Venomous

Chapter 5

Peter meets the stowaway in his backpack
Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

Venom

When Peter got back to his apartment, he was exhausted. Hanging out with Mr. Stark all day was one of his favorite things to do, and when Doctor Strange showed up for a surprise visit, that was always cool. But the one thing Peter enjoyed doing more than Avengers stuff was sleep. It was one of his favorite past times. So, when he got back to his room around seven-thirty in the evening, he wanted to pass out. But, he had a bit more to do before his aunt got back from her shift.

Peter fished his suit out of his backpack, unaware of the black mass that had made itself comfortable on the fabric. He slipped into his suit and swung out the window, ready to patrol Queens for the next few hours. Aunt May wouldn't be back until around eleven o'clock, so he had until around that time. His aunt knew about his powers, and about his vigilante nature--but she had established a few strict ground rules:

Rule #1: Peter was never to go after a criminal more dangerous than a mugger by himself unless he was absolutely sure he would be able to handle it. If he had even the slightest of doubts, he was to call Tony Stark for help. (Peter didn't really follow this rule most of the time; he hated to bother Mr. Stark, especially late at night when he was usually out patrolling.)

Rule #2: He had to give May hourly updates about his location and what was going on. If May didn't hear from Peter each hour, she would call Tony Stark and have him go look for Peter. It seemed silly, but May was paranoid about losing her nephew. Peter understood her concerns, so he sucked it up and sent her a text each hour letting her know that he was safe.

Rule #3: Always be home before her. She hated coming home to an empty apartment, especially when she was exhausted from a long shift at work. When May got home at night, she wanted to go straight to bed, but if Peter wasn't home, she would wait up for him and end up being more tired when she woke up the next day. Peter didn't want to be the cause of his aunt's sleep deprivation, so he did his best to be home before his aunt each night.

Those were the three big rules that Peter had to follow. He didn't really mind them so much, he understood why his aunt was so concerned with him swinging from the roofs fighting criminals in the dead of night. It would be nerve racking for any parent to worry about. So, Peter followed the rules, if May was happy, then he was happy.

As Peter swung from building to building, he spoke to the AI in his suit, known as Karen. Karen had been designed by Mr. Stark to be a virtual babysitter for the kid. She was supposed to keep him out of trouble as much as she was able, and if she couldn't, she was the one who notified Mr. Stark that Peter was in trouble. Peter didn't like it when she threatened to call Mr. Stark, it made him feel like a little kid.

"Good evening, Peter," Karen greeted casually. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Karen!" Peter replied enthusiastically. He landed on a nearby roof with a thud! and then turned to look out over the New York skyline. It was a sight he would never get bored by. "Man, I wish I had a camera." He murmured to himself before sitting down, swinging his legs back and forth. "So, Karen, what does Queens have for me in store tonight?"

The AI was silent for a moment before replying. "I'm not picking up any local chatter on the police radios, I believe everything is quiet for now," She said. Peter sighed in disappointment. He didn't like the fact that there were criminals crawling the streets of New York, but he couldn't lie and say they didn't make his life a bit more interesting. "Peter, are you aware of the black mass that has attached itself to the back of your suit?" Karen asked.