Chapter 104: Love and Excitement

— "There! Done!"

Satisfied with having finished, Peter pulled the washcloth off his hand with a quick motion, set it on his head, and straightened up with a small amused smile.

— "I'll leave you to finish. Call me when the bathroom's free."

He then walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet to rinse the remaining soap from his hands. But while he was busy rinsing them, Gwen's voice rose again behind him, this time with a slightly different confidence.

— "Peter…"

— "Yeah?"

— "Do you… want to come in?"

Peter finished rinsing his hands and almost immediately turned off the water. He stood still for a moment, puzzled, wondering if he had really heard what he thought he had heard. The question was so unexpected that he preferred to make sure before answering.

— "S-Sorry? I don't think I quite caught that. Can you repeat?"

On Gwen's side, the embarrassment she had momentarily managed to control came rushing back. She clenched her fists and her teeth slightly, frustrated at having to repeat a proposition she had already found so hard to put into words.

— "…I asked if you wanted to join me in the shower."

— "W-Why are you asking me that…?"

— "Well… you need to scrub your back too, right? And since the brush is broken… you'll need someone to help you… you know…"

Peter then understood what Gwen was trying to suggest. Until now he had managed to keep his composure fairly well despite the situation, but this invitation was enough to throw him off balance. An embarrassing heat rose to his face and his cheeks took on a slight red tint.

Yet beyond the surprise, the offer genuinely pleased him. He took a few seconds to regain his composure before answering her, in a calm voice despite the lingering awkwardness still perceptible in his tone.

— "…You're right. That's kind of you, thanks."

Gwen first held out the broken brush to him, which Peter took before placing it in the sink with the intention of throwing it away later. He then opened a cupboard to grab his own washcloth, removed his clothes, and dropped them into the laundry basket where Gwen's already lay.

Once ready, he approached the glass door and joined his girlfriend.

For a brief moment his gaze dropped of its own accord toward Gwen's naked body before he quickly raised his eyes again, careful not to make her uncomfortable. But when he saw the expression on her face, he felt something he was not used to experiencing with such intensity.

In the eyes of many classmates, Peter Parker was first and foremost a nerd, a smart boy passionate about science, whom one would readily imagine completely inexperienced when it came to romantic relationships and intimacy. Yet that image did not entirely match reality.

Ever since he had become Spider-Man, responsibilities had taken up a considerable place in his daily life, leaving him little time to think about his love life or his own desires. That did not mean, however, that he was completely ignorant of these subjects, nor that he had never sought to discover certain things on his own.

And even if it had been a long time since he had felt an emotion like this with such force, Peter knew perfectly well how to recognize it. Being this close to the person he loved, discovering the softness of her expression and that unusual shyness in her gaze, awakened in him an attraction that was becoming difficult to ignore.

Caught off guard by his own reactions, he awkwardly hurried into the shower, trying to maintain a natural attitude and not let any of his turmoil show.

Gwen gently closed the glass door behind him.

The stall was neither particularly large nor too narrow. Its dimensions easily allowed two adults to stand inside together and, given their relatively slim builds, Peter and Gwen still had a little room to move without getting in each other's way.

— "I… I'll let you scrub your whole body first, then I'll take care of your back, okay…?"

Peter, still swept by a mix of emotions he was struggling to control, simply nodded and let out a small approving murmur. He then turned on the water and began washing himself with his washcloth and soap, taking care to keep his movements natural and to respect Gwen's space.

On her side, the young woman watched him discreetly. While Peter cleaned his arms, his legs, his stomach, his ribs and the rest of his body, her gaze slowly traveled over his silhouette, lingering first on his face before descending toward his frame.

Noticing his musculature, Gwen felt her cheeks flush even more. She of course knew about Peter's extraordinary physical abilities, but seeing him like this, so close, made her aware of certain details she had not really paid attention to before.

For several moments she remained silent, almost absorbed in her contemplation. A sudden urge to move closer to him crossed her mind and, while she was still hesitating to wrap her arms around his body, Peter gently broke the silence.

— "I'm done…"

Gwen froze just before touching him, then quickly regained her composure.

— "…Hand me your washcloth."

Peter pulled the washcloth off his hand and held it out to her. Unlike Gwen a few minutes earlier, he did not sit down at the back of the shower, preferring to remain standing, back straight, almost as rigid as a post.

Gwen then began washing his back, reproducing the gestures he had performed for her. For nearly a minute she gently ran the cloth over the upper part of his back, his shoulders and his sides, before gradually descending toward his hips and the lower part of his body.

