Chapter 12 – Boiling Point

The morning after, Miles awoke from his long slumber to the rhythmic sounds of a resting heart. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he raised his head to see Gwen, still fast asleep, with her hands draped loosely around him; she looked so angelic, even with her messy hair all over her face.

Last night really did happen… it wasn't a dream.

Careful as not to wake her yet, he brushed away those blond strands to admire her better. For almost a minute, he stared at her, wanting her restful expression to stay in his mind forever… another photographic memory to store in his sketchbook later.

But when he eventually tried to move from her, she stirred a little, groaning in protest, and pulled him back into her chest, hugging him tighter. As much as Miles loved being in her arms, he had to get home as soon as he could, but her sticky powers made it nearly impossible… and he also couldn't breathe now.

To avoid being smothered to death, he flailed his hands until one of them found her face and patted gently to wake her up. It took quite a while until she eventually opened her eyes, realized what was happening, and released him quickly. Miles let out a long gasp and coughed.

Too much love will kill you.

"Miles!" cried Gwen as she shuffled to a sitting position.

"Good morning… to you too." He took a moment to catch his breath then smiled to show that he was okay. "So, uh… last night…" He trailed off, not knowing where to go with this.

"Yeah…" Gwen blushed, recalling everything, "… pretty wild, huh?"

"Not bad for a first timer?" The teen boy bounced his eyebrows cheekily.

"Not bad at all…" she glanced down at his chest scar, "… all things considered."

Noticing this, he followed her eyes down. "Once I get that healthy new heart… we can try again, if you want." He returned his gaze to her with thinly veiled desire.

Gwen nodded with great enthusiasm, her hair bouncing up, which earned her a chuckle.

She then jolted, as if sprinkled by a cold hose, and snapped her head to the door, which was still closed since last night; she was clearly worried about her dad coming in at any moment.

Miles read her like a book. "I'll get going."

Getting up off the bed, he lazily bent over to pick up his clothes from the pile that they threw on the floor. Gwen simply leered as he, still with the NC on, pulled on his underwear and jeans, followed by his jersey. "I should have worn my NC under my clothes this whole time." he commented. "Much easier, actually."

"Oh!" She hopped off the bed herself. "Your heart meds… did you take them?"

Miles thought for a moment and shrugged.

"I'll get you some water."

"Nah, it's cool. I can just—"

"No." she said firmly, shutting him up. "I'll get you a glass."

He threw up his hands. "Okay…" he ogled her nude form up and down, "… maybe get some clothes on first."

Looking at herself, she agreed. "Right."

Advancing towards her wardrobe, she opened it and fumbled through her drawers until she found a loose-fitting pair of pajamas to put on; hopefully, these were conservative enough for her dad not to suspect anything in case he saw her walking outside in it.

Advancing to her door next, she motioned to Miles. "Maybe turn invisible?"

Obeying her request, he vanished from the spot… or at least he would have, were it not for his floating tube and bag. He simply shifted to one corner of her room out of the doorway's line of sight.

Opening it, she peered through the gap to see her dad at the coffee table, minding his own business as usual. Mustering her best poker face, she exited her room as casually as possible.

"Morning!" she said to her dad in an unusually high voice.

"Morning." he replied without looking her way.

Making it to the kitchen, she took out a glass and filled it from the sink, shifting her glance to see if he was eyeing her suspiciously; he didn't seem to be paying much attention to her at all.

"Enjoyed your night?" he then asked.

"Huh?" Gwen almost spilled her drink. "Oh… yeah!"

She hurried past the table back to her room and closed the door before he could push the subject. Once she believed she was in the clear, the girl sighed.

Miles rematerialized and came over to take the glass. "Thanks."

Rummaging through his bag, he took out his medication, a carton of pills, and popped one into his mouth before glugging it down. As soon as he was done, Gwen took the emptied glass back.

Before leaving, he gave her one last kiss before he climbed through her window to the outside stairway. With one last look back, he was gone.


After a good modest shower, Gwen dressed in her usual clothes before heading back out to the living room to meet her dad, who was now on the sofa in front of their TV, which was showing the news as usual.

SPIDER-MENACE STILL AT LARGE.

As soon as her dad noticed her, he turned the screen off with his remote.

"Hey, uh…" Gwen stammered for words, "… how are you? Anything else happening on the news… other than the usual narrative?"

"You can drop the act, Gwen." he replied calmly. "I know what you two were doing last night."

