As promised, a chapter that focuses on Gwen doing actual hero stuff. Granted the end of it gets into mushy crap again, but that's what people want given the cavalcade of Gwen votes. I'll downplay it in future chapters, mostly cause writing it made me feel pretty cringy even if I can justify why they'd act like that in-universe.
After this I'll probably make the Frog-Man chapter. I think I've given people enough chances to gird their loins and prepare for his utter greatness. The true hero is coming, ladies and gents! I'll also make a Mayday/Spider-Girl omake to thank Nerdman3000 for expanding the tvtropes page.
Focusing on MJ, one of the issues a couple of people had was the one year timeskip and yet MJ's character seems to have been frozen from when V1 ended. I'll try to remedy and explain this a bit in the next chapters. Anyway, new cover focusing on Scarlet MJ :)
On a side note, a lot of the people who were all for the threesome seemed really invested in adding the symbiotes into the mix...and at least a couple didn't even want Gwen and MJ in, just Noir and the symbiotes. Guys, I know Lana mentioned reading Punisher/Noir doujins but that doesn't mean he's a super bottom. That and I doubt he's into Carnage considering past experiences.
Gwen woke up alone again.
"God damn it, Peter..." Gwen groaned softly and sat up, rubbing her eyes as she did. She'd fallen asleep next to him and now she was all alone; even Webster was sleeping on a pile of chocolate next to the bed. Was it too much to ask not to feel like she was at the end of a bad one night stand? "MJ's probably gone too..." Off doing her...thing. That red bastard should've died with Kasady.
She swung her legs over the edge and stood on her bare feet with a small yawn. Today was one of her rare free days, which meant being free to go on patrol without having to worry about some kind of homework or project due in a couple of days. She had to admit, getting into college hadn't been easy. Days of nothing but patrol or Avengers work had quickly tapered off into meticulously planned schedules and trying to juggle both school and hero work, at times to mixed success.
She technically didn't need to go. Being an Avenger didn't have any degree requirements and money was hardly tight, all things considered. Still, she couldn't deny that a part of her wanted this: to be normal, to go through college like her dad wanted even if she was pretty sure being an Avengers was for life thing. Besides, it couldn't hurt to get a better idea on what made criminals tick, even if she had some doubts on the accuracy of those Supervill Analysis courses. Last she checked Shocker's quilt fetish wasn't because he felt a special connection to his grandmother.
Gwen poured her cereal (chocolate, of course) and idly watched the news. Nothing special: a few political debates (skip), a new Supervill team that got stopped by the Initiative (thank you, Cap) and a group of Skrull sympathizers who screeched about how the green aliens who tried to flatten the city with a Godzilla monster were just misunderstood (chipped away at her faith in humanity).
Things had been uneventful for the past few weeks. Ever since they stopped H.Y.D.R.A and the Initiative really took off there'd been a noticeable lack of of city destroying, world ending threats that needed their attention; even her usual patrol beats were covered by Initiative recruits. Don't get her wrong, she's glad for that, but it still took some getting used to the idea that the city wouldn't suddenly be blown up just because she decided to stay in and pig out on some pop tarts.
Webster crawled out of the room and shut the door behind her, "Morning." The blob waved hi before it opened the fridge and pulled out its daily assortment of cookies, chocolate syrup and ice cream. At this point Gwen was pretty sure Webster didn't need all of that and she was just spoiled for sweets. Last she checked ice cream and tater tots didn't have Phenethylamine or whatever it was called.
Webster took a seat opposite her on the table and ate, "Gwen, we're running low on ice cream."
"Again? I just bought a tub like a couple of days ago." Webster 'shrugged' and continued to eat without pause, "...I think we need to put you on a diet. You've been pigging out way more than usual lately."
"You weren't complaining when I helped you lift that building. And that train. And that crashing jumbo jet-"
"Alright, geez, I'm nothing without you and you complete me! You don't have to rub it in..." She coulda sworn the little blob smiled at that. Ever since they'd re-bonded the little gal seemed to pick up on her (awesome) sense of humor, "Still, you really do need to pace yourself. The corner store's selling out more than we can buy at this point." That and the cashier was wondering how she never gained weight despite buying up practically their entire sweets aisle.
"Then let's goT on patrol to 'burn the fat'."
"...You just want an excuse to pass by the new ice cream place, don't you?"
"Superheroes get half off according to the latest promotion."
She laughed under her breath and, after finishing her meal, rejoined with Webster again. Going on patrol now actually did sound good. Tomorrow she'd probably have to study for Prof Warren's test, so a little Spider-Woman time would do her some good.
There wasn't much to do. She passed by a few Initiative hopefuls who greeted her happily (she returned the favor) and swung by the the ice cream place at about noon. Only two muggings and one attempted kidnapping, so it was a pretty slow day all around.