Peter felt a new wave of embarrassment wash over him. His cheeks flushed slightly and he clenched his teeth to hold back the nervous laugh that threatened to escape, unaccustomed to receiving such intimate attention from his girlfriend.

But while he was trying to keep a straight face, Gwen's movements suddenly stopped.

Surprised by this unexpected halt, Peter waited a few seconds before turning his head slightly, intrigued.

— "Gwen…? Why did you stop? Are you… are you done?"

Gwen did not answer right away. Instead she gently slid her arms around Peter's waist and drew closer until she was nestling against his back. She tightened her embrace delicately, letting her head rest against him.

Peter stiffened slightly under the effect of surprise. This sudden closeness heightened his turmoil, but he made no move to pull away, simply waiting to understand what Gwen had in mind.

— "G-Gwen? W-What are you doing?"

Strangely, Gwen now seemed much calmer, at least outwardly. Her face continued to flush, but she appeared to have regained enough self-control not to let her shyness interrupt her any longer. She remained pressed against Peter for a few moments before asking him a question he had absolutely not expected.

— "Tell me… do you think we'll stay together for a long time…?"

At those words, Peter immediately felt his embarrassment give way to genuine perplexity. The seriousness of the question contrasted so sharply with the previous moments that he understood at once Gwen was not simply trying to joke.

— "What do you mean by that?"

— "I… I'm not really sure. I just wonder if we'll be the kind of couple that lasts until we're old, or if…"

Gwen left her sentence unfinished. Rather than continuing, she gently tightened her arms around Peter, keeping her head resting against his back while her hands shifted slightly across his stomach.

Even without being able to see her face, Peter understood that this question truly mattered to her. Behind her hesitations lay a sincere concern about their future, a question she seemed to have kept to herself until this moment.

And as he thought about it, Peter realized he had never really asked himself that question.

They had been together for almost a year, which already meant a great deal to them. Yet when he tried to imagine what awaited them in several years, the answers suddenly seemed far less obvious.

Did he want to stay with Gwen until the end of his life? Could their relationship truly weather the years without eventually breaking, like so many other stories? And above all, did they really have the power to decide their future, or would certain things end up slipping beyond their control despite all their efforts?

Peter remained silent for a few moments, reflecting sincerely on the question before answering.

— "I don't know. We can't read the future, after all."

— "Y-Yeah, that's true…"

Gwen let out a small laugh, but it held no real amusement. It rather conveyed a discreet sadness, mixed with the embarrassment of having brought up such a personal subject and the fear of what the future might hold for them.

Peter understood perfectly. He now perceived that this conversation meant far more to her than he had initially imagined. Rather than stopping at his own answer, he therefore decided to turn the question back to her in order to understand what she truly desired.

— "But you, Gwen… what do you want? What do you think about it? Will our relationship last, or do you think it will eventually end?"

— "Me… what I'd like… is for us to keep going out together. I want the years to pass and for us to grow up together. I want us to go to university together, fight crime together, save people together. I want us to get a house together and even adopt a dog or a cat! No, let's take both!"

As she spoke, Gwen gradually let herself be carried away by the images of this future she imagined at their side. Each new idea seemed to lead to another, giving shape to a life she deeply desired to share with Peter.

The emotion eventually became too strong for her to contain. Tears began to slide down her cheeks, while small nervous laughs escaped her from time to time amid her words. She was still trying to keep her composure, but the mere idea of being able to live all these things with the one she loved was enough to overwhelm her.

— "I want us to get married and have children. Several!"

— "Several? How many?" he asked, laughing softly.

— "I-I don't know… but I want several!"

Little by little, the small nervous laughs that punctuated her words faded, until they disappeared completely. Only the tears continued to flow down her cheeks. Yet they held no sadness. They were the reflection of her joy, her hopes, and all those years she dreamed of sharing with Peter. As she imagined this future, the emotion became more and more difficult to contain.

— "I want us to grow old together! Ever since we were little… I've known. From the day I fell in love with you, I've known that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. That's what I'd like…! And you…?"

At that question, Peter raised his eyes slightly toward the ceiling, letting his mind linger on what she had just confided to him.

— "What I'd want, huh…?"

A multitude of memories almost immediately flooded his mind. He relived some of the most significant moments they had shared together: their days at high school, their outings, their misadventures, and their many moments of happiness. But he also recalled the more difficult periods, those moments of fear, doubt, or vulnerability during which they had always been able to count on each other.

As these images scrolled through his mind, Peter felt a gentle warmth spread through him. No matter how hard he searched for an answer to Gwen's question, all these memories seemed already to be providing it. This realization even drew a small internal laugh from him, so suddenly useless did his hesitation appear.

— "But… isn't it obvious?"

