Chapter 258: Signature & Autographs

[Third Person's PoV] 

A few minutes later, Billy came rushing down first, bursting through the door while clutching a comic book tightly to his chest. He was panting as he looked around—only to see Spider-Man and the Scarlet Spider casually leaning against a car, arms slightly crossed.

Billy's expression fell slightly as he asked in a low voice, "So... is he not here yet?"

Instead of answering, Spider-Man simply pointed upward before motioning with his thumb for Billy to look behind him.

Billy furrowed his brows in confusion before following Spider-Man's gesture, tilting his head up toward the buildings across from his home. His eyes landed on the rooftop—and then widened in awe.

"Woah… So cool," he muttered breathlessly.

Standing on the edge of the rooftop was Nightwing, one foot perched on the ledge as he looked down at them. His escrima sticks were visible, tucked behind his shoulders, while the morning wind played with his hair. He smirked before stepping back and launching into action.

With effortless agility, he flipped over the ledge and parkoured his way down through the fire escapes. He slid down poles, dove through ladders, and then leaped onto the roof of a parked car. Using it as a springboard, he propelled himself across the street in a graceful front flip, landing perfectly between Billy and Spider-Man.

He straightened up from his crouch and flashed Billy a charming grin. "So, Billy... I heard you were a fan~"

They all heard Billy let out a small, suppressed squeal. His breath shuddered as he stammered, "That. Was. The coolest. Thing. EVER!!"

His face turned bright red as he quickly held out his comic book, a sharpie clutched in his trembling hand. "C-Can… Y-You please sign this?!" he squeaked.

Nightwing chuckled, taking the comic—a Nightwing issue from DC. "Sure thing. Billy, right?"

Billy nodded eagerly. "Billy Connors… Nightwing… Sir. Big fan!" His grin stretched so wide it seemed to take up half his face.

Then, as Nightwing signed, Billy whispered in sheer disbelief, "He knows my name."

Turning to his mom, he suddenly grabbed her hands. "Mom! Nightwing knows my name! This is the greatest day of my life! It's not even my birthday or Christmas, and this is the greatest present ever! I got to meet Nightwing!! Thank you, Mom! You're the absolute best. I love you!"

Martha grew teary-eyed as she crouched down to hug Billy. "I love you too, honey~" she murmured warmly.

Before they separated, she glanced up at Nightwing and the others, silently mouthing the words "Thank you."

Nightwing, Spider-Man, and MJ all nodded in acknowledgment as Nightwing finished signing the comic. Handing it back with the capped sharpie, he smiled. "Here you go, little man."

Billy carefully took the comic and stared at the inscription:

'To my friend and supporter, Billy Connors – Nightwing'

At the bottom, Nightwing's signature logo was drawn and shaded in.

Billy clutched the comic to his chest before looking up at Nightwing hopefully. "Is… is it true that you're taking me to school?"

Nightwing smirked. "Yeah, but I'm not the only one coming along."

Right on cue, Spider-Kat and Ghost-Spider landed on top of the parked cars in front and behind Spider-Man and MJ.

Gwen landed upright, one hand on her hip, while Felicia plopped down onto the car's edge, casually swinging her feet. Despite their stylish entrances, neither left a dent.

Above Spider-Man and MJ, Firestar descended, glowing red-hot as flames gently flickered around her. "Hope you don't mind a little extra company?" she teased.

Billy clutched his chest dramatically. "And this day just keeps getting better and better!"

Gwen turned to Martha. "I hope you don't mind us tagging along? We wanted to support what Spider-Man was doing, so I hope we're not overstepping."

Martha smiled. "Not at all. I'm honored that all of you would take time out of your busy schedules to look out for my son."

Billy looked around at the heroes gathered in front of his home. Then, as if an idea had just struck him, he quickly stuffed his comic away and pulled off his backpack. Holding it out eagerly, he grinned.

"Can you all sign my backpack? I think it'd look really cool with all of your autographs on it! I always wanted to decorate it but never knew what to put on it."

The heroes glanced at Martha for confirmation. She sighed in exasperation before relenting—especially when Billy hit her with his best pleading puppy-dog eyes.

"Alright… but be quick about it. I don't want us to be late."

"Sure thing, Mama," Felicia smirked, snatching the marker first.

She signed Spider-Kat and doodled eight tiny spider legs onto the word Spider, adding cat ears and whiskers to Kat.

MJ followed, drawing eight little eyes around her signature. Gwen added a ghost tail as an underline, Firestar signed with a pentagram doodle, and Nightwing signed his name again, still with his logo shaded in.

Just as Nightwing was about to hand the sharpie to Spider-Man, Billy snatched it back and capped it triumphantly. "Thank you! I'll treasure this forever—it's officially an heirloom!!!"

He slung the backpack onto his shoulders and spun to show his mother. "How does it look?! Does it look cool?!"

The heroes turned toward Spider-Man, to give in a sympathetic and pitying gaze—only to find him lying on the ground in the classic Yamcha pose.

Nightwing was trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. "Wow, I heard it was bad, but for it to be this bad—Phttt." He covered his mouth, barely holding it in.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up… Let's just get going," Spider-Man sighed, shaking his head.

Martha smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry, but we really have to get going."

She led the way with Billy, who was happily marching ahead, while the six superheroes followed closely behind.

As they walked, Gwen leaned over and whispered, "Alright, I get that he might hate us for putting his father in prison, but why does he only dislike Spider-Man? Shouldn't he hate me too?"

