't help but groan as he reawakened. He was achy all over, but honestly felt better than he had in weeks. He soon opened his eyes to see that Montana and Quentin had already noticed that he was waking up.
Peter yawned and groggily questioned "What happened?"
Montana answered "You fought Kraven and had a major adrenaline crash, kid. Not to mention once we got you back to Ock's lab he scanned you and found that you had a microchip in your neck that was periodically injecting you with drugs. Ock and Mason were able to remove it though."
Peter smiled and said "Thanks for coming for me guys, but I'm still really tired. My spider sense is actually silent at the moment, and I'm really tired, so I think that I'm going to pass out again."
Montana and Quentin both laughed.
Quentin said "We'll still be here when you wake back up, Pete. Get some rest."
Peter nodded and yawned again. He was soon asleep.
~~~~~~
Harry hated that he'd had to rush off for an emergency meeting with his lawyer. He'd wanted to be there when Peter was brought back, but unfortunately he couldn't be. Not to mention, he'd be busy for the next few days and wouldn't be able to visit him, but he was at least getting updates via text from Montana and Quentin. He was just glad that Peter was relatively alright and finally able to get some rest.
~~~~~~
Peter was soon well rested and ready to roll again. Once he'd woken up the second time, after about ten hours of sleep, he felt monumentally better. The only thing he hated was that Aunt May had been terribly worried. She hadn't even known anything about the situation until he'd been brought back, and she was terribly angry about it, but glad that Peter was safe again.
Not to mention, the news hadn't caught wind of anything. That was sort of a blessing.
It was finally the night before he had to return to school since he was finally mostly healed, and Montana was hosting a movie night at his place. Everyone would be in attendance.
Montana smiled at Peter as they worked on popping popcorn in the kitchen. He was glad that Peter was feeling much better now.
Montana remembered a previous thought and said "Well kid, I have a job for you if you want it. I need your help designing some armor that I can keep on me at all times so that I'm always ready to help if help is needed. When you got taken by Kraven I didn't have any of my armor on me, and I couldn't beat him in a fight. I at least want some gauntlets that I can masquerade as watches."
Peter smiled and replied "That's a great idea. I'll write some plans up and take them to Mr. Mason. I'm sure that he'll help."
~~~~~~
Soon, most of the group was in attendance. Peter answered the next knock to the door, and Harry was there.
Harry hugged Peter, happy that he was relatively fine now. His wounds from the fight with Kraven had healed well, and there was minimal scarring.
Peter was going to be coming back to school the next day. Harry had been updating Gwen and MJ via text, but only saying that Peter had gotten sick. Even though Gwen knew the secret, Peter didn't want her to worry too much, especially since she tended to hover. Plus, this way he'd hopefully avoid receiving the look.
Harry briefly looked at his phone and sighed after reading a recent notification. Peter could tell that something was wrong.
He questioned "What's up, Harry?"
Harry rubbed the back of his neck as he said "Mr. Murdock has arranged a meeting with me and my social worker among some others for tomorrow, and I'm nervous. I really just want to stay by myself or at least decide who I can stay with. I really hate all of this legal stuff."
Peter smiled lightly and did his best to reassure Harry. He really hoped that things would turn out well.
He and Harry soon took their respective seats on the couch.
~~~~~~
Peter hoped that Quentin was alright, as he had left midday without texting he or Harry.
Harry had been worried as well, but had seemed to calm as he received a text reassuring him that Quentin was fine.
The remainder of the day was filled with anticipation for Harry, as he had a meeting after school. Nothing Peter, Gwen, or MJ said could ease Harry's worries.
As the day ended, they wished him luck, and Harry parted ways with them as he got into his social worker's car. Murdock would be meeting them there.
~~~~~~
Harry was utterly confused as he entered the meeting with the lawyer May had recommended and his social worker. Matthew Murdock was a strange man, but he was quite great at his job, so Harry wasn't too worried. The only thing worrying about the meeting was the fact that he had no idea if CPS was going to move him in with people he had no desire to live with or get to know.
When they entered the meeting, his eyes widened. Quentin was sitting with the CPS people and his social worker. Harry then furrowed his brow. He was so confused. He thought that meetings like this were supposed to be confidential. Was Quentin pretending to be a CPS person to ensure his safety?
