Chapter 78: A Couple Reunited Once Again

Inside, she immediately spotted Mr. and Mrs. Connors in the middle of a conversation. Their son, however, was apparently not there today. Upon noticing Gwen's arrival, the two scientists interrupted their conversation and turned their attention toward her before walking over in her direction.

— "Gwen! Hi! How are you? Have you been doing okay since the laboratory temporarily closed?" Martha asked.

— "And… are things okay with Peter…?" Curtis asked with slight awkwardness.

As always, the two scientists welcomed her with warmth and kindness. Yet behind their smiles was an awkwardness that was almost impossible to hide.

It could be felt in Curtis's slightly hesitant tone, in Martha's expression, and even in the way they looked at Gwen, as though they were afraid of bringing up a subject that was still painful.

After what had happened with Eddie and the tension the whole situation had caused between Peter and her, their discomfort was perfectly understandable. Gwen noticed it almost immediately and quickly reassured them without hesitation.

— "Things are really much better now! Don't worry about that!"

She had barely finished her sentence when her attention already began to drift away from the two scientists. Her eyes discreetly scanned the laboratory, moving from one worktable to another, then toward the different corners of the room.

She had come with a very specific idea in mind and was now searching for the person she had spent the entire journey preparing herself to confront. Except, as strange as it seemed to her… Eddie was nowhere to be found.

Noticing her persistent glances, Martha and Curtis briefly exchanged a look, both intrigued by her behavior.

— "Can we know what you're looking for so intensely?" Martha asked.

— "Where's Eddie?"

— "Oh, Eddie…"

At the mere mention of his name, Martha's expression changed. Her smile faded and genuine sadness appeared on her face. Gwen frowned slightly upon seeing her react that way, completely unable to understand what could possibly justify such an expression. Curtis glanced at his wife and, realizing that she clearly didn't want to continue herself, spoke in her place.

— "I'm sorry to tell you this, but Eddie won't be coming back."

Under different circumstances, Gwen probably should have been happy. After everything she had just learned about him, knowing that Eddie would never set foot again in a place that mattered so much to her should have been excellent news.

She could have felt relieved, perhaps even happy that she would no longer have to cross paths with him. Yet satisfaction wasn't the emotion that prevailed. Not immediately. The suddenness of the announcement mostly left her deeply surprised, accompanied by a certain sense of suspicion.

— "…What?"

— "He came in very early this morning to tell us he was resigning. He said he had to leave the city because of personal problems," Curtis replied.

As Curtis explained the situation, Gwen felt her jaw tighten. Her teeth clenched slightly and a subtle expression of irritation crossed her face. She found it extremely difficult to believe this story about personal problems.

After what had happened between them, and especially after Eddie had finally revealed his true personality to her, his sudden disappearance seemed far too well-timed to be a simple coincidence.

— "Personal problems? Liar. He must've figured out what was going to happen…"

— "I'm going to miss him. He was so nice!"

Gwen slowly turned her eyes toward Martha and forced a small smile, accompanying her reaction with a slight nod. She had no desire to suddenly reveal the truth to her, but inwardly, she couldn't have disagreed more with what she had just heard. If only Martha knew what Eddie had truly been capable of…

Before Gwen could add anything, the laboratory doors suddenly swung open behind them. Hurried footsteps echoed through the room and Peter appeared, visibly out of breath and panicked. The moment he spotted Gwen, he immediately raised his voice.

— "Gwen!"

He quickly crossed the laboratory to join the small group, immediately drawing the Connors' attention.

— "Peter? Are you okay?" Gwen asked, surprised to see him in such a state.

— "Y-Yeah! Can we talk for a minute?"

He didn't even really wait for her answer. Still carried away by his concern, Peter gently took Gwen's hand and led her toward the laboratory exit. The young woman barely had time to understand what was happening before she was already following him, under Martha and Curtis's surprised and curious gazes.

Once the two teenagers were outside, Mr. and Mrs. Connors remained there for a few seconds, looking in their direction. Then their eyes met and small, amused smiles appeared almost simultaneously on their faces.

— "Aaah, kids… We were like them when we were younger, weren't we?" Martha said softly.

— "Yeah, always stuck together…" Curtis replied with a gentle smile.

Outside the laboratory, now safely away from any prying ears, Peter finally released Gwen's hand. But before she could even ask what had gotten into him, he fired off his questions almost without stopping to breathe.

— "Are you okay, Gwen? Did something happen with Eddie? Were you planning to talk to him about what we discussed? Aunt May told me you seemed strange before you left the house!"

The words came out of his mouth so quickly that they almost seemed to trip over one another. All the worry that had been building inside him ever since May had mentioned Eddie's name came rushing out at once.

Gwen remained silent for a few seconds, surprised by the barrage of questions. She simply stared at him, taking a moment to process everything he had just said before finally understanding what had gotten him into such a state. A small, affectionate laugh escaped her despite herself.

— "Peter, calm down. Nothing happened. Eddie isn't even here."

The relief was immediate. All the tension that had built up in Peter's body seemed to vanish at once. His shoulders relaxed and his panicked expression disappeared almost as quickly as it had appeared. Only then did he realize just how disproportionate his reaction might have seemed. A slight embarrassment replaced his concern.

— "Oh. Uh… sorry."

— "It's okay."

Without any further warning, Gwen closed the small distance between them and quickly pressed her lips against Peter's. It was only a simple kiss, brief and tender, before she pulled away almost immediately. Yet the effect on him was instant.

In a fraction of a second, the last traces of worry and embarrassment still lingering within him seemed to evaporate. Peter remained silent for a brief moment, an almost goofy smile appearing on his face despite himself.

