So I'm reading up on my thesis and trying to take meds/tea for my anxiety, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update much. Depends on whether my anxiety kicks in and makes me think my parents will die horribly within the next couple of weeks or I go back to feeling useless because I feel like I don't do enough at work.
On a brighter note, this is a more talky and less action-y chapter to balance out the last one. This also made it far easier to write - over 5000 was made by me just today. Hope you guys like it :)
Current votes for love interest are 8 for Matt, 6 for Felicia, 1 for other and 0 for Kate and Frog-Man. I'll have MJ interact with the latter two later so Kate (not Eugene) might be seen as more viable.
Also, a lot of people seem to want both Spider-Arms and the traversal abilities now. Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned the original awakening scene since now people are thinking of what-ifs...
Side Note - Multiple friends have been suggesting I start trying to get paid for writing. Since I'm pretty sure being paid for writing fanfics is illegal I'm considering getting paid for original works. Just request a kind of story, setting and characters and I can write it up at a price :) Seems doubtful it'll go anywhere, but we'll see.
Ep101: Holy shit, that was...intense...
AllNuturalDudeBro: INTENSE?! Dude, a kid fucking died! WTF?! It's more than intense!
MousybutSassy: Yeah, this is fucked! What the hell?!
AllNuturalDudeBro: Dude, it was fucked from the beginning! Just cause Spider-Man and the rest of them were superheroes doesn't mean it's any better they got almost killed!
Ep101: I thought they'd just bust out and stop this guy. I mean, the Defenders killed a fucking demon in Times Square!
Applesandoranges: It's Spider-Man's fault. He fucked up and that girl died.
MousybutSassy: Dude, fuck off. You saw the stream, he tried everything he could. That POS Arcade screwed him at the end cause he wanted to murder that girl.
ITalkToDragonS: Yeah, he fucking executed that guy.
AllNaturalDudeBro: Dude, FUCK that guy. Anyone who kills kids deserves a bullet to the head. Wish Spider-Man did more.
AlterEgo: Hear, hear.
MousyButSassy: That Bullseye guy killed the rest of those rich assholes. He just dropped out of the grid a year ago. Thought he died since he wasn't with the rest of the Defenders in Times Square.
ITalkToDragons: Yeah, but the way he and Spider-Man were talking...think they had a falling out?
AlterEgo: Yeah, he didn't sound happy to see him. Well, at least he killed those rich pricks. All of should burn in hell.
ITalkToDragonS: Ten bucks says Jameson'll get on his case too.
Peter was no stranger to bad dreams. Ever since he woke up in this madhouse he'd had nightmares. Dreams of turning into a giant Lizard, dreams of Gwen beating him to death and then dying in her arms. It was one reason he tended not to sleep, aside from the fact that he didn't much need to. For those first few weeks he woke up with cold sweats hearing those damn justifications over and over again.
I wanted to be special, just like you. As if that justified everything.
Eventually the nightmares did stop after Moon told him the truth of what he was. Then the dreams were replaced by that looming, existential dread. Not knowing who he really was, finding out about his 'brother', Matt and Jack setting their sights on him. It was a miracle he hadn't blown his brains out, though he would've been lying if he said he wasn't tempted at times. A bullet to the head was at least quick.
Now his dreams were about dead little girls.
Peter woke up in a cold sweat, his breaths ragged and his mouth parted slightly. He didn't scream, didn't struggle or have tears in his eyes. Months of nightmares made him used to keeping himself quiet. His old apartment didn't have thin walls and everyone minded their own business, but it was still good manners not to draw attention to yourself. The couple selling guns were polite and made sure there was no gunfire inside the walls, which was nice of them.
"...Damn it." He brought his right hand through his sweat-soaked hair and face and looked up at the ceiling above. Judging by the small peeks of sunshine coming from the windows it was just a few minutes past sunrise. Later than his usual wake-up call; usually he was up and about before the sun was peeking over the horizon.
He tried to stand only for him to notice the vice grip on his left arm. Looking down he found Gwen sleeping close by, both arms wrapped tightly around the aforementioned limb. And drooling into his shirt. Sighing, Peter carefully untangled his arm from hers and swung his leg over the edge of the building. For a second he almost forgot where he was.
It'd been four days since they survived Arcade's twisted 'game'. Four days since Gwen had doubled down on being mama spider and insisting that he stay over at her house so she could keep an eye on him. He didn't mind at first, but it became pretty obvious soon after that keeping an eye on him was meant literally. If it wasn't her it was someone else keeping guard over him to make sure he didn't run around like a headless chicken.
It wasn't that he didn't understand. It was one thing to know the people you loved were in danger, it was another thing entirely to watch from a screen as they had to fight for their lives. Gwen had to live with that for years even before she had powers. She told him about the nights when she stayed up after her dad didn't come home for dinner or how sick she felt when she heard that her dad once got taken to the hospital. It made her protective of those she cared about even before she hit double digits.
Still, that didn't mean he didn't feel at least a little frustrated at being grounded.
He'd barely made to stand before Gwen wrapped her arms around him and nuzzled into his neck, "'s too early. Go back to sleep..." she mumbled, breath hot against his skin.
He was tempted to, but he knew if he closed his eyes he'd see that little girl again. See her wide, tears eyes full of fear, hear her voice as she tried to cry and scream through the gag before that bastard...
"Not sleepy," he said softly.
