Chapter 31
*store-bell chiming*
Peter stumbled slightly as he rushed into the convenience store, panting slightly from the exertion.
After a few quick scans (to no avail) of the store, Peter breathed a small sigh of relief, figuring that he must've made it to the store earlier than she did.
*glass knocking sound*
Peter turned back towards the source of the noise, only to see MJ smirking from outside the store, a can of coffee in each of her hands.
"I saw you running in from behind the corner," MJ smirked, as she leans onto one of the railings in front of the store. "Didn't know you could move that fast," MJ smiled slightly, her eyebrows raised in mild amusement, her hands outstretched as she offered one of the cans to Peter. "Coffee, right?"
"Ahahaha," Peter rubbed the back of his head as he started fidgeting slightly, worried that he might've accidentally revealed his spider-like agility. "Well, you know, years of practice from being a gopher," he joked awkwardly.
MJ blinked in silence for a moment, slightly unsure of how to reply. "O-okay," she managed. "I'm sorry, that's not-,"
"Oh, no-no. It's a joke," Peter explained himself quickly, fidgeting slightly at the awkwardness caused from his joke.
Peter hesitated for a few moments, racking his brain on what to say, before noticing (and quickly grabbing) the can of coffee from MJ. "T-thanks," he beamed, before quickly gulping the contents of the can.
MJ opened her mouth, starting to say something, before deciding against it, and just smiling warmly at his antics.
After taking a long, big gulp of the drink, Peter eventually took notice of the smiling girl, staring at him from the side.
He quickly lowered the can from his lips, wiping the drops of coffee from his lips. "S-sorry," he fidgeted, blushing slightly from the attention.
"Whaa…, don't be," MJ shrugged her shoulders slightly, her soft smile still plastered across her face. She then opened her own can of coffee & took a big sip out of it, before flinching slightly at the taste.
"Man, that's bitter,"
Peter blinked in silence for a few moments, a small grin creeping onto his face, as he stood there in mild amusement at the whole situation.
MJ, eventually noticing the look on his face, narrowed her eyes, and glared (jokingly) at him. "What are you looking at?" she said snippily.
"N-nothing," Peter quickly turned his gaze, focusing his attention on the can of coffee in his hands, not noticing the playful grin playing on MJ's lips.
"S-so, what are you doing here?" Peter said after a few moments.
"Hmmm?" MJ widened her eyes, before looking up in thought. "Nothing much. I was on my way to my part-time job, but I figured I'd drop by & talk to G-," MJ paused for a moment, before shrugging her shoulders. "Well, it doesn't matter anyway,"
"O-oh, okay," Peter nodded along, slightly unsure on how to continue the conversation.
MJ raised her eyebrow as she turned towards Peter. "You're not gonna ask me who I came here to meet?" she questioned, a slight frown forming on her face.
"H-huh?" Peter widened his eyes in surprise. "Uhm, y-yeah, I mean, who did y-,"
"Too late," MJ scoffed, before turning away from Peter, hiding the playful grin plastered across her face.
Peter opened & closed his mouth repeatedly for a few moments, unsure on what his next course of action should be, a look of distress flashing creeping onto his face.
MJ eyed him through the corner of her eyes, herself feeling slightly amused at his distress. "Never mind," she said flatly, trying her best to hide her amusement.
"S-sorry," Peter smiled apologetically, before letting a small, almost inaudible sigh.
After a few moments, MJ turned to face Peter, leaning slightly onto the railing. "Your house is the one next to Gwen's, yeah?"
"Hmm? Yeah," Peter nodded. "Just me & my aunt, trying our best," he smiled softly.
"Right," MJ nodded solemnly. "So, what do usually get up to after school then?" she questioned.
"Hmmm?" Peter fidgeted slightly, taken aback by the line of questioning. "N-nothing much, I usually go back & study. You know, the usual stuff," he offered.
"Huh," MJ frowned slightly. "But you weren't there when I dropped by earlier just now,"
"Huh? Wh-what do you mean I'm not there? Where else would I be?" Peter stammered slightly. "O-oh! You mean today?" Peter continued. "U-uhm, w-well, today I had my part-time job, so I didn't go back home straight away,"
"O-oh," MJ frowned slightly. "Then, did I catch you at a bad time?" she continued, sounding slightly worried.
"Huh?" Peter blinked back in confusion, before eventually realizing what MJ was talking about. "N-no, it's okay, I got off early tonight," he bluffed.
