Author's Notes: Well, I don't know what to say, except thank you. All of you. I have never received such kind words, and so many in one day! I love you all! I guess, the thing with it all was, was that old saying of...if you shake a hundred people's hands, and one person slaps you, out of all those hundreds of kind folks, the only thing you remember is that slap. But, I need to forget and move on! I thought I'd treat you all, so here is Chapter 21 early! Enjoy guys. A real in depth explanation of Gwen's new found powers! Fluff all around! - Dave
Chapter Twenty One: It was my blood
...
She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, sliding her black hairband onto her golden locks, shimmering in the light. She'd gotten dressed on autopilot completely, lost in her thoughts, terrified of how her body had changed. There was no other way around it. She had Spiderman's powers. Even thinking those words made her scoff despite herself, shaking her head at the very thought.
She slipped her blouse on, buttoning the black silky fabric up over her ample chest. She shimmied her purple skirt up her legs, bands of violet light reflecting over its surface. A band of pale skin dipped out the end of her skirt, just before her long black thigh high boots started. She zipped them up, eyes focused intently in thought on the corner of Peter's room.
How could she have Spiderman's abilities? Did she have all of them? Could she climb walls? What was she going to do now? So many thoughts erupted along her mind, like a wild fire, flames of thought latching and snagging to any kind of kindling in her brain. A knock at the door startled her awake and she looked up sharply at the door.
"Gwen? You ready to go?" Peter's voice called gently from beyond the plate of white painted wood. She sighed loudly, cool air crisping her nerves. How on Earth was she going to explain this to him? Even she didn't know...was it something that came from last night's wonderful bonding? Oh, his DNA, maybe? She gulped nervously at the thought and shook her head. There has to be more to this.
Gwen sauntered over to his desk and picked up his pencil with just her fingertip, grinning despite herself as she lifted an object with her finger's tip alone. She chewed her bottom lip and flipped her hand round, the pencil rolling into her grip. Gently she closed her hand around it, and like brittle ice, the whole pencil snapped and buckled with an audible crack in her grip. Gwen gasped loudly and staggered back, opening her hand and flicking it, all the broken shards dancing across the desk's top.
"Urgh..." she groaned, rubbing her face. She was definitely a lot stronger. She also had to get a better grip of these new senses and abilities, before she destroyed Peter's room by accident. She could ask Peter, since he'd been through it before, and find out how to cope with these sudden changes to her body. But, that would also mean telling him she had said powers. Was she ready for that conversation?
"Gwen, you okay in there?"
"Yep! Yeperoo, absolutely great!" She hollered cheerfully, swinging her fist with a big fake grin. She sobered and stared at her bent arm with confusion. "What the hell was that? Yeperoo?"
"Yep...eroo?" Peter chuckled, voice muffled by the door.
"Sh-Shut up!" she chuckled a whine, bobbing on her toes, heels of her boots clapping. She calmed her nerves, batted her hair out her eyes and took one final look in the mirror, before walking out. She came face to face with the blue T-shirt and black jeans clad boy, hair windswept to perfection, chiseled jaw set crooked as he eyed her.
"What?" she asked, gulping.
"Oh, nothing...just...you look well today. I-I mean, y-you always look well, but..." he huffed and ran a hand up through his hair. "You're not looking as thin. N-Not like that either, I-oh god, I suck..."
"Peter." she chuckled, taking his flailing hands in hers, careful not to squeeze too hard. "Thank you. I do, I feel great, I-I'm eating right again...I'm...I'm great!" she chuckled weakly, bobbing her shoulders and smiling up at him.
"I-I'm glad. Good to see you...well, being you again." he shrugged, grinning with one half of his mouth, a flash of white teeth. "I never thought I'd be here with you again, when...that monster put you in Hospital." Peter's eyes trialed off, a firm set to his lips. She smiled softly and brought a hand up to softly caress his cheek.
"Mmm, your hand feels...raspy?" He raised an eyebrow and gently cradled her hand, taking it in his paws to examine it. She quickly snapped it out of his grasp.
"I-I have to shave my palms!" she shouted at him, eyes set wide, lips twitching nervously. She groaned inwardly at herself. Good cover, Gwen. Real smooth. Peter's eyebrows lifted in shock.
