145This. Took. Forever. I try to write shorter chapters for this story but I'm starting to think it's impossible at this point. I've been on a massive gaming binge, which is why I made a whole other story before this chapter. I want to thank everyone for the massive support of this story! I think we're getting close to the longest and top-rated fic in our little genre, so thank you for all the follows, favorites, and even more for reviews. I respond to every single one of them! All I can say now is, I hope you have some popcorn because we just kicked it into high gear. Enjoy!
*Edit - Due to some well-made criticism, I've rewritten the first scene. To those who read prior, I hope this is more consistent with the tone I've established*
"What're you doing here Cindy?" the blond wasted no time with his ex, watching as she set her purse down. She was wearing jeans, frost still coating her brown boots as she slipped off her winter jacket. A simple black sweater was underneath, a sweater he had bought her during Thanksgiving. He couldn't help but notice how both hugged her figure, showing off her curves and the top barely hiding what was underneath it.
'Stop, you won't go down this rabbit hole again.' Naruto told himself, doing his best to ignore the way the light reflected off of Cindy's lips. He thought about her more often than he would admit but didn't want to look at her and be reminded of what-ifs. She had betrayed his trust, that was clear. So why was he having to slow his heart rate when he was near her? Why was he watching her every move? The woman sighed and moved a lock of hair out of her face, she still couldn't shake the butterflies that sat in her stomach.
"I came to apologize Naru-" the blond snorted at the admission, leaning against his wall as she sat down on his bed. The older woman glared at him yet continued, reminding herself that he had every right to be mad at her. "Just let me finish. Ever since you disappeared all I focused on was worrying about you. Whether you were alive or not… did you even consider that the last time I saw you, you were staring down a giant lizard creature hurt to hell? For God's sake Naru, I couldn't sleep for a week because of you." Naruto processed her words, taking a moment to look at himself. He had already come to terms that he was being selfish with his self-imposed exile, but to hear it from her point of view, he could see her anger.
"Connors was, a challenge, and in the end, he took something from me, something I can't get back." the blond looked the woman in the eyes, and both could see the pain they still carried from that night. However, blue met brown, and steeled, "Doesn't justify, what you did. Nothing will." Cindy sighed again, hands moving to her arms instinctively from how cold she had felt that night.
"I'm not saying I was in the right, Naruto, but for once just think about someone other than yourself. I know you're a superhero and all but my world doesn't revolve around you. I still had to wake up every day and live my life down on the ground. Harry was… just there." the raven-haired woman could almost feel the temperature in the room spike as she said her lover's name. Looking her ex in the eye, she could see his barely restrained rage, a flicker of red crossing his icy blue. Cindy waited for a response but none came and continued to speak. "I had never meant to betray you, even in my weakest moments I held onto you. One day, I invited him to come to the library with me, get out of his millionaire shell, but I just broke down. He comforted me and I just kissed him. Just once, I told myself, that was my only moment of weakness. But the way he looked at me… it felt like the first time in forever I had control over my life, and I let him. I told myself that you were gone, that I was only doing it to stop being depressed, that I didn't enjoy it. But all of those were lies. I fell for him, and I hate that I did. I wish I was strong enough Naruto, but I wasn't."
Naruto listened, and to his disappointment, couldn't find the capacity to hate her for it. She had been depressed, and Harry was there for her, and he was too busy being in his muck to reach out to the woman he supposedly loved. He looked at Cindy, searching for any reason to forgive her, but there was still only sorrow and disdain. He thought of what could've been, where they could've gone if things had been different. Cid took a deep breath, wiping a stray tear from her eye, and continued once again.
"When I had found your present, it was like a fog had lifted. I had heard that you were still sending stuff into the Bugle, but knowing I had come this close to seeing you again… I'm just sorry, Naru. I know I can't change things but I needed to say something. I missed you, Naru. If anyone deserves your anger it's me, not Harry." Naruto locked eyes with Cindy, and couldn't help the scowl that appeared on his face. She didn't get to come back into his life to manipulate him, use his heart against him. Spider-Man might've fallen for that, but he was Arashi now, and he had made enough mistakes keeping bridges where there were none.
"Both of you deserve something, each other. Do you know how much restraint it's taking from me, to not scream and shout until morning? To not put a hole in my wall with my bare hands because I can?! But that wouldn't change the past, it wouldn't change what you did." the blond towered over her and slowly let Kurama's chakra leak out, feeling slight steam rising from his body. "I don't hate you, Cindy, but I will never forgive you or Harry for what you did. In spite of everything you've done to me..." Naruto truly only hated two people, Negative and Kaguya, but Cindy Moon was damn near close. The fewer enemies Naruto Uzumaki had to deal with, the easier it would be in the long run, but Naruto could accept the fact that not everything could be forgiven, not everything could be fixed. "I'll play nice, for Mary Jane's sake, she's the only one who still gives you the time of day." taking a deep breath, the vigilante uncrossed his arms and ran a hand through his hair.
"Get out."
"Naru-"
"Get. Out. Please." Naruto watched as the woman got up from his bed, tears starting to stream from her eyes, hoping that he would call her back. The blond only stared, and Cindy knew she couldn't win. Watching his door close, the blond let out a breath and fell onto his bed. He would need his rest for an early morning.
