Elevatophobia, and the Stamina Man

Now playing: Manhattan/Kings of Leon

Summary: Diana initiates her "date" with Peter.

This time, I woke up to Nitara shaking me awake.

"We're here, Sleeping Beauty," she said. "You slept the whole way back to Midtown."

I sat upright, and unstuck my skin from the pleather bus seat. I felt like I hadn't changed positions at all in however long we were on the road for, because all two hundred and six bones in my body felt like they were thawing from liquid nitrogen.

Or so I thought I had two hundred and six bones. After earlier today, I wasn't sure what was going on in my body anymore.

Nitara plopped a backpack down on my lap. "We stopped at the hotel, so I grabbed your stuff. I also got you a sandwich when we stopped for lunch, and I tried to get you up, but man, you wouldn't budge."

I swung the straps of the backpack around my arms. Other than being irrationally sore everywhere, my mind was clear, and I didn't feel like I was a hundred and four degrees and about to hack up a half pint of blood.

Outside, it was dark. The bus ride shouldn't have taken more than eight hours if we stopped for lunch. And Nitara was telling me I slept the whole way. Sure enough, the top floor of Midtown was visible from Nitara's window.

I stood up, and was pleasantly surprised when the world didn't churn around me. The bus was practically empty already, save the driver and one person with distinct curly brown hair going down the steps.

I rushed forward, ignoring the static rushing through my legs. "Peter!"

I hopped down the steps and stopped Peter outside, where students were dispersing to their cars. I didn't see Liz anywhere, which was probably a good thing if it were her father picking her up.

"Diana," Peter said. "I wish I could talk, but I gotta go."

I smiled. "I figured. But just a minute. You called me in the middle of the Decathlon, remember? What was that about?"

Peter's face blanked. "Uh- right! I did, but I was just trying to get a hold of Ned. That's all. He wasn't answering his phone, so I wasn't sure whether it had started or not at that point."

Peter didn't say so, but I could tell he wanted the conversation to end. I tried not to take it personally. What I wanted was to ask about why he was so frantic over the phone. I wanted to ask why he always had to go, and why he never showed up anywhere.

The moment we spent staring at each other was interrupted by a woman from the sidewalk calling Peter's name and waving him over.

"Is that your aunt?"

Peter turned and shrunk at the sight of his guardian, and I turned to look again. "Uh… yeah. I really do have to go, because she's probably freaking out. And I want to avoid as many teachers as I can."

I bit my lip to keep from smiling. Every teacher that Peter ran into, he would probably get an additional ten weeks of detention from.

I spun around again to say goodbye, but he was already gone.

Nitara stumbled off the bus, which closed its doors behind her. Her hands were full of her assortment of luggage, which she dropped to the ground in relief.

"I hope that's not too heavy for you," I said, observing her exhaustion. "You're walking all the way to Winter Street."

"Correction," Nitara said, stretching her arms. "We're walking to Aspen avenue. You must be crazy if you think you're spending tonight alone."

I started walking away from the commotion of the bus and cars. Peter had the right idea. I didn't want to end up having to explain myself to Mr. Harrington about Washington Monument any time soon.

"I told you," I muttered. "I feel fine."

Nitara snorted. "You said the same thing before passing out in the elevator."

Madison had said that Finch would be over that weekend, but when Nitara and I arrived, nobody was home except for an affectionate Chewie. I supposed it was a Friday night. They could be out watching a movie or getting supper.

Nothing notable happened later that night, or the next day. Nitara and I both slept in my room, in case it did and Madison found out when she arrived back. But there was no blood, no fever, no nothing. In fact, there was no sign that I was ever sick in the first place. And it wasn't until Nitara was absolutely sure that I wasn't lying that she left the evening of the next day.

Sunday morning rolled around, and even though now was an essential time for me to be hunting Vulture, I didn't go out Saturday night. In fact, that night marked the second time in months where I didn't force myself to wake up to an alarm. And holy hell, it felt good.

I trundled out of bed around ten, and heard light talking through the wall that attached mine and Madison's room. At some point last spring, Finch had stopped sleeping on the couch when he stayed over, and had relocated to Madison's bed. In fact, he stayed over so often now, that I eventually didn't care enough to get dressed before leaving my room when he was home. We were close enough now that I didn't care if he saw me with a towel in my hair or no makeup on.

