Chapter Three: The Morning After
A/N: The Hulk will be making appearances in this story, but I like the version where the Hulk is just a regressed version of Banner's psyche, not a separate entity. However, in the story it will be Banner in Hulk form. Also, I'm substituting the aspect of Peter's origin story with that of the Ultimate comics universe. Like his father being a scientist and was the one that created Venom, his relationship with Eddie Brock and his family, that it was an Oscorp spider that gave Peter his powers, and Osborn mutating into a goblin monster, but has a glider and pumpkin bombs too (think of the Goblin from the Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon in that sense), just to name a couple of things. It also gives insight as to what Peter was like during his adolescence, before he became the mature hero in this story. I won't make mention of this until later chapters. I am also substituting the Ultimate comic version of Nick Fury and his mentor relationship to Peter in this universe because that version of the character always seemed cool to me. Other than that, the rest of the characters are essentially following the Mainstream Marvel Universe and The Spider-Man PS5 universe. Please let me know what your thoughts on all of this is like in the review.
The Raft-Rykers Island, New York
The only illumination that lit the dark gray hallway was the light emitted by the energy fields in each doorway of the prisoners' cells. In one cell was the recently acquired super-criminal, Titania. She stared at the wall across from her bed, brow furrowed, and jaw clenched at the thought of once again being caught by She-Hulk. What infuriated her more is that she was caught off guard by the wall-crawler.
"GAH!" Titania yelled as she ran up and punched the wall, she was staring daggers at. "That damn green hussy and that web for brains freak!"
"Babe, that you?!" a deep, gravelly voice called out from down the hall.
Titania's face lit up with a familiar warmth. "Crusher! Baby, I've been lookin' everywhere for you. How'd you wind up in here?"
In the cell a few doors down, Crusher Creel, also known as the Absorbing Man, recanted the tale how he was doing a job for A.I.M which required him to break into Gamma Base, an abandoned military base out in the New Mexico desert created to destroy the Hulk. The objective was to find the source of an immense gamma radiation signature that A.I.M. wanted to exploit.
"So, what happened when you got there?" Titania asked.
"It wasn't as abandoned as they thought it was," Creel sneered.
One Month ago...
When Creel got to the facility, he felt like something was off. He wandered down numerous corridors before he found a large, thick metal door with a heavy-duty locking mechanism. Having a small amount of Adamantium on his person, Creel altered his body to absorb it. Without any effort he smashed the door in with his Adamantium fists. What lay beyond those doors was what looked like a large laboratory. The intricate tools and instruments used were larger than normal, as was the computer and keyboard at the far back of the room.
"Who the hell, would be workin' out of a dump like this?" Creel chuckled. It was then he heard a few large thumping footsteps behind him. He turned around slowly to behold the large figure towering over him. The Hulk was donned in a black and mauve jumpsuit with a large lab coat draped around his shoulders.
"So, this is where you've been hiding. A lot of people have been lookin' for you," he sneered.
"Hello, Carl. Still as much a degenerate as I remember," Hulk said in a deep, gruff voice.
"Wa-wait. You're speaking proper sentences. How-" It suddenly dawned on Creel that this wasn't the primal beast in control. "Banner? Is that you?'
"Hm, apparently you have more intelligence than I gave you credit for. Yes, Creel. The temperamental brute that I regress into no longer exists. The Hulk and Banner are now finally one in the same. But now onto more important matters. You're trespassing in my home. Leave now or else," Hulk growled.
"Heh, like I'm scared of some jacked up egghead like y-"
Absorbing Man's sentence was cut short when he was struck by Banner's fist and sent flying through the ceiling. After waking from the mini coma Hulk knocked him into, Creel found himself bound in dampener cuffs surrounded by two dozen S.H.I.E.L.D Mandroids in a large crater twenty miles away from Gamma Base.
Present
"Banner's stronger now than he ever was before," Creel growled. "Somehow his power is more concentrated thanks to his full mental capacity uninhibited. Going against him head on isn't an option like it was before when he was just a wild monster," Creel sneered.
"Hey, Titania. Sounds like your boy Creel is losing his touch! Why don't you get with someone who can actually hold his own! Ha-Ha!" called the villain Herman Schultz aka the Shocker.
