chapter forty,
mysterio

    NINA was smart. She knew she was smart. She was valedictorian, she had a high gpa and she was already nearing the top of her class in college with an internship at OSCORP that was already promising a long-time job. But being book smart, and self-preserving was perhaps two different things. Any normal observer of the lights that exploded out from Times Square would turn and run the other way. But after knowing and dating Peter Parker for the time that she did, Nina lost all self preservation and ran straight towards it. 

    She darted around pedestrians who cared little about her. They only cursed her and returned to their phones, or didn't even notice as she slipped past around them and rushed down the sidewalk back towards the centre of the city. Nina glanced upwards at the buildings, following the light of Central Park and searching for a blink of red to dart past her. He was ahead, by a while, but she was catching up. 

     When she started getting a phone call from Gwen, she knew something was very serious.

     Still running through the busy street and hearing something cliche like: "HEY! I'M WALKING HERE━!" Nina answered her phone and pressed it to her ear.

    "Yes, yes, I'm coming," she told Gwen without even saying hello, darting down an alleyway for a shortcut. She startled a homeless man trying to sleep under the shadow of a fire escape. He watched her go and called, "Yeah, you go, girly!"

    "Hello to you, too," chided Gwen Stacy, but she was used to it. Nina could hear the sound of chaos on the other end, and realised that her friend had made it there before her. It didn't sound too good━she heard the shouts of people, startled in being parted away by the orders of police. "You need to get here. Police have this ... guy surrounded but it doesn't look good."

    "Peter's on his way," Nina didn't need to hear it over the phone now. The shouts and the sirens echoed in her ears from just a block away. She saw the lights, and through the alleyways, she caught sight of the screens stretched up across Times Square. She skidded to a stop, her breath hitching in horror as she saw the sight of a man that was not a man. Hooded in dark clothes, it placed a shadow over skin that was glowing in a sparking yellow━pulsing against his cheeks and from his lips, static and electrical, almost forming a star across his face. 

    "What in the hell ...?" breathed Nina, and her heart jolted with sudden fear. 

    "Yeah," agreed Gwen. "Get over here."

    She ended the call and Nina broke back out into a run. When she made it to Time's Square, it was crowded. She pushed through shoulders and shoved her way to the front. The sky was still lit up in colours━and she could hear buzzing in her ears, vibrating right down to her toes, like she was treading upon a carpet of electricity, ready to ignite at any moment. 

     She started to see what was happening as she reached the front of the barricade, searching for a blonde head of hair. Police cars surrounded the same man she had seen on the screens from afar. He was small, but the wide berth around him made him seem like a vicious giant. Everyone was too scared to get closer, eyeing the way his skin glowed and dimmed in an unnatural manner each time he breathed━and each time he glowered, like he was charging up something within. Policemen hid from their windows and behind their doors, holding their guns like soldiers out of trenches. A truck had been scattered━turned upside down━to the left where emergency rescues were working to pull the driver out from the shattered glass widows. He looked burned; his clothes steamed and Nina felt sick at the sight of it. 

     She finally reached the front, finding Gwen and grasping the sleeve of her cardigan, her heart rising into her throat. Her friend jumped, but when she noticed it was her, she pulled her closer, holding her with a tight grip. It was achingly silent━deathly silent; but it was suffocating as nobody moved, no gun made a sound. Spectators hid behind barricades and inside shops, but couldn't stop themselves from watching and recording on their phones. Nina could still see the image of the man screened on the monitors above from a live camera man only just a few paces away. 

    "I don't know what he is," whispered Gwen, a little frantic. "He just showed up out of nowhere━and he could━he overturned that truck with lightning."

    Nina frowned at the man. Despite his fluorescent, churning light behind his skin, he seemed oddly familiar, and yet she couldn't pinpoint where she might've seen him before. 

    He looked ... he looked like he was made of electricity and lightning. Electro, she thought of the name but felt no satisfaction━instead, all she felt was dread. 

    He was taken by the sight of himself━that was why nobody made a move. The man━Electro━stared back at the screens, eyes wide and breathless to see himself on every monitor, every news station in New York, and on everyone's minds. 

