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First day of vacation!
It's been a while since Jasper had a proper break. He was planning to just chill at home today, but around noon, right when he was in the middle of a ranked match, someone knocked on the door.
Jasper frowned.
He really didn't want to check who it was—he was fully locked in on his game.
BANG BANG BANG!!!The knocking kept going.
Jasper got up with a grumpy face and muttered, "Shadow-Spider, take over. Just stick near the tower."
Shadow-Spider nodded and jumped in to play in his place.
Annoyed, Jasper went downstairs. When he opened the door, he found Peter Parker, Gwen Stacy, Mary Jane, and Michelle Jones all standing there.
His grumpy expression slowly faded away.
"Hope we're not interrupting?" Ned asked awkwardly.
"I'm gaming. Might take about ten more minutes," Jasper said."You guys can come in and wait if you want."
He turned and went back upstairs. When he got back to his room, the screen flashed: Pentakill.
He stared in surprise. "You did that?" he asked Shadow-Spider.
Shadow-Spider nodded, then melted into the shadows. A moment later, Peter and the others all piled into Jasper's room.
The girls curiously looked around—his room was simple, but super clean.
Ned and Peter watched him play. They knew the game too, but Jasper's skills were clearly on another level.
The girls, though, were more interested in Jasper himself. Truth be told, they weren't really into games.
Ten minutes later, Jasper wrapped up his match."So, what's the plan for today?" he asked.
"Barbecue!" Ned said enthusiastically. They'd already set up the grill and brought ingredients—just needed to swing by and grab Jasper.
Jasper nodded. Free food? No reason to say no.
But just as they were leaving his house, they bumped into Kobayashi Mari.
"Heading somewhere?" Mari asked, looking at the group.
"Barbecue," Jasper replied bluntly.
Mari glanced at the girls around him and said, "Mind if I come too?"
"Of course not," Ned answered right away.
"Ara~! Thanks so much!" Mari said cheerfully.
Jasper looked her up and down but didn't say anything. Still, he had a feeling she was up to something.
Out in a grassy field, Ned was manning the grill while Jasper was off fishing.
Right beside him was Mari.
Mari leaned in, flashing a cute smile. "Those girls are all really pretty. So... who do you like?"
Jasper didn't even look at her."They're just friends."
He didn't have any particular feelings for Gwen or the others.
"What about me?" Mari asked.
"You? You're not even a friend," Jasper shot back. He still remembered everything she'd done to him before.
Mari pouted. "Saying stuff like that with such a cute face… You know that makes people dislike you, right?"
Cute? Who's cute?! He was a damn legendary good-looking guy, thank you very much!
Just then, the fishing rod tugged. Jasper quickly pulled it up—a fat fish was wriggling on the line.
Grinning, Jasper held it up. "We're having grilled fish tonight!"
"Woooow~!" the girls gasped.
Jasper handed the fish off to Ned.
Mari stuck around with Jasper and the others for the rest of the day, which turned out to be a lot of fun.
That night.
"Wanna go for a swing?" Peter Parker knocked on Jasper's window.
Jasper looked at him, then nodded. A late-night swing sounded nice—though he knew what this was really about: Spider-Man patrol duty.
He changed into his black Spidey suit and snuck out with Peter.
"Today was awesome!" Peter said while swinging through the city. Days like this were rare for him—something he'd remember for years.
"Yeah, not bad. Especially that grilled fish. I ate way too much," Jasper replied. Ned really nailed it.
AAAAAHHHHHHH—!A scream rang out as a woman plummeted from above.
Jasper caught her mid-air and said, "Good evening, beautiful~"
The woman looked at him, dazed. "I… I don't wanna die…"
Jasper gently lowered her to the ground.
She patted her chest, still shaken. She'd impulsively jumped off a building, but regretted it the moment she fell. Thankfully, Spider-Man had saved her.
Wait—there were two Spider-Men?! Still, she found herself liking the black-suited one better.
Peter looked down and said softly, "I hope she lives well from now on."
"Hope so," Jasper replied, perched on the edge of a tall building, watching the city below.
Peter climbed up beside him. "I once saved a young guy like that. Now he helps people every day. Makes me feel like it was worth it."
"Oh yeah? That's awesome," Jasper said, standing up.
"You're a bit taller than me," Peter said, glancing at him.
"Yup," Jasper nodded, then grinned. "Let's go bungee jumping."
Peter raised an eyebrow. "Let's do it."
"Woohoo~!" And with that, they both jumped.
As Jasper plunged headfirst, he locked eyes with a woman passing by in a window.
She looked startled, probably didn't expect someone to just fall past her like that.
Jasper didn't care. He twisted his body midair and shot out a web.
His feet skimmed the ground, then he yanked himself back up.
BOOM!!!An explosion rocked the street.
Chunks of a wall flew toward the crowd.
Jasper shot a web and grabbed the debris midair.
Peter quickly landed near the blast site.
As Jasper was setting the debris down, Peter crashed next to him.
"You good?" Jasper asked.
ROOAARRRR!!!A huge green beast charged out.
The Hulk!?
The Hulk grabbed a car and hurled it at Jasper.
Jasper caught it.
BANG!!!But the very next second, Hulk slammed both the car and Jasper straight into the pavement.
Jasper felt the brute force shake his whole body—he hadn't seen that coming.
But Peter swung in and landed a punch that sent the Hulk stumbling back.
Sure, Hulk was crazy strong—but Peter wasn't weak either!
Jasper climbed out of the crater.
He looked toward the Hulk, who was now being toyed with by Peter's nimble movements.
Jasper stretched his arms and legs, then started walking toward the Hulk.
On the way, he grabbed an empty car.
The Hulk noticed him and roared, charging forward.
Jasper gripped the car tight—his fingers leaving dents in the metal.
Then he swung it with all his strength.
BOOM!!!Hulk went flying.
But he was crashing down toward a crowd, so Peter quickly fired a web, grabbed Hulk midair, and flung him back.
Then Jasper and Peter both lunged and punched together.
WHAM!!!
The Hulk was sent flying once again.
"....."