"SHUT IT! I'LL BEAT YOU INTO THE DUST IF YOU MAKE ANOTHER SOUND!" Titania yelled. It was then they heard a loud rumble coming from an explosion outside. Before any of the inmates could react, the force fields containing them shut down. Within a matter of minutes, inmates from varying cell blocks within the Raft were rioting against the guards. Titania, Absorbing Man, Shocker, Kraven, and Electro's cells opened and the group made their way to the Mess Hall where they encountered a squad of heavily armed guards. With the power dampening units still active within the facility, Electro, Creel, and Titania didn't stand a chance with the guards.
"Don't take another step further assholes! Now get back to your cells before we turn you all into Swiss cheese!"
Just then another explosion rocked the Raft and the present humming of the power dampener units died down. The guards got even more nervous and prepared to fire on the inmates before they could make the first move until the wall off to the side of everyone blasted open with large slabs of concrete flying everywhere. With the sudden confusion, Electro took the opportunity to blast the guards twelve yards away, knocking them unconscious.
The group of villains looked off to the side to see the Rhino standing in the gaping hole in the wall, carrying a large metal case. Out from behind Rhino came what looked like one of the guards, who then morphed into the form of Kraven's half-brother, Dmitri Smerdyakov aka the Chameleon.
"Eh, what are you doing here, Dmitri?" Kraven snarled.
"Don't mistake this breakout as brotherly compassion, Sergei. I'm here on behalf of my employer, and he seeks to proposition you all with a very lucrative partnership," Chameleon said. "And I also come bearing gifts. Alexei, if you would please?"
Rhino set the large metal box down and opened it to reveal the contents to be the suits and weapons of the current party. Soon they were all suited up and the non-powered of the bunch equipped with their weapons.
"How did you know that we would even all be here?" Shocker asked.
"My employer knows many things and arranged for all of us to be here. A very influential man, indeed," Chameleon chuckled. The group soon found themselves outside of the prison awaiting their ride.
"So, where's this ticket out of here?" Titania asked.
"It's still a couple minutes out. Looks like we'll have to hold our own until then.", Chameleon said. It was then that three S.H.I.E.L.D aircrafts surrounded the landing pad.
"Return to your cells now or we will open fire!" One of the pilots said over their intercoms. Creel touched the metal of his wrecking ball and his body turned into the very substance.
"Alright people, it's party time! Electro, Rhino, Titania, and I can withstand what they'll throw at us! Everyone else take cover!" A barrage of bullets pelted the landing pad, but the convicts were left unscathed thanks to Absorbing Man's, Titania's, and Rhino's durable hides. Electro managed to create an electromagnetic field to protect himself from the bullets. The aircrafts soon had to reload and reposition, but the time needed to do that was more than enough for the villains to make their move. Rhino charged ahead and grabbed an unoccupied prisoner transport truck and threw it at one of the jets, blowing it to smithereens over the Hudson. Electro then sent an arc of electricity flying at one of the remaining two aircrafts. The surge of energy fried the controls and grounded the craft. The last craft was sent crashing down onto the landing pad when Titania jumped into the air and tore out one it's engines.
It was then a large jet appeared out of nowhere, thanks to its state-of-the-art cloaking technology. "Ah, here she is. Everybody aboard!" Chameleon shouted. The group of inmates entered the jet from the rear hastily as more S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel were moving in on their position. The rear end compartment closed just as a dozen agents fired on the ship, which then cloaked itself and made it's getaway into the night.
The Excelsior-Manhattan, New York-The Next Morning
Peter's eyes fluttered open to see the golden rays of the rising sun shining through the window. His senses immediately picked up the sweet scent of lavender and he could feel a warm arm wrapped over his chest. Still a little hazy from his sleep, he acknowledged that he wasn't in his apartment and wondered where he was. He first noticed that he was sleeping in an extra-large bed with lots of pillows and a large purple and white comforter. He looked down to see a large green hand lay relaxed on over his heart. He followed the appendage over to the warm body that laid next to him. His eye went wide at the sight of She-Hulk. Looking under the covers, Pete confirmed what he thought was an intense dream, was in fact reality. He stared at the ceiling, a blank expression on his face as flashes of memory crossed his mind. Images of Jen straddling him, Jen beneath him, attacking her with vicious kisses, their bodies moving in perfect sync. He remembered every hard thrust and gentle movement. Every sultry moan and scream of ecstasy.
