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Scarlet Spider: Sin

Summary:

Set in an alternate universe, "Sin" tells the story of a teen Kaine Parker who has undealt feelings from the past. For years, they have been trapped within, until a bite from a flawed superspider unleashes them. As Kaine's mind slowly succumbs to negativity, he must face his worst enemy before it's too late: his past.

Chapter 1: Warnings and Author's Note

Chapter Text

Before the story starts, I would like to put some warnings and explain something to you, my readers, to avoid misunderstandings. And I'll try to keep it spoiler free.

First of all, this fanfic is dark, violent, disturbing, and serious in nature. It deals with dark themes such as vengeance, hatred, bullying, violence but also themes such as forgiveness. Therefore for those who are not comfortable with this fanfic, readers are not recommended to read. However, the fanfic's dark and serious nature is important to the message/moral that the author wants to convey. And readers may need time to reconsider whether they want to read this or not. 

Secondly, there is a villain antagonist in this story that represents the protagonist's dark side, in form of a split personality. However, the protagonist does not suffer DID and both the protagonist and antagonist are never meant to represent the DID (dissociative identity disorder) community. The antagonist is simply inspired by the Dark Prince of the "Prince of Persia" games. Hopefully this may clear any possible misunderstandings.

Last but not least, this fanfic is simply an alternate, new take to Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man, and related characters. It is inspired by Marvel's "What If...?", DC's "Elseworlds" and "Joker" movie. The fanfic is set in an alternate reality where things from the comic happen differently and/or never happen, such as the "Clone Saga" storyline. (It is not set in any existing Marvel universe, therefore it's a new one.) And some characters are slightly different than their comic counterparts but they still retain certain original traits. 

(Part One of this fanfic will be updated soon. But I will take some time to edit them.)

(I'm aware of how different the characters are in this fanfic. I simply wanted to do a new take on Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man, and related characters. For that, I would like to apologize if I offend you, my readers and Spider-Man/Scarlet Spider fans. It's okay for you to share your opinions, criticisms on the comment section. I would love to see your point of view.)

Finally, feel free to give advices, constructive criticisms, and/or suggestions. Let me know what you think about this story by commenting in the comment section. If you like this story, you don't have to vote it. It's alright. If you want to share this fanfic to your friends or family, it'll be appreciated.

That's all I wanted to say. Hopefully you'll enjoy reading this fanfic!

Now.. Onto the story!

Chapter 2: P1 - Chapter #1: Nightmare and Torment

Notes:

WARNING:
This chapter contains sensitive, disturbing content.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

A brunette teenager was walking on the side of a street. It was a little quiet, with a few pedestrians and a little traffic. And the atmosphere was chilling and comfortable during this night. As he walked, he was confused. The teenager felt something was familiar about this street. He recognized it. Yet, something was pretty familiar and it felt off for him, and he couldn't shake off the feeling. 

While the teenager was walking, he saw a particular man in his forties, looking around for someone. And he recognized the latter due to his buzz cut, the very hairstyle he also shared. A smile formed on the teenager's face, as he ran towards the old man.

"Dad!" The teenager hugged his father tightly, feeling relieved.

"Whoa whoa, calm down, kiddo!" The man giggled and he returned the hug, embracing his son, "What is it, Kaine? Why were you running?"

Kaine released his hug, now looking at his father's eyes with tears. Tears of regret. "Dad, I'm sorry... I haven't been a good son.."

The man simply smiled at his son, "It's alright, kiddo. I forgive you, my little boy."

"I... forgive you too, dad."

The two then embraced each other.....

*BANG!*

A sudden, loud gunshot was heard nearby, startling the two. Kaine didn't feel anything. But then, he noticed blood was dripping from his father's torso...

"No, no, no! Dad!" The teenager screamed in horror as his father fell onto the ground, and he quickly held his dying father to prevent him from hitting the ground.

The man was shocked. His eyes widened because of the sudden gunshot. Now, he was struggling not to lose consciousness. Only for it to slip away from him....

Kaine realized this feeling of familiarity, horrified of reliving this very moment. "No.... no... not this again....." His voice echoed as his surroundings turned into a black void. With his father's body slow disintegrating into nothing. And everything cut to black.

---

Kaine jolted awake on his soft bed. His breathing and heartbeat were fast. He kept lying on his bed as he began to compose himself. The teenager's body was shaking after the nightmare... He couldn't move out of his bed as he was still shocked by the nightmare.

After the teen calmed a bit, he got out of his bed. But the uneasiness wouldn't disappear. Kaine turned to a clock on his wall, which showed around 2 AM. He immediately sighed...

It was one of his nightmares about his father's death, and the latter's death had been haunting him for days - days since the funeral of his father Ben Parker. It kept waking him up in the middle of the night. And it made him feel worse and worse... For this nightmare reminded him of his regret of not forgiving his father.

Still feeling uneasy, the teen headed outside of his room. It was slightly dark, with the only source of light being the outside lights that came through the dining room's wide window and a few lamps in the room. He then walked to the bathroom to wash his face and calm himself down.

The teenager closed his eyes as he washed his face. He felt the chill water running down his face and the cold atmosphere of the bathroom. It was refreshing. And still...uneasiness wouldn't leave him. As if it was a burden that could not be removed.

When Kaine opened his eyes, his hands were stained with blood. Or as it seemed to appear. The sight of his bloodstained hands reminded him of the very night his father died.

Then, the teen turned his eyes to the mirror, speechless... He saw a man in a jacket and green stripes t-shirt, who was holding his dying father at gunpoint. The teen's bloodied hands slowly curled into fists shakily. The sight of the man filled the teen with anger but also...regret and guilt.

"We got what we wanted, didn't we? And yet, here you are..crying," a deep, distorted voice taunted Kaine, "Crying for someone that we both despised in the first place." A demonic figure suddenly appeared behind the man in the reflection, walking closer towards the mirror, looking into the teen's eyes coldly with his otherworldly blood red eyes. The man and his father slowly faded into nothing.

The teen began to break down. "Why can't this be over with!? Why do I have to keep carrying this burden..?" The death. The nightmares. The guilt and the regret... They were too much.

The demon simply laughed at the teen, with no remorse at all. He enjoyed seeing Kaine suffer. And it felt...powerful.

As Kaine broke down, he reminisced the past events that led to this. Wishing that he had done things differently....

Notes:

Now, you have so many questions, don't you? They will be answered in future chapters ;) You might be wondering, what kind of events that lead to chapter one? Why did Kaine say this and that? And who is this demon, exactly? You'll get to know more starting from chapter two, where you'll know Kaine deeper and meet other characters, including Spider-Man ;) (Yes, Peter Parker himself XD However, he (along with Kaine) are still normal humans, considering the spider bite hasn't happened yet.) So, stay tune! Don't worry, chapter two is coming ;) (But I gotta edit it along with the others first.) If you want to be up to date, follow me on Instagram! (@cain_the_writer)

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.instagram.com/cain_the_writer/&ved=2ahUKEwj3vMmK3ebvAhWEX3wKHeWEDlwQFjAAegQIBRAC&usg=AOvVaw1fdnMoyZrq0-tVfcfzGs2O&cshid=1617612789222

That's all for now. Please share this to your friends or family. Don't forget to leave a comment and a star, as I would appreciate it :) If you have any questions, feel free to ask it on the comment section or send me a direct message! I'd be glad to answer it.

Au revoir and have a good day! :D

Chapter 3: P1 - Chapter #2: Status Quo

Notes:

Be on the lookout for the 2002 Spider-Man reference ;)

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(A week ago...)

It was midday at Midtown High School. The school hall was filled with indistinct chattering, laughs, gasps, and footsteps from students. Some were seen opening their lockers, while some were holding textbooks and notebooks, already on their way to their respective classes.

Among them was none other than Kaine himself. The teenager was walking toward his school locker, wearing an outfit of an unzipped black jacket, red t-shirt underneath it, and blue jeans. He gave a quick glance to his watch on his left hand, and nodded to himself–still several minutes left before breaktime ended. Kaine took out a pair of glasses from one of his jacket's pockets and put it on. His left hand then reached and held the locker's lock in his hand. His other hand moved to its dial and began to rotate it.

5...22...2

It made a clicking sound before Kaine opened the locker, revealing stickers of tokusatsu superheroes inside. The sight made him smile softly, as if he was a little boy again. Afterwards, his eyes turned to a copy of a school schedule labeled "Grade 10" which he plastered inside the locker. The youngster shook his head, giving the "not again" look as Physics was the next lesson.

"Oh what the hell..." he sighed while collecting books for the last three subjects.

After collecting the books and closing the locker, a voice suddenly called out to him. "Hey Parker!" This made the brunet almost drop the books he was carrying, before he quickly held them back. Kaine then turned around and realized he was surrounded by a group of three jocks, laughing at him. One of them was a blonde jock... One that prompted Kaine to give a look of disgust.

"Well, well. Flash and his goons. How great." 

The teenager was about to push away one of the jocks, only to be pushed back, which led to his books falling. And this drew every students' attention in the hall. Some were just standing there, some wanted to help Kaine but hesitated at the last moment, displaying both fear and regret.

"Really? I don't have time for this-" Flash pinned his target against a school locker, which Kaine reacted to with an unamused and disappointed look. 

For a moment, this... reminded the brunette teenager of something terrible from his time during elementary school. As if it happened before his eyes, he could hear his younger self screaming for mercy and help as he was surrounded by bullies. Slowly, his hands curled into fists and he gritted his teeth. Inside his mind, he considered giving Flash a taste of his own medicine. Imagining the pain he would inflict on the blonde jock gave him a somewhat powerful feeling. But at the very last moment... he hesitated. The school rules... The consequences and the punishment he might face. And not just that, the pain he experienced in the past... Those stopped him. And now one thing made him worry and desperate, how could he escape from these bullies..?

"Hey! That's enough, you three!" Out of every student, a voice called out to the jocks, which prompted them to turn their eyes around.

When Kaine heard that very voice–a familiar one, the desperation inside him was gone in an instant. A smile replaced those negative feelings, as the teenager knew the one person who would stick his neck out for him. He let out a chuckle to himself, "Pfft. Peter, like always..."

Peter Parker, who had called out the bullies earlier, walked toward the group. As he was about to confront them, one of the bullies couldn't help but glance back and forth at the two Parkers in confusion. Their resemblance, despite being cousins, was so uncanny. Except the differences on their hairstyles, clothing, and voice. 

"Well, well. Another Puny Parker–trying to ruin my moment?" Flash taunted Peter.

The teenager looked at the bullies and shook his head in disapproval with the bullies' attitude. His eyes then turned to Kaine and noticed his older cousin's hopeful smile. The younger twin smiled back and nodded to the latter. As if he was saying that he would get his cousin out of trouble.

Afterwards, Peter's attention returned to Flash. "Let him go, Flash. This is meaningless." 

The blonde jock simply laughed at the younger Parker, "For you. It means so much to me. The fun... The power. Just to feel alive."

"Just to feel alive? You can do something better than this. Something that doesn't hurt others!"

Flash was not impressed with this and decided to confront Peter, leaving Kaine at the hands of the other two bullies. "You really have some guts, don't you, Parker? Why don't you just leave me to my own business, huh? Or perhaps you want your turn now?"

Hearing those words made Peter dread over himself. Fear flashed before his glasses. The brunet could hear his own heart beating fast, along with his breathing. He could feel his body shaking, like his foundation was going to crumble soon. He could have just walked away... But no, he knew he had to do something when someone else needed help. He remembered what his mother had taught him as a child, to help others when he could and when it was within his ability. Taking a deep breath as he mustered all the courage he had, he spoke in a stern, no-nonsense tone. 

"No can do, Flash. Can't let you take pleasure from hurting people. If I were you, I would listen and let my cousin go." He sighed, "Flash, I'm sorry. I really dislike violence, but if you force my hand, then I won't hesitate."

This made the jock speechless. He was frozen after hearing those words...

"Or perhaps I will give the damn jock a warning myself!" a voice stopped Peter before he could continue.

A redhead, Annabelle Adams, walked toward the bully and pinned him against a school locker, surprising everyone in the hall. Her forest green eyes were full of great disdain and disgust for Flash. And she shot him a deadpanned look. "I'm gonna make this short, Flash or Thompson or whatever your name is, jock. You leave my friends alone and we're good. You hurt them? I WILL NOT. HESITATE TO HURT YOUR GANG. Ya got that?"

Everyone's eyes widened in fear, as they watched a fellow student threaten Flash Thompson. Peter was terrified too but he shrugged it off, knowing why the girl acted like that, as she was a friend of him and his older cousin. Kaine himself, however, simply smiled and chuckled, awed by Anna's craziness–as for Flash, he grew more terrified. She gave him a predatory smile, which sent chills to the jock's spine. But what terrified him even more was... a hint of something uncontrollable in her eyes. A hint of chaos and something else... She really meant her words.

Like the hunter becoming the hunted, Flash reluctantly nodded, which prompted the red-haired girl to release him. She still eyed the blonde while he and his gang disappeared to somewhere else, presumably their own class. After that, every student continued their activities–some were whispering about what just happened, the others stayed silent.

The disdain and disgust in the teenager's eyes disappeared when she looked at her friends. "Hey, you guys okay now?" Anna asked with a concerned tone, which Peter responded with a nod. She approached Kaine and checked him, "You hurt, K?"

"I'm fine, Ann," the older twin replied as he collected his fallen books on the floor. He laughed, "Man, you really did give everyone a fright there, including Peter."

Hearing those words made Anna shake her head in amusement, while she walked toward her locker and began to unlock the lock, which was next to Peter and Kaine's respective lockers.

"Well, dude. She's scary, alright! How can I not be terrified?" Kaine's cousin responded, getting his books from his locker, with stickers from old superhero movies decorating the inside.

The older brunet and the redhead laughed together at the younger brunet's response, earning an unamused groan from the latter himself. The two stopped and looked at each other, smiling as if they shared something common. For the moment... it was as if time slowed down for them. Like the world centered around the two...

Meanwhile, Peter finished collecting his books and noticed that Kaine and Anna were smiling at each other. "Not this again..." the younger Parker rolled his eyes and patted the older one on his shoulder, breaking the moment between him and the girl. He giggled seeing them coming back to reality. "Guys, come on, class is starting soon!" Peter reminded his friends as he headed off to the class first.

Kaine and Anna looked at each other and shook their head in unison, joining Peter from behind. The younger twin turned his eyes to his friends for a moment, before returning his attention to the front, chuckling to himself. "Pfft. Lovebirds."

Notes:

Alright, so you finally got to see a bit of Kaine's past. You'll see more in the third and fourth chapter, because they will be important in future chapters! Besides Kaine, you got to know a bit of Peter, Anna, and Flash. (Annabelle Adams is not an OC, she appeared in Scarlet Spider Vol. 2.) There's nothing much to say here XD But did you find the 2002 Spider-Man reference? Hehe ;) Anyway, stay tuned for chapter three, y'all! Feel free to give a kudos, comment, and share this to others, it will be appreciated <3 I hope everyone has a good day!

Chapter 4: P1 - Chapter #3: Jealousy

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Nearly three hours later...)

It was Biology class now. The classroom was quiet, filled with sounds in form of whispers of confusion and groans between students. Not just whispers and groans, but sounds of Biology textbook pages being flipped back and forth, and the sound of pen scribbles on answer sheets. Only several minutes left before the end of the class for submission. Some threw their hands up in the air, some kept on doing the assignment.

The Parkers and the redhead were doing the assignment too. However, something set them apart than the rest of their classmates. Peter's eyes wouldn't move away from the assignment, simply moving from the textbook to the sheet back and forth. For one moment, he would frown his eyes on a question he couldn't answer. But then he would have an "Eureka!" moment seconds later. Kaine himself was listening to a variety of musics and songs through his black earphones, going with the flow like water. At times, one confusing question would stop him and make him grit his teeth, causing him to curse under his breath and move on to another question. As for Annabelle... she looked so lost and confused. Yet, she kept trying to do the assignment, sometimes asking for help from her friends, while humming Korean and French songs.

"Alright, class. Time's over!"

Just like that and most of the class were in complete chaos. Everyone, except the trio, was rushing to finish their papers. The three students exchanged grins and brought their answer sheets to the teacher's table. 

The teacher chuckled at the three, amused on how they submitted the sheets together. "Not bad, Three Musketeers."

They giggled and returned to their seats and soon their classmates submitted theirs. Now, everyone's attention was on the Biology teacher as he was about to speak to the class.

"So. This is just a little reminder for everyone. Tomorrow is the field trip to one of Oscorp's labs. It's just a little tour to give you some insight on how science can help life." He then turned to Peter, "And perhaps satisfy the curiosity of one's mind." 

Kaine and Annabelle turned their eyes to Peter, smirking at him. All the younger Parker could do was let out a deep sigh, as he was perhaps the only curious student among the trio. But he gave a certain look at his older cousin, his expression saying "Dude, you are too." Which made the older brunet snort.

