Some Things You Can't Refuse

by eat_pie_everyday

Summary:

Four months after the events of Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse, Miles is finally settling into his new life as New York's Spiderman. Even though he has a whole city and fantastic parents as his support system, Miles still feels an emptiness in his life, a sort of hole in his heart that needs to be filled. That is until a portal opens up inside his room, dumping a certain Spider-person onto his roommate...

Eventual Gwen/Miles, maybe will bring in the rest of the Spider-fam

Title based off lyrics from Sunflower-Post Malone & Swae Lee

Chapter 1

Through the Roof

Miles sat on top the Brooklyn Bridge, looking out over the City of New York.

He always loved finding high places where he could be by himself. Just listening to the Sony headphones which he always carried with him, having the wind blow through his hoodie, and letting it all just calm his nerves when he needed it. In a way it reminded him that he was by himself now, and would have to live up to the legacy which blonde Peter left behind. The sun was peeking above the horizon, sending streaks of amber and gold light across the East River, warming his face. This was Miles' cue to start swinging back to his dorm, and he did so with a sigh. Classes would begin in an hour and a half, which only helped to contribute to this underlying feeling of emptiness which Miles felt.

He landed on top of his apartment building and climbed down to the window to his room, tapping twice on the window to let his roommate Ganke know he was back. Miles heard a thud as he watched Ganke roll off the top bunk, dropping onto the floor.

<p"Man, I hate having to do this every day," Ganke said to him. "You know, not all of us have super endurance. Or whatever that spider gave you"

"What's up, Ganke," Miles dapped Ganke up as he climbed into the room. He peeled off his suit, stuffing it beneath his bunk before throwing on the school uniform. "It's all good, it'll be the weekend tomorrow."

Ganke grinned at him, "I still think it's awesome that you're the Spiderman. And you're my roommate!"

Miles forced a smile as he opened his phone. Every morning he would stare at the photo he took with Gwen before she left and just think, until he had to leave for classes.

"It's not as cool as you think, Ganke," Miles said while flopping onto his bed. He rubbed his eyes as they prickled with tears. Miles still had nightmares occasionally where he would see Uncle Aaron falling with a bullet hole in his chest, eyes wide. And Miles would reach out for him, only for his uncle to slip from his grasp.

Ganke's head suddenly swung down in front of Miles as Ganke swung upside down from the top bunk. "Are you alright, Miles?"

Of course Miles couldn't just simply tell him he was haunted by his dead uncle who had been one of the most infamous criminals in Brooklyn. He was friends with Ganke and all, but some things weren't easy to talk about. He hadn't told Ganke about his hurting heart from a certain blue-eyed, blonde haired angel. At least when Miles was with Gwen , he could just let go and be himself for once. The cute smile she would give him every time he made a bad joke would always make his day, and he thought the tiny gap in her front teeth was the cutest thing. Then Ganke caught sight of Miles' phone.

When Miles set down his phone to adjust his tie, Ganke snatched it from his upside down position.

"Woaahhhh, hold up now. Miles, who's that girl next to you? She's kind of cute, don't you think?" Ganke winked at Miles, before finally slipping from his position and falling to the floor once again. Miles' cheeks flushed as he quickly snatched his phone back.

He looked down at the figure sprawled on the floor, tilting his head to hide the bush on his cheeks, "Come on, Ganke. She's off limits." Well there goes not telling Ganke about Gwen, he thought to himself.

"Awwww, is it cause you have a crush from her?" Ganke teased, sitting himself into an upright position.

"N-o-o-o! T-t-that's not it at all!" Miles stumbled through his words, totally caught off guard. "She isn't even from our dimension, so how would that even work out? Also look at her. Then look at me. Tell me she's not out of my league."

Ganke frowned at him as he stood up, then plopped onto his favorite rolley chair. "Miles, don't be like that. What girl wouldn't want to be with you, the oh so famous Spiderman? Plus, if she visited our dimension can't you find a way to visit hers?"

Miles deflated and slumped back on his bed, "That's the problem. She doesn't care that I'm Spiderman, cause she's also a Spiderman! Or, uh, Spiderwoman. She's beautiful, plays the drums, and is way better at using her powers than me. And she was accidentally sent to our dimension, so we have no idea how to communicate, much less visit each other." Miles felt his chest full up, like it was being stuffed with balloons as he talked about Gwen.

Ganke's mouth formed an O-shape as he stared, eyebrows raised, at Miles. "I guess I can see how that's a problem. But if we could figure out how to travel between dimensions, then maybe..."

Ganke didn't get the chance to finish his sentence when suddenly a sound like tearing fabric interrupted him. Both him and Miles looked up a see a swirling, inky vortex open from the roof of their room. Ganke let out of shout of fear as he pushed himself into the corner of the room with his chair. Miles didn't move, however, as he recognized the spinning mass of dots and circles.

"No way, not again..." he breathed out, standing up in the process. He had just finished his sentence when a giant figure was spat out of the dark mass, landing pretty clumsily on top of Ganke, who was huddling in the corner with his chair. The two of them became a pile of sprawling limbs, as the hole in the roof slowly sucked back into itself.

The dark figure let out a groan as he stood up, and in a deep voice growled, "Man, I really need to get better at this dimension traveling thing. Lyla, can you maybe put my feet on the ground, and not on this poor.." he glanced down at the unconscious Ganke, who had passed out, and continued, "...kid." He then tilted his head, as if listening to a reply. "I really don't need your opinion right now. Yeah, maybe I would listen if you fixed your damn 'gizmo'."

Miles crouched down, prepared to take on this unexpected visitor. "You've gotta be kidding me, uh, whoever you are. I don't have time for a fight, classes literally 'bout to start." Miles gave the imposing figure a once over. He was wearing what looked like a Spiderman suit, even having the same color scheme as miles. On his forearms, however, were some red and spiky looking fabrics sticking outwards.

"Calm down, Miles" The massive Spider-person held out their hand in a calming gesture towards Miles. "I know you're the Spiderman in this universe, and I know how you saved the multiverse by defeating Kingpin."

"What the-" Miles stepped back in shock, eyes wide. "I-I'm not, uh, Spiderman..." He winced internally, knowing he sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that fact. "Who the hell are you, busting in my room claiming you know everything about me? You wanna tell me who you are?"

The Spider-person let out a rumbling chuckle, pulling down their hood to reveal a Latino man. He stuck out his hand to Miles, saying, "I'm Miguel O'Hara, and you're right, I know all about you and your friends Miles." Miles stepped back, looking a bit skeptical. "You serious right now?"

Miguel gave him a pained look, face scrunched. "Sorry, that's kinda creepy. Yes Lyla, I realized that. No! Saying 'I've been watching you', isn't a better idea." He cringed slightly again, and glanced at Miles. "Oops, forget you heard that."

Notes:

Sorry if you expected Gwen to fall through the portal. She'll be reunited with Miles eventually ;). Kudos help me gauge interest, and I'll keep posting if there's any at all.

Chapter 2

Summary:

Decided to grind out the second chapter before I forget all the plot details sooooo...

A Pretty Nice Looking Watch

Miles stared at the man before him, who introduced himself as Miguel O'Hara. 

"So are you, like, a dimension hopper too or something?" he asked. 

Miguel wagged a finger back at Miles. "That, my young friend, is a fantastic guest. Think of me as the ultimate dimension hopper, all thanks to this bad boy." Miguel tapped a bulky looking device clamped onto his wrist. 

"Is that a watch? Cause if it is I gotta say it doesn't fit with your look at all." Miles said while raising his eyebrows slightly. 

"Like you would know so much about fashion? You run around New York tripping on your shoelaces, calling it a 'fashion statement'. Yeah, falling on your face is the fashion statement we all need. Might I add you fell off that building cause you tripped on your shoelaces?" Miguel shot back.

Miles' face scrunched up. He was once again slightly weirded out, and also embarrassed, by how much Miguel knew. "Ayy, stop that man. That's not cool. Anyways, what's up with you showing up in my dimension then?"

Miguel huffed, "Well it's kind of a long story, but I'll give you the gist of it. Bad guys are coming to threaten the multiverse, I watched you defeat a different threat to the multiverse and decided I need your help, made dimension traveling devices, and now I need to collect your friends as well as a bunch of other Spider-people."

"Woah, woah, woah. I literally just finished saving the multiverse. You really gonna put me through this again?" Miles took a few steps back, shaking his head.

Miguel followed him, putting his hand onto Miles' shoulder. "In all seriousness, Miles, I have been watching you. I know about Uncle Aaron, I know how you fought to come back and help your friends. Your dad was right. You do have this spark in you, and you use it to help other people. That's what makes you special, Miles. That's why you're Spiderman. And I need your help."

Miles looked up at Miguel, eyes shining. "You really mean that?"

Miguel pulled off his mask, revealing messy brown hair and a tanned face. "You can't save everyone, but the next best thing you can do is try." He nodded at Miles, before turning around to check on the still unconscious Ganke. Miles watched him do so, throwing himself back onto his bed, eyebrows scrunched together in thought.  

The most attractive part of Miguel's proposal to Miles was the possibility of seeing his friends again. Especially Gwen. His heart soared at the thought of that. As for the negatives, of course there was the possibility of a painful death. But that was a given for any superhero.

Miles was about to grab Miguel's attention when suddenly Miguel grabbed a water bottle sitting on Ganke's desk and dumped it onto the prone figure sprawled on the floor. Ganke bolted upright, sputtering all the while, and looked right at Miles. Miguel stood behind him, eyebrow cocked.

"Oh my God, Miles! I just had the craziest dream!" He said while standing himself up. "There was this dude in all black who came through this swirling thing through the roof. Y'know now that I think about it he kind of looked like Spiderman 2099 from the comics. and then he landed on me. Then for some reason he started-" Ganke stopped as he turned around, nearly colliding with Miguel.  

His mouth hung open as he slowly backed away, pointing a finger at Miguel. "Y-yo-you're Miguel O'Hara." He looked at Miles, then Miguel, then back to Miles again. "Y'know what, I'm just gonna go now, I gotta get to class." The door slammed behind him as he ran out, backpack nearly getting caught by the closing door.

Now just Miles and Miguel remained in the room. "I really gotta go now, you think we can do this later or something? Like I get that saving the universe is important and stuff but, uh, school." Miles grabbed his bag, prepared to run off to class when Miguel grabbed his shoulder. 

"Miles, this'll be quick. I don't need you yet, I'll contact you with this when I do." Miguel pulled out a slim, watch-like device with Miles' signature color scheme. "It's a lot like my dimension traveling device. Except a lot more...stylish." He gave Miles a wry look. "Mine was just a prototype, but I know you teenagers care about looks. So here you go. Enter universe coordinates, and then the person you would like to find there. Or you can choose to contact with a hologram, text, or call. The watch stabilizes your atoms while you wear it, so you don't need to worry about glitching or any other problems when you travel."

Miles just stared at the device as Miguel passed it over, an idea forming in his mind. "Wait, do you think you could give me Gwen Stacy's watch too?"

"You mean Earth-65 Gwen, your friend?" Miguel questioned. "Cause yeah I do have a watch for her.  But why would you want her...ohhhh." He gave Miles a knowing look. "Yeah good luck with that." A white and black device dropped out of a portal that suddenly opened up above Miguel. He caught it and handed it to Miles. "It's time for me to depart, we'll meet again." Miguel turned and started walking towards the wall of the apartment.

Miles found this slightly worrying and was about to stop him, but Miguel jumped towards the wall like he was expecting it to open up. He hit it with a massive crash, before letting out a string of curses. 

"Lyla!!! I get you're mad and all, but I really need to get back now." He paused. "Yes, I'm sorry, just get me back please." The wall ripped open into a swirling circle, and Miguel stepped through carefully. Then the wall closed with a loud *SHWOOP*.

Miles was left there, with two watches that weren't watches, just staring at the wall. Then he snapped out of it when he realized he only had a minute to get to class. Miles ran out, and the door to his apartment slammed shut once again as he left.

Notes:

Decided to grind out the second chapter before I forget all the plot details sooooo...

Chapter 3

We Don't Run From Things

School had never felt longer than it did today for Miles. 

In physics he had a test. Usually Miles breezed through physics without much effort, but after his meeting with Miguel he just couldn't focus at all. Being late didn't help his case.  Then in English they spent a whole entire class analyzing character growth in Great Expectations. That book would be the death of him someday, not some crazy super villain or anything. He had to slog through Human Sexuality in Heath, and Logic. Speaking of which kind of school has a Logic class? In his opinion they should totally do away with it

In math their teacher was out, and they had some old substitute teacher called Mr.Lee. Miles thought he looked familiar somehow. He ended up spending the class catching up on homework since Mr.Lee just sat by the teachers desk reading comics.

Miles finally managed to meet up with Ganke at lunch.

"Miles, I gotta ask you. WHAT WAS THAT THIS MORNING???" Ganke pretty much screamed when he saw Miles. Miles quickly dragged Ganke away, looking around to see if anyone noticed. Luckily the cafeteria was loud, and the two of them were considered to be "losers" by everyone else.

"Chill out, Ganke. I'll explain everything." Miles said, while pulling his friend into an empty classroom. The both of them failed to notice a figure hunched in the corner, engrossed in a stack of comic books.

"Was that man we saw Miguel O'Hara? Did he travel through dimensions? Does this mean you can see Gwen again? What was that thing on his wrist? Who was that Lyla person he was talking to? Why did he dump my own water on me? I didn't have anything to drink the whole day. Also how are his abs so hard?" Ganke let everything out in one giant jumble of words, hopping from foot to foot in excitement. In fact his eyes were shining with light, as if he was a lantern fueled by burning curiosity. The person in the corner glanced up, suddenly interested, yet still unnoticed by the two boys

"Woah, woah, woah. Man, I don't even know everything myself. So this dude was apparently Miguel O'Hara, and yeah he did travel dimensions. The watchy looking thing on his wrist is what lets him travel dimensions. I have no freaking clue who Lyla but Miguel seemed like he argued with her, like, way too much." Miles laughed, rubbing the back of his neck as he answered the rest of Ganke's questions. "I think he was trying to wake you up, and y'know, I should try dumping water on you whenever you sleep in. As for his abs, I think it's cause he works out, but you do you with your love for Miguel. Maybe it's a Spiderman thing, you should check out these guns." Miles flexed jokingly in front of Ganke, and they both chuckled. 

"Well I have to say, that was quite the conversation, boys." The man in the corner finally stood, letting himself be know to Miles and Ganke. 

"Mr.Lee?!" Miles spun around in complete shock, eyes wide like dinner plates."Wait, hold up a sec. Aren't you the the old man who sold me the-" 

"Yup, that's me. So did the suit end up fitting?" Mr.Lee cut him off, dropping a knowing wink. He gathered his things, preparing to leave the room. As he passed Miles, Mr.Lee's coffee cup slipped from atop the pile of comic books he carried. With almost superhuman speed Miles snatched it out of the air before he placed it back to its resting place. 

"It's okay, you're secret's safe with me." Mr.Lee said while closing the door with his foot behind him. Miles and Ganke just stood there, both of them staring at the closed door before the bell rung. Miles' stomach growled, and he realized that he didn't even have time to eat lunch. They were serving pizza, reminding him of Peter's affection for the aforementioned treat. 

Miles started walking to the door when Ganke grabbed his wrist real quick, pulling up Miles' sleeve to reveal the watch Miguel gave him earlier. 

"Miles, for real this time. Does this mean you can see Gwen again?" Ganke questioned softly, tilting his head so that his glasses slipped off his nose. Miles turned his head, hoping that Ganke wouldn't see his rosy cheeks. Nevertheless his roommate knew him well enough to know the answer to his question. 

"I'm happy for you, Miles. You deserve this." Ganke said to him. And with that the both of them departed to their respective classes.

 

Miles grinded out the rest of his classes, slogging through the rest of his classes. He was sketching doodles comparing his long-nosed history teacher to Pinocchio when the final bell finally rung. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, Miles was the first one out as he prepared to head home for the weekend. Well maybe he wouldn't be home for the weekend, as he thought about the device clamped upon his wrist. 

There was a slight dilemma to his plans, however, as Miles thought about it more and more. His parents would not stand for him being away for most of the weekend. He couldn't just tell them that he was at a friends house, cause why would he be at a friends house for the whole weekend? Not to mention that Ganke was pretty much his only friend in this neighborhood. 

Miles shivered as a cold wind blew through his hoodie while he ran down the sidewalks of New York. The massive skyscrapers loomed above him, casting long shadows over the streets. A sudden realization hit him. He would have to reveal his alter-ego to his parents.

He couldn't just keep sneaking away every night to patrol the streets of New York. But he didn't want his parents to worry about him every time he left home. At the same time, it was getting harder for him to explain all his tardies to his parents when he had to fight crime-like robbers or some amateur villain-before school. Miles had a feeling that his parents would understand, however, as both his parents were heroes in their own professions.

And so, it was with sweaty palms and a frantic pulse that Miles opened the door to his house. He heard his dad call, "Miles, is that you?" 

Miles wasn't expecting his dad to be home so soon, as he thought only his mom would be home early on Fridays. "Yeah, it's me, dad. Can I walk to you and mom?"

