Aunt May was a single woman working at a welfare-oriented support organization, so her salary wasn't exactly high.
Their lives weren't miserable, but they weren't exactly comfortable either—just enough to get by.
Otherwise, Peter wouldn't have been digging through garbage to build his own computer.
If he had the ability, of course he wanted to give Aunt May a better life.
In the past, he never really thought about these things.
But after his experience as the Shadow Spider-Man, he had grown up—fast.
And the first step to growing up… is caring about the people around you.
---
"That's fine, get yourself ready first," Tony said, standing up. "I've got a few other things to take care of. My assistant will pick you up this afternoon. His name's Happy."
"Got it," Peter nodded and stood up too.
Before he left, he wanted to prep a few more batches of web fluid.
After Tony left, Peter had to deal with a barrage of questions from Aunt May.
To ease her concern, he told her about getting support from the September Foundation.
That, at least, was good news for their household.
Aunt May was thrilled. She said they should go out for a fancy dinner to celebrate.
But Peter explained that Tony had already made arrangements: someone would be picking him up in the afternoon to get him set up and make sure he qualified for the September Foundation's support.
That was the official excuse Tony and Peter had agreed on for this "trip."
Though disappointed, Aunt May understood—it was important business.
So she took Peter aside and gave him a long speech filled with advice on dealing with people and how to behave around strangers.
Peter's head was spinning by the end of it, but he forced himself to listen patiently.
At one point, he wondered—did the Shadow Spider-Man get this kind of nagging from his version of Aunt May too?
Probably. This must be what "grown-up advice" sounds like.
Well-meaning… but exhausting.
After more than half an hour, Peter finally dropped enough hints that he needed to get ready, and Aunt May let him off the hook.
She packed a change of clothes and a few things for the trip, then headed off to work.
---
Back in his room, Peter jumped up, clung to the ceiling, and opened a hidden panel. From inside, he pulled out several small bundles of web fluid.
These were his homemade web capsules.
The formula for the webbing came naturally to him after he was bitten by the spider—kind of like how spiders instinctively know how to spin webs.
"One, two, three, four… eight capsules left. Should be enough." Peter counted them and shoved them all into his pocket.
This was a "mission," after all. Gotta bring enough ammo.
Then he turned to his real pride and joy—the web-shooter.
Compared to the spider silk formula—which was just an extension of his powers—the web-shooter was entirely his own invention.
He wasn't a real spider. His body didn't have web-slinging organs.
So he had to get creative.
He taught himself biology, materials science, and mechanical engineering.
Biology and materials science helped him understand the structure of real spider silk and how to replicate it.
Spider silk was crazy complex.
It had three structural layers:
1. The first layer was formed by hydrogen bonds linking amino acids into β-chain strands.
2. These β-chains connected into β-sheet nanocrystals, forming the second layer.
3. The nanocrystals were then embedded into semi-amorphous β-turn polypeptides, twisting into α-helices, which made up the third and final protein nanocomposite layer—the full spider silk.
Peter had a brilliant idea.
He'd prep the silk up to the third layer, then use a subatomic compressor to shrink it down to a molecular liquid form.
This way, hundreds of meters of webbing could be compressed into a drop-sized capsule.
The web-shooter was basically a mini subatomic compressor—stripped of all nonessential functions to stay portable. All it retained was pressure output.
That pressure was key.
Without it, the web fluid wouldn't stop spraying once it started.
And that meant materials mattered too.
Most Earth-made components either couldn't handle the pressure—or were too expensive and fragile.
Eventually, Peter snuck into the old Avengers battle site in downtown New York, where they fought aliens years ago. There, he scavenged enough exotic metal to build what he needed.
After a lot of melting and reforging, he finally built the device he wanted.
Still, Peter couldn't help feeling a little jealous of the Shadow Spider-Man.
That guy didn't need any gear—he just shot webs directly from his wrists.
Peter wondered if, in the future, when he bonded with other Spider-Men, he might gain that ability too.
But for now, he had a plan.
---
Inspired by the Shadow Spider-Man, Peter wanted to upgrade his web-shooter.
The Shadow Spider's webs could shift forms at will—threads, bullets, nets, even whips—adapted for any scenario.
Peter wasn't aiming that high just yet.
But he did want to add two new modes: Web Bullets and Web Nets.
Up until now, his webs were mostly used for swinging around and occasionally restraining someone.
But "Web Bullets" would let him release a burst of fluid all at once, fired with high pressure like a bullet.
It wouldn't be lethal—thanks to the silk's texture and how quickly it solidified on contact with air—but it could definitely stun or knock someone down.
Perfect for non-lethal takedowns.
The "Web Net" would upgrade his restraining function—spraying the fluid in a wide net pattern to trap and immobilize enemies instantly.
To make it happen, Peter had been researching like crazy—studying how bullets and fishing nets worked, how they moved, how they deployed.
All while mentally replaying what it felt like to be inside the Shadow Spider-Man's body.
By 2 PM, he finally finished the upgrades.
And after a few quick tests… everything worked exactly as he'd hoped.
---
A message pinged on his phone.
> "Hey Peter, it's Happy. Tony probably mentioned me. I'm downstairs."
Peter grabbed his newly-tuned web-shooter, double-checked his gear, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and headed out.
He knew exactly who he was about to meet—
Captain America.
—End of chapter—
Author's Note:
Enjoying the story and want to read ahead?
Join my Patreon.com/TenaciousHare and unlock 15-20+ chapters in advance, plus faster updates!
Also check out my Webnovel Account Tenacious_Hare (4502713104)
Your support keeps this story alive I truly appreciate it!
Thank you, everyone! 🗿👍
~ Tenacious Hare 🥕❤️