The city's pulse beat in time with Gwen Stacy's racing heart.
Sunset bathed the New York skyline in a golden hue as Spider-Woman swung between towering skyscrapers, the web shooters of her symbiote suit firing in rapid succession. The wind whipped through her hair as she zipped through traffic, dodging taxis and pigeons alike. Gwen liked to leave her hair out even with a mask on it looks more stylish.
"I swear, if one more person tries to rob a bodega in this city…" Gwen muttered under her breath.
Below her, two would-be criminals sprinted down the sidewalk, bags of stolen cash tucked under their arms. The faint sound of a bodega clerk screaming in Spanish echoed in Gwen's ears.
She sighed, flipping mid-air and descending like a silent predator. With expert precision, she shot a web that wrapped around one thief's ankles, yanking him off his feet. The second guy wasn't so lucky—he managed to get a few steps further before Gwen swung down, landed in front of him, and delivered a swift kick to his chest.
"Really?" she quipped as he hit the pavement. "Out of all the bodegas in New York, you picked the one with the security camera pointed directly at your face?"
The thief groaned as Gwen webbed him to a lamppost, his partner dangling beside him like some low-budget Christmas ornament.
Checking the time on her phone, Gwen's heart sank.
"Oh no. Crap, crap, crap!"
With one last glance at her webbed-up captives, Gwen muttered, "You guys hang tight." Then she bolted into a nearby alley, her symbiote suit receding into her body as it formed regular clothing. Fracture changed into her college clothes—a wrinkled hoodie, jeans, and a pair of sneakers that definitely didn't match. Her hair was a tangled mess, and there was a smudge of bodega dust on her cheek, but there was no time to fix it.
"Empire State's gonna kill me," she groaned, sprinting out of the alley.
Gwen burst through the doors of the bioengineering lab at Empire State University, panting and disheveled. Students turned to stare, some stifling laughs as she stumbled into the room.
At the front of the class stood Dr. Curt Connors, his one-armed figure imposing despite his calm demeanor. His eyes, however, were anything but calm—they were cold, analytical, and focused entirely on Gwen.
"Ah, Miss Stacy," he said, his voice cutting through the room like a scalpel. "So nice of you to join us."
Gwen shot him a sheepish grin, trying to sneak into her seat next to Peter Parker, who was already grinning like an idiot.
"Bodega robbery again?" Peter whispered, leaning toward her as she slid into her chair. "You really need to diversify your excuses."
Gwen elbowed him, trying not to laugh. "Shut up, Peter."
That's right. Gwen's other best friend Peter Parker found out about her secret identity after meeting Storm and Jean Grey the other day. It's kind of hard to travel incognito with a few well-known mutants following you around, especially with a horn dog like Peter Parker.
As the lecture wrapped up, Dr. Connors dismissed the class, but his eyes remained locked on Gwen.
"Miss Stacy," he called out as she gathered her things. "A word."
Peter shot her a sympathetic look. "Good luck, Spider-Woman."
Gwen approached Dr. Connors, trying to keep her expression neutral, but the knot in her stomach tightened with every step.
"Gwen," Connors began, his tone devoid of warmth. "Your work is exceptional. There's no denying your brilliance. But brilliance means nothing if you're never here."
Gwen opened her mouth to respond, but Connors raised his hand to stop her.
"I've been patient, but I can't afford to make exceptions. Consider this your final warning. You're off the assistantship."
The words hit like a punch to the gut, but as Gwen left the lab, a strange sense of relief washed over her.
"Honestly," she muttered to herself, "I was looking for a new job anyway. Connors has been getting weirder by the day. Guy's practically obsessed with lizards. And his attitude? Cold-blooded."
She snorted at her own joke, but the unease lingered. There was something… off about Connors. She filed that thought away for later.
By the time Gwen arrived at Stark Tower, her nerves were frayed. She pushed through the door, expecting peace and quiet, but was immediately greeted by the sound of laughter echoing from the living room.
Wanda, Jean, Storm, Natasha, and Talia were sprawled across the couches, a half-eaten pizza box on the coffee table and wine glasses in their hands. The room was alive with light and warmth, and despite her bad day, Gwen couldn't help but smile.
Wanda noticed her first, her eyes softening. "Rough day?"
Gwen flopped face-first onto the couch with a groan. "I lost my lab assistant job."
Before anyone could respond, Peter Parker emerged from the kitchen, a slice of pizza in one hand and a mischievous grin on his face.
"Wait, you got fired?" he asked, plopping down next to Gwen without missing a beat. "Man, even I haven't managed that yet.
The girls burst into laughter, and Peter, oblivious to the tension, added, "But hey, at least you've got the hottest support group in New York." He winked at Wanda's harem, earning groans and eye rolls.
"Peter," Natasha sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, "one day, you're going to flirt with the wrong woman, and it's going to end badly."
"Worth it," he shot back, unfazed.
Once the laughter died down, Wanda scooted closer to Gwen, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"You know," Wanda murmured, her voice soft and warm, "you don't have to carry all this stress alone."
Gwen's heart did a little somersault, but she managed to keep her cool. "Yeah, but what kind of overachiever would I be if I didn't?"
Jean leaned over with a grin. "You know, if you wanted straight A's, you could've let me mind-control your professors. I'd even throw in extra credit."
Storm chuckled, tossing a pillow at Jean. "Honestly, with this crew, school's almost too easy. Psychic powers, chaos magic—who needs studying?"
Gwen laughed, feeling the tension of the day melt away. "Thanks for the offer to turn my professors into mindless zombies, Wanda. I mean, they've always been like that, but then they would work for me."
The room erupted with laughter again, the chaos and camaraderie making everything feel just a little more bearable.
As the night wore on, Peter stretched out on the floor, tossing a pizza crust into his mouth.
"Oh, by the way, Gwen," he said, brushing crumbs off his shirt, "Doc Ock's got this wild experiment she's working on. Could really use your genius in the lab."
Gwen raised an eyebrow. "Doc Ock?"
Peter grinned. "Yeah, Dr. Octavia 'Vee' Octavius. Brilliant scientist, the one i mentioned before. Little eccentric, but in a fun.
'I-might-accidentally-blow-up-the-lab' kind of way. You should totally check it out. And, uh… bring your hot friends."
Wanda smirked, exchanging a glance with Talia.
"Looks like New York isn't done with us yet," Wanda murmured.
Gwen gazed out the window, the city lights reflecting in her eyes. The weight of her double life still pressed down on her, but with Wanda and the team by her side, she knew she could handle whatever chaos came next. Not to mention she has her bitch bff MJ and now Peter as well.
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