    They took advantage of this. Nina flinched a little when police unclipped cans of lacrimator━the tear gas emitted out in slow steams, until it began to billow around Electro. He jumped, and despite everyone's fear of him, he hunched up, as if he feared then, too. "No!" he cried, watching it surround him. It didn't seem to affect him at all. "No━please━don't do that━" he held out his hands to law enforcement, trying to shout over their own commands. "Wait! Please━it's not my fault! It's not my fault━!"

    "Oh, no..." Nina could see something no one else had noticed yet. As he grew agitated, his skin grew hotter━the yellow changed to colours of burnt orange and red; pulsing. The grate he stood on sparked; and Nina watched, both amazed and horrified as the lacrimator bombs began to spin, and then they began to rise. Somehow, this man was emitting a repelling force of the exact same charge━enough to make each of them lift, and spin, and spark, and then━

    "I SAID STOP━!"

     Electro threw his hands━there was a blinding yellow light that seared Nina's eyes and popped in her ears. There were terrified screams. She ducked, clinging onto Gwen who shrieked in terror as the entire space of Times Square turned into a golden explosion. 

     Both police and cars flew. Lighting sparked it forked directions, like entire ocean waves of electricity that carried away anything in its path. Glass shattered, the ground shuddered. Vehicles slammed into the sides of buildings, wrapped around scaffolds and sent any remaining wandering spectator to a scatter. The Waltz Disney sign across the square toppled over and crashed to the ground.

    Once policeman wasn't going to make it. He ran, he sprinted in a death-defying chase against the spinning car overhead. He wouldn't make it. He tripped over and cried out, watching as it soared over━in just moments, he would be crushed.

     Until somehow, it stopped. He blinked, and there he saw him. A man in skin-tight red and blue, standing over him with the NYPD car balancing on top of his shoulders. Spider-Man saved his life. 

     Amongst all the screams and the cries, New York's favourite (and sometimes most hated) vigilante quipped: "I'm glad you're not one of those cops that rides a horse!" 

     Gunshots echoed. Nina gasped, looking over Gwen's shoulder━the two girls had huddled with the rest of the onlookers behind the barrier. And while most had fled, they and a few other stayed. Electro staggered, though while the bullets didn't strike him━they melted before they even got the chance to touch his skin━his own powers made him cower. He stared at his hands, gazing at the lighting that travelled across to his fingertips and left no burn mark. 

    "All━all team members, hold your fire! And wait for my call! I repeat! Hold your fire! Stand down!" they ceased to a slow stop at the commanders voice as Spider-Man toppled the car away from his crouched figure. He nodded a quick thank you and leapt up onto the top of it. He crouched by the wailing sirens and Nina found herself holding her breath. 

    She surged forward against Gwen's calls, but knew her friend would follow anyway. She clutched the edge of the barriers, watching with a breathless silence for what Peter will do. 

    Electro continued to stagger. He stared at his hands; he took deep breaths. He kept muttering under his breath, over and over again: "It's not my fault━it's not my fault━stop━stop it━"

    Peter stopped him. He held out his hand and called out, "Hey━Sparkles!" it wasn't delicate. His jokes were far from delicate, but in some way, Spider-Man managed to seem delicate, to seem supportive and to seem admirable in every way. Each time he spoke, everyone was drawn to him; they listened to him, they believed him. Nina hoped that this man would listen and believe him, too. He didn't seem like he wanted to hurt anybody. She hoped he didn't want to hurt anybody. But when fearful and caged, any animal will lash out, no matter how gentle they were ... and the same went for humans. 

    Slowly, the man Nina dubbed as Electro turned around, and when he saw Spider-Man, something in him faltered. He stood straight up. 

    Peter waved his hand, "Hey! Hey, how you doing?"

    He was frozen with awe, "It━it's you," said the man.

    "Yeah," said Spider-Man loudly, "I know, it's me. Who are you?"

    Electro took a slight step forward. Gwen held Nina's arm tightly, "The grate," she whispered, frantic. And she was right. The water surrounding the grate, with this man's estranged electrical powers wouldn't be a good mix. Immediately, it sparked up━yellow jetted along in a stream of bouncing sparks. Peter eyed it warily, shuffling back on the NYPD vehicle. 

     "You don't remember me?" said the man. His voice sounded distorted, like he was speaking through a crackling radio. 

     "No ..." said Peter slowly, still watching the way the grate beneath the car became a real game of The Floor Is Lava. One step onto the boiling golden current below, and he'd be a toasted spider. He watched it spread across behind him, and his heart started to drop as he noticed the spectators standing the TKTS Booth ruby red stairs. None of them seemed to understand how dangerous this was. As soon as he arrived, they expected everything to be all right. "Should I...?"

