Chronicles of the Spider

Family Matters

15 Years Ago

Earth Prime

Dick was blankly looking around. The manor was opulence given form, with comforts and luxuries on every place he laid eyes on, but none of that registered for him. His mind was still on the horrific events of two weeks ago.

Dick was the son of a pair of very successful acrobats known as the 'Flying Graysons'. They were the pride of Haley's Circus, exciting people from far and wide to watch the show. One evening, during their performance, Dick's parents were doing their finishing move when the trapeze snapped. As they were famous for performing without a net, both of them fell down to the floor from up high, killing them. Dick could do nothing but watch forlornly from his platform.

Later, he was adopted by a famous Gotham billionaire named Bruce Wayne. A famed philanthropist, Bruce came by to talk to the young man, and told him how he knew what he was feeling, having lost both his parents at a similar age to Dick right now.

While both Bruce and Alfred, the Wayne family butler, were incredibly nice, Dick couldn't snap out of his funk. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw his parents' bodies on the floor far below him, watching as the blood slowly flowed out of their skulls.

Right now, he was sitting in front of the TV, with some cartoon playing on screen. He couldn't even think about what he was watching, blankly staring at a bouncing grey cat trying to stomp a brown mouse. Bruce, despite the fact that he was a very busy man, still made sure to spend time with him every day, either in the mornings or the evenings.

Alfred watched from the side of the room. He closed his eyes in sadness, pitying the young boy for suffering so deeply. It was like looking at Bruce again. Even Peter, before his move, was prone to bouts of melancholy, lamenting his fate as an unloved son. All three were virtually identical from the back, having the exact same defeated posture while watching the screen.

Dick was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn't hear the sound of footsteps until a voice sounded out from behind him.

"You know, I always preferred Tom and Jerry to Bugs Bunny. Don't ask me why, but this was far more entertaining for me than that."

Dick whirled around to see a tall, black haired teenager standing behind him. While Dick was quite lean and well built for a nine year old, having been raised as a gymnast, the boy behind him was clearly very muscular, with his defined forearms clearly visible because of his rolled up sleeves. He wore a form fitting black shirt, which was tucked into a pair of jeans. The boy was probably fifteen or sixteen, and certainly what most would call very handsome, but the strangest feature on his person was his eyes. They seemed to be the colour of molten gold, irises almost glowing in his sockets.

"Uh," Dick started in confusion, "hello, sir?"

"Sir?" the teenager scoffed, the soft smile on his face never leaving. "Nah, none of that sir stuff. Just call me Peter." He chuckled lightly, before turning to where Alfred stood in the shadows. "Seriously? I had to learn about my new brother from Alice?"

"Brother!?" Dick gasped, but he was summarily ignored by both the other men.

Alfred had the good sense to wince. "I didn't want to tell you so soon, Master Peter. After your problems with Master Bruce, well..."

"Just because I have problems with dad, doesn't mean that I'm gonna ignore my brother, Alfred," Peter chided, before moving over and sitting next to Dick.

"Hey there," he smiled, offering him a handshake. "I'm your big brother."

Dick shook his hand mechanically, his mind still in a daze. His eyes were wide and never left Peter's person.