Chapter 182: Shopping

[Third Person's PoV] 

Felix and Spider-Kat were swinging through the city when Spider-Kat spotted an old man slowly crossing the street.

"Yo!" Spider-Kat motioned.

"On it!" Felix replied as he swung down in a blur of lightning, picking up the old man just in the nick of time as a car sped towards him.

Felix landed gently and set the man down. "Are you okay, sir?"

"Apart from the heart attack I nearly had? I'd say I'm fine," the old man chuckled, patting Felix's chest. "Thank you, sonny, you saved this old man's life."

"Ah, don't worry. Just make sure to look both ways," Felix nodded before swinging ahead.

"So, how did that feel?" Spider-Kat asked teasingly.

"I mean, I usually get thanked for stopping villains... but for something small like this? It's a first. Feels nice," Felix muttered.

"To you, it might seem small, but to someone else, you just saved a precious life—someone's grandfather, someone's father. Never think helping someone is a small thing. Which kinda contradicts what I said earlier, but life's full of contradictions…" Spider-Kat said, twirling in the air mid-swing.

'This is seriously turning into more of a lesson for me,' Spider-Kat sighed inwardly.

Felix and Spider-Kat continued swinging through the streets of New York, scanning for anyone else in need. The city bustled as usual, but today they were focused on the little things.

As they soared above a park, Spider-Kat spotted a boy frantically searching the ground, his face scrunched in worry. "Felix, hold up," she called, veering down toward the boy.

Felix followed and landed lightly beside him. "Hey, what's up, little man? You lose something?" he asked gently.

The boy sniffled, holding up a stuffed bunny missing an ear. "I dropped his ear somewhere, and I can't find it! He's my favorite, and now he's ruined."

Spider-Kat crouched down to meet his eyes. "We can help. Spider-Man?"

"On it," Felix grinned, zipping around the area. He quickly found the fluffy ear in a bush and handed it to the boy.

"Here you go. Looks like your bunny's back to normal," Felix said with a smile.

The boy's eyes lit up as he clutched the ear. "Thank you! I thought I'd never find it!" He ran off to his mother, who gave Felix and Spider-Kat a grateful nod.

Felix watched them go, a soft expression on his face. "You know, this feels just as good as stopping a bad guy. It's like... we're doing something that matters, even if it's small."

Spider-Kat leaned against a lamppost with a smirk. "Told you. Sometimes it's not about the flashy hero stuff. It's about showing up for people when they need it, even if it's just for a stuffed bunny."

Felix chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'm starting to get it now. Let's see who else we can help."

They continued swinging, helping people cross the street, finding lost items, and even helping an elderly lady carry her groceries up some stairs. Every person they helped gave them a smile, a thank you, or a look of relief.

Later, sitting on top of a building, watching the sunset, Spider-Kat stretched. "Not bad for a day's work, huh?"

Felix nodded, feeling an unexpected sense of fulfillment. "Yeah... I guess being a hero isn't always about saving the world. Sometimes, it's about making someone's day a little better."

Spider-Kat smiled at the cityscape. "Exactly."

Then she turned to Felix with an awkward expression. "Please tell me I'm not the only one cringing right now."

Felix hugged himself, rubbing his arms. "I know what you mean. That mushy stuff was kind of disgusting. I can't believe we said all that."

Spider-Kat laughed, patting his back. "Let's keep our conversations, though meaningful, a little less cringe-worthy."

Felix chuckled. "Agreed—completely."

…

Later in the day…

"Later, guys!" Peter saluted as they left.

The rest of the future Fantastic Four waved them off.

"Be sure to come early tomorrow! I should have my ride fully pimped out. I give the best rides of your life!" Johnny said with a smirk.

Peter froze and stared at Johnny, who also froze as he realized the way Peter was looking at him.

"Two things, Johnny..."

"Please don't..."

Peter ignored his plea. "First... I didn't know you were a pimp? That's some secret double life you've got there—"

"Please stop right there. I really appreciate that joke, don't ruin it."