"Maybe it's because you're a girl?" Felicia tilted her head in confusion.

Before anyone else could speculate further, Spider-Man raised his hands in surrender. "It might've been my fault..." he admitted hesitantly.

"What the hell did you do?" Lizzy asked, surprised.

"When I turned the Lizard in, I kinda… left a sticky note on his forehead blaming him for all his crimes. And I, uh, signed my name on it," Spider-Man cringed. "Billy probably saw it before anyone else, and, well... that's where his dislike for me started."

Gwen shook her head. "Wow… A single sticky note led to all this. That's impressive in the worst way possible."

Meanwhile, Nightwing was keeping Billy distracted so he wouldn't overhear their conversation. "So, Billy, what grade are you in? Your backpack was pretty heavy when I signed it—you must have a lot of textbooks in there."

Billy nodded. "I'm in fourth grade right now. It's heavy because I have to return all my textbooks since the school year's almost over."

"Oh? That means you passed the year and only have one more before middle school. Congrats!" Nightwing said, offering a high five.

Billy, a little embarrassed, returned the gesture with slightly red cheeks. "Thanks," he mumbled.

As they continued, they started passing other kids on their way to school. Parents and children alike slowed down, staring in shock as Spider-Man and the others casually escorted Billy to school.

At some point, Nightwing scooped Billy up and placed him on his shoulders, despite Billy's embarrassed protests. The scene only drew more attention. People stopped in their tracks, slack-jawed. Even the adults couldn't believe what they were seeing. Some stopped to ask for pictures, but the heroes politely declined, stating they were on official business.

When they neared the school, MJ slowed her pace, moving up to walk beside Martha.

"Would you mind if I spoke to your son one-on-one?" MJ asked quietly.

Martha gave her a curious and slightly suspicious look. "May I ask why?"

"I want to clear up his negative views about Spider-Man," MJ explained. "Believe it or not, your husband and Spider-Man are actually on very good terms. I'd hate for your son to hold onto resentment when he really doesn't need to."

Martha smiled. "I believe you. I had a feeling that was the case—otherwise, all of you wouldn't be here helping my son. Alright, you can try. But just so you know, Billy can be pretty stubborn sometimes."

MJ grinned, ready for the challenge. "Leave it to me!"

As they reached the school entrance, where staff members were ushering students inside, Nightwing set Billy down.. 

"Psst, Billy!" MJ called softly from near the entrance wall.

Billy looked at her warily, suspicion evident in his eyes. But with his mother nearby, he knew he was safe, so he hesitantly walked over.

Leaning against the wall, Billy watched as MJ positioned herself in front of him, subtly blocking the view of others. She crouched to his eye level.

"I wanted to show you something… a conversation between your father and Spider-Man. It happened just yesterday."

Billy's eyes widened in surprise before his expression twisted into anger. His fists clenched tightly.

"What?" he spat. "Is Spider-Man still bothering my dad? Even after everything he's already done?! What kind of superhero does that?" His voice wavered on the verge of tears.

MJ reached out gently, her voice calm and steady. "You're misunderstanding something, Billy. Believe it or not, your dad is actually grateful to Spider-Man. He considers him the ideal hero—the kind every superhero should strive to be."

Billy hesitated, confusion flickering across his face.

MJ opened her palm, revealing a soft pink glow—a delicate silk thread that connected her to his mind.

"Here, let me show you…" she said in a soothing, almost mysterious tone.

Carefully, knowing how fragile a child's mind could be, she wove the memory into his thoughts. Images flooded Billy's mind—his father, Dr. Curt Connors, crying, burdened with guilt. Spider-Man standing before him, not as an enemy, but as a friend, offering reassurance and understanding.

Billy's pupils dilated, his irises glowing faintly pink as the vision played out. Tears trickled down his cheeks as he watched his father's heartfelt gratitude and Spider-Man's unwavering support.

The moment the memory faded, Billy let out a quiet sob. He tried to wipe his face, to stop the tears, but they kept falling. He choked back another sob, whispering softly, "Dad…"

MJ's voice was gentle. "Even if you still dislike Spider-Man, I understand. But please, don't hate him. He doesn't deserve it. Even when the world turns its back on someone who deserves a second chance… there will always be Spider-Man. He's the hero who never turns away from those who need him. Your dad—he was happy to be saved by him."

Billy sniffled, his small hands wiping at his face. "I'm… sorry." His voice was barely above a whisper.

MJ smiled. "It's not me you should apologize to, is it?"

Billy hesitated, then nodded. Taking a deep breath, he wiped his tears once more and walked past MJ.

Martha, watching with concern, called out. "Billy?" But to her surprise, he ignored her, his focus set on one person.

Spider-Man.

Spider-Man tilted his head slightly, puzzled. 'What the hell did MJ do?'

Billy stood before him, eyes shifting downward. The memories of his father and Spider-Man replayed in his mind, making it difficult to find the right words. He opened his mouth, closed it, then bit his lip.

Finally, he let out a small sigh, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a sharpie. Slowly, he slipped off his backpack, which was covered in signatures.

Lowering his head, his voice came out soft, timid, and full of emotion.

"Can… Can I please have your autograph too, Spider-Man?"

The group fell silent, taken aback. Even Martha stared at her son in surprise.

Spider-Man blinked. Then, with a warm smile, he crouched down and took the sharpie.

"Sure thing. Anytime."

He uncapped it and carefully signed the backpack. In the middle of the open space, Spider-Man's signature stood out, with the "S" and "D" shaped like his iconic lenses.

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