Gwen groaned sleepily and loosened her grip on him, "Fine, let's go." He didn't bother telling her she could sleep in. It was part of the arrangement now - someone always had to be there to keep an eye on him. He'd called her paranoid, but he did try to sneak out the second morning in. Probably would've gone for a another go if she hadn't threatened to web him down and plop him in front of the tv with Webflicks on loop.
Least he could still go to the bathroom on his own.
Gwen yawned and let the little blob jump to her. It (she? the whole pregnancy thing made him confused) also kept an eye on him. Probably helped that, like him, it didn't much need sleep, "Come on, let's go get breakfast. I gotta go soon." Right. Early morning classes then she had to go out searching for whoever put that bounty on his head. Would've been easier if she let him go out and find the source on his own, but she didn't wanna risk another Arcade grabbing him.
The place was still empty by the time they got down. Captain Stacy and Jones (she hadn't taken the name Stacy) were fast asleep while Ben, May and Helen - who'd chosen to extend their stays out of worry - were in their motels. They'd all come back in a couple of hours. The guilt trip of seeing them kept him pacified and they damn well knew it.
Without thinking Peter opened the fridge and began to hash out the ingredients he'd use. Despite only being here for a few days he'd already gotten used to some kind of routine. It helped that he was the only decent cook in the house outside of May - Jones subsisted on whiskey and takeout, Gwen just bought corndogs and chocolate en masse and Captain Stacy seemed to think protein drinks were good enough; a sentiment he agreed with.
The little blob plopped back onto the table. Gwen made a token effort to wait for him before she decided it wasn't worth it. Peter set a quick chocolate confection to simmer while making his, Captain Stacy's and Jones' shares. They'd wake up soon.
Soon enough they were all sat around the dinner table with barely enough room to bump shoulders. Peter picked at his honeyed ham and tried not to think about how odd this still felt. Slowly but surely he was getting used to the idea of a 'normal' life. Still, it wasn't easy to just slide into it, not after months of traveling the world and having to survive in Middle East foxholes, snowy Siberian caves or, worst of all, France.
"Come on, Helena. Say ahhhh~" Gwen smiled brightly as she slowly lifted the spoon of baby mush to the cheery baby's mouth. Peter looked down to hide his own smile and started to cut the meat. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this.
"What time do your classes start, honey?" Captain Stacy asked.
"In a couple of hours. Don't worry, I won't be late." She pulled the middle and ring finger of her right hand back and made a 'thwip' noise, the smile still as bright as ever, "I'm gonna meet Cap after to see if we can figure something out about Pete's...situation." The multi-million dollar price on his head. Even Captain Stacy got worried when he heard about it, and Peter was pretty sure the man hated him.
"You think she can help you?" Jones asked. Peter had to admit, seeing her out of her regular leather jacket and jeans was odd. The oversized gray shirt and boxer shorts was a different look, "You said yourself that some guy from Roxxon corp made the hit. I don't think Captain America's got a good check on corporations. Not unless Roxxon asked for her advertising rights."
"It's better than doing nothing," Gwen replied, eyes still glued to her baby sister, "Besides, what do you suggest?"
"You keep going after the mercs. Eventually someone'll know something about who hired them and you can go up from there." That was the annoying thing about this. All Long John Silver told him was that Roxxon took out the hit on him. That meant anyone from the current CEO to a pissed off scientist with enough money was fair game.
"Except the only way to do that would be to dangle Peter like bait, and I'm not going to do that." Peter refrained from mentioning that he was, in fact, still here despite them acting like he wasn't, "Look, I know this isn't ideal, but it's the only choice we got. It wasn't just Peter who got put at risk. There were other innocent people caught in that asshole's games." Caught and died.
"...Better they come after me than running around after someone else," Peter said eventually, "That piece of garbage Arcade was a killer before I even got my bounty. That girl...I failed her, but at least Arcade's dead. He won't be adding any more bodies to that pile." Neither would Long John Silver or any other assassin greedy or confident enough to come after him.
"That's...not a healthy viewpoint, Peter," Captain Stacy said. Peter refrained from rolling his eyes; he didn't want to make a worse impression than he already did, "Gwen's right, better that you find a way to get rid of this bounty so you don't have go through that again."
He didn't just mean those deranged games. Everyone looking at a screen saw him execute Arcade with those rich pricks dying soon after. According to the new '97% of the public considered it justified and lauded his behavior', tough there were a few outspoken cries of vigilante execution and murdering a surrendering man. Jameson was leading the cry, as expected, though he at least had the decency to say Arcade was human filth even if he did deserve a fair trial.
Probably helped that they were rich. Rich criminals always rubbed people wrong.
"We're not using you as bait." Gwen narrowed her eyes at him, "Jess, Norah and Cindy are already looking things up on their end and Cap should...will have something. You just have to be patient."
"I can't stay for too long, Gwen. The Hand isn't going to wait forever." And he had to make sure the his 'team' didn't kill each other while he wasn't looking. Matt was one smug comment away from Lockley breaking his jaw and he still had no idea what the deal with Echo was. Or how she was even alive after that dunk she took. Any time he tried to ask it was like he was talking to a wall.
The only thing that kept him him from leaving right now was Page assuring him that Bullseye didn't remember who Gwen was. All he remembered was him, Matt, Lana and that night at the Hand's baby factory. He still worried over Lana falling victim, especially after Bullseye took the knife, but he knew she could take care of herself. The new powers helped, and so did her telepathic housemate.
