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Homecoming
Uncle Ben got discharged on the very same day. The doctor informed me about the extensive treatment plan he had in mind.
He made sure that answer every single one of my doubts.
It was gonna be expensive but there was a really good shot that Uncle Ben would make it.
We caught it early, so thankfully there's that.
Before we left though the nurses arranged for a small celebration.
Adrian was right, they did like him a lot, much to his dismay.
Uncle Ben had that effect on people.
"Well take care then Ben." Adrian said to my uncle as we were leaving the patients quarters.
I still don't understand their friendship!
"You betcha!" Uncle Ben replied back and shook his hand one more time.
'No seriously, why were they so nice to each other! They couldn't be more different from each other.'
Uncle Ben dressed back in his street clothes, hospital gowns weren't his style anyways.
It brought a level of normalcy back.
"Take care of him, will ya kid?"
"Uh-huh" I still don't why but that something was still really off about that guy.
Well anyways this was gonna be the last time I see him, so I didn't mind it too much.
Most of the hospital costs went to the Scans and MRI.
The reason he was admitted here was for the bruises he got from fighting those punks but those were minimal.
The US really does have a shitty HealthCare System but that's neither here nor there!
The Hospital bill sent my eyes rolling inside my head. Thankfully my Uncle's insurance covered it. Barely!
He should eligible for unemployment compensation but I felt he was too proud to cash them. Uncle Ben was all about that 'pull yourself by the bootstrap' lifestyle.
'Maybe we should really consider moving to Canada. They also don't have as many Supervillains there so that's an added bonus.' I joked in my head
Looked like I was going to have to find a job real soon, real fast.
When all the goodbyes were done, we went to the reception to finalize the discharge papers.
I was so sleepy I could barely stand.
That's when a deep voice called out to my Uncle.
"Ah you must be Benjamin Parker! The man who fought off those men."
If I got a dollar for everytime someone said that to my Uncle then I wouldn't need to find a job.
Something was different this time though, There was none of the usual warmth in that compliment.
I turned to see who it was and when I did, my heart sank into my stomach.
"Urmm I'm sorry, I don't remember meeting you Mister.." My uncle asked the bald man in the white suit.
"WIlson Fisk, one of your many admirers, Mr Parker." the bald man stretched his hand forward and shook my Uncle's hands.
"Oh that's something the people around here joke about! I'm no hero, just a man doing what he ought to do." My uncle laughed innocently, unknowing of the true nature of the man before him.
"Oh not at all, Mr parker. That type of courage is getting rarer and rarer these days!"
'and I wonder who's the reason for that!'
They kept on talking for some more time.
'What was he doing here? Was he going to try something dangerous? Some kind of message to his enemies! Would he kill a civilian in a hospital?"
My senses were calm though, no sign of danger. Still I was on full alert.
It was unnerving to say the least. I had built up this man to be some kind of devil incarnate and here he was standing around and chatting with my uncle.
"Are you alright young man?" The Kingpin turned to me.
The man was huge, he was built like a brickhouse while being taller than a mountain.
He was 6'7 to my 5'8, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that he quite literally towered over me.
The man looked morbidly obese but I knew better.
I heard it from somewhere (Probably some youtube video) that his body was as strong as steel.
My intuition agreed with this assessment. The Kingpin radiated danger!
"I'm alright." I keep it simple.
"Really." His voice went down an octave, his eyes narrowing and settling on me.
For the first time since I woke up that day in September, I felt fear.
My fist curled into a ball inside my sweatshirt.
My tongue tasted of battery, things could go wrong a million different ways here.
All the while his eyes drilled into me.
I should have just looked down, I should have just avoided him completely but my pride didn't let me.
That and the fact that this man benefited from Faith's misery.
This man was responsible for more than half the crimes committed in this city. Which ranged from drugs, prostitution to casual domestic terrorism.
This man was scum.
How he was walking so freely in the public was beyond me!
The sheer anger led me to overcome the stifling fear he inflicted.
I looked straight into his eyes unfazed.
Almost challenging him to do something about it!
'If we fight now, he would undeniably win. I'm too exhausted to even walk back home let alone have a showdown with a supervillain but I.....can't back down here.'
I can;t kowtow to this scumbag, not now not ever.
