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(A/N): So I just got done beating Marvel's Spider-Man Remastered on PC on Spectacular difficulty and even though I had beaten it prior on my friend's PS4, the game once again made me so happy to be a gamer and a fan of Spider-Man. For those of you who don't know, Spider-Man's been my favorite superhero since I was a child, so you can imagine the grin on my face when I finished the game.
For reference, this story takes place before the game's canon ending and assumes that the Silver Lining DLC was completed before Peter thought about getting back together with Mary Jane.
I may or may not do some others, maybe with Yuri and Felicia because I'm not gonna lie, I felt a little bit annoyed with Mary Jane for a good bit of the story so I was so down for Peter to get with pretty much anyone else. It's not that I don't like MJ, it's that I hate the way she was written here in terms of "not wanting to be saved" when she did things that could've easily resulted in her death and she just plain got lucky (especially when she got into Norman's Penthouse and when she snuck into the Sable camp).
Anywho, no more rambling. Let's get to the fun!
Hope you guys enjoy!
Pizza Time!
~ o ~
"Well... Sable said that she'd meet me here at 4... and I just picked up these two pies from Eddie's."
Peter placed both the pizzas on the makeshift picnic mat he laid out next to him as he looked out towards New York City.
"Had no clue what to get her... so I went with my favorite and pineapples, which are MJ's favorite... still don't get why..."
The mere scent of his favorite pizza began to drive him insane, as it had been almost a day since he last had a chance to eat.
"Wonder why she didn't just come with me... guess she had some things to take care of. Oh well, just play it cool Pete!"
"Sorry I'm a little late... I was a little held up."
Peter turned around, only to see that Sable had indeed arrived and had just walked through the rooftop entrance. However, she was no longer wearing her battle gear and was instead, dressed rather casually.
"You know... when she doesn't have a pair of laser pistols and isn't trying to kill me... she's actually really pretty."
She had changed into a white tanktop covered with a silver leather jacket, with a pair of dark grey jeans that were quite form fitting. She raised an eyebrow at the two boxes.
"I'll be honest... I've never had this... pizza before." she mused.
"Oh! You mean Eddie's? Favorite place in town!" replied Peter.
She shook her head as she took a seat next to him.
"I mean... this is my first time ever having something like this. My diet back home in Symkaria leaves no room for anything like this if I am to stay in peak condition." she explained.
"Oh... well, if I knew I'd have suggested something else." he replied.
She smiled and shrugged.
"It's alright... after all of the chaos we've managed to avert, I can afford... so you say... a cheat day yes?" she asked, doing the air quotes with a single hand.
Peter chuckled softly and nodded.
"You're picking up on all the American lingo! That's pretty cool... anyway, I wasn't entirely sure what you liked, so you can take from either." he said.
He opened his box and placed it to one side before opening hers, revealing the fresh pie in all its cheesy splendor. Sable looked at it, as if in thought.
"This is strange... I've never seen anything like this before. The closest I've seen is Russian Mockba... though I've never indulged." she explained.
"Trust me... all it takes is one bite."
Peter eagerly lifted his mask enough to reveal his mouth, but didn't reach to take a bite, his eyes focused on Sable.
"You okay?" he asked.
"...I worry for my people is all. I know I should've already left but... I suppose I was curious about what this city has to offer." she continued.
"That's pretty normal for heroes like us... always wanting to be there for the ones we care about."
She smiled at him before picking up a slice. However, she struggled to find the correct way to start eating it.
"...Is there some sort of etiquette with this? Perhaps a customary way to enjoy it?" she asked.
"I usually just hold it by the crust and go from the bottom, working my way up. Eddie's got the best crust in the entire city for sure, and he's pretty much a magician with everything else." he explained.
She laughed softly as she picked up her first slice, choosing to try the pineapples first. Peter lifted one of his own but ate it slowly, as if to give her an idea of what to do. After several seconds, she finally took a bite, her eyes widening massively upon tasting the delicious food.
"Incredible... I can see why you enjoy this so much." she mused.
"RIGHT?! It's delicious!"
She cracked another small smile and quickly finished the slice before reaching for a bottle of water. She sighed softly, closing her eyes and taking a quick gulp.
"...I spent so much time with Mayor Osborn that I didn't really get to see much else of what New York City had to offer. Perhaps if I find some time where I'm not needed in Symkaria, I could return."
"Sounds like you wanna go sightseeing! I've got your back with that. I'll give you the grand tour whenever you decide you want it!" cheered Peter.