"Please, they've been alive for like a million years. Then can wait a few days for you to kick their ass."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence." The symbiote finished off its chocolate and nuzzled against his arm appreciatively. It was like a cat sometimes, "Look, I'm gonna go to the garage. Who's gonna be my babysitter?"
"I guess that'd be me," Captain Stacy said with a wry smile, "Just lemme finish my food."
15 minutes later and he, Captain Stacy and Helena were all situated in the garage. Peter powered over the table containing the disassembled webshooter along with a pair of gloves and boots. Gwen insisted he stay in but that didn't mean he had to be bored. So far he'd spent a few days just tinkering with Wasp's gear. That damn elevator 'game' really made him realize just how dangerous it was not to have a backup.
He finished tinkering with the glove and put it on his hand, "Alright, let's try this again." He looked up to the low roof and jumped. Captain Stacy's eyes followed him and Helena started laughing as Peter hung off one hand on the ceiling.
The adhesive surface faded and he fell to the ground with a dull thud, "Need to find a way to make them last longer." Gwen's webs tended to last for at least an hour. So far his attempts to coat the surface of the glove with web as makeshift adhesive was going slow. It was good if he wanted to crawl or run up a wall since the webs constantly dissolved and reformed, but if he wanted to stick like a spider he'd need a way to better control the timing.
"You're really good at that," Captain Stacy said. Peter nodded and continued to look down, "...Hey, you ever thought about using that for something other than vigilante work?"
"Sometimes." He started re-assembling the webshooter, "Wasp offered to try and find me something a year ago for Gwen's sake, but..." He clicked the trigger back into place, "Always too busy. Always some other mad clown with a mask and thirst for blood." Matt, Jack, Frost, Sin Eater...he didn't even have to go out of his way to find them. This place just attracted the psychopaths.
"You know Ben and May worry about you. Gwen and Helen too."
"Yeah, and I'm guessing you and Jones worry about Gwen every time she puts on a mask. I do too." He set down the re-assembled webshooter and turned to face the older man, "You don't like me much, do you?"
"That's an odd change of topic."
"Call it curiosity." Peter knelt in front of him and reached a hand out to the mumbling baby. She immediately grabbed his pointer finger with both hands and held onto it tight, "We never really talked about Bullseye sending me those pictures." Jack bombing a train station and then his face getting broadcasted put it all out of their minds.
That and Bullseye died pretty soon afterwards...
"No, we didn't..." Captain Stacy's hold on the baby tightened, though not enough for her to loosen her grip on Peter's finger, "...I'll admit I still have my doubts. When you and Gwen were kids I played at giving a hard time, but I wouldn't have minded if you two got together."
"What changed your mind?"
"The Lizard." Neither of them said a word. Helena tried to twist and pull his finger around without a care, "For two years I thought Spider-Woman was a murderer, that she took my daughter's best friend and...broke her. When I found out who she was I investigated. Gwen couldn't have killed her best friend, not without a reason. Even two years later she still missed him...you."
"I'm the one who turned your little girl into a killer, you mean." Peter smiled up at him sardonically, "Tell me something: if you knew who I was, why didn't you ever tell anyone?"
"Because Gwen didn't want to. She didn't want the Lizard to be your legacy." Helena finally let go of his finger and started nibbling on her own hand, "Even after Captain America offered her a chance to absolve herself it took her months to even consider it. It took Ben and May arguing that they could take the fallback for her to agree, and even now a part of her feels guilty."
"Always carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders." Peter finally looked up to meet his gaze, "So how do you feel now? The Lizard come back as a killer vigilante."
"I've seen the things you've done, the 'friends' you've made. I can't agree with everything that you've done, but..." He took a deep breath, "Gwen trusts you - loves you - and that means I trust you too. I may not agree with some of your methods, and I probably never will, but you're more like her than you want to admit. Always trying to be everywhere at once, even when you know you can't be."
"Speaking from experience there, Captain?"
"Heh, just might be." He chuckled wryly and suddenly offered Helena up to him, "Wanna hold her?"
"...Sure."
He took the baby in his arms and carried her with no small amount of hesitation. Helena babbled and tried to reach a hand out to his face, "...This kid's gonna have an insane life." Dad was the guy who took down the former Kingpin, mom was a superpowered P.I and her older sister was Spider-Woman. Oh, and her godmom was Hawkeye, which was another can of worms entirely.
"Yeah, it'll be...something." Captain Stacy chuckled again, "...You know Gwen wanted you to be the Godfather."
"Bad idea."
"She doesn't seem to think so. Jessica seems fine with it, mostly cause she doesn't know anyone else for the job with Kate and her sister already filling in roles." He accepted Helena back, "You should talk to her about it."
"Sure. Right after we deal with her wanting me to go to college."
Dragonkin: No one's seen Spider-Man in days. Wonder what happened to him?
BG3: He and the rest of the new Defenders got caught in some fucked up death game. If I was him I'd lay low for a bit.
DepartmentOfButtKicking: Lol, Spider-Mans running with his tail between his legs. Kinda sad when you have to get your your girlfriends to save you.
StrikerNotBombshell: You're just jealous he has some. Go cry to someone who cares.
Monsterin69: The rest of the Defenders are MIA too. Still don't know how that ninja lady survived that fall. Any idea, StrikerNotBombshell?
StrikerNotBombshell: Fuck if I know. Didn't even know she was someone Pete was teaming up with till I saw em in that game.
BG3: Aren't you part of the Defenders?
StrikerNotBombshell: You guys were the ones who called us that. We all just teamed up cause we wanted to stop that possessed prick Murdock. We aren't friends; the only one I liked was Pete.
