Chapter Five: Second Chances
"Iceman, help me! Whooaaaa!" Spider-man cries, being swung around like a ragdoll.
"No one! No one can stop, the Juggernaut!" says a humongous and muscular helmed brute wearing crimson-colored metal arm braces and a huge sized crimson sleeveless spandex suit and boots, going by the name of Juggernaut, as he swings and slams Spider-man like a baby destroying a toy figure.
"Hand him over, Juggernaut!" Iceman orders, firing ice beams at the Juggernaut while dodging his attacks and his swinging Spider-man around him.
On some strange weekend, the three young heroes have met an adversary that is able to withstand his own against their strong abilities. Luckily, Iceman and Shadowcat have crossed paths with the villain, but not Spider-man, unfortunately…
"Guys!" Spider-man cried while squirming and trying to break free from Juggernaut's grip on his foot.
While Juggernaut's distracted, Shadowcat then dives and phases into the pavement and then quickly phases out of the ground like a whack-a-mole underneath Juggernaut, helping Spider-man phase out of Juggernaut's hand, which caught Juggernaut off his guard when realizes it.
"Thanks Shadowcat," Spider-man thanked, getting back up on his feet. "Remind me to not kick that guy in the face again."
"Piece of cake," Shadowcat replied with a wink.
"Look alive guys, fight's not over yet!" Iceman warns.
"I'm gonna turn you all into a smashed cocktail!" Juggernaut roars, rushing his head toward them like a human battering ram.
"Iceman, I got a plan, but you might not like it," Spider-man suggested, whispering his plan to Iceman and receiving a nod as an answer.
As Juggernaut was almost about to close in on the three of them, Iceman freezes the floor underneath him, causing him to slip, which allows Spider-man to web his feet and drag him along Iceman's stream of ice.
"C'mon, big boy, let's take a long stroll, around Manhattan!" Spider-man quipped while dragging Juggernaut lying on his back with his webs on his feet, sliding along Iceman's stream of ice with Shadowcat beside him.
"No one! No one can stop—!"
"Quiet Juggy, or else mama's gonna have to "discipline" you," Spider-man jokes.
The three heroes try to bring the squirming giant out of the streets and buildings to keep him out of harm's way and drag him to the nearest pier. From there, Spider-man slings Juggernaut into the water, where he easily sinks to the bottom.
"Iceman, now!" Spider-man calls.
Now, Iceman immediately pours in all of his mental strength freezing a large portion of the pier with his ice beam, freezing the waters and encasing the drowning Juggernaut in a huge block of ice.
"Whew! That took longer than usual!" Iceman pants from exhaustion that he couldn't maintain his translucent ice form.
"Yeah, I know! It's much harder without the others," Shadowcat adds.
"Ughh, man, you guys sure have it tough yourselves," Spider-man groaned, caressing his aching neck after the beating Juggernaut gave him. "I wonder if I should come to school or just make an excuse to rest for another day."
As the police were about to arrive, Spider-man was tapped on the shoulder by Shadowcat with an urgent suggestion.
"Spidey, I think you should let us deal with the problem here. We'll call on some of our friends back home," Shadowcat suggested. "This big fellow is difficult to handle, but not for us."
"Yeah man, you go on and tell them that we can take care of it. While you're at it, take five and rest your muscles after, you know what," Iceman suggested, holding his laughter from the sight of Spider-man being tossed around like a toy in the hands of the mutant giant.
"Agh, fine then. Take care you two," Spider-man bade before running off to meet with the police officers.
The police then meet with the Webslinger, confused at why he was blocking their path.
"Spider-man, what is the meaning of this?" asks one police woman named Officer DeWolffe.
"Don't worry officers. My friends got it all taken care of. Just leave everything else to them," Spider-man assures before swinging away, unaware of a camouflaged aerial transportation in the shape of some kind of jet heading to where Iceman and Shadowcat are left at.
—
"Hey, li'l Allan, you're free to go," says one of Ryker's prison wardens.
"What?" Mark responded with confusion.
"Yeah, you heard me, you can go back with a normal life again, maybe. 'Least until you come back here after all the damage you caused in this facility," the warden hissed, guiding Marc out of his cell.
"Why? I am too dangerous to go outside! I don't want to hurt anyone else anymore!" Mark screamed, backing away from the warden and the door.
