If you can, please throw Nifty a couple of bucks. It helps keep the site free for everyone and helps them keep the lights on. Spoiler alert! There will be gay scenes in this story. If boy x boy isn't your thing, please find something else to read. If you're still interested, on to the story!
It's been eleven years, two days, fifteen hours, and forty-three seconds since I was born. Right now, each second that goes by feels both like a lifetime and a fraction of it's actual duration simultaneously. Looking at the ground quickly growing closer to me, I have to ask myself one important question. Is this really how it ends? Falling to my doom puts a few things into perspective. The most important one being that life is fragile and one simple mistake, hearing one little detail you shouldn't, or being at the wrong place at the wrong time can lead to your downfall. In my case, quite literally.
I couldn't help but think of all the things I always wanted to do but never got the chance to. Though I've been alive for eleven years, I knew that my life had barely begun. Knowing that there wasn't a way to save me from the shallow grave I've dug for myself made me wish desperately for a second chance. A chance to right the wrongs in the world and help those who can't help themselves. An opportunity to do the right thing and make the world a safer place so nobody has to go through this kind of suffering. It made me feel unfulfilled. In that moment, I knew that I wouldn't ever have the chance to do any of the things I wanted to do.
As I begun to brace myself to impact the cold hard concrete that crept steadily closer, I closed my eyes. I hoped that the death I was about to suffer would be quick and merciful. That would be the best way to go out, quick and painless. As they shut, I felt my body position shift. I opened my eyes as I realized that I should have hit the ground by now.
A face obstructed by a black mask with red striping covered the face of the person who saved me. I couldn't help but wonder what he looked like behind that cloth covering. I desperately wanted to know the identity of my savior, but as I thought about it in that moment, I realized that it would put me in greater danger. And even if these people weren't the ones to end up killing me then it would be some other person with some kind of vendetta.
"I've got you, you're safe." He said in a soft tone. His voice was calming yet familiar. I knew the voice, but I couldn't place who it belonged to.
He set me gently on the ground and continued, "What happened to you? You look like you've been through Hell."
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I answered, "I can't tell you here. It's not safe. Those guys, they'll be back and when they do..."
"Look, I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you. Just tell me what happened and I'll handle it." He interjected firmly.
"Okay," I said as I gathered my thoughts, "My older brother Michael works for Oscorp and he's been trying to quit for like a year now. Every time he tries, he gets death threats. He keeps talking about some chemical they've been working on in his sleep and how it's too dangerous to use, but they won't listen to him. He keeps mumbling about 'Project Morningstar', but he denies it when I ask him about it."
"What does that have to do with you falling off a rooftop?" He asked, crossing his arms and somehow making the dark grey eyes on his mask squint and narrow, only adding to the mystery of the face that resides behind the mask.
"I'm getting to that," I said, my voice cracking slightly due to still being anxious from nearly dying before continuing, "I haven't seen him in over a month. He sometimes works late, but he hasn't been home, I can't call his phone because it goes to voicemail, and his social media accounts are all deactivated. I got into his email account and there's been like a thousand emails from somebody who calls themself 'The Sword of God'. The emails stopped, right before he disappeared. I broke into Oscorp to try and find him. I found a flashdrive with a few files on it, but they're all encrypted and I don't know what the key is. That's when I was caught by some huge dude who was like the size of a tank and he took the flashdrive then beat the crap out of me and threw me off the helipad."
"Do you know of any place Michael might hide? Maybe with a friend or a family member?" The costume-wearing boy who appeared to be no older than me asked.
I thought for a second before replying, "Yeah. We always go to a diner on 47th Street every Sunday and he says there's a basement where he has a small lab set up. I've never seen it, but he's never lied to me."
"I'm going to take you somewhere safe where they can't find you. If you have a phone, I suggest ditching it so you can't be tracked. After I drop you off, I'll go check it out. Take this." He said, removing a small device from his wrist and handing it to me then elaborating, "If anything happens to you, smash this and it'll send a distress signal. I'll be there before you know it."
