Chapter Text
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2.
It’s been a whirlwind few days, during which Max hasn’t been able to talk to Amanda again. And if she’s honest with herself, she fucking misses her, even though she’s afraid of what might happen.
Max knows she’s screwed up, and she wouldn’t be surprised if Amanda rejects her or never wants to see her again. Still, she’d like to see her, even if it’s just one last time.
She takes advantage of the fact that she has to drop off her photos at the Daily Fremont to finally go face Amanda.
Since she hasn’t dared to tell Chloe that she stood her up, she has to resort to putting together her own outfit. She’s wearing a blue striped long-sleeved T-shirt and light blue jeans, with her gray sweatshirt over them. She has her camera around her neck and the envelope of Spider-Girl photos tucked under her crossed arms as she runs down the bus.
The newspaper building is relatively tall on the outside, but small on the inside. Max knows this already. She greets the receptionist, who doesn’t even ask her to sign in, and the receptionist returns her greeting.
Max steps into the elevator, along with a few editors she’s spoken to briefly over the years, greeting them with a nod.
“Oh, hey Max,” says one to her right. Max turns to look at him.
“Reggie! It’s been so long,” she greets him excitedly, extending her hand, which he shakes with equal or greater enthusiasm.
Reggie Kagan. One of the sports staff photographers with whom Max gets along relatively well.
Reggie says he’s a fan of her work, since Max has started uploading her photos to her website, both to sell them and to keep a record of her work.
And, well, the truth is that Reggie is like a student to her, since he’s relatively new to photography and only took the part-time job to gradually pay off his tuition at Caledon University—where he’s studying economics—where Moses and Safi also attend.
Max sees herself in him, in the uncertainty of whether her photography skills were really any good. She gives him advice she wishes she’d had when she first started.
Lately, since her responsibilities with Spider-Girl had consumed her, she hadn’t been able to go anywhere, even though Chloe had tried unsuccessfully to get her to take a break, a breather. Still, she’s glad to see Reggie.
“It was weird not seeing you,” Reggie says, leaning in a little to speak quietly “I wanted to show you my new photos. I followed your advice on composition and the rule of thirds.”
“Oh, okay. I, uh, will stop by the Snapping Turtle once I’m done here,” Max tells him, unable to hide her slight nervousness.
Reggie smiles at her as if he knows why. Max really can’t pretend she isn’t in love with Amanda, huh?... It shouldn’t feel like an accomplishment. “I see. Well, I guess I’ll see you there,” he nods, leaning back against the wall behind him.
They spend the rest of the time in silence, occasionally overhearing snippets of conversation among other colleagues and the occasional cough.
They reach the floor where Owen’s office is located; Reggie gestures for Max to go ahead of him, and she smiles at him in thanks, clutching the envelope pressed against her chest a little tighter.
She walks past the desk of secretary Vinh Lang, probably the most annoying yet funny man she knows. Owen’s secretary since the turn of the century. “Howdy Vinh, it’s always a pleasure to see you,” Max greets him with a fist bump, and Vinh returns the gesture while rolling his eyes.
“Caulfield. Finally decided to join us,” he greets her, tilting his head as his hand rests on his desk. “Owen hasn’t been happy at all about your absence. Reggie ended up taking over,” he warns her, lowering his voice.
Max leans in a little closer, discreetly glancing at Reggie. She knows he hates having to take photos outside his specialty, and honestly, Max hasn’t even realized she’s been photographed these past few days.
She’s quite intrigued. “Do you have any copies?” she whispers, and he nods, bending down to search before placing three copies of newspapers with different headlines on the desk. Max looks at them closely, though she knows that the longer she stands there, the angrier Owen will get.
The first headline reads:
‘Spider-Girl’s Reign of Terror!’
(Accompanied by a photo of Spider-Girl sliding down a wall, in the middle of an interrogation with someone she thought was one of Vulture's accomplices. He turned out to be just an ordinary thief.)
The second headline reads:
‘Spidey Robs a Bank!’
(Accompanied by a fairly recent photo of Spider-Girl about to swing away, the web already shooting out of her web-shooter. Max can’t remember what she had done though.)
And the last headline reads:
'Spider-Ego!'
(Accompanied by a photo of Spider-Girl evading reporters following Yasmin's arrest. Max’s eyes sting as she recalls that night again.)
