Chapter Text
June 20th, 12:02 P.M.
She’d been swinging for hours. She saw no signs of the goblin, not even signs of crime. How was Miles’s universe so calm? She perched on a tall building and scanned the city below.
Nothing. She groaned. She closed her eyes shut and reopened them. Still nothing. She’d left Miles because she felt she needed to stop the goblin but all this time had passed and he still didn’t show his face. It all felt like a waste of time.
Sick of this she decided to get some long-awaited food. She webbed her way across the city, back to where she’d left her bag. She changed into civilian clothing and searched for anywhere that had some sort of breakfast. Maybe she and Miles could share it.
She didn't have to walk that far to find a nice-looking place…with donuts! Donuts were great, who hates donuts? She hoped Miles liked donuts. She entered the shop, made her order, and sat down to wait for her name to get called. Simple enough.
But nothing in a spider’s life was ever simple.
A man threw the door open with a confident poise. He seemed like a typical New York rich guy but yet oddly familiar. There was something devilish in his grin, something so evil it made the bell in Gwen’s head bounce around her skull.
She didn't know what this man was up to. Why was her spider-sense going off on this guy? A bomb strapped on? It didn't seem like it. Was he planning something? Probably, if that Cheshire Cat smile told her anything. She decided to stick around for a while to keep an eye on him.
The man had finished his order. He approached the seating arrangements. Step by step he got closer and step by step Gwen’s spider senses banged harsher and harsher. He was only inches away when her body and voice betrayed her and let out a wince.
The man stopped. He eyed her down. He put on an appearance of sympathy but Gwen could tell it was a facade. The man placed his hand down on the table and arched his back downwards to get on somewhat of an equal level, invading her vision. Gwen’s gaze shot up to the man to meet him properly. Upon closer examination, she realized why this man had been so familiar. He was the man at the ice cream parlor. The man who entered with Margo right when her spider-sense went off and who coincidentally left when her spider-sense faded out. Now, once again, her spider sense went off around the man. What about him was making the alarms in her head go off? Before she could piece it all together the man’s voice chimed in.
“Are you okay ma’am?” He spoke.
She swallowed hard “Just a migraine”
He nodded, looked away, smiled, and slid into the seat in front of her.
Fuck.
“Harry. Harry Osborn” He introduced.
“Gwen,” The two said at the same time. Gwen’s eyes shot wide open.
What?
“Stacy,” The man added.
At this point, she didn’t need her spider sense to tell her she was in danger. Everything in her was screaming at her in bright red, DANGER.
“My friends call me the Green Goblin”
The puzzle pieces snapped together. The only times her spider-sense had gone haywire were with this man and the ‘Green Goblin.’ She knew why they went off with the goblin and now she knew why they went off with this man. They were the same person, the hoverboard-riding alien, the anomaly she was sent to capture, the man that wanted to kill her.
“That's such a ridiculous name,” She teased. If there was something a spider did best, it was making jokes despite terror.
“I WILL-” He started with a yell but noticed eyes swarm around him. He quieted down to a whisper, “...Kill you right now”
“Can't you wait for me to eat my breakfast?" Her arms crossed, her fingers clutched each sleeve harshly.
“Once I'm done with you, Gwen Stacy, you won't be able to utter anymore of those God-awful jokes” He fumed. He got up and stomped towards the door, slamming it open.
Shortly after she followed behind. “Think you can hold my order? Thanks!" She called out before she left.
She walked close enough to see every twist and turn he made but far enough so he wouldn't notice. Nothing he did gave any sign that he knew he was being followed. So she continued. She'd been able to follow closely behind him for about a mile. Until he veered into an alley.
Time for a change. She spun into a different alley. She made sure that nobody could see her when she slapped her mask on and put her hood up. What could she say? The hood was cool! She had no time to change into her actual suit.
She ran up the building that separated the alley she was in and the alley Harry was in. Once she'd reached the top she shot herself to the opposite ledge using a web.
Luckily she'd been fast enough to not lose him. But after finding him, she discovered that how fast she was really didn't matter.
Harry Osborn had collapsed on the dirty ground, twitching, he seemed to be in pain. Structure by structure she dropped down until she reached the floor.
“Hey, Harry buddy! You okay?” She called out as she crept towards him. He continued convulsing. Harry truly seemed to be in pain and Gwen took notice. She ran to his rescue. Even though he had threatened her and attempted to kill her she felt an obligation to save him.