    "I━I walked into the street," went on the electrical man, "the━the car almost hit me but you swooped me up! You saved me!"

    (Peter saved countless of people from moving cars. He felt bad, but he really couldn't remember every single individual. Though, he really wished he did now). 

    "You ... you said you ... needed me."

    Nina's brows furrowed. Her familiarity of this man piqued in her mind, those words resonating in her head as she tried to remember when someone had said something similar; talking to her about how he was saved by Spider-Man only just a few days ago. 

     This seemed to strike memory within Peter. He perched up, pointing a figure out to the man with an exclaim of, "The guy━you're the guy with the blueprints!"

    "Yes!" breathed the man, delighted. Gwen pressed her fingers to her lips, nodding slightly to herself as their mutual friend tried to calm him down, and so far, it seemed to be working. "Blueprints!"

    Spider-Man swung out his legs so he could sit causally on the edge of the car roof. "Yes! I remember you! Of course, I remember you!" He played along. Nina prayed that this man would believe it. Peter slipped off the car, purposefully missing the grate. He landed on the stone and walked forwards. "You're my eyes and ears! Uh ... what's━what━what's your name again?"

     The man's face contorted in anger. Nina winced. Her heart pounded in her ears. "How could you forget my me?" he growled and Peter quickly continued.

     Rushed, he desperately stammered out, "Uh━wait! Wait, I know it━" he sounded confident, but Nina could tell he was stressed. This was thin ice, very thin ice. One wrong word, one wrong move, and this man was standing in an ocean of energy he could use. And the worst part of it, was that Nina didn't think he truly knew how dangerous he was; he wouldn't be able to control it. The water at their feet, the metal of the handle bars and the buildings, the currents that surged beneath their feet and up to the monitors surrounding━it would be a disaster. "I know it. Don't tell me━" 

     "It's Max━" the man took the bait and Peter exclaimed.

     "━Is it━Max?" Spider-Man swung back around and the man's breath hitched. His eyes widened, happy.

     "Yes," he said. "Max."

     Nina's brows furrowed even more. "Max..." she murmured, thoughtful. 

     "I'm sorry I didn't recognise you with the━" Peter gestured to him. "You look different. How are you?"

    "I don't know what's going on with me."

    "I can see that," Peter nodded, hesitant as he continued to step closer. Max stepped away from the grate, and the current surging across it fell away. "I can see that━I━I believe you."

     "It's strange..." Max glanced down at his hands. They continued to surge with electricity. "But I feel like I've got so much ... I've got so much ... anger."

     Nina's stomach twisted. She shared a glance with Gwen who looked pale with worry. The crowd murmured around them. Nina gripped the barriers tighter. As if knowing she was there, Peter glanced over his shoulder━and the lenses of his mask briefly landed on her before he set his gaze back onto Max before him. 

    "I can see that, I can see that," he was growing desperate. Peter shuffled even closer, still holding his hands out in hopes that Max would calm down. That the pulsing energy within him would fade. It only seemed to get bigger. The crowd wasn't helping. They grew restless. They started to talk louder. "I can see you don't want to be here. I can see you're scared━you don't know what's happening. I can see that you don't want to hurt anybody. It's━It's gonna be all right..."

    Max gestured a wild hand back at the emergency forces that had started to arrive. The fire brigade, the ambulances and more police. "I don't want them shooting me anymore!" He stepped backwards further. Peter froze, ridged as Max shuffled closer to the grate behind him. Underneath that grate, were wires, and connections━an unintentional bomb. 

    "They're not gonna shoot you," Peter did his best to stay calm. "You guys?!" he called out to the enforcement, hiding the tremble in his voice very well. "This is my buddy, Max! I told you about Max━NO ONE SHOOTS AT MAX!"

     It struck Nina. She remembered. Her eyes widened and she shook her head, "No..." she breathed, remembering the shy, awkward engineer that had kept the elevator door open for her and Gwen. She hadn't seen him since. No one had seen him. He had seemed to disappear from OSCORP and no one cared. But she had searched for him. She had wanted to ask how his birthday went. And now, she saw him━and a horrible feeling settled into her stomach. No one had found him. 

