Morbius arc time. As promised before this'll be a lighter arc focusing on the interplay between Noir and Gwen. It seems like people need a break from all the heavy stuff in the recent chapters, especially after that last fight with Bullseye.

This arc will also be kinda mushy since, while not a date per-se, Peter and Gwen working together lends to a more couples feel and they also go into more in-depth discussions about the future like Peter's schooling and their relationship.


T. - Looks like Alpha got caught fake stopping crime. Read it here

reply from Fun Burgerface - WTF? Lady you've already got powers but you're still faking crimes for views?

reply from Creepo_V - And yet her stans are still defending her smh. How can we have people like MVP or Hawkeye who fight crime without powers then we got these people with actual abilities and they're faking shit for clout?

reply from StrikerNotBombshell - Cause people are fucking dumb. You see guys licking toilets for attention, this shouldn't be a surprise.

reply from Fun Burgerface - Oh yeah I saw the news about your schoolmates buying TM from gangsters. What happened to them?

reply from StrikerNotBombshell - Daddy's getting them an expensive lawyer and they'll probably get away with a warning. Justice system at work folks.

reply from Creepo_V - I doubt it. Apparently while being exposed to or using the mist isn't a crime trading it around is. It's that weird loophole where you can use white phosporous to provide cover but if it suffocates someone then suddenly it's against the rules. Depending on the charges it could be as bad as trading high level firearms illegally.


Peter woke up to the Spider-God's grinning face inches in front of him.

"...Been a while." He looked around him and saw the all too familiar sight of his patron's web. He was standing, he noted blankly, with spiders skittering around his his feet in a chaotic jumble. He was just glad that he was wearing clothes this time. The first time he - his brother - showed up here the giant arachnid didn't even bother leaving him with his clothes on.

"My hunter. Welcome home."

"This ain't home." Peter looked back at it (him?) with narrowed eyes. The first time he saw the Spider-God proper in his dreams he was afraid; and who wouldn't be? Spiders were scary enough on their own but one the size of a truck with a demented smile etched on its face? That was the stuff of nightmares.

Now he mostly felt apathetic. The thing was grotesque, but it needed him as much as he needed it. It was an opportunist, always looking to expand its influence and rub its nose over Anansi, and Peter was its biggest investment.

"You have not changed." It might have been just his imagination but he could've sworn it was annoyed, "You have been busy the past year."

"Saw that, did you?" Stupid thing to say. Of course it did; it was always watching, "Hope you enjoyed the show."

The Spider-God laughed and turned back to its web. Sounded like nails scraping his brain, "You have been eager. Both of you." Peter grunted and didn't say anything. While he was running around like a headless chicken dealing with the Hand his brother was tangling with Nazis and trying to end the second world war. Made him feel small in comparison, "I chose wisely. Both hunters eager to spill the blood of those with evil intent."

"Evil. Always wondered why you were so focused on that." He didn't think giant spiders from some kind of extra-dimensional hellscape was particularly keen on morals, but here they were.

It laughed again. Peter didn't even bother to cover his ears; he knew he'd still hear it at full volume, "You would not understand." Peter rolled his eyes; of course it'd say something like that. Teresa had to get her cryptic attitude from somewhere, "But you feel its hunger too. The hunger to punish the guilty, to make them your prey and bring them suffering."

"...I guess so." No point in arguing with the thing. He wasn't suicidal, "Speaking of, I've been getting a lot less from you recently."

"So eager to return to your curse despite your previous protests." It crawled closer to him and Peter flinched when it stopped even closer than before. He saw every inch of its large, monstrous face, saw the saliva dripping down its wide jaw.

"Enough with the show. You need me as much as I need you. If you want me to be your 'hunter' then give me what I need to do it."

Somehow its smile got even wider and Peter felt an all too familiar pain on his left hand, "You are mine once more. Be sure not to break our bond again." The spiders skittered around them as if cheering the declaration. Peter looked down at his hand and flinched when he saw the throbbing, dark veins that took up his pale skin. Just like that night at the docks and when Cindy dragged him out of her twin's butcher shop.

"About that..." Peter shook his hand and looked it in the eye, "Back there in the Hand's conversion center you told me that I'd 'use your gifts for you instead of me'. What the hell did you mean by that?"

"The fake immortals are not your greatest concern." Peter's eyes narrowed. That was...ominous, "Something is coming, and it will crush all decent people like insects."

"...Throwing 'my' own words back at me, huh?" His brother felt so hopeless once he thought Octavius escaped after everything he did to those innocent people - to Robbie. It was what drove him to track Octavius down to that asylum and cost him five years of his life.

And the reason he was here now.

"You gonna tell me what you mean by that?"