"Marky Marky, c'mon, we ain't got all day," Hammerhead scolded.
"Wh-who are you?" Mark asks hysterically.
"Don't worry, I was sent by the guy that's bailin' you outta this joint," Hammerhead simply replied.
"Oh yeah? What for!" Mark barked aggressively.
"Spider-man," Hammerhead replied.
"No...no! I had it with fighting against that man! I don't want to hurt him anymore!" Mark bursted with his eyes partially glowing bright orange, which sent a slight chill down Hammerhead's spine.
"Relax pal, you won't have to anymore after this one, 'cause the Webhead got some 'friends', and you just might hate the living daylights on one of 'em," Hammerhead replies, walking up to him. "You won't be alone in taking the three of 'em out. Others will show up."
"Others?" Mark wondered with fear.
"Yeah, after that, we'll figure out a way to give you back a normal life, a life where you can gamble everything away to your heart's desire," Hammerhead smirked.
Mark hesitates answering Hammerhead with careful thought until a memory of a smile from his little sister Liz, just steeled his resolve for another chance. He looks up to Hammerhead with seriousness in his eyes.
"Fine, I'm all in," Mark gave in as he stood up and walked to Hammerhead. "You're sure you could give me my life back?"
"Depends on how well you do the job right," Hammerhead smirked.
As Hammerhead and Mark leave his cell, another prison warden guides the Rhino out of his cell, upon Hammerhead's request from his boss.
"Wait, don't tell me—"
"Yup pal, bingo. Meet your partner, Alex O' Hirn, aka—"
"I know who he is," Mark halted, looking at the Rhino with strict eyes, knowing the damage he could do from previous reports and being his cell neighbor.
"What ya lookin' at, buddy?" Rhino grunted, looking intimidating with his great height and structure.
"Easy Alex, meet your new partner. Your job is still the same nice one: take down the spider," Hammerhead smirked.
—
"Ahh, ow," Peter groaned, holding his aching neck.
"Still getting over from that uh, thing last time?" Bobby asked, subtly implying about their battle with Juggernaut.
"No kidding, I was thinking that an afternoon nap and a goodnight's sleep could work," Peter groaned before getting startled from feeling a cold sensation to his cheek then turns to see Kitty handing out a soda.
"Aw cheer up Pete, it's just one battle anyway, I think," Kitty nervously assures, making Peter raise his eyebrow.
"Man, either way, never thought I'd see another guy like the Rhino," Peter sighed, popping the soda tab and sips on some soda.
"Hmmmm, hey! Tell ya what, wanna try going to that fun park again?" Bobby suggested.
"Which fun park? There's lots around here," Peter pointed out.
"Um, the one we went over a long time ago? What's its name again?" Bobby wonders.
"You mean Coney Island?" Kitty answered.
"Yeah! That one! Man, it was a blast when we played there, but it's sad that we never got to try the rides after your two "buddies" trashed the entire park," Bobby groaned toward Peter.
"Ehehehe, yeah, I have that kind of habit around me," Peter nervously replied. "So what's the game plan then? Were you gonna invite the class?"
"Oh no! That's too much bro, I was thinking of something like a, you know, just something similar to eating out and whatever," Bobby explained.
"Oooh, that kind of plan. Sounds great," Peter agrees.
"Sweet! But uh, we were just gonna ask you to invite another to join us. Just one though," Kitty adds.
"Really? Who?" Peter asks.
"That pretty girl that came with us, Liz," Kitty replied, catching Peter by surprise upon hearing that name that he squeezed his soda to death—thanks to his Spider Strength—and splashed his own face with fizzy soda.
Everyone nearby in their tables quietly laughed at Peter's mishap.
"Hehe, startled you?" Kitty deadpans, handing out her handkerchief to Peter while holding her laughter.
"Well obviously," Peter replied as he wiped his face clean with her handkerchief before returning it to her. "But why her? Can't it be somebody else?"
"Why not? She's cool with people like us," Kitty points out.
"Yeah, I think she likes me," Bobby joked, getting an elbow to his gut from Kitty and unknowingly stinging Peter's heart.
"Well um, I'm not so sure about this guys. Can't we pick somebody else like um…" Peter desperately looks around for someone good until…
"Whatcha lookin' for, Tiger?"