     She remembered the rumours of an accident down in the basement with OSCORP's electricity.

     Nina felt like her heart dropped into her stomach. "Max," she said again, more horrified and remorseful than anything else. 

    "You and me, okay?" said Spider-Man, his voice becoming more and more rushed as the tension rose. "It's just you and me talking━whoa!" Max's foot froze above the grate. "Stay right there━just━just be careful. The grate, b━because of the electricity."

     "I just━" he pulled his foot away. His eyes trailed back up to the screens. He stared at his face━he stared at the way they were all looking at him. How finally, everyone knew who he was. "I just wanted everyone to see me."

     "How about you come with me? We'll go somewhere, we'll talk..."

    "Okay..."

     "Away from all these people, okay?"

     Max started to nod. He nodded once, and then he nodded again. "Yeah ... yes ..." He started forward. Peter had no time to react━

     He stepped onto the grate.

    So much happened all at once. Max convulsed as a lightning storm surged up through him. Up above, something cracked━a gunshot. Peter shouted, furious━and then, Max erupted. 

     Nina screamed herself when the monitors above shuddered; lighting struck their edges and they exploded into a shower of glass, wires and sparks. There was a stampede as everyone around her reacted━shouting and screaming, shoving and pushing each other. She held onto the barrier and onto Gwen, planting her feet onto the ground so she wouldn't be knocked to the ground.      

     "NO!" cried Peter. "MAX━!" he thrusted out his arm, and a long string of web clutched around Max's hand, tugging it away in his desperate attempt to stop the lightning. But it just carried along. It rushed across his webbing and straight back━Nina gasped when Peter was sent flying off his feet in a short burst of yellow.

     He landed painfully into the police car, crumpling the door and slumping to the ground━he groaned, trying to regain himself as his limbs jolted. He crumpled again against the grate. His web shooter sparked; it crackled; web splintered out, fried and melted. 

    The monitor groaned; the metal broke━it started to fall. People screamed. They ran out of the way of it. One was too slow and Peter gritted his teeth in frustration. Crying out━wether it was from anger or pain, Nina didn't know, but he managed to press his web shooter again and his web wrapped around the waist of the man, tugging him out of the way just in time. 

     Cheers and applause ensued. The crowd chanted his name. They cursed Max━they screamed insults, threw pieces of tar and anything they could find. Nina glanced around, feeling no relief. She noticed each curse, each cry of gratitude for Spider-Man made something tic in Max's jaw. He glanced around, he clenched his hands━the yellow energy behind his skin surged darker with power. The screens above switched to Spider-Man and he glanced up, too, and wanted to shout with irritation. 

     "Shut up!" shouted Max. He sparked with energy. No one listened. They continued to jeer. They shouted. They insulted him with no fear. Slowly, he set his eyes onto Spider-Man. They glowed dangerously. "You're so selfish ..." he growled. 

     "Max ..." tried Peter. "Stay ... you stay with me━"

     "You set me up!"

     "No, I didn't set you up━"

     "You lied to me!"

    "No, I'm trying to help━let me help you━"

    Max dropped down to his knees. His hands lit up. He hovered them over the grate. Nina's eyes widened. Peter threw his hands out, "NO━!"

     He slammed them down. 

    The grate shuddered and came apart━bending and melting as electricity so hot, it burned red underneath shot across faster than light. Nina barely even blinked before Peter leapt backwards, missing the current by mere inches. He twisted off the roof of the car and shoved it back━as the wave pulsed towards him, the car intercepted; and Peter somersaulted away, lit up in an explosion of gold and white. 

    Those on the red stairs ran for their lives. Nina could do nothing but stand and watch, kept back by the barricade and Gwen's grip as some reached their hands out to the metal handle-bars━they didn't even think.

     With seconds to spare, Peter pressed his thumb onto his web shooter━he kept it there, splintering threads out in all directions. They latched onto the bars and he tugged. As the car grew close, he let go and it bounced back, away from an elderly man who was too terrified to move. Peter leapt past him, not giving a second glance. He soared over the fleeing pedestrians. His webs grasped the wrists of hands inches from the handlebars, spinning them away moments before the metal lit up in yellow. He swept them back around the other way, and the rest understood the message. They sprinted down the stairs and to the sides; Peter landed at the top of the staircase, taking a long, deep breath. 

