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heart-of-the-morningstar · 10 months

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Opening for BTSV thought…

Ok so, we know how Gwen opened up ATSV, she had like the first 20 minutes that set up the movie. Now hear me out, what if Pavitr opens up BTSV (I may be biased but let me live lol), but imagine if you will…

Pavitr was left behind when the rest of the Spider Band left for Nueva York, so Pav is there wondering what’s going on. He swings down to the other Spider people where they are trying to contain the black hole that appeared. He starts asking them questions, but all of the answers aren’t very helpful. “We’re trying to contain the anomaly.” “The canon was broken.” This doesn’t really clear anything up, but he knows whatever is happening is not good.

He swings back up to the bridge, he makes sure everyone is clear of the damage. He heads home to Maya Auntie, he finds her asleep on the couch. She left the tv on, it was the news. They were reporting on the black hole that appeared in the middle of city. Pav feels weary, he finds a blanket and places it over Maya and turns the tv off. He goes to bed and tries to sleep, but he can’t.

Quietly, he puts his suit on and grabs his watch from Miguel and swings into the night. His plan was to travel to Nueva York to get answers from Miguel as to what was happening to his city. But as he swings, he ends up swinging by Gayatri’s home. He sees her on the balcony and lands on a near by rooftop. Normally, he wouldn’t interact with her as Spider-Man, but in this case, he felt it justified to check up on her since he did rescue her earlier.

He swings and lands on top of her rooftop. He attaches is web to their chimney and hangs upside down in front of her. She’s startled at first but recollects herself once she realizes who it is. He apologizes for scaring her and says he recognized her as the girl from the bus. He asks her if she’s alright, she giggles and says she’s fine and that she’s lucky that he was there to save her. He’s relieved and tells her he needs to go, but she tells him to wait. She asks him if there’s a way she can repay him for saving her life, perhaps a kiss.

Pav is taken a back, he’s stammering, he wants to say yes because of course he wants a kiss from her. But he’s not Pavitr right now, he’s Spider-Man, he can’t accept. But he still form a coherent sentence, finding it hard to say no. Gayatri laughs “What’s wrong, you don’t want a kiss from your girlfriend, Pav?”

He goes silent, trying hard to process what she just said. “W-what?” is all he could manage. “It’s okay Pavitr, I know it’s you.” At this point, he flipped himself right-side up, standing in front of her now. Slowly, he reaches up to his mask and pulls it off, he stares at the ground.

“How did you know?” He asks softly, he hasn’t lifted his head to look at her yet. “Well, the hug you gave today kind of sealed it for me. But your hair is very recognizable, Pav.” He laughed a little, finally meeting her gaze. He apologizes for not telling her, saying he wanted to keep her safe. She’s understanding and give him a small peck on the cheek, it’s hard for him to hide the blush on his face.

He tells her that he’s worried about the black hole that appeared in the city today and that he’s going to to find answers. All of a sudden, there’s a shaking in her room. A few things start to levitate slowly off the ground, they look at each other confused. A portal opens, suddenly Gwen appears. Pavitr is relieved, Gayatri is still confused but relaxes when she sees her boyfriend is calm, he tells her not to worry and that she’s a friend.

“Miles is in trouble, Pav. We need your help. Please.” Gwen says. Behind her appears Hobie and Peter B with Mayday. Pavitr nods and turns to Gayatri. “I have to go. I’ll be back soon, I promise,” he says. He leans down and gives her a tight hug. “Be safe,” she whispers in his ear. He pulls back and smiles, “I always am.” He plants a small kiss on her forehead and heads towards Gwen and the portal.

Hobie, Peter B., and Gwen all walk through the portal. Pavitr turns around one last time before stepping through. “I love you,” he says, and disappears along with the portal.

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Listen, this isn’t the prettiest writing or set up, but I would love something like this as it feels like a parallel to ATSV and Gwen’s story and I wanted to self indulge 😭

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chansgender · 9 months

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thinking about a beyond the spider verse scene where hobie sees a cop and says something like “what a pig” and spiderham starts cursing him out

#spider man: across the spider verse #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse #beyond the spider verse #hobie brown #peter porker #spider ham #spider punk #“you got a problem with pigs?”#chanposting

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probably-ace-ok · 11 months

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Right so here’s my Spider-Verse theory about canon events and what happened to the universe that got destroyed by Miguel.

1) I think canon events are a thing but that they’re not set in stone — there are just certain patterns, certain event that tend to occur for every spiderperson, just as they do themselves (not every spider is also Peter Parker, but a lot of them are Peter Parker, or a variant of him). They can be altered or changed, but they tend to repeat as long as there’s a spider around, which is why Miles experienced them despite not being ‘meant’ to be Spider-Man.

