An Unexpected Friendship.

[Wolfthunder7]

Hey everyone, Wolf here!

Yep, I'm going to start posting here on QQ as well. I came over after AO3 went down, and well... that's pretty much it. I'm still trying to figure out how to post chapters here and navigate the site, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes

---

"It was supposed to be a great day today…" thinks New York's most famous hero, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

His day had started suspiciously well, he had managed for the first time in months to pay his rent on time and even managed to pay next month's rent in advance, even this month's crime was way below normal, he only had to foil three robberies instead of ten! An old lady even gave him a candy after he helped her cross the street.

…So, why is he now desperately fleeing from a large group of Doombots flying after him?

"Whatever mess the quartet made… why am I being dragged into it?!" Peter decided he had two missions now. The first was to find some way to keep swinging high to avoid any bot causing unnecessary damage, while the second was to come up with some theory as to why Dr. Doom was after him.

Three were discarded.

"Using me to get to the quartet doesn't work anymore, that one goes to the trash. Revenge against Johnny for doing certain things with his ex-fiancée, also no, it's been years since that happened, that one goes to the garbage can too. And me accidentally leaking that photo of him in the quartet's uniform doesn't work either, it was from Ben's phone… But what the hell does he want?!"

Shooting a web to the ground, Spider-Man pulled himself just in time to dodge four electric capture nets fired at him.

Turning his back to observe the six bots diving with their thrusters at high speed. Shooting web balls at their faces and blocking their visors, the hero spun in free fall and formed a web net, trapping the bots. Passing by the traffic light below them, Spider-Man gave them one last look before swinging as fast and as far away as possible.

After a few minutes and stopping upside down on the Brooklyn Bridge, Spider-Man contemplated his options for how he should act in this situation…

Let's just say he didn't like the most effective one…

"Come on… Pick up, pick up!" Anxiously tapping his foot rapidly on the metal of the bridge, Spider-Man felt a nausea filled with shame and reluctance forming in his stomach.

"Parker, we thought we'd already made it clear how things are going to be from now on…" The deep voice on the other end of the call made Spider-Man's hair stand on end.

"Good morning to you too, gravel. I know you guys don't want anything to do with me, but now this is really a situation for you to handle, it has four letters and has been chasing me for over three hours! Doom!" Spider-Man tried to sound familiar and intimate, but it was clear that this attitude was only strange and embarrassing.

"Uh-huh… Victor is after you? Dr. Doom… You've lied better." Ben grumbled on the call while Spider-Man could hear the sound of rocks scratching. Spider-Man had already gotten used to this pattern and knew that the Thing was pressing a finger between his eyes.

"Well, it's not exactly Doom, but it's his bots! Ten of them! Ten! I destroyed four of them, but this is already getting exhausting!" Spider-Man cringed as he saw from afar the same group of bots flying over the bridge, he could still see webbing stuck to some of them.

"Right… and why would he be after you?" Ben asked in a skeptical tone.

"I have no idea. Do you think I can figure out why Doom would waste time on me?" Spider-Man slinked backward wanting to keep his distance from them.

"Okay, I'll talk to Reed and we'll decide whether we'll help a traitor and liar like you. Don't call again." With that, Ben hung up the call on Peter.

"Are you serious?! Ben?! Ben?! BEN?!" Spider-Man yelled at his phone screen, frustrated with the obvious disregard from the Thing.

But there was no time to be frustrated further, a bot spotted him through what Spider-Man guessed was heat vision. Leaping from the bridge and swinging this time with high jumps as the chase began once again.

"Damn pile of rocks! May a mine dig through your whole head!" Spider-Man yelled at no one, only venting his indignation to the winds.

---

"...Latveria may be small, but its intellect is vast. Its sovereignty is unbreakable and Doom assures you: any nation that seeks partnerships will have results, but any attempt to subjugate or exploit Latveria will be met with an immediate response, not out of vengeance, but out of justice. Let this council understand: Doom does not threaten. Doom clarifies." Dr. Doom declares from his place at the podium of a UN meeting, looking at all the other representatives of gathered countries.

At the end of his statement, camera flashes and a confusion of questions began. Further away, behind the wall drapes, the Fantastic Four were in a secret room made specifically for this meeting.

"I don't know about you, but I missed the domination threats in case of political divergence." Johnny, with a communicator in his ear, repeated Doom's entire speech, looking for any sign that seemed to be a threat.

"Johnny, please, don't try to provoke Doom any more than you already have." Sue sighed, rubbing her face. "He still hates you for what you did and we just finished healing you, I don't want to see what he'll do if you annoy him again."

"Although that would make him mature a bit more…" Ben grumbled as he massaged his neck. "Anything to worry about, Reed?"

"No, the sensors didn't detect anything, it seems Doom is here and I can't detect any signal echoing from him to anywhere else." Reed commented, looking annoyed before turning to the rest of the quartet. "I think we already know what that means."

"That we don't need to worry about an army of robots ready to attack a meeting with Europe's greatest leaders?" Johnny laughed, seeing a random politician shut up before asking his question after receiving only a look from Doom.

"No. That means Spider-Man is deceiving us this time. He made us come here to check on Doom in vain, we could have caused an international incident with this." Sue explained, crossing her arms before looking at Ben. "How are the Baxter Building's alarms? Did any go off? Any intruder?"

"Nothing, not even a suspicious movement, just the usual. Material arriving by heliport, employees working or doing nothing in their spare time, and the receptionist almost starting a fistfight with the mailman." Ben tossed a tablet to Reed, showing the building's routine in fast-forward.

"At least he didn't invade or rob us, that was the perfect excuse for this…" Reed commented, furrowing his brow before sighing. "I guess we don't have anything else to do here."

