Work Text:
By Dani Tsubasa
Gwen was very healthy. It was rarer to see her get sick than to see Peter arrive on time for their first morning class.
Helen understood what had happened when her daughter was different, even at home. Quiet, sad, lost in thought, unusually tired, sudden bursts of crying when nothing was distracting her, even though the entire Stacy family had been that way for the first few weeks after George's death. At first she thought it had to do solely with his loss, four months ago, but that was when Helen picked up her firstborn from school, one day when she decided to have lunch at a nearby restaurant with the kids, and saw Gwen's eyes fill with tears and deflect when they accidentally came across Peter Parker's eyes on the way out of the building, which she confirmed her suspicions. Helen knew that Gwen cried when she was alone at home, and that sometimes she cried for her father, that wasn't the only reason.
Gwen Stacy was strong as a rock, but her sweet side was so sensitive to what she truly loved that the two were equivalent. And she was firm and decisive enough not to want to involve anyone in her personal suffering.
That same night Gwen fell ill. She became sore and tired, and her skin began to heat up. Helen entered her bedroom after already verifying that her three youngest children were sleeping, and was surprised by the scene of her daughter sttoped, sitting on her bed, staring at the bedroom windows, all open, and seeming to have difficulty breathing.
“Gwen...?” She called, going to her to see her face.
The green eyes looked tired and lost, and the fair skin was flushed. Helen was startled to touch her daughter's forehead.
“You’re burning!”
As if reacting to the comment, Gwen shivered and cringed, then hugged herself as her mother closed the windows.
“It was so hot. But now, so cold.”
“The temperature is stable today, Gwen. Do you have fever. You were great hours ago. Since when did this start?”
“I’m not sure. At dinner maybe...? It couldn't have been the lunch food, or you would have gotten sick too.”
“Do you have a stomachache or something?”
“No.”
Saying that, the tremors got worse, and Helen ran to her daughter on instinct.
“I'm tired,” Gwen complained while her mother seemed to reflect.
“Change clothes. Let's go to a hospital.”
“Just let me take a cold shower, Mom. Too tired.”
“Gwen, your fever is very high. I don't want to risk you getting worse overnight. Please.”
Looking into her mother's eyes, and finally understand the pleading in her voice, Gwen noticed. Helen was grieving far more than any of them over George's departure. Four months seems like a few days for such pain, it's clear she was paranoid for the safety of all the important people she still had.
Gwen nodded, but didn't move. Helen helped her pick out an outfit and change, and she left a note for the boys in the kitchen before leading Gwen out of the apartment, then heading for the elevator and the building's parking lot. The young woman seemed to fall asleep as soon as she got into the car, shivering and moaning at times.
“Honey, try to stay awake.”
She muttered something in response, still with her eyes closed.
“Good thing there's no school tomorrow,” she said softly when Helen stopped to look at her at the last light before the hospital street.
“Even if you had classes, it's your health you have to worry about now.”
When the two arrived, even the late hours didn't favor the possibility of a quick service in an emergency room, which seemed almost as crowded as it had throughout the day. But Gwen's high fever had provided her with the urgent priority they needed, and soon Helen was leading her down the hall to an examining room, following a kind female doctor.
“It really looks like an unexplained symptom looking at the blood count,” she said looking at the results some time later. “I'm sorry to ask, but have you guys been through anything difficult recently? Something that generated a very strong emotional shock?
“I lost my husband four months ago. Other things have happened too, and it's hard to find a way.”
Immediately Gwen knew that her mother was talking about her, that she knew how much her breakup with Peter was affecting her, she was just leaving the way clear for her daughter to take her own steps.
“I'm sorry,” the woman replied. “Gwen, muscle aches, weakness and chills are common symptoms that accompany a fever, although they are not always present. Do you feel anything else?”
“A tightness in the chest. Sometimes it's hard to breathe.”
“Are you sure your clothes aren't hurting you without you realizing it?”
“Yes.”
“Since when do you feel this last symptom?”
“I don't know... A few weeks, I think. It was just a few times. It went by fast. I thought it was stress.”
The doctor nodded.
“In fact this is a symptom of stress and anxiety, when the situation starts to get out of control or put a lot of emotional pressure. I don't know how you feel about this, but I recommend that you talk about what's bothering you with a professional if you want, it will help.”