Max can’t help but snort at the headlines, though she has to admit she feels extremely flattered by Reggie’s great photos. He’s really put his heart into it.
What more could she ask for? She doesn’t think anyone else has Reggie’s innate gift.
She stacks them up while thanking Vinh with a nod. He waves her off with a gesture.
“Get out of here before I get fired. Again.”
(Owen has a reputation for constantly firing his employees. He’s even gone so far as to fire and rehire Max more times than anyone else. Everyone keeps placing bets, and Max always wins them.)
Max chuckles before walking away from his desk and opening the door to Owen’s office, which is surrounded by windows that reveal his anger toward some employees. Max tries to slip in unnoticed, but Owen spots her almost immediately.
Sometimes she thinks he has powers too.
“Caulfield! What the hell are you doing here?” Owen pounds the table with his fist, glaring at her with his usual frown. “Don't you know you're fired? And replaced?!”
Max feels her hand tremble as she sets the envelope on the table. Even though she’s been through this so many times, she still feels guilty. “I’m sorry, Mr. Teller. Some complications have come up, but I still have the photos of Spidey.”
Owen snorts and rolls his eyes, grabbing and opening the envelope because of course he’s interested. Inside are at least five photos of Spider-Girl in various everyday situations (helping people, talking and working with the police, rescuing cats from the sewer, etc.). He glances through them before snapping his fingers and handing the photos out to the editors still in the office.
“Put them on the cover. ‘Spidey: Superhero or Superzero?’” Owen instructs them, with a smile as if he’s said the best thing in the world, and when he sees the editors aren’t moving, he raises an eyebrow. “What are you waiting for, Caulfield’s college degree? Get out of here!”
Max grimaces at being used as an example, but says nothing. It was her decision, after all.
Owen points at her immediately, as if he hadn’t forgotten about her. “You’re hired. I’ll let it slide this time because Reggie hasn’t been able to find Spider-Failure in everyday situations, but the next time you don’t show up, you’re fired... for good.”
Max nods repeatedly, trying not to grimace. “Yes, sir. I understand.”
He grimaces in disgust. “Speak formally to your grandpa, Caulfield, not to me. Now get out.”
“What about the check—?”
“Get out!” he interrupts her, pointing toward the door.
Max nods again and leaves the office with her head down. Well. She didn’t get any money, but at least she’ll be able to stay at the newspaper... It’s better than nothing, right?
“See you later, Max,” Vinh says, focused on jotting something down while he’s in the middle of a call.
“See you later, Vinh,” she says quietly and heads for the elevator.
It’s time to go see Amanda, apologize with all the sincerity she has in her heart, and pray for a second chance.
Or else, she’ll have to find a bar to hang out at until further notice, because she has no intention of going back to the Snapping Turtle if Amanda doesn’t want to see her.
- -
The walk to the Snapping Turtle passes in a blur, with Max submerged in the depths of her insecure mind and the world rushing past her. Which is actually unsettling, but it means she won’t waste any time.
Max sighs, straightening her shoulders before opening the door and stepping into the warm bar, where quiet music plays from the speakers, just enough to keep the place lively.
Max hesitates before approaching the counter like a dog with its tail between its legs. Amanda has her back turned, apparently cleaning, as Max can make out the circular motion of her arm.
Suddenly she feels so nervous she could throw up—like the dizziness she’d felt the first time she’d tried her web-shooters, that strange sensation of not touching the ground but floating in the air, the sudden jolt of her body as it tried to adjust.
She rests her arms on the counter, tapping her fingers on the polished, shiny wood. She briefly wonders what products Amanda might have used, so she can use them at home too. It turns out that when you don’t know how to cook because your parents were too focused on their work to teach you the basics of feeding yourself—and that’s why you were constantly at your grandma’s house, who loved cooking alone in the kitchen—well, it results in burning pots, consequently leaving burn marks on the countertops, and the food itself. Chloe had assured her it was fine, though she clearly had an angry look on her face.
Would that be a good way to start the conversation? To just come right out and tell her about her traumas and hope—pray—that she doesn’t realize she’s Spider-Girl. After all, what hero hasn't gone through some traumatic moments in their life, right?
Apparently, she hasn’t been as quiet as she would have liked, since Amanda suddenly looks at her over her shoulder. Max’s chest tightens as she notices a clear change in Amanda’s expression when she sees her. How she went from her usual cordial smile to a look of bitterness, with a grimace that makes Max swallow hard.
