= Chapter 172. Bypassing the wave, can we bypass the tsunami? =
Commentary on Chapter 172. Bypassing the wave, will the tsunami pass by? If anyone would like to support your favourite and invaluable author with deeds rather than words (although I appreciate comments with your detailed opinion no less), you are welcome to do so: 5469980470822129 - Sber I move to the basement and with precise, calibrated movements, take off the suit, carefully stacking it with telekinesis.
It would be nice to go back to the lab, but Dru's already pissed off at me because of the memories I've shown and the unexpected conclusion, and I don't want to risk letting her out.
And to top it off, there are also two giant breakthroughs in the form of Hulk blood almost ready for assimilation and the completed molecular structure of adamantium. There's literally about six or seven hours to go.
And I'm mentally exhausted.
I go upstairs in my house clothes.
It's late at night.
I silently open the door, immediately locking it behind me. I also quietly climb the stairs, quickly look in on my babies. Sleeping serenely.
A few minutes I enjoy the warming peace of mind and go to the bedroom.
I hope my little girl is asleep too.
Mary was asleep.
I quickly grab a towel from the wardrobe and head for the downstairs shower.
Under the hot jets of water, the soaking is inexpressibly good. Enjoying the pleasant exhaustion in my muscles, I return to the bedroom.
It's 3:36 a.m.
I lie in bed, wrap my arms around Carrot-top's waist, and fall asleep.
My dreams are fast, sharp, and phantasmagorical...
Tyrannosaurs in caps and on skateboards is not the weirdest thing...
But suddenly, it all comes to an abrupt end.
I find myself in a room cluttered with rubbish. Sushi boxes, energy cans, posters with naked women on all four walls.
There's a man sitting at a table against one of the walls, in a chair with his back to me.
- Hmmm, what do we do, send you into space or have a zombie apocalypse? - spoken in a deep bass voice, obviously male.
- Hela, mate, who are you? - I'm addressing the unknown.
- Oh, how did you get here? - I was surprised by the man.
He looked very unpleasant: frankly speaking, he was a fat man, his belly hanging from under his T-shirt, long greasy hair tied in a ponytail, thick, dark and very ungroomed beard with crumbs.
However, apart from staring at the unknown, my eyes locked onto another damn important detail.
The contents of his monitor.
An open page.
Arachnid: New Spiral.
- YOU! - I move in and grab him violently by the pecs. - You did this?!
- Why, is there something you're not happy about? - The shaggy one arched an eyebrow nonchalantly. - Maybe the death of a favourite uncle or the vicissitude of events. Oh, my girlfriend was raped once, how horrible," the brunet grumbled, rolling his eyes. - You should be thankful your arse is still intact, and your family is fine, or the kids could have flown from the heights...pfkha
- Shut up! - I'm squeezing the fat man's throat furiously.
But, at the same second, I'm thrown off.
My arms and legs are wrapped in thick ropes of incomprehensible origin.
- Do you really think you can decide anything, control anything? You're a puppet! That's all I am.
- I decide who I am! - I'm trying to pull my arms out. - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
- Tiger, Tiger, wake up!
I open my eyes and rise sharply, grabbing the limb that's touching me.
- Mary Jane? - I blink a few times. - I'm sorry," I quickly let go of her hand, seeing the redhead's face twist.
- It's okay," Watson replied warily, rubbing her wrist. - You were screaming in your sleep. You were having a nightmare.
- Are you sure? - I ask the question, not fully realising what it was after all.
- I know when you're having nightmares," my beloved moved closer and rested her head on my shoulder. - Will you tell me?
- I dreamed..." I swallowed a dry lump, "I dreamed that everything around me... my whole life was a carefully calibrated script," I felt unpleasant sweat trickle down my arms and back. - Not real, like a transparent haze, artificial. Unreal. The world, the people around me, myself, are just toys, figurines that move in invented plots," I stare at my palm with an unseeing gaze. - As if I can't control anything, that if anything happens, it's my fault, especially to the people closest to me... I'm completely incapable of protecting you!
- Peter, look at me," MJ climbs onto my lap and places her palms on my cheeks. - It's all in your head: the stress you've been through, the birth of Kitten, and a lot of other things...
- You don't understand," I sigh.
She really doesn't understand, and I'm not about to share the burden of that knowledge. I certainly don't want to see Mary wake up with nightmares full of self-doubt.
