Annie woke up feeling exhausted and groggy. She had taken her mask off, but was still in her costume. She rubbed her eyes and glanced at the clock. It was already 12:30 AM. She sighed and checked her pump, which showed good blood sugar levels. The fight with Hammerhead and Overdrive must have taken a lot out of her. And then there was the fight with her dad.
Annie tiptoed out of her room, and crossed to the hallway bathroom. The apartment was dark and quiet, almost eerily still. After using the bathroom, Annie looked in the mirror and saw her tear-stained face.
The bruising on her nose and eyes were already improving, but she still had a wicked headache. She wondered how much of the headache was from her broken nose or from the crying. After the fight with her dad, Annie had felt so angry, overwhelmed, and just downright sad that all she could do was just cry herself to sleep.
Now, hours later, she stood in the bathroom feeling restless and caged.
Annie crossed back to her bedroom and grabbed her phone. She saw a bunch of texts from Normie, all asking if she were okay. He explained he saw coverage of the fight and was concerned. She felt bad for falling asleep and missing his texts.
Annie then saw a plate of food covered in aluminum foil sitting on her nightstand. Someone must have brought her dinner while she had slept. She sat down on her bed, pulled the foil off, and began to pick at the chicken, noodles, and veggies. As she ate, she glanced at her sugar levels, did some mental math to figure out her bolus, and then responded to Normie.
Hey Normie, I 'm okay, sry for not texting you sooner, I fell asleep. I hope I'm not waking you!
She placed her phone down to focus on her meal. To her surprise, it rang, signaling a new message. She grabbed her phone and hastily switched it to silent mode so as not to wake her parents. Normie responded.
Glad you're okay! Let me know if you need to talk. The news coverage was pretty intense.
Annie smile as she typed her response. Thank you! Maybe we can catch up later, it is pretty late, and I am so sorry if I woke you.
No, wasn't sleeping, I'm up. Had an exciting day, and can't really sleep.
Good exciting or bad exciting?
I'd say good! But was worried about you and your family though. Parents good?
Yeah, they're fine. Can't wait to hear about your good-exciting day! Lol!
LOL, yeah. Well if you are up for some company let me know, definitely not sleeping anytime soon!
Really? Was he really inviting her over? Well, it would be nice to see him and get out of her room. Ok! Give me a minute, I'll be there soon.
Wait, like coming over or call? Normie asked.
OMG, did you mean phone call or come over?
LOL! I see how that was confusing. If you promise not to judge the mess, you are always welcome.
Yeah. She needed to get out of this room. She doubted her parents would let her go at this time of night, but she was ready to jump out of her skin.
Okay! I promise not to judge.
Cool, see you soon. Swing safe!
LOL! Always. See ya!
Annie quickly washed her face, ran a brush through her hair and grabbed her mask. Moving as quietly as she could, she grabbed a few spare pillows and fluffed the covers over them, making it look like she was asleep. She promised herself she wouldn't stay too long because her parents would be absolutely pissed if they caught her sneaking out.
She made sure her sensor was sending her numbers to the app. She knew if her parents couldn't get a read on her sugar levels, they would barge into her room. That also met she had to keep her numbers absolutely perfect because if the got a notification her numbers were rising or dropping, they would again barge into her room. That would make webswinging tricky. Her numbers always trended down. She chugged some juice, waited a few minutes, and then quietly snuck out of her bedroom window.
Hey Spiderling!" Normie said as he opened the doors to his terrace, letting his friend in.
The went inside and settled on the couch. He offered her something to eat and drink, but she declined. He was excited to tell her about his acting class, but he knew that could wait. He wanted to make sure she was okay from her fight with Hammerhead. Some witnesses reported she left the scene with her face covered in blood.
"How are you?" he asked.
Spiderling shrugged. "It's been pretty rough since Friday."
"What happened on Friday?"
Spiderling sighed heavily, and was quiet, as if not knowing where to begin. "I almost lost my mom."