"We don't have to worry about that. That jerk who tried to kill me took my phone." I said, somewhat angry that I had lost several homework assignments that I had been working on for several days.
I took it and he shot a long rope-like substance that stuck to a building and wrapped his arm around my waist. In turn, I wrapped my arms around him and felt an unusual feeling of safety and comfort that greatly contrasted the fear and anxiety I felt just a few moments ago.
"Wait..." I began as he looked back at me, "Thank you for saving me Mister..."
"Just Spider-Boy. I'm not old enough to be a Mister." He replied. Despite not being able to see his face, I could tell by the sound of his voice that he was smiling.
With that, he pulled back on what I assumed to be some sort of webbing and launched us into the dark night sky. The feeling of the wind blowing my hair in every direction and the constant shifts in speed and altitude made me wonder how long it took him to get used to that feeling or if he ever felt it at all.
"Thank you, Spider-Boy." I whispered as the nearest F.E.A.S.T. shelter in Spanish Harlem grew closer in my sight.
Once we arrived, I followed him inside the building that appeared to have seen much better days. The sound of multiple conversations from people of all walks of life and the smell of warm chili filled the air.
"It looks like you've found somebody in need of help again." A voice belonging to a woman who looked to be in her mid fifties said.
She wiped her hands on the dark green apron that covered her white button up shirt and blue jeans then extended her hand then continued, "I'm May Parker. I run the F.E.A.S.T. center here in Spanish Harlem."
I extended my hand and replied, "I'm Oliver."
Before we could do much more talking, Spider-Boy pulled her aside. They talked for a few minutes before she returned and explained, "He told me what happened. I'm sorry about your brother, sweetie. If anybody can find him, it's Spider-Boy. You'll be safe with us here, but it's important that you don't leave here until he says its safe to. Come with me and I'll take you to the special quarters and we'll get you settled in for the night."
I followed her to what I thought was a broom closet. Once inside, she placed her thumb on a biometric scanner and the brick wall in front of her quickly slid downwards. We crossed the threshold and the brick wall slid back into its original place. An elevator took us down several floors before coming to a gentle stop.
As we stepped out, she lead me to a room that was far bigger than the entire apartment that I grew up in with Michael. It felt strange to be so far away from the only place I've called home since the age of six. However, I knew that I would have to constantly look over my shoulder due to the fear of being chased by god knows who.
"Go ahead and make yourself at home. We'll get you some clean clothes in the morning." She said before placing her hand on my shoulder and continuing, "I know this is a weird situation, but I promise, Spider-Boy won't rest until he knows that you're safe."
"What if he gets hurt?" I asked.
She answered, "I wouldn't worry about him. He may only be ten, but he's a lot stronger than you think. For now, just get cleaned up and get some rest. Breakfast is at nine."
I nodded and she departed. Once I heard the brick wall slide twice, I sat on the bed and kicked off my shoes. I explored my temporary dwelling as my mind tried to process all of the events of the night. At some point, I decided that there was little I could do, especially when I felt like I had been flattened by an eighteen wheeler.
Taking M. Parker's advice, I removed my clothing and tossed them into a pile on the floor. I made my way to the bathroom and shut the door turned the water on. A few droplets fell from the showerhead before it built up a good amount of pressure. Once it was warm enough, I stepped under the flow of water and washed the matted blood out of my hair. Though the hot water flowing down my bruised body hurt, it also helped me relax. I slid down the wall and sat under the showerhead and enjoyed the feeling of the steam.
After the water ran cold, I toweled myself dry and sat on top of the bed that sat in the middle of the room and thought. I thought of how gentle Spider-Boy was when he caught me and set me on the ground, about his voice that seemed so familiar, about what he looked like and how he got his abilities. And for some reason that I didn't understand, I thought about being able to kiss him.
I shook the thought out of my head and crawled under the soft white sheets and quickly drifted into a restless slumber. In the furthest corners in the back of my mind, I knew this whole situation was far from being over. Somehow, I knew that he would protect me at all costs.