BlackCatHardy: Oh? And here I thought we were getting along, Bombshell.
StrikerNotBombshell: Of fuck off pussycat.
Gwen swung over to the designated meeting place, one hand holding onto a web and another pressing a phone against her ear, "You sure you got it, MJ?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Trust me, Tiger's being a good little boy and staying still."
"Good. Make sure he doesn't disappear or anything. He loves to do that." She cut the call and and put the phone back into her 'pocket'. She knew he was getting impatient and honestly she couldn't blame him. If someone told her to sit still and let everyone else handle the problem then she wouldn't take it well either.
'Then why are you keeping Peter inside?'
'Because I saw him almost die over a dozen times and there was nothing I could do about it.' Yes, she was being a hypocrite. She could live with it. She'd made more than her fair share of compromises the past year, 'Besides, it keeps him away from Murderdock and Page.' She still had no idea how Peter could trust either of them after the crap they pulled.
The place Cap asked to meet up in was a relatively high condo with an open terrace; high enough that no one could peek in without being really obvious about it. Gwen landed close to the pool and walked inside through the blacked out glass doors.
The interior didn't math the exterior. The inside was dimly lit with nothing but the most spartan accommodations - a table with a couch in the living room and another table with just three chairs and a refrigerator at the dining area. The place was dimly light with the windows covered entirely in curtains and blacked out glass. Seemed more like a prison cell than anything.
Cap was sitting on the dining table, a plain sandwich and a bottle of water untouched in front of her. She was lucking her customary reds, white and blues in favor of a plain white shirt and a pair of dark sweatpants and sneakers.
The occupant matched the place, at least.
"Nice place." Gwen whistled.
Cap smiled slightly up at her, "Thanks. I've had it for a while." She uncapped the water and began drinking as Gwen sat down across from her. She pulled off her mask and set it between them, "I'm sorry for the sparse accomodations, but you contacted on relatively short notice and I just came back from a mission."
"Yeah, dealing with the M.O.D.A.A.K remnants in the Mexican border. It was all over the news last night." She leaned forward slightly to look the older woman up and down. No injuries or anything, but the bags under her eyes weren't comforting, "...What is this place anyway?" Gwen asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"My place."
"Uh...seems a bit..."
"Barren?" Cap gave a single, wry laugh, "Yeah, I know. Peggy and Jen keep trying to make me buy more, but I'm used to it. Going through dimensions for decades, you try not to get too attached. Makes it harder to leave."
"What, you planning to leave?" If she did Gwen had no idea who'd take over the Avengers.
"God no, but...sometimes I stayed just a few minutes in a dimension, but one time I spent almost 20 years. Almost settled down there with that world's Steve." She leaned back slightly and Gwen nodded sympathetically. Cap apparently had something with Steve Rogers back in the 40's before that portal took her on a dimensional road trip. Coming back to find out he was old and gray and practically banging down death's door hurt.
"So why not splurge?"
"I guess I'm still trying to get used to the idea that this is home. Gimme another decade or two." Another laugh, slightly more bitter this time, "But we're not here to talk about me. You're here about the bounty on Peter's head."
"Right...so, any luck?"
"You know corporate politics aren't my thing." Gwen sighed and stared down at the table. She expected that, but that didn't mean she wasn't disappointed, "But that doesn't mean I can't help you."
As if on cue, the elevator let out a soft ding and she heard the telltale sound of a cane tapping against the ground. Gwen froze briefly before quickly grabbing her mask and lowering into a crouched, battle-ready position.
The man with the cane was not, in fact, Murdock. It was an older man wearing a primly pressed gray and white suit. His wrinkled face - he was easily in his 50's or 60's - was impassive and the dark shades blocked his eyes from view. The only noticeable color on him was the head of red hair, but even that was slicked back into an even cut and had streaks of gray dotted across the surface.
He raised a brow slightly down at her, "If you're expecting a fight then you're gonna be disappointed." His voice was rough and scratchy, the sound of someone who'd smoked too many cigarettes in his lifetime.
"Right..." Gwen stood back up slowly. She stared at the cane on his right hand then to the leg he was leaning on. Different kind of cane, "Uh...who are you?"
"This is Henry Peter Gyrich," Cap said, "He's a...I guess you could call him a friend."
"A friend? You're being generous. Let's call it like it is: we tolerate each other." He limped to the spare chair and sat down slowly. Gwen still hadn't moved, "If you'd prefer to remain standing that's fine. I won't be long." He pulled a folder from his coat and set it on the table, "I assume you're already aware that that the one who put a price on your boyfriend's head is the Roxxon corporation?"
"Yeah, uh..." Gwen shook her head, "Uh, sorry, but could you tell me who you are? Are you a private investigator or..."
"A private investigator? Hah, wouldn't that be something." He gave her an open toothed smile. It looked fake, "No, I work for the government. I won't bore you with the details, but rest assured, Ms. Stacy-" She froze, "-that I know who you are and have no intention of using that to blackmail you or force you to do my bidding. I'm a man of pragmatism and I don't much enjoy the idea of poking the Spider with a stick."
"What, you're telling me you're a fan?"
"God no." He finally let go of the cane and leaned back on his chair, "If you're asking if I like you or the others of your trend? No. Do I trust you? Not in particular." Gwen crossed her arms and just waited for him to continue, "But despite all that do I think you all are the better alternative? Without a doubt."
"So glad to have your approval." She rolled her eyes.
