The sky was gloomy, dark clouds bringing torrents of rain with thunder that rumbled ominously as shards of lightning split the heavens apart.

You were glad it was the weekend.

That meant you could spend a beautifully stormy day in bed underneath a mountain of blankets instead of walking around school all wet and miserable.

"Y/N!" Your mom yelled from the other side of your door. "You need anything? We're going to the store!"

"No, thanks!"

Her footsteps gradually shuffled away and with a sigh of contentment, you snuggled deeper under your covers.

The soft pitter patter of rain against your window was lulling you into a deep sleep as your thoughts drifted endlessly, scattered about your personal land of dreams when—

THUMP!

You shot upwards at the loud sound with your heart just about to leap out of your chest.

"What the hell?" You demanded.

There was a red gloved hand knocking on your window which was a bit insane because who in their right mind would be out on the fire escape in the middle of a thunderstorm? Throwing back your blankets, you cautiously walked towards your window and screeched when the rest of the body attached to the hand popped up like a jack-in-the-box.

It was Spider-Man.

Spider-Man was outside your window in the pouring rain with his arms around himself, his body trembling from the cold.

"H—hey," he greeted you weakly, his voice muffled by the glass and the pouring rain. "C—can I come in?"

You quickly threw open your window and the superhero climbed into your bedroom, wet and dripping all over your carpet. He was still shivering so you grabbed a towel hanging from your door and handed it to him.

"Th—thanks."

Spider-Man wrapped the towel around him.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be a bother," he shuffled on his feet, "I'm just really far from home and I got caught in the storm swinging past your building. I didn't wanna get struck by lightning or something."

He laughed awkwardly and you joined in for a second before it died out.

"Well, yeah, no! You're totally fine. I mean, it's not a normal thing to have superheroes climbing through my window, so...I'm honored." You peered at the dampness underneath his feet. "Did you maybe want to...change into something dry? I can get clothes from my brother's room."

"No, no! It's okay!" He said quickly. "I should be leaving soon—"

An abnormally loud clap of thunder followed by the deafening crack of lightning made him pause, the white eyes of his mask squinting.

"Or...would it be too much if I stay for a bit?" He asked.

——————-

"So, what's your real name?"

"I told you," Spider-Man sighed, "I can't tell you...Last card."

You put down an ace of diamonds on the pile with a smug look.

"I choose spades."

"Damn."

Between trying to convince the superhero to change into something that wouldn't be the death of him and finding a way to entertain him while he was there, the both of you ended up sitting on the floor of your bedroom playing cards with your comforter around him.

You'd started with 21 Questions during an intense game of War and found that he liked pepperoni pizza, dogs and science amongst other things. He was quite talkative and you knew straight away that he was pretty young for a superhero, maybe even the same age as you. He talked about a lot of stuff and you did as well, but neither of you introduced yourselves. You just kind of naturally fell into conversation with each other.

"Can I ask if you know Iron Man?"

"Tony? Yeah, I know—I know him. Iron Man." He shrugged, but his voice had gone up an octave higher at the mention of the billionaire.

"Really?" You leaned forward. "What about Captain America?"

"I honestly don't know if I should be talking to you about this kind of stuff, but yeah," he put down the two of clubs, "I do."

You scowled as you drew two cards from the deck.

"That's pretty cool. What's it like to be a superhero? Cover all faces," you added as he put down the jack of diamonds.

"It's not...like what everyone expects, I guess." He began, shuffling his hand around. "There's a lot of pressure...to do the right thing. And I want to do the right thing, ya know? But, a lot of people have different definitions of what's right. I want to protect people and make them feel safe."

"And don't you do that?"

"I help where I can, but sometimes I feel like I'm not doing enough. Pick up two again," he tapped on his card and you grumbled about the inconvenience dealt to you. "I want to be out there, doing bigger things and—and making a difference."

His voice was suddenly urgent, almost wishful as he looked at you. You really couldn't tell what he was feeling in that moment because he was still wearing the mask despite your best efforts to get him to take it off.

"But, you are making a difference." You stated matter-of-factly. "You don't have to be doing bigger things to be noticed. I've noticed you around the city plenty of times. Helping people cross the street, carrying groceries. I saw you chasing after someone's dog once."

He nodded.

"I remember that. It bit me," he muttered.

"Look, my point is that everyone's a superhero in their own way. You don't have to be a billionaire or a rage monster or a World War II soldier." You put down the four of hearts. "Last card. You're Spider-Man. People know you because you're a part of the community, always around and always helping. So, I'd say you're making a difference."

The silence that followed made you wary and you bit your lip, hoping you hadn't crossed a line. He drew a card and you put down your last card, the ace of hearts.

"I win," you said smugly.

"Thank you."

You looked up, his voice soft.

"For what?"

"For telling me how it is." He put his cards down and locked his fingers together, twiddling his thumbs almost as if he was nervous about something. "It's nice to hear once in awhile."

"Hey," you noticed the lack of rain against the window and looked up, "looks like the storm's over."

"Sucks," he mumbled.

"What?"

"Nothing," Spider-Man stood and carefully placed your damp comforter on the bed, "I guess I better go."

You got to your feet, walking him the few steps to your window and pushing it open. He swung a leg over before pausing.

"I guess I know where to come when it starts storming again," he said jokingly.

You grinned.

"My window is always open to the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man."

"I never did get your name, ya know." He climbed the rest of the way over and onto the fire escape, holding onto the ledge to keep you from closing the window.

"You can find out when you swing by next time. Deal?"

You stuck out your hand and he grabbed it, shaking it once.

"Deal."

With a little smile, you watched as he jumped off the fire escape and appeared on the next building's rooftop.

He waved before disappearing once more.

You turned and flopped onto your bed, the smile on your face not going away as your mind raced at the fact that Spider-Man was now your friend, a chance meeting of which you were extremely grateful for and owed to the very stormy weather.

——————

in honor of his birthday.
happy birthday, peter parker!