At least she hasn’t looked away yet.
Hope is truly dangerous.
“Hey,” Max clears her throat, awkwardly waving with one hand before slowly lowering it when she gets no response. Well, she expected as much.
“I, uh, I—” Max sighs, looking down. “I'm so sorry I didn't show up the other night and for standing you up. I'm really sorry.”
Amanda sighs; Max hears her drop the rag on the counter. For a moment, she wants to look at her again, but she doesn’t dare.
“That was a low blow,” she finally says, in a low voice, as if she still feels offended and hurt. Max can’t blame her if that’s the case. Of all the things Amanda could have said to her, that was the kindest of all the possibilities Max had anticipated.
Max bites her lip, hearing Amanda approach. “I mean, if something came up at the last minute or you didn’t want to go out, you could have let me know. That’s why I gave you my number, right?”
Max glances at her out of the corner of her eye, seeing the clear look of conflict and pain on Amanda’s face. She feels even more guilty.
What can she say to her? Make excuses when she doesn’t deserve them, when there’s nothing she can say that will bring her back to that night?
She managed to capture Vulture, but in the process she ended up sacrificing her date with the girl of her dreams, who holds her heart in her hands. Is this how it’s always going to be? Her leaving Amanda to save the city? Putting Spider-Girl before Amanda?
She straightens up, her shoulders slumped, staring openly at Amanda, letting her gaze wander over her as she watches her struggle to find the right words, opening and closing her mouth uncertainly, hesitantly.
Against her better judgment, she finds herself thinking about how beautiful Amanda looks, with her hair pulled back into her signature buns, wearing a light blue T-shirt and black jeans. Max finds herself comparing the color of her T-shirt to the color of her eyes.
Could it have been a coincidence?
Max feels her pulse quicken before she snaps back to reality.
It seems Amanda has finally managed to find the words she wanted to say, as she squares her shoulders and looks at her, her brown eyes slightly darkened. “Max, I really wanted to go on that date with you. Can you even tell me why you didn’t show up?”
Max presses her lips together. She tilts her head as she looks at her and feels her eyes start to sting from the tears threatening to spill out.
It hurts so much to hurt Amanda, and even more knowing that this probably wouldn’t be the first time. Because Max’s life is more unpredictable and dangerous than everyone else’s. She could- will disappear for days, just like she just did.
“I don’t know what I was thinking,” she finds herself saying, gesturing with her hands, desperate to show she means it. “Fuck, I really thought I was going to make it on time, and suddenly half an hour had gone by. I was so excited about our date, and I ended up hurting you, letting you down.”
Amanda bites her lip, turning her head slightly to look away. “Is that really the reason, Max?”
There’s something in her tone of voice that suggests she seems to know something. But Max dismisses it immediately. She’s just being paranoid.
So she, on the other hand, nods. “I’m really sorry, Amanda. I’d understand if you wanted me to leave you alone.”
This is the moment of truth.
Amanda brings a hand to her face, looking back at her. “No,” she says firmly. “No, I don’t want you to stop coming.”
Max relaxes her shoulders.
She doesn’t know if it’s magic or if she’s really worth it, but damn, she’s relieved.
“Can we try again?” she asks softly, a little desperately.
Amanda leans against the counter near her. Max wants to reach out and touch her, open her heart so she can curl up inside and protect her from the imminent danger she’ll face because of Max.
“… Of course,” Amanda concedes, sighing. Max smiles, and she returns it slightly. “Try not to stand me up, okay?”
“I promise,” Max leans forward slightly. “If anything comes up, I’ll let you know, okay?”
Amanda nods. “Alright. Now that we’ve talked, can I get you anything?”
Max shakes her head. “I came to see you,” she confesses, lowering her voice slightly. She watches with pride as Amanda blushes.
“Well, you’ve seen me now. What else are you going to do?”
Max clicks her tongue, suddenly remembering that her life, unfortunately, doesn’t revolve around Amanda. Not yet, anyway. “Oh, I have to meet up with Reggie.”
Amanda hums, tilting her head. “Don't be a stranger, okay? Text me.”
“I'd love to.”
Max smiles at her again before stepping away from the counter and turning around, missing the adoring, lingering look Amanda gives her.
