Chapter 10

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The first day of three with no food, or rice if I was really starving. I could do this.

I slipped on my costume, I need to start making a name for myself some time and now seems as good of time as any. I changed in the shower (without the water on) then left my bag under the water-tank and swung around. I didn't have enough paper to affort leaving notes so I hoped the webs would speak for themselves and that the criminal would spread my name. Oh boy, was Gotham different to New York.

...

By the time I had:

Stopped at least thirty homeless people from getting beaten up, stopped seven muggings, tried to break up a street fight (and decided not to bother trying that again), rescued cat from a tree, and stopped a robbery of what must have been the only nice resturant in town (the lady who ran the place gave me a cookie in re-payment so that was definitely my favourite)

It was dark out.

I was on a rooftop about to swing home when "So you're web-guy."
"Spider-Man, actually." I corrected, I didn't have the materials for voice modifier so lowering my voice would have to do.
"Huh." I turned around to face the voice and they were... a child. Not even a teenager like me, a ten (nine?) year old child
"You must be one of the Robins." I said, I wonder how Batman keeps track of all of them if all their names are Robin
"The current Robin, actually." oh that makes a lot more sense, each Robin must graduate into their own hero
"Yeah- wait are you mocking me!?" I asked, the kid smirked
"If I am?" he asked. Sometimes I hate that one not-held-back punch from me could cave anyones face in and send them flying. I gave a long sigh
"I don't hurt the good guys, lucky for you." I said, the kid raised an eyebrow.
"I would like to see you try." he challanged
"No you wouldn't." I dismissed
"Well, I assume you are a good guy then. But here in Gotham we have two rules that define 'good guy', do not commit crimes, not including the ones necessary to be a vigilante, and do not kill." Robin said
"I followed those rules before Gotham." I said, the kid seemed to relax ever so slightly
"Good. Experience is good, you are not chopped liver then- I have got to warn you, Gotham is not quite-" he started
"Normal? Safe? Yeah, I got that. It's just as weird as were I'm from though." I said, Robin looked at me skeptically
"How many real creatures from folklore?" he asked
"How many mad scientisted turned into an animal mutants?" I countered even though I was sure I could think of one villian who is real folklaw, Vulture might count, y'know, vultures and death and superstition and stuff.
"At least one." Robin said
"Oh." I said "That's seems to be a really common theme. There should be laws about that."
"Yeah, totally. Law enforcment is almost always dirty." he agreed
"Dirty? For me it's more barely willing to put up with me and ineffective." I explained
"Oh yeah those too. Gordon is nice though and he is Commissioner though so it will probably get better."
"Hopefully." I said
"Yes." Robin agreed
"Uh, bye!" I hopped off the edge of the building and swung away.
"Wait!" I heard Robin call. Weird thing was that he wasn't enhanced (or meta as they call it here), I could tell by his heart beat, normally heros that young get into the hero gig becuase they are given powers against their will like me (often in worse ways and still against their will). Still, I didn't hear Robin follow me. His grappling hook probably didn't reach far enough to be able to swing where I was swinging.

I landed at base and changed back to some civillian clothes then jumped out onto the street to go dumpster diving. I was on my second dumpster when a thought came to me, I looked around.
"If I could get a job..." I muttered out loud. I was walking around looking for two things now, half decent dumpsters and jobs.

...

I sighed as another shop told me I was too young, it wasn- I stopped thinking as I reached up to touch my neck. The fabric of my clothes seemed to catch on it and it felt horrible, this was a sensory overload. The fabrics texture was horrible and feel-y, the bandages were too tight and all wrong, my chest rising and falling brought new feelings and new discomfort.

I started to run back to base, as fast as I could, my footsteps echoed in my ears and my breath seemed louder than it should be. I felt tears stream down my face and it didn't feel good, my hair swept across my forehead and it made me want to scream, I stumbled to the ground and hated the texture of the gravel digging into my skin.

I started sobbing but I didn't have the energy to stop myself even though it hurt. Stupid enhnaced senses, I heard everything, couples fighting, friends talking, waiter taking orders, footsteps (so many footsteps), engines, I felt the blood flowing through my body, I felt and heard my fast heat beat, I felt my strangled sobs vibrate my chest, I tried desperately to keep blocking it out but the more hysteric I got the harder it was to focus on that and the harder to focus it was the more sound I couldn't tune out, and the more sound I couldn't tune out made it hurt more which made my focus- I could hear everything in the city and then some more. I sobbed and clawed at my ears, and the fabric around my body, if I could just get awaw from some- roaring and bright lights that made my eyes strain even though they were shut tight.

I sobbed even as the roar reduced to a humming, it was still noise- there was so much noise, too much noise, too much light, too many feeling, Tony used to help with this, DD too, why aren't they here now? Why- I fell down and kept clawing at my ears
"Peter?" I heard someone say my voice and I abruptly stopped crying
"K-keep talking." I demanded
"What- Peter? Okay... I uh, why are you crying on the middle of the road, don't bother answering that, lets get you help. Come on, get in the car." the voice said, and I focused on it, tried to use it to zone out the other noises. "Peter take my hand." the voice said, I opened my eyes to see a hand above me, I grabbed it and let the person with the voice pull me up and then carry me onto a seat. "Peter, Peter, what's going on? Are you okay? Shit," a phone dialling loudly
"Please." I whispered, I stopped as I felt my vocal chords vibrating, it felt horrible
"Tim. Tim something's wrong with Peter." the voice said, I grabbed its arm and found the pulse, letting myself listen to the pulse and feel the pulse and shove everything away. It wasn't working because the pulse wasn't familiar, why should I trust it? Panic flared through me, I probably should of been listening to more than their voice and not let the words float right through my head but I really couldn't
"Talk." I begged, I needed to calm down before I could escape intact
"Shit. Uhm, hi? I'm Jason. What's your name- Peter, this isn't the point uhm, ah. Fuck, fuck, why is this so hard?!" the voice kept rambling and I focused on the words, only the words
"Something difficult." I said, there was silence and I opened my mouth to say
"Don't talk Peter. Uhm, have you ever read ___?" the voice kept talking and they recited a book to me, it was an intresting book, I would have to ask for it once this was all over
"Hah!" I laughed as something funny happened in the story, I realised I had finally unconsciously tuned everything out (as much as I could anyways) and sighed in relief
"Are you okay?" the voice said, I suddenly opened my eyes and realised I was in a strangers car, and then everything went black.

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