A/N: Tyke still sucks but he likes soup so he isn't that bad, I guess.

Tiny Little Adiantum

When Gwen Stacy first stumbled across him, it had been a late night in Champions HQ. She had just run dismantled another crime syndicate in her home reality and wanted nothing more than to curl up in her bed. However, she had promised both Miles and Kamala they'd hang out and so, with her remaining strength, she hauled herself into the house.

The first thing that registered was that the kitchen light was on and shining on a guy that was wearing shades in the night. The brown-haired guy froze mid-feeding, clearly studying her as she blended out of the shadows.

The second thing she noticed was that there was something delicious in the air.

And her stomach chose that moment to agree.

"Ah, Spider-Woman, right?" The brunet with the shades finally said, lowering his spoon back into the bowl of what smelled like ambrosia. "Or is it Ghost-Spider? Spider-Gwen?"

Realizing that her secret was out, she willed her symbiote to uncover her face. "Gwen Stacy." She introduced, before taking the seat in front of him.

"I'm Scott Summers." He replied. And then followed her gaze to his bowl of soup. He scratched the back of his neck. "I've got enough for another bowl if you want?"

"Gladly." Gwen smiled.

As Scott stood up to prepare her a midnight snack, Gwen studied him.

He was pretty sweet for a future terrorist.

-0-0-0-

Scott raised an eyebrow when Gwen plopped down her bag next to him.

"This seat taken?" She asked. More out of formality, as she pulled the seat back and settled down.

"All yours." Scott absently replied.

"Great. I'm behind on course work and this is the only quiet place I could find."

Scott frowned. "Are you sure about that?" He gestured to the window where Amadeus was arguing with Sam. It looked like things were heading physical, which was probably why Kamala was storming towards them.

Gwen shrugged. And then she pulled out her headphones.

"You have no idea."

Scott figured he probably really didn't.

The future was all sorts of weird to him.

-0-0-0-

Gwen gasped, drawing Scott's attention towards the window.

"Do you spiders ever use the door?" Scott grumbled in annoyance. "It's like knocking is a lost skill now."

"Hey! I did knock before—wait, don't change the subject!" Gwen slipped inside and quickly discarded her bag before approaching him.

Scott was standing in front of a vanity mirror sans his shirt. And while, normally, Gwen could appreciate a nice, toned front, that wasn't what drew her attention. That honor belonged to the large gash across his stomach and the sutures Scott was currently using to close it.

And where was everyone else?

The situation was positively absurd, but she could berate him later.

She stuck out her hand. "Give me that."

Although Gwen couldn't see it, she could feel him squint at her behind his shades. "Do you even know how to stitch?"

She frowned at him. "I just have to needle through your skin, right?"

"What about knotting it?"

Gwen shrugged. "Can't be too hard if you're able to do it."

"Not… exactly filling me with faith."

"The needle-holder and scissors, Scott?"

"Look, I can do this."

"I'm telling on you. To Kamala." Gwen threatened.

"That's not fair." Scott groaned. He still didn't relinquish the suturing set, though. "Look, I'll be fine, alright? This isn't the first time I've had to suture my wounds closed."

The very idea disgruntled her and Gwen frowned. "That's not a good habit."

Scott sighed. "Well, I don't have healing powers. And we couldn't exactly go to a hospital whenever we took our lumps."

Gwen brushed a hand through her hair in frustration. "Can't you just burn it?"

"Like cauterization?" At Gwen's nod, Scott gave her a morose smile. "My optic blasts don't work that way. They just… punch."

"That's going to get infected."

"I just need to close it. When I get back to the X-Men, I can find someone to heal it properly. Or give me an antibiotic."

Knowing she'd never get past his stubbornness, Gwen sighed. "At least let me do something."

It didn't sit well with her to just ignore a guy bleeding on the floor. No matter how calmly he went about fixing himself.

Scott relaxed at seeing Gwen back down. He glanced around before his eyes settled on a blood-stained towel. "You could dab the wound when I tell you. I'll be able to close this much faster if I don't have to keep wiping it to see where I'm suturing."

"Alright." She picked up the cloth. "If you live through this, you owe me."

"I've got a bowl of soup ready to be reheated."

Gwen pressed hard on the laceration.

-0-0-0-

"That's wrong, by the way." Scott pointed out helpfully. "This variable goes into that section."

Gwen gave him the side-eye before doing as suggested.

And then blinking in surprise when he was actually right.

"I didn't realize you took university classes." Gwen commented.

"I didn't." Scott shrugged before adding in a grumble. "Got too busy fighting killer robots, mutant terrorists, and, apparently, time-traveling now."

Gwen looked at him curiously. "Then how did you know?"

"The Professor—well, he might have downloaded information into our brains."