"Holy shit, Spiderling, I am so sorry." He realized now that Spinneret was missing during the battle on the highway. Was it because she was injured? "Is she alright?"
"Yeah, yes. She's fine now. She's fine." Spiderling looked tense and sounded on the verge of tears. Instinctively, he reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. He felt the webbed-texture of Spiderling's glove.
She smiled. "Thank you." And then she told him about the fight her parents had with two new villains and Vulture. She told him she wasn't with them during the fight because of a big science test her parents had wanted her to rest up for. But he couldn't miss the guilt in her voice.
"My dad said she was trapped under that dome. If it weren't for his superpowers, she would've drowned."
They sat in silence, letting the moment breath. Normie thought of his own father. Superpowers weren't enough to save him. He blinked away the sting in his eyes.
"How'd she escape?"
"My dad. He was able to break through the force field, and pull her out. They were able to get away."
"Thank god," Normie said.
Spiderling nodded. "And then today, my mom stayed home, to take care of civilian stuff."
Normie couldn't help but wonder what sort of civilian stuff. He knew Spiderling had an entirely different life outside of the costume, but he had no clue as to what that life was like. He wanted to ask, almost hungry for the details, but he knew she couldn't answer. She would vaguely redirect the conversation, never fully saying "I can't tell you that." Part of him wished she just would set that boundary, shutting up the part of him that wondered if she'd ever trust him enough with some of those details. She was, after all, his closest friend, and they had know each other since childhood.
But he was also the son and grandson of a major supervillain, and part of him feared her family worried he would follow the Goblin's legacy.
Normie shook himself out of his thoughts and focused on Spiderling.
She told him about the fight and her broken nose. He found himself trying to look more closely at her face, see the difference in her nose, but her mask looked like it hid all of the damage.
"Wow. Spiderling, I'm sorry all of that happened to you." All his life he had known her as the superhero who always saved the day. She had been invincible to him, saving his life dozens of times.
Spiderling just shrugged, her hand gingerly touching her nose through her mask.
"You can really get hurt out there," he said, feeling stupid for coming to that realization for the first time. He should have known the danger better than almost anyone, especially because of his own father. But his dad had been a villain, and the good guys always won. Wasn't that how it had to go?
"You sound like my dad," she said. "He's treating me like I'm made of glass, and is pissed at me for even being at the fight."
"Seriously?" Wasn't that what she was supposed to do? But he was probably freaked by what he saw happen to Spinneret and Spiderling.
"Yeah. I get it, its dangerous but I can handle it. Like with Hammerhead. My face should be so much worse, but my Spider-Sense warned me before Hammerhead hit me. I reacted, and pulled away as his head hit my face. It helped lessen the force of the blow. I'm seriously okay."
It still must've hurt like a bitch. He recalled the articles describing the blood. Some calling for CPS to get involved due to Spider-Man endangering his child by taking her crime fighting.
"But yeah. I'm okay, just a little sore. When my dad and I got home, he treated me like Hammerhead attacking me was my fault, and is mad that I was helping him instead of doing school stuff."
"School stuff?" Normie asked. He wondered how she balanced it all. And then wondered what it was like to be a normal kid with normal kid problems like school. His intellect had allowed him to finish school very young, and even before that, his education was anything but typical; it was made up of private tutors working with him between Oscorp board meetings.
"I'm sorry, Normie, I shouldn't be complaining. I, I'm sorry."
He knew why she was becoming so awkward. It happened a lot with him, people talking about their fathers and then realizing they were talking to Normie. Like the world just knew he couldn't handle talking about his dad, that he'd break apart, become the next Goblin. Even his own mother tip-toed around him, everyone seeing him as a ticking time bomb.
"Look, I'm not going to snap and jump onto a glider." His tone was harsher than intended, but damn, he thought Spiderling knew him better than that.
"Oh my god, Normie, I know that! I've known that since we became friends."
