[Third Person Pov]
Peter looked around with open curiosity as the last and final stage of the Danger Room locked into place around him. Heavy panels slid into position with a mechanical hum, holographic emitters flaring to life as the simulated battlefield finished forming. The corner of his lips twitched upward into a crooked smile the moment he realized exactly what he was up against.
Standing directly in front of him, Scott Summers straightened to his full height, one gloved hand rising to lightly touch the edge of his visor. His voice rang out with practiced authority.
"To me, my X-Men!"
At his command, figures began to materialize one by one around him in flashes of hard light—Rogue cracking her knuckles, Kitty phasing into existence beside her, Storm descending gracefully as the air pressure subtly shifted. Bobby slid into place on a thin layer of ice, Kurt popped into existence beside them, Colossus's massive form hit the ground with a heavy thud, and Logan stood front and center, claws already unsheathed. Angel hovered just above them all, wings flexing as he prepared for combat.
"So this is stage five, huh," Peter muttered, sounding more amused than intimidated. He glanced up toward the viewing room where Charles and the others were watching closely. "Just so we're clear—once I'm done kicking your butts and clearing this level, don't take it personally, yeah?"
"He's got another thing coming if he thinks we're that easy to beat," Rogue said, crossing her arms with a confident smirk.
"He's going to regret it if he thinks we're no threat to him," Kitty added passionately.
"I'm honestly very curious to see how he handles himself against all of us at once," Storm said, her tone far more interested than it had been during the previous four tests.
"Okay, okay, let's see…" Peter tapped his chin theatrically. "Innie, minnie, miny, mo—catch a tiger by the toe."
In the blink of an eye, he vanished from where he stood.
Jean barely had time to register the warning spike in her mind before Peter reappeared directly behind her, claws already extending with a sharp snikt. Before they could reach her, an invisible force snapped into place. His arms locked mid-swing, frozen by Jean's psychic grip as her danger sense flared to full power.
"Haha—oh man," Peter laughed, completely unfazed as he struggled against the telekinetic hold. "And I wanted to take out the most dangerous one first~"
A red blast slammed into him from the side.
Scott's optic blast sent Peter rocketing across the room, tearing through the air before he twisted his body mid-flight. His claws stabbed into the ground with a shriek of metal on metal, carving deep trenches into the floor as he bled off momentum and skidded to a stop. The moment his feet touched down, the rest of the X-Men charged at Scott's signal.
"Eh? He considers me the most dangerous?" Jean asked, genuine surprise creeping into her voice. Despite herself, she felt a small, pleased warmth bloom in her chest.
"It's a very reasonable assessment," Charles said calmly from the observation room.
Above them, dark storm clouds rapidly formed as Storm asserted her control over the environment. Snow began to fall, coating the battlefield in a slick, icy layer. At the same time, Colossus scooped Logan up and hurled him forward like a missile.
Peter met him head-on.
Adamantium claws collided with a sharp, ringing clang, sparks flying from the impact. Peter caught Logan's arm with his free hand, twisting his body and using Logan's own momentum against him. With a grunt, he spun and hurled him back toward the others, sending several X-Men scattering like bowling pins as they scrambled to regain their footing.
Bobby surged forward, skating effortlessly across the frozen ground before launching himself upward, forming icy pathways in the air. Waves of biting cold rushed toward Peter from both sides—but Peter reacted instantly, firing a web line upward and yanking Angel straight down in front of him.
Angel cried out as frost rapidly formed across his wings and back. Before he could recover, Peter grabbed him by the face and released a sharp pulse of electricity. Angel screamed as the shock raced through his nerves, his body locking up midair. Peter finished it by slamming him head-first into the ground with brutal force, the impact cracking the floor and causing Angel's holographic form to shatter and dissolve.
"…"
Angel just silently stared, while everyone else slowly turned to look at him. No one said a word for several long seconds.
Angel finally kicked at the floor and slumped. "Why was I the first one out?"
"The better question is what exactly you did to him," Bobby teased, covering his mouth as he struggled to hold back laughter. "That takedown felt personal."
"He was just a little peeved that you hit on Kat earlier," MJ added quietly, a soft chuckle escaping her.
Felicia swayed slightly, holding her cheeks as she giggled. "He can get quite jealous and possessive, hehehe."
"Huh?" most of the X-Men said in unison, turning toward them with identical looks of utter confusion.
"Why would he get jealous?" Kitty asked, tilting her head in confusion as she pointed her thumb toward Gwen. "Isn't he dating her?"