Hours Later
Naruto Uzumaki stared out of his bedroom window, dressed in his shinobi gear with his mask in hand. He checked his watch, it was 3 A.M, and the hours prior had been interrupted with something he wasn't sure how to feel about. Kurama had been quiet since he had awoken from his slumber as well, which unnerved the blond even more. Maybe he shouldn't have been so harsh, but then what? Let her walk all over him again? No, he was done being used, which was why his mind lingered on what had happened prior.
"I missed you, Naru."
The words were ironic and painful, she had moved on. Found a new boy toy, forgotten about him, placed herself over the reality that she had allowed her weakness to gain the upper hand. The burner phone in his pocket rang, the familiar gruff voice of his blind friend getting him out of his head.
"Hey, we're all here. You better hurry though, I don't know how much more of Castle I can stand."
"I'm on my way." closing the phone, Naruto took one last look at his room, the spot where Cindy had been too many times before, and dove out his bedroom window.
The blond arrived at the safe house to a near comical scene. Frank and Matt were arguing across the table from each other, Jessica was pacing and checking her phone every few seconds, while Luke was talking to a young blond in green that made Naruto narrow his eyes. Frank was first to notice him, "Nice of you to join us, kid, didn't think you were gonna show." the blond rolled his eyes under his mask and lowered his hood, clearing his throat and getting the rest of the room's attention.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming, first things first, Luke, who's this guy? I don't remember him being on the guest list." the unknown in question walked up to Arashi and bowed.
"My apologies for showing up unannounced, my name is Danny Rand, and I want to join this group of yours."
"And what makes you think you're qualified, I mean, Luke obviously wouldn't of let you come here if he didn't think you were worth my time, but gotta prove it to me." Danny looked deep in thought for a second, seemingly having an internal debate for he smiled. Naruto had to hold back his shock when his fellow blond threw a lightning-quick jab at the masked vigilante's head, one that was blocked last second by Arashi's forearm. Everyone was alarmed at the act, Frank, and Matt pulling out their weapons in defense of the masked man.
"Everybody, relax, you want to join us, Mr. Rand? Show me what you got." Danny smiled and jumped away from his opponent, allowing both to take a good look at each other. Danny was wearing a green button-up that was left halfway open, allowing Naruto to see the large dragon tattoo that covered his chest. The sleeves were rolled to his elbows, with yellow hand tape wrapped in a similar way to his own. A pair of green pants, as well as comfortable shoes, finished his outfit, the man's face gaining a smile as both sized each other up. Naruto gave a come hither motion, inviting his fellow blond to dash forward, sending a roundhouse kick to Arashi's head, one that was blocked by a forearm as Danny twisted to avoid two kicks coming his way. Naruto decided to go on the offensive, sending an elbow towards the man's face, Danny leaning back as his opponent sailed over him. Recovering from his miss, Arashi, spun around with a combo of hooks and jabs, ones that Danny matched with speed and intensity. Luke rolled his eyes, both of them were enjoying it a bit too much, and cleared his throat.
"Stop playing around Danny, show him why I brought you here." Danny looked at his friend and nodded, jumping back, and took a deep breath. Naruto wondered what he was doing before he felt a massive spike of energy from the man. Danny held down a yell of adrenaline, instead choosing to ignite his fist, a yellow glowing aura surrounding it. The blond man rushed forward and jumped into the air, fist cocked back with a fury in his eyes.
"As strong as you are, I recommend you avoid getting hit by that," Kurama spoke to his container, not wishing to test the limits of his healing abilities. Naruto nodded inwardly, but instead, chose to channel the Bijuu's chakra into his fist and met his fellow blond in the air, a small shockwave sounding from the clash. Danny landed, shocked at how the masked man was able to counter his move with something so similar. Naruto had to hold back a laugh at his gobsmacked opponent.
"You're not the only one who knows how to harness their internal energies." walking forward, the shinobi put out his hand, a gesture that was well received by the green-clad man. "Nice to have you on the team. Though forgive me, I've never heard of you before." Danny smiled.
"Daniel Rand is only the heir to the large corporation known as Rand Industries, but my true calling is as the Immortal Iron Fist, guardian of K'un Lun." Naruto sweatdropped at the name, noting in his head at how cool it sounded.
"Are you boys done yet? Because as much as I enjoyed watching you two spar, we have more pressing matters to discuss." both men had the decency to apologize to the older woman, the police captain finding their bout impressive, yet unnecessary.
"My bad Jess, but speaking of, I suppose we should all be properly introduced. I think everyone knows who I am except you Castle." Frank grunted at being left out but ultimately the Marine didn't care. All that mattered was the mission, and the masked vigilante was a powerhouse that wanted to work with him. Taking off his mask, Naruto looked at the other individuals in the room. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, I was once Spider-Man, but now I go by Arashi. I brought you all here to join me in the fight to not only combat the demons but also to fight against the rising organized and unorganized crime in our city. I made the Defenders because of what we can accomplish together." the vigilantes looked at their leader, and couldn't help be enveloped by the man's charisma. Even Castle nodded along as the blond spoke.
'You become more interesting by the second, Uzumaki.' the older man thought to himself as introductions shifted to Red.
"Normally I wouldn't reveal my identity, but Naruto told me the only way this works is with trust." Daredevil slowly moved his hand to his cowl, taking it off and adjusting his face forward. "My name is Mattew Murdock, and I'm Daredevil." Frank Castle was the first to speak, laughing to himself.