She looks around, realizing the place is relatively empty and quiet (did the few customers overhear their conversation?), and frowns when she sees no sign of Reggie. He usually has trouble showing up early like Max does, so she sighs as she heads toward one of the booths near the door.
She’s about to sit down when she freezes, her spider-sense warning her of the onset of an explosion.
Max doesn’t even hesitate before running out.
She heads to the nearest alley to take off her clothes, she hurriedly hides them behind a trash bin before swinging out on her webs, just in time to hear the explosion begin, violently shaking the city’s foundations, and she can hear screams of horror.
She tries to go as fast as she can, but at the same time, she’s only human. She arrives just as another floor seems about to collapse.
Spider-Girl quickly creates a large web like a safety net, which miraculously ends up catching many people who are crying. She lets out a sigh of relief.
She approaches, shoots a web, and hovers above it as she crouches down.
“Is everyone physically okay!?” she asks, glancing from side to side to assess the damage. They reply in affirmative, and she feels relieved.
“Well, I'm going to start bringing you down, but keep in mind I can only carry one person at a time!” she warns them, turning until her legs wrap around the web holding her up. She receives affirmative answers again.
She hopes the firefighters are on their way to speed up the process.
- -
She’s lowering the fifth person when the firefighters finally arrive and take over the task. Spider-girl doesn’t even try to argue, relieved to leave the job to those better suited for it.
She descends carelessly to the ground, watching with astonishment and a knot in her stomach the destruction the explosion has left in its wake. The remains of what was once a wall or a ceiling, the dust still billowing, the ashes that remain.
If only she had foreseen it.
At least she saved some people. She’ll have to wait for the official reports to come out to find out how many were killed and how many were injured.
Then she hears a heart-wrenching sob and instinctively moves closer. There’s a young man kneeling near a large piece of stone, one hand covering his face.
Spider-girl blinks, a little confused, before focusing her gaze and then realizing. There’s a dead body underneath. A person Max could have saved if—
“YOU!!”
Spider-Girl startles, turning her gaze to the young man kneeling there. She is surprised to see that it is Reggie, who is getting up from the ground, before she begins to feel a slight pang of sorrow, sadness, and guilt.
“Hey—”
“YOU KILLED MY SISTER!!” Reggie yells at her, pointing to his sister’s body buried beneath the rock.
Max feels herself freeze from her body all the way to her heart. Blood rushes to her ears.
Reggie keeps yelling at her, closing in on her with a look, an expression she’s never seen before. It’s a mix of frenzy, horror, sadness, and pure, raw hatred.
Max feels sick to her stomach, her insides churning and bile rising in her throat. Firefighters arrive to stop Reggie from getting close enough to clearly hurt her. Spider-Girl feels her senses screaming at her to run, and she does so without hesitation, feeling as though her mask is suffocating her.
She needs to get out of there or she’ll end up revealing her true identity.
- -
Max needs a few days to recover from the news that she failed Reggie. She heads to the other side of town to take photos and starts stopping robberies on a whim.
Everyone seems to notice that she’s been more violent but slower lately. She’s stopped using her webs to fight, opting instead for hand-to-hand combat, not caring how her face looks. She has to hide her injuries from Chloe.
When she goes to the Daily Fremont to drop off her photos, she learns from Vinh that Reggie had been fired for editing some Spider-Girl photos without permission. She can’t help but feel sorry for him.
It’s as if Max had ruined his life on purpose, but in reality, these are things beyond her control.
Still, Max finds herself unintentionally seeking comfort in Amanda, who also seems to have heard the news and doesn’t seem to mind seeing her so often.
It’s truly a step forward in their relationship, and Max can’t help but be deeply affected by the fact that Amanda flirts shamelessly with her, always hinting at a possible date between them.
The truth is, Max has to restrain herself from kissing her. And even though Max hasn’t had any previous partners, she’s shared a few kisses with people during her teenage years just to try it out. Or rather, at Chloe’s encouragement.
Once Max feels she can breathe again, she shyly asks Amanda to finally go on their date. And she’s lucky not to have been rejected; instead, Amanda gave her a kiss on the cheek.
- -
Max wears the same outfit of a white shirt and black jeans—which she’d washed until her hands hurt—for lack of better ideas and creativity. She puts them on over her suit, just in case, even though she hates the thought of standing Amanda up again.
