He's Her New Project Who: Dean and Gwen Where: A burger joint When: Sometime in October What: Dean and Gwen meeting. There's some mild flirting, although it just turns out really goofy in the end Rating: Pretty tame, I think, happy to change that though if someone thinks otherwise.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Gwen Stacy was actually in a decent mood. Sure, she was still lonely, and felt like she was generally avoided here as she was back home... but at least her dalliance with Alex had given her a chance to blow off some steam, as well as finally giving in to a longtime curiosity about being with another woman while maintaining the friendship and not making things weird.
Well, since Dean's car was still missing (he'd recently received a photo of it in the Australian outback), he mostly spent his time doing two things. Working out and eating. And right now he had a hell of an appetite. And so, he was sitting at a table in the outdoor area of a restaurant, dressed in his usual denim and leather... and took a bit bite of a burger, moaning in ecstasy as he chewed. "Ohmygod, where have you BEEN all my life?"
Gwen heard that, and actually BLUSHED. Yeah, she'd had more or less the same reaction during her evening with Alex, thanksabunch. "Jeez, buddy... you either need a girlfriend STAT, or that is the greatest burger in the history of the world." She smirked, trying to force that blush away.
Dean continued chewing his mouthful of burger, and looked over at Gwen, wide eyed. Why did a pretty girl always have to over hear the WORST possible things. "Well... I'm going to sound pathetic no matter how I reply to that, huh?"
"Trust me, if you're gonna sound pathetic? I'm the person to do it around. Because I've got NOOOOO room to judge anyone right now." She smirked, crossing her arms. "Plus, in all fairness, the burgers here *are* pretty rockin'. I'm Gwen, by the way. I'd offer to shake your hand, but... seeing it's probably soaked in grease right now, I'll settle for a good 'bro nod'."
Dean gave her the nod, then had another mouthful of his burger. He was actually kind of a slob when he was eating, but since she was watching him his bite wasn't as big this time, nor did he speak with a mouthful of food - which was an effort, admittedly. "Dean. And what exactly makes you pathetic?"
"Honestly? Just the fact that I've spent the majority of my time here mooning over an alternate version of my dead boyfriend and being jealous of his girlfriend, instead of just focusing on the good things. Just not a fan of the person I let myself be these last few months." Gwen told him, walking over to sit down across from him, invitation be damned. "I recognize you... aren't you the one who wants to kill Parker and Wilson?"
Jesus, I didn't ask for your life story, Dean thought, if it wasn't for the mouth full of food he'd have probably said it. He wasn't exactly a tactful person. "Well, that's not all that I do with my time." He indicated his burger. "Clearly." He looked her over. "Can't say that I've seen you before. I think I'd remember."
"Yeah, I haven't been all that social lately. Trying to fix that now." She told him, raising an eyebrow as she watched him chow down. "I'm suddenly thinking maybe I need to get one of those. It smells delicious."
"Well, you're not having any of this one," Dean joked, pretending to pull his burger away from her. "But you can help yourself to some fries to tide yourself over if you want," he offered, pushing his plate in her direction.
She felt a little smirk at her lips when he said that. Obviously, this was his way of being friendly. She'd accept it, gladly. God knew she needed some people to actually hang around with. "So, how've you been getting along here so far? Other than the drama with your car, obviously."
"Not bad. The mystery of who stole my car is still up in the air, but right now I'm just bottling up all my fun rage," he joked, giving her a little shrug. "Mars is helping me with it. She's tiny... but I *really* wouldn't want to piss her off. Something tells me she's got a mean right hook." Heh. "What about you? How do you spend your time?"
"Mostly? Swinging around town, trying to just keep myself preoccupied. Hasn't been a lot going on lately, so... better to do that than sit there and sulk, you know?" She answered, before adding: "And, I guess... wondering if we're gonna be stuck here forever."
