Off-topic question to start, but I didn't want to bloat the AN down below: What's the deal with heroic motivation and choice? One thing I notice is that it's pretty rare to find a hero who wanted powers so they can help people: Most of the heroes who get powers get them via accident and circumstances out of their control, which somehow translates to them being 'better' because they 'never asked for it'?
Even for Normals this applies: Characters like Punisher or Batman were motivated by a personal tragedy rather than deciding 'I want to help people/I want to be special'. Likewise those who don't seem to follow this rule get treated with some derision: Booster Gold from DC is an incompetent glory hound under most characterization, Frog-Man has enough ego to think he can be Captain Marvel's partner, and in Earth-65 Peter Parker and Adrian Toomes became Supervillains as a result of said desire.
I dunno, it just feels weird to me that meta-wise the idea of a an individual who went out of their way to get their special abilities is either a D-lister Hero at best or a Supervillain at worst.
'Where are you, Peter?'
Gwen swung through the chilly New York skyline, her thoughts going a mile a minute. The Parkers, Vulture, those kids, Cap's warnings...Peter. All of it was too much and too fast, 'To think this day started with just a concert...' She let the swing run till it reached its highest arc before she let go, twisting just a bit further than necessary and landing on the side of an apartment building in a crouched position.
Down below on the streets the people walking stopped to look up and point at her, an alternating cacophony of cheers and curses coming and going. She could hear them all, hear every dirty word and praise that managed to carry up, but she didn't care. Shaking her head, she crawled up to the roof before pulling out her phone from her backpack and hitting the speed dial with a frustrated tap.
"Come on, come on..." The painful silence lasted for only a few seconds before the automated voice chimed back, saying the canned lines about the phone being 'unavailable at this time and to please call again later', "Fuck!" She slammed her free hand on the closest wall, cracks appearing on the concrete and slowly spreading across the surface. She looked at the broken material with a sigh and dialed the number again. She just needed to calm down, needed to-
"The number you've dialed is unavailable or out of the coverage area, please try again-"
She threw the phone back at her backpack with a frustrated growl before she spun around and aimed a kick at the already damaged wall, causing the entire thing to collapse altogether and crumble into pieces off the rooftop, "Oh shit!" She looked over the edge and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the deserted alley. This night was already fucked in more ways than she cared to count; she didn't need to get anyone else hurt because she was throwing a tantrum.
"...This is fucked." Biting her tongue, she jumped and broke into another swing. Uncle Ben was at the hospital, Vulture was dead, those kids were going to juvenile detention if they were lucky and Peter...
Peter might have been dying.
Her spider-sense pinged just before she saw the wall she was about to collide with, 'Late again!' What the hell was the point of a sixth sense if it didn't work half the time? She ran along the side of the building and herself fall, landing on the fire escape with practiced ease. Finding Peter in this place was like searching for a needle in a haystack; a very angry needle that kept moving just when you think you've got it.
'I don't know how long that suppressant will last...' She chewed on her bottom lip and pressed her forehead against the metal railing. She thought the serum created by S.I.L.K was bad, but at least it was made for a purpose: Creating expendable shock troopers, pets that they could point at people like attack dogs. It was dangerous, but the test subjects weren't poisoned and they weren't nearly as monstrous as what Peter became three years ago.
The serum he'd made was because of an accident, a fluke that those bastards were all too willing to exploit. She didn't know what her best friend was really expecting when he injected himself - Being like Captain America? Like She-Hulk? Like her? It seemed so silly to consider it. Dr. Connors was the original creator of the serum, a treatment for war veterans to get their limbs back as repayment for the sacrifices they'd made. How did he get the idea that it would give him superpowers?
'Doesn't matter now, does it?' She thought bitterly. In the end it killed him, and thanks to Peter...Spider-Man being infected with the same thing he was at much risk as he was, 'Gotta find him...can't lose him again.'
She was about to swing away before she heard it. The scream of a girl, almost drowned out by the noise of traffic if not for her enhanced earring, "Now, really?" She shook her head and swung towards it, ignoring the voice in her head telling her it could have been anything. It wouldn't have been the first time she'd swung to a scream only to find it was because someone had sent a screamer video or some other fucking prank.
