Peter often questioned the validity of the words that flew out of his mouth. He made promises, bargains, deals, death threats, and more ridiculous things. When it came to Gwen though, he really did try to deliver on everything he said to her, fictitious or not.
Which is why the timing of current events wasn't the greatest. He had an ice cream date at stake, here.
He was in an alley again. Peter always ends up in these, whether he wants to or not. It feels like an out-of-date cliché that he could never run away from. The dumpster to his right smelled like death, and the pool of water he just got shoved into wasn't the cleanest either.
Eugene "Flash" Thompson. Any time he had something remotely good going for him, this guy seemed to ruin it. It's not as if he couldn't do anything about it, he just chose not to. You know, the "great power, great responsibility" thing that's been echoed throughout his spider-career. Although Uncle Ben did have a solid point, it felt like following that advice would be his downfall at some point.
Fast forward to now. He's in a shitty puddle, in a shitty alley, surrounded by shitty people. Six of Flash Thompson's best men! En-route to kick his bruised face into the pavement! While he, Peter Parker, was supposed to be on the way to a covert date with Gwenny, Gwenzilla, Gwendolyn Stacy!
Not his idea of a fun night. Besides the Gwen part, anything with her is perfect.
"Can't you guys just do this in school? I- I have places to be, Flash," Peter tried to say, getting up out of the puddle.
"Your plans are cancelled, Parker. You may have somewhere to be, but I sure don't."
His goons laughed, Flash following by cracking his knuckles and stepping toward him.
"That little stunt you pulled in front of the lockers isn't gonna slide, I'll make sure of that."
Flash rushed toward Peter, aiming a punch at his skull.
Peter's senses kicked in, letting him instinctively dodge as he ducked the punch. He weaved through the second, lightly shoving Flash away from him. Flash stumbled, letting out a grunt of annoyance, before stepping forward and swinging at him again. Peter leaned back, easily dodging all his hits.
Peter figured at this point it was okay to retaliate a little.
He countered Flash's barrage with an open-palmed strike to his solar plexus, putting a little power into it. Flash let out a cry, colliding with the alley wall behind him and sliding down it. The rest of his squad wasn't very happy about it.
Goons 1 and 2 ran at Peter, fists in front of their faces. Goon 1 swings for his lower regions, Peter jumping and sending a roundhouse kick to his temple, laying him out on the concrete. Goon 2 aimed for his gut, yelling while he charged at him. Peter sidestepped, chopping at his neck. He was now posted against the dumpster, cradling his collar with both hands.
Goon 3 rushed forward.
He was now asleep on the alley floor, dreaming about sheep.
Goons 4 through 6 watched the scene unfold in front of them, their faces now frozen in fear. They snapped out of it, running as fast as they could to get out of the alley. Six lagged for a second, but a glare from Peter changed his mind as he scurried away.
Peter looked around, running a hand through his hair. He attempted to straighten out his unbuttoned plaid shirt but failed miserably. His khakis were stained grey and black. No remover was getting that out. He shook his head before walking out of the alley.
"-ck you Parker, I'll get back at you!" Flash shouted.
He tuned out the background noise, focusing on the task at hand. He whipped out his phone. Three missed calls. Caller ID: Gwen Stacy.
He quickly swiped, slamming six numbers in before putting the phone up to his ear.
"Hello? Peter?"
"Gwen, Gwen, Gwen! Sorry! Igo- I got, like, preoccupied, and there was an alley, and six guys, and-"
"Peter."
"…and they attacked me and they-"
"Peter!"
...
"Uh, yeah?"
"You're okay. Tell me when you get here. Just hurry up, okay?"
"Okay. Sorry, Gwen."
"I'll see you soon."
The call cut out, Peter shoving it back into his pocket. He picked up the pace, jogging through the five-o-clock crowd. He probably bumped into a few pedestrians, but he didn't really care.
The place was a solid 15 minutes away now that he thought about it. He wasn't going fast enough.
He took a detour, sidestepping into a crowded Chipotle. He ran to the bathroom, getting a few weird looks, before rushing into a stall, tearing his backpack off.
Peter quickly lost his jacket and shoes, sliding the spandex over his outfit. He pulled on the mask and unlocked the stall, running out.
The guy washing his hands was a little surprised.
He ran through the Chipotle again, getting a light flurry of cheers as everyone saw him.
"Hey everyone! Whoop, coming through, sorry, excuse me, love you all!"
He waved at the crowd, spinning around before running through the door, shooting a web and flying through the sky.
"Murderer!" someone said.
He ignored it. They didn't know what they were talking about.
He suspended himself upside down from a light post. His spider senses helped in a lot of cases, but not with directions.
"I have no clue where this place is, where is Spider-Man going… hmm," Peter said out loud, ruffling through his bag and pulling out his phone.
He opened Waze, keying in the address before jumping back up, landing on the light post. All on his phone. He stumbled for a second, almost falling.
"Okay, don't text and swing. Good to know."
"Be there in 10, no wait, 5. Be there in 5," he said aloud, sending a text to Gwen.
He jumped, hearing a voice.
"In 100 feet, turn left."
