The doorbell sounded.
Reasonably, all the occupants' blood ran cold, as they dreaded a repeat of yesterday. On the bright side, it would seem that nobody's Spidey senses had tingled, implying the visitor was not a threat.
Getting out of the bed, Gwen tries to sneak a glance through the window that gives a view of the front of the house. She then let out a breath and opened the door to the balcony, fully being in view. "Miles!"
Miles waved back at her before seeing the front door opening to reveal Peter B. He was also just as relieved. "Good, it's just you. Get in."
Being ushered into the building, the boy walks in to find the house simplistic and calming, unironically complimenting it like a certain Dr. Octopus. "Cute place. Real homey."
"Real funny. I wouldn't say it in front of May though. So uh, how did you get here?"
The boy put his hands in his hoodie pockets. "Well, it's kind of a long story."
After concluding nobody was present in this wrecked house, Miles exited through the other side to the backyard, hoping to find his friends in the shed. But he sighs once he makes his way there. It's locked, and he doesn't have a key on him. Would be useful if all of us had our own by now, he thought to himself and planned on suggesting to May.
Just when he was starting to get clueless, he heard beeping from a camera placed above the door. He doesn't remember seeing that there before. It then starts to print out something until the paper falls to the ground, before beeping in a progressively faster sequence and then self-destructing.
"Well, that was weird."
Picking up the paper, he finds an address printed on it. He looks it up on his phone and it points to a somewhat distant place. Despite it being far, it's the only lead he has on finding the others.
"You said it was a long story," Peter said.
"Maybe not that long," he shrugged, "But the journey was. And before you ask, I made sure I wasn't followed this time."
"Good. You're becoming a better Spider-Man already. You also look like you're in a better mood than last time."
"Yeah, being with family helped—they're doing better too. Besides, I ain't gonna let Uncle Aaron down by continuing to do nothing. I'm gonna keep going like he said, and I still have to keep my promise to Peter."
He sees May descend from the staircase. "Miles. Glad you found your way here."
"Hey, May." He brings out something he salvaged from the house. "I found this in the living room. Thought you might want to hold onto it."
May retrieves the item, which was a photo of her later Peter Parker somewhat secured in a broken photo frame. "Aww, thanks, Miles." She'll be sure to take extra care of it.
Gwen paused the music on her phone when she heard knocking on the door, followed by May speaking. "Girls, Miles is here with me. He wants to say hi and see how you're doing."
She waited for Peni to give her approval before relaying it to May. "Cool, come in." She sees Miles come in. "Yo, Miles."
"Miles, it's been a while!" Peni cheered.
He noticed the latter's stuffy voice. "What's up? You sick, Peni?"
"Mhm. Just a cold."
"What about you, Gwen?"
"I'm alright… Did you take better care of not being followed?" she asked unironically.
"Yep. We're good."
"I haven't seen you since the fight," Peni said with empathy, "I'm really sorry about your uncle."
"Don't sweat it. Thanks though. I heard what Kingpin did. I'm sorry about that."
"I'll be alright. It's thanks to the others for saving me," she said with a sniffle and then smiled at Gwen gratefully.
"Yeah, May told me how that went down. Can I see where he shot you?"
"Sure," she said, reaching for the bandage under her shirt, "I just gotta unwrap this…"
"Let me do it," offered Gwen, walking around the smaller girl's side of the bed and letting the latter lift the hem of her shirt so she can unwrap the bandage herself.
Miles breathed in a hiss once he finally saw it exposed. "Damn, that must hurt."
Peni nodded. "Yeah. I mean, not right now; only if I bend or twist—or touch it, obviously. But I'll recover."
He shook his head at how cold-hearted that Kingpin could be. That man thought he could get away with killing Peter and his uncle, and then almost killing one of his only friends. "Still can't believe that guy could just do that…"
"I know, but I'm fine now. We just need to be more careful around that psycho from now on."
