Chapter 1
Miguel was angry. Everyone, everything, could tell. Anyone who he came across got out of his way in a hurry. Even Lyla seemed to recognize that today was not the day to fuck with him. She still threw in a few jabs here and there, but Miguel’s glare was harsher than usual. Nobody knew what had set him off. There had been no new anomalies of note. Everything was going according to plan. None of the spider-people Jess had talked to had had any idea about what was going on.
Hobie had speculated that he was just in a pissy mood, but Jess thought that it had to be more than that. She was suspicious for more than one reason, the biggest being Peter’s lack of comment on the situation. Peter was usually one of the first ones to comment on Miguel’s sour attitude, but he’d been quiet today.
In the beginning, Jess had wondered if it had something to do with Mayday. Cautiously, she had asked about the kid, and Peter had lit up like he always did. He’d gone on to show her about three hundred photos, which cemented her certainty that it had nothing to do with his life back on Earth-616.
There weren’t many other things that could quiet Peter like this. In fact, Jess could only think of one other option. At dinner, which was hamburgers and drinks for all included, Jess waited for a lull in the conversation.
Gwen had been the only one talking, and she had run out of things to say about the new guitar Hobie had gotten her.
“So, Peter, how’s it going with Mayday’s new web shooters?” Gwen asked. She was clearly trying to get someone else to join the conversation. Usually, asking Peter about Mayday was a sure way to get him to ramble for as long as you would let him.
This time, Peter didn’t even look up. Gwen’s voice had clearly not penetrated the aura of melancholy surrounding him. The silence lasted for so long it was unpleasant. Gwen looked nervously between Jess and Peter, confusion and worry clear in her gaze.
She fixed her eyes on Jess, a question clear in her gaze. Did I do something wrong?
Jess responded by softening her gaze and letting a gentle smile spread across her face. She shook her head almost imperceptibly. Carefully, so as to not make Gwen feel as though she was being kicked out, Jess suggested that maybe she should go check on Miles. Gwen jumped at the opportunity to leave, swinging away towards the training center.
Peter watched her go, and then returned his gaze to his plate of food. Now that it was just the two of them, Jess took the opportunity.
“So, what happened between you and Miguel?” She asked.
Peter choked on his Mountain Dew, coughing and spluttering. “What do you mean? Nothing happened between me and Miguel. Sure, he came to visit me last night, but nothing happened. He was just worried because I took a few hard hits fighting the Goblin on Wednesday. There was nothing else to it.”
Jess raised an eyebrow pointedly.
“Nothing happened, Jess,” He said, having partially regained his composure.
“Don’t take this the wrong way, Peter, but you are a terrible liar.”
“Whatever you think happened, it didn’t happen, ‘cause nothing happened.” Peter returned to his burger with intensified enthusiasm, refusing to make eye contact. He clearly wanted to escape this conversation, but Jess wasn’t ready to let him go yet. The way he’d reacted substantiated her theory that Peter’s uncharacteristic quiet and Miguel’s shitty mood were related.
“Really?” Jess asked. “So, it doesn’t have anything to do with Miguel stomping around like an angry bear?”
“No,” Peter said, his tone hardening into a mix of sadness and annoyance. “It doesn’t.”
Jess just looked at him. Sometimes, it was hard to get information out of Peter. This didn’t seem like one of those times.
It took a little under two minutes before Peter folded.
“Okay, okay, look,” He said, glancing around worriedly. “You can’t tell anyone I told you this, let alone Miguel. He would kill me. Hell, he already wants to kill me. You gotta promise.”
He looked at her expectantly, with pleading eyes, and Jess realized that he was waiting for her to reply.
“Of course I won’t tell him,” She said, with mock incredulity. “Who do you think I am?”
“Promise.”
“Okay, Peter, I promise. I won’t tell anyone, including Miguel.” She smiled wryly as she said it, laughter in her eyes. Peter glared at her, offended.
“You can’t laugh at me when I tell you this,” He said, somewhat accusingly.
Jess raised her hands in surrender. “I won’t laugh, promise.”
Peter took another bite of his burger. His ears were flushed pink. Clearly, whatever had happened made him so self-conscious that even saying it to her, one of his closest friends, was mortifying.
“We- …” His voice trailed off into nothing as his cheeks flushed. Jess looked at him expectantly.
“You what?” She asked. “Look, Peter, I’m a grown woman, you’re a grown man. You don’t have to be embarrassed if you’re gonna tell me you and Miguel fucked.”
Peter gaped at her.
“We did not !” He sounded offended. Jess had to try very hard to not laugh at how taken aback he looked.
The table was silent except for the constant background noise of the faraway chatter of other spider-people. After another minute, Jess looked pointedly at her watch, and then expectantly at Peter. He took a long sip of his drink before he spoke.
“We kissed,” He said, flustered. “That’s all.”
His embarrassment was clear in his voice and on his face, as he wiped at a spot of grease on the table with a napkin.
“You kissed,” Jess repeated, incredulous. “All of this is just because you kissed ? What are you two, teenagers?”
Peter glared at her. “It only sounds stupid when you say it like that. It’s more complicated than just the kissing part.”
This time, both of Jess’s eyebrows went up.
“Well, if it’s so complicated, maybe you should tell me the rest,” She said, stealing one of his fries.
Peter glanced around again and Jess sighed, exasperated. Apparently satisfied that Miguel, or any of the spider-people more likely to gossip, weren’t around, he turned in his seat to face her.
“I’ll tell you. But not here. We’ve gotta go someplace else,” Peter said. “Like my dimension.”
His voice was secretive and serious, almost conspiratorial. Taking a final bite of her burger, Jess nodded. Some stories were good enough to change dimensions for, and this seemed like one of them.