Gwen noticed the young Spider-Man's gaze and blushed slightly.
She had always been curious about this mysterious classmate. Strangely enough, despite being pursued by top students, rich boys, and even a few handsome ones, Gwen found herself intrigued by him, the guy who often showed up late, skipped classes, and napped during lectures.
Just then, a drunken old Black man staggered onto the bus. His filthy, swaying frame made passengers instinctively move away.
His yellowed, bleary eyes scanned the bus like he was searching for something. Suddenly, they lit up. He began pushing through the crowd, making his way toward Gwen.
A sour wave of alcohol filled the air. Gwen instinctively covered her nose, clearly disgusted.
Young Spider-Man didn't react. After all his experiences as a masked hero, he'd gotten used to far worse, he'd even pulled someone out of a septic tank once and accidentally swallowed a few mouthfuls of putrid water.
Suddenly, he felt a pressure on his thigh. Looking down, he saw Gwen's leg had shifted.
Since he was by the window and Gwen sat beside him in the aisle seat, he glanced to the side and sure enough, the drunk man had leaned into her, using his unsteady state as an excuse to grope her.
Seriously? This disgusting old guy thinks being drunk gives him a free pass?
Seeing the pleading look in Gwen's eyes, something flared in Spider-Man's chest.
With gentle confidence, he pulled Gwen toward him, moving her away from the lecher and sliding into her spot himself.
But the moment he brushed against her soft, smooth skin especially the brief friction against a few particularly delicate areas he felt his mind short-circuit.
"Thank you," Gwen said softly, her cheeks flushed. She had definitely noticed... that.
As warmth lingered where Gwen had just been seated, the young hero's face heated even more. The drunk, realizing someone had taken his target's seat, snorted and stumbled off in search of someone else to bother.
Pathetic. A man like that probably hadn't had genuine female contact in decades. The moment he saw a pretty girl, he just couldn't help himself. Disgusting.
"I'm getting off soon," said Spider-Man as the Stark Industries stop came into view.
"What? You're not going to class today?" Gwen asked in disbelief. She had never understood how her classmate skipped school every day.
"Where are you going?" she asked, unable to suppress her curiosity.
"I've actually been interning at Stark Industries' lab," he admitted sheepishly. "So… could I trouble you to tell the counselor I'm on leave?"
"You? Interning at Stark Industries?" Gwen looked at him like she'd just discovered a hidden treasure.
With Aetheris's star power behind it, Stark Industries was the hottest company in the country. Countless graduates were dying to get an internship there.
And yet this guy who napped through class and always looked half-asleep, had actually secured a spot?
Suddenly, it made sense why he skipped school. If she were in his place, she might've done the same.
"No problem," Gwen said with a playful sparkle in her eyes. "But you owe me."
"I'm broke," Spider-Man confessed awkwardly. Just earlier, he couldn't even scrape together a single dollar. The embarrassment still stung.
"I don't want money," Gwen said with a grin. "I want a signed photo of Mr. Stark in his Iron Man armor. Deal?"
As a devoted superhero fangirl, Gwen had grown up with comics—Superman, Batman, and everything in between. Her biggest dream was to date a superhero. Though… that still felt like wishful thinking.
"No problem. Mission accepted and guaranteed!" Spider-Man grinned. He had expected her to ask for something impossible, but this? Easy.
"Alright then, I'll be off. See you next time!" he called, waving.
Gwen waved back, her smile radiant. She'd uncovered a secret about the most mysterious guy in their class and now, it felt like a special bond shared between just the two of them.
After getting off the bus, Spider-Man felt great. The gray New York sky looked bluer, the river clearer, even the barking of stray dogs on the street seemed almost musical.
He walked into Stark Tower humming to himself. At the entrance, the old gatekeeper, Stan Lee, looked up.
"Hey, Peter Parker!"
"Hey, old man! Still kicking, huh?" Peter called back with a grin.
He stepped inside and pushed open the lab door with enthusiasm.
"Hi, professor! I'm here!"
His voice was louder than usual he couldn't help it. He was just in that good of a mood.
"What's got you so cheerful?" asked Aetheris, turning around with a smile.
Peter's grin froze the moment he saw another figure in the lab.
"Uh... Mr. Stark? What are you doing here?"
His voice dropped, nervous energy replacing his earlier confidence.
"Why? This is my company. I go where I want," Stark said, giving Peter a pat on the shoulder. "Get ready. We're heading to Octavius's test site. It's his first trial run."
Peter blinked. He'd heard of Octavius and his project goals, but he hadn't expected the live test to begin so soon.
"Hurry up, Peter. Bring the toolkit. We need to log every bit of data from the experiment. His energy output might even give our battle armor a nice upgrade," said Ethan as he packed equipment.
Once everything was ready, the four of them boarded Aetheris's helicopter and flew toward Octavius's testing facility, located in a remote area on the outskirts of western New York.
The area had been cleared for miles exactly as Aetheris had requested. He alone knew just how dangerous this experiment might become.
The others whether it was Octavius, Ethan, or even the lead engineers remained naively optimistic.
"Welcome, welcome!" Octavius and his core team came out to greet them as the chopper landed.
Ethan clapped Octavius on the shoulder, pulling him into a hug.
"Haha! Old classmate! You're doing well for yourself these days, huh?"
"It's all thanks to you," Octavius replied sincerely. "If you hadn't recommended me to Mr. Stark, I wouldn't even know where I'd be now."
Sometimes, talent alone isn't enough, you also need the right people to believe in you.
Aetheris approached with his personal assistant, Nova, close behind. She carried a sleek case containing the upgraded Mark IV armor.
He shook Octavius's hand warmly.
"Mr. Octavius, if today's experiment goes well, you'll be holding a Nobel Prize soon. And we'll be right there with you, riding your success all the way to the top."
(End of Chapter)
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