"Sorry I dragged you all the way out to New York just for dinner. A couple… coworkers wouldn't be too happy with me in Phili right now." Carol forced a laugh, knowing no excuse could ease her guilt. They'd been trying to arrange a date for weeks, but between her career and Himawari's education, their schedules seemed to refuse to line up. This was the first time all month they'd had their schedule free at the same time and she'd jumped at the chance, even if it meant practically forcing the younger woman to hop on a plane to the Big Apple.
"Carol… you apologize too much. And I'm saying this as someone from a culture with about six different ways to say 'sorry,'" Himawari chuckled, a wide, comforting smile on her face. She was just glad to even be on the date. Truth be told she hadn't even expected Carol to ever return her text! The woman was a superhero after all, and a busy one at that! She could remember that day clearly, her phone vibrating as she received the message. Andi had seen the look on her face and asked her if she was okay while Gwen rambled on about Atlantean history. Neither of them had the slightest idea that their roommate was dating Captain freaking Marvel!
"I hardly ever get a chance to come to the Big Apple if it isn't for work. If you aren't tired of me by the time we leave here, maybe you could show me around," Himawari asked hopefully, her eyes tearing away from Carol's deep blue for the briefest of moments as she looked at the menu.
"Stow that kind of talk. I'm enjoying myself here just as much as you are," Carol said sternly.
"Are my crazy roommate stories really that entertaining," Himawari asked playfully, doing her best to hide the blush on her cheeks. Carol's reassurance made her heart genuinely swell, and even the older woman's commanding tone made her swoon.
"Those two don't sound that bad. Just a couple young adults in love. It's refreshing to hear stories that don't involve apocalyptic weapons or genocidal aliens for once," Captain Marvel said with a comforting laugh. She took another sip of her wine, absolutely enthralled by the way her date's face seemed to grow redder by the moment. Himawari's long lashes and lightly freckled cheeks just caught Carol's eye in ways she never imagined she'd be interested in.
"Then I'll tell you as many stories as you care to listen to," Himawari sighed, feigning defeat before finally meeting Carol's gaze again. It was like staring into the sun.
"You really know how to make a woman feel special, don't you?" Carol reached across the table and took Himawari's hand in hers. The smaller woman's hand fit snugly inside the heroine's, but she wasn't exactly delicate. Carol could feel her calloused skin, the price most people had to pay for the kinds of toned muscles she knew her date was hiding under that dress.
"If there's ever a time that you don't feel… as special… I'd be happy to remind you in a thousand different ways…" Himawari's cheeks were even redder as she let the suggestive comment hang in the air. She couldn't believe she'd said something like that to Carol, but despite the way her heart hammered in her chest, it just felt right!
"I'll be sure to cash that in when the time comes," Carol said with a soft chuckle, squeezing Himawari's hand before pulling her own away, the two getting back to their meal.
"Carol?" Himawari's normally raspy voice was soft here, as if her very words were stepping on eggshells.
"Yeah, Hima-chan?"
"I want to… talk about the elephant in the room…" Himawari said, her eyes flicking between her food and Carol's lips. This had been weighing on her for weeks, and she finally felt the courage to discuss it now that they were in person.
"Oh?"
"I don't… I don't want you to feel like you're taking care of me. Like I'm just a child caught up in your celebrity. I… you're Captain Marvel… but you're just as much Carol Danvers and I… I just want you to know that as long as you're giving me this chance, I'd love to keep making you happy." Himwari's wavering gaze held as she spoke her truth. Speaking like this came easily to her- much easier than flirting, anyway.
"Himawari… There's an age difference, sure. I'm positive the tabloids are gonna accuse me of all types of things once they catch wind of this-"
"Gosh, that's so embarrassing." Himawari hid her face in her hands at the thought. That wasn't exactly how she'd envisioned getting her first taste of fame.
"The truth is, I wouldn't… be here with you if I thought you were just some kid. You're smart, funny and charming… easy on the eyes." Carol, winked at her, waiting to see what kind of beautiful reaction Himawari had in store for her next.
"Oh, is it my turn to be flattered," the student laughed breathlessly, her hands finally leaving her face to reveal rosy cheeks.
"You deserve to be flattered. You deserve to be happy! You deserve a date who's not gonna arrive late after postponing for weeks, I-"
"Carol… I have a confession," Himawari said, doing her best to imitate Carol's commanding tone.
