Scott blinked with eyes wide in shock as he looked at the girl standing across the room.
It was Gwen Mercer.
His childhood friend and Aunt Tess's daughter.
She had shoulder-length, wavy blonde hair with bangs that hung partly over one eye. Her eyes were a clear blue, and there was a faint blush on her cheeks, giving her a soft, neutral expression.
She was really pretty, with her parted cherry lips that showed her bright, attractive white teeth.
She wore a cropped white hoodie that left her midriff exposed, along with dark, high-waisted leggings that hugged her legs and showed off her firm thighs. Her build was athletic, with a slim waist and wide hips that gave her a striking, almost mesmerizing shape.
Scott took some time to look at her shapely body a bit which made his cheeks turn a bit hot.
Right after, he shook his head to regain his focus.
"Gwen?"
She held up her smartphone with a teasing smirk.
… SNAP!
Gwen took a quick picture of him in his torn-up Nightwatch suit, bloodied and battered.
"That's a keeper…"
She tucked her blonde hair to the side and studied him with that smug face he'd known since they were kids.
"Well, well, I had a feeling I'd see something shocking, but… Nightwatch? Really? From WeTube?"
Gwen crossed her arms and smirked.
Scott's heart dropped into his stomach.
"No, no! I'm not… I'm just… uh… yunno cosplaying! Yeah, that's it. That's literally it!"
Gwen raised an eyebrow, unimpressed.
"Cosplaying? And the blood is part of the cosplay too? Tch, you were always a terrible ass liar. That's why I never played kissing behind the garden with you when we were kids, you'd sell us out first chance you get!"
"It's…"
Scott laughed nervously as he waved his hands.
"It's uh, a really dedicated look. What the hell are you doing here, anyway?"
Gwen gave a mock gasp then folded her arms tighter.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe because Mom and I took an early morning flight back to Metro City to surprise you. You were so hard to get ahold of, so we figured, why not?"
Scott groaned, shaking his head.
"Gwen, you can't just… walk into my room like that. And where did you even get the apartment keys? Aunt Tess left everything in my hands."
Gwen dangled a keyring on her finger, smirking.
"Oh, this? Stole one before we left. Thought I'd catch you sneaking a girl in or something. But this…"
She let her gaze drift over his bruised, disheveled form.
"This is way better."
Before Scott could protest, he heard Aunt Tess's voice drifting from the hallway outside.
"Gwen, honey, is Scott in there?"
Scott's eyes went wide, and he shot Gwen a pleading look, mouthing… ~Don't say a word.
She tilted her head with a devious smile and dragged out the silence for as long Scott's patience could hold.
His eyes widened and he was practically begging her not to reveal anything.
Gwen rolled her eyes, then called back.
"Yeah, Mom. He's… sleeping."
Scott exhaled a heavy sigh of relief.
"For fuck sakes, thanks…"
He clutched his chest, his head falling back against the wall as he tried to gather himself.
"Alright, fine…"
Gwen said as she moved closer with an amused smile.
"I'll keep your little double life secret. But I want to know everything. How the hell did you end up in… this?"
She gestured at his torn armor and bruised face.
A few minutes later, Scott told Gwen everything… his double life as Nightwatch and his career as a streamer.
He was careful, though, not to reveal much about the System or exactly how he got his gadgets.
Gwen was speechless as he explained how he got a tip from a street gang connected to the Black Mechanica Gang, which led him to a warehouse filled with all kinds of strange tech.
But things went sideways fast.
He got caught by the people running the place, and instead of putting up a fight, they strangely hit a suicide switch. Scott barely managed to escape the explosion and, in the chaos, grabbed a sample of one of the alien devices stored there.
With a slight grin, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the small green core.
Its light pulsed from within its bronze casing.
Gwen's eyes lit up, and before he could react, she snatched it from his hand.
"Is this… alien tech?"
"Probably. Now give it back, Gwen."
But Gwen ignored him and held it up to the light with a child-like fascination.
"This thing's friggin' cool…"
"Gwen, seriously, give it back."
She grinned mischievously. "Make me."
