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Christmas Eve in New York and Aunt May is once again trying to set up with her friend’s niece with Peter. However Peter’s life lately had led to a lot of missed calls and it was shaping up to look like a missed Christmas Eve Dinner as well. She hangs up the phone after Peter doesn’t answer and turns back to her guests.
“Well, no use in waiting. I can keep a plate warm for Peter if he shows up later.”
She tries to sound unaffected but really what could have kept him from tonight? She smiles at Anna and MJ, “Thank you both for joining me, with Ben gone the holidays are always a bit too quiet and Peter’s off busy with his work and whatever else young men get up to, it’s nice that you both were able to make it tonight.”
“Wouldn’t have missed your cooking for the world my dear,” Anna said with a laugh.
She smiles at the compliment as she sets out the roast turkey however May’s mind works overtime, thinking of scenarios in which Peter wouldn’t be able to come home for dinner, was he hurt? Lying in a hospital somewhere?
“Peter will show up sooner or later,” MJ agreed, “and I can’t wait to see what excuse he comes up with. I personally think the man oversleeps and doesn’t hear his phone! Running around New York snapping pictures for Jameson isn’t the easiest job, have you seen those bags under his eyes?”
“Yes, of course,” May replies with a smile, her worries settling. Peter would be fine. “Peter shouldn’t run himself raggard. Poor boy.” The trio settle in for a night filled with good company.
Peter Parker had been on his way to his Aunt’s house for dinner when a certain cat crossed his path.
The shadow of Felicia Hardy swung overhead when he had been creeping around the side of a building, getting ready to swing off. He had a run in with a villain dressed as Santa, the man had slipped off and after an hour of searching Peter had given up for now. He paused. Was it really her or just his imagination? She had been on his mind of late, it had been a year since their break up. He doubles back and hangs off the side of the building, leaning to look around the corner. Tense, eyes straining to see… a movement, there!
57th Street & Fifth Avenue was home to Tiffany’s, where millions worth of jewels resided. Peter lost track of her as she moved out of sight but he shoots a web, it attaches to the side of the building. “Oh Felicia, what are you up to now?”
He swings, the cold wind presses his suit against his skin as he arches around the side of the building, following where he saw her last. He revels the thrill that rises inside him as he sticks to the glass ceiling. He knew he shouldn't but the anticipation of seeing her again has him moving more quickly than if he was after any other thief. Peter reminds himself that he had broken up with her, it was done, and he was just here to stop her from getting into any trouble. What trouble is it really? All this stuff was insured. Not like the rich cats of New York would blink at any missing jewels except for the opportunity for dramatics it presented to them. He could see the Bugle headlines already “ Cat Burglar nabs millions in Jewels! ”.
He wasn’t happy to see her, he lied to himself. Peter’s heart didn’t beat faster at the thought of being close to her again, no he was just concerned. After all, he had spent weeks post break up telling himself that he was better off not being mixed up with Felicia. He was just checking up on her, nothing more. If he didn't then if she was caught she would go to jail. The thought of her being locked up twisted something inside of him, he didn't like that. She had so much potential, if he could save her, set her on a better path. Wasn’t that his responsibility?
The revamped glass ceiling on the building had been done recently so Peter had no trouble looking into the quiet store, for a moment it all seemed normal, Christmas tree decorations tastefully enticed rich men to buy their wives and secret girlfriends expensive gifts. Peter knew that she was there. He keeps moving, finding her entry point. Ingenious. Other people would be expecting some grand show but Feliica was practical, a small opening in a widow, too high for even the boldest criminal, harness equipment discreetly waiting for their owner's return. It was easy for Peter to crawl in and then down the inside of the building. He knew Felicia would have done something to the security systems, and he spies the boots of a security officer just peeking out from behind one of the many counters. Peter trusted her enough to know she would have been efficient and the guard would wake up fine. He doesn't glance at the cameras to know they were off, so he didn’t worry about the cops showing up and mistaking him for the thief, but if J. Jonah Jameson ever got a picture of him creeping around the store he would have a field day! Another headline flashed in Peter’s head “ Spider-Crook steals on Christmas Eve! ”
He moved silently across the ceiling, the glass was very durable. Looking down, Peter carefully scans the room, no sign of her yet-
“Really Spider, if you wanted a date you should have called.”