His parents hurried over, and they sat together in the living room. His mom held his hand as she asked, "Mi hijo, whats wrong?" Her brows were knit together in concern. 

 Miles thought about what Peter had said to him all those months before. It's just a leap of faith. He let it all out in one rush, hands covering his face. "I have something I've been hiding for a while now. The Spiderman you've been complaining about for the past few months, the one tying up villains and swinging here to there, that's me. I'm Spiderman." To prove this claim Miles placed his hand on a book laying on the table, lifting it up in his sticky grasp before letting it drop. 

His parents' expressions both softened and his dad drew him into his arms. "I know, Miles. Don't take your pops for no fool. Pillows under your blankets ain't gonna cut it if you're trying to trick a police officer. But, why? You're so young. You don't need to do any of this." His mother just stared at him with a sad smile on her face, both anxious yet proud at the same time. 

Miles felt tears begin to cloud his vision. "Both of you should get me. You both save lives for a living. You've always told me that our family doesn't run from things. I was blessed with these powers, and I'm not gonna let any innocent person die cause I was too scared to help them." The tears were coming out in a flood now, wetting his dads shirt. 

"Dad, I was there when Uncle Aaron died. I saw him fall off the roof, and I couldn't save him. I COULDN'T SAVE MY UNCLE!" Miles let all of his pent up frustration go here. His head hung down, not wanting to have to face reality as he hid himself in his dad's embrace. "What kind of superhero am I? Crying cause I couldn't save my Uncle? I loved him so much, Dad. Now I can't even tell him that." Miles remembered the last tentative smile his Uncle gave him when he let go of Miles. Like he was proud of what Miles had become, and in a way telling him that he was sorry for everything he did as the Prowler. 

His dad lifted his chin. Miles could see tears in both his parents eyes as his mom rubbed soothing circles on his back. "It's alright to cry Miles. Everyone cries, and sometimes it seems like everything is going wrong. But you're strong. Just cause you cry when you're alone doesn't make you weak. It makes you human, and if a superhero isn't human in some way, they ain't nothing." His dad smiled at him. "I'm proud of you, Miles. You're everything I wanted you to be, and so much more. We aren't gonna stand in the way of our son being the best person he can." He gestured towards himself, and Miles' mom as he said that. 

Miles began to calm down, his sobs slowing in intensity. He remembered what his uncle said to him before he died. You're the best of all of us, Miles. You're on your way. Just keep going. Miles sent a prayer up to the heavens. "I love you Uncle Aaron,"  he whispered to himself. Then he looked at both his parents, proud of him in the moment. "I love you mom and dad," Miles told his parents, just enjoying this moment with the both of his parents as the evening shadows began to creep throughout their house. 

Notes:

I was really excited to write this chapter. R.I.P. Stan Lee and Uncle Aaron. I always loved Uncle Aaron as a character, and this was a sort of tribute to him, as well as Stan, who's an inspiration to all of us. I really wanted to show Miles' insecurities in this chapter, and I hope that's how it turned out. Also wanted to expand on his relationship with his parents. Next chapter will drop either tomorrow or Tuesday, and Miles will finally reunite with Gwen then.

Chapter 4

I Missed You

Miles had another nightmare that night when he returned from patrol. 

Miles decided to head back home early, and crashed pretty quickly after reaching his room. The dream started out great, as he stopped a robbery with Gwen. Then she turned to him and kissed him. Now that Miles thought about it, he really wouldn't mind that happening in real life. He imagined that she would taste like mint, maybe? And when he would run his hands through her hair that it would be indescribably soft.

But then the dream continued, and Miles would swing home to find his parents lying in a pool of their own blood, all the life drained out of them. He woke with a start, chest heaving and clammy with sweat. This was one dream he wouldn't share with his parents. He lay in his bed, unable to sleep for most of the night before exhaustion overtook him around four in the morning.

He awoke to the smell of bacon and eggs frying, the scent instantly causing Miles to roll out of bed. He threw on some sweatpants and his favorite hoodie before sliding into the kitchen on his socks. He found his mom there, hard at work by the stove. Before he even opened his mouth his mom turned and handed him a plate loaded with eggs, bacon and toast. "Good morning, honey. Make sure you eat up, a growing Spider-boy needs his food." 

Miles grabbed the plate and called out over his shoulder while skating away on his socks, "Thanks, mom!" He found a seat across from his dad at the dinner table. 

"Mornin'" his dad greeted him while sipping coffee from a mug that read: I COP DONUTS. Bright sunlight filtered in through the windows, skies were blue, the city was buzzing with life, and it was just a really beautiful day in general.

But there was this feeling gnawing at the back of Miles' mind, a certain desire of his. The watch-like device on his wrist weighed down heavily, reminding him of special someone who suddenly wasn't out of reach anymore. He dropped the question on his dad tentatively. "Hey dad.... So there's like this girl from another universe who's also a Spider-person. And...you know, I kind of promised to visit her. Do you mind if I -" He got no further as his dad suddenly cut in.

"My little boy got himself a girlfriend?! From another dimension?! Damnnn, son, it really does run in the family." His dad looked ecstatic, grinning from ear to ear. Miles' mom heard his dad's tirade, and hurried over as well. "Miles you have a girlfriend? And you didn't tell us? I swear you're growing up so quick, just yesterday it was like you were a little baby still-"

Miles let his parents get no further, and he was really blushing hard now. "Noooo, that's not it all. She's just a, uh friend. And I gotta deliver something to her. And it's nothing romantic. I swear!!!"

His dad let out a chuckle, shaking his head at Miles' awkwardness. "Alright, go get your girl. We can hold down the city for a day or two. Just be safe, and use protection, alright?"

Miles was mortified by his dad's suggestive comment. "DADDD!!! We're like 15!" Miles ran off to his room, his pride ruined. But he missed the proud look that passed between his parents as they watched him go. Miles grabbed his bag and threw a change of clothes, his phone, and his earbuds inside before donning his Spiderman suit. 

He took a deep breath and pulled down his sleeve to reveal the dimension jumper. He carefully typed in the number to Gwen's universe, found her in the database, and confirmed the jump request. A portal ripped open beneath Miles, and he fell totally unprepared through it. 

"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" he screamed at first, eyes shut tight. The sensation was like riding down a steep hill on a roller coaster, but 5 times worse. Miles carefully opened his eyes, and then gasped as he saw this world between worlds. He was being pulled through, as if he had a string connected to his head. Particles drifted through the space, flashing and disappearing. He caught glimpses of other dimensions as he flew by: there was a world that looked like it was from the far future, one in which all that was left was a mass of flames, one completely covered in water, and another one completely populated with...penguins?

Then he noticed an opening up ahead, one which he was headed straight towards. Light flooded his vision, and he breathed fresh air before hitting the ground with a massive, "OOF!" 

Miles stood, looking around the world he stood in. Everything seemed to be more graceful, shaded with whites and blues. He stood on a rooftop, a dozen stories above the streets below. The wind was strong, and Miles felt goosebumps pop up on his arms as it blew right through his clothes. Before him sat a familiar slim-waisted figure clad in black and white, sitting on the edge of the building with her legs dangling over the edge. 

Miles carefully stood and approached the figure. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey-" was all he managed before the figure did a graceful backflip, grabbing his arm in the process, and flipping him over her so that Miles ended up on his back. 

Then Miles heard the figure gasp, and he looked up from his prone position to see that she was covering her mouth with both hands. She tore off her hood, revealing the blonde hair and beautiful green eyes he had fallen in love with. Gwen pulled out a pair of earbuds she was listening to music from and let them dangle from the neck of her suit.  Miles pulled down his hood and smiled at Gwen. "I like the hair." 

He noticed that her hair had all grown back by now, and in his opinion Gwen had never looked prettier than she did now, eyes wide as she gaped at him. 

"You still don't get to like my hair," she said, but ever so softly and with a smile curling the edges of her mouth. "Miles, I don't even want to ask how, but I missed you so much. More than you can imagine." Suddenly she knelt down, drawing Miles into a tight embrace, their faces pressed close together. At first he went stiff, not ready for the sudden intimacy at all. Then he carefully enveloped Gwen with his arms. Miles thought she smelled really good, like lavender, but not to the point where it was too sweet. Her hair tickled his neck slightly, and it was as soft as he ever imagined. To his surprise, with them pressed so close together, he felt hot tears rolling down her cheeks and sliding onto his. Miles had never seen Gwen cry before, and he thought it was something he would never see.

All he could do in the moment was hold her close, letting her feel protected in his arms. Miles had always imagined this, but it didn't seem to matter in the moment. All he cared about was making sure Gwen was okay, making sure she felt safe. Why was she crying? She would tell him if she was ready. So the two of them sat their, Miles holding Gwen, as the city bustled and life continued to revolve around them. The wind didn't bother him so much anymore.

Notes:

Like I promised here's the next chapter. Don't mistake Gwen crying for me wanting to take away from a strong female character. Like I said even heroes cry sometimes, and Miles is one of her only friends. Also she has reasons... There will be fluff in the following chapter, and Peter will make his debut soon as well. Next update will be soon.

Chapter 5

Just Friends?

It was nearly noon before Miles felt a poke to his side. It was Gwen, eyes now dried, staring back at him with their faces inches apart. Her eyes blinked, two pure blue gems shining back at him.

"Come on, you dork. We should go now," she said to him, favoring him with a soft smile as she stood up. 

"Hey now, I'm coooollll. And I make great jokes. Also I got good style." To emphasize his point Miles mimicked shooting finger pistols towards Gwen, causing her to giggle. Her laughing at his dorky jokes made the jokes worth cracking. Gwen crying into his chest earlier was totally forgotten the moment. Miles didn't ask her why she broke down. Now was not the time nor place. He was confident that she would tell him if she was ready.

"Knock yourself out," Gwen replied while shaking her head. That was when Miles felt his stomach let out a loud rumble. "What was that?" Gwen asked, pulling her hood over her head. "I think we might have some work to do."

Miles suddenly became interested in his feet, not wanting to meet his friend's eyes. "I don't think that was a villain, Gwen. It was this." He told her that while gesturing towards her stomach.

"Maybe we should get some food. There's this really good burger spot near my house. Come on, let's go!" Gwen balanced on the edge of the building before leaping off, swinging away with the grace of a dancer.

Before she jumped, however, Gwen heard Miles say to himself, "Yes! It's a date." Let's just say she was thankful that her mask covered her blushing cheeks. 

Miles prepared to follow Gwen with a running start off the side of the building. And he proceeded by tripping on his untied shoelaces, toppling over the building with his arms flailing. Maybe I should tie my shoelaces, fashion statement or not, he thought before catching himself with a hasty shot from his webslinger. 

Miles finally managed to catch up with Gwen as she landed with a flip on top the burger place. She slipped her mask off her face, cocking an eyebrow on Miles. "Nice job on the takeoff, Spider-boy." 

Miles pulled off his mask as well, gaping at Gwen. "Wait, you sa-I mean, that was all intentional, so I've got no idea what you're talking about." He thought she didn't notice his little whoopsie. 

Gwen stared at Miles. "Okayyyy, sure." She then reached into her suit, taking out some money and handing it to Miles. "I can't go in, everyone will recognize me. You on the other hand, should be fine if you go in with your suit. Order whatever. Now go get me food, my servant." 

Miles gave Gwen a look that seemed to say, "Really?", before covering his face with his mask once again. Then he turned and hopped down to the street, somewhat skeptical of Gwen's plan as he walked into the burger place. While the delicious smell of greasy burgers and fries greeted him, he was also met with a lot of stares and pointing fingers. He heard the people around him whispering things like: What's that suit he's wearing? Doesn't he look kind of small? Woah, that suit looks kinda sick. Why are his shoelaces untied? 

That last comment caused Miles to look down at his shoelaces, now completely dirty and battered. He sighed. What was with the universe and his shoelace? They looked cool in his opinion. As he waited in line to order, a blonde girl about his age and her friend walked up to him.

"Hey your suit looks pretty cool, you think we could get a picture with you?" The girl pleaded, looking at Miles while batting her eyelashes. 

Miles attempted to lower his voice to seem more manly. "O-oh yeah, I would be down for that." So he posed with the two girls, flashing the peace sign as they snapped a picture. Then one of them quickly reached up and unmasked Miles.

"Oh my God, he's such a cutie," one of the girls said to the other.  Miles hurriedly donned his hood again, which helped him hide the totally flabbergasted look on his face.

"Thanks for the picture, Spiderboy," the girls strutted away, the blonde one blowing a kiss back at Miles. He just stood there, rubbing his neck, until the person in line behind him reminded Miles that other people were waiting for food too. He shrugged, at least they thought his get-up was cool.

Little did Miles know, Gwen was stuck on the side of the building, peeking in through a tiny side window. And she was not a happy spider right now, not after witnessing her Miles being accosted by those two girls. Then she shook her head, trying to clear those thoughts from her mind. Who was she kidding? Miles was in no way hers. But a part of her consciousness kept whispering in the back of her mind, "You wish he was yourrss."

Meanwhile back in the burger spot, Miles had finally reached the front of the line. The cashier greeted him with a bit of laughter. "Hi, welcome to Toasty Buns Burgers. What can I get for you today?" 

Miles nearly snorted when he heard the name, immature as he is. As he checked the menu one last time, he realized he had enough for two burgers and fries, but only one drink. "Oh well," he thought as he placed his order. 

"So, are you some kind of teen cosplayer or something?" The cashier asked him this as Miles counted out the money. He had no idea what a cosplayer was. He'd just ask Gwen later.

"Uhhh...sure. I guess I am," was his tentative reply. And with that the cashier handed him his receipt, muttering under his breath something about how kids were getting weirder every day. To be honest, Miles had no idea what a cosplayer was. He just said yes so that the cashier wouldn't keep asking questions. Probably wasn't his best idea ever. 

When Miles was finally handed a greasy bag stuffed full of food, he took a massive whiff of the food, sighing in satisfaction. "Man, I should watch it or I'll become like Peter." Miles smiled fondly at the memory of his "mentor". Peter had always been more of a second dad to him than a mentor. Not to mention he was a sucky teacher.

Miles carefully slipped into a side alley after he walked out of the burger spot. He thwipped himself onto the roof, landing beside Gwen.

"Hey," he greeted her. 

"Those girls you were talking to looked a bit too friendly, don't you think?" Gwen asked this while narrowing her eyes at him. While Miles hadn't yet realized that Gwen was jealous, he did realize that she was kind of pissed. He remembered a piece of advice his Uncle Aaron had given him.

"If you ever find yourself with a lady that's mad at you, play dumb. 9 times out of 10  they'll think you're actually stupid and leave you alone."

"Those were girls?" Under his mask, Miles grimaced. "Great, you've done it again you total loser." 

"I hope that was a joke," Gwen replied as her eyebrows furrowed. Miles couldn't help thinking to himself, "Damn, she's cute when she's mad." He didn't say anything though, just letting her snatch away the bag he carried.

They both relaxed onto the ground, tucking into their respective burgers, too busy enjoying the food to talk. Miles pulled out his straw, leaning to his left to stick it into the drink, only to bump heads with Gwen as she tried to do the same.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry." "Oh, my bad." They both tried to apologize. Miles then stiffened, noticing that his lips hovered just centimeters away from Gwen's. His breath caught. Then Gwen snatched a couple of his fries, causing them to both pull away.

"Come on, now! You got your own."

"It's technically my food."

"What do you mean? I bought it."

"With my money."

"I did the work."

"Too bad."

"I'm hungryyy."

"Starve then." 

With that, Gwen took the rest of Miles' fries, and he could only pout as she did so. The two of the spent the rest of the afternoon just talking and laughing. Gwen learned that Miles used to do dance, which she got really excited about, being a dancer herself. Miles laughed when he learned that Gwen had dressed up as Cinderella for a whole month after watching the movie, which surprisingly was one of the only Disney movies their universes shared. Of course, this had been 6-year old Gwen who dressed up, which Miles thought was absolutely adorable. They talked for so long that the sun began to set.

And so what started as "Just Friends", became something more than that as Miles and Gwen sat beside each other. The two slowly falling in love with the person who sat beside them, watching the dying sun cast it's amber light over the world before them.

Notes:

Ok hey guys. I'm back again with another chapter. This one was really fun to write, and I wanted it to just show Gwen and Miles hanging out. The next chapter I'm also really excited about. Since school is starting up again my update schedule will probably be 1-2 times a week. Thanks for all the support, and don't forget to leave kudos. Peter makes his debut very soon.

Chapter 6

By the Fireplace

The last rays of sunlight slowly crept away from the City of New York. With it, a slight chill set in, blanketing the city with frosty air. It was only now that Miles and Gwen noticed the time.

"I should probably go now. It's getting way too late for me to stay. It's been amazing, Gwen." Miles stood, favoring Gwen with a sad smile as he did so. His time spent with Gwen so far was perhaps better than anything he could do in his own universe, save being with his parents. At least they would both have a way to travel back and forth, though trips would be difficult to plan given their tight schedules.

So Miles was preparing himself for his departure when Gwen suddenly broached an idea. "You know...you could just stay over for the night. It's only Saturday, plus we could spend more time with each other." Her cheeks tinted a light pink color as she said that.

