NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
[Jean Gray]
Arriving at school, Jean walked through the noisy corridors, catching a few stray thoughts from those around her. A couple of guys appreciating her ass, a girl's envy, some others seething with jealousy. Not to toot her own horn, but if she were them, she’d also be jealous of her. I mean, Jean was hot. A fact that took Jean quite a while to come to terms with, but she had long gotten used to the stares and the thoughts, some less savoury than others.
If only they knew that, maybe they would try and keep their thoughts to themselves. Shaking her head at such a thing, she arrived at her Maths class and took her seat, getting ready for the lesson, being one of the first to arrive.
Several other people arrived as she was getting ready, including her deskmate Gwen Stacy. Gwen differed from most people; Jean thought she and her best friend Peter were odd.
She wasn’t sure why it was, but both of them seemed to be able to think at speeds at least five times that of others, and it made catching their thoughts when they were thinking about a problem almost seem like they were rapping in their heads. In other words, they were insanely clever, even by Jean’s standards, and had cheated on every test she’d ever taken. Mind you, it’s never on purpose; she can’t help but catch people’s thoughts when they are taking a test.
But something was different about Gwen today; her thoughts, obviously aimed at her, were simultaneously nervous, excited and worried. It didn’t take a second to understand why; she planned to ask her out! Jean’s ears reddened at the thought, and she couldn’t help but anticipate it a little. There was something different about Gwen today: she walked around the classroom with a quiet confidence she had never had before. No, not walking, she stalked around the room like a predator.
Jean couldn’t help but wonder what had happened overnight for such a shift to appear in a person, but she obviously wouldn’t breach her privacy. That may sound ironic due to her telepathy, but it’s true; she hears enough of others' stray thoughts but doesn’t like invading them.
On the other hand, with her superior senses, Gwen noticed Jean’s slight blush and increased heartbeat, as if in anticipation, causing her to raise her brow in confusion. ‘What’s with her? It’s like she knows I’m going to ask her out. Did Peter tell her? No. That’s impossible; we’ve only just separated. Plus, that was a genuine reaction, as if she picked it right out of my thoughts. At least that’s what my senses are telling me.’ Jean, who noticed she’d been caught, quickly turned away from Gwen and looked out the window; unfortunately, that only made her look more suspicious.
Then Jean heard a thought enter her mind, and all other thoughts seemed to take a step back. ‘Can you read my mind?’ Jean’s breath hitched in her throat. It’s not that she cared if others knew, but she was a little scared about how Gwen may react. Disgust? Untrustworthy? She didn’t want to lose a friend for such a reason, just because she was different. Luckily, Gwen seemed to notice her discomfort. ‘Don’t worry, you're still Jean, and I’m still Gwen. I won’t look at you any differently. Besides, if you’ve been able to read my mind all this time, you know my thoughts about you.’
Jean looked up, still a little scared, as Gwen didn’t even look at her, unpacked her belongings and got ready for the lesson. ‘I do need a signal; damn, if you can read my mind and we’ve been passing notes to one another for the last year, I am gonna be a little pissed.’ Gwen thought out loud, joking a little bit, trying to act normal so as not to draw attention to them.
After thinking about it momentarily, Jean replied: ‘Yeah, I can hear your thoughts.’ Jean kept it simple, hoping not to overwhelm Gwen with the information.
‘Sweet, that means you can contact me even in class.’ Gwen replied quite cheerfully. ‘Ahem, well, it’s not quite going as I expected things to go, but wanna go out with me? On a date?’ Gwen asked, a light blush on her cheeks as she stole glances towards Jean from the corner of her eye.
Jean didn’t reply immediately, looking towards the blushing Gwen for a few seconds, and couldn’t help but smile. She had admittedly long known about Gwen's crush on her, but she never felt like it was the right move to commit herself to a relationship. What would happen if they found out she could read their mind later, which strained the relationship? She never wanted that to happen, so she long crossed out the possibility of a romantic relationship, especially with someone who didn’t know about her powers.
