Lucas dropped onto the couch, watching the two masked figures shuffle nervously inside. He was about to speak when Skye, who'd been gaming with the Moogle, suddenly froze.
She tossed the controller aside and hurried to Lucas's side, eyes glued to the newcomer.
"This is the Spider-Man from the news and the papers?! Just like the photos online! Do your eyes blink? And your webs—do they really come out of your body?"
Skye circled Spider-Man and Ghost-Spider, examining them like specimens.
"So there are two Spider-Men?" she finally asked, settling back onto the sofa.
"I just found that out myself," Lucas said flatly, gaze locking onto Ghost-Spider. No doubt in his mind—it was Gwen. The only mystery was how she'd gotten her powers. As far as he remembered, Peter was the only one bitten.
"Then why'd you bring them here? Do they have a commission?" Skye whipped out her laptop, opening a fresh page to take notes.
"Spider-Man, tell us your request! This could be Devil May Cry's very first case!" she said, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Uh… well… actually…" Peter stammered, lost for words. He had no commission—he'd just followed Lucas back.
"Enough, Peter. No need to keep pretending here."
Lucas waved a hand dismissively, casually dropping a name that made Spider-Man flinch.
"You… you know who I am?!"
Peter yanked off his mask in shock.
The room froze. Skye and Ghost-Spider both stared, dumbfounded. The Spider-Man who'd been plastered all over the headlines was… timid, nerdy Peter Parker?!
"Yeah. I knew from the moment you got bitten," Lucas said bluntly.
Peter let out a sigh of relief and plopped onto the couch. But his eyes quickly flicked toward the other masked figure.
"Lucas, you know who this is too, don't you? Otherwise why bring them here?"
"Not only do I know," Lucas said evenly, "but so do you."
Ghost-Spider's body tensed in fear.
"Really?!" Peter and Skye blurted in unison, both turning toward her.
Cornered, Ghost-Spider had no choice. She pulled back her hood and mask—revealing golden hair and a familiar face.
"Gwen?!"
Peter and Skye's jaws dropped. Neither had imagined that the mysterious Ghost-Spider was none other than Gwen Stacy. It was surreal.
"Lucas… I can explain…" Gwen looked like a scolded child, eyes wide with guilt and fear.
Lucas sighed. He'd meant to tear into her, but seeing her gaze—like a pitiful kitten—his anger melted.
"Sit down. Don't worry, I won't tell your dad."
"Really?!" Gwen lit up instantly, plopping down right beside him.
"But… you have to promise not to get hurt. I don't want your family worrying themselves sick over you."
Gwen pouted. "Who can guarantee they won't get hurt? I'm a superhero, you know~~"
"Then quit the hero gig. I'll call your dad right now and tell him everything." Lucas reached for his phone.
"No way!" Gwen lunged onto him, snatching the phone from his hand. "Fine, fine, I promise! Happy now?!"
Lucas nodded, satisfied.
Peter, however, was bursting with curiosity. "Gwen, how did you end up like this? Did a spider bite you too?"
She nodded. "Yeah. Remember that day we toured Oscorp? Lucas, you even came with me to look at that weird spider with the long legs. That's the one that bit me. After that… well, you see the result."
Lucas blinked, memory snapping into place. He did remember Gwen pointing out that strange red-and-black spider, longer-legged and unnervingly agile.
"So that's why you got sick afterward… turns out it was the bite's side effects. Can't believe there are two Spider-People now. Unreal…"
He'd assumed she'd just come down with a bug.
"Wow, me too! I was bitten during that field trip while taking pictures. Then out of nowhere, bam—powers!" Peter blurted, relieved beyond words. He wasn't alone anymore.
"Hold on—where do your webs come from?" Lucas cut in. "That stuff costs a fortune. There's no way you two broke kids could afford to use it like this—swinging, tying people up every night. That's a serious drain."
Peter grinned sheepishly. "I swiped a sample cartridge from Oscorp and reverse-engineered it at home. Turns out the raw materials aren't expensive at all. Once I cracked the formula, mass production was easy."
He showed off his web-shooters, which Skye immediately snatched up, fiddling with them in fascination.
Gwen explained that she hadn't stolen anything—she'd simply ordered materials online and figured it out herself.
Geniuses, both of them. Oscorp's R&D department had probably spent years on it, and these two high schoolers cracked it in weeks. If Oscorp ever found out, they'd send assassins to make sure it stayed buried.
"Wait a second," Skye frowned, "if it's that simple, why hasn't every company already replicated Oscorp's webs?"
"Because I only figured out a rough formula," Peter admitted. "The core stabilizing agent? Still beyond me. My webs only last about two hours before degrading. Oscorp's can last much longer, and their tensile strength is higher."
Lucas and Skye exchanged looks. Even with limitations, it was still insanely impressive.
Gwen's version wasn't quite as strong as Peter's, though hers had superior elasticity.
The two compared abilities, and soon a picture emerged: Peter excelled in raw strength, while Gwen outmatched him in agility. One was the powerhouse, the other the speedster.
A natural balance.
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