Chapter Text
Sitting on the window sill makes you feel nauseous. Your legs dangle in the open air as you look down at the scrapbook city, the fear distracting from how your hands ache from tightly gripping the wood. Hobie looks at you quizzically through his mask - somehow coming across as both mocking and concerned. He's stood on the brick wall of his block of flats, seemingly completely disregarding gravity. The autumnal wind whips through your hair as you stare down at the confident figure standing perpendicular to where you're sat.
"Promise I'll catch ya", he assures - comforting you slightly.
"You know I'm not too sure about his anymore", you admit.
The proposal of experiencing that feeling of flying again seemed impossible to turn down, you had hoped to re-live the feeling of exploring New York with Peter, maneuvering through skyscrapers and over streets without a care in the world. But you know it won't be the same. It never will, not now that he's gone. You decide that you need to talk to Hobie about Peter - surely he'd understand. Surely he won't think that you're using him as a replacement for Peter, you think - failing to convince yourself. The nausea from the height mixes with your newfound anxiety and Hobie can see it on your face.
"You alright?", he sounds so sincere and worried that you can't help but smile and swallow your nerves.
"Yeah, I'm just not sure about jumping down", your excuse is soon made redundant when he walks up the wall to kneel directly next to you. He puts a hand on your back - possibly as a sign of comfort or in preparation to pick you up, you can't tell which since you find his collected persona so difficult to read.
"If your havin' second thoughts it's alri-"
"No", your voice promptly cuts him off. You decide that you have to do this, you have to feel the freedom again, no matter how much it scares you. Hobie cocks his head and smiles (you think). Seeing him in his full spider suit makes everything seem so much more real - so much more familiar.
"If you say so", he responds and you can hear the muffled excitement in his voice. He wraps his arm around your waist and puts your arm over his shoulder, you use the other to grip the spiked collar of his jacket which makes him look down at you fondly but you don't notice, too focused on the looming height of the drop.
"Ready?", he questions holding you tight to make you feel secure. You nod wordlessly and hold your breath in anticipation causing Hobie to simultaneously jump from the window and shoot a web at the building across the bustling street - swinging the both of you across effortlessly. The familiar rush feels just as freeing as you had remembered. You had thought the escapade would make you painfully nostalgic but in that moment it freed you from everything - thoughts of going home, thoughts of Peter, confusing emotions. You forgot all of it, if only for a brief moment, focusing only on that feeling of freedom being shared with a man you've known for such a short time but what feels like forever.
. . • ☆ . ° .• °:. *₊ ° . ☆
Eventually, the two of you end up on a rooftop looking out at the city. It's not like anything you've ever seen before with clashing colours and abstract shapes - the complete opposite of Spider-Gwen's universe that you originally landed in. That universe was much more beautiful in its composition but here was more... distinctive? eccentric? unique? You weren't quite sure but Hobie fit in perfectly.
You catch yourself staring at him fiddling with his home-made looking watch and try not to look hopelessly in love with the person you just met (unsuccessfully). He exhales frustratedly whilst looking at the small screen and turns to you looking disappointed.
"No success with getting you home so far...sorry", he admits avoiding eye contact - instead choosing to gaze out at the New London skyline.
"It's not your fault, let's not focus on the future", you respond, quickly changing the subject since him being so clearly upset makes your heart ache. "Thank you for taking me out today", you add smiling and shuffling closer to him. He finally turns to look at you, now the both of you are sitting face to face - only focused on each other: nothing more, nothing less.
"No problem", he replies with the head tilt you've learned means he's confused, accompanied with the smile that gives you butterflies. "Alright what do you wanna focus on instead?" he questions addressing your first remark.
"How about why I'm here? You called me an 'anomaly' and all so why take me in?", you ask, having a plan for the direction you want the conversation to go. He's slightly taken aback at this however, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before answering.
"I felt like I needed to protect you", he admits while you try to hide your surprise. "The multiverse isn't particularly kind to Gwen Stacys", he continues looking dejected, which only leaves you puzzled.
"What do you mean by that?", your response bringing him to a realisation.
"Do you know a Peter Parker?" he questions with a sense of urgency, hearing the name sends a twang of pain through you.
"I did", you manage to say after a deep breath and a moments silence. "He was my boyfriend", Hobie furrows his brow out of what could only be described as jealousy - but you don't notice. "He died, saving me. The Green Goblin killed him and now New York has no Spider-Man to keep everyone safe.", you half-whisper barely choking back the tears pricking in your eyes.
Hobie's eyes widen in realisation at your statement, causing him to envelope you in a hug. He pulls his fingers through your hair to calm you down whilst your tears soak into his chest, each breath you take in is laced with his intoxicating scent - he slowly begins to take up each of your senses as his reassuring words fill the surrounding air. Your tear filled eyes move to look up at him and you realise you know exactly how he looks, how he smells, how his touch feels and the low sound of his voice. You stare at his lips as you realise the only sense he hasn't fulfilled yet.
"So you really are as special as I thought", he declares with a tone of pride and amazement whilst looking at your tear stained face with adoration.
"Huh?", you mumble in total confusion at his sudden confession, trying to compose yourself.
"You're one of the only Stacys in the multiverse alive, except Gwendy of course. Do you have any idea how unique that makes you?", he continues making you snap out of your grief stricken state.
"The other Gwens die?", you question in disbelief, partially mortified at the idea of other versions of you all being brutally killed and simultaneously amazed that you had escaped the same fate. Hobie nods solemnly in response allowing the new information to sink in, when he seemingly comes to a revelation.
"That must be why your universe is collapsing, you broke the canon", he states analytically, clearly deep in thought.
"So what does that mean for me?", you question totally lost in the situation at hand.
"It means the multiverse chose to protect you, it saved you from being killed by the Green Goblin, it sent you to a different universe to protect you from the collapse of your own, it took you to the only other living Gwen Stacy", he rambles while staring at you in disbelief. "It brought you to me", he adds smiling. You can't help but smile back at the implication of what he's saying - you're supposed to be here. Call it fate, chance or the power of the multiverse - this is where you belong, you're here for a reason.
And that reason is sitting right in front of you.