- Then you don't have to, either," the redhead said firmly, forcing me to look at her.
- What?
I don't quite get the idea...
- You doubt the existing world, events, decisions, I bet you doubt people too, right?
I nod slowly, agreeing.
The next moment, Mary Jane takes my hand and slips it under her t-shirt, pressing her palm against my chest.
- Can you feel it? Can you feel your heart beating?
- And the velvet of your skin and the sharpness of your nipple," I replied in a voice guttural with excitement.
- I recognise my Tiger," laughed Carrot-top. - Then all is not lost.
The girl puts her palms on my cheeks again.
I've complimented Carrot-top's looks so often. I adore everything about her, even those features that are blatantly imperfect. And right now, it's like I've been able to look at Mary Jane Watson all over again.
Her beautiful fiery red hair with a copper tint still beckons to me like the light of a moth's lantern. Her pale skin, though lightly tanned, beckons me to cover it with kisses. Each freckle like a pearl adorns her sharp nose. Thin but plump scarlet lips that you want to bite over and over again.
And her eyes. Deep as a sea of grass, set with emeralds. I was able to see every speck.
When all the features came together in the portrait of the girl I loved, leaning over and gazing caringly into my eyes, I fell in love again. Even more than before.
- It's going to be okay," MJ continued the soothing process.
- Marry me," I blurted out before I could form a conscious thought.
- What?" Mary stared at me in shock.
- Wait, wait," I put my arms around her slender waist and gently pulled the redhead off me, sitting up and pressing my knees against hers as well. - There's something I need to talk about before I do... and something I need to confess," I lick my parched lips.
- Peter...
- No, no, Mary Jane, please listen," I take the girl's hands in mine.
- Tiger, exhale, - my girl was the first of us to regain control of herself.
- Yes, yes, you're right," I breathed, bringing my thoughts back in order.
Acting on emotions is not the best idea.
We don't talk for a while.
- So, about the proposal," Watson began quietly.
- No, no, no, wait, forget about the offer... I mean, no, of course I'm not backing out! - I quickly corrected myself, choosing the right words as I noticed the change in Mary's eyes. - There's just something you need to know before you start.
- Well, let's do it," Mary pulled herself up and crossed her legs, her feet tucked under her. - I'm not sure there's anything that would make me say no," Red winked at me with a smile.
A chill ran down my spine.
And right now, by being honest, by confessing to cheating on Jean, I could really lose her... her, our kids, Fey... everything!
But... isn't that proof that MJ's right?
I mean, I could scream something like "alien attack, we need to run now!" and jump out the window right now. Or continue an unpleasant but necessary conversation. My choice.
I feel my eyes widen in shock.
- You're right, Carrot-top," I moved my palms to the cheeks of a surprised Watson. - Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. What matters is here and now! - I start kissing the freckled face.
- For a genius with an Einstein-level iq, it takes you an amazingly long time to figure things out, Mr Parker," the redhead said with a laugh, glad to be kissed. - Is that what you wanted to say? Then my answer is the same: yes, I will marry you, Tiger!
- I'd like to say how happy I am with a positive answer," I exhale, returning to my seat. - But that's not it.
- Don't drag it out, Peter," the green-eyed girl wagged her finger.
It's not necessary to talk about what was in the multiverse... I already have something extremely unpleasant to discuss.
- How would..." I licked my dry lips quickly, "how would you feel if I asked you for permission to impregnate another girl? - I ask the question sharply, as if I were tearing a healed crust off a wound.
- How would you react if I asked you for permission to impregnate another man? - Mary Jane squinted at me, and her question was the answer.
I thought about answering what was running through my head, but quickly got my tongue under control. To say what I thought would be more wrong than the greatest fool in history. I'm not a Domostoian after all.
- What if I said a lesbian couple you know asked me to do this?
- Del and Nat? - The redhead took the hint immediately. - They've decided to have a child? - the girl was surprised.
- Delia had first suggested it to me at an Avengers party a couple of months ago when she was drunk, but she and Natasha had expressed their intentions to me less than a week ago.
- I see..." Mary hesitated. - Does it have to be you? - Watson asked, not as strongly as I'd expected, but still clearly displeased.
Though not surprisingly, Carrot-top had never been hysterical.
- They want it very much," I nodded. - But knowing that you wouldn't agree to that, I suggested the donor option, and was told that it wasn't always about a clean medical history or athletic achievements, which I don't understand...