She sat at the edge of a building and dug into the ice cream. Sometimes she found it hard to believe that it'd only been a year since it all ended, and even less than that when the Initiative first started out. Despite her doubts she really couldn't deny that Cap was right in encouraging Heroes. She really didn't want to think what would've happened with H.Y.D.R.A or those Skrulls without the Avengers around.
A buzzing from her phone drew her attention. Gwen tapped the screen and smiled when she saw the message from her mom. She'd gone to France with Ben and May shortly after Peter left and from what she heard she was doing well with her own flower shop. A fresh start just like she wanted. Gwen missed her, of course, but they could always visit one another. It wasn't a goodbye.
Speaking of moms...
She tapped the screen to call Jessica, "Hey, Jess."
"Hey. Bored?"
"You know me so well." She finished off the last of the ice cream and ignored Webster's plea for seconds. She really needed to put her on a diet, "What happened to the Valdez thing? Still need help?"
"Nah, I already got the pics. Now I just gotta tell the grieving wife her limpdick hubby was putting it up his boyfriends' asses." Gwen sighed sympathetically. It was bad enough to find out your husband was cheating, but finding out he was doing it with other men? That'd leave a mark for a while, "After that I got the pizza case. You can come with if you want, but it's just gonna be more stalking and waiting."
The glamorous life of the private investigator wasn't as exciting as the tv shows made it out to be. Most of the time it was a lot of following around cheating spouses and insurance fraudsters and taking pictures at just the right moment. After that it was telling the unlucky husbands and wives that their suspicions were right or getting a shylock fired for wasting company benefits. The latter was a hell of a lot easier than the former.
Gwen chatted with Jessica for a few more minutes before she heard the distant booms, "Gotta go, Jess." She cut the call and swung to the source of the sound. The blonde Spider landed on a nearby rooftop and groaned when she saw the five figures rushing down the street.
The Sinister Six; though she heard rumors that they were relabeling into the Fearsome Five. She recognized almost of them: Shocker, Boomerang, Overdrive and Beetle made up the first for while the last one was someone new. A long haired brunette woman wearing leather that left way too much of her chest exposed. There was a thin line between confidence and exhibitionism.
'Aren't these guys supposed to be in jail?' The amount of breakouts had been drastically reduced ever since Wasp introduced the idea of using Dyne particles to deter prison breaks (not much you could do at an inch tall) and save resources. There were complaints about possible abuse, of course, so right now it was only on a trial basis with the Raft as the testing ground. Easy enough to see why - Supervillains had a much higher chance of busting out and causing trouble and Supermax prisoners in general were dangerous enough that people were easier to convince that security needed to be measured up.
It looked like a typical heist. Boomerang and Beetle were carrying sacks filled with either cash or diamonds while Overdrive bolted for the closest car. Meanwhile Shocker and Leather Lady were fighting off the cops, the former with his handblasts and the latter by...making them naked?
Gwen almost looked away when the closest cop was stripped down to his birthday suit. The poor guy screamed and immediately rushed to cover his privates while Leather Lady laughed her ass off. Yup, definitely an exhibitionist.
She swung down and got Overdrive first. The helmeted Supervillain had barely started to transform the car before she yanked him out of the driver's seat and webbed him to the wall, "Stay there for just a second!"
"Woah, Spider-Woman! This is so awesome!" Yep, definitely a Superhero fanboy. It was kinda creepy, actually, "Could I get a pic later?"
"Seriously?" Gwen rolled her eyes.
"Oh, hell no! Not you again!" Beetle cried.
"Yep! Long time no see, Beetle!" Gwen dodged her laser blast and webbed both her gauntlets together. The armored woman tried to charge at her anyway and Gwen jumped over her, kicked her to the wall next to Overdrive and covered her with a metric ton of webbing.
"God damn it, not again!" She screamed.
The remaining three were running away without even looking back while the cops regrouped. Gwen swung over them and yanked the sack of loot from Boomerang's arms, "City full of goody two shoes and we gotta run into you!" Boomerang shouted and tossed both 'rangs at her.
Gwen grabbed them mid-flight and tossed them back, "Yep, aren't you the lucky ones!" He was hit twice, one in the gut and the other in right in his face. Boomerang crumpled to the ground with a pitiable groan and Gwen stuck him to the ground almost as an afterthought.
Two left.
Leather Lady stopped while Shocker kept running, "Let's see how you like this." Leather Lady actually floated a few feet off the ground. Gwen landed on a nearby lamppost and debated whether to kick her out of the air now before she suddenly pointed both hands at Gwen, "Take this!"
"..."
"..."
They stared at each other in awkward silence. Gwen looked down at the slightly shaking surface of her wrist and turned back to her, "Um...is something supposed to happen here?"
"You're supposed to be stripped down to nothing." Leather Lady's face screwed up in concentration. Again, nothing more than a slight tingle from her wrists, "...That's not cloth, is it?"
'Nope.'
"So...I'm gonna punch you now, alright?"
"...Sure."