Still, she always ended up going. Better to be safe than sorry and all that-
Were there more screams now? She narrowed her eyes and concentrated. Even through the honking of horns and the loud thrum of engines from overcompensating drivers she heard what sounded like multiple guys yelling out scared obscenities, '...Yep, definitely not imagining that.' She quickened her pace.
The scene that greeted her wasn't what she expected. At first glance it reminded her of something she'd seen far too much before: A girl slumped against the walls of an alley, cradling a beat up guy in her arms with tears in her eyes while a group of what looked like low-rent hoods surrounded them. A typical scene she'd gotten used to just a bit too much for her liking.
Well, except for the fact that said gangsters were all crumpled on the ground, arms and legs twisted unnaturally, 'Oh shit...' She could still see them moving, however slightly, so they were definitely alive. But their wounds... 'Someone's going to be needing to shit through a straw for a few months...' She turned away. They weren't going to go anywhere; webbing them down would've just been adding insult to injury.
"What happened here?" She knelt in front of the crying woman, her voice soft.
She looked up to meet her gaze and wiped her tearstained eyes, "M-Me and my boyfriend cut through the alleys. Thought it'd be a shortcut," She held onto the injured young man tighter, "These guys came up to us a-and one of them, I think he was the leader, he asked me if I wanted a 'ride home'. We tried to run, but..." She bit her lower lip, the shaking only growing worse.
"It's alright, you don't have to tell me." She touched her shoulder gently, "Looks like your boyfriend really kicked ass, huh?"
"It-It wasn't him." She shook her head, "It was dark s-so I couldn't see very well, but it was a guy dressed in black, I think..." She took a nervous swallow before continuing, "No, I'm sure it was. H-He wasn't wearing a mask, a-and he told us to just stay down and then..." She nudged her head to the moaning thugs, "Th-That's all I know, I'm sorry. E-Everything's..."
'Peter...' She was about to ask more before she saw it through the side of her vision. A blur of movement running up to the roof at the opposite end of the street, "Get to safety and call the police." She ejected a webline and pulled herself up, crawling up the last few feet and landing on the rooftop in a rush before making another jump towards the opposite building. It was him, she was sure of it.
She was right...though it did little to sooth her nerves when she finally saw him.
He was kneeling near the edge, both arms pressed against the red-bricked surface of the wall lining the borders of the rooftop with his head lying atop the appendages. Despite her loud entrance he made no move to acknowledge her; his only movement being the slow rise and fall of his shoulders to indicate that he was breathing. Just barely she could hear what sounded like...no, impossible. She must have been hearing things.
Gwen's brows furrowed in worry and she took a hesitant step forward, "Peter...?" Another step, and again he ignored her. She thought he'd be angry, and by all rights he seemed to be given the mess he left behind, but right now he looked to be anything but. She'd expected screaming, expected insults, expected...something besides the stifling silence that covered the entirety of the roof.
It was only when she took her fourth step that she couldn't deny what she'd heard.
He was crying.
Gwen felt a stab of pain her chest when he finally looked back at her, his face twisted into a halfhearted scowl. She could still see the traces of green scales from where his neck disappeared into his coat and the flecks of green in his eyes, though less so than before. Cap told her the suppressant wasn't built to fully help with the original iteration of the serum. It wasn't useless, especially considering that the two shared the same baseline, but if they wanted to make a proper countermeasure then they needed his cooperation.
'Yeah...easier said than done.'
Even from the beginning there was always a part of her that doubted he was Peter, even if she tried to ignore its growing presence in her mind. He had the same face, the same love of science, but they were different in as many ways as they were similar - Peter hated conflict while Spider-Man ran to it with a curse at the ready; Peter clammed up when it came to arguments while Spider-Man couldn't help but get the last word in; Peter wanted to be special while Spider-Man despised the idea of it.
Peter admired her while Spider-Man hated her.
But at the end of it she could count on him. As much as they disagreed she never worried that he would break, that he'd crack under the pressure. Even now there were still a few stray tears that dripped down his face, his hand wiping away at them in frustration as more and more came and went. She had to admit the sight of it was something she never thought she'd see. He never cracked in all the time she'd known him and to look at him now...it was a stark reminder that he was just like her; a teenager in over his head.
