《WELCOME TO THE PARTY!》
TRIGGER WARNING: MENTIONS OF ATTEMPTED MUGGING, VIOLENCE AND EXCESSIVE PROFANITY.
MINA FELT GOOD. She decided this as she jumped from building to building late at night. She was testing out Tony Stark's suit, tailor-made for her, and she was finding it completely flawless.
Much to her dismay.
It had this amazing ability that helped her jump from the rooftops, instead of running on the ground down below. It would gather kinetic energy, then as she jumped, it would release the built up power and boost her jump, ensuring she reached the other side easily.
As Mina was busy jumping, she was careful to keep an eye on the ground, looking out for any signs of trouble. She had taken it upon herself to help Peter out with his daily patrols, as well as go on her own solo adventures.
The two heroes sometimes met up, helping each other watch over the city at the same time. Then, other times, they would just pass by one another, giving a nod or a simple wave of acknowledgement.
And the whole time, Mina managed to keep her identity a secret.
Now that she was able to speak to him, it made everything much easier. Tony had installed a voice changer, that disguised her voice and made it impossible for anyone to recognize her own voice.
Simply put, it was nice. And useful.
It helped communicate with everyday people and came in handy, now that Spider-Man and Kitsune were becoming fond old buddies.
The only thing Mina would change was the tracker. To ensure she, Mina, honored their deal, Tony had installed a tracking device in her suit to monitor her activities.
If she got too close to a place Carnage had been or was in, Tony would take the suit back and her Stark Internship would come to an abrupt end.
Mina was still allowed to help everyday people, like if they were getting mugged or someone had pickpocketed and she was around to see it. Simple things like that. Petty crimes.
She liked helping the people, sure, and it was always great when they thanked her for her efforts but if she was being truthful, it sucked too. Mina wanted to go after Carnage, not stupid little idiots like gang bangers.
The whole reason she got started was because of that crimson psychopath. She wanted to avenge Matt's death, not put it in the backseat and ignore it.
It infuriated her that she wasn't able to do the one thing she wanted to. Helping others was nice, but it wasn't beating that bitch Carnage into the ground and seeing just a red splotch level of nice.
And that's all Mina wanted really. Was that too much to ask for?
Mina jumped back to the real world as she remembered her duties for the day. She wasn't supposed to be goofing around and thinking about how her life sucked; she was supposed to be helping people.
Mina perched herself on the edge of a high rise building, sitting down on the rough, bumpy cement and let her mind run blank. Her eyes scanned the city below, vigilantly looking out for anything out of the ordinary or anything that looked troubling.
But as the sun went down, the street emptied out until there were only a few pedestrians left out. The evening chill came out and Mina was thankful for her new thermal suit, as the wind whipped around her uncovered bangs.
It was peaceful, sitting there and not doing much. Her head felt clear somewhat, now rid of the hurt feelings between her and Peter and now not worrying about her and Alex.
But Alex...
There seemed to be trouble in paradise. It was both unsettling and disappointing, at least for Mina.
It wasn't like she hated, or even disliked Alex, far from that, but there was something wrong in their relationship. There was something missing, something that was a key detail to both the girl's happiness and something that Alex was unable to provide for Mina.
It was on the tip of her tongue but the blue haired girl just couldn't place it. It was annoying, being so close to the answer but still drawing up blanks.
And then, for the second time within that hour of the day, Mina was ripped back to reality as she heard a shrill scream from below her.
She quickly turned her head to the sound, focusing on the street just underneath her and found the source of the scream. A woman was being dragged into the alley right beside her.
Mina's narrowed eyes followed the struggling frame until it had disappeared from eyesight and then she quickly shot up. Her peaceful mood was gone, replaced with anger and disgust.
Running to the side of the building that would overlook the alley, Mina glanced down. She saw the oppressor standing over the poor woman, completely oblivious to the asskicking they were about to get and focused only on the woman's purse.
Mina took in the surrounding area, noticing the fire escapes that led down the ground. She inhaled deeply before launching into the air and grabbing onto the metal gate, flipping onto it neatly while making minimal noise.
