Spider-Man Mayhem

[Third Person's PoV] 

As Peter and the others were setting up, Uncle Ben finally came down after fixing the door he had kicked in earlier.

While the rest arranged the seats, Ben started preparing the grill, carrying out a bag of charcoal.

Peter was helping bring things outside when Gwen and George appeared from the side of the house instead of coming through it.

Gwen had her hair in twin messy buns and wore a brown shawl over her blouse, paired with high-waisted black jean shorts that fit snugly around her thighs. George, meanwhile, wore a simple button-down and carried a large box in one hand.

Gwen skipped over to Peter with her hands tucked into her shawl pockets. "Hey, birthday boy~"

Peter kissed the side of her head affectionately. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Yeah, right. Like I would ever miss this," Gwen said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, brat, happy birthday. We brought the cake," George said, patting Peter on the back before walking over to Ben.

"Thank you, Father-in-law~" Peter called out teasingly.

George merely closed his eyes and sighed. "You sure are lucky you're the birthday boy today."

Gwen chuckled and asked, "Do you always have to antagonize my father whenever you two meet?"

"Of course. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't?" Peter said smugly.

"A normal one," Gwen shot back instantly.

She then eyed him up and down before smirking. "You should dress up more often. You look nice."

MJ approached them, greeting Gwen with a bright smile. "So, what are you two whispering about all by yourselves over here?"

"Nothing. I was just saying how nice Pete looks when he actually fixes himself up," Gwen replied, still eyeing Peter with amusement.

"I thought the same thing!" MJ nodded sagely.

Peter crossed his arms and turned away. "Ugh, is this what it feels like to be objectified? You ladies are practically devouring me with your gazes."

Meanwhile, Madeline had been watching their interaction with suspicious eyes—particularly focusing on Peter and Gwen. However, she eventually looked away as they headed inside.

"So, who else is coming?" Gwen asked curiously as she watched Peter fill a cooler with ice.

As they helped him store drinks from the boxes Uncle Ben had bought, Peter answered, "From what I know—Felicia, the Fantastic Four, Harry and Lizzy… though Harry did mention Norman might come too. Bruce is a maybe since he's with Betty right now. And that's about it."

"That's a pretty short list…" Gwen remarked, casually tossing drinks behind her. Peter caught them effortlessly with one hand without even turning around.

"Well, yeah. Uncle Ben and Aunt May both know I don't really enjoy big celebrations. That's why Uncle Ben decided on a barbecue this year—it's just supposed to be a nice little get-together with friends and family," Peter explained.

Gwen smiled fondly. "Well, it's still bigger than last year's guest list."

MJ, sitting on the counter, handed over cans of beer for the cooler. "Our little spider family has grown, hasn't it? Too bad we can't invite those S.H.I.E.L.D. guys…"

Peter scoffed. "Yeah, let's invite a spy organization into our home. That'll end well."

MJ rolled her eyes. "I know we can't. That's why I said it's too bad."

"Speaking of people who can't come, is the Ancient One skipping this too?" Gwen asked as she watched Peter hoist the cooler onto his shoulder.

"She is. Said she wouldn't be able to explain her presence if she showed up. But she did send her best wishes. Oh, and she wants all of us to come by her place after we're done here."

MJ and Gwen exchanged excited looks before huddling together and squealing in hushed voices.

"Our suits are ready!" they whispered in unison, their eyes shining. 

They quickly tried to compose themselves now that they were in front of everyone, though the big smiles on their faces never faded.

"What is up, party people? The main attraction has arrived!"

Everyone turned toward the voice to see Felicia strutting in from the side of the building, Lydia Hardy walking beside her.

Felicia wore tight blue jeans and a black long-sleeve shirt that hugged her figure. The entire outfit accentuated her curves, making her presence all the more striking.

"…"

Felicia's confidence wavered as she realized everyone was just staring at her.

Peter and Lydia turned their heads to the side, trying—and failing—to stifle their laughter.

Their reaction caused the others to chuckle in harmless amusement.

Peter walked over and hugged Felicia.

"Happy birthday, Pete," she said warmly.

"Thanks. I appreciate you being here," Peter replied before turning to Lydia. "And I appreciate you coming as well, Ms. Hardy."

Lydia simply pulled Peter into a brief hug. "I'm sorry I won't be staying long, but the least I could do was stop by and wish the boy who saved—and has taken great care of—my daughter a happy birthday."

"Thank you," Peter said, returning the hug.

Since Lydia wasn't well acquainted with most of the other adults, Peter took it upon himself to introduce her around.

"You've met my Uncle Ben, I'm sure…" Peter began, going down the list.

