╭-°—✞—˚✧ ψ ✧˚—✞—°-╮
CHAPTER TWO!
𝖉𝖔𝖓'𝖙 𝖑𝖔𝖘𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚𝖗𝖘𝖊𝖑𝖋
╰-°—✞—˚✧ ψ ✧˚—✞—°-╯

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SALENE DIDN'T GET along with Happy Hogan, a man who didn't like having to chauffeur a kid around. But she didn't expect the words to come out of his mouth that two kids in the same car were too much. She didn't know what he meant, not until they were outside Peter Parker's building.

And she only knew it was his building because he was being smothered by his Aunt right outside the doors, it was exactly how her mom was outside the diner, only making Salene more desperate to get out of Queens for a few days. She quickly tightened a scarf around her nose and mouth, pulling her hair into a ponytail. Of course, Peter Parker had to be Spider-Man, it explained how he was able to knock her off her feet on accident in a school hallway.

Salene watched as he got his stuff in the trunk, surely he'd see her suitcase. Then, he got in, immediately seeing her, and tilted his head, glancing to Happy who was starting up the car again.

"Uh, hi, I'm Peter Parker," He stuck his hand out to Salene who crossed her arms, rolling her eyes as she looked out the window. There was no way in hell that she would reveal herself. Peter's hand dropped as he watched her eyes and looked to Happy.

"Is- Is that Lightbringer?" Peter asked, Happy only nodded as he glanced at Salene who was now hidden behind her scarf. It was like Happy knew, she knew this kid, and she didn't want him to know her. Happy understood, so he didn't say anything. He only kept his eyes on the road as he drove through the borough, getting onto the highway.

"Queens, New York," Peter spoke up, his voice gravelly and dark, making Salene furrow her brows and turn to him, seeing that he was recording the passing buildings with his phone, "its a rough borough, but hey, it's home." Salene rolled her eyes once more as she looked out the window, drowning out his voice as she put in her headphones and blared her music.

She noticed the visor between the two of them and Happy was lifted and soon, it was just her and Peter. She noticed him zooming in on her face and she sent him a sharp glare, the camera went to the window. Salene felt her phone buzz, she furrowed her eyebrows, she doesn't normally get texts from people, but the confusion died when it was a text from Dina.

dinosaur
hey! Alessandro and I are
coming over soon for kyrils
birthday, can we hide our
gifts in your closet?

salene
yeah, just don't break anything
when you're in there, its a bit
of a mess by the way

dinosaur
alright lol, mom told
me about tony stark
changing his mind??
congrats!!

salene
thanks, I'm actually on my
way to an internship
retreat. by the time I'm
back, you'll be home.

dinosaur
have fun! I have to go,
Alessandro is flirting again.

salene
he's so gross, see ya!

Salene couldn't help but smile, she loved her brother and sister, and she always found it odd how they decided to live together for college, she would be certain that she would lose her mind if she had to share rent with Alessandro, but then again, the prices were only cheap enough if they were shared, so Salene could only assume it was just so they could get by. She changed the playlist to something that was calming, reaching into her bag for her sunglasses, glancing to see Peter was no longer filming, but he had paused from the game he was playing to watch her, to see what she was doing.

She slid the sunglasses onto her face and leaned back, reading a book on her phone until she fell asleep, her head leaned against the wall of the car and the seat, it was the perfect angle for a creak to form in her neck that only a sudden jerk can fix. Salene didn't dream, it was probably because she didn't sleep, paranoid over what she might do if she was asleep.  She thought about what Tony had told her about each of the Avengers that she'd have to fight.

Sam cant shoot and flap, and he won't be shooting, don't engage with the winter soldier, don't let Wanda into your mind, aim for Steve's legs, don't pull punches with Clint even if he does with you. Salene looked down at her hands, a frown was hidden by her scarf as she looked up as Peter gasped, the avengers building coming into view. She leaned over him, not caring what he did as she admired the building, her heart racing as she looked around to see if maybe she'd see anyone, but the glaring "A" on the side caught her attention as it almost glittered in the sunlight, much like the one on the tower does at around seven-thirty every day when the sunsets.

She leaned back into her side of the seat, ignoring Peter's flushed-out face as he zoomed in on the "A". When the car stopped, they were at a runway, a single jet was waiting for them. She hopped out, grabbing her luggage from the trunk as the jet opened up the staircase wasn't even touching the asphalt when Salene was already climbing up, Happy yelled at her from the bottom to be more careful with the plane. She snorted as she set her luggage down in the seat next to hers, blocking anyone from sitting next to her.

Peter noticed that but still sat across from her, the camera zooming on her face once more. She flipped him off, letting the finger glow. He huffed and got up, sitting across from Happy. Salene went to turn her phone off, unsure if that was still a rule that should be followed, she hadn't been on a plane in a while and she had never been in such a high-tech plane. She watched him panic, she watched him goof off, and eventually, she replayed the words tony spoke in her mind, the warnings he gave her.

And no matter what happened: Don't lose yourself in your powers.

Salene was scared.

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THE AIRPORT IN GERMANY was unlike anything Salene had ever seen. People weren't panicked, the staff was nice. The airport was actually clean. And when they stepped outside, the air even smelled better. Salene caught herself taking deeper breaths as she followed Happy and Peter. Peter was in the middle of his monologue and she watched as he held his hand up high, filming everything around him. She rolled her eyes and hiked her bag up higher on her shoulder as she pulled her suitcase.

