I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 51: Spider Fever! (Patreon)

Gwen felt awful, as though she'd spent the entire night without a blanket and woken up with a fever. Getting out of bed that morning, she felt as if every bone in her body might come apart. Her throat was sore and itchy, and her head was swimming.

“Are you all right, Gwen?”

Harley sat on the couch eating the toast Peter had made for breakfast. The three of them usually walked to school together, especially since the apartment was only two blocks away. Mary Jane had her own social circle to keep up with, and she wasn't in their class, so she'd already left. Thompson had done the same.

“Call in sick for me... Peter...” Gwen spoke through a narrow opening in her door, sounding utterly drained.

“Are you sure you're okay?”

“I think... I have a fever...” When Peter laid a hand on her forehead, its cool touch felt so good that Gwen instinctively leaned into it.

“Yeah, you're burning up.” Peter sighed. “Harley, could you go to school and ask for the day off for both of us? I'll stay and look after Gwen.”

With grades as good as theirs, the school usually gave them a pass anyway.

“Sure. I'll be right back,” Harley said.

“Get changed, Gwen. I'll buy you some medicine,” Peter told her. “You need to rest today.”

“Mm...”

Gwen couldn't understand what had happened to her. She'd felt perfectly fine yesterday, and she'd slept under her blankets as usual. She certainly hadn't gotten cold. Yet this morning, she felt ready to fall apart.

She took off her pajamas, pulled on a loose shirt, knelt on the carpet, and let her upper body collapse across the bed.

“Gwen, can I come in?” Peter asked, knocking.

“Mm...”

“Okay, then.” Peter opened the door, only to hesitate at the sight of her clothes scattered across the floor. Gwen wasn't Mary Jane. He and Mary Jane had been inseparable since childhood, but he still needed to respect some boundaries with Gwen.

“Could you at least pick some of that up?”

Gwen glanced at the small garment on the floor and buried her face in the covers again. “You do it for me...” she mumbled.

“Uh... Let's start with your medicine.” Peter helped her up onto the bed.

Still half-delirious, Gwen leaned straight against him. Her temperature was so high that his body felt pleasantly cool, and she instinctively slipped her arms around him.

Peter raised both hands. Gwen was wearing very little, and with how warm she was...

“Gwen! Medicine first!”

She pressed her cheek against his face. He could feel the warmth of her smooth, soft skin, and she hadn't even opened her eyes. She really was out of it. Then she opened her mouth, apparently waiting to be fed the medicine.

“Okay, okay. Be good.” Peter put the medicine into her mouth, his fingers brushing her soft lips in the process. Then he brought the cup to her mouth and helped her drink.

“There. Now lie down and get some rest.”

“No, Peter. Don't go.” Gwen tightened her grip, and Peter drew a deep breath.

Having a high tolerance didn't mean he wasn't a man.

Then something occurred to him. He carefully lifted Gwen's hand and examined her wrist.

Well, perhaps she wasn't the sort of spider-powered person who produced her own webbing.

He felt her forehead again. Still burning hot. Had it actually worked? Was Ghost-Spider awakening? Or had she simply caught a cold and developed a fever?

Either way, he needed to get free. Taking advantage of her weakness, Peter tried to slip out of her arms and stand. Gwen promptly caught him around the waist, interlocking her fingers behind his back.

“Gwen, let go for a second. I'll get you a damp towel...”

“Mmm...” Whatever Gwen mumbled in reply was impossible to make out.

“Okay, I've asked for your leave. You two...” Harley returned and glanced around. Gwen's door was partly open, so she pushed it wider, only to freeze at the sight before her.

Peter stood with his back to her. Gwen had both arms around his waist, with her head in a position that looked terribly compromising from the doorway.

“Uh... Do you have protection?” Harley blurted, her brain momentarily shutting down. “Should I... go downstairs and buy some?”

“What? No! Oh my God... Gwen, stop pushing!” Peter wanted to disappear on the spot.

Harley eventually recovered enough to help him disentangle himself. Together they got Gwen back onto the bed, tucked her beneath the blankets, and placed a damp towel on her forehead. Only then did they return to the living room.

Once they sat down, Harley's eyes kept drifting toward a certain part of Peter's body.

“It's a perfectly normal physical reaction,” Peter declared with absolute seriousness.

“Maybe you should go to your room for a bit?”

“I'm taking a cold shower.”

“Mm...”

Afterward, Peter felt considerably better. He came out shirtless, revealing a sharply defined physique that his usual shirts completely concealed. He poured himself a glass of Japanese fresh cola and had just taken a swallow when Harley spoke from the couch, her back still turned to him.

“Peter... Do you like girls like Gwen?”

He sprayed his drink.

“Cough... Don't start with that, Harley.” He wiped his mouth. “I'd rather not have Mary Jane chasing me with a knife.”

“Come on, you were practically...”

“Oh, for heaven's sake, Harley! Even a straight guy like me couldn't help reacting if you held me like that for long enough. It's a normal reaction!” Peter said helplessly.

“Uh...” Harley lowered her head. Her thoughts seemed to have turned into a tangle of scribbles, and her face was bright red.

“But... do you really intend to spend your life with Mary Jane?”

“We've got plenty of time, Harley. How old are we, anyway?” Peter said. Why did none of them seem to think about what came after graduation? “I'll consider that sort of thing in college. Right now it's much too early.”

“But... you must have some standards, right?”

“Not really. A nice personality, and she shouldn't be too unattractive. That's about it.”

“Hmm...” Harley touched her own face. She wasn't unattractive, was she?

“Wait, doesn't that pretty much rule Mary Jane out?”

“There's still time. If she manages to soften that bossy personality of hers over the next few years, I wouldn't rule out putting her on the list.”

“All right...”

“Besides, shouldn't you be the one worrying most about your studies, Harley?”

“Um... I know you and Gwen get excellent grades...”

“Mary Jane's grades are pretty good too. She'll get into college just fine,” Peter said. “And if I tell her I'm applying to Empire State University, you can bet she'll study like crazy to get into the same school.”