33 Back On The Grind

Being a superhuman had its perks. Sure, pulverising metal and living longer were great, and all, but one such perk was experiencing things differently from normal people—like kisses that lingered far beyond the average duration.

A deep groan emerged from Gwen's throat as she continued to kiss him with a hungry passion, almost as though she wished to suck the life out of him as punishment for leading her along for so long. He returned the favor with an equal amount of fervor, growing bolder by the second as they both unconsciously used their Adhesive touches to cling to each other. For once, Gwen didn't hold back her strength; her arms tightened around him with enough force to crush steel to putty.

'I'm kissing Gwen Stacy...'

He moved his hand from her hair to her neck, down her arm before setting firmly at her equally firm waist. Gwen, being Gwen, slid her hands from his face into his now untucked shirt, running her fingers through the contours of his steely muscles all the while faintly giggling through the kiss.

Not to be outdone, Peter slipped his hands into the back of her shirt and grasped her ribcage on her toned torso, making her take a sharp breath, accidentally breaking the kiss.

"I didn't expect you to do that," she gasped, leaning her forehead against his, enjoying the feel of his warm hands on her soft skin.

"Expect the unexpected from now on," Peter smirked, relishing every single moment. He even had to use a part of his brain to ignore the two mounds pressed against his chest that did nothing to decrease his blood pressure.

"Oh, that I will, my little lizard," Gwen gave him a small kiss on the nose.

"Don't call me that!"

"You don't like it? Now I'm going to call you that just to piss you off."

"Shit...now I have to come up with a similarly irking nickname. Little Spider?"

"I kinda like that."

"Damn it. Web-brain?"

"Babe is good enough for me."

"Hush, I'm thinking..."

"Nope, I won't let you. I'm going to make you shut up again."

"Wha-MmmMmmph!"

***

"You seem really happy," Dr. Conners remarked while they walked the corridors of the highest floor, one that was lavishly but simplistically decorated. It was outfitted with numerous things, from potted plants to automated machines that could clean floors, take one's coats, and even periodically water the aforementioned plants. "Anything good happen yesterday?"

"You bet something did," Peter smiled. "How'd you know?"

"You have a skip in your step, a faint smile is perpetually stuck to your face, you seem to get lost in happy memories from time to time, yo-

"Okay, okay. I get it," Peter said, running his hand through his hair. He knew he was being obvious, but he really couldn't help himself. His teenage heart was in a constant state of high, inducing random dopamine rushes when his thoughts so much as tilted toward last night.

Gwen and he stayed on the terrace for over half an hour, which was what heaven was probably like, after which they reluctantly parted owing to Peter having to get back at 9:30 p.m. It was a new rule enforced by May until his 'graduation' in August, but when he pointed out that he had already completed all his exams and was technically done with school, she refused to take that into consideration. He still obliged as it gave May a sense of peace, and he could always sneak out if he really wanted to.

He and Gwen had agreed to meet up at her warehouse after school as she really wanted to show him the upgrades that she had been working on. He looked forward to it, especially since it was a chance to deepen his understanding of engineering, ICT, and computer science - something that he'd been lacking. It really was a handicap in a world so dependent on technology and information.

"Well, I can't say that you don't deserve whatever happened," Conners said matter-of-factly as they approached the largest oak door of the largest office, with a small nameplate drilled into the top that read 'Osborn.' "One of my former colleagues just called me up - a highly accomplished one, mind you. The publication outlet chose him as one of the referees for your research papers."

"What did he say?" Peter's head snapped to Conners at the mention of his research papers. Peer review was probably the most important part of publishing a paper, as without it, it would have no weight whatsoever.

"He said he would retire," Conner gave Peter a wry smile, his habit of dragging out an answer emerging once again.

"...What?" he asked in confusion as Conners placed his hand on the door handle.

"He said you solved it."

"..Like cancer?"

"Yup. His one goal in life was complete, so he's retiring," Conners shrugged. "A shame really. He really hasn't finished exploring his full potential. His intellect was quite prodigious."

"Why do I feel that you want me to apologize...," Peter chuckled.

"Because he was one of the most accomplished figures in the field of cloning and genetics. He could've done a lot," Conner mused before looking at Peter with a raised eyebrow. "You have big shoes to fill."

"However big they are, I'll take it."

"That is contextually funny."

"What are you? Twelve?"

CLICK!

***

Peter and Conners entered the large room with walls decorated with Norman's achievements. They were neatly framed and arranged in a way that didn't overwhelm somebody, but he was sure he had far more than he seemed to display. A small laptop with the Fantastic Four company logo sat on the large desk that was similarly neatly arranged while a small library of books sat to the side.

