That said, the law side of things sounds pretty screwy too. If 'Spider-woman' (Gwen) was known US wide, as opposed to locally, then under current US law in our reality Stark would not be able to trade mark it later.
[EDIT] Coming to think of it, if he's a billionaire, womanizer, PMC owner and weapons manufacturer then he's nailed the 'dick' label already.
Not sure about trademarking, but considering you can trademark words ala the fine bros trying to do so for 'react' I'm pretty sure Tony could finagle a way to get Spider-Woman and all related images under his ownership. The merch would offset any cost.
He's a dick, but he's not doing anything illegal so he doesn't care. Gwen doesn't care about trademarking either since the site keeps them well above water.
So I've been getting a bunch of reviews who now want a Peter/Gwen/MJ pairing. Not a love triangle, that'd be too easy - they legit want a threesome polymamory relationship, mostly stemming from the @Nerdman3000 omake apparently hinting at it. I just can't win, can I?
I'm honestly curious if people are interested in romances that aren't strained in some way and is just vanilla all around. Romance that lacks conflict would be seen as 'boring', no? Peter and Gwen never really have any conflicts and generally get along great. This isn't seen as drab?
So I've been getting a bunch of reviews who now want a Peter/Gwen/MJ pairing. Not a love triangle, that'd be too easy - they legit want a threesome polymamory relationship, mostly stemming from the @Nerdman3000 omake apparently hinting at it. I just can't win, can I?
I'm honestly curious if people are interested in romances that aren't strained in some way and is just vanilla all around. Romance that lacks conflict would be seen as 'boring', no? Peter and Gwen never really have any conflicts and generally get along great. This isn't seen as drab?
So I've been getting a bunch of reviews who now want a Peter/Gwen/MJ pairing. Not a love triangle, that'd be too easy - they legit want a threesome polymamory relationship, mostly stemming from the @Nerdman3000 omake apparently hinting at it. I just can't win, can I?
As a major fan of poly fics, I'm gonna say that you should disregard that. Poly is a tough thing to pull off and if you're not going in there with it as the plan, it's probably not the best idea to try to shove it in there anyway.
I'm honestly curious if people are interested in romances that aren't strained in some way and is just vanilla all around. Romance that lacks conflict would be seen as 'boring', no? Peter and Gwen never really have any conflicts and generally get along great. This isn't seen as drab?
Please don't fall into that trap. You can have interesting conflict in the story without having to throw interpersonal melodrama in there as well. That's the same sort of thinking that got us One More Day. Admittedly, that's an extreme example, but trust me, a lot of us are just squeeing at the Cute.
As a major fan of poly fics, I'm gonna say that you should disregard that. Poly is a tough thing to pull off and if you're not going in there with it as the plan, it's probably not the best idea to try to shove it in there anyway.
Please don't fall into that trap. You can have interesting conflict in the story without having to throw interpersonal melodrama in there as well. That's the same sort of thinking that got us One More Day. Admittedly, that's an extreme example, but trust me, a lot of us are just squeeing at the Cute.
I've already gotten at least one review indicating the opposite:
"I appreciate waiting for Endgame to premiere and base what happens next from the ending of Endgame but these last 3(4?) chapters have been kinda boring to read. And since we're going with a Peter who won't go behind Gwen's back the story is left lacking much tension, drama, or anything exciting. Hopefully that'll change after Endgame."
Hopefully I can fix this with the impostor goblin arc.
Well, that's actually a pretty hard question to answer, since I was mostly generalizing. Let's say you have three well balanced, kind individuals how are confident enough to express their feelings to each other and are all open to a poly relationship. In that case, writing it would be pretty easy, they just say 'we all want this, so let's do it" and then they do it. But if you're using complex characters with distinct personalities and their own personal issues and so on, then it becomes more difficult. Basically, it's as hard as writing a good, regular romance is, plus extra difficulty for every extra person you add to the mix. The place you have to balance the characters gets smaller and smaller the more people you add.
I've already gotten at least one review indicating the opposite:
"I appreciate waiting for Endgame to premiere and base what happens next from the ending of Endgame but these last 3(4?) chapters have been kinda boring to read. And since we're going with a Peter who won't go behind Gwen's back the story is left lacking much tension, drama, or anything exciting. Hopefully that'll change after Endgame."
Hopefully I can fix this with the impostor goblin arc.
Well, I can't say that that guy's wrong, since that's their opinion, but I disagree. I've enjoyed the last few chapters and I don't think they're boring at all. And it's not like there isn't dramatic choices being made. It's just that they're usually getting good advice and making the right decisions, which is honestly refreshing to me. You don't see that enough in fiction.
I do think that the imposter goblin arc would be a good idea for adding in some excitement though. If you make some action, that should keep most people entertained, and if you can keep Peter and Gwen together during it, that would be great. I want to seem them relying on each other and supporting each other when times get tough. Transform them from a pair of friends who are attracted to each other to actual partners who can trust each other with their lives and feelings. That would be awesome.
Well, that's actually a pretty hard question to answer, since I was mostly generalizing. Let's say you have three well balanced, kind individuals how are confident enough to express their feelings to each other and are all open to a poly relationship. In that case, writing it would be pretty easy, they just say 'we all want this, so let's do it" and then they do it. But if you're using complex characters with distinct personalities and their own personal issues and so on, then it becomes more difficult. Basically, it's as hard as writing a good, regular romance is, plus extra difficulty for every extra person you add to the mix. The place you have to balance the characters gets smaller and smaller the more people you add.
It would work here to an extent then. Gwen, MJ and Peter are currently generally kind, well-balanced and all of them are friendly to each other and never really act in a dickish manner. It's definitely much more plausible compared to the poly requests in Looking Glass despite Noir's general issues and Mary Jane being bound to the Carnage symbiote. Main hiccup is that this Gwen is closer to canon and that one shows no hints of being bisexual, so it's very likely she's just not into MJ that way.