"You're telling me that I've been fighting a blind lawyer this whole time? I must be losing my edge." Matt rolled his eyes and "looked" in Frank's direction.
"Got a problem with it Castle, because I can still kick your ass seven ways to Sunday." the skull wearing vigilante stopped laughing and growled.
"I can still take you out with my bare hands Red."
"Castle." the stern voice came not from Naruto, but Jessica. "I recommend both of you stop before I throw you through that damn wall." Frank stared at the woman, smirked, and sat down, the introduction now falling to him.
"Name's Frank Castle, they call me the Punisher." Danny seemed confused at the name.
"Why do they call you that?" Frank only seemed to gain a predatory grin.
"Cause I punish people, kid." not wanting another argument to break out, Naruto gestured for Danny to introduce himself.
"Well, my name is Daniel Rand, Danny for short, and like I told Naruto, I'm the Immortal Iron First, guardian of K'un Lun. It's a pleasure to work with all of you." the curly blond bowed once again, gaining smiles from everyone in the room.
"The name's Luke Cage, though a lot of people seem to call me Power Man." it was Matt who spoke up this time, a quizzical look on his face.
"Heard you were bulletproof, that true?" Luke just nodded, throwing a glance to Frank, wondering if the man would try to test it. Castle instead rolled his eyes.
"I ain't gonna shoot you, big man, relax." Naruto laughed at the man before all eyes fell onto Jessica.
"I'm sure I don't need much introduction, but the name's Jessica Jones, I'm a Captain of the NYPD, though I suppose in the field you can call me Jewel." Jessica then proceeded to walk to a solid concrete wall and punch a fist-sized hole in it. "And that is just a glimpse of what I can do." the men seemed impressed at the feat, something Naruto admired.
"Now that introductions are out of the way, we need to get down for business." pulling out a map of the city, Naruto placed three markers down. "I've been doing some research into the underbelly of New York, and one thing is consistent. The local gangs, hired guns, all of them seem to either report to or give a share to one man."
"They call him the Big Man of Crime, or just the Big Man for short. My department has been keeping tabs on him but haven't come up with anything substantial." Jessica jumped in, "Luckily, a few of our worms caught onto a possible raid going on later tonight."
"It's why I wanted us to meet up early this morning. I know all of us have civilian lives to go back to in the morning, but any reconnaissance would make your jobs easier. Word on the street is that the takeout from the hits would be over 1 million dollars. With Jess's help, we were able to narrow down three spots." Naruto pointed to the first marker. "Midtown Bank, supposed to be getting a brand new set of unmarked bills to trade out this evening." pointing to another marker, Jessica cut in.
"Another possibility is the Fine Art Museum by Central Park. I heard they had received a new shipment from Europe, 20 pieces of new art. Would make whoever this big man is a pretty penny if he got his hands on them." nodding along, Naruto then moved to the last marker, which made him frown.
"The last possible place we've been hearing about is ESU, but I don't know why. I haven't heard anything about anything valuable being there, especially with Dr. Connors' death. He was the pioneer for anything valuable that could be stolen." not wanting to dwell on it, the blond moved onto issuing orders. "I want us to work in pairs, gather any information we can during the day, meet up at your assigned places at sundown. Cage and Rand, you guys have the Art Museum. Castle and Murdock, I want you two to take the bank, don't kill each other in the process." Matt grunted and Frank rolled his eyes.
"Don't worry Red, I'll play nice tonight."
"Which leaves me and Jess for ESU, we'll keep in contact through the burners, anything pops off you call for backup." letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding, Naruto rubbed his beard. "You're all free to go, just stay on your toes out there." the new members of the Defenders all nodded at the information given, saying their goodbyes and conversing with their partners. Matt nodded his way before leaving alongside Castle, with Luke and Danny leaving together as well.
"It never gets any easier, webhead." Naruto turned to see Jessica was standing next to him, a knowing smile on her face.
"What do you mean by that, Captain?"
"Leading, you've been by yourself for so long, you're not used to it. Give it time, blondie, I can tell everyone in here respects you, myself included." the black-haired beauty checked her phone with a huff. "I need to get to work, but I'll text you if I learn anything. Where are we meeting up?" the blond hummed in thought.
"Meet me on top of the Coffee Bean on campus, I'll text you." Jessica snorted at the blond.
"Already asking me out to coffee, Spidey?" Naruto smiled at her.
"What kind of coffee do you like?"
"... black with sugar." and with that, the police officer left him alone to his thoughts. The blond sat in silence, checking his watch to see that it was already 5 in the morning.
"You've been suspiciously quiet, what are you thinking buddy?"
"While I might not have been with you when you started your relations with that Moon woman, but I'm still inside your head. I saw how much you cared for her."
"Thanks, Kurama, I just, I don't know how Gwen fits into this. I care for her I do, but at this point, I wonder if I should try anymore. Who's to say I should even find something stable again."
"You can't predict the future, Naruto."
"I know buddy, I know." looking at the time once again, the blond sighed and put his mask back on. "I just pray it's a simple day today.
