Chapter Text
Let's do this one more time.
At the age of 19, you were bitten by a radioactive spider and after a few weeks of struggles and the strangest body changes, you finally became the one and only Spider-Woman of Raccoon City. Now you’re 23, not so fresh out of university and other than your stringy side job, you mainly worked as a forensic scientist at the Raccoon City Police Department, also known as the RPD. Well, an upcoming forensic scientist who’s kind of struggling to settle your place at the police dept. You managed to land a place as an intern for a while but you were now nearing the end of your term. Although, you were terrified they’d never offer you a proper job there especially with all the awkward situations your side hustle causes you.
Any sensible person would just apply to a relaxed job, one where you could easily fulfill both of your duties without causing anyone any trouble. Problem is, you always managed to cause some sort of trouble wherever you went so of course you chose a somewhat demanding one to live up to. As any idiot would do, and you were definitely a big idiot. Securing your job was one of your biggest worries, so you often swung around the city after a day of failed efforts, trying to soothe your crumbling resolve. Days just kept passing, and the end date only grew closer and closer.
Eventually, not even your alter ego could save you from the stress of it all, and you eventually managed to come up with a solid idea. Technically, you could follow the current forensic scientists to a bunch of crime scenes, basically shadowing them in order to figure out what really makes them stand out and hopefully help you too. So you began doing that, you’d swing by the police station, using your abilities to turn invisible so you could sneak in and learn whatever you could. To your surprise it had worked like a charm, and now you found yourself juggling the first few days of your newfound work life, recruited as an official forensic scientist.. if not just a mere assistant right now but still important nonetheless. It helped with your spidey work too, often using it to lead you to clues to lock up the bad guys for good where you’d leave them at the door of the police dept.
Though one day, it was like your world flipped.
You were teetering on the heels of your feet, supposed to be assisting an investigation right now, but you had to make sure the idiot tied up next to you was handed in safely to the station. Absent-mindedly, your eyes start to wander to the weapon that you had confiscated off of him. It showed signs of wear, implying it was far older than this villain who had showed up just a few days ago, and it even had a few scratch marks. You could bet that you’d even find an entirely different set of fingerprints on this too. You’re about to start dismantling it when a hand falls on your shoulder, startling you, and you instantly scramble away, looking up to meet the owner’s eyes. “Leave this one to the RPD scientists”
Twenty five and the newest yet not the weakest member of the S.T.A.R.S team at the RPD, Leon Kennedy. His face was particularly far more chiselled and toned than the rookie picture held in his files from before the training and damn you couldn't say your eyes didn't wander over the thickness of his biceps. He was a sight to be admired, that was for sure.
“What and let you have all the fun?”
You don't know why you blurted that out, but you did, and now you were staring at him, weighing the weapon still in your hand whilst the other reached back.. just in case you needed a quick escape. The cops were not too fond of you.
“Very funny, web. Hand it over.”
Reluctantly, you offer it towards him, his fingers grazing yours as he takes it off of you and places it in a bag for safe keeping. You teeter on your feet for a moment, watching as he tucks it into his belt pocket and his hand grazes the cuffs there. So they may or may not want to take you in and some of his coworkers have threatened to interrogate you… and even rip your mask off once or twice now.
“Relax.” He huffs, his hands firm on his hips as he looks up and down your defensive demeanour. Of course, he was a damn good detective too; that’s why he was part of that elite team of course. “You helped us bring one in—can’t come after you this time. Though.. I can't say the same for those guys.”
He points behind you just as your senses tingle, a group of cops running over as soon as they realised you had lingered longer than usual. Startled, you dash, making Leon’s eyes widen as you approach the building's edge. “Hey wait—”
But you’ve jumped already, disappearing down the side before he sees you reappear on an opposite building, desperately scrambling away.
————————
“Sorry sorry sorry!” Your hands are clasped together as you hurriedly apologise to your line manager, who is staring at you with a sharp glare. All the other interns had arrived and were busying themselves with something.
“Sorry doesn't cut it— you’re late.” The woman huffs and then points at the lab coats, not caring to discipline you further even if you know her patience is wearing thin. “Get dressed now, we have work to do.”
