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Gwen liked to think that she had settled into the Spider Society quite nicely. She was a bit awkward at first due to her situation, but everyone was very welcoming to her. Most days, she slept in various locations around the HQ. Sometimes, she didn't sleep at all. It got a bit harder to stay at HQ when she realized just how many Peters were around, and even worse when she learned what had happened to their Gwen's. Something about seeing each other's ghost was just too unsettling.
So she jumped into every assignment that she could. Fighting anomalies and getting away from the tension at HQ was great stress relief. She could keep up her Spider-Womanly duties and stay active without the risk of her father. And boy did she forget how much she loved working with other Spider-People!
Gwen was able to learn lots from the more experienced spiders and connected with the others. Regardless of specific skill or special power, most had the same sense of humor, which made hanging out with them very easy to do. When it came to training, it was fun to learn different styles of fighting.
But even if it was fun and a good way to escape her problems, it couldn't last long. After a few weeks of constant combat, she was worn out physically and mentally. Though she still wanted to get out, to be helpful and of use, she just couldn't. Jessica encouraged her to visit the resident therapist, but she simply didn't feel ready for that. She could barely think about her problems, talking about them to someone else seemed so much harder.
So she didn't. Instead, she took to isolating herself. She felt guilty about pushing people away, but it was a lot easier than letting them in. It was a lot easier to hide than being out in the open, vulnerable. Which was how she wound up in Miguel's office, hiding among the systems and machines where he couldn't see her. Gwen was sure he knew of her presence, but he didn't say anything. Instead, Miguel stayed up on his platform, focused on all of the screens surrounding him. Since most people avoided this room due to Miguel's intimidation, this was the perfect place to hide away.
Gwen tucked herself into a corner, away from Miguel and out of sight of anyone who may be passing in the hall. It was perfect for her, the best situation she could think of in the moment. Her phone rested in her lap, earbuds that she'd been able to snag plugged in. She was listening to some sort of meditation instructional video. She'd heard it could help with stress, which was something she wildly needed right now.
It was about halfway when she realized it wasn't quite working as she had hoped. Instead, she only felt more restless. She loved being around people, she did, but she wasn't really around people she could just exist with. Gwen had been isolated before, when her Peter passed. She'd finally opened back up with Miles, and then suddenly it was gone again. Truthfully, after knowing what having a friend was like after so long, knowing the feeling of being loved by someone who didn't feel obligated to provide, she hated how alone she now felt.
As she was losing herself in her thoughts, locked in an inner turmoil, she felt her left earbud being pulled from her ear. Somewhat startled, she turned to her side to see a boy leaning against the wall next to her. His visual style was somewhat strange, like he was cut and glued from magazines, newspapers, and various other craft materials. He pulled up his mask, popped in the bud, and listened for a few moments before turning to face her.
"Hm, no wonder you look so down," he began, a British accent glaringly present, "I'd be pretty peeved if I was listening to somebody tell me what to do, too." Despite this, the earbud stayed in his ear.
"I-I'm sorry, can I help you?" Her eyebrows were furrowed, more in frustration and confusion than the sorrow it was earlier.
"Nah, mate, seems like you can't even help yourself."
Gwen let out a scoff, rolling her eyes. The one place she thought she was safe, and she was still being bothered. She was sure he didn't have any ill intentions, at least. Her spider-sense hadn't gone off, and it didn't feel like it would, so that was a good sign. She was rather annoyed regardless. She let out a deep exhale, ignoring the meditation video that was still playing, turning to face the other once more. He was staring at her, the eyes of his mask squinting and enlarging as he did so.
"It's kinda rude to stare, you know?" Despite that, he kept staring. "Uh, hello? Could you... not?"
"Sorry, sorry," he said, his voice a touch lower than before. "You just seem familiar. Trying to figure it out, is all."
"Oh, yeah, I get that a lot." Now she was very irritated. She came here to escape recognition and the tension that came with it. It just seemed like it was following her at this point. "Gwen Stacy," she announced, offering a hand to him. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, but I'm honestly not sure yet."
He didn't take her hand, which she partially expected. Instead, he just stared at her, eyes wide and mouth hung open. That was a little less expected. As her face slowly morphed into confusion and discomfort, his stayed the same. After a few moments, he finally spoke.
"You- y-you wouldn't happen to play drums, would you?"
"Uh, yeah, I do." Gwen's hand slowly pulled back, unsure of where this was going. "Or, at least, I did. Haven't had the chance recently, though."
Suddenly, his hands were clasped around hers. He was shaking them excitedly, almost radiating with energy as he did so. He'd turned a weird pink color, and she wasn't really sure how to feel about it.
"Holy shit, no way!" he exclaimed, a wide smile gracing his lips. Gwen was a bit surprised he wasn't jumping in place. "Big fan of your work, I really am! Well, in my universe at least, but I doubt you're much different. Wow, I never thought I'd get to meet you."
"Oh, uh- thank you?" Gwen was thrown off by his sudden change in mood. Most people were usually sadder to find out who she was. This was certainly interesting. "Am I famous in you universe or something?"
"Famous doesn't even begin to describe it," he said, throwing himself up to sit next to her. "Where I'm from, Gwen Stacy was a legend! Undoubtedly the most influential artist of our generation! I'd have given anything to meet her." As he spoke, his visual style continued to switch through an array of colors. "She was epic until she croaked, but even that was pretty rad."
As she listened to him speak, her anxiety slowly began to bubble away. There was something about the way he talked about her, full of admiration instead of grief. It was comforting, and a good interaction to have amongst a sea of hollow glances and thick tension. The other spiders were nice, but it was hard to connect to them personally. Something about him was just... different.
"So, you play too?" she asked, gesturing to the guitar hanging off of his back. "If you wanted, we could play together. I kinda quit my band a while ago, so I'm, uh, in need of another.
He seemed to light up at this, quite literally as he turned a bright pink and yellow. His smile widened, softening at the same time.
"Yeah, mate, that sounds awesome!" he beamed. "I just came here to bug O'Hara, but this is even better!"
Gwen chuckled at that. In a building full of various Spider-People, she should have guessed that at least someone would have interrupted the silence. She was pretty sure she preferred this, actually. It was a good way to stop her from spiraling.
"If you're trying to find comfort here, your home universe us probably pretty jacked," he assessed ," so we can go to mine. Mine isn't too great either, but it ain't bad enough to send me around the big man for comfort, so it's obviously the better option."
"Yeah, that's... that's a pretty accurate statement, actually." She put her phone and earbuds down, knowing they'd be safe to leave here. "Oh, I didn't catch your name by the way."
"Oh! Duh, my bad," he said, pulling his mask back over his face. "The name's Hobie, Hobie Brown."