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cablecar-s · 10 months ago
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to love and self loathe
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5
Insert Clown Music Take Two
Its been a few weeks already since news and sightings of Spider-Woman being in Gotham had come out. People were theorizing as to why she was in Gotham. Some badmouthing her for leaving New Yorkers to fend for themselves, while others were saying how it was good that she was gone, and she was now Gotham's problem.
The talked-about-vigilante was currently pacing around her apartment, practically pulling her hair out at the fact everyone now knows that she's back, but not in New York.
She should have known that the press would be there at the party. It was Bruce Wayne's party for that matter! Gotham's infamous billionaire playboy! What was she thinking!?
Obviously she wasn't!
And as if to make matters even worse, last night, because of how tired she was, she ended up transferring photos of herself as Spider-Woman into the USB instead of photos of Gotham's vigilantes. She may as well yell at the top of her lungs at Wayne Tower that she was Spider-Woman.
She let out an exasperated groan and flopped down onto her couch. Just thinking about it made her want to jump in front of the subways of Gotham.
"I want you to take pictures of Spider-Woman."
The photographer stumbled a bit when making her way to her boss's desk.
"Pardon?" She blinked incredulously, thinking she had heard wrong.
"With Gotham's vigilantes to be more precise."
The vigilante in question watched as the other woman turned the screen towards her employee as she watched with wide eyes, a shaky video of her, Red Hood, and Nightwing fighting against Black Mask's men.
She felt her mouth become dry and the way her heart practically dropped down to her feet. 
Of course there were reporters at the party.
"Ma'am, I don't think it's necessary to try and capture pictures of Spider-Woman." The photographer quickly tried to dissuade. "I mean, for all we know, she might have already left!" 
"Nonsense." The older woman waved her employee's unnoticed pleas away. Turning her computer back towards her, the Spider could see a newfound glint in her boss' eyes. 
"It's obvious she's here for a reason." Looking away from her screen, she stared at the Spider. "You've taken plenty of pictures of her back in New York, I'm sure this'll be easy work for you. Maybe you can even get Spider-Woman to do an interview with you."
"With all due respect—"
The office phone on the woman's desk began to ring, cutting the vigilante off. She watched the woman quickly pick it up, beginning to converse with the person on the other side.
All the while, the vigilante continued to stand there, her mind running thousands of miles a minute, trying to figure out how she can get herself out of this situation. It's not until the yell of her name brought her out of her slight state of panic.
Looking up, she saw her boss, face annoyed, office phone still in hand and pressed against her ear. Her hand was held out, her face showing obvious impatience. 
Quickly, the photographer took out her USB drive from her camera bag and gave it to her boss who swiftly plugged it into her computer, her file opening. 
She watched as her demon of a boss' eyes began to skim through the photos, a grin plastering itself onto her face. The Spider's stomach churned in anxiousness, her hands beginning to fidget with her camera bag.
Shit, what did she do?
"Honestly, you're just pulling at my leg at this point." Her boss started. "Jameson did say you were full of surprises though." She hummed. Looking back at her employee she was full of content now. "These pictures of Spider-Woman will do nicely."
Her heart practically dropped.
"What..?" She croaked out.
"They're from New York but thank god we have photo editors. Keep up the good work." She dismissed the photographer who could only stand there, wide-eyed and speechless.
Her boss all the while continued to talk to the person on the other side of the phone, not paying any attention to her employee anymore.
Coming back to the present, the 'retired' vigilante dragged her hands across her face, silently beating herself up for being so reckless.
Maybe it's not too late to change companies again? She could always try Metropolis. Or maybe head over to Washington in Starling City, she's heard that the views are beautiful over there. 
Taking a glance at her phone, she noticed that she still had a full day ahead of her. Turning her head, she stared out her window for a long minute. Maybe going out could help calm her a bit.
With a sigh, she forced herself back onto her feet and put her shoes on, leaving her apartment and letting her feet take her wherever it decided to take her.
---
Her feet ended up taking her to a small coffee shop just a few ways away from her apartment. A different one this time. She didn't think she'd be able to handle the stress if she ended up going back to the same one where she got chased by the two lackeys of Black Mask, and then proceeded to get chased, again.
In the small coffee shop, the Spider found herself a comfy little spot in a corner booth by the window. In front of her was a small cup of coffee, the steam slowly rising from the liquid and dissipating into the slightly colder air. 
Staring at the brown liquid, she grimaced while taking a small sip of the hot drink. Gently setting it down, she stared out the window, watching people pass by, cars driving through the streets. 
God what was she going to do?
Stay? Go? Make amends with the bats and hope they take her heartfelt apology for even stepping foot into their territory?
Closing her eyes for a moment, she tried thinking of what she was going to do now that she pretty much messed up her chances of starting anew. Her brows furrowed, the sound of the quiet chatter of people in the coffee shop, the honking of cars outside, and the AC in the coffee shop buzzing beginning to slightly distract her.
And then—
"You're not making me do this project all by myself are you?"
Her eyes quickly opened.
"What?"
The woman stared at her boyfriend who had an amused look to his face. Her eyes flitted about. She was in his bedroom, the two of them sitting on the floor. He sat across from her as there was a pile of art and craft supplies between them.
"Everything okay?"
She looked up at the boy, who now looked worried. He reached over, hand gently cupping the side of her face, thumb slightly caressing her cheek.
She blinked a few times. "Uh, yeah, I just.." Her brows furrowed.
She just..?
Huh..
Seems like she's forgotten.
She shook her head, her hand gently pulling his hand away from her face while simultaneously giving it a small squeeze.
"Never mind." She smiled.
He stared at her for a moment, studying her expression before his own eased into a gentle smile.
"If you say so." He hums. "Anyways, we better start on this project. Wanna go grab the glue gun? It's on my desk." He motioned his head to his desk, the glue gun laying there.
Letting out a hum of her own, she got up and walked over to her boyfriend's desk.
"You think Ms. Henderson will notice if we add googly eyes to our..."
When she turns back around, she's no longer in his room. Her casual clothes no longer on her body and instead her Spider-Woman suit.
The glue gun now substituted for a metal beam that was raised over her head.
And in front of her?
"What are you waiting for?" His voice made a chill go down her spine as she stared at him. His malicious grin causing her fight or flight instincts to kick in.
"Aren't you going to kill me?!" The man lunged at her.
A scream of surprise and the sound of glass shattering made the woman quickly open her eyes. Her heart pounded against her chest, breath stuttering. Her eyes flitted about her surroundings, trying to ground herself of where she was at.
"Ma'am." A voice weakly called out to her.
Turning her head, she looked at a female employee who looked scared out of her mind. The Spider's eyes trailed down, her hand tightly gripping at the poor girl's arm.
"Oh..!" Quickly, she let go of the younger woman. Looking up, she saw as everyone's eyes were on her.
Standing up, she opened her mouth to apologize, but the sound of glass crunching beneath her shoes caused her to look down.
Her cup of coffee now broken and splattered all over the ground.
Could her day get any worse?
Embarrassed, she apologized once more, paying for both her coffee and the broken cup. She left a generous tip to the employee before quickly leaving the small shop.
Ducking her head down, she made her way back to her apartment, the sound of his laughter quietly haunting her with each step she took.
———
B A M ! !
W H A C K ! !
"Alright smart-ass, last chance." Jason shoved the barrel of his gun into the goon's jaw, his other hand tight around the collar of his suit.
"Tell me where Sionis is, I'll even make it less painful when I knock you out." He bargained.
"Fine I'll talk! I'll talk!" The goon was quick to give in, putting his hands up in surrender. "He's going to meet up with Penguin at one of his warehouses! On the Southside!"
Jason practically pushed his gun closer to the man's jaw, making it more uncomfortably painful for the henchman.
"This better not be another trick like last time." He snarled.
"It's not! I swear!"
"Good."
Jason hit the man's temple with the butt of his gun. He watched as the man fell, his hand going up and pressing a button on the side of his helmet.
"Found Sionis' location. Heading there now."
"Copy that. Let us know if you need backup." Oracle responded.
"Won't be needing it."
Pulling out his grappling gun, Jason left the building. Swinging from a few buildings, not far, hidden behind a few trash cans, he pulled out his motorcycle.
With a rev of the engine, Jason sped through the streets.
"You think she'll show up tonight?" Stephanie questioned through the comms.
"Who? Spider-Woman?" Dick questioned.
"Not with how Jason intimidated her." Tim snorted.
"Yeah Jason, why'd you have to scare her off?" Steph adds.
Jason rolled his eyes under his helmet. "She doesn't need to be in Gotham. If she wants to save people from thugs, she can go back to New York."
"You sound a lot like someone I know." Tim mocked.
Jason frowned. "Shut it Drake. I'll shove your pole up your—"
Bruce quickly intervened before anything else could happen between his children. "Enough. Focus on patrolling."
"Tt. You all are pathetic." Damian said.
Always had to have the last word.
Jason rolled his eyes once more. Pressing the same button, he turned his comms off, not wanting anyone else to bother him while he dealt with Sionis.
As he got closer to the warehouse, he cruised along the streets before turning into another alleyway. Turning off his bike, he made his way up onto the rooftops, grappling from building to building before landing gracefully on the roof of the warehouse.
Turning his detective vision on, he walked around a bit before finding himself a vent. Ripping it off with ease, a small grunt left him as he barely squeezed through the air vents.
Getting himself deeper into the building, his helmet began to pick up two familiar voices talking: Penguin and Black Mask.
"What? Don't believe me Sionis?" Penguin questioned.
"It's not that I don't believe you Cobblepot. I've just had a few rats lie to me these past few days with some recent deals."
The two crime lords stood face to face, a wooden crate opened with guns in them. Standing behind them respectfully were their multiple goons.
A stock difference between the group of men. Penguin's men looking rugged, donning wife beaters with a few jackets to protect them from the Gotham cold, some of them even wearing random masks and face paint. Sionis' men on the other hand all had suits on, all of them wearing a black mask just like the man they worked under.
There was a good number of them. 20 in total, not counting the two crime lords.
"Ah come on Sionis! You really think I'd backstab you? That'd be bad for business. I even got packed some good ones. See?" Penguin led Sionis over to the wooden crate, making the crime lords let out a low whistle.
"Not bad Cobblepot. How much?"
"How about–"
And then Red Hood could see a bit of movement from the corner of his eye. With a frown, he turned the bioscanner on, and just by their movements he was not pleased.
They slowly climbed down the wall, unnoticed by the other goons as they looked at one of the opened crates
"Just my fucking luck." He hissed, getting himself ready to grab Sionis before she could possibly mess anything else up.
"Woah, that's a lot of guns."
What the hell was she doing here?
Just what the hell was she doing here?
She was only supposed to be taking pictures! Not stopping an illegal gun dealing!
She was just trying to get home, catch a few Z's and then head out to take pictures.
But while getting dressed.. Oh lookie here! She had caught herself putting her spider suit on...
. . .
Okay so maybe she was partly at fault. But it was just out of habit! Wouldn't someone who has been dressing as a hero for years pick it back up after going on a hiatus?
It's not like she missed it or anything...
Also! It was good for her job! Might as well start taking pictures of Spider-Woman again like old times! 
. . .
Right..?
..God she hated herself.
She wouldn't let this become a habit again. She swore to stop this hero thing. But then stopping a small burglary turned to stopping a robbery at a shop, to catching lowly criminals spray painting a building, only to then come across a supposed empty warehouse.
And what did she find? An illegal gun dealership between Sionis and some small guy who, oddly enough, reminded her of a penguin.
Sneaking herself inside one of the windows, she set up her camera. Quietly, she swings from a metal beam before quietly dropping down on the unsuspecting men.
Going towards one of the boxes, she gave a small whistle.
"Woah, that's a lot of guns."
Everyone turned towards her while she picked one of them up.
"Oi! Don't touch those!" The short man yelled.
"And they're real?" She weighs the weapon in her hands. "Hey, you guys have a permit for these right?" She looked up at them, only to see they were all pointing the guns at her. "I'll take that as a no."
"Kill her!" Sionis yelled.
Quickly, she jumped in the air as they began to spray bullets at her. Jumping from beam to beam, she shot her webs out at the men, pulling the guns out from their hands and yanking it to hit another goon in the head.
Landing in front of a man, with a fwip of her web, she pulled it out of his hands, waving it around a bit.
"Don't you guys know these are dangerous to use? Could really hurt someone. Woah!" She dodged as another man shot at her.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Sionis and the Penguin guy trying to make a break for it.
"Hey! Leaving so soon!" She called, her webs sticking their feet to the ground. "Don't tell me you're getting cold feet!"
The back of her head slightly tingled, making her quickly jump up in the air as more of both Black Mask's and Penguin's men shot at her. 
"Argh! Watch it you idiots!" Penguin yelled.
"Uh, sorry boss!" 
They continued to shoot at the Spider, but she continued to jump and weave between them all, making the men have to dodge their own bullets.
Landing in the middle of three men, they pointed their guns at her, about to shoot at her until she jumped up.
"Woah friendly fire you guys!" She exclaimed. Webbing the barrels of their guns to a singular string, she yanked it, causing all three of the men to crash into each other in the middle. 
Swinging down as bullets flew at her on one of the beams, she swung down, kicking the same man into the chest. Letting out a yell, the man crashed into another man that was behind him, causing the two to fall back onto the concrete floor.
With a small front flip, Spider-Woman landed on her feet with ease and raised her hands like a gymnast would after finishing their routine.
"What do you guys think? I think that deserves a ten." She looked over at the remaining men who aimed to shoot at her, making her quickly dodge the bullets. "Come on guys, it couldn't be that bad! Yeah I'm rusty but-"
"Would you shut the fuck up!" One of them yelled, pointing his gun and shooting at her more.
Shooting a web, she pulls herself up into the air. "Yeesh.. Tough crowd." 
Making a U-turn, she swings back towards the men, but it wasn't until her skull tingled. With wide eyes, she saw Red Hood swinging over to Black Mask and the short guy.
"Hey watch out!" She yelled, but with how fast the two were swinging, she wasn't able to avoid him in time.
Their bodies clashed mid-air, knocking the air out of both of them, mainly Spider-Woman, Red Hood was built like a fridge, and yet she felt like she got hit by a truck. 
Grunts coming out of both of them, Red Hood's grip on his grappler slackened a bit, and out of the adrenaline rush, the Spider was able to grab Hood with a web before pulling him towards her.
"Let go..!" He grunts.
"Wait wait wait!!" She panics as her brain began to buzz to life. With a quick glance she can see the goons point their guns at the both of them.
Her mind running hundreds of miles a minute, with her free hand, she tries to swing off in a different direction. While doing so though, one of the bullets had grazed her web shooter, causing the fluid to spring everywhere onto the two vigilantes.
"Ah shit..!" 
In an effort to save the two, she took advantage of the fact that the two were already stuck together from the webs and used her other web shooter to shoot out a web to the ceiling of the warehouse, though.. That proved to be fruitless.
The two now hung upside down from the ceiling, chest to chest. The white glowing eyes stared straight back at her white lenses. With a nervous chuckle, she looked at the most likely irritated vigilante.
"You uh.. Come here often?"
W H A C K ! !
Red Hood grunts as one of Sionis' men hits him in the head with the butt of his gun. They all snicker as the two crime lords, finally able to get free from the webbing, walked over to them.
"Some team you two make." Penguin snickers, looking at the two vigilantes.
"We're not a team." Red Hood snarls, before grunting again with another whack to the head.
"Do we kill 'em?" One of Black Mask's looked at his boss.
Black Mask simply shook his head, laughing a bit. "Nah, leave 'em. I'm sure this is a hit to Hood's ego. Better than killing him." 
"Grab everything, we're leaving." Penguin orders.
The two criminals and their goons are quick to the leave the warehouse and the two hanging vigilantes as they slowly spun.
The silence between the two was both awkward and tense. Red Hood had a slight crack to his helmet now. Spider-Woman looked anywhere but the large man, a bit afraid of his wrath she might face.
But of course, as every Spider does, they can't help but break silence with a bit of humor.
"So uh.. Nice weath-"
"Don't."
"Sorry."
The two continued to spin in complete silence until Red Hood finally spoke.
"What were you doing here?" 
She looked at him, raising a brow, even though he couldn't see her face. "Uh...Stopping an illegal gun deal..?" She answered as if it was the obvious.
"No, what are you still doing here in Gotham." He hissed, looking at her. "I told you, you're not welcomed here. If you want to stop crime, go back to New York." 
The Spider opened her mouth, about to respond, but four faces back at New York flashed in her mind, causing her to stop from saying anything. Blinking a bit, she cleared her throat.
"Yeah, well, I can't exactly do that." She said quietly.
Red Hood raised a brow, but stayed quiet. He wasn't about to be someone's therapist. 
Someone was able to break the slightly now solemn atmosphere. 
"You know, I had a bit of a bad night, but I think this definitely made it one hundred times better."
Red Hood cursed under his breath as the two looked over, seeing Red Robin and Spoiler walking towards him.
"No- Don't-"
"Too late!" Spoiler snickered, phone already out as she snaps a photo. 
"I'm going to kill you two." Red Hood seethes. 
The two vigilantes looked at each other before shrugging.
"Worth it." 
Red Robin took out a birdarang and threw it at the single string that held them up. Both Spider-Woman and Red Hood grunted as they fell to the ground. Walking towards them, Red Robin took out another birdarang and sliced the webs, letting the other two vigilantes to stand up and brush away any remaining strands of the webs stuck to them. 
"So, Black Mask and Penguin got away?" Red Robin hummed, a smirk on his lips.
"Shut it." Red Hood looked to him, and even though he was wearing a helmet, they all knew he was glaring at him. With a huff, he crosses his arms, looking at the two. "What you are two even doing here?"
"Oracle realized you were too quiet on your comms. Should've finished a few minutes ago, so she had me and Red Robin come check on you." Spoiler placed her hands on her hips, looking between Red Hood and the Spider. "You're welcome by the way. If we didn't, you two would've probably been hanging from the ceiling for the whole night until we were done with patrol." 
While the two continued to talk, Spider-Woman was off in her own world. Looking at her wrist, she lets out a sad sigh at the sight of her broken web shooter. 
Great. This was going to take her forever to remake. She might need to have Aunt May send her a package of her old web shooters.
"Are you hurt?"
Her head shot up, now face to face with Red Robin.
"Oh! Uh, no. Just checking the damage of my web shooter. Looks like it'll be out of commission for a while." She holds out her wrist with a small chuckle.
With a hum, Red Robin walks to her, taking her wrist and looking at the small invention.
Spider-Woman stood there awkwardly as he looked at it before looking back up at her.
"These are pretty well made, considering these are made of scraps. Are you an engineer?" He looks up at her.
Scraps!?
She doesn't know whether to take his comment as a compliment or an insult. She spent her blood, sweat, and tears to make these web slingers!
She bit her tongue though, giving a slight shrug. "Something like that." She pulls her hand back. Red Robin raises a brow but doesn't question.
"You can probably get that patched up back at the batcave if you want!" Spoiler jumps into the conversation.
Both Red Robin and Red Hood look at her.
"Uh, no."
"I don't think that's necessary."
Both men answered.
Spoiler simply waved them off. "Ah don't listen to them, they're just paranoid like B." Her eyes crease up as she smiles behind her mask that hid the bottom half of her face.
"Oh no, I don't think-" Spider-Woman puts her hands up, but Spoiler was quick to wrap an arm around her shoulders.
"Nonsense! It's the least we can do for you for saving Bru- Er, Bruce Wayne! We couldn't have our playboy billionaire or his son dead." She lets out a slight nervous chuckle while the two men gave her knowing looks.
"Well I wouldn't want to intrude-" Was the Spider's last words as Spoiler began to gently push her out of the warehouse.
"Ah don't worry about it! Batman won't mind!"
Batman minded, a lot. 
Spider-Woman's shoulders were shrugged up to her ears as she looked up at Batman who towered over her, staring her down before looking back at Spoiler.
"Spoiler, what is this?"
This was it.