"No." Peter clenched his hands and resisted the urge to punch the thing in the face. Something told him it wouldn't end well for him. A sudden ringing around them made him look up, "Your hunting grounds call to you again. Remember: you belong to me, and this pact is eternal. From when you awoke in that alley till the day you die, you are mine. You and any children you birth with her."

Peter sneered, "We'll see about that."

It gave one loud, final laugh before everything faded into darkness. Peter shot up suddenly like he'd been doused in cold water and looked around him. He was back in Gwen's apartment, still stuck in his small state. Gwen set up a makeshift bed on the cabinet next to her bed - really just a clean piece of cloth for a mattress and some cotton as a pillow. It was either that or using one of her socks and he wasn't exactly keen on on that.

"Mmgh..." Shaking off his early morning drowsiness, he looked to the bed and found Gwen still fast asleep. It was still bizarre seeing her at this height. He remembered Ben taking him to the statue of liberty when he was younger, "Can't wait to get back to normal." He stood up properly and cracked his stiff neck. The clothes Moon Knight shrunk down beforehand were a poor fit, but it was better than nothing.

He moved his limbs experimentally and let out a soft sigh of relief. His powers were back. Now he just needed to to get back to normal size.

Next to him, Gwen awoke with a small noise, "Mmm..." Opening her eyes slowly, she sat up on the bed and immediately focused her attention on the cabinet, "Peter...?" she asked softly. She wanted to put him next to her on the pillow - over-protectiveness didn't just go away overnight - but they both eventually decided it was a no go. She didn't exactly wanna move around in her sleep and squish him.

"Here." He raised up a hand briefly before returning back to what he was doing. He sat sitting down and peeling away his bandages.

"Hey, you shouldn't-"

"It's fine. See?" She unwrapped the bandages covering his right wrist and raised his arm up. Gwen looked closer and found the skin covered in blood but uninjured otherwise, "Spider-God just gave me a ring last night. Powers are back."

"That's good." She yawned and stretched her arms above her head before swinging her legs down on the ground gently. She had to be careful while he was still that size, "Remember we're gonna head over to Wasp this afternoon."

"I remember. Can't wait to get back to normal." He finished discarding the last of the bandages and hopped to her offered hand. Spider powers kept her hands from shaking, at least, "Sure we can't get over there sooner?"

"Tried calling her last night. No dice. Warden's raging out and wants to know exactly how the prisoners got out."

"Maybe he should make sure his people can't be bought for a stack of long green."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to tell him to get right on that." She rolled her eyes and walked to the bathroom. He hopped off to the sink and she gave him a small thimble of water before grabbing her toothbrush, "Might wanna clean that blood up."

"On it. Make sure to brush properly, I can smell your breath from here."

She rolled her eyes again and poked him lightly before doing their morning routines. It was weird just how not weird the two of them were about it. Here she was with her boyfriend the size of a lego figure and she was going about her day like nothing was wrong.

'You awake yet, Webster?'

"I am now." She jutted out of Gwen's shoulder and made a (cute) yawn. She leaned down and gently nuzzled Peter's back, "It's good you are back. Gwen spent the past week worried and it kept me up at night."

"Like you actually sleep. I've seen you change my webflicks preferences." Gwen scoffed and began to brush.

"It's good being back too. Nice to go to the bathroom without worrying about bending over." She stopped brushing briefly and looked down at him. He had his shirt off and was wiping away the blood on his upper arms. She shook her head and continued her routine. Even after all the time she knew him the way he just casually brought up horrific stuff still made her pause.

"What does he mean by that?"

"...I'll tell you when you're older." She was not going to explain the concept of prison showers to her.

They finished up in a few minutes and soon enough they were on their way to the dining room, "How much time do you have before classes start?" Peter asked. He was on her left shoulder holding onto a handful of hair for support. He'd insisted it was easier than carrying him around by hand and that it was easy enough to balance with both of their powers. She made sure to walk slowly anyway.

"A couple of hours." She opened the fridge and frowned at the sparse contents. Ever since Peter went to his prison gig she'd gone back to takeout and easy-bake meals, "Wanna order another pizza?"

"Not a chance. Actually, now's as good a time as any." He tugged at her hair and pointed to the kitchen, "I promised I was gonna teach you how to cook so let's get to it."

"Uh...you know the pizza place is really close by. If you don't want it delivered we could swing over and-"

"Gwen." Oh, she could see the disapproval on his face already, "You can't just live on fast food the rest of your life."

"Says the guy who I have to force to eat three meals a day?"

"Exactly. If I have to do that then you have to learn how to cook. Fair's fair." Gwen bit her tongue. Well, she couldn't argue with that. How sad was it she couldn't win an argument with a guy the size of her pinky? "It's easy enough. You have a cookbook lying around and I can give you instructions. It'll take a miracle for you to burn down the kitchen...again."

