The Joker

4.

Peter's date with Felicia came sooner than he felt it did. She seemed delighted when he'd called her on the phone, and had indeed agreed to meet him for dinner and a walk in Central Park the next afternoon. Unfortunately, this also meant that Loki was right. She had no idea the mob hit had been for her, meaning she was still in danger.

Unable to sleep that night, Peter woke early the next morning and pulled on his super suit. He crept to the rooftop, being careful not to disturb a peacefully slumbering Loki. Peter needed to do some good, solid hero work, and he hated to think it, but Loki was dragging him down already.

If it weren't for Loki, Peter might have been able to take Amora all on his own. She had seemed surprised by his abilities, and spider silk was good for making traps. Despite the blundering nature of Loki, Peter couldn't help but like some aspects of him.

There was, for instance, his constant need for calories. After taking showers and cleaning up after dealing with Amora, Loki had been hungry again. They ended up ordering pizza because Peter was hungry too, but Loki scarfed down half of it before Peter had even finished his first slice. It was impressive, and Peter admired a guy that could eat like that and still look like skinny, little weasel.

The Spider-Man also appreciated the way Loki blundered about Earthly things like curly fries. He had obviously never had one, and was brave enough to try it anyway.

In fact, Loki would have been the perfect roommate, if only he'd pick up his dirty laundry. Peter wasn't too concerned with that, however. His own clothes were scattered around the room as though a tornado had blown them there.

While Loki did tend to need an explanation for many Earth things, once Peter explained them, Loki tended to pick them up with fervor. He had become a fan of Star Wars and Game of Thrones after a marathon of what Peter called "Earth's Greatest Hits" last night. Peter had also taught him how to make his own milkshakes in the blender, and also how to do his own dishes and use a dishwasher. He had also been introduced to boxer shorts, which he had been wearing as he snored on Peter's top bunk. Peter also discovered Loki had a tattoo of a dragon's head on his left pectoral, and made a mental note to ask about it later.

Yes, Loki had his pros and cons and could be fun to hang out with, but Peter still needed his alone time. He perched on the rooftop and thought about where to go next. Hell's Kitchen, perhaps. No one had seen The Devil in a while. Something about vanishing in an earthquake, and as a result, crime had nearly doubled. He decided against it, though, because it was too far from Queens and he didn't mean to be gone more than a few hours.

As if on que, Peter heard a scream blow. "He's got my purse!" a woman cried as a man in a black hoodie charged down the street. Eyes narrowing, Peter shot a strand of silk from his wrist and leapt from the roof. He swung down into the crowd of people, and managed to snatch the purse right out of the man's hands. Another strand of silk, and the man's feet were stuck to the sidewalk in an alley he had run into.

Peter landed next to him and stood there, hands on hips, and grabbed the purse from his grasp. "You bastard," the man said angrily. "She promised me you'd been taken care of."

"Amora?" Peter asked. "Nah. She couldn't stump us."

"Not Amora," the man growled. "Black Cat. She works for Amora."

Peter tilted his head. "Black Cat? Who's Black Cat?"

"Me," a voice behind him replied, as the purse was snatched from Peter.

Peter whirled around to find a curvy, African American girl in a black cat suit and mask. Her hair was long and silver and silky, and it hung luscious and free around her crossed arms. In one gloved hand, she held the purse straps, and with the other, she drummed her fingers on her upper arm. The gloves had long appendages that looked like claws on them, and on her head she wore a headband with wires that led to her ears. It looked like cat ears, but it had to be some sort of listening device. She was mysterious and beautiful, and yet she looked very, very deadly.