Well, I can't say that that guy's wrong, since that's their opinion, but I disagree. I've enjoyed the last few chapters and I don't think they're boring at all. And it's not like there isn't dramatic choices being made. It's just that they're usually getting good advice and making the right decisions, which is honestly refreshing to me. You don't see that enough in fiction.
I do think that the imposter goblin arc would be a good idea for adding in some excitement though. If you make some action, that should keep most people entertained, and if you can keep Peter and Gwen together during it, that would be great. I want to seem them relying on each other and supporting each other when times get tough. Transform them from a pair of friends who are attracted to each other to actual partners who can trust each other with their lives and feelings. That would be awesome.
Refreshing for many, but also boring for others. It's a crapshoot, really. We don't get needless melodrama but we also have two leads who never seem to have any issues because they're so irrationally selfless and kind that they never find anything to argue about. It's like a couple that just gushes about how much they love each other.
Peter and Gwen are a definite battle couple here, at least. Not much tension in the fight, but at least it shows them fighting crime together as partners.
You can never please everyone. The focus should be on writing the story you want to write and writing it to the best of your abilities. Don't fall into the trap of trying to pander to a dissatisfied part of your audience. All you will do is whiplash between different groups who want different things. Pick a style of story and stick to it.
You can never please everyone. The focus should be on writing the story you want to write and writing it to the best of your abilities. Don't fall into the trap of trying to pander to a dissatisfied part of your audience. All you will do is whiplash between different groups who want different things. Pick a style of story and stick to it.
It's somewhat difficult for this story since, quite honestly, I don't have much personal investment and want. The reason I wrote this is cause someone posted in another thread 'hey, anyone ever comsider an MCU/Spider-Gwen romance?' and I decided to write one out to see where it went and try out a much more lighthearted story. This has actuslly gone on far longer than I intended.
It's also part of the reason that updates are more staggered and I have to re-write plots to be not as depressing; notice Gwen's rather awkward cynical characterization in the beginning whereas she's generally cheerier and more stable now with little hints of her prior nastiness. This is mostly due to me having to svoid my usual writing preferences in favor of what the audience wants from a lighthearted romance.
So apologies for the constant questions, but for this fic I'm writing mostly for what the audience wants.
It's somewhat difficult for this story since, quite honestly, I don't have much personal investment and want. The reason I wrote this is cause someone posted in another thread 'hey, anyone ever comsider an MCU/Spider-Gwen romance?' and I decided to write one out to see where it went and try out a much more lighthearted story. This has actuslly gone on far longer than I intended.
It's also part of the reason that updates are more staggered and I have to re-write plots to be not as depressing; notice Gwen's rather awkward cynical characterization in the beginning whereas she's generally cheerier and more stable now with little hints of her prior nastiness. This is mostly due to me having to svoid my usual writing preferences in favor of what the audience wants from a lighthearted romance.
So apologies for the constant questions, but for this fic I'm writing mostly for what the audience wants.
Thanks I'm aware the constant questions are annoying, but lighthearted romance is new to me. I wrote some stuff for a harem series when I was a hormonal teen and those were just...bad. I want the characters here to be more sympathetic and likeable so I don't wanna mess this up.
Endgame is literally two days away from where I'm at, so I decided updating and adding a bit of a plot at the end would be nice. This story's gotten far large than I intended and even then I still somehow feel like I'm rushing it :/
Speaking of the MCU, I'm definitely considering a 'Spider-Gwen trapped there' version. Just trying to decide if it would be a new fic (reversal where Gwen is the visitor and Peter's the guide) or a sequel fic to this. The former means that Peter/Gwen isn't set and in that case I'd actually lean towards Gwen/MCU Matt Murdock for irony points and because I think the plot could work really well given their personalities and backstories. We'll see.
Also, I'll say this again: Please stop making 'Can *insert alternate Spidey here* show up please?' requests. This is not a massive crossover and the appearances of certain Spideys - particularly Mayday and Noir and the Looking Glass versions - are meant to tie into the plot. If you want something like that look over to Spider-Friends here in spacebattles.
Chapter 15: Two Spiders on a Web
"What the fuck?!"
Peter shot up and fell off the bed at the sudden scream, "Whu?" He looked around in a panic and ran out of Gwen's room, not even bothering to put his mask on. If Gwen was screaming like that it meant something terrible was opening.
"Fucking Bugle!"
Or...not.
Peter stopped, still dressed in nothing but a t-shirt and shorts with both fists raised, as Gwen slammed the newspaper down on the kitchen table and let loose another tirade of expletives that he almost felt guilty just just hearing. Sitting across from her, Betty just smiled in that normal Betty way and continued to eat her cereal, occasionally tossing some pieces of leftover meat to the cat perched atop her head.
Gwen eventually stopped her tirade. The blonde took a deep breath and pinched her nose while Peter continued to stand there awkwardly. It was quite clear now that there was not, in fact, a supervillain busting down their door to reap bloody vengeance and curse their descendants.
"Uh..."
Gwen froze briefly at the sound of his voice before she turned with the fakest smile he'd ever seen; and he'd seen the Captain America fitness videos, "Oh, hey! Sleep well?" she asked, voice sickly sweet. It creeped him out. Gwen was nice and fun and wore her heart on her sleeve, but she never tried to talk to him like she was a mom explaining to her kid that cursing was wrong.
"P-Pretty good, yeah..." Gwen invited him to share the bed cause 'he must've been getting sick of the couch'. He didn't really mind, but he also wasn't going to say no to Gwen Stacy inviting him to share a close space, "Um...what was that about?"
