Chapter Five.

Special.

Tuesday was movie night in their little cozy apartment, and the newlyweds wouldn't have had it any other way. Benjamin laughed heartily to himself as he readied their giant bowl of fresh popcorn, drizzling warm melting butter with aplomb as he heard his wife turn on their shower's faucet head. "You do this every time, I just popped in the movie, poured the pop and now finished popping the popcorn!" he yelled after her.

"Well, with all that popping you've got going on you won't mind if I pop into the shower real quick, would you?"

Unable to think of a clever retort quick enough he chuckled heartily again, "God I love that woman. Every single movie night, like clockwork." Just at that moment a rather furry little canine hurled himself at his feet, its little paws tapping eagerly at his master's knees. "Speaking of things like clockwork," he laughed once more, "hey Milo, you want one?" without even waiting for any type of response he flicked two hot pieces of popcorn into the air, the pup snatching them out of the air almost instantly. "Now remember don't tell your mom, she'd probably flip if she caught me feeding you this stuff," he smiled. After taking a moment to pet the restless creature, Benjamin walked over to the couch and reached for the remote, readying the television.

His butt had only just made contact with the cushion over when Milo began barking madly towards the patio, his paws now gnawing at the sliding glass door.

"Hey now, what's gotten into you?" Benjamin grabbed the bowl of popcorn and walked carefully but surely towards it. "Is something out there? Come on, stop doing that, you'll ruin the door. Here," he flicked several more pieces of popcorn back toward the sofa, and again Milo almost instantly sprinted towards them with wild abandon. "Crackhead," he smiled before stepping out onto the patio and closing the door behind him.

All seemed well outside. Taking a quiet moment for himself, he tossed a few pieces of popcorn into his mouth before leaning just slightly over the railing, taking in the bustling city that was Nueva York. Bright multi-colored Tec-Cars speeding off in the distance, the towering buildings that stood scattered about in the distance, its own lights breathing a further since of life and energy into the metropolis.

"God, I love this city," he says aloud to himself, helping himself to more popcorn.

"I love popcorn."

"!"

Benjamin nearly chokes on the buttery treat, startled to see something he thought he never would witness in his natural born life.

Standing completely parallel against his apartment's building was a red and blue colored figure that faced his general direction. Although his suit hid every single feature of his body, Benjamin couldn't help but have the sneaking suspicion that the stranger was smirking at him.

After taking a very long moment to recompose himself from the superhero's sudden appearance the young man smiled upward at his new companion as eagerly as his dog had only moments ago. "Hey!" he manages to choke out.

"Hey."

"What's up?"

"Nada." The hero nods toward the buttery snack. "You just make that?"

"Uh, yeah! Sure did!"

"Hmm." He places a gloved hand to his chin almost thoughtfully. "Real butter or that fake stuff?"

"Real butter," Benjamin smiles.

"Shock yeah. Ugh," the hero face palms. "I just said shock didn't I? Sorry. Been hanging around this girl a lot recently."

"Sounds like a keeper."

"Hmm?"

"It's what my wife did to me."
"Shock no!"

"Shock yeah."

The shower had taken her long than she would have self-admittedly would have liked, but she wouldn't have dared reveal that information to her new husband. Instead she skipped her way towards the balcony, sneakily snatching the bowl of popcorn from his hands only to make a startling discovery. She stares down at the empty bowl, utterly incredulous, "You ate all the popcorn? I didn't take that long! What the shock? Ben?"

She nudges her husband, smiling stupidly towards the city skyline as if transfixed. "I'm sorry, May," he apologies brightly, "But, man, I love this city."

o.0.o

"He's late, as per usual," Sheryl sighs, leaning her body against the movie theater's wall. "Every movie night, he never fails."

"Miguel told me he was going to double back to his place after he dropped me off. He's probably just taking his time in getting here."

Sheryl's eyes narrowed toward her friend. "He dropped you off after school?"

Courtney tried her best to give off a convincing smile, "Oh, yeah, after the whole thing with Erik I was feeling kinda down. He noticed me on the way out and offered to walk me home."

"Oh," Sheryl replies, also wondering if that reply were convincing enough as a simple shrug-off.

Sensing the undeniable awkward, the young man that stood in-between them spoke up, something he was slowly becoming accustomed too. "Hey girls, I'd just like to say how much it means to me, taking me out like this. It's not often I go to the movies, or have anything to do at night, or talk to girls. Or anything, come to think of it."