Madison was right when she said he'd grow on me a year ago.

I had schoolwork all through Thursday to the weekend's homework to do, but I opted to leave it all in my binder to collect dust. Today wasn't a school day. Nor was it a Nightmare day. Today was Sunday, and it was the day Peter and I had agreed upon to meet.

Today was my day.

And as close as I was to Madison and Finch lately, I didn't want them listening in on my phone conversations. First, because I didn't need my sister to know about Peter just yet, or I would have to prepare myself for an endless mocking, and second, I wasn't sure if she approved me going out tonight. I still needed to fabricate a cover story for her.

I could worry about that later. Now, I was enclosed in my room, with my finger hovering over Peter's contact in my phone. Before I chickened out, I clicked his name and listened to the ring.

"Hey!" I said, surprised I wasn't met with the answering machine. Peter wasn't one for answering his phone every time it rang.

"Hey, Diana." From his side of the line, there was a heavy wind, and I heard a cacophony of cars driving around him. "What's up?"

It was plausible that he was somewhere with Spider-Man. But if he were, would he have even picked up the phone in the first place?

"I just wanted to confirm a time for tonight," I said. "Is eight o'clock good for you still?"

Rustling over the phone. "Yeah, yeah! Where do you wanna meet?"

I felt like I had just inflated a parachute that stopped me from falling. Peter actually wanted to hang out. He had an already crazy schedule and was willing to meet up with me.

Don't get your hopes up, a little voice in the back of my head said to me. He could still stand you up at the last minute.

Shut up, I told the voice. "I was thinking the corner of the OSCORP tower."

I knew it was a fair distance from here, and that I could get there pretty fast using my trails, but I wasn't eve sure if Peter's aunt had a car. He could always take the subway, but to be honest, no one wanted to do that.

"I can do that," he said. "I'll see you tonight, then?"

I couldn't keep the stupid smile from my face. "Tonight. Bring your camera."

Peter and I said our goodbyes, and I refrained from screaming out in plain joy for the sake of my neighbours. I still had another phone call to make- one I probably should have done before I finalized my plans with Peter.

"This is Harry," a sultry voice answered.

"Harry," I said, skipping the preamble. "I need a favor."

The curiosity in Harry's voice dripped through the line like heavy condensation. "…A favor?"

The smile from earlier melted off my face when I realized how this would be more difficult than I anticipated. "A favor. I'm meeting with Peter tonight, we're just going to take pictures, and-"

"You're meeting with Peter?" Harry made a sound that was between a scoff and a laugh. "That's an arduous accomplishment."

"Yes. As I was saying, we're just going to get some photography done. And I was wondering, like that time Nitara and us went, if we could go up the OSCORP tower. I know that it's kind of an absurd thing to ask, but…"

Harry let out a low whistle. "So this isn't for school. You two lovebirds are going on a date."

My cheeks burned. "Don't be so formal. We're just hanging out."

Harry clicked his tongue. "Well, I suppose I can arrange something. After all, Peter is in kind of a desperate need for a life. But you owe me one, Diana."

I cringed at the last sentence. I knew something like that was coming. "Not anything more preposterous than what I'm asking you now, I hope."

"Don't sweat it," Harry said. "I'll go easy on you. But if I ever need a hand doing this or that, maybe something recreational, or… academically related, don't be shocked if I give you a call."

I sighed. It seemed I would be writing an extra English essay in the future. "…All right."

I could practically hear Harry smile through the phone. "That's my girl."

"Nitara is your girl," I corrected.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Listen. There's a security guard in the lobby that works weekends. Her name is Georgia, she's got red hair, you can't miss her. I'll let her know that you two are coming. Just don't fall off the top, or else my dad's going to face a lawsuit. Capiche?"

"Got you." I hung up before Harry dropped any more conditions.

I had prepped a bag ahead of time before going out. I gathered items throughout the day, as so not to arise suspicion from Madison or Finch. I packed an extra shirt, so that I could change when I got close to OSCORP after using my trails, so I wouldn't burn through my good one. I would leave the apartment in my Nightmare shirt, but with a jacket I would take off once I was on the rooftops. And, of course, my mask was in my bag. That was the paraphernalia I retrieved from my bedroom. Easy.