"Sh-Shave your palms?" he laughed despite the worry, grinning. "Gwen, that is one hell of a medical condition." he scoffed, head falling forward. Gwen snuffed him with a sharp turn and made her way down the stairs.
"Come on, we're gonna be late."
"What? Gwen, Gwen, Gwen, Gwendy!" he jogged down behind her. "What's up? Y-You hid your hand pretty quick. What's wrong?" He gently touched her shoulder.
"I'm fine, honest! C-Can we just go?" she asked, quickly throwing her long beige jacket on. Peter was still eyeing her warily, a hard swallow evident in his bobbing throat.
"Gwen...Something is wrong." he sobered, watching as she quickly shoved her hands in her pockets.
"Peter, please, just drop it, and let's go!" she quickly grabbed the front door knob and it came away from the door with a loud metallic snap. She stepped back, both of them gasping and eyes wide at the sphere of gold metal stuck to her fingertips.
"What...the...hell?" he slid both hands up through his hair to rest on his nape. Gwen turned, still holding the door knob in her grip.
"I umm..I'll pay for that." she grinned cheekily, a nervous giggle escaping her lungs. Peter still stared at her, big brown eyes wide as saucers. "We...umm...we may need to talk." She cringed.
"Y-You...the door..." he gulped. "Sticky hands..." his hand fell from his head to shakily point at her, gulping hard again. His eyes went wide and he cupped his mouth, staggering back, spine thudding into the hallway wall. A few jackets fell from the coat hooks, forming a mound of fabrics. "Oh! Oh, no, no, no!" he quaked, pointing at her again. "Ea-Earlier...breakfast...pepper pot...caught it..." his eyes fell and darted in thought. Suddenly his heaving chest quickened in breath intakes, eyes lifting back to her. "Spidey sense, ah!" he squealed.
"Good talk." she sarcastically clicked her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip. "Peter, I umm..." she huffed and shakily nodded, shrugging. "I...am...umm...yeah?" she scratched her head, hairs frizzing under his fingernails.
"No, no, no!" he whined, head falling into his palms, groaning loudly, teeth gritted. "No, god damn it, I promised to keep you safe!" he shouted, lifting his head to stare at her through squinted eyes, face red with pressure. Gwen dropped her gaze, almost guiltily and bashfully swiveled her toes into the floor boards. "I-I mean being together again is one thing, breaking that promise i-i-is one thing, b-but this - oh god, oh god, oh god, no, no, no!" he thudded his fist against his forehead, leaning back against the wall, head lulling back to thud gently against the door architrave. He gulped and wet his dry lips, shrugging at her. "I-I got you involved...oh god, I never meant for this..."
"Peter...I-I know you didn't...and honestly, it's a shock to me too, okay?" she gestured to herself, palms flat on her chest, eyes peering up through her gold fringe. "This is scary for me too, and I...yeah, I am, I-I'm scared. " she shrugged. Peter softened and calmed, eyeing her. "So...what do we do?" she asked, desperation cracking her raspy voice. Peter huffed, unsure himself, as he ran a hand up his face, stretching the wrinkles out of his furrowed brow.
"Th-This isn't how it was supposed to happen. No, no...I-I had no choice." he mumbled, face hidden in his palms, groaning loudly. Gwen listened to his rambling, the nausea she felt earlier coming back, elicited by a fear of what she was about to find out. He lifted his head up, revealing his neck, throat constricting as he gulped loudly. He shook his head in short bursts, scratching the underside of his jaw. "Th-This wasn't supposed to happen, b-but I had to, I had, god, I had to..." he gulped hard again, eyes glimmering with hurt.
"Peter, y-you're kinda scaring me, wh-what are you talking about?" she asked, lips tenderly apart, hair falling across her eyes. Peter stared at her, eyes beginning to turn bloodshot, hot tears welling under his brown does. He licked his lips and sniffed, quickly darting upstairs. Gwen raised her eyebrow and quickly followed, intent to understand him. "Hey! No, y-you can't just say that and run off!"
He barreled into his bedroom, almost knocking the door off it's hinges. He staggered to his bed, leaning over it and gripping the sheets tight, knuckles pale with tension. He tried to calm his ragged heavy breathing, heart thudding in his chest. Gwen walked in, heels clapping as she saw him hyperventilating.
