Gwen was waiting on him the next morning as he emerged from his apartment; her back against the wall - hands buried in the shallow pockets of her puffy jacket. She looked up at him quickly and smiled; matching his stride as they made their way down the quiet hallway side by side.
"Thanks for coming with me today." Gwen muttered beside him; keeping her eyes forward. Peter was watching her carefully; studying the way her hair fell around her face once they were outside - the frigid New York air chilling them to the bone. "Thanks for the invite." He assured; pulling the beanie off his head and handing it to her.
Gwen turned to look at him; smiling thoughtfully before taking the sweet gesture. She pulled the hat down on her head; protecting her ears from the harsh wind.
"Thank you." She whispered, moving in closer to Peter as they turned down a street towards the homeless shelter. "So, have you ever volunteered at F.E.A.S.T? I don't think I've seen you there before."
"A few times. My uh, aunt was the founder… but I think the city has taken it over now." Peter answered quickly; finding it hard to lie to her as easily as he had to MJ or Happy. His subconscious desperately needed someone to know something about himself. "You're Ms. Reilly's nephew? She was a saint. So beautiful - inside and out." Gwen let her words fall - noticing the anguish wash over Peter's handsome features at the thought of his late aunt. "I'm sorry. It must be hard not having her around anymore. I know we miss her at F.E.A.S.T. She was a light in this dark world."
Peter nodded slightly - taking in a deep breath. He hadn't properly mounted the loss of his aunt, with everything that happened after her death - trying to forge legal documents and school records after Strange's spell; plus get an apartment and be Spider-Man - the ache in his chest swelled at the thought of May.
"Do you volunteer often?"
Gwen nodded; smiling brightly. "There's so much ugly out here… it feels good to give back. Spider-Man's out here every day busting his ass to take care of the bad guys - I hope I can do my part by helping the good ones."
Peter stopped in his tracks; turning to look at Gwen at the mention of Spider-Man. Her smile faded slightly as he watched her. "Plus my dad threatens me if I don't go every few months. He was homeless for a few months before he joined the academy so it hits close to home."
Peter could only stare - as if he was seeing Gwen for the first time. Those bright blue eyes searching his face - analyzing his thoughts before he even said them. Did she know he was Spider-Man? Or was she just that genuine? Had he slipped up again? Got caught coming in the back window of his apartment after a rough night?
"Did I say the wrong thing? Sometimes I ramble when I'm nervous..."
Peter shook his head slightly and smiled. "No, of course not. What you said about Spider-Man... it's good to know someone who supports him is all. I hear he gets a bad rap."
Gwen laughed; shoving him playfully with her shoulder as they continued towards F.E.A.S.T.
"That's an understatement."
x
"So your dads a police officer?" Peter asked once they were inside and waist deep in trash. He pulled the last large bag from a bin and tied it quickly - slinging it to the top of the pile with ease.
"Captain George Stacy. One of New York's finest." Gwen answered; pushing the cart of trash towards the exit as Peter guided it through the mass of people at the shelter. "He's a good cop and a good dad."
Peter grinned as Gwen beamed over her father. It was obvious she cared about her family very much.
"It's your turn, Ace. All I know about you is you're impressively strong and really cute. Tell me something about Peter Parker."
Peter grinned at the compliment as he began tossing the large trash bags into the dumpster - picking them up as if they were filled with air. He gave her a once over - appreciating her sweet personality. It was something fresh and new - optimism MJ never had. It also didn't hurt that Gwen was drop dead gorgeous - standing a few inches shorter than him with her blond hair tucked under his beanie - those eyes beckoning like treasure lost at sea. Peter swallowed hard.
"I don't have any family. My aunt's…. gone. She was all I had. I'm waiting to hear back on my application for Empire University. I hope to start in the spring."
"They have a great nursing program! We could totally be triage nurses together!"
Peter laughed; "To much blood and bodily fluids for me."
Gwen glanced up at Peter from across the empty trash bin. "So what are you into?"
"Science. Math. Technology."
"They have a great S.T.E.M program too. You're just missing engineering." Gwen said with a grin as Peter came to her side and she began pushing the cart back towards the shelter. "Do you wanna get some food after this? I know a great place that's open on Christmas. My treat."
Gwen's smile widened at the thought. "Yes!" She replied which came out a little to eager for her liking. "I mean, sure… that'd be great." Peter laughed and shoved his shoulder gently into hers - causing her own laugh to fill his head and warm his heart.
