23: Spider-Gwen
"You remember our visit to Osborn, did you notice one of the super spiders was missing?"
After sitting on the sofa comforting Gwen for a bit, Andrew made sure her emotions had stabilized before speaking.
Gwen nodded.
"If I'm not mistaken, that super spider must have crawled into your bag."
"It waited until you got home and reached into your schoolbag before biting you unexpectedly."
"Then it jumped out of the bag and you stomped on it accidentally."
Andrew explained carefully: "So if I guessed right, after that super spider bit you, not only were you unharmed..."
"Instead, it gave you some spider-like abilities."
"Increased strength, danger sense, and biological static cling to adhere to things."
Andrew grasped Gwen's hand.
Hmm~
Slim and smooth...
Feeling the warmth from Andrew's palm, Gwen couldn't help blushing and asked, "Will I turn into an actual spider in the future, and become ugly?"
Andrew was taken aback.
Of course!
Women care about these things.
"I don't think there should be any more physical changes, so that's probably a good thing."
"Then I won't become a monster?"
Saying that, Gwen looked sad again.
After all, she was still a pretty girl.
"Aren't you like a superhero now?"
Andrew looked at Gwen sincerely: "Think about it, you have abilities beyond normal people. Doesn't that make you a superhero?"
"And didn't you want to be like your dad when you were little, someone who punishes evil and helps the weak?"
"Maybe this is a chance God gave you."
That gaze made Gwen feel a bit moved, and her heart raced faster.
It also strengthened a belief in Gwen about her future.
Being different didn't mean becoming a monster, it could also make her a superhero...
It depended on how she used this power.
Gwen felt relieved.
She also realized how close she was to Andrew right now.
Nearly in his embrace.
Gwen sat up swiftly.
"Thank you, Andrew!"
Andrew thought to himself: "I knew the mood was right, so comforting!"
"You're welcome, I got new ingredients so I can make the eastern food I promised. Want to try it?"
"Rest here, it'll be ready soon."
Andrew picked up the two packages and headed to the kitchen.
After being enlightened by Andrew, Gwen had it all figured out now. Her mind grew active.
She tried out her newfound spider powers while Andrew cooked.
Because of this, Gwen's mastery came much quicker than Peter's did initially.
Andrew, busy cooking in the kitchen, soon heard sounds of Gwen tossing up barbells.
"Recovering so fast. I wonder if she can shoot webs herself..."
Andrew was puzzled.
It seemed some spider heroes generated their own webs, while others needed devices.
Gwen was Spider-Man here.
Andrew's heart raced picturing her in the iconic white spider suit.
It looked...
Quite exciting!
At dinner, Gwen happily ate the food Andrew had cooked, fully satisfied.
"Delicious, way better than the steakhouse downstairs!"
At this point, Gwen had returned to her cheerful, lively self.
As if her earlier tears never happened.
"Gwen, I have a question for you?"
Gwen's mouth was full, cheeks stuffed like a hamster's.
Unable to speak, she nodded instead.
Seeing Gwen's appearance made Andrew chuckle.
This girl rapidly switched from sobbing to cheerful and carefree.
"We can talk after you finish eating."
After the meal, Andrew put things away to wash.
Gwen stood in the kitchen doorway and asked, "What was the question from before?"
Andrew asked as he washed dishes, "You got all these spider abilities, can you shoot webs too?"
"Web shooting?"
Gwen was also surprised.
The question was odd but made sense.
So she started examining herself to see if she could produce webs anywhere.
Watching Gwen check herself head to toe, Andrew imitated a Spider-Man pose for her.
"Gwen, try this."
Gwen copied Andrew, bending two fingers to her palm.
But nothing happened.
By then the dishes were cleaned, so Andrew came over. "Looks like no web shooting for you after all."
Gwen said in some disgust, "That kind of ability sounds so weird anyway!"
Andrew agreed it did seem strange.
"Alright, let me take you home first. You should rest well tonight."
"Okay, I'll go change back into my clothes."
"You can leave those here if you want."
...
George's house wasn't far away.
They took a taxi together.
"We're here."
"Okay, you go ahead. Your dad's probably worried."
"I'll be off then."
Gwen's tone held a hint of reluctance.
"See you at school tomorrow."
"See you at school!"
As Andrew raised his hand in farewell, Gwen suddenly kissed his cheek lightly.
She blushed and hurried off.
Andrew touched where she had kissed. "Was she flirting with me?"
Back at home, Andrew stood on the balcony lost in thought.
"In this universe, Spider-Man isn't Peter Parker. Does Tony Stark still become Iron Man?"
"Or will he survive the kidnapping?"
Tony couldn't die. His fate impacted whether Andrew would live in luxury.
And have money for the frog cub!
Speaking of, that silly frog probably hadn't succeeded getting revenge.
Being gone for days without any photos.
Really worrying.
"No, I need to see Tony myself. If he dies I'll be at a big loss."
"But where to find Tony?"
Andrew turned on his computer.
He quickly searched where Tony had been attacked.
"Tony was gravely wounded in the assault. He couldn't have gone far. The whole desert is massive..."
"It has to be within this area!"
After pinpointing direction and coordinates.
Andrew took out the Emperor's Belt from the game.
"Emperor's Armor..."
"Combine!"
"Armor fusion..."
...To be continued.