Season 5 Chapter 4: Eight Left Feet
"Anyone else want more tea?" May offers, reaching for her cupboards.
"Ummmm, thanks Aunt May, I think we're fine for now, ehehehehe, hehhhh…"
Just as soon as the apartment was about to be calm, the three girls Gwen, Liz, and Mary Jane, just had to show when Felicia also paid a visit prior with her father, who quickly hid in the other part of the living room behind a locked door. As of now, May serves the girls and her currently sheepish nephew some of her brewed tea and Peter's homemade pancakes. They sit in a semicircle arrangement of chairs, with Felicia sitting at one end while Mary Jane sits at the other, with the only guy Peter surrounded by Gwen on his right next to Felicia and Liz at his left beside MJ.
"Mm! Peter! These cakes are amazing!" Gwen exclaims as she chomps on a huge chunk of three pancakes skewered on her fork.
"Uhhh, thanks! I've been kinda practicing after learning from my mistakes, and it took lots of mistakes getting the hang of it," Peter replied before eating a morsel of his pancakes.
"Well Tiger, seems like this place is becoming much more of a home now," Mary Jane breaks the silence while lightly sipping on her tea. "Just like Queens, but a lot smaller than the last one."
"You lived in Queens, Handsome?" Felicia hummed amusingly with a smile and raised eyebrow, catching him off guard with the nickname that he choked on his tea for a second.
"Well uhhh yeah? It's a cooler and quiet place away from the city," Peter nervously replied. "Not to say that the city's bad and all, I just miss the days that the neighborhood's still an actual neighborhood. It's peaceful and spacious with all the folks that I knew as a kid in one place."
"Mmm, true, better than living in a concrete hive of overworked citizens like around these parts," Felicia shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay, I'm gonna bite, may I ask what is your business here um, Miss Hardy, was it?" Gwen asked, no longer able to contain her patience.
"Oh please, drop the formalities, just call me Felicia like Petey here does," Felicia replied, getting the stink eye from Liz using that nickname.
"Excuseeeee me, but might I know how you and Petey got close—behind our backs?" Liz asks out of curiosity in a jealous tone—slightly.
"Oh? Well, we bumped into each other at work," Felicia smirks and shoots a wink at Peter.
"Work?" Liz glares at Peter, probably guessing what exactly went down.
"Really? What kind of work do you do?" Mary Jane asks.
"A little something called detective work. It pays really well," Felicia smugly replied.
"Riiiiight, and HOW exactly did you bump into Petey?" Liz asks, with fingers clutching hard on her tea cup.
"I saw him in action, a lot, and then we just kinda talked a lot, right, Handsome?"
"Uhhh—yeah! Right! Of course, hehehe…"
The situation can't seem to die down anytime soon, with Peter getting cornered from every end in between four femme fatales, interviewing, inquiring, and interrogating him and each other.
"Okay girls, settle down, no need to be feisty or something," Mary Jane breaks the awkward air. "Anyways, Pete, we just came to leave something for ya."
"Oh uh, really? What is it?" Peter nervously replied.
The redhead pulls out an invitation letter out of her purse, with a wax stamp having a cursive L at its center.
"It's from Jan. She's throwin' a party up at the new Lincoln Nightlight— her own bar! And we get exclusive slots to join her little celebration," Mary Jane adds. "Nearly slipped my mind, but it'd be boring without any of my besties around."
"From Janice eh? That might be a bigger party than we might imagine if it's with her," Peter quipped.
"Oh it will be a big one alright, just trying to make it more welcoming for everyone else. So you in?" Mary Jane hands him his invitation before getting up from her seat and seeing herself out. "Be classy, but not too classy. She's not having anything too fancy there."
"Oh definitely! A free pass is always welcome!" Peter takes the letter.
But just as he was about to open the letter, he looks confused as he sees Gwen and Liz looking kinda awkward with their gazes averted.
"Uh Gwen? Liz? What's going on? Why are you—?"
"Oh! I forgot to mention," Mary Jane stops by the door and turns her head with a sly smirk. "Bring a date with you to the party. There's gonna be some wild dancing."
And then she just left, letting out a playful giggle and leaving Peter in silence on the hot seat.
"Hm, a date she says?" Felicia slyly smirks at the thought. "Well what's your plan, Stud?"
"Uhhhh…"
"Well, Petey?" Liz eagerly asks.
"Peter?" Gwen asks after.