"That was one time! And I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed!" Gwen huffed. So sue her for wanting to be a good girlfriend. Not her fault the stove decided to be a little shit.

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions," Webster said from her other shoulder.

"You shut it! I don't need you two shoulder people getting on my ass!" She rolled her eyes and, very reluctantly, picked up the cook book, "What are we making, though? I don't have much ingredients..." Especially with MJ gone. Now she only bought enough for her and Webster and they went through that real quick.

"I would not say no to more chocolate."

"Of course you wouldn't." Peter tugged her hair again and pointed down, "Saw potatoes and eggs so we can make some baked potatoes with egg toppings. Bread and tomatoes too so we can make some roasted tomato sandwiches. You have any cheese?"

"Think so."

"Get it out then. We can use it too."

"What do I do?"

"Just help out where you can. You hate fire so no cooking, but anything else is fair game." Another hair tug. She was beginning to feel like the guy from Ratatouille, "If we do it right we should be able to finish in 45 minutes. Leaves you an hour and 15 minutes to eat then get to school."

"How organized." She got the ingredients out and followed Peter's instructions to the letter. It was...nice. Weird considering his state, but nice anyway. Webster helped out too, carrying bowls around the counter and helping her slice up the tomatoes better than any knife. She did whine about not getting to eat Peter's chocolate specialties, but she (reluctantly) agreed it was a no-go right now.

Finally, after a lot of hair tugging and instructions shouted to her ear, they finished. It was...decent. The tomatoes were burnt, the potatoes were kinda runny and the eggs weren't in the best shape, but it was edible.

"We're still alive." Peter said once they were at the dinner table. She'd sliced off a bit of potato and (just a bit too toasty) bread and gave it to him. If he was forcing her to cook then she was gonna make him eat.

"It wasn't that bad, I guess." She didn't say anything about him nibbling on a piece of toast the size of his head. Next to her Webster flopped around the table and sat next to Peter protectively. Gotta keep her chocolate supply alive.

Breakfast was pleasant. She, Webster and Peter talked about whatever came to mind and they caught each other up on what they did the past week. Her week wasn't too exciting. A return to business as usual - college, daily patrol and being the best big sister in the world to Helena. Tweeter feeds kept spamming her with questions, mostly on how 'she could go back with that $%!%^ Spider-Man', but she ignored it. She wasn't going to let people ruin it.

Peter said prison wasn't as exciting as the shows made it. Apparently it was a lot of waiting around in your cell and trading for whatever creature comforts you could afford...except for the time he got attacked on his first day and almost got you know what in the showers. Again it was kinda creepy how nonchalant he described the way he was treated.

"Don't suppose I can convince you to take a break now?" she asked after swallowing her mouthful of tomato cheese toast. She still preferred take-out.

"Now that I've got my powers back now? Not a chance." He shook his head, "We need to make sure the Hand can't capitalize on their new recruits. Echo managed to stop them from getting Moonstone and Jack's still in the Raft but that doesn't mean we can get careless"

"Well the 'good' news is powered crimes fall under Avengers jurisdiction. Any of these guys have powers and they'll be made a priority."

"I doubt the Hand's gonna use them out in the open then. Gao's a lot of things but careless isn't one of them." He leaned back against Webster like she was a particularly squishy pillow. She refrained from commenting how cute they both looked, "We need to find a way to lure them out."

"You know I really thought you'd stop tangling with the cult ninjas once you took out Murderdock last year." And now here he was helping Peter. Like the whole of last year didn't happen at all.

"If it wasn't them it'd just be another group of psychopaths. Every dimension's full of em." She hummed and didn't disagree. He was kinda right there. Even with H.Y.D.R.A dismantled Cap told them it was only a matter of time before someone else took their place. Natured abhored a vacuum, to use the words of her Anthropology professor. That just meant they had to keep pulling the weeds out.

"What are your plans once you take them out?"

"...Not sure. I've been fighting them for over a year now." Ever since Murderdock decided to try and make him his apprentice, "Like I said, there'll be more clowns needing someone to deal with them."

"Remember you're attending college with me next semester. Think about future."

"Future, huh..." He looked down and his next words made her choke, "You ever think about kids?"

Gwen started coughing while Webster shielded Peter from any flying chunks of food. Thankfully she had enough sense to cover her mouth and avoid spitting up all over them. It took a few more coughs and a desperate gulp of water before she managed to find her words, "Wh-What?" she said, very smart and eloquent cause that was just how she was.

"Kids. You know, what a lot of people use sex for-"

"I know what kids are!" she shouted, forgetting to lower her voice. Peter flinched slightly and covered his ears," S-Sorry..." she coughed again and made sure her next words were softer, "I'm just...surprised. What brought it up?"