9:00 a.m: Empire State University
Naruto looked at the two women in front of him, chatting about the latest drama they could latch on to, and checked his phone again. Jess had texted him a few times already, though nothing substantial. Just rumors of something being transported to the school and being held there. The blond took another bite of his breakfast sandwich and stared at a nearby television in the dining hall. "Moving onto current events, astronaut John Jameson, having recently landed from his crew's exhibition to the moon, is teaming up with millionaire philanthropist, Norman Osborn, to study what we are to believe is the first concrete evidence of alien life." the news reporter then shifted to the two men in question getting interviewed.
"When I returned from space, and my crew had found a seemingly living being on the outside of my ship, we didn't know what to do. Out of anyone in this city, I trust Norman Osborn and his scientists at Oscorp to study our findings, as well as this creature, and I feel with their help, we could pioneer a new front in our understanding of the universe." John looked at Norman and the older man nodded in confirmation.
"And I can't tell you how thankful Oscorp is to be given this opportunity, which is why for the first week of testing, we will have the alien life on display for the public at Empire State University. The display will be headed by my son Harry, as well as the newest edition to ESU staff, Otto Octavius." Naruto took a drink of his water before spitting it out as he heard the last half of what the elder Osborn said.
"What the fuck!?" Mary Jane had to hold in a laugh as her blond friend cleaned up his side of the table.
"I thought you had heard Naru, they're putting on a whole show in the Science Hall later today," Gwen told him, giggling alongside her friend as she watched the blond wipe up the water.
"Guess I got the short end of the stick on that one." the secret vigilante mumbled to himself, seeing the text that Jessica had sent him.
"Did you see the news?"
"Yes"
"Good… FUCK!"
That one got a chuckle out of him before he looked back up and noticed Gwen was staring at him, knowing he was usually never that attached to his phone. "Everything alright?"
"Yeah, just got a funny text from-" his train of thought was interrupted by the buzzing of his phone. Checking the caller ID, the blond nearly had another spit take. "Cindy?!" Naruto watched as Gwen's look of concern turned into a deadpan glare, an action so quick he almost laughed.
"Well…" MJ spoke up, throwing him a sympathetic smile. "You gonna answer it? Must be pretty important if she called you." the blond looked to Gwen, hoping she would argue against it and was disappointed to see her continue to stare at him.
"See what the she-devil wants, Fishcake." sighing at his terrible luck, the blond put the smartphone up to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Naru! I'm surprised you picked up."
"Cindy. I'm starting to question why I did."
"Oh don't be rude, I'm trying to help you." the blond grunted, prompting her to continue with her purpose of calling. "Fine, you know about the exhibit right?"
"As of 5 minutes ago, I do. Why?
"Well~, I was just wondering if and the girls wanted to come by early and see it before the public, Harry said I could bring anyone I wanted."
"Right. You sure that's a good idea?" the blond crossed his fingers in hopes that Cindy still had a brain.
"Yep! Besides, as I said, I'm trying to help you. You can get some pics for the Bugle before anyone else does." as annoying as it was to talk to her, the older woman made a good point.
'That and scope out the area for any weak points. I guess there's an upside to this after all.' the blond thought to himself, doing his best to ignore the small back and forth that MJ and Gwen were having in the background.
"Seems so, just tread carefully kit, I have a bad feeling about this."
"Alright, we'll be there. When do you want us?"
"ASAP, I'm just waiting outside the Science Hall with Harry. See you soon!" with the parting remarks, she hung up, leaving the blond shinobi to turn to his friends. Gwen shot him "the look" and crossed her arms.
"What did she want?"
"She invited us to see the alien before it opens to the public." Mary Jane perked up at that.
"That was nice of her, and it means you can get the first pics before the rest of the media." Naruto nodded in agreement, not surprised that the redhead was following his train of thought. Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Figures she gets a backstage pass, perks of fucking the guy in charge." MJ playfully hit Gwen's shoulder as Naruto laughed at the joke, giving both blonds a look of her own.
"I have an amazing poker face, but I fear Mary Jane, that Gwen won't be able to hold her tongue." the man teased his friend, causing the commissioner's daughter to huff in indignation,
"You both know I don't like her. But fine, I'll play nice." Naruto smiled at that and kissed her cheek in appreciation, gaining a blush and 'shut up' in response.
Walking up to Cindy and Harry, Naruto couldn't shake the feeling that his spider-sense would be going off if he still had it. The two were sitting on a nearby bench, the young millionaire hand in hand with the raven-haired woman before she looked up at the three and waved them over.
'Ugh, I already regret my decision.'
"So glad you guys came! Harry has been telling me all about it and I'm excited to see it." Mary Jane smiled, and Naruto nodded, gesturing to the camera that was hanging around his neck. Gwen stuck behind him, glaring daggers at the woman.
"I don't believe we've ever met, the name's Harry Osborn, Cid has been telling me good things about you." the man was around the blond's height, with his brown hair perfectly combed and an all too perfect smile. He was the exact opposite of his father.
'At least his dad faced down Connors with a shotgun, I distinctly remember him running away.'
"If you have a cynical thing to say after everything he does, I'm going to tune you out." the blond took Harry's hand and squeezed, hoping to get a response, only to get an equally powerful squeeze in return.
'Okay, guess he's not all looks either.' both men nodded at each other before letting go. 'I still don't like this, Kurama.'
"I believe that's called jealously, kit."
'Fuck you, you overgrown carpet.'
"But you're right, he seems stronger than most meat bags you know."
"Charmed. I've seen a bit of your work at Oscorp, you guys are doing great stuff over there." the blond had another snarky remark to add, but was silenced by the dull headache Kurama caused.
