How to Save a Life

by LucasA

Healing takes time, it also takes courage, not only for Peter Parker. It's been five years since the death of the love of his life and future, Gwen Stacy. Peter tries to learn what it means to get a look at new beginnings while helping others recover from their tragedies. A story about how individuals relate to one another in difficult times. Rated M for sexual themes.

4. The Evil that Men Do

October 12th - 2013

Under the current blaze of orange light coming from the sunset that overwhelmed the color pattern of his newest suit, Spider-Man swung between the skyscrapers of New York. He had a backpack on his back and had just finished patrolling. He made a smooth landing on his girlfriend's fire escape. Fortunately, the window to her bedroom was open; there was no need to call for her.

Before setting his feet over the carpeted floor in Gwen's room, Spider-Man first moved his head and torso inside. He took off his mask and backpack and threw them on her queen bed. He then stretched his shoulders and took off his gloves, along with the chest portion of the suit.

Thankfully, he didn't have to worry about being caught by Gwen's family. They were away on a trip to England and Gwen had been the only one who opted to stay in the city, for obvious reasons.

Peter yawned and then heard his girlfriend sing to herself from inside the apartment.

"I got a pocket, got a pocketful of sunshine… I got a love, and I know that it's all mine, oh…"

He left the bedroom and found Gwen alone in the kitchen, tidying the counter after her afternoon snack. He paused for a second to admire the way her body was squeezed into one of his oversized shirts she had been wearing at the moment. Her pair of shorts also left little to the imagination.

She seemed extremely comfortable in her attire.

Gwen continued proudly, "Do what you want, but you're never gonna break me… sticks and stones are never gonna shake me, oh…"

Peter lowered his sight down her back and stopped at her bottom, the curves of her buttocks appeared below the edges of the shorts. He was careful not to let her know that he was arriving in her direction.

He put his arm around her waist and leaned his head near her right cheek. "Hey, beautiful."

Gwen was startled by her boyfriend's sudden appearance. "… come on, Peter. You'll be the end of me at this rate."

"Sorry." He planted a soft kiss on her neck and felt her shiver as he touched her. "I wanted to avoid stopping you from singing."

"You've heard that?" She blushed and looked over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of his expression.

He nodded. "You are certainly one step closer to fame."

She chuckled and turned on his grip before resting her hands on his pectorals. She kissed his lips with ease. It was slow and their way of properly greeting each other after hours of being apart.

Gwen backed away from the kiss and smiled. "How was your day?"

He sighed in contentment. "Better now."

She frowned slightly. "That bad?"

"Hard to say."

"What happened?"

"Well, I… I think I might have accidentally stumbled on a lead on Ben's killer."

With her right hand, Gwen stroked the back of his head. "How do you feel about that?"

"I don't know… yet." He added, "I hadn't thought much about him ever since that bridge accident with Connors. I think today brought those feelings and thoughts back."

"Don't… rush into it, okay? You're a good guy. Let's just spend the night together first."

He nodded again. "You're right. I've missed you."

Gwen smiled. His hands went down and stopped on her hips. He hiked her up onto the kitchen counter.

She let out a short giggle in reaction to his gesture. "What are you doing, bugboy?"

"You look stunning, you know?" He smiled back, passionately. "The prettiest thing I have seen all day."

"Just today?"

Peter chuckled. "Every day." He gestured to the shirt on her body. "I'm surprised you walk around in here with this shirt.

"It's comfy."

"Is your mother aware of it?"

"She does some teasing here and there, yes." Gwen questioned, "Do you want it back?"

"No, it looks much better on you."

"… another reason for you to keep coming back to me."

"Trust me, there are plenty of reasons already."

The shirt she wore pooled around her waist, and his hands roved over her bare thighs. Delicate touches that had her toes curling and her heart soft, warm in her chest. He rested his bare hand on the small of her back.

His fingertips tapped along the ridges of her spine.

She sighed in contentment. "What are you looking for?"

Peter ignored her question as they kissed again, his hands coming up to cup her face as he deepened the kiss. A satisfied hum rolled out of Peter, and she arched her back into it. She eventually pulled away from him, a little breathless, and his forehead lightly pressed against hers.

She let out a wide smile, "Tell you what, you go shower… and I'll make us some popcorn so that we can watch a movie together. And later… who knows what could happen?"

He smirked. "Is this your not-so-subtle way of saying that I smell?"

Gwen giggled shortly. "Not really, but you did were swinging around all day in that skintight suit."

"Fair point."

"There's a clean towel in the bathroom, you can use it. Did you bring clothes?"

"Of course, I came prepared."

She gave him a pick peck on his lips. "Then I'll wait for you here."

Peter put her back on her feet. "Can't you join me?"

"It hasn't been long since I took a shower."

"Okay then," He leaned on her neck and planted another kiss there.

Peter backed away from her and began heading for her bedroom. It was her turn to stare at his body, his bottom in particular. She whistled at him.

Peter chuckled to himself and entered her bedroom. He unpacked his bag over her bed and took his pair of shorts and shirt into his hand. He walked over to the bathroom inside Gwen's room and set his fresh clothes on the edge of the sink before stripping himself bare.

The bathroom was well-decorated and had a minimalist style. It certainly looked fancier than the ones he was used to.

He stepped into the shower cubicle and was greeted with a large amount of water from above him. He raised his chin and let the water hit his face directly. Furthermore, he once again sighed in contentment.

Moreover, Peter decided to apply some shampoo to his hair, and without looking, he moved his hand toward the tray set against the wall. He didn't find it at first, his hand couldn't find what he was looking for. Before he turned around, he felt a hand slide against his skin and rest on his chest.

Gwen placed the shampoo in his hand. "Were you looking for this?"

He smiled. "What about the popcorn?"

"The perks of having an electric corn popper." She added, "I just couldn't resist taking a longer look at your perky butt."

He returned the shampoo bottle to the tray and turned around to face her. He put his hands on her hips and she put hers on his shoulders.

Peter began gently exploring her body with his hands. "I'm glad we have a mutual understand, then."

She let out a convinced smile in the corner of her lip.

He considered his girlfriend to have many impressive features, her large green eyes, stunning good looks, lean body, and delicate porcelain white skin. Her breasts weren't large, but they fit her small frame perfectly. They were firm and round.

Peter met her large green eyes and then snaked his arm around her, placing his hand on her back and bottom, pulling her towards him. Her firm, perky breasts became pressed against abdominal muscles, as his other hand was placed on her chin, turning it upwards.

Gwen felt her heart threatening to beat completely out of her chest with the sensual touching and close contact they were sharing. The second he leaned his head down and softly kissed her on the lips again was everything she wanted at that moment.

She whispered between their lingering kisses, "Don't you want to do this later, bugboy?"

He parted slightly and looked into her eyes, "… who's to say we can't do it again later?"

She bit her lower lip. "I can't say that I disagree."

Peter pushed her up against the slippery tile of the shower wall, pinning her body down with his, and smiled into their kiss as she tightly wrapped her legs around his waist. She moaned into his mouth as his hands gripped her buttocks. He pulled back, breaking off the kiss, cupped her left breast, and pressed his lips to her neck.

She took in a deep breath and arched her back against the wall as he began kissing her cleavage. She later leaned forward once again and panted into his ear.

The glasses and walls of the bathroom began fogging up.

Gwen noticed how his manhood aimlessly poked at her moist core, rubbing it without going forward. Peter was busy kissing her neck and torso, so she moved her right hand down his abdomen and reached for his member before positioning it straight toward her sex.

They moaned as they connected each other's bodies, their eyes closed, and the pleasure overwhelmed them both.

Peter brushed his face against the side of Gwen's as he panted. She moved her arms around his shoulders and kept him close to her while he began thrusting his hips slowly and carefully. They looked into each other's eyes. He was succeeding at reaching a very sensitive spot within her in their current position; it didn't take much longer for Gwen to reach her first climax in his embrace. He didn't stop.

While he kissed her neck, she closed her eyes and shivered as the waves of pleasure that moved within her body swept through.

He climaxed shortly after, pumping his seed into her, and hugging her. He groaned in pleasure and decreased the rhythm of his thrusts until they were both empty of rapid movements.

Gwen bit her lower lip and later slowly opened her lustful eyes, meeting his own. She caressed the back of his wet hair and panted heavily. "I love you…"

Peter brushed his nose gently against hers. "I love you too… Gwen."

They hugged each other closely.

Gwen later whispered, "Can you…"

He interrupted her before she could finish her question, "I can…"

Gwen signaled to put her on her feet again. She turned towards the wall and dragged him close behind her by moving his right around her abdomen. He inserted himself into her heat once again and watched her rest the side of her against the tile, before quickly letting out a deep moan and closing her eyes.

Peter leaned his head in towards her and kissed her cheek while thrusting his hips faster.

About an hour later, Peter opened his arms for Gwen on the couch, and she moved closer to him as he cuddled her. He now wore a shirt and shorts, while she could be seen wearing only a blue pantie and another of his shirts. Her hair was still slightly wet after their prolonged shower.

They were now busy watching the movie they had chosen.

Gwen moved her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as he wrapped his left arm around her. She held the popcorn bowl above her thighs and from time to time moved some bits of popcorn to his lips. The stand next to Gwen's side of the couch had two glasses filled with orange juices and a small package of medicine.

Peter chewed the popcorn, eyes set upon the television screen, and spoke, "I could really get used to this."

She smiled. "We would need to have our place."

"You don't think your mother would allow you to watch a movie with me here in your panties?"

"I have a small feeling that she wouldn't."

Peter caressed her shoulder with his left hand. "We'll figure it out." He smiled and later questioned, "How was your day?"

"Nothing much. I talked to Philip a little, for about an hour."

"That's quite a lot."

"I know, right? He can get chatty sometimes… and I like to talk to him too, so I guess we both get chatty."

"You two are very close, I'm glad about that." Peter kissed the top of her golden hair. "I always wanted brothers."

She smirked, "Not a sister?"

He chuckled. "Why not?"

She smiled. "Well, aside from listening to my brother's love problems, the only noteworthy thing I did was watch some of Dr. Warren's classes to get a sense of the whole thing."

"And how did that go?"

"I… I think that Biochemistry and genetics would be more up your alley, but it's pretty interesting regardless. He wants me to join classes if I'm ever accepted to Empire."

"It would be cool if we went together."

She raised her chin to take a look at him and smiled. "You can't stay away from me, right?"

"Maybe. I would rather keep the good people near me."

"So, it's not because I'm your girlfriend?"

"That's just a little plus."

Gwen chuckled and later planted a kiss on his jawline. She focused for a brief moment on the clock next to the television. "Little plus… right. Time for the pill."

She reached for the stand on her side and grabbed her contraceptive pill from the package and ingested it easily thanks to the orange juice, before cuddling next to Peter again. "You've never even asked me to be your girlfriend."

He teased back, "I'm just not… old-fashioned."

Gwen burst into fits of laughter. "What?!"

He smiled. "You heard me alright."

Gwen shook her head as she moved bits of popcorn into her mouth. "I'm such a lucky girl, ain't I?"

Peter nodded and pulled her closer to his embrace as they watched the movie in comfortable silence.

She eventually said without ever taking her eyes off the screen, "… and hey, you're a good person too. Don't forget that, bugboy."

---

September 24th - 2019

Present time…

Were you truly sure of that…?

The blue lights of the high-ticket club flashed brighter from above the massive crowd present on the dance floor at the bottom level of the club, reachable by a long stairwell. Attendees could watch them from their VIP cabins on the upper floors. The place was more of a hybrid between a burlesque lounge and an underground warehouse club.

A notable component of the dance floor was the huge 30' feet platforms adorned with dancers. They moved in a sultry grace and in time to the pounding techno music and its bass.

The operational cage at the very top of the venue had been transformed into a sort of art-deco lounge, it was full of mahogany furniture where important personnel could look down upon the crowd and bark orders at the various waitresses milling around.

There was barely a phone in sight throughout the venue. But the crowds could be heard screaming and whooping along with the music. They couldn't hear Spider-Man back at ground level tackling each one of the security guards that arrived from the stairs and doors to try to put an end to his ongoing and intense blitzkrieg. He had one clear goal in mind, to meet Wilson Fisk, wherever he was at the club.

Until he found the man he was looking for, Spider-Man didn't mind taking on the people on his way.

A man rushed towards Spider-Man and was thrown over the rail by him. He fell to the stairwell that led to the dancing floor and where the busy crowd stood in. A single security guard in Spider-Man's front direction rushed towards him, while another did the same from behind. When they were close enough, Spider-Man jumped into the air and pulled their heads together, effectively bringing them both down to the ground.