"Man, what a resentful guy!" Johnny gave a whistle. "It's been months since that happened, don't you think it's time to calm down? You only took a web shot to the face. I took a punch to the jaw." Johnny grumbled while massaging his jaw as that phantom pain made itself present.

Hearing that, Reed, Sue, and Ben turned to face Johnny, clearly surprised at what had been said.

"...But weren't you the one who said you wouldn't want to see Spider even painted in gold just a week ago when Franklin asked about him?" Sue questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah? But well, it's not like I have much moral ground to judge what he did. Doom with Zora… so…" Johnny began to fidget with his arms, trying to find words. "You know? I'm in a grayer zone."

"It would be understandable, if it weren't his fifth case of instability since he broke our trust." Reed declared with a sigh that sounded melancholic. "It's not that I'm still angry with him, but so far all the facts show that he's still somehow unbalanced and unreliable. I really want to trust him like before, but every time I think I can trust him again, he does something like this."

"Like now." Ben complained while grabbing Johnny by the back of his collar and lifting him up. "I don't know about you, but this doesn't look like a Doombot chase to me."

Ben commented while showing recordings from New York's public cameras. Peter was swinging furiously through the city while there was nothing behind the man.

"Well… I don't know about you, but I'm not seeing any robots with Victor's ugly face flying after him." Johnny raised an eyebrow at the way the footage looked. "And he doesn't look like he's fleeing, looks more like he's late for something."

"So it's settled, it was a false alarm." Sue responded with a discouraged sigh. "Let's wait for the meeting to end and then head back home."

"If he wanted to get our attention, he did it in the worst possible way." Ben sighed, frustrated, as he left the room. With the rest of the quartet leaving the place along with him.

Back to Dr. Doom, immersed in further questions regarding his so proud nation, he finally closed his statements and finished the general doubts.

Leaving the hall, Doom had no reason to waste time, he quickly left the building, heading his way, a Doombot approached him and greeted him.

"The objective has been completed, Spider-Man is captured and awaiting your arrival."

Ignoring his bot, but perfectly absorbing the message.

"Very well." Doom declared before raising an arm and making a circular motion.

Suddenly a golden spark formed in the space ahead of Doom before expanding and creating a swirling portal of energy. After that, Dr. Doom entered the portal, disappearing from the meeting site.

---

"Why do things always end up like this for me…" Spider-Man couldn't escape the Doombots as he had planned.

He was doing fine, destroyed two more Doombots, but then he was taken by surprise when his spider-sense buzzed and he found himself surrounded by another half dozen bots. He couldn't do much against that, he had been captured and subdued by them.

And now here he was, captured in Doom's palace, upside down while his wrists and feet were bound in electromagnetism cuffs.

"At least I'm not in the dungeon…" Spider-Man looked around still trying to understand where he was, this was not a cell, for sure. It looked much more like a noble retirement home than a prison.

"All right, Peter, let's think. He captured me and didn't do much harm. What is he after? Steal my genetic code to create an inhuman army or something like that?" Peter muttered and questioned himself, until Doom made himself present and answered his self-doubt.

"Good evening, Parker." Doom greets entering the room looking at the bound Peter. The two remained silent for a few moments before the emperor of Latveria looked at the cuffs holding Peter and suddenly they switched off, throwing Peter to the floor.

"Of course you would discover my identity, why should I be surprised by that…" Peter had widened his eyes behind the mask, along with his lenses before they narrowed in displeasure. "What do you want with me? Whatever it is, you're losing your…"

Before Peter could answer, Doom raised the palm of his hand toward him, not as an attack or a threat, but a request for Peter to calm down and be quiet.

"You can enter." Doom declares seriously before the door suddenly opened and two figures ran to Peter.

"Uncle Peter!" Exclaim two children hugging Peter, children Peter knew well, they were Reed and Sue's children, Franklin and Valeria Richards.

"But what..!" Peter interrupted himself as he grabbed the two children by their clothes, the action, though seeming rough, conveyed no discomfort at all, looking more closely, it seemed an intimate gesture when the two children reacted excitedly to it. "What are you doing here?! Shouldn't you be with Herbie, at school or something like that?!"

"...Valeria wanted to see you again, Spider-man. And since Reed in his foolish naivety couldn't separate his petty displeasure with you from fulfilling his children's wish, it fell to Doom to grant their wish." Declares Doom folding his arms looking at the three hugging.

"Uncle Victor can take us to Latveria anytime, Uncle Peter. He's my godfather." Valeria explains smiling at Peter. "And here mom and dad can't forbid us from seeing you."

"Aah the power of complicated family and magic. Always showing how much I really don't understand any of them…" Peter grumbled internally seeing how Doom seemed excessively proud at the way Valeria explained and Franklin thanked with a touch of hands.

"Uncle Victor, can we show Uncle Peter our rooms and the castle?" Franklin asks looking at Doom.

"Of course, little one." Dr. Doom nods at the boy's request before stepping back, but not before giving one last look at Spider-Man.

"Er…Frank, Valeria, as much as I'd like to play with you, I'm very busy right now, and your uncle kidnapping me for this doesn't help much with my problems.

"But Uncle Peter, we haven't seen you in four months! And no one even lets us call you…" Franklin exclaims sadly while Valeria lowered her head.

"...Not even when we saw you defeated on TV… it was scary not to see you the next week in the news." Valeria says in a low tone with her eyes seeming to tear up.

"My nephews, I have my reasons for not showing up so much, it's just that…" Peter was searching for the right words, but then Doom entered the conversation.

"As your self-exile? Drowning in sadness as if it were all your fault?" Doom narrows his eyes, noticing how Peter widened his lenses while staring at him frightened. "Franklin, Valeria, please, go tell the cooks to prepare a dinner for four while I speak with your other uncle."

