The Amazing Spider-Man 3

Chapter 46

I returned to Gwen's window, realizing that the curtains were drawn even further, and she was sitting on her made bed, reading. I gave a small knock upon the glass, and her green eyes flicked upward to meet mine.

Her pink lips retracted smoothly to reveal her big, smiling teeth. She rolled off of her bed and unlocked the window so I could enter.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi. I just wanted to see you," I replied.

"Well here I am."

"You look beautiful."

She brushed her tangled hair out of her eyes and attempted to smooth the ruffles on her pajamas. "Thanks. I...uh...I just got up." Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, and I cupped her face in my hands. We slowly leaned in to each other, and our lips touched.

Our kiss grew stronger and our spirits lighter. Somehow we ended up leaning into the wall, and my palms were flat against it as our mouths moved against each other.

I pulled back, gasping, and we stared into each other's eyes.

"That was nice," she mumbled. I laughed.

We talked for a while, until it was time for me to leave. I had to get ready to meet Tony that afternoon. I invited her for dinner after.

"Sure. I'll come," she accepted.

"I'll pick you up after my meeting."

"On your motorcycle? We'll both be dead before we get there!"

"Hey, Harry rode it with me, and we did fine."

She smirked, walking to her closet. "Fine, but I'd rather not change with an audience," she called to me, turning her head as she slid the door open.

I raised my hands up in a surrender. "Okay, okay!" I crawled out of the window and swung away.

---

"Hey, Pete," Harry said from the porch as I parked my motorcycle.

"Hey, man."

"Guess what?" He grinned.

"What?" I climbed the steps to stand beside him.

"I rented an apartment."

"That's great! But are you sure they're okay with your...history?"

"Yeah, it'll be fine. I don't think anyone's after me anymore, now that I've got an antidote."

"Sweet."

"Yep. Well, I guess I'll head out. You need some room."

"I need some room?" I laughed. "It's not like I'm the Hulk or anything." He just kept grinning and walked away.

---

I climbed off of my motorcycle as I arrived at the Stark Tower. I was about to go inside when I spotted the mysterious figure again, perched on the second floor.

I stared at it. I wasn't going to let it get away this time. I shot a web, hurling myself up until I was standing in front of him. He made no effort to run away this time.

"Hello, Peter," he said. He was wearing a black hoodie, casting a shadow across his hidden face.

"Who are you, and why are you following me?"

"Perhaps we should go inside for the meeting, and you can find out." I stared at him, fighting the urge to yank his hood off, to reveal my stalker's face. Instead, I nodded, then followed him inside.

What I saw next caused me to gasp. My voice betrayed me, my mouth hanging open but unable to speak. Six people sat at the table in front of us, all wearing familiar faces.

Tony sat at the very end, next to a muscular man with short blonde hair. Next to him was another muscular blonde man, except his hair reached his shoulders. Then sat a skinny brunette man wearing a pair of glasses, beside a girl in all black and bright red hair. Lastly, beside her, was another brunette man with blue eyes.

"Iron Man. Captain America...The Hulk. Black Widow. Hawkeye." My eyes rested on the muscular man with shoulder length blonde hair. "Who are you?"

He stared at me for a moment, then spoke with a deep, powerful voice that immediately established authority. "Thor."

My eyes widened. "I thought you would look more..."

He blinked, and his armor appeared, shaping his body and flowing out in a long red cape.

"Oh. That's better."

"You sure don't know much, and you've been in this city many times before."

"I-"

"I know more than he does!" Captain America shouted. "That's a first."

Black Widow stood up, looking me into the eyes. Her fist flew at my face, and I dodged it, shocked. Her leg swung up in a swift kick, and I grabbed it with my hand, spinning her to the ground. She returned to her feet, flipping over my head and throwing another punch.

We fought for awhile, although I didn't understand why. Finally she stopped, holding up her hands.

"He passes," she told the man in the hoodie. She turned back to me. "You're pretty good. Where did you get your training?"

"I'm self-taught," I replied.

"I'm being serious."

"So am I. The spider senses do most of the work, though." She smirked, returning to her seat.

"Where were you during the New York attack?" She asked.

"I tried to get in," I said. "Some organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't let me in for some reason." Everyone glared at the man in the hoodie. My fingers began to itch. I really wanted to know who he was.

"It's nice to know someone first, before you let them in on an alien attack. That's why I've been watching him now," he said. Then, he finally lowered the hood, revealing a pair of sunglasses. His dark skin held a scar on his left eye, just peeking above and below the lens. "My name is Nick Fury, and these are the Avengers. And we wanted to tell you about the Avenger Initiative."