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Peter hates history. It’s his least favorite class. Honestly, he doesn’t know why he’s even required to take this class. He’s a science geek, give him a chemistry set or some wires and circuits anyday, but history? Ugh.
Mr. Carmichael drones on from the front of the classroom. He’s saying something about a President that Peter doesn’t care to remember. He doodles in the margins of his History notebook, sketching upgrades to his suit and the robot he’s been building with Tony and Bruce.
His only saving grace, aside from the notes he scrawls down about possible inventions, is Ned. As always, Ned sits beside him with his own textbook and notes from the lecture their teacher is giving.
“Wanna hang out at my place after school?” Ned asks quietly, so quietly that Peter’s pretty sure his enhanced hearing is the only reason he understands it.
“Totally, man,” he whispers back. “You got the Asgard set?”
“Yeah,” Ned grins. They share an excited look before Peter senses the teacher's eyes on them, and they duck their heads down and pretend to listen to the horribly boring lecture.
He does his best to actually pay attention to his teacher. He writes down the important parts that Mr. Carmichael particularly emphasizes and tries not to doodle too much. His skin itches.
Twitching a bit as the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, Peter’s Spidey Sense rings in his ears warningly. He glances around with wide eyes, scanning the classroom for any kind of threat. Flash isn’t here to throw things at him, nobody looks sick, there’s nothing in here that should be setting off his Sense like this.
He glances down at his phone and grimaces. A speech bubble from Karen takes up most of the screen, the AI most definitely noticing the raise in his heartbeat from the bracelet Tony gave him.
Hydro-Man has been spotted near Midtown Tech, it says. He has caused havoc across the city in the last half an hour, despite Daredevil's attempts to round him up.
“Thanks, Karen,” he murmurs under his breath, knowing her sensors will pick it up. He leans a bit towards Ned and whispers, “I gotta go.”
It’s a familiar song and dance to excuse himself from class, and from there he makes his way to the second story where most of the chemistry classrooms are. According to the data on his phone, he doesn’t have much time to get things ready.
“Honestly,” Peter tells Karen as he fiddles with some chemicals in an empty classroom, “you’d think he would learn by this point. I mean, it goes the same way every time, right? He attacks, I dose him with chemicals, he goes to jail, and he inevitably escapes so we can do it all again. Why does he still think he can get me?”
He huffs and squints at the bunsen burner, holding a vial of powder over it. Carefully, Peter mixes a few things together, keeping an eye on the timer that Karen has set for him on his phone.
“Indeed, Hydro-Man does seem to be quite insistent,” Karen muses. “One has to wonder why.”
“I dunno, Kar’,” Peter absently replies. “He doesn’t think he can win, does he? He uses the same moves every time, but he just keeps coming back after I win to do them again.”
“He could simply enjoy the routine of it all,” Karen says. “Prison is not very entertaining, and if they cannot even contain him correctly, why should Hydro-Man stay put? Morris Bench blames you for his transformation into Hydro-Man. He will do anything to punish Spider-Man, according to the speech he gives every time he thinks you’re listening, but he knows that will never happen.”
Peter pauses. “So, you’re saying… Hydro-Man wants to kill me, but because it’s probably not going to happen he just wants to make the best of his situation? That’s stupid. Why not actually try and kill me? I’m sure he could find a way to combat the Jello solution if he actually wanted to.”
He carefully mixes the Jello solution together with a stir stick.
“I’ve seen him turn to steam before,” he continues. “The sticky sludge wouldn’t turn him into Jello if he just evaporated, but he never does. He always sees it coming, but he never tries to actually escape.”
“Perhaps he is biding his time,” Karen suggests.
Peter sighs. That is not a reassuring thought. Though, he has to admit, he kind of likes the simplicity of his fights with Hydro-Man. It’s a bit like fighting Rhino, though with Hydro-Man he doesn’t have to worry as much about property damage, just water damage. It goes the same every time: a bit of banter, a few punches, dodging blades of water that swipe at him, maneuvering Hydro-Man into a corner with no escape, splashing him with the Jello solution, and shipping him off to jail once more.