Gwen nodded in agreement, although she was well aware that she would ignore the advice. She couldn't just go to a psychologist and say that her problem was having a relationship with Spider-Man. She would never do that to Peter, and thinking about that point, tears came to her eyes as she thought that's exactly what he was doing for her, swallowing his own pain because he thought he was protecting her. She pressed her hands to her forehead, managing to swallow the tears and make the two women around her believe it was just a headache.
“My diagnosis is that this fever is emotional. Even very healthy people can go through this at some point in their lives with very strong emotional upheavals, and even children. We'll medicate you, give you some IVs, and let you go home when it's over. Take a warm shower before bed when you get home, it helps with a lot of things. When you feel better, take time for yourself, relax and do things you enjoy.”
Minutes later, Gwen was in another room, lying on a stretcher receiving an IV, feeling her mother caress her hair, until she stopped abruptly.
“Gwen?!” A familiar voice exclaimed softly as footsteps entered the room. “Helen,” she greeted, seeming to smile.
“How are you, May?” She asked, avoiding talking about Peter.
“Things are fine, as far as possible.”
Gwen imagined some reasons why something wasn't right, among them, Peter. And she opened her eyes to escape the thought, realizing that now it was May who was stroking her hair and looking at her with concern. Peter had told her that she'd started an intern at a hospital, and that she'd actually been enjoying the job lately, but she didn't imagine that was exactly where they'd gone.
“Hi Aunt May,” she replied sleepily.
May smiled, clearly happy that Gwen was still calling her that.
“You'll be fine,” the eldest replied, taking a syringe with a clear liquid from the tray she had brought.
“More needles?”
“This one goes in the IV, to help with your fever. The serum is to hydrate your body and bring the medicine to you in a milder way,” she explained, injecting the contents into the device, and making the two medicines mix. “Try to sleep while it's over, you'll be better when you wake up.”
Gwen wanted to know about Peter, but she didn't know how to ask.
“There were a lot of people at the reception. Did something happen in town today?”
“Some first-time robbers broke into a restaurant at the last opening hours. Luckily the police and Spider-Man got there quickly. A few people got a little hurt trying to get away, but nothing serious. No one left with worrying injuries on either side involved.”
Gwen visibly relaxed at the knowledge of this, and again she wondered if May knew about Peter's secret, something he also suspected at times.
“I think getting some sleep is good advice,” Helen said, playing with her hair again.
“Right,” Gwen muttered closing her eyes, but then opened them again. “Aunt May... Don't tell him I'm sick, please.”
The two women were silent, not expecting to hear that.
“I think even if I don't say it, he can feel it, Gwen,” May replied. “But I’ll respect your request.”
They saw the student close her eyes, and waited until they were sure that Gwen was asleep before looking at each other and talking.
“He's bad. It's been a few months since he came home crying. And even though he's become so much more responsible lately, it feels like he's missed something.”
“She's not happy either. She was different when we lost George, and it got worse when she got home from the funeral. I thought that was the problem. And even though four months seems like so little in a situation like this, we're trying to follow through, we always knew it could happen suddenly. But her pain seems to persist much longer. We found Peter quickly today, it seemed to affect her, even if it was from afar and so fast that we couldn't speak to him.”
“It's their problem to solve, whatever happened, but it's killing me to see him like that. He doesn't tell me what happened. He only suffers in silence. He hasn't even been eating and sleeping well.”
“I can say the same. I want her to solve it herself, but I don't want it to stay that way. See how far this has come.”
“Me too. May luck help us. I need to take care of another patient now. If we don't see each other again today, tell Gwen I wished her well.”
“I’ll say. Thank you, May. I hope Peter is okay.”
May thanked her with a smile before leaving, running to the deserted penthouse of the building at break of her shift and dialing her nephew's number on her cell phone.
“Aunt May...” he answered looking confused. “You never call not to wake me up. Something happened?”
“No, it's okay. I just wanted to share with you a situation that inspired me today. I thought you might be awake.”
“I had some crazy dreams and lost sleep,” he said as he landed silently on Gwen's bedroom window, finding it empty, and now getting really worried as to why the spider-sense had taken him there after dispatching some thugs for the police.