Scott's patience snapped, and he lunged at her, only for her to disappear into a cloud of mist and reappear on the other side of the room, still holding the core.
"What the…"
He sputtered, staring in disbelief.
"How the fuck did you…"
Gwen just wagged the core as her beautiful blue eyes twinkled with mischief.
"Oh, come on, Scottie. Didn't think you'd be the only one with tricks, did you?"
He lunged again, but once more she vanished in a puff of mist and reappeared by his desk.
Scott tried three more times, each attempt slower and more exhausting than the last as his battered body painfully reminded him of every injury.
Finally, his energy drained, he dropped to one knee, out of breath.
"Gwen…" he panted, "…give me the damn thing."
She clicked her tongue, looking almost disappointed as she tossed the core back to him.
"Fine. You're no fun anyway. And this shitty tech is kind of lame, honestly."
Scott grabbed it and shoved it back into his armor pocket and muttered,"Thanks… for nothing."
But Gwen just grinned and folded her arms.
"Oh, come on, Scott. Admit it—you missed me."
For the first time since he'd limped into his apartment, he managed a real, albeit weary, smile.
"Fuck you…" said Scott.
Gwen smiled in an oddly flirtatious manner. "You wish~"
"Huh?"
"Don't mind me. Now take that shit off, it's all messy and covered in blood… you look like a period factory."
Gwen wrinkled her nose, as if he had an unpleasant smell.
Scott's eyes narrowed halfway.
He gave her an utterly unimpressed look.
"You know, I'm sure you'd have a lot of guys around you if you'd just learn to shut the fuck up."
"Tee-hee ♡! You're just butt-hurt."
━ ━ ━ ━
Some minutes later…
Scott turned around and slowly took off the last pieces of his battered armor as his fingers worked skillfully over the clasps.
As he moved, the muscles in his back flexed, revealing scars and a toned physique that caught Gwen's attention.
… Huh?
She couldn't help but stare, surprised at how different he looked now compared to the kid she used to tease all the time. She shifted uncomfortably as she felt her cheeks warm up without warning.
Even her body started to get a little hot.
『Why does he look so… jacked?』
Her mouth watered a bit and she swallowed.
『He's oddly… sexy…』
Gwen held her phone behind her and aimed for a quick photo of his broad, scarred back.
… SNAP!
Then she couldn't resist one more… this time of his butt in those snug tights.
Just looking at it made her bite her lower lip.
『Mmm~ ♡ I see…』
But just as her finger hovered over the button, Scott spun around with a raised brow, eyeing her suspiciously.
Easily caught, Gwen dropped her phone and started whistling while glancing at the ceiling with an exaggerated innocence.
Scott scoffed with a dry voice.
"Hrmmm, you're about as innocent as a cat with a mouthful of feathers, Gwen."
"Me?"
Gwen acted surprised as she sneakily tucked her phone into her pocket.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Scottie."
He just shook his head and went back to removing his gear, peeling off each blood-stained piece until he was down to a pair of dark compression pants. He tossed his gloves and shoulder guards to the side.
Gwen stood nearby with her arms crossed as she glanced around the room while the only sounds were Scott's occasional grumbles about the busted wiring in his armor.
"Not much has changed in here…"
Gwen mused aloud and gently trailed her slender finger over his dusty bookshelf.
"Feels like just yesterday I was running circles around you and Jake during one of your little science fair projects."
Scott rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, and those 'little' projects would've gone a lot smoother if you hadn't stolen half our tools."
She laughed as her hand rested on an action figure still in its original box.
"Hey, it's not my fault you nerds… I mean, guys were so easy to mess with."
She casually tore the toy box open.
"Oh, Shadow Monger? Had one of these myself back in the day. A little worn now, though."
Scott shot her an exasperated glare as he pulled a fresh shirt over his head.
"That's a limited edition, dummy. Drop it."
But she just gave an innocent shrug and stuffed the figure back in its mangled box.
"Oops…"
Gwen said nonchalantly as she placed it back on the shelf like nothing happened.
Scott's glare softened as he looked at her, partly amused and partly frustrated.
"I don't know how I put up with you sometimes."
