Rolling over from his back onto his side, Peter felt the hot air of Gwen's breath on his cheek as he awoke from a deep slumber.
"Good morning Gorgeous." He greeted her as he watched her eyes open.
"Good morning." She beamed back at him.
Leaning forward he gave her a soft kiss on her forehead before sitting up in bed and stretching his body out. She sat up only seconds later and repeated the same action, before turning to face him.
"So what's the plan, Spider-man?" She asked curiously.
"Hmm... How about staying here with you in my arms all day?" He suggested in a pining tone.
"I wish... But I do believe that we should try to be as productive as possible today. I mean, we should prepare for our travels." She stated.
"Ohh... Noooo. We have all summer before then." He sulked with a fake pout.
"I know but it's not just across the country this time Peter."
"Right! Oxford. I forgot about that." He admitted.
"Hmm... Well I guess we do have all summer to figure that out... How about we go for a walk and maybe grab breakfast at Silver Spoon?" She suggested.
"Now that makes me happy." He smiled.
"Okay, well you know where your clothes are now so I'm gonna go get dressed myself and then we can head out." She informed him.
"Sounds good to me."
He watched with eager eyes as she pulled out a pair of black skinny jeans and a white camisole top to go with it before heading into the bathroom. Once she'd disappeared out of sight he walked over to the same drawer that she had gotten her clothes from and pulled out some of his own jeans before quickly changing into them.
Seconds later Gwen returned to her bedroom, instantly locking her eyes on Peter who's smile had widened upon seeing her.
"What is it?" She asked shyly as she noticed his eyes glued to her.
"Nothing just... You look beautiful in that." He complimented.
"Awe, thank you. You don't look so bad there yourself, Mister." She said as she flipped her hair back out of her face.
"Thanks... You uh... Are you ready to go?" He stammered.
"Yeah, sure. " She answered, grabbing her keys from her computer desk.
After ensuring that they both had their phones, keys and other necessities, the Two headed out of the apartment; being careful not to wake Gwen's family, and into the city.
With their hands joined together, Peter felt much better knowing that it would be easier for him to protect her this way. He took note of how busy the streets were and decided right then that he wouldn't let her leave his sight unless it was to go to the bathroom.
The morning however, seemed a little calmer. Although it was busy, there was almost no commotion whatsoever. The odd café manager shouting at someone they'd just fired and the yell of a woman screaming at her sleazy husband down the phone was the height of it all and by the time they had reached Silver Spoon, most of it had already died down.
Ordering their desired food and then taking a seat at a table nearby, Peter couldn't keep his eyes off Gwen. His stare was far from creepy though, instead in his eyes the love and adoration was visible. Though her beauty was not his only reason, he was afraid that if he took his eyes away for one second then something would happen and he would lose her again. He couldn't let that happen.
"Your food Sir... Madam..." The waitress informed as she placed one plate in front of Peter and one in front of Gwen.
"Thank you." They said simultaneously.
As soon as the waitress walked away, they dug into their food; Gwen having a ham and cheese toastie and Peter having a bacon sandwich.
"This is yummy." He informed her as he took his second bite of the sandwich.
"I'm glad you're enjoying your food." She said with a laugh after swallowing her first bite and watching him eat his food like there was tomorrow.
After they were done eating, they headed back out onto the busy streets of New York City and started off on the route to the more peaceful parts. As they turned the corner, a strange feeling hit Gwen and she froze in place. Peter stopped moving after realising that she had and turned around to face her.
"W- What is it?" He asked worriedly.
"I uh... I..." She began but trailed off, unable to speak as the feeling got stronger.
"Gwen?" He questioned, alarm rising in his chest.
An ear piercing scream erupted from somewhere on the other side of the street and without saying a word to Peter, Gwen ran out into the middle of the road. More panicked by her spontaneous act, he followed after.
He stopped, causing a yellow cab to swerve to avoid hitting him, as soon as he was able to lay eyes on her again. Without interfering, he watched closely as she scooped a little girl up in her arms and ran back to where the girl's mother was standing, just in time as some sort of jeep came whizzing past, going way faster than the speed limit.
"You saved my little girl... She's my entire world. Thank you so much, I don't know what I would have done if it weren't for you." The girl's mother was thanking Gwen just as Peter got to her side.
"No problem, you both take care now." She responded with a smile.
Happy to have her daughter safe in her arms, the mother gave Gwen one last thank you and a smile before continuing on the route she'd been going before the commotion.
"Are you okay? What exactly happened? I mean I saw most of it but..." Peter began to ramble.
"I'm okay, don't worry and I don't know... Some kind of weird feeling came over me as we were walking, like I just knew that something was going to happen and then I heard that scream and I reacted. Like I just went for it, found the girl and saved her life." Gwen explained, still catching her breath.
"Y- You're shaking." He pointed out.
"Probably just the adrenaline." She brushed off.
Knowing that she was safe, Peter felt himself relax once more as he pulled her into a tight embrace and then stepped back after a few seconds.
"That... That feeling that you just experienced, it's what I like to call Spidey-sense. It almost always happens when something bad is about to go down." He informed her.
"So the venom is having the same effects?" She questioned.
"I believe so, yes." He said before adding, "What you did... Saving that little girl... That was incredibly brave and I'm proud of you."
"Thank you."
They continued walking, neither of them speaking. Peter could see that Gwen was lost in thought and didn't want to disturb whatever it was that she was thinking about. He trusted her enough to confide in him if it was anything serious or important.
"Hey... Uh... Peter..." She began.
"Yeah?"
"I was just thinking... In a city this size, without Spider-man they would have no one to protect them but there are times when even he gets worn down... The city needs you, and after doing what I just did... I think that I finally understand that better than anyone." She explained, nervous to get her words out.
"So... What exactly are you saying?" He asked, unclear on the exact point she was trying to make.
"I'm saying that I don't want to go to Oxford anymore, Peter. I want to stay here together. I know you said that you'd follow me wherever I go, but the truth is that this city would have crashed long ago without you... So I wanna stay here."
"Oh Gwen... Are you sure? I mean Oxford is your dream." He reminded her.
"Yes, that's true... But, I believe there's a hero in all of us. They keep us honest, give us strength, and make us noble. And finally allows us to die with pride... Even though sometimes we have to be steady and give up the thing we want most, even if it is our dreams." She stated.
"You know it's funny?... My aunt May said the exact same thing to me shortly after my uncle Ben was killed... Do you really believe that?" He questioned.
"Indeed I do, and what I am trying to say is that I will gladly give up my dream of Oxford because I already have one of my dreams right here in New York."
"Oh... What dream?"
"You, Peter. You're my dream and as long as I have you then I already have everything that I want." She told him, biting her lip to hide her smile.
"I love you for that Gwen, but are you really sure that you want to give it up?" He asked.
"One hundred percent. All I want is to be with you and help you to save the people of the city from tragedy and heartache." She confirmed.
Overwhelmed by her love, he gave her a smile as he became utterly speechless by her loyalty and her support of him. It was something he had never experienced before up until he'd met her.
