↳ chapter six ₊˚.༄
[# a leap of faith]
THE SKETCH BOOK IVY CAUGHT WAS OBVIOUSLY LOVED, GIVEN THE MANY TABS and colors that leaked through the side of the pages. So, she didn't entirely understand why it would be thrown out the window, but many things are done without thought when they're out of anger.
She threw it right back into the open window and watched as it landed in Miles' grasp perfectly. The boy stared at the window as the group of Spider-people (and pig) came in, their gazes soft and expressions laced with empathy.
Not long ago, the echoing gunshot in Aunt May's neighborhood was aimed at the Prowler, who, unfortunately, was also Miles' uncle. Nobody needed any explanation of what happened to him afterwards.
His room, Ivy noticed, was just as much of a mess as he was. Books had been thrown off their tables and onto the floor, stationary items littered everywhere, and miscellaneous items were tilted or had fallen over.
"Hey, bud." Peter said. "You okay?"
Miles wiped away his tears and kept his head down.
The older man sighed lightly and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We've all been there. You know, for me... for me it was my Uncle Ben."
Spider-Noir followed in suit and placed his hand on the opposite shoulder. "For me, it was my uncle Benjamin."
"For me," Peni voiced, her eyes glistening with tears. "It was my father."
"For me, it was my grandmother." Ivy chewed her lip, steadying her breath.
"For me, it was my best friend." Gwen's voice was small.
Peter Porker sat on the unoccupied chair by the window, fiddling with his hands. His expression drooped animatedly. Considering that he was a pig, his words were harder to grasp seriously, though it didn't change the somber atmosphere. "Miles, the hardest thing about this job is... you can't always save everybody."
"Look, it was my fault." Miles didn't dare to meet their eyes, brushing aside all they had said. "You wouldn't understand."
"Miles, we're probably the only ones who do understand." Gwen reasoned.
The jingle of the door handle caught them off guard and Ivy met the blonde's gaze, as if it was now second nature for the two of them. The entire group decided their only hiding spot was the ceiling, which, given the likelihood of getting caught, wasn't very wasn't effective but their limited options said otherwise. A guy with a beanie came into the room, his headphones blasting with music so loud Ivy wanted to roll her eyes.
"That way, that way." Peter urged as the guy neared their corner of the ceiling. "Other way, other way."
Just as expected, the guy eventually brought his head up and caught sight of his roommate and the five other intruders in the room, with an additional pig.
"Hey there," Miles greeted nervously.
Peter Porker turned to the younger boy curiously. "Do animals talk in this dimension? 'Cause I don't wanna freak him out."
Ivy winced as the roommate fainted, causing the chair to fall abruptly and his head collided with the floor. Eventually, the group worked on helping the poor guy. The dark haired girl picked up his stray items and placed them on a nearby table, silently judging the mess that laid all around. Miles tucked his room into bed, and, unbeknownst to him, half of the group had quietly left his room.
The boy turned around only to find Peter, Gwen, and Ivy left. "What's going on?" he asked warily.
"Bye, Miles." Gwen bid him.
His eyes flickered between the two girls and Ivy sheepishly waved at him. "See you,"
The two got off the window still and stuck onto the brick wall. On the way to Miles dorm, everyone agreed on one thing; he wasn't ready. It was clear now, to Peter, that the boy lacked something, something that everyone else knew he needed. But then came the problem, who was going to stay behind? Peter was staying behind, that had been their agreement (a very reluctant agreement, at that).
"Miles, I came to say goodbye." Peter's voice said.
"We can say goodbye at the collider." Miles suggested, and Ivy can sense the confusion in his voice.
"You're not getting it. You're staying here."
"I need to be there. So you can all go home."
Ivy's head hung low, anticipating the man's words and the boy's disappointment. "They are going home, Miles. I'm the only one staying."
The rest of the group waited as they listened in on their conversation. Ivy's heart squeezed at how determined Miles was. Without seeing him, she could tell how much he wanted this, how much he wanted to prove himself, to be just like the other Spider-people (and perhaps pig). But it was too dangerous, too much for him.
"Miles, you're gonna get yourself killed." Peter laid the truth bare.
"But I'm ready." Miles argued. "I promise!"
Ivy finally let herself risk a glance, watching as Peter swept him off his feet and gripped him by his shirt, letting the boy dangle as he stuck on the roof. "Then venom strike me, right now. Or turn invisible on command so you can get past me."
Light grunting and struggles could be heard. Then, a beat of silence. "Look, I know how much you want this, kid."
"Poor little guy," Spider-Noir muttered, peeking through the open window.
"But you don't have it yet," Peter finalized, the familiar sound of webs coming from the room. "I'm sorry."
"When will I know I'm ready?" Miles' desperate voice demanded.
"You won't. It's a leap of faith. That's all it is, Miles. A leap of faith."
Peter sat by the window still and pulled his mask down, swinging over to the other building. Everyone followed suit, though Ivy couldn't help but look back at the web-stuck boy with a frown. Sighing to herself, she pulled her mask up and aimed at the building in front of them, pulling herself up as she trailed after the rest of the group.
author's note!
um i rlly didn't like writing this chapter but i've come to accept that there's nothing i could rlly do to make it better or longer so... :((
I swear guys once i don't have to follow the plot of the film the writing will get like, 10x better (it always does, i <3 writing non-canon scenes)