"Peter? Peter, calm down!" she jogged over to him, hand on his back as he coughed and wheezed, trying to get more and more oxygen into his body, lungs on fire. "Slow down, okay? Peter, breathe!" she swirled her hand in the air and breathed in and out, trying to get him to copy her. Slowly his breathing was under control again, chest heaving as carbon dioxide managed to dull his oxygen overcharged lungs. "Breathe, there you go, okay?" she gently soothed him with her voice.
"O-Oka...okay...okay." he gulped, hands trembling as they finally released the crumpled and creased sheets. He wet his dry lips again and stood up at full height. "Yeah, okay...I-I'm good, I'm good. Whew." his voice shaking with a tremor. Gwen eyed him softly, yet still confused and worried. He looked at her with hurt and worried eyes, sniffing. "I know what happened." he shrugged, scoffing at the whole situation. "It's my fault, Gwen." his bottom lip quaked. Gwen gulped hard and nodded slowly.
"Ex...Explain it to me." she said slowly, lifting her eye back to his. He nodded and looked away from her to his desk, slowly pacing over. His hand outstretched and coiled around the handle of his drawer, pulling it open. He pulled out a Petri dish, and his Microscope. Gwen eyed him, hands wringing together at her waist nervously. What was he doing? He gulped and looked at her, mouth opening and stuttering silently, trying to find words.
"Gwen...c-come here...please?" he asked, hand outstretched. She gingerly nodded and stepped closer, taking his hand. He squeezed gently and looked at her eyes. "Wh-What I'm about to tell you...w-what I did...p-please, I need you to understand that...that I had no choice...I had to s-save you." he gulped, a single tear dribbling down his cheek. Gwen blinked hard and wet her lips, nodding.
"O-Okay...I'll try."
He nodded and looked at her hands, flipping them over and running his own palms over hers, sticking and dragging like Velcro as the hooks on their fingers intertwined. "When you were...i-in hospital...th-the coma." he sniffed. Gwen nodded, more to herself than him. He cleared his emotionally clogged throat. "The Doctors, they found a torn artery in your leg." he cringed at the memory, and Gwen squeezed his hands tighter, her new superhuman strength tightening across his own. "Y-You must have caught it on the metal of the fire escape, I-I dunno. B-But, you were losing a lot of blood...a-and the Doctors...y-your heart kept failing." he bit back a sob, closing his eyes. "God, you were on death's door, Gwen."
She stared at him, shocked at just how close she was to death. She shook it off best she could and carried on listening. "...They needed more blood...b-but nobody was a match. H-Helen couldn't donate."
"Peter, what are you..."
"You and I though...turns out we're both the same blood type...some kind of miracle, I dunno." he laughed dryly to the ceiling, shaking his head. "Both B positive."
"I-I don't understand, I-I mean...blood types are inherited, why couldn't Mom donate?"
"Your blood type comes more from your Dad's side than your Mom's, apparently. She wanted to, god she did...but...couldn't." Peter sighed, rubbing her hands. Gwen sniffed and nodded. "So...I umm..." he lifted his head and looked away from her, chewing his lip to hold back the emotional guilt. "I panicked, you were dying, you..." he pointed to her nose, tears dripping off his chin. "The best thing I ever had was dying, and it was my fault." he cringed. Gwen turned his hand over and quickly pressed her cheek into his palm, stroking the back of his hand. She now understood why he felt so guilty when she woke up again after two weeks. She had no idea all this had happened. Maybe that was why they never told her. It was a lot to take in, that she was so close to death. He felt guilty for being unable to stop the Goblin before he hurt her, and now she knew just how hurt she was.
"Peter, I-I'm fine, I'm here." she kissed his palm, sniffing. He smiled weakly. "I'm here."
"I knew the risks, wh-what I carry in my blood, but I couldn't let you die, I couldn't." he sniffed, pressing his forehead to hers. "I love you too much." he lifted his head and kissed her forehead. "So...I gave them my blood, and they transfused it. Next thing I know, you're healing, you're getting better!" he chuckled, grinning despite his feelings. Gwen smiled into his hand. "The next two weeks you came back from death. Your arteries healed, Hemorrhage cleared away, a-and you woke up!" he smiled, kissing her forehead again and again. "God, you woke up, a-and I forgot all about the consequences of those actions...t-till now." he looked down at her palms, sniffing. She felt a hot tear land on her skin.
