Chapter Text
Janet Ruiz had worked for Ben Reilly for almost two years, and in that time she had learned more about him than she had ever expected to know about the man who had originally hired her as a secretary. There had been impossible cases, chaotic mornings, sleepless nights, clients who seemed determined to test the limits of Ben's patience, and more than a few occasions when Janet had seriously considered whether she had made a terrible career decision. Yet somehow, through all of it, Reilly Investigations had become something that felt less like a place of employment and more like a second home.
She had learned that Ben was brilliant, frustrating, kind in the most inconvenient ways, and stubborn enough to argue with a brick wall if he thought the brick wall was wrong. She had also learned that beneath all the strange habits, the guarded expressions, and the things about him that still didn't make sense, he possessed the heart of someone who genuinely wanted to help people. That was probably why she worried about him so much.
Fortunately, things had been good lately. Really good. Reilly Investigations was thriving, with more clients than they could comfortably handle, Robbie was still writing remarkable stories for the Bugle, and Ben had finally begun sleeping more than a few hours at a time. His nervous habits weren't nearly as bad as they had once been, the constant twitching had calmed considerably, and the exhaustion that used to seem permanently etched into his face had begun to fade. Most importantly, he smiled more.
Janet noticed.
Everyone noticed.
Ben Reilly smiling had once been about as common as seeing a unicorn walking down Fifth Avenue, so when it started happening regularly, nobody in the office was going to miss it.
Janet's own life had been going wonderfully as well. She had been seeing someone for a while now, someone kind and patient who made her laugh, and judging by the way he'd been acting lately, she had a feeling a certain question might be coming soon.
Life was good.
For once.
---
"So."
Robbie dropped a stack of newspapers onto the desk beside her.
Janet looked up from her typewriter. "So?"
He grinned. "You've noticed, right?"
"Noticed what?"
"Ben."
Janet glanced toward the open doorway of Ben's office. He was sitting behind his desk, quietly humming to himself while going through a stack of paperwork. The sight alone was suspicious enough to make her raise an eyebrow.
"What about him?"
Robbie lowered his voice conspiratorially. "He met someone."
Janet smiled. "Ruby?"
Robbie blinked. "You know?"
"Robbie, I've worked here for two years."
"That's fair."
She had practically been able to hear Ben's thoughts whenever Ruby called. The man had become unbelievably obvious, and for someone who could apparently move through the city without making a sound, he had somehow become incapable of hiding the fact that he was falling for someone.
Robbie shook his head. "It's serious."
"Good."
"It is." He hesitated, and his grin faded slightly. "But..."
Janet stopped typing. "But?"
Robbie sighed. "He's worried she'll get scared off."
Janet frowned. "Why?"
Robbie gave her a look.
"Janet."
Understanding immediately dawned on her. She glanced toward Ben's office again. He was still completely absorbed in his paperwork, apparently unaware that his friends were discussing him only a few yards away.
"Oh." Her expression softened. "He thinks being different will scare her?"
Robbie nodded. "He doesn't exactly have the easiest explanation."
Janet leaned back in her chair and considered that for a moment. Honestly, the whole thing was so perfectly Ben that she couldn't help smiling.
"Ben is ridiculous."
Robbie raised an eyebrow. "That's your conclusion?"
"Yep." She glanced toward his office again. "That man is like a stray cat in the rain."
Robbie laughed. "A cat?"
"Yes."
"A dangerous, super-powered cat?"
"Still a cat." Janet shook her head. "He acts like he's impossible to love, but then he looks at you with those sad eyes and you can't help feeling just a little sorry for him."
Robbie's smile softened.
"That is disturbingly accurate."
---
And then there was Ruby.
For the first time in years, Ben Reilly was dating. Actually dating. He wasn't investigating, pretending he was too busy, or finding some excuse to disappear whenever a relationship became too complicated. He was making an honest attempt at something resembling an ordinary romantic life.
