This is a ship one-shot!

What? Do your eyes decieve you? Is OfficialUSMWriter actually writing a ship prompt? No true believers, you are not being decieved! Yes, this is a ship one-shot! A spidertiger one in fact! Dedicated to my spidertiger friends Man287 and The Story's Shadow.

I hope you guys enjoy! At the bottom there's another authors note, read it! It's very important!

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Summary: Ava has a nightmare about the night she lost her father. Peter's finds her and comforts her with a song. I screwed up the timeline a little, so just bear with me.

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There was blood everywhere.

Staining her clothes, on her hands, covering the ground she knelt on - she's never seen so much of it. It was...too much.

Way too much.

She was caught between wanting to scramble away screaming or burst out crying in panic. But the figure lying by her side was enough to keep her frantic heart somewhat sated and her knees planted firmly on the ground. She clutched his hand desperately, feeling his strong grip on her fingers and taking comfort in it. He was still strong, he still had fight in him.

"A-Ava," he stuttered, his voice was a mixture of different emotions. Pain, relief, sadness, joy. As if his body couldn't decide on which one to feel.

Ava looked up at him, tried to give him a reassuring smile, but felt herself fail with a pained grimace. "Dad," she choked,"W-what happened?" she looked back over his body. Cuts everywhere, stab wounds, burns, his white costume suit was in tatters, the fabric quickly filling in with red. "Who- who did this to you?"

The pressure on her hand intensified for a second. "Ava," he repeated, his breaths coming out as wheezes. "I can't - I can't,"

She quickly shushed him, ignoring the shaking in her hand, trying to make her voice strong and sure. "Hey, no talking. Save your strength. I'm going to get you out of here, okay."

He shook his head sadly, there was barely any energy in it. "No...time..." he rasped, "Not...not strong enough...I'm-I'm done..."

Ava bit her lip to quit from sobbing. "Don't you dare talk like that," she said, angry tears burning her eyes. "Don't! You're going to be fine, I'll just...just let me..." he smiled at her, warm and affectionate. His free hand reached shakily and brushed some of the hair from her face.

"S-so fierce. So s-strong," he whispered, eyes bright with pride. "You w-were born to wield the amulet,"

Ava's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" his hand dropped down to his chest, on top of the glowing, pulsing relic carved and shaped into a tiger's head. His fingers curled around it gently, almost lovingly, then yanked it off. Hands trembling, he pressed the White Tiger Amulet into her palm.

"It's your turn to protect the amulet," he told her. "You must protect it, you must -" he was interrupted by a sudden violent cough that rattled his whole body. Upon settling down, Ava noticed a small trickle of blood running down the corner of his mouth. "It's y-yours now,"

Looking down at the glowing relic, she looked back up at her father, fear flooding her eyes. "I-I can't take this!" she panicked. "I-I can't do this. I'm n-not ready - I'm still training - I don't even know who I'm protecting it from! I don't know how! I - " he closed her fingers over the amulet, laying his hand over hers.

"You are ready," he whispered. His grip on her hand was loosening. "You m-must'not let K-Kraven h-have it. D-don't let him h-hunt you," he smiled up at her again, soft, but without energy. "It's in your b-blood, Ava. Y-you'll be the g-greatest White T-Tiger y-yet," he took a stuttering breath.

Panic surged through her veins. She was losing him. He was dying. Her father was dying and she didn't know what to do. Her mind was blank, an empty slate. She had no idea what she was supposed to do next and it was terrifying. A whimper, small and scared squeezed past the lump in her throat, "Please don't leave me," she begged, chin quivering as the tears rolled down from her burning eyes. "Please! I can't do this without you! Dad, please!"

"Go," he told her, his face mirroring her own. "G-get out of here Ava. He-he's coming!"

"No!" she snapped, anger flaring brightly. Before it was doused by another wave of grief and her shoulders slumped under an unseen weight. "I'm not ready...please don't leave me...I-I need you, Dad, I-"

His hand tightened briefly, before pushing her away with feeble strength. "Go," he repeated. She shook her head stubbornly. "GO!" he shouted, before crying out in pain as his body seized up in agony. Ava withdrew a little bit. His face was stricken with sorrow and anguish, she could see in his face that he didn't want her to leave as much as she didn't want to go. But looking into his eyes, she saw that he wasn't afraid. He knew what was coming next, and had already accepted it.