2) The reason that universe collapsed? I think it’s because of the watch technology. The first movie put so much emphasis on the fact that you couldn’t permanently stay in another universe, that it would destabilise you — doesn’t it seem a bit odd then that the sequel seems to show a simple bracelet can prevent it? What if the cost of stabilising a visitor from another universe is that it eventually destabilises the universe they’re in instead? It would explain why they’ve apparently had other incidents with universes being destroyed before — when a spider with a watch stays too long in the wrong universe, it eventually causes problems. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Spider Society HQ being effected by the glitching in Beyond due to how many people from other universes hang around there.

#spiderverse #atsv #across the spider verse #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse spoilers #atsv theory #beyond the spiderverse #beyond the spider verse #btsv #btsv theory

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peterfankoffski · 10 months

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The world if Spider-Ham gets to say fuck in Beyond the Spider-Verse

#spider man #spiderverse #into the spider verse #across the spider verse #beyond the spider verse #em’s memes #spider ham

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coldgoldlazarus · 10 months

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After rewatching Into the Spiderverse last week, and my third viewing of Across the Spiderverse this weekend, a bit of a crack theory has been percolating in my head. Some spoilers here, so putting this under a readmore:

I think Doc Ock has a chance of returning in Beyond The Spiderverse. A slim chance, but a chance nonetheless.

Point A: Lack Of Resolution

This is pretty obvious so I won't belabor it; despite her role as a pretty significant villain in ItSV, along with Kingpin and Prowler, the mind behind the supercollider and given a pretty fantastic reveal, she also winds up getting hit by a truck during the climax and not being heard from again. The Prowler died, Kingpin got defeated and webbed up for the police, even Tombstone was seen getting arrested and shoved in a cop car, and the other henchmen like Scorpion also got pretty conclusive defeats at the hands of the 2D spideys during the fight itself.

But with Liv, there's no real confirmation of what happened afterwards; whether she got arrested, or ran off, or the impact was fatal and her body recovered, or what; no clue. (And if she did end up shoved through the Collider and landed in another dimension, she'd be subject to the same glitching, cell decay, and eventual death as the others, without the Spider-society tech to stabilize herself.) And like, that doesn't necessarily mean anything on its own, but at the very least the principle of "didn't see the body" is in play.

(Interestingly, I remember hearing somewhere that there was a deleted scene of her intentionally jumping into the collider portal while saying the "power of the [X] in the palm of my hands!" line that later went to Spot. Though idk where I heard it, so am unsure if this is actually legit. And even if it is, it was still a scene they chose to remove from the final film, so while it could mean that intent is still there, they also could have changed their minds on the idea entirely.)

On its own, I'd be willing to accept that that's probably the last we've seen of her... but as of AtSV, it actually isn't.

Point B: Aaron Haunts The Narrative

This part has no direct connection to her, but bear with me here. If you've seen it, (I hope you have) you know that AtSV ends with the reveal that Miles wasn't sent to his home timeline/universe, but a darker parallel version where his dad is dead but Uncle Aaron is not, and is working with the parallel version of Miles as the Prowler. He does say "I'm not" when our Miles refers to him that way, but the impression I got is that he's halfway-retired from the role but still acting as support for Miles G; the "guy in the chair" if you will.

I digress. Point is, it ends with a return for both Uncle Aaron and the Prowler identity, but this didn't come out of nowhere; all throughout the movie leading up to this, Aaron and/or the Prowler are brought up or indirectly hinted at on an honestly pretty frequent basis. Gwen's drumming recap at the beginning, the memorial grafitti on the rooftop, the Donald Glover cameo, the flash of him on the side of the building during Miles' breakdown sequence as he's rushing to get home, plus a few smaller mentions here and there. ("He takes after his uncle!" during the meeting with the guidance councilor, and a visual comparison with Uncle Ben during the "canon events" presentation, and I feel like there may be a couple others yet that I'm forgetting as well.)

The movie goes out of its way to remind you of him and his importance to Miles at every turn, and part of that is just inherently because he is so important to Miles. But it also feels like, from a writer-to-audience perspective, part of the purpose is also as a reminder; if anyone either saw ItSV but forgot most of it in the intervening time, or simply missed it altogether and for some reason decided to see AtSV first anyway, this makes sure they know exactly who and what he is, so the reveal at the end carries the full emotional weight it needs to. No matter what, you will have the proper context to appreciate Miles' reaction when Aaron steps through that door.

(Also, I just wanna say that I love that reaction in of itself; the hyperventilating panic at first, only to rush in for a tight hug. The mix of terror and comfort that comes with full awareness of both sides of him, and all the associated memories both good and bad, combined with this unexpected chance to see him (or at least a version of him) again. It's just a really great moment on that front.)

But anyway, I'm getting off track again, too many Prowler feels. ^^; What does this have to do with Doc Ock?