He should really look into alternative options to jail for Hydro-Man, aka Morris Bench. Maybe a hospital would be a better place for him. As Karen said, Bench has a lot of anger towards Spider-Man for “ruining” him and turning him into Hydro-Man. He’ll talk to Tony about it after he finishes dealing with Hydro-Man.
Then the bell rings.
Peter squawks, jolting out of his head and barely catching the vial that the sound made him drop. Why hadn’t his Spidey Sense warned him? He breathes heavily and sets the vial back on the table, clicking off the bunsen burner and arranging the various materials and chemicals in a row in order of importance. He hops over the table so he’s further from the bunsen burner. It would not be good to heat up this mixture right now.
“What’s he doing now, Karen?” Peter checks as he starts to add them all into one big vial. He uses a glass stir stick to slowly mix the different materials so that they don’t collide too quickly and explode. His skin itches a bit as his mind tunnel visions toward the mixture.
“Hydro-Man is currently making a mess of the park a block away from your school, Peter,” Karen says. “I do not know his aim, but according to the path he has left he seems to be coming directly for Midtown School of Science and Technology.”
His hair raises, a shiver going down his spine, but he ignores it. His Sense reacts to his fear just as much as it does actual threats.
“Shit,” Peter hisses. “What could he be looking for? Does he know who I am?”
“I do not know,” Karen says apologetically. “But he did cut through three different buildings that he has shown interest in destroying in the past just to get closer to the school. There is no doubt that he is coming closer, though he may bypass Midtown Tech and continue in his line.”
Peter grimaces. Knowing his luck, Hydro-Man has definitely discovered his identity and is coming to get him once and for all. Maybe this is what the villain has been waiting for, why he hasn’t adapted his technique in their past fights.
Carefully tipping the last powder into the large vial, he swirls the glass vial back and forth as slowly as he can. The viscous substance inside goes from a grainy yellow to a smooth beige.
“Good enough,” he comments. “I should really start stocking a vial of this stuff in my suit. Bench has broken out of his cell three times in the last month, you’d think I would start taking him more seriously.”
“Well, he has not been much of a threat,” Karen says. “Though preparation is very important. Would you like me to ask Dr. Banner for a new batch of his Jello solution? You expressed jealousy of his version in the past.”
Peter huffs and looks down at his phone, narrowing his eyes at his AI.
“We are not gonna talk about that,” he mutters. He pauses. “But yeah. Yes please, if Bruce has free time I would take a batch to keep in my belt. Maybe we could make a web that does the same thing, that way I wouldn’t need to splash Hydro-Man to immobilize, I could just web him up.”
His Sense pricks at the back of his neck, and he absently scratches the itch while pulling his backpack up onto the lab table and opening the secret compartment that holds his suit.
“Peter?”
He freezes. Slowly, so slowly that he doesn’t think he breathes as he moves, Peter swivels on his feet to face behind him. Ah. That must be what his Sense was trying to tell him about.
He lifts a hand to wave at the Chemistry class that has apparently filled into the classroom while he was finishing off the Jello solution.
“Hey, Betty,” he says hesitantly. He blinks and tries to scott in front of his open backpack that holds his Spider-Man suit. “Um, how much of that did you guys hear?”
“Pretty much all of it,” Betty replies. There’s shock written across her face, same with the other students and the teacher that stands at the front of the room. “Are you…? Are you Spider-Man? ‘Cause it really sounds like you’re Spider-Man, Peter. Like, seriously. The suit, the voice in your phone, mentioning the Bruce Banner, whatever you’re doing with those chemicals. Either you’re Spider-Man or you’re a really good impersonator.”
Peter latches onto that with frantic desperation.
“Impersonator!” he exclaims. “I’m an impersonator. Surprise! That’s why I miss so much class and AcaDec practice, I’m out at Time Square pretending to be Spider-Man. My internship is a cover, I’ve never been to Stark Tower at all, and I never will. I hate Iron Man!”
Betty snorts, though the visible shock in her expression doesn’t dissipate.