Peter turns to see Mary Jane, who noticed Peter's desperate look with a smirk, on the way to return her lunch tray to the cafeteria lady.
"MJ!" Peter nervously called before clearing his throat and calming down first. "Ahem. Hey um, MJ, wanna try hanging out with us to Coney Island?"
"Really?" Mary Jane wonders before looking at Kitty and Bobby showing signs that seem to mean either accept or reject what Peter's going to suggest. Guessing what they're thinking…
"It will be fun, Red. Trust me," Peter pleaded.
"Sorry Tiger, but I got a part time job like you, as a server. Wouldn't wanna lose that job, like you with your photography for the Bugle," Mary Jane slyly answered before leaving and winking at him. "Maybe next time, you should try asking me out again, 'kay."
As Mary Jane quietly leaves, Peter's face drops, which makes Bobby and Kitty give him the eager look on their faces, knowing that he seems to have run out of options.
"Ugh, you guys are real jerks, you know that right?" Peter groaned as he turned to them, looking at him with raised eyebrows or teasing smiles. "Fine, you win."
Peter then gets up from his seat and walks over to the table of the "popular squad" to find Liz, only to be blocked by the snobbish Sally Avril, with her usual angry look towards a geek like Peter.
"What do you want, Stinky Pete?" Sally asks.
"I...I just wanna talk to Liz for something," Peter answered.
"What!? Why would she want to talk to you!?" Sally shrieked.
"Um, what's going o—oh hi Petey!" Liz greeted upon noticing Peter getting blocked by Sally.
"Liz! I-I was wondering if you could uh…" Peter stuttered.
"Yeah?" Liz wondered, waiting for whatever he wanted to say.
"I was wondering if you uh, could come with me and the two weirdos to Coney Island," Peter says, which shocked almost everyone in the "popular squad" from his initiative, Sally for the most part.
"Wha—are you serious Pete!? After—"
"Yes!" Liz immediately answered before Sally could ramble. "I mean...sure, I can go with you."
"What!? Why!?" Sally protested before feeling Randy's hand restraining her. "Rand!"
"C'mon Sall, let 'er go. It's her choice anyway, no harm done," Randy plainly stated.
"Thanks Randy," Liz thanked before turning to Peter. "So...when?"
"Oh um, huh...wait," Peter halted as he ran back to Bobby and Kitty to ask when they were gonna go for their outing before going back to Liz. "It's this coming weekend."
"Alright then, count me in," Liz happily replied.
"Nice! Thanks Liz!" Peter thanked before going back to his table with Bobby and Kitty.
Adjacent to their table was Gwen, lonely and depressed with mixed feelings over Harry's absence and reasons for it. And to add fuel to the fire, she felt her heart crumple after hearing Peter asking Liz out again, thinking that he most likely wants to make amends with her or even get back together with her, whereas she is the total victim in making stupid decisions that even her father would be shocked if he finds out about all of it.
—
"Um, Doc, you really sure these can really help me?" Mark asks, looking at his new suit, gauntlets, and boots.
"Positive, Allan. This can aid in giving you greater control over your powers and in using them, making you a walking force of nature," Tinkerer assured.
"The last time I was told that this would happen to me, it was a scammed set up," Mark hissed.
"Boy, you got yourself into this mess, there's no turnin' back now," Hammerhead scolded.
"What's with da hold up? I wanna go out to stretch!" Rhino grunted with a light stomp.
"Hey! You said you wanna squash the spider? Then down boy, yer gonna bring the house down before we even get to send you out," Hammerhead scolded.
"Grrrrgh," Rhino growled.
"Hey! You're lucky you get to go out there yourself. I've been itching to get him back for messin' with me," says a black-haired man in a lab coat.
"Who are you shorty!" Rhino angrily barked.
"C'mon, you forgot who I am? 'Behold! I am the great Mysterio!' RIng any bells?" says the man, referring to himself as Quentin Beck, aka the villain Mysterio.
"You mean yer the shorty with the fishbowl?" Rhino laughed.
"Yes, Rhino, I owe Mr. Beck quite a lot. He has done a great service in helping me fake my death," Norman thanked, appearing from the shadows.
"Why it is a great pleasure, sir," Beck appreciated.
"Okay, enough chatter. Is everything ready?" Norman asks.
