Peter and Ned broke into a run the second the bus doors folded open. "Move move move," Ned said like they were storming a castle instead of walking across a perfectly empty pavement.
"Do not miss the lighting, it's perfect right now," Peter added.
Behind them Gwen groaned. "You two are idiots."
That didn't slow them down.
Ned already had his phone out and was trying to unlock it while jogging. Peter nearly tripped over the curb because he was trying to fix his hair in the reflection of the screen.
"Okay okay," Ned said, skidding to a stop and spinning around so the massive Oscorp sign was somewhere behind them. "Stand here. No. Closer. Peter you look like you're being arrested."
"I don't know how to stand normally when history is happening," Peter shot back. "What do I do!? Do I stand like this?!" He stood sideways with his hand up. "Or like this?!" He put one foot on a decorative fountain.
Gwen finally caught up, slightly out of breath but smiling despite herself. "I hope you aren't about to faint over a building."
"It's not a building," Peter and Ned said at the same time.
"It's Oscorp," Ned finished reverently.
Peter jumped and threw up what he clearly thought was a cool pose but looked more like he was dodging an invisible bee.
"Bro," Ned laughed. "You look like you're being attacked."
Peter switched poses three times in two seconds. "Hurry up Ned, Take the picture before I start to evolve."
Gwen stepped forward and grabbed the back of Peter's jacket just as he leaned too far backward and almost tipped toward a decorative water feature.
"Try not to drown five feet from the entrance," she said firmly.
"That would be ironic," Peter replied.
"Stop moving," Gwen said, pulling out her own phone now. "Both of you. Stand under the sign."
Peter slung an arm around Ned's shoulders instantly and they both pointed up at the letters above them like they had personally built the place.
"Future interns," Ned whispered dramatically.
"Future Nobel Prize recipients," Peter corrected.
"Current dumbasses," Gwen added.
They laughed and squeezed closer for the photo.
As they started walking toward the doors Ned began listing facts without being prompted. "Did you know they hold like seventy something patents in advanced bioengineering," he said, barely pausing for air. "And their cross disciplinary labs collaborate on chemical synthesis and computational modeling which is insane because most places keep that stuff separate."
Peter nodded rapidly. "And the building design integrates solar absorption into the glass panels so it offsets a ridiculous amount of energy consumption which means the whole place basically powers itself during peak hours."
Gwen looked between them like she was watching two fireworks go off at the same time. "You both need to breathe," she said.
"We are breathing," Peter replied.
"You're just a hater," Ned added.
They reached the doors and stopped again because none of them actually wanted to be the first one to touch it like that would somehow ruin the moment. Ned leaned closer to the etched patterns in the glass and traced a double helix shape with his finger. "This is the coolest thing I have ever seen," he whispered.
"You said that about the vending machine they added in the cafeteria at school," Gwen reminded him.
"That was also cool," Ned defended.
Peter leaned his forehead lightly against the glass for half a second. "Imagine working here."
"Something you won't ever have to worry about," Gwen teased before she grabbed the handle and pulled the door open before either of them could overthink it.
"Come on," she said. "Before security decides we might be a threat and call the police."
They stepped inside together and immediately slowed down. Peter turned in a circle like he was trying to absorb everything at once. Ned leaned slightly toward a nearby glass wall, squinting to see into one of the labs beyond it.
"White coats," he muttered. "Actual white coats."
"We have white coats... at school and at home," Gwen sighed.
"Yeah... but these... they're... shut up," Ned said before he went back to staring in awe. They moved deeper into the lobby shoulder to shoulder, bumping into each other occasionally because none of them were watching where they were going.
"This is insane," Peter said quietly.
"We are actually here," Ned added.
They began to wonder off as they looked around the place, they wanted to see every square inch of it.
"Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy and Ned Leeds."
All three of them froze instantly.
Their teacher stood just inside the entrance, clipboard in hand. "Unless you three plan on enrolling early," she continued, "get back with the group."
Peter slowly turned.
"We were just... appreciating," he offered.
"Appreciate from within supervision range," she replied.
They could do that and it wouldn't do anything to hamper their excitement as they went back. At least that's what they thought.
Then Flash appeared out of nowhere, shoulder-checking Peter hard enough to make him stumble sideways into Ned.