"Oh, that? Nothing. Just stubbed my toe." Betty snorted into her spoon and Gwen threw her a murderous look, "Let's get eating. We've got a long day ahead." She not so subtly crumpled the paper and threw it into the empty trashcan before making her way to the fridge. Peter and Betty shared a look and the glasses wearing brunette smirked and pointed at the trashcan as she stood.
Betty started chatting up Gwen about today's workload while Peter grabbed the paper from the trashcan as quietly as he could. He set it on the table and looked down at the contents. Jameson's re-election pitch (not interested), some news about a caught serial killer (last victim was a teenager named Lana Baumgartner, poor girl) and then...
"Oh."
On the front page, written in big bold lettering: Spider-Woman's Lover. Spider-Man's Secret Identity Revealed? Right below that was a picture of the two of them holding hands at the diner and below that was a smattering of other pictures. Him backstage with Gwen and the others, the two of them with goofy faces at the dollar dog a few nights ago. Days and days of just pictures between the two of them.
'Gwen Stacy, known also as Spider-Woman, was seen with this young man at a diner and various other venues and...' He read through it quickly. A brief recap on Gwen's recent activities, his own 'sudden appearance' and then the mountains of proof pushing towards the idea that he was Spider-Man.
Oh, and a paragraph about how Gwen's character was suspect due to her 'preference for those of the younger age'.
He was just about to read that when Gwen turned, saw what he was doing and screamed, "Don't read that!" Betty hugged her mid-section and tried to valiantly hold her in place, but the other Spider person didn't even notice and just dragged her along as she rushed towards Peter. Moving on instinct, Peter grabbed the newspaper and jumped up at the ceiling so he could continue reading.
"Hey!" She tried to jump but Betty kept a vice grip on her, "Hey! Leggo, Betts!"
"Never!" She pressed her face to Gwen's stomach and made nomming noises.
'In addition to her previous criminal acts, we now find that Spider-Woman has a deviant personality as well. The boy in the picture - whose identity is still under investigation - appears to be no older than 15 years old and clearly shows signs of being in a relationship with the vigilante. While not against New York's statutory laws, it does put into further question the character of Gweyndolyne Maxine Stacy and how safe our children are-'
The paper was suddenly yanked out of his hands. Peter looked down and found Gwen webbing the crumpled paper to her before, without any sort of warning, she suddenly tore it into multiple pieces and chucked them out the window. A long, awkward silence settled over the room. Peter stayed attached to the ceiling, looked down at the two and said the first thing that came to mind.
"Your middle name's Maxine?"
Gwen blinked up at him and answered slowly, "Yeah...?"
"Oh...cool." He jumped off the ceiling and Betty finally let go of Gwen's waist. She continued to stare at him as he got some eggs from the fridge along with a packet of bacon, "This good enough? We need to go shopping after work today."
"Um...yeah, yeah."
They didn't talk about the article the rest of the way through breakfast. It wasn't like he didn't want to talk about it, but he didn't know how to broach the subject. Gwen was probably mad about the accusations against her and really he couldn't blame her. He remembered a blog someone made before accusing him of being an exhibitionist cause of his costume. He was just happy no one else he knew saw it.
It was at the end of the meal when Betty suddenly broke the silence, "I think I should move out."
Gwen's head snapped up and she stared at the brunette with a shocked, wide-eyed look, "Wh-What? Why?"
"Well you and Pete are together now, thought you'd want to get some privacy?" Betty asked back, "That and it seems like everyone's gonna know who Spider-Man is soon...speaking of, I thought you'd be panicking more about that?" Betty looked to him.
"Uh...yeah." Peter swirled the eggs on his plate, "Well, it's just...it's not something I worried about too much. I mean I wanted to be an Avenger at some point and to get in there I'd need to take off the mask. Accountability and all." He still didn't fully agree with the Sokovia accords, but he still believed in the Avengers, "Besides, it's not like I have an identity here. I mean...Peter Parker's...gone," he finished off lamely.
"Yeah..." Gwen looked down at her own plate and bit her lip briefly before looking up at Betty again, "Betts...I don't want you to go. I mean I'd understand if you didn't feel safe here anymore, but-"
"Not safe? Shit, Gwen, me, Glory and MJ are your best friends. Pretty sure it doesn't matter where we are if villains wanted to come after of for 'REVENGE!' or whatever." Gwen flinched like she'd been struck, "Hey, I don't blame ya! It's cool! You lived with the police chief, pretty sure at least a few people thought about hitting him where the sun don't shine. It happens."
"So why are you leaving?"
"Uh...like I said, thought you two wanted your privacy. That and I'm pretty sure there's gonna be a lot of people coming up here now that they know Spider-Man and Spider-Woman are coupling it up. I'd hate to disappoint any stalker that comes in."
"Ugh, don't remind me!" Gwen covered her face with both hands and groaned, "Can't believe this fucking guy. He's been stalking us for weeks!" Yeah, and his spider-sense didn't warn him at all. Then again, it didn't warn him about Ned and Aunt May and Mr. Toomes at all. Maybe it didn't consider his identity getting found out as dangerous? "I still don't know how my dad's-"
Her phone rang. Gwen looked down at the screen and flinched at the word 'dad' on it, "...Crap. I gotta take this." She sighed and made her way to the other room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Peter swirled his eggs again, "...I don't want you to leave either," he said softly, "It's...It's fun here, the three of us."
"Yeah, I think so too." Betty smiled softly, "...Well, I'll hold off on it for now, but if I catch this douche taking pics planting stuff in our shower I'm gonna lose."
"You and me both, Betts."
"Right, well, enough of that serious stuff. Time to get to work!" They both sat on the couch and she booted up the laptop, "Believe it or not, there's actually some benefit to your newfound fame." She gestured to the list and Peter blinked at the sheer amount of web ride requests. He got a decent number of them before, but now there were entire pages with nothing but.