     Everyone cheered━he barely heard them. He eyed Max at the foot of the grate, anxious on what he'll do next. 

     He propelled forward━the glass shattered behind him in a burst of energy. Peter pushed off the handlebars, his suit keeping him insulated and he twisted his body to avoid the second━Spider-Man swung away from the current of pure lightning. He webbed a hydrant in passing and tugged it from the sidewalk. It swung a wide arch with him as he landed back down, sweeping it around with a gust of water━

    Max met it halfway. The force sent them both tumbling. Peter crashed through the bus terminal and into the store behind. Max was flung all the way up into the centre monitor. The crack that followed made everyone grow quiet. It went black. There was a human-sized crater right in the centre. 

    Nina took this moment to try and see where Peter had went. She searched for him, her hands beginning to tremble. Gwen stared up at Max, she started to shuffle back, wanting to tug Nina with her as the monitor suddenly sparked. People were still running. The crowd was scattering. 

     Gwen narrowed her eyes, an uneasy feeling settling within her stomach. The crater sparked again. 

    Then, it lit up━like a sun had exploded into existence right where Max had crash landed. There was a deep-throated scream. Nina spun around, unable to make a sound from her throat. All around them, Times Square went dark. Every light, every screen, everything shut off and swept them into shadows. The brightest place in New York soon became the darkest━all that was left to light their way were the flames ignited from the hoods of police cars.

     There was a moment where no one made a sound. It was horrifyingly quiet━not even the sound of a breath. 

     Nina didn't hear the explosion at first. She saw the light━she watched it burst forth from the crater in the monitor and cascade out. Then, the sound followed. And it shook her deep into her bones, sent her ears ringing and almost made her fall over. Screams followed it. Sparks showered from the monitors high above━and then they started to tip, they started to fold, they started to break ... and they started to fall. 

     It was a riot. 

     Nina held onto Gwen, none of them able to move or do anything as everyone around them who still hadn't ran bolted. They chased the falling monitors, dived away from the shattering glass and sparks━tumbling over each other and crying out horrifying, blood-curdling shrieks. Cars were crushed; people were crushed. Times Square fell apart around them and Max hovered above it all. The engineer Nina had met in that elevator no longer existed; what had been created became something horrible, something vengeful, something terrifying. 

      "Peter?!" cried out Nina amongst it all. Underneath all the clamouring and screams, no one noticed she called for Spider-Man by name. "PETER?!"

      Gwen tugged her out of the way of a falling lamp post. It struck the ground and the girls screamed, ducking their heads. They ran away, trying to find solitude in amongst all the chaos. They tried to avoid the continues collapse of everything around them, darting here and there━never once did they let go of each other, grasping hands as they ran, searching for Peter amongst it all. 

     Lighting cracked━it splintered across the square from above; Max glided above, just like those teargas cans had before. He was surrounded by his power, immersed within it. He did not hesitate to strike, sending scattering innocent people into a mortified frenzy as the pavement sparked and cracked with light close to them. 

      "Peter?!" cried out Nina, her voice lost in the crowd with Gwen's. He hadn't remerged. He hadn't shown himself. For a moment, she had begun to fear the worst. 

     "Nina━!" Gwen's scream made her stop.

    She had pulled her back around and Nina realised why━Her scream hitched in the back of her throat. As the square emptied, they were the only ones brave (or stupid) enough to remain, and Max found them with a grin on his face that made Nina's stomach churn. He was surrounded by the lightning━and something started to form around his face. An intricate design that etched a jagged star over his forehead. He raised his hands. Energy surged from his fingers━

     A waterfall dropped down onto them. Max cried out as a geyser struck him in the side and forced him to the ground. He spluttered, he coughed, and the sparks that ignited within him started to to die out. And what lied there, as he dropped to unconsciousness, was a ghost of the man he had once been. 

     Nina stared at him, feeling guilt. She didn't know why she did. But she couldn't hate him. She could not feel any anger, or any bitterness. She thought of the way he had been in that elevator, how ecstatic he had been that someone went out of their way to talk to him; and how OSCORP had mistreated all that goodness that had been there, killing and frying it into what he was now. 

     OSCORP had done this. She knew that. And she felt guilty because she worked in its walls. She complimented the brilliance and the opportunities it has given her. Now, she didn't feel so sure. 