Point C: Aaron Isn't Alone In Haunting

This is admittedly both the key part of my theory and also the weakest one overall, so I will readily admit upfront that I may be reading too much into things, and Liv really did bow out for good in ItSV. That being said, here's my thought:

Even if a much lesser extent than Aaron, I couldn't help but notice a similar-seeming trend of brief reminders of her. On one hand, most of these can be fairly easily dismissed as simply maintaining continuity and connection with the first movie, as the bulk of them were in relation to The Spot's backstory as Jonathan Ohm; she was there for the flashback to the misplaced 42 Spider, and then seen again in a framed photo of him, when Gwen was inspecting the remains of his makeshift apartment lab. So while it's a neat inclusion, it doesn't necessarily mean anything more, right? Kingpin got mentioned too, during the Guggenheim fight with Vulture, but I'm pretty sure he isn't going to be making a comeback.

But there is one other instance that feels a bit more significant and out of place, and is what led to this theory in the first place. I mentioned this scene already in relation to the Uncle Aaron foreshadowing/reminders, but going back to it now, there is what I've dubbed the Falling Apart sequence. (From the score that plays during it.) Right after Gwen's talk with her father resolves, we cut back to Miles, swinging through the city in a desperate rush to get back home to his parents in time. (Unaware yet that this isn't his city, his home, his parents, because this isn't his universe.)

Tangential Gushing Over That Scene

It's sort of a dark parallel to the Leap Of Faith/What's Up Danger scene from ItSV, with previous bits of dialogue and past moments echoing in his mind again. There, it was all the inspiration pushing him to finally take the leap and truly become Spiderman; whereas here it's reminders of all the stress and uncertainty he's under as he races against time and possibly destiny itself, not to mention being plagued by doubts after Miguel revealed he possibly shouldn't have become Spiderman to begin with.

But what I especially love is the animation of this sequence, which on first watch I thought was stuff actually happening, but reads more on subsequent viewings like hallucinations during what's basically a panic attack. It's both gorgeous and stressful, with trains derailing and rerailing to chase Miles; the space between the skyscrapers growing narrower and more claustrophobic; and stuff like the 42 Spider, the Spot's arms, and Doc Ock's tentacles also appear briefly to hem him in even further until the end. He finally breaks free at the end, with Aaron's dying words to "just keep going" pushing him to make it the rest of the way 'home' unimpeded, a tiny bit of much-needed catharsis amidst all the overwhelming... everything else.

I really love this scene, in case it wasn't obvious.

Point C, Continued: Why Tentacle Happen?

But to get back on track, nearly everything about this sequence is mainly focused on ideas introduced in Across; the Spot, Miguel, Jefferson's predicted demise. The Spider is from the first movie, but still given extra context now; the first big exception is the reuse of Spider-Ham's line about how "the hardest part of this job is that you can't always save everyone" while images of him, Noir, and Peni appear on the glass building Miles is swinging past. Even that is still relevant to the current crisis, and their appearance there is further justified when they too properly show up again in Gwen's 'band' at the very end.

But then there's this:

The dialogue at this point is a line from Rio; while the appearance of the tentacles definitely further intensifies the claustrophobic crush of the city, it also feels like much more of a non-sequitor than even the 2D Spideys just a few shots earlier. Liv has had nothing to do with anything going on, (or at most, very indirect involvement like the displacing of the 42 Spider) has no dialogue called back to here; and heck, even in ItSV felt more like a rival to Peter B specifically instead of being especially relevant to Miles, compared to Prowler and Kingpin. So why call back to her here? It could indeed just be that the tentacles are good for adding to that entrapped feeling, but given how well-constructed the rest of the sequence was, and how deliberate animation as a process is in general, this would seem oddly careless to include so casually.

Conclusion

On the whole, I'll still readily admit that this is a pretty flimsy bit of 'evidence' (more just symbolism, really) to base a whole theory off of. Yet still, between that part of the Falling Apart sequence, the parallels to how Aaron and Miles G were foreshadowed, Liv's abrupt disappearance and lack of closure in the first film, and the knowledge that this is the first half of a split script, with all sorts of other setup in Across still awaiting payoff in Beyond, I do kinda at least feel like there may be something here.

(At the same time, the docket is already packed with a shitton of stuff that Beyond needs to be able to address and resolve, plus apparently some additional new stuff mentioned in interviews like another Gwen, Toei Spiderman, and Hobie's universe. So with all that going on, I'm not entirely sure they'd have the room for yet another returning character in amidst literally everything else.)

So while I'm not strictly counting on this to come to pass, at least for now, the basic idea is that Doc Ock got hit by that truck, fell through the collider portal and into another universe, (probably Earth 42, possibly elsewhere we may have yet to visit) and somehow found a way to stabilize her glitching to survive during the intervening time, set to make a dramatic return appearance during Beyond.

