“Doesn’t matter.
What’s the worst they can do?”
Gwen sighed, already used to losing these arguments.
She’d tried the careful angle and the responsible one, and none of it ever stuck with him.
“I can’t win with you… Did you eat breakfast?”
A little spark of hope flickered in her eyes as she held out the bag of sandwiches.
Her fingers had left creases in the paper from how tight she was gripping it.
“Nope.
Thanks.”
Wayne took the bag and the two of them walked over to a big tree and sat down under the shade.
He opened it, stared at the sandwich for a second, then let his eyes glow soft crimson.
Heat Vision warmed it perfectly.
He took a bite.
“Not bad.
Want some?”
“No!
I already ate!”
Gwen waved both hands fast, then hesitated.
“…Maybe just a little is okay?”
Wayne held the sandwich out without a second thought, bite mark and all.
Gwen’s cheeks went pink.
She tried to act casual as she leaned in and took a small bite from the exact same spot.
The bread was still warm from his heat.
“Hey!”
A cheerful voice made her jump.
For a second she was sure someone had caught her little moment.
A good-looking guy—more of a pretty-boy type—popped his head around Wayne’s shoulder.
“Morning, Harry.”
Wayne’s answer came out half-mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.
Behind Harry stood Peter.
Ordinary-looking, a little skinny.
One glance was enough for Wayne to see every electron in the kid’s body, never mind the mutated genes.
This was already a failed Spider-Man in the making.
“Morning, Peter.”
“Morning, Wayne.”
The two of them got along fine, but right now Peter looked like he had something stuck in his throat.
After the Oscorp spider bite he hadn’t planned on becoming a hero.
Then his Uncle Ben ran into those robbers.
If Wayne hadn’t dropped out of the sky that night, Uncle Ben would’ve been dead.
That was the moment Peter decided to follow Wayne’s example.
“With great power comes great responsibility” had sealed the deal.
He already had the red-and-blue suit and the mask ready.
He just didn’t feel ready himself.
Part of him wanted to ask Wayne for tips.
The other part couldn’t get the words out.
“Peter?
Peter!”
“Huh?
What?
I wasn’t zoning out!”
Harry waved a hand in front of his face.
“You good, man?”
Peter forced a smile.
“Yeah, Harry.
I’m fine.”
Satisfied his buddy wasn’t dying, Harry spun back to Wayne, eyes shining.
“Okay, Superman buddy, spill.
What crazy stuff have you been up to lately?”
He never got an answer.
A sudden icy, murderous stare hit him like a physical force.
Harry’s whole body shivered.
He glanced sideways and locked eyes with Gwen’s painfully polite smile.
Only then did it click that he and Peter had crashed something private.
“Are we… interrupting?”
“What do you think?”
“Ehm..” Harry cleared his throat and turned on Peter with fake seriousness.
“See, this is why you can’t keep bothering Wayne for stories.
Superheroes are busy people.
Come on, we’re leaving.
Over there.
Now.”
He dragged the still-hesitating Peter away.
Right before they disappeared he shot Wayne a quick, silent “Go get her, tiger” look.
Once the two walking cockblocks were finally gone, Gwen looked up at Wayne with big, hopeful eyes.
“Wayne, can you come over after school?
I’ve got a surprise for you.”
Wayne gave her a once-over.
Super Vision already told him her genes were a little off.
He remembered she’d been sick and skipped the Oscorp tech expo that day.
The way he looked at her made Gwen’s face go bright red.
“It’s not that!
At least… at least we can start with holding hands…”
They’d already held hands earlier.
So… start with kissing then?
Gwen’s thoughts were still spinning when Wayne suddenly tipped his head back and stared at the sky.
“What’s wrong?”
She followed his gaze.
Even with her improved eyesight she only saw blue sky and clouds.
“Someone’s up there.”
“Someone?”
Buzz!
Buzz!
Before she could ask more, both their phones buzzed at the same time.
They glanced at each other, then pulled them out.
Emergency alert.
Live feed.
The camera showed a silver man riding a surfboard slowly descending between skyscrapers.
His voice was flat and cold.
“Your planet’s doomsday is approaching.
Your world will be destroyed by Galactus.
You cannot stop him.
He is a cosmic force, as necessary as a star.
Hold your loved ones.
Say the things you never dared to say.
Celebrate while you still can.
Your time is running out.
I announce the beginning of his era.
I announce your doom.
I declare… Galactus is coming.”
The Silver Surfer, herald of Galactus, finished his speech, casually dodged a dozen missiles and fighter jets, then shot into the sky and vanished.
The on-site reporter immediately started babbling into the camera.
All around them students were staring at their own phones, watching the exact same broadcast.
Gwen turned to Wayne, worried, only to find him studying the empty sky with clear interest, like he was still tracking the Surfer across light-years.
He showed zero intention of chasing the guy down and zero sign of concern.
That alone let her relax a little.
“Wayne, do you know that guy?
And who’s Galactus?”
“She’s a mature woman.”
“Huh?”
“Sorry.
Habit.”
Wayne shook his head.
“Galactus is a cosmic deity.
Gets his ass kicked on the regular and spends most of his time starving.
But when he’s actually full, the energy inside him can match or even beat the Big Bang.”
Gwen just stared.
She’d only just gotten powers and the first boss was already that strong?
That felt completely unfair.
Wayne watched her with quiet amusement.
He knew exactly what was going through her head.
Faced with a planet-eater, her first thought was whether she could take him, not whether someone stronger would handle it.
Brave, sure.
Way too early for her, though.