chapter forty-six
life changes

    SPIDER-MAN hadn't shown up at Nina's window for a few days. The neighbourhood web-slinger had made it his nightly routine to visit her, joking and making her smile from where he sat at her fire escape. After her argument and falling out with Peter at John's award celebration, she had wanted to see the superhero. She had wanted something to brighten her nights. She wanted to hear his gruff Spider-Cop voice and tell her exciting adventures about the crooks he 'busted' in the streets. But just like Peter had disappeared out of her life so suddenly, so had Spider-Man.

    Nina tried to keep on moving. She tried to forget. She had a lot to focus on. Now that MJ was engaged, she had a wedding to help prepare. Along with her maid of honour duties, Nina Hart had to continue her studies. Her presentation through John's ecstatic regard had grabbed the attention of experienced researchers through his astronomical work. Now, instead of speaking it in front of her professors, her family and her classmates, Nina was exploring her scientific theories to people she admired━she was taking steps into the life of her dream. She was starting to achieve it. 

    But there was somebody missing. And she absolutely hated how he was still on her mind, constantly. A month passed. A month of Spider-Man showing up nowhere in the streets. Crimes were getting more frequent. Newspapers and tabloids wouldn't stop talking about his sudden disappearance. Nina was growing worried. But all she could do was sit up at night. All she could do was gaze out of her open window and hope that maybe tonight, he would change his mind and return. 

    However, alongside preparations for hens parties, and wedding parties, and trying to organise annoying bridesmaids. Alongside her grief over how things ended with Peter and Spider-Man's disappearance. Alongside her stress over college and her future. Alongside Harry's awol frustrations and their concern for how deep he was falling into his obsession with finding Spider-Man ... Nina was still managing okay. 

    She was getting somewhere in her life━she felt as if she was finally not being dragged down by anything ... or anyone. 

    And yet, even still, when she walked the street she glanced up to see if she could glimpse red and blue fly past. She still checked her phone to see if Peter may have sent her a message about something. She still felt some sort of glum ache in her heart every time MJ gushed about her life with John━excited to marry him at the end of the year. Nina was getting somewhere in her life, but something ... someone ... was also missing from it. She knew that with a bitter pain. 

    MJ noticed the slight fall of her face as she sifted through Save the Date cards. Her friend shifted against where she had leant herself against the front of her couch in her and John's apartment to frown at her best friend. She continued to watch Nina, hearing her softly sigh to herself as she slipped another card into an envelope.

    It was then that Mary Jane sighed, herself, and leant forward, "All right, hon, you better tell me what is on your mind or I will riot."

    Nina's eyes widened. She glanced up, taken aback. "Sorry?"

     MJ made a face, "I know you and your little sighs. Something's upsetting you."

    She pursed her lips, carefully closing the envelope and sealing it. "Its silly."

    "Nothings silly."

    "It is silly," mumbled Nina. "Because I keep telling myself that I am happy where I am. That I did the right thing. And yet ..."

    Mary Jane pursed her lips, too, understanding. She set her chin on her knees, peering at the woman she's known since forever. The actress was positively glowing with all that was going well in her life (for once), and it pained her to see Nina struggling with her own. Especially when she knew why: "It's Peter, isn't it?"

    Nina eyed her, ashamed and embarrassed to be stuck in this same ongoing circle, never able to get herself off the path. "Like I said, it's silly. I haven't seen him in a month. I did the right thing. I'm better off without him. He's never around, he doesn't keep to his promises and he just ... he's never there when I need him ..."

    MJ frowned. She quirked a thin ginger brow. "But...?" she prompted, sounding as if she already knew the answer. 

    "I don't know!" exclaimed Nina, dropping the envelope down and throwing her hands up in frustration. "I don't know," she said again. "I can't explain it. There is no explanation for it. He just ... despite everything ... there's something about him. Something that ... I feel as if I know what it is and yet I don't. And no matter how much I get hurt I just ... I can't let go of him. And it's so bad! Why do I do this to myself? It's just ... sometimes he says these things," Nina shook her head, gaze growing distant as it wondered to the open window. "These ... strange but wonderful things. And I feel as if━" she chuckled, a little estranged, "━well, it's crazy! But, I feel as if we've been through all of this before. Again and again, and I'm reliving every single moment through a different lens. He reminds me so much of ... of well, someone else and yet I don't know who that person is. How is that even possible?"

