Chapter 13
*Garage door opening sound*
"Uhh, Peter?"
Peter groggily blinked his eyes open as he fought against his drowsiness. "Thanks for the lift, Mr. Stacy," Peter yawned, as he opened his eyes and saw George turning back on his seat & staring intensely at him.
Peter blinked in silence for a few moments, confused by George's silence, before noticing the slight weight of Gwen's head, resting on his shoulders.
"Uhh, this wa-I didn't mea-,"
George lets out a low chuckle as he watched Peter stutter with his words. "I'm just messing with you," he smiled, before getting out of his seat & opening the door on Gwen's side.
"Ohh, let me help you with that," Peter said quickly, as he removed the seatbelts on Gwen and helped her onto her father's arms.
"Thanks Peter. Mind helping me get the door?" George gestured towards the garage door, with his chin
"Ahh, sure," Peter nodded, before getting out of the car and opening the door for the pair.
"Thanks," George grunted, as he struggled under his daughter's weight, cradling her in his arms into the house. "Well, don't just stand there, come on in," he added when he saw Peter staying on the door. "You're gonna have to come in & go out through the front door anyway," he smiled to himself as he made his way towards the stairs.
"Sorry," Peter smiled sheepishly as he entered the house & closed the door behind him.
"Have a seat Peter, I'll be with you in a bit," he again, gestured with his chin, towards their living room sofa. "I'm- just- gonna drop- Gwen off- in her room," he huffed, struggling up on the stairs with Gwen in his arms.
"Uhh, it's okay Mr. Sta-,"
"Peter, I insist," he said firmly from up the staircase.
Peter lets out a soft sigh, before turning towards the couch & taking a seat.
Peter took a quick look around the house from his seat. Despite the mess, the house largely remained unchanged, still the same house he used to play in, many years ago.
"Right, that's that then," George took a few tired breaths to steady himself as he went down the stairs. "Would you like something to drink?"
"Oh no, it's fine Mr. Stacy, I'm good," Peter assured him.
George clicked his tongue in disapproval towards Peter. "Come on Peter. I've known you for 11 years. No need to be shy," George commented as he made his way into the kitchen.
"There's, uhh, some cold coffee from earlier this morning. You want me to heat it up Pete?"
"Uh, cold's fine sir, no need to trouble yourself," Peter yelled out from his seat towards George.
A few moments later, George came in with a pair of mugs & placed one of them in front of Peter. "Sorry about this. I'm sure Gwen kept some instant hot chocolate packs somewhere, but I have no idea where it is," George smiled awkwardly at Peter.
"Ahaha, it's fine Mr. Stacy," Peter returned the smile, taking a sip from the mug in front of him. "Ooh, that's nice,"
George lets out a soft chuckle after seeing Peter's reaction. "Gwen makes some pretty good coffee, eh?"
Peter nodded in silence as he continued drinking from his mug.
George continued looking towards Peter with warm eyes as he watched the young man with his drink. "There's a sight I haven't seen in a long time," he quipped.
"Hmm? What is?" Peter asked, as he placed the mug back onto the coffee table.
"You, of course,"
Peter blinked in surprise for a few moments. "O-oh,"
"Hmm, it's been, 7? 8 years since you last came?" George continued to reminisce, cup of coffee in his hand.
"W-well, that's because of, uhh…, school stuff & all that you know," Peter mumbled softly, his eyes turning away from George's.
George continued with his fatherly smile, as he kept his gaze on Peter. "Well, I'm sure you kids will work it out eventually,"
"Haha, yeah, sure," Peter nodded along, trying to avoid prolonging the topic. "The house looks the same as always though. That's incredible," Peter tried to change the topics.
George shrugged his shoulders as he glanced around the house. "Well, sorry about the mess. I suppose the house has been missing a woman's touch," he smiled ruefully, a glint of sadness in his eyes.
"Oh no, no, no, that's not wha-I'm sorry, Mr. Stacy, it looks grea-,"
George lets out another soft chuckle after seeing Peter's flustered reactions. "It's okay Peter, you didn't say anything wrong," he assured Peter, as he continued to take another sip from his cup.
Peter twiddled his thumbs awkwardly, before taking another sip from his mug to alleviate the awkwardness.
"Although, I suppose Gwen's pretty much a woman nowadays," George mulled to himself, as he placed his glass down on the table. "So how far along have you two gotten?"
Peter choked on his drink, as he feels some of the coffee making its way up to his nose, caught by surprise by George's sudden question. "W-wha-we're not-,"
"I'm just messing with you Peter," George laughed out loud, clearly enjoying teasing the young man seated in front of him. "Although, she can do a lot worse than you if I'm honest. You're a good man son," George continued to muse to himself, stroking his chin comically.
"Ahaha," Peter laughed awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably inside his seat.
"I have to say, that Thompson kid she was with before, terrible," George clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Bad boys are fun for a while, but they're rarely good for anything in the long run," he continued, commenting to no one in particular.