- Yeah, that makes sense," Mary said thoughtfully.
Really! What kind!?
- It would actually be good to hear Felicia's opinion as well," I continued.
- Of course we should," the redhead nodded. - But I think she'll agree with me that it's no big deal if you put stuff in a jar.
- Um... heh, there's a, ahem, snag right there," I rubbed my neck uncomfortably. - Natasha kind of insisted on natural conception...
- I knew it! - Mary burst into flames. - The day she came to our flat, I tried to be nice, but I knew right away that she wanted you!
- You know Nat can't have kids, right? - I'm trying to put out the fire by explaining the situation.
- What? I think it's working.
- One of the training points for Black Widows in the Red Room is sterilisation. They have their uterus cut out... it's a mess.
- Wait, but if not Natasha... you're going to impregnate Delia?! - Carrot-top looked at me in shock.
- Think of it this way, Del is me, only female, in a way it would be a masturbation session, yes, Nat has expressed a desire to participate...
- WHAT?!
- For control, just for control and ownership, they will be raising this child together.
Bearer, I knew you had huge balls, but when did they become adomantine and the size of bowling balls? - Raj whispered in shock. - You're definitely immortal.
Yes, my brother is clearly shocked at the confidence with which I'm trying to introduce the idea of sex with two girls, followed by the impregnation of one of them, the mother of my children, to whom I've just made an APPOINTMENT!
I'm definitely immortal... though, more like an idiot...
- No, Peter! - Mary got up from the bed.
- 'That's it, no so no,' I raise my palms, nodding in agreement. - Just can you please tell them that for me, I just don't want to be the one to take that hope away from them.
- Are you trying to make me feel guilty on purpose? - MJ squinted.
- Not at all, just stating a fact.
- I'll meet with them and talk to them," the redhead nodded confidently, picking up her dressing gown. - Breakfast will be ready in forty minutes.
Between the lines, she said, "If you show up downstairs any sooner, I'll smack you with a frying pan."
When the bedroom door closed on the other side, I lean back against the pillows, exhaling tensely.
What happens when you finally decide to confess to the affair? - the symbiote asked quietly.
Hopefully we won't have to find out anytime soon, brother...
One pussy at a time.
During breakfast, the degree of tension dropped noticeably, and the elephant called 'The Proposal' left the room. The kids should definitely be thanked for that. You can see right away what an important part of being a mum is for Carrot.
I can't help but wonder what an idiot Prime Parker was for not noticing these needs in his woman. Although, if you think back to the story of Prime MJ's pregnancy... idiots, or rather asshole critters, are Marvel's edit.
I quickly retreat, kissing the children on the foreheads and kissing Mary Jane deeply, biting her lip one last time and whispering words of love in her ear.
I go down to the basement and, after getting dressed, teleport to the lab.
It's time to finish you research!
* A few hours later.
Mary Jane Watson.
After Peter left, I quickly did some housework to distract myself, but this morning's conversation kept resurfacing in my mind.
I sighed and tossed the washed dress on the dryer.
And there was no one to discuss it with! Even if I wanted to talk to Kitten, the doctors have forbidden her to visit often, Felicia has to be alone with the children to overcome her depression, to sort of stir up her maternal instinct...
Benji? No way, it's not appropriate for a son to be immersed in such matters discussed by his parents.
Gail or Theresa wouldn't understand, they'd just twiddle their thumbs.
Aunt May... the woman's got a heart condition. And you can't tell Auntie Anne something like that.
Jin or Sue?
I shut my eyes and take a deep breath, gathering my strength.
I get up from the downstairs room and go to get the phone.
I look at the clock. 11:00. Not early.
I dial Delia's number and listen to the dial tone.
- 'Speaking,' comes the voice of the brown-haired girl.
- Del, hi," I start, swallowing nervously.
- Mary? Hi! How are you? How are the babies?
- I'm fine, thanks," I bite my lip. - Listen, are you home today?
- It's Natasha's day off, so yeah, you weren't planning on going out all day," the spider woman answered easily.
- Am I disturbing you if I come to visit?
- No, of course, we'd be very happy to," the shatka responded really cheerfully.
- Then wait for two or three o'clock.
- Great! We'll drink wine, we'll have a chat. Waiting for you, redhead, - Parker hung up the phone.
- Right, let's keep it secret," I block the phone, tucking it into my jeans pocket, but then I pull it out again.
