I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 55: A Peaceful Life (Patreon)

“Gwen, are you all right?”

Peter's voice came from outside the door. Gwen was kneeling on the floor with her upper body sprawled across the bed, just as she had been when she was ill. This time, though, she was wearing her black-and-white spider suit.

“I'm fine... Peter...” She lifted her head long enough to answer, then collapsed against the mattress again.

She'd spent the entire previous night fighting criminals. She was exhausted.

“Uh... Want me to ask for the day off for you?”

“No. I'll be fine in a minute.”

Her superhuman constitution let her endure far more than an ordinary person, but even Gwen couldn't stop herself from falling asleep in class. Fortunately, her grades were still excellent. She'd simply gone from competing with Peter for first place to settling comfortably into second.

“You've looked pretty tired lately, Gwen. Is everything okay?” Peter asked.

“I'm fine, Peter. I've just been... staying up late practicing music and things like that...”

“Okay, but take care of yourself. What would you like for dinner tonight?”

“Uh... Anything's fine.”

Of course, Peter knew exactly what she was doing at night. A month had passed since Gwen became a spider-themed heroine. Over that time, both criminals and police officers had reported running into some kind of monster, a remarkably fast and powerful figure who could beat criminals into the ground.

Unfortunately, crime-fighting ate up an enormous amount of Gwen's time. She still had the band to deal with, not to mention her internship at Oscorp. She felt as though she didn't have a moment to herself anymore. Why hadn't anyone warned her that being a superhero would be so exhausting?

“Oh, by the way, Gwen. The New Batman has finally reached the end of its current story. The Riddler is in prison, and now I need to think about what to draw next. Maybe I'll take a little break first.”

Every issue featuring The New Batman had been snapped up almost as soon as it appeared. Principal Davis hadn't seen a single copy of the school newspaper left on the racks for weeks, and had even begun wondering whether the club was still publishing it.

“Thank goodness,” Harley said from beside them. “It's finally over...”

Mary Jane occasionally came back to help, but she had her busy social life and band commitments. Gwen had even more on her plate. That left Peter and Harley frantically trying to meet each deadline by themselves. Peter drew the line art, Harley handled the coloring, and the pair worked almost nonstop.

The workload was grueling, but Harley was secretly delighted that she and Peter had completed The New Batman together, just the two of them in one room.

And that room was Peter's. Whenever she got tired, Harley simply climbed into his bed to sleep. Other than going back to her own room to shower and change, she spent almost all her time at his place.

It had been a project they completed together!

Peter freely admitted that he couldn't have finished it without Harley's help.

The New Batman hadn't just become a hit at Midtown High. Students had spread word of it so widely that kids from other schools were sneaking over to get their hands on a copy or two.

“Couldn't we submit it to the Daily Bugle now?” Harley asked eagerly.

“We certainly could. The response at school has been excellent,” Peter said.

Teenage boys loved dark superhero stories like this. They were discussing The New Batman more often than baseball games. And now that the story had ended, readers were already demanding another work. They couldn't get enough.

Peter had even drafted an outline for a Dark Knight trilogy. For now, though, he intended to wait and see how things developed after The New Batman.

After school, Gwen and Mary Jane went to band rehearsal, while Peter and Harley prepared to do their usual grocery shopping.

The weekend would begin the next day, so they returned to the apartment first and took the car downtown to a supermarket where the ingredients were pricier, but fresher and healthier.

Harley treasured these outings. When it was just the two of them shopping together, she could almost imagine that nobody else existed.

“Seat belt, Harley. I won't always remember to remind you,” Peter said from the driver's seat.

“Okay, okay, Peter. How about roast chicken tonight?”

“That'll take a lot of work.” He didn't say no, though.

Life like this was pretty good. He wished things could stay peaceful forever.

As their car passed through an intersection, Harley was idly watching the sidewalk when a masked man suddenly grabbed someone's bag and sprinted away.

“Whoa...”

Almost immediately, a figure swung into view, kicked the thief off his feet, and bound his wrists with webbing. Then the figure swung away again in one swift, fluid movement.

From the passenger seat, Harley stared in astonishment. “Was that... Spider-Woman?! Oh my God! I finally got to see her!”

“This neighborhood's usually very safe. Hardly any crime,” Peter said calmly. “There are lots of businesses and expensive apartment buildings around here. The people who own them don't want crime lowering property values, so seeing something like that really is rare.”

The light turned green, and he made his turn without the slightest fuss.

“Don't you know, Peter? She's practically an urban legend!” Harley exclaimed, waving her arms in excitement. “That was incredible! Just like The New Batman we draw! I can't believe something from a comic is happening in real life. Maybe she's even read The New Batman herself!”

The comic was certainly popular, and the name Spider-Woman did sound as if it might have been inspired by it.

“Wow. I can't believe a real superhero exists! How does she do it? Swinging around on those webs, I mean. Is it technology like Batman's? Maybe her suit is high-tech, too...”

“Maybe we could ask her to license her image to us. Something like, 'Even Spider-Woman reads this comic'?”

“Sounds good. It'd definitely be popular,” Harley agreed. “Still, our city really is so much better than Gotham. At least we don't have supervillains like the Riddler.”

Spider-Woman had become a sensation. Ordinary people, reporters, and politicians alike were paying attention to the mysterious new vigilante who had appeared out of nowhere.

As for supervillains, Peter sincerely hoped none would ever appear. It would be wonderful if things stayed peaceful and the only people she had to deal with were petty thieves and muggers.

“Let's pick up some cake on the way home,” he suggested. “Gwen and the others will probably want some after rehearsal.”

“Sure.” Harley nodded. She was paying for everything, as usual, but she was happy to go along with most of Peter's requests.

Norma gave her plenty of money anyway. What was wrong with spending some of it to make herself happy?

If Peter was happy, then Harley was happy, too.

If only their lives could stay like this forever.