Being Spider-Man is a Sacrifice Chapter 11 - Work Never Ends

(1 year later)

*Today marks the 1 year anniversary of the first appearance of our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, for an entire year he has been swinging around tirelessly making our streets safe again and ending the child trafficking ring that had plagued our city. I'm not sure who you are Spider-Man but as a mother and an aunt you have my~*

"Max!"

Max jumped as the TV was turned off, he sat up straight with his back his arms folded on his lap and looked straight ahead "I'm s-sorry Miss Davis, I-I d-didn't mean to I-Ignore you like that" he said as he clenched his hands on his legs, his whole body was tense as if expecting something.

"I agreed to let you have the TV on as you said it relaxes you but if you ignore me like that we won't make any progress in our sessions" Miss Davis said with an emotionless expression on her face as she sat opposite him writing in her notebook.

Max nodded with a small simile but didn't let his body relax and still remained tense "Every time we've met you often pay attention when any news about Spider-Man comes on, are you a fan?" Miss Davis asked.

Max nodded his head though he made no effort to voice his opinion on why, he just looked down at the floor staying completely still.

Miss Davis sighed, something that sent a pang of pain and panic through Max, his knuckles became white as he clenched his knees so hard "I suppose we may as well end it here, I have made my report to the school and the decision has been made that my time could be better spent with other students. As a result of this your prescription will no longer be filled as I am not convinced you need such medication" she stated in a cool tone.

Max just nodded quietly as he started to rub his thumb over his hand "You're a few months away from graduating, I'm sure whatever you think you're feeling will disappear when you go off to college" she said as she finished writing her notes, she then closed her book and looked up at him.

"You can leave now, I believe classes are over for today so you can head straight home" she said before standing up and leaving the room leaving Max there by himself.

Max sighed deeply to himself and went into his bag, he looked at his empty bottle of pills and it filled him with dread, he put them back into his bag and stood up before opening the door and leaving the room. He looked around the hallway and was happy that it was empty.

*whisper*

Max turned his head at the sound of whispering just to see someone watching him disappear around a corner, Max started to rub his hands again as he turned around and started leaving the school. As he walked through the corridors he made sure to stay on the left-hand side away from the lockers that were all lined up, he didn't want to end up getting caught inside again.

*Clang*

Max jumped as one of the lockers swung open, but he ignored it and continued walking through the corridors, he finally made it outside his school. As Max trudged wearily along the uneven sidewalk on his way home from school, his senses were heightened to a point of anxiety that made his entire body feel as if it were coiled like a spring. His eyes darted around, scanning the faces of passersby, who seemed to take on an eerie, malevolent aura in his anxious perception.

With every uneasy step, it appeared as if the people around him were casting sidelong glances, their expressions twisted into wicked, knowing grins. Those sinister smiles, sent a chilling shiver down Max's spine, causing his heart to race and his skin to break into a clammy sweat.

Max's paranoia amplified with every glance over his shoulder. Each time he turned his head, he caught sight of someone quickly vanishing around a corner, as if they had been surreptitiously watching him. The shadows played tricks on him, their movement fueling his growing sense of dread. He quickened his pace, desperately seeking refuge in the familiarity of his home.

The deafening thunder of approaching footsteps reverberated in Max's ears. His heart, seemingly frozen in time, threatened to betray him as his body went rigid, like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Max stood there, paralyzed by fear, as he anticipated the worst.

Yet, in the next harrowing moment, the source of his terror revealed itself to be nothing more than a couple of children. They darted past him, playfully chasing each other, their laughter and the sound of their sneakers pounding against the pavement filling the air. The rush of relief washed over him, and he felt the burden of his unfounded fear slowly lifting. He started walking faster, wanting to reach his home as quickly as he could.

As Max reached the street junction, the world around him seemed to return to a semblance of normalcy. However, his newfound sense of security was shattered by the deafening crash that echoed through the intersection. A colossal armoured truck careened around the corner with terrifying speed, mere meters away from him.

Frozen in the face of imminent danger. It was only a fleeting glance that revealed a young woman, equally paralyzed, sharing his dire predicament. A surge of adrenaline coursed through him, and Max instinctively pushed the young woman out of harm's way, sacrificing his own safety for hers.

As he attempted to evade the impending collision, the truck's massive form bore down on him, leaving him with no choice but to shield himself with his arms. Just when it seemed that all was lost, an unexpected saviour swung into action. A webshot from above, wrapped around Max's body, lifting him into the air.

