A mind beyond Marvel

[Gray POV]

I adjusted the cuffs of my jacket as I stood in front of Gwen's house. It was a nice brownstone, classic New York style, but what really made it stand out was the police cruiser parked out front. Captain Stacy was out more often than not these days, but his presence was always there.

Taking a breath, I knocked.

The door opened almost immediately, and there she was Gwen Stacy, dressed in a simple white sweater, jeans, and that effortless confidence she always carried. She gave me a smirk. "Right on time. I like that."

I grinned. "I'm an engineer. Precision is kind of my thing."

She stepped out, closing the door behind her. "Alright, where to first?"

I had a few ideas, but mostly, I just wanted to walk. "Figured we'd check out some of the shops on 14th Street. Maybe find something cool before dinner."

She nodded, falling into step beside me. The streets were busy, people moving about their day, the usual chaos of New York City. We passed a street musician playing an old jazz tune, a vendor selling roasted peanuts, and a bookstore that made Gwen slow down.

"Wanna check it out?" I asked her.

She hesitated, then nodded. We stepped inside, the scent of old paper filling the air. Gwen ran her fingers along the spines of books, her expression softer here. I watched as she picked up a sci-fi novel, flipping through the pages absently.

"You into that?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I like the idea of different worlds. Of people who get caught up in something bigger than themselves."

"...", I considered her answer, only if she knew.

We didn't buy anything, but it was nice. Just being there, talking. We wandered through a couple more shops, Gwen trying on a pair of sunglasses at a boutique and striking a dramatic pose, making me laugh.

After a while, my stomach reminded me why we were out. "You hungry?"

"Starving.", she replied

[Gwen POV]

We headed to a small Italian place Gray had been meaning to try. It wasn't fancy, but it smelled incredible the moment we stepped inside. A checkered tablecloth, dim lighting, the hum of quiet conversation, it was perfect.

We ordered quickly, sharing a plate of garlic bread while waiting for our pasta. I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "So, you ready for the Oscorp field trip?"

Gray exhaled. "As ready as I can be. I mean, yeah, I love tech, but something about that place just feels... off."

I nodded, swirling my straw. "Yeah. My dad's been dealing with a lot of crime lately, and guess what? A lot of it traces back to people trying to steal from Oscorp."

Gray frowned. "So, what's really going on there?"

"That's what I'd like to know," I muttered.

Our food arrived, cutting the conversation short. The rest of the meal was easier. Joking about our teachers, talking about random movies, I stole a bite from Gray's plate with a smirk.

The night air was crisp as we stepped back onto the street. I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling full and comfortable. Walking with Gray like this felt… natural. Like we had done it a thousand times before.

We passed a bakery, the warm glow of its display case catching my eye. I slowed down, "Do we have room for dessert?"

Gray smirked, "I always have room for dessert."

I chuckled, leading the way inside. We ended up splitting a slice of chocolate cake, standing outside the shop as we ate. I took a bite, humming in satisfaction. "Alright, this was a good decision."

We kept walking, the city buzzing around us. Eventually, we reached my street, and I felt a little pang of disappointment. It had been a simple evening, but one of the best I had in a while.

[Gray POV]

 I slowed as we neared her house. "So, uh, thanks for tonight. It was fun."

Gwen smiled. "Yeah, it was."

We stood there for a beat, the moment stretching just long enough to feel significant. Gwen glanced toward the house. The police cruiser was still parked there, but the lights were off inside. Her dad was probably still at the station.

She looked back at me. "See you at school?"

I nodded. "See you at school."

She turned to go, then paused. "Hey, Gray?"

I looked up.

She gave him a small, genuine smile. "I'm glad we did this."

Then she stepped inside, closing the door swiftly behind her. I laughed and went back to home. There I saw my mother grinning at me. I didn't tell her anything, she was pestering me but I kept shut. After that I went back to my room. After making sure that my mom was asleep. I phased through the ground as I headed towards the Noctis Cave… maybe I should change it to something else this place is a no mere cave anymore.

"Sanctuary of Noctis", reminds me of that novel I used to read Shadow Something.

I have been also working on a project to make androids from Detroit become human but it's still just a concept that is yet to be started. I wore my armour and went out to hunt again but this time in Hell's kitchen which is basically the Gotham of Marvel and then there is the Hand working with Fisk.

I can read the minds of people but I usually prefer breaking a few bones until necessary.

"WHERE ARE YOU TRAFFICIKNG THEM", I beat up a few members of this gang, I got tired and decided to just read their minds and unsurprisingly they didn't know where the truck left. I asked Alfred to find and try to track the truck. It went to Philadelphia. These low gang members didn't even know what they were doing.

A pharmaceutical company has been picking up homeless people and some mutants to experiment. I rode my Noctis-Pod straight into the ground and headed towards the truck in Philadelphia.

[1.5 hrs later]

I just reached a building that seemed like some advance research facility. I used my EMW generator to shut down the lights.

As I headed inside, I saw a man in a white hoddie painted red coming out.

"Batman, have you seen Francis", He asked. I was a little stunned that he called me batman "No".

"aah, man this world is going to shit….. don't know what might happen next", he continued his blabber which I listened carefully, "I mean madam Gao is working with kingpin, huh?"

I just nodded in response as he babbled on slowly walking away

"It's like Falcone calling Darksied, so they can deal with 10yr Robin "

I said nothing as I analysed the parts of this place. Then I left back for home. By the time I reached the sun was already getting up.

I went back to my room and relaxed, before waking up for school in again in 2 hours.

------

I wrote it in a slight rush, I hope you like it. No chapter on Sunday

Drop a comment and correct any errors that I may have made