Franklin and Valeria didn't want to obey, they wanted to stay, but Doom shook his head, the children quickly shifted their focus to Peter, who noticed their attention on him and gave two light pats on their backs. The children left, albeit reluctantly.

Doom and Peter waited several seconds to finally be sure the fantastic children were no longer nearby.

"What do you want with me, Doom?" Peter narrowed his lenses as he stood up, and even with his upright and unguarded posture, Doom saw a clear sign of threat. "I remember very well you saying you were indebted to me some time ago, and I imagine that debt would make me immune to quick kidnappings."

"Valeria and Franklin are sad from lacking their favorite uncle and hero." Doom explains calmly, still staring at the web-hero.

"Good to know I'm the favorite uncle, even if that's obvious." Peter allowed himself a moment of pride seeing Doom admit the children's favoritism toward him, further noticing Doom's posture showed a certain envy on that matter. "But I can't be around them anymore, understand?"

"Why? Just for having tried to save your lover trapped in a hostile other dimension?" Doom continues relentlessly. "Reed was a fool not to heed your urgent plea at the time. You stole him, but out of desperation, not selfishness, you did what you always do, try to save someone and if your so-called friends and allies can't see that it's more their failure than yours."

Peter narrowed one lens while widening the other, a way to replace the classic suspicious doubtful look. "All right… Look Doom, I appreciate your pity for my miserable situation and…"

"Pity?" Doom interrupted advancing toward Peter who felt his spider-sense flare as he stepped back from the emperor of Latveria. "You think Doom feels PITY!? Especially for you!? Do not overestimate your importance, my debt to you and the fact that Franklin and Valeria like you are the only reasons I do not kill you now, so measure your words when you speak of Doom. Drown in your stupid guilt and self-pity as much as you like, feel as sorry for yourself as you deem fit, but NEVER say Doom feels pity! You are just a fool who suffered and feels he deserves to suffer without even considering how much your suffering makes others suffer…"

Before Doom could finish his speech, a web shot flew into his mouth, muffling and interrupting the Latverian emperor's speech.

"You talk too much, did you know that! I don't give the slightest importance now to your pride. I'm very busy trying to get back to stability, and you kidnapping me to satiate two children's desires doesn't help me at all!"

Suddenly, Peter noticed his spider-sense beginning to scream as the web covering Doctor Doom's mouth evaporated while being burned by green flames and he also noticed the villain's eyes glowing. Before anything else could happen, Doom punched Spider-Man with such force that it hurled him out of the room, throwing him into Doomstadt.

Peter did not back down, and shot web at Doom's chest, pulling him and hurling him below, firing another web to launch himself at him and kicking him in the face. Doom hit the ground with a great cloud of dust.

As soon as Peter landed, he suddenly felt his body lifted by an invisible force, he turned his head and saw Doom extending his hand toward him before lifting it and quickly lowering it, creating another crash that raised the same amount of dust. After that he pulled the air, making Spider-Man fly toward him before punching him, throwing him against a wall that broke with the impact, collapsing on top of the hero.

Spider-Man didn't get up, he launched himself into the air and then shot at the wall that had fallen on him before, throwing it at Doom. The emperor of Latveria merely raised his hand to block the wall, shattering it into countless pieces. In the middle of the wall's smoke, Spider-Man approached from below, and hurled Doom into the air with a powerful uppercut to his chin.

The sound of twisted metal was loud enough for Spider-Man to be sure that Doom felt that blow. And with another web shot, this time at Doom's feet, Spider-Man pulled him back to the ground, slamming Doom face-first into the floor.

However, to Spider's surprise, Doom had grabbed his ankle and lifted him before slamming him hard into the ground, breaking the floor beneath them. Doom grabbed him by the shirt before beginning to punch him in the face as the two fell into a sewage stream, rolling and following the current while exchanging blows.

Still submerged in the current, Spider-Man kicked Doom in the chest with both legs and pushed away from him, only to shoot at Doom once again and pull himself toward him, this time imitating the same and punching his face nonstop, this time with even more force, seeking to make sure to dent that mask.

Doom responded by grabbing one of Spider's fists and electrocuting it. Spider-Man screamed underwater and kicked Doom in the face. Peter felt his web-shooter being destroyed on contact, but didn't care, he just charged once again to continue the fight.

This time, Spider-Man took advantage of the terrain, leaping to the ceiling before managing to position himself on Doom's back, bringing the damaged web-shooter close and firing it, causing an explosion that sprayed web fluid on his opponent's face. With that, the hero pulled away grabbing Doom's cape, dragging him before slamming him into both walls and then kicking him, hurling him through the channel and making him fall face-first into the stream.

"Want more?!" Spider-Man shouted, very clear anger in his voice. A few moments later his spider-sense went off and he had to leap, unfortunately it wasn't fast enough.

Suddenly Doom shot forward grabbing Spider-Man's torso, making him choke while rushing forward, the two crashed through several walls until they rose, bursting through the ground before finally emerging in an explosion and landing in a completely destroyed place, as if a battle had happened there.

Both let go before falling to the ground, rolling through the mud and dirt while rain fell. Doom grunted on the ground before getting up, his green cloak and cape were completely torn, wet and dirty after the whole battle, the normally shining armor covered in dirt and scratches as he looked at Spider-Man who was in a similar condition.

Spider-Man's entire suit was torn and destroyed, showing Peter's skin and part of his face covered in some bruises, blood, scratches and dirt, even the blue and red coloring had turned into something more brownish.

The two breathed heavily as they got up until they noticed their surroundings, with Peter realizing the place seemed to be the ruins of a wedding ceremony.

