2014.02.23 - Setting Up The Web

After classes that day, Peter Parker made his way to the famous Baxter Building. He was wearing a long grey shirt, with a black Ramones T-shirt on top, with slightly baggy green cargo pants and with a baseball hat worn low.

He joined up with one of the official tours moving through the building near the back. When the chance arose he broke off from the rest of the group and made his way through the residential part of the building, passing through the retinal and DNA scans. He quietly hoped that no glass tubes would close in on him!

Quietly he slipped into Ben's bedroom and tossed off the hat onto his bed. He nodded as he admired the room for a moment, "Nice digs, Ben."

Before Ben could come in he slipped into the office chair, with his back facing towards the door. "And now, we wait."

Wearing his "I 'The Fantastic Four Symbol' NY" white t-shirt with black cargo pants Ben paused at the intruder. It wasn't often you saw someone that could have been your reflection sitting in your chair uninvited. "Got past the retinal scans on account of?" Ben gestured to the two of them. He nodded a little partly in shock and somewhat impressed. "What do I owe the visit of New York's Wall-Crawler?"

The apartment was mostly white and modern. Black tiles sprawled across the floor and white went across the counter tops that held "Cooking for Dummies" and other beginner cook books. The furniture in the living room was white leather. Deep down the teen didn't want to fight the modernistic look plus he wasn't fashion savy enough to do anything solo. Sitting down in the on the couch Ben gestured to a love seat. "I'm just glad my girlfriend isn't here right now. She would be sooo awestruck." His brown eyes went to the well-loved Einstein poster, it was from the famous photo where he had his tongue sticking out, and then back to Peter.

Aw dang reflection!

Still, Peter stuck to his guns and swiveled the chair around all dramatic and villain-like (at least in cartoons) with his fingers touching to each other, "/Indeed/ we meet again."

He hopped off of the seat and stopped when he saw the poster. Weird, he had the same one back in his dorm only held up by thumbtacks instead of lovingly framed, "...right. Sorry. Retinal and DNA, plus the robots didn't notice."

He moved to sit onto the gestured loveseat, and plopped down onto the cushion. He avoided putting his feet onto the side of the furniture, as he looked around a bit nervously. There was a silence in the air a few too many moments, "So. Why I'm here. I wanted to see how you have been holding up. I see you've been...well.."

"Put your feet up man. You know I would," Ben said trying to cut through some of the air with a smile. He looked to Pete, "Being Reed's assistant and part of the Fantastic Four is great, but I had to build it all up because the life I thought I knew...wasn't mine to have. I'd gladly give it all away if it meant I could be you," talking with yourself was normally a bad thing. This was a little different but at least the company had a good sense of humor.

"We ran into each other a few times in the past. Including the whole...bad day when I tried to rally everyone that wants to be a Spider. A Spider-Family if you will and I know that sounds cheesy, but I think all the other Spiders took the cool spider names. Unless you want to be the Secret Society of Super Spiders. We could always do that," a smirk pulled at Ben's lips as he joked. Waving a hand Ben didn't want to hear any apology, "But you sound like you're in a better place today. So what's up?"

With a small smirk of his own he slipped off his shoes and sat with his feet underneath him on the chair. Especially when feeling uncomfortable, he had issues with sitting like a normal person. His knees were just comfortable like that. He nodded, but then the comment about Peter's life made his eyes become focused on the ground, "Man no. Don't even think like that. You've got some great things going."

He rubbed at the back of his neck and smiled awkwardly as he brought up that day, "That morning I fought...who was he...Madcap. Yellow and purple guy, shoots bubbles of all things? Kinda put me in a mood, so I'm sorry Ben. That wasn't cool."

He reached into one of his pockets and pulled out a business card. On it was printed "Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!" and a phone number was marked in pen. He placed it on the table and slid it towards him, "And I know. There are so many of us...it's time to accept that I'm not going to be the only Spider out there. I just...I know what it's like. I didn't want to see other people have to shoulder the same responsibility, but you all are...in stride actually!"