"Oh wow," MJ nodded, looking slightly impressed. "A half-shift?"
"Uhh, y-yeah, something like that," Peter smiled awkwardly. "It's, you know, just a store clerk at one of the nearby thrift shops," he continued, thinking back to his earlier lie with Gwen & Delmar earlier that evening.
"Wow, I'm kinda jealous. Wish I could get the same kind of freedom with my shifts" MJ smirked. "How's the pay?"
"Uhh, yeah, it's okay," Peter offered weakly. "How bout you? Where are you working at?" Peter offered quickly, trying his best to shift the focus back towards MJ.
"Hmmm? Me?" MJ looked away in silence for a few moments. "Obviously I'm working at the most prestigious, legit job that fits a 17-year-old girl,"
"Ahh," Peter nodded in understanding. "A model?"
MJ momentarily choked on her drink, coughing slightly as she tries to clear her chest.
"What?" MJ smiled, mildly surprised at Peter's answers. "Unless you mean, modelling uniforms in front of families having dinner, I'm pretty sure your guess is wayyyy off," she smirked playfully.
"O-oh," Peter laughed awkwardly. "W-wait, so you're… a model for uniforms?" he asked, slightly confused.
"No, you dolt," MJ rolled her eyes playfully. "I'm a diner waitress. You know? Waiting tables? Taking orders?"
"Ahhhh," Peter nodded slowly, smiling awkwardly as he realizes what she meant. "S-sorry,"
MJ shakes her head, smiling softly as she does so. "How many 17-year-olds have you met, that works as a model?" she continued shaking her head in mild amusement.
"W-well," Peter shrugged his shoulders slightly. "I mean, you do have the looks for it," he offered.
MJ raised her eyebrow in mild amusement as she turned towards Peter. "Is this like, a super roundabout way, for you to call me pretty?" she teased.
"Wh-what? N-no!" Peter quickly defended himself, blushing slightly in the process.
"Oh? So, you're saying I'm ugly then?" MJ quickly changed her expression, looking dejected.
"H-huh? N-no! You're very pretty!" Peter quickly offered, slightly confused at what he's supposed to say.
MJ continued staring at him, before a soft smile slowly crept onto her face, which eventually turned to a full-on laughter.
"Relax Pete, I'm just messing with you," MJ assured him, as she nudged him softly on his shoulder. "Although, it is pretty nice to be called 'pretty' every once in a while," she smirked playfully.
Peter lets out a small awkward laugh, as he hesitated slightly. "Y-yeah," Peter continued. "But I think most people would agree you're one of the prettiest girls in the school anyway," he continued, not entirely sure where he's heading with this conversation.
"Yeah, well, if by most people, you mean, boys, then yeah. But they're mostly just saying that to get in your pants," MJ shrugged her shoulders slightly, smiling crookedly at her own joke.
"Y-yeah," Peter nodded along slowly. "N-not that I'm doing the same thing," Peter added quickly after realizing what MJ was insinuating. "I-I mean, I'm not just saying this to get in y-, well, you know," Peter stammered slightly.
MJ's smile continued to get wider & wider as she watches Peter fumbling with his words.
"Relax Pete, I know what you mean," MJ flashed him an assuring smile. "You're really cute when you're flustered, you know that?" she continued to tease him.
Peter felt his face blushing profusely at the compliment. "Uhm, o-ok, thanks," he smiled awkwardly.
MJ shook her head softly as she looked away onto the nearby street in front of them.
"I'm working over at my dad's friend's place," she continued. "You should drop by sometime. We serve some pretty mean pancakes,"
"Oh, uhm, ok, sure," Peter nodded along. "Where is it at?"
"It's not that far from here. Maybe around a 10 min drive," MJ shrugged her shoulders. "You guys are smack dab in the between my place & my workplace," she gestured with her hands, smirking slightly as she does so.
Peter chuckled slightly, seeing MJ gesturing at an imaginative set of buildings. "I'll try & see if I can drop by one of these days," he offered.
"Really?" MJ beamed excitedly. "Ok, yeah, it's called 'Moondance' diner. It's down over at 6th Avenue," she continued, pointing over at the general direction of the place. "And bring along the boys, or your aunt along, the more the merrier. I wonder if I can negotiate a commission with Enrique," she mulled over the thought as she takes a sip from her can.