"We'll be ready in a while, it is beyond my field to make something to support volatile powers, alright. First time for everything though," Tinkerer smirked, studying Marc Allan's Molten Man subdermal armor.
"No rush, just get ready to send out today, alright doctor?" Norman ordered.
"Y-yes sir," Tinkerer nervously replied.
—
The next day in the weekend's afternoon, everyone meets at Midtown High for their little outing in Coney Island...
"So, you guys ready?" Bobby asked everyone.
"Yeah!" Kitty gleefully replied.
"Your call," Peter replied, with Liz nodding in agreement.
"Awesome! But uh, Kitty and I would like to, well, introduce an unexpected companion who'll be joining us in New York," Bobby nervously introduced.
Beside Bobby was a middle-aged man with black hair that partially exposed his forehead and slightly curled sideways, along with some killer sideburns. With an intimidating cowboyish-look, he wears a black motorcycle jacket and sturdy boots, picking his teeth with a toothpick.
"Guys, meet Mr. Logan. He's going to be our guardian for the day and he is an instructor in the institute where we came from," Bobby introduced, only to be grabbed by his collar by the intimidating Logan.
'Some instructor,' Peter whispered to Liz.
"What do you mean 'just for the day', bub?" Logan snarled, looking straight into Bobby's frightened eyes. "Look, you've been making a ruckus throughout the city that the reports went crazy around the news. To make sure you won't make an even bigger mess, I'm sticking around to watch over your sorry butt, by the Professor's consent. That includes you, half-pint."
"Y-yes Mr. Logan," Kitty sheepishly replied.
"Yikes," both Peter and Liz reacted out of fear.
—
"Waaahooo!"
"Yeaaahh!"
"Whoooaaaa!"
"Yeaahaha!"
As promised, the foursome—and their guardian—meet at Coney Island in the afternoon, trying out all the possible rides and games that they might've missed throughout almost the entire afternoon. And Peter was not missing out on the action with Liz around, hanging out together like nothing has ever happened that they almost felt a spark between them once more. That was until they stared at each other and recalled the 'really bad' events that transpired, making the atmosphere between them very awkward upon realization.
"Bobby, this does not seem to be working out," Kitty bit on her nail.
"Chill, I think it is working," Bobby assures before turning to see the huge ferris wheel that is facing the sea. "Anyways, there is still one ride we haven't got on yet."
"Oooh, so that's why huh?" Kitty replied.
"Hey listen you two, I'm just gonna go get some shut-eye by the bench later. If I catch a scent of trouble somewhere, you two are going back with me, got it?" Logan growled.
"Gotcha," Bobby replied.
"No problem," Kitty replied.
"Good," Logan then walks to the bench and grabs a newspaper that was laid on it to pass the time.
"Bingo!" Bobby and Kitty thought out loud, thinking that this might be the opportune moment to give Peter the space he needs.
"Hey guys! What are you waiting for?" Peter asked, with Liz beside him.
"Perfect timing!" Bobby reacted, which confused Peter and Liz from his reaction before getting an elbow to his gut from Kitty.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Peter noticed.
"Oh nothing," Kitty quickly replied. "We were just wondering if we could all go together at the huge ferris wheel over there."
"That one?" Peter pointed out.
"Yeah! It's going to be really fun! C'mon!" Kitty drags Peter by his arm.
"C'mon girl, get over there," Bobby pushes Liz from behind.
The four of them make their way through the seemingly crowdless amusement park and stop by the booth to get a seat in the ferris wheel.
"How many people are you?" the counter girl asked.
"Four of us, uh, Kelly," Bobby answered upon looking at the girl's name tag.
"Thank you sir, the four of you will have to separate into two two-seaters. Please right this way," the counter girl named Kelly, replied kindly.
"Alright then, I can sit with Kitty and—"
"What!? It's fine Liz! I'm afraid that the both of us might phase out of our seats because of me! Wouldn't want to scare you out of nowhere," Kitty rejected.
"Yeah, wouldn't wanna give Pete the 'cold shoulder'," Bobby joked.
"Excuse me?" Peter protested with his arms crossed.
"Come along sir, we don't have all day. Luckily, the four of you are the last ones that get to enjoy the last ride for the day," Kelly replied, guiding the four of them to the seats.
Then the awkward moment comes again when Peter and Liz are pressured into taking a seat together while Bobby and Kitty take theirs. The moment they sit down and buckle up with the handrails and belts, the counter girl is about to operate the ferris wheel.