"Uh...how is this from that front page?"
"Check the people requesting."
Most of them were teenage girls from 15 to 19. Peter blinked again and looked at Betty in confusion, "Uh...what does that mean?"
"It means, Pete, that you are officially a stud muffin." Betty grinned at his look of shock, "Guess some people were on the fence for a while since they didn't know what you looked like. Now that they know that you're adorable - don't blush, you know it's true - suddenly everyone wants in. Can't say I'm against the idea of you getting more work, but I'm not sure Gwen'll like it."
"Won't like what?" Gwen asked as she joined them on the couch.
"Pete being a stud muffin." Betty said shamelessly, completely ignoring Peter's flushed cheeks, "He's basically hormonal teenage girl bait and we're deliberating on whether we should take advantage of this. I mean one web ride is a 100 bucks, minus tax."
"Right..." Gwen's expression was hard to gauge.
"Oh yeah, how'd it go with your dad?"
"He was...confused." Gwen sighed, "I'll explain to him later, but I think it'll be fine. After that BS with Murderdock I'm pretty sure me dating a guy is pretty low on his list of things to get pissed about." Oh, good. Peter didn't exactly like the idea of being grilled by a former police chief, "So, what's on the agenda for today?"
"Not much change for you." Betty clicked the next tab, "Got some bodyguarding jobs, some offers from Make a Wish for a charity appearance...oh, and someone else asking to borrow your powers. Pretty sure is that's same one before in an alt account, but I thought you should know."
"Block her." Gwen scowled, "I thought we updated the description to say I can't do that and refuse to accept 'requests' like that?"
"We did. She said, and I quote, 'I know she got her powers from somewhere! Stop being selfish and just give it!' along with a bunch of other whiny stuff and saying she'd only pay half price cause of the inconvenience." Betty rolled her eyes and deleted the request along with blocking the account in question, "Sifting through all this crap is kinda like a full time job now. I feel like a secretary."
"You could always take a break from college." Gwen grinned.
"Yeah...no. You get to do the fun super stuff while I shift through the junk mail? No thanks." Betty snorted, "Oh, and I tested the app with Karen last night after you guys came back. She sent it to your phones, so now you can receive faster and real time updates while I sift through it here." She opened his tab again, "So we taking advantage of Pete's no stud muffin status or what?"
"Well...it's not against the rules to do web rides." It was one of his most requested jobs. That and selfies, which they'd lowered to 20-50 dollars depending on distance, number of photos and how many people were present.
"And I'm sure the people requesting it being teenage girls don't hurt." Gwen snorted. Was she...jealous? Or just annoyed about the bugle accusing her of liking younger men? "Well, whatever. I'm gonna take this bodyguarding thing. It's two hours on an armored truck. Gimme an update on any new jobs, alright?"
They said their goodbyes and Peter swung over to his first job. Typical case - someone wanted a lift from home to school. It wasn't too far off - about 30 minutes by bus - and it'd only go faster with webswinging.
Peter landed on the front porch and knocked on the door. There was a rush of footsteps and a blonde girl who looked maybe 15 at the oldest opened the door with a look of disbelief, "I-It's you! It's really you!'" He didn't even get a chance to say a quip before she continued on in a rush, "I-I just gotta prepare for school! Hold on!" And then she slammed the door in his face.
O...kay then.
Peter waited at the bottom of the steps and awkwardly waved at the people who passed by. A lot of them stopped to take pictures or even chat, which was nice. Most of them were happy to see him and again he was reminded of Queens back home. He still remembered the guy who asked him to do a flip and cheered when he did. He couldn't imagine living like Gwen did, saving people and getting nothing but scorn in return.
It was another reason he found her so amazing. Being a hero wasn't easy, but being a hero when the people you saved treated you like garbage? Most people would've given up. She didn't.
"So are you really dating Spider-Gwen?"
Right, he did say most of them were happy to see him. Peter looked up at the guy who asked him the question. The guy was older than him, maybe a college student, and definitely bigger; looked like he hit the gym a lot judging by the size of his arms and legs.
"Huh?"
"You really dating Spider-Gwen?" He loomed over him. Peter didn't feel intimated; he fought Giant Man before, for spider's sake!
"Yeah...and she prefers to be called Spider-Woman."
"Pfft, yeah, sure."
Peter proceeded to ignore the guy as he went on a rant. About how Peter was too small in all the wrong places, about how there were loads of other people she could've been with and bla bla bla. He kinda knew this was coming. Despite her reputation Gwen had a bit of a fan following, which Betty never failed to tease her about. Of course she'd have admirers like this. He'd seen first just how rabid some of the Tony Stark fangirls back home were. It was amazing Mrs. Stark - formerly Ms. Potts - never paid them any mind considering how annoying they got.
'Peter, the man is getting considerably agitated. Would he try a physical confrontation?'
"Doubt it," he whispered so only Karen could hear. Most of these guys didn't do anything more than throw insults and try to put you down. And if he did try anything...well, Peter did have superpowers. He wouldn't fight the guy, but jumping on that lamppost would keep anything from happening.
Thankfully his customer finally decided to come out. Peter looked up and smiled stiffly at her. She was dressed up just a bit too much for school: an expensive dress, hair curled and even some pretty good makeup. Maybe it was just him coming from a STEM school, but he'd never seen anyone - except maybe Flash - put on that much stuff just to go hit the textbooks.
"Eagle's Flight Academy, right?" He said in his best Spider-Uber voice. The guy was red in the face at Peter completely ignoring him, "Uh...we should probably take it slow. Don't wanna mess up your outfit."