His mind alerted him to the fact that May hadn't asked if he was home, or what he might be doing, but questioning that wouldn't do any good.
“Are you still in the hospital?”
“Yes, on my break for now.”
“What happened that you want to tell me?”
“We received patients that Spider-Man saved today.”
“Really? Was it something serious?”
“No, minor injuries. The worst was the emotional state they were in, they were clearly scared, but so grateful you can't even imagine.”
Peter smiled.
“And I learned something about medication today.”
“Something important?”
“Quite.”
“And what would it be?” He questioned, trying to open Gwen's window without making any noise, and luckily succeeding.
He managed to slip inside silently when May spoke again.
“That some medicines cure the health problem, but at the same time they end up attacking and weakening some other area of the body, which can happen for different reasons. So it's good to avoid or weigh the consequences very well before using this.”
“Wow... Did you receive any patients who consumed one of these?”
“More or less. But that's all I wanted to tell you. See you in the morning. Be careful.”
“I’m home.”
“So be careful with the inputs and outputs.”
“Okay, I love you.”
“I love you too.”
******
“Gwen...” her mother started after placing her in the bathtub with warm water, and seeing her daughter close her eyes and curl up in a corner. “I know you prefer not to talk about whatever happened between you and Peter. But it's not helping.”
“That's not the only thing that might have dragged me into an emotional fever, Mom.”
“I know. Me and your brothers know very well. But I'm more observant than you remember sometimes. Talk to him, or take the advice of looking for a professional for this. I just don't want you to continue like this,” she said as she tied her daughter's hair up in a bun.
“I’m hungry.”
“I'll do something for you, and let the boys know you're here so they don't break into the bathroom. Call me if you need it, I won't be long.”
“Right.”
******
Peter heard May hang up the phone and looked thoughtful. His aunt's words sounded cryptic, and again he found himself wondering if she knew about his identity. His spider-sense put him on alert again, and he hurried to crouch along with his backpack behind the armchair by the window, replacing his mask, just in time for the bedroom door to open and a dim light to be turned on.
“Sit down. I'll help you get dressed,” he heard Helen Stacy say, puzzled by Gwen's silence.
He knew it was her, he could recognize her footsteps at any pace.
Peter held his breath as he heard Helen moving around the bedroom, and the rustling sound of something heavy like a bathrobe being tossed aside, and clothes being put on.
“Do you want me to stay until you sleep?”
“It’s not necessary. I'm fine, Mom.”
Helen watched her daughter. No tremors or pain complaints, much lower fever, firmer voice.
“Call me if you need to. I put water for you here.”
Gwen glanced at the nightstand, seeing a pitcher full of water and a glass, and nodding in thanks.
“Good night,” Helen said, kissing her hair. “Think. You can't go on like this. And you know I'm here, whichever way you go.”
Gwen nodded again, seeing her mother leave and close the door.
Peter remained in his hiding place, wanting to make sure Helen didn't come back, and trying to understand what had happened to Gwen. And there, silently in her bedroom, without her knowing of his presence, he collapsed once more when everything they had lived through came back. But this time Aunt May or his bed weren't there to help him with his tears. Then he understood what his aunt meant. George believed he was protecting his daughter when he made him agree to that promise, just as Peter did when he thought about the facts. But only an idiot wouldn't see how much Gwen had been suffering since then. Pain. It was all they had gotten out of it. And anything else could happen, she could be among the victims Aunt May had just told him about, she could be among the victims who didn't come home, with or without Spider-Man's intervention.
Thinking about it, he peeked over the plush arm of the chair, seeing Gwen lying with her eyes closed, and silently getting up to walk over to her.
His golden haired angel looked weakened. Her face was a little pale, and a band-aid was stuck to her left hand. He had no idea what could have happened, but it was clear that she was having trouble, just like he was. That felt wrong, Gwen was very healthy. And seeing that was the end, his heart couldn't bear to see her weakened by whatever it was without taking any reaction.
Before he even realized it, Peter crouched beside her, and took her hand, which was warmer than he remembered, making Gwen take a deep breath and open her eyes, confused between sleep and reality. He wasn't planning on waking her up, and again he held his breath, not knowing what would come of it. She looked at him confused, seeming to consider whether she was dreaming or not.