'Gee…thanks for nothing and leaving me in the hangin', MJ…'
—
In a high-end fashion store, glimmering in a golden yellow-tiled room with a man wearing a suit with a huge build standing by the waiting couches. Stepping out of one of the changing rooms turns out to be the flashy mercenary with long platinum hair from the fallen Manfredi Gang, Sable "Silver Sable" Manfredi …
"Hmmm, Rodriguez, how does it look?" Sable wondered, flaunting her new pristine silver tube dress with a less restrictive gown for better mobility, alongside silver gloves and slippers as she clacks over for her guardian to examine her.
"As beautiful as a goddess as always!" Antonio, aka Armadillo, gladly compliments his employer.
"Of course I am. Anyways, what news we got from the guys high up? This better be good," Sable replied in annoyance, hearing her phone ring about a while ago.
"Here you go, madam," Antonio hands her her smartphone and taps on the missed caller.
"What's up, I'm really busy at the moment!" Sable called over the phone.
'Well sorry to spoil your little quiet time, princess, but I got a job for you,' Nick Fury's voice replied at the other end.
"And the job? On with it!" Silver screamed, sitting down and tapping impatiently on the marble table.
'Mind your manners, little princess. Don't forget who bailed you out before anyone ever noticed. You owe us your expertise, and we owe you the rest, clear?'
"Right right. So?"
'Infiltrate the Lincoln Nightlight Bar: collect the inventor named Abner Jenkins. His research on armor and weaponry will be of use to us, but leave before you attract any unwanted attention. Otherwise: make contact with Janice Lincoln and we will take over.'
"Copy that, boss. You name him, you'll get him," Sable replied before putting her phone in her handheld purse. "No time to waste, Rodriguez, get ready."
—
"Stubborn girl." Fury cursed.
"What do you expect from a mafia princess?"
Standing by the doorway with a clipboard in hand is the scientist named Dr. Richard Parker.
"Enough with the wisecrack, Parker. What are you doing here other than what you're supposed to be doing."
"Whoa watch it. Remember, you need me for your little project. Without me and Miriam, Project SAS just might get canned faster than rotten canned sardines."
"But without my intervention, neither of you would live to see your son one day, not to mention your little "stowaway"."
Richard stood dead silent from the last bit. But Director Fury was not wrong. In the end, he owed him for being able to rescue him from the hands that sought after his life, his wife, and his children. Fury walks on by and stops near him by the door with a blunt remark.
"I'm only letting bygones be bygones just because it'd be a tragedy letting two brilliant minds leave nothing to their legacy. Too early to die when you have plenty of opportunities."
"Not quite, Fury." Richard replied back, making him raise his eyebrow. "My legacy will live on, but not with me and Miriam anymore. You'll see!"
—
"Well, Petey?"
"Peter?"
"Petey?"
Just after Mary Jane left, the three girls and nerd of all trades left the atmosphere that was uneasy and awkward with Aunt May and Walter within vicinity. They took their continuing conversation to the rooftop. Although there are a few lingering eyes and ears from the busy neighboring buildings, it's not like anything out of the ordinary will happen outside of their meeting, other than the sight of a lone guy surrounded by three girls with extraordinary capabilities…
"Guys, I don't know if this is the right place to talk things out," Peter says as he breaks a sweat.
"This place is plenty quiet. You just need to ignore background noise and focus on my voice, Handsome," Felicia slyly approaches him, lightly lifting him by the tip of his chin.
"Hey! Back off!" Liz cried but restraining the flaming fury burning in her eyes.
"Says who, little girl? It's not like he's all yours, right?"
"Yes he is! Right Gwen!?"
"Uhhh yeah! Yeah!" Gwen nervously nods in agreement.
"Oh? Could it be that you two are in some love triangle?" Felicia grins at the thought, leaving the two younger women speechless with jaws dropped. "Well then, how bout makin' this a love square, eh?"
"Ugh—what!? NO!" Both Gwen and Liz screamed.
"Ohhh boy, look at the time! I gotta go report to the Bugle! Can't be late for work!" Peter glances at his watch and slips away from the tense situation to bolt away for the door.
A moment after leaving the two girlfriends stunned from his escape, they receive a text that cracks smiles on their faces.
"Hmmm, guess I should ask Janice a favor…" Felicia smirks, rubbing the tip of her chin.
—
"Head intact, limbs intact, heart rate down, whew, I'm still alive!"
Peter, donning his classic Spider-Man suit, swings around Manhattan, barely able to come out unscathed from the femme fatales that invaded his space one after another. He takes a run over some rooftops while patrolling the area and thinking about that talk with his mortal enemy…
'Wonder what really went through his head, thinking he can just crawl right back into Manhattan when I never ever wanna see him again, much less see my AUNT!? And why did she have to be there? Not like anything else bad is happening and all, but to meet me as, well, the real me, now that just brings me anxiety. Wonder how many more superpowered gals will be out to squish the living daylights or nightlights outta me? I'd kill to get a breather right…now…?'
