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Winter in New York is a special experience. For some, it means singing carols in the middle of a snow-ridden Central Park. For others, it means ice-skating around the mile-high tree in Rockefeller Center.
But for Peter Parker, it means taking a break from the usual web-swinging shenanigans to go gift-shopping for someone special. Dare he say, the most special. And once he failed at that, it meant crawling to the one other person in his life who might be just as special as her for guidance.
“What about that luxury place down by Fifth?” May had suggested, only to be met with a tired groan from the kitchen table.
“It’s no use. Harry and I’ve already been to every store we can think of, and nothing,” he muttered in a defeated voice. His eyes slowly began to drift from the framed photo of his parents, May, and Ben to the small menorah by the fireplace, flames glimmering like a diamond in the rough. “I-I mean, Felicia’s just impossible sometimes. She’s rich, she’s beautiful, she’s one of the most popular kids at ESU, she could have anything in the world at her fingertips in seconds, and to top it all off she’s already got pretty much everything she could ever want. What in the world could I get her that she’d care even the slightest bit about?”
May flashed him a small smile from her place by the stove. “Sometimes it’s not about what the gift is, Peter. Sometimes it’s about the message.”
The boy smiled wryly. “I'm not sure 'hey, I'm broke and helpless' is the message I want to be sending.”
She chuckled before reaching for her finger, gently sliding a shiny silver band off. “Then we're fortunate I can think of something else.” Peter sat up quickly when she placed it on the table in front of him, shock written all over his face.
“You can’t give me this. You've had it for longer than I've been alive. It's yours.”
“I know. And now it’s yours. And in a couple hours, it’ll be hers.” The middle-aged woman reached down to ruffle his brown hair, sliding her fingers through it to scratch his scalp in a manner that sent familiar, warm tingles down his spine. “Ben gave me this because I was special to him, just like Felicia's special to you. You both deserve this, and I know he would agree.”
Peter gulped before taking the ring from her. “I’ll pay you back. I promise.” She just shook her head with a smile.
“Pay me back by being happy. That goes for both of you.”
He smiled back, but before he could thank her properly, the radio app on his phone brought him hustling to his feet with a firm buzz.
“10-30, armed robbery by Williams and Houston. Suspect is on foot and very dangerous.”
May groaned in disapproval as Peter fired a web to grab his mask and gloves from the seat across the table. “What kind of nutcase robs a bank on Christmas Eve?”
“Probably Electro if I had to guess. Or Rhino, or Shocker. These guys really have no respect for the holidays.” Peter waved over his shoulder and made a break for the door. “Dinner at 8, right?”
“Don’t be late!” May called after him, already mentally planning to expect him around 8:30 at the earliest. She shook her head with a small smile before returning to the awaiting stovetop.
As fate would have it, Peter wasn’t the only one struggling to find a gift. On the other side of town, a frustrated Felicia groaned out a pathetic whimper of helplessness as Mary Jane re-hung a jacket that she’d shot down before even getting a chance to try on. “It’s pointless. I’m never gonna find anything for him.” MJ shook her head and pinched her forehead.
“Why’re you being so hard on yourself over this?”
“Because he’s Peter. And this is our first real holiday together and I want it to be special. And I don't know if you've noticed, but he's not exactly the easiest person to go shopping for.” She ran a hand through her hair in frustration and sighed. “I mean, what do you get the guy who has everything?”
MJ just shrugged, picking up a small pair of sunglasses she thought would make a cute gift for Carlie and tossing it in their shopping bag casually. “You know he doesn't care about gifts. He'll love whatever you get him.” Felicia snorted.
“And how do you know that?”
“Because I know him. And I know that he’s never looked happier than he does when he’s around you.” MJ rubbed the blonde’s arm. “The best gift you could ever get him is just you. ”
Felicia pursed her lips together doubtfully. She knew there was some truth to those words. It didn't mean she felt any less guilty about it.
Of course it was Shocker.
“I know you’re not the loving type, but you seriously don’t have anything better to do over the holidays, Herman? Go celebrate or something!” Peter rather effortlessly dodged a sonic blast from Shocker’s armored gauntlets before firing back a web to clog them up. The criminal just vaporized the webs off with a low-power energy release.
“I am celebrating, bug.”
“How? Robbing banks? Trying to kill me?” From under the mask, Herman grinned.
“Carols.” He aimed both of his gauntlets at the ground in front of his feet before firing at full force, unleashing a powerful shockwave that flung Peter into a squad car.
“Find a new song,” he groaned out before standing back up.
