Spider-Man: Marvel Knight

Chapter 8-With Great Power...

It was the next day... it was Sunday.... Thank God. For once, Peter felt relieved that he didn't have school again. Although he woke up with a splitting headache, it felt good to sleep in today. There was no alarm to get him up or anything. He felt like he never had a better sleep than last night. It had been quite an eventful one as well. It let him know just how limited his powers could be.
He sat up in his bed and stretched. Boy, did he feel refreshed. He reached over to his dresser to grab his glasses, but only felt a piece of paper. He grabbed it and studied it. Miraculously, he could read it with no glasses. The spider bite must have healed his vision as well. The letter read:

Peter,
Meet me at the park as soon as you wake up.
Uncle Ben

He went over Ben's words in his mind over and over. Did Ben know about what he did last night? Did he know that he had spider powers?
Quickly, Peter got dressed and headed out the door. He left his glasses because he felt that he did not need them. Aunt May had gone to Mrs. Watson's house for coffee, as she did every Sunday, so there was no worrying her about where he would be. He also assumed that Ben would've told her what they were doing today.
Peter thought about swinging there...that was a terrible idea. After what happened last night, he knew that he neither had the skill nor the guts to do that. Maybe, with a little more practice, he would figure it out, but it would have to wait.
He finally made it to the small suburban park in the neighborhood. It was petite, but pretty, and the songbirds always passed through. Soon enough, he found his uncle sitting on a park bench, drinking a cup of coffee, and taking in the sights and sounds.
"Uncle Ben?" Peter asked, getting his uncle's attention.
Ben turned to his nephew and smiled. He wondered if he was actually going to come or not. "Ahh, Peter," he replied. "Come on and sit here." He patted the seat next to him.
Peter sat next to him with a tad of confusion on his face. "What did you want me to come down here for?" he asked. He leaned back into the bench. "We haven't been here since I was ten."
"Holy cow, you remember that?" Ben asked, looking at his nephew with a grin.
Pete chuckled. "I mean...it was seven years ago, unc, but I remember it pretty well. Please don't tell me you asked me to come down here just so we could go down memory lane."
Ben shook his head and looked down at his coffee cup. "No, not that." He turned to his nephew some more. "Why didn't you tell me you got bit by a spider at the science fair?"
Peter's heart dropped. He knew the truth. Pete's evasion last night didn't mean anything. "Dr. Connors told you?" he responded.
"Of course he did, Peter," Ben responded, surprised at his nephew's answer. "He's known you since you were a toddler. He worries, too."
Peter began to get choked up. "I'm sorry...I..."
"Why didn't you just tell me, you got bit? And that your friends didn't go with you?" Ben scratched his head "I know you have anxiety, but, Peter, that's why you tell me and your aunt things: so we can talk about it."
Peter started crying. He couldn't help it anymore. He had to tell him. "I'm sorry, I really am, Uncle Ben... It's just that...it's just... That bite...it...it...it changed me."
Ben began to comfort his nephew. What did Peter mean by that? "What do you mean by 'changed you'?" he asked, obviously confused.
"I don't know how to explain it..." Peter said while wiping away his tears. "I can't use my glasses... I can sense everything around me... I can climb up stuff, and there's more that I probably haven't figured out yet. I just don't know what to do."
Ben was just about to laugh at this crazy talk, but he looked at how distraught his nephew was. From the way Peter was acting, there was something clearly troubling him. Did he actually have superpowers? He had heard of metahumans in the news, but could it be possible that his nephew was one?
He thought for a moment and patted his nephew's back to comfort him. What could he say to him? Finally, he thought of something he could tell him. "Peter," he started, "do you remember that story I told you about your dad when he was a boy?"
Peter sniffed and wiped some of his tears. "Which one?"
"The one when I made him a slingshot."
Peter sniffled his tears. "I-- I dont think so..."
Ben chuckled to himself. "Well, when we were young...let me rephrase that. I was a teenager and he was like nine or ten. Me being a great older brother, I made Richard a slingshot. God, was that his favorite thing in the whole world. He used to make up this little fantasy world where he would protect our castle (our house) from monsters that tried to steal our 'gold'." Ben began to smile some more at the memory. "I used to always ask him, 'Richie, why do you protect us with that slingshot from the monsters? I gave you that slingshot for hunting and playing.' And he'd look me in the eye every time and tell me something that I've never forgotten, and I'll never forget until the day I die."
Peter wiped another tear from his cheek. "What was it?"
Ben smiled and looked at his nephew. "He told me, 'With great power, comes great responsibility.' Then he'd go and fight off the monsters." He patted his nephews back again and pulled him closer. "Now, I know that sounds kind of cheesy to you, but I think it's the perfect advice for you right now. You have the power...but do you have the responsibility that comes with that? What are you going to do?"
Peter looked at his uncle. "I don't know yet..."
Ben nodded. "I don't expect you to yet, son," he responded. "But, you'll find out sooner or later. Oh and Peter...this is our secret, okay? Your aunt doesn't have to know about this."
Pete felt relieved about his uncle's knowledge about his new abilities. "Okay," he said, wiping the last tear from his face.
Ben adjusted his glasses. "And later on, you can show me what these weird powers are, huh?" Peter nodded in more relief. "I love you, Peter."
"Love you, too, Uncle Ben." Peter gave his uncle a hug. This was one time where felt really safe with someone keeping a secret for him.
As they moved away from the hug, Ben cleared his throat. "Now..." he said, "go talk to them."
"Who?"
"Your friends," he said with a smirk.
Peter smiled and got up from the bench. He waved his uncle goodbye and took out his phone. Ben was right: it wasn't their fault...it was nobody's fault. It was just pure chance what had happened. Everyone has a responsibility to do the right thing. It was Peter's turn to do it now.

Peter: hey

Harry: omg Pete r u ok?

MJ: finally you answer?!

Gwen: where the hell have u been, u haven't been returning our texts or calls... we were worried

Peter: I'm fine. Just been feeling bad lately

MJ: speaking of which...you guys have something to say to Peter?

Harry: listen Pete... I'm sorry I wasn't able to go with u to the thing... I really am

Gwen: same... I wish u would've told us that u were going, u know about ur anxiety

Pete: guys it's fine...I'll admit that I was a little mad, but I was overreacting. We're all good.

Harry: we'll that's good

Gwen: that's really good😊

MJ: ok we're all good now? Cool. I gotta get to class. See you guys!

Harry: bye MJ... so, we still down for tonight?

Gwen: of course I am. Peter?

Peter: tonight? What's happening tonight?

Harry: well, we were thinking of finishing this three star weekend on a bang. Maybe we go to the best Italian steakhouse in the city??

Gwen: you down for some good food tonight Pete?

Peter: of course I am, guys. Cu2nite