- Hey what's up, folks? Here's hoping all of you are enjoying the summer months. My continued heartfelt thanks to all of you who've stuck with this...the support that this story's been getting is greatly appreciated as always.
- I know I've been gone for a bit...but I've had a pretty hectic month going for me. Really tough choices regarding my personal life had to be made and unfortunately that took a big toll on my mind and heart. I'm still suffering a little from the stress so forgive me if my writing isn't as good as it should be. Another reason for my absence, I've been experimenting with new ideas for a story and I decided to try out with one that has been requested a lot: a Harem story.
- That being said though, I don't think it'll take place with the Marvel universe because I know if I want to write a decent one for Peter Parker, I need to get some practice first. So to play it safe, I'm gonna try it out with another unsung badass character from someplace else. I don't want to get too ahead of myself but I'll give you all this hint: The dude really loves bacon.
- Now in regards to this chapter, it's another drabble basically with some darkness to it. Given what I had to go through this past month in the midst of writing this, it may not be good but I'll leave that up to you guys.
Please enjoy!
...
Sable sighed as the last stack of the official papers were finally signed and done. It was amongst the many drawbacks of being the head of government...the impossible amount of paperwork that needed to be completed. The last three hours of reading every detail and fine print on the documents made her sapphire eyes almost dry out and nothing had to be said about how sore her writing hand felt at the moment.
It was one of the many things she wouldn't miss in the slightest if she ever stepped down as Queen of Symkaria.
"Ms. Sablinova?" Sofia's voice rang from outside her office door.
Sable stood up, stretching her stiff arms. "Yes?"
The brunette maid entered and quickly bowed in greeting. "How's the paperwork coming along?"
"It's finally completed." Her Queen said with a tired grin, "...I pray you're not here to tell me I have more documents to sign?"
Sofia shook her head, chuckling. "I would never do that to you, milady. I just wanted to know if you would like any refreshments after such a tiring task?"
"...I wouldn't mind a cup of jasmine tea if it's not too much trouble?" Sable asked as they left her office.
"It is no trouble at all. Shall I bring it to the lounge, milady?"
"No...bring it to the gym." Sable instructed, smiling at the thought of who was there at the moment. "Is Peter still training with Arana and Hope in there?"
"I believe so." Sofia happily said before excusing herself to perform her given task as Sable made her way for the gym. She would've joined Peter in teaching Arana and Hope from the start had it not been for the mountain of paperwork that sat on her desk.
Sable was just glad it was finished now...it would've been quite the frustrating problem if she had left said documents unchecked for later.
It didn't take long for her to reach her gym, where she saw Arana and Hope talking amongst themselves while drinking their respective bottles of water. From the sweat still fresh on their skin, they must've finished their training session just a few moments ago.
"Hello, girls."
The two teenage superheroines turned around and widened their eyes at the sight of their beautiful teacher smiling at them.
"Hello, Ms. Sablinova." Hope greeted with a smile of her own. "Is your paperwork finished?"
Sable fondly ruffled both their heads. "It's all done...have you girls finished training?"
Arana nodded. "Yep...we're just taking a break now like Spidey told us to."
"I see. Where is Spider-Man now?"
Hope gestured for her to follow as she and Arana led the way. "Spidey said he wanted to practice a bit more on his hand to hand combat."
"By himself?" Sable asked curiously.
"We don't know why either, Ms. Sablinova." The two teenage superheroines replied. They were wondering the same thing as she did.
The three ladies walked over to where all the punching bags were located and it was another two steps in when Sable, Hope, and Arana heard the sound of Peter's distinctive voice grunting and panting...as though he was trying to catch his breath.
All of their eyes widened when they found Spider-Man throwing deadly combinations of punches and kicks at superhuman speed. Not even Arana with her enhanced senses could keep up with her fellow webslinging mentor's quick movements as she watched in awe. She wasn't alone on that since Hope and Sable kept their focus on Peter, marveling at not just the speed of his blows but also the precision and accuracy of where his strikes were meant to target.
His muscular upper body bare and naked only made Sable and the two teenage superheroines stare longingly at Peter even more with red blushes on their faces.
It was moments like this that the Queen and her two proteges wondered why some considered Spider-Man to be little more than an annoying vigilante. Granted his habit of joking around in battle took a while to get used to but that just hid who he really was underneath.
If nothing else, Spider-Man is the world's greatest superhero in Sable's opinion.
Her view may be a little biased since she truly loves Peter with all her heart...but the long list of the impossible heroic tasks Peter's accomplished on his own over the years certainly supported her belief.
Hope was thinking in a similar fashion. Some of the X-Men like herself really respected Spider-Man for what he did on a daily basis. Even Logan and Scott thought the webslinger was a decent guy and that was a true rarity for both of those stubborn mutants. Dazzler and Pixie had recently admitted to being a little attracted to Spider-Man and while it did make her a bit jealous to hear that from her friends...she couldn't really blame them for feeling that way.
Spider-Man was simply the best and she loved having him as her teacher.
As did her fellow student and friend, Arana, who still couldn't believe she was lucky enough to be under the tutelage of her favourite superhero. He was a legend amongst all the street class heroes and heroines. Her good friend Firestar told her once she was proud to be considered one of his amazing friends and it was a sentiment that she shared.
Except her feelings were a bit more since she herself had a big crush on Spider-Man. If the most beautiful Queen she'd ever met was madly in love with Spidey...he must be quite the handsome guy underneath the mask.