“Are you really here?”
Peter removed the mask, making his face even more real, and letting Gwen make sure she wasn't delirious.
“Spider-sense told me something was wrong here. I wanted to check. Gwen...”
The two took their time, feeling after so long what it was like to hear him say her name. It made their hearts flutter, as if time had never passed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes,” she replied, looking away from him. “Now you can leave in peace. Go fast.”
Peter felt a pang of hurt in his chest, but he did nothing to obey, or let go of her hand.
“Please,” he begged, his eyes now as wet as hers. “Listen to me. I... I actually came here because of the spider-sense, he pointed out to me that there was something wrong with you. But actually, I can't. I can't do this, Gwen, and not in the way I last told you. I keep seeing your father's ghost in places until I realize it was just someone look like him, I have nightmares about him yelling at me, about what could happen to you, but I also have nightmares about you crying, about the pain I caused you. I can't sleep anymore, and I don't know what to do. I love you more than anything, and I can't do what your father asked me to do. I want to free myself from this, but I don't know how.”
By now they were both crying, but Peter had to get up and sit on her bed to bring her to his chest when Gwen began to sob.
“Hey...” Peter called softly, kissing her forehead and feeling how warm she still was, at least more than she should have, and his mind started to connect the dots, Helen's worry, May's call, the evil presentiment that woke him up next to the spider-sense.
Peter stroked her back, and buried his lips in her blond hair, hoping she would calm down.
“Please, if you intend to change your mind again, leave at once. I can't live like this anymore,” Gwen asked, although she did nothing to push him away, and Peter felt his heart ache with guilt, hugging her tighter.
In the end, no mutated monsters, gunfire, battles, heights, nothing was needed to harm her, Spider-Man himself was responsible for her tears.
“I understand. I understand that you don't trust me anymore, but I can't stay away from you, I can't take it anymore.”
Her crying increased a little again, and Peter rocked her slowly, cradling her in his arms to soothe her.
“You're sick,” he finally stated.
“I didn't want you to know. I didn't want you to come for this and not for me, and I don't want you to stay if it's just because of that.”
Peter can't feel a drop of resentment anymore, only sadness. He would have to fight to regain the trust of her deeply wounded heart, and he would, even if he needed to spend the rest of his life healing it for her. And doing the first thing that came to his mind, he kissed her, not caring what illness afflicted her. If it was contagious, he'd be at peace to accompany her in this.
Gwen sighed and kissed him back, as if it was still natural, as if they hadn't missed it for four months, but with an intensity that made clear the lack that the contact had made for the two.
“I love you. And I'm tired, of holding this weight, of letting you carry it alone, of feeling pain every day because of it.”
The blonde finally relented, nodding and caressing his face, a few tears still leaving her eyes, and allowed herself to remain silently held in his chest for a few minutes before Peter spoke again.
“What happened?”
“I started to feel bad at dinner, I got a lot of fever. Mom took me to the hospital, I was on the IV for a while.”
“And what did they say? Where did this come from?”
“Emotional fever. I had symptoms of anxiety and stress, but nothing else to explain. Aunt May was there. She medicated me herself.”
“I spoke to her tonight, but she didn't tell me.”
“I asked her not to say.”
Peter nodded, even though he knew she had said something between the lines.
“Stay here with me. My mother won't be back until morning. And she also slept little, it will take time.”
“Are you sure?”
“What better remedy could I have for this? You're here, and somehow it doesn't feel like it's changed.”
Peter nodded, kissing her temple.
“But wake me up if you need to go out. And promise you'll be here in the morning, and waiting for me at school, and looking me in the eye the next time you have doubts about my father's promise. He didn't have that right, no matter how well he meant it. It's our live. Promise you will be there.”
“I promise,” he said looking into her eyes. “I know a part of you doesn't believe me right now, but I promise.”
Gwen nodded, and the two moved away so he could change, not caring that Gwen only saw him in his underwear as he dressed in his normal clothes and hid his uniform in his backpack, which he then hid behind his bed like he usually did do for extra security measure. Gwen also showed no discomfort or embarrassment for both of them sharing this moment, having already lived so many things together, and it wasn't the first time he kept her company during the night.
