As expected—
The very next day, even before the school bus had reached Midtown High, the "lizard monster" that appeared on the Williamsburg Bridge was already the number one headline everywhere.
No competition.
"Holy shit, did you guys see the news this morning?"
"Yeah. Lucky my family lives in Queens, not Brooklyn—or Manhattan. Not like we could afford either of those places anyway."
"I'm starting to think once we graduate, we should get the hell out of New York."
"Why?"
"Think about it. A few years ago, Hulk vs. Abomination. Last year, that tech expo turned into a disaster. Then aliens dropped in. And now? We're not even halfway through the year and we've got a giant lizard monster running loose."
"Yikes…"
"Yeah, what the hell is happening to New York?"
"Ever since 9/11, this city hasn't caught a break."
"…Am I the only one wondering how Spider-Man actually shoots webs?"
"…."
From the back row, Hawk, leaning against the window, raised a brow and glanced sideways at Peter.
See? It's not just me who's curious.
Peter felt the weight of Hawk's teasing gaze, his lips twitching. "…I don't want to talk about it."
Hawk smirked, letting it go, and smoothly switched topics. He glanced at the empty seat next to them.
"Where's Harry? Didn't ride with you today?"
"He's late. Went to Oscorp this morning. Apparently they had a break-in last night."
Peter leaned closer, lowering his voice. "I asked around. The lab that got hit was Dr. Curt Connors'—they say the Lizard completely cleaned the place out."
Hawk nodded calmly.
"So… Spider-Man wasn't on the scene?"
"He was sleeping."
Peter's mouth twisted into a wry smile.
Honestly, he was grateful now that he'd made the costume to cover his face. Look at this—one of the only people who knew his real identity, a quiet guy like Hawk, still found ways to tease him.
What if anyone else knew?
Sure, Uncle Ben's words—with great power comes great responsibility—guided him. And being Spider-Man did feel right.
But even so… responsibility didn't mean you never slept. Even real spiders needed rest. He wasn't actually a spider. He couldn't patrol 24/7.
Peter shook his head, pushing the thought aside, and asked instead, "What do you think Connors is trying to do?"
"Don't know. Don't care. Doesn't matter."
Hawk shut it down with three short answers in a row.
Peter studied him, watching Hawk fall back into his usual habit of staring out the window, expression unreadable. He opened his mouth to push further, but stopped.
It wasn't his place.
He never planned on dragging Hawk into his "friendly neighborhood" crusade anyway. Just because he believed in it didn't mean anyone else had to.
By the time they arrived at school, the Lizard wasn't just trending—it had gone full viral among the student body.
Rumors. Gossip. Wild theories.
They spread through fifteen-, sixteen-, seventeen-year-olds bursting with restless energy like wildfire.
By lunchtime, Hawk had picked up his usual burger and cola and was halfway through when Gwen finally showed, sliding her tray down across from him.
"Just got word. I won't need to go to Oscorp for a while. Connors' lab was completely ransacked by the Lizard. Connors himself is missing."
"…Uh."
Hawk swallowed, leaned closer, and said quietly, "If it wasn't the Lizard, then it was Connors himself."
He'd planned to mention it first thing in the morning.
But Mary Jane had been hanging around Gwen then, and Hawk decided it wasn't the right time.
Now was fine.
Gwen froze. Then her eyes went wide, chest rising sharply.
She nearly blurted something out, but caught herself—this was the cafeteria. She clamped down on the urge, but still stared hard at Hawk, who was calmly finishing his burger.
"What—you mean Connors is…? Are you serious?"
"Ninety-nine percent sure. Spider-Man said the Lizard carried traces of my scent. Weak, but still there."
"…Spider-Man?"
"Yeah."
Hawk nodded casually.
Gwen blinked, dumbfounded.
If her eyes weren't already open as wide as they could go, she'd have tried to make them wider.
"You know Spider-Man?"
"Yep."
"Who is he?"
"Can't say."
Hawk shook his head firmly. He wasn't about to drop Peter's identity.
Connors was one thing—he might hurt Gwen, so she deserved the truth.
But Peter? No way. Especially this Peter—the original Spider-Man, the one who, even possessed by Venom, still thought mostly about discounted suits and getting his grumpy boss to pay him better. New York's clumsy, good-hearted "friendly neighborhood" wall-crawler.
And besides, Peter hadn't outed Hawk's power either.
So Hawk owed him the same courtesy.
He grinned at Gwen, who was still staring at him. "Doesn't matter how long you look. I'm not telling."
Gwen finally looked away, lips pressed tight.
Fine. If he won't say it, she'd figure it out herself.
After all, nobody knew Hawk better than she did. His social circle was small—if he knew Spider-Man, then odds were, so did she.
She was confident.
Her mind raced through the names as she spoke again, voice low.
"But… why would Connors become that thing?"
Hawk shrugged. "No clue. Only God knows. Last time I talked to him, he said his regeneration serum had worked on a lab mouse that regrew its tail."
That was as far as he'd thought it through.
If it were Peter asking, he wouldn't even bother. Even if the Lizard ripped New York in half, it wouldn't be his problem. Someone else would step in before he needed to.
As Hawk thought this, he noticed Gwen staring again, her eyes wider than ever.
...
(End of Chapter)
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