20398/Pizza for your Thoughts

Pizza for your Thoughts
Date of Scene:	09 April 2025
Location:	Johns Pizza
Synopsis:	Gwen asks Peter to meet for lunch so she can discuss the whole 'Doctor Miles Warren' situation.
Cast of Characters:	Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker

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Gwen Stacy has posed:
It has been ten long years since Gwen last saw Spider-Man in the cockpit of Leopardon...

Change Leopardon!
SUPAIDAMAN!
SUPAIDAMAN!

Okay. Maybe it hasn't been that long. Maybe it's been like... a month. A month and a couple of weeks at most. But look, when you're trying to juggle school, a job, a relationship, and being a vigilante crime fighter, a lot of stuff happens in a day. Bridges try to collapse in the middle of your concert. Weird 70s SUPAIDAMAN robots show up out of nowhere.

Peter gets it.

Plus, there's a whole new.. like.. Bat-family. And some of them even seem to tolerate her. Small victories, right?

So, yeah. Gwen's been busy. Plus, she lives in a whole other town. A whole other state, even! But she still goes to the same school Peter does. They have similar fields of study. And despite their awkward past -- or rather, the fact that 'their pasts' aren't really 'their' pasts at all -- they really have formed a kind of unique friendship.

Maybe they don't call each other every day to catch up on each other's gossip, but they are friends. So, it's not weird when Gwen texts Peter to invite him out for some pizza between classes, right?

It doesn't mean something's up that Gwen needs to talk about, right?

Well... maybe there are some things to be expected in their friendship, like if Gwen's reaching out, it's probably for a reason. Especially when she's trying to sound super casual.

>> Hey, buddy! Up for pizza for lunch? My treat!

See? Nothing suspicious about that at all!

Maybe there's nothing suspicious about the fact that she gets there first, either (Face it, Tiger... you're usually late, anyway).

John's Pizza on Bleeker Street in Greenwich Village, New York is a beloved pizzeria that has been serving up delicious pies for over 100 years. The restaurant has a classic and timeless feel, with red checkered tablecloths, wooden booths, and vintage photographs adorning the walls.

And by the time Peter arrives, Gwen's already seized one of the coveted lunchtime booths. Though she's still very much the Earth-65 Gwen Stacy with her pink-tipped hair, eyebrow piercing, and choker, there are hints of Peter's old Gwen creeping in around the edges. For one, she's wearing a black headband. Her hair is longer than it had been a few months ago, like she hadn't bothered to have it cut. She's got a teal coat lying over her backpack, and she's wearing a black blouse, pink skirt, black leggings, and boots.

She has her phone in her hands, quickly tapping out a message to... someone. Whoever it is, she's not looking up at the door when Peter enters.

Peter Parker has posed:
If anyone gets just how chaotic life can get it would certainly be Peter Parker.

He can match her in almost every sense of the word. Busy with school? Check. Hassles with work? Check. Relationship taking up lots of time? Oh yeah, he's right there. He even shares the need to keep the truth from family members to insure things don't go even more to shit then they already are.

Not that Peter would really consider things to be in the toilet at the moment for him. Yes, school is busy. A hassle even. Yes, working for the Daily Bugle -- and more specifically J. Jonah Jameson is always going to come with its fair share of annoyances and drawbacks. And yes, there might just be a hint more tension then there normally is between Felicia and himself thanks to her last mission.

Just a tiny bit though.

On the whole he can't complain. Too much. Afterall, he brings so many of the problems on himself. He can't walk away, can't get away from his overdeveloped sense of responsibility. Even on those occasions when he wishes he could.

So does Peter suspect that Gwen probably has some sort of ulterior motive to invite him out to lunch? Does he imagine that she has something she needs to discuss, or some sort of favor she needs to ask?

Well of course she does.

They have found an equilibrium between themselves. They have come to terms with the fact that neither one of them is quite like the version of themselves that the other knows best. They've found a way to become friends despite all that.

But they are probably not exactly destined to be best friends. Friends, yes, absolutely. But the sorts of friends that check in once a month kind of thing. Or if they have a favor to ask of the other. Or if there is an emergency.

Peter? He can live with that.

So long story short? Pete has no problem with the fact that he has been summoned for reasons besides the joy of his company. He has even less problem with that fact when he is getting some free pizza out of the deal. Free, good pizza. His day is looking up already.

He slips in, the lunch time rush a little past it's peak. Enough so that he can actually move about without resorting to Spider-agility. A heavy backpack, loaded down with textbooks and his laptop rests slung over his shoulder and despite the bustling ambience, it doesn't take him long to pick Gwen out of the crowd, heaving over to the booth that she's snagged for them.