Spider-Man noticed how people near the area had finally acknowledged his presence, and some of them naturally began filming the scene. He looked to his side and spotted a blonde woman standing behind some people. Her green eyes stared directly at him.

He stood still and became disconnected from his surroundings for a brief moment.

Why…?

He didn't notice the kick on his back that sent him to his knees. He turned on his shoulder to take a look at his enemy and immediately received a punch to the jaw, before having his neck choked from behind.

Spider-Man recomposed himself and pressed the back of his head against the man's nose, breaking free from the latter's grasp. He turned on his back and grabbed the man by his shirt collar, pressing him against the handrail that kept them from falling deeper into the club.

Spider-Man demanded, "Fisk, where is he?"

The man had his left hand on his bleeding nose. He pointed to a balcony in the upper levels with his right hand.

Spider-Man said, "Thank you." He moved his knee harshly against the man's stomach and pushed his head against the handrail. The man fell to the ground after losing consciousness.

Spider-Man watched as another guard arrived and pulled his handgun out of his jacket, pointing it at him. Spider-Man quickly shot some webbing into the guard's left hand at the same time as the man pulled the trigger. The guard screamed in pain once the gun exploded in his hand as he quickly fell to the ground.

Spider-Man looked at the man in pain one last time and then raised his chin to the cabin where Fisk was. He shot a biocable to the roof behind the cabin's balcony and flew towards it, landing on the rail. He quickly leaped into the air and stopped over the short table in front of Fisk, who had been sitting in front of it while having some sushi for dinner.

His five personal guards in the area immediately aimed their pistols at Spider-Man.

Fisk raised his left hand, gesturing for them to stand down. He asked, "What do I owe the pleasure?"

Spider-Man closed his left fist. He noticed the scar on Fisk's cheek. "I never thought you would be found in a place like this, Willy."

"You would be surprised at how many deals can exist in a place… like this." He added, "It does seem like someone has ratted me out."

"That's the least of your concerns right now." Spider-Man suddenly held the kingpin by his suit's collar, stretching the spandex in his hand.

The guards once again raised their weapons at Spider-Man. Fisk intervened, "Stop." He looked at the vigilante in front of him. "What is it that you want?"

"The Maggia."

"What about them?"

"Cut the bullshit, Fisk. I'm really not in the mood."

Fisk smiled. "You're finally losing your edge. After all this time, is there anything of the real Spider-Man left?"

"This is personal, this is the real me… and you're treading on thin ice."

"Now you have my fullest attention."

"I know you're acquainted with them. They've attempted to kill Jefferson Davis, what's going on?"

"I'm not aware of the reason behind their operations, Spider-Man."

"… but you've been shipping Oscorp tech to them."

"We had a deal, yes."

"… had?"

"Well… they've stopped contacting me. They're on their own, and I'm not one to go after people if I'm not going to do something about them."

"Why do they want Oscorp tech? What were you receiving in return?"

Fisk rubbed the side of his head with his fingers. "Their comeback was financed by me, and then they spread my influence all over the region. A fair deal, if you ask me."

"You really want to win the elections, don't you?"

Fisk smiled. "I know that Captain Davis has been going after their warehouses, so it's not surprising that they finally fought back."

"What about this… Hobgoblin? Do you know anything about this nutcase?"

"Not much. Last I heard, he or she is the top Maggia lieutenant. It's a recent development."

Spider-Man let go of him. "I need to find them before they do anything else."

"… I would be more than willing to help you with that."

"Why?"

"If you take them down, all ties will be cut." They all will be having a meeting in two days, but I don't know where Joseph is, their leader."

"What's the catch, Willy?"

"You'll owe me a favor."

Spider-Man scoffed. "No! You will owe me a favor, you got yourself in this mess, you. You're lucky I didn't bring a recorder with me."

Fisk silenced. "… fine."

"You're welcome." He questioned, "Now, tell me where they will be meeting at."

Fisk gestured to the door on his left. "Everything you need is in there."

"I hope you're not messing me because I'll know." Spider-Man set his feet on the ground and began heading towards the door.

Fisk smirked. "I wouldn't dream of that."

Spider-Man looked over his shoulder and at Fisk. "Nice scar you got there, it seems like the cat got to you."

"… that she did."

The private lounge was overwhelmed by a purple tint from the light in the ceiling as Spider-Man opened the door. He found Felicia Hardy sitting on the L-shaped leather couch. She wore a black one-shoulder long dress, which contained a long sleeve and a split cut on the dress, exposing her whole left leg. A dark choker hugged her neck.

A smaller table was set in front of the couch. The table had a couple of folders spread on top of it, with a daiquiri glass above it.

He closed the door behind him and stood still, taking in the sight. Felicia looked at him, just as surprised. He began, "Felicia…? What are you doing here?"

Felicia quickly recomposed herself. She moved her left leg over to the other. "I could ask you the same thing. What brings you to a place like this?"

"I've been following a lead. Have you… gotten my text?" Spider-Man took a couple of steps toward the couch.

Felicia leaned towards the table and took the glass in her hand. "I did." She took a sip of her drink.

Spider-Man sat down on the couch, establishing a short distance between them. "… and?"

"Look, can we do this… some other night?"

"So that you can disappear again?"

"You were pretty clear on what you wanted."

"I don't think I was, that's why I want to talk to you."

"To what purpose?"

"To make things right."

She looked away. "It's better for us to keep on our separate ways."

Spider-Man moved his left hand on top of hers, above her lap. "Felicia, I'm… not in my best state of mind. I… I swear I'm on the verge of losing it, and I'm sorry if I hurt you in any way. I won't ask you anything else, ever again."

Felicia inhaled deeply, "We can talk in my penthouse tomorrow night, okay?"

He nodded and took his hand off hers.

Felicia sighed heavily. "I assume you're not here because of me, but for the Maggia."

"… yes."

Felicia let out a tiny smile slip in the corner of her mouth. "I'm here for them too. It seems like your old friend, Fisk, wants some help getting rid of them."

"Why did you come here after him?"

"It was the logical thing to do after we've found those crates." She questioned, "You were hesitant to go after him back then, what changed your mind?"

He paused and stood in silence for a brief moment. "The Maggia has hurt a couple of people close to me."

"… I see. That's why you're here."

He nodded. "I need to put them down before anyone else gets hurt."

"Fisk gave me these files. They will be having a cult meeting soon, in a heavily guarded cruiser not far from the island." She cleared her throat, "Perhaps we could… go there together."

Felicia had always been something else.

"Sounds like we have a plan, yeah."

"There are a couple of things we need to sort out, but I suppose we can talk this through later."

"Sure, no problem." He questioned, "Should I bring anything?"

They say a black cat can give back luck, but I don't feel that around her.

She tilted her head slightly to the side. "If Fisk's info is accurate, I think that… you'll need a tuxedo."

For how long? I don't know, I just hope I can do some actual good for her… just like she did to me before.

---

September 25th - 2019

Peter waited for the hospital's elevator to go to his floor of choice. He held his phone in his hand and waited for the right words to come from his finger and towards Philip's chat box. He wasn't sure of what to say after so many years. Their last encounter turned out to be not very positive.

He realized the elevator was about to arrive at his destination. He took a deep inhale and began typing on his phone.

PP: Hi, Philip. It's Peter. I hope you still have this number. I just wanted to check on you. Last time wasn't the best of situations, and I wanted to make sure you were okay. Maybe we could talk again? Take care.

Peter moved his phone back inside the pocket of his jeans and closed his eyes as the elevator stopped. The doors opened and greeted him at the sight of the heavily guarded hallway. A couple of police officers walked around.

He began to head further inside and spotted Miles Morales talking to his uncle, Aaron Davis, in front of a patient's door. From his position, he could make up some of what they were talking about.

A couple of bandages were on Miles' face. He looked hurt. "What is it that you even want, uncle?"

Aaron put his hands on his nephew's shoulders. "I wanted to check on my brother, Miles. He's my family too."

"The only time you ever show up is when he's near death's door!"

"Miles, it's not that… it's um… complicated."

"Mom would rather not allow you to see him. I convinced her otherwise."

"I understand where she comes from. I'm not blaming her."

"Sometimes I feel like I barely know you."

"Come on, Miles. You know me better than anyone else."

"It's just that… I keep doing all of this to you… and for what?"

Peter would be catching up with them soon. He stopped in his tracks and gave them some space.

Aaron caught a glimpse of Peter in the hallway. He focused on Miles once again. "I promise you… that one day you'll understand, and your father will be there to help you understand. He'll get through this."

After a brief embrace with his uncle, Miles turned on his shoulder and entered the room he had come out of.

Peter shook hands with Aaron after approaching him. "Hey, how are you holding up?"

Aaron rubbed his jaw. "Everyone's worried… and scared."

"I genuinely understand."

"Yeah… and about your… friend, is there any news regarding what I told you?

Peter nodded. "He said he found Fisk in the club. He's now checking on another lead."

"So, you think it helped?"

"Yes. Fisk might have given some important information thanks to you."

Aaron crossed his arms and looked at the ground. "I'm glad for that, I truly am. It's good that you and Spider-Man are… in touch. I had a hunch."

Peter changed the subject, "What about you? How did you know about Fisk?"

"Let's just say that… my past is questionable." Aaron looked towards the elevator at the far end of the corridor. "Anyway, you should check on Miles. He likes you. I'll come around again."

Aaron patted Peter on the shoulder and began walking away. Peter stopped in front of the room and inhaled deeply, before knocking on the door.

"Come in…" Mile spoke from inside.

Peter entered the room and closed the door behind him. He found Miles sitting in a chair next to Jefferson's bed. The latter had been in an induced coma since he was brought to the hospital. Jefferson was filled with stitches and bandages all over his body. He was now intubated in his bed.

The doctors couldn't save his right arm.

Miles looked over his shoulder, "Hey, Pete."

"Hey, little guy. How are you doing?"

Miles shrugged his shoulders. "I'm… holding up, I guess."

Peter dragged a chair next to Miles and sat down close to him. "Where's your mother?"

"She and MJ went home to make some sandwiches. The food here can be… a bit weird, you know?"

"Oh, for sure." He questioned, "MJ's been here?"

"Yeah, she's great."

Peter nodded, slowly. He then focused on Miles' wounds. "You're looking better."

"I'll heal… I'm not sure about dad, though."

Peter placed his hand on Miles' shoulder, reassuringly. "You're a fighter, you both are. We are… going to get through this."

"People keep saying that… I'm uncertain whether it's just not blind hope at this point."

"… what else is left for us if not blind hope of better days?"

It's easier to say stuff like this with the mask on.

Miles sighed heavily and remained in silence.

Peter rubbed his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I… wasn't there when it happened."

Miles looked over his shoulder and at Peter. "They ambushed us, they shot at us, and… yeah. Some of my father's friends didn't make it. There was nothing you could do."

"I could have tried."

"They tried to fight back, but it barely lasted a minute." Miles paused. "I couldn't do anything. I was useless. I just watched it, until I couldn't anymore… and now we're here."

"This didn't happen because of you. It's not your fault."

Miles remained in silence.

Peter raised from the chair and moved his hand to Mile's shoulder once again. "I'll find the people who did this, Miles. This won't be left as it is right now. I can promise you this." He patted him gently on the shoulder and left for the door.

Miles lowered his chin and allowed his gaze to settle on nowhere in particular in the ground. He was drowned in his thoughts.

Outside the room, Peter looked down at his bruised and shaking left hand.

There it is, the fear of losing… of losing again.

He gazed at the ceiling, before shutting his eyes and inhaling deeply. He later took his phone back in his hand and opened the text he had just received, it was from Philip.

PS: We made our choices a long time ago, and you certainly didn't choose us. There's nothing else to say.

Peter tightened his grip on his phone as he gazed at the screen. He frowned and hid his phone again, before pulling on the collar of his shirt to adjust the suit underneath. He headed towards the elevator, walking past the police officers who were guarding the hallway.

Later, at ground level, Peter moved through the hospital until he was meters from reaching the exit. He was so concentrated in his thoughts that he failed to notice the redhead calling for him as he unknowingly walked past her.

"Peter…? Hey."

Peter stepped outside and spotted the newsstand near the entrance. He got caught up in the news when he approached the side of the stand. The Daily Bugle reported on Gordon's escape, much to Peter's despair. It also seemed like the Hobgoblin had played a hand in that. Yet, what got into him the most was the paper's headline.

Spider-Man Menace: a new limited series about the most dangerous threat in New York City, by J. Jonah Jameson.

Peter closed his right fist and was about to pull the paper out of the stand in a moment of rage, but he felt a delicate hand move to his arm. He turned on his shoulder and met Mary Jane.

