Secrets (Prowler Miles X Gwen Stacy)

Chapter 6: Plunge

Third-Person POV:

Miles awoke in his bed, his entire body sore after the altercation he had gotten into the previous day. Struggling, he managed to get out of bed and walked to the bathroom for a shower. Every movement was painful, but he pressed forward. Gazing at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, his back was lined with bruises, while his shoulder had a large, blood-soaked bandage covering the gash he had received. The consequences of his life as the Prowler were an unnerving sight.

He showered while pondering life, both of his lives. Until yesterday, his life as the Prowler had been relatively straightforward, but now he was forced to question everything. At this moment, he realized that his second life as the Prowler would inevitably complicate his everyday life. He thought up multiple scenarios in his head, contemplating how his mother would react to him casually telling her that he was a vigilante constantly putting his life in danger. He imagined the horrified look on her face and the lecture she would give him.

Having showered, Miles decided it would be best to inspect his neighborhood for any signs of the Goblin. The attack yesterday had left Miles riddled with paranoia, forcing him to sleep with one eye open last night. It was demoralizing. Miles had naively believed that there was no way they could track down his identity. The confrontation had finally revealed the danger to him and his mother.

Despite the potential consequences, his mind was fixated on Gwen. He wondered whether it was a good idea to get closer to her. He was struggling with the increasing intensity of his feelings for her.

Miles walked through his neighborhood with a heightened sense of alertness but found no signs of the Goblin. There was not an atom of evidence that he had been there. This made Miles feel extremely relieved, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He sat on top of an apartment complex and overlooked a busy street.

Miles pulled out his phone and was startled after reading the time.

"How the hell is it already 5?"

Miles scoffed, chalking it up to him sleeping in late last night. He texted Gwen to confirm their plans for today.

"Hey, are you still up for today?"

Miles looked up and smiled, lost in his thoughts. Every moment spent with Gwen felt electrifying as if sparks were flying in his stomach.

Miles' thoughts were cut short when he heard a loud whooshing, followed by maniacal cackling from behind him. He got up, spun around, and watched in horror as the Goblin rose from below the building while his eyes widened, and sweat dripped down his forehead. As Miles retracted his helmet, the Goblin soared into view, his once-concealed face shockingly exposed. Miles couldn't believe his eyes. Instead of the fearsome Goblin mask he had worn before, Osborn now sported a pair of ominous goggles, leaving the rest of his face horrifyingly displayed. Numerous green veins ran up his face. Miles and Osborn stared each other down for a few seconds. The air crackled with tension, both locking eyes with each other, the mechanical whir of Goblin's glider filling the air.

"Would the Prowler like to come out and play...?" With a sinister grin adorning his face, Miles flinched as Osborn taunted him. The fear in Miles' stance was palpable; he remained frozen in terror.

Suddenly, Osborn lunged forward, hurtling towards Miles with an eerie grace that defied his manic laughter. The Goblin's glider, an extension of his sinister presence, bore down on Miles like a deadly projectile. Miles remained motionless, the adrenaline coursing through his veins, feeling fear and anger consume him. The glider hit Miles in the chest, lifting him off the ground and soaring into the sky. Miles felt a deep burning sensation in his chest as his vision blurred, and the sound of the glider and the street below faded into the background. All he could hear was a high-pitched ringing.

Suddenly, Miles snapped back to reality. He was plummeting rapidly towards the pavement below, arms flailing. Using what little time he had to react, Miles used the thrusters on the shoe's soles to slow his descent. Miles instinctively stuck his limbs outward, like a skydiver battling gravity. Miles witnessed the ground rapidly approaching, panic surging through his veins. The wind roared past him, tugging at his clothes and tousling his hair as he fought to regain control, the sensation of weightlessness giving way to a precarious sense of stability.

Delaying his descent just enough, Miles landed safely on a nearby rooftop, giving him a brief moment to catch his breath. He lifted his shirt and discovered a massive red mark on his chest. Inspecting it closer, the wound appeared swollen and inflamed, throbbing with pain that rippled through his body. The spot had jagged edges as if some force had torn at his skin, leaving an unsettling impression.

As Miles rose to his feet, he groaned as his entire body ached in pain. Little did he know, the worst was yet to come. The sound of wicked laughter could be heard in the distance, gradually getting louder with every passing moment. The horizon loomed with a menacing presence, filling the air with eerie anticipation. Miles's heart raced as he instinctively glanced upward, scanning the skyline for any sign of the Green Goblin's impending attack.

However, the Goblin was already one step ahead of Miles, projecting a metal cable that ensnared itself around Miles's chest, lifting him into the air. Miles screamed as he soared through the sky, struggling to remove the cord from his chest. Panic surged within him as he realized the precariousness of his situation. The Goblin's sinister laughter pierced the air, drowning out Miles's cries for help. He was left helpless, suspended mid-air, drawing closer to his nemesis as the Goblin's malevolent plan unfolded.

Out of nowhere, Miles felt a sudden release from the grip on his chest and was propelled forward toward an old and decrepit warehouse building. With sheer determination, Miles activated his thrusters once again, attempting to soften his plunge as adrenaline coursed through him. The air whistled past him, and while he managed to slow his descent somewhat, he couldn't come to a complete stop.

As the warehouse loomed closer, Miles strained to control his trajectory. With a final burst of effort, he angled his body, aiming for a broken window on the building's upper floor. Glass shards danced in the air as he crashed through the window, pain searing through his body as he landed in the dimly lit interior.

In the dimly lit warehouse, Miles groaned and struggled to his feet. The air was thick with dust and the pungent smell of decay. Broken crates and discarded machinery cluttered the space, casting eerie shadows in the pale light filtering through the shattered windows.

Miles reached for his shoulder and noticed that it had several lacerations. For a brief moment, an uncomfortable silence filled the air. Miles looked around, expecting to see the Goblin hovering over him, but he saw nothing. A bright ball suddenly entered his field of vision through a broken window, flying directly towards him. Miles was able to dodge out of the way with a stroke of luck, landing on a pile of cardboard boxes in the corner of the room. Using the X-ray vision in his helmet, Miles spotted the figure of the Goblin flying towards the building and got a new idea.

Miles swiftly hid himself behind a large steel pillar, awaiting Goblin's approach. Osborn searched the warehouse for the Prowler.

"Is this fun yet?" Osborn snarled in fury, his gaze scanning the room as a plan hit him. Looking up, the building was supported by only a few steel pillars. A crooked smile spread across his face as he began throwing several Pumpkin bombs at the pillars of the building before turning his glider around and flying out of the warehouse, cackling all the while.

Several parts of the roof collapsed as the building crumbled from multiple sharp explosions. Only at this point did Miles realize what was happening and dove towards the nearest exit. Panic surged through him as debris rained down, nearly crushing him with large pieces of concrete. He constantly dodged and weaved as several pillars toppled over in front of him. The exit was nearing closer as he felt more and more adrenaline coursing through his veins. Just as he was about to reach the exit door, the floor below him gave way, and he plummeted into the darkness, the entire world spinning as he tumbled into the chaos.

A/N: Shorter chapter than usual, I'm sorry for the long gap between these chapters. My life has just gotten so much in the way recently and I've struggled to make time to write this chapter. The next chapter should come out in a few days, but updates will probably be slow because of school and life in general. 700 reads is crazy, never expected this to get as big as it did, so thank you all for the love and support, really helped me in these difficult times.