Unfortunately, Ben was absolutely terrible at it.
When Ben fell for someone, he fell hard. Suddenly there were flowers appearing on his desk. Suddenly he cared about his appearance before leaving the office. Suddenly he was asking Robbie for relationship advice, which was horrifying for everyone involved and especially horrifying for Robbie, who had quickly discovered that being asked for romantic advice by a super-powered private detective was considerably more complicated than writing an article.
There was, however, one small problem.
Ben had started neglecting everything else.
Work suffered. Sleep suffered. Even his eating habits became irregular again, and most importantly, he had begun forgetting that alcohol was not a replacement for emotional processing.
Janet noticed immediately.
Of course she did.
She always noticed.
---
It had been years since the last incident, and Janet had almost convinced herself that perhaps those days were finally behind them. Maybe Ben had actually learned something. Maybe he had finally accepted that he couldn't solve every problem by working until exhaustion took him down, and perhaps he'd even realized that drinking himself into oblivion wasn't a particularly effective coping mechanism.
Then came the late night.
A very late night.
Janet had stayed behind to finish some paperwork, and by the time she finally decided it was time to leave, the office had become completely silent. The telephone had stopped ringing, the typewriter had gone still, and there wasn't a sound coming from Ben's office.
Too silent.
"Mr. Reilly?"
No answer.
Janet frowned.
Ben had promised he was going home.
That usually meant one of two things. Either he had actually gone home, or he was lying.
She sighed.
"Of course."
She walked toward his office, opened the door, and flipped on the light.
Then she stopped.
There was Ben.
Hanging from the ceiling.
One hand gripped a bottle of alcohol while the other rested lazily against the ceiling above him. He was still wearing his work suit, though his hair was a complete mess, and he had the kind of ridiculous, lovesick smile on his face that Janet had never seen him wear while sober.
Then, in a voice far too dramatic for the situation, he began to sing.
🎶 "I'm your spider, be my spider... to be real!" 🎶
Janet stared at him.
Silence filled the office.
Absolute silence.
Ben looked down at her.
"Janet."
She folded her arms. "Ben."
"You found me."
"I did."
"I'm Spider."
"I know."
"Spider is very busy."
"I can see that."
He smiled proudly, apparently satisfied that he'd made his point.
Janet slowly pressed her lips together. She refused to laugh. She absolutely refused, because she knew that if she started laughing now, she wasn't going to stop. Instead, she simply shook her head and reached for the light switch.
"Good night, Mr. Reilly."
Ben blinked. "...You're not impressed?"
Janet paused. "No."
"Ruby would be impressed."
"I highly doubt that."
She retrieved her keys from the desk and switched off the light. The office disappeared into darkness, leaving only the faint outline of Ben hanging somewhere above her.
"Wait."
Janet stopped at the doorway. "What?"
"Did I do something embarrassing?"
She paused and looked back into the darkness.
"No." A beat passed. "Not at all."
That was technically a lie.
She stepped outside, closed the door, and locked the office behind her.
At least one thing was different this time.
No spider goggles.
Janet decided she would count that as progress.
---
The next morning was going to be wonderful because Ben Reilly had absolutely no idea what he'd done.
And Janet, along with Robbie, was going to have the time of her life.
She couldn't wait to watch him walk into the office, hungover and confused, completely unaware that his secretary knew exactly how ridiculous he'd been the night before.
Two years of secrets.
Two years of accidental confessions.
Two years of trying not to laugh.
Finally, Janet was getting her revenge.
The harmless kind.
The best kind.
---
Janet arrived at the office earlier than usual. It wasn't because she had more paperwork waiting for her, and there wasn't any pressing case that required her attention. She had simply decided that if Ben was going to spend the previous evening hanging from the ceiling and singing about being a spider, she was entitled to enjoy the morning afterward.
She placed a fresh pot of coffee on the warmer, organized the morning files, and waited.
Patiently.
Very patiently.
