Word count: 1915
(A/N) I know I already did a spiderman au okay bear with me I'm in love with spiderman
Your friend Jack ran into the cafe and made a beeline to your table. He looked worn out.
"You're late," you noted.
He cringed. "I know, I know, I'm sorry. I-"
The news on the TV interrupted Jack. The broadcaster talked over pictures and videos of events that supposedly happened just across town not too long ago. The media featured Spiderman swinging in and saving the day. Jack glanced between you and the TV.
"What?" you finally asked.
He shook his head. You rolled your eyes and got started on preparing for exams. You and Jack tackled U.S. history for a few hours. Jack noticed that it was getting dimmer outside and said that you guys should call it a day. You packed up your stuff and caught a bus back to your apartment building.
"Wanna come in, or do you have to get back?" you asked. Strange, you weren't really one for inviting people over. Jack was different.
He wobbled on his feet for a moment, weighing his options. "I can stay for a while," he smiled. On the trip up the elevator, he asked if your mom was home.
"No, she's back on the late shift for the month."
"When does she usually get back?"
You shrugged. "Maybe 11? I don't know, I'm usually asleep by then."
"Do you cook then?"
"Yeah. Can't live on fast food, as much as I want to."
That earned a chuckle from Jack as you stepped out into the hall. You unlocked the apartment and invited Jack in. You plopped down on the couch and search Netflix for something good to watch while Jack microwaved popcorn.
"I won't put on a horror movie, for your sake," you joked as he sat beside you and rolled his eyes. "So... ooh how about this one? I guess it's kinda horror, but it doesn't look like nightmare fuel."
You arrowed over to 47 Meters, a shark movie. You both silently read the movie description. He turned to you and shrugged, meaning he was down for whatever. You shrugged back and pressed play. For the next two hours, you watched the characters make dumb decisions and got jump scared by the sharks. The girls were almost free (or so it seemed), the boat's crew members reaching down to lift them out of the water. Then, the sharks came back out of nowhere. You grabbed Jack's arm in anticipation. The movie ended a few long minutes later. As the camera slowly zoomed out, you were almost in disbelief.
"I knew that was gonna happen!" you exclaimed, hitting Jack's arm. "I knew as soon as the captain said it was a symptom, then I forgot about it!"
"Calm down, calm down," he laughed, pushing you into the couch. You crossed your arms and pouted at the movie.
"Her sister was stupid," you grumbled. Jack nodded.
"I mean, she was the one who pressured her sister into-"
There was suddenly a loud sound of what you could only describe as destruction. You both hopped up and raced to the window, frantically trying to see what on Earth was going on. Not having the perfect vision, you couldn't really make out what flew past about half a mile away, but it kind of looked like. . . a person? You turned to Jack, hoping he saw it more clearly.
"What the hell was that?" you asked, the tone softer than you had intended. Sure, your voice sounded calm but you wanted to scream. A small explosion went off in the distance. Jack looked almost as confused as you were, but he looked like he knew something.
Nonetheless, he said he didn't know as he whipped around to search for his bookbag. You stared in confusion until he found it and threw it over his shoulder. As he opened the door, you called his name. "Jack!" He didn't respond verbally or physically, like he didn't even hear you. You chased after him, not caring to close the door behind you. He passed the elevator and headed to the stairs. "Jack!" you called again. You followed as he jogged down the two flights of stairs. By the time you reached the bottom, you were out of breath. You managed to grab the back of Jack's jacket before he ran out the door.
"Jack," you breathed. You moved your hand to his wrist. He glanced down over his shoulder for a moment before finally looking at you. "What are you-" you tried to catch your breath. "You'll get yourself killed."
His facial expression changed as he turned to face you. "(Y/N), I. . ." A scream from outside made you jump. "I have to go, (Y/N)," he said urgently. You held onto his wrist with both of your hands now. You cursed the tears threatening to spill over your cheeks. Jack stiffened and opened his mouth again, but no words came out. He pulled you into a hug, burying his face into your shoulder. He pulled back and said, "I'll be back, I promise. Wait here." You cried as soon as his back was turned to you, standing in the doorway.
You wiped your cheeks with your sleeve and left the building. You walked carefully down the sidewalk, staying close to the sides of other buildings. Following sounds of explosions and destruction, you came upon a crossroads. You stepped around the fallen cement and rubble. A noise made you stop in your tracks and listen.