"Yeah, I guess. I'm just glad you're okay." The boy's demeanour then changes into excitement once he brings out his notebook and displays some pages. "By the way, I made some designs for my Spider suit. What do you think?"
The girls were shown two different designs. The first was black and had a red Spider logo in the chest, which looked graffitied on. It also received some more red graffiti in other parts. The second design followed the same base colour and logo style. What was different however was a red streak that went up each side, from the legs all the way to the inner arms, reaching the hands.
"Looks cool. I think they suit you," Gwen complimented, followed by Peni assenting.
"Thanks. You don't think there's anything off about the second one, do you?" When he saw both girls shake their heads, he sighed in relief. "Finally, thank you! I showed it to the others, but they wouldn't stop going on about how it looked like it was bleeding from the armpits."
Peni took that as an opportunity to be playful. "Wait, can I see it again?" He shows her the design again. "Yeah, actually, now that they mentioned that…"
"Uh, forget I brought it up! Anyway, I'm gonna head back to the others so I can get the suits made. See ya!"
They wished him luck before he shut the door. Gwen then got to rewrapping the exposed injury when Peni spoke. "Thanks for saving my life back there—with pulling the gun."
"It's cool. Just glad you're still with me. …You know, my Spidey senses going off for the danger of another Spider-Person was something I didn't know was even possible."
"…I guess that shows you care about me," Peni half-joked, although she hoped it was true.
Gwen liked the logic behind that. "I guess so too. And I guess I could say the same for the others coz their own senses went off too."
"Right. I should thank them too—and May, for treating me."
"Yeah." Gwen carefully tightened the bandage so that it was secured but not straining. Once she was pleased, she covered it with the girl's shirt again. "How're you feeling about the food? Still feeling sick in the stomach?"
"Nope, it's fine now."
"Good," she then stands up, "so, what do you say we do some stretching? We haven't moved like all day."
Peni smirked, "Wrong. We went to the toilet, so we did move."
"Smartass. Come on, I don't wanna have to do it on my own."
Peni didn't feel like stretching, but she felt like it was worth a try with Gwen. "…Fine."
She was helped onto her feet and they went to the biggest space in the room which was in front of the bed.
"We'll start with the arms. Just follow my lead," Gwen instructed, doing the cross-body shoulder stretch, soon followed by the smaller girl.
The stretching then changed to the overhead shoulder stretch, which Peni also followed without issue.
Afterwards, Gwen said, "We're gonna do the legs now. Just watch me, don't try it yourself yet." She pulls her leg from behind, stretching her thigh for a while before following through with her other leg.
Afterwards, she moves to Peni's side. "I'm gonna stretch your leg like that for you. Just keep your body straight and hold onto my arm for balance." She waits for Peni to do as she's told before bringing up her leg gradually. "Let me know when you've reached your limit."
"Okay. …Stop there."
They held their position while Gwen looked out for any telltale signs of discomfort on Peni's face. So far, there was none. "You okay?"
"Mhm."
Gwen lowered the leg before moving to the girl's other side, repeating the stretch for her other leg. Peni on the other hand was finding this stretch rather nice. Stretching and yoga wasn't something she did in her free time, but Gwen makes it enjoyable.
Not that she'd find it as nice doing it alone.
Gwen lowered the leg before guiding Peni to sit up on the bed. She briefly leaves the room and then returns with a towel. She demonstrated first by sitting up on the bed with legs forward, then pulling on her foot using the towel. She repeated it with her other foot.
When it was Peni's turn, Gwen puts the towel under the girl's feet and makes it easier for her to grab onto so she doesn't have to bend over. Peni took it from there. They repeated with the other foot.
"Alright," Gwen said, returning to the area in front of the bed, "I think that's all you can do for now. I'm just gonna do some more on my own."
Thanks to her friend, Peni felt rejuvenated. Taking her console, she feels she can focus on her game.