"Wait, hold up. Isn't your dad home? I don't think he would approve me staying over." Truth to be told, Miles was completely fine with spending more time with Gwen. But the thought of a suspicious dad breathing down his neck was not something he was excited about, He knew what dad's were like.

However Gwen looked away when he asked her about her dad. Miles saw a flash of pain pass through her confident persona. "My dad's in the hospital right now. As far as the rest of the world's concerned, Gwen Stacy is still missing," she whispered, obviously distraught.

The moment passed as quickly as it came. "We can talk later. If you come. I want you to come, Miles." 

He shrugged. "Well I guess I cant argue with that."And the two swung away, thwiping themselves from building to building. No one said anything about a race, but both of them knew that they couldn't let the other beat them.

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It took them about 10 minutes to reach Gwen's apartment. Naturally Miles arrived after Gwen, as he didn't even know where she lived. If he did that would have been creepy. That didn't stop her from teasing him about it, though.

"You know what this means, right?" Gwen asked him while he landed on the fire escape. She was planning to open the window, as she usually kept it unlocked for easy access when she was out being Spiderwoman. Miles shrugged, already embarrassed.

"I'm the better Spidermannnn," she chorused in a sing-song voice. "That's what you should call me now."

"Okay, just wait a second now. First of all I would call you that if it was true. Also, you aren't even a man." Miles protested Gwen's suggestion.

"Well you aren't exactly a man either." Gwen made this suggestion while looking Miles up and down. Her eyebrows shot up as she realized he now stood half a head taller than she did. Also his muscles were more...developed. Gwen blushed and looked away, climbing inside her room.

Miles pouted before following her. He looked around at the light blue walls, covered in posters of Gwen's favorite music groups. He pointed towards one of a band called the Mary-Janes.

"That's your band, right?" Miles asked while gesturing towards the poster. 

"Yup."

"You look good," was his reply. Gwen gave him a sweet smile, showing off the tiny gap in her teeth. 

Her room didn't have much in it. Curiously, her laptop had an image of an apple on it. In Miles' universe it was a pear, but he wasn't gonna judge. As Gwen scrambled around tidying things up, Miles picked up a small framed photograph on her desk. He asked her, "Is this your dad?" In the photograph stood a older looking man, who had his arms wrapped around a younger looking Gwen. He had a kind face, with smile lines wrinkling the corners of his eyes. 

Gwen's face softened as she saw what Miles held in his hands. "Yeah, that's him. Come on, I'll show you the living room."

Miles returned the photo to it's resting place before following Gwen out of her room. Her apartment was actually quite big, even including a fireplace in the living room. A large T.V. hung on the wall, couches scattered around it. This included one massive couch, like one of those kinds where you could lay down on it and still have room to roll around. 

"Here, it's kind of chilly. I'll go grab some blankets." Gwen left, leaving Miles there by himself. He peeked out a nearby window. It was snowing outside, tiny white flakes dancing through the night sky. In a way they reminded him of Gwen: graceful and beautiful. Miles wasn't really a fan of winter, but he did love the month of December. Not only was it the most festive month, but he lived for the days where the sun was out, yet a sharp cold bit your cheeks when you stepped outside. There was a sort of natural beauty in that.

"Here, I also grabbed some hot chocolate." Gwen reappeared behind Miles, holding two mugs of hot chocolate and wrapped in a number of fluffy blankets. She had changed out of her suit, now only wearing flannel pajamas and a giant sweatshirt. Miles thought she looked really cute, wrapped up and in normal clothes like she was. "I'm gonna get the fire going. Take this." She handed him the mugs and a blanket before waddling over to the fireplace.

"I only get one?" Miles pouted again, giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Mhmm, that's not gonna work on me." Gwen looked away though, not trusting herself to face that adorable look Miles was giving her. She glanced over again, before finally giving in. "Fineee, take this one two." She unwrapped another blanket and threw it at Miles, who had settled onto the couch. A muffled, 'Hey!', came back from under the mass of blankets. 

"I'm gonna go change, be right back," Miles said to Gwen as he untangled himself from the blankets. He pulled a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt out of his bag. He slipped into Gwen's room to change. The t-shirt was actually something he was really proud of. It was a graffiti design of the words 'Leap of Faith' that he had made himself. Miles smiled as he pulled it over his head. Graffiti art was a hobby he could always fall back on, letting him forget all his pain and worries.

He returned to the living room, finding a comfortable position amidst the blankets strewn about the couch. After Gwen fiddled with the fireplace for a while, it roared to life, filling the room with a gentle warmth.  She let herself fall onto the couch beside Miles, turning on the T.V. as she did.

She opened up this app called 'Netflix', something Miles had never seen before. "Have you ever watched the Office before?" Gwen asked him, tilting her head.

"What's that?" Miles had never heard of any show or movie called that before. He thought it was kind of a bland name.

Gwen's eyes widened in shock. "Oh my God, we have to watch it. I can't believe your universe doesn't have it." And so watch the Office is what they did. Miles thought it was actually pretty good, albeit the name suggested otherwise. One of the main characters, Michael, kind of reminded him of Peter. The same sort of dorkiness and stupidity, yet still having a good heart beneath all that. He missed Peter.

Anyways the humor was really offensive at times, making everything even funnier. He and Gwen both laughed a lot. Miles thought Gwen had a really nice laugh. Sometimes he would just stare at her, and just listen to her laugh. Little did he know she would do the same when he wasn't paying attention. 

They had finished part of the first season, and it was pretty late by then. Miles did have one movie he wanted to see, however. "Do you have La La Land?" he asked Gwen.

"Oh yeah, that's actually a movie that I have on disk. My dad loves it since he used to watch it with my mom." Gwen looked really excited.

"My mom loves it too. Well she's really just a fan of sappy romantics in general, so y'know." Miles gave her a grin. Gwen inserted the disk, starting up the movie. Then she slipped back under the blankets, leaning on Miles. He blushed slightly, but it was dark so Gwen didn't notice. 

They watched the movie, singing along to the soundtrack as it played. The movie was over before they even realized it. Gwen had an idea all of a sudden, pulling Miles up as Mia and Sebastian's Theme played for the last time. 

"You said you learned to dance when you were a kid, right? Come on Spider-boy, let's dance." Miles refused at first, waving his hands in the air.

"Oh nononono. I haven't taken lessons in years. You don't want to dance with me." But he did reluctantly let Gwen pull him with her.

"That doesn't mean you haven't danced by yourself since then. Here, show me what you got." Gwen swayed with Miles, letting him pull her into a twirl. 

"Hey, not so bad for someone who hasn't danced in years." Gwen leaned her head onto his, eyes widening in surprise as Miles dipped her.

"I might dance a bit when I'm by myself. Don't tell anyone though." Miles smiled slightly, winking at her. As the song reached the climax, Miles reached for Gwen's cheek. However while doing so his fingers accidentally brushed against her neck. Gwen giggled, then quickly tried to cover her mouth. 

Miles gave her a look that made Gwen go, "Oh shit". He then grabbed her arms, pinning Gwen to the floor as he tickled her neck.

"OH MY GOD, HAHAHAHAHA, MILES STOP." He paused for a second, seemingly considering it for a second. Gwen gasped in relief, trying to free hersself.

He then raised both eyebrows at her, replying simply with, "Nah." Then he went for her sides, causing Gwen to throw a punch at him. He was able to dodge it, spidey-sense warning him just in time. Tear were streaming down Gwen's cheeks now, and she was begging Miles to stop. 

"Haha who's the best Spider-man now?" Miles felt slightly evil doing this, but the sight was too adorable for him. The usually composed and dignified Gwen rolling around on the floor, totally helpless. 

"N-n-not you!!!" Gwen was barely able to squeeze those words out. She threw yet another punch which Miles dodged, but his time she reached for the back of his head, pulling him up close to her. This caused him to stop, as they were now pressed up against each other. Gwen's hot breath washed over his face, smelling like chocolate. 

"Hey," he said to her.

She still had a couple tears rolling down her face, and her chest was heaving. "Hey," she managed to say. Then she pulled him even closer, lips crashing against his. Miles' heart suddenly felt like it was about to burst. Her lips were really soft, just like how he dreamed they would be. Miles could barely even think at the moment. He had thought about having his first kiss before, but he could never imagine that it would be with an angel from another dimension. 

They finally broke apart, now both their chests heaving. Miles was immediately worried, wondering if things had gone to far. "I-I'm sorry. Was that too much? I'm not sure. Believe it or not but I've never kissed a gi-" He was interrupted by her lips pressing against his once again. This time he grabbed the back of Gwen's head, running his hand's through her silky hair. 

When they came up for air, Gwen gasped out, "That should answer your question." Then she smirked. "Also I can definitely believe that you've never kissed a girl before. Anyways, I'm totally spent, so I'm gonna crash now." She turned to leave. Then she paused, asking Miles, "Are you fine with sleeping out here?" Miles nodded confirmation, still too dumbfounded to speak. 

"Ok then." Gwen looked like she wanted to say something more, but she stopped herself. "Goodnight, Miles." And with that she shut the door to her room behind her, leaving Miles standing there with the T.V. still blaring behind him. He shook his head, clearing it, before settling back on to the couch. He continued watching the Office from where they had last left off. 

He was on to the second season, and had just started watching the episode Email Surveillance when he heard the door to Gwen's bedroom open once again. He turned to see Gwen, bags forming under her eyes and tears streaking down her face.

He wordlessly let her engulf herself in his arms. After a short time, he carefully asked, "What's wrong, Gwen?" 

She looked up at him, eyes still brimming with tears. "Do you have nightmares?"

Miles thought about all those times he would wake up in the middle of the night, imagining his Uncle Aaron dying before his eyes. It was to the point where Ganke had become used to it, and would just grab him some water and food to comfort him. "Yeah I do, all the time," he softly replied. 

Gwen buried her face into his chest. "My dad was attacked by the Green Goblin while I was gone. He's in a coma right now, and I don't know if he'll wake up again." Miles tentatively kissed her forehead, brushing away her tears with his fingers. 

"Shhh, it's okay. You're with me now. It's all gonna be okay." Gwen started hiccuping, so he began to rub circles on her back.

Finally she said, "You know I have other nightmare too. Of you dying. Of Peter and the rest dying. Of my Peter dying. Miles, I couldn't protect him or my dad. What if you die because I can't protect you?"

Miles though about her question for a bit, still rubbing patterns on her back as he did so. "The Peter in my universe died cause of me too. He had just met me. He was so happy to see that he wasn't alone. And then he was gone, alone again. I didn't forgive myself for a long time. But I realized after awhile that he wasn't really alone. He died happy. I think he saw the rest of you coming through the collider. And so he didn't die alone.  I think that helped me find peace with the fact that he's gone." 

Gwen's hiccups got worse. "My Peter-hic-was my best friend. I loved him. He died cause he wanted to be a hero like me. I-hic-killed him, Miles. And the world knows that too." She sobbed a couple times.

"Gwen, I think he would have been happy knowing that you used your powers to help others. I think that he forgives you too, because he loved you too. Someone once told me that I couldn't save everyone, even if that's the thing I truly want within myself. But the very next best thing I could do, was try my best to do so." Miles paused. "Here, let me go get you some cocoa." He carefully got up and left, returning after a bit with a steaming mug in his hand. 

He handed the mug to Gwen, drawing her back into his arms as her hiccups slowly died out. Her breathing finally returned back to normal, and she shakily told Miles, "I like your shirt." Miles smiled as he kissed Gwen's hair. 

Gwen turned to look at him. "Do you mind if I sleep here tonight?" Miles didn't blush at this, however, seeing the broken look in her eyes. 

"Of course, stay here as long as you need." And so she set her mug down on the coffee table, snuggling up next to Miles as he draped an arm over her. She settled into his chest, her hair slightly brushing against his chin. 

"Just so you know, I love you, Miles." 

"I love you too Gwen." And with those words he felt Gwen relax beside him, falling asleep. Miles thought her breathing was really cute: a tiny puff of air she would blow out periodically. Her legs layed itself on top of his, though he didn't mind. Miles slowly fell asleep, listening to the crack and pop of the fireplace as embers danced in front of it. The soft glow illuminated the room, warming him and Gwen as they slept.

Miles didn't have any nightmares that night.

Notes:

This chapter was a pleasure to write, even tough it was longer than the rest. I didn't want to put even more than what was already in it. Also I told you that Chris Pine Spiderman would come up. Next chapter is Peter's appearance. Also winter's definitely my favorite season. I'm planning to include a Christmas and New Years chapter in the future. Hope you enjoyed the Office reference, leave kudos and comment if you liked it.

(Credit to Tumblr for inspiration on the tickle scene)

Chapter 7

It's Peter!

 

 

Miles cracked open his eyes as sunlight filtered in from the windows. He felt warm. Like warmer than he had ever been in his life. Partly due to the fact that Gwen lay on top of him, splayed out and still fast asleep. Miles couldn't move as Gwen's legs were still tangled up in his, her arms wrapped around him.  So he just remained motionless, staring at the beautiful girl who's head lay atop of his chest.

Miles wasn't sure where to go from here. First of all, he never had a girlfriend before. Also, he wasn't even sure if they were, you know,  an 'item'. The fact that she slept on top of him right now didn't really help his situation. How would she react when she woke up? There was nothing Miles could do except wait, in his current situation. And so he slowly drifted off to sleep again, noting to himself that weekends were the perfect time to sleep in. 

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Miles had a dream almost as soon as he fell asleep. He found himself in a giant New York penthouse, a lot taller and older than he was now. Around him were the rest of his friends, all gathered around a T.V. as they played some kind of shooter game. There were speakers beside the T.V. playing his favorite song, Sunflower.

Peter looked as old as he ever did, chowing down on a massive bag of chips and dip, spraying crumbs all over himself as he tried to sing-along. Beside Peter sat Noir, who was complaining about the fact that he couldn't see any of the colors on the T.V. And also that he, "Didn't believe in the government polluting the minds of children with violence." 

Spiderham stood in front of the couch, though you could only see his ears poking up from below. He was totally immersed into the game, making sound effects and screaming insults while he played. Ham blamed it as being a "part of him that he couldn't get rid of", but Miles suspected that he secretly enjoyed making all these noises.

Peni had designed her own controller for their video game session, customizing it to the point where it looked more like some sort of alien device than a controller. Blinking lights strobed, and as Miles watched a spark sprang off one of the wires, doing a quick dance before fading away. She chomped on a piece of gum, blowing massive bubbles as she tapped away.

Finally there was Gwen. His Gwen, sitting on his lap making tiny frustrated sounds whenever she was killed. Miles wrapped his arms around her, but then heard a voice calling for him. He looked around at his friends, but all of them were focused completely on the game. 

The voice got louder, "Miles!! Wake up!!" He watched as he slowly drifted away from his friends, seemingly there but not at the same time. The last thing he remembered seeing before he woke up was a glint of metal on Gwen's finger. He felt his cheeks heat up as he realized what it was.

Miles became aware of a sort of pressure on his stomach. He opened his eyes to find Gwen staring at him with her beautiful blue eyes, like two orbs of electricity blinking back at him. She sat on top of him, straddling his waist as she tilted her head towards him. Then she blanched as she realized the position they were in, springing off him hurriedly. 

"Soooo..." Gwen drew the word out, looking around awkwardly while rubbing the back of her neck. She then perked up, letting off a sort of nervous vibe as she did. "I'll make some breakfast! Yeah, that's exactly what I'm gonna do right now!" Gwen smiled way too wide, backing away as she did so before turning and hurrying into the kitchen.

"What the-" Miles was still groggy, having just woken up again. In fact he wasn't sure how much of last night was a dream, and how much was reality. He kind of hoped it was the latter. Miles rolled over on his side to check his phone, before realizing that it didn't work in this dimension. Instead he just laid back, taking in his surrounding as the smell of toast began to fill the air. 

So after Gwen called to him that the food was ready, he dragged himself over to the kitchen to find toast and jam waiting on the table. Gwen sat their as well, fiddling with a chain bracelet on her wrist. She looked up at Miles and smiled as he sat down. 'God her smile is adorable,' he thought

"I'm kind of a sucky chef. But this time I didn't burn the toast, so that's progress I guess?" Gwen gave Miles a hopeful glance that made his heart melt. He laughed a bit before swiping the jam from Gwen's hand.

"Hey! Shouldn't the chef go first? Work hard eat hard?" Gwen protested.

Miles looked at her, amusement evident on his face. "Hey now, I'm a growing boy. Eating a lot is why I'm taller than you now." And so he smeared a liberal amount of jam all over his toast. Actually there was probably more jam than toast at that point.

Gwen made a face at him, obviously disgusted by this. "If I knew you were like this, I would have just served you jam instead of toast." Miles shrugged before happily tucking in, sliding the jam jar over to Gwen as he did so.

They ate and casually just chatted about whatever struck their interest. For some reason Miles really wanted to debate over whether fish get thirsty or not. Gwen rolled her eyes at this, but did offer her opinion that no, fish do not get thirsty. This lead to a few minutes of playful discussion before Miles, in fact, did get thirsty. So off he went to pour himself a glass of orange juice. 