"Remember to arrive on time, at 6:30 AM. Please keep in mind not to go to the classroom, but to the basketball field. The buses will be waiting and we will break down the details and activities of the trip. Afterwards, we will immediately go to the destination. If you have any questions, please contact me via e-mail. That's all for today, students. Be safe on your way home and have a good day!"

---

(Minutes later, at the school pick-up/drop-off site...)

"...Yes. Yes. Then turn right and go straight and you'll see the entrance to the school. I'm waiting at the pick-up/drop-off site... Yes. Thank you, sir. Much appreciated." Anna then pressed the "call off" button on her phone's screen. Before shoving her phone into the pocket of her black jeans, she gave a glance at her phone's digital clock and sighed to herself.

"Got only two and a half hours and I'm still not yet home..."

"What is it, Ann?" Kaine, who was sitting beside her on a bench, asked in a curious tone.

The redhead turned to him with tired eyes. "Eh. Just that I have music class at half past six," she let out a groan, "Wish I could just... ugh, have a little nap. But hey, at least I can have a little productive distraction."

The brunette teenager could only nod and gave her a sympathetic look.

The girl then asked, "K, is your dad gonna pick you up?"

The normal look on Kaine's face turned into a sourful one in seconds, just at the mere mention of his father. As if something was going on between the son and the father. "N-No. I'm with Peter's parents for now. My dad's been... busy," his eyes were slowly filled with bitterness.

Those eyes... Anna could feel the radiating emotion from her friend's eyes. The bitterness of a child towards their parent, was so familiar. The two looked at each other, feeling that they had something in common. The red-haired teen moved her hand to Kaine's shoulder and patted him gently.

"I know that feeling..."

Just for a brief moment, the bitter feeling was gone. It felt... lighter. The brunet returned the gesture with a grateful smile. A little comfort from one of the people he trusted was all he needed. 

"Hey guys! Bought the ice creams you wanted," Peter was heading toward his friends while holding two blue bubble gum ice creams on his hand and his own on the other.

His friends turned around and smiled as a sign of gratitude and accepted the ice creams, which the younger Parker responded with a smile. Peter then sat next to his cousin as the three began to enjoy their ice creams under the afternoon sky. It was a little lonely, but at least they could kill some time while waiting to get picked up.

Before they could finish however, a cab and a car entered the school's pick-up/drop-off site. The three teenagers knew they had to part away. With their backpacks on their shoulders, the youngsters stood up and walked toward the vehicles.

"Too soon..." Annabelle sighed to herself.

"Ann?"

The redhead stopped and glanced at Kaine, "Hm?"

"*Au revoir, mon incroyable amie. Take care." (*Translation: Goodbye, my amazing friend.)

"Goodbye, Anna!" Peter followed.

The girl smiled and waved her hand as a goodbye, "*Au revoir, mes amis." (*Goodbye, my friends.)

And so, they entered their respective vehicles, going their separate ways.

---

(Inside Peter Parker's parents' car...)

"Heya, kiddos! Welcome, welcome." Peter's mother, Mary, greeted her son and her nephew.

Kaine let out a laugh when his aunt referred him and Peter as "kiddos." 

"Mom, come on! We're not kids anymore."

"Heh. You're still my kid, little scientist."

Meanwhile, Peter's father, Richard, was restraining himself from giggling, which eventually broke into snorts. He shook his head, "Mary..."

The woman threw her hands up in the air, giggling to herself, "Alright, Rich. Alright."

The younger Parker sighed and rolled his eyes, getting an amused reaction from the older one.

Richard then began to drive the car, with Anna's cab in front of the Parkers' car. Soon, the vehicles went to different paths.

The teenagers continued to eat and finish their ice creams. Their eyes were staring at their surroundings through their car windows. Along the way, there were stores, bakeries, apartments, and buildings. It wasn't all buildings. There were trees and plants around the street corners, too. And sometimes, ad boards for movies could be found. Most of the boards were advertising upcoming superhero movies. The very sight of those boards made a smile form on the face of the teenagers–a smile of enthusiasm. It wasn't surprising, considering that they lived in an era of superhero movies.

Peter's father glanced at the rear mirror, noticing the smile on the youngsters. A soft, warm chuckle escaped his mouth. It suddenly reminded the adult when he and his brother were young. 

"So, how was school for you two?" The man asked while his eyes returned to the street.

"It was fine, dad. Just..."

"A little messy." The older twin added, with disgust in his voice as he recalled the very event that happened during the second breaktime. But the teen just laughed it off.

Upon hearing that, a hint of concern appeared in Richard's eyes. "Was it because of that Thompson kid?" He asked his nephew, which earned a nod from the latter. 

The man sighed softly, "History really is repeating... First it happened to my brother. And now, his son..."

Recalling the event made the teenager have this poisonous feeling inside him. The brunet rested his head against the seat's head pillow and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. He just wanted to forget this feeling... But it was still there, bugging him. 

Kaine shook his head and opened his eyes. He let out a small groan and gritted his teeth. A small thought was wandering inside his mind: Why did bad things mostly happen to him? He had been bullied during his years in elementary school and now he was bullied in senior high? And then there was the problem he had with his father...

He kept on asking why to himself over and over... until he heard a conversation between uncle Richard and his cousin. It wasn't an important conversation, but it was the way they interacted that caught his attention. Kaine froze for a moment. Seeing his uncle and his cousin happily talking with each other, was like... seeing a perfect mirror–a foil like in stories. And he himself with his father? They were just imperfections.

A drop of tear trickled down from his eye. Not wanting others to notice, Kaine wiped his tear and averted his eyes to the car window. Tears wouldn't come out, like they were stopped by a rock. A rock it was... A hardened heart, trying to contain the negative feelings inside him. 

It was painful.

The older Parker remained silent through the whole journey. Unbeknownst to him however, Peter noticed this. And he knew what was going on in Kaine's mind. Yet, the younger Parker let his cousin have his time alone. Perhaps a later time would do...

 

 

 

Notes:

Looks like something big is coming for Kaine's and Peter's lives ;) (If you know, you know.) But we'll save that for a future chapter. And apparently, Kaine has some daddy issues :0 You might have known a bit but you'll get to know more in the next chapter ;) So stay tuned for chapter four! Because May Parker will be in it ;) Let me know what you think of it in the comment section below. Feel free to vote and share this to your friends and family! I'll see you on chapter four. Au revoir and have a good day :D

Chapter 5: P1 - Chapter #4: Home Sweet Home

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Alright, here we are, Kaine," Richard stopped the car at a drop-off/pick-up site close to his nephew's home.

Kaine still remained bitter after what he had seen. However, he couldn't just show that to Peter and his parents. So he put up a smile as politely as possible, thanking everyone, before opening the passenger door and headed out with his school backpack. As he was about to close the door, his eyes met with Peter's for a moment. The older brunet was caught off-guard with his cousin's sympathetic and knowing look. His smile faded out, replaced with an inaudible sigh. He immediately looked away and closed the door.

The younger Parker moved his eyes to his passenger window and rested his head against it, looking out as his father started the car and began driving home, which was just a few blocks away. The teenager stared out blankly, while thinking of the bitter look he had seen from Kaine. That bitterness wasn't new... There were pain and anger from the past decade. Pain and anger he had known for a long, long time. And he remembered the moments when his cousin would cry and open up to him about his problems... Peter closed his eyes, deep down feeling sorry for Kaine. But he couldn't change anything about that.

Meanwhile, the buzzcut teenager walked into the lobby of the five-story apartment before him: his home. He pressed the "Up" elevator button and its doors slid open, revealing an empty, reflective, and monotonous room. He stepped inside and pressed the "4" button, closing the elevator doors and it began to move up. The teen let out a yawn, at least he was finally home.

Minutes later, the elevator opened and Kaine stepped out. There was a hall in front of him, with some of his neighbours going in and some out, minding their own business. He suddenly felt nervous, dreading that he might be asked by a neighbour that he didn't even know. The brunet put on his hoodie and walked fast to his suite, hoping that anyone would just ignore him. Luckily, he made it inside and no one asked him on the way. 

"Mom, I'm home."

There was no reply.

The teenager walked to the dining room and found his mother sleeping while sitting on the dining chair and her head resting on the table, and holding her phone. Her face was slightly covered by strands of her brunette hair, with some were greying. He could hear her mumbling something but he couldn't make out some of the words.

"Supplies... Should... get more... supplies..."

He frowned his eyes, not understanding what she was talking about. The young man carefully put his hand on her shoulder and tapped gently, "Mom..? Wake up, Mom."

The woman, who was in her early 40s, slowly opened her eyes and yawned. The weariness reflected on her eyes, made her son concerned. She was confused for a second, then realization hit her that she had fallen asleep. The mother, May Parker, turned her eyes to Kaine and smiled, "Hey, Candy Cane. How was school?"

That nickname made him lose it, unable to giggle controllably. "Really, Mom? That nickname was like when I was a small boy."

The two laughed together.

"Well, school was fine," he replied while regaining himself after laughing, "What was that about, Mom? You were mumbling about getting supplies?"

She paused for a moment, "It... There is a problem in the homeless shelter I work at. The supplies are running low, so I had to talk with some people to get more supplies. But... I fell asleep."

Kaine sighed and squeezed her shoulder gently, "Mom, you need rest. Don't overwork yourself."

"I can't, little candy... There are things I have to manage. And we know that your father is outside of town, still handling stuff and employees. We need to keep working just so we can make a living."

After hearing those words, he removed his hand, slowly closing into a fist. The concerned look on his face changed into a bitter one, "We are like this... because of him. Because of that goddamn-"

"Kaine..." May spoke to her son in a voice that sounded tired but with a hint of patience, as if she had heard it thousand times.

"He was, is the reason behind our suffering. Why can't he just di-"

"Kaine."

The fist tightened, "That son of a bitch should've just-"

"Kaine, enough!" She yelled, trying to stop her son, but to no avail.

"What, Mom? How is it enough for me?! He's just a terrible father to me-"

"He's changed for the better," the adult reminded her son with a stern tone.

"Yet, he's a painful reminder of his goddamn flaws, Mom!" he fired back.

"Why do you still dwell in the past, Kaine..?" she questioned.

"Because I'm constantly reminded of how perfect Peter and his family are!" the teen snapped. Seconds later however, he looked down regretfully after shouting at his mother... "I'm sorry... It's just... Whenever things are fine and then suddenly I'm reminded of- of how he became worse after he got wronged in his old job, I can't help myself but hate him, Mom. Like, I lost the good father I once knew. And seeing uncle Richard with Peter, really reminds me of that everytime. The feelings are still deep inside, I don't know what to do, Mom. I don't know..."

The brunette put her phone on the table and got out of her chair, standing opposite of her son. She pulled him into her embrace, as he started to sob. Being in her embrace felt... easier and warm, like the pain was lessened. "I can understand that, Kaine... It's unpleasant. But we can't keep on dwelling on the past. This life, this reality... The truth...is harsh."

She stroked his hair gently, "There are some things we can't and couldn't choose in life. However, no matter how painful and harsh the truth is, we can't let the past control us. We just need to learn to forgive one another, accept the reality, and move on before it's too late, okay..?"

The son couldn't say anything. Both his heart and mind were hard as stone, as they both screamed in refusal. His ears were itching, wanting a satisfying answer, but instead they got the harsh truth–the truth he wasn't willing to accept for thousand times. He sighed, as he just couldn't accept it... yet.

"Mom... I think I need some time alone..."

May released Kaine from her embrace, who started walking toward his bedroom. Before that, she caught that look in his eyes–a look she recognized, full of refusal and unwillingness. The brunette woman covered her eyes with her hand and sobbed, as she had done all she could to help her son but things wouldn't still change, he wouldn't.

---

(Kaine's bedroom...)

Inside his bedroom, which was filled with posters of villains and antiheroes–and interestingly, a poster of a prince split between his original self and darker one. Kaine was laying on the bed, his eyes on the ceiling, looking emptily... not even blinking. Tears were trickling down across his cheeks. And in his mind, he asked himself repeatedly...

"Why wouldn't this stop..? Why is Peter perfect...? WHY DO I HAVE SUCH IMPERFECT FATHER?!"

The teenager opened his mouth, about to let out a rage-fueled scream out... But he hesitated at the last moment, as if he just... couldn't let it out.

His smartphone, next to his glasses on his desk nearby, buzzed, catching the brunet's attention. He got up and sat on the side of his bed, with his hand reaching for the phone. When he brought it in front of him, he realized he got a notification of a message from his cousin, which prompted him to enter the chatbox.

Hey, Coz... I'm here... I saw something was off, so I just want to be here for you. If you wanna talk about it, you can let it out on me. I don't want you to be burdened, Kaine.

Seeing the person who reminded him of flawed his life was, the teen sighed and quickly typed something...

Thanks, P. But I'll be fine.

Okay... Kaine, please take care. And if you need me, don't hesitate. Because I'll be here for you.

Somehow, it made him feel bad for rejecting Peter's help. But on the other side, he just didn't want to be reminded by Peter's presence. Everything was just... too much and confusing for him. Kaine then lied down on his bed, rested his head against his head pillow, took his hug pillow to his hands, and stayed quiet for a few moments. He buried his face on the pillow and let out a muffled scream - a painful one, filled with sorrow - continuously, not even stopping. He screamed as he cried, his tears soaking the pillow. Slowly... Bit by bit... the sorrowful scream of the young man quieted down, replaced by inaudible mumblings as Kaine drifted to his sleep...


- TO BE CONTINUED IN PART TWO -

Notes:

That concludes Part One! You got to know who Kaine is, along with other characters. But ride is not over yet, readers. Kaine's (and Peter's) lives are going to change in Chapter Five. Part Two will be in writing soon and perhaps will be posted somewhere during May. I already know how things will go for the characters and how long Part Two will be (probably six to seven chapters). Anyway, thank you for reading this, y'all! Let me know about your thoughts regarding Part One and this chapter in the comment section below. Feel free to vote and share this with your friends and family too :) I hope you have a good day! Au revoir! :D

Chapter 6: P2A - Chapter #5: The Bite

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(The next day...)

It was a bright day and two Midtown High school buses were headed to an Oscorp lab. Inside one of the buses, the students were either chatting about whatever was trending at that moment, playing games on their smartphones, or sleeping just to pass the time. While the homeroom teacher and the Biology teacher were sitting on the front row seats, talking about their daily lives and getting to know each other. 

But the same couldn't be said for Kaine and his friends. He was resting his head against the window with his hoodie on, looking outside blankly and remained silent. Beside him was Annabelle, wondering why he acted differently. It had been a month since they became friends, but this felt like something she hadn't known yet. 

She turned to Peter, who was sitting alone near the window on the opposite row, with a defeated look. "Psst! Pete!" she called out to him with a whisper, gaining his attention. 

Peter looked confused as Anna took out her phone and typed something, then motioned at his pocket to check his phone, which he did.

Pete, I've never seen him being... so quiet like this... What's wrong with Kaine?

He proceeded to type something as a reply.

Kaine has a problem... Well, I guess something that you already know. 

I think I know what you mean.

Yeah. It's been for a long time... I tried to talk with him about it yesterday, to help him, but he refused. There's not a lot I can do...

The two teenagers glanced at each other. The girl pitied the younger Parker and looked at him sympathetically. Peter gave her a weak smile and closed in a bit, "I'm used to this. I just hope things get better for coz." 

"I hope so," Anna said, "I'll try to help him too."

Peter's smile widened, like his spirit was lifted up. He was glad that Anna was in Kaine's life. A thought passed in his mind that made an infectious chuckle escape from his mouth, making Anna question him.

"What?" she asked, unable to hold back her laughter.

"Nothing, nothing," Peter covered his mouth from cracking a laughter. Nonetheless, he ended letting out a muffled laugh.

"These two are definitely lovebirds," he silently snorted.

Annabelle rolled her eyes, still laughing.

Meanwhile, Kaine was hiding his laugh, thanks to the camaraderie between his friends. At the same time, he was smiling too, knowing how caring they were for him. Especially his cousin.

---

(An hour and a half later...)

Outside of Oscorp's lab building, the two buses had stopped, with students from two classes, wearing their school backpacks, being rounded up by their respective homeroom teachers and the Biology teacher. 

"Whoa..." Peter was quick to fall in awe as the sight of the nine-story cubical building was reflected on his eyes. He admired its plain and simple look, yet hiding secrets behind the ordinary design. His eyes lingered, wanting to know the wonders of science inside.

"Hey, Pete! The tour guide is here," Kaine's words brought Peter back to reality.

"Wh-Wha?" 

Behind Peter and Kaine, Anna was covering her mouth, snorting. This prompted the younger Parker to glance over his shoulder and gave her a sheepish smile.

The teenager then turned his eyes to the tour guide who just introduced himself to the students, listening for a bit. When his eyes roamed around just to admire Oscorp's lab's building, he saw Flash and the bullies in the line-up of the other class. Peter froze for a bit...