"You're the boss." She smiled up at him and batted her eyelashes. Normally he would've found it cute, but with the guy glaring daggers at his back and Betty's comments about him being a 'stud muffin' (which he still doubted, by the by) all he felt was a sinking feeling in his stomach.
Peter awkwardly took her with one hand and swung in the direction of the school. She shrieked in excitement and wrapped both her arms around his neck, pressing herself close to him. The teenager Spider gulped nervously and just tried to focus on the road ahead of them. It would've been one thing if she looked out at the view, everyone did, but instead she just looked up at him and with that look in her eyes. The same look he'd seen some of his female classmates had when they talked about Thor and his abs.
He almost stumbled out of the air when she suddenly grabbed a phone from her purse, "H-Hey, careful!" he shouted. She paid him no mind and just activated the camera, "N-Not a good idea! You might drop it!"
Again she just ignored him and raised it up, "Say cheese!" She took a selfie and frowned, "Hey, could you look up? I wanna get your face in the shot."
"Could we do this after we land?" Just a couple more minutes till they reached the school.
"But it won't be as cool!" she whined. The fact that they were high up in the air didn't seem to matter to her at all, "Come on! Please? I paid for your time!"
"You paid me to take you to school," he said as professionally as he could.
She made another whining noise and then, without any sort of warning, kissed him hard at the side of his masked face. Peter did stumble that time and the phone she raised to take the selfie fell into the street below, "My phone!" she cried. Peter flipped, messing up the girl's hair in the process, pulled the phone back with a quick tug of webbing and then righted himself just before they hit the ground.
"Told you!"
Thankfully they arrived at the school before she could say anything. Peter dropped her off at the entrance and handed her the phone back, "Never swing and text," he said. He wouldn't say anything about what she just did; save her the embarrassment. The girl accepted the phone back after some hesitation and frowned, "Well, gotta. People to save and cats to rescue."
"W-Wait!" She ran a hand through her mussed up hair and stepped closer to him. A few of the students were outright gawking at them now, "Could take the picture now that we're on the ground? It's not as cool as in the air, but it's better than nothing."
"Uh...sure, but you can't do what you did up there." He not so subtly wiped off the lipstick still smeared on his mask, "I'm, you know, in a relationship."
"So that was true? Ugh. Can't believe you're actually going out with her." She put the phone in her pocket and stomped up to the school entrance. Peter wanted to say something in Gwen's defense but eventually just sighed and swung away. As much there were people who loved her there were still others who just saw a criminal because of what that jerk Jameson told them.
The rest of the day passed by in equal discomfort. Peter got through four more swing rides before one of them asking if they could date and that 'Spider-Gwen didn't have to know' made him exclude all types of those requests on the app, "I'm proud of you, Peter," Karen chimed in, "Many in your position would take advantage. I believe it's called the rockstar lifestyle when a normally humble and nice person gets seduced by fame, adoration and drugs."
"Of course I wouldn't! ...And there aren't any drugs!"
"It depends on the definition. In many people's point of views, and in certain scientific studies, the pheromones excluded by opposite or even same gender are considered intoxicating. In this context we could argue that you are addicted to Gwendolyne-"
"Lalalala! I can't hear you!" His face was burning and he could've sworn he heard Karen laugh. Peter attached himself to a flagpole and looked for something else to do. He'd stopped an armored car robbery just a few minutes ago (he didn't take payment) and he was feeling pretty good. So far the jobs were more of the same. A few selfies, a charity appearance the next day...nothing really new now that he was excluding the web rides.
"Peter, have you considered the future of your relationship with Gwen?" Karen suddenly asked again. Peter groaned, "It can't be ignored that you both come from differing dimensions. This would make the long term prospects complicated, yes?"
"N-Not really." He swung to a nearby crane and walked upside down the length of it, "The Web Warriors said they'd give me a portal watch if- when I made it back, so it'd just be like taking the bus." Faster than that, actually. Just tap a couple of buttons and, poof, instant dimensional gate that broke the laws of time and space. All so he could see his girlfriend. Neat.
"And what about a more permanent basis?" she pressed, "Surely you're thinking about marriage."
"Wh-What?!" Peter nearly forgot to keep sticking to the crane in shock.
"Marriage. The union between man and woman when they become of age," Karen said 'helpfully'.
"I know what marriage is! I don't know why you're bringing it up!" He jumped and swung around aimlessly, trying to clear his head.
"Your relationship with Gwen's pretty good, even despite its early stage. I know that the topic of marriage doesn't come until a far later time and age, but it never hurts to be prepared. And it is a viable question: surely you'd have to pick which dimension to live in after the vows?"
"Ugh, could we please stop talking about this?"
"As you wish, Peter. Just come back when you're ready to start discussing children names." Peter just sighed and let her get it out of her system, "If you wish, we could discuss my progress with the nanites Mr. Stark gave you."
"Oh! Yeah, that's cool! Anything new?" he asked eagerly. The science buff inside really couldn't stop thinking of the possibilities of it. Nanomachines! Stuff like that was possible only in videogames a decade ago. Then again, powers weren't exactly common either till incidents like Dr. Banner's accident or Thor's arrival. Maybe in the next decade everyone would have them!
"Mr. Stark created the nanomachines very recently and my programming was not built to control them. I've found a way to activate most of the functions and the power supply should last for at least a few months. The main issue is material."
"What do you mean?"
"Think what happens when a cloth tears. To get fix the hole, you need to add more cloth - the cloth in this case being the nanites. We don't have access to any more in this universe, meaning any damage we take will leave us at a permanent loss." Just like Mr. Stark when he fought Thanos on his own. Peter still hated the fact that he didn't help back then. Maybe if he did they would've...