Gwen left her tied up at the same lamppost and swung after the last remaining member. She almost felt sorry now. The loot was long gone and none of the police got hurt apart from the poor guy who lost even his tighty whities.
It didn't help much that he looked honest to God scared of her.
"Hermann, buddy, where ya going!?"
"Just stay the hell away from me!" He shot down at the ground and propelled himself up. He landed on a roof and kept boosting like a chipmunk on a sugar rush, "Just leave me the hell alone!"
He was really scared of her.
'That's your fault, by the way.'
'Our symbiosis wasn't proper back then. You didn't even really trust me.' Webster 'huffed'.
'Yeah, well, now Shocker thinks we're gonna eat him.'
'That's dumb. He wouldn't taste very good. Not enough chocolate.'
'...It worries me that that's the first thing that comes to mind for you.'
The chase didn't last much longer. As soon as Shocker landed on a high enough rooftop she webbed one of his gauntlets and yanked it out of his arms. He barely had time to raise his second one when she did the same and webbed them both to the surface of the roof under a thick blanket of webbing. No way he was getting those now.
Gwen stuck him to the wall with his feet hanging inches from the ground. He struggled against the webbing desperately, "Help! Anyone, help!" Was he really screaming for help? The fuck? Alright, she'd be the first to admit her last episode wasn't ideal, but what the hell? You'd think he'd figure out that she wasn't going to go apeshit after she helped save the city from aliens.
"Alright, Hermann, we need to talk." She leaned against the wall on her right shoulder with her arms crossed a fair distance from him. Any closer and he might've pissed himself and neither of them wanted that.
"Wh-What about?"
"Your little prison break. See, I know for a fact that you and the rest of your little group were in the Raft and that right now you shouldn't be more than six inches." It seemed sort of unfair at first, but considering they'd broken out about half a dozen times already she was less sympathetic than she probably should've been, "So, how'd you get out? Dyne particles to reverse the shrinking don't come cheap."
"I-I-I ain't telling you anything!" That might have been more convincing if she didn't see his teeth chattering through his mask, "I ain't a snitch, Spider-Woman! Trust's the only thing we got left in this business!"
"Hermann, seriously, I'm asking nicely here-"
"Go to hell!"
Gwen breathed in through her nostrils as a wave of irritation washed through her. Alright, if that was how he wanted to play, "Alright, fine, I was hungry anyway."
It took a second for the words to register and as soon as they did he looked like he was gonna have a panic attack then and there, "Y-You stay away from-"
"Honestly, you know how hard it was to hold back a year ago? Only reason I didn't was cause you were so helpful." She raised her right hand to her face and made a show of casually checking her nails while Shocker's struggling worsened. She felt kinda guilty, but she wasn't really gonna touch the guy. Cap once told her that making the interrogatee think about what could happen to them was worse than what you actually would do to them.
"I...I can't tell you, I'll be-"
"Man, it's been a while since I got a good snack. I mean, people are always taking pics so I could never sneak off a bite, but now? Well, look around you, buddy, there's no one here." She made a wide gesture to the deserted rooftop. Shocker's breathing worsened when she put a hand on her chin and leaned in closer to size him up, "Hmm, bit on the chewy side by the looks of you, but I've had worse. Say, you're not too attached to that hand, are you? I'm craving me some fingers-"
"Alright, alright, alright! I'll talk!" Shocker was full on hyperventilating now. She bit down her apology and stepped back, "Look, it's the same guy who busted us out before."
"You mean Hobgoblin." She'd tried to find leads on him over the past year and came up with zilch. It was always the same story - dead drops, friends of friends and agents who were nothing more than hired guns. Nothing to go on.
"Y-Yeah. See, he's makin' some moves. I heard through the grapevine that he's making friends with some out of towner called Scorpion."
"Yeah, I know the guy." Cindy'd want to know he was back in town. At least the deal was null and void now, "What's he got to do with Dyne particles?"
"You didn't hear it from me, but apparently he has an in at Dyne industries. Someone's smugglin' him some of those reverser growth particle things and he's making bank on it." Right...she needed to tell Wasp about that too. Last thing she wanted was a Godzilla sized White Rabbit or Bodega Bandit, "This job was supposed to pay back the cost of what it took to set us free."
"Well, at least you'll get free room and board again, Hermann. Heard those are going at a premium now." He grunted in annoyance, seemingly forgetting his previous fear. Good, she was actually feeling pretty bad about that, "I'll tell em to lighten up on you on your next trial for being such a good little boy."
"Look, would you just leave me alone? You being so close is giving me the heebie jeebies."
"Sure. And make sure to keep those hands clean from now on or I might be tempted to get a little snack next time we do this."
Shocker shuddered and she didn't get a chance to say she was just kidding before she heard more screams in the distance. That didn't sound good, "Wait here for the cops, Hermy. They usually pick up in an hour." Waving goodbye (and ignoring his calls to at least unbind his legs), she swung off into the source of the light while messaging both Cindy and Wasp with her free hand. Sooner they patched those holes the better.