Max looked up and saw he was around 10 metres from the ground and began flailing, however, he was quickly caught before he could panic too much. Max's eyes widened as he saw that it was none other than Spider-Man who had saved him, the hero landed on the sidewalk with Max on his shoulder and promptly put him down "You alright buddy?" Spider-Man asked and Max nodded his head rapidly still in awe at being in the web slinger's presence.

"You got a name?" He asked and then Max nodded again, however, he soon realised Spider-Man was asking him for it and his cheeks went red "Y-Yes I am M-Max" he stuttered out quickly. Spider-Man patted him on the shoulder "I saw what you did Max you're a good guy, the world could use more people like you" he said filling Max with a sense of joy and pride he'd never felt before.

They both hear a crashing sound and Spider-Man chuckles "Works never finished, I gotta go, have a good one Max" he said before jumping up and shooting a web, chasing after the armoured truck. Max stood there for a while even after Spider-Man disappeared, however, he was finally snapped out of it when he was pushed to the floor "Get the fuck out the way you dumbass!" A man shouted as he walked off not even sparing him a second look. Max didn't retaliate he just rubbed his elbow before getting up and quickly making his way back home, though even that rude man wasn't enough to put a damper on how Max felt now.

As he reached home that managed to come crashing down, as he turned his key in the door and he opened it he was immediately assaulted by the stench of alcohol and cigarettes. He had hoped to sneak to his room but he ended up accidentally kicking a crumpled-up beer on the floor making a loud noise "Boy!!! Get in here" a voice shouted that made Max jump.

He slowly trailed through the cracked walls of the hallway and into the front room. The stench of alcohol and cigarettes dominated the room but also the smells of rotten food and day-old pizza. Sat on a ragged sofa in the middle of the room facing a TV a large man with ginger hair and a pot belly, he had a greasy yellow stained wife beater on with no pants "You got something for me boy..." the man asked in a low tone as he sipped from a bottle of cheap liquor.

Standing there slightly trembling he started rubbing his hands together once again "I-I w-wasn't able to g-get an advance sir they-"The man got up from his seat and walked over to Max with a mad expression on his face.

*Thud*

Max dropped to the floor and he started to cough and splutter, his dad had just hit him in the stomach hard enough to wind him, he tried to clutch his stomach but his dad kicked him "Stay still! Don't curl up!" He shouted as he started patting him down and looking through all of his pockets "Useless waste of fucking space!" His dad shouted before kicking him again and lumbering back to his chair slightly out of breath "Get out of my sight!" He shouted.

Max stifled a groan as he stood up and limped back to his room, as he did he past his mom's room and saw she was on the floor again. He quickly went inside and leaned down picking her up and trying to get her on the bed, though he struggled as he wasn't very strong. As he finally got her onto the bed she woke up and looked at him before smiling "Hey baby... I'm so happy to see you" she said with a smile as she cupped his face ignoring the bruises.

Max smiled at her "Hi Mom, you'll never guess what happened today, I met Spider-Man and he said there should be more people like me in the world" he said with visible happiness. His mom smiled at him "That's great baby, now do you have what I need" she asked her voice still light.

Max nodded quickly before taking his shoe off and reaching inside, a bundle of notes were found within and he immediately gave it to his mom "You're such a good boy" she said as she took the money, she started to itch her arms picking at the numerous scabs that ran along it.

"Now why don't you let Mommy get some more sleep," She said, Max nodded and stood up before limping out of her room and into his own. It was pitch black in his room before he turned the light on, the windows had been painted over with black paint and the frames were nailed shut. There was a well-made bed in the centre of the room, Max started to take his outfit off, his body was covered in bruises and scars, he was skinny as well, skinny enough that his ribs protruded from his body.

He was pretty tired so he decided he should go to sleep, he walked up to his wardrobe and reached on top of it to grab a key, he then unlocked the chain that was wrapped around the wardrobe and opened it. After opening it he stepped inside and closed the door before locking it from the inside. He had a smile on his face as he remembered his encounter with New York's Hero.

———————————————————

MJ was dreaming, lately, all her dreams had been rather nice but when they weren't they all seemed to be about one thing. MJ looked down and saw she had blood on her hands and started to panic she tried to stifle the blood but it wasn't working the man dressed like it was Halloween was bleeding badly from his stomach and was barely alive, she had to drag him from the shallow water onto the grass. When she removed his mask she was greeted with the dead eyes of Peter which made her scream.

MJ gasps for air as she's startled awake, she sits up on her bed her body sweating and breathing heavily. For a while, she sits there trying to calm down from the dream she'd just had. She rubs her eyes as she moves the blanket off herself and climbs out of bed, she opens the door to her room and walks into her tiny living room. In the middle of the living room facing a wall with a massive link chart was Peter who wore his pyjama bottoms with no shirt.

