As Annabelle waited for her friends to arrive, she sat at the dining table, eating a bowl of tofu soup with rice. She kept tapping her spoon with a worried expression on her face, anxious about the decision she had been thinking for her friendships. One that would decide their future, no matter what it would be. The question was what would be the right decision?

While finishing her food, a couple of knocks coming from the dining room's window startled her, causing Anna to drop her spoon. "Geez, what in the?!-" She turned around to find Kaine and Peter in their superhero outfits. Annoyed and amused at the same time, she got out of her seat and walked to the window, opening it for her friends. "You two gave me a heart attack. You could've just texted me you would come from my window, right?" she said.

"Heheh, sorry," Peter scratched the back of his head.

Kaine noticed the bandage on Anna's cheek was gone. There was only a faint scar on it. Seeing it saddened him as he remembered the time he hid his secret from someone close to him.

"Well, don't dilly dally. Come inside!" Annabelle told the Spider-Men.

The two entered Anna's apartment and took off their masks, and Anna closed the window. She looked at them oddly.

"Is...something wrong, Ann?" Kaine asked with concern in his voice.

"No, not really," she chuckled, "Just not used to seeing you all in your superhero outfits."

"I see... Hey uh... You doing okay?" Kaine asked her.

"I am. Why?"

"It's just..." he pointed at her scar.

Anna realized this and let out a chuckle. "It's a little itchy at times but I'll be fine, K. Don't worry too much about me."

"I suppose..." Kaine replied awkwardly. Then he and Peter sat on the couch after Anna told them to sit and she pulled her dining chair, so she could talk with them.

"So, about why I called you two here..." She took a deep breath before continuing, "I finally know what to do with our friendships. Also, I wanna thank you for giving some space to think for a couple of days."

Kaine was afraid and nervous to hear the answer directly but he felt a hand on his shoulder, giving him gentle pats. He turned to face Peter with a look of fear.

"I'm here, Coz. You're not alone," the younger Parker assured him.

"Thank you..." Feeling ready to listen to Annabelle now, he returned his attention to his close friend.

"Well, I thought pretty hard about what I wanted and what the consequences would be. It was...difficult," she admitted. "But in the end... I decided to stick with you guys."

The Parkers froze for a moment. They were bewildered with her answer. "...What?" That was all they could utter.

"That's um... Wow..." Kaine's eyes widened in disbelief. He had thought that today would be the day he lost someone important to him. He got a different answer instead and he sighed in relief. Kaine finally relaxed with a smile painted on his face.

Not for Peter however. He was still worried for Anna despite him allowing Kaine to tell her his secret identity. Something he didn't approve of but he wanted the best for both. "Anna, are you really sure about this?" he asked, "Just another reminder from me that those who know a superhero's secret identity will be in danger."

"I'm...sure," she said with a slight uncertainty. "Look, I don't want to lose my friends, okay? I mean, yeah, I have other friends. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you." Anna explained, "You both care for me in your own way. I can't afford to lose you two..." Then, she turned to Kaine, their eyes meeting. She blushed slightly, "Especially the one guy who understands me. I... I don't think I can live without that."

Kaine's cheeks reddened when he heard those words coming out of Annabelle's lips. He could only smile to that. "I can't live without that too, Ann..." Deep down, he was glad this problem was finally over. Now, no secrets would be an obstacle to his friendship with Annabelle.

Between all that, Peter shook his head amusedly as he saw his two friends blushing. "Lovebirds forever," he chuckled to himself. "Well, I'm glad it's working out in the end for all of us." He snorted, "Anna, you have no idea how much Kaine has been thinking about you."

"Peter! What?-" Kaine and Anna looked at each other when they realized they were talking at the same time, causing their friend to laugh. They then shot a glare at Peter Parker, which made him raise his hands in defeat.

"Okay, okay. Sorry for teasing you all," he tried to contain his laughter.

"Hey, Ann," Kaine decided to change the subject, "You wanna do the physics homework later with us?"

"Sure." Anna groaned, "At least I won't be the only one being frustrated with the damn thing." The trio shared a laugh before they got up from their seats and walked to the dining room window, with Anna opening it.

"Kaine?" she called him, "Before you go... I..."

"Hm? What is it?"

Annabelle's cheeks became visibly red as she hesitated for a moment to continue. "I... Is it okay if I kiss your forehead?"

Kaine blushed and nodded. He could feel his cheeks becoming more heated when Anna cupped his cheek and gave a long kiss to his forehead. Closing his eyes, he sighed softly, feeling the warmth of her lips. She pulled away and the two smiled at each other.

"M-May I? Kiss your forehead too?"

Anna smiled and nodded. So, Kaine closed his eyes and returned the long kiss to his close friend's forehead. Her cheeks reddened. She could feel the warmth and passion coming from his lips before Kaine stopped and took a step away. Both shared a look and blushed even more.

"A-Alright uh... Take care, you guys. And hey, if you ever need to rant or vent about superhero stuff, I'll be there for you, okay?" she said to her friends. "You can trust me with those things."

"We appreciate that, Ann. Thank you," Kaine nodded. He and Peter then put their masks on. "See you later!" Both waved at their friend and jumped out of the window and began to swing their way home, as Anna peeked out, watching them go their separate ways eventually.

A relieved sigh escaped Annabelle's lips, the matter resolved. She moved her head back inside and closed the window. Afterwards, she washed the bowl and the spoon, and went to her bedroom.

Lying on her bed, she pulled out her smartphone from her shorts' pocket to text Gwen.

Hey, Gwennie? I hope I'm not bothering you. This is a short convo but... I just wanna tell you about the thing with my friends. It's finally settled and things went back to normal. I thought you should know.. (Anna)

Heyyy. No, you're not bothering me, Ann XD It's okay. And I appreciate you telling me about it. I'm glad the problem is over, girl! You can get peace over it (Gwen)

Yeah, me too... And Gwen? I also wanted to thank you for being there for me when I was...lost and confused. I'm glad to have a friend like you (A)

Aww. Anytime, Annie :3 That's what friends are for 3 I'll be here if you need anything, alright? (G)

Same here. And thanks, Gwen (A)

Putting her phone away on her desk, Anna then stared at the ceiling, deep in thoughts. She chose to be with her friends in the end. Yet, she still had a little doubt about her decision. Would she be able to go through the dangers Peter warned her about? She shook her head, deciding she could think about it at a later time.

For the past two days, she had difficulty in sleeping as the friendship problem and the confirmation of her friends' secret identities plagued her mind. She thought a lot to the point of stressing herself. But now, after settling on a decision and resolving the matter, Anna could sleep with a peaceful mind. She smiled, grabbed her bolster, and hugged it, closing her eyes. Eventually, she drifted to sleep and snored a little.


A/N #1: Hmm, I smell a romantic arc coming in the future... Maybe, maybe not XD I won't spoil more. By the way, the next chapter is a big one, filled with action and stealth like usual. So take some breaks while reading it. Hopefully, it's an enjoyable experience for all of you :)

A/N #2: I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter. If you like this fic, favorite and follow it! If you wanna see more of my fanfics in the future, favorite and follow me :3 You won't regret it but I'm not forcing you to do those though. Feel free to share this and leave a comment about your thoughts on this chapter. Anyways, happy (belated) new year! And have a good day/night :D