If Max could choose, fuck, she’d choose Amanda without a second thought, time and time again. But it seems like an almost impossible decision—not when she also wants to keep Seattle safe.
Maybe, if Amanda realizes it’s not worth it… at least Max will keep her safe... along with the rest of the citizens.
She pays the taxi driver and gets out a few blocks from the bar Amanda wanted to go to. Is it an LGBTQIA+ bar, or something like that? Max had gotten distracted watching her so excited and had simply said yes.
There’s a crowd that seems to be waiting to get in. The music reaches where Max is standing, thumping against the ground. She nods her head to the beat of the song, trying to glance around to see if Amanda has arrived.
She paces around in circles a bit, just to have something to do. She feels so nervous and excited; it’s as if she wants to jump and throw up at the same time. It’s a unique kind of dizziness, one that doesn’t bother her as much as it should.
It’s an effect Amanda has on her. Max wants more.
Max might just die once she gets to know Amanda better. Although if she’s already so in love with her without even knowing her… is that something that normally happens? To feel so much for a person who’s practically a stranger still?
Max is very naive when it comes to love. More out of inexperience than anything else. Her first love had been Chloe... until Max’s parents left Arcadia Bay and moved to Seattle just days after William’s funeral. During that time, between getting used to city life, starting at a new school, and trying to socialize—all while coping with the loss and grief of William—Max...
Max had ignored Chloe for nearly three years.
Until Chloe showed up at her doorstep at age 17, tearful and trembling after walking in the rain for hours. Apparently, Joyce had started dating a former soldier named David who always seemed to look down on Chloe, and the situation had escalated to the point of physical violence. Chloe couldn’t take it anymore and had traveled with just enough money to fill up an old pickup truck with gas, which had left her stranded as soon as she arrived in Seattle.
Max swallows hard as she recalls that night, when she saw Chloe again after three years. How they had to rebuild their friendship, how Chloe was understandably still angry with her. But it was worth it.
It was worth it because their friendship is even stronger than before.
Max’s parents had accepted her, though cautiously. They had already found out that Chloe had been expelled from the prestigious Blackwell Academy, and just seeing her—with her dyed hair, her tattoo and swearing—they didn’t seem to want her around Max.
But honestly, Max’s parents aren’t even in her life enough to have a say in who she hangs out with. And even though Max is usually quiet, she’s always stood up for Chloe—to the point where her parents just stopped saying anything.
Chloe had gone out of her way to try to make it up to the Caulfields, even though Max had insisted it wasn’t necessary. She’d landed several part-time jobs until she finally started working at a few auto repair shops. That’s where she works now, and she loves what she does.
Max is so proud of Chloe. That will never change.
She sighs as she puts her hands behind her back, trying to straighten up to pretend she isn’t intimidated.
It’s just a date—she can do this. She just has to make Amanda feel comfortable.
She goes over all the advice she’s found on social media, muttering to herself as she paces in circles again. In her mind, she’s already having the best date of her life, maybe even kissing her for the first time.
She’s smiling, looking dreamy. Anyone who’s ever criticized love doesn’t really know how it feels. They don’t know Amanda. They don’t want to love Amanda.
She figures their lives would be so boring without her. Although… well, it’s not entirely strange if Max wants to gatekeep Amanda… right?
Max is happy thinking about Amanda until…
Until something…
Something is starting to make her nervous, and it has nothing to do with her earlier jitters about the date, but... but that kind of nervousness that gives her goosebumps all over her body.
She shivers at the cold that suddenly runs through her veins. She glances sharply to the side, and there emerges a shadow, taller than the average human, with massive muscles—as if it were on steroids—surrounding its almost hunched figure, its mouth open, revealing sharp teeth and a tongue almost as long as a toad’s. Max feels her heart racing and blood roaring in her ears as she sees that the silhouette is wearing a replica of her Spider-Girl costume, only completely black and covered in white spiderwebs; even the spider on its chest is large and slightly different. Instinctively, she begins to back away, her skin, her body screaming at her to get out of there.
It’s the first time she’s ever felt this way.
Is this how people feel when disaster is about to strike, before she steps in to save them?
Max starts running, just like the other people nearby. She darts into an alley and doesn’t hesitate to take off her clothes. She’s pulling down her jeans, hurriedly sending a message to Amanda, when...
“Where is SPIDER-GIRL!?” asks a distorted voice, and Max has no doubt it’s the strange figure. “She has to PAY for what she did to us!”
