『Chips n Creeds』

Over an hour of gaming later, Gwen was winning offensively and Jack was winning defensively. They had already played in several arenas, killed plenty of AI, and even each other's vehicles. In terms of kills, Gwen had more, but in terms of Kills to Death ratio, Jack had a higher score.

"Oh come on! How come you don't die as often!?" Gwen laughed as she was chasing him through an apocalyptic map. "Come on! Get back here!"

Jack just gave her a quick glance over, a faint smile subtly taking his lips, before he turned his eyes back to the screen. He had never sat so long in one place for so long except for in class.

Reaching into his satchel whilst playing with one hand, he pulled out his blackberry phone and looked over at the missed calls and text messages that came after three o'clock. "Hm..."

Gwen raised a brow as he hit a wall in-game, though instead of taking advantage of it, she glanced over to see what he was doing. "Why are you on your phone?"

Jack's eyes flickered on over to her, "No reason in particular," stuffing the phone into his bag, he would nestle himself into the couch.

"Uh-huh, sure." She smirked slightly as she pressed the triangle printed button on her controller, firing a volley of missiles. Half of them made contact with his vehicle, sending him off the edge of a cliff, the other missiles exploding on the grounds near the edge. "Pfff! How lucky can you be!?"

Jack simply looked over at her again as he went back to playing with her. Driving towards a tunnel, just as a magnetic was about to pass overhead.

Gwen pressed the 'gas' hard, chasing after him and just before she caught up with him... Her car was plucked off the ground and captured by the giant magnet. "What!?" She rested her controller hand on the arm of her chair and turned her head to glare at him. "You did that on purpose!"

Jack shrugged as he looked over at her, "Tactics."

Pouting at him with her lips, she would pause the game. "Want something to eat?"

Jack's blinked at her when she had asked about food. "...Sure?" Putting his controller down, he stood up as she pushed herself off the couch.

His eyes watched as she padded her way over to the door to open and move it aside with her index and middle fingers. She glanced back at him, raising a brow. "Come on," she gestured for him to get a move on, to move faster.

Jack did as he was told for the most part, pocketing his hands and following her out into the hall, down the steps and into the kitchen. He then walked over to the window of the kitchen which overlooked the street. The cruiser was gone. "...Huh, your father left already."

Glancing over at him as she opened the pantry, she shrugged. "He said he'll be back tomorrow."

Jack slowly nodded to this and waddled on over to her side, peering over her shoulder as she walked into the elongated walk-in closet. "How much stuff do you have in here...?"

"Quite a lot, do you prefer chips or puffs?" A crinkling sound caught his attention as he looked to her hands. There was a bag of blue corn chips in one hand and a bag of Japanese Teriyaki Chicken puffs in the other, which she likely bought at the convenience store near the school or the Super Walmart.

"Puffs," Jack's eyes were on the funny animalistic cartoon character riding a scooter, whilst wearing goggles and eating chicken strips off a stick, on the front of the family sized foil baggy.

"Corn chips are healthier," She shook the blue chips bag lightly, "They're made with real corn."

Jack's eyes rested on her with a curious gaze, wondering if she was really giving him a choice.

His unasked question was answered when she put the puffs back on the shelf and lightly nudged him out of the pantry as she exited it.

Once she closed the door behind them, she made her way over to the fancy silver refrigerator, going out of her way to instant fetch the mild buffalo chicken dip.

For the next five ten minutes he just followed her around the kitchen as she got plates, a bowl and a pair of cups. Going back into the fridge, she plucked a few melon flavored Ramune Soda out of the fridge and clapped the thick glass codd-neck bottles against one another as she held each one between her fingers.

Jack snickered lightly and just watched as she wandered on out of the kitchen. Following after her, he kept his hands in his pockets, but gave the pantry a single glance before going back upstairs to her bedroom.

Entering the room after she had set everything down on the floor in front of the couch, he raised a brow as he closed the door behind him, "Why're we sitting on the floor...?"

"Because I don't want any food in the couch, or rodents." Gwen smirked up at him, she didn't want to have clean up as much. That was a given.

"... Not a horrible reason," shrugging at this, Jack sat down beside her at the foot of the couch and folded his legs under himself. "So why'd you ask if I wanted puffs or chips... If you weren't going to go with my choice to begin with?"

"It was part of the twenty questions, why else would I ask" Gwen joked as a devious laugh escaped from her lips, earning her a quick nudge in the side by his forefinger. "Ooof... Hey! What was that for?" She couldn't help but keep laughing.

Jack shook his head as he rolled his eyes, taking a chip between his fingers and popping it into his mouth. With several steady crunch sounds emanating from his mouth, he let out a soft groan, enjoying the starchy flavor.

"So why are the corn chips blue?"

"Because of dye, probably." Gwen looked over at him when he asked the question. "Why does it matter?" She shifted where she was seated, having one foot under her knee while she was on the floor.

"..Why... doesn't it matter?"

"That's cheating! No answering questions with another question!" Gwen snickered as she gave his shoulder a love tap with a half-assed fist.