The casual admission left Gwen slack-jawed. "Wait, you can do that? That's totally unfair!"

Scott shrugged again, but this time out of embarrassment. "I don't actually have a degree… and besides, we needed to actually have knowledge if we were to navigate a battlefield."

"I really should be concerned about you being a child soldier."

"Mutant." Scott corrected. "But survivor also has a nice ring to it."

His tone was unsettling. She had her own experiences with persecution, but the nonchalant way Scott spoke about his life bothered her.

She silently finished her soup.

-0-0-0-

Gwen sighed.

She'd been doing that a lot recently.

But it was difficult not to, because tending to an injured Scott Summers was becoming something of a habit.

"What happened this time?" She prodded as she helped him place his right arm in a sling.

"Fractured my right clavicle during a fall."

"Maybe you shouldn't be so high up, next time?"

"I wish." Scott grumbled. "Sometimes, it just isn't my day."

Gwen poked his injured collarbone, drawing a pained yelp from the mutant. "I notice your definition of sometimes is a lot more frequent than mine." She cupped his cheek, drawing his gaze so he could see the seriousness in hers. "You can't keep doing this, Scott. You can't heal yourself, you're not invulnerable, and you keep running towards the fire. All you've got is that nuke in your head that you're unwilling to use."

"Oh, I think I'll live long enough." Scott withdrew from her hand.

There was a dark undertone in Scott's statement that made Gwen frown. "I'm serious, Scott."

She'd seen too many friends die. Fellow Spiders. Strong, durable, and agile—but ultimately, mortal.

"Listen, Gwen." Scott began, only to be silenced by a finger on his lips.

"Yeah, I know." Gwen sighed. Again. "I didn't stop when my father wanted me to, either. Just, Scott…" Her eyes implored his, and she cursed her inability to read his expression. "Just… be more careful, alright?"

Scott smiled at her.

"I'll try."

-0-0-0-

Scott sighed as he opened the window.

"You do realize we're at the ground floor, right?" Scott pointed out as Gwen slipped inside. "The door is literally just a hop to the side."

"Good evening to you, too, Mr. Grinch." Gwen greeted as her suit morphed back into her civilian clothes. "And, I did knock this time."

Scott sighed again. This had to be intentional.

"How's your shoulder?" Gwen asked, throwing a quick glance at the area.

"Healed up nicely." Scott grinned, and then made a show of taking a bowl and offering it to Gwen with his now-healed appendage. "Chicken soup?"

Gwen's heart fluttered.

"You're the best, babe."

Her hand briefly lingered against his before she quickly took the bowl.

Scott continued staring, but Gwen quickly hid her burning cheeks behind the bowl of soup.

-0-0-0-

"Oh, you suck, Scott." Gwen taunted.

"There's just so many combinations!" Scott whined before throwing down the game controller. "And buttons! Who designed this thing, anyway?"

"You're just salty you're bad at videogames."

Scott growled. "I don't see why people can't just play real games. Like sports."

"This is entertainment."

"Yeah? So is reading a book." Scott remained obstinate. "And at least you learn something from reading."

"You're such a boomer."

"A what-now?" Scott's brows knit in clear confusion.

Gwen grinned viciously.

Like a predator that just found its prey.

-0-0-0-

"You don't look so happy." Gwen said as she peered over the window of Scott's room and looked down to where its owner stood.

"Hey," Scott greeted, absently running a hand through his hair in an attempt to calm down. "You're early."

"I had classes." Gwen replied. Her frown deepened as she contemplated his sullen appearance. "It's… it's Jean, isn't it?"

Scott's lips flat-lined.

Gwen shot him a sympathetic smile.

"I'll meet you in the kitchen. I brought a can of mushroom soup from my place."

-0-0-0-

"Yes. Speaking."

Gwen turned from her spot on the couch and curiously studied Scott while he was speaking to someone on the phone.

"Yes. What color was it?" Scott inquired. "Sounds about right, I think. Sorry. Yes."

Gwen stifled a chuckle at his response. Not for the first time did it make her wonder how Scott saw the world behind his ruby-quartz tinted glasses.

"Where? Sure. I can do today." Scott nodded while he scribbled something- no doubt an address—on a piece of paper.

This time, Gwen did chuckle. "They can't see you, you know?"

Scott shot her a frown. "Shush. Not you, sorry. A bothersome visitor."

Gwen stuck her tongue out and Scott waved her off.

"Yes, I can do today. I'll be there." Scott glanced at his watch. "Give me 2 to 2-and-a-half hours. I'll call you. Getting back?" Scott paused before grinning sheepishly. "I don't live that far. I'll get back; don't worry. Thank you. Bye."

Gwen pried herself off the couch before slinking towards the mutant. "Trouble at home?"

Scott grinned. "No. The owner of the bike I got just called."

