Chapter 40
Tags: No Smut
Pete had gone to school with kids that had been to more weddings in their short lives than he had even seen acted out on TV.
It was so crazy that he remembered thinking it was some kind of elaborate, mass conspiracy that, really, they just didn't want to hang out with him on the weekends he'd ask to.
It wasn't until his uncle had informed a young Peter that, no, not only were they not trying to dodge him, but that some families were just incredibly large, that he reluctantly took off his tinfoil cap.
It was ironic, really.
The first wedding Pete ever attended had ended up being his own. Being an only child, and with his aunt and uncle's friends all having married young, he'd never really had the opportunity.
And it was everything I ever dreamed it would be.
He still got a little emotional every time he replayed Gwen's teary-eyed reaction to his vows, and subsequently listened to her own.
Unfortunately, this being his first wedding, he had been woefully unprepared for how much mingling he'd have to do. In his mind, he'd expected to be spending the evening cuddled up with his wife - God, that's so incredible to finally say - at the head table, watching everyone enjoy themselves on their dime, and maybe gaze longingly up at the incredible glass ceiling of this brand new reception hall.
Almost as if his thoughts had a physical weight to them, Pete felt his gaze drifting up to the ceiling where, amidst the otherwise empty void of space, a beautiful, blue marble stuck out at its centre. Eyeballing it, viewing Earth from SI’s new ballroom on the moon, their planet looked several times larger than its counterpart did when viewed from his penthouse.
Naturally, Tony had been a man possessed, his desire to gobble up this prime bit of real estate for SI before anyone else the main driving factor for setting up a facility on the interstellar body itself.
As long as we can channel and use his narcissism for the betterment of mankind, I don’t see a problem. Especially when it means I can have my wedding in the most badass place imaginable.
Building on the moon had been a far simpler process than Pete had imagined. He’d initially thought they’d just send up countless nanites to handle the work - a wildly unpopular idea given a majority of them were being sent to build and establish humanity’s first fleet of starships - but, instead, they’d simply built the buildings on Earth and shot them into space as prefabricated modules through the Well.
Toeing them into place had been relatively easy, after that.
Gwen had been worried when she learnt exactly how SI’s new, massive facility on the Moon would be built. While not as bad as some women, she didn’t much care for the idea of getting married in a cold, featureless, prefab building, even if the view was incredible.
Tony had assuaged Gwen’s concerns by showing her that, rather than looking like a metallic factory, the ballroom resembled a baroque marvel lifted straight out of a French palace, save for the rather incongruous presence of the massive, glass ceiling.
Honestly, it was pretty dumb to doubt Tony's need to have the best of everything…
He had to admit, as awesome as it was to have Earth perpetually visible through the ceiling of the ballroom though, Pete still preferred the view from Riri’s office inside the Well.
Not that he’d tell either Tony or her that…
Returning to the present, Pete was a little surprised to realise he’d been standing alone and unmolested for the better part of five minutes, idly watching his guests partying and having a hell of a time. The turn out had been amazing, the festivities perfect. He caught sight of his wife on the dance floor, the hem of her flowing, silken, white dress with lace trim pinched between her fingers as she smiled wide and partied with their friends.
God…she’s so beautiful.
The image of Gwen in her wedding dress would be imprinted on his mind for the rest of his life. Beautiful didn’t do her justice. She was radiant, resplendent, her smile so wide and infectious that he couldn’t help smiling himself as he beheld her silly antics.
As if sensing his stare, her head unerringly swivelled in his direction and her smile widened. She seemed to glow with love and affection, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
I love you.
Pete grinned at her mouthed words and he returned them while putting a hand over his heart. Gwen did likewise, and their intense stare-off didn’t end until MJ, with a roll of her eyes, wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her back to their little dancing circle.
Never likes not being the centre of attention, that one.
Pete chuckled fondly at the redheaded beauty’s back, her bridesmaids gown a slinky, flowing turquoise number - because of course it was - that did its very best to accentuate her immense cleavage. Frankly, all three of the original Mary Janes looked stunning in their slinky dresses, the low-plunging neckline doing very little to hide their delectable assets - Pete once more berated himself for cutting Gloria out like he had.
Shaking his head, Pete got himself another soda from the bar and turned, his eyes trailing over the crowd until he spotted something that made him frown.
Or rather, someone.
The ballroom, as mentioned, was a stunning baroque masterpiece. The pale, timber floorboards were as intricate and detailed as the ivory and gold panelling on the walls, the massive chandelier hanging from the non-glass section of the ceiling probably costing more than his first apartment.
Heck, a lot more if those are diamonds instead of crystals…
Along the back wall however, there was a mezzanine floor accessible through a set of stairs just outside the ballroom. It allowed a brilliant view of the festivities to whoever was up there, but its sole occupant only had eyes for the glass ceiling, his thin smile looking sad and melancholic.
He couldn’t look more like his dog died even if he tried…
Unable to stomach someone looking so glum at his wedding, Pete topped up his soda and ordered a glass of the bar’s finest whiskey before making his way up to the second floor.
It was a quick trip, and though several of his guests made to approach Pete, seeing his hands full with drink and his purposeful strides had apparently been enough to stop them from intercepting him.
Hearing the door open and close behind him finally broke Scott Lang out of his brooding, fugue state. His forearms still resting on the timber rail of the balcony rail, he turned and immediately straightened when he realised just who’d joined him.
‘Thanks,’ Scott said, accepting the glass of whiskey before forcing a smile on his lips and lifting it in toast. ‘Here’s to hoping you guys are much better at this than I am.’
Pete clinked glasses with his friend and watched him down the incredibly smooth - apparently - drink in one go, a puzzled frown on his features.
‘You okay, buddy?’ He smiled, trying to lift his friend’s spirits. ‘I can’t throw that bad a party, everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves.’
Scott barked out a laugh and went back to leaning against the railing. Pete joined him, concern for his friend twisting his gut into knots.
The silence stretched on as Pete just stood there like a supportive statue, his arms crossed as he leant against the railing Scott was resting against.
His friend would speak when he was ready.
It didn’t take long. His voice thick with emotion and a little shaky, he plastered a smile on his face and finally spoke.
‘Sorry for bringing down the mood. I’d have left after the ceremony, but I’m kinda stranded up here - who has their wedding on the freaking Moon anyway?’
The corners of Pete’s lips twitched in amusement. ‘There’re shuttles ready to take people back down planetside when they’re ready… but why do I get the feeling you’re more than happy to stay up here?’
Scott chuckled mirthlessly and shook his head in exasperation. ‘You too? I swear, I thought Gwen was the crazy detective - when did you get so observant?’
‘Buddy, I don’t exactly need to be Sherlock - you look like you just found out your dog died…’
Again, he laughed bitterly. ‘Not my dog, my… marriage. Hope… we’re divorced - papers went through today.’
Pete’s eyes widened and he shook his head, as if the news had hit him like a lightning quick jab to the chin, scrambling his brain.
‘W-what? I didn't even know you guys were having trouble!’
Scott sighed and shrugged, a hangdog look on his face as he sightlessly stared down at the happy partiers below. ‘Yeah…I didn't really want to advertise.’
Pete didn't immediately respond - what would he even say?
God I wish Gwen were here…she'd know.
‘I'm not even fifty and I've been divorced three times.’ His bitter chuckle had Pete wincing sympathetically. ‘God, I'm such a loser.’
Pete frowned before putting a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder and gently squeezing. ‘Look, I’ve no idea what happened between you two, but cut that self-deprecating talk out. You're a great guy, someone I've always trusted to have my back.’
Scott shot him a helpless look before downing his glass of whiskey like it was a shot of tequila. He silently stared up through the glass ceiling for several minutes, and Pete let him, not rushing or pushing his friend to speak. Finally, just as Pete started to wonder if Scott would be content with moping all night, he let out an aggravated sigh and ran a hand over his face.