When he sat back down, however, he had a more serious question to ask Gwen. "So, about last night...and...uhh..." Miles slowly let his words trail off, not really sure how to proceed from here. Gwen tensed up as well, obviously uncomfortable. 

Miles sighed. "Well, do you...y'know...love me?" He asked this, concern written on his face. Miles realized that Gwen was pretty distraught the night before, so maybe she didn't feel for him as strongly as she said? He began to ramble, waving his hands around making gestures as he did. "I mean, like that's what you said last night. I don't want to be assuming things or anything. But like maybe things got a bit out of hand? I don't know I just really don't wanna mess thi-" He was cut off as Gwen leaned across the table, grabbing his waving hands and enveloping them in a tight hold. 

"Calm down, Miles. What I said was true for the most part. I do...care about you." Miles' eyes widened at this, brimming with barely contained happiness. 

"You know..uh...I feel that way too." Gwen frowned though, eyes distant as if she were thinking hard in the moment.

"But I'm worried about how we would make this work, if we tried something. And by something I mean, like, being together. Only if you're okay with it though! I'm not saying we should force anything...wait, are you okay with it?" Miles noted with interest that they both liked to ramble when they got nervous.

"I'm definitely cool with that." 

"It would be super long distance though. There's so much to worry about. First of all you're the only one who can visit. Also, we're always sooo busy. It'd be tough making time for anything on the side. And Miles, what if you find someone else?" Gwen had stood up, and now began pacing back and forth. Gwen thought she looked cute when she got frustrated. She got a little red, and her eyes narrowed slightly, really bringing out the freckles around her nose. He looked away, suddenly reminded of something he needed to do.

Miles began to back out of the kitchen, telling Gwen, "Hold up real quick, I might have a way to fix this all." He headed over to Gwen's bedroom, grabbing his bag and pulling out a familiar black and white device which he had all but forgotten about. Miles was nearly skipping as he returned to the kitchen, brandishing the device in front of him.

Gwen looked at him, slightly confused. "A watch. Uh...cool?" Then she gasped as she realized what Miles held in his hands. "Oh my God. Is that like what you have?" 

Miles nodded, grinning as he explained the device to Gwen like a salesman would. "You see, this may look like a dimension-hopper,  but that's not only what it does. It's got a multi-universal texting feature, complete with Holotime. Also just by selecting the person you want to find in any universe will bring you to them." He shrugged. "So yeah, it's pretty cool." 

Gwen pulled him into a tight hug, and let him slide the watch-like device onto her slim wrist. "I think we could make this work, one step at a time."

Suddenly the both of them heard an all to familiar voice from behind them. "Awww, kids. That was adorable." They turned to find their favorite Spider-hobo, Peter B. Parker, standing on the countertop with a bag of popcorn in his arms.

"Peter!" The two of them shouted before rushing over. Then the questions poured out in a torrent. 

"How did you get here?"

"How long have you been watching us?"

"Where'd you get the popcorn?" Miles asked as he swiped a handful from the bag, much to Peter's dismay.

"Why do you look so much more fit?"

"Are things with M.J. all good?"

"Can you get off my kitchen counter?" That last question from Gwen was more of an order. Peter looked down at his feet, realizing where he stood, before hopping down with a simple, "Oops." He then smiled, sighing as he looked at Miles and Gwen. "Young love is so sweet." 

Miles and Gwen blushed furiously, both avoiding Peter's amused expression as they both denied anything along the lines of what he suggested. Peter shrugged, "You know I saw that whole touchy-feely hug session, right?" Having finished his popcorn, Peter tossed the empty bag onto the counter behind him, receiving a glare from Gwen as she went to throw it away. 

Miles then cocked his head to the side, "Wait, which session." Then he paled, realizing his mistake. 

"MILES!" Gwen screeched, obviously not in the mood to be teased by Peter, who by the way was doubled over laughing.

"Jesus what have you kids been doing before I arrived?" A mortified Miles tried to change the subject. Gwen on the other hand was too embarrassed to look at either Miles or Peter, instead finding sudden interest in the microwave.

"So, Peter. Mind answering our questions?" Miles asked, hoping to deflect his attention away. 

Peter frowned. "Well, it's kind of a long story. Basically this Spider-guy called Miguel dropped in on a date I was on with M.J. He gave me this funny watch looking thing." Peter pointed to a red and blue device clamped on his wrist. "Then left, telling me you were waiting for me. So I teleported over, and find you and Gwen draped over each other. Also, M.J's been making me get fit, so lay off the tummy. I brought the popcorn cause Miguel told me that there would be a good show." Peter paused for a second, nodding as if he were impressed with himself. "Hmm, I guess that didn't take so long after all."

Miles glared towards the roof, realizing Miguel had set this 'Peter teleporting in' situation up. "Damnit, Miguel." Miles whispered to himself. He could imagine Miguel laughing to himself as he watched this all go down. 

"Well, what do we do now." Miles wasn't sure about how to proceed.

Gwen suddenly perked up. "I could show you guys around my New York, if you're all fine with that?" Peter and Miles looked at each other, shrugging before both nodding their assent. 

                *                            *                           *                            *                                *                           *

Miles walked with Gwen down the streets of her New York, Peter lagging slightly behind as he tried to stuff a foot long hot dog down his throat. Their little trio had a few weird looks cast towards them, given that it looked like a hobo was following around two teens. But then again New York was still New York, even in another universe, so people didn't dwell on it. 

"So, where are we going again?" Miles didn't actually know what the plan was, he decided that following Gwen would just be the best course of action. Currently they were trying to shove through a massive horde of tourists. Miles heard one of the tour guides say as they passed by, "Usually we have a resident super hero, Spiderwoman. However she hasn't been seen for months now. Some reports say she's still active at night, but that's doubtful." There was a disappointed sigh from the crowd of tourists.

Miles glanced at Gwen, who gave him an innocent shrug before answering his question. "Well I wanted to bring you to this spot I really like to hang out at. It's called Bob and Busters." Miles nodded in recognition.

"In my world it's called Dave and Busters." Suddenly Peter stuck his head between the both of them.

"You know it'd be a lot quicker if we swung." He made a gesture towards his webshooters, still hidden beneath his oversized jacket. Gwen sighed. 

"New York hasn't seen me in months, Peter."

"Well this would be the perfect time to make a grand appearance. Think about it, swinging in with me and Miles by our side, doing a few extra flips to show off. Tell me that wouldn't be cool." Gwen paused, thinking about if for a few seconds before nearly being knocked over by some random passerby. That seemed to seal the deal for her. 

"Fine, let's do it." The three of them ducked into a side alley, pulling on only their masks. Miles clipped his webshooters on with a familiar *CLACK*. 

Peter looked over. "You sure you don't want a cape?"

Miles scoffed at him. "Come on, you aren't gonna let me live that down won't you?"

"Hey, someone said they thought it looked cool." Peter gave him a wink before pulling on his mask.

"Let's go boys." Gwen swung off, flipping and twirling a couple times in the air to show off. Miles admired the way she swung, totally engrossed until Peter slapped him in the back of the head.

"It's rude to stare." With that, Peter swung off as well. Miles shook his head a couple times before following his friends, slinging himself into the air. He heard cheers, gasps, and the snap of cameras from below as he followed Gwen and Peter. New York had never seen so many spider-people before. He hoped they were ready for them.

"WOOHOOOOO!!!" Miles shouted in joy as he soared over the streets of a New York which wasn't his.

 

Notes:

Authors Note: Ok so this is another chapter done. Peter makes his debut, and this is just him spending time with Gwiles. Gwiles might seem a bit awkward in this chapter, but that's the point. During late nights when you're vulnerable, your thoughts won't be the same as the morning after. They'll get more comfortable with each other soon. Next chapter will be more of exploring New York. After there'll be some time skips to the first date, Christmas, and New Year's. Might be a bit before it drops though.

Chapter 8

Goodbye (For Now)

Gwen's New York wasn't all that much different from Miles' New York. There were a few small things, such as the baseball team being the Giants, not the Red Sox. Miles realized that as he noticed the many memorabilia stands which crowded the streets. This city still had hustle and bustle, bumper to bumper traffic, and that New York feel to it. Miles closed his eyes as he swung, just enjoying the feeling of wind rushing through his hood. 

Up ahead Gwen and Peter swung, each with their own distinctive styles of movement. For Gwen, swinging was an art form. Each of her movements were precise, yet still done as if the intention of elegance was in mind. Peter was much more economical, usually choosing the easiest and most lazy paths as he swung. However, there was still the fact that he was efficient, having decades of experience as Spiderman. 

Suddenly, a pigeon hit Miles in the face, shedding a torrent of feathers as it recoiled from the impact. Miles lost his focus, tumbling a couple stories before recovering. "What is it with these pigeons and me? Like come onnnn," he groaned to himself. Miles now doubled his pace, trying to make up the substantial gap that had widened between him and his friends. 

After about five more minutes of swinging, Miles finally landed in a side alley after Gwen and Peter. The other two had already begun to take off their suits, revealing normal street clothes underneath. As she stuffed her suit into her bag, Gwen said to him, "Get your costume off, and we can go in around front. I'm old friends with the owner, so we should be good to go." 

Miles unpeeled his now sweaty suit from his body, revealing shorts with tights and his signature hoodie. Gwen was dressed in ripped jeans with a white jacket. Miles had to say, the two of them had pretty good style. Peter on the other hand... Miles looked over to see that Peter had pulled out his signature hobo jacket. While Miles and Gwen were dressed to impress, Peter was dressed like a homeless person. Miles and Gwen gave each other a look, shrugging before walking around towards the front of the building. Peter scrambled to catch up, still only managing to get one arm inside the sleeves of his jacket.

"So what's this Bob and Buster's place?"Miles asked Gwen as they reached the entrance. The place seemed pretty modern, with lots of flashing signs and bright lights, as one would typically find in an arcade.

"Sounds dangerous," Peter suddenly cut in. "The only people I bust are the bad guys." Peter mimed throwing a couple of punches, causing people around him to give him a wide berth.

Miles rolled his eyes at Gwen, causing her to giggle slightly. "Imagine an arcade, buffet, and kiddy casino packed in one. That's pretty much what this place is." Miles and Peter looked around. The sounds of arcade machines were most prominent. There were also fatty foods like burgers and pizza that filled the air with their scent. That specific detail caused Peter's stomach to let out a loud grumble. 

"Let me find my friend, just wait here." Gwen left, weaving her way through rows of arcade machines and throngs of people. Peter pouted slightly, as the need for him to fill his stomach dominated his thoughts. He sat down in the middle of the carpeted floor, leaning his back on some kind of free throw shooting game. This caused him to receive a couple of dirty glances from the moms who brought their children to try the game. Miles sighed, shaking his head at his friend's lazy antics.

Eventually, Gwen did return, showing off the three plastic cards in her hands. "I pulled a favor from my friend, as he owes me. So these cards should be unlimited use for three hours. We can play whatever we want. Eat whatever we want," she cast a pointed glance at Peter, who perked up with excitement. "And best of all, just hang out with each other like normal people for once." She lowered her voice for the last part.

Miles shrugged, shooting a playful grin at Gwen. "Let's do this." 

After receiving his card, Peter went off by himself, looking for things to eat. He promised Miles and Gwen that he would find them later. And so the two of them went around, machine by machine, as they worked their way through the games. In pretty much any game where you could be competitive, they tried to outdo each other. 

Miles felt pretty good for himself after he beat Gwen thoroughly in a free throw contest, bragging that his shot was 'wet like water'. That ended up being pretty much the only thing he won, as Gwen outshot, out smashed, and outplayed him in pretty much everything else. Miles would give Gwen his puppy dog eyes every time he lost, trying to guilt her into letting him win next time. Each time she would be forced to look away, Miles being too precious for her to resist.

Miles did, however, win a jackpot prize for one of the ticket games. With his winnings, he awkwardly bought a massive white teddy bear that was half his height, delivering it as a gift to Gwen. The both of them blushed, Miles stumbling through his words as he presented the bear to Gwen.

"Just bear with me." Miles ended up saying, shooting finger guns at Gwen as he did. Gwen groaned, elbowing Miles in the ribs.

"You're such a dork. You're also lucky that you're so damn cute because of that." Miles turned slightly red as Gwen said that.

"I like to think that I'm smooth. My un-" Miles paused for a second, nearly imperceptibly. "-cle gave me the best tips for upping my game."

Gwen's eyes softened. She had noticed the slight catch in Miles' voice. "Sure he did, Miles. But ripping out half of a girl's hair isn't exactly how you approach someone."

Miles cringed as he remembered the incident. "Hey, I like to think that we were building bridges. You know, just with a few side benefits. Your hair looked nice though."

Gwen tilted her head, giving Miles an amused look. Miles continued, "Plus, you were just way too stuck on me." He shot a shy smile towards Gwen as she groaned, rolling her eyes. But as she turned her head away, a slight smile stood out on her space. As bad as it might be, there was just something attractive to her in the way that Miles did his cheesy flirting with her.

Miles had been beaten by Gwen nearly a dozen times by the time they reached a water gun shooting game. Like the kind where you fill a balloon by shooting a hole with jets of water. They swiped their cards, beginning the game.

"You got nothing on me." Miles knew he couldn't let Gwen win again. His ego was already broken down enough.

"Oh, please. I know you have trouble doing things on command." Gwen smirked as Miles glared at her. The two of them began to aim their jets of water, Miles completely missing the target and accidentally drenching himself. He knew he had to do something to make up for his lost time.

"OH GOD, LOOK OUT!" Miles suddenly screamed, drawing looks from the people around him. Gwen whirled around instantly, her senses fine-tuned after all her time spent fighting crime. It took her a moment to realize that Miles had duped her.

"DAMNIT MILES! YOU'RE SO DEAD!" Miles had nearly filled his balloon while Gwen was distracted. She was furious, knowing there was no way for her to catch up. An idea suddenly came to Gwen. She loosened the water gun's swivel mount, allowing her to turn the spray of water onto Miles.

"HEY! HEY! HEY!" Miles protested, trying to dodge away. Anyone who had been near the two of them had left, avoiding their antics. 

Miles pouted, now completely soaked from head to toe. "You're just mad that I was wiping the floor with you."

Gwen cocked an eyebrow at him. She looked down at the puddle of water MIles was dripping onto the floor. "The only floor you should be wiping is this one," Gwen said as she pointed towards Miles' feet.

He frowned, looking around at the tiny lake forming beneath him. Then Miles looked up, a glint of mischief passing through his eyes. Quickly he moved towards Gwen, pulling her into a tight embrace. He made sure that she rubbed up against his sodden shirt. She shrieked as he did. "I swear you're gonna kill me one day., Spider-boy!" Gwen glared at Miles, but he really couldn't take her seriously since she looked so cute when she was mad, looking miserable in her now wet clothes.

He released Gwen suddenly, realizing that her slim figure was pressed up close to him. He definitely enjoyed the sensation, though it was slightly awkward for him considering how soggy they both were. 

Gwen looked away uncomfortably as Miles gave her a shrug with his hands. "If you say so, Gwanda." Then he grinned at her, noting her now wet clothes. "And then there were two." Gwen sighed, punching Miles on the shoulder. The two of them messed around for a while more before deciding that it would probably be best to find Peter.

After searching for a good ten minutes (the place was huuggee), they found Peter at one of those dance machines that seemed to always be present at arcades. He stumbled around, holding himself up with his hands gripping tightly on the support beams. 

"Oh God, you're so flat-footed." Gwen stood on her tiptoes as she watched Peter fumble around.

"Oh, hey kids. Thought I should give you some alone time." Peter didn't look over, completely focused on the game. "Look at my progress! I even beat top score!" Peter pointed at the top score, mistaking it for his own. Miles and Gwen looked at each other, both of them noting that Peter was only on level two. Miles rolled his eyes, causing Gwen to giggle. 

"Alright, Peter. You got some okay moves." Peter glanced over at Miles, excited about receiving praise from him. But as he did so, he lost his concentration, tripping over his feet and landing in a heap.

Miles walked over, looking down at Peter, who was wearing an expression of defeat. "Hmm. I don't think that was the shoelaces." Peter gave him a dark look.

"Let's see you do better." Peter was sure no one could beat his 'high score'.

"Sure. Time for me to teach the teacher. Gwen, you up for this?" Miles stepped up onto the platform, gesturing towards the second one beside him. Gwen seemed to be a bit skeptical.

"You really think you have a chance against me?" Miles nodded at her, excited and ready to start. "Your loss then." With that, Gwen stepped up as well, shedding her jacket to reveal a simple gray shirt. 

Miles cracked his knuckles before starting the game. He followed Gwen's lead, quickly throwing his hoodie to the side as well. With that, they began to step, following the instructions on the screen. Neither of them used the handholds. They didn't need to. 

A catchy, upbeat song played through the speakers. As he and Gwen moved to the beat, Miles would throw in little hand motions, dancing like he did when he was by himself. It was interesting how different his movements were from Gwen. While he danced like he didn't have a care in the world, Gwen moved with grace and accuracy. Each step was done with the most efficient movement, toes pointed and feet placed with care. It was rather mesmerizing to watch, and watch is what Miles did out of the corner of his eye. 

