[ That was her. Sure, her name was right there, next to the message that had popped up, but the name wasn't so unique - she could've easily been a stranger. Peter hadn't been sure until right then, and he's suddenly glad he gets the chance to compose himself first.
His limbs feel like lead. ]
big park. bonfire. there are people singing. isn't this some weird alternate dimension? since when are smores an interdimensional constant? wasn't expecting that.
[ she starts heading for the center of the city at a walk that's a little more rushed than brisk, like she's afraid she'll miss him somehow if she doesn't get there fast enough. luckily, being the city native that she is, she's gotten pretty great at walking and texting without crashing into things. thanks, new york city streets. ]
It is a weird alternate dimension. Sort of. It might have taken your abilities, don't panic. It happens to everyone. I'll be there soon.
[ it takes her about ten minutes to get there, eyes squinting against the glow of the bonfire, and hey, okay, maybe she hasn't really been out and about since she got back from her trip home. it seemed pointless. and even right now in this big crowd, she still feels weirdly detached, like she shouldn't even be here. but yeah, she'll find Peter, and everything will be okay. it will be. ]
Peter? [ she not quite shouting, but she lifts on her toes to try and call out over the singing and everything else, slowly making her way around the outskirts of the fire ] Peter?
[ His enhanced abilities might be completely gone, but there's nothing inhuman about the way he sneaks up on her. She's as distracted as he is, just as rushed, and it's just his luck that she has her back to him when he stands and approaches.
Without warning, she'll feel his arms around her waist, his head over her shoulder and his cheek against hers. Peter is being dangerously casual right now, or at least trying to - but the desperation, the confusion is probably belied by his too-quick heartbeat, by the way his fingers grip a little uncharacteristically into the fabric of her shirt. (He just has to reassure himself that she's alive, breathing, moving under his touch, that she's not cold from digging herself out of a grave, that her neck isn't snapped because he couldn't save her-- that's all. Nothing too serious, really.) ]
So. No powers, but the people here do retain a love for chocolate and marshmallow treats. Good to know. Useful. Seriously, I'll just... file that away.
[ she doesn't start, but she does suck in a big breath, sort of rocks forward before she's leaning back into him. god, she's missed him, even though she just saw him at home, she can't help but focus on the part of her memories that were based here all this time, those few months without him. it's confusing, in a way, having a reason to try and mold her new memories in with her old, and her time in Asgard, but right now all she cares about is the fact that he's here and they don't have to worry about the dangers and whatever else of New York as long as he stays. that's worth focusing on, even if it makes her feel slightly... off.
it shouldn't make sense and it doesn't make sense, but it just is. and she has to accept that, for now.
still, she can't really think of, uh, words right now, at all, beyond I was so scared, Peter, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I can't believe you're here, I can't believe I'm here, please don't leave me and a lot of other really sad, really nonsensical things... so she ends up sort of tipping her head so she can turn around in his arms without pulling away. her arms wind tight around his shoulders once she turns, face pressed to his shoulder instead. is it possible to hide in a hug? because that's what she's trying for. not talking, just hiding. and squishing Peter. ]
[ What little bravado he'd been able to muster while waiting for her to show doesn't really slip away as much as it simply evaporates completely. She's hurting, hurting for a million reasons he might or might not know, just because he wasn't here. He wasn't here, and he couldn't protect her, when that was all that he'd ever wanted to do.
Peter pitches forward when Gwen presses her face to his shoulder, one arm coming up to catch the back of her head. He holds it gently there, even if there is something distinctly protective about the way he's embracing her.
This was all his fault. This was all his fault, a direct result of his stupidity, his arrogance, and when was he going to learn? How many more times could the people he loved pay for his mistakes before he ran out of people entirely? Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, and not what he should be thinking about here, not what he should be thinking about now, because even if she's hiding in his arms, at least she's alive to do it.
Focus on that, Peter.
So he turns his head to the side, scattering a shaky kiss against the crown of her head. Maybe a bit of a dramatic reunion, but no one seems to be sparing a second glance at them, and for that much he's grateful. ]
[ not moving for a while, that sounds ideal. this is solid, it's real. it's safe. it's everything she hasn't felt since she woke up here in the city again. and it has nothing to do with Asgard, it has everything to do with what's going on in her head, her new memories. part of her is hoping he wouldn't remember, that he would have the same memories he did when he was here for that short time before. but he looks different, the same that she does. more mature, in a way. she won't let herself hope he hasn't been through what she has, but she has to ask- ]
Tell me you haven't been to the clock tower. That we haven't even graduated yet. [ she huffs, quiet ] What's the last thing you remember from home?
[ Which should be all the answer either of them needs. His fingers flex against the back of her head, his breath shaky, but he doesn't let go of her yet. ]
We both just graduated. That's all.
[ Stupid. Stupid, stupid denial, but he lived in it for so long at home - why not do it when she was there to play pretend with him? ]
[ she huffs a breath, and it's not really a sigh of relief but it's trying to be ]
Good. Good.
