She stood alone near the refreshment table, punch clutched in hand, as the Christmas-themed music—Jingle Bell Rock—did little to put her in a festive mood. Parties were a normal part of college, fun even, but why did she feel like she was failing an exam she hadn’t studied for?

Supervillains, interdimensional travel, and more were the essence of a spider-person’s life. In this world though, she yearned for simplicity. A single night where her biggest responsibility was avoiding a hangover and not the weight of the world.

She was back to having a secret identity: Ghost Spider. Though she had cycled through several monikers, and trying to keep track usually spiralled into a headache she had zero pain meds for.

At least one fact was consistent across the Spider-verse: she was the only Gwen who became a hero. Everywhere else, her story ended in tragedy.

Well, she must’ve been glaring at her punch a little too hard—because a warm voice interrupted her brooding (Hey, Peter).

“You’re looking at that punch like it owes you money, Gwen.”

She startled, nearly spilling her drink all over her ugly festive sweater. She only relaxed when Pетеr squeezed her shoulder. “Try to relax, yeah? Take a break, and loosen up. Go and be just a college kid tonight.”

Pетеr’s softened voice threw her off. At times when Pетеr spoke, she caught glimpses of her former best friend in him. But this wasn’t her Pete, the one frozen at sixteen. This one was an (nearly middle-aged?) adult who taught at Empire State University—the one who grew up.

“Thanks, Pete,” Gwen said with a wry grin, as she tried to feign nonchalance. Sipping the punch was a nice touch to sell the act. “It’s hard to relax these days, with all of the… well, you understand what I mean.”

He smiled down at her kindly, squeezing her shoulder once more. Somebody calls his name, and he gives her one last grin before disappearing into the crowd.

Right, Gwen. Act like a normal college student enjoying her time at a party. You can totally do this!

She tried to hype herself up as she weaved through the dense crowd of sweaty college students to find you, her sole friend at Empire State University.