Elite: Gwen Stacy - A Little Less Innocent (329 photos) (Patreon)

New York had seen Gwen Stacy swing between skyscrapers, outrun supervillains, and save the city more times than she could count. But nobody ever suspected that the girl behind the mask had a completely different side waiting to come out.

At twenty-three, Gwen Stacy had grown accustomed to living two lives. One belonged to Spider-Woman, the fearless vigilante who spent her nights chasing criminals across Manhattan rooftops. The other belonged to Gwen, the blonde drummer with a sharp sense of humor, an unpredictable schedule, and a frustrating habit of disappearing whenever things started getting interesting.

The problem was that Spider-Woman had slowly taken over everything.

Every evening brought another emergency. Every promising date ended with an excuse. Every moment of peace seemed to disappear beneath the distant sound of police sirens.

And Gwen was getting tired of it.

Not the heroics. She still loved the rush of swinging over Manhattan with the city glittering beneath her. But she was beginning to wonder when she'd get to enjoy the life she kept risking her neck to protect.

That question became considerably harder to ignore after she met Ethan.

He wasn't a superhero, a scientist, or some mysterious stranger with a tragic backstory. He was a twenty-six-year-old photographer who worked at a small creative studio in Brooklyn, played terrible pool, and had somehow managed to make Gwen laugh during one of the worst weeks of her life.

Their first meeting had been completely accidental.

Gwen had stumbled into his favorite coffee shop after an exhausting night of patrols, ordered the largest iced coffee available, and promptly knocked it over while reaching for her phone.

Ethan, sitting at the neighboring table, had rescued his camera just in time.

"Wow," he'd said, looking at the spreading puddle. "You always make an entrance like that?"

"Only when I'm trying to impress somebody."

"Working pretty well so far."

She'd laughed despite herself.

He bought her another coffee. She stayed for twenty minutes. Then forty. By the time she finally left, she'd given him her number and discovered something rather inconvenient.

She actually wanted him to call.

He did.

Over the following weeks, their conversations became the highlight of Gwen's increasingly chaotic schedule. Ethan didn't try to impress her with expensive restaurants or rehearsed compliments. He remembered little things. Her favorite bands. The way she hated being called adorable. Her habit of stealing fries from other people's plates while insisting she wasn't hungry.

And, most importantly, he never seemed intimidated by her.

When she teased him, he teased her back.

When she challenged him, he accepted.

When she disappeared for hours without explanation, he asked whether she was okay rather than demanding to know where she'd been.

That last part mattered more than Gwen wanted to admit.

One Friday evening, after an especially exhausting week, Ethan invited her over for dinner.

"Actual dinner?" she'd asked over the phone.

"That's usually what people mean."

"Just checking. Your cooking has a reputation."

"You've never tried my cooking."

"Exactly. Very suspicious."

He laughed. "Seven-thirty?"

"Make it eight. I've got something to finish."

What she had to finish involved three armed robbers, a stolen delivery truck, and an extremely irritated police officer who wanted to know why Spider-Woman had webbed his patrol car to a lamppost.

By the time Gwen reached her apartment, she was late, exhausted, and still wearing half her costume.

She glanced at the clock.

8:17.

"Oh, come on!"

Her phone buzzed.

Ethan: Food's ready. No pressure. I'll save you some.

Gwen stared at the message, then smiled.

For once, somebody wasn't making her feel guilty for being late.

She changed into jeans, a fitted top, and her favorite jacket, brushed her blonde hair into place, and headed out.

Dinner was surprisingly good.

The conversation was even better.

They spent most of the evening laughing about terrible movies, embarrassing childhood stories, and the increasingly ridiculous collection of photographs Ethan had taken around the city.

At some point, Gwen realized she'd stopped checking her phone.

That almost never happened.

When he walked her home, the streets were quiet, the air pleasantly cool.

Outside her building, they lingered beneath the entrance light.

"So," Ethan said, "does this mean I passed the dinner test?"

Gwen pretended to consider it.

"Food was decent."

"Decent?"

"Conversation was acceptable."

"Wow. Glowing review."

She stepped a little closer.

"And the company wasn't terrible."

"High praise."

"Don't let it go to your head."

He smiled, and for a moment neither moved.

Then Gwen kissed him.

It wasn't dramatic. There were no fireworks, no sweeping orchestral music, and thankfully no supervillain crashing through the nearest window.

Just a warm, unexpected moment that made the entire city seem unusually quiet.

When they separated, Ethan looked pleasantly surprised.

"Was that part of the review?"

Gwen smiled.

"Consider it a five-star rating."

Their relationship developed slowly, partly because Gwen was cautious and partly because she was still keeping a rather enormous secret.

But something about Ethan made her want to stop hiding.

Not necessarily the mask. Not yet.

Just herself.

The Gwen who loved music, stayed up too late, laughed at inappropriate moments, and occasionally wanted to feel beautiful without worrying about whether somebody needed rescuing.

That side of her emerged one rainy Saturday evening.

