Spider-Man: Fear Itself

Chapter 5

Avengers Tower

Inside Avengers Tower, the air was thick with tension as the team gathered around the conference table. Steve Rogers sat at the head, reading through Jonah's Daily Bugle article for the third time. Sam Wilson, Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, and Carol Danvers were all there, each of them holding their own copy of the article or scanning it on a tablet. The mood was somber, and confusion hung in the air.

"So, he quit," Natasha said, breaking the silence. Her voice was as calm as ever, but there was an undercurrent of concern. "But why?"

"We knew Spider-Man stepped back from the team," Sam said, frowning as he scanned the headline again, "but I thought it was just a temporary thing. You know, to focus on his patrols in the city or something. I didn't think it was... this."

Tony shook his head, leaning back in his chair. "We knew he quit, but I didn't realize he was feeling like this. That he thought we didn't value him."

Carol crossed her arms, her face set in frustration. "Look, the guy's always been hard to pin down. He doesn't even hang out in the Tower unless there's a major mission. How were we supposed to know he was feeling like an outsider?"

Steve, who had been quiet up until now, finally spoke. "He's always been more focused on the streets of New York than the global threats we handle, but that's never been a bad thing. Maybe we didn't see how much it was weighing on him to be part of a team that's constantly dealing with cosmic-level crises when his heart is with the people here."

Natasha's brow furrowed. "Do you think he feels like we don't need him?"

"He didn't say anything," Tony muttered, tapping the table impatiently. "That's the problem. If he'd just talked to us—"

"Would we have listened?" Steve cut in, his voice quiet but firm. "Spider-Man's been saving this city for years. Maybe we got too caught up in the big picture and forgot about the smaller battles—the ones that matter just as much."

Sam nodded slowly. "The article hit hard. The public's on his side. And... they're not wrong. We let him slip through the cracks."

Tony let out a sigh, rubbing his temple. "Great. Now we've got a PR nightmare and a pissed-off Spider-Man."

"Maybe it's not about PR," Steve said, looking up at the group. "Maybe it's about showing Spider-Man that he is a part of this team, whether he's fighting cosmic threats or swinging through the streets."

The team nodded in agreement, but there was a lingering unease. None of them truly knew what to do next. Spider-Man had already walked away, and getting him back wasn't going to be easy.

The Treehouse - X-Men Headquarters

At the Treehouse, the mood was considerably different. Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Synch, Jubilee, and Magik were all gathered around the large holographic display in the middle of the room. The article from The Daily Bugle floated above them, its headline stark against the backdrop of the city skyline.

Jean sighed, running a hand through her red hair. "I had no idea Spider-Man had stepped back from working with us."

Jubilee snorted, crossing her arms. "He works with us? I mean, the guy swings by when we're in New York and helps out sometimes, but we've never considered him an X-Man."

Magik tilted her head, frowning slightly. "He's helped mutants plenty of times. Saved our butts more than once."

"Sure," Cyclops said, his voice measured as always. "But he's never been a part of the X-Men. He's a loner. It's not like we've ever needed Spider-Man for our big missions. He's a street-level hero, and the kind of threats we deal with are on a different scale."