Morning sunlight filtered gently through the curtains, casting a golden glow across the tangled figures on the bed—an image like something out of a painting.
The girl's lashes fluttered slightly before her eyes slowly opened. Her gaze still shimmered with the lingering warmth of spring love. Her soft, flushed cheeks and slightly parted, pink lips contrasted against the messy sheets draped around them.
Then it hit her.
Gwen Stacy felt a rush of sweetness and nervous joy.
She wasn't dreaming.
Last night had really happened.
Her face flushed even deeper as her thoughts spiraled— Jack Kadere was definitely not a normal person.
And why on Earth was her waist aching and her legs still jelly?
"Jack…"
She leaned in closer, her voice as light as morning mist. "Good morning~"
Jack stirred at the sound, his eyes fluttering open, still heavy with sleep.
Wait—what just happened?
Oh, right… He'd battled a crazed supervillain last night, barely made it back alive… and then somehow ended up in a showdown of a very different kind—with Spider-Gwen.
Life as Jack Kadere, it seemed, was always full of surprises.
Across from him, Gwen grinned and licked her lips playfully. "You look pretty lively this morning~"
Jack chuckled, reaching out to brush her golden hair away from her face. "That's because Gwen is just too adorable."
"Mmm~"
She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch like a content cat, soaking up the warmth. Her soft smile was radiant.
"Jack," she murmured, "from today on, I'm all yours. Happy now?"
Yesterday had shaken her. When Jack was in real danger, she'd realized just how much he meant to her. So she made a choice— A bold, irreversible choice that led them here.
Well… "choice" might be understating it.
There had been several moves last night.
And a few experimental positions.
…Yeah. Definitely not your average sleepover.
.....
Meanwhile, across town in a rented apartment, Barbara Morse—also known as Mockingbird—sipped from a cup of milk tea as she spoke over a secure line with Maria Hill.
[So, what did you find out?] she asked.
[I looked into it,] Hill replied. [This so-called "Ghost Spider Club" isn't just a fan page. They have a physical training facility—and apparently Ghost Spider, is actively involved.]
[She usually operates alongside Jessica Jones, who's going by "Knightress" these days.]
[Last night's mission? The internet's already dubbed it 'Heroes' Night.' Not only did Ghost Spider and Knight engage the target, but the hacker Skye—Daisy Johnson—was behind the intel.]
Barbara narrowed her eyes. "And Jack Kadere?"
[Still digging. But based on last night's footage, your hunch might be right. He's no ordinary bystander. Maybe even a telepath.]
Barbara exhaled slowly. "Great. Just what we need."
As she spoke, Hill sent over a classified file.
Barbara opened it and nearly choked on her drink.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s public interface had been hacked the previous night. There wasn't a photo, just her name in the logs—but that was enough.
[Damn it. They're hacking us for sport.]
She rubbed her temples. "Hill, if we don't reinforce our firewall soon, we're going to lose agents. Our data security is practically swiss cheese right now."
She regretted telling Jack Kadere her real name, but it seemed like he already knew it...
Barbara:[I still think there's something off about Jack Kadere.]
Hill:[Then continue your observation. As for your complaints about the IT department, I'll report them to Director Fury.]Don't worry, they're not as useless as you think. Through recent intrusion detection, they traced Skye's activity to a hacker collective known as Rising Tide. Her skills are growing quickly. It proves we were right to consider her spy material.
Additionally, the Director has a long-term initiative underway—recruiting promising enhanced individuals. The "Knight" performed admirably last night. She and Ghost-Spider will be flagged as potential candidates for further observation.
Stay embedded in the Ghost-Spider Club. Your presence may become essential sooner than expected.
....
Click.
The bathroom door opened, releasing a wave of hot steam. A foot stepped out—slender, smooth, dotted with glistening water droplets—followed by toned calves and pale ankles. Jessica Drew emerged wrapped in a towel, hair damp, a relaxed look on her face.
She'd been so wiped out from last night's chaos that she passed out immediately upon returning home. It wasn't until now that she finally treated herself to a hot shower.
From the living room TV, the morning news blared:
[Morning Report:]Last night, a massive power surge from Oscorp Tower caused catastrophic damage to midtown Manhattan. Witnesses report that the source of the disturbance was a metahuman now confirmed to be Max Dillon—aka Electro.
Public outcry continues to mount. Many are questioning whether Oscorp, plagued by security failures and reckless experiments, should be held criminally liable for harboring multiple super-criminals.
Meanwhile, footage captured by civilians shows a dramatic confrontation between known vigilantes and unidentified figures. Alongside Ghost-Spider and the Knight, viewers caught glimpses of a mysterious armored figure later dubbed "Iron Man" by online fans.
A composite image places Black Spider—whose identity is still unknown—as also assisting in the crisis. As Electro, Lizard, the Green Goblin, and a hulking unknown black figure (possibly Venom) tore through the city, these heroes reportedly prevented several mass casualties.
"Is this the beginning of a new Avengers-like team?" one blog speculates. "Or a loose alliance of vigilantes?"
Jessica groaned, rubbing her eyes.
"Jack, you idiot. You left the TV on again."
She walked over to turn it off—but paused as she heard a strange rhythmical creaking from the adjacent room.
Her brow twitched. She tiptoed toward Jack's bedroom door.
Inside, Gwen Stacy was apparently far too preoccupied to notice Jessica's approach—or her enhanced senses were just completely shut down.
She touched her golden hair and curled her toes.
Similar to the movements in Latin dance...
...
Time ticked by. A full hour passed. Jessica, still peeking through the slightly ajar door, finally hissed, "Gwen, your dad's probably getting up soon. Shouldn't you be heading home?"
Gwen, unabashed, tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled lazily. "Relax~ My room's just across the alley. I'll climb in through the fire escape."
Another ten minutes passed.
Boop.
Gwen finally seemed satisfied, stretched like a satisfied cat, and leaned in to kiss Jack goodbye.
"I'm heading out~"
Jack, half-buried in his pillow, waved her off lazily. "Tell your mom to make extra pancakes. You're gonna need the energy—your combat form still needs work, little spider."
Gwen rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. "Whatever. You keep saying that, but I still think you're just picking on me. Go fight someone your own size!"
Jessica stood frozen for a moment, then sighed deeply and walked away, muttering, "Yare yare… kids these days."