futzyou:
Kate laughed – at the absurdity of it all. Here they were, trapped in an alternate dimension, demons attacking the streets, heroes being tapped to gather up whatever resources they could find, and yet her biggest complaint at the moment was a fleeting headache. It felt good, because it felt normal. “Super rich. Richer than the guy who made ice cream probably,” she quipped. “Course, a friend and I have this theory that having too much money means giving up your soul, so maybe that’s why no one’s tried it,” she mused, giggling a little.
Laughing. It felt good to laugh, and Kate was trying to do it as often as possible. Like she was spitting in the face of this whole futzing dimension, proving it wouldn’t break her down. (She hoped – it wasn’t like she was made of steel. Time had proven that much.) “You think?” she asked, and a part of her believed Gwen. Or maybe just wanted to believe her, which amounted to almost the same thing. “Ooh, are you talking about lil’ ol’ me?” Kate teased, laughing again when Gwen nudged her shoulder. “If so, you’re two-hundred percent correct – course, that’s mostly because I have some of the coolest friends ever,” she said, lobbing the compliments right back along with her own shoulder nudge.
It wasn’t a lie, what she told Gwen. She had her bow, she had her team, she had her dog, and she had Clint. What more did a girl need? Maybe these new resources would mean they’d have coffee a little while longer, too. “I know,” she said, smiling gently. “I’ve got a lot of people I can talk to, and a lot of really awesome friends. I’ve mentioned that right? Just like I’ve mentioned you’re one of them?” She beamed at Gwen, finishing the last of her ice cream cone and swiping at her lips with a napkin. “You know that goes both ways, right? Just for the record,” she said casually. She shook her head. “That is un-futzing-believable. Just burn it. Ooh, maybe demon blood will make the flames look super cool, you should ask Johnny to help,” she said, giggling a little. She paused a second, then glanced up to meet Gwen’s gaze. “You know,” she started. “There’s always room on the team for a few more totally awesome people. Maybe next time movie night gets crashed, you can call on a few teammates to help save your t-shirts from slimezillas.”
It was nice, being able to take some time to relax in the chaos of it all. New York was in shambles once again, the world was uncertain and scary, but right now, Gwen didn’t mind it much. She got to spend some time with Kate, got to hang out with her and discuss random topics that meant nothing at the end of the day, and that was a relief. “That’s probably a good theory. Some people do some suuuper fucked up shit for money.” She’d seen too much of that back in her world, seen awful people do awful things in the name of making a couple extra bucks.
Nodding, Gwen hoped she looked more certain than she felt. In the beginning of her superhero stint, she’d been an optimist. She’d figured she could fight crime and have fun doing it, thought no one could possibly get hurt for real. Then, of course, came Peter. She fought him with everything she had, anger burning through every inch of her body, and it was only when he’d died in her arms that she realized what she’d done. The world was a dark, awful place, and while 616 seemed a lot lighter than her own dimension, they weren’t there anymore. They were somewhere else, somewhere awful, and there was no real guarantee that they’d ever get back. Still, for Kate, Gwen could hold on to some of that optimism. She could pretend she truly believed they’d get home eventually. She could do that. “You know I am,” she replied with a laugh. “You know, you do have some pretty cool friends,” she agreed with a grin.
“You’ve mentioned it, but I won’t say no to hearing it again.” Gwen had gotten astronomically lucky to have as many friends as she did in this universe, and she was well aware of it. She wasn’t sure what it said about her that she likely had more people who cared for her here than she did in her own universe, but she didn’t think it mattered much. At the end of the day, she had one hell of a support system, and that was all she could really ask for. She was going to do everything in her power to make sure Kate had one, too. She deserved that. “I know,” she smiled, nodding her head. “Ugh, I’m so not asking Johnny for help. Can you imagine how insufferable he’d be after that?” She tilted her head at Kate’s pause, brow furrowing over the serious expression that sprung onto her friend’s face. When she spoke, confusion turned to surprise. “Wait, are you serious? Are you asking me...?” She trailed off, letting the end of the sentence hang uncertainly.











