Today was a lovely day. The sun was bright over Puerto Rico. While the Caribbean can be oppressively hot in the summer, it's definitely a wonderful destination in the fall and winter.
"So, where should we go first?"
Gwen looked at Peter with a hint of anticipation. Peter completely opened his mouth, then finally conceded the decision-making to Gwen: "You decide. I'm good with anything."
Gwen slightly suspected that Peter's "I'm good with anything" personality might have a lot to do with why he was in his current predicament. She sighed and shrugged helplessly, then led Peter into a mall. In truth, Gwen didn't plan on buying anything; mainly, besides the mall, she didn't have many other places to go.
Should we go watch a movie? Feels a little cliché.
Gwen walked in front, looking around. After thinking for a while, she stopped, and Peter, who was following her, also stopped. Gwen hadn't used her new ability to become a "Ghost" because Peter was genuinely worried about her powers running out of control. To safely test Gwen's abilities, they probably would need to find the X-Men.
So, whenever Gwen stopped, Peter stopped right with her.
"What is it?" Peter looked at the paused Gwen, a bit lost. Gwen looked at Peter, puffing her cheeks, and asked, "Are you just going to follow me all the way back here?"
"What's wrong?" Peter looked confused. "Is that... not allowed? Sorry?"
"If you say 'sorry' one more time, Peter, I'm taking you on a drop tower ride and then disappearing right before we launch." Gwen grabbed Peter's hand, annoyed. "So, don't tick me off, smart guy."
"Alright."
Peter sighed, his hand now gripped by Gwen. Even though Gwen called him a smart guy, he still had no idea what to do on a date.
San Juan is a city of clear divisions. Just as Manhattan has the crowded yet bustling downtown old district and the midtown/uptown areas with streets cut like blocks of tofu, San Juan is divided into two very distinct parts: the modern, new city with towering skyscrapers and the ancient Old San Juan.
Gwen led Peter to the old city, which is situated on two small islands in the harbor. It boasts a plethora of ancient buildings, including many castles and churches left by the former colonizers. All traces of the past are now gone, leaving these structures behind as tourist attractions.
"Wait a moment, stand right there."
Peter took out his camera and snapped a few photos of Gwen. As she posed, Gwen suddenly asked, curious, "If I activate my powers, do you think the picture will still exist?"
"First, let's not talk about powers. Second, you are very photogenic."
Gwen was wearing a black turtleneck sweater and a knee-length sea-blue straight skirt today, topped with a green windbreaker for warmth. She leaned against the fortress wall, the endless blue of the Caribbean Sea stretching behind her.
The weather was perfect, not entirely cloudless, but the clouds were sparse, like cotton wool scattered across the sky, resembling milk poured into a bathtub.
Peter said this while clicking the shutter. Gwen quickly rushed over, looked at the photo of herself, and nudged Peter with her elbow. "Not bad shots! Here, let me take a few of you."
Gwen fiddled with the camera a few times, then pressed the shutter. Looking at the photo, which was far from Peter's quality, she couldn't help but stick out her tongue. She then simply looped her arm through Peter's, pulled out her phone, and took a selfie. This method suited her best.
"Alright, hurry up, we still have a lot of places to go."
Peter felt slightly strange because, in his memory, museums and historical sites weren't the places Gwen liked. It was genuinely odd that she chose these locations for their date.
[Is it possible that these are places you like?]
"No, I prefer laboratories and things like that."
[But there are no laboratories here.]
Okay, well, maybe these are the places I like second-best.
Peter sighed with a hint of melancholy and continued forward with Gwen. The Puerto Rico History Museum was also located in the white building of the famous old fort, El Morro. Gwen held his hand as they walked inside the museum and asked, a bit unsure: "So, can you tell me a little bit about it? The exhibits and everything?"
"I don't know much about this period of history, but... I'll try."
[I think you can just make something up. She's not interested in any of this stuff anyway.]
How do you know so much, Venom?
[I can watch TV while you sleep. Believe me, it's possible.]
Peter chuckled awkwardly. He really wasn't familiar with this period of history. He just combined the information on the museum's display cards with the history he knew. But perhaps this actually had an unexpected effect. In this casual conversation, Peter gradually relaxed. The two walked hand-in-hand through the entire museum and then emerged from the fort.
It was called a day-long date, but it wasn't really. Although Carol was still in a coma, the school tour still had to happen. They only had one morning. Peter figured their time was almost up and planned to take Gwen to the new city to find a restaurant for lunch. As they walked across a bridge, looking at the Caribbean seascape, Gwen suddenly sighed with emotion: "It's a shame it's November. Otherwise, I would have brought a swimsuit."
"Don't you only wear one-piece swimsuits? Uncle George doesn't let you buy any other kind."
Gwen chuckled twice, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Peter: "What do you think would happen—I mean, if—we actually started dating. What do you think my dad's reaction would be?"
"I'm a little afraid to guess."
Gwen smiled and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. New Yorkers might all love Spider-Man, but to the people around Peter Parker, he was absolutely the golden boy next door. The only problem was that Peter himself was oblivious to this. If she started dating Peter, Captain George would probably be happy enough to dance.
Alright, Gwen, there's one last thing to do on this date, and it's not lunch.
"Peter?"
Peter, suddenly called out, had his neck pulled down by Gwen. He watched as she leaned in instantly. A few seconds later, Gwen looked at Peter and asked the question she most wanted to ask.
"Do you hate it?"
"...No."
"Alright, let's do it again?"
"...Okay?"
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