But her eyes eventually rested on Gwen, who was doing more complex stretches on the wooden tile floor. Even though she expected it, she was still impressed with how flexible Gwen was. It made sense considering she is Spider-Woman. The taller girl was still wearing the pyjamas lent to her by May, and while they were baggy due to being above her size, there was a stretch here and there that allowed a few of her curves to be shown. Another thing Peni noted was the look of content on Gwen's face while she was stretching. It was a comforting sight, and it beat seeing her looking upset or anxious.
Sniffling, she didn't realise she was looking at the girl more than she was looking at her console.
Gwen was done and then flopped back into the bed. She seemed happy and calm, and Peni found her friend's mood contagious.
At some point, the door knocks, opening to reveal May carrying a small open box. She noticed Gwen looking slumped. "You alright, Gwen?"
"Yeah. Just did some stretches."
She places the box on the desk. "In those clothes? You're better off doing it in your Spider suit; more elastic and breathable. And I've got a mat laying around, so ask for it if you need it." She eyes the empty plate. "How was the food?"
"Oh, it was great, thanks for the food," Peni said, clearly distracted by the box, "What's in that?"
"Oh, this?" From within the box, she hands each girl a feature phone. Peni looked at the phone in her hands in fascination, while Gwen was "been there, done that" about hers. May noticed the unimpressed look on the latter's face. "It doesn't have to replace your phone; you can just hold onto it as a backup. I figured we all need a way to keep in touch if we're not nearby. I've already set up the contacts and numbers on them, so you can just copy them to your personal phone…"
During the explanation, Gwen's attention turned to Peni, who was straight up ignoring the explanation, and instead dissected and disassembled her phone into at least a dozen pieces. She was impressed with how seamless the little girl made it look.
"I should've glued yours shut, Peni," May said.
"I never got the chance to see this kind of tech first-hand," Peni said in awe, before holding out a standard sized SIM card. "Look at how huge this SIM card is!"
Gwen found her fascination cute. In fact, everything about her in that moment was cute; the more than usually dishevelled hair that always looked like bed hair; the oversized PJs that had no problem covering her hands and feet almost all the time; the energy and joy despite her fatigue and cold. The girl was always a sight for sore eyes.
"Yeah, technology sure evolves fast, huh?" May says, "I trust you'll be able to put the phone back together?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"Great. I'll leave you two alone for now. By the way, did Miles show you his suit designs yet?" The two girls nodded, and May began chuckling. "What do you make of the second one—the one with red on its sides? Looked like the underarms were having their period."
After the lady left, Peni turned to see Gwen somewhat deep in thought. "What's up?"
"Hmm? Well… you know how this dimension's Peter has a bunch of different suits—we saw them back in the shed? And how Miles designed more than one suit? It made me wonder if I should have more than one too."
"Oh. …Can I see your suit?"
"Sure."
It took the same amount of time for Peni to reassemble her phone as it took for Gwen to return wearing her Spider suit on display, with her mask and hoodie on.
In the earlier fight yesterday, Peni was too focused on the battle to pay attention to Gwen's suit. But now, she can appreciate it; Gwen looked great in it. The plimsolls and hoodie were a cute touch that added a lot of youth to the suit. And the pink and blue neon colours used for the web patterns on the arms and inside the hoodie was cool and made it blend with the night.
And thanks to the suit being skintight, she was able to figure out Gwen's body. It was toned, and especially curvy and thick at the lower half, and she found herself appreciating it.
The longer Gwen was being stared at, the more she was starting to sweat and blush, though it didn't show through the mask. She got more embarrassed when Peni lifted her console and snapped a picture with it. "…So, what do you think?"
"I think you share the top spot for coolest suit I've ever seen."
"Really? Mind if I ask who I share that with?"
"Peter."
"You don't mean the one who wears his own suit under his sweatpants, do you?" she joked, making Peni laugh.
"Not him! He's got the lowest spot. I'm talking about the cooler Peter; the one with the glasses."