“That’s the worst lie you’ve ever told, Parker,” Sally comments at Betty’s side. “And you once told me that you were taking your cat to the vet when you were late to third period. You don’t have a cat.”
Peter winces.
“Okay,” he hedges. “Maybe I don’t hate Iron Man, but I’m definitely not Spider-Man, alright?”
Mrs. Warren lets out a resigned sigh, “Oh, Mr. Parker. This makes so much sense.”
Peter frantically looks over the other students and finds no comfort. It’s clear that nobody believes him, and he doesn’t blame them. He’s a horrible liar. Aunt May and Tony tell him that literally all the time.
“My sensors have noted disturbances on the first floor of Midtown Tech,” Karen announces suddenly. “The sprinkler system of that floor is now offline. Judging by the lack of movement, that is where Hydro-Man wishes to make his stand.”
“Um,” Peter says, eyes wide. He brings up a thumb and jambs it towards the door, saying, “Gotta go!”
He’s out the door before anyone can react, his backpack on his back and the vial in one hand. He doesn’t bother throwing on his Spider-Man suit, the cat’s out of the bag on that one. He has his web shooters on anyway, so he doesn’t need the suit to take down Hydro-Man as long as he keeps a good hold on the Jello solution.
“Karen,” he says breathlessly as he hops onto the ceiling and scrambles towards the nearest stairway on all fours. “Tell Tony that my identity is out. There’s no saving it, so I’m just gonna embrace the chaos.”
Karen’s modulated voice sighs, but she does as he asks.
“Mr. Stark says, ‘You’ve been hanging out with Clint too much, kid. Alright, I’ll let Pepper know. She’ll get everything in motion to keep you and May safe. Go get ‘em, Underoos.’ End message.”
Peter smiles and bounds down from the ceiling to the stairs, jumping down them all in one leap. He stays on the floor now, aware of how Hydro-Man works. Sprinkler systems are his favorite way to surprise Peter, so it’s best to stay away from the ceiling.
Karen gives him directions to the area of the disturbance. It’s in the art hallway, an area of the school that Peter doesn’t often go to but MJ practically lives in. He crawls low on the walls, far from the sprinkler system, and skips along on all four limbs. Clint and Sam hate when he does this, when he acts just a little bit too much like an actual spider.
“This it, Karen?” He’s pretty sure it is, what with the rattling nozzles on the ceiling and the sound of water rushing through the ceiling and the walls. The pipes are having a hard time containing it, and they creak and whine at the new pressure.
“Yes, my sensors indicate the presence of Hydro-Man’s unique radiation signature all across this area. I suspect he is stretched along the entire North wing, but his signature is thickest in this hallway.”
Peter grimaces. “I have to lure him out of the pipes. Any idea on how to do that?”
The noise of the pipes is getting louder, the water more chaotic above his head and in the walls. Peter drops to the floor now, just in case the walls decide to burst outwards with rushing water.
He snaps his head to the side as the door to an art classroom opens slowly. A freshman peeks her head out with wide eyes.
“What’s that noise?” she asks hesitantly, eyeing Peter with a little bit of fear.
Peter does not answer. Instead, he whips his wrist and unceremoniously webs the door shut with enough force that the freshman squeaks and thumps to the floor behind the newly closed door. He does the same to all of the doors in this hallway, though he has a feeling he doesn’t have time to web shut the classrooms in the other hallways in the North wing.
“Karen,” he says to his phone, “project my voice, please.”
His phone chirps in acquiescence. Peter takes a deep breath and tries to prepare himself for what he’s about to do.
“Hydro-Man!” His voice echoes throughout the school through the intercom system. Karen does good work. He continues, “Mr. Bench, I know you’re here! I don’t know why you’ve chosen to come here of all places, if you’ve figured out my identity or not, but that doesn’t matter. I am Spider-Man, I am Peter Parker, and I will stop you from hurting anyone in this school. Do you understand me, Hydro-Man?”
There it is. His secret is out, the secret that he has tried so hard to keep over the last four years. He’s a senior now, and graduation is coming up soon. He’ll be out of this place before he knows it.
“Come out and face me, Hydro-Man!”
