Gwen POV:
I had come by unexpectedly, hoping to cheer Peter up after a long week and to ask him why he forbade me from bringing food that might trigger allergic reactions. When I found him in his room he looked distracted, whispering to himself in front of his laptop. Something about the way he flinched when I walked in front of him felt wrong.
"Peter… what are you doing?" I asked softly.
He froze. His gaze flicked to me. "Nothing. Just… working."
I didn't buy it. Not after everything. His hands used to tremble slightly when he typed due to his spinal injury but now that slight trembling was gone. He was wearing the oversized heavy metal t shirt he caught a few years ago in a concert I dragged him to because I had two tickets. There was a cold precision in his posture, unnatural. Something told me I wasn't supposed to see this.
"Peter…" I pressed, stepping closer. "Talk to me. You've been… different."
His face fell. For a moment, I saw a flicker of guilt. And then he looked away, muttering something I couldn't catch. In order to console him my arm sling over his shoulder but that's when I felt it. An unnatural growth along the length of his spine and his uncomfortable wincing.
I pulled up the t shirt and he didn't resist. What I saw horrified me. It was a grey and metallic thing with glowing neon orange accents running across the full length of his spine. It had clamps digging into his flesh that was still raw with the wounds from surgery.
That was it. I snapped.
" Peter are you insane?! You disappear into some… basement lab with machines and you don't even tell me?! Now I come to you after a single night and there is already something surgically fused to your spine which if I'm correct you did yourself without telling anyone. Do you realize how terrifying that is?!"
His jaw tightened. "I—"
"I trusted you, Peter! I almost lost you once and now you're hiding… this?!" I yelled while gesturing towards his glowing spine which would've been cool if it wasn't actually fused with my best friend's spine.
And then the tears came. Ugly, uncontrolled. My sobs shook my shoulders. "I can't do this… I can't watch you do everything alone anymore!"
Peter POV — Confrontation
I froze, stunned. My heart hammered in my chest. "Gwen… I didn't want to scare you. I didn't—"
"You didn't want to scare me?" She sobbed, pointing a shaking finger. "Peter, this isn't normal! You're cutting open your own body without telling anyone! What the hell is wrong with you?!"
I swallowed hard. She had every right to hate me right now. To fear me. To… cry.
"Gwen, listen. I fixed my upper body." I said, voice low, almost pleading. "The Sandevistan compensated for the damaged spine. I can move my arms, my hands… everything that was broken is working again."
Her breaths were ragged. "And your legs?"
"They're… mangled," I admitted. "But I have a plan. Regeneration serum and something unexpected. I'm going to fix them — slowly, carefully. And no one else needs to know about this. Because my spinal implant isn't just a run of the mill prosthetic. It's something far more."
She didn't respond. Just hugged her knees and sobbed.
Uncle Ben and Aunt May POV:
The pounding on the door startled both of us. Aunt May and Uncle Ben entered cautiously.
"What's going on?" Aunt May asked, eyes wide as she spotted Gwen sitting on the floor, crying.
Peter's voice shook. "I… I'm… trying to fix myself. But I tried to hide it."
Uncle Ben knelt beside Gwen, gently resting a hand on her shoulder. "Gwen… honey, slow down. Peter's… he's trying to heal. But he should've told you."
I nodded, ashamed. "I didn't mean to hide it. I just… didn't want to scare anyone. It's complicated — surgical, technological. I thought I could handle it myself."
Aunt May's voice softened. "Peter, we know you're brilliant. But you're still human. You don't have to do everything alone."
Gwen sniffled, her voice small. "But you didn't even tell me, Peter. I could've helped. I wanted to help."
I looked at her, the tears glinting in her eyes. "I know, Gwen. I'm sorry. You… you've always been there for me. I just… I didn't want to make you uncomfortable."
Uncle Ben finally spoke, calm and firm: "Peter, we all care about you. And part of being strong isn't doing dangerous things alone. It's letting people in. Even when it's scary."
I nodded. Slowly. "I understand. And… I'll be careful. I'll take it one step at a time. My upper body is fine now thanks to the Sandevistan. My arms, hands, reflexes — all working. Legs… they'll follow. And I promise, I'll let someone help when the time comes."
Gwen looked at me, her sobs quieting. "Promise me you won't… keep doing these insane things without telling me."
I reached for her hand. "I promise."
She squeezed it tight. "Good. Because I can't handle losing you again… not like this."
I swallowed. "You won't. I'll be… careful."
The basement was quiet except for the soft hum of the integrated 3D computer of the fabricator in the corner. Gwen didn't know about it yet. She didn't need to. For now, it was enough that she could trust me that I wasn't hiding everything from her anymore.
And for the first time since the surgery, I felt like maybe I could actually do this. One piece at a time, without losing the people I cared about most.
Read ahead on P.A.T.R.E.O.N
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