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This guy had done his homework, he obviously wasn't just some raving conspiracy theorist who had come to this conclusion based on some completely unrelated events that Peter could have easily waved off as the delusions of some lunatic -- this wouldn't have been the first time that someone had accused him of being Spider-Man simply because he took pictures and the occasional video of the guy

They were on the right track, but they had all been just too insane to actually connect the dots correctly. Thousands of people took video of Spider-Man, did that mean they were all him?

But Peter wasn't going to admit that easily. His identity was something that couldn't be compromised, only one person in the world had the knowledge of who he was outside of being Peter Parker. "I've got a good camera, a really long zoom lens, it's not rocket science, dude. I think you're looking into it too much."

Then, he mentioned her. Gwen Stacy. Sure, they had dated for a while in the past, but no one knew exactly how much time he had devoted to looking after her recently. The hours he spent looking over the hidden shots of her that he'd taken, or scrolling through her Instagram feed and Facebook page. He wasn't obsessed with her, just still hopelessly in love, watching from afar because he didn't know any other way to protect her.

"... Look, I dunno what kinda weird prank you're playing, maybe you saw Gwen and I together or something" Maybe he'd gone to school with them, Peter couldn't be expected to remember every face, could he? "But, you've got the wrong guy, dude."

Some people will go very long lengths to protect their secrets. I've done the same too but there's only so much you can deny when the evidence is presented right to your face. But still, some people just keep lying.

Humans are weird like that.

Elliot shook his head, eyes finally averting from Peter. He looked around the shop for a few seconds before his eyes twitched and he focused in on Peter again. There was plenty of information that he had that he hadn't given over that he knew just yet. He knew everything.

"You guys broke up because of her dad. You still follow her every day. You take lots of pictures of her too. You're not over her are you?"

Peter could be over her for how good Elliot was at actually understanding human interactions but usually if you were over someone you didn't continue going out of your way to stalk them.

"Why do you do it?"

Peter felt his blood running cold in his veins, Elliot had hit the nail on the head. Somehow this guy had managed to find out secrets that Peter thought he’d kept hidden pretty well. How could he have even done that? No one saw his pictures, they went from the little preview screen on the camera straight to his computer’s hard drive. There wasn’t any kind of cloud that he used (because he may not have been the smartest kid when it came to hacking — building computers was more of his thing, not figuring out the programs that made them work — but he knew just how easy it was to snatch pictures from the cloud and post them online. That’s how all those celebrity nudes got leaked, after all.). Someone would have had to physically get into his house and look through his things.

Had this guy broken in? Gone through all of his things, but not taken any of it. And for what reason? How would s a few pictures of Gwen prove anything other than he was still caught up on her. Pictures of his ex girlfriend didn’t instantly mean that he was Spider-Man, it just meant that he couldn’t get over someone.

Peter felt more confused than he had at the start of the conversation, he didn’t want to question Elliot any further, didn’t want to admit that the other had been right in any part of his little accusation, but his own mind was spinning with questions of his own.

Why was he doing this?
What did he want?
Why did he have to bring up Gwen, of all people? His one true weakness in the whole world.

“Why do I follow her? I wanna protect her. I really love her and it’s… There’s a lot of reasons why we can’t be together, so it’s just easier for me to watch her from far away, you know?” He still hadn’t admitted to the whole Spider-Man thing. He could still follow her around and take pictures of her as a normal guy.

Just a creepy, normal guy.

Elliot had been asking why Peter was Spiderman but the answer that the other gave him was just as telling. "You can't be with her because her dad died. He was the police, right? He found out your secret I bet. Your behavior started to change around then."

The whole watching someone from far away didn't seem creepy or weird to Elliot. Who was he to judge? He followed people's online and digital footprints all the time. That was more invasive than following around someone with a camera in his opinion. You could find out almost everything about a person online.

"Why are you Spider-Man? Is it because of your Uncle? Or your parents?"

The more that Elliot talked, the more that Peter felt his anxiety rising, that similar feeling to when he'd been seeing the face of Gwen's dead father haunting him around ever corner. He was right, her dad had gotten too close, he'd found out out one of the biggest secrets in Peter's life and it had got him killed. And maybe that was all part of the risk that came with being a member of New York's Finest, but Peter had taken on every last ounce of the guilt for it, despite how much Gwen may have tried to tell him otherwise.

