Author's note: Hello, folks! It's been a while, but this story's still happening! While the ongoing virus situation I probably don't need to spell out has given many people more free time, it's made me a whole lot more busy. Thankfully, though I've found some of my own to write this next chapter and hopefully give you guys something to look forward to with this story as it continues. In the meantime, enjoy and feel free to leave a review on what you think could happen next!
The following Monday, New York 1 News on Channel 3 buzzed with reports of the activity in the Queens neighborhood the other night. They had already reported the incident immediately the morning after, but many eyewitnesses and investigative journalists were still figuring out the root of the story. Having shown his father the pictures Peter sent him the other night, Harry Osborn already knew what he was getting from the story, but he still felt the need to tune into the news to see if any new info had been released.
He sat in his penthouse living room, watching the TV as the reporter divulged the information across several pictures and videos of what occurred with Spider-Man and the Oscorp truck.
"Thank you, Andy," began Channel 3 news announcer, Whitney Chang, her black hair, brown irises, oriental appearance, and stern delivery creating an inviting presence over the airwaves. "Residents continue to relay information about the incident in Queens the other night. Local vigilante, Spider-Man, was seen chasing an Oscorp Truck through the neighborhood, incidentally causing a lot of ruckus and property damage for the residents in the area. Eyewitnesses reported this morning to confirm that, after stopping the vehicle with his webs, Spider-Man was seen engaging the criminals commandeering the vehicle in hand-to-hand combat. The criminals were donning Western attire and carrying what appeared to be seismic weapons of unknown origin. CEO of Oscorp, Norman Osborn, kept rather quiet about whether or not the weapons themselves were Oscorp-made, but it's possible that…"
"Unbelievable!" Harry exclaimed. His father was now in his presence, watching the news with him. "Your tech gets stolen and you refuse to comment on whether or not it's yours?!"
Norman looked up from his notepad he had been carrying, writing down his priorities for the day. "Harry, what we do here at Oscorp is highly sensitive information," Norman divulged. "We make it a point not to release any info on our experiments until final preparations have been made to make the product go public. A wise organizational maneuver if I do say so myself."
"I understand the need to cover up what you're working on, but what about publicity? Shouldn't we, you know, make a point to tell the world what we're doing just in case someone's curious?"
"Harry, as CEO of this company, I make executive decisions to disclose what ought to be disclosed; it's part of our mantra: 'Realizing the future one day at a time.' We can't act like the future's already here unless we put in the amount of work it takes to make it happen."
"Right, still, maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk about manners publicly with the Press or something?"
"Only I make the decisions around here, Harry, something you wouldn't understand unless you were in my position," Norman jabbed at his son. "As far as the Osborn legacy is concerned, you may have the potential to destroy it with an attitude like that."
"Um… Sorry, sir-"
"Don't apologize, I never do. If you want to live up to the legacy, you gotta make sure your views match what the Osborns value. Give it time if you want to take over this company someday," Norman stated plainly.
Hearing this, Harry slumped on the couch as his father turned to walk away. He was used to him being rather cold like this, but to claim that he had the potential to destroy their legacy? That was going too far in his young mind. As much as he wanted to not live in his father's shadow, what choice did he have? Only time would allow for Harry to mold himself into his own person.
Monday morning couldn't have filled Peter with more anticipation with a hint of anxiety. Already a week after Labor Day and the first day of school, his year was filled with a wondrous amount of opportunities for him to grow. Between broadening his horizons and growing closer to the girl he liked, nothing felt better than taking his chances with those opportunities.
Some of those chances, however, were already wasted.
Given the situation at Flash's party, he knew he needed an opportunity to apologize to Gwen for abandoning her there to essentially fend for herself. Guilty as he felt about it, he knew an apology was the remedy for their potential relationship to work. Even though guilt nagged at him about this, it was nowhere near the level of guilt he felt toward Uncle Ben - hopefully nothing he ever faced would ever match that again. At the very least, he knew Gwen was understanding and forgiving unless provoked.
Come on, Pete, just tell her your sorry and make it up to her, he thought while strolling through the school hallways that morning.
For some reason, though, he did not find her sitting in their usual "morning study corner" at the window sill near the front of the school. Aroused with concern, Peter searched the nearby halls for a friendly face to make contact with regarding this situation. Though it took him moseying around the corner, he eventually found the familiar red hair and green eyes of MJ at her locker near the library. If there was anyone he could trust with Gwen's whereabouts, it was her - Gwen and MJ were tightly knit besties after all.