She lifted him into her arms. His position had given her a better view of his state. An empty syringe was clasped tightly into his hand, the other hand was gripping tightly onto an object in his pocket. This struck her as odd but there was no time to think farther on it. Harry needed a hospital now. She lifted into the air and swung as fast as she possibly could.
Suddenly he stopped moving. Anxiety shot up inside her, burning in her throat. Had she been too late? Was he gone? No. No. Nono. Nononono. She didn’t have time to contemplate and think of her failure. She had to go. Maybe there was a chance he was still alive. The wind rushed past her as she swung from building to building. Hospital. She needed to find a hospital.
Buzzing. Her head was buzzing. She peeked at Harry who’d begun to turn green. Her eyes widened. What the fuck? Harry’s eyes shot open, they were glowing yellow.
Click. His pocket sounded. Whatever was in there, he had tapped on it.
“Why so nervous?” He sang maniacally, it made her stomach churn. His creepy laughter was going to haunt her in her nightmares for sure.
Behind you. Her spider-sense yelled. The goblin’s hovercraft was rushing towards her. That petrifying laugh boomed even louder. Gwen let go of her web and freefell in an attempt to lose the hoverboard. But it just followed the device that called it probably had a signal in it. The only way to stop this was to either drop the goblin or somehow take away the device. She decided on the latter. She aimed to snatch the device but before she could get to it, the goblin clawed at her. Before she realized what exactly she was going to do she dropped him and let him fall into the city’s abyss. Instant regret clouded her mind and anxiety filled her lungs. She aimed her web shooter at him but before she could tap her device and save him, his hoverboard scooped him up.
She’d been tricked. God, she should’ve just trapped him when she had the chance! How could she be so stupid?
The goblin flew away. He knew she’d follow him and that she did. He flew nonchalantly, leading her somewhere. Gwen didn’t know where she didn’t care she just needed to get this guy. She took as many shots as she could get but he dodged every one of them.
The pair zipped through the city until they met the Oscorp building. Suddenly the goblin slowed down, he seemed a little distracted. Gwen took advantage, she struck a web on the hoverboard. The goblin took immediate notice, he raced even faster than before and turned right, left, down, up. Anyway, that would get her off his tail and slam her into any and every building.
“Slow down will you?!” Gwen shouted as she slowly reeled closer to the vehicle.
“Not a chance Gwen Stacy!” The goblin screeched.
“A little louder I don’t think Chinatown got that!” She snapped back.
The goblin was headed directly for the clock tower. He was about to fly right through it. Until the last second when he pulled up. That hadn't been fast enough for Gwen though, she'd smacked into the building and slid across the wall. He totally did that on purpose.
Then, at the very top, he stopped. “This will be your last sight. This will be your grave” He laughed.
“Thanks, pal,” She scoffed. Not her best joke but there was only so much she could pull when her mind was clouded with a mixture of anger, anxiety, and adrenaline.
Harry had gotten sick of her jokes. He threw bomb upon bomb at her. Lucky for her she'd planned the perfect counterattack. She created a sort of slingshot net with her webs, she used this contraption to catch the bombs and throw them back at him.
It was working, Harry was starting to stumble.
“ENOUGH” He screeched. He darted to the girl, aiming to stab her in the wound that had just healed. Right before it hit her she stepped off the building and immediately used her hands to stick right back on, as the hoverboard passed by her falling figure she webbed it and hopped right back onto the ceiling. Now she was in control. She spun the vehicle around and around. Really, that wasn't necessary to her plan but he'd pissed her off enough.
She slammed the vehicle into the tower. Not hard enough to kill the man but hard enough to make him falter. Bricks clattered down and dust arose. The damage was there but hey, the building was still standing so that was a job well done in her mind. Silence followed. She made her way to the destroyed site, holding tightly onto the web attached to the hoverboard, just in case.
The goblin wasn't moving. This time she wasn't taking any chances. Checking if he was okay was how she got into this easily avoidable mess. His checkup could wait five seconds. She reached into her pocket to grab the holographic jail cell she'd been given for the mission. She threw it to him and it jumped, trapping him and the hoverboard.
She trudged over to the bright orange hexagonal cell. She knocked on it. “Hey, Osborn?"
He groaned in reply. "I'll kill you. Just you wait Gwen Stacy! Peter Parker doesn't deserve happiness. He took everything from me!" The man ranted.