"Oh, I think you know…" Gwen replied, giving him a sly grin before wandering to another shelf.
As she looked around his room, her eyes landed on a framed photo of Scott and Maya, and her expression instantly darkened.
Frowning a little, she picked it up, her fingers brushing over the glass before she set it face down on the shelf. Then she spotted another photo—the three of them as kids: her, Scott, and Jake.
With a small smile, she adjusted it so it was in full view.
"Perfect…"
Turning, she shot Scott a side-eye.
"So, you're actually still with that Maya girl?"
Scott pulled his shirt down and settled it over his shoulders with a satisfied sigh.
"Yep. Gotten pretty serious, actually. We've been together since… well, since we were in middle school?"
Gwen let out a dry chuckle before rolling her eyes.
"Unbelievable. I still remember when you had a huge crush on me, and now you're dating some girl who's basically built like a kid herself."
Scott walked over and saw his tilted photo of Maya, then carefully set it back upright on the shelf.
"Oh yeah, I remember that too. Hard to forget my undying crush on my childhood bully. Especially when I confessed to her in school, and she told me she wouldn't want me even if I was water in the desert."
His tone was light, but surprisingly sounded hurt.
Gwen easily noticed this and became a bit sad.
"I-, I see. Uh, sorry. I guess I kinda forgot about that."
"Doesn't matter now."
Scott waved dismissively as he walked to other parts of his room to organize his things.
"That was a long time ago… I don't feel the way I did back then, and you never felt the same way either. So, really, it works out for both of us, right?"
He smiled softly at Gwen.
Gwen forced a smile back. "Uh… yeah, that…"
Scott was carefully placing his comics into a plastic box, treating each issue with near-reverence. He made sure every comic was perfectly lined up, keeping them all in pristine order.
Halfway through the stack, he looked over to ask Gwen a question.
But he paused, his words catching in his throat as he noticed where his eyes had landed: right on her round, full butt as she stood by the window, gazing off at the city skyline.
『Was it… always that big?』
He was caught off-guard by the shape her tight leggings revealed.
He shook himself and cleared his throat.
"So, uh…"
Scott began, shifting his gaze to her face.
"Are you gonna stand there looking bored, or are you actually gonna explain how you did that mist trick earlier?"
Gwen smiled like a mischievous cat as she slowly turned to face him with arms crossed and a teasing smile.
"I dunno… will I get a little present if I do?"
Scott's expression remained flat. "No."
She pouted dramatically as her shoulders slumped.
"Why do you have to be so friggin' boring?"
He shrugged and gave her an unimpressed look.
"Stay on point, Gwen."
She let out an exaggerated sigh, as if his demand were a massive burden.
"Fine, Mr. No-Fun. While I was staying with my dad in New York, I started developing my force-gene abilities. Seems I'm superabled too."
Scott raised an eyebrow, intrigued despite himself. "And?"
"For now, I can teleport short distances and phase through solid stuff."
She punctuated the last word by disappearing in a faint cloud of mist, reappearing inches from him with a wicked grin. Before he could react, she phased her hand right through his crotch, wiggling her fingers with an innocent, devious look.
"I got your balls~ ♡"
He sighed and shoved her hand away like a pesky fly.
"Very cool, Gwen. Real mature."
"Why so serious?"
Gwen giggled, thoroughly entertained, while Scott moved to set aside the plastic box. He tried to focus on his comics, but she hovered too close for comfort, flashing him that look she always had when she was plotting something.
Finally, he mumbled, "Hope you're not planning on staying too long. Could really use some Gwen-free time. It seems two years is not enough."
She chuckled, lightly poking his shoulder.
"Oh, actually, I'll be following you to school for a while."
He shot her a look of pure horror.
"Eh? You're joking, right?"
"Afraid not, Scottie."
She grinned, enjoying the panic on his face.
"Looks like you'll have to get used to me sticking around. Lucky you."
He stared at her, dumbfounded. "Lucky… me."
"Yep!"
Gwen laughed, tossing her hair over her shoulder.
"You missed me more than you realize."
"Fuck…"
Scott's frown deepened.
『I almost got blown up and somehow that's not the worst thing that's happened today.』