Loving Gwen Stacy | A MARVEL STORY

7

"Are you ready?" Peter asked with a childlike glee. "I've never done this with another person. I'm so excited." 

"Sure, sure," I sighed. "But first, what is this? You just stared off into space like you were Jim from the Office and expected me to read your mind. What is happening?" 

"You trust me, right?" 

"Less and less everyday, Pete."

He grabbed onto me tightly and giggled like a child. Though his face was shielded, I could only imagine the pure joy flashing over him as he prepared himself to become Spiderman. Without another warning, we flew off the ground, flying toward the skyscrapers of New York. Just when I thought we were about to collide with the tall windows, Peter released a long stream of webs and connected to the building, swinging like Tarzan. 

"Cool, right?" he whispered as wonder passed through me. 

I let out a shaky breath as I dared to look down. The city looked completely different from above. Lights flashing in windows cast pink hues over the rush of the world I had called home my entire life. The darkness of night was shadowed by the energy that radiated off New York. For the first time, I realized why they called it the city that never sleeps.

After scaling the city like King Kong, Peter placed us down atop one of the tallest buildings in Harlem. I dared to hover over the edge, knowing that my cousin would catch me if I slipped. The widest smile I'd ever had stretched across my lips. The world really was incredible from above.

I sat on the ledge and swung my legs like a pendulum. "Tell me everything," I breathed. "What is the Spiderman? When did it start? How did you keep something this big a secret for so long? My entire life, you've never been able to keep a secret. But now, when it's something this cool, you're able to? That's some BS, cuz." 

"I guess it all began a few weeks before Uncle Ben died," he started telling me the story. My eyes widened at the idea of being bit by a radioactive spider, and I laughed when he told me about his super sensitive "spider sense". "So yeah," he concluded. "I guess that's the full story."

I leaned against him and he rested his head on my shoulder. 

"I meant what I said earlier." His eyes widened, racking his brain for every word we had exchanged. "You being like a brother to me," I clarified.

"I know," he said, in a very Han Solo manner. 

I reached into my pocket to see the thousands of texts streaming in from my mother. While desperately holding onto Peter while we swung across the city, I hadn't been too focused on the quiet buzz in my pocket. While I was distracted, my cousin whispered something just barely loud enough for me to hear.

"You really love her, huh?" 

It wasn't really a question - more of a quiet exclamation of fact. I set my phone down in my lap, staring out at the world like I'd never seen it before in my life. 

"I really do."

We sat together on the roof, sharing no words but leaving nothing unshared between us. The secrets we held in our hearts had been exposed and I'd never been more grateful. As the stars twinkled over the busy streets, I managed to find sleep. When I woke up, I was tucked into the plush covers of my bed with a small note taped to my nightstand. 

Eli:

Thank you for trusting me and for not hating my guts forever.

I love you unconditionally.

-Peter

All around the note were tiny drawings of spiders that made me chuckle. I checked my phone and sent a quick text to Gwen to apologize for missing our Saturday run before wandering into the bathroom and scrubbing tear tracks from my cheeks. As soon as I stepped out into the kitchen, I was greeted by my mother's expectant glare.

"Hey Mama," I said, brushing the sleep from my eyes. "I was just about to go for a run, can we talk after?"

She looked at me and I knew that there was no way I was getting away without a hearty talk and probably a brownie. Sighing deeply, I sat in the crease of the couch as she stood over me. Her arms were pulled tightly into her chest as she worked through the millions of thoughts racing through her mind.

"I just want you to know, I love you so much. I hope I never did anything that made you feel unsafe or made you-"

"Mom. I know."

She started pacing, each footstep shaking the apartment below us. Her eyes were wide with concern as she spoke, trying to clear her guilty conscience. "Good, because I love you so much and I would never want to-" 

"Mom!" I cried out. Now, I was pacing. "I know. I just wasn't ready until now, okay? It was nothing to do with you. I just needed a little time."

"Okay," she said softly. "I don't want to lose you, honey." 

I looked deeply into her eyes and pulled her into a tight embrace. "You could never lose me," I whispered.

We held each other, something I seemed to be doing a lot of these days. I could feel my shoulder getting damp and I wondered who was supposed to be comforting who in this situation. Slowly, I released her from my grasp and smiled. 

"We're still talking about the same thing, right?" I questioned. "Because I'm talking about how I dropped out of school to fulfill my dreams of becoming a professional mime."

She slapped me gently with the back of her hand and pulled me into a hug. 

"Not funny."

"A little funny," I smiled into her embrace. "I love you more than anything." 

"I love you more." 

Just then, there was a leisurely knock at the door, tapping out a pattern. I glanced at my mother, wondering if she was expecting company. She shrugged and looked back at me with the same confusion I held. 

"It's probably just Gwen," I muttered. "I'll be there in a second!"

I started towards the door when the knocking became more incessant. The leisurely pace was exchanged with a dangerously obnoxious tone and timber. Rolling my eyes, I swung the door open expectantly. Instead of a 5'6'' blonde, I was greeted with the impatient expression of a 6'1'' billionaire philanthropist hiding behind purple tinted glasses. 

"Hi," he smirked. "Is Peter home?" 

A/N: We are getting into Civil War finally! I'm so excited for you guys to keep reading my story. Honestly, the fact that anyone wants to read a little gay fan-fiction that was written by me is actually astonishing to me. So thank you so so so much. 

Question! Who's your favorite Avenger? For me, I got to give it up for my main man Hawkeye. He's such an underrated character who honestly is just incredible. Let me know your answers in the comments! We can duke it out lol. 

edited march 25, 2019