[ Peter huffs out a breath of laughter. Like, somehow, it's incredible that Gwen manages to hold onto her humour when he's talking about her dying in his time.
Never mind what other thoughts are going on in her head right now. ]
Yeah - yeah, good. So I'm thinking, I've got a way of making that not happen and I think - I think it's gonna work.
[ she knows what he's like, knows he'll take it all on by himself if he has to. and that sounds like another one of those things. but she's not going to say no before she's heard him out, either. ]
I know. [ Peter nods to himself. ] I know - I know that.
It's this place, it's Eudio. [ He breathes in this time. ] I'm gonna revise my incentive, make it so that what happened in my timeline, what happened to you doesn't happen in your time.
It might not change anything for me but if it changes for you, that's worth everything.
Peter can't lie and tell Gwen that there wasn't - isn't - the tiniest part of him that might believe that too. That maybe Harry and Gwen are from his timeline, but earlier than him, and if he did this, it might change everything for him.
But the hope's too great and it's too dangerous. He'd grieved over them once; he's not sure he has it in him to do it again if it turns out that they're all wrong and Peter returns to a New York where he doesn't get to see Gwen and Harry every day if he wants to. That Gwen will be gone forever, and Harry, in whatever mutated form he'd taken since the spider-venom, might as well be gone too. ]
Hey. It's not about me this time. [ Is the weak response he goes for. ] It's about saving the girl I love, okay?
[ Because at the very least, she has to understand that that will never change, no matter what timeline exists. ]
[ she gets it. that's what makes all of this so hard, at least for her. she doesn't want to argue things with peter because she really and truly does understand where he's coming from. she doesn't want to push him into hoping for something if it's not certain.
he's already had to go through the fallout of that. she doesn't have any right. ]
I love you too. [ that's never going to change on her part, either. she just wants him to be happy. and maybe that's stupid. ] I'm not trying to make things worse for you.
But I'm not giving up on the idea of us being together, either.
[ It's almost too easy for Peter to just give in, tell Gwen that he wants it too and that somehow they'll make it work.
God. He just wants it so badly.
But life has already shown him that it doesn't always work. Or maybe, more realistically, it never could. He'd been ready to give up New York and move to England, follow Gwen wherever she went because she's all he wants (wanted).
Because just like that ... everything was taken away. ]
You could never make things worse for me, Gwen. Never.
[ Maybe one day he'll allow himself to hope, but for now he means it when he told her it's not about him this time. ]
[ she doesn't know about that, truthfully. she's the one who broke up wth him. and she's the one who wanted to help him. she has a feeling that her own death is her own fault.
peter was the one who was trying to keep her safe and she was always so stubborn about that. (she still is, which is why she's learning as much self defense stuff as she possibly can while she's here from other superheroes, shhhh.) ]
I think...
[ god, she doesn't know what she thinks. ]
I think you're right. Maybe this place can help.
[ and it doesn't hurt to see if it can help with them being together too, but she'll let that lie for now. they do that a lot. making compromises with each other. ]
He also suddenly wishes he were in the same room with her right now. Talking over the phone makes it impossible to reach over and hug someone when it's really all he wants to do right now. ]
[ it would make it easier if they were in the same room, but she can't exactly blame him for not wanting to have this conversation in person. she doesn't know when their lives got so fraught, but she can appreciate peter trying to straighten things out.
it's not for him, so that just means gwen has to make sure there's something for him in there. which makes sense, because peter would never do it by himself anyway. ]
[ Peter lets out a breath he hadn't known he'd been keeping in until now. He exhales and the rest of the weight settled on his shoulders feels lifted.
Between Harry's permission and Gwen's, he feels ... cautiously hopeful that maybe this new incentive revision could work. It could save his best friend and his soulmate. ]
Good. Cool.
[ There's the briefest of pauses, and then: ]
So - uh. You doing okay? Otherwise?
[ The question sounds so lame, that he can't help but laugh. ]
all she's ever wanted is to say yes to peter. breaking up with him was the hardest thing she's ever had to do. she's not sure she could manage doing it over again. ]
I'm - all right. A lot of the people I'd made friends with went home recently, so that sucks.
[ it's not really, but she'll live with it. so it'll be ok down the road. she never came into this assuming she'd make friends for life anyway. so it makes sense that there'd be people who leave.
she smiles on the other end of the phone, touched somehow even though peter can't see her and she can't see him. ]
Somehow I'm totally not surprised that you're still doing that even though the crime rate here is like - nothing.
[ of course peter wouldn't want to stop. it makes sense that he'd practice. ]
There is definitely a surplus. But I can't say that I mind that.