As to what role she may play, I'm not sure. I could see her making some sort of temporary truce with one of the main Spider-people for a common goal, without giving up on her evil mad science in the long run. Possibly with Miguel's group against the Spot, in exchange for freedom to keep experimenting with the Multiverse instead of getting sent back home, though I also don't think he would be willing to make that bargain unless things are truly desparate and he's fully lost the support of the rest of the Spider Society. So it could also be with Gwen or Miles, against both the Spot and Miguel; the former's more unpredictable tampering and newly eldritch nature getting in the way of her research, while the latter would of course want to put an end to her experiements and send her back home in his efforts to restore order, giving her reason to ally against.

On the other hand, her remaining entirely villainous and antagonistic would also make a lot of sense, if not moreso. If she landed in Earth 42, she could wind up as the big obstacle of the detour instead of Miles G, allowing the latter a more nuanced and dynamic role. Alternately, I could possibly see her further experimentation being connected in some way to the destruction of the universe Miguel replaced himself in, unknowingly sending him on his canon-hardliner spiral, which would certainly give her a lot more relevance to the current conflict.

But ultimately, all of that depends on whether she really would show up again, which as neat as it would be, definitely does feel like a bit of a long shot at the moment. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

#not a reblog #spiderverse #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse #across the spiderverse spoilers #beyond the spiderverse #beyond the spider verse #doc ock #olivia octavius #getting sidetracked by gushing over animation #theory #crack theory #spiderverse theory

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assembleallrats · 11 months

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made my own spidersona! his name is Kae and he is very much blorbo ❤️❤️

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letter-22 · 7 months

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beyond the spiderverse is 6 hours long, BUT it doesn't come out until 2030. would you press the button?

#spiderverse #atsv #btsv #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse #beyond the spiderverse #beyond the spider verse

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demifiendrsa · 8 months

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Sony Pictures has announced that the theatrical release of Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse has been delayed indefinitely amid the on-going SAG-AFTRA strike. The film was originally set to be released on March 29, 2024. Due to union’s work stoppage orders, the voice cast cannot complete dialogue recording in time for the spring opening.

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comicxzzsalt · 9 months

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been seeing some people arguing over whether 1610B!miles (our miles) was going to end up as the prowler or not had he not become spider-man. so i'm going to explain why i think that he is because i think about itsv and atsv too much (this is all my opinion though lolz)

when 1610B!miles meets his peter parker, miles' colors shift from green and purple (prowler colors) to red and blue (spider-man colors). along with that, we know that 42!miles was originally supposed to be spider-man since you can see the spider crawling towards him during the spot's flashback thingy. this information alone is enough to convince people to think 1610B!miles was going to be the prowler

but one might argue that 1610B!aaron is already the prowler and he wouldn't let miles become a villain since he cared about him. and miles wouldn't want to be a villain since he's a sweet and silly guy (maybe i'm biased, but sue me). but the thing is, 42!prowler isn't a villain. he's a vigilante (in other words, someone that fights crime unofficially). but why did earth-42 need a vigilante? because it was overrun by villains while there was no spider-man.

still, aaron is already the prowler on earth-1610B, so how would miles become the prowler? simple, aaron dies. 42!miles lost his dad, and we know that it's a canon event for spider-people to lose someone close to them for their origin story and all that. so let's just say that kingpin kills aaron or he dies from other causes, and miles takes on the mantle of the prowler but is instead a vigilante

so imagine this timeline: spider-man doesn't get his head stuck in the collider so peter b, gwen, peni, noir, and porker don't end up in earth-1610B. hoorah. and the spider from earth-42 stays in earth-42, meaning that miles wasn't bit. woohoo. but spider-man still gets killed by kingpin for the same reason as the original timeline. brooklyn gets overrun by villains and there's no spider-man to stop them. along the way, aaron dies, meaning that there's no prowler. and idk maybe miles stumbles upon all of his equipment after he dies. or maybe aaron gives miles the equipment to protect himself. or maybe miles comes up with his own equipment after finding out aaron was the prowler. i don't know. the point is, miles becomes the prowler in this fake-timeline-thingamajig i made up

most of that was probably a stretch and just me thinking too much, but the point is that it's totally possible for 1610B!miles to have become the prowler, and i wouldn't be surprised if they ended up revealing that in btsv

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melina-mellow · 9 months

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PoV: You're Miguel O'Hara in Beyond the Spiderverse.

#i found this on twttr #peter parker #miles morales #miguel o'hara #gwen stacy #across the spider verse #beyond the spider verse #mcu #spiderman

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doolallymagpie · 10 months

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hope we see takuya yamashiro and leopardon in beyond the spider-verse, and also he gets to fire a machine gun

#spiderverse #spider verse #beyond the spider verse #beyond the spiderverse #takuya yamashiro #japanese spider man #japanese spiderman #supaidaman

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heart-of-the-morningstar · 10 months

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Sidetracked

Summary: Pavitr wants to know what's happening to his city. But somehow, he gets sidetracked along the way.

