The universe annoys you.
You think it's laughing at you. It probably is. You've spent years hoping to find your soulmate, and then you finally do-and it ends up being the masked hero Spider-Man, whose real identity is unknown. And the only reason you met him is because he literally fell right in front of you. And then he basically proceeded to run away.
So you suppose it's safe to say that putting your soulmate in the back of your mind is probably best for right now.
And this is where the universe laughs at you once again. Hours after your conversation with your best friend, you're sitting in your bedroom watching a movie, when you hear a sharp tap on your window.
The window in your bedroom doesn't have blinds covering it yet. It's smaller than the window in your last bedroom, so you weren't able to use the same blinds, and things have been so busy lately that you and your parents haven't gotten out to actually buy any. So when you push your laptop aside, standing up from your bed to see who's tapping at your window, you see him instantly.
It's Spider-Man. At your window. Tapping on your window.
Out of all of the people you expected to see, he was not one of them.
You cross over to the window and unlatch it, pulling it up wide enough for him to crawl through, which he does. Then you shut it again, turning to face him as he stands.
"Uh, hi." Spider-Man says.
Uh, hi.
You want to say hi back, really, but instead you blurt, "How do you know where I live?"
Spider-Man's eyes widen a little. The reds and blues on his suit are vibrant, and it's a pretty well-made suit. Then again, you know nothing about superhero suits and you also assume someone like Tony Stark made it for him. "I-uh-" he says, clearing his throat as he shifts his weight from one foot to another. "You were just outside your complex, when we met. And I saw you through the window."
"Oh." It's a solid answer. Spider-Man rubs the back of his neck, looking around your small room. "So, uh, what are you doing here?"
"I feel like that's something we both know the answer to." he answers. For a minute, it looks like he's about to take a step closer to you. But then he doesn't. "You're my soulmate."
"And you're mine." you agree. Spider-Man drops his hand from the back of his neck. "So...can you tell me your name?"
"Here's...the thing." Spider-Man says hesitantly, rubbing his hands together. "Something you need to understand about me. I-what I do, as Spider-Man, is dangerous. I don't know what you've heard about me, but the people I care about...if anyone finds out who I am-"
"I would never tell," you say quickly, wondering if that's what he's trying to get at.
Spider-Man's eyes widen as wide as they possibly can. "No! No, that's not what I'm saying. I know you wouldn't tell. I trust you."
You blink at him. "You do?"
"Er-yeah." he rubs the back of his neck again. "I do. You're my soulmate. But-listen, what I'm trying to say is...if people find out who I am, they'll connect you to me. My enemies will hurt you to draw me out, because they'll want me to come and save you. And I'd do that in a heartbeat."
"You-would?"
"Of course I would."
Oh, boy. Maybe this is a little more complicated than you thought it would be. And you already thought it was complicated. You sit down on your bed, looking up at him as Spider-Man awkwardly glances around. Neither of you say anything. The movie you were watching is still playing in the background, but you still feel uncomfortable in the almost-silence.
Spider-Man turns toward your laptop. "Is that-is that Star Wars?"
"Yeah. Sorry, I'd forgotten it was on." you lean over to shut your laptop. The sound ceases immediately. When you look back up, the masked hero is still staring at your laptop. If only you could see the expression on his face.
Except you can't, because he's wearing a mask.
"No, it's no problem. I love Star Wars." Spider-Man clears his throat. "It's my favorite movie series, actually. Is it yours?"
"Yeah. It is."
His mask moves around the sides of his face. You wonder, briefly, if he's smiling. He might be. "Cool. Cool."
So you have something in common with your soulmate. That's a start; it's better than nothing. You'll take it. "You don't have to tell me," you say, after another brief pause. "If you don't want to. I know nothing about superheroes. I would-I would love to see your face, of course, but I also don't really want to be on someone's hit list."
Spider-Man laughs. He actually laughs. You love how it sounds. "Fair enough," he says, crossing his arms. "I don't think anyone would want to be on someone's hit list."
You smile slightly. "True. So-um, can I ask you a couple questions, at least?"
"You can ask me anything," he says. And the sincerity in his voice makes butterflies flutter in your stomach.
"Do you go to Midtown?"
"I do." Spider-Man answers, and this is the answer you were expecting, but still, what the hell-Spider-Man is just a kid. Probably seventeen, maybe eighteen, and he can stop moving cars and lift things that no normal human can lift and is an Avenger and he's still a kid. It's crazy. Maybe you should be more worried about him than about yourself. "We're, uh, in the same grade."