He promptly stops and sticks to the side of a glass building, facing a huge digital moving billboard about a voting on a candidate for Manhattan's next new mayor.
"Riiiiight, the big buzz about the next new leader of the Big Apple's core. Wonder who's up?" Spider-Man reclines to the wall, taking in a view that you'd usually get at a theater. "All that's missing is some popcorn…maybe a protein bar could do the trick."
The sign blinks and starts to unveil the faces of the candidates for New York's mayor as he peels the wrapper of his protein bar like a banana. The first face flashing is the face of a black American candidate captioned Atty. William Hollister, after him was a smugly man captioned Randall Crowne, third after him was a bald big-boned man captioned Wilson Fisk. However, after him was someone no one else expected…it was a portrait of his loud boss from the Daily Bugle, wearing a grin on his face— J. Jonah Jameson Sr….
"Wait, waitwaitwaitwaitwaitwaitwait," Spider-man stammered, unknowingly dropping his bar for a double take on his eyes behind the visors. "Tell me this is a DREAM, a NIGHTMARE, a SIGN of the end times, ANYTHING!?"
Of all things to happen that could potentially ruin his day, it'd be seeing that the one person aftering his head legally by libel actually running for a huge position of power that could spell the pain of his crime-fighting career…soiling his previously good mood and jolly reality.
"That's…enough cityviewing for today…dangit…!"
"HELP ME! PLEASE! SOMEBODY!"
Screaming at the top of her lungs, a lone woman in distress is being chased by a tandem of robbers on a motorcycle. She attempts to make a turn for the corner but trips on the crooked sidewalk tile, making the two robbers dismount to rob her.
"Hahahaha! C'mon girlie, no need to play hard to get!"
"Fellas, there's a difference between playing hard to get and feeling totally threatened."
Sitting at the top of the street light, Spider-man quickly appeared and dropped-kicks on one of the robbers unconscious before barraging the other one to the pole in his webs.
"You know what, I thank you guys for coming at the right time for me to punch my stress away. Just had a bad episode today," Spider-man thanked as he webs up the unconscious robber to the sidewalk before checking his watch with eyes wide open that he webs a line to zip away. "Oh boy, I'm nearly late! Call the cops within the hour lady. I'm running late for my huge date!"
—
"Hey Doc, you sure you are okay with this place?"
"Why of course, Ed! You were the one who suggested it, after all."
In a little street burger diner called "Say Cheese!" Eddie takes his serious love interest, Dr. Ashley Kafka, for a date as promised, just when they were done with their shift.
"If you want a change of scenery, we can—"
"Eddie, your decision is done, there's no need to back out. Plus, it's a change of pace in my opinion, after going through a wave of conference dinners," Ashley points out. "And second, you can call me by name."
"Riiiiight, anyway doc, I'm sorry that I've been keepin' secrets a lot, and…well, there are some things I just don't understand myself…" Eddie replied with a glint of the Anti-Venom symbiote in his eyes.
"I'd hate to make this another session, but Eddie, if you keep your feelings bottled up, it is only a matter of time that you can't control yourself, and…this power you have… you have to be careful with it… I don't want to lose you to it…" Ashley gently holds his hand, which caught him off guard that he forcefully pulls away. "…I should go now…goodbye, Eddie…"
As Dr. Kafka gets up and walks away, she turns back around only to find him vanish out of nowhere, making her look away in disappointment and hold her tears back as she gets inside her car before driving away, unaware of Eddie looking down from a rooftop ledge in his Anti-Venom suit.
"No one will understand my pain, and I'd rather die than let anyone take it with them," Anti-Venom growled before swinging away. "The only thing I can do now is to cure society's pain—MY WAY…!"
—
'Heyyyy girlie, get up.'
'What? Wait, where is this!?'
In a dark webbed barren plane of some sort, a lone girl with only one arm awakens by a strange voice…
'Inside of you, that's what.'
'Wait, what!? I'm leaving this, this is too weird! Lemme OUT!"
Immediately, she opens her eyes and gasps for air like a jack-in-a-box, trapped in her own mind, quickly scanning the area of her penthouse's bedroom like a chicken while being heavily drenched in sweat. She throws away her comforter and grasps her legs, pondering on her own sanity, or insanity thereof.
"Wha–what happened…!?" the woman, Dr. Tanis Nieves from Ravencroft, whimpered in pain from a strange migraine.