Indeed, he gets right over there, slipping into the opposite side from her as he makes a clucking noise, tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Getting sloppy Stacy," he teases casually. "All distracted by your phone. Should I guess who you're talking to?" he adds with a faint smirk.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"Please. Like you don't get all mushy with Felicia," Gwen retorts without looking up. Peter knows as well as she does how much she 'relies' on her Spider-Sense. It's hard not to. Who wouldn't get a little complacent if they had an alarm in their head that went off any time something bad was about to happen?

There's the little 'dwoop' sound of the message being sent, and then Gwen flicks the screen off and sets the phone beside her on the table. Finally, she lifts those blue eyes to him, a warm smile tugging across her lips.

"Wait. Do you? Is that like -- "

She cuts herself off, holding up a hand and shaking her head.

"You know what? I'm sorry I asked. Not my business." She pauses, tongue tucking into her cheek. "Kind of like how you're okay with some of her extracurricular activities isn't really my business..."

She lifts her eyebrows fractionally, but there's humor in the curl of her lips.

She holds up her hands, though. "You don't have to answer. I didn't invite you out to lunch to bust your webs. I just.." She shrugs. "If you ever want someone to vent to, I'm here. And I'll do my best to understand without judgement. Scout's honor."

She holds up two fingers in 'salute' rather than the traditional three.

"To be honest, I was never a Girl Scout. Or a Boy Scout. But you get the point."

She grins a bit. And by the time she's finished that little rant, a waitress has made her way over to the table, too!

"Oh! Hey! Can I get a soda? And a..."

She looks back across the table.

"You wanna split like an extra-large supreme? Oh! Or we could do triple pepperoni.. your choice."

Peter Parker has posed:
It takes Peter a moment to get settled. By the looks of things he is apparently trying to haul around the contents of the New York Public Library in that backpack and even he with his strength gives a little grunt as he slips it from his pack, lifts it over his lap, and plucks it down beside him where it settles like a chubby toddler.

Hopefully without the screaming or throwing of food. Though given the amount of chemicals and other substances that have spilled over and in it through the years he wouldn't be surprised if it suddenly came to life and started shouting for her, for someone to rescue it from it's crazy ass owner.

"I hope you're not asking for details," he says archly, that smirk still etched across his faith before he shrugs, that expression easing back to a simpler grin. "I'm not sure that either of us love your phone quite as much as you do, but yeah, there are probably a few sickeningly sweet exchanges on mine if the password was ever to fall into the wrong hands," he concedes, idly patting his jacket pocket.

His expression smooths a little more and he gives a little nod at her offer. He has friends, a fair number actually. But those numbers drop off considerably if you're only talking about the ones that know about his secret identity. And maybe a little more when one throws Felicia into the mix as well. It's a thoughtful gesture and Pete gives a slow shrug and a smile. "I might take you up on it sometime. It's not necessarily as bad as you might imagine. She doesn't do things the way I would, but she usually has a good reason for what she does."

Usually. Most of the time he would concede that it's enough. Most of the time.

"Trust me, it shows," he retorts, some of that humor creeping back into his words, glancing up as there server makes their way to their table. "Make that two," Peter says in reference to the soda. Presumably the second one is for him, but it's not out of the question he's just assuming she's going to need another and is reacting proactively. "And a supreme sounds good," he agrees.

Straight and to the point, right? Their waitress takes their order and hurries onto the next table, clearly a little harried from the lunch time rush.

"Soooooo..." Peter begins casually. "What's up with you?"

Gwen Stacy has posed:
I hope you're not asking for details...

"Nope! I rescinded my question. I do not want to know," Gwen insists. There's just way too much weird familiarity there. She may not be his Gwen and he may not be her Peter, but she has seen him naked. Hell, she's had sex with him.

Well... not him. Ben. Which is... sort of the same thing. In a way. It at least means they know that they're both physically attracted to each other. So that whole topic of what happens in text messages is best left alone. Especially where specifics are concerned.

...but she usually has a good reason for what she does.

"Uh-huh."

You'd be hard pressed to find someone Gwen thought was 'good enough' for Peter. They may have a weird friendship, but she still has a kind of protective instinct. One that she probably has no right to have, but instincts are instincts. And a woman in a low-cut catsuit that has spent her life flirting heavily and mastering the art of taking advantage of people is... well... not her first choice for Peter.

She tries not to make a big deal about it.

Trust me, it shows.

She nabs one of the plastic straws out of the on-table dispenser and throws it at him, spear-like, with zero hopes it will hit in the forehead, where she aimed.

"Jerk," she grumps with a twist of a grin, no venom at all in the word.

Once the waitress is gone, Gwen heaves a sigh, though, and leans back in the booth.

"So, I don't know... um... how much you were keeping up with the whole... 'Ben' drama, late last year. I probably should have been doing a better job of keeping you in the loop, but..."

