18832/From Hospital to Penthouse

From Hospital to Penthouse
Date of Scene:	14 August 2024
Location:	Felicia's Penthouse, East Side, New York
Synopsis:	Gwen Stacy stops by to visit with Peter and Felicia once Pete's out of the hospital.
Cast of Characters:	Felicia Hardy, Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker

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Felicia Hardy has posed:
It may not be all that unusual to have a cluster of Spider People on top of an East Side high-rise penthouse (it's true, a group of spiders is actually called a clutter or a cluster), but it is out of the ordinary to have them invited inside.

For the last month, Peter Parker has been terrorizing (yes, terrorizing) New York City as the Amazing Man-Spider (or perhaps Abominable Man-Spider), and for nearly a month before that, Peter and Felicia had gone to ground in her safehouse.

The official story given to anyone not 'in the know' was that his new, wealthy girlfriend and infamous socialite, Felicia Hardy, had spirited him away to some vacation resort island for summer break, before classes started. But those who know Peter and Spider-Man were told the truth -- Peter had spontaneously grown four extra arms, and they were desperately working on a solution. After the whole debacle on ESU campus that involved Doc Connors as the Lizard running off with the Neogenic McGuffin, there were significantly fewer updates from Felicia on the Spider-Comm. Just major things like 'Found the Lizard,' 'SHIELD has the Recombinator,' and of course, 'Peter's in the hospital under SHIELD guard. He's recovering. Update soon.'

Two days after that last, another message came across the Spider-Comm, "Peter's up and about. We're at the penthouse. Anyone who wants to see him is welcome." An address is included in the message.

And that's where they find themselves now, in an East Side penthouse that looks exactly like you'd expect it to look. Floor-to-ceiling windows, new-ish appliances in the huge kitchen, art decorating the walls that looks suspiciously expensive, a big leather sofa surrounding a sleek coffee table and a fireplace in the living area.

The one notable thing might be an absence of very many 'personal effects' scattered around. Most people have pictures or trinkets up on shelves or hanging on the walls, but there's none of that here. The place is exceptionally decorated, but it's so well done that it almost looks staged to be put on the market.

Felicia's dressed remarkably casually in a red tank top and comfortable looking black denim jeans that hug her hips and thighs, rips in a few places that expose strips of skin. Her long silver-white hair has been pulled up into a ponytail, and she's standing in the kitchen... doing the dishes while Peter sleeps comfortably on the opposite side of the sprawling home, behind a closed door, hopefully comfortably oblivious to the clanking of the metal and porcelain.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Last few weeks had been a daze for Gwen, with Peter turning into the Man-Spider, Doc Connors being involved as the Lizard. It hadn't helped that she had come across Peter in his terrifying form and had not been able to stop him. But then again was it a bad thing that she hadn't been able to do so?

Memories had jumbled, memories of another *place*, another reality. Where something similar had happened and Peter had become the Lizard. In the end he had died in her arms, her fault. Had she feared history would repeat itself again? In the end she had felt relieved that Peter had been retrieved and was in recovery and so of course that the first thing she does when hearing where he's recovering at is to drop by. Announced of course because she has manners.

There's a buzz on the door announcing a new arrival, a grinning Gwen waving at the camera. She is dressed in a pair of skinny jeans today, cropped top and her hair pulled back in a ponytail. And of course that she brings offerings by way of a large bag and ..., is that a balloon? Oh dear.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
There was a time when not many people would have stopped by to check on Felicia if something had happened to her. She had Bruno and Boris, of course -- her faithful crew of many years now -- and her mother, but ever since her father died, she'd kept everyone else at arm's length. Professional associates and occasional one-night-stands only.

Then, four years ago, Spider-Man had come into her life.

While he might not have been her first foray in the world of 'do-gooding' (Is that a word? It is now.), he was certainly a positive influence on some of her decision making. They'd played their little back-and-forth Cat-and-Spider games for over three years before they finally gave in to something more serious, and now Felicia was faced with the harsh reality that _they_ had friends. Somehow, over the course of those four years, Peter Parker's circle of friends, confidants, and family had weaseled their way into her life, too.

So, when the door chime sounds and Felicia looks up at the screen, it's not a scowl on her face. She's not upset that someone is trying to invade her privacy or personal domain. It's a smile, because whether she wanted to admit it or not, it's kind of nice having Peter _and_ his retinue in her life.

"Hey, Gwen," the older woman with the silver-white hair greets warmly once she's pulled the door open. "I'm so glad you came. Peter's sleeping, but he should be up soon."