After drinking water, she moved back a little on the bed to make room for him. Peter settled with her under the covers and Gwen snuggled into his chest as he hugged her. She closed her eyes, feeling in the best and most comfortable place in the world, feeling the soft caress in her hair, and Peter's hug envelops her, their legs half intertwined.
“So... Are we dating again?”
“If you want,” Peter replied.
“So we are.”
She didn't see him smile, but she knew that's what he was doing by the change in his breathing.
“I'm sorry.”
Gwen opened her eyes to look at him, not finding the right words to answer that.
“For leaving you alone, for hurting you twice on the day you needed me the most. For all the sad days you've lived so far, for all the happy days we've missed together. For making you sick. Even if I'm not the only cause.”
Gwen closed her eyes for a second, and he thought she was going to cry again. But even though her eyes sparkled, she didn't. She lifted a hand to thread her fingers through his brown hair and pull him in for a kiss.
“Just don't do it again. I have limits too, despite how much I love you.”
Peter nodded, not knowing how to respond, wishing from the inside of his soul that they could go back to the way they were before, and making a promise to himself that he wouldn't hurt her again, that he would somehow find the strength to deal with his fear of losing her.
“You need to sleep.”
“You too,” Gwen replied. “Your nightmares will leave you alone today. Try to rest.”
“How do you know?”
“Feminine intuition.”
Peter chuckled, giving her one last kiss before the two of them closed their eyes.
******
Peter hated to walk away from her in the morning, but neither of them wanted any other member of the Stacy family to find them sleeping together like that, even if they were just doing that, sleeping. Too soon for this step to cease to be private. Slowly he let go of the embrace they had spent all night, except for a few minutes when they both woke up and he insisted on checking his loved's temperature, happy to see that the fever was subsiding more as the night wore on. Holding her in his arms, he moved her to the center of the bed again, and kissed her hair for the blonde to continue sleeping, explaining his intentions and promising that he wouldn't leave her. Nodding, still sleepy, Gwen went back to sleep while Peter massaged the top of her head.
Helen quietly opened the door around seven in the morning, unable to help but melt a little at the sight. Gwen was sleeping, snuggled under the blanket, Peter sitting on the edge of her bed, one hand reaching for her hair, and equally asleep. Helen supposed they might be fine now.
She walked silently into the bedroom, seeing that there was less of the water she had left for Gwen, and that the digital thermometer was next to the glass. Moving closer and touching her daughter's neck, she didn't feel any signs of fever or chills, Gwen slept as peacefully as on any normal day. Seeming to wake up with a start, Peter widened his eyes and looked at her.
“Good morning, Peter,” she smiled, not wanting to scare him. “May was worried about you yesterday. I hope you slept well.”
“I... I had a bad feeling, I wanted to see her... I arrived...”
“It's okay,” Helen raised her hand to reassure him. “You don't have to explain it to me. But can we talk?”
He nodded, and looked at Gwen before following the older one into the living room of the house.
“The boys are still sleeping. It's just us,” she said as the two sat down on the couch. “I know that whatever happened between you, you would never harm her. It has been difficult. Gwen isn't one to hold on to what she feels, except when it's extremely important and personal, but it wasn't a good time for her to deal with it.”
“I don't think I deserve her. But...”
“Don't say that. If you didn't deserve her, you wouldn't be here with her right now. You're the best medicine Gwen could have after last night. Nobody your age is ready to go through certain difficult things. It's not a mistake not to know what to do, and sometimes to go in the wrong direction. The problem is that you keep avoiding the right direction because you are afraid of it.”
He was silent, realizing now where the sweet side of Gwen had come from. Her resolute, stubborn, strong side of hers, certainly her father's. And the love, the gentleness, the understanding, of her mother.
“I didn't ask her what happened, and I won't ask you. But I knew my husband, and I wonder what he might have said to you sometime before he died. George always knew what he wanted to do, and the risks it posed for him and the family he could had, he was always a little paranoid about it, and sometimes he lost track of how far he could go to protect us. I don't know why he would think a boy as sweet as you is dangerous to Gwen, but if that's your problem, remember that just being alive is dangerous, Peter.”
“What do you mean?”
