In a country as famously open and casual about relationships as the United States, finding a girl willing to quietly wait for you for two entire years without wavering was practically a miracle. She was a one-in-a-million rarity.
Suddenly, Peter, who had been forcibly fed an entire buffet of romantic tension, stuck his head between the two of them.
He looked at Tobey on his left with dead, flat eyes, then at Gwen on his right.
"Hey, guys. Have either of you noticed I'm still here?"
"And shouldn't Dr. Connors's event be starting soon? Can we please just go to the Q and A first?"
"Once it's over, you two can ignore me and do whatever you want. Deal?"
Snapped out of her daze by Peter's interruption, Gwen finally regained a fraction of her composure.
Her face flared bright red. She quickly turned around to hide her embarrassment and cleared her throat.
"Ahem. Of course. Follow me. Dr. Connors should already be here."
With that, Gwen resumed marching forward, moving as stiffly as a wind-up toy with her arms and legs swinging completely out of sync.
Peter scratched his head in genuine confusion.
"Why is Gwen walking so weird? Is she sick?"
Looking at Peter, who was somehow even denser than he was, Tobey shook his head.
He raised two fingers and flicked the back of Peter's head.
"If you don't know how to speak, just don't. Nobody is forcing you to talk."
Leaving Peter rubbing his head, Tobey took a long stride forward, catching up to Gwen.
He reached out and naturally took her cold, trembling hand in his large, warm one, gently leading her forward.
Gwen stared blankly at the massive hand engulfing hers. For a moment, her newly recovered composure shattered, and her brain turned to absolute mush.
She forgot where she was, who she was, and which way was up.
This time, she definitely wasn't overthinking things. Tobey, the absolute block of wood, had finally had a hole drilled through his thick skull!
Did I just get a boyfriend?
"Gwen? Gwen? Miss Stacy? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?"
A calm, mild voice broke through Gwen's chaotic thoughts, finally snapping her back to reality.
She looked up and realized Tobey had already led her right up to Dr. Connors.
Aside from her absolute lovesick panic whenever Tobey was involved, Gwen actually possessed a highly rational and professional personality.
She instantly shifted gears, slipping back into her role as a brilliant assistant.
"Dr. Connors, this is Peter Parker. He's my classmate. His grades in biology are actually better than mine, making him my only real rival at school. He is an absolute genius!"
Hearing Gwen hype him up so aggressively, Peter looked thoroughly embarrassed.
He instinctively extended his right hand toward Dr. Connors.
"No, no, Gwen is way smarter than me! Honestly, other than my cousin here, she's the most brilliant person my age I've ever met!"
Dr. Connors looked at Peter's outstretched hand, then used his left hand to gesture toward his own empty right sleeve with a wry shrug.
"I'm sorry, Peter. I'm afraid I can't shake your right hand. It hasn't quite grown back yet."
"Oh, God. I'm so sorry, Dr. Connors! I didn't mean to—"
Peter suddenly remembered that Dr. Connors had lost his right arm serving as a combat medic. His face twisted into absolute mortification.
He had known this fact perfectly well, but standing face-to-face with his scientific idol had made him so nervous he completely forgot.
Dr. Connors offered a warm, reassuring smile and shook his head, indicating no offense was taken.
Seeing that the doctor wasn't angry, Peter let out a massive sigh of relief.
But almost immediately, his endless scientific curiosity took over. He couldn't resist asking a follow-up question.
"Wait... Dr. Connors, what did you mean when you said it hasn't grown back yet?"
Seeing Peter latch onto the exact phrasing, Dr. Connors's eyes lit up with genuine enthusiasm.
"Because I have been relentlessly studying the miraculous regenerative cellular structures of reptiles. Specifically, lizards."
"If we can successfully isolate and transfer that regenerative ability into human biology, I believe I can help millions of soldiers who, like me, left pieces of themselves on the battlefield."
"And, naturally, it would allow me to finally be 'whole' again."
Remembering that Gwen had just introduced Peter as a biology student even more brilliant than herself, Dr. Connors had a sudden thought.
"Tell you what. The rest of the interns won't be arriving for a little while. Why don't I take the two of you to my private lab for a quick tour first?"
The entire reason Dr. Connors had recruited a high school student like Gwen as his assistant was because he felt his adult peers in the scientific community were trapped in rigid, institutionalized formulas. They could no longer offer him the innovative breakthroughs he needed.
So, he had turned his attention to young prodigies. He hoped that brilliant, untethered young minds, free from decades of academic dogma, might provide fresh perspectives.
He had originally met Gwen through Captain Stacy at a charity banquet and recognized her genius immediately.
Now, encountering a student Gwen claimed was even better than herself, Dr. Connors's desire to mentor young talent flared up again.
Peter, naturally, agreed with overwhelming excitement.
Being invited into his idol's private laboratory was an unimaginable honor!
However, before heading to the lab, Dr. Connors turned his attention to Tobey. He smiled politely.
"And how should I address you, young man?"
Gwen knew that while Dr. Connors was generally kind, he still possessed the innate arrogance of a top-tier scientist. He fundamentally disliked the stereotypical 'all brawn, no brains' jocks.
Fearing that Dr. Connors would look at Tobey's massive, heavily muscled frame and dismiss him as an uneducated brute, she hurriedly interjected.
"This is Tobey. Tobey Parker. He currently works for Fisk Enterprises."
"He was actually considered New York's number one prodigy a few years ago. He graduated with top honors from MIT at the age of eighteen!"
Hearing this, a flash of profound surprise and complex emotion crossed Dr. Connors's eyes. But he quickly masked it, proactively extending his left hand to Tobey with a bright smile.
"Mr. Parker. I have certainly heard of you."
"Your early graduation caused a massive sensation across New York. Practically every major corporation in the city tried to recruit you."
"Even Mr. Norman Osborn personally tried to bring you on board. It is a real pity you refused him. If you had accepted, you would probably be my boss by now."
Faced with Dr. Connors's lighthearted joke, Tobey shook his left hand and returned a modest smile.
"You flatter me, Doctor. It wasn't that I was an unparalleled genius. It was simply that my peers at the time were rather slow."
"I merely coasted by on the contrast they provided to earn a little unearned fame."
"When it comes to biology, I fall vastly short of someone like you, Dr. Connors. Since I'm not particularly skilled in the biological sciences, I chose not to join a biotech-focused giant like Oscorp."
Hearing a legendary New York prodigy speak so highly of him, Dr. Connors felt immensely validated. His smile grew even wider.
"I am getting old. This is the era of you young people. The future belongs to you."
"By the way, Mr. Parker, I don't believe I know what specific field you work in over at Fisk Enterprises?"
Tobey shrugged, his expression completely relaxed as he answered with total honesty.
"Underground pest control."
"I primarily handle exterminations within New York City. Occasionally, I travel to other cities for specialized cleanups, depending entirely on where the client needs the targets dealt with."
Hearing this, Gwen's eyes widened to the size of saucers. She snapped her head toward Tobey, her gaze filled with absolute, unfiltered disbelief!
More Ps = More Chapters!