"We live in an insane time, Spider-Woman. Alien invasions, demons appearing in Times Square, terrorists who use mad science and magic instead of zealots with bomb vests. I'd like to go back to living in a time where I understood the threats and knew how to counter them, but we don't live in that time anymore. Without The Avengers and the Initiative those green men would've had us dead to rights. Without Spider-Man and his ragtag group of psychopaths that demon would've continued its madness for decades - centuries - more."
"What he means is that he's on our side until we prove otherwise," Cap said.
"I'm also one of the reasons, besides this city's mad adoration of you, why your boyfriend doesn't have a noose around his neck anymore," Gyrich continued, "Some cops would love nothing more than to hang Spider-Man up on the wall and pat themselves a job well done. But I'm not a fool. Just a few days ago he and another man identifying himself as 'Blade' were the only reason Vampires - because we needed more insanity in this place - didn't kill off an entire school. It would've made every school shooting look like a paintball match if they weren't there. If we lose Spider-Man then that's one less hero who tackles that madness free of charge."
"I get it, it's in your best interest he survives and that's why you're helping me. I speak government double speak." Well, not really, but she picked up some stuff from Cindy, "Could we get back on topic? Who's the guy who put a price on Peter's head."
"I assume you're aware of Donald Roxxon?" Gwen nodded. He opened the file and smack dab on the front were two pictures. One of him smiling in a suit - must've been a press conference - and another, more recognizable one of him with long hair and in costume, "He's officially signing up for the Initiative in a month's time. I guess he thinks being the CEO and the Corporate sponsored hero is a power move of some kind."
"He's the one who put the bounty on Peter?"
"From the intelligence we've gathered, yes." Gwen's hands clenched into tight fists, "We've been observing the Roxxon corporation for a while now. The company has a spotty history involving the weapons trade and human experimentation. Normally it wouldn't be my jurisdiction, but Roxxon Sr. had a habit of selling to the highest bidder, which included the likes of H.Y.D.R.A and S.I.L.K. That made them our problem."
"So how do you know this guy did it?"
"He didn't cover his tracks quite so well. Bank accounts we traced indicated that he tried to siphon millions from multiple accounts into a slush fund, totaling the price of the bounty on your boyfriend's head. Now it could be he's just planning to bribe a politician, but the timing and the individual in question makes me doubt he's just planning to get a fast track on some safety regulations."
"If you already know all this then why not arrest him?'
"On what charges? For us illegally checking his bank account? For putting millions in a fund that he could just as easily say he was planning to donate to charity? He'll be out within the day. And just in case you're thinking of going over there and beating him down, I'd suggest against it. Not only do you have no credible proof you also can't be certain that he doesn't have contingencies in place to up the bounty in case he croaks."
"I wasn't planning on killing him..."
"Be that as it may, I'd suggest against any overt action. It's more than just your boyfriend's life at stake." He flipped a few more papers and showed some blurry pictures of what looked like S.I.L.K's stasis tanks, "We have reason to believe that Roxxon Jr's followed in daddy's footsteps and restarted his experiments. The problem is, again, that all we have to go on are a few blurry pictures sent by some guilt-ridden scientist. He hasn't contacted us again with a location, so I can only assume he dropped off the grid or that leak was plugged."
"Great..." Gwen pinched the bridge of her nose while Webster tried to warm her stomach to calm her down, "So what, we're stuck?"
"Not quite." Cap sighed, "It's quite clear by his social media presence and some interviews that he's fond of Spider-Woman."
"Ugh, just what I needed; another crazy fan." Bad enough that Avril was an admirer, now she had a mad scientist CEO supervillain.
"But it's something you can use to your advantage," Cap said, "If this is true then it's quite possible that the reason for the bounty on Spider-Man's head is tied to you as well." Gwen's eyes narrowed. He didn't like what she was implying, "I doubt it's a coincidence that he received a 20 million bounty on his head so soon after he resurfaced in New York."
"Just get to the point."
"What she's saying is that you might be able to find a way to kill two birds with one stone." Gyrich leaned forward and pressed his hands together, "We have mutual goals. We both want the price on Spider-Man's head removed and I'm sure the idea of innocent people being experimented on doesn't appeal to you either. I suggest trying to endear yourself to him. Earn his trust and we can save both Spider-Man and those people."
"What, you want me to seduce him? If you know who I am then you should know I'm not really a supermodel heiress."
"That doesn't matter. It's quite clear that like many in this city he's simply in love with the idea of Spider-Woman." Just like Peter before that night at prom... "This is all conjecture, of course. It's quite possible he's simply a casual admirer, but it's doubtful. Men like Roxxon don't give admiration out so handily. There's a very decent chance that his admiration for you will be his downfall."
"Makes me sound like some kind of femme fatale there, Henry." She took a deep breath, "Fine. I don't like this, but if it means getting that price off Peter's head and saving those people he's experimenting on, I'll play ball." Guess she'd have to talk to Cindy about some spy lessons. But she was not wearing a scarf, "Just contact me if you need anything. Pretty sure you have my phone number in some super secret database somewhere."
"Sure. Best of luck, Spider-Woman."
Gwen swung out of the depressing condo and swung till she was on a relatively high building. The view of New York in the setting sun calmed her down, however slightly, 'Are you okay, Gwen?'
'Not really...' She stood up from crouched position on the tip and balanced on one foot with her arms spread, 'It's just...this got way more complicated than I thought it'd be. I thought it'd be some businessman with a grudge, not the fucking CEO.'