   Mary Jane watched her curiously. After her explosive vent, she tilted her head and asked her gently: "Do you love him?"

    Nina slumped. Pained, she hung her head and admitted the truth: "I shouldn't love him."

    "But you do."

    She sighed. "But I do." Nina pursed her lips, lifting her gaze to try and explain what she felt to MJ. "Do you ever feel as if ... as if you just know someone? You can just ..." she smiled a little to herself, remembering when Peter told her similar when they were younger━fresh out of high school, "... see what's coming? You just understand them ... look at them as if you are looking straight through glass because you somehow just seem to know everything there is to know about them? You know exactly how he smiles, how he laughs, the words he says because ... it's as if the universe has told you before you met him, that he is going to be your future━space, time, whatever ..." Nina didn't realise she had a soft, gentle smile on her face, "... it just ... has given you a glimpse into the life you will have ... in your dreams, in your instinct ... like no matter where you are in this vast, infinite space, your future will always be them? And no matter how hard I tell myself that I'll only end up hurting myself even more ... I know him. I've known him all my life. In my dreams, in my heart ... and I can't let him go. I just ..." Nina fiddled with her fingers, suddenly quite sad, "... I just want him to fight for me the way I want to fight for him. The way I've tried... He just ... he just never does."

    She didn't catch the sad stare MJ held. The sad, understanding stare to hear her friend admit her feelings for Peter who was still so far away. Perhaps Nina Hart was falling ... the only thing, was Peter Parker going to be fast enough to finally catch her before she hit the ground and he lost her forever?

    "Who knows," Mary Jane decided to say after a short silence. Nina met her gaze. She smiled a little. "Maybe things will change. If the universe is so sure ... then perhaps it just needs a little more time to make Peter realise the truth, too."

    Nina frowned to herself, "Maybe..." she mused, and they left it there. 

*ೃ༄

    NINA WAS crying. She returned to the motel with MJ, but neither of them spoke a word to each other. She was crying in her motel room, watching the rest of the fight on the news coverage on the television. She didn't understand the language, but she held her breath through her sobs as she watched Peter save Ned and Betty's lives. She watched Mysterio nearly sacrifice his life to save them from the fire elemental, only for it to be a miraculous happy ending when he opened his eyes, and he grasped a fresh breath. She hugged her knees to her chest, sitting on her bed and staring at the strange object that had fallen at her and MJ's feet. She didn't have the energy to question it, not right now. Not when she felt as if her whole word had suddenly come crashing down. 

    Not only was MJ angry at her, but Nina had finally learnt the truth she had been so determined to ignore. She had forced herself to be blind to what she had known all along. But she hadn't wanted to admit it. She didn't want to admit it ... until it had stared her right in the face. Until it was shouted to her amongst the screams and the flames, and Nina felt herself burning with it. Turning to ashes right at her own feet ... turning to dust all over again. 

    Turning to dust at the realisation that ... that all Nina meant to Felicia this whole time was nothing more than a lie━to be forgotten, and left, and abandoned; wondering where she was, whether she was okay, whether she had chosen to not even care ... to cry to herself at night thinking that her hope was meaningless ... and in the end, it was. 

    She clutched her phone, grip shaking at their old pictures━smiling and happy. Nina wondered why the universe thought it fair to ruin that. But the universe wasn't fair. Space, time ... everything ... it didn't care about any of them. 

    Nina thought about that night on the roof top with Black Cat ... all this time, it had been Felicia. And deep down, she had known ... she knew, but it still hurt all the same. She wanted to be angry. She wanted to be upset. She wanted to feel something other than this horrible empty realisation ... to cry with some other pain that didn't make her feel like she was back to drifting in the wind ... five seconds before her entire life changed. 