She carried a plastic sack in her left hand.

He narrowed his eyes. "MJ? Hi…"

She pulled him into a hug with her free arm. Peter closed his eyes for a brief second and relaxed in her comforting embrace. It brought him memories from his past, memories from a similar situation.

She stroked the back of his hair. "You were rushing off… I think you didn't notice me."

They parted away. He frowned, slightly. "I'm sorry… I … I was thinking of something."

"I'm usually not one to chase people around, but… are you okay? You seem quite tense."

"A little tired."

She nodded. "Everyone's edge. I'm sorry about what happened to Jefferson, May told me you know each other."

He sighed. "Yeah, it's unfortunate."

"He'll get through it, though. I believe in that."

Peter silenced.

She placed her free hand on his arm. "I brought some sandwiches for Miles. Don't you want to come inside? There's enough for everyone."

"I-I need to figure some things out, MJ."

"Are you su-"

He didn't allow her to finish her sentence, "Yes, MJ. I am."

She seemed caught off guard at his reaction. "Okay… if you say so."

Peter shook his head to himself, realizing how he had come out. "Just… be safe." He walked past her and headed on his own into the city.

MJ watched him increase the distance between them as her hair blew slightly in the wind. She sighed heavily.

The hospital's security guard that had been wandering at the entrance interjected, "Hey, why don't you put a smile on that pretty face of yours? I'm certain you could be someone else's girl."

MJ rolled her eyes and turned to look at the hospital's guard. She let out a convincing smile and pointed her index finger at her lips. "Is this bright enough for you? Are you happy now?"

The guard widened his eyes in surprise at her snarky response.

MJ groaned and headed towards the entrance to the hospital. "I'm nobody's girl but my own, that's how I like it, but you're right on something… I can't ever forget to put on an act."

---

"You can make your own facts and who cares if they are true, right?" Peter vented in front of Jameson's desk inside his office at the Daily Bugle.

Jameson frowned from his chair, keeping the cigarette in his mouth. "It's what the people want to hear, Parker."

"Well, according to you and only you, Spider-Man should be hunted down like a mad dog. Shot on sight. None of that messy trial business, no! He's too much of a menace for that, right!?"

"Have you forgotten that whenever there's a bad thing going on, he's always involved?!"

"Because he's trying to help!"

"Then explain how these… super villains only began to come out after he first appeared?!"

"And what if he wasn't there to stop them? Do you think that the police could have caught the Lizard back then?"

"Of course, I trust the brave men and women of our flawless police force more than a masked man that no one knows anything about!"

"Then what happened to the innocent until proven guilty crap you pulled for Osborn?! You wanted to frame me… frame Spider-Man for Gwen Stacy's death! And now you're pulling this cheap move again!"

Jameson set down his fist against his table. He stood up. "Honestly, Parker! It is unclear to me why you're so upset over this. It's not like you're Spider-Man, to begin with."

"What happens when he stops making it easy for me to get your photos?"

"You would have… to try harder."

Peter crossed his arms. "I wouldn't be so sure of that, Jameson."

"Parker, you should be thanking me!"

Peter laughed, briefly. "You're kidding me."

"Yesterday, some guys came looking for you, and guess who got rid of them?"

Peter was taken aback. "Who came looking for me…?"

"Several lads in black suits, they wanted a word with you. I told you to not publish that article, so I'm not surprised this happened. You're lucky I talked them out of it, you owe me." He added, "Are you tired of arguing with me now? You should focus on Spider-Man instead!"

Peter exhaled deeply and shook his head. "Whatever, Jameson." He turned on his back, stepped outside, and slammed the door behind him. He took a step forward into the large office before Betty called him from her secretary's desk.

"Peter, come here, please."

He turned on his shoulder and approached the desk. "Hi, Betty."

"Hey, handsome. I'm trying to wire you this week's commission, but your bank keeps reversing it."

Peter rubbed the back of his neck and sighed. "… yeah, that account got closed. Can I write you my new one?" He gestured to the pencil and paper above her table.

Betty nodded "Please." She noticed the bruises on his face. "Are you okay?"

He finished writing the information down and put the pen aside. "So-so. Thank you for asking, though."

"Things seemed to have gotten pretty tense there."

He shrugged his shoulders. "You know how it is with Jameson."

She teased, "Well, I don't have the same perks that the prodigy man here has to be able to argue with him."

"Oh, I wish. Jameson's language is money, and as long as you speak that… it's possible to get away with some things." He placed his hand on her shoulder, gently. She smiled. "I should be going now. Thank you for reminding me about this bank thing."

Betty beamed, reassuringly. "Just don't be a stranger, Mr. Parker."

---

The sun was almost gone when the white-platinum blonde hair stepped out onto the balcony of her penthouse. Felicia was draped in a red silky bathrobe and carried a glass of champagne and the bottle itself in her hands. She stretched her arms above her head and leaned against the balcony's rail, before setting the bottle and glass on top of it.

Spider-Man landed on the rail. She was undisturbed by his arrival. He watched her pour the champagne into the glass.

Felicia teased, "I suppose you're not here to arrest me for having a mere drink in my own house."

"Is it even your house?"

She took a sip and looked at him. "Private property shouldn't be a thing."

"You're not Marx, far from it."

Felicia let out a brief chuckle. She watched him land on firm ground and stand next to her as they both looked over the city.

She questioned, "How are you doing?"

"I've felt better." He turned his head slightly towards her and continued, "About what happened some days ago, I'm… sorry about all of that."

"What do you mean?"

"It's been a rough couple of years, and I let it out on you. You just wanted to help me when I was hurt and confused, but I didn't listen. I shut you down." He sighed. "I guess that's been a habit of mine lately."

"I… I know I'm not an easy person to deal with."

He nodded. "You might just as well be, but I messed up. This is about me, not you."

She smiled. "It sounds like you're somewhat breaking up with me… again."

He insisted, "I mean this, Felicia. I'm serious. I know you're dealing with something personal, you've told me bits about it… and that it is related to the Maggia. Yet, I've left you on your own back there, and I shouldn't have" He paused. "… this whole thing is important to you, so I want to help you. We can do this together."

She inhaled deeply. "You really are impossible, aren't you?

"What? I… I'm sorry if I said anything wrong."

"No, that's not what I mean. I just don't know why you feel like wasting your time with me."

"It doesn't feel like that to me, Felicia."

She looked inside the glass of champagne in her hand. "… I suppose you should know more about me."

"You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to."

"… but I want to." She looked over the city and hugged herself. "I've already told you that my father was a good thief. The Maggia didn't notice this for a while, but eventually, they did. The original Black Cat became their to-go man whenever something delicate needed to be extracted."

"I see."

She examined her reflection in the lenses of his mask. "I suppose the apple doesn't fall far off the tree. So, I've begun looking up to him, I admired him…. even if he didn't want me to. I became more involved with his world. I asked to be brought to the many events the Maggia had, people from all over the world were there, they were fancy… and they were also interesting."

"How old were you?"

"I was in my late teenage years back then." She continued, "There was this guy, he was not much older than me. We… grow closer, and then I had another good reason to tag along with my father to these meetings. I could see this boy again."

Felicia held the glass in her hand and took a sip. "We were close, and then there was a moment where we were about to have sex, it would be my first time… but I hesitated." She shook her head, lightly. "He kept trying and pushing me for it. I thought I wouldn't be able to… break free of him."

"Felicia, I never…"

She continued, "… but I did, I managed to hit him quite hard, and he really wasn't happy about that. I left as fast as I could, and later I told my father. He was angry, so angry… but not at me. He quickly cut all ties with the Maggia, but not before… doing something to him. They got him arrested, locked, and then that guy was part of the group that most likely killed him in his cell."

Spider-Man watched her facial expressions as she navigated her memories.

She sighed, heavily. "So, here I am now."

Spider-Man put both his hands on her shoulders. "I'm so… sorry, Felicia."

"You weren't there, there's no need to be sorry." She added, "It's not something I mention around. You are… the first person I ever told this to."

He placed his gloved right hand against her left cheek.

"… and now I'm the current Black Cat… following in my father's footsteps, another not-so-bright example of men in my life; I'm doing what I know the best… and trusting no one but my gut for a long time."

"I wish I could… change that."

Felicia looked away and cleared her throat. "… you did. I… I trust you. You're different… you manage to make me fangirl over you. Don't you realize this?"

He gently moved her chin towards his face. "I don't deserve your trust, Felicia… but thank you nonetheless."

"You do. I… I-I even tried to make things work between us. I've never sought such a thing for a very long time."

"When we first met, those first months… it couldn't have worked, Felicia. I'm still not in a good place in my life. It wouldn't have been fair to put you in a situation where I wouldn't be able to match your needs and dreams."

She eventually nodded and hugged him, before resting her head against the side of his neck.

He wrapped his arms around her and teased, "… and you're still a thief."

She smiled. "I tried going straight. You know that."

He shrugged his shoulders. "You should have tried harder."

She raised her chin to look at his masked face. "Why are you still masked?"

"I thought you preferred that way?"

"Well, not when we're opening up to each other." She added, "… and you shouldn't kink-shame."

He shook his head in response.

She assumed a concerned expression this time. "I know why you frequently keep it, even when it's safe, and it's not because of your identity."

"You may be going somewhere." He gently let go of her. "About the Maggia, what do you want to do about them?"

"Honestly, I would be pretty satisfied with burning the whole ship down. You?"

"We are somewhat on the same page. About that… if he's around, what do you plan to do?"

She paused. "I don't know yet."

"Okay, sure. Just… let's not do something that I wouldn't do, alright?" Felicia nodded. He questioned further, "What are we doing next, then?"

"We need to find our way into their meeting tomorrow night; it won't be that far from the city, but still quite secured."

"Any plans?"

"Fisk gave me a list of attendees. And guess what, there's one near us. That man we found at their warehouse, Lincoln, right?"

"He's in jail."

"Well, then we should visit him right now. I would ask you to suit up, but I guess I'm the one undressed here. Care to help me with that?"

---

At the North Precinct of Midtown, Lincoln read a book while in his bed and within the holding cell he had been sent to for the moment. Turns out that working for the Maggia wasn't a guarantee of a successful life. Fresh air was allowed to enter the room thanks to the bars in his window, much to Spider-Man's enjoyment.

"Hi." Spider-Man greeted from outside while hanging upside-down against the top frame of the window.

Lincoln jumped in his bed in surprise. He turned on his back and pointed his index finger toward the vigilante. "What are you doing here?"

"Did I scare you?"

"Go to hell."

"Went there, got back." He added, "Your new home looks nice, though."

"Can you leave already, you Spider-Jerk?"

"Wow, that's quite creative…"

"What is he saying down there?" Black Cat asked back from the rooftop.

Spider-Man kept his hands steady on the webline that held him upside down. "Just small talk for now. He doesn't look thrilled to see me."

Lincoln crossed his arms, "Is that the kitty talking?"

"Pretty much."

"Let her know that she's going to be six-foot under the grave soon."

Black Cat questioned again, "What's he saying now?"

Spider-Man pointed at her torso, "He's saying that no woman with a chest like yours should be able to move as fast as you do."

"Tell him they act as ballast."

He nodded, "I will." He looked back at Lincoln. "Listen, I really don't want to go in there to get what I want from you, I'm not in that great of a mood thanks to your friends."

Lincoln turned his attention back to his book. "Well, I told you everything I knew. I ain't saying anything else-" He felt a web-ball land against the back of his neck. "What in the…"

Spider-Man spoke, "Now, now… we've known that you've been naughty, you haven't told me everything at all."

"What are you even talking about?"

"You have the tickets, invites, or whatever you people call it, for the cruiser 'party' you people are going to throw tomorrow." Spider-Man added, "Either you tell me where I can find this, or I will hang you outside your window all night, pegging you with web balls."

"… you wouldn't…"

"And if that's not annoying enough, I'll have Black Cat sing memories from Cats." He looked up at her. "Hit it, cat."

Black Cat opened her arms towards the sky and began singing, "Memories all alone on the pavement…"

Lincoln pressed the palm of his hands against his ears.

She sang further, "I remember a time I knew what happiness was…"

"Alright, alright, alright…!" He finally ceded. "You two are the worst."

About forty minutes later, Spider-Man and Black Cat jumped off Lincoln's apartment balcony and reached for the building's rooftop above it. They had gotten their tickets to the meeting. The thief crossed her arms and smiled as she looked over the colorful city. Spider-Man stopped next to her. He eventually turned his head towards her.

Black Cat could feel him staring at her from behind the mask. She knew the lecture was about to come. Furthermore, she finally faced him. "What is it now?"