You quickly gear yourself up before walking over to the two other women, who look at you with mild distaste; it’s not like you can even blame them. The next hour or so is spent with the scientist demonstrating the work you’ve been studying by dismantling and taking apart the exact weapon you had found just this morning. “Here you can see the wear on the handle, but obviously there are different marks caused by different things. Unfortunately a few of the other fingerprints have been completely covered by Spider-woman’s webs.”
One of the girls scoffs, muttering something about how Spider woman just has to intervene with everything. It was safe to say that for the most part the city did appreciate your work, however the papers and the police did not appreciate your methods. After all, you enforced the law…against quite a few regulations— but hey, they hadn't caught you yet.
“Concentrate Miss Parker.” The woman snaps her fingers at you, making you, sheepishly, nod and peer a bit better to understand what was going on.
——
Since you had been late, you were put on cleaning duty again tonight, which may as well be your permanent side job too at this point. The latex is uncomfortable against your skin as you wash down all the tools, pat them dry, all before packing them away. This sucked– all of this. Sure, your life sounded pretty in words; you were the favoured superhero of the citizens, the amazing Spider woman. Yet here you were, sweeping the floors because you were late again to your damn job, your dream is starting to dwindle by the second.
“Here again, Miss Parker?”
Your head whips around to see the man himself, Mr Kennedy, standing in the doorway. It was a complete accident that he even knew your name, not that he knew anymore than that. Still, you just give him a sheepish smile and carry on wiping down the table. “Uh, yeah. Late again.”
“Let me guess, there was a cat sat on your car?” Your cheeks warm, embarrassed as he shamelessly teases you for your excuses. To be fair, they are rather out there—partly because you’re running out of valid ones.
“Not as exciting. Power cut, so my alarm didn't go off.” It slips from your tongue, and it isn't exactly a lie considering there was a power cut in your apartment—-your alarm was on your phone, though.
“Ah, a new one? Don't stay too late, the actual cleaners might lock you in.” And then he’s gone, his pretty face gone from your view and leaving you all miserable again.
—--------
Another early morning and you’re on your third coffee before noon. You stand by the crappy kettle, staring at the jar of flavourless instant coffee beside another that looks just as vile. It takes forever to boil, as usual, and your break is already dwindling away by the second. Some idiot had tried to rob a bank the night prior, and was pretty bad at slipping past the alarms, as the police were on it instantly– as heard by the radio kept by your bed. You had debated just leaving this one for them to deal with until you heard them converse about how one officer was shot already. So, you’d swung out at three am, eyes still blurry as you spun a web around the driver, managing to park the vehicle in a nearby bush before stumbling back to bed again.
And you were exhausted. Just because that radioactive spider had changed some things, it definitely didn't fix your dodgy sleep schedule.
“People drink this?” You turn your head to see one of the interns you work alongside stare at you. There’s a disgusted look on her face as she clutches a coffee cup in her hand, the brand looking like the top end one down the street. Well, you were just about paying your rent each month, so you didn't quite get her luxury. “Uh.. yeah.”
“It looks so.. grainy.” She mutters, staring between you and the granules over and over until she swallows and looks straight at you. “Coffee won't fix those eye bags y'know. I’d think you were sleeping in with how late you always are, but clearly that’s not the case.” Of course, your lateness not only affected your extra duties, but your colleagues also despised you for it, and you can't say you blame them.
“She’s right y’know. At least, this coffee doesn't actually do much.” You notice his hands first, as they reach around you to grab a mug, stealing some of the water you heated up to dissolve the crappy coffee inside. You only blink up at him, watching as he walks off without another care.
That’s the thing with him, Leon Kennedy didn’t actually know you. No, he just knew the girl who was always cleaning the labs, just like everyone knew the boy in the filing lab always organising and the sweet lady at the reception. You were background noise, a prop in the play, just to echo his efforts.
—————————-
Time moved fast as more criminals got bolder, thinking they could easily get past you, or some were just doing it for the thrill of a fight. But as the numbers increased, your available time decreased until you were excusing yourself to go to the toilet just to beat up yet another idiot. Every day was tiring as it is, but now you were risking your job— or was being a superhero your job? You’re not sure what's what anymore, if even what you’re doing is right.
Your pen taps against some case files of your own, looking into a robber who's been attacking smaller stores in hopes the famous superhero wouldn't pay attention. But you did— you had to, and now you were studying clues, trying to find patterns that’d help you track him down.