There's a moment where she seems to consider offering a hug. Is Gwen a hugger? Are they that close? It's a slightly awkward moment, arms coming up just briefly without trying to put any pressure on the girl. There's a package in the way, maybe. And a balloon. Plus there's like a ten-year age gap and several hundred felonies that separate them, so who knows what the proper etiquette is for these things?

The fact that Gwen hasn't tried to make up for Peter's failing of webbing Felicia up and leaving her for the authorities should probably be sufficient for her, honestly.

Peter Parker has posed:
As promised and somewhat unbelievably to his doctors, their mysterious patient held under SHIELD observation walked out of St. Luke's hospital almost twenty-four hours to the minute of waking up.

Given that they were not allowed to delve too deeply into just what had brought him to the hospital in the first place, the physician's and nurses who tended to him don't truly know just how remarkable that really is. That his rampaging, out of control mutation had been brought back in line, been reversed to a prior level and stabilized thanks to the mixture of the concoction that Dr. Connors was able to put together using the pilferred samples from Dr. Michael Morbius' lab and the effects of the recovered Neo-Genic recombinator.

While he might not exactly be back to his old self entirely -- not quite yet at least -- it would seem that Peter Parker is well on the way to getting there. At the very least he is back down to only two arms, two legs and two eyes. He'll definitely take that as a big step in the right direction.

For the most part, his recovery has entailed sleep, sleep and more sleep. Of course as a general rule that is what he -- and most of the other Spider-Types really -- need after they have been battered and bruised. Their wounds might not heal on command, but recovery time is considerably shortened. Which is definitely a good thing when it comes to avoid having to explain the assortment of bruises, cuts strains and sprains that they pick up. And getting back to things when something more serious happens.

Like having all that mutated Spider-DNA inside go screaming out of control and turning one into a monster.

Still, that takes it out of a guy and this time Peter is not making the same mistake that he did after his encounter with Kraven and the mysterious toxins and magic rituals that set all of this in motion. This time he is taking the time to recover.

Not that he has necessarily been given a whole lot of choice in the matter. Clearly Felicia isn't about to let him go running all over the city and while Aunt May might not know the entire story of just what happened, she has let him know in no uncertain terms that he is to get all the rest he can until he's better.

Still, one can only lounge in bed for so long. And while Felicia's kitchen chores might not be enough to wake him from his slumber, the sound of muted conversation from the apartment entrance does seem to be enough to make him stir, to slip out of bed and tug on a t-shirt.

Hopefully it's not Felicia's mom again, though really, after the last time it can't possibly be any more awkward.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
Gwen's relationship with Peter had always been a complicated one with the mix of memories she had of 'his' Gwen and the memories of Ghost Spider. Sometimes they overlapped, others one reality became more prominent. It -also- didn't help that she had just got out of a longterm relationship with Reilly so it was natural she wouldn't hang around as much. All for the better perhaps, all things considered. Yet with Peter being in actual danger? That had made her return. And specially happy with her old friend being alive.

When Felicia opens the door Gwen's lungs are getting full of air, prepared to shout well-wishes at Peter so it's perhaps a good thing that Felicia starts it out with saying Peter is sleeping, those big blue eyes widening as she restrains herself and places a fingertip against her lips, "Shhhh..."

"I have brought offerings." She says in a low whisper, stepping inside and her smile widening. The answer to whether Gwen is a hugger or not is found when she raises her own arms to wrap around the other woman, made difficult by the baloon and bag in her hands. But Gwen is a -professional-, and also more nimble than anyone has the right to be so she finds a way to make it work.

"How are you both doing?" she asks softly while still with her arms wrapped around Felicia, eventually letting go.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Felicia laughs softly. "That's really sweet of you. He'll love them, I'm sure."

She didn't seem to mind the balloon or the package, either, even if she did make an attempt not to make the whole thing any more awkward than it had to be. She might have her own cat-like grace thanks to some powers she got about eight years ago, well before Peter ever came into her life, but Spiders were in another league where it came to having sticky fingers and hanging onto things.

"We're okay. _He's_ okay. Two days in the hospital, and he's already back to complaining that I don't make wheat cakes like his Aunt does."

When they finally part, it's pure humor in Felicia's blue eyes, and she motions Gwen in further, closing the door behind her.

"Come on in. Make yourself at home. You can set those down anywher -- "

Without anything like a Spider-sense to help her out, Felicia relied entirely on her OTHER senses. And Peter had a tendency to move like a wraith, even when he didn't necessarily intend to. With him going barefoot across the hard floor of the penthouse, she didn't even notice he was standing there until she turned and saw him, her smile softening.