But at the time, it felt like ex-boyfriend drama. Not Peter-clone drama. As stated before, it's all very weird. And the tension in her smile and around her eyes makes it very clear just how uncomfortable the whole thing makes her.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
"So, back in December, Scarlet attacked Professor Warren in one of his labs. I don't know if you've ever taken one of his classes..."

It made the news.

"Anyway, I was there after class, and I sort of... jumped between them. I didn't really have time to change. So it was just... me. Luckily, it was enough, but Dr. Warren was so grateful he asked me to assist him on some research projects. Ben thinks he has something to do with... his... um... origin story."

It's a crowded restaurant. The ambiance is loud. The chances of being overheard are slim but not zero, so there's a little careful picking between words.

"So, I agreed... both because one of the projects was centered around cellular decay and I thought, if Dr. Warren was involved, maybe I could collect some evidence, you know?"

Yeah... none of this sounds like a good idea to be doing 'behind Peter's back.' It's not that Gwen -- that Spider-Woman -- needs Spider-Man's permission to do it. But, it's involving a lot of very Peter-adjacent things. And really, Peter's in a perfect position to have been helping, if Gwen wasn't so insistent on doing everything herself.

"Anyway... we -- Dr. Warren and I -- started on a new research grant together in January, at the start of the new term. And he was fine. He was very... polite. Grateful. Encouraging. But it's been three months working together, and things have gotten kind of... weird? It's nothing like touching or anything. Not... not exactly. I mean, it's not like he's putting his arm around me. But, he asks me a lot of personal questions. Questions that, honestly, I'm not even positive I'm answering correctly... questions about high school and how I got into modeling."

Questions only the 'real' Gwen would have experienced.

It's hard enough for a woman in her situation to trust her own instincts -- that a male mentor is actually crossing lines, even when she doesn't have actual physical evidence that there are lines being crossed. It's just a feeling. It's even harder to talk about it, given everything else.

"Do you know anything about Dr. Warren? I know he knew..." Her smile thins. "... me ... from high school. Some sort of OsCorp internship thing, which is how I have the scholarship now. But do you remember if there were like... creepy vibes or something?"

Peter Parker has posed:
They have always been in something of a weird spot. Ever since the day that she revealed the truth to him and broke the magical spell that prevents the world at large from knowing that she is not, in fact the Gwen Stacy from this reality. That Gwen Stacy -- his Gwen Stacy -- has been dead for years.

It was not exactly the easiest thing to come to terms with. Having the memory of Gwen's death collapse back over him in a rush while also being forced to come to terms with the fact that there was a different woman -- similar but not the same -- who had taken the place of his first real love.

Under those circumstances, a little awkwardness is inevitable. Under those circumstances, perhaps a little awkwardness between them might be the best that they can ever hope for.

It admittedly probably does not get any easier based on some of their choices in life. Like the fact that he dates a... reformed?... cat burglar. That he is living with her. That he possibility, even the likelihood of an actual future with her seems to get more real by the day.

Nor is he the only one that makes decisions that are a little tough to deal with. That put their friendship to the test. She's dated his clone -- the next best thing to dating him in many respects. That Ben was passing himself off as Peter as the time doesn't make it any less awkward.

Nor is it even just limited to that. While they might be on more cordial terms these days, the fact of the matter is that her dating history includes Venom -- Eddie Brock -- a creature right out of his nightmares given his personal knowledge of his identity and the fact that he doesn't trigger Peter's Spider-Sense. There's so many ways that could go terribly wrong. Not just for him. But for the people he cares about most.

So yeah. Awkward might be too mild a way to describe their relationship, their background and maybe, potentially even their future. But they've managed to persevere through all of that, found a reason to stay friends.

While Peter can get defensive about certain things, can be overly protective on certain subjects, he doesn't seem particularly phased when Ben is mentioned, that the reason she's called him here at least tangentially involves him as well.

It wouldn't be a shock if he was. The subject of Ben, of Kaine can always be tricky. That he has 'brothers' after being raised an only child has been hard to come to terms with. He hasn't always been as good about providing the support that they sometimes need, that he can't always put himself in their shoes and see that -- as rough as he might think he has it -- they have their own trials and tribulations they have to endure.

It is an unfortunate truth that it is easier for Peter to feel a general sense of responsibility in general then he does to the two men who quite literally share his genetic makeup. He knows it's a failing, one he has resolved to try and improve upon multiple times in the past.

It's a resolution that rarely seems to endure.

But apparently Gwen isn't going to be held responsible for not coming to him before this. Apparently he doesn't see it as 'his business', even if it is vaguely related to him. Peter-adjacent perhaps. They share a lot. Somethings they are entitled to try and deal with on their own. Until they ask for help.