'We can stop him. Then we'll save Peter and the rest of those innocents.'
'Here's hoping.' She felt torn knowing just how much attention the government paid attention to Peter. On the one hand she felt happy there was a safety net making sure the cops didn't aim for the face, on the other she couldn't trust that Gyrich guy would keep seeing Peter - or her - as useful forever.
Or maybe she was just being paranoid.
Her prioricard beeped. Gwen pulled it out of her pocket and almost threw it away in disgust when she saw Roxxon asking for a team-up. She got invites from him and Eugene every couple of days for the past week, but she'd been too busy with everything to accept, 'Guess I gotta play spy now.' She accepted the invitation and immediately got a GSP ping before she let herself fall back to the ground.
Time to make the guy pay.
Ys19: So real talk. Anyone else think Spider-Man's totally a bottom? Like he acts tough and prickly but he's really a chihuaha?
No1SpiderManFan: OMG yes! Like I can totally see that!
TazmanianAngel: Really? I always imagined him to be the top. Like, this guy's all primal and angsty and stuff so it fits.
Ys19: Nah, you can tell it's all bark when it comes to Spider-Woman. That and she has tentacles, my comrades. He's definitely taking it up somewhere.
SpiderWomanMadeMeDoThis: My second post and this is what I find. I'm deleting my account.
No1SpiderManFan: Wait, don't go! I need to know who's little spoon!
Spinerette: Welcome to the jungle, Pete. It's not fun over here.
"Yes, I'm sure. Trust me, Tiger's being a good little boy and staying still."
Mary Jane waved off Gwen's final warning and cut the call. The redhead pocketed the phone and sighed as she leaned back on her bed. She and Peter were over at her place instead of the Stacy's. He'd begged her that he needed some air; or at least some different wallpaper. It took him a while but eventually she'd caved and agreed on the condition he not try to go invisible on the short walk over.
To his credit, he didn't.
'It probably helps that now you're alone with him,' Crimson whispered. She ignored it, 'Your mom and sister aren't here and Stacy trusts you.'
'You gotta ruin everything, don't you?'
'I try.'
"Come on, Cin, can't you do something?" Mary Jane smiled at him. He paced in front of a chair on the other end of the small room with his phone glued to his ears. He'd cycled between her, Lana and Norah, trying to see if they could find some way to get past Gwen's Mama Spider antics. So far he hadn't had any luck, and judging by how Cindy sounded on the other end she was tired of his begging.
Peter cut the call after a few more minutes and cursed, "No luck, Tiger?"
"No. Apparently Cindy agrees with Gwen this time."
"Gee, she doesn't want you to get your head cut off. How horrible of her." He threw her a dry look and she shrugged, "Listen, if you're bored you can watch TV. We've got-"
"If you say Webflicks I'm going to shoot myself." He sat down on the chair and brought a hand through his face, "I get why Gwen's worried, but just staying here with nothing to do's making me go insane."
"What about those gadgets you were working on?"
"I'm still waiting for a response from Wasp about the changes I made."
"Well..." Mary Jane bit her lip. It couldn't hurt to ask, right? "Hey, back during high school you, or whatever you wanna call him, you were really into photography. Still have the habit?"
"Somewhat? I usually take pictures for proof or when Norah needs something." Yeah, she still called him her photomonkey sometimes, "Why? Need something photographed?"
"Kinda..." She sat up properly and put her hands on her feet, "The modeling gig's still a part time gig and the guy in charge said we could probably do better if we make a portfolio. You know, show off different poses, see how well we can pull off different outfits. It's not a requirement or anything, but they said that it could help out."
"Okay...?"
"Outfits I already got, but problem is I need a photographer. It doesn't have to be uber professional or anything - no green screen or fancy lighting - but I don't think a selfie stick or a timer's gonna cut it." And Norah was too busy still poring over the files Cindy got from that bastard Arcade. She should receive a call from her soon... "So I was wondering if you could..."
"Be your photomonkey?" He grinned wryly, "Sure. Beats just sitting on my keister going nuts. You got a camera?"
"Oh, sure. Should be at the table in Gayle's room. Turn right and it's the first door on the left."
Peter left and Mary Jane immediately locked the door and pulled out clothes from her closet, 'Don't think I don't know what you're doing.' God, where were her headphones when she needed them? 'Trying to entice him by showing off. Clever girl.'
'Would you shut up?'
'Hey, I'm not complaining. You do whatever you want, little red.'
She'd changed into a new outfit - blue blouse, black skirt and boots - when she finally opened the door. Peter blinked then looked her up and down quickly, "Yeah, yeah, not my usual style." She rolled her eyes good-naturedly while he fiddled with the camera, "Sorry, it's pretty old, but the quality should be good. Just need a few pics anyway, show I'm serious about the whole thing."
"Right..."He looked around the room then suddenly pushed her caibinet to the side, "Stand over there. The wallpaper's less noticeable and I don't want any reflections." He dimmed one of the lights, "This should look better too."
"Whatever you say, Tiger."
Mary Jane did her practiced poses. Peter took the pictures quickly, his face passive and focused. She didn't know how to feel about that. It was after the sixth picture that she spoke up, "Hey, I need to change clothes." She gesture to the other scattered clothes on the bed.
"Sure, I'll leave-"
"You don't have to," she said before she could stop herself. An awkward quiet settled over the room and Mary Jane said her next words in a rush, "I mean, you can just turn around. I'm sure you won't peek..."