Next, I just had to be more subtle. I had my camera on the dining table, and Finch and Madison had their backs to me from the couch, so I opened the cupboard while grabbing it to pretend to grab some food.

My next step was a little less elusive. I wanted to bring the puzzle I had of the skyline. It would be dark, but I knew that from last time, there were lights around the interior exit that illuminated part of the roof enough that it would be visible to complete. This puzzle was stored in the only closet in the apartment, where we stored some of my parents' belongings that were too significant to donate or throw away. Madison was going to wonder why I was going in there.

So, because of this, I decided to wait until just before I left to explain myself. I didn't have to lie, I suppose, but just say I was bringing it to my room to do for no reason whatsoever, then hide it in my bag.

To my surprise, Madison knocked on my bedroom door just before I was about to head out.

"Come in," I called, kicking my nearly-packed bag underneath my bed.

Madison creaked my door open and stuck her upper half inside my room. "Hey. I just wanted to let you know that Finch and I are going out for supper. If you're hungry, there's stuff for tacos in the fridge."

"You're going out?"

"Yup." Madison looked down. "Sorry it's just the two of us."

"Don't feel bad. I don't care. Really."

The last thing I needed was for Madison to start feeling bad about not bringing me along on her actual dates. Plus, I didn't need it on my conscience that Madison would be on her date, feeling sad that I was alone at home, while I was on a date, unbeknownst to her, having a good time with no worries.

Oh. I had just called it a date.

Was it a date?

"Alright. We'll be back late, so don't wait up on us, okay?"

"Got it," I said, not moving from my position in front of my bed, where my feet were hiding the tip of my bag.

Madison's gaze lingered with a curious twitch of her eyebrow before she closed my door. Not a moment later, I heard her talk to Finch, close the door, and click the lock.

I picked up my bag and sauntered out of my room over to the closet. That was almost too easy.

I had left the apartment ten minutes earlier than I needed, so that I wouldn't hold up Peter by getting changed into my regular clothes a block from the OSCORP corner. This was pointless, it seemed, because I spent another ten waiting for Peter before he arrived running and out of breath.

I stared him down. "How did you get here?"

"Ran," he huffed. "Or- well, I took the subway, and then I ran, I mean."

Judging by the sweat glistening on his forehead, it looked like he had just run the whole way. I hoped that I didn't look the same. "Isn't the subway stop the other way?"

Peter blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, it is. Um. I accidentally missed my stop, so I had to get off at the next one. Hence… running."

I grinned. "I hope you're still up for stairs."

Peter blanched as he stood upright, and I swung the door of the ginormous building open, letting him enter first. "Beauty before brains."

"That's debatable," he said with a lightness in his voice.

I followed him through the entrance lobby. "I'm sorry, who was the one who just had to run four blocks because they missed their stop?"

We arrived at the same elevator as before, where a burly woman stood in front of it with her arms crossed. Ginger hair was pulled into a tight bun, and she wore a scowl that would send Nitara running.

I almost didn't want to make eye contact with her death stare. "Are you, um…" Her nametag read Georgia. "I'm Diana. Harry should have mentioned I was coming?"

I received a stiff nod, and she moved to the side of the elevator.

I pressed the button and entered with Peter. "Thank you."

The doors closed as Georgia said nothing. "Tough crowd."

The elevator began to rise, and Peter had his gaze pointed towards me. I turned my head to see behind me, but there was nothing interesting on the wall. I clutched my bag closer towards me. I didn't want him to find out I was Nightmare by accidentally seeing my uniform. I could think of a million better ways for him to find out than that.

"What is it?"

Peter met my eyes. "We're on an elevator."

I looked at the floor number above the doors. We weren't even a quarter of the way there. Damn. Being in an enclosed box with nothing to talk about wasn't how I pictured the night beginning.

"We are," I mused.

The seriousness didn't leave Peter's face. "We're in an elevator," he repeated. "I thought… you hated heights. I mean, Washington just happened, and I was talking to Ned… you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

What the hell was he talking about? I racked my brain for a clue on where he was going with this. I didn't hate heights. Washington was…

Oh.

Nitara's cover story. Tiny details the size of crumbs came back in a rush. She had told Mr. Harrington that I passed out from the heights. Damn Ned for mentioning it to Peter, because I could have just gotten away with it! Now another lie had slipped through my grasp, and I was stuck in eight square feet being questioned about it. What a beautiful way to start the night.