"I never told you I was a senior."
"We...uh, share a class."
You blink. Spider-Man, for the third time, reaches up to rub the back of his neck. It's probably a nervous tick. "We do?"
"Yep." he says. Which is definitely a clue, but also not really, because you have eight different classes and they're all filled with different people. "We do. I'm not telling you which one, though."
"I'm not going to ask." you promise. "So...if you did take off your mask, right now, I would recognize you?"
Spider-Man takes a moment. Then slowly, he nods. "You would."
"Right," you say. You're not really sure how you feel about that, so you change topics. "Do you patrol the streets as Spider-Man every night?"
"Most of the time." Spider-Man answers. "Sometimes I do it right after school."
"So you always have your suit on you, then?"
"Always. I like to be prepared."
-
"I want to tell you," Spider-Man says softly, half an hour after he arrived at your window. Somehow you've both ended up sitting on your bed, against the wall, shoulder-to-shoulder. "I do. But I want to protect you. Even if you don't need protecting, I-I just have to, okay?"
"Okay," you say, looking up at him. His face is only inches away from yours, but you still wouldn't be able to guess who the hell he is even if you tried. And now...you're not sure if you want to try. "Will you come back to visit me again?"
"If you want me to." he says. "I would like to."
"I would like you to, also." You try not to focus on the fact that his hand is only centimeters from yours, and you could hold it, if you wanted-and you could, because he's your soulmate-but you don't, because you don't really know him. And that's okay, you think. You wonder what your best friend would say to you if she knew the whole situation now. You'll have to call her as soon as possible. "But, uh, not Sunday."
"Why not Sunday?"
"I'm-going to a friend's house to study for Government. I don't know how long I'll be there for, and I don't want you to be sitting outside my window in case I don't get back until late."
Spider-Man smiles underneath the mask. You can see the fabric move. "Okay," he says. "I won't come on Sunday."
"Okay." you say. You smile back at him. "I'll see you later."
"See you." Spider-Man agrees. Then, before you even know what he's doing, he leans towards you and hugs you quickly.
It's not a very long hug, but you wish it had been longer than a few seconds. You barely have enough time to hug him back before he pulls away and clears his throat, climbing off of your bed and opening your bedroom window.
"Bye." the superhero says. Then he steps out of your bedroom and closes the window behind himself.
-
"(Y/N)? Earth to (Y/N). (Y/N)."
You blink. MJ is staring-glaring, more like-at you, one hand propping up her head, the other resting on her textbook. "Finally," she says. Peter and Ned are both staring at you as well. "You zoned out while trying to think of the answer to the question."
"I did not zone out." you say defensively, sitting back in your chair and crossing your arms over your chest. "I was thinking of the answer."
"What was the question, again?"
You bite your lip. "Er..."
She looks triumphant. "Exactly. What were you thinking about?"
Should you tell them? You've not even been friends a full week, but...well, you trust them. You hope they trust you. Besides, it's not like you know his identity. You just know that it's Spider-Man. "I...was thinking about my soulmate," you say slowly.
Michelle blinks at you. "Your soulmate?" she asks. "You met your soulmate?"
Now that you see color, you forget that a lot of people still don't. Meeting your soulmate at age seventeen is highly unlikely; how you and your best friend both managed to meet yours in your teenage years must have been a miracle. Even your parents didn't meet until they were out of college.
"I did." you say, biting your lip. "I met him about a week ago, before school started. And then again on Friday night, when he, uh, showed up at my window."
"At-at your window?" Peter asks, lowering his pencil from where he was anxiously tapping it against his lip. "Why was he at your window?"
"Uh-because." you clear your throat. "He's Spider-Man."
"Spider-Man, huh?" Ned asks, making you turn to look at him. "That's crazy. So do you know who he is? Did he tell you when he visited you last night?"
"No." you answer. "He, uh, didn't tell me. I didn't really ask."
I want to tell you, he said last night. I do. But I want to protect you. Even if you don't need protecting, I-I just have to, okay?
"Wow." Michelle muses. "So you can see color."
"I can." you look around at all three of them. "Can any of you?"
"No." Peter answers, before anyone else can, leaning against the table with his arms. "None of us have met our soulmates."