Felicia’s cool flirtatious voice reaches his ears, and she steps around the side of a large art figure that Peter can’t make sense out of, all twisted squiggles in the signature Tiffany color. As the Black Cat moves, her sharp nailed gloves on her right hand tap along the glass cases while the left holds a small black bag that looked like she had already pilfered a prize before he caught up with her.
He drops down the ceiling on a web and hangs on a thread upside down as she moves around the room,“I would have picked a different date activity. Stealing on Christmas Eve Cat? Santa will be disappointed.” Not the Santa he had just fought since he had been in the thieving business himself.
“Santa doesn’t have my expensive tastes, so I thought I would help myself.”
A sharp tap of a claw over a particular spot on the case and it shatters. Plucking out a diamond bracelet, she holds it up to the light so that it reflects on her face. Peter’s breath hitched beneath his mask at the little rainbow patches that appeared on her beautiful face. She didn’t look any different from when he last saw her; her mask frames her green eyes. She had the cutest nose, Peter recalls, and her lips were perfectly bow shaped and painted with a glossy red lipstick. The little light fractures disappear from her face as the bracelet is stowed into her bag. She taps one claw to her chin as she peers down at the offerings before her, they twinkled prettily. Peter knew that just one of those pieces would be enough to keep him and Aunt May secure for years to come. He puts that information away, recalling that he was already late to Aunt May’s dinner, but Felicia didn’t seem like she was about to apologize and return everything so he could leave.
“Cat, you know this isn’t right, whatever happened between us, I don’t want to see you behind bars.”
She stiffens, setting her bag down on the floor before turning to face him, she leans against the broken case, her hands bracing herself on either side of her body, and what a body. Peter’s eyes travel upside down to see the length of her. Felicia tilts her head. “Ex-Lover, are you worried about me?”
She wags her finger, “I only allow my boyfriends to worry.”
“Felicia-”
“Uh uh.”
Flipping her platinum white hair back she moves, walking around Peter in a circle, one hand trails along his body. His gut tighterns, it had been so long since they had been this close. He shuts his eyes for an instant before snapping them open at the sound of her claw cutting his web thread. He was prepared enough to twist his body so that he landed on all four instead of his head; she finishes off with a “No names, Ex-Lover. Let’s keep this between the Cat and the Spider.”
He swiftly moves to his feet and grabs her hand but she uses his momentum against him to flip him over head. He lands, hard, on his back on a glass case that collapses under him. Felicia dusts off her suit, invisible specks she fussed over for a moment as if to seem like nothing else had happened.
“You ok, Spider?”
Peter groans in pain.
“Good.”
Felicia grabs the bag and leaves, going back the way she came, her grappling hook shoots out. He watches as he drags breath back into his body. Fuck fuck fuck, it hurts but in a moment he is up and following her, hot on her heels he just misses her as she slips out of the window.
It’s a mad scramble as he almost falls out of the window, not expecting her to swerve to the side without stopping to hook up her harness, then again he should have expected it. Felicia wouldn’t have been fooled by that fake out. He briefly wonders if her Bad Luck powers had anything to do with him barely grabbing hold of her leg. He shoots his web, it connects and his body is flung against the side of the building against the glass. Getting his feet under him Peter runs alongside the building, copying Felicia’s own side of the building dash above him. She goes around the corner and Peter follows, he gets there just in time to see her grappling hook attach to the side of the building next to them, her white hair practically glows in the streetlight as it streams behind her.
He knew following her would be useless, she had already proven she was ready to pull out her claws, so he let her think she escaped him for now as he takes an alternate route to discreetly follow.
Felicia doesn’t trust the fact that Peter didn’t even put up a real chase, was he planning something else? Or had he really been hurt? She lands on a rooftop, her pace brisk on route to her place, she would take a few detours just in case. Patting the bag that was tied securely to her waist, she hops off to the next rooftop.
Though her body went through the movements with ease, her mind was tormented. She had acted aloof, as if Peter’s voice didn’t affect her, but inside her mind was a whirlwind of regret and questions.
Her phone call earlier hadn’t helped matters, she had hung up without speaking to Peter. Silly of her, Felicia chided herself, to think that hearing his voice over the phone was enough to get her through the holiday.