...

Another couple of hours of gaming and forty some chips and dip later, Gwen was pressing the power button and turning off the player station, before stretching her arms into the air. "Aaahhh..." Yawning, she looked over at Jack. "So anything you wanna teach me?"

Jack's eyes lazily stared at her, "Let me see your wrists."

Blinking, she on her knees walked over to him and held out her exposed wrists at the ends of her sleeves.

Jack glanced over her wrists, turning them over and raising a brow. "You won't be able to fling webs from your wrists, not in the same manner as I."

"What do you mean?" She pouted at him before demanding, "let me see your wrists!"

Jack turned his wrists over as he pulled up his school jacket's sleeves, revealing his wrists. At first glance, it didn't look abnormal until he flexed muscles a normal person didn't have, briefly revealing an external excretion organ that naturally fires webbing from his skin.

"Whoa... What is that?"

"Part of my mutation," Jack uttered as he stared at her, "You'll need some sort of mechanism or device." He glanced towards her closet, since she usually kept her projects in there, before narrowing his eyes on her one more time.

"Oh..." She was slightly disappointed, but it wasn't something she couldn't solve on her own. Though she was also rather curious of the composition of his webbing. Perhaps she could use it to help her make her own! Or at least act as inspiration.

Jack rested the back of his head on the seat cushion of the couch, looking at the off-white sealing above their heads.

Picking up his hand and toying with the fingers, Gwen glanced up to his face as he wasn't paying much attention. He seemed... Tired? Sleepy? She wasn't quite sure, but he seemed distant all of a sudden.

"You alright?" She asked as she tilted her head to the side. "You in the mood to fix my hair?"

Jack immediately sprung his head off the couch and sat up a bit more, looking at her when she had asked if he was alright. "I'm fine, just getting lost in my thoughts," his eyes traced over her face and looking over her hair. "It doesn't look that bad. I actually like it."

"..." Gwen just stared at him for a few seconds, "You don't get to like it."

"...You didn't say that before. You accredited it to Jack's Hair Studio, didn't you...?" He flexed his eyes at her for a moment before reaching over and lightly touching the fade side of her head.

Because of what he just did, her face pretty much lit up like a Christmas tree. Reaching up she grasped his forearm and lowered his hand a bit. "I-I did," she admitted as she stared at his almost oblivious face.

Jack stared at the hand which was holding his arm, "How about we think what you want to do with your new found... Abilities?" His eyes flickered to her face.

Gwen's lips compressed as she rolled her fingers along his forearm in thought. "What I want to do with them..." In a way she wanted to be able to show them off. She could make herself famous, be a hero, be on the headlines. Flashy and vibrant colors, she'd take everyone's attention!

She needed a costume, and she needed a name.

Jack stared cluelessly as he felt her pulse racing through her hand.

"...A person with great ability, but no creed, is nothing more than a weapon or a great liability..." The way he spoke was awkwardly deep, but there was sound logic and self-reflection behind his words.

"Creed?" Gwen blinked at him as he spoke of having principles, a set moral compass. His words though, didn't stunt her excitement. She was practically springing in place, on her knees, not too far away from him as she squeezed his arm slightly. "Like swear to do no harm?"

"...What are you, a doctor?"

Gwen grinned at Jack's little quip, "Not yet."

Jack pursed his lips slightly as he stuck one leg out in front of him as it was falling asleep. "So... What do you want to do?" He was curious as to what her aspirations would be.

She loved attention, he knew this. She hated when she felt snubbed or purposely ignored. She did just about anything to get his attention when he first moved in, including trying to coax him out with food, which he found to be absurdly entertaining.

Yet he also knew that she had a conscious and a sense of responsibility, even duty, especially when it came to the people she loved and the work she wanted to get done.

"Teach me to become a great Hero."

"..." Jack backed away from her slightly, only for her to yank him closer with both hands on his forearm now. "Uh... What...?"

"Do you think I'm a dolt!?" If she had wings, she'd definitely be flapping them right about now as she squawked at him. "You moved in last summer and the Recluse Assassin shows up... Now I find that you have spider powers that just happen to be the same as his... You insult me!"

Jack just stared through her as if she was speaking nonsense, "If you knew that... Why did you invite me to play games, knowing who I might be...?"

All of the hairs on the back of her neck began to stick up on end, as if indicating danger. Yet the only other person in the room was Jack. Her eyes widened, but she didn't let go of his arm, if anything she tightened her grasp on it like a metal vise.

"... Because everyone deserves a second chance... Don't they?"

In the moment she donned a smile with these soft words, the killing intent which made her hair stand on end, vanished. She was able to relax and her death grip on his arm ceased, settling down.

Jack didn't say anything, just stared at her with his lips parted slightly. Those two words, 'second chance,' echoing in his head. If he were to say she was naive, it'd only hurt them both. If he were to outwardly agree, he'd feel full of himself.

So instead he chose to say nothing, and just sat there, keeping his sights locked on her blue eyes.