If Gwen hadn’t figured out her powers just a few seconds prior, she would have probably let her friend down gently, but she felt so glad right now that Gwen accepted her with her powers that she thought there was only one answer. ‘I’d like that, Gwen.’ Jean couldn’t help but smile when she felt Gwen’s thoughts and feelings afterwards. She was practically radiating excitement and happiness that it was infectious to Jean, who also couldn’t help but feel happy.
‘You seem to be different from yesterday as well. Did something happen after school yesterday?’ Jean asked, curious about what had made Gwen change so much. Gwen had not been very subtle in her flirting the last few weeks, but Jean expected her to keep the current status quo and not commit to anything until they finished their SATs. But then she arrived at school today with a whole different aura around her.
Gwen meanwhile couldn’t help herself as her eyes drifted towards the window, her mind thinking about all the crazy that was going on. She thought about the Yuri System, how she acquired it, the welcome package with the spider, her new costume, her escapades last night and how she saved Hailey Osborn. Yeah, something happened last night. I suppose that’s saying it lightly, though. She couldn’t help but think before looking back towards Jean, who blushed from the tips of her ears to the base of her neck, confusing Gwen. Are you alri… She started, but then she realised how she had just thought about how she had acquired her new Yuri System. She couldn’t help but blush as she realised that Jean knew what she was doing just the night before.
When she thought about it again, she noticed that Jean would flush again, looking out the window to try and distract herself. ‘Please stop thinking about it while directing your thoughts at me.’ Jean complained, and Gwen couldn’t help but love to hear the little whine in her transmitted thoughts. ‘You’re weirdly good at projecting your thoughts towards me for someone who isn’t a telepath, you know that?’ Jean took a deep breath as she stabilised her flushed face and refocused her eyes on the front of the classroom where the teacher was starting the class, sometimes looking towards Gwen.
Damn, Jean, I never knew you had this cute side to you. Gwen couldn’t help but have her eyes shine as she completely ignored the teacher mumbling about numbers or something mathematical. Shaking off such thoughts, she looked towards the front of the classroom and tried to make it look like she was paying attention.
‘Oh, shut up. You realise that you were thinking so vividly about what you were doing the night before that I saw everything. Right?’ As she said that, she couldn’t help but avert her eyes from the teacher and look towards Gwen’s chest as if to emphasise the point.
Ah, you’d have seen it sooner or later anyway. Gwen shrugged it off, but she was happy that Jean seemed to react so much to the image of her own body. Anyway, how much did you get from my thoughts about last night? Honestly, it would be fantastic if you just read my thoughts so you’re all up to speed.
Jean couldn’t help but look at Gwen, raising her eyebrow momentarily. ‘You’re the first person who has ever been so relaxed about telepathy. Most people get scared, fear me, or look at me like I’m their number one enemy.’
Gwen thought about it momentarily, and she couldn’t help but nod. I’d probably react much the same if the telepath weren’t you but someone else. Gwen shrugged lightly. I know it may seem soon, but I trust you, Jean. I wouldn’t have asked you out if I didn’t trust you in the first place.
Jean smiled, her heart feeling warm all of a sudden. ‘
Well, I still won’t actively dive into your thoughts. It’s considered rude and a breach of privacy. We’ve got 90 minutes to kill for this class before we have a break; just fill me in.’
Gwen nodded and smiled, pretending to take some notes from the board as she started her explanation, trying hard to keep her thoughts vague and not having any nudes slip through. She told her everything from start to finish, and she couldn’t help but be excited that she had someone to talk to about it all.
On the other hand, Jean couldn’t help but raise her brow a little in confusion when she heard about the Yuri System and was asked questions about it as they talked. Jean was 99% sure that this Yuri System wasn’t a mutant ability but was some outside force that had chosen Gwen as its host. She had no idea whether it was a good thing, but she had long come to an understanding that, in the end, the only thing that matters is power. If she didn’t have such power that she wields, she probably wouldn’t be here in school but would be taking part in fights between two different groups of mutants. If this Yuri System was making Gwen stronger, then she didn’t see anything wrong with it.
…And then after that, I went home and got some sleep. When I woke up this morning, I thought everything was a dream. But I tried and still have my powers and strength; I can still pull up the Yuri system and interact with it. Gwen thought, half of her mind on the class, but the rest focused on telling her story.
