"So, me asking you out like this… will Cindy get mad?"
When Peter handed Gwen the coffee, she asked a question he'd never even considered. The look on his face was a mix of confusion and "what are you talking about?" and Gwen, holding her coffee, raised an eyebrow.
"I was just thinking, you both have spider powers and have gone out on missions together at least four or five times. She's also smart, in your class, and she likes to sit next to you… I just assumed you were a couple."
"No…" Peter said, sitting down beside her. They were on a park bench in Central Park. A few people walked by, but no one lingered to listen to their conversation.
Gwen seemed to latch onto a new thought. "Wait, are you so obsessed with being Spider-Man because being a superhero is a way to escape girls who have a crush on you?"
Peter took a deep breath. He wouldn't admit it, but maybe there was some truth to that.
"So… why did you ask me to meet you? Do you need help with something?"
"No, I don't need help." Gwen just held her coffee, not taking a sip. "Don't you think you're a little too absorbed in being Spider-Man? How long has it been since you helped Aunt May at the soup kitchen? How long since you helped Uncle Ben with his car? You barely even have dinner with them anymore, right? I'm the one who eats with them most of the time."
Peter fell silent. It was true. With the emergence of uncanny villains, he had to constantly fight off one supervillain and enemy after another, and his time with his family was shrinking. Both Uncle Ben and Gwen knew what he was doing, and to keep Aunt May from worrying, they had to constantly cover for him.
"I'm sorry. I just… I really don't have the time."
"Does this city really need Spider-Man that much? Can't you spend some time doing other things? You don't have to push yourself so hard! New York won't fall apart without you for a few hours."
Peter suddenly realized something. He drank his coffee without a word, staring at Gwen. His stare made her feel uncomfortable, and she asked with annoyance, "What's wrong? Am I wrong?"
"No, you're right, but it just doesn't sound like something Gwen Stacy would say." Peter put his coffee cup down and smiled, tilting his head. "We've known each other for a long time, Gwen. We knew each other even before Uncle Ben adopted me, back when I used to come to his house to play."
"So…"
"You know I like Sherlock Holmes, and you also know that I've figured you out."
When Peter first discovered that the Stacy and Parker families were neighbors in this world, he had suspected it was Earth-65, the Spider-Gwen universe, since only in that world were Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy childhood friends. But then a lot of plots from the MCU movies also happened, leaving him confused about which universe this was.
So when Peter attended the science expo, he had half-expected the spider to bite Gwen and was even considering whether he should get bitten himself. But then Karl King just put the spider on his neck, ending the question.
Now Gwen looked at Peter, displeased. "So?"
"You've always helped me, ever since we were kids. You helped me deal with school bullies. When I foolishly tried to stop bullying on my own, you would stand with me." Peter said, a note of resignation in his voice. "You introduced me to friends to make sure I wasn't an outcast at school. You've really helped me a lot."
"You're welcome."
"And now, I don't need your help anymore."
Gwen's expression froze, and she took a small sip of her coffee.
"I'm not saying you're just trying to feel needed. What I mean is, you're a lot like me—you want to help people, especially the ones close to you. But now you've realized that you can't help me with the things I have to face."
Gwen put her coffee cup down and looked at Peter.
"I can help! You just never tell me when you need help!"
"I don't tell you because it's too dangerous. Even when I'm not facing supervillains, I'm dealing with all kinds of dangerous enemies."
"But I don't have to fight them!"
"What if they find out you're helping Spider-Man?!"
"Then why can Harry and Amadeus help?!"
"Because…" Peter was about to explain when his Spider-Sense went off and his phone rang. He picked up the call, saw the caller ID, and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Gwen… I really don't know how to explain this to you. But never say that this city will be fine without Spider-Man."
Peter shook his head helplessly as he answered the phone. "Coulson? It's me, what's wrong?"
"We have a situation, Spider-Man." Coulson's voice on the other end was rough with heavy breathing. The situation was clearly dire; it sounded like he had been ambushed. And what Coulson said next made Peter's face turn ashen.
"Riot has been attached to Ward all this time. He launched a surprise attack just before the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier was due to arrive in New York. He stole the other three symbiotes and attached them to Fitz and Simmons."
It was obvious that Riot would use the fourth symbiote as well. He had been attached to Ward to gather his brethren. And it was far easier than he had imagined to trigger Ward's inner darkness and control him. In other words, Peter was about to face four symbiotes.
"How long until the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier arrives?"
"Three hours. The director said there's a situation with Grendel, and no one can back you up." Coulson delivered the most critical piece of information. "It's all on you, Spider-Man."
Gwen, who had overheard the conversation, was speechless. She had just said New York would be fine without Spider-Man, and now the city was in trouble, and only Spider-Man could solve it.
"It's very dangerous, isn't it?" Gwen said, watching Peter get up, his face serious. "I guess you won't let me help."
"It's more dangerous than anything I've faced before, Gwen." Peter's face was grimmer than ever. He had fought enemies far stronger than himself before, like Anansi, but back then, he had a Mjolnir. Now, he and Venom had to face four symbiotes. And their attack meant that Grendel was about to awaken.
"I'll get going then, so you won't worry."
"Gwen."
Peter stopped her. Gwen looked at him, waiting for him to speak.
"…Don't go back to Manhattan until it's safe."
As she watched Peter leave, Gwen was silent. An ill-timed voice appeared behind her. "I bet you were thinking he should have said you're different from them."
Startled, Gwen jumped up and saw Felicia Hardy standing behind the bench. After taking a moment to calm down, she asked, "You… when did you get here?"
"For someone who just stared into space for three minutes, that's a pretty redundant question."
Felicia said, handing something to Gwen. Gwen didn't take it, but asked, "What is this?"
"Criminal evidence against Wilson Fisk. You can give it to your father or that kid, I don't care. But the main point is, if Spider-Man says Manhattan is going to be unsafe, then… it probably is."
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