"You don't worry about me becoming a villain?"
"Of course not," she said. She sounded so confident and sure. "I just felt like I was being insensitive. Complaining about my dad after the loss you've experienced. That's all I meant. Normie, is that something you worry about? Me thinking you'll become a villain?"
He shrugged. "Everyone thinks that about me. Always looking over their shoulder, waiting for that moment I'll snap." But then he remembered his acting teacher, MJ. She had not shied away from his father. He really hoped he could meet with her, he had a million questions just burning to be answered.
"I've never thought that about you Normie. You're an amazing guy, with a heart of gold. My absolute best friend. You've got a knack for getting into trouble, but I know you'll never become a villain."
The assurance in her voice was a balm on his aching heart. He felt himself relax into the couch, feeling fully seen. "Thank you," he said. "And Spiderling, you can talk to me about your dad. I'm also not made of glass."
"Okay," she smiled. "Thank you Normie."
He nodded, and wondered what her expression would look like without her mask. He swallowed the thought. "Spiderling," he began. "Can I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course," she said.
"What does your Spider-Sense feel like?" That must be pretty wild, having a sense that could warn you of danger. Was it like a sense of intuition? A gut feeling you had to follow?
She chuckled. "Well, its kind of hard to explain. I get this sense of like dread, almost. Sometimes it is so intense it hurts. But that part doesn't last too long. I relax into that feeling, and, this is the weird part, I can see the danger that is about to happen."
"Like precognition?"
"Yeah. But my parents, they don't have the precognition part. My dad says his is painful, like an ice pick in the back of his skull."
"Ouch," Normie said, his hand automatically going to the back of his head. "That's pretty wild how yours is different from your dad's."
"Yeah, the precognition part comes from my connection to the Web of Life and Destiny. My parents don't have that."
"Interesting. And your mom, does she have a Spider-Sense?"
"Yeah! Hers is like my dad's though."
"Huh. Do your parents like have the exact same powers? What are the chances of that happening?" Was there like some secret civilization with spider-powered people?
Annie shrugged, suddenly quiet. "I guess they're similar. Just coincidence."
He could tell she wouldn't say more. She got like that with questions that could touch on her or her family's secret identities. He hadn't meant to pry, but it was interesting. Living in a world were you can sense danger before it happened.
"Sorry," he said.
"No, it's all good." She smiled. "Any more questions? I mean, you kind of know what it is like to web-swing."
"Yeah," he laughed. Spiderling had taken him out web-swinging on many different occasions. Sometimes, it was to do him a solid and get him to a meeting on time when he was running late. Other times it was because she was saving his ass. And, sometimes, it was just because.
"What's it like to walk on walls?" He tried to imagine how exhilarating that must be, crawling up a skyscraper with what appeared to be ease, then staring out at the city at that angle, perpendicular to the building, looking down below. He tried to imagine it, but the thought alone made him dizzy in a fun, thrill-ride sort of way.
Spiderling smiled. "Wanna find out?"
Really? Was she serious? Was she going to strap him onto her back and run up a building or something? It wouldn't be the same as actually walking up the walls, but it'd be the closest he'd ever get.
"Hell yeah!" he said.
Soon they were on the rooftop of his penthouse. She led him to the edge of the building, her arm out in front of him protectively. He was freezing, and felt himself huddle deep into his sweater. He glanced over the edge of the building and felt his heart rate accelerate.
"Okay," she began, and he turned to face her. "I'm going to step behind you, and hold onto you, around here," she said, placing her hands on the sides her of chest, under her arms. "Is that okay?"
Normie nodded, his body buzzing with excitement and anticipation.
"Cool. I'm gonna hold on tight, obviously, but I will also be kind of pushing you down, so your feet will be anchored. Lets try that now so I know not to push too hard. I don't want to hurt you."
"How strong are you?" He asked, the amazement clear in his voice. He sounded like a little boy, fanning over his hero.
"I'm pretty strong," she chuckled.
