C615 Spider-Man (Patreon)
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Galactus materialized in front of Peter, his colossal form casting a daunting shadow on the fractured surface of Mars. The cosmic giant's eyes glowed with cosmic awareness as he scrutinized Spider-Man, his curiosity evident.
Just as Galactus was about to speak, Peter raised his hand. "Uhh, hey, do you mind shrinking down to my size? I feel like I’m in Attack On Titan right now…" He commented, feeling like an ant in front of someone who could easily dwarf entire planets.
The cosmic energy surrounding Galactus pulsed, and in a matter of moments, the behemoth began to shrink at a rapid pace. Seconds later, a ten-foot-tall purple armor-clad man landed before Peter.
[Insert picture of Galactus here] (A/N: I know we’ve done it before, but might as well give another visual of him.)
*Boom!* And although it looked like a slow and controlled landing, the second that Galactus touched the rocky ground of mars, a humongous crater was former, spanning miles in diameter.
"Is this form more comfortable for you?" Galactus inquired. Usually, he wouldn’t bother changing his size for anyone, but with the amount of power he could feel radiating off of Peter, he couldn’t help but give him just a modicum of respect.
Peter nodded, a wry smile on his face. "You're still a bit tall, but it’s fine.”
Galactus, now resembling a giant next to Peter rather than an overwhelming cosmic entity, gazed at him with an odd expression. "Is your race a nudist one? I thought I devoured all of the nudist worlds ages ago…" he asked, noticing Peter's current lack of clothing.
Realizing his state of undress, which he seemed to completely for get about ever since his clothes were incinerated by the sun, Peter chuckled in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry about that." In an instant, his iconic spider suit materialized, covering his entire body, except his face.
With a more composed appearance, Peter looked at Galactus and asked, "So, who are you and what brings you to my end of the universe?" He feigned ignorance, pretending not to recognize him. “I’m Peter, by the way.”
Galactus scoffed, his deep voice resonating in the vastness of space. "You kill my Herold, and now you wish to act innocent?" In his mind, a being like Peter who held such power should know who Galactus is, especially after the Silver Surfer died in this Galaxy.
(A/N: I just realized that I’ve been Spelling Herald wrong this entire time, but I’m too lazy to go back and edit all of the previous chapters.)
Peter raised an eyebrow, adopting a confused expression. "Herold, you say? You'll have to be more specific. I've killed all sorts of people throughout the years, but I don’t remember any of them saying their name was Herold. Are you sure that you have the right guy?"
Galactus, unaccustomed to such nonchalant defiance, observed Peter with a mix of disbelief and amusement. It was rare for anyone to stand before him, playing games and refusing to show the usual submission.
"You mock me?" Galactus questioned, his gaze piercing through the cosmic fabric of reality.
Peter shrugged, maintaining his playful demeanor. "Mock? No, I'm just genuinely curious. Your Herold could be anyone from a list of people I've encountered. You'll need to give me more details."
Galactus, eyeing Peter in exasperation, sighed. "I sense more than you reveal, Peter. Your power, it's not yours, is it?," He stated, probing Peter. “I sense the aura of many different beings inside you, three of which are quite familiar to me…”
Since Peter technically copies the powers of those he takes DNA from, Galactus could feel a sliver of their aura within him, including Thanos, Ego, and his Herald, the Silver Surfer.
Peter scratched his head, a look of playful disgust appearing on his face. "Well, I can assure you that I don’t have a habit of letting anyone inside of me. I happen to be a straight and happily married man. But there was this one time that my wife wanted to peg me…” He revealed, a shiver of unadulterated fear running down his spine. “Of course, I turned that sh*t down real quick…”
Galactus regarded Peter with a level of uncertainty, torn between the knowledge that he was being f*cked with and an unexpected amusement, which he hadn’t felt in a long while.
Eventually, Galactus couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "You know what? After this is all said and done, you shall become my newest Herald. The Silver Surfer has grown dull lately, so I won’t fault you too much for his death," he declared, his eyes glinting with an odd amusement.
Peter, maintaining his playful tone, politely declined, "I appreciate the offer, but I've got a wife and a planet to look after. I'm afraid I can't commit to becoming your henchman."
Galactus chuckled again, the sound echoing across the desolate surface of Mars. "You act as if you had a choice..."
Before Peter could respond, Galactus extended his massive hand. "Alright, this has gone on long enough… Hand over the Infinity Stones," he demanded, his tone brooking no argument.
The revelation caught Peter off guard. He frowned, realizing that his storage necklace, which should be completely masking the power of the Infinity Stones, might not be as effective against beings like Galactus. With a resigned sigh, he reached into the necklace and pulled out six rings, each adorned with a glowing Infinity Stone.
"You mean these?" Peter questioned, slipping each of them onto his fingers, one by one as Galactus watched.
Galactus nodded, a hungry gleam in his eyes. "Yes, now hand them over, and I may consider forgiveness for the death of my Herald..."
Peter hesitated, contemplating Galactus's motives. "Why do you want the Stones? Aren't you already powerful enough?"