"Hey, Sleepyhead. Gwen came to see you."

Obviously, since she's literally standing right there with presents and a balloon, even. Hard to miss.

"How are you feeling? Can I get you anything? Either of you?"

Peter Parker has posed:
It is probably a good thing that Peter is blessed with a certain amount of recuperative abilities. Because clearly he doesn't make the best patient in the world.

That might not be enitrely his fault though. For the most part he might be a fairly down to earth sort of young man, but when it comes to being sick, it is possible that he might be just a little bit spoiled by his sometimes over-protective aunt.

Maybe. He's not going to concede anything.

In fairness, it's not like he has just had a cold or a few scrapes. He walked, swung and nested like a giant freakin' spider for nearly a month. All things considered his recovery has been fairly decent from that perspective. A couple of days in the hospital, some more bed rest after that and he is coming closer and closer to looking -- and acting -- like his old self.

Which might bring with it an assortment of difficulties all on it's own of course. Certain decisions that were postponed due to his recovery. Ones that might nag somewhere at the back of his thoughts but for the most part have been written off as the sort of dream-addled flickers of memory that he has from his time as a giant spider beast.

So creeping down that hall, he is only slightly surprised that his arrival doesn't go entirely unnoticed and he sheepishly emerges from behind that corner, flashing a smile towards the pair as he begins to pad on over.

"So I see. And she comes bearing presents too. The very best sort of visiotr," he allows, some of that customary good humor beginning to shine through. One more sign that his full recovery is growing closer and closer.

MAybe he is trying to be helpful, maybe he is just being greedy, but he freezes Felicia of the burden of that balloon with a bit of a grin. "I heard that we had a bit of a run in at the park too," he says, his smile dimming a little as he nods to Gwen. "Sorry about that. I'm blaming my inner spider," he offers up before slipping that free hand into Felicia's. He's going to have a number of apologies to make over the next little while, he suspects.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
The balloon in question now that it's fully visible has the image of Spider-Man's head, but since it's a balloon his head just looks quite large and *round*. Words are written on it: "Take some of my Spider-Energy and recover swift, buddy! - From your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man"

Yes, shamelessly bringing in Spider-Man merchandise to Peter's recovery. But that's Gwen, the cheeky blonde with her own peculiar brand of humor, "No one makes wheat cakes like Aunt May does..." a longing tone to those words and she chewing on her lower lip at the memory of those cakes. Mmmhmm.

"Also ..., I need to put these in the freezer." she lifts the package towards Felicia, "Yuzu Blossom Ice cream, from my favorite shop in Brooklyn." she announces. Balloons and ice cream. What more can someone want for a swift recovery? Wait, don't answer that...

With Peter creeping out there's a smile that blooms on Gwen's expression, eyes bright at seeing Peter whole, "It's good to see you again, Peter." without the mandibles and spitting venom thing and all that.

"And ..., yea. We did." some of her smile dims as well at the memory of that but shrugs it off quickly, "That's not important though, just that you are okay. And for once Venom was actually trying to help." she wrinkles her nose a little.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
Felicia hadn't really helped Peter's chill at all in the 'assortment of difficulties' department, either. What she'd intended to be a last visit while he was asleep in his hospital bed, a maybe-last-time-seeing-him-without-his-mask, had backfired spectacularly. She'd been intending to leave him -- to put as much space between him and her bad luck as she could get. While she did that, she'd intended to go after Kraven, who seemed to be an even bigger threat to Peter's wellbeing than her own powers of misfortune.

Two birds, one stone.

She had intended a clean, post-mandible break. They'd already been apart for over a month, and he was already going to be surrounded by people who love him. It was the best opportunity she had. But she hadn't expected him to wake up and grab her hand. Once he started talking to her, telling her how much he liked the dream they'd shared -- the one that led her to his nest in Central Park, the one they married in -- she couldn't do it. She couldn't leave him.

But apparently she could word-vomit her insecurity about being the source of all of his problems all over him while he was still in the hospital... which led to Peter refusing to let go of her hand so she wouldn't run away. Not one of her proudest moments.

Not that there would have been before, but especially now, there's no hesitation when Peter moves up to her side and threads his fingers through hers. It's not overt. Probably nothing Gwen would necessarily pick up on, but Peter might notice her being a little more doting.. a little more apologetic than usual. She shouldn't have put all of that on him. Not then. Maybe they could have talked once he was back to full health, but she accomplished nothing by making him feel like she was ready to bolt. Even if she was.

