Spider-Gwen || Caught in a Web

The Midtown Prom Incident, Part I || Peter Parker

"Once fastened, servile, now you're getting sharp"

-Go, Pearl Jam

He'd tried.

Peter had tried so hard to perfect the serum he'd been sneaking from Oscorp. Years and years of being stepped on by Flash Thompson and others at school, mixed with watching his closest friend rise into her role of the city's protector, had convinced him to take drastic action: he wanted to become like her. 

And so when he'd seen the capabilities of Dr. Connors's trial runs of the lizard serum, how could he resist?

But even Peter's sharp mind couldn't work around the main side effect of these trial runs... the loss of his humanity. Even now as Peter stomped around the gymnasium, his tongue slipping through his lizard-like snout, he felt mechanical. Like an AI following its coding as every stimuli he processed directed him onwards.

His classmates were all running around in terror, trying to avoid getting stepped on as Peter let out a hiss. He looked to his right, seeing someone that his brain vaguely recognized: one of Flash Thompson's football teammates, backing away slowly and holding his girlfriend behind himself to protect her.

Peter let out a roar in his direction, the association with Flash Thompson triggering an instinct to attack. He swiped his tail, smacking the couple off of their feet and sending them five feet backwards. As the couple rolled into a confused, injured heap, Peter roared again, still scanning the chaotic mass of students for the main prize of tonight.

And then he saw him. The trademark slicked-back hair and broad shoulders... Flash Thompson.

Instinct made Peter pounce immediately, bowling over all of the students around Flash as Peter's massive clawed hand pinned the bully to the ground. It was strange... in this moment, Peter had always imagined feeling a sense of power-righteous indignation mixed with relishing in finally having the upper hand in a fight with Flash. But none of that was there; simply an overwhelming urge to devour.

Flash began screaming pathetically as Peter reared back, opening his mouth to expose his razor-sharp teeth. But as his head moved forward to chomp off Flash's head, something whipped around the giant lizard's neck and pulled him to the side. Peter flopped loudly on the wooden floor of the gymnasium, busting the section of wooden panels beneath his flank.

He screeched loudly, rolling back onto all fours and looking in the direction of where he'd been yanked from. His eyes landed on a familiar figure-an individual decked in black-and-white skintight clothing. It was her-she'd pulled him away from his revenge with her webbing. He looked back to where Flash had been, only to see the bully exiting the gymnasium alongside the rest of the school. As he turned back to Gwen, Peter's head lowered menacingly, and he slowly began to circle his opponent.

"Pete!" Gwen called out, mirroring the lizard's movements as Peter sensed her heartbeat picking up. "I know you're in there... I know you can hear me right now!"

Peter heard her. More than that, he knew who was talking... at Madison Square Garden, enough of his consciousness had been able to remember, in his animalistic state, that the figure he'd been battling was the alter ego of his best friend. When instinct had failed to give him an answer on how to respond, he'd panicked and left. But now, the instincts were speaking to him. And they were telling him to do one thing, and one thing only.

Kill.

Peter snarled and dove after Gwen, narrowly missing her as she rolled out of the way. She fired webbing at his head, but Peter had learned his lesson from their last battle. He twisted his head, yanking Gwen off her feet before she could slam his head against the ground. Her scream of surprise reached his ears as he watched her body get flung through the air and slam into one of the walls.

As Gwen's body fell to the ground, Peter rushed at her again. She sprang up and tried to throw an uppercut, but he lowered his head and rammed her against the wall again. Gwen coughed in pain, weakly getting to her feet and trying to put distance between herself and the lizard as Peter continued to advance, teeth bared in a horrifying, hungry grin.

This felt so good. Not the emotional type of good accompanied with jubilation and pride: any trace of those weak, human feelings were not present right now. It felt good as in something behind Peter's ear getting scratched, goading him on to deal out more damage to his enemy. The pleasing sensation made him roar, and he got ready to pounce again.

"Gwen?!!"

A shout made Peter stop what he was doing, looking behind himself with a hiss of confusion. Someone had actually gone back to the gymnasium, and was at the large, metal doors with a frantic look in his eyes. Something about this guy felt familiar... Peter's eyes settled on the mint-green bowtie with intrigue as he crept forward.

"Owen, get out of here!!" Gwen's yell from behind made Peter look back at the vigilante, watching as she clapped a hand over her masked mouth as if she had made a mistake by speaking. Peter's head turned back to this 'Owen' figure, his tongue flicking out as he watched Owen's eyes widen in shock.

"G...Gwen??" The dark-haired male yelled, totally astounded at the realization that his prom date was the nameless hero of the city. But his astonishment turned to fear in a flash as Peter's hair-raising screech pierced the air again, and the lizard bolted in Owen's direction.

But Peter was stopped short of Owen-something latched onto his leg and pulled backwards, making Peter lose his footing mid-sprint. He flopped onto the floor, writhing and shaking his back leg as Gwen dug her heels in, desperately trying to buy Owen time to get away.

"Owen!!" Gwen yelled, just as Peter's urge to attack Owen dissipated, and he turned to face Gwen. "Owen, you have to run-"

Peter lunged at Gwen, and she dodged the attack just as his jaws snapped through the air where she'd been standing. He began swiping his clawed hands at Gwen, watching her jump and duck between his attacks as he advanced forward, backing her into a corner. Once her back hit the wall, Gwen surged upwards, climbing the wall with ease as Peter roared, jumping up repeatedly to reach her and failing every instance.

As he leaped upwards one more time, he saw Gwen's arm stretch forward, and a jet of webbing fired directly into his eye. Peter roared in misery, thrashing as he fell back to the ground and crunched the wooden flooring beneath his weight. Suddenly, Gwen was upon him, striking his lower jaw with her fist again and again to incapacitate him. Peter swiped his hand, knocking Gwen off his face and sending her sailing into the rows of bleachers.

"Gwen!!" Owen cried out, moving in her direction before Peter looked right at him, hissing to deter the male. Owen froze, unsure of what to do as a moment he never could've imagined overwhelmed him.

As Peter rolled back onto his feet, another stimulus entered the equation... his nostrils flared as he sniffed the air, smelling something so... delectable. Peter's eyes settled on Gwen as she staggered to her feet, examining her left arm-three gashes had cut into her skin, letting blood flow freely and drip down her arm. The smell of blood was so tantalizing, and the predatory instincts that had taken hold of Peter made him click his jaws as he salivated. 

As he moved forward, Gwen got her fists up, assuming a defensive position as she saw the crazed hunger in Peter's reptilian eyes. But once more, a loud noise halted Peter's advance-someone shouting as they charged him, wielding a folding metal chair.

"OWEN, NO!!" Gwen cried out, jumping from the bleachers to stop him. But Owen reached Peter anyways, defending Gwen by smacking the metal chair against Peter's jaw. Peter howled in pain and staggered backwards, one of his dagger-like teeth flying from his mouth as Owen lifted the chair again and whacked Peter's ankle. The lizard screeched again, losing his footing and flopping onto his stomach.

Peter could hear Gwen's continued screams for Owen to get away as she raced towards the scene, but he didn't pay them any mind. The instincts were screaming in his head, telling him that the biggest threat now was the figure that had knocked out his tooth and damaged his ankle.

In one fluid, swift motion, Peter grabbed Owen by his legs and slammed him like a rag doll into the ground. He bared his teeth and raised his hands, anticipating a counterattack by Owen, but none came.

Owen's eyes simply stared lifelessly up at Peter, his head locked at an odd angle from where Peter's attack had immediately broken his neck.