"Oh enough boring stuff, I wanna see aliens! C'mon Harry!" Cindy grabbed her boyfriend's arm and began to drag him towards the door. Gwen huffed and grabbed onto Naruto's left arm, more so for comfort. The blond let out a sigh as she leaned up to his ear.
"I'm surprised you didn't break his hand with your strength."
"Me? I'm astounded Cindy hadn't caught on fire with how hard you were glaring." Gwen rolled her eyes at the joke but a small smile managed to appear regardless.
"Could've put a 2-inch wide hole in between her eyes, but you wouldn't have approved." Naruto smiled at the dark humor and pulled her alongside him, MJ laughing alongside the couple. Walking into the building, Naruto was shocked to see a large glass container in the center of the foyer, with multiple men in lab coats surrounding the pod. There was security at every window and entrance, armed in full kit. The blond began to take pictures, noting to himself that the guards weren't NYPD or ESU.
'Oscorp private security, they aren't pulling any punches with this thing. Castle would be jealous by the amount of firepower in here.' following his ex, Naruto noticed the various amounts of monitors that were set up, hooked up to the containment unit, measuring things like temperature and oxygen levels. The five adults walked up to the glass, Harry taking charge to explain just what they were looking at.
"When my dad and I were brought the alien, we were amazed at its ability to expand and contract at will. Though it looks small now, it can move pretty fast for black goop. If anything, it's organic space mud, but it reacts to stimulus just enough for us to believe it might just be intelligent." Naruto took in his words, staring at the mass of black goo. It seemed alive, but there was nothing exactly special about it besides the ever-changing material.
"Which is exactly why I wanted to continue tests before making things public, Mr. Osborn." a strong voice sounded out from behind the group. He was tall and brown-haired, with a pair of goggles sitting on top of his head. The man was about as old as Connors was, give or take a few more years. He had a look of authority as well as knowledge, someone who knew he was smarter than everyone in the room but took pride in the fact that he worked for it. The most surprising trait, however, was the four metal arms that were attached to his back from a harness around his waist, allowing the scientist to defy gravity and stay suspended in the air.
"I told you, Otto, it's just for a week. Besides, maybe it'll react to thousands of people seeing it." Harry shifted into business mode, giving a stern look at the older man. Octavius looked down at the man, seeming to hold back a snarky remark, but refrained. "C'mon Otto, Oscorp pays the bills, you get exposure and funding for all your projects." Harry smiled back at the group, throwing his hands out in a dramatic gesture as the doctor lowered himself back to the ground. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I proudly introduce the man spearheading our operation here, Professor Otto Octavius. Doc, these are my friends and girlfriend, Cindy Moon, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane Watson, and-"
"Naruto Uzumaki, Connors would talk to me nonstop about you. Said you were his brightest student but were often distracted by life outside of his class. Brilliant, but lazy." the blond smiled at the doctor, remembering the countless stories that Dr. Connors would tell him about the genius in front of him.
"Dr. Connors talked about you at length as well, Professor. Especially your theories for renewable energy, I wish the three of us could've worked together before he passed." Otto nodded at the thought of his late friend. He was heartbroken when he heard of Connor's death, even more so when the circumstances came out about him as the Lizard. Harry watched as the two continued their conversation, a glare slowly making its way onto his face. Cindy was the first to notice, squeezing his hand, and kissed his cheek. The last thing she needed was for Harry's ego to add to the already bursting tension in the group. Gwen looked at the two and smirked, holding Naruto's arm tighter as the two men continued their banter. Otto checked his watch and clicked his tongue.
"I apologize, I have to go prep the display for the opening. It was nice meeting you ladies, Mr. Uzumaki, I hope you and I can have more than a simple chat. Good day, Mr. Osborn." the man paid his farewells as his arms lifted him above the ground, taking him towards the elevator where Connor's office used to be.
Watching Octavius walk away, Harry took control once again, parading them around and doing his best to show off his knowledge of current operations. Meanwhile, Naruto continued to take as many pictures as he could, making mental notes on the patterns of guards as well as the placement of cameras. Soon enough. Harry's tour was over and the group was left back to staring at the alien. Naruto checked his phone, sending a few details to Jess before MJ cleared her throat to get his attention.
"Hey, tiger, what do you say me and you head to the Bugle? The rest of my day is pretty boring and I want to ask Robbie if he has any stories for me." Naruto took a moment to think, but ultimately he had more important things than lectures to deal with right now.
"Sure thing, MJ, Gwen you wanna come?" the blonde in question pursed her lips in thought but shook her head cutely.
"Nah, I'll be good, I need to get some actual work done today. Plus I told Bobby and Johnny I'd meet them at the airport today. Appreciate the tour, Harry… Moon." Gwen spun around with a sickly sweet smile on her face, causing Cindy to internally fume at the girl but the older woman held herself back. No need to put make herself look worse in front of Naruto. Speaking of, the secret vigilante said his goodbyes alongside Mary Jane, the pair thankful to have made it through the meeting without an incident, and walking out of the science hall and towards MJ's car.
"Well, that went better than I thought." the blond started, eyes staring out of the window as they stopped at yet another traffic light.