Consider this a potential opening to Beyond the Spider-Verse. I wanted to write something that sort of paralleled Gwen's opening scene in Across the Spider-Verse. Pavitr is my new favorite Spider and I wanted him to have more screen time, so I gave him some! I haven't written anything in a hot minute so please excuse any mistakes and I hope y'all enjoy! This story is also on my AO3 here.

Commission done by @ssuzu

Pavitr was left alone standing on the collapsed bridge. Hobie, Gwen, and Miles had left with Jess to speak with Miguel about the whole Spot situation. The black hole below him was engulfing his city, some Spiders were circled around it doing their best to contain…whatever it was. Pavitr wasn’t sure. He wasn’t given any answers as to what was happening before his team departed.

Maybe they can tell me what’s going on, Pavitr thought as he swung down to meet the other Spiders down below. Unfortunately, they didn’t have many answers to give him. “We’re going to try and contain this anomaly,” one of them said. “The canon was broken,” another said. “It’s too dangerous for you to be here, kid. Let us handle this,” yet another one said. Pavitr became frustrated and gave up asking them any more questions. He swung back up to the broken bridge and made sure everyone was clear of the damage. Luckily, everyone was safe. He realized then that the day was ending, it was almost dusk. He needed to get home; he knew Maya Auntie would be worried about him after today’s events.

He landed in the closest alleyway to his home and made sure no one was around before he changed back into Pavitr Prabhakar. Luckily it was dark enough now that he could easily hide in the shadows. Hurriedly stuffing his suit in his backpack, he ran up the stairs to his aunt’s apartment. Please be asleep, please be asleep, Pavitr thought to himself repeatedly moving as fast as his legs could carry him. Quietly, he opened the door to the apartment, the door squeaking as it opened.

Maya Auntie was nowhere in sight. Although, he did notice that the television was on. It was the news. He slowly turned the handle of the door and silently closed it behind him. He walked towards the television that had the ruined bridge on display in full view on the screen. Flashes of broken concrete, mangled vehicles, and torn cables. Pavitr had only been Spider-Man for six months, he had never yet dealt with damage on this scale before. It was a miracle that no one was hurt. If not for the others, he didn’t even want to think of how bad it could have been.

“This was the scene today after the destruction of the Alchemax building earlier this afternoon,” the news anchor reported. “The bridge had completely collapsed while hundreds of people were traveling in and out of the city. But thanks to the heroic efforts of Spider-Man and what appears to be other Spider heroes, no one was injured during this crisis.” A slight smile appeared across Pavitr’s face. He really did owe them everything. Especially Miles, the new guy that had saved Inspector Singh when he himself couldn’t. “Yes, everyone has been saved,” the man on the television continued, “but what has everyone concerned now is the massive black hole that has appeared in Mumbattan. What this is or where it came from is unknown, but we here at the station were told by authorities that everyone should stay clear of the area. Rescue teams have already been deployed to ensure everyone residing there is moved to a safer location…” The reporter continued but Pavitr had stopped listening. He was tired and the news reminding him of this anomaly only made his heart sink. He didn’t want to hear anymore.

He had stopped walking and looked down at the arm of the couch where the remote sat. He reached down to grab it, but realized someone’s head was resting on the arm as well. It was Maya Auntie. She must have fallen asleep waiting for him. He knew how lucky he was to have her watching over him. After losing his parents and his Uncle Bhim, she was the only real family he had left. He grabbed the remote and pressed the “OFF” button, the television humming softly. He put down the remote and knelt in front of his aunt and began to shake her ever so lightly.

“Hi Maya Auntie, I’m home,” Pavitr whispered. Maya inhaled slowly and opened her eyes to see her nephew staring at her softly.

“Pavitr,” she answered, “Thank goodness, you’re safe. Where have you been? There was a terrible accident in the city today, I was worried about you!” She sat up slowly as Pavitr stood up to help her off the couch. “I needed to know you were safe, I wanted to wait up for you, but I suppose I let myself drift off.” Her nephew leaned in and hugged her tightly.

“I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you,” Pavitr replied. “I promise I’m okay. I wasn’t anywhere near that part of the city.” A twinge of guilt struck him. He felt bad lying to her, but he also felt as though he didn’t have a choice. He needed to keep her safe, that was his priority. He couldn’t stand losing one more person. His aunt smiled at him and yawned, her eyes growing heavy. “Let’s get you to bed,” Pavitr offered. He led her to her room and opened the door for her. “I’ll see you in the morning, Maya Auntie. Good night.”