To his mild surprise, Lydia immediately got along well with everyone. Then again, Peter figured that being social and holding engaging conversations was a skill most lawyers excelled at.

While the adults talked amongst themselves, Peter and the others his age gathered together as well.

"Hey, what do you guys think about setting up Gwen's dad with your mom, Felicia?" Peter teased, grinning as he watched their expressions shift to pure disgust.

"Ew! Don't even bring that up," Felicia groaned.

"What do you mean ew? My father is a great man. Your mother would be lucky to have him," Gwen retorted, crossing her arms.

"I mean, one's a police chief, the other's a criminal defense attorney… One locks up the bad guys, the other tries to keep them out of prison. What a match made in heaven," MJ chimed in with a smirk.

Felicia turned to Gwen and raised a brow. "Sugar, aren't you confusing who the lucky one would be? Your dad would be the lucky one to land a solid hit with my mom. I mean, look at her—she's a grade-A MILF."

"Felicia! We can hear you!" Lydia shouted, her face turning beet red.

"Whoops," Felicia said, though she didn't look the least bit embarrassed. Instead, she just shrugged. "Sorry, but it's the truth."

Lydia covered her face, mortified. "I apologize for her. There's just… something seriously wrong with that child."

"Don't worry, I understand. I blame it all on Peter," George said sympathetically. "He's a terrible influence."

"Father-in-law, what the hell, man? What did I do?" Peter asked, genuinely offended.

"Oh, don't pretend like you didn't start this whole conversation just to stir up chaos," George scoffed, holding a beer in one hand while helping Ben with the grilling.

Peter pursed his lips and looked off to the side. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Felicia, always ready to escalate things, turned to MJ and Gwen with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Okay, but what about both of your parents? From what I understand, they're both single, and you two already act like sisters. Wouldn't it be awesome if you actually were?"

MJ blinked, considering the idea. "You know… I never really thought about that before."

"Mary Jane…" Madeline warned, sensing danger.

But MJ ignored her and gave two enthusiastic thumbs up. "Well, Mom, you better go seduce Mr. Stacy! I'm sure you could do it!"

Madeline groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You were right. Peter is a terrible influence."

"Hey! I didn't even say anything this time! What did I do?!" Peter protested, bewildered.

Madeline sighed, shaking her head. "It's because of your influence that she even turned out this way."

"Why are you all acting like I raised them or something?" Peter asked, deadpan.

Madeline and George exchanged a knowing look, silently bonding over the shared suffering they had endured thanks to Peter's influence on their daughters.

At that moment, a voice cut through the chatter, sending a chill down Peter's spine and nearly putting him on high alert.

"Well, well, well… something smells fantastic."

Peter's head snapped around, and there stood Norman Osborn, accompanied by Harry and Lizzy. Lizzy, for her part, was sweating bullets, glancing around as if silently pleading for help.

"Mr. Norman! Fancy seeing you here. It's been a while since we last saw each other, hasn't it?" Peter said with a bright, practiced smile.

What an actor, thought everyone who knew the real story between the two of them.

"Peter, my boy!" Norman greeted warmly, placing a firm hand on Peter's shoulder and shaking his hand. "It has been a while since we last conversed, hasn't it? But how could I possibly miss your big day? Happy Birthday, my boy!"

Meanwhile, Harry gave Peter a playful glare, still thinking about their last text exchange—where Peter had suggested that drugging his father might be a good idea.

As they pulled each other into a brief bro hug, Harry whispered, "Sorry, couldn't find anything to do it at the time."

Peter barely suppressed a chortle before leading them around and introducing Norman to the other guests.

Lydia, watching this unfold, was astonished to see Peter seemingly have a close relationship with the Norman Osborn. But then it hit her—Felicia was in the same friendship circle as Norman's son. Meaning, if Harry eventually inherited everything, Felicia could potentially have direct ties to Oscorp.

'I really need to start paying closer attention to who my daughter is friends with…' Lydia thought as she gracefully shook Norman's hand.

Before Norman could even sit down, a sudden shout rang out—coming from the sky.

Everyone's heads snapped upward in surprise.

"PEEETERRRRRR!!!"

A fiery streak shot through the sky like a comet, heading straight for them.

For a moment, they were all too stunned to react.

Peter, meanwhile, just facepalmed.

Before Johnny could crash into the ground, he extinguished his flames, sprinted forward, and tackled Peter into a hug.

"Ugh!" Peter grunted, pretending that actually hurt. "Johnny…"

"Happy Birthday, man!" Johnny said with a wide grin. "I flew here as fast as I could! Left the others behind, but they should be here soon."

"…"

Everyone just stared in stunned silence, mouths agape, at the once-flaming man who had been dominating headlines and media coverage recently.

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