“People die every day, all the time, for countless reasons. Suddenly someone leaves home for work on a normal day and gets hit by a car, or suffers a heart attack on the way, or a traffic accident, or dies in a confrontation with criminals before the police or Spider-Man arrives. People none of us have any idea who they are. Anything can happen, and it's not worth wasting the time we have with each other being afraid of it. That's what I told Gwen's father many decades ago when he said he was afraid to be with me because of his job. He understood at the time, but he used to forget it with everything he faced on a day to day. I always had to remind him.”
She stopped talking when she saw the teenager's eyes fill with tears and Peter hide his face with his hands as his shoulders shook. If that confirmed her theory that George had made him promise to keep his distance from her for some reason, it didn't matter now, though.
“Peter,” she called softly, and he felt the woman hug him as she cried, just like Aunt May would. “Alright, alright. Crying is good.”
He hugged her back, grateful that all the other inhabitants of the house were still asleep, and feeling confused emotions fight inside him, at the same time a huge relief flooded him. Helen held him and patted his back, as she would for any of her four children, and faced Gwen as she appeared at the entrance to the room, leaning against the wall watching the scene. Her gaze seemed to be hurt by what she saw, as if Peter's pain shot through her, which was exactly what was happening. Despite that, she looked better. Her face was no longer pale, nor flushed with fever, her gaze brighter, and her legs firmer.
Gwen didn't know exactly what to do, but she accepted her mother's call to join them.
“George has done his time here, but Gwen still has you, and you have a lot to live for,” Helen told the young man, now looking into his eyes, resting a hand on his shoulder and the other on his face.
He nodded, feeling the couch behind him sag, and a kiss on his shoulder let him know it was Gwen. He wiped his eyes and turned to her as Helen stood up.
“Do I look pathetic?” He asked softly as he accepted his girlfriend's hug, hearing the two women laugh softly.
“No,” Helen replied. “It looks human.”
The two could see him smile, despite having his face buried in Gwen's neck.
“Thank you, Helen.”
“You're welcome.”
“You don't have a fever anymore,” he told Gwen this time.
“How do you feel?” Helen asked her daughter.
“Better. My body is still a little heavy, but better.”
Helen nodded.
“Will you stay for breakfast with us?” Gwen asked. “Did you tell Aunt May you're here?”
“I warned her earlier.”
“I'll leave it to wake up the boys in a little while. Talk while I prepare everything,” she said smiling and leaving for the kitchen
“I'm sorry,” Peter whispered. “For not being there when you woke up.”
“I know,” Gwen replied in the same tone. “Can you tell me what happened? Are we still okay?”
“Wow, we are! We are! I love you!” He assured, kissing the spot on her neck where he was hiding before. “I'll never leave you again. I'll follow you forever. And I don't mind repeating that for the rest of my life until you believe it.”
Gwen took a deep breath, feeling her eyes water and a smile appear on her lips. She let him kiss her again, as it was before, as it always should have been.
“Hey…” he smiled. “Your mom is so much like you.”
Gwen chuckled softly, and listened intently as he recounted the last few minutes to her.
******
May glanced at the door when she heard it open, feeling her heart fill with joy to see a totally different Peter than the one she'd left at home the night before. She returned her nephew's smile as he left his skateboard in the living room and came over to her beaming, hugging her and then pulling out of his backpack a package of the organic eggs he knew she liked so much. May left the item on the counter and went back to hugging her adopted son as she laughed along with him.
“So are you and Gwen okay now?”
“Yes.”
“Same? Did you solve everything? No loose ends?”
He nodded.
“I think she got scared when I left. That's why I wanted to have breakfast with them. She's still on the mend, and... I need time to fully regain her confidence after all this.”
May agreed.
“It'll happen. She loves You. And I admire what Helen has done for you. I never wanted to tell you before, but I've been thinking about it.”
“What?”
“Remember when your parents dropped you off here, and sometimes you swore you saw them on the street until you realized they were just similar people?”
Peter just nodded in agreement, trying to keep his surprise at her bringing up this subject, right now, under control.
“When Ben left, that happened to me sometimes.”
“Aunt... Why didn't you tell me?” He asked, feeling a pang of pain in his heart that she had gone through this alone, but happy to know that he wasn't the only one who had gone through it too.
“You weren't well.”
Peter nodded, and pulled her over to sit at the table.
“I should have said it sooner. You know much more than we do.”