Peter smiled awkwardly as he took a big long gulp off his mug, hiding his face behind it.
Suddenly George's phone started beeping for a while, which he then took out & checked his phone. Peter couldn't help but notice the frown forming on George's face. "Everything okay Mr. Stacy?"
"Hmm? Oh yeah, sorry about that," George apologized as he puts his phone back into his pockets. "Precincts' lost the monster's track. Apparently, it just vanished mid-run," George furrowed his brows as he recounted the report he received.
"O-oh?" Peter perked up considerably, trying to hide his interest in the findings reported by George.
George lets out a long, tired sigh, before looking up in thought. "It's harder to make sense of the world nowadays Peter. Aliens & gods, there's only so many things we normal people can do," he lets out a defeated sigh, before turning back towards Peter. "Now, monsters, & spider humans? I'm getting too old for this,"
Peter nodded along at George's words, noting the tiredness laced inside his voice. "You mean Spider-Man?"
"Hmm, yes, I suppose these superheroes, they're all the rage with you, young generations nowadays, eh?" George teased Peter.
Peter scratched the back of his head, slightly unsure of how to respond towards George's statement.
"W-well, not all of us," Peter said slowly. "Gwen said that Spider-Man's kinda weird,"
"Hah! That's probably her blue blood talking," George chuckled in his seat.
"What about you sir? What do you think about him?" Peter asked the question towards George.
"Hmm? Well, officially, I'm gonna have to say no. Vigilantism is some dangerous business you know. No proper training, risk assessment," George mulled to himself. "Un-officially however, I think the guy's great, I like what he's doing around New York, sure,"
"O-oh?"
"Surprised?" George smirked towards Peter. "Well, don't be. Like I said, the world's too much of a crazy place nowadays for us policemen. Right now, all I'm concerned about is keeping her safe," George smiled ruefully, staring at the now empty glass of coffee in his hands. "She's all I have left Peter,"
Peter sat in silence, feeling the pain in George's voice. "Gwen's a tough girl sir, she can take care of herself," Peter assured him.
"Thanks Peter," George smiled back towards Peter, appreciating his attempts at comfort.
Peter nodded along, the silence lingering inside the room for a few moments. "It's getting late, Mr. Stacy. I should go,"
"Oh, uh, yeah sure," George snapped out of his thoughts. "You sure you don't want to stay for dinner?"
"I couldn't possibly-,"
"It's no trouble at all Peter," George quickly assured him.
"Well, still, I think it's better if I get back to my aunt," Peter reasoned. "I don't want to worry her,"
"Fair enough," George nodded reluctantly, before he & Peter headed towards the front door. "Just, be sure to give me a call if you or your aunt needs any help, okay? What's the point of having a cop as a neighbor if you can't get some special treatment, eh?" George joked.
"Haha, sure Mr. Stacy, will do," Peter nodded as he walked down the stairs of the front porch. He then hesitated for a few moments before turning back towards George.
"I'll tell Gwen to give you a call once she's up," George smiled warmly, seeing Peter's antics.
"Right," Peter mumbled softly, nodding along as he turned back towards the front gate.
"Oh, Peter, one last thing," George called out towards Peter before he walked away. George hesitated for a few moments, choosing his words carefully.
"Because of the whole situation today, I've, uh, already talked to your principal," George explained.
Peter looked back towards George, feeling slightly confused. "You mean Mr. Modell? Sure,"
"Yeah, Max Modell," George nodded slightly. "We're gonna have a unit stationed there for the near future, at least until things calm down a bit, and we're sure the monster isn't gonna be a problem anymore,"
"Oookaay," Peter nodded along.
George hesitated slightly before continuing. "It's just, even with the police there, I want you to be responsible for your own safety, you know," George continued, choosing his words carefully to try & get his message across towards Peter. "Just in case, if something like this happens again. I want you, to make saving yourself your number one priority,"
"Huh?" Peter looked back towards George, confused about what the veteran policeman was trying to tell him.
"Both you & Gwen, you know, and all your friends," George continued, rubbing the nape of his neck as he continued to talk. "We do a lot of stupid things when we're young. I know what you're like Peter, you're like your uncle, brave. And that's good," he explained to the now silent Peter. "That's really good. But you're just a kid Peter, this isn't your fight, not yet. Leave it to us adults. There's a reason we have this badge you know,"
Peter nodded along, keeping silent after George's words.
"You & Gwen, both, I don't want to see any heroics, coming from either of you, or even from your friends for that matter. You sense even a smidge of danger, and you get yourself out of there, you understand?" George warned, his voice firm but laced with concern.
"Yes sir," Peter nodded silently.
"Good. Good," George nodded along after hearing Peter's words. "Please,"
"I-I gotta go Mr. Stacy," Peter winced slightly, trying his best to excuse himself from the conversation.
"Right, sure, run along then," George nodded, satisfied with Peter's response. "Say hello to your Aunt for me then," George flashed Peter one last smile, before Peter turned away & headed towards his own house next door.