     "Oh! Okay! All right!" the water died down, and in following it, there they found Spider-Man. He let the hose drop loose with the band of firemen behind him, tipping the fire hat he had perched on his head. "All right, that's enough. All right. Mike━" the man behind him met his high-five. "Big John━" then followed the next. "Nice work, fellas." He swung the firehose, breathless and yet still cocky. "It's a pleasure doing business with you." He set it down near his hip, as if he was placing it into a holster before passing it back.

      Nina let out a breath, shoulders slumping in her relief. She turned to Gwen, and the two girls embraced. Her best friend held on tight, burying her head into her shoulder. For a moment, Nina was just happy she had her still; that she hadn't left for England yet. She closed her eyes, not wanting to think about how close the date was where she might just have to say goodbye to Gwen forever. 

     After a short while, Spider-Man found Nina standing alone. Gwen had been taken under the care of the same NYPD providence her father had been in, swept away after her mother had called, having seen her on the news. Nina was yet to call her own parents, knowing they would freak out. So she stood there, alone and shivering a little, staring around at the mess that was Times Square. 

     Peter landed a few paces in front of her, gentle and hesitant. Around everyone else, he kept distance. Nina wished he didn't.

     There was silence between them; both thinking back to how they almost kissed under the shadow of that tree back near Central Park. No matter what they said, no matter how many times Peter pushed Nina away, they always found their way back to each other. It seemed wherever one went, the other followed. Nina couldn't keep herself away from Peter even if she tried everything in her power, and it hurt so much. 

     Spider-Man slowly walked up to her. He was in pain, she could see it. She didn't mention it. "You all right, Miss?" he asked her. 

     Nina nodded. She wasn't, but she nodded. She knew he could tell, too. 

     She wished he'd say something. She wished he'll turn up at her window later tonight, and they'd talk and he'll hold her and promise her everything will be all right. She wished he'd kiss her and he'd hug her. She wished he didn't push her away. 

    He went to leave. Words cut through Nina's lips before she could stop herself, "Peter, wait━"

     They were soft; unheard by anyone else except him. He turned back around, and they were caught in another breathless silence. "Yeah?" he breathed in the same whisper. 

     There was so much Nina wanted to say. But instead, she took a deep breath and said none of it: "Good job, tonight."

    Spider-Man was unblinking, but Peter Parker smiled sadly underneath. He didn't say anything else before he swung off, and left Nina watching him go. 

*ೃ༄

    "IT'S ALIEN'S, it has to be."

    That evening, every student huddled together in the hotel lobby amongst the soggy floors and the dripping roofs to discuss today's crazy events. It was all over the news, on everyone's mind for conversation, and still making their hearts pace. While each and every one of them were all right and somehow little-to-none fazed about how they could've lost their lives and instead worried about the new superhero that saved them, Nina was quiet. 

    Sitting by herself on the staircase, she fiddled with her phone, going over pictures from five years ago━as she often did these days. Her call with her parents had been exhausting. It took all of her energy to convince them that she was okay, and that everything was all right━and that she wanted to stay on the trip. But after the Blip, their worry for her only grew more intense; both her mother and father were terrified that they'd lose her again, and while Nina pretended to be exasperated by their constant checks and monitoring, she was scared she'll lose them again, too. 

     She could've today. She might've. And she would've, if it hadn't been for that stranger with the white-blonde hair. And she hadn't stayed long enough to give Nina the chance to thank her, or ask her why she knew Michelle's name, or why she seemed so familiar. 

     "Buzzfeed says there's a sailor," meanwhile said Flash, walking past her with his phone in his hands; he read aloud, "named Morris Bench who was exposed to an experimental underwater generator and got hydro powers."

     MJ snorted, sarcastic from where she sat across from Ned who was scouring the internet for information with Betty at his side. "Yeah, and you should definitely believe everything on the Internet."

     Flash shot her a scowl. "Spider-Man could take him." 

     From the back wall, Mr. Harrington and Mr. Dell discussed their own theories amongst their student's conversations. They watched the television that aired today's news, replaying the events over and over again━Nina barely caught any of it with her limited knowledge on Italian, but she had a feeling she knew exactly what they were saying. They all said the same whenever something like this happened. Who is it? What is it? Who will save them now that the Avengers were gone?

    "What do you think it is?" muttered Harrington to Mr. Dell.