Spending Christmas Eve alone sucked but instead all it had done was push her to get out of her apartment, she had done some good, given a couple of homeless women some fur coats she had liberated from other thieves, but still, that itch wasn’t scratched and she had made her way to Tiffany’s. She had been scoping the place out for weeks so tonight went off beautifully except for Spider showing up and wrecking her whole mood. Wasn’t it hard enough already?! She had done everything she could to forget him, the only man who had ever-
A small tug at her hip, any lesser aware person wouldn’t even register it but Felicia knew the feeling of her pocket being picked and sure enough the bag at her side was flying through the air on a thread of webbing and directly into Peter’s hand, he tosses the bag up and down, she knew without seeing that there was a smug smile on his face beneath the mask.
“Why Cat, a present for me? You shouldn’t have.”
“Then it’s a good thing I didn’t,” She replies back in a carefully cool voice, the snow that had begun falling was perhaps a shade warmer. She couldn't help it, seeing him standing there as if he had nothing to answer for. She holds out her hand, "Spider..."
"Cat." He says back all while tossing her bag back and forth between his hands as if he dared her to try and take it.
She huffs. Immature, childish , she stops cursing him in her head as she moves closer, he watches her carefully.
"That's mine."
"No, you stole it." Peter says in a very matter of fact way, "which in fact makes it not yours, really Cat you're lucky I came by when I did so I could return this."
"While you're at it, return that other thing you stole."
She smiles brightly, the combination of her words and smile disarms him, he was expecting a fight.
Instead he stutters, "What? I didnt st-"
She jumps him, and tackles him to the rooftop floor, reaching for the bag but he holds it out of reach. She wiggles up his body only to hear him cursing, "dammit fel!" Smirking at her little revenge; let him be as affected by her as she was by him, she strains to reach the bag but Peter moves, shifting so that he is on top. She feels him against her. They had never had any issues with chemistry. Nothing changed on that front.
Peter is still holding the bag out of reach as his other hand holds her wrists, pinned down on the floor. His legs straddled her waist, and she ignored the thrill that runs up her spine, just like the old days. Felicia knew Peter was strong but it still surprised her that he needed so little effort to hold her in place. While thinking of how to escape, he glares down at her, "I didn't steal anything!"
"You have something that doesn't belong to you! You're as much a thief as I am."
"What does that even mean?"
He tosses the bag off to the side a bit and her eyes follow to see where it lands before turning back to look at him, he has his mask off, snow clings to his brown hair and she is once again struck by how handsome he is. She had seen him before without his mask of course back when they had been together. His strong nose, and jawline are familiar to her and her fingers flex with the memory of touching them. God . If she just leaned a bit more she could press her lips to his. She closes her eyes for one long moment. How could one man twist her up inside? She doesn't want to be emotional, she wants to be as cold as the snow that was beginning to stick to the rooftops.
"Felicia...." his tone demanded an answer.
She wants to cry out "My heart! You stole my heart and I want it back! I want to stop thinking about you! To stop looking for you in every shadow. I want to stop loving you but I can't. No matter how hard I try Spider, I can't." Instead Felicia says nothing, turning her head, throat tight.
"Cat, please ."
She opens her eyes halfway, peering up at him from snow coated lashes. His thick brows were drawn together in concern over warm brown eyes. She wanted to pull his head down and press her forehead to smooth out his worry wrinkles.
How dare he speak in such a soft voice, she wishes he was angry, that he would preach his morality, to yell at her so she would have no hesitation to knee him in the groin and make her escape. His comforting tone is opposite of what she wants yet it's exactly what she needs. She wants to hate him yet her heart has never felt more broken. His warmth over her while her back froze against the cool rooftop. How was it she spent a whole year apart but her body responded to his touch as if they had only seen each other yesterday? It was frustrating, to want something she couldn't have, couldn't take.
No... she could… she could have it, not forever, only for a night. Felicia’s options are clear to her now and she makes her choice, knowing that tomorrow when she sank into a warm bath to soothe away her aches she would soak in her regret.
Shifting her body slightly she presses it tighter against his. He makes a noise but the naked hunger on his face is unmistakable.
Her mouth parts.
Lifting her head slightly.
She closes that year long distance.
Snow falls like ashes.