"It's cool man. I haven't been a bright ray of sunshine either," Ben breathed out then nodded at Peter, "Uncle Ben wouldn't want us to be mad at each other. So...apology accepted." Weird apologizing to yourself but here it was.

Smirking at the business card Ben looked it over, "Really? I mean it works, but you know J. J. is just going to eat these up. Call you a criminal or whatever buzz word of the week suits him each time he sees these," smiling he looked at the number then pulled out his phone. Texting the number Ben just presumed it forwarded to a cell phone. The message said, "Quit talking to yourself."

Pausing for a second it was good to see Pete with some sensibility about it, "You didn't know this, but you started something the day you decided getting shot at while dressed in tights was a good thing. You started a dynasty, man. I picked the name Spider because it felt fitting. Others have picked it because of something you, or some other you in another world, did. You were the first. Any Spider-Team present or future wouldn't be right without you, or your successor." Pausing at the mention of successor, "We gotta have a talk about that last part. Like a big talk and you may wanna brace yourself when we do." It wasn't often your clone congratulated you on being a father. Ben wasn't sure where to begin that conversation.

Peter held up a finger, "One thing at a time. But first things first. The card normally just has the print, I've been writing in my number just to the guys. You know? So everyone can get a hold me if they need to. Like when I have minutesor the phone isn't dead, or I left it at the Bugle."

Then his butt beeped with a text message. He checked it, before smirking and putting it back into the pocket, "Yeah I know, all sorts of Arachnids are coming out of the woodwork."

He moved to stand in front of the chair, paced back and forth and then sat onto the arm rest, playing with the sleeves of his shirt, "I met Spider-Girl. I know she has some secrets. Then there is 'The Spider' but he's an alright kid, and then there is you. Like you all make me flattered or flustered in some way, but yeah."

"Well get used to it because they're just going to keep coming. Soon there'll be a Spider-Boy, Spider-Side Kick, a Black Widow but that may be taken," Ben shrugged looking at Peter. He had to accept a revolution started. "Spider-Girl you should get to know. Like hang out with her. She needs you most of all. I know some of these secrets because we were roomies, but she lives in the building. Iron Spider is from another world where you apparently worked with Stark and you got your own Iron Man-like costume. Then somehow Iron Spider got it," Ben shrugged because he was fuzzy with the details. His brown eyes looked at his counterpart, "The Spider was apparently working with you. Like out of all the Spiders you took a like to him. He seems like good people."

Breathing out Ben just kept going, "Trust me man. Spider-Girl needs you and the only person that can make her world a little better is you. Sit with her, talk with her and try not to get freaked out when she's ready to let you in." No more was going to be said about because he wasn't going to violate his niece's trust. Plus it wasn't Ben's place to say any more.

Peter quirked a brow and looked like he had a mental debate with himself before speaking, "Ok you know way too much about everybody. I met Spider-Girl like the other night. So...right yeah she said she lives here. She-Hulk lives here too right? She's hot."

He bit at his lower lip and looked to the side, as he slid back into the chair and pondered Spider-Girl some more, and what that could mean. And wait, Iron Spider? No he had heard of that one. Damn there were so many.

He let out a sigh and looked out towards the excellent view of the city out of the window, lowering his voice, "I will. I will. When did this all get so...complicated? Not that any of this...life was easy."

Peter quirked a brow and looked like he had a mental debate with himself before speaking, "Ok you know way too much about everybody. I met Spider-Girl like the other night. So...right yeah she said she lives here. She-Hulk lives here too right? She's hot."

He bit at his lower lip and looked to the side, as he slid back into the chair and pondered Spider-Girl some more, and what that could mean. And wait, Iron Spider? No he had heard of that one. Damn there were so many.

He let out a sigh and looked out towards the excellent view of the city out of the window, lowering his voice, "I will. I will. When did this all get so...complicated? Not that any of this...life was easy."

