MARVEL & MULTIVERSE again

"Where the hell is he?" one of the thugs hissed, sweeping his gaze over the dark alley.

"Boss, he's not here," another muttered, gripping his gun like it was a security blanket.

"That's impossible," the boss snapped, his voice low but sharp. His eyes darted from shadow to shadow. "We all saw him."

And they had. Just a minute ago, dude was standing right there. Now? Poof. Gone.

"Search the area! He couldn't have gotten far!"

Silence. Then...

"Did you hear that?"

"Nothing."

"Me neither."

The boss clenched his fists. "Doesn't matter. We finish this tonight. No second chances."

"Yeah... or else..."

"Shut up and move! Find him. Kill him."

The group scattered, boots slamming against the wet pavement. Rain dripped from rusted fire escapes. The alley smelled like damp concrete and bad decisions.

One of the thugs hesitated, his gut twisting. He turned, scanning behind him.

A whisper of movement.

"Who's there?"

Silence.

His fingers twitched on the trigger.

The air felt off. Heavy. Thick.

His breath hitched.

"What are you waiting for?" the boss barked.

The thug flinched. "Nothing, boss," he muttered. Stepped forward.

Then...

The air rippled.

Like heat off asphalt. Like reality itself just had a glitch.

Not a mirage.

Two figures stepped out of the distortion.

One wore a mask with curved horns. The other, a hood pulled low over his face.

The masked one spoke first, voice calm, steady. "Are you a mutant?"

The hooded guy tilted his head. "Does it matter?"

A pause.

Then...

"No," Horns answered.

The hooded one, Stephen, glanced down, noting the dark stain spreading across the other man's leg.

"Did not expect the Devil of Hell's Kitchen to be the one bleeding tonight."

Matt ignored that. "How old are you?"

Instead of answering, Stephen smirked. "Why? You looking to recruit?"

Though he didn't show it, seeing one of his favourite Marvel superheroes alive in front of him was thrilling.

Matt's head tilted slightly. "You haven't killed anyone yet."

Not a question. A statement.

"You didn't start this for revenge."

"You're young. Eighteen?"

Stephen blinked. Okay, that was kinda freaky. "Damn, do I have my age written on my forehead or something?"

Matt just stood there, silent.

"So?" Stephen shrugged. "What, you gonna lecture me now?"

Matt exhaled. "Don't treat this like a game. Study. Learn. Do something to help people."

Stephen laughed. "Pffft. Classic Daredevil."

"Hilarious, really. But hey, don't worry. I'm taking this way more seriously than you." His voice dropped slightly. "You do this because you think justice doesn't exist in the system. I do this because I want to survive."

Matt went quiet. Because, well... that was the truth.

He could hear it. The steady heartbeat. No lie.

After a moment, "Survive from who?"

Stephen grinned. "Everything."

Another beat of silence. Then, he nodded toward Matt's wound. "You should bounce before that gets worse."

No room for argument.

Matt knew when to pick his battles. And right now? He was not winning this one.

And there was no need to unless the other side was a criminal from his point of view.

So, with a slight tilt of his head, he disappeared into the shadows.

Stephen exhaled.

Welp. That happened.

Lying on the couch, staring at the ceiling, Stephen let it all sink in.

Tonight was wild.

Running into Daredevil? Yeah, that wasn't in the plan.

Talking circles around him? Definitely not in the plan.

Realising he could probably kill Daredevil if he really tried?

...Interesting.

Stephen smirked, arms behind his head. "Huh. That's kinda insane when you think about it."

Didn't even need to throw a punch. Just watching was enough. The way Matt moved, the way he reacted. His enhanced senses made his reflexes crazy sharp, but at the end of the day? He was still just a guy.

A dude in a devil suit.

Punching criminals.

In the middle of a wet alley.

Yeah, okay. That was kinda badass.

Still, The Hand would be lurking too. Can't have Daredevil without those ninja cult psychos crawling out of the shadows.

Stephen muttered, rubbing his chin. "And if The Hand's around... then Elektra's probably in the picture too."

Then there's Kingpin.

Big guy. Big money. Big problem.

Stephen exhaled, staring at the ceiling. "Guess I should start keeping tabs on Spidey's usual rogues' gallery too..."

Because let's be real. Peace? That wasn't gonna last. Not in a world like this.

And speaking of Spidey...

Peter was changing.

Stephen saw the signs. Good eyesight getting sharper. Reaction time improving. Zoning out mid-class. Doodling weird stuff in his notebook.

Yeah. Won't be long now.

The world was about to meet Spider-Man.

And who knows? Maybe tomorrow brings a lizard apocalypse.

Dr. Connors finally deciding, "Screw it, let's evolve humanity."

Stephen sat up. "Shit, I need to check on him fast."

Yeah, no. That sounded like a tomorrow problem.

Right now? He needed to lie down and get some damn sleep.

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