Manhattan.The Stacy residence.
Since marrying George Stacy, Helen Stacy had happily devoted herself to running the household. At the moment she was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
In the living room, two boys sat glued to the television.
Nine-year-old Howard Stacy and eight-year-old Simon Stacy—Gwen's younger brothers.
They were watching with intense concentration.
Not because the show was particularly good.
But because the moment their mother finished cooking, their screen time would end and they'd be sent upstairs to study.
Helen had a very simple philosophy.
"If your sister Gwen can get straight A's, you two should be able to manage decent grades too."
Unfortunately, Howard and Simon had never quite lived up to that expectation.
Their report cards hovered somewhere around "barely passing," occasionally dipping below it.
This year's final exams had gone badly.
As punishment, Helen had cut their daily entertainment time by an hour.
Right then, the doorbell rang.
Helen stepped out of the kitchen.
"Howard, Simon. Time to head upstairs and read."
"…Okay," Howard sighed.
The boys dragged themselves toward the staircase as Helen walked to the door and opened it.
Standing outside was Lucas Kane.
Helen's first impression of him was simple: calm and polite.
"Good evening, Mrs. Stacy," Lucas said with a small smile.
Helen blinked in surprise for a moment, then quickly returned the smile.
"Good evening, Lucas. Come in."
"Thank you."
Lucas stepped inside as Gwen appeared beside him and pulled him further into the apartment.
It was the first time in Lucas's life—at least in this life—that he had visited someone else's home.
The Stacy apartment occupied the top floor of the building and had a two-level layout.
It wasn't huge.
But it was warm.
Everything was neat, comfortable, and lived-in.
Hearing voices downstairs, George Stacy emerged from the upstairs study.
He descended the stairs with his usual serious expression.
"Dad," Gwen said.
Lucas nodded politely.
"Mr. Stacy."
George looked exactly like a senior officer inspecting a suspect.
But compared to yesterday, this was an improvement.
At least he acknowledged Lucas with a brief grunt before walking toward the dining table.
Helen shook her head with a faint smile.
"Lucas, please sit down. Dinner's ready."
"Thank you."
Lucas followed Gwen to the table and took the seat across from George, offering him another polite nod.
Helen called upstairs.
"Howard, Simon. Dinner!"
"We're coming!"
The two boys had clearly been waiting for this moment.
They rushed downstairs with their books in hand.
When they reached the dining room, they stopped abruptly.
A stranger was sitting at the table.
Even after taking their seats, they continued staring at Lucas.
Lucas noticed and extended his hand toward Howard.
"Hi, Howard. I'm Lucas."
"I'm Howard."
Simon quickly stood up too and shook Lucas's hand.
"I'm Simon."
Then the younger boy tilted his head.
"Are you my sister's boyfriend?"
Lucas instinctively glanced at George.
As expected—
George's expression darkened considerably.
But he didn't say anything.
Lucas smiled and nodded.
"Yes."
George's face turned even darker.
Meanwhile Gwen ruffled Simon's hair with a grin.
Nice one, little brother.
She mentally decided to give him ten dollars later as a reward.
Howard, unfortunately, would receive nothing.
Dinner began.
Unlike many family meals in other cultures, the Stacy household used a traditional American plated dinner.
Each person had their own portion.
Lucas understood the reason.
For a guest visiting for the first time, especially someone unfamiliar to the family, this was the more typical approach.
Still—
The food was excellent.
In fact, it was probably the best dinner Lucas had eaten in this life.
School cafeteria meals didn't count.
And when he lived alone, he rarely bothered with cooking beyond basic survival.
At the table:
George sat like a silent patriarch, eating without much conversation.
Helen acted as the warm host, occasionally asking Lucas simple questions and making sure he enjoyed the meal.
Gwen quietly balanced both roles—chatting with her mother while carefully watching her father in case he suddenly exploded.
Howard and Simon focused entirely on their food.
They were having a great time.
Then George picked up a glass of whiskey and took a sip.
He cleared his throat.
Helen and Gwen immediately looked at him.
Here it comes.
Lucas also looked up calmly.
George had been watching him all evening out of the corner of his eye.
Just as George prepared to speak, Helen noticed Gwen's pleading glance.
She smiled inwardly and quickly stepped in.
"Oh, George," she said casually. "Tell us about work. Have you caught that Spider-Man yet?"
George glanced at her.
Then at Gwen.
Then finally at Lucas.
"Not yet," he said.
"But we will."
"He's an amateur. And he's already left plenty of clues."
George set his glass down.
This time he didn't give Helen a chance to interrupt again.
He smiled slightly at Lucas.
"So Lucas… what's your opinion of this so-called Spider-Man?"
"Do you think he's some kind of vigilante hero?"
Under the table, Gwen discreetly squeezed Lucas's thigh.
A warning.
Lucas understood.
He chuckled softly and shook his head.
"Honestly, sir, I've been in Maryland for most of the past few weeks. I only got back yesterday."
"And I spent today studying at the library."
He shrugged slightly.
"To be honest, I'm still just a student."
"Right now the only thing I'm concerned about is getting a scholarship to New York University so a bank will approve my student loan."
"As for Spider-Man…"
Lucas spread his hands calmly.
"I'm not particularly interested in whether he's a vigilante or just another attention-seeking criminal."