"Yeah, Hima-chan?"
"I'd like to date you. Formally. I know saying it like that is weird here in America but my grandmother would haunt me forever if I didn't respect at least some of our traditions," she chuckled softly, leaning in close across the table. "I wanna date you. I want to support you. I want to be there for you when your job is done and it's finally time to take a break. It'd mean the world to me to make the life of a strong, hardworking woman like yourself more enjoyable." She was close enough to smell the wine on Carol's breath. Sweet but strong, and the woman wasn't the least bit tipsy. Superheroes.
"I can't help but feel like I'd be stealing you away from a happier relationship. I can't promise I'll have tons of time to-"
"Then we make the most of what we have. Like tonight," Himawari said that even more convincingly, picking up on Carol's thinly veiled Boston accent. They watched each other for a long time, Carol lovingly holding Himawari's unwavering gaze.
"The check, madams." Their waitress looked between the two before beginning to hand the check to the taller, older woman.
"Thank you!" Himawari smiled wide, intercepting the small blue book before it'd ever made it to Carol's side of the table.
"Himawari-"
"Nuh-uh! I asked you out, remember? You're my date this evening," she reminded her, smugly winking at the superhero.
"I wouldn't have picked this place if-"
"I don't mind, Carol. I told you, I'm supporting you tonight." Himawari, reminded her, sliding her credit card into the book without even glancing at the receipt.
"You're impossibly sweet," Carol sighs, for once giving up the fight before it started. Himawari could be charmingly stubborn when she wanted to be, and just the once she wasn't against letting someone else take control.
"Come on, let's get out and explore the city as much as we can tonight," Himawari said excitedly. It'd been a really long time since she'd had the opportunity.
"Himawari… One sec…" Carol pulled away from the conversation for just a moment as her bag began to buzz.
"Is that your communicator," Himawari asked worriedly. Any call made directly to Captain Marvel must be incredibly important. She looked down at her hands, worried that their date might be over so soon.
"Don't worry. It's off for tonight," Carol says, her hand glowing for a moment before the screen of the device goes dark. Dropped back into her bag, it wouldn't disturb them again.
"Sorry if I don't know the military terms but… aren't you technically AWOL if you do that," Himawari asked worriedly.
"The earth can survive one night without me," Carol Danvers said with a sheepish smile. "Now, where do you want to go?"
"I hate this." Andi was angry enough that Mania was getting worried. Nothing was going right and this blunder was way too big of a mistake.
"Andi, it happens. It happens all the time in comics-"
"Gwen we don't exactly have a lot of goodwill stored up! They're already calling us dangerous vigilantes! They're saying we escalated the situation-"
"They always need someone to blame, Andi! The Daily Bugle called Spider-Man a menace for years," Gwen reminded her, doing her best to calm her friend down. This was an inevitable part of the story! They just had to get through it before they could get to the other side.
"We messed up, Gwen, why are you not even the smallest bit upset about it," Andi shouted angrily. Gwen's unshakable optimism and unrelenting enthusiasm were not what she needed right now. It was frustrating!
"Yeah, Andi, we did mess up. And it's gonna suck for a while! But there's always a second chance with these things. I know it feels like the end of the world right now, but you've gotta trust me," she offered.
"You don't have to deal with the consequences, Gwen! You think this is all some big game but it isn't! You can jump around and say things 'aren't canon' or whatever the hell, it doesn't work like that for me! I have to live here!" Somehow her Hell-Mark hadn't burned its way onto her chest as she spoke. That made her words sting even more. She could see the big, salty tears welling up in Gwen's eyes and she immediately regretted the entire conversation.
"Gwen, I-"
"Nope. It's okay. Don't worry about it, I… you're not wrong," she said, wiping her tears away as quickly as she could. She headed for the door but was immediately blocked off by Andi, desperate to apologize. She'd made a mistake! She hadn't meant to say something like that.
"Gwen, I didn't mean-"
"I'm gonna take a walk." Gwen zipped up her hoodie and slid into her white space before Andi could stop her, not bothering to cast a look back at her friend who was clawing at the patch of space she'd disappeared into, angrily shouting for her to return. "She hates me," Gwen sighed, wiping even more tears from her eyes as she walked through the Gutter. Hundreds of panels danced around her as she journeyed through her white space, some seemingly attracted to her in her state of sadness. Frank Castle, standing over the graves of his family; Nadia van Dyne battling her own team of friends who were just trying to help her; Spider-Man, holding the limp body of Gwen Stacy in his arms-
"No, shoo," Gwen shouted angrily, waving that page away.
