32 Eternal Beauty

I'm kinda sad that nobody got who the homeless man was last chapter - of course, I didn't expect many of you to...but : (. Hint : He ain't from the Marvel Multiverse (Don't worry, it isn't a crossover, just a cameo for the OG's )

Another thing, I agree that I kinda got sidetracked with the side characters - I just cant help but write them as it just happens to happen. Ill try to stick to Peter more from now on. Enjoy the long ass chapter with a fuck ton of the best ship ever.

***

"Nonono, that won't go with your eyes!", May shook her head as she watched Peter choose a black shirt and pants. Peter had tentatively asked her to help him with his wardrobe for the dinner and she'd reacted with more enthusiasm than he'd ever expected. She dragged him up to his room.

"Should it really?", he scratched his head as he looked at his aunt, who looked scandalised at the sentence.

"It should be perfect!", May said in a shrill voice.

"But it's Gwe-

"It's not for Gwen, you buffoon! She'd head over heels for you either way!"

Peter almost blushed but managed to hide it while May continued.

"It's for George and Helen. Use that brain of yours, you do not go to a dinner dressed in all black."

"If you say so", he shrugged, choosing to trust May's experience. "But I don't have any other good clothes to wear."

May furrowed her brows, thinking for a few moments before jumping up in excitement. "I think Ben may have some of Richard's old clothes."

"He does?", Peter raised an eyebrow. He knew that Ben was sentimental, but still keeping his brother's clothes with him was something he did not expect. It seemed that brotherly love couldn't really be forgotten...

"Yup!", May beamed. "It may be a little tight around the shoulders, but it'll be perfect. I'll give you the one Ben told me Richards wore on his first date."

***

"It does look nice...", Peter smiled as he stood in front of the mirror in the dining hall.

A soothing, calm white shirt covered his upper body, while comfortable chocolate brown pants gave him a casual yet sophisticated look. His glasses just added to the look and boosted his already impressive handsomeness. He didn't need to wear anything more formal as it was just a dinner at somebody else's place - of course, to him, it was more than just a dinner.

"You look so much like him, you know...", Ben reminisced, his eyes clearly going back to a different time. "Just not as handsome as I was."

"Oh, totally", May teased Ben, poking his stomach. "You wish."

"Why are you booing me? I'm right", he said in fake indignation. "My handsomeness was at such an incredible level, that it was viewed as average. I suffered from success!:

"Whatever makes you happy, Ben", she sighed and looked at the clock that read 7:20 pm. "Don't forget the gift, Peter. You don't have much time."

"Oh, I won't", he smiled and eyed the beautifully crafted vase with all the more artistic white roses intertwined in such a way that would be practically impossible. Even the way the plants were positioned was a work of art - but that was but one aspect of the ingenious gift he had thought of.

The charming flowers in the vase that May herself had designed, were the product of genetic engineering, one that he accomplished in his homeland. Its lifespan was greatly extended and it was almost always in its blooming phase, thus its fragrance would rarely, if ever decrease.

But the thing that made it unique was the ability to be customised. If it was watered with scented water, it would adopt that scent until it was watered with some other scent. This was due to the specialised receptors in its roots capable of recognising and binding to the molecules that were responsible for the aforementioned scent. That would set off a series of chemical reactions and processes that would take a research paper to properly detail, eventually leading to the activation of a gene that would produce the scent and the deactivation of the gene that was producing the current scent.

This process would take a few minutes at worst and half a minute at best, depending on which gene would be activated. This coupled with the vase and the flowers, it would make for a damn good gift.

'At least I hope so...', He sighed to himself.

"Alright then, I'll be off", he waved his aunt and uncle goodbye before heading for the door.

"Good luck!", May called out after him with a knowing smile.

"You better compensate for today's dinner!", Ben chimed in.

"Dinner? Whats going on?", May frowned. "You've been making Peter do it?"

"I-it's nothing, dear..."

"Dear? You only call me that when you did something wrong, you scoundrel.", May turned to Ben with her hands on her hips. "Out with it!"

Ben who was now sweating turned to Peter who was in the process of shutting the door. 

"Peter, hel-

CLICK!

The door shut with the sound of faint laughter.

"That son of a bitch."

"Ben! What did you just say!"

"Lord Jesus, I pray unto thee, hel-

***

He'd faced off against a genocidal mass-murdering terrorist, and killed one of the Kings of the Hellfire club that was a large part of the world economy, but when he walked over to Gwen's house that was merely a hundred feet away, he couldn't stop his heart from pounding.