He was backed into a corner at this point. Elliot had already unraveled everything, put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. He knew that Peter Parker and Spider-Man were one in the same long before he'd decided to actually question him about it. No matter how careful he may have been, Peter should have known a day like this would come -- he didn't expect it to be some random, jittery guy coming up to him while he was trying to work, but it was better than someone who was trying to kill him. Which had been the scenario that he'd always pictured. Something about his real identity always seemed to have death attached to it.

He felt a tinge of hurt at the mention of both his parents and his Uncle. More victims that were caught in the crossfire -- whether that was the truth, Peter still took the blame for it either way.

"It's... There's a lot more to it than that." Peter looked around, lowering his voice out of some kind of paranoia that Elliot had caused to form inside of him -- if the other had figured him out, who was to say that someone else could just by listening in on their conversation. "I've just always been this guy that's been picked on. I've had a bully since pre-k and... I dunno," Peter scratched the back of his head, shoulders shrugging. "I got these powers one day and it was basically I could be one of those dudes who was always picking on the little guy, or I could be the guy saving 'em. It's about doing the right thing..." At that, his Uncle's words rang loudly in his head. "Great power, great responsibility, you know?"

Elliot was glad when Peter decided not to deny it anymore. He could have convinced him but that would've taken longer and this was the easier way, the better way. Again, Elliot wasn't exactly sure what he wanted to accomplish but he knew that Spider-Man was important and that meant that Peter Parker was important.

"Like Voltaire," Elliot nodded and the words were true enough. He knew that he had a power too and there was an immense amount of responsibility that was added with it. Maybe he and Peter could work together. That'd be nice.

"I'm trying to do the right thing too... Save the world."

Peter nodded slowly, more than happy to attribute the quote to Voltaire than to spend any more time thinking about his Uncle. The wound still felt fresh to him, like he hadn't ever quite gotten over the death of the man and was still haunted by the memory of that evening, how he had only been a short distance away when his Uncle's life was taken -- and how his pride had caused him to let the murderer go running right past him.

It was truly a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, a series of unfortunate events that all culminated to the man being murdered. A freak accident that Peter honestly shouldn't have taken the blame for as much as he did, but it was something that he couldn't shake.

Thankfully, Elliot's words pulled him from his thoughts and wallowing in them any longer. Elliot was trying to save the world? He didn't look like the superhero type -- not that there was really any kind of 'look' when it came down to it. He was pretty sure he didn't look much like one either, but he was out there swinging from building to building damn near everyday, so who was he to judge? Wasn't that the point of the whole secret identity? "... How?"

Elliot sat back, an awkward smile pulling at his lips at the question. "Starting by taking down EvilCorp," he answered. He'd done his research and seeing Peter in person he had decided this was someone that he could trust, someone to bring in. Maybe they could even be friends.

He wasn't counting on the last part.

"You can help me. I can probably help you too."

Life.

That's what Leon had been sentenced to and he found it kind of amusing in its own way, the way the judge had read the verdict aloud 'sentenced to life.' because it sounded a lot more pleasant than it actually was. Like the existence that he'd been given was being taken away and replaced by another -- though, he supposed that going from a life on the outside to a life on the inside was almost an exact representation of that. Since then it had been the same thing over and over; meals at a scheduled time, exercise at a scheduled time, sleep at a scheduled time, everything a routine that quickly became monotonous.

He hadn't been sentenced to life, he'd been sentenced to sacrifice his freedom.

There was at least Elliot, though. The one piece of the machine that was different than all the rest, the thing that he felt was his sole purpose for being locked away in the first place -- he hadn't been told to protect Elliot, but it had been suggested in an anonymous letter that he keep an eye on the kid. Someone had to, he wouldn't have survived otherwise. So, they ate together, they watched the same set of moves on the basketball court together, they talked briefly about whatever television reruns that Leon got the opportunity to watch.

And sometimes they talked about the time before the four walls of the correctional facility located in downtown Brooklyn. They were almost one in the same, but where Leon was simply a pawn in a much bigger organization, he knew that Elliot had been the one calling the shots in his -- at least from what White Rose had told him, by way of secret codes that Leon would spend hours pouring over. Simple things like 'I hope all is well.' and 'The kids send their love' holding much deeper meanings that he racked his brain to decipher.

He was smarter than he looked, but hadn't that been why he was chosen?