At the mention of Doctor Warren, a faint frown slides over Peter's expression. "I know him. I haven't had a lot of interaction with him lately. Not in senior year or now that I'm in my Masters program. I got much more involved with Doc Connors at that point," he offers up. But clearly he knows who she's speaking about.

"But yeah, even going back to high school both Gwen and I knew him. He was involved with our AP science courses. We were his two brightest students so he took a particular interest," he explains.

Peter Parker has posed:
As she explains what she's been up to, as she explains Ben's belief that Miles Warren is somehow involved in his creation, that Gwen has been spying on him, that he has been giving her weird vibes, a small frown begins to grow on Peter's expression. "I haven't thought about it a lot recently, but now that you mention it..." he begins, pausing for a moment.

"Back in the day Gwen and I were distinctly his favorite students. And then something changed. He got... a little less friendly with me. I mean, I thought he was justified. It was the Spider-Man thing. Same old story, right? I would be late. I would be unreliable. I got a lecture about wasting my gifts. I mean, it's not anything Doc Connors hasn't occasionally intimated either. He's just more... courteous about it. Less cold."

"I mean, on the surface there's nothing really there, but at the same time he started cutting me out, he did seem to start, I don't know, start clinging to Gwen more. He was certainly fond of her. I never saw him cross any lines. She never told me he crossed any of them. I mean, I didn't think anything at the time, because his complaints to me seemed legitimate, but they also started right about the same time he found out that Gwen and I were dating. He walked in on us ahem making out in the middle of an assignment he'd given us. He wasn't very pleased," he concedes.

"He certainly wasn't my biggest fan after she died. After I got to ESU. I wasn't sorry when I stopped drawing him to teach my classes. Again, never crossed a line. My marks might have been just a smidge lower in his classes then in others, but again, nothing that made me think too much about it. He was a little snide at times, a little condescending, but yeah, that was about it."

Peter's brow furrows, his gaze sharpening, focusing on Gwen now. "Why? Is he giving off creepy vibes now?" he asks, his tone hardening just a little.

She's not 'his' Gwen. But it's hard not to get a little defensive about the possibility. It's hard not to start to look back and examine old interactions in a new light.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
It's hard, taking over someone else's life, even if you are them from another dimension. You might look the same. You might even have basically the same DNA. But that doesn't mean you have all their memories, their personality, their experiences, knowledge, or desires.

If she'd had Gwen's memories, she would have known all of this already. She'd have known going into this research project that there was already a 'vibe' with Dr. Warren and she could have either avoided the project entirely or found a way to minimize 'alone time' with him.

Well, better late than never, right?

It didn't help that the questions he was asking -- about high school, about her social life, about modeling -- now felt more like checking to see if she knew the answers. Was he suspicious? He couldn't know, could he? If he found out Gwen had died, he wouldn't just be suspicious. He'd be outright accusing her of being an imposter.

Or.. a clone.

Was her interest in cellular degradation for Ben's sake making her seem suspicious? Was she at risk of exposing her own secret -- not just Ghost-Spider, but that she's from an entirely different dimension -- because she was trying to help Ben?

Why is being a Spider never simple and straightforward?

Gwen's so attentive as Peter speaks that she barely looks up during one of his breaks to thank the waitress for dropping off their drinks.

She listens to the rest with a straw tucked between her lips, her eyes never wavering. Given that she wasn't just Dr. Warren's student -- she was secretly keeping tabs on him to see if he was a supervillain who had cloned Peter not one but two separate times -- she was going to need every list bit of this information.

Why? Is he giving off creepy vibes now?

Gwen's shoulder slump, and the straw pops free. "I... don't know. Maybe? But after all that, I'm starting to wonder if he's the one who's suspicious of me. What if he doesn't have anything to do with Ben's past? What if, of the two of us, I'm a lot closer to being a supervillain than he is, and he's putting pieces together?"

Maybe respected scientist Dr. Miles Warren cloned Peter to make Kaine and Ben and is somehow concealing the fact.

But Gwen definitely had her ex-girlfriend cast a magic spell on the entire world so that she could steal a dead woman's identity. Just so she could live more comfortably. And she hasn't even told her father so he could properly mourn.

It's something that weighs on her. Every single day. And it's one of the reasons -- though certainly not the only reason -- she has so few friends.

Gwen lets out a sigh, reaching up to rub the back of her neck.

"I mean... that whole thing, where his behavior towards you changed when he caught you guys making out? That was my first instinct. I've stopped telling him I have to go because I have plans with my boyfriend. It feels like every time I do, the importance of whatever he wants me to stay for multiplies by a factor of ten. It feels like... jealousy. Like he doesn't want me to see Dick. But on the other hand, he's right. He is busy and I am trying to finish my dissertation. And the more progress we make, the more likely we are to find something that can help Ben."

