Quick update. I was inspired by the Batman fic 'Three Am at Denny's' and wanted to try my hand at showing the heroes from an outsider's POV again. It happened a few times in V1 as well but usually only for a short while or during a dangerous situation. Here I wanted to try a more low-key variant where there's no action or drama.
YoungandCold: So you've fought a lot of supernatural creatures Dark Spider. Have you ever fought ghosts?
reply from Dark Spider: A few. Most of them are harmless enough, just people looking to pass on or have unfinished business, but a few are basically demons.
reply from YoungandCold: What was the worst one you had to deal with?
reply from Dark Spider: Worst one? Guess it'd have to be Jack the Ripper.
reply from Lady Thren: wait wait wait you mean the literal jack the ripper? guy who went around killing prostitutes in victorian london.
reply from Dark Spider: Yep.
reply from Kairos sus: ...How?!
reply from Dark Spider: Ripper was a guy who got syphilis and took it out on prostitutes. Killed himself when it became too much then turned into a ghost. Took him centuries but eventually he found someone just like him and started to go on a spree again.
reply from YoungandCold: Wait was it that copycat killer in Wales?
reply from Dark Spider: Yeah. Took the guy out and made sure the Ripper went to Hell where he belonged. Guy went down cursing about how he'll drag me down with him, typical stuff. Wasn't easy but I'll take ghosts over demons or Vampires any day.
Kill her now.
Liz sighed and flopped down pathetically on the messy desk. The bright screen of her Uphone showed '3:11' in bright, multi-color (her own little personal touch) numbers. This sucked. Three am in Sunday and instead of going out on the party Trixie invited her to or doing something fun she was stuck in her room cause of that dumb report Professor Morbius' replacement gave them. As creepy as that guy was at least he was an easy A.
But no, he retired for 'personal reasons' and now they had to deal with Mrs. Williams and her monster essays. A ten page essay on the history of a chemist whose name she couldn't even pronounce? Mrs. Williams could officially kiss her ass.
"Keep it down." Cissy groaned from the bed. Her roommate was trapped too, mostly on account of blowing her last paycheck on her loser of a boyfriend who Liz finally convinced her to dump just yesterday. Which of course meant the usual ritual of curling up on bed binging on ice cream and webflicks to try and forget. She'd been in and out of sleep while Liz tried to keep up with the five page requirement.
"It's not my fault," Liz grumbled.
"You had a week to do it. Maybe try not to cram it all at once next time?"
"Ah, shut up..." She leaned back on the chair and stretched her arms above her head. It wasn't that she was tired - she chugged way too much coffee for that - but the blank white page made her want to die, "Ugh...screw it! I'm never gonna get it done! Let's go out."
Cissy sat up slightly and gave her a flat stare, "Now? Dude it's three am."
"So? I'm starving and Benny's is open 24 hours. Come on, my treat."
"Never say no to free food, I guess."
They changed quickly and made their way to the small diner. Benny's was a relic, old when her dad was her age, but the diner survived everything from the old owner dying from a heart attack in the middle of a birthday party to Spider-Woman stepping on it when she went Godzilla a few months ago. Got rebuilt all shiny and new but somehow still looked old and falling apart. Part of its charm, she guessed.
The place was empty, surprise surprise. Janey, the blonde waitress who reminded Liz of her mom, smiled at them without any sign of how tired she must've been, "Morning, just the two of you?"
"Mhm. Thanks."
They sat down and ordered. Liz tapped her fork against the table as they waited for their chocolate pancakes and hot drinks. That report was tanked and if she failed the course her dad was gonna be pissed. Not that he was home a lot of the time. She heard him talking over the phone about a new Supervill making trouble and they had to work overtime. Pfft, like Spinerette wasn't just gonna handle it all by herself.
The door opened and Liz nearly dropped the fork when she saw who it was, "Can't believe I let you talk me into this..." Spider-Man stomped in with a soft growl with freaking Daredevil right behind him smiling like the cat that ate the canary. Spider-Man had bits of dirt and concrete on his shoulders while Daredevil was...was that smoke coming from his armor? "And why are we even here? We should be meeting with the others."
"Why ask me? This was Iron Fist's idea."
Janey, instead of freaking the fuck out like a normal person, just gave the two a wry smile, "How many this time?"