"Peter-"
"Not gonna call me Ben?" He smiled bitterly and sat with his back against the wall, eyes never leaving hers, "Or is that just something 'Gwen Stacy' does?"
Gwen sighed. She'd expected that, but it still stung, "I'll call you that if you want, but that's not your name." She was tired of it. Tired of the lies, tired of the half-truths and deception just so he would trust her. Her father knew, her friends knew, the Parkers knew. If she could be honest with them then she could be honest with him, couldn't she? He should've been no different.
"It's also the name of that kid you're obsessed with," he said bluntly, "The one you told me you were over with three weeks ago...that another one of your tall tales?"
"It wasn't..." She lowered her hood and took off her mask, trusting her spider-sense to warn her that no one was watching them, "I don't want to lie anymore."
Even the declaration felt dishonest. She'd lied a lot ever since she got bitten: Lied to her friends, lied to her dad, lied to the Parkers...to just baout everyone she knew, really. White lies at first, just little half-truths here and there to explain her sudden absences or why she happened to be 'busy' every time Spider-Woman made a TV appearance. It was harmless, and the guilt she had eventually ebbed away.
It wasn't as easy when her double life began to catch up to her. When her dad was sent to hunt her down like she was a common criminal; when Hippo attacked her dad during one of their concerts; when Murdock caught on and tried turning her into his apprentice; when Castle realized who she was and put her dad and the Parkers in danger. Everyone around her paid the price for her try at heroics and she was getting sick of it.
"Oh, that's rich coming from you." He scoffed, "How many times did you pull the wool over my eyes, huh? 'Spider-Woman's just a friend', 'I just want to help Gwen move on from what happened', 'Spider-Woman's just trying to do the right thing'..." He picked up a clump of snow crushed it between his fingers, his smile fading, "I thought I had a good read on people, but it turns out I'm nothing more than yesterday's chump-"
"That's not true-"
"Yeah, you're the person I wanna hear tell me what's true or not..." He threw the remaining traces of snow away over his shoulder to the streets below, "You know what, you're right. I wasn't being lied to, I was just deluding myself. If I looked a little deeper, paid more attention to the hints, I'd have figured who you were under that mask of yours. But I was so desperate to think there was someone here I could trust that I acted like a blind dog..."
"What do you want me to say, Peter?" Her hands shook and her lips quivered. She knew that it wouldn't be sunshine and rainbows ever since she continued the charade, but all the warnings and expectations couldn't make up for the pain and frustration she was feeling right at that moment, "Do you want me to say I'm sorry? That I didn't mean for things to get this far? I'd give you all the apologies in the world but it wouldn't change anything I've done."
"You think I want to hear that?" he spat, "I'm tired of hearing excuses and reasons, Gwen." He said the name like a curse. "Every time I go to sleep I hear a pathetic brat justifying turning himself into a monster, and I've spent enough time here to know plenty of people who use excuses to justify what they've done: Parker just 'wanted to be special', little miss lightning bolt was 'sick', Toomes wanted to 'leave a legacy'. I don't want to hear another 'It's not my fault'..."
"...I'm sorry." She knew he didn't want to hear it, didn't care for whatever she said, but she continued on, "I...when I first saw you on that roof it was an honest coincidence. I didn't want to admit who I was under the mask even though I barely hesitated to do the same to you. After that..." She clenched her hands, "I just couldn't admit it. You hated me, resented Spider-Woman, but you trusted Gwen Stacy. I won't deny that it made it easier knowing there was always something I could fall back to if things ever went too bad."
"Well, your plan worked. I was fooled. Congratulations." He clapped slowly, the gesture just adding to the feelings of guilt she already had, "But you know what? I'm not gonna give you the satisfaction. I'm not gonna scream, not gonna cry about how I trusted you or that you betrayed me..." Despite his words she could hear the resentment in his voice clear as day. Honestly she couldn't blame him, "I got played. Wouldn't be the first time..."
"Peter..."
"Again with that? You're like a broken record..." He sighed, "...What do you even want, anyway? Come here to try and salvage what you could?"
"No..." She knew it was too late for that. It was a miracle he was even willing to listen to her, "Pete...Spider-Man, you're infected with the serum."
