*Werewolf pov*
*A few hours prior*
Jack split up from Peter, taking advantage of the solitude to do some good on his own. His main mission was to get the people of New York to like him, but not just because he was a crime-fighting werewolf. He wanted to show them he was friendly too, no one to be feared. He wanted to be as beloved as Spider-Man or Iron Man, but he had the disadvantage of being a villain when he made his first appearance. Now, he had to climb out of the deep hole he had dug himself into.
He found that the people really liked it when they caught him singing aloud to his favorite songs. There were a few videos of him on the internet and he thought it wouldn't hurt for them to catch him once in a while. It did wonders for his reputation.
But he found that his mind was clouded with anxiety. When he had stopped a carjacking, he seemed to only worry about the party rather than apprehending the criminal. He had said he would go because he had wanted to appear friendly to the new kid, but he was not at all excited about attending. He worried that Mr.Osborn would be there and recognize him. Jack had only met him once, and it was him that had the werewolf start to working with Dr.Connors. But it was also him that had given the order to brainwash him. Jack didn't think himself to be in a good enough mental state to confront him. He had crumpled at the very mention of "Osborn", he couldn't imagine how he would react to the man himself.
"Connors, this is Jacob Russoff," Mr.Osborn said as he introduced the young werewolf to the scientist. The Oscorp CEO had secretly taken time off his European trip to come back to New York, and he had found the wandering werewolf while driving through the forested upstate. Jack had been in terrible condition after having been on the run for so long, and Mr.Osborn had immediately grown intrigued by his werewolf capabilities. "He'll be your intern for the next few months."
Dr.Connors quirked an eyebrow. "I don't need any assistants."
"You'll want him," Mr.Osborn affirmed, "he'll prove to be very important when I return from Europe, for he will be the beginning of something I'm putting together."
Jack bared his teeth at the memory, hating that he could remember it so clearly. Back then, it all seemed so simple. He would work silently under Dr.Connors, who would give him meager tasks because the boy had no aptitude for science. But then he had gotten the idea that maybe Jack's werewolf form could be used to further his own devious plans.
Had he known what was in store for him, he would never have stayed.
But he had been so desperate to not be abandoned that he would have done anything in order to stay off the streets. But when Mr.Osborn had caught wind of some of his more heroic actions, he had decided that Jack needed a reminder in what he was supposed to do.
"Where's he from?" Dr.Connors asked as he stared at Jack, who was nearly his height despite being a teenager.
"California," Mr.Osborn answered, pushing Jack away so the boy could explore the lab, "he's been on the run all year and I've decided to help him."
"On the run from what, Sir?"
"He wouldn't say, just that he was being hunted by someone," Mr.Osborn shrugged half-heartedly, "but he changed his name in California so if you just changed the hair, he should be well hidden enough, especially in a big city like this."
Jack snorted harshly as the surge of memories led up to electrifying pain coursing his body, and he was momentarily forced to relive his brainwashing all over again. Pausing mid-step, he shuddered until he made the pain pass, and he continued walking. He had no desire to revisit old problems that no longer mattered, and even older problems that would never resurface. And he could never tell Peter, because he didn't see the point in troubling his friend with something as irrelevant as his past life.
But he silently wished that he hadn't gone on that snow mission with Peter, for now the Scarlet Witch knew all about the torment going on in his head. She had seen the worst of it too, the sheer brutality of the brainwashing and the inner turmoil he had endured when he fought Peter. Jack had liked her too, but he had felt so intruded that his warning for her to stay out of his head came across as more of a threat.
Wanting to take his mind off of his anxiety, he tuned into a soothing soundtrack to ease his speeding heart rate. He readjusted his earbuds as he dropped into an enlarged alleyway, which was basically a tunnel of sorts. Slipping off his backpack as he walked through, he fumbled for the sandwich he had stowed away for later. He had made the point to give Peter his snack before they split up, because him being hangry was not a pleasant sight.
Jack sang softly as he made his way to usual lunch spot, a huge darkened room that no one ever visited. He just wanted to everything to be okay, for everything to be like this forever. Where he and Peter would patrol the city and everything just be fine. But why did he feel like it never really be normal? He figures as long as the Osborns were in New York, he'd never be at ease, but the last thing he wanted was to run away again.
"You have a nice voice," a random voice called as he turned the corner, and Jack stopped, startled and his fur immediately standing on edge.
Pausing his music, he looked up to see someone standing on a tall ladder. A blonde-haired girl was there, a graffiti can in one hand as she watched him intently. Something about her was oddly familiar, but his attention was taken by the huge red spider plastered to the cement wall. Jack couldn't help but be impressed. He would have to have Peter look at it sometime.
"That is, for a wolf," the girl continued, "it's not all growling and hoarse as I'd expect."
"Clearly, you haven't seen my videos," Jack replied, regaining his composure as he dropped his backpack with his lunch still inside, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I always thought they were edited," the girl said, waving her can dismissively, "excuse me for not trusting everything on the internet."
