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“Friends?”
“Friends.”
Those were the last words Miles Morales shared with Gwen Stacy before she went back to her home dimension. Miles was glad to be Gwen’s first friend, especially since she had talked about how she closed herself out following the death of her world’s best friend, Peter Parker. Miles was glad he could help her, especially since things didn’t exactly kick off on the right foot with Gwen. But at least things were good, as of right now. He now needed to focus on saving the world.
And soon enough, he won. The day was saved. The multiverse was saved. Miles had proven he could be his world’s one and only Spider-Man.
Two Weeks Later
It was a little late to be out, but Miles had decided to go back to the place where it all started. Where he spray-painted his “Expectations” mural and got bitten by the spider. He felt more sure of who he was now, and what started out so simple weeks ago was soon turned into an entire mural. It had the villains and the heroes. It looked like a mish-mosh of ideas, but to Miles, it told an entire story. It told his story.
Miles looked at the spot that he had painted Gwen in her spider-outfit as he wished she could see his art.
She’d probably love it, Miles thought to himself. That thought made him wonder if Gwen would try to find a way back herself.
Maybe it was possible. Miles believed anything was possible now, ever since it all happened.
A Month and a Half Later
Miles found himself heading to the mural spot more often now, as he used it as a drawing space. His notebook was partly filled now, as he had drawn whenever he had a break from his personal life or his spider-life. He had drawn many things, like possible new suits. But he had tried to immortalize the memory of Uncle Aaron. The first person who had understood Miles. He may have gone down a dark path, but Miles tried to remember all of the times Aaron was a hero to him.
Gwen also was a regular when it came to Miles’ sketches and notebook art. But she was beginning to take up more of his pages. Miles would spend hours getting Gwen’s details down perfectly in his art style. The costume, the hair, the face, all of it. Sometimes she’d be masked, and other times she’d be unmasked.
Recently, Gwen had been taking up more and more of the pages. Miles couldn’t stop thinking about her, and how much he missed her. He missed his other friends, but something about Gwen was so much different. So different. Miles couldn't put a finger on what was different about her.
But he felt like he had an idea of what was different.
Six Months Later
The Williamsburg Bank Building was a place where the views were amazing, both regular and upside down. Miles would often swing over there on quiet evenings, and watch the sun set from an upside-down view. It was calming, as things were quiet up there. Miles could just sit there and think, he could get lost in his thoughts. When he brought his sketchbook with him, he’d sit right-side up and draw. The building had become a place of escape. An escape to balancing the struggles of regular life and the life of a superhero.
But Miles couldn’t help but feel like he needed someone. Anyone that could understand him. Someone to truly talk to. And that person was Gwen. Miles could imagine a conversation on this building with her.
Sometimes, it felt like she was next to him. Maybe it was a sign that the two would see each other again. Soon, maybe.
Four Months Later
It had now been a little over a full year since it all happened. Things were pretty good for Miles, even with a few troubles when it came to balancing his dual lives. But he still felt like he had no one that truly understood his struggle. He could deal with it on his own, but there were times when he couldn’t ignore that he needed someone. Someone who could understand.
Miles was trying to make that happen. He had looked into a few colleges that had quantum theory, as Miles planned to study it in order to try and visit Gwen’s dimension. But he didn’t know when all of this would happen. And Miles knew his feelings had grown from friendship to love. It was the only explanation for why his heart ached every time he thought of her. He missed her so much, and a part of him wanted to stop hoping. To stop thinking she was coming back.
But anything was possible. Miles knew that. He wasn’t going to stop hoping, nor was he going to give up on trying to find a way to Gwen. There was a way. There was always a way.
Little did he know that things were on the course to change sooner rather than later.