He eventually pulled himself together, trying to regain at least a little seriousness.

— "But then… where is he?"

— "He's gone."

— "What? What do you mean?"

— "The Connors told me he came in earlier this morning to hand in his resignation. Apparently, he has some 'serious personal problems' and has to leave the city."

The way Gwen pronounced those last words left little doubt about what she truly thought of that excuse. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, almost mocking, as though she herself could barely repeat seriously a story she considered a complete lie.

Peter didn't particularly react to her tone, but he understood her reaction perfectly. After everything Eddie had put them through, it was difficult to give any credibility to his sudden disappearance.

Yet deep down, Peter wasn't really surprised. In fact, it seemed perfectly like Eddie: cause chaos, spread discord around him and, once the situation became impossible to control, disappear before having to face the consequences.

— "I see… He probably realized he couldn't stay here after revealing his true colors to you."

— "That's what I thought too."

Peter remained thoughtful for a few seconds. Naturally, his mind already began considering what might come next. Eddie had left the laboratory, sure, but did that really mean the problem was over? What if he came back? What if he was planning something else? What if he decided to come after them again in one way or another?

After everything that had happened in his life since becoming Spider-Man, Peter had almost gotten used to anticipating the next disaster before he'd even had time to recover from the previous one.

But before he could lose himself any further in his thoughts, Gwen gently stepped closer to him. She placed both hands on his cheeks and delicately lifted his face toward hers.

Peter froze.

She didn't say a single word. She simply looked at him tenderly, as though that simple exchange was enough to make him understand what she wanted to tell him: Not now. Not again.

He didn't need to immediately turn this news into another source of anxiety. They had only just regained a little peace after everything they had been through.

Meeting her gaze, Peter felt his cheeks grow slightly warm. He remained like that for a few moments before taking a deep breath. Then, slowly, he released all the tension he had unconsciously built up and finally gave her a much more peaceful smile.

— "Anyway… as long as he stays away from us, I'm fine with it. Everything should go back to normal now, right?" Peter said softly.

Gwen immediately returned his smile. After the arguments, the misunderstandings and all the distance that had grown between them, she finally felt like she was getting back the Peter she loved.

The one who no longer looked at her with anger or distrust. The one she could simply be herself around. For the first time in a while, everything truly seemed to be starting to fall back into place.

Yet there were still a few consequences of everything that had happened that they couldn't simply ignore.

— "And what are you going to do about the symbiote? Are you going to tell the Connors about it…?" Gwen asked.

— "To do that, I'd have to tell them I'm Spider-Man and, I'm not gonna lie… I'm not really into that idea."

He let out a small laugh, amused by his own remark. Gwen, however, didn't join him. She remained silent, her expression becoming slightly more serious. The symbiote wasn't the only thing still on her mind. There was one last question that, in her eyes, had never truly been resolved.

— "And what about Eddie? Aren't you going to tell them? Or at least explain the reasons behind your behavior?"

This time, Peter's smile slowly faded. He looked away slightly and remained silent for a few moments. The question was fair, and he knew it. But unlike before, no obvious answer immediately came to him.

He simply began to think.

— "…Do you think that would be a good idea?"

Gwen looked at him for a few seconds, as though the answer seemed obvious to her. In her eyes, Peter had nothing to lose by setting the record straight. Eddie had spent enough time twisting reality and painting a picture of Peter that didn't reflect who he truly was.

— "Yes! Eddie clearly gave the Connors a very different image of you from the person you really are. Even though they've known you for a while, after everything that happened, I think it would be good to clear things up. I'm not saying you have to tell them everything about your past with Eddie, but just make them understand that you're not the bad guy in this story."

Peter remained silent for a brief moment. He understood her reasoning perfectly, but one concern still lingered. After Eddie's accusations, the arguments and all the tension that had settled over the laboratory, he didn't really know what the Connors thought of him anymore.

— "Yeah, but… will they believe me? Like you said, Eddie left them with a bad impression of me…"

— "Hey! Don't forget you've got a Stacy with you, and she's on your side!" she said with a confident smile.

Peter stared at her for a few seconds. Gwen wore that confident smile he knew so well, as though, as long as she stood by his side, he had no reason to fear what came next. After everything they had just been through, seeing her like this, smiling, caring and ready to support him without the slightest hesitation stirred such a powerful emotion inside him that he didn't even take the time to think about it.

He suddenly pulled her against him and kissed her.

This time, it wasn't the quick little kiss she had given him a few moments earlier. Their lips remained pressed together for several long seconds. Gwen was initially surprised by such a sudden gesture, but her surprise disappeared almost immediately. She relaxed against him and simply enjoyed the moment, forgetting for a few seconds about the laboratory behind them, Eddie and all the complications of the past few days.

When they finally began to pull apart, their faces remained close. A thin strand of saliva briefly connected their lips before disappearing. Gwen, now almost completely red, shyly looked into Peter's eyes. He didn't look away from her either. His expression had lost every trace of worry and, when he spoke, his voice was soft and perfectly sincere.

— "I'm lucky to have you, Gwen. Really."

Gwen didn't respond with words. Her slightly bashful gaze and the gentle smile that appeared on her face were more than enough. For a few more seconds, they simply stood facing each other, enjoying the peace they had finally regained, before eventually pulling apart.

They then returned to the laboratory together. After all the tension, arguments, lies and events that had turned their daily lives upside down, they finally felt as though they could pick up their lives where they had left off.

Things weren't necessarily perfect, but today, everything finally seemed to be falling back into place.

TO BE CONTINUED.