"Ready everyone? Great, have fun!" Kelly then turns the lever and puts the ferris wheel into motion.
"This is gonna be good!" Kitty yelled before looking at Peter and Liz.
"I'll say," Bobby added before looking at them.
In their seat, Peter barely talked with Liz, and she did the same with their heads turned away, which frustrated Bobby and Kitty when they saw it. However the awkward atmosphere between them slowly dies down as the beautiful view of dusk rolls over and captivates Peter and Liz's attention.
"Man, what a view, right?" Peter commented, gazing at the sun slowly falling at the horizon.
"It really is," Liz adds in agreement.
And then the both of them slowly turn to look at each other in the eyes without breaking contact, trying to spark some talk…
"Liz I—"
"Petey I—"
For a moment, they awkwardly block each other off from starting a conversation until…
"Uh, you can go first," Peter replied.
"Thank you Petey," Liz replied before taking a minute to compose herself for what she's gonna say before looking Peter in the eyes. "So, how are um, things with Gwen?"
"I...I'm not sure. She has been pretty distant to me lately, and barely tried to talk to me, probably because of Harry," Peter answered depressingly. "But I now cared for her as a friend, as a goodwill for Harry."
"Is that why Harry's been absent again lately?" Liz asked, getting a nod from Peter.
"Liz, can you hear me out, please?" Peter asked, with Liz looking at him with a serious look, making Peter feel guilty from their breakup, giving her no chance to listen to his reasons and vice versa. "Liz, I realized...that I'm not so smart after all."
Liz never said a word and just leaned on the rail while standing her arm under her chin to listen and watch him intently.
"I used to never like Gwen, and saw her as like, well a friend who's been with me every step and bully at the way," Peter says, looking down. "And it was a huge whim on my mind to think that I'd be with her, who was just a great friend to me. I even thought MJ would give me a chance, but she's just another friend. And I just realized that you were the only one who was with me during my recent tough times and um, other areas."
"Yeah, of course," Liz responded with a smile.
"But I treated you like dirt," Peter confessed, but in a somewhat protesting tone.
"But I was the one who broke it between us," Liz pointed out, silencing Peter as she reminds him of their breakup before looking down. "And Petey, it felt really painful, to me...when we split."
"Liz, I–"
"You were the only one who treated me like an actual girl, an independent girl with feelings. You were there to comfort me after witnessing Marc going to jail, instead of taking photos for your job. Knowing Flash, he wouldn't do those things for me…" Liz tearfully trailed off, trying to fight her tears from opening up past memories while being with Peter.
Suddenly, Peter grabs Liz by her shoulders, unknowingly and slowly calming her down with his touch.
"Liz, out of all the girls I've ever met, well, excluding Sally, you were the only one that made me feel like an idiot. And I mean it in a good way!" Peter replied, looking straight into her eyes. "All that I'm trying to say is...it was you all along...that I've never felt more of this kind of closeness. I seriously mean it."
After spilling a few tears down her eyes, Liz asks a special request from Peter.
"Peter," Liz asked in a serious tone, catching his full attention upon saying his name. "Kiss me."
"Wh-wha—?!"
"If you kiss me here and now, I am willing to be with you again...with that as my answer. You know the answer if you don't," Liz explained, closing her eyes, fervently hoping if Peter would accept her again.
Like a ticking time bomb, Peter never had this much pressure. Even from fighting baddies and villains, they can't compare to an ex who is willing to accept you again. After internally reflecting carefully and with deep realizations, Peter gets close while trying to embrace Liz into a side hug—because they are strapped to the two-seater— and then kisses her voluntarily while gently caressing her face and hair.
Liz followed with a tight embrace while passionately reciprocating Peter's answer with a hug around his neck, never letting go of their momentous period until they both pull their faces away and lean onto their foreheads while making eye contact.
"Liz, I suck at being a boyfriend...and I've let you down for countless of times, but I really want to make things right...between us," Peter replied with a serious gaze in Liz's eyes.
"I know you will," Liz replied with a heartfelt smile on her face. "I believe you."
"Liz I—whoa!" Peter yelped, along with Liz who screamed from the sudden shaking of the ferris wheel.
The four of them look down to see a rampaging Molten Man, melting down the legs of the ferris wheel and causing it to bend over.