    She understood why Felicia never contacted her. Had never come back or sought her out without the mask. And hadn't even done that for so long. She knew Nina wouldn't like what she had become━she knew she would hurt her ... but despite all of that, despite knowing that, what made Nina so empty was the thought: why would Cia do it anyway? Why would she fall into the same trap as her father? 

    What did Nina do to her to make her know and understand all of those things ... and yet go ahead and steep low into the image of Black Cat despite it━in spite of it?

    Nina fell back against her pillows, staring miserably up at the light that cast a golden glow over pristine silk pillows, wonderful white sheets and beautiful, old furniture. She heard the chaos of her classmates outside in the hallway as they all reunited and raved about all that had happened. Went frantic over all of the phone calls with their parents and families, demanding they go home (and a lot them wanting to leave, as well). Nina felt nothing. 

    She came on this trip hoping to get a break from the place the world had become for her after the Blip. Instead, not only has Nina's past come back to haunt her in the most horrible way ... she lost another friend, too. 

    Maybe there was something wrong with her? 

    It had not been her secret to tell, she knew that. But she had also hoped that one day, if MJ found out, it would be in better circumstances. Peter would have told her, and everyone who he wanted to know would know. And MJ would feel happy, and she would feel welcome━and they would all work together to help their favourite neighbourhood vigilante. 

    Nina never expected her best friend to feel hurt. To feel excluded. To feel betrayed. To have her worst fears come true. 

    But she understood it, too. Because her worst fears came true tonight, too. 

    She glanced back at her phone. MJ still hadn't replied to her Snapchat. She had left it on open for a good twenty minutes now. 

    Nina lost Felicia. Now, she had lost MJ, too. 

    She wanted to go home, as well. She wanted to see her parents. She wanted to hug her mother and cry. She wanted her father to hold her, too━she wanted to be with the people that had managed to live on, but never forget her in the five years gone. Who she still had with her, unconditionally. Nina wanted to get back on her phone, and FaceTime them, and hope that her little brother, Ian will make her begrudgingly smile. Nina wanted to finally go home and get to know him. 

    It was time to go home. 

    The knock on her door made her glance over. Nina sniffled, confused. At first, she didn't get up to open it. But then another knock followed━a little less sure this time. She frowned, but set aside her phone and stood up. She wandered over and picked up the strange android-looking thing and hid it under her bed. Then, wiping away her tears and hoping she didn't look too red-cheeked, Nina reached out and opened the door. 

    She had hoped it would be MJ. Though when she saw Peter on the other side, dressed in his white collared shirt and his backpack slung over one shoulder, unharmed, some heavy part of her lifted. 

    Peter stared at her. He fiddled with his bag strap, gazing at her still in her pretty dress. And he forgot what he was going to say. "H━Hey."

    Nina's brows lifted. She sniffled. "Hey," she replied, her voice still heavy. 

    There was so much she suddenly wanted to tell him. All that had happened amongst the flames and the war-zone that the Prague city centre had turned into. She wanted to tell him that MJ had figured out his secret. That Felicia was Black Cat━that she had been there in Venice, and Nina missed her parents and those dreams she had been having that were so real and that strange object she found━

    Though all she could do━all she could manage to do━was jut out her bottom, trembling lip and hold out her arms. 

    Peter frowned. He hesitated, but then he stepped in and she wrapped her arms around him, hiding her face into his shirt. He held her gently back, unsure. Soon, he squeezed her and muttered, "H━Hey ... it's ... it's okay."

    Nina closed her eyes and tried her best to relax at the feel of his arms around her. At the sound of his heart in his chest and the distant smell of ash instead of cologne. And amongst everything that went through her mind, the most important thing for her to whisper right now was: "I was worried about you."

    She felt Peter slightly stiffen. His breath hitched. "You━you were?"

    Nina held on still. "But you're back. You're okay."

    Peter seemed to know there was something else on her mind. He didn't mention it, but his arms slipped tighter around her and he pulled her closer to his chest. "Yeah," he said softly. "I'm okay. Not a scratch on me. It's over now. Everything's finished."

