A/N: This is just me screwing around with some free time I have. I like the idea of having Intermission chapters, which will be just small breaks between the action. I might even ditch Peter's POV and have some of these chapters be exclusive to other characters. For now, this first one is just Peter skateboarding. I actually really liked the skateboarding scenes in TASM1, especially since I'm a skater myself, so I wanted to have a scene in this story dedicated to Peter's love for skating. So... here we are.


There wasn't much to do at Purgatory during down time. Peter had finished his "chores", or the odd jobs that felt like chores to him, earlier in the day. Nothing too complicated. All he was asked to do was to organize the weapons rack thoroughly, to make sure the guns were prepped and ready. They were to be utilized for the Joker's higher level thugs in tonight's shootout, an event that Peter had heard talked about on and off by his associates. Too bad he wouldn't be there, all because he hadn't kissed enough ass yet. Not that he cared that he was missing out on a shootout. He was missing out on a chance to run into her.

"Dammit..."

Peter had to distract himself from thinking about her so much, lest he drive himself even further down into madness. So he found inspiration in the form of a smooth breeze that beckoned Peter to the outside of Purgatory. He took the wind's advice, grabbed his skateboard and stepped out onto the curb. All it took was one look up at the congested sky and its gray clouds to know that a powerful storm was on the way. But when Peter wanted skate, nothing could stop him. Definitely not a little rain.

He didn't bother to report to his captains that he was going out. Not like he could escape anyway. The surrounding body of water around Purgatory made sure of that. No one was getting off the island without a boat or unless they happened to be an Olympic swimmer, which Peter was most certainly not. The voices in his head, the very same voices that pushed him into going undercover, now told him to be careful and to keep suspicion off of him, which definitely wouldn't be helped if he just disappeared from his post. But as Peter stepped out into the streets, he put his ears buds in, drowning out those voices with his favorite song ready to be blasted.

Stepping onto his board, he gave a single push, and pressed the "Play" button on his phone. Peter found his surroundings moving in-sync with his music. Droplets danced on Peter's face as he lifted his head up to the sky, and let the weather have its way with him. It swept him up into its arms, wind currents caressing him as he moved in tandem with them. His tricks were assisted as well, as he grinded off siderails into high air, finding himself with greater air time that he eagerly used to enhance his thrills. The song was picking up, as well as his heartbeat, and the thunderstorm.

He was in the zone, and as everyone else in the streets found shelter from the rain, Peter instead found himself in his element. Even with Gotham's shadows screaming out to him from the skies, alleys, and corners for him to stop, Peter drowned it out with the distorted guitars, his shoes flicking off the griptape and the trucks shredding apart everything that it grinded on. All of it came full circle back to one woman who was the influence of everything he'd done in the past weeks. He could only imagine the ridicule people would have for him if they knew what he was doing. All the names that would be reserved for him like "simp," "desperate," "pathetic", "foolhardy", and a host of other insults. Peter would neither deny them or care about those accusations.

Peter just wanted Harley to himself. Away from that green-haired asshole.

The distorted guitars and crashing drums reached their peak at the second half of the song, and so did Peter, landing a heelflip into a puddle of rain, where time slowed to a crawl. The droplets from the puddle splashed onto him, coating his body with water in slow motion. He welcomed it, as well as the ecstasy that came from it. But as the song came to an end minutes later, Peter coasted on his board, catching his breath and finding amusement from the bystanders that had been staring at him the whole time, baffled that a resident of the Narrows had any spirit left to enjoy himself.

He chuckled. They didn't know that he was probably the most broken person in their entire district. Stepping off the board, Peter transitioned his jog into a walk as he came across something that disturbed him, painted against the brick wall of a rotting, abandoned building.

It was a mural that depicted the Joker's smiling face. His hands were visible and posed into a prayer. Doves surrounded his face that looked up into a shining sky. What even was this? Was the artist seriously trying to paint the Joker as some sort of saint? If only they'd known the atrocities that were committed by those hands. It bothered Peter, more and more as he got closer to the brick wall. The smile was probably the worst part.

A smile that didn't belong in this world.

A smile that should've never been.

A smile that would be wiped off that stupid face soon enough...


A/N: Song Peter skated to is "TOOL - Descending." As mentioned in the story, the second-half of this track is where it really shines. Give it a listen if you like progressive rock.