I'll call the atelier while I still have time, see if they need anything embroidered.
Need to keep my hands busy.
The time before my scheduled visit flew by.
It was great that May and Aunt Anna agreed to babysit.
However, I didn't like May's cough, she keeps asking me not to worry, but I can't.
Aunty is right, we should try and persuade her to see a doctor...Peter should be able to do it.
- Hey, nice legs, where are you going? - A dark-haired guy shows up.
- To a place called "none of your business," I siege the stranger trying too hard to look like an alpha male.
- Well, you don't have to be so cold, sweetheart," the guy grabs my arm. - I can be very persistent.
Saying nothing in response, I throw the brunette over me, crushing his palm with my heel.
- ARPHa, are you out of your fucking mind!? - shouted Casanova with tears in his eyes.
- Yes, all over my head, so run quickly before I crush something more valuable!
Holding on to his injured limb the dark haired man scrambled in the opposite direction.
Fixing my hair, I walked on, not turning round at the surprised passers-by.
I think I understand now why Pete and the others like to stop criminals so much... half of the negative energy is gone!
Walking up to the penthouse, reaching the high-rise building and taking the lift to the flat.
Exhaling and gathering my thoughts, I knock.
Half a minute later the door opens.
- There you are," Del stopped abruptly as she was about to hug me. - Oh, shit, that's right, you can't go through the threshold," she slapped her forehead, "come on in.
As soon as I was in the room, the spiderwoman immediately swooped in with a hug, which I, despite the contradictory reason for my arrival, couldn't help but respond to.
Still, Delia... and Natasha, are my mates and they've done nothing wrong.
At least they didn't seduce Peter directly...
- Come on, Nat's in the kitchen," Parker took my hand and led the way.
The vigilante was indeed in the kitchen, in her most atypical form: in an apron, her hair tied up in a scarf, so homely.
- Sit down, we're having Russian food for lunch today," Delia sat me down at the table.
- Hi Mary Jane," the spy nodded, cooking on several burners.
- 'Hi Natasha, I didn't know you...' I almost said 'can do', 'love to cook, it seems to be Del's passion.
- Well, you know, sometimes the mood strikes, - smiled the blue-eyed girl and pointed at the pots full of edible things. - So, in the menu we have chopped cutlets and young potatoes with garlic, Soviet olivier, fried chicken with buckwheat and mushrooms, as well as, of course, last but not least, his majesty borscht, - solemnly presented the results of her labours Russian spy.
- I'll have everything and more! - held out a plate Parker.
The smells were so strong that I could hardly resist, only I ran to wash my hands.
Lunch was spent chatting about general things, but it consisted mostly of eating, not talking.
- God, this is delicious," Delia hiccupped heartily, sitting back in her chair.
- It really is amazing," I nodded at Romanoff, expressing my admiration. - My compliments to the chef.
- Thank you," the vigilante smiled. - These are not complicated recipes, it's all about the approach, what, so to speak, is absorbed with the mother's milk. Would you like me to teach you? I swear, Mary Jane, if there's something you've wanted, but you've been unable to get it from Peter all this time, believe me, he'll do anything for you after this.
- Thank you, I'll keep that in mind. I remember why I came here in the first place. - But now Tiger has asked me to do something important for you," I looked at the girls who were immediately on my feet. - Listen, girls, I understand why you met with Peter and decided to discuss everything in private, privacy, but couldn't you invite me and Fey?
- We didn't, actually, because Felicia was already in hospital, and as for you, Mary," Natasha bit her lip.
- We knew how much you loved Peter, and so did we, but compared to how you felt...
- So you do love him after all," I looked round at my friends and... rivals?
- It's clear with Delia, and it's hardly necessary to explain, but me, - the avenger tucked a strand behind my ear. - I was his mentor in the Shield, so much time together, of course, I couldn't help but feel sincere sympathy for him.
- And fall in love? - I'm serious.
- And fall in love," the spy nodded, "but I'm not fifteen years old anymore, and I was never going to come between Peter and you and Felicia. Even the first time I realised that there was nothing to catch me there, he loves you too much. Besides, Parker's been pretty quick to delineate everything with his 'mum' thing," Nat grumbled.
- So if you're worried about it, if you're jealous, you don't have to be," Delia took my hand. - Mary, no one is capable of taking him away from you... from you, stealing him away, he loves you too much.