‘Man, again, I’m so sorry. This is your wedding and here I am, being a Negative Nancy.’
‘Don’t even worry about it,’ Pete assured, waving off his concerns casually and shrugging nonchalantly. ‘If I’m being honest, my favourite part of the day finished ages ago. I had no idea weddings were so much work.’
Scott’s stony facade crumbled and he chuckled good naturedly. ‘This your first wedding? Jesus… yeah, I can’t imagine how tedious the whole rigmarole would be for someone who doesn’t drink…’
Pete snorted in amusement and sipped at his soda. ‘Yeah, kinda looking forward to the afterparty, if you know what I mean. Could honestly do with a few more of you sad sacks to bring down the mood and get everyone to go home…’
He masked a self-satisfied grin with his drink as he got Scott to bark out an amused laugh. ‘Oh suck it up, Parker, weddings aren’t for you to enjoy, they’re for your wife. Just make sure you keep that smile on your face otherwise your wife will sling her way up here and cut your balls off.’
This time it was Pete who barked out a laugh. Gwen hadn’t seemed the type to care overly much about such things, but as the wedding drew closer, she’d grown increasingly excited and nervous in equal measure. They’d stayed apart for the week leading up to the event - a brutal venture, given how hot and horny Gwen's bachelorette party had left them - but that hadn’t stopped them from having texted conversations for hours before they went to sleep every night.
It was like they were teenagers again, when they used to hang out on Discord every night while they flitted between various multiplayer games.
As if sensing she was being talked about, Gwen sought him out and quickly found him standing up on the balcony with Scott, smiling down at her as he watched them all dancing.
He raised his eyebrows, the lower half of his face masked by his glass, and Gwen blew him a kiss and smiled wide, looking as beautiful and radiant as he’d ever seen her. His heart swelled, his mind superimposing the image of her in her stunning wedding dress with the memories he’d had of her over the years - in her school clothes, her Jets apparel, the outfit she’d worn when he first introduced her to May and Ben as his girlfriend and, of course, as the Ghost Spider…
Then he imagined her in less wholesome situations. The first time they had sex where she’d ambushed him in his room, the sex tapes, ice-skating naked, taking photos of her nude hiking, performing in front of others, in the arms of another man…
His cock started to swell. As things were going, Pete thought he might have to abscond with the bride soon - he didn’t think he could wait a few more hours.
Rather than catching the kiss she’d sent his way and stuffing it in his chest pocket in a corny display of affection, Pete snatched at it and, with a wink, he brought it down to the front of his slacks and cupped his junk, the action visible through the bars of the balcony’s balustrade.
Gwen’s countenance instantly shifted, her eyes growing heavily lidded and biting her lip wantonly.
The week without sex had been hard on her too…
Their intense eye-fucking was interrupted when a tipsy - bordering on drunken - May popped up out of nowhere and pulled Gwen back into the crowd to dance.
‘Ugh, you two make me sick.’
Pete grinned and turned his attention back to Scott.
‘What? Like you were any different?’
His cheeks turned pink and he relented with a sigh. ‘Guess not…’
Hoping it wouldn’t backfire, Pete turned his back on the crowd below and gave Scott his full attention once more. ‘Why don’t you tell me about them? I never really met Hope and I don’t know anything about your other exes.’
Scott thought about the question for a second, his face grimacing in phantom pain.
Pete was no psychologist, but the info he’d had his AI pull up on helping people get over their relationship-related grief mentioned talking about it sometimes helping.
Thankfully, it worked - or rather, Scott felt like unburdening himself at least.
Leaning against the railing next to him, Scott told him about his first wife - his highschool sweetheart and maybe the most disastrous relationship of them all. They’d married really young, right after graduating, before going off to college.
Pete had expected the story to go the typical route at that point, but to his surprise, they’d seemingly managed the long-distance relationship well. Scott completed his BSME in the standard four years and moved to be close with his wife at Harvard while she finished her law degree.
Things had taken a turn for the worse when his ex-wife’s personality started to change. Scott couldn’t pin-point the exact timing, but she had started to become frustrated and argumentative, constantly pointing out his flaws and lack of ambition (read: pay packet).
Pete wasn’t the least bit surprised when Scott ended the sordid tale with his wife leaving him for a more high-achieving (read: richer) jerk in the firm she was interning at.
The tale of his second wife, and the mother of his daughter, was no less tragic. Their idyllic suburban life had been completely devastated when a woman from Scott’s work didn’t take well to having her sexual advances firmly rebuffed. In revenge, she’d lied to his wife about them having an affair and, without so much as a thought to question it, his ex had believed her.
The truth had come to light, but by that point, his ex had taken revenge into her own hands - what was good for the goose and what have you - and Scott had been thoroughly burned, the trust between them completely eroded.
His third marriage to the famous Hope van Dyne - daughter of Hank Pym and the source of Scott’s superhero abilities - was just as sad, if a little less sensational. Apparently the two constantly argued about the littlest things until, finally, some things were said that couldn't be taken back. Scott didn’t get into it, but the pained look on his friend’s face when Pete asked if it had anything to do with his daughter or previous marriages said plenty.
Despite the absolute dire nature of their conversation, Pete felt relieved that Scott steadily grew more animated through the retelling, his shoulders relaxing and his casual, easy smile returning.
He also didn't fail to notice Scott's attention and gaze straying over to a specific, beautiful doctor. Pete couldn't really blame the man and mentally commended him on his taste - he wasn't the only man whose attention was being forcibly attracted by the ever beautiful Jane Foster.
Jane looked stunning in a dress that somehow managed to be beautiful, elegant and sexy, her delicious cleavage fully on display without being tacky. The silky material clung to her figure like a second skin before flaring out at the thigh, leaving little of her jaw-dropping body to the imagination.
Not only that, but her smile still made Pete's knees feel weak.
Your wedding is probably a good time to get over your crush, Pete…
‘Well, I take it back,’ Pete finally spoke, after it became apparent Scott had fully unburdened himself. ‘You're entirely to blame for your marriages failing.’
Pete would have laughed at the genuine spit-take and cloud of whisky if his friend didn't look so genuinely hurt after he got done coughing up his lungs.
Whiskey up your nose can't be a pleasant feeling…
With a supreme effort of will, Pete just about managed to keep his face straight and tamped down his desire to take back the hurtful words. With a serious nod, his eyes locked with Scott's, he continued.
‘Your taste in women…is fucking criminal.’
Scott stared at him dumbly for several seconds before he threw his head back and barked out a borderline hysterical laugh. The sound was so loud and unexpected, several of the guests downstairs heard him over the music and stared up at them with confusion and interest.
‘Honestly, how you managed to marry three psychopaths is a feat that needs to be studied. It's genuinely impressive…’
His smile wide and his cheeks flushed, Scott finally regained his composure and slapped Pete on the shoulder. ‘Thanks buddy, I really needed that.’
Pete wasn't done with his friend yet, though.
‘Though I suppose even your special brand of autism needed to run out eventually.’
Scott’s smile dimmed with his confusion, but didn't completely melt away. To clarify, Pete motioned to Jane and grinned cheekily at Scott.
‘I can confirm Jane isn't a psychopath, even if she might think you're one with the way you keep staring at her from the proverbial rafters…’
Scott's cheeks flushed an immediate, beet red, his eyes wide with shock.
‘W-what are you - I have no idea - I, what -!’ Finally, he drew in close, his back to the railing and the party below. ‘Did she look up here? Was she looking at me? Did she look interested?’
Pete smiled wide, his eyes twinkling with mischief and a little bit of devil. His wife would be immensely proud with what he did next.
‘I dunno…’ Pete's voice trailed off, his face scrunched up in confusion before the expression shifted, a sly smile tugging at his lips. ‘Why don't we ask her?’
Scott's eyes widened in alarm, his face turning bone white. ‘What?!’