Peter took a deep breath, and sighed to himself, feeling slightly guilty at making a promise he cannot keep with George.
*Doorbell rings*
The door quickly opened as a familiar sight greeted him at the door.
"Oh Peter," Aunt May quickly wrapped him in a hug as soon as she saw him.
"H-hey Aunt May," Peter returned the hug awkwardly, slightly surprised by the strong reaction shown by his aunt.
"George called me before," May explained as she released Peter from the hug & held him by the arms. "How're you feeling? Are you hurt?" she asked, concerned.
"I-I'm fine," Peter assured her, slightly embarrassed by the concern his aunt is showing him.
"Oh Peter, I was so worried," May said softly as she dragged him in for another hug.
"You don't need to worry Aunt May," Peter awkwardly patted his aunt in the back. "I wasn't even there," Peter lied. "I was in the library,"
"How can I not Peter," May sniffled through the tears forming in her eyes. "Oh god, I'm crying now," she laughed sheepishly, as he lets Peter out of her hugs, and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm so sorry Peter," she smiled lovingly at him.
"No no no, it's okay Aunt May," Peter wiped some of the tears off of his aunt's face. "It's not your fault, it's mine," Peter frowned guiltily. "It's my fault, it's okay, everything's okay now," he assured her softly.
Aunt May nodded slowly as she faced her nephew. "I know they said that you were okay, but I heard about Gwen, and I got scared, and I was worried that something-,"
"Hey, hey, it's okay now," Peter assured his aunt. "I'm fine see, everything's fine," Peter smiled softly at her. "We're good now, we're good," Peter hugged his aunt one last time to calm her down.
Peter then held his aunt by her arms and looked straight at her. "I'm gonna go change, then I'll come down, we'll have dinner, and put this behind us, okay?" Peter offered kindly.
May smiled back through the tears in her eyes, and nodded. "I'm sorry Peter, I overreacted,"
"No no no no, it's okay Aunt May, you didn't," Peter assured her. "I'm sorry for worrying you as well,"
May smiled ruefully as she placed her nephews hands off of her shoulders. "Right, get some rest then. I'll order us some food,"
"Hello?"
"Dude! Where've you been! We've been worried sick!" Harry's voice came out from over the phone.
Peter winced slightly as he laid down on his bed. "Yeah, sorry, a lot of things happened today,"
"Yeah, no duh!" Harry remarked sarcastically. "Are you okay? Were you hurt?"
"I'm fine," Peter assured Harry. "I wasn't even there, I was over at the library,"
"Hmm," Harry grunted skeptically. "How's Gwen? I heard she fainted? Have you told Ned?"
"Slow down Harry," Peter chuckled softly, feeling slightly guilty at causing his friend concern. "Gwen's fine. She's got a fever. Doctor said it's probably cause of the shock," Peter explained. "I'll call Ned after this, okay?"
"Bro, MJ's been going insane man, she's been calling me & Ned non-stop," Harry sighed. "I swear man, you & your nose for trouble,"
"Hey, that's not fair," Peter protested. "I wasn't even involved in this. I was nowhere near where it happened,"
"Hmm, well, the important thing is you're fine," Harry continued. "And knowing you, you're probably involved in this somehow, even if you're on the other side of the building," he joked, the tension slowly dissipating from his voice.
"Haha, well, um, not really, haha," Peter winced slightly as he protested against Harry's final remark, again feeling guilty for having to lie to his friends.
"What was that thing man? I heard the police are saying its some kind of large green bear or something,"
Peter lets out a soft chuckle at hearing the description given by Harry. "How would I know man, I wasn't there,"
"Hmm, yeah, I guess you're right," Harry sighed through the phone.
Peter checked his phone & saw MJ's missed call, along with Ned & Harry's. "MJ left me a bunch of calls as well," Peter mulled over the phone.
"Yeah, I don't know if you should be flattered, or scared," Harry sighed through the phone.
Peter lets out another chuckle after Harry's joke. "Now that you mention it, I did kinda promise her I'd work on a promotional video for her," Peter mused out loud.
"What? You're still on about that? No one cares about that anymore. Get some rest Pete," Harry voice rang out.
"I'm fine though," Peter assured him. "And besides, tomorrow's a Saturday, so that's as good a time as any to work on it,"
Harry lets out a soft sigh from over on his side of the phone. "Fine, come over to my place then, I'll help you out with it,"
"Well, I was thinking I'd just go & do it in a café for a while," Peter continued.
"That's why, just come over here & we can work on it on my computer. Two heads are better than one Parker,"
"Thanks Harry," Peter smiled, even though Harry was unable to see him. "You're a great friend,"
"I'm your best friend Pete," Harry said blankly over the phone.
"Ehh, debatable,"
"Shut up, Parker,"
"Fine, fine. I'll see you tomorrow then," Peter confirmed. "Around 8am?"
"It's the weekend man, get some rest & sleep in for a bit," Harry replied. "9am, we can go & have brunch first, my treat,"
"Aye aye captain, catch you tomorrow then,"