The sight that greeted her made her pause. Crowds of screaming people and giant Lizards chasing after them. Now the kind of Lizards she was used to, though. These ones were gray in color and far smaller, resembling a regular human in height and stature if not for the dull scales and their oversized mouths. Most of them even still had hair and the remains of what looked like patient gowns.
'Webster?'
'They aren't the same.'
She was both relieved and frustrated to hear that. On the one hand it meant the Lizard serum wasn't being spread around again, on the other it meant she couldn't just cure these people like she did the others a year ago.
Gwen jumped into the fray. She webbed a nearby Lizard's jaw shut and snagged another's back when it tried to jump for a screaming woman, "Hey, none of that!" She landed, spun him around briefly then tossed him into the clustered group of Lizards, "Run!" She screamed at some of the still stunned crowd. The yell seemed to finally jolt them out of their shock and they continued their screaming retreat.
She rushed to the biggest cluster. Gwen made sure to hold her punches back to just what was needed. For all she knew these people were just victims like the poor people S.I.L.K kidnapped so it wouldn't do to hurt them needlessly.
"Come on, you guys, it's a Spider-Woman buffet!"
One of them managed to chomp on her shoulder. It didn't hurt, and she could've sworn the gray reptile's eyes widened when it suddenly found its mouth practically wired shut with a sticky black substance, 'Thank you, Webster.' Her shoulder immediately healed itself as another Lizard tried to chomp on her arm. It had about as much luck as its friend did.
A few of the Lizards seemed to notice that she wasn't going down and tried to slip past her to the fleeing crowd. Gwen lashed her left arm out and made a makeshift clothesline out of a tentacle just before they passed. Most of them were hit in the face and fell back from the impact while a couple managed to duck under just in time to avoid faceplanting into the asphalt.
She twisted and aimed at their backs with her free hand before the bright light almost blinded her. Gwen shut her eyes and turned away automatically, 'Careful, Gwen.' Her body moved on its own and she flipped sideways just before one of the Lizards chomped down where her head was. Probably wouldn't have hurt her, but she didn't want slobber on her mask.
She landed on the ground and they kicked the closest Lizard's jaw before she turned back to the two that slipped past her, "...Huh." The two Lizards were knocked out and the figure standing above them was...hard to describe. He looked like he stepped straight out of a comic book: a dark green bodysuit that covered everything from the neck down with long blonde hair that reached almost all the way down to his waist. There were bright orbs of light all around him and his eyes were covered in a bright yellow glow that added an almost ethereal feel to him.
"Spider-Woman, watch out!" He flew past her and punched a charging Lizard right in the jaw.
"Thanks!" Snapping out of her short-lived shock, she focused her attention back to the remaining Lizards.
With the both of them it took no time at all to finish off the remaining half dozen Lizards. Gwen webbed the last one to the ground and wiped slobber from her knuckles. No deaths from either the Lizards or the innocent people. She'd consider that a victory, "Need to tell Wasp about these..." She knelt down to the closest unconscious man-reptile and frowned. The last thing they needed was someone trying to recreate the Lizard.
Hell, knowing Jameson he'd probably try to pin it on Peter, the ass.
"Spider-Woman?" She looked back and found blonde light guy staring at her with an undecipherable expression.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks for the team-up." She pushed herself up to her feet and looked up at a nearby building. Cops were coming but she didn't need to stick around. Wasn't like giant rampaging Lizards needed proof for arrest, "I gotta go. Gimme a heads up if you need me to return the favor." That was how most team ups went, really. Initiative members tended to patrol either in teams or pairs and sticking around after a fight was pretty rare; mostly cause the last person who left was stuck talking to the cops and that took a while sometimes.
She'd made it to a far enough building before she heard him again, "Ah, wait!" She looked back just as he landed beside her. She had to admit, she kinda wished she could fly too. Web swinging was definitely a thrill, but floating through the air like Peter Pan sounded cool too.
'I'm sorry for disappointing you.'
'That's not what I meant and you know it.' She rolled her eyes. Webster would probably use it to guilt trip her for more chocolate, "Oh, hey. What's up? Something wrong?"
"No, but..." He crossed his arms and considered his next words, "I was hoping we could chat. It's been a while since we've last conversed after all."
"Huh? We met before?" She definitely didn't remember someone who looked like they stepped out of an Amazingman comic.
"Oh, but of course. I have no doubt you wouldn't recognize me given my altered appearance." His long blonde hair shortened into a darker shade and the bright lights disappeared to expose a...vaguely familiar face, "It's nice to see you again."
"Uh, you too...Mr. Roxxon." Phew, dodged a bullet there. The last time she met the guy she distinctly remembered cussing him out for shit talking Peter before Tony Stark interrupted. She would've thought the guy would stay as far away from her after that, but the look on his face said 'no hard feelings', "I didn't know you were a Superhero. Didn't see you on the Initiative list."