"Did you really have to steal that necklace?"

She rolled her eyes. "It's not like he will need it."

"Where did you even put it?"

"I have some places in here for it."

"Yeah, that's what I feared."

"Are you going to arrest me now or what?"

Spider-Man sat on the edge of the rooftop's cement rail. "I have lost how many felonies of yours I've given you pass for."

"Then why do you keep acting like this? We've gotten the tickets, we did a good job. Isn't that what matters?"

"I'm just saying… is all."

"Can't you talk about the time when I saved you from that blood-sucker Morbius… or, I don't know, the Sinister Six?" She added, "Gosh, what a stupid name that was. Regardless, you can really tick me off sometimes, you know? I also feel like you're still mad at me because of the whole mask thing back then… as if you wanted anything more than that as well."

"We're going there…"

She crossed her arms under her breast and stared at the city. "Hell yes, we are. It's like you still have… a grudge against me or something. Yes, yes… I get it, you weren't ready, and neither was I. That's fine. But let's just… be a proper team, then? This is who I am."

Spider-Man silenced. He sighed. "Hey, Felicia. You certainly saved my butt countless times, and you know… it was sweet that you did that blood transfusion back then when the Six beat the living hell out of me. I do appreciate everything that you have done for me. And the way you drop-kicked me when you were trying to steal the symbiote… that was something else."

She smiled to herself. "Eat it, Spider."

He got back on his feet and stood still behind her. "Okay, I apologize for bringing that up. I was just pulling your leg. You rock, Felicia. You are great." He offered his hand to her, "Friends?"

She turned on her shoulder to move her body against his as she hugged his neck, before resting her right hand on the back of his neck. She smiled. "I hate you so much, you know that?"

Spider-Man was slightly taken surprised. "And I am thoroughly disgusted by you. Still, we are a team." He moved his hands to the back of her waist.

She grinned. "That bit about friends…?"

"Yeah?"

"Does it still come with some benefits at least?"

Spider-Man tilted his head to the side. "Not tonight, Hardy. You should rest now, tomorrow is the day." He added, "… and I believe I've just felt where you're hiding that necklace."

---

September 26th - 2019

Peter opened the door to the small theater for theatrical performances and arrived at the reception. He carried a small bouquet of white floors in his left hand and later stopped at the halfway-shut door that led inside the stage, a guard stood in front of the entrance.

The guard had the figure of a Greek champion.

He asked, "May I help you, sir?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, um… I'm friends with Mary Jane Watson. I wanted to give her these."

The guard raised an eyebrow at him, "The redhead hasn't even acted her first piece in here, and she's already getting some stalkers… that's truly something else."

"What? No, no… I know her."

"They always say that."

"I'm telling you the absolute truth. We are… friends."

"You'd be surprised at how many times I've heard people say the same thing." He added, "You probably know her from her social media and that's it."

"Can you just… call her? She'll tell you the same thing I did."

"No."

Peter sighed, heavily. He narrowed his eyes at the guard and allowed his confidence to completely take over him. He eyed the name patch on the man's biceps.

"Matthew… look, imagine that she becomes extremely successful, which she most likely will be because that woman has a strong will along with the talent… she will become popular, and do you honestly believe that she'll want to keep around the man who won't allow her friends to see her in her most important moments?"

Matthew cleared his throat. He struggled with what to do next. The young man had him cornered.

Peter opened his arms, slightly. "What do you say?"

He nodded and moved to the side. "Fine, you can go in, but I swear that if this goes south…."

Peter began heading forward. "Sure, you'll come for me. You'll just have to get in line because it's quite the long one."

Peter finally entered the auditorium after closing the doors behind him. He could see Mary Jane talking to a woman wearing headphones on the stage, there were more people at the seats in the first room, probably all part of the crew.

The thing that had him in awe was Mary Jane's current attire. She wore a quite snug white corset that had her shoulders and arms exposed. The delicate lace, sumptuous satin, and stockings accentuated every curve of her body.

He cleared his throat.

Maybe I should… come back later.

Peter was about to turn over, but he stopped when MJ called his name from the stage.

"Peter? Is that you?"

He halted and went back to face MJ. He cordially waved at her as a way of greeting.

MJ smiled. "Come down!"

She told the director she would be having her coffee break and started walking towards the stairwell that led off the stage and towards Peter.

He stopped at the far end of the stairwell and saw her come down. "Hey."

"Hi, Peter. What are you doing here?"

"I just…" His eyes briefly wandered down her figure. "I wanted to see you."

MJ let out a wide smile. "Why's that?"

He didn't concentrate on what she had said. "Doesn't that get quite drafty?"

"It's a bedroom farce."

He brought his free hand to his jaw as he analyzed her outfit. "Right, of course."

She teased, "Eyes up here, mister."

He shook his head, lightly. "Oh, sorry."

"Play hasn't started yet. It's a couple of days away."

"I'm sorry. I just… had never seen like you this, that's all. My bad."

"It's okay, silly. I'm just teasing you." She added, "You have seen me wrapped in a towel before, right? This isn't anything new at this point."

"Yeah, I think so."

She smiled. "You haven't really answered my question, though. What's up?"

"Oh, yes. Um… it's just that yesterday I kind of acted like a jerk to you. I wanted to apologize."

"I wouldn't say that you were a jerk…"

"Still, I know I should have… done things differently. So, that's what I'm doing now."

Some months earlier and I would have just let these go. It would have been better that way, and maybe it still is.

"It's… alright, Peter. It's been difficult lately, for us all."

"Regardless, I mean this."

She gestured to the flowers in his hand. "Who's the lucky gal? Or guy, who knows."

"These are for you." He handed her the bouquet.

She beamed as she held the flowers in her hands. "Me? Really…?"

He briefly eyed the cute dimple on her cheek. "Yeah, I hope you like them."

MJ held the flowers against her chest. "Thank you, Pete. These are perfect."

He rubbed the side of his neck. "Are you up for a coffee? You bailed on me last time."

She nodded and offered her hand to him. "Let's go to my room so that I can change and keep the flowers there."

He took her hand on his and smiled as she led him around. "Yeah, I wouldn't expect you to walk around in that."

"You wish." A tiny smile slipped out from the corner of her mouth.

MJ took the lead as they went backstage. She opened the door to the room where the actresses would stay before a play started. The room wasn't as large as he expected, there were about three make-up chairs set in front of mirrors.

She stopped at the seat in the middle and placed the flowers on the stand set under the mirror on the wall and next to the other flowers she had received before.

Peter narrowed his eyes at the collection of flowers. "Wow, I can see that I'm a bit late. You already have plenty of… fans."

MJ freed up some space in her stand to set down Peter's flowers. "Don't be jealous. A couple of these are from my college friends. They are just congratulating me for getting picked for the play." She eyed the different flowers. "There's even one from my… father? Yeah, there is. I suppose that's something."

"Were you not expecting it?"

MJ turned in his direction. She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, there's always a catch when he does something like this."

"I see."

MJ smiled. "I'm going to change now."

"Oh, I'll wait for you outside."

"Can't you just turn around instead? We can keep chatting."

He turned his head slightly to the side. "Okay, sure."

"… and no peeking, tiger."

---

Peter and Mary Jane headed together to the nearest cafeteria while having a chat under the winds of autumn. MJ wore a dark and greenish coat along with a beanie over her red hair.

She held on to him by having her left arm around his biceps.

Peter kept his hands safe in the pockets of his jacket. "By the way, congratulations on being picked up for the play."

"Thank you. I hope I do well."

"You certainly will." He added, "I had no idea until now that you got picked up."

"I meant to tell you yesterday, but… everything happened so fast."

"My bad, MJ."

She smiled and rested her head against his shoulder. "I told you already, it's fine." She questioned, "How did you know I was here, though?"

"I went to the actual cafeteria you work on, and I was told you would be here today."

"That makes sense." She teased, "So, you can fix my door and also track me. What else are you hiding from me?"

He chuckled. "I can't let you know all my secrets."

She smiled. "Well, I'm actually not staying there for much longer."

"Why's that?"

"Between auditions, plays, and photoshoots… my schedule is getting quite chaotic. I'm uncertain if I can fit there for much longer. I don't even know if they would want me sporadically, but it's fine. I understand their reasoning."

"Well, you were certainly one reason for me to go back there."

"You're just saying that because of what happened to your favorite cafeteria."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that."

She let out a short giggle. "You should come to see me in the play… if you'd like to, of course."

"I… I would love to." He added, "I'll be there in the first row, and I'll be the first one to applaud you, every time... even when you're on the big stages."

MJ beamed and rested her head on his shoulder once again.

They eventually arrived at the cafeteria that looked out on Central Park and sat at a table outside and in front of the store. Peter moved her chair slightly away from the table so that she could easily sit down.

"Thank you." MJ sat down and watched him settle down on the other side of the rounded table.

Peter rested his hands on the table. "What would you have?"

"A cappuccino would be great."

Peter gestured for the waiter inside and began handing him the order shortly after he arrived. "Two cappuccinos, please. That will be enough for now."

The man nodded and left the pair alone once again.

MJ crossed her arms over the table. "We've got a similar taste."

"Great minds think alike."

She chuckled and later questioned, "Have you talked to Miles lately?"

"We've been texting each other. He's doing… as good as one can be at this point."

"Yeah, I know. I've been helping his mother when I can too; then there's what's going on with Alice… it really seems like this month isn't being the kindest in that regard."

"I genuinely understand what you mean." He questioned, "How is she, by the way?"

"Missing her father."

"There's been no signal from him?"

MJ shook her head in response. "It feels like the worst might come true."

Peter frowned. "It won't…"

"Are you certain?"

"I hope to be."

The waiter came back and began placing the small saucers and spoons down on the table, before moving the two cups of cappuccinos over the plates.

Peter nodded in gratefulness. "Thank you."

As MJ leaned toward the cup, she smelled the warm scent of the cappuccino. She closed her eyes for a brief moment and later took the cup into her hand. "Yeah, let's just hope things get better."

Peter brought the cup in his hand in her direction. "I'll cheer for that, Ms. Watson."

MJ pressed her cup lightly against his as they both took a sip of their cappuccino. She licked her lips, savoring the taste of her drink for as long as she could. "This is good."

"It is."

"Mine's better, though."

"It is."

She smiled. "How's your day doing?"

"I've been mostly doing some errands. There's not much… going on right now. Nothing to chase for some pictures." He paused, "I did go to the Bugle."

"Did you bring them new pictures?"

"Not really, I went there to have a word with Jameson."

"I haven't heard much about him."

"You should be glad. The guy's a nutcase… but occasionally, he pays me just fine, so I put up with it."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, for starters… he thinks Spider-Man is like… the antichrist, something like that. He's constantly trying to frame him for anything."

"And that makes you upset."

"It does because Spider-Man is just… trying to do the right thing, I don't know what else he has to do to make that clear." Peter added, "Still, I need to sell those pictures."

"He certainly doesn't have to convince me of anything at this point."

Peter smiled. "Hey, I never really showed some of the pictures I've taken, right?"

She shook her head. "You haven't."

He pulled his phone from his jacket and handed her his phone. "Here's some of them."

MJ moved a lock of her hair behind her ear and gently took the phone from his hands. She looked at the phone's screen. "Peter, I didn't know you had any social media profile."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Sometimes I forget I do. But from time to time, I take random photos around the city and publish them in my account."

MJ slowly scrolled down his page, surprised at the quality of the pictures. Many were from random people busy in their daily routines, such as playing chess at the park, feeding pigeons, talking, etcetera. Some angles were also quite impressive, as if they had been taken from a position high above. There were also well-composed photos of the city's landmarks, its many buildings, and beyond.

"You're such a good photographer…" She didn't take her eyes off the screen. "You seem to really enjoy this."

"These last couple of years, I thought I didn't anymore, but yeah, I do."

"What changed your mind?"

"I think I realized that there is power in images. Power to move hearts, to sway emotions, and to make… changes to someone's world, or mine."

MJ nodded, scrolling down further into older pictures. She stopped at the photo of a striking and blonde young woman. She realized the woman in the picture was his former girlfriend, the one who passed away. "I get what you mean, you have a great touch to this."

She smiled and handed him back his phone.

Peter put it away on the table. "Thank you, MJ."

"Have you ever considered taking art classes? Taking this as a full-time job?"

"I did, yes. But I feel like if pursued this as my main gig, maybe it wouldn't be the same thing as it is now, you know?" He watched her take another sip of her cappuccino. "Besides, being the proper nerd that I am… biophysics is more up my alley. I'm still working on that."

"Speaking of that, you never mentioned which college you go to."

"Empire, near Washington Square Park."