Robbie arrived twenty minutes later. The moment he stepped through the door, he noticed Janet's expression and stopped.
"...What happened?"
Janet looked up innocently. "Nothing."
Robbie narrowed his eyes. "That is the exact face people make before telling me something terrible."
She smiled. "Mr. Reilly had an interesting evening."
Robbie slowly placed his newspaper on the desk. "Define interesting."
Janet glanced toward Ben's office. "He was drunk."
Robbie sighed. "That's not new."
Then he froze. "...The goggles?"
"No."
He visibly relaxed. "Okay. Good."
"But..."
Robbie immediately became suspicious. "But?"
Janet took a slow sip of coffee.
"He was hanging from the ceiling."
There was silence.
Then Robbie stared at her.
"Again?"
"Again."
He covered his face with one hand.
"Oh my God."
"And singing."
That got his attention. He lowered his hand. "Singing?"
Janet nodded.
Robbie stared at her.
"What was he singing?"
Janet hesitated. She had been saving this moment, and the smile that appeared on her face gave away exactly how much she was enjoying herself.
"Something about being someone's spider."
Robbie blinked.
Then, very slowly, a grin spread across his face.
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
He leaned against the desk. "Tell me."
Janet shook her head. "I don't think I can accurately describe the level of confidence he had while hanging from the ceiling."
Robbie lost it.
He laughed so hard he had to grab the edge of the desk to steady himself.
"This man," he managed between laughs. "This absolute disaster of a man."
Janet tried not to laugh.
She failed.
---
The office door opened.
Both of them immediately stopped.
Ben Reilly stepped inside, and he looked terrible.
Not dangerously terrible. Just painfully hungover. His coat was wrinkled, his hair was slightly messy, and he was holding his head as though the sunlight itself had personally offended him.
"Morning."
Robbie smiled innocently. "Good morning."
Ben looked between them. "Why do I feel like I'm walking into a conversation I don't want to be part of?"
"Because you usually are," Janet said.
Ben frowned. "I don't like that answer."
"You don't like most answers."
"True."
He walked toward his desk, then stopped and looked at Janet.
"Why are you smiling?"
"I'm not."
"You are."
"No."
Robbie immediately looked away.
Ben noticed. "...Why is Robbie trying not to laugh?"
"Am I?" Robbie asked, his voice suspiciously strained.
"Yes."
Robbie coughed. "Allergies."
"You don't have allergies."
"I do today."
Ben narrowed his eyes.
Something was wrong.
He just didn't know what.
And unfortunately for him, Janet and Robbie knew exactly what.
---
Ben sat down and picked up the first case file. Five seconds later, he put it back down. He glanced up.
Robbie looked at Janet.
Janet looked at Robbie.
Neither said anything.
Ben frowned. "Why are you both doing that?"
"Doing what?" Janet asked.
"That thing where you know something and I don't."
Robbie smiled. "Nothing."
Ben stared at him. "That makes me trust you less."
"Rude."
Janet placed a fresh cup of coffee beside him. "Drink this."
Ben accepted it gratefully. "You are the only person in this office who cares about me."
Robbie gasped. "Excuse me?"
"You encourage my bad decisions."
"I encourage your freedom."
"You encourage my bad decisions."
Robbie pointed at him. "That's unfair."
"Is it?" Janet asked.
Robbie thought about it.
"...Maybe a little."
Janet hid her smile.
Ben drank his coffee slowly, and little by little the color began returning to his face. He opened the case file again, but after a moment he stopped. Something about the previous night had begun nagging at him, a vague sense that there was a piece of the evening he couldn't quite remember.
"Did I..." He looked around the room. "Did I do anything embarrassing last night?"
The silence was immediate.
Too immediate.
Ben looked suspiciously between them.
"Why is everyone quiet?"
Robbie looked at Janet.
Janet looked at Robbie.
Then Janet smiled politely.
"No."
Ben narrowed his eyes. "Really?"