He was fine enough to make threats. Good, but what he said struck a chord in her. Peter Parker, her best friend. He deserved the world and more. Of course, the one he talked about was completely different but it made no difference to her.
She didn't even give him the time of day to look him in the eyes. She typed the coordinates into her watch and created a portal. She kicked the ball cell into the glitchy orange wormhole. After a couple of seconds, it closed. It was over. That fucker could return to his own goddam universe.
Gwen heard rustling at one of the top pillars of the tower. “That guy really didn't like you,” Miles shouted, he had only arrived a moment before everything was over.
“Tell me about it” She chuckled. “And you’re late” She jumped up to where he was, slowly making her way to him. She felt like she was going to fall. The adrenaline started to sink while pain and exhaustion replaced it.
She walked right past him, patting his shoulder when she did. If she was going to collapse she at least wanted a nice view. Only Miles’s eyes were able to follow her, entranced.
Gwen reached the very top of the clock tower. The buzzing in her head started up again. She seriously could not catch a break. She looked down at her feet. She looked like she was floating. She was standing on something but it was invisible and it was beeping.
“Gwen?” Miles called.
Oh shit.
BOOM!
“Gwen!”
The roof of the clock tower caved in, sucking her in with it. Gears, screws, and all types of machinery she couldn’t name followed her down. She was falling. But, she’s Spider-Woman. No big deal, right? Wrong. She tried to web herself to something but her web shooters sputzed in return. Out of web fluid.
Realization smacked her in the face. Gwen Stacy falling and meeting her ill fate. She’d seen this scene play out so many times with so many variations of her. She thought she’d be different. She’s Spider-Woman, she can’t die. She needed to get back up. But there was nowhere for her to grab onto. This time she couldn’t get up.
Was this really the end? It couldn’t be. Please. There were so many things she hadn’t done yet. She never completely mended her relationship with her dad. She never played in a concert with Hobie. She never drank chai with Pavitr. She never told Peter how proud she was of him. She never thanked Jess for taking up the role of her mentor. And she was never able to tell Miles how much he meant to her.
Almost on cue, Gwen caught sight of Miles, diving head first after her. Hope gleamed behind the mask. There wasn’t somewhere she could latch onto but instead someone. Maybe this wasn’t going to be her end.
Miles shot out a web to her. It seemed to go by in slow motion for the both of them. Gwen caught it in her hand. The most subtle of movements but it made the biggest difference. Miles webbed onto the nearest railing while Gwen pulled herself up on the web, settling into a rope-climbing position.
Then time stopped. Everything stilled. Gwen released the web and plopped on her back. She didn’t care. Her muscles and bones ached. Her head was pounding and her eyes were threatening to close. So she lay there, looking up at a dropping Miles.
He kneeled over her. “Gwen? Hey, you okay?” He trembled. He felt like he’d uttered those words way too many times over the past few days.
“Just catching my breath” She huffed. Her hand pulled at his shoulder. Not hoisting herself up but bringing him down. Before he went down, he placed his hand under her head. He dropped himself down and simultaneously slid his arm under her neck until he was completely laid down on the floor with Gwen’s head close to his shoulder.
It was a weird position. Miles’s hand was laying horizontal and Gwen’s head sat oddly on his bicep. But, it was comfortable and they were close to each other so who cared? The pair sat in silence for a while. The only movement made was the rise and fall of their chests and the only sound that escaped was their breath. If they could, they would’ve stayed here forever.
“Guess that’s what Ozzie was working on these past two weeks” Gwen realized.
“All of that for you?” Miles joked.
“I should be flattered.” She chuckled. Miles’s head turned to her and jokingly scoffed.
Silence settled between them but Miles’s gaze never left her.
“Are you leaving tonight?” There was a hint of sorrow in his voice. He couldn’t see through the mask but the comment made her smile.
“Didn’t know you wanted me gone so bad” She teased.
“No! No! No not at all!” Gwen laughed in return making making him realize she’d just been joking. He hit his head softly on the pavement and directed his eyes upward.
Silence overtook the air again.
“Not tonight, no,” Gwen told.
Miles smiled.
—
She’d successfully fixed the lights. The connections were made. She was proud, she’d made progress. But there was still one thing that remained. They weren’t on yet.
Would they turn on themselves? Or was it up to her to flick the switch?