Kaine and Annabelle noticed Peter's reaction and looked at his direction. And of course, the older Parker averted his eyes, cursing under his breath. While the redhead looked at the jocks with dead eyes, her hand closing into a tightened fist. She decided to keep an eye on those three for the rest of the trip.

"Now, accompanying us will be none other than Professor Miles Warren himself, the lead scientist of Oscorp's Genetic Division," the tour guide introduced the scientist next to him.

Professor Warren, a greying brunette man with glasses in his late 30s, thanked the guide for the introduction and then greeted the teachers with handshakes and a smile. Afterwards, he looked at Midtown High students and welcomed them, "Good morning! I'm happy to have everyone here in this field trip. I know that some of you are still sleepy, because I can see some heavy eyes from here."

One sleepy student's eyes quickly lit up, earning laughter from others.

Miles chuckled and shook his head amusingly, "I can relate to that, so I understand. I just want to say not to take this too seriously. Try to enjoy the trip. Feel free to ask questions and we will answer them." 

Everyone nodded in understanding.

The scientist's casual tone changed to a slightly serious one. "However, please be civilized. As the staff is busy working on the projects," he told them, before reverting back to his original tone, "So far... Any questions? ...No? Let's get in then!"

---

(Two hours later...)


After passing through the second and third floors, the Midtown High group took a break at the lounge on fourth floor. It was slightly noisy, filled with several scientists talking about everyday topics and eating or drinking, while the group would sit on the couches, chairs, or stand against a pillar or the wall. Professor Warren was nowhere to be seen, as he was currently attending some matters. So everyone would have to wait until he returned.

Peter was walking around, close to Kaine and Annabelle, who were sitting on a couch. He was writing down things that the tour guide and the professor had said earlier during this trip on his notebook with a black ink pen. The brunet would pause for a moment, his eyes darting from here to there at the ceiling, trying to remember what the things were. If something seemed wrong, Peter would just scratch it and made a frustrated sound.

From afar, were Flash and his fellow jocks. The blonde jock looked at the younger Parker with malice. He had seen how enthusiastic Peter was earlier–asking questions about science. And it made him grit his teeth. Deep down... he envied the teen for his curiosity and intelligence. For that, he would hurt him. But he had to wait till his friends let their guard down.

An amused smile formed on Kaine's face, as he watched his cousin making notes. For some reason, he loved seeing Peter's enthusiasm despite the fact that science was something he wasn't keen on. The more he looked at him, the more he remembered about yesterday that it caused the smile to disappear... Making him to look down at the floor blankly, sighing silently.

Anna noticed and knew what was going on in her friend's mind. "Hey, K. It's gonna be okay," she said.

The teen turned to the redhead and raised an eyebrow, their eyes meeting one another, "Huh?"

"I know what happened between you and Pete," she confessed, "And I know it's been bothering you... Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Y-yeah, I guess."

Kaine took a deep breath before telling her, while Anna's attention was on him.

"Peter... He's been like..." 

A smile couldn't resist to appear as two words escaped his mouth.

"A brother... to me."

She smiled as she listened intently.

Kaine continued, "We've been close since childhood because we share some common things, like our love for pop culture. We've been there for each other. I love him... But I began to envy him when I started to hate my father. I love Peter but sometimes, I can't help but feel envious toward my cousin..."

Her smile soon disappeared. "Why do you envy him?"

"Well, he is my opposite. Like, he's what I could've been if I didn't have a bad father."

He rubbed his temple, sighing, "I hate it whenever he becomes a reminder of that. It complicates my life for years... And it's like an on and off thing."

Annabelle nodded in understanding, now getting a clear picture. After listening to all of that, she wanted to pull him into her embrace to comfort him, but she felt a little shy. So, she put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"Things will get better, K," she assured him, "Are you feeling better now?"

The brunet smiled, "A bit... Thanks, Ann. I appreciate it."

"Anytime, K," the redhead smiled back as a response.

Meanwhile, Peter was about to finish making notes. But he bumped into Flash. More like, Flash bumped into him, causing the notebook and the pen to fall from Peter's hands.

The brunet gave an unimpressed look at the jock, "Really?" 

The blond returned the gesture with a mocking smile and whispered, "I don't think you'll be needing this notebook."

Kaine turned his eyes to Peter after hearing the notebook and the pen dropped to the floor. He widened his eyes, "Oh shit."

"What?" Anna asked before looking at Kaine's direction, realizing that Peter was in trouble. "Oh no, you don't!"

The two rushed toward Peter's aid and faced the bullies. But they immediately backed away when they saw Annabelle closing in. 

"You okay?" the older Parker asked as he picked up the fallen notebook and pen. He inspected the book to see if there was anything dirty, before giving it and the pen to Peter. 

The younger one smiled and accepted those, "I am. Thanks guys."

"Don't mention it," Anna and Kaine replied in unison, causing them to glance at each other and chuckle, before eyeing the bullies with disgust.

Flash looked at Kaine with anger. Since he couldn't exact his revenge on Annabelle, he would do it on him. But not today, tomorrow would do. And from now, it was best to stay away from them and let them be separated. He then walked away with his fellow jocks.

"That guy is seriously getting to my nerves," the brunet spoke his mind out loud, "If only I could get rid of him..."

"Kaine, if I were you, I would just kick his ass and shame him, without hesitation," Annabelle responded, with her fingers itching to form a fist.

Peter turned to Anna, "But won't you get expelled?"

"That guy deserves a lesson, Pete," she replied, "I don't care. As long as he stops bothering us and others."

He sighed, "I will try to reason with him though..."

Kaine shook his head, unable to make up his mind, and decided to leave it be. Maybe later would do.

---

(Minutes later...)

 

"And this is our Genetic Engineering floor, where we experiment to find out how we can help mankind," the tour guide explained, "We have two labs, which you can see on the left and right, and a storage room for our subjects."

The students looked at the windows, through which they saw scientists in their lab coats and safety gear doing their tasks. Some were discussing something indistinctly, mixing fluids, holding a foil with genetic code written on it, using microscopes, or writing down notes. Their reaction was either amazed, bewildered, or simply not interested. As every student paid attention to the scientists, Anna was the only one who kept her eyes on the bullies.

While watching the inside of the laboratory, Peter widened his eyes, freaking out on the inside. He couldn't resist smiling as he recognized the laboratory appliances and systems, which earned an amused reaction from his cousin and his friend who was standing next to him. But something caught his eyes, a bunch of glass boxes containing different spider species, with labels of them on those boxes. The brunet tilted his head, wondering why Oscorp was using spiders.

"If you notice the spiders and wonder what we are trying to do, Oscorp is looking to create supersoldiers through genetically-engineered spiders. Or super spiders, if you will," Professor Miles Warren explained.

Peter, Kaine, and Annabelle were bewildered upon hearing that. They glanced at each other in disbelief, realizing that supersoldiers would exist in real-life.

The girl turned to the professor and raised her hand to ask, "Why spiders?"

"That's a good question," Miles smiled, "A spider can lift something at least several, if not hundred times its own weight. They can also regenerate and detect danger. Now, imagine those attributes in humans."

"We can have a higher rate of survivability and success on field missions. Thanks to enhanced strength, speed, agility, faster healing factor, and a sixth sense that alerts to nearby dangers," he concluded.

The students nodded in understanding.

"Now, let's go to the next floor, shall we?" the tour guide said as the teachers and students followed him and the professor.

Unbeknownst to everyone however, two glass boxes inside one of the laboratories were empty, as they were left open. One being a female black widow, from the box given a special label in big letters "IMPERFECT/AGGRESSIVE SUBJECT." The other a female red-and-blue orb weaver, from a box that wasn't given such label like others. The two spiders had escaped and latched onto two unsuspecting students, who happened to be the unfortunate Kaine and Peter Parker. The orb weaver crawled to Peter's neck, while the black widow to Kaine's hand. The spiders then lashed out by biting those two students due to stress.

Painful yelps escaped from the cousins' mouth. In a reflexive manner, they swept away whatever bit them. This caused everyone's attention to be on them.

"Guys, what's wrong?" their friend asked in a concerned tone.

"I-I don't know," Kaine groaned, feeling the itchy bite.

If only they knew, what kind of change would happen to them...

Notes:

• Uh oh. Now that Kaine and Peter got bitten by super spiders, their lives won't be the same. Especially Kaine himself. How does the spider bite affect each of them? Stay tune for the next two chapters ;) And a little spoiler... the demonic figure from chapter 1, a.k.a. le main antagonist? He's coming back ;) So stay tuned, y'all! Thanks for reading this. I hope you enjoy it and have a good day :D

• I will only post the first three chapters of Part 2 because I haven't finished the remaining four. However, I need to take a break from writing for now. Because I need to focus on my college. I hope everyone understands my decision...

Chapter 7: P2A - Chapter #6: The Darkness Within

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Two and a half hours later...)

Outside his apartment suite, Kaine reached for a set of keys inside one of his pockets. His sweaty, shaking fingers brushing against the metal surface of the keys. As he pulled it out and about to unlock the door in front of him, it slipped away and hit the floor hard. He gritted his teeth in frustration and looked at the bite mark on his hand. Everything was so heavy for him, like the world was spinning around with no control.

Earlier during the bus ride back to school, he and Peter could only rest. At first something felt off for them, so they decided to rest. But it got worse when they went home. They felt heavy, as drops of sweat trickled down from their head, accompanied with the sensation of something pulsating and hot inside their head. They didn't know what to do exactly. And this made both Anna and Peter's parents to worry about them.

He bent down and retrieved the keys, before standing up and unlocking the door in a hurry. 

"Mom..? Mom...? Mom, where are you...?" the brunet called out for his mother, writhing in pain as he got inside and locked the door.

There was no answer, causing the teen to look around and rush to dining room. Still none, except a small note from May on the dining table that said she would be home late. He let out a frustrated sound and walked toward his room. As each second passed, his steps got heavier and slower and the sensation inside his head felt like his skull was getting crushed.

When he entered his room, Kaine quickly put down his school backpack. The feelings were getting much worse and he felt like he could collapse any second. So he decided to reach for his bed. Collapse, he did but luckily on its matress. His body was weak and couldn't move much. Slowly... Kaine drifted to nothingness.

---

...

It was...quiet and silent. The cold air brushing against his skin, tingling him. His eyes snapped open, revealing the dark void around him. In front of him, was a large, empty white screen like the one in theaters. He looked around, seeing empty red seats on the left, middle, and right rows, except his. He got the front seat on the middle. When he looked down, his hands and legs were chained to the seat. The teen tried to break free, but to no avail. All he could do...was just watch the empty screen.

"It really is a sad, pathetic life that we have, isn't it?" a familiar, but distorted voice asked Kaine as a film projector started displaying a grainy montage on the screen. It was his own, however it acted like a separate, yet same individual. And the montage that played was Kaine's memories.

"It used to be happy..." the voice narrated while clips of his childhood played. It was all his happy moments between him and his parents, including his birthday during kindergarten, when he got kissed on both cheeks by them. Then the moments between him and Peter: playing games on a Sony home console, watching superhero movies, and consoling each other.

"Until it wasn't."

The projector started displaying the change in his life... One of them was his younger self watching helplessly as his father abused his mother, the very moment that caused Kaine to begin despising him. Afterwards, him being silent when his cousin asked what was wrong. And the moment when he was surrounded and bullied violently by fellow students during his elementary school years. All that while the teen screamed, begging the voice to stop displaying those memories, and trying to break free again.

"PLEASE! ENOUGH, PLEASE! Stop... please..."

The screen turned to black...before fading in to reveal a sight that caused Kaine to freeze and be wordless. Horror was reflected on his eyes. It was the sight of bodies hung up with ropes. Mutilated, beaten, broken. Their blood dripping to the ground, as one male watched everything. They were Ben Parker, Flash Thompson, and dead bullies. With Peter being the only one alive, but dying, as he struggled to breathe with the noose around his neck tightening.

"Stop? No, this will not stop. Until you get rid of them from your life permanently. After all, it's better that way, isn't it?" the male figure stated.

He turned around, revealing himself to be... Kaine. Yet, he looked different. His eyes were as red as blood and his skin was grey. This figure looked human, but otherworldly too. As if he was a demon.

He walked closer to the camera, "For years, you have been helpless. For years, all of those deep-seated anger, envy, hatred, and revenge are imprisoned..."

His hand extended towards it, breaking the walls of the screen into the void, reaching for Kaine's seat. It seemed like a giant hand now, making screams of terror escape Kaine's mouth. The hand ripped said seat and held it in its grip, bringing the teen forward to the demon.

"Now, they...I shall be unleashed. And those who hurt us will feel what we feel."

"No. No! NO!" Kaine screamed as he was enveloped by a dark field forming on the demon's hand.

"Shhh. It's what they deserve. And I will help you...hurt them, whether you like it or not," he laughed, with Kaine being swallowed into the darkness while his hand closed to a fist.

---

The brunet jolted awake. He turned over, got up, and looked around. The first thing he noticed was his clock, showing that nearly two hours had passed. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth, now that he was back in his room. But to make sure everything was real, he pinched his cheek hard enough. Kaine cringed in pain, that was a good sign. Another thing he realized was that gone were the painful and shivering sensations and the sweaty feeling.

He had worn his glasses while asleep. Luckily, it wasn't broken. But what was strange was... everything was blurry. The teen took it off and much to his surprise, his vision was clear!

Something felt weird when his fingers touched against his cheek though. So he brought his hand to the front of his eyes, and he couldn't believe it... There were "holes" on his fingertips. Kaine shook his head in disbelief and proceeded to check the other hand. It was the same. He couldn't come up with a conclusion of what these were exactly. None of them didn't matter, at least his nightmare was no more.

"He's not real. He's not real..." he chuckled to himself.

But two words would make him frozen in fear and shock...

"Am I?" said the voice inside his mind.

Notes:

• Things are about to get real ugly ;) But we can't have that without some web slinging action, right? Don't worry, you'll get to see Kaine and Peter kind of explore their abilites :) I know the chapter is short but it's because I want to show you how "Dark Kaine" (the unofficial name for Kaine's dark side) came to be. I hope you enjoy it though! ^-^ Thanks for reading and stay tuned for the next chapter! Have a good day :D

Chapter 8: P2A - Chapter #7: Discovery

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

After nearly two hours of sleep, Peter rose up from his bed and yawned a bit. He rubbed his still heavy eyes and blinked a few times. Seconds later, it occurred to him that the painful and shivering sensations had disappeared and he wasn't sweating anymore. When the heaviness disappeared, his vision was clear, much to the brunet's confusion. He placed his hands on his cheeks to check if he was wearing glasses. He wasn't, as it was on a desk nearby.

While processing what happened, the hairs on his hands and legs quickly stood up, accompanied with a vibrating, tingly sensation inside his head. As if it was pointing Peter toward something. But as it was new to him, he instinctively turned to the direction - which was his ceiling's corner - in a flash and shot five web lines from his fingertips as a reflex. He widened his eyes and immediately shut his mouth, stopping himself from screaming. Slowly, he took a few deep breaths and opened his mouth.

Peter's eyes followed the direction of his vibrating sensation, which showed him a house spider hanging upside down from his room's ceiling. It eventually eased down. 

His weblines were still attached to his fingertips, like he was a puppeteer controlling his puppet. Due to shock, the tip of his fingers were stiff, as hard as a rock. So, Peter relaxed them and detached the web lines at his will easily.

"Geez... Gotta clean these.."

The teenager then inspected his fingertips, showing him the "holes" on them, along with small hairs he had never seen before. His eyes lit up, as he was familiar with spider anatomy. This caused him to recall to an earlier moment at Oscorp's lab, when he and Kaine yelped painfully. They were both bitten by super spiders.

"Spinnerets... So that explains everything!" he exclaimed as he snapped his fingers when reaching to a conclusion. But he silenced himself when he remembered that his parents were sleeping at the moment.

"Note to self: Try not to exclaim when you have an eureka moment," he sighed, wanting to slap himself.

The brunet couldn't help but continue inspecting his spinnerets, while giggling to himself. It was so unreal, like fiction coming to life. He thought of showing his discoveries to his cousin. Before that however, he better take a quick shower first.

While getting out of his bed, his phone vibrated a few times, catching his attention. Peter walked toward his desk and retrieved it. A notification appeared on the phone's screen, showing two messages from Annabelle on a group chat between the three.

Hey guys. Are you feeling alright now?

Just wanted to check up on you two since you were shivering a lot earlier...

He couldn't help but smile as he typed a reply.

Yuppp. Thx for the concern XD Idk about coz though

I'm doing alright. But... I had a weird dream earlier. A nightmare, idk.. And now there is this voice talking inside my head (Kaine)

I'm glad to hear y'all are alright. And K, do you wanna talk about it? (Anna)

I guess... (K)

Everyone waited as he typed, which took a few minutes.

I'll just give the gist. So I was in an empty cinema, sorta. I was chained to a seat, while I had to watch a montage of my childhood memories, both good and bad.

It sent chills to Peter's spines when he read it. 