This was how Spider-Woman dies.
part 1 part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5
next chapter ->
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creelkobblelaufeyson69 · 1 year ago
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Pursued
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Warnings: smut
Being the Spiderman in the universe they were in was quite hard. But that is just how it goes with that line of work. They lost their parents during a fight, and they still hated it to this day, since they blamed themselves for their parent’s death. They just needed something- anything for them to make them truly feel like a hero
In this universe Spiderman is always viewed as the villain. No matter how much they help out, they are still viewed in such a negative manner. They just wanted to feel like everything wasn’t their fault. This is when their teammate Quentin Beck chimes in
Those two were in a relationship, but it took them a while to fully believe that he had a crush on them. It was real as well. He wanted to help them get viewed as a hero. He didn’t see them as a threat at all. So him finally revealing the big secret he’s kept from them for a moment like this, made him realize how worth it it was to keep this secret from them
They were quite impressed, and turned on about how smart he was. How he managed to make the real Nick Fury believe his act. They give him and his team an applause. Quentin gets up from the stool, and then bows. “Thank you, honey” he says as he stands up straight again
He walks over towards where they sat, and once he was close enough, he takes out his hand. “I can make you into that superhero you’ve always wanted to be. But you have to keep this a secret” he says, which makes them take his hand. He smiles; “I knew you’d say yes.” “Plus I would’ve been so pissed at myself if I did have to kill you”
This makes them confused that he had thought about that, but it was fair on his side to have a plan b if plan a didn’t work out. “I like my suit though, so that won’t be an illusion” they said as they take their hand out of his. They stood up, and was closer towards him
“I wouldn’t make that into an illusion anyway, since I like seeing you in that tight suit” they blushed madly now, which makes him smirk. “Perhaps we should celebrate, since you’re new here” he says with the smirk still on his face. “I like the sound of that” they said as their lips go for his now
The two start to make out, which makes everyone else uncomfortable. Once the two pull apart, Quentin is catching his breath. They do the same, and also remembers that the two are still in front of people. “Can we go somewhere more private?” They asked in a hushed voice
He nodded his head, and then the two leave without saying anything to the rest of team. The two were eventually at his place, and once the two were fully inside, he stood behind them. He unzipped their suit, and once it was on the ground, he pulls down their underwear
He notices how wet they were for him, and chuckles. “Of course this turns you on” he says as as he has an evil smirk on his face now. “You know, I also think you make a good superhero. If only others could see that in you though” he adds as their underwear hits the ground. “Can you jump for me?” They did as told and now their legs were on his back, and they had their hands on the wall
He begins to lick their pussy, which makes their head arch their head. Moans escaped their mouth as he grasped onto their thighs as he now sucks their folds. “Quentin” they moaned as he continues to suck their folds. Their walls clenched now, which makes him stop. He gets them back onto the ground, and now he takes his shirt off
“If there are people that still don’t like you even after I change their minds. I’ll kill them” he says as his shirt goes onto the ground. “You’re joking” they said as now takes his pants off. “I’m not. I’d kill anyone that still hates Spiderman” he says as his pants were now on the ground. “But I won’t do it directly towards them. My illusions will kill them” he says, which turns them on more
“That’s hot Quentin” they admit as he takes his boxers off. “Yeah?” His evil smirk returns now. “Yeah” they said as they leave hickeys onto his neck now. He moans as they mark him. He gets pinned to the wall now, but it was quite aggressive. He liked it though
Once they’ve stopped marking him, they looked deeply into his blue eyes. He kisses them onto their lips now. He guides them to their couch as the two made out. Once close enough to the couch, he pulls apart. They knew their couch was behind them, so they laid down now. He goes on top of them, and his lips go back onto theirs
He goes into them, which makes them pull apart. Their head almost arches back, but makes them continue to look at him. “I wanna see the faces you make while I’m pleasuring you. Understand?” They told him that they understood, and now he’s thrusting
Their eyes go to the back of their head as he fucks them. Moans escaped their mouth as he hits their g spot. He moans too, but he doesn’t allow himself to arch his head back. He needed to see their face, especially for when they cum. “Y/n” he moans as his hands were intertwined with theirs
The two were leaving nail marks on each other’s skin. But neither had cared. It had just added to pleasure for the two. “I don’t understand how no one could like Spiderman. Especially with how sweet they can be” he starts, which makes them excited. “And how hot they can be. People loved a masked person, but don’t like Spiderman. How depressing. Their missing out” he adds, which makes them cum
He stops, but they wanted him to continue. He smirks, and happily listens
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c1nnam00n · 1 year ago
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me seeing that my fav character barely/doesn’t have any fanfics OR imagines
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bvrnesher · 1 month ago
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❝ 𝒫ull 𝒪ut 𝒢ame ! ❞ ― marvel !
summary: just what I think of each of these characters when it comes to pull out 🗣
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— 𝒮teve ℛogers ;; He likes to think he’s good at it. And honestly? He is. Respectful, controlled, painfully self-aware. The second he feels himself getting close, he speeds up, grits his teeth, and pulls out right on time—usually on your stomach or chest. Gentleman. HOWEVER—deep, deep down? He does have a breeding kink. He just won’t admit it. The day you whisper “it’s okay, I’m on the pill”? He hesitates just long enough to ruin his perfect record.
Rating: 10/10. Practically flawless. Just a little too responsible.
— 𝒯ony 𝒮tark ;; This man cums like he’s paying rent. He could pull out. He knows how. Won’t. He’s like, “You knew the risk,” and just lets go. Finishes inside you with a smirk, kisses your temple like he didn’t just pump you full, and asks for another round like nothing happened.
Rating: 7/10. Could pull out. Ignores it. Still makes it hot.
— ℬucky ℬarnes ;; NO WAY this man is risking it, but for the sake of the game, let’s say he tries. He means to pull out. He really does. But the second you tighten around his cock when he’s close? Too late. He’s already twitching, already filling you up. Feels guilty after, mutters apologies, but ask him for another round and he forgets all about it.
Rating: 5/10. Tries. Fails. Feels bad. Does it again.
— 𝒯hor 𝒪dinson ;; Sweetheart himbo with the pull-out instincts of a golden retriever. You tell him “pull out,” and he’s like, “But why, beloved?” while thrusting deeper. His idea of affection is cumming in you until it’s leaking down your thighs and calling it “a gift from the gods.”
Rating: 0/10. He means well. That’s the problem.
— ℒoki ℒaufeyson ;; Oh, he can pull out. He just won’t—unless it’s to tease you. Otherwise? He stays buried until the very end, groaning in your ear about how good you feel while he fills you up. He wants to watch it drip out. It’s about power. Ownership. Ruin. You say “pull out”? He says “make me.”
Rating: 0/10. Wicked.
— 𝒫eter 𝒫arker ;; He’s studied the theory. He wants to pull out. He really does. But the second things start getting too good? He’s whimpering, cock twitching, finishing inside you before he even realizes it. Apologizes mid-orgasm and offers to run to the pharmacy still inside you.
Rating: 3/10. He tries. He panics. He fails.
— ℰrik 𝒦illmonger ;; Pull out? Babe, he hears you say it and smirks. Doesn’t even pretend to listen. Holds your hips down, grinds in deeper, and finishes inside like he means it. Tells you “You better take all that,” like it’s a challenge and a threat. Might pull out once—just to finish on your face and call it a reward. But most nights? He’s filling you up like it’s his personal mission.
Rating: -100/10. He’s doing it on purpose. You’re not walking right tomorrow.
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aerosarrow · 2 months ago
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"Need saving?"
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SPIDERMAN!CALEB: Skyhaven's Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman
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tojicide · 3 months ago
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the spider’s sense! a spidercaleb series.
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♥︎ spider-man!caleb 𝑥 fem!reader
synopsis. ┆ caleb’s life was perfect—until it wasn’t. a radioactive spider bite turned him into linkon’s friendly neighborhood spider-man, the daily bugle started hunting for the man behind the mask, and to top it all off, he was forced to partner up with you—his smart, competitive, and infuriatingly perfect classmate who threatened his spot as number one in the class rankings.
tags/warnings. ┆ college/modern au, academic rivals to lovers, fluff, angst, eventual smut, gran isn’t evil in this LOL, the canon event, college parties, alcohol consumption, cliches, depictions of serious crime, references to the spider-man comics and movies, mdni
a/n. ┆ fanart art is by 长白山小葱头 on weibo. this is my first series on this app to celebrate hitting 1K! if you want to join the taglist, comment on this post or send me an ask. from now on, please make sure your age is on your profile or i won’t add you to the list. if you don’t have it, i won’t remind you to add it.
main masterlist. ┆ moodboard. ┆ talk to me!
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chapter one ── pest control.
caleb's worst fear comes true when the two of you are assigned as lab partners, especially after your first experiment together goes horribly wrong in more ways than one. (4.6k)
chapter two ── too easy, this game.
after you’re forced to check up on caleb, you realize that your methods of revenge can be much more interesting than you had originally anticipated. (3.8k)
chapter three ── pepper spray.
caleb tries to adapt to his newfound role as the web-slinging hero of linkon city, and you receive the opportunity of a lifetime. (4.8k)
chapter four ── lab partners.
after a series of unfortunate events, caleb shatters any hope of reconciliation with you. or so it seems. (5.0k)
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atlabeth · 2 months ago
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bend an ear
pairing: peter parker x fem reader
summary: your boyfriend doesn't listen to you. good thing your friendly neighborhood spider-man does.
a/n: there's just something about him idk. andrew garfield spidey bc of course! look at him! this came from me playing the spider-man game after it went on sale and yearning for peter parker (will prob have to rewatch the movies bc of this) anyways hope you like it
wc: 3.6k
warning(s): reader's bf is shitty -- they argue for a while and he lowkey slut shames her. but this is basically all fluff otherwise bc childhood best friends to lovers babby!!! real yearning loverboy hours!!!
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Peter just wants to go home. 
It’s been… a day. He got his ass kicked by an English test (he doesn’t have time to do the readings when he’s fighting crime), got his ass kicked by Flash Thompson (it’s not like he can fight back with his super strength and pulverize his ribs), and has spent every second since his final class ended fighting petty crimes around the city. 
Stopping ATM thefts and minor muggings feels good, sure, but on days like these, it doesn’t really make up for failing intro literature classes and getting absolutely zero sleep. He’s just thankful May is still letting him live with her while he studies at ESU—if he had to do all of this in addition to trying to make his rent? He doesn’t really want to think about it. 
So he swung his way to the roof of some random building, and he’s taking a break. Sue him, but Peter thinks he deserves it. What’s the point of living in a city like New York if you can’t have a second to yourself every once in a while? 
He’ll go home soon. Grab a bodega sandwich, maybe stop another crime, and then get home for some much needed rest. But for now, he’s just going to sit on this rooftop and relax for a second. Even Spider-man needs some peace and— 
“Babe—” 
“Why are you following me?”
Peter winces as the door slams open, an argument following close after as a girl storms out onto the roof followed by a guy speeding to keep up with her. His first instinct is to swing away as soon as possible, but for some reason, he stays. 
“Because I want to talk!”
“God, do you even hear yourself?” 
“You keep talking over me, so I really—” 
“You don’t get to babe me right now!” 
As if his day hadn’t been bad enough, now he’s accidentally made himself privy to some couple’s dispute. He’s about to web himself out of this third wheeling nightmare when the girl turns around with a groan, revealing her face, and Peter realizes who it is. 
It’s you.
This is your apartment complex. Peter came here without even realizing it, but can he really be surprised? Your name is synonymous with peace in his brain. Comes with the territory of being friends for so long—it still calms him, even when you’re being the opposite of peaceful. 
“I don’t get why you’re acting like this!” the guy exclaims, frustration clear in his voice. 
Of course. Why wouldn’t your shitty boyfriend be here too? The only reason you live here is because you scored this place together; said he didn’t want you living on campus anymore. Ethan Frey might be the bane of Peter’s existence after two and a half years of him being your boyfriend. 
“Because you and your posse are acting like complete jags in front of all my friends!” you shout back. 
He laughs in disbelief. “I’m just being myself, babe. Besides, you’re the one who said I could invite them!” 
“Because you complained about it just being my friends,” you grind out. “You weren’t even supposed to be here, Ethan! You just can’t handle the thought of me being around guys that aren’t you!” 
“Well, what the hell am I supposed to think, huh?” He gestures wildly. “You spend every second with that geek and I’m supposed to believe you’re not into him?” 
And now he’s eavesdropping on a conversation between you and your boyfriend about him. How could this get worse? 
“God, it isn’t like that at all!” you exclaim with a mirthless laugh. “Peter is my friend— my best friend since elementary school. You knew when we got together that wasn’t going to change.” 
“Yeah,” he says, nodding lazily, “but that was before I knew how obvious his hard-on for you was.” 
Peter feels his face heat beneath the mask, wants to wipe the sweat off his palms. That’s how it could get worse. 
Your nostrils flare as you turn away, your hands flexing while you shake your head. “Get out of here, Ethan.” 
“Oh, of course that’s where you draw the line,” Ethan mocks. “When I bring up fuckin’ Peter Parker.” He pauses then chuckles. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you?” 
Peter nearly intervenes right then and there, wanting to stop this mess before Ethan does anything to hurt you. But revealing himself sounds like the worst possible thing to do, so for once he listens to the rational part of his brain over the emotional. 
“He’s not even here!” you retort. “I live with you, not him. I’m dating you, not him. Why are you bringing him up?” 
“Because I’m not blind.” Ethan crosses his arms. “Y’know, I thought you’d get over this little thing after you let me take you out, but for some reason, it’s exactly the same. I swear you spend more time with him than me.”
Your hands clench into fists. “Get out of here.” 
He scoffs. “You want me to leave you up here?” 
“Yes,” you nod. 
“God, you’ve been acting crazy this whole night!” he complains. “You’ll freeze up here. Just get over it—we’ll go back down, I’ll get you a beer—” 
“I hate beer.” 
“Then I’ll get you a fucking apple juice,” he spits. “Just stop being so dramatic.” 
“You’re not listening to me!” you shout. “I want you to leave me alone!” 
This time he says your name, and you shake your head. 
“Go back to the apartment,” you interrupt. “Because if I have to spend another second with you, our relationship might not make it through the night.”
For once, Ethan is silent as he stares at you. You stare back with no sign of giving up. Eventually, he just huffs and shakes his head. 
“Whatever.” He starts walking towards the door. “You better cool off up here, because I’m not dealing with this shit when you come back down.” 
You stare at the door for a good twenty seconds once he closes the door—slams it, rather—before you angrily kick a stray soda can. Your childhood days of rec soccer must still be in you, because you get an arc on it. Just before it can go over the side of the building, Peter shoots a web to catch it wholly on instinct. 
Your eyes widen as you dart around, and Peter is finally spotted from his place on top of the roof door building thing. What is that even called? He doesn’t really have time to think about it. The aluminum can crunches as it flies into his hand, and you stare at him in complete shock. 
“Uh,” his mouth suddenly feels very dry, but he has to make some excuse for why he’s up here, “littering is bad.” 
Good one, Parker. 
“You’re Spider-man,” you say, eyes still wide. 
“The one and only,” he nods. 
“Oh my god,” you mumble, finally seeming to break out of your shock as you cover your mouth and turn away. “Oh my god, Spider-man just heard my relationship falling apart.” 
“I didn’t hear anything!” Peter exclaims. “I—”
You shoot him the withering look he loves so much, that was able to get his bullies to shrink on the spot in high school—it feels weird being on the receiving end of it. 
“I’m not stupid,” you say. 
“I kn—” He has to stop himself from saying I know, because realistically Spider-man has no idea who you are. “I’m sorry.” 
You huff and cross your arms. “Do your superhero duties include eavesdropping on failing couples?” 
“It was an accident,” Peter says. “I was up here before you were. So technically, you were eavesdropping on my actual superhero duties.” 
You laugh, and he smiles just at the sound of it. One benefit to wearing the mask, because it would expose him right on the spot. “Oh yeah? And what are those?” 
“Patrolling the streets,” he says. “I’ve got a very good vantage point from up here.” 
You hum, your mood turning a bit more morose as you glance away. “Well, I’m sorry you had to hear all that during your patrol.” 
“I’m sorry you had to go through it,” he says. “Your boyfriend sounds like an asshole.” 
You roll your eyes. “He’s fine, most of the time. Just had a little bit too much to drink.” 
Peter will never understand why you defend Ethan so much. You’ve been together since freshman year and he’s only gotten worse since then—maybe he hides how he is around you, because he hasn’t really shied away from showing Peter how much he hates him this past year.
“He looked pretty sober to me,” Peter says. “And trust me, I have plenty of experience fighting guys that have had too much to drink.” 
You huff. “What are you, a spider-therapist?” 
“I’m good at a lot of things,” he says. “And I’m always good for bending an ear.”
“Surely you have better things to do than listen to me complain.” 
Peter shakes his head. “My schedule’s pretty clear right now, actually.”
“Really?” you marvel. “There’s no crime in New York City at,” you check your watch, “11:37 pm?”
“Absolutely none,” he says. “I solved it all. At least for now.”
You laugh again at that and gesture with your head as you walk over to the edge of the roof. “Then I guess I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Peter jumps down and follows you over. You hoist yourself on top of the wall, legs dangling over the edge, and he feels himself frown as he leans his back against the wall and looks up at you. 
“Isn’t that a little dangerous?” 
“You’ll catch me if I fall,” you say. 
“Obviously,” Peter says. “I’m supposed to encourage safe behavior in New Yorkers, though.” 
You laugh and tilt your head up towards the night sky. The moonlight reflects in your eyes and Peter knows he could get lost in them forever. “Just this once, then.” 
“I think I can let it slide.” 
“Good.” 
A comfortable beat of silence passes between the two of you, and Peter finds himself smiling. No wonder he ended up at your place out of instinct. There’s nothing else like your company. 
“I always think it’ll be different,” you murmur. Peter glances up at you, your expression shifted to something more melancholic. “We’ll have a good day, which’ll turn into a good week and a good month, but he always does something to mess it up. It’s like it’s in his DNA.” 
He stays silent as you think. Most of the time when you rant to Peter, you just want to be heard, not given advice. At this point, he’s an expert at listening to you. It’s not like he minds. 
“I want things to work out. I— I still love him. I mean, I think I do. But everything is a fucking struggle with him. If I don’t do things the exact way he wants, if I try to do something for me instead of him, if I can’t read his fucking mind, then he loses it and we argue. And I’m so fucking tired of arguing!” 
Your voice has risen by now, and you bite down hard on your cheek. Peter doesn’t realize he’s started reaching towards you to comfort you until you look back down at him, and he runs his hand over his head in an effort to cover it up. 
“I’m sorry,” you sigh. “I promise, I’m a much nicer person than this. You just caught me at the worst time.”
“Don’t worry,” he says. “I know.”
Your brows rise. “Spider-man knows I’m a nice person?”
“I can just tell,” he rushes, trying to save himself. He’s doing a real good job at not revealing his identity. “I’m good at reading people.”
You chuckle and shake your head, then adjust your position so your back is towards the open air. It makes Peter nervous, he can’t lie, but it’s not like he’s not a superhero. 
“So, spider-therapist,” you say. “Any advice?” 
So this is one of the rare times you do want answers. Peter wonders if you’ll leave your boyfriend if Spider-man tells you to. 
“He doesn’t sound great,” Peter says, inclining his head. “How many times have you argued this week?” 
“Four,” you say. “Five, if you include tonight.” 
He whistles. “And it’s only Wednesday.”
You tip your shoulder. “We’re efficient.” 
“And unhappy, it sounds like.” 
“We’re not unhappy,” you defend. “We’re just…” 
“You’re up here talking to me instead of down there with him,” Peter says wryly. “That doesn’t exactly scream ‘happy couple’.” 
You shake your head with another sigh. “It’s because he can’t get over Peter.” 
He tries to act as nonchalant as possible when you bring him up. Is this an invasion of privacy? Letting you talk to him about all this when you have no idea who Spider-man actually is? 
Instead of floundering over moral qualms, he just clears his throat. “And who’s he?” 
“My best friend,” you say. “The one person who’s been by my side since the second I moved to New York. He means everything to me.”
Peter feels his heart skip a beat. “Yeah?” 
“He’s like— like the opposite of Ethan, and it’s wonderful. I guess that’s why Pete irks him so much. Y’know,” you pull out your phone and start typing in your password, “maybe I should call him. He always knows what to say.” 
“No!” Peter exclaims with a bit too much force, causing you to give him a look. “No— I mean, it’s late. He’s probably asleep. And— and it’s a school night?” 
You tilt your head, and Peter exhales when it seems to work. “True. He’s probably studying for that biochem test.” You grimace. “I should be doing that too.” 
He watches you type out a few texts and send them, and Peter’s never been more thankful to have his phone on silent. What a way that would be to blow his cover. 
You shove your phone back in your pocket with another sigh. “I just hate that my boyfriend and my best friend don’t get along. I love them both—why can’t they like each other?” 
“I mean…” Peter trails off when you look at him, and he gestures with his head. “It seems pretty obvious why they don’t get along.” 
“Yeah,” you say dryly. “Because Ethan thinks Peter likes me, and he probably thinks I have some secret crush on him too. I swear, he’s always looking for a reason to fight.” 
God, could the universe be calling him out any more? It’s honestly ridiculous how this is going. 
“Do you?” Peter asks, because he can’t help himself. “Like him, I mean.” 
“I don’t know,” you murmur. “I love Pete, I do. It’s always been the two of us no matter what. But I…”
He holds his breath as he tries not to look at you, tries not to make it too obvious that he might have stumbled his way into his simultaneous dream and nightmare scenario. 
He’s had a crush on you for what feels like forever. Since you stood up for him against his bullies in elementary school, honestly, and it’s only grown over the years as the two of you have grown. From recesses spent together and bike rides through the city; spending the night in Peter’s apartment because it was easier for your sister to let it happen than try and drag you back home; endless nights with heads bent over textbooks trying to study for tests, over college applications trying to get into the same place, and now studying and researching near every damn weekend together because you’re both unfortunate enough to try for ESU STEM degrees. 
You were there when Ben died. He’s there on every anniversary of your parents’ accident. Without knowing it, you were there when he got bit and his whole life turned upside down. 
You and Peter have been there every step of the way for each other, and it’s why he’s content with just friendship—Peter wants you in his life no matter what. But he can’t lie and say he doesn’t hope. 
No, actually. He yearns. He’s doomed to be a yearner for the rest of his life because he’ll never stop loving you. How could he? 
“I’m not sure,” you finally say with a sigh. “All I know is that I’d rather be with Pete tonight than Ethan.”
Peter wonders if your chest compressions are still as good as they were in high school, because he feels like he’s about to have a heart attack. 
You’d rather be spending tonight with him than your boyfriend of two years and seven months, and Peter isn’t even supposed to know. 
You mistake his silent freakout for nonchalance, and you clear your throat as you jump back onto solid ground. 
“Well, I’ve spilled my soul to you,” you say wryly, crossing your arms. “Anything a superhero can spill in return?”
Peter thinks for a good, long second. His hands itch to take off his mask, to do what he’s wanted to do since he got bitten by that stupid spider and show you who he really is. 
How many times has he been a total asshole, canceling plans on you because he had to go stop some supervillain from wreaking havoc in Times Square? How many times has he been late to something important to you because he was caught up stopping dime a dozen muggings? He still remembers the look on your face when he showed up just in time to miss the entirety of Les Mis’s opening night with your first lead role. 
You were a better best friend to Peter than he was to you because of this stupid mask. If he took it off, it wouldn’t make every mistake fade away, but it would sure help explain some of it. 
But Peter has been doing this since high school, and he has seen far too many times what happens to the loved ones of heroes. They’re used as leverage, used for ransom, sometimes just straight up killed.