"A letter always seemed to me like immortality because it is the mind alone without corporeal friend." Leon quoted one day, sitting across the metal table in the cafeteria from Elliot. " Emily Dickinson." He nodded slowly, as though it explained everything. "They sent me a letter today. I ain't got one since before you showed up."

[It's been years since Daisy had last been to the city she grew up in. Now seemed like the perfect time to return, considering she was pretty much in the same situation she had been when she left. Alone and isolating herself.

Except, so much has also changed since she left. She was a completely different person now with more life experiences than most.

She's been doing her best to keep her head down, considering SHIELD was on her tail. It's late and Daisy found herself getting restless sitting in her van, so she went for a walk.

She felt a lot safer being out here by herself at night now that she could handle herself. Powers or not. Although, the powers helped quite a bit. Like right now when she came across a fight. If you could call it that. Some guy was getting the kick shit out of him by three much larger men.

Daisy doesn't even say anything to give them a heads up, she just uses her power to send them flying away from the poor guy. Once they are down, Daisy rushes over to the guy on the floor.]

Hey. You okay?

Peter raised both of his brows. E Corp? Was Elliot serious? The largest corporation in the entire United States, the conglomerate that ran literally every aspect of their life and was currently in the midsts of a deal to acquire all of Oscorp as well? That E corp? This guy wanted to try and take them down? Sure, Peter might have considered it something of his duty to take down whatever forces of evil were at work, he would have even went as far as to say that he was a superhero -- despite how ridiculously comical the entire idea of it was -- but this felt like too big of a feat for just him and someone decked out in a hoodie that he'd only just met. Even if they did seem to have pretty impressive investigatory skills.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take down E corp? You're fucking joking right? You know they literally own everything" Peter reminded the other, though he was pretty sure that Elliot was well aware of just how much of a monopoly the corporation had on every aspect of everyones lives -- his phone was branded with the ominous E, all of the screens in Times Square at some point advertised something that the company made, or held a patent to, the credit card that Peter had used to get his coffee was even under their thumb. How the hell were they supposed to take it down?

And for what reason even.

"I'm not out here trying to fight the system or take down the man or whatever. White collar crime isn't really my bag, you know? I'm more of the guy who is roughin' up dudes that're trying to commit mass murder." Peter shook his head, taking another sip from his coffee, out of some kind of rising anxiety that he felt cropping up again. He wanted to help save the world, he wanted to change it and make a difference, but this seemed too big for either of them. It definitely seemed way to big for him, he was just some kid in a spandex suit, how the hell could he have been of any use? "I think you've got the wrong guy. I dunno how I can help you, man."

"I know everything about them," Elliot said confidently. He knew how to take them down. He had a plan. Fsociety was going to do it. But Spiderman, he could definitely help. There were a lot of dangers that the hackers just weren't prepared for on their own and Elliot knew he needed to help protect them.

"We're going to take them down. It's more than white collar crime. They're murderers too," Elliot said insistently. They'd murdered too many. Mass murderers by the thousands.

"We need someone like you."

[Elliot wasn't sure exactly what had happened but the fight that had taken the guys off of him seemed to have gone far too quickly especially when a girl comes into his line of sight.

Shit.

He groaned, pushing himself back up to his feet and ignoring the wave of vertigo that followed.]

I'm alright, I'm fine. [He said though his vision was blurry and when he tried to look at her he was seeing double and even so the details weren't coming into focus quiet yet. Maybe he needed a few minutes before he was actually fine.]

Yeah you look it.

[That's clearly sarcasm. He looks like he's about to pass out, which is why she hovered close to him. Hands outstretched in case he took a nose dive. Looking him over, her eyes landed on his face. Wait...]

Elliot?

Elliot was fidgeting at the table again, picking at his food without ever actually eating all that much. He stared at Leon when the other started to talk, tilting his head at the new information. He wasn't sure exactly what the quote was supposed to mean.

"Is that all it said?" Elliot asked but he really wasn't sure if the letter was relevant to him, to his goals, to saving the world.

He was still going to save the world even if he was here now. Darlene was keeping things moving.

Elliot finally showed up to his apartment with the requested movies, dropping them on the coffee table and reaching down to bet Flipper when she came up to greet him.

His eyes moved to search out Darlene. "Did you really order pizza?"

[Elliot shook his head and the world spun for a second but then after a few seconds he at least felt a little bit more in control. He tried to focus his gaze again and at least there was just one of her this time.

