The night breeze was cool, neon lights glittered all around them, and singing drifted over from a nearby church. Who would have guessed that beneath the beauty of such a magnificent metropolis, all kinds of filthy things were hiding in the dark?
Peter did not know why he had come here, but he felt that he should have. Whenever a Spider-Man was in a bad mood, he would climb somewhere high, look up at the stars, look down at the earth, and try to calm himself that way.
Peter was no exception.
"Punisher actually isn't a bad title."
Peter's sudden remark snapped Gwen out of her daze, and when she spoke again, she sounded even more embarrassed than before.
"Oh. Sorry for calling you that. But your methods are still too extreme. I still can't agree with them."
"The father of that boy was a police officer. He was a good man. Over the years, he arrested plenty of super-criminals, and last year he died at the hands of a crazed bomber..."
"So after that, the mother and son lost the protection of the man of the house, and criminals started crawling out one after another. What do you think would have happened if I hadn't shown up?"
"That boy would have been strangled to death, and that woman would have been sold to a brothel and used by anyone who paid."
"Tell me, did that boy's father and that woman's husband count as a hero? Did a hero's family deserve to be treated like that?"
"I... I don't know... I... actually..."
Gwen stumbled over her words, wanting to argue, but not knowing what to say.
"See? You already have the answer in your heart, Spider-Woman."
"Not every criminal deserves mercy. Some are forced into things by circumstance, but some are just sick in the head. I can't treat them all the same. I'm only human. If I put myself in that situation, if my family or friends were treated like that, I think I'd lose my mind."
Peter's words immediately made Gwen think of her father, George.
That was right. Her father was a police officer too, and every day he dealt with vicious criminals. If she had never gotten spider powers, if her father had died in the line of duty, then how much better off would she and her mother really be compared to that mother and son from earlier?
She did not dare think about it.
Because now she had the power to protect everyone.
The only problem was that she still felt lost about how she was supposed to use that power.
Gwen looked at her own hands. Deep down, she already knew the answer, but she still did not want to believe it.
"I'm really confused. What are we even supposed to do with this kind of power? I just wanted to stop criminals, even if it was only enough to improve public safety a little. But I feel like I've completely failed. Even the news says I'm a menace."
Gwen was only seventeen. Thinking too much was normal. Being crushed by doubt and feeling completely lost was even more normal.
"With great power comes great responsibility. But that only works under one condition. First, you make sure the people around you don't get hurt. Then you do what you can. But being too merciful is just cruelty to yourself. Hesitation isn't a good thing."
"Hey, listening to you, people would think you were some old man. You sound just like my dad when you start lecturing."
Gwen rolled her eyes at Peter, then quietly enjoyed the night for a while before suddenly turning toward him again.
"So what's your name? It's not every day I meet someone like me. I think we'd have a lot to talk about."
"My name is Gw... My name is Wanda. I'm seventeen."
Wow. That was really not how you made friends. Trying to become friends while hiding your real name? Nice one.
Since you're using a fake name, then so will I.
Peter smiled and held out his hand.
"You can call me Benjamin. And what a coincidence, I'm seventeen too."
"Really?! What month were you born in?"
"August. August tenth."
"Hey, I'm in April, so you should call me big sister. Yes!"
Peter knew she was the kind of person who could get ridiculously excited over the tiniest little victory. He just had not expected her to get this happy over winning in the birth-month ranking.
Thinking that, he could not help shaking his head with a bitter smile.
This girl really had not changed at all.
"But Benjamin, you have the exact same birthday as one of my best friends. What a crazy coincidence~"
"Judging by how excited you sound, that best friend of yours isn't your boyfriend, is he?"
Peter obviously knew Gwen was talking about him, and with a playful urge rising in him, he could not resist teasing her.
"N-no! If I had to describe him, he's my childhood friend. And that idiot is completely hopeless when it comes to feelings..."
The moment she thought of Peter acting like a block of wood all the time, Gwen could not stop herself from complaining.
"That look on your face won't fool anybody, Wanda. You really like him, don't you?"
"Yeah... I do. For eight years now..."
Peter froze.
You liked me when you were nine?!
Oh my God, when did I become that charming?
Wait, no, we had only just met eight years ago...
Gwen's answer left Peter a little stunned. He had known Gwen liked him, but he had never known those feelings had been buried in her heart for that long. To Peter, that was a bombshell.
"That guy must be denser than wood. If a hot girl with a great figure liked me, I'd be so happy I wouldn't be able to sleep."
Peter, whose face was about as thick as a concrete load-bearing wall, casually mocked himself without the slightest mental burden.
"Exactly! I even learned dance for him specially, and you should know I hate dancing..."
"What kind of dance? I wonder if I'd be lucky enough to see it."
Peter was genuinely curious.
Gwen nodded, then started moving. She clapped her hands, rotated both arms in alternating circles, then stepped in rhythm and stretched her arms up high, dancing with a very steady pattern.
Peter's face darkened as he watched the girl dancing beside him.
This needed to be learned?
And on top of that, this was obviously his signature dance move, wasn't it?!
Without a suit, it had no soul at all.
"So? How was my dancing?"
Gwen stopped and looked at him curiously.
"It's... definitely unique. Absolutely incredible."
Looking at Peter's slightly gritted teeth and indescribable expression, the girl's bright laughter once again rang in his ears.
"Hahahaha, I'm messing with you. That's his dance move. If I ever dance for real, I'll only dance for him. You can forget it~"
"It's already ten. I need to go home and finish my homework. Bye, Spider-Man. No, bye, Benjamin~"
Standing atop the skyscraper, Gwen waved at Peter, then dropped backward off the edge. Just before reaching the ground, she fired a web line and swung away through the city's high-rises.
Watching the white figure disappear into the distance, Peter slowly removed his mask and smiled.
"See you tomorrow, Gwen."
"And... I really like you too."
...
Back at home, Peter stuffed the suit into his backpack and sat under the desk lamp tinkering with a little gadget. He was working on a tracking device, which would make things much easier for his next moves.
Creak...
The door opened softly.
"Aunt May, I'm going to bed soon. My little invention is almost done~"
Peter did not turn around as he inserted a chip into the device.
"Haha, it's me, Peter. Your Aunt May's already asleep."
Peter turned around in surprise.
This time, it was Uncle Ben.
Usually it was Aunt May who came into his room, not Ben.
"Uncle Ben..."
"Kid, you seem a little different today. Looks like puberty's finally hit. My little Peter's about ready to start dating."
Uncle Ben's teasing words made Peter blush. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"What are you talking about? I'm only seventeen..."
"Seventeen isn't young. Your Aunt May and I started dating when we were sixteen. Kid, I've been there. You're not fooling me. It's Gwen, right? You two must've had a great time today. Did you confess to her?"
"N-not yet. If I confessed too casually, I'm worried she'd think I was some kind of lightweight."
"Good. That means you've got foresight. I can tell that girl likes you too. If the two of you really end up together, you have to take good care of her, alright?"
"I know, Uncle Ben. I will."
"Alright then. Your Aunt May was worried you might be getting bullied. I'll go tell her what's really going on. She'll probably get so excited she won't be able to sleep. I'm heading to bed. You should rest soon too, Peter."
Uncle Ben closed the door behind him.
Peter turned back around and continued fiddling with the tracking launcher, but the smile on his face would not go away.
At last, after finishing the miniature tracker, Peter looked at the photo on the desk, the three smiling faces full of happiness, and the smile on his own face grew even wider.
"My Uncle Ben is going to live a long, good life."
"And so is my Aunt May."
(End of Chapter)
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