Peter woke up the next morning, hoping that last night was just a bad dream. However, looking at his phone and seeing a text that said "Meat me at the student sinter. Now", indicated that it probably did happen.

Autocorrect, Flash. It's a beautiful thing.

Peter threw on the first thing he could grab and headed towards ESU's student center. He wasn't looking forward to the verbal thrashing he anticipated was coming from his former nemesis, but subconsciously knew that he needed it. With much trepidation, he sat down at the table where Flash was sitting and prepared for the worst.

"How'd you sleep, Pete?"

Not even close to what I thought would be the first thing he'd say to me.

"Not well, Flash. Couldn't sleep much at all."

"Good. That means you still have a conscience."

"Look, Flash-"

"No, you look. I mean listen. The other guys haven't known you too long, but I've known you since we were kids. Your disappearing acts are nothing new to me. You know how much I love Spidey-"

"You are president of his fan club."

"Dang straight-but let me illuminate you on something in case you didn't notice."

"Do you mean 'enlighten'?"

"Whatever. Spider-Man stops dozens of crimes every day. Missing one wouldn't have killed you."

"You're right. There's just so much money left to pay for my aunt's bills that when I saw the Vulture on the news it was like I wasn't even in control of my own body. Got there in time to see Spider-Man getting totally manhandled. Not my finest hour. Or his. Now I've royally screwed up and I know Gwen will never forgive me for it."

"Hey, you may think you're omnivorous but you're wrong."

Knowing that Flash meant omniscient, but not wanting to interrupt him again, Peter allowed Flash to continue.

"She just needs time. If you really want her to forgive you, you've gotta do something to show her how much you care. Not just talk about it. Don't just say, do."

"Don't just say, do. Got it. I will do something about this. Thanks for the pep talk, buddy."

"No prob, Parker. Go get your girl!"

Calling Flash Thompson his "buddy" was a still relatively new thing and wasn't always easy to do. However, it was becoming easier and times like this made it hard to believe that he and Flash couldn't stand each other not long ago.

Phase one in setting things right, track down the Vulture. The only thing I did right last night was stick a spider-tracer on him before he left. Spider-Man's coming for you, you old buzzard. Just you wait!

Adrian Toomes had been too excited to sleep the night before. He had robbed several thousand dollars in cash and defeated the eternal thorn in his side, Spider-Man. Things were finally beginning to turn around for the Vulture.

Today I'll make even more improvements to my suit! And I'll prepare for my next crime! I hope Spider-Man tries to stop me this time!

Suddenly, the Vulture heard shattering glass and looked up to see his foe Spider-Man crashing through the skylight window of his warehouse.

"You didn't give me your number after our date last night so I looked up your address and decided to stop by. Hope I'm not being too forward."

The Vulture examined his wings and noticed one of Spider-Man's tracking devices on them. He was so excited by his victory the night before that he forgot to look over his wings after he took them off. Now he was caught completely by surprise without his weapons ready for use. He dropped a smoked bomb, something he had wanted to incorporate into his wings, and reached for his greatest invention so that he could become the Vulture once more. Spider-Man fired web lines into the smoke hoping to hit the Vulture but he was soon rising above the smoke cloud and flying towards the opening Spider-Man had made upon his entrance. Knowing that his enemy would have the advantage if that were to occur, Spider-Man fired a web net over the hole to prevent the Vulture's escape. Spider-Man used the Vulture's frustration over this setback to surprise him with a kick across his face.

"Ya know, Vultchy, I was thinking about you on the way over here."

The Vulture got up off the ground and fired razor sharp feathers from his wings that Spider-man easily dodged.

"Oh I'm so touched."

"You got a wife, birdbrain?. Any kids? Anyone at all?"

Spider-Man fired a web net over the Vulture's left wing which pinned him to the wall behind him.

"The Vulture needs no one, arachnid!"

"Uh huh. And how old are you now, featherhead? About 94?"

The Vulture cut himself loose with a metallic feather from his other wing and came charging at Spider-Man.

"I'm 68!"

Spider-man avoided his assault, webbed his back and flung him into a stack of wooden boxes.

"So you're 94 and you've never been married and never had kids?"

The Vulture threw some of the boxes around him at the hero, who avoided most but did get hit by some of them.

"So what!"

"So I realized that I definitely in no way want to be anything like you. I couldn't imagine being an old fogey like you and not having someone there to help clean my dentures or listen to me babble on about the good old days when I was swinging around the city in red and blue longjohns. I do need to make sure I have a life of my own. Not that I don't love and cherish our time together, of course."

Spider-Man pulled the Vulture close and they began throwing punches at each other.

"You'll understand if I want to see other people, right? We're just growing apart. It's only natural."

"I hate you!"

The Vulture launched himself into the air and kicked Spider-Man in the chest with both of his feet.

"Now let's be adults about this."

"Stop! Stop your incessant prattling! This was supposed to be my time, my time to finally get what I wanted. I even beat you. But you just won't stay down!"

Spider-Man's spider-sense went off just as the Vulture launched a barrage of metal feathers at him. He avoided most, but was grazed by a few.

"Sorry, Vultchy, you're stuck with me until I die or you die, whichever comes first. Which it'll probably be you since you're 94 and all."

Spider-Man began webbing up feathers on the ground around him and throwing them at Vulture's wings. Soon he was unable to maintain altitude and fell on top of a new invention he had been tinkering with. Spider-Man walked over and picked up his limp body.

"I'm…I'm not 94."

Spider-Man pulled back his fist and drove it hard across his enemy's face, knocking him unconscious.

"Whatever you say, Vultchy."