Max carelessly leaves her clothes behind a dumpster, letting them get covered in cobwebs before scrambling up the wall as fast as she can.
She hears the figure beginning to rampage down the street, the unmistakable sound of cars being overturned and their windows shattering with a resounding crash as people’s gasps and screams pierce the stillness of the night.
Spider-girl crouches slightly to gain momentum and leans against the edge of the building once she makes it, standing on tiptoes like a ballet dancer, her legs arched and her hands pressed together in front of her feet. She turns her head but can’t get a good look at the figure, so she jumps from her position and runs to her left, where she’ll have a better view down below.
She places her hands on the edge of the wall, watching with a mix of fear and amazement as the figure wastes no time in attacking the buildings. Spider-Girl turns her head, looking for high points to swing from. She finds them and doesn’t hesitate to approach the figure, even though she feels a knot in her stomach.
The enemy seems to notice her—is it smiling? She isn’t sure—as it sees her. Almost without hesitation, it extends its—arm?—toward her. Spider-girl isn’t expecting it and ends up crashing into a building, letting out a small whimper of pain.
The enemy lets out a raucous laugh that makes Spider-Girl instinctively cover her ears before... a tentacle!? —What the fucking hell?!— wraps tightly around her neck and pulls her toward the figure. She tries to break free from the deadly grip, only to be thwarted. The closer Spider-Girl gets to it, the more uneasy she feels.
What the fuck is this thing!?
“This is all your fault!” the... thing growls at her.
Her panic is impossible to hide; her chest rises and falls rapidly, her eyes wide open. She has given up on her attempts to escape.
“What are you!?” she ventures to ask, her voice barely audible. The tentacle tightens its grip on her neck.
“We are Venom! And you’re going to pay for what you did to us!”
Spider-Girl has no doubt about its intent. If looks could kill…
In her panic, she looks down and is briefly paralyzed upon recognizing Amanda below, staring up at her along with a group of people, all looking just as scared as she is.
For some reason, that helps her pull herself together, as if the world itself had shrunk down to just Amanda and nothing and no one else. She has to make it out alive so she can go on their damn date.
Though it’s a strange motivation, no doubt about it. Fuck, she’s not even her girlfriend yet—she needs to calm down.
If she had a PR team, they’d probably tell her to say that her motivation in life comes from her fans and not the woman she’s…
Damn it, she has to pull herself together.
In, out, in, out.
One Mississippi, two Mississippi...
Okay, she’s got this under control. Her mind is clear. Or something like that, considering the fact that she feels like she can’t breathe. Because, ha, this fucking thing is choking her.
It’s painfully obvious that the enemy isn’t going to let her go anytime soon, which means she has to calculate every move coldly and logically.
She stares at the enemy with a furrowed brow, concentrating hard, trying to visualize something that might help her escape.
However, it seems that Venom—damn, what a great name for a villain—has a plan in mind, leaping toward the nearest building. Clinging to the wall, it begins to climb rapidly, leaving claw marks in its wake.
It feels different to be in the air against her will; it’s as if she were swimming in the ocean and someone were constantly holding her head underwater, even though she’s moving.
She begins to struggle to free herself from Venom's grip, knowing full well that she won't be able to escape.
They reach the roof and Venom pushes her; she rolls until she crashes into the shed’s entrance. The impact echoes off the metal door, causing intense pain in her back.
“This is all your fault!” it repeats, striding toward her in a single step that makes the building shake. Spider-Girl can’t even move away, as she’s struck hard in the abdomen—it is incredibly strong—and she gasps. “You did this to us!”
“What—?” Spider-Girl is cut off as she’s grabbed by the neck again; her words end up as a broken stammer. She’s shoved again, only this time she’s hurled through the air and lands face-down on the roof of the building next door, nearly crashing into an outdoor air conditioning unit.
She lets out a groan, arching her back as a tingling pain begins to spread through her ribs. She vaguely hears Venom approaching and, as she's gasping for air, she begins to stand up. She staggers once she manages to get to her feet, instinctively doing a backflip—even as her body screams in protest—when she feels the ground shake again.
She lands with one knee on the ground and the other leg extended backward, both hands firmly planted on the floor, looking toward where Venom is approaching. It would be useless to try to fight hand-to-hand, but perhaps if she does some acrobatics, trying to stay in the air longer, she might at least gain some advantage.
