anti-hero ━━ peter parker

01. breathless

chapter one
midtown high, nyc

     "I hate gym," Ty mumbled, waiting for Brenna to finish tying her shoe. He was hugging his arms across his chest like he always did when he was nervous, trying to contain everything from spilling over.

     "I love gym," Brenna told him, standing up straight. She was a hair taller than him in her platform sneakers, her grin absolutely wicked.

     They were tucked away in the hall outside the locker rooms, waiting for the bell to ring. Brenna started to take out her piercings one by one, pocking them. "I'm not dealing with that gym dress code shit again. As if it fucking matters."

     "Yeah, well, that and if a ball hits you in the face, your nose ring'd get lodged in your sinuses," Ty reminded her as the bell finally rang.

     Brenna couldn't fault him. Gross scientific facts were Ty's thing.

     A bunch of guys spilled out of the locker room. Ty wasn't quick enough, getting shoulder-checked so hard that he stumbled.

"Outta the way, Coulson," a familiar voice sneered.

Ty caught Brenna's shoulder for support, eyes cast down at the floor.

Brenna slammed Flash Thompson into the wall, keeping him pinned with her forearm across his chest. "Apologize, shithead."

Flash's eyes widened, cheeks tinging as a few passing classmates snickered. "Get off, freak."

She applied more pressure.

He was left a little breathless, starting to fight against her hold. "Alright, I-I'm sorry—"

"What was that? Sorry, I can't hear you."

"Let him go, Bren."

Flash's face was starting to go from flushed to blue. He fought back, thrashing under the weight of her arm.

"Bren, you're hurting him!" Ty took her arm and tried to pull it off of him.

Part of Brenna knew she was hurting him. She should stop. She had to stop, but she just couldn't. Something was keeping her going, edging her towards the inevitable—

Ty wrapped his arms around her torso, yanking her back with all his strength—abet, not much.

Flash slumped against the wall, gasping for breath, hand on his chest. It was a few seconds before color started to return to his face. He staggered to his feet, backing towards the direction of the gym. "Fucking psycho!"

Brenna didn't watch him go, admiring the slightest green hue retreating from her veins. "He better hope he's on my team, otherwise he's getting a dodgeball where it hurts."

"I hate when you get mad like that," Ty told her in a quiet voice. "He's an asshole, but he doesn't deserve choking to death on his own air."

She rolled her eyes. Ty had always been sensitive, which was why she'd started sticking up for him in the first place. They weren't kids anymore, but a part of him was still that little boy who liked to play scientist in her father's lab, or work on coding with Jarvis. That was how he saw things: in a way of numbers and outcomes.