Then, you know what's worse..? I saw someone watching dead bodies being hanged up. Bodies of my father and those who bully me, with Peter slowly dying. This someone is like...a part of me. He said that all my pent up negative feelings will be unleashed soon. And everyone will feel what I feel... At first thought he wasn't real, but he is. And right now, I feel like this the end of the world for me.

The chatroom went quiet for a moment. Peter himself and Anna were quite taken aback with what Kaine just told them. While the younger Parker was processing everything, his friend started typing a response.

K, this is... new... It sounds serious. Idk what to say... I'm sorry I can't be there because I'm preparing for my music class. I wish I could hug you. But I'll still be here if you need me, bud :) (A)

Thx, Ann... I appreciate it.. (K)

I think I will be heading to Kaine's apartment. I wanna accompany him for a bit, if he's fine with it of course.. (P)

Sure. Besides I'm the only one here atm. Mum's still busy with work (K)

Alright then. Take care, you two. I gotta continue preparing. Ttyl when I can <3 (A)

Ttyl (K, P)

Peter then looked at the two texts Kaine had sent earlier. He stared at them for some time, deep in thoughts... He questioned if his own cousin really wanted to kill him after all this time. He needed to know more from Kaine himself.

---

(Minutes later...; At Kaine's apartment...)

After taking a quick bath and wearing new clothes, the buzzcut brunet sat on a chair in the dining room. He took a spoonful of rice, vegetables, and a few pieces of cut sausage from the soup on his bowl, bringing it to his mouth and swallowed them. While taking glances at the soup in a cooking pot he reheated with stove. The wonderful, refreshing taste of his mother's soup filled him with warmth, but it did not ease his mind nor his feelings. His mind was clouded by his last dream and his demon.

Kaine gave a blank stare at his nearly empty bowl. His grip on the spoon was... weak, shaky. This soup was like a temporary escape to a safe haven. But his demon's words sounded like an imminent, inevitable doom. The teen dreaded of the time his darkness would be unleashed. Would it happen soon? Or sooner than he thought? He'd never know. Letting out a deep sigh, Kaine finished the soup and put his now empty bowl in the dishwasher. As the machine did its job, he stopped reheating the cooking pot after it started boiling.

Out of nowhere, a vibrating, tingly sensation manifested inside his head, with the hairs on his hands and legs stood up. For a moment, Kaine widened his eyes in surprise. The sensation seemed to direct him to...someone similar to him coming to his bedroom from outside? He rushed into the bedroom and turned to look at his window, only to find a hooded teen swinging toward it.

"Peter?"

The younger Parker bumped his head with Kaine's window in accident, causing him to lose hold of his web line. Reflexively, he placed his hand onto the wall, sticking to its surface.

"Oh shit," the older one ran and slid the window open and peeked out of it, looking at Peter with widened eyes. "Pete, what in the hell? What- Uh, how-" 

"Well, I'll explain in a bit," he smiled sheepishly, before getting inside Kaine's room, with his cousin stepping away to make space.

"You okay?" Kaine asked in a worried tone, while checking Peter's head, which earned a thumbs up from himself. He just chuckled, but he was at disbelief at the same time. "How could you do something impossible like that?"

"Remember the trip? We got bitten by super spiders when we were on Genetic Engineering floor. And we suffered from spider bite effects. But then, somehow the effects disappeared and we got spider-like abilities," he showed his fingertips to his older cousin, "Spinneret. A part of spider anatomy which allows it to spin webs."

Upon seeing those, Kaine recalled the moment when he found them. He lifted his hand and looked at his fingertips, "I see..."

"Uh," he turned to look at Peter, "You could've just walked to here or called a taxi, right?"

The younger one giggled, "Well, I just wanna try things out. I mean, this is just amazing, right?"

Kaine shook his head as he chuckled. "Amazing, huh? So now you're the what? The amazing, sensational, spectacular human spider?"

"Lo and behold, The Amazing Fantasy of the Human Spider!" Peter mimicking a movie narrator, causing the two teenagers to laugh together, "This sounds like a superhero comic book."

"No kidding," his cousin said, while holding his chest, trying to contain his laughter.

Eventually, the laughing died down. After some moments of silence, Peter remembered what he wanted to ask with Kaine.

"Coz, I wanna talk about something," the brunet asked with his tone changing from casual to a mix between serious, fearful, and confused tone.

"Yup?"

"About your dream... You said that I was one of the bodies being hung up, right? And that there was someone watching over them, who turned out to be a part of you. Does that mean...you want to kill me after all these years..?" Peter asked.

Kaine froze momentarily. He could feel his hands and feet starting to sweat. At that moment, it was like he was stripped down to his core–vulnerable in front of his younger twin cousin. "No, Pete. I don't want to kill you. I... You know that I love and hate you. At times, you become the reminder that I'm just your...imperfect mirror–that you have a perfect family while I don't. And I envy you for that. But I won't go as far as killing you," he confessed.

For a while, the two didn't speak anything. But then Kaine continued, "Maybe a part of me just want to remove those I hate. I'm still...stuck with the past."

The younger twin sighed, "Not this again..." He then pulled the older one to his embrace and patted his back a few times. "Kaine, how long are you gonna keep being like this? Holding onto the past won't help you. Sooner or later, you will have to face it."

"I don't know if I can... It's so hard to move on, to let it go when I'm still tangled in it... It's like... I keep getting reminded of those who hurt me, disappoint me. And I can't stop wishing that I had a perfect family like yours, Pete. I don't know how I can escape from my own prison..."

"I guess you'll figure something out, Coz. Because in the end, it's all up to ourselves. I can't do much... But I'll be there when you need me," Peter smiled.

Hearing those words made a warm smile form on Kaine's face. He hugged back Peter in return. "Thanks, Peter. And now you sound like my mom," he giggled.

"For real?"

"Yeah, she kinda said the same thing."

The two chuckled and let go of each other from their embrace.

"Say, wanna go swinging around the neighbourhood?" Peter smirked at Kaine of his own suggestion.

"Swinging? That's...crazy."

"Heck yeah it is," he winked.

"Oh goodness, please help me."

---

(Moments later...)

"Whaaah!!!" fearful screams escaped Kaine's mouth as the hooded teenager swung from building to building, with Peter taking the lead.

This was his first time swinging around. He could feel the wind brushing against him, with his hands and legs getting sweaty. As if he could slip from his web line at any moment. The sight below him made him terrified. Deep down, he regretted doing this.

"Come on. Keep up, Coz!" Peter snickered at his older cousin.

"Ugh, how can you even swing that easily?" he groaned to the younger one.

"Try to imagine you're a pendulum! That might help!"

"Sheesh, easy for you to say!"

Peter got carried away with his laughter that he did not pay attention to the direction of where he was swinging to, which led to him to hit against a building. The impact made him let out a painful moan, but he regained his momentum. Unfortunately, this was an opportunity for Kaine to overtake Peter as the lead.

"Hey! Try to keep up now, Coz!" Kaine mocked what Peter said earlier.

"Ohohoh boy, I'm gonna get you for that," he simply laughed it off and kept swinging.

Meanwhile, pedestrians were capturing this phenomenon of two hooded figures swinging around on their smartphones. On a street corner, two old men were observing the phenomenon too, amazed by the sight.

"You know what, Stan? Sooner or later, the whole country will marvel at the awesome might of these two," one of the old men commented.

Stan, the other old man wearing sunglasses, simply said, "Nuff said, Terry. Nuff said."

Notes:

• So that concludes the first three chapters of Part 2! The remaining four will be where things start to get messy for Kaine and tie in to Chapter 1. After that, Part 3 will come, which is set during and after Chapter 1. It will culminate everything that happened before. For now, I will have a break. But I will get back to writing after I focus on my college. Don't worry, I do not intend to leave this unfinished ;) Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you all enjoy it. With that being said, stay tuned for the remaining four chapters. And have a good day, y'all! :D

• The two old men were Terry Kavanagh (one of Kaine's co-creators) and Stan Lee himself (one of Spider-Man's co-creators; rest in peace, Stan...). I just thought it would be fun to include them here ;)

Chapter 9: P2B - Chapter #8: Downfall Part 1

Notes:

Hey, y'all. Sorry for not being active for two months. I've had some college stuff and writing. But now I'm back! I won't posting daily for Part 2B. Instead, all four chapters are uploaded so you can enjoy it! I hope you have good time reading it!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(On the next day...; At Midtown High School...)

The canteen was filled with many students, accompanied by pieces of song and music playing over the school speaker. The students were mostly just chatting while eating or drinking. Laughter could be heard from some tables, as they were goofing around with their friends.

On a nearby table, Annabelle was texting a friend she knew from the music class she attended outside school, who happened to be in the same school as her. While the Parker twins were talking about something as they ate their lunch, but she didn't pay attention to it at the moment.

Ann, you have some free time after school?

Mhm. Why?

Hm... Girls night out? ;)

She smiled and typed quickly.

You kidding me? I'm game! When?

5:35 PM. I'll come to your apartment :)

Deal, Gwen. Alright, see ya later, girl XD Gotta finish my meal

Same for me. Cya, Annie XD <3

Annabelle giggled and shoved her phone into her jeans' pocket. Then, she heard something weird but interesting from her friends' conversation.

"Gosh, swinging like Tarzan was so crazy," Kaine laughed, "But I really regretted it. It was too scary."

"Pfft, it was quite fun!" said Peter.

"For you. If you were me, you'd say things differently."

"Sureee."

The girl frowned her eyes when she listened to the conversation. She couldn't make any sense of it, nor could she come to a conclusion. But one thing she realized was that they didn't wear their glasses for the whole day. Something didn't sit right for her, like there was something she was yet to know from her friends. She shrugged it off, deciding to finish her lunch and leave the matter for later. 

Meanwhile on a table not far from them, were Flash Thompson and his jocks. Their eyes set on Kaine as they waited for the group to separate. Flash's fingers were itching to teach the puny Parker a lesson for stopping him yesterday.

Eventually, the group finished their lunch and carried their trays, spoons, and forks to a nearby box and put those down inside.

"I'm gonna go to the restroom for a bit," said Peter.

"Yeah, me too," Annabelle nodded.

"Alrighty, I'll be waiting around here for you guys," Kaine responded with a smile as his friends went to the restroom. He wandered to the hall connected between canteens and looked out through the windows, admiring the plants and trees.

But he was interrupted by a tingling sensation in his head. It did not scream "a fellow spider." Instead, a threat- no, three threats were coming to him from behind. The teen turned around and found Flash and his jocks walking to his direction. Kaine's eyes widened and he was about to run to another direction. However, the blonde jock caught him and pinned him against the wall. 

"No one's saving you now, Parker," the bully smiled to himself, finally getting the chance of revenge.

Kaine was now but a helpless teen, surrounded by bullies. His hand was twitching, forming into a fist, with hints of hesitation.

"What? You're just gonna let this trash hurt you? Fight back!" the demonic voice in Kaine's mind yelled at him.

For a moment, the teenager remembered the time he was bullied at elementary school. He would try to fight back but he couldn't, as he was outnumbered. At the same time, he remembered the possible consequences of engaging in violence.

"Screw the rules. Break them! An eye for an eye... They hurt you, hurt them back!"

"I... can't..."

"Do you really want this to be like in elementary? Peter saved you many times from these... pieces of trash. Now, no one's helping you."

Kaine's fist tightened. The voice was right, no one could help him now. Of course, he could wait for his friends to come to his aid. Or he could do something.

"You hate this guy so much, don't you? Why not get rid of him? No. Get rid all of those three jocks. You were helpless... But now, you have all the power! Perhaps... I'll give you a little demonstration."

He proceeded to deliver a punch to Flash's face, staggering the bully. Flash stepped back in shock as blood dripped from his nose, earning shocked reactions from his jocks. Kaine couldn't help but smile to himself, having this powerful, triumphant feeling.

"Feels good, doesn't it? A little more demonstration might do."

The smile turned into a wide grin, filled with vengeance. He then walked towards the two jocks with his fists clenched. They ran away in fear, which pleased the teenager. Now all that was left was Flash Thompson.

"No... W-wait. Okay, I give up, Parker!" pleaded Flash.

"Give up? Now that you're the prey, you want to give up?" Kaine spoke in a mocking tone as he walked toward the bully, "Aww, that's just sad. Now, no one's gonna help you, Flash."

This... this moment reminded Flash whenever he was at his home with his father.

"No one's gonna help you, boy. You are in my hands now."

Kaine placed his hand on the blond's neck and choked him, as he lifted him with a surprising amount of strength beyond normal human. Flash tried to break free of the brunet's hold, but to no avail. 

Meanwhile, the students who saw this immediately ran to upstairs to alert a teacher. The others were freaking out with what was going on.

"You. I've never liked people like you. Always preying upon others, not giving a shit," his eyes turned to blood red, "You are no better than monsters who deserve to disappear."

The jock struggled to breathe as Kaine choke him even harder. Terror was reflected on his bloodshot eyes as he saw the teen's now blood red eyes. What terrified him even more was Kaine's other hand, slowly curling into a fist.

"P-Please... Help...." the blonde jock tried to scream, only for a restrained voice to come out of his mouth.

Kaine delivered several punches to Flash's cheek, bruising him. It felt... so amazing that he let out a maniacal laughter. But the laughter was mixed with tears.

"No more... I won't be hurt no more..." said Kaine as he was about to deliver the final blow, before his fist was stopped by Peter's hand.

The twins looked at each other in astonishment. The younger Parker was bewildered with the tremendous force of his cousin's fist he felt when stopping it, realizing he could've killed someone. While the older one was surprised by his sudden appearance.

"Take your hand off us," he growled in an animalistic tone.

It dawned upon Peter that Kaine was not being himself. Then he remembered about the dream his cousin told him, which had something to do with this.

"Kaine, stop. This isn't you..."

"Why are you saving him? He deserves it!"

"Everyone deserves another chance, Coz. Please, let him go..."

"No. No! Not until he's gone!"

"Kaine..." Anna's voice brought him back to reality, shattering his darker self's control. He let go of Flash, who started coughing after being choked, and turned to his friend. The horrified look painted on her face, made the older Parker realize he was in trouble. No. He realized that this could be the end of the world for him.

---

(Minutes later...)

"Alright. Mr. Thompson and Mr. Parker, let's talk about what happened during breaktime," said the school counselor to the two students sitting in front of her.

They were silent, their eyes avoiding contact with the counselor's. Fear and unease were seen in their eyes by her.

"It's okay. What is said in this room stays here," she convinced with a smile, "I will listen to you. But please keep it civilized, alright?"

They nodded. Meanwhile, Annabelle and Peter sat on the couch, waiting for the session to finish and listening to the conversation.

"You may start whenever you feel comfortable. I have all the time here."

Flash looked up to the counselor with slight hesitation, "I... I'm the one who started it, Miss."

"Why?"

"I just wanted revenge on Kaine during yesterday's school trip," he told her.

"What did he do? Did he do anything bad to you?"

"N-No. I... I bullied his cousin Peter. And he and his friend stopped me. I felt that he ruined the fun for me."

"I see... Mr. Thompson, I heard of you bullying students just for fun. What's the reason?"

"I hate them. Their lives seem so perfect. It's... not fair."

Kaine turned to Flash in surprise. What he just said reminded him of himself in a way. He couldn't believe it.

"I'm sensing some issues here. Do you mind telling me?"

The jock closed his eyes for a moment, as if something painful made him hesitate. Yet, he shook his head and went on anyway.

"Got beaten by my own drunk dad. Almost everyday. My life's like hell. And others? Theirs seem like rainbow and sunshine..."

On the back of the room, Anna and Peter were quite surprised with what they heard. The girl herself still despised bullies, but she felt bad for the blonde jock.

"Everyone's lives are not always rainbow and sunshine, Flash..." Kaine said to him, remembering his problems with his father and cousin.

The two looked at each other in the eyes. And for the first time, there were no signs of animosity between them. Just understanding and sympathy. As if Kaine found someone else who was not so different than him.

At this same moment too, he questioned himself... Was it really worth it hurting someone?

"And Mr. Parker... What about you?" the counselor asked the brunet.

He turned to look at her, "I got bullied a lot during my elementary school years. To the point it made me hate people like bullies. No. I despise them."

"When I get bullied, I... always remember that time when I feel helpless. So I fought back. I gave him a taste of his own medicine," Kaine confessed.

Flash was speechless with what he heard. And it got him thinking of his actions for a moment...

"Is violence really the answer? For both of you?" she inquired.

"Y-yes."

The counselor sighed. She took several moments to think of something, before finally coming up with a decision.

"I think it's better for both of you to take the next week off from school," she told them, which earned a surprised reaction from Flash and Kaine. "You won't be expelled. Just take the time to rethink and consider about everything. I hope things can get better for both of you."

"Mr. Parker, you may go with your friends and continue your schedule," she gestured to the door, "Mr. Thompson? I hope it's okay if you stay here for a bit. I want to help you with your problems."

Kaine nodded politely and walked out of the counselling room with Peter and Anna. As they headed back to their class, he said something. "So... I guess this is it?"