A black... tentacle? A black web? stretches out, but it’s strange—made of a viscous substance. Her hair stands on end as she dodges it.
She tries to attack using her web, but it quickly backfires as Venom uses it to pull her in and, with a single blow, throws her back to the ground.
She’s about to get up when a weight settles uncomfortably on her chest, claws tearing slightly through her suit at her arms like a threat, blood oozing out in strands. Max’s breathing quickens, fearing for a moment that Venom will completely destroy her suit and her identity will be exposed.
“You destroyed our life. You’ll pay for what you did to us.”
“You keep saying that,” Spider-Girl coughs, her tone both mocking and intrigued. Venom lets out a shriek that reverberates in her eardrums. Without warning, it strikes her. Max winces, feeling a sharp, uncomfortable pain in her cheekbone; it undoubtedly left her with a sizeable bruise.
“Hey, I was being nice! You know I can sue you for copyright for copying my suit? I wasn’t even considering it until now—!” Venom hits her again, and she grunts, feeling the sting in her temple.
“Address us with respect!”
“Who is ‘us’? The voices in your head? They don’t sound very nice.”
Venom moves closer to her, and Spider-Girl watches in terror as the black tentacles shift, revealing... Reggie!?
He’s a pale grayish color, almost completely wrapped in Venom. Even his teeth have elongated. His eyes look empty and his lips are parched. Max wonders how long he’s been trapped? Entangled?
“Reggie,” she whispers, making the mistake of softening her tone. All the guilt and regret she’s been trying to ignore suddenly bursts forth and bombards her mind.
She feels her eyes start to sting from held-back tears.
Reggie’s face contorts before being covered by Venom once more. Then one, two, three punches strike her face again—drawing blood—and she tries in vain to stop him, grabbing his arm.
As much as it pains her to see what he has become, there’s no way she can just stand by while he’s thirsty for blood.
Spider-Girl shoots a web into his eyes, and it’s enough of a distraction for her to slip out of his grasp. She runs and does a few somersaults to gain momentum... Venom ends up grabbing her by the leg, digging his claws into her flesh and tearing her suit to shreds in the process. The freezing night air hits her suddenly, sending shivers down her body.
She’s dragged across the ground, leaving scratches and dust in its wake. She tries to stop him, digging her hands into the ground to no avail.
“We're not done with you yet!” Venom warns her in a threatening tone.
“But I'M done with you!” Spider-girl exclaims, taking advantage of Venom's momentary distraction to kick him in the face. He growls, loosening his grip.
Spider-Girl does a backflip, shooting her web at a high point and swinging from it, landing directly on top of Venom, quickly landing punches and kicks on him, managing to stun him. When he tries to counterattack, scratching her mask from where her nose begins down to below her eye in two thin lines that draw blood, she jumps backward, still clinging to her web.
The distance helps her aim her web at his eyes. She smiles to herself as she watches him try to wipe the web from his face, before quickly disappearing down the nearest alley, falling as silently as possible.
Crouching down, she makes her way to where she’d left her clothes, wincing at her injuries and the state of the street. Max slips into the alley and pushes aside the trash can, relieved to see her clothes. She slips them on carelessly over her suit.
She limps as she hurries out of the alley. She’s grateful she’s not dead.
She bursts into tears, unable to stop herself, ignoring the stares she receives at her battered state.
She has done this to Reggie.
Reggie, who had so many expectations for his life, who was ready for so many things. A passionate young man trying to make his way, to find his passion and his place in the world...
Now he’s trapped inside that thing, Venom. And it’s entirely Max’s fault.
And she has come to the conclusion that Venom isn’t…
That… it’s a completely… different enemy. And that terrifies her to the core.
It doesn’t seem human; it seems to have the same reflexes and fighting style as Max. It’s as if it were her clone, but ugly, with a biological flaw.
It’s truly a threat. And Max has no doubt that, if she isn’t careful, Venom could actually kill her.
- -
Max forces herself to take a few days off to recover. And fuck, she hates having to cancel on Amanda, who is so kind that she doesn’t send her any messages insulting her.
Luckily, her healing factor has her feeling like new the next day, but mentally... yikes.
Venom wears her down, both physically and psychologically. But what really tears her apart is knowing who’s underneath...
Man, Max is truly a fucking failure.