By Sunlight (P.P + M.J)

27. From One Spider to Another

"Someone who's dad won't let them practice in a ring!" Was Gwen's heated retort.

"Practice for what?!"

"Stay out of my business!" With that, Gwen turned and marched away. Peter stared after her, dumbfounded, and decided to leave her be. She was already really mad, and he knew to never push an angry woman, a lesson May had taught him long ago.

So, he left the alley, leaving the webbed up foes in his wake. He reclaimed his snack from the ledge and opted that he deserved a break. As he sat down with his legs dangling haphazardly over the side, he took out his sandwich and his phone, pulling his mask up over his nose. He needed to tell someone about his encounter, but Jack had been asleep when he left the apartment today. So, he went for the one person he knew never went to bed early.

"What do you want, Parker," came MJ's deadpan tone, even though Peter could pick up the slight humor that laced it, "you do realize our generation doesn't usually call unless someone's dying, right? What's the problem?"

"I'm fine, Em," Peter replied with a laugh, "I just wanted to tell you about who I just ran into."

"This better be more important than the Wakandan Outreach Center opening up in Oakland that I'm reading about right now."

"Okay, not nearly that cool," he conceded, making a mental note to ask about that later, "but it was Gwen Stacy, from school. She's crazy."

"Isn't that the girl Jack's crazy about?" MJ asked.

Peter thought he was the only one who knew about her. "Yeah, but how did you know that?"

"I mean, the heart eyes he gives her at school are pretty obvious," she replied, "but seriously, that height difference is something that will definitely set them apart."

"Not everyone are trees like you and him," Peter laughed, and he heard a snicker on the other end as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"You're just bitter because you're tiny next to us," MJ pointed out, then added with a chuckle, "as well as on your own."

"I'm not tiny, I'm fun-sized!" Peter retorted resentfully. She knew how self-conscience he was about his height, but it only added to her arsenal to tease him with.

"Don't worry, I don't like you for your height," she conceded, and he noticed how her tone had turned thoughtful.

"What do you like me for then?" He asked, both genuinely curious and eager to hear all the mushy thoughts she had about him. He knew she hated talking about lovey-dovey stuff, but he always liked when he got her to do it.

"Never knew you were the kind to fish for compliments," was her sarcastic reply.

"Please?" He asked as he devoured the rest of his sandwich.

Suddenly, a new voice came up that made Peter put his phone hastily on the ledge and yank down his mask. He looked around and saw Gwen approaching him. Her mask was off and her hood was flipped back, and she almost appeared... remorseful.

"Okay look, I'm sorry I was a jerk back there," Gwen started and Peter jumped down from the ledge so he was standing, "I just needed to work off some tension and I didn't mean to take it out on you."