‘So, you need to acquire Yuri points to strengthen and buy things? That sounds simple enough.’ Jean thought it was an odd power, but it made sense when she heard the whole story. ‘So, how do you acquire Yuri points then?’
Well, I got some from the missions I completed, such as stopping the mugger and the kidnapper, but I also got some extra ones when I gave Hailey Osborn the Yuri book, where I got 200YP and 100YP when I patted her head. Gwen thought about that interaction again. I think I’ll get more if I summon the books and give them to girls, but I’m unsure if that was a one-time thing.
Jean nodded in understanding as they packed their belongings to leave the classroom. ‘That seems simple enough. How about when you asked me out? Did you get any Yuri Points for that?’ Jean asked, curious about the system's nature and how her partner would get stronger in the future. She also came to a realisation pretty quickly, something that even Gwen herself hadn’t considered yet. Gwen might get more powerful if there were more women around her in the future. She kept such speculations to herself for the time being, though.
Curious, Gwen looked at the system interface she had ignored for the last hour before her eyes opened wide in shock. You’re right. I got 50YP for making you blush, 250YP for accepting you with your powers, 250YP for asking you on a date, 250YP due to your acceptance of the date, 100YP for teasing you and 200YP for telling you about the Yuri System. Gwen’s eyes were wide as she looked over the list, adding 1100YP to her total. Her eyes shone briefly before she pretended to reach into her bag and summon a book.
Take this. I just summoned it, and it’s the same as I gave Hailey. Jean took the book curiously and opened the first page. Her eyes went wide for a second, a light blush appearing on her face, before she snapped the book shut and looked around her. What? Gwen was confused by her reaction but didn’t get a reply as she looked at her system. She had another 200YP to her name.
‘It seems the book is tailor-made to the person you summoned them for.’ Jean said, a light blush still present on her face.
Really? That’s neat. Gwen raised her brow. Wouldn’t this mean I have infinite free Yuri content to explore? She asked rhetorically as her eyes shone with excitement. They both left the classroom moments later and joined the hustle and bustle of the corridor; it was only then that Gwen realised that Jean seemed somewhat uncomfortable. She knew that she wasn’t great with crowded places; it was something a lot of people knew, and it was also why Jean seemed to be quite a loner in the eyes of others.
“Let’s go outside,” Gwen said, taking her hand and pulling her through the swarm of people. Jean gave her a grateful nod, joining her as they exited the field outside, where it was much quieter. “Is that why you don’t like public spaces?” Gwen hadn’t connected the dots until then as they sat on the bleachers by the tracks.
Jean nodded her head, massaging her brow slightly. “Yeah, I’ve long gotten used to it, but it’s not very nice not being able to turn it off. Getting many stray thoughts from everyone at once is quite overwhelming. It can get quite bad sometimes if someone's has extreme emotions; they can bleed into my own emotions and affect them.”
Gwen went silent for a moment but quickly realised that even if she thought about it, any suggestions she threw out Jean had probably already tried. With such a thought, she looked to somewhere else for an answer. Yuri, ideas about helping Jean with her telepathy problem?
[Don’t worry about it too much. I think you will find an answer to that quickly as long as you progress in your relationship.]
Pretty quickly, you say? The next step in the relationship would probably be to get physical. You’re saying if we have sex, then I may be able to help her? Is that a part of the System? Helping out my partner? Gwen couldn’t help but be a little excited about such a thought.
[How do you expect Yuri to rise to the top if they don’t have many powerful girlfriends to support them?]
‘Eh! A HAREM? What? I didn’t know you wanted me to get a harem!’ Gwen replied, flustered, but then, she couldn’t help but ponder it for a second and Jean, hearing Gwen’s side of the conversation, couldn’t help but raise a brow as Gwen’s thoughts got increasingly depraved by the second. And she couldn’t help but blush at one particular spicy piece of imagery of a girl, who had no specific face, sandwiched between Jean and Gwen as they were on either side of the double-ended dildo in a mess of limbs and depravity.
[Well, what did you expect? The power of Yuri would become more potent with more girls by your side.]