Vision blurred, she stumbled to her feet. His body sagged against the ground without her support. "I love you," he whispered. She gazed down at his broken and cut body, her hands trembled feeling the sticky blood on her fingers.

"I love you too," she told him.

"Go get em baby girl,"

At hearing the nickname, her fingers wrapped around the amulet in a white-knuckled grip. She realizes with a start, looking down at him, that this was the last time she'd ever see him. With more will power than she thought she had, she tore her gaze away...and ran.

She barely made it out of sight when a voice reached her ears. "Where is the amulet?" it was deep and thick with a Russian accent. Ava glanced down at the amulet and glanced back. Without hesitation, she crouched down, peeking past the bushes and back to where her father lay.

A man was standing over him. He was tall, big, and muscular, an animal skin vest was the only thing covering his chest, with brown cargo pants from the waist down and sturdy hiking boots. He had black hair and a mustache boxing his mouth. A bloodied spear was in his hand.

This was him. She realized. This was the hunter. Kraven. THe man who did this to her father. She felt a snarl rise up in her throat.

Her dad said something, it unintelligible from where she was crouched, but it made Kraven angry. His mouth twisted into a furious sneer and he raised the spear over his head. "I will get the amulet," he promised. "I will kill and hunt everyone you love! No prey escapes Kraven the Hunter!" the tip of bloodied spear paralleled to her fathers stuttering chest. "And you, White Tiger, are my prey!"

The spear thrust down.

Ava jolted up in bed, barely able to cover her gasp with a slap of her hand over her mouth. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to get the sickening image out of her head. Despite her best efforts, a sob fought its way past her throat.

No, she thought roughly to herself, not here. Not now.

She climbed out of bed on shaky legs. Peaking briefly out of the door, she glanced idly out into the hall. Her room was by Aunt May's, but she didn't think she woke or disturbed the other woman. Good, that was good.

She closed the door and went back to bed. She lay on the blanket, staring at the ceiling. But it was too hot in the room, her heart was still going on overload and her body was sticky with sweat.

Her hands were sticky with blood.

Her hands began to shake. It was too claustrophobic. Too much clutter. It was too much. Too much! Heart beating frantically, she spotted the window off the side. With the silence of a cat, Ava opened it, but climbed quickly out and up to the roof, moving fast as fast as she could to escape the oppressive space of the room. There was hardly a moon tonight, but there didn't need to be. The buildings in the distance were brighter than the moon anyway. Plopping down on the tiled roof, she closed her eyes and felt a breeze rustled through the tree by the house and cool her fevered skin.

That felt better. She felt more...free. Less restrained. She was fine. She was strong. Calm. There was nothing to be scared of out here.

But that didn't explain why her hands were still shaking.

She brought them up in front of her face, expression pinching into frustration as she urged the trembling to stop. It was over. The nightmare was gone. It was okay. She didn't need to be afraid anymore...but - but she was afraid. Her heart was pounding a tattoo into her chest, she felt flushed, there was an uncomfortable lump still lodged in her throat, and her mind was still reeling in terror.

No, stay strong. I'm not weak. I am NOT weak. I am White Tiger. I'm a hero, like my dad! I'm...I'm...

A sob ripped past her throat and her face collapsed into her shaking hands. Chest heaving, breaths coming out in stutters and huffs, Ava couldn't hold the tears back anymore. They came down of their own free will, making her vision swim and staining her cheeks red.

She was no hero. She wasn't strong. She was weak. Weak, weak, weak, weak! She didn't deserve the White Tiger Amulet. She couldn't even save her own father. She ran away like a scared cub, tail tugged between her legs. She let her father die at the hands of a monster.

She had wanted the nightmares to end. She prayed for a peaceful night, and, for a while, she got one. Ever since joining the team, meeting Spider-Man, training - it's been easier. She was just beginning to get a good nights sleep again.