"Nerd patrol in the house," Flash said with a grin. "Must be nice being returned to your natural habitat, right Penis Parker?"
Gwen didn't even hesitate. She stepped forward, locked eyes with him, and flipped him off right to his face.
Flash blinked. His mouth opened, closed, opened again. Nothing came out. His buddies behind him snickered, then shut up when they saw his face turning red. He muttered something under his breath, spun on his heel, and stormed off down the line.
Peter watched him go, then looked at Gwen. "That was badass," he said quietly.
She gave him a small smile. "Somebody had to."
Ned snorted. "I'm stealing that move. Next time he talks shit I'm just gonna stand there and do this." He mimed the gesture with both hands. "Double-barreled disrespect." They laughed, the tension popping like a balloon, and kept moving deeper into the lobby.
Ned grabbed Peter's arm and shook him like a maraca. "Dude. We're actually here. Oscorp. Right now. This is real."
Peter laughed, trying to pry Ned's fingers off. "I know, man, I know. Chill before you dislocate my shoulder."
Gwen bounced on her toes a little. "They said we're meeting Dr. Curtis Connors today. The actual guy. He's running the whole cross-species genetics division. I've read every paper he's published since I was ten."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? You know what they say. Never meet your heroes."
Ned groaned. "Peter...."
Peter elbowed Gwen lightly. "Remember Comic-Con? Ned met the guy who played Chewbacca and finds out it's just... some dude in a suit. He cried in the food court for an hour."
"I was nine!" Ned shouted.
Gwen covered her mouth, shoulders shaking. "Okay but Peter, you used to swear Han Solo and Indiana Jones were the same person."
Peter pointed at her. "That's low. That's real low."
Ned cackled. "Oh man, I forgot about that. You had the whole timeline worked out. 'He just changed his name after the carbonite thing.'"
Peter cracked his knuckles. "Ahhh but Gwen You also thought Captain Janeway was better than Picard."
"I know," Gwen cut in, lifting her chin. "And she is."
Ned and Peter both froze. They stared at her.
Ned whispered, "Traitor."
Peter clutched his chest. "We've known you since third grade. How could you do this to us?"
What followed for the next forty-five minutes, while the guide droned on about safety protocols and proprietary tech was a full-blown Star Trek captain debate. They kept their voices low-ish, but it still escalated.
"Picard beat the Borg," Ned said.
Gwen rolled her eyes. "Janeway took on the Borg and Species 8472 in the same goddamn month."
Peter jumped in. "Q."
"Q, Q2," Gwen fired back. "And the Q civil war."
"Professor Moriarty," Peter said.
"Amelia Earhart," Gwen countered instantly.
Ned threw his hands up. "Lieutenant Commander Data!"
"Seven of Nine," she said smugly.
Peter and Ned looked at each other.
Ned sighed and dropped his head. "Shit."
Peter exhaled through his nose. "Shit."
They both shut up recognising Gwen had won that round. The guide was finally leading them toward the elevators, and they figured they should probably pretend to be paying attention.
Gwen fell in step behind Peter, watching the back of his head while he talked quietly with Ned about the cross-species exhibit. She caught herself thinking again that maybe if she showed up to his house dressed like Seven of Nine he'd finally notice. Like, really notice.
'Stupid idea.' She knew it was stupid.
But then she thought about telling him. Just saying it. Out loud. I like you. More than friends. And I have for years. Her stomach flipped just imagining it. Rejection would probably kill her. Or at least make her hide in her room for a month.
So maybe small tests. Little hints. See if he reacted.
'Maybe he likes me back and the outfit would make him lose it and jump me right there.' She almost laughed out loud at the mental image. 'Peter Parker making a move? On purpose? The same guy who once spent fifteen minutes trying to ask MJ if she wanted a soda and ended up talking about the periodic table instead?'
'Yeah. Right.'
Still. She smiled to herself.
Pretty soon they stepped off the elevator onto the genetics floor.
Ned whispered, "Holy crap."
Peter's eyes were wide. "This is it."
___________________________________
The group followed the tour guide through a set of double doors that slid open with a hiss, and they stepped into the Cross-Species Genetics Lab. Rows of glass enclosures lined the walls, and inside them Peter could see snakes coiled on branches, spiders spinning webs between plastic frames, and a few small rodents moving around.