"A-After I gave you my blood, I-I came home, pricked my finger..." he looked at the microscope and dish. "...and checked what my blood was like."
"Peter, they could've seen the abnormalities, they could've sussed who you were." she stepped closer. He scoffed.
"You think I cared about that? With you dying next to me?" he gulped. Gwen lowered her eyes, slightly guilty for putting him through that, even though it was out of her control. "Spiderman was dead by that point, but you were still alive. I had to make sure you stayed alive, Gwen." He took the microscope and set it up on his desk. "I checked my blood on here, and it...it seemed fine, no visible abnormalities, you know?"
"No, no not really." she chuckled, rubbing her ear. He scoffed at her, smiling slightly.
"There wasn't anything that was obvious, i-if you know what I mean. Like, no giant spider shaped cells." he chuckled, Gwen giggling gently. "Whatever was in that Spider's venom, must be hidden in my DNA, or deeper in the blood cells. So, I ignored it, and you got well. Everything worked out..." he sighed, gesturing to her. "Till now."
"Till now." she echoed. Peter nodded, looking at the Petri dish. He took a sharp metal pin from the drawer, quickly sterilizing it with an antiseptic wipe from his drawer. He pricked the tip of his finger, a blob of dark red blood birthing from the cut. He pressed it into the dish corner and looked at Gwen, wiping the metal pin clean with the wipe.
"Only one way to find out..." he sighed. Gwen nodded, gingerly lifting her finger. He gently pricked the tip, Gwen gasping lightly. Just as a spot of red emerged, she pressed it into the dish's other corner. Peter smiled and took the dish, setting it under the scope. "Here we go." he huffed, sitting heavily in his desk chair, staring down through the scope. Gwen looked over his shoulder, holding her hair back.
Peter watched his blood spot, seeing the specks of microscopic blood cells coerce with one another, bouncing off each other, some merging into one, purple centers splicing. Peter leaned back and gestured for her to look, so she leaned over him, looking down the scope. "See how they move? Ever seen that before?"
"No. Not at all. Wow, that's...that's not normal."
"The Doctors put it down to high oxygen count, since I was umm...hyperventilating at the time." He huffed. Gwen looked over at him, locks of gold falling into her eyes. "What? Y-You were dying a-and I didn't know what to do!" he defended. Gwen smiled sadly and leaned over, pecking his cheek. She looked back at the dish. "They umm, they still said they'd never seen anything like it, but...couldn't be picky I guess. M-My blood was well enough to use so they did." he shrugged.
"Yeah, they act really weird don't they? They kind of, merge together, and then split apart again, then-yep, they do it again! Huh, that is - wow, weird." she shrugged. Peter nodded.
"I umm, I noticed it too, so I looked it up." He grabbed her by her waist and lifted her up into his lap, sick of her leaning over him. She yelped and giggled, sobering quickly, back to studying the weird movements of his blood cells. "Red Blood cells, yeah, they help the white blood cells protect the healthy cells, right?"
"Top of his class in biology indeed. Well done, Bug-boy." she chuckled. He squeezed her, arms around her waist as she shuffled back into his lap.
"Right, well I noticed something. After about ten minutes of being outside the body, they start to all, become red and white blood cells, even the healthy ones! So, I wrote an equation, tried to figure it out, and...I think I did...I think they mutate into red and white cells so they can collect more oxygen, I think."
"To help repair the wounds quicker?" Gwen looked over from the scope at him. He smiled and shrugged. "Makes sense. More oxygen in the blood, the quicker they can heal the wound. Explains how quick you can heal."
"And, how quick you got well again" he prodded her side and she squirmed, giggling, swatting his hand. "The Docs didn't know what to say, they were shocked."
"Bout the blood?"
"No. About you." he looked into her eyes as she looked at him, incredulous. "Y-You weren't supposed to wake up, Gwen...Th-They wanted us...to...to..." he gulped hard and breathed a shaky breath. "They wanted us to say our goodbyes."
"Jesus! I-it-I was that bad?" she squeaked.
"I-I didn't want to tell you any of this, Gwen!" He defended. "But...you came back, after two weeks, you woke up."
