8 Chapter 8- I Got Addicted to a Losing Game
Author's Note: We are two chapters away from the end of the first season, send Power Stone if you want both tomorrow.
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After a few minutes, Arthur finally arrives at the address, making sure there is no one around. He takes off his mask and observes the cozy house, with several candles in honor of Spider-Man in the garden. 'I hope everything went well.'
Approaching the door, Arthur rings the doorbell, waiting a few seconds. A lady opens the door holding a baseball bat.
"Hello, are you a fan or something?"
"No, I mean, yes, I'm a fan, but I didn't come for that. My name is Arthur Maxwell, and I'm from this reality," Arthur said, hoping that his friends had explained his situation.
"Oh! You're the one they're expecting. I'm May Parker," she responds, inviting him inside. "You're as young as he was when he started," she adds, leading him to the backyard.
"Yes… I was there when it happened, I'm sorry."
"You don't have to, my boy. Peter knew the risks, but he still chose to be Spider-Man." May said weakly.
Arthur decides to remain silent. He could feel the sadness of the lady, who was clearly struggling to appear strong in front of him.
"You can call me May; your friends are downstairs," she said as they entered the yard. "This is where Peter stored his technology; you can use it and enter at any time with this key." May hands him a padlock key; What appeared to be a simple storage shed was, in fact, a secret base. "I'm sure the new Spider-Man in town will need this. I know Peter would approve."
"T-thank you, May, I promise I'll protect this city just as Peter Parker did."
"I know you will; I can see it in your eyes," she said before bidding farewell and heading back home.
Upon entering, the floor begins to descend, and Arthur looks around in awe. There was a gym, computers, instruments, uniforms, and even some vehicles with the Spider-Man theme. 'This place is going to make my job easier.'
Peter B., who was focused on a photo of Mary Jane, missing the MJ from his reality, hears the elevator descending. Looking up, he sees Arthur arriving. "Guys! Guys! Arthur's here!" He shouts happily upon seeing his student.
Upon reaching the ground, Arthur sees Gwen and Peter waiting for him, along with... a black-and-white man... a pig... and a giant robot with a little girl. "...Hello?"
"Guys, this is Arthur, and he's going to save the multiverse." Peter B. says excitedly, coming up to his side.
"...I really?" 'What is this idiot doing!?'
"This kid knows how to turn invisible; look, he's going to do it now!"
Arthur concentrates and becomes invisible. 'I'll do what he's saying; This must be some kind of demonstration.
"Did you see how cool that was? Now show them the shock."
Arthur focuses on the sensation from last time, and a few seconds later, sparks fly out of his hand.
....
"I must admit, in all my years hunting Nazis, I've never seen a man with so many... peculiarities. My name is Peter Parker, pleasure to meet you, my boy," the black and white Spider-Man introduced himself.
"My name is Peni Parker, and this spider inside the robot is my best friend; we share a connection," said the girl atop the robot with a small spider on her arm.
'The spider controls the robot?' Arthur thinks after seeing the compartment from which the spider emerged.
"And I'm Peter Porker." The pig introduced himself, raising his hand, hoping this one would be more polite than the others.
Arthur shakes Porker's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you." Then, the four feel a connection forming through their spider-senses.
"We're alike."
"We're alike."
"We're alike."
"We're—" "Okay, okay, we're all alike here. Arthur, what happened to your uncle?" Peter Porker was interrupted by Gwen, who was concerned about her friend's situation.
"Well, where to begin..."
***
"Haa... how are you, kid?" Peter B. asks after hearing the situation.
"I... I don't know, it's a lot happening all at once. I'm angry, sad, helpless... I don't even know anymore." Arthur shared everything his uncle said. 'I want to know your opinions.'
Gwen stood by her friend, running her hand on his back, trying to provide a bit of reassurance.
"Arthur, we've all been through this. For me, it was my Uncle Ben," said Peter B.
"For me, it was my Uncle Benjamin."
"For me, it was my father."
"For me, it was my best friend."
Noir, Penny, and Gwen said respectively.
"Arthur, one of the most challenging parts of being a hero is dealing with pain in a solitary and responsible way. If we seek revenge for our loved ones, would that make them proud of us? Could we live with the conscience of having acted in the same way as villains? Do we have the right to become the enforcers of punishment?" Porker spoke in deep reflection.
Everyone looks in shock at Peter Porker, not expecting such intelligent and wise words from the "cartoon."
"Those were... wise words, little pig," Noir says impressed, even though he no longer has many feelings about killing people.
"Hey! That's racist."