She smiled and nodded to him. Pavitr closed the door and breathed a small sigh of relief. He stumbled off to his room and threw his backpack towards the foot of his bed. He plopped down on the mattress, staring blankly at the ceiling. He needed to go to sleep, it had been more than an exhausting day. A mysterious villain from another universe caused irreparable damage to his city, he nearly lost the love of his life, and now there was a terrifying dimension-tearing hole swallowing up Mumbattan.

Maybe being Spider-Man isn’t so easy, Pavitr thought to himself as he tossed and turned his bed, desperately trying to turn his brain off. It was no use though, there was too much happening, and he had no answers for anything. He stared blankly out of the open window next to his bed; it seemed so peaceful outside considering the chaos that ensued only a few hours ago. Pavitr decided he couldn’t be idle anymore, not for this. He needed to talk to Miguel.

Springing up from his bed, he grabbed his backpack and once again threw on his Spider-Man suit, grabbing his inter-dimensional watch in the process. Praying the Maya Auntie wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night and notice his disappearance, he leapt from the window and thwipped his web towards the closest structure. He decided drawing attention to himself in this case would not be ideal. Once he reached a high enough building, he began leaping from roof top to roof top, avoiding swinging through the streets when he could. He wanted to create as little disturbance as possible when traveling to another dimension, those portals that the watch created were not easily missed.

Pavitr stopped on a high apartment complex that looked over a good chunk of the city. Despite all the action that took place today, Mumbattan was bustling like it always does. Traffic as far as the eye could see, flashing lights, crowds of people going who knows where, but to Pavitr, it was home. His home. And he was going to protect it. He had to. Spider-Man had to. As he scanned the city below, something caught his eye when he looked below him. A single light was shining through an otherwise completely dark building. He noticed someone standing on the balcony, a young woman. She was leaning against the railing, arms sitting crossed on top of the bar. She looked familiar, really familiar…it almost looked like…

Gayatri! Pavitr thought before pulling himself away from the edge of the roof. Out of all the places, how could he have chosen the one place his girlfriend lived? He’s never actually been to her place before, on account of Gayatri and him trying to hide their relationship from her father. He did, however, know that she lived in this part of the city. Pavitr approached the edge of the roof again, looking down once more. She was still there, looking over the city as he had been moments before. He wanted so badly to leap down and give her another hug, just to make sure she was alright. But she didn’t know about his secret double life as a crime-fighting superhero, no one did.

He shook his head vigorously, trying to drown out his thoughts. No, no, no, he chastised himself, I CANNOT go down there right now. I can’t just swing down and greet her as Spider-Man! What would she…I mean, how would I…this isn’t…, Pavitr struggled to come up with a good enough reason to walk away right now. He couldn’t. The fact that she had almost perished today left his knees weak and his head spinning. He had to check on her. Ugh, fine! But just for a second. I can come up with some type of excuse…He tossed his bangle and wrapped it around the complex’s chimney. Ever so slowly, he reclined his web downwards until it was at the same level as Gayatri’s balcony.

“Uh, hi Miss,” Pavitr greeted her, waving sheepishly. Gayatri turned her head, her eyes widened as she jumped back slightly before realizing who it was hanging outside of her balcony. She exhaled and waved back, giving him a coy smile. She couldn’t tell, but Pavitr’s heart was almost beating out of his chest. Gayatri’s smile was so comforting and warm, it was his favorite thing about her. “May I, uh, join you for a second?” Pavitr asked. Gayatri nodded and shuffled over so he would have space to land. Using his legs for momentum, he swung himself onto her balcony and retracted his bangle, landing inches away from her. His breath hitched and he clenched his fists when he realized that he was towering over her. Oh, this was such a BAD idea, he thought. But for some reason, Gayatri didn’t seem confused or afraid, which was a better outcome than Pavitr expected. She seemed…relaxed somehow? Both stood there for a few seconds, wordless, but for them it felt like hours had already passed.

“So,” Gayatri finally spoke after what seemed like an eternity, “to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Spider-Man? It’s a lucky thing that my father isn’t home yet.” Gayatri moved back from the hero in front of her and leaned her back on the opposite side of the railing where she was standing before, crossing her arms and letting out the slightest hint of a giggle.

“Oh, yes! Well, uh,” Pavitr started to say, rummaging around his head trying to rationalize why he came here in the first place. “I was, y’know, swinging through the city, as I do and…I happened to see you standing here on your balcony. And I recognized you from the bridge today, you were that young woman on that bus. I thought I would umm, check to see if you were alright.” Pavitr mirrored Gayatri’s stance, leaning on the opposite side of the balcony’s edge and folding his arms.

Gayatri chuckled, tucking one side of her hair behind her ear. “I’m alright, thanks to you. Do you always check up on the people you save or is it just the pretty girls?” she teased.

“No, no!” Pavitr stuttered, “I mean, no I don’t always check up on everyone! You are very pretty…WAIT NO, I didn’t mean that! I’m sorry! I MEAN, yes, you’re very pretty, beautiful even, but uh, I just happened to see you out here and I…I should be quiet now!” Pavitr threw his hands over his mouth; he felt his pulse pounding in his ear and sweat starting to form on his forehead. He was unraveling quickly.