"Really? I hadn't noticed." he replied bitterly, eyes rolling, "What was your first clue, Sherlock? The fact that I injected myself with one the kid's remaining syringes or the scales growing out of my skin?" His lips curled in a sneer. Gwen could see hints of green along his right arm before it was covered up by the sleeve of his trenchcoat again, "So that's why you're here, then? To put me down before I go insane like that kid did? Suppose you have experience in that regard..."
"Why would you say that?" She couldn't stop the bursts of anger she felt despite her best efforts, "You know how much I regret killing Peter! How I'm still trying to make up for what happened! How could you..." She looked away and closed her eyes, arms curling inward as she shivered. It was hard to look at him, to see the effects the serum had and see Peter looking like he was a hair's breath of turning into a monster again.
The silence stretched on for minutes before he spoke up again, his voice soft, "What do you want me to say? That I was wrong to think that you don't have my best interests at heart?" He scoffed, "...You know what, fine. I'm infected, why do you care? You've known I was infected for over a month now. Why does this change anything?"
"Because we were wrong about your infection," she said, "We thought you had the same serum that Harry and the rest of the people S.I.L.K experimented on were infected with. The one they used to try and create their expendable soldiers." She shook her head, "S.H.I.E.L.D did some testing...it was hard to see because they didn't even consider the possibility of it, but you have the same serum that Peter injected into himself three years ago...the one that killed him."
"Explains why I was coughing up blood..." She winced. The way he said it was calm...almost uncaring considering his words, "Alright, fine, so I've got a different strain. Why does this change anything? I have a natural immunity to the serum and whatever poisons they put in my body. Even now I can feel it flushing from my system...I'll be back to normal, eventually. You know that."
"That's not the point!" she snapped, "You were never supposed to get infected again! I understand when Hill did it - the one she injected you with wasn't even the same version - but after what happened in that alley with Murdock's ninjas and now Vulture? Fuck..." She took a deep breath, "Hell, just look at what happened minutes ago! It's a miracle none of those guys are dead after what you did with them!"
"Well it did happen, so what now?"
"You need to..." She took a deep breath and looked at him properly. She couldn't be weak here, not again, "Come with me back to S.H.I.E.L.D...please. Cap understands that it's not your fault, and they're the only ones who can even try to find a cure for you and make sure this never happens again..." She chewed on her bottom lip and considered her next words, "They're giving you an out here, Spider-Man. Don't waste it."
The soft laugh that he gave did nothing to calm her already rapidly beating heart, "You must think I'm some kind of class-A moron." He clicked his tongue and looked away, "So what, after everything you think I'll just play along with your demands? That I'll be the collared dog again and put myself at the mercy of those gang of spooks just because you tell me? That's rich..." Another laugh, even softer this time, "If you think they really wanna help me then you're even more of an idiot than I thought."
"It's the truth-"
"No, it's what you want to believe," he interrupted with a scowl, "You want to think they're the good guys, that just because Stars-and-Stripes tells you something it's right and there's no argument for it..." He shook his head, "You know, let me take a shot in the dark on where this is going: You try to convince me to turn myself in willingly and if I don't you're gonna drag me there 'for my own good'. That about sum it up?"
"...I don't want to do that," she said. Gwen hated to admit it but he wasn't exactly wrong. S.H.I.E.L.D had held off on trying to take him in by force for as long as they could, but direct confirmation of him being infected with the previous strain of the serum was enough to spur them into action, "Just...please come with me." She took deep breath and took a reluctant step forward, "We can-"
Her words stopped in her throat when she saw him raise the revolver and aim it at her, the barrel pointing right to her chest, "Don't take another step..." he snarled, "I rarely miss, so don't test me."
Her spider-sense was silent, as expected. She stared down the revolver and grit her teeth. She'd taken worse before - she could survive a bullet easily - but they both knew that wasn't the point. They'd had their arguments before, but this was more than that. Once he pulled that trigger there'd be no going back.
"I'm not going to let you die, Spider-Man..." She clenched her hands and took another step forward, ignoring the way her heart jumped when his finger inched closer to the trigger, "I've lost Peter and Harry to the serum already, I'm not going to lose anyone else to it." Another step, "So if you want to shoot me then go ahead, but if you think that's going to stop me from making sure you don't become a monster then you don't know me at all."
The last step was enough for her to stop right in front of him. She could feel the cold metal of the barrel press against her stomach and she shivered. At this distance she couldn't dodge the bullet, enhanced reflexes or no.