—
Few days pass by like the wind, and the night of the party has begun at the Lincoln Nightlight Bar, standing in the middle of a bustling road, Peter manages to swing right by on time landing at the three-storey bar's humble entrance, quickly wearing a gray shirt over his red-and-blue and into a red zipper hoodie over his shirt, blending with his black cargos and rubber shoes with white soles that hide his suit's socks. Looking back, it stood out with a simple sleek edgeless cube-shaped three-storey building for a bar, oddly shaped amidst the tall ordinary brick-walled apartment and some of the huge glossy office buildings around its vicinity.
"I hope I'm not too late or too early to show…" Peter thought out loud, nervously sniffing his suit and clothes before looking at his reflection on a glass window. 'Man, Liz would love this…wait, what am I being so worried about right now? I should—'
"Ahem…?"
He freezes speechless and then turns to the direction of the familiar voice coming from one of the most astounding and feisty women he's ever known. Standing outside the white van was Liz Allan, wearing a dawn-yellow colored long-sleeved shirt that exposes her olive brown shoulders, and sporting dark-blue joggers and her Screwball roller sneakers, spray painted purple on some patches.
"Wow…Liz, I mean…just…wow…"
"Not just me, Petey," Liz smirked at his dumbfounded expression.
Stepping out of the van was none other than Gwen, wearing a fluffy pink turtleneck cardigan that contrasted with her black skin tight leggings and blended with her sky blue sneakers. On top of not wearing her glasses and letting natural blonde hair down, Peter's stunned a second time by the total makeover, which clearly seemed like she had some help.
"Whoa…Gwen…"
"Does it look weird, Pete?" Gwen bashfully asks, casually flipping the bangs on the side of her face with her sleeve, upping her cuteness levels to the hundreds and thousands.
"W-Well, yeah! I mean, you both look amazing!" Peter compliments both of them.
"Thanks Peter, it's sweet of you," Gwen blushes from his compliment before her hand's taken by Liz.
"Alright, we've waited long enough, c'mon! Jan's prolly expecting us by now!" Liz quickly wraps herself around Peter's arm, catching Gwen off guard before she retaliates by going to take his other hand.
'Oh boy, this is gonna be a long night…' Peter nervously thought to himself.
The trio attempt to enter, but are halted by the bouncers outside until Liz smugly reveals her invitation, making Peter and Gwen follow suit, embarrassing the bouncers from their blunder that they quickly let them enter. When the two bouncers opened the black-stained glass doors for them, they were welcomed by a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and black eyes, wearing a bartender's uniform save the bowtie.
"Welcome to the Lincoln Nightlight Bar! The lady's been expecting you three!" The bartender guy welcomes them into the lobby and leads them down to the elevator.
"Pardon us, is Ms. Lincoln present?" Liz hands out her and Gwen's invitation to the clerk.
"Oh yeah! She's been expecting her friends to come right away!" the man says, pushing the button and welcoming them into the elevator first.
"Thank you! C'mon Petey!" Liz eagerly takes Peter away from the unguarded Gwen.
"Whoa!"
"Wha—hey! Liz! WAIT!"
Just as they went up the lift after the man pressed the R button, loud clacking of heels tread down the lobby pathway, and greeting the clerk was a silhouette of a high heel with its ankle embraced in a tight silver sleeve.
"Let's make this quick, Rodriguez."
'Done, milady.'
*THUD!* *FLOP!* *FLOP!*
—
Going up the sleek pristine darkwood brightly lit elevator with neon buttons on a glass touch-screen, the doors give way to an open-air bar floor. It's a party for youngsters alright, with a sleek circular color-changing dance floor in the center, surrounded by a couple of other familiar and unfamiliar faces from ESU, and a bar stand with the bartender cooking up cocktails for the owner's VIP's and guests on the left along the glass rails lined along the rooftop, some of which are familiar and unfamiliar. There they are immediately greeted by the hotel's young owner, Janice Lincoln, wearing a red crop top beneath her black denim jacket while wearing tight blue jeans that emphasize the shape of her lower body along with a pair of black-white high-soled sneakers, awaiting their arrival.
"Guys! You actually came!" Janice exclaimed as she hugged Liz. "Just right on time to join the fun!"
"Liz! You're actually here!" Sha Shan greets and tackles her into an embrace from behind, wearing a simple red dress similar to Liz's dress from their Valentine date.
"Sha Shan! Can't believe you're here too!" Liz giggled and exclaimed as she returned the embrace. "W-Wait, how are you feeling though? I mean—oh uhm…"
"It's cool Liz, we can catch you later," Peter assures before being pulled by Gwen hugging his arm.
