Chapter Text
I toss an apple in the air, one leg propped up and resting my neck on my arm. I stare at the ceiling. My sister is allergic to apples.
Toss. Catch. Toss. Catch.
The sound is repetitive, but consistent, constant. A woosh as it flies in the air; a splat as it lands in my hand again.
Toss. Catch. Toss. Catch.
It's muscle memory. Inhale. Exhale. Just like my lungs.
Toss. Catch. Toss. Catch.
It ticks like a clock. I know time is passing, but my eyes fail to drift. I am stuck in this moment and I know there's no reason to keep staring, but there's no reason to look away either.
Toss. Catch. Toss. Catch.
It will rot by tomorrow, softening, brusing like that of purple skin, if I do not take a bite. The crunch will be satisfying. The juice will be sweet on my tongue. Honeycrisp.
Toss. Catch. Toss. Catch.
I wonder what it's like for my sister. When the feeling is all the same, but then your lips start to warm like a fire-lit candle and tingle as if many sharp spines from a small cactus are pressed upon them, while your throat swells enough that your oxygen supply gets cut off.
Toss. Catch. Toss. Catch.
A faint tapping on the window. I don't look. I knew it was supposed to rain soon. They are heavy drops, but the gutter is broken, so water drips on the window sometimes.
Toss. Catch. Toss. Catch.
But it repeats itself in the same tempo. My head turns before my eyes unlock, though they quickly widen. Spider-Man. The apple falls on my face and I sit up with a wince. I rub my face and glance up again to see the superhero... laughing at me? I roll my eyes, but a small smile lines my lips. I get up to open the window. "Spider-Man? What're you doing here?"
He lets himself in without permission, soaking the carpet with rainwater. "I heard about your sister."
My brows furrow. "Oh, uh... it's fine. Well- I mean, it's not, but... I'm managing." I shake my head, trying to make my brain function properly again, so I don't fumble my words in front of Spider-Man. "Do you, like... do this for every New Yorker that loses someone or...?"
He hesitates. "...I try."
My brows raise slightly. Of course he tries. That's his job, after all. But a part of me wants to believe that this is more than just a quick condolence. Sure, it'd be easy to find me through my sister, but for someone who has saved and met thousands of people... why me? "That must get exhausting."
He sighs, the kind that says it's been more than just a long day. "...Sometimes."
I frown. "Wait here." He watches as I leave my bedroom, probably confused, but he stays. I return with a towel and throw it towards him. "Take this. Dry off."
He catches it and looks down at himself. "Oh, right. Sorry." He dries himself off.
"Are you hungry? Thirsty?"
He glances up as he finishes drying himself. "Uh... I could go for some water."
I nod, tossing a full water bottle—I usually keep two in my room so I have a backup from when I finish the first one—and the apple on my bed towards him. Even if he says he isn't hungry, I'm sure he could still go for a light snack.
"Thanks." He lifts up his mask just enough to reveal his mouth so that he can take a sip of water. I stare—obviously because this is the first time I've ever seen a part of what Spider-Man looks like under his mask—but I realize how weird that probably looks, so I shake my head and look away. God, I hope he doesn't take that the wrong way.
I glance at my desk. "Hey, uh... if you're planning on sticking around, I have these two LEGO sets that I took apart when I was moving into this apartment. You wanna rebuild them with me?"
He takes a bite out of the apple before pulling his mask back down. "I'd... love that, actually." Again, he hesitated, but I don't question it.
I nod, tossing him the 3 in 1 set on my bed—I'm sure it's more fun when he gets to pick an option—and taking the other set for myself. I lay down on the bed and pull out the pieces from my set, but I lift my head to see Spider-Man still... standing there. I pat the space next to me, inviting him. "Come here."