She squeezes his hand and leans up to place a gentle kiss on one of his scruffy cheeks, letting him make his apologies without cutting into them, even if the expression on her face made it seem like she thought they were unnecessary.

The offer of that package, however, has Felicia's eyes widening as she finally does release Peter's hand so she can take it and start towards the kitchen with it. "I am _so_ curious now," she says. "Whenever you're ready, just tell me and I'll serve some. Why don't you two move to the couch and get comfortable? I'll join you as soon as I put this away. Gwen, would you like tea, coffee, water?"

She may be an internationally renown thief, but she had some hostessing skills, too. Of course, even back in the kitchen, she's still participating in the conversation.

"Oh! That reminds me.. I met with Venom, earlier. Well... not _Venom_. Anyway, we had some beers. Apparently, Spider-Man hasn't only been a positive influence on my habits. Apparently he's getting into crime-fighting, now.. thinking of following in those Peter Parker footsteps and making a little money covering Venom's hero antics. Sans Jameson, obviously, so I'm not sure how likely that is to take off. I hate to say it, but Jameson's responsible for a lot of Peter's notoriety -- if you believe that no press is bad press."

Peter Parker has posed:
Everything is a little better with Spider-Man Merchandise.

Certainly Peter seems to be rather fond of that balloon, the occasional creeping smile shot up towards it. "I feel that they really captured my likeness," he deadpans, giving a little tug on that string.

Of course, there is one big problem with Spider-Merchandise of course. The fact that he doesn't get a cut! That, of course, is the problem with having a secret identity. Sure, it keeps Doc Ock from hunting down his loved ones, but he can't exactly go around cashing cheques made out to Spider-Man, or handing out Peter Parker's bank acocunt for direct deposits. It means that when it comes time to get paid, he's pretty much out of luck.

You can bet Tony Stark doesn't have that problem. He's probably raking it in hand over fist with all that Iron Man merch.

Ah well. One can't put a price on peace of mind, right? Though there are times that Peter wouldn't mind trying. Okay, probably not.

That doesn't seem to be on his mind though as he turns for the living room and the couch. "Balloons and ice cream. The unmentioned perks of being turned into a spider-monster," Pete says, tone turning just a little sly. Though even he would probably have to conceed that not all the balloons and ice cream in the world can make up for the lost time, the not being entirely sure just what he might have gotten up to.

But it doesn't hurt either. And Pete makes his way into the living room, planting himself at one end of the couch, blissfully unaware of just how close his recovery came to being a much bleaker time, folding legs up beneath him as he gets comfortable. Felicia's penthouse might lack any seeming personal touches -- for reasons that Pete now understands much better after seeing her safehouse -- but one can't complain about any lack of creature comforts. It has those in spades.

Now if it just had Aunt May's wheat cakes too...

The fact that Gwen actually worked with Venom... that Felicia rand into him earlier and they actually had coffee is... well, surprising. There's no two ways about it. "Huh. Will wonders never cease," he says with a slow shake of his head. "I gotta say, if my little trouble --" because apparently being turned into a spider-monster now qualifies as a 'little trouble' "does anything to make Venom easier to deal with I certainly won't be complaining. It would be nice to think some good came out of the whole thing," he admits.

"Though, I'm not sure that I would recommend it as a real solution for anyone looking to reform one of their rogues," he admits drily.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
If anyone -expects- for Gwen to not have noticed the way the two of them just behaved just doesn't know her too well yet! This woman is a hawk! Specially where it comes to best friends slash old lovers from another universe slash ..., look it's complicated. The bottom line is that she -saw-. Even that little squeeze of fingertips. Give it to her spatial awareness and that uncanny power of always being aware of what's going on around her. Or just deeply knowing Peter. And what does that mean?

That she full on leans towards Peter as they are walking to the couch to sit down, whispering his way in a reaaaal low tone, "I see things -are- evolving." and not exactly Peter evolving into Man-Spider. Some good can come out of a bad, "You two look ..., happy. I am glad." she grinning at Peter, a little twinkle to her eye.

Whisper whisper, whatever are they talking about over there!

Yet soon enough Gwen is sitting down on her end of the couch too, folding one leg over the other, "Not sure I buy the good guy act.." she says about Venom, suspicion brewed by a good number of years as antagonists, ".. maybe I am just getting dour and too set in my ways in my old age..." you are only 23 years old, Gwen!

She does offer them a grin in the end though, brushing some hair from her face and tucking it behind a ear.