She laughs softly as she shakes her head, the sound weak and tired.

"I feel like I'm losing my mind. I mean, I told Dick he sort of creeps me out, but what's he supposed to say? He's never even met Dr. Warren, doesn't know the history. God, I didn't even know the history for this conversation. So, I thought I'd mention it in case it triggered any... you know... Peter-tingles."

That last has a wry grin tugging at her lips.

Peter Parker has posed:
For the most part it is a question that Peter doesn't ask himself.

There are a host of reasons why he doesn't ask himself. In part because doing what they do requires a certain reckless confidence. They throw themselves off buildings, they catch flying cars, they battle a host of superpowered foes with powers that can be a whole lot more amazing -- and a whole lot more powerful -- then being a man-sized spider.

He doesn't ask it because for the most of the time, it is genuinely not how Peter sees himself. He tries diligently to help others. Sometimes even to his own detriment. Far too often to his own detriment really.. Yes, he enjoys it too, but mostly it is driven by a sense of responsibility. By empathy for others, not for any sort of selfish end.

So yeah, it's rare that he wonders. But like Gwen, every once in awhile he has to wonder. At least on some level.

Am I the bad guy?

Certainly the Daily Bugle would argue that he is. In fact they pretty much do on an almost daily basis. While Peter might find J. Jonah Jameson to be a bit of a blowhard, the fact of the matter is that he was a great reporter once. He does have certain journalistic standards and principles -- at least when it comes to anything that doesn't involve Spider-Man. And while he might have his supporters, or at least more sympathetic voices like Robbie Robertson or Ben Urich at the Bugle maybe it isn't as much of a leap as he might like.

The police aren't fond of him either. He is a masked vigilante afterall. He does refuse to recognize the police's authority of them, frequently fleeing from them, refusing to provide statements and generally taking the law into his own hand. More then a few of New York's Finest would say there is little difference between Spider-Man and Doc Ock.

There is also the fact that his first instinct when he got these powers was not to go out and help people with them. It wasn't to do great things. It was to go out and seek fame and fortune with them and it was only when his selfishness resulted in his beloved uncle's death that he changed. Not because it was the right thing to do, but because he felt guilty.

Not exactly the most noble of back stories.

Like Gwen, he almost doesn't notice their waitresses return, consumed in reliving those past encounters, in replaying those moments with his Gwen in his head.

He doesn't think about her much anymore. In part because he has moved on. In part because there is still a Gwen in his life even if not his Gwen. And in part because it's still painful. It will always be painful.

So he absently deposits his stray in his own cola, hardly even noticing what he's doing as he lifts it to his mouth, a half-frown still resting in place there as he tries to run through every little incident in his head. Every half remembered suspicion or faint moment of unease.

In the end he own unease is what helps snap him out of his own. Helps his banish that flicker of doubt.

"You're not the bad guy here. You're trying to help a friend. An ex-boyfriend at that. And yeah, I can question your taste in men," Pete says with a faint smirk, "But the fact of the matter you had a lot of reasons to just right him off and you didn't."

"As for the whole making the world forget, that is at best an error in judgement from someone dealing with the most extreme sort of situation. In a new reality and wanting to fit in? That doesn't make you a villain Gwen. It makes you human," he adds a little more gently.

Then that frown starts to creep back over his face. "As for Professor Warren... I just don't know. Like I said, I sort of took it at face value at the time, but now when I look back at it I have to wonder. He felt like he was a little too fond of my Gwen. A little too close. In retrospect I could definitely see there being something a little unsavory there," he admits.

Peter Parker has posed:
"I also don't want to smear him. Like I said, there are reasons he could have taken a dislike for me besides jealousy," Peter allows. "But we have pretty good instincts. If he feels off to you, if he feels like he wants to keep you around, keeping you away from Gotham and that it gets worse whenever you mention Dick I wouldn't dismiss that casually," he admits.

Then he smirks faintly once more. "So if you want my Peter-tingle answer, it would be that all signs point towards yes. Professor Warren might be a creeper. Does that make him a mad scientist? Harder to say. But I mean, if anyone on staff would have the expertise..." he says, letting his words trail off.

Where there's smoke there is fire, right?

Gwen Stacy has posed:
... that is at best an error in judgement ...

It happens as if in slow motion. Gwen's eyes go wide. The same kind of wide one might expect from those pink-rimmed eyelets of Ghost-Spider's mask, if she were watching the Empire State Building collapse right in front of her.

Peter thinks it was an error in judgement?

Peter. Gwen's Peter. The man who loved her thinks it was... a mistake? That she should be existing without the spell? That she shouldn't have taken the old Gwen's identity?