[ she's pulling back a little bit, though when her hands reach up to hold his face, it's just to lower him down to her level, press their foreheads together and just drink in all that closeness as much as she can. she can't really make out features when his face is this close, but she keeps her eyes open anyway, not wanting to miss anything ]
Are you feeling okay? The power thing- It's probably a little weird, right?
[ It's a quiet admittance, but he doesn't seem altogether too bothered by it. The fact that it's temporary helps a little, sure, but the fact that Gwen is here at all makes his missing abilities so insignificant that it's hard to care that they're gone in the first place.
He leans in when she draws him down, bumping a soft and clumsy kiss right against her mouth, and privately he tries to memorize the feeling. Peter's voice is thick, but he's clearly trying: ]
Pretty sure that does make you out of my league again, though. Officially, I mean. Just so you're aware.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
His limbs feel like lead. ]
big park. bonfire. there are people singing. isn't this some weird alternate dimension? since when are smores an interdimensional constant? wasn't expecting that.
no subject
It is a weird alternate dimension. Sort of. It might have taken your abilities, don't panic. It happens to everyone. I'll be there soon.
[ it takes her about ten minutes to get there, eyes squinting against the glow of the bonfire, and hey, okay, maybe she hasn't really been out and about since she got back from her trip home. it seemed pointless. and even right now in this big crowd, she still feels weirdly detached, like she shouldn't even be here. but yeah, she'll find Peter, and everything will be okay. it will be. ]
Peter? [ she not quite shouting, but she lifts on her toes to try and call out over the singing and everything else, slowly making her way around the outskirts of the fire ] Peter?
no subject
Without warning, she'll feel his arms around her waist, his head over her shoulder and his cheek against hers. Peter is being dangerously casual right now, or at least trying to - but the desperation, the confusion is probably belied by his too-quick heartbeat, by the way his fingers grip a little uncharacteristically into the fabric of her shirt. (He just has to reassure himself that she's alive, breathing, moving under his touch, that she's not cold from digging herself out of a grave, that her neck isn't snapped because he couldn't save her-- that's all. Nothing too serious, really.) ]
So. No powers, but the people here do retain a love for chocolate and marshmallow treats. Good to know. Useful. Seriously, I'll just... file that away.
no subject
it shouldn't make sense and it doesn't make sense, but it just is. and she has to accept that, for now.
still, she can't really think of, uh, words right now, at all, beyond I was so scared, Peter, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I can't believe you're here, I can't believe I'm here, please don't leave me and a lot of other really sad, really nonsensical things... so she ends up sort of tipping her head so she can turn around in his arms without pulling away. her arms wind tight around his shoulders once she turns, face pressed to his shoulder instead. is it possible to hide in a hug? because that's what she's trying for. not talking, just hiding. and squishing Peter. ]
no subject
Peter pitches forward when Gwen presses her face to his shoulder, one arm coming up to catch the back of her head. He holds it gently there, even if there is something distinctly protective about the way he's embracing her.
This was all his fault. This was all his fault, a direct result of his stupidity, his arrogance, and when was he going to learn? How many more times could the people he loved pay for his mistakes before he ran out of people entirely? Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid, and not what he should be thinking about here, not what he should be thinking about now, because even if she's hiding in his arms, at least she's alive to do it.
Focus on that, Peter.
So he turns his head to the side, scattering a shaky kiss against the crown of her head. Maybe a bit of a dramatic reunion, but no one seems to be sparing a second glance at them, and for that much he's grateful. ]
Hey.
[ A little hoarsely. ]
I missed you.
no subject
[ not moving for a while, that sounds ideal. this is solid, it's real. it's safe. it's everything she hasn't felt since she woke up here in the city again. and it has nothing to do with Asgard, it has everything to do with what's going on in her head, her new memories. part of her is hoping he wouldn't remember, that he would have the same memories he did when he was here for that short time before. but he looks different, the same that she does. more mature, in a way. she won't let herself hope he hasn't been through what she has, but she has to ask- ]
Tell me you haven't been to the clock tower. That we haven't even graduated yet. [ she huffs, quiet ] What's the last thing you remember from home?
no subject
[ Which should be all the answer either of them needs. His fingers flex against the back of her head, his breath shaky, but he doesn't let go of her yet. ]
We both just graduated. That's all.
[ Stupid. Stupid, stupid denial, but he lived in it for so long at home - why not do it when she was there to play pretend with him? ]
no subject
Good. Good.
[ she's pulling back a little bit, though when her hands reach up to hold his face, it's just to lower him down to her level, press their foreheads together and just drink in all that closeness as much as she can. she can't really make out features when his face is this close, but she keeps her eyes open anyway, not wanting to miss anything ]
Are you feeling okay? The power thing- It's probably a little weird, right?
[ forever concerned yep ]
no subject
[ It's a quiet admittance, but he doesn't seem altogether too bothered by it. The fact that it's temporary helps a little, sure, but the fact that Gwen is here at all makes his missing abilities so insignificant that it's hard to care that they're gone in the first place.
He leans in when she draws him down, bumping a soft and clumsy kiss right against her mouth, and privately he tries to memorize the feeling. Peter's voice is thick, but he's clearly trying: ]
Pretty sure that does make you out of my league again, though. Officially, I mean. Just so you're aware.