Weekend – Gwen's Birthday Party
"Happy birthday, Gwen! This is for you!"
"Happy birthday!"
Peter Parker, along with Harry Osborn and Mary Jane, arrived with Gwen's best friends to celebrate her birthday. Each guest brought a gift, carefully wrapped and handed over with sincere smiles.
"It's been a while, Mr. Hall."
Peter greeted Lynn Hall politely as he caught sight of him near the kitchen.
As one of Gwen's close friends, Peter had, of course, met Lynn before.
"No need for 'Mr. Hall,' Peter. Just call me Lynn," Lynn replied with an easy smile.
He handed Peter a glass of juice and added, "I know it's Gwen's birthday, but you're all under 21—no alcohol."
Peter accepted the drink with a nod of thanks, as polite as ever.
Harry, on the other hand, kept casting longing glances at the beer in Lynn's hand, clearly wishing he could have one himself.
> [Favorability Update]
Peter Parker: +3 → 3
Harry Osborn: +3 → 3
Mary Jane Watson: +5
Lynn glanced at the system notification and raised a brow.
Peter and Harry at 3 made sense—they knew of him through Gwen but hadn't spent much time together before. Their impression was likely based on stories Gwen told: how much she adored him, how generous he was.
But Mary Jane at 5? That was unexpectedly high.
Lynn sipped his beer and casually glanced over at the group of girls laughing and chatting in the corner.
Among them, Mary Jane kept sneaking glances in his direction—more than once, her gaze lingered.
Yup. He knew that look.
She had a crush.
Lynn smirked inwardly. That explained it. MJ was a bit of a flirt, and apparently, she had a thing for older guys with authority and charm.
> She's a fangirl. Classic.
Meanwhile, the girls were buzzing with envy and awe.
"Gwen, is that red Audi R8 outside really your birthday gift from Lynn? Oh my God, he spoils you so much!"
"It's gorgeous! After the party, we should totally take it for a spin."
"Girl, when school starts and you pull up in that thing? Every girl on campus is going to drop dead with jealousy!"
Gwen beamed ear to ear, soaking in her friends' admiration like sunlight.
Over on the other side of the room, Lynn chatted casually with Peter and Harry.
"Gwen mentioned you're with the FBI," Peter said, his eyes wide. "That's so cool."
It was a common reaction. Teenage boys—especially ones like Peter and Harry—idolized secret agents, and Lynn's calm, confident demeanor only added fuel to their fascination.
Seeing their interest, Lynn decided to share some behind-the-scenes details about the rescue mission to save Tony Stark—things the media hadn't reported.
As he spoke, their jaws slowly dropped.
The way Lynn had coordinated rival militant groups to turn on each other, the tactical timing, the extraction of Stark from a combat zone—every word had them more enthralled.
And Lynn treated them like adults, never condescending, always respectful.
> [Favorability Update]
Peter Parker: 3 → 5
Harry Osborn: 3 → 5
By the time Helen brought out the birthday cake, Lynn clapped his hands.
"Alright, boys. Time to shift the spotlight. Today's about Gwen, not me."
Peter and Harry, though reluctant to stop listening, immediately turned their attention back to the birthday girl and joined the others in celebration.
When the party ended and the guests said their goodbyes, Lynn and Gwen stood by the door, waving them off.
Lynn watched them with his usual calm smile.
Peter Parker was now at a solid 5 in favorability.
Once the kid becomes Spider-Man… that's when I step in. The mentor arc begins.
---
In the Car – On the Ride Home
"Peter, Lynn is insanely cool," Harry gushed, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter as excitement bubbled over.
"I mean, can you believe how he coordinated that operation in the Middle East? Manipulating those militia groups to take each other out, sneaking Stark out with zero casualties? That's some real-world superhero stuff. I want to join the FBI just to work beside him."
Peter nodded, equally impressed. "Yeah… pulling that off without a single casualty? That's incredible."
"But Harry," he added, glancing at his friend, "didn't your dad want you to take over Oscorp after college?"
Harry's enthusiasm dimmed a bit. "Yeah… I know. He's been drilling that into me for years."
He paused, then turned toward Peter with a hopeful look. "But what about you? Ever thought about doing something like that? Becoming someone like Lynn?"
"Me?"
Peter hesitated, shrugging. "Honestly, I've just been thinking about what college to apply to."
"Well, what if we went to Yale together?" Harry suggested, eyes lighting up. "Even if we can't be FBI agents, we could still be Lynn's alumni! That way, maybe we'll still get chances to connect with him in the future."
"You seriously made Lynn Hall your idol now?" Peter asked, half-joking. "I thought your hero was that boxing champ, Morrison."
"Not anymore!" Harry declared. "From today on, it's Lynn Hall."
In the back seat, Mary Jane finally spoke up, raising an eyebrow. "Wow. You've officially swapped out a world champ for a federal agent, huh?"
Harry grinned. "Damn right."
"I mean… I kind of get it," MJ added thoughtfully. "Lynn's really mature, and he does have that charm."
She glanced at Peter. "What about you?"
"If you guys go to Yale, then I'm going too," Peter said simply. "My girlfriend and my best friend? Not leaving me behind."
He looked out the window, eyes thoughtful as the city passed them by.
Truthfully, Peter had been leaning toward staying in New York for college. Yale meant moving to New Haven, Connecticut. It felt… far.
Still, maybe MJ and Harry would change their minds by next year. No sense rushing the decision now.
His thoughts drifted back to Lynn—how calm and capable he'd been, how he treated Peter like an equal rather than a kid.
Peter's gaze sharpened just slightly.
Yeah… maybe becoming someone like Lynn wouldn't be such a bad future after all.