'You want him to, though.'
"Uh...sure. Just tell me when you're done."
He turned around and stared resolutely as the wall as she began to take off her clothes. The heavy silence had returned, broken only by the sounds of shifting cloth. Mary Jane tried to ignore how sensitive the clothes suddenly felt against her skin or how loud Crimson was laughing, "I'm done..." A short sleeved hoodie, skinny jeans and chucks. Something a bit more her speed.
The process repeated for every outfit. 4-6 pictures each, change into a different one, repeat; and each time Mary Jane was tempted to look back. She didn't know what she expected to find. Did she think he'd peek? Would she had been disappointed or relieved when he didn't?
"You can turn around now." A dark red flannel shirt, jean shorts and sandals. Not enticing, but not every model had to be dressed up like arm candy, "We just need 4 or 5 more then we're done."
"Sure. No problem." He smiled awkwardly.
He snapped the pictures quickly and soon enough they were sitting side-by-side on the bed poring over the photos to choose the best ones. The guy suggested 10-15 at the most to avoid being too clogged, "This looks good." Peter tapped the screen. The picture was her sitting with her back against the wall and her arms wrapped around her jean-covered knees, "We should get at least one or two from every outfit."
"Sure." She had no idea what possessed her to say what she did next, but it was too late to stop once she did, "You know...they did suggest other kinds of photos."
And then she started unbuttoning her shirt. Peter's eyes widened briefly before he suddenly grabbed her right hand, "What are you doing?"
"Some models do lingerie and swimsuits. I figured it'd be better if we added a couple, you know?" The excuse sounded pathetic even to her. Peter let go of her hand slowly and they just stared at each other, her hands still holding onto the middle of the flannel. Her red bra peeked through the gap, "I mean, only if you want. It's just a couple of photos. Not like I'm gonna go au naturel."
'You keep telling yourself that.'
"I...I'm not sure if-"
Footsteps. Mary Jane jumped off the bed and managed to unbutton her shirt just as Gayle opened the door without even knocking, "Hey, MJ. Mr. Stacy's downstairs and he's asking for Spider-Man."
"Guess your babysitting gig's over, huh?" Peter gave her a forced, wry smile.
"Yeah..." Gayle looked between them in confusion.
Mary Jane waited till the two men left and Gayle was back in her room before she took the train out to the city. 10 minutes later she was standing on top of a large building and staring down at traffic below, 'hair' whipping in the wind. No had seen her yet.
'Damn it, I'm such an asshole...' After everything Peter and Gwen did - were still doing - for her she still thought she had to right to butt in and ruin what they had? God, what the fuck was wrong with her?
'Why are you making such a big deal out of this?'
'Because they're my friends!' She mentally shouted back, 'Friends don't...I owe them too much to be the one that ruins things.'
'It's funny. You worry more about this than the people you killed four days ago.'
Her biting response was cut off when her phone suddenly vibrated. She saw Norah's picture and answered the call, "What's up?"
"I found our slippery little eel." Her hold on the phone tightened, "Jason Turner, father of the now-deceased Madelyn Turner. He's in New York."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Guy doesn't have much, so I don't think he could afford to have someone smuggle him out. Was probably why he wasn't in Arcade's list with the rest of his clients." There was a pause, "Are you sure you wanna do this, MJ?"
"Could you get this guy arrested?"
"With Arcade dead? Not gonna lie, it'll be pretty hard. I had to scrounge up some of my slimier contacts. Apparently Turner's got a bit of a rep for being particularly slimy." No shit. Even most lowlives wouldn't sell their fucking kid, "I just...I wanna make sure you know what you're doing."
"I think it's a bit late to ask that, Norah."
"Yeah..."
Mary Jane cut the call and waited for her to text the location, 'Finally.' Crimson practically cheered. Mary Jane rolled her eyes and swung to the location. It was just 15 minutes away by webswinging.
She wasn't alone when she got there.
Mary Jane landed behind the red-clad figure, "What the hell are you doing here?"
Daredevil turned around and she really wanted to punch the grin off his face, "Same as you, I suppose." He pointed to the rusted hunk of metal that served as a door, "That's where the person you're looking for is. It's one of his dens."
"...How the hell do you know about that?"
"You weren't the only one searching for him," he replied vaguely, "Come on then, you first."
"Gee, thanks."
The door wasn't even locked. Mary Jane opened the door and almost retched when the smell hit her. That perfect cocktail or booze, piss, 'fluids' and b.o. Daredevil scrunched his face up slightly behind, "That's a rather...pungent odor." Mary Jane nodded slightly and practically pulled the door off its hinges before stepping inside. She felt dirty already.
The place was, to put it elegantly, an absolute trash hole. No furniture or personal items apart from a ratty sleeping bag and the man himself on the other end of the room far away from said sleeping bag. Mary Jane wrinkled her nose and tried to ignore the uncomfortable smack of something wet hitting her boot. She'd just pretend it was blood or something.
"Whuzza? Whozzere?" Her feelings of disgust only worsened when she saw him in full. He was an older man- at least 40, though the scraggly beard added just a bit more age to him. The ratty hoodie and scuffed up jeans and boots only served to worsen the look, "'f yer lookin' for Dave he's out. Pissed off Ox."
"We're not looking for him." Mary Jane crouched in front of him and then pulled out Madelyn Turner's photo on her phone, "Recognize her."