"Great, just great! I'm fighting a damn king in the ruins of a wedding ceremony, doesn't that remind you of something, Doom?!"

"..." Doom remained silent before straightening and looking around. "Unfortunately, yes. It reminds me of us, Spider-Man."

"...It was here, wasn't it? Where the…" Peter looked around more closely, and saw many obvious things.

"Yes. It was here where Zora revealed to have committed such a mistake." Doom explains in a calm tone before looking at Spider-Man. "That is why I don't feel pity for you, Peter Parker. I understand what it is… to have your heart broken by someone you trusted, even more than those you had hoped for. I understand what you felt when you saw Mary Jane with that man."

"...hmph, I don't want to hear about that anymore. I got your point…" Spider-Man just crossed his arms, his face molded into bitter displeasure.

"Then why do you keep in this same cycle of suffering?" Doom asked, looking at the destroyed altar. "You're sabotaging yourself, accepting anger and guilt that don't belong to you. Yes, you made mistakes, but you weren't completely wrong, your situation was understandable despite your actions. And in the end you proved to be right."

"Where are you going with this, Doom? No speeches… just raw words."

"I want you to see what you're doing to Franklin and Valeria. And to be the best version of yourself if not for you, for them." Doom explains as he turns to Peter. "I want you to ask for help, to try to get better, you…"

Doom seemed to hesitate before taking a deep breath and sighing. "You're not alone, Peter Parker. Just as I wasn't… Franklin and Valeria were with me and they want to be with you too, don't push them away, that will only hurt the three of you."

"...All right, I get what you're saying." Comments Spider-Man before taking off his mask, revealing Peter Parker's injured face as he raised one hand toward Doom. "I never thought I'd do this, but… thank you, Doctor Doom, I needed that."

Hearing that, Doom stared at him for some time before sighing, turning to face him.

"You're welcome, Peter Parker." With that, Doom shook the hero's hand.

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.

.

"...Do you have any clothes to lend me? The wind is stinging the wounds." Peter asked before making a face and covering his nose. "And wow, we smell awful…"

"...Doom's servants will bring you something before dinner." Doom declared, ignoring the second comment before folding his arms behind his back. "...We'll also provide a suite for your stay in Latveria. Dinner will be postponed by an hour, so we can be… presentable for the children."

 

[EFBA]

The castle was quiet. Many staff members' shifts had already ended or were about to, leaving only a few employees at their posts, while more guards went on alert as night fell.

Franklin and Valeria were already used to this sudden silence that happened daily in the Castle. When the shift ended, Dr. Doom wanted everyone out, sent off to their well-earned rest after a long day of service.



Dr. Doom, in a very curious way, is an excellent employer.



But now, this silence wasn't normal. It was uncomfortable, even awkward. On one end of the long dining table sat Dr. Doom, eating quietly while reviewing a document sent by a Doombot just minutes earlier. On the far opposite end sat Spider-Man, his mask torn in a few places and wearing a green coat, courtesy of his current host, given the sorry state of his suit.



"Can you pass the sauce, Frank?" Peter asked, tugging at a loose thread on his mask. The next instant, a Doombot with… childish chef-themed paint, a cook's hat, and an apron appeared at his side, offering the sauce. "Okay… which one of you painted him?"



"…I was six, okay?" Franklin muttered, turning his face away so Peter couldn't see his embarrassment, while Valeria laughed softly.



"And I never bothered to update the paint job after that." Dr. Doom remarked with a hint of amusement in his voice as he lowered the documents, only to lift them again.



All three could have sworn they heard Dr. Doom cursing something related to fruit imports.



"So… you two are… friends now?" Valeria asked, a trace of apprehension in her voice.



Seeing some of the lower-wing staff whispering about a fight between Spider-Man and Doom hadn't left a pleasant feeling for the Fantastic siblings, but the fact that both had returned after some time, apparently at peace, left her unsettled.



"…Something like that? …God, saying it out loud makes it weirder." Peter said, sounding unsure, feeling slightly better when he noticed Doom looked just as uncertain as he did.



"Agreed."



"Right… so?" Franklin stared at the two figures at opposite ends of the table with curiosity. "What exactly happened? One minute we leave, and the next you're fighting. That's kind of a record. Uncle Victor wasn't even like that with Dad."



"We fought, we talked, and we realized we have things in common." Peter explained with a shrug.



"Indeed. Parker demonstrated that he shares certain similarities with Doom. We intend to discuss this further at a later time." Doom dismissed the document with a snap of magical fingers and turned his full attention to the dining table.



"We intend?" Peter's lenses blinked in confusion.



"Oh, that's great! Finally someone we like who doesn't have some ridiculous rivalry or feud with you, Uncle." Valeria said excitedly, clearly pleased by the idea of seeing her two favorite uncles together without a Fantastic Four-related fight breaking out.



"Unlike the rest of his family, Parker has never acted directly against Doom, so there is no reason for animosity." Doom commented, briefly glancing at Valeria, his tone still strict, but softer than usual.



"Come to think of it… I might be one of the few heroes who's in a gray zone with you." Peter paused to reflect on that. Plenty of heroes and villains around the world had beef with Dr. Doom. "I could probably ask Moon Knight, and each personality would give a different answer about their grudges with you. Why? No idea, but there's gotta be a reason."



"My conflicts with Parker usually happen when Reed and his lackeys drag him along, or when he happens to be part of a group I'm facing. But generally, it's not as though we go out of our way to cross each other's usual borders." Doom said, nodding thoughtfully as he considered his words and past encounters with the spider-themed hero.



"Putting it that way…" Peter tilted his head, absorbing Doom's perspective.