The pace slowly picked up as Miles and Gwen easily passed the first five levels. Miles could easily imagine that Peter was watching them, eyes wide as they easily smashed his old record. The song switched as the first one ended. A song came up on the speakers, one which Miles was all too familiar with.

"Sunflower!!!" Miles did a quick spin as he laughed in joy. Gwen glanced over, corners of her mouth turning up slightly. 

"This is that song you're always singing, right?" Miles nodded, singing along to the music even though he wasn't sure about all the words. 

"Needless to say I keep her in check,"  Miles gestured for Gwen to switch with him, both of them spinning around each other. Peter cheered in the background, clapping his encouragement. The song continued, "She was all bad, bad, nevertheless". Miles pointed at Gwen as he mouthed the words, causing her to laugh as his energy rubbed onto her.

The two of them moved to the beat in tandem, never missing a step. "I think your love would be too much." Miles' eyes met with Gwen's as this line played, both of them thinking the same thing. Love could sometimes be too much, especially when it spanned whole entire dimensions. 

A small crowd had formed around the two, so when Sunflower finally ended Miles slapped the cancellation button on the machine. Both he and Gwen were breathing hard, but joy shone on their faces. Miles bounced on his toes as the crowd around them offered compliments and praise. Together the trio managed to slip out, leaving the arcade and raucous atmosphere behind as they stepped into the chilly December air. The sun had already passed its peak, shading the streets of New York with a slight pink tinge.

"Kids, I've gotta say this now. THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!" Peter waved his hands in the air to emphasize his point. Miles and Gwen both motioned for him to calm down, slightly embarrassed by his forwardness. Miles remembered when it was nearly impossible for him to win any praise from Peter, so this was a nice change for once.

"Maybe you're just getting too old for this." Miles cast a snide remark at Peter as Gwen lead them down some stairs into the subway. Peter looked down at his bulging stomach, poking it slightly as he considered Miles' point. "By the way, why are we taking the subway when we could just swing?"

Gwen turned to face him, walking backward as she explained. "It would be quicker to get to Central Park this way. Plus it's a hassle changing, so the subway would be better." She accidentally bumped into someone, apologizing before turning back around to face the way she walked.

Peter leaned over to whisper to MIles. "I gotta say, nice job kid." Peter nodded towards the massive bear which Gwen toted. "I totally ship it. You guys are absolutely adorable together." Miles' cheeks burned. Of course, Peter had to make everything awkward. The three of them arrived at the subway platform, only having to wait a couple of minutes before boarding a train. 

As they rode the subway, the trio chatted about the tiny differences that could be seen in each of their worlds. From the colors that they saw to names of places, and even the current President of the U.S. Poor Peter was stuck with some rich douchebag named Donald Trump, while Gwen and Miles both had Obama as President. They all agreed that Obama was classy, Peter mentioning that he had even met him in person before. Miles and Gwen both thought that was the coolest thing ever, though considering Peter's horrible table manners, there was some question as to how well the meeting went.  

Miles found a seat next to Gwen, sliding in next to her. Peter sat across from them, tapping away at some kind of base building game on his phone. Gwen turned to him, folding her legs close to her chest so that she could face Miles directly. Miles imagined that such a position would probably be uncomfortable for him but given Gwen's superior flexibility, she could manage it easily.

"So is Sunflower the only song you listen to? I've gotta say, it's kind of catchy. But you really have no life if that's the only thing on your playlist." Gwen poked Miles in the side.

"Okay, first of all, Sunflower is literally the best song ever. But if my taste is bad, I wanna what kind of stuff you listen to, Mrs.Morales." Miles poked Gwen back, sliding his phone out of his pocket with earbuds attached.

Gwen narrowed her eyes slightly in confusion. "Mrs.Morales..."

"I don't see wh-" Miles' eyes widened significantly. "OH WAIT! I didn't mean it like that. You know, I was just thinking and sometimes my tongue just slips. But I swear I wasn't thinking about you. Not that you should have any reason to think that I was thinking about you. But just to make sure. Actually, just forget about all this." Gwen laughed, obviously amused by how flustered Miles was.

Nice job Morales. A tiny voice in the back of Miles' head bugged him. Uncle Aaron was right, you do have no game. "Shut up," Miles whispered to himself.

"Here, give this a listen." Gwen handed an earbud to Miles, the other already lodged in her ear. As Miles tucked the earbud firmly into his ear, he tilted his head slightly, accidentally pulling Gwen's head close to him.

"Ow!" The two of them knocked head, as Gwen had accidentally made it so that they both wore the earbuds in their opposite ears. They made an awkward exchange, Miles fumbling through an apology. 

Finally, they managed to figure the earbud thing out. Miles began to hear the heavy beats of rock music filter through the device. To be honest, Miles wasn't a fan of rock music at all. Something he did understand, however, was beats and drums. So when the song went into an epic drum solo, Miles was more than just impressed. 

He pulled his earbud out, causing Gwen to frown slightly. "Did you not like it? Something about the drummer?" 

Miles shook his head. "It's not that I didn't like it. That drummer was incredible! Like, I'm not so big on rock music, but whoever that was was awesome." Miles came to a sudden realization as he watched Gwen's eyes widen, her frown flipping itself into a slight grin. "Was that you?!" 

Gwen nodded, her smile growing wider. "Wowwww! Gwen, you're really, really good." Gwen looked away, cheeks slightly pink. 

Then she rubbed her arms as she asked, "Do you think...if you have the time of course...that you could come to see one of my concerts? I mean, only if you want to, of course." Gwen gave Miles a pleading look. 

"Duh, of course I would go. Only if I get a V.I.P. ticket though. Cause I've always wanted to be a V.I.P. and show up looking all cool and stuff." Gwen let out a tiny squeal, giving Miles a quick hug.

"Awesome! Great! I'll give you the details later." Across from the two kids, the corner of Peter's mouth lifted slightly. He had been carefully watching them the whole time. They were both practically his own spider-kids, so Peter just had to play matchmaker. Of course not in a weird way. More like in a dad-meddles-with-kid-and-their-love-life way. 

"Now let me see what else you listen to." Gwen snatched Miles' phone out of his hand. Surprisingly, there were no complaints from him. After all, there wasn't anything he had on his phone that he didn't mind Gwen knowing.

"Hide? That sounds like a kiddy song." Gwen raised an eyebrow at him, seeking answers. Miles just shrugged, placing his earbud back into his ear. 

"Give it a try." He pressed play, the opening chords of Hide drifting in. Gwen listened, expression softening as she heard the lyrics.

"Imma let my love, un-fold. We're just two, lost, souls, but I'm fine with it." Miles sang along, looking straight into Gwen's brilliant blue eyes as he did. Then he broke eye contact, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "That's the only part I know." 

Gwen reached her hands towards Miles' face as if she was about to touch him. But she let her hand fall before it came too close. "When we hang out together, I feel like I don't have to hide anything," Gwen whispered to Miles, dipping her head slightly. "I don't really have too many friends around here. And the ones I do have don't know about half the things I do."

"My mom always says to me that we don't run from things." Gwen nodded, thinking about just how true such a statement was for both her and Miles. The two of them sat in a comfortable silence as they continued to listen to Miles' playlist. But before the next song could play, Miles suddenly pressed the pause button. "No, I can't do this one. Not here, not now." This statement appealed to Gwen's curiosity. 

She slid Miles' earbud out, replacing it in her own ear before moving his hand to press play. Once again, it sounded like a rap song. Then she heard it, "My uncle always told me that it never would be easy, now I'm looking to the sky, hoping that he rest in peace."  Miles wouldn't meet her eyes. She reached out to turn his head.

"It's like these songs are written about you."  

Miles shrugged. "That's why I like them so much. They actually mean something to me." Then the moment passed. He gave a slightly forced smile. "Is my taste still bad?"

Gwen's voice seemed to contain a sort of tenderness when she replied. "No, not at all." 

They spent the rest of the train ride just listening to the rest of Miles' playlist. After about 10 minutes or so, the overhead speaker finally blared out, "Now arriving at Central Park: East." That was Gwen's cue to lead her friends off the train and up to the streets. A brisk wind greeted them, reddening cheeks and noses as it blew through hats and scarves. 

"Welcome to Central Park, boys." She gestured towards the sprawling landscape in front of them, arms wide. 

"Wait a second. Are those cherry blossom trees?" The trio walked into the park, Miles immediately noticing the massive difference. Gwen nodded at him, eyebrows raised in a silent question.

"We don't have those in my New York." Miles walked towards one of them, brushing the blossoms with his hand. "They're really pretty." Funny thing is, the trees weren't the only thing he was referring to. 

Peter finally made them stop, finding a place beneath a massive tree which stood two stories tall. "Man, I'm really getting too old for this," was his excuse for the stoppage. 

"Well if we're gonna stop, we should play a game or something." Being the energetic boy he was, Miles began to drum his fingers on his knee to the beat of the music he listened to. 

Gwen, on the other hand, looked around at all the people strolling through Central Park. There were couples, grandparents, teens with their friends, and so many other different types of people. New York was the melting pot of cultures, and Central Park really brought out all the different kinds of people. 

One thing they all had in common, however, was that they were normal. Something she, nor Miles, nor Peter could be. Not after they were each bitten by their respective spiders. Gwen watched Miles shoot tiny volts of electricity between his finger. Each of their powers had become a sort of normality for them. 

Sometimes, though, Gwen wished that she wasn't bitten by her spider. Then she could have normal friends, live a normal life, and maybe even find a boyfriend. She scoffed slightly at the last thought. That wasn't happening any time soon. 

However, perhaps if she had lived a normal life, her Peter would still be alive. Gwen missed him every day. She knew his death was her fault. After all, he had wanted to be just like her. But as Gwen watched Peter and Miles mess around with each other, Peter playfully shoving Miles while they bickered, Gwen reconsidered her thoughts. 

Without the life she led right now, she wouldn't have met amazing people like Peter and Miles, people that she loved and would give her life for. In fact, laying her life on the line so that others could live a normal life was a reward in it of itself. 

By now the sky had darkened, the lights of New York coming to life to illuminate the city which never slept. Even though New York was never quiet, there was a sort of serene and peaceful feel which settled over its inhabitants as night fell. 

Gwen stood, pulling Miles up with her. Peter got up as well, cracking his back with a groan. "Where to now?" 

Gwen began to walk, leading the others through Central Park. "Well I was planning to bring you to this ice skating place, but then we kind of got waylaid by your aching feet." Peter shrugged. It wasn't his fault that his feet ached sometimes. 

Finally, they came upon a familiar looking building, ice rink lit up in front of it. The Rockefeller Center skating rink. Miles did have once concern which he voiced, "In my universe, you've gotta wait in line if you want to go skating." The line was packed, stretching nearly into the street. 

But Gwen had come prepared. She flashed two passes at Miles and Peter. "We've got season passes. Also, I haven't used mine yet, and I can bring a friend for my first time here. So let's go!" 

Gwen brought the others into a small side gate, where they were quickly scanned in. It didn't take long to get fitted for skates, and they were on the ice in record time. One little problem was prevalent for both Peter and Miles. They didn't know how to skate.

Gwen let out a tiny little huff. "Come one, guys. It's really not that hard."

Miles and Peter clung to each other, carefully inching forward together. Miles was pretty embarrassed at this point, hearing the snickers and laughs from the people watching above. "This isn't as easy as you make it look," Miles called to her.

Peter nodded his head in agreement. "It's definitely not easy doing it on command." 

Gwen had the natural grace of a dancer, and she made skating look like a sort of art form. "Just imagine when you first began swinging. You have to trust your gut. You guys are flexible, not to mention well balanced. This shouldn't be all that hard."

Miles took a deep breath, slowly letting go of Peter. He managed to skate a few feet before slipping and falling on his butt. Peter fared slightly better, actually getting a rhythm before crashing into a wall. The people above him laughed at him. A couple of them were even recording, with the video of Peter hitting the wall going viral within days.

It took Miles about 15 minutes before he kind of got the hang of it. He managed to keep up a slow pace next to Gwen, occasionally stumbling or losing balance. Rockefeller was pretty beautiful at night, with the lights illuminating the area in a starry glow. A massive Christmas tree stood next to the square, gold tinsel shining in the dark. Holiday music played softly through speakers erected around the rink. 

Gwen skated ahead slightly, doing some kind of spin in the air before landing perfectly. Claps of approval echoed around her. Miles pulled up next to her again.

"How are you so good at this?" Miles found it pretty attractive that Gwen was so amazing at all these things.

"My mom always took me here when I was young. After she...passed away...buying a season pass each year became a sort of tradition. When I need to just be by myself I like to drum, dance, or come here." Miles looked over, and indeed Gwen did seem to be more relaxed than he had ever seen her. Other than when she swung around as Spider-woman. There was just something so natural and pure about Gwen when she was doing something she loved.

Gwen seemed to glide over the ice, spinning so that she was traveling backward as she skated out in front to face Miles. "So, how was it today?" Gwen pressed her lips together, somewhat in an anxious manner as she waited for Miles' response. 

"Today was awesome." Miles then poked a finger into Gwen's chest, almost losing his balance as he did. "You're awesome." Gwen smiled sweetly, grabbing Miles' hands to pull him along with her as she skated. They skated like this for a while: Gwen backwards with Miles trailing. Peter skated up to them, looking perfectly balanced in fact.

"Hold up now, I thought you sucked at this too." Miles' eyes bulged as he saw the ease at which Peter skated with.

"What can I say? I'm a quick learner." Little did Miles know, underneath Peter's baggy pants, he had his knees pressed close together for balance. In fact, they shook with the effort he exerted to stay upright. 

As Miles observed Peter, he failed to notice a tiny dip in the ice. He tripped on it, falling forward and straight into Gwen as he tried to recover his balance. Miles grabbed her for support, his hands running through her hair. 

Gwen stiffened as she felt the contact, remembering the situation that occurred last time Miles had his hand near her hair. Then Miles drew back slightly, removing his hand and wiggling his fingers teasingly at her. 

"See? Last time was just puberty." Gwen laughed, partly in relief, and partly because of Miles' dorkiness. 

She leaned her head towards Miles, putting her face next to his. "The three of us can get dinner at the rink's restaurant after we're finished," she said softly.

Peter then broke into their conversation. "So...are we planning on grabbing dinner anytime soon? It's been like forever since lunch." Gwen and Miles looked at each other. They both laughed. 

"Alright let's go, you hobo foodie." Gwen skated towards the exit gate. Peter pretended to be hurt.

"Man, kids these days are brutal." Then he and Miles followed with difficulty, both of them sighing with relief as they stepped onto dry land. It took only a small flight of stairs for their little group to reach the restaurant.

The restaurant was well lit, with a cozy cafe feel. A fireplace roared in the center, with waiters hurrying around as they completed a number of tasks. The tables were all quite low. The reason for such a design was the fact that couches were used instead of chairs. So this place essentially felt like a cozy lodge. Just like in the rink, Christmas music drifted in from speakers mounted around the place.

After kicking back with hot chocolate and a greasy pizza to share, Peter let out a contented sigh.  "Ahhhhh. This is the life. Just so you know, I love you kids. We should do this more often." Miles nodded his agreement, his mouth being too full of pizza to say anything.

"I do have one more place I want to show you guys. Peter, if you don't mind, could I take Miles there by myself?" Peter immediately agreed, being one of the most ardent shippers of Miles and Gwen. So Peter stood, knowing that it was time for him to take his leave. 

"I'll miss you guys. Come here." Peter pulled Gwen and Miles into a tight hug. "I'll keep in touch with you. We got these, after all." Peter brandished his teleportation watch. "I'll go around back so I can do the...you know what. It's been amazing. Good luck by the way." The last line made Miles' cheeks flush. Peter released his grip on the others, giving them a fond smile.

"Hey, at least I know I'm not alone." Then he waved goodbye, turning as he slipped through the doors of the restaurant. 

"Here, let me show you the spot now." Gwen and Miles left the restaurant as well. Gwen reached into her bag, pulling out her webslingers. "You'll need yours too." Then she donned her mask. "Also your mask." Miles complied, putting on all the aforementioned items. 

"Alright, let's swing." Gwen thwiped away, going from building to building as Miles followed her path from behind. It took only about 10 minutes for them to reach their destination, clinging to the side of the Empire State building. 

"Now up!" Gwen shouted to him while gesturing upwards. They both aimed their shooters at the spire and fired. The webs arced up, clinging to the top as they pulled Miles and Gwen upwards. Within seconds, they stood at the top of the Empire State building. 

The city of New York spanned beneath them. The Chrysler building stood nearby, it's beautiful spire lit up with multiple floodlights. In the distance, the Statue of Liberty stood, her flame raised in the night sky. Up this high, no noise could be heard except for the occasional plane or helicopter. It was peaceful. Quiet. New York in it's finest moment. Miles took off his mask in wonder.

"You know, I've never been up here before, not even in my dimension." Then he looked up to the sky and his jaw dropped. 

"Oh my God, are those the stars?" Miles was in wonder. He had never seen the stars before in his New York. 

Gwen also took her mask off before looking over at Miles, somewhat confused about his question. "Have you never seen them before?" 