"And I already lost a bunch at the fight on Titan..." He stopped and hang on a flagpole. The suit was probably the only reason his back hadn't snapped in two when Thanos slammed him into the ground. The guy managed to beat up Hulk, according to Mr. Stark.
"Exactly. It should be possible to create more, but that's not currently in my programming and it's doubtful Mr. Stark wouldn't put careful limitations on such an ability after the accidental creation of Ultron." Peter hummed and nodded, "However, there are scientists in this dimension that should be capable of such a feat."
"You mean...the Mr. Stark from this place?"
"It's quite possible. Starktech in this universe is still a leading branch on the advancement of robotics."
"You think he'd help us?"
"I am unsure. Do you wish to try?"
"...Yeah, I do."
30 minutes later and he was waiting in the lobby of Starktech in full costume. He'd walked in, asked if he could have a meeting and the secretary actually called Mr. Stark, who agreed to meet him. Peter slumped in his seat and read the magazine (apparently there was a band based on Thor in this universe) while a few people stared at him. He didn't pay them any mind. He must've looked silly in-between all the people in suits.
Eventually he got a call up. Peter straightened his mask and took a deep breath as the elevator door opened, "Oh, hey. Hold on a second." Mr. Stark's voice came from the other end of the room. Peter stepped outside and looked around the large room in awe. It reminded him of the one back home, all sleek and covered in tech. This world's Mr. Stark was really into designing too, apparently.
He waited by the elevator until eventually the man himself came to greet him, "Hey, nice to see ya. Sorry if I don't shake your hand." He was carrying what looked like parts for a repulsor ray, though a much lower version from what he was used to.
"Oh, I could help carry those."
"Well, I won't say no to a superhero." Peter took the components from his hands and followed Mr. Stark to a table filled to the brim with tech. He almost salivated at the sight of it. No way they could afford that even with the site! "So listen, as much as I appreciate the help I'm pretty sure you didn't come here to be my errand boy. Tell me, what brings the great Spider-Man to my office?"
"Uh...there's actually something I wanted to talk to you about." Peter set the tech down, "Um...I know this is a weird thing to ask out of the blue, but do you have any thoughts on nanomachines?"
"You mean outside of Metal Gear? Of course. Everyone wants to make thing smaller." He waved a hand through the air, "Everyone's been trying to make stuff. Course it's all just theoretical right now. I mean I've developed jetboots, blasters, gliders; you name it, I probably made at least a knockoff of it. Nanites are a whole different ballpark, though. Like a cure for cancer."
"Right...well, what would you say if I said I had some?"
"I'd say you're either trying to sell me something sketchy or you actually believe that and you're crazy. But since you're a superhero, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt. Convince me."
He did. Peter asked if he could connect to the computer and, after a mandatory check (Karen wasn't found by the software), he uploaded the data Karen compiled, "It'll probably take a while to sift through the data, but...this should be fine, right?" He unplugged his mask and Mr. Stark read through some of the pages quickly, a hand on his chin, "Is it okay?"
"Well...it definitely looks legit." He nodded.
"O-Oh, I also have this." He took out one of the nanites from his backpack (he swung by the apartment to get a sample) and put it on the table, "Maybe you could analyze it?"
"I definitely can, but...why are you doing this? Can't be out of the goodness of your heart. Assuming this is legit I could just buy it from you wholesale or give you a monthly cut. It'll take a while to draft up a contract, but-"
"Th-That isn't why I did this." Peter raised both hands awkwardly, "I just...I was hoping that if you do manage to recreate them then maybe you could help me to do it too? Right now I can't replicate it and I might need it if it ever comes down to it."
"Ah, so this is an exchange. I get the blueprints and you get free refills. Now that I get." He smiled and nodded, "Alright, you gotta deal. Gimme your number and I'll contact you if I come up with anything."
"Cool! Uh, and you can call me if you need anything. I'm kinda handy myself. Made the webshooters and everything." Oh God, he was babbling again. He knew the man in front of him wasn't his Mr. Stark, but the way looked now, elbow deep in tech and poring over files, made it hard to remember the difference.
"Definitely. I'll make sure to use your app; don't want to rip you off."
They talked shop for a few more minutes before he eventually left through the window feeling like he was the king of the world. First he got together with the amazing girls in the world(s) and now he got to talk tech with this world's Mr. Stark. The only way this could be better was if he came back and Thanos was already choking on that big dumb glove of his.
He landed on the roof and called Gwen. She picked up almost immediately, "Hey, Pete. What's up?"
"Nothing much." He grinned and sat on the edge of a roof, "Just wanted to talk. You cool?"
"Yeah, just had some shitty customers." She sighed, "A couple of guys were going and on about how I shouldn't date you and that there were other fish on the sea. Then there were some teenage girls who were crying that I didn't deserve you and bla bla." He practically saw her roll her eyes, "Oh, and there was a grandma who called me a pervert and to stay away from her grandkids. That was fun."
"Heh, same...except for the grandma. Didn't have that."
"Lucky. So, wanna meet up for pizza later?"
"Actually...why don't we go out?" This wasn't something he wanted to do over phone, but he couldn't wait till they got home.
"What, pizza not good enough for you?" She laughed, " There's a good corndog place I know if that's more your thing. Or how about Chinese?"
"N-No, I mean we should go out. On a date." She didn't reply, "We've been making some decent money with the app, so why not treat ourselves? There's probably a pretty good restaurant around here."
"Like...dresses and suits and stuff?" She sounded unsure.
"Yeah, I mean only if you want to! And it doesn't have to be today or anything! If you don't wanna it's totally cool!" he said in a rush.
"No...No, I think we should. It'll be nice. See you later?"
"Sure...cool." The call cut. Peter took a long, deep breath to brace himself before swinging to the direction of Queens. He needed advice.