"I slept with Jen." Peter looked back over to at Jen. She looked so at peace. I soft smile on her lips even as she deeply slept. Peter looked back up at the ceiling again and smiled widely. Letting out a deep sigh, he began thinking what to do in this situation. But then that age old feeling of anxiety started to bubble in his gut. His blissful countenance morphed into sad and fearful look.
"Oh no, what did I do?" Peter took a deep breath and just let the anxiety run its course so he could think more clearly. "No. Don't jump to conclusions, Pete. You don't know what this is, yet. Talk to her first." Looking back at her he began to think what he should do now. His stomach let out a large rumble giving Pete an idea. "Well, it's like Aunt May always says, 'You can't start taking big steps without a decent breakfast'."
Gently getting out of bed, he got dressed in his jeans and undershirt and proceeded to the kitchen. But not before looking back over his shoulder to gaze upon the sleeping emerald beauty. A small smile spread onto his face, his heart fluttering at the sight of her.
No more than a half an hour later Jen began to stir from dreams of steamy romance with the Avenging Arachnid. She rolled over and stretched out her arm hoping to feel the warm, strong chest of her late night companion. But she only felt the cool fabric of her comforter. She sat up and looked over to what was Peter's side of the bed to find it empty. Jen gripped her blanket tight to her chest and a bitter sadness rose within her.
"Great. Just great. You scared him off! Nicest, sweetest guy in your life... and you scared him off! Great job Je- wait.."
She-Hulk's inner monologue was interrupted when her nose registered the smell of wheat cakes, bacon, and her favorite coffee brewing. Sadness quickly turned into excitement as Jen got out of bed and threw on a pair of lacey purple panties and an egg white dress shirt with a couple of the top buttons undone to showcase her generous assets. She walked from her bedroom and from the corner of the hallway that connected the large space where the living room and kitchen were shared, she saw Peter serving up a large stack of pancakes and half a dozen strips of bacon on one plate and on another was an EXTRA-large stack of pancakes and a good heap of bacon on the other.
Jen chuckled to herself, "Well you were the one who told him about your Hulk-sized metabolism, girl." She then decided it was time to make her presence known.
"Do you know how long it's been since a guy has offered to make me breakfast?"
Peter spun around, nearly dropping his spatula when he saw Jen in a attire that said "Great work last night, stud. Tee-hee."
"Oh well.. you see.. I just assumed.. you know.. we had a pretty long night and I just..." Peter was tripping over his words as Jen approached him. Towering over the young man, Jen reached behind him and grabbed the two plates.
"I love it when a man knows his way around a kitchen," Jen purred. She turned around and set Peter's plate on one side of the kitchen island and then sat down with her plate opposite of Peter's seat. "Oh and be a dear and pour me some coffee, please? Cream, no sugar. Thanks, Pete."
"Yea-Yeah, sure!" Peter excitedly said. "Okay, this isn't as awkward as I thought it would be. She doesn't seem like she thinks last night as a mistake... right? I mean she's wearing something like THAT in front of me!"
Both Jen and Peter sat down and enjoyed their meals in a blissful silence. They would both steal glances at each other from across the island. Jen's gaze rather seductive and intimidating while Peter's was nervous and boyishly charming. It was then that Peter took a sideways glance around the room and saw two handprint indentations in the drywall of the hallway. Blood immediately rushed to Peter's cheek which Jen took note of and looked back at what got Peter so flustered. When she saw what he was looking at her eyes lit up upon remembering the events that led to the mild destruction of her apartment.
Flashback Sequence
After Jen unbuckled Peter's pants, she hopped off of him allowing him to stand up. With his pants loosened, Peter yanked them down to reveal Spidey themed boxers. Jen quirked an eyebrow and smirked, "Seriously?"
Peter just shrugged, "Hey I got a brand to support."
Jen just chuckled and shook her head. She then stepped forward and placed one manicured finger on Peter's chest and traced it down to the elastic band of Peter's boxer shorts. Before he knew it, she yanked the fabric down to his ankles and out sprung Peter's well attributed love organ.