"Five, Ms. Schmidt. Our friends will join us in just a bit," Daredevil said.
Liz turned back to look at Cissy and she was gaping just like she was.
"Oh my God!" Liz whispered.
"I know!"
"Oh my God!"
"I know!"
Liz looked back and Spider-Man was staring right at her. She practically jumped out of her seat and was torn between shrinking into her seat or bolting right out of there when Daredevil suddenly laughed, "It appears you've made a poor first impression, Peter."
"Tch, go to hell." He turned and walked to the corner booth. Daredevil gave them both an amused, apologetic smile and joined the other Defender, sitting across from him and putting his feet up on the table. Spider-Man didn't say anything and just gave the completely not freaking out waitress his order, "Thanks. And...sorry for dropping in like this again." Again?! He did this before?!
"No problem, honey. You're a hell of a lot more polite than most of the other regulars." She smirked and took Daredevil's order with the same nonchalance as before. She turned on her heel and was about to go back behind the counter when Liz flagged her in a panic, "Hm? Something wrong?"
"Yeah! I mean, no!" Cissy said before Liz could say anything, "But like, uh...does that happen often?" She gestured to the two Defenders. Spider-Man looked up slightly and didn't say anything while Daredevil looked back and smirked at them cockily. God, a guy in a devil suit shouldn't look so hot!
"Not a lot. They come in here sometimes. We give em a discount ever since Spider-Man got the new owner's daughter out of a jam." A jam? Liz wanted to ask what the heck that meant before the old waitress smiled and said, "It's personal. Anyway, I'll get you your orders in just a spell. Don't worry, they don't bite." Oh she wasn't worried about that, exactly...
The two of them continued to stare even as their plates of pancake and hot chocolate finally came. Spider-Man ignored them and just focused on...was that a bible in his hands? He said in a tweet he wasn't religious. Meanwhile Daredevil flipped the fork between his gloved fingers and hummed a tune she didn't know under his breath. Why the heck was everyone acting like this wasn't a big deal?"
"Never thought I'd see them," Cissy whispered.
"Me either."
"Hey you've lived here since you were in diapers. I just moved last year, there's no way you've never met them before."'
"New York's a big city! And it's not like I was looking for them or anything." Absolutely true. Sure she was a Spider-Man fan and had posters up on her wall, which her dad wasn't happy about, but she wasn't one of those cape chasers or anything. She was perfectly happy to occasionally check tweets and watch youweb vids like a normal person.
And she knew him...kinda. Okay not really but she was in the same year with Gwen Stacy and Peter Parker back when she was in midtown. Still weird to think that the guy who got stuffed in lockers and needed Stacy to defend him was a vigilante now.
Eventually they stared long enough that Spider-Man finally looked up and stared (glared?) at them. Liz let out a small, panicked sound and started shoveling pancakes into her mouth while Cissy did the same. The two of them did their best to look at anywhere but that corner booth. Liz knew Spider-Man was a superhero - no way Spider-Woman would've been cool with him otherwise - but that didn't change how scary the guy could be. Especially since he looked pissed off right now.
Janey came back with the two vigilantes' order just in time for the door to open again. Liz's head snapped to the entrance and she squeaked when she saw Moon Knight strut in without a care. His pure white suit almost seared her eyes with how much it stuck out and Cissy looked at her in wide-eyed surprise. They both heard what Daredevil said but somehow they thought that he meant something other than the entire Defenders crashing at Benny's.
"This is an unsafe place," Moon Knight said as he slid next to Spider-Man.
"Blame Iron Fist." Spider-Man scoffed and detached the lower half of his mask to take a drink of his completely black coffee. Liz wasn't ashamed to admit she was kind of disappointed he didn't take it off entirely. It wasn't like the city didn't know who was behind the mask, right? What was the point of keeping his face hidden? "We were lucky to get out of there without any of your heads hanging from sticks."
"Come now, Peter, you exaggerate." Peter. Guess people were right; the two must've been close if Daredevil called him by his name like that, "Why the show of grumpiness? We saved those women and ensured those who would've exploited them are paying severely for their crimes. Tell me you wouldn't have done this on your own."
"Would've preferred being on my own."