“What is this?”
Your manager, or well, the woman you’ve been learning off of, comes up behind you and grabs the notes you’ve scattered across smaller clues. “You do realise the police have more pressing matters than a few corner shops, right?” Her eyes narrow, and before you can argue, she grabs the rest of the files off your desk, flicking through.
“Not one of these are the files you’re supposed to be looking at.”
“I was just looking at notes I made when testing my forensic skills—”
“Don't take me for a joke, Parker.” She slams her hand on the table, startling you and leaving the file open on a particular part. “This is miniscule scale, kid. I mean you’ve even made notes on how to catch the damn thing, let alone making statistics on how they’ve affected the shops. This is not your job— if you think it is, you’re wasting your time here.”
“It’s just a warm-up—” You fumble, but she only shakes her head at you, picking up the files you were meant to be filling in only to find them empty. “It’s not good enough, Parker.”
The rest of the day you spent hiding in shame, knowing well the whole office overhead the ordeal and that you’d be scowled at by your colleagues the second you step out. And so, you rush through the files given, notes stacked up upon notes and yet it’s seven pm now, the office quiet.
There’s a loud shuffle of footsteps, the STARS crew moving into one of the meeting rooms to discuss things. That’s usually your cue to tell you to head home for the evening, but what’s the point when you’ll likely run out again?
——————
It only takes one week for her to break— one entire week of nightly escapades, way too many coffees and even sleeping through a whole day’s worth of work. That one was the only accident.
“I can't defend you any more, and I don't think you can defend yourself.”
Desperate, you part your lips, maybe even try to convince her, anything to keep you there on the team, but she shakes her head, silencing you. “.. You’re fired, Miss Parker. Pack your things tonight.”
You felt the stares on your back before you left, the eyes boring into you— hatred, annoyance, contempt. Being a superhero didn't give you a break either, not really, the police hadn't got any fonder of you and even the newspapers had begun to eat you alive. Just like you were another celebrity for them to prey on.
“Leaving early for once? Knew you’d finally break the loop.” Leon jokes, climbing into the police owned car, likely for an escapade of his own. You just nod, too embarrassed to tell him the truth, or maybe you just knew he wouldn't care enough. “.. Yeah. I finally changed things up.”
“I’ll miss the excuses, but I don't doubt you won't be late again anyway.”
“.. Don’t worry, I won't.”
———————-
Leon noticed a shift in the superhero that lit up the city, even as the rest of the department seemed to seethe when calling out their name. Sure, your methods were not typically lawful, but sometimes it was a necessary evil. Though, some just really hated you for the sake of you ‘stealing the police’s job’ and being an attention seeker.
Still, you had always had a bit of a pep in your step for years since you first started appearing around. You hardly let even his remarks tear you down. Now your movements were reckless though, doing anything to tie the idiot up and let the police lock them away. You barely moved more than you had to, always lingering around rooftops, a glimpse of red sparking in the corner of his eye before it disappeared.
He didn't think much of it at first, figuring maybe you were busy— after all, you were an average human being. But then it’d get worse, you’d barely even glance his way, barely even pay attention when the crowds screamed your name, disappearing in a flash. The papers loved it, considering it the beginning of your downfall whilst he worried, not understanding what had happened.
It’s past midnight, a late job for him though by the time he arrived at the scene, the criminal was wrapped up tightly, handing from a street pole and the sticky residue of webs making him squirm and curse incessantly. He was sure that you’d already run by now, as you did these days, until he saw it, the tiny glimpse of red on the rooftop, legs dangling and just watching as the police moved below. So you did still care, huh?
Once he’s sure that the situation’s been handled appropriately, he excuses himself from the team, shrugging his police badge off as he makes his way through the apartment building to the top– he didn't want to be seen as a cop at this moment, just as Leon. Finally, he reaches the roof, stepping out into the cold evening air to see you still there, shoulders hunched and hands gripping the edge.
Before he can open his mouth, you turn your head, eyes locking onto him before they squint, and you turn back, arms crossed over your chest. “What do you want?” He winces at the slight harshness, but it’s mixed by what sounds to be exhaustion, so he doesn't take it to heart.