"I didn't mean any-," Jack took a deep breath and smiled up at her. "Thank you."
"I meant it though," she said. She turned around and sprayed an editing touch on her street art. "You sing well."
"Well, I think your art's pretty cool," Jack replied, walking a bit closer to the wall to better view it. There were a few spray cans on the floor, empty and used. "If it wasn't against the law, I'd actually say you were a good artist."
"Saying I'm a good artist is against the law?"
Jack groaned inwardly. He thought only MJ had this level of snark. Shaking his head, he introduced himself. "I'm Werewolf."
"So I put together," the girl responded, not looking back at him as she tended to her art.
It was annoying him that he couldn't remember who she was. It came to him that she was the girl that had started a fight in the cafeteria earlier that day. She had been gone for the rest of the school day, which was no surprise to anyone. He had been intrigued by her about that, since she was able to defeat somebody three times her size. He wanted to know how she could fit that much strength into such a tiny body. But he couldn't ask that without giving himself away.
He remembered Ned saying her name, but he couldn't think of it for the life of him.
"You a big fan of the Spider-Man?"
"Actually, no," she answered, "but I think his emblem is cool, even if this one's a bit modified."
"Do you like any heroes?"
She paused. "I don't have an opinion on you yet, if that's what you're thinking."
"And why not?"
"Well, a few months ago you were attacking police officers, and now you're stopping bank robbers," she pointed out with a wave of her spray can, "one would say you're bipolar."
"Among other things," Jack jokingly conceded, bowing his head, "but you don't think I'm still bad, do you?"
"I don't know, pupper," she sighed, turning around and leaning back against the wall, crossing her arms, "I mean, I guess when I saw your shadow, I was a little nervous for a half-second. But then you started singing and well..."
"How threatening can a singing werewolf be?" Jack asked playfully, holding out his white-furred arms as if he was addressing an audience. He walked back to his backpack and picked it back up, "I never got your name, by the way."
She hesitated for a second, before stating simply, "Gwen."
There it was. Jack inwardly kicked himself for blanking on her name, thinking how he should've known that.
"Graffiti Gwen."
She looked at him fiercely. "I don't care for nicknames."
"Spider-Gwen?"
"Hard pass."
"Too late. That's your name now."
She groaned, and he noticed that the ladder she stood on didn't reach some of the places she had painted. Momentarily intrigued, he tried to figure out how she'd gotten up there. There was no rope or ladder tall enough, and he couldn't put together how she had made it work.
"Spider-Gwen, indeed," he thought to himself with a small chuckle.
He slung his backpack across his shoulders. He didn't mind finding another place to eat, and he would look forward to having a little decor in his hideout. But he didn't want to bother this girl any longer. Maybe he would try to befriend her at school, even if it would be like starting over from scratch.
If she was even allowed back.
As he started to leave, Gwen asked, "are you going?"
"I mean, yeah. Pupper's got stuff to do."
"You're not going to turn me in?"
"For what? Giving this place a new paint job?" Jack asked back with a chuckle, "I think not."
"You know, you sound young," Gwen mused, narrowing her eyes, "sure, your voice is deep and all but your humor is a bit on the young side."
Jack scolded, pretended to be offended as he held a paw to his chest. "I'll have you know, I'm very adult. You wanna hear a joke about taxes?"
Gwen laughed at the remark, "I just want to know how old you are so I don't have to feel weird."
"I'm your age. I promise," he said, holding his hand over his heart. He didn't want her feeling uncomfortable. The older-sounding wolf form was kind of a red herring.
Then, he realized that he had made her laugh. The fact that Jack enjoyed hearing it came as a surprise to him. It was a nice sound, a pleasant one, but almost immediately it died as Gwen cleared her throat. With a small, subdued smile, she waved her can at him in goodbye. He waved back to her, giving her a golden-fanged grin.
"I hope to see you around, Gwen," he said, a lot more thoughtful than he intended to sound. She rolled her eyes with a chuckle, turning back to her red spider.
"Yeah, I guess I hope to see you too."
Jack smiled once more before turning completely and scampering away on all fours. He liked Gwen, as fiery as she made herself out to be, but he liked this version of her, all artistic and snarky. She reminded him slightly of MJ, but her tone wasn't as deadpan, but just as sarcastic. The two might even get along. But for now, he pushed her out of his mind, and set to work finding a new spot to eat.
And for a lingering moment, he hoped he would see her at Harry's party that night, and it made him feel slightly better about going.
Oh boy, little wolf is catching feelings. And yes, I'm well aware that I've been spelling Spider-Man wrong this entire time and I realized that halfway through By Moonlight. But me being the fan of consistency as I am didn't bother to change it. But now I'm throwing consistency out the window and spelling it the right way. But yeah, number 11! Moving right along, are we not.
~Fargone5