"Wowowowowowowowowo, woah. As in woah! Woah! Woah! Woah!"
"You're saying I slept with Norman Osborn?"
Gwen's voice cracked with disbelief as I explained to her about her future from my past life. Her face twisted with confusion and disgust.
"Yeah, you're lucky I stopped it before it could escalate worse, Gwen."
"Ha! Like I would sleep with an old man, Petey. How did I almost end up with him again?"
I slapped myself in the head, muttering in my thoughts, are you kidding me? We've gone through this like three times already.
I sighed. "I was neglecting you because of my Spider-Man responsibilities. I didn't realize your needs were important until it wqs almost to late, Gwen. I'm sorry."
"Sorry for what? It never happened. Well, not now at least."
But Gwen noticed the flicker of fear in my eyes.
"You don't know that,"
I said, voice low.
"I was haunted and wasn't in my right mind. So, I asked Dr. Strange to remove that memory permanently. But for some reason, it jolted back into me after seeing you alive again on that bus station that day after my rebirth."
"Peter…"
Gwen walked over slowly, her steps soft against the floor. She reached me, placed my head gently against her belly, and ran her fingers through my hair, trying to ease the weight pressing down on me.
"You did good, my Peter....., you saved me."
"I will always save you and always will, even if I'm not spiderman."
I held her tight, for a moment. There was quiet and filled up hope of peace in my heart.
Later, at her doorstep, Gwen and I said our goodbyes with a warm hug. I turned to leave her apartment, but before I could step away, her voice rang out.
"Peter!"
I turned quickly. "Huh? Gwen, what is it—!"
Smooch.
She kissed me. My eyes widened as she pulled back, her face flushed, voice breaking into a shy tone.
"Sta… stay safe, tiger."
She darted back inside and slammed the door shut.
Huh, neat. I got kissed at fifteen, twice. In all my fifty years, why was my first score as a teenager finally accomplished now in my rebirth?
As I walked away from the apartment, I pretended to take a casual stroll through the neighborhood. But deep down, I knew this wasn't just a stroll.
No. It was today. Around… now.
Whoosh!
"Right on time," I muttered.
I slipped a mask from my jacket pocket—something I'd made a week ago. It resembled a spider, black and red stitched rough but enough to hide my face.
Don't ask why. I'm Spider-Man. Always had been, always will be.
Sliding the prototype web-shooters onto my wrists, I flexed my fingers. A small auto-trigger clicked into place, web cartridges snug.
Thwip!
A line of web shot out as I vaulted upward, swinging into the night. I landed against a brick wall, crouched low like a predator ready to strike.
"Heh, still got it, Parker," I whispered to myself.
With a deep breath, I leapt off, flipping acrobatically through the alleyways. My body remembered every twist, every roll, every stretch of web.
The wind whipped past my face as I swung faster and faster, heart thumping.
And then I saw it. The figure I had been waiting for.
Thwip!
I shot a line, momentum pulling me like a slingshot. In a blur, I swung down hard and yanked the figure into the air.
The stranger twisted midair, eyes darting up in confusion, trying to understand who I was.
I cut the line and dropped, spinning into a perfect arc. My feet slammed into their chest with a sharp crack! The body staggered back, gasping.
"Urk!"
The mask slipped free and tumbled to the ground.
Under the glow of the full moon, her face was revealed. Silver hair glimmered in the night. Her lips curled into a smirk even through the pain.
Felicia Hardy.
The Black Cat.
"The hell? I don't know who you are,"
Felicia spat, massaging her aching chest. Her eyes burned with irritation.
"But you just made a big mistake."
I grinned beneath my mask and dangled the object she had stolen.
"Aww, perhaps this caught your interest, Cat?"
Her eyes widened instantly. She rummaged her pocket, frantically checking.
"Why, you little—!"
Thwip! I shot a line and pulled myself back to safety just as Felicia whipped out her grappling hook.
She fired the line at me with a snap, but I twisted midair, escaping her grasp.
"Too slow, Cat."
"Stop calling me Cat, dammit!"
"Ahahaha!" My laughter echoed across the rooftop.
In a blur, her hook snagged my ankle. She yanked me down hard, slamming me into the concrete.
My body thudded, dust scattering around us. She wasted no time—climbing on top, straddling me with a wicked grin.
"Hah… hah. Damn prick. You gave me a good workout."
Her finger traced circles over my chest, featherlight.
"Hmm, where have I felt this before…? Have we met?"
"Maybe…? Come on, Cat, guess."
"Old acquaintance?"
"Nope."
"Nemesis? I've got a few, but I'm usually too caught up with the shiny stuff."
"Guess again, Cat."
"Hmmm… perhaps—"
Before she could finish, her hand darted fast, trying to rip off my mask while my guard was down. My spider-sense screamed. Thwip! A web shot straight across her face.
"Gah! What is this stuff?"
"Wow, Cat. Caught busy?"
"Stop. Calling. Me. CAT!!!"
With a snarl, she lunged. We grappled, momentum hurling us both off the high-rise rooftop.
The city spun in flashes of neon as we plummeted. Felicia's fists rained down—thud, thud, thud!—but I blocked, countered, struck back.
For a split second between blows, my eyes caught the skeletal frame of an unfinished building rushing up beneath us.
Damn it.
Without thinking, I stopped her fist mid-swing, grabbed her tight, and pulled her into a protective hug.
CRASH! CRASH! CRASH!
Steel beams, loose boards, and concrete dust exploded around us as we tore through three floors before slamming to a stop. My back screamed in pain.
"Ughhh… I'm gonna feel that in the morning."
An hour later, I groaned awake, dragging myself upright. My muscles burned, ribs sore, but healing. Felicia was gone.
"Shit!"
I reached up, touched my face, and realized my mask was still intact. My brows furrowed. Did she unmask me? Or… nah.
I sighed. "What a woman. And still so naïve. Eh, what am I to do—she's stubborn."
Stumbling to my feet, I dusted myself off, pain lancing with every movement.
"Thank God for Dad… those spiders' self-heal really saved my ass," I muttered, limping out of the construction site and vanishing into the night.
From the shadows, Felicia Hardy emerged, brushing dust from her suit. Her sharp eyes fell on the diamond Peter had swiped from her.
"I thought about unmasking you… but where's the fun in that, Spider?"
Her lips curled into a sly smile.
"Hmhmhmhmhm…, next time. If there is one."
She glanced at the spot where Peter had shielded her, crashing through steel and rubble to keep her safe. Her chest rose and fell softly.
"You're not like most men. Well… for now."
Hooking her grappling line, she fired upward, zipping into the glittering skyline. The night was still young, and the Cat was on the prowl.
---
Chapter 9 — End.