Miles shook his head. "Only pictures. We don't have stars anymore in my New York."

'Except for you,' was what Gwen wanted to tell him.

"They're beautiful." Miles had seen it all now. He sat down, Gwen plopping down next to him. She leaned her head onto his shoulder. 

"When am I gonna see you again?" she asked him. 

"I'll call you. We can work out a time to hang out again." Miles' usual energy was nowhere to be found now. "Tonight was beyond amazing. You've shown me things I didn't think I was gonna ever see." Miles' white teeth flashed in the darkness as he smiled at Gwen. "I guess it's time for me to go now. I've got school tomorrow, and I didn't do any of my homework." Miles finished, running his hands through his short hair.

"Nice." Gwen gave him a small smile, which was all she could really manage at the moment. 

"I guess I'll see ya around then." 

"I guess so."

Miles held out his hand towards Gwen. "Friends?"

She grabbed it tight and pulled him close to her, letting her lips touch his cheek for a short moment. "I think we're a bit more than that."

Gwen felt Miles heat up slightly. "Uh...yeah. I think we are." Gwen playfully punched him in the side. One last look passed between the two of them, both of them torn with the prospect of having to part. 

Miles reluctantly opened his portal back home. He turned to face Gwen. "Bye, Gwanda." 

"Talk to you later, Spider-boy." 

With that, Miles did a backflip off the side of the Empire State Building, falling through his portal as he did. The last thing Miles saw was Gwen staring down at him, eyes soft. And then she was gone once more.

Notes:

Oh God this chapter was a killer to write. Long update though. Next one is gonna be the first date for Gwiles. I'm rewatching Spiderverse soon so I can make the characterization even better. Expect next chapter to be up in a week or more.

Chapter 9

So You're New Here?

"Miles, what's with you and that damn song?" Ganke was nearly at his wit's end. Almost the only song Miles ever listened to was Sunflower. In fact at this point, Ganke had nearly memorized all the lyrics just by listening to it. At first, it wasn't that bad. But everything changed once Miles switched from headphones to a portable speaker. 

"Oh, come on. This song's a classic." Miles was doing his homework as he played the ten-hour loop version of Sunflower through his speaker. "I literally never get tired of this."

Ganke stared at Miles through narrowed eyes. "Yeah, I know." Miles focused his attention back on his homework. Pre-calculus really was a drag sometimes. 

It had been nearly two weeks since Miles had made his visit to see Gwen. So essentially two weeks of emotional torture. Of course, they texted and called each other, but only on weekends when they both had the time. There was only so much that could be conveyed through technology, however. 

Now that Miles had started thinking about Gwen, he couldn't stop. That wasn't a good thing considering the fact that his pre-calculus homework was only half done. He tried to focus back in, scanning the next problem on the worksheet.

Miles read the problem softly to himself, "Chandler and Vondra deposit $800.00 into a savings account which earns 10% interest compounded annually. They want to use the money in the account to go on a trip in 3 years-" 

Once again his thoughts began to wander: I bet Gwen would want to go on vacation. Where would she want to visit? Maybe Alaska, cause they have polar bears. Polar bears are good. But it's kind of-

Miles slammed his pencil onto his desk, leaving a giant mark on his paper, as he leaned back in his chair. Ganke looked over, not all that shocked as Miles had been complaining to him for the past two weeks about wanting to see Gwen. "Let me guess. Gwen, again?" 

Miles nodded, rubbing his eyes with his hands. "You guessed it. But what am I supposed to do about it?" As Sunflower finished playing, he scrolled through his playlist, hoping to find another song to play. No luck. He really needed to find some new music. His thoughts then began to stray.

"Hey, do you think Gwen would want sunflowers? Maybe I could send her some...?"

Ganke sighed, really getting tired of Miles always ranting about Gwen, "I have no idea. Maybe you should ask her instead of me? Anyways it's getting kind of late though. You should sleep on it before going out tonight." Miles nodded sluggishly. He dragged himself over to his bed, planning to nap for a bit before hitting the streets of New York.

Ganke nodded contently to himself, climbing down from his bunk as Miles drifted to sleep. Little did Miles know, but Ganke had taken things into his own hands. Miles had been complaining about the lack of Gwen in his life for the past two weeks. Ganke could only take so much before breaking. In the meantime, he would finish Miles' homework. It was just a little something that he did, given his friend's situation. 

                       *                               *                                   *                                   *                                     *

Miles swung back into his room just as the skies above New York began to brighten. Last night had been relatively quiet, and he took a bit out of a burrito that someone had left out for him. With all the food being left out for him, he was having trouble keeping up. Ganke was already wide awake, programming a physics simulation on his laptop. The first thing Miles did after peeling off his suit was grab his dimension traveling watch.

"Yo what's good, Ganke," Miles said to him as he tapped away on the device. 

"Not much." Ganke didn't continue further, knowing that Miles was completely engrossed in what he was doing. He had a pretty good idea of what that was. 

"Gwen!" Miles exclaimed excitedly, setting the watch down on his bed as it projected a video feed of Gwen above it. She wore an oversized hoodie, something Miles found insanely cute. Not that he would admit it. He hurriedly pulled a shirt over his head, finding a chair to plop down on.

"Hey Miles. How's it going?" she asked him, running a comb through her short hair. Miles shrugged in reply, spinning around on his chair as he searched for his blazer. 

"Things would be better if you visited." As Miles dug under his mattress for his blazer, Ganke quickly poked his head down from his bunk, making himself visible to video-Gwen. He held up a finger to his mouth as a sign to keep quiet. Gwen nodded her understanding. 

"Yeah, that would be pretty nice. Butttt...I'm busy today. Oh, and tomorrow! So maybe some other time..?" 

Miles climbed back up, a puzzled frown on his face. "Didn't you say you had time on Friday? And the weekend's here soon. I thought you had time this weekend." 

Gwen blanched slightly. "Uh...we had a last minute concert come up, and I have to prepare for it with the band. Sorryyyy." Her shoulders relaxed slightly, having come up with a good excuse for her business.

Miles sighed disappointedly. "Aw man, maybe I could go watch?" 

Gwen's eyes widened slightly. "Yeah...we ran out of tickets so that's not really an option." Then she held up her hand as she realized what Miles' next question was going to be. "And it's too late for us to organize backstage passes!" Gwen said that last part much louder than she had meant to. 

Miles pouted, totally crushed by this revelation. His eyes shined, something evident even through the video call. "Man, I was really looking forward to this weekend."

It took all of Gwen's willpower for her to keep a straight face. She glanced away. "Yeah. That's too...bad." Her cheeks reddened slightly, and she covered them with her hands to hide them from Miles. "I've gotta go to school now. Talk later?"

Miles waved at her. "Let's do that. See you later." He ended the call then, but not before he noticed that Gwen was wearing a skirt below her hoodie. As far as Miles was concerned, Gwen never wore skirts. He shrugged. Maybe it was for some special occasion.

Miles caught Ganke's attention as he rolled his chair over to him. "Damn, I was really hoping to see her again." Ganke gave him a pat on the back.

"Hey, you'll see her again. I'm sure of it." Ganke checked the time real quick, realizing that it was nearly time for their first classes. "Come on, it's time to go now."

After tugging on his shoes, Miles grabbed his bag and left his room for the first class of the day: Physics. He and Ganke both walked together for a while before separating, Ganke having to go to English instead. 

Physics was a relatively easy subject for Miles. He knew all the content, so he always ended up daydreaming in class, bored out of his mind. Miles had already begun to mentally prepare himself before he reached the classroom, and so he walked in without taking in any of his surroundings. After all, he had already memorized the entire layout of the classroom just by looking around whenever he got bored. He every tiny detail: there were five goldfish and three guppies in the tank, there was one poster on Newton's Laws, and a curious brown stain on the roof above his seat. 

Miles muttered a greeting to his teacher as he passed her, dropping his bag onto the floor as he seated himself. He glanced subtly at the seat next to him, the very seat which Gwen had sat on nearly half a year ago. Miles let out a pent up breath, pulling his notebook out of his bookbag. This notebook held a place close to his heart. He opened it to reveal the drawings which filled nearly every page. 

After digging through his bag some more to pull out his art materials as well as his earbuds, Miles began to work on his latest project. Well, actually it was nearly complete. He had made full-color sketches of the other Spiders. This was in preparation for him actually spray painting their images onto the walls of the abandoned spot Aaron had shown him. He stuck his earbuds into his ears, beginning his playlist. 

All he had left to do was the image of Gwen and himself. Miles slid his phone out of his pocket, hiding it inside a book as he pulled up a picture that Peter had taken of him and Gwen. In it he was poking Gwen in the side, both of them with smiles stretched across their faces as they laughed together. Miles loved that picture. They weren't teen superheroes or any of that other jazz. They were just two friends without a care in the world, enjoying the company of one another. 

Miles let a fond smiled break through his tired expression. He lived for the days that he would see his friends again. Picking up a brush pen, he continued to work on his sketch. 

The class was nearly ready to begin, the teacher rising from her desk to take her place at the front of the class. "Good morning class, today we have a student joining us for a day in an exchange program." A few mutters and whispers filled the air at this announcement, but everyone fell quiet once again as the teacher continued. "I would like you all to meet Ms.Gwen Stacy."

Miles was still completely engrossed in his work and music. He thought he might have heard his teacher say the name, "Gwen Stacy," though he couldn't tell through the beats which pulsed through his earbuds. Miles wrote it off to his imagination, berating himself internally for imagining such a thing. 

Meanwhile, there were a few gasps from students in the class as some recognized Gwen, having been known for getting half of her hair ripped out all those months ago. Some of the guys were impressed by her looks and figure, drawing stares from many in the class. Gwen waved shyly, favoring everyone with a smile that showed off the tiny gap in her teeth. "Hi, everyone." 

She got a few waves in return before the teacher showed her to her seat next to Miles. Gwen frowned slightly as she looked over at Miles, who still sat bent over and oblivious to her presence. As the teacher started a documentary on dark matter, Gwen leaned over and snatched his notebook away from him. 

"Hey-" As Miles finally looked up, ripping his earbuds out of his ears. His jaw dropped. "What the-" 

He was suddenly interrupted by the girl next to him as she shushed him. "Shhhhhh." Miles' mouth shut with an audible *CLOP* sound.

Gwen's eyes widened slightly as she took in the drawing which dominated the page Miles worked on. "Did you draw this?" she whispered. 

Miles nodded, still in total disbelief of the situation. Gwen was ready to ask more questions but thought better of it. "We'll talk after class." Miles nodded again, turning his still-wide eyes back towards the documentary that played at the front of the class. Miles shook his head, trying to clear it. If he couldn't focus before, he definitely couldn't focus now. 

He finally gave up and just turned his attention towards Gwen, staring at her out of the corner of her eye. Miles watched her quietly mouth facts from the documentary to herself as she tried to commit them to memory, scribbling in a small notebook. Curiously enough, she was wearing the same skirt that she wore this morning, coupled with a large green sweatshirt over her uniform. Gwen was captivating for Miles, an image of perfection that his thoughts constantly flickered towards. A sudden realization hit him, realizing that this visit may have been more than just a spontaneous one. 

Much like Miles, Gwen would occasionally sneak glances throughout the film. Their eyes would sometimes meet, hers dropping every time as her cheeks pinkened slightly. Miles could only offer a cheeky grin back, partly from disbelief, partly from pure happiness. Other guys throughout the class also snuck glances towards Gwen, but she didn't even notice. She only had eyes for one person, a person totally engrossed with her in turn.

To Gwen and Miles, it felt like nearly an eternity of awkward eye contact before the period bell finally rung. Miles shoved his stuff into his bag before springing up, approaching Gwen as she finished her notes on the documentary. Miles stood there, unsure about how to continue. There was a silence between the two of them. Finally, Gwen looked up, acting as if she hadn't noticed Miles' presence until right then. 

She smiled, corners of her mouth reaching towards her eyes as she looked up towards Miles. "Hi there." 

Miles' mouth opened slightly, still unsure about what his response would be. "Hi...uh...I guess you're new here?" 

Gwen rolled her eyes, standing up and slinging her bookbag over her shoulder. "That's what you said to me when we first met." 

"Yeah, I think I've got better game now than last time." Miles tugged at his collar, trying to loosen the tight grip his tie held upon his neck. He stood quite a few inches taller than Gwen, a fact he was quite proud of.

"Oh, really?

"Yeah. So, if there wasn't gravity on Earth what would happen?"

Gwen thought for a second. "Uh...I would float away?"

Miles shrugged. "I don't think it matters. I would still fall for you anyways."

Gwen's eyebrows raised slightly. "That..was still pretty bad." 

"Ganke gave me that one." Miles ran his hand through his hair. "He tried it on some girl he was crushing on. It didn't turn out well." 

Gwen laughed. "And you thought you would work on me?" She cut Miles off before he could reply. "Well, that's not important. I missed you, you dork." Miles was pulled into a tight hug, his chin just resting on the forehead of hers. She smelled nice, as always. An intoxicating smell which caused Miles to close his eyes as he felt her slim figure press close to him, warmth spreading all the way to his toes. Much to his disappointment, she finally pulled away. 

Now his questions began to fly in: "Why'd you show up here? Is something up with your universe? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? Wait, did Ganke know about this?" Gwen held her hands out in a placating gesture. 

"Woah, Woah, Woah. Slow down there.  First of all, what's that drawing you had in your notebook?" Gwen and Miles began to walk out of the classroom, side by side. 

"It's just, like, sketches that I've been working on." 

"Of me?" Gwen asked. Miles dipped his head slightly in embarrassment

"Also Peter and the others. I want to...put the sketches up around the city as my art." Miles began to fiddle with his pen, waiting to see Gwen's reaction. 

She gave him a half smile. "That's actually...really sweet. Promise me you'll show me them when you do?"

Miles grinned. "Yeah, of course." He stopped as he reached his next class. "This is my stop. I guess we can talk later?" Miles looked utterly crushed as he said this, mouth twisting into a pout. 

"I have the same classes as you. Ganke sent me your schedule, so I made sure of that." Gwen then swept by him into the classroom. "Are you coming?" 

Miles stood there with a blank expression on his face. "Oh. OH! Wait for me!" He scrambled after Gwen, following her and seating himself at the seat beside her.

With Gwen at his side, the school day passed quickly for Miles. Sometimes things would get boring in class. Usually, it was during those classes that Miles would start to feel the drag on him. He could see the toll it took on Gwen as well, her eyelids drooping as her attention drifted. So he would lean over and poke her, or crack a lame joke to help keep her going throughout the day. She always gave him a sweet smile when he did so, in turn helping him push through the day. 

At lunch, they met up with Ganke in the cafeteria. "Ganke! What the hell!" Miles called out to him, trying to grab his attention through the headphones which covered his ears. 

"Huh? Oh hey, Miles. Gwen! Didn't expect to see you here." Ganke blanched slightly as he noticed Gwen and Miles approaching him. Both had the school lunch of the day in hand: tuna melt sandwiches and a small salad. "What brings you here?" 

"Okay first of all, what's this, like, conspiracy plot you guys have against me?" Miles narrowed his eyes towards his friends as they both gave him innocent stares. 

"I don't know what you mean."

"What're you talking about?" 

Miles groaned, dumping his lunch onto the table. "You guys suck. Actually though, what're you doing here, Gwen?" 

She flipped her hair back, sitting down on the table and leaning her head on one hand. "Well, Ganke managed to get on your watch while you were away. He contacted me, something about you missing me and constantly annoying Ganke?" 

Miles reddened slightly. "Ganke!" His friend gave him a shrug.

"Don't deny it." 

Gwen continued. "So he sent me your schedule. I filled out some paperwork and voila. I show up as an exchange student." Ganke nodded, confirming that what she said was all true. 

"How does that even work?"

"Well, my dad's still-" she paused. "-in a tight spot. So I'm gonna be here for about a week. I have my own room here, and all my stuff is already moved in. There's just one problem though..." Gwen trailed off, picking at her salad with her fork.

"Yeah?" Miles leaned in slightly, curious as to what the issue was.

"I need somewhere to stay the weekend. Do you think you could...?" Gwen trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

"Oh, uh, yeah! I just have to check with my parents. But, uh, I think we should be fine?" Miles dropped his eyes slightly, pulling himself back from Gwen. 

"I mean, I could just go back to my universe for the weekend. But there's nothing to do since crime rates dropped recently. It might be kind of awkward if I come over out of the blue..."

"No, no, no. I'm sure my mom would love to have you." Miles assured her. 

Gwen's shoulders relaxed slightly. "Thanks, Miles." 

He playfully elbowed her in the side. "Come on, we don't have all day to eat, Gwanda." Gwen rolled her eyes but nonetheless tucked into her food. She was starving, and the food was surprisingly good. Her plate was clear within minutes. 

Gwen looked over to Miles, and much to her surprise, he had already left to go get seconds. When Miles returned with a second plate full of food, Gwen gave him with a scrutinizing glance. "Honestly, you're such a pig."

Miles had just taken a bite of his salad, leaving dressing smeared across his lips. "Mmphhh. That's Spiderham's thing." He leaned over, swiping a brownie from a box in Ganke's lap. "Bless these brownies." Miles took a massive bite, happily wolfing down the chocolatey goodness.