"Ben come here, they want you to sign something." May called out
"Oh I'll be right there May, It's been nice talking to you mister. I'll be going on then"
"That's quite the look you got there kid." Fisk returned the look
"Hmm." I didn't break eye contact with him.
Fisk responded with a tiny smile and a shake of the head. "Anyway's It's been my pleasure Mr Parker."
My Uncle smiled and proceeded to go to the reception counter.
All the while I stood there for a few more seconds, watching fisk, trying to understand why he was here?
To my astonishment he didn't mind me lingering, in response he too simply stood there.
Of all the people I've seen and faced in both of my lives, I've seldom come across someone who could intimidate me.
Not in the orphanage.
Not in the military.
Not in Highschool before I remembered my past life.
This man, I won't lie scared the living shit out of me. Thoughts of him breaking me in half flickered.
'What the hell is going on? Why is he here? I'm pretty sure he knows who Uncle Ben is and what he did to his men, is he out for vengeance?'
Uncle Ben was now talking to the receptionist, she seemed to be sleep deprived again. You had to give to these Medical workers they're-
*Grab*
In the single second that I turned my attention to Uncle Ben, Fisk grabbed my shoulder with his right hand.
"Say Kid….Do you know me from somewhere? You look like you got something to say to me" He said with a strong new york accent nothing like before.
His hand was like a giant rock on my shoulder, I couldn't move.
His fingers dug into my flesh as each second passed.
Internally I was panicking but externally I was cool as a cucumber!
Mental fortitude was my thing.
"I don't know who you are but if you wanna keep your hand then I suggest you fucking remove it." I said in a low rumble, letting out a little bit of my bloodlust.
As I said before, Fear replaced Anger. I wasn't thinking straight!
'Who did this man think he was? After all he did against this city! Did he think I was some pushover? Did he think he was the only one who could use force?'
He continued applying pressure to my shoulder but the smile on his face was no longer present.
My calm demeanor must have rattled him. That much was easy to figure out.
I grabbed his wrist bone with my right index and thumb quickly and applied my own pressure to it. He didn't react to it and just focused on adding more pressure into his fist.
I was trained to fight hand to hand combat, I knew how to get out of a hold very easily. Even better, I knew how to break people's bones and which parts crack more easily.
If this kept escalating, I might have to do so much more than that.
A part of me really wished for this fight, while the rational part told me to back down.
"Pete let's go now." Aunt May interrupted us.
She looked at me, particularly at the fat man's hand on my shoulder
"Pete who's this?"
"One of Uncle Ben's new fans." I said grimly with no hint of humor.
"Ma'am, I was talking to your nephew about how much of a hero your husband was!." He removed his hand from my shoulder.
I breathe a sigh of relief.
Before she could say anything I interjected.
"We should be leaving Aunt May. Let's go, it's getting late!"
"Yes I should be heading out too." He walked away.
I turned immediately and made sure to change the topic to something else.
I could feel a dozen eyes studying me intently.
'Must be his men. Relax. Keep cool! Don't tip them off.'
I walked slowly with Aunt May and Uncle Ben to the entrance and hailed a Taxi.
'I might have to kill that man.'
We reached home very late in the night. New york traffic was a heck of thing.
I paid the cab fare, Uncle Ben was surprised when he saw me taking out the cash.
"Pete, where did you get that much money?"
"Oh This….I got some advance for the job!"
"And what kind of job is this? Paying in advance? I've never heard of that." he said with a good natured smile but I knew behind that there was a concerned man.
"I'm a lab technician at Oscorp. Harry convinced his father to hire me as a Junior Technician. I asked for an advance on the salary for this month because of everything. It's more of a summer internship than a job really!"
I lied through my teeth. There was no such job available and even if there was, I doubt a high school student could be eligible for it.
I had to lie, I couldn't just tell him I just took it from a couple of high schoolers that I beat up this evening.
'We need this money now more than ever. He would disapprove I'm sure but we need this!'
He asked a few more questions about my job and I gave him my pre-prepared answers.
Most of it was scientific jargon to bore him so he can stop asking more questions.
He looked unconvinced but decided to put his trust in me nonetheless.
I felt guilty about lying to him. I noticed that I'm doing that a lot these days!
I didn't bother eating dinner. I went straight to bed.
I couldn't hold out any longer. Sleep pounced on me before my body could hit the mattress!
My eyes by themselves and in a matter of second my consciousness turned off like a switch.