"The loner act again? You do know that the mask you're already wearing is more than enough." She could practically feel the glare Spider-Man gave him. Wait, what? Weren't they friends? "And it was for Iron Fist's sake as well. He was practically beaming when we showed our capabilities as a team outside of our shared conflict with the Hand."
"If you say so..."
Cissy turned back to look at her, "What're they talking about?"
"I dunno." Liz opened up her phone and checked the recent news tweets. Nothing interesting till a few refreshes popped up an article that matched what they were talking about, "Check this out." She showed Cissy the article on her phone. A news report about two dozen women being rescued from a trafficking ring. 'Oddly enough' the identities of the rescuers were 'unknown'. Nevermind the victims talking about human spiders and devils.
"Holy shit..." Cissy whispered, "Says here that happened just a few minutes ago."
"Explains why Daredevil was smoking." She looked back to the booth. Moon Knight was talking with Spider-Man about...vampires? Demons? She couldn't hear, "This is so freaking weird. Like I'm totally expecting to wake up any second now like this is all one big dream."
"I know! It's weirder for me, we didn't have superheroes back home."
The door opened for the third time. Cissy and Liz watched with (slightly less) surprise as Iron Fist walked in with Ninja Lady right behind him. He was talking happily about something Liz didn't know about while Ninja Lady just nodded along. Oh, and she had a freaking katana on her, which Janey, of course, didn't give a single crap about and just pointed them both to where the rest of the Defenders sat.
Daredevil looked back lazily and grinned at the pair while Moon Knight and Spider-Man didn't greet them at all, "Hey guys." Iron Fist slid in after Ninja Lady with an infectious smile on his face. Spider-Man sighed and pulled out a cigarette, "Surprised you can even think about smoking after we nearly got torched back there."
"That only happened because we had no plan," Moon Knight said. His voice modulator made him sound really creepy.
"They were going to sell those women tonight. We couldn't just wait for a better opportunity."
"I agree with you, Iron Fist, but that doesn't mean we need to bash our heads against the wall. I know you can heal from bullets but a shot to the head is still a shot to the head. You're lucky Echo made sure that guy didn't fill the back of your head with buckshot."
"Ah, I've had worse. Remind me to tell you about the time I had a grenade explode at my face."
"Been there. Not a fan."
Liz debated on going over there, or at least taking a picture to post later, when Janey passed by their table again, "You know it's rude to stare." Both she and Cissy jumped up in their seats. Even though it sounded like the beginning of a lecture the older woman's face still had the same smile as before, "They're good people. No need to act like they're gonna explode if you stop looking at them."
"Aren't you surprised? I mean..." It was the freaking Defenders. Different members now, sure, but there was a reason people considered them Avengers of the streets. You don't kill a demon without getting a rep.
"At first, but then I got used to it. This city's crazy, and those boys and that girl...they're doing what they can to make things better. I used to live in Hell's Kitchen. I was there when that demon started stringing people up. Now that demon's gone and it's like...we weight lifted off my shoulders. Don't wake up in the morning feeling helpless or that I'm just surviving till I suck in my last breath."
Daredevil suddenly cut in, "As flattering as that is, that was mostly due to Peter. I wasn't even there at the time."
"So much for telling the truth and nothing but." Spider-Man scoffed and took a long inhale of his cigarette. Ninja Lady grunted and waved the smoke away from her face, "And you're giving us a bit too much credit there, Miss."
"Heh, guess Daredevil was right. You really don't know how to take compliments."
Spider-Man glared at Daredevil again while Iron Fist laughed. Yeah, he definitely sounded young. Everyone always figured Iron Fist had to be in his 20's judging by how he acted, "What the hell have you been telling her?"
"Oh nothing, just warning her beforehand that the icy exterior of yours is a persona and she shouldn't take it at face value."
"...Go to hell."
"You and I both know that's already happening."
The clap on the shoulder Janey gave her was enough to jolt Liz out of her constant staring. Looking down at her now-cold pancakes, Liz shoveled it into her mouth and tried not to look across the diner, "Holy shit, we gotta tell Jay about this. He's gonna freak out!" Cissy whispered excitedly.
"Definitely! I mean holy shit, the Defenders at a diner! No one's gonna freaking believe this!" Could she sneak a picture? No, she'd try her luck later.