They didn't talk about marriage, not since Jessica and her dad's ceremony last year, but it was something at the back of their minds. Gwen was pretty sure that the relationship was permanent - or at the very least that she wasn't going to break up with him and end up with Kate or Tony Stark like a lot of her more obsessed fans thought. As far as she was concerned if she was gonna end up doing the family thing it would've been with him.

Still. Marriage, though...she just couldn't imagine the two of them living in the suburbs like her dad and Jess. Being an Avenger/Superhero and a vigilante exorcist wasn't exactly the average 9 to 5.

"Told you the Spider-God gave me a ring last night. Before I woke up it told me that any kids we have are gonna be its."

"Is...that a bad thing? I mean it's the one who brought you back and gave you your powers. The reason you're with me now." She hadn't meant to say the last part out loud. Peter made a soft humming sound and looked up at her with a slight smile, "I mean if your 'boss' is offering to give our kids powers I'd say that's good. Better to protect themselves if trouble ever came around."

"That's assuming that's all it'll do. You remember what Teresa said about the one who gave you your powers." That it tried to kill Ben. And when she refused to take the bait it killed Peter instead. She still wasn't sure she believed it, "Sometimes I wonder if me attracting crazies like Jack or Matt is just my own bad luck or the big guy's drawing them to me. He even told me something's coming that'll put the whole city at risk."

"Well whatever it is we'll take care of it." They dealt with Murderdock and Moon last year. Whatever came they could win, "But for kids...I dunno. I mean I wouldn't exactly say no to any kids we have getting powers if your 'boss' isn't some kind of secret puppetmaster. That's assuming we can have kids considering...you know."

"It should be possible. Your reproductive organs are all intact and so birthing is possible." Gwen cringed at how bluntly Webster said it, "However, there is the possibility that any children born from you will have symbiotes of their own given they would inherit your immunity to radiation. If we were able to birth Chocolate without a host then that is possible as well."

"If that happens then the Spider-God can't gets its hands on them. Me and the parasites don't play nice."

"Please do not call me a parasite."

"Sorry." He patted the side of Webster's goopy form apologetically, "...You know, I ran into Mephisto a few weeks ago after we 'broke up'. Said we'd have at least two kids. Ghost and the Winter Soldier."

"Winter Soldier? That's Bucky Barnes, dude." Ghost Spider sounded kinda creepy too.

"Yeah. He was probably just messing with me." He shook his head.

"So...any thoughts about what we're doing for today?" she asked, if only to change the subject. As much as she liked the idea of him thinking about the future this really wasn't the right time to talk about it. Maybe when they could actually look each other eye to eye.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm not just gonna leave you here after what happened. You told me about what happened with Bullseye." Not all of it, but enough. She didn't pry; he'd tell her when he was ready, "And you said before that the Hand might know where we live." It wasn't a guarantee, but the possibility was enough to make him worry. Though he also said that it was unlikely they'd attack her directly. That'd just get the Avengers and the government on their asses and that was a fight they couldn't win.

That and she didn't wanna leave him alone and find him dueling a rat when she got back. Good thing Murderface was living with Betty now.

"Hmm..." He set the piece of toast down and wiped his hands, "Guessing Cin and Lana aren't free?"

"Cindy's at work on a new case and Lana's attending classes." And she did not wanna know what police officers and fangirls would do to a vulnerable Spider-Man. Besides, they just called Lana last night warning her about Bullseye attacking her again. Putting Peter with her wouldn't be the most safe, "MJ's pretty busy too. She's got a new modeling gig then she's going to work at the theater."

"Can't rely on the rest of the the group either since they're in the same state." He hummed briefly, "Summers busy too?"

"She said Robbie put her on investigating the prison riot. Jan said she'd do an interview with her too." And she didn't exactly like the idea of leaving Peter with her. Gwen trusted her, but she wasn't exactly a match for a group of cult ninjas, "How about Kate?" She did help them out last year. Apparently what she saw was so bad she still refused to talk about it until 'I get really futzing drunk', to use her words.

"Rather not get her involved. Hand can tie her to Jones and they can tie Jones to you. Last thing we need is them knowing who you are."

"I don't know anyone else you can babysit. Do you?"

"Well...there's always Castle-"

"No." She felt no need to explain herself.

"Then we're stuck. Unless you wanna skip classes there's nothing we can do till Wasp brings me back to normal."

"Well..." Gwen bit her lower lip. It was a risky bid, but... "I could take you with me to class." He looked up at her with a raised brow and said nothing, "Not out on my desk or anything! I can put you in my bag and leave the zipper open a bit. I gotta attend morning lectures but then we can swing by Jan's place and get you back to normal. It'll just be a few hours tops."

