X M!Reader [ Spider-verse ] -One Shots-

Part ³ [ Hobie ♦️]

It's been a hot sec since I've written anything that isn't an essay, so I'ma be a bit rusty.
Since I'm finally back from my massive hiatus, hopefully I'll be updating more often. 

⚠️T/w or C/w:
• Mentions of addiction
• Language

Word count: 2482

He was out on patrol too late, [N] knew that.  But he also knew what would happen if he went home. The day too was rough, he was stressed, tired, and his spider senses had been wigging out all day.  Constant, insisting buzz of muddled information, that only one thing could silence.

The sun had dipped below the steal towers for a time, the air began to chill [N] but he stayed.

He'd been trying his hardest to ignore everything, his senses, the demand of attention school requires, the responsibilities he had at home, everything.  His role as a protector was the only thing he could do without feeling like breaking down.  And even now, that seemed like a chore. 

He sat hunched over his legs, arms wrapped around them, perched on the edge of a tall, glass building.

[N] clenched his fists, staring down at the city below. His heart pounded louder than the noise of traffic and the hum of the city. A subtle fear that when he did go home, he might slip up weighed down on him. Exhaustion and stress were breaking him down, playing with him.

In the distance, he saw a mother walking with her kid, hand in hand, the child tugged on his mother's arm, rambling. His stomach twisted at the sight. That used to be something he had.  Before he had gotten older, before Spider-Man, before trying one stupid thing that would end up ruining his life.

His fingers twitched, and for a split second, he gave in.  He thought about what it would feel like to stop fighting, to numb everything out—just for a little while. His heart raced at the thought, feeling fear and almost relief cut through him.  [N] knew he had given up.  Even if his mind refused to admit it.

He had been ignoring his senses all day, the strange and muddled warnings that came in confusing bursts, but the noise was becoming unbearable. He gritted his teeth, rubbing the back of his neck where the sensation burned the strongest.

“Shut up,” he muttered, though he knew it wasn’t just the buzzing. It was the weight of everything—his responsibilities, his cravings, the constant pull between who he was and who he was supposed to be.

His fist slammed into the rooftop beneath him. Glass cracked and splintered under his hand, spiderwebbing outward in a small pattern that mirrored his own mask.

His breath came in shallow gasps as he looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers. He hadn’t meant to freak out. He couldn’t afford to slip like that—not now.

I can't slip up in suit. I have to keep everything perfect.

His Spider-Sense blared again, but this time it wasn’t the confused, static-filled noise from earlier. It was sharp. Immediate. He straightened, his body tensing as his eyes scanned the rooftops around him.

A low, grating laugh echoed and bounced of the buildings.

He turned sharply, eyes narrowing as he caught sight of a figure on a nearby rooftop. The silhouette was tall, bulky, and familiar in all the wrong ways. The villain's dark armor gleamed under the faint moonlight, the jagged lines of his mask sending the familiar horror through him of seeing a corpse.

“ Rough night, Spider? ” the villain called out, his voice dripping with mockery. He had his arms crossed casually, as if he had all the time in the world.

“ Reverb, ” [N] muttered, recognizing the bulky gauntlets strapped to the man’s arms.

“You look like hell, kid,” Reverb continued, “Guess the stress of being the city’s golden boy is catching up to you, huh?”