Work Text:
Gwen Stacy should be used to the constant bruises and frequent blood loss. She'd been the one and only Ghost Spider of her universe for 5 years now but she could never get used to the pain, especially a pain this bad.
Gwen had just come from an ambush by an unlikely duo, Vulture and Doc Ock. As difficult as it was, she’d still been able to defeat them. Though the combination of the two supervillains' attacks had resulted in a multitude of cuts and bruises and possibly a concussion. But, a win is a win, right?
She was now arduously making her way to the apartment she shared with bandmate, Mary Jane Watson. Gwen had made it a point to leave her window open whenever she left so that if the time ever came, she could effortlessly swing into her room. This was one of those times but it wasn't as graceful as it was supposed to be. More like a fish flopping in the sand to make its way back to the water.
Her attempt to make her entrance had failed, instead she crashed into the wall. If she wasn't concussed before she was definitely now.
Her stickiness had allowed her to stay stuck on the wall as she built the strength to move again. With a heavy huff of air, she reached over for the window sill and fell into the room bringing along blots of blood. She'd have to clean that later but right now she couldn't care less.
The floor was feeling incredibly comfortable, she could've mistook it for her bed. Just to pass out right there…
But suddenly Gwen couldn't breathe. It was like her lungs had been completely plugged. In an attempt to clear the blockage, she snatched her mask off. It was only then that she realized the heavy ringing in her ears, the inability to see clearly, and the overwhelming feeling of bile arising in her throat.
She attempted to lift herself but failed and landed on her forearm, an additional ounce of pain to everything else. But, progress was at least made.
“GWEN?" A voice yelled, conquering over the harsh ringing.
Gwen shot her head in the direction of the voice. Panic began to manifest when she realized the predicament she was in. Someone had just walked in on the Ghost Spider, unmasked and unable to muster up enough strength to even lift herself off the ground, and this new stranger was now rushing towards her.
But despite the evident danger, her spider senses stayed silent. Only two people in her whole life had been immune to her spider-sense. The only two people she'd been sure would never do anything to hurt her. Peter Parker (well before the whole lizard thing) and Mary Jane Watson.
The realization had made even more anxiety emerge. She would have preferred it'd be anyone else in the whole world. Stranger, burglar, police, even a supervillain. Anyone but MJ.
The new bearer of her secret took Gwen into her arms, attempting to get her on her own two feet. The proximity allowed Gwen to examine the stranger’s features as best as her blurry vision allowed her to. She discovered fire-red hair and beautiful aqua-green eyes, if her vision wasn't so foggy she might have gotten lost in them.
Unfortunately, this discovery confirmed exactly who had just uncovered her secret identity. Who else would be in her shared apartment that had familiar red hair and green eyes?
A wave of nausea and a sudden retch snapped her back to reality. Gwen was not about to puke all over her best friend. With one hand she pushed herself back a bit and with the other, she covered her mouth.
Gwen couldn't decipher exactly what the girl said but she was able to understand the words “need” and “bucket” both said with a quizzical tone.
Afterward, her bandmate gently placed Gwen against the nearest wall and rushed out of the room.
Gwen settled into a crouching position, clutching her stomach. She felt a burning sensation pressing against her throat, almost about to spill out. She prayed MJ would be back soon. Gwen had gotten used to having to clean blood spots but puke? That was just gross.
Another gag signaled to her. In the Nick of time, Mary Jane appeared with an industrial bucket. Gwen snatched the bucket out of her hands desperately. Crouching over the bin, she spilled out all of last night's dinner in awful green clumps. As she let it all out, Mary Jane snuck behind the spider to pull her hair away from her face and rub circles into her back.
Gwen set the bucket down with a groan. Now in need of anything to keep her upright, she slung an arm around her roommate and planted her other on the floor.
Her voice chimed in again, but Gwen couldn't discern a single word she said. With all the action gone from the night, the exhilaration in Gwen’s body had begun to filter out. The pain and exhaustion from the battle was becoming overwhelming. Her eyelids suddenly weighed heavier than anything she could carry. Her limbs went limp and her vision was starting to go black.
