Playing with Fire

2. The Spider

Y/N's POV

It had only been an hour since I ran out of the warehouse doors and I hadn't stopped moving since. I know what Hydra is capable of and I could not afford to waste a minute. This was the longest I had been away from the facility on my own, and even though I had been running for what felt like forever, this was the first time in a long time where I was able to breathe freely.

Once I reached a more populated area,  I climbed up a fire escape and traveled by rooftop as a way to avoid any Hydra sleeper agents they have planted around the area for these reasons.

As I kept pushing on, my body and feet especially throbbed. I exerted a lot of energy during my escape and the fact that I had not stopped to rest for a second was finally catching up to me. I reached the middle of a rooftop and stopped moving for the first time. I fell onto my knees and placed my hands in front of me on the ground drawing what felt like life-saving breaths. My head hung from my neck as I felt an unexplainable emotion.

I don't know why but I was sobbing. I wasn't sad but this night had just been a rollercoaster ride.  I sat back on my feet, arms hanging at my sides as I looked up at the stars and moon. I was captivated by the beauty. Whenever I was above ground for missions before, I never really took time to appreciate the beauty of it since there has always been an objective I would have to worry about meeting. The last few tears rolled off my cheeks. For the first time, I think I was experiencing what it was like to be grateful.

I took a deep breath and wiped my face. Despite what I was feeling, I still was not safe. I still was not sure where I was going, but I just knew I couldn't stop. I looked down at my body and examined myself before I got up. My feet were all dirty and cut up. Mental note: finding shoes is a top priority, along with out-running Hydra. I had a cut across my calf, most likely from when the cable on the elevator snapped. Looking down at my arms, I could see a few bruises forming but nothing terrible... I've had worse. Even though I couldn't recall a single guard landing a hit on me, I just assumed my exit was a little rough on my body. I stood up and place my hands on my knees gathering some final breaths before I started running again.

Spiderman's POV

I had just stopped a robbery down on 16th street and continued patrolling through the city. Luckily it's Friday and I can stay out longer and patrol. Things were quiet at home with Aunt May and I just don't feel like sitting in the silence with my thoughts. My dad's birthday just passed and like usually, I've been feeling down this time of year knowing that I got robbed of that part of my life.

As I am swinging, I notice a girl hunched over on a rooftop. As soon as I land a few feet behind her, she whips around with her fist up in front of her like she was ready to fight me. I didn't do or say anything for a second as I assessed the situation. I could tell by the look of her that she had been through something hectic. She had a few cuts and bruises and her clothes were a little ripped and tattered. However, despite the uncertainty in her eyes, she still held a strong stance. Her eyes were red and puffy and were looking me up and down probably assessing me the same way I was assessing her.

I relaxed my stance and I decided to speak up, "Are you alright?"

She just stared at me for a second. Her eyebrows were furrowed like she was confused. Her long hair blew in the soft breeze behind her and her eyes glittered in the moonlight.

Her soft, yet strong voice snapped me back into reality, "Who are you?"

Not to toot my own horn but this was a question I did not usually receive. "Well, I'm your friendly neighborhood Spiderman of course! What, you've never heard of me?" She continued to stand there staring, unsure of what to do.

"Look," I said as I raised my hands in front of me as a sign of surrender, "I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm with the good guys. What's your name?"

Her eyes softened and her shoulders relaxed a little bit. "No one has asked me that question in a long time," she said as she looked down at the ground.

"Well, it's only fair. I told you my name, now you tell me yours."

"I don't know."

What is up with this girl? "You don't know whether you should tell me or you don't know your name?"

"They never called me using my real name, only code names they gave to me." Her posture stiffened back up and she flicked her eyes back at me, obviously aware she had let her guard down. "Look, I see that you are trying to be nice, but no one has shown me kindness in years. I wouldn't waste your time on me."

She slowly started to turn around to walk away. She winced as she turned, probably due to the lacerations on her feet. Who were these people she was talking about and did they do this to her? I barely knew the girl, but it broke my heart knowing someone was treated this cruel.

"Wait!" I said, "I can help you, you don't need to leave!" As soon as I said it I heard gunshots and police sirens in the distance. My head whipped in the direction of the sound and then back at her.

She must have known I was conflicted about who to help and where to go. She smirked and I won't lie, it caught me off guard. She really was beautiful. "Don't worry Spiderman," she took a step closer to the edge of the building, "I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. If you really are a hero, it sounds like some other people are needing you right about now."

I jumped onto the opposite edge of the building and turned my head back to look at her. "Will you be here when I get back?"

She stepped up onto her edge of the building and gave me a warm smile. Her eyes almost look as if they were emitting a faint glow of red. "I can't stop moving. It was ... nice meeting you...Spiderman," and with that, she jumped off the side of the building. I shot a web into the distance and followed the signs of commotion. I had decided after this job, I was going back to find her. She obviously was running from someone, and I was curious as to who.

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Published: 4/8/2020