Pete ignored his friend's hissed question and leaned over the railing before letting out a short, shrill whistle that cut through the music with ease and had everyone looking up at the balcony. Scott dropped to the floor like he was Solid Snake and, if he were wearing his suit, he didn't doubt the man would have shrunk to his tiniest size, escaping into the atom-universe.
Pete ignored his friend's desperate pleas and, locking eyes with Jane, motioned for her to join them on the balcony. She smiled wide and, after politely excusing herself from whatever conversation she was having with Nat, started to stride across the room to join them, the other guests returning to their merriment in due course.
‘I hate you so freaking much.’
‘Stop being a bitch and stand up.’
Scott ignored him and instead glared daggers. ‘Isn't she supposed to be with a literal freaking God?!’
‘They broke up ages ago,’ Pete assured him with a casual wave. ‘Trust me, she's completely over him.’
‘I think I'd rather not know how you know that, you man-whore.’
Thankfully, Scott was standing when Jane finally joined them, even if he looked like he was about to be sick. The beautiful doctor reached up to hug him and planted a platonic kiss on his cheek, her deep red lipstick leaving no marks.
‘Sorry I haven't had a chance to speak with you yet, Peter. Every time I tried, you were otherwise occupied.’
Pete waved her off and returned her smile. ‘It's all good, needed to get away from the chaos for a bit, you know?’
‘I'm aware you're not exactly a fan of crowds, yes,’ she replied with mirth, her laughter doing wonderful things for the breasts barely encased in her silky dress. ‘Congratulations, Peter, you two make an incredibly beautiful couple.’
Resisting the urge to point out that they'd made an incredible throuple in the past too, Pete just smiled and wrapped his arm around her lower back.
‘Thanks Jane, I can't believe it's finally real you know?’
They exchanged a few pleasantries before Jane raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow and eyed the both of them with twinkling eyes.
‘So what have you boys been scheming about up here?’
Before Scott could answer, Pete bumped Jane with his hip and winked cheekily at her. ‘Scott here was just telling me how beautiful you look tonight. Figured I'd call you up here so he could get a closer look.’
A look of utter fury and betrayal crossed his friend's beet red face, a look he quickly disguised when Jane laughed and turned to him, her delicate hand resting on his tensed forearm.
‘Peter tries to act all innocent, but he's as much a troublemaker as his beautiful wife.’
‘Ha ha ha ha, he's definitely a f-funny guy,’ Scott forced out through a grit-toothed smile while trying to kill him with his murderous gaze. ‘A regular prankster, that one.’
Pete's smile widened and he wrapped an arm around Jane's shoulder. ‘You're too clever for me, Miss Foster. Actually, Scott was just telling me how he spent the weekend camping with his daughter to cheer her up after a rough break-up.’
‘Oh no, that's terrible!’ Jane's concern was genuine and her expression softened. There was no better way to get a woman's ovaries activated than showing off they were a good girl-father.
I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere…
‘Y-yeah,’ he replied, recovering from his confusion quickly. ‘Cas was really depressed, figured some daddy-daughter bonding time would help heal her wounds.’
Of course, it was all complete bullshit. The camping trip had happened, but it had been over a year ago, and there was no relationship drama to speak of.
Before Scott could ruin his hard work however and put his foot in his mouth, reinforcements arrived.
‘There you are!’ They all turned as Miles slipped through the door and called out to them. Scott looked on in confusion as the younger man put his hand on his shoulder and smiled. ‘Mami’s been looking for you all night. She wanted to thank you personally for your help at the homeless shelter - it wasn't just a publicity stunt for her and she knows how busy you typically are…’
Jane's eyes sparkled while Scott noticeably paled.
‘Oh that's wonderful,’ Jane gushed. ‘I really wish I had more time to do more charity work too…’
Stuck, Scott just rolled with it rather than risk looking even more stupid. ‘Er, yeah, you know, um, ever since the attack, h-homelessness has been a real issue…’’
Out of the corner of his eye, Pete saw Miles coughing into his shoulder in an attempt to hide his grin.
Before the Ant-man could concern himself with if they were bigging him up a little too much, they were joined by Tony, a thick, Cuban cigar between his lips.
He wrapped an arm around both Miles’ and Pete's shoulders before acting like he'd only just noticed Scott’s presence. ‘Lang? If you don’t get back to Pepper about the scholarship fund you want to set up for underprivileged kids, she’ll have to go ahead without crediting you.’ His eyes rolled so hard they nearly fell out of his skull. ‘I know you said that’s what you want, because you’re lame, but what’s even the point of philanthropy if no one knows you did it?’
He took a long puff of his cigar before turning to them, as if he didn't care about the little brewing romance in the slightest.
Pete nearly broke at the look on both Jane and Scott’s faces, with the latter looking like he was adrift at sea and, rather than being rescued, his friends were only prodding him with their oars.
Her beautiful eyes twinkling with mischief, Jane turned to Scott and swooned. ‘Oh Scott that’s wonderful, I didn’t know you had such a philanthropic soul!’
On the back foot, Scott blurted out the first thing that came to mind.
‘Er, you know, I, um, believe the children are… our future?’
Miles coughed again to hide his incredulous guffaw while Tony bit down hard on his cigar in an attempt to disguise his amusement. Jane turned to him in askance, not having bought the act for even a second, but playing along like the bro she was.
Scott was just too fun to tease.
Pete sent her a discrete message with his AR lens, knowing that Jane would be able to see it with her own.
Pete: Scott’s divorce just went through and he’s super down right now. He really has been mooning over you - not that I blame him, you look amazing!
Jane’s smile brightened further and Scott nearly jumped out of his skin when she sidled up to him and hooked her arm through his.
Jane: Charmer. Was the bit about his daughter true, at least?
Pete: 90% Happened last year.
Jane: Turns out it’s Mister Lang’s lucky day. Weddings always have me feeling… frisky. Your darling wife playing matchmaker with everyone downstairs isn’t helping…
Pete: Have fun. Send me the video.
Jane: Behave.
‘Why don’t you get me a drink, Scott?’ Jane asked, her eyes fluttering at him like a siren. ‘You can tell me all about your charity work.’
Scott turned to them with a desperate and alarmed look on his face, but the three of them just smiled and waved as Jane dragged him away.
‘She’s gonna eat him alive.’ Miles turned to them and grinned cheekily. ‘Something about weddings has these girls trippin. I can barely walk two steps without Cindy trying to pull me into a shadowy corner…’
Pete chuckled and Tony took another long puff on his cigar, expelling the cloud of smoke up to the ceiling in a long exhale. Before speaking, he reached into his pocket and pulled out two more, handing them to both Pete and Miles. Shrugging, they accepted and used Tony’s cigar to light their own.
Now enshrouded in a cloud of pungent smoke, Tony cleared his throat and raised his eyebrows. ‘There a reason we’re helping a man cheat on his wife?’
‘Psh, man, what kind of friend are you?’ Miles asked with a scowl, looking Tony up and down and shaking his head in disgust. ‘Hope’s leaving him.’
‘Left,’ Pete corrected as he eyed his cigar, acting as if he'd known about his friend's marital woes all along. He wasn’t really a smoker and only indulged when with Tony, but there was something about the simple act that he found appealing. It certainly helped that his nanites dealt with all the unpleasant consequences. ‘The divorce just went through.’
Tony hummed in thought as he gazed up at planet Earth through the glass ceiling. ‘Good on him. Hope’s always been a cunt, just like her old man.’
The trio giggled at the crude truth of his words, one they hadn’t dared utter out loud until now for fear of offending their friend.
While Pete's disdain for Hope didn't stem from an apparent long-lived feud with Hank Pym, it was no less visceral. Even if she hadn't banned her grown-ass husband from hanging out with his friends after his affair with Ororo was made public, Pete had always hated the way she talked down to and belittled the man she apparently loved.
The only person Hope loves is herself.