    Nina snuggled into him, and sighed, content when he rested his cheek against her head. They stayed there for a long time. Until━

    "Peter, oh, my god━!" Nina's eyes shot open, startled at Ned's voice. She heard him running towards them. "Peter! Nina! Group hug!"

    Peter hunched up. He looked over at their friend, "Uh, Ned━I━this is not a━"

    He couldn't stop him. Soon, Nina was squeezed awkwardly close to Peter as Ned tackled them both into a bone-crushing hug. She heard Peter huff to himself, a little exasperated. Until he just let it be, and the three friends all embraced each other, grateful that they were all okay━and alive. 

    "We almost died!" said Ned, squeezing the two of them. 

    Peter patted his best friend's back. "It's fine. It's fine," he reassured him. As they pulled away, he kept a hand on Nina's back. She was surprised by it, but she did not move. He managed a slight grin to Ned. She wished she could share his enthusiasm. "Hey, I'm done with the mission."

    Ned's smile fell. He frowned at him. "Dude," he muttered. Peter's smile started to fall, too. "The trips over."

    Nina saw disappointment set on Peter's face. "What?" he breathed. He briefly glanced at her, and he looked upset. "Wait, what?" he asked Ned again.

    "There's monsters coming out of the ground," said Ned quickly. "Of course, our parents want us home."

    Nina finally noticed something. As Peter's hand fell away from her back, frowning to himself, she instead frowned at Ned in front of her. At last, she realised what he was wearing. She made a quick face, "Why are you wearing a robe?"

    Both Ned and Peter shared a startled glance. It was one she wasn't privy too━nor one she might even understand. At the same time, both boys let out a strangled, "Uhhh ..." as they tried their best way to keep their friend's innocence━

    Behind them, the frantic pleas of Mr. Harrington saved the boys' dignity. The three of them spun around, watching their teacher rush over, mid-phone call. "No, no, no━!" he was saying, frantic. "Don't put me on hold. Don't put me on hold━" he caught sight of Peter and his face lit up with relief. "Oh! Peter!" he cried. He scrambled over to them. "Oh━thank god, you're not dead━" he tugged Peter's head to his chest for a quick hug. "Oh, my god. Yes, good. Stay here." He brushed past them. "Don't━" he gestured to Ned, "━put some clothes on. We're booking flights."

    Nina realised. She gaped, struck with horror. Her troubles momentarily forgotten, she squeaked a, "Ned!" She reached a hand out and smacked him on the shoulder. He cried out. "You hugged me!" she scolded him, disgusted. "What is wrong with you?!"

    "I'm sorry!" Ned squealed as she smacked him again. "I'm sorry! I was just so relieved! You both were alive! Group hug! I wasn't thinking!"

    They were interrupted yet again (and Ned was saved from Nina's horrified smacks) by Mr. Dell. As Mr. Harrington left down the next hallway, he scurried to a stop, eyes wide and terrified. 

    "We came for science," he told the three teenagers who watched him, dumbfounded, "we're leaving because of witches. Welcome to the new Dark Ages!" He ran off. 

    Peter made a face; he pursed his lips, not exactly sure on what to say. Finally, he turned back to them. "What's going on?"

    Nina felt that heaviness return to her shoulders. She realised there was something else she lost, too. She lost her chance with Peter━alone, to sort everything out. She lost her chance for a moment of happiness in Paris. "We're ... we're going home in the morning."

    He looked like this was the worst decision ever. "N━No," he shook his head at her. "No. I━All the Elementals are gone!" He spun to Ned, as if he was supposed to be able to stop this. Nina watched the two of them, watching a conversation pass that she did not know. "This━it's all okay now..."

    "Ned."

    The distant voice interrupted them yet again. Peter watched as Ned's attention slipped away to where Betty peaked out of her ajar motel room door. She gestured to inside, urgent.

    Ned gaped. "Y━yeah, coming sweetie!"

    He left them there, and Nina watched him rush to Betty's room, a little bit disgusted. She decided it was best not to think about it━or question it━or even just humour anything. She quickly distracted herself, huffing and setting her gaze back onto Peter.