She widened her eyes. "Me too!"

He was just as surprised as her. "Really?"

She nodded. "How come I never saw you there?"

"Well, I don't know… I'm not around that often, I also don't hang out with people there that much; so I guess that makes it harder for some to notice me."

MJ tilted her head slightly to the side. "I suppose that could be true." She added, "... but we are going to change that."

He smiled, sincerely. "I can't wait."

MJ took another sip. Peter did the same. They looked at each other while having their drinks and later lowered the mugs back to the table, before enjoying a comfortable silence between them.

She smiled, "You know, if you want to… maybe you could take pictures of me one of these days."

He cleared his throat. "W-What?"

"I could use those pictures to further build my portfolio, and you have a great eye for this sort of thing. We could one day pick a spot and go from there. I'll pay you."

He rubbed the side of his neck. "I… yeah, I think I can do that."

"Are you certain? If you don't want to, it's okay."

"No, no… I'd love to, for sure. You don't have to pay me at all."

"Of course, I will. You're not changing my mind on that."

"Okay, fine." He smiled. "Just let me know when you want to."

"Great, I will." She beamed, content. "What are you… going to do later today?"

"I'm heading to see a friend of mine, Flash. He… came from Afghanistan, heavily wounded, but he's getting there. We'll check out this new apartment he got for himself."

"That sounds cool. My best wishes to him."

"I'll tell him that." Peter took a final sip of his coffee. "Maybe one day I could introduce him to you. I'm sure he'll have a few interesting stories to tell you from our time back in high school. He likes coffee too."

She laughed, shortly. "That sounds great. I like getting to know new people. Perhaps we could all meet here one day, it's a nice spot."

"It would be like… our very own coffee gang."

MJ grinned. "I can bring a few friends too."

Peter nodded and let out a chuckle himself. "And aside from that… later at night, I will be doing something for the… Bugle."

She smirked and teased, "Like a… secret mission?"

"You could say that, yeah."

"You're such a mysterious guy, ain't you?"

Peter raised both his eyebrows playfully as he prepared to joke further, but he had his attention taken elsewhere once the police cars in the street next to them blasted their sirens and stormed past beside them.

Mary Jane watched the cars moving near her side, but quickly set her sight back to Peter's figure. He was still focused on them. She asked, "Do you… want to go there, Pete?"

He faced her again. "Um… I… Jameson is probably going to want me to take pictures of what's going on, or else he's having my head for dinner."

"Sure, I understand."

He placed a few bucks on the table and stood up. "Rain check?"

"I'll hold you on that, tiger."

Peter approached her while she was still sitting down and planted a kiss on her cheek. She smiled as he did so. He began, "Thank you for the company, MJ. I enjoyed every minute of it. See you later."

"Take care, Pete."

The redhead rested her head on her left hand after setting her elbow against the table and watched him walk down the sidewalk until he was completely out of sight. She sighed heavily and let out a tiny smile as she gathered her inner thoughts.

A couple of meters away from the cafeteria, Peter entered a deserted alleyway and began racing through it. He took off his jacket and shirt, revealing his costume, and webbed his former set of clothes to a spot on the wall that was high off the ground.

After moving the mask down his face, Spider-Man launched himself into the air and shot a well-aimed web at the top corner of a building on his right, allowing him to agilely swing higher above the city.

---

About two hours later…

"Sorry for being late, today has been… quite intense." Peter helped Flash move inside his new duplex apartment by carefully pushing his wheelchair through the main entrance and further inside the living room.

Flash nodded. "It's alright. I'm sorry for what happened to the kid and his father."

"Yeah, but they are still in the fight." Peter spotted the many boxes spread all over the first floor. "Quite a place you have here, man."

From their position, it was possible to see the second floor's rail, along with some doors that led to more rooms.

Flash scanned his surroundings with his eyes. "Turns out losing a limb in service gets you decent pay." He added, "I hope the prosthetic arrives soon, then I will be able to move around this place."

"It will, but this apartment doesn't look cheap. It's New York, after all."

"It only needs a minibar now." Flash added, "This place is owned by the family of a corporal in my… former unit, so let's say he got me a small discount."

"Your friend is wealthy." Peter moved them to the middle of the room. "Why did he want to enlist?"

"Sense of duty, maybe? I'm not certain." He added, "I think some people are just searching for something greater than themselves. It could be that."

Peter nodded and stopped at the center of what seemed to be a TV area. A large horizontal box could be seen against the wall where the screen was supposed to be, the mount was already placed on it. "That makes a lot of sense."

"Yeah, but… then some of us can realize that it's all for nothing in the grand scheme of things. At that point, the only hope we had was to accept the fact that you can go out at any second, so we could be doing our jobs properly."

Peter cleared his throat. He walked past Flash and approached the box. There was a set of tools nearby. "Hey, can I hang this for you?"

"Sure, thank you." He pushed the wheels of his chair forward and struggled initially, before finally moving in his friend's direction. "Let me help you with that."

Peter opened the top part of the box. "It's okay, I can do it."

"Peter, I'm not useless."

He argued back, "I'm not saying that you are, but I can do this on my own. It's fine."

Peter pulled the television upwards and towards him until it was finally out of the box. He laid it over the carpet on the ground, and began attaching the mounting plate to the back of the TV. "So yeah, pretty large space you have here. Will you be fine on your own?"

Flash teased, "Is this your way of asking me to live here?"

Peter chuckled. "Housemates? That would be something, eh?"

"I don't know I would manage to put up with your antics, though."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, man. Maybe I would rather have a good night of sleep instead. Are you still seeing that girl?"

"You mean MJ?"

Flash nodded. "That's the one."

"I had some coffee with her earlier."

"So, it was a date."

Peter began tightening the screws in the plate with a screwdriver. "It wasn't really a date. We just hung out, had a coffee, talked… and that's it."

"That's what a date is." He added, "Since when did you become a womanizer?"

Peter felt like having Flash's attention on any other subject that wasn't related to what happened to him in the war would be a good thing. "What makes you say that?"

"You told me you couldn't have some pizza with me because you were at this Felicia's place."

"Oh… Felicia." Peter shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, but nothing happened that night."

"… but there were other nights?"

"I mean, yes…? But it's not something that happens regularly."

"Is it like an… open relationship?"

"What? Of course not,"

"I'm just saying, that appears to be popular these days."

"We don't have a… proper relationship. It's not what you think."

"Sure, let's pretend I believe you." He questioned, "What about this MJ, though? How's that going?"

"We are friends."

"Come on, man. You can trust me."

With both the wall bracket and TV mounting plate now in place, Peter only had to attach the two. He began lifting the TV to the proper height against the wall, "I do trust you."

"Then be straight with your crippled friend."

Peter looked at his hands, careful not to grab or press the screen. "I'm just not sure that I'm… ready to start dating again, you know?"

Flash watched him attach the TV against the mount in the wall. He rubbed his chin. "Sure, I understand that. But how do you feel about her, though?"

"I feel… well, I'm not sure exactly how I feel, but she makes me… reconsider some things and I also really enjoy our time together… there are times when I just want to see her again."

Once the amount was properly attached, Peter allowed the bracket to support the weight of the TV.

"That's a good thing."

Peter plugged the TV into the nearest energy socket. "Why?"

"You're having the butterflies."

"… I'm not having the butterflies."

Flash laughed. His friend felt good about giving him such a reaction. "Come on, man."

"You're genuinely interested in this, aren't you?"

"What better thing is there to talk about nowadays?

"Well, if it makes you happy…" Peter took the remote controller from inside the box and sat down on the ground next to Flash. He sighed, a bit tired. "Our time together is great, I won't lie. She knows what she wants, and she works hard for it. She's also fun, cheerful, caring… and she even helps May at F.E. ."

"Those are plenty of adjectives."

"There's even more." He narrowed his eyes, "But at the same, why would I want to… try something else with her and bring all the baggage I have with me near her? I would rather not take the things she enjoys away from her."

"It wouldn't be like that."

He looked at Flash. "Are you certain? Just look at me, man… I can't get my degree, I don't have a stable job, I don't know what will be of me in a few years, and I'm certain I have some… I don't know, personal problems."

"What? What kind of personal problems?"

Peter looked away and closed his eyes. He regretted finishing his sentence the way he did. He sighed. "I may have exaggerated that last bit."

"Don't do that now."

"I'm serious-"

Flash protested, "Peter, come on… dude."

Peter inhaled deeply. "It's just that… every so often I see her, you know?"

"You mean… Gwen?"

Peter nodded. "Yeah, it's not something that started happening recently, it happened before she… died, but I was seeing someone else. It happens more when I'm alone or… on edge, I guess."

"I-I didn't know, man. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. I'm handling it."

"Shouldn't you… seek help?"

"There's no need for that. As I said, I'm handling it."

I'm still Spider-Man, right?

Peter smiled, reassuringly. "… and I don't want this bright lady to be my therapist, you know? She has already gone through a lot, and she deserves more than that. I… I like her friendship."

Flash nodded, reluctantly. "You know you can always talk to me if you'd like to, right?"

"Same to you." Peter pointed the remote to the TV and turned it on. "Let's see if the channels are working."

Flash looked at the screen. He watched Peter change channels and check if they were all working as intended. "You know, despite all of what you said, I still think she would be lucky to have you. You're a good guy, Peter."

Peter smiled. "… thanks, man. We should all hang out one day and have a coffee or something. She wants to know you."

"That would be great. I assume you have mentioned me?"

"Maybe."

"You told her that I'm your best pal?"

Peter grinned. "Keep dreaming, Eugene."

"Bring her over someday, we can cook something and have a drink."

"I'll schedule it." He focused on the screen. "At least the news channels are working."

Flash deadpanned. "Great, more misery to my life."

"Hold up…" Peter increased the volume of the TV. The reporter mentioned a man who was assaulted by another who had fled the scene. The suspect seemed to be a superhuman and the owner of an alloy texture spread all over his body.

Gordon…?

Flash watched the bloodied victim being carried in his mat to the ambulance. "Isn't that… Mike?"

"From high school, yes. Didn't you use to hang out with him?"

"When I was a moron, which I was for the majority of my life, yes." Flash narrowed his eyes at the screen. "Are they… talking about Gordon?"

"Yes. I've heard something bad has happened to him, and he's out there. He seems to be dangerous."

"How do you know this?"

"I… I work for a newspaper. In fact, I'll… be away in a few hours for a job for them."

"Oh, okay. Yeah, I forgot about that." Flash frowned. "So, you think Mike's involved somehow?"

Peter sighed. "I don't know… but Gordon has to be stopped before he hurts anyone else before he does something worse."

Flash seemed to be deep in his thoughts. "I hope nothing bad happens to him. He already went… through a lot. I also had a hand in all of that."

"People are allowed to change. None of this is your fault."

They kept their eyes fixated on the screen in front of them.

Peter eventually broke the silence, "Also, what you said before… about things being for nothing… I think you're wrong, you still helped the people you worked with come home, and every day you helped the locals, you were important to many people who relied on you. You still did lots of good, and you can still do it here."

---

Later at night, inside the private cabin of the cruise currently on the east of Long Island, a shirtless Peter Parker stood in front of the mirror and marble counter in the bathroom. He reworked the bandage around his wounded shoulder that came to be during the attempt on Felicia's life, a couple of days ago. He kept himself busy applying layers upon layers of bandages around his shoulder.

I swear I've healed faster before…

He then heard the door to the bathroom open with a bare Felicia calmly making her way to the shower, found not so distant from the sink he stood in front of. He looked over his shoulder and watched her stand on her toes and throw her towel over the edge of the shower's frame.

Furthermore, he eyed her beautifully shaped and toned body. Felicia was finely sculpted. He had no problem confessing to that, as she was a gorgeous woman. She had a very toned and slim body, but with some astonishing curves and bountiful breasts.

Peter cleared his throat and narrowed his eyes at his reflection in the mirror in front of him. He later heard the very charming laughter and smile that was almost impossible to resist. He said, "I'm about to wrap this up, and then I'll leave you to your shower."

Felicia was amused at his reaction. "Oh, but I like your company. After all, we are roommates now. We should get used to this." She stepped inside the showering box and closed the sliding glass door.

She added, "Besides, it's not like you haven't seen me naked before… certainly more than a dozen times."

"Are you counting now?" He looked in her direction. Her back was oriented towards him. She had her eyes closed, and her chin raised as the water fell against her face.

Felicia took the soap in her hand and began lazily moving it around over her chest and shoulders. "Only the remarkable nights."

Peter's sight fell to her curvy bottom. "So, you do stuff like this with everyone too?" He shook his head and tried to focus on finishing applying the fresh bandages.

