(A Week Later)
"Okay Parker you can do this, it's not too hard you just jump right. Nothing much to it," Peter muttered to himself as he stood on the edge of a rooftop in downtown Queens, staring down at the maze of streets far below while trying to ignore the very loud survival instinct screaming at him to back away slowly and pretend this had never been his idea.
The last week had been nothing but chaos.
Between school suspension, Gwen recovering, and whatever weird spider mutation experiment he was currently living through, Peter had basically entered full mad scientist mode. He had returned to the warehouse and turned it into a makeshift lab with Ned's help. Ned handled wiring, structure, and anything involving tools while Peter focused on chemistry and theory.
With the money he had taken from the alleyway thugs, Peter managed to order a range of chemicals online. Some substances were harder to acquire so he borrowed a few bottles from the school lab after hours. His attempts to make a web fluid that could easily attach to his wrist... It had been messy. He got stuck to the floor twice, stuck to the ceiling once, and there was a moment where Ned nearly got webbed to a hanging pipe. Still, the formula worked.
At least he thought.
Standing on the rooftop now, Peter edged closer to the ledge and swallowed.
The rational part of his brain told him to turn around, take the stairs, and go home like a normal human being.
But normal had not been an option for a while.
"Come on Pete you can do this," he whispered.
He leaned forward.
Nothing.
His feet instinctively locked to the roof.
Peter sighed and stepped back before jumping lightly back onto the center of the rooftop.
"Try again tomorrow."
He pulled his hood down and climbed onto the fire escape, descending quickly. Instead of heading home though he turned toward Gwen's building. He had barely seen her this week and the absence felt heavier than he expected. Gwen lived in a large apartment building downtown, which meant sneaking in required creativity and a bit of climbing.
Peter grabbed the fire escape and began ascending. "Thank god for New York fire escapes," he murmured.
Her window sat just out of reach so he pressed his hands against the wall and began climbing vertically. Halfway up he glanced down and immediately regretted it.
"Shit," he whispered.
He preferred movement and momentum. Standing still while clinging to a wall gave his brain too much time to imagine what may happen if gravity decides 'Fuck it'. He reached the window and carefully lifted it while stuck to the glass.
The moment he climbed inside—
"AHHHHH!" Gwen screamed.
She stood in the middle of her room, halfway into her pajama top with her arms tangled in the sleeves. Peter's hood had fallen back when he ducked through the frame, so the only thing she saw was a hooded man netting her room.
"AHHH! OH SHIT!" Peter yelled. Her scream startled him so badly he jumped backward, lost his footing, and tumbled straight back out the open window.
He flailed in mid-air. His hands scraped at the brick but could not catch. "Oh fuck! Oh fuck! Oh fuck!" The ground rushed up fast. On pure reflex he thrust his wrist forward and fired the web shooter. The line snapped out and stuck to the building across the street. He clamped down hard and the web yanked him into a wide swinging arc.
"OOOOO SHIT!" he shouted as the momentum pulled him through the air. The fear disappeared the instant the swing took hold. Cold air blasted past his face, stinging his cheeks and whipping his hair. Buildings blurred on both sides and at the peak of the arc he released and shot another line to the opposite side, and kept going.
He laughed out loud.
"This is amazing!" He shouted as he pushed harder. He flipped once in mid-air, then again. He pulled a tighter loop around a corner building, shot higher, let himself drop farther before the next line caught. The city opened up beneath him like a playground.
He didn't do it for long however, Gwen was probably still in her room thinking she had just watched someone plummet to their death. He cut the next swing short, aimed back toward her building, and fired a line straight at the brick below her window. He pulled hard and rocketed toward the wall, sticking the landing right under her sill.
He poked his head up just enough to see inside. Gwen sat on the floor in her pajama pants and tank top, staring at the empty window with wide eyes, still in shock.
"Peter!" she shouted. She scrambled to her feet and ran over.
He climbed inside and she tackled him the second his feet hit the carpet. He had learned from last time, he slapped one hand to the wall beside the window and braced them both so they did not crash backward.
"Gwen! Is everything okay?" Mr. Stacy's voice came through the closed door, followed by a knock.
Gwen's eyes went huge. She slapped her hand over Peter's mouth. "I'm fine!" she yelled back. "It was just a spider!"
A long beat of silence. Then footsteps faded down the hallway.
They both exhaled.
Gwen dropped her hand and whispered fiercely, "Peter what're you doing here!"
He smiled. "I wanted to see you. We haven't spent much time together since you got back from the hospital."
She smiled back and leaned her forehead against his chest. "I'm sorry for almost killing you."