That unexpected response made Gwen blink. "Bike?"

"Yeah. Remember? The one I used to catch up with you guys."

"Oh, the bicycle" The memory of a cycling Scott speeding after them as they chased down a bank robbery flittered into her mind. "By the way? Soft move, but not even close to your top five lamest moments."

"It was the closest transport I could find…" Scott excused while his cheeks colored with embarrassment. "And, if it did break, it'd be cheaper to replace than an actual vehicle."

"Scott, you do realize insurances have started covering property damage now, right?" Gwen chuckled at Scott's stunned look.

Granted, insurance costs did skyrocket, but they weren't so unaffordable that nobody availed of the service. The government did recognize that its citizens still needed to get to work.

"Be that as it may," Scott turned away pointedly so as to hide his burning cheeks. "I've got a bike to return."

"And you're happy?" Gwen asked before blinking as realization set in. "Wait, how did he even know where to call?"

"I left a note with my contact details."

That caused Gwen's mind to halt.

"You… what?"

"It's only right that I return something I borrowed." Scott kindly pointed out as if explaining common sense. In a way, he was. "I'm not a thief."

Gwen just stared.

She knew how strait-laced Scott was, but that he'd think to do such a thing in the middle of a wild car chase was…

This guy was…

Slowly, a smile formed across her cheeks and her blue eyes softened.

"So, the owner lives 2.5 hours away?"

"Yeah." Scott fiddled with his phone. Gwen leaned over his shoulder and saw him browsing for the bus schedule. "Tell the others I'll be back, alright?"

Gwen's hands snapped onto his shoulders.

"Oh, no, no, mister." Gwen shook her head and grinned at him viciously. "It's not everyday that I'm here—"

"Really? I see you often enough."

"Shush!" She imitated him from earlier.

Scott's jaw clicked shut, but his brow raised at her instead.

"Like I was saying, I'm not here often so no way are you leaving me here to rot in boredom." She tightened her grip on his shoulders. "And if you're going to the city, I want in. Alright?"

"Yes, ma'am." Scott mocked a salute.

"Good." Gwen nodded to herself. "Let's go!"

"In a bit. I need to grab a jacket."

"Alright. But don't take too long!"

Scott nodded and made his way to the stairs.

"Oh, and Scott?"

Scott paused and looked down.

There was a tenderness in Gwen's blue eyes that made Scott's heart thump.

"I can swing you next time, alright?"

-0-0-0-

"Damn you, Scott Summers!" Gwen cursed and threw the console controller against the wall. "What the hell, Scott?"

Said mutant remained on his spot on their shared beanbag with a smug smile.

"I practiced."

The screen showing his tenth straight victory underscored his statement.

Gwen poked his chest angrily. "You were at random, this time!"

"I practiced." Scott repeated and then crossed his arms. His smugness grew. "With every character."

"There are seventy-four of them!"

Scott's smug grin widened.

"Agh!" Gwen huffed and turned her back on him with a huff.

Slowly, Scott wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Hey, why don't we take a break?" Scott suggested. "The stress is getting to you. You'd feel better after a snack."

"Oh, fine." Gwen huffed again but leaned into his warmth. She looked up at him. "Got soup?"

As they both rose and made their way to the table, Gwen vowed she'd find another game to beat him next time.

-0-0-0-

Scott bumped his shoulder against Gwen's.

"You were slow to dodge just now." Scott's concern bled into his voice.

Gwen sighed. "I'm just tired." She admitted. Sensing the wordless invite, she rested her head against him. "Just had another gauntlet in my world. And my midterms went poorly. My dad's on my case again, too." Gwen let out a much longer sigh. "I'm beginning to suspect that the Parker Luck is actually a Spider-thing."

"Oh." Scott frowned. He wasn't quite sure what she was referencing, which was a rather common thing since he wasn't sure what half the stuff she referenced meant, really, but that stopped bothering him a while ago. There were just things people didn't know, he supposed.

Gently, Scott slung a comforting arm around her shoulder, drawing the blonde closer.

"Mhmm." Gwen hummed appreciatively before closing her eyes.

His silence was gold.

It was just what she needed.

Now, the only thing that'd make it better was—

"I've got pumpkin soup." Scott murmured. "It's in my thermos. When you're ready, we can go grab some."

Gwen's eyes fluttered open.

She smiled.

"Bless you, babe."

And this time, Scott smiled back.

-0-0-0-

A/N: Rusty joints are rusty. As for where this came from, well…

Yeah. Well.

Song choice while writing this time is Tiny Little Adiantum by Shibayan, which, I guess, explains the loose and poorly outlined fluff-piece. But, eh, like most stuff on SoB, Imma nail this down just in case I wanna launch off this for future drabbles.

Thanks for reading!