Dr. Curt Connors waited near the center of the room. He wore a standard white lab coat over his shirt and tie, and the sleeves had dark smudges from marker and what looked like old chemical stains. He turned when he heard them come in and smiled at the them all.
"Welcome," he said. "You must be the Midtown group. I'm Dr. Connors. Come on in, but please stay behind the yellow lines on the floor. I'm afraid that I'm very busy today so I won't be able to give you an extended tour so please come along."
Peter, Gwen, and Ned walked forward together. Peter kept his hands in his pockets so he would not be tempted to touch anything. Gwen scanned the enclosures one after another, and Ned stayed close to Peter whispering how this was the greatest moment in his life.
Dr. Connors gestured toward a large tank where a lizard with an extra set of limbs clung to the glass. "This is one of our early successes with regenerative sequencing. We took genetic markers from certain salamanders and introduced them into a common gecko species. The results have been... encouraging."
Gwen nodded. "The limb regrowth protocol you published last year. You used CRISPR variants to stabilize the expression across generations."
Connors raised an eyebrow. "You've read the paper. Good. Most people your age just skim the abstract."
Ned leaned toward Peter and whispered, "She's showing off."
Peter gave him a small nudge with his elbow to shut him up.
Connors moved on to the next station, a row of arachnid enclosures. "Here we're working with silk production and tensile strength. Spider silk is still one of the strongest natural materials we know, pound for pound. If we can replicate the spinning glands in a mammalian host, the applications for medical sutures or even lightweight armor become very real."
Peter stared at the spiders. One of them built a web incredibly fast. He had to admit they were fascinating, and the webs they built were mesmerising.
Connors turned to the group again. "Any questions so far?"
Gwen raised her hand halfway. "How do you handle the risk of unintended mutations? Cross-species gene transfer can create cascading effects that aren't always predictable."
Connors nodded slowly. "We do. That's why every protocol runs through multiple containment tiers and why we terminate any line that shows instability. Progress is important, but control is non-negotiable."
Ned spoke up next, quieter than usual. "This stuff could change everything, right? Like, prosthetics that actually grow back limbs, or stronger materials for bridges, or medicine that fixes genetic disorders"
Connors looked at him for a second. "It could. And it could go wrong in ways we haven't even imagined yet. That's the balance we live with every day."
He stepped closer to Peter then, tilting his head a little as he studied the boy's face. "You haven't said much. What's your name?"
"Peter Parker," Peter answered.
Connors paused. His expression changed, just for a second. "Parker. Richard and Mary Parker?"
Peter blinked. "Yeah. Those were my parents."
Connors let out a short breath, almost a laugh but not quite. "I knew them. Richard and I worked together here for almost three years before... well, before the accident. He was one of the sharpest biochemists I ever met. We used to argue over coffee about enzyme kinetics until the custodial staff kicked us out of the break room at midnight."
Peter swallowed. He had not expected this. "I never knew he worked here."
Connors gave a small shrug. "We lost touch after they left Oscorp. Government contracts pulled them away, and then... you know the rest. I'm sorry for your loss, Peter. They were good people."
Peter nodded once. "Thanks."
Gwen reached over and touched Peter's arm lightly, just a quick squeeze that let him know she was there.
Connors cleared his throat and turned back to the group. "Anyway. Let's move on to the demonstration chamber. We have a live tissue sample regenerating right now. You can watch through the observation window, but no photos, please."
They followed him across the lab floor. Peter walked a little slower than the others. He kept glancing at the enclosures, at the spiders especially. Gwen fell in step beside him.
"You okay?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah," he said. "Just... didn't see that coming."
She nodded. "He seemed like he really liked them."
Peter looked at her. "Yeah it did."
Ned caught up on Peter's other side. "Dude. Your dad worked here. With the THE Curtis Conners. That's insane."
Peter managed a half smile. "Yeah. Kind of is."
They reached the observation window. Inside the chamber a small section of lizard tail sat on a tray under bright lights. The stump already showed new tissue forming at the edges. Connors stood next to them. "Watch closely. This is what cross-species genetics can do when it works."
They stood at the observation window, shoulder to shoulder, watching the small piece of lizard tail under the bright lights. The stump already had a thin ring of new tissue growing around the edges, pink and smooth, spreading slowly like it had all the time in the world.