She rolled her eyes at his ability to somehow retain an almost childlike optimism, but after having worked with him to take down Hammerhead, she knew that there was a lot more to the vigilante than what she could see.
"I must ask you Spider-Man... and I suppose this may be a foolish question, but why wear a mask?"
Peter looked at her, his eye lenses widening.
"Everyone in Symkaria knows where I stand... and I fail to see how a mask can help you accomplish the task of keeping the city safe. In fact, it looks like it impedes it greatly." she explained.
Peter finished his next slice and reached for his own bottle of water. After taking a gulp, he let out a heavy breath.
"I can see your point... but I'll answer your question with another one. Do you have any family? Loved ones?" he asked.
Sable shook her head.
"I've a few co-workers who I consider friends... but I have no family or loved ones to speak of." she replied.
"That's the reason."
Her eyes widened after thinking about his words for a few moments.
"If everyone knew who I was, my family and loved ones would never be safe. And with guys like Hammerhead, Tombstone, Fisk and all the guys that've busted up the city so far? I'd never risk them for that... so the mask stays on." he replied.
"...I see. Does anyone know who you really are behind the mask?" she asked.
"One or two people who I really trust... maybe a couple have figured it out by now considering I've been doing this for years, but it's very few." he replied.
"...It must be difficult. Being unable to talk to someone about all of this." she mused.
Sable continued eating, only for Peter to shrug and sigh.
"I'm used to it. I prefer to think that it's better this way because if everyone knew who I was, there'd be no end to the danger... and trust me, I already barely find time to do things like... this." he said gesturing around him.
"Adding even more to that? I might as well forget I have a whole other life to live."
She nodded slowly and got to her feet.
"Is there anywhere to wash my hands?" she asked.
"There's a sink next to the entrance."
She turned around and just as he said, a pair of large stone sinks were there, one with a hose attached to the pipe and the other free to use. She made her way to it and was delighted to find that a bar of soap was already sitting there. After cleaning her hands of all the grease. She then returned to his side, sitting noticeably closer than she did before.
"Your life sounds like a constant uphill battle Spider-Man... I cannot say I envy it." she continued.
"And that's okay. If I can take on this life and help make things better for others, then I'm alright with it." he replied.
"...Indeed. It is quite admirable for one to be so selfless... but there are times where you must think of yourself as well."
Peter had only just now noticed that she had gotten closer to him and what surprised him even more, was that her box was now empty. He smiled to himself as he finished his last slice. He excused himself for a moment to wash his hands before rejoining her, looking out at the city.
"So... what's it like in Symkaria?" he asked.
"It is a very poor country... my company is largely the reason why the economy can manage to stay afloat." she replied.
"Man... with tech this advanced, you'd think the government could try to help out with things some more huh?" he mused.
Sable nodded and sighed.
"Being closely tied to Latveria helps quite a bit... the king is very helpful, if a little overbearing." she continued.
"Ahh. Forgot that part of the world still follows monarchial rules... still, if it works it works."
She smiled before leaning forward, her hands now wrapped around her drawn in knees.
"Visiting other parts of the world makes me realize that perhaps... my country could so you say, get with the times?" she inferred.
"As nice as that can be for a lot of situations, sometimes that old saying of if it ain't broke don't fix it... kinda holds up. Case in point example being Oscorp." explained Peter.
"What do you mean?"
He took a deep breath and drew his mask back down.
"As much as I believe in Dr. Octavius, I'm not entirely sure how things would've turned out if he was still at Oscorp. As terrible of a figure as Norman's been... it can always get worse. So instead of wishing for things to be better, I've learned to just do what I can to help push the world in a better direction... one web swing at a time." he said with a casual shrug.
"...That was unusually insightful." she said with a soft chuckle.
Peter shrugged and looked up at the sky.
"I'm not all great jokes and one liners after all. Every now and again I might drop a bite of wisdom." he said with a soft laugh.
He suddenly felt her presence get very close to him, and he turned to see that she was looking right into his eyes... but not even remotely in the way she did all the other times. Before, she didn't trust him in the slightest, and saw him as an actual enemy. He understood even more how important the work was to her, despite Norman Osborn not exactly being the definition of a "worthy client". The work is one of the only means of income for her country and with all of the pressure on her to help provide, she needed to take everything seriously.
"Can't imagine living in a world where a whole country is relying on me on a daily basis... I don't envy you at all Sable."
"...Did you truly mean what you said on the carrier?" she asked.