"Really."
"Nothing strange?"
"No."
"Nothing involving..." He paused, searching his memory. "...my nighttime work?"
Janet kept a perfectly straight face.
"No."
Robbie made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a cough.
Ben looked at him. "Are you okay?"
"Fine."
"You sound like you're choking."
"Coffee went down wrong."
"You weren't drinking coffee."
Robbie looked offended. "I can choke on imaginary coffee."
Ben stared at him. "...I hate this office."
"No, you don't," Janet said.
And she was right.
Because despite everything, Ben smiled.
Just a little.
---
Later that afternoon, when Ben was buried in paperwork, Robbie leaned toward Janet.
"You know..."
"Hm?"
"You could have told him."
Janet glanced over. "No."
"Why not?"
She watched Ben for a moment. Beneath all the sarcasm, the stubbornness, the pretending, and the ridiculous situations he somehow managed to find himself in, Ben Reilly was still someone who had spent years believing he was alone.
"When he tells me," she said quietly, "I want it to be because he trusts me."
Robbie nodded.
"And not because he accidentally confessed while drunk?" he supplied.
"Exactly." A small smile appeared. "Besides..."
Robbie raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Janet looked toward Ben.
"I want to see the look on his face when he realizes I've known for years."
Robbie laughed.
"Oh, that's going to be incredible."
"It really is."
Neither of them noticed Ben looking up from his desk.
Neither noticed the suspicious expression crossing his face.
Neither noticed him quietly deciding that whatever they were hiding, he was going to figure it out.
Because if there was one thing Ben Reilly was good at...
It was solving mysteries.
Even when the mystery was about himself.
---
After the Silvermane case was finally closed, Ben Reilly did something he rarely allowed himself to do.
He stopped.
There were no leads to chase, no late-night patrols waiting for him, and no case files demanding his attention until sunrise. For once, the office was quiet, and Ben simply sat behind his desk staring at the room around him.
And because he wasn't busy, he had plenty of time to think.
That was when something occurred to him.
Something that should have occurred to him much sooner.
He leaned back slowly in his chair.
"You're kidding."
The realization was almost embarrassing in its simplicity.
Janet knew.
She had known for years.
Ben stared at the ceiling, trying to reconstruct every strange conversation, every knowing look, every time Janet had somehow appeared at exactly the wrong moment. Suddenly, all those little moments began fitting together.
The jokes.
The endless jokes.
The strange looks between Robbie and Janet.
The conversations that stopped whenever he entered the room.
The references to swimming goggles.
The way they both somehow knew exactly when he was about to do something embarrassing.
For years, Ben had wondered what bizarre inside joke existed between his best friend and his secretary.
It had been about him.
Him.
He dropped his head into his hands.
"How did I not notice?"
The answer was obvious.
Because he was Ben Reilly.
A brilliant detective who could spot tiny details other people overlooked, identify inconsistencies in a witness statement after reading it once, track criminals through a city, and notice a footprint hidden beneath a layer of dust.
But apparently, when it came to things directly related to himself, his detective skills had a remarkable habit of disappearing.
---
The worst part was the realization that Robbie and Janet had been doing this for years.
They had kept a secret from him.
A secret about him.
Ben almost had to admire it.
The man who noticed tiny details.
The detective who could spot lies from across a room.
The person who could track criminals through an entire city.
Completely defeated by two people who had simply decided not to tell him something.
He leaned back in his chair.
"If I wasn't so offended..." A small smile threatened to appear. "...I'd actually be impressed."
Because honestly, they had done something nearly impossible.
They had kept a secret from Ben Reilly.
That alone was an achievement.
Almost.
---
Ben remained in his office long after everyone else had gone home, or so he thought.
The old Spider mask sat on his desk.
He stared at it for a long time.
For years, he had thought the mask was the thing that separated him from everyone else. The thing that made him dangerous. The thing that made people leave.
But Janet had seen behind it.