He was still a teenager when he got unwillingly thrown into this world, and given his lifestyle, he had negligible to zero experience with romance. But even then, he knew for a certainty that he liked Gwen. He really couldn't put a finger on why, but it was perhaps a combination of her personality, her beauty and the fact that she still had the tiny hope that the world wasn't the shitfest that it is. Any person who could continue to have such optimism in this crazy world was someone who was either insane or had a nearly indestructible spirit. Moreover, if anybody could rein him in and stop him from becoming a psychotic megalomaniac that he most certainly had tendencies, it was Gwen.

The month, or month and a half that he'd spent with her had given birth to feelings that he hoped would never fizzle out - ones that he hoped would grow into something more...

'So this is it...', he thought as he looked up at the two-story house. It looked far more modern than his own house, which he could easily see if he looked to the right.

It was more rectangular, lacking the tiled roof, but having a terrace instead. It was painted white, with large balconies lined with glass walls and decorated with plants. A smaller, warehouse-esk building sat next to it, also covered in plants that gave it a beauty thatIt must've cost a small fortune to get something like this in New York City.

He looked up at the sky that, thankfully and surprisingly, was not obscured by light pollution. The stars were beginning to come out, playfully looking down on Peter, as though poking fun at his nervousness. Ironically, looking at the darkening sky gave him a sense of peace that partially quelled his nerves; his days at the university flitting past his evolved brain, evoking a sense of nostalgia that he most definitely appreciated.

He checked his internal clock, which was basically him assigning a minuscule part of his brain to count every second of the day, which informed him of the time.

7:29 pm

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door and the very next second...

CLICK!

***

The door swung open with surprising speed and Peter's breath caught in his throat. He could sense Gwen's mind behind the wood, but that barely mattered.

Her playful blue irises stared back at him as her blonde hair was tied back in a neatly put-together ponytail. She was dressed like every other day, in a loose T - shirt and pants but she looked unusually beautiful - was it because of him finally making up his fickle mind?

'The brain really does wonders, eh?', he thought mirthfully.

"Peter! You're here!", she squealed, dashing forward and engulfing him in a hug, and much to her surprise, he very willingly reciprocated. His now much bigger figure easily enveloped her small frame. After the lizard serum, he could physically feel how much Gwen held back when hugging him - her muscles were extremely loose, using the very bare minimum, not knowing he could withstand her full power and more.

"Hoo musch tallor are uoe goin to get?!", she muttered, her voice muffled owing to her face being shoved in his chest.

"Haven't you been asking this all week?", he chuckled managing to prevent the vase from falling using his adhesive touch.

"You've been growing all week", he retorted, extracting himself from his arms and looking up at him.

"I have not!"

"Have."

"Have not!"

"Have."

Gwen chuckled, grabbing his collar and bringing him closer which almost made his heart explode.

'This is too soon! I'm not ready!', he thought in a panic as her lips drew ever closer, his enhanced brain making him experience it for far longer than what it would usually take.

But just as he'd resigned himself to the fact that he was getting his first kiss, Gwen swept past his face, bringing her mouth close to his ear.

"My upgrades are done. I'll show them to you later", she whispered, pulling back and letting go of his collar, leaving him in a daze - the mischievous smile dancing on her lips betraying the fact that she knew full well what she was doing.

'Damn, she's getting me good every time', he thought after his thoughts slowly unscrambled. The night already had a great start.

"Oh! what's that?", She asked, eyeing the beautiful vase with the white flowers in his hand.

"Huh...ah, that. Just a little gift I made. A pet project I had", he got out of his stupor looking at Gwen whose practically glowing eyes were fixated on the vase.

"You made?!"

"Yeah, genetically engineered the flowers to last longer and diffuse any scent it is watered with", he answered proudly.

"Wow...can I hold it?"

"Sure", he gave it to Gwen who held it as though it would crumble any second. "Its...wow...its beautiful."

Peter gave her a small smile but was internally whooping with joy, his inner lizard roaring in glee.

"But...you do know that white roses are a stand-in for purity and true love", Gwen smirked, looking at Peter, her blue eyes gleaming.

'Ah shit, here we go again...', he mentally sighed, preparing himself to leave with blue balls for the umpteenth time.

"Love?", a deep voice emanated from the door as a familiar large man with neatly combed blond hair walked out of the doorway, dressed in a shirt and a pant.

His eyes flicked to Peter's dishevelled collar, Gwen holding a vase of white roses and her playful smile that he'd seen on his wife more times than one.

He raised an eyebrow toward Peter with an impressed look.

"Is there something I should know...?", he asked, inquisitively and got an answer almost immediately. 

"Nope", Gwen said before looking at Peter. "Come on in, Mom has just set dinner up."

She turned around and skipped back into the house, calling out for her mom, wanting to show her his gift, leaving her father and him staring at each other.

"It's nice to meet you, sir.", Peter quickly adjusted his collar, walked forward and extended his hand to the police captain.

