In a few back-and-forths between Gwen and Hawk,
Hawk's recovery was pushed from twenty days all the way out by another seventy.
Sharon looked at Hawk's solemn face, then at Gwen's smile paired with an eye roll.
It felt like these two were playing some miraculous little game.
But…
If Hawk would honestly stay put for three whole months, that would be perfect.
When she came over, her assignment was, if possible, to keep Hawk settled for a while.
Sharon had thought that would be a nightmare.
Now?
Done and dusted.
She couldn't help the flash of delight, but quickly recovered and turned to the chief contributor who had just netted her a big plus in the ledger—Gwen—and spoke earnestly.
"Thank you."
"You really should thank me."
This time Gwen didn't brush it off like before. She was just as serious. "Find a day to go shopping with me."
Only she knew how much she'd sacrificed to support Sharon's work.
But…
That's what friends are for—helping each other.
Of course,
Friends are also for roasting.
Like Peter.
They'd assumed he would return at most two or three days after Hawk. Instead, Peter didn't make it back until the first weekend after sophomore fall had already been in session for a full month at both Empire State University and NYU.
A sound came from the backyard.
Gwen's ear twitched at the dining table.
"Something in the yard."
"Peter."
Still sporting a cast and sling on his left arm—his price for Gwen's tender care—Hawk didn't even look back.
The next second,
Peter walked in from the yard. He'd just pulled off his mask, grinning as he started to say hello, when his eyes landed on Hawk's left arm. "Holy—Hawk, you're hurt. What happened?"
The spider could barely hide the shock in his eyes.
This was Hawk, after all.
So there was still someone on Earth who could do this to him?
Right after the shock came the next line.
"Who did it?"
"Who else? Her."
Hawk pointed with his good right hand at his fiancée. "Who besides her?"
Peter glanced at Gwen on reflex.
"Screw you."
Gwen rolled her eyes at the man getting cheeky after scoring a deal, then shifted the topic. "Peter, Hawk's been back for ages. Why are you so late?"
Peter's mind turned. He didn't get the details, but his spider-sense told him not to dig into Hawk's injury. He shrugged and followed Gwen's lead. "Felicia had something going on. I was with her."
Gwen blinked, then her eyes lit up.
She remembered.
Hawk had told her before—Felicia was pregnant, and the baby was Peter's.
In a flash,
Gwen zipped to Peter, and before he could react, she'd pressed him onto the high stool next to Hawk. Back in her seat, she struck the perfect gossip-listener pose and looked at Peter.
"Felicia. Spill, Peter."
"…"
Faced with Gwen's sparkling eyes, Peter looked to Hawk.
The currently one-armed devil-king watched like it was a show. "You don't want Mary thinking you cheated, do you?"
Peter glanced from the unhelpful Hawk to Gwen's gleaming gossip-mode stare, took a deep breath, and finally understood why his spider-sense had felt iffy the moment he touched down.
"I shouldn't have come."
"But you're here."
"So start talking," Gwen urged. "If Mary finds out later, I'll help explain—but I need the story straight."
Her logic was airtight as always.
Peter couldn't argue.
And he really didn't want Mary thinking he'd cheated while they were dating.
Not for his own sake—for Felicia's.
He could live with being misunderstood. He wouldn't drag Felicia down with him.
That was Peter—
New York's friendly neighborhood spider's inner compass.
So…
After a pause, even knowing Gwen wanted to gossip, Peter told her how he and Felicia went to Skull Island, what they went through, and how they ended up together.
Gwen listened with relish.
Hawk listened too.
He'd heard a version before, but Peter hadn't gone into much detail then—nothing like this.
Peter wasn't an idiot.
He knew Hawk just wanted the juicy bits from a buddy, so he'd skimmed back then.
Gwen was different.
Gwen would actually help fix things later, so to earn that help, he might as well satisfy her curiosity now.
At the end,
Peter took the bottled water Gwen had handed him—clearly fearing he'd dry out mid-story—took a sip, and said, "So now you know, Gwen. If I run into Mary, I'd appreciate you explaining."