Dozens more fluttered around her before she finally slipped into the one directly ahead of her- a windowless hallway that seemed to lead nowhere. She passed into the panel without so much as a second glance, not even checking to see if there was something dangerous on the other side. Consequences be damned. The air smelled strange- like a mix between the beach and an all-you-can-eat buffet, but she couldn't be bothered to make a clever quip about it. She sighed, strolling slowly down the hallway, wiping tears away every few steps as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"I don't deserve a partner like her… Andi's actually capable of character growth and I... I'm just dragging her down," she mumbled, leaning against the smooth, chrome wall for a moment to catch her breath. Everything she'd done to try to better herself had been a failure. Erasing her future self had only seemed to speed up that ultimate end she'd predicted. There was no way she could be a proper hero with so many blunders.
"I don't get the same kind of leniency Spidey and those guys get. I'm not actually from here," she reasoned. "I should just fall out of print." The tears kept streaming down her face and Gwen slid down the wall to sit on the floor, burying her face in her knees and sobbing into her hoodie. She felt horrible.
"This isn't fair! Why can't I stop screwing things up? I want to be a hero, why can't I just-" The sound of blaster fire snapped her out of her stupor, the plasma shot making the air unbearably hot despite missing her completely, burying itself in the floor a few feet away.
"It's the Gwen girl! Get her!" Gwen was forced to read the translation bubble, the weird alien screaming in an unintelligible mess of clicking and gurgling.
"Teuthidans?!" Gwen crawled to her feet and bolted down the hallway she'd come, too busy dodging blaster fire to try to open a path into the Gutter. Now everything made sense! The chrome walls, windowless hallways, that sushi bar smell. She was on a Teuthidan ship!
"Gotta get away… Find an empty room or- eek!" Another round of blaster fire hit the wall next to her, pelting her with chunks of heated metal. She ran even faster, turning down another hallway, desperately searching for an exit. More Teuthidans joined the first squad, their loud footsteps and frantic blaster fire echoing down the hallway.
"At least these guys have worse aim than Stormtroopers. Oh! Star Wars reference! Eek!" Gwen ducked under another plasma blast before rounding another corner. This hallway was long and seemed to stretch the length of the ship. No way she'd be able to dodge blaster fire the entire way through. She had to pick a door.
"Eenie, meenie, minie-"
"Fire!"
Gwen barreled through the door, immediately falling down a steep staircase. Too fast for speech bubble cushions or panel manipulation, all she could do was brace herself as she fell. Each step was more painful than the last, and she'd had the wind knocked out of her before she'd even made it to the bottom. Finally landing, she struggled to her feet and immediately realized-
"My ankle," she hissed, clutching at her foot the second she'd put any weight on it. Leaning against the wall she pushed forward, trying to create as much distance between her and the approaching Teutihidans as she could.
The room was well lit, and decorated with huge glass structures filled with a blue liquid. There were weird organisms suspended in them- something that she could only imagine was a Teuthidan baby, a dog with a squid head, and more.
"I hate these alien scenes," she groaned, making her way towards the back of the room. Any weight on her ankle sent shooting pain up through her leg and all she could do was wince in response. Deeper into the room, she found an empty tube with blue footprints leading from the glass enclosure.
"Gotta get out of here," she hissed. Without her katana to help cut through into the Gutter or even a playful segue, she had to push. As hard as she could. She desperately shoved her weight against the border, but it refused to budge.
"Let… me… in…" she shouted, her feet sliding against the smooth ground, unable to get the leverage she needed. It felt like something was holding the Gutter shut, forcing her out. A knot formed in her stomach, and she desperately slammed against the wall.
"You…" Gwen's spine straightened at the voice. It wasn't familiar, but it was distinctly human on this alien spaceship. She turned around, looking up at a taller man. Wide jaw, wider shoulders, heavy scowl. He was covered in that weird blue fluid, pooling at his feet and sticking in his short, brown hair.
