[A/N]: The First GOAL of the week is to achieve 300 Power Stones and unlock TWO bonus chapters. Comment, share, and you know the drill 😎✨
Jay watched through the Baxter Building windows as Spider-Man swung across the Manhattan skyline, chasing a man with mechanical wings.
The Vulture. Or at least, a discount version. Some nobody trying to make a name for himself by stealing Chitauri tech from Damage Control trucks.
But what caught Jay's attention wasn't the thief.
It was the spider.
The homemade suit. The determined swing. The way the kid positioned himself to intercept rather than attack.
That heart. That instinct to save rather than punish.
Jay knew exactly who was under that mask.
"Excuse me for a second," Jay said, standing abruptly.
Steve looked up from the tactical maps they'd been reviewing. "Jay, what..."
A light dagger materialized in Jay's hand. White energy compressed into a blade. He didn't throw it. Just let it float there for a moment, orienting on its target.
Then he teleported it.
Three miles away, the dagger appeared directly above the Vulture. Sliced through the Chitauri tech powering his wings. Blue circuit patterns flickered and died.
The thief started falling.
"What are you doing?" Steve demanded.
"Wait for me." Jay's body was already glowing blue. "I'll be right back."
He vanished.
Jay materialized on a rooftop just as Spider-Man fired webbing. The kid caught the Vulture mid-fall, created a net that jerked the man to a stop ten feet above the pavement.
Gentle, controlled and perfect.
Jay smiled. Only one spider had that kind of heart.
Peter Parker.
The kid landed on the rooftop, sticking to the building's edge. His whole body tensed. That spider-sense must have been screaming. He spun around, searching for the threat.
"Yo, Peter." Jay kept his tone easy. "Dig the new suit. But it could be better, don't you think?"
Peter's entire body went rigid. "How do you... who..."
Jay pulled down his collar slowly. Let Peter see his face fully.
Recognition hit Peter like a truck. His mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
"Wait. Wait wait wait." Peter's voice cracked. "You're... you're Jay. The Jay. Power Broker Jay. The guy who... who brought everyone back and... and..." His words tumbled over each other. "How do you know my name? How do you... I mean everyone knows YOU but you know ME and that's... that's not..."
"Breathe, kid."
Peter sucked in air. "Right. Breathing. I can do that. I've been breathing my whole life, actually, so I'm pretty good at..." He stopped himself. "Oh God, I'm rambling. I'm rambling to the Power Broker. Uncle Ben's gonna kill me. If I don't die of embarrassment first."
Jay laughed.
"You... you're really here. On this roof. Talking to me." Peter looked around like he expected cameras. "Shouldn't you be... I don't know, meeting with presidents? Or fighting aliens? Or... literally anything except talking to some kid?"
"Some kid?" Jay raised an eyebrow. "I saw what you did during the invasion. Moving in nothing but a handmade suit and beanie."
Peter's hand went to his chest. "You... you saw that?"
"Saw it? Kid, I watched you save civilians while buried under debris. Saw you refuse to give up even when you should have." Jay took a step closer. "You weren't just fighting Chitauri. You were protecting people. Every move you made was about getting someone to safety."
Peter's breathing got faster. His hands started trembling.
"And when I gave you that suit?" Jay's voice softened. "You were a natural. Moved like you'd been wearing it your whole life. Those webs? Poetry in motion. Kid, you saved 245 people. That's direct rescues. Not counting indirect saves and fighting off the aliens."
"Two hundred and..." Peter's voice came out strangled. "That many?"
"That many." Jay nodded. "And you are only fifteen. Untrained. Running on instinct and heart."
Peter's legs gave out slightly. He caught himself, but barely. "I just... I saw people who needed help. I couldn't just..."
"I know." Jay's expression gentled. "That's what makes you special."
A long silence stretched between them. Peter seemed to be processing. His brain working overtime behind those eyes.
"After I took away the power-ups, I thought it'd be months before I saw you in action again." Jay gestured at Peter's suit. "But here you are. Proper suit. Web shooters that actually work. All in just a week."
"My friends helped." The words came out automatically. Then Peter seemed to realize what he'd said. "Wait, you took away... you GAVE me those power-ups? That suit with the AI and the... the everything?"
"Yeah."
Peter stood frozen.
Jay knew his name. Knew who he was. Had seen everything during the invasion. Had given him that futuristic suit. Had probably been watching him for who knows how long. And now, on the very day Peter decided to test his new suit, Jay was here.
Just... here.
Like this was normal.
The Power Broker. The living god. The man who should be busy with presidents and Avengers and X-Men.