As Gwen drags their man away, taunting a little tease with a wink and her tongue out to Liz, making her ignite a candle-like glint in her eye before she gets preoccupied with Sha Shan and some other girls.
"Like my new place?" Janice welcomes Peter and Gwen.
"Of course! And I couldn't pass on the free invitation! Thanks for inviting us by the way!" Peter adds.
"Thank you for the invite really! This place is amazing!"
"No problem! 'Sides, someone also asked to get you here," Janice assures.
"Who?"
"Heyo Pete! Over here bruh!"
Calling him out from the bar stand while sitting next to the rugged former football player in casual attire Randy Robertson was Hobie, wearing his black motorcycle jacket while the big jock wears his jersey jacket from school over a gray shirt that blends with his maroon cap.
"Whoa, Hobes! Rand! Awesome to see you two here!" Peter exclaims, walking to the bar.
"Yeah! I'm guessing…this is where you've been lingering about lately whenever our lectures are over?" Gwen asks Hobie
"Well, can't miss my gal's new grand opening at her own new bar, now can I?" Hobie brags. "Plus, she helps me, I help her, we help each other."
"Really? How else were you two helping each other out?" Gwen asks, making Hobie spray and choke from his cocktail, taken by surprise from her question.
"True that. How about you, Rand? Wait, where's Sally?" Peter looks around.
"Sally? We uh, split…thought you guys knew that by now. Well, just sayin' again," Randy shrugged his shoulders. "Things got really rough between us, and she was really asking for too much for my shoulders. So I came clean with her instead of lyin' to her more and think we should find other people…"
"Wait, Rand, you're serious?"
Popping behind Peter and Gwen with shock suddenly dawning on her face was none other than the fiery former cheerleader Liz.
"W-Wh-What happened, Rand? How? Why!?" Liz pressed for answers. "I thought you two would stick, really!"
"Thought so too, but it was Sally who seemed to change for the worse. Dunno why, but it looked like something snapped in her, and to be frank, I don't wanna deal with her current attitude," Randy lamented.
"Have you even tried asking why?" Liz wondered.
"This was my answer."
Randy reluctantly lifts up his cap, revealing an old wound crossing from the edge of his forehead and through his semi bald scalp that seemed to have been a result from blunt trauma or a concussion. The sight left Liz at a loss for words in horror as if she's in denial, to believe that her former best friend would do such a thing towards the person who was willing to be with her since high school.
"A flying textbook was my answer. Okay, maybe it didn't seem so bad at the time since she was having one bad day. But the rest of the other days, not even my weekly workout regimen could tire me out than having to deal with her. I couldn't take it, I think I'd lose it just like she was losing herself." Randy admits with a heavy heart. "I still feel like I coulda done more for her…but…"
"It's okay Randy, I could tell that you tried and fought to keep her safe," Liz assures with a gentle pat over his knuckles. "I feel you. She can be a loose cannon sometimes, and she can be really reckless at times if she's not putting on her good girl image. Believe me, I've been there too. Just…without the physical harm…"
"Thanks Liz. You really are a strong woman, even without your flashy flares and all," Randy shot back a compliment at her before facing Peter. "Hey Pete. Treat her nicely, or she might roast you or leave you for the Webhead. You get the idea man."
"Well um, yeah! Of course!" Peter nervously replied.
"Hey Tiger! There's someone I want ya to meet! I think you know him though."
Walking up to them in a casual black cotton sweater that hugs her whole body and contrasts with her natural red hair, Mary Jane saunters in a black crop top with sleeves that expose shoulders to complement with her sky blue tattered jeans and apricot white-soled sneakers. However, standing next to her was man who looks a lot like Peter's clone, save for the "bad boy" vibe and his standing blond-dyed hair that contrasts with his black biker jacket and complements with his dark blue jeans.
"MJ! Glad seeing you here! Whoa wow, who's the cool guy?" Peter joked, knowing full well who the guy is.
"'Sup Peter? How's the Big Apple?" The guy retorted with a confident smile.
"Heyo waitaminute, am I drunk, or do I see two Peter Parkers?" Hobie choked on his drink upon seeing the literal "other Parker" beside Mary Jane.
"Name's Ben, Benjamin Reilly, but you guys can call me Ben," Ben introduced himself.
"He says he's your cousin on Aunt May's side of the family. How come you guys never mentioned about him before?" Mary Jane wondered.
"Uhmmm, about that—"
"Things are…not exactly great on the Reilly's," Ben quickly assured. "It's cool. Besides, I prefer living incognito on my own."
"Maybe not this time buster, not while you're here in Manhattan anyway," Mary Jane slaps him on the bicep.