Until her run-in with Kraven. Ever since coming face-to-face with him, and letting her tiger side out, the nightmares have come back. Every. Single. Night. It was all the same. Watching over and over again as her father died, as he was impaled on a spear, as Ava took the amulet and swore to protect it. She thought she was over it! She thought...she thought she was done.

But...no. She deserved it. She deserved to suffer at the consciousness of her own mind. She left her father to die. It was only fitting she got to suffer by watching it every night. Her biggest failure, her act of cowardliness.

It all came crashing down, crushing her shoulders, smashing her ribs, making it hard to breathe. The regret, the pain, the sorrow, the fear, the anger. It was like a raging tempest in her body, ripping her insides to shreds and leaving her hollow. Sometimes, she wished she could feel nothing at all.

Wrapped up in her own anguish, Ava almost didn't notice the sudden presence behind her. She jumped to her feet, a ferocious snarl rising from her throat with her fist flying out and bunching into the shirt of the person behind her. She lifted her other hand, clenched into a fist and ready to knock whoever it was to next week. She met wide, surprised blue eyes and disheveled brown bed hair.

"Peter," she said, eyebrows pinching in confusion. "What are you doing up?"

"Investigating," he answered warily, she noticed his hands were raised, palms out, in surrender. "It's not everyday people are climbing my house and sitting on my roof," his head cocked to the side and something new entered his expression. Concern, was it? "Have you been crying?"

Ava released his t-shirt, unintentionally shoving him back a few paces, and turned away, hugging her arms. "No," she snapped, glaring at the tiles of the roof. "I'm fine. Just fine. Go back to sleep,"

She was annoyed when he didn't move.

"Are you sure you're-"

"YES I'm okay. I'm just peachy-keen! Everything is fine, I'm just getting some fresh air. Leave me alone!" she plopped back down on the spot she was originally sitting, hugging her knees to her chest with her head lowered on them.

Peter was silent for a moment, before slowly moving forward. "The fact that you used the word 'peachy-keen' implies that you are not, in fact, fine," he sat down next to her. "Do you...want to talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about," Ava muttered. "Nothing's wrong. Leave me alone,"

He was quiet.

Then, "Nightmares suck, don't they?"

Ava jerked up, staring at him.

"Confession time," he admitted sheepishly, "I wasn't actually coming out here to investigate. This is where I go when..." he paused, swallowing thickly, "When I have nightmares," Ava felt her breath catch, but looked down, though continued to watch him through the corner of her eye. His expression was crunched in discomfort and exhaustion. THere were bags under his eyes.

She shuffled uncomfortably, biting her lip. "What...what were you dreaming about?"

He shrugged mundanely, staring out at the city. "This time?" he asked. "The Lizard...Connors injecting himself with the serum to save me, his transformation, nearly getting eaten alive, me...seeing him lose his arm again...feeling like a failure" his shoulders sagged. "You know, the usual,"

Ava felt a twinge of sympathy. But she understood.

A beat of silence.

"And you?"

Ava inhaled sharply. "Me, I..." she wanted to say I'm fine, but the words lodged in her throat instead. She stiffened, unable to put together a sentence that wouldn't give away how shaken she felt. Peter waited for her, not looking at her, but she could see the crestfallen look on his face when he got silence.

"It's okay," he mumbled, "I get it. It's not easy talking about..." he waved his hand around expressively, "you know, that kind of stuff. So...it's cool. Just...just fine..." his voice tapered off and Ava could help but feel guilty. Peter shared his experience. He told her his nightmare or at least a brief explanation. She owed him that much too, right? "It was...my dad..." she mumbled, "the night he died. You know, watching Kraven kill him. Doing nothing to help. Running away," she looked down. "Like a coward,"

It was Peter's turn to be silent.

Ava didn't look at him. Didn't want to see what he was thinking. But she knew what was coming; what he was going to say.

