A Family of Flaws

Chapter Sixteen; Two Spiders Meet

*Peter's POV*

Pushing all dreams and memories aside, Peter slipped on the mask that he adorned almost every night. It was still a struggle to pretend to be the same comedic hero that everyone had grown accustomed to, but he couldn't have the public trying to pry into his personal life again. So he practiced as many corny jokes and puns as he could and slipped out his window, glad for once that May was working a night shift.

  After going to school hours earlier than he needed to, the dream had lingered at the back of his thoughts all day. Flash had been surprisingly tame all day, though he had seemed preoccupied with a new girl toy so that was probably why. But the lack of abuse did nothing to ease his negative mood.

Anything could set him off, pushing him back into one of the few memories he had of Ben (which he had long since suppressed). MJ and Ned were out of town for the day (and they would be gone until the following Monday) for a Decathlon trip in D.C., the usual place for such events. So there was no one constantly watching him to see what was wrong, but there was also a tight feeling of loneliness that surrounded him with the lack of his closest friends.

  The air felt nice rushing past him as he swung from building to building, relishing in the feeling of control that he had in that moment. The start of the night was slow so far, two muggers were harassing an older women and a kid got locked on the roof of her apartment building, but both those situations were dealt with swiftly.

  Peter sat down and watched the busy streets below, despite it being late into the night they were still bustling with people. There were loud noises coming from cars and conversations filtered in his ears like background noise. Listening for any sounds of distress, he sat back and allowed himself to relax on the roof.

  A strange prickling rose at the back of his neck, lifting the small hairs and sending goosebumps up and down his arms. Staying still, trying to appear unaware, Peter strained his ears for the slightest noise. Whoever was staring was very quiet, but they couldn't hide their breathing. And from the sounds of it, they were merely steps away by now.

  Peter brought his arm up and pretended to scratch the back of his neck, but he was just trying his best to have his webs aimed at the unknown creeper. Holding his breathe, Peter sat there for a moment longer before pushing himself up and spinning around in one fluid movement. The roof was empty.

  Looking around, Peter stumbled for his bearings. He had heard them. They were breathing right behind him. And even if they knew he heard them, there was no way they could have moved quickly or quietly enough to escape his radar.

  Peter pushed away every other sense and focused on his hearing, searching for any living sounds that could indicate another person was nearby. Unfortunately, the city noises made it hard for him to pinpoint a specific noise such as breathing unless he knew exactly what their breathing sounded like. There were far too many other people walking around, talking, socializing, etcetera.

  Taking a step closer to the edge of the roof, Peter did a final scan of the area and turned away, ready to swing away. "Impressive senses, Spidey." A calm voice echoed from behind him, making his skin crawl with familiarity.

  Slowly, Peter turned around. Red hair and a skin tight suit, Black Widow was standing in front of him as if this were some casual gathering. Forcing himself to stay put and not run (they had a truce, an alliance, why should he be afraid), Peter laughed and tried to hide his confusion. "Aw, did you miss me after our last play date?" He asked in a sing-song voice, trying to push the thought of her unconscious, bleeding face out of his mind.

"Well, seeing as we didn't even get to say hello before I was thrown across a building—" Her face turned sour as she recalled the incident. "I wouldn't exactly call it a play date. But, I guess you could say I wanted to thank you for the help." She smirked and closed the rather large distance between them, coming to stand in front of him. "I probably would have been blown up or something if you hadn't helped."