Gwen was aware of Peter Benjamin's Spider suit, and admitted it was an awesome one. Hell, it comes with its own holster. It was obviously hard to outdo, so Peni placing her in the top spot with him was a pretty big compliment. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Thanks. That actually means a lot. …I guess I'll stick with just this. To be honest, I only thought about changing coz of Miles's designs and the shed's wardrobe. But I never really had a problem with my suit. And if someone thinks it looks badass, then that's enough for me."
Peni smiled back in pride, accompanied by another cute sniffle.
They hear the sound of chatter from outside, intriguing Gwen to open the window. Taking off her mask and hoodie, she sees everyone else leaving the house. She also sees Miles already in his own Spider suit—the one based on the first design. "I like your suit," she calls out.
Miles turned to the window and gave a thumbs up. "Thanks. I made it myself."
"Let me see," Peni called, before being helped by Gwen to the window. "It looks cool! You look like a real Spider-Man."
"I am a real Spider-Man!"
"In training," interjected Peter B.
"Where are you guys off to?" Gwen asked.
"May's gonna take us somewhere where Miles can practise aiming with his web slingers. We'll be back in about… an hour? Then we'll come back for lunch. Call us with our new… old phones if you need anything."
"Got it. Have fun."
The girls remained at the window, watching the group disappear into the trees. The only things in sight now were the RV with its car trailer carrying Peni's robot, as well as an overhead view of the forest at midday. The city wasn't even in sight, probably because it was in the other direction. Peni thought this dimension looked beautiful. Her dad would've loved to see this.
She glanced at Gwen who seemed just as distracted by the scenery. But then the little girl came to a realisation that she was the reason why Gwen is staying behind instead of tagging along with the others. She felt pretty bad.
Gwen noticed the sad look. "What's wrong?"
Peni gave a smile. "You can go with them, you know? I'll be fine. I'll just call you with my new old phone if I need anything."
She broke eye contact. That wasn't certainly the truth; she doesn't know if she'd really be fine on her own. Despite wanting Gwen to have fun and socialise, the selfish part inside her wanted the girl to choose to stay.
"And leave my best friend on her own?" Gwen said. "Not gonna happen."
Peni perked up at what she had just been referred to as. "…Are you sure? You've been with me like all day and haven't hung out with the others yet. You know, when you told me you didn't have any more friends since your Peter and you felt lonely, I figured you felt left out a lot in your dimension. I don't want you feeling the same here."
"…Actually, I haven't felt that way since I met you guys. I had no one back home, but here, I have you and the others. I'd rather stay here anyway, coz I like hanging out with you. Besides, I don't wanna leave you alone, let alone leave you sick. We can hang out with the others when you get better."
In other words, she was content with just being with Peni, and it made the little girl happy. She felt she could relax now, more so than she already felt, though if her yawning and slouching was any sign, she might be relaxing a bit much. Even standing was proving to be a bit of a challenge.
"God, I feel tired… I didn't even do anything today…"
Gwen was quick to hold her in case she'd eventually collapse. "I'm not surprised. Did you forget you're still sick?"
"Kind of… Ugh, I was gonna make the goobers today…" she says, though she was already succumbing to slumber in her friend's arms.
"Yeah, well don't count on it."
After aiding the little girl and tucking her back into bed, she quickly left to change out of her Spider suit. Peni had already fallen asleep by then.
But she was woken up shortly after when she felt Gwen's hand to her forehead. The taller girl was back in her earlier clothes, sitting next to her. Peni allowed herself to close her eyes again.
It's been two days since she first saw Gwen. Peni remembered being shy around her at first, because she thought she wasn't worthy of being Gwen's friend. But then earlier today, she finds out she was Gwen's best friend. It was a pleasant surprise. Come to think of it, has it really been only two days since they met? Because they've gotten as close as two people who've been friends for months, or likely even longer.
Maybe that's just what happens naturally when two Spider-People meet and realise they're not the one and only Spider-Person.
She wasn't complaining, and neither was Gwen.