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“This was supposed to go by much faster,” Peter was thinking to himself. Musing over the ungraded papers in front of him. While he needed to get these done for tomorrow, it was also supposed to ease his mind. Well, for the most part it wasn’t, normally this wouldn’t feel like a distraction. His mind was fading in and out at times between his work and his family. He knew they would be fine and safe, his wife was the best, she always has been. Even so, with their son now learning the “ropes” this new feeling he had inside him was different than anything before. Not even that "sense" of his could warn him. Now at this stage in life, he wish it could.
Locking back into focus on the next paper, he realized the stack was almost done now. “Seems everyone has finally caught on to what I expect of them, fantastic!” With a grin forming on his face. Getting back into his mindset now. As always, research and practice experiments in the classroom were fun to him, had been for a long as he could remember back. Now though, finally seeing his students work equate to what he had set out for at the start of the semester, Peter finally felt all this work starting to pay off. Sure, becoming a professor was grand, even if it was a mid level course. "Everyone needs to start somewhere," he told himself back then. But now, to him, he finally felt that now Peter Parker had a great way of helping out. The balancing act, that took so long to get right was finally getting to where he wanted, even if it seemed long ago that it couldn't happen for him.
As he started on the next paper, picking up his red pen, a few new sounds were heard, but faint, that hearing was still keen for him. Locks being turned, and then a creak at the door. Heels now filled the room with their clacking on the boards. While he did expect a text or any kind of message, or even a hello calling out from the new person. Just the sound was approaching him. With the turn on the door handle he stood up and turned to greet who was there.
A smile started to form on his face once she had entered the room.
“Fel, how did everything go? Hopefully he isn’t causing problems?” He inquired.
Felicia Hardy-Parker had entered the room, coming over and wrapping Peter up in a big hug. Finally some peace at the end of a busy and interesting day, for the one more than the other.
“Well, considering who his parents are, I’d say he is held in high standards by his teachers, even if some are a little snobby about how I “spoil” him,” she said with a little disgust in her tone.
Peter pulled back and started to chuckle, “Oh? So someone is mad about how his mom dresses him but not how he gets his dads “bad” jokes. I’d say this is a victory for me.”
“Pete, I guess we have to give you some victories, but our son doesn’t need to be looked at for his fashion, this was about his grades and how he is. I swear, if she had some things go missing, that tune would change,” beaming back to him with a new devious plan in mind.
She always had that way of teasing him about some theft. Even though that had stopped long ago, in the criminal sense that is. But it did take some time and work like most things. It was now “robbing” from the crime lords, and other villains who were still showing up around the city. She would give back (for the most part) to those who needed it. Maybe, sometimes the Hardy foundation could do better, keep things safer if she couldn't find a nice place for them. Reformed for the most part considering the life she had now.
After her little plan in mind, the mood changed. She had a more concerned look on her face. Peter hadn’t seen it often but when he did, he knew something was up. It was her "tell" to him, even she had her moments that did fade through to Peter.
“Hey, so what really happened? Did something go wrong with him while training?" He got up, preparing for the worst.
"Spider, he was fine with that, a little out of control at some points but fine."
"I'm sensing a "but" here cat," ready for something werid or wrong to be said.
"Do you have both of your web shooters here?” she asked.
“Yeah, why… wait let me check.” looking for the second pair in the room.
Walking over to his suitcase, he picked it up and popped it open and there was the extra pair. They were not used as much, unless they were really needed for an emergency.
“Yeah, they are still here, did he pull a prank or something?” Now even more confused on what was going on.
“Well, I just needed to make sure. It's still crazy to see it happen for the first time. Now that I know, Pete, you should sit down for what I’m about to say.”
“Wait, seriously Fel, what happened?”
As Peter sat down, his mind was starting to race now. What could he have done to make Felicia this worried? It always took a lot to get her in this mind set, he had know her since college and it was still rare to see her get like this.
“Well the reason I asked was that… Is that he spun a web in the car. I thought that maybe he somehow found them and was using them.”
“So how did he make a web then?” Trying to somehow piece it together in his head.
“It came out of his wrist.”
The room was dead silent. Peter just stared back into Felicia's eyes and she returned the exchange. So much being processed by Peter, this meant so much that first off his powers carried over but also changed as well. His, their son could produce his own webs. They didn’t know if he would get powers, sure he was able to be like Felicia, very fluid in his movements when they signed him up for some after school sports. But this changed everything now.
“So he can make his own webs… Fel this…” He stuttered out. “This is amazing but also so crazy. Also, I missed him spinning his first web!" Excitement now hitting him in full force.
His thoughts racing now, "this will save a ton on the web-fluid, I guess. Dang, I even started working on his own web-shooters as well."
“Pete, I know. It's a lot right now, I’m always down for a surprise but this is something else,” she of course had seen so much over her career but something like this she wouldn’t explicitly mention it, but it did scare her a little.
“So, where is Wally now? In his room? Downstairs?"
“In his room, just told him to focus on his homework, and I’d talk to you about this.”
“Did he freak out about it?” He asked.
“Not really, he was just in awe really. Kinda like I had been when I saw you in the flesh for the first time, spinning those webs,” she smirked back to him.
“That's good news, so I guess we should go talk to him. Give him a new talk about the spiders and the cats then, more on the "spider side" I guess,” he playfully joked back.
She gave him a kiss on the cheek, “You really have been waiting to use that one, haven’t you?”
“Sometimes you never know if you will get to say it," he shrugged.
“Well, now we can go tell our kitten what weird powers his dad gave him.” She laughed softly to him.
“Now he’s a spider-kitten... cat? you see, since he has something from my genes now, even if I can’t do that.”
Both of them got up, slowly moving to head out towards their son’s room. Mentally preparing for an interesting talk about how to deal with this. Having something new and unexpected like this even happening.
“So, should I lead or do you want to? Maybe... set this up for me, cause I know it might get a little weird,” Peter was starting to worry a bit.
Halfway down the hallway, Felicia stopped him, put both her hands to his cheeks, looking into his eyes. While worried just like Peter, she never showed it but she needed him to calm down.
“Hey, you—we got this, together just like always, right?” She smiled at him, rubbing his cheeks with her thumbs. She needed both sides of him here. Peter and the spider. That spider side to give him the extra boost for a big conversation like this.
He pulled her in for a hug.
“Together.”