Hey guys, new Spidey story! I hope you enjoy :)
Inspired by the wolf spider's ability to purr using vibrations.
Disclaimer: I own diddly nil.
Spidey landed on the ground and collapsed to one knee. His red and blue clad chest heaved with each breath, his head bowed to the concrete. Putting out a gloved hand to steady himself, he looked up, wide lenses taking in the scene. The street was a mess. Cars lay broken and scattered about, street lamps bent, building walls shattered, covering the asphalt with debris. In the centre of all this, wrapped in many thick layers of webbing, was the perpetrator. He wiggled and cursed, spitting out metaphorical venom from behind his gagged mouth.
He'd tried to be as fast as he could: get to the scene in a speedy manner, apprehend the criminal, stop the destruction. But he hadn't. He'd been just that little bit too slow, and the villain that little bit too smart and quick—cleverly evading his attacks.
He looked further down the street to where once beautiful flower petals lay wilted and scattered about, and a small store on the corner sat smashed in—the front window shattered and internal contents destroyed. Above it, a sign was left, hanging on from one hinge. It read "Myrtle's flowers". It was family run, he knew. Aunt May goes there every week to buy flowers for Uncle Ben's grave.
Beside him, his fingers clenched into a fist.
He ignored the many stinging cuts scattered over his body as he got to his feet, bruises aching with the movement. Small bits of glass and plaster fell away from his form.
Silence reigned over the atmosphere, many bystanders hanging back out of the line of destruction in shock, before one middle-aged man walked forward. He moved passed the broken cars and the mass of webs containing the criminal, and stopped before the small store. There, he fell to his knees.
"Oh!" he exclaimed, staring at the destruction, and tears began flowing down his face.
Spidey looked away, swallowing the lump in his throat. Because of this, he was surprised when a hand came to rest on his shoulder.
"Hey, Spidey. It's alright. I just wanted to say thank you. It would have been a lot worse if you hadn't intervened. We all saw what you did, how much effort you put into stopping him. We appreciate it."
Spidey tucked his chin towards his chest. "It wasn't enough, though."
"No. But you tried, and that's all that matters." He gave his shoulder a firm shake.
Spidey didn't say any more for a while, gazing over the mess that was once a bustling New York street, nothing but breathing and the distant cursing of the villain filling the silence. So it's safe to say he was surprised a second time when a strong but gentle set of arms encompassed his form. His head snapped up, and his eyes widened beneath the mask, before he realised...the man was hugging him.
The spider-themed hero stood frozen in the middle of the street, back tense, for several seconds, before he began to relax.
He slumped in the man's grip, all the troubles magically floating away off his mind, as his back was gently kneaded. He felt his muscles relaxing, the tension draining, before he noticed something else. A strange vibrating sound was beginning to fill the air. His head perked up curiously to listen.
The hand on his back stopped momentarily, before continuing to rub soothing circles into his skin.
The vibrating sound was getting louder. It reminded him more of a purr now, although a rather unusual one. He really hoped there were no cat themed villains around…
The hand moved to the back of his neck and he melted, leaning into the touch. The buzzing vibration reached a fever pitch, before shutting off abruptly.
Spidey had gone stock still, his head perked upright in alarm. A soft chuckle sounded next to his ear, before the arms fell away.
"You've got a few cuts there. I've a first aid kit in my car. Be right back."
Spidey opened his mouth and closed it as the man walked away, before turning around.
The civilians were still quiet, but for a different reason now. They all had looks of disbelief, awe and shock on their faces, but instead of at the ruined street, they were all directed at him.
He'd been the one making that noise. He'd been purring!
He looked down at his spandex-clad arms, and thought of the tiny electromagnetic hairs covering his body. Had they done that somehow?
His head snapped back up at the sound of clanking. The man was emerging from one of the crushed vehicles thrown into a wall, a small first aid kit in hand. This surprised him even more.
Dodging sharp items, he came to stand beside the hero, and put down the little carry case by the handle. He snapped it open.
"It's not much, but it should be enough. Here."
Turning Spidey around, he exposed a particularly large cut on his back. He pulled a concerned expression, before dabbing it with an antiseptic cloth.
Spidey flinched.
"Sorry," he said. "This might sting a bit."
Spidey snorted at the attempt at humour.
"Yeah, no kidding. They really downplay the stinging effects of antiseptic."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that. Banged a nail through my hand once during a renovation project out in the middle of nowhere. Nurse over the phone recommended I get a local anaesthetic or get drunk, and that was just for dealing with the sanitation."
Spidey chuckled, before hissing, as a bandage was carefully placed over the wound.
"There, that should tide you over for now. The others aren't too bad. But it might need some stitches."
"Nah, don't worry. I heal fast. I promise. Besides, the cops are coming now." He pointed a thumb over his shoulder at the sound of sirens approaching in the distance. "So I'd better be going. Thanks for the help."
"It was my honour, Spidey. Now you take care of yourself."
"You too, sir." Spidey saluted, before running off and shooting two webs, catapulting himself up into the higher skyscrapers.
The man smiled behind him, before turning back and packing up his little kit—making sure to dispose of the used wipes.
As Spidey swung away, his mind spun with questions. It seemed those spider genes still had a few surprises up their sleeves. After all, it's not every day you discover you can "purr".
Thanks for reading :) And if you have a moment, please leave a word or two of your thoughts in the comment box below. I'd really appreciate it!
The rest of this series is gonna be written in collaboration with city-creek from Tumblr :)
Also, for those who'd like to know, my tumblr username is aliciarosefantasy :D