Re: chinatown: pete & gwen
All quantifiable benefits can be quantified, but not all benefits are quantifiable. [Honestly, Peter was just saying words. Words that argued against her words, for no real purpose except that he refused to be the one who gave up. It was silly, lighthearted, in a way her death wasn't. It'd weighed on him for a long, long time, and he couldn't accept that it was supposed to happen.] I don't know, what about fate and destiny here? Maybe we make our own. [He didn't exactly agree, either, that her death had gotten him somewhere better. That hadn't been better. And it was her, not her death, that inspired him to keep fighting.] I'm not taking anything away. What am I taking away? You dying... it wasn't what I needed. I was fine, before. But losing you... it was beyond rough. Your death didn't help me. You did. I gave up, you know, the mask, for months, and I finally got back out there because of you. [But her next question was a doozy. Of course part of him wanted the Gwen he remembered back; no Jason, no Harry, just the girl he was supposed to follow to England. But he really did feel like she, this Gwen, was still her in the ways that mattered.] Instead of you? [He let out a long exhale.] That wouldn't be fair. To you, I mean. You're your own person. [He grinned.] And I kinda like you anyway.
[He groaned.] There was no pressing! You're totally exaggerating the hug. [And, okay, he hadn't meant to abandon her with Harry. Jason was supposed to stay. The boyfriend he was a tiny bit (ha ha) jealous of. The guy wasn't supposed to leave too.] Having bacteria isn't the same as being it, Gwen Stacy. And you can not. It's conjecture. Other Peters have fallen for MJ, but I'm not those other Peters. I'm me. You're assuming. You're assuming big time. [So there.
Her laughter, while he liked how it sounded, wasn't very enlightening. Neither was this little game of follow the leader, but if there was one thing Peter was good at, it was following people. Following, not stalking, thank you very much. Especially Gwen. He followed her to the end of the Canal, quick enough to catch her turn towards the Carousel. Yeah, no, he wasn't losing her. It brought back a memory of her and Harry from the party, but he shoved that right out of his mind. He had to dig through his pockets for some cash, which slowed him down a little, and the carousel was already by the time he jumped on. There were people, a lot of couples, bright lights and everything kind of pretty, and Peter wove through horses and people until he found the blonde he was looking for.]
I haven't been here in forever. [He was still wearing the stupid glittery scarf, and he hoped up on the horse beside her. Not like he was supposed to, no, he sat sideways, legs dangling, and swung one sneakered foot to connect with hers.]