Fueled with hope and confidence, Peter approached his friend who was also the girl next door he knew since childhood. "Hey, MJ! Have you seen Gwen anywhere?" he asked as soon as he reached within earshot of her. By then she already reached into her locker to place one book adjacent to the other.
"Funny you should ask, Tiger," she replied smoothly, shutting her locker. "She was just here stating she was looking for you. She also needed to go to the library to check out a book."
Of all the places Peter could've guessed her to go, that would have been the next most likely. "Thanks, MJ. I knew I could trust you on that," he thanked her kindly. "W-would you be willing to offer advice on what to say to her about the party? I feel really bad that I left without telling her where I was actually going."
MJ didn't have to think much on that subject as she was practically an expert on friendly advice. "Just say you have no excuse for leaving and promise to make it up to her. That's what I'd do if I were you."
"Right, that should work - hopefully," Peter stated non-competently.
"Trust me when I say she'll appreciate it. K, Tiger?"
"Whatever you say, MJ. Thanks!"
The two smiled at one another. If there had been anyone he could trust in helping him deal with friendships and potential romantic relationships it was her. Plus, she had a way with words especially when it came to using his nickname, "Tiger" - a hallmark of their childhood when Peter's best animal impression was that of a tiger, which coincidentally became their high school mascot. Her using that term in playful situations always felt warm and reassuring. Moreover, her reassurance was a boost of confidence to Peter's system.
He waved farewell to her for now and shuffled his way through the morning crowd entering the library. Upon reaching the double doors at the entrance, he entered to witness various student groups, including the jocks and cheerleaders, talking softly at the long tables scattered throughout the place. Acting like he didn't see them, he managed to slip by Flash and his crew and make his way to the bookshelves surrounding the outer walls of the library. He scanned the science section to find that, surprisingly, Gwen was not there. He walked further toward the philosophy section to find Gwen silently browsing for the book of her choice. Staring quietly at the Socrates collection she picked up, Gwen barely noticed Peter moseying up to her until he reached her peripherals.
"Hey, Gwen, staying company?" Peter spoke up.
"Just browsing for a book for now," she stated casually. "If only someone would tell me that much information when they leave me by myself at a party!"
Hardly surprised by this sassy attitude, Peter breathed deeply and slumped. There were times he could tell he rubbed her the wrong way and now was one of those times. He dare not mess this one up further.
"Listen, I'm really sorry about the party Friday. I really did get sick and felt the need to walk it off afterward," he lied, attempting to lock eyes with her once more. "I should've told you, but was afraid you'd judge me and… It wasn't right for me to leave you alone. I have no excuse. I hope you can forgive me."
Gwen's eyes met his and, at last, it was as if their connection was restored. "You're forgiven. Just try not to do that again. Are we clear?"
"Clear as a bell, Ms. Stacy!"
Gwen giggled hearing him address her so formally. He knew she couldn't resist his awkward charm. "Very well, then. Now would you be willing to help me choose a new book to invest in? I may love science and all, but I kinda have a hankering for philosophy right now."
"Sure, I mean Socrates is great and all, but, if I were you, I'd go with Plato's works," Peter shared. "Ever heard of Allegory of the Cave?"
"Sounds familiar, but what's it about?"
"It's about these prisoners who live in a cave their whole lives. For years, they live in darkness, their only source of light being the sunlight coming in from outside. During this time, they see a bunch of shadows and wonder what they are, having to guess what the shadows are with no idea who or what they are. Then one day, that all changes when a prisoner escapes and experiences the outside world for himself for the first time. Feel free to read it yourself if you wanna learn what it all represents!"
Having read the piece before and said all that, Peter couldn't help, but wonder if the cave represented his life prior to Spider-Man. Alternatively, it could also be his life as a result of Spider-Man. Whatever the case, it was easy for him to see himself in a deep philosophical piece like that.
"Sounds fascinating!" remarked Gwen. "I'm sure it'll give me good insight to use before college in two years!"
Gwen browsed for and selected the book of Plato's works as they talked about. The two then proceeded to head to the front desk where the checkout lady eagerly anticipated helping student patrons. While standing in line, Peter mustered up the courage to ask Gwen something he had in mind to make it up to her. "Say, would you mind if we, you know, did some homework time, like, together this week maybe?" he asked rather wordily, trying not to trip over himself. "If it helps, I'd do it to make it up to you for Friday."