You’ve been friends with Peter since you and your sister moved into the apartment next to May’s thirteen years ago. It doesn’t matter if you never share Peter’s feelings. You’re one of the only constants in his life, and he’s not going to lose you because he’s too selfish to keep a secret. 
Losing you would be the last straw. He couldn’t take it. 
So Peter pushes all thoughts of secret identities revealed out of his mind and tries to chuckle convincingly. 
“I’m allergic to peppermint, believe it or not.” 
You stare at him, deadpan. “That’s nowhere close to all the shit I just gave you.” 
“It’s true!” he exclaims, holding up his hands. “Happened after I got bit by the spider. They’re repelled by peppermint oil, and I guess I am too.” 
You shake your head in disbelief. “I can’t believe Spider-man is a coward.” 
“A superhero’s gotta have some secrets,” he says, and he taps the side of his head. “Otherwise this thing doesn’t do much good.” 
“Yeah, yeah,” you say. “Whatever.” 
A chill suddenly goes up Peter’s spine and he whips around—he can hear a distant scream followed by a distant gunshot, and he mentally curses. 
“Duty calls?” you ask, drawing his attention back to you. 
“Yeah,” he says. “I’m sorry—” 
“Don’t be.” You smile, and it’s genuine. A nice change from the state Ethan effortlessly puts you in. “You went out of your way to cheer me up. Pretty super of you.” 
“I hope it makes up for the eavesdropping,” he says. 
“More than,” you nod. “Now get out of here. Your city needs you.” 
Peter nods too, and he backflips onto his original spot. “Have a good night. You’re real special to somebody.” 
He’s gone before you can say anything else, already zipping across the rooftops to get to the scene of the crime. Peter can only think of your face as he swings through the air—all the things he’s too scared to say to you. 
The crime, which turns out to be yet another petty theft, is resolved easily enough with some punches, kicks, and a snappy one-liner. Once he’s retrieved the woman’s purse and alerted the police, he’s back in the sky. 
Peter only stops once he’s swung a couple miles away, perching on the edge of some rooftop for some actual peace and quiet. He checks around once or twice to make sure he’s not somehow back at your place, and when he’s sure it’s all clear, he pulls his phone out. He swipes past all the notifications he’s racked up until he finds the one he’s looking for: the texts from you. 
hey pete, I know you’re prob asleep rn but you were right. I really need to study for that test lol
wanna meet me at the library tomorrow after QM? I’ll buy the coffee this time i promise <3 
as long as you use your roomie’s dining dollars to get me a croissant lol 
Peter can’t help but smile, larger than anything tonight. This is why he’s okay with being nothing but your friend for the rest of his life. 
Deal. Anything to get you an A 
lol
asshole 
Never 
Try to get some sleep. No good studying on a tired brain 
Three dots appear for a good long second, enough to constitute a decent paragraph—then they disappear. In its place: 
I’ll try just for you 
night boy genius
(How could he not love you?) 
Night, girl wonder
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hanasnx · 4 months ago
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“ BETTER FIND A MOP, IT’S GETTIN’ STICKY IN THIS BITCH ” — peter parker.
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MINORS DNI 18+ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ NOTES: marvel rivals chad peter parker w yuri lowenthal’s legendary voice. a recipe for success. also this wouldn't be possible without this anon. WARNINGS: fem reader ノ established relationship ノ dirty talk ノ explicit sexual content ノ p in v ノ finger sucking ノ biting ノ long cock peter agenda ノ suit + mask sex but mask comes off halfway thru so you can see his pretty face <3
“Yeah? Mmph—you like that—hm—baby?” PETER PARKER speaks between his sheathes, evidently getting lost in the feeling of you wrapped around him. So much so that dirty talk for this silver tongue is interrupted by his own unfocus. It blurs in and out from the overload of sensation between his legs. You can’t respond, brows furrowing as he wetly slithers in and out of you, the head of him brushing that spongy spot inside you every time he bottoms out.
You try your best, murmuring a weak yet eager, “Mhm, mhm,” Nodding your head even while his fingers are hooked on your lower jaw over your chin.
“Couldn’t wait, huh?” Peter asks rhetorically, a slight snicker sprinkled in as he watches you with as much awe as a mask can have. “Was like I was ambushed.” he muses, reminiscing over his entrance met with such welcoming open legs. His cock bucks in at the memory, and you cry out through your occupied mouth. The knuckles between your teeth get a squeeze, a nip, and he releases a burst of air. “Trying to bite me, honey?” The tone conveys a sense of disbelief but it’s pleasantly surprised, and his pace quickens. Choked moans shoot out of you as he fucks into you, his body weight pinning you down while your suspended legs bob from the movement. Your lips enclose apologetically over his gloved fingers, the wet felt fabric is foreign against your tongue when you circle around them. In a bout of curiosity, your tip traces the embossed texture of the web design around his knuckle, maintaining eye contact with his mask while you do it.
Your cheeks hollow out, sucking on his two fingers and he groans from low in his throat. It’s the kind of purr that sends a shudder down your spine, eyes rolling back as he slots in your lulling body. The sheer length of him causes an ache inside your core that arches your back, clutching onto the sheets for purchase as you brace the sharp pain for the brain-melting feeling of pulling out only to fuck back in. His other hand comes to hook under the hem of his mask, peeling it off of him, and his brown hair explodes out in an endearing mess. You can finally see that crooked grin.
He pivots your head for you by your mouth, resting his wrist on the mattress to hover over you properly. Faithfully, you keep those fingers in, and he rewards you by shoving them in deeper, the tips of them making you lurch with a gag. Once again, he reacts audibly in euphoric relief like he was waiting for you to do that. “Baby.” he says in that voice, and it’s like a prize. You erupt in full-body tingles, curling your toes as he openly mouths at your neck. The pad of his tongue flattens against your pulse point, and ends it in a hard bite, scraping his teeth against your skin. You keen, that coil in your belly going taut.
Drool seeps out of the corner of your mouth while you desperately suck his spit-soaked glove, pitiful whimperings spilling out of you while he fucks you into the mattress.
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fushitoru · 5 months ago
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i don't wanna lose this with you a spiderman gojo fic
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pairing ⸺ spiderman!gojo x reader
summary ⸺ an amalgation of misunderstandings and stress lead to a very big fight between you and satoru, but you certainly don't expect the way he wins you back.
warnings ⸺ college au, spiderman!au, angst, hurt/comfort, i warn you reader might infurate you, but she's just a woman in stem :(, tooth rotting fluff bc he's a loser for his gf, not edited sue me
playlist ⸺ quantum rizzics
a/n you'll probably need to read the first installation (nsfw, so mdni) to understand this one :3
general masterlist | spiderman!gojo m. list
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you've blocked gojo on all platforms.
you don't really remember what caused the "break up" (you didn't really break up). maybe it's the fact that you've been stressed about grad school admissions, your dorm's floor was covered in his boxers, and he's never been able to visit you pre-3am these days. somehow, the city's criminals are determined to keep your boyfriend away from you, and maybe it was your pms, or maybe it was truly just because satoru is annoying. regardless, it's when you guys have plans that's not an impromptu healing-gojo's-wounds-in-your-dorm-at-3am sesh and you're waiting at the coffee shop that you explode.
because he was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago, and when you move to go to the bathroom, you see him. through the window, his white hair is never not noticeable, and who you see next to him makes you falter.
he's standing next to a girl with blue tinted silver hair that you recognize as mei mei, and she's gripping his upper arm as she smiles while looking at his face, his lips with such fuck me eyes that you could tell they were having some sort of intimate conversation.
and if it were an ideal day, you would know that it's all a misunderstanding, you would know your boyfriend is someone you trust. but, again, the cards were stacked against you, and the only things that go through your mind all make your eyes all glossy. he's late to the one date that you planned because you and him were finally free at the same time and you've been busy because you've been desperately applying for internships because unlike your boyfriend you don't have a plethora of papers and coding experience and you've been getting four hours of sleep on average this week and ugh you've heard a rumor that satoru used to hook up with her and fuck now your tampon is poking at you in the wrong way—
great. now tears are fully streaming down your cheeks. in public.
as you rush to the table where your stuff is your vision is so blurry that you also almost fall flat on your face as you stumble over the legs of chairs and tables. blurting out a ensemble of choked up sorry's and excuse me's you hurriedly gather your laptop and notebooks in your backpack and book it for the exit.
the biting cold stings at your face, but you nevertheless determinedly move in the opposite direction of where satoru and mei mei are situated, praying your boyfriend doesn't recognize you. however, it seems that the heavens are working against you because you hear a yelled "baby?"
you don't look back because you know a new set of tears will leave your eyes, and with it being finals season, you're not very hydrated to being with. but you hear footsteps running towards you and fuck your boyfriend's long ass legs because he quickly catches up to you. then, he grabs your hands, attempting to stop you from running away and face him.
"baby," he breathes, baby blue eyes looking into yours as he moves to kiss your forehead. you stay silent, pinning your gaze to the ground while shivering. "where are you going? aren't we supposed to hang out right now?"
look, you and gojo have a good relationship. but recently, things have gotten...strenuous lately. you guys haven't been communicating, and it might not help that half of your calorie intake was from energy drinks. or perhaps what lead you to say what you said next was driven entirely by the brain eating mold on your unwashed dishes, but dumb excuses aside, you sneer. "shouldn't you be busy doing that with mei mei, instead?"
a small part of you--the part that knows you shouldn't be like this--feels relief that hurt doesn't immediately flash across his eyes, only confusion. but lack of sleep has not only stripped away at your sanity but also your people pleasing and overthinking tendencies, leaving you only as a girl frustrated, even irrationally angry, with her boyfriend. so you only avert your gaze when he dumbfoundedly asks, "what?"
"what do you mean, "what?"" you scoff, wrenching your hand from his grasp. "you were ten minutes late to our meet-up, gojo." it is at your use of his last name, instead of your sweet my love, that the hurt you've been looking for flashes across his eyes. he moves to speak but you cut him off, no longer wishing to be here with him. "if you're so busy talking to bitches you hooked up with before, why did you even bother saying yes to hanging out with me?"
he looks at you in confusion, eyes quickly flitting back and forth across you. then, slowly, as if he's still processing the weight of your accusations, he says, "i don't exactly know what you're referring to, but let's calm down---"
and you see red.
"calm down?" you snap, voice sharp and icy, just like the wind stinging your cheeks. "did you seriously just tell me to calm down? you were late again, gojo, and i find you chatting it up with her?" you practically spit the word, arms crossing as a flimsy defense against both the cold and the ache building in your chest.
satoru blinks, his confusion genuine, but you’re too far gone to care. "wait—mei mei? is this about mei mei? she's not—"
"don’t you dare finish that sentence," you cut him off, your voice rising as your blood boils hotter. "i don't want to hear how she's just a friend, or how it's not what it looks like. i’m so tired of hearing the same bullshit excuses."
"baby, you're jumping to conclusions—"
"and you’re jumping at the chance to look like an idiot in public," you snap, your hands trembling now, either from the cold or your rising fury. "god, what do you even say to her? let me guess, you go around telling girls you're spider-man to get into their pants, huh? bet that works like a charm."
the accusation hits like a slap, and for the first time, satoru looks genuinely stunned, his mouth falling open slightly. "what the hell are you even saying right now?"
"am i wrong?" you let out a bitter laugh, one that echoes in the frosty air. "you’re late to the one date i actually planned, and i see you with her, all cozy, like i’m not even waiting for you. like i don’t even matter."
his eyebrows knit together, frustration mixing with something softer. "you seriously think i’d—"
"i don’t know what to think anymore, satoru!" the words burst out of you, your voice cracking as hot tears well in your eyes. "all i know is that i can’t keep feeling like this. like i’m some afterthought while you’re out doing—whatever it is you do. swinging through the city or flirting with your exes or—" you choke on the words, wiping at your cheeks furiously as the tears spill over. "just forget it. i’m done."
"wait." his voice is quieter now, more desperate as he steps toward you, his hand reaching out. "baby, come on, we can talk about this—"
"no," you say firmly, jerking your hand away before he can grab it. "i’m blocking you. on everything." then, mockingly, "you can figure out how to save the world without me."
his eyes widen, his mouth opening like he’s about to plead or argue, but you don’t wait for him to speak. you turn on your heel and storm away, the cold wind biting at your skin as the lump in your throat grows heavier.
you don’t look back. not when he calls your name, not when you hear his footsteps falter. you just keep walking.
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it’s 3 a.m., and you don’t know if you exist.
well, you do, but after how light you feel after you’ve cried a disgusting amount, you just lie down on your floor staring at the ceiling and contemplating the meaning of life. or more specifically, the meaning of your life, which right now feels like it’s revolving around nothing but stress and a breakup you don’t even fully understand.
you wouldn’t be having these problems if you were a childless cat lady.
but alas, you’re just a college student. in the few days where you haven’t seen satoru, you’ve finished all your finals—miraculously, considering the fragile state of your emotional wellbeing—and now you’re finally on break in your dorm. you’re supposed to go back home in two days, but the thought of packing feels like trying to climb a mountain barefoot. you can’t summon the energy to do anything except wallow in your self-pity and selfishness, letting it wrap around you like a weighted blanket that’s somehow comforting and suffocating all at once.
you’d like to say this is rock bottom, but truthfully, it’s worse than that. because rock bottom implies a kind of finality—a place to push off from. this? this feels more like you’re sinking in quicksand, the weight of everything dragging you further down.
in your stress and impulsiveness, you’ve managed to kill your entire grind for internships. deadlines have slipped past while you spent hours doom-scrolling job boards and second-guessing every application. the ambitious, career-focused version of yourself feels like a stranger now, buried under the weight of your own doubts and insecurities. and on top of that, you may have potentially lost the love of your life.
it’s laughable, really, how thoroughly you’ve managed to self-destruct in such a short time. the worst part? you can’t even bring yourself to check your socials. if you unblock him and see there aren’t any messages, you think your heart might shatter completely. which, if you’re being honest, isn’t exactly fair to him. you’re the one who had the meltdown. you’re the one who blocked him on everything. he probably doesn’t even know what he did wrong because you didn’t even communicate anything.
your stomach twists at the thought, guilt mingling with the ever-present ache of missing him. he was supposed to be the one person who made everything feel a little less impossible, and now you’ve pushed him away.
there has got to be a taylor swift song for this.
so you make your way to your spotify account to listen to afterglow, putting in your airpods while somberly looking at the ceiling once again as the lyrics fill your ears. tears well up as soon as the lyrics start
i blew things out of proportion, now you're blue⸻
tears well up before you can stop them, hot and heavy as they trail down your cheeks. god, you’re a mess. and yet, as much as you hate it, you can’t seem to stop the flood of thoughts that follow.
you miss him. you miss the way he made you laugh even when you were on the verge of tears, the way his ridiculous confidence somehow made you feel like everything would work out. you miss how he’d stay up late just to facetime you when you were overwhelmed with schoolwork, how he always seemed to know exactly when you needed him most.
and now? now you’ve gone and ruined it. maybe he’s angry, maybe he’s hurt, or worse—maybe he’s just done with you entirely.
the thought makes your chest ache, your breaths coming in shallow and uneven as the lyrics hit their crescendo.
i need to say, hey, it’s all me, in my head—
then, suddenly the song changes. you frown as you hear early 2010's pop blast through your ears.
i threw a wish in the well, don't ask me i'll never tell⸻
why the fuck is call me maybe playing?
annoyed and rubbing at your eyes, you move the change it back to, now, the sad girl hours playlist spotify curated for your and assume your dead fish position on the floor once again.
however, it seems as if your spotify is genuinely tweaking, like it's realized it’s gotten your attention. when call me maybe starts playing again, you groan out loud and move your phone. but before you have a chance to switch the song again, it seems to switch.
baby by justin bieber.
call me, blondie.
i love you, i'm sorry, gracie abrams.
letstalkaboutit, aminé.
i don't understand but i luv you, seventeen.
please please please, sabrina carpenter.
and then, once more, as if to really drive the point home: call me maybe, carly rae jepsen.
again, it's 3am, and you're stuck in a surreal mix of grief and confusion, staring at your phone as your spotify queue seems to have gained sentience. each song feels like a pleading nudge, an unmistakable pattern forming, and your blood runs cold when you remember one very important fact.
you share a spotify account with satoru.
"carly rae jepsen," you mutter under your breath, a mix of exasperation and fondness bubbling up despite yourself. he's hijacking your queue. right in the middle of your emo songs.
you sit up abruptly, tossing your airpods onto the bed, and hover over the call button on your phone. there’s a split second of hesitation—your pride battling with your longing—before you give in and press it.
the line rings twice before his voice comes through, breathless, like he’s been pacing. "baby?"
the sound of his voice sends a fresh wave of emotion crashing over you, sharp and raw like an open wound. the sound of his voice makes your stomach twist uncomfortably, equal parts relief and guilt. "satoru," you say, barely above a whisper. "why are you messing with our spotify?"
"why am i messing with our spotify?" he echoes, his tone incredulous. "why did you block me on literally everything? what was i supposed to do—send you a letter by carrier pigeon?"
you wince at the edge in his voice, your earlier anger wilting under the weight of his hurt. "i… i don’t know," you admit, the words tumbling out before you can catch them. "i was upset, and i wasn’t thinking straight. i shouldn’t have done that."
"yeah, you shouldn’t have," he says, still sounding a little indignant, though there’s something softer beneath it now. "do you know how many songs i had to go through to make my point? do you know how hard it was to resist the urge to rickroll you instead?" then, there’s a pause on his end, the line suddenly feeling too quiet. then he sighs, his voice softening into something that feels too much like an apology. "i didn’t know what else to do. i hate not talking to you. i hate knowing i made you upset, even if i don’t entirely understand why."
you close your eyes, the lump in your throat returning with a vengeance. the silence stretches between you, thick and unbearable, until you finally break it. "i’m sorry," you whisper, the words slipping out before you can stop them. "i shouldn’t have blown up at you like that.” and now that the dam has been broken, it all comes rushing out as you start choking up. “i’ve just been so stressed, and i’ve been missing you and then i saw you with her and then got irrationally angry when i really should’ve trusted you and oh my god i’m like a possessive tradwife husband that doesn’t let you leave the farm i’m sorry and i didn’t even communicate before i blew up at you like that—”
"hey. hey, hey, it’s okay," he says immediately, his tone filled with an earnestness that makes your chest tighten. "i know things have been hard for you. i should’ve been better, too. more present. i hate that you’ve been feeling like this while i’ve been...doing spider-man things." then, he lets out a dramatic sigh, the kind that’s equal parts exasperation and playfulness. "but wasn’t fair,” and you can hear a whine in his voice, “you blocked me and then ghosted me like i’m some kind of random tinder match. do you have any idea how insane i felt when i couldn’t even check to see if you were okay? i thought you hated me."
your breath catches at his words, guilt twisting like a knife in your chest. "i don’t hate you," you say quickly, the words spilling out in a rush. "i could never hate you. i was just… stupid, and emotional, and i didn’t know how to handle everything piling up. i’m so, so sorry, satoru."
there’s a pause, and when he speaks again, his voice is quieter, a little more vulnerable. "then why did you say those things? about mei mei, and… and me using the spider-man thing to get into girls’ pants."
you bite your lip, the memory of your harsh words making your throat tighten. "i didn’t mean any of it," you whisper. "i was just lashing out, and i know it wasn’t fair to you. i know you’d never do something like that, and i trust you, satoru. i just… i let my insecurities get the better of me."
"wait," he interrupts, his voice laced with amusement that shouldn’t make your heart ache the way it does. "you actually think i’d use the spider-man thing as a pickup line? that’s...wow. that’s genius. i should write that down."
"satoru!" you exclaim, half-laughing, half-crying, your emotions unraveling all over again. "i’m being serious!"
"i know, i know," he says, but you can hear the smile in his voice, warm and teasing. "and i’m being serious, too. i’d never do that to you. mei mei’s just...she tripped in front of me, i was just helping her up. i didn’t even realize how it must’ve looked, but i’ve never done anything with her. you’re it for me, okay? always."
you sniffle, wiping at your cheeks as your heart swells and aches all at once. "you mean that?"
"of course i do," he says, his voice soft and sincere in a way that makes your breath hitch. "i love you, even when you block me on everything and make me resort to spotify warfare." he sighs again, but this time it’s softer, the warmth in his voice breaking through his remaining irritation. "i’m not mad. i mean, i was mad, but mostly i was just upset. you really hurt my feelings, you know?"
the lump in your throat grows, your guilt threatening to choke you. "i know," you say, your voice cracking. "i’m so sorry, satoru. i’ll make it up to you, i promise."
"oh, you will make it up to me," he says, the teasing edge returning to his tone. "i want a week of boyfriend privileges—no complaining when i steal your fries, no making fun of my movie picks, and you’re buying me snacks for at least three of those days."
a small smile tugs at your lips despite the tears still clinging to your lashes. "deal," you say softly.
there’s a pause on his end, and then his voice comes through the line, quieter but no less sincere. "you really mean it? you’re not still mad at me?"
"i’m not mad," you say, your voice thick with emotion. "i was never really mad at you, satoru. i was mad at everything else, and i took it out on you. but i’m not mad anymore. i just… i miss you."
"i miss you too," he says, and the raw honesty in his voice---the subtle way it chokes up, as if he had been crying and missing you too---makes your chest ache. "so, can i come over? or are you going to make me keep hijacking your playlists to get your attention?"
you laugh softly, the sound tinged with relief. "just come over already, you dummy. and bring snacks. good ones."
"done," he says, his grin audible through the phone. "i’ll be there in twenty. and for the record, you owe me at least a whole playlist dedicated to how amazing i am and you sucking the absolute soul out of my dick---."
"don’t push your luck," you reply, but there’s no heat in your words, only warmth (and you’re absolutely going to suck his soul out of his cock). regardless, for the first time in days, the tightness in your chest starts to ease, replaced by something lighter, something whole.