‘Ah man, forget the harpy,’ Miles waved off with a click of his tongue. ‘How's it feel, man? You're married.’
Returning his grin, Pete bumped the younger man with his shoulder. ‘Amazing, surreal, yet somehow totally normal? It's hard to explain.’ Rather than follow up on the train of thought the no-doubt goofy smile on his face gave away, Pete channelled his devious wife and winked at her Spider-Son. ‘When are you asking Cindy?’
‘Ugh,’ Tony grimaced, his face scrunched in disgust. ‘It's like a plague with you people, as soon as you get married, you try to pass on the disease to everyone else.’
‘What'd you mean you people?’ Pete's challenge promoted an immediate reaction from his bi-racial friend.
‘What do you mean you people?’
Their stony expressions lasted all of five seconds before they broke down into another fit of giggles.
‘I think there might be something in the air.’ After the mysterious, ominous line, Miles reached into his tight fitting blazer pocket and pulled out a ring, earning himself another disgusted look from an incredulous Tony. ‘What's the etiquette for proposing at a friend's wedding?’
Clenching his cigar between his teeth, Pete grinned wide and enveloped the younger man in a bear hug, giving him a too-hard series of bro slaps on the back. Over his shoulder, he could see that they were garnering attention from the revellers down below, but he mostly ignored them and pulled back, holding Miles at arms length.
‘Dude, who cares about etiquette? Just ask her!’ He paused, then frowned. ‘Though good luck trying to surprise her with your proposal…’
‘Ugh, this is why I fucking hate weddings,’ Tony grimaced in disgust before shuddering overly dramatically. ‘I can just feel all the gayness seeping into my pores.’
‘Right,’ Pete agreed with an indulgent grin and eye-roll towards Miles. ‘There’s nothing more gay than proposing to and marrying the woman you love, right?’
Tony nodded as he blew out a puff of pungent smoke. ‘At least you get it, and you,’ he paused, taking his cigar out of his mouth and jabbing it in Miles’ direction, ‘she only sees the future if there’s a threat or she consciously activates the ability. Just don’t give her a reason to be suspicious and don’t throw the goddamn ring at her.’
The silence stretched on as both Miles and Pete stared at Tony with raised eyebrows.
‘What?’ he snapped, his brow twitching in annoyance.
‘Aww, you do care!’
Tony grimaced but didn’t fight it as Miles wrapped him up in a hug. Pete watched on, amused, the corners of his lips twitching. ‘Been thinking about proposals much yourself, Tony? I hear love is in the air…’
His lips curled in disgust, Tony shoved Miles away from him and straightened his matching, wrinkled suit. Regaining his composure, he bit down on his cigar and leaned against the railing. ‘Kiddies, my relationship is amazing and I don’t intend to ruin it by adding any needless complications.’
Pete and Miles shared a secret, conspiratorial look as Tony continued his haughty tirade.
‘Besides, until you take your sexy, French, popstar secretary as a mistress, I’m not interested in whatever useless advice you have to give.’
That was never happening, not that he would tell Tony that. Pete didn’t think he could handle the epic meltdown that would ensue if he let on that he and Gwen would be cooling it for a while as they started their family.
Surprisingly, it was Gwen that had suggested it. It kind of made sense given how wild and outrageous her bachelorette party was - as if she knew that would be the last time she’d let loose for a while. Pete had no objections, obviously. As much as his wife had turned him into a true degenerate, he was way, way more excited to start a family.
I think seeing May and Ben have Hope gave me the itch…
Last he checked on her, Gwen was doing her best to make sure as many of her friends as possible followed suit. She not only pestered her wholly uninterested friends, but he was pretty sure he saw her animatedly chatting to May and Nat too.
It was as if she was trying to make sure their kids had an entire raid party of friends and family to grow up with…
And speaking of Gwen pestering women about getting pregnant…
‘Yo, Miles, you see the delightful Miss Frost hanging around tonight?’
Tony’s eyes narrowed when his girlfriend was brought up, especially when Miles pinched his chin and scrunched his face in an overly dramatic frown before clicking his fingers and smiling. ‘You know, I think I did. She looked mighty annoyed though, if you ask me…’
‘Right?’ Pete continued right where Miles left off, as if the two were practising their comedy duet routine. ‘She had that frown plastered on her face though - you know the one, as if she just stepped in dog shit?’
‘That’s just her regular face,’ Tony replied in deadpan, but the two ignored him.
‘You see Pepper too?’
‘Hard to miss her,’ Miles continued, their routine continuing as Tony’s head bounced between the two of them like he was watching a tennis match. ‘She was hanging out with Emma - both of them were all frowny.’
Pete nodded sagely. ‘Almost as if they were upset… or jealous.’
Now Miles nodded sagely. ‘For real. It’s gotta be hard to be surrounded by so much love and happiness, other women talking about getting married themselves and starting families -’
‘- all the while their man laughs at them as if they’re all idiots, blinded by his own narcissism and hubris…’
They both slowly turned to Tony, whose cheeks were pale and his eyes wide with panic. ‘What did you chucklefucks do?!’
‘Do?’ Pete parroted, his eyes twinkling merrily. ‘I didn’t do anything. First, the reason why I’m not going to take my secretary as my mistress - lack of interest aside - is that I can’t think of anything more unappealing than having two, strong-willed women constantly ganging up on me in my own home.’
‘Sorry Tony,’ Miles continued, looking wholly unapologetic, ‘but it’s your dumbass fault for bringing both your women to a wedding and running your mouth.’
‘Seriously,’ Pete said. ‘What did you think was gonna happen? Gwen’s basically been on a mission to make sure our kids will have an entire clan of cousins to grow-up with - did you seriously think she’d ignore Emma and Pepper?’
Pete ignored Tony’s flinching, as if the word kids was a bullet that punctured his chest, as he felt two long, slender arms wrap around his waist, and hot breath on his ear.
‘What’s this I hear about strong-willed women, husband?’
Pete sank back into his wife’s embrace and smiled wide at the horrified look of betrayal on Tony’s features.
‘I was just telling Tony that I have absolutely no interest in taking Felicia as a mistress.’
Her hand snaked up his body and cupped his chin, turning his face so she could plant her lips against his. Now facing his wife, he felt his breath hitch in his throat. In her gorgeous wedding dress, her face and hair done up beautifully, Gwen still took his breath away almost as much as she did when she walked down the aisle. ‘Pity,’ she whispered huskily, before slipping her tongue into his mouth and kissing him with a fiery passion. ‘Always wanted a pet kitten…’
Fuuuuuuuuuuuck…
Not that he was complaining, but ever since they’d said their I dos, his wife had found every opportunity she could to ambush him and suck his face off, then whisper absolute filth into his ear.
Not that he minded, of course, though he could do without the awkward boner.
Annoyed at being ignored, Tony stamped his foot like a child, his hands clenched into fists by his sides. ‘We’re not like you dipshits! Emma and Pepper aren’t into the whole marriage thing, we’ve talked about it before!’
Gwen, Miles and Pete all turned to Tony in open-mouthed shock.
This is the smartest man on the planet, he cannot be fucking serious…
Their gazes turned to each other and, after a brief pause, they, as one, burst out laughing.
Tony didn’t look pleased.
Reaching over, Gwen cupped Tony’s chin and gently slapped the side of his face. ‘Aww, honey, you better go find your women before they find you. Word of advice? Just nod your pretty little head and smile if they bring up marriage, mmkay?’
Before he could get a word in, Gwen spun him around and shoved him towards the open door of the balcony.
His cheeks red, Tony turned back to Pete one last time before he ran off to perform some damage control. ‘I preferred you little shits when you were still in awe of me!’
Pete didn’t doubt Tony’s assurances regarding Emma and Pepper’s feelings. They just didn’t seem the whole wedding and white-picket fence type, but, well, jealousy was a hell of a drug.