And so they did a few practice steps on the rooftop. Spiderling held him firmly under his arms, and he felt her pressure weighing him down. Her grip was incredibly strong. He had his arms extended out to his sides like a tightrope walker keeping his balance.
"You ready Osborn?"
He nodded. "Ready."
They walked to the edge of the building, her hands still in position. The view made his knees wobble. He hesitated. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea.
"Normie, you good?" Spiderling asked.
He nodded hastily.
"Hey, I got you, okay? If you want, I can tether you to me with some webbing, to help you feel more secure."
"No," he said. "I trust you."
"Okay," she replied, and he couldn't help but hear the smile in her voice. "Let's go," she whispered.
He nodded, and took that awkward step from the rooftop and down, the sudden shift in his body weight sent adrenaline coursing through his veins. He placed his foot on the side of the building, the movement almost feeling like a second of free fall, the change in his perception dizzying. He held his breath as he brought his other foot in place, Spiderling behind him, her pressure keeping him safe and secure.
Normie laughed giddily, the cold wind stinging his face, electrifying his skin. He heard Spiderling giggle at his unabashed joy. The city sprawled out below him, the cars below like twinkling toys, the people rushing to and fro like ants. In that moment, he fancied himself a giant. He stretched his arms out, feeling unstoppable, capable of doing the impossible.
The passage of time was strange. The minutes spent standing on the side of the building, taking slow shuffling steps felt both endless and fleeting.
"Alrightie Osborn," Spiderling said. "Hold on, wanna check on you." She adjusted her grip, and shifted around him, ending up standing in front of him, smiling brightly, her red, wavy hair cascading down behind her. Normie wondered what she looked like under the mask. All he really could see was her hair, which, honestly could be a wig for all he knew, and her smile, which was dazzling.
Spiderling held him securely, and at this angle, it was almost like he was floating above her. A thought ran through his mind of her arms bending, closing the gap between them.
"You okay," she whispered, and, as if she had heard his thoughts, took a step closer.
He could only nod, and took a small step towards her. She adjust her pressure, allowing the step. They were so close, and he longed to see her eyes behind her mask. There was a moment, a quick, quiet breath, and something passed between them, syncing their movements as they closed the gap. He all but fell into her embrace, lips locking in a kiss that set his nerves afire and made his toes curl.
After a few moments they pulled away, giggling.
"Wow," she said, breathless.
"Yeah."
"That made my day better," her cheeks flushed pink.
"Me too."
For a second, he thought they'd go for round two, but an alarm sounded.
"Shit," Spiderling said.
"Everything okay?"
"My blood sugar is starting to trend up. I should head back, before my parents start getting notifications. They will check on me, and will absolutely freak if I'm not there."
"Yeah, we better get you back."
Spiderling swung home, feeling light and airy as she pirouetted through the night sky. What a turn of events. Reflecting back on the fight with Hammerhead and Overdrive, and then on the fight with her father, she found herself feeling guilty for having such a nice time after such a crappy day.
But thoughts of Normie and the kiss they shared outweighed the guilt. She wondered what the kiss meant. Was a it a one time thing? Were they boyfriend and girlfriend? And how would that work, when he didn't even know her name. He just knew her as Spiderling.
But was that really so bad? Spiderling was a major part of her identity. Annie smiled. Yes. This could work. Of course they needed to talk, get on the same page. What if he didn't feel the same way as her? But, what if he did? She wasn't sure which possibility was more scary.
Chill out Parker, Annie told herself. She'd worry tomorrow. Tonight, she'd bask in the thrill of her first kiss.
I've got to catch her, stop her fall before she hits the water!" Spider-Man cried, his words eerily familiar. He looked over the edge of the tower and saw a limp figure falling towards the East River.
