AN: New week. Time to rank up. GIMME those powerstones.
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Alex did not speak right away.
He stared at the test as if it might change its mind if he looked long enough. His fingers hovered in the air, then finally closed around it with a care that bordered on reverence. He read it once. Then again. As if the second time might explain the first.
His throat worked.
"Oh," he said softly.
That was all. Just one syllable. It came out breathless, almost disbelieving.
Halle watched him closely, her heart pounding. She had imagined this moment a thousand times, but none of those versions quite prepared her for the way his eyes glassed over before he even realized what was happening.
"You are sure?" he asked, then immediately shook his head. "No. That is stupid. Of course, you are sure. That thing is very… aggressively sure."
She laughed through the tightness in her chest. "Four times sure."
He let out a sound that was half laugh, half exhale, like his body had finally remembered how to breathe. His shoulders sagged, the tension draining out of him all at once.
"We did it," he said quietly.
Halle nodded. "We did."
Alex looked up at her then. Really looked at her. Not just at her face, but at the future sitting gently between them. His hand trembled slightly as he lifted it and rested his palm against her stomach, tentative, as if afraid he might be intruding. He felt a burst of emotions that he had never felt before.
There was nothing to feel yet. He knew that.
Still, his hand stayed there.
"I do not know what to say," he admitted. "Which is terrifying, because I always know what to say."
Halle smiled. "You do not have to say anything."
His lips curved, faint and emotional. "I am going to anyway. Just badly."
She leaned closer.
"I spent my whole life planning things," he said softly. "Shots, stories, outcomes. I learned how to control chaos by pretending it was art." He swallowed. "And this… this is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I had absolutely no control over it."
A tear slipped free before he could stop it. He laughed at himself, brushing it away with the back of his hand.
"Wow," he muttered. "I am crying on a balcony with salmon."
Halle laughed, tears spilling over now too. "You are doing great."
He pulled her into his arms then, slow and careful, like she was made of glass. The hug was firm, grounding, and a little too long, exactly as she had imagined. His forehead pressed into her hair, and for a moment, he said nothing at all.
When he finally spoke, his voice trembled a bit.
"I am so proud of you," he said. "And so scared. And so happy. And already completely in love with someone I have not even met yet."
Halle closed her eyes, holding him tighter. "Me too."
He pulled back just enough to look at her again, his hands framing her face. His smile was unsteady and overwhelmed with happiness.
"I am going to mess this up sometimes," he said. "I know that. I am going to overthink, overprotect, and probably try to storyboard parenting."
She laughed. "Please do not storyboard the baby."
"No promises," he said seriously. Then his expression softened. "But I will try every day. I promise to never let our child go through what I've gone through. I'm going to be there for..." He touched her tummy. "...and you... Always."
She nodded, tears streaking her cheeks. "That is all I want."
He kissed her then, nothing rushed or heated about it. Just a promise sealed quietly.
Upstairs near the roof door, Max had taped her phone with one of the bed planks and lowered it to record the entire thing. 'Haha! Moneybags and Halle are looking so happy. Gonna send it to everyone.'
Scarlett and Angelina hovered behind her. They didn't want to disturb Alex and Halle, but they also wanted to run down there and hug them...
Well, they did that after Max finished recording.
...
[Next Day] [Movie Set]
The set was going through final checks. Actors stood in loose clusters, scripts in hand, murmuring lines or stretching like athletes before a game. The shoot was an hour away, which meant everything felt calm in the specific way that only exists right before chaos politely kicks the door in.
Alex sat inside his trailer.
Rachel sat across from him, legs crossed, and she was holding a cup of coffee.
"So," she said. "You are glowing."
Alex snorted. "I am not glowing."
"You cried on a balcony with salmon last night," Rachel replied. "You are absolutely glowing."
He laughed, rubbing his face. "Max sent you the video?"
"Yep! She sent the video to Chloe and Evangeline as well."
He leaned back and smiled. "I keep thinking about it," he said. "Like my brain just keeps replaying the moment she handed me the test. I have directed explosions that felt less intense."
Rachel smiled softly. "You looked terrified. In a good way."
"That tracks," Alex said. "I am thrilled. I am terrified. I am already Googling things I have no business Googling."
"Like what?"
"Like how fragile babies are. And how many things can apparently go wrong if you don't use proper diapers? You know, some diapers cause rashes? Oh, and I was also wondering whether I should baby-proof the penthouse. Wait! I got an idea. I'll ask Chloe for help," Alex said as he punched his fist on his palm.
Rachel laughed. "Just take a deep breath. You are going to be fine."
"I know," he said. "Intellectually. Emotionally, I am a mess. A very happy mess."
...
[Time to shoot]
A knock came at the trailer door.
"Five minutes, boss," the assistant director (Jane) called.
Alex stood, took one last sip of coffee that had gone cold hours ago, and grabbed his tablet. He paused for half a second, hand resting on the doorframe, and let himself smile like an idiot.
Okay. Dad brain later. Director brain now.
He looked back at Rachel. "Got any evening plans?" He asked.
"Just the same old paperwork," She replied.
"Forget that, dump it on your assistants. C'mon, I gave you five assistants. Make them work. Whenever I see them, they are either eating or sleeping," Alex said with a stern glare. "Starting today, no more nightshifts and you are gonna live with me. I miss you."
She chucked. "Alright. Now, go out there and make a movie."
Alex stepped out into the controlled madness of the set.
The main setting was a lab.