The pregnant silence lasted for another minute before he let out a frustrated breath and lowered the gun, putting it back in its holster. Gwen breathed a sigh of relief and stepped back slightly, offering him a hand with a small smile on her face, "I'm sorry for what I did...I know that won't make up for it, but I hope that we can start over," She forced out a laugh which sounded strained even to her, "And hey, you didn't shoot me. That's something, right?"
Spider-Man stared at the offered hand before he accepted and pulled himself up, "I gotta tell you something..."
She blinked at his sudden closeness, "Y-Yeah? What is it?" She could see every fleck of green in his eyes, could feel his every breath against her skin, and she swallowed nervously. It reminded her way too much of what happened a few weeks ago, "Peter...do you-"
"...I didn't shoot you because I was out of bullets."
In hindsight she should have seen the headbutt coming, but there was no time for lecturing herself now. His forehead collided with the middle of her face and she stumbled back, one hand covering her nose while the other ejected a webline at his back to keep him from jumping off the rooftop, "God damn it, Spider-Man, stop!" She pulled him back, the male vigilante stumbling at the suddenness of the action, "I don't want to-"
"You honestly thought your little spiel would work, didn't you!?" He pulled himself closer to her, using the momentum to try and deliver a punch right at her face, "You must think I'm as stupid as the damn kid that idolized you!"
Gwen winced and detached the webbing, dodging to the side in order to avoid the clumsy blow. It felt odd fighting without her spider-sense to guide her, but she could do this. She had to, "All I want do is cure you! That's all!" she pleaded. God, all she needed for him to do was talk to Cap. She would understand it wasn't his fault and they could purge that poison from his system for good, "Please, if you just-"
She was cut off with the punch connecting to her jaw. It didn't hurt as much as some other hits she'd taken, but it distracted her long enough for him to aim a knee at her gut hard enough to make her want to vomit.
'Damn it, this is not working!' Gwen aimed two lines of webbing at his feet to hold him in place so she could have a moment to think, 'That's not gonna hold him for long...' She grimaced. She didn't want to hurt him, but it was obvious talking to him wasn't going to cut it, 'Maybe...Maybe if I just hit him hard enough to knock him down?' It made her feel sick just thinking about it, but she didn't have a choice, did she? She had to make sure he could get cured.
He charged at her again, but she was ready this time. Gwen webbed his right arm and aimed a kick at his legs to knock him to the ground. She felt a bubbling sense of guilt almost take her when he glared up at her, mouth parted and showing off some of his now-sharpened teeth. The serum was still in his system; whatever immunity he had was definitely taking its sweet fucking time doing its job.
'This is for his own good...' She blocked his last attempt at a punch and wrenched his arm back, steeling her nerves when she heard him scream in pain in response, 'Not broken...but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt.' It didn't do much to stop the rising tide of regret she was already feeling, but she could deal with it. It wouldn't be the first time she'd dealt with guilt these five years...
She straddled his stomach, both hands pinning down his own as he continued to struggle and glare up at her, "God damn it, will you listen to me!?" she screamed, the sound cutting through his angered growls, "This is for your own good! If you don't get that poison out of your system you're going to die! Don't you get that!? It doesn't matter how much immunity you have, if we don't make sure it's out of you for good you'll always have a risk of turning back into that thing! I'm doing this for you-"
"No, you're doing this for yourself! Because you're so sure you're right, damn everyone else!" he snarled, "It's my life and my freedom on the line here, not yours!"
"Spider-Man-"
"You're not even listening to me, are you?" He looked away and let out a bitter laugh, "No, of course not. Spider-Woman's always right, always knows what's best no matter who else has to suffer the consequences, right? That's all it boils to, isn't it?" He made one last attempt to wrench his hands from hers, but her grip remained firm, "You can't admit that I may have a point so you just shut me down and force me to follow what you want."
"That's not what this is," she said firmly, her gaze hardening, "You can hate me all you want, but that poison inside you...we can't just leave it. What if you couldn't control it, huh? What if you attacked the Parkers? Attacked other innocent people? You can't look at what you did to those men down there and tell me that nothing's wrong with you." She took a deep breath, "All I want to do is keep you from losing control, Peter...please don't turn into a monster like him-"
"I just wanted to be special...like you."
