What Heroes Do - part 2

"What the-?" Flash said, barely comprehending the situation. "Why're you here!?"

"Hell, I dont know! This seemed like a good time!" Parker quipped sarcastically, still trying to remove the goo that held his classmate. "Come on, Flash! You've gotta pull yourself out!"

"I'm...trying!" Yelled the boy, straining against his bonds. "This shit won't let me go! Get out of here, nerd! Before it gets you too!"

Peter grabbed Flash's exposed hand and pulled, "I thought you were all about getting into M.A! You were gonna leave us all in the dust! Do you really wanna go out like this!? Now fight, you moron!"

Flash's eyes widened at Peter's boldness, and to his shock, the boy was managing to pull him from the mass of goo. It wasn't much, but it was enough to get his arm freed.

This shouldn't be possible! Thought Flash. He was never this strong! But he pushed the thoughts away and refocused on getting control of his Quirk back. Flash shot a tendril of his own into the ground, attempting to pull himself out.

"I don't know why I did what I did..." Peter went on, pulling at Flash's other arm with all his might.

The voices from his past intermingled. His classmates teasing him. His own voice as a child full of hopes and dreams. His Aunt and Uncle consoling and supporting him. The doctor pointing out the harsh reality. Iron Man, telling him that he couldn't be a hero.

"Maybe I'm not meant to be a hero..." Peter glared with grim determination, "But I couldn't just stand there and watch you die!"

Flash's eyes widened as his upper body became free. And from the crowd, Tony heard the boy's words.

"Enough of this crap!" Carnage recomposed himself lunged towards the boys, ready to end it once and for all.

The tingle came back again, and Peter could predict where Carnage's head was going to be. The mouth was wide open and ready to devour the boy's head. And then, in an act of pure self-defense, Peter shot out his arm towards the monster.

But something else happened. It was as if something began to grow inside the boy's forearm, something that wanted to leave. Peter didn't notice, but a vein had grown inside his arm. Like a snake that moved in a straight line towards his fist, with a loud THWIP! It suddenly escaped, piercing the boy's wrist from the inside out.

Peter yelled in pain, blood spurting out. And a line of thin, white substance shot out of the wound. But it was something solid, a thread, a fiber... a web. It came into contact with the villain's face and spread, covering his face completely; closing his mouth and blinding him.

For a moment, Carnage was completely distracted as he tried to rip off the webbing. And with the rest of his strength, Peter used that moment to pull Flash free from the clutches of the monster. They fell over backwards, breathing heavily.

"T-The kid's out!" Thing couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Quick you two, get up and run!"

But it was to no avail, the monster ripped the webbing off and surged their way. He was mad. "ALRIGHT KID, NOW YOU'VE PISSED ME OFF!" Carnage roared.

But before he could strike, a familiar red and gold figure lands in front of the boys. Iron Man protected the boys with a blue energy shield, which blocked Carnage's arm.

"Friday," he whispered to his A.I. "Decrease vital functions by 20% and prep the Sonic Cannon!"

"Sir, I should warn you-"

"Just do it!"

"Iron Man…" Peter said.

"I'm a lousy inspiration," Tony began. "I've gotta admit, I wasn't following my own teachings very well..."

He shoved Carnage's arm aside, disabling the shield and started to form something else in his right arm. His left arm reached out began to merge with the weapons forming.

"We pros have to take chances sometimes," he exclaimed. "Because that's what heroes do!"

At the end of Iron Man's arms was a larger version of the last device he had used to disintegrate the villain. But this one occupied both of the hero's entire forearms. He cocks them back and a sonic wave blasts out into the villain.

Carnage became completely disintegrated and a huge gust of wind blows around him, making Ant-Man create a barricade with his arms so the crowd and the other heroes wouldn't be carried off by the force of the blast. The wind was strong enough to create a small tornado, but that soon dissipated.

Standing tall in the same pose that had destroyed the villain, Iron Man retracted his weapon as the two boys laid out behind him. They were both exhausted from the shared experience, but Flash had something on his mind.

"Parker..." He said, breathing hard. "How did you... do all that?"

"I-I don't know," Peter replied, panting heavily. "It's like... my body reacted on its own!"

Flash looked the boy over as he began to sit up, there was definitely something different about him. And it wasn't just the fact that his glasses had fallen off. His eyes widened when he noticed something, "You're bleeding."

Peter looked down, there was a small hole in his wrist, and it was bleeding pretty badly. He cringed as the pain caught up to him, and he quickly covered the wound with his free hand.

"Move," said Flash bluntly.

Peter skeptically lifted his hand as Flash extended his own. A piece of black tendril leapt off his body and wrapped itself around Peter's wound, stopping the bleeding.

"T-Thanks," said Peter.

But the blond didn't respond. Just then, they began to feel raindrops falling from the sky. Pedestrians and heroes looked up, the clouds were moving in the same direction like a cyclone. Iron Man had essentially changed the weather with a single punch.

Everyone began to shout and applaud the Number One Hero, and though he was breathing hard inside the armor, Iron Man raised his arm as a sign of victory. The crowd went even crazier, as the hero looked on at young Peter. He was still somewhat catatonic from the whole experience, but otherwise ok. The boy's actions gave Tony a lot to think about now, and not a lot of time to do it...