"No problem," Gwen smiled. "If I get the chance to see her."
Peter exhaled in relief and nodded on reflex.
Then he realized and looked up, puzzled.
"If you get the chance?"
"Of course. Peter, you've been gone for over half a year."
Gwen said it plainly, then didn't keep him in suspense. "After breaking up with you, Mary dated a new guy—you know him, Thompson. They split after the semester ended. Then at the end of last month Mary went to Los Angeles. Hawk and I took her to the airport."
Peter's eyes went wide.
"Los Angeles?"
"Yeah."
Gwen nodded. "You know her dream. Before… well, anyway, she didn't want to miss the chance, so she went."
Peter opened his mouth, hearing that Mary had gone to L.A., and felt something he couldn't put into words.
The doorbell rang.
Gwen glanced at the door, then at Hawk.
Hawk flicked a look her way and mouthed a word.
Gwen lit up, ran to the door, and pulled it open.
There—
When they'd left Skull Island she'd been four months along and not really showing. Now Felicia's belly had a gentle curve under a loose blouse as she stood at the threshold.
Gwen's eyes dropped to the bump, her lips parting.
Felicia smiled at her surprise. "Evening, Gwen. Peter's here, right? I went by his place and Aunt May said he hadn't gotten home. I figured he might be here with Hawk."
"He is. Come in."
Gwen snapped back, waved Felicia inside, then glanced curiously at the belly and whispered, "When's the due date?"
"End of January next year," Felicia said with a smile.
Gwen nodded, took a look at Peter—who had finally recovered enough to hustle over—and said to Felicia, "Peter's lucky."
Peter reached Felicia, still a little dazed. "What are you doing here?"
"We said I'd come by tonight," Felicia answered. "I went to your place, and Aunt May said you weren't back yet, so I guessed you'd come to Hawk's."
Peter scratched his head, embarrassed. "Sorry. I just got in from campus and swung by to tell Hawk first. My bad."
"You should have called," Felicia said, serious. "If I hadn't found you here, I would've worried."
Peter saw her expression and apologized again.
Hawk and Gwen stood in the dining room, quietly watching a masterclass in husband-taming.
Then—
Felicia glanced at Hawk and noticed the sling. She paused. "Hawk, your left arm…"
"Don't ask."
Hawk shook his head and cut her off.
Felicia opened her mouth, then laughed softly. "If you've caught up, I'll take Peter home. Aunt May's waiting."
"Please do," Hawk said without a second's hesitation.
He couldn't let the taming continue in front of them. Not with Gwen watching.
He was fine.
Gwen… less so.
Everyone knew Gwen's status as the number-one girlfriend in American comics came from being gentle, smart, kind, and understanding.
What if she saw this and picked up bad habits?
So—
The moment Felicia offered to take Peter away, Hawk nodded without thinking.
Felicia chuckled, thanked Hawk, wished Gwen goodnight, and led Peter out.
Hawk and Gwen stood at the door, watching as Peter fussed like a bodyguard: helping Felicia into the passenger seat, sprinting around to the wheel, forgetting to take off his spider-suit, starting the car, and pulling away from Palm Street.
They only turned back when the taillights vanished.
Back inside, Gwen let out a sigh, looked at Hawk on the high stool, and blinked. "Mary's my best friend, but after what we just saw, I have to admit—Peter and Felicia really do seem like a fit."
Hawk looked at Gwen and grinned. "I thought you'd be jealous of Felicia for being pregnant."
Gwen blinked, then looked at him.
"I am. But do you dare get me pregnant now?"
"Nope."
Hawk answered instantly.
Even though they were engaged and living together, if he got Gwen pregnant before twenty-one, George would kill him.
Just then, Gwen's phone rang.
She checked the caller ID, arched a brow, glanced at Hawk, and picked up.
"Hello?"
"Gwen, is Hawk with you? Tell him to get to Rhyolite Ghost Town in Alaska, fast. He didn't answer his phone. We're picking up a surge from his Cloth there…"
"…"
(End of Chapter)
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