章 669: C668 Ratatouille

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As the world was going crazy over the disappearance of the president of the United States of America, Rio sat in her bedroom, staring at her phone in disbelief, Peter's reassurances echoed in her mind, calming her nerves.

When she first began to realize what happened, her bank account loaded with a life changing amount of money, she immediately tried to give it all back. After all, she never liked getting handout's from others, especially not from people she didn't even know.

But thankfully, Peter made that impossible. With a bit of finagling, he made it appear as if the money was never even wired over, but instead came from a long list of investment, which she made throughout her entire adult life, adding up to a crisp fifty million dollars.

Despite her initial hesitation, the allure of financial security for her family proved too enticing to resist. With Miles, Mateo, and Aaron by her side, convincing her to just take it, she made the decision to keep the money, albeit with a twinge of hesitancy lingering in her heart.

After all, it was a small fraction of Wilson Fisk's ill-gotten gains, which Peter had stolen and repurposed, a form of justice served from beyond the grave.

As she tentatively accepted the unexpected windfall, Rio couldn't shake the feeling of unease and uncertainty, wondering what the hell she was supposed to do with all this money.

Yet, with Peter's convincing words and the support of her family, Rio pushed aside her doubts and allowed herself to dream of a brighter future. With the weight of financial burden lifted, she could finally breathe a sigh of relief and focus on rebuilding their lives.

Together, they discussed plans for the money, mapping out investments and savings to ensure long-term stability. Mateo's eyes sparkled with excitement as he suggested ideas for their future, such as building their own house, which they would actually own instead of throwing their money away on rising rental costs, his enthusiasm infectious as they dared to imagine a life free from the shadows of their past.

As they basked in the warmth of newfound hope, Rio couldn't help but feel grateful for Peter's unexpected generosity. Despite his mysterious arrival, and his involvement with her son's shocking new abilities, she couldn't deny the impact he had made on their lives, bringing light to their darkest days.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Rio embraced the opportunity to carve out a better future for her family, determined to make the most of this unexpected gift. And as they laughed and planned together, a sense of optimism filled the room, washing away the lingering doubts and fears of the past.

In the end, Rio realized that sometimes, help can come from the most unexpected places. And as she looked at her son, his smiling face finally returning after so long, she knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would face them together, as a family.

————

After a long day of ups and downs at the Morales household, Peter and Miles found themselves staying the night, with Rio insisting they stay, even going so far as to set up the entire living room just for them.

As everyone drifted off to sleep, Miles snoring on the other side of the room, Peter lay awake, his gaze fixated on a family photo nearby. "…"

The picture captured a joyful moment at an amusement park, featuring a much younger Mateo and his parents, Rio and Jeff. Suddenly, Miles' request echoed in Peter's mind, urging him to bring back Mateo's dad, to make their family whole once more.

With a heavy sigh, Peter knew the idea wasn't going to work. Yet, unable to shake the thought, he resolved to at least test his abilities, to see if he could even do it or not.

Quietly slipping out of the apartment, he made his way to the rooftop, pondering his options.

Contemplating his powers over death, bestowed upon him by his new spider suit, Peter acknowledged their limitations. Bringing back a true living being seemed beyond his current capabilities.

And the notion of using the Infinity Stones to resurrect Mateo's father was impossible unless he brought the body back to his own universe, but even that idea raised its own set of uncertainties.

Like, what happens to a body that's revived in a separate universe from the one it was born, lived, and died in?

Concerns gnawed at Peter's thoughts. Would Jeff truly return, soul intact, if brought back in another universe? Or would his body return to life as a soulless husk, living the rest of its life in a vegetated state. Wrestling with doubt, Peter weighed the risks and consequences.

Ultimately, the risks seemed too great. With a heavy heart, Peter abandoned the idea of going anywhere near Mateo's father's body, instead opting to test all of this out on some dead rats instead.

After all, this may be another universe, but it's still New York, the big apple, the pizza capital of the world, but most all, an infested city, filled with rats.

…

Searching around the subway, it didn't take Peter more than a minute to find some dead rats, which he immediately levitated, as he didn't want to touch them, before heading back, ready to start his experimentation.

First, he returned to the rooftop of Mateo's apartment building and placed a single rat on the floor before him, calling upon his deathly powers. Peter conjured a green flame in his hand, putting all the power he could into it before tossing it at the rat.

As the flame made contact, the dead rodent immediately caught fire, its body almost instantly burning to ash as a shadowy rat figure appeared in its place, bowing its head towards Peter, its green eyes and accents glowing in the dark night.

