I’m Not Becoming Spider-Man - Chapter 65: Midnight Snack (Patreon)

Going out for dinner had only been a break in the middle of everything. Peter still wanted to stop by the hospital to check on Martha. Harley naturally came along, and Mary Jane, who didn't have anything else to do, joined them as well.

Martha was doing reasonably well. She'd been struck by something during the chaos, but it didn't seem as though she'd suffered any serious injuries. A little rest ought to have been enough.

Even so, the hospital had prescribed a pile of medication and wanted to keep her under observation for several days. The bill certainly wouldn't be small.

At least Martha had health insurance, and Harley had brought her in by taxi. The people who'd been hauled off in ambulances without a say in the matter weren't so lucky.

The smell of disinfectant in the hospital was unpleasant. Peter asked at the desk, found Martha's room, and went inside.

"H-he... How is he?!" she blurted out as soon as she saw him.

"He'll be all right," Peter said, shaking his head. In truth, he didn't even know whether Connors had returned to human form yet. Gwen was completely exhausted, too.

For that matter, Peter had been running around all day and felt as though his own body was falling apart.

"How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked.

"I'm okay," Martha replied. "The doctors want me to rest for a few days."

"Then take it easy, Martha. If anything happens, please call me right away, okay?"

Peter gave her his phone number, put the fruit he'd brought on the bedside table, and left the room.

Harley and Mary Jane were waiting on chairs in the corridor.

"Is she okay?" Harley asked.

"I think she'll be fine..." Peter replied. "Let's head back."

Once again, Martha was alone in the chilly hospital room. She drew her blanket tightly around herself and sighed.

"Curt..."

Outside the window, Connors clung to the wall, watching his wife lying in the hospital bed. He knew perfectly well that all of this was his fault.

He looked at the unnatural green scales on his hands and felt the extraordinary strength coursing through his body.

He had to put things right!

Taking a deep breath, Connors wrenched the window open. The sudden crash terrified Martha.

"Aaaah!"

"Martha! Calm down!" Connors cried. But the voice coming from his throat was nothing like the one he'd had as a human. It had become a frightening, reptilian hiss.

Of course, expecting Martha to calm down at the sight of a monster wearing her husband's face was hopeless.

Connors heard movement in the corridor outside. Reacting at once, he snatched Martha from the bed and escaped through the window with her.

By the time the medical staff rushed in, all they caught sight of was a huge green tail disappearing outside.

...

"Mmm... whew..."

Gwen finally woke up because her stomach was growling. Starving, she got out of bed, changed her clothes, and went looking for something to fill the empty space inside her.

A glance at the clock told her she'd slept from the afternoon battle with the Lizard all the way to midnight.

"This is awful..."

The lights in the living room were off. Gwen crept into the kitchen, switched on the light, and opened the refrigerator to see what she could find.

Fortunately, Peter had stocked it with snacks and canned food. Gwen abandoned any concern for appearances and immediately started wolfing everything down.

Hunger was the best seasoning. The way she tore through the food, it was almost as though she were cleaning out the entire kitchen.

"Well, well. What have we caught here? A giant rat?"

The sudden voice made Gwen spin around. Peter was standing there holding a broom.

She swallowed the food in her mouth before managing an embarrassed response.

"Oh... I was just..."

"Go sit down for a minute. I could use a midnight snack myself," Peter said with a shrug. As he passed her, he offered a tissue. "Here. Wipe your mouth."

Blushing, Gwen took it and cleaned the crumbs from her lips. She gave a small nod and obediently sat down at the dining table.

Peter whipped up a simple meal from quick-cooking ingredients. It wasn't anything special, but at least it was fresh and hot instead of cold canned food.

It would have been a pretty miserable state of affairs if the hero who'd saved the city couldn't even get a hot meal.

Gwen ate more politely this time. Then again, she'd already filled her stomach with enough food that she wasn't ravenous anymore.

Peter picked up some fruit and ate with her. It would have felt awkward if she were the only one at the table eating.

Only the kitchen light was on. The two sat facing each other across the table.

"So, what happened with your internship?" Peter asked.

"I don't know... But I guess it's finished. Maybe that's for the best. I'll have more time to work on the band," Gwen said.

"That's not necessarily bad. Speaking of which, I guess you've figured it out by now, haven't you?" Peter lowered his voice. "That giant green lizard..."

"Was Dr. Connors?" Gwen finished for him.

They'd both been involved from the beginning, so it wasn't surprising that Gwen had worked it out.

"Yeah." Peter glanced around to make sure no one was listening. "I made an inhibitor, but I threw it together in an emergency. I have no idea what side effects it might have. Connors is still in a very dangerous situation."

He paused. "We might have to depend on Spider-Woman to handle him."

"Oh, she... She can definitely do it."

"She's amazing, isn't she? Just like the heroes in the comics we draw," Peter said. "A seriously incredible superhero."

Gwen kept her head down as she ate, nodding in agreement now and then. But the corners of her mouth were climbing higher and higher.

Woohoo!

Peter had absolutely no idea that the superhero who'd saved everyone was sitting right in front of him!

And that she was his good friend, too!

The thought filled Gwen with delight.

She must be feeling pretty pleased with herself after all that praise, Peter thought. Resting his chin on his hand, he watched her try to conceal her smile.

The original Spider-Man had suffered enough for a lifetime. Peter hoped Gwen wouldn't have to endure the same sort of misery. Complimenting her cost him nothing, but those few words might give her the encouragement she needed to keep going.

Being a superhero was cool, sure, but that was the dream version of it.

Real life was a demon, and it certainly wasn't going to let a tempting little high school girl like her off so easily.

"Still, I hope she doesn't push herself too hard," Peter said. "Just watching her fight the Lizard was scary. She ought to make time to rest, too. And it's not like superheroes have sponsors paying their bills. If you're going to spend your free time fighting crime, you'd better have money. Maybe she should be rich like the Batman in our comics."

"Maybe..."

Gwen's soaring spirits sank again.

She was broke.

She'd spent every bit of her savings on equipment. That web fluid was ridiculously expensive!

If she had the money, she'd love to fly a fighter jet into battle, drive an armored tank, and wear a full suit of protective armor!

Then she could come home and enjoy another delicious meal Peter had cooked for her.

Oh... Come to think of it, she still owed Peter money.

She'd borrowed some from him when she ran short while making her web fluid.

"What's wrong, Gwen? Running out of money again?" Peter asked.

"Um... a little?" she admitted cautiously.

"All right, then I'll..."

Before Peter could finish, his new phone started ringing.