As if of one mind the two young ladies shoot warm smiles towards the young boy. "Hey, it's the least we could do. Miguel and I see movies all the time and it's nice to have some extra company once in a while," Sheryl reasoned.

"Yeah, plus you and I have had something of a rocky day, to say the least, and most of it due to that freaker Erik. So the least we could do is have it end right! So what do you say? Be my date for tonight?" Courtney proportioned.

"D-Date?" the poor boy all but shouted the word. "Me? A freshman?"

"Yeah, you seem pretty cool to me. Who cares if you're a freshman? Come on, I'll buy your ticket."

"Okay-okay-okay, since you just keep throwing yourself at me," he smiles broadly, "I'll be your date, as long as you don't pull a knife on me too!"

Courtney laughed heartedly at this. "I like this kid Sheryl, he's got some back bone for sure!"

"If that's what you call it, sure," Sheryl dismisses, but smiles all the same. "Sounded smart, something Miguel would say almost."

"Miguel?" the young boy breathes. "You two sure do talk about him a lot. What's so special about him?"

"Oh, well," Courtney starts but only to be led away by Sheryl.

"Hey, come on! Line's moving!"

Hurriedly the three teens make their way through and inside the bustling movie theatre.

o.0.o

"Oh shock."

Miguel shot like a bullet towards the earth, blood rushing through his veins. His accelerated vision had picked up just but the faintest glimmer out of the corner of his eye, and amongst the monstrous skyscrapers that littered the downtown area of Nueva York, even with accelerated vision it was nothing short of a miracle.

The speck was trailing fast, but Miguel was faster. He locks his arms and legs together as stiff as a plank, rocketing towards the planet with purpose. Even with the limited protection and shielding his costume offered, the whistling in his ears refused to be unheard as he increased in speed, shrilling voluminously through his head.

Not gonna make it, not gonna make it…

He outstretches an arm as wide as he is able, that little speck of life now gaining on him fast.

Not gonna make it, I'm not gonna make it.

Talons spring from his fingertips as he readies his other arm for webbing posture. Only one smooth motion was the answer; anything else saw him a friendly neighborhood pancake on the city street.

He reaches for the shimmering white speck.

Not gonna make it, not gonna- "Oh SHOCK!"

He grabs the little speck with one hand as he feels the familiar tug of a webline anchoring itself to a building with the other. He sails upward for just a moment, the lyte-byte material of his costume allowing him to displace his forward moment and land safely below.

"You made it!" an incredibly fast elder woman yelled, dashing up towards him.

"Never a doubt," he smirks behind his mask. "Ow! Hey!" Miguel looks down at the speck of light he had reached out for, and almost as quickly tosses it to the lady's feet. "And this is why I'm a dog person. Can't believe I risked my life for getting a falling cat out of a tree. It's so cliché! I can see the Bugle headline right now, 'Spider-Man risks life for Black Cat,' as if that would ever sell."

"Roxy! Oh my little Roxy," the woman coos to her pet. For a brief moment a sigh of relief does wash over Miguel.

"Oh, some hero you are, saving little cats from trees! Where were you a week ago when a shocking Rhino monster was running through here?"

And just like that his sigh of relief had long gone.

Miguel's eyes rounded on the obnoxiously loud bystander, but before he could think of any tolerable move of advancing, the cat's owner placed a surprisingly strong hand to his chest. "Let me worry about this," she smiles, eyes narrowly trained on the portly fellow.

Deliriously Miguel wondered if his accelerated vision were contagious as he leaps into the air and web swings away.

"Hey punk! Want to know what makes this man so special?" the lady starts on the bystander.

o.0.o

"I can't believe it!" Miguel says with glee as his body whips around the corner of a city block. "I'm actually going to be on time for something!" he says with glee as his V.I., Lyla springs to life upon his wrist. Grudgingly he stops his forward momentum with a webline, opting to land on a perch from an adjacent building. "Oh, wait, I forgot I'm Miguel O'Hara. I'm Spider-Man. Legally I can't be on time for anything while I'm illegally out being a vigilante. I probably shouldn't say my secret identity aloud while I'm in costume. And when did I ever talk to myself this much? Lyla, what do you got for me?"

He signals his watch with a pointed finger, a small hologram that represents the nearby area springing to life as a synthetic voice addresses him with the utmost urgency. Mr. O'Hara, Alchemax trace signature 33.5 is currently emanating from a hotspot just northeast of your current location!