“Not your hands in cuffs.. Can’t be bothered to deal with your escape attempts.” He jokes, already imagining the different ways you can turn the situation to your advantage. Slowly he draws closer, walking up behind you until he’s only a few steps away, hand begging to reach out and do something– anything.
The truth is, he’s been intrigued by you ever since the first time you appeared in this city; his brain knew you were in the wrong, a lawbreaker, but his heart was filled with the curiosity to know more. For years, he only ever collected clues to learn more about your powers, watched the videos of you swing across the buildings so effortlessly, and softened at the rare clips of you just enjoying it for the fun of it. Hell, there was even that clip of you caught buying a loaded hot dog and sneaking to watch a local game from the top of a network pole.
It was only in the last two years that he had spoken to you properly, after having seen you all the more often whilst he trained as a police officer. Now that he was in S.T.A.R.S he felt like he couldn't escape you. And so as the interactions grew more often, so did a small bit of fondness too. He couldn't help it, really, he couldn't hate the one who worked tirelessly for this city and could still leave gifts at a children's hospital the day after.
You stay quiet though, just watching the city below, and he notes the blood stains across your suit, dangerously close to your waist. He lets his hands rest on the edge, clearly hesitant to even consider sitting beside you, and for a second you look over at him before sighing. “You won't fall, relax.”
“How do you know for sure?”
“I’ll catch you.” It’s a quiet murmur, more like a promise, and it’s clear that whatever happens next is more than confidence; it’s a trust in your abilities, and whatever the two of you have hanging in the space between you. So he listens, carefully seating himself on the edge with legs dangling beside you. After a moment, he turns to you, still a little nervous it seems. “I barely even see you anymore, I'm missing you stealing our evidence.” He huffs, and you just shrug, shoulders heavy, but you don't give anything more.
“Jus’ tired.”
“You look more than just tired, web.” His eyes are fixed on that blood stains again, and you look down, fingers grazing the edges. You’d have to scrub it out eventually but every time you even stare at it, you just remember the knife digging through your skin, thankfully not deep enough that you’d need to go to the hospital. “Should go home, get some rest.” You don't respond for a little while, head drooped just a little bit, and jaw bobbing as you nervously swallow– something that doesn't evade him. Damn good detective he is. “.. You do have somewhere to go, right?”
Quietly you shake your head, hands resting on the edge again, gripping the concrete nervously. “Lost my job ‘cause of all this.” You mumble out, and his eyes widen. It was hard to remember that beneath the mask you were just as ordinary and human as anyone else. He figured you had a job once, but he thought you were probably rich like those Avengers. But now, with this knowledge, he feels nothing but guilt. You were out here protecting these citizens every day for free whilst struggling to support yourself, and what were the police even doing? Apart from chasing you away and making you feel scared to even sit around in public spaces they barely did anything to help you. “Had a motel last night, but they kicked me out for blood on the sheets.”
Carefully he reaches out, watching your reaction before placing his hand atop of yours. Your head snaps to him, looking down and then looking at him– it’s hard to decipher how you feel with that mask, but his grip is light enough you can pull away if you want to. “ ‘m scared of falling.” He lies, and you nod, turning your hand upright for him to place his inside it. For a while you both just sit there, legs dangling and hands holding each other, squeezing every now and then. “Can stay with me if you want, spare room and everything.”
You blink, surprised by the offer, but he knows you’ll reject it when you look down again. “I.. I can’t. I don't even know when I can get another job, what if they reject me again?” Your voice is full of barely concealed worry, and you’re caught off guard when he leans in, eyes soft. “I can help–I can get you something. Put some bounties out, all you gotta do is catch them.”
“I swore I'd never take money for this work.”
“One night.”
You look over at him for a moment, hands fiddling with each other nervously before you look down at the wound on your waist, patched albeit still in a lot of pain. It’s been a long time since you’ve slept properly too, or at least for more than intermittent power naps. Still, something steers you away, some ugly feeling of doubt, like he may arrest you in your sleep, hell even unmask you– even harm you. You weren’t anything without the mask, and you were sure your world would crumble the second anyone found out.
“Web, please.” How you hated his stupid nickname for you, even the way he said it so softly, his eyes such a gentle blue as he stared at you. Suddenly he wasn’t the police officer on your tail anymore, eyes not even drawn to the muscle on him or the sharpness of his features, only the warm concern across his face. His hand squeezes yours a little, and your fingers stretch just slightly, fighting to not snatch away from the temptation of his touch.
