Am I (Not) a Hero?

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...

[Peter Parker's POV]

The search ended up being fruitless, even though I looked everywhere I could.

Fortunately, this didn't become a critical failure, as she found me first and called herself White Tiger.

I certainly didn't expect she would track me down before I found her.

That's impressive.

"Hey, Spidey!"

A barely recognizable voice sounded from under the striped helmet.

"You just swinging around the city for fun, or are you looking for someone specific?"

She's boldly in the tight-fitting suit, holding her phone in her right hand.

I almost didn't flinch as I turned and glanced at the figure standing about three and a half meters away.

Yeah, everything about her screamed Mary Jane.

The figure, the familiar way of speaking, and that confident pose with one hand on her hip.

It would be a perfect match if she replaced the "Spidey" with "Tiger."

The final touch was the identical jade amulet around her neck, made of three parts.

The chances that I was wrong weren't zero, but they were pretty close.

"Yeah, I'm looking for a girl in a striped suit, but she found me first."

I replied neutrally.

I had no idea what I was supposed to say to her, and I got way too freaked out by this unexpected plot twist.

She didn't immediately become a vigilante. Instead, she pursued money and fame like the original Peter in the comics before Uncle Ben's death.

Anyway, the only real concern is that she could be forcibly recruited by someone like Kingpin or accidentally taken out by bigger players. 

'If she sticks to messing around in front of the camera and stays out of city affairs, I can leave her alone.'

"Oh, how wonderful that our intentions are the same. My viewers are dying to see 'the real Spider-Man.'"

She emphasized sarcastically.

"It turns out you're quite the 'celebrity,' Spidey. Not even a week has passed, and you're already on the internet, TV, and even in print on the front pages with your little girlfriend."

That sounds like a complaint; don't tell me she's jealous?

I could answer, but I need to be careful not to overdo it.

"Apparently, everyone wanted to see one of the real heroes?"

I said, spreading my hands.

"It's not enough to just jump around like a trained cat in front of a camera; you have to make meaningful actions to earn recognition and the love of the public."

She shrugged at that comparison, but I finished my thought.

"Unfortunately, in this whole city, the only ones like that are us Spiders and Daredevil."

I added, throwing some public respect towards Matt Murdock.

"Look at this 'hero.' I hope you have a Twitter account because Johnny Storm will definitely want to chat with you."

White Tiger mocked, continuing her playful teasing.

"Hmph, like I care about the opinion of a guy who's a hero to twelve-year-old girls? Who is he? He's just a poser who got superpowers and fame dropped on his head. He needs to cool a bit or, better yet, go out and actually touch some grass—then we can talk."

I dismissed, waving off the idea.

"You, on the other hand, are a new element in my city. What's your goal here?"

It was an important question that would determine my next steps.

"Spidey wants to know everything, huh? And what if I am a threat to 'your' city?"

She teased, playfully clawing the air like a cat.

"Everyone knows what they do to animals that attack people..."

It came out a bit too dark, so I quickly tried to turn it into a joke.

"But shooting or putting them down? That's way too cruel, don't you think? I believe this 'threat' can still be tamed."

I chuckled.

"A tigress will end up on a leash if she gets too disobedient."

'Mary Jane in a collar and cat ears... next to Black Cat... Okay, focus!'

I scolded myself, but I couldn't deny that the mental image was... vivid.

"You're asking for it, Spidey. Watch your words, or someone's gonna end up in a jar and be food on flies. I may not be a villain, but you wouldn't want me as an enemy."

She threatened as faint sparks of pale green energy flickered on her fingers, briefly forming translucent claws.

I snorted and raised my hands in a gesture of peace.

Meanwhile, she set something on her phone and casually approached me.

"Come on, Spider, get off your heroic duty for a while. How about a selfie?"

She extended her hand, and my reflexes kicked in.

However, my spider-sense didn't pick up any danger, so I allowed her to wrap her arm around my neck and pull me closer for the photo.

"By the way, do you know what 'shipping' is? Or 'OTP'? They keep writing about it, but I have no idea what it means."

MJ acted as if we hadn't just been at each other's throats a few seconds ago.

"Something to do with cargo shipping?"

She guessed.

I raised a finger, ready to give a lecture, but… it's better not to, seriously.

That shit dragged me into such deep fan fiction that I came out a completely different person.

Peter Parker, yeah.

"Just forget about it, or better yet, block them. Some things are better left un-Googled..."

"You realize you just pique my interest more, right?"

I could almost see how she raised her thin, red eyebrow through the helmet.

"But alright, I've shown the viewers Spider-Man, even got a selfie to remember him by, and there's nothing else to do here."

White Tiger turned her back to me and, swaying her hips, walked towards the edge of the roof.

While New York's ambitious superheroine was bidding farewell to her viewers, I pondered.