"Sure. Harry's been going on about how he wants to eat bacon for dinner & lunch anyway," Peter shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"Nice, breakfast-for-dinner. That's one of our specialties," MJ offered.
"Really?"
"Nah, but I'm sure I can work something out with Enrique," she grinned. "Oh, but make sure you guys come when it's my shift. I'm expecting a big fat tip from you & Osborn,"
Peter hesitated slightly, before MJ lets out a chuckle & shakes her head. "I'm kidding, just you guys going there would be more than enough. At the very least it'll relieve me of my boredom,"
Peter smiled softly before turning to face her. "Sure, we'll be there," he said warmly.
MJ's grin slowly turned into a softer smile as she stares back at the boy standing in front of her.
"Or you know, you could come by alone," she said softly, stretching her arms out, eyeing Peter with the corner of her eyes. "I wouldn't mind if its just the two of us,"
Peter chuckled slightly, not noticing the change in MJ's face. "You wouldn't get as big a tip if it's just me though," he joked.
"That's okay,"
"Hmmm?" Peter blinked back, slightly taken aback, as he noticed the slightly flustered look on MJ's face. "O-oh, uhm-,"
"Coz then, it'd be easier for you tutor me," MJ added, as she flashed another of her trademark smirk towards Peter. "You know, you've skipped out on a ton of study sessions already Mr. Tutor. About time you made it up to me," MJ joked.
"O-oh, ahahaha," Peter laughed awkwardly, slightly embarrassed, believing he misunderstood MJ's previous words. "That was embarrassing,"
"What was?" MJ said innocently.
"N-nothing," Peter waved her away. "Uhm, yeah sure, I'll try & figure something out,"
MJ nodded along softly. "But, not tonight though," MJ continued.
Peter was slightly taken aback by the sudden statement. "O-oh, uhh, yeah, sure. Not tonight," Peter reassures her.
"Tonight's a super busy night," MJ nodded along, a small tinge of red creeping up her cheeks. "Maybe a different night,"
"Y-yeah, sure," Peter nodded softly. "We'll figure something out,"
"Y-yeah, we'll figure something out," MJ smiled back reassuringly at Peter.
"Thanks for keeping me company, Pete," MJ said, while strapping her seatbelts on in her driver's seat.
"Yeah, sure. Anytime," Peter smiled warmly back at her. "Thanks for the coffee," Peter continued, gesturing at the empty can of coffee in his hands.
MJ smirked back at him. "You never asked why I called you over," she wondered out loud.
Peter paused for a few moments. "O-oh, right. Uhm, so… why did-,"
"Too late," MJ replied, sticking her tongue out at him playfully. She then turned towards the dashboard of her van, getting herself ready to drive.
"Great, even when I'm early, I'm still gonna be late," MJ lets out a small groan as she notices the van's clock. "I blame you for this Parker," she continued, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Wha- How is this my fault?" Peter protested weakly.
"You're distracting," MJ shrugged her shoulders slightly, before flashing him a quick smile. "Later Pete," she waved at him quickly, before driving away in her van.
Peter looked on at the disappearing van, smiling to himself as he does so. He quickly took a quick glance at his phone's clock, noticing the time, and deciding to call it an early day.
Just as he was starting to leave, a pair of cops came out from the convenience store, packs of cigarettes in their hands.
Peter quickly gave them a quick little nod of respect as he walked past them. "Evening officers," he smiled pleasantly at them.
One of the officers smirked back at him & gave Peter a quick wave back.
*radio static crackle*
"Calling all units, we've got a code 10-31-C over at 675 Main, requesting back-up,"
Peter quickly took notice of the radio chatter coming from one of the police's radios. He stopped in his tracks, and quickly knelt down to tie his shoes, hoping to hear more of the police's conversation.
Both of the police officers quickly rushed towards their car, replying the radio call as they did so. "This is unit 34, copy," he said succinctly "Any injuries?"
"Unclear, break-in alarm started ringing a minute ago at the jewelers," the voice from the radio replied.
"Copy that, we're on our way," the cops replied, as they were getting into their car.
Peter quickly turned into one of the nearby alleyways, & once he made sure there's no other onlookers, he quickly changed into his costumed persona & zipped away towards the scene.
Peter landed softly on one of the nearby rooftops. He quickly took a quick look at the area to try & understand the situation.
A couple of police officers were already present at the scene, taking the witness report from (who Peter assumes to be) the owner of the jeweler's store, a disheveled looking man, wearing what Peter assumes is a thick-velvet pajama & slippers.
