HUMP. HUMP. HUMP.
The sound echoed through the Parker house, rhythmic and oddly determined.
May paused mid-wipe at the kitchen counter. "Ben, what is that humping sound?"
Ben lowered his newspaper slowly, peering over his glasses. "No idea, May. But it sounds… energetic."
"It must be that science project Peter and Gwen are working on," May said calmly, though her eyebrow twitched.
Ben smirked. "Haha. I don't think so. I think you know what I mean."
"Oh, Ben." May waved a hand dismissively. "They're just fifteen. I know those kids won't do that."
Ben folded the paper with exaggerated care. "You think we should give Peter the talk?"
May sighed, then nodded with a small smile. "I think it's about time, dear."
Ben's grin widened. "Haha. Then it's settled."
---
[Peter's POV]
One hour later,
"Hmmmhmmm, thanks for the meal, Petey…"
I was completely wiped. Not tired like after patrol. This was a different kind of tired. The kind where your soul leaves your body and files a complaint.
Six rounds of nonstop activity in under an hour. Science activity. Purely science. Gwen had been relentless, focused, and way more intense than I ever imagined.
I didn't know Gwen was like this. She was always cute, soft-spoken, kind.
But wild?
Whoa.
She was pacing the room with bright eyes and messy hair, snapping photos of herself with a grin like she'd just won a championship.
Just like that one meme from 2025. I swear she even struck a victory pose next to me in bed with a peace sign.
I couldn't feel my legs. My arms felt like rubber. I lay there staring at the ceiling, convinced I was about to ascend into heaven. I could see the light. It was probably the lamp. Still.
SLAP. SLAP.
"Hey, Petey." Gwen nudged my shoulder. "Um… I think you should see this."
I tried to sit up, groaning like an old man. She held up her phone, except it was stuck to her palm.
She pulled.
Nothing.
She pulled harder.
Still nothing.
"Peter…!"
"Calm down," I said weakly. "Relax."
She took a deep breath, unclenched her fingers, and the phone finally popped free, tumbling onto the bed.
She stared at her hand. Then at me.
"So… Pete." She tilted her head. "Do I have spider powers now?"
That was her first question.
"We don't really know yet," I said. "But I'm guessing your bite was from that spider."
"No way. I thought it was poisonous!"
I laughed, which immediately turned into a wheeze.
Then came a knock on the door.
We froze.
Panic mode activated.
We scrambled around the room, straightening papers, fixing hair, shoving things back where they belonged, trying desperately to look like two innocent teenagers doing homework instead of… whatever that was.
I opened the door.
Uncle Ben stood there smiling. "Dinner's ready."
Gwen walked out first, suddenly shy, hands behind her back, eyes on the floor.
As I stepped out, Uncle Ben stopped me. His eyes flicked to my neck as a bite mark was there.
He leaned in. "Just between us, lad. How was she?"
I swallowed. "Monster."
He chuckled knowingly. "Good. Now you know how I feel when it comes to your Aunt's appetite."
I decided to completely ignore whatever Uncle Ben meant by that.
Dinner was awkward. Gwen barely spoke. I kept dropping my fork. Aunt May kept smiling like she knew everything and nothing at the same time.
Afterward, we spent a little time together in the living room before Gwen had to leave.
I rode her back to her apartment on my Ecosse Titanium Series FE Ti XX motorbike, the engine roaring through the night as the cool air hit my face.
My body ached.
My brain was fried.
And I was absolutely sure one thing.
Science projects were dangerous.
The next few days, I helped Gwen control her newfound spider powers. Of course, we started simple. Web crawling first, then heavy weight lifting.
She struggled at the beginning, clinging awkwardly to walls like a confused cat, her limbs stiff and uncooperative.
"I look ridiculous," she groaned, arms shaking.
"You look… experimental," I said, trying not to laugh.
Then came the webs.
At first, she screamed so loud it almost burst my eardrums.
"WHY IS IT COMING OUT LIKE THAT?!"
"Focus, Gwen!"
Another web shot out wildly, smacking a lamppost.
She screamed again.
After a few more tries, the screams slowly turned into surprised gasps… then laughter.
"Oh—wait—WAIT—I DID IT!"
She began getting the hang of it. Her movements grew smoother, more confident. And of course, that's when I decided to introduce physics.
"Why do you keep making me focus on physics, Pete?" she complained, arms crossed.
I rolled my eyes so hard I swear I could hear the Astronomia coffin dance song playing in my head.
"Alright," I said. "Pop quiz."
She groaned loudly.
"If a pendulum is fifty meters long and attached at a fifty-degree angle, how far will it fall at its lowest point?"
Gwen answered almost instantly. "Seventeen point nine meters. But why does that matter?"
I pointed at her.
"It matters a lot if you're the pendulum, Gwen."
Her eyes widened.
"…The F?! So all these years of being Spider-Man—even now as a reborn—you do these equations in your head all the time? EVEN WHEN SWINGING?!"
"I had to," I said calmly. "And so will you if you want to get good at it. Well… if you want to. Of course, I don't want you going down this path."
She stared at me.
Then rolled her eyes hard.
"Peter Parker…!!!"
Oh no.
Full name.
Every man's worst nightmare when a woman uses it.
"I live my own life," she said firmly. "And if I want to be like you, that's my decision. Got it, bucko?!"
"…Yes, ma'am."
She's scary.
As time passed, a new year started for us. Gwen learned fast with the webs, adapting quicker than I expected. She even made her own costume.
Full white. Black corset. Pink neon accents.