"Do you know how difficult it is to live near and work with a girl that hot?! And she's been in Maxim. Yeah...ummm...Difficult! Like seriously. And I wear spandex half the time I'm around her," Ben sighed then looked to Pete who was deep in thought. Walking up to him Ben placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "What would Uncle Ben say to do? Take it one step at a time. That's what you gotta do about this team. We'll fall in line because it's well you. Well, I may not because you're a good looking guy and all, but I don't know if I can trust you," Ben gave a playful suspicious look toward Peter. "There's just something about out," he rubbed his chin.

"Yeah speaking of!"

Peter jumped to his feet and looked over Ben. Her circled about him and placed a hand to his chin, "I have to ask...blonde. You'd look great as a blonde. Or a goatee. Maybe dreadlocks. Because even without the genetics, we look /exactly/ alike."

He looked to the side again and rubbed at the back of his hair, not making any eye contact with Ben and lowered his voice, "Aunt May. I know you want to see her. What are we going to do?"

"Look man I'll shave my head or something, but blonde is so 1993. Dreadlocks are a maybe," then as Pete went about the method to his madness became clear. Now it was Ben's turn to look out toward the city, "That was always a lost cause to me man. Because even if we somehow convince her that I'm not a copy of her nephew...I'm going to want to hug her then never let go because up here," he pointed to his head. His brown eyes went to Peter for a second then back out to the city, "How you care about her is how I care about her. Now imagine you've gone three years without seeing her because someone else is being you, in your own life. That's what it's felt like. And I know you're the original...It just...I was copied too well because I see myself as her Nephew too. I don't have a right but it's how the head sees it."

Peter began walking about the living room a bit. A lot of the stuff in the room was pretty cool..a lot of it stuff he would like. More Star Trek DVDs then he would have, or Doctor Who. He was more into novels. Peter had an idea about the Aunt May situation, but would save it for the moment. They still needed to fix their relationship a bit.

He turned to look towards his mirror image again, "We couldn't do bald. I know I got bored one night and...no. My only request...would be /some/ sort of different hairstyle. I can handle the brown. But we have the /exact/ same haircut. Shotgun spikey. How about...undercut?"

He smiled his ridiculously lop-sided and boyish smile he sometimes gets, "Ladies like those. At least you can say you have one of them girlfriend things."

"I never get to see my girlfriend thing due to school. Jubilee is great and I love her, but y'know...a guy needs a hug once in a while," he smiled at Peter. Thinking on it Ben had to figure out a way to truly separate the two of them, "Long hair is probably a no go, for the record." There had to be a happy medium with the two of them.

Yeah, he probably was right. And one bored summer he tried blonde highlights and that was...dreadful. But there was probably something, just some small differences so they could feel a little less exactly the same. At least so people could spot the two.

He shrugged and slipped his hands into his pockets, "Well, what about a side part...slightly longer...and sideburns. Could look attractive, you know. From a purely hetero way. Right. So I need to get going, but yeah if we are about to hang out in and out of costume...we need people to tell us apart."

He stepped towards him and held out a hand with one of his goofy grins, "What do you say?"

Sideburns eh? It could work, "Protocol is to say 'No Homo' and people think I'm te one that lived stashed away for a few years." Pursing his lips together Ben wanted to sweaten the deal, "So the sideburns would make me the natural candidate for Sandshoes at conventions. Since you're the older one that makes you Grandpa. We can convince one of the other spiders to be Dicky Bow," Ben stroked his chin, "Sideburns means I get to be Tennant at conventions from now on, you know this right?"

Peter Parker is not a Doctor Who fan so he has no idea what Ben is talking about. So he just smiles as his handshake is ignored and pockets it, "Sure thing, Ben. Sure thing."

He gives him a small nudge to the shoulder and nods, "I'm glad I stopped by. Next time introduce me to the babe Hulk. You've got my number no, no excuse being a stranger now."

He gave Ben a salute before heading towards the door. He left the hat behind because meh, only wore it to sneak in