Webs of Fate

The week of Gwen's suspension dragged on slower than she could have imagined. She was used to school, socializing, and after-school activities that filled her day with structure and excitement. Now, her days were filled with monotony—homework, chores, and more homework. The house was eerily quiet, with only the hum of her mind to keep her company.

But there was one thing that kept her from completely losing her mind: the growing buzz about a masked vigilante in New York. It had started as murmurs, small mentions on the news about a mysterious figure stopping petty criminals in alleyways and rescuing people in distress. Then the reports grew—this masked hero wasn't just some random guy. He was capturing criminals in... spiderwebs?

Gwen couldn't shake the curiosity. Every night, the idea of a "spider-man" haunted her thoughts. The pieces didn't quite fit, but they were close enough to leave her perplexed.

On the fifth day of her suspension, her father, Captain Stacy, came home with more news about the masked vigilante. They were discussing it over dinner.

"I still think he's just some nut job," George said, shaking his head. "But there's something different about him. He's not just beating up thugs and running off—he's tying them up in these... webs. We're talking high-tensile, sticky as hell, and almost impossible to break out of. It's got everyone in the force scratching their heads."

Gwen poked at her food, her mind spinning. Webs. She couldn't help but zone out, thoughts drifting to what her father had said. After a few moments, she resolved that she needed to track down this Spider-Man herself.

The next day arrived, and Gwen's suspension was finally over. As her mom woke her up for school, Gwen groaned but rolled out of bed. At least she'd get to see Peter again. She couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought of their easygoing banter.

Just as she was about to head out the door, her dad stopped her. "And Gwen, no more starting fights at school, okay? Especially not on Peter's behalf."

Gwen's smile widened involuntarily at the mention of Peter, but when she saw the knowing look on her parents' faces, her cheeks flushed red. Without a word, she bolted out the door, eager to avoid further embarrassment.

Meanwhile, Peter had started his morning with a bang—quite literally. On his way to school, he had been forced to intervene when a car thief tried to make a break for it. After quickly webbing the guy to a lamppost, Peter realized the time and cursed under his breath. He was going to be late. Again.

Running through the school hallways, Peter barely had time to think before he crashed into someone, sending books and papers flying.

"Ugh!" The girl he knocked over glared at him, ready to unleash some fury, until she realized who it was.

"Peter?"

Peter's heart sank. Of course, it was Gwen. In his flustered state, his words came out in a stuttering mess. "Oh my—Gwen, I'm s-so sorry! I didn't mean to—are you okay?"

Gwen's eyes softened at his awkward apology, but the slight shock from their fingers brushing as they gathered her things made her pause. There was a familiar buzzing sensation—just for a moment—like a quiet echo in her head. Peter looked equally startled, but they quickly collected themselves, stepping back from each other.

The moment of awkward silence was broken by the ringing of the school bell. Gwen glanced toward the entrance. "I need to get to class. See you later, Pete."

"Y-yeah, see you..." Peter stammered, still a bit dazed. He watched her walk away, then cursed under his breath when he realized he had forgotten his books.

The rest of the school day went by relatively smoothly until their shared class. Gwen and Peter quickly realized they needed to work on their project outside of school. As they debated which house to work at, they ended up talking over each other, causing them both to laugh at the situation.

"I can come to your place after school, if that's cool with you," Gwen offered, still smiling.

Peter, unable to hide his excitement, nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! Sure, that works!"

Gwen giggled at his eagerness, her laughter warming Peter's heart. The bell rang, and as they packed up their things, Gwen told him she'd meet him at the front of the school later.

As the school day ended, Gwen waited patiently for Peter at the front steps. But then, the familiar buzz in her head returned. It was soft, like before—almost like an echo of danger rather than a full alarm. The sensation took her back to the time Flash had cornered Peter. Her instincts kicked in, and she rushed back into the school.

She found Peter near his locker, backed up against it with Flash towering over him. Peter was trying his best to talk his way out of the situation, throwing out jokes in a futile attempt to diffuse the tension.

Flash wasn't having it. "I don't like your attitude, Parker."

Before Peter could respond, Gwen stepped in, her voice confident and sharp. "This seems familiar, doesn't it, Flash? I'm pretty sure I know how this story ends."

Flash's bravado faltered as he turned to face her, his eyes wide. The memory of his last encounter with Gwen was still fresh, and the broken nose she gave him hadn't fully healed yet. But he tried to act tough. "This is between me and Parker."

Peter, not missing a beat, quipped, "Better stop, Flash, or people will think you're in love with me."

Gwen stifled a smile, her amusement barely breaking through her frown. Before things could escalate further, a teacher appeared and broke up the scene, much to Gwen's frustration. "They're never here until the last second," she muttered.

Peter raised an eyebrow at her. "You really do have a knack for timing."

Once Flash was gone, Gwen and Peter left the school and made their way to the Parker household. Aunt May greeted them warmly, immediately bombarding Gwen with questions, asking if they were together and teasing them to the point where both teens blushed furiously. To escape the awkwardness, they quickly excused themselves, heading down to Peter's makeshift lab in the cellar.

As they began working on their project, Gwen couldn't help but make a joke. "So... is this where you keep all your prisoners, Peter? Your secret dungeon?"

Peter laughed, the tension from earlier fading as they got to work. Their project involved creating a chemical reaction, and they decided to go for something unique. After multiple failed attempts—and explosions of gooey substance—they unintentionally created a formula with the properties of webbing, similar to what they each could naturally produce. They couldn't help but laugh at the irony.

Once they had refined the formula to something less... explosive, they packed up and were called up for dinner. Over dinner, Gwen shared stories about her family and listened to Aunt May and Uncle Ben recount embarrassing tales of Peter's childhood, much to his dismay.

After dinner, Peter walked Gwen home, and as they approached her apartment, Gwen brought up the vigilante rumors her dad had mentioned. "So, there's this guy out there, swinging around the city. People say he's using webs. You think that's crazy?"

Peter stammered, caught off guard. "I-I mean, it's... it's something, huh? What do you think of him?"

Gwen smiled. "I think it's awesome. Someone out there trying to help people. Feels like something the city needs."

Peter relaxed slightly but still felt the weight of his secret. After a brief goodbye, Peter left, watching as Gwen disappeared into her apartment.

But Gwen's night wasn't over. Once her parents were either asleep or out of the house, she changed into a white hoodie and black leggings, covering her face with a mask. She slipped out into the night, her mission clear.

She was going to find this Spider-Man. She needed to know if they were connected somehow... or if they were both just pieces of the same spider's web