Ganke had been flipping through a Spiderham comic book for the past ten minutes. "So, you guys actually know this guy?"

Gwen nodded. "Well, he prefers to be called a pig."

 "He sounds kind of like that dude from Saturday Morning Live!" Miles added.

"John Mulaney?" Ganke's eyes widened slightly as he asked.

"Yeah him," Miles confirmed. John Mulaney was well known in their world for being one of the most charismatic talk show hosts in the U.S. He snatched another brownie from Ganke, who was all too engrossed in his comic to notice.

Gwen sighed, leaning on her hand over the table as she watched Miles eat. "Your school's really nice." 

Miles shrugged. Truth to be told, he never really liked his school all that much. The people were fine, and his teachers were nice enough. But Miles didn't want to spend his life bent over a desk. Art was his passion. Saving people was his job. That was good enough for him.

Gwen frowned slightly, her brows furrowing together. Her brilliant blue orbs pierced through him, seemingly seeing every one of his worries. He had to look away. "Is something wrong, Miles?" 

His worries were irrelevant. It was easy enough to push them to the side for now. "Of course not. I'm good." Miles still wouldn't look into Gwen's eyes, something that became even harder as she leaned closer to him, face inches from his. Ganke chose this moment to let out a great whooping cough, startling Gwen so that she drew back quickly.

Gwen and Miles sat back in their seats, cheeks slightly tinted red as they tried to avoid Ganke's scrutinizing gaze. "So..." Thankfully the bell rung, Miles and Gwen being able to scurry off before the situation could become any more awkward. 

The rest of the day passed in a jiffy. Teachers piled homework onto both of them, much to their disappointment. Miles even tried to convince his English teacher otherwise by cracking a joke, "Maybe if you don't leave us homework, it can show how our class developed through the year?" 

The teacher shook his head, a slight chuckle leaking out. They ended up still having to read all the assigned chapters. 

Gwen began to pick up on a number of tiny habits which Miles showed throughout the day. He liked to twirl his hoodie strings with his finger, made nerdy jokes, and the one she found most annoying was where he would tap out the rhythm to Sunflower on his desk with his pen. Constantly. 

After their classes had all been completed, with them retreating to a secluded corner of the library, Gwen was able to finally relax with Miles and Ganke. Miles dug out a game of Sorry! from the shelves around them. Gwen didn't have such a game in her universe, so Miles quickly caught her up on the rules.

"Don't you think this is an easy way to kill relationships?" Gwen asked him after he explained.

"Well, only if you're a sore loser. Let's go!" Miles started off, sliding his piece down the line. It took only a few turns to see that Gwen and Ganke were both destroying him in the game. They both managed to get nearly all their pieces to the safe zone, only one piece left for each. 

Gwen was right on the doorstep of the safe zone with her last piece when it came back to Miles' turn. Here he had the chance to either bump Gwen's piece back to start or let her take the win. both Gwen and Ganke realized this. 

"Hey, Miles. Remember all those nights I did your homework? Oh! And also all those brownies I gave you? It would be a shame if I just stopped with all that, hmm?" Ganke glared at him, daring him to let Gwen win. 

Gwen had a different strategy for Miles. "Miles, you know you want to let me win." She leaned close to him, drawing herself up next to her. Miles' reddened as her head leaned up against his shoulders, her eyes open wide in a pleading stare up at him. They shined at him. Miles groaned, knowing he would lose his brownie privileges, and slid his piece to the side. 

"No! You dirty-" Ganke was cut off as Gwen slid her piece into the safe zone.

"HA! How do you feel knowing you got beat by a newbie?" Gwen pulled herself off of Miles, standing triumphantly over Ganke.

"No more brownies for you," Ganke pointed at Gwen. "Or you." He pointed at Miles this time, who sagged in disappointment. 

"Ugh, I messed up. Brownies are totally the way to go." Ganke nodded in satisfaction, having gotten his revenge on Miles. The three teens spent hours in the library, goofing off with no concern in the world. To Miles and Gwen, this was as good as it ever got for them. They were normal again. A true blessing to any superhero. As for Ganke, he was just happy to spend time with two of the (in his opinion) coolest people he ever met. The hours flew by quickly.

 

 

 

Notes:

A/N: Alright I think I owe you all a big explanation. I decided to take a break from writing. Some of it was because school was too much a drag for me to write. I also feel like Spiderverse just lost some of that magic for me, and it took CinemaWin's new video on it to get that back. Also, I kind of got into the HTTYD fandom, so that sidetracked me for a while. Anyways, I'm back! This isn't a new chapter, as I finished half of it before my break. My update schedule will be around two weeks from now on. The next chapter will take three, as I need to reread everything to get caught back up, and I'm just really busy right now. Finally, I might consider writing some HTTYD fanfiction, and I'm might start a story about how Miles and Gwen were both little kids, from the same universe, and grew to be Spider-people together. Tell me what you think about that. I'm sorry, and hope you enjoyed the chapter :).

P.S. Big thanks to my beta for being so quick to respond after all this time.

P.S.S. Jesus I just realized how long this was. Probably not gonna be as long, slightly shorter from now on.

Chapter 10

Lazy Friday Night

As Miles attempted to stuff all of his books into his bag, a realization struck him. How was he supposed to explain Gwen to his parents? First of all, she was literally out of this universe. Not only that, but he also had to somehow convince his parents to let a girl stay the weekend at their house.

Miles scrunched his face up as he considered his dilemma. While he could give his parents an early heads up through a call or text, maybe he could just show up with her by his side. That way there would be almost no chance that his parents would turn her away.

Gwen tilted her head slightly as she considered Miles. Ganke was gone already, his mom had called him to tell him to come home for dinner. It was a Friday night, and Ganke's mom was big on family functions. Miles had been invited to a few of these dinners before. He had nearly burst with all the food she kept piling onto his plate. 

He was shaken from his memories of never-ending waves of food as Gwen slid a dial on her watch counter-clockwise, opening up a display for her to choose from. "I guess it's time for me to go now," she said as she brushed her hair out of her face. She looked up, brilliant blue eyes soft as she stared at Miles. His mouth opened slightly and his brow scrunched. He was baffled by her statement, to say the least.

"Didn't you say you were gonna stay for the weekend? My parents would be totally cool with you. They'd love you." Gwen stuck a finger from her free hand up to his mouth to shush him. 

"Miles, think about it. I'm a girl, you're a guy. I can't just swing in all of a sudden and crash at your place. It's not right." She was about to continue trying to knock some sense into Miles when he suddenly broke into a fit of giggles.

"Swing in. Get it?" Gwen shook her head in reply, unable to keep a tiny laugh from sneaking out. 

"You dork." She elbowed him jokingly in the side, and he poked her in return. "But you get my point. It's not a good idea." 

Miles pressed his lips together and squinted at her. "Well....." Gwen gestured for him to continue with a tiny huff of impatience. "First of all,  it'll just be like a hangout. We're not gonna do anything like....bad." Gwen's cheeks colored as he made that suggestion. "Plus, my dad gets me.  And once my parents meet you they'll be totally fine with you. We have a guest room too. I can just say that your dad had to leave for the weekend 'cause of work, and you didn't feel comfortable staying by yourself."

Gwen nodded slowly as she thought about what Miles said. It all made sense. Miles had a couple more points to help sway her. "Y'know, my dad knows about the whole universe traveling thing, so that's not really a problem."

Gwen protested, "Why would you tell him about all that, Miles?"

"He's a cop. Of course he'd put two and two together eventually. Also I kinda slipped up and he picked up on it. So don't worry 'bout him. I mean, it's not like we'll be in the same bed...or...nevermind." Both Miles and Gwen flushed a deep scarlet color, with Gwen having to look away until she had herself composed. 

"Fine. You've got me, Morales." Miles grinned widely, extending his hand to her. At first, she thought he wanted her to grab hold of his hand, before realizing it was for the special handshake they had created together. Thank god she caught on. 

They then departed, Gwen rather anxious as she prepared to formally meet Miles' parents. 

                 *                                   *                                      *                                        *                                        *

"Oh my goodness, Miles! Have you been eating well? Did you do all your homework? Have you been wearing clean socks every day?" Miles' mom crushed him in her embrace, planting kisses all over his face. Gwen giggled in the background as he tried to free himself from his mom, clearly embarrassed. Then his mom caught sight of Gwen, "Jefferson! Mi amore! Look who our boy brought home!" Miles' mom immediately drew Gwen into a tight hug of her own, who stiffened slightly in response before relaxing. Miles' mom glanced at Miles before speaking quickly, "Ella es muy bonita!" Miles frowned mockingly at his mom before she leaned in close and whispered into his ear, "Ella tiene el pelo brillante y bonitos ojos azules."

Miles reddened slightly, ignoring his mom's comments. "Mom, this is Gwen. Gwen, meet my mom." His mom smiled brightly at Gwen.

"Please, come in. It's getting dark out. Miles has said a lot about you." His blush deepened as he shook his head slightly, trying to do some damage control. Gwen laughed as she entered the apartment. "He also told us about your...situation. Oh, and please don't call me Ms.Morales. It makes me feel like an old woman. Rio, mom, mama. Anything works." 

Gwen smiled shyly, showing off the tiny gap between her front teeth. "Thank you so much Ms.Mora-Rio." She looked over at Miles and her smile widened. "I heard that you talk about me a lot?"

Miles groaned. "Don't believe what my mom tells you. She's way too excited about having company over." A timer sounded from the kitchen.

"Oh! I should go get that." Miles' mom hurried away towards the kitchen. "Dinner will be ready soon. Don't just stand there. Show her around, Miles!" Gwen took in her surroundings. The apartment was well decorated and colorful. Miles kicked off his Jordans, gesturing for her to follow him. She took off the pair of Converse she wore and placed them carefully on a rack by the door. Gwen followed Miles into an open space with windows opening out towards the street.

Rugs covered most of the wood flooring and a massive couch dominated the living room.  A large T.V. stood on a table in front of the couch. There was an abundance of cushions and fluffy blankets layering the couch, which Miles immediately launched himself onto. Except he misjudged the leap slightly and ended up flopping onto the floor. 

"I meant to do that," he called from his position on the floor. Gwen shook her head as she helped him to his feet. "So this is the living room. In case you didn't realize." 

Gwen clicked her tongue slightly, "Your place is really pretty, Miles." 

"Yeah, I think so too. Thanks." He dusted himself off and proceeding to lead her deeper into the apartment. As they passed by the couch, Gwen caught sight of one of the fluffiest and most comfortable looking blankets. She stared longingly at it as they passed by.

The flooring changed to tile, as Miles waved his arms around him at the kitchen and the dining room. Well, it was really just one room separated by a bar counter. "We eat food there." A massive figure sat on one of the chairs at the counter, typing furiously on a laptop. "Hey, dad!" 

Jefferson Davis looked over, rising quickly to greet the two teens. "Sup Miles. I'm guessing this that girl you were telling us about." He extended a hand towards Gwen. "What's good. I'm Jefferson. Miles calls me pops. Glad to see he still has time for friends after zippin' around 
New York all day. He doesn't even have time for his old man no more."  

Gwen shook Jefferson's hand as Miles stood awkwardly, twirling his hoodie strings between his fingers. "Nice to meet you, Mr.Davis. I'm Gwen. Miles calls me his bestie." She grinned at Miles, and as she did Jefferson raised his eyebrows slightly at Miles as well. 

Miles smiled back at Gwen before rolling his eyes at his dad. "Alright, dad. I'm just gonna show her the rest of the house now if you don't mind..." He grabbed Gwen by the hand and pulled her away, his dad waving goodbye as he returned to his laptop. Miles pointed out his parents' bedroom, the guest bedroom, and bathrooms before finally bringing Gwen into his room. 

"Wow..." Gwen was blown away, to say the least. It was as if Miles' room was a canvas, with his personality splashed across it vibrantly. A Chance the Rapper poster hung above his bed, and clothes were strewn nearly everywhere. Miles hurriedly kicked a pair of his boxer shorts under his bed as Gwen suddenly caught sight of a stack of cards by the foot of his bed. Miles rushed over, hiding them behind his back.

"These are...Ganke's. I was just...borrowing...them! Yeah, for a school project." He sheepishly handed them over to Gwen when she held out her hand. She laughed, flicking him on the arm. 

"You're such a dork. I love it." The tips of Miles' ears heated as he glanced down at his socks. His head then shot back up, the moment having had passed, and he slid on his socks over to the chair at his desk. Gwen was checking out the D.J. equipment by the windows. 

"I didn't know you made music." Gwen looked rather impressed, being a music creator herself.

Miles shrugged. "I mean, it's just a side thing. I'm not that good. Well, I'm not bad either, but like..." He trailed, unsure of how to continue. He was actually really into music making. Boxes full of recordings and books on music producing were stacked beside the set. The set itself was high quality, having cost close to $1000 in total. 

"Well, I guess you'll have to show me and I'll decide for myself then." Miles stuck his tongue out at Gwen, and she giggled in response. 

"Nah but to be honest, art is where it's at for me. There's tagging and all that, but I also sketch stuff a lot." As Miles leaned back in his chair, Gwen came up behind him and snatched one of his sketchbooks off the desk. She flipped to a random page as Miles protested, nearly tipping over as he tried to retrieve his book. Gwen's jaw dropped slightly as she saw what he had drawn.

 A pencil sketch of her in glasses stared back of her. She could see the care taken in each line, with many eraser marks apparent around her eyes. There was a slight dimple in her cheek as she smiled. And the freckles. She had never really paid much attention to them, but Miles had accented them clearly. Most of all, her eyes were what seemed to really pop. They shined, open and trusting. This was in contrast to the guarded and dull eyes she thought she saw in the mirror each day. Gwen traced the lines with her finger. Was this really how she looked to Miles? She thought about it some more. Perhaps this was who she became around Miles. Miles did bring out the best in everyone. 

She looked up from the drawing at Miles, who had an expression like he was constipated on his face. "I didn't mean for anyone to see that. I'm so sorr-I didn't mean to..." 

Gwen cut him off, "Can I keep this?" Miles' eyes widened and it was his turn for his jaw to drop open.

"Wait, you're cool with it?" Gwen nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I've got a frame for it if you want. It was supposed to be from when I saw you at the Alchamax lab. Y'know, when you had the glasses and lab coat for disguise?" Miles carefully tore out the page and framed it, handing it to Gwen.

She took it gingerly. "Miles, this was really sweet of you. "

He scratched the back of his head. "It was? Oh, yeah. I guess it was." He grinned. "Anyways, I'm gonna work on one of my projects if you don't mind." Gwen gave him a thumbs up, then took a seat on Miles' bed and leaned up against the wall. 

The two of them talked about all kinds of things as Miles drew and Gwen browsed through her phone. Especially music. Miles was into all kinds of hip hop, be it classic or modern or any other type. He put on a couple of songs as he worked, showing Gwen some of what his Uncle really liked to listen to.  As Miles drew, he would flip his pen between his fingers, a tiny detail that Gwen found herself drawn to. She then shook her head to clear it, focusing back on the music. If Gwen was being honest, she was more into the beat and rhythm than the actual lyrics, but Miles seemed to love it, so she didn't say anything.

In turn, Gwen showed him a couple of videos on her phone of her band performing. Miles still found the fact that she was a drummer really cool, saying things like, "Oh wooowwww", "How'd you do that?", or "That was dope!" Secretly Gwen really liked hearing Miles compliment her, not that she'd ever admit it. 

Eventually, their conversation was by Miles' mom as she called from the kitchen, "Miles? Gwen? Time for dinner." Miles quickly capped his pen before closing his sketchbook. Both he and Gwen rushed towards the kitchen, Gwen taking after Miles by sliding across the floor with her socks as well. 

Miles' mom had made a type of seafood gumbo along with black bean soup for dinner. Gwen thought it was delicious, wolfing it down so quickly that Miles almost spit out his soup. His mom quickly refilled the plate.  Both of Miles' parents asked her questions about her life and told her stories about Miles as a kid, some of which caused him to hide his face behind his hands in embarrassment. Dinner seemed to fly by, after which Gwen and Miles lounged around in Miles' room, working off their food comas. 

"Your parents are really nice." Gwen groaned slightly as she sat upon Miles' bed. She didn't really want to get up since his bed smelled really nice, and the blankets were soft and cushy, but with quite a bit of effort she managed. 

Miles shrugged, "I love them and all that. My dad's such a dad though. And with being a cop and all that, he gets pretty tough sometimes." 

"That's cause he loves you, Miles." 

"I know, I know. It's just hard when he's like that. How's your family?"

Gwen remained silent at that question. Miles was about to apologize for asking when she finally spoke, "My mom died when I was a kid. She really liked ballet so my dad pushed me into doing it. Don't get me wrong, I really liked it. But he's always pushing me to be a 'proper young lady'. I don't know, maybe if I listened to him...Peter would still be here." She then looked up and gave him a small smile, "But I'm happy that I have you and all the other spider-people." 

Miles pulled her in close to him. Then he released her, "Uh, sorry about that. You just really looked like you needed a hug. I-" It was Gwen's turn to throw her arms around him this time. 