Annabelle and Peter looked at Kaine confusedly. "What do you mean?" she asked her friend.

"You two saw a different side of me. A horrible one."

The group stopped as he continued, "I hurt Flash, I almost killed him..."

"And you think this is the end of our friendship? Between me, Peter, and you?"

"Yes, Ann... Because deep down, I'm just a monster. And I can hurt anyone..."

Peter walked closer to his cousin and pulled him to his embrace. "Coz, I understand why you did it. It's not right but that doesn't mean this is the end of our friendship."

The redhead smiled and nodded, "I understand too, K. I'm also a monster, you know that." She then joined the hug.

"Everyone deserves another chance, including you, Coz."

"I agree with Pete."

Kaine chuckled softly and returned the hug. It certainly was something he appreciated from his friends. "T-Thank you, guys..."

His friends smiled in return, before the trio broke the group hug and continue walking to their class.

This might seem like it was the end of the story. But there was something more that Kaine knew it was inevitable. And he could only dread of its arrival.

Notes:

I wonder how things will turn out... Well, check the next chapter to read it! (And yes, there's a Gwen Stacy in this universe. I have plans for her in the future ;) )

Chapter 10: P2B - Chapter #9: Downfall Part 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Next afternoon...)

"Is violence really the answer?"

That question from yesterday echoed many times within Kaine's mind while the teen in his jacket looked at the ceiling of his bedroom blankly as he rested on his bed. Not only that, the terrified look painted on Flash's face... He remembered it clearly, despite being slightly controlled by his other self. Besides Flash, Peter and Anna too. No words came out of his mouth. Only his thoughts running in his mind.

"Was it... worth it?" he asked himself aloud.

"Really? You're asking it's worth it? Of course it is!" the demonic voice in his head answered, "That son of a bitch is now afraid. He won't hurt us again."

"I almost killed him!"

"Why do you even care about his life? The only thing that matters is him disappearing permanently."

"No. He..." he recalled the moment of realization in the counseling room, "He's no different than me..."

The voice groaned, "You've got to be kidding me. Next time, it will be different."

"Shut up."

There was knocking coming from outside of his room. "Kaine? Can I come in?"

The teen turned to the door and had a twinge of guilt after what he had done. Like there was a burden inside his heart. He sat up on his bed and responded, "Sure, Mom..."

May opened the door slowly, looking at her son with sadness. She closed the door, walked to her Kaine's bed, and sat on its side. "The school told me about what happened. Why did you do it..? You could've gotten expelled, you know that right..?"

He averted his eyes, not willing to look at her in the eyes. "I... I thought I had to give him a taste of his own medicine. He kept bothering me and my friends, Mom. So, an eye for an eye."

She sighed, "Honey, can you please look at me?"

Kaine hesitated for some moments, but he did end up looking at May, though he wanted not to look her in the eyes out of shame. His eyes were glassy. "I'm sorry, Mom... I just hate people like him. I've had enough and I want to get rid of them permanently..."

May closed in and pulled him to her embrace. "There, there... Kaine, people like him exist. But sometimes, "getting rid of someone" isn't the solution. We can only hope that he change for the better."

"He's no different than me..."

"Hm?"

"Flash Thompson. The guy who bullied me. He was abused by his father. He thought it was unfair that other people's lives seemed better than him... I realized that in a way, we're similar."

"Poor kid... Hopefully, things get better for him..."

May released Kaine from her hug and kissed him on the forehead, causing him to smile slightly. "Well, gotta heat up the leftovers for later. Your dad's coming back soon." She then got up and exited his room.

That smile quickly disappeared. "Great, dad's returning..." he muttered to himself, disdain and disgust could be heard in his voice.

It earned a response from the voice inside his head in form of a malicious laugh. Kaine frowned his eyes, unable to point his finger on why his darker self was laughing. One thing for sure... was that something bad would come.

---

(A few hours later...)

"Hellooo! Guess who's back home?" a man with greying hair in his 40s entered the apartment suite with a backpack and a few bags.

"Ben! Oh welcome back," May hugged him, while Kaine ignored him as he ate his lunch. She then noticed the bags under Ben's eyes, giving him a concerned look.

He simply laughed it off, "Work was hell... But I'm back!" Ben then put the bags on a couch and approached his son. "Hey, little angel. How have you been? How was your school?"

"Uh... hi," Kaine replied nonchalantly without looking at his father, "Been messy, dad."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Don't wanna talk about it."

The man turned to May, confused with why this kept happening to him. She could only look down and sigh.

He returned his attention to Kaine, "Kid... If it's about the past, I'm sorry."

"Don't. Even start with that, Dad. I don't fucking care, you hurt mom," he continued to eat his lunch, but he ate his food quickly because he did not want to talk with his father. "Nothing will make me forgive you for that."

"I- I know I'm not a good father, Kaine. I'm just trying to-"

"Yeah? Then stop acting like a good one!" he hit the table with his fist, leaving a crack. Everyone was shocked, even Kaine himself. He shook his head and finished his lunch, afterwards putting his plate and spoon inside the dishwasher.

Inside his mind, the voice laughed, "Good. Good!"

Ben walked closer to Kaine and put his hand on his shoulder. "Son, I know things have been rough between us for years. But I want to fix it. Will you at least give me a chance..?"

The teen glared at him with such unforgiving anger and he removed his father's hand from his shoulder. "Chance? Chance!? Fuck no! You are the very first reason why I'm suffering! Why we are suffering! You are the reason I envy Peter and his family!"

"What?"

One of Kaine's hands curled into a fist. "I keep getting reminded that I have a terrible father like you... Do you know how much it hurts me, Dad..? Seeing my cousin and his father have a good relationship everytime. Like seeing a perfect, imaginary mirror of yourself... IT HURTS ME SO FUCKING MUCH THAT I WANT YOU DEAD!" He raised his fist, about to beat the hell of his own father... Until at the last moment, he hesitated.

"Is violence really the answer?" He remembered what his counselor asked yesterday. With heavy heart, Kaine opened his fist and lowered his hand. 

"What!? What are you doing? That bastard is in front of you! Kill him!"

"FUCK!" Kaine screamed as his mind was filled with confusion. Suddenly, his hand was curling into a fist, not by his will. His eyes widened in horror.

"If you won't do it," the voice spoke in an irritated tone, "Then I'll do it myself!"

As his fist was being raised, Kaine used his other hand to prevent his darker self from killing his father. This made Ben and May look bewildered at their son, not knowing what had happened to him two days ago. As he didn't want another bad thing to happen, Kaine stormed off the apartment suite and headed to the elevator. Luckily, the doors were still open. So he quickly entered it and pressed a button to go to the lobby.

Ben looked at May and sighed, "I'll be right back, May. I'll get our son back..."

"Be careful, Ben," she said to him in a worried tone, earning a reassuring smile from him.

"I'll come back with him. Don't worry." And with that, Ben exited the apartment suite, rushing to the elevator and to the lobby. There was no sign of his son, even when he checked outside. So he decided to drive his car while looking around for Kaine. On his way to the parking lot, he texted the family group chat.

Kaine is not at home. I'm looking for him. If anyone is outside at the moment, please help me find him...

Ben got inside his car, turned it on, and drove out of the parking lot. His eyes darted back and forth, looking for any signs of Kaine on the streets. At that moment, all he could think of...was his son.

"Kaine...where are you..?"

---

(Several blocks away...)

"Man, you really should put a better fight next time," a red-and-blue masked figure finished webbing muggers to the wall, "Oh well, say hi to the boys in blue soon! Ciao!"

A store owner, a man with glasses, rushed outside, "Oh, thank goodness." He then turned to the masked man, offering him a handshake with a grateful smile, "Thank you, Spider-Man. I appreciate your help for catching these muggers."

"S-Spider-Man? No, I'm just...a guy who wants to help people."

The store owner chuckled, "That's what the Bugle has been calling you since...Thursday or Friday?"

"Huh... Spider-Man..." He giggled when something popped up in his mind, "Your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. That's gonna stick for a while." Spider-Man accepted his handshake, "You're welcome, Mr. Ditko. Please be careful, alright?"

They shared a smile, before Spider-Man swung off to a rooftop and sat down on the ground. Peter looked at the street from up there, enjoying the view for some time. His phone in his jeans' pocket suddenly vibrated, prompting him to check the notification. When he saw what it was, his smile underneath the mask disappeared. It was a message from uncle Ben.

Kaine is not at home. I'm looking for him. If anyone is outside at the moment, please help me find him...

Peter made a frustrated noise, "Gosh... What are you doing now, Coz?" He shoved his phone back into the pocket, leaped off the rooftop, and started swinging from building to building. All that while looking around for his cousin and using his spider sense to track him.

"Kaine... Wherever you are, please don't get into trouble..!" 

 

Notes:

Things are gonna get really messy in the next chapter XP And it will change Kaine's life. Absolutely.

Chapter 11: P2B - Chapter #10: Downfall Part 3

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

On a rooftop, Kaine watches his father's car heading somewhere from afar. He turned his attention to one of his hands, which had curled into a fist earlier not by his own will. That really was a close one. Gladly, he managed to prevent himself from killing Ben. 

"You really shouldn't have done that," Kaine talked to the voice in his mind with a stern tone.

"No, YOU shouldn't have done that!" he retorted, "I was doing what's best for us. Besides, you want him to die."

"Yes, I do. And I despise my father. But I cannot do it after what happened to Flash!"

"Unbelievable... Just unbelievable."

Kaine covered his face with both of his hands and let out a muffled scream, filled with frustration. Another scream escaped from his mouth. Having enough of this confusion, he removed his hands from his face, curled one into a fist, and hit the ground so hard. It left a crack, but he didn't care. He kept hitting it. However, his anger was not satisfied, needing more. The question was...how could it be satisfied?

The teenager's eyes wandered around aimlessly until a billboard nearby caught their attention. An ad for a ring fight against Bonesaw McGraw with huge amount of money as the reward along with an address. The corners of his mouth turned upwards. This was his answer. He quickly took out his phone, entered the address into the phone's map, and swung there.

---

(Nearly an hour later...)

Inside a building, cheers from an audience could be heard as Bonesaw finished his opponent in the ring. Some could be seen holding signs saying "WE LOVE YOU, BONESAW!" while others were holding saw props. Them cheering him and chanting his name made the big man grin and open his hands as he looked at them and screamed, "No one can defeat Bonesaw! Come on, I'm bored! Give me more and show me that you can win against the unbeatable BONESAW!!!"

Kaine was watching from the sidelines, gulping as he saw a fighter carried on a stretcher. "Maybe this is a bad idea..." he told himself quietly. He had second thoughts about exiting the building and simply going back to his family. But... The imagination of his parents' wrath made him tremble. At the same time, he was worried because he was surrounded by strangers, who knew what they would do to him? 

"First, you ran away from home. Second, you went here to release your anger. And now, you're having second thoughts? You've got to be kidding me," the voice groaned, "Make up your mind already! Things are going to be fine."

"No, this is stupid. I better just go back while I can. My dad's looking for me right now, what if something bad happens to him..?"

"I thought you- we both hate him? That's unlike you."

Kaine sighed, "I think I was too harsh at him... Too blinded by my hatred to see his other side. I need to talk with my dad and patch things up."

"Urgh. Fine. But after we fight him," the voice responded with an irritated tone as Kaine put on his hood and made a mask out of his webbing. But there was a little facade that the teenage Parker didn't know, hiding an ulterior motive.

"Who will come and defeat Bonesaw?! Come on, don't be afraid!" There was no answer. "No one? Very well-"

"I will!" the teenager leaped forward to the ring, surprising everyone with such feat.

Bonesaw looked at the masked youth in wonder. "A boy?" he laughed, not expecting a young man to fight him, causing everyone to boo at Kaine but he didn't care. However, the man raised his hand to silence the audience. "So you want to fight me?" It earned a nod from Kaine. "Alright, kid. I'll try to hold back as possible."

"Hm... I'm looking for a little challenge. And I want you not to hold back. Just to make this interesting. What do you say?"

A smile of admiration was painted on the fighter's face. "No fighter has ever wanted a challenge until you come. Not bad," he flicked his fingers, "Cage match!"

At his command, a cage was lowered down, blocking all sides of the ring. As it was lowered down, Kaine turned around in panic. "Darn. This is not what I signed up for." He turned back to Bonesaw, looking at him in the eyes. "Well... No going back. Time to finish this once and for all!"

The audience remained silent and tense, all of their attention was on Kaine and Bonesaw. The two fighters stared at one another, taking a stance. Both clenched their fists as their respective eyes looked at the tiniest bit of movement, waiting for one to strike the other.

Seconds later, Bonesaw rushed toward Kaine like a rhinoceros. His eyes widened and he vaulted over the big man. As Bonesaw was left confused, the teenager delivered punches to his back in quick succession. Each punch was so powerful that it made the fighter growl in pain. Bonesaw propelled his elbow backwards to hit Kaine, making him step back and cough. Despite the powerful hit he received, he was able to recover quickly. But the fight was yet to be over.

As Bonesaw turned around, Kaine readied himself. The fighter rushed to the teenager. Kaine knew this move so he chose to repeat what he did. Unfortunately, the man grabbed his leg and smashed him to the ground. Painful moans escaped Kaine's mouth. As he was recovering, a vibrating sensation in his head alerted him to an incoming stomp from Bonesaw. Reflexively, Kaine crossed his hands to prevent the attack, with Bonesaw's foot close to his face. "Fuck. That was close."

With a small window of time, he quickly kicked Bonesaw in the chest so hard that it sent him to the side of the ring. Kaine then leapt backwards to the cage, his fingers attached to the bars. After that, he launched himself toward the man like a torpedo. 

Everyone was silent at that moment. Their fingers were trembling. No one was moving, their eyes were laid on the fighters, waiting for the outcome. Soon, Kaine and Bonesaw stood up, breathing heavily. The big man could feel the aching pain throughout his body, but that was not his concern at the moment. He looked at the masked youth and clapped, "Not bad for a young man like you! You are the first to defeat me. Not bad!" With that, he patted Kaine on his shoulder and turned to the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, give applause for this amazing young man!"

The audience quickly stood up from their seats and cheered, turning the room into a stadium. Beneath the mask, bewilderment could be seen in the young Parker's eyes. He couldn't hide his smile as he was showered with praise. Kaine turned to Bonesaw and they nodded as a sign of respect for each other.

On a nearby seat however, was the ring promoter. The look on his face was full of disdain. Bonesaw was the star of this fight and he was defeated merely by a young man? It was something he found to be unfair and insulting. Perhaps an unfair payback would do.

---

(Minutes later...)

Kaine, still wearing his web mask, was standing in front of the promoter's table, waiting as he counted the money. His phone vibrated in his pocket, prompting him to check it. His jaw dropped as he read it...

Coz! Where are you?! I've been looking for you through every block and you're nowhere to be found. Uncle Ben's looking for you too! Where are you...? Please, please... Go home, Kaine...

He frantically typed a reply.

Alright, alright. Pete, I'm sorry. I'll be heading home soon. Don't worry about me.

Kaine shoved his phone back to his pocket when the ring promoter handed the money. He accepted and checked it out. As he flipped it through, his normal expression turned into a confused one. He turned to the promoter, "Sir? Excuse me, but... I think you got the numbers wrong- The ad said three thousand, not a hundred."

The ring promoter looked at Kaine in the eyes and said, "I missed the part where that's my problem, kid. You see, you ain't the star. Bonesaw is! Be glad you still get rewarded. Now, get out."

"This is outrageous!"

The promoter didn't respond, causing Kaine to storm off of his office. He shook his head and cursed under his breath. He sighed and decided to go home as soon as possible. On his way to the elevator though, he got another vibrating sensation in his head. There were two suspicious men heading to the promoter's office. One of them was wearing a jacket and green-striped shirt. The man seemed...reluctant? Kaine just shrugged it off and continued walking to the elevator. Until the pleading and screams came from the office, which made the teenager turn around. 

"They got my money! Stop them!" he screamed at Kaine, accompanied by a security guard. But Kaine just let them pass to the elevator. 

When the promoter caught up with him, he looked at the teen with confusion. "You could've gotten them. Why?"

"I missed the part where that's my problem," Kaine replied in a nonchalant tone, smirking at the ring promoter, before leaving to the stairs.

Unbeknownst to him... Something terrible would happen that would haunt him... Perhaps, forever.

---

(Later...)

Having gotten rid of the web mask, Kaine was now heading home. On his way, he was texting his father, asking his location. Even after minutes had passed, there were no replies. He let out a heavy sigh, wondering if his father hated him this time...

*BANG!*

A gunshot startled him, causing the teen to nearly drop his phone. Kaine shove it into his jeans' pocket and rushed to the source of the sound. What he found...was something that made him frozen. Ben lying helplessly on the ground, with the green-striped shirt man from earlier standing next to him. His fingers were shaking while still holding a revolver, his eyes widened in shock. But that was not what Kaine saw. All he saw...was a man who shot his father in coldblood.

