Soli Deo gloria

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Spider-Man Homecoming.

I saw SMH in theaters and now Tom Holland is my new favorite Spider-Man, y'know?

Peter's mind was somewhere else as he groggily walked into Mr. Delmar's little familiar bodega. Especially after it was resurrected and reopened, he frequented the place after long days at school longing for Liz and avoiding curious stares from Michelle. Er, 'MJ.' His mind wasn't where his body was, to his detriment. He yawned as he opened the door, sounding the little bell, into the little bodega. "Afternoon, Mr. Delmar," he said habitually, walking up to the counter. "The usual, please." He saw the sleeping cat and pet him between the ears. "Hey, buddy. Yeah, me too. Mondays, huh?"

He yawned again, and when he opened his eyes, he saw Mr. Delmar staring at him like he was some kind of ghost. The man's eyes were as wide as dinner plates. "Sp—Spider-Man! You're—you're Spider-Man!" The man pointed an accusatory finger at him that contrasted with the excited, amazed look on his face.

Peter's first instinct was to say, "No, no I'm not. I'm, like, totally not Spider-Man. Whoa, imagine being Spider-Man! Insane!" He was just a kid from Queens. He totally did not need Mr. Delmar causing a riot. He liked keeping Peter Parker, high school nerd, and the super-cool and idolized Spider-Man as two completely separate people.

"But you're wearing the Spider-Man suit!" Mr. Delmar said, waving his hands at him. By now, customers and members of his staff took immediate notice of Peter. They pointed fingers and murmured in amazement. Several people scrambled for their phones for a quick snapshot.

Suddenly, it all hit Peter. He'd gone into one of the various modes the suit had—one that had zero analytics, zero hints, zero Karen. Just himself. And all these sleepless nights of homework and sneaking out from behind Aunt May's back (he'd been grounded for like, the rest of his high school career once his aunt found out about his little secret superhero alter ego), he wasn't thinking, or remembering, or apparently even able to see. He looked down at his red-and-blue-gloved hands.

Idiot. He was an idiot. He'd walked into one of Peter Parker's normal haunts like he was Peter Parker, somehow completely forgetting the fact that he'd donned the suit to save some girl's dog from drowning in the pond in Central Park. For Pete's sake. Er, Peter's sake.

"Oh, yeah. Um," Peter fumbled. He was surrounded by patrons and fans, all eyes on him. He tried to act like he hadn't denied his identity; he said, "Oh, right, I am. Was just testing you. There are a lot of imitators on the streets nowadays. See me in the papers, want to be me. Yeah, it is, um, me. Spider-Man. Yeah, um, I just came for a sandwich. I'm starved, honest."

"Um, okay," Mr. Delmar stuttered. He recovered himself from star-struck fan to professional business owner and said, "What would you like?"

"The usual," Spider-Man said.

"The usual? You—you've never been to my shop before," Mr. Delmar said, a little confusion in his voice.

Crap. Really, Peter needed some sleep. He needed to get in and out of here and into bed as fast as he could zip back to his aunt's apartment. "Oh, yeah. See, I'm friends with Peter Parker. He told me about your shop and its awesome sandwiches. I wanted to come and try out one for myself. He said I just had to ask for 'The usual' and you'd know what sandwich to make."

"Ah, you know Peter Parker? What a small world. I know the sandwich he always gets. Nico, get it ready!" Mr. Delmar turned from his commanded employee and said, "It's a real honor for you to be here, in my shop!"

"Believe me, the honor's all mine," Peter said, even as he heard several phones' flashes go off as they took pictures. "Peter says it's the best place in Queens. Also, I, um—" Peter's eyes had slid out the window, looking for the fastest escape route, and he saw the newly repaired building with the ATMs. He remembered his fight with the Avenger-cosplaying robbers and the destruction they'd wreaked (on his side, accidentally) on this very bodega. He immediately felt awful for all the pain and wear and tear and expense on good ol' Mr. Delmar he'd wrought. He said, "I'm sorry about that battle I had that destroyed your shop. It was totally unintentional, but it was awful on you, and if there's anything I can do—"

Mr. Delmar waved a hand. "That is all in the past. Your apology is enough. You owe me nothing."

Peter breathed easier. Mr. Delmar held up his cellphone and said, "But, maybe a picture, for my daughter? She loves Spider-Man!"

Peter felt like he owed Mr. Delmar at least that and posed for the picture with him with the deli in the background with a peace sign and a smile under the mask. That done, he fumbled for his money from a secret pocket Tony'd installed in the suit and took up the grocery bag containing the wrapped-up sandwich. He turned to the crowd and managed to survive a couple of pictures with fans before he said, antsy to get away lest he slip into some Peter-like blunder, "Gotta bounce. New York to defend, sandwiches to eat, that sort of thing." He pointed at Mr. Delmar. "Always buy here at Delmar's. I thoroughly endorse its products and friendly service." The crowd cheered and pictures snapped as he got to the door and flew through the air to the secure protection of a five-story apartment roof. He blew out a low whistle as he pulled off his mask and stared down at the little bodega. He grinned but shook his head at himself. "That was a close one. I gotta stop doing that."

The next time Spider-Man, dressed in his mild-mannered civilian alter ego (that sounded so much cooler than 'dressed as himself') walked into Delmar's, Mr. Delmar was bursting with the story of Spider-Man, the Spider-Man, being in his shop. "And you're friends with him?" Mr. Delmar shook his head in wonder as Peter nodded. "I envy you. He's a true hero, Peter, and a nice guy besides. It is better to be a nice guy than a hero, Peter."

"Why's that?" Peter looked up from petting the cat with innocent eyes.

"Heroes get glory for their deeds, while nice guys don't."

Peter took that little tidbit of insight and kept it close as he paid Mr. Delmar, smiled at him, and walked out with his 'usual'.

Mr. Delmar sighed contentedly as he watched the boy exit his bodega. He adjusted the framed picture of him and Spider-Man on top of the deli glass, then frowned a little. Turning to Nico, he said, "Hey, it's funny. Peter Parker and Spider-Man have almost the same voice, huh?" Mr. Delmar looked back to see the boy disappear behind a corner. He shrugged, figured it a mere coincidence, and turned back to work, whistling that Spider-Man song he'd heard on the street and thinking no more of the striking parallels between a high school sophomore and a revered superhero.

This was just a short little scene. Not too much story, but something I could see happening after the movie.

Thanks for reading! Review?