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general masterlist | spiderman!gojo m. list
a/n he's so cute :( i'll keep on writing stuff for them whether it be small fics like this or long ass fics. i think my next one is gonna be freaky if you guys are nice to this one
TAGLIST im really sorry if i missed you if you sent an ask asking to be tagged pls feel free to remind me again im afriad ur ask has drowned in my shitposts and other asks
@chilichopsticks @livelaughloveisagiyoichi @moonchhu @k0z3me @seobluv
@m1gota @celloccino @satxoru @fishrene @myahfig4
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@suguruscousin @idkwhatursayinh @yourfavbabigirl
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cablecar-s · 1 year ago
Text
to love and self loath
Description :
With the death of her lover too much to bear, she makes the decision to run away from her life as Spider Woman, finding solace in the most crime ridden place in the U.S: Gotham City.
Note:
Hello! I'm currently just testing the waters of Tumblr at the moment, so bear with me because I have no idea what I'm doing. Constructive criticism is welcomed, just remember to not be mean >:/ Enjoy the first chapter!!
part 2 part 3 part 4 part 5 part 6
Prepare For Trouble
"You're Spider-Woman, right?" He looked at her with a knowing yet amused smile on his face, all the while the woman who stood before him could only stare at him with slight bafflement. Eyes wide, lips slightly parted, she blinked at him, beginning to stammer.
"I.. What? How could you..? What kind of crazy.." She let out a small mix of what seemed to be a huff and laughter in trying to play off his not-so-false statement.
Her crush could only give her a look that read all too clearly as 'Really?' which led her to promptly give up, a sigh of defeat leaving her lips.
"I.. Yeah, you got me. I'm.. I'm Spider-Woman." She looked at him with a defeated smile. "How'd you know though? I thought I was pretty secretive!" She raised her hands up in defense, making him laugh.
"Well, with how much you sometimes ditch me last minute every time I hear sirens going off or how you always disappear out of thin air when something big or small happens, it was pretty easy to deduce the reasons why." He chuckled softly.
"You are also talking to the most smartest person in his entire school." He quickly added.
The female vigilante could only slightly scoff at this, looking around, as if someone else could hear the ridiculousness that was coming out from his mouth.
"Really now?" She questioned, almost mockingly.
Slowly, the two teenagers inched closer to one another while continuing to bicker, a teasing smile on both of their faces until finally they were mere inches away from one another.
"I hope you're not waiting for something." The teenaged boy said teasingly, a smile on his lips.
"No, not at all." The girl hummed, smiling back.
With the night air nipping at their skin, the warmth of their breaths could be felt on one another. And as they leaned in for a kiss, the floor beneath them fell in an instant, and they were soon falling down the clock tower.
With her spider suit on, breathing now heavy, adrenaline pumping into her veins, she watched as the boy she loved since high school began falling, watching as her single web was shot down towards him.
It was silent in that moment, everything having gone in slow motion, her web slowly reaching out to him, but was only seconds too late. The web, sticking itself to the man at the last second, his head still hitting the cold, hard floor, killing him in an instant.
The sound of her cries echoed in the now broken clock tower; grief, guilt, and anger consuming her body, until...
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP
In an instant the woman woke up, covered in her sweat, her heart pounding against her chest. Her fight and flight instincts having kicked in, her eyes darted around her new apartment, her brain slowly catching up as to where she was. 
The muffled sound of cars honking from outside her window was heard, the slight musty smell that her apartment had, and the multiple of unpacked boxes laying around in her small bedroom had slowly calmed her down.
Memories from a few days ago came back to her again, making her sigh while simultaneously burying her face into her hands, that night continuing to haunt her time and time again no matter how many times she had tried to forget. 
Finally turning the alarm on her phone off, she got herself out of bed and went to her bathroom to freshen up, her morning not doing so well with that dream of hers. 
Pulling her hair back from her face, the woman left her bathroom and started to continue where she had left off from yesterday with unpacking her stuff. Putting her playlist on shuffle, she began digging through all of the boxes that held her belongings, putting them in their respective places.
The female vigilante was glad to have gotten away from New York, it gave her time to take a break from playing Spider-Woman—and to hopefully heal. Though it's obvious someone from above thought it would be funny that she would be transferred in the most highest crime rated city: Gotham City.
There goes her vacation.
Though Gotham City should be fine without the help of Spider-Woman shouldn't it? They have all the other vigilantes that kept Gotham fairly safe.
From Batman and Robin to Nightwing, Orphan, Spoiler, hell they even have someone to protect Gotham in the morning, which would be Signal. Of course there was also Red Hood, though she still wasn't so sure if he was to be counted since he did run a few drug cartels.
Wasn't really her business though, as long as she didn't have to do any fighting in the mean time of her slight vacation. 
Boy was she wrong.
"I need you to take some photos of our vigilantes." Her new boss ordered.
"I'm sorry?" The woman furrowed her brows, staring at the woman who was busy typing away on her computer.
"You heard me. Pictures. Vigilantes. Stat." Her voice was monotone, yet it had a slight intimidation to it. 
The vacationing vigilante did her best in holding back her frustration, moving her arms a bit to exaggerate her words just a bit. 
"But Gotham is a lot more crime ridden at night. Can't you have one of the men do it? I'm sure they'd be less likely to get mugged unlike me." She couldn't help but huff, nothing but familiar with this attitude this older woman had.
She was very much the same as Jameson back at the Daily Bugle.
It wasn't long until the woman peeled her eyes off from her computer screen to stare at the vigilante with sharp eyes.
"Listen sweetheart, the reason why you were even transferred here was because of the crystal clear pictures you had taken of Spider Woman over back from where you're from." Opening a file cabinet from her desk, she flipped through a few divided folders before pulling one out in particular and opening it up, slightly tossing it in the middle of her desk.
Photos that she had taken slid itself out from its place in the divider, all of them of which were in good quality and all had good angles to them, only because she was quite literally taking pictures of herself in order to even obtain a job as a photojournalist.
"So it's either you take photos as nice as these of our vigilantes or we can throw you back to New York, your choice." Quite literally, Jameson's female doppelganger looked back up at her new transferee before going back to typing.
Letting out a small sigh, a muttered "Yes ma'am" left her lips before leaving her new demon boss' office. She really can't catch a break can she? 
Well it's not like she wasn't a night person in the first place right? Being able to do whatever she wanted during the day, and once the sun had disappeared and the darkness and rain had taken over Gotham was when it was her time to go out and do her job.
The only downside was how incredibly freezing cold it was in Gotham once night had hit. She could stand the cold to some degree, as a New Yorker she was quite used to the cold, but Gotham was a whole other story.
She should probably install thermos into her suit. As much as she didn't want to think about vigilantism, she knew deep down she would end up doing it, only reason she had brought her suit, which was buried in the deepest parts of her closets.
As her uncle had said time and time again: With great power comes great responsibility.
Being way too busy being deep in her thoughts while slightly, not really, looking as to where any of Gotham's vigilantes may be swinging by, the hair's on her body shot up, the familiar feeling of a tingling sensation in the back of her head appearing.
With swiftness, she side stepped a hand that had tried to take hold of the back of her neck. Turning around, she found herself eyeing three men, all having sinister smiles on their faces.
Just what exactly was her luck today?
"Come on boys, don't you think three of you is a bit much for a single woman like me?" She questioned, a nervous chuckle leaving her lips.
Every step back she had taken, they had taken two steps forward. They had glanced amongst each other, snickers leaving their mouths.
"Not with a lady as pretty as you." One of them commented.
Slowly, they had backed her into a closed off alleyway, all three of them laughing once her back had hit the brick wall.
Her eyes darted around, checking every crevice, every shadow, trying to see if any of Gotham's vigilantes will swoop down to rescue her, and save her the trouble of having to take care of these men herself. 
But there was no one, not even the slightest of movements, not a glint of lenses shining in the dim lighting. Welp, looks like she's on her own for tonight. 
"You guys, really don't want to do this." She warned them, but they only laughed more. They always laugh. Who wouldn't though? A helpless woman who you've backed into a corner telling you they're gonna regret what they're gonna do?
Good thing she wasn't just any ordinary woman though.
"We're gonna have so much fun with you pretty lady." One of them cackled.
"Ugh, how gross..." She muttered.
Glancing around one last time, this time, making sure there would be no bystanders to witness as to what was going to happen.
Pulling up the hood to her winter coat, she let out a sigh, raising one of her arms, pointing it towards one of the men.
"You asked for it." 
In the blink of an eye, her webs shot out from her wrist, a long string going straight for the one in the middle, before he was heaved straight towards the woman before making a harsh impact with a trash can lid.
"Ooh, you'll be feeling that tomorrow." She winced.
Grunts of surprise came from the other two men, but no matter how odd it was for webs to shoot out from a woman's hand, they proceeded to run at the female. With ease, she dodged their attempted charged attacks.
Her hands, opposite of the two men, shot out webs and took hold of the back of their heads before she pulled at the connected webs, causing the two men to bash their skulls together.
"You'll definitely feel that tomorrow." She chuckled. 
Taking a few steps back, she hesitated for a moment and stared at them before quickly rearranging the positions of their bodies.
"Just in case..." She muttered. With their backs all facing each others', she bundled them up in her webs, a precaution if they ended up gaining back consciousness before the morning
Dusting off her hands, she let out a satisfied hum before securing her hood once more before quickly jogging off, not wanting to be found at the scene of the crime. That would only cause herself more trouble. 
"Lets just call it a night, I'm freezing my ass off here." She muttered to herself, trying to bring her coat as close to her body as possible, not wanting to lose what bit of warmth her body was keeping.
Unknowingly to the spider though, a mysterious figure with their infamous red helmet had stumbled upon her small clean up, the two barely missing each other.
He stared at the scene in front of him, his helmet quickly getting to work in scanning the mysterious webs. With his boots softly kicking at the small puddles on the ground, he crouched down, taking a closer look at the webs.
His helmet broke down the composition of the webs, seeing how it was made with a few chemicals. Reaching out his hand, he began to touch the webs a bit, trying to rip at it for a sample.
It clung to his leather glove, and it took a bit of force until it got unstuck, it almost took his glove with it with how hard he was pulling.
"The hell..?" He muttered to himself.
He rubbed his fingers together, some of stickiness staying on his gloved fingers. He took out his knife from one of his secret pockets instead and cut a bit of the web off, making it cling to his blade.
"This shit better come off..." He grumbled before putting his knife away. 
Standing up, he took out his grapple from his utility belt before disappearing into the night. 
---
The spider quickly shot up from her bed, her breathing irregular and covered in her sweat again, tortured once again by that never ending nightmare. Her eyes darting around her bedroom once more, she takes slow deep breaths before covering her eyes with her hands, the palm of her hands pressing into her eyelids.
Letting out a deep sigh, she got out of her bed, doing her morning routine once more. Scrolling through her phone, she looks at the news of Gotham City, most of them mainly about the many crimes of the city, some of politicians, and others of Bruce Wayne. 
Before putting her phone down though, a message popped from the top of her screen, it was from her new boss.
"I better have those photos by the end of this week!!!!" It had read.
The woman only rolled her eyes, turning off her phone so she could dump her face in water. 
Leaving her bathroom, she rubbed her moisturizer onto her face while making her way to her living room that also shared her kitchen. Starting up her coffee machine, she made herself a quick PB&J in the meantime. 
Leaning against the counter as she slowly ate her sandwich, the smell of coffee beginning to waft in the air, the vacationing vigilante took a good look at her small apartment. 
It was.. 
A bit bland to put it nicely. 
Guess she was going shopping today. Quickly downing her coffee without trying to burn her tongue, she quickly got dressed and headed out to do a bit of shopping, to make her apartment just a bit more welcoming for the time that she was staying in Gotham. 
Though she had a bit of a tight budget, she managed to buy a few things well within it that there was a little left over that she could buy herself dinner.
By the time she was done shopping though, the sun was beginning to set, meaning that it was nearly time for the criminals of Gotham to come crawling out of their hiding spots to cause some trouble.
"Shit..." She muttered under her breath, holding onto her plastic bags tightly, her shoes tapping against the cement as she quickly tries to make it back to her apartment before she got mugged.
Her senses have heightened a bit as a sense of panic and wariness began to settle in her stomach. Her eyes flitted about, cautious of every corner, every shadow, every alley, the last light sunset disappearing over the horizon.
Cursing under her breath, her steps quickened, and then there she saw it. A blur of bright red, green, and yellow flying in the air; it was Robin.
Her boss's text from this morning came back to her, which only made her curse more. Of course she didn't bring her camera. The handles of the bags hanging from one of her arms, she quickly fishes out her phone from her back pocket, turning the flash on to take a quick picture of Robin before he disappeared off into the night.
She cursed at his nimbleness, taking a small step back as he flies above her, but just as she was about to take the picture, she had bumped into something sturdy. 
Blinking, she slowly turned around, only to come face to face with someone's chest, Batman's symbol on a black shirt, but instead it was in red.
Slowly, she looked up, only to find herself face to face with the Red Hood.
Click!
The flash to her phone went off as she took a picture of him.
next chapter ->
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yasministration · 6 months ago
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Just the tip - Ex!Peter Parker
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summary: just the tip with ex!peter parker cw: SMUT, kind of pushy/manipulative peter but everything is consensual. wc: 2k
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When Peter fell through the open window of your bedroom, you had let out a loud gasp, spinning around in your desk chair, only clad in your exposing pyjamas. At the sight of your ex boyfriend, you put your hands on your hips, instantly abandoning the homework laid out on your desk. Standing up, you walked towards the hopeful boy, watching as he approached you, a pleading look in his eyes. “So we’re normalising breaking into our ex’s apartments now?” Peter opened his mouth, putting both hands on your hips desperately. “Peter just because you’re spider-man-” “Please.” Peter whispered, his eyes tearing up slightly. “I miss you.” He said, making you drop your hands flatly by your sides. One of your hands came up to cup Peter’s face, thumb caressing his cheek softly. Peter leaned into your touch, shutting his eyes as he savoured the moment.
You looked at Peter with concern; this wasn’t the first time he had come back to you, longing to be held. Things had always escalated to more despite telling yourself that you wouldn’t allow it to happen again. “Can you hold me, please?” Peter asked, ducking his head down to nuzzle in the crook of your neck. Obediently, you snaked the hand on Peter’s face around his neck and over his shoulder, the other one wrapping around his torso. Peter sighed, his own arms enveloping around the curve of your waist. You held him for a moment, inhaling his familiar scent as you gently stroked his back. From where Peter’s head is pressed up in the pocket of your neck, he slowly presses a soft kiss to your skin. You took in a sharp breath, jumping slightly at the sudden movement. Peter kissed your neck again, but you didn’t have the heart to pull away from him. “We can’t keep doing this Pete.” You mumbled instead, a hand finding its way in Peter’s soft locks. “Just this once. It’ll be the last time I promise.” You vividly recall him uttering similar words to you last time.
Sighing, you stepped away from Peter, unravelling your arms from around him. As though he knew what you were thinking, Peter added “Baby, please.” You let your head drop to the side, crossing your arms over your chest in an unconvinced manner. “Peter, we broke up. Exes don’t keep going back to each other like this.” At your words, Peter dropped to his knees in front of you, both hands landing on your thighs, softly grasping them. He looked up at you with his signature begging, puppy eyes, leaning his chin on your exposed abdomen. “You broke up with me. I’d never leave you. Just one night. Let me spend one night with you.” You uncrossed your arms from your chest, returning your hand to Peter’s hair, softly scratching at his skull. Peter never broke eye contact with you, leaning just slightly forward to press a kiss on your bare stomach. You tugged your short tank top down, hoping to stop the tickle from Peter’s kisses, until you finally gave in, telling the boy to stand up.
Peter followed you to your bed, chanting quietly “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” You tossed the covers off the corner of your bed for you to climb in, patting the empty space next to you for Peter to join you. He immediately climbed in next to you, allowing you to cover him up with the soft blanket before cuddling into you. You turned on your side, facing Peter and watching as he pressed his face directly against your breasts, both hands coming to your hips to pull you closer to him before his arm settled over your waist. Sighing melancholically, you threw a leg over one of Peter’s, tangling your body with his as you leaned forward, pressing a kiss on his forehead. Peter laid still as you played with his hair and kissed along with hairline, treasuring the intimate moment. It had been so long since he had felt loved like this. In fact, the last time he felt cared for was the previous time he had been in your arms, despite your complaints about these reoccurring meetings.
Finally taking his opportunity, Peter shuffled upwards on the bed so that he was face to face with you, nose nudging against yours. With Peter’s intentions clear, you had enough time to pull away if you wanted to, but you felt bad, or at least that’s what you told yourself. You didn’t want consider that the way Peter’s eyes flickered down to your lips made you feel engrossed in him, or that his lips also looked soft. You didn’t want to consider the fact that maybe Peter wanting you so badly drew you closer to him. But he was your ex, and the furthest you would go is a kiss. So when Peter leaned ever so closer to you to press his lips against yours, you didn’t pull away, allowing your eyes to flutter shut.
Peter’s lips moulded against yours, his lips separating slightly so his tongue could shoot out to lips your bottom lip, a silent request for access into your mouth. When your mouth dipped open, allowing Peter’s tongue to press against yours, his hand came up, cupping your jaw to pull you closer to him. Peter pushed himself up on one of his forearms, using the height over you to press you deeper into the mattress as he deepened the kiss, his tongue licking deeper into your mouth. You gasped, pushing Peter away by his chest as you panted in attempt to catch your breath. Peter’s mouth latched onto your neck, immediately suckling at the sensitive skin as he moved his weight over you. Peter held the leg you had on top of his to pull it over his waist, testing your limits as he experimentally thrusted his hips between your spread legs. You immediately gasped, pushing Peter’s mouth off your neck and sitting up straight. Peter fell on the bed next to you, a guilty look on his features. “I thought-” “Peter, exes don’t have sex. If we have sex, we’re official again.” Peter furrowed his eyebrows at your words, the same sentence echoing in his mind over and over again. But I want us to be official again.
“Let me put the tip in. Just the tip.” You looked unconvinced, leaning over to take a sip of water from your bedside table. Peter scanned your legs, your cotton shorts riding up with each movement you did. When you sat up straight again, you readjusted the straps of your tank top and crossed your arms over your chest, suddenly aware of the way your nipples were constraining against the fabric of your top. “Just the tip isn’t sex.” Peter pushed, adding a pleading “Please.” “You’re really going to get off on just putting the tip in?” You questioned, eyeing Peter down. He felt himself harden when your gaze landed on his covered cock. “Just want to feel warm.” He weakly argued.
You rolled your eyes, reaching your hand out to grasp the cotton of Peter’s t-shirt, roughly pulling him towards you so you could slam your lips against his. Peter moaned, softly holding your face, but you broke the kiss as quickly as you started it. Peter froze, awaiting further instruction from you. “Just the tip.” You warned, laying back on your bed. Peter instantly jumped up, as though he had to act before you changed your mind. He tripped over his trousers twice before finally tossing them somewhere in our room, and his boxers went next, carefully watching the way your eyes widened slightly in reminiscence. Peter climbed over you, his knees on either side of your legs as he hooked his fingers through both your shorts and panties. He slowly tugged them down your smooth legs, leaning down to press a single kiss on your mound. Peter climbed off you, manhandling your body to lay on your side and settling himself flush against your back. You gasped, feeling Peter’s hard cock poking against your hip. Peter wrapped an arm over your shoulder, pulling you back to stay put against him while his second hand guided his cock towards your entrance.
Peter’s dick nudged your tight hole and you shut your eyes tightly, listening to the immediate moan that ripped from Peter’s chest. You cursed, seriously considering to tell Peter to push all the way in as you felt his swollen tip dip into your entrance. Peter whined, pulling his dick out of you and you sighed disappointedly. Peter bit his lip so hard it almost bled, his thighs shaking in attempt not to push himself all the way in. He needed to abide by your rules if you were going to let this happen again. “Just the tip.” You mumbled absentmindedly, drool gathering in your mouth as you pushed your ass out for Peter to put it back in. Peter panted, trying to control himself as he put the tip back in your entrance, rocking slowly back and forth. “Just the tip.” Peter repeated, but quickly found himself losing control over his actions, and suddenly, he had half his dick inside you.
The both of you moaned in unison, and Peter brought a hand to the arch of your back, caressing your skin. He needed to take a moment or else he'd instantly be coming inside you. You reached a hand behind you, landing halfway on Peter’s cheek. Peter kissed your hand, pushing himself up to press kisses on your cheek and jaw. You whined in pleasure, rolling your hips back to take as much of Peter’s dick as possible. “Fuck, just put it in baby!” You cried, finally letting your put-together front crumble down. Peter chanted a string of ‘thank you’s, finally snapping his hips all the way in so his cock fully sheathed himself in your folds. Wrapping an arm over your hips, Peter shifted his weight to switch your positions, landing you laying on your stomach with him on top of you.
Whining, you pushed yourself on your knees, chest touching the mattress as Peter kneeled, gripping both your hips tightly before setting an unforgiving pace on your cunt. Your moans immediately increased, small sounds escaping you with each push of Peter’s cock closer to your cervix. Peter relentlessly whimpered, feeling his orgasm building up quickly, but he needed to make you cum. He needed to make you cum or you’d never let him fuck you ever again. Desperately, Peter snaked his fingers around your body, concentrating hard on finding your clit while keeping up the pace and brutality of his thrusts. You whined impatiently, your own hand finding Peter’s to guide him to your clit. When his fingers finally made contact with your clit, your toes were immediately curling, a high pitched moan escaping you. Peter squeezed his eyes shut, feeling your pussy clench around his dick. “Come on baby, cum for me.” He begged, rubbing harsh circles on your clit as his thrusts became sloppy. You couldn’t help your bodily reaction to how pathetic Peter sounded, your cunt clamping on his dick as you came, causing a string of curse words to leave Peter’s mouth as his own orgasm was triggered. “Shit, shit, shit.” He mumbled, whimpering softly as he emptied his loud into you, your sounds of ecstasy ringing in his ears.