“You who?”
“You... The elders.”
She smiled.
“I saw George die that night. I was with Gwen. He didn't think I was good for her, even with her mother and brothers liking me. Before that happened, he made me promise to keep her out of harm's way.”
May took a deep breath, already knowing perfectly well why, but having no idea if it would be good to talk about it with Peter right now.
“I would have a lot to tell you about that right now, but I think Helen sums it up pretty well. What I should do more is remind you what a great man you are becoming, how proud I and all of our family are prud of you, no matter where we are. Things happen, Peter, and not everything is in our control. No one has the right to decide someone else's future, especially people as young as you and Gwen. I'm sorry for everything you've lived through. But no one grows up staying in the safe zone all the time. And I know that you'll do something good with everything that has already happened.”
He agreed.
“Is Gwen okay?”
“Much better. She still feels a little weak, but the fever has passed overnight.”
May smiled again, just imagining how Peter had helped with that too.
******
And Peter kept his new promise. He was always there, whether it was to see her, pick her up to spend the day with May, to keep her company for the night, or even take care of her and improve her mood when it was a not-so-pleasant time of month. He was also there to take her to the high school senior dance, and to kiss and propose to her in front of their families and the entire school on graduation day, right after she gave her speech and Peter was called to receive his diploma, making the cheers and applause of those who watched last for a long time until Gwen stopped crying and released him from the hug they were in so the teachers could continue the ceremony.
Spider-Man was still protecting the city, and some other crazy villains had appeared, but they got over it, always looking for ways for Gwen to help him from a distance and accept to be physically away from the places where he fought very dangerous people. And so they went on, until they started studying at SUNNY Empire State College, and got married on their first vacation, having time to organize everything calmly. It was hard to juggle studies, work, family, and superhero work in a single day sometimes, but they could survive.
They got married in a wooded part of town, with their families and some friends, enjoying their honeymoon of a few days in a nearby town, safe that no super villains were active at the moment, so the police could handle without Spider-Man for a while.
Years passed, and it was at his college graduation celebration that Gwen told him she was pregnant, as they listened to Ellie Goulding's Love Me Like You Do playing across the hall. And Peter was laughing, crying, and kissing her before he let her tell anyone else.
“I bought this for you yesterday,” he told her, showing her a small stuffed Spider Man, which Gwen had no idea how he was hiding until then. “It couldn't have been at a better time.”
Gwen took the little doll, laughing and with tears in her eyes.
“He's so cute! Why did you take so long to give me one of these? I didn't even know it existed. And where did you find it?”
“You already have the original Spider-Man. I didn't think it would be so picky to want a backup.”
Gwen laughed, and gave him a kiss.
“I found it in that new store. Excelsior Plush. I want to take you there later, maybe even today.”
“Let's put it in his bedroom.”
“Or hers.”
The two smiled and kissed again as the song changed to Say You Will Be There by the Spice Girls.
******
Andrew George Benjamin Stacy Parker was born on the 20th of August on a joyful morning. Her light brown hair was a perfect blend of her parents', and her brown eyes were just like Peter's. Gwen took a deep breath as she finally got rid of the pain and the feeling that she might pass out at any moment.
“Hey, it's over,” Peter spoke softly to her as they watched their baby cry and be quickly cleaned and cared for by the medical staff.
Gwen breathed a sigh of relief as Peter pulled off his mask for a moment to kiss her temple for a long time, and she let the tears run down her face as she looked at her husband with a smile, which he already returned. Andy, as they were already affectionately calling him, stopped crying when he was placed on his mother's chest, and heard his parents talking softly to him.
“He loves you,” Peter said laughing. “Look how he smiles.”
“You'll have your chance too,” Gwen replied, seeing her son, less than ten minutes old, smile at her, her hands cradling him protectively as she stroked his hair.
Andrew grew up without much trouble, and despite all of Peter's fears and worries about the past, his son had a happy childhood. The little one called Aunt May Grandma, and only a fool wouldn't have noticed how happy that made her. He was incredibly loved by both his grandmothers and his uncles, and was shown to be just as insightful in dialogue skills as his mother the first time a bigger boy tried to bully him at school, and he gave up in less than a minute. His son was only eight years old, and he already had the respect of his colleagues for that.