Gwen stood petrified, her face turning red as a tomato… the jig was up. All of a sudden, she forgot how to move, how to speak, or even breathe normally; all she could do was gaze down at the floor near his feet in utter embarrassment.

Strangely, however, her dad didn't look or sound angry… maybe he was just coldly disappointed, which was arguably worse.

Finally, she sighed through her nostrils and let her shoulders go limp, her hands clinging to her shirt. She licked her lips before speaking. "So… how long am I grounded for?"

The man only shrugged. "Depends."

"On what?" She arched an eyebrow.

"What you decide to do after this."

She was even more confused. "What does that even mean?"

"If the worst happens…" he rolled his eyes up for a second, "… nine months."

"Nine months!?" His daughter hunched comically, her eyes widening into spheres. "Why nine mon—oh…" she understood, and then tried to rectify. "It was my first time."

"For both you and Spider-Woman." he concluded. Gwen just stared at him, still incredulous over his words mixed with his strangely calm demeanor. "But that's not to say you're grounded now."

She straightened up, her mouth hanging lopsidedly. "Why?" she asked, doubtful.

"Look…" resting his elbows on his lap, Mr. Stacy laced his hands under his chin, "… other than the fact that you did this under my roof, I… can't exactly be mad about it." He rubbed his hands nervously, which also made Gwen nervous. "I've done… crazy things myself in my youth…"

"Okay…" Gwen turned away to block out any mental images.

"… so I'll give this as a fair warning." He threw up his hands. "That's all."

"Uh… sure."

Unsure of how to continue this awkward conversation, Gwen retreated into her room again, now wishing he did scream at her. Then again, this was still a better result than she was expecting.


Miles, on the other hand, got exactly the greeting he expected from his parents once he stepped through the door to their apartment.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN!?" An angry accented voice boomed across the living room while thunderous footsteps shook the whole floor.

He opened his eyes anxiously to see his mom and dad marching over to him with murderous glares; he knew right away that if his heart didn't kill him, they would.

The front door squealed louder than ever as it closed behind the boy.

He hesitated to answer, knowing full well that they weren't going to like whatever he said.

"Well!?" His dad prodded, drumming his finger on his folded arms.

They looked so intimidating together, Miles thought. Swallowing, he took in a deep breath, probably the deepest one in a while, and answered. "I was at Gwen's." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.

Immediately, their faces bloated with numerous thoughts, numerous questions, and numerous assumptions. Miles, meanwhile, dragged his feet to the couch and lowered himself with extra caution… as if there was a bear trap under the cushion.

His parents circled around to stand over him; if there was light shining from the right direction, he'd be darkened in their shadows completely. His eyes remained on the floor.

"What were you doing at Gwen's?" asked his mother, her voice quiet but no less menacing.

"N-Nothing." he lied, feeling strangled.

She angled her head, raising an eyebrow. "Nothing?" she stretched the word.

Miles shook guiltily.

"Okay," his dad stepped forward, "that doesn't explain how you ended up staying at her place…" he bent low so that he was face-to-face with his son, "… or how your heartrate suddenly spiked at an alarming rate on that very same night."

Miles flinched and felt himself paling. He looked at his father, then to his mother, stunned.

"How did you know about…?" He bit his tongue… too late.

"Ah!" His dad, the lieutenant of NYPD, stood back triumphantly like he had just cracked another case. Miles went from pale to red by the second. "The doctors gave us a device that monitors your heart in case of any emergency."

"T-That d-doesn't mean that…"

"That what?" His parents hunched over with cool smugness.

The boy stuttered for an excuse. "That d-doesn't mean we did anything… her dad was at home."

"So?" His dad raised his eyebrow even higher; any further and it would touch his hairline.

"What did you do then that inflamed your heart?" His mother chimed back him.

They were double-teaming him now.

"Did you engage in any other physical activities?"

"Was it charades?"

"No, I…"

"Did you play Twister?"

"Who even plays that anymo—?"

"So, what were you two doing? It couldn't have been a nightly swing."

With each question, Miles felt himself bursting at the seams; it reminded him so much of when his original spider-friends tried to drill him back in May's underground base… but a million times worse.

"Was there any play-fighting involved?"

"These are really personal questions…"

"Hon, we both know what that leads to—"

"I HAD SEX WITH GWEN!"

The whole room went still, as if a balloon had popped. Miles had his arms outstretched while facing the ceiling, breathing hard. Those five words, five fatal words, exploded from his mouth involuntarily. Once he realized what he blurted out to the heavens, he slowly craned his head down to see their ludicrous expressions, their eyes and jaws loosened from their sockets and hinges.