“Made this one just for you.” He launched a sonic blast that Peter just barely managed to web zip away from before seamlessly transferring his forward momentum into a graceful if not imperfect swing.
“Alright, enough of this.” The webslinger fired a web bomb to clot up Shocker’s gauntlets once again, this time immediately swinging around him in a conic formation to tie him up swiftly and securely with a thick coat of webbing. Herman struggled against the restraints, even attempting to use his clogged-up gauntlets, before groaning as Peter webbed his feet to the floor and landed right next to him in flamboyant style.
“Not again.” Peter chuckled.
“Yep. Again.”
“I hate you. You know that?” As the distant welling of police sirens grew louder by the second, Peter flexed his tired shoulder muscle and patted the webbed-up thief on the back.
“Really? And here I thought we had a nice little back-and-forth going.”
“I’m gonna kill you one day. Just wait.”
“Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.” He fired a web out to the nearest building in sight and sighed before mock-saluting the armored criminal. “Merry Christmas, Herman. I’d tell you to stay out of trouble, but we both know I’ll see you next year.”
As he swung off, all he could do was smile from under the mask at Herman’s distant remark.
“I really hate that guy.”
Peter let out a tired sigh as he landed with a thud on the corner of his favorite roof. He sneezed dryly inside the mask and groaned, rubbing his forearms to heat himself up.
“Pretty cold to be running around rooftops in spandex, isn’t it?” He turned around with a smile underneath his mask to see the familiar form of his girlfriend dressed in her own uniform.
“If it isn’t my favorite ex-con.” Felicia rolled her eyes before pressing a clawed finger to the middle of his spider logo.
“Bet you say that to all the ex-cons.”
“You’d be surprised at how few of them I know.” He took his mask off to plant a quick kiss to her lips before excitedly reaching into his pocket. “You wanna go first or should I?”
Felicia hesitantly took her own mask off and tried to divert her gaze, desperately attempting to look at quite literally anything other than his brown eyes. “Oh, I-I don’t really know if we should do this right now-”
Peter smiled. “Yeah, well, I can’t wait any longer.” He finally pulled out the small, faded silver ring, firing a web and looping it around to form a sort of chain for the beautiful band to rest on. Felicia’s eyes widened as he somewhat awkwardly showed it to her, almost like a divine offering.
“Pete…”
“This was a gift from my uncle to May, back on the first Hanukkah they ever shared together. She’s worn this ring around her finger for as long as I’ve known her, and she gave it to me…to give to you. Because my uncle gave her this ring to tell her what she meant to him, a-and now…I’m giving it to you to tell you the same thing.” He gently looped the makeshift necklace around her head, letting it dangle down to just above where her costume’s zipper ended, and smiled as she stared at him in disbelief. When she didn’t respond, instead tearing her gaze away to stare at the ground beneath their feet, his smile faltered. “If you don’t like it then I can-”
“No! No, it’s perfect.” Felicia reached up to feel the ring, almost smiling before her eyes returned to his with dejection written all over them. “But I…I-I didn’t get you a gift. I didn’t know what to get or what you’d have liked or-”
“You don't need to get me a gift, Leesh.” He carefully grabbed her by the hands once again before tilting her chin up and smiling. “You gave me you.”
Felicia snorted weakly. “I don’t think that’s enough.”
“It is for me.” Peter pulled her into a hug, and she hugged him back maybe a bit more desperately than she’d have liked, but he only smiled when her arms wrapped around him. “I’ve already got everything I could ever need. All I really want now is you.” Felicia smiled.
“You're too nice. It's annoying.”
“I've heard that more than once.”
She chuckled, closing her eyes and humming peacefully. “Thank you.” He kissed her softly, this time on her forehead, and she smiled at the brief contact, tucking her head under his chin.
“Merry Christmas, kitty.”
“Happy Hanukkah, spider.”
He could’ve stayed up there all night, just like that, with her in his arms. But alas, the blazing sirens in the distance finally reached his ears, and he let out a tired sigh before breaking the embrace and gesturing to the streets below. “Race you?”
“You'll lose.”
Peter handed her the black domino mask before sliding his own back onto his face. “After you, milady.” She chuckled softly and playfully shoved him.
“Shut up.”
She flipped off the edge with grace and serenity, falling into a dive before firing her grapple to swing out.
She could’ve just bought or stolen something expensive. Instead, she had to come to him with nothing but herself to give.
Felicia gently fondled with the ring dangling off her neck, feeling the cold, smooth metal press against her exposed skin, and smiled as she heard the familiar thwips echo through the air from behind.
It felt better this way. She'd hold onto that feeling as long as she could.