Their laughter had barely died down after Tony’s retreating back when Miles sheepishly produced the ring and asked Gwen for advice. After she’d finished squealing and bouncing with joy, the two plotted for several minutes, deciding it would be best to wait until most of the guests left, and to use the balcony itself - it was pretty quiet and romantic up here, especially with being so close to the glass ceiling, the starry sky so close.
With their strategy session over, Miles excused himself to use the bathroom and his wife turned to him, a beautiful smile on her lips. It struck Pete that this was the first moment of privacy they’d had as husband and wife and he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist to draw her close, Gwen’s own going around his neck.
‘We did it.’
‘Yeah we did.’ He kissed her, this time without any of the urgency but all of the passion he was feeling. He pulled back just as he felt Gwen’s powerful body start to grind against him, chuckling softly at her disappointed whimper. ‘How’d your mission go?’
Her eyes sparkling with joy, she answered. ‘Nat and May are so in, but Andre and MJ aren’t keen to settle down any time soon, let alone talk about kids - Harry and Betty show promise though! Gloria, eh, she’s got no hope.’
Pete snorted and spun Gwen around pressing her against the railing as he hugged her from behind, his chin on her neck. He guided his wife’s gaze down to the bar, where Jane and Scott were hitting it off marvellously. Scott, always good for a joke, had Jane perpetually smiling while she rested her fingers on his forearm, her bare toes - her stiletto heel having been discarded - flirtatiously brushing against his calf.
‘I’m not as prolific as you, but there’s my homework, Mrs. Parker.’
She shuddered against him at hearing him call her that before gasping when she realised what he was referring to. ‘No fucking way! What about Hope?’
Her excitement died down when he explained the unfortunate news and she sagged against him. ‘Well, they weren’t a good match anyway. Jane though? They’re perfect for each other!’
Pete chuckled and started nibbling her ear. ‘I don’t think they’ll be ready to add to the clan anytime soon though, unfortunately.’
Gwen moaned and sank deeper into his embrace. ‘M-maybe we can convince M-miles to hurry the fuck up?’
His returning chuckle froze in his throat when his AR lens overlaid his vision with the camera feed from one of his many stealth probes out in the Solar System. Feeling him stiffen, and somehow sensing something was wrong, Gwen was instantly on high-alert.
‘What is it?’
‘You owe me a hundred bucks.’
‘What, really?’
‘Afraid so…’
‘What a miserable fuck!’
Pete squeezed her tight and planted another kiss on his wife’s temple. ‘It’s okay, I was expecting this. Do me a favour?’
‘Anything,’ she promised, spinning around in his gasp and staring up into his eyes with a hardened expression.
‘Can you get the others and tell them to meet me in the conference room?’
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Gwen couldn’t help the corners of her lips twitching in amusement. ‘Nerdvengers, assemble?’
She squealed when he pinched her sides, but he didn’t let her go. ‘Hey,’ he said firmly, getting his wife’s attention, ‘I got this. Trust me.’
‘Always.’
They kissed once more before reluctantly parting, with Gwen not breaking eye-contact until she acrobatically leapt off the balcony - an impressive feat given her flowing wedding dress - to find her targets with the other guests down below.
Pete spared a second to watch his wife sashay through the crowd before, with a grunt of annoyance, he spun on his heel and stalked out of the opulent ballroom.
He offered polite smiles to the friends he passed along the way, but something in his eyes must have dissuaded each and every one of them from stopping him to chat. It was understandable, the seething hatred he felt roiling in his gut could only be rivalled by the feelings he had on the day New York had come under attack.
Pretty ironic, all things considered.
The area of the SI base around the ballroom remained relatively opulent until Pete hopped into an elevator and descended into the far more fortified depths of the facility. Thinking about what he was about to do, Pete pursed his lips, his brow furrowed in thought.
Riri will literally kill me if I let her miss this…
Throwing all pretences of OPSEC to the wayside - not that it mattered given the limitations of the speed of light - Pete pulled up his personal AI and used his mind to construct a message for his lovely colleague.
Pete: You busy?
Riri: There’s a depressing lack of handsome bachelors in attendance so, unfortunately, no. Where are you? Shouldn’t you be, you know, at your own wedding?
Despite the grim circumstances, Pete couldn’t help but poking fun at his friend and colleague - one he’d grown a lot closer to recently. He ignored the question, and as the elevator stopped, the doors opening with a soft chime, Pete stalked down the suddenly utilitarian corridor towards his destination.
Pete: Already on the hunt? From what I saw of Gwen’s bachelorette party, you’ve had more strange recently than most women have in their entire lives.
He couldn’t help the soft chuckle as Riri took her sweet time trying to come up with a response.
Riri: I can’t believe you watched everything. I can’t believe Gwen let you. Pervert.
Pete: You’re calling ME a pervert? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much cum flowing out of a woman before in my entire life - and now that you’re intimately familiar with my wife and her friends, that should say something!
Riri: Are you done? Or do you intend to just keep teasing me from whatever dark corner you’ve gone to jerk off in, you pervy cuck?
Pete snorted in amusement, not offended by Riri clapping back in the least.
Don’t dish it out if you can’t take it.
Pete: I can’t get into details, but you’re going to want to get on one of those shuttles and go back planetside ASAP. Try to find some place where you'll be able to have a clear view of Jupiter, and have the tools to record what you see.
The pause this time was even longer than when he’d been teasing her.
Riri: The fact that I dropped everything and am already on a shuttle without even questioning you says a lot about our relationship. Is there a particular reason you had me ghost from your own wedding? Despite what I said, I was actually having a pretty good time…
Pete: Again, I don’t have time to get into details, but suffice to say, the most unwelcome wedding crashers in history just arrived in-system. I intend to deal with them. As soon as you get to a telescope I’m sure you’ll see what I’m talking about - just make sure you’re focusing on Jupiter.
Pete ended the connection before Riri - who was already furiously penning another message - could drag out their correspondence even more.
Having finally arrived at the end of the long corridor he’d been stalking through, Pete found himself in a large conference room dominated by the twenty-foot diameter circular table in the middle, a holo-emitter built into its centre. The walls were lined with screens and, with his eyes glowing a brilliant blue, Pete pulled on the powers of the Space Stone more than he ever had before.
The drones he had shot out into the solar system from the Well had monitoring capabilities, sure, but nowhere near enough coverage for his needs - space was very, very big.
Rather than continuously shoot more and more drones up into space using the Well, Pete had instead sent his initial payload to Saturn’s rings where, once they’d arrived, they had built his very own drone foundry.
The foundry wasn’t only able to build more drones, but it was able to build more foundries. In only a few months, with the help of his construction nanites, Pete had millions of drones - each of them equipped with the reactionless grav drives - scouring the depths of the solar system and creating a defensive, surveillance net that none would be able to get through without his knowledge.
Pete had already locked down space around the planet with the help of the Space Stone - nobody was portalling in like they had last time, so the only other avenue of attack was to do it the old-fashioned way.
Typically, such a surveillance network would be limited by the speed of light and, with fast enough ships, might not even provide adequate enough warning to be of any use.
The Space Stone really is such a cheat though…
Pete had real-time access to each of his drones’ feeds through the judicial use of micro-wormholes, so many that he’d honestly lost track of the number.
Kinda poetic that I’ve essentially created what amounts to a spider’s web across the solar system…
Through said micro-wormholes, Pete was able to instantaneously send commands through the relay system he’d set up, directly to the AI in control of his drones. Previously dormant and in a passive, overwatch mode, the drones came to life as the massive star ship approached, activating their cloaking fields and allowing Pete to provide real-time footage of their adversaries on the numerous screens running along the walls.
The holo-emitter in the centre of the large table also whirred to life, a replica image of what could only be Thanos’ starship bathing the entire room in an ethereal, blue glow.
Humanity was well on its way to building their own fleet of starships, but none of them were as large as the behemoth speedily approaching their beautiful home world.
