After saying goodbye to Stan at Excelsior, we drifted toward the nearby park like we always did whenever nobody wanted to go home yet. The late afternoon sun hung low over Manhattan, bathing everything in warm gold. Kids chased pigeons across the grass while joggers passed by on the paths. It felt… normal. A welcome change after yesterday. Peter fell into step beside me as we crossed one of the park's stone bridges. "Hey, Jake."
"Hm?"
"Isn't your birthday tomorrow?" he questions. I blinked, "...Yeah. Eighteen already. It feels weird." Peter laughed. "We're all getting old." I give him a small grin, "Says the guy who's only a few months older than me."
"Exactly."
Danny caught up with us, hands buried in his pockets. "Eighteen is an important age." His tone filled with that wisdom you see in old teachers. "Here we go," Sam muttered from behind us. Danny ignored him. "It marks the beginning of adulthood."
Luke snorted. "So does paying taxes." Jessica rolled her eyes. "Way to ruin the mood." Danny smiled. "Wisdom comes with age." He has his hand on his chin in a thinking pose eliciting a chuckle from some of us. "So does back pain," Eddie added with a snort. We all laughed.
I smiled too. "...It's not really that." Peter looked over. "What do you mean?" I hesitated. "It's just..." I looked up at the sky. "My dad always made birthdays feel... important." The words surprised even me. "I barely remember him, honestly." Just fragments.
A laugh. Strong shoulders. A warm hand ruffling my hair. Someone lifting me high enough to touch tree branches. "I just..." I shrugged. "I miss the traditions." Nobody spoke for several moments. Luke rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, man." Harry nodded quietly.
Peter's expression softened. "I get it." He probably did. His own parents were gone. Before the silence could become awkward, I clapped my hands together. "Enough of that." Everyone looked at me. I pointed toward the far end of the park. "Last one to the bridge is an uncultured swine!" Sam gasped dramatically.
"You take that back!"
"Nope!"
I took off running. "Oh, you're dead!" Luke shouted. The rest of them exploded into motion. Peter nearly tripped over a park bench trying to catch me. Miles effortlessly slipped around people. Danny somehow managed to run without looking like he was trying. Jessica tackled Luke into a hedge. Sam laughed so hard he almost joined them. For a while...
Life was simple.
We wandered through Central Park. Bought overpriced drinks from a street vendor. Ended up down near the waterfront. Someone suggested food. Someone else suggested McDonald's. Luke wanted burgers. Sam wanted chicken. Naturally...
We bought KFC.
Then walked into McDonald's carrying the bags. The horrified expression on one particularly judgmental customer's face nearly killed Peter with laughter. "You guys are children," Michelle sighed. "Correct," Sam replied. "And proud of it." Even Harry laughed. A real one. The first genuine laugh I'd heard from him since Oscorp. For a few precious hours...
Yesterday didn't matter. The spiders didn't matter. Marvel didn't matter. We were just teenagers. Then evening came. The first warning sign was Peter. He stumbled. Not enough to fall. Enough for me to notice. "You okay?" He blinked. "Yeah..." His voice sounded strained. "Just dizzy." A few feet away, Cindy rubbed the back of her neck. Lyn pressed a hand against her forehead. Miles frowned.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine."
She clearly wasn't. Then Harry nearly dropped his drink. "Whoa..." He grabbed the railing beside the boardwalk. His breathing had become uneven. The laughter around us slowly faded. Jessica looked from Harry to Peter. "...Guys?" MJ reached for Peter's wrist. Her eyes widened. "Peter. You're burning up."
Michelle immediately checked Harry. "So is he." Her worry evident in her tone. "Lyn too," Gwen said. "And Cindy." An uneasy silence settled over us. Then every eye turned toward me. "...Jake?" Jessica stepped closer. "You don't look so good."
"I..."
A wave of dizziness slammed into me. My knees nearly buckled. Heat spread through every muscle in my body. Not a fever. Something, different. Hotter. Deeper. Like molten metal was flowing through my veins. I staggered backward. "What..." My heartbeat thundered inside my ears. Every sound around me suddenly became painfully clear.
Footsteps.
Conversations fifty metres away.
Traffic.
The crash of waves.
A seagull crying overhead.
"...the hell..." I reached up to wipe sweat from my forehead. 'Not again,' I think to myself Someone gasped. Luke stared at me. "...Jake. What happened to your hair?" My hand froze. "...What?" Sam pointed. "Dude... There are silver streaks."
"No," Lyn whispered. "They're blue." I looked at one loose strand hanging over my face. Dark brown. Except, it wasn't. Thin strands of shimmering platinum-blue now ran through it like threads of polished metal. "...That's..." Impossible. The heat intensified. Pain exploded through my body.
Across the boardwalk, Peter collapsed. "Pete!" MJ caught him before he hit the ground. Harry dropped to one knee. Miles grabbed him. Cindy stumbled into Gwen. Lyn nearly followed. Everyone started talking at once.
"Oh my God!"
"Call someone!"
"Harry!"
"Cindy!"
"They're burning up!"
My vision blurred as I reached for my phone.
Come on...
Come on...
My fingers barely obeyed me. I managed to unlock it. Mum. Speed dial. The screen doubled then tripled. My hand slipped and the phone fell. Before it could hit the ground, Harry caught it. His own face was pale. Sweat poured down his forehead. Despite that, he forced himself to stand. "I've..." He swallowed hard. "I've got it." He hit the call button. Relief washed through me. Good.
Even like this...
I've still got my friends.
The world tilted sideways. Darkness rushed up to meet me. The last thing I heard before consciousness abandoned me...
...was a faint scratching sound coming from inside my backpack.
Like one of the spiders.
Moving.
Waiting.
Freeze Frame.
Well...
Happy birthday.
Marvel really knows how to celebrate. Some people get cake. Some people get money. Some people get embarrassing family photos. Jake? Jake gets mystery fevers, silver-blue hair, enhanced senses, and collapses dramatically in front of half his friend group.
Meanwhile, every kid who got bitten by a spider yesterday is doing their best impression of synchronized fainting.
Coincidence?
...
Probably not.
Right?
...Right?