She put her feet on either side of the gate, preparing herself. Instead of taking the ladder, like a normal, sane person, she dropped down from one level to the next, until she had reached the ground.
Once there, Mina made sure she kept silent, walking carefully on the cold, musty cement to avoid making noise. She pulled one of her katanas out noiselessly, in case she had to act fast and walked closer to the struggling pair.
"Please don't, please." The woman was sobbing from behind the person, who she identified as a man. Mina realized with a sinking stomach that the woman's shirt was ripped in half, exposing the tan skin of her torso and her skirt was hoisted up, leaving her legs bare.
The man didn't say anything but he grabbed onto the woman's wrist, holding it painfully tight while staring straight at her. It sent a chill down Mina's spine and she clenched her jaw in anger.
"Don't! Please, pleas-!" The trembling woman's plea was cut off by a hand connecting to her cheek, instantly leaving a red mark. The sound the slap made echoed throughout the alleyway and a terrified sob emitted from the woman.
Enraged and fully done with waiting, Mina stepped closer and made her move.
As the man came closer to his victim, Mina cleared her throat, ignoring the scared feeling in her stomach and focusing on the anger. She saw the punk's head shoot up, first glaring down at the sobbing woman beneath him and then to his left, then right, where he spotted Mina.
"I'm pretty sure she told you no." Mina said, standing upright and poised, trying to look intimidating.
Mina saw the woman turn to her, a look of wild desperation in her eyes and she clawed at the man's grip on her.
"Please. Please help me!" She called and Mina's insides turned to ice, wanting to assure her she would be saved but it would be too soon.
"And who asked you, freak? Fuck off, this is none of your business." The man sneered at her, prompting Mina to scoff.
When he realized Mina wasn't in fact fucking off and instead was getting closer, he let go of the women's wrist. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small knife and flicked it open, holding it casually to the woman's throat.
Mina, her entire being now in full defense mode, stopped where she was, aware of how delicate the situation was now.
The woman was sobbing hard, her throat working as a fine line of blood dripped down to her chest as the punk pressed harder. His face was set in a disgusting grin, taunting Mina.
She observed the short distance between her and them, noting the poor stance the man had and how easily he could be kicked down. Her heart in her throat, Mina sheathed her sword and quickly rolled on the ground.
When she popped up again, she was level to the thug's knee and before he could react, she had pulled herself up and kicked him in the balls. Then, out came her small knife and she had stabbed him in the lower stomach.
The reaction was instant, and he went down immediately, grabbing his groin in shock and pain and the woman was left standing, quivering and crying hard.
Mina stepped towards the girl, not close enough to be threatening but far enough to still feel safe. Still, the woman freaked out and screamed, jumping away.
To show she wasn't going to hurt the woman, Mina held up her hands and took another step back, stepping on the man's leg. He cried out in pain and Mina kicked him in the face, knocking him out while giving him a bloody nose, potentially a broken nose.
She didn't care. He was a horrible man and deserved all the pain.
Turning back to the freaked out woman, Mina extended her arms and gently took hold of the other girl's arms. Despite the woman giving off another shriek, Mina shook her head.
"Hey, hey. It's okay, you're okay. You're safe, you're fine. Okay?" Mina asked and this seemed to calm the woman down, enough for her to stop shying away from Mina.
"Are you alright? Did he cut you?"
When the woman could only nod her head, Mina bent her head and looked at her throat, at the delicate, thin cut his dirty knife had drawn.
Mina squeezed her arms again, ignoring the exposed body parts of the woman and she looked into the woman's eyes.
"What's your name?"
"J-Juliet. My, my name is Juliet." Juliet said with a shaky breath, tears still streaming down her face. Mina nodded, then gestured to herself.
"Well, Juliet, I'm Kitsune. Do you have anyone that can come pick you up?" Mina asked softly. Juliet took a second to respond, her overlarge eyes gaping at the knocked out, bloody man laying on the dirty ground.
Mina shook her gently, to draw her away from the thug and Juliet blinked rapidly, eyes darting from the man to Mina before she replied.
"Um, uh, yes. Yes, my fiance. Steve." Juliet answered and Mina nodded again, removing her hands from the slim woman.