"Hey, now, I wouldn't say you have to make it up to me… Okay, maybe a little bit, but to me, it would be another homework hangout, just you and me!" Gwen said, nudging him on the shoulder. "Sounds good?"
"As good as my Aunt May makes pancakes if not better!" Peter remarked cleverly.
Once more, Gwen giggled. Hearing this made Peter proud to make her laugh no matter the situation. She stepped forward to have her book scanned as Peter stood behind. At that point, his advanced hearing detected giggling behind him.
"Parker and Stacy, sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" sang the voice of Flash behind Peter. Peter then turned to face his tormentor and his gang with a stern look.
"L-O-L, Flash! Don't jinx it!" Peter retorted, hoping to God that Gwen didn't hear that last part.
"Hardy har har!" uttered Flash mockingly to Liz's amusement. "So you've come to accept my taunts as part of your life, haven't ya?"
"You know, I still look forward to the day you're at some cushy ivy league school away from my field of study… and vision!"
"Excuse me, University of Texas is not cushy!" Flash debunked. "Plus, I've signed up for a full ride scholarship there!"
"Whatever, Flash! Good luck becoming the next big quarterback in the NFL! Maybe you can have someone like the Hulk as your linebacker!"
By this point, they were raising their voices above the general library sounds. "Hey, now! I don't see you getting a date with someone like Black Widow, do I-"
"Shhhhh!" the librarian silenced Flash and Peter.
"Right, sorry," Flash whispered to the librarian. He turned to face Peter and stuck his middle finger up slyly. Annoyed, Peter flipped him the bird before Gwen strolled by to latch onto his shoulder.
"Just ignore him. Let's get to class!" she said sternly.
This girl certainly knows how to break up a potential fight, Peter thought to himself.
If anything, there was something cathartic about him using other superheroes to insult Flash's dream. Sure, the Hulk might have been big and strong, but, according to news reports, he was as dumb as a rock at times. While he hadn't met any major superheroes - most of whom revealed their secret identities to the world - Peter wondered how long he could keep his identity under wraps before he maybe needed to reveal it to someone. Whenever that may be, hopefully he wouldn't blow his cover on Flash like he nearly did in their fight the previous year.
Later in the day, school let out and every student dispersed from the classrooms to head for the buses and cars parked around the property. Having left her friends behind in the hallway, Gwen strolled outside with her grey backpack carrying her favorite subject book - chemistry. Thoughts about her day and weekend passed through her active mind as she strolled down the street toward the car she knew would be parked down away from everything else. Whereas most students had regular cars to hop into, Gwen knew to look for a blue and white NYPD car topped with a blue and red light that flashed only in the state of emergencies. She knew she would most likely appear to be getting arrested, though throughout her life, he learned to get used to it.
Soon enough, she found the specially marked car she was looking for and approached it, not caring about the various people surrounding her. Once she grabbed the handle to open the door, a familiar antagonistic voice called out to her from a fair distance away. "Hey, Stacy!" called the intimidating voice of Kenny Kong. He sat on a bench next to his shorter, skinnier, dark skinned girlfriend, Glory Grant, Glory's eyes remaining neutral toward the sight of Gwen. "What did you do this time?"
"Haha, very funny, Ken!" Gwen returned sarcastically. "Like I would get arrested for doing nothing, but attending school like a good girl!"
"Just saying! Flash told me to tell you at some point!" Kenny admitted.
"Kenny, stop!" Glory insisted, giving him a playful nudge on the shoulder.
Gwen rolled her eyes. While she barely knew Glory, one thing was for sure, she wouldn't miss the tormenting next year when Kenny was done.
She stepped into the front passenger seat of the cop car to be greeted with the profile of her aging, uniformed police captain father who smiled, excited to see her. "Way to return the sarcasm, pumpkin," complimented the gruff voice of John Stacy, laying a hand on her shoulder. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say I taught you well."
"You sure did, dad. Thanks!" she said.
"Don't mention it," replied the captain, igniting the car engine and driving away into the busy streets of Manhattan. "So how was your day today?"
"Average, but good. I got a new philosophy book upon Peter's suggestion; I'm loving it so far!"
"Terrific! You two resolve things from the party the other night?"
Gwen was slightly taken aback by the mention of the incident. She had told her father about Peter leaving her at the party, but not their potentially romantic endeavor prior to. "I think it's safe to say that he and I won't be separating any time soon. We're too tightly knit to split apart so easily."
"That's good to hear! Mind you I do think you two get along well the few times I've seen you together."
