Meet me at 8 o' clock. My room. Love, Gwen.
Peter put away his phone, his mind was a twirling parade of thoughts about her. Sure, they were dating; or at least, he thought they were. Two friends probably don't kiss, leave little hickeys in each other's necks or sleep cuddled together at nights. It must be something, even if they didn't name it. He sighed deeply, thinking of an excuse that aunt May could easily believe without questioning him, at least, not too much.
Maybe, I can say I have joined an study club, he thought but he knew that aunt May wouldn't buy the idea of an study club getting together at night. Maybe, I can say I'm going to study in the library, he thought again, but then he scratched that thought. His aunt would know he's up to something. And then, it ocurred to him. Why don't I just tell her the truth?, he thought - for the last time- and he decided on that.
Putting on his dark blue hoodie and jacket, he went downstairs, grabbing his skateboard as he passed the hall. He heaved out a sigh, and went to the living room, where aunt May was reading some knitting magazines. When Peter sat in the couch in front of her, she looked up from her reading.
"Is there something you want to tell me, Peter?", she said, knowing that he wanted to say something already.
"Oh, yes", said Peter, stuttering a little over his response. "I'm... I'm going out right now", he looked at the floor and frowned at his poor answers.
Aunt May looked alarmingly at him, because going out at night was a touchy subject for her since uncle Ben passed away. She hadn't gotten over the fact that he was gone, and the mere thought of letting Peter go alone into the dark streets was very much frightening to her.
"Why? Where are you going?", she asked him, expecting Peter to tell her that he was just joking around.
"Remember that girl I told you about? Gwen Stacy?", he asked, looking up at her with a sheepish look in his eyes. "Well... I'm going to see her", he couldn't help the little, curved smile that formed in his lips.
"Oh", said Aunt May, looking less worried now. "But, why are you seeing her so late, Peter, when you can see her right after school?".
Peter ran his tongue through his top lip, trying to come up with a good reply that would let him go and enjoy Gwen's company. "Well, uhm... She told me she needs help... With her, her homework. Chemistry, yeah. It's a hard subject at school... and she needs help", he said, nervous about lying to his aunt, and hoping she hadn't noticed it.
"And why are you helping her at this time of the day, when you can call her or you could have helped her earlier? Seriously, Peter", she said, a chastising tone in her voice.
"Oh, well, uhmm... It's a hard homework, you see. I can't really explain it over the phone, she really, really needs me... there with her, I mean", Peter mumbled.
Aunt May wasn't buying his story, but she knew the hardships that Peter had went through his technically short life. He might need someone to look after him, someone that wasn't her. Someone who'll give him most needed affection and friendship to him. After thinking this, she let out a sigh.
"Fine, Peter. You can go and visit your girl- friend, I mean", she said, correcting herself quickly because she ignored what Peter and Gwen were. "But, please, don't return so late. If you happen to need something, you can call me".
Peter's face completely changed, and he felt himself slip into a big grin due to his aunt's permission to go and see Gwen. He felt so happy that he sat next to aunt May and he gave her a big hug and a wet kiss on her cheek. "Thank you, aunt May! Thank you!", he said, over and over again.
Aunt May took hold of Peter's face, and looked into his eyes with motherly love. "Be safe, Peter", she smiled sweetly at him.
Peter said bye to his aunt May, leaving a kiss on her forehead, and he left the house. Quickly as he could, he got on his skateboard and started making his way towards Gwen's apartment. He could push himself extra fast and he thanked his arachnid powers for that. When he had reached the building, he went to the backside, effortlessly climbing the inhabitant's ladders, careful to not make so much noise to avoid attention.
When he finally reached Gwen's bedroom window, he tapped the glass with his fist, anxiously wanting to be by her side.
Gwen was reading intently a book, when she heard the soft knocks in her window. She smiled, knowingly, because Peter was finally there with her. She opened the window, and he let himself carefully in, setting his backpack and skateboard down and wrapping his arms tightly but sweetly around Gwen's body. Gwen returned the embrace lovingly, wrapping his arms around his waist and nuzzling into his chest.
"Hey", he murmured softly in her hair, breathing in her hair's sweet scent.
"Hey", she said, looking up at him with her wide, blue eyes; Peter could see all her love for him in them, he drowned in them. "I wanted to see you, because I need to talk to you".
"Oh, well… I'm here now", he chuckled softly. Gwen smiled a little, he could sense in the way her lips curved upwards that her smile wasn't genuine; it wasn't reaching her eyes. "Gwen, love, what's wrong?"
"Well, I wanted to ask you about something. I saw you today, in the library; you were not doing okay, Peter", she said, concern filling her voice.