‘Eh, I… I suppose that is true… But how am I supposed to tell that to Jean? I don’t want to give up on her. I’ve been crushing on her for a year and finally got my chance. I’m not sure what she’d think about being in a harem.’ Gwen thought her previous depraved thoughts were getting duller and a little depressed.
“H...Hey, don’t count me out just yet,” Jean spoke up, a fierce blush on her face as she couldn’t help but find some of the thoughts that Gwen just had quite appealing. “I…I’m not totally against the idea,” she said, her blush fiercer and creeping down her neck.
Gwen initially wondered what she was on about but quickly realised that her side of the conversation and quick imagery of potential Yuri scenes with more people were heard. Her initial confusion was replaced with shock and then excitement as she practically jumped on Jean and gave her a bear hug, followed by a kiss on the lips, much to the shock of the one or two onlookers who happened to be outside.
“Hehe, not against the idea, huh? You look downright excited if your expression is telling me anything.” Gwen stated after seeing her expression. “Who would have thought my new girlfriend was so scandalous.” She said with a grin.
“Me, scandalous? Ha, I’ve seen what was on your mind, and you’re calling me scandalous. That’s funny, Gwen.” Jean replied, not outright denying Gwen’s words.
“I do suppose that’s true. When it comes to Yuri, I do tend to get quite heated sometimes, and probably even more since I got the Yuri system.” Gwen admitted, but the excitement in her voice said her true thought. She had always been a bit of a pervert when it came to Yuri, and the system just seemed to have brought those thoughts out a little more. For example, she had never actually masturbated to the image of Jean, but when she was bonded to the system the prior evening, it was precisely what she was doing. She may have had stray thoughts, but she never acted upon them.
Gwen licked her lips slightly as she looked at Jean; she couldn’t help but swallow her saliva as she realised what she had just done. She just had her first kiss, which wasn’t romantic! The taste of Jean’s lips was tasty, though. “Can I kiss you again? I’m going to do it.” Gwen said more warning than asking for permission.
Jean chuckled as she also licked her lips. She was unsure if it affected the Yuri system, but she also found the taste of Gwen’s lips to be quite delicious. So, she nodded her head and leaned forward. Their lips met moments later, and Gwen could feel a heat form in her abdomen. Their prior kiss had been more of a big smooch of excitement, whereas this one was lighter, but they both savoured the taste of one another's lips for a few moments before they separated, both sporting a large blush.
“Damn. I’m so horny right now. If it weren’t for the fact that we were in public, I would 100% let you have your way with me.” Gwen didn’t even know why the words were coming out of her mouth as she looked at Jean with desire. “Do you happen to be free after school?” Gwen asked; she didn’t think the heat in her core would disappear until it was thoroughly quenched.
Jean caught onto Gwen’s desire and thoughts and found herself more excited about it than anything. She was surprising herself with her acceptance of this turn of events. While she wasn’t a prude, she didn’t think she’d ever allow someone into her bed so quickly. And despite those thoughts, her excitement and expectation were a lot higher. “Hmm, I’m free all evening. How about you come to my house and order some pizza?” Jean asked before she got closer to Gwen and whispered into her ear. “You can even stay the night.”
Gwen’s eyes lit up, and the fire inside her core burned even brighter. Jean’s lips and breath tickling her ear certainly didn’t help. She quickly agreed and looked towards her phone to check the time. It was only midday, and they still had quite a while before it was time to go home. For some reason, she felt that the next few hours were going to be like torture for her.
Looking back at her phone, she opened it before texting her father. She said her mission was successful, letting him know he’d be home alone tonight and wishing him luck. Moments later, she got a thumbs-up as a reply.
With the plans all sorted out, Gwen was happy as she leaned into Jean as they sat on the bleachers. Gwen looked around for a moment and was surprised to see her group of friends walking towards them, and she waved them all over: Peter Parker, Michelle Jones, Harry Osborn, and Ned Leeds. Hailey Osborn seemed not to have come to school today, and Gwen wasn’t surprised if she wasn’t in for next week.