Before Gwen knocked on his door last night he had pushed his loneliness down deep inside himself; focusing on New York and not screwing up when it came to Spider-Man. He hadn't realized how much he missed social interaction. Peter glanced over at Gwen; surprised to see she was staring back at him with an unreadable expression on her pretty face.
"This is the start of a beautiful friendship." She assured with a laugh causing Peter's smile to broaden as she shoved him playfully again.
x
"Could you uh, add pickles and squish it down real flat?" Peter asked the cook behind the counter as Delmar stared blankly at him. He really did have the best sandwiches in Queen's but Peter didn't realize how much it hurt to be unrecognizable by his former friend. "…anything for the lady?" The owner asked bluntly; punching Peters order into the register.
Peter turned to Gwen - nodding to the menu. "I'll take the same thing. Pickles and real flat, please."
"You got it, boss."
Delmar finished ringing up the order as Peter paid; grabbing them a bag of chips and two sodas in the process before turning his attention back to Gwen who was standing at the corner of the counter scratching Murph under the chin. The cat meowed playfully - bumping his head into Gwen's hand for more pets.
He watched her for a moment; how she smiled at the cat and spoke sweetly to him. He needed to stop this before it got out of hand. It wasn't fair to MJ to just find a new girl to get close to and forget about her but the thought of pushing Gwen away caused an ache to form in his chest. She didn't deserve that either and he didn't want to go back to being forgotten.
"Here ya go, kid. Two number fives - pickles and smashed real flat."
Peter turned to Delmar and smiled; taking the sandwiches quickly and meeting Gwen at a table near the back of the diner. He handed her the wrapped sandwich and took the seat across from her; smiling.
"This was May's favorite place to grab lunch. She liked the pastrami on rye."
Gwen smiled; meeting Peters gaze as she unwrapped her sandwich and took an eager bite - closing her eyes as she chewed. "Mmm, this is delicious." She assured; savoring the food before opening her eyes again. Peter could only stare at her - a goofy smile plastered on his face. "To Aunt May." Gwen assured, lifting her sandwich in the air as Peter did the same and they touched wrappers. "To Aunt May." He repeated before taking a bite of his own.
X
Peter stood outside of Gwen's apartment with his hands on his pockets; grinning as she finished telling him about the "dirty Santa" game her family plays on Christmas.
"That sounds really fun."
"Maybe next year you can come over and play it with us." She assured innocently; glancing up at him with a playful smile. "Okay. I'll take you up on that."
Gwen smiled at the thought. "Thanks for spending today with me."
"It was my pleasure." Peter assured, watching as she pulled his beanie from her head and ringed it in her hands nervously. "Thanks for letting me borrow this, too." She assured, finally handing the small piece of material over; reluctantly. Peter kept his hands in his pockets; smiling down at her as she searched his dark eyes with her own lighter hues.
"Keep it, till next time."
"Next time?"
Peter nodded, taking a step back from her. "Ok…" She whispered, her grin infectious as she watched Peter make his way to his own apartment door. "Don't be a stranger, Ace." She called as he opened the door - glancing back at her with a nod before disappearing into his room. Gwen signed, holding his beanie against her chest as she turned and did the same.
Once inside Peter closed his apartment door and leaned against it; running a hand over his face as his own sigh escaped him.
X
"How do you guys keep getting out? Is someone leaving a back door open?" Spider-Man asked - kicking a prisoner hard in the chest as he dodged another attack.
"Wouldn't you like to know!" The larger of the two boomed; connecting his fist with Peter's face - causing him to groan and grab his head. The prisoner got two more punches in; laughing deep in his chest as Peter stumbled back.
"Easy with the haymakers, geez."
The prisoner lunged towards him again only to be caught up in an array of webbing; yelling obscenities as he twisted in the sticky substance - unable to move. "Don't go anywhere." Peter assured, dashing off the side of the building quickly. A moment later two more prisoners were thrown to the top of the building - encased in their own web prison.
"You'll pay for this Spider! Kingpin is going to be pissed that you keep getting in the way of his plans!"
Spider-Man threw a small amount of webbing at the talkative prisoner - slapping it across his mouth so he couldn't speak.