It fit her perfectly.
Her movement style was different from mine. More gymnastic. More fluid. Almost dance-like.
Where I relied on raw instinct and improvisation, Gwen flowed through the air like she was performing.
Watching her swing for the first time without hesitation, without fear…
Yeah.
She was meant for this.
But every day, I still prayed at church, hoping Gwen wouldn't get hurt—or worse, walk a path darker than mine.
"Alright, Gwen," I said, tightening my gloves. "First day. First time as an official member of the Spider family."
Gwen snorted immediately.
"Spider family?" She tilted her head. "Who else is there besides us, babe?"
"Well…" I rubbed the back of my neck and told her the names of future spiders. "There's Felicia Hardy, Miles Morales, Cindy Moon, Jessica Drew, Cassandra Webb, Charlotte Witter, Anya Corazon, Pavitr Prabhakar, Hobie Brown, Miguel O'Hara, Max Brown…"
I could've kept going, but Gwen was already swaying slightly, eyes unfocused.
"Okay, stop," she said, holding up a hand. "That's a lot. I have questions, but I don't want answers. But—wait. Why Cindy? My best friend?"
"Oh." I winced. "Yeah… about that. I can rule her out."
She frowned. "Why?"
"Because her place is kind of… taken."
"Taken?" Gwen blinked. "By who?"
I pointed at her.
"Me?"
"Yeah, Gwen. Remember that weird phase we went through last year? When neither of us could explain why we were acting so strange?"
Her face slowly turned pink.
"…Yes. We both lost control."
"In another future," I explained carefully, "Cindy and I went through something similar. Same spider. Same effects."
Gwen stared at me, processing.
"So… that whole thing earlier wasn't just nerves or adrenaline?"
"I really don't want to talk about it," I said quickly, waving my hands. "There's this saying that the human brain holds a lot of hidden mysteries. And if a radioactive spider can mess with instincts like that…"
I shuddered.
"…then there's definitely more than meets the eye."
Gwen crossed her arms, then sighed.
"Great. Superpowers and complicated science feelings."
"Welcome to my life."
She smirked anyway, adjusting her mask as she stepped toward the edge.
"Alright, Parker. Spider family or not… let's see if I can keep up."
Watching her leap forward, graceful and fearless, I could only hope my prayers were strong enough.
Because once you start swinging…
There's no turning back.
We swung through the city together, web lines snapping and releasing in perfect rhythm. Below us, the onlookers—ordinary civilians just trying to live their lives—stopped dead in their tracks.
Phones came out instantly.
"Is that another Spider-Man?!"
"No—wait—there's two!"
Some started shouting names.
"Spider-Girl!"
"Spider-Woman!"
"Did he get an upgrade?!"
Gwen glanced down, then back at me, clearly enjoying the chaos.
"So," she said casually as we both arced between buildings, "this Felicia Hardy, aka Black Cat."
She flipped mid-swing, landing smoothly on a wall before pushing off again.
"Can we really trust her?"
"Yes," I replied, adjusting my trajectory to match hers. "But still—keep your guard up. Whenever I'm around her, trouble somehow follows."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Hooo…? You're saying that like you like her or something."
"What? No—well—" I hesitated. "When we first met in my past life, she kissed me, ripped off my mask, and found out I was just a fifteen-year-old kid."
Gwen gasped dramatically. "And then what, Spidey?"
"She threw up."
There was a brief silence.
"…On my costume."
Gwen completely lost it.
"PUHAHAHAHA!"
Her laughter echoed between the buildings, almost making her miss her next web shot.
"Oh my god," she wheezed. "That's horrible."
"I know," I groaned. "Embarrassing. Really embarrassing."
She swung closer, still giggling.
"So let me get this straight," she said. "Legendary thief, confident femme fatale… completely defeated by teenage Peter Parker."
"Worst moment of my life," I muttered.
She patted my shoulder mid-swing. "Don't worry, tiger. At least now you've got a cooler partner."
I sighed, watching the city stretch out beneath us.
Yeah.
Definitely cooler.
And much louder when she laughs.
"But do you love her?" Gwen asked, her voice softer as she swung beside me.
"Well," I said after a moment, "over time we became partners. A crime-fighting duo. The Daily Bugle even labeled us a pair of criminals thanks to J. Jonah Jameson."
Gwen tilted her head mid-swing. "A pair? Like… together together?"
"He meant it like that," I sighed.
"Dang, Petey." She glanced at me. "So what happened between you two?"
"We worked together. A lot. Went on a few undercover outings, played roles when we had to." I shook my head. "We even staged a fake wedding once to lure out an enemy we both shared."
Gwen nearly missed her web.
"A wedding?!"
"Fake," I emphasized. "Very fake."
She stared at me for a second, then burst out laughing. "Your past life was ridiculous."
"Tell me about it."
As we continued chatting and swinging, both of our spider-senses suddenly flared.
My body tensed instantly.
We looked down.
Below us, a group of criminals were attempting a robbery, weapons drawn, shouting at terrified civilians.
I turned to Gwen, adrenaline kicking in.
"Alright, Gwen," I said with a grin. "Ready for your first real hero act?"
She cracked her knuckles mid-air. "I was bitten ready, Pete."
I groaned. "You planned that, didn't you?"
"Absolutely."
We zipped downward together, landing with a powerful impact that sent a shockwave through the street. The criminals stumbled back in shock, completely unprepared.
Side by side, Gwen and I stood tall.
No hesitation.
No fear.
Just us.
Ready to fight as a duo.
---
Chapter 25 — End.