"Okay. Why don't you call Steve while I take of Mr. Jerk Off over there?" Mina suggested. Juliet nodded silently, grabbing for her pockets and she pulled out her phone.
Meanwhile, Mina was bent over the man, patting him down for a cellphone to place an anonymous tip to the cops. She felt the familiar shape in his bloody pants pocket, and she grabbed it, ignoring the blood in his pocket.
After she was done, Mina dropped the phone on the ground, smashing it into the cement with her foot. She noticed the man's eyelids fluttering, and when he fully opened them, groggy and disoriented, she glanced over at Juliet.
Finding her preoccupied with her fiance, Mina grabbed the man by the shirt and yanked him up against the wall.
He looked at her with wide, panicked eyes but Mina didn't feel any pity. The main emotion was disgust.
"Listen to me, you fucking disgusting, repulsive waste of space. I have no idea what your problem is or what's wrong with you. I don't really want to know and I sure as hell don't care." Mina began, her voice low and dangerous. "But what you did and what you almost did is revolting. And if I was a better person, I wouldn't even let you take another breath, I would kill you. Literally, kill you."
She paused, letting the words sink in. The man's face was white, aside from the blood trailing out of his nose and he looked terrified.
"If I ever see you again or someone comes and tells me you did this again, I'll come and pay you a visit. And I swear to every god out there that this mask, this fucking face, is the last thing you will ever see. Got it?"
The man nodded feverishly, and Mina finally let him go. He fell to the ground and hit the concrete, much to Mina's joy.
She was telling the truth. She didn't have the same good beliefs or morals as Peter or Captain America or even Tony Stark and she was fine with roughing up the villains, fine with drawing blood and breaking a few bones.
As far as killing went, she had absolutely no idea where she stood. If and when the time ever came that she was given the choice of killing, Mina hadn't the slightest idea of what she would do. She supposed if the person was bad enough and there was no other way, killing may be justified.
At least this punk didn't require murder. Yet. Maybe.
Mina turned back to Juliet, who had just gotten off the phone with her fiance. Juliet edged over to her, a small, vacant smile on her face and Mina felt guilt seep into her.
This girl was scarred now, and would be for a long time, maybe even forever. Her life was changed and Mina couldn't do anything to help.
Juliet walked up to Mina, staring up at the fox mask in innocent curiosity, then her eyes quickly darted away. Mina didn't mind if she stared, it was only natural human nature.
Silence fell between the two and while Mina was comfortable with it, she worried Juliet would begin to feel sacred again. She was about to speak, to say any random thing when the other woman beat her to it.
"Thank you." Juliet said. Mina nodded, though she stayed silent.
Juliet looked at her and clenched her hands, rubbing them anxiously.
"Really. You saved my life. I-I probably would've died if you hadn't saved me so, thank you. Really." Juliet said, her voice cracking. Mina nodded again, unsure of what to do.
Should she hug her? Reassure her everything was fine?
Say something you idiot. Anything.
"You're welcome. I'm just glad he didn't get that far." Mina said truthfully and Juliet nodded, eyes wide but still glassy.
Both women's attention was pulled by the sound of a car approaching and Juliet poked her head out of the alley to check it. She then whipped around, a relieved smile on her face and looked at Mina. Her face went slack when she didn't see the ninja, eyebrows scrunching up in confusion.
A cough came from the middle of the fire escape and Juliet could just make out the white of Mina's mask. A black gloved hand rose and fell in a goodbye wave and Juliet grinned.
She gave a simple wave in return, then backed up, and walked back out into the safety of the street and Steve, the fiance.
From the fire escape, Mina watched Juliet get into the car and then she watched them speed off, glad that at least one more person was safe. She stayed hidden in the fire ladder until the police came and collected the man, putting him in the back of the cop car and driving off to jail with him.
Once everyone was taken care of, Mina climbed up to the roof, this time with the help of the ladder. She watched the city for a few more moments before she decided it would be best to go home.
She broke into a run, gathering her strength and then bounded over to the other building, landing gracefully on her feet and knees. Confidence restored, Mina made it home in record time.