Galactus, unwilling to engage in Peter’s games any longer, attempted to use telekinesis to snatch the rings from Peter's fingers. However, with a swift motion, Peter coated his hand in cosmic energy and swatted away Galactus's telekinetic grasp. The clash of their powers sent a shockwave across the Martian landscape, creating a gust of wind that swept across the fractured surface.
Peter shot a disapproving look at Galactus. "Not very nice, trying to steal from me. Didn’t your parents teach you anything?"
Galactus, undeterred, fixed his gaze on Peter. "I do not have parents. Now, hand over the infinity stones willingly, or I shall take them by force."
Peter, a smirk playing on his lips, twirled the rings on his fingers. "I think I'll keep them for now. But hey, how about we make a deal?"
Galactus raised a curious brow, “What kind of deal?” He asked.
"We’ll get into that in a moment. First, tell me why you want the infinity stones so badly?" Peter asked, genuinely curious about Galactus's relentless pursuit.
Galactus, normally reserved about his inner struggles, sighed deeply. "I tire of this unending hunger that gnaws at my very essence. While I’ve long come to terms with my status as a universal force of destruction, the constant hunger, which gnaws at my very being, has grown wearisome. The stones, I believe, hold the key to a permanent solution. A way to satiate the emptiness within me."
“I see…” Nodding thoughtfully, deciding then and there what he would do. “You know, I was actually planning to killing you, but now I’ve changed my mind…”
Originally, Peter was dead set on killing Galactus, as he knew how much of a threat he could be. But after some thought, he decided against it. Rather than killing him, Peter planned to use him instead…
After all, Peter gained a lot of unknown enemies after meeting Death, so having someone to protect his family while he’s away is imperative. ‘Maybe I should call in my favors with Dormammu as well?’
Peter proposed a deal. "Let's settle this with a fight, away from populated areas of course… I’d rather not destroy any galaxy’s, after all.”
Galactus, amused by the audacity of the offer, couldn't help but chuckle. "You would willingly challenge me? Not many beings would be so bold."
Peter shrugged as if it weren’t that big of a deal, “Yup, and I won't even use the Infinity Stones, which should give you a fair chance. It's also a good opportunity for me to test my new powers."
Galactus, surprised by Peter's willingness to limit himself, questioned, "Are you sure? With the stones, you'd actually have a fighting chance at victory.” He stated, not seeing Peter as a threat whatsoever.
Peter, ignoring the fact that he was being looked down upon, continued, "And to make it interesting, the loser will owe the winner three promises, bound by an unbreakable contract."
Galactus, not one to back down from a challenge, agreed, "Very well. I agree to your terms."
Knowing the potential for betrayal, Peter conjured a magical contract, drawing upon the knowledge he gained during his time in the Harry Potter universe. With a mere thought, he inscribed the terms of their deal onto the parchment before signing it himself, the runes on the pen activating, using Peter’s blood in order to sign the contract, instead of ink.
Of course, he made sure to hide some sneaky, microscopic fine print in there, just in case he were to lose, which was something he learned from the books he stole from the Goblins.
Though with the power that he has now, Peter felt that it would be hard for him to lose. Though that could just be his ego talking.
Levitating the contract and pen over to Galactus, Peter declared, "To seal the deal, sign this contract. It binds us both to the terms agreed upon."
Galactus, intrigued by the magical formality, took the pen and signed the contract after giving it a quick once over, his bloody signature appearing next to Peter’s.
Seeing that Galactus didn’t notice his fine print, Peter couldn’t stop himself from smirked. ‘Technically, I’ve already won… Who knew it would be this easy?’ He really had to thank the Goblins for their conniving and ingenious ways.
Stashing the contract away, Peter waved his hand and conjured a golden portal before stepping inside, “Come on, let’s find a safe place to let loose…”
————
While Peter was tricking Galactus into signing malicious contracts, the Spider-Society buzzed with activity. Peter B. Parker, commonly known as Ben, having just arrived via the universe-hopping watch, prowled the spider-filled realm.
His pudgy stomach stretched the limits of his spider suit as he tried to sneak around, thinking himself clever. However, in a society brimming with spider-people, stealth wasn't as easy as he assumed.
As Ben exited an under ground tunnel and arrived in a dark, empty space, he suddenly felt his spider senses tingling like crazy. Dashing to the side, he very nearly dodged a barrage of web-like nets, which descended down upon him.
“Oh, sh*t…” He cursed, finding himself surrounded by roughly 15 different spider individuals, the white eyes of their masks shining through the dark room. Some perched above, others emerging from the dark corners of the room, forming a formidable blockade.
In the midst of the Spider-People's convergence, a holographic figure materialized, it was LYLA. “Oh! You found him! Good work everyone. I’ll prepare the prison for a new arrival, so try not to hurt our newest inmate too badly, okay?” She said before quickly vanishing, causing the room to darken once again.
Regret washed over Ben, wishing he had heeded the warnings from Miles and Tobey about venturing into the Spider-Society alone. “Hey, uhh, we can talk about this, right…?”
A/N: 1951 words :) Early chapter?!