"Anyway, how's the system key going?" Arthur returns to the more urgent matter. Despite understanding what they wanted to convey, he already had plans for what to do. 'As I thought, we've been through similar things... maybe there's a reason for that?'
"Ah! I forgot about it; I'm almost done," Peni replied, returning to her robot to finish building the key.
"Okay... I think I'll grab a uniform for myself in the meantime," Arthur responds, heading towards the numerous uniforms in the room.
Looking around, he doesn't see any that represent him; all of them belonged to the old Spider-Man, and now he was... the new Spider-Man. 'I need to make a new one.' Grabbing the classic Spider-Man suit, Arthur lays it on a table in the corner.
'I need paint.' Arthur begins to search the place, looking around he takes the opportunity to see what the other spiders are doing. Noir is trying to figure out a Rubik's Cube with Porker teaching him, Gwen is stretching with ballet steps 'Maybe a way to calm down?', Peter B. has dozed off sitting, and Peni is working on the system key.
'I'm going to miss them both...' Arthur finally finds fabric paints after exploring various interesting technologies for the future. "Hmm... this will do," he murmurs, thinking about the suit's designer. Returning to the table, he starts to modify the suit, imprinting his personality onto it.
'As a tribute to Peter, I'll keep his mask. Now, let's change this spider.' He enlarges the spider and its legs, covering a good part of the chest; then, it forms a V shape reaching just above the navel and below the shoulder. The upper part remains red with classic webs; from the bottom, he paints it black. The only red part, aside from the top of the suit, is his palms, which he keeps in red with webs.
Taking a few steps back, he looks at his future uniform, feeling proud of his work. 'There's room for some accessories, but it'll do for now.'
Arthur decides to go up; all the work made him thirsty. As he walks towards the elevator, he is called by Gwen.
"Where are you going, Arthur?"
"I'm just going to get some water."
"I will accompany you."
The two enter the elevator in silence, both tired of the whole situation.
"These days have been hectic, huh?" Gwen breaks the ice.
"Yeah, I don't even want to imagine what my parents are going to say when they see me."
"You haven't talked to them these days?"
"...no."
"Arthur, you're in trouble."
"I know."
The elevator finally arrives; they step out and head towards the house. "You know, I really enjoyed getting to know you all," Arthur comments as they enter through the door.
"I did too."
"Do you need anything, kids?" May asks as she sees them entering.
"We just wanted some water," they both say at the same time.
"You can grab it from the fridge, dears, make yourselves at home." They both thank her and head to the kitchen. Pouring themselves water, they look at each other as they drink.
"I never said this, but you look amazing in this uniform, Gwen, especially with those ballet shoes."
"Thank you, Arthur. I took a look at your uniform, liked how you modified it; I'm sure you'll look great in it too." She responded; the two continued to gaze at each other. "…you felt it too, didn't you?"
"The difference in our connection?"
"Yes... it's more intense." She says, moving closer to him.
"Stronger." He also approaches her; now, both feel each other's breath.
"That won't lead anywhere."
"You're leaving."
"Yes, I'm leaving."
"But I want to try."
"I do too."
The two bring their faces even closer, finally touching their lips; at first, it was gentle, but soon they began to surrender, their spider senses resonating with each other. It felt right... it was right for both of them.
After two minutes, they pull away, breathing heavily; the mental ecstasy was stronger than either of them had anticipated.
"That was..."
"...Incredible." Gwen concludes; never in her life did she imagine that her first kiss would bring not only physical pleasure but also such a deep connection. "Let's do it again."
"Alright."
When they were about to start again, Peter B. barges into the kitchen.
"Guys..."
Arthur: (⊙＿⊙)
Gwen: (⊙ˍ⊙)
Peter B.: (⚆ᗝ⚆)
"Sorry...to interrupt...you two..." Peter B. starts to slowly walk out of the kitchen.
"Peter!" Arthur and Gwen scream at the same time.
"Okay, okay, I'm not even going to comment on the fact that you two are kissing in an elderly lady's kitchen moments before facing a villain who could destroy the entire city, and…"
"Peter!" They both interrupted, visibly embarrassed.
"I just came to say that the key is ready and that we are ready for action. But if you need a few more minutes, I can... wait." He winks at them before leaving the kitchen, laughing to himself.
Both Arthur and Gwen were aware that the brief moment they shared had come to an end. Now, they needed to focus on preparing for the mission to save the city.
'Let's end this' Arthur thinks, determined, as he returns to the base.
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Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or songs featured in this fic. Additionally, I do not claim ownership of any products or properties mentioned in this novel. This work is entirely fictional.