    Mr. Dell considered thoughtfully. "You know, being a man of science ..." he met Mr. Harrington's gaze and stated with all the surety in the world: "Witches."

     Nina swiped past memories of her and Felicia━she couldn't stare at them for long before she had to turn her phone off, not wanting to end up crying in front of everyone. But the lump in her throat was hard to swallow down. She glanced around the edge of the staircase, glimpsing Peter still on his phone. She heard him sigh and say, "Doctor Strange, May. Doctor Strange..."

     She busied herself so she wouldn't hear the rest, giving him privacy. Though it was hard not to keep glancing over━for no other reason than to just watch him. She didn't even know why. He just calmed her down. 

    When she heard him say goodbye, love you, to May, Nina shuffled forward on the stair ledge she sat on, watching him walk up to the edge of the barrier and decided to lean against the handrail beside her. He met her gaze and she replied with a shy smile.

     "How's May?" she asked him.

     He nodded, "Yeah, yeah, she's all good. F.E.A.S.T. keeps her busy, so... Happy's there ... apparently..."

     Nina's brows shot up, "Happy?"

     Peter matched her look, agreeing. She breathed a small smile and looked back down. She continued to fiddle with her phone, picking at the case. He noticed and, knowing her too well, asked, "You all right?" 

     Nina pursed her lips. She traced the lenses of the Spider-Man mask that was her phone case. Her level of merchandise she's bought was concerning for her bank account, but it was both how she showed her support and how she made fun of Peter at the same time. "I'm okay," she told him quietly. 

     He frowned, not believing her. He walked around the handrail and carefully sat down beside her on the staircase. So close their knees knocked; he pushed his against her's, trying to get a smile from her lips━and he did. "You're not okay," said Peter Parker. "What is it?"

     Nina glanced back up and found him watching her, gentle and caring. Her best friend, above all else. She trusted Peter Parker with her life, and she trusted Spider-Man with the same━but while she could trust Peter Parker to listen to all her problems, this one, she was scared Spider-Man shouldn't hear. 

    So, she just shuffled closer and leant her head against his arm. She closed her eyes briefly, sighing out a long sigh, and all her troubles momentarily swept away in the canals of Venice to feel the warmth of his touch. "I'm just tired," she finally said. "It's been a long day. But I'm glad you're okay."

     "I'm glad you're okay," replied Peter. Nina smiled to herself, feeling like they were sitting on the edge of a roof instead of at the bottom of a staircase with the rest of their class. 

      Head still on his shoulder, she set her eyes back onto the news and tried to listen. Understanding a few words here and there. She watched the water creature raise its fist and the mysterious new superhero fight against it, propelling the water back with shields of green. 

     "Who is that guy?" asked Betty, her hand rested on the back of the chair behind Ned. 

     Brad smirked, very taken by this new hero. "He's like Iron Man and Thor rolled into one."

     Flash scoffed at this, very unimpressed. "He's all right," he muttered. "He's no Spider-Man."

     Nina lifted her head from Peter's shoulder, finding herself filled with fresh amusement at the sheer irony Flash has become. "What is it with you and Spider-Man, huh, Flash?" beside her, Peter bit back his want to grin and laugh at how offended Flash Thompson looked at her question.

     "What?" he demanded, rather defensive. She arched a brow. "He's just awesome, okay? He protects the neighbourhood and, you know, he's inspiring. He inspires me to be a better man." He nodded to Peter beside her. "What's up, dickwad? Thought you drowned." He winked and turned away. 

     Nina swallowed her chuckles, stifling them with her knuckles to her lips. Peter nudged her to tell her to be quiet, but he was smiling, nonetheless. 

     "Who are you to talk anyway, Nina?" spoke up Jason from where he sat on one of the chairs. He had his legs crossed in order to avoid the pool of water his chair was sitting in. He hugged a Diet Coke to his chest. "You're always talking about him, too. And you've got that phone case and that Spider Plush you take everywhere." He glanced at all the other classmates. "I think Nina has a crush on Spider-Man."

     Nina went rigid. She was bright red. She tried her very hardest not to glance at Peter beside her. "W━what?" she stammered. "N━no━" she scoffed it away. "I don't━I don't have a crush━I wouldn't━he's━he's probably way older than me. And too muscular. And too spontaneous. Annoying, maybe━"

     "So you think he's muscular?" queried Betty. Nina went even redder.