- I know," I smile, squeezing her palm in return. - And thank you, but I still really don't understand agreeing to something like that...
- I know," Nat nodded, "I couldn't give my man to another woman, I'd probably kill them both," the young woman shrugged.
- Yeah, you're a Black Widow," Delia snorted.
The girls were joking, but I could see how sad they'd really become.
I collapse in my chair and rest my head back.
What to do...
* That same night.
Borderline.
Peter Parker.
- Yes!" I exclaimed, jumping up from my chair.
- Keep it down, some of the prisoners are trying to sleep in here! - Drew reacted unhappily.
- Jessica, you're not prisoners... at least Carl isn't," I point to the pteranodon's cell. - And you'd have been out a long time ago if you hadn't jumped on me as soon as I opened the cage door!
- You pumped fake memories into my head, what kind of reaction did you expect?! - The brunette shouted.
- They're not fake, how many times do I have to tell you!
It's a lost cause, Bearer, why are you trying to cram it down my throat? - asked the symbiote. - Wouldn't it be better to activate the Mind Stone, just like that?
You know that I try not to abuse the stone and use its power only in dire need.
You're afraid of tempting fate," said the Clintarian.
Well, you know, I wouldn't want to be the one to cause trouble in the form of Thanos because he can't convince a stubborn girl of his good intentions without the help of the Infinity Stone. And with my Parker Luck (patented name), he will, mark my word!
Having finished with my partner and tired of bickering with Arachne, I returned to my triumph!
What do we have here? It's a bar of reconstructed adamantium, one hundred per cent the same structure as Logan's claws.
I made it!
But there was a spoonful of honey in the barrel of honey.
I couldn't just make a couple hundred sets of armour or a tank right now.
It's all about the mass of the substance.
For the sake of this five-kilogram bar I had to, attention, completely clear the largest landfill in New York from ALL scrap.
So much for crutches when you don't know the recipe...
But the success got me excited and I decided to keep going.
- Stay tuned, folks, I'll be back soon! - I warn my...guests, taking off my dressing gown.
- You can take your time, Spider-Man," the brunette hummed.
Or maybe Raj is right...
Teleporting around the world, transforming hundreds of thousands of tonnes of metal. I even visit rubbish islands.
Too bad stone and glass aren't suitable for transmutation. Not for recreating adamantium, certainly not.
But it's good enough for my case. I've emptied almost every scrap heap on Earth. Even fished it out of the ocean! Greenpeace would be proud of me.
I return to the lab with a total of 30 kilos of adamantium.
I may have to add some vibranium, but hopefully I won't need to.
I've got a hankering for a Spider Armour version one, but made entirely of adamantium. With Deadpool's katanas, it's not a set, it's a sweetie.
There should be enough material.
Proceeding to realise my wet fantasy.
First of all, the fabric on which the armour will be layered, I use unstable molecules. Then I soften the plates and start forging... Star Wars comes to mind.
In the process, I help myself with clintar manipulators, occasionally distracting myself with outside ideas, looking for arguments in their defence or discarding them as unnecessary. For example, what if I covered my stingers or claws with adamantium? And that, thanks to the Lizard's acquired regeneration, fuelled by symbiosis, I would definitely survive the involvement.
But at once I found counterarguments that overlapped all the advantages of this idea.
First and foremost: the metal itself. I'm not even talking about metal detectors. Right now, both claws and stings leave my body painlessly, being a part of it. If I put metal in, it won't be like that. I'm not really afraid of pain, but the constant discomfort is unpleasant.
Second, I don't even know how to explain the sudden metal prostheses if they start x-raying. Biological "extra parts" are at least masked in the body, I've checked.
About that kind of thinking, I finish the suit in a few hours.
Well, it's a miracle.
I'll take the armour.
No, with such a baby at least against some nastiness from the Negative Zone to go, no less!
It's perfect.
I look around the lab and catch a glimpse of the testing room.
I dragged the barrels of vibranium there, but when I get them back to Wakanda (I've decided to do exactly that... but I'll keep one barrel, just in case), if I make room, it'll make a great space for suit racks.
You can't keep them in the basement, can you?
I'm distracted from my grand plans by an urgent call.
Mary Jane.
- Yes, love?
- Tiger, come home, there's something we need to discuss. Commentary on Chapter 172. Bypassing the wave, can we bypass the tsunami? * Adomante armour) - .ru/i/oOKVSWY4HxaZuQ