“Gwen?" The voice beside her overcame the fading ring.
She was passing out. Then her vision went completely dark.
—
Gwen’s eyes fluttered open. Her gaze wandered over the room she was in. Soft white walls with band posters covering them. This wasn't her room and the person at her side confirmed exactly
whose comfortable bed she was set in.
The red-haired girl was sitting next to the bed, sleeping on crossed arms. It'd be best to leave her be, convince her it was all a dream. She hated having to lie to her but in the end, it was safer for both of them.
Gwen rose from the bed with a hiss. The injuries she obtained hadn't completely healed yet, and neither had the concussion. She could see better, hear better but, she still wasn't 100%.
She struggled to get out of bed as quietly and still as possible to not wake up her roommate. Once she shuffled her way out of the bed she scanned the room for any evidence that she'd been there that night. Bloody bandages were set in a pile next to MJ and her mask was thrown over her desk.
With a quick whip of her webs, she pulled the evidence to her. Before leaving the room her eyes roamed over the room for any remaining proof. Nothing was left except the position of the redhead herself.
Gwen turned her back on the girl as she contemplated her next course of action. First, she'd hide away these bandages. Then, she'd change into casual clothing. Finally, she'd place her best friend into her bed and tuck her in.
Unfortunately, her plan crumbled before she could even set one foot out of the room.
“Sit down Stacy” MJ called out.
Gwen tensed up and froze. Fuck. She could still fix this right? She could fix this!
Gwen limped her way back to the girl.
“Sit” MJ spoke a bit more sternly this time. Gwen followed her command immediately.
Mary Jane’s eyes wandered over the spider before meeting her eyes. “Are you okay?”
“Completely a-okay” Gwen quaked with a thumbs up for extra measure.
The worry didn't leave MJ’s gaze. She hoisted herself up to sit beside the spider. For a minute silence flowed through the air as Gwen contemplated how to cover up this mess and Mary Jane pondered over everything that had happened the night before.
“You're really Spider-woman,” MJ acknowledged. She'd always suspected it, even joked about it with the band a few times. But having it be confirmed was a harsh crash.
“This? Oh, this was just for a Halloween party” Gwen insisted with a slight chuckle.
MJ replied with a stink eye. Not her best excuse, it was January after all.
“Sorry,” Gwen sighed and directed her gaze elsewhere.
Silence followed through again. It made Gwen’s heart jump into her throat and anxiety pool in her stomach.
She stood up from the bed, initiating her first step to escape. “I should probably-”
She was cut off by a hand wrapping around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. “Stay” the redhead muttered with a certain sparkle in her eyes. Gwen couldn't possibly deny her so she sat back down.
“Why didn't you tell me?” Mary Jane asked. Not a tinge of anger came out of her voice. Gwen could discern she wasn't mad at all instead she was curious and worried. Her reaction had been opposite to that of her father’s, it made her feel safe.
“I was scared,” Gwen replied. “Ghost Spider has a lot of enemies and I…I didn't want anyone to use you to get to me or…” She admitted. “I couldn't put you in danger.”
MJ pulled the girl into a tight hug, catching Gwen by surprise, dark red covered her face. Gwen wrapped her arms around the girl and settled into her embrace.
MJ pushed her head into the girl's neck. A wave of realization had hit. Every day, Gwen had taken the brunt of every villain that appeared to protect a city that couldn't care less about her. For years she'd been chased down by her father, accused of her late best friend’s murder. The manhunt had been called off only 2 years ago and the station claimed the whole situation was an accident which was not well received by the public. Even now many still disapprove of her. She couldn't imagine how hard it'd been for her.
MJ was the first to pull away. She let out a sigh of relief and smiled. “Think I can get a selfie with Ghost Spider to promote the band?" She said in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“I'm starting to think you like her better than me,” Gwen chuckled.
“Oh, definitely,” MJ joked back. The two giggled together for a moment before settling into an intimate silence. It was only now that they realized how close they were to each other.