That thing’s even bigger than the moon… not that it’ll matter.
Pete didn’t stop blankly staring at the screen until he heard the swooshing of the metallic doors behind him. Turning, he smiled thinly at his beautiful, stone-faced wife then nodded as a confused Charles and Steven, dressed in their finest, followed in after her.
‘Peter, what ever is the matter?’
Steven didn’t speak, his blue eyes narrowing when he saw the images on the wall the holographic representation of Thanos’ starship. Charles, no less quick on the uptake, still looked to him for an explanation as the Sorcerer Supreme’s crimson cloak started to billow around him in a non-existent breeze.
Turning to Charles, Pete’s glowing blue eyes flickered towards the yellow stone embedded in his forehead.
He was already arguably the most powerful mutant on Earth - throw the Mind Stone in with that? I don’t suppose Charles feels the need for secrecy…
‘Just some very unfortunate wedding crashers I hoped to deal with before they could be a bother.’
‘How delayed is this footage?’ Steven asked, his brows furrowed in concern. The Sorcerer Supreme didn’t typically bother himself with such mundane matters, but given who and what - namely the Infinity Stones - were involved, he’d clearly made an exception.
‘No delay,’ Pete answered, to the clear surprise of both men, before tapping his temple. ‘I’ve created micro-wormholes to allow for near instantaneous signal travel across the system.’
‘Marvellous,’ Charles whispered, not looking remotely concerned despite the dire situation. ‘I suppose you have a plan to deal with our uninvited guests, given how relaxed you seem?’
‘He’s not relaxed,’ Gwen spoke up from the back corner of the room, her face still set in a stony mask. The trio of Infinity Stone bearers turned to her at hearing the furious growl in her tone, and she only continued when she noticed all three men were staring at her. ‘He’s furious, Pete just does a really good job at hiding it.’ His wife locked eyes with him and her mask broke, her features softening as she sent him a comforting smile. ‘Hurry up and deal with the trash honey, we’ve got a wedding to celebrate.’
Nodding resolutely, Pete turned to Steven and shrugged. ‘I do have a plan, a relatively simple one that’s months in the making. Think you could let me know if it all turns out the way I plan it to?’
Steven frowned when he realised what Pete was asking of him, but then slowly nodded as the Eye of Agamotto, the artefact that housed the Time Stone, started to levitate between his spread hands. The Sorcerer Supreme’s eyes started to glow a brilliant green not unlike Pete’s glowed blue and, mere moments later and with an almighty gasp, Charles caught the man as he took a stumbling step forward.
Pete watched his friend dispassionately as he panted heavily, his skin pale and his eyes wide.
Steven was staring at him in disbelief, complete and utter shock clear on his features.
‘What is it?’ Charles asked urgently, his hand on Steven’s shoulder. ‘What did you see? Is there a problem?’
‘Not…as such.’ When he finally answered, the Sorcerer Supreme had regained some of his composure, though he still looked shell-shocked. Pete only raised his eyebrow, wanting an answer to the professor’s question himself.
‘No issues, perse,’ Steven admitted. ‘Thanos has prisoners aboard his ship - innocents.’
Pete clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning to Charles. ‘We can’t make a scene or they’ll know something’s wrong. I don’t want to give Thanos time to counter with his own Infinity Stones - can you do something about the prisoners?’
The older mutant frowned in consternation, the fingers of one hand rising up to stroke his chin. ‘Possibly, but according to the map here, they’re still very far away…’
The map Charles was referring to was the hologram in the middle of the table. It had zoomed out and a dotted line showed their predicted path towards Earth, a path they were rapidly travelling.
‘Use my micro-wormholes, send your focus through them. You’re a lot closer than you think.’
It was a testament to how much both men trusted Pete that neither even thought to question him. Charles’ eyes glowed a brilliant yellow as he sent his considerable will towards the behemoth of a starship. They all waited patiently as the professor stared sightlessly at the wall and, not five minutes later, he finally spoke.
‘I have them.’
His tone was calm, serene and his eyes continued to blaze a brilliant yellow.
‘How many?’
‘Over ten thousand… I can confirm Steven’s claims - they’re innocents, their worlds destroyed by Thanos and his legions.’
Pete clicked his tongue again, his brow furrowed in thought. Did he take…slaves? Hostages? For what purpose?
He didn’t want to know.
I don’t think I’ve ever tried anything at this scale…
Using Charles’ mental image of the prisoners, Pete could create however many portals was necessary nearby and have the psychic urge the innocents through them to safety.
Before he could put word to his thoughts though, Steven stopped him with a gentle hand on his shoulder, a smirk tugging at his lips.
‘My friend, I’m more than the Eye of Agamotto. We’ll handle the prisoners, you, well… just make sure you don’t miss.’
Duh, he can make portals too…
Turning to the holographic representation of the starship and its position in the solar system, Pete let out a snort of amusement. ‘Take your time, but hurry.’
As Charles and Steven worked together to free the innocents in one surprise, fell swoop, Pete mentally re-connected to the portals he’d set up almost half a year ago now - all in preparation for this very moment.
‘You got this,’ Gwen whispered into his ear, her arms wrapped snugly around his waist as she pulled him comfortingly against her body. ‘Make that fuck pay.’
Pete let himself relax in his wife’s embrace as memories of his weapon came flooding back to the forefront of his mind.
The Space Stone was a science nerd’s dream come true - it made the strictly hypothetical eminently possible. Questions that were previously the purview of fantasy and science fiction could now be answered with an application of his will.
Like, what would happen if one created two linked portals near the surface of the sun, with one further out than the other? What, then, would happen if one shot a massive ball of vibranium through one, only for it to reappear out of the other, over and over and over again, their star’s very own gravity well endlessly accelerating and increasing the projectile’s speed with no energy loss in between each loop?
I’ll tell you what you get, you get a bullet the size of a small house travelling at near relativistic speeds…
If there was a more powerful kinetic weapon in the universe… he didn’t want to know about it.
Steven, when looking into the future with the Eye of Agamotto, must have seen the sheer destruction wrought by his improvised weapon.
His enemies wouldn’t see his attack coming - at the speeds the projectile was travelling, they literally couldn’t.
The room fell into a tense silence as Charles put the locations of the innocents directly into Steven's mind. The Sorcerer Supreme would open portals beside each group of prisoners then Charles - his psychic powers boosted by the Mind Stone - would encourage each and every one of them to simultaneously step through into safety.
The professor would be sending the freed captives to his school and, though in upstate New York and the grounds plenty spacious, Pete suspected they weren't spacious enough to house a sudden influx of over ten thousand aliens.
With Ororo and Logan currently in attendance at his wedding along with Charles, that left Jeane, Scott and Hank to deal with the sudden and surprising influx of refugees.
Given Charles was otherwise occupied at the moment, Pete shot a message over to Jeane - the only one of the trio he was familiar with - letting her know what to expect. Charles thanked him distractedly without needing to be told what he’d done.
It seemed his neural inhibitors, the ones he’d created to ward off Emma’s grubby little psychic powers, were nothing when compared to someone like Charlies enhanced by the Mind Stone…
Annoying…
He shuddered to think what would have happened if someone like Emma Frost had the power of the Mind Stone at her beck and call.
What a fucking nightmare that would be…
Pete perked up when he felt his wife squeezing him gently against her hard body.
‘Not gonna lie, this isn't how I thought we'd be celebrating our wedding…’
Pete quietly snorted and squeezed the powerful forearms that had him wrapped up in a hug.
‘It's annoying, but at least it'll be memorable…’
This time Gwen was the one who snorted in dark amusement. ‘True, the fireworks will be to die for.’
Pete turned in his wife's grasp and stared at her with a raised eyebrow. Gwen's cheeks flushed an adorable pink and Pete yelped when she pinched his sides.
‘Why’re you punishing me for your terrible joke?’