Peter frowned and he knew what she meant with her words. Peter had been reading a book that Uncle Ben told him long ago that was his favourite. He couldn't help but remember every single moment that Uncle Ben acted as his father and guardian through all his life, he couldn't help blaming himself for his death. He couldn't help feeling guilty over not stopping the guy that took the life out of his uncle's eyes. Up to this day, Peter couldn't forgive himself for letting his uncle die. And it ate at him, every day. He found himself thinking about his words to him, he found himself remembering happy moments with him; and it was too much for his damaged soul, that he just wanted to break down and cry bitterly over it.
Gwen sensed the conflict in his eyes, she held his face in both her hands and stroked his cheeks softly. "It's okay, it's okay, Peter", she murmured softly, bumping their noses together. Peter closed his eyes and let Gwen's warmth wash over his troubled thoughts.
It took a while for Peter to fathom everything he was thinking into words. During all the silence, he couldn't help but cry, and doing it in Gwen's presence felt comforting. She let both their bodies fall down to the floor, not even an inch of distance between them; and her arms found her way around him, pulling him tighter to her. She wanted him to feel her pulse, her beating heart; she wanted him to feel her warmth, she wanted him to feel her whole body as his anchor, his safe place. Gwen rocked both of them lightly side to side, whispering sweet nothings in his ear; she just wanted him to know that she was there.
And after calming down, Peter broke down everything to her. He told her about the guilt he felt, about the big hole in his chest after his uncle's death, about how he felt so miserable every time he saw Aunt May cry softly while holding a photo album, about how he felt he wasn't a good enough hero, about how he wasn't a good enough son to both of them; he told her everything, looking into her eyes and pouring his soul out to her.
And she listened, and she looked at him with all the love she could transmit through her gaze, and he ran her hands up and down his back, stroking his hair, face and chest; she listened and never took her gaze away from his. And he was thankful for that. And she was thankful for Peter's trust. She was sure that no one had ever opened up to her the way Peter did that night. She was sure that Peter wasn't just going to be a simple and fleeting relationship in her life, no. She was sure Peter was going to be there forever, for her and with her. And she wanted to make sure he knew that he had her in that way, too. She wanted him to know that she was his, forever and beyond that.
When Peter finished, Gwen looked at him intently, knowing that deep down his sorrow and his tears and his anguish that Peter was the strongest person she had ever met. She let him know. "Peter", she said, stroking his face softly and looking at him with her warm eyes; he looked back with the same intensity as her. "Nothing can break you apart, you're the strongest person I've ever met. Don't forget that you're not alone, you have your aunt; you have me. I'll be here always for you. I'll hold you all night if that makes you feel better, I'll do anything but please, don't take that beautiful smile of yours away from your face. Don't cry, don't suffer so much, my love. Life is too short to suffer this much, and if you feel that the world gets way to hard or heavy for you, just put it on my back; I'll gladly carry it because I love you with all my heart".
Peter took a hold of her face in his hands, touching her like she was the most delicate thing in the world. He touched his forehead to hers and closed his eyes for a while, wanting to savour their closeness for a while. When he opened them again, he nuzzled his nose against hers. "I love you, Gwen. I love you, I really do and it's unbelievably how much I do. Don't ever leave me, please. Never, never", he said, his voice breaking and tears running silently down his face.
Gwen wiped the tears away from his eyes, looking at him with all the love she felt for him; that limitless and undying love. "I'm never leaving, I'm staying, Peter. Forever and beyond that", she told him, sure of her words, because that's how she felt for him and it was never going to change.
"Let's lie down, love, you need it. I promise I'll be here when you wake up, I promise I'll be always there", she said, touching her lips to his in a sweet, adoring kiss. He kissed her back softly, wanting to etch the feeling of her warm and soft lips into his mind forever, kissing her fervently like she was the most precious thing in his life. And, damn, she was. They separated after a while, and Gwen smiled softly at him. Peter, slowly, returned the smile back and this time it was genuine, just like hers.
Peter lied down in her bed, instantly opening his arms for her. She crashed into them, feeling like that was the place where she knew she belonged in the world. Peter held her closer to him, never wanting to let her go and it's like she read his mind, because she looked up at him and said: "Don't ever let me go", getting lost in his brown eyes.
"I'm never going to, Gwen. I'm yours, always", he said, adoringly.
"Always", she repeated in a sigh, sealing their lips together in an unbreakable promise; a promise of love, a promise of eternity. They held each other tight through the night, knowing that nothing could ever tear them apart and knowing they had each other through it all.
After all, she was his safe harbor and he was her hero, in so many wonderful ways. And nothing was ever going to change that.