The waste of skin's eyes widened for just a split second before he quickly looked away, "N-No, sorry. Ya got-"
Mary Jane growled and slammed him against the wall by his neck, "Don't lie to me!" His mouth gaped like a fish and he was too busy wetting himself to even put up a fight, "You sold your daughter to that monster!"
"I...I didn't! I swear!"
"He's technically correct," Daredevil said behind her, "Given his poor state it's doubtful that Arcade bought the child from him directly. I'm assuming that he sold her to someone else who then sold through intermediaries and eventually she found her way to that little gremlin's hands."
"It doesn't change what he did..."
"I never said it does. However..." Without any hint of fear he grabbed her wrist and tugged it down gently, "He must know who he sold to, and that information makes his life of value for probably the first time in his life. So, Mr. Turner, would you be so kind as to answer that implied question?"
"But-"
"I could of course just leave this woman here to her previous actions."
"No, no, no, wait! I'll talk!" He screamed in a rush, "Just...Just lemme down and I'll talk!"
'Let him down.'
'Seriously?'
'He'll lead us to more meat.'
Her grip on his neck tightened briefly and then she set him down on the floor. The guy collapsed butt first and just looked up at them both like someone meeting the grim reaper, "I...I..." He wiped a smudged hand on his sweatstained forehead, "I-I know a guy. S-Saw Maddie and said that...that he'd forgive all my debts 'if I just give her up. Said someone was lookin' for a little girl."
"A name, Mr. Turner. Quit stalling," Murdock said.
"D-Dunno his real name, but...but everyone calls him Fancy Dan."
'Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me!' Mary Jane almost screamed but managed to hold it in at the last second. Fancy Dan? The guy who she'd met like three times now?
Crimson laughed, 'I told you we should've killed them, but noooo! Sometimes you really do have to just listen to me.'
'Shut up!'
"Well, that's interesting." Murdock grinned, "I suppose I should leave Scarlet Spider here to her business then."
"Wait." She lashed out and grabbed his wrist, "I'm coming with you." Fancy Dan...she knew that bastard was a piece of work, but this?
"Oh? Well, I won't stop you."
"Hold on." She waited for the piece of human trash to stand up before asking her next question, "Those debts...what were they for?"
"Wh-Why does that-"
"Answer me!"
"Drugs! Just...I was into some bad shit and I-"
She morphed her hand into a blade and impaled him through the gut. The two of them just stared at each other, his eyes wide and hers narrowed, before she slowly pulled the blade out. All he could do was try to futilely cover the gaping hole with his hands as he sunk to the floor.
"That seemed a bit...excessive." Matt hummed, "Can't he doesn't deserve it, however. Come on, we should go. It'll probably be weeks before anyone finds him. The stench of a rotting body mixes very well with the surroundings."
Mary Jane just watched the blood pool out till it hit the underside of her feet. So much for Gwen's attempts to make her a hero. She looked down at her bloodstained hands and and took a deep breath.
Some people just deserved to die.
FarFromHome: So what's the ship names for everyone?
1984IsOverrated: TwoSpiders for Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, everyone knows that.
CPUGOD: Spinerette is usually Spin or Ette attached to something. Like pairing her with Spider-Man or Spider-Woman is Spiderette. Or pairing her with Bombshell is Spinshell.
Avuio: SpiderDevil's really taking off recently. You could feel the sexual tension the two had a few days ago.
IHearVoices: What about Scarlet Spider? Or is she too new for that?
CPUGOD: I've already seen one Spinerette/Spider-Woman/Scarlet Spider fic tagged as Neopolitan. Don't think she has any solo pairing names, though.
StrikerNotBombshell: Punisher/Spider-Man is Punished Spider.
CPUGOD: Always sounded kinda emo to me.
FarFromHome: Yo so we're all just gonna ignore Striker shipping two of her ex-teammates?
CPUGOD: This is a safe space, dude. No judgement.
StrikerNotBombshell: Just curious, is there one for me and Pete?
CPUGOD: Yep. Arachnid Boom. It's the same ship name you and Spider-Girl have.
StrikerNotBombshell: Least they aren't calling be Bombshell...
CPUGOD: Your most popular pairing is Sue Storm. Ship names are Fantastic Due or Explosive Star. I prefer the latter.
StrikerNotBombshell: Shit, Sue's gonna flip when I tell her...I look forward to it :)
This chapter ended up being rather dark so I used most of the twitter segments to try and lighten the mood. Whether it works or not is up to you, but hopefully this chapter was good regardless.
Anyway, the next chapter will be the conclusion to the Mayday omake because I've left that hanging for too long already.
Questions:
1. How do you guys feel whenever Gwen gets overprotective of her loved ones, especially Peter and MJ? In this chapter specifically she keeps Peter 'grounded', but it's also not hard to see why she did so considering what happened with Arcade and Noir's tendency to get caught in trouble.
2. Whose story feels the most boring currently? I personally think I'm not doing enough with Gwen so hopefully her dealing with Roxxon and showing off more of the governmental stuff with Gyrich really helps out.
3. Son on a scale of 1 to Creep, how much of a scumbag was Mary Jane for what she did in the room? While it's partly justified in that Carnage reduces her inhibitions a lot of people might see it as too off.
Review Answers:
Raymond49090rc - Not likely. Ben Grimm's an old cop, Johnny's a teen idol, Sue's an actress and Reed is never mentioned to exist here. Sue does play a pretty big role in Lana's plot, however.
Brave2000 - We'll see if Matt keeps his behavior up around MJ. Also, Red Hood story? Backburner. Too busy.
