Wendy opened her window just in case.

It was unlikely Spider-Man would stop by after that disastrous kiss. Not that it was particularly disastrous from her perspective. In fact, it was so amazing that she couldn't stop thinking about it. It was consuming her every thought. She really couldn't believe this was happening to her. Wendy had always strived to be an independent, badass woman who didn't need a man's approval for validation. Now she was glancing at her window every thirty seconds, waiting for some guy whose face she had never fully seen to slip in and tell her that he enjoyed the kiss and liked her too.

She busied herself with homework, but she really didn't have that much to do. She plopped down at her desk and opened her laptop. She bullshitted around on twitter for a hot second before a rush of inspiration hit her. She bit her lip, suppressing a smile at the thought of kissing Spidey, and opened the song she'd been messing around with for awhile. Since no one else was home, she unplugged her headphones and played the current version through her computer's speakers. It was good, but now that she'd had her first kiss and understood the joy of romance, she realized it needed more oomph.

Before she knew it, she'd spent forty-five minutes reworking the track and messing around with the instrumentation. Scratching the side of her nose, she played the new version on blast. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back, swaying slightly to the beat. She couldn't stop smiling. The lyrics just reminded her of days spent with her Peter Pan, lying on her bed and filling out sudoku puzzles or snacking while talking about anything and everything.

She didn't have an opportunity to wonder if Spider-Man was ever coming back because a voice sounded beside her, "Is that you singing?"

She screamed and nearly fell out of her chair. In seconds, Spidey was by her side, helping her back into her seat. He had his mask pulled up over his mouth again. He sat on the window mantle once he was sure she was stable. They stared at each other for a few moments. Wendy wasn't sure what to say. The last time they saw each other, they'd made out and then he ran away.

"Yes," she stated. He tilted his head. She paused the song. "Yeah, that's me singing. I wrote the song and I created the track. All of it."

"Wow," he gasped. She grinned. There was nothing quite like impressing a superhero. "That's so cool! What's it called?"

She froze. Oh yeah. Her song needed a proper name. The working title was 'but why ribCAGE.' She'd been inspired to write the first few lyrics thanks to a sleepover all the way back in sixth grade, when Erin had suddenly sat up, paused Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and asked, "Why are they called rib cages? Cages are usually meant to keep something in, right? What are our ribs keeping in?" That was back before Angie or Margot or Michelle, back when Wendy and Erin kept the company of girls like Kate Bishop.

"No Words," she decided.

He smiled at her. "I like it a lot." I like you a lot.

"I'm assuming you saw me in the headlines," she joked, switching to an open tab of some article claiming she was just some girl looking for attention. "Fun fact: did you know I baited those boys into almost raping me so I could be more interesting? Well, neither did I. Thanks for the enlightenment mattstatic037. Oh, and thanks to xtina11, I now know that I also did this all for the cash. Because, as we all know, witnesses get paid for releasing statements."

"Ignore them," Spidey insisted, pushing her hand aside and closing the tab for her. "They're just vultures looking for someone to rip apart to make themselves feel better."

She laughed and leaned back in her seat. "Well, I hope it's working for them because I personally feel like shit. I've had to mute words on Instagram and Twitter so I won't see all the nasty comments. I even went private on Insta and they're still somehow getting in. I think some of them go to school with me. I don't get why they don't just walk up and call me an attention-seeking slut to my face."

Spidey opened his mouth, but she cut him off before he could speak. "And those who don't hate me pity me and see me as fragile so that's great. Really loving being treated like a porcelain doll. My aunt forced me into signing up for self-defense classes so that'll be less time to myself. Oh, and to top it all, the cream of the crop, I worked up the courage to kiss the guy I liked and he ran away like a bitch baby." She sent him a pointed look. What she could see of his cheeks burned bright red.

"I'm sorry," he stammered. Then he paused and asked, "Wait, did you say liked?"