[ gwen would never see a downside to there being more superheroes out there watching peter's back. in new york he's all alone and well, she worries.
she worries less here. even if she would never expect peter to give up webslinging either way. she knows it's a part of who he is and she loves that about him.
she just - loves him, too. she smiles where he can't see her, a little sad but mostly happy that they're talking. ]
That makes sense. I bet it clears your head. Here, anyway. When things aren't so serious.
[ the question almost knocks her flat. it's more than she's taught herself to expect, more than she can imagine asking for. for more than a second, it's gwen who doesn't know what to say in a conversation with peter parker.
does she dare to let herself hope? does this mean that he's hoping again? and would that mean that there's a chance for them after all?
[ He's always hoping, but the reality is more like he has to make a very concerted effort to stay away. The fact of the matter is, left to his own heart, he'd be with Gwen, and screw any and all of the consequences.
Of course the responsibilities weighing on him are far, far too heavy for that kind of thing. Practicality over emotion, and all that. ]
[ every time she thinks she's made up her mind to do the responsible thing and let him come to terms with their relationship in his own way, she turns around and does the opposite thing.
she's always been just a little bossy where he's concerned. sorry about it. ]
audio; ldskjfdsf i realize he talks a lot about webslinging her and never doing it
[ she can't tell whether this is what it would've been like had they broken up, because right now they aren't broken up. they're just in - whatever they've decided this is. a holding pattern. trying to stay out of each other's way while being hopelessly in love.
that old thing. ]
You know me, I'm pretty cool.
[ she smiles a little, even though he can't see her.
they belong together, she's sure of that. and one of these days, she's going to make him see it. ]
You could try taking it easier on yourself, once in awhile.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
audio;
I am one hundred percent with you so far. Zero interest in dying, however it happens.
[ she can almost talk about it without freaking out now. ]
audio;
Never mind what other thoughts are going on in her head right now. ]
Yeah - yeah, good. So I'm thinking, I've got a way of making that not happen and I think - I think it's gonna work.
I just need your okay on it.
audio;
[ she knows what he's like, knows he'll take it all on by himself if he has to. and that sounds like another one of those things. but she's not going to say no before she's heard him out, either. ]
You know I'll help you however I can.
audio;
It's this place, it's Eudio. [ He breathes in this time. ] I'm gonna revise my incentive, make it so that what happened in my timeline, what happened to you doesn't happen in your time.
It might not change anything for me but if it changes for you, that's worth everything.
audio;
[ she's not sure whether she wants to say this, but apparently she can't help herself. ]
I mean - I'm all for that, believe me. I appreciate you saving my life. But I don't know what makes you so sure that we aren't from the same timeline.
audio;
[ Well. You know. Please don't make him say it again. ]
I went to your funeral, Gwen. I went to the cemetery every week.
It's happened for me already.
audio;
[ she just doesn't see why it has to be one or the other. ]
You could save me and I could be there when you get back. Or - in England. Or you could be in England.
We're in a place where literal wishes literally come true and you don't think you could have something that would make you happy, Peter.
audio;
Peter can't lie and tell Gwen that there wasn't - isn't - the tiniest part of him that might believe that too. That maybe Harry and Gwen are from his timeline, but earlier than him, and if he did this, it might change everything for him.
But the hope's too great and it's too dangerous. He'd grieved over them once; he's not sure he has it in him to do it again if it turns out that they're all wrong and Peter returns to a New York where he doesn't get to see Gwen and Harry every day if he wants to. That Gwen will be gone forever, and Harry, in whatever mutated form he'd taken since the spider-venom, might as well be gone too. ]
Hey. It's not about me this time. [ Is the weak response he goes for. ] It's about saving the girl I love, okay?
[ Because at the very least, she has to understand that that will never change, no matter what timeline exists. ]
audio;
he's already had to go through the fallout of that. she doesn't have any right. ]
I love you too. [ that's never going to change on her part, either. she just wants him to be happy. and maybe that's stupid. ] I'm not trying to make things worse for you.
But I'm not giving up on the idea of us being together, either.
audio;
God. He just wants it so badly.
But life has already shown him that it doesn't always work. Or maybe, more realistically, it never could. He'd been ready to give up New York and move to England, follow Gwen wherever she went because she's all he wants (wanted).
Because just like that ... everything was taken away. ]
You could never make things worse for me, Gwen. Never.
[ Maybe one day he'll allow himself to hope, but for now he means it when he told her it's not about him this time. ]
The same can't be said of me though.
But this place might be able to help.
audio;
peter was the one who was trying to keep her safe and she was always so stubborn about that. (she still is, which is why she's learning as much self defense stuff as she possibly can while she's here from other superheroes, shhhh.) ]
I think...