The two then looked at each other. Kaine's expression was full of fiery anger while the man realized he got into a big trouble.

"Flint, come on! What are you doing!?" his friend, Dennis, yelled at him from Ben's car.

Flint immediately ran, got inside the car, and sat on a passenger seat. Dennis then drove it to somewhere safe, leaving Kaine behind.

For a moment, he wanted to pursue them, beat them, and leave them to the authorities. But then... Who would aid his father? Who would be there for him? So, he rushed to Ben and kneeled down, inspecting the gunshot wound on his stomach. The blood soaking his father's shirt made Kaine avert his eyes. However, he tried to look at it and stop the bleeding. The question was...how?

"Dad?" Kaine called him, but no response. He reached for his hand, holding it and giving a soft squeeze... Still no response. "Dad, I'm here. Dad..?" No words came out of him... 

Kaine looked down, overwhelmed by guilt. Tears were starting to roll down across his cheeks. It was all his fault... He could've just moved on and forgiven him. But no, he had to keep hating him. Until he finally paid the price.

Peter, still in his Spider-Man outfit, landed on the street after swinging throughout city blocks. Not far from him, was his cousin and his now late uncle. The sight shook him to his core, causing Peter rush to Kaine.

"Kaine...?" The mention of his name prompted him to turn to Peter. He couldn't say anything, as there was nothing left to say. The older twin then cradled his father's body, sobbing, while Peter put his hand on Kaine's shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"I'm sorry, Dad... I'm sorry... I'm sorry...." He could only say it repeatedly to Ben's ear. No matter how many times he would repeat it, it wouldn't matter. Because there was no more chance to fix things between them.

Notes:

The next chapter will explore how Ben's death affects the Parker family, Kaine's mind, and his relationship with his mother. It will also be the last chapter of Part 2B. I hope you're enjoying it so far!

Chapter 12: P2B - Chapter #11: Grief

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Two days later...)

It was morning in Queens. The sun shone at the world. Birds were chirping. Everyone was minding their own business. The day seemed beautiful and normal... But not for the Parker family. At a graveyard, May, Mary, and Richard were standing in front of Ben's tombstone, mourning for their loss. Peter and Annabelle were there too. And for Kaine... He was standing a few meters apart from the group, looking down at the grass blankly... Not even giving eye contact to anyone.

"...my fault... my fault... my fault... all my fault...." he kept saying those words to himself, like he was in a trance.

His friends heard him, turned around, and approached him. "K..." Anna looked at him with a concerned expression, "Stop blaming yourself. Please." The older Parker shook his head and looked up to her, "It's my fault, Ann... I can't rectify it. Look at what I have done, I hurt my own family. And they're probably thinking that I am a despicable child, which is true. Perhaps they finally got fed up after all these years... There won't be a second chance..."

"Despite something bad that has happened, there's still a chance to change," Peter told his cousin, "Don't be afraid to ask for forgiveness, no matter how scary it is. And learn from it too, Coz."

"We're here for you, bud," Anna smiled as she stepped forward, her hands wide open. When she was about to embrace him, he stepped back and shook his head, causing her to give him a puzzled look. "No... Please don't. You guys don't deserve someone bad like me..." Nonetheless, she walked closer and hugged him, patting his back. Then Peter joined the hug too.

"Pete, Anna... I don't deserve you two."

Peter chuckled, "Kaine, friends do not abandon one who makes mistakes. Friends stick out for each other. And give them a chance for redemption." The redhead agreed, "And no way I'm abandoning the one who understands me so well... I'm staying. We are staying, K." 

No words came out of Kaine's mouth. Not that he was speechless, but because he still felt undeserving of their love. He sighed and looked at his mother, who was now glancing at him. The expression on his face turned into one of shame. He closed his eyes, unable to bear to see the pain and sorrow reflected on her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Mom..."

---

(Hours later...; Evening...)

Kaine was filling his mug with drinking water. While he was doing so, his mother was preparing to cook. Both were not saying anything to each other. And they just simply minded their own business. The teenager then headed toward his room, dragging himself like a walking dead. He opened the door and walked in, before glancing at May for a few seconds and closing it.

"Life is finally better this way, isn't it? Your father is no more. So, you should be happy, Kaine. The man of all those painful reminders is truly gone," his darker self said to him. Kaine didn't respond anything. "Well, alright. If you want me to be silent, I'll just shut up."

He sighed heavily and sipped the water from his mug. It was cool and refreshing, but it could not fill the void in his heart. The day he lost his father still lingered somewhere in his mind... He should've listened to the words of his mother and his cousin. But it was already too late...

Afterwards, Kaine put down his now empty mug on his desk and headed to his bed. The teenager rested his head on a pillow, facing the ceiling. For a few moments, he just laughed at himself. There wouldn't be freedom for him, because he was trapped in his own past. And perhaps would never be free forever... Others tried to help but he refused it. He truly was an idiot. 

Kaine grabbed a hug pillow and held it tightly for comfort. Closing his eyes gently, he just hoped that he would rest easy. Moments later, he drifted into the darkness...

---

In a void somewhere... Kaine was wandering around in confusion. He didn't understand why he was there. He looked around and it seemed like there was no way out.

"Kid... Why didn't you give me a chance...?" a voice spoke to him with a sorrowful tone.

The teenager froze, recognizing his father's voice. He turned around and saw Flint who was behind Ben. They were meters apart from the young Parker. The man pulled out a gun and aimed at him. His expression was nothing more than a cold, empty one. Kaine's eyes widened in terror, prompting him to rush to Ben.

"No, no! Wait! Please don't do it! DON'T!" the teenager screamed pleadingly, but it fell to deaf ears.

"Why wouldn't you give me a chance..?" were Ben's last words before Flint shot him in the stomach. The green-striped shirt man faded as Ben collapsed, his blood dripping and eventually forming a pool of blood.

He stopped and stood helplessly, looking at his dead father. "Why is this happening to me again..?"

"Your fault. Your fault. All your fault." Kaine recognized the voices and he turned around to see fingers pointed at him. It was his family: Peter, Mary, Richard; accusing him for what he had done.

"You should've listened to us," Peter and May said to him, "You should've patched things up. But you didn't. Now, it's time to pay the price."

"Wait... No. I'm sorry," Kaine said as the group closed in to him, "I'm sorry, please!"

"Too late. There won't be another chance. You won't be a part of our family anymore. And you will simply die for your sins." Peter walked closer and choked his cousin. The grip was so tight that it made the older twin coughing and gasping for breath. He tightened his grip, intending to kill him.

"Let... me... GO!"

*SNIKT!*

A stinger protruded from Kaine's wrist and he pushed it toward Peter's chest, piercing through his heart. The younger twin gasped and looked down at his chest as Kaine pulled it away, its edge soaked in blood. The grip loosened, with Peter's vision going blurry as he collapsed to the ground. 

Having gotten free, Kaine took time to recover. He stared down at Peter's lifeless body and grinned maniacally. The older twin's skin started to change into grey, with his eyes becoming red blood. He then cackled at the terrified group after killing one of their own.

"Soon... You'll be mine."

---

He jolted awake on his bed, breathing heavily after what he had seen. The teen quickly turned to a clock on his wall, showing 12 AM. Kaine then inspected his hand and much to his horror, a stinger came out of his wrist–a claw of some sort, made of his bone. Not wanting to see it, he retracted the stinger. He cringed in pain and disgust as it came back inside his wrist and his skin recovering.

Kaine looked down and covered his face with both of his hands. Even in his sleep, Ben's death haunted him. Not just that but his fears too...

"When will I be free from all of this..? Can I even get out from this prison of my own making?" he asked himself aloud. All the response he got was a laugh by the voice that echoed within his mind. A laugh that sent chills to his whole body.

Only time would tell if he would ever get free and change for the better.

Notes:

And so, this concludes Part 2B. Part 3, the last part, will go back to the present day. (Because most of Part 1 and Part 2 are flashbacks.) We'll see if Kaine chooses to become better or fall under his darker self's influence. You'll get to see a bit of action between Scarlet Spider (Kaine) and Spider-Man (Peter). And perhaps more... ;) Since Part 3 consists of six chapters, I might publish it at the end of August. Anyway, I hope you have a great time reading this! If you have any questions or feedbacks, feel free to comment! Have a good day, y'all. Peace!

Chapter 13: P3 - Chapter #12: Vengeance Part 1

Notes:

The beginning of this chapter is set shortly after the end of chapter 1 from part 1. To make sense of the context, please check part 1 and part 2. If you already understand, feel free to continue! There will be mild violence, so proceed with your discretion.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

(Back to the present day...)

"So, you want to be free?" Kaine's demonic reflection asked him, with an expectant tone, as if he was waiting for a certain answer.

"Y-Yes..." It made a wicked grin form on the demon's face. "Please... Anything. I'll do it just to end this nightmare..." Tears were already trickling down from his glassy red eyes. The look on his face was the look of someone who wanted to give up and surrender control.

"Still remember the man who killed your father? He's still hiding out there somewhere."

Kaine looked at his darker self's reflection on the bathroom mirror, "What do you want me to do with him...?"

"Be the predator. Hunt the prey. Find his whereabouts. And when you find Flint, kill him."

"What? Kill?!" he snapped, "No, I don't kill. No!"

"Do you want this to be over or not, Kaine?" he fired back, causing the teen to question himself and have second thoughts. "He killed your father. He is the reason for your nightmares and you losing a chance to fix things. Yet, you don't want to get rid of the problem." The demon reminded him, "An eye for an eye. He took your father's life, now it's time you take his own."

For a few moments, Kaine looked down, averting his eyes from the mirror. He was at his most desperate. He didn't want to take a life. However at the same time, he would continue to be tormented by his never-ending nightmares. He was cornered... Sighing heavily, he looked up to the mirror and nodded reluctantly. "Fine... If that's what it needs to get rid of this burden..."

The demon smiled, as Kaine's eyes and skin changing into something akin to his: blood red eyes and grey skin.

"From today... We have work to do."

---

(Three days later...; Nighttime...)

"Peter! Dinner time!" Mary called her son from the dining room, while he was still in his room.

"Y-Yeah, Mom! Coming..." Peter still sat on his bed, his eyes on the phone he was holding. He sighed softly, looking at his messaging app, while scrolling through his messages with Kaine. It had been four days since his cousin contacted either him or Anna. His phone then vibrated, receiving a message from Anna.

Pete, any new message from K?

He typed something and sent it.

No...

Why did he ghost us, Peter..?

Maybe he needs some time alone, Ann. He still feels guilty for what happened.

He could've texted one of us... Told us to give him some time.

"Yeah... But he didn't..." he mumbled to himself.

Peter, what if something happens to Kaine? No- What if something already happened to him? I just. Hhh, I want to slap him for ghosting us. But on a serious note... I just- I don't know...

He put up a weak smile, trying to stay optimistic as he typed a reply...

I'll try to visit him tomorrow. To check up on him. Let's hope for the better, okay?

Please do... And say hi from me. Tell him not to ghost us next time :)) If he wants to say sorry to me, I prefer him to do it face-to-face on Monday

Pfft XD Okie dokie, I will. Gotta go now, dinner time.

Okay...

Take care, T-Rex XD We'll talk again soon

Oi! Don't call me that, Glasses. Though you don't wear it anymore lmao- Oaky, take care and au revoir!

Peter chuckled and shoved his phone into his shorts' pocket as he exited the room and headed toward the dining room. His parents were eating while the TV was playing the DB (Daily Bugle) news channel. He picked up a plate and a spoon, before proceeding to take some rice and chicken nuggets filled with cheese. He then took an empty seat and started eating.

"Peter, have you two talked lately?" Richard asked after swallowing a spoonful of rice and a piece of a nugget. His son simply shook his head, "No, Dad. He hasn't texted me for four days..." He and Mary glanced at each other and sighed softly, continuing to eat their dinner.

"Dad?"

"Hm?"

"This is related to Kaine. Do you think there are times when we can't forgive people? Even the ones close to us? I still give him another chance but...I just want to know if there's a limit."

His father nodded, "Yes, when they go too far or betray our trust."

"But, that doesn't mean there's no chance for them to redeem themselves if they want to," Mary added.

Richard smiled in agreement. "Even if one goes on a different path, it's not too late to change to the right course. One can only do so much and hope for the better for their fellow."

Peter smiled warmly and nodded as he was nearly done with his dinner. But something made him stop for a moment, his eyes widened in shock as he watched the news.

"In other news, police has recently concluded that a series of violent cases from these last three nights are connected. Pedestrians said the perpetrator was a masked man webbing these muggers and using violent methods on them, such as slashing and torture. Police found them shaking out of fear. They confessed that he was looking for a man called Flint–Flint Marko, who was hiding from the police after a mugging and carjacking attempt with Dennis Carradine. Apparently, this vigilante is connected to the two mysterious Spider-Men who first appeared Thursday in the previous week. However, the question is... Which one is responsible for this violence? Stay updated with the Daily Bugle. This is Betty Brant reporting."

"Dear goodness... Why would a man do such a thing...?" Mary spoke her thoughts aloud, earning a shrug from her husband.

Peter was simply frozen still, processing of what he just heard. A violent vigilante? Obviously it wasn't him. Unless... Kaine. His hold on the spoon grew tightened and shaky. Disbelief and fury were reflected on his eyes. He couldn't believe that his cousin dared to go something pretty far after what happened to Flash and uncle Ben.

"Kid? What's wrong?" Richard looked at his son in confusion and surprise.

"Huh?-" Peter snapped back to reality, before realizing he just bent the spoon. "Oh uh... It's just... I can't believe a Spider-Man did it..." he said in disappointment. The teen quickly finished his dinner and put his plate and spoon - unbending it first - in a dishwasher. 

"Uh, Mom? Dad? I want to rest early so I'm gonna lock the door. Is it okay?"

Mary and Richard glanced at each other, before looking at her son. "Hon, is everything alright? You seem to be in a rush." It only earned a nod from Peter. "You know you can tell us, right?"

"I know, Mom... But yeah, everything's alright," he put up a half-smile.

Mary and Richard frowned for a few moments, but they just let it slide.

"Alright. Sweet dreams, little Peter. We love you," she waved at him.

Peter chuckled, "Love you, Mom, Dad." He then headed back to his room and locked it, sighing to himself. "I'm sorry.... But I have to save Kaine."

He walked to his wardrobe and was about to open it. But...he hesitated. "I could die... He could kill me..." His doubt was soon replaced by a full determination, yet still accompanied by fear. "No. I'm the only one who can stop him. I can prevent something bad from happening. Though I may die... If this be my last day, so be it. At least, one soul...one soul can be saved."

Peter opened the wardrobe and took out his red mask with goggles, red leather jacket, black tipless gloves, blue jeans, and red-and-blue ASICS shoes. The teachings from his parents when he was a kid echoed within his mind.

"Help yourself, but don't forget others in need. If you can help them within your ability and when you can, then why not?" (Mary Parker)

"The power, the ability to help your fellows is in your hand. No matter what it is. No matter the scale. Be it a power, a skill, intelligence. Even something simple: a desire. It's all up to us really. A choice. But to me, it's a moral obligation. A responsibility. Always remember that, Pete. Remember that." (Richard Parker)

After suiting up, he slid open the window in his room, got out, and slid it close. His fingers and feet were now attached to the apartment's wall. Taking a few deep breaths, Peter leaped off and shot a web line to a building. Swinging from one building to another, the masked Peter scanned for any signs of Kaine through his goggles while also waiting for any vibrations from inside his head–his spider sense, if you would.

Hopefully there was still time to save his cousin...

---

(Meanwhile, a few blocks away...)

A hooded Dennis Carradine was walking alone on the crowded street, his hands in his jeans' pockets–one holding a gun. He was gazing at an unsuspecting Flash Thompson in front of him, but he would glance and turn around in fear at times, especially the rooftops because of the recent news. Everything seemed fine. Unbeknownst to him however, a hooded masked figure was tailing him carefully from nearby rooftops.

Soon the street got quieter, with a dark alley just around the corner. Seeing a chance, Dennis immediately covered the teen's mouth, causing him to let out a muffled yelp. He then moved fast to the alley and pulled out his gun, putting it against Flash's temple.

"Alright, kid. You don't want me to put a bullet in your brains? Gimme all of your money and don't even try to do sumthin stupid. Understand? I'm watchin'."

Terror could be seen in Flash's eyes as he nodded. The mugger released the teen and pointed his gun at him while Flash pulled out his wallet and checked it. But as he was about to get Flash's money, a web line snatched his pistol from above, prompting both to look up. It was the masked vigilante; a grey-skinned male standing on a ledge and staring at the man with his blood red eyes. Realizing it was him, the teenager's face lit up with a mixture of hope and slight discomfort while the mugger's eyes widened in fear. The vigilante shot two web lines onto Dennis's shoulders and pulled him up against the wall, attaching the web lines on the ledge.

"AHHHH!!!"

"Go. I have some business with this man," Kaine ordered the teen, which he complied, before thanking the vigilante. He then turned his attention to the man. "This guy better have something I want," he growled in desperation.