"Yes, it's rather new." He chuckled.
"Huh...well, thanks again for the help. Like I said, if you need me to pay back the favor you just gotta ask. I'm good for it."
"Yes, I'm well aware." He chuckled again, "Actually, I was hoping to ask it of you now."
"Alright, shoot."
"I haven't actually registered with the Initiative yet due to how recently I gained these gifts, so could you please join me on patrol? With you vouching for me I won't be cast with suspicious glances." Huh, that seemed harmless enough. It still made her laugh sometimes that Spider-Woman was considered a good authority on character. Sometimes she still expected the curtain to fall and things to fuck her again.
"Fine by me. You wanna go on patrol? I still got some hours to kill." Peter said he was coming over in a few hours so until then she was good.
"Yes. Let's go."
It'd been a while since she patrolled with another person. Sure there was Kate and Cindy, but they tended to stick around to their own little haunts and only called for backup if villains tried to set an ambush. She and Roxxon wandered around aimlessly and stopped whatever crime they could. No more Supervillains for the rest of the day, at least, so it wasn't all bad.
It was close to 5 in the afternoon by the time she decided to call it quits, "Thirsty?" He nodded and she got two sodas from the closest vending machine. She tossed one to him and zipped up to a nearby skyscraper so she could watch the setting sun. She sat down on the edge of the roof and Roxxon sat close next to her. Gwen subtly scooted away; she liked her personal space and she didn't know the guy too well.
"A nice view," he said after a few seconds of silence.
"Yep." She needed to take Peter here sometime. Sure, she liked just spending time in the apartment, but it was nice to get out sometime. That and she missed their pizza dates.
"I'd like to thank you for helping me out today."
"It's cool. You helped me out and I helped you out. Tit for tat."
"Perhaps, but I am still grateful for showing me the ropes." The guy held himself up pretty well for a newbie. Somewhat clumsy, but who was she to judge on that? It took months of She-Hulk and Cap training her before she stopped relying on Bruce Lee films to fight and even then she still slipped back sometimes, "Perhaps we could meet again after this?"
"Sure. I'll give you my prioricard number." It was mostly used to call for SOS and tracking and a way to avoid getting spammed with messages. She still kinda regretted giving Gayle her phone considering the amount of spam messages she got.
"I was hoping to meet outside of patrol. Outside the masks, if you will."
"Oh..." She took a sip of her Professor Pop, "Well, I'm actually pretty testy about my secret identity." Kinda came with the whole 'hunted down for allegedly murdering her best friend for two whole years' thing.
"Ah...well, I assumed since I'd revealed my identity..."
"Yeah, sorry." It wasn't like she asked him to do that. She would've been fine with Will O' The Wisp (the name he introduced himself to citizens as), "I've got...trust issues." It wasn't a lie, at least. That was what Cindy's psychologist said.
"Aren't there others aware of your identity?"
"Sure, but I've been through a lot with them. I trust them."
"...And Spider-Man?"
Gwen raised a brow. Singling him out wasn't odd - blurting out 'I love you' on a live interview tended to do that - but it still annoyed her somewhat, "I trust him too." She finished off the last of her soda and took out a disposable copy of her prioricard, "Here, use this if you wanna team-up." She placed the card between them with a bit more force than necessary and pulled her mask back down.
She wanted to go home.
Roxxon looked like he wanted to say something else, but she was swinging away before he could get a word in. Gwen put him out of her mind and by the time she arrived back home her slight irritation had completely waned away. She swung into her room and shifted back into a more casual outfit as she made her way to the living room door, "Is that...bacon?"
Her face broke out in a smile when she opened the door and was greeted by Peter's with an honest to god apron hovering over the stove. The dinner table was filled to the brim with plated of most of her favorites, "Hey, Gwen." He turned back and gave her a small smile, "I got here a bit early so I thought I could cook something up."
"If you're trying to convince me that you're the best roommate ever, it's working." She sat down on the table while he grabbed some meat from a nearby plastic bag and began grilling, "Come on, let's eat."
"It's fine, you go ahead." He waved a hand through the air and she dug in after only some slight hesitation. Webster separated from her and landed on the table with a dull plop. She wasn't one for meat.
Gwen opened the fridge door with a quick web yank and frowned slightly when she saw the chocolate was gone, "Hey, you seen any chocolate bars around? Coulda sworn I still had some left over."
"Oh, I used them for something." He gestured a lightly boiling pot. Webster whined and rubbed up against her hands, "I got this recipe while I was over in France. Place gives me nightmares, but they know how to use chocolate." He let the meat fry and grabbed the pot full of chocolate along with a plate full of cookies and placed them on the table next to Webster, "I'm not one for sweets, so I hope it's alright."
As soon as he opened the lid and exposed the the light brown concoction inside Webster immediately perked up. She peeked over the edge of the still-hot pot and gingerly picked up one of the cookies to dip it inside. Gwen could practically feel the symbiote salivating as she pulled the treat out and absorbed it into her goopy form.