‘Shut up,’ she grumbled, her voice muffled with her face buried in his neck. ‘Like you're one to talk…’
They stayed wrapped in a comfortable embrace until Charles turned to them and nodded solemnly.
‘Alright,’ Pete announced, his face set in a determined frown and his eyes blazing a brilliant blue as he mentally connected with his portals. His AR lens overwrought his vision with that of one of his drones, Jupiter featuring prominently with Thanos’ starship looking like a little toy in comparison, a tiny speck amidst the gas giant’s majesty. ‘I'll go on your mark.’
With another solemn nod, Charles started a countdown.
‘Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…’
Pete focused all of his considerable will on the space alongside Thanos’ starship, making sure the portal he was about to relocate would be angled perfectly.
‘Five, four, three, two…’
This is it, this is for all the pain and suffering you caused you alien jerk. I'm going to use the very thing you were so desperate to get your hands on to destroy you.
‘One…’
You shouldn't have fucked with my home!
‘NOW!’
In reality, the millisecond Pete heard the ‘n’ on Charles’ tongue, he acted. In the blink of an eye, the starship was tens of thousands of innocents lighter then, less than a nanosecond later, an immense, catastrophic burst of light brighter than the Sun whited out their vision.
Gwen’s awed gasp in his ear let him know it was over.
Thankfully, his drones lenses were up to the task of not only filtering out the intense light of the explosion, but also the overwhelming gamma rays sent out from the rapidly expanding cloud of plasma.
‘Mother of God…’
‘What… how in the…’
It quickly became apparent that it wasn’t Thanos’ anticlimactic defeat that had enraptured his fellow Infinity Stone bearers and wife so. Beyond the rapidly expanding cloud of plasma, a far more terrifying, wondrous sight greeted them.
It was the reason Pete had let Riri know and sent his colleague home early with his blessing. Had he not, if it ever came out that Pete knew there was even a possibility of what he was currently witnessing, and he hadn’t told her?
She’d probably join Shuri and the other Wakandans in the I Hate Peter Parker club - heck, she’d gladly have been their president…
Though spectacularly unlikely to cause any collateral damage - space was big, after all - Pete still didn’t feel comfortable with recklessly launching his relativistic vibranium dart into the void.
So why not turn the destruction of my enemy into an even greater science experiment, and cinch the next Nobel Peace Prize while I’m at it?
The projectile he’d sent at the starship would overwhelm any kind of shielding, the sheer amount of kinetic energy in the missile - that had been accelerating for well over six months at that point before obliterating Thanos - enough to destroy Earth a thousand times over and still have energy to spare.
He’d used a planet killer to destroy a chunk of metal floating in space.
And I’d do it again - what if he had the other three Infinity Stones? There’s no telling what he could have done had I given him time to do so…
Jupiter was no ordinary planet though.
Pete looked on at the gas giant in awe, the vibranium dart having punctured a hole into its ever storming, gaseous outer atmosphere like it was nothing. Typically, such a puncture would be quickly filled by the surrounding gases but instead, a colossal ring of magenta plasma spread out like a ripple from the point of impact, burning away the atmosphere and giving anyone observing - hopefully with help of humanity’s best AI-powered telescopes and recording equipment - a hitherto miraculous, unseen glimpse into Jupiter’s inner layers.
‘I…think we got him…’
‘Ya think?’
Charles, his face pale, turned to Pete with wide eyes while Steven stared at the images in mute fascination - he felt a perverse sense of pride in that, the Sorcerer Supreme must have seen some wild shit in his time.
‘I… I’m truly at a loss for words. The power you wield is simply terrifying.’
Pete couldn’t help snorting in dark amusement. ‘Rather a quick death than having my will subverted, but hey, that’s just me.’ Seeing his friend, normally so calm and self-assured, look so terrified sobered him real quick though.
‘Just remember… that’s the power of one of the Infinity Stones.’ His tone was firm, his resolve unshakable. ‘If I’m right, I’m pretty sure Thanos would have been in possession of the other three. I couldn’t, no, I wouldn’t let him get close to Earth with that kind of power at his fingertips.’
‘My friend… you are utterly brilliant.’ Charles turned back to the screen, eyeing the ever expanding ring of plasma with awe. The dart had left a perfectly spherical concave indent on Jupiter’s surface, one that continued to steadily grow in size. Jupiter’s immense gravity would inevitably pull all the gases back in and fill the hole. Eventually. Theoretically. ‘Terrifying… but brilliant.’
‘Can you imagine how much Riri will be creaming herself over this?’
His wife’s cheeky whisper earned her a grin.
‘I’m starting to regret our decision to cool it… just imagine how hot she is for you right now. We could legitimately have another pet…’
Pete’s cock surged in his tight slacks at the wicked words. ‘How hot she’ll be in roughly thirty minutes, she won’t see what happened until then.’
‘Oh yeah,’ she whispered softly thoughtfully. ‘Forgot we were watching through Channel Space Stone…’
‘I think we need to talk about how horny you get whenever I kill people…’
‘Ugh, I knoooooow,’ she groaned helplessly, burying her face in his neck. ‘What’s wrong with me?’
Though he was recording everything, Pete still took the time to marvel at the magical display before him. It took another twenty minutes for the ring of plasma to finally burn off all the dart’s energy and for gases to surge back in to fill the hole that had been left over. Both Charles and Steven finally left them when the awe-inspiring spectacle had died down, each of them giving them nods and pleased smiles of victory.
Charles would be incredibly busy in the coming weeks and Steven…well, he was always busy.
Ten minutes after that, Riri’s first frantic call came through. With a chuckle, Pete ignored it and instead turned in his wife’s grasp before pushing her against and up onto the table in the conference room.
‘Oooh,’ Gwen purred, spreading her legs to allow him to move closer. ‘Now who’s horny?’
‘Wanna know my secret?’ Pete teased, after leaning in and pecking Gwen on the lips. ‘I’m always horny - have been ever since we’ve been together. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and I’ll never get tired of telling you how much I love you.’
Gwen’s teasing grin instantly slipped away and her eyes watered. ‘What the fuck Pete?! You’re gonna make me ruin my makeup!’
Pete barked out a laugh and kissed her again. Gwen threw her arms over his shoulders and groaned into his mouth, her hips undulating and pressing against his groin. She whined piteously when he pulled away, even as he pressed his forehead against hers and stared deeply into her beautiful eyes.
‘I think you’ll be fine.’
Biting her lip, she pulled up the time on her AR lens before her gaze focused back on him. ‘Wanna get out of here?’
Instead of answering, Pete only nodded.
His wife kissed him again before spinning him around and climbing on his back.
‘Then let’s go, our chariot awaits!’ Snuggling against his back, she put her lips to his ear and purred the rest of her words sensuously and lovingly. ‘I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.’
Neither can I.
His steps quickened after her words.
They bade the remaining guests the briefest of farewells, both of them giggling when they spotted both Scott and Jane making out in a dark corner, hot and heavy. Everyone cheered them on, blissfully ignorant of the disaster that had just been averted, as they made their way to their honeymoon shuttle.
Because why be boring and spend your honeymoon at some kind of resort when you could instead fly around the solar system for a month or two?
More than enough time to put a baby in her.
Their shuttle was sleek, the first in SI’s line of luxury Stellar Yachts, powered by a reactionless grav drive and with an interior that even put his penthouse suite to shame in terms of opulence - its two-inch thick, fully transparent diamond ceiling not only giving passengers a stunning view of outer space, but also reflecting light in a way that made it glisten and glitter beautifully.
Before they could embark and start their honeymoon vigorously, May ambushed them and wrapped them both in a bone-crushing hug.
‘Aw my babies!’ Her wailing was a little over-the-top, if still adorable. Gwen laughed and returned it however, her smile so wide her cheeks had to hurt. ‘I’ll miss you both, but don’t come back until I’m a grandmother!’
