it's like nova in the sky when you and i collide!
( peter parker x fem!oc )
( age of ultron - doctor strange: multiverse of madness )
( extended summary inside )
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chapter nine: web training
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Arabella had no clue what came over her senses last night, but she completely spilled her emotions to the boy she'd met in the alley. She didn't know why, but she had an unsettling gut feeling that something terrible was going to occur soon, and she'd rather have another Enhanced to endure it with her than go through it alone — even though that sounds extremely selfish.
After they agreed to meet back at the Maximoff's apartment, Peter Parker had left a bit later.
And now, he was coming in ten minutes, and she was floating various crafting materials in the air while an empty, crumpled shopping bag was carelessly discarded on the tiled floor.
The girl had gone to the avenue's dollar store in search of equipment she could use herself to help Peter practice his web-shooting. Arabella eventually purchased a roll of stretchy string, a baseball-sized bouncy ball, scissors, and a velcro strap. She planned to tie the line to the strap and the ball and attach the velcro to her wrist, allowing her to throw the ball back and forth without it smashing one of Tony's expensive flower pots he forced into Arabella's apartment.
While she fidgeted with the supplies and attempted to fix them together, Arabella realized she was too busy protesting and training back in Sokovia to settle down and have a normal childhood. The most crafty thing the siblings had done in the HYDRA facility was writing their names in any color of their choice ( Arabella chose purple; ironic, right? ).
It was the last normalcy they felt before they became human experiments.
Arabella heard knocks thumping against the door in a cheerful tune just as she fastened the rope onto the velcro. Removing the contraption from her arm, the brunette stood up from her seat at the kitchen counter and made her way towards the door. She unlocked the door, but not before checking the peephole and assuring herself it wasn't HYDRA agents — yeah, she still got nightmares about them — and that it was the bright teenager from last night.
Arabella brushed off a stray piece of yarn from her leggings and swung open the door. There, Peter stood, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
A warm smile made its way onto her face as she lifted her hand in a small wave. "Hey," she greeted, stepping away from the doorway to allow Peter to enter.
He did so, but not before responding with a much more lively, "Hello!"
"How are you?" Arabella tried to make conversation, but the truth was, she hadn't interacted with many people besides her sister — well, not as much anymore — and the Avengers. Most times, when Arabella tried to speak with people, they either ran away in terror or cowered in fear. Nobody's ever reacted the way Peter did; it was an automatic green flag in her books.
"Still surprised over the fact that I'm hanging out with an Avenger!" the boy gushed, excitement openly visible in his eyes.
Cute, Arabella thought.
Light poured in through her windows, the shine illuminating the accented wall behind her television in the living room. The sweet smell of citrus wafted from the kitchen where she had a diffuser running — her nose had been stuffy lately, and Natasha suggested it while at the Compound. The scent gave Peter a sense of home, reminding him vividly of his Uncle Ben and Aunt May.
"Okay, I'm, like, prepared for your training," Arabella said, motioning for Peter to follow her to the kitchen.
She rifled under the stray paper bag and held up her messy creation; Peter sent her a confused smile and blinked cluelessly.
"I made this," she explained, "so I could help you practice your web-shooting skills. Obviously, you have webs — you did bring your webs, right?"
Peter nodded; she continued.
"So I found this ball for you," — she handed him a bouncy ball like the one attached to her string — "and you are going to throw it and shoot it with webs, then bring it back to you. Kapeesh?"
"Kapeesh!" Peter grinned, already moving to roll up his sleeves and put on the web-shooters.
Arabella wrapped the velcro around her wrist, throwing the ball to the floor and watching it bounce back into her hand. Peter furrowed his eyebrows.
"This is mine," she informed, sending him a tight smile. "Clearly, I don't have web-shooters, so I made this myself to help you."
"How, uh," Peter stammered, still gazing at her invention. "How does it work?"
She decided to show him visibly. Arabella ensured the strap was secured tightly, then proceeded to underhand throw the ball and yanked her arm back, wincing when the ball only grazed her fingertips and fell limply to the floor.
"It's a . . . work in progress," she sighed in defeat.
"No, no!" Peter interfered with a slight chuckle. "It's cool. Smart, even."
She awkwardly, sheepishly nodded, turning to look at the taller brunette. "Alright, your turn. Throw the ball and try to catch it with your webs."
Peter nodded, facing the blank wall across from them. He winded his arm back and lightly tossed the ball forward while Arabella followed his movements, quickly scrambling to aim his web-shooter. He missed; the web shot onto one of Arabella's flower-filled vases and sent it crashing to the floor, breaking into tiny shards of clear glass as the flowers gracefully fluttered to the ground.
"Oh, my God. I'm so sorry," he frantically apologized. Arabella only laughed and tossed the ball ( which she caught ) in the air lazily.
"No, it's fine," she dismissed, looking his way while her powers mindlessly collected the broken bits and pieces of glass — a trick that she recently picked up on — and made their way to the trash bin. Peter stared with wide eyes, muttering words of awe as he watched.
"Hm, one time and I'm already better than you at this. Maybe I should be Spider-Man," Arabella smirked, lightly scoffing when Peter's incredulous gaze landed on her.
"I — hey, yours has a string! It's not fair game!"
"Well, it's not like I'm touching the string," she defended, still throwing and catching the ball effortlessly.
"Still, that's no fair," he pouted, an adorable frown on his face.
"Jeez, you're literally a baby!"
And so they stayed, practicing, bickering, laughing, talking about anything and everything as they did the night before.
The shy teens had finally found solace in another person that wasn't family or a partner.
A beautiful bond was formed, one that neither hoped would tear in the years to come.
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author's note
sorry this chapter is kinda short, i was rushing so i could update cause i haven't in a while. the training chapters may be boring but i'll try to add some softie moments in there <3