Peter softly rocked his hips into yours, hoping to ride out your orgasm, but you whined at the overstimulation, and Peter knew it was time to pull out. You immediately slumped against the bed when Peter pulled out with a groan, sitting next to you to rub a hand over your back. You turned onto your back, looking up at Peter tiredly, and gesturing for him to get closer to you. With a hand on his jaw, you pulled him into another kiss, engrossed in the fact that this would be the last time you two had sex. “Last time Peter. Yeah?” Peter nodded, mumbling “I’m happy with that, yeah.”
But his words sounded so familiar you refused to believe them.
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ultraviolet-rayblogz · 5 months ago
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THE WANK BANK— miguel edition!
╰┈➤ a list of some of vi's fav smutty fics!! (mostly me dick riding my moots)
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— "Earth 703” (+ the sex pollen drabble) BY @xbellaxcarolinax
— “Mystery Girl” series BY @fairlyang
— “Lunch Break” (and literally EVERY scientist hubby!miguel fic she’s written) BY @improbable-outset
— “Nerd!Miguel starts an OF” and it’s sequel BY @cheonstapes
— “69ing w/ Miguel” BY @mybvalentine
— “Sticky-Icky" BY @bluesidez
— "Dad Bod!Miguel ft. breeding kink" BY @cupcakeinat0r
— Literally any of their "sweet thoughts", but this one especially BY @sweetimpurity
— Every single fic she writes is phenomenal, but my favourite is the "Curvy!Reader x Miguel" headcanons BY @cherryredstars
— “Let's Make Up" and "Don't Push It" BY @monarchberrysblog
— Every "The Quiet Storm on 209.9" oneshot BY @risararelywrites
— "Miguel Knows How to..." BY @lacedinweb22
— "My Husband Has A Symbiote!" BY @slushycoookie
— "Study Night" BY @pxtched
— "Mi Valentín" BY @xxsugarbonesxx
— "Present time with baby daddy!" (specifically pt.6) BY @yougavemeyourheartyouknow
— "Devil's Advocate" BY @st4rymoon
— "Pretty in Pink" BY @miguelhugger2099
— Literally ANYTHING BY @lazyjellyfish300
— "Miguel x Wife!Reader (Lactation Kink)" BY @exhaslo
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obviously there are many many more amazingly sexy fics and extremely talented writers on this app, so I might have to make a part 2!
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luveline · 7 months ago
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𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐧
Things between you and Peter change with the seasons. [17k] 
c: friends-to-lovers, hurt/comfort, loneliness, peter parker isn’t good at hiding his alter ego, fluff, first kisses, mutual pining, loved-up epilogue, mention of self-harm with no graphic imagery
。𖦹°‧⭑.ᐟ
Fall 
Peter Parker is a resting place for overworked eyes, like warm topaz nestled against a blue-cold city. He waits on you with his eyes to the screen of his phone, clicking the power button repetitively. A nervous tic. 
You close the heavy door of your apartment building. His head stays still, yet he’s heard the sound of it settling, evidence in his calmed hand. 
“Good morning!” You pull your coat on quickly. “Sorry.” 
“Good morning,” he says, offering a sleep-logged smile. “Should we go?” 
You follow Peter out of the cul-de-sac and into the street as he drops his phone into a deep pocket. To his credit, he doesn’t check it while you walk, and only glances at it when you’re taking your coat off in the heat of your favourite cafe: The Moroccan Mode glows around you, fog kissing the windows, condensation running down the inner lengths of it in beads. You murmur something to do with the odd fog and Peter tells you about water vapour. When it rains tonight, he says it’ll be warm water that falls. 
He spreads his textbook, notebook, and rinky-dink laptop out across the table while you order drinks. Peter has the same thing every visit, a decaf americano, in a wide brim mug with the pink-petal saucer. You put it down on his textbook only because that’s where he would put it himself, and you both get to work. 
As Peter helps you study, you note the simplicity of another normal day, and can’t help wondering what it is that’s missing. Something is, something Peter won’t tell you, the absence of a truth hanging over your heads. You ask him if he wants to get dinner and he says no, he’s busy. You ask him to see a movie on Friday night and he wishes he could. 
Peter misses you. When he tells you, you believe him. “I wish I had more time,” he says. 
“It’s fine,” you say, “you can’t help it.”
“We’ll do something next weekend,” he says. The lie slips out easily. 
To Peter it isn’t a lie. In his head, he’ll find the time for you again, and you’ll be friends like you used to be. 
You press the end of your pencil into your cheek, the dark roast, white paper and condensation like grey noise. This time last year, the air had been thick for days with fog you could cut. He took you on a trip to Manhattan, less than an hour from your red-brick neighbourhood, and you spent the day in a hotel pool throwing great cupfuls of water at each other. The fog was gone just fifteen miles away from home but the warm air stayed. When it rained it was sudden, strange, spit-warm splashes of it hammering the tops of your heads, your cheeks as you tipped your faces back to spy the dark clouds. 
Peter had swam the short distance to you and held your shoulders. You remember feeling like your whole life was there, somewhere you’d never been before, the sharp edges of cracked pool tile just under your feet. 
You peek over the top of your laptop screen and wonder if Peter ever thinks of that trip. 
He feels you watching and meets your eyes. “I have to tell you something,” he says, smiling shyly. 
“Sure.” 
“I signed us up for that club.” 
“Epigenetics?” 
“Molecular medicine,” he says. 
The nice thing about fog is that it gives a feeling of lateness. It’s still morning, barely ten, but it feels like the early evening. It’s gentle on the eyes, colouring the whole room with a sconced shine. You reach for Peter’s bag and sort through his jumble of possessions —stick deodorant, loose-leaf paper, a bodega’s worth of protein bars— and grab his camera. 
“What are you doing?” 
“I’m cataloguing the moment you ruined our lives,” you say, aiming the camera at his chin, squinting through the viewfinder. 
“Technically, I signed us up a few days ago,” he says. 
You snap his photo as his mouth closes around ‘ago’, keeping his half-laugh stuck on his lips. “Semantics,” you murmur. “And molecular medicine club, this has nothing to do with the estranged Gwen Stacy?”
“It has nothing to do with her. And you like molecular medicine.”
“I like oncology,” you correct, which is a sub-genre at best, “and I have enough work without joining another club. Go by yourself.” 
“I can’t go without you,” he says. Simple as that. 
He knew you’d say yes when he signed you up. It’s why he didn’t ask. You’re already forgiven him for the slight of assumption. 
“When is it?” you ask, smiling. 
Molecular medicine club is fun. You and a handful of ESU nerds gather around a big table in a private study room for a few hours and read about the newer discoveries and top research, like regenerative science and now taboo Oscorp research. It’s boring, sometimes, but then Peter will lean into your side and make a joke to keep you going. 
He looks at Gwen Stacy a lot. Slender, pale and freckled, with blonde hair framing a sweet face. Only when he thinks you’re not looking. Only when she isn’t either. 
“Good morning,” you say. 
Peter holds an umbrella over his head that he’s quick to share with you, and together you walk with heads craned down, the umbrella angled forward to fight the wind. Your outermost shoulder is wet when you reach the café, your other warm from being pressed against him. You shake the umbrella off outside the door and step onto a cushy, amber doormat to dry your sneakers. Peter stalks ahead and order the drinks, eager to get warm, so you look for a table. Your usual is full of businessmen drinking flat whites with briefcases at their legs. They laugh. You try to picture Peter in a suit: you’re still laughing when he finds you in the booth at the back. 
“Tell the joke,” he says, slamming his coffee down. He’s careful with yours. He’s given you the pink petal saucer from the side next to the straws and wooden stirrers. 
“I was thinking about you as a businessman.” 
“And that’s funny?” 
“When was the last time you wore a suit?” 
Peter shakes his head. Claims he doesn’t know. Later, you’ll remember his Uncle Ben’s funeral and feel queasy with guilt, but you don’t remember yet. “When was the last time you wore one?” he asks. “I don’t laugh at you.” 
“You’re always laughing at me, Parker.” 
The cafe isn’t as warm today. It’s wet, grimy water footsteps tracking across the terracotta tile, streaks of grey water especially heavy near the counter, around it to the bathroom. There’s no fog but a sad rattle of rain, not enough to make noise against the windows, but enough to watch as it falls in lazy rivulets down the lengths of them.
Your face is chapped with the cold, cheeks quickly come to heat as your fingers curl around your mug. They tingle with newfound warmth. When you raise your mug to your lips, your hand hardly shakes.
“You okay?” Peter asks. 
“Fine. Are you gonna help me with the math today?” 
“Don’t think so. Did you ask nicely?” 
“I did.” You’d called him last night. You would’ve just as happily submitted your homework poorly solved with the grade to prove it —you don’t want Peter’s help, you just wanted to see him. 
Looking at him now, you remember why his distance had felt a little easier. The rain tangles in his hair, damp strands curling across his forehead, his eyes dark and outfitted by darker eyelashes. Peter has the looks of someone you’ve seen before, a classical set to his nose and eyes reminiscent of that fallen angel weeping behind his arm, his russet hair in fiery disarray. There was an anger to Peter after Ben died that you didn’t recognise, until it was Peter, changed forever and for the worse and it didn’t matter —he was grieving, he was terrified, who were you to tell him to be nice again— until it started to get better. You see less of your fallen, angry angel, no harsh brush strokes, no tears. 
His eyes are still dark. Bruised often underneath, like he’s up late. If he is, it isn’t to talk to you. 
You spend an afternoon working through your equations, pretending to understand until Peter explains them to death. His earphones fall out of his pocket and he says, “Here, I’ll show you a song.” 
He walks you home. The song is dreary and sad. The man who sings is good. Lover, You Should’ve Come Over. It feels like Peter’s trying to tell you something —he isn’t, but it feels like wishing he would. 
“You okay?” you ask before you can get to your street. A minute away, less. 
“I’m fine, why?” 
You let the uncomfortable shape of his earbud fall out of your ear, the climax of the song a rattle on his chest. “You look tired, that’s all. Are you sleeping?” 
“I have too much to do.” 
You just don’t get it. “Make sure you’re eating properly. Okay?” 
His smile squeezes your heart. Soft, the closest you’ll ever get. “You know May,” he says, wrapping his arm around your shoulders to give you a short hug, “she wouldn’t let me go hungry. Don’t worry about me.” 
The dip into depression you take is predictable. You can’t help it. Peter being gone makes it worse. 
You listen to love songs and take long walks through the city, even when it’s dark and you know it’s a bad idea. If anything bad happens Spider-Man could probably save me, you think. New York’s not-so-new vigilante keeps a close eye on things, especially the women. You can’t count how many times you’ve heard the same story. A man followed me home, saw me across the street, tried to get into my apartment, but Spider-Man saved me. 
You’re not naive, you realise the danger of walking around without protection assuming some stranger in a mask will save you, but you need to get out of the house. It goes on for weeks. 
You walk under streetlights and past stores with CCTV, but honestly you don’t really care. You’re not thinking. You feel sick and heavy and it’s fine, really, it’s okay, everything works out eventually. It’s not like it’s all because you miss Peter, it’s just a feeling. It’ll go away. 
“You’re in deep thought,” a voice says, garnering a huge flinch from the depths of your stomach.
You turn around, turn back, and flinch again at the sight of a man a few paces ahead. Red shoulders and legs, black shining in a webbed lattice across his chest. “Oh,” you say, your heartbeat an uncomfortable plodding under your hand, “sorry.” 
“Why are you sorry? I scared you.”
“I didn’t realise you were there.” 
Spider-Man doesn’t come any closer. You take a few steps in his direction. You’ve never met before but you’d like to see him up close, and you aren’t scared. Not beyond the shock of his arrival. 
“Can I walk you to where you’re going?” Spider-Man asks you. He’s humming energy, fidgeting and shifting from foot to foot. 
“How do I know you’re the real Spider-Man?” 
After all, there are high definition videos of his suit on the news sometimes. You wouldn’t want to find out someone was capable of making a replica in the worst way possible. 
You can’t be sure, but you think he might be smiling behind the mask, his arms moving back as though impressed at your questioning. “What do you need me to do to prove it?” he asks. 
He speaks hushed. Rough and deep. “I don’t know. What’s Spider-Man exclusive?” 
“I can show you the webs?” 
You pull your handbag further up your arm. “Okay, sure. Shoot something.” 
Spider-Man aims his hand at the streetlight across the way and shoots it. He makes a severing motion with his wrist to stop from getting pulled along by it, letting the web fall like an alien tendril from the bulb. The light it produces dims slightly. A chill rides your spine. 
“Can I walk you now?” he asks. 
“You don’t have more important things to do?” If the bitterness you’re feeling creeps into your tone unbidden, he doesn’t react. 
“Nothing more important than you.” 
You laugh despite yourself. “I’m going to Trader Joe’s.” 
“Yellowstone Boulevard?” 
“That’s the one…” 
You fall into step beside him, and, awkwardly, begin to walk again. It’s a short walk. Trader Joe’s will still be open for hours despite the dark sky, and you’re in no hurry. “My friend, he likes the rolled tortilla chips they do, the chilli ones.” 
“And you’re going just for him?” Spider-Man asks. 
“Not really. I mean, yeah, but I was already going on a walk.” 
“Do you always walk around by yourself? It’s late. It’s dangerous, you know, a beautiful girl like you,” he says, descending into an odd mixture of seriousness and teasing. His voice jumps and swoons to match. 
“I like walking,” you say. 
Spider-Man walking is a weird thing to see. On the news, he’s running, swinging, or flying through the air untethered. You’re having trouble acquainting the media image of him with the quiet man you’re walking beside now.
”Is everything okay?” he asks. “You seem sad.” 
“Do I?” 
“Yeah, you do.” 
“Maybe I am sad,” you confess, looking forward, the bright sign of Trader Joe’s already in view. It really is a short walk. “Do you ever–” You swallow against a surprising tightness in your throat and try again, “Do you ever feel like you’re alone?” 
“I’m not alone,” he says carefully.
“Me neither, but sometimes I feel like I am.” 
He laughs quietly. You bristle thinking you’re being made fun of, but the laugh tapers into a sad one. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person in the world,” he says. “Even here. I forget that it’s not something I invented.” 
“Well, I guess being a hero would feel really lonely. Who else do we have like you?” You smile sympathetically. “It must be hard.” 
“Yeah.” His head tips to the side, and a crash of glass rings in the distance, crunching, and then there’s a squeal. It sounds like a car accident. Spider-Man goes tense. “I’ll come back,” he says. 
“That’s okay, Spider-Man, I can get home by myself. Thank you for the protection detail.” 
He sprints away. In half a second he’s up onto a short roof, then between buildings. It looks natural. It takes your breath away. 
You buy Peter’s chips at Trader Joe’s and wait for a few minutes at the door, but Spider-Man doesn’t come back. 
I don’t want to study today, Peter’s text says the next day. Come over and watch movies? 
The last handholds of your fugue are washed away in the shower. You dab moisturiser onto your face and neck and stand by the open window to help it dry faster, taking in the light drizzle of rain, the smell of it filling your room and your lungs in cold gales. You dress in sweatpants and a hoodie, throw on your coat, and stuff the rolled tortilla chips into a backpack to ferry across the neighbourhood. 
Peter still lives at home with his Aunt May. You’d been in awe of it when you were younger, Peter and his Aunt and Uncle, their home-cooked family dinners, nights spent on the roof trying to find constellations through light pollution, stretched out together while it was warm enough to soak in your small rebellion. Ben would call you both down eventually. When you’re older! he’d always promise. 
Peter’s waiting in the open door for you. He ushers you inside excitedly, stripping you out of your coat and forgetting your wet shoes as he drags you to the kitchen. “Look what I got,” he says. 
The Parker kitchen is a big, bright space with a chopping block island. The counters are crowded by pots, pans, spices, jams, coffee grounds, the impossible drying rack. There’s a cross-stitch about the home on the microwave Ben did to prove to May he could still see the holes in the aida. 
You follow Peter to the stove where he points at a ceramic Dutch oven you’ve eaten from a hundred times. “There,” he says. 
“Did you cook?” you ask. 
“Of course I didn’t cook, even if the way you said that is offensive. I could cook. I’m an excellent chef.” 
“The only thing May’s ever taught you is spaghetti and meatballs.” 
“Hope you like marinara,” he says, nudging you toward the stove. 
You take the lid off of the Dutch oven to unveil a huge cake. Dripping with frosting, only slightly squashed by the lid, obviously homemade. He’s dotted the top with swirls of frosting and deep red strawberries. 
“It’s for you,” he says casually. 
“It’s not my birthday.” 
“I know. You like cake though, don’t you?” 
You’d tell Peter you liked chunks of glass if that was what he unveiled. “Why’d you make me a cake?” 
“I felt like you deserved a cake. You don’t want it?” 
“No, I want it! I want the cake, let’s have cake, we can go to 91st and get some ice cream, it’ll be amazing.” You don’t bother trying to hide your beaming smile now, twisting on the spot to see him properly, your hands falling behind your back. “Thank you, Peter. It’s awesome. I had no idea you could even– that you’d even–” You press forward, smushing your face against his chest. “Wow.” 
“Wow,” he says, wrapping his arms around you. He angles his head to nose at your temple. “You’re welcome. I would’ve made you a cake years ago if I knew it was gonna make you this happy.” 
“It must’ve taken hours.” 
“May helped.” 
“That makes much more sense.” 
“Don’t be insolent.” Peter squeezes you tightly. He doesn’t let go for a really long time. 
He extracts the cake from the depths of the Dutch oven and cuts you both a slice. He already has ice cream, a Neapolitan box that he cuts into with a serrated knife so you can each have a slice of all three flavours. It’s good ice cream, fresh for what it is and melting in big drops of cream as he gets the couch ready.
“Sit down,” he says, shoving the plates with his strangely great balance onto the coffee table. “Remote’s by you. I’m gonna get drinks.” 
You take your plate, carving into the cake with the end of a warped spoon, its handle stamped PETE and burnished in your grasp. The crumb is soft but dense in the best way. The ganache between layers is loose, cake wet with it, and the frosting is perfect, just messy. You take another satisfied bite. You’re halfway through your slice before Peter makes it back. 
“I brought you something too, but it’s garbage compared to this,” you say through a mouthful, hand barely covering your mouth. 
Peter laughs at you. “Yeah, well, say it, don’t spray it.” 
“I guess I’ll keep it.” 
“Keep it, bub, I don’t need anything from you.” 
He doesn’t say it the way you’re expecting. “No,” you say, pleased when he sits knee to knee, “you can have it. S’just a bag of chips from Trader–”
“The rolled tortilla chips?” he asks. You nod, and his eyes light up. “You really are the best friend ever.” 
“Better than Harry?” 
“Harry’s rich,” Peter says, “so no. I’m kidding! Joking, come here, let me try some of that.” 
“Eat your own.” 
Peter plays a great host, letting you choose the movies, making lunch, ordering takeout in the evening and refusing to let you pay for it. This isn’t that out of character for Peter, but what shocks you is his complete unfiltered attention. He doesn’t check his phone, the tension you couldn’t name from these last few weeks nowhere to be felt. You’re flummoxed by the sudden change, but you missed him. You won’t look a gift horse in the mouth; you won’t question what it is that had Peter keeping you at arm’s length now it’s gone.
To your annoyance, you can’t stop thinking about Spider-Man. You keep opening your mouth to tell Peter you talked to him but biting your tongue. Why am I keeping it a secret? you wonder. 
“Have something to tell you.” 
“You do?” you ask, reluctant to sit properly, your feet tucked under his thigh and your body completely lax with the weight of the Parker throw. 
“Is that surprising?” 
“Is that a trick question?” 
“No. Just. I’ve been not telling you something.” 
“Okay, so tell me.” 
Peter goes pink, and stiff, a fake smile plastered over his lips. “Me and Gwen, we’re really done.” 
“I know, Pete. She broke up with you for reasons nobody felt I should be enlightened right after graduation.” Your stomach pangs painfully. “Unless you…”
“She’s going to England.” 
“She is?” 
“Oxford.” 
You struggle to sit up. “That sucks, Peter. I’m sorry.” 
“But?” 
You find your words carefully. “You and Gwen really liked each other, but I think that–” You grow in confidence, meeting his eyes firmly. “That there’s always been some part of you that couldn’t actually commit to her. So. I don’t know, maybe some distance will give you clarity. And maybe it’ll break your heart, but at least then you’ll know how you really feel, and you can move forward.” You avoid telling him to move on. 
“It wasn’t Gwen,” he says, which has a completely different meaning to the both of you. 
“Obviously, she’s the smartest girl I’ve ever met. She’s beautiful. Of course it’s not her fault,” you say, teasing.
“Really, that you ever met?” Peter asks. 
“She’s the best girl you were ever gonna land.“ 
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, I guess so.” After a few more minutes of quiet, he says, “I think we were done before. I just hadn’t figured it out yet. Something wasn’t right.” 
“You were so back and forth. You’re not mean, there must’ve been something stopping you from going steady,” you agree. “You were breaking up every other week.”
“I know,” he whispers, tipping his head against the back couch. 
“Which, it’s fine, you don’t–” You grimace. “I can’t talk today. Sorry. I just mean that it’s alright that you never made it work.” You worry that sounds plainly obvious and amend, “Doesn’t make you a bad person. You’re never a bad person, Peter.” 
“I know. Thank you.” 
“You’re welcome. You don’t need me to tell you.” 
“It’s nice, though. I like when you tell me stuff. I want all of your secrets.” 
You should say Good, because I have something unbelievable to tell you, and I should’ve said it the moment I got home. 
Good, because last night I met the bravest man in New York City, and he walked me to the store for your chips. 