Like a bullet Miguel launches from his idle pose, the perch nearly giving way as he makes his way northeast. His mind races with questions with such speed that almost rivaled his current physical speed. "Trace signature 33.5? I know it's the same signature I set for Lyla to be on the lookout for. The same encryption signature that Stone and I worked under, and the same signature that hasn't popped up since I became this… I'd only set Lyla to run a continuous search for the signature, just in case, but I never thought she'd actually picked it up. And seriously, when did I ever talk to myself this much?"

And, just as Miguel's feet touch the city street, his Accelerated Vision undeniably spots a large, hulking, Rhino like figure marching its way towards his direction.

"Oh, shock me," he breathes under his mask. "Hey, rude much? I'm kind of in a middle of a conversation here."

He hears the quip leave his lips but that isn't the thought that runs across the forefront of his mind. Two stories tall, at least. It still looks more animal than human. Cross-species for sure, but the animal side appears to be more dominant, he contemplates as he contorts his body through the air, avoiding a dangerous swipe at his torso from the massive beast. Yup, animal side is definitely more dominant. Complete inverse of the ideal cross-species, not to toot my own horn. How did it get here and how is it even here? According to the trace it looked like it was eventually making its way towards me to begin with, if the trace signature is to be believed… yeah, it's definitely coming from this big guy.

But this is all speculation best saved for another time. Get it off balance and get it subdued Miggy, and you can live to think on this at a later time.

"So big guy, where are you from? Neverland? The Digital World?" he laughs sarcastically as he rebounds off a Tech-Car and swings his foot across the monster's face. "Oh I know! Narnia, it's Narnia right? Look dude if you guys really need a new king I'd be more than willing to apply. Unless you're from the Forbidden Forrest, in which case you remind me that I really need to talk to whoever the headmaster is now because my acceptance letter to Hogwarts is severely overdue."

Miguel shoots a well-aimed web ball at the creature's face temporarily blinding it. "Okay, I seriously give up. Unless, maybe… no. No shocking way. Don't tell me." He claps a hand over his mouth, "You're not from Jersey are you?"

He shoots a web strand at the monster's chest, only to be caught off guard as it grips the webbing and yanks it towards him, and soon, it's the mouthy superhero that sits between its crushing hands.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry about the Jersey thing, no one should ever be called anything so foul!" he screams in agony under the Rhino's impossible strength. "Dude, your nose is a bit close! Are you sniffing me?"

Rhino unhinges its jaw as if to roar, but the next thing to ring into the Miguel's ears is the loud but all too familiar sound of Private Eye police sirens. The next thing he feels his body slumping to the pavement as Rhino releases him and makes his getaway, several Private Eye mobiles launching electrified cables at the monster, shocking it to the point of exhaustion.

"Electricity to stun it eh," Miguel mutters to himself as he picks himself off the ground, rubbing the back of his head. "I can't even imagine the wattage used to put him out, considering that rhino-hide of his being so thick. Man, I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm glad you guys showed up when you did!" he smiles behind his mask as he rest's his arm around a Private Eye soldier's shoulder. "I think that Jersey line really set the big boy off!"

Both pair of eyes look at the resting superhero's arm and then back up at each other.

"You're gonna try and arrest me now aren't you."

"Yup."

"Even though I tried to help but inadvertently risked not only my life but the chance to put him down, leaving you guys to do most, if not all the work."

"Yup."

"I did tire him out for you guys though right?"

"Not really."

Miguel frowns behind his mask. "I. Uh. Saved a cat from a tree earlier."

"Did you put down a fifty foot tall rhino creature though?"

"It was a big cat. Like, a fat cat."

"Then how'd it get up the tree?"

Miguel frowns again. "I can't tell whether or not I like you. Why aren't you arresting me right now?"

"Because my fellow officers are still busy detaining the creature, and I'm kind of giving you something of head start. My daughter's a fan. You should get going before I change my mind and really begin to wonder, after all this, why she thinks you're so special."

o.0.o

"It was the Rhino."

Courtney throws her arms around Miguel instantly.

"Alright, not that tight, not that tight!" he mumbles against her shoulder receiving mild flashbacks of events still fresh in his night.

"Oh I'm sorry I'm so sorry!" she exclaims as she releases him. "Are you sure it was him?"

"Nah, I suppose with my Accelerated Vision and his hulking physique I could've confused him with- yes Courtney it was him," he sighs. "Why is it always something so tough you know? Why can't I run into a giant teddy bear that gives out hugs, why not that? Instead of a giant rhino or scorpion?"