"Well, well, well, Mr. Parker. How on Earth do you hide something like this in those red and blue long johns of yours?" Jen purred.
"A good magician never reveals his secrets... which really doesn't apply to me really when you think about it because I suck at magic."
"Pete."
"Yeah, Jen?"
"Shut up and kiss me."
Jen leaned down and brought her mouth to Peters. For the next few minutes, they were engaged in a heated embrace. Their tongues dancing around each other. Jen slowly withdrew from Peter's arms and walked down the hallway. She stopped in the middle of it and placed her hands on the wall. She looked over at Peter and gave him a wink. Like a moth to a flame, he gravitated towards her and stepped behind her. She swayed her clothed bottom to further lure her pray. Peter grabbed the elastic band of Jens shorts and yanked them down.
"No panties, Shulkie? How bold?!" Peter quipped.
"Thought you would appreciate the gesture, Pete. Now show me how a human spider makes love. And by that I mean, FUCK ME ALREADY!"
Peter lined himself up with Jen's dripping entrance and slowly slid himself in.
"Mmm! That's the spot!" Jen growled between her teeth. Peter's thrusts were slow and steady at first to get accustomed to the soaking sheath that surrounded his phallus. But soon enough Peter began hammering into her, albeit with a semblance of control over himself because with all the lover's he's taken to bed he didn't want to hurt them with his superhumanly endowed strength.
Jen looked back over her shoulder and took note of his self-restraint. "I'm not made of porcelain, Pete. You're safe to let loose with me."
"You're sure?" Peter asked nervously.
"Do it," Jen growled.
Peter gripped her hips tight and gave Jen what she asked for.
"HOLY SHIIIIT! FUCK!" Jen yelled as she dug her fingers into the wall. Peter may have had lesser strength than Jen and many of the other super powered lovers she's had over the years, but in terms of utilizing his strength in the scenario... Peter was a freaking beast compared to them! In the span of twenty minutes Jen came four times while Peter railed her with such brutish force.
"Oh my God! He's still going! I never knew he could be so... primal. I'm losing my mind! I've never came this hard or often before! OH, BABY I NEEDED THIS!"
Peter was nearing his limit and a feeling he was all too familiar with, but seemed amplified, overcame him. "UGHHH!" Shot after shot of his essence poured itself into the Jade Giantess's aching gash. Peter was surprised with himself for shooting what seemed like half a pint into Jen. Peter stepped back and sat on the ground. He closed his eyes momentarily and tried to regain his breath. As soon as he opened them, Pete and looked up to see Jen standing over him, hands on her hips, her eyes casting a predatory gaze on the young superhero.
"Now that I was not expecting," Jen chuckled. "That was a great first act. Way to go with the display of dominance, Web-head. But now..." Jen took Peter by surprise and slung him over her shoulder and strode towards her bedroom, "it's MY turn. Get ready, Parker. Tonight, you get to see She-Hulk gone wild, ha-ha!"
End Flashback Sequence
Peter rubbed the back of his head when Jen turned back towards him. That awkward feeling was rising up in his stomach all over again.
"Sorry about the wall... I can pay for the damage-"
"No, Pete. It's fine. I'll just make a call to Damage Control. Of course, it will be quite the story to put in the report," she giggled.
"Please don't," he whimpered.
"Oh, you're no fun," she laughed.
"That's not what you thought last night if memory serves correctly," Peter quipped.
"And what do you remember about last night?" She asked seductively.
Peter's cheeks lit up like red traffic lights and began fumbling over his words. "Well, I... and we... you know? Uh..."
Jen couldn't help but laugh at the situation. She immediately went into lawyer mode to regal last night. "To recount the events of the previous night for the record. We went out, had fun, kicked some ass, I brought you up to my place, and we had wild sex that would make the likes of Stark or Hercules blush. "
Peter rubbed the back of his neck and awkwardly chuckled, "Yeah that pretty much sums it up." A moment of silence then allowed a question to pop into Peter's head, a question that would lead to other questions that could change everything between them.
"Jen... what did last night mean for us? Was it just us having some fun or was it something more? Because this sort of thing I don't take lightly, as you already know..."