She looked down at her lap and chewed her bottom lip in thought, trying to comprehend the magnitude of this information. It was a lot of information to take in, that she was that close to death.
"Gwen? Y-You okay?" he asked gently, smoothing her cheek. She looked up and slowly nodded.
"Hmm? Oh umm, yeah - no - yeah, it's just...wow, I-I was that bad?"
"It was...it was really bad, Gwen." he gulped. She sighed heavily and kissed his thumb as it rubbed her dimple. They sat in silence for a moment, content with each other's company. "So?" Peter finally spoke, licking his dry lips. "You ready to...look at your blood?"
Gwen puffed air through pursed lips, her fringe swinging in the breeze, like a golden pendulum. What she was about to see, would change her life forever. She gulped a steeling breath and quenched her fear. "Yeah...l-lets do it."
"Okay." he said softly. He leaned forward in the seat, Gwen still contently sat in his lap, rubbing the nape of his neck, anything to keep her wriggling hands busy as she waited for this moment. She watched as he swiveled the dish round, lining the tray up with the scope. "Take a look." he commanded soothingly, hand caressing her thigh. She gulped and nodded, heart thudding like a bag of vibrating bricks.
She lined her eye up with the scope and looked down it. There it was, her future, laid out in front of her on a Petri dish. They were there, Identical to Peter's in every way. Like his Blood cells, these were larger than normal, thicker. When it hit the ten minute mark of being outside her body, they all froze solid and turned a deep, dark shade of solid red, before all merging together, huddling to make a large group, trying to heal a wound that was not there. She huffed and sat up, lip trembling.
"Yep...th-there it is. J-Just like yours, Peter." she quivered, sniffing, eyes glassy. Her life would never again be the same. She brought her sleeves up to dab at her eyes. He sighed and nodded, thumb rubbing across his chin in thought, eyes slammed shut. She studied him for a response till he scoffed dryly and dropped his hand to his thigh, slapping it. His mouth opened and closed several times, silent words tumbling off his tongue, till finally he vocalized them.
"I-I'm sorry, Gwen." he sniffed. She looked at him, confused. "I-It's my fault. I did this to you." he huffed, burying his face in the pale skin of her neck. "I'm sorry." he mumbled over and over again. She smiled weakly and lifted his chin to look her in the eye.
"You have nothing to apologize for. You saved me, Peter. Th-Thank you." she smiled, enveloping his lips with hers, moaning into his lips, hand raking up through his hair, hooks on her skin plucking along each hair. She still had him, and they'd tackle this together, because they were in this, for better or worse. She peeled away and smiled at him. "You saved me."
"B-But...Gwen."
"What's done is done, okay? Like my Dad used to say, you dust yourself off, pick yourself up, and get on with it." she shrugged, smiling proudly. Peter chuckled, hand caressing her neck, thumb rubbing circles.
"You have your Dad's spirit."
"Yeah, well, hopefully I don't get his hairline." she clapped her tongue, Peter laughing. She grew comfortable and rested against him, curled up in his lap. He kissed her neck and smoother his fingers through her hair. After a while of silence, Gwen spoke up, something eating away at her mind. "Okay, Question time!" she sat up, looking at him, pressing both her hands into his collarbones.
"Wh-What, Question?" he raised an eyebrow.
"How come your abilities only started to affect me...you know, earlier today?" she shrugged, licking her dry lips. He looked into her evergreen eyes, shrugging himself.
"I umm...yeah, I dunno. Something to do with...umm...wh-what we did last night?" he shrugged, running a hand down his face to hide his blush. Gwen pursed her lips, eyes darting in thought.
"Well, I mean let's think...I mean, I took birth control pills, right? Think back to Biology, what hormones are affiliated with that?" she shrugged, swirling her hands in the air, beckoning him to answer for her. Peter pursed his lips and finally gave up, shrugging. "God, you need to pay attention more. They use the hormones Estrogen and umm...Pro...P-Pro...wait, give me a sec...pro..." she tapped her chin, mumbling.
"Hey, you should really pay attention more." Peter grinned.