"Quiet kids, daddy's trying to think." He muttered - listening as sirens blared two blocks away. Moving quickly he gathered up the thugs in his webbing and slung them over the edge of the building as they screamed - landing inches from the asphalt. A few by standers gasped as the three men struggled hanging upside down from a lamp post.
"Hey! It's Spider-Man!" Someone yelled as Peter landed beside them on the street. "Hey everyone! Let's make room for the police to get through alright?" He pleaded as a few people did what he asked and moved to the side of the street. Others just stood gawking at the hero and snapping pictures. A moment later police cars filled the street surrounding Spider-Man and the civilians quickly. Several of the cops leapt from their cars and pointed their guns at Peter - ignoring the prisoners hanging to his left.
Peter lifted his hands quickly. "Hey, I'm on your side! I caught the bad guys!" He yelled - nodding to the prisoners strung up in his webbing. "Lower your weapons!" A large voice boomed through the crowd as another cop stepped out of his vehicle and glared at the other officers. "This man has done your job for you and you point your guns at him!"
"Captain Stacy. We were just making sure the area was secure."
"Lower. Your. Weapon." The captain growled again causing the younger officer to drop his weapon to his side. The other officers followed quickly. "It looks like our friend Spider-Man has the area secured - no thanks to us. You people should be shaking his hand! What's wrong with you? Get back to the station before I fire all of you!" The police Captain yelled as the officers scurried back to their vehicles and left as quickly as they'd came. "Spider-Man - forgive my colleagues. They spend all their free time playing video games and listening to that idiot Jameson. Thank you for what you've done here."
Peter's eyes went wide behind his mask as Captain Stacy offered his hand in thanks. He shook the tall man's hand firmly; studying his features. His hair was blond like Gwen's and his eyes a darker shade of blue. He looked worn around the edges but Peter could tell he was a good man; and a good cop.
"Thank you, sir." Peter muttered trying to disguise his voice the best way he knew how. "I'm glad to know there's officers like you on the job."
Captain Stacy smiled at the thought; turning to the criminals hanging from the pole.
"The big one said something about Kingpin? I'm not sure who that is but it may mean something to you."
"Ah, seems my guys need to pay a visit to Mr. Fisk. Thank you, Spider-Man. We'll take it from here."
Peter nodded; flinging a string of webbing into the air and lifting himself to the sky. Captain Stacy was nice; something he and his daughter had in common. The police captain probably wouldn't be so nice if he knew Peter had been spending time with his daughter.
He shook the thought from his head and took off higher in the skies.
x
Peter cleared his throat at the opening of the small laundry room in their building; startling Gwen as she lifted herself up from the washer.
"You scared me." She muttered; throwing the rest of her clothes into the dryer before turning to him. "Geez Ace, are you in some kind of underground fight club I don't know about?" She asked quickly - assessing the damage above his left eye. The goons from earlier had gotten in several cheap shots leaving a nasty bruise above his eye. "No.. just clumsy I guess." Peter swallowed a lump that formed in his throat; trying to look everywhere but where he desperately wanted to look.
Gwen stood before him in black leggings and a thin gray shirt that hung low on one shoulder; her hair was pulled up in an unruly mess on top of her head - exposing her neck and collar bone.
She looked beautiful.
Gwen looked up at him slowly; blue eyes sparkling as she smiled and took his small laundry basket from him. "Did you bring any detergent?" She asked; glancing down into the basket full of sweaty socks and shirts.
"Uh, no. I usually just buy some on the wall." He pointed to the small detergent machine behind her. "That crap won't get your clothes clean. Use some of mine." She assured; dumping the clothes into the wash machine quickly. Peter closed the space between them in the small room and glanced through her laundry supplies; picking up a small box of Tide and handing it to her.
She scooped some in and closed the lid; turning suddenly - standing with her back to the washing machine and her chest dangerously close to Peter's.
"First cookies now detergent. I owe you." He muttered, searching her face as she looked up at him - her exposed neck still beckoning. Gwen smiled, reaching past him to grab the dryer sheets. With one last glance she turned back to the dryer - bending slightly and causing Peter to nearly swallow his tongue as his eyes fell to her perfect ass. She threw the sheet in the dryer and closed the door; pressing a few buttons on each machine before they whirled to life. "You don't owe me. I'm just being neighborly."
Peter smiled at the thought. "We'll, thanks for the detergent… and the cookies. Letting me tag along at F.E.A.S.T. For everything, really. I didn't realize how lonely I was until you showed up at my door on Christmas Eve."
