after rain ||| peter parker (cancelled)

Chapter 5.

ii.

"Your honor, I want to make sure that Felix is no longer pulled out of class to be pestered by Detective Clemens and his circus again!" Jones argued, standing in front of Judge Maya Moore. "It will begin to interfere with his studies if he continues to lose time in class and his homework hours."

The Judge was a round woman, with hair cropped short and thick lips, and a pocked traingle shaped face. The air of power all around her pressured the room they sat in, and mocha skin sucked in the sunlight like it had only risen that money just to feed it.

"His father has gone missing, which means that technically he is property of the state!" District Prosecutor Laurel Clemens argued. "He should remain accessible to us at all times, and with the surfacing of yet another Black Cat, suspicion is rightfully on him."

"Felix Hardy is property of Pro-Thesis Industries, and is filing to become an independent." Jones placed a folder in front of the judge.

"You cannot file to have a child become the property of a company, that's ridiculous!" Clemens argued, annoyed.

"You can, however the child has a set amount of time to become an independent or find another guardian otherwise the company is forced to relinquish them to the state."

"He is a suspected vigilante!" Laurel pursued. "His father is proven to be Black Cat, flees the country, and suddenly a new Black Cat surfaces? It cannot be a coincidence."

"Walter Hardy led a double life. It's perfectly plausible that he could have had a prodigy to carry on his work." Jones shrugged. "Felix maintains the top rank in his school, attends his ballet classes, kickboxing, gymnastics, and participates in his schools Decathlon team!Not to mention the healthy social life he leads with his friends. You're proposing that he does all of this and has taken the same steps as his father?"

"Walter Hardy wasn't even on the list of people suspected to be the Black Cat because of how busy his life is."

"Walter Hardy appeared to be busy because he had a CEO handling all of his business, and attended fancy events, while he was secretly jumping around in a catsuit with a grappling hook up his sleeve." Judge Maya finally spoke in a gruff voice, shutting the arguing lawyers up.

"Felix could be hiring someone to do his academics." Laurel presented desperately.

"And do you have proof of this?" Judge Maya raised her brow, and when Laurel said nothing the judge nodded. "That's what I thought. You are hereby ordered to leave Felix F. Hardy the hell alone unless you have definitive truth that he is the Black Cat, or that he has had contact with his father. And I mean definitive Clemes, none of this speculation. If you do so, I am going to recommend that Felix sue for defamation, harassment, and many other grievances, Is that understood?"

"But your Honor-"

"Is that understood?" The judge interrupted impatiently, and Laurel's nodded annoyed. "Good, now get the hell out of my office."
***

"That's nice." Orya lifted Felix's hand and examined the ring that had a blue and red gem in it's center, humming her approval. A sun was engraved on one side, while a crescent moon resided on the other on a silver band.

"Thanks, I saw that you and Corven got friendship necklaces, so I figured I would buy something to tie me into the group." Felix said.

"Not the vibe we were going for." Corven said, slapping the flashcards on the table in an attempt to get them neater."Besides, my necklace," he pulled the sun from underneath his shirt, then looped his finger through the chain of Orya's necklace, much to her protest. "And her necklace, are already best friends! So you're too late! Ha! Loser!"