Felicia Hardy has posed:
"Wait until you see what you get for turning thirty," Felicia teases.

She was mostly over -- but she obviously wasn't completely over -- the fact that she only found out a little over a year ago that the Spider-Man she'd been nearly molesting for the last four years was only eighteen when they first met. It hadn't been the most comfortable of moments for her the first time she saw Peter without his mask.

But she'd gotten over it. Mostly. She did sometimes get in a little jab at his age, even if there was only about a.. well.. nine year gap. She tried not to think too hard about the fact that the day she donned the Black Cat suit and broke her father out of prison, Peter was only nine years old. Age is just a number... right?

The sight of him playing with the balloon made her smile, though. Maybe it was that youthful exuberance that helped hold her attention as long as he had. After all, no one had ever captivated and held her interest as long as Spider-Man.

"It seems to have helped," she pitches into the conversation about Venom being easier to deal with. "Then again, I expect everyone to stab me in the back. So it's not like I'm advocating for anyone to let their guard down."

There's the sound of the freezer opening, some rustling as she stows the ice cream, and then the freezer door closing again.

"Present company excepted, of course," the white-haired woman says when she re-emerges from the big, open kitchen, padding her own way across to the couch.

She didn't seem to hear any of their whispered conversation, but there's also no hesitation when she moves to Peter's side, sliding in beside him and crossing her legs. She's careful not to block their line of sight, but she's also not shy about settling into the crook of his arm like it was as comfortable as pulling a well-loved blanket around her.

"_Speaking_ of your _old age_," she muses at Gwen, one lip tugged playfully up at the corner, her blue eyes sparkling with mirth and intensity. In her voice, there's just a hint of that raw sensuality that Felicia is so well known for -- the thick, rich huskiness that seems to advertise how much control she feels like she has over any given situation. It's warm and familiar and... well, she still uses it to make Peter's Spider-sense stand on end, sometimes. "What's going on in your life these days? Are you still in school?"

And even as she leans against Peter, without paying any specific to the task attention, her hand finds his again, drawn as if by a magnet.

Peter Parker has posed:
Look, Peter is a very mature twenty-two years of age. If you count life experience he has to be well into his forties right? If you layer in the added years of bearing the weight of responsibility for each and every action -- whether his 'fault' or not -- he is positively geriatric.

And in the grand scheme of things thier respective ages have generally been far less of a barrier then the fact that she's a burglar and he makes it his business to stop criminals. INcluding burglars. If they can overcome that sort of gap, what is a few extra years when put beside that particular hurdle.

Besides, while Peter might do what he does because of an overblown sense of responsibility, there is a part of him -- a pretty big part if he's honest -- that loves the adventure and excitement too. It keeps a certain youthful energy about the whole thing, one more thing that they share.

Still, there is no guarantee that others might see things the same way. Especially those who know everything -- or a great deal at least -- about Peter Parker and Felicia Hardy and the various secrets that they carry around with them. That has always been something hanging between them a little.

But so far there have been no real issues on that front. MJ seems to approve, Felicia's mother did likewise, despite all teh awkwardness that ensued with that particular meeting. And now there is Gwen's tacit approval as well.

It might be not something that Peter is seeking, but those murmured words do a great deal to reassure the tousel-ahired young man. They have a... complex relationship to put it mildly, moreso in some respects because it isn't even all entirely shared between them -- but with other vfersions of themselves that still seem so much alike in the best -- and maybe worst at times -- possible ways.

"I'm not sure that I would be quite so accepting of someone that could spontaneously turn into a giant spider, but yeah, she's been great. It's,,, been great," Pete murmurs quietly in turn, leaning over to bump her lightly with his shoulder before he gets settled on the couch, breaking up that conspiratorial whisper session.

"And thank you. For coming after me. For trying to see what you could do," he says genuinely. "Even more so for being willing to work with Venom to do it," he admits with a slow shake of his head. He's not sure that he could have ever imagined the day.

He, on the other hand, is in a somewhat... unique position. He has some pretty good reasons for believing that people can change, can make different choices. Which also includes himself afterall. Some of what expecting change from others involves a willingness to compromise a little yourself afterall.

So he settles himself comfortably on the couch, that smile growing a little as Felicia sinks down beside him without hesitation or self-consciousness, slipping a hand into her own just as easily. Should it be this familiar, this comfortable? He has no idea. But it is.

Now he just has to get her to stop panicking about meeting Aunt May and they might be set.

One thing at a time. For now, at least, they have a chance to catch up with old friends. And start putting that last month somewhere in the rearview mirror.