"Ah! Conners!" Osborn, who was standing at the end of the office overlooking a somewhat trashed New York City, jumped and turned around. "How many times have I told you to knock before entering!"

"Not enough apparently," Peter replied before Conners could, his enhanced eyes spotting a small billboard on one of the streets, displaying today's news. A small video of a handsome middle-aged man being escorted back into his vehicle from the Pentagon with a frown on his face was being constantly played on a loop while a person talked over it.

[ Mr. Fantastic, the famous superhero and multi-millionaire has successfully delayed the passing of the Super-human Registration Act. Unfortunately, due to it being a closed session, we do not have any footage of... ]

'Delayed, huh...interesting. I wonder how the discussion went', Peter thought, successfully lipreading the news reporter. 'Why was Reed frowning though?'

"Peter! There you are!" Osborn's annoyed expression vanished.

"Oh, so you aren't excited to see me?" Conners grumbled as Peter shook an excited Osborn's hand.

"You aren't the one who cured cancer, are you?" Osborn shot back.

"Hmph!" Conners folded his hands across his chest. "Fair point."

"Why're you here anyway?" Osborn raised an eyebrow, looking at Peter before remembering something. "Oh! Is it your last day already?!"

"Yes, it is. Thought I'd say goodbye," Peter nodded.

"Ah, its a shame, really," Osborn sighed before looking at him with reproachful eyes. "You sure you don't want to work for Oscorp after your graduation? We'll give you really attractive offers."

"I'm still undecided, sir."

"Sure sure, take your time," Osborn waved him off before thinking for a moment. "Have you received the patent for Resonance Therapy?"

"I have, but not the authorization to use it in medical practice. Conners told me to wait until after the WCCR," Peter replied shrugging. He'd gotten the papers but the FDA hadn't yet begun approving the therapy as more resources would be given to the testing after he presented it in the WCCR, thus allowing for the therapy to be authorized earlier.

"That makes sense," Osborn nodded, rubbing his chin. "We did sign a contract based on it. The license you give us will save a lot of lives, that I guarantee you."

"Why else do you think I worked on it for so long?" Peter shamelessly smiled, internally whooping at the process of making so much money. His contract gave him a hefty chunk of the profits in terms of royalties, and given the sheer effect it would have across the world, there was a perfectly reasonable chance that he could become a billionaire.

Osborn's eyes softened, and he patted Peter on the shoulder.

"You're a good man, Peter...you have a good heart. Not many have them these days," He sighed, looking more despondent. "I only wish Harry took after you."

"Any news on him, yet?" Peter quietly questioned, reminded of the person who had fought off his former bully.

He'd only seen Harry for a few more days when he looked like shit before disappearing. It was fine at first, as Harry did indeed occasionally disappear from time to time, but when it reached a week of absence, people started to get suspicious.

Osborn had released an official story which informed the people that Harry had a really bad car accident and was not seeing visitors. That had calmed the public, but a few people, including Peter, Gwen, George, and MJ Knew that it was a crock of shit. Harry had genuinely disappeared, and George Stacy was in charge of the covert operation that was charged with finding him.

Peter suspected that it had to do with his drug issues, but he wasn't so sure. He really had no information to go off, and if he was being honest, Harry was most likely going to be found in a ditch somewhere, dead.

"None!" Osborn caressed his head. "That idiot son of mine, just HAD to go missing just when one of the biggest breakthroughs in human history would be revealed to the world."

"You'll find him, sir. Harry can be an idiot, but he always pulls through in the end," Peter reassured Norman, a little taken aback by the hate he sensed from him at the thought of his son.

"Thank you for that," Norman smiled and looked at Conners, who gave him a comforting nod. "I rea-

RING! RING!

Osborn's phone began vibrating.

"Shit! Another meeting!" Norman cursed as he shut off the alarm. "I really have to apologize, I ha-

"It's no problem. We'll get out of your hair," Peter raised his hands while Conners gave out a low whistle.

"I wouldn't want to be you. Thank god I know biology," he grinned as Norman glared at him before smiling warmly at Peter.

"I'll see you later then, Peter," he walked forward and shook his hands once more. "Everybody will know your name in June. Hope you're prepared for that."

"I'm not."

"Good. I'd be worried if you were."

***

Peter took a deep breath, and Conner and he walked out of the office. It was merely 10 am, and he had a lot to do.

Meet Gwen at the warehouse, decode Extremis before her birthday, and prepare for his WCCR presentation. He also needed to investigate what organization attacked Gwen and take them down while cooking up contingencies for every single possible threat around him.

'So much to do, so little time....'