"Uhh... what're you referring to?" he retorted somewhat nervously.
"When I said that I did not like to fight... but that I do what I must for my people. You said that is what heroes do... do you truly believe that I am a hero?" she asked.
He nodded without hesitation.
"Anyone who's willing to sacrifice everything they have for the good of others is a hero in my book... and you're definitely one of those." he replied.
"But... I tried to kill you... multiple times." she continued.
"Because you thought I was a bad guy. Can't blame you for that... especially since I screwed up a bunch of your operations." he said scratching the back of his head.
"I held a gun to your head several times and I even attacked you... but you clearly held back. Why?"
He took another breath.
"You never really struck me as a bad guy. I could tell you were a good person when you called me about questioning your reasoning for working with Norman. That... and I know the difference between angry and evil." he replied.
He then looked at her, causing her to flinch slightly.
"Besides... I couldn't lay a hand to really hurt that pretty face!" he cheered.
She looked away from him for a moment and closed her eyes, relief washing over her body. She had never been told that what she was doing was heroic... nor had she ever had someone believe in her that much. For her entire life, Silver Sablinova was expected to be an unstoppable force and an unbreakable pillar for all of Symkaria. Now... for the first time.
"I feel like... I can just be myself..."
"Spider-Man... could you raise your mask again?" she asked.
"Uhh... I mean we're friends Sable but not sure about the whole revealing secret identity thing-" he began.
She shook her head.
"Not all of it... I don't ever expect you to trust me to that extent... but I want to know something." she explained.
Peter hesitated for a moment, but finally did as she asked, raising his mask to only reveal his mouth.
"What's this about?" he asked.
"...I suppose I feel I can relate to you more by just seeing that you're still a man beneath that suit. I live a life similar to yours except I don't have the luxury of having no one know who I am." she explained.
"You've owned it so far... and I know you'll keep it up. You're a really strong- mmph!"
He barely got a chance to react as Sable planted her lips on his. His soul nearly jumped out of his body but he soon managed to catch his bearings. After several seconds, she broke away and sighed softly.
"...My apologies. In my country... we're rather direct about how we feel. I hope I didn't-"
"I-I-It's cool! I-I-I just didn't think th-that-"
She placed a finger on his lips, silencing him before giving him a warm smile.
"You're not so annoying... now that I've gotten to know you."
"S-S-Sable... I... I don't-"
He sighed softly and shook his head.
"You're... you're a really beautiful woman. Definitely more baddass than pretty much every other one I've met... but..."
His mind shifted to Mary Jane, who he knew he wanted to be with... but there was just so much for them to work through before that could happen. It didn't help that she had yelled at him for not trusting her several days ago when she snuck into the Sable camp. He closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts.
"If... if I didn't have something going on... I'd really like to-"
"Then let's make use of this moment... I won't be back from my country for a while so I'm not sure when we'll see each other again."
She placed a hand on his.
"I will not get in the way of anything you feel for another woman... but at the same time, I cannot deny that you've... so you say, grown on me?"
He laughed softly and shook his head.
"I'll always have your back when you come back... and if you ever need some help over there, you know where to find me. And I'm a call away... you've got my number after all." said Peter.
She smiled brightly at him but narrowed her eyes.
"Could... could you indulge me in one last selfish request?" she asked
She then scooted even closer, her face softening and her body finally fully relaxing. For the majority of their time together, she was on guard. Always anticipating something bad to happen or an enemy to attack... but this moment here?
She felt... safe. She leaned towards him again and though he hesitated for a moment, he leaned back towards her and captured her lips. They didn't break the kiss for almost a minute as Sable tried to get as much of him as she could, while Peter tried his best to keep things clean and cordial until finally, she broke away. She then drew his mask back down before kissing his cheek.
"...Thank you." she said with a smile.
"No problem."
She then looked down at the boxes and sighed.
"I'll be honest... I'm going to miss this food." she said.
"Say no more!"
He quickly whipped out his cellphone and called Eddie's.
"Want anything in particular?" he asked.
"...I believe the one you got was the better tasting one. So... one of those?" she replied.
"Hey Eddie... one more of my favorite really quick? It's for..."
He eyed Sable for a moment and smiled behind his mask.
"A really good friend." he said.
"Coming up with it right now Spider-Man."
"Thanks Eddie."
He hung up the phone as Sable looked at him with genuine curiosity.
"Why... are you looking at me like that?" she asked.
The knock on the door behind them broke them from their gaze as Peter smiled.
"Pizza time!"