After the field trip, we decided to head to our usual spot: the coffee shop called Excelsior. We'd been hanging out there ever since it was just Harry, Peter, and I. Over time, our little trio grew into the much bigger circus it is now.
I went home first, changed clothes, and carefully placed the spiders into the glass habitats I'd kept from my old pets. Yeah, I used to keep pets. Goldfish, a hamster, even a lizard once. I'd had a couple of spiders too—and a snake—before moving around so much forced me to give them up. Funny how life circles back, huh?
When I got to the shop, the bell above the door jingled.
"You guys taking the usual?" the owner asked.
We all smiled. "Yeah, Stan," I replied.
We walked to our usual corner table, but before we could sit, Ava Ayala and Sam Alexander walked in. They spotted us immediately and made their way over.
"You guys played hooky today, didn't you?" Peter asked, a grin tugging at his lips. Some of the heavy tension from earlier lifted.
Sam shrugged, smiling back. Ava replied, "We're not science people like you nerds. We like to have fun occasionally."
We laughed. Luke leaned back, smirking. "So do I, but I still showed up."
Sam gave him a pointed look. "That's because of Jess, and we all know it."
Jessica raised an eyebrow. "Not my fault you're all single dogs," she shot back.
The teasing snowballed from there as everyone found their seats. Meanwhile, MJ, Lyn, Cindy, and Elle subtly drifted toward Peter. It wasn't unusual, but it felt… heavier somehow. More serious. I ignored it, not ready to think too hard about that particular can of worms.
While they teased each other, I glanced back toward the counter—and froze.
Stan.
Not "some guy named Stan." Not "a guy who looks like Stan." No. It was Stan motherfucking Lee.
He smiled, walked over, and stopped right by our table.
"You know," he said casually, "the world isn't exactly like I thought it would be. But it's not that bad. At least my symbiotes turned out the same. Overall, it's better than what those idiots did after they took over. Just… watch out for robots with sticks up their asses. Oh, and the spiders—their sex drive's been cranked up to eleven."
I exhaled in relief. So, this is the Scope-verse's influence, but not as bad as I feared.
Those close enough to hear looked confused until they noticed the earbuds in his ears. They assumed he was on a call.
Stan tugged the buds out and cleared his throat. "I'll be leaving the shop soon, but before I go, I want to give some advice to my greatest regulars."
We all blinked. He glanced around, making sure he had our attention.
"I named this place Excelsior because I wanted it to be somewhere people could relax, recharge, and keep moving forward. You're all about to step into the next stage of your lives. You'll do great things, create great things, and wield power others will call great—whether physical or not. I had a friend who once told me: with great power comes great responsibility."
We groaned in unison. Stan chuckled.
"But I also want to tell you this: in the face of hardship, keep moving forward. Don't give up. Hold onto what makes you strong and always keep the word Excelsior in mind. Strive to go ever higher."
Silence fell over the table. Finally, Peter stood up, eyes shining. "Thank you, Mr. Lee. For everything."
Stan smiled, gave us a little salute, and left the shop.
Freeze frame. Cue dramatic narrator voice.
Yeah. That just happened. Stan Lee walked into a coffee shop in the middle of my Marvel-verse mashup and dropped the "With great power" line. And no, it didn't feel cheesy. It felt like God patched the universe with DLC wisdom.
Oh, and did you catch the part where he casually mentioned horny spiders and killer robots? Yeah. That wasn't foreshadowing. That was spoiler territory.