Peter's "Little Secret"

Queens in September was like a glass of iced lemonade—cool in the mornings and evenings, yet still carrying the late summer heat at noon. Lin Mo crouched at the entrance of the auto repair shop, changing the oil. Sunlight pinned his shadow to the ground like a dark patch. Shield was dozing atop the toolbox beside him, but its ears remained alert, perking up at the distant jingle of an ice cream truck.

"Woof!" The puppy suddenly jumped off the toolbox and wagged its tail at the street corner. Lin Mo looked up to see Peter hurrying over with a backpack slung over his shoulders. The zipper of his school jacket had been pulled all the way up, burying even his chin in the collar, and a few bits of grass clung to his temple.

"Brother Lin Mo." The teenager's voice was muffled, as if something were stuck in his throat. "Could... could I borrow a wrench? A pipe at Aunt May's house is leaking, and I want to fix it."

Lin Mo straightened up, his gaze sweeping over Peter's wrist. Peter had deliberately tugged down his school uniform sleeve, but the edge of a white bandage still showed. Its edges were faintly red, as if blood had seeped through. "What kind of wrench?" He turned and headed into the garage, pretending not to notice.

"The... the kind you used to fix my bike last time. The magnetic one." Peter followed behind him, walking a little unsteadily. His leg was probably injured too. His backpack was unusually bulging, and faint metallic clinks sounded from within as he walked. It did not sound like it was full of textbooks.

Lin Mo took a magnetic wrench from the toolbox. As he handed it over, he deliberately brushed Peter's arm. The teenager jerked his hand back as if burned, his face instantly going pale. More of the bandage slipped out from beneath his sleeve, marked with dark red stains.

"Th-thanks." Peter hurriedly took the wrench, hid his backpack behind his back, and turned to leave.

"Wait." Lin Mo took a box of iodine and a pack of fresh bandages from the first-aid kit and stuffed them into Peter's hands. "Don't get the wound wet. If it gets infected, you'll need shots."

Peter's shoulders stiffened. He did not turn around, only nodded before nearly running out of the garage. Lin Mo watched his back disappear around the alley corner. The teenager was moving much faster than usual. He almost collided with a trash can as he turned, but abruptly twisted aside as if he had sensed it coming. His movements were far too agile for a high school student.

"That kid." Lin Mo shook his head and bent down to continue changing the oil. He had noticed something was off long ago. Ever since Peter had said he caught that "spider that could jump two meters high" in the woods last week, the boy had become mysteriously secretive. He left at five every morning, claiming he was going for a run, and always came back covered in mud. After school, he did not go straight home, claiming he was helping neighbors feed their cats, yet people had seen him running across rooftops. And now, in the middle of summer heat, he wore long sleeves and changed bandages more often than he changed socks.

Ted entered carrying an enormous magic prop box, nearly tripping over the threshold. "Mo, look at my new Vanishing Cabinet! It can make people disappear and then bring them back!" He opened the box, revealing a mirror and several reflective panels inside. "I saw Peter just now. Why was that kid running? Like a dog was chasing him."

"Maybe he was afraid of being late." Lin Mo poured the used oil into the recycling barrel. "Aunt May said he's been helping the neighbors a lot lately. Pretty hardworking."

"Helping the neighbors?" Ted curled his lip. "Yesterday, I saw him retrieving a kite from a tree in the community park. It was over three meters high, and he scrambled right up it—faster than a monkey! He lost his footing when he came down and fell onto the grass. I called out to him, but he ran off like he'd done something guilty."

Lin Mo said nothing, but he knew perfectly well—it had not been a fall. Peter had most likely jumped down from somewhere even higher. His spider abilities had probably awakened.

That afternoon, after finishing the repairs, Lin Mo headed toward Aunt May's house to see how Peter's pipe repair was going. He had just turned the corner when he saw several high school students blocking the alley entrance. The leader was Tommy, the neighborhood's infamous bully, who was snatching a comic book from a younger student.

"Give it back! That's a limited edition!" The small boy was so anxious he was nearly crying.

"You want it?" Tommy held the comic book high overhead. "Get on your knees and beg me, and I'll give it back."

Lin Mo frowned and was about to step forward when he saw a red-and-blue figure leap down from a rooftop, moving as fast as lightning. Looking closer, it was Peter! Somehow, he had gotten hold of a red-and-blue tracksuit and wrapped it tightly around his head, leaving only his eyes exposed. He held a homemade slingshot and fired a stone with a whoosh, striking Tommy squarely on the wrist.

"Who?!" Tommy cried out in pain, dropping the comic book.

"Don't bully people!" Peter's voice sounded different. He was probably pinching his nose while speaking, making it sound strange. He rushed forward and kicked Tommy in the leg, fast and precise, nearly knocking down the bully who stood half a head taller than him.

The other high schoolers froze for a moment, then surrounded him, ready to fight. But Peter darted among them like an eel, moving so quickly it was dizzying. Every now and then, he stuck out a leg to trip someone, always sending them sprawling flat on their backs. In less than half a minute, all three high school students were lying on the ground groaning. Tommy clutched his stomach and glared viciously at Peter. "Just you wait! I know who you are!"

Peter ignored him. He picked up the comic book and handed it to the smaller boy, then ran toward the rooftop. Using both hands and feet, he actually climbed up like a spider, disappearing from sight in just a few motions.

Lin Mo hid behind a trash can, staring in stunned silence. The kid had not only grown stronger; his speed and agility had improved tremendously, and even his balance was astonishing. He had run along the edge of the roof just now without wavering in the slightest. Lin Mo touched the iodine in his pocket and suddenly felt that one box might not be enough.