Peter snorted. "It's fine. I'm sure that happens at least once in every relationship."
She lifted her head, went up on her toes, and pecked him on the lips. "I'm glad we got it out the way then. Though if you walk in on me getting changed again I might do it again, and I won't fail."
Peter shivered a little at the look she gave him. "Yes ma'am," he said with a nervous chuckle.
She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to her bed. They both sat on the edge. "How've you been?" he asked. "Does your head still hurt?"
He reached up and gently brushed her hair aside. A small shaved patch showed the neat row of stitches. He winced. "I'm not too bad," she said. "The pain meds help. Mostly I've just been bored. Dad won't even let me go down to the deli on the corner."
Peter lay down beside her. "Well I can't say I blame him. You took a nasty bump on the head. He's probably scared you'll pass out somewhere if you're alone."
Gwen narrowed her eyes and elbowed him lightly. "You know as my boyfriend you're supposed to support me when I complain about things."
Peter smirked. "I can't believe how much of a tyrant your dad is being. You're like Rapunzel locked away in your room."
Gwen laughed. "Was that so hard?"
Peter smiled at her before he turned on his side to face her. She turned too. Their faces were inches apart. She closed the distance and kissed him again. Neither of them had much practice, so it started clumsy but they figured it out fast. Peter slid an arm around her waist and pulled her closer and she melted against him. When they broke apart they were both flushed and breathing hard.
"I've loved you for so long," she whispered, lacing her fingers through his.
"I think I've loved you longer," he whispered back. His heart hammered. His senses were still cranked to eleven, her lavender shampoo mixed with her own scent hit him hard and made his head spin.
"Mmmm and when did you realize it?" she asked, one eyebrow raised.
"That weekend when we made that model volcano together," he said without hesitation.
Gwen's eyes widened. "Four years ago?"
He nodded.
"I should've said something back then..." Gwen said.
"It doesn't matter now," Peter replied as he tugged her on top of him. She curled up against his chest like she belonged there. They lay like that for a while, just breathing together. It felt like the most normal thing in the world, having her weight on him, her heartbeat against his. He knew he never wanted to go another day without this.
Then he remembered the thing he had been putting off telling her and his stomach twisted a little.
"Hey Gwen," he said quietly. "This isn't a big deal or anything, but back when I visited you in the hospital, after I left I came across MJ getting harassed. I stepped in and showed those guys a lesson. Then on the way home she kissed me." He went with the blunt version. Gwen would see through any hedging anyway.
She lifted her head from his chest. "You attacked a bunch of thugs? What's wrong with you? What if they had a gun? Or a knife? You could've been hurt you ass." She smacked his chest for emphasis.
"I couldn't just leave MJ to those guys," he said. "You should've seen them. Messed up doesn't even begin to describe it."
"Plus I can handle myself now," he added. "I dealt with them easily enough."
Gwen frowned but sighed. "I don't care how strong you get. I'll still worry about you... ass."
Peter smiled and kissed her forehead. "To be honest I thought you'd be more pissed that she kissed me."
Gwen snorted. "Please. It's hardly surprising. I'm pretty sure she had a crush on you too. And it's not like you're the one who kissed her, so I can live with it."
Peter relaxed and let himself slump back against the mattress with her still on top of him. "I should probably get going."
She looked a little sad but nodded. "Sneak in tomorrow?"
"Try and stop me," he said with a smirk.
He sat up, lifting her in a bridal carry, and set her gently back on the bed.
His eyes lit up. "I wanted to show you these too."
He held up his wrist and fired a quick shot. The web line snapped out. He caught it before it stuck to anything.
"My very own formula," he said smugly.
Gwen's eyes went wide. "That's amazing!"
She leaned in close to study the strand in his hand. "What's the dissolution rate? What about the tensile strength?"
Peter shrugged. "I've been having trouble getting a stable dissolution rate. It ranges anywhere from two minutes to two hours depending on the batch. Haven't fully tested tensile strength yet, but I can lift a car with it no problem."
Gwen's eyes sparkled. She loved biology, and anything that crossed into chemistry made her light up. Then she looked up at him with a glare. "You better take me with you next time you work on it!"
Peter grinned. "Naturally."
He walked to the window, climbed onto the ledge, and felt his heart jump into his throat again. But he knew he could do it now.
"See ya Gwen," he said with a wave.
He jumped off the edge.
Gwen let out a small scream behind him.
Peter laughed into the wind as he fired another line and swung away into the night. He felt the rush of air whipping through his hair again as he plummeted toward the streets below. Just before he slammed into the pavement, he thrust his wrist forward and shot a web line. It snapped against a building across the street, yanking him into a swing. "WOOOOOOOOOO!" He flipped in mid-air as he fired another line and kept going.