With Harry's death, Oscorp was long gone, much to Peter and Gwen's relief, although they were always on the lookout in case they decided to return from the shadows.
The question they always asked themselves when it was coming, happened while Andrew was helping Gwen bathe his little sister, Emily. The baby was three months old, and she looked just like her mother, except for her red hair. Peter joked that the daughter was hers alone. Gwen always laughed and joked about it.
Emily burst out laughing, splashing her little hands in the water while her brother teased her, and Gwen laughed along. Peter was preparing dinner for them in the meantime.
“Dad?”
“What, Andy?”
“Do you know who Spiderman is?”
Peter looked at him in surprise, stopping what he was doing and walking from the kitchen to them in the laundry area, where he'd set up Emily's rollaway tub today.
“Why do you want to know?” He asked with a smile.
“Because he's super cool. And I wanted to ask him a few things.”
“What things, love?” Gwen asked, exchanging a look with Peter as she took her daughter out of the bathtub and wrapped her in a towel.
“How did he become Spider-Man?” Andrew asked, picking up the Spider-Man plush from the couch, the same one his father had given his mother as a gift eight years ago.
“I don't know...” Peter said. “Maybe he was bitten by a radioactive or genetically modified spider,” he said with a smile.
So Andrew didn't ask any more, and turned to face the door, as if expecting something to happen. He seemed to be straining his ears too, and suddenly he smiled.
“Granny May and Granny Helen have arrived!” He exclaimed, running for the door.
The couple widened their eyes, immediately recognizing what had just happened. Peter had also noticed their arrival, a few moments before his son, but he never expected it. Exchanging a look with his wife, Peter went to open the door, no longer needing to hide his surprise from Helen, now that she too knew he was Spider-Man.
“Granny!” Andrew jumped to hug them both at the same time.
The three laughed and made the usual racket together until the two women noticed the couple's eyes.
“Peter,” May called. “Is everything ok?”
“Yes, Aunt. It was just a question about... Spiders. But we can talk about that later,” He smiled, pleased that Andrew had forgotten about his questions for now, and grateful that he was at the start of the vacation period.
“Did something interesting happen today?” Helen asked the two, who deciphered the message immediately.
“Yes, Mom,” Gwen replied. “Suddenly Andy was curious about Spider-Man.”
“The Spider-Man,” she agreed with a nod. “He's a great hero. I'm sure he's a good inspiration for Andy.”
“I agree,” May said. “But now why don't you tell us how your vacation is going, dear?” She asked her grandson.
“I lost my last baby tooth yesterday,” Andrew replied excitedly, showing his grandmothers the empty space between his teeth.
“How nice, dear!” Helen replied smiling.
Helen and May kept him busy and finished tidying up the kitchen while Peter and Gwen dried and dressed Emily in their bedroom.
“Hey, Em,” Peter called as he dressed his daughter in a diaper. “Will you have surprises for us when you grow up too? Besides that hair?”
The little girl laughed when her father tickled her by kissing her belly.
“Or will you just be adorably beautiful, sweet, kind, stubborn, super smart, and perfect like Mom?”
He heard Gwen laugh, and when he turned to look at her, she pulled him into a lingering kiss.
“I love you too,” Gwen told him, smiling along with her husband as they dressed Emily in a themed bodysuit written Mini Spice Girls Fan. “How are we going to tell him that what just happened was the spider-sense?”
“Andy likes to look at things to see what happens before he talks about them, just like you. If he started asking us this today, I think something he didn't tell us may have already happened without us realizing it. Let's talk to him alone first. After Aunt May and Helen go home, or first thing in the morning.”
Gwen consented.
“How are we going to start this?”
“Asking him about what happened there in the room just now. How that was for him, and then explain what this is,” Peter suggested.
“Then he’ll ask how we know this.”
“And I can start by telling my father's story until we get to us. Do you think he'll be as good at keeping a secret as you are?”
“You're good at it too, it's circumstances sometimes don't cooperate. He probably will. Don't get tense about it now, it's just spider-sense for now. Leave it to go crazy when he starts climbing the walls.”
Peter laughed.
“Let's try to have a quiet dinner then,” he replied, kissing his daughter's hair in his lap, and his wife's lips before they joined May, Helen and Andrew.