My mouth went dry. "Heights, um, no. I'm not scared of heights. I'm scared of… elevators," I made up. "They're just… freaky. I don't know. I mean, they could fall at any moment, they could stop working and trap you inside, which would be even worse if the power went out or if there was a fire or tornado, or-"

Peter's hand flew to the buttons, and pressed the next floor we were reaching. The elevator came to a quick stop, and the doors slid open to reveal a white hallway. "I'm not putting you through that again. You should have said something," Peter said. "We'll take the stairs."

My blood froze. Peter wanted to take the stairs?

"There's thirty more flights," I deadpanned, flabbergasted. "Are you sure you're up for that? I mean, you did just run four blocks, and I've seen you in gym, you aren't exactly the pinnacle of stamina-"

"I'll be fine," Peter quipped. "But whatever we're doing had better be worth thirty flights."

The hallway was lined with doors that had WHMIS symbols stuck to the glass. The first one that didn't, at the end of the hallway, ended up being the inverted staircase.

Inside was dimly lit, and when I stuck my head over the rail to see the floors above, I got dizzy simply looking at it. I could barely see the top of the roof, and I had heightened senses.

It took twenty minutes to scale the rest of the stairs, and that included a five-minute break I elected to take three-quarters of the way up. Every step I took, I cursed my luck. I had brought this on myself, somehow. Again, I was juggling too many things at once. I didn't even think that Peter would be aware of my newfound fear of elevators. It seemed to be just another thing to add to my bullshit list of cover-ups for Nightmare.

As I scaled the last flight, I wondered if it was really worth it.

"We made it," I heaved, and slumped against the wall at the top. I could barely feel my legs anymore. I didn't feel the individual muscles, just the heat that swarmed through my limbs every time I moved them.

Peter, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall, but he hardly broke a sweat. Tired as I was, I chose to ignore his sudden burst of energy.

"Okay," I breathed, receiving some feeling in my legs again. "We're… just going to go through that door. Then that's all I want to show you."

Peter stuck his hand down towards me, and I gripped it thankfully. Standing up, I pushed open the horizontal handle of the door and opened it all the way. A breeze brushed against the warmth of my body, and outside, the lights of the city were visible from inside the room.

Peter stared straight out the door. "The roof?"

I nodded. "Hurry up and get out. This thing's heavy."

Peter rushed out the door, and I followed suit, but not before using a discarded pipe to jam between the door and the wall to keep us from being locked out.

"I thought you were going to bring me to some lab or something," Peter called over the wind, and I moved closer over to the railing at the ledge where he was, so that he could hear me better.

"Is this better?"

Peter grinned. "Are you kidding? This… this is awesome."

A huge wave of relief washed over me then. Everything I had planned methodically was paying off, other than the unexpected thirty flights of stairs.

"I wish we could see the stars," Peter mused, causing my gaze to point upwards at the empty, indigo sky. "There's nothing like light pollution."

"My sister has a place," I said, still observing the skyline. "It's a few hours north of Queens. A farm. She bought it with her fiancée. I've been there before, and you can climb onto the roof, and the stars then are amazing. I can't even describe it, really. But one day we could go, and I could show you."

"One day," Peter said. "There's a little star out west over there. I guess at least one decided to show."

I squinted at what Peter was pointing at. "No… I think that's Venus."

"My uncle used to take me up there," Peter said suddenly. "A half hour down the highway out of the city is this drive-in. We would go when I was a kid after fishing at the river across the road. I never caught anything, of course, but my uncle, he would always let them go."

I watched as Venus, slowly but surely, inched down the sky towards the horizon. "Do you miss him?"

Peter paused. "Every day. He was like my dad to me."

"I miss my parents," I blurted out. "My mom had cancer. She died just last year. And my dad, he died in the battle of New York. I just don't really… I mean, not a day goes by when I don't think about him, but I feel bad still because with my mom, it's like…"

"You miss her more," Peter finished.

I was glad he said the words for me. "Exactly. But I just feel so horrible about it, because my dad wouldn't have wanted that, he would want me to miss him the same, and I do, but it's different, because my mom was there. She got my sisters and I through it, you know? We had more time together, and then she died, and it was just so much worse."