For a few seconds, there's a rushing in her ears, and her eyes seem to lose focus. But why is this news? Of course it was wrong of her to do it. She took the memory of his dead girlfriend away from everyone. So what that she wanted an opportunity to have a normal life? To have a job, an education, an apartment, a... dad. The fact that she wanted a chance to survive didn't make it right for her to steal the memories of an entire planet, to make them forget something as tragic as a death of someone as beloved as Gwen Stacy -- at least, this dimension's Gwen Stacy.

She's not sure she's ever been beloved. Maybe by Peter -- her Peter. May. Her dad, at least until... until he found out the truth. Most of the time, she didn't even get along with MJ, Betty, and Glory, and they were all in a band together. Hell, one of Dick's brothers ran her off, and all she was doing was looking for a book in the library.

Spider-Woman was beloved. At least, for the most part. By the people. Not necessarily the cops. Definitely not the crooks. That's why she preferred the mask. It kept people away from the truth. It kept people away from... her.

It makes you human.

It turns out the color had mostly drained from her face in the time it took him to finish a sentence. The rushing in her ears was at least quiet enough to let her hear that -- the assurance that she's fallible, but it's fine, because she's human. Just as fucked as the rest of the people out there making goblin formulas and lizard serums and cybernetic tentacles and all the other things humans justify.

He doesn't mean it like that.

Does he?

It's hard to hide the notes of panic creeping in around the corners of her eyes or the hint of anguish that Peter Parker's opinion matters more to her than she would ever admit. Is it because he's Peter, even though he's not 'her' Peter? Because he's Spider-Man? Or simply because he's her friend?

There's more talking. More explanation. She's trying to focus. She's trying not to lose herself into the spiral of self-doubt, that maybe every bit of good she's done up to this point is all negated by that one desperate action... that maybe she really is a fundamentally bad person.

So if you want my Peter-tingle answer...

Breathe, Gwen.

Focus.

"Okay... so... let's say he's a creeper. And maybe that implies he's also a mad scientist. Does that mean I should spend more or less time with him?"

Peter Parker has posed:
Once upon a time there was no one that Peter Parker was closer to then Gwen Stacy.

But this isn't his Gwen Stacy. He doesn't know her as well as he did this reality's Gwen. He doesn't always notice or anticipate those little shifts in moods. He can't always anticipate just how she's going to react.

His words were meant to be reassuring. To sooth away concerns that she was somehow guilty of supervillain evil for changing the world with magic for what could be considered self-serving ends.

To reassure her that even though he was as affected as almost anyone he, at least, didn't hold a grudge. That he understood her reasons. Understood why she might feel the need to search for a way to fit in, to not have to endure even more hardship of being an outcast. An outcast from her world, an outcast from her family. To be rejected by George Stacy yet again after what she had just been through.

No, he doesn't know her as well as he did his Gwen.

But Peter is intuitive enough to pick up on the fact that she doesn't seem to be hearing all his words. Or maybe just not registering everything he's say. He can see that look in her eyes, can see the fact that she is -- if not facing a full-blown panic -- at the very least discomforted by the fact that he hasn't completely dismissed her concerns.

A part of him wants to reassure her. Even now. Not just because in that moment he sees some of the vulnerability that he once did in the Gwen he knew, that he loved. But simply because she's his friend. And he doesn't want her to feel bad.

He also doesn't want to lie to her.

It's not like she's alone though, in making questionable decisions. They all do it. They all have to react sometimes, with little time to truly consider the ramifications of the decisions that they make. To fully consider the consequences.

Sometimes those decisions have life and death ramifications. Sometimes they can change the world.

All they can do is to do their best.

So his expression grows a little more serious and he reaches across the table, covering one of her hands with his own. "Hey. You did the best you could with the information and what you were dealing with at the time. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred I think most of us -- myself included -- would have made the same decision," he asserts.

"I don't know if it's better. To remember that there used to be a different Gwen. I don't know if your dad -- Gwen's dad -- would have been better off if he could have mourned. Or if he's better off because he still has you in his life. As far as he can tell he still has his daughter. At the very least he has a part of her. One of the best parts," he adds quietly.

"I grew up with my parents. I would give up a lot to have them back in my life. Even if they weren't exactly my real parents," he muses before shaking his head.

"Anyway, it wasn't meant to be a critique. Just a reminder that you're no more perfect then the rest of us and you shouldn't expect yourself to be. That doesn't mean you're in the wrong here," he says firmly.

"And as for Warren... I don't know," he admits slowly. "I mean, it's an awkward situation, right? If he's just a pure creeper you might be feeding his obsession. That's probably not good for either of you," he admits.

"But if he did have something to do with cloning me, if he does have something to do with Ben and Kaine... finding that out could make a big difference," he concedes slowly.

