The Amazing Spider-Man: Spiders of Two Worlds

Chapter 1

Peter glanced towards the bottom corner of his computer screen, noting the time of 6:24 P.M. He then went back to work editing the last photos he would submit before Christmas, determined to get them just right before he left. He was beginning to cut it a little too close though; he was supposed to meet M.J. in less than an hour. Of course, none of this was helped by the fact that Robbie was approaching him.

"How are those photos of the F.E.A.S.T. Christmas party coming?" the man asked.

"Almost there, sir," Peter affirmed, not even taking his eyes off the screen as he continued to work. That didn't stop his boss from coming alongside him to examine his work.

"Peter, they look great," he said. "I'm not sure there's much more you can do with them."

"There's just a few more spots I need to patch up, then it'll be good," Peter explained. His boss raised his hands in defeat and moved aside but stayed in close vicinity as he put the finishing touches on his work before officially submitting them.

"Done!" he proclaimed as he hit the enter button.

"Good," Robbie responded. "Now, do one more thing for me please."

Peter looked up, a mix of curiosity and concern in his mind as he met his boss's gaze.

"What's that?" he asked nervously.

"Please go and actually enjoy yourself," Robbie clarified. "You've been working yourself to death the last two weeks. I'm not even sure what you've been working on either; your photos haven't been a part of any more stories than normal, unless you've taken on some secret story that you haven't told me about?"

Peter hesitated, his face starting to feel a little warmer. He didn't want to admit that part of his time in the office recently had been spent trying to find the perfect gift for Mary Jane, since the two of them were spending most of their waking hours recently either in wedding planning or Christmas shopping together. He'd made sure to get all his work done and his photos submitted on time, of course, but still, he felt a little weird admitting to spending office time doing something other than what he was paid to do.

"No sir," he finally replied. "Just, you know, trying to get a lot done in a short amount of time."

Robbie nodded, seemingly opting not to press the matter any further, which Peter was grateful for.

"So, you and your family going out of town for Christmas?" Peter asked as he gathered his things and grabbed his coat.

"Actually, everyone is coming to us this year," Robbie replied. "I think I finally convinced everybody that I'm getting old enough that they should pity me enough to make it easier."

Peter chuckled along with his boss at the remark.

"I guess I have a long time before I can use that excuse," Peter conceded as he slipped on his coat.

"It'll come on you faster than you think," Robbie assured him. "Also, is Mary Jane wearing you down as much this year with holiday shopping as she did last year?"

"No," Peter replied, "I think she's trying to save a little for the wedding this year, so she's holding herself back...well, mostly."

Robbie smirked.

"Well, enjoy it," the man said. "It's all fun and exciting now with just the two of you, but just wait until you have kids too. It's still fun, just...in a different way."

"I'll try and remember that," Peter assured his boss as he collected his things for good and moved around his desk. "Anyway, I'm supposed to meet M.J. here soon actually, so I better get going. Merry Christmas, Mr. Robertson!"