Spider-Man Mayhem

[Third Person's PoV] 

As all the girls raised their hands, they slowly lowered them upon hearing George's words.

"You must be feeling really proud of yourselves, aren't you?" George scoffed.

Peter made a face, pinching his fingers slightly without saying much.

George suddenly slammed on the brakes at the red light, causing Peter to be thrust forward. "It was a rhetorical question," George said, glaring at Peter.

Peter rubbed the back of his head. "How was I supposed to know that?"

"I want you to end your relationship with Gwen," George said with a serious expression.

Felicia and MJ were flabbergasted, but not as much as Gwen.

"Excuse me!?"

"No," Peter retorted with a serious expression and zero hesitation.

"Oh, it seems there was perhaps a miscommunication. I wasn't asking," George said as he refocused on the road.

"The answer is still no," Peter scoffed with a frown.

Gwen frowned as well. "I'm sorry, Dad, but you can't just make that decision for me."

"It seems I've been too lenient when raising you. You are just 15 years old, and I absolutely can make that decision for you. I can make a lot of decisions for you, as you are still my daughter and not of age," George scoffed.

Gwen groaned in annoyance. "Are you just going to keep using my age against me? Sure, you might be able to dictate parts of my life, but you can't dictate who I decide to be in a relationship with."

Felicia glanced at MJ and mouthed, "Why are we here?"

MJ gave her a large shrug and shook her head with a frightened expression.

"Of course I'm going to keep using your age against you; you're just a kid! You don't know any better! It is my job as your father to make sure you don't make any stupid decisions that you'll regret later in life!" George replied angrily.

"You don't know what I'll regret or not! Choosing to be with Peter isn't something I regret or ever will, and you can't just make that assumption!" Gwen shot back, her anger rising.

Peter had a faint smile as he scratched his cheek, feeling a bit embarrassed and touched.

George looked at Peter with a serious expression. "Answer me honestly, is mind control one of your many weird powers?"

"If it was, we wouldn't be having this conversation…" Peter scoffed.

"Ugh! Peter isn't controlling us. I chose to be with him of my own free will," Gwen groaned.

George let out a heavy sigh. "Why can't you see that you're making a mistake here?"

"I am right here… Hello?" Peter sighed in exasperation.

"Then I'll say it to you, Peter: she is making a mistake by being with you. All I want is for my daughter to live a happy life, and I don't think she will be happy with someone like you," George said, narrowing his eyes as he looked back at the road.

"What, you don't think I love Gwen?" Peter asked, irritation evident on his face.

"I won't say that you don't care deeply for her. I know you do. You two practically grew up together. But how could I expect you to love her if you love two other women as well? That's why I believe she'll be miserable with you. This isn't the kind of future I envisioned for my daughter."

George squeezed the steering wheel tightly, the metal caving slightly under his enhanced strength until he eased his grip. "Maybe when you have a daughter of your own, you'll understand. Gwen is a very bright girl; she's my pride and joy. I imagined her going to a prestigious school, graduating at the top of her class, achieving her dream of becoming a renowned scientist, helping people all over the world, and then choosing to settle down…

If I'm being honest, I almost hoped it would be with you. You're a good kid, Peter, and I know how much you care for each other. But fighting crime, becoming superheroes, and now building a harem? Do you seriously expect me to believe you'll make my daughter happy when you're doing things like this?"

"Dad…" Gwen muttered, her eyes growing moist.

Felicia leaned toward MJ and whispered, "Wait till he finds out this whole harem idea was Gwen's, and Peter actually planned to stay loyal to only Gwen at first."

"WHAAAAAAT!?!" George screeched as they came to a stop sign. He whipped his head around to the backseat. "What do you mean this was Gwen's idea!?"

Felicia covered her mouth and said, "Oops," acting bashfully while hiding the growing smile on her lips. "You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Felicia!" Gwen said, glaring at her.

Felicia dropped the act and crossed her arms. "What? It was pissing me off how he kept blaming Peter, like Peter is some grand evil mastermind who orchestrated and manipulated all of us into falling in love with him when that's the farthest thing from the truth, and you just let it happen."

Felicia leaned forward and flicked Peter's ear, making him flinch. "And this lovable idiot was willing to be seen as the bad guy to his 'father-in-law' so Mr. Stacy here wouldn't think badly of his daughter."

"I was going to tell him…" Gwen mumbled.

"Yeah? When? After he finished chewing out Peter? Or maybe after you tried to convince him to let you keep dating Peter so you wouldn't have to tell him at all?" Felicia scoffed.

"Felicia…" MJ sighed, shaking her head.

"What? Why do you two keep saying my name without following up?" Felicia asked, irritated.

She crossed her arms again. "Peter's my boyfriend too, you know. I hate seeing him villainized when he's not. And if you're worried about what your dad thinks of you, you shouldn't be. Mr. Stacy clearly loves you."

A heavy silence fell as they moved through traffic.

"..."

"So this whole thing wasn't your idea?" George asked, glancing at Peter, who sat awkwardly, staring at the road ahead.

Peter didn't respond, shifting his mouth side to side.

Gwen sighed, realizing Felicia had a point. "No, it wasn't… He didn't even know MJ was in love with him until I pointed it out and pushed it forward."

George sighed as well. "And why would you do that?"

"Because MJ's my best friend, and I didn't want her to be unhappy," Gwen muttered.

"Gwen… honey… For someone so smart, you really seem to lack common sense," George said, shaking his head.

"What?!" Gwen looked slightly offended, staring at her father in shock.

He scratched his head, then looked at Peter awkwardly. "Look, I won't apologize for what I said earlier, not out of pride or anything, but because I still stand by some of it. But I will apologize for assuming you were the bad guy when you weren't."

"Don't worry, I understand where you're coming from. I wouldn't want my daughter dating someone like me either," Peter scoffed.

Peter's expression grew serious as he turned to George. "Although it might seem inconceivable to you, I love all three of them deeply. The last thing I want is to make Gwen unhappy, or any of them for that matter. I know I'll make mistakes, but that doesn't mean I'm aiming for unhappiness or that we'll be miserable. I've told them that if they're ever unhappy with our relationship, they shouldn't hesitate to end it.

"You've met Felix, my son with Felicia in the future. His existence confirms that things can turn out alright, but that doesn't mean I'll relax. I know I have to work hard to make that future a reality.

"My words alone may not ease your mind about Gwen being with me, but I hope my actions will."

George drummed his fingers on the steering wheel for a few seconds before grumbling, "Now I see how you managed to get all these girls to fall for you—you're good with words, aren't you?"

Peter smirked, placing a hand on his chin. "I'm sure my charming good looks played a part too."

George rolled his eyes and sighed, which made the girls chuckle at their interaction.

George frowned. "Alright, I'm giving you one chance with my daughter, punk, only because you took the blame and looked out for her. But just one. Mess this up, and I'll personally arrest you myself."

Peter saluted. "Sir, yes, sir!"

 ************************************************

+5 advance Chapters on: patreon.com/Shadow_D_Monarch3