"Only you know if it's worth it Gwen. I wouldn't advise you to stick around if you're getting seriously dangerous, creepy vibes. But if you can hang in there, maybe you can do some good. Maybe we can get out in front of one of the freaks we inevitably end up having to deal with..."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
After crashing into this dimension on the run from her own father and his police force, discovering that her best friend -- whom she'd just watched die in her arms -- was still alive (not to mention this dimension's Spider-Man), taking the memory of his girlfriend's death away from him, and then giving it back with the added caveat that -- surprise -- she's not said girlfriend but she is here to stay...

... it's a wonder they're friends at all.

It's a wonder Peter is willing to even speak to her, much less be nice to her. After all, she's not his Gwen. She's just some woman who happens to look a lot like his Gwen and spontaneously decided to take over his Gwen's life where she left off.

He owes her nothing. Maybe another man would even hold a grudge against her as a usurper. Maybe he would web her up, expose her identity, and leave her for the police and god knows who else... the dimensional authorities, maybe?

It's a testament to who Peter is as a person that instead of doing that, he can look her in the eye and say the words, You did the best you could.

He's really not so different from her own Peter Parker. He's just as kind, smart, and unflappably optimistic.

Maybe if she carried around less guilt, they'd be closer friends.

Maybe that's why she'd fallen in love with Ben, once upon a time.

Anyway, it wasn't meant to be a critique.

Gwen blows out a breath, her shoulders sagging, eyes dipping towards the table. He saw it -- the panic in her eyes. Of course he saw it. For as much as she tells herself that she'd not 'his' Gwen, there seems to be a kind of rhythm to the multiverse. Patterns. Just as he's so similar to her Peter, she's probably a lot more similar to his Gwen than she'd like to admit.

After all, isn't that why her dad continues to believe?

"Thanks, Pete," she murmurs, reaching up to brush blonde hair back behind her ear.

It does help. It quiets the building panic. It doesn't wash away all the conflict and the guilt she still feels, but it keeps her from spiraling -- from convincing herself that Peter Parker secretly resents her entire existence. It helps to know that he understands, that he sees her flaws and her desperate need for survival, and he doesn't hate her for it.

Gwen Stacy has posed:
The rest? The guilt? The fact that she's not sure she'd make a different decision today? That she's not sure she'd be capable of giving up her own identity -- her ability to get a state ID, a passport, a degree, a job, a marriage license -- just to restore the memory of Gwen Stacy's death, even if she had that option?

Well, she's been trying to process that for the last five years, and she still hasn't managed it. There's no use hoping that guilt will go away anytime soon.

But if you can hang in there...

"Well, I mean..."

But just as she starts to speak, the waitress comes back with the steaming hot pizza on an elevated tray and a couple of plates.

"Thanks," she offers warmly, looking up with a smile that isn't quite genuine, but close enough. She's used to pushing her emotions down, putting on a brave face even when she doesn't necessarily feel as cheerful as she might look.

She folds her arms on the edge of the table, looking across at Peter once the waitress is walking away again.

"It is awkward. And I don't mean I'd try to convince him to do something... gross. I'm not going to throw myself at him. For one, ew. And two, that's just wrong. Just as wrong as Scarlet nearly beating him to death without any proof. But.. I'm not exactly your average grad student, either. I don't have any reason to be afraid of him. But maybe, instead of bolting, I can get him to tell me about more of his past work..."

She lets out a sigh.

It's such a fine line. By not shutting it down, she'd be leaving a door open. She could be seen as encouraging it, even if she doesn't openly flirt with him for information. On the other hand, if she changes teachers, drops off of his research project, and puts space between them, she may never find out the truth.

"God, this stuff makes me hungry," she mutters a moment later, finally reaching for a slice.

Peter Parker has posed:
Was the knowledge that he had been made to forget the truth about the woman he loved for a time a hard pill to swallow?

Of course it was. How could it be anything else?

But it was tempered by the knowledge that -- at least for a little bit -- all of that associated pain that came right along with that loss was also forgotten for a time. That he got the luxury of thinking Gwen -- his Gwen -- was alive for a time. And if it seemed strange that they had gone their separate ways, he would much rather know that she was out there and happy.

Having it crash all back in on him when he found out the truth was... unpleasant. Did some part of him probably blame her in that instant? Probably.

Peter Parker can be ridiculously stubborn in the pursuit of what he believes in. He can act against his own interests, can put himself in danger, can propel himself through gauntlets that would break most other people. And it is not as if he is incapable of holding a grudge.

He very nearly killed the man who killed his uncle when he cornered him, stepping back from that abyss only at the last minute. The same is true of Hammerhead as well, when he was under the impression that the gangster had killed Felicia. It was another time that he came perilously close to breaking his own code, to setting it aside. To indulging in the hatred he felt in his heart.

They are not the only ones. There are a few of his foes that have affected him in very personal ways that he has not forgotten or entirely forgiven.