After checking for anyone passing by or looking outside(cough, Peter, cough), Mina raced across the street and up the ladder, making sure to be as quiet as possible. When she reached her room window, she pulled the window up quietly and slowly, cringing at the loud squeak of protest it had midway up.
She climbed in, onto her bed and as soon as she relaxed in relief, she tensed up again with the sudden shock that there was someone else in her bed.
"Mina?" Ned said, his voice blank with shock and his eyes wide as saucers.
It took all Mina's strength to keep her cry of surprise in and she clapped a hand over her mouth to keep silent. Instead, her eyes grew as wide as his and her already pale skin paled even more.
"What? No!" Mina nearly shouted. She realized she was still wearing the stupid suit and the stupid mask, so she quickly flung the mask off. It hit the floor with a heavy thunk! and Mina regretted that decision almost instantly.
Ned's face fell and his eyes were wide and glazed over, like the lights were on but nobody was home.
Shocked silence fell upon the room and Ned was so still Mina considered the possibility that he had suffered a heart attack. As she bent to check his breathing, he suddenly gasped in and his whole body shook.
Mina, startled and scared, scrambled back instantly. When she saw Ned had returned to his shocked state, she relaxed, then she figured she'd better fix him.
It was creeping her out, how blank Ned was. So, Mina slapped her fingers underneath his eyes, hoping to catch his attention.
"Ned. Buddy." She called and Ned responded with a small "Huh".
"Ned, come on. Is it that earth shattering that I cosplay?" Mina asked. This time it worked and Ned snorted, his eyes alive again.
"You hate cosplay, you always say it's for suckers and weeaboos." Ned pointed out and Mina shrugged, an easy smile gracing her lips.
"And I still stand by that."
Ned was quiet again, thinking his own thoughts and Mina waited anxiously to see what he would say. Or think. Or do.
"So let me get this right. And no bullshitting me, I'll know... What's with the get up?" Ned asked.
Mina debated her answers. Tony and Rhodey told her not to tell anyone else about it but Ned already knew about Peter. She did too but it hardly mattered now. And it would feel so good to tell someone...
"I'm a superhero." Mina said simply.
Based on her tone and the weird nature of it all, Ned knew it could only be true. So, he didn't question it but he would ask some questions about it.
"Is it through the Stark Internship? Are you an Avenger? Does Peter know? Does Diana know?"
Mina held up a hand, stowing the many questions Ned had spouted out.
"Yes, it's through Stark. No, I'm not an Avenger. No Pete doesn't know about it and fuck no! Diana does and will never know about this, agreed?"
Ned nodded and Mina relaxed, her biggest concern put to rest.
"When did this all start?" Ned asked and Mina considered it.
"Like, July last year."
"Jesus, Mina! That was almost 8 months ago and you managed to keep it secret all this time." Ned said. "Good for you!"
"Well it doesn't matter much anymore. I mean, you of all people found out." Mina said, then thought for a second. "Wait. Ned."
"What?"
Mina's eyes lit up, along with the rest of her face and her eyes shone, her hopeful look worrying Ned greatly.
"Ned what?" Ned asked again and Mina grinned distantly.
"You helped Peter with his suit right?" Mina questioned and at Ned's reluctant nod, she nearly squealed.
"Well, then, you can help with mine!" She said excitedly. Ned looked like he was considering, then he turned to Mina with a sly grin.
"If I help you, which I might, does this mean...I get to be your guy in the chair?"
Mina shook her head, though she was chuckling. Then she shrugged and leaned back.
"Sure. Have at it, buddy." She said and Ned pumped a victorious fist in the air. As the two settled down, Mina remembered something and she turned to Ned, confused.
"Why are you in my room?"
SO. SO SO SO SO.
S O . . .
SHIT GOT REAL, HUH?
I WANTED TO END THE CHAPTER ON A LIGHT NOTE, GIVEN THE SENSITIVE NATURE OF MOST OF THE CHAPTER.
I PUT A TRIGGER WARNING IN THE FIRST PART BUT IF YOU DID READ IT AND IT TRIGGERED YOU I AM HONESTLY, REALLY SORRY.
IF YOU ENJOYED, PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT.
THANK YOU!