All was quiet for a few seconds before Webster suddenly spoke up.
"Gwen, marry him."
"Wh-What?" She nearly choked on her roast beef.
"You have my approval. Marry him. Actually, please do." Webster grabbed two chocolate covered cookies and gorged them down hungrily, "But he must make these every day. No exceptions."
"I guess the kid likes em." Peter laughed under his breath and his cheeks were slightly red. She wanted to see more of that, "I've picked up a few other things. I'll see what I can do."
He grabbed the grilled meat and set it down on a large plate before sitting across from her. This was...nice. Just the three of them eating (or nibbling, in Peter's case) and talking about anything that came to mind. Gwen couldn't stop herself from giggling when Webster draped herself over Peter's arm and started begging for more chocolate. He looked honestly confused on what he should do.
"You know, we never really talked about where you'd be rooming," she said conversationally, "Assuming MJ doesn't move out, I mean."
"I thought I'd take the couch." He set Webster down gingerly and tried to ignore her 'purring', "Seemed obvious enough."
"Yeah, well...why don't we room together? It might be a bit of a tight fit, but we're both pretty flexible."
"Oh, um...well, I wouldn't be against it." It intrigued her how easily he could shift. He could aim a gun at someone's head without flinching but the thought of even going out on a date made him a hesitant, blushing mess. Was it wrong for her to want to see more of it? For most of the time she knew him he'd always kept up the mask of Spider-Man even after he grew to trust her. Seeing his red cheeks and nervous smiles felt like he was finally letting her see more of Peter Parker.
Gwen knew why, of course. Ever since he woke up in that alley he'd barely had a chance to be anything but Spider-Man. There were times when they could both let go of the masks, but with monsters like Murderdock and that bastard Jack it was hard to let your guard down for more than a few seconds. It was the main reason why she'd been so insistent on him attending ESU. He needed a life outside of the mask.
She touched his thigh with her foot and almost grinned at his surprised look, trying to ignore her own burst of embarrassment. She wasn't what you could call flirty. She knew how it worked, but Betty and MJ were better at the 'game' than she ever was. It wasn't like it mattered much - she didn't care about dating for years and her relationship with Peter could hardly be considered normal.
"I...I'm going somewhere in a bit." He coughed.
"Oh? Too bad." She dragged it up lazily up his thigh while Webster looked between them. It didn't take long for her to figure out what was happening and she immediately jumped to the couch and turned on the tv to prepare to drown them out, "You gotta leave right now?"
"Well...I guess I can stay for a bit longer." Peter smiled back at her.
An hour later and Peter was getting ready to leave. Gwen smiled and sat up, the blanket covering her bare chest, and playfully smacked his bottom, "Good luck saving the city." He rolled his eyes in amusement and was out before she knew it. She sat at the bed for a few more seconds before pushing herself up and stretching out her arms above her head. Good thing MJ wasn't around to see her.
She put on a loose shirt and some underwear before she joined Webster in the living room/kitchen. The little blob was actually licking the bottom of the bowl of Peter's chocolate fondue thing.
"Okay, Webs, we need to talk." Gwen stuck her hand out and Webster immediately jumped to rejoin her. The two of them went to the bathroom and Gwen turned on the faucet, "You've been pigging out way more the past couple months. What the hell's going on?" She splashed some water on her face and let the cool water jolt her awake. Maybe she could get some patrolling done again-
'I...think I'm what humans call pregnant.'
Well...shit.
Lana yawned and adjusted her place on the waiting room chair while Gabe checked something on his phone next to her. All around them were a few other milling patients and nurses passing from room to room tending to the patients.
She still didn't like hospitals. It seemed like every time she went here things went to absolute shit - that fucker Kasady, that electric bitch with a god complex...at this point she expected it to get nuked from orbit the second she took a step inside. Nothing so far, but it'd only been about an hour. She wasn't counting her shitty luck out just yet.
She adjusted her legs to get some blood back into them and sagged in her seat. The only reason she and Gabe were here was to visit that girl, Aracely. The hospital wasn't able to dig up any papers on her - surprise, surprise...not - and as the person who brought her to the hospital she felt sort of responsible to make sure she was alright in lieu of any other family. Gabe came along too, mostly cause Lana couldn't speak of a lick of Spanish.
Thankfully most of the people didn't recognize her without her costume. There was a guy about a couple of years older than her who asked for an autograph, which she reluctantly agreed to so they wouldn't cause a scene. A little boy in a patient gown who looked about 6 or 7 stared at her as he passed and she grinned and waved at him, which caused him to laugh. Kids were easier most of the time.
"Looking for your new target, Reyes?" She asked softly enough that no one else could hear.
"N-No, just checking the news..." he mumbled. For a guy who snuck into criminal hideouts he definitely didn't have the ego to come with it.