"Markito!?" Liz screamed, seeing her brother out of prison. "Why is he here!?"
Suddenly, the ferris wheel shakes again, appearing as if it is about to bend over and fall in minutes.
"This is bad, we gotta get down there!" Kitty yelled, noticing the panicking people around the park.
"Right on!" Bobby agreed, turning into his translucent ice form.
As Kitty helps phase the both of them out of their seats and slide down to the ground, they notice not just the heated Molten Man, but the angry Rhino, fighting against their agile instructor Logan.
"Grrrrrrraaaagh!" Rhino roared as he slams his fists to the ground, only to miss each hit against Logan. "What are ya, little man?"
"My name...is the Wolverine, bub," Logan growled as he unsheathes his Adamantium claws and lungs onto the Rhino's face, only to be grabbed and slammed to the ground.
"Gehehehehe, the Wolverine? Funny name," Rhino snorted, stomping his heavy hoove on Wolverine's gut to the ground, pinning him down.
"Gaaagh! Urrrgh!" Wolverine grunted while squirming to break free.
"Mr. Logan!" Kitty called, partially phasing out the ground like a whack-a-mole next to Wolverine and startling the Rhino. "Hold on!"
As Wolverine phases into the ground with Shadowcat, the Rhino is left dumbfounded and spooked from what just happened.
"Wh-What was that!?" Rhino angrily barked in surprise before being blasted from behind by a freezing ice beam.
"I'm guessing you're another enemy of Spider-man, again," Bobby deadpans.
"Grrrrgh," Rhino growled as he charged forward against Bobby, who was sliding along a stream of ice while making ice barriers to block and irritate him.
"Where are you, Spider-man!" Mark roared, wearing some kind of suit that is thought to support and control his abilities and volatile nature.
"Petey! What do we do!?" Liz asked hysterically with fear, holding onto Peter with fidgeting arms.
'It's now or never,' Peter thought as he equips his web shooters and looks into Liz's fearful eyes. "Liz, whatever happens, will you trust me?"
After a moment, Liz nods, answering a yes.
"Good, then can you please close your eyes, for me…?" Peter requested, with her responding with a nod before closing her eyes.
From there, Peter embraces Liz tightly before jumping out of their two-seater and slowly swings down with the ferris wheel slowly crashing onto the pavement.
When Liz opened her eyes, she was totally surprised and shocked that they're now on the ground.
"P-Petey! What happened!? How did we—!?"
"I-I can explain later, but right now—gyagh!" Peter yelped as he was dragged from behind by Molten Man.
"I thought I told you...to stay away from my sister!" Molten Man barked at Peter.
"Mark! Please! Stop!" Liz cried out while keeping her distance from his hot molten aura.
"No sis, I think I got a chance this time, a chance to get my normal life back!" Molten Man protested. "I'm really sure of it this time!"
'Now who on earth promised that to him? And who made this pointless suit?' Peter thought to himself before being thrown away to a booth at a far distance.
"Petey!" Liz cried while running towards him, only to be blocked by her deranged brother.
"Sorry sis, but you being with him, is a chance I'm not willing to take," Molten Man angrily warns before being instantly encased in ice by Bobby.
"Liz! You alright?" Bobby asks with concern.
"I am, but what about Peter!?" Liz hysterically asks.
"You will see him, but right now, you gotta get outta here first," Bobby pleaded.
"No! I have to find Peter!" Liz protested.
"He's doing alright now."
Landing on top of the frozen Molten Man was Spider-man, assuring Liz of Peter's safety.
"He's doing great, but he won't if he knows you aren't," Spider-man quipped, avoiding some kind of tremor emanating from Molten Man, breaking free from his icy prison.
"Spider-man!" Molten Man angrily roared. "This time, I am really going to burn you to a crisp."
"Hey man! Cool it! This is not the way it's supposed to go," Spider-man protested, dodging molten lava projectiles before swinging away with Liz in his arms. "Iceman! Take over for me!"
"Oh hohoho yeah, now things are gonna get interesting: lava versus ice," Iceman quipped.
"Outta my way!" Molten Man barked as he fired a blast of lava at Iceman, who retaliated with a beam of ice and led each other into a stalemate.
Out of danger's reach, Spider-man puts Liz down, and just as he was about to swing away.