"Shut up, I almost had it!" she thumped his shoulder, Peter wincing, genuinely under her new found strength. "Progest...Proge...Progesterone! Yes, Progesterone, see I got it, I got it." she said proudly. Peter rolled his eyes. "So, basically the Estrogen and Progesterone prevent the forming of an egg in my downstairs, yeah?" she nodded. Peter just nodded slowly. "So, with that unable to produce, means I couldn't get pregnant. No egg, means no egg to fertilize, got it?" he nodded, a blank look in his eyes.
"Good...Okay, now think Gwen, how could that be to blame? Think...come on..." she scolded herself, brain on fire to figure it out. She mumbled under her breath and her eyes darted back and forth in thought. "Think, what did we learn about Estrogen and blood vessels...god, there is something there...Come on." she rubbed her brow, trying to think back to what she had learned, all her hard revision. She lifted her head, Peter almost able to see the light bulb appear over her head. "Well, I mean...it could be down to the Atherosclerotic conditions, I guess."
"You guess?" Peter raised an eyebrow
"Get off my back, I'm workin here." she got up off of him, pacing slowly around his room, boots clapping. She tapped her chin, mumbling to herself. Peter watched her pace back and forth, confusion in his eyes. " Nitric oxide synthesis? No, no, don't be stupid, Gwen, come on. Oh, what is it?!" she thumped her temples, groaning in frustration. "Think, think, think!" she paced quicker. Suddenly she gasped, eyes wide with genius thoughts. "Ah! Yes! of course, oh brilliant!" she chuckled. Peter leaned forward in his chair, rubbing his forehead.
"No, see, cos it all makes sense, see, the effect of Estrogen on the vessel wall has a rapid non-genomic component, right?" She nodded to Peter. He slowly nodded back, pretending to be on the same page. "In-I-Involving membrane phenomena, such as...such as...come on, such as...as a-alteration of membrane ionic permeability, a-a-and activation of membrane-bound enzymes, oh I am good!" she chuckled. "oh...as well as the classic genomic effect involving estrogen receptor activation and gene expression, yes Gwen Stacy is the best, boo-ya!" she fist pumped the air. "So...Any questions?" she caught her breath.
"That was...impressive." Peter chuckled.
"Boo-ya." Gwen held out her fist.
"Stop saying Boo-ya." he groaned. Gwen pouted and dropped her fist.
"So...you get it?" she asked. Peter just shrugged. Gwen huffed.
"Really? God, seriously, y-you need to do your homework." she shook her head, smirking. "Okay, so basically, the Membrane ionic make up of my blood cells gets altered slightly by the rapid increase in Estrogen, yeah?" she nodded to him. He gulped and nodded back. "Well, basically the membrane i-it's a-it's a barrier, right? A barrier to prevent the influx of-of circulating blood into the vessel wall...which means that the walls get weakened." she tapped her chin, mind working a mile a minute, her scientist state of mind taking over. "No blood circulating through the walls makes them weak and their barriers drop...but how does that..." she mumbled off. She paced back and forth again, chewing her fingernails.
"Oh, okay, right...so, the barrier keeps the blood cells in one single form, right? Keeps them as, you know, standard blood cells." she swirled her hands. "No barrier and the contents can spread out." she gasped, suddenly dawning. "The rise in Estrogen lowered the walls of my blood cells! Wh-Which means that it also lowered the barriers of the blood cells you gave to me! That must've allowed the Spider venom inside to spread out through my bloodstream, instead of being isolated to just the blood cells! Yes, I rock!" she cheered, hunching her spine to catch her breath. "See...Estrogen's to blame." she huffed, crossing her arms. "Questions?"
Peter stared at her, dumbfounded. "Unbelievable. You solved it in like, half a minute." he chuckled. Gwen shrugged bashfully.
"Well, I mean...just a theory...I may be wrong...but, it's the best thing we've got so far, right?" she sat down on his knee. He placed his hand on her thigh, nodding.
"Yeah, yeah that was...yeah, brilliant." he chuckled. Gwen smiled.
"Thanks. I try." she chuckled. She sunk back against his shoulder. "If that's what caused it, then it makes sense why I'd only feel the abilities this morning, and the healing qualities in my blood as soon as they injected me with it." she shrugged, playing with her fingers. "My Estrogen levels were really high, and the venom got a chance to spread when the barriers fell. Simple."