"Anyway, I think we're just about done with dinner. So…" Peter glanced at Franklin's and Valeria's plates, both empty. His own plate looked the same, save for the fish bones from whatever had been served. He had no idea what kind of fish it was, but he loved it and felt a little sad realizing he'd probably never eat it again. "What did you have planned? Since you asked your uncle to kidnap me, I'm guessing you've got plans for me tomorrow."



"…We kind of don't have anything?" Franklin looked away from his favorite hero. "We just told Uncle Victor we missed you. We didn't know he'd actually go get you."



"Oh."



"Why don't you show him the projects you have in your castle labs?" Doom suddenly suggested, making Peter stare at him in surprise. "If I recall your stories correctly, Mr. Parker has experience in advanced chemistry and biology."



"Unfortunately, much more biology than I'd like." Peter muttered loud enough for all three to hear his lament. It was promptly ignored. "Well, I'm curious about those projects. You can show me whenever you want."



"Perfect! Come on, Uncle Peter, I really want to show you what I've been working on with Uncle Victor." Valeria exclaimed, jumping up from the table before grabbing Peter's arm and dragging him out, with Franklin running after them and Doom following at a calmer pace.



Spider-Man threw himself through the New York skies, spinning in the air before firing another web and swinging directly through the gap between buildings.



"Wait, so when you vanished, you weren't being tormented by a villain, but you were in Latveria?! With Dr. Doom?!" Through the mask's communicator, Miles shouted, surprised by the reason for his friend's absence. "I mean. It's good to see you weren't, I don't know, in space or being tortured. But how did you end up in Latveria?!"



"So, it turns out Doombots are stealthier than I imagined. They just started chasing me until they captured me, and then I woke up in Latveria." Peter explained before landing softly on top of a building, crouching to look at the street, checking if anything was happening.



"Man, sometimes I really wonder if you actually are the 'trouble magnet' J.J. used to talk about." Beside Peter, Miles landed in a practiced somersault. "And what happened there? Did Dr. Doom use you for a biological experiment or something like that?"



"No, actually, it was pretty cool. I mean, we fought for about ten minutes and then we talked, and it ended with a dinner." As he said this, Peter leaped again, falling toward the street before firing another web and swinging through the city once more.



"Did you land an uppercut on his chin?" Miles didn't waste any time and followed his mentor closely behind.



"No, I broke his mask and his armor."



"Nice one!" While swinging, Miles moved closer to Peter and tapped him on the shoulder. Then, he realized something. "Wait… YOU HAD DINNER WITH DOOM?!"



The surprise was so great that Miles ended up hitting his shoulder against a billboard and nearly fell onto a rooftop, groaning in pain as he turned to face Peter before raising a hand to give his mentor a thumbs-up.



"I'm okay!" Miles shouted through the communicator, massaging his shoulder. "But seriously, dinner with Doom?! Man, how do you even do it?!"



"...I'm still wondering that myself, but if I ever get an answer, you'll be the first to know." Peter guaranteed in a serious tone.



"Thank you, great Spider-Master." Just as serious, Miles joked along with Peter.



"But for what it's worth, after our conversation, we ended up seeing that we have a lot in common."



"Pete, not to be rude or anything… but hearing that kind of talk come out of Spider-Man's mouth, with Dr. Doom being the person said to have a lot in common… it's worrying to say the least!"



"Like, our relationships have been disastrous, currently we are both on bad terms with the Fantastic Four, we're uncles to the same kids, scientists in some areas." Peter began to list them, counting each point on his fingers, while Miles stared at him in silence with wide eyes under his mask.



"Please, don't make me notice these parallels and realize you're only not an evil genius by chance." Miles let go of his web and hugged his own body, a clear sinister shiver in evidence.



"Curiously, I feel like becoming the dictator of New York and wearing a blue cloak with a metallic helmet made from a spider's skull." Peter commented thoughtfully, putting a hand to his chin before looking at the other hero on the roof. "Do you think it suits me? I could call myself Dr. Spider, or Dr. Arachnus, or…"



"LA LA LA, I'M NOT LISTENING!" Miles shouted, firing webbing at the ear area of his mask. "Okay, I shouldn't have done that… This is going to be hard to clean."



"You joked too much, Miles. Way too much." Peter pointed at his colleague, holding his head and ripping the webbing off one side in a single tug.



"Yeah, yeah. Right, anything else strange to report besides breaking his mask and a dinner? It's hard to imagine Doom would have dinner with someone who punched him so hard it dented his mask."



"Well… now I have a free pass to go to Latveria once a month." Peter commented with a shrug. It wasn't exactly the whole truth, but it was close enough; it wasn't like he was going to say he was going to meet Franklin and Valeria in secret whenever they visited Doom.



"...Man, you know that smell of cheap hot dog water? That's exactly what this pass smells like." Miles expressed, crossing his arms as a shiver grew on the back of his neck. "If I were you, I'd talk to someone whenever you went there. Like, what if Doom catches you in some meticulously absurd, well-thought-out, and long-term trap?"



"I think you're overreacting; Doom is surprisingly not that bad." Peter shrugged.

"...It's Dr. Doom!" Miles shouted, waving his hands. "It's easier to trust Deadpool than Doom!"



"No, hold on! That right there is totally absurd!" Peter pointed at Miles, unable to believe what had just been said.



"...Okay, maybe I exaggerated, but you know what I mean."



For the rest of the time, Peter and Miles caught up on everything possible, taking advantage of the day's low crime rate. Shocker was arrested again, Spider-Ghost left town to go on vacation with her father, among many other things.



"A lot has happened lately, Pete. Also, Captain America was looking for you yesterday; he asked that if I ran into you, I should tell you to call him." Miles remembered this detail while leaning against the building wall.



Peter landed softly next to Miles, looking down at the street below them. "Cap? The last time we talked, it didn't end well. Did he mention what he wanted?"