"Oh please...", George swatted his hand away and pulled him in for a hug. "You saved Gwen twice. Call me George."

"Err...Sure thing", a surprised Peter said, looking up at the large man who was still a few inches over him.

George gave a low whistle, "She really wasn't lying, eh? You really did grow taller. Puberty didn't work the first time?"

"Seems that way."

"You hungry?"

"Very."

"Come on in, then. Helen really cooked up a storm in there."

***

Peter swallowed the saliva that'd accumulated in his mouth as he stared at the fully decked table before him.

An unnaturally large roast chicken slathered in butter and spices sat at the very centre, as though it was preparing to compete with a Thanksgiving turkey. Two large bowls of mashed potatoes sat on either side, one a creamy mixture of butter and milk while the other, butter and garlic while rich and savoury gravy sat north of the main course. Fresh green beans sauteed with slivered almonds sat at the very edge, as though no one wanted to have a piece of it, while large pieces of warm, freshly baked cornbread with a hint of honey sat next to each individual plate of which there were four.

"You really went above and beyond, didn't you, honey", George said, eyeing the chicken as though it owed him money as his wife walked into the dining hall with large glasses of iced tea.

"I heard Peter was coming over", she said in her signature soft voice, placing the cups on the table and sliding into her seat with the grace of a ballerina.

She had dark, black hair and a kind face with even kinder blue eyes that were an exact copy of Gwen's. She was beautiful and had an aura of motherly love that couldn't be mistaken for anything else. Still, the playfulness behind her eyes was something that he'd most definitely seen before.

"Mom, I'm hungry, can we eat?", Gwen groaned from beside him, poking at the chicken with her fork.

"Gwendolyn! Where are your manners", she spoke sharply.

"It's just Peter...", she grumbled.

"Well, I ain't going to wait", George grinned and began cutting into the chicken.

"George....", she sighed as her daughter took after her father before looking at Peter, who could only watch as Gwen dumped a large piece of chicken on his plate, with reproachful eyes.

"Let's leave these savages to their own devices, Peter", she shook her head. "I really wanted to know more about the flowers you brought. The ones Gwen was prancing about with."

"Tha wasn' pancin", Gwen complained with a full mouth and Peter chuckled and gladly began explaining, digging into an absolutely scrumptious dinner.

***

CLINK

"Whew...that was something. I'm stuffed", George burped as he finished the last of his iced tea.

"Manners...nobody has them these days...", Helen grumbled, cleanly wiping her mouth with a napkin while Peter leaned back on his chair, clearly satisfied.

With his metabolism, he could practically eat enough food to make any ordinary person faint, but the dinner he'd just inhaled was more than enough for his demanding tastebuds. Even Gwen looked highly pleased, but oddly, a bit nervous.

"That really was a lovely dinner, Ms Stacy", Peter said, meaning every word. She was a damn good cook - George was a lucky man. 

"Thank you, dear", she said kindly. "And call me Helen, Ms Stacy makes me feel old."

"Time comes for us all...", Gwen suddenly whispered in an ominous tone which made Helen's head snap to the side.

"You have something to say to me, young lady?"

Gwen's eyes flicked to the clock on the wall that read 9: 00 pm - They'd really eaten and talked for a long while.

She stood up from the table and stretched, much to her mother's indignation. She grabbed Peter's hand and began dragging him over to the stairs in the back.

"It's getting late, Mom and I'm going to show Peter the terrace. He hasn't seen it like, ever!"

Helen looked scandalised as Gwen broke every single manner she could come up with as she opened her mouth to reprimand her, only to be interrupted by her husband.

"Sure. Have fun!", he called after them while Helen looked all the more confused.

As Gwen and he disappeared up the steps, he could've sworn he spotted George mouthing 'Good Luck'

***

As Gwen and Peter walked onto the terrace, a wave of nostalgia washed over him, the night sky twinkling the very same way it did at his university.

The Milky Way was splayed across the black canvas, displaying nature's beauty at its finest. Stars shimmered, planets rotated in their divine trajectories and galaxies swirled in on themselves in an eternal dance with the black hole at its centre. He really couldn't describe it any other way - the moonless night allowing him to spot the Andromeda galaxy in the very distance.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?", Gwen whispered beside him, as they walked to the edge of the terrace, the most beautiful parts of the city lit up in the distance.

"It is. The artificial and the natural - their beauty as one."

"That was a horrible line. Don't do philosophy, stick to biology."

"I don't need an uncivilised savage to tell me what to do", Peter shot back.

"You got me there", Gwen playfully elbowed him before slightly bending her knees and jumping onto the edge of the terrace.

"Be careful", he unconsciously said, before realising that it wasn't necessary in the slightest.

"You don't need to worry, Pete", she smiled, cleanly landing on the very edge. "I'm sticky."

