MARVEL:ABSOLUTE EVOLUTION (AU)

"Ugh… Fuck," I muttered under my breath, eyes scanning the chaotic scene. The fire was still raging, heat seeping through my suit. Guess I'll need to tweak it to be fireproof.

"You can leave now... I'm already so grateful for you saving my kids," the woman said, voice full of relief.

"Relax, lady. I'm not going anywhere yet," I replied, then something clicked. I called my system.

[EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEM ONLINE]

[Yes, host.]

"System, is time frozen in my storage space?" I asked, remembering how fanfics often portrayed time freezing in storage.

[Yes.]

'Perfect. Now, store these bombs,' I said with a sigh of relief, watching as a blue glow enveloped them and they vanished.

The woman looked stunned.

"Ahem... let's say you didn't see that. What's your name, by the way?" I asked, needing to know more about her, especially since Kingpin wanted her silenced.

"Uh, Emily," she replied, still in shock from the bomb situation.

"Alright, let's get you out of here. Your kids must be waiting," I said in my usual calm voice, lifting her in my arms. She tensed but didn't resist. I jumped through the same window Gwen and I had used earlier, landing smoothly on the pavement near the firefighters who were working to control the blaze.

"Take her… she needs medical attention," I said to one of the firefighters, still in disbelief. Before they could take her from me, I discreetly planted a tiny ant on her and commanded it to stay near and warn me through hive mind; I can locate and control ants after the ant's gene fused completely with mine and knowing Kingpin's men would come after her now that their plan had failed.

Turning around, I spotted Gwen surrounded by reporters, cops, and random people. Time for our hero debut, I thought and swung next to her.

"Feeling overwhelmed?" I asked, patting her shoulder.

"Uhm…" Gwen nodded, clearly nervous.

Before I could say more, a blonde reporter shoved her way through the crowd, microphone in hand. The cameraman was already filming, and she wasted no time.

"Who are you?" she shouted above the noise. "Why risk your life to save them? And—" she paused, her suspicion growing—"are you mutants?"

The word "mutants" spread quickly, and I could hear the murmurs from the crowd. Some were even questioning if we were dangerous. The government had painted mutants as the enemy, and that narrative wasn't going away anytime soon.

Gwen tensed beside me, and I could feel her nerves. This wasn't how we'd planned our debut.

I stepped forward, my voice steady as I addressed the reporter. "We're here to help," I said, ignoring the mutant question. "That's all you need to know."

The reporter wasn't satisfied. She stepped closer, shoving the microphone almost in my face. "The city deserves to know who you are! Are you licensed vigilantes? What's your name?"

I hesitated, but the crowd was already hanging on every word, cameras rolling. I couldn't let this narrative spiral out of control.

"You can call me Eternal Spider," I said, my voice carrying across the crowd. A bit cheesy, but it worked.

Then I leaned in close to Gwen's ear, whispering her superhero name. She hesitated but then stepped forward with more confidence than I expected.

"I'm Ghost-Spider," she said, her voice clear and steady.

The crowd seemed to explode with energy, repeating our names like a chant. The adrenaline from the rescue still buzzed in my veins, but now there was something else—caution. Too much exposure.

The buzz grew louder, with excited chatter, and more phones came out to capture the moment.

Before I could say anything more, a sharp voice cut through the noise.

"Hold it right there!"

I turned to see several police officers pushing their way through the crowd, hands on their holsters. One officer raised his gun, pointing it directly at us.

"This is a crime scene!" he barked. "I don't care what you think you're doing—hands where I can see them!"

Gwen tensed beside me, her fists curling. She was ready for a fight if things escalated.

I raised my hands slowly, my voice calm but firm. "We're not here to cause trouble," I said, locking eyes with the officer. "We saved a life. Isn't that what matters?"

"Saved a life?" another officer scoffed.

"You're wearing masks. For all we know, you started the fire!"

'Motherfucker, 'I bit back the urge to snap. Losing my cool would only make things worse. I stayed calm. "If we were criminals, would we be standing here, talking to you? We did what we had to because no one else could."

The officer hesitated, his grip on his gun loosening. "We'll be watching you," he said, still sceptical. "Next time, don't interfere without authorization; otherwise, we won't be so friendly."

I gave him a slight nod, a hint of a smirk tugging at my lips under my mask. "Noted."

Turning to Gwen, I jerked my head toward the rooftops. "Let's go."

Without another word, we shot our webs and swung up, leaving the crowd, reporters, and suspicious cops behind.

—Later, on a rooftop—

We perched on the edge of a rooftop, the city sprawling below us. Gwen pulled off her mask, her blonde hair sticking to her forehead.

"That was… intense," she said, her voice shaking.

I pulled off my mask too, running a hand through my damp hair. "Yeah. And it's only going to get worse."

"What do you mean?" she asked, brow furrowing.

I looked out over the city, already thinking of the possibilities. "The police, reporters, random people with cameras… they're not the only ones watching. Organizations with bad intentions, others we don't even know about, will start paying attention. They'll figure out who we are, and if they do, it'll put everyone we care about at risk."

Gwen's expression softened, but I could see the worry in her eyes. "What should we do now?"

"For now, we have to be smart," I said, my mind already whirring with ideas.

"Today was reckless. You jumped into that building without thinking."

"I was saving a life!" she snapped, defensive.

"I know," I said quickly, holding up a hand."You did great. But we can't afford mistakes. If anyone figures out who we are, they'll use it against us. Against the people we care about."

She fell silent, chewing on her lip as she processed it.

"Give me your phone," I said, holding out my hand.

"Why?" she asked, confused.

"I need to make sure our phones and chats don't get hacked," I said.

"Uh… okay," she said, handing it to me.

"And change your outfit before going home. You never know who's watching," I added, knowing I needed to make adjustments too.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow. I can't be late for my first day with a world-famous scientist," I chuckled and stepped in for a quick, tight hug. I could feel her relax in my arms.

"Take care, Peter," she whispered in my ear.

"I will. But stay safe, okay?" I pressed my forehead to hers, and our lips almost brushed...

…

..

—Unknown POV—

Near the fire-damaged building, a man observed as the two new vigilantes saved the woman and her kids who were supposed to die. Now, she was being taken into FBI custody, who already suspected the fire wasn't accidental.

The man made a call. "Sir, the woman has been saved. What are your orders?"

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