     "I━I didn't say that," Nina became very aware of Peter sitting beside her who wasn't saying a word. "I mean━I did say that, but that's a fact. You have to be strong to swing at that trajectory and that speed━especially in the core. Like really strong in the core━"

     "Nina's in love with Spider-Man's abs," joked Zoha as she opened up a packet of Doritos. 

     "I am not!"

     "She's blushing!" chorused Betty and everyone let out a teasing 'oooh' until Nina was burying her face in her hands, never so embarrassed in her life. (And yes, that beats the moment Ned said they were watching porn together at Homecoming).

     When their attention switched from her and back to the news, there was silence. Slowly, Nina peaked an eye at Peter, scared of his reaction. She blushed bright red to find him arching a brow at her. But when she expected him to be disgusted, or to walk away, he just raised both brows and said, "Core strength, really?"

     "Shut up," she shoved him, still flushed. 

    "I'm sure Spider-Man's really flattered━"

    "━Shut up━"

    "━But he's taken."

     Nina's eyes shot up, confused. There was disappointment in her tone as she watched Peter, not sure what he meant━and scared to think he was serious. "W━what?"

     Peter shrugged, "Heard she's very pretty. But I wouldn't know."

     She realised and she shoved him once more, "Stop playing with me."

     Peter chuckled lightly, his cheekiness that was ever only for her fading away and being replaced with something so sincere it made her heart pound in her ears. 

     When Brad spoke up, Nina looked away, and the bush that was now on her cheeks was much more tender. "Sounds like his name's Mysterio━" he nodded to the strange superhero on the television.

     MJ frowned at him, "L'uomo del misterio is Italian for 'man of mystery'. They don't actually know who he is."

    Brad was silent for a second. He chewed at his cheek, not expecting to be proven wrong at something. "Y━yeah, but it's still a cool name. What do you think, Nina?"

    Her brows shot up, not expecting to be brought into the conversation again. Brad watched her, anticipating her answer with a smile━hopeful that she'll agree with him. Nina awkwardly shuffled back, not liking that look. She didn't like the idea that Brad seemed fond of her. She just wanted them to be friends━at the very most. "Uh ... maybe," she said. "I guess ... though the fishbowl for a head is sort of weird."

     Flash snorted at this and Brad's grin fell away once again. Nina turned back to her phone, not wanting to talk to anyone really aside from Peter right now. She was liking where the banter was heading. 

     She liked it when no one paid attention to them. It made her feel like they were in their own little world. Nina turned back to Peter, "So," she started, "we're going to Paris tomorrow."

    Something turned rigid in Peter's shoulders, and his confidence immediately faltered. He sat up straighter, "Uh━y━yeah!" he sent her an awkward smile and Nina's brows knitted together. "Yeah." He crossed his arms and leaned back, rocking a little, "Go to the Eiffel Tower. Should be great."

    "Yeah," agreed Nina, fiddling with the bandaid she had on her knee. It was fraying. "I've always wanted to go to the top." 

     "Knowing you, you'd probably fall."

    He was joking, but Nina couldn't find the ability to laugh. A cold chill passed down her spine, like suddenly a draught had made its way into the hotel. Her mind flashed back to the many strange dreams she's had━falling, and falling ... and the way she had seen herself in the corridor at school back at Homecoming ... how she had turned to stare back at her ... as if she was real ... 

    Peter noticed and immediately sat up, startled. "Hey," he told her, sheepish and apologetic. "I━I was joking. I don't━I don't really think you'll fall. I━I mean, even if you did I would catch you━"

    "No, no," Nina pushed these thoughts from her mind. Though she still felt unnaturally cold. Maybe because in her dreams, Spider-Man never did catch her, at all. "It's okay. I'm just━I'm just tired."

     With that said, Nina stood up and balanced across the plank of wood to the table where MJ sat, leaving Peter confused (and concerned) by the stairs. 

*ೃ༄

    a/n: when peter is as confident as he is as spider-man around nina because he feels comfortable to be both sides of himself in her presence. he lives two different lives, but when he's with her, he's only lives one <3.

    (I am literally holding back from making these two kiss so hard they just have so much chemistry it's so tempting but I can't because of plot--)

    also nina you're so great at giving me second hand embarrassment lol I love you. 

    but then again, that would also be me in that situation so perhaps that's why ahaha. 

    (limited editing).