(A/N: I do not own Spiderman. That right belongs to Sony).
If someone told Liz Allan she would be lying flat on her stomach on top of a building at night across from the Silver Spoon with a 20 year old woman in a skintight catsuit, she would've called a mental hospital on them...but here she was.
"So...let me get this straight...you placed a bug on Petey's Spiderman suit?" Liz asked, turning her head towards the Cat-based thief (Still in the reform phase).
"It was a few months ago. I was mad at him for something so I decided to...keep tabs on him to find out a few things about him so I could understand him" Felicia explained, vaguely.
"You know, I would dig further about that but considering the direction you've taken my night so far, I'm going to keep my mouth shut for now" Liz said, giving up on logic and reason in this instant.
Felicia just shrugged as she increased her magnifying lens on the Silver Spoon. "You get used to it"
"...Maybe" Liz said in a vague tone of her own after certain revelations that came about an hour earlier. She then turned and looked at the white haired woman's outfit.
"Also, do you have to wear that up here?" Liz further asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's the only way I could get you up here without anyone noticing. Besides, I kinda feel naked up here without it" Felicia explained while still keeping her on the Silver Spoon.
Liz paused for a second and looked at her suit again and noticed how it left very little to the imagination before asking "Why do I get the feeling that that's true in more ways than one?"
"Look, did you call me up so we could trade jabs at each other or so we could make sure this girl doesn't try anything?" Felicia asked, turning towards the Latina girl.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I'm just a little on edge. It kinda feels like I'm betraying Petey's trust, especially after he swore he wouldn't do anything with her" Liz said, getting slightly uncomfortable at this whole thing.
"It's not him we don't trust here, it's her. She is the one who told Peter to dump you for her to begin with" Felicia explained to her.
"Ugh, don't remind me. All those wasted summer months" Liz said, grudgingly remembering all the nights she cried into her pillow about losing Petey, all the moron guys she went on dates with to try to get over him. That date with Jason Ionello was not pleasant.
"Ok...here he comes...and I think I see Stacy through the window there" Felicia said as Peter walked up the street.
"And you're sure he's going to be wearing his suit under his clothes?" Liz asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah. He told me he wears it underneath just in case anything comes up" Felicia said, nodding in confirmation.
"Huh….that really explains a lot" Liz said with all the times Peter came to school smelling like he had been swimming in a sewer.
"Alright, now hush. He's walking in" Felicia said as Peter walked into the cafe.
*Silver Spoon Cafe*
Peter walked through the doors of his high school's favorite hang out place. He looked around and saw Gwen at a table with a coffee cup in her hand. The blonde smiled and waved at him. He did the same as he walked towards her and sat down in a seat across from her.
"Hey, Gwen" Peter said as he adjusted in the seat.
"Hey, Peter. Want a coffee? I'm buying" Gwen offered.
"Nah, I'm good. Thanks for offering though. Anyway...what'd you want to talk about?" Peter asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well...I...I just wanted to clear up some things. You forgave me for the summer and I really do appreciate that and am thankful you've given me a second chance as your friend but I still think there may be a few misconceptions that you may have about me that I just wanted to set straight" Gwen stated carefully.
"Oh...O...K. Uh...shoot" Peter said, raising an eyebrow, looking a bit uneasy about this.
"Well...first...I was always going to break up with Harry. I wanted to make that clear to you from the start but Harry was just constantly looking over my shoulder at my phone, always trying to look at who I'm texting or who I've texted. It was...It was just so hard and he was so clingy. If I hadn't been able to use the bathroom, I would have had no spare time away from him" Gwen explained.
Peter stayed silent for a minute before nodding. "Ok...I...I guess I understand that"
"Anyway, just when I think I could break it off with him without him going back on the green, he would just break down about his dad, telling me about how I'm the only good thing in his life, how it would just be so easy to just get back on the stuff if it wasn't for me. It was just never a good time...though I guess looking back on it, I guess he could sense when I was about to so that's why he did that" Gwen stated, looking down at the coffee cup in her hand.
"Yeah, he kind of fooled us on that, I have to admit. He must have really loved you" Peter stated.
"I guess so….or maybe he just wanted me as a trophy...God, I was such an idiot" Gwen said, cursing herself.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up on that. He manipulated both of us" Peter said, patting her hand that she had placed on the table.