"So...how come I've got spider powers? I-I'm a guy. Not really high on Estrogen." Peter bobbed his shoulders.
"Dunno. Maybe cos you got it from the source, being a radioactive spider in a biocable project?" she shrugged. "Maybe."
"Mmm, maybe." he grinned, tickling her side gently, Gwen squirming and fidgeting. She slapped his hands away and chuckled. They both sat in content calm for a few more minutes, till Peter finally spoke.
"So...Question time again." Peter licked his lips. Gwen looked over at him, nose inches from his. She knew this was going to come up eventually, and she was going to ask him anyway, she knew it by the way he sighed and looked unsure of how he was going to phrase it. She steeled herself with a gulp of cool air.
"Okay..." she shuffled slightly. "Shoot."
"What, already knowing what you'll say...w-what...how...okay, okay, here we go...w-what do you wanna do about it?" he asked, pushing his back up off the chair's spine. Gwen chewed her lip and looked at her feet as she got up off of him. He stood up too, standing before her.
"I..." she gulped, and nodded to herself, steeling her nerves. "I-I want you to teach me how to control it." she huffed, shrugging at him, searching his face. He huffed and chuckled dryly.
"How'd I know you'd ask that?" he sighed, rubbing his face. He turned away from her, swiveling on socked feet. Gwen ran a finger up and through her hair, looping loose strands behind her ear. He walked back and forth for what seemed like eternity, eyes busy, deep in thought. He finally lowered his fist from his chin and looked at her. She shrugged and her eyes expanded slightly, lips pressed tightly.
"So?" she finally asked, bobbing on her booted feet slightly. He peered at her and huffed through pursed lips, as if he was about to regret his decision. "Peter, please...I-I need to get a hold of this, I don't want to accidentally hurt someone I care about!" she mewled. Peter sighed and looked at her.
"Three conditions." he held up three fingers. Gwen smiled and cheered. "Condition number one!" he said loudly, making her calm and look at him, sobering. "You do exactly as I say."
"Yep." she nodded.
"Number two, you are not to use them without my supervision. I don't want you accidentally hurting yourself." he mumbled, shaking his head at this whole scenario. Gwen huffed and crossed her arms, nodding, despite her annoyance at his lack of trust. Although, she did just rip off his door's handle with barely a flick of her wrist.
"Condition number three. We are not gonna be a crime fighting duo. I am teaching you to be responsible with these powers, and to control them, so you and others don't get hurt, okay?" Gwen huffed and lowered her eyes. "Those are the conditions, Gwen, okay? I-I won't have you being put in harms away, powers or not."
"Fine." she mumbled.
"Huh?"
"I said, fine, okay? Th-That's fine." she shrugged, smiling weakly. He nodded and opened his arms.
"Come here." he whispered, enveloping her in a hug. "God, I know it's scary, but...Gwen I don't want you getting hurt, okay? A-And throwing yourself into the mess I did...it's just gonna get you hurt...badly." he whispered into her hair, kissing her scalp. Gwen reeled back slightly, still in the hug, but just to see his eyes.
"Peter, this is my choice, okay? I-I never said I wanted to dress up and fight crime...but...I need to control this stuff. I mean I just broke a door for god's sake." she pointed at the bedroom door, gesturing to downstairs. He grinned weakly, smoothing her hair between his fingertips. "But...y-you need to trust me more. I'm not a child."
"Gwen-"
"No, listen. I-I'm not a child, I won't get hurt easily, okay? Just...y-you gotta stop being so overprotective." She suddenly found herself cold as Peter disappeared from the hug, stepping away, eyes full of hurt.
"Over...Overprotective? Y-You think I'm..." he scoffed, shaking his head, and Gwen sighed, sorrily.
"Okay, maybe that was a poor choice of words, but-"
"I had to sit there, for two weeks, thinking you'd never wake up again, because of someone I failed to stop, and you're calling me overprotective?" he scoffed dryly. "Yeah! Yeah, I-I am overprotective!"
"I didn't mean it li-
"Everyday, I'd visit you, hoping to see you smile at me. T-To just, flutter those eyes." he pointed a trembling finger to her gorgeous green eyes, his red and puffy. He sniffed and licked his dry lips. "You think I'm overprotective, what about your Dad, huh?" she looked up at him, the seeds of an argument already being planted, growing and growing. She really hoped to avoid this, but bringing up her Father was out of line.