"…all of it! The necklaces, diamonds, earrings, all of it, gone!" Peter hears the owner calling out in distress, as he leaned down near the rooftops, trying to eavesdrop on the conversation happening below him.
"Calm down sir," a young, Japanese woman suddenly called out to him from behind his back. Peter immediately recognized the woman as the Inspector he met a few days earlier during the incident with 'The Chameleon'.
"Chief Watanabe," one of the police officers called out in salute before she waved them away.
"Inspector Yuri Watanabe," she quickly introduced herself, flashing her badge to the distressed man. "Now, sir, is there anyone you suspect that might've done this to you? Anyone who you think might hold a grudge against you?" she quickly questioned, her eyes darting around, trying to scan for any information she can glean from the scene. "Saunders, go & check the footage, see if you can find anything," she continued, pointing at one of the street cameras that's facing the area.
"Grudge? N-no, not really," the owner continued. "It's a jewelry business! What kind of enemies do you think I'd be making?!"
Inspector Watanabe shrugged off the owner's protest as she continued studying the scene before her. "Johnson, go & get the feed from that CCTV," she said, gesturing towards one of the store's CCTV. "I trust you do not have any issue with us taking a look at your CCTV recordings sir?"
"Already did ma'am. The Hard-Disk is on its way to forensics right now," one of the officers (Johnson?) replied.
"Hmmm, this here's Maggia territory," Inspector Watanabe mulled to herself.
"The Maggia? No, it can't be them," the owner quickly brushed away the suggestion.
"Hmm? Why not?" Inspector Watanabe replies came sharply. Peter couldn't see her face from above the rooftops where he was hiding, but he could imagine the look of crossness that she probably has.
"W-well, coz…," the owner started stammering under the intense gaze of the inspector.
"She's way off," a voice suddenly whispered, right next to Peter. "I don't know what she has against the Maggia, but this doesn't really fit their M.O.,"
Peter quickly turned towards the voice, and to his surprise, a young lady, clad in black, skin-tight leather, was leaning down right next to him, looking down at the scene with her own set of small, sleek binoculars.
"W-wha-?" Peter started in surprise.
"Shhhhh," the lady shushed him, before rolling her eyes in annoyance & turning her attention back towards the scene. "Also, what kind of amateur does she think I am, checking the CCTV footage," she scoffed sarcastically. "That data's been wiped clean honey," she smirked to herself, before turning her head towards Peter.
"Nice to see you again Spider," she winked playfully at him, resting her head playfully on her arms, her slightly exposed outfit, momentarily distracting Peter.
Peter took a few moments to snap himself back to the moment. He then widened his eyes, as he recognized the face hidden behind the eye-mask in front of him.
"M-Ms. Harmon?"
"Cmon Spider, you can't seriously believe I'm still Ms. Harmon," she smirked playfully, before flipping herself up gracefully. "The name's Black Cat. But you can just call me 'Cat'," she winked playfully, before offering her hand out for a handshake.
Peter blinked in confusion for a few moments, before reaching out to accept her handshake. "I'm pretty sure we've done the whole intr-,"
*Clasp*
Peter noticed the lady suddenly clasping a pair of gold, jewel encrusted bangles on his hands, while shaking his hands vigorously.
"Would you believe me if I said I've been waiting for you?" she chuckled (seductively?) before slipping away from his handshake.
*tingle*
Peter's senses quickly warned him that's something's wrong, and he suddenly felt the lump of metal, slipped onto his palm as she slipped away. Peter notices the golden, diamond-laden brooch, and the tiny, flashing red device right next to it.
"H-huh?" Peter looked back between the jewelries in his hands & the black-clad lady stepping back from him.
Black Cat suddenly pouted, and looked over at him, looking slightly dismayed. "A lady's gotta have some protection, being in the city, at night," she eyed him with her puppy-dog eyes. "You get it, right?"
Before Peter could make sense of what she was saying, the device in his hand suddenly detonated, releasing a small cloud of pepper spray at his face & eyes.
"ARGHHH!" Peter yelled out in pain, as the gas made its way into the pores of his suit & lenses.
"Oooh, I don't know if I'd want to make that much noise if I were you Spider," Black Cat smiled at him teasingly, before making her way away with the rest of her spoils in her bag. "Later big boy!"
"W-wait!" Peter called out to her as she ran away, his vision quickly returning, thanks to his accelerated healing.