    She went to say something, but another door opened. Nina rolled her eyes and scowled at Flash who peered out into the hallway. He waved his phone at them, "Uh, hey, can you guys━like━keep it down? I'm live-streaming."

    Nina, who had had enough of being interrupted (and in very much a bad mood), snapped, "Flash, no one watches your live-streams!"

    Peter's eyes went wide. But he did not say a word, standing beside her with pursed lips as Flash flushed. Slowly, he disappeared back inside his room, his pride wounded. One everything was silent, Nina sighed and rubbed at her cheeks, feeling all of her terrible thoughts flow back towards her like an entire dam broke. 

    Peter noticed. He frowned. He glanced around them━at all of the frantic conversations and closed doors. At their teachers that had gone off somewhere and nowhere ... he had an idea. 

    "Hey," he muttered to her and she glanced at him. "You━uh━" he clutched his bag strap tighter. Peter cleared his throat, shuffling nervously on his feet. "You wanna get out of here?"

    Nina's brows knitted together, trying to understand what he meant. "I don't ..." she could feel her cheeks start to heat up. "I don't think we're allowed to go anywhere. If Mr. Harrington or Mr. Dell saw us leave..."

    Peter nodded to the window that he could see through her ajar motel room door. His lips tugged into a slight, crooked smile, "They're not gonna see us leaving," he mumbled, blushing, too. 

    She realised, and her heart paced. Nina's eyes widened. She nodded. She stammered. "O━Okay. Okay. I'll just━let me just━I'll just go and grab my bag. I will be━I'll be━Hang on━"

    Nina ran back inside. She closed the door behind her and pressed her back against it. Her eyes widened, and despite all that happened tonight, this giddy feeling rose up inside her. And somehow, Peter Parker managed to make her sadness disappear and a bright, happy smile tug at her lips. 

    She rushed to get ready. At the last minute, she decided to stuff the strange object she found into her bag. Slinging it over her shoulder she ran to open the door again. She stared back at Peter who hitched his breath again, startled by how quick she had been. "Let's go," she whispered. 

    Peter chuckled a little, nervous smile. Nina quickly glanced to see whether anyone was watching before letting him inside. She closed the door, but the window stayed open. Outside it, Nina Hart held on tight to Spider-Man as he leaped out into the dark night, holding in her squeal as her stomach dropped with them━before his webs attached to the nearby building and the two teenagers were gone in the distance, their hearts pounding with a exhilarating thrill. 

    Nina couldn't help it. She let out a thrilled squeal as they dipped low into the side streets, hiding her face into Peter's shoulder as he swung them up towards the rooftops. And in the night, no one saw them━he was completely masked in the silent streets and under the moon's glow. Tonight was just going to be for them. 

    She felt her feet return to solid ground a few moments later. Nina peeked up over his shoulder, and her eyes widened, finding her heart rise with warmth to see the lights of Prague surround them. Despite the destruction of its square, the cit was still basked in golden glows that beamed up towards the night━like a sunlit maze of old cobblestone pathways, bridges and tunnels. 

    Peter's grip on her relaxed and the both of them stared out at the view, not letting go of each other. He pursed his lips, shyly giving her a quick glance, "It's ... it's not Paris, but ... At least we get to see the city a bit."

    "A bit?" chuckled Nina wholeheartedly. She shook her head at Peter, light-hearted. 

    She wondered how he did it. How he was somehow always the exact medicine she needed. 

    Nina smiled. Her shoulders slumped slightly. "Thank you," she whispered to him, and her words meant more than he would ever know. 

    Peter nodded. They stayed there for a few seconds. He felt his heart start to pace more and more. He began to get anxious, not sure whether what he was supposed to do next━or whether he had the courage, staring at her right now in the golden glow of the city at night, and step over the line they had been too nervous to cross. 

    It was a painful, awkward silence. Both of them knew where they wanted tonight to go, and yet neither of them took the chance. 

    Nina pursed her lips and shrugged, sheepish. She stepped back away from him, and Peter remembered what Mysterio had said━

    It jolted him into taking that step. 