"Glad you noticed," Gwen admitted shyly. "About that, there's kind of something going on between me and Peter."
"And what might that be?"
"Well…" she continued, searching for words. "There was this moment at the party where he and I sort of… Held hands and it's kind of been building towards this a while. I don't know, dad, I really do like him, but with what he did Friday night, I'm not so sure I should, you know, keep at it."
"Nonsense, pumpkin!" John remarked. "That was a one-time thing, hopefully, and if he really felt sorry about it, would he continue to do it?"
Gwen nodded. "No he wouldn't. That's what I hope won't happen."
"Uh-huh, and if your mother and I could work it out together despite my busy pursuit in law enforcement, surely you might have some chance to work it out with Peter despite whatever's on his busy schedule. Does that sound good?"
"Well, yes. I mean, you are law enforcement so, I guess, whatever you say goes!"
"Damn straight!" the captain boasted. "And if you keep this up, you might be good with real romantic relationships as your sister is acting like she's in one."
He was right. Her sister, while not quite as far as her in terms of love life, did her utmost to pretend she was in a relationship on stage with guys she could care less about. If Gwen were just as good at navigating real relationships, surely there must have been something to be found in sticking with Peter. And her father was more than happy to provide her with a good perspective using his life as an example. Without him, Gwen almost wouldn't know what to do when it came to boys.
Days passed and Peter found himself sitting in Aunt May's car on a Wednesday en route to Gwen's apartment. News reports showed that other superheroes - among them the Avengers - were passing through the area so, to avoid exposure himself, Peter decided to keep a low profile by riding to his best gal pal's place the old fashioned way. Of course, he would never tell Aunt May he was Spider-Man, but still, she found this rather unusual for Peter to be asking for a ride at sixteen when she knew him full well to take the bus.
It didn't take long for Peter to speak up about why he wanted her along for the ride. "Aunt May, I need your help."
"What is it, Peter dear?" she asked concerningly. "Nervous about this little 'date' of yours?"
"No, it's not that… Okay, maybe it is, but I'm just afraid if, you know… What if I send the wrong impression to Gwen? I mean, I've known her for four years now, but as of the party it looks like we're getting closer and I just… I don't wanna send the wrong message, say, if I mess up interacting with her dad or something. Sure, Mr. Stacy knows me well enough, but I wanna make sure even he's supportive of us two… you know, getting together and all."
"Oh, Peter. You've always been so curious about impressing the opposite sex. Even when you met MJ all those years ago you wanted her to be your 'princess' on your 'dragon slaying adventures'! Nothing ever came of you two that I know, but still, remember the number one rule for a relationship at this stage: always keep her away from the bed."
Secretly, Peter liked that idea for someday, but gave a childish gag to signify he didn't want to go there yet. "Aunt May, I don't wanna go that far!" he said with disdain. "I'm just… Interested in taking the next step, that's all!"
"Oh, silly me! I was just joking!" Aunt May boasted. "Will you ever learn to appreciate your aunt's sense of humor?"
"Only when you stop using innuendos to set my relationship boundaries," Peter joked back.
"That'll be the day," she said soon as they pulled up to the apartment complex. They were now near the boundaries of Central Park. "Here's your stop. Now, run along now, your homework isn't gonna do itself!"
"Sure won't, Aunt May!" Peter said, slipping out of the car with his book bag. "You have a nice day and everything!"
Peter looked on as Aunt May's two thousand four model Volkswagen drove off on the busy street, leaving Peter to do his best to impress the one person he knew he wanted to be with. Despite occasionally being silly with her advice, he trusted whatever she said would stick the landing seeing as she herself was a girl.
Gotta get advice from a girl about a girl, I suppose, Peter thought proudly.
He entered the apartment complex with joy and took the elevator to the seventh floor where he knew them to be located in the twelfth room. Of course, he could have easily climbed up the side of the building and taken the fire escape, but, above all else, he knew he had to look inconspicuous. Once he reached the door displaying the numbers "seven-one-two", he knocked anticipatedly, butterflies in his stomach over who might answer. It could be John, it could be Helen, or it could be Gwen herself. Whoever it was, he was ready.
The door opened revealing the Caucasian man with brownish greying hair whom Peter knew to be Mr. John Stacy. "Peter Parker," he acknowledged. "Boy, are you a sight to behold!"
"Wish I had a good comeback for that, but I'm glad to see you too," Peter replied, shaking his hand pleasantly, but firmly. "Also wanted to say congrats on retaining your commissioner position for, what has it been? Five years now?"
