The Morning After
Peter POV:
If I thought the whispers at Visions Academy were bad before, yesterday's fight made them ten times louder.
The moment Gwen and I walked into the hallway, phones snapped up, flashes nearly blinding me.
"He stabbed Vulture with his own wing—did you see?"
"No way that was real speed. That was, like, anime speed."
"Spider-Woman and Parker? Are they a duo now?"
Gwen leaned closer, whispering, "You know, for someone who insists he's not a vigilante, you're kinda bad at staying low-key."
I sighed, stabbing my tray of eggs. "Yeah, well, Toomes didn't exactly schedule that ambush politely."
She smirked. "Maybe next time, send him an email. Subject line: 'Please attack at less conspicuous location.' "
I chuckled despite myself. Banter helped. Banter always helped.
Cutaway – Triskelion, SHIELD Headquarters
Maria Hill folded her arms, eyes glued to the playback of Peter's fight on a dozen monitors. The footage slowed frame by frame, showing him blitzing Toomes with impossible speed.
"He's not in our files." She said.
Nick Fury didn't look away from the screen. "Kid's barely outta diapers and he's already making a mess in the open."
"Do we bring him in?"
"Not yet." Fury said, leaning back. "For now… we watch. Each time he revealed himself it was to save Spider-woman. Let's see if he's gonna be an asset or a problem."
Peter POV – The Parker House
Dinner was awkward. Not the silence kind of awkward — more the everyone knows something big happened and is waiting for me to say it kind.
Uncle Ben finally put his fork down. "Pete… you want to tell us what happened yesterday?"
I shifted in my seat, ready for the lecture. But instead, May reached over, covering my hand with hers.
"We're not angry." She said gently. "We're worried. But whatever this… thing is you've gotten tangled in, you don't have to carry it alone."
Uncle Ben nodded. "You've been through enough. Losing your legs, fighting to get them back and now… this. Just remember, responsibility doesn't mean isolation."
My throat tightened. I hadn't realized how much I needed to hear that.
Gwen, sitting beside me, shot me a small smile, as if to say see, you're not alone, dummy.
Lieutenant Stacey POV – The Porch
I met Peter outside later, the night air cool, porch light buzzing faintly.
"You got guts, kid." I said, arms crossed. "Jumping into a fight with Toomes like that."
He opened his mouth, but I held up a hand. "Don't mistake that for approval. My daughter's a part of your world and now you're tangled in a dangerous one. That makes you both targets. And I don't like it."
His jaw clenched but he didn't look away. "I didn't ask for this. I just… couldn't stand by."
I studied him a moment longer, then sighed. "Yeah. Figures. You're a Parker."
Gwen, eavesdropping by the door, muttered, "Dad, you know I'm right here, right?"
I pretended not to hear, though my lip twitched at her sass. It was so much like her mother.
Peter POV – Later that Night
Gwen and I ended up back in my room, sitting cross-legged on the floor with a half-finished pizza between us.
"You know," she said, leaning back against my bed, " For someone who insists on not being a hero, you're doing a pretty good impression of one."
I smirked. "And for someone who promised to take it easy, you're still lecturing me like an old married—"
Her webshot stuck my mouth before I could finish the sentence.
"Say it." She warned.
I easily ripped off her web and laughed, the tension of the last two days finally cracking. Whatever the city thought of me, whatever SHIELD was plotting, whatever Connors was planning down in the shadows… for now, at least, I had her.
And that was enough.
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