“.. No. I can't, I have enough money for the room..just never get the time to sleep anyway.” It’s a stupid excuse, and you can feel the disappointment radiating off of him. If it was anyone else you might’ve been pissed, to think they could judge you like that, but he just twisted that knife in further.
“C’mon. The police station is missing their officer.” Gently you wrap an arm around his back, hand meeting his other side as you pull him up to a stand with you.
“What ar– wait!” Before he can argue, you’re swinging him through the air, and he’s absolutely terrified that you’re even capable of holding his weight. Then again, your webs have held up countless cars before. He wraps his arms around you in return, desperately trying not to fall. He doesn't squirm that much or scream, which is a win in your books compared to the times you’ve carried civilians before– and that was to save them from actual danger.
“You can see everything from up here..” He murmurs, words brushing your ear as you continue to take him across the city, his arms holding you a little tighter.
“Don’t look down too much.” You mumble in response, trying to fight back the growing warmth when you feel his head rest on your shoulder, taking in the view gladly.
—-
“Probably should’ve asked you first before– well–” You stammer out awkwardly, having just put him down in the parking lot of the police station. It doesn't help that some fellow S.T.A.R.S members were watching from afar, eyes widened at the sight of you bringing him here of all places. Luckily for you, he just shakes his head, dragging you away from the prying eyes and round the side of his car.
“It’s fine. More surprised you could actually carry me.” He jokes, reaching out to fix the hood of your suit, and you nervously laugh, suddenly shy again. “Stay safe, okay?”
“.. Okay.” You’re not used to it anymore, actually being seen and known as a person. After your Aunt died last year, and well your Uncle when you first started all of this, you’ve been alone. “Bye Leon.” It slips out before you can stop it, and stupidly you do a little wave at him. His face seems to light up at your remark, and he waves back.
“See you tomorrow, web.”
The days pass with little to no news, and even little visage of you. He did see you once, but you barely gave him, or anyone a passing look, already gone.
When he walks into the station the next morning, he instantly notices the officers crowded around a desk. “Someone drop off donuts or something?” He chuckles, though grows quickly confused when no one even bats an eye towards him. Pushing through the crowd, he sees the newspapers spread across the table. It’s you on the front page, but not the type of picture that he wants to see.
“THE END OF SPIDERWOMAN?”
The title reads, a picture of you cornered onto the floor by something.. inhuman, claws digging deep into your suit and blood seeping out. He really hopes it’s not true.
———-
3am blinks on his erratic phone, buzzing loudly until he picks up and Chris yells to get on the streets immediately. He gears up in seconds, running outside to see crowds of people, destroyed buildings and water rising from flooded drains. It’s in the most populated place in the city, making his eyes widen as the statue standing in the centre teeters, parts crumbling as the creature slams his tail against it.
It’s been making occasional appearances around the city, odd photos reported but no concrete evidence. Now though, it’s clear, something is very wrong.
There are webs across the buildings, on people who have been grabbed out of the way, and covering smashed cars that people had scrambled out of shortly after. And there you are, going head-to-head with that creature.
It’s double your size, it’s skin convulsing as it thrashes, but you continue, doing everything you can to control it.
He joins the police crowds, doing his best to usher the crowds to safety, grabbing lost kids and elderly who get too near to the scene. Meanwhile, Chris has set up a team of elites, armed with guns and tranquillisers. “Take this!” A tranquilliser gun is tossed to him, the weight heavy but perfect to take out the creature. He runs toward the other end, trying to find a good place to aim.
You’ve got your webs thick around the creature, pulling it as hard as you possibly can away from another building, only to get slammed by its scaled arm. Glass pierces through your suit as your back hits a wall of office windows, a shattering sound echoing all around. You tumble to the floor, sliding into the side of a desk with a low groan. How much more of this could you even take? There was only so much damage you could do before it crumbled the entire city, and with the RPD taking all evidence you found, you have absolutely no idea how to suppress it.