That night, Aunt May invited them to dinner. Peter was late again, claiming he had helped Mr. Wilson next door repair his fence. The teenager's hair was damp, as if he had just showered. He had changed into a clean school uniform, but bruises were still visible on his neck.

"Eat up. The food's getting cold." Aunt May put a piece of pork rib into Peter's bowl, her eyes filled with concern. "Why has this child been getting hurt so often lately? His knee was bruised yesterday, and now his neck looks like that. Did you get into a fight at school?"

"No, Aunt May." Peter hurriedly shook his head, shoveling rice into his mouth. "I just... just fell by accident. I lost my footing while fixing the fence." His gaze darted away, and he did not dare look at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo pretended to be fully focused on gnawing corn, but his ears were listening to Peter's every movement. The teenager did not dare exert much force with his left hand while eating. The wound on his arm probably still hurt. His chopsticks nearly slipped several times when he reached for food, yet he always steadied them at the last moment, as if something were helping him.

After dinner, Peter volunteered to wash the dishes and lingered in the kitchen for a long time. When Lin Mo went in to pour himself some water, he saw Peter rinsing the wound on his arm beneath the faucet. The bandage had soaked loose, revealing a long, thin scratch underneath, as though it had been cut by wire.

"Did you put iodine on it?" Lin Mo asked, leaning against the doorframe.

Peter jumped, dropping the towel in his hand. "I-I did." He hurriedly covered the wound with his sleeve, his cheeks flushing bright red.

The kitchen window was open. The evening breeze carried the scent of plane tree leaves inside, stirring the loose hair over Peter's forehead. The teenager lowered his head, tapping his fingers lightly against the edge of the sink as if making a decision. After a long while, he suddenly looked up, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. "Uncle Lin, are you... kind of different too?"

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. He looked into Peter's clear eyes behind his lenses. There was curiosity, nervousness, and a trace of anticipation in them, as though he were waiting for the answer to a secret. Peter's fingers unconsciously rubbed the edge of the sink, and there was still a little wall dust beneath his nails—probably from climbing walls.

"Why do you ask?" Lin Mo did not answer directly. He picked up the kettle and poured water into a cup, steam obscuring his expression.

"Because..." Peter bit his lip. "I saw you before... when you helped deliver medicine to Grandma Gretchen, you crossed the street while the light was red, but you got to the other side in an instant. You were faster than cars. And Ted said you could walk through walls, while Mrs. Martha said the leaves outside your door could disappear out of thin air..." The more he spoke, the louder his voice became, excitement sparkling in his eyes. "Do you also have... some kind of special ability?"

Seeing how excited he was, Lin Mo suddenly remembered the fear he had felt when he first gained his own abilities. Back then, he had been just like Peter—both excited and afraid, not knowing whom he could tell. He could only practice in secret, terrified that others would see him as a monster.

He handed the cup to Peter, his fingertips touching the teenager's trembling hand. "Go on. Don't keep Aunt May waiting."

Peter froze for a moment and took the cup. A flicker of disappointment crossed his eyes, but they soon brightened again, as if he understood something. "Okay!" He nodded vigorously, grabbed his backpack, and ran out. At the doorway, he stopped and looked back at Lin Mo with a smile. There was relief in that smile, along with the tacit understanding of I get it.

Lin Mo leaned against the kitchen door, listening to Peter run downstairs. His steps sounded much lighter than before. He knew the stone in the kid's heart had probably been lifted—at least, he was no longer the only "different" person.

When Lin Mo returned to the auto repair shop, Ted was still fiddling with his Vanishing Cabinet, muttering, "Tilt the mirror on the left another three degrees..." When he saw Lin Mo enter, he looked up with a mysterious expression. "Mo, I need to tell you something. Don't tell anyone else."

"What is it?" Lin Mo asked as he wiped his hands.

"I saw Spider-Man just now!" Ted lowered his voice, his eyes wide and round. "At the community park! He was wearing red and blue, could run on walls, and even taught Tommy's group a lesson! He was so cool!" He gestured wildly. "But... that figure looked kind of familiar. He seemed about the same height as Peter."

Lin Mo smiled. "You saw wrong. There's no such thing as Spider-Man."

"It's real!" Ted said anxiously. "I even took a picture!" He pulled out his phone. On the screen was a blurry photo of a red-and-blue figure running across a rooftop, indeed about the same height as Peter.

"Maybe it was some cosplayer." Lin Mo patted Ted on the shoulder. "Stop overthinking it. We still have to help Mrs. Martha fix her hedge tomorrow."

Ted muttered, "He wasn't a cosplayer," but he did not argue further and went back to tinkering with his magic props. Lin Mo walked to the doorway and looked at the moon overhead, suddenly feeling at peace. He knew Peter's secret, and Peter had probably guessed his. That unspoken understanding was like a thin sugar coating, wrapping the private thoughts of two "different" people in this ordinary world.

Shield crawled out of its bed and rubbed against his pant leg. Lin Mo bent down and picked up the puppy, stroking its fluffy head. "What do you think? Should we make him a better mask?"

Shield tilted its head and licked his chin, as though saying yes.

The night wind swept up several plane tree leaves, sending them spinning down in front of the auto repair shop. Lin Mo knew Peter's "little secret" would not stay hidden for long. One day, Queens would truly come to know Spider-Man. But for now, he was willing to stay by the kid's side and protect this secret, still carrying a hint of youthfulness and panic, just as he had once protected the version of himself who secretly practiced the Wall-Crossing Technique.

Tomorrow, he needed to buy several boxes of large bandages and stock up on disinfecting alcohol too. Judging by Peter's state, there would be plenty more injuries in the days ahead.