"How's this any different than just dropping me off with Cin or Lana?"

"She just wants to make sure you're safe," Webster said, "Gwen's been worried ever since you were imprisoned and the stories you told a night prior have no eased her worries. It's practical too. Gwen will be the one to take you to Janet so this will ensure you will be returned to normal faster."

"...Point." Peter sighed and stood, "Alright then, guess that's the plan. Just make sure not to zip it up fully. I just escaped one cell, not eager to get into another."

"Of course not." Gwen huffed, "But is there anything else I can do to make the time pass easier? Maybe I can leave my phone on and you can browse the net?"

"I barely use my phone at normal size, not gonna do it when I'm like this. It's fine. Moon Knight had some stuff shrunk down. It was meant for him to use, but I've got something to pass the time." She gingerly handed him the shrunken backpack from the kitchen counter and he pulled out a big, brown book.

"Is that a bible?"

"Yep."

"Didn't know you were religious." Granted it was hard not to be nowadays that people knew demons and angels existed. She didn't dwell on it too much. She was raised believing in God but she and her dad fell into the 'Relaxed Christian' group. They prayed occasionally and donated to charities but they weren't much for traditions or attending church every Sunday.

Looking it up online was just...depressing. If she thought it was bad before zealots were practically frothing at the mouth now that there was actual, physical proof of their belief.

"I'm not, but I have to be practical. The reason I got turned into a kid before was because of Lilith and according to Matt she's a demon of the biblical type. I'll read up on the Whore of Babylon and see if I can dig anything up we can use on her."

"Uh...I didn't read too much of that but I'm pretty sure the bible doesn't have 'here's the big demon and here's how to kill her'. Besides, why don't you just ask Karen Page?"

"You know how it is. Getting a straight answer out of her is like pulling teeth." He scoffed, "I don't expect I'll find a weakness so easily but it's better than nothing. If nothing else else it'll help pass the time."

"Alright then. Good luck, I guess."


BSarah - Just had family dinner and...ugh, super nightmare.

reply from Maxwell - What happened?

reply from BSarah - Family reunion dinner and crazy aunt came. You know the one, the religious nutjob who thinks believing in God means she's better than anyone. Ever since the Times Square Demon got killed she's been even worse. Screaming about how we're all going to hell and bla bla bla.

reply from Charuto - Yeah I've got a cousin who's bad at it too. He went through a phase in high school when he went full viking, calling for Odin or something. Ever since the Asgardians crashed he's gone stupid with it. Now he's claiming he's an Asgardian in a human body.

reply from Maxwell - Asgardiankin, you mean? Yeah I've been seeing a lot of those lately on lockr. Angelkin and Demonkin too. It's maximum cringe out there.

reply from BSarah - What a time to be alive. Aunt went on a speech about how when the demons come she'll be saved and we'll all burn in hell. Then I pointed out a demon got killed by humans Spider-Man and the Defenders and she flipped the fuck out.

reply from Charuto - Yeah I really don't get why people are so impressed with the Asgardians. Betcha five bucks Spider-Woman can kick their asses.

reply from ThorGodOfLigthning - I would not fight Spider-Woman. We are allies.

reply from Maxwell - ...Are you seriously Thor?

reply from ThorGodOfLightning - Indeed! At the advice of some friends I was encouraged to create one of these social media accounts. I was also told to post what they called a selfie to prove it is me. Will this suffice? Image

reply from BSarah - ...Hey Thor, could you hold on a sec? I gotta introduce you to my aunt. I think she'll enjoy talking to another god.


They finished up their breakfast and, after a quick shower, made it to class with time to spare. Gwen made sure to keep her bag mostly empty and sat in a corner of the room to make sure she didn't have a seatmate who could lean over and see him.

She did her best to pay attention, but more than once she found her attention drifting back to her mini tagalong. True to his word Peter sat with his back against her chemistry textbook and read the bible without saying a word. Occasionally he looked up and paid attention when Professor Warren started getting into one of his impassioned lectures on genetics and inheritance, but apart from that he made himself invisible.

Psyche280 was even more annoying than usual. Ms. Gonzales went off on another tangent about hero psychology and it took everything she had not to start an argument right then and there. Even if she just excused it as her being an Avengers fan the last thing she needed was to draw attention to herself.

Thankfully she managed to get through class without breaking something. Gwen sighed with relief and made her way back to the entrance. Peter was back on her left shoulder and she put up the hood of her jacket to keep him out of sight. If anyone saw her talking they would've just assumed she was using wireless earphones.

"Any luck finding her kryptonite?" she asked.

"Not so much." He held on to a few locks of hair to keep from being jostled, "Most of it is symbolic. Passages treat her more as a representation of corruption and idolatry than focusing on an actual individual. There are references to her being burned in cleansing fire and men being buried alive, so I'm guessing we either set her on fire or bury her in a shallow grave. Neither are easy."