Dean nodded as he listened, chewing on more of his burger. Despite trying to take it slow and savor it, he'd eaten most of the damn thing already. "Yeah, well," *I don't really have a home to go back to without Sammy*, "this place isn't so bad. You meat interesting people, right?"
"True. And at least I'm not wanted by the law here, which admittedly is awesome..." She laughed, albeit a little bitterly. "Plus, I'm pretty sure there's no talking dogs where I'm from..."
"Not unless you have some magic mushrooms, anyway," Dean replied dryly, grabbing his beer to take a swig. "You don't exactly strike me as an outlaw here. Am I missing something?"
"Long story. Basically, my boyfriend was killed and I got blamed for it. Fun stuff." She said dryly, shaking her head. "Technically, I did nothing wrong at all."
Dean chuffed. "I've had that happen more times than I care to admit." Burger finished, he grabbed a napkin to wipe the grease from his fingers and lips. "So are you better off here, or do you want that unfinished business back home settled?"
Gwen went silent for a moment, really giving thought to his question before answering. "It's not so much that I want it settled, as much as... I guess I'm afraid of actually making some kind of like for myself, only to have it snatched away by being sent home out of nowhere."
Dean took another swig of his beer. "Well, that doesn't sound like much of a life at all now, does it?"
"No, not really. But I'm trying. I'm letting myself experience new things..." She said, grinning rather happily as she thought about her evening with Alex, "And I'm trying to let go of the past. One step at a time, right?"
Dean smiled. It was something he was trying to do himself, but even he had his fits of depression that he couldn't quite shake. "Right. And who knows. Maybe here is where you need to be right now."
"So, at the risk of making an absolute loser of myself here..." He mumbled, rolling her eyes, "Would you wanna grab a bite to eat or something one evening? Just, you know... me and you?" Oh lord... when did Gwen lose any semblance of game that she ever had???
Dean's eyebrows rose in surprise. "I honestly didn't figure that I was your type," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck, feeling awkward. He didn't even want to know what Jo would think about this, or Sally... if she was still in Freedomtown.
"Um... have you ever looked in a mirror, pal?" Gwen asked, giving a little snort of laughter. "You're pretty much EVERY girl's type. I mean, granted, there's always be that fear that you prefer your car to me, but... gotta take the good with the bad, right?" She teased, giving a playful wink.
Dean chuckled. He almost said that the car was one of the few constants in his life, but didn't want to sound pathetic or lonely (which he was). "Right. Well in that case, when works for you?"
"Well." Gwen said with a self-mocking pause, "Let me consult my busy schedule for a moment and.... yeah. Pretty much anytime you like is fine." She said with a wry chuckle, batting her eyelashes at him with a grin.
Dean couldn't help it but let out a surprised laugh at that. "Well, if you're feeling hungry then order something and we'll get to know each other."
Thinking for a moment, Gwen straightened her skirt, re-crossed her legs, and ordered herself a burger and fries, giving the waiter a cute little smile before looking back at Dean. "So... what would you like to know about me? Outside of the whole "I swing around town in a spandex costume and have powers like a spider" thing, I mean."
"Well, I think I already knew that," Dean gave her a wry smile. While he didn't comment on the network, he still read the threads. In part out of curiosity, but mostly in search of Sam. "What do you like to do in your free time?'
"I love to read, play softball, and study, as lame as that sounds. Also, I played drums in a little garage band back home." She told him, tilting her head back briefly to enjoy the breeze that was coming through. "I should probably look for more to do while I'm here though..."
"Couldn't hurt any," Dean agreed, thinking that he shd spend his time more productively as well. "Are you any good on the drums?"
"Yeah, I'm decent..." Gwen said with a smirk, before rolling her eyes. "I mean, I'm no Lars Ulrich or Neil Peart, but I can hold my own..." She wondered, briefly, if she'd ever get to jam with The Mary Janes again. They'd had a fight, but... she missed her friends.