"Ace…" Gwen whispered; meeting his eyes as he stepped towards her - narrowing the space between them further. Peter cleared his throat; feeling his heart pounding in his chest as Gwen tilted her face up to his and moved forward slightly until their lips were inches away from one another's. "If you're going to thank me, do it properly." She whispered between them - a grin on her lips.
Someone else cleared their throat from behind them causing Peter to jerk around quickly; eyes wide. A short elderly woman glared at the two before pointing to a small sign on the laundry room wall that read: "NO SEX IN THE LAUNDRY ROOM".
"Sorry. We weren't. I mean… we're we?" Peter asked; turning his attention back to Gwen who stood mortified against the washing machine. "No!" She assured, covering her eyes with her hand as the little old lady glared.
"Damn youngsters with your raging hormones! Keep it in the bedroom!" She snapped before shuffling down the hallway to her apartment. Once she was gone Gwen burst into nervous laughter; burying her face in the bend of Peter's neck as his own laugh escaped him.
X
They spent the next hour sitting on the laundry machines laughing about stories from their past; learning all they could about one another - not having sex.
Peter pushed himself off the washing machine with ease; turning to face Gwen - catching her mid yawn.
"Come on, it's late and the laundry is dry." He assured - pulling his clothes out of the dryer and tossing them in the basket as Gwen slid to her feet - gathering her own basket of folded clothes and meeting him in the hallway.
They walked silently past the grouchy old woman's apartment; causing Gwen to giggle once they were in the stairwell. Peter allowed her to walk in front - admiring her ass for another moment before adverting his eyes. Once they stood in front of their respected doors Gwen turned to face Peter; holding her basket protectively between them.
"Don't judge me for this next statement… but my sorority is throwing a New Year's Eve party tomorrow. Do you want to go?"
"Sorority?" Peter asked with a grin. Gwen didn't strike him as a sorority girl - which caused her to roll her eyes. "It looks good on a resume… I guess. That's what the advisor at Empire told me at least. I said don't judge me!"
Peter laughed; dodging her half-hearted slap as she pouted. "No judgement here. I'd love to go. Should I wear a suit or a toga?"
Gwen thought for a moment then grinned; meeting his dark eyes.
"I'd like to see you in both. Or neither."
X
He decided on a suit; the only suit he owned - the simple black one he'd worn at Tony's funeral then May's.
Gwen tapped on his apartment door softly; causing him to smile as thought's of his lost mentors faded and were replaced with Gwen. She was as insatiable as she was sweet and she was becoming a good friend - something he desperately needed. Peter opened the door quickly; his mouth falling open as he stood facing a vision in red.
"Jesus…" He whispered, stepping aside to allow Gwen into his apartment. Her sparkling red dress clung to every curve; a deep V showing off her cleavage and matching red shoes made her stand nearly eye level with him. "You look amazing." He continued; his words barely audible as she brushed a strand of curled hair from her face - her makeup simple except for bright red lips.
"You too," she assured - handing over a simple red tie to match her dress as she searched his handsome face. Peter placed the tie around his neck; adjusting it around quickly until it laid flat against his chest. Gwen let her fingers slide up the tie to straighten it gently before she looked into his eyes - smiling.
"You look dashing." She assured quietly - feeling the pull of his energy as her eyes fell to his open mouth. "Thank you for coming with me. We're going to have so much fun. It might be a dumb sorority but these girls know how to party."
Peter grinned; swallowing hard as Gwen took a step back - putting some space between them as his tie fell from her grasp. "Shall we?" She asked, turning back to the door as Peter followed her out.
X
The girls at Kappa Kappa Gamma had out done themselves tonight - their venue was beautiful; all gold and white. The large room was lit by millions of warm white Christmas lights with gold and black balloons covering the ceiling and floor - it looked like some sort of fancy prom you'd see on TV.
"This is impressive." Peter whispered against Gwen's ear as they made their way towards the food and drink area where a vibrant bartender stood mixing drinks and dancing to the upbeat music. "Do you want a drink?"
"Yeah, anything." Peter assured as Gwen leaned towards the bartender and ordered two shots of tequila - surprising him as she turned around holding a shot in each hand. There'd be no patrolling after this - no one wanted a drunk Spider-Man trying to save the day. "This ok?" Gwen asked, handing him the small glass as he watched her carefully.