"I agree, I was worried Gwen was going to make well on her joke." that made both Bugle employees chuckle, knowing that no matter her anger, Gwen was still the daughter of a cop, and followed the law to a tee. "She took the situation with Cindy to heart, she'll move on, but the anger isn't healthy for her." Naruto agreed but didn't necessarily find that a bad thing. They pulled up to the Daily Bugle in all its glory, moving through the lobby quickly and calling for an elevator.
"I can't say I'm not holding a grudge myself. Cid came and apologized to me last night." MJ raised an eyebrow, closing the elevator door with the press of a button.
"You didn't tell us back at school?"
"Mostly because I didn't accept it. I'm tired of her throwing my feelings around with no consequence, MJ." the elevator door opened and a scream was heard from JJ's office.
"Uzumaki! I need you front and center! If you aren't at my desk in the next 10.2 seconds, I'll have your life!" Naruto blinked, a few times, debating whether to be thankful for Jonah's antics or wary of the fact that he was called the second he stepped into the newsroom. MJ sighed and gestured her head in a "we'll finish this later" motion, before breaking off to find Robbie, leaving the blond alone in front of Betty's desk.
"Hey, Naruto, nice to see you today, I was wondering if you were avoiding me lately." Betty Brandt teased playfully, buzzing Jonah's desk that the blond was waiting outside his office. Naruto smirked, taking in the woman's form and smile.
"Betty, avoiding you would be a crime, besides, you deserve to deal with normal people once in while after all you do for JJ." the brunette laughed and rolled her eyes.
"Don't I know it, I'll see you later Naru."
"See you, Betty." walking into Jonah's office, the blond walked into his boss's office, greeted by the familiar scent of a cigar as well as the form of someone he had never seen before.
"Ah Uzumaki, you showed up. I was just about to have Ms. Brandt file your separation package." the bearded man rolled his eyes and smiled at Jonah.
"Didn't expect to be called so soon, considering I just walked in." Jonah scoffed and took another drag of his cigar.
"I own the damn building, blondie, I've got eyes and ears everywhere. Now, enough talk, let's get to the brass taxes. Uzumaki, I need you to show this freelancer the ropes, get him started on some good photo ops and any tips to nab that menace Spider-Man." Naruto was taken back by the request, turning to face the other occupant in the room. The man was built, a few years older than himself, and stood a head taller than him. He had a short crop of blond hair and a cocky smile. The man shot out his hand, a grin present on his face.
"The name's Eddie Brock, I've seen a lot of your work."
"Naruto Uzumaki, I aim to please." taking his hand, Naruto felt the firm shake and returned one the same, wondering how many more surprises would come his way.
"Alright, alright! Both of you knuckleheads get out of my office and get me some quality pictures, NOW!" pushing the two men out of his office, Eddie was the first to speak.
"So, any tips from a pro like yourself?" the bearded blond laughed and gestured for the man to walk with him.
"The biggest thing I learned? Keep the shots simple. Same for whenever I write an article, keep the main point the focus. It takes a bit, but Jameson knows how to make a paper run. Let him trust you enough and you'll get a staff job." the pair had ended up in the lobby, Naruto giving his number to the man.
"Appreciate it big man, and just letting you know, once JJ sees my pics of Spidey, you won't have to worry about it anymore." this caused the vigilante to pause.
"What do you mean by that?" Eddie scoffed and gestured to his camera.
"I've been in the game for a while man, not to say that your pics are bad by any means, just that your work is a little… let's just say outdated." Brock pointed to the camera sitting around Naruto's neck before he spun on his heel and began to walk away. "Thanks for the tips pal!"
Naruto groaned and checked his phone once again. It was the middle of the day, but he had no intention of going to school again. Shooting a quick text to MJ, Naruto walked out of the Bugle and sighed into the cold air. 'Hey, Kurama?'
"Yes, kit?"
"You wanna spar in the mindscape until it gets dark?"
"I thought you'd never ask."
10:30 p.m: Coffee Bean ESU
Perking up at the sound of footsteps in the snow, Naruto looked behind him to see the one and only Jessica Jones walk up to him. She was in a simple black leather jacket, a purple shit underneath, along with blue jeans and some combat boots. She was wearing a black scarf around the lower half of her face to protect her identity, though he could tell it also served to keep her head warm. The blond smiled as he raised his mask and sipped at his coffee, offering another cup towards her. "Glad you made it, I was fearing your coffee would get cold."
The captain lowered her mask and took a sip of the warm liquid. "Wouldn't want to miss the show, mmm, you remembered my coffee." the raven-haired woman looked towards the Science Hall and frowned. "How long have you been scoping the place?" Naruto shrugged, looking into his binoculars once again.
"Two hours at least, I kinda took a nap earlier."
"Right, what're we looking at, webhead?"
"Seems like minimal security, two on the roof, three on the ground watching every entrance. Haven't been able to figure if there are any men inside, but anyone still here is a contractor, no civies in the area." Jess nodded and began to crack her knuckles.
"Good, means that if anyone shows up I can let loose." Naruto agreed with her before the sound of squealing tires got his attention.
"Looks like we got company." two armored vans pulled up to the entrance of the Science Hall, men with rifles pouring out, killing the guards immediately.
"Damn it, call it in Jess." Jones dialed the number on her burner phone, only to receive various yells on the other end.
"They're hitting the Art Museum, heavy stuff, we could use some backup." it was Luke, clearly out of breath.