"Wait! Please," Liz begged, probably going to ask about Peter's whereabouts.
Looking over to see his friends struggling against his worst foes, he looks at Liz with a serious gaze…
"Wait for me…" Spider-man replied before quickly swinging away, leaving Liz confused as to why she should wait for him.
Meanwhile…
"Bro! Take it easy! You seem like you're going to blow!" Iceman pleaded, feeling the heat from Molten Man's blast.
"If that's how it's going down, then I'm for it! I'd rather be gone than drag people down!" Molten Man angrily replied before getting distracted by a couple of web bullets with his back exposed as he turned around to see Spider-man.
"Do it now, Iceman!" Spider-man called.
Without hesitation, Iceman shoots his ice beam at Molten Man, encasing him in an even bigger and colder icicle prison.
"I got Hothead, you help Kitty and Logan," Iceman assures.
"On it!" Spider-man replied as he zips fast to the other battle.
Now, Logan and Kitty are trying their hardest at pinning down the foe that's similar to Juggernaut, with all of his strength and defense aimed at charging right at them.
"Keep him going, half-pint!" Logan called, hopping over Rhino as he charged at him. "He's slowing down now!"
"Gotcha!" Kitty replied, phasing through the nearby game booths to tire out Rhino's stamina.
"Grrrrrgh, c'mon!" Rhino roared while running towards Kitty.
Slowly catching up to Kitty, Rhino readies his horn to lift her off from her feet, only to notice her vanish and taken away in Spider-man's arms.
"Am I late?" Spider-man quipped as he and Kitty stood over a game booth.
"Almost," Kitty answered. "He's getting tired out, but he's still moving!"
"Hey, you kid!" Logan calls out to Spider-man. "You take care of the half-pint with that lugnut. I'm sensing that they're not the only ones here."
From there, Logan goes running with his claws open and leaves the park to confront a black limo. Upon noticing the angry mutant, it immediately tries to get away from him, noticing how he is barely near them from behind.
"Hit me with one of those," Hammerhead ordered, getting some sort of electric gun that was invented by the Tinkerer before opening the window and aiming it at the angry Logan. With a pull of the trigger, it shoots a strong beam of concentrated electricity that paralyzed him upon contact, leaving him flat on the streets while driving away.
"Grrrrgh," Logan growled, with his body paralyzed from the jolts of electricity blasted towards him.
—
Now, few minutes go by, both the Rhino and Molten Man have been apprehended before the police could arrive. While they're at it, Bobby, no longer in his translucent ice form, notices Kitty comforting Liz, who is looking and touching the ice encasing her brother and asks Spider-man for some info…
"Bro, who is he to her? An ex?" Bobby wondered.
"No, he's her brother," Spider-man answered.
"No way," Bobby denies.
"I heard he underwent some sort of experiment, and was manipulated into fighting me. If only there is something I can do to help him out… Liz wouldn't…" Spider-man trailed off before feeling a tap on his shoulder.
"I think I have a suggestion, but it might require um, her permission somehow," Bobby suggested.
"You mean you found a way to fix him?" Spider-man asked with his eyes wide open.
"Kinda, but it's not me. A friend of ours back in the institute might be able to find a way to fix him," Bobby assures. "Now that you tell me that he's not a mutant, it makes things easier for him to do it, depending on how he wanted."
Without further ado, Spider-man and Bobby run to Liz with great news for her brother's condition…
"Miss, do you want to...let your brother be well? Somehow?" Spider-man asked.
"Yes, by any legal and not-so-dangerous means, I want it, please," Liz begged.
"It's alright Liz, it is a legal way," Bobby assures, explaining further that there is a person that can help her brother's condition. "But you see, we just need your consent and—"
"Yes," Liz immediately accepts.
"Y-you're really sure about this?" Bobby asks for clarification.
"No other doctor here could help my brother's condition. I hope your friend could really help him this time," Liz replied.
"It will be fine, trust us," Spider-man tapped on her shoulder, making her look at him in confusion.
"You sound familiar…" Liz somehow speculated, from his muffled voice and actions.
"Don't know, maybe, maybe not, but gotta go, bye!" Spider-man immediately zips away and finds his clothes and changes into them quickly before appearing behind Liz. "Liz! Are you alright!?"