She looked familiar.

She knew his name.

Why couldn't he remember hers? Then again he had forgotten his own sister.]

I know you...? [It was somewhere between a question and a statement.]

It's Da- It's Skye. Well, was Skye...

[She's babbling.]

It's complicated.

You're the last person I was expecting to see here.

[The name slowly clicked on a light inside of Elliot's head and he nodded.]

Okay. I remember you.

[He said, his eyes widening a little.] When you learn how to fight? [Nevermind it was a bit embarrassing a girl had saved him much less a girl he knew.]

Also complicated.

[A woman saved him, thank you.]

Come on. We should get out of here before the birdies disappear from around their heads.

Okay. [It was easy enough for him to accept that answer. He understood complicated.]

Yeah... [He looked at the guys again and wondered exactly how that had happened.] Let's go. [He didn't wait before starting to walk away from the aftermath.]

Darlene had been sitting on the couch when Elliot came in, thumbing through the pages of a magazine that she'd nicked from some sidewalk stand while the person who was supposed to be watching it had been conveniently distracted -- New York was full of distractions, and Darlene knew how to make them work in her favor for the most part. All of it was a matter of misdirection.

"Yeah." She replied boredly, not bothering to look up from the magazine that she was honestly only half interested in. It was something centered around celebrity gossip; who was dating who, who had broken up with who and who had been seen out and about in New York, Los Angeles, or some other ritzy foreign location. They weren't the things that Darlene cared about, but the brainwashed masses seemed to eat that shit up and that was really what Darlene found to be entertaining.

People loved living vicariously, rather than going out and actually doing things themselves. That's where she and Elliot differed, though. They were really making a change.

"Like twenty minutes ago. Should be here any minute now. Did you find them?" Darlene glanced up at Elliot from over the top of the glossy pages. "I mean, it only took you half the fucking night, you better at least have something."

"Nah, bro. It didn't say that." Leon laughed softly, picking off a piece of the dinner roll that they had all been served -- which was something that amused him, the irony that they served them with every meal except dinner when the very meal itself was part of the name. Sometimes he didn't really understand people, much less the people who ran the facility that they were kept in, they were on an entirely different wavelength than he was.

And Elliot was on an completely different universe. Maybe if White Rose hadn't given him this task of protecting and watching over the other, he might have still been drawn to him. Leon didn't exactly find himself being pulled toward any of the other prisoners, that sort of gang mentality wasn't one that he subscribed to, especially not when he'd witnessed so many of them sneaking around behind their supposed 'brothers' backs. There wasn't any loyalty among the other convicts, at least not any that would have actually lasted and someone was only as good as they were useful to another person.

Leon preferred to sit back and watch the parasitic relationships unfold -- one person feeding off of another until they had sucked them dry and moved on to the next one.

"It's always weird code with them, y'know. Sounds like something big is about to go down, though. See, they've been talkin' 'bout this championship tournament thing for a while, games leading up to is. The teams they are facing up against are bigger, but not really skilled at the game. They've been cutting players, scouting for new ones." Leon shrugged, he didn't understand what it all meant, he'd been out of the game for too long to know what The Dark Army was planning anymore, and it was too dangerous to try and send any information through letters that may or may not have been read over before they reached him. "I dunno, man. It said to tell you, but I'm feelin' like you ain't got a clue about it either, right? Bein' in this joint too long'll fuck with your head, make you start forgettin' shit."

Peter still felt worried. He wanted to make a difference, he felt some kind of weird obligation to help people now that he'd gotten these kinds of strange new abilities, but going all the way to the very tip-top of the ladder? Why didn't this guy just ask him to go assassinate the President while he was at it?

No, Peter didn't want to bring that kind of snarky response into play. He was actually somewhat worried that the other might actually think he was serious and actually start thinking up a plan to do so. Spider-man or not, Peter was sure that he'd get tossed into jail for trying to kill the leader of the country.

"Okay, but what am I supposed to do? Isn't that the job for, like, some kind of hacker group? I'm not really inconspicuous swinging around the city all decked out in the suit, you know?" He wasn't agreeing. Before he went jumping into some crazy plan head-first, he needed details.

[Keeping pace with him, Daisy looks over her shoulder to see them starting to come to. No way they'd get to them in time though.

Looking up at Elliot, her expression fell.]

What did a hacker do to get the shit kicked out of him?

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Spoilers ahoy in this shit.

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