A few days later and he was standing in front of Ben, May and Mary Jane (she was visiting) in one of Ben's old suits. It wasn't exactly the height of fashion, but it held up pretty well, "Oh, you look so dashing." May smiled as she adjusted his collar. It reminded him of that night at prom. May was so excited and kept fussing over every little thing. She wanted that night to be perfect for him.
"Guess we were the same size back then." Ben said with a grin, "Make sure it comes back in one piece, alright?"
"Definitely."
"Still can't believe you're going out with Gwencent." Mary Jane laughed, "We've been trying to set her up with guys for years and she never took the bait. Then again maybe I should've seen it coming. You're a pretty great catch, Tiger."
"Th-Thanks..." He looked away and blushed, his grip on the backpack (better safe than sorry) tightening. Having Mary Jane help out when he went out with her just a few ago felt kinda awkward. Still, she was one of the people who knew Gwen the best.
When Ben and May finally stopped fussing over every little detail Mary Jane led him to the door, "Gwen's at her dad's next door. You remembered to call the Uber, right?" Yep, 5 minutes ago, "Well, I guess you guys could just swing over there if you need to." She put a hand on both his shoulders and looked him in the eye, "Remember what I told you: she's just Gwen, you don't have to make this whole thing awkward trying to be the perfect gentleman. Okay?"
"Got it."
"Good. Go get her, Tiger."
He made his way next door and knocked. Gwen opened the door and he gulped nervously, "Hey there, stranger." She grinned and leaned across the doorframe with her arms crossed. Peter couldn't stop himself from staring. She was wearing a purple dress that left her shoulders bare along with a pair of teal flats. He was suddenly reminded of her claiming one night that she'd never wear heels even if her life depended on it.
"Hey yourself." He gestured to the parked uber, "Ride's there."
They got into the car and Gwen immediately grinned, "Beats a limo any day of the week. So, what've you got planned?"
"I made a reservation online at this place. It got good reviews."
They chatted the entire ride over, mostly about work. He told her about meeting with Mr. Stark, which she had some doubts about. You know he runs a PMC and sells weapons, she said. Peter brushed it off. If he was anything like his Mr. Stark then he had a good heart underneath it all.
They paid the driver and got inside. Immediately Peter felt awkward when he stepped inside. He was the one who suggested this, but he'd never been to some place so fancy. Money was tight back home and he never really thought about doing the Hero for Hire thing. Mr. Stark did offer them some cash - said it was payment for the 'internship' - but he never took it. He already gave him so much with the suit and the chance to prove himself.
The two of them sat across one another on their designated table and Peter immediately felt his hairs on his skin standing on edge. He looked around and found the source - practically everyone was staring at them- no, staring at Gwen. They looked away when he caught them staring, but the uncomfortable atmosphere remained.
Peter tried to ignore it and continued to talk to Gwen at a reasonably soft volume. They grinned and gestured to the menu, made fun of the fact that they probably couldn't even pronounce half of the words in there.
And then the waiter came.
"Mr. Reilly?" the tan man asked.
"Oh, we're still looking over the-"
"That's not it." The waiter gave his best customer service smile. It looked faker than usual, "While we appreciate you choosing our restaurant, we believe you might find another venue. I'm afraid we must ask you to leave."
"What? Why? We can pay-"
"Regrettably, sir, it's not about the money. It's-"
"It's about me," Gwen interrupted softly. She looked down at the table with an unreadable expression, "Is it because I'm a criminal or a Superhero?"
"We would prefer not to use that word in this establishment."
"What? Criminal?" Gwen spat back in a clipped tone, "Cause if that's what you're worried about then I'm right at home. Or do you seriously think no one here hasn't dipped their hands in a little white collar rule breaking?"
"No." He looked at her in distaste, "I mean 'Hero'."
Gwen's eyes widened. She stood up and, without another word, stood up and ran out the door, the chair clattering to the floor in her haste, "Gwen!" He reached a hand out towards her but she was out of the door before he could say anything more. He wanted to chase after her, but the bubbling anger at the pit of his stomach kept him rooted to his spot.
It wasn't fair. Gwen was one of kindest, most selfless people he knew. And what did she get for it? People who looked at her like she was a freak, like she was a criminal to be locked up because they were scared. She'd saved them for years without so much as a single thank you, she went to prison to make up for things that weren't her fault, she accidentally killed her best friend to protect people who called her a murderer afterwards.
"Sir, I must ask you to leave as well-"
"You're all ungrateful bastards." The sudden curse and the sheer venom in his voice surprised even him. The waiter's mouth parted in shock and he heard a few offended gasps from the people around him, "Gwen gave up so much to help this city for nothing in return! She never complained, never stopped trying to help people even when people just spat on her for everything she did! She's a hero!"
"Sir-"
"Next time and of you need help, don't look at either of us." That was a lie. He knew that if push came to shove they'd save them, but the promise of it still felt good to say. Peter stormed out of the place and stomped to the opposite side of the street. It was so frustrating. Back home not everyone was a fan of Spider-Man, but the intensity and entitlement Gwen dealt with for years was...
He suddenly felt a skittering on his right shoulder. Peter looked and found a spider - one of Gwen's - jump off the suit and clamber up the wall, "Going to Gwen?" It didn't answer. Peter sighed and put on his mask and gloves (he kept the rest of his costume under the suit), uncaring of the people who saw him. His secret identity was already paper thin at this point anyway. He put the suit into the backpack and grabbed the spider.
It led him to the Washington bridge. Gwen sat at the edge of the tall dividers dressed in her full costume. He didn't get a chance to call out before the spider suddenly jumped and melted into her suit, "Gwen..." He didn't - couldn't - say anything. He just sat next to her and, without a word exchanged between them, she put her head on his shoulder.