The pipes rattle furiously all around him, more and more water rushing from other areas of the school to where Peter stands in his hallway.
Here we go, Peter grits his teeth. Let’s do this.
Hydro-Man emerges from the ceiling in a spray of water. He forms in the air above Peter, a sick grin on his face. It’s the same as every encounter they have, and Hydro-Man attacks first with rage in his eyes.
Peter dodges effortlessly. Really, he doesn’t know why the villain tries. Maybe Karen is right and he is just totally bored in prison. Fighting Spider-Man would be a good use for all that rage that Bench feels. Perhaps Stark Industries needs to institute a rage room along with mandated therapy at the prisons that Bench visits, along with the ones he doesn’t. Everyone deserves help, even criminals.
He jumps over a tentacle of water that looks a little too sharp to be actual water and ducks as the pipes in the wall to his left explode directly where he was just standing. Hydro-Man is vicious in his attacks, but Peter’s reflexes are very good. He dodges every single attack, all without spilling the vial of Jello solution that he holds.
It’s easy work to get behind Hydro-Man, jumping from wall to wall and slipping around aggressive water attacks until he’s at the man’s back. Hydro-Man is in his water form, he has to be to hover from the sprinkler nozzle like he is.
Peter throws the vial of solution directly into the globule of water that makes up Hydro-Man’s torso. He doesn’t miss. The reaction is nearly instant, quick enough that Hydro-Man doesn’t have time to separate himself from the infected source of water.
“Too easy,” he sighs, backing up as the villain finds himself suddenly solid instead of liquid. “Why do you never try to escape, Mr. Bench? I don’t understand it. Is prison really that boring?”
Morris Bench grits his teeth and snarls at Peter, saying, “You did this to me! It’s your fault that I’m like this, you and that bastard Namor. I deserve justice! One day I will take you down for good.”
“Yeah, see, I don’t believe that,” Peter huffs, shaking his head. “You could fight me for real if you actually believed that. I mean, this is the first time that you’ve tried to go after me personally, my secret identity at least. If you wanted to escape for real, you could just evaporate or reach out to Jameson at the Daily Bugle and spread rumors about me to hurt my reputation.”
He watches Bench very closely. The man’s face contorts more and more as Peter speaks, less rageful and more… frustrated.
“You’re a smart man, Mr. Bench. You were in the Navy, you worked on a ship that required a certain amount of cleverness. You aren’t stupid, so why do you insist on doing this day after day? I know you could do better than this, everyone knows you could do better than this.”
Bench shakes his head, eyes ducked. He’s kneeling on the floor now, too solid to keep himself in the air. The water around him is slowly sucked back into his body where it hardens into what Peter likes to call Hydro-Jello.
“I…” Bench looks up to meet Peter’s eyes, his brow furrowed. “I don’t know, man. It’s easy, ya’ know? The repetition. What else am I supposed to do with my life, with all the anger that’s in my head? You ruined me, kid.”
“So, wait… You come after Spider-Man to… what, spar? Get all your anger out? Then why do you destroy everything? Buildings and parks and stuff.”
“How else am I supposed to get your attention?” Bench asks as if it’s obvious.
Peter blinks. “Literally anything else. Hell, I would come to your cell to fight you if you asked and promised not to hurt anyone else. You don’t have to wreck buildings to get my attention, Mr. Bench. You just have to ask.”
“Huh,” Bench huffs with a frown.
“And anyway, I didn’t ruin your life,” Peter continues. “You still have a life, sir, you just chose to give into your rage after you changed instead of applying yourself to helping people like you did before you fell off that ship. You don’t see me destroying the people who made me the way I am, do you? No, I took my mutation and I used it to save people and keep the little guy safe. Why can’t you do the same?”
“If you hadn’t noticed,” Bench drawls, raising an eyebrow, “I am a convicted criminal. I can’t just make myself into a vigilante like you have. Besides, I don’t wanna hold back like you do. I like destroying shit.”
“So do Deadpool and Punisher,” Peter says indignantly. “But that doesn’t stop them from doing what’s right, does it?”
