Chapter 77: The Return of the Good Old Latecomer

Parker Residence — Morning

A new day was dawning over New York. During this beautiful summer season, the sun was already bathing the city in a warm, brilliant light, streaming through the windows of the Parker residence and illuminating every room it reached.

In Gwen's bedroom, the rays filtered gently through the curtains and wrapped the bed in a pleasant morning glow. After everything that had happened lately, this night had given Peter a genuine moment of rest.

No arguments, no anger, no relentless thoughts keeping him from sleeping properly. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, both his body and mind had finally been able to release all the pressure that had built up.

The night had even been so peaceful, so pleasant, that Peter almost felt as though he had slept on a cloud. Or rather… with his cloud.

As he slowly began to emerge from his sleep, a long yawn escaped him. His still-heavy eyelids remained half-closed as a peaceful smile naturally formed on his lips.

Still immersed in that gentle haze that accompanies the first few seconds after waking up, he simply savored the thought of having the girl he loved by his side.

— "I think… it's been a long time since I've slept that well. I think my body and mind really needed it. Don't you think, Gwen?"

Still half-asleep, Peter slowly turned onto his side and reached his arms out in front of him, simply intending to pull Gwen against him and prolong the moment a little longer.

His eyes were almost completely closed and, for a few seconds, he naturally expected to feel her body against his. But his hands found nothing. Only empty space and the sheets.

His smile faded slightly.

— "Gwen…?"

Peter opened his eyes a little wider and ran his hand across the mattress once again, as though Gwen might miraculously appear beside him. But the spot was indeed empty. This time, he opened his eyes completely and almost shot upright.

— "Gwen?!"

Still disoriented from waking up, he quickly scanned the bedroom. No one beside the bed. No one anywhere else in the room. Gwen simply wasn't there anymore. And as he realized she was gone, immediate concern began to replace the sense of peace he had felt only seconds earlier.

— "Oh no…"

A bad feeling immediately crossed his mind. Peter threw back the sheets and abruptly got to his feet before leaving Gwen's bedroom. He quickly crossed the small hallway separating their two rooms and entered his own, where his gaze immediately landed on his phone lying abandoned on the desk. He grabbed it without wasting a second and checked the time.

His expression fell.

He had hoped that he had simply woken up a little later than expected. Maybe it was still early enough for him to take his time and calmly make his way to the Connors' place. But no. His bad feeling had been completely justified: the morning had been over for quite some time and the afternoon was already well underway.

— "1:30 PM?! The lesson with the Connors is at 2 PM!"

Every trace of tiredness vanished instantly. His heart began to race and, within a single second, Peter went from a peacefully sleeping boy to someone who had just realized he only had half an hour left to get ready and cross part of New York.

He rushed into the bathroom and started showering while brushing his teeth, going through each motion at an almost absurd speed. He washed, rinsed himself off and then dried himself in record time, with an efficiency and precision that was almost concerning.

Watching him, it was obvious that this unfortunately wasn't the first time he had been forced to complete his entire morning routine in a ridiculously short amount of time. At the very least, his repeated lateness had allowed him to develop a certain amount of experience in the matter.

A few minutes later, clean and finally dressed in his usual clothes, Peter grabbed his bag, slung it over his back and hurried out of his bedroom. He raced down the stairs so quickly that he nearly ended up face-first at the bottom. Nevertheless, he managed to keep his balance and reached the ground floor, where he almost came face-to-face with Aunt May.

She had just calmly poured herself a glass of orange juice and seemed to be enjoying a perfectly ordinary start to the day. The contrast with Peter was striking. Out of breath, his hair messy from getting ready in such a hurry and still worked up from all the frantic movements he had just gone through, the young man almost looked as though he had been through a war even though he hadn't even left the house yet.

Seeing him in this state, May immediately understood the situation. A faint, amused smile appeared on her lips.

— "Late again, huh?"

— "Yeah…"

Peter lowered his head slightly and rubbed his forehead vigorously, torn between embarrassment and frustration with himself. At this point, he probably should have been used to this kind of situation, but that didn't make his lateness any less embarrassing.

— "Gwen asked me to tell you that she already left for work, but that she'd be at the Connors' laboratory early and would wait for you there."

At those words, Peter lifted his eyes slightly. A small wave of relief immediately washed over him and, inwardly, he could almost have shed a tear from how happy the news made him. Even after everything they had been through lately, Gwen was still thinking about him and had even taken the time to let May know before leaving.

