Ned Leeds POV:
Why him? Why always him?
I watch Parker every damn day at Visions Academy. Walking in with Gwen Stacy, laughing like he owns the world and maybe he does now. The nerd who couldn't even throw a punch, the loser everyone used to pity suddenly becomes this cyber-enhanced dude. Then billionaire. Then CEO. Then dating the rock goddess of Visions Academy.
Every time I see him, it feels like he's standing over me, smirking. Like he's saying, "You'll never be me."
I clench my fists as my boys , the jocks flank me. Tonight, we'll remind Parker where he belongs. Strip away that smug face. Crush him under the weight of reality.
---
The alleyway is perfect. Dark, quiet, just off the Academy grounds. When they stumbled in, hand in hand, it's like fate delivered them to us.
I step forward, sneer plastered on my face.
"Look who we have here. Mr. Billionaire. Mr. Perfect."
Parker frowns but Gwen rolls her eyes.
"Not tonight, Ned. Just walk away." Warns Gwen.
His tone cuts deep, dismissive even. That dismissive, mocking gaze was used to look at him now he uses that gaze on me.
"Shut up!!!!" I spit. "You think you're untouchable now? Both of you?"
My boys grab Peter, trying to pin him against the wall. He resists but we've got numbers. And Gwen, she's shoved back toward the shadows.
I snarl, voice shaking. "We'll see how perfect you are when I take what's yours, Parker. When you watch her..."
I don't get to finish.
Because the next second, Gwen Stacy explodes.
Peter POV:
For a moment, I let them hold me down. Because I wanted to see where this would go. Because I felt tempted by a free circus and not to mention Gwen's been pretty free as her usual cadre of villains are locked in jail.
But when his words hit, when he reaches for Gwen...
Everything in me ignites.
But I don't even get the chance. Gwen moves first.
Her strength, her speed. It's terrifying even to me sometimes. She shatters one jock's nose with a backhand. Another crumples after a knee to the gut. Two more are flung across the alley like ragdolls. Their screams echo against the brick walls.
In less than ten seconds, it's over. All of them are down. Except Ned.
He stares in horror, eyes wide, as if realizing too late that Gwen isn't the defenceless drummer he used to fantasize about. She's something else entirely.
And me?
I'm furious. My vision goes red.
I grab Ned by the collar and slam him into the wall. My voice comes out low, shaking with rage.
"You tried to rape her in front of me? You think this is a game?"
He stutters, eyes darting. "I-I didn't... I just..."
"Shut up!!!"
My grip tightens. His fear only fuels the storm inside me. All the years of torment, all the mockery, all the bile he poured into me. It bursts out.
I twist. Bones snap like twigs under my enhanced strength. His scream is inhuman, shrill and broken.
I lift him up and start to bring down his spine on my raised knee. Again and again. I don't stop until I know he'll never walk again. His spine is shattered, severed beyond even the reach of a Sandevistan. His legs hang useless, his arms limp. He's alive but only barely functional. A body trapped around a mind.
I drop him like discarded trash. "You'll never hurt her or anyone. Ever. Again."
Gwen POV:
I wipe blood off my knuckles, heart still racing. They didn't stand a chance. Regular people never do anymore.
But when I turn, I see Peter and a limp Ned.
Peter is standing tall, fists trembling not with trauma but with unbridled rage. Ned… Ned is on the ground, motionless, his body twisted unnaturally. His screams had stopped. Only shallow, rattling breaths remain. His eyes dart, frantic but his body won't respond.
I feel my stomach twist.
"Peter." I whisper, stepping closer. "You… you paralyzed him."
Peter doesn't look at me. His eyes are still locked on Ned. "He deserved worse."
My throat tightens. "But... Ned wasn't that big of a threat."
Finally, Peter turns. His face is hard, unyielding. But behind his eyes, there's pain.
" He went this far because of an inferiority complex. Because he couldn't stand me being better. So he tried to destroy me. Destroy us. That's not human, Gwen. That's a monster in the making."
Silence hangs heavy between us, broken only by Ned's shallow breathing and the whimpers of his broken friends.
I swallow hard. "I just… I wish he hadn't gone this far. Why did it have to be like this?"
Peter steps closer, wrapping his arms around me. His voice is quiet, tired.
"Because some people would rather drown than watch someone else learn to swim."
I bury my face into his chest, holding him tight. But even as he whispers reassurances, I can't shake the sight of Ned Leeds, broken in the dirt, forever alive yet trapped, a reminder of how envy and hatred can destroy a soul.
And I wonder if, somewhere deep down, Peter changed too much.
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