She'd planned to spend the night alone, but after several hours of watching terrible television, she'd become restless.

Her bedroom glowed beneath strands of warm fairy lights. White curtains framed the windows, and a ridiculous pink heart-shaped pillow sat against the headboard, a gift from one of her friends.

Gwen stood in front of her wardrobe, searching for something comfortable, when she discovered a turquoise outfit she'd bought weeks earlier and never worn.

It was playful, delicate, and considerably more daring than her usual wardrobe.

She held it up.

"Oh, that's dangerous."

Not because there was anything particularly scandalous about wanting to look attractive.

But because Gwen had spent so much of her life being practical that she'd almost forgotten how much fun it could be to dress up simply because she felt like it.

She changed, examined herself in the mirror, and smiled.

The turquoise complemented her blue eyes, while the soft pink tips of her blonde hair caught the warm bedroom lighting. Her eyebrow piercing added a rebellious touch that made the entire look unmistakably Gwen.

She turned slightly, considering her reflection.

"Okay, Stacy. Not bad."

Her phone buzzed.

Ethan: What are you doing tonight?

She looked at the screen.

Then back at the mirror.

A mischievous idea formed.

Gwen: Depends. Are you busy?

Ethan: Not particularly.

Gwen: Good. Come over.

Ethan: Everything okay?

She laughed.

Of course he'd ask that.

Gwen: Everything's great. Bring dessert.

Twenty-five minutes later, Ethan knocked on her door carrying a small bakery box.

Gwen opened it wearing her usual oversized cardigan.

"Hey," she said casually.

"Hey. I brought cheesecake."

"Excellent. You're useful."

He stepped inside, glancing around the softly lit apartment.

"Something smells nice."

"Candles."

"Special occasion?"

Gwen shrugged.

"Maybe I just felt like having a nice evening."

They settled onto the couch, sharing cheesecake and talking about their week. Gwen tucked her legs beneath her, occasionally stealing bites from Ethan's plate despite having an identical slice of her own.

Eventually, he noticed her unusually cheerful mood.

"You're up to something."

Gwen looked offended.

"Me?"

"Definitely."

"That's a serious accusation."

"You've been smiling at your phone all evening."

"Maybe I'm just happy to see you."

He paused.

"Well, that's actually pretty nice."

She laughed softly.

"You're impossible."

A little later, Gwen disappeared into the bedroom to put away her cardigan.

When she returned, she wore the turquoise outfit she'd been admiring earlier, her short blonde hair falling loosely around her face.

Ethan looked up.

Then stopped speaking.

Gwen leaned against the doorway, suddenly feeling a little more nervous than she'd expected.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"That's clearly not nothing."

He smiled.

"You look beautiful."

For once, Gwen didn't have a clever response ready.

She glanced down, smiling despite herself.

"Thanks."

He stood and approached her, stopping close enough that she could see the warmth in his expression.

"Special occasion after all?"

Gwen considered the question.

"Not really."

"Then what's this for?"

She looked up at him.

"Me, mostly."

He nodded.

"Good reason."

Something about that answer made her smile even wider.

She'd expected teasing. Maybe an exaggerated reaction. Instead, he'd understood something she hadn't quite known how to explain.

She wasn't trying to become somebody different.

She was finally giving herself permission to enjoy being Gwen Stacy.

She reached for his hand.

"Come on. I want to show you something."

She led him toward the bedroom, where the fairy lights cast a warm glow across the curtains.

On her desk sat a collection of photographs she'd taken over the years. Friends, concerts, city streets, and quiet moments from a life she rarely had time to appreciate.

Ethan examined them with genuine interest.

"These are really good."

"Don't sound so surprised."

"I'm serious."

She stood beside him, looking at a photograph of herself behind a drum kit.

"I used to do that all the time."

"Play?"

"Yeah. Before everything got so complicated."

He looked at her.

"What's stopping you now?"

Gwen opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

For years, she'd convinced herself that being responsible meant sacrificing everything else.

But standing there beside someone who made her feel comfortable in her own skin, she wondered whether she'd been wrong.

"Nothing, I guess."

"Then play again."

She smiled.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Gwen leaned against him, resting her head briefly on his shoulder.

Outside, rain whispered against the windows.

Inside, the apartment felt warmer than it had in months.

She turned toward him.

"You know something?"

"What?"

"I think I like having you around."

He smiled.

"Careful. That's dangerously close to a compliment."

"Don't get used to it."

Then she kissed him again, this time without worrying about the clock, her phone, or whatever emergency might be waiting beyond the windows.

For one evening, Spider-Woman could wait.

The city would survive without her for a few hours.

And Gwen Stacy had something far more important to discover.

Sometimes the bravest thing a girl can do isn't leap from a skyscraper. It's finally allowing herself to be wanted, appreciated, and loved without hiding behind a mask.

And beneath the warm glow of those bedroom lights, Gwen was beginning to realize that her most exciting adventures might not require a costume at all.

Download the full explicit set on MEGA