"As I thought…" Peter sighed at his expected failure. As he already guessed, his powers could only bring back undead shadows, not real living beings.

Disappointment weighed heavy on Peter's shoulders as he gazed at the shadowy rat before him. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of frustration at his limitations. "Well, it's not like I didn't expect this already," he muttered to himself, running a hand through his hair.

The shadowy rat seemed to sense its masters frustration, its glowing eyes flickering with understanding as it let out a cute squeak, leaping onto Peter's shoulder before rubbing its face against his cheek, trying to comfort him.

"You're pretty cute, you know that?" Peter reached up and scratched the little rat under its chin, a smile forming on his face.

…

With one more theory to test, Peter slipped through a star-shaped portal, returning to his basement in his home universe. He didn't want to disturb his family, who slumbered peacefully upstairs, especially not when he's carting around a bunch of dead rats, like some sort of psychopath.

With determined focus, he placed a single rat from Mateo's universe on the floor. Retrieving his rings from his storage necklace, each adorned with an Infinity Stone, Peter donned them on his fingers, feeling the weight of their power.

"Here goes nothing…" Gazing at the lifeless rat, Peter snapped his fingers, channeling the immense power of the Infinity Stones. He watched with bated breath as the rat's stiff body began to stir, its chest rising and falling with renewed breath.

Hope flickered in Peter's heart as the rat remained still, like a dormant vessel. He nudged it gently, but it didn't respond, confirming his earlier suspicions.

With a sense of resignation, Peter infused his eyes with a flicker of Eldritch energy, peering into the rat's body. There, he found no trace of an astral form, confirming its soulless state.

Even the power of the Soul Stone couldn't bridge the gap between universes, leaving the rat devoid of its essence.

"Hmm… Maybe If I bring it back to Mateo's universe, the soul will return on its own?" Peter guessed and in a final attempt, he levitated the rat and opened a portal back to Mateo's universe, hoping for a miracle. But as the rat returned to its original realm, it remained lifeless, devoid of soul.

As failure settled over him like a heavy cloak, Peter realized a harsh truth… he couldn't save everyone. It was a lesson he had learned before, but one that had slipped his mind amidst his growing power and successes.

With a heavy heart, Peter accepted the limitations of his abilities, understanding that some things were beyond his control. 'Maybe I can try again when I'm more powerful?'

…

As the sun began to rise, Peter stood on the rooftop, gazing down at the soulless rat before him. A sense of pity tugged at his heart as he considered its fate. Should he end its suffering now, or let it linger in this state until it inevitably starves to death?

Just as Peter was about to put the little guy out of its misery, suddenly, a peculiar idea sparked in his mind. He rummaged through his storage necklace and retrieved a large gem, which emanated a faint glow. However, the gem was not empty, it housed the trapped soul of Kang the Conqueror, a being of immense intellect and fury.

As Peter held the gem, a torrent of curses and anger filled his ears. "You motherf*cker?! Do you have any idea how long I've been stuck in your storage space, trapped in silent darkness?! Any lesser minded being would already be insane!" Kang berated Peter for imprisoning him and subjecting him to endless boredom.

Yet, Peter remained unfazed, his expression morphing into a mischievous grin. "Since you were so bored in there, Kang, I thought I'd offer you a change of scenery," he quipped, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Kang's metaphorical eyes widened in apprehension, sensing trouble brewing.

With a wave of his hand, Peter unleashed his magical prowess, manipulating Kang's soul, pulling it form the gem and merging it with the soulless rat before him. A surge of energy pulsed through the rodent as Kang's essence infused its being, granting it newfound vitality.

"Wait!? Stop! Don't put me in that thing!" He shouted as he noticed where Peter was bringing him.

Soon enough, Kang's protests fell silent as his consciousness merged with the rat's body, his once formidable form reduced to that of a mere creature, a dirty pest.

Peter watched with a sense of satisfaction as the rat twitched and squeaked, rising to its feet, now imbued with the essence of Kang the Conqueror. "This was a great idea." He laughed as the Kang turned rat seemed to look itself over, its beady eyes wide in bewilderment.

[Insert picture of ratatouille here A/N: lmao]

"See? This is a lot better than the gem, isn't it?" Peter chuckled, amused by the entire situation.

As Kang looked up at him, barring his new little rat teeth in anger, he spoke his first words, "F*ck you!" But sadly, instead of the normal tone he was used to, what came out was a high pitched, squeaky voice, which caught even him off guard.

"Hahaha!" Peter laughed as he pulled out his phone, pointing the camera in Kang's direction. "Go on! Say it again! I'm going to post this on YouTube…"

A/N: 1931 words :)

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