"You sound awfully upset for some reason," she quipped. She sighed. "Look, I get it. You're not into me. You could've been a little nicer about it."

He stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "What? Are you kidding? I'm into you. I'm so into you. I'm into you too much. Way too much." Holy shit. He liked her. He liked her back. Her heart was all-set for takeoff, but she stopped herself from getting too excited.

"What do you mean 'too much?'" she questioned, suddenly very aware that they'd been moving closer to each other this entire time.

He shifted uncomfortably. "If we...you'd be in danger. I have enemies."

She raised an eyebrow. "We literally met because some guys were trying to rape me."

"More danger. A-and the power dynamic-"

"What power dynamic?" If he wanted to debate, fine. Wendy loved debating. She was amazing at it too. The only reason she wasn't killing it on the debate team was that it interfered with cheer and dance and those were kind of her everything. Until Spidey saved, that is.

He seemed annoyed. "I'm a superhero and I-I saved you. I mean, that's- isn't that weird?"

She leaned back in her chair and smirked. "Nope. Bold of you to claim the title of superhero, by the way. Personally, I think you're a vigilante at best."

"Rude," he scoffed, "and Tony Stark would beg to differ."

"This isn't a rap song, sweetie, there's no need to name drop," she snarked. "By the by, you're not really furthering your argument."

He threw his hands up in irritation. "Well, I'm not good at debate, okay?" There was a moment where they didn't talk and all that could be heard was Wendy's song, stuck on a loop. Spidey rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you really not think of me as a superhero?"

She bit her lip. "Not really. I mean, if anything, you're a thief."

"A thief?" he repeated incredulously. "How? What?"

She jabbed her finger in his direction, fighting to keep the corners of her lips turned down. "You stole my first kiss."

"You kissed me," he argued. "Wait, that was your first kiss? How? You're so...how?" She laughed. She could see the tension leave his body. Wendy realized then that she really didn't like fighting with him. She didn't want to ever fight with him. Not as friends or as lovers or anything.

"I'm flattered," she giggled. "My mom used to say that boys found me intimidating and that's why none of them liked me."

"I highly doubt none of them liked you," Spidey said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "And honestly, I agree. You are intimidating. I kind of love it, though." Wendy rolled her eyes and rose from her chair, pushing it aside so she had room to stand. She laid her hands on either side of Spidey's body and looked up at him through her eyelashes.

"W-What are you doing?" he stuttered, looking absolutely panicked but leaning in all the same.

She shrugged and ran her fingers down his jaw, tracing the shape like she was trying to memorize it. "You don't want to risk a relationship with me. Fine. I respect that. But I deserve a better first kiss." She brought her other hand under his chin and closed the space between them. 

The moment their lips crashed together she felt a rush of electricity flutter through her body. Kissing him was so goddamn addictive. It wasn't that either of them was particularly good at kissing - not that she really knew what qualified as good. It was more of the sensation of being so close, feeling him move under her, their skin pressed together, the delicious warmth of another person. Even when their teeth knocked for a second, she was so high on just touching him and being with him that it didn't matter. 

What mattered was his arms around her waist and his lips opening just enough for her tongue to slip inside. What mattered was them maneuvering from the window sill to her bed, her hands gripping the back of his suit like a lifeline. What mattered was them finding their rhythm, the lips moving in sync. What mattered was him finding the courage to puts his hands on her ass while she leaned over him, shoving her hands up his mask and entangling her fingers in his hair.

What mattered was, when they eventually stopped making out and he left her room to fulfill his duties as Spider-Man after kissing her goodnight and she sat back down at her desk and re-worked her song until it perfectly reflected just how exhilarating it was to be in a relationship, Wendy was officially Spider-Man's girlfriend.

*

you didn't think i forgot to update, did you?? just so y'all know, this is like ,, barely edited. my beta reader didn't even get the chance to see this lol

soooo i very unintentionally made wendy the definite top in this relationship but i can't say i'm mad about it. lmk how y'all feel