"And let's not forget the fact that they have a daughter together…" Jean added slowly, her brow furrowing as if she were trying to solve an especially complicated equation.
Gwen responded by silently rubbing at her temple, already regretting this entire conversation, while the rest of the Spider-Family snickered amongst themselves, clearly enjoying the growing confusion.
Even Charles couldn't help but feel a bit nosy. Adjusting himself slightly in his chair, he turned his attention toward Felicia, curiosity evident in his expression.
"If you don't mind us asking—and only if you're comfortable sharing—what exactly is your relationship with Spider-Man?"
Felicia's lips curled into a mischievous grin as she noticed just how intently everyone was staring at her, practically leaning forward in anticipation. She giggled softly before hooking her arms through Gwen's and MJ's, pulling them in close as she proudly declared, "The three of us are all part of his harem."
"I am seriously starting to hate that word the more I hear it," Gwen muttered under her breath, her eye twitching slightly
.
"I prefer to call it a polygamous relationship," MJ added casually, shrugging as though she were talking about the weather.
A heavy silence followed.
Every single person in the room just stared at the three of them in utter disbelief. Slowly, several of the X-Men turned their heads toward the Danger Room window, watching Peter continue to fight the holographic X-Men with ferocious intensity. Then, just as slowly, they turned back to the trio.
"They're messing with us… right?" Scott asked, looking toward Nightwing for confirmation.
"Nope," Nightwing replied flatly, arms crossed over his chest. "It's exactly what you think."
Firestar nodded beside him, offering no further clarification.
"…Congratulations?" Jean said uncertainly, glancing around as if hoping someone else would explain what was happening.
"Wow. Just… wow," Bobby and Angel said at the same time, both clearly stunned.
"Can he get any cooler?!" Nightcrawler exclaimed in awe. "Spider-Man iz the Man!"
"I am in no place to judge your relationship," Storm said diplomatically, "but it is certainly… interesting, to say the least." Several of the others nodded in hesitant agreement.
"As long as the four of you are happy and content with the arrangement," Charles added warmly, "that is all that truly matters in the end."
"Y'all might not judge," Rogue said bluntly, eyeing them skeptically, "but I will. That's weird."
Kitty nodded beside her, clearly in agreement.
Gwen, MJ, and Felicia didn't take offense. They knew full well how strange it must look from the outside—especially to people who knew nothing about them or their circumstances. And honestly? They were okay with that.
While the rest of the X-Men slowly came down from their collective shock, Peter was in the middle of fighting in a frozen tundra, courtesy of the combined efforts of Bobby and Storm. Ice cracked beneath his feet as gale-force winds battered against him.
"Ugh—!" Peter grimaced as a powerful psychic force slammed against his mental defenses, threatening to fracture his focus and dull his senses.
Kitty sprinted toward him, phasing straight through his body. As she passed through, Peter's suit glitched violently, its systems malfunctioning as the ground beneath him gave way. He was dragged downward just as Colossus burst forward, fist cocked back for a devastating punch.
Peter reacted instantly.
He blocked the blow with his own fist, the impact generating a thunderous shockwave that rippled outward. Webbing shot toward Colossus's head as Peter tore himself free from the ground, yanking himself upward and driving his knee squarely into Colossus's face.
Nightcrawler suddenly popped into view, three swords flashing. Stab. He vanished. Stab. Vanished again. Stab. Gone.
Peter weaved through the relentless assault, narrowly dodging random lightning strikes from above, optic blasts aimed at his openings, Wolverine's claws slashing inches from his throat, Bobby's freezing waves, Rogue's flying punches, and Jean's psychic blasts hammering at his defenses.
The pressure was mounting.
They were coordinated. Focused. Determined. This wasn't a group of individuals anymore—it was a unified team intent on bringing him down, no matter the cost.
And Peter loved it.
A grin spread across his face despite the chaos. "I'll be honest," he said breathlessly, "I really underestimated you guys. For that, you have my apologies… I guess it's time I stop holding back."
"Wait—what?" Rogue exclaimed. "Hold on. He's been holding back?"
"Spider-Man never goes all out," Nightwing explained calmly. "He avoids using his full strength because he doesn't want to seriously injure—or accidentally kill—someone."
"He didn't seem to have that problem when fighting me…" Angel muttered bitterly.
Nightwing ignored him and continued, "Holding back is second nature to him. So the fact that you've pushed him this far speaks volumes about your skill and teamwork."
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