They just stayed there, looking out into the foggy night. Peter took off his mask and breathed in deep. He could see the lights, hear the soft whirring of engines below them. His anger from before was slowly but surely leaving and now all he wanted to do was forget the past few minutes hadn't happened.
"I heard you," she said softly, "When I get too emotional sometimes bits of Venom come out. I heard what you said to them." Peter just nodded, urging her to continue, "I...sometimes I don't know why I keep trying. I save the city from the Kingpin? They hate me. I go to jail to try and make amends? I did that too and they still hated me. I buried my best friend, almost buried my dad too and...and..."
He hugged her. Gwen didn't cry, but she reciprocated the gesture with a desperation he hadn't seen before and never wanted to see again, "I'm sorry," he said for lack of anything else to say.
"You don't have to apologize for anything. Just..." The mask peeled back and she kissed him. It was desperate at first, clumsy too. She just wanted to forget what happened. Eventually the contact softened and it became far more natural. His hand touched the skin of her stomach and the symbiote peeled back to allow him access. Fingers glided across the skin and Gwen bit her lip to keep from making a sound. He inched higher and higher before she stopped him.
"Not here." She pulled back and looked up at him through her lashes, "Betty's visiting her dad. Let's go back."
Gulping nervously, Peter nodded, put on his mask and swung after Gwen back home.
"Alright, alright! I'll talk!"
Matt grinned and wiped the blood off his face. It'd been a while since he personally got involved with the field work. By the time he took Mr. Fisk's former role as the Kingpin Otomo and the rest of the Hand refused to let him dirty his hands. Too risky, they said. They needed him to keep the throne warm so they could take advantage of the ripe fruit that was New York.
In a way being deposed by Ms. Stacy was refreshing. Every day was a struggle - would that food be poisoned or would he be stabbed the second he passed through that door? It was a rush he felt only when he was Mr. Fisk's stooge. The last time he'd even come close to getting his hands dirty was when he dealt with Mr. Toomes, and even then his ninjas did most of the work. There was no rush, no thrill in it.
Now his heart was beating and Matt felt more alive than he had in years.
"Oh? Then talk." He pressed the tip of his cane blade against the mercenary's neck. He'd gotten a tip from one of his old underworld contacts that this group had a connection to the recent attack. He found them smuggling weapons and leapt to action the same way Ms. Stacy would have when she saw a perceived injustice. He almost saw the appeal of it. Not in feeling like a hero, he wasn't a child, but in the idea of forcing your view on others and feeling morally superior while doing so. No wonder she was addicted to it.
The man spilled everything. He cried, he begged, told him sob stories about how he had children to support - all the usual justifications. All around them were the prone forms of his comrades. Most of them dead, some of them not. He didn't pay them any mind - mercenaries were disposable regardless of whether you were a 'hero' or a 'villain'. Those who gave up everything for fortune deserved no second glance.
It was only when he finally got everything that Matt slammed his cane against the side of the man's head. He'd get a concussion, and likely brain damage, but he'd live. He didn't want to kill too much; he still owed Spider-Man at least some courtesy.
Still, the information he received was...fascinating. To think that Tony Stark would be responsible for bankrolling a terrorist. He couldn't wait to see Spider-Man's face.
Aww yeah, Peter's gonna get to first base so freaking hard! Maybe second if they're feeling really frisky and Betty doesn't suddenly interrupted them like she always does. Oh, and Earth-65 Tony Stark is evil. Surprise...not really. Peter really needs to be careful about trusting alternate versions of the people you hero worship.
Also, Gwen's a pervo who goes after younger men. For shame, Gwendolyne, for shame! Oh, and this was the dress she had in this chapter:
No wonder Peter was smitten. Too bad the date went horribly. That and her choices of shoes is terrible:
Question:
1. What do you guys think of Gwen as a character? If I ever do make the MCU reversal she'll be the main POV character, after all.
2. More of a crack question, but do people seriously want a Peter/Gwen/Mary Jane threesome pairing? I know MJ is bisexual, but there's no indication she's not a monogamist. That and we have no idea of canon Gwen is bisexual at all and this version is based more on her character in canon.
"O-Oh, I also have this." He took out one of the nanites from his backpack (he swung by the apartment to get a sample) and put it on the table, "Maybe you could analyze it?"
I want the MJ poly, but I want it over on QQ where it would actually be fun. For here it's better to stick to the spider-gwen pairing and focus on the relationship over the sexytimes.
I want the MJ poly, but I want it over on QQ where it would actually be fun. For here it's better to stick to the spider-gwen pairing and focus on the relationship over the sexytimes.
The third element of this little trio of forums. SB, which is the original, SV, which is the lawyer quest version, and QQ, which is the creepy porn parody.
Many people do. I personally use it just for things I worry about mod disapproval.
I have also seen authors do "nsfw" chapters and mention that they exist in the main story thread on SV or SB. No links though, as linking NSFW content is forbidden.
More of a crack question, but do people seriously want a Peter/Gwen/Mary Jane threesome pairing? I know MJ is bisexual, but there's no indication she's not a monogamist. That and we have no idea of canon Gwen is bisexual at all and this version is based more on her character in canon.
Honestly, I think it could work based off what you have written so far,. But I am also satisfied with the current pairing, so as far as I'm concerned it could go either way and I'll still be happy. Saying dealer's choice seems appropriate to me.
Do you guys not mind the lack of action and fight scenes? We haven't had one since the Tinkerer debacle and I'm wondering how much I can skip. I know at least some people wanna see MCU and Gwen being a battle couple.
I'm aware the constant questions are annoying, but lighthearted romance is new to me. I wrote some stuff for a harem series when I was a hormonal teen and those were just...bad. I want the characters here to be more sympathetic and likeable so I don't wanna mess this up.
