Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 105: Real Men Are Never Afraid of Pain

Alvin rolled up to the restaurant and saw it was shut down for the day, with a "Closed Today" sign hanging on the door.

"Great, just great. Gonna have to give Jessica a piece of my mind when I get back. Made a little cash and now she's slacking off."

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to find the place buzzing. A bunch of folks were crowded around a makeshift operating table made from two dining tables, watching the hot nurse Donna work on a hurting Peter.

Jack was all decked out in a white chef's uniform, wearing a disposable mask, trying to play nurse. But he was a mess, spilling disinfectant alcohol all over Peter's wounds.

Jenny and Nick, the two little rascals, were standing on the bar, cheering Peter on.

Nick, feeling bad for Peter, clenched his fists and yelled, "Hang in there! A real man doesn't need anesthesia!"

Jenny was on the bar, waving her hands like Spider-Man, making web-shooting sounds with her mouth.

Alvin walked over, feeling a headache coming on, picked up the little girl, and tickled her a bit. She laughed and grabbed his nose, giving him a kiss on the cheek as a plea for mercy.

"Alright, that's enough. It's okay for the girl to be a bit mischievous when she's young." He shot a look at Nick, kissed Jenny on the cheek, and then turned to Elbert, smiling, "What's going on here? My restaurant turned into a hospital or what?"

Elbert grinned and said, "The nearby hospital's swamped today. Ethan went out to help, so we got Donna Temple to come over and assist.

Honestly, I don't think there's any need to be so tense. I could handle this minor injury myself."

Over at the "operating table," Steve, who was holding down Peter's hands, said a bit annoyed, "Dude, this is still a kid. You can't treat him like a soldier!

He's about to pass out from the pain!"

Alvin looked at Peter's pain-stricken face and asked with a smile, "What happened? He doesn't look so hot!"

Elbert shrugged and said casually, "I accidentally broke the anesthesia, but I think a brave young man like him doesn't need anesthesia, right?"

Alvin got it right away. Elbert was teaching Peter a lesson, probably pissed at Peter's reckless behavior. But whatever, Elbert was the Director of Discipline, and disciplining a student was no biggie.

Donna Temple, who was focused on stitching Peter's wound, turned around and glared at Elbert, saying, "Peter's a good kid. Look at how many people he saved today!

Elbert, you're just a jerk!"

Donna then slapped the operating table and yelled at Jack, "If you spill alcohol on him again, I'll shove the bottle down your throat!"

Jack helplessly took a step back, winking at Elbert and said, "I think this little pain is nothing. This kid is a tough guy, right?"

Elbert grinned and nodded, saying, "That's right, but a real man needs to understand what he should and shouldn't do.

Today, he needs to remember that when everyone on the street has evacuated, he should have run instead of fighting that monster.

Ben only has one nephew!"

Alvin looked sympathetically at Peter. Everyone knew Elbert and Ben were tight, and he was teaching Ben's nephew a lesson. But this shock education was too painful; Alvin felt the pain just watching!

Alvin laughed heartily, walked over, and patted Peter on the leg. Seeing Peter gritting his teeth in pain, he said with a smile, "Kid, you wanna be a hero? Did you ask your uncle and me, the principal, first?"

"I told you I'd keep you busy this summer, so busy you'd forget about today. I keep my word, kid, you're doomed!"

Peter looked at Alvin with a mix of despair and resignation. He wanted to say he was just trying to save Gwen today, not play the hero, but he didn't dare. He figured if he said it, things might get even worse for him!

Jenny grabbed her dad's nose and pointed to the TV on the ceiling, which was showing footage of Peter saving people. The little girl excitedly mimicked Peter's web-slinging gesture, thinking it was super cool!

Seeing Peter in his school uniform worn backward and wearing a wrestler's mask on TV made Alvin furious! This seriously messed with the image of Lincoln Valley School. If people found out, how would they recruit students in the future?

The TV then showed footage of Alvin fighting the Abomination. Even through the screen, you could feel the intense impact. The little girl saw the scene where her dad was sent flying and wrinkled her nose, making "woo woo" sounds, waving her hands as if to help her dad!

Alvin happily bumped noses with Jenny, laughing heartily, and proudly said to Elbert, "Look, this is my daughter!"

Elbert enviously pinched Jenny's cheek, then looked helplessly at his troublemaking son, who was adding pepper to Jack's coffee.

He let out a long sigh. This tough guy, who could stop children from crying at school, had no way to deal with his own son.

Alvin looked around and asked, "Where's Jessica?"

Jack pulled down his disposable mask and said, "Jessica took Ethan to the school's medical room. They brought a few injured people to the school, and Ethan was needed to save them, so Jessica went to help."

Alvin smiled and said, "Alright! Actually, I thought there would be a big family gathering today to celebrate me taking down a big monster."

Jack laughed heartily, leaned in with a sly smile, and said, "Boss, can you get Mr. Stark to make me a suit like that? It was so cool!"

Alvin laughed and punched Jack in the chest, saying, "I think the set Ethan made is pretty good, mainly because it's cheap. The one Tony gave me, I don't even dare ask the price!"

Jack pouted and said helplessly, "Ethan's thing is powerful, but it looks too ugly. I'd rather fight bare-chested than wear that thing!"

Elbert glanced at Jack and said, "I know you're an idiot, but I didn't know you could be this stupid. It's just a mechanical exoskeleton. How do you expect it to look good? With armor, that thing is a war machine!"

Jack was annoyed at being called an idiot and shouted, "That thing has a battery. It runs out of power after one set of exercises. What's the use?"

Alvin laughed and punched Jack again, saying, "You really don't need that thing. Who on Hellfire Boulevard dares to mess with you?

You're just a worker, but you act more like a boss on Hellfire Boulevard than I do. What more do you want?"

Jack scratched his head with a smile and said, "I just thought the boss's suit today was so awesome, I wanted to experience it!

And I feel like New York is getting more dangerous. All kinds of monsters are popping up. Yesterday, I even saw some guys with turtle shells on their backs coming out of the sewers, chopping up a few vampires!"

Alvin was stunned and asked, "Are there vampires on Hellfire Boulevard again?"

Jack thought for a moment and said, "I don't think so. It looked like those turtle shell guys were driving them out of the sewers!"