"Miss dealing with regular criminals yet?" She didn't bother trying to convince him not to kill her. From what Peter told her she was some kind of ancient demon from a stupid long time ago. She figured if anyone was an exception to the rule it'd be her.

"Never stopped. I'm not good at dealing with ghosts and demons."

"Everybody else disagrees." It was the whole reason Gyrich and considered him a 'do not touch' VIP. Gwen knew for a fact that she definitely couldn't just punch demons away.

"Yeah, well-"

"Stacy, you heading back?" She turned around to see Professor Hickey walking towards her. Peter discreetly hid behind her hair out of sight.

"Uh, yeah. Classes are finished and I don't have any afternoon ones."

"Could you do me a favor? I got a meetin' to go to but I gotta make a delivery." He raised a brown envelope with his right hand, "Could you hand it over to Morbius? It'll be on the way. He's got a special room here on campus. You know where it is."

"I dunno..." She would've said yes normally but she didn't like the idea of deviating with Peter the way he was now.

"It'll be quick. Just gotta hand it to him then you can head out." He looked around briefly then said in a lower voice, "Come on, Stacy, do me a favor. You know that guy creeps the hell outta me..."

She was about to reply when she felt two tugs on her hair a brief touch on her neck, "...Alright." Staying here to argue would've just delayed them more, "But I expect favors for this! One semester of perfect grades should do it." She smirked.

"Yeah, sure. I'll tell your dad he raised a little extortionist." He handed her the envelope, "Thanks though. I mean it."

"Just get to your meeting." She waved goodbye and, after making sure they were alone, loosened her hood a bit so Peter could move around easier, "Well...looks like we're gonna be taking a bit of a detour. Sorry."

"It's fine. No sense in annoying the one who's gonna be teaching your major. You know where it is?"

"Yeah, I know it." Never actually visited, though. She agreed with Professor Hickey; the guy was pretty damn creepy, "Right, make sure to hold on. I don't want you to drop."

"This Morbius guy seems to have a reputation. What do you know about him?"

"Not much. He's not one of my professors but I've seen him around campus sometimes. He's...quiet." Creepy, but she didn't say that out loud. Peter could judge for himself, "He's the kind of guy who prefers experiments to people, I guess. Glory had a chem class with him last sem and she said it was like he was talking at the class instead of to them. Didn't answer any questions and every time someone tried to interrupt him he'd just keep rambling on like nothing happened."

"Surprised he hasn't gotten fired yet."

"He's tenured. Can't really fire him unless he's sleeping with students or something." She almost shrugged before remembering where Peter was, "That and most people pass his classes. Apparently he just gives out group projects and papers so it's pretty easy to get a decent score."

"Guess I'll have to deal with him if I'm going for the science track."

They arrived at his place. Professor Morbius' room was in a cut off corner of the professor's dormitory building. Gwen had no idea how he managed to get an entire floor to himself and she didn't really care. She just wanted to get this over with.

"Professor Morbius." She knocked on the door. No response, "Professor Morbius! I've got something from Professor Hickey here for you!" Two more knocks. Still nothing.

"...Something's wrong," Peter said.

"What do you mean?"

"I can smell blood." Gwen stiffened, "Spider-sense is going haywire, too. "

"Danger?"

"No. At least not for us." He paused briefly, "We need to get in there and check."

"I could bust the door down-"

"Not a good idea. You'll have to start explaining if anyone hears the noise and comes check." He walked forward and looked down at the floor, "Set me down and give me a line of webbing. I can crawl under to the other side and unlock the door for you."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"I survived a week in the Raft, Gwen. I think I can handle a locked door."

She bit her lower lip briefly then raised her hand to get him. He jumped into her awaiting palm and she lowered him to the floor, "Just make sure to open the door, alright? Don't go wandering off." She shot a thin webline which he grabbed and dragged under the door with him.

It took a couple of minutes with her standing and fidgeting nervously before she heard a soft click, "Get in here," he shouted, barely audible. She changed her fingerprints (thank you, Webster) and turned the doorknob gently, "Over here." He was hanging next to the turn lock using the web like a rope. She put him back on her shoulder and lowered her hood after changing her face. Wasn't like there was any point in being discreet now that they were breaking and entering.

The place was a mess. Scattered papers everywhere, beakers shattered on the floor and, most gruesomely, a big puddle of blood at the center of the room that looked like it could fill a tub. The scent of the chemicals, a common enough smell coming from the creepy professor's room, was the only reason the coppery stench hadn't gone farther. Above even that the place was dark. The lights barely worked and window was blocked out and covered with thick, heavy curtains.