Peter was quiet, and I wondered if I had said the wrong thing. We had only been up here for three minutes, and here we were, talking about our daddy issues. At what point did my stupid brain forsake the plan?

It was therapeutic, though. I couldn't- wouldn't- ever tell these thoughts to one of my sisters. Because if they didn't feel the same, it would be really awkward the next time we visited the cemetery.

"I understand," Peter said, and it was like he had just set out a fire that ravaged my heart.

I had heard it all before. I understand what you're going through.

Time heals wounds.

I know how you feel.

Trust me… it gets better.

That last one was funny, because every day, the guilt grew another layer, and that only made it a heavier burden to bear.

"My parents I miss all the time, but I don't even remember them all that well. And I know that's not my fault, but I don't miss them as much as I miss the opportunities we could have had, you know? My uncle was the one who made me watch Star Wars. My aunt was the one who taught me how to ride a bike, and how to skate. And those are just… memories I should have had with my parents, but I had them with my aunt and uncle instead. And it just made us closer. I know that now your mom is gone… but you have your sisters. It's not the same, and it's by no means replacement, but they can be there for you in the way that your mom would be now. And it's not your fault that you feel that way. Because that part of you that doesn't miss your dad as much, misses the time you never had with him instead."

I felt like I had just swallowed a sock. "I… really needed to hear that," I whispered.

"I never had anyone tell me that," Peter said, twiddling his fingers. "Or anyone to tell it to. So I guess I really needed you to listen to believe it myself."

"I have a puzzle," I said out of nowhere. "We can… we can do the puzzle, if you want."

Peter looked at me quizzically. "Like, you just brought a puzzle with you?"

"Yeah," I said, kneeling to the cement floor and pulling the box out of my bag, careful to keep my uniform hidden.

Peter didn't answer, and when I looked up, he was just staring down at me, smiling wide with his arms crossed.

"What are you waiting for? Get down here."

The puzzle was a good four hundred pieces, but between the two of us, it was completed in half an hour. It was one I hadn't touched in years, not since my father passed away, but it felt like the last time I had done it was just yesterday.

Peter did the honour of snapping the final piece in place. "Wow. It's… is it Manhattan?"

"The Manhattan Skyline," I said proudly, admiring the finished piece. One building stuck out to me. "H&H Bagels. My father used to bring them home after work every month.

Peter looked at the puzzle closely. "Where? It's a bit dark."

I pointed at the bagel store on the map, which I could see clear as day. "Right there- hey, I have another thing I want to show you."

I stood up, and this time gave my hand to Peter to help him up. I didn't let go of his hand, but instead dragged him back over to the railing.

"See that building there," I said, pointing to a tall one with a slanted roof. "And the Empire State."

"Yeah," Peter said, observing the city's skyscrapers. "Wait… this isn't-"

"It is," I confirmed. "I'm pretty sure they took the picture right here. Then, they made it into a puzzle. There's a couple new buildings and other changes, but for the most part… that's it."

Peter pulled up his camera from around his neck. "Don't move."

I immediately felt myself start to blush. I was normally the one taking pictures. I was never in them.

"I'm not Miss Photogenic," I tried to say. "You don't have to-"

"Shush," Peter said, and the flash burst. "You're perfect."

I smiled at the lie and took my own camera from the cord around my neck to take the same picture the Puzzle Man did. This time, I would have it on my film, and not just my phone.

I took the picture just as another flash went off to my side.

I couldn't stop myself from laughing. "Stop."

Another flash.

"You're on," I said, and turned to kneel in front of Peter with my own camera at the ready. Judging by our identical flashes, we both took the picture at the same time.

I collapsed onto the cement on my back laughing. Peter was, too, and our heads were nearly touching as we did nothing but lay there and laugh at our own senseless contest.

Peter was hardly breathing. "I'm gonna develop these and hang them around school."

"Joke's on you," I snorted. "No one at school is gonna know who that is."

Peter stopped laughing, but his cheer lingered. "…I'll know."

We spent a while just laying there, talking. It wasn't cold, even with the wind, and I was sure after climbing all those stairs, neither of us were too keen to use our legs for a while.

Soon, though, a subject I dreaded rolled around. The elevator.

"Ned told me… a lot about Washington," Peter said. My skin started to crawl. "How long have you been afraid of elevators?"