"Like what?"

"… the way you are with me."

Felicia let go of the soap and applied shampoo to her silver hair, before rubbing it backward with her hands. "Are you jealous?"

"No."

She let out a brief giggle. "Don't worry, good guys and girls are my types… and there's not many around."

Peter leaned in towards the mirror, analyzing the eye that had been injured the most, along with his shoulder. There was a red stain in the bottom right spot of his eye.

This is taking so long… something's off. Great, just what I needed.

He sighed. "You know you can do whatever you want."

"Do you mean that? Am I free to diversify my business?"

"Except stealing."

Felicia turned around in the box and faced him. "Ah… too bad." She let her head wander under the water and wash away the shampoo.

Peter applied an eye drop to his injured eye. "There are worse things in the world. For example, we are on a ship full of Maggia's goons."

She eyed him. "Sounds exciting."

He took a shaving razor from the counter, along with a bottle of foam. "Until we crash their meeting tomorrow night and things go south. We can't be sloppy, there's nothing around us."

She teased, "Hmm… but I like sloppy."

Peter deadpanned and looked at her. "Felicia…"

She laughed and closed the shower's tap. "I'm just joking." She stepped outside and began rubbing her towel all over her body.

Peter carefully applied the foam to his cheeks, neck, and jaw.

Felicia wrapped the towel around her body and watched him move the sharp razor to his neck. She approached him and gently took his hand in hers, stopping him from shaving further.

Felicia questioned, "May I?"

Peter nodded in return.

Felicia jumped up on the marble counter and took the razor from him, softly touching his naked chest to gesture that he should step between her legs. "Relax."

He let out a chuckle and kept his eyes focused on hers as she reached out to hold his chin delicately to start working. She carefully managed to shave one side of his face easily, the silence that had fallen between the pair, not at all uncomfortable.

She questioned, "How have you been these days?"

"There's so much going on, sometimes I can get lost on what to do next." He added, "But I'm trying to stop the Maggia for good."

"We are working on that." She turned his head to the side to start working on it. "But I mean you, how are you really?"

He inhaled deeply. "A bit tired."

"Are you going to rest after all of this is over?"

"Assuming we get rid of them… probably not. This city never sleeps."

"Because you're Spider-Man, right?"

He nodded, lightly. "Yeah, exactly." He started shifting his weight from one foot to the other, looking almost uncomfortable in his fidgeting.

"Stay still."

Peter didn't seem to be able to stop. Felicia dropped his arms and gave him her meanest

face as she threatened him with the razor. "I'll cut you if you don't stay still.

He raised his chin and allowed her to work on her neck. "Of course, ma'am."

She smiled, playfully. "You know, we could… take a break once all of this is over."

"And do what?"

"Whatever we want, wherever we want."

Peter seemed to be gathering his thoughts. "That sounds… good, it does, but I don't think I can leave anytime soon."

"Because of that girl?"

He frowned. "What girl?"

She was almost done shaving his neck. "That redhead."

"Oh, no… it's not because of her. Are you the one jealous now?"

She pouted, playfully. "Not at all… a third is more work, but it's also more fun."

"I won't even comment on that."

Felicia laughed. She moved the razor away from his neck and looked at his freshly shaved face. "There you go, handsome."

"Thank you."

She smiled and gave him a quick peck on the lips. "I'm going to dry my hair now."

Peter nodded and helped her stand back on her feet. He turned on his shoulder and entered the darkness of the bedroom they were sharing, before lying down on the right side of the bed and his back. To his right, the balcony in the shape of a half-outwards circle was open, allowing the fresh breeze to enter the room.

He heard the sound of the hair blower back inside the bathroom and decided to relax for the moment by shutting his eyes. The hairdryer eventually stopped and a couple of minutes later, he felt Felicia lie down next to him and rest her head on his shoulder.

Felicia sighed heavily and closed her eyes while he wrapped his left arm around her shoulder.

He whispered, "I feel like someone is going to smash that door open and shoot me anytime soon."

She smiled. "It's not a movie, don't worry. We're safe, and thanks to that ticket… they think we are one of them. I mean, that you are one of them… I'm just your mistress."

He used his thumb to draw gentle circles on the skin of her shoulder. "You're right."

She caressed his abdomen, moving her finger over his scars. She spoke quietly: "Is this really what you want? Living high above the ground? Hunting, being hunted? Always alone?"

"… I haven't stopped to think about that anymore."

"What if you did?"

"I… I suppose it's not about what I want, but what I should do, what I should be." He looked down at her serene expression. "What about you?"

"I like what I do, it's… fun and liberating, I know what my day will be like, and I can choose how it's going to be."

He planted a kiss on top of her head. "Do you… know what the next minutes will be like?"

Felicia looked at him and smirked. She asked playfully, "What are you suggesting, Spider?" She asked, playfully.

He pressed her closer against him and closed his eyes. "That we will have a good night of sleep, Ms. Hardy."

---

Spider-Man's web-line snapped due to the gears of the clock tower breaking apart. Harry, with the other web strung around his neck, was flung back into the wall. Spider-Man looked over his shoulder and watched Gwen rapidly fall away from him without ever taking her eyes off her boyfriend's lenses. He jumped off the gear that he had been battling on to go after her. Everything slowed down once again.

He shot a biocable towards her, but one of the debris below him got in the webbing's way, preventing him from reaching her. He was quickly running out of time. Furthermore, he moved his arms against the side of his torso and dove further toward her, shortening the distance between them, but it wasn't enough. The ground was getting closer.

He extended his left arm towards her, he was inches from reaching her purple blouse. Yet, it wasn't enough.

Peter woke with a start, sitting upright in bed, gasping. He took a moment to steady himself and rubbed away the nightmare from his eyes. He set his left hand over the spot where Felicia was supposed to be lying down, but he didn't feel her. Not only that, but he turned his head to the side and realized that Felicia was nowhere to be seen.

He turned his head to the right and spotted the silver-haired woman standing clad in her satin robe outside the bedroom. She leaned against the rail of the balcony and held a glass of wine in her left hand, taking in the clear and peaceful view of the stars and ocean under them.

Peter moved to the edge of the bed and set his feet on the ground. He headed towards her and said, "You're awake."

He stopped next to Felicia and eyed her calm expression, before gazing at the view in front of them. Furthermore, he swore he could almost see Aunt May's house from their position. Long Island wasn't that far away from them.

Felicia smiled, sincerely. "So are you."

Peter's hair blew lightly to the wind. "Is everything alright?"

Felicia nodded. "It is."

He teased, "So, what's the deal with you and balconies? Is it a cat thing?"

She moved a lock of her hair behind her ear. "You have figured me out."

He shook his head, lightly. "I don't think I have, not entirely. I'm uncertain whether I ever will."

She took a sip. "I just woke up, felt like having a bit of wine… and I took a bottle from the fridge." She asked, "Are you alright, though?"

He nodded back. "I have one… active brain, it can be difficult to have a full night of sleep."

"I see. Well, places like this are good to… cool down and relax."

"I know what you mean."

"It gets me thinking as well."

"That sounds dangerous." Peter teased, before feeling a playful smack on his chest. He looked at the ocean. "Care to share?"

"Have you ever stopped to think what would you be like ten years from now? How would things be?"

"I haven't thought that far."

"Aren't you curious, though?"

"I… I honestly don't know. What about you?"

Felicia put her glass away on the rail and grinned. "Hopefully with enough food to feed my horde of cats."

They shared a sincere laugh as they involuntarily shortened the distance between them.

Peter smiled. "We both have confusing lives, don't we?"

She cocked her head near his. "Would there ever be another way?"

Peter shook his head, playfully. "No, I suppose there wouldn't." He stared deep into her blue eyes.

Her smile widened. She could feel the desire emerging in his eyes, and then moved her left hand to his chest. "… yeah."

Peter rested his right hand on the side of her neck and brought her face closer to his. Felicia opened her mouth slightly and stared at his lips the moment he pulled her closer. Her body automatically leaned towards his own in his grip.

He gazed into her eyes while stroking her cheek with his right hand. Her sight glistened when they made firm eye contact once again.

Felicia whispered delicately, "You don't need to worry about it. I can… take care of myself."

Peter inhaled deeply and looked at her lips. "… I know."

He finally leaned forward and caught Felicia's lips in a passionate, lingering kiss. Her body was supple as she arched further against him, and he wrapped his arms around her back and her shoulders, drawing her closer, feeling the strength, the rippling energy beneath her skin. His tongue slid over her lips, tasting the wine and teasing her.

He then pressed her tighter to him, chest to chest, with heat, friction, and her sensuous curves. He ran his fingers down her spine and nudged the curve of her back. She helplessly rocked into him, her muscles clamped around his thigh, her robe riding up, up, up. He could practically taste her moan on his tongue.

He curved his palm over her cheek, his thumb caressing the contour of her cheekbone while he gentled the kiss and sipped at her mouth, his tongue caressing deliberately. Her lips were receptive beneath his; her fingers curled at his neck, caressing slow circles through his hair, her other hand trailing at his hip, his waist, teased over the curve of his butt, and shivers edged into his skin.

He picked her up as she moaned and wrapped her legs around his waist. He carefully placed her down on the bed and spread open her robe, exposing her round breasts. Not only that, but he captured her lips on his, and later moved his lips down to her neck as she closed her eyes and rode in pleasure. He then arrived at her collarbone in a sensual chain of kisses that initially trailed the valley between her breasts.

While her breasts were kissed by Peter, Felicia felt a current from her breasts go straight to her groin, and she could feel the wetness gathering between her legs. She also felt his arousal strengthen even more. She moaned softly again as he moved away from her breasts and down to her belly. He kissed the soft spot on her thigh before placing more kisses around her leg. Her flesh became softer and softer the closer he got to the top of her thigh, where he stopped his caress to adjust his position.

Felicia sighed, closed her eyes, and took a breath in. She swallowed through her breath with anticipation of what she knew would come next. He began focusing on her hip bone, his hands on her waist, gently caressing her with his thumbs as his mouth lingered on the skin there.

His kisses slowly and deliberately led to the sensitive soft mound of her sex, whilst his hands rested on her hips, caressing her. His lips felt soft as he pressed tender, gentle kisses to her core. She moaned and arched her back as his mouth pressed over her inner lips. He kissed her there as if he were kissing her mouth.

Felicia moved her hands all over her chest. Her eyes remained shut. "… Peter…"

His tongue gently circled and navigated the center of her pleasure. She moaned again, soft cries that went straight to his arousal and almost made it unbearable. With each kiss, she tightened and released, crying out as she reached down with her hand to find his hand before their fingers entwined. She gripped harder onto his hand as her pleasure built and built further. He felt her rising pleasure, the grip of her fingers signaling that she was on the edge. He quickened and lengthened his kisses into her, and as she suddenly wrapped her thighs around his head, she immediately came, deep, aching, and into his lips.

Her orgasm radiated through her, and she felt all the muscles and tendons in her body tighten and then release as the pleasure rippled through her, from the roots of her hair to the soles of her feet. She felt overcome by her senses. Rarely had anyone ever given her such an intense feeling – not just the pleasure.

Perhaps it was because it was him. Her affection and passion for him just kept deepening, and it was unexpected acts from him, both physical and emotional, that fueled that passion and affection. Past lovers had done this to her, many times, but not like this. So gentle and tender had been his kisses yet so huge a tide of abject ecstasy that came along with it.

Peter threw his pair of boxers to the ground and moved over her. He cupped her cheek and leaned down to capture her lips on his.

Felicia wrapped her arms around her neck and caressed the back of his hair while kissing him and tasting herself on his lips. She whispered, "I want you… inside me."

She pushed him to the side and on his back as she straddled him. Furthermore, she instinctively rocked her hips, rubbing their bare and moist sexes against each other while he caressed her strong thighs.

Felicia moved her right hand to his shaft and slowly pushed his manhood into her sex, wrapping his length with her wetness as she locked her eyes on his and moaned as he further entered her. He gasped lightly as he got deeper inside her. She eventually settled for riding him slowly whilst her hands rested on his abs, and his on her waist. She threw her head back and moaned as he hit her spot.

Peter moved his torso off the bed and towards her, before snaking his arms around her back and pulling her closer while kissing the entirety of her cleavage. She wrapped her arms around his neck and gently rode him further. She leaned down to kiss him, her mouth hot and eager over his. He let go of her lips to plant a line of kisses along her jaw and down her neck, his tongue swiping at her collarbone. They would be busy exploring each other's bodies for a bit longer as the night went on.