His dad then made a weird sound… something between a gasp and a sneeze… which earned him a side-eye from the mother. He then opened his mouth a few times, trying to find words that wouldn't come out before he just gave up and turned away.

"I… I can't." He waved defeatedly.

His mother pinched her nose and shook with an exasperated sigh.

"So… am I grounded again?" asked Miles, the fear leaving his body.

His mother, still pinching her nose, nodded. "Seven months."

"That's fine." Miles threw his hands up and got off the couch in a hurry. He headed for his room.

"Where do you think you're going?" She followed him, her hands on her hips.

"Where else? My room." he answered glumly, not stopping.

"Oh, no, you don't!" His dad gave chase to block his entrance to the room. "Don't even think about sneaking out through the window like last time."

Miles looked at his father, frowning. "So… am I sleeping on the couch then?"

"Oh." Jefferson was all too familiar with this tone from his son; he was being challenged. "You wanna be smart, huh?"

Miles felt his chest pounding, his anger boiling exponentially.

"Okay, son… since you wanna be such a smartass… we'll ask a few contractors to board up your windows so you can stay locked in there for nine months!" He turned to his wife, who didn't share the same sentiment; she was more worried about the escalating tension in the room.

And then… Miles snapped.

His muscles tensing, he let out a scream that would take the paint off the walls. Rio and Jefferson leapt back, both shellshocked, and watched in abject horror as their son flailed his fists at a nearby wall, creating dents and holes, before turning those same fists on himself. He repeatedly punched his face, his cheeks, his jaw, and his nose, until he bruised and bled.

"M-Mijo!"

"Son…"

His burning rage was like a wildfire… untamed and lethal.

When this burning sensation throbbed in his heart, he collapsed to the floor with the scattered pieces of the wall he had destroyed and started to hyperventilate.

Her anger dissipating, his mother flew down to grab him as he began to sob uncontrollably. His face was contorted in agony, sticky from the blood, snot, and tears.

"I'm s-scared, you guys." he wheezed out.

Jefferson's anger vanished, replaced with guilt and pity, and he knelt to join this embrace. "Son… I'm sorry." he whispered, holding his son's head.

"I k-know you g-guys are… hurting too." Miles gasped for air. "I'm sorry… for being w-worthless."

"No!" said his father firmly. "Don't ever say that, please!"

"We're not angry anymore." Rio whispered into the boy's ear.

His shallow breaths soon eased as his heartrate steadily returned to normal, the pain receding but not fading entirely.

"I'm not sorry for it, though… for sleeping with Gwen, I mean." Miles added. "So, if you wanna ground me, go ahead… just don't treat me like a baby." His parents pulled apart to hear him properly. "I'll even fix the wall."

There was a minute of silence, and then oddly enough, all three of them laughed through the tears afterwards.


Some hours later, Miles did exactly as he promised and plastered the holes in the wall with the proper supplies; he had thought of using his webbing, but then knew his parents would have a hard time explaining it to any of their guests. He also swept away the pieces on the floor with a broom and dustpan before discarding them in the bin.

When the doorbell rang, Rio hurried to answer the door first. When it opened, Miles heard a familiar voice that lit up his soul, and he ran up to see his mentor, Peter B. Parker, standing outside with Mayday on his shoulders.

"Pete!" cried Miles, and he darted through the doorway to hug him.

"Hey, kid!" He returned the gesture before looking up at his mother, whom he could tell had a clouded expression on her face that she tried to hide. "Did I come at a bad time?"

"No, no!" she denied and stepped aside to let him in.

Still sensing her vagueness, he stepped in to be welcomed by Jefferson with a handshake.

"You're back early." Miles exclaimed, and then looked down to see a package under his arm. "And what's that?"

Letting Mayday hop into Rio's arms, he flipped the package in front of him with a proud smile. "A gift for you." he answered.

Everyone followed the middle-aged Spider-Man to the kitchen table where they all sat down so Miles could open his gift.

Removing the lid, he ripped the paper wrapping away and flew a hand over his mouth… it was a brand-new suit, black and red like his old one, but with an upgraded design.

"Pete…" Almost speechless, he held it up for all to see.

This suit was much like his first one when he took the leap of faith, except now, the red strands from the shoulders joined all the way to the middle beneath the spider emblem.

"This… this is amazing!" He looked like a kid on Christmas. "Can I try it on?"

Peter waved with an eyeroll. "It's yours."

With haste, Miles fled from the kitchen with his new present.