"It wasn't your fault Ava,"

She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, "Yeah," she muttered bitterly, "that's what everyone tells me. But, you know what? It doesn't feel like it! I don't feel like the victimized little girl. I feel stupid and weak, and like a failure! I let him die, Peter. Don't you understand that?" she looked up at him, eyes suddenly wavering with emotion. She swallowed past the lump in her throat, and when she continued her voice shook. "I just sat there and watched him bleed out. I had NO idea what to do and it - that terrifies me. I was terrified. I tried to figure something out to save him, but...but," the sentence dragged off. She chuckled dark and without humor "You know, he wasn't even dead when I left. He was still breathing, his heart was still beating. But... and then Kraven...Kraven he just -" she buried her face in her knees as the tears trailed past her eyes.

Ugly sobs tore through her chest and ripped out her throat. Tears spilled out, and once they started they didn't stop. She cried loudly, body heaving with every breath, in front of the last person she wanted to cry in front of. Peter Parker. The leader of their team. She felt humiliated. And hurt. And she just wanted to disappear cause she hated people seeing her like this. And all of that just made her cry even more.

She didn't even realize it when she whispered, "Ayala's are not supposed to be weak,"

Within an instant, she felt an arm curl around her shoulder. She tensed, muscles clenching from the sudden contact, before softening as she leaned into Peter's embrace. He whispered something, but she didn't hear it over her break of an emotion.

She cried until her throat hurt and her eyes stung, leaning into Peter's chest to bury her face in his shirt. She let everything go, releasing the events of the terrible night to Peter like a broken dam: the horror of seeing her dad injured beyond saving, being unable to help, being given the burden of the White Tiger amulet, the cowardice she felt as she ran away, watching as Kraven took her father away from her, as the spear thrust down. She even cried about the things she didn't say. How as soon as that spear impaled her dad terror like nothing she's ever felt ran through her body, the anguish and agony in her chest as if SHE was the one who's been stabbed, stumbling away and running through the forest as fast as she could, feeling the amulet glow in her hand, feeling its power course through her letting her get away faster, run away quicker, feeling its emotions mix with her own, the anger, the fury, the agony, the pain, how she finally stopped - far away - in clearing and and collapsed on the ground in exhaustion, wishing she had more of the amulet's power so she'd have enough energy to scream at the sky.

She didn't know how long it went on, whether it was minutes or even hours, but eventually, the sobs began to lose power as she calmed down. Even as her eyes dried, she kept her face pressed against Peter's chest, too scared to look at him face-to-face. To see the pity that would be reflected back through his eyes. To see her alias as the strong and fearless Ava Ayala, the White Tiger, crumble to make way for a weak and pitiful representation.

But, as she sniffled into the cloth, she realized that Peter was still talking. Wait...Not talking. Singing. Freezing, almost astounded, she listened to the word, silently marveling at how...nice, Peter's voice sounded.

"-And through it all, and through it all. When you're tired and you stumble I will carry you. When starlight falls, my love will guide you home. You'll never be alone, when there are no more heroes," he took a breath to continue, but must've noticed that Ava was listening now as he went still, a light blush brushing his cheeks.

"Oh, uh, sorry, I...I didn't realize you were listening,"

"I didn't know you could sing that good,"

Peter looked inquiringly at her. "No?" he mused. "What about the musical starring one infamously amazing arachnid?" his lips pulled up a little. "I sang there, remember? Nova made fun of me for it for a week,"

"Well, yeah, but your voice was shaking, and anyone could tell you were nervous. I just-" she bit her lip. "I didn't realize how - good, your voice actually sounds," 

She was blushing now.

"Ah, Ms. Ayala, you flatterer," he teased, but she noticed how his own cheeks were lighting up red. She found herself enjoying it. She's seen him act arrogant and playful, but never flustered. His ears tinged red and he was brushing his hair out of his eyes as he ducked his head to avoid her gaze, if she was seeing correctly, he almost looked...shy. It was kind of cute.

Her thoughts halted. Wait...did she...did she just think Peter Parker - Spider-Man ­- was cute? Her mind reeled. Nope. Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, and no. She was SO not going there. Her and Peter's relationship was friendly and platonic. Nothing more and nothing less. Just because Peter comforted her after a nightmare ONE time, doesn't mean she had to develop a...a crush on him.