"Same on the bank, these guys are well trained. How are you two fairing over there at the campus?" Jessica cursed to herself, seeing the game that was being played.
"They're hitting every place at the same. Whoever this Big Man is, he knows that the NYPD would barely be able to handle one attack, let alone three."
"Good thing we're not the NYPD. Tell everyone to protect their buildings, the less they steal the better." standing up, the blond finished his cup of joe and pulled down his mask, leaping off the building with Jessica right behind him. Jess decided to make a loud entrance, landing on top of one of the armored cars and crushing the vehicle beneath her feet.
"Hey, dumbasses," the armed men turned in alarm at seeing one of their vehicles crushed underneath the form of the woman. "I recommend you don't enter that building." the leader of the group pointed his rifle at the vigilante.
"What happens if I blast your head off and do it anyway."
"Then you have to deal with me." the group of men turned to see Arashi, arms crossed, standing in between them and the entrance. Making the first move, the shinobi grabbed a thug's head and threw him towards Jewel, the latter catching the man and slamming him into the ground. The leader cursed and told the rest of his men to disperse, gunfire flying towards both heroes. Arashi dove away, getting as much distance he could before forming a few hand signs. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" the blond forced his hands forward, a large gust of wind shooting towards the group before a large man in a suit stepped in front of the mercenaries.
"Would you look at that, someone's trying to mess with the Big Man's plans." a low, Italian accent sounded out from the dust. He was wearing a blue and black striped suit, cigar in his mouth, with an overly large and flathead. The man cracked his knuckles and looked between the two vigilantes before focusing on Jewel. "Guess Hammerhead's gotta take over now. Boys, waste 'er!" Arashi's eyes widened behind his mask as the armed men trained their weapons on Jessica's exposed form.
"Damn it!" he knew it would be risky, he still needed to get used to the technique, but he had no time and the blond didn't want to test if Jess was bulletproof or not. Focusing on her position, Arashi disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing right next to Jewel before he flashed her out of harm's way. Jewel looked at him with amazement in her eyes as he had transported them on top of a nearby building.
"Did you just fucking teleport?!"
"It's called the Hiraishin, but pretty much. I'm still getting used to it though, so I can only use it three times before tearing myself apart." the woman nodded at his words and yelling into her mask.
"What other crazy stuff are you hiding from me?"
"A lot, but now's not the time Jess. We need to take care of these guys fast." Naruto looked over to the Science Hall, only to see a familiar feminine form crawling in through the room. "I'll go check on the alien, make sure Hammerhead didn't already nab it. Think you can handle him on your own?" Jewel nodded at him before smiling under her scarf.
"I've got an idea, think you can manage one more teleport?
"I'm listening."
"Fan out! Find those two and bring their skulls to me! No one messes with the Big Man and gets away with it!" Hammerhead screamed out, scanning the horizon for any sight of them. "No way they just up and ran." the large man mumbled to himself before he heard a whistling in the air. The mobster looked up before screaming scatter, only to hit the ground as Jewel landed a momentum filled downward punch to his skull. He bounced off the ground in pain, only to get up and wipe off a speck of blood from his lip.
"Is that all you got, dame?" Jewel shook out her hand and got into a fighting stance.
"Guess they call you Hammerhead for a reason, let's dance big guy!"
Having heard the resounding crash from Jessica's surprise attack, Naruto crept through a circle-shaped hole in the glass skylight, not being surprised at the slender woman that stood in front of the glass container and the various unconscious security guards strewn about the ground. Arashi watched as she took out a device and seared a hole through the layered glass.
"Come to mama." the white-haired woman's advance was stopped as a thread of web pulling her to the ground. Landing in front of her, Arashi crossed his arms and smirked behind his mask.
"What's wrong, cat got your tongue?" a sly smile replaced Black Cat's look of shock as she dusted herself off, amused by the line.
"If it isn't Spider-Man, I was wondering when I would run into you again after our first date."
"Well, you did leave quite the impression." the man shifted into a fighting stance as the two began to circle each other. "How about you tell me what the game is here Cat?" the woman clicked her tongue and shook her head, pouncing on the hero faster than he expected and sending him headfirst into a table of equipment.
"Now you know I don't kiss and tell, Spidey, how about you tell me where you've been?" shooting a few webs in her direction, Arashi leaped to grapple the slender woman, closing the distance and grabbing her into a headlock.
"Oh you know," the hooded blond applied pressure, asserting his control over the situation. "I was out for the holidays, us good guys take breaks too." Naruto narrowed his eyes, determined to not let her escape from him again. "So, tell me why you're here before I choke you out and leave you strung up for the NYPD to find." Black Cat struggled against her attacker before she pressed her rear into his crotch. Neither occupant noticed, however, the alien goop crawl its way out of its container and begin to move up a wall.
"A very important man offered a tidy sum of money for the black sludge over there. Figured I could get a piece of the pie if I got it before his lackey Hammerhead did." Naruto unconsciously loosened his grip on the woman, doing his best to listen and remain unfazed by her actions. But, it was just enough for Black Cat to elbow him in the stomach, claw off the lower half of his mask, and kick him into a nearby wall. Arashi was fast enough to recover midair, unknowingly landing feet first into the black tar-like alien, the goo like substance attaching itself to his foot. The sultry woman jumped up to him, capturing his lips in a similar way she had the first time. It ended just as quickly though, the cat burglar kicking off of him and jumping towards the ground. "Gotta say, I don't mind the beard, but I prefer some stubble." Black Cat shot her grapple gun at the hole she had made earlier, giving the blond a two-finger salute as she fled the scene.