The masked teen crawled down on the wall and faced Flint's friend. "It's you..." Astonishment could be heard from his voice. He then protruded a stinger from one of his wrists and brought it forth to Dennis's neck, its tip meeting his skin. "Where is he? WHERE IS FLINT?" Kaine yelled impatiently.

"I- I- I don't know who you are talking about," he stuttered.

"Wrong answer." He scratched Dennis's neck with his stinger's tip, earning painful groans. "I've gotten VERY IMPATIENT AND DESPERATE. I have considered killing others just because they have no value to me. But you? You are no good to me dead. If I were you, I'd rather not push my luck. So let's make things easier and end this quickly. Where. Is. Flint?"

Still no answer, causing Kaine to move down his hand to Dennis's upper body and slashed it several times. The man remained helpless as he screamed in pain and blood started to drip, soaking his clothes. He even pissed himself because of how scared he was, being tortured by someone who didn't look human. "I can do this all day. I prefer not to kill you, so don't test my patience. How about you just tell me and I'll stop this once and for all!?" Kaine hissed at him, intending to stab Dennis.

"Alright- Alright! Damn it... He's- He's hiding at an abandoned warehouse. Just a few blocks from here... Please, please...don't hurt me anymore..."

A smile formed underneath the web mask that covered nearly all of his face. The vigilante retracted his stinger, "Thank you. See, that was so easy. Now, enjoy getting cuffed by the boys in blue. Don't worry, your wounds won't kill you. You'll live."

Kaine dropped to the ground, intending to find and finish off the cause of his nightmares. When he was about to swing away to Flint's location however, he felt vibrations in his head, his hair stood up. He turned around to find a fellow Spider-Man, none other than Peter Parker. His blood red eyes changed into his normal hazel ones and his grey skin back to his usual one.

"Peter..?" 

The younger one remained silent, shaking his head after witnessing what just happened. Rain started to fall down from the skies and thunder cracked in the sky. Both teens were looking at each other in the eyes, surprised and still processing everything. This could either lead to an argument or perhaps...a fight.

A fight to save or take a life. Only the winner would decide how this night ended. Only time would tell...

Notes:

A cliffhanger eh? ;) Wanna find out how it will unfold??? Stay tune for the next chapter coming in two days ;) MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Chapter 14: P3 - Chapter #13: Vengeance Part 2

Notes:

This chapter contains mild violence. Proceed with your discretion.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Two hooded masked teenagers stood opposite of each other in an alley as the rain fell. Both determined to achieve their goals, yet each was an obstacle to the other. Only one could decide how this night would end. Only one.

Kaine leaped to a wall and ran on it, he headed to the rooftop, as Peter rapidly followed suit. Then they ran and jumped across rooftops.

The older Parker glanced over his shoulder and his eyes widened in surprise–his younger cousin was faster than him!
He pushed his muscles further, and tried to run faster. Unfortunately, Peter was able to catch up and shot a web line to Kaine's back to stop him.

"That's enough!" Peter yelled as he yanked Kaine to him. This prompted the older twin to turn back, protrude a stinger, and slashed the web. 

"What?! You're going to stop me!?" Kaine glared at Peter, fiery anger could be seen on his hazel eyes.

"I can't let something bad happen again! If so, this will be the third time!" Peter then sighed, his voice becoming softer and lower. "Why are you doing this, Coz..?"

Kaine looked away, "I... I just want the nightmares to end, Pete. My dad keeps coming back in my dreams. Almost. Every. Single. Day."

The younger Parker sighed softly and pulled the older one to his embrace, but Kaine didn't return the gesture. 

"I'm sorry for you, Kaine. You know you could've texted me anytime, right?"

"I still feel undeserving of you and Anna after what I have done..." Kaine said in a sorrowful tone.

"Geez, you still haven't changed..." Both chuckled softly. "Kaine, listen... Have you taken things into consideration...?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you do this, will it do you any good in the end? Even our family and friend?"

Kaine froze, his stinger slowly going back to the inside of his wrist...

"If they find out what you've been doing, they'll be devastated. I don't want that to happen." He pleaded, "You can still stop this. Revenge is like a poison. And it can take you over and turn you into someone you were not... Just forget this and go home. Please..."

"Don't listen to him! You have this one chance! One chance only and you can't let it slip!" the voice in Kaine's mind pushed him.

Two sides with different intentions. Both were right in a way but which one should he listen to? He could go home but the nightmares would perhaps return. Or he could kill Flint, with the possibility of him getting imprisoned for murder and disowned. 

Conflicting thoughts ran through his mind every second and he was unable to come to a decision... But it changed when the image of his father's killer appeared in his mind. In response, Kaine pushed Peter away angrily.

"Wh- What? Kaine..."

"I'm sorry, Peter... I'm sorry. I need the nightmares to be over," Kaine teared up as he reverted back to his previous look and growled.

The look on Peter's face changed into a determined, serious one. "Then I have to stop you, Coz. For your own good..." This prompted them to enter a stance and readied their fists.

Their outfits were soaked wet. They could get sick, but determination was still present in both of them. The two were bent on taking down the other, as they waited for each other's action.

Kaine rushed forward with a fist launched at Peter's face. He immediately ducked and vaulted over him. During the confusion, the red and blue masked teen shot web pellets to Kaine's back in order to stun him and spun two web lines to his legs. Afterwards, he pulled those to make his cousin fall to the ground. He then shot webs to envelope him to the ground.

This didn't stay long however, as Kaine protruded stingers and slashed the webbing to set himself free. Peter's eyes widened in surprise when his cousin rose. 

Taking this opportunity, Kaine ran and tackled Peter to the ground. He delivered several punches to Peter's face–however one punch got stopped by Peter's crossed hands. With that, he kicked his cousin in the stomach–Kaine coughed and took a few steps backward.

Peter rose from the ground and felt something warm spill out of his mouth. It was blood soaking his mask, but he didn't pay attention to it.

"You should've let him have his chance to make the killer pay, Peter..." the demonic voice spoke through Kaine's mouth to Peter himself, in a furious tone.

"No way. I can't let that happen. You'll have to go through me."

"Even if that means us killing you?" he smirked wickedly.

"Yes," he answered with fear and determination in his voice, "Doesn't matter if I die or not today. The important thing is...I try to save my brother."

"Very well..." the voice replied as he protruded two stingers, "Have it your way!"

"NO!" Kaine took over the control for the moment and tried to retract his stingers, only to be met with a power struggle.

"HE'S JUST AN OBSTACLE TO US!"

"That...doesn't mean...you need to kill him!"

Peter shot a web to Kaine's face, blinding him for a moment. Kaine blindly slashed and let out an animalistic scream. He then retracted his stingers and tried to remove the webbing from his face with a little difficulty. Then, Peter launched himself toward Kaine. A vibrating sensation manifested in Kaine's head, causing him to reflexively stop his cousin by placing his hand on Peter's neck, choking him. After that, he slammed Peter to the ground, earning painful groans from him.

Kaine ripped off the webbing and looked at his cousin, "Stay down, Pete... Please."

He chuckled weakly. "Never..." he said with his voice restrained, "I w-won't. I will stand till the end. No matter if I die by your hands..."

"Oh, let's just shut him up," the voice groaned as he commanded a stinger to come out of one of Kaine's wrists and raised his hand, "We are wasting our time." 

The sight of his cousin's stinger terrified Peter slightly. He looked at Kaine in the eyes. Underneath the mask, the expression on his face was a sorrowful one. Perhaps his effort was in vain after all and he would really die tonight... Memories of him and Kaine flashed in his mind. Sighing heavily, he resigned to his fate.

"Go on. I'm just an obstacle to you, right..? He said it himself. Do what you have to do... Finish it."

"Do it."

Killing his own flesh and blood, especially the one who had loved him like a brother for years... It was something he was unable to bear. No matter what the voice in his mind told him, he would not kill Peter Parker.

"No. You're not merely an obstacle. You're still like a brother to me," Kaine spoke as he retracted his stinger, "But... I still need the nightmares to end." With that, he curled his hand into a fist and knocked Peter out with a single punch. But not before reminding him this...

"You can still walk away from this... Forget your quest of vengeance. You can still go home."

"Forgive me..." sighed Kaine in regret as he stood up, turned around, and started walking. But he stopped, as he felt a twinge of guilt... So, he turned back and carried Peter. Kaine's eyes scanned around for a quiet rooftop with canopy and a bench. To his luck, there was one nearby, just two buildings away. He jumped from one building to another with ease.

Afterwards, he rested the unconscious Peter on a bench under a canopy. Kaine took a moment to look at his cousin and smiled softly. "Doesn't matter if I'm good or not... You're still willing to stick your neck out for me, just to save me. You love me..." He lowered his web mask, leaned forward to his cousin's forehead, and placed a gentle kiss on it, before raising the mask.

Kaine walked to the ledge and leaped off. He shot a web line to a building and swung from building to building. His eyes darting back and forth, looking for an abandoned warehouse with desperation and anger.

"I'm coming for you, fucker."

---

(Later, inside the warehouse...)

In a dimly lit, hot, and dusty room, Flint Marko was holding a small picture of his young daughter Penny and himself while sitting on a wooden chair. As he looked at it, he reflected about the past decisions he could've made differently that had led to his family nearly destroyed. He had lost his job to support his ailing daughter. And now, he had to do something he wasn't willing and didn't like, to be someone he wasn't. Just so she could get treatment.

"I'm sorry, Penny... You don't deserve me..." he lamented to himself.

He put it next to his revolver and a bag of money on a table. Flint let out a soft sigh and looked around his surroundings. It had been an hour since Dennis went out and hadn't returned. He was thinking of going outside to look for him, at the risk of getting caught by authorities. 

"You enjoy hiding in this place, I see," a masculine voice chuckled grimly, which alerted Flint and prompted him to arm himself with the revolver and readied it.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" the man checked the visible corners and the ceiling, but no sign of the one speaking to him.

"Me? I'm just someone thirsty for vengeance," the voice echoed as he growled, "Someone haunted... Someone who desperately needs closure for days... CLOSURE FROM THE NIGHTMARES CAUSED BY YOU!"

A hooded masked figure dropped from a dark ceiling in front of Flint. When Kaine looked up and growled, Flint was a little shaken by his appearance, especially his blood red eyes.

"N-No... What did I do- Stay back!" Flint's plea didn't matter to Kaine as he walked forward slowly. Flint moved back and shot a round to the masked figure, yet he dodged it. This terrified the man and made him empty his remaining bullets. However, Kaine dodged all of them and grinned like a predator behind his mask.

"You have nowhere to run, Flint Marko," said him in a taunting manner, "BECAUSE YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE!"

Kaine spun a web line from his fingertips, yanked the revolver away to the ground, and webbed it. Now cornering Flint, he began to beat him senseless, bruising him so hard and throwing the man across the room. 

"No one will save you, Marko. NO ONE!"

"P-Please stop... Mercy..."

"Stop? Stop..?" Kaine gave a sarcastic chuckle, "Did you stop when you murdered an old man? Did you even give him mercy? DID YOU!?"

He proceeded to deliver a kick to Flint, which sent him to a bunch of barrels and knocked them down. Then Kaine grabbed the man by his neck with his right hand and slammed him to the table. Blood was spilling out of Flint's mouth, leaving a trail across the floor. He was unconscious after the beating he endured.

Kaine grinned in satisfaction and protruded a stinger from his left wrist. "Now, time for the price for the blood you spilled." 

As he was about to slit Flint's throat, he noticed a photo on the table. It was him and his daughter... The shock made Kaine release the man from his hold and took a few steps backward.

"What? What are you doing?" the voice questioned.

The teenager looked at his hands, still in shock. "I... I almost killed a father..."

"HE DESERVES FOR WHAT'S COMING TO HIM," he argued.

"I'd only make things worse! Not just for me, my family, Anna, but his daughter too!" Kaine fired back.

He then recalled what he had been told by others while events from the past in his mind...

"We can't keep on dwelling on the past..."

"Holding onto the past won't help you. Sooner or later, you will have to face it."

"Is violence really the answer?"

"Despite something bad that has happened, there's still a chance to change."

"You can still stop this. Revenge is like a poison. And it can take you over and turn you into someone you were not... Just forget this and go home. Please..."

"You can still walk away from this... Forget your quest of vengeance. You can still go home."

It all hinged on Kaine–the fate of Flint Marko and the aftermath of his actions. He could take a life. Or... spare the killer, leave him to the authorities, and accept what had happened. Whatever choice he would make determined what would come next.

Kaine took a deep breath and retracted his stinger. His appearance slowly returned to his normal look. "No more... No more of this insanity. I should've listened to them, not you! You are just a poison... Time to walk away from this..."

As he was about to turn around and carry Flint out of the warehouse however, Kaine's eyes widened in surprise. His body was not in his control. Like he was chained and someone else took over. The teenager fell on his knees and his whole body froze, his eyes still open... He became unresponsive.

It was not over yet. As a fight between him and his darkness would decide who would be in control in the end.

Notes:

Will Kaine win and regain control of himself? Or will he be gone forever? Find out in the next chapter coming out in two days ;)

Chapter 15: P3 - Chapter #14: Fight for Control

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Within Kaine's mind...)

Everything was black... Kaine felt like he was in a different place. As he opened his eyes, he realized he was descending to a void... A void that was as red as blood. It was quiet but there was no sense of peace. Then, Kaine saw his darkness standing before him as he landed–his eyes glaring furiously, filled with flames of anger.

"You are unreliable. I should've controlled you from the beginning instead!" The demon growled, but a maniacal smile eventually formed on his face, "Doesn't matter... I'm not giving up yet. This time I'll put you to sleep!"

Realizing this was a battle for control, Kaine immediately protruded stingers from his wrists and readied himself. He had nowhere to go. And he was weak, due to his darkness' strong influence. But he must fight to be free from the Other's influence. Now, it was live...or die.

The Other protruded stingers from his wrists too and lunged towards Kaine, intending to stab his heart. Kaine instinctively blocked the attack with his stingers. Kaine's eyes widened as the demon's stingers almost reached his heart. The demon hissed as he pushed his stingers further with immense force, overpowering Kaine. Feeling that he was trembling, he kicked the demon in the stomach to push him away. Because of how powerful the demon was, Kaine's breathing fastened as he started to feel exhausted.

Fear and worry began to fill Kaine, weakening the teenager further. And before his eyes, the demon smiled, with his fangs visible; confident that he will be victorious. However, Kaine didn't give up. Thinking he needed a different fighting style, he retracted one of the stingers back into his wrist, in case he needed to punch or shoot webs from his fingertips. His determination strengthened him, but it was not enough.

The two locked eyes onto each other, waiting for their respective move. Kaine ran toward the demon while shooting several web pellets to blind and envelope his opponent. Unfortunately, it didn't work, as the latter dodged the web pellets and slashed them. But a few managed to slow him, giving Kaine a small window of time. The teen quickly released the other stinger, leaped behind his opponent, and stabbed and slashed rapidly. He proceeded to stab his opponent's heart. But to no avail, all it did was leave scratches and small wounds on the demon's body. Once again Kaine's eyes widened as he realized he's screwed.

The demon fell on his knees and shrieked in pain because of the wounds. Not wanting to be outsmarted, he quickly did a roundhouse kick to tackle Kaine, giving the latter immense pain.

"You tried to hurt me. To finish me off..." he growled at Kaine and shot strong web pellets to the teenager's hands and legs, binding him to the ground. The demon then created a giant cage out of Kaine's negative feelings, with both of them in it.

The teenager realized he's cornered and attempted to break free of the webbings. It didn't work as the webbings were pretty strong. 

The demon noticed this and stepped on Kaine's hands, breaking the bones and making the teen scream in pain. "You are not going anywhere!" The Other then broke his opponent's leg bones for extra measure, making Kaine screamed further.

Kaine was now crying. Tears began flowing pretty hard, accompanied with the immense pain he endured. Now, he's laying on the ground, helpless.... The broken bones and the strong webbing that binded him to the ground...made him realize he was done for. Everything was too late. He was doomed. He wouldn't have a chance to be a better person... All he could do was close his teary eyes, accepting his fate at the hands of his darkness. To die.

"You should have accepted me, Kaine. You should have let me take over because you're weak. And I could make you a stronger person. So you could make your enemies suffer. But you didn't," the demon slowly smiled, "But don't worry. Soon, you'll be gone. You'll be grateful when I'm in control."

The demon then prepared his stingers as he taunted his opponent, "Your mistakes. Your sins. And your negative feelings. They created me. Now, thanks to you ignoring those who warned you, I have become powerful. So... Goodbye, Kaine." He laughed maniacally as he was about to finish Kaine off.

"You're right... I..I should have listened.. They were right... They were right all along!" The teen suddenly healed and became stronger, and broke free of his bonds, shocking the Other.

His opponent slowly walked away in terror as Kaine advanced towards him, "My mother, Peter, and the school counselor... They wanted me to be better!" 