"SPIDER-MAN!" a voice yelled out from below the building. "I knew it!"
Peter turned towards the voice, only to see a furious looking Inspector Watanabe, and the rest of the police squad, staring at him.
It took him a few moments for her words to register, before Peter realized the bangle & brooch in his hand, and how it made him look at that moment.
"Th-this isn't what it looks like," Peter called out, racking his brain to try & come up with an explanation. "She's right over there," Peter tried explaining desperately as he pointed towards the escaping cat-burglar.
The police took a moment & looked between themselves, before each of them took out their guns & pointed them towards Peter.
"Stay where you are!" Inspector Watanabe yelled out. "Hands above your head! Now!"
"B-but," Peter's head started swinging between the escaping Black Cat & the group of police aiming at him. He lets out an exasperated sigh before throwing away the brooch & the bangle down towards the group of police.
"There! You can have that!" Peter said as he threw the items down, only at that moment, realizing the swinging sets of necklaces apparently clasped on his neck.
"A-eaah," Peter fumbled desperately with the necklace clasp as he tries to remove the necklace. "How did that get here!"
"I said STAY WHERE YOU ARE!" Inspector Watanabe yelled out furiously, her guns aimed squarely at Peter.
"It wasn't me!" Peter yelled out desperately, as he finally manages to remove the necklaces & threw them down towards the police.
"Look! I'm sorry! I'm-," Peter struggled for a moment for words, before shaking his head & making his way towards the escaping lady.
"SPIDER-MAN!"
"Wait!" Peter yelled out as he chased Black Cat across the rooftops.
She playfully smirked as she picks up on his footsteps, reaching towards her.
"Took you long enough," she rolled her eyes in annoyance as she suddenly sprinted faster across the rooftops.
Peter was momentarily caught off-guard by the sudden burst of speed, before he himself sprinted faster to keep up with her.
"I said, wait!" Peter exclaimed as he fired a strand of webbing at the sprinting burglar.
In one, continuous graceful movement, Black Cat spun herself and sliced away the strands of webbing fired at her (with her claws?) before landing and sprinting again, without losing an ounce of momentum.
Peter, slightly stunned (and impressed), immediately chased after her again, firing multiple strands of webbing in an effort to trap her.
With surprising agility, she used her lithe, lean body, to spin, jump & twist, avoiding and occasionally slicing away the strands of webbings he fired at her.
"Hahaha! C'mon Spidey, you've gotta do better than that!" she teased playfully, managing to pull down one of her eyelids and stick her tongue out in the process.
Peter couldn't help but smile to himself, seeing her antics, before catching himself and berating himself. 'Pete! She's a burglar! Get your act together for god's sake!'
Eventually he managed to corner her onto one of the buildings facing one of the main streets.
"End of the line, Cat," Peter said (slightly amused, since he always wanted to use that one-liner before this). "There're no more rooftops for you to jump to, no more running. Just come with me and we'll return that bag to its owner," Peter said, as he slowly approached the cornered burglar.
Black Cat turned towards him, looking nonchalant at her predicament. "Aww, but we're just getting started Spider," she smirked teasingly. "I'm not done playing yet,"
"Well, I am," Peter said, slightly unsure at what game she's referring to.
As Peter slowly approached her, Black Cat slowly took a step back towards the edge of the rooftop.
"…What are you doing?" Peter stopped in his tracks as he noticed Black Cat edging closer towards the edge of the rooftop.
"Nothing," she replied innocently.
Peter frowned from under his mask, feeling like he's being played around by the girl in front of him.
"Look-," he said, as he took another step closer towards her, and she responding by taking another step towards the edge.
"L-lady! Are you crazy?!" Peter exclaimed panickily, as he looks at the mischievous smile plastered across her face.
"Honey, you're running around across rooftops, wearing a red & blue spandex costume, I'm pretty sure I'm not the crazy one here," she teased.
Peter hesitated slightly, confused at the nonchalant attitude she's showing. As he takes another step, Black Cat mirrored him by taking a step closer towards the edge.
"There's nothing over on that side of the building!" Peter exclaimed.
"Oh, trust me, I can see that," she chuckled softly as she looked down at the speeding traffic below her.
"If you fall from there, you'd die!" Peter warned. "D-don't do anything stupid,"
"Aww, so you do care?" she smiled teasingly. "But, if I can't do stupid, then I'd miss out on doing you one day, no?" she winked playfully.