Good, because I have so much I’m keeping to myself.
You ruffle his hair. Spider-Man goes unmentioned. 
— 
He visits with a whoop. You don’t flinch when he lands —you’d heard the strange whip and splat of his webs landing nearby. 
“Spider-Man,” you say. 
“What’s that about?” 
“What?” 
“The way you said that. You laughed.” Spider-Man stands in spandexed glory before you, mask in place. He’s got a brown stain up the side of his thigh that looks more like mud than blood, but it’s not as though each of his fights are bloodless. They’re infamously gory on occasion.
“Did you get hurt?” you ask. You’re worried. You could help him, if he needs it. 
“Aw, this? That’s a scratch. That’s nothing, don’t worry about it. I’ve had worse from that stray cat living outside of 91st.” 
You look at him sharply. 91st is shorthand for 91st Bodega, and it’s not like you and Peter made it up, but suddenly, the man in front of you is Peter. The way he says it, that unique rhythm. 
Peter’s not so rough-voiced, you argue with yourself. Your Peter speaks in a higher register, dulcet often, only occasionally sarcastic. Spider-Man is rough, and cawing, and loud. Spider-Man acts as though the ground is a suggestion. Peter can’t jump off the second diving board at the pool. Spider-Man rolls his shoulders back in front of you with a confidence Peter rarely has. 
“What?” he asks. 
“Sorry. You just reminded me of someone.” 
His voice falls deeper still. “Someone handsome, I hope.” 
You take a small step around him, hoping it invites him to walk along while communicating how sorely you want to leave the subject behind. When he doesn’t follow, you add, “Yes, he’s handsome.” 
“I knew it.”
“What do you look like under the mask?”
Spider-Man laughs boisterously. “I can’t just tell you that.” 
“No? Do I have to earn it?” 
“It’s not like that. I just don’t tell anyone, ever.” 
“Nobody in the whole world?” you ask. 
The rain is spitting. New York lately is cold cold cold, little in the way of sunshine and no end in sight. Perhaps that’s all November’s are destined to be. You and Spider-Man stick to the inside of the sidewalk. Occasionally, a passerby stares at him, or calls out in Hello, and Spider-Man waves but doesn’t part from you. 
“Tell me something about you and I’ll tell you something about me,” Spider-Man says. “I’ll tell you who knows my identity.” 
“What do you want to know about me?” you ask, surprised. 
“A secret. That’s fair.” 
“Hold on, how’s that fair?” You tighten your scarf against a bitter breeze. “What use do I have for the people who know who you are? That doesn’t bring me any closer to the truth.” 
“It’s not about who knows, it’s about why I told them.” Spider-Man slips around you, forcing you to walk on the inside of the sidewalk as a car pulls past you all too quickly and sends a sheet of dirty rainwater up Spider-Man’s side. He shakes himself off. “Jerk!” he shouts after the car. 
“My secrets aren’t worth anything.”
“I doubt that, but if that’s true, that makes it a fair trade, doesn’t it?” 
He sounds peppy considering the pool of runoff collecting at his feet. You pick up your pace again and say, “Alright, useless secret for a useless secret.” 
You think about all your secrets. Some are odd, some gross. Some might make the people around you think less of you, while others would surely paint you in a nice light. A topaz sort of technicolor. But they aren’t useless, then, so you move on. 
“Oh, I know. I hate my major.” You grin at Spider-Man. “That’s a good one, right? No one else knows about that.” 
“You do?” Spider-Man asks. His voice is familiar, then, for its sympathy. 
“I like science, I just hate math. It’s harder than I thought it would be, and I need so much help it makes me hate the whole thing.” 
Spider-Man doesn’t drag the knife. “Okay. Only three people know who I am under the mask. It was four, briefly.” He clears his throat. “I told one person because I was being selfish and the others out of necessity. I’m trying really hard not to tell anybody else.”
“How come?” 
“It just hurts people.” 
You linger in a gap of silence, not sure what to say. A handful of cars pass you on the road. 
“Tell me another one,” he says. 
“What for?” 
“I don’t know, just tell me one.” 
“How do I know you aren’t extorting me for something?” You grin as you say it, a hint of flirtation. “You’ll know my face and my secrets and even if you tell me a really gory juicy one, I have no one to tell and no name to pair it with.” 
“I’m not showing you anything,” he warns, teasing, sounding so awfully like Peter that your heart trips again, an uneven capering that has you faltering in the street. 
Peter’s shorter, you decide, sizing him up. His voice sounds similar and familiar but Peter doesn’t ask for secrets. He doesn’t have to. (Or, he didn’t have to, once upon a time.) 
“Where are you going?” Spider-Man asks. 
“Oh, nowhere.” 
“Seriously, you’re out here walking again for no reason?” 
“I like to walk. It’s not like it’s dark out yet.” You’re not far at all from Queensboro Hill here. Walking in any direction would lead you to a garden —Flushing Meadows, Kew Gardens, Kissena Park. “Walk me to Kissena?” you ask. 
“Sure, for that secret.” 
You laugh as Spider-Man takes the lead, keeping time with him, a natural match of pace. It’s exciting that Spider-Man of all people wants to know one of your useless secrets enough to ask you twice. The attention of it makes searching for one a matter of how fast you can find one rather than a question of why you’d want to. It slips out before you can think better of it. 
“I burned my wrist a few days ago on a frying pan,” you confess, the phantom pain of the injury an itch. “It blistered and I cried when I did it, but I haven’t told anyone about it.” 
“Why not?” he asks. 
He shouldn’t use that tone with you, like he’s so so sorry. It makes you want to really tell him everything. How insecure you feel, how telling things feels like asking for someone to care, and half the time they don’t, and half the time you’re embarrassed. 
You walk past the bakery that demarcates the beginning of Kissena Park grounds across the way. “I didn’t think about it at first. I’m used to keeping things to myself. And then I didn’t tell anyone for so long that mentioning it now wouldn’t make sense. Like, bringing it up when it’s a scar won’t do much.” It’s a weak lie. It comes out like a spigot to a drying up tree. Glugs, fat beads of sound and the pull to find another thing to say.
“It was only a few days ago, right? It must still hurt. People want to know that stuff.” 
“Maybe I’ll tell someone tomorrow,” you say, though you won’t. 
“Thanks for telling me.”
The humour in spilling a secret like that to a superhero stops you from feeling sorry for yourself. You hide your cold fingers in your coat, rubbing the stiff skin of your knuckles into the lining for friction-heat. The rain has let up, wind whipping empty but brisk against your cheeks. Your lips will be chapped when you get home, whenever that turns out to be. 
“This is pretty far from Trader Joe’s,” he comments, like he’s read your mind. 
“Just an hour.” 
“Are you kidding? It’s an hour for me.” 
“That’s not true, Spider-Man, I’ve seen those webs in action. I still remember watching you on the News that night, the cranes. I remember,” —you try to meet his eyes despite the mask— “my heart in my throat. Weren’t you scared?”
“Is that the secret you want?” he asks. 
“I get to choose?” 
Spider-Man throws his gaze around, his hand behind his head like he might play with his hair. You come to a natural stop across the street from Kissena Park’s playground. Teenagers crowd the soft-landing floor, smaller children playing on the wet rungs of the climbing frame. 
“If you want to,” he says. 
“Then yeah, I want to know if you were scared.” 
“I didn’t haveI time to be scared. Connors was already there, you know?” He shifts from one foot to the other. “I don’t think I’ve ever thought about it before. I wasn’t scared of the height, if that’s what you mean. I already had practice by then, and I knew I had to do it. Like, I didn’t have a choice, so I just did it. I had to save the day, so I did.” 
“When they lined up the cranes–”
“It felt like flying,” Spider-Man interrupts. 
“Like flying.”
You picture the weightlessness, the adrenaline, the catch of your weight so high up and the pressure of being flung between the next point. The idea that you have to just do something, so you do. 
“That’s a good secret.” You offer a grateful smile. “It doesn’t feel equal. I burned myself and you saved the city.” 
“So tell me another one,” he says. 
Maybe you started to fall for Peter after his Uncle Ben passed away. Not the days where you’d text him and he’d ignore you, or the days spent camping outside of his house waiting for him to get home. It wasn’t that you couldn’t like him, angry as he was; there’s always been something about his eyes when he’s upset that sticks around. You loathe to see him sad but he really is pretty, and when his eyelashes are wet and his mouth is turned down, formidable, it’s an ache. A Cabanel painting, dramatic and dark and other. 
It was after. When he started sending Gwen weird smiles and showing up to the movies exhilarated, out of breath, unwilling to tell you where he’d been. Skating, he’d always say. Most of the time he didn’t have his skateboard. 
You’d only seen them kiss once, his hand on her shoulder curling her in, a pang of heat. You were curdled by jealousy but it was more than that. Peter was tipping her head back, was kissing her soundly, a fierceness from him that made you sick to think about. You spent weeks afterwards up at night, tossing, turning, wishing he’d kiss you like that, just once, so you could feel how it felt to be completely wrapped up in another person. 
You’d always held out for Peter, in a way. It was more important to you that he be your friend. You were young, and love had been a far off thing, and then one day you suddenly wanted it. You learned just how aching an unrequited love could be, like a bruise, where every time you saw Peter —whether it be alone or with Gwen, with anyone— it was like he knew exactly where to poke the bruise. Press the heel of his hand and push. The worst is when he found himself affectionate with you, a quick clasp of your cheek in his palm as he said goodbye. Nights spent in his twin bed, of course you’ll fit, of course you couldn’t go home, not this late, May won’t care if we keep the door open —the suggestion that the door being closed might’ve meant something. His sleeping arm furled around you. 
Now you’re nearing the end of your second semester at ESU, Gwen is going to England at the end of the year, and Peter hasn’t tried to stop her, but he’s still busy. 
“Whatever,“ you say, taking a deep breath. You’re not mad at Peter, you just miss him. Thinking about him all the time won’t change a thing. “It’s fine.” 
“I’d hope so.” 
You swing around. “Don’t do that!”
Spider-Man looks vaguely chastened, taking a step back. “I called out.” 
“You did?” 
“I did. Hey, miss, over there! The one who doesn’t know how to get a goddamn taxi!” 
“I like to walk,” you say. 
“Yeah, so you’ve said. Have you considered that all this walking is bad for you? It’s freezing out, Miss Bennett!” 
“It’s not that bad.” You have your coat, a scarf, your thermal leggings underneath your jeans. “I’m fine.” 
“What’s wrong with staying at home?” 
“That’s not good for you. And you’re one to talk, Spider-Man, aren’t you out on the streets every night? You should take a day off.” 
“I don’t do this every night.” 
“Don’t you get tired?”
Spider-Man’s eyelets seem to squint, his mock-anger effusive as he crosses his arms across his chest. “No, of course not. Do I look like I get tired?” 
“I don’t know. You’re in a full suit, I can’t tell. I guess you don’t… seem tired. You know, with all the backflips.” 
“Want me to do one?” 
“On command?” You laugh. “No, that’s okay. Save your strength, Spider-Man.” 
“So where are you heading today?” he asks. 
There’s a slip of skin peeking out against his neck. You’re surprised he can’t feel the cold there, stepping toward him to point. “I can see your stubble.” 
He yanks his mask down. “Hasty getaway.” 
“A getaway, undressed? Spider-Man, that’s not very gentlemanly.” 
You start to walk toward the Cinemart. Spider-Man, to your strange pleasure, follows. He walks with considerable casualness down the sidewalk by your left, occasionally letting his head turn to chase a distant sound where it echoes from between high-rises and along the busy street. It’s cold and dark, but New York is hectic no matter what, even the residential areas. (Is there such a thing? The neighbourhoods burst with small businesses and backstreet sales, no matter the time.)
“Luckily for you, crime is slow tonight,” he says. 
“Lucky me?” You wonder if your acquainted vigilante flirts with every girl he stalks. “You realise I’ve managed to get everywhere I’m going for the last two decades without help?” 
“I assume there was more than a little help during that first decade.” 
“That’s what you think. I was a super independent toddler.” 
Spider-Man tips his head back and laughs, but that laugh is quickly squashed with a cough. “Sure you were.” 
“Is there a reason you’re escorting me, Spider-Man?” you ask. 
“No. I– I recognised you, I thought I’d say hi.” 
“Hi, Spider-Man.” 
“Hi.” 
“Can I ask you something? Do you work?” 
Spider-Man stammers again, “I– yeah. I work. Freelance, mostly.” 
“I was wondering how you fit all the crime fighting into your life, is all. University is tough enough.” You let the wind bat your scarf off of your shoulder. “I couldn’t do what you do.” 
“Yeah, you could.” 
He sounds sure. 
“How would you know?” you ask. “Maybe I’m awful when you’re not walking me around. I hate New York. I hate people.” 
“No, you don’t. You’re not awful. Don’t ask me how I know, ‘cos I just know.” 
You try not to look at him. If you look at him, you’re gonna smile at him like he hung the moon. “Well, tonight I’m going to be dreadfully selfish. My friend said he’d buy my movie ticket and take me out for dinner, a real dinner, the mac and cheese with imitation lobster at Benny’s. Have you tried that?” 
Spider-Man takes a big step. “Tonight?” he asks. 
“Yep, tonight. That’s where I’m going, the Cinemart.” You frown at his hand pressing into his stomach. “Are you okay? You look like you’re gonna throw up.” 
“I can hear– something. Someone’s crying. I gotta go, okay? Have fun at the movies, okay?” He throws his arm up, a silken web shooting from his wrist to the third floor of an apartment complex. “Bye!” he shouts, taking a running jump to the apartment, using his web as an anchor. He flings himself over the roof. 
Woah, you think, warmth filling your cold cheeks, the tip of your nose. He’s lithe.  
Peter arrives ten minutes late for the movie, which is half an hour later than you’d agreed to meet. 
“Sorry!” he shouts, breathless as he grabs your hands. “God, I’m sorry! I’m so sorry. You should beat me up. I’m sorry.” 
“What the fuck happened?” you ask, not particularly angry, only relieved to see him with enough time to still catch the movie. “You’re sweating like crazy, your hair’s wet.” 
“I ran all the way here, Jesus, do I smell bad? Don’t answer that. Fuck, do we have time?” 
You usher Peter inside. He pays for the tickets with hands shaking and you attempt to wipe the sweat from his forehead with your sleeve. “You could’ve called me,” you say, content to let him grab you by the arm and race you to the screen doors, “we could’ve caught the next one. Why were you so late, anyways? Did you forget?” 
“Forget about my favourite girl? How could I?” He elbows open the doors to let you enter first. “Now shh,” he whispers, “find the seats, don’t miss the trailers. You love them.” 
“You love them–”
“I’ll get popcorn,” he promises, letting the door close between you. 
You’re tempted to follow, fingers an inch from the handle. 
You turn away and rush to find your seats. Hopefully, the popcorn line is ten blocks long, and he spends the night punished for his wrongdoing. My favourite girl. You laugh nervously into your hand. 
Winter 
Spider-Man finds you at least once a week for the next few weeks. He even brings you an umbrella one time, stars on the handle, asking you rather politely to go home. He offers to buy you a hot dog as you’re walking past the stand, takes you on a shortcut to the convenience store, and helps you get a piece of gum off of your shoe with a leaf and a scared scream. He’s friendly, and you’re getting used to his company. 
One night, you’re almost home from Trader Joe’s, racing in the pouring rain when a familiar voice calls out, “Hey! Running girl! Wait a second!” 
Him, you think, as ridiculous as it sounds. You don’t know his name, but Spider-Man’s a sunny surprise in a shitty, wet winter, and you turn to the sound with a grin.
He jogs toward you. 
You feel the world pause, right in the centre of your throat. All the air gets sucked out of you. 
“Hey, what are you doing out here? Did you get my texts?” 
You blink as fat rain lands on your face. 
“You okay?” Peter asks, Peter, in a navy hoodie turning black in the rain and a brown corduroy jacket. It’s sodden, hanging heavily around his shoulders. “Come on, let’s go,” —he takes your hand and pulls until you begin to speed walk beside him— “it’s freezing!” 
“Peter–”
“Jesus Christ!” 
“Peter, what are you doing here?” you ask, your voice an echo as he drags you into the foyer of your apartment building. 
Rain hammers the door as he closes it, the windows, the foyer too dark to see properly. 
“I wanted to see you. Is that allowed?” 
“No.” 
Peter takes your hand. You look down at it, and he looks down in tandem, and it is decidedly a non-platonic move. “No?” he asks, a hair’s width from murmuring. 
“Shit, my groceries are soaked.” 
“It’s all snacks, it’s fine,” he says, pulling you to the stairs. 
You rush up the steps together to your floor. Peter takes your key when you offer it, your own fingers too stiff to manage it by yourself, and he holds the door open for you again to let you in. 
Your apartment is a ragtag assortment to match the one next door, old wooden furniture wheeled from the street corners they were left on, thrifted homeward and heavy blankets everywhere you look. You almost slip getting out of your shoes. Peter steadies you with a firm hand. He shrugs out of his coat and hangs it on the hook, prying the damp hoodie over his head and exposing a solid length of back that trips your heart as you do the same. 
“Sorry I didn’t ask,” Peter says. 
“What, to come over? It’s fine. I like you being here, you know that.” 
All your favourite days were spent here or at Peter’s house, in beds, on sofas, his hair tickling your neck as credits run down the TV and his breath evens to a light snore. You try to settle down with him, changing into dry clothes, his spare stuff left at the bottom of your wardrobe for his next inevitable impromptu visit. You turn on the TV, letting him gather you into his side with more familiarity than ever. Rain lays its fingertips on your window and draws lazy lines behind half-turned blinds. You rest on the arm and watch Peter watch the movie, answering his occasional, “You okay?” with a meagre nod. 
“What’s wrong?” he asks eventually. “You’re so quiet.” 
Your hand over your mouth, you part your marriage and pinky finger, marriage at the corner, pinky pressed to your bottom lip, the flesh chapped by a season of frigid winds and long walks. “‘M thinking,” you say. 
“About?” 
About the first night in your new apartment. You got the apartment a couple of weeks before the start of ESU. Not particularly close to the university but close to Peter, your best, nicest friend. You met in your second year of High School, before Peter got contacts, ‘cos he was good at taking photographs and you were in charge of the school newspapers media sourcing. You used to wait for Peter to show up ten minutes late like clockwork, every week. And every week he’d barge into the club room and say, “Fuck, I’m sorry, my last class is on the other side of the building,” until it turned into its own joke. 
Three years later, you got your apartment, and Peter insisted you throw a housewarming party even if he was the only person invited. 
“Fuck,” he’d said, ten minutes late, a cake in one hand and a whicker basket the other, “sorry. My last class is on–”
But he didn’t finish. You’d laughed so hard with relief at the reference that he never got the chance. Peter remembered your very first inside joke, because Peter wasn’t about to go off to ESU and meet new friends and forget you. 
But Peter’s been distant for a while now, because Peter’s Spider-Man. 
“Do you remember,” you say, not willing to share the whole truth, “when you joined the school newspaper to be the official photographer, and you taught me the rule of thirds?” 
“So you didn’t need me,” he says. 
“I was just thinking about it. We ran that newspaper like the Navy.” 
Peter holds your gaze. “Is that really what you were thinking about?” 
“Just funny,” you murmur, dropping your hand in your lap and breaking his stare. “So much has changed.” 
“Not that much.” 
“Not for me, no.” 
Peter gets a look in his eyes you know well. He’s found a crack in you and he’s gonna smooth it over until you feel better. You’re expecting his soft tone, his loving smile, but you’re not expecting the way he pulls you in —you’d slipped away from him as the evening went on, but Peter erases every millimetre of space as he slides his arm under your lower back and ushers you into his side. You hold your breath as he hugs you, as he looks down at you. It’s really like he loves you, the line between platonic and romantic a blur. He’s never looked at you like this before.
“I don’t want you to change,” he whispers. 
“I want to catch up with you,” you whisper back. 
“Catch up with me? We’re in the exact same place, aren’t we?”
“I don’t know, are we?” 
Peter hugs you closer, squishing your head down against his jaw as he rubs your shoulder. “Of course we are.” 
Peter… What is he doing? 
You let yourself relax against him. 
“You do change,” he whispers, an utterance of sound to calm that awful bruise he gave you all those months ago, “you change every day, but you don’t need to try.” 
“I just… feel like everyone around me is…” You shake your head. “Everyone’s so smart, and they know what they’re doing, or they’re– they’re special. I don’t know anything. So I guess lately I’ve been thinking about that, and then you–”
“What?” 
You can say it out loud. You could. 
“Peter, you’re…” 
“I’m what?” he asks. 
His fingers glide down the length of your arm and up again. 
If you're wrong, he’ll laugh. And if you’re right, he might– might stop touching you. Your head feels so heavy, and his touch feels like it’s gonna put you to sleep. 
He’s Spider-Man. 
It makes sense. Who else could have a good enough heart to do that? Of course it’s Peter. It explains so much about him, about Peter and Spider-Man both. Why Peter is suddenly firmer, lighter on his feet, why he can help you move a wardrobe up two flights of stairs without complaint; why Spider-Man is so kind to you, why he knows where to find you, why he rolls his words around just like Pete. 
Spider-Man said there are reasons he wears his mask. And Peter doesn’t tell you much, but you trust him. 
You won’t make him say anything, you decide. Not now. 
You curl your arm over his stomach hesitantly, smiling into his shirt as he hugs you tighter. 
“I was thinking about you,” he says. 
“Yeah?” 
“You’re quieter lately. I know you’re having a hard time right now, okay? You don’t have to tell me. I’m here for you whenever you need me.” 
“Yeah?” you ask.
“You used to sit on my porch when you knew May wouldn’t be home to make sure I wasn’t alone.” Peter’s breath is warm on your forehead. “I don’t know what you’re worried about being, but I’m with you,” he says, “‘n nothing is gonna change that.” 