    "Hey, Nina━"

    She hummed, spinning around. Nina's eyes widened, but they soon closed, freezing the moment his lips found hers. Peter pulled away just as quickly, blushing furiously as he realised what he had just done. The two teenagers stared, wide-eyed and flushed at each other, their hearts in their throats. 

    Nina continued to watch him, not sure on what was going to happen now. Not when he stared back at her exactly the same. Until she found herself glancing back down at his lips. He swallowed hard. Awkwardly, she took another step closer. The two of them hesitated, and it was silly━chuckling and rolling their eyes like they were still fifteen. 

    But then Peter managed to dip down━uncomfortable at first as he kissed her again. Until they both relaxed━and it was as if nothing had even changed. Nina might have to rise up on her toes a little these days. They might not be sitting at the window seat of her room. But when he kissed her, Nina had a shocking realisation how much she truly missed it. 

    Yet, it was different in many ways, too. As much as they were the same, have they also changed. Nina's hands lifted up to hold his cheeks as his arms wrapped around her waist, and they kissed with the breath of all they had missed━and it was almost like they reunited after years and years apart. 

    Slowly, Nina pulled away. As she did, she could not look away from him. She blushed at the little, amazed smile he seemed to hold━as if completely in awe just at the sight of her. She smiled, too. 

    Peter scrunched his face up a little, sheepish and awkward to admit in a mumble, "I ... I missed kissing you."

    Nina hunched her shoulders, rosy-red at his words. She chuckled and he chuckled, too, both of them unable to contain their smiles at what had just happened. Cheeky, she decided to say, "You just broke our ground rules."

    Peter Parker chuckled again. He rolled his eyes, "New ground rule," he told her, leaning in to rest his forehead against hers. She smiled, giddy━and she forgot about every trouble in this world when she had him here with her right now. Nina realised that she hadn't lost him either. When she had no one, when everything went wrong, and she was crumbling to dust ... no matter what, she will always have Peter Parker. "Or━at least, restating it."

    She giggled, "Okay, what is it?"

    Peter Parker locked her gaze, suddenly very serious. He lifted a hand to rub her back, "Where you go," he promised her, "I go." Her brows lifted, feeling a sudden breath of emotion. "I mean it," he chuckled, just as giddy as her. "I'm following you now," she laughed at him. "I'm gonna follow you everywhere!"

    Nina's laughter turned into a sweet smile. She closed her eyes, enjoying the way his breath tickled her nose. "Where you go, I go," she mumbled her own promise. "Always."

    Peter smiled. "Um," he grew nervous. "I have━I have this thing. Um━" he moved his hands away and reached into his back pocket. "I bought this━you know what? I'm just━I'm just gonna show you━"

    Then she realised something. "Wait," she pulled away. He frowned at her, startled. "If━if we are doing this. I mean, like, we are doing this right now, there's━there's stuff I should probably say━"

    Peter watched her, a little taken aback as he tried to keep up. "O━Okay. That's━okay━"

    Nina tapped his shoulders multiple times as she continued, "You have to promise me you won't freak out, or get angry, or freak out and get angry━"

    "━Okay, wait, why would I━?"

    "━So, um━" Nina hung on her words, not meeting his gaze completely, "━so━um━something happened. I mean it wasn't my fault. I tried very hard to not make it happen but it sort of just ... happened ..."

    He stammered, getting a little breathless as her words got faster and faster, "O━okay━?"

    "━I didn't not plan it at all!" went on Nina Hart, rambling and rambling. "I was just━I just followed you and then MJ followed and so did Ned and even Betty━which why would Betty follow━?"

    "━Uh, 'cause Ned followed━?"

    "━But the thing is━well, what I'm trying to say is. Um━well, I tried to stop it but━" Nina huffed, closing her eyes. After a second, she peered sheepishly at Peter with one eye. Then, she mumbled very quickly, "Uh so MJ sort of figured out that you're Spider-Man and I tried to tell her you weren't but she has figured it out and now she knows and she's really angry at me and I don't know what to do and Felicia is also the Black Cat which is really mentally damaging and I'm about to go absolutely crazy because she sort of talked to me at the rooftop of the