Standing on a rooftop in Queens. Talking to a fifteen-year-old in a homemade costume.
The disconnect was too much. Peter felt like his brain was short-circuiting.
Jay seemed to notice. His expression shifted.
He walked to the edge of the roof and sat down. Legs dangling over the side. The setting sun painted everything in shades of orange and gold, and below them, Manhattan was starting to show signs of the invasion's aftermath. Scaffolding on damaged buildings. Construction crews working late.
The city was healing, but the scars were still fresh.
Jay patted the space next to him. "Come on, kid. Sit. Let's just... talk."
Peter's spider-sense wasn't screaming anymore.
He moved slowly. Sat down next to Jay, leaving a careful gap between them. His hands wouldn't stop shaking, so he gripped his knees. Hard.
Sitting this close, Peter could see details he'd missed before. The way Jay's eyes weren't quite human when the light hit them right. But also... the tiredness. The weight in his shoulders.
Peter pulled off his mask. His hair stuck up in weird directions, sweaty and messy.
No point in wearing it. The guy clearly already knew everything.
"Mr. Jay, I thought you'd be busy with other heroes and the government, having important meetings. What are you doing here?"
Jay's laugh was genuine and warm. Nothing like what Peter expected from someone so powerful. "Kid, keep this between us. I'm not really a social person. Meetings? Government bureaucracy? That stuff makes me want to tear my hair out. If I could, I'd spend the rest of my life traveling, eating, and reading. That's it. Simple stuff."
Peter blinked. Then blinked again. "You... you're telling me the guy who brought back twelve hundred people and defeated a god wants to... read books?"
"Is that so weird?"
"It's the weirdest thing I've heard all week. And I fought aliens last week, so that's saying something."
Jay's grin widened. But then something shifted. His expression became more serious. "So, kid. How's the family? This whole hero thing still a secret?"
Peter's stomach dropped. His hands clenched on his thighs. Hard enough that his knuckles went white.
"They're fine..." His voice cracked. He tried to steady it. Failed. "No. They're not fine. They're alive, which is... which is good. Better than good. But they got hurt and it's..."
He took a breath.
"My aunt and uncle were injured in the invasion. They were all the way in New Jersey. Safe and miles away from any danger."
The words started coming faster. Like a dam breaking.
"But I was busy being a hero to strangers. Playing superhero while my family panicked because I wasn't answering my phone. They came running into the middle of an alien attack to look for me. Can you believe that? They drove straight into Manhattan while everyone else was running out."
Peter's voice rose. "Got hurt as soon as they entered. Car flipped. Uncle Ben threw himself over Aunt May. He could have died. She could have died. Both of them could have died and it would have been my fault because I was too busy swinging around to pick up my phone."
He gasped for air. His chest felt tight.
"Now my aunt is waiting on me to bring home a cake for Uncle Ben's birthday. Just a simple cake. That's all she asked for. And here I am." He gestured around. "Chasing a winged thief. Talking to the Power Broker of all people."
He laughed, but it sounded broken.
"I'm the worst nephew ever."
Jay didn't say anything at first. Just scooted closer. His hand settled on Peter's shoulder.
They sat in silence. The sun continued its descent. Manhattan's lights started flickering on. The city's heartbeat pulsed around them.
Car horns. Distant sirens. The hum of millions of lives continuing despite everything.
Peter's breathing slowly steadied. The pressure of Jay's hand helped. Reminded him he wasn't falling apart alone.
"So who made you that suit?" Jay asked finally.
Peter latched onto the change of subject like a drowning man grabbing a life preserver. "My friends helped me. Harry designed it. Spent three days requisitioning materials from Oscorp without his dad noticing. Claimed everything was for school projects."
He smiled slightly at the memory.
"Gwen and I worked on the web shooters and formula. Took us days even after I knew the formula from that AI suit you gave me. We must have made fifty bad batches. One dissolved too fast. Another was basically superglue. Gwen got some stuck in her hair and nearly killed me."
His voice softened when he mentioned Gwen. His whole expression changed. Brightened.
Jay caught it immediately. He grinned. "Ah, youth. First love is always special."
Peter's face went nuclear. "What? Who... who talked about love? I don't love Gwen! We're just... she's just... we're friends. Best friends and it's not... I'm not..."
"Who even mentioned you and Gwen?"
Peter's mouth snapped shut. Caught. His face somehow got even redder.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Kid, you lit up like a Christmas tree the second you said her name."
Peter groaned and covered his face with his hands. "This is the worst. I'm having relationship advice forced on me by a god."
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