"Hey, uh… You're on an alien spaceship and dripping alien juice, you might wanna- grk!" His hand was around her throat faster than she could react and in seconds her feet were further from the ground than she liked them to be. Bad start to any relationship.
"You… You don't remember me. But I remember you. Even without that ridiculous costume." The man was angry, hatred in his eyes and even a different font in his speech bubble. Gwen clutched at the man's wrist, desperately trying to pull away from him. She kicked her feet, and tried to bite at his hand, but the man kept an easy grip on her, his arm barely moving despite her weight.
"You're clearly some nobody extra or else I'd know who you are," she hissed, watching helplessly as the Teuthidans finally filed down the staircase, holstering their weapons. They clearly weren't here to stop him. In fact, it looked like they were enjoying the show.
"Nobody extra?" The punch came faster than she could see, stars exploding behind her eyes as she hit the ground. She clutched at her face, her hands desperately searching for an exit. A tear into the Gutter, a weapon on the ground, something!
"Let me try to jog your memory," he spat, stepping on her hand with a sickening crunch. Gwen could only sob, her lungs still unable to suck down a breath to scream with.
"HURK!" He glared down at her, expecting recognition. Gwen could barely see him through her tears.
Hurk? What kind of sound is hurk? The sound of someone caught by surprise? Of someone losing their balance? Falling maybe? Falling to their death… Into an incinerator… After being pushed…
"Oh… It's you…"
"It's me." The man squatted low, getting to eye level with her. After her time fighting Jack, she could tell one thing for sure. This man was not burned. Not an inch of his body was scarred. It was as if he'd never been burned at all. That was the last thought in her mind before he slammed her face into the ground, knocking her unconscious.
"Gwen, there's something different about you," Himawari said, blushing as she avoided eye contact with her roommate. They'd been talking ever since Himawari had made it back to the dorm, but her roommate just seemed… off. Something was different, but she didn't exactly mind. Maybe it was the black beanie she was wearing- it somehow managed to hide all of her hair. Maybe it was the black lipstick and eyeshadow that made Himawari so uncomfortable? She'd rather not think too much about it.
"Oh, come on, Himawari-sama. I'm just appreciating my beautiful roommate. You got all dolled up, you even did your nails! You look amazing," Gwen teased, taking Himawari's rough hands in her own. She only broke the eye contact she was making with her flustered roommate when Andi opened the door, the defeated look on her face replaced by shock and anger the moment she realized who was in the room.
"Oh, and there she is! Andrea Benton! Or does Andrea Poole sound better? Andrea Poole-Benton? Benton-Poole? We'll work out the details later." Gwen's rambling would've been welcome at any other time. But not right now. And not from her.
"Himawari, can you give me a minute with-"
"Oh, don't worry. Gwen already told me! Just let me grab my pillow," Himawari said quickly, grabbing her pillow and sheets before jumping off Gwen's bunk.
"Happy anniversary," she says as she passes Andi, an excited smile and playful wave over her shoulder as she made her way to the door. She was on cloud 9 after her date, and sleeping with a friend on the floor wouldn't ruin her night.
"Don't forget Himawari, you're always welcome to make our anniversary night a little more fun! Three definitely isn't a crowd. Although I do prefer the number four. A nice, even, whole number, don't you think?" Himawari's cheeks were flushed as she quickly slammed the door behind her, and Gwen couldn't help but laugh. Her roommate was so easily flustered it was adorable.
"Oh, I really did miss her," other Gwen sighed, finally turning her attention to Andi again. Well, more accurately, to Mania for the first time that night.
"Why are you here," the hero growled, razor sharp teeth barely caging her lashing tongue.
"Oh, come on, Andi! You almost did it last issue! You almost admitted it to her- to me- to us! Can't I come congratulate you as a friend," Gwen whined, an exaggerated pout on her face as she took off her beanie and let her black and purple hair free. She wore her playfulness like a mask, hiding a deadly weapon and deadlier intent. Andi could spot this Gwendolyn Poole as easily as making out an apple from an eggplant. She was a snake coiled up and ready to strike, not to be trusted.
"I'm not your friend," Mania hissed, clenched fists already growing sharp claws. She wanted this woman gone!
"Alright, alright. I can see when I'm not wanted," other Gwen sighed, feigning offense. She kicked her feet and hopped off the bunk before walking passed Mania. Right before she's behind her, she turns on her heel, as if she'd just remembered something important. "Although, I did come here to warn you about something," she explained thoughtfully.