Looked more like a dungeon cave than a professor's room.

"Looks like this professor got tangled up in something serious," Peter said, "We should look around. Make sure to mask your fingerprints in case the police check anything later."

"Already did it." Cap might have wanted her to reveal her identity at some point but she was adamant she be the one to do it. Someone else finding out before she was ready (read: never) would've been disastrous, "I don't see Prof Morbius anywhere. Kidnapping?"

"Either that or he's dead. That puddle of blood isn't exactly healthy a good sign." Gwen winced. She figured murder was a possibility but she wanted to look on the brighter side, "Still, most people don't go after college professors. Either he's dabbling with something on the side or he really made someone mad. Even most criminals don't tend to use murder as a first resort."

"Computer first, maybe?" She picked up some stuff from her dad - he taught her how to spot a tail when she was 8 - but she wasn't exactly a detective like Peter or Jess. At best she was decent at following a trail.

"Good idea. If we're lucky he's still logged in." He looked around and pointed near the blood pool, "Set me down over there. I'll see if I can find any tracks or any signs of a struggle."

"Careful." She set him down and walked over to the computer. Good news was he was still logged in. Bad news was there was nothing useful far as she could see. Most of it was just research on neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimers and Parkinsons, "Hold on..." There was a diary file. She double clicked the icon and cursed when a pop-up asked for a password.

She tried password recovery and failed three times. Gwen sighed and was about to try again when Peter called from below, "Hey, put me up," he shouted by her right foot. She put him on the table next to the computer and she crouched down so they could see eye to eye, "Looked around a bit. Blood's old, at least past an hour or two judging by how dry it is. No signs of a struggle though."

"You kidding me? This place is wrecked."

"He did it himself." He crossed his arms, "Just saw one pair of footsteps on the indents. Something's odd, though." He pointed to the opposite wall, "There are faint handprints on the walls and floor, but they're not all the same size. It's like the fingers got elongated. Scratches on the wall too. Like animal claws."

"Maybe it's from another person?"

"Doubt it. Footsteps are all the same so unless this other person was flying I'm guessing it's the same guy." He put a hand on his chin, "You mentioned that the guy was odd. Any chance he got hit with the mist? Would explain him going berserk and the change in his hands. Mist mutates people"

"No. I saw him around campus and he definitely didn't have claws." She shook her head, "I still think there was another guy here. Maybe they just have the same shoe size? Hell the culprit could actually be flying. Can't discount anything nowadays."

"Maybe." He looked back at the computer, "Any luck?"

"No." She sighed, "Tried the diary but there's a password on it. I can copy the file but opening it's a no-go unless we have his password."

"You have a USB. Copy all the files you can and let's get outta here. We can get Summers to hack it open if she's not too busy."

"Got it." She copied the files over and offered her hand to Peter, "Come on, let's get outta here. We need to call the cops and tell them what happened." She hoped Professor Morbius was alright.

"Yeah. Let's get me fixed quick then we can start investigating."

Thankfully getting Peter back to normal wasn't as big a hassle as she thought it'd be. Wasp led her to a new location none of her employees knew about and a quarter of an hour later he was back to being...well, not tall, but good enough.

"Hey there, stranger." She hugged him with a smile and a happy sigh. Felt good not having to worry about accidentally squashing him, "How's it feel to be back?' she asked cheekily.

"Felt better than I have in a while. Back to normal and I've got my powers back." He cracked his neck and moved his limbs experimentally, "Fighting the Hand'll be easier now too."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." She looked back to the new arrival and scowled when she saw a normal sized Matt Murdock walking towards them carrying a briefcase. She wouldn't have minded him staying bug sized for a while... "It appears that while we were dealing with our reduced states that the Hand decided to launch an attack. Sowande's gone."

"What do you mean he's gone?" Peter snarled.

"I mean the Hand has taken its finger back." He smiled wryly, "The Chaste mounted an admirable defense, but they were overwhelmed and by the time we received word Sowande had long since escaped."

"So we're right back to where we started and the Hand has new recruits." He cursed under his breath, "How the hell did the Chaste survive for so long before we showed up? I'm surprised they know how to tie their shoelaces."

"I'll be sure to let Stick know of your thoughts. But for now I wouldn't worry too much. Judging from what Sowande let slip in his cocky monologues-" Gwen rolled her eyes. Yeah, like he had any room to judge on monologues "-it seems as if he's enacting whatever plan he's come up with soon. I suggest we take that chance to end his life should the opportunity arise. That is unless Ms. Stacy has no moral objections."

"Don't talk to me, you piece of shit."

"I'll take that as a no." He smiled, "Oh, and before I forget." He knelt down and opened the briefcase. Her brows furrowed when she saw the two pistols inside, "A present from Moon Knight. He assured me that these should pack more of a punch. It should prove useful considering the Hand's new recruits."