Oh.
He started swinging again, the New York scenery zipping past him in a blur. He never got tired of this. A few minutes later, his destination came into view.
"Wait, this is Cold Stone? I knew where this was!" he said, shooting another web before seeing his target.
He plopped down by a nearby tree, doing a ninja roll and standing up straight, dusting himself off. He looked toward the Gwen Stacy in front of him. A smile on his face.
One she couldn't see. He had his suit on.
"Oh shit- shoot, sorry. Uhm, give me a second, Gwen."
She was staring at him like he was an idiot.
He ran into the Cold Stone, turning his head and searching for the bathroom. Found it. He shot a web at the ceiling, swinging through the building and stuffing himself inside the bathroom. Lock stall, change clothes, repeat. He pulled out a spare set of shoes and a red and blue piece of fabric, putting the items on the floor before walking out. Contingency Plan A.
"Did… anyone else just see Spider-Man in the bathroom, or was it just me?" He said aloud, sticking his thumb back toward the door.
A few people in the lobby shrugged. The red-haired employee shook her head. He walked out, hoping nobody noticed. That was a success in his book.
Peter jogged back toward the tree, sneaking up behind the blonde in front of him and tapping her shoulder. She turned, giving him a knowing look.
"Surprise! I made it!" Peter said, giving a wave.
Gwen responded with a facepalm, her quasi-messy hair held up by a familiar black headband. She had on a black hoodie, with "The Mary Janes" etched across it. She matched it with baggy grey sweatpants, and a pair of black and white Converse.
"I think twenty-three minutes is a new record, Pete," she said, giving him a smirk.
"Uhh, time flies when you're… having fun?"
"Does fun include stained khakis and a wrinkled shirt? There's a little blood on your neck too, you know."
He gave her a wide-eyed look, frantically attempting to smooth out his shirt a little. She laughed again.
"I never said I didn't like it. Just a little," she said, reaching over and scraping the blood off his neck with her fingers.
"W-well thanks then, Gwen," he mumbled, blushing.
"You have now reached your destination," a robotic voice said. He fumbled with his phone, it almost falling out of his hands before he turned the navigation off. Whoops.
She shook her head, another smile plastering her face.
"Whatever loser, let's get some ice cream."
She looked him in the eyes, her blue orbs meeting his brown, before stuffing her hands in her pockets and walking back toward the Cold Stone. He shook his head to get his emotions in check, before jogging to catch up.
"You know, I've known you for forever now, and I still haven't thought to ask what your favorite ice cream flavor is," Peter asked, downing a spoon of chocolate ice cream.
"…cookie dough."
She pointed her spoon at him, before thinking again.
"Cookies and cream, on second thought."
"You said rocky road last time, you know. I clearly remember you eating an entire tub while I was sobbing."
"Gah! I was invested in the movie, you jerk! Don't make me feel bad about it! And it was the Titanic, who wouldn't cry to that movie?"
"Gwen, I have a duty to this city. Shattering my ego does not help with that," he jokingly said, pouting.
She ignored him, leaning over and scooping up a chunk of his ice cream.
"-wha, hey! You didn't ask!"
"You've kissed me on multiple occasions, Parker. I'm allowed to steal your ice cream."
His face turned bright red as he intensely stared at the picnic table. She laughed again, clearly not embarrassed.
They had decided to sit outside, despite the harsh weather outside clearly suggesting smarter options. The park was a good option regarding privacy, though. Nobody wanted to sit outside eating ice cream in thirty-degree weather. It was just them sitting at the tables around, save the few passersby occasionally walking past.
They spent the next few minutes in a comfortable silence, taking in the atmosphere around them. They had known each other long enough for it to not matter too much. Peter stretched and yawned, his arms arcing over his head before relaxing a few seconds later, finishing off his ice cream. Gwen watched him, a slight smile on her face.
He saw that look in her eyes. They had been avoiding it for a while now, and they'd have to bring it up at some point.
"Gwen. You know I love you, right?"
Her expression broke his heart.
"Peter… don't, please. We're not doing this again," she said. She had a sad look as she continued.
"I love you, I do, but the way we've been for the last few months, it hurts. I'm not putting myself through that again."
He somberly nodded, muttering out an apology. There goes the mood. She stood up, grabbing both of their empty ice cream cups. She gave him a soft smile.
"Pete, you need to be up front with yourself. Think over everything. You need to decide if you want to do this or not. No back and forth."
She shifted, putting both the paper cups in her left hand, and grabbed his hand, rubbing it. Gwen gave him a loving look.
"And when you figure everything out, just tell me, mmkay? I'll wait for you, loser."
He gave her another soft nod, getting lost in his thoughts as she walked to a nearby trash can.
Peter felt stupid after that. He didn't know what he wanted, yet continued to bring her along for the ride. It wasn't respectful to her or her wishes. She genuinely deserved better, but still stuck around with him. He didn't know whether he should be happy or disappointed. She was always there for him, Peter Parker and Spider-Man, but yet he couldn't even make up his mind. Keeping her safe, or caving to his emotions?
Gwen sat back down.
