Lucas had always liked Peter's uncle. A wise man, honest and kind, who never complained about the unfairness of society. He was the moral compass that shaped Peter into Spider-Man.
Lucas decided to check things out. If Uncle Ben was still alive, he'd have to remind Peter to be careful.
No hesitation—Lucas leapt off the rooftop and sprinted at full speed toward Peter's home in Queens.
Ten minutes later, he stood outside the Parker residence. He'd never actually visited Peter's family before, but thanks to all the movies and comics from his previous life, he had no trouble finding it.
Sneaking closer, Lucas heard the sound of a television inside. A beautiful woman was sitting on the couch watching TV. He circled the house, but aside from her, no one else seemed to be home.
"Wait a sec… which version of Spider-Man is this supposed to be?"
Lucas frowned. The woman inside was unmistakable—it was Aunt May from the Tom Holland movies. But Peter? The Peter he'd seen definitely wasn't Holland's face. It looked more like…
"Holy sh*t!"
It hit him—Peter's face was straight out of the Marvel's Spider-Man video game.
"What the hell kind of mash-up world did I end up in?!"
Lucas was dumbfounded. Great. Total waste of a trip. Might as well head back, shower, and crash.
He was just about to leave when a faint whoosh brushed past his ears. Almost inaudible—but not to him.
He looked up—and froze.
A white blur soared overhead. Black and white suit, a hood pulled over, two wide white eye lenses, and bright green sneakers.
"No way…!"
Lucas knew exactly who that was. Ghost-Spider. Gwen Stacy from another universe.
And suddenly it hit him—what if the Gwen he knew… was her?
"Goddammit, trouble just keeps finding me!"
Cursing under his breath, Lucas launched after the white figure. He had to know if that really was his Gwen.
The chase led him straight to the scene of the earlier gunshots.
Spider-Man was already there, scrapping with armed thugs. His moves were clumsy, driven purely by spider-sense rather than skill.
Then Ghost-Spider dove into the fight. She wasn't exactly polished either, but her balance and agility outclassed him by far.
Lucas hung back, watching. The thugs didn't stand a chance. At best, they served as training dummies.
Sure enough, the fight wrapped up quickly. Spider-Man kicked the last thug into a train car, and Ghost-Spider pinned him down with webbing. Done.
The two masked heroes even shared a triumphant high-five.
"Not bad, huh? We make a pretty good team! How about we form a duo? We could be… the Red-White-Blue Duo!" Spider-Man said excitedly.
"What if we design matching costumes? Or maybe a logo! I'm actually great at design, I could totally handle that. Oh! How did you get your powers? I was bitten by a spider—was it the same for you? Or maybe—"
He circled her, chattering non-stop like a hyperactive fly. Forget Spider-Man—more like Mosquito-Man.
Ghost-Spider gave minimal responses, clearly uninterested in his "duo" idea. That ridiculous name didn't help either. Red-White-Blue Duo? What are we, a grocery bag?
Then suddenly, she stiffened. Her body trembled, her masked eyes fixed in fear on something ahead.
"What's wrong? You're shaking. Are you sick? Or was the fight too much for you? I used to get that too, but it passes. Really, don't worry—we didn't kill anyone, just tied them up and called the cops. Nothing to feel guilty about—"
Spider-Man kept yammering, completely oblivious to the figure standing before them.
Lucas studied Ghost-Spider's frame, and his suspicion only deepened. He'd grown up with Gwen—he knew her physique better than anyone. The proportions, the long legs, even the way she moved…
Damn. She really does have a knack for design—this suit shows off her figure perfectly.
Ghost-Spider saw the recognition in his eyes and felt her heart sink. She hadn't expected to be exposed so soon.
Yes—she was Gwen Stacy. The very same girl who'd grown up alongside Lucas.
"L—uh, who are you? It's dangerous to be out this late. You should head home!" Spider-Man blurted, nearly slipping his name.
"Enough. Drop the act, both of you. Come with me."
Lucas turned on his heel and started walking toward Devil May Cry.
Neither Peter nor Gwen knew each other's identities—Peter had no clue Ghost-Spider was Gwen, and Gwen didn't know Spider-Man was Peter.
"You know him? How do you know him? Since when do you know him?" Spider-Man resumed his endless questions, circling Ghost-Spider.
This time she ignored him completely, silently following Lucas.
Seeing she wasn't going to answer, Peter finally shut up, and the three of them made their way back in silence.
Inside the agency, Skye and the Moogle were gaming at the big projection screen. The bar's corner was now decked out with the latest console, and Skye had practically moved her play sessions there.
"Oh? You're back. Took you long enough." Skye didn't even glance up, too absorbed in the game.
Lucas motioned to the two costumed figures lingering awkwardly at the door. "Come in."
Peter and Gwen shuffled inside like kids caught sneaking out past curfew. Gwen, especially, looked like she wanted to bolt—but she knew running now would only make things worse tomorrow.
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