"Hm..." Peter accepted the offered pistols and did a quick once-over, checking the sights, magazines and the firing mechanism before nodding, "...Thanks."

"I'm merely the messenger. If you wish to think anyone thank Mr. Spector." He closed the briefcase and stood up again, "By the by, I overheard your conversation. I wish you luck in your side investigation, but please don't let it distract you too much."

"Yeah don't let the door hit you on the way out, asshole," she said as he walked away and closed the door behind him. She turned to Peter and he was giving her a look, "What?"

"You know antagonizing him won't do us any favors."

"Fuck him. He deserves worse."

He was quiet for a moment, "...You know he's not the one who did those things last year." She gave him a look of disbelief and he put both hands up, "Hey, I'm not saying he's innocent. Whatever reasons he had he made that deal. All I'm saying is I killed the thing that made our lives hell and right now Matt's one of the few people I have against the Hand. He knows how they work better than anyone."

"Has everyone gone crazy? First you and then MJ. That guy's a piece of shit!"

"I'm not asking you to make friends with him, but until the Hand is dealt with...I need him." He looked physically pained saying it. Good; at least she knew he didn't just decide to forgive and forget, "Just promise me you'll lighten up if I get him to stop being so...him?"

"No promises, but I'll...try. I guess." She sighed, "It's just...he's such an asshole." If he got on his knees begging to be forgiven she might've considered it. But no, he was as cocky and self-assured as ever. If he wanted to prove he'd changed acting the exact same way he did last year was a piss poor way of doing it.

"No arguments there. Hey Matt, you wanna try being less of an insufferable prick?" he said. Silence and then, just barely, she heard the tap of a cane hitting a wall, "...I'll take that as a maybe. Come on, let's find this guy."

"Any leads on where to go next?"

"We should get another detective's insight into this first." Peter's lips quirked up in a slight smile, "It's been a while since I've seen Howard."


kirabook - Just saw Spider-Woman swinging over with Spider-Man in Midtown. Guess they really are back together.

reply from spartan121 - Did you guys have any doubt? These two are OTP.

reply from True Machin - I was really hoping the break-up was legit. Even ignoring the romance thing it just looks really off for someone like Spider-Woman who goes to charities and helps kids to shack up with a killer vigilante.

reply from JR I - Wouldn't you say the same thing with Captain America and S.H.I.E.L.D? They apparently did some nasty shit even before the Carnage Incident but no one looks badly at Cap for it.

reply from Brother Red - Difference is Captain America wasn't sleeping with Peggy Carter.

reply from JR I - That we know of...

reply from True Machin - I'm just saying it makes her look super bad.


I considered having them get attacked by Morbius in the room but I decided to save it for later. Make them legitimately surprised since they don't know whether he's dangerous, got kidnapped or if he's even still alive.

As mentioned before rather than being a solo arc this'll be more of a battle couple outing like the time they dealt with Paper Doll. I thought about Noir remaining shrunk for the entirety of the arc but it wasn't feasible. While it would've led to some possibly comedic scenes it made him a bit too helpless and character-wise Gwen wouldn't have agreed to bring him with her if he was shrunk, powers or no. That and readers are probably tired of him having lingering drawbacks like being de-aged or losing his powers.

So now we're back to a normal Noir - plus Spider Trigger - working alongside Gwen :) Next chapter will also have Howard who made his last canonical appearance over 100 chapters ago. Time for the reunion between the people who see Earth-65 for what it is! Wauughhh!

Questions:

1. More of a curiosity, but if a symbiote user has a baby would that baby have a symbiote too? The characters were discussing it earlier but I didn't actually come up with an answer.

2. Could you guys actually see these two getting married and settling down? I know Spidey does it with Mary Jane in Spider-Girl but he was (mostly) retired in that verse. Neither of these two seem the type to do that, especially Noir who actively kills people in his vigilante sprees. Be pretty awkward to drop your kids off at school then go track down a crime lord to shoot him in the face. Or have them visit Aunt Mary Jane the vigilante serial killer.

3. Do you guys a future chapter - maybe the comic-con one - to focus on Noir and Lana again? They haven't really had one-on-one time ever since this volume despite their bond being one of the strongest in the previous volume.

Time-Space lord Eon - Defuse how? Bullseye made it clear he was going to attack Lana again if possible. That's pretty hard for Noir to swallow.

Brave2000 - Psychopaths sell, Joker proves that.

rc48177 - Probably could've made it less risky if Noir just cut his throat like he did literally every other prisoner, but of course he has to be dramatic.

ToastyIce - Good news, Noir has his powers back and he's back to normal size :) Time for criminals to shit their pants again!

Hardlight - Why re-read V1?