MJ slid her fingers up Gwen’s shoulder irritatingly slow, leaving behind a trace of tingling in Gwen’s arm. “Deep down, I think I always knew,” MJ paused. She lifted her gaze and brought it back down, she couldn't utter these words while looking at those sky-blue eyes.
“When you started missing practice, skipping school, dodging our hangouts. I knew there had to be something more to it, some noble reason behind the carelessness because my Gwen wasn't capable of that.” MJ dragged her fingers up to Gwen’s cheek "Maybe it was wishful thinking, I didn't even know for sure I just hoped there was a really good reason behind you blowing me off” MJ laughed it off.
But, Gwen wasn't laughing instead guilt flooded her features. For the longest time, Gwen had tiptoed around her personal life to save the people she loved and help the general public, even more so after Peter’s death. She knew her friends hated her awful sense of punctuality but she'd never known how badly it'd hurt them. How badly it hurt Mary Jane.
“I'm so sorry” Gwen trembled. She shut her eyes in a desperate attempt to stop tears from spilling. But, MJ saw right through it.
“I know you are,” MJ caressed her cheek. It gave Gwen a sense of comfort. Reminding her that she was in Mary Jane’s space, she was home. The tears tucked themselves.
MJ lifted her other hand to the neglected cheek. They were both cupped in her embrace now. “How could I ever be mad with Ghost Spider?” She chuckled.
Gwen leaned into her palm with a slight chuckle of her own.
MJ wanted to take this heartfelt conversation a step further. She was going to tell Gwen everything, it was now or never.
“Lay down” MJ commanded as she dropped her hands to her side.
Gwen tilted her head in confusion and mourned the loss of the redhead’s palm pressed into her skin.
“Just do it, I need to clean your wounds”
Gwen followed her direction. She would've argued she was fine but MJ seemed insistent and she wasn't about to press her buttons.
MJ picked up the discarded roll of bandages. A web attached itself to it. Now that Gwen could use her abilities freely in their apartment, would this be their future? Webs everywhere? She prayed not as she tore the web off.
It took MJ a moment to gather all her courage. She was really about to do this. She turned to Gwen with a deep red stretched over her face.
“You okay?" Gwen smiled.
MJ nodded. She hoisted herself over and settled right below the girl’s belly, straddling her.
Gwen exploded. A deep red spread from her face down to her chest. Her heart was beating harshly against her chest and a heat pooled where the other girl sat.
MJ leaned in closer to the girl she settled one hand on the mattress and placed her forearm on the wall Gwen leaned on, right next to her head.
Gwen wrapped her hands firmly around her bandmate’s waist. Gwen had been in love with MJ ever since high school and now here she was, inches away from her lips, bright red and breathing heavily.
MJ tucked her hair behind her ear, “Do you want to-”
“Yes,” Gwen cut her off. Immediately their lips crashed into each other. It was messy, sloppy, and awfully positioned but it was what they'd both wanted for years. An emotion they'd hid from one another for such a long time was finally able to burst out.
The two separated, desperately trying to grasp air to continue. Gwen was the first to bring them back together. This time their mouths slotted together nicely. They parted slightly so MJ could tell her one word, “Open.”
Gwen's heart reacted with a loud thump and she did exactly what she was told. The two fought for dominance but MJ won in the end by rocking her hips and catching Gwen by surprise.
For a while, they continued just how they were. Years' worth of feelings were finally able to be expressed. Marks were made to declare this moment as real.
Gwen separated from MJ’s neck, her lips were about to press onto hers when suddenly the redhead’s voice chimed in.
“How do you take off this suit?"
A slick smile spread over her face. Gwen took MJ’s hand into her own and guided it to the zipper on her back.
“Mm,” MJ acknowledged. She planted a soft kiss on Gwen’s lips. "Next time”
Gwen arched her head back and rolled it back around to meet her gaze. “Come on,” She begged.
“You're injured,” MJ insisted.
“It heals fast,” Gwen pushed back.
“I'm serious, Gwen,” She said sternly.
Gwen sighed, “You owe me big time.”
Mary Jane chuckled. “Ok, now rest.”
Gwen placed one more quick kiss on her lips which MJ welcomed gratefully. “Fine”