Barry and Gwen had already finished dinner and were relaxing in the bedroom. Gwen was working on a paper at her computer, while Barry was leisurely browsing the tablet, searching for information about the world.
After witnessing Peter's abilities, Barry began researching legends about vampires, werewolves, ninjas, and the mythic land of Kunlun. However, the information he found was often linked to movie plots, nearly causing Barry to toss the tablet in frustration.
Just as the two were absorbed in their own worlds, a shadow flitted past the window. Barry, closest to the window, turned quickly to see Peter, clad in his Spider-Man suit.
"Good grief, are you not even bothering to hide it anymore?" Barry remarked as he opened the window, immediately noticing Peter's labored breathing.
With her back to the window, Gwen heard the commotion and suspected it was Peter, feeling a rush of happiness. However, she was finishing the last paragraph of her paper and didn't rise immediately.
"Maybe you should consider just walking in next time," Barry suggested.
"Oh, really?" Peter replied, pulling off his mask and crawling inside with a wry smile.
"Really, my dad thinks you need to see a therapist," Gwen teased, still typing.
Barry, feeling ignored, rolled his eyes. "Your boyfriend seems hurt, and he smells like he just crawled out of the sewer."
Upon hearing this, Gwen turned, spotting the claw marks on Peter's chest, and rushed over in concern.
"Oh my God, Peter, what happened?" she exclaimed, worriedly examining the three long scratches.
Barry approached too, recognizing the injuries as similar to those inflicted by the lizard creature on the Williamsburg Bridge a few days ago.
"You went after that big lizard?"
"Yeah, it's Professor Connors. He was experimenting with cross-species genetics to regrow his arm, but the formula's unstable," Peter explained, breathless. "It's turned him into a lizard man, and he's planning something dangerous..."
Seeing Peter struggling, Gwen cut him off.
"Wait, you mean my mentor, Professor Connors?" Gwen asked, surprised. She interned at Oscorp, where Connors was her mentor in biology.
"That's him. I tried telling your dad, but he didn't believe me, so I went to the sewers to find Connors myself and ended up fighting him," Peter admitted.
"I think it's best to treat your injuries now and discuss the lizard or dinosaur later," Gwen said, referring to how the media had dubbed the creature a dinosaur due to blurry photos.
"Sorry, I'll get some alcohol," she added, heading to the desk drawer.
Just then, George's voice called from outside.
"Hey, sweetheart Gwen, do you and Barry want some cocoa? Little John made some."
Startled, Gwen quickly went to the door, while Peter hid behind Barry's makeshift bed.
"No, Dad, I'm good," she replied, a bit flustered. "And by the way, I'm seventeen now."
Cocoa was typically a treat for kids, more often served as a drink or dessert.
"Okay, but I remember someone dreaming about living in a chocolate house the other day," George teased, unfazed by Gwen's impatience.
"That's unrealistic! And fattening!" Gwen retorted, slightly embarrassed, and quickly closed the door to prevent further teasing, glancing back at Peter apologetically.
"Chocolate house," Peter teased, making Gwen roll her eyes.
Feeling her previous tone was too harsh, Gwen reopened the door to apologize.
"Sorry, Dad. I can't have cocoa right now, I have... well, cramps and it's making me moody," she concocted an excuse.
"It's okay, I understand."
"This is not something you'd want to experience, it's really painful."
"I get it..." George nodded sympathetically.
"Thanks for understanding," Gwen said, offering a small smile before closing the door.
George shrugged and returned to the living room, bemused.
"Hoo..." Gwen exhaled, leaning against the door.
"I really wanted some cocoa," Barry mused, eyeing the closed door longingly.
"No, you don't," Gwen chided, then moved to help Peter, removing his shirt to tend to his wounds.
As his shirt came off, a long gash stretched from his shoulder to his waist, making Gwen's hand tremble as she held the cotton swab.
"Did you bring my ointment?" Barry asked suddenly.
"Yeah, it's in my bag," Peter nodded toward the bag. "Your ointment's really effective. It's helped with the swelling and smaller cuts."
"If you sold it, it'd be a hit!"
"Do I look like I need money? If you need more, I can give you a few bottles," Barry replied, snuffling through Peter's bag, retrieving the small porcelain bottle he'd given Peter days ago.
"That's a good idea. People on the football team get injured all the time, you could sell it for a good price," Peter suggested, eyes lighting up.
"Oh my God, the sewer smell is strong, but luckily the bottle stayed dry," Barry grumbled, wiping the bottle before opening it. He checked the contents, then handed it to Gwen, finding the sewer stench overpowering with his sensitive nose.
"There's just enough left to avoid making a new batch," Barry noted.
EXTRA CHAPTER IS AVAILABLE IN PATREON
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