Letter: P

Words: photograph, proposal

Author's Notes: you might notice that I have two words here. *waggles eyebrows* this is intentional. The lovely .94 suggested the second word and I had already began writing the first! I was distressed at first, because I so wanted to use proposal, but then I decided I would just finish photograph and throw proposal in there as well! So BAM, ya'll get two stories in one!

Word: Photograph

"Peter, this is the last box," Gwen announced, setting it at his feet.

He looked up at it, and then his wife. He had a hard time believing there were still things to unpack nearly a year after they had moved into their downtown apartment. They hadn't thought they owned as much as they did. The box was small, but bulging at the sides. He could see a slip of paper sticking out of the top. "You want me to unpack it?"

"I opened it, but I think you'll want to unpack it yourself." She plopped down on the couch beside him and laid her head on his shoulder. "Once you do it we'll be finally moved in."

He poked her in the ribs, causing her to jump and giggle, while slapping his hand away. "We could always just sit here, there's a Star Trek: the original series marathon coming on in a while."

"Hmm," she mused, staring into his big brown eyes. "I think you'll enjoy packing the box." She placed a kiss on his lips. "Besides, the original series is on Netflix too."

He smirked, knowing that once Gwen had set her mind to have this finished, it would be done or he would suffer consequences. "Alright fine! I'll go unpack the boring box. Under one condition! Popcorn and the original Wrath of Khan later?"

She agreed instantly. "Deal!"

He kissed her on the forehead through her side swept bangs, then heaved the box onto his shoulder and walked back into their office.

He gently pried the cardboard box open, revealing hundreds of photographs.

Peter's breath caught in his throat. He remembered four years ago, when he initially moved out of his childhood home, throwing all of these in a box. The very same box he stared at.

Sliding a finger underneath the first photo he saw, he picked it up and rubbed a thumb over it lovingly.

"Uncle Ben," he said under his breath. The man was old and white-haired as ever in the photo he held, but as happy as could be. A young Peter sat atop his shoulders, and Uncle Ben sat on the couch. The biggest grin was plastered across either one's face, but Uncle Ben looked up to his ornery nephew with the most tender and bold love in his eyes. Shining beneath his glasses were the two biggest testimonies for the love between the two.

Uncle Ben might have sometimes been rough around the edges, and inexperienced with children, but there was no denying how much he loved his adopted son.

Peter put that photograph on the carpet beside him, diving into the box for a handful of the precious mementos.

The majority of them were things he had taken for high school photography classes. Manhattan landscapes and dizzying angles of skyscrapers. But some of them were pictures taken of his friends, Mary-Jane and Harry, his teenaged wife, his Aunt May and Uncle Adam. A handful were of one particularly memorable thanksgiving, a few years before Uncle Ben died, they brought together both sides of the family all underneath the Parker roof for an extravagant dinner cooked by none other than Aunt May.

Some of the photos made him want to cry, especially those of his aunt and uncle in happier times. Some of them evoked laughs, like the sneaky pictures he had snapped of Gwen, back when he was still only crushing on her.

Before he knew it, the photographs were in piles around him, organized by year and person or persons, and the box was completely empty. He stood and left everything exactly how it was, walking back into the living room.

"That was quick," Gwen remarked, looking up from her book.

"Actually I didn't put any of them away... How many of those did you go through?"

She shrugged. "I only skimmed the top. I didn't want to see anything you wouldn't have wanted me to."

Peter motioned for her to follow him back to the office, and they flipped through them all together.

"Think we could delay Khan and go buy some photo albums? I want to do it while I'm thinking about it."

"Of course. Can I put stickers in the photo albums?"

"...Appropriately."

"Excellent. Let's go," she said with a wry smile.

Word: Proposal

Peter had never been so nervous in his life. Never. He couldn't think of a single instance where he had been anywhere near as nervous as he was standing in the street.

It was late summer, and the sun was just setting in New York. Residual heat from earlier in the day rose off the streets and only added upon Peter's nervous sweating. His left hand was clenched around a small bouquet of three pale roses and smaller, pink carnations. He'd learned, over the years, that Gwen preferred less to more, especially when it came to flowers.

In the chest pocket of the dressy vest he wore over a crisp white shirt, there was a small box burning a hole in his heart.

He paced back and forth in front of the restaurant he was to meet Gwen at, hands shaking nervously. A thousand thoughts rolled through his head, none positive. Really, he could be such a pessimistic person.

"Peter?"

He whirled on his heel, smiling down at Gwen. He was caught off guard by how jaw-droppingly stunning she looked. She wore a slim dark blue dress that clung to all the right places. In her hair was a thin silver band, holding back the rest which hung loose around her shoulders, halfway down her back. It had been so long since they'd had the time to go out like this, and even though she looked beautiful day to day, he loved when she dressed up.

"You look beautiful," he said, stuttering.

"You're early," she remarked, as astonished as her boyfriend.

"Oh, oh yeah. I uh, I just wanted tonight to be special, you know? We don't get to do this often anymore, figured I'd make the best of it..."

The sweetest grin bloomed across his girlfriend's pink lips. "Thank you Peter. You know that means a lot from you."

He returned the smile for a millisecond before remembering the bouquet he clutched in his hand. "Oh! These are- these are for you." Bringing them up to present them, he almost hit his date on the face. He could have kicked himself; he hadn't stuttered so much or been so clumsy with Gwen in ages!

She giggled, taking the flowers and giving the roses a sniff. "Oh Peter, these are lovely. What has gotten into you? You are outdoing yourself tonight!"

For a moment, he panicked. Gwen thought he was being too much! Then, he realized she meant it positively.

He made a quick recovery, grinning and holding out his crooked arm to her, smiling even brighter when she draped her delicate fingers over it. He escorted her to their table, pulled out the chair for her, then clumsily sat in his own.

Throughout the dinner, he stumbled through conversation and sweated tremendously. He couldn't stop his heart racing, or his shallow breathing.

By the time they placed their order for dessert, Gwen could tell something was up, and was so bold as to ask what it was.

"I um, um, just, I've got something... I want to talk to you after dinner."

She laced her fingers together and placed her chin atop them. "Talk to me now, it's okay," she said with an encouraging smile.

A jolt went through him and his heart began beating even faster. He felt like he was going to either cry or pass out right where he sat.

Moving quickly, before he could decide against it, he stood and pulled Gwen's chair out a little. He took her left hand in one of his own, pulling out the ring box with the right, and knelt.

Her eyes widened and began watering even before his knee touched the ground.

"G-Gwen, you know you're the most special thing in the world to me..." He sniffled as a tear ran down his cheek. By then, he could feel the eyes of everybody in the place trained on the back of his head. "We've had our ups and downs and stuff, and-and, I just wouldn't change any of it. I love you and every little thing you do." He shut his eyes tightly before wrapping up his small speech. "Will you marry me?"

Gwen took the box, set it on the table, and practically flew out of her seat to hug Peter. "Yes!"

Everybody in the restaurant cheered, and both Peter and Gwen released a sob of pent-up tension. Though Peter had been so nervous, it seemed his proposal didn't turn out so bad, after all.

Author's Note: AWW. I melted into a pile of feels goo while writing this! I feel like these stories are my most true to Peter and Gwen's characters that I've done in a while!

Also, I feel the need to let you guys know that in my head cannon, Gwen and Peter are married quite a while before she dies.