Gwen Stacy was not one to frequent Empire State University's gym for its students. She usually found that all of the walking required to be a New Yorker was sufficient enough to keep the pounds away. However, in times of great emotional stress she found taking out her vexations through exercise to be a welcome relief. This was one of those times. After warming up on the treadmill, Gwen was ready to imagine that the punching bag was Peter Parker's face and pummel it to her heart's content. They may even need to buy a new bag after she got through with it. Before the pummeling could begin, Gwen was stopped by Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn.

"Gwen! Sorry we're late. We would have been here a little sooner if Harry didn't stop to flirt with that new girl working behind the counter."

"I just like to familiarize myself with women who care about their physical fitness. Is that so wrong?"

Mary Jane hit Harry in the arm and, wondering why Gwen had chosen to spend her time here instead of the hospital, began to question her friend.

"Not that I'm not always down for a good workout, because I am, but why exactly did you want to work out today? I figured you'd be too worried about your dad right now to be anywhere but class or at the hospital."

"I am worried about my Dad, of course, but he is expected to make a full recovery and I just had a lot of…aggression to take out."

Harry took his eyes off the brunette in the corner long enough to contribute to the conversation.

"Would this aggression be caused by a certain roommate of mine? Last name begins with a 'P' and ends with an 'arker'?"

"Harry, hold this bag while I do a few sets."

Having known Gwen for a long time, Harry knew when it was best to just do what she told you instead of inciting her wrath. Despite what one might think when looking at Gwen Stacy's figure, he found that it took a strong effort on his part not to be knocked over while holding the bag. After Harry flashed the redhead a look that was an obvious cry for help, Mary Jane decided to intervene.

"Babe, have you thought that maybe, just maybe, you're not quite as mad at Peter as you want us to think?"

"Who else is there to be mad at?"

Gwen was now punching the bag harder and faster than she ever had before. Harry began struggling to stand his ground and became noticeably uncomfortable. Mary Jane put her arm on Gwen's shoulder in an effort to relieve Harry of Gwen's onslaught.

"Your father was shot. Yeah, it's something you're always scared is going to happen, but last night it actually did. Your dad has always been this impenetrable hero to you and now you're realizing that he is just as human as the rest of us. That can't be easy to deal with."

Gwen ceased her raging attack of the punching bag in front of her and finally turned to Mary Jane, giving her her complete attention.

"Hey, you've already lost your mom. No one would blame you for being just a bit emotional right after your father gets shot."

For a minute, all Gwen could do is stare at her shoes on the floor. Her best friend was right. She hadn't given herself the time to process everything she was feeling. Yes, Peter had lied to her and that wasn't okay, but over the past several months, she and Peter had become incredibly close. She knew that greedy, deceitful and selfish were not words that described this guy. There was no way he was not feeling some sort of regret for what he had done.

"You're right, MJ. Maybe I am being a little harsher on Peter than I normally would. And if I'm being honest, I'm probably still a little mad at myself for how I treated him after he told me he liked me."

"Told, typed into an electronic message sent by computer, whatever."

Gwen hit Harry in the arm for his snarky comment, but his arms were already so sore from holding the punching bag that he barely felt her jab.

"I need to go talk to him. Hear him out."

"That's my girl. Give him a call."

"That won't be necessary."

Flash Thompson was sweaty and out of breath, not unusual for someone at a gym, but was wearing no workout clothes, indicating that he had been running to get to this place.

"Hey, man, I didn't know you were wanted to join us. I thought this was one of your rest days."

"It still is, Harry, but I saw Peter walking around outside and I'm pretty sure we all know who he's looking for."

With no hesitation, Gwen walked outside and found Peter Parker holding a bouquet of roses.

"Gwen! Hey! Um, these are for you."

"Thank you. What's in the bag?"

"I remembered how your dad likes to do the crossword puzzles in the newspaper so I saved one for him, just in case he couldn't get ahold of one in the hospital."

"And you got him a Payday candy bar? How'd you know that was his favorite?"

"You mentioned it once when we were hanging out. You said whenever you came home with a bad grade, which wasn't often, you'd pick up a Payday candy bar for him so he wouldn't be as mad at you. You said it worked every time."

Gwen just stood there in stunned silence for a moment. Something she didn't even remember telling him he could remember in great detail. He really listened to her and cared what she had to say. Her mouth began to open to express how much she appreciated his thoughtfulness, but he spoke up before she could form the words.

"I never should have left last night. I'm so used to going after photos that I wasn't thinking clearly. I know some flowers and a crossword puzzle and a candy bar isn't going to make up for what I've done, but I'm hoping you can at least consider letting me earn my way back to your trust."

Gwen pretended to be in deep thought, but already knew what her answer was.

"You could try a dance number."

Peter grinned, partly because of Gwen's suggestion and partly out of joy that, for the first time in several days, things finally felt normal between them again.

"A dance number? Maybe in an alternate universe."

"Just kidding, Peter. No one wants to see you dance."

"We're all better off for it. So what do you say? Can you forgive me for my terrible mistake that I one-hundred percent regret?"

"Only if you can forgive me for taking my fears and frustrations out on you. I had to deal with my dad's mortality last night and I'm sure that was a contributing factor to why I got as upset with you as I did."

"You've got nothing to apologize for. Just say we can be friends again and we'll call it even."

"Oh, we're friends. Very good friends."

Unexpectedly, Gwen pulled Peter close and kissed him. Upon regaining his senses, he dropped the roses and the bag on the ground returned her kiss.

And that's it. I won't say that I won't return to this story if I get more ideas but at least for now this story is complete. Thank you for reading!