Karen chirps from the phone in his pocket, letting Peter know that the police are nearby. They’ll take custody of Bench and put him back into a cell until the next time he decides to leave it.
“Alright,” Peter decides, “this is what will happen. I’ll talk Mr. Stark and Cap into doing the rounds of New York’s prisons. We’ll implement some much needed changes, no matter what anyone says, and make sure that the prisoners’ needs are met. Next time you want to destroy some shit, contact me. I’ll set things up for you, alright? And maybe we can get you back into the world eventually, like we did for Scarlet Witch or Magneto. You just have to comply with the police for the time being. Is that good enough for now?”
Bench looks surprised, which Peter thinks is fair considering how contemptuous their relationship has been up until now. But Peter is being entirely truthful, and he knows that Steve and Tony will agree with him when he puts his plan to the group. Pepper could probably spin it for Stark Industries’ gain too.
“The police are almost here, Mr. Bench,” Peter says, eyes clicking up to where he can hear footsteps coming closer. “Will you cooperate until I can get everything in motion?”
“Yeah,” Bench says slowly. “Yeah, I guess I will. Thanks, Spider-Man. I really appreciate it.”
Peter shrugs. “I’m just glad you’re one of the more reasonable villains. Rhino would never agree to something like this, even when I beat him time after time. Same with Sandman and Doc Ock. God knows the Green Goblin would rather put a bomb down my throat than listen to me like this.”
The police, likely already alerted to Peter’s capture, move quickly to detain the solidified Hydro-Man. They stare askance at him, sure, but that’s to be expected since Peter’s maskless and suitless. The news of his identity has surely spread by now from the hundreds of teenagers that heard his declaration through the intercom system.
Peter’s not the biggest fan of cops, he’s been a vigilante long enough to see some horrible things that go on in the system, but he nods respectfully to them and gives his statement to the detective that warily comes up to him.
“I should probably go back to class,” he says at last, jutting his thumb behind him. “You guys got it from here?”
The detective nods, eyes slightly glazed. Peter escapes while he still can, though he rips the webs from the doors in the art hallway so the other students can get out before two hours are up. He needs all the good will he can get for the coming days.
Peter does not go back to class. He should be in PE now, since History ended while he was making the Jello mixture. Instead, he makes a break for the top floor of Midtown Tech and fiddles with his web shooters. He can say goodbye for the day to Ned and MJ over text later. As for the other students? They can tune into the press conference that Pepper is no doubt scheduling as he climbs the stairs and jumps up to stick on the ceiling.
He waves to the students that he passes in his journey to the roof, smiling a bit as they gape up at him. He makes sure to move ezra spidery just for their benefit. He’s pretty sure he skitters past Flash at some point.
At last on the roof, Peter relaxes for the first time since this whole thing started.
“You’ve made the news, Underoos,” Tony says with a grin, the face of his Iron Man armor retracted. He stalks towards Peter, his boots clanking on the tarmac roof, and his gloved hand comes up to rest gently on Peter’s shoulder. “How are you doing? I know you wanted to reveal your identity on your own terms.”
Peter shrugs.
“I’m fine, though that might be some sort of shock,” he admits. He sighs into Tony’s embrace and meets his eyes. “Pepper’s on it, right?”
“Of course.” Tony’s eyes soften. “Aunt Hottie is at the Tower, sent a suit for her as soon as you texted me. She and Pepper are organizing the troops as we speak. I imagine SI will hold a press conference just before school lets out for the day. That should be enough time to get everything in order, straighten out the problems and all.”
“Thank god,” Peter breathes out in a relieved sigh. He leans into Tony’s arms, letting metal wrap around him comfortingly. “Thank you, Tony. Really. I couldn’t do this without you.”
“Yes, you could,” Tony rumbles fondly. “You’re Peter Parker, you can do anything if you put your mind to it. Now, Friday was telling me about a proposal you plan to put to Steve and I. Want to tell me why Friday and Karen expect this little proposal of yours to shake the foundations of the justice system?”
His eyes go wide as he looks at his mentor. “Karen’s a snitch.”