Gwen laughed again. ‘Oh we won’t, but we’re not coming back until you make us an aunt and uncle again either!’
Pulling back and wiping at her eyes, May grinned impishly at them. Dressed in a forest green, sleek gown with a plunging neckline, Pete couldn’t help but mentally admonish himself when his eyes were drawn to her - admittedly - incredible cleavage. From between her heavy, unfortunately succulent breasts, May pulled out a long, thin chain and, using her body to shield it from the onlooking crowd, she produced a delicate little key with a sultry grin.
‘We’ll have to see about that… maybe if Ben’s a good boy. If he’s bad, well…’ She shrugged, the motion doing wonderful things to her unsupported chest and her wicked smile making his already sky-high libido soar even more. ‘I’m sure I can find someone to help.’
‘Ugh, we’ve leaving! And that’s not funny you ridiculous slut!’
Their relationship had changed irrevocably ever since Gwen’s bachelorette party, and his aunt revelled in that fact, teasing and sometimes even outrageously flirting with him at every opportunity. Gwen had even hinted at his aunt being a little put out after hearing how he and his uncle had spent their evening after watching the festivities.
Not going there, ever.
May’s laugh was somehow both ebullient and wicked, his wife, of course, not helping in the slightest by giving him the most intense fuck me stare he’d ever seen.
With a final wave to his closest friends and family, Pete made to bend down and pick his wife up in a bridal carry before boarding their honeymoon vessel.
Instead, it seemed Gwen had grown tired of waiting. He yelped when she casually threw him over her shoulder and hurried up the gangplank, with Pete sheepishly waving at the hysterically laughing crowd as the doors shut in his face.
It had been a long journey to get to where they were, filled with ups, downs and lots and lots of sex, but despite the turbulent beginnings of their tale, Pete wouldn’t go back to change it for anything.
With the inertial dampeners, he didn’t feel the Stellar Yacht take off, but he could tell all the same from the view through the ceiling. As they drew closer to the bedroom, his wife not even giving him a second to admire their surroundings, Gwen picked up speed, and his yelps of protest turned into a shrill scream when she threw him like a bag of potatoes ahead of her.
He’d expected to land on the soft king-sized bed. Instead, he found himself caught like a fly on a wall of webs Gwen had shot out ahead of him faster than his eyes could track.
Her eyes ravenous and her breath coming in excited pants, his wife tore off his suit and underwear in one brutal motion, leaving him butt-naked, his hard cock pointing urgently and angrily at his rapidly approaching better half, copious amounts of his excitement leaking from his red, angry crown.
‘Mmm, caught you,’ she teased, her eyes alight with mischief. ‘And now you’re mine, forever.’
Rather than feeling creeped out by the borderline psychotic proclamation, Pete’s entire body flexed and bulged with strain as he fruitlessly pulled against the sticky web, his gaze just as ravenous and his desire to be with his wife all-consuming.
‘I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
-
Epilogue
A soft chime in his ear woke Pete up from his restful slumber.
It took moments of befuddled blinking and his mind slowly whirling into gear for him to remember where he was. The cobwebs - pun not intended - slowly faded as he beheld Jupiter in all its majesty, through the diamond-glass ceiling of the Celestial Yacht.
Their honeymoon over the past month had been less about taking a joy-ride across the solar system and more about parking her in Jupiter’s - for lack of a better word - parking lot and going at each other like rabbits in heat until either Gwen became pregnant, or they ran out of energy.
Pete never even bothered checking his wife’s internals, though they both made sure to be as thorough as possible.
Feeling her weight against his side, he turned his head and smiled fondly at Gwen, her face adorably peaceful in her slumber, hair damp and asymmetric bang still plastered to her face with perspiration.
It takes… a lot to make us pass out from exhaustion. Go us!
Almost subconsciously, Pete started brushing his fingers against her cheek, stifling his giggle as her face scrunched up and lips pouted like a bunny’s. Then his fingers ran down her neck before running along the length of her body - laying on her side as she was, the dip to her waist and the rise of her hip was like diving into a valley before climbing a mountain.
Arousal surged within him at the sight of her bald pussy, no longer perfect and instead fucked raw, his seed still pouring out of her while dried cum-stains marred her powerful thighs.
As much as the mission for them was clear, that didn’t mean they also didn’t have any fun. The dried cum stains marred a lot of her body, her perky tits, pierced nipples, shredded abs and godlike ass in particular.
Taking a sniff, he stifled another giggle when he realised how…ripe they smelled.
I guess our next marathon session should probably be in the shower or jacuzzi… or both.
He’d pushed his nanites to the limit in an attempt to keep up with her, making liberal use of every one of his tricks both scientific and mystical to wear his wife out before she could do the inverse.
Ugh, do I have to go back to work…?
Pete kept staring lovingly at his wife, running his fingers over her body and planted soft kisses over her face - the fact that she never stirred, other than the barest twitches, causing pride to surge in his chest.
A true testament to how thoroughly and amazingly he’d fucked her.
When the chime rang in his ear once more, somehow sounding a little impatient, Pete let out an annoyed sight before carefully extricating himself from Gwen’s side.
His heart almost broke and he almost instantly plastered himself back against her side when Gwen whined in her sleep, reaching for him with an adorable, still unconscious mewl.
Unfortunately, his AI - currently in control of the ship - might take matters into its own hands if he didn’t hurry the heck up. He made sure to replace his body in Gwen’s grasp with the warm pillow he’d been resting against before skipping away, before common sense and raw desire forced him back into his wife’s arms.
His cock once more hard and pointing the way, Pete strolled out into the opulent common area of the ship. The yacht resembled more a high-end executives office, with timber panelled walls, plush couches and even a faux fireplace.
He and Gwen had thoroughly ruined the pristine interior however with their shenanigans. There wasn’t an inch of the ship they hadn’t fucked on.
Skipping past the common area and going into the engine room in the back - thanking the engineers at SI for the excellent job they’d done with the heating - Pete found one of his car-sized construction drones waiting for him, hovering silently with three, fist-sized containers made of Uru held out before it.
‘I thought you said no work?’
Pete didn’t flinch at the sound of his wife’s voice, obviously, nor did he immediately answer. His eyes were locked on the three, tiny containers.
So innocuous, yet so unbelievably terrifying.
‘You know I hate it when you ignore me,’ she purred directly into his ear, her naked body pressed against his back and her teeth tugging at his ear lobe. ‘Keep doing it and you’re going back on my webs…’
Pete shuddered at the dark promise in her words. He’d already spent almost an entire week bound by her ridiculous webs as she had her wicked way with him.
His poor asshole still throbbed with stinging, phantom pain when he thought of it.
‘No need for that,’ he joked, his AI having his drone hand him the container they’d previously agreed upon while depositing the rest in a safe for use later.
The small Uru container now in hand, Pete slowly spun and held it out to his wife. She looked bemused when she saw what he was holding, the look shifted to one of genuine amusement.
‘Proposing again? Isn’t a month a bit too soon to be renewing our vows -’
Her words trailed off as Pete opened the lid to the container with a smirk, a strong, purple glow bathed them in ethereal light. Gwen’s mouth fell open at what she saw within, her nanites going wild in response and subconsciously forming tendrils that shyly reached for the artefact in his hands.
‘This is a different kind of proposal,’ Pete teased, almost laughing at the look of awe in his wife’s features. ‘Ghost Spider…want to join the Nerdvengers?’
Gwen’s eyes finally returned to his and, with her face bathed in the purple light of the Power Stone, instead of answering, a smile slowly grew on her features, nearly splitting her face in two.
Fin
Hope you guys enjoyed this ‘story.’ Though this will be the last chapter of Caught in Her Web, some of the characters within may come back and have chapters dedicated to them in my Multiversal series - not necessarily Pete and Gwen, either, if anything, it’s far more likely to happen with the other characters.
Thanks for reading and sticking with me.
Cheers