"Wh-What..?" Her eyes widened and she froze, her grip on his wrists loosening just enough for him to wrench his hands away from her. Before she could counter he aimed a punch at her neck and pushed her off, pulling the webbing from his legs and running towards the edge of the roof. For a second he stopped and turned back to look at her, his expression briefly torn before turning into a scowl once again.
"Stay away from me."
"Pe...Peter...wait..." She fired another line of webbing, but it was too late. Peter jumped, the web passing through where he was standing just a second prior, "No...no, no, no!" Forcing herself to stand and biting back pained tears she stumbled to the edge of the roof and looked down at the alleyway. The entire area was pitch black, lacking even the telltale cheap lightbulbs that usually lit the way.
Gwen grabbed her mask and let herself fall, pulling on the last part of her disguise when she landed. The darkness surrounding her was almost stifling. Stumbling to the right she grimaced at the sight of the busted lightbulb hanging off the wall, 'He must have smashed the lights...' She punched the wall in frustration, the bricks collapsing from the force of the blow.
He tricked her...used Peter's last words against her. Gritting her teeth, she released a line of webbing and pulled herself into a swing. She was going to find him, she had to.
She spent the rest of the night searching and came up with nothing. No more 'lucky' muggings someone else intercepted, no word on anyone she asked on whether they saw a young man dressed in a trenchcoat like he was straight out of the 30's. It was only when the clocks signaled that it was past midnight and the streets began to empty out that she had to admit it to herself.
Peter was gone...and she wasn't going to find him.
That last part sent more than a few feelings of bitterness through her core. She was tempted to blame it all on him, that it was all his fault for being stubborn and refusing to listen, but she knew that wasn't true. Despite her intentions she couldn't deny the part she played in letting it get this far for lying to him for so long. It would've been better if she'd told him outright or just rejected him those weeks ago. At least then things would have remained simple.
She heard her phone buzzing and landed on the roof, taking out the smartphone and reading the message on the screen, "At the hospital with Ben and May..." It was from her dad. The unspoken message was clear, 'Where are you and why aren't you here?'. She bit her lip and took a final look at the expanse of the city behind her. Peter was out there now, but even if she spent the next week straight searching she'd never find him.
But her family needed her now. She could be there for them even if she couldn't for him.
It took almost no time to swing over to the hospital and change in a nearby abandoned alley. The receptionist was even faster, sending her to the designated room without even looking up from her computer. Sighing, Gwen trudged up the stairs and made her way through the sterile halls of the hospital. She never liked spending time here; it reminded her far too much of the time when her mom was sick or her dad had to be treated for gunshots.
Looking up at the room number, she let out a soft breath and pushed it open, "Hey, guys. I'm here-"
For the second time that night she found her words stuck in her throat. Uncle Ben was lying on a bed, a patient gown over the bandages covering his midsection while at his side she could see Aunt May and her dad sitting in silent support. All three of them turned to look at her, their expressions ranging from relieved smiles to subdued looks of pain and curiosity. About what she expected...
...If an unmasked Captain America wasn't sitting on the other side of the bed like it was no big deal.
Gwen blinked and rubbed her eyes, wondering if maybe she was just seeing things, but there she was. The senior superhero looked at her patiently, her smile just as strained as her dad's before she spoke, "No need for explanations, Gwen. I already told them why I'm here." She nodded to the other three before looking back, her eyes expectant, "...Can I assume by the lack of his presence that Peter won't be joining us?"
"I...no, he won't." She looked away, trying to ignore the discomfort she felt when Uncle Ben and Aunt May's gaze bore into her. They wanted to know the truth, wanted to know if their little boy was alright.
She only wished she could tell them the answers they wanted to hear.
"I was afraid of that." Cap sighed, "Well, I suppose it wasn't wholly unexpected considering what happened the last time you convinced him to come in for testing. It took a lot of arguing to get Hill not to just send a squad of agents after him." Uncle Ben and Aunt May gasped, which caused her to throw them an apologetic look, "Don't worry, he's safe. I won't deny that he poses a risk, but so far he seems to have remained in control of his faculties and hasn't hurt innocent people."
...Why did she get the feeling Cap wanted to add a 'yet' at the end of that sentence?