"H-huh?" Peter blinked in confusion at her words. "What do you m-,"
Suddenly, Black Cat took the few remaining steps and threw herself over the rooftop.
Peter's heroic instinct immediately kicked in as he sprinted the remaining few steps and dived towards the falling damsel. Peter quickly tucked his body in to increase his speed and quickly snatched her in his arms, firing his webbing to a nearby building, and swinging to safety.
"My hero!" Black Cat quickly clasped her hands in (overdramatic?) awe, as she hanged onto the young man holding her in his arms.
"L-look ma'am, let's just return the bag, and we'll call it a day, okay?" Peter said, slightly flustered at the thought of holding such a beautiful lady in his arms.
"Hmmmm, no," Black Cat suddenly pouted, and tucker her arms underneath her chest.
"H-huh?"
"I told you, I'm not done playing yet," she smirked slyly, before hugging Peter closely in her arms.
*tingle*
"Wha-," Peter blinked back in confusion for a few moments, before Black Cat suddenly kneed him in the crotch.
Peter immediately lets go of his grasp on the burglar, doubling over in pain, mid-swing.
"O-ouch," he managed softly.
To his surprise, Black Cat was swinging gracefully above him, her teasing playful smile still flashed towards his direction.
Peter immediately righted himself, and fired a quick line of webbing to a nearby building with trained accuracy, to stop himself from falling. He quickly corrected himself and swinged across the rooftops, towards the black & white blur trying to escape him.
As incredible as it was to see someone swinging (with a set of wrist tethered hooks? Interesting) across the rooftops like him, Peter used his spider-like agility & litheness to catch up to her in almost no-time at all.
"God, talk about being clingy," she rolled her eyes mid-swing, panting slightly at the exertion of swinging, as she spots the red-and-blue clad superhero swinging next to her. "Now you just look desperate," she smirked.
"Well, what can I say," Peter exclaimed. "I do whatever, a spider can," he continued, also panting from the swinging. "And that includes webbing up my targets!" he exclaimed, before firing a strand of webbing at Black Cat's feet when she flipped in between swings.
Black Cat's eyes widened in surprise as the webbing sticks onto her feet, and Peter snatching her away, causing her to lose her balance.
Peter quickly dived towards the flailing burglar and this time tackling her towards a nearby rooftop, to avoid the previous incident, cushioning their fall as they landed.
Peter immediately pinned her down by her arms and legs, trying his best to stop her from escaping.
"Wow, didn't expect you to be so forward Spider," she teased, still panting from the swinging & falling that had just occurred.
Peter felt his cheeks burn up at her insinuation, forcing himself to keep his cool to stop himself from falling to anymore of her tricks. "Ok, Black Cat, enough games, you're not getting away this time," he said, also panting.
"Again, clingy & desperate," she smirked. "But, I like my men, desperate," she teased.
*tingle* *Helicopter blades approaching*
"Spider-Man!" a voice sounded from inside the police helicopter. "Put your hands in the air. Any act of resistance will be met with fire," he continued, the helicopter's searchlight now shining directly onto the pair on the rooftops.
Black Cat immediately took advantage of the momentary distraction, and freed her arms from Peter's grasp, twisting as she does so, and reversing the pin back onto Peter, before quickly kneeing him in the crotch again.
"Erghh!" Peter gasped in pain, doubling down on the floor, clutching his stomach.
"Twice now. Shame on you?" Black Cat joked teasingly, before quickly slipping away from the searchlight and leaping down one of the buildings.
Peter watched, slightly teary-eyed from the pain, as she loses him. His attention now turned towards the helicopter in front of him.
"Come on, man, I nearly had her," Peter sighed.
Two, no three, helicopters are now chasing after him. Try as he might, they wouldn't listen to his explanation, and at the moment, it was all he could do to not get caught.
"Man, what did I do to deserve this," Peter moaned to himself as he swinged into a nearby alleyway to try & lose the chasing helicopters.
However, whenever he managed to lose the helicopters, there would always be police cars chasing him from the streets, always managing to keep him within their sights.
This, added with the pressure of having to try & find the now missing Black Cat, caused Peter to panic slightly, unsure of how to resolve the situation.
"There he is!" Peter hears a group of police on the ground, keeping up & pointing at him in one of the alleyways.
*tingle*
Before he could react, a blur of black-and-white suddenly tackled him, sending him & her crashing into one of the nearby abandoned warehouses.