"Hey guys! There's someone I've been wanting to show ya'll!"
Janice calls upon everyone's attention, taking the hand of a red-headed gentleman a little older than most of the people present, seemingly in his near 30' or late 20's, wearing a pair of black shades while carrying a cane in his other hand. He's wearing a pink long-sleeved shirt under a maroon blazer and black trousers with black leather shoes. Despite his looks, he gets the glances of Gwen, Liz, and other impressionable college girls.
"Sorry for being late, Ms. Lincoln," the man replied with a sweet deep voice . My investigation of a certain case had me preoccupied to notice your personal invitation. I'm flattered to be here, though I didn't do anything worthwhile."
"Oh psh! No worries! It's a party! Whether you're late or present!" Janice assures, patting his shoulder before introducing him. "Hey guys! I'd like y'all to meet Attorney Matthew Murdock, the um, lawyer who helped me with a case with my father and inheritance stuff.
"The lady asked for a good lawyer, and so I stepped up, but I never expected a return like this," Matthew, the blind lawyer, replied with humility in his tone. "And please, you may call me Matt."
"Well well well, look what Lady Justice brought in…"
Suddenly, a voice interjected that caught Peter and the gang's alert attention, while making some onlookers turn to spot the infamous senior student from ESU, Felicia Hardy of all people, stealthily sitting by the corner of the bar sipping on her platinum -silver-colored cocktail, unbeknownst to Randy and Hobie. Not only that, she seemed to have Matthew surprised upon hearing her voice.
"Felicia, is that you?" Matthew asks.
"What do you think, Matt?" Felicia slyly snickered.
"It really is you."
'So that's why Mania told me something's sorta off, and I can't believe I ignored it…!' Gwen internally screamed.
"Wait, hold on, Matt, you know her?" Janice asks out of curiosity.
"Uh yes, yes we do," Matt nervously replied, realigning his black glasses for realignment. "We uhm, used to work together?"
"That's a funny way of saying it, but it'll do," Felicia shrugs it off and puts down her cocktail. "It's been a long time after all."
"Hmm, pardon me, Ms. Lincoln, but may I know where the bathroom might be?" Matt asks.
"Take the lift back down to the 2nd floor and down the end of the right corridor. Jenkins can lead you there."
"I believe I can manage. I appreciate the offer to help. I'll excuse myself for a bit then."
While the man coolly excuses himself into the elevator with some elegant swag for a blind man, and everyone continues their night, Peter tries for a chat with the thieving paramour Felicia…
"Hey, Felicia."
"Wellll, what took you long to notice me now, Stud?" Felicia happily replied with a playful falsetto in her tone.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you? Also, how did you get here?"
"Oh it's simple! Just gotta ask," Felicia replies while stroking the edge of her lipstick-marked cocktail glass. "I'm pretty good friends with Janice, in case you don't know."
"Uh yeah, cool, but wait, what about the attorney? How'd YOU of all people meet him?" Peter wonders, referring to the red-headed lawyer. "You seem pretty close enough to know about him?"
"Actually, we kinda…we were together once, but let's just say we never could make it work between us, especially with my side job and all," Felicia admits. "Don't worry about him, Stud. You've already got my full attention."
"Thanks, and uh, thanks? Not that I'm interested in your former love life, you got your life, and I got mine, after all."
"Oh? Are you perhaps jealous?" Felicia smirked, making him prop his eyebrow up.
However, just before he could give a reply, he feels the hairs on his nape stand up right before the moment his arms were gripped on both sides, one feeling intensely warm while the other feels tight, too tight.
"Why hello, Ms. Hardy, didn't know you would show up around here," Liz replied with a fake smile, uncontrollably leaking her disdain and jealousy by making one side of Peter's body sweat fervently from her rising temperature.
"Ditto. Quite interesting to bump into you here since our first encounter at the Parkers'," Gwen nicely adds, gripping and creasing Peter's jacket with a small fraction of her symbiote-powered strength.
"Looks like you're going to have an earful. We chat another time, Petey," Felicia winks playfully, jabbing at Liz with the nickname.
'So…this is the part why I'm not supposed to have a black cat cross past me…who knew…' Peter gulped as he got dragged away by two jealous heroines for girlfriends.
Just when they're far enough for some space, he gets figuratively cornered by them without anyone else nearby…
"Petey, just what was that about, and where were you when you first met her?" Liz demands, crossing her arms with a sour gaze.
"I can't put my finger on her, but she seems awfully familiar, maybe from a different angle? But yeah, like what Liz says, it's pretty weird," Gwen gives him the "look" with her hands on her waist.