One of the women from CPS spoke "Hello, Mr. Murdock. Thank you for your presence. It will really help with finalizing the documents if all goes as planned."
Matt smiled and nodded as everyone took their seats. The meeting officially began.
Harry's social worker introduced herself "My name is Madelyn Smith, and today's meeting was called to discuss the placing of Harrison Osborn into a safe foster home."
Harry shrank into his seat as she continued speaking.
"I must say though, that an application for adoption has already been submitted by an interested party, Mr. Quentin Back."
Harry's eyes widened as he sat forward and glanced at Quentin who was smiling at him sheepishly.
Miss Smith continued "It is quite odd how these proceeding have occurred, but somehow things were fast tracked, and Mr. Beck has been approved if the minor, Harrison Osborn, wishes to accept the offer of adoption."
Harry furrowed his brow as he stuttered "Yeah, yeah, yes, I accept. I trust Quentin."
Matt spoke "I have the needed paperwork with me to proceed as I was contacted before this meeting proceeded."
Harry was still surprised and stunned as the paperwork was doled out and signed. The meeting was not taking long.
Matt spoke again "Thank you for agreeing to host this meeting, and this paperwork will be submitted to the state. An official hearing will be held at a later moment, but now that the paperwork has been signed, Harrison Osborn is now in the custody of Mr. Quentin Beck and at the time of the hearing may so choose to change his last name."
The meeting was soon over.
Matt walked out alongside Harry and Quentin soon joined them.
Matt questioned "Well, Mr. Osborn, are you planning on changing your last name?"
Harry glanced nervously at Quentin and rubbed his neck as he said "If Quentin'd be fine with that, I'd love to change my last name. I don't want to be an Osborn and have that name define me for the rest of my life."
Quentin patted Harry on the shoulder and said "I wouldn't mind it a bit, kid. I hope that you don't mind that I pulled a few strings to take you in?"
Harry smiled and said "I don't mind it at all. You're like an uncle to me."
Quentin laughed and said "Great! It's settled then! Harrison Osborn is no more, but Harrison Beck he shall always be, if he so chooses!"
Harry smiled widely and said "And a great Beck I hope to be!"
~~~~~~
Detective George Stacy observed the scene once all other agents were out. He had already viewed some of the digital files, but had easily noticed that someone had encrypted them and edited them. He had decided to go back to the Kravinoff mansion and observe the source files. Those would be much easier to decrypt than the copies.
He sent all other agents away as he worked.
It took him quite a while to decrypt everything, but he didn't become one of the best detectives for nothing. He had skills that many of his fellow detectives could not boast about. If only they knew of his past before he'd become a detective. He had quite liked being a secret agent, but that was all in the past.
He watched through all of the footage concerning the incident and read through all of the documents that had been hidden. He knew that the paper trail had likely already been destroyed, but he'd been lucky that the digital files remained deeply hidden until he'd unearthed them.
Once he observed the actual evidence, he sighed. He wasn't too surprised that Kraven had targeted Peter because of his spider qualities. He'd known that Peter was Spider-Man for quite a while now. That boy would never know how many times he'd covered his butt and protected his identity from being revealed.
He sighed once again and made the decision to completely erase all of the files pertaining to Spider-Man and Peter. He'd protected Peter's identity almost since the kid had first become Spider-Man, and he sure wasn't going to jeopardize that now. He'd protect that kid and his identity whenever able and needed.
Once all of the data was fully erased, George shut everything down and exited. The others present shot him questioning looks, but he wasn't going to answer to them. He'd just keep his impassive face on and let them think that he had found no additional information.
All in all though, George was extremely glad that Peter had made it out of that situation alive, and that the Spider's identity would remain a secret.
A/N: Thank you for reading.
I am not a social worker or have anything to do with law processes, I just wanted a certain event to happen, so I took creative liberty and threw how real law and CPS works out of the window.
Hehehe.....Can you tell that I like it when Peter Parker's the one attacked as opposed to when he's using his Spider-Man persona? Can you also tell that I'm obsessed with kidnapped Peter Parker stories?