"Hey, cheer up. If it weren't for you me and Anya wouldn't have found those assholes." She clapped his back encouragingly.
"It was nothing, you guys did all the work..."
"...Yeah, we really need to work on your confidence issues."
A nurse came up to them both and told them to go to room 307. Lana went inside with Gabe and the younger girl on the bed immediately perked up, "Ah mi héroe!" Well, she didn't need Gabe to tell her what that meant. The doctor at her side - rotund blonde man who introduced himself as Donald Meland a night prior - smiled at them both and continued monitoring the girl's heart rate as she babbled, "Te escuché peleando en la caja. ¡Parecías tan enojado!"
"She said she heard you fightig while she was in the crate and that you sounded angry."
"Yeah, well, they were a bunch of assholes." Gabriel didn't translate it back for her, "So...are you alright now?" That one he actually did.
"Sí. Deshidratación, inanición, pero sin heridas."
"She says that she was hungry and thirsty, but apart from that no wounds." That must've been what the IV was for.
"Ms. Baumgartner, could I speak to you outside?" Dr. Meland said. She nodded and followed him out while Gabriel continued to chat with the girl, "Given what you told us before, I assume it's fair to say that this is your first meeting with her and you had no prior relations?"
"Yeah, why?"
"That...makes things a bit more difficult." He frowned. Not a good sign, "We couldn't find papers on her the night prior, but that's to be expected given the rushed state she was in. We looked closer and searched up her full name on every known database we had and came up with nothing. I think it's fair to say that Ms. Penalba is not an American citizen."
"She was in a fucking cargo crate. I coulda told you she wasn't from here." Lana scoffed, "What about it?"
"It concerns what'll happen after she recovers." His expression was troubled, "Ignoring the cost of treatment since it wasn't as expensive as we expected, she has no place to stay. She has no papers and when asked about family she claims to not remember anything outside of her own name. This isn't that shocking due to the traumatic experience she just underwent, but it does make things...difficult."
"Difficult how?"
"The most likely scenario is she's going to be deported," he said grimly. It was clear from his expressions and tone that he was just as put off as she was, "No papers, no memory...there won't be much mercy for her once this is reported to the authorities."
"The fuck? If she doesn't remember anything then how do you guys know where to even put her?!"
"We're not doing anything of the sort. We're a hospital, nothing more and nothing less. I'm simply telling you the most likely sequence of events." They both looked back into the room. Aracely was smiling and talking to Gabe. She stopped and waved at them happily, which Lana forced herself to return, "We'll do our best to accommodate her. I simply thought you should know since you have the most investment in her well-being so far."
"Yeah, thanks..." Lana turned away from Aracely and scowled, "Look, I'll pay for her hospital bills, don't worry." Least she'd be using her 'daddy's' allowance for something worthwhile. If he didn't like it, tough, "Look, I'll...thanks for telling me."
Lana shouldn't have cared. Sure she could feel bad, but she'd already saved the poor girl from being pimped out to some depraved fuckhead who'd use her like she was a sex doll to get his dick wet. She'd done enough.
Then again, the nagging fucking voice at the back of her head said, Pete shouldn't have cared about you either after he saved you.
"Something wrong, Lana?" Gabe asked.
"Nothing, just...talked to the doctor about some things."
"... Estas preocupado por mi?" Lana shook her head at Gabe; she didn't want him to translate anymore.
"Yeah...hey, listen I'm gonna take off, yeah? I'll come visit you tomorrow." She needed to clear her head and think of something, even if she already knew it was pointless. The only one who could do anything for her was William, and she'd be fucked if she was gonna put that girl not being deported into the streets on his choice. She waited for Gabe to leave before she started walking out.
"Estaré bien. Por favor cuídate, Lana. Las cosas no terminarán aquí. Para cualquiera de nosotros."
Lana stopped. Did she ever tell Aracely her name? She shook her head. She was just being paranoid.
She went her separate ways with Gabe and took the all too familiar train to Queens. She still went here sometimes to hang out with Gayle when she had some free time. Pete told her he was having dinner at the Watsons and invited her to come along. She accepted. Besides, it'd be nice to see him again.
Lana stopped when she saw the familiar figure sitting on the bench close to the drop off. He looked different, but then again so did she. Puberty hit her 'like she was a cheap hooker and her pimp had mommy issues', to use her mom's joke. She was practically as tall as him now (though that wasn't exactly hard...) and she'd lost the last of that baby fat and replaced it with lean muscle. That one she placed more on the Initiative training, though. Their drill sergeant could be a right bastard about keeping them in shape.
"Hey, kid."
"Don't call me that."
She hugged him. He stumbled slightly at the sudden embrace but quickly stabilized himself. Lana laughed and pressed her face against the crook of his neck, ignoring the the tickle of the stubble on her skin. It'd been a whole year. A whole year since she could actually talk to him through anything outside of a cellphone screen; and even that was hit or miss. Some of the places he went to didn't have the best cell signals.