"Cat! Damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?" shooting a web line in her direction, the vigilante was prepared to give chase before Jessica flew through the glass doors, sliding across the ground with a groan.
"Note to self, don't get hit with his head." the woman groaned as she got to her feet, Naruto jumping down to her side.
"I suppose he's a lot tougher than he looks." a pained nod was all he received, his partner cracking her neck. 'Guess it can't get any worse, at least I kept Cat from getting the alien."
"What the hell is going on here!?" the pair looked towards the elevator only to see Dr. Otto Octavius shocked at the destruction. The man noticed the webs laying around and raised a brow. "Spider-Man?" Naruto cursed under his breath.
"Don't worry Doc, we're on your side, lots of people are gunning for our extraterrestrial visitor." the doctor registered his words and ran to the containment unit only to shout in shock.
"The alien, Spider-Man, it's gone!"
"What!? I was with Black Cat the whole time, there's no way she grabbed it." Jewel looked at him and furrowed her brow.
"That must mean Hammerhead has it, but when?" they were soon interrupted by the sound of a helicopter landing, causing both vigilantes to curse at the same time.
"Just stay in here and call the police Doc, we'll try to get it back." the pair ran outside, leaving the dejected doctor to shake his head.
"So much for this gig," he muttered to himself.
"Shit, they took off already." Naruto cursed watching as the small chopper with Hammerhead and a few goons began to head towards the skyscrapers. "Even with my web-shooters, I wouldn't be able to swing fast enough and catch them." Jessica frowned before looking at her partner in the eye.
"But I can hold on webhead." the raven-haired woman stood behind her hooded counterpart, wrapping her arms under his and with a determined look in her eyes, lifted the two of them off the ground, rocketing towards the retreating helicopter. The pair began to catch up, Jessica doing her best to maintain her speed and altitude.
"We're close Jess, just a bit more," Naruto shouted at the woman, deciding to prep a mini Rasenshuriken in his hand.
"Be careful kit, you haven't made one in a long time." the blond nodded inwardly, waiting until he had a clear shot on target. Rearing his hand back, Arashi lined up his shot, only to watch in horror and surprise as Hammerhead leaned out of the carriage with none other than an RPG in his hands.
"JESS!" with his concentration lost, neither of them were fast enough to react as the projectile was fired, rocketing towards them in the air. Jessica, not knowing the extent of her blond partner's durability, twisted in the air, allowing the rocket to impact her back. The explosion shook the nearby buildings, shattering a few as the couple fell out of the sky. Naruto's eyes snapped open, half of his costume seared off with most of his face exposed to the cold winter air. He quickly realized that he and Jess were falling out of the sky, the raven-haired woman a decent distance away from him. Both his arms were burning, which meant his web-shooters were most likely destroyed in the blast. Jess looked far worse for wear, a majority of her clothes singed off from the explosion. The blond felt time slow down, watching hopelessly as they fell.
'No, c'mon Naruto, do something!' he didn't have enough focus to summon Kurama, and the fox himself was quiet, which meant he was on his own. Deciding to take the chance, the blond aimed his right hand and pressed down on where the trigger would be, taking himself by surprise as a black web line shot out from his wrist. Pulling Jess to him, the blond acted off muscle memory, grabbing the woman by the waist and shooting out another web line to a nearby building. He swung with grace and precision, not noticing the black substance begin to spread across his body, and landed in front of a nearby hospital, Jessica's unconscious form in his arms.
"This woman needs medical attention, now!" the people outside the hospital only stared in shock but the blond ignored them. The blond screamed again, becoming more and more frustrated by her actions. A group of paramedics from a nearby ambulance rushed over to the two, allowing the blond to set his friend down into a stretcher. "Will she be okay? Tell me!" one of the men held him back as Jess's body was taken back to the emergency ward. "Let me see her!"
"You'll see her after she's alright, Spider-Man, just calm down." the blond paused at the man's words, taking a step back in confusion.
"How do you-" he began to trail off as he caught a glimpse of himself in a window. His body was covered in a slick black costume, a large white spider in the center of his chest, the legs stretching around to an identical one on his back. Two white squares were on the top of his hands, with two pure white lenses where his eyes would be.
"Guess I found the alien, or… it found me."
Before I start, I just want to say I value every reader I have, and it's heartbreaking to hear someone want to drop my story because of the most recent work. Similar to a Youtuber, my content doesn't come out all at once. One chapter at a time, I get a feel for my audience, and when your base is gone, you make no progress. If I didn't care about what people thought I wouldn't post it, and I hope those of you who have reread, I can hope to stick with me for the long haul. I'm not perfect, and even as the author, I can still have a bad take. Thank you to those who voiced their criticism.
Wow, 8800 words later, and we have introduced 5 major Spider-Man characters (as well as Danny Rand) into this story. I hope the flow was consistent in this chapter, and I would love to hear your thoughts on what I've done with the storyline so far. A big thing I'm debating on is if Naruto should date around, or stay in committed relationships. The symbiote is going to mess with that for the time being, but please, tell me your thoughts! I hope all of you have a wonderful day, read, review, and I'll see you all next time!