"Mh-"
You turned your head towards the whine. "Hello?" you called out, walking in that general direction. "Hello?"
"He-"
"I'm coming, hold on!" you reassured them as they continued to cry out. Under a slab of cement, a small hand twitched. You reached down and gently touched the palm. The fingers curled around your fingers as a young girl cried. "Don't worry honey, I'm here. I'll help you." You pushed Jack to the back of your mind. He was stronger than you gave him credit for; this was a helpless child.
You started with the smallest pieces. Even those were heavy, and you worried if you could actually be any help. Now all that was left was the big piece laying over the rubble like it was some kind of lid.
"Can you- what's your name?" you asked, squatting down.
"Layla."
"Layla, can you put your arm inside with you? Would it hurt to do that?" The arm slowly retracted. "Okay, now is anything laying on you or are you in a hole?"
"I'm- Nothing's touching me."
"Okay, good. Stay still, I'm gonna get you out."
You pushed the cement, but it didn't budge much. You looked around, trying to come up with something. Anything. You found a metal bar that resembled a crowbar. You wedged it under the slab as much as you could. It took all of your strength and more to push down and get the cement to raise a little. Once raised, you rotated it until there was a large enough gap on one side. You let go and dug out the side of the rubble cave. The sun shined on the girl's face, all covered in dust. She reached up and let you pull her out and hold her close to your chest. She couldn't have been more than six years old.
"You're okay, it's okay, it's fine."
You turned to get back to the sidewalk, but not before hearing another voice. You scanned the rubble again. It was hard to tell where the voice came from. There were a few bodies laying around. You told Layla they were just tired. This voice was that of a boy, but he didn't sound as young as Layla.
"I'm coming," you said again, this time to a new person. How many people in this one area were trapped or injured? How many were dead?
"Hurry," he pleaded. You followed his voice until you found him, the kid with a rod stuck in his thigh.
"Oh dear," you mumbled and rushed to his side, getting on your knees and telling Layla not to look. He was holding the rod. "Don't pull it out," you warned him. "It'll hurt a lot more and you'll bleed a lot. Trust me." He nodded.
You briefly put Layla down to help the boy stand up, warning him to not put weight on that leg. After Layla told you she was okay to walk on her own, you held her hand while supporting the boy.
"Thank you," he cried, hissing every other time he took a step. You shook your head, telling him not to worry about it. You led them both to the sidewalk and had them sit along the wall. Whatever had caused this mess was returning. You could hear it coming. You and the kids were well enough hid that the thing probably wouldn't see you, but what would you do if it caused more destruction? You couldn't really shield the kids, whatever fell on you would crush them as well.
Suddenly, the figure flew past, this time mere yards away. Another figure, a familiar red one, swung by too. As the two fought, you huddled the kids together to become as small and unnoticeable as possible. That, however, only worked halfway. You could see spiderman fixate on you and the children for a moment, and you knew he spotted you. Was it only a matter of time before the green guy noticed too?
You didn't want to take that chance. You told them to stand up and walk with you. You were only a few feet away from the corner, then you'd be out of sight. And you were, but you were far from safe. You three kept walking, limping until the boy was crying out in pain. You picked him up. It was a weird position, given the obstacle of the metal rod in his leg, but at least he didn't have to put pressure on it anymore. Layla held onto the hem of your shirt as you walked. You weren't particularly fit, so carrying the boy strained your arms. You tried to ignore the loud noises behind you. Spiderman suddenly swung around the building and into your view, and you worried that you were in danger again. He stopped in front of you.
"Let me help you out here." He reached for the boy and you let him take over. "Hey, buddy, we'll get you to the hospital and they'll make you feel better." Meanwhile, you held Layla's hand and walked behind them. After the ten minute walk to the hospital, you left both children in their care.
You smiled at the man, or whatever he was, in the red suit. Then someone came to the front of your mind again. "Jack," you muttered to yourself.
"What?" he asked. You looked at Spiderman with an understandably confused expression. His face, even with the mask over it, changed as if to say 'oh shit.' Your mouth dropped slightly, and you lifted your hands to cup his face. You hooked your pointer fingers under the mask and slowly brought the mask up. You didn't even have to uncover more than his mouth to know it was him.
"Jack," you smiled. You rested your forehead against his.
"You did so well," he praised. He slightly leaned back as you looked up at him only to lean down. Your breath hitched in your throat, his mouth so close to yours. He was waiting for you to close the gap, so you happily pressed your lips against his.