Jen folded her hands under her chin, closed her eyes, and let out a deep sigh. "Peter, you remember when I told you about what happened between me and John?" Peter nodded to her question. "Well, there's a little bit more to that story. You remember that creep Starfox, right?"
"You mean the brother of Thanos who's like a living, breathing aphrodisiac and the ultimate man-whore? No, I can't recall," Peter said sarcastically. Jen only chuckled at this.
"Well turns out that he used his powers to make me fall for John. It was his way of granting me a 'happily ever'."
"Now that's just... wow... so wrong."
"Right? Well over time I've learned to distinguish my true feelings from that event. John and I had almost nothing in common. On paper it seemed like a good fit, but that's not how life works most of the time, but you already knew that."
Peter nodded with a sad look on his face.
"Last night... it wasn't just sex for me Pete. These past couple of years I've been genuinely happy just because I get to be around you. Whether it be on missions, searching for the best pizza in New York, or just bouncing bad quips off of each other," Jen chuckled. "My life is so much better because I have you in it, Peter."
"How long have you felt this way?" Peter asked.
"Honestly?" Jen asked, "For a while. I never wanted to spring this up on you because of what you and MJ had. All I cared about then was that you were happy, but then things changed and well... last night happened."
Peter let out a deep breath upon being exposed to this new information. Jen reached over and grabbed his hand, "I don't want you to feel pressured into anything just because of last night, Pete. I want you in my life and if that means just as friends then so be it. But I will always care about you. No matter what. So, take your time and process things."
Peter nodded nervously and looked down at his empty coffee cup.
"But" Peter's head shot up looking into Jen's eyes, "don't keep a girl waiting too long, ok?"
Again, Peter nodded his head. It wasn't too long before Peter left Jen's apartment. She walked him to the door and gave him a small peck on the cheek and smiled down at the young man, and he smiled back. As Peter made his way out of the building, he looked out into the distance to see the George Washington Bridge. Events from the past replayed in his mind and left him with a single question, "How many more people I care about have to die because of Spider-Man?"
Triskelion-New York City
On the twentieth floor of the headquarters of the Strategic Hazard Intervention Espionage Logistics Directorate stood a man plagued by loss, sworn to duty, and a firm believer in heroism and the responsibilities it entails. General Nick Fury, Director of S.H.I.E.L.D watched from his office of window looking out towards the city of Manhattan and then looked towards Lady Liberty. He was currently awaiting an assessment of the incident on the Raft. Two S.H.I.E.L.D installations were struck within a week. Fury knew something big was coming. The doors to his office opened up to a blonde female in a trench coat.
"Agent Carter, what do we know?" Fury asked, still staring with his one good eye out upon New York.
"What we know, sir, is that two state-of-the-art cyber security systems at our installations are now utterly useless to defend against whatever or whoever was behind the breakouts."
Fury let out a small grunt and turned to Agent Carter. "Thanks for giving me the bad news. Now the worse news, if you don't mind?"
"All, but several inmates of the Raft have been captured and placed back into their cells." Carter handed Fury the large stack of files she was carrying. Fury spread out the files and read over them.
"What do we know about their escape?" Fury asked.
"The transport was something akin to a Quinjet, General. Albeit it had more of a grim Medieval vibe to it. Or so says one of the agents who witnessed it."
"Were our satellites able to trace it?"
"We had it on our trackers for a while, sir, but we lost it once it neared Hungary. Given the level of tech we've associated with this breakout, my best guess as to who's behind this is-"
"Doom," Fury growled, "We can't move in Latveria without probable cause. That'll just create an international incident."
"So, what do we do?"
"We wait for the good doctor to make his move."
"Sir, do you think we should bring in the Parker? You know, given his history with these creeps, especially Octavius."
"That's why I want to keep him away from this. Octavius was Parker's teacher at one point. We both know how reactive the kid is to people he was close to that suddenly went to the dark side."
"With all due respect, General. He's not the same temperamental teenager from way back. Plus, he's not exactly a kid anymore. I know you care about him, but you got to let him make his own choices." With that said Agent Carter left the office. Fury turned back towards the window and looked out onto the city then up to the sky.
"I promise, Richard. I won't let anything happen to him."