"Nope… I think. I wasn't paying attention. I was doing some last-minute shopping, but I ended up forgetting to buy bread and… you get it. He talked, I sort of heard him, and I left as fast as possible." Miles scratched his chin, embarrassed. "Sorry man, mom's orders."



"Fair enough, don't you even dare think about disobeying Mrs. Morales." Peter teased playfully.



"Speaking of Mrs. Morales… I have to go." Miles looked at the clock on his phone. "I have to take her to the mall… God help me."



"Hah! Good luck, Miles, we'll talk later." Peter waved as he watched Miles leap away.



"Right… well Peter, one last swing before going home too." Jumping in the opposite direction, Peter swung between buildings and alleys in his usual silence amidst the winds.



His thoughts turned to how to establish regular trips to Latveria at the siblings' request, under the "voluntary" pressure of Dr. Doom. As if the current lack of enthusiasm for continuing as Spider-Man wasn't enough, the city… no, his life was already full of companions and copies: Miles, Spider-Ghost, Spider-Boy, Araña, Silk, and Spider-Woman.



"Though Ben calls himself Chasm now…" With one last swing, Peter stopped on a flagpole atop a building, watching the heavy flow of pedestrians and cars. "I wonder if he abandoned that name and went back to Scarlet? I hope not; I'm finally starting to like the name 'Chasm'."



Suddenly, he heard a sound that was unfortunately very familiar to him: the crack of a gunshot. Hearing this, the hero immediately leaped, moving even faster toward the source of the sound.



He could see in a building that appeared to be a photography studio on the second floor, a few armed guys pointing weapons at hostages.



"All right, Peter. Last act of the day before you go get ready to make your dinner." Looking closer, Peter saw an open window. "Look at that, they even left an entrance ready for me."



With a long leap, Spider-Man stuck to the wall and entered through the window, crawling across the ceiling while analyzing everything within reach. Five muggers, ten models, four photographers, and one director. It would be difficult in a normal situation… if all the muggers weren't so far apart from each other.



"You guys are really tugging at my heartstrings!" Spider-Man descended on a web line, making a silence gesture with his finger to the models who saw him behind the mugger. "Have you ever seen how a spider wraps insects in its web?"



The mugger turned around, startled by Spider-Man's voice at his back, but before he could do anything, Spider-Man covered his mouth with webbing while pulling the gun from his hand. He wrapped the man with the rest of the web and pinned him to the corner of the ceiling, pulling him up into a web cocoon hanging by a single thread. Spider-Man repeated this same action with each of the muggers, each time with a different question or joke.



"That spider in your room asked me to leave you like this."



"Wrap~ wrap~ wrap~ wrap~"



"Can I borrow the jacket? I swear I won't wrinkle it."



Now on the ground, wearing the aforementioned thug's jacket, a white leather one, Spider-Man stared at his work on the ceiling with total satisfaction.



"All right, all right. You're in luck; the police are only five blocks away, so they'll get here before you splat on the ground… maybe." The webbing of one of the thugs gave way for an instant, causing him to let out a suspiciously high-pitched scream. "Okay… the 'maybe' is currently in the lead. Anyway, back to what matters, is everyone okay? Anyone who isn't…"

And it was at that moment that Peter saw red, or rather, red hair.



Mary Jane Watson.



There she was, wearing some elegant dress along with several other models and photographers, all staring at him. Most with gratitude, admiration, and shock, but her? She had a look that was far from satisfied, resigned and even irritated.



"Hm… okay, I see everyone is fine, but just to be safe, I'll stay until the police arrive." Spider-Man commented casually, sitting down in a random chair beside him. "You can continue your work; I promise not to get in the way."



To the surprise of many, except for Spider-Man himself, Mary Jane agreed to the offer and snapped everyone back to their senses by mentioning the studio's daily rental fee. Whatever the amount was, Spider-Man could state without a second thought that it was high enough for everyone to use it as motivation to ignore the presence of Spider-Man and a few thugs on the ceiling. Right at the end of the shoot, the police arrived and took the muggers away in their cars.



"All right, boys, I can leave them with you now, right?" Spider watched the quartet of officers securing the criminals inside their cruisers.



"You can relax, Spider. We have everything under control—thanks to you, of course."



"Wonderful. See you at the next one, Allan. Say hi to your son for me." Spider-Man gave a quick fist bump to the aforementioned Allan.



"Spider, you forgot one of the guns on the ceiling. Can you get it down?" one of the officers asked, pointing at the weapon dangling from a web thread by the window.



The hero looked up and nodded, climbing back through the same window and grabbing the gun before it could hit the floor.



"...You really can't help but attract trouble, can you?" Peter asked with his back turned, as MJ stared at him in silence. Only the two of them remained inside the studio.



"And you can't just move on? I wouldn't have imagined you'd still have the nerve to stalk me after the Hellfire in Krakoa." Mary Jane crossed her arms, scowling, while still staring at her ex-boyfriend's back.



"I'm not stalking you. I'm just helping people who need help."



"You showed up way too fast for it to be just that…"



"I was nearby, and then I heard the shot." Peter turned to the woman of his life… or the ex-woman of his life, already knowing how things would end.



"Sure, so I'm supposed to believe that you coincidentally happened to be on this same block, on the same day as my photo shoot, with a problematic director who has been a victim of these same attacks before?" Mary Jane approached him, pressing her fingernail into the hero's chest. "Don't give me that, Peter. You thought I couldn't handle it, didn't you?"



Hearing that, Peter felt something snap inside him—something that had been stuck for a long time finally came out. Belatedly, he realized it was a dry laugh he had just let out, devoid of any humor. He took a step forward, making MJ instinctively recoil.



