I'm Here | ✓

27 - Spider-Kid

This is so different... and weird. I can't put my finger on it. I'm not used to this. At first, I'm nervous, but soon, it melts away, still leaving me with questions. What's different?

Maybe a new instrument? That's gotta be it. It's a fast beat, faster than I'm used to, but it's not bad. Catchy, and before long, I find myself tapping my foot to the rhythm.

My legs are under Steve's as we lay together on the couch. Well, technically, he sat on me, and we play-fought for about 30 seconds before Steve admitted he just needed to calm down. I didn't mind. He bought a bright red pair of earbuds from the front desk, attached it to his phone, and pushed it at me, saying I should listen to some newer music. I humored him, and it's actually not too bad. Very different.

So I leaned my head on the back of the couch, eyes closed, pretending that the soft words in the song were about Steve and I, while he flipped through a book and rubbed my feet when I started feeling anxious. I could've stayed there for hours, just listening to some artist I've never met pour out all the feelings I feel for Steve into a song. I open one eye and just look at him for a second. Does he know just how much I need him?

The music pauses for a moment, and I glance down at the phone. The screen reads "Sam" and at the bottom, there is a red button and a green button. It buzzes, and Steve glances over.

I take the earbuds out of the phone and hand it to him. He taps the screen and holds it out in front of him, which is a little weird, but I don't comment on it.

Sam's voice projects loudly out of the phone. "Steve, are you watching the news right now?"

We exchange concerned glances. "No, why?" He replies. "What happened?"

"You remember that guy in the red suit who stole your shield and who could climb walls and stuff?"

"Yeah, yeah, Spider-Man, he called himself." Steve scoffed. I remember that guy, with the weird chemical strings that, I think, were supposed to be webs.

"Yeah, well, he's in Washington D.C. and just saved a bunch of kids from an explosion inside the Washington Monument!"

"What's he doing there?" Steve cried, standing nervously. "Oh God, I hope Tony isn't getting his team involved with Congress or something. This could be bad news. Has anyone else been spotted there?"

"Nope, but there's been heightened activity in Queens. There were a few reports of an iron man suit and some flying bird guy, but it's not me, and that's just in Queens alone. That's where the spider guy seems to be most active, so the fact that he's on Tony's team and in D.C. is concerning."

"I mean..." Steve sighs. "Has anything been publicized about any Stark related government activity?"

"The spider guy, how old is he?" I ask quietly.

"Oh, Bucket is there too?" Sam quips. I shake my head. His nicknames would normally be funny, but I'm worried because Steve is worried. He continues. "Whatever. We don't know how old he is, he keeps his identity secret. Somehow, Tony convinced him to join the dark side, but we don't know anything else about him, besides the fact that he works mostly in Queens."

"He sounded like a kid, but he blocked my punch. Stopped it completely."

"Did you use your left arm, genius?"

"Yeah."

It was quiet for a second. I'm still thinking about how young the spider guy sounded, and how casually he talked in the middle of a fight. He was young and innocent, but he wasn't afraid to incapacitate us. He wanted to fight. He mentioned wanting to impress Tony Stark, so I knew he was probably a teenager.

"Why would Tony recruit a kid to fight?" Steve wondered out loud.

"I mean, he's talented. Have you seen the videos? The kid can catch buses with his bare hands and cling to the ceiling without holding onto everything. If anybody could figure out his identity, it would be Tony."

"What I'm trying to say is that, if he is a kid, he's probably got things to do." I continued, the pieces all clicking into place. "Schools take trips, right? Maybe his school just went to D.C. just for fun, and he decided to save the day because he was right there, I don't know."

"Yeah, I mean, maybe. It could be nothing, but he was still associated with Tony in New York, so we'd better keep an eye out. They're still in touch, is what that means." Sam sighed into the phone. "Well, I gotta go. Check out the news when you can. If you see anything suspicious, get somewhere safe and call me. I'll talk to you guys later." And with that, he hung up.

Steve groaned. "God, that's frustrating."

"Hey, it'll be okay. We'll see where the kid ends up and watch the news. There's no way Tony would've just let the kid go unchecked, right?"

Steve rubs his face. "Yeah. Yeah. It'll be fine."

I tuck my feet a little closer to my body, sitting up to make room for Steve on the small couch. I pat the space, smiling at him. "C'mon. We'll be okay." He flops down, looking so vulnerable. He's carrying the world on those broad, muscular shoulders of his. I lean into him, smelling his faint cologne, trying to absorb some of his anxiety. He tips his head over mine, and I can tell that he's getting calmer. We both just sit and breathe for a second. The world can wait for us; we just need time.

"Thank you," Steve breathes.

"If you ever need to talk about any of this... I don't really understand what's going on, but sometimes just talking it out can make things make sense. That's what I did in Bucharest, you know... talking through the memories. Just takes a little weight off your chest sometimes." I felt like I was rambling. "But you don't have to, it seems like you and Sam have got this handled..."

"No, no, you're fine," Steve reassures me, pressing a kiss to the top of my head. It makes me smile, little gestures of affection like that. "I really appreciate it. We'll figure it out."

"That's the attitude." I stroke one hand down Steve's neck, rubbing gentle circles around his back. Steve hums in unspoken gratitude, and I know he needs it. "That's it. We'll do this together, don't forget."