He smiled mischievously and answered.
"I do not know yet. Would you like to give me some ideas?"
______________________________________________________-
She smiled at him, obviously enjoying the banter, and asked:
"I may be willing to give you some ideas, yes, but wouldn't you say it's time for you to introduce yourself?"
He laughed awkwardly in response, having been so captivated by her smile and so focused on continuing the conversation that he had completely forgotten his manners.
"Of course. Nice to meet you. My name is Arthur Lester. I am a student at ESU, starting this September. May I ask for your name?"
Her eyes lit up when he mentioned ESU, and she completely ignored his question in favor of asking:
"ESU? In what bachelor's degree?"
Obviously surprised by her eagerness, he didn't think too much before responding.
"Engineering. Why?"
"I am also starting at ESU this coming year, in Biology. I always wanted to understand how the world worked and how living beings were influenced by the world."
Her smile seemed to light up the whole store when she talked about her obvious passion. He blinked twice before listening more seriously to her explanations of why everyone should want to study biology because it was obviously the most important subject in the world.
He smiled at her enthusiasm and laughed slightly when he realized that her cool aura was not only unbroken by her obvious scientific talk but seemed to be reinforced by it.
When, two minutes into her speech, she realized that he hadn't uttered a word but was instead watching her with a fascination in his eyes that she hadn't seen before, she blushed heavily before apologizing.
"Sorry, I always get carried away when talking about science."
"You don't need to apologize for it. It's quite cute, after all," he said, before blushing in turn when his mouth moved quicker than his brain.
She blushed as well before deciding to move past this embarrassing moment and answering his earlier question.
"So... my name is Gwen Stacy, and I am also a new student at ESU in Biology. Nice to meet you, Arthur."
His eyes lit up in recognition before he calmed himself down, only offering her a smile.
"It's nice to meet you too, Gwen. So... what idea can you give me for my dinner?"
Arthur came back to easier topics, seemingly forgetting his comment about her cuteness.
Grateful for the opportunity to skip past her blush, Gwen also changed the subject and started asking questions about his diet, whether he was vegetarian, vegan, or neither.
They talked for ten more minutes, neither of them really wanting the chat to end quite so soon, before Arthur finally asked what he had wanted since the first time he saw her, even before knowing her identity.
"Would it be presumptuous to ask for your number, Gwen?" His cheeks were warm as he asked his question. He was reassured when she also blushed slightly before giving him her number and taking his.
They continued talking as they both paid for their groceries, and when they left the store, they looked into each other's eyes for a beat before Arthur said goodbye.
"It was really nice meeting you today, Gwen. I hope we can go get a coffee together soon so that I can hear more about you."
"Of course, I would like that. Send me a text when you can, right?" She was smiling as she said that before saying goodbye and walking away.
Arthur stood there in front of the store, watching her back for a few moments before she disappeared into the crowd.
"Well, that was certainly interesting."
One hour later, Arthur was opening his front door, having gotten back to his apartment before 8 o'clock. He was completely knackered.
He plopped down on the couch after taking off his shoes in the entrance and putting the grocery bag in the kitchen.
When his body hit the soft cushions of the couch, he groaned and let out a heavy sigh as tension literally left his body in waves.
After the hell that was his morning, filled with panic attacks and existential crises, and the rollercoaster that was his afternoon, spent walking around New York, committing his first theft, seeing Spider-Man, and meeting and flirting with Gwen Stacy, relaxing on the couch was quickly becoming the best part of his day.
Being in what was now his new home was comforting, even if he was probably going to have to search through all the cupboards and drawers in the kitchen to find the utensils he would need to cook his dinner.
Still, he smiled when he thought back to Gwen's blush as he called her cute. That smile quickly froze when he started to wonder if this Gwen was already in a relationship with Peter or if they even knew each other already.
"I suppose either she will tell me, or I will see it when we start university. No use stressing myself about something I have no control over."
Using all the strength left in his body, he quickly went to take a shower to wash off the grime of the city before going to the kitchen to start making dinner.
'Let's test Gwen's lasagna recipe.'
After spending ten minutes preparing all the utensils and ingredients, he prepared his lasagna, put it in the oven, and thirty-five minutes later, it was ready to eat.
Taking a picture to send to Gwen later, he set up the table for himself and quickly started eating.
"So gooood," he groaned as the taste of pasta, tomatoes, cream, cheese, and carrots formed a delicious mix and hit his taste buds.
Quickly sending Gwen a text saying:
Me:
[Photo of lasagna]
Your recipe is delicious, thank you.
Gwen:
…..
Your dish makes me hungrier than my own.
Me:
Too bad it's mine ;)
Gwen:
I just have to make you cook it for me next time.
:) :)
Me:
How forward of you, already planning to sneak into my kitchen...
Gwen:
Let me eat my obviously not-as-good dish in peace...
Me:
Spoilsport, but bon appétit ;)
Closing his phone, he smiled and finished eating before putting his dishes in the dishwasher and going back to sit on the couch.
Looking up at the ceiling, he thought about everything that had happened that day. He thought about his new universe, about his power, about Spider-Man, about Gwen, and about his own weaknesses.
He thought back to his choice of methods to make himself more powerful: the Heart-Shaped Herb in Wakanda.
'Planning the theft of the most precious resource from the most protected place on Earth can wait until tomorrow. I am too tired for this shit.'
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