"And counting, Peter, old boy! My, do you have a pleasantly firm handshake as always!"
"Glad you noticed, sir! Aunt May always tells me I need to practice if I wanna have a job someday."
"Keep it up and you certainly will. Come on in!"
Peter shuffled around the door and kicked his shoes off at the doormat. Manners first, Pete, he thought. He turned about to witness Gwen's mother, Helen Stacy, at the kitchen sink scrubbing dishes with meticulous accuracy. For all Peter knew, she was definitely where Gwen obtained the tendency to keep everything neat and tidy - unlike her older sister, Emma, she might add. "Pleased to see you, Mrs. Stacy!" Peter said, waving.
"Peter!" she acknowledged, setting her rag aside to face him. "Here to help our darling, Gwendy, with her homework?"
"We help each other, Mrs. S."
"Excellent! Let me get her out here," she said before turning to call out to her daughter. "Gwen, someone's here to see you!" Nothing. Not even a swinging open of her bedroom door to indicate Gwen heard her. Either she wasn't present, was taking a nap, or was drowning out all sound with her earbuds plugged into whatever device she had running. "She must not hear me. John, can you go knock on her door?"
"Will do, honey," he said, noticing Peter's nervous look. "At ease, Parker, she probably just fell asleep was all."
John walked down the hallway and knocked firmly on Gwen's bedroom door. Within five seconds, she stood at the door, attentive to see her dad who stood roughly six inches taller than her. "Sorry, I was earbudding. What's up?" she asked.
"Your mom called ya out here. Says someone's here to see you!" John said, nodding to Peter.
Gwen turned to Peter down the way and her eyes lit up. "Peter!" she called, shoving herself past her dad and running up to attack Peter with a hug. "So good to see you!"
"You too, Gwen!" he said before pulling them apart. "Ready to rock precalc, chemistry, and whatever else we need done?"
"All of the above!" she said, turning to ask her mom something. "Mom, is it okay if we sit out here to work on homework?"
"Sure, darling!" said Helen. "Feel free to use the island over here, but don't hog too much of the space as I still need to cook dinner here soon.
"We won't, mom! In fact, we'll only get out one subject at a time so it's less messy," Gwen promised.
"If you say so, Ms. Neat Freak!" Peter butted in, much to Gwen's amusement.
It didn't take long for them to get set up around the kitchen island adjacent to the dining room table. Unlike most students who claimed to need help with homework, the two of them actively sought to aid each other in the process of figuring out various precalc problems and chemistry scenarios without telling each other the answers. It was in their mutual brainiac natures for them to work through it themselves.
Their conversations ranged from topics pertaining to the homework to random funny videos they found on YouTube, the prospects of which Helen, who continued her work in the kitchen, found rather amusing.
"So then Jim Giffigan, I found, did this whole segment on hot pockets of all things," Peter began. "He said there's two ways to eat them: cold or boiling lava hot. So then he later goes on to say, 'It'll burn my mouth?' 'It'll destroy your mouth, and everything will taste like rubber for a month!' Hot pockets!"
Hearing this, Gwen and Helen giggled, their laughs so funny, Peter laughed with them.
"My Uncle Arthur adores hot pockets! He would, no doubt, get a kick out of that!" Gwen commented.
"Maybe you and I should look up the YouTube video and send it to him then!" suggested Peter.
"We for sure can later," Gwen agreed. "Meanwhile, we need to get back to this, we're losing focus."
"Right," Peter complied. However, he felt the urge to go to the bathroom for a little bit as he had been holding it for quite some time. "Is it okay if I maybe use the bathroom though?"
"Please, do," said Helen. "It's right down the hall!"
"No need for directions, ma'am, I've been here many times!" he joked.
With that, Peter sauntered his way down the hall, closing the bathroom door behind him and approaching the toilet to empty the contents from his system. After washing his hands and drying, he exited and walked back for the main area only to be met with a peculiar sight out of the corner of his eye: Mr. Stacy had left open the door to his study, exposing himself sitting at his desk examining a newspaper.
There was no picture, but with his enhanced vision, Peter caught the Daily Bugle logo alongside the headline that read "SPIDER-MAN AT LARGE: WANTED BY LAW". Not wanting to disturb the captain too suddenly, Peter politely knocked on the study's door frame, getting his attention.
"Whatcha looking at there, Mr. Stacy?" Peter asked curiously.