It was enormous. White glass walls rose high above them, clean and sterile and faintly intimidating. Everything gleamed under the lights. Transparent cases lined the room, each one housing something that skittered, slithered, or stared back with too many eyes. Spiders crawled along the webs. Lizards clung motionless to the glass. Snakes coiled like living question marks.
Security cameras blinked from the ceiling.
Researchers in lab coats moved with choreographed precision, pretending to work.
Andrew Garfield stood with the other actors playing students, backpack slung over one shoulder, hands stuffed in his pockets. He looked every bit like a distracted kid on a field trip, equal parts bored and curious.
Emma Stone was beside him, Gwen Stacy's energy already locked in. She leaned toward Andrew and whispered something that made him smile.
Seann William Scott, playing Flash, was across from them, stretching his shoulders like this was a boxing match and not a science trip. Joseph Gordon Levitt stood a little apart, hands clasped, quietly focused, already very Harry Osborn about the whole thing.
The animal handler checked one of the spider cases carefully with gloved hands. The spider inside was large.
The safety team gave Alex a thumbs-up.
Lights were adjusted. Sound was checked.
Alex took his place.
He scanned the set once more. His brain has fully switched over to director mode.
"Alright," he called out. "This is the genetics lab field trip. Peter is curious but distracted by Gwen. He'll be taking photos of the research subjects and then he'll take Gwen's photo for the school magazine. Gwen will give poses. Then Gwen will be chatting with her girls' group while curiously looking at the spiders. Flash is being Flash will try to annoy Peter, but there are too many security measures, so he won't be able to do much. Harry will be chatting with his friends while keeping an eye on Flash so that he won't be able to hurt Peter as usual. Then the guide will explain to the students about the genetically enhanced super spiders. Gwen will notice a missing spider and will inform the guide. That's scene 1. This moment is small, but it matters. This is where everything starts. We'll do the bite scene in the next take. So, let's begin."
Andrew nodded, rolling his shoulders loose.
Everyone took their positions.
Alex lifted his hand.
"Scene E1. Take 1."
He paused, then brought his hand down.
"Action."
The students filed into the lab, eyes darting everywhere. Peter lagged behind, his attention caught by everything at once. He leaned closer to one glass case, then another, his curiosity pulling him off course like gravity.
Gwen noticed Peter. She waved her hand.
Peter waved back with a smile.
Flashed shoulder bumped Peter as he passed by him. "Try not to fall into a test tube, Parker."
Peter rubbed his shoulder.
Harry glanced back at Peter, "You alright?"
"Yeah, I'm good," Peter nodded with a smile.
After taking a couple of pictures, Peter adjusted the strap on his neck as he walked over to Gwen.
"Hey, can I take some pictures for the school magazine?" He asked.
"Sure," She agreed.
Peter took a couple of pictures, but before he could talk to her, one of Gwen's friends dragged her to the spider section. And Peter simply stood there with his signature smile. He watched Gwen talk and giggle with her friends.
Flash looked as if he wanted to poke something, but there were too many cameras. So, he and his group began to taunt the snakes.
...
"And cut!" Alex said loudly.
The set reset quickly.
The students shuffled back into loose formation, murmuring and adjusting backpacks. The animal handler discreetly stepped away while the FX tech crouched near the lighting rig, checking the thin thread that held the green toy spider.
Andrew rolled his wrist once and flexed his fingers like he was shaking off nerves. He glanced toward Alex.
Alex gave him a nod.
"Same beat," Alex said. "Peter is distracted. Curious. Camera in his hands. Then the spider finds him. As soon as it lands on your hand, jerk your arm as if you are getting bitten."
Andrew nodded. "Got it."
Emma adjusted her posture near the spider cases. Seann cracked his neck and went back into bored bully mode. Joseph leaned casually against a railing, eyes flicking toward Flash like a watchdog.
"Alright," Alex called. "Scene E1A. Take 1."
He lifted his hand.
"Action."
The group drifted forward again, the lab guide talking off to the side about the new seven cross-species genetically enhanced super spiders.
"But there are only six," Gwen said after counting the numbers.
"Six?" The guide asked as he quickly moved closer to counted and yep, there were only six of them. "I think one of the researchers took one for experimental purposes. Nothing to worry about."
The camera shifted on Andrew.
Peter hung back, camera raised, snapping photos through the glass. His lens clicked softly as he zoomed in on a spider crawling across a web, its legs moving with eerie precision.
He shifted position to get a better angle, stepping slightly away from the group.
The FX tech nodded.
Above Peter, the spider began to descend...
...Slowly.
Peter did not notice.
He adjusted his camera settings, brow furrowed in concentration. He raised the camera again and leaned closer to the glass, completely absorbed in his own world. And he occasionally looked at Gwen.
The spider dropped the last few inches.
It landed on the upper part of his thumb.
The bite scene...
He jerked his hand back with a sharp gasp.
The spider flew somewhere in the crowd. Alex decided not to show the death of the spider after biting Peter because, in the future, he planned to add Cindy Moon.
The camera slipped from Peter's grip, swinging against his chest.
"Ah!" he yelped, stumbling back a step. He looked at his hand and noticed the bite mark, which was just a simple round rubber prop. "What the hell?"
Flash snorted from across the room as he noticed. "What, did a spider sense your weakness?"
Harry turned sharply. "Flash, knock it off." He then looked at Peter. "Something wrong?"
"No, nothing..." Peter replied as he put his hand in his pocket.
...
"And cut!" Alex gave the cue.
....
[POWERSTONES AND REVIEWS PLS]
Support link: www.patr eon.com/UnknownMaster
[5 advance chs] [All chs available for all tiers] [No double billing.]
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