Connors stood right next to them. "Watch closely. This is what cross-species genetics can do when everything lines up correctly."
The tissue kept moving, cells multiplying under the magnification feed on the screen beside the window. Peter leaned in a little closer and looked with wide eyes. Gwen had her notebook out and was making as many notes as she could. Ned had breathed out through his nose like he could not believe what he was seeing.
While they were watching a lab technician in blue scrubs hurried over to Connors and pulled him a step away. She leaned in and whispered. Connors listened, then his face changed. His mouth turned into a scowl. "Escaped?" he whispered back. "Find it. Now. That was the last one we had left. We cannot lose it."
The technician nodded and jogged out of the room.
Connors turned back to the group. He cleared his throat and forced a polite smile that did not reach his eyes. "I'm sorry, everyone," he said. "We have to cut the tour short. There's a small emergency we need to handle right away. If you could all head toward the exit and rejoin your guide outside the lab, that would be great. Thank you for your understanding."
He gestured toward the double doors they had come through. The group started moving, a little slower than before, murmuring to each other. They filed out into the corridor. Peter glanced down and saw one of his laces had come completely undone, trailing across the floor.
He crouched to tie it.
"Go ahead," he told Gwen and Ned. "I'll catch up in a second."
Gwen hesitated. "You sure?"
"Yeah. It's just my shoe. I'll be right behind you."
Ned shrugged. "Don't get lost, man. This place is a maze."
They kept walking with the rest of the group. Peter finished the knot, double-tied it this time, and stood up. When he looked down the hallway, everyone was already around the corner. The corridor stretched empty in both directions.
"Come on, Pete," he muttered to himself. "Learn to tie your shoes faster than a toddler."
He started jogging, weaving past a couple of lab techs carrying clipboards and a rolling cart of sample trays. The halls were busier now, people moving quick in every direction, doors opening and closing, voices overlapping.
He turned a corner and felt a hand clamp down hard on his shoulder. It yanked him to a stop so fast he almost tripped. Flash stood there smirking at him. "What's up, puny Parker?" he said. "I see you somehow managed to escape one of the exhibits let me help you with that."
Peter opened his mouth, but Flash already had him by the front of his hoodie. He shoved hard. Peter stumbled backward through an open doorway into a narrow supply closet where numerous mops and cleaning supplies fell on him, and a moment later the door slammed shut behind him.
"No need to thank me, Parker," Flash called through the wood. "I know you like small, dark spaces. I'm sure I can find Leeds a matching closet."
Peter heard footsteps fade down the hall, then laughter from Flash and whoever was with him.
He reached for the handle and turned it. Locked. He pushed with his shoulder. Something heavy was wedged against the other side, like a cart or a box, maybe.
Either way it did not budge.
He thought about yelling, but the walls were thick and the lab was full of people working with chemicals and live specimens. One loud noise could knock over a tray or startle someone into spilling something dangerous. Better to wait. Someone would come by eventually and move whatever was blocking the door.
He slid down to the floor with his back against the wall. The dark did not bother him much. It actually felt kind of nice, like the world got more relaxing when he could not see it. He closed his eyes and listened to the muffled sounds from the hallway.
Something then brushed the back of his neck. He twitched, thinking it was a loose thread from his hoodie or a piece of dust.
Then he felt it again.
Before he could react, a sharp sting hit right below his hairline. Peter hissed through his teeth and slapped at his neck. His palm connected with something small. It crunched under his hand and fell to the floor.
But a few moments later pain exploded outward from where he felt the sting, it was like he was being burnt and electrocuted all at the same time, it was racing down his spine and into his arms. His muscles locked up. He tried to stand, but his legs buckled and he fell over and hit the ground on his knees, then he fell sideways slamming into a shelf.
His vision started to blur, he grabbed his ears as everything started to hurt, everything was too loud and too bright even in the dark. His heartbeat was thundering in his ears, he could even hear the sound of his own blood rushing through his body, and it felt like chalk scraping against a board.
He curled in on himself and tried to call out for help, but he couldn't even make a sound. Then the world tilted, went soft at the edges, and everything went black.
He did not feel himself hit the floor the second time.