Everything about Germany was just beautiful to Salene. She wished that she was born there, but she remembered how much she loved living in Queens despite the hell she's been through, and Salene knew that she could never part from it. She looked around, admiring as much as she could before Happy pushed her and Peter into an SUV and took them to their hotel. Salene watched Germany fly by in a beautiful blur. She found herself rolling down the window to smell the clean air once more.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she took a deep breath. She loved this place. Of course, all good things come to an end, she felt a sharp pain in her side, making her gasp and look down, the familiar burning made her tear up as heat started to build up inside her, making her skin slick with sweat so soon. Salene let out a strangled groan and Happy looked at her through the rearview mirror, immediately pulling over for her. She quickly got out, running into the woods he pulled over next to and crumpled by the trees, holding her fist into the dirt, she watched the beams of white, hot light seep into the ground, drying everything up around it and killing it, she couldn't help but cry, her heart wrenching as the lush green turned into an ugly brown.

Salene hated this.

When the burning pain was gone and the burning energy subsided for a while, Salene made her way back to the SUV where Happy waited by the driver's side door, a look of concern on his face.

"You good?" He asked and Salene shrugged.

"I'm better than before," she muttered, getting in the SUV and keeping her mouth shut for the rest of the ride, she knew that if she spoke, Peter would be that much closer to figuring her identity out, and she really didn't want that. Not just for the sake of her identity but for her safety, for his safety, and the safety of both their families.

Salene knows that the second Peter finds her out, he'll want to be involved in her life and she cannot risk that. She knows that one day, he might be exposed, she might be exposed. And she needs that distance. Salene only stared out the window, her hands still twitching as she tried calming down, tears brimming her eyes from the pain, and slowly and with shaking hands, she slid on sunglasses that she had in her jacket pocket. The tinted world around her only grew darker as she found herself drifting off to sleep.

She jerked awake at the feeling of Peter's fingers gazing over her cheekbones as he tried pulling down her scarf. Salene grabbed him by the wrist, taking her sunglasses off, an icy glare was sent his way that had the color leaving his face.

"You're so right, I-" he swallowed and looked around in alarm, "we're at the hotel." Salene released his wrist and got out, grabbing her suitcase and getting out, her bag slung over her shoulder as she followed Happy inside. She didn't bother to look at Peter and see what he was doing, at this point, she chose to not care. She couldn't afford to.

She stood next to Happy as he checked the three of them in, Salene looked around the lobby, her eyes scanning everything, the expensive furniture, the beautiful paintings that decorated the walls, the way everything seemed to just shine. Once again, Salene found herself wishing to be born in Germany. She looked to Happy as he led her and Peter to the elevator. Even the elevators were nice. She looked to Happy who was on the phone with someone she suspected to be Tony.

Her heart picked up its pace as the elevator opened and he handed her the key to her room. She gave him a nod as they walked down the hallway, she matched the key to the number on the door and was halfway in when she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Your suit is inside, get ready," he spoke and Salene nodded, pulling her suitcase in and shutting the door behind her. She looked around the luxurious room and took off the scarf, the air she was breathing was now a lot cooler as she walked around the room. Salene opened the first door to her right, noticing how it turned into a hallway, she walked through, gasping at the lounging area, where on top of the coffee table, sat a sleek silver suitcase.

She rushed over, picking up the note on top of the case, a smile creeping onto her face.

For the hero in you -TS

She looked back to the case, opened it up, and jumped back when a suit and a mask sprung out at her. Salene quickly put on the mask, looking into the mirror to see goggles come up and extra metal comes out and wrap around the base of her skull, she figured it was so the mask wouldn't slip. She quickly stripped down and slid on the suit, noticing the small gauntlets and fingerless gloves. Salenes heart raced and she found herself wanting to squeal in excitement. She looked in the mirror that was on the wall to her left and gasped at her reflection.

All she could see was someone too similar to the Winter Soldier that she saw on the news a few years ago. The suit was baggy, making her frown and look back into the case, hoping to find another note that could explain, she was grateful that she did. Salene picked up the note, not squinting as she would before to read.

P.S. press the pitchfork for the suit to shrink -T.S

Salene did as instructed, watching as the suit conformed to her body, fitting her perfectly. It wasn't tight, it didn't feel loose, and it was airy as if she wasn't wearing the suit at all. She smiled and looked in the mirror, admiring how it looked clad on her body. Salene gasped when her gauntlets started to glow when the burning in her body began. She could feel Lucifer trying to light her up, to torture her, but the gauntlets continued to absorb the energy. Soon, her gauntlets were charged and the energy began to seep into her suit, lines in it started to glow white and gave her a powerful look.

"You don't own me," She muttered, her heart picking up the pace.

You're gonna regret speaking to me, A Slitherine voice rang through her mind, sending goosebumps down her body, I'm gonna make you lose your mind, slowly, soon, you won't even know what you're doing with your own body, you'll just helplessly watch as I scorch the earth. Tears brimmed her eyes and she shook her head, suppressing him as much as she could before going down the hall and back to her suitcase. She pulled out a pair of sweatpants and went back to the room with the shiny case, picking up her hoodie and sliding it on, throwing the large hood up to conceal her mask.

Salene walked out, her key and phone in her pocket as her boots left soft thuds on the carpeted floors. Happy was walking into what Salene presumed was Peter's room, his voice echoing into the hallway. She opened up her phone, playing a game to pass the time as Peter took his time in changing into his suit. Knowing him, he probably brought those ugly sweats with the hoodie.

A few minutes later, Salene straightened up at the new suit, the look fitted the name Spider-Man better. She only trailed her eyes over the suit once before facing Happy, allowing the older man to direct her to the emergency exit, where they went up to the roof and climbed into a helicopter, a civil war waiting for her soon enough.

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this took longer than originally planned.
i hope the wait was worth it!!