Blue Flame, Gwen Stacy

04. Late Night Talking

But weeks had gone by and those petty crimes still occured more often than she wanted them to. An array of empty bags would lay waste in the alleyways, traces of blood would linger on the brick walls. It had even gotten to the point where her best friend lost her school bag, only left with her notebook filled with mathematics equations. And this was all because she took a shortcut back home.

     The worst of it all was the night her grandmother died. An innocent woman died because a man seeked too much for his own good. That's when Ivy realized. If everyone gave up the responsibility to ignorant people with power, what good would that do?

Step by step, criminal by criminal, the name Silk started to spread. She would hear the rumors about the new vigilante through the school halls, endure her bestfriends long ramble about the double life Silk must've led, and watch as bad guys started worrying to each other.

Watch out for Silk.

Ivy couldn't blame them, she had left a guy hanging upside down with two broken arms and a cracked rib only a week after she took on the mask. Ever since then, she kept the injuries low.

It was almost silent in the dead of night, the only sounds accompanying Ivy as she sat on the rooftop of Aunt May's house was the occasional rustle of leaves and cat fights as they moved from roof to roof.

"What are you doing up here?" a feminine voice snapped Ivy out of her thoughts.

The dark haired girl whipped her head around and saw Gwen approaching her, sitting by the empty spot next to her, letting her feet dangle lightly. Ivy shrugged at her. "I could ask you the same thing,"

Suddenly bashful, Gwen kept her eyes trained on the ground. "I was... trying to look for you."

"Worried?" Ivy teased.

The blonde rolled her eyes, amused at her ability to joke even after the daylight had gone beneath the horizon. "'Course not, why would I be worried about the pretty girl I've been talking to for the past few days."

"Did you just say I'm pretty?" excitement laced the girl's tone as her eyes widened, a grin making its way on her face.

Gwen realized what she had said and looked away with burning cheeks.

"I think you're pretty, too." Ivy said casually, though she could feel her heart beating itself out of her chest. Facing the glittering sky, she tried to not let the minimal space between them affect her. "I came up here 'cause I couldn't sleep. My brain just won't shut up."

"About?" Gwen's soft voice asked.

A long, shaky sigh left her lips. "Home, I guess. I miss my family."

Ivy always kept a close relationship with her family, especially her brother. He was the only constant male figure she could look up to, so she did. Every time he won a math competition or robotics challenge, she set out to do the same, just in her vocabulary.

She wanted to be as great as he was, to be as caring as he was when their mother had to work long night shifts. And he never complained. Sure, he had expressed his worries and struggles once Ivy was old enough to understand them, but he never protested whenever he was tasked at keeping his little sister safe. Not once.

"And I'm worried about Miles." she added. People can call her a mom friend as much as they want, but it was always in her nature to put others first before herself.

"Yeah, we still haven't heard from him." the girl beside her stated the obvious, head hanging low in remorse. "I feel so bad for being hard on him,"

"Well, hopefully we can say sorry tomorrow." Ivy tried to keep her voice lighthearted. "And by then we can all go home,"

"One of us—"

"Has to stay behind, I know." Ivy cut her off, not wanting to argue about who would put their life on the line. Puffing out her cheeks, the girl let herself slouch, something she would definitely get scolded by her dance teacher. "I just wished Miles was ready."

"I wish, too."

A gust of wind blew through Ivy's hair, the mask that hung around her neck doing nothing to prevent her from shivering. Turning her head to face the solemn blonde, the dark haired girl inquired. "What are you doing once you get back home?"

Gwen looked lost, somehow. "I don't know... Probably see my dad. Spider-woman is sort of a criminal in my world."

"Oh..."

Redirecting the topic, she looked at the long haired girl with a small (unconvincing) smile. "What about you?"

"Call my brother," Ivy responded immediately. "After seeing my mom, of course. She's probably worrying herself sick right now." the girl frowned at that thought before shaking her head. "My brother's the only one that knows my secret identity. Then I might visit my best friend and tell her who I am, it's kind of shitty keeping this side of me a secret from her."

Gwen nodded, a deep understanding being held in her eyes. "I get that. I wish I could tell my dad who I am."

Ivy turned to look at her, her brows tightly knitted. "Why can't you?"

"He's a cop,"

"Ah..." she clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. "That's a bummer."

Neither felt the need to speak as their gazes focused on the sky above, content with the silence that had settled over the pair. It's funny how, even during the most bizarre phenomenons, nature kept its charm. In the stillness of the trees, in the cool of the night, even the mosaics of the sky still looked the same.

Especially at night, where the world was quiet and the stars got all the attention. They were like lightbulbs but for space, Ivy used to say.

"You know, I was never interested in stars, but my brother is." Ivy mentioned mindlessly, never tearing her eyes away from the sky. "He'd tell me all about the recent astronomical events as if I had any idea of what it meant."

Gwen chuckled at her, admiring how open she was, how willing she was to wear her heart on her sleeve without worry someone might crush it right in front of her. The blonde hoped she would never lose that side of her.

"But, I do have to admit, they are pretty."

Unbeknownst to the long haired girl, who was far too entranced at the act of stargazing to even notice a change in the air, Gwen kept her gaze locked on Ivy, a soft smile warmly welcomed by her features. "Yeah, they are."

author's note!

this chapter is actually kinda cute 🤭🤭 it's pretty cliche but who cares

tysm for nearly 900 reads y'all 🫶🫶🫶 ahh
that's literally so cool!!

have a great rest of your day everyone, mwah 💋