Stories Focussed On Spider-Man

And They Were NEIGHBORS PART 3!!!

~several weeks of shenanigans later~

"Um, Spider-Woman?" Spider-Man asked as he wandered into the kitchen, his phone clutched firmly in his grasp and his mop of brown hair an absolute mess.

"Spider-Man, hey! Finally asking for help dealing with Kraven and Chameleon?"

"What?" Spider-Man blinked, his face blank.

"That's why you've been so holed up and distant this week, right? You're kicking it into high gear to bring them in? I figured it was only a matter of time because you decided we should have our first team-up."

"I mean, a little, but that's not- Gwen was cheating. I caught her while I was on patrol, and she admitted to it when I brought it up, so we broke things off, and..."

"That's horrible! What do you want me to do? Ice cream? Venting? Cheering up? TV binge?"

"I need you to sit for a second," Spider-Man said solemnly. Spider-Woman popped up onto the counter next to the toaster where she was waiting on a pop tart. "When I talked to Gwen, she said she met the guy in the elevator of our apartment complex. He was going up one floor higher than her to visit his girlfriend, but I guess they hit it off and exchanged numbers. His name was Brad. I-I've got a picture here, and I really hope I'm not stepping out of line, but if the situation was reversed, IknowwhatIwouldwantandI'msorryifthisisjustawasteandI'mscaringyoubut-"

"Show me the picture," Spider-Woman said gravely. Spider-Man help up the phone. Sure enough, her Brad was chatting it up with a blond (who must've been Gwen). "Oh." She sniffed. Her pop tart dinged. "That's- that's him. I should call him then, right? I know this is hard for you too, but can you stay for me?"

"Yeah."

Soon, the phone was ringing. It went to voicemail. "This is Michelle. Just calling to let you know that the secret's out. Gwen's ex-boyfriend, also my neighbor, just contacted me to let me know that he caught the two of you. She already admitted to it, so don't bother trying to cover anything up. I hope she's got whatever I was missing, jerk. Don't bother calling me back." She hung up, a quivering frown encasing her lips. "That... sucks."

"I'm sorry," Spider-Man whispered, head down.

"Thanks for letting me know. I just... I thought he was better than this. When did you break it off?"

"Maybe three hours ago? I took some time to let it sink in before finding you. Do you- you need anything else? I was going to patrol to let off some steam if you're interested?"

"Nah, I'm going to stay and eat my weight in ice cream."

Spider-Man nodded, only offering a weak wave as he left Spider-Woman alone with her thoughts and her toasted pop tart.

'•~•'

Natasha wasn't sure what she expected when she walked into the living room that day, but seeing Spider-Woman cuddled up in a blanket with shaking shoulders, a bowl of ice cream, and Taylor Swift playing from her phone probably wasn't it. If Natasha were Tony or maybe even Clint, she would have turned heel and fled the obvious display of emotional distress, but this was Natasha. She could handle emotions.

"Hey, Spider-Woman," Natasha said cautiously as she approached and took a seat next to the hero. "Are you okay?"

"Not really."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

She looked at Natasha miserably after turning off the music. "I'm officially single now. Brad was cheating."

"That's awful, honey," Natasha sympathized. "I'm so sorry that happened to you."

Spider-Woman sighed, shaking her head. "I really, really liked him. Ugh, just shows what a judge of character I am. I half thought my sixth sense would have gone off for something like this, but I guess I was too busy being swept away to even listen."

"How long had you two been together?"

"Five months, almost six. I don't know where I went wrong? Did he find her prettier? Nicer?"

"Look, I promise you that you're never at fault when someone cheats on you, okay? It's all him. He's scum, if you don't mind me saying."

"I guess."

"I'm serious. Listen, you literally save lives every week. You singlehandedly took down two gangs last year, and you're this close another. You're one of the sweetest people I know (unless you're talking to Spider-Man, then you're overwhelming savage, but he can take that, so don't worry). And, as far as you've let me see, you're pretty easy on the eyes, so don't go fussing in the mirror either. Don't let him get to you. He doesn't deserve that attention or the win."

Spider-Woman nodded, scooping up the last bit of her cold chocolate treat. "I guess I feel a little stupid for not seeing it. I didn't even figure it out, y'know. I was told and shown evidence and everything. It was clear as day, and I just-!"

"Take a breath, Spider," Natasha soothed softly. "Our feelings can make us do some weird things, believe me. This is nothing to be ashamed of."

"...I miss him."

Natasha slung an arm around her and pulled the vigilante into her side. "I know you do. I wish I could make the pain go away."

A few hours later, Spider-Man swung into the living room to find the scene hadn't changed much. Steve had eventually wandered in and joined the ladies on the couch, but they'd all been put to sleep by some movie he couldn't be bothered to recognize. Good. He had really wanted to stay and comfort her until all the pain was just a memory, but he was struggling himself to keep levelheaded. At least she hadn't spent the evening alone... like he had decided to do.

Spider-Man only stayed to survey the scene for so long before he limped back to his room and stitched up a bullet wound on his left leg and a stab in his abdomen. He'd been a little sloppier, but he would heal soon enough that he couldn't bring himself to care much. He was just glad they were in places he could take care of himself. He really wasn't in the mood for dealing with people in general, let alone having them fuss over him.

A/N more more more more m-