Spider-Man : The Story of a Hero

The sun was slowly rising over New York, allowing its first rays to enter Peter’s bedroom and bathe the room in soft light.Yet, despite this peaceful atmosphere, the inside of the bedroom presented a very different sight. In one corner, Peter was sleeping soundly on the floor, sprawled out in a particularly uncomfortable position, his limbs stretched out in every direction.

His sheet and pillow lay scattered around him, while several sheets of paper covered in drawings and colored pencils were strewn everywhere. Gwen, meanwhile, was still sitting in front of her boyfriend’s computer, visibly absorbed in what had kept her busy all night.

Suddenly, she jumped to her feet and loudly slammed both hands onto the desk before shouting:

— ”WAKE UP, PETER!”

Startled by this powerful and unexpected voice, Peter jolted violently, his heart racing. Torn from his sleep without the slightest warning, he looked around, completely disoriented.

— ”H-HUH, WHAT?! WHAT IS IT?! WHAT IS IT?!”

He struggled to sit up, his hair a mess and his eyes still half-closed. The dark circles under his eyes testified to the terrible lack of sleep he had accumulated. Gwen, meanwhile, slowly swiveled her chair toward him with almost theatrical slowness, making sure to turn her entire body in his direction.

— ”Peter… I’m done…”

— ”Huh? But what are you done with…?” he asked, still half-asleep.

Now facing him, Gwen stared at him for several seconds without saying a word. Her expression betrayed considerable fatigue, but it seemed almost overshadowed by the immense satisfaction lighting up her face. She was clearly savoring this moment, deliberately letting the suspense linger while Peter struggled to understand what could possibly have gotten her into such a state.

Finally, unable to contain her excitement any longer, she proudly announced:

— ”I’ve studied everything about the physics of web-swinging and… I’VE CHOSEN MY SUIT!”

Peter’s eyes widened slightly, as though his brain had only just begun to process the announcement.

— ”Fuck… seriously?”

— ”Yes!” she replied joyfully.

Still in disbelief, Peter slowly got to his feet and rubbed his eyes, almost hoping he had misheard. But seeing Gwen’s radiant expression, he quickly realized she wasn’t joking at all.

— ”Are you seriously telling me you’ve finished studying all my notes on web-swinging, but also researching, imagining, drawing AND choosing your suit… all of that IN ONE NIGHT?!”

— ”YES!”

— ”Oh my God, no…”

Peter remained speechless for a moment, gradually realizing what he had gotten himself into by agreeing to help Gwen become a superhero.

He was already familiar with her determination, but seeing her accomplish so much work in a single night gave him a particularly worrying glimpse of what awaited him. At this rate, she might exhaust him long before they had even begun her training.

Stunned, he brought his hands to his temples and gently massaged them, while Gwen, overflowing with energy despite her sleepless night, approached him and grabbed his arm.

— ”Now, what do we do? Do we start making the suit already, or do I need to learn something else?”

Faced with this seemingly limitless enthusiasm, Peter swallowed hard, still trying to figure out how to answer her. However, before he could even open his mouth, a few knocks on his bedroom door interrupted their conversation.

— ”Peter? Gwen? Are you in there?”

Both teenagers immediately froze. Caught off guard, they exchanged a surprised look before reaching almost simultaneously the same conclusion:

— ”WE HAVE TO HIDE EVERYTHING!”

They immediately sprang into action without even needing to coordinate. Peter rushed toward his computer to turn it off, then hurried to straighten up his bed, picking up the sheet and pillow abandoned on the floor along the way.

Meanwhile, Gwen gathered her drawings as quickly as possible, put her colored pencils back into their case, and carefully arranged everything on the desk.

She also made sure to turn the sheets of paper over to conceal the sketches of her future suit, making it look as though they were simply ordinary belongings of Peter’s.

— ”Peter? Gwen? Can I come in?”

On the other side of the door, May could clearly hear the hurried footsteps and sounds of tidying up coming from the bedroom. She waited a few more moments before gently knocking a second time.

Inside, Peter and Gwen finished tidying up in an almost ridiculous rush, then stood side by side in front of the door, as straight and motionless as two soldiers standing at attention. Despite their efforts to appear natural, their frantic activity had clearly left a few traces.

— ”Y-Yes, we’re here, Aunt May! Y-You can come in!”

May gently opened the door and found the two teenagers standing in front of her. Peter and Gwen were still trying to catch their breath, their hair disheveled and their faces slightly marked by their improvised race against the clock.

In contrast, May seemed particularly radiant that morning. A broad smile lit up her face, and her attitude overflowed with infectious energy.

— ”I went to check on Gwen in her room first, but she wasn’t there. So I figured she must be here with you…”

As she said those last words, May gave them a mischievous smile, clearly implying that she had imagined something when she noticed Gwen was missing from her own bedroom.

Peter and Gwen immediately exchanged an embarrassed glance before letting out a small, nervous laugh. Not wanting to dwell on May’s insinuations, Gwen decided to take the opportunity to steer the conversation toward a much less embarrassing subject.