Gayatri only shook her head and laughed. “You’re very kind, Spider-Man. It’s not everyday you make a superhero swoon.”

Pavitr gulped. Something was off, he thought Gayatri would be flustered or even a little bit shy when she was face-to-face (sort of) with his hero persona. But no, it wasn’t like that at all. It was almost like she was…flirting with him? She couldn’t be, could she? Pavitr chuckled nervously, dragging his hand along the back of his neck. “Ha-ha, yeah. Well, I…I think I should get going. I’m glad you’re alright, Miss.” Before he could turn around and grab his bangle, he felt something grab his arm.

“Wait!” Gayatri nearly shouted. Pavitr remained frozen in place, his head telling him to leave but his heart telling him to stay. He chose the latter. Gayatri let his arm go once she realized he was staying put. “Sorry! I…I was wondering…” she continued, looking down at the ground and holding her one arm at her side. “You did save my life today, and your friends saved my father. I owe you more than I can ever repay. But…” she paused, “I can think of one thing I can give you that may convey my gratitude properly.”

Gayatri stepped closer to Pavitr until she was almost chest to chest with him. Pavitr remained motionless, tightly gripping the metal behind him. Tentatively, Gayatri lifted her hand towards the mask covering the boy’s face. She hooked her thumb under the fabric of the mask and looked back at him. Pavitr didn’t move, he couldn’t move, his limbs were frozen, and his voice disappeared. His breathing became shallow, he couldn’t even from a coherent thought. A small grin appeared on Gayatri’s face, slowly she began lifting his mask, finally revealing his lips. Without warning, Pavitr had snapped out of his trance and swiftly took hold of Gayatri’s hand.

“Wait,” he managed to choke out. Pavitr guided her hand down away from him but leaving his mask the way it was. “I’m…I’m flattered, really I am, but I…,” Pavitr trailed off, unable to finish his train of thought. Gayatri didn’t look sad or disappointed when he had stopped her just now, was she smiling?

“So, you’re saying you don’t want a kiss from your girlfriend, Pavi?” Gayatri questioned playfully, taking a few steps away from him.

“Wh…what did you call me?” Pavitr stammered. He stood on her balcony in complete and utter disbelief.

Gayatri only crossed her arms and laughed. “I know it’s you, Pavitr. It’s alright.”

There’s no way she knows, she’s bluffing, Pavitr tried to rationalize in his head. “I’m sorry Miss, you…you must have me confused with someone else! I’m not…”

“Pavitr Prabhakar,” Gayatri said, cutting him off. Her smile slowly faded as she placed her hands on her hips, “enough. Please.”

“I…I’m…” Pavitr stuttered, but it was no use. “I’m sorry.” He let out a deep sigh and reached for his mask. He grasped it and with one quick pull, it was gone. Gayatri hummed, finally seeing the face of the boy she knew was there the entire time. Pavitr remained still, looking down at the ground. He couldn’t bring himself to look up at his girlfriend, a mixture of embarrassment and guilt flowing through him. “How did you know?” Pavitr asked softly, tightening his grip he had on the mask.

Gayatri walked back towards him, seemingly in slow motion, until she was inches away. She reached up and placed one hand on his shoulder and the other under his chin, tilting his head upwards so she could see his eyes. They looked tired, even a little sad. She stood up on her tip toes and planted a small peck on his cheek. His head quickly darted away from her again, doing his best to hide his fluster. His warm red cheeks, however, were not so easy to conceal. Gayatri only giggled and placed her other hand on his opposite shoulder. Instinctively, Pavitr reached down and put his hands around her waist, managing to give her a nervous smile. “You do know my father is a police inspector, right Pavi? I think I’m a little more than capable of putting some clues together. You never really disguise your voice at all, your build is hard to overlook, and especially your naturally perfect hair was a dead giveaway!” She took her hand and began to twirl his hair between her fingers. “I knew it was you for a while now.” Pavitr chuckled, wrapping both of his arms around her and pulling her as close to him as possible. Gayatri smiled warmly and hugged him back like she wanted to back on the bridge.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Gayatri,” he pulled away from her, leaving one hand on her hip and the other cupping her face, his thumbs drawing circles on her cheek. “I just thought…it would be too dangerous. You and Maya Auntie are the most important people to me. If you ever got hurt, if you were ever in any danger because of me…”, he couldn’t bring himself to finish that thought.

Gayatri took her hand and placed it on top of his own, relishing in his touch. “I know I’m safe as long as you’re here, Pavi. I trust you.”