Part of him wanted to just tell her, just say they couldn't be together. Neither of them knew what would happen, or who would come after him. Him as Spider-Man. He didn't even want to imagine the threats if someone found out he was Peter Parker. Captain Stacy's words echoed in his head again. Leave her out of this. They rang in his skull, serving as a reminder of the danger.
He was shaken out of his thoughts by a concerned look from Gwen.
"You okay, Pete?" she asked. He looked at her, nodding.
"Yeah, I'm cool. It's just hard, to decide what to do. Everything in my head, it's like, suffocating."
"Come on, let's take a walk. Maybe it'll help," she said as she got up, gesturing for him to follow.
He knew she was right. They walked along the path, side by side, as he got lost in his thoughts again. He was on autopilot, not paying attention to his surroundings. She laced her hand with his, practically pulling him along. Yet another conflict in his head. She was willing to go through all of this for him.
They continued along for a few more minutes, Gwen humming a light tune as they strolled through the night. It was getting late, the sun having set about an hour ago. Eventually, they made it back to the tree they met at. She released the grip on his hand, giving it a squeeze beforehand, before turning to face him.
"I should probably head home, Pete. Don't want my mom to worry or anything," she said.
"Same here, don't want May to get on my case again," Peter agreed.
She smiled again, nodding, before turning around and beginning to walk back home. She took a few steps before pausing, turning back around. He stared in confusion as she paced toward him.
She quickly pulled him into a hug, pushing her head into his shoulder. He stood in a daze, looking at the blonde in front of him, before reciprocating. It felt warm.
Gwen released him a few seconds later, not saying a word and heading home. Peter watched her walk away, the pain in his chest easing a little.
He started his trek home, deciding on the scenic route for tonight. He had a lot to ponder, anyways. He walked a few blocks and made it into Queens before a black Mercedes pulled up beside him, the window rolling down as he turned to look. He stared wide eyed at the man in the back seat, never expecting to see him in his life. He didn't think he could be more shocked until the next sentence came out of the man's mouth.
"Hey Spidey! I can call you that, right? Hop in for a minute."
He blue-screened, staring at the man in horror. The man looked at him again for a few seconds.
"Earth-to-Underoos? Hello?" he said as he waved.
Peter got in the car and said nothing. He stared at the black leather seat in front of him, wondering how his secret was so easily found out. They sat in silence as they drove before the man said something.
"Sooo, first off, you're probably asking yourself how I know you're Spider-Man, and my answer is that I know everything. There's also a lawyer in Hell's Kitchen who is, and I quote, very in the know."
Peter's mouth opened and closed like a fish.
"Tony Stark, nice to meet you, kid. Happy's the guy in front, you'll probably see him again sometime. Whatever, besides the point."
Tony reached under the seat, pressing a button that opened a compartment. He pulled out a briefcase, setting it on his lap. He looked at Peter again.
"Point is, kid, I need you on call. Some stuff is going on, and I need all the help I can get."
He pushed the briefcase toward him, attempting to gauge his reaction. Peter finally replied.
"You… need me? Like, why?" Peter asked, still in shock.
Tony let out a loud hmm, before continuing.
"Well, frankly, you're a genius. Also a small-time New York superhero. And between us, your aunt, sheesh."
Peter was in shock again for a different reason.
"Really, Mr. Stark?"
"Anyway, Spidey, take this, use it, it'll help, I promise, and don't die. It's a gift. I may need you, I may not, but I also want you safe on the streets. Would be a shame if Spider-Man turned into Spider-Splat-on-the-pavement."
They finally made it to Peter's house, a few awkward moments in between.
"Thanks, Mr. Stark. Never in my life did I expect you to do, well, this," Peter said, grabbing the briefcase. Stark looked puzzled for a second, nodding.
"Yeah, kid. Anytime. Give me your phone really quick."
Peter handed him his phone, tapping the screen a few times before handing it back to him. He also reached in his suit pocket, pulling out a flip-phone. Peter looked at him weird.
"I put Happy's number in your phone, text or call it or whatever. This," he said, motioning toward the phone in his hand and holding it out for Peter to take.
"This is a direct line to me. Emergencies only. Should be good for two calls. Use it wisely, and if you behave, I'll give you more."
He handed the phone to Peter. Peter nodded in thanks again. Tony leaned over, reaching for him. Peter wrapped his arms around the man.
"Nope, not a hug, just getting the door for you. We're not there yet, Underoos," Tony awkwardly said, pulling on the doorhandle beside him.
Nice one, Peter.
He quickly slid out of his seat and out the door, closing it behind him. He reached the steps of his house before turning around to stare at the car again. It pulled off a few seconds later.
That was unexpected. He pulled out his phone again, shooting a text to Gwen.
did u make it home ok? you will not believe what just happened
And that's it for now. I've been trying to write a little bit a day, just whatever ideas pop in my head. I kind of have a loose plot, but no real idea. There are probably a million things wrong with all of this, but that's a problem for future me.
FUN FACT BTW: I rewrote the first chapter four times, each with a different idea! I was also going to draw this chapter out longer, but decided against it.
Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!