"Yes but I wasn't just referring to Harry...Peter...I...I'm still in love with you" Gwen said, grabbing his hand and holding on to it.
Peter looked from Gwen's face to her hand where it held his in a firm grasp.
"Gwen...this...this isn't the time or place to say this" Peter said trying to move his hand away but Gwen pulled it back.
"No, Peter, please listen. I...I felt awful ever since that day at Norman Osborn's funeral. I...I felt like I betrayed you when I just wanted to kiss you all over just to take away all the sadness I saw on your face that day...and that's not even considering...well..." Gwen said, stammering on her words.
"Considering what?" Peter asked with a raised eyebrow.
"P...Peter...I...I'm not supposed to say this...but I know why you were in the hospital a few weeks ago" Gwen said to Peter why a slight tear went down her face.
Peter just stared at her blankly while blinking slightly faster than usual.
"I...what do you mean?" Peter asked.
"I...I went to the hospital the day after the will reading. A worker told me about you...cutting yourself" Gwen said somberly.
Peter started blinking more quickly and his mouth was agape. He didn't have the slightest idea of what to say.
"I...what...how…" Peter stumbled on his questioning.
"I know I shouldn't have and it defies the privacy between doctor and patient but I just couldn't bear not knowing and when I heard...my heart just broke in two from just knowing about all the pain I caused you to go through. Peter...I'm in love with you...and I'm not just saying that. I truly am in love with you. I...I just want to know...is it truly too late...for us?" Gwen asked, looking hopefully into Peter's eyes.
Peter couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew he should feel uncomfortable and disoriented but he just felt...conflicted. However, he knew what he had to say.
"Gwen...listen...I...if this was a different scenario, a different time, a different place, I would say yes over and over but...this isn't going to happen. Not now. I can't give up what I have with Liz and Felicia. I...I'm sorry" Peter said, looking sympathetically into her eyes.
Gwen looked down to the table and sadly sighed.
"I guess I knew that was coming but Peter...I...I have to know...do you still have feelings for me?" Gwen asked, looking back up at the boy she loved.
"I...I would be lying if I said no. I'll always have some feelings for you, Gwen...but I'm walking on eggshells as it is with Liz and Felicia. I made Liz super angry when I broke it off with her and Felicia...she...she was mad at me for another reason, a reason that it's not really my place to say...and besides...I kind of still have hard feelings about you picking Harry over me. That...that healed a lot...but it didn't really leave" Peter said, his face turning a little more stern.
Gwen then raised an eyebrow, her face getting a little defensive.
"Uh, Peter, you know I regret that but it's not like I just decided then and there to stay with Harry. Remember the day at the funeral? You nodded at me, signaling me that it was ok if I stayed with him for a little while longer" Gwen stated.
"Gwen, I nodded at you because I was giving you permission to break our agreement. I did that because I realized at that time how important it was to you to be there for him. You had already made your choice. I was just giving you the go ahead and an assurance I wouldn't be mad. Suppose I shook my head no. Would you have broken up with him then?" Peter retorted back, his face getting sterner as well.
Gwen opened her mouth but no sounds came out. Peter did have a point. She wasn't going to break up with him then and there, especially with the mental state she thought he was in. However, she wasn't breaking her stride.
"Well...maybe not...but hey, don't pretend you're so innocent on stuff like this. Remember New Years? You chose Liz over me...when you called me on the phone! You think it was easy listening to that?" Gwen said, her voice raising. A few eyes started looking towards them.
"Oh, don't pretend that was at all similar to what we're talking about. She just came to my door and kissed me right on the spot. I didn't plan it and you didn't seem to have a hard time finding a good replacement. You got together with Harry, your other best friend and a rich kid. He was the best kind of boyfriend you could have at the moment" Peter said, defending his decision to get with Liz on New Year's Eve.
"Oh please. His idea of being a good boyfriend was taking me out to fancy restaurants and buying me expensive gifts. I wanted a boyfriend that I could talk to, could laugh with, could share my feelings with, not a sugar daddy. Harry...was a good friend...but I wanted you, Peter. Not him. No amount of gifts could atone for how I felt about you" Gwen said, her voice lowering, looking back into his eyes. Peter was forced to sit and look back.
