Wanted: The FanPeople Love Greg

Camping Ch4

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

"So, you're telling me that you actually managed to make a working AI?" Greg swallowed. Spider-Man nodded, tossing the last of the twigs and stones to the side. "That's incredible!"

"Oh, uh, th-thanks. We should be ready to lay that tarp out now."

Greg handed him one end and they moved to flatten it out. To combat the random gusts of wind that stood in their way, Spider-Man tossed some webbing under each corner so it would stay put until they were finished. "Okay, now we need to spread the tent itself out." Spider-Man complied and kept it taut as Greg put the stakes in. Next, Greg pulled out some thin poles and snapped a few of them together. He ushered Spider-Man over to watch as he fed the longest of the poles into a little slit in the tent. Afterwards, he handed one to Spider-Man and pointed out where it went. "Nice job, Kid. Now pull the tent up, and I'll secure the poles."

"Okay!"

Greg slipped each pole into a fastener before giving Spider-Man the all-clear. He pulled out another layer that he explained to keep the weather out called a rainfly, and then he attached it to the top of the tent. Afterwards, he went through and staked down any loose ropes before stepping back. "That's all there is to it. See? It's not that hard."

"Thanks, Greg," Spider-Man beamed.

Greg gave the teenager a happy look. "Want to put our stuff inside?" Spider-Man nodded and followed Greg in. Naturally, they were forced to either sit or crouch. "Well, this is our humble abode until Sunday. Hope you like it because it's a bit too late to back out now."

Spider laughed. "Just a little."

"It's too bad you're stuck breathing through spandex - that's gotta be rough."

Spider-Man glanced over to his backpack. "Actually, give me a second." He dug around and pulled out a second mask, this one designed to only cover his eyes. "If I turn around and switch them out, will you tell me if it still does the job?"

Greg blanched. "You're okay with me seeing, even if it doesn't?"

"If I didn't trust you, I wouldn't be here," Spider-Man deadpanned, turning around and slipping off his full-head mask. For the first time since the two of them has met, Greg got the full view of Spider-Man's brown curls. Greg had half the mind to tell him that Spider-Man styled his hair like an English professor. After a moment, Spider-Man turned around. Most of his upper face was still covered, and there was no way anyone would be able to piece together anything from his nose and mouth.

"I think you're good, Kid. We see everything aside from the hair when you're eating, anyway."

Spider-Man breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness because I was not looking forward to the alternative."

"Do you still have, uh, FABAE? in that mask?" Greg asked.

Spider-Man grinned, and, for the first time ever, Greg actually got to see it. Spider-Man pointed to his ear. "I have an earpiece in that I made recently, so she can speak to me. I also still have her hooked into this mask, but she can't do as much from it."

"You did good with her. I'm honestly impressed."

Spider-Man scratched his neck. "It's no big deal, really."

"Yeah, right. Accept my compliment, Kiddo."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. See? Not that hard. Now, want to see if anyone needs a hand?"

"I wouldn't want to miss the opportunity to practice my newly acquired tent-building abilities, now would I?" Spider-Man chuckled, already moving to leave. Greg crawled out and groaned as he stood up. "Someone's getting oooold!"

Greg shot Spider-Man a weary look. "This old man might have another shot at trying to ground a certain spider."

Spider-Man shrugged. "Couldn't do it last time; can't do it this time." He spotted Michael finishing up his tent with Xander. "Hey, guys!"

The two officers looked up and smiled. "Hey, Spider-Man," Xander said. "You feeling more awake?"

"So awake. I'm, like, the pinnacle of awakeness right now - the absolute paragon of consciousness."

"In other words," Greg interpreted, "he could pass out on command."

"Sheesh, Greg. Don't rat me out like that, man."

"It's what you get for slipping in words like 'pinnacle' and 'paragon' into normal conversation. We all know what they mean, but this isn't English class, K-nerd."

Michael raised a brow at the slip. "Wait, do you know who he is?"

"He doesn't," Spider-Man assured Michael. "Greg just kinda figured something out. It's one of those things that I definitely wouldn't just tell someone, but it's also not the end of the world."

"So, he gave you a nickname?" Michael said. "Now, I want to give you a nickname."

"Go ahead then."

"I dub thee... Short-Stack!"

Spider-Man tried to hide his smile with a frown. "A height joke? Really? You're so original."

"Says the guy who's notorious for nicknaming people based on physical aspects," Greg drawled.

"You're really tasting your own medicine now," Xander chuckled.

Spider-Man raised a brow, and the corner of his lip quivered upward. It was become harder and harder to control his expression when he was having this much fun. "You're getting involved in this, Xander? Really? I think I have the right to feel betrayed."

"Feel what you want, City Boy," Michael grinned, "just save it for the campfire tonight."

"Someone always cries at the campfire," Xander clarified.

"There's a lot of trauma between all of us," Greg explained. "You don't actually have to share anything you don't want to, but it's nice to have a way to get it off your chest, y'know?"

I wouldn't know. "Yeah. It's cool that you guys are so open with this stuff."

"It's all a part of the healing process," Greg said with a knowing look.