Peter isn’t as far away as you thought. 
“Thank you,” you say. 
He kisses your forehead softly. Your whole world goes amber. He brings his hand to your cheek, the thought of him tipping your head back sudden and heart-racing, but Peter only holds you. You lose count of how many minutes you spend cupped in his hand. 
“Can I stay over tonight?” he utters, barely audible under the sound of the battering rain. 
“Yeah, please.” 
His thumb strokes your cheek. 
Two switches flip at once, that night. Peter is suddenly as tactile as you’ve craved, and Spider-Man disappears. 
He’s alive and well, as evidenced by Peter’s continued survival and presence in your life, but Spider-Man doesn’t drop in on your nightly walks. 
You take less of them lately, feeling better in yourself. Your spirits are certainly lifted by Peter’s increasing affection, but now that you know he’s Spider-Man you were waiting to see him in spandex to mess with his head. Nothing mean, but you would’ve liked to pick at his secret identity, toy with him like you know he’d do to you. After all, he’s been trailing you for weeks and getting to know you. Peter already knows you. Plus, you told Spider-Man secrets not meant for Peter Parker’s ears. 
You find it hard to be angry with him. A thread of it remains whenever you remember his deception, but mostly you worry about him. Peter’s out every night until who knows what hour fighting crime. There are guns. He could get shot, and he doesn’t seem scared. You end up watching videos on the internet of the night he ran to Oscorp, when he fought Connors’ and got that huge gash in his leg. His leg is soiled deep red with blood but banded in white webbing. He limps as he races across a rooftop, the recording shaky yet high definition. 
It’s not nice to see Peter in pain. You cling to what he’d said, how he wasn’t scared, but not being scared doesn’t mean he wasn’t hurting. 
You chew the tip of a finger and click on a different video. Your computer monitor bears heat, the tower whirring by your thigh. Your eyes burn, another hour sitting in the same seat, sick with worry. You don’t mind when Peter doesn’t answer your texts anymore. You didn’t mind so much before, just terrified of becoming an irrelevance in his life and lonely, too, maybe a little hurt, but never worried for his safety. Now when Peter doesn’t text you back you convince yourself that he’s been hurt, or that he’s swinging across New York City about to risk his life.
It’s not a good way to live. You can’t stop giving into it, is all. 
In the next video, Spider-Man sits on a billboard with a can of coke in hand. He doesn’t lift his mask, seemingly aware of his watcher. You laugh as he angles his head down, suspicion in his tight shoulders. He relaxes when he sees whoever it is recording. 
“Hey,” he says, “you all right?” 
“Should you be up there?” the person recording shouts. 
“I’m fine up here!” 
“Are you really Spider-Man?” 
“Sure am.” 
“Are you single?” 
Peter laughs like crazy. How you didn’t know it was him before is a mystery —it couldn’t sound more like him. “I’ve got my eye on someone!” he says, sounding younger for it, the character voice he enacts when he’s Spider-Man lost to a good mood.  
Your phone rings in the back pocket of your jeans. You wriggle it out, nonplussed to find Peter himself on your screen. You click the green answer button. 
“Hello?” Peter asks. 
You bring the phone snug to your ear. “Hey, Peter.” 
“Hi, are you busy?” 
“Not really.” 
“Do you wanna come over? I know it’s late. Come stay the night and tomorrow we’ll go out for breakfast.” 
“Is Aunt May okay with that?” 
“She’s staring at me right now shaking her head, but I’m in trouble for something. May, can she come over, is that allowed?” 
“She’s always allowed as long as you keep the door open.”
You laugh under your breath at May’s begrudging answer. “Are you sure she’s alright with it?” you ask softly. “I don’t want to be a burden.” 
“You never, ever could be. I’m coming to your place and we’ll walk over together. Did you eat dinner?” 
“Not yet, but–”
“Okay, I’ll make you something when you get here. I’ll meet you at the door. Twenty minutes?” 
“I have to shower first.” 
“Twenty five?” 
You choke on a laugh, a weird bubbly thing you’re not used to. Peter laughs on the other side of the phone. “How about I’ll see you at seven?” 
“It’s a date,” he says. 
“Mm, put it in your calendar, Parker.” 
Peter waits for you at the door like he promised. He frowns at your still-wet face as he slips your backpack from your shoulder, throwing it over his own. “You’re gonna get sick.” 
“I‘ll dry fast,” you say. “I took too long finding my pyjamas.” 
“I have stuff you can wear. Probably have your sweatpants somewhere, the grey ones.” Peter pulls you forward and wipes your tacky face. “I would’ve waited,” he says. 
“It’s fine.“
“It’s not fine. Are you cold?” 
“Pete, it’s fine.” 
“You always remind me of my Uncle Ben when you call me Pete,” he laughs, “super stern.” 
“I’m not stern. Look, take me home, please, I’m cold.” 
“You said it wasn’t cold!” 
“It’s not, I’m just damp–” Peter cuts you off as he grabs you, sudden and tight, arms around you and rubbing the lengths of your back through your coat. “Handsy!”
“You like it,” he jokes back, his playful warming turning into a hug. You smile, hiding your face in his neck for a few moments. 
“I don’t like it,” you lie. 
“Okay, you don’t like it, and I’m sorry.” Peter gives you a last hug and pulls away. “Now let’s go. I gotta feed you before midnight.” 
“That’s not funny.” 
“Apparently, nothing is.” 
Peter links your arms together. By the time you get to his house, you’ve fallen away from each other naturally. May is in the hallway when you climb through the door, an empty laundry basket in her hands. 
“I see Peter hasn’t won this argument yet,” you say in way of greeting. Peter’s desperate to do his own laundry now he’s getting older. May won’t let him. 
“No, he hasn’t.” She looks you up and down. “It’s nice to see you, honey. And in one piece! Peter tells me you’ve been walking a lot, and I mean, in this city? Can’t you buy a treadmill?” she asks. 
“May!” Peter says, startled. 
“I like walking, I like the air,” you say.
“Can’t exactly call it fresh,” May says. 
“No, but it’s alright. It helps me think.” 
“Is everything okay?” May asks, putting her hand on her hip. 
“Of course.” You smile at her genuinely. “I think starting college was too much for me? It was hard. But things are settling now, I don’t know what Peter told you, but I’m not walking a lot anymore. You know, not more than necessary.”
She softens her disapproving. “Good, honey. That’s good. Peter’s gonna make you some dinner now, right?” 
“Yeah, Aunt May, I’m gonna make dinner,” Peter sighs, pulling a leg up to take off his shoes. 
Peter shouldn’t really know that you’ve been walking. He might see you coming back from Trader Joe’s or the bodega on his way to your apartment, but you haven’t mentioned any of your longer excursions, and everybody in Queens has to walk. That’s information he wouldn’t know without Spider-Man. 
He seems to be hoping you won’t realise, changing the subject to the frankly killer grilled cheese and tomato soup that he’s about to make you, and pushing you into a chair at the table. “Warm up,” he says near the back of your head, forcing a wave of shivers down your arms.
He makes soup in one pan, grilled cheese in the other, two for him and two for you. Peter’s a good eater, and he encourages the same from you, setting a big bowl of tomato soup (from the can, splash of fresh cream) down in front of you with the grilled cheese on a plate between you. You eat it in too-hot bites and try not to get caught looking at him. He does the same, but when he catches you, or when you catch him, he holds your eye and smiles. 
“I can do the dishes,” you say. You might need a breather. 
“Are you kidding? I’m gonna rinse them, put them in the dishwasher.” Peter stands and feels your forehead with his hand. “Warmer. Good job.” 
You shrug away from his hand. “Loser.” 
“Concerned friend.” 
“Handsy loser.” 
”Shut up,” he mumbles. 
As flustered as you’ve ever seen, Peter takes your empty dishes to the kitchen. When he’s done rinsing them off you follow him upstairs to his bedroom and tuck your backpack under his bed. 
You look down at your socks. Peter’s room is on the smaller side, but it’s never been as startlingly small as it is when Peter’s socked feet align with yours, toe to toe. Quick recovery time, this boy. 
“There’s chips and stuff on my desk. Or I could run to 91st for some ice cream sandwiches if you want something sweet,” he says. 
You lift your eyes, tilt your head up just a touch, not wanting him to think you’re in his space no matter how strange that might be, considering he chose to stand there. “I’m all right. Did you want ice cream? We can go if you want to, but if you want to go ’cos you think I do then I’m fine.” 
“That’s such a long answer,” he says, draping an arm over your shoulder. “You don’t have to say all of that, just tell me no.” 
“I don’t want ice cream.” 
“Wasn’t that easy?” he asks. 
“Well, no, it wasn’t. Saying no to you is like saying no to a puppy.” 
“Because I’m adorable?” 
“Persistent.” 
“Yeah, I guess I am.” He drapes the other arm over you. The soap he used at the kitchen sink lingers on his hands. 
“Peter…?” you murmur. 
“What?” he murmurs back. 
You touch a knuckle to his chest. “This– You…” Every quelled thought rushes to the surface at once —Peter doesn’t like you as you desire, how could he, you aren’t beautiful like he is, aren’t smart, aren’t brave, no exceptional kindness or goodness to mark you enough for him. It’s why his being with Gwen didn’t hurt; she made sense. And for months now you’ve wondered what it is that made him struggle to be with her. And sometimes, foolishly, you wondered if it was you. But it’s not you, it’s never you, and whatever Peter’s trying to do now–
“Hey, you okay?” he asks, taking your face into his hand. 
“What are you doing?” 
“What?” He pushes his hand back to hold your nape, thumb under your ear. “I can’t hear you.”  
You raise your voice. “Why did you invite me over tonight?” 
“‘Cos I missed you?” 
“I used to think you didn’t miss me at all.” 
Peter winces, hurt. “How could you think that? Of course I miss you. What you said to May, about college being hard? It’s like that for me too, okay? I miss you all the time.” 
You bite the inside of your bottom lip. “…College isn’t hard for you.” 
“It’s not easy.” He frowns, the fallen angel, his lips an unsure brushstroke. “What’s wrong? Did I say the wrong thing?” 
You’re being wretched, you know, saying it isn’t hard for him. “You didn’t. Really, you didn’t.” 
“But why are you upset?” he implores, dark eyes darker as his eyebrows tug together.
“I’m not–”
“You are. It’s okay, you can be upset. I just want you to feel better, you know that?” He settles his hands at the tops of your arms. Less intimate, but something warm remains. “Even if it takes a long time.” 
“I’m fine.” 
“You’re not fine.”
“How would you know?” you finally ask. 
Peter stares at you. 
“I know you,” he says carefully, “and I know you aren’t struggling like you were, but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen or that you have to be a hundred percent better now.” 
“I didn’t realise that I was,” you say, licking your lips, “‘til now. I didn’t get that it was on the surface.”
Peter pulls you in for a gentle hug. “I’m here for you forever, and I’ll make it up to you for not noticing sooner,” he says, scrunching your shirt in his hand.
After the hug, he tells you to change and make yourself comfortable while he showers. So you put on your pyjamas and climb into Peter’s bed, head pounding as though all your energy was stolen in a fell swoop. You press your nose to his pillow and arm wrapped around his comforter, gathering it into a Peter sized lump. The shower pump whines against the shared wall. 
Things aren’t meant to be like this. You thought Peter touching you —holding you— was the deepest of your desires, but you feel now exactly as you had before he started blurring the line, needing Peter to kiss you so badly it becomes its own kind of nausea. Why are you still acting like it’s an impossibility?
When he comes back, you’ll apologise. He hasn’t done anything wrong. He does keep a secret, but don’t you keep one too? He’s Spider-Man. You’ve had deep, complicated feelings for him for months. They are secrets of equal magnitude, and are, more apparently, badly kept. 
You wish you could fall asleep. Your heart ticks in agitation.
Peter returns as perturbed as earlier. 
“Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?” he asks, raking a hand through his hair. A towel hangs around his neck. 
“I’m sorry for being weird.” 
“You’re not weird,” Peter says, bringing the towel to his hair to scrub ruthlessly. 
“It’s just ‘cos things have been different between us.” And, you try to say, that scares me no matter how bad I wanted it. because you’re not just Peter anymore, you’re Spider-Man. I’m only me, and I can’t do anything to protect you.
Peter gives his hair a long scrub before draping the towel on his desk chair. He rakes it messily into place and sits himself at the end of the bed. You sit up. 
“Yeah, they have been. Good different?” he asks hesitantly. 
“I think so,” you say, quiet again. 
“That’s what I thought.” 
“I don’t want you to feel like I don’t want to be here. I just worry about you.” 
Peter uses his hands to get higher up the bed. “Don’t worry about me,” he says, “Jesus, please don’t. That’s the last thing I want from you, I hate when people worry about me.” 
You curl into the lump of comforter you’d made. Peter lets himself rest beside you, his back to the bedroom wall, tens of Polaroids above him shining with the light of the hallway and his orange-bulbed lamp. His skin is glowing like it’s golden hour, dashes of topaz in his eyes, his Cupid’s bow deep. How would it feel to lean forward and kiss him? To catch his Cupid's bow under your lips?
You brush a damp curl tangled in another onto his forehead. 
You lay there for a little while without talking, listening to the sound of the washing machine as it cycles downstairs. 
“Am I going too fast?” Peter murmurs. 
You press your lips together, shaking your head minutely. 
“Is it something else?” 
You don’t move. 
“Do you want me to stop?” he asks. 
“No.”
Peter rewards you with a smile, his hand on your arm. “Alright. Let me get this blanket on you the right way. You’re still cold.” 
You resent the loss of a shape to hold when Peter slips down beside you and wrangles the comforter flat again, spreading it out over you both, his hand under the blankets. His knuckles brush your thigh. 
He takes a deep breath before turning and wrapping his arm over your stomach, asking softly, “Is this alright?” 
“Yeah.” 
He gives you a look and then lifts his head to slot his nose against your temple. “Please don’t take this in a way that I don’t mean it, but sometimes you think about things so much I worry you’re gonna get stuck in your head forever.” 
“I like thinking.” 
“I hate it,” he says quickly, a fervent, flirting cadence to his otherwise dulcet tone, “we should never do it ever again.” 
“I’ll try not to.” 
“Would you? For me?” 
You laugh into his shirt, feeling the warmth of your breath on your own nose. “I’ll do my best.” 
“Good. I’d miss you too much if you got lost in that nice head of yours.” 
You relax under his arm. You aren’t sure what all the fuss was about now that he's hugging you. “I’d miss you too.”
May comes up the stairs about an hour later. To her credit, she doesn’t flinch when she finds you and Peter smushed together watching a DVD on his old TV. He’s holding your arm, and you’re snoozing on his shoulder, half-aware of the world, fully aware of his nice smells and the shapes of his arms. 
“Door open,” she says. 
“Not that either of us want it closed, May, but we’re adults.” 
“Not while I’m still washing your clothes, you’re not.” 
He snorts. “Goodnight, Aunt May. The door isn’t gonna close, I promise.” 
“I know that,” she says, scornful in her pride. “You’re a good boy.” She lightens. “Things are going okay?” 
Peter covers your ear. “Goodnight, Aunt May.” 
”I have half a mind to never listen to you again. You talk my ear off and I can’t ask a simple question?” 
“I love you,” Peter sing-songs. 
“I love you, Peter,” she says. “Don’t smother the girl.” 
“I won’t smother her. It’s in my best interest that she survives the night. She’s buying my breakfast tomorrow.” 
“Peter Parker.” 
“I’m kidding,” he whispers, petting your cheek absentmindedly. “Just messing with you, May.” 
You smile and curl further into his arms. His voice is like the sun, even when he whispers.  
To your surprise, Spider-Man comes to find you after class one evening. A guest lecturer had talked to your oncology class about click chemistry and other molecular therapies against cancer, and the zine book she’d given you is burning a hole in your pocket. Peter is going to love it. 
You pull it out and pause beside a bench and a silver trash can, the day grey but thankfully without rain. The pages of your little book whip forcefully in the wind. It’s chemistry, sure, but it’s biology too, wrapping your and Peter’s interests up neatly. If it weren’t for Peter you doubt you’d love science as much as you do. He’s always been good at it, but since you started college he's been a genius. Watching him grow has encouraged you to work harder, and understanding the material is satisfying, if draining. You take a photo of the middle most pages and tuck the book away, writing a quick text to Peter to send with it. 
Look! it says, LEGO cancer treatment!! 
The moment you press send a beep chimes from somewhere close behind you, all too familiar. You turn to the source but find nobody you know waiting. Coincidence, you think, shaking yourself and beginning the trek to the subway. 
But then you hear the tell tale splat and thwick of Spider-Man’s webbing. 
You wait until you’re at the alleyway between Porto’s Bakery and the key cutting shop and turn down to stop by one of the dumpsters. 
“Spider-Man?” you ask, shoulders tensed in case it’s not who you think. 
“What are you doing?” he asks.
You gasp as he hops down in front of you, his suit shiny with its dark web-pattern caught by the grey sunshine passing through the clouds overhead. “Shit, don’t break your ankles.” 
“My ankles?” He laughs. He sounds so much like Peter that you can only laugh with him. What an idiot he is for thinking you don’t know; what a fool you’d been for falling for his put upon tenor. “They’re fine. What would be wrong with my ankles?” 
“You just dropped down twenty feet!” 
“It’s more like thirty, and I’m fine. You understand the super part of superhero, don’t you?” 
“Who said you’re a superhero?” 
“Nice. What are you doing down here?” 
“I was testing my theory. You’re following me.” 
“No, I’m visiting you, it’s very different,” he says confidently. 
“You haven’t come to see me for weeks.” 
“Yes, well, I–” Spider-Peter crosses his arms across his chest. “Hey, you’re the one who told me to take a day off.” 
“I did tell you to take a day off. It’s not nice thinking about you trying to save the world every single night. That’s a lot of responsibility for one person to have.” 
“But it’s my responsibility,” he says easily. “No point in a beautiful girl like you wasting her time worrying about it. I have to do it, and I don’t mind it.” 
“Do you flirt with every girl you meet out here in the city?” you ask, cheeks hot. 
“No,” he says, fondness evident even through the mask, “just you.” 
“Do you wanna walk me home? I was gonna take the subway, but it’s not that far.” 
Spider-Man nods. “Yeah, I’ll walk you back.” 
He doesn’t hide that he knows the way very well. He takes preemptive turns, crosses roads without you telling him to go forward. You can’t believe him. Smartest guy at Midtown High and he can’t pretend to save his life. 
“Are you having a good semester?” he asks. 
“It’s getting better. I’m glad I stuck with it. I love biology, it’s so fucking hard. I used to think that was a bad thing, but it makes it cooler now. Like, it’s not something everyone understands.” You give him a look, and you give into temptation. “My best friend got me into all this stuff. I used to think math was hopeless and science was for dorks.” 
“It’s definitely for dorks.” 
“Right, but I love being one.” You offer a useless secret. “I like to think that it’s why we’re such great friends.” 
“Me and you?” Spider-Man asks hoarsely. 
“Me and Peter.” You elbow him without force. “Why, do you like science?” 
“I love it…” 
“You know, I really like you, Spider-Man. I feel like we’ve been friends for a long time.” You’re teasing poor Peter. 
He doesn’t speak for a while. He stops walking, but you take a few steps without him. When you realise he’s stopped, you turn back to see him. 
Peter’s gone so tense you could strike him with a flint and catch a spark. It’s the same way Peter looked at you when he told you about his Uncle, a truth he didn’t want to be true. Seeing it throws a spanner in the works of all your teasing: you’d meant to wind him up, not make him panic. 
“What’s wrong?” you ask. “Can you hear something?” 
“No, it’s not that…” He’s masked, but you know him well enough to understand why he’s stopped. 
“It’s okay,” you say. 
“It’s not, actually.” 
“Spider-Man.” You take a step toward him. “It’s fine.”
He presses his hands to his stomach. The sun is setting early, and in an hour, the dark will eat up New York and leave it in a blistering cold. “Do you remember when we first met, the second time, we swapped secrets?” 
“Yeah, I remember. Useless secret for another. I told you I hated my major. It’s not true anymore, obviously. I was having a bad time.” 
“I know you were,” he says, emphasis on know, like it’s a different word entirely. 
“But meeting you really helped. If it weren’t for you, for Peter,” —you give him a searching look— “I wouldn’t feel better at all.” 
“It wasn’t his fault?” he asks. “He was your friend, and you were lonely.” 
“No–”
“He didn’t know what was going on with you, he didn’t have a clue. You hurt yourself and you felt like you couldn’t tell anybody, and I know it wasn’t an accident, so what was his excuse?” His voice burns with anger. “It’s his fault.” 
“Of course it wasn’t your fault. Is that what you think?” You shake your head, panicked by the bone-deep self loathing in his voice, his shameful dropped head. “Yes, I was lonely, I am lonely, I don’t know many people and I– I– I hurt myself, and it wasn’t as accidental as I thought it was, but why would that be your fault?” 
“Peter’s fault,” he says, though his head is lifted now, and he doesn’t bother enthusing it with much gusto. 
“Peter, none of it was your fault.” You cringe in your embarrassment, thinking Fuck, don’t let me ruin this. “I was in a weird way, and yes, I was lonely, and I really liked you more than I should have. You didn't want me and that wasn’t your fault, that’s just how it was, I tried not to let it get to me, just there were a lot of things weighing on me at once, but it really wasn’t as bad as you think it was and it wasn’t your fault.” 
“I wasn’t there for you,” he says. “And I’ve been lying to you for a long time.” 
“You couldn’t tell me, right? Spider-Man is your secret for a reason.” 
“…I didn’t even know you were lonely until you told him. He was a stranger.” 
You hold your hands behind your back. “Well, he was a familiar one.” 
Peter reaches out as though wanting to touch you, but your arms aren’t in his reach. “It’s not because I didn’t want you.” 
“Peter,” you say, squirming. 
