3 5 Years Later
Nick's silver hair sparkled under the lights while he was playing away on the guitar. Dazzler was great at making that happen. Whenever he, no anyone was on stage with her, they would shine brighter than any performance they did alone. And not just because she could create and control light.
Dazzler's entire personality and powers were about lighting up a room and making everyone be seen in the best light possible and making everyone feel special.
When the song was over, Nick and the others left the stage with sweat dripping down their entire bodies. Being in front of a crowd while playing their instruments and singing their hearts out would do that to a person.
"Nice one, Nick!" a feminine voice said from behind
Nick felt a stinging pain from his butt before turning around and glaring at the blonde that he had just played with. She was far too playful for his liking some days.
"Stop doing that!" he yelled at the woman in mock anger, already used to her antics
Dazzler smiled at him, not caring about him being upset over the smack she just gave him.
"Then agree to be a permanent member of my band. Ronnie is retiring in a few weeks and I could use you," she flashed him a smile that would charm any other guy. But after being around her for so long, Nick had long gotten used to it.
"I'm good. I only play to let out steam every now and then. Could never do this seriously for a career, he rejected her proposal once more. Every time she came to New York, she would ask him to play a few shows but he would only ever agree to one. Doing anymore would make him consider doing it for real.
Nick didn't wait for her to say anything else before heading towards the exit where a few hundred screaming fans were waiting for Dazzler to emerge from. He forced his way through the crowd and with the help of security, left the venue without ever looking back.
Dazzler looked at the door he left out of and frowned.
'He loves playing the guitar so why is he not joining up with me? Plus, our chemistry is amazing. Even when I do some improv, he is able to match me without missing a beat.'
Dazzler shook her head and began going to the changing room, ready to get out of the skintight outfit soaked in her sweat.
Nick was riding his bike through the streets, swerving through the traffic without a care in the world. His silver hair reflected the various neon lights as he passed by them. The wind on his face was the perfect thing to cool him off after a long concert.
Nick was able to reach the front of his apartment building in only 10 minutes when he should have arrived in 30 minutes if he were driving legally. After parking his bike in his spot, Nick walked in and was planning to head to bed but he saw two familiar faces waiting for him by the front desk.
"Parker. Stacy," Nick greeted them before walking by them to get to the elevator. But even though he gave them the cold shoulder, the pair followed him to the elevator.
"Nice to see you too, Nick. How was the concert?" Gwen asked him
"Same as always. How'd you guys get back so fast?" Nick asked while pressing the button to the elevator.
"Web swinging is a swift method of transportation. The real question is: how you got back so fast? I was planning to go grab some pizza after dropping Gwen off real quick," Peter began grilling Nick, already knowing the answer to the question
"Illegal motorcycle riding is a swift method of transportation," Nick replied without missing a beat. Peter and Gwen already knew that the way he rode his bike was crazy after each riding with him once. Just thinking about the way he drove made Gwen feel nauseous.
"Ugh. I'm gonna be sick. Both of you need to just get a normal car and drive that," Gwen said before stepping into the elevator that had just arrived.
Nick and Peter both shook their heads before following her into the elevator. She always complained about how they got around but never bothered to take a cab or the subway when she was with them.
Nick smiled to himself while he listened to Gwen and Peter talk about how much they enjoyed the concert. After the 'Incident', Nick began pushing away all of his friends. And since most of them were just teens who had never dealt with someone going through depression, they allowed him to and left.
Two of the few people that refused to abandon him were Gwen and Peter. No matter how much he berated them or targeted their biggest insecurities, they refused to leave him alone because both had been through trauma. They knew that more than revenge or therapy, Nick just needed a friend by his side.
Even after 5 years, they were still by his side, even when he acted like an asshole. Nick knew that he couldn't have asked for better friends.
"Toilet!"
Once the elevator reached his floor, Gwen rushed off and ran toward the end of the hall before pulling out a key and going into his apartment. These two were the only ones that had keys to his apartment besides himself.
Nick and Peter walked into the apartment after her. Nick went to the living room to sit on the couch while Peter went to the fridge to grab some snacks and drinks. By the time that Gwen got back, both of them were sitting there watching some old cartoon.
Gwen watched them and smiled before looking around the room. It was the same as always. There were no photos on the walls or any decorations besides what she and Peter had put in there. If not for them, Nick wouldn't even have a bed to sleep on and would have just slept on the floor.
Gwen walked over and sat down on the loveseat with Peter. She didn't say anything but began to immerse herself in the show that she hated but knew how much these two loved it.
Nick saw Gwen was paying attention to the show, even though she cringed every few seconds, and smiled. He grabbed the remote and changed the channel to a movie that all 3 of them had seen before.
"Hey!" Peter complained but Nick ignored him
"Thanks, Nick," Gwen said before grabbing a handful of popcorn and throwing a few in Peter's mouth
Nick and the others watched the movie in comfortable silence for another 30 minutes before it ended. By the time the movie was over, both Peter and Gwen were asleep. Nick saw this before he shook his head. He walked away to grab a couple of blankets and placed them over them before he started walking back to his own bed to take a shower and sleep.
'Thanks for being worried about me guys. But I don't even remember what happened 5 years ago anymore,' Nick thought to himself