"Might be your imagination, it's just that—"
"Wellll! I never took you to be a two-timer, mind if I make that a three?"
Inserting herself into the convo, Felicia catches the two younger girls off their guard with her sly rousing tone. She saunters up close before Liz gets in front of her face with a reply up her sleeve.
"Hol' up. What are you saying? And second, don't you have somebody else to bother?" Liz points out, her eyes pointing at the blind redhead in a suit.
"Huhum, trust me, nothing's ever between us anymore. He's gone from my radar for good, except for that stud of a guy you two are handling," Felicia replies with pride.
The heat just got hotter as Peter's caught in a crossfire of jealousy between three girls with powers and capabilities that could rival his own. His buddy Hobie and Randy leave him hanging as they slip away to be with Jan and her crowd. So, there was only one thing Peter could do…
*fast-paced 8-bit Itsy Bitsy Spider ringtone plays*
"Aw dangit, sorry, I gotta take this!" Peter quickly crawls away after secretly pressing his smartphone's ringtone and travels down the stairs.
'Welp, the itsy bitsy Petey escapes successfully. Good on him, sorry bro,' Hobie thought as he watches from afar before Jan grabs him by his jacket's collar for a quick peck on his cheek.
"What's the matter, babe? That's not a face you make when having a good time," Janet gets his attention, putting his hands on the sides of her waist.
"Yeah, sorry baby. Just worried about my bro for a sec." Hobie answered with a tender gaze.
—
"Whew, the good old classic excuses always get the job done," Peter sighs with relief, resting his back on the stairwell rail.
'To choose, or not to choose, that is the question. If only Einstein had an answer to that question.'
He walks down a corridor, noticing someone terribly familiar, wearing white clothes that blend with her silver hair.
'Just when I thought I could rest easy and have an honest talk with the girls.' Peter groaned with a sour gaze before undressing into the black suit under his clothes.
—
'Too easy for my taste.'
Says the elusive white mercenary, the Silver Sable, as she pats her hands from incapacitating several security guards. She continues her search for the infamous inventor who fought the Webhead, Abner Jenkins aka the Beetle.
"Men, cannot help but lend a woman a hand, whether I want it or not."
"Yeah, that's why the men you like, suck like butt."
Crawling on the dark ceiling in his black suit was none other than Spider-man, just giving the Sable a bark that bites.
"Why do I even bother? Seriously, for a neighborhood hero, you're always like some bodyguarding pest," Silver Sable
"You know, if you wanna enjoy the club, you need a dance partner, but it seems like all the men are turned down. You need some serious therapy, in Ravencroft. I got a big mean buddy in white coats who'd be willing to help, if you're interested."
"You don't know what you're really dealing with, do you?" Sable replied, pulling white dual telescopic tonfa nightsticks that are tipped with taser heads.
"I usually find things out as I go, then I just roll with it. That's called observation and adaptation—WHOA!"
Interrupting his banter, he dodges a couple of Sable's jabs and whacks with his enhanced reflexes without relying on his Spider-sense. He attempts to trap her with a web ball, but she easily rips it apart like tissue paper before rushing towards him with a roundhouse on heels, only to miss by an inch away as he handsprings up to the ceiling and webs her so that he pulls her out of the corridor that they confront each other at the central lobby.
"You are wasting my precious time, Web-freak! And I don't take kindly to wasting time!" Sable throws a grenade-like object at Spider-man,
*Click!* *ZZZAP!*
"Gaaagh!" He then blocks it, which explodes and shocks him with a powerful surge of electricity that dazes and stuns him to the ground like a dying spider. "Owwww, that stings like the dickens…"
"Last words, tough guy?" Sable points her baton close to his face.
"Uhm, how about two more rounds to even the odds?"
"Fat chance, as if I'll—"
*gun cocking*
Suddenly, before she could say more, a tall shadow covers over them, followed by the sound of a gun. They look to find the bartender guy carrying a strange looking pistol, and one that does not seem to hold conventional ammunition. And with trained reflexes, Sable cartwheels over Spidey and points to shooting plasma blasts with her compact pistol. As they exchange plasma rounds, Spidey recovers from the daze and kicks Sable's pistol out of her hands and webs it to the ceiling before handspringing away for some distance.
"Are you alright, Webhead?" The bartender holsters his pistol.
"Thanks for the assist, slinger, but I got this under control, just stay clear, she is one date to best avoid for the next few years."
"This has gone far enough. I only have one job, and I'm getting it done no matter what," Sable growls, pulling out a collapsible stun baton on one hand and pointing her plasma pistol on the other.