I've done this before, Peter thought to himself, his mind murkier than the waters below. I've done this before and it didn't work. The realization stopped him in his tracks, preventing him from firing his web. His movements felt heavy, clumsy, as if his limbs weighed tons. He fought his way towards the edge of the tower, and saw the figure falling impossibly fast while he moved impossibly slow. The farther she fell, the greater the distance between the water and the bridge, as if the space between them was stretching, trapping her in an unending fall. He tried to jump off of the tower, but couldn't, he was rooted in place. All he could do was extend his arm to fire a web.
"But that doesn't work," he anguished. "THAT DOESN'T WORK!"
His heart dropped and shattered when the distance stopped expanding and the limp figure crashed into the water below…
…Peter's eyes snapped open, his heart racing, his body covered in sweat. He forced himself still, his body reorienting. It was just a dream. Just a dream, he told himself, but it was in truth a nightmare-memory.
He focused on the ceiling trying to count the grooves and texture in the paint. He needed to calm down, he didn't want to wake MJ. When his heart rate returned to a more normal rhythm, he quietly sat up, got out of bed, and made his way to the bathroom and then the kitchen.
He passed Annie's room on the way, and saw dim light spilling out from under her door. She had fallen asleep much earlier than normal, so that probably set her sleep schedule out of whack.
He knocked lightly on the door.
"Yes?" She said through the door.
"Annie, it's me. Can I come in?"
"Okay."
Peter opened the door and stepped in his daughter's room. Annie sat on her bed in her pajamas, reading. Her short, wavy hair was tied up in a small pony tail.
"Whatcha reading?" He asked as he sat on her bed.
She smiled and held up the thin, worn book. It had been one of her favorites in elementary school, and it was about a young girl and her dog who solved mysteries in her neighborhood.
"Wow, its been a long time since I've seen you reading that one."
"Yeah. Needed something light."
Peter nodded. "Annie, I'm so sorry for what I said. I didn't mean it."
"Its okay," she sighed. "I'm sorry too. I was a brat."
He wrapped his arms around his daughter, and took comfort in her leaning into the hug. He hated fighting with her.
"I also am so sorry for the pressure I've been putting on you. I never meant to do that…"
"Dad, its fine, I get it. I need to take school seriously."
Peter stared down at his hands. He took a breath, and then said, "it's not just about that Annie. Look, when I was your age, I had no idea what I was doing, and I screwed up a lot as Peter Parker. I missed out on dates, I broke commitments, I missed classes and tests.
"I was this whiz kid on the fast track to a great career. But I never lived up to my potential and just let everyone down."
"Dad," Annie said. "That's not true."
"Of course it is. I mean look at me. I'm 47 years old, still trying to finish school, no career beyond random part-time gigs, and the reputation of being an unreliable flake. I know I put a lot of pressure on you. Tell you to sit out some of the Spider stuff so you can meet your commitments. I do that because I don't want you to feel like you are picking between Annie or Spiderling."
Peter felt deflated and raw.
"Dad. You're not a loser. I've never thought that once in my life. And you are hardly the only 47 year old in college now. Reece and Lacey tell me the students are all ages in their class."
Peter chuckled. "Really?"
"Yeah. And I've always seen you go back to school, then step away, and go back again. I don't see you as a loser, I see you as really determined. Really motivated. You make sacrifices every day to keep everyone in this city safe, and then you still fight for what you love. You're not a loser dad. You're my hero."
Peter sniffed loudly and wiped at his eyes. "Thanks kid. You're my hero too." Peter hugged his daughter, not realizing how much he had been holding in. "Now's a good time to ask me for a pony, 'cause I won't say no."
Annie laughed. "Okay, I'll keep that in mind."
When they pulled away, they sat up and just talked, like they would when Annie was little and couldn't sleep. Annie chatted on excitedly, telling him about school, then openning up about how she had missed an important show for her theater club. Annie told him she was too ashamed to tell him, and he was shocked when she said she thought he had it all together when he was her age.
And because Peter knew what she was going through, he told her she wasn't alone. And that was okay to not always have your shit together.