"Oh, this?" he said, holding up the newspaper. "This is a recently published article for the Daily Bugle where I had the privilege to speak. We spoke to editor-in-chief, J. Jonah Jameson, regarding my views on the masked vigilante they call Spider-Man."
Peter's stomach lurched. Hardly before had he heard the name spoken by someone else besides himself and the criminals he fought. For him, it was rather neat that he was getting recognition by law enforcement. Of course, he wouldn't just walk in and say it was him. "So you call him Spider-Man too, huh?" Peter inquired.
"Everyone does, my boy. Besides, whatever he's doing is, no doubt, an attempt to pull a series of publicity stunts for the sake of Press attention," he stated coldly. Peter could not believe it. Never before had he thought a man as bright and sophisticated as Captain Stacy who also admired him would trash on his alter-ego like that.
"Whoa! You mean you think Spider-Man is doing all this just for fame?"
Mr. Stacy stood up, towering inches above Peter to display his dominance. "Boy, I happen to be in charge of the law around here and my men and I have run into several of his attempts to mop up a crime scene before my units even arrive. Whatever he's doing is taking the law out of our hands and putting every news station, newsprint, and social media focus onto him instead of our city's law enforcement. It's obvious he's another one of those vigilantes who's looking for attention."
Peter thought deeply to choose his words carefully. He wanted more than anything to not blow his cover much less his chances with Gwen by insulting what her father stood for. "What makes you think he's looking for fame?" he asked civilly.
"Vigilantes often call a certain idea to attention and his actions reflect the idea that the law should be in the people's hands, not the other way around," John explained firmly.
"I hear what you're saying, but consider this: what if he's trying to do something the police can't? Like, say, the police aren't there to stop an armed robbery and someone like him, or even Daredevil, shows up to deal with the criminals themselves? I'd say that's more of a public service than anything."
The captain thought about those words as if settling on them. "I think I understand what you're trying to say, but even the Bugle thinks that what he does is rather menacing. Citizens may think otherwise, but it's still outside the law."
"I'm just saying what if we can somehow manipulate the laws to accommodate for vigilantes entering the picture? Surely, there must be a way to do that, right?"
"Peter, I help enforce the laws around here, not you. While I do appreciate the persuasion, I'm afraid I'm the wrong person to persuade. Now if you don't mind, I believe it's better for both of us to disengage this conversation right now."
"Sorry, sir," Peter said meekly. "I didn't mean to insult you or anything."
"It's alright, boy," John reassured, laying a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Just remember, a cop's job is a cop's job."
Peter nodded shyly toward this. Thankfully, he had enough respect for Captain Stacy to know when to stand down. He couldn't remember any time before he had ever got into a dispute with him, though, based on the trajectory of this conversation, this might have been the first. Peter hoped it wouldn't get this way again.
Just then, Gwen poked her head into the room.
"Hey, dad! Hey, Peter!" she called out pleasantly. "Mom and I decided to make dinner for all of us. What do you guys say about… Pot roast?"
It didn't take long for John to answer. "Muffin, you don't know how long I've adored your mother's pot roast!"
"I don't think I've ever had it before, but that sounds delectable!" Peter agreed, willing to be adventurous like when he was Spider-Man.
"Alright then, it's a deal!" Gwen affirmed.
The dad and her daughter's best guy friend eventually made their way out of the study, John helping Helen prepare the dish whilst Peter and Gwen continued to work on homework for as long as they could. Soon enough, they sat at the table to have dinner and, though it wasn't Aunt May's cooking, Helen Stacy made a mean pot roast according to Peter! If there was anything Peter could appreciate is that it had always been this way ever since Gwen started having Peter over for homework dates in early high school. One thing was for sure, Peter sensed their friendship growing stronger. As they ate dinner, he couldn't help, but look at her, hoping that, soon enough, they might become exclusive.
Even so, Peter wasn't sure about her dad disagreeing with his views on what he secretly did for a living. Since he couldn't argue his way into John's system, however, he hoped maybe something else could potentially stir him to reconsider his hunt to detain Spider-Man. Whatever the case, he hoped that Gwen did not share those beliefs and perhaps saw Spider-Man in a different light than her father. He dared not ask about him at the dinner table for fear of potentially ruining his chances with Gwen and the rest of her family. No matter what happened, though, Peter kept optimistic that, whether or not he had a target on his back, something might go right in his life. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to fight his way out of this one.
My favorite chapter to write so far. Have a good rest of your day!