"Well...I'm sorry, Gwen. Truly" Was all Peter could say.
Gwen just shook her head. "So what am I supposed to do? I'm still in love with you, Peter and I don't know how much I can take it seeing you be all lovey dovey with Liz and this...Felicia"
"I don't know, Gwen...but really, what do you expect me to do? Break up with both Liz and Felicia? After everything they've done for me? I can't do that" Peter tried to explain rationally.
"Well...maybe not...but I thought you had really wanted us to be together. I mean...why else would you...you know…" Gwen tried to say without saying the 'S' word.
"Well...I was drunk!...And really, why the hell shouldn't I have been? Because I had everything going for me? I had such good friends there for me? Besides Mary-Jane and my Aunt, I was completely alone. I felt like my life was just a bottomless pit of depression at that point so I was looking for a way out...and I tried to take the easy way...but...both Felicia and Liz came to my side at the darkest moment of my life. They comforted me, they assured me I wasn't truly alone. When I'm with them, I feel...whole. I...I'm falling for them. I really am...I can't mess this up again. So while a big part of me wishes we could've gotten together...it...it can't happen now...I really am sorry. I hope we can still be friends, Gwen and I hope you aren't too upset about this" Peter said, his voice getting lower.
Gwen examined Peter's face as he said all this. He was sincere and straight up with her. While his words saddened her deeply, she appreciated the sincerity of them. She looked momentarily down at the table with a tear falling down her face before looking back at him. The blonde gave a light smile.
"...I'm not angry, Peter. I...I guess I just needed closure. I'll be fine" Gwen said, hesitantly.
Peter smiled and patted her hand. "Thank you"
They sat in silence for a moment. After that, it was quite awkward. Peter just sat, twiddling his thumbs while Gwen took another sip of her coffee.
Desperate for any kind of change in the topic, Gwen suddenly remembered something.
"Hey, uh, Peter...Dr. Warren is kind of pissed you haven't been seen around the lab lately. I heard he was originally going to fire you but since word got out about you being the next head of Oscorp, he said he was willing to give you another chance...that is if you'd still like to intern at the lab" Gwen said, explaining the current situation at ESU.
Peter looked from his twiddling thumbs back up to the blonde.
"Um...about that...I'm not really sure about working with Dr. Warren. He...he's not really my kind of person, so to speak" Peter explained as gracefully as he could.
"Yeah, I get that he's not Dr. Connors but he's pretty smart and he's pretty ok to get along with. I mean I know you don't really need an internship anymore but it'd be something to do, you know?" Gwen asked, hopefully.
"Uh...yeah...I mean maybe I'll swing by every now and then but I can't really promise it" Peter said. He was actually hoping he could make a visit to the ESU lab fairly soon...but not for the reason Gwen was implying.
Gwen shrugged, a little disappointed by the lack of a yes. "I understand"
At that moment, they just sat and talked about other things like School, Peter's job at the Bugle, etc. The conversation faded away from any awkward topics and they then talked like they had always done before the end of the last school year.
*Rooftop across the street*
"That's our boy" Felicia said, smiling as she cut off her listening to the device from Peter's suit that he was wearing underneath his casual clothes.
"That's a relief. I just knew Gwen was going to try something like this" Liz said, glaring down at the blonde through the window.
"Yeah. I guess it was expected. She does seem to love him...and maybe it's the same the other way around too" Felicia said, quietly adding in the last part.
"You think we should confront her on this?" Liz asked, raising an eyebrow at the white haired woman.
"Nah...I think she got the message from Pete" Felicia said. However, she kind of got the feeling this wasn't the end of this. It seemed Peter still carried some feelings for Gwen and this may have some effects on their relationship. However, there was one thing that she knew was that she was not going to let a catch like Peter Parker go, especially not for a blonde of all people and she knew Liz was the same way.
"I guess I should get home now" Liz said, standing up on the building and stretching and wiping bits of small concrete rocks from her clothes. These were designer clothes too….
"Yeah, same here. Grab on" Felicia said, standing up and holding her hand out.
Liz groaned and held onto Felicia's side as she got out a sort of grappling claw as she shot it towards another building and swung them out into the night.