---

September 26th - 2019

Peter adjusted his tuxedo's tie once he stopped in front of the well-guarded two-way door that led to the cruiser's main auditorium. His current suit hid the colorful one underneath it. Felicia, clad in her provocative black dress, had her left arm around her companion's right arm.

The guard raised his hand at Peter. "I need your invitation, sir."

Peter nodded. "Sure thing." He took the card from the pocket in his pants and handed it to the man.

The guard eyed the invitation card. He turned his head towards Felicia. "Who might she be?"

Felicia smirked and interjected right away, "I'm his mistress." She noticed Peter raising an eyebrow at her.

The guard took one last look at the pair. He finally stepped out of their way and held the door open for them. They nodded at the man and began walking forward and further into the large and crowded auditorium that was devoid of any chairs. The fancy people inside were busy chatting in small groups until the main event took place on the stage, others were having a drink near the bar next to the stage.

The back of the auditorium had a full ocean view through the tall and large windows. People could be found having a cigarette and chatting in private outside as well.

Peter questioned, "Was that necessary?"

"It got us inside, right?"

"We have to be more careful."

She teased, "Are you upset because I said that I am your mistress? Do you want me to be something else instead?"

"That's not… what I meant." He added, "There's a lot of people we don't know in here, many dangerous people. We shouldn't test them."

"Sure thing, Spider."

"… I believe we'll be okay for now… everyone's busy looking at you."

"Then I might have picked the right dress after all."

Peter scanned the area with his eyes. "You look wonderful yourself."

Felicia looked at his determined expression. She was surprised at his praise. She smiled. "Thank you."

"You're most welcome."

"You also look quite handsome in this suit." She added, "I have good taste."

"You do." Peter picked a tiny object from the inner pocket of his tuxedo and analyzed it closely to his right eye. It looked like a tiny chip.

Felicia joined his gaze. "What's that?"

"I would call this a spider-tracer, but I'm still deciding on the name."

"And what are you going to do with that?"

"Might tag someone, we shall see."

As they walked further into the room, they overheard a group of men chatting in their thick Russian accents about their experiences in the city. The pair slowed their pace and listened to the conversation.

The fresh in the town man asked, "Why Midtown?"

"Because getting webbed up is always better than a concussion."

A third one added, "Exactly. Pretend his jokes are funny. Spider-Man will go easy on you."

Felicia smirked and turned her head towards Peter's. "It seems like you're the belle of da ball."

Pete tilted his head slightly to the side. "I am quite offended."

They continued, "Venture a bit west, however…"

"Oh yeah, avoid Hell's Kitchen, or you're dealing with the devil… and that man has some anger issues."

Peter and Felicia resumed their path. He stopped and pressed the back of her waist towards him as they faced each other. Their faces were inches from each other.

He whispered, "We should split up for now… so we can cover more ground."

She kept her chin raised toward him. "And here I thought you were marking territory."

He pulled her face closer and captured her lips on his.

Felicia caressed his rib cage. She felt him distance his lips from hers. "Already?"

"Just a good luck thing. There's no time to waste."

She could see the small earpiece on his right ear. "Let's keep in touch."

He nodded. "Did you hide your suit nearby if things go completely south?"

"Of course, it's in this maintenance closet. I'll go there when it's time to change."

"Alright." Felicia turned on her shoulder, before having her right hand gently held by Peter. She faced him again. "What?"

"We do this together. We put them down… together."

"We will." She gestured to her earpiece. "Don't forget about your earpiece."

Peter let go of Felicia and watched her wander further into the crowd. He turned on his shoulder and began moving as well, and to nowhere in particular. He merely searched for a familiar face or something that could give them a clue of what was going on within the gathering.

About twenty minutes later, Peter decided to mingle further and leaned against the bar set meters from the stage's left side. He kept his eyes on the lookout and questioned through his earpiece, "Anything, Felicia?"

"Nothing at all. Just a few men trying to chit-chat me. What about you?"

"I don't think anyone of considerable relevance is here. I wonder when someone will take the stage. I think that would be our guy."

"You're probably right. I think the people here are mostly little guys in their hierarchy. I did spot some politicians and… philanthropists, as they call themselves. I never go to meet who runs the show."

The bartender behind the stand approached Peter and questioned, "May I serve you a drink, sir?"

Peter rubbed his chin. "I'm not much of a beverages guy… but what do you have?"

"Whiskey, crème de violette… a dry martini, perhaps."

"Sure, I'll have a… dry martini." Peter smirked and added, "Shaken, not stirred."

The bartender grinned and walked away.

Felicia interjected, "Did you really have to say that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're such a nerd."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Guilty."

The water arrived after a short while and placed the martini glass on the counter. "Here you go, sir."

"Thank you." Peter nodded and took the glass in his hand. He sniffed it and finally took a sip, before frowning lightly while doing so. He later licked his lips, "This is certainly something else."

He took another sip of his drink and began to grow used to the strong taste in his throat.

Felicia spoke, "You know, the sight of you in that tuxedo while drinking a martini certainly gets me going."

Peter shook his head and let out a tiny smile. "… don't get used to it."

The lights of the whole area were shut, with the only remaining source of light now being the spotlight above the stage. The people turned their attention to the platform as the chattering was silenced.

Felicia said, "It starts."

Peter emptied the contents of the glass and set it back on the counter. He moved back toward the crowd so that he could have a straight and clear view of the stage.

A man wearing a black suit and red tie took the spotlight. He had a couple of scars on his forehead, it looked as if he had been shot there in the past. A second man, wearing a lab coat, joined him under the spotlight.

Peter could swear he had seen the latter before in the recent past.

The man in the black suit began, "I'd like to thank each one of you for being here, for being with the family. We wouldn't be where we are right now without all of you, that much is clear, and for that… we all remain strong, wherever we are, whenever we operate our tasks."

Peter whispered, "Do you know who this person is?"

"If I had to take a bet, I would say that's Joseph, one of the heads of the Maggia… if not the main one."

"Are you familiar with him?"

"No, I've never seen him before. I think this is one incredibly rare appearance."

Joseph continued, "The strengthening of our family will continue, and the interests of our every cell will be considered. We'll keep ourselves united… to the benefit of our goals."

Peter walked past more people as he got closer to the stage.

Joseph turned on his shoulder and watched what looked to be a human-sized pod being moved from behind and to the spotlight. He gestured at the pod, "… and this is one tremendous step towards our long-lasting security and stability."

The pod was finally set in the center of the light by two guards that quickly went returned to their former position.

Joseph turned towards the man in the lab coat and nodded. "Warren, take it from me."

Warren smiled and took a toward the audience. Peter widened his eyes at the mention of the man's name. It was clear that it was the same Warren that Gwen had been in touch with before they split up for the second time.

Warren began, "I can only say that this is our first step towards our everlasting future," He approached the side of the pod where a panel could be found and pressed some of its buttons. "… and also towards eternity."

The pod's door opened towards the ceiling, with a man wearing dark boxers stepped out of it. He stretched his back and turned his sight towards Warren.

The scientist spoke, "Flint Marko… please show us what you can do." He nodded as a sign of encouragement.

Flint reluctantly looked at his right arm. The texture in his arm slowly changed into what seemed to be pure sand, until it changed to the shape of an axe. The crowd was impressed right away.

Peter cleared his throat. "Are they… changing people?"

"It… does make some sense, they have access to Oscorp tech, right? You told me before that they had been messing with genetics."

"I wasn't expecting them to…be able to do stuff like this." He looked around, "This just got more complicated."

He waited for a response from Felicia. Once it was clear he wouldn't be getting one, he questioned, "Is everything alright?"

"… I've seen one of his close friends."

"Whose friends?"

"His."

"Oh, okay. Where… are you right now?"

"I… I haven't ever been this close to someone who knows him well."

Peter searched for Felicia. "Be careful. This man might recognize you."

"I hope he does."

"Felicia, it's not the right moment to take any rash decision."

"This is the best opportunity I've ever had so far."

"What are you even going to do to him?"

Peter finally spotted the thief walking past people and heading toward the back of the area.

He quickly caught up with her and took her hand in his. She turned towards him and showed him the indignation on her face.

Peter didn't let go of her arm. He moved closer to her. "Is this really what you want to do?"

Felicia narrowed his eyes at him. "I was not aware that what I wanted mattered to you."

"This is not something you would do."

She took her arm off his grip. "What do you even mean? You think I could kill him?"

Peter silenced for a brief moment. "… you just implied it."

She scoffed, "Well, nothing is off the table."

"You don't mean that."

"Don't worry, I'll get him out of here before I start asking him questions. No one will notice a thing."

Peter watched her turn on her shoulder to leave and reached for her hand once again. "Felicia…"

She looked even more angered. "You have no idea the pain I endured all these years. This is personal, this is about me, not you. I'm not here for the same reasons as you are."

"There's another way."

"What other way, Peter? Do you want me to… bring him to the police? You don't understand how things work. We live in different worlds."

Peter cleared his throat without ever taking his eyes off her.

Felicia sighed heavily. "Fine." She got close to him, and they were now inches from each other's faces. "Will you marry me?"

Peter narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you even talking about?"

She showed him the ring in the palm of her left hand and focused on his puzzled expression. "I'm serious."

"Where did you even get that?"

She moved her free hand to his right hand. "From nearby... it doesn't matter, though. I want you to have it."

"You're not serious."

"Take me, make me your wife… let's flee, just you and me. You can do anything you want to me."

"Felicia…" He felt her hand move inside his sleeve as she pressed the button of the web shooters on his wrist. His left foot was now covered in webbing, effectively making him stuck to the ground and unable to go anywhere else for the moment.

She smiled, convinced. "Takes a lot of distraction to overcome that spider-sense of yours."

He tried to free himself by moving his left foot, but the webbing was made to hold the weight of an airplane. He would have to make some noise to free himself. "Oh, you little…"

Felicia turned on her shoulder and went on her way. "Wait for me, will you? I have a plan."

I may never like them, but yeah… you always do have a plan.

Peter sighed heavily as he tried to move his foot carefully under the webbing. "Damn, my foot… my feelings." He checked his surroundings and realized that no one was paying attention to him, thankfully.

Peter straightened his posture and moved his hands behind his back as he focused on the stage like everyone else. The presentation seemed far away from ending anytime soon. Joseph had taken the word once again.

Suddenly, a security guard approached Joseph and whispered something to him. Everyone remained in absolute silence. Joseph nodded to the guard and turned his attention to the crowd in front of him and smiled. He began, "It looks like we have a proper new guest among us."

Peter cleared his throat. He looked at his trapped foot and began trying to free himself once again, quickly succeeding at it this time. The spotlight on the stage was turned off, leaving everyone in darkness, before appearing over Peter's position.

He raised his chin and looked at the spotlight above him. "…uh-oh."

The people around Peter turned to face him. He was now the center of everyone's attention. His spider-sense triggered, and he felt the barrel of a handgun be pressed against his back.

The man behind Peter spoke, "Come with us… now."

Peter looked around. He was encircled. There was no way out without compromising his identity. He nodded. "Sure… just point the way."

---

Peter was pushed down to the chair inside the kitchen's cold storage room. His hands were tied down behind his back. He immediately took a hard punch from one of the two men present in the area. He shook his head lightly and recomposed himself in the chair. "Well, we're certainly off to a great start."

The man who had punched Peter pulled his sleeves up his arm. "What's your name?"

Peter sighed heavily. "Ben." He noticed how the second man in the room stood in front of the cold storage door.

"Ben… what?"

Peter quipped, "… Affleck?" He instantly took another punch to his cheek and later smiled, lightly.

"Who do you work for?"

Peter raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"How did you get here?"

Peter pouted, "The door was open."

"We can keep doing this all night, you know?"

"We'll keep doing this for as long as I want."

His aggressor tilted his head slightly to the side and raised his hand in the air to strike again, but was caught off guard once the sound of an explosion far within the cruiser took place. The contents of the storage room trembled slightly.

The two guards looked at each other, confused.

Peter was just as surprised. The explosion could only mean one thing. He kicked the back of the man in front of him and sent him flying towards the one in the door, knocking both of them out for the moment.

Peter moved off the chair and looked around. He spotted the entrance to a ventilation shaft in the ceiling. "I hope you haven't gotten yourself in trouble, Felicia." He undid his formal suit and later moved his mask down his face.

A couple of minutes later, Spider-Man crawled his way to the end of the tight shaft and punched the grid in front of him, creating an opening for him to move through and leave the ventilation corridor. He had arrived back at the auditorium that now looked like a proper war zone.

A considerable focus of fire was spread all over the stage and in the sections of the area where the guests were previously located. It seemed like most people had already left for safety, except for the three busy men unloading their pistols toward the bar.