____________________________________
Peter came to slowly, the darkness in his head breaking apart bit by bit. A constant banging pulled him back, loud at first and then rven louder, until it sounded like a jackhammer against his ears. He opened his eyes and looked up just in time to see the door to the closet he was in open.
Gwen and Ned burst through the opening. They dropped to their knees on either side of him the second they saw him sprawled on the floor. "Peter!" Gwen said in a panic. "Are you okay? What happened? It was Flash, right?"
Ned leaned in closer. "Dude, we looked everywhere for you. Then we saw this stupid metal cart jammed against the door. Are you hurt? You look really pale."
Peter pushed himself up on one elbow. His head pounded, and his arms felt like they weighed twice as much as normal. He managed a small smile anyway. "I'm okay," he said. "Just feel kind of sick. Flash shoved me in here and blocked the door. Thought it was hilarious, I guess. It's not a big deal. I just need some air."
Gwen's mouth pressed into a thin line. "It's a big deal. He doesn't get to do this and walk away. We're not letting him get away with it."
Peter looked between them.
Their faces were so worried and it made something warm settle in his chest despite how lousy he felt. "Thanks, guys," he said quietly. "Really."
Ned offered a hand and pulled him to his feet. Peter swayed for a second, then balanced himself by grabbing Ned's shoulder. They walked out of the closet together and found one of the chaperoning teachers in the main corridor.
"Mr. Harlan," she said. "Flash Thompson locked Peter in a supply closet. He pushed him in and moved a cart in front of the door so he couldn't get out."
The teacher glanced at Peter, then back at Gwen. He shrugged. "It's your word against his," he said. "His friends will probably say he was with them the whole time. Without proof, there's not much I can do."
Gwen's jaw tightened. Her hands balled into fists at her sides.
Peter put a hand on her shoulder before she could say anything. "It's okay, Gwen," he told her. "It doesn't matter right now." He still felt terrible, like his whole body was running a low-grade fever, and he just wanted to be home.
He turned to the teacher. "Can I leave early? I'm not feeling great."
Mr. Harlan nodded. "Yeah, go ahead. Call your aunt if you need to."
Gwen stepped forward. "I'll take him home. Ned, you stay for the rest of the tour. The robotics section is next, and you've been talking about it for weeks."
Ned hesitated. "You sure, man? I can come with you."
Peter gave him a weak fist bump. "I'm good. Go check out the bots. Tell me everything later."
Ned nodded reluctantly. "Alright. Text me when you get home, okay?"
They said goodbye, and Gwen slipped an arm around Peter's waist to help him walk. He leaned most of his weight on her as they made their way to the exit and then to the street. He felt awkward being this close, his side pressed against hers, but he also liked it more than he wanted to admit. She smelled clean, like citrus and whatever shampoo she used, and he had to stop himself from turning his head toward her neck.
The walk to the subway was slow. By the time they got to his apartment building and up the stairs, he was breathing harder than he should have been.
The apartment was quiet when they stepped inside. No lights on in the living room, no sound from the kitchen.
"Is May still running the F.E.A.S.T. in Queens?" Gwen asked as she guided him down the hall to his room.
"Yeah," Peter said. "Martin told her she was doing so well at the Harlem branch that she should take over the new one. She's been there most days this week."
Gwen helped him sit on the edge of the bed. He kicked off his shoes and let himself fall back against the pillows while keeping his feet on the floor for a second.
She sat beside him, then stretched out next to him so they were lying side by side. They had done this a hundred times when they were hanging out alone, talking until one of them dozed off, sharing headphones, whatever. It felt normal.
Gwen turned her head toward him. "Peter," she said softly. "I think I'm in love with you."
She paused with bated breath wondering what he might say. Though when she turned to look at him she saw he was already asleep. Gwen watched him for a minute. A small smile pulled at her mouth. She leaned over and pressed a light kiss to his cheek.
Then she lifted his legs onto the bed one at a time, pulled the blanket up over him, and tucked it around his shoulders.
She stood up, took one last look at him sleeping, and walked out of the room. She closed the door quietly behind her before she left the apartment.
(AN: Peter's powers are gonna be a bit weaker, think like MCU spider man kinda, he won't have a fully developed Spider sense yet but eventually, it'll get to the point of no way home and TASM 2 and he'll be able to lift 5 tons and as he grows older it'll increase to the usual 10, rest isn't that different.... Or is it)
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