[ god, she doesn't know what she thinks. ]
I think you're right. Maybe this place can help.
[ and it doesn't hurt to see if it can help with them being together too, but she'll let that lie for now. they do that a lot. making compromises with each other. ]
audio;
[ He wants to hope, he wants to hope so bad.
He also suddenly wishes he were in the same room with her right now. Talking over the phone makes it impossible to reach over and hug someone when it's really all he wants to do right now. ]
Do I have your permission?
audio;
[ it would make it easier if they were in the same room, but she can't exactly blame him for not wanting to have this conversation in person. she doesn't know when their lives got so fraught, but she can appreciate peter trying to straighten things out.
it's not for him, so that just means gwen has to make sure there's something for him in there. which makes sense, because peter would never do it by himself anyway. ]
Yes. You do. Of course you do.
audio;
[ Peter lets out a breath he hadn't known he'd been keeping in until now. He exhales and the rest of the weight settled on his shoulders feels lifted.
Between Harry's permission and Gwen's, he feels ... cautiously hopeful that maybe this new incentive revision could work. It could save his best friend and his soulmate. ]
Good. Cool.
[ There's the briefest of pauses, and then: ]
So - uh. You doing okay? Otherwise?
[ The question sounds so lame, that he can't help but laugh. ]
Sorry I probably should have led with that one.
audio;
all she's ever wanted is to say yes to peter. breaking up with him was the hardest thing she's ever had to do. she's not sure she could manage doing it over again. ]
I'm - all right. A lot of the people I'd made friends with went home recently, so that sucks.
[ she's lonely, but she'll get over it. ]
How are you doing?
audio;
[ Luckily the people most important to him haven't, but ... there's always the possibility. ]
Huh? Yeah - yeah, I'm all right. I mean, besides the thinking about stuff a lot, I've been trying to ... stay out of trouble, I guess.
[ A small laugh. ]
Not easy when you're webslinging though.
audio;
[ it's not really, but she'll live with it. so it'll be ok down the road. she never came into this assuming she'd make friends for life anyway. so it makes sense that there'd be people who leave.
she smiles on the other end of the phone, touched somehow even though peter can't see her and she can't see him. ]
Somehow I'm totally not surprised that you're still doing that even though the crime rate here is like - nothing.
[ of course peter wouldn't want to stop. it makes sense that he'd practice. ]
audio;
[ Can't let those webs or those acrobatic skills get rusty. Besides, he's got a physique to keep intact too.
Or something.
Mostly he just enjoys webslinging and webbing up the bad guys, especially when the stakes aren't so high they wreck him.
And he admits just as much: ]
But mostly I just like the open air after a long day at work, I guess.
audio;
[ gwen would never see a downside to there being more superheroes out there watching peter's back. in new york he's all alone and well, she worries.
she worries less here. even if she would never expect peter to give up webslinging either way. she knows it's a part of who he is and she loves that about him.
she just - loves him, too. she smiles where he can't see her, a little sad but mostly happy that they're talking. ]
That makes sense. I bet it clears your head. Here, anyway. When things aren't so serious.
audio;
[ He can sense the smile in her voice and it causes him to smile, too. Even over the phone, her smile is infectious. ]
When was the last time you - uh. The last time I webslinged with you?
[ This is so the opposite of staying away, isn't it? Yep.
But in his defence, he's riding high on the waves of hope and optimism. Such things can't be helped. ]
audio;
does she dare to let herself hope? does this mean that he's hoping again? and would that mean that there's a chance for them after all?
it's too much to wonder about right away. ]
It's been awhile.
audio;
Of course the responsibilities weighing on him are far, far too heavy for that kind of thing. Practicality over emotion, and all that. ]
We - uh. We could change that.
audio;
[ every time she thinks she's made up her mind to do the responsible thing and let him come to terms with their relationship in his own way, she turns around and does the opposite thing.
she's always been just a little bossy where he's concerned. sorry about it. ]
audio; ldskjfdsf i realize he talks a lot about webslinging her and never doing it
[ His voice goes soft, like he's thinking about ... about stuff. About everything. About them (which is everything). ]
Yeah, we should.
Gwen --
[ He takes a breath, considers something, and stops short. There's so much he could say but what difference would that make? ]
Thanks. For - everything. For being so cool.
audio; THEY CAN DO IT they'll do it
that old thing. ]
You know me, I'm pretty cool.
[ she smiles a little, even though he can't see her.
they belong together, she's sure of that. and one of these days, she's going to make him see it. ]
You could try taking it easier on yourself, once in awhile.
audio; WE'RE WRITING A LOG FOR IT IDGAF
audio; i'm down let's make them fly
audio;
audio; a hundred years later
audio; SAME TBH