Dean smiled. "What kind of music do you play?" He sat up straighter. Obviously this was a topic he was comfortable with. He loved music. "And what kind of music do you like personally?"
"Well, the band I was in, The Mary Janes... we were sort of a modern pop-punk band. A little like Fall Out Boy, just without the emo factor." She laughed, blushing a little at talking about her own interests and accomplishments. "I tend to like anything on the rock spectrum. Nothing TOO heavy,everything from Disturbed to Rob Zombie to Paramore to Nine Inch Nails.."
The blushing was cute, or so Dean thought. "I dunno that I'd say Paramore is on the rock spectrum," he chuckled and had the final swig of his beer before setting his empty bottle down. He politely (!) asked for another from a passing waiter. "I'm a Zepplin guy, myself. Black Sabbath, Motorhead... stuff like that." Okay, so he liked some embarrassing stuff too, but like he'd tell her THAT!
"Hey, their first two albums were on the lighter side of the spectrum..." She laughed,giving a mock glare. "And yeah, Motorhead is pretty great too. Not much into Sabbath or Zeppelin though, hate to admit." She paused, giving a cute little grin as she realized something. "You know, you're actually really nice to talk to, when you're not threatening people on the network..."
"Which is how I spend most of my time these days. You're just lucky you caught me on a good day," Dean joked, shrugging. He was more than happy to admit that he was a dick most of the time though. It kept people at a reasonable distance.
"See, you're just lucky you're hot." Gwen said, cutely pointing a finger at him. "If an unattractive guy would act like that, people would just call him an ass. But because you're hot, it comes off as 'loose cannon bad boy', which is like... instant babe magnet."
Dean seemed to think about that for a moment. "Naw. I'm pretty sure that still makes me an ass. I just... don't see a point i hiding the things that piss me off."
"Geez... try to compliment a guy around here..." Gwen laughed, trying to push some niggling thoughts out of her head. Damn her wandering mind... "Seriously though, I used to be the same way. I really didn't... think before I spoke. And it cost me one of my only good friends I'd made here. So, anymore? Yeah. Verbal filter turned on HIGH."
Dean nodded. "I can understand snapping the trap shut to spare someone's feelings, but I dunno. Hiding how you feel doesn't help anyone in the long run."
"I think sometimes... I just have a tendency to lack a verbal filter." Gwen admitted, grumbling under her breath at her own behavior. "So anyway... have you put any thought into what you're gonna do when you find the guy who took your car?"
"Maiming and torturing immediately come to mind," Dean chuckled. The waiter set down a fresh beer for him and took away his empty plate. He thanked him absently, watching Gwen for a moment. Dean was observant, and could tell that something was eating away at her. Still, he wasn't the type to push. Well, he was, but he also knew when to leave things alone. "The places this guy has taken photos of my baby. A pier at a beach, Uluru, he even had the balls to take a photo of her parked on top of Gamiel building one time. Who the fuck does things like that?"
"I think a more helpful question would be 'who could get the car on top of the building'..." Gwen said, scrunching her face as she thought. "I mean, is it a normal car? If so, there's only so many people here that could conceivably get an automobile into a position like that..."
"Well, it's not a Ford Anglia, if that's what you mean..." Dean muttered. Oh no. He made a Harry Potter reference. His eyes widened at his littlte faux-pas. She did not need to know that he'd watched the Harry Potter movies. "But that's a good point. Could narrow down the list of suspects some," he hurriedly added.
Gwen actually grinned there, as she was a bit of a Potter nerd too. "If it makes you feel better? When Hermione Granger briefly pooped up here, I about lost my MIND."
Dammit. Dean hid his blush behind his bottle of beer as he took a swig. He could either bat off her reference and be a dick, or he could nerd out. For once, he decided to nerd out. "Did she have frizzy hair and everything?"
