Chapter 7: Heat in the Air
The sun had just crested over the buildings of Queens when Peter quietly slipped through his bedroom window. The city hadn't quite woken up yet, but the early buzz of traffic was already rumbling in the background. He landed on the hardwood floor silently, body loose, breath calm.
And yet, something was... different.
Not just in him.
In the *air*.
He tugged off his stealth suit and set it on the recharge pad near his bed. His skin still hummed with the residual energy of the serum. The enhanced strength, reflexes, invisibility—all of it felt perfectly integrated now. Like his body had always been meant for this.
But as he moved through the room, grabbing a towel and tossing his shirt over a chair, something prickled at the back of his mind.
A shift.
A tension.
It began subtly enough when he stepped into the hallway and heard a voice.
"Peter?"
It was MJ.
He turned, towel slung over his shoulder, chest still bare from changing.
She froze for a second.
Then blinked. Twice.
Her voice, usually sarcastic or dry, now had a slight stammer. "You're... back early."
"Couldn't sleep," he said casually. "Figured I'd get some air."
Her eyes dropped to his torso, lingered there longer than usual.
"Right..." she mumbled. "Cool. Yeah."
She turned and quickly disappeared into the kitchen.
Peter raised an eyebrow.
That was odd.
But it didn't stop there.
Aunt May greeted him in the kitchen ten minutes later. She smiled, gave him a warm hug—and held onto it just a second too long. Then she stepped back, brushed a hand across his cheek.
"You look different today. Healthier. Glowing, almost."
He gave her a half-laugh. "Maybe I finally got some sleep."
May chuckled but looked at him again. Closely.
Then she shook her head, smiling to herself like she couldn't figure out what was bothering her.
Peter poured himself coffee, then stood by the counter as MJ walked back in. Her phone was in her hand, but her eyes kept flicking up toward him. When she caught him looking, she cleared her throat.
"You shower yet?"
He smirked. "That's a weird question."
She reddened slightly. "I mean, just asking. You're kinda... sweaty. Not in a gross way. Just..."
May chuckled, sipping her tea, clearly amused.
Peter narrowed his eyes. Something was happening. Some invisible thread had been pulled tight in the room. He could almost *feel* their heartbeats.
Feel the warmth of their skin. The way their breathing shifted.
It hit him then.
That pheromone effect.
"EDITH," he whispered silently behind his lip. "Scan hormonal output. What am I emitting?"
EDITH responded in his ear with clinical precision.
"Elevated levels of biochemically enhanced pheromones detected. Emission ratio at 4.3x baseline. Target effect: heightened attraction in surrounding subjects."
He blinked. *Oh.*
*Oh no.*
MJ had moved a little closer now, standing just on the edge of his personal space. Her eyes were fixed on his jawline, lips slightly parted. He stepped away, pretending to check the coffee machine.
"I'll just, uh... shower now."
"Sure," she said quickly. "Take your time."
He vanished into the hallway, heart pounding.
Back in his room, he shut the door and locked it.
Okay.
So that's what the AI meant.
Not just enhanced strength.
Not just bio-electric shocks and invisibility.
He was now unknowingly radiating a powerful chemical signal—one that drew people to him. Women especially.
It explained MJ's stares.
May's unusual warmth.
*Damn.*
He stripped, stepped into the shower, and let the hot water wash over him. His mind was already racing.
If this pheromone field was passive, he'd have to regulate it. Maybe a suit filtration system. Or suppressants. He couldn't risk this in public.
Not unless he wanted every woman within five feet losing focus around him.
It wasn't just awkward.
It was dangerous.
He stood under the water, processing all of it.
Spider powers.
Electric powers.
Invisibility.
And now\...
*Influence.*
Subtle. Unintentional. But real.
He clenched his jaw.
He needed control.
He needed to **master** this.
Because if he didn't, the next time he walked outside, things might spiral.
And Spider-Man couldn't afford that.
Not now.
Not ever.
\[To Be Continued in Chapter 8...]