"The dawn of time," I mused. "Speaking of Washington… you weren't there for a bunch of it. I'll have you know that Flash didn't answer a single question in your place."

"I bet you could have. I heard you joined the team."

"I did. I was kind of volun-told."

Peter huffed. "That sounds like Mr. Harrington."

"With the help of Nitara. But yeah, Liz is leaving at the end of this year, so I guess they're looking for more people. I guess I came in clutch."

"Yeah," Peter said. "I mean, it'd be busy, but I could join again. Maybe. I wouldn't mind hanging out with you guys and Liz."

My heart dropped to the cement beneath me. Liz was the closest tie to me and Vulture. And to have Peter on the team would mean that he'd only be in more danger. Plus, he was Spider-Man's freaking photographer. Spider-Man, who wanted to dive in head first and take down Vulture with no regards to the rest of the team, or for the evidence that was needed to properly take him down. If Peter got a whiff of Vulture from Liz somehow, then he'd tell Spider-Man, who would go after the Vulture, and put everyone in danger.

"Liz isn't all that great," I said, but the words felt rotten leaving my mouth. I hated talking about other people. Gossip was pointless, but here, I had to fake it if I wanted Peter to listen, whether I sounded like a bit of a bitch or not. "I mean, don't you have the Stark Internship to be busy with? I thought you quit Decathlon in the first place because it was too time-consuming."

"What do you mean, Liz isn't all that great? Do you even know her?"

Shit. Had I struck a chord? Were those two friends, and I was just too oblivious to the rest of my peers that I didn't even notice?

"I, uh, don't? Not well, I guess, I just mean, not about Liz, but you have the Internship, and school and yearbook, and on top of all that, you take pictures for Spider-Man, so you'd just… probably have to give up sleep if you joined Decathlon again."

Peter sat up from his place on the roof. "Is that what this is about?"

I sat up to look at Peter, even though just thinking about doing that now made me feel sick. And not Nightmare-sick, but anxious sick. "What?"

"You… you bond with me over pictures, and then once you find out I take pictures for Spider-Man-"

"Whoa," I said, stopping Peter in his tracks. "How can you even think that?"

Peter threw his hands up. "I don't know! You and Nitara talk about it all the time in class and at lunch. Avengers this, Spider-Man that. Did you even want to talk to me, or Spider-Man?"

I was baffled at how downhill the conversation had suddenly gone. "No! Peter, I'm here for… you. Just you. I couldn't care less about all that Spider-Man shit."

Another lie.

"Then why are you all of a sudden talking to me, and going places with me? I mean, you had your chance last year, but we never even talked."

I stared at Peter. "Because, I… I like you."

"It doesn't really feel like it," Peter slammed. "You're kind of preoccupied with what I do in my spare time and with who I hang around. Liz doesn't grill me about this kind of stuff as much as you."

This was not part of the plan. I continued to stare at Peter, and as much as I wanted to deny it, I could feel water collecting beneath my eyelids. I struggled to find words to keep up with Peter's accusations. "I.. didn't… I'm not- that's not what I'm trying to do. I'm sorry if it came across like that, but I don't care about that. For god's sake, Peter, the Avengers killed my father! I'm not crazy over them!"

Peter seemed to come down from his high. I hated playing the dead father card, but it was the only thing I could think of that would bring him back to the night we just had.

"I think I should go," he said quietly. "I'll see you in chemistry."

And with that, Peter slipped out the door, leaving the lead pipe in place. I watched through the glass as his curly brown hair bobbed down the stairs and out of sight.

Where did I go wrong? At the Liz part? I wanted to rip my hair out. I was just trying to protect him. I was just trying to protect him-

"Fuck!"

I tore off my Islanders cap and threw it to the ground. It landed on the puzzle.

I fell to my knees, and the tears finally fell with me. "…fuck."

I was glad they waited until Peter left.

I had just made things worse and better for myself and Nightmare. The good thing was that to be honest, the safest thing for Peter to do was stay away from me. If we weren't close, he wouldn't be targeted by any enemies I had made. But for me, I was going to have to sit next to him every day in Chemistry and refrain from talking about what happened that day in history or the next yearbook opportunity.

Yearbook. I was going to have to see him in Yearbook on Monday, too. And he wouldn't think of me any more than someone who was just after him because of Spider-Man.