In fact, she didn't even know why she was thinking about the word: crush. The only crush she ever had, was when she was crushing her enemies. That was it. None of that frilly-nilly teenage hormone stuff from a teen magazine she's read about.

"What are you thinking about?" Peter asked. "You look like you wanna hit me,"

Ava realized she was glaring at him and looked away. "Nothing. Was just thinking..."

His face fell sober. "About Kraven?" he asked tentatively, eyes soft with concern.

"W-what? No, no not about that," she assured, surprising even herself. And it was true. She had completely forgotten about the nightmare, only now recalling it again at the mention of Kraven. Which actually dampened her mood. She hunched down, feeling the ache return.

Peter noticed the change and his eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean - I just - I shouldn't have said anything," he glared at his feet. "Looks like I just ruined everything,"

Of course, he didn't. He didn't mean to bring it back up, it wasn't intentional. Ava looked up to assure him, but was surprised with how crestfallen and frustrated he looked. He honestly wanted to make her feel better. She smiled to herself. To be honest, the thought left her feeling warm.

After a moment of thought, she hesitantly scooted closer. "Um, what was that song you were singing?"

Peter glanced back up, still looking pained, but grateful for the change of topic. "Oh, uh, 'No More Heroes' by Westlife. Kind of sad, I guess, but it's a good song,"

"Sounds like it," silence. "Could you...sing it for me?...Please?"

Peter's eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, you," he blinked. "You want me to sing to you? Like, you actually want to go through that," she shoved him playfully.

"Yes, I do," she laughed. "But the whole thing this time,"

Peter rubbed his neck bashfully. "Well, I just - I haven't sung for anyone in a while and I...I don't know if I-" he met her eyes. "But...okay. Sure. Sure I'll sing for you, Ava,"

She smiled widely and before she could lose her nerve, she lay back down beside him, letting her head fall against his chest. He could tell he was surprised by the sudden intake of breath, but he must've not cared, as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

He took a few nervous breath, muttering a quick, "Kay...here goes nothing. Pray your ears work after," which she responded with a gentle jab with her elbow. Then he started to hum. It was soft and serene, like a lullaby.

Then he began to sing.

"When the waves are crashing down, pulling you to sorrow. I will sail you back to shore when there are no more heroes," a small pause as if to make sure she was still okay with it. "Over, under, near or far. I'll be right beside you. Standing here with open arms, when there are no more heroes,"

"And through it all. And through it all. When you're tired and you stumble I will carry you. When starlight falls, my love will guide you home. You'll never be alone when there are no heroes,"

He hummed a bit of the tune.

"It was you who showed me how brought me back to glory. Through hopeless nights and darkest days, it was breath you gave me. And through it all. And through it all. When you're tired and you stumble I will carry you. When starlight falls, my love will guide you home. You'll never be alone when there are no more heroes," he hummed longer this time. Voice falling smoothly from note to note like water. His chest seemed to vibrate with the song, the words coming deep within, almost as if from the heart.

Ava wondered when she became such a sap. Maybe it had been the romance novels. Yeah, it was definitely the books, she should probably cut back on them. But that was the last thing on her mind. The tension in her body fell away and she realized how tired she really felt. She yawned, feeling her eyes go heavy.

He started singing again. "And through it all. And through it all. When you're tired and you stumble I will carry you. When starlight falls, my love will guide you home. You'll never be alone when there are no more heroes. When there are no more heroes," the song ended.

But Ava was already asleep.

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Hey-o peeps. I'm back...ish.

School started up again and this is going to be my toughest year yet! So, obviously, updates are going to be slower. I will try my best to update as frequently as I can, but given the circumstance, they might be few and far between.

Please bear with me.

Also, there will be a second part to this particular one-shot. It's already started, so hopefully, I can get that out soon. Hope you enjoyed this part. As you know, I don't usually do ships, but I'm willing to make exceptions ;)

Until next time, yeah?