"Thanks, Miles," she whispered into his chest. There was a sudden knock at the door to his room and the two of them sprang apart like it burned for them to touch. The door swung open and Jefferson poked his head in. 

"Hey, Miles. Your mom and I are turning in early. If you guys want you can watch a movie or something. Just don't stay up too late." 

"Alright, thanks dad." The door closed and the two teens could hear heavy footsteps as they moved away from Miles' room. Miles then cautiously looked over at Gwen. "I'll race to the living room?" Before he even had the chance to finish his sentence, Gwen grabbed a pillow and chucked it at his head. She scrambled out of the room as Miles ducked, cursing softly under his breath. 

"Come on now, that's foul play!" he shouted as he chased after her. Gwen gracefully vaulted over the back of the couch, grabbing the blanket she was eyeing earlier and settling down. Miles' face fell as he saw what she had wrapped herself in. "No! Not my blanket!" He leaped over the couch, landing beside Gwen as he pouted at her. 

Gwen had already cocooned herself into the blanket, unwilling to give anything up. "It's mine now." 

"Pleaseeee. Can we at least share?" Miles pleaded with her. She considered his point before conceding, opening up the blanket so he could crawl under. He smiled brightly at Gwen and her heart melted. Sharing a blanket was a small price to play in comparison. Miles grabbed the T.V. remote and began flipping through his universe's version of Netflix. Some kind of streaming service called 'StreamIt'. 

Gwen poked him as one movie caught her eye. "Oh, what's that one right there?" Miles had paused over a movie called To All the Boys I've Loved Before. "The guy actor is kind of cute." Miles shrugged and clicked play, tossing the remote to the side. 

Gwen poked him in the side again as the movie began. He couldn't stop himself from letting out a tiny yelp. She giggled, "I can't believe that Spiderman is ticklish!" 

Miles blew on her neck, causing her to squeak slightly. "You shouldn't talk, Gwanda." Gwen frowned mockingly at him. He continued in a high pitched imitation of her, "It's South African...but I was born here...so no accent." 

Gwen elbowed him in the side, "You aren't much better." She lowered her voice, trying to mock him now. "I'm not late. Maybe you guys are just early." The two of them laughed before focusing their attention back onto the movie. Gwen was already hooked into it, but Miles didn't really think it was all that great yet. He carefully untangled himself from the blankets before going to forage in the kitchen for some snacks. He ended up bringing back a massive bowl of chips and guac for the two of them to share, sliding back into a comfortable position beneath the blankets. 

"Oh my God, Peter Kaminsky is kind of cute!" Miles squinted at the screen before looking confusedly at Gwen. He didn't see what was so special about this 'Peter'. Gwen then gasped slightly, "He has a Jeep too!!! I've always thought that it would be really cool to ride around town in a Jeep." 

Miles just let out a, "Huh." Secretly, on the side of him away from Gwen, he pulled out his phone and searched up how much a Jeep would cost. Then he winced. Gwen noticed, sitting up slightly as she looked at Miles with concern emanating from her eyes. 

"Miles, what's wrong?" She peeked over his shoulder, grabbing his hand and turning his phone so she could see it as he tried to hide it from her. Then her face softened and she gave him her sweet gap-toothed smile. "Haha, you're a gentleman at the heart. Just like Peter." She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the side of the cheek, whispering into his ear, "I like you better though." 

Miles' cheeks went pink, and he tried to change the conversation, "Oh...wowww....those yogurt smoothies look really good." Gwen rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the movie, allowing Miles a brief period of rest from her teasing. Then her head snapped back as she scrunched her face slightly, staring closely at the area around Miles' noes. "Uh...what are you doing, Gwen?"

She looked up with a triumphant look. "You have freckles." 

Miles patted his face, almost like he was trying to feel for the freckles himself. "I have...oh yeah. I guess I do. Hold up. I'm not the only with freckles here." He poked her cheek. "You're like me."

Gwen scooched closer to Miles as she let her head rest on his shoulder. "I guess I am." As the movie reached the scene where the whole entire high school went on a ski trip, Miles spoke up.

"Is it weird that I've never been skiing before." Gwen's eyebrows raised slightly. "Not really...? But then again, New York." 

"New York," Miles nodded as he confirmed. "We should work it out with the other Spider-people sometime. It looks fun." 

"Yeah, that's actually a pretty good idea. I can't wait to see you faceplant into a tree. Imagine how hard skiing will be to do on command?" She laughed as Miles playfully swung a pillow at her.

"Hey! That was uncalled for!" The two teens had a little giggle fit, before sobering up after realizing that Miles' parents were probably asleep. The end of the movie came quickly, and with it, came a wave of drowsiness that passed over the two Spider-teens.

Gwen snuggled up a bit closer to Miles, her silky hair tickling the bottom of his chin. "Mind if I use you as a pillow." 

"Be my guest, Gwanda." And so Gwen and Miles drifted off to sleep in each other's warmth, completely content with how they spent their Friday night.

Notes:

A/N: It's late at night and I should be working on my paper but whatever. Really cool chapter to work out, though it took awhile. Tried to make the details consistent with canon. Hope you guys enjoyed it, especially the To All the Boys reference. Fun fact: A lot of the chapter was inspired through personal experience and Tumblr posts. I'll get another chapter up for my other story sometime within the next week or two. I also won't have any more papers for the rest of the year after this week. That means more chapters. Go see Endgame, y'all. Read and comment (if you want), since kudos help give me life. Thanks :)

Chapter 11

The City Never Sleeps

"Gwen come on!" Miles dragged Gwen by the arm as he burst out of the front door. Miles was bouncing on his toes with bubbly energy that only he was able to uphold. Even in the mornings. Gwen, on the other hand, was decidedly not a morning person.

"I hate you," Gwen groaned as she ran her free hand through her tangled locks of hair. After the two teenagers woke up, she barely had the chance to brush her teeth before Miles had ushered her away. She slipped the bagel she grabbed out of her hoodie pocket, stuffing nearly the whole thing into her mouth.

The tongues of Miles' sneakers flapped loudly as he weaved through throngs of people with Gwen close behind him. The oily scent of a nearby hot dog stand was slightly sickening as it mixed with the stifling heat from dozens of bodies pressed close together. The sidewalk was grimy and littered with cigarette butts. In other words, it was no different than Gwen's New York.

Miles obviously didn't mind either, navigating the crowds almost like he was dancing to the music that filtered through the headphones covering his ears. A small smile flickered on Gwen's lips as she watched Miles leap up to slap one of his signature stickers onto a street sign, nearly knocking over an old lady walking past.

"Slow down Spiderboy," Gwen muttered under her breath as she caught up to Miles, leaning closer so he could hear her.

"But we're almost thereeeee!" Miles said in a sing-song voice, suddenly turning off into a side alley. Gwen narrowed her eyes. The alley was a discreet one, seemingly doing all it could to not stick out to passerbys. Trash cans blocked out part of the entrance, making the already skinny alley seem even passageable. Graffiti art covered every inch of the wall, a tunnel of color under the shadows of the buildings which loomed over it. Then seemingly in an instant, the tunnel disappeared, opening into a beautifully lit courtyard.

The courtyard was surrounded by brown brick buildings with ivy clinging to them. A massive tree cast its branches over a small park beneath it, its leafy arms stopping just below the rooftops of the nearby buildings.

Next to the park was a basketball court, sitting just outside of the protective shadow the tree created. The lines on the court were faded from wear and the blacktop court was split with the occasional crack. The backboards were smudged from the constant contact with basketballs. What stood out, however, were the rims and nets. Bright orange hoops gleamed under the sun with pearly white nets hanging enticingly.

Gwen's mouth fell open slightly, "What the...how did you even find this place?"Miles shrugged indifferently, though inside he was elated that he had impressed Gwen.

"I was just looking around for places to tag, and I just stumbled onto this spot. Yo look, those are some of the kids who live around here!" He jogged over to the basketball court with Gwen in tow. "Kemba! J-Will! Lucky! What's up!" A tall African-American teen with brilliant white teeth greeted Miles with a complicated handshake. As Miles turned to greet another African American teen (though much lankier), and a pale white Irish kid, the first teen turned his attention to Gwen.

"Oh, hey! I'm Kemba. I'm guessing you're Gwen?" Kemba grinned at her before extending his hand. Gwen shyly nodded confirmation as she reached out to shake his hand. "Wait, hold up, we gotta do something cooler than just a regular handshake. That's only for my dad." He then proceeded to coach Gwen through a short little handshake sequence of their own. "Here bring it back like this...then go up high...yeah like that...and finish it like this." Gwen laughed.

Miles popped back up beside her. "You up for some basketball for us?"

"No, come on Miles, you know I suck. And the teams would be uneven if I joined!" Gwen shook her head frantically but was unable to stop herself from being dragged into a pickup game with the other teens.

She was put on a team with Lucky and Miles, exchanging a greeting with Lucky before the game began. "They call me Lucky cause I kinda look like that leprechaun on the cereal box. Also cause I always hit the luckiest shots when we play basketball."

As the game began, it quickly became obvious that even though Kemba's team was down a player, it wasn't a disadvantage at all. When Kemba had the ball in his hands, it reminded Gwen of those professional skaters she used to watch with her mother. Graceful and beautiful. Kemba could pull up and shoot from anywhere on the court, and it would most likely drop perfectly through the hoop. Sometimes Gwen would stop whatever she was doing and just stop to watch him play.

While Kemba was unnaturally good, his athleticism wouldn't have been able to keep up with the powers of Miles and Gwen had they not held back. For Gwen, learning to play basketball was new and exciting. not only that, but she was able to experience spending time with a group of great people. She hadn't felt like she really belonged ever since her Peter died, and even then it was only the two of them. Now she could laugh as her shot missed the hoop by a good amount with a group of people she was comfortable with. And she had Miles to thank for that.

Meanwhile, Kemba attempted to help Gwen fix her horrific shooting form. He carefully guided her, raising her elbow slightly and shifting her guide hand. "You have to envision how you want your shot to land before you even shoot. Then it's one smooth motion. Flick your wrist at the end." He used his hand to mimic the motion. Gwen followed his instructions, finishing her shot with a flick of her wrist. Almost like magic, her shot swished into the basket.

"Yeah, baby! Give me some!" Kemba high fived Gwen as she let out a whoop of success. Miles glanced over from his one versus one with J-Will, his brows coming together. However, he quickly turned his attention back to his game as J-Will took advantage of his lapse in concentration, blowing past him. Miles recovered though, spiking J-Will's shot away a lot harder than he intended, the ball flying away. Miles scratched the back of his neck, muttering a quick apology.

Meanwhile, Gwen and Kemba had begun a match of their own. Of course, Kemba had to hold back in order to give Gwen a fair chance, but they were still decently competitive. Then, as Kemba drove towards the rim for a layup, he accidentally rammed his shoulder into Gwen, knocking her onto the ground.

Miles noticed from the other side of the court, rushing over to where Kemba already knelt beside her. Gwen was brushing herself off. "I'm fine, I'm fine. I've taken way worse hits." Gwen caught Miles' eye as she said that, grinning slightly at him. Kemba helped her up, having her turn around so he could dust off her back.

"I'm so sorry. I just...I don't know what I was thinking." He apologized over and over, rather worried that he had offended his new friend.

Gwen laughed, "Dude, calm down. I'm not some fragile princess." Kemba finally paused, J-Will and Lucky both coming over to check on her. As a group, they all agreed that they should take a break from basketball. The other teens knew their way around that part of town, and there was a supposedly amazing ice cream parlor close by. And so that's where they went.

By now it was high noon, with the rays of the sun peeking around gray clouds. It also happened to be lunchtime for most people, so the streets were more packed than usual. For web slingers such as Miles and Gwen, it was frustrating to be slogging through crowds of people instead of soaring over them. Of course, that wasn't an option for them at the moment.

After arriving, they found the parlor full of people. "Maybe we should go..." Gwen began before she was cut off by the protests of the boys.

"Hell naw!" "There's no way you're missing out on the best ice cream parlor in Brooklyn!" "C'mon, Gwen, Scoops is an experience." So Gwen pouted slightly and stood in line for a good half-an-hour before it was time for the group to order. She ordered a single scoop of strawberry, before looking over at Miles and gaping at his monstrosity of a sundae: chocolate ice cream with a brownie, chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, fudge, and topped with whipped cream.

She leaned over slightly and asked him incredulously, "Are you actually gonna eat that thing?" Miles nodded happily. The two of them were about to pay before Kemba suddenly appeared beside them with his chocolate chip cone.

"It's fine, I got you guys." He slipped his wallet out of his pocket, already ready to pay.

"Kemba, you can't keep doing this for us. Especially not if I get this thing," Miles gestured towards his massive sundae, sighing in exasperation.

"No, no, no. It's fine. You know my parents." Miles shrugged before leading Gwen over to the table where the others sat.

Gwen narrowed her eyes as she glanced back at Kemba. "You're just gonna let him pay for all of us."

The two sat down as Miles gave an explanation, "It's his thing. His parents have a ton of money and Kemba has always been really generous. Like, this one time, he gave this kid his shoes cause the kid didn't have any. They were Jordans too!"

When Gwen cocked her head confusedly, J-Will explained, "Jordans are like the sports cars of shoes. They're really freaking nice." He sighed at the thought of them.

Lucky then spoke up, "But back to Kemba, he always pays unless we really fight with him about paying. I think he really hates the fact that he's loaded. I'm not really complaining though." The other boys nodded in agreement and left Gwen to contemplate over her newfound knowledge.

Kemba finished paying and strode over, sliding into the booth next to Miles. "So, how exactly did you meet Miles? He talks a lot about you but he never said how you met." Miles reddened slightly.

"Oh, I think I can imagine why." Gwen glared jokingly at Miles. "So, basically I was at his school for an exchange student program. We were...uh...in art class." She looked at Miles for help.

"Yeah...art class...then I got some glue on my hand."

"And he basically ripped out half of my hair. I guess we kind of just became friends after that." The group didn't hear the last part, though, as they were too busy laughing their heads off at the story.

"Nice job Miles, that's definitely how you approach girls." Lucky chortled. Eventually, the others sobered up and finished their ice creams. Well, everyone except for Miles.

Gwen studied his sundae closely. "Do you mind if I try some? Pleaseee?"

Miles looked up before sighing, "Fine. just a bit." Gwen took his spoon and loaded a bit of everything on it before downing it.

"Woah, that's good."

Miles grinned. "Yeah, I know right?" He reclaimed his sundae and dug back in. Lucky leaned in from beside Gwen.

"Just so you know, he never lets us try his sundae." Gwen felt her face flush slightly, and she looked away.

* * * * *

The rest of the day passed in a blur. The group had slowly dispersed throughout the day as they went to different places. First to leave was J-Will, who had to go to his job. Then went Kemba, whose mom called for him. Finally Lucky had to go home for dinner, leaving just Miles and Gwen. It was about time for Gwen to return home as well.

"Well, I guess it's time for me to go again."

Miles ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah."

The two stood there for a minute, rather awkwardly. "You know, Miles, I don't think we should keep doing this."

"Doing what?"

"This little fling that we keep having. We're from two different worlds. I can't keep coming to yours just to be with you. Or with your friends. They're great people, but they're your friends." Miles' head snapped up.

"A little fling? Is this really what this is to you? Gwen, come on, we've been through a shit storm together." Gwen took hold of his hands in hers.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't be friends. I'm just saying we should really stop this." Miles shook his head.

"Gwen, please..." Gwen let go of his hands.

"I should really go. I'll see you around, Spiderman." She leapt off the side of the building they were on, twirling in the air before a swirling vortex opened up beneath her. Then as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. Inky darkness replaced the space, and the only sounds that could be heard were the sounds of the city around Miles. But he was alone.

Notes:

This will probably be the last installment of this story for a long time. Perhaps I'll post more, but not in the near future. Currently I'm working on a contest piece for scriptwriting, which has been an ongoing project. I had this chapter up on wattpad, but forgot to post on here. I feel like my quality of writing has dipped slightly, so sorry for that. This story was originally an experiment. Im so happy that it turned out so successful, and AO3 is the main reason for that. I will definitely write an epilogue with the possibility of a sequel. When Spiderverse 2 comes out I will for sure start writing new pieces. My other story may be continued, but updates will be spotty. Anyways, I hope you enjoy, and thank you so much for all the support over the year. Love you all.

Chapter 12: Update

Hey guys. I think it’s been half a year now since I’ve last updated. Well anyways, I just came back today so yay. The main reason for that was because I recently finished my long term project, which was a film script for a competition. So now that I’m not as burned out as I was, I think I’m ready to start writing again. That does come with a few questions though. Should I finish this story or leave it how it is? Also, should I continue my other story? If not, I definitely want to write again, so should I make a new story? And if I do make a new story, should it be a Spiderverse fic or something else? If anyone is even around still, it would be great if you commented and gave me a few suggestions. And if you are around, thanks for reading this. I know I suck, by hopefully I can make it up now. I usually don’t post these sort of things on AO3, but I felt like this was important enough to. Also, sorry for the weird format but I’m doing this on my phone so bear with me. Thanks for everything though.