"We are at a party." He assured, tipping his head back and drinking the cool liquid quickly. When he looked at her again he couldn't hide the soured expression on his face. "That was awful." Peter assured quietly; watching as Gwen reach around the bar and grabbed a lime wedge from an ice tray and a salt shaker to her left. "That's not how you take a shot of tequila, Parker." She assured with a grin; running her hand up his chest and to his neck - applying enough pressure to cause him to tilt his head to the left slightly and expose his neck to her. "It's… not?" He whispered - swallowing hard as she ran the cold lime against the exposed skin below his ear before applying a few shakes of salt to the sticky juice running down his neck.
Peter closed his eyes as Gwen placed her warm lips to his skin; licking the lime juice and salt from his neck slowly before tilting her head back and drinking down the liquor. When she met his gaze again she was afraid he wasn't breathing.
"Breathe, Ace. It's your turn."
Peter groaned at the thought - watching carefully as she handed him his own lime wedge and the salt shaker - bending her neck and sliding her hair to one side. He followed her instructions carefully; running the lime down her neck before shaking a little salt onto the juice. He searched her sparkling eyes for a moment before placing his mouth to her skin and licking the concoction off slowly.
Gwen's breath caught in her throat as he moved away and drank down his second shot of tequila quickly - biting into the lime to help with the after taste.
"Like that?" He whispered to Gwen as she opened her eyes and smiled; nodding slightly.
"Gwendy! Who is this handsome man with you?" Peter kept his eyes on Gwen as a young girl made her way to them wearing a flashy silver dress and her hair up high on her head. "Hey, Felicia. This is Peter. Peter this is Felicia - she's the president of this chapter of Kappa Kappa Gamma."
"Peter, it's so nice to meet you. It's nice to have such an attractive man at our party. Have you seen some of these guys tonight." Felicia muttered to Gwen; ordering a drink from the bartender before turning to face them. "Do you go to Empire University Peter?"
Peter took a needed breath, still reeling from his second tequila shot and the taste of Gwen on his lips.
"I, uh… no. Not yet at least. Hopefully in the spring."
Felicia nodded; smiling brightly at the couple. "I look forward to seeing you in the spring semester, then." She assured - turning to Gwen. "Dance with me?"
Gwen nodded; smiling at Peter. "Join us?"
"I think I'll take a minute. Get some food." He assured; the room slightly spinning from his nonexistent drinking experience and lack of food. Gwen smiled - touching his arm gently before Felicia pulled her towards the dance floor.
The upbeat techno music faded off into Calvin Harris' "This is what you came for" as Gwen and Felicia danced together under the soft lights - causing several people to join in and others to watch from the sidelines.
Baby, this is what you came for
Lightning strikes every time she moves
And everybody's watching her
But she's looking at you
Peter grabbed a few appetizers from the table beside the bar; turning back to the dance floor where Gwen was moving gracefully with the song - looking up at him slowly as their eyes met from across the room. Her hips swayed to the music as she beckoned him with her fingers - a bright smile lighting up her face.
Peter threw the rest of the food in his mouth and closed the space between them - moving with her as the music transitioned again to another techno type song. The bystanders joined in and after a minute everyone was laughing and jumping to the beat.
They danced for hours; laughing and moving their bodies to the music.
"Do you want to do some more shots?" Peter whispered against the side of her head as Gwen danced with her back against his chest - causing a laugh to escape her. "Okay. Pick your poison, Ace."
"Tequila… but you may have to show me how to do a proper shot again."
Gwen giggled at the thought; disappearing to the bar and returning a minute later juggling four shot glasses and a salt shaker - holding a lime wedge in her mouth.
x
"Alright party goers at Kappa Kappa Gamma - the hour is upon us! In a few minutes we're going to start the count down to ring in 2022! Make sure you grab someone special for that first kiss of the new year!"
Felicia announced at the DJ booth as the jockey hit a button and the familiar New Years song began to play through out the building. A large TV screen displayed the ball dropping a few blocks away at Times Square.
"10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5,…."
Outside on the balcony Gwen stood with her back against the building; Peter's jacket hanging loose around her as he stood with his chest pressed against hers; his hands clutching her hips as she pulled him in by the neck to deepen their passionate kiss.
"…4, 3, 2, 1! Happy New Year!"
X