"I just...want to know if our boy's alright..." Uncle Ben mumbled, Aunt May nodding beside him and grabbing hold of his hand tightly, "We would've been dead if not for him...we just want to talk to him, try to understand why this is all happening."
"I understand, Mr. Parker, and I'm sure Gwen did her utter best, but if he's not with her now then I'm afraid there's little we can do." She nodded at her, Gwen giving her own nod in return, "I won't lie to you: As of right now we're still uncertain whether he truly is the Peter Parker you know or not due to...contradicting information, but as soon as we know the truth you'll be one of the first people to know."
"What about what happened to him?" her dad asked, "You said he was infected with the same serum that caused Peter to..." He looked at Aunt May and trailed off. She knew the feeling all too well.
"I just want to know he's okay...I'll be satisfied with that." Aunt May mumbled. Gwen could see her other hand holding onto the the tattered remains of his mask and she frowned. It belonged to his Uncle Ben...he must have been in a lot of shock if he just forgot about it.
"We'll try to find him as soon as possible. As of right now we can only hope that his immunity truly suppresses the effects of the serum, lest we have another repeat of the incident three years prior." Cap sighed again, "Gwen, you may not want to hear this now, but the process of proving your innocence has just been finished. In two days time the information will be released and you will officially be pardoned."
"What? Now?" She looked at Uncle Ben and Aunt May, her face pained, "C-Can't we delay it a bit more? Uncle Ben just got injured and-"
"Now, Gwennie, don't you worry about May and me." Uncle Ben interrupted, a soft laugh coming and going, "It's just a scratch, I'll be out of here in a few days. No sense in postponing the inevitable and all that. Just..." He licked his lips and adjusted his place on the bed, "Promise us you won't waste this chance...and when I get out of here we're going to have a talk about what happened tonight. No lies, just the truth no matter how harsh it may be. Alright?"
"I...of course, Uncle Ben." What else could she do but agree? She couldn't use them as an excuse anymore, "Well...I guess this is it, then?" She stepped closer to Cap and offered her a hand, which she took in a firm grip, "No more running from the cops, huh?"
"That's right. In two days time Spider-Woman will be a S.H.I.E.L.D sanctioned hero. I hope you live up to it, for all our sakes."
This was all wrong...
Peter stumbled down the alleyway, his every breath strained and shallow, "Damn it..." He pressed a gloved hand against the wall of the of the building to his right, his other hand covering his mouth as he let out another string of coughs. He could feel the blood seeping between his fingers, the taste of copper lingering on his tongue. His vision swam and it was difficult to breath, but he'd be damned if he was going to lay here and die.
"She deserved worse."
His legs buckled and he was forced to his knees, the feeling of the cold snow seeping in through his trousers. Through blurry eyes he saw his wrist free of the green tinge and scales that consumed it not too long ago, 'The symptoms will pass...' he reassured himself. They passed when he'd fought those ninjas weeks ago and they'd pass now. He had nothing else to-
"Coward..."
He grit his teeth and punched the ground, ignoring the bursts of pain that met his knuckles in response. At least it helped keep him focused, avoided him from imagining voices in his damn skull, "I'm really becoming one of the crazies...like everyone else in this madhouse..." He forced out a laugh before breaking out into another fit of coughing, though less painful this time.
"You don't deserve it."
Peter didn't know how long he stayed in that alley with nothing more than the sound of his own breathing - and nothing else - as company. It could have been seconds or it could have been hours, but eventually he managed to force himself to stand and trudge towards the end of the alley towards the deserted street. He just needed to make it back home and sleep it off. By the time he woke up things would be back to normal and then...
And then what? The only reason he spent time with Spider-Woman...Gwen was because she promised him information on Octavius, information he couldn't get on his own. He saw those pictures: Octavius wasn't in New York...hell, it'd have been a miracle if he was in America at all. He could be anywhere on the planet, and he had no way of finding out where at this point.
What was he going to do then? Come crawling back to Gwen, beg her for mercy and admit that he was wrong to not follow along blindly like he was her pet? He shook his head. No, there had to be another way.
He didn't make it very far past the alley before a limousine parked in front of him, his spider-sense giving the same increasingly familiar blare again when the back door opened and he saw the lone occupant sitting inside.