Pavitr smiled. He felt like the luckiest boy in the world to have a girlfriend who is so genuine and caring. He took his hand off her hip and brought it to her other cheek, cupping her face in his hands. He leaned down, closed his eyes, and pressed his lips against hers. He felt her soft lips curve into a smile as she kissed him back, he didn’t want this moment to ever end. He pulled away from her slowly, staring into her beautiful brown eyes and tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Y’know, if your father ever found out about this, he’d string me up by my own webs!” Pavitr quipped.

Gayatri let out a small chuckle, “Don’t worry about that, I at least know how to keep a secret!”

“Aagh!” Pavitr shouts, placing his hand over his heart, “your words cut so deep! How will I ever recover?!” All of a sudden, Pavitr arms shot out to grab Gayatri by her waist to lift her up in the air and began twirling her in a circle. Laughter escaped from both teenagers, echoing out into the night sky. It was a perfect moment. Almost.

Suddenly, a bright flash appeared across the way, on the rooftop directly in front of the couple. They looked at each other and back towards the now illuminated rooftop, they couldn’t tell what the source of the light could be. It started to take shape, forming rings of hexagons around it. A portal?, Pavitr thought to himself, but it didn’t look like the portals he had seen before. Normally, they were orange and yellow in color. But this one was flashier with a cacophony of different colors; it almost looked unstable. A few more seconds passed before a figure stepped through the portal. From what Pavitr could tell, this person was petite, they were wearing a hood and covered in mostly white. Then it hit him.

“Gwen!” Pavitr nearly shouted, waving to her vigorously. He turned to Gayatri, “It’s alright, she’s a friend, she’s a Spider like me! It’s kind of a long story, but she’s one of the Spiders helped me on the bridge today.” Gayatri smiled and nodded. They turned again to look at where Gwen was standing, but noticed two more figures had emerged from the portal. Pavitr recognized Hobie standing on the left of Gwen immediately. To her right was Peter, his baby Mayday in tow. His happy demeanor quickly shifted; something didn’t feel right.

Gayatri noticed the change in Pavitr’s expression. “Is something wrong, Pavi?”

“I’m not sure,” Pavitr admitted.

Gwen then launched herself over to them, landing perfectly and squatting on the balcony railing. She removed her mask, letting her hood fall behind her. Pavitr looked at her eyes, their bright blue color seemed dimmer somehow, almost drained, with dark circles underneath. She sighed and finally spoke.

“Pav, something’s happened,” she breathed. “It’s Miles, he’s in trouble. I thought I’d grab some friends to join my band.”

“Is Miles alright?” Pavitr asked worriedly.

Gwen sighed and looked away from him. “I’m not sure. I don’t know exactly where he is either, I just know he’s not where he’s supposed to be and that he needs all the help he can get. Are you in?”

Pavitr, still somewhat confused, nodded in determination. Miles saved Inspector Singh today as well as countless other lives; it was his turn to help him.

Gwen turned to Gayatri and stuck out her hand. “You must be Gayatri. I’m Gwen,” she greeted warmly. Gayatri mirrored her motion and shook her hand; Gwen had a stronger grip than she was prepared for. “Pav likes to talk about you a lot.”

“Gwen!” Pavitr scolded, making Gayatri laugh.

“We’ll bring him back in one piece, I promise,” Gwen told her. She turned to Pavitr, thwipping her web behind her in the process. “I’ll umm…give you two a moment.” With that, Gwen had flung herself back on top of the roof with the strange-looking portal.

Pavitr shifted towards Gayatri, holding her arms at her sides and leaning down ever so slightly. “I have to go,” he muttered. “Miles…he’s the one who saved your father today. If he needs help, I need to be there for him.”

Gayatri wrapped her arms around him and squeezed as tight as he could, Pavitr doing the same. “Go,” she whispered. “When you find Miles, please thank him for me.” Both of them let their arms drop down to their sides. “Please be safe.”

“Anything for you,” Pavitr agreed. He placed his hands on her shoulders, leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. Pavitr leaped onto the railing of the balcony and grabbed one of his bangles. He launched it over to where Gwen and the others were standing. He looked back at Gayatri one last time and smiled. “I’ll see you soon,” he assured her.

“You better,” Gayatri joked, “because I’m very interested in knowing what you’ve been saying to all of your friends about me!”

Pavitr laughed, having a small blush move across his face. “Only good things, of course.” Pavitr reached out his hand, Gayatri placing her own hand in it. He brought her hand up to his face, kissing it softly. “I love you, Gayatri Singh, and I always will.” Without another word, Pavitr launched himself to join the other members of Gwen’s band.

“Ready to go?”, Gwen asked him.

Pavitr looked back to the balcony, waving goodbye one last time to the girl of his dreams. “Yeah,” he boasted, “let’s do this!” The team walked through the portal, the light finally disappearing, leaving Gayatri alone in the night once more.

“I love you more, Pavitr Prabhakar.” Gayatri sighed.

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