It's the terror of knowing
What this world is about
Watching some good friends
Screaming, "Let me out!"
Tomorrow gets me higher
Pressure on people - people on streets
-Under Pressure; by Queen [feat. David Bowie]
A majority of the walk to Peter's apartment was quiet. Gemma could sense a bit of uneasiness coming from Peter, and she couldn't really blame him. Part of her still felt awful for having to see him get beaten up over something as silly as sticking up for her! In all honesty, she never witnessed something as petty as that. But she had to admit, it took a lot of guts for Peter to do what he did for her, considering the kind of person Ty seemed to be. She definitely owed him one.
When they turned a block, Peter started walking down a staircase that led to the subway. Gemma's eyes widened a bit, she hadn't really been one to take the subway; in her old neighborhood, she just walked to wherever she needed to go. Izabela didn't have any troubles with that, and Gemma was appreciative of it.
"Have you taken the subway before?" Peter asked, looking back at her for a second.
"I haven't," Gemma responded.
"It's not that bad," he sighed. "It's a bit crowded though."
"Is it a long walk to your place after that?"
Peter shrugged. "We'll probably have to take a transit," he sighed. "It'll be another couple blocks before we make it to my apartment."
After getting what they needed to get and waited for the next shuttle to show up. There were a few other people waiting nearby, some sitting on benches, others scattered about on phones or talking to the people around them. Peter and Gemma stood relatively close together, but didn't say much. Gemma had to wonder if Peter even wanted her coming with him, and a feeling of guilt washed over her again.
Looking over at him, she could see he seemed to be a little dazed, and she had to wonder if it was because of what happened.
"How're you feeling?" she asked.
When he looked at her, he felt an anxiousness wash over him. He could see her cheek had become a bit swollen, and the redness had started darkening to a purplish color. He couldn't really look at her without feeling awful. "I'll be fine," he murmured.
Tearing off some tissue, Gemma handed it to him. "I probably should've given you some earlier," she sighed. "It's for your lip. It looks like it's still bleeding a little."
Peter's eyes went to her extended hand, and he felt his cheeks heat up a little. He knew she was trying to be helpful, and he appreciated it, but there was a part of him that felt embarrassed that she was trying to help him. He hadn't expected the day to end the way it did, and he wanted nothing more than to just go home and sleep it all away.
Taking the tissue from Gemma's hand, he pressed it against his stinging lip, wincing slightly at the pressure he put on it. He knew he'd be feeling like crap in the morning, but he could only hope it was nothing compared to how he was feeling at the moment.
"I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble," Gemma said, shifting anxiously on her feet. "If I'd known this would've happened...I don't know. I'm sorry."*
"You didn't do anything," Peter exclaimed, snapping his head in her direction. "It's not your fault."
"I'm pretty much responsible for what happened to you," she sighed, frowning deeply. "I feel like crap because of it. Now you'll probably hate me for it."
Shaking his head, Peter felt his brows furrow. "I don't hate you," he said quietly. "I think you're nice."
Giving a small smile, Gemma looked over at Peter, who looked almost sheepish at what he'd said. He wouldn't exactly meet her eyes and there was something in her that stirred at his embarrassment. It was kind of funny, seeing him get all flustered.
Before the conversation could go any further, the shuttle came to a screeching halt. The doors opened and a stream of people flowed out.
0-0-0-0
Peter had been right about it being crowded. Gemma had found herself nearly pressed awkwardly against the pole she was holding onto, while she was surrounded by men, women, and children of varying ages. Peter seemed unbothered by the whole ordeal, almost looking comfortable. Gemma was anything but comfortable. She never took public transportation before, so it was weird having to be practically shoved in so close with other people.
Taking an opportunity to look around, Gemma saw people reading books, newspapers, or magazines; she saw people eating food while on their phones; some kids were playing with toys; some people were just listening to music. They looked uninterested in what was going on around them. Sometime during the ride even Peter managed to put in earbuds to drown out some of the outside noise. Gemma took a mental note to bring something with her to keep her distracted in case she ever took the subway again.
During the many stops the shuttle took, Gemma watched as hordes of people would leave and even bigger crowds of people would swarm in. Sometimes the crowdedness seemed overwhelming and Gemma would feel almost claustrophobic, other times there'd be enough room for Gemma to maybe angle herself in a more comfortable position until the next stop came. After about twenty minutes, Peter motioned her off at one of the stops, where she followed him up out of the subway and they waited at a transit stop.
"I know I promised to show you around," Peter sighed, "and maybe we can do it another time?"
Gemma felt herself unconsciously smile at that. He was still offering to show her around. She had to wonder why Peter Parker was such a nice kid. "I wouldn't mind that," she said, glancing over at him. "Maybe this weekend? Unless you're busy. You could bring your friend, too. He seems nice."
"Ned?" Peter chuckled. "He's cool. I'm sure he'd love to help show you around. And I'm not busy this weekend. I'm OK with it if you are."
"That's good with me," she said. "Thank you for being so nice to me today. I appreciate it."
"No problem," he exclaimed, stammering a little.
"So...transits and subways?" Gemma said. "Is this a daily thing with you?"
Peter nodded. "My aunt works in the mornings so this is the quickest way to get to school," he said. "I don't have a permit or license yet, so..."
Nodding, Gemma shrugged. "I've never taken a subway or transit before, so this is all pretty new to me," she sighed.
"Once you've taken it enough, you get used to it."
"Back in my old home, I just walked everywhere," Gemma said. "My mom didn't have any problem with me doing that."
"What about your dad?"
"...He wasn't really involved." While it wasn't a complete lie, Gemma knew she wasn't entirely read to go on explaining her entire life story to Peter yet. Despite his kindness and his generosity, Gemma still had some limitations on how much information on herself she wanted to tell.
Peter just nodded, knowing not to say anything more.
They stood there without saying much of anything else for a while, and once the transit came, they both boarded, paid their fees, and took a seat.
0-0-0-0
Peter felt himself growing more embarrassed they close he and Gemma got to his apartment. It was, for lack of a better word, a mess. He remembered there were some dirty dishes in the sink, the dinner table he and May ate at was a bit filthy, Peter's room was very filthy — the list could go on. But he only hoped that Gemma wouldn't go so far as to say anything about it. Sometimes he and May just didn't find the time or didn't have the energy to go on a cleaning spree. Aside from embarrassment at the filthiness of his little home, Peter also felt a little embarrassed at the idea that he'd be bringing home a girl he barely knew. May wouldn't be there, she'd be at work — or, at least getting off work at that point. Peter took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm himself down.
"Here we are," he said, chuckling nervously; the duo stopped in front of the closed door of Peter's apartment. He saw Gemma give a small smile. Giving a nervous one in return, he took out his key and unlocked the door.
(A/N):
This one's shorter compared to the other one, but what do you guys think? I'd really like to hear whatever suggestions you guys may have on how to improve this story. I like to think that the involvement of the reviewers make a story better; that's one of the reasons why I ask you guys these questions. Just let me know, OK?
MARVEL doesn't belong to me.
Let me know if there's anything I should improve on.
Thanks.
Jasper