I slowly cleaned the puzzle and got to my feet. Hopefully enough time had passed that I wouldn't see Peter as I went down the twelve flights of stairs from the roof. Out of all the shitty things that had happened tonight, I was alone. At least I didn't have to take the stairs.

I didn't have the energy or the spirit to take the rooftops as Nightmare, so I resorted to the forty-minute sidewalk trip home. I wasn't scared about getting jumped again. I was on my own, once again, so I had nobody to look after or worry about being caught as Nightmare. With the mood I was in, I felt sorry for any potential robbers that had their eyes on me.

I got to my apartment on Aspen a bit after eleven. On the rest of the way there, a woman saw me and crossed the street to avoid me. I was whistled at by some dude in an alley. And Peter was nowhere in sight.

My thoughts were so disorganized, that when I opened the door to the apartment, I didn't even realize that it wasn't locked.

Madison and Finch were at the table, arms crossed and brow creased, respectfully. It was a familiar scene.

I checked my phone. It really was late.

"Diana," Madison began, and I sighed.

"Madison."

She stood up from the table, the chair screeching against the floor as she did so. "I thought we were done with this," she said. "I thought-"

"I forgot to tell you about it before you left," I said calmly, keeping a straight face as I kicked off my shoes and closed the door. "I-"

"No, let me guess." Madison waved her hand in joking dismissal. "You were doing homework at Nitara's. No, you got called in to work. Or, you-"

I ignored her sarcasm. "I joined Decathlon. We just had a team victory meeting tonight. We got pizza. You can chill out."

If I had a dollar every time I told a lie, we wouldn't have to worry about the rent anymore.

It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, until Madison spoke. "You what?"

"I joined Decathlon," I repeated. "In Washington, Mr. Harrington asked me to. So now I joined a new club, like you wanted me to. Are you going to punish me for that? For hanging out with a bunch library loafers and kids who double-knot their shoelaces? Kids that haven't been to the movies since Shrek? Are you going to ground me again so that I can't go to more meetings?"

I had taken Peter's advice for Madison and flung it out the window. Again, I was not in the mood for any more stupid banter tonight. I just wanted to go to bed.

"Oh," Madison said. I suppose I sounded so ridiculously blunt that she was inclined to believe me. It wasn't a total lie, I guess, because I did join the Decathlon. "That's… good of you, actually. I just wish you had told us."

"There's this thing called trust that I wish you had in me," I seethed, and set off to my room in a brisk walk. Madison just stared as I passed by, and I didn't miss Finch's worried visage.

I relayed Peter's advice through my head once more. Sure, I could keep my current family close and make up the memories that I should have had with my mom. But I tried being close to my mom after my father died, and look where that got me. They were both dead. If I kept this up, my sisters would probably die too. Finch, too.

It hit me now that everyone I was close to was in danger. All Adrian Toomes had to do was pick up his daughter's yearbook and look in the freshman section. There was no taking this back. He saw my face. If Spider-Man messed this up and found Vulture before me, I would be ultimately screwed if he lost. Peter would be ultimately screwed. I would lose yet another person I cared about, and I wouldn't have backup for when I finally had an opportunity to take down Vulture. Because like it or not, Spider-Man and I had to do this together, or we'd never beat the guy.

I just hoped he'd be willing when I called.

Here it is! The classic nic 2:45am update im never tired hhhh

A/N: PETER CENTRIC! I. LOVE. this chapter. It was fantastic to write. You can see how Diana's caught in a web of lies (pun intended- can't help it, I'm ace), and also, what happened in the elevator in Washington? It won't be a mystery for too much longer. I wasn't planning to write a therapy session with Peter and Diana atop the tower, but it came out of absolutely nowhere, so I rolled with it. You can plan all you want for a character but they'll just end up doing their own thing no matter what. Don't blame Diana for abandoning the date plan. It was me. And in the last three days I have written, like 10k words? Things are finally picking up and I am going absolutely nuts with motivation to do this instead of university, when usually I am cursed with writer's block. So, I decided to take advantage of this breakthrough and go absolutely batshit feral with my writing. Hence why this chapter is out now!

Thank you for leaving comments, they make my day! Knowing that you guys keep coming back to this story makes me feel just stupid happy :) Hopefully I can keep this up and have another chapter up soon, although I doubt it will be as short as a wait as now. Until then, as always, thanks for reading!