— ”Anyway, Aunt May… was there something you wanted to tell us?”

— ”Yes! Today… we’re going out!”

This sudden announcement caught both teenagers off guard. They briefly looked at each other, surprised by May’s enthusiasm, but also concerned about what such an outing might mean for her.

Although several months had passed since her accident, Peter and Gwen hadn’t forgotten the consequences it had had on her health. May had spent an enormous amount of time resting and limiting her activities, so the idea of seeing her suddenly organize an entire day outside naturally raised a few concerns.

— ”It’s been such a long time since I’ve been stuck at home without going anywhere. Besides, look how sunny it is outside! The weather is beautiful!”

— ”Yeah, but… what about your condition…?”

— ”Oh, stop worrying about that, Peter! It’s been over six months now, and I recently went to see my doctor. And you know what he told me?”

She deliberately paused, clearly waiting for her nephew to try to guess the answer. Peter, still concerned, simply shook his head timidly.

— ”He told me that going back to work still wasn’t safe, but that going out for walks would be a good idea. Especially after all this time spent inactive and resting.”

Despite this reassuring explanation, Peter still seemed hesitant. He knew how much his aunt had suffered and couldn’t help worrying that she might overdo it. Gwen, on the other hand, welcomed the news with much greater enthusiasm and immediately stepped in to support May.

— ”She’s right! Besides, it’s not like we’re going to be exercising. It’s just a little walk!”

— ”Well, actually… it won’t be JUST a ’little walk.’ I did make a list of things I’d like us to do!”

At this clarification, Peter felt his worries resurface. Knowing how energetic his aunt could be when she had something in mind, he was already dreading that this famous list might be far more ambitious than a simple stroll.

He swallowed before asking her, with some apprehension:

— ”A-And what are they…?”

— ”It’ll be a surprise! But don’t worry, sweetheart. Nothing too tiring.”

Those last words were enough to reassure him somewhat. A slight smile of relief appeared on his face, although he remained curious to discover what May had planned.

— ”That’s reassuring…”

— ”Alright, I’ll let you two get ready. I’ll be waiting downstairs. But don’t take too long, that way we’ll have the whole day ahead of us! Oh, and Peter, bring your camera. We’ll need it!”

— ”Oh, uh… yeah, okay!”

Satisfied, May gave them one last smile before turning around to leave the bedroom. However, just as she was about to cross the doorway, a thought suddenly seemed to cross her mind.

She stopped, then slowly turned back toward the two teenagers. Her expression had changed: her smile was still there, but her gaze now combined slightly embarrassed curiosity with the maternal concern she naturally felt for them.

— ”Just reassure me about one thing… you two are using protection, right?”

For a few seconds, Peter and Gwen stared at her without really understanding what she had just asked them. Then, as the meaning of her words began to dawn on them, a particularly heavy silence settled over the bedroom.

Peter immediately felt heat rising to his face. Suddenly overwhelmed with embarrassment, he began to sweat, unable to find an appropriate reaction to such an unexpected question from his aunt.

Gwen, meanwhile, frowned slightly and gave her a puzzled look, still not entirely sure she had correctly interpreted the implication.

— ”S-So… Sorry…?” Peter replied nervously.

— ”I’m just saying, because last night, you two were… pretty noisy.”

This time, Gwen immediately understood what May was implying. Her face turned red in an instant as a wave of embarrassment overwhelmed her.

Unable to meet her boyfriend’s aunt’s gaze any longer, she abruptly brought both hands to her face to hide it, almost trembling with embarrassment as she desperately wished she could disappear on the spot.

Peter, for his part, didn’t seem to be handling the situation any better. He slowly lowered his eyes toward the floor, completely at a loss, unable to find the courage to look May in the face. It took him several seconds to manage to put together an answer.

— ”We… we didn’t do anything, Aunt May. It’s… it’s not what you think…”

Another silence settled in, even more embarrassing than the previous one. May looked at the two teenagers and gradually realized that she had misunderstood what had happened during the night. The confidence with which she had asked her question immediately disappeared, replaced by profound discomfort.

She felt embarrassment rising to her own face, already regretting having brought up the subject so spontaneously. With Peter still unable to raise his eyes and Gwen desperately hiding her face, May no longer really knew how to get herself out of this situation without making their embarrassment even worse.

Finally, she tried to regain her composure, though not without stammering.

— ”O-Oh… o-okay! S-Sorry, then! Well, I… I’ll be waiting downstairs.”

She awkwardly stepped backward, letting out a nervous laugh, visibly just as uncomfortable as the two teenagers, then gently closed the door behind her.

Peter and Gwen remained motionless for several moments, unable to utter a single word. Despite May’s departure, the embarrassment lingered in the bedroom as they were still trying to process what she had just asked them and, above all, what she had imagined when she heard them making noise during the night.

TO BE CONTINUED.