MJ walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of tap water before sitting behind Peter on the sofa, she tucked her legs to her chest and watched him as he pinned a red line between multiple locations on a map "You should get some sleep Peter" she said breaking the silence.

Peter chuckled "I'll have all the time in the world to sleep when I'm done" he said without turning around. MJ sighed as she took a sip of water before placing it on the table "This isn't healthy Peter, you look sick and the bags under your eyes have gotten worse, maybe just take-"

"MJ a year ago I managed to stop Tombstone from trafficking the children he had on the truck" he said as he turned around. As he did MJ was greeted with the large scar that ran at the bottom of his stomach it made her cringe even looking at it.

"But over half the children were already sold by that point... because of me, so I will track down every single one of them and make sure they're safe," he said unwaveringly.

MJ nodded her head, she knew he wouldn't budge on this topic but she still had to try "Have you spoken to your Aunt and Uncle" she asked which made Peter sigh and shake his head. He walked towards MJ and took a seat next to her on the sofa "I think Peter Parker should stay missing for a while, I need to be Spider-Man at the moment" he reasoned, though he could see the expression on MJ's face and realised she wasn't happy with that answer.

He reached over to her and grabbed her hand "MJ you saved my life when you dragged me out of the water and stopped the bleeding, and you even let me stay here with you so I could recover, and I will never be able to pay you back for that. But I think Peter Parker died on that bridge" he could see MJ start to tear up at his words but she did a good job of keeping it hidden.

Peter chuckled trying to lighten the mood "It's not like anyone needed him, he was-"

"That's not true," MJ said as she wiped her eyes.

"It was Peter Parker who saved me, and it's him that lots of people miss at the moment" she said before standing up and heading back to her room closing the door.

Peter sighed as he leaned back on the sofa, though he tried not to get too comfy otherwise he might just fall asleep. He looked around the tiny condemned apartment that they both lived in, he knew that MJ wanted to leave her parent's home but to give it up to live there showed Peter how serious she was. This place was a slum where they didn't care who you were or how old you were as long as you could pay and it was also a fair distance away from Queens which suited Peter.

He looked at the clock in the corner of the room, it was nearly dawn, and he should get some sleep before heading to his part-time job. He was lucky he managed to find a place at a pawn shop where he fixed shoddy electronics, he'd even get a bonus if he managed to make them better which honestly wasn't too hard when considering how much he'd been studying electronics and engineering, he had to since Ned...

Peter let himself lie down on the sofa as he closed his eyes, it would be a long day tomorrow and the day after that. Peter hoped he'd be able to sleep without dreaming this time.

———————————————————-

"Please! I said I didn't know anything" a man shouted as he was held in an armlock by a short girl.

"Yeah I heard what you said but I just don't believe you" Jessica said as she applied more pressure on her arm making him scream like a little girl.

"I can't tell you! He'll kill me!!!" The man shouted as he struggled in Jessica's grip.

*Snap*

"AHHHHHHHHHH" the man started screaming as his arm was snapped and bent unnaturally, Jessica sighed as she pushed the man to the floor "I'm sorry dude, today is a little bit of a sore spot for me, but you are a sexual predator so I don't feel too bad" she said as she kicked him under his chin knocking him out. She took out a little notepad and crossed off a person's name with a sigh, she'd been investigating the people responsible for the string of child abductions last year, pretty hard as she didn't have much to go on but there was one trail that was always hard to erase and that was the money, it seems these children were being sold to anyone as long as they had the right amount of money but they were mostly bought in bulk by anonymous buyers. But idiots like this guy were easier to track down as they'd splurge their life savings on fulfilling their disgusting fantasies.

Jessica put her notebook away and went through the man's pockets, taking his money and driver's license 'I'll need to swing by his house, if the kids are there then hopefully she can answer a few questions' she thought to herself. While she didn't like interrogating victims she was close to hitting a dead end, the warehouse where Tombstone kept the product had been scrubbed and she couldn't find anything, she walked out of the alley putting her hood down and heading towards the address.

(AN: So a year later, 2009 is pretty much gonna be an OG Arc but it will end with Tony Stark being kidnapped, after that we go into the events of the Hulk. I'm sure some of you guys notice that Maxwell Dillion is completely different than comics or films, I decided to give him a different origin but he'll still become electro. MJ saved Peter and both of them are living in a slum due to their age, pretty dangerous for MJ but maybe that just goes to show how bad her home life was. I don't like edgy characters so Peter won't be edgy but he'll do what normal people do and avoid facing his issues and overwork himself to make up for the guilt he feels)

If you like my stuff consider supporting me

Patreon.com/Captainalfie78Works