"I'm not playing your game. Talk, leave, or fight," Mania growls.
"Fine! You know how much I love to talk," she said playfully. "I'm headed to Teuthida. Well, Gwen is. You know. Your Gwen. Baby Gwen. The Marshmallow."
"Mania, you can't let me strike at her," Andi thought to herself, begging the symbiote to keep her under control.
"Weeee want to ssssssstrike asss well," the symbiote hissed back. Now Andi was playing impulse control for two. Perfect.
"Why should I care," Mania asked, refusing to even make eye contact with the woman. The less she acknowledged who she was, the better.
"Oh! Oh my gosh I haven't told you yet! Silly me! I didn't even realize that this is how you found out! This is genuine shock!" Gwen kept dialing up the performance, desperate to get a rise out of Andi. The soft glow of the Hell-Mark on her chest was all the victory she needed, even if Mania still hadn't raised a finger.
"What's the Marvel fandom wiki summary? 'While trying to carry out the job of taking down a Teuthidan squadron stationed on Earth,' blah blah blah, 'an army of Teuthidans invaded Earth looking for retribution for the killing of their squadron, allegedly at the hands of Gwenpool,' right, right, I remember that! 'Where the Teuthidans were holding her friends captive. Using the base's arsenal, Gwen-' that's me!- 'managed to take down most of the Teuthidan ships while the henchmen, now rebranded as the Poole Boys, killed the alien footsoldiers!'" Gwen didn't need to read the excerpt from the Marvel fandom wiki she'd seemingly pulled out of thin air, but Mania knew this must be something from Gwen's world in an instant.
"So, you know. If baby Gwen's headed to Teuthida now… then you know… It's probably not in her best interest. Or even willingly-"
"I get it," Mania roared, her hands on Gwen's shoulders. She wanted so desperately to hurt her! To end this game of cat and mouse they were playing. She just wanted Gwen back. Her Gwen. Not this!
"Then what are ya' waitin' for, sugah? Time's a wastin'," Gwen said playfully through her best X-Men The Animated Series Rogue impersonation. The joke went right over Mania's head, but she'd get it some day. Mania disguised herself as a hoodie again, and Andi made her way to the door.
"If I can give you one teensie little piece of advice," Gwen asked, keeping pace with the woman.
"What?!"
"Well, when you saved me in my time. You had help! Help from someone you thought you could trust. But… well it turned out that you couldn't trust them at all. That they were hiding a bigger secret than we were! And then that someone ended up dying! And, well, maybe I'd like to see our little duo turn into a foursome. Girl power and all," Gwen chuckles, placing a hand on Andi's shoulder.
"Unfortunately, Teuthida's never actually been drawn in this current timeline. And the Teuthida in my timeline is… well, let's just say it looks a lot like Alderaan. Ooh! A Star Wars reference! So unfortunately there's no real way for me to get you there- yipe," Gwen yelped as Andi ripped her hand off her shoulder, Hell-Mark growing from a dull glow to a gently burning ember now. "Come on, Andrea. I'm trying to save a life! Two lives, even! That's good, right? So just do yourself a favor. Don't involve them. I'm sure you can find a faster-than-light spaceship any other way! Like, I don't know, steal one from Tony Stark! Or steal Sam's- oops! Steal someone's helmet! Or find the Space Stone! Unless Black Bolt's got it right now, no way you'd get to Attilan… Or ask Flash for help! He spent time in space, right?" Gwen was rambling again, but not in this Gwen's usual purposefully misleading way. She sounded like… Gwen. Like there were just so many ideas floating around in her mind she couldn't keep them from overflowing. The thought made her stomach turn. She still refused to admit that this woman and her Gwen had anything in common. But here was the proof spitting in her face. Her Gwen was in here… buried deep, deep under whatever must've happened to turn her into this. But here.
"I'm leaving."
"Good luck! Make sure to save me quick! My wrist feels crunchy already," she whined, rolling the joint.
Andi rolled her eyes and turned away, throwing open the door and-
"Oh! S-sorry Andi! I… I texted, but Gwen didn't answer!" Himawari looked flushed and flustered and embarrassed. "Is the offer still on the table or… Andi, are you okay?"