He blinks—I can faintly see his eyes through the mask—and shakes his head, as if snapping back to reality. He cautiously climbs onto the bed, but then lays down comfortably on his stomach and opens the LEGO set. I play some chill lo-fi music from my speakers at a low volume to fill the white noise and rain from outside. He looks through the instruction pamphlets for a while, then decides on one to build.
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For a while, we build in silence, the only thing reminding us of each other's presence is the dips from our body weight impressed on the bed and clicks of LEGO pieces bonding together. But internally? My brain is anything but silent, racing with so many questions that I physically bite my tongue to prevent myself from asking them all at once. It'd be awkward to break the silence, but I can't stand the unknown any longer. "How'd you know my sister?" I blurt.
He looks up, a bit surprised by my question. "Oh, uh... I knew her from high school."
I hold back a small smirk. "You know that I'm totally gonna have to look through her yearbooks now, right?"
His eyes widen, his hand raising to stop an invisible force. "No, no! You don't have to do that!"
I chuckle. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding." I pause, clicking another LEGO piece into place. "Were you close to her?"
He shrugs, focusing on his LEGO set again. "Not really. But I figured it'd be nice to check in on you. I remember you two were close."
I smile. "Thanks, Spidey." I can tell by the subtle stretch of his mask that he's smiling back. I click another piece in place. "...How come you didn't reach out as yourself, then? You know, like... the person you are under that suit."
He freezes, jaw clenching. Immediately, I backtrack. "Sorry- Maybe that was too personal. I was just curious. Since it'd make more sense to conclude you're my sister's classmate without the suit. I guess I'm just wondering why it needed to be anonymous..."
At my embarrassing ramble, he chuckles. "Guess I just came here on a whim. Plus, it's faster to swing by in the suit than take the time to change out of it."
I raise a brow. "But you didn't just 'swing by.'"
He shrugs. "Plans changed. It's hard to say no to building a LEGO set."
My smile returns, looking back at the pieces in my hands. "I figured you could use a break."
He nods in my peripherals. "I did."
My eye flick back up to him. "Weird question, but... do you have any friends?"
He pauses. "...No, not really. It's kind of hard to in my line of work."
I raise a brow. "Really? Not even any superhero friends?"
He shakes his head. "Nah, they're more like acquaintances."
"I see. That must be difficult. I don't know what I'd do without my best friend."
"Your roommate, right?" he mentions casually.
My brows furrow. "How much do you know about me?"
Again, he freezes. "I, uh... I didn't look that much into you. I just... saw a glimpse of his room when I was swinging by here. And I saw that photo of you guys and assumed so." He points to the framed photo of Ned and I on my nightstand.
I glance at the photo, but I can tell it's just a lazy attempt to cover up whatever secret he's trying to hide. I finally gain the courage to ask what I'm really wondering about. "...Were we ever friends?"
"Wh- what makes you think that?" he stumbles over his words.
"I mean... you were always there for us when we were in danger. Especially Czech Republic and London. And we always had this weird feeling that we knew you somehow. So... who are you really, Spider-Man?"
He sighs, surrendering. "Fine. You're right. I used to know you guys. We used to be friends. But that doesn't mean I can tell you who I am."
I frown. "Why not?"
"It's... better that way. It's to keep you guys safe."
"You have no right making that decision for us," I snap.
Suddenly, his phone buzzes. He pulls it out and frowns at the screen. "I have to go."
I sigh, understanding that saving the city is likely more important than whatever is going on right now. "Fine. Are you coming back?"
He gets up, quickly opening the window. "I don't know."
I frown. But before I let him go, I squint and notice a small red blinking light on his shoulder. "Wait! Do you have a light built into your suit, or is that what I think it is?"
His brows furrow and he looks over his shoulder, plucking the piece of technology off. He inspects it closely. "Shit." He looks back up at me. "Okay... I've really messed up, and I have a lot of explaining to do, but we have to go."
"We? Wait wha-?!" My exclamation is cut off by screaming, as he tightly wraps an arm around my waist and jumps out the window.