Gwen, still nestled against him, gently tightened her embrace, as if she were awaiting his answer with an impatience mixed with apprehension. Peter could not hold back the smile that was now forming on his lips. He delicately placed a hand on one of the arms that encircled his waist and, sensing his touch, Gwen slowly loosened her hold to let him move.

Peter then turned gently until he was facing her.

Their eyes met. Gwen's cheeks were still wet with tears, and her face expressed all the hope she placed in this future she had just described. She seemed to be waiting for his words with an emotion she no longer even tried to hide.

Peter, for his part, gazed at her for a few moments before giving her a smile of infinite tenderness. All the questions that had crossed his mind a little earlier seemed to have faded before the simplicity of what he felt for her.

— "And me too… that's what I want. I want to keep going out with you, I want us to grow up together, to have our own place, and even to have pets," he said, laughing softly before continuing more seriously. "But above all… if I had to choose one person to spend the rest of my life with… it would be you, Gwen."

Before she even had time to open her mouth or take a step back, he suddenly seized her by the hips. His fingers sank slightly into her still-damp flesh, drawing her against him with a firm motion. Then he leaned in and placed his lips on hers in a tender, almost hesitant kiss.

Gwen was taken completely by surprise. The contact startled her so strongly that she did not even have the chance to respond. Her eyes remained wide open, fixed on Peter's face a few centimeters from her own, while the softness of this first kiss imprinted itself on her mouth without her being able to truly savor it.

A few seconds later, Peter slightly drew his lips away. Their breaths mingled in the narrow space that now separated them. They looked at each other, each observing the other's expression. The surprise still vivid in Gwen's eyes, something more intense in Peter's. Then, without a word, they drew closer once more.

This time the kiss was different. Longer. Deeper. Their mouths opened, sought each other with a slowness that no longer held any hesitation. Peter's tongue slid against hers while his hands descended along her still-damp back, then rose again to come to rest on her chest.

Gwen, for her part, let her palms explore Peter's torso, feeling beneath her fingers the warmth of his skin and the irregular beating of his heart.

They interrupted themselves at moments, just long enough to catch their breath, foreheads almost pressed together, before finding each other again. Despite their naked bodies still beaded with water, they were not cold. Quite the contrary. An inner heat, dense and insistent, radiated from their skin and enveloped them completely, sufficient to drive away any sensation of chill.

The tension between them rose, palpable. Peter gently pushed Gwen backward until her back met the cold, smooth wall. He pinned her there, without roughness, while continuing to kiss her.

His hand, already resting on her chest, grew more precise: his fingers found a nipple and caressed it slowly, in light circles. Gwen could not hold back a discreet moan that was lost between their lips.

At the same moment, she felt something hot and firm press against the lower part of her belly. After another pause between two kisses, she lowered her eyes slightly. What she saw made her blush even more strongly: Peter's sex, erect, was almost touching her skin.

The understanding of what that meant crossed her mind all at once. Embarrassment mixed with something livelier, more enterprising. She placed her hand on him and began to caress him, at first with an almost timid slowness.

Peter started slightly, surprised. He looked at her for a moment, as if frozen, lips still parted. Gwen, seeing his expression, could not help smiling. A slightly mischievous, slightly teasing smile… before leaning toward him again to resume their kiss, her hand never leaving the contact.

The more demanding their mouths became, the more the rhythm of her caresses accelerated. Her fingers wrapped more firmly around him, rising and descending with growing assurance. Peter, for his part, felt the emotions overwhelm him.

The idea of going further with the one he loved made every sensation more vivid, more burning. His breathing quickened, became deeper, more audible than Gwen's. Rough moans escaped him, more and more frequent…

Then she felt something hot and viscous touch her hand.

She slowly lowered her gaze. A white liquid was flowing from him in spurts, sliding along her fingers, dripping onto the floor at their feet and almost entirely staining her palm.

It was semen.

For a moment, Gwen remained stunned. Perplexed. She gently released her hold, raised her hand and brought it to her nose, seeking to catch its scent. There was none. Only a strange, sticky texture. Her gaze rose again and met Peter's. He was still looking at her, short of breath, his face still marked by the excitement that was gradually subsiding.

She too gradually recovered her senses. The heat that had invaded her withdrew, leaving room for a sudden embarrassment. Her face flushed once more, but this time it was no longer from desire: it was from awkwardness at what she had just done.

Like Peter, Gwen was not entirely innocent. She had already explored certain sensations alone, in the silence of her room. But what she had just experienced with her boyfriend, the contact of his skin, the weight of his body against hers, the reality of his pleasure between her fingers…was of an entirely different nature.

TO BE CONTINUED.