"And second, watch what you say. Gwen might get seriously jealous and see that as a challenge or competition." Peter sighed and shook his head.

Johnny sighed in return, though a smirk lingered. "And you just had to go and ruin it."

Gwen gave Peter a deadpan look. "Why am I always being dragged into whatever gay relationship you have?"

"Wha—?"

Johnny overheard them as the door closed behind Peter and Gwen. Shaking his head, he went back to working on his ride.

In the elevator, Peter turned to Gwen. "What was that supposed to mean?"

"First, there's Harry..."

"It's not gay if it's with the bro."

"..."

"Then there's Flash..."

"It was obvious everyone thought he had a thing for me, not the other way around."

"And now Johnny?"

"Johnny's a homie. It's also not gay if it's with the homies."

Gwen gave him a teasing look. "You know, sometimes I wonder if you're bi..."

Peter turned, confused. He was about to ask what she meant but noticed her teasing expression. "You seriously had me worried there. I thought I'd have to show you what my orientation really is right here and now"

"So you're saying you'd have 'explained' it to me in this elevator?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Absolutely."

Gwen scoffed as the elevator descended to the lobby.

"Oh, by the way, we're stopping for groceries at the supermarket."

"Alright, but why'd you give your bike to Felix? We could've used it." Gwen sighed, thinking about how annoying it would be to swing home with grocery bags.

"Don't worry, I messaged Aria earlier. She brought the bike to us," Peter said proudly as they made their way to the parking lot.

"Thank God for advanced technology," Gwen sighed with relief.

As they approached the bike, Peter grinned. "God had nothing to do with it. That was all me."

Gwen rolled her eyes as she grabbed her helmet and got on the bike, holding onto Peter. "It's a figure of speech."

Once at the supermarket, Peter rested his feet on the low bar of the cart while Gwen pulled him inside.

"Wheeee!" Peter cheered like a kid, causing Gwen to chuckle in amusement.

They gathered their groceries, and as Gwen inspected expiration dates in the dairy section, Peter couldn't resist pushing the cart into her.

Gwen closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and chose to ignore him.

"Heheh." Peter did it again.

"Peter, I swear to God!" Gwen said through gritted teeth.

Peter tried to push the cart one more time, but Gwen grabbed it and started ramming it back and forth into him. "How do you like it, huh?!"

Shoppers around them gave the couple some odd looks, but Gwen didn't care as she was simply too pissed off at Peter. They eventually finished and made their way to the checkout line.

As Gwen dragged Peter through the shortest line, she muttered, "I'm dating a literal child."

"Well, I am fifteen..."

"Irrelevant."

"Of course it would be for you. You're 21 after all. Age is just a number."

The person ahead of them turned with concern, staring at them. Peter leaned on the cart, laughing hysterically, while Gwen facepalmed in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry about my boyfriend," she said.

The person still looked disturbed, so Gwen pulled out her student ID, which only made Peter laugh harder.

"We're the same age," Gwen said, her voice strained. "But someone doesn't act like it sometimes..."

The stranger sighed in relief but gave them an awkward smile before turning back.

Gwen glared at Peter, mouthing, "I'm going to kill you."

Peter, still laughing, threw up a peace sign, sticking his tongue out playfully.

After paying for their groceries and heading outside, Gwen shot Peter a look. "Embarrass me like that again and see what happens."

Peter grinned mischievously. "You know, it's kinda hot when you threaten me like that..."

Gwen rolled her eyes as they continued walking. "Is that why you do these things? Do you like me threatening you?"

Before Peter could respond, they heard someone yell, "Help! Someone stole my bike!"

Without missing a beat, Peter stuck out his arm, clotheslining the thief off the bike, due to the force of which he was riding and how strong Peter's arm are he was knocked unconscious. Gwen swiftly set the bike upright with a flick of her foot and handed it back.

Peter glanced at Gwen with a smirk. "It's not the threats. It's the look on your face. I like seeing it sometimes."

Gwen gave him a flat stare. "You're unbelievable."

They rearranged their groceries on the bike and rode off.

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