You look down at your open textbook. "Oh." you say. "Well-I think we've taken a long enough study break, right? Let's get back to it."
-
On Monday, Peter walks with you to the train again. You try to ignore the giddy feeling in your stomach when he smiles at you. It was fine on Friday. But now you've actually talked to your soulmate, and now you feel a little guilty that you're feeling this way for someone who isn't your soulmate. But still, you hope walking with Peter to the train becomes a regular thing.
"So," you say, holding onto the straps of your backpack as the pair of you walk to the station. "I know when we met that Ned mentioned you know Spider-Man. And that you've met him a couple times."
"Oh," says Peter, turning to look at you with an expression you can't really decipher. "Oh, look, (Y/N). Yeah, I've met him, but I don't-I don't have that internship anymore, a-and I'd never be able to try to contact him if I tried-"
"I'm not asking for you to contact him." you say quickly. Briefly, Peter looks relieved. "I just-wanted to ask if you met him without, y'know, the mask on."
Peter's expression softens. "No," he says, biting his lip. "Sorry. I never did. But-but him not telling you probably has nothing to do with not trusting you, you know?"
"I know." you say, sounding more discouraged than you intended to.
"I'm sure he just wants to keep you safe." Peter says quickly. "You know-being a superhero is really dangerous for loved ones. He's probably just keeping you safe."
The pair of you step onto the train. "That's what he said to me, actually." you say, sitting beside him in a couple of empty seats. "That he was protecting me."
"Are you okay with that?"
"I have to be either way, don't I?" you point out. "I'd never force him to tell me. I don't know the hardships of being a high schooler by day, superhero vigilante by night, so I can't really understand any of his motives, can I? I'm just kind of just making things up as I go. I'm sure he's been through some stuff that fuels his motives. I'm not going to be the one to challenge that. I'm his soulmate. I'm just there to support him, if he needs me."
Peter watches you carefully. His eyes look golden in the sunlight streaming through the train windows. As the pair of you sit there, you realize that you're sitting shoulder-to-shoulder, and his face is only inches from yours. You could lean over and kiss him, if you wanted to.
But you don't want to.
Do you?
"I'm sure he considers himself very lucky to have you as his soulmate." Peter says, meeting your eyes. Suddenly you become even more aware of how close the pair of you are seated. Not only are your shoulders touching, but so are your upper arms, your hips, your thighs. You're not cold-it's only September-but you can feel the heat of Peter's body against yours as you look at one another. You inhale.
And Peter looks away, clearing his throat. He rubs his hands together in his lap and then looks out at the window across from you, watching as the train leaves the station.
-
"Oh, he's cute."
You glare at the phone screen, but your best friend's screen is paused, because she's currently stalking the Instagram of the one and only Peter Parker. "You're not helping," you say, to which she laughs. "I'm serious, (Y/BFF/N). This is a huge problem!"
"What, that you have a crush on him?"
"I never said it was a crush."
"But it's something." Your best friend's face reappears on the phone screen. "Listen. You can have feelings for someone who isn't your soulmate."
"Sure, you can." you agree miserably, sitting down on your bed. "But that doesn't mean I want to. I like Spider-Man."
"You also like Peter Parker." she points out.
You don't disagree. Peter hasn't met his soulmate, you remember. And you don't even know who your soulmate is. But is it cheating? "I know Spider-Man, though," you say in protest, after a few moments of thinking about it. "Like. Not know who he is, but I know his favorite movie series is Star Wars. And that he's my age. And we share a class together. And he's coming back to visit me. So I can't just...try and see someone else."
And you wouldn't, either way, even if Spider-Man popped up at your window and said, Hey! Go for it! Peter's cute!
"Peter doesn't even like me, anyway." you add, before your best friend can say anything. "He's still waiting for his soulmate. Being his friend is good enough."
"Being his friend and ogling him whenever you guys hang out." your best friend corrects.
You glare at her grinning image. "Who even says 'ogling' anymore?"
"I just did. Because you totally will."
"I hate you."
"You love me," she corrects. "That's why I'm coming to visit on Saturday."
"You can't spend all your weekends here," you say, frowning at her.
She waves her hand. "Of course I can. You're my best friend and I miss you. Besides, I want you to introduce me to Peter Parker."
"Uh, (Y/BFF/N), have you forgotten that you already have a cute soulmate?"
"Not at all."