'Hmm, that wasn't much of a proper conversation. We exchanged threats, argued a bit, took a picture... Maybe we'll talk later in our real identity?'

However, how would she react?

What do I even know about her?

All I've got are Peter's childhood memories and bits of information from the comics. Her version from the game doesn't count for many reasons.

Overall, the only important thing I remember is that Mary Jane Watson has problems with her parents, and she isn't as carefree a party girl as she tries to appear.

Okay, let's throw the line out and see what happens.

As soon as she put her phone away, I said a word that only Liz and I could recognize.

"By the way, nice amulet. You hit the jackpot, didn't you, Tiger?"

I slightly mimicked her intonations.

She froze momentarily, like a cat ready to flee, and slowly turned her body towards me.

Unfortunately, I couldn't see her face under the helmet with the ears, but it was probably quite amusing right now.

After a few seconds, she took off, jumping to the next rooftop and running with all her might.

It's too fast, and there's no way I'd catch her without web-slinging.

It's not that I even planned to try.

Mary Jane lives right across from me, and if she understood the hint, she'd make some sort of move.

Hmm…

I was interrupted by yet another call today.

"Yeah, hello?"

"You didn't call."

Cindy stated the obvious.

"How do you expect me to? She ran away immediately as soon as she felt threatened. If I'd called for backup, she wouldn't have even talked to me."

I clarified the obvious point.

In fact, I was just caught off guard, and I didn't even think about Cindy.

"Alright, I get it."

She clicked her tongue.

"What do you think of her?"

"She didn't show any obvious hostile intentions; she just wanted to make a word. She said she wasn't a villain. White Tiger's busy with her show... and for now, we'll keep an eye on her quietly."

I shared my point of view.

"Got it. I'll sit down and review her stream recording. If I find anything, I'll let you know,"

She disconnected.

"It looks like Cindy enjoys playing spy games. I'm gonna let her have fun for now. I won't blow MJ's cover—things aren't that clear with her yet for now."

I wanted to run my hand through my hair, but my hands bumped into the mask.

"Things were simpler with Chameleon. I knew immediately what to do. Chase a helicopter over the ocean, catch the villain, crash the helicopter on landing... Not a day off, but a dream."

When I decided to become Spider-Man, this was the kind of adventure I expected, not all this mess with classmates gaining powers.

However, it is what it is, and now I have to make up these small plots.

After quickly patrolling around the city and kicking some thugs around, I returned home.

I had plenty of other things to do.

I needed to fill my web shooters with proper web fluid, tweak them that were jamming, and fiddle with the formula for pheromones.

The last one was, however, fruitless.

Maybe I should develop something for internal use?

However, it would be a hassle to inject myself every day, and the process of making pills would take longer.

Moreover, we haven't had any close encounters with Gwen yet, which could lead to… something.

'And I'm not such a desperate suicidal maniac, like Connors, to inject myself with some unknown stuff I've created and hope for a miracle. After all, my knowledge doesn't match that of real scientists in the fields of biology and genetics.'

After thinking about various ideas, I remembered that in an old comic, Spidey had a belt that projected his symbol onto walls.

I took a light source from the holographic projector, wired it to an old belt, and inserted an image of my mask.

The result was a cool but useless gadget.

I'm still trying to operate in stealth mode.

A surprise attack gives me the advantage in battle.

There might come a time when flashing my mask is enough to scare someone or signal allies; who knows, I might as well keep it.

Actually, this is just practice.

I should start practicing by assembling simpler gadgets if I want to do something useful and hard soon.

Once I finished my tasks, I settled into the chair in front of the computer. The invisible online front awaited its fighter in "read-only" mode.

The internet was buzzing… no, not with the kind of mass excitement anyone might expect.

It wasn't really buzzing… It's just a small number of people discussing my encounter with White Tiger. Well, mostly just the Tiger herself.

It's a bit disappointing.

I just saved a state secret, and they're staring at a girl in spandex. I mean, I totally get it, but as Spider-Man, I'm offended.

Nevertheless, MJ threw an interesting idea regarding streaming for all the other supers.

It's funny, of course; without serious conspiracy, a secret identity is not safe, but I think the Fantastic Four and others like them could appreciate such a way to gain popularity.

Nevertheless, how much more popular could they get?

'Hm, what if I developed a big joystick out of durable material for the Thing... Ben Grimm? Would that make him a good streamer? The guy is just sitting in the Baxter Building; at least he could entertain himself this way. He could go through a hundred different scenarios in Heroes of Might and Magic III or whatever else people his age play.'

The idea was highly funny, and I even seriously considered it.

I'll actually maybe make something like that for fun.

'Yeah, and my next idea will be to create a Fandom for Sue Storm. I'll exclusively cosplay that invisible girl from Hero Academy for her fans. Though Reed Richards might actually kill me for that…'

Well, I don't even have any plans for that anime or manga.

Whatever, it's just a joke.

...

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