"Petey!" Liz cried out upon hearing his voice and embraced him tightly. "I should be asking you if you're alright! Mark is...Mark is…!"
"It's okay now, it's okay now," Peter assures, caressing her before looking into her eyes seriously. "Liz, do you trust me?"
"I do, Petey," Liz answered.
"Then can you trust me, for tonight...leave a window open, and don't sleep till midnight," Peter requested. "Please…"
"A-alright," Liz answered.
"Thank you," Peter sighed in relief, before embracing Liz tightly.
"Pst, mission completed?" Kitty elbowed Bobby's side.
"Mission completed," Bobby smirked.
—
"Dr. Miles, I shall be taking my leave now," says a female lab assistant with a name tag named Deborah, before leaving the laboratory.
"Carry on," Miles says, examining the lab's contents and reviewing certain files. "Hmm, I shouldn't have helped that obsessive man. I'm now low on funds for my research, and I believe the board is gonna have my head and my lab if I don't think of something soon."
As Dr. Miles Warren was scrounging the computer files for anything demo worthy, he stumbles before a certain case file by Dr. Otto Octavius, aka Doctor Octopus, concerning a certain experiment that created the Sandman, with all its data and research left untouched or just blacklisted.
"Well, this might be my lucky day," Miles smirked as he downloads the data and then turns off the desktop with a plan in mind.
—
Midnight draws near, and the city slowly turns dark with a few lights around the area, one of which is in the room of Liz Allan in her family's hotel. As told by Peter, she leaves a tall window open for whatever that Peter promised her in the afternoon.
"Geez, Petey says that something's going to happen...unless it is just a prank," Liz sighed, sitting across her huge bed.
"Who says it is a prank?"
Suddenly, a somewhat unfamiliar voice was in her room. She walked closer to the voice, spooked out and scared before looking up to see Spider-man at her ceiling.
"S-S-Spider-man!?" Liz panicked, falling on her rear and surprised by his presence in her room.
"I told you, didn't I, Liz?" Spider-man replied, silently dropping to the ground in front of the surprised Liz.
"W-what!?" Liz wondered as she got back up, confused by what he meant. "Wait, h-how do you know my name?"
"Because, Liz…" Spider-man trailed off, slowly removing his mask and revealing his face.
With jaw-dropping awe, Liz looks at astonishment to see and know that her ex-now-turned-boyfriend-again, Peter Parker, turns out to be the one and only Spider-man, standing in her room.
"P-Petey?" Liz stuttered, as she slowly walked up to him. "Y-you're—"
"Yeah, now you see why I suck as a boyfriend," Peter joked.
Without hesitating, she runs over to hug Peter into a tight embrace before looking into his eyes.
"Now I see why you disappear a lot...and run off for whatever reasons you have...this explains everything, Petey," Liz thought out loud, staring into Peter's eyes. "So wait, that time with that tentacle guy, and the time today….that was you…?!"
"It is, Liz," Peter answered.
"...Wow...some secret you have here," Liz jokes.
"Hehe, yeah, but not a good one somehow," Peter differed.
"But why?" Liz asks. "Isn't a cool secret? Like Bobby and Kitty's secrets?"
"Mine's a bit more different, actually. I don't want my enemies to find out about me, the real me," Peter answered, feeling Liz's hand caress his cheek.
"Alright then, Spidey," Liz playfully replied. "Your secret is safe with me. Oh wait! Could you do me a tiny favor?"
"Okay, what is it then?" Peter asked.
"Could you... put on your mask and then hang onto the ceiling for a minute?" Liz nervously requested.
Without hesitation, Peter immediately wears the mask and then shoots a strand of web to the ceiling before hanging onto it upside-down.
"Okay, like this?" Peter asked.
There, Liz partially removes his mask, showing his lips and then kisses him. She gently caresses his head while catching him off-guard from the kiss before looking into his eyes with passion.
"I've always wanted to try doing that, in case um, Spider-man would be, you know, my boyfriend by chance," Liz jokes, leaning her forehead onto Peter's, causing him to blush brightly with a smile.
As they basked in their romantic and touching company together in her room, someone from afar under the moonlight was watching the romantic scene.
"Well...well….well, I spy with my little eye...some friendly competition," Black Cat hisses, watching Spider-man kissing a girl. "Now there's more to pay than just my father, Spider-man, you'll see."
—To be continued