As they rolled around in a tangle of limbs, the cat-burglar moved with an impressive, trained certainty, pinning Peter to the ground and clasping his mouth with her hands.
Peter immediately tried to fight back, but was held in place firmly by the girl.
"Shhhhh," she whispered softly, her long platinum hair draped across his mask.
"Dispatch. Suspect was seen crashing into a warehouse over at 523. Requesting backup, over,"
Peter held his breath, as he hears the footsteps of the police entering the warehouse.
Slowly, Black Cat lets go f his mouth, and stood up, walking away from him, before gesturing for him to follow her.
Peter, now very confused at the turn of events, slowly stood up & approached her, debating with himself on whether to catch her there & then.
Black Cat suddenly smirked. "No point, the bags not with me now," she gestured to the lack of what used to be a pouch slung across her sides, seemingly able to figure out what Peter was thinking.
Peter felt slightly embarrassed at being so easily read, and also for trying to sell out someone who seems to have just helped him. "Why are you here?" Peter whispered back as they made their way quietly, away from the searching police.
Whether she missed the question or whether she chose not to answer, Peter couldn't figure out, only instead noticing the smirk of confidence ever-present across her lips.
"I thought you could stick to walls, right?" she suddenly whispered to him as they reached one of the walls.
"Y-yeah? And?" Peter whispered back.
She then pointed towards the warehouse's skylight. "Stealth. Finesse," she whispered slowly, before putting on a set of gloves, and climbing her way up the walls up towards the skylight.
Peter couldn't help but be impressed at her arsenal of gadgets & skills. He slowly followed her up towards the skylight.
As they slowly, made their way up, Black Cat suddenly looked back towards him. "Like the view?" she said teasingly, before smirking and continuing her way up towards the skylight.
Peter felt his cheeks flush, but choosing to keep quiet to avoid being noticed by the cops below them.
Once they made their way out, as soon as Peter stepped out through the skylight, he was immediately pulled away towards one of the outdoor AC units on the rooftops. He then noticed, one of the police searchlights, scanning where he had just been standing a few moments earlier.
"T-thanks," he whispered, but he noticed Black Cat was no longer next to him. He then spotted her, already perched over one of the roof edges, gesturing for him to come & follow her.
"As far as first date goes, I think that was pretty exciting," she laughed merrily as she leaned over the railings.
Peter couldn't help but chuckle, seeing her antics. Even though she was pretty much the cause of this whole mess, he couldn't help but admire her cheeky & playful attitude.
"Exciting is not how I would put it," Peter moaned.
"Oh? Then how would you put it then?" she eyed him playfully.
"Uhh, alarming?"
"Right, the store alarm & sirens, sure," she nodded solemnly.
Peter chuckled slightly at her reply. "Surprising?"
"But that's a good thing, right?"
"No,"
"Oh, so you're into one of those, boring, prim & proper girls. Got it," she rolled her eyes mockingly.
Peter scoffed, slightly at a loss for words. "Ok, well… Painful," he continued listing.
"That's on you," she shrugged her shoulders. "Too much physical contact buddy, you're lucky I let you off with a crotch shot," she scoffed. "Or two,"
Peter lets out a small laugh as he joined by her side, overlooking the sea. "So, where are we?"
"Hmmm, would you believe me if I said this is exactly where we needed to be?" she replied cheekily.
"Seeing as how the night's been going, I feel like I've been dancing in the palm of your hands Cat," Peter shrugged his shoulders slightly.
"Hah," she grinned. "That'd be fun, wouldn't it?"
"What is?"
"Having you dance in the palm of my hands," she smirked.
"Maybe for one of us, sure," Peter sighed. "I don't imagine it'd be all that fun for the other one,"
"Hmm, yeah, you're right. It'd only be fun for you, dancing by yourself," she complained. "It'd be way too much of a hassle for me, having to plan the whole thing,"
Peter stifled his own laugh, trying his best not to enjoy the company of a burglar.
"Look Cat, I don't know what you're up to, but I can't let you go with those stolen jewels," Peter said, his tone turning serious.
Black Cat looked at him, slightly unimpressed. "Ugh, there you go again, being the goody-two-shoes Spidey," she moaned.
"Cat-,"
"Fine, would it be okay if I returned them to you then?" she continued, suddenly pulling out the bag of stolen jewelries from one of the nearby counters.
"H-huh?" Peter blinked back in confusion, slightly unsure of what seems to be happening. "W-wait, so you don't want the jewels?"