'This will never get old,' he thought as he swung through the city. The wind stung his cheeks as buildings blurred past on both sides.
Then all of a sudden he felt goosebumps prickling up his left arm. His head snapped toward the sensation. In the alley below, two men dragged a young girl toward the far end where a van sat with its back doors open. 'Another one? This city is a lot worse than I thought,' Peter thought to himself as he angled his swing downward and landed silently on the brick wall above them, sticking in place.
He could hear the girl trying to scream through the large man's hand clamped over her mouth. She looked about fourteen and thrashed against him, but she could not break free. "Shut the fuck up, you stupid cunt," the man growled. "Don't make me hurt you. Ol' Toomey doesn't like damaged product." He laughed. His friend walking behind them let out a high-pitched, irritating cackle.
Peter unzipped his jacket pocket, pulled out his phone, and glanced at the screen. A string of missed calls from Aunt May lit up the notifications. He ignored them for now and dialed 911 instead. When the operator answered, he kept his voice quiet and gave the street name and alley location.
Then he hung up.
'Guess it's time to test these out,' he thought. He aimed downward and fired a web at the man trailing behind. The line hit the guy square at the scruff of his neck.
Peter yanked hard.
The man squeaked as his feet left the ground. He flew upward in a blink. His face met Peter's fist halfway. The impact knocked him out cold and oeter webbed him to the nearest fire escape rung before the body could drop.
The man ahead, still dragging the girl toward the van, heard the squeak and spun around. "Bill!" he shouted. He scanned the alley, but no one was there. "Bill where are you stop fucking around! We got a job to do! You know how he gets if we don't meet the quota!"
He let go of the girl's arm but grabbed her by the throat instead. "If you try to run, I break your legs. Understand me, you little bitch?" She nodded frantically, tears streaming down her face.
He bent down, picked up a length of metal pipe from the ground, and gripped it tight. "Bill get out here right now! You don't wanna fuck with me tonight!"
Peter crawled silently along the wall behind him, then dropped to the pavement without a sound. The girl let out an involuntary gasp. The man whirled and swung the pipe in a wide arc.
Peter ducked under it easily and kicked out at the man's leg. He put a little too much force behind it and the kneecap cracked audibly. "AHHHHHHHHHH!" The man screamed and crumpled to the ground, dropping the pipe. "YOU FUCK! I'LL KILL YOU—UGHHH!" He grunted through the pain, clutching his ruined knee.
Peter sighed. 'Shit, need to control my strength better.' He walked over to the man, hood still up and the alley shadows hiding his face. "I'll make sure to visit you in jail," he said with a hint of amusement. "You're gonna need some Vaseline after all." He grabbed the man by the shirt front, hauled him up, and delivered a strong uppercut. The man's head snapped back and he went limp.
Peter checked the man's pockets and found another thick wad of cash. He stared at it for a long second. He wanted to take it just like the other wad, but ever since he had he felt guilty about it. Aunt May and Uncle Ben would never approve of taking it. But he wanted to help them out more than anything,
'Not like this...'He shoved the money back into the man's pocket and stood up.
He walked over to the girl. She was still trembling, pressed against the wall. "Don't worry," he said gently. "You're safe now. Police are almost here."
She lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. Peter froze for a second, awkward, then slowly put one arm around her shoulders and rubbed her back in small circles. He held her like that until red and blue lights flashed at the mouth of the alley.
He gently pushed her back by the shoulders. "Gotta go. Stay safe." He jumped straight up, fired a web line, and yanked himself over the rooftop edge.
Peter could not help but feel good about himself as he swung home. He had done something real good this time. Something a hero would do. Saving MJ had been personal since knew her, but this felt different.
'Maybe I could do this more often.'
He swung around a lamp post, flipped once for the hell of it, and dropped into the street behind his house. He thought about sneaking in through the window, but every light in the house was still on. He sighed. Better to face whatever was coming now instead of later.
He walked up the back steps and pushed open the kitchen door. "Hey Aunt May, I'm—"
Aunt May sat at the kitchen counter. A half-empty glass of wine stood in front of her. A box of tissues sat beside it, several crumpled ones scattered around.
"Aunt May? What happened?" Peter asked. He crossed the room quickly and stopped at her side.
She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. "It's your Uncle Ben," she said. "He was in an accident at work. He's in the hospital now. I don't know if he'll make it."
She broke down then, shoulders shaking as fresh sobs took over. Peter stood there, frozen, the night's adrenaline draining out of him like someone had pulled a plug.
(AN: Another chapter done of the rewrite.)
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