So he is by no means perfect, by no means always able to turn the other cheek no matter the circumstances.

But by his very nature he is also a scientist. He is a rational thinker. He is someone that prizes level headed thought. There is a part of him that just throws himself into situations and reacts on instinct to be sure. And when that goes wrong, he always retreats to the thing that has tended to see him through life when it really counts. Clear headed thought.

And what does that tell him about her? That while she might not be his Gwen, it is the circumstances of her life that make her different. That she is every bit as decent, every bit of worthy of faith as his first love was. That there isn't a malicious bone in her body.

How can he hate that? How can he allow someone like that to suffer when a few simple words might make a difference, might lessen the guilt that is clearly etched there in her eyes?

Besides, truth be told he is not at all sure that he is doing her any favors in suggesting that she stick it out with Miles Warren. That she find out what she can. Find out whether he is actually the threat that Ben Reilly believes him to be.

The best case scenario? That he's just fundamentally a harmless professor with a crush on a prized student. Which is still icky -- especially given that she is said student. But at least wouldn't pose any real threat.

Not that a college professor is likely to be much of a threat to someone with their powers regardless, at least not beyond an emotional level. But still.

That he has something of a personal stake in all of this is part of what keeps him from doing anything more then dipping his head her way as she thanks him. For the reassurance and for the advice. It can't help but be an awkward situation. And while it fundamentally might be to help Ben, Peter can't deny that if Miles Warren is the one responsible for cloning him, well, he would like to know.

"I wouldn't expect you too. Because yeah, kinda gross. Especially if he has been creeping on, well, not exactly you but the memory of her," he agrees earnestly. "It shouldn't really matter, but I'd admittedly sleep better if we knew for sure, one way or the other. And I can't imagine anyone has a better chance then you at finding out the truth without things going completely sideways," he adds on a more thoughtful note.

Peter Parker has posed:
It's not just to his benefit, to her benefit to find out what's going on. It very well might be to Miles Warren's benefit too, if they can find out for sure. If they can clear him, or even find out that while involved in Ben and Kaine's creation, he's fundamentally harmless.

Better then leaving him to be attacked by one of Peter's 'brothers' again.

As the pizza arrives, it isn't just Gwen that reaches for it. Pete snags his own slice just as fast, flashing that familiar grin across the table at her. It isn't lost on him that she's like him. It's an expression she's seen so many times before. Just not on his face. On her Peter.

"Of course it does. We're spiders. Everything makes us hungry."

Gwen Stacy has posed:
And I can't imagine anyone has a better chance...

Heat rises into Gwen's cheeks, and though she doesn't say anything to the words, there's a look in her eye.

Appreciation. Warmth.

These are the moments she treasures. Easy friendship. Having someone to talk to.

Of course it does. We're spiders. Everything makes us hungry.

Gwen laughs even though she's already got her mouth half-full with pizza, trying to juggle the hot slice and weigh her desire to consume it while the cheese and sauce are still molten.

It's still totally worth it.

That grin on Peter's lips as he reaches for his own, though, is... everything. It's five years in the past and a boy who died far, far too young in her arms. It's a lifetime of growing up together, playing D&D, eating dinner, laughing, studying. It's putting herself between him and his bullies, daring them to try it with her even before she had her powers. It's home.

Maybe, to some extent, it helps that Gwen never had 'those kinds of feelings' for her Peter. She loved Peter. She would have died for Peter. But it still wasn't the same kind of love this Peter had for his Gwen.

It is complicated because she loved Ben, of course...

Loves. Not loved.

Gwen can't let go of love easily. Once it's in there, it kinda... sticks. If she didn't still love him, she would never have reached out last year. She would never have sat with him, never met him for coffee, never listened to what he's going through. He'd just be.. an ex.

But that's why it hurt so much when she told him she was with Dick now -- that she could be there for him, just not in that way -- and he bolted. He stopped talking to her. Just... cut her off. Like she meant nothing.

Yet she hasn't stopped looking for a cure. She hasn't stopped looking into Miles Warren. She hasn't stopped doing everything in her power to help him.

But that's Gwen.

As much as it hurt, she doesn't hold it against Ben. She may not understand what it feels like to be a clone, but she understands what it's like to live in the shadow of someone else's identity. And she understands better than most what it feels like to have someone you love turn their back on you.

Ben may never be able to accept that she's moved on, but she will, at least, do her best to make sure he has a long and healthy time to decide.

"MRFPHH! HOT."

Gwen fans her mouth with her fingers as she chews and then sucking down some of her soda.

"Okay. Enough heavy crap. Tell me about school. Or Felicia. Or.. I don't know.. do you do anything besides school and Felicia anymore?"

Yes, that word choice was deliberate. It shows in the mischievous twinkle in her eye and wry twist of her mouth.