Seriously… that girl was pure gold.

But while Peter briefly lost himself in that affectionate thought, May's smile faded. Her expression became slightly more serious, almost perplexed, as though one detail was still bothering her despite everything.

— "But she did seem a little strange."

Peter instantly snapped out of his thoughts. His expression changed almost immediately and his full attention shifted back to his aunt. Whenever Gwen was involved, his concern now seemed capable of triggering almost automatically.

— "Gwen? Strange? Why do you say that?"

— "She mentioned someone named Eddie, but I didn't really understand…"

Simply hearing that name was enough to erase what little peace of mind he had left. Peter immediately thought back to the conversation he'd had with Gwen the day before, and several scenarios crossed his mind. None of them particularly appealed to him. His eyes widened slightly as tension already began to spread through his body.

— "Gwen… don't tell me you're planning to do what I think you're planning…"

He held back a sigh. Either way, he didn't have time to stand there imagining the worst. The sooner he left, the sooner he could meet up with her and find out what she actually had in mind.

— "Alright, got it! Thanks, Aunt May!"

Before leaving, Peter walked over to her and gave her a warm hug, still taking care not to bump into the glass of orange juice she was holding. Then, just as quickly as he had approached her, he released the embrace and headed toward the front door.

— "Aren't you going to eat before you leave?"

— "No, I'll eat outside! Love you, see you later!"

— "I love you too, sweetheart!"

Peter opened the door and hurried out of the house before closing it behind him. May remained alone in the room, her glass still in her hands. For a few seconds, she simply continued looking in the direction her nephew had disappeared. Then, almost without realizing it, a much more tender smile appeared on her face.

Her eyes grew slightly watery, as though a few tears were threatening to appear. But there was no sadness behind that emotion… only relief. After Peter's horrible and sudden change in behavior, seeing him so affectionate, energetic and cheerful again was enough to warm her heart.

— "I'm glad to have him back to his old self…"

Outside, Peter obviously hadn't wasted a second. He ran through the streets of his neighborhood until he spotted an alley secluded enough to slip into. Once out of sight, he quickly placed his bag in front of him and began searching through it for his suit. His hands went through his belongings once, then a second time… but nothing.

Peter froze as the realization hit him.

— "Shit, I forgot my suit and mask… Well, whatever. With all the criminals who've been arrested recently, I think I'm safe for now. Besides, I don't need a suit just to get into the city! Yeah, it'll be fine!"

With no time to retrace his steps, Peter closed his bag and slung it back over his shoulders. A few seconds later, he put on his web-shooters, bent his knees and leapt into the air in his civilian clothes, heading straight toward downtown.

Meanwhile, several miles away, Gwen was also making her way through the streets of New York. Her shift at the restaurant had just ended and she was now heading toward the Connors' laboratory, where she knew Peter was supposed to meet her for their lesson.

Unlike him, however, her thoughts weren't occupied by being late. Ever since leaving work, her mind had constantly returned to the events of the past few days and, more specifically, to everything that had started with Eddie.

She thought back to Peter's anger, which at first had seemed impossible for her to understand. To their arguments, the doubts that had settled between them, the moments when their relationship had seemed to weaken a little more with every word they exchanged.

All of it had eventually led them to that night when, after so much accumulated tension and pain, they had finally managed to find their way back to each other in a moment of intimacy that had been as intense as it was emotionally painful.

Just thinking about it made Gwen's heart tighten slightly. But this time, sadness wasn't the only emotion filling her. Her fists slowly clenched at her sides.

Gwen wasn't a violent person. She never really had been. On the contrary, she had always been a deeply gentle and kindhearted girl, instinctively trying to see the good in others and preferring discussion over confrontation whenever a problem arose. Hitting someone out of anger simply wasn't in her nature.

And yet, after learning the truth about Eddie, after realizing how she had been manipulated and everything she had indirectly caused between Peter and herself because of him… something had changed. For perhaps the first time in her life, Gwen genuinely wanted to hit someone.

And she knew exactly who.

After about ten minutes of walking, the Connors' laboratory finally came into view. Gwen slowed down slightly as she approached, but her determination didn't waver. She knew why she had come. She wanted to reveal the truth about Eddie, repair whatever could still be repaired and, above all, get justice for Peter after everything he had endured.

Without hesitating any longer, she opened the doors to the laboratory and stepped inside.

TO BE CONTINUED.