All three ladies were so caught up in their loving thoughts about Spider-Man that they failed to notice their very subject had already finished training and was looking towards them with a curious gaze behind his mask.
"Uh what's up, my good ladies?" Spider-Man jokingly asked with a bow.
That snapped them back to attention as Sable raised his mask halfway and pressed her lips against Peter's. "We were just wondering why you were practicing your strikes by yourself."
"Wanted to see how effective I'd be if I cut loose again without losing it..." Peter replied with a shrug, "I'm sorry if I worried you all."
"Losing it? What do you mean by that, Spidey?" Hope inquired as she handed her mentor a water bottle.
Peter held Sable close and looked over to Arana. "Spider-Girl's seen this darker side of me, Hope. As much as I try to avoid it, there have been times when I allowed my heart to be overtaken by rage. It's...surprising what anger can do for the body."
Arana shivered as her mind remembered the events of the Grim hunt, where she and other spider powered heroines were being hunted down by the sadistic Kravinoffs. What scared her the most back then wasn't the Kravinoffs themselves though...but the sight of Spider-Man almost killing Kraven the Hunter in cold blood.
Peter felt his heart tear, knowing he just made her remember something unpleasant. It wasn't something he liked to think about too much either...the fact that he nearly executed someone for the sake of revenge was a haunting experience unlike any other.
Hope knew Arana was a bit scared from what she remembered of Spider-Man and she quickly held her hand to comfort her. It must've been quite the scary sight if it made her friend shiver so much. Sable smiled at the sight of her pupil helping her friend as she held onto Peter a bit more tighter. He had confided in her about the rare few times he'd actually killed someone but she knew it was never out of his own volition.
It was only when Spider-Man had no choice or the choice of sparing their lives was taken away that he dared to make such a move.
Peter kissed Sable's forehead before he made his way over to Hope and Arana and ruffled their heads.
"To kill someone even if it's a bad guy..." Peter said with a sad smile, looking deep into their eyes, "It's a line that not many of us cross and once you do, you can never step back. I don't want that for the both of you but if the situation absolutely calls for the permanent end of someone...chances are the world would be better off without them. "
Sable added her own two cents in. "Spider-Man speaks true, girls. We're not suggesting you two should go out there and kill every supervillain you find but if you ever have to end a menace's life to save one that's innocent...do it without hesitation because it is not worth the good life of one to save a danger whose soul has been damned for too long."
Hope and Arana were silent for a moment as they stared at both their mentors. It was still a shock to hear this coming from their beloved Spider-Man and Queen but they were right. What made them uncertain though was the doubt that they would have the strength to not only cross that line but also be able to live with it in the aftermath.
"I-if it ever comes to that, Spidey...we'll do what's necessary." Arana finally stated as she and Hope hugged Peter hard. Just saying those words was a struggle.
Spider-Man ran his hands soothingly around their backs. "I know you both will...I'm very proud of you girls."
Those words finally brought a warm smile to both their cute faces, making Peter and Sable chuckle. Arana and Hope quickly embraced the Queen of Symkaria as well, a gesture that Sable happily returned. Much like Peter, she was very proud of them. The two girls were still young but they were grasping the heart of their lessons at a rapid pace...it wouldn't be long until there was nothing more for them to learn.
"Ms. Sablinova?" A new but familiar voice chimed in.
Sable turned her head to see Sofia standing behind her, her hand holding a small cup.
"Your tea is ready, milady." The brunette said as she walked up to them with a happy smile. It was kind of hard not to feel good after witnessing such a heartwarming sight just moments ago.
Sable gracefully tilted her head in thanks before she took a sip of the tea. "Excellent as always, Sofia."
"Thank you, milady." Sofia bowed at the compliment and quickly turned to Spider-Man and his two adorable pupils. Peter being half naked did not escape her attention and she was doing her best not to blush at his well toned body. "Would any of you like something to drink?"
Arana and Hope politely shook their heads while Peter raised his hand. "Uh...could I have some tea too? I didn't sleep much after helping out the FF last night and I need something strong to help keep me awake."
Sofia decided to be a little playful and walked up to Spider-Man.
"Of course..." The cute brunette maid flirtingly whispered as her finger trailed down Peter's chiseled chest. "I'll do anything for you, Spider-Man."
Sable giggled at the way her beloved Peter immediately froze up to what Sofia just said. She would've normally ordered the brunette to back off but the discreet wink Sofia gave told her that she was just playing around.
Besides...it was fun to watch her boyfriend squirm around in that awkward yet cute way of his. Arana and Hope thought so too, given how they were giggling at the way Peter was blushing.
"Sorry...couldn't resist." Sofia apologized with a grin.
Peter folded his arms with a childish pout. "You all really enjoy seeing me like this, don't you?"
His only response was even more giggling from all the ladies present, much to his chagrin. They couldn't help it...Peter Parker was just so damn adorable.
...
- Yeah, the ending might suck but it was all I could muster at the moment. I still got some personal issues to deal with on my end so just being able to do this much was a struggle. In regards to my new story...with everything else, it's gonna take time and I fear it'll be a long while before I release the first chapter. With everything in such chaos right now, I can only ask for your continued patience.
- But that aside, I hope you guys enjoyed this. Writing is one of the few things I have a small passion for and it's only thanks to you guys that I'm inspired to keep doing so. My humblest gratitude to all of you. Until next time, friends!