Almost half an hour passed before Ninja Lady slammed her hand against the table and pointed her finger at the cigarette in Spider-Man's right hand, "...Alright, fine. Have it your way." Spider-Man sighed and scooted out of the boot. He left through the entrance and leaned against the wall next to the door, finishing off the last of his cigarette.
Liz stood up and, before Cissy could tell her otherwise, she walked out of the entrance and almost bumped into the guy in her rush. Spider-Man didn't react at all to her almost pratfall and just took another drag, "...Need something?"
"Oh, just..." She fiddled with the phone in her hands, "Could I take a picture? Just one?"
He sighed, exhaling a plume of smoke down at the ground, and nodded, "Sure, just make it quick." Liz held back from squealing and took a selfie with him. She knew better than to push her luck ask for a pose, "That all?"
"Yeah!" She uploaded it with a few hashtags and stuffed her phone back to her pocket, "So, uh...mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why not?"
"Cool. So, uh...you and Daredevil."
"What about him?"
"Are you two friends? Didn't mean to eavesdrop." Okay, kind of a lie but whatever, "It's just, it seems like you don't get along with him. I thought you two were friends."
"If you knew who he was you'd never think that." He took another drag and blew it upwards, "He and I aren't friends. Never were and never will."
"Really? He seems really friendly to you..."
"Doesn't change the fact that I hate him." He stomped the cigarette underfoot and clipped the lower half of his mask back on, "We aren't like the Avengers. Sorry to disappoint."
"Not disappointed, just...surprised." She doubted anyone would believe. Everyone had their own secret, never before seen fact about every single hero in the city.
They stared at one another for a few more seconds till Spider-Man asked, "...Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Nothing! It's just...it's still hard to believe you're Peter Parker. You probably don't remember me but I was in Midtown High with you." Wasn't his friend but not one of his bullies either.
"Huh. That's something." He didn't look surprised, "But if you're looking to reminisce about the good old days you're going to be disappointed."
"Yeah, guess not." She laughed under her breath, "Hey, uh...good job with the rescue. Saw it on the news."
"...Thanks. Nice to hear it from someone who isn't Spider-Woman once in a while."
He went back inside while Liz checked on her post. Already getting likes and a few posts calling bullshit. She let out a cold breath and went back inside. Going out was totally worth it.
hoddohoodlumsrevenge: Dark Spider why did you go on that around the world trip?
reply from Dark Spider: Had my reasons.
reply from hoddohoodlumsrevenge: Not gonna say?
reply from Dark Spider: No.
reply from dobbyisaGOODservant: What was your favorite place?
reply from Dark Spider: Can't say I really had one. Just about every place I went to I couldn't go more than a couple of days before some new kind of insanity dragged me in. New York's even worse but still.
reply from dobbyisaGOODservant: Okay fine, any place you didn't like then?
reply from Dark Spider: France and Japan, easy.
reply from Fierarch: Wait what? Why? You were there in France for a while. You even
reply from Dark Spider: Had my reasons. Still doesn't change that being there felt like bashing my head against a rubber wall.
reply from Kyle Roche 97: Japan too...wait, didn't you fight a magical girl and an idol there? It totally made the news -embedded link-
reply from Dark Spider: Idol was aligned to the Hand, dragging desperate suckers into their recruitment centers. 'Magical girl' was just crazy and went on a power trip after getting that stupid wand.
reply from Fierarch: I saw the vid of that fight. Never thought I'd ever see the day Spider-Man fought a freaking magical girl...'
reply from Dark Spider: Not something I'm keen on repeating either believe me.
reply from Kyle Roche 97: Lol just checked again and Shining Princess (one of the good magical girls) said she has a crush on Spider-Man. Hey if Spider-Woman doesn't work out you there are other options :P
Like I said short chapter but I wanted to try writing civilian POV's that weren't Frog-Man. Hopefully less cringy without the blatant hero envy. Anyway, hopefully everyone's alright and surviving the beginning of this new year.
Questions:
1. Are there any more alternative kinds of chapters you guys want to see? By that I mean not strictly related to the plot but more stuff like this that can be used to help explore the world.
2. I wonder, would you guys have kept reading if Noir/Gwen wasn't the couple we went with? I had alternative love interests planned but those got far less support than the two leads.
Review Answers:
PandaTobi - Uh...thanks?
Roxasdualwielder: Guess it works here.
