Chapter 310: Big Daddy and Hit-Girl
The Rooftop Rescue
"Achoo!" Gwen sneezed as the biting night wind cut through her clothes.
"Whew..." She rubbed her hands together and blew on them for warmth. She didn't know what to do; her phone had fallen during the struggle with the Green Goblin.
Just then, she saw her savior—the red-and-blue silhouette of Spider-Man! In that moment, he looked like a warm sun, bringing light and heat to her freezing night.
"Are you alright?" Peter asked, landing in front of her.
Gwen immediately threw her arms around him, leaning into his chest to absorb his body heat. "Thank goodness you came back."
"Sorry, that guy was a bit... persistent." Peter didn't dare tell her the truth: that he had actually forgotten she was up there.
"It's okay. Let's just get out of here," Gwen said. She didn't want to stay on this roof for another second.
"Right." Peter looked at her and summoned his courage. "Then... you'd better hold on tight."
"Okay." Gwen wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing herself firmly against him.
Under his mask, Peter's face turned bright red. His heart hammered in his chest as he took a deep breath.
"What's wrong?" Gwen asked. Even through the suit, she could feel his heart rate skyrocketing.
"Nothing." Peter wrapped his left arm around her soft waist, and with his right hand, he fired a web to carry them away from the heights.
Late Night at the Parkers
Back home, Silas was lounging in his chair, rocking gently as he focused intently on a video game. Peter emerged slowly from the Shadow Kingdom and flopped onto Silas's bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His mind was still drifting back to his moments with Gwen.
"What's up? You look like you've lost your soul. Did you finally confess to your goddess and get rejected?" Silas asked, glancing back at his brother.
Peter immediately sat up. "Come on, Silas! My love story has only just begun."
"Love story? Begun?!" Silas's interest piqued. He used his telekinesis to spin his chair around to face Peter. "Did Gwen agree to be your girlfriend?"
"Well... no," Peter admitted.
"..." Silas gave him an unimpressed look and turned back to his game. "That's it? And you're talking about a 'love story'?"
"No, Silas, you don't understand." Peter pulled off his mask and sprawled out like a starfish on the bed. He began fantasizing about a future with Gwen, occasionally letting out a goofy chuckle.
"Yeah, yeah, I don't understand," Silas muttered. He couldn't fathom what Peter had experienced tonight to make him giggle like that.
Knock, knock, knock! The sound shattered Peter's daydream. Startled, he dove into the Shadow Kingdom to slip into his own room next door and change into his regular clothes.
"Come in!" Silas called out, smiling at Peter's quick exit.
Uncle Ben pushed the door open, carrying two glasses of warm milk. "I figured you'd both be in here. Here, have some warm milk to help you sleep."
"Thanks, Uncle Ben!" the brothers said in unison. Ben set the steaming glasses on the desk.
"What were you boys talking about?" Ben asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Nothing much," Peter said shiftily.
Silas, however, couldn't resist. "Nothing, Uncle Ben. It's just that Peter has his eye on a girl."
"Silas!" Peter's eyes widened. He couldn't believe Silas was selling him out like this.
Uncle Ben's eyes lit up. "Oh? Tell me, Peter. Which girl? What's her name?"
"No, Uncle Ben, don't listen to him! I..." Peter turned bright red.
"Gwen Stacy," Silas added with a mischievous grin. "A classmate of ours. Great girl, blonde hair, blue eyes."
To Peter, Silas's smile looked like that of a teasing demon.
"Oh~ Gwen Stacy. That's a lovely name. Maybe I'll see her tomorrow when I drop you off at school," Ben said, clearly delighted.
Peter quickly stood up. "See you tomorrow, Uncle Ben!" He hurried out the door to hide in his own room.
"Looks like he's a bit shy," Ben chuckled.
"He's just a shy little boy," Silas said, the corners of his mouth curling upward. Unlike Peter, Silas wasn't shy about his own relationship with Mary Jane; having lived two lives, he was far more composed.
"Well, don't stay up too late. I'll take Peter's milk to him," Ben said, picking up the second glass and heading next door.
Once Ben left, a Shadow Ninja appeared beside Silas. It added a bit of sugar to the milk, stirred it, and handed it to him. Silas took a sip. "Mmm~ much better with sugar."
Dangers in Hell's Kitchen
On the other side of town, in Hell's Kitchen—
"Stop right there!" A group of fierce-looking men was chasing a slender figure through the alleys.
"Damn it!" The figure clutched her right arm, gritting her teeth against the pain.
Her name was Rei Ryougi, a Japanese woman from a kendo dojo and a master of the blade. She had come to America to avenge her father, only to find her enemy belonged to a massive criminal organization led by a man named Kingpin. Her revenge had seemed impossible, but she had managed to assassinate her target with her katana.
Now, she was being hunted. A bullet had struck her right arm, and she was losing blood rapidly.
"It doesn't matter. He's dead," Rei whispered. Her strength was gone. She leaned against a brick wall, exhausted. She had achieved her goal.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Shit! She has backup!" the mobsters shouted, diving for cover as bullets returned fire.
Backup? Rei frowned. She didn't remember having any allies.
"Can you walk?" A small figure appeared beside her. It was a young girl with purple hair.
"Who are you?" Rei asked, confused. What was a little girl doing in a place like this?
"I'm Hit-Girl. Relax, we're the good guys. Can you move?" Mindy McCready glanced at the katana on Rei's back. "Cool sword."
Rei noticed the girl's gaze and saw a katana strapped to the girl's back as well. "Yours isn't bad either."
"We can swap trade secrets later. Let's move; they have us outnumbered," Big Daddy said, joining them.
"He's Big Daddy. Let's go," Mindy said. She pulled a smoke grenade from her belt and hurled it toward the mobsters.
Puff!
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