Spider-Man spotted Felicia still in her ragged dress and taking cover behind the bar while she strangled a man with her arms, knocking him out for the moment. She tossed him aside on the floor behind the bar and kept her back against it, protecting herself from the incoming bullets. She had blood stains on her dress.

Spider-Man leaped toward the ground and landed behind one of the guards that had been shooting at Felicia. He slid his feet under the nearest guard, causing him to land on his head. Spider-Man then shot a web-line towards the second man's gun, before pulling the guard down towards him and kneeling the consciousness out of the man's face.

There was now only one of them left. As the last standing guard turned his attention towards Spider-Man once he caught knowledge of him, the latter had already sent one of the pistols flying towards his face to bring him down to the ground.

Once he was in the clear, Spider-Man quickly swung his way to the bar. He landed right next to Felicia, who had been sitting on the ground and hugging her knees at that point. He placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Felicia, are you okay? What happened?"

"Peter, I… I'm sorry."

"Did you…?"

Felicia raised her chin and turned to look at him. "I didn't, no! He just… told me that… Yuri died a couple of months ago."

"Oh, I'm… so sorry, Felicia."

"I just don't know what to do anymore."

He took her hand in his. "We'll figure it out. I promise."

"… o-okay."

He questioned, "Can you tell me what happened?"

"After the man told me what happened to Yuri… we were found, and then everything went to hell. I was forced to come back here as I ran. Most of them had already left." She added, "Then all of a sudden, something went off, and I got myself cornered in here. I couldn't even get to my suit."

"Can you move?"

Felicia tried to get up, but flinched and groaned in pain as she landed back on her bottom. Spider-Man held her arm. He looked down at her thigh. She had been shot, the wound bled slightly.

She sighed. "I don't think I can. You should go after them, I'll catch my breath first."

He shook his head and shot some webbing to her wound. "No, we… are both done here. They are probably gone, I'll find them next time. We should find a way to leave."

"Are you certain?"

Spider-Man moved his left arm around Felicia and helped her stand up. "Come on."

They slowly began walking towards the doors they had arrived from earlier. Felicia limped her way forward, but managed to stay on her feet thanks to her partner. The brief window of peace didn't last long, as a round and beeping sphere landed right next to their position.

He recognized the sphere right away. "Felicia, move!" He shoved her way as the bomb exploded and sent both of them flying in opposite directions.

Spider-Man landed on his shoulder. The lower part of his arm was covered by the burning flames, and his right eye could be seen through the shattered lenses in his mask. He shook his arm until the flames disappeared and started to search for Felicia. She was lying on the ground next to the exit.

He heard the sharp sound of an engine coming from the destroyed windows at the back of the room and opposite to the stage. It was the same person who had attacked them at his favorite cafeteria days ago. The person everyone had been calling the 'Hobgoblin'.

The cybernetic and rough voice of Hobgoblin started, "I've been searching for the little black cat, and there she finally is. You've lasted long enough." He glided in the air near the windows he had emerged from and began to turn his position towards the vigilante. "Now, I am surprised at your presence here, Spider-Man. That's really… interesting."

Spider-Man stood on his knee and raised his chin. "Who… are you?!"

"I thought you were a big advocate of secret identities?" He cackled, lightly. "The real question is… what are you doing here?"

"I'm putting an end to this cult of yours."

"Mine?" He cackled again. "That would be… counterproductive. Wouldn't it be simpler if you just stood in your lane for once?"

"Not when people are getting hurt."

"The only people getting hurt are the ones getting in our way." Hobgoblin noticed Felicia slowly stir on the ground. "Why won't you just die already?!" His glider ejected another bomb straight into his hand, which he quickly threw in Felicia's direction.

"No!" Spider-Man shot a biocable towards the flying bomb and then spun around in his center, throwing the bomb back at its sender and having him fly off his glider and into the ground due to the blast.

The glider spiraled out of control and landed on the ground. Some focus of fire took place on Hobgoblin's armor as he slowly got back on his knee. He checked on his left leg and knocked his hand on his knee. "Ah… don't get started on me now."

Spider-Man reached for Felicia and brought her close to his torso. He tapped lightly on her cheek. "Felicia, wake up! I need you to leave now… while you still can."

Hobgoblin took a small serum from the side of his hip. It held a green mixture inside. He stuck the vial's needle to his neck and injected himself, before groaning slightly.

Felicia groaned in pain and fully opened her eyes, meeting his shattered and open lenses. "I… I won't leave you here."

"I'll handle him. I just need you to be safe as I do that."

Spider-Man looked over his shoulder once he heard Hobgoblin cackle from his position.

The latter moved his hands to the back of his waist. "Can you avoid distractions now?" He pulled and sent four mechanical razor bats toward Spider-Man's direction.

Spider-Man hugged Felicia close to protect her as the three of the razor bats pierced the flesh in his back, causing him to gasp and flinch at the sharp pain. The fourth razor bath went past them. He then heard the goblin let out another cackle. His sixth sense triggered again and had him look up, only to see the fourth razor bat correct its trajectory and fly back toward him, before piercing the side of his throat.

Spider-Man immediately fell to the ground and on his back. He moved both his hands to his bleeding throat. The spandex on his hands was quickly covered in thick and dark blood.

"Spider…!" Felicia reached her hand out for him.

Spider-Man struggled on the ground and coughed, slightly. "I-I… don't think… uhh… I don't think it hit… the carotid." He saw Felicia come over to him and press her hands along with his against his throat.

Hobgoblin began walking towards the pair.

Felicia observed her hands be covered by blood as well. She panicked, unaware of what to do. She looked around, and her eyes eventually settled on the web shooters in his gloves. Not only that, but she quickly pressed the sensor in the palm of his hands and shot webbing to the wound and to the razor that was stuck in his flesh.

He coughed again. "F-Felicia… get out… of here, n-now."

Hobgoblin increased his pace and quickly reached them. Felicia tried to strike him first, but took a hard punch to her cheek and fell to the side and away from Spider-Man.

Spider-Man got on his knees and punched Hobgoblin in the gut, making him gasp in pain for a brief moment, but he immediately regretted doing so as his throat hurt even more. He brought his left hand to his throat and almost fell on his chest if it wasn't for his right hand holding his weight against the ground.

Hobgoblin laughed. "You… look at you, you can't even stand. I'm disappointed. Come here."

He took Spider-Man by the collar of his suit and dragged him away as the glider moved back towards their direction. "We need to talk." He climbed onto the glider and held Spider-Man's collar with both hands, before having the glider ascend and leave the cruiser through what once was the windows.

They eventually reached far high in the sky above the cruiser and the city. The glider stood still in the air as Hobgoblin stretched the spandex in his grip. He stared at the opening in Spider-Man's lenses. "I've certainly seen stranger eyes…"

Spider-Man groaned in pain.

Hobgoblin sighed, heavily. "Here's the thing… Spider-Man. You are not what people think you are, and I couldn't care less about who you are, you're just messed up as everyone else, and I also have my principles. So, I'll let tonight slide… for your sake, but be warned… you want to avoid messing with us any longer. I'll even do you a favor and put Hardy out of commission."

Spider-Man placed his left hand on Hobgoblin's shoulder. The latter stared at the hand on his shoulder, unaware of what Spider-Man had just tried.

"You've been warned." Hobgoblin let go of Spider-Man and allowed him to free-fall towards the ocean below them.

Spider-Man watched the distance between him and Hobgoblin's glider increase with each second that went by.

Too high… way, far too high.

The spandex in his suit flapped in the wind. His arms reached for the dark sky above him.

Could this finally be it? No, not now…

He then moved his hands to his waist and took the slim belt of web cartridges he kept under the suit and wrapped it around his waist.

These are… full, and pressurized.

Spider-Man folded the belt and kept the cartridges against each other, before breaking them open as the intense flow of webbing came out of the snapped cartridges and towards the sky, forming something that resembled a parachute. His descent briefly slowed down, even if not substantially, and he ultimately crashed against the cold water.

He felt the air be pulled from his lungs as he sank on his back and beneath the surface of the sea. He could see the distorted image of the moon growing distant from him as the ocean slowly dragged him closer to the bottom.

… maybe it is, perhaps I've been fooling myself all this time.

… have I?

… I can't allow this to happen, at least not now… for her, for them.

… I need help.

---

May Parker crouched on the floor and opened the many boxes of supplies found spread all over her living room, before writing down the contents of each box on a sheet in her laptop. She had received a truck delivery of donations from the people in the neighborhood just a couple of hours ago.

The care packages would eventually be brought to the shelter and then finally be put to good use. She was glad to have found something she could do herself to the benefit of those in need of proper help.

May peeked over her shoulder once she heard the doorbell. She wasn't expecting anyone else this late into the night. She set her laptop on the couch and headed towards the main door that led to the porch.

By opening the door, she instantly widened her eyes in shock as she met the sight of a battered and damp Spider-Man barely holding himself together on her porch. The razor bat was still webbed to the side of his throat, the webbing over had been turned into a dark shade of red.

Spider-Man moved his right hand to the frame of the door to support his weight and avoid crashing into the ground. He tried to look at her. "Aunt May…"

She couldn't believe her eyes. She moved her right hand to cover her mouth.

Spider-Man coughed. "I-I… I need help." His hand slipped off the frame, and he fell on his shoulder and halfway through the door, as May instantly backed away from him.

"... p-please."

---

A/N: Hey, everyone! I'm so glad to have finally finished this chapter, it's the one I had tons of fun writing, but also the one that tired me the most. There are so many things to keep track of, and it's fine, I'm doing that, but it turns the story a bit more complex, and therefore it's a lot more work, at least, to bring the chapter to a point where I'm satisfied with it. So, I really hope you enjoyed it.

I really thought this chapter would come out quicker, and I also thought it would be shorter, but the latter turned out to be untrue, it's the biggest one so far. On that, are you okay with a chapter of this size? I know some authors write a lot more than me, but I'm just trying to get a feeling of things. I usually like to write chapters that you can see how it was structured, like - there's a proper start and ending for them so that they can feel like a mini adventure. That's how I typically operate when I'm not doing a one-shot.

Another thing I wanted to touch on was the sexual content of the story, I think it's evident that I'm not shying away from it. I'm coming up with a more mature Spider-Man story that I know won't be everyone's cup of tea, but it's not my intention to go full edgy or any of that stuff. No, I'm just trying to ground things when possible and tell a story that won't be on shackles when writing down what I originally envisioned in my head. And the intimate content is part of that. I'm aiming to be as tasteful as possible. I'm not writing the whole act down, but I aspire to show these characters, that are dear to me, bonding on a physical and emotional level.

I also wanted to thank MagicalMagician28 for the kind message regarding the story, I'm really delighted with what you wrote. Your kind words made me write about eight pages in one day, that to me is a lot. I somehow managed to boost the early progress of this chapter in a way I wasn't expecting to do it anytime soon. You truly got me extra motivated to keep going, it was wonderful. That week was tremendous. Regarding your question about a happy ending... well, let's just… see how it goes? ;) About Felicia, I agree with you, there are not enough stories with her, at least stories that are up my alley and that do justice to her. Still, I love the character, and we shall see what happens to her. As for both MJ and Felicia together with Peter, well… can he even take on that? I can't be certain. It might be too much, even for Spider-Man. Who knows?!

For a moment, I really thought I would put this chapter out before a whole went by, even after that boost in my writing, but these last couple of weeks have been really stressful to me, it's a bunch of things combined, work, medical things, family stuff, all of that had a toll on me, but hey, I still managed to not take too long considering how complex this chapter was to me, at least that's what I think. I wrote something every day, I like what I am doing here, and I want to complete what, I think, will be a story of about ten chapters, but could be less. So, I'll keep coming back to this, I might just take a day or two off to let the next chapter build up further in my head instead of pushing myself right away.

Curiously enough, I am really successful at structuring the chapter when I'm about to sleep, those minutes before sleep can be really intense, and sometimes I have to pick my phone to write down some notes. I also found that beer can help me open my creative gates, but hey, that's not very healthy! Also, there are a couple of comics I'm drawing direct inspiration from. I'll name a few, just for reference: Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do; Marvel Knights Spider-Man; Spider-Man: Life Story; Spider-Man: Blue; Spider-Man Renew Your Vows, The Amazing Spider-Man by Stan Lee, Gerry Conway, Steve Ditko and Roger Stern - there are so many comic issues here, I can say like from #1 to #200 and even further. There are stories I can't name them because they can potentially spoil the story.

As ever, I'll keep updating my profile (AO3) every Friday about the status of the next chapter. If I ever skip one, it is because there hasn't been anything relevant to say since the last update. I'm looking forward to working on the next chapter.

Once again, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this.