"Handle it? Seriously?" Peter asked, his voice now firmer, stripped of that usual humor. "You mean those four armed guys while you were in a room full of civilians, without that gauntlet of random powers? You were going to handle it, Mary Jane? How? Were you going to convince them with a photo shoot? Were you going to tell them how your life is perfect now and full of new responsibilities?"



MJ opened her mouth to retort, but Peter didn't seem interested in letting her speak.



"I was on the block at the end of my patrol because that's what I do, save people. And by a twist of fate that I am already cursing with all my strength, you were here." Peter seemed to take a deep breath before pointing to the window. "I can't see through walls. I just heard a shot and saw muggers and people in danger. I didn't even realize you were here until afterward. If you want to believe I'm some obsessed stalker so badly, go ahead. Feed that fantasy if it makes you feel better about discarding me."



"I didn't discard you, Peter! I moved on!" she shouted, her face flushed with anger. "What we had… is over! Paul, the kids… this is my reality now! And you showing up every time I breathe only makes everything harder. Why don't you understand? Just… forget I exist, Peter! Forget I even exist!"



For a second, Peter stood still, the white lenses of his mask fixed on Mary Jane's furious gaze. He couldn't help but replay everything he had been through since he met her—the fights, how he had struggled and broken several friendships just to save her, on top of all the disasters that had occurred until recently.



"FINE!"



Peter's shout echoed through the empty studio with such force and volume that MJ jumped, her eyes wide with shock. Neither of them moved after that. Both knew Peter had never shouted like that—not at her, never at her.



The echo of the scream seemed to vibrate in the ceiling beams for long seconds. Peter took a deep breath, his shoulders dropping as the adrenaline of anger gave way to a strange, expressionless calm.



"Fine." he repeated, now in a whisper that hurt her more than the shout. "You win, Mary Jane. I'm tired of fighting for someone who sees me as the villain of their own story."



Without another word, Peter turned his back.



"Peter, wait…" MJ began, taking an uncertain step forward, her angry expression replaced by anguished confusion. "I didn't mean that you…"



He ignored her completely. Then, with an agile movement, Peter jumped onto the windowsill.

"Peter!" she called again, her voice now higher, almost desperate.



Spider-Man didn't even look back. He fired a web line to a neighboring building and launched himself into the New York abyss. As he swung away, the cold wind whipping what remained of his suit, Peter felt a strange void.



"What a night…"



The biting night wind was nothing compared to the cold that had settled in Peter's chest as he swung mechanically between the buildings. Each web shot felt like an automatic effort from a body that no longer knew where to go.



"Forget I exist!" Mary Jane's words still echoed in his head.



With a sigh, he landed on top of a water tower, watching the city lights. It was funny how, in the past, he would have seen hope in those lights, but now, he could only see the faces he had disappointed and those who had disappointed him.



"Crap… I really need to talk to someone right now…" Peter reflected, approaching a hidden backpack with his clothes and things.



As he scrolled through his contacts, a scowl began to form on his face as he realized he truly had no one to call right now.



Teresa? If he remembers correctly, she only gets back next month; she must still be busy with the investigation into our parents.



The Avengers? They were probably busy with something involving a cosmic force or something of the sort, and it wasn't like they had ever helped him on a personal level before.



Daredevil?... No, he really didn't want to talk about something personal with him, at least not now... he'd rather wait to reveal his identity to him… again.



The X-Men? … Logan would be good to talk to, but the last time they met, he said he'd be on a long-term mission in Krakoa.



"Logan… no, the last time this conversation about MJ came up, I threw him out of a window. He wouldn't forgive a second time."



Luke and Jessica? … No, they're parents already, better not stress them out more than necessary.



"Wait a minute… Eddie, maybe?" Peter grabbed his phone and dialed his friend's number. It went straight to voicemail. "Okay, he must be busy… or he broke his phone again."



Miles? No, knowing his mother, they must still be shopping. Ben and Kaine wouldn't be much help with this; Ben must be busy with his wife, and Kaine… is Kaine.



His gaze then turned to the Baxter Building in the distance, remembering the Fantastic Four… None of them would want to speak to him now, and to be honest, after being kidnapped by Doom… even if it hadn't been with malicious intent, the fact that they hadn't helped or even been concerned hurt him.



"I can't believe I'm doing this…" Peter thought as he went to one of his most unusual contacts and called.

.

.

.



"Is this elevator music?" Doom's personal number was on hold, with generic elevator music playing in the hero's ears.



"Spider-man. To what do I owe this call?" Doom's voice echoed calmly through the line, almost making Peter snort.



"I… Look, I just need someone to talk to. Are you free right now?"



"..." For a second, Peter was certain Doom was going to hang up on him. "Are you serious? You are actually using Doom's personal number to vent?"



"...Yes?"



"...You truly are an unpredictable figure, just as everyone describes."



"I'll take that as a compliment…" The lenses of Peter's mask flickered with his poorly disguised sarcasm. "But well, I have no one else to talk to about this. And I thought this might serve to… bring us closer?"



"Spider-Man, do you understand what you are asking? You are asking me to step away from my work ruling my lands to listen to your inferior concerns. What makes you think I would accept this?"



"Honestly? I expected you to say no, but I have no one else to turn to right now… especially someone who knows about my problem with her." Peter then hesitated before continuing. "And… someone who understands the problem."



"Hm… I will not. I can send you one of my remotely controlled clones if that helps ease your mind. Doom has too much work currently to drop everything and talk."



"Okay, that's fair…" Peter sighed.



"And then she told me to forget she exists." Peter, now lying on the water tank, was recounting the end of his day to the Doombot, which recorded the entire venting session into its database. At the same time, Doom was listening to everything while reviewing a blueprint for a power generator alongside his personal engineers in a private message chat.