Gritting your teeth, you grasp the side of a desk chair to get you back upright, making your way towards the shattered windows. The lizard is seething at the people below, growling with a force so loud you’re sure a helicopter might get pushed away if they come any damn closer. You can see the SWAT teams lining up below, and it just makes you scoff. Their silly little shields and batons will do nothing, who the hell do they even think they are? But then you see the teams ushering civilians away, clearing out the area and helping the injured.
This was not the time to seethe at the police, stupid as they may be sometimes. Your duty was to protect this city, and you’d be damned if you didn’t try your hardest too.
You’re just about to swing right back into action when something catches your eye, namely the large river running through the city. Surely it couldn't cause more damage if it ended up there? In fact, the worst that’d happen is probably a few water splashes, which is way better than crushed buildings.
——
Leon had watched in horror when you got thrown into the offices, only to re-emerge a few moments later. You’ve spun your web around the lizard's arms again, and he starts to aim his gun again just to realise.. you’re moving him. The lizard takes the bait, that is, following you with heavy footsteps that make the ground tremble.
“What is she doing?!” Someone yells over the radio, confused as the lizard gets led away. But he knows, of course he understands. “All teams move civilians away from the river. Evacuate the river!” He yells into the comms, already getting up and following and equally understanding Chris towards their truck, loading it up with the other elites as they drive closer to finally get the shot they need.
——
Taunting it, you manage to get it close enough as you can, though not without it stopping altogether. Beneath the convulsing scales was a scientist, a smart one at that, and you’d figured he wouldn’t fall for your tricks. But you also knew the RPD had tranquillisers strong enough for elephants— that’s one thing you definitely worked on in your time there.
So you watch in awe as they fire off the first few shots, the lizard trying to reach out for you and swaying as it fails. The tranquilliser starts to kick in too, the steps growing heavier and erratic. However, you didn't expect for it to swing around, desperately trying to waddle away before it met its fate, its large tail knocking into the parks nearby.
Then all of a sudden, a shot hits its square in its foot, forcing it to finally stumble. You recognise the shooter as Leon, standing on the far side away from his team as he aimed up for the perfect shot.. and got it of course. You can't help but feel proud of him, and you take the liberty of finishing the job, wrapping the lizard up one last time as you begin to tug it, desperately ignoring the strain of your muscles with each harsh pull.
Again, pull, again, closer and closer until—-
You don't hear the satisfying splash just yet, no, you witness the arm crash into an apartment complex, witnessing the balconies scrape off of the building and start to fall, hard.
The webs break from your fingers in seconds, instead shooting to connect to the nearest network pole, swinging you forward, closer and closer. You can see him now, the small size of him compared to the horrors that seem to be falling in slow motion. Still, you’re slower, not enough time for you to wrap any webs around it, not enough time to prevent it.
—
The crowds watch as the loud splash rings out in the background, showering the city around in a wave of water as the lizard sinks, limbs limp. Their eyes then move towards the loud crumble of bricks and plaster, RPD agents rushing over to the scene as they hurriedly push the piles and piles off.
The red glimpses through first, almost the same colour as your raw skin beneath the torn suit. Your arms are wrapped tightly around him, body shielding him effortlessly from the weight that broke you down.
“Leon!” Chris yells, rushing over with other agents as he helps pull both your bodies out from beneath.
Everyone settles into silence as you lay on top of him limply, Leon who had been conscious and in mild shock from everything just staring at your unmoving body.
“Hey.. get up. It’s over— we’re all fine.” He tries to tug your tight grip off him, only to realise how easy it is to pluck your limp limbs off. When he lifts you properly, your body slumped against his shoulder, he pauses.
Your mask had been seared, torn right down your left eye and revealing the scratched skin underneath. His hand gently came to graze the curve of your cheek, scratched and sooted, eyes closed shut and not even the tiniest of flicker. Damnit. You were not in good condition.
“Leon! We’ll help, we can finally take her in.” One of the officers say, pulling the cuffs out his belt as another moves forward to grab you off of him.
“You raise those cuffs at her and I swear I’ll kill you.” He doesn't know when his gun ended up in his hand, or when his voice held so much conviction. The agent falters, watching on before eventually giving in and dropping the cuffs and weapon from their hands.
He sighs in relief, but now he can't break his eyes off you, the way you just slump into him, feeling like some kind of doll. As he gets to his feet, and the ambulance sounds start blaring, he knows that he has to do you right this time.