And she was still there.
He rubbed his face and sighed.
"Idiot."
A familiar voice answered from the doorway.
"Talking to yourself again?"
Ben looked up.
Janet stood there holding two cups of coffee.
"You do that more than you realize."
Ben sighed.
"Janet."
She paused. Something in his voice made her stop joking.
"What is it, Ben?"
Ben looked down at the coffee, then at the mask sitting on his desk, and finally back at her.
"I owe you the truth."
Janet was quiet.
She wasn't surprised.
She wasn't confused.
She simply waited.
And somehow that made it harder.
"I spent years thinking I was protecting people by keeping this part of myself hidden," Ben said. "I thought if people knew what I was, what I could do, they'd see me differently."
Janet leaned against the doorway.
"Ben..."
"No. Let me finish."
She nodded.
"I should have told you years ago."
A small smile touched her face.
"Probably."
Ben narrowed his eyes. "You're not making this easier."
"I wasn't aware I was supposed to."
Despite himself, Ben almost smiled.
Almost.
"I know you already know."
The room went quiet.
Janet didn't deny it.
She didn't pretend.
She simply nodded. "I figured."
Ben stared at her. "Figured?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Ben."
That was all she needed to say, and somehow it explained everything.
Ben sighed. "How long?"
Janet smiled slightly. "Do you remember the night you told me?"
His face changed as realization struck.
"...The goggles?"
"Yes."
"The 'swimming' goggles."
"Yes."
Ben covered his eyes. "I hate my life."
Janet laughed. "To be fair, that was probably the most dramatic confession I've ever seen."
"I was drunk."
"You were very drunk."
"I was wearing a fedora."
"You were."
"And Spider goggles."
"Very much so."
Ben groaned. "I can't believe I accidentally revealed my secret while dressed like a confused Halloween decoration."
Janet laughed harder.
And Ben found himself smiling.
It wasn't cruel.
It wasn't judgment.
It was simply Janet, the same Janet who had been there all along.
"I deserved to tell you properly," Ben said quietly.
Her smile softened. "Why?"
"Because you're not just my secretary."
Janet raised an eyebrow.
"Good answer."
Ben rolled his eyes. "I'm serious."
The humor faded from his face.
"You became my partner. Not just at the agency. You became someone I trusted."
Janet looked away for a moment, slightly embarrassed and more touched than she wanted to admit.
"You know," she said softly, "I always wondered if you'd ever tell me while sober."
Ben frowned. "You waited all this time?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
She looked back at him. "Because I wanted it to be your choice."
The words hit harder than Ben expected.
He was used to people needing him.
The Spider.
The detective.
The person who solved problems.
But Janet had never needed the mask.
She cared about the man underneath it.
Ben looked down at his hands.
"I should have known."
"Known what?"
"That you weren't waiting for the secret."
Janet simply smiled.
She had been waiting for him.
Not for The Spider.
Not for some impossible explanation.
For Ben.
All those years, he had been waiting for the fear, the rejection, the moment when someone finally decided he was too much.
But it never came.
Because Janet had already seen everything.
The good.
The bad.
The ridiculous drunk Spider hanging from the ceiling.
And she stayed.
Ben picked up his coffee.
"Thank you."
Janet tilted her head. "For what?"
"For letting me tell you."
She smiled. "You're welcome, Mr. Reilly."
Ben frowned.
"Ew. Don't call me that."
"Why?"
"Because after all this time, you can call me Ben."
Janet smiled.
"About time." She said it as though she had never needed his permission in the first place.
---
And somewhere down the hall, Robbie Roberson quietly walked away from the door.
He had spent years watching two incredibly stubborn people dance around a secret neither of them wanted to admit. Now, finally, Ben had told Janet himself, exactly the way she had wanted him to.
Robbie smiled to himself.
Honestly?
He deserved a medal for surviving it.
✨️ ✨️✨️ The End ✨️ ✨️ ✨️