Gwen was about to speak up but was interrupted by Harry, who practically bounced in his shoes like he was in on some big secret and wanted to share it. He quickly gathered everyone around him, took out his laptop and pulled up a video. “You guys won’t believe what happened yesterday,” he said and then proceeded to tell his friends what happened yesterday and how his sister was kidnapped on her way home from school. That caused everyone to be worried, but his general demeanour didn’t show any signs of stress or anything, so everyone assumed that everything would end up okay.
“Anyway, my sister is okay, and she seems to have gotten over it with the help of a book someone gave her.” Gwen couldn’t help but nod wisely. Yuri always helps when one is feeling down. “Well, long story short, the cops didn’t save her, but a new vigilante did. The vigilante even sent this video to the cops to show proof against the kidnappers and what she did against them. It’s honestly one of the coolest videos I’ve ever seen.”
Everyone crowded around the bench as Harry started the video. It started from the very start, from when she identified the kidnapper by crossreferencing the sketches that were in the police database. “How does she have access to that? Do you think that she’s a cop who’s hiding their abilities?” Ned couldn’t help but ask.
“You’d think so, but the cop who talked with us this morning was as confused as we are. We can only speculate for now.” Harry replied as they watched Gwen swing from building to building with her webs, following the kidnapper.
“Is that a mutant ability? Or is it part of her suit?” Peter asked, already knowing about mutants as quite a few were around. Upon closer inspection, though, he answered his question. “It looks like an ability, but it’s hard to say. I also don’t think it would be impossible to replicate with technology, though.” He started saying, clearly engrossed in his mind, as if drawing up blueprints and forming ideas.
“Do you know her name?” Ned asked, clearly excited and already coming up with a few names. “Spider-Woman or something like that would probably work.”
“Hailey said that she called herself Ghost Spider. It’s a pretty cool name, especially when you see her in combat. Just watch this.” Harry said, fast-forwarding the video to her entry into the warehouse and through the skylight, then ambushing the ringleader and his grunt.
“Looks like some super strength. That was quite the power behind those punches, enough to make a man twice her size topple over in just a few hits.” Peter analysed, and his interest was evident. “Looks like she knows how to restrain herself as well; there would probably be a few minor fractures among the injured, but nothing life-threatening.” He added.
“Damn, that was cool. Harry, can I write a paper on this? I know it’s about your family, so I’d like your permission first.” MJ wouldn’t usually ask permission when writing a story, but if it were about her friend, she’d ensure everything was okay.
“Sure, I’m pretty sure that my father is going to hold a charity event to thank this Ghost Spider in the coming days so that it won’t be out of public sight for very long,” Harry replied, and Gwen couldn’t help but raise a brow. Saving one person could have such long-reaching effects and help even more people in need sometimes. She couldn’t help but be a little giddy about that. She knew that it was probably a publicity stunt by Oscorp, but that didn’t mean that the donations were fake, and that’s all that mattered.
They continued watching as Gwen took down the rest of the armed assailants with awe as she picked them off one by one. “That must take a very long time to train instincts and stealth skills like that. She must be a pro.” Ned said, and it did look like that to the untrained eye. However, most of her moves didn’t follow martial arts while looking and feeling fluid. Gwen took down her enemies primarily by relying on instinct and trusting her senses.
‘I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to practice martial arts and other skills so that I’m stronger. I may not always be the strongest in a fight, but martial skills could tip the battle in my favour.’ Gwen thought to herself as Harry ended the video there, not wanting to show the others his sister's scared face. “Your sister is okay, right?” Gwen asked, just double-checking on her.
“Yeah, Ghost Spider took her home after, swinging with her webs. It was scary but turned out very freeing and almost therapeutic for Hailey. By the time she was back home, she was feeling much better.” Gwen nodded at that, hoping the experience wouldn’t have lasting effects on the girl. “And now, we're trying to get her head out of this new book that she picked up,” Harry said with a wry smile. Gwen couldn’t help but be proud of Hailey for embracing Yuri.
Ned said, “If you were to post this on YouTube, it would explode in hours, right.” And Gwen couldn’t help but agree with Ned’s words.