"I'm sorry," she repeats, "but why and how did it get out again?"

"Beats me," he shrugs, "literally. I didn't even take him down, the Private Eye managed to pop up the instant I needed help and managed to take him down. I was reckless."

"Shock Miguel. I knew something bad was happening, I could feel it."

An unfamiliar but fore sought weight now rested upon the young superhero's shoulders. As he stated down into the young blonde girl's eyes which were filled with worry and doubt, Miguel felt a twinge at his side. The past couple of days had been great with her, having finally someone to share his secret with. But now he was experiencing the negatives that had went along with those positives, reinforcing the reason why he had originally chose to keep his secret identity just that; a secret. To make her worry, and without any one to share that worry, that was something he had never meant to place on her.

Without even realizing his hand reached toward her face, consoling her. "Hey, I'm fine now. And I promise I'll be more careful."

The worried look from her eyes don't fade away completely, but the corners of her mouth move upward in a small but firm smile, and for him at this moment, it's enough.

"Miguel!"

He turns around to see Sheryl sprinting towards him followed by a somewhat familiar young looking boy trailing behind her. He breaks away from Courtney and quickly pecks his girlfriend on the cheek. "Hey! Sorry I missed the movie, just ran into Courtney here and she told me you two were in the bathroom."

"Yeah we were," she says slowly, eyeing their blonde-haired friend for a moment before rounding on her boyfriend again. "No worries though, the movie sucked anyway. We're all headed back to my place to watch a good movie on T.V., you in?"

"In like Flynn," he smiles.

"Like what?"

"It's an old British phrase. I picked it up."

"Yeah, well, put it back," she laughs as she leans in to kiss him.

"Oh hey, you're that kid from earlier today in the hallway right?" Miguel realizes. "Well hey, thanks for keeping them company kid," Miguel pats his shoulder, "appreciate it. I'm really surprised I have to say though. Courtney is a wild card at times and my girlfriend is sweet but isn't known for her patience, and, well, Erik kinda goes without saying. But this has turned out to be quite the night eh?"

"You can say that again," he smiles upward at him, "it's shocking cool! Never thought I'd have a night like this. I mean, I know my parents are gonna kill me for staying out this late and everything, but this has seriously been great."

"Really?" he turns to Sheryl once more, "I thought you said that the movie sucked?"

"We kinda ran into Erik again," she shrugs off, "and we gave him a good talking too. No knives this time though, we promise."

"Darn," he laughs, "and when were you planning on telling me you guys ran into him again?"

"Well it was going to be around the same time you were going to tell me you invited the attractive new girl to the movies with us only to find yourself running late on our movie date, again."

A lump in Miguel's throat quickly forms heavily within it. "Have I ever told you how great a girlfriend you are?"

"Yes. Now tell me again."

"You're a great girlfriend."

"Thank you. But don't think you're slick, you're still going to tell me what you were up to later, but for now let's go to my place and watch a proper movie guys!"

"Sure, just make sure to make some popcorn, not too much salt though," he sniggers to himself as he slyly hangs back to talk to the young freshman for a moment. "Yo, hey man, just want to say thanks for entertaining the girls as I was absent trying to make my way here. Maybe you can just be my stand in if I ever run late again," he laughs as they begin to cross the city street. "And this is going to sound embarrassing but I never really caught your name."

"It's Miles," he answers.

"Miles? Well, you can fill in for me any day," he chuckles to himself, "it's nice to meet you. I'm Miguel."

"Look at you guys, ogling over a pair of freakers," Erik's voice booms from behind Sheryl and Courtney. Sure enough there stood in large and voluminous teenager shouting at them from the theatre's entrance. "What's so special about Miguel anyway?"

The pair of them instantly spin on their heels. Sheryl begins to start on the reprehensible jock but Courtney holds her back, an odd but simple smile etched onto her face. For the first time since being in his presence, Courtney does not wish to have a knife in her hand or to wish any physical pain towards the young man before her. Instead the recent events of everything concerning Miguel O'Hara flashes across the forefront of her mind, supplying her with the strength required.

The strength to stand up and not to fight.

Although he isn't worth crossing the street again, Courtney walks up to the very edge of the corner block, shifts her balance onto her toes so Erik can hear her nice and clear.

"What's so special about Miguel O'Hara?" she repeats his query. "Everything."