"Your ass can stick to things, huh"

"It sure can. Jealous?"

"Actually no", he grinned at her before thinking of something and jumping off the terrace too, almost giving Gwen a heart attack. Her hand reached out with lightning speed, but as she soon realised, it was not needed.

"PETE-eh?!wha-", Gwen's frantic shout crawled back down her throat as she watched Peter complete a perfectly balanced flip onto the small edge of the terrance with almost as much ease as her.

"I have a sticky ass of my own", he beamed as though he hadn't just shattered her entire world.

***

"You mean to tell me...", Gwen took in a deep breath as she slowly processed the avalanche of information. "...that you're the monster that the woman saw?"

"Yup. In the flesh."

"Prove it", Gwen folded her arms. Peter's new powers should've been proof enough, but a small part of her brain still refused to believe it. The fact that Peter, somebody she worried would be used as emotional blackmail against her or simply become a target because of her, was now much stronger than her...She really didn't know what to think of this stupendously odd development.

"Sure, I don't want to turn into a nine-foot hulking lizard on your terrace, but I think this should do", Peter said after thinking for a few seconds.

He looked into Gwen's confused eyes and his own turned into blood-red reptilian ones, his pupils narrowing into slits. It induced a sort of primal fear that could not be faked - a faint pressure settling down on her mind. She took in a deep breath the moment she saw it, exhaling only once his eyes went back to normal.

"You really are that monster...", she muttered, a disbelieving expression still grafted onto her face.

"Well, Monster is kind of a harsh word...", Peter shrugged

"You destroyed an entire floor of the factory!"

"Hey! I wasn't able to control my strength then!", he attempted to defend himself while Gwen looked at him with a 'really?' expression. "Didn't you tear your door off its hinges on your first day?"

"Are you really comparing a door and a whole damn floor!", she hissed, trying her best to keep her voice down.

"It's not my fault I was stronger than you!"

"Stop making sense!"

"Hard to do", Peter grinned while Gwen underwent a mental overhaul.

"So...you created this serum, and you needed my blood to complete it?", she finally managed to piece together a coherent sentence.

"Not exactly", Peter said, choosing his words carefully. "I used your blood to see why exactly you didn't undergo uncontrollable mutations which I would've undergone if I'd have taken mine. I then made another serum that adapted my body to the serum that, as a side effect, made me increase my muscle mass."

"You went through so much risk...for what?", Gwen grabbed his hand. "For more power?!"

"For more security", he replied firmly, gripping her hand a little higher. "This world is fucked up Gwen. We are in constant danger almost every second of our lives, and you know it. The riots, the superterrorists, the....concert attack - it's just going to get worse from now."

"I...", Gwen tried to speak but she closed her mouth and dropped her head, a reminder of the concert hitting her right where it hurt. She knew Peter was right, they really were not safe - an attack could occur at any moment.

Hell, if she had his genius, she'd do the same thing after experiencing so much death around her. She even appreciated the fact that Peter hadn't kept such a large secret after they'd proceeded into a proper relationship, but she still had one little gripe...

"The blood you took from me?", she asked.

"Yeah?", he answered.

"Did you just take it for your serum? Was the 'knowing your strengths' thing a big fat lie?"

"Do you really want to spoil your birthday present that badly?", Peter grinned and Gwen's face looked up in surprise.

"Wait what?"

"You know, I really don't mind spoiling it. It's a se-Ooof", Peter was practically flung backwards as Gwen threw herself at him, covering his mouth in the process.

He allowed himself to be pushed back, landing on the terrace floor now facing the beautiful night sky that an equally beautiful Gwen now obscured. She was now straddling him, her pelvis pressed against his, making his heart want to exit his chest, while one of her dainty hands covered his mouth.

"Peter, Peter...", she tutted, her blond hair falling down on either side of her face, smiling down on him like a goddess. "Do you know how tactless, you are?"

"I ammpfh?", he asked, confused, his voice still muffled.

"First, you dropped the biggest bombshell of a secret I've ever seen right when I was about to kiss you and you were on the cusp of revealing my birthday present. You're the definition of the word, doofus", she booped his nose with her other hand.

"Mmm Mmmmp Kmmm mm mpghp?", Peter mumbled.

"What?", Gwen tilted her head, removing her hand and leaning close enough to feel both their breaths on each other's skin.

"I said", Peter cleared his throat. "You'll still kiss me right?"

"Just to shut you up."

Gwen kissed him, her lips engulfing his own with a fiery passion, his evolved brain practically melting through his body, ecstasy filling him like boiling hot lava. Their bodies intertwined under the blanket of twinkling stars that continued to glow silently, their beauty eternal.

***

Consider this 2 and a half chapters : )