‘Should I make a YouTube channel and post my heroics?’ Gwen pondered. ‘It would be a way to finance my vigilante life. Maybe if I buy a laptop from Yuri, making it untraceable and having other features like that wouldn’t be a dream.’ The more Gwen pondered it, the more she liked the idea. It would gain her fame, popularity, and probably a few haters.
And most importantly, it would let her spread Yuri more. ‘Maybe I could even get one of those selfie sticks and attach it to my back so the videos are in the third person.’ Gwen pondered, noticing that it could get a little hard to know what was happening in the video with such a narrow perspective. ‘And a voice modulator to adjust my tone when in outfit.’ Wanting to keep her identity a secret is a must.
“I had wanted to, but the police asked us to keep the video to family and friends. They are investigating this Ghost Spider and want to keep it that way.” Harry said.
“Harry, what do you think the police officer's opinion of this Ghost Spider is like? I know my Dad is the Police chief, but this girl seems to have her own way of doing things. I’ve never heard of a vigilante recording their deeds and sending them as proof to the station.” Gwen asked, curious to know about the police officer's opinion.
“Oh, the officer who told us about it was 100% a fan of Ghost Spider already. It seemed to be a change of pace when they’re talking about a vigilante with such vigour when they’re usually trying to arrest them. You must know their opinion of vigilantes doing their own thing due to your father. Still, they seemed to appreciate that they were given the evidence and the awesome video to put the bow on top.” Harry explained after a moment of thought.
Gwen nodded, “I wonder how my father is taking it on his side of things.” She didn’t think he’d have an unfavourable opinion of Ghost Spider because she seemed okay with working with the police, but it’s hard to say with her father. He’s got a lot more experience with these things so he may have a different opinion about Ghost Spider.
“Enough about Ghost Spider. Gwen, is there something that you want to announce?” Peter asked with a knowing smirk as he glanced towards Jean and back to her.
“Ehehe. Everyone, Jean and I are officially dating.” Gwen puffed her chest out with her hands on her hips as if she’d just finished a grand accomplishment, and her voice was tinged with pride. Jean rolled her eyes at such a ‘grand’ reveal but still had a slight smile on her lips.
While everyone congratulated Gwen and Jean, Ned looked over in confusion and couldn’t help but whisper to Harry. “Hey, since when did Gwen like girls?”
Harry opened his eyes wide and looked at Ned in shock. “Since forever, how did you never notice before?” Harry couldn’t help but be a little confused. While Gwen had never officially ‘come out’, everyone had their suspicions since they had first entered school. It wasn’t that Harry was assuming, but let’s just say that if Gwen ever said she found herself a boyfriend, he would have been shocked. ‘Then again, Ned’s always been behind in social ques.’ He couldn’t help but think.
“Huh… oh, you know what, looking back at it, I can’t believe that I never noticed before,” Ned whispered. “Damn, I am dumb sometimes.” He shook his head and offered congratulations to the new couple of the group.
Jean had never really been part of the group before, only catching each other in passing and sitting next to Gwen during maths class, so everyone introduced themselves and tried to make her feel welcome into the group. The only thing they knew about Jean from reputation was that she was a little bit of a loner, tending to spend her lunches and breaks outside and away from the crowded places like now—that and the fact that she was a super hottie.
They all got to know each other a little more during the break between classes, like when MJ talked about her wish to be a reporter and was already bouncing a few ideas about the Ghost Spider story. Harry will probably inherit his father's business with his little sister. Ned was a mega nerd who loved all things fictional, from Star Wars to fantasy stories; everyone found him enjoyable in the group because nerds were just super cute sometimes. Peter and Gwen revealed that they were going to Empire State University, and Jean also revealed that she was planning to head there but was unsure if she could meet the requirements. Gwen quickly stepped up and decided to help her ‘study’ at her place whenever needed.
Jean also introduced herself some more, naturally leaving out telepathy. She shared her love for rock music, cars, and movies and made quick friends with Ned over the movies they enjoyed and the media they consumed, finding common ground. Ned was like that sometimes, as he was a friendly kid who got along with everyone.
When the break between lessons was over, Gwen was happy that Jean had found some new friends in her group. Leaving for their next lesson, not before a kiss goodbye from Jean, they all continued about their day. Once again, they met up for lunch and got to know each other better.