"You know, I may not be hard headed as your ex, but you're by far worse to handle than most people I've met," Spider-man quips.
"Tsk, URRGHHHH!"
Aggravated like a beast, Silver Sable charges forward to whack him with her baton. Thanks to trauma and her super-reflexes, Spidey lunges to the ceiling and dodges a slash before webbing it up to her hand.
"Seriously? Just the hand?" Sable snickered.
"Hey, just wait for my next move, lady!"
With the speedy reflexes of a spider, he lunges down to the floor and narrowly dodges a couple of slashes from her baton before making a web rope in his hands to block and grapple the rope around the baton. From there, he springs himself away while making another web line to make some distance and then hurls both her and the baton to the wall, finishing up the scuffle by trapping her to the wall.
"See, this is why chess is a good exercise for kids to learn about strategizing. Always be a few steps ahead of your enemy," Spider-man pats the dust off his hands. "Hopefully the girls won't be waiting for me too long…"
"Spider-man, watch out!" the bartender warned.
"Huh?"
*THWACK!*
"Aghk!"
With the absence of his Spidey-sense, he takes a roundhouse kick to the head that knocks him down to the ground. Facing his attacker was another beautiful woman like the Sable, except she's wearing a skin-tight suit in all black with some high tech gear and gadgets, contrasting with her bright red hair like MJ. He was caught in a mix of awe and horror before getting back up on his feet to dodge a blast of electricity shot from her vambraces.
"What the—I got this under control! This was supposed to be mine!" Sable barked.
"The director got impatient," says the sleek redhead in tights. "I understand that you want some payback. Maybe do it when you can handle that temper of yours. I have retrieved what is necessary while you were taking your time."
"Geez lady, who are you!? What's your business!? Even more, where did you come from?!" Spider-man screams, recovering from the good hit to the head he received.
"We will meet again, Spider-man. You just have to wait and see," the woman replied.
In a split second, the strange woman and Silver Sable were covered by a flashbang's light, with no more signs of any of them in the room.
"Another one of these days. Can't I get a quick break from dangerous women for once in a while…?" Spider-man groaned, clutching the numb side of his face, struck by the redhead's kick.
—
"Petey, where were the past half hour?! Your face! What just—"
"About that, had a run-in with an old drunkard, don't mind it. Trust me, right now, I just wanna unwind, with just us."
Quickly changing over his suit, he made his way back, assuring the fiery cheerleader after sustaining injuries along the way.
"I'm fine, really. Just need a drink right about now—yow!" Peter winced from the sudden cold sensation on the side of his cheek.
"Care to have a drink then? Don't worry, it's non-alcoholic," Gwen kindly hands him a cocktail in a glass.
"Hm, thanks, that hit the right spot," Peter replied, sipping the drink before pausing to notice a familiar platinum-haired girl behind the two girlfriends.
"Enjoying yourself, Petey?" Felicia smirked, sauntering up close between the two. "If it's okay, mind if we talk?"
"Um, talk about what?"
"Oh you know, just about us," Felicia answers.
"Well, you sure are having the time of your life," Mary Jane inserts herself to the conversation.
"MJ! Uh, yeah, I mean, who wouldn't in a party like this, amiright?" Peter nervously replied.
"I'm not really referring to the party, Tiger," Mary Jane winks as she sips on her cocktail with a straw. "Took you too long though. Missed out on some spicy details."
"Spicy huh?"
"Miss Watson, allow me to do the talking. It's better if it was from me…" Felicia trails off.
"Um, sure I guess?" Peter shrugs. 'So much for enjoying the party. Turns out like some therapy session or counseling meeting maybe.'
—
In a pizzeria situated near the Bronx Zoo, nearly about to close its doors for the day…
"See you later, Reilly! Tomorrow's another day!" says a guy in some uniform attire as he leaves the store's entrance.
"Gotcha boss! Take care!" Ben bade before running into a nearby dark alley.
Quickly changing in the swift procrastinating Parker-style, he dons a completely bright red suit with braces and a torn sky blue sweater with a familiar spider sign, wearing a similar Spider-man mask of a unique design.
"Time for some overtime, the night's still young, and crime's still awake in this insomniac city," Ben quips, hanging onto the side of a tall building while scouring over the bright streets. "Good thing for New York, the Scarlet Spider's here to stick around."
—To be continued
A/N: I greatly apologize for the long wait. Okay, a really really long wait for a not so long chapter. It does not have much, and I am sorry. Got carried away and busying myself with lots of stuff on my end. I still haven't abandoned this favorite story of mine, wait for another chapter coming up. Blessings everyone!