He steps back. 
“I have to go,” he says. 
“What?” 
“I have to– I don’t want to go,” he says earnestly, “sweetheart, I can hear someone calling out, I have to go. But I’ll come back, I’ll– I’ll come back,” he promises. 
And with a sudden lift of his arm, Peter pulls himself up the side of a building and disappears, leaving you whiplashed on the sidewalk, the sun setting just out of view.
You fall asleep that night waiting for Peter. When you wake up, 5AM, eyes aching, he isn’t there. You check your phone but he hasn’t texted. You check the Bugle and Spider-Man hasn’t been seen. 
You aren’t sure what to think. He sounded sincere to the fullest extent when he said he’d come back, but he didn’t, not ten minutes later, not twenty. You made excuses and you went home before it got too dark to see the street, sat on the couch rehearsing what you’d say. How could Peter think your unhappiness was his fault? Why does he always put the entire world on his shoulders?
Selfishly, you worried what it all meant for his lazy touches. Would he want to curl up into bed with you again now he knows what it means to you? It’s different for him. It isn’t like he’s in love with you… you’d just thought maybe he could be. That this was falling in love, real love, not the unrequited ache you’d suffered before. 
But maybe you got everything wrong. All of it. It wouldn't be the first time. 
You and Peter found The Moroccan Mode in your senior year at Midtown. The school library was small and you were sick of being underfoot at home. When you started at ESU, you explored the on campus coffeehouse, the Coffee Bean, but it was crowded, and you’d found yourself attached to the Mode’s beautiful tiling, blues and topaz and platinum golds, its heavy, oiled wooden furniture, stained glass lampshades and the case full of lemony treats. The coffee here is better than anywhere else, but the best part out of everything is that it’s your secret. Barely anybody comes to the Mode on purpose. 
You hide in a far corner with a book and an empty cup of decaf coffee, a slice of meskouta on the table untouched. Decaf because caffeine felt a terrible idea, meskouta untouched because you can’t stomach the smell. You push it to the opposite end of the table, considering another cup of coffee instead. It’s served slightly too hot, and will still be warm when it gets to your chest. 
The sunshine is creeping in slowly. It feels like the first time you’ve seen it in months, warming rays kissing your fingers and lining the walls. You turn a page, turn your wrist, let the sun warm the scar you gave yourself those few months ago, when everything felt too big for you. 
Looking back, it was too big. Maybe soon you’ll be ready to talk about it.  
The author in your book is talking about bees. They can fly up to 15 miles per hour. They make short, fast motions from front to back, a rocking motion. Asian giant hornets can go even faster despite their increased mass. They consider humans running provocation. If you see a giant hornet, you’re supposed to lay down to avoid being stung. 
You put your face in your hand. Next year, you’ll avoid the insect-based electives. 
Across the cafe, the bell at the top of the door rings. Laughter falls through it, a couple passing by. The register clashes open. A minute later it closes. 
You don’t raise your head when footsteps draw near. A plate is placed on the table, pushed across to you, stopping just shy of your coffee. 
“Did you eat breakfast?” Peter asks quietly. 
His voice is gentle, but hoarse. 
You tense. 
“Are you okay?” he asks, not waiting for your answer to either question. “You don’t look like yourself. Your eyes are red.” 
You lift your head. Wet with the beginnings of tears, you see Peter through an astigmatic blur. 
“What are you reading?” He frowns at you. “Please don’t cry.” 
You shake your head. Your smile is all odd, nothing like his, no inherent warmth despite your best effort. “I’m okay.” 
He nudges you across the booth seat and sits beside you. His arm settles behind your shoulders. He smells like smoke and soap, an acrid scent barely hidden. “Can you tell me you didn’t wait long for me?” 
“Ten minutes,” you lie. 
“Okay. I’m sorry. There was a fire.” He rubs your arm where he’s holding you. “I’m sorry.” 
“Will you go half?” you ask, nodding to the sandwich he’s brought you. It’s tough sourdough bread, brown with white flour on the crusts and leafy greens poking between the slices. You and Peter complain about the price. You’ve never had one. He passes you the bigger half, holding the other in his hand without eating. 
“I know you’re hungry,” you say, tapping his elbow, “just eat.” 
You eat your sandwiches. Now that Peter’s here, you don’t feel so sick —he’s not upset with you. The dull pang of an empty stomach won’t be ignored. 
Peter puts his sandwich down, which is crazy, and wipes his fingers on the plates napkin. You’ve never seen him stop before he’s done.
“It was in the apartments on Vernon. I– I think I almost died, the smoke was everywhere.” 
You choke around a crust, thrusting the rest of your half onto the plate. “Are you hurt?” you ask, coughing. 
He moves his head from side to side, not a shake, but a slow no. “How long have you known it was me?” he asks, curling his hand behind your back again, fingers spread over your shoulder blade, a fingertip on your neck. 
You savour his touch, but you give in to your apprehension and stare at his chest. “The night you caught me outside in the rain in November. You called me ‘running girl’. The way you said it, you sounded exactly like him. I turned around expecting,” —you whisper, weary of the quiet cafe— “Spider-Man, and I realised it’s him that sounds like you. That he is you.” 
“Was that disappointing?” 
“Peter, you’re, like, my favourite person in the world,” you whisper fervently, your smile making it light. You laugh. “Why would that be disappointing?” 
“I thought maybe you think he’s cooler than me.” 
“He is cooler than you, Peter.” You laugh again, pleased when he scoffs and draws you nearer. “I guess you’re the same person, right? So he’s just as cool as you are. But why would being cool matter to me? You know I like you.” 
“You flirted pretty heavily with Spider-Man.”
“Well, he flirted with me first.” 
You chance a look at his face. From that moment you can’t look away, not from Peter. You like when he wears that darkness in his eyes, the hint of his rarer side so uncommonly seen, but you love this most of all, Peter like your best memory, the way he’s looking at you now a picture perfect copy of that moment in a swimming pool in Manhattan with cracked tile under your feet. His arms heavy on your shoulders. You didn’t get it then, but you’re starting to understand now.
“I’ve made a mess of everything,” he says softly, the trail his hand makes to the small of your back leaving a wake of goosebumps. “I haven’t been honest with you.” 
“I haven’t, either.” 
“I want to ask you for something,” Peter says, a fingertip trailing back up. He smiles when you shiver, not teasing, just loving. “You can say no.” 
“You’re hard to say no to.” 
“I need you to talk to me more,” —and here he goes, Peter Parker, flirting and sweet-talking like his life depends on it, his face inching down into your space— “not just because I love your voice, or because you think so much I’m scared you’ll get lost, but I need you to talk to me. We need to talk about real things.”
We do, you think morosely. 
“It’s not your fault,” he adds, the hand that isn’t holding your back coming up to cup your cheek, “it’s mine. I was scared of telling you for stupid reasons, but I shouldn’t have let it be a secret for so long.” 
“No, I doubt they’re stupid,” you murmur, following his hand as he attempts to move it to your ear. “It’s not easy to tell someone you’re a hero.”
His palm smells like smoke. 
“That’s not the secret I meant,” he says. 
You take his hand from your face. Peter looks down and begins pressing his fingers between yours, squeezing them together as his thumb runs over the back of your hand.
“So tell me.”
The sunshine bleeds onto his cheek. Dappled orange light turning slowly white as time stretches and the sun moves up through a murky sky. “You want to trade secrets again?” he asks. 
“Please.” 
“Okay. Okay, but I don’t have as many as you do,” he warns. 
“I find that hard to believe.” 
“I don’t. It’s not a real secret, is it? I’ve been trying to show you for weeks, we…”
He tilts his head invitingly. 
All those hand-holds and nights curled up in bed together. Am I going too fast? You know exactly what he means; it really isn’t a secret.
“I’ll go first,” he says, lowering his face to yours. You try not to close your eyes. “I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks.” He closes his eyes so you follow, your breath not your own suddenly. You hold it. Let it go hastily. “What’s your secret?” 
“Sometime I want you to kiss me so badly I can’t sleep. It makes me feel sick–”
“Sick?” he asks worriedly. 
You touch the tip of your nose to his. “It’s like– like jealousy, but…” 
“You have no one to be jealous of,” he says surely. He cups your cheek, and he asks, “Please, can I kiss you?” 
You say, “Yes,” very, very quietly, but he hears it, and his smile couldn’t be more obvious as he closes the last of the distance between you to kiss you.
It isn’t the sort of kiss that kept you up at night. Peter doesn’t hook you in or tip your head back, he kisses gently, his hand coming to live on your cheek, where it cradles. It’s so warm you don’t know what to make of him beyond kissing him back —kissing his smile, though it’s catching. Kissing the line of his Cupid’s bow as he leans down. 
“I’m sorry about everything,” he mumbles, nose flattened against yours. 
You feel sunlight on your cheek. Squinting, you turn into his hand to peer outside at the sudden abundance of it. It’s still cold outside, but the Mode is warm, Peter’s hand warmer, and the sunshine is a welcome guest. 
Peter drops his hand. “Oh, wow. December sun. Good thing it didn’t snow, we’d be blind.”
“I can’t be cold much longer,” you confess. “I’m sick of the shitty weather.” 
“I can keep you warm.” 
He smiles at you. His eyelashes tangle in the corners of his eyes, long and brown. 
“Did you want my meskouta?” you ask. 
Peter plants a fat kiss against your brow. 
You let the sunshine warm your face. Two unfinished sandwich halves, a mouthful of coffee, and a round slice of meskouta, its flaky crumb and lemon drizzle shining on the table. You would ask Peter for his camera if you’d thought he brought it with him, to take a picture of your breakfast and the carved table underneath. You could turn it on Peter, say something cheesy. This is the moment you ruined our lives, you’d tease.
“You never told me you met Spider-Man, you know.” 
You watch Peter lick the tip of his finger without shame. “They could make a novella of things I haven’t told you about,” you murmur wryly. 
Peter takes a bite of meskouta, reaching for your knee under the table. He shakes your leg a little, as if to say, Well, we’ll work on that. 
Spring
“Sorry!”
“No, it’s–”
“Sorry, sorry, I’m– shit!”
“–okay! All legs inside the ride?”
“I couldn’t find my purse–”
“You don’t need it!” Peter leans over the console to kiss your cheek. “You don’t have to rush.” 
“Are you sure you can drive this thing?” 
“Harry doesn’t mind.” 
“I don’t mean the car, I mean, are you sure you can drive?” 
“That’s not funny.” 
You grin and dart across to kiss his cheek, too. “Nothing ever is with us.” 
Peter grabs you behind the neck —which might sound rough, if he were capable of such a thing— and pulls you forward for a kiss you don’t have time for. “If we don’t check in,” —you begin, swiftly smothered by another press of his lips, his tongue a heat flirting with the seam of your lips— “by three, they said they won’t keep the room–” He clasps the back of your neck and smiles when your breath stutters. You squeeze your eyes closed, kiss him fiercely, and pull away, hand on his chest to restrain him. “And then we’ll have to drive home like losers.” 
Peter sits back in the driver's seat unbothered. He fixes his hair, and he wipes his bottom lip with his knuckle. You’re rolling your eyes when he finally returns your gaze. “Sorry, am I the one who lost her purse?” 
“Peter!” 
“I can’t make us un-late,” he says, turning the key slowly, hands on the wheel but his eyes still flitting between your eyes and your lips. 
“Alright,” you warn. 
He reaches for your knee. “It’s a forty minute drive. You’re panicking over nothing.” 
“It’s an hour.” 
Your drive from Queens to Manhattan is entirely uneventful. You keep Peter’s hand hostage on your knee, your palm atop it, the other hand wrapped around his wrist, your conversation a juxtaposition, almost lackadaisical. Peter doesn’t question your clinging nor your lazy murmurings, rubbing a circle into your knee with his thumb from Forest Hill to Lenox Hill. There’s so much to do around Manhattan; you could visit MoMA, Central Park, The Empire State Building or Times Square, but you and Peter give it all a miss for the little known Manhattan Super 8. 
It’s been a long time since you and Peter first visited. You took the bus out to Lenox Hill for a med-student tour neither of you particularly enjoyed, feeling out future careers. It’s not that Lenox Hill isn’t one of the most impressive medical facilities in New York (if not the northeastern USA), it’s that all the blood made him queasy, and you were panicking too much about the future to think it through. He got over his aversion to blood but chose the less hands-on science in the end, and you worked things through. You’re a little less scared of the future everyday. 
You and Peter were supposed to get the bus straight back home for a sleepover, but one got cancelled, another delayed, and night closed in like two hands on your neck. Peter sensed your fear and emptied his wallet for a night in the Super 8. 
The next morning it was beautifully sunny. The first day of summer that year, warm and golden. The pool wasn’t anything special but it was invitingly cool, blue and white tiles patterned like fish below; you clambered into the water in shorts and a tank top and Peter his boxers before a worker could see and stop you. 
It was one of the best days of your life. When you told Peter about it last week, he’d looked at you peculiarly, said, Bub, you’re cute, and let you waste the afternoon recounting one of your more embarrassing pangs of longing. A few days later he told you to clear your calendar for the weekend, only spilling the beans on what he’d done when you’d curled over his lap, a hand threaded into the hair at the nape of his neck, murmuring, Tell me, tell me, tell me. 
He’d hung his head over you and scrunched up his eyes. Cheater.
The best thing about having a boyfriend is that he always wants to listen to you. Peter was a good listener as a best friend, but now he has his act together and the secrets between you are never anything more than eating the last of the milk duds or not wanting to pee in front of him, he’s a treasure. There’s no feeling like having Peter pull you into his lap so he can ask about your day with his face buried in your neck, sniffing. Sometimes, when you text one another to meet up the next day, you’ll accidentally will the hours away babbling about school and life and things without reason. Peter has a list on his phone of your silliest tangents; blood oranges to the super moon, fries dipped in ice cream to the world record for kick flips done in five minutes. It’s like when you talk to one another, you can’t stop. 
There are quiet moments. You wake up some mornings to find him awake already, an arm behind you, rubbing at your soft upper arm, fingertip displacing the fine hairs there and trailing circles as he reads. He bends the pages back and holds whatever novel he’s reading at the bottom of his stomach, as though making sure you can see the words clearly, even when you’re sleeping. 
There are hectic, aching moments —vigilante boyfriends become blasé with their lives and precious faces. You’ve teetered on the edge of anxiety attacks trying to pick glass from his cheek with a tweezers, lamented over bruises that heal the next day. It’s easier when Peter’s careful, but Spider-Man isn’t careful. You ask him to take care of himself and he’s gentle with himself for a few days, but then someone needs saving from an armed burglar or a car swerves dangerously onto the sidewalk and he forgets. 
He hadn’t patrolled last night in preparation for today. 
“Did you know,” he says, pulling Harry’s borrowed car into a parking spot just in front of the Super 8 reception, “that today’s the last day of spring?” 
“Already?” 
“Tonight’s the June equinox.” 
“Who told you that?” 
“Aunt May. She said it’s time to get a summer job.” 
You laugh loudly. “Our federal loans won’t last forever.” 
“Harry’s gonna get me something, I think. Do you want to work with me? It could be fun.” 
You nod emphatically. It’s barely a thought. “Obviously I want to. Does Oscorp pay well, do you think?” 
Peter lets the engine go. The car turns off, engine ticking its last breath in the dash. “Better than the Bugle.” 
You get your key from the reception and find your room upstairs, second floor. It’s not dirty nor exceptionally clean, no mould or damp but a strange smell in the bathroom. There’s a microwave with two mugs and a few sachets of instant coffee. Peter deems it the nicest motel he’s ever stayed in, laughing, crossing the room to its only window and pulling aside the curtain. 
“There it is, sweetheart,” he says, wrapping his arm around you as you join him, “that’s what dreams are made of.” 
The blue and white tiled pool. It hasn’t changed. 
It’s about as hot as it’s going to get in June today, and, not knowing if it’ll rain tomorrow, you and Peter change into your swim suits and gather your towels. You wear flip flops and tangle your fingers, clanking and thumping down the rickety metal stairs to the pool. There’s nobody there, no lifeguard, no quests, and the pool is clean and cold when you dip your toes. 
Peter eases in first. Towels in a heap at the end of a sun lounger, his shirt tumbling to the floor, Peter splashes in frontward and turns to face you as the water laps his ribs. “It’s cold,” he says, wading for your legs, which he hugs. 
“I can feel it,” you say, the cool waters to your calves where you sit on the edge. 
“You won’t come in and warm me up?” he asks. 
You stroke a tendril of hair from his eyes. He attempts to kiss your fingers. 
“I’m trying to prepare myself.” 
“Mm, you have to get used to it.” He puts wet hands on your thighs, looking up imploringly until you lean down for a kiss. The fact that he’d want one still makes you dizzy. “Thank you,” he says. 
“You’ll have to move.” 
Peter steps back, a ripple of water ringing behind him, his hands raised. He slips them with ease under your arms and helps you down into the water, laughing at your shocked giggling —he’s so strong, the water so cold. 
Peter doesn’t often show his strength. Never to intimidate, he prefers startling you helpfully. He’ll lift you when you want to reach something too tall, or raise the bed when you’re on his side to force you sideways. 
“Oh, this is the perfect place to try the lift!” he says. 
“How will I run?” you ask, letting your knees buckle, water rushing up to your neck. 
Peter pulls you up. He touches you easily, and yet you get the sense that he’s precious with you, too. There’s devotion to be found in his hands and the specific way they cradle your back, drawing your chest to his. “I don’t need you to do a running start, sweetheart,” he says, tilting his head to the side, “I’ll just lift you.” 
“Last time I laughed so much you dropped me.” 
“Exactly, you laughed, and this is serious.” 
The world isn’t mild here. Car horns beep and tyres crunch asphalt. You can hear children, and singing, and a walkie talkie somewhere in the Super 8’s parking lot. The pool pumps gargle and Peter’s breath is half laughter as he pulls you further from the sidelines, ceramic tiles slippery under your feet. In the distance, you swear you can hear one of those songs he likes from that poor singer who died in the Wolf River. 
He’s a beholden thing in the sun; you can’t not look at him, all of him, his sculpted chest wet and glinting in the sun, his eyes like browning honey, his smile curling up, and up. 
“You’re beautiful,” he says. 
You rest an arm behind his head. “The rash guard is a good look?” 
“Sweetheart, you couldn’t look cuter,” he says, hands on your waist, pinky on your hip. “I wish you’d mentioned these shorts a few days ago. I would’ve prepared to be a more decent man.” 
“You’re decent enough, Parker.” 
“Maybe now.” 
“Well, if things get too hot, you can always take a quick dip,” you say. 
You’re teasing, but Peter’s eyes light up with mischief as he calls, “Oh, great idea!” and lets himself drop backwards into the water. You pull your arm back rather than go with him. You can’t avoid the great burst of water as he surges to the surface. 
He shakes himself off like a dog. 
“Pete!” you cry through laughs, wiping the water from your face before the chlorine gets in your eyes. 
“It just didn’t help,” he says, pulling you back into his arms, “you know, the water is cold, but you’re so hot, and I actually got a pretty good look at them when I was under, and you’re just as pretty as I remembered you being ten seconds ago–”
“Peter,” you say, tempted to roll your eyes. 
Water runs down his face in great rivers, but with the dopey smile he’s sporting, they look like anything but tears. “Tell me a secret?” he asks, dripping in sunshine, an endless summer at his back. 
A soft smile takes your lips. “No,” you say, tipping up your chin, “you tell me one first.”
“What kind of secret?” 
“A real one,” you insist. 
“Oh…” He leans away from you, though his arms stay crossed behind you. “Okay, I have one. Ask me again.” 
You raise a single brow. “Tell me a secret, Peter.” 
He pulls your face in for a kiss. His hand is wet on your cheek, but no less welcome. “I love you,” he says, kissing the skin just shy of your nose. 
You’re lucky he’s already holding you. “I love you too,” you say, gathering him to you for a hug, digging your nose into the slope of his neck as his admission blows your mind. “I love you.” 
Peter wraps his arms around your shoulders, closing his eyes against the side of your head. You can’t know what he’s thinking, but you can feel it. His hands can’t seem to stay still on your skin. 
The sun warms your back for a time. 
Peter lets out a deep breath of relief. You lean away to look at him, your hand slipping down into the water, where he finds it, his fingers circling your wrist. 
“That’s another one to let go of,” he suggests. 
He peppers a row of gentle kisses along your lips and the soft skin below your eye. 
You and Peter swim until your fingers are pruned and the sun has been blanketed by clouds. You let him wrap you in a towel, and kiss your wet ears, and take you back to the room, where he holds your face. 
“I’ll start the shower for you,” he says, rubbing your cheeks with his thumbs, each stroke of them encouraging your face from one side to the other, just a touch, ever so slightly moved in the palms of his hands. 
“Don’t fall asleep standing up,” he murmurs. 
Your eyes close unbidden to you both. “I won’t.” 
He holds you still, leaning in slowly to kiss you with the barest of pressure. Every thought in your head fades, leaving only you and Peter, and the dizziness of his touch as he lays you down at the end of the bed. 
。𖦹°‧⭑.ᐟ
please like, comment or reblog if you enjoyed, i love comments and seeing what anyone reading liked about the fic is a treat —thank you for reading❤︎
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c1nnam00n · 1 year ago
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me trying not to smile from the fanfic i just read
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aerosarrow · 2 months ago
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"Kiss before I go, pipsqueak?"
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[pt.2] SPIDERMAN!CALEB: Skyhaven's Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman
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n1ght0f-nyx · 10 months ago
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giving him a fast and rough handjob that lasts what feels like several hours, he lays on the bed, his thighs squirming and clenching as you bully his sticky cock, he has cum a bazillion times, cum pooling at his thighs and stomach "oh god.. please mommy..i need more...d-d-dont stop!!" he begs and pleads, and you cant help but grin "don't worry babyboy...i wasn't planning on it~"
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