Peter's smile froze on his face, and he slowly leaned back in his chair.
"Why? Aunt May. I'm a registered trainee hero now. I have an obligation..."
"Your obligation is your final exams next month, Peter." May's tone brooked no argument. "You're not even sixteen yet. It's fine for you to help old ladies in Queens find their lost cats, or string up punks stealing wallets on streetlights with your webs. I'm proud of you."
"But that's a cosmic arena. The opponents are monsters that can destroy civilizations at a whim. That isn't your battlefield."
"But I have powers!" Peter grew agitated, pressing both hands against the table. "With great power comes great responsibility. If everyone backs down, who's going to face those crises?"
May looked at her agitated nephew. A trace of heartache flashed through her eyes, but there was even more resolve.
"That's an adult's job, Peter. Homelander will handle it. Mr. Stark will handle it. You're still just a child. I let you join the academy so you could learn to control your powers, not so you could go die in outer space. This isn't up for discussion. I'll submit a withdrawal application to Vought Headquarters."
"You don't understand at all!" Peter stood up and shouted. "This is my best chance to fight alongside Homelander! I will never back down!"
Peter looked at May's utterly uncompromising face, then turned and strode toward his bedroom.
"Peter!"
Bang!
The bedroom door slammed shut.
Five minutes later, the bedroom window was silently raised.
A red-and-blue figure leaped out through the window, trailing a white web through the air before vanishing into Manhattan's night.
The wind howled past his ears, but it could not extinguish the fire of frustration in Peter's heart.
He yanked hard on his web, swinging in extreme