The demon became even more terrified with this and was about to stab Kaine, only for Kaine to grip his hands with immense power, stopping him.

"N-No.. This is impossible!" he exclaimed in disbelief as he groaned in pain.

The teen kicked his darkness, which sent him towards the cage. Kaine proceeded to shoot web pellets toward his darkness' forearms and legs, binding him.

"I hated my father for who he was. Then Peter for how different I am from him... Flash..for what he did to me. And Flint..for robbing my chance of forgiveness..." The teenager spoke in a tone of regret... "But the past is in the past. Though it may be too late, I accept that!"

Kaine delivered a punch that not just hurt his opponent but also broke the binds of the cage, sending the demon flying to the ground. He began advancing toward the Other.

"I accept my mistakes. I accept the consequences. I accept the lessons!"

Kaine then choked his darkness, "Now for you... Begone from my mind!" Kaine threw the demon into a deep hole.

"NOOOOO.....!!!!" the demon's scream echoed through the hole as he fell... Until he couldn't be heard anymore.

Relief filled Kaine's mind. It was over. It was finally over... He dropped to his knees and closed his eyes, sighing in relief...

The battle was over. And he had won.

---

Shortly, the teen regained control of his body. Like a puppet that had strings no more. He stood up and looked down to the floor, feeling ashamed of his actions. Kaine then turned to the still unconscious Flint. He walked closer and sighed, regretting for almost taking someone's life. At least, he would be brought to justice, along with his partner.

But first things first, he needed to write down a note that Flint's daughter was in need of medical treatment. Something he hoped that the police department would take care. Luckily, there was a bunch of papers and a pen nearby. After that, bringing the note along with Flint Marko and Dennis Carradine to the police station.

And then... it was just a matter of confessing his wrongdoings and rekindling his relationship with Peter...

Notes:

• Alright, now that Kaine has settled his main conflict. It's time for him to patch things up. Will it go well though? And what will be left of him after that? Find out in the last three chapters coming in two days! ;D

• Also, have you seen the trailer for "Spider-Man: No Way Home"? It was amazing to see some old villains back XD

Chapter 16: P3 - Chapter #15: Rekindlement

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Several minutes later...)

It was all pitch black for Peter Parker. He could hear faint sounds but he couldn't make them out. Slowly recovering, he struggled to open his eyes but the view was blurry. Peter let out a painful groan when he felt the pain after getting knocked out by Kaine. 

Something was odd however. He didn't feel like he was laying on the ground nor the raindrops soaking his outfit. Instead, there something concrete behind him, which confused him. He was sitting on a bench. Then, it dawned on the teenager. He was not on the same rooftop where he had fought his cousin.

As soon as he fully recovered, the sounds of raindrops hitting on something above him prompted Peter to look up. The raindrops were hitting on a canopy that shielded him. Which made him realize that Kaine had brought him here.

"You're awake..." a familiar voice spoke to the teen.

Peter turned his eyes to the source of the voice and saw Kaine standing in front of him, who immediately averted his eyes in shame. The older Parker stood still shakily, not moving. Words wouldn't come out from his mouth, as he was held back by the whispers of doubts and fears within his mind.

Meanwhile, Peter kept his eyes on his cousin, unsure of what would come. He stayed on the bench, not even making a movement. The thoughts within his mind began to race. And it made him fear the worst might have happened.

There were no words... Just fear between the two.

Kaine gritted his teeth in frustration. He knew what he needed to do. He knew that he needed to confess and admit of his wrongdoings. And yet, this feeling of...uneasiness stopped him. As if it was taunting him that it was too late and it wouldn't matter whether he confessed and admitted or not. It even taunted the teenager with the possibilities of negative outcomes. Taking a deep breath, Kaine decided to do it, no matter how hard would it be. And slowly... words began to come out of his mouth.

"Flint is still alive," Kaine revealed to his cousin, "I spared him... Because I almost took the life of a father. I brought him and his partner to the police station, along with a special note to take care of his sick daughter..."

Upon hearing that, Peter let out a sigh of relief, as if his fear was finally gone. Behind the mask, tears of joy began to flow from his eyes. Everything didn't come in vain after all; the risks he had taken and his efforts. In the end, his cousin saw the error of his ways.

The older Parker still averted his eyes. He then continued, "Pete... I know I did bad things. I messed up real bad." Sighing regretfully, he tried to look at Peter, with glassy eyes, "If you're mad at me, it's okay... You can punch me or slap me or anything, I deserve it. I deserve-"

Peter immediately rose from the bench and pulled his cousin to his warm embrace. "Hey, hey... Shh... It's all in the past," he assured the older Parker.

Kaine's eyes widened as Peter embraced him. He froze in disbelief and shock. Slowly, he returned the embrace, still shocked with the fact that Peter had chosen not to hurt him back. "W-Why...?" was all he could ask to his younger cousin.

Peter looked at Kaine in the eyes, and underneath his mask, a smile formed–a smile of joy. "Because... I'm glad you're back." Then, his smile faded, "I am hurt because of what you chose and what you were going to do, Coz..." He sighed softly, "I was scared to lose a brother."

"I'm really sorry... And I should've listened to you and the others too."

"It's alright, now. I forgive you, Kaine." Peter chuckled and patted his cousin's shoulder, "Welcome back, Coz."

They then let go of each other from their embrace.

"Well, we gotta go home now and take a rest. Otherwise, we'll get sick," noted Peter.

"Mhm..."

Before they went their separate ways however, Peter told Kaine something. "Oh uh- Almost forgot, Anna said hi by the way. She really got worried and slightly pissed. She told me to tell you not to ghost us next time."

'Wait what?!" exclaimed Kaine, which earned a giggle from his younger cousin. "Oh no. Ah fuck... Ann's gonna kill me..."

Peter just patted Kaine's shoulder a few times, "Don't worry, Kaine. If you wanna say sorry, you can do it on Monday. Might as well as face her wrath." His giggle turned into something resembling a villain's laugh.

The older Parker just pouted under his mask, "Ha ha ha, very funny."

After that, they bid farewell to one another and swung back to their respective home. 

While swinging from building to building, Kaine pondered whether he could patch things up between him and his mother... He didn't get a chance with his father but he got one with Peter. And he wouldn't waste it with his mother. Though just imagining her anger already made him shiver. But he deserved it. After all, he didn't listen to her and it led to a big problem... He decided to do it tomorrow. Kaine could only hope for the best because he didn't know how it would turn out...

For now, a good night's sleep was what he needed.

Notes:

One thing wrapped up, with a few more to go ;) Go to the next chapter to find out :D

Chapter 17: P3 - Chapter #16: Forgiveness

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"H-Huh?- What the-" Kaine woke up startled when he heard a noise. He turned to his phone on his desk, which was playing an alarm. He let out a chuckle and shot a webline toward it, yanking the phone to his direction. 

After turning off the alarm, he yawned, rubbed his sleepy eyes, and blinked a few times. Kaine looked at his window, through which rays of sunlight came through. And a relieved smile formed on his face. After being plagued by nightmares for nearly a week, they did not haunt him anymore. He could sleep uninterrupted. What was even better was that no voice in his mind would influence him anymore.

"Oh no..." the teen's smile faded, replaced by a fearful expression when he remembered about patching things up with his mother. Kaine shoved his phone into one of his shorts' pocket, got out of his bed, and walked toward the bedroom door. Opening it a bit to take a peek, he saw May eating her breakfast.

"It's now or never, Kaine. Now or never..." he took a deep breath as he opened the door widely and exited from his bedroom before closing it. 

May turned to her son, her eyes meeting her son's as he approached her. "Morning, Kaine," she greeted.

"Hi, Mom..." Kaine exhaled softly and looked down, trying to encourage himself before looking at his mother again. "Listen uh... I-"

The mother put down her spoon and fork on her plate and got out of her seat, and approached her son. He stepped back in fear, but she simply smiled and nodded, giving him her attention.

He was confused with how she was acting different. "Okay..." Kaine composed himself before continuing, "Mom, I'm sorry. I really should've listened to you... You were right all along, but I didn't listen. It got me into troubles. And it led to me losing dad... I was too blind, jealous, and angry to accept the truth. It's all my fault, Mom..."

He added as his voice started becoming shaky, "And- We... We didn't talk for nearly a week... All because of what I did. I don't know if you will forgive me for being a despicable child... But here I am, wanting to tell you that I accept the truth, even if it's too late... I didn't get a chance to fix things between me and dad. So... Will you let me have one between us, Mom..?"

May's eyes became glassy upon hearing those words. She pulled Kaine to her embrace and patted his back. "Never ever call yourself a despicable child, Candy Cane..."

"Oh, Mom. Come on!" Both giggled as they sobbed.

"Listen... I was hurt and I thought this was the end... I understand but what you did was wrong," she told him. "However, you are brave enough. Brave to admit your wrongdoings. Not everyone can do that and I am so, so proud of you... Ben would have been too... I forgive you, my little Kaine."

May released her son from her embrace, smiled at him, and planted a kiss on his forehead. "Alright, kiddo. Go get some breakfast," she chuckled as she returned to her seat and resumed eating. May turned on the TV and her face lit up when the title card of her favorite superhero movie popped up on screen. It was the Superman movie from 1978.

Kaine picked up his own plate along with a spoon and a fork. Before getting his food, the teen turned around and looked at the dining table. He let out a heavy sigh... Usually, he, May, and Ben would eat together. But now..? It was different...

---

(On the next day...)

"Good to be back, huh?" asked Peter, who was walking beside Kaine as they headed to their lockers while carrying their backpacks.

The older Parker simply smiled at his younger cousin. Seeing the crowded hallway accompanied by indistinct chatters in the morning... To him, it was like his life was back to normal. And of course, classes, especially Math and Science classes. Back to the old, miserable life of every student...

As Kaine and Peter were approaching the lockers, they saw a familiar redhead, which brought warm smiles to their faces. But they noticed a girl with blonde straight hair next to her, who was talking and laughing with the redhead. The two didn't recognize her.

"Okay bye, Anne! Gotta prep for my class," the girl waved at Annabelle.

"Alrighty, Gwennie!"

Before walking away however, Gwen noticed two identical students, who she assumed to be siblings. She waved at them and gave a smile to the brunette teenager with pompadour hairstyle–which was Peter Parker. The twins waved back at her as a response. Gwen then proceeded to walk with her other friends to their lockers.

"A friend of yours?" Peter asked Annabelle curiously.

"Mhm. Her name's Gwen Stacy. We met at the music class I attend." She faced Kaine and let out a sigh, crossing her arms. "Alright, Mr. Ghosting. You better have a good explanation for what you did. No, perhaps something better than you feeling undeserving of us."

"Uhm..." Kaine rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah... That's the reason... I'm sorry, Anna. Peter told me you got pretty worried."

Anna chuckled and pulled him for a side hug, "K, you could've just let us know you need some time alone. I was afraid something happened to you..."

Her words made the older Parker fluster, his cheeks becoming red. "Uh- Uhm... Wow..." Kaine then smiled and returned the hug to comfort her, "It's alright. I'm alright, Ann... I'm here."

Meanwhile, Peter grinned as he watched the two embracing each other. "These two are definitely lovebirds."

It wasn't until Kaine and Anna released each other from their hold, that they realized Peter Parker was grinning at them like a child.

"Oh goodness, not again..." groaned Kaine, "Don't say it, Pete."

"What?" Anna pondered.

"He's silently shipping us."

Anna and Kaine glared at the younger Parker, who smiled innocently. 

"Oh Peter, Peter... What a mistake you've just made." Annabelle looked at Kaine and asked, "Say, K... What punishment do you think he deserves?"

"Oh, I don't know, Red~ Perhaps torture by endless ticking? Till he stops shipping us," Kaine smirked at her.

"I like it~"

"Whoa, whoa. Okay fine, no more shipping," Peter pouted, "Happy?"

The younger Parker's reaction made the two laugh at him. The trio then opened their respective locker and looked at their class schedule. As they were about to gather their books however, a familiar voice called to one of them.

"Hey, Kaine!" It was none other than Flash Thompson. But there was no hint of malice nor hostility in his voice. Kaine, Peter, and Anna turned to Flash with a surprised expression.

Flash put his hands up, "Easy, easy. I have no intention of hurting you all... I feel bad for what I did in the past, guys."

Peter and Anna nodded at the former bully, as a sign of forgiveness.

He then looked at Kaine and rubbed the back of his neck, "Uh, hey... I'm sorry. I really shouldn't have hurt you. Violence really isn't the answer after all..."

Kaine just chuckled, "Yeah, it isn't. I had to learn it the hard way..." He offered his hand, "So... We good now?"

Flash accepted his hand and smirked, "We are good."

"And uh, Kaine? I heard about what happened to your dad... I'm truly sorry for you and your family..." he expressed his condolences for Kaine.

"Thanks, Flash... Thank you..."

The two then noticed the school counselor, who was a few meters apart from them. A satisfied smile formed on her face, with her knowing that they were on good terms. Kaine and Flash nodded in gratitude as a response, silently thanking her.

Life truly had changed for both of them.

Notes:

He finally patches things up with May, Anna, and Flash. Everything is wrapped up XD I really can't say anymore lol. (And this is the first time Peter and Kaine meet Gwen ;) ) Now, just one more chapter to serve as a conclusion to this fanfic ;)

Chapter 18: P3 - Chapter #17: Final Swing

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

(Several days later; in the evening...)

Dry leaves were flying here and there around the graveyard... At the moment, no cemetery caretaker was seen. The place seemed to be pretty quiet and empty. Although, there were two hooded masked masculine figures with backpacks cleaning the area surrounding a certain gravestone. 

After getting rid of the weeds, one of them, a black masked figure with red lenses, kneeled down in front of the gravestone. In one of his hands, were a bunch of gladiolus flowers which he put down gently near the gravestone.

"Hey, Dad... It's me, Kaine," he smiled, sadness could be heard in his voice. "I just wanted to check up on you. And...I brought flowers, I hope you like it." His smile soon faded however, as he reminisced about the past... "Dad, I know you can't hear me. But I wish... I wish I could take back what I said to you. I wish I had given you another chance..."

Kaine sighed softly, "I guess all I can do is... accept what has happened. Goodbye, Dad. Rest well..."

He then stood up, his eyes still on his father's gravestone. Life had changed for him. He had learned the lessons from his mistakes. He patched things up with his family, friend, and even his former enemy. But at what price? Nearly succumbing to his darkness' influence for not listening to those who warned him. Making grave mistakes. His own father's death. Hurting those close to him and almost taking the life of a father. Thinking about what he could've done made him feel ashamed of himself...

He had the chance to patch things up with others. But one hole could not be patched in his life.

Peter walked closer to his cousin and placed his hand on Kaine's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "There, there. It's okay."

"Thanks, Peter."

"Anytime, Coz," he smiled, "So, wanna continue patrolling around the neighbourhood for a bit?"

A chuckle escaped Kaine's mouth. "Sure, why not?"

They both nodded and spun their respective webline to different buildings. Afterwards, they began to swing side by side from building to building. Their eyes scanning around for any threats or anything suspicious.

"So far so good, no bad guys in sight," Peter noted after several moments.

"If there's one, they're mine. I'd scare them till they piss in their pants," Kaine smirked underneath the mask.

"Nah uh, they are mine. I'd web them up before you get the chance," the younger Parker giggled, earning a groan from the older one.

"Come on, no fun!"

"Noppity nope. They'll end up traumatized, so no."

Kaine just pouted at Peter's response, "Sheesh, fineee. No promises, heheh."

As they swung by, the pedestrians looked at them in awe. "Look, it's Spider-Man!"

One of them pointed at the masked figure next to Spider-Man, "Who's that other Spider-Man?"

"It's the Scarlet Spider!"

Kaine heard it and looked at Peter confusedly, "Who?"

The younger Parker simply chuckled, "Our superhero names come from the Daily Bugle. I'm Spider-Man and you're Scarlet Spider."

"Pfft. You've got to be kidding me," Kaine snickered, "Anyway, let's head to Joe's Pizza. Anna's already waiting there for us. Don't wanna make her wait for too long."

"Agreed."

While swinging, the Parkers pondered about their future as heroes... Surely there would be challenges. Not only those but twists and turns in their lives. Just like in superhero comics and movies. Would they be able to face and stand against them? Or would they fall? They knew things wouldn't always turn out well in life. But they could hope for the best, with their hope as bright as the evening sky and the sun.

For now, this was the end of their story.

...

Scarlet Spider and Spider-Man will return.

To be continued...?

Notes:

So, this concludes the fanfic I've been working on for months. Gotta say this is my first completed longfic XD At least I get to finish it. For now, this is the end of Kaine and Peter's story. There will be more though ;) Not just possible sequels and spin-offs to this story but also stories set in universes parallel to "Scarlet Spider: Sin." Stay tune for more by following me! I'd appreciate it if you share your thoughts by commenting and giving this fanfic a rating or perhaps a heart/kudos. Thanks, y'all! It's been a journey. Thanks to those who have been keeping up with this story. Au revoir! <3

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