"Are you finished with your lament, Spider-Man?" Doom asked in a calm tone, not as harsh or disinterested as usual, which was strangely pleasant to Peter. "It is truly fascinating. You diminish yourself for people who do not possess a tenth of your willpower and cannot even see your worth. For someone who has saved this world so many times, it is impressive how you allow a woman who does not even care for you to dictate your value."



"Thanks for that..." Peter lamented once more after this heavy emotional blow from Doom. "You wouldn't understand. She is the woman of my… or she was supposed to be. We saw so many things together, and we went through so much together as well…"



"She was an anchor that kept you from improving." Doom retorted, interrupting him, his voice gaining an irritated tone of frustration and authority. "Listen well: the world will do everything to discredit those who are exceptional. People fear what they cannot control and hate even more what they cannot be. This woman did not help you; she was an anchor that prevented you from bettering yourself, a constant reminder of your low self-esteem used to maintain your weakness and feed her ego at your expense."



Doom then approached, his green optics glowing as he stared at him.



"Mary Jane Watson wants you to forget her? Grant her wish." Doom continued his speech. "Not because you are obeying her, but because she has become unworthy of occupying a single thought in the mind of a man who has faced gods and monsters and triumphed over them. The Fantastic Four and the Avengers rejected you? Let them drown in their own hypocritical justice. When they realize their mistake, it will be you who decides if they deserve your forgiveness or not."



"...Have you ever thought about becoming a life coach?"



"I do not see you denying my words." was the swift reply as the robot stared at him.



"I understand what you said… not because of your words, because… well, they have your unique 'flair.' But even if I wanted to, how would I forget her? She was one of the pillars of my happiness; she helped me overcome the loss of my first great love… she saved me several times too. Hell, in almost every Earth in the multiverse, she is one of the keys to my being!"



"...Spider-Man, you are an idiot." Doom grumbled irritably. "If you overcame the loss of your first great love, then simply overcome the loss of another. Since when would someone like you, who has defied destiny, bow down to it?"



"...Was that a joke or motivation?" Peter stared at the Doombot, no longer as dejected, but still unmotivated enough to wonder if Doom's use of his first name was intentional or not.



"...I deemed it appropriate to try and… alleviate your current lack of motivation, since most of the time your jokes are primarily for yourself." Doom explained with a sigh.



"Well… don't do that again. The bad self-deprecating jokes are my trademark… but back to the subject. How would I overcome this great love? Especially after everything that happened? It's impossible to—"



"For the love of…" The Doombot grabbed the hero by the fabric of his back and opened a portal, stepping into it along with the hero.

Upon passing through the portal, the man and the robot were in a suite that had been… themed for Peter?



"Is that my mask made of stained glass on the ceiling?" the man stared at the suite with justified shock and curiosity.



"Indeed." This time, it was Dr. Doom himself standing in front of the open door of the room with his arms behind his back. "Unfortunately, the room is not yet finished; the bed is still temporary while the one I ordered is being built."



"So many questions are swirling in my head… why make a themed suite?"



"Is the theme not to your liking? If you prefer, you can speak with the decorator later." Doom commented distractedly, closing the door behind him.



"...Valeria and Franklin did the customizing, didn't they?"



"Franklin was the most insistent." Doom nodded before sitting in a chair. "And Valeria insisted that your room be next to hers."



"I can't say I'm very surprised." Peter's eyebrow twitched as he saw the large print of a red spider made of crystal plates with long legs and a large backside on the wall. "At least they had the common sense not to use the kids' merchandise made with my image."



Doom simply stared at Peter after that comment, making the hero cringe.



"Right, you wouldn't allow anything but the highest quality material to be used in your castle. Sorry."



"In the end, you will like the result. My niece and nephew planned it, and I supervised and edited it at the end. Nothing is below my standard of quality." Doom stated with his clear, enviable, and incomparable pride.



"Well, thanks… I guess." Peter let go of the bot's grip and sat against the wall, thinking about how he should react to the fact that he now had a personal room in Doom's castle.



"You are welcome… Peter." Doom nodded, though he seemed a bit hesitant when saying Peter's name. "Regardless, I am glad you like your quarters for the next month. If you need any adjustments, do not hesitate to let me know."



"Right… and what's the reason for the kidnapping this time? If you got tired of my 'inexplicably extensive laments,' you could've just said so, and I would've shut up."



"I am preventing you from having a burnout…"

"You're a bit late. I had my first burnout crisis at seventeen." Peter grumbled, remembering his crises. "The rest of them were during college… What they said was real: college is a torture machine I never want to go through again."



Peter shuddered as he recalled his entire journey during that… characteristic period of his life.



"Anyway, how do you plan to keep me from exploding? I don't think a suite, as incredible as it may be, is going to help me much."



"If you would let me finish speaking, you would know." Doom commented, appearing unimpressed. "To begin with: mandatory vacation in Latveria. Do not worry about New York; I will leave a robot that perfectly simulates your powers and personality to handle your usual workload. But most importantly, we will find someone worthy for a friend of Doom!"



"Oh, of course…" Peter nodded before pausing, thinking about everything he had heard, then widening his eyes to look at Doom. "Wait. Find a what!?"



"Prepare yourself, Spi… PETER! Doom will personally handle this problem of yours! However foolish and insignificant it may be, Doom will not allow those close to him to suffer a shred of anguish!" Doom exclaimed, clenching his fist as he struck an excessively dramatic pose.



In some inexplicable way, it fit the current situation of the two very well… and Peter hated thinking about how true that was.



"...Are you considering putting me on Tinder?!" Peter's shout echoed throughout the entire castle.



Some castle servants would later venture to say they could hear the scream even from outside.

​