"How dare you." she shook her head, offended and shocked at his gusto.
"How dare I? How dare you!" he pointed at her with short bursts of gesticulating hands. Gwen shook her head and huffed, eyeing the floor.
"I am overprotective of you, because if I'm not, then I'm gonna lose you." he trembled, pacing back and forth. "I-I can't."
"Yeah, well, keep being so overprotective and you'll lose me anyway, alright? Th-This relationship, is only gonna work, if you trust me, and believe in me!" she gestured wildly. "I-I mean, I am seventeen years old, nearly eighteen, I can make my own decisions, why can nobody see that?!" she roared, voice sore. Peter rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Why can't you, of all people see that? I have shared everything I have with you now, a-and you still can't trust me?" she squeaked. Peter looked at her, sadly. "Y-You don't. Do you?" Her eyes became glassy and reflective, her bottom lip trembling. "W-W-Why not?" she sniffed, lip quaking.
"I do. I do, but Gwen, honey, I-I have you, and only you in my life. If I don't hold on tight...y-you could vanish." he shrugged, eyeing the door frame of his bedroom. He couldn't bare to see her cry, and she was about to.
"Y-You ever heard that thing...a-about butter-sniff-butterflies?" she tilted her head, eyes squinted, sore as tears began to drip out. "Beautiful if left to fly, crushed if held too tight?"she sniffed, rubbing her fingertips over the bottom of her nose. Peter sighed and closed his eyes. "There are two people in this relationship Peter, and you need to learn that."
"Or-Or you'll break up with me?" he sniffed, shrugging with what bravery he had left, looking at her red, tear filled eyes. "We-We've been down this road so many times, Gwen!"
"Grr, why are you so difficult?!" she gestured to him with half closed fists, fingers tensed. "Do you not love me, is that it?"
"What?! Of course I do!" he shouted at her.
"Then why don't you trust me?! Why can't you believe in me, and treat me like a grown up, like a partner!" She shouted back, face inches from his, teeth clenched.
"I do, alright?" he shouted, fist thudding against the door frame, not even phasing Gwen, not this time. Her eyes were set firmly on his. "I do. Gwen, of course I trust you. When I became Spiderman, I came to you, and what did I do?"
"You told me." she lowered her eyes.
"I told you, because I didn't want to start something as beautiful as...us, on a lie. I had to tell you, and it was because I trusted you." he shrugged, both of them softening. "Of course I trust you."
"Then trust me to be safe, to be okay. Trust me, to be an adult, alright?" she asked gently, both their angered volumes lowering. Peter chuckled weakly and gave a slow nod.
"I'll try."
"Ah, no. Do, or do not. There is no try." she said, mimicking the wise Master Yoda's voice, trying to lighten the mood. Peter cackled with laughter and wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her temple.
"God, I love you. I'm sorry."
"I'm sorry too. We suck at this, don't we?" she mumbled into his neck. He chuckled, nodding.
"Yeah, yeah we do."
"Bug boy." she giggled.
"Bug girl." he challenged back, swaying them both left and right, smiling into her hair. Gwen reeled back, giggling madly.
"I-I have super powers." she scoffed incredulously. "I-I do, I have super powers!" she laughed. Peter grinned at her as she bounced in his arms, her ability to find a ray of light in the pitch black of darkness showing him how much of a grown woman she is. He did need to trust her more. Maybe now, he'd see that.
"Yeah, you do, you have Super powers." he laughed little louder, a little crazier. "Gwen Stacy has super powers." he laughed with her, both of them acting crazy.
"Hey, Hey, guess what?" Gwen sobered, prodding his shoulder.
"What?" Peter asked, genuinely intrigued.
"I have super powers!" Gwen laughed, Peter lulling his head back and laughing at the ceiling, shaking his head. Here they were, a pair of superhumans, yet there powers were nowhere near as powerful or as strong as the one emotion they both shared before their blood transfused powers, and that, is Love...
Author's Notes: There, see? Not so bad right? Explained deeply and properly with some fluff to go on the side. Thank you so much for all your kind words, I seriously cannot thank you enough. I love you guys. See you next time, when things really kick up a notch! - Dave