"No, if we're totally honest here she was shockingly hot." Gwen laughed, raising an eyebrow as she realized what she'd said. Hrrm. Maybe her dalliance with Alex was more than a simple one-person thing? "Like, just a stunning young woman."
"Annnd we'll leave it at that. I mean, I'm cool admitting that I find younger women attractive, but school age," he threw up his hands, "I'm not touching that with a ten foot pole." He made a face at the phrasing. "You know what I mean."
"Hey hey hey!" Gwen laughed, eyes narrowing, "When she turned up here she was my age, ok? We were both 17!"
Dean opened his mouth to argue something, opened it again... gaped like a fish out of water, then sighed heavily. "I am a dirty, dirty old man."
"Oh please, I'm almost 19 now. Plus, I think this place is like Vegas." She laughed, wagging her eyebrows at him playfully. "What happens in this reality STAYS in this reality."
Dean chuckled. "Well, that's true, but... I think you still have to live by your conscience. And I swear if you tell anyone I said that I'll--well, I'll do something unpleasant. That just stays between us."
"I'm not entirely sure why you think being a decent person is something to hide..." Gwen pointed out, giving him a lopsided grin. "In my opinion it makes you even more attractive."
Well, shit. "Well, if people start thinkin' of me as a decent person then they won't leave me the hell alone," he pointed out. Again, Dean was the kind of person that kept people are arms length when he could.
"Well... knock it off, cutie." She said rather bluntly, reaching over to poke him on the nose. "Because we're all in this together. We're all trapped here. And at the end of the day? We're all we have. You, me, all of us. Even Wilson's annoying alt!daughter."
"Are we sure it's safe to have either of them in gen!pop? I mean, they're not gonna go crazy with a 12-gauge and go knockin' on doors like serial killers or anything, are they?" Hey, it was a valid concern!
"I think they're ok. Little insane in the brain, but nice enough people. Wade's pretty much my friend Alex's BFF, so... if he's ok in her book? He's ok in mine. As for Bea... she's more likely to latch onto random people like a dog and hump their leg than she is to hurt someone." Gwen stated, trying not to laugh at the visual.
Dean's eyes widened at the visual. Still, that beat picturing either of them going all gun happy, so Dean would take it. "Well, alright. I'll try to be a little less of a dick, but no promises when it comes to people fucking with my shit."
"It's a start, right?" Gwen laughed, finding Dean to be, oddly, charming in his grumpiness. "Besides. We're gonna go out. And how can you be all grumpy and irritable knowing you've got a date with this?" She joked, gesturing to herself.
Dean smirked, thoughts drifting briefly. "Well, true. But look at this face," he gestured to his face, "have you ever seen someone so ruggedly handsome?"
"Mmm. I have to admit, that *is* a very kissable face..." She laughed, winking at him. Jesus, Alex really WAS starting to rub off on her, hm? For that matter, why did her thoughts seem to keep going back to the woman? "So behave, and I may have to indulge that..."
"Behave, she says," Dean muttered, laughing before taking another swig of his beer, having forgotten about it for a moment. This was the most fun he'd had since... well, probably since the last time he saw Sally, come to think of it. "You know, I'm not even sure how to do that."
"Dude!" She laughed, giving an exasperated eyeroll. "You're gonna be a project for me. I can just tell. Look... just stick with me, ok? I'll show you how to be a nice guy."
"You've got some experience with being a nice guy, huh?" He asked, trying not to laugh. Jesus, this guy really could be a dick sometimes, huh?
"Oh, honey... I am ALL woman." And then, just because she knew damn well it would shut him up, "Ask Vause the next time you talk to her. She'll confirm that there's NOTHING about me that's like a guy."
"... You're assuming that I'm not going to picture the two of you together whenever I see either of you." He actually stopped talking for a good minute there and narrowed his eyes. "Goddamn it."
"Yeeeaaaah, that makes two of us, honey." She said with a mischievous grin. Oh, what a teasing BITCH!