"But don't use it until after your heart transplant!" He called after the boy, who was already gone from sight. Shaking in delight, he paused on Rio and Jefferson's faces; he couldn't tell whether they looked grateful or disapproving… or maybe something happened that he wasn't aware of. "So, how are you guys holding up?"

Rio, who had Mayday in her lap, answered with a downwards glance. "We're fine."

Peter knew otherwise, but he also knew better than to push the topic.

"Actually…" she suddenly added, which got a head-turn from her husband. "… there is something I'd like to share." She lowered her voice, checking outside to make sure Miles was nowhere within earshot. "Miles trusts you."

Peter nodded, nervous about where this was going.

"There's… another plan we're thinking of…" she glanced sideways at her husband, who face was darkening by the minute, "… in case we don't find him a—"

"We're not having this conversation again." Jefferson interrupted, shooting up from the table, and excused himself from the kitchen in haste. "I need to take a leak."

Peter held his breath as Rio returned her gaze to him, deadly serious now.

"If this is something really personal, I don't think I'm the guy to—"

She hushed him. "Just listen to me for a minute…"


Peter, with Mayday back in his arms, strode through the corridor like a ghost. He noticed the plastered holes next to him before he entered Miles' room to see the young man wearing his new suit, all excited and thankfully oblivious.

"Peter, this is the best suit I've ever—" the boy paused at the morose expression on his mentor. "Hey, what's up?" he asked, concerned.

The man quickly tried to hide it. "Nothing, kid." Miles lowered his frown. "We're still having trouble tracking the Goblin anomaly, that's all."

Miles sighed, remembering the fear that it put into Gwen last night, and softened his curiosity.

"How does it fit?" Peter asked, changing the subject.

Miles rubbed his fingers around his emblem. "Other than the tightness around my swollen chest, it fits rather nicely." He smiled, twisting and turning to test its flexibility. "Can't wait to show the others."

"Well, I have to get going now."

"Wait," Miles reached out, "I have a favor to ask."

Peter pulled back. "I'm listening."

"Would it be possible to get some help to prove Gwen's innocence in her Peter's death?" He motioned to himself. "I'd do it myself if I could, but…"

"Sure thing, kid." Winking, Peter got his little girl wave at his protégé before he left. Miles waved back with a goofy grin of his own.


The following day, during band practice, Gwen was pumped with adrenaline. Her sticks flew like a hurricane as she thundered her drum set. Rather than anger, she was overcharged with exhilaration, the events of that night replaying in her head repeatedly.

"Gwen…"

That feeling of her first time… it was still there… still lingering… still craving for more.

"Gwen!"

Snapping back to reality, she snapped her eyes open to see her band eyeballing her again, MJ holding one of her cymbals like before.

"Oh, shoot… I did it again, didn't I?" The drummer scratched.

"Girl…" MJ put on a smug grin, much like the others.

"What?"

The others just giggled.

"So… how'd it go?" asked the redhead, grinning wider until her dimples showed.

"How did what go?" Gwen replied, acting dumb.

"You know what I'm talking about."

The blonde's face started to turn pinker than the dye on her hair when her spider-sense kicked in, alerting her to a threat that wasn't too far off… this one was different.

I'll tell you later!" Bagging her drumsticks, she sped off. "Gotta run!"


As Spider-Woman, she swung through Chelsea to find this apparent threat. It wasn't like the thugs from that night before… this was more intense, like a serpent slithering down her spine. She wondered if this was perhaps another supervillain that hopefully wouldn't cause her too much trouble.

Lost in these thoughts, she looked back ahead to see a pitch-black circle opening right in front of her. Before she could even react, she fell in, the darkness consuming her, before landing on the other side in a watery splash.

Getting up, she was greeted with the foul stench of sewage.

"Gross!"

Casting aside her disgust, she checked her surroundings. She had somehow ended up in the sewers… but that hole… she hadn't seen that kind of portal since they last fought the Spot.

What was worse, she quickly realized, was that she forgot her goober… she was all on her own.

"Stupid…" she cursed.

Her ears then picked up a whistle, and she spun towards a shadowy figure that drew closer towards her. She got into her battle-ready stance, her spider-senses screaming. It also didn't take her long to recognize the tune that this figure was whistling.

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider.

When the shadowy figure finally revealed himself, Gwen's blood turned into ice, the hairs on her skin standing straight… it was the Green Goblin, the one Hobie had warned her about.

"Y-You…"

TO BE CONTINUED.


Author's Note: Hope I didn't scare y'all off with that last chapter. The rest of this story will be straightforward with the plot. See ya.