She chuckled softly. "Unless that's an innuendo-,"
"It's not,"
Black Cat rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed. "Fine, I don't want the jewels,"
Peter paused for a few moments, stunned by the sudden turn of events. "WHAT?!"
Black Cat widened her eyes, smiling innocently as she evaded eye contact with him. "It's just for a little bit of fun," she offered innocently.
"FUN?! We went through all that?! For FUN?!" Peter exclaimed.
"… Yes?" she offered weakly. "I mean, no one got hurt, right?" she smiled awkwardly. "Apart from you, of course,"
Peter felt his mouth hang open in awe, dumbstruck by the whole situation.
After a few moments, Peter slowly recollected himself, before letting out a long, exasperated sigh.
"Gimme the bag," Peter offered out his hand to take the bag from her.
"Well, I did say I didn't want it," Black Cat smiled mischievously. "But I never said I'd return it. I asked 'Would it be okay if I returned it',"
"Enough games Cat, return those jewels," Peter said, his voice firm.
"Not yet. Not for free," she smirked slyly. "I need answers, and you're the only one that can give them,"
Peter's frown deepened from under his mask. "What answers?"
"To my question's of course, silly Spider," she continued playfully.
"Cat, that's enough games," Peter said firmly, trying his best to not getting pulled along by her & her tricks.
"Who says I'm playing," she smirked. "The drive. My client wishes for me to get back the copy that you made of it,"
"H-huh?" Peter frowned, slightly confused by her statements. "The drive? You mean the one you stole from me?" Peter continued.
"Bingo," Black Cat smiled warmly. "But I'll have you know, I'm only returning it to it's original owner. So, stealing, might not be the right term, not this time anyway," she shrugged her shoulders.
Peter's mind raced from underneath the mask, a few of his assumptions now confirmed. "So, whoever your client is, Kingpin is targeting to steal this drive of theirs?"
"I thought you'd have figured that out by now, Spider?" Black Cat raised her eyebrows, questioningly.
Peter decided to ignore the remark made by her. "Fine, that checks out I suppose," Peter nodded softly, finally concluding that the Chameleon must've been sent there under Kingpin's command, and therefore, seeing as how Ms. Harmon (Black Cat) was directly opposing her, it made sense to him that she was working for someone other than Kingpin.
"But then how'd you know the drive was at the school?" Peter asked, a few things still not making sense to him.
"Hmmm? And here I thought I was the one asking the questions," Black Cat smirked. After pausing and getting no response form Peter, she eventually relented. "Ugh, fine, I guess I'll tell you, since you've shown me such a good time today," she said, rolling her eyes as she does so.
"I didn't," she answered simply.
Peter waited for her to further explain herself, but to no avail.
"Huh? What do you mean 'You didn't?'," Peter asked, incredulously. "Then, what were you doing over there then?"
She shrugged her shoulders slightly. "Lucky coincidence," she replied simply. "And as for what I was doing over there, well, you didn't show me that good of a time babe," she winked.
"Cat!"
"Uh-uh, Spider," she wagged her fingers at his face. "My question, your answer. The copies," she offered her outstretched hands.
Peter's frown deepened from underneath his mask. "There're no copies,"
"Spider, my clients have their ways. They know you made the copies-,"
"I didn't make any copies," Peter insisted.
Black Cat narrowed her eyes, and stared at Peter, before suddenly letting out a small giggle.
"Don't know why I just did that," she brushed off her own actions. "Not like I can see your expression from behind that mask of yours,"
Peter paused for a few moments. "I really didn't tho-,"
"I know," she said, before turning back towards the view overlooking the sea. "You have such an easy tell if you're lying, you know that?"
"H-huh?"
"You'd make a terrible thief," she smiled back, before her eyes widened in horror as she looked past Peter. "Oh my-,"
"Wh-what?!" Peter quickly turned his back, to see what had gotten her so horrified.
"Psych," she quickly said, before throwing the whole bag of jewels into the sea.
"What are you doing?!" Peter exclaimed loudly, as he sees the bag of jewels flying into the sea.
"Me? What are you doing?" she asked innocently. "You're not gonna be able to clear your name if any of those jewels go missing in the sea, can you?" she smiled cheekily.
Peter debated for a moment whether to berate the girl in front of him, before deciding against it & straight away jumping into the sea, trying to collect the scattered jewels before they're swept away.