Wanted: The FanPeople Love Greg

Camping Ch1

A/N as always, Greg, Mike, and FABAE belong to ShyCourage

"Hey, Greg!" Spider-Man chirped happily as he approached his favorite (don't tell the others!) police officer, a webbed crook slung over his shoulder. "I figured I'd bring this guy in myself since I'm about to wrap up."

Greg looked up from the case file he was pouring over and smiled at the vigilante, his friendly brown eyes framed in happy crinkles. "Spider-Man, thanks. How was patrol?"

Spider-Man shrugged as he set the criminal down in a chair. "Same old, same old. No new supervillains, so just the occasional grand theft bike and mugging, y'know? It's good for a neighborhood, but a bit boring, to be honest."

"You have done a good job cleaning up the streets. I've gotta hand it to you, you're doing my job pretty well."

Spider-Man laughed. "Eh, I don't think I'll ever be a match for your tear gas supply."

Greg nodded mirthfully before sobering up a little bit. "I had a question, actually. Mind taking this somewhere more private?" The young officer began to lead the hero into an empty conference room. "Keep in mind that if you mention anything about your civilian self, it won't leave this room."

"Gee, Greg, you're kind of making me nervous," Spider-Man chuckled.

"Have you ever been camping?"

The question was so random, it almost seemed like a slap in the face. "Have I ever been camping?"

"Yeah," Greg said, pursing his lips slightly. "You've mentioned having a lot of death in your family, so I was wondering if anyone ever got the chance to take you."

Spider-Man studied Greg for a moment. A few weeks ago, Greg had let it slip that he'd figured out that the resident crime-fighting vigilante was in his teen years. That same day, he'd made the confession that he'd started to view the webhead as something like a son. Thankfully, the feeling was reciprocated, but Greg's behavior had been altered slightly. Maybe now that Greg knew for certain how green Spider-Man was, he was more inclined to show how much he cared?

"I, uh, I can't say I've been. Guess I'm destined to be a city slicker."

Greg roller his eyes. "That doesn't have to be the case for much longer. It's been quiet recently, so some of the other officers and I are taking a weekend off. We'll set off next Friday and get back on Sunday. You'll have to wear you mask, but it could still be fun."

"You should go," FAEBAE, Spider-Man's AI, whispered into his ear. "This could be good for you."

"Are you sure?" Spider-Man squeaked. "I mean, I won't know how to do a lot of camping stuff, and I wouldn't want to intrude or anything!" Greg almost looked wounded. "Not that I don't want to go, I just don't want you to feel like you have to take me with you or something. My current guardian probably felt that way, and I really don't want to make anyone else feel like-"

"Spider-Man," Greg deadpanned, "you're reading into this too much. I already brought this up with the others, and they're all over the moon about it. Check with your guardian and make sure it's okay. Let me know what they say tomorrow, no big deal. I already gave my pals a heads up that you probably hadn't been before, so no one's going to judge you."

Spider-Man took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Greg. This, uh, it really means a lot."

Greg smiled and shook his head. "Don't worry about it, Kiddo. You're practically doing me a favor anyway. Now, I won't have to worry that I'll come home to the news that you got shot up or something."

"You're so funny," Spider-Man drawled, desperately trying to ignore the fuzzy feeling in his chest. "What will I need to bring if I get to come?"

Greg glanced up, thinking about his answer. "Some changes of clothes, obviously. You'll probably want to bring some snacks because of your metabolism, but keep in mind that we'll be hanging our food from a tree overnight. If you have any board games that you want to bring, just make sure you're not likely to lose the pieces. You'll probably want some bug spray."

Spider-Man piped up. "Fun fact: I've not gotten a bug bite since I got my powers. My running theory is that my spider genes are scaring the creepy crawlies off."

Greg gave him a look. "Still bring some because that's just a theory. As for the tent, you can share with me, but you will need a sleeping bag."

"Guess it's time I trade out my old Iron Man sleeping bag from when I was a kid then."

Greg snorted. "Yeah, probably. You wouldn't want the guys to start up some rumor about you having an Avenger obsession. You know how we all feel about the Avengers."

"I mean, I do. I just also have no desire to become one."

"You deserve it for sure," Greg admitted. "I just don't think Avenger life would be good for you. They spend all that time cooped up in their little tower."

"If they let down their hair, I'm more then happy to save them from their life of isolation," Spider-Man quipped.

Greg struggled to hide his grin. "What? Are you Prince Charming now?"

Haughtily, Spider-Man slipped his fists to his hips and jokingly took on a heroic pose. "To some, maybe. To my girlfriend, definitely not. I think she's my Princess Charming, if I'm being honest."

Greg almost choked on his own spit. "I didn't know you had a girlfriend. What's she like?"

"Very straightforward and independent, and she's very annoyed at my late-night habits of getting shot at."

"I approve. You have my blessing."

Spider-Man laughed. "Your blessing? What is this? The eighties?"

Greg's eyes widened, and he clutched his heart. "That hurt. Right here. The eighties wasn't that long ago."

"Yes it was, Grandpa. Face it, Greg, you're ancient."

"You're about to be grounded, Kid."

"Since when can you ground me?" the teenager laughed, easily evading the officer as he tried to grab at him. Spider-Man opened the door to the room and backed out into the hall. "Gee, looks like we can't talk about that now, or else we'll risk my identity and age being discovered." Greg pouted. "I'll see you tomorrow, Old Man!"