They separated eventually and walked side by side to the Watson house as he filled her in, "You remember Mary, right? Your friend's older sister?" She nodded, "Well, she's been having some...issues with that thing on her." She nodded again. She didn't know as much about that as much as them, but it didn't take a genius to figure out Kasady's monster wasn't nice, "I was hoping that we could help her out."
"Pete, I really don't think either of us are psychiatry material." She laughed under her breath.
"Me either, but I think we can still help." Lana shrugged and rang the doorbell. Fine, how bad could it be?
Making some progress. I originally planned for the second segment to be Cindy focused but I switched to Lana to make the POV changes more balanced. Next chapter (after possibly Frog-Man) will focus on Mary Jane and either Gwen or Cindy. Something tells me Gwen's bombshell at the end is gonna complicate the living arrangements between the three.
Questions:
1. More a question, but for the people who read through all the romances did you guys prefer Noir/Gwen - strained, prone to arguments and the pair tried to change the other - or Original Noir/Shadowcat - casual, violent and less judgmental. I tried to write the relationships as foils (Laura's presence helped) to one another and I'm curious which one people preferred.
2. So...do you guys want more of the mushy stuff like the end of the Gwen segment or do we hold off now?
Review Answers:
Raymond49090rc - Nope. There was an entire thing in the last volume where Teresa healed him and Gwen is very relieved he can see again.
Titan616 - Matt's history is hard to gauge since it's so damn contradictory due to him and the Beast giving accounts that really don't match up. For example, apparently he'd been possessed for at least ten years given Moon Knight fought him in the past and yet he mentions trying to kill himself and only getting possessed when he saw Gwen, which happened just a few months prior to the start of V1.
We could argue he was a criminal before possession, but remember Noir allied with the likes of Bullseye and Punisher; why would a depowered Matt be considered more dangerous? Cloak and Dagger's name reversal is addressed later and as for Felicia - Felicia's help is optional. Cindy was expected to handle this on her own so S.H.I.E.L.D isn't paying for a partner. I mean, the polices station won't comp a cop if he says he wants to hire a P.I, right?
Leaptallfics - Yes, monogamy is a choice, at least to me. Being attracted to someone else while having a partner isn't being non-monogamous. Gwen could find MJ attractive but if that's all she does and sticks to making kissy faces only at Peter then she's monogamous; action is what counts here. That and, while a 3-way relationship is a good writing challenge, I'm not sure I'm up to it. I can barely write regular romance.
Bagration - Yes, Scarlet MJ is indeed thicc, as you can see in the new cover. Also, yeah, Gwen needs to learn to keep her mouth shut. Even Venom was embarassed for her this chapter.
Noisy-Cricket - Those kinds of double dillemas fit Gwen more since she has an active secret identity. Noir lost his because of Jack and can presumably just keep switching identities given he has little known friends/family in New York and he's friends with the likes of Cindy and Moon Knight.
Guest 1 - Change to an M rating? I think it's working out fine so far. That and I get more reviews this way, I think.
Anti-W.T.F - Well, Sinister Six in this chapter. Problem comes that the most dangerous members (Ock, Venom, Electro, Sandman) either don't exist in this verse or were already killed, leaving just the joke version from Superior Foes. Those guys couldn't fight regular Spidey, what more a Venom powered one?
Road Back feels superfluous now that Original Noir's back home. As for Frog-Man...well, his epic rivalry with Frog-Man is the stuff of legends, as always. While Noir's fighting centuries old ninjas and Gwen's dealing with a criminal mastermind CEO, Frog-Man's fighting a bored millionaire with a bunny fetish. Clearly he knows what's up.
SHIPWRECK-5897 - Divorce and adultery? You seem cynical. Anyway, that kind of chapter seems needless since the main story already tackles the Peter/Gwen romance.
Guest 2 - Christ Carter effect is hard to gauge since fanfics generally have lower standards. As for the second trope, we'll see. Some people might not like the direction of MJ's character.
DigitalEmperor001 - What are you talking about? Noir just met a completely revamped Norah at a museum; that was totally originally planned ;)
Shothero - No more power-ups. The characters already got them in V1 and in the timeskip they leveled up experience wise so they don't struggle as much in fights. MJ's the exception and that's justified by her being scared of Carnage's full powers.
Victorules - Been getting your reviews for V1 for a while. Finished already? That was fast. As for Laura? We can't be sure. It's not like anyone in the cast would keep in contact with her, though the way her segment ended up indicates she'd be back in Earth-65 after a couple of weeks. She's likely in school given both Original Noir's and Shadowcat's
Vitiate - Welcome :) Carnage/MJ a bond? It seems like MJ still hates it. As for naming, Gwen isn't too bad. She probably had a hand in naming her new little sister and Helena's a decent enough name. Noir just sucks, which is odd considering he had a penchant for nicknames early on - White Widow (Gwen), Summers (Norah), Cat (Felicia), Brother (Original Noir) etc etc.