Another clown in a suit...literally this time. The guy inside was dressed in a white ensemble: White suit, white tie, white gloves, white shoes and a white mask with a crescent moon symbol at the center of his forehead, "...Huh, and I thought I saw everything already." He straightened himself up, "What, the cloak and ninja look didn't do it for you?"
"That's more Marc's preference. I prefer a bit more flair to my attire," he replied. Peter narrowed his eyes; he was talking about another person...but not really. Again he felt his spider-sense thrumming at the back of his skull, "I'm sure we'll have more of a chance to get to know one another, but I'd prefer if we didn't talk out in the open like this. So..." He gestured to the seat across from him, "Wanna take a seat?"
"What makes you think I'll even get in that car?"
"Well, you could stay here and possibly collapse, at which point some punk's going to find you hanging around 'his turf'." He crossed his arms, "Best case scenario he mugs you for what little money you have and takes your shoes for good measure. Worse case? He realizes that you're the new hero on the block whose been making things so difficult for others like him and he kills you right there and then...and takes your shoes for good measure." He shrugged, "Trust me, I've been dead before. Not as dark and peaceful as everyone says it is. So...you getting in?"
He was tempted to argue, but he eventually sighed and trudged inside. He'd just burned his one lifeline...may as well get all the friends he could take.
Well...that went well :/ Evidently fight proper was rather short, but considering the original plan was for the confrontation to not take up a full chapter I think this is pretty good all things considered. I also shortened the fight since I didn't want to turn it into a full blown no-holds barred brawl: Originally Noir was going to attack her in the dark alley with the stealth advantage, but I cut it out in favor of him deciding escape was more sensible.
I tried my best to make both character's arguments have merit, but ultimately who do you guys agree with? Anyway, I may make another chapter this one to show their new status quo with Gwen now being a licensed hero with S.H.I.E.L.D's backing and learning that it's not just about beating stopping the villain of the week. Meanwhile Noir digs deeper into his brand of vigilantism now that Gwen's not there to reign him in and with Moon Knight, Bullseye and Punisher encouraging said descent.
Depends on whether you guys think this finished up well enough and how much I want to pass 300 reviews before finally taking a break ;)
Review answers:
Hardlight - Not sure if 'escalated quickly' is the proper word considering it was the 32nd chapter. Most fics don't even go for half of that before going for the big drama reveals, so I figured this was a good enough time. Sadly, it did devolve to a fight; Gwen thought Noir not shooting her was the start of the 're-introduction' cliche but them's the breaks.
KasugaRomio - Again, just a break, not a full stop. That and like I said above I might make at least one more chapter depending on whether people are satisfied enough with this as a breaking point. Also puts us closer to that girl you keep talking about ;)
Dr. Sugarcakes - You and a lot of people seem to dislike that phrase, but I have a fondness for it :P As with Hardlight above, sorry; no jokes and reconciliation - though Gwen certainly thought it was going that way - because Noir attacked her...though whether he did on his own or his little voice in the head convinced him to isn't known since it wasn't from his POV. Maybe we can have it later when they meet up again.
Anyway, a mask like that would require either specific materials or that he develop proper radar vision like DD. Considering the fact that Noir is a low-tech character to contrast Gwen being a high-tech character I'm not sure; it's even noted in the story multiple times that her costume self-heals while he has to keep replacing his due to sustained damage.
Also, the mask he was using up until the current chapter (he left it at the Parker house in his panic) has sentimental value hence he's unlikely to part with it. Same reason why he keeps repairing it rather than just getting a new mask even though Bullseye would give him one gratis. Same deal with Rorschach considering his mask to be his true face.
Mingyu - Surprised you bothered to review all three chapters ;P Anyway, this chapter's done with nothing more than a limited fight.
Redentor - Already replied on SB, but I hope you continue to review both here and there :D
Krolikson - To be fair Gwen's costume isn't just white: It has black segments, pink/purple/violent (depending on artist) arm highlights along with her neon blue shoes and web pattern. As for the fight, you were right: Running away and surviving over fighting for Noir any day of the week ;) Anyway, no shared chapter, though Noir got a bit for himself at the end there.
Jajo Camello - Thanks for the advice, though I'm curious: Why the multiple reviews? Just make a space, dude ;) No need to make a double post.