You Make Trying Easy

Chapter 1

"What are you doing right now?"

Peter hissed in pain, only for his senses to scream at him, just barely dodging the debris that Rhino throws at him—a bench from the looks of it—as he launches himself into the air.

"Nothing much," Peter says through gritted teeth, ignoring the pain in his side screaming at him as he swings out of the way back towards the fight, "how about you?"

"We need to talk," he hears Michelle say, Rhino roaring at him as he lands a kick to the face. "Wait, are you dying right now?"

"Not currently," Peter replies, the kick bringing Rhino down to his knees. Peter does a flip, launching web bombs at him to try and keep him down as he says, "what's up?"

"This is a face to face kind of talk not a 'distract you enough that you'll die'. God, Stark's right. You're an idiot."

"I'll tell him you agree with him," Peter says with a grin, Rhino throwing his free arm in the air only for Peter to switch webs—electrifying Rhino just enough to give him a buzz as he kicks him down once again.

He hears Michelle scoff on the other end as she says, "don't you dare."

"You're the one who said it, not me. When do you wanna talk?"

"Now? If you're not dying then it's not like you're busy," Michelle replies, hearing the teasing in it as he rolls his eyes.

"I could be busy. That's rude. You're so mean to me."

"I'm not mean, I'm right," he hears her say, laughing as Michelle asks, " Did you have any plans today?"

Peter frowns as he knocks out Rhino—finally—shooting off some more webs to pin him down for the cops before he shoots a hand out to swing away.

"No," he says with a huff, "but that's not the point."

"Can you be at Elio's in fifteen?"

Peter lands on a light post, glancing down at the scene below him. Rhino's knocked out and he can hear the sirens already, a cluster of people on the sidewalk all with their cell phones out, taking pictures of him.

Tourists , Peter thinks—shaking his head before sending another hand out.

"Yeah, I'm on my way."

"So then I told him, 'this city ain't big enough for the two of us and he said'—"

"Chew please, then swallow," Michelle says with mild disgust, Peter grinning as he noisily takes another bite of his burrito. Michelle just rolls her eyes, Peter quickly chewing then swallowing like he was told before continuing.

"He didn't like that so much so we had a little disagreement."

"Of course you did," Michelle says in monotone, Peter slurping up some of his drink as he studies her.

Something was up with her—though what, Peter hadn't figured out. In all the years he's known her, Peter likes to think he's gotten better about understanding Michelle. Her moods, the little tics she had and the subtle changes in her facial expressions that told him everything he needed to know before she said a word.

It was a benefit of having been friends with her for as long as they have, glad in more ways than one that she'd settled back in the city after law school. With Ned back in the city too, it was like no time passed at all—feeling like they were sixteen and the world was so much simpler, even if even then—it had been anything but.

Whatever's going on with her, it has to be serious—enough that she wanted to talk to Peter about it first. Ned's office was only a few blocks away—if Michelle hadn't extended the invitation to him, there had to be a reason for it. Though what that could be, Peter didn't know.