Once the knot in her heart was untied, Felicia held nothing back. Like beans pouring out of a bamboo tube, she laid out the entire plan she and Tide had orchestrated.
From the birth of Tide to the kidnapping operation by Crossbones and Bucky, to how they read the operatives' memories and turned the tables by "counter-brainwashing" Bucky... she told him everything.
Listening to her narrative, Peter was momentarily stunned, then he couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Felicia's bold move—first "cooking the rice" (securing their physical relationship) and then turning around to pin the entire blame on Hydra—was truly... a stroke of genius that helped Peter immensely!
Making their relationship a substantial reality was just a secondary benefit. The real beauty of her operation was that it secretly opened a massive breach in his long-term plan to wipe out Hydra.
Even better, it solved a long-standing headache: how to find Bucky and use him to "hook" Captain America, ensuring he could bring both legendary soldiers under his wing without a messy conflict.
Felicia didn't know what was going through Peter's mind. Hearing him laugh so heartily, she thought he was mocking her for using unscrupulous means to get to him. In a flash of embarrassed indignation, she snapped:
"Stop laughing!"
"I was forced into this because of you!" Felicia bit Peter's shoulder—not too hard, but with enough force to make a point.
By the end, her voice trailed off, sounding more than a little aggrieved.
Looking at her like this, Peter felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. When a woman—especially a stunning beauty who could make countless men lose their minds, and who wasn't a toxic "landmine girl"—is willing to go to any lengths just to be with you, it does wonders for a man's vanity.
He pinched Felicia's cheek and teased, "So, when it comes down to it, you were just craving my body, right?"
"I..." Felicia's first instinct as a pampered young lady was to deny such a narcissistic claim. But the words died in her throat.
She realized that her habit of saying the opposite of what she felt was exactly what had kept a wall between them for so long.
To avoid falling into that trap again, she simply decided to embrace the "bad girl" role. She puffed out her chest and replied righteously:
"Yes! I was craving your body! What about it?!"
Seeing her adorable, rogue-like behavior, Peter smiled again. This was what he loved about Felicia. Her tsundere nature, her bluntness, her disdain for others contrasted with her total vulnerability with him...
She was like a "Demonic Sect Saintess" compared to Gwen's "Righteous Fairy." It was a combination that was impossible not to be obsessed with. He found himself thinking that maybe they could all just sit in a row and share the fruit...
Ahem. Truly, once a man has tasted the forbidden fruit, his thoughts tend to become quite unbridled. Shaking his head to clear those "unhealthy" thoughts, Peter quickly made a decision.
"To prevent Hydra from getting spooked, I'm going to have to ask you to stay here for a few more days."
Peter didn't plan to go on a rampage against Hydra immediately. Mainly, if he brought Bucky into the fold without first preparing Tony Stark, the situation could easily spiral into a repeat of the Civil War storyline.
He didn't want that. Before dismantling Hydra, he needed to do some "thought work" on Tony—making him realize that Bucky wasn't the murderer of his parents, but merely a weapon without a will.
Once Tony accepted that, they could take down the real killers—Hydra—together. That was the only way to truly end the cycle of hatred.
"Once I've settled the Hydra business, I'll take you to have a proper talk with Gwen."
At these words, Felicia looked visibly panicked. "Peter, you don't have to do that..." She didn't want him caught in the middle, trying to please both sides.
But Peter was dead serious. "Don't say that, Felicia. It's my responsibility. Since I've walked this path with you, I should be responsible to both of you.
If I don't even have that much courage, I don't deserve to have you both, and you wouldn't love a version of me that was so cowardly."
Boom!
Felicia felt like a "sweet bomb" had gone off in her heart, leaving her seeing stars of pure joy.
She had expected that by forcing herself on him, the best-case scenario would be a messy, clandestine underground affair. She never imagined Peter would choose to shoulder the burden with her.
She hadn't misjudged him. Peter was a completely different species from the "scumbags" in modern society who forgot your name as soon as they put their pants back on.
Her heart felt like it was melting, her eyes grew hot, and tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.
And then, as emotions ran deep... the Horse Talisman was forced to work overtime again.
Tenes of minutes later, Peter finally remembered he had business to attend to. He got dressed and, before leaving, pulled out a vial of Perfect Lizard Serum.
"Just to be safe, I think I should give you a boost first. Even though you have Tide protecting you, an extra layer of security is always good."
He gave her a brief rundown of the serum's effects and its genetic blueprint. But after hearing about the lizard DNA, Felicia's "young lady" temperament flared up, and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"No." She shook her head flatly. "I don't think that power suits me at all. Between my own skills and Tide's enhancements, I have enough strength and recovery.
Besides..." she mumbled softly, looking a bit shy, "Super strength, wall-crawling... those are too similar to Gwen. I want to be different from her."
Peter found her small competitive streak amusing, but he understood. He asked curiously, "Then what kind of power do you want?"
"Emmm..." Felicia thought for a moment, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "If I could choose anything... I want the abilities of a cat! You know, my father's alias was 'The Cat,' and cats have always been my favorite animal!"
She even let out a playful "meow," mimicking cat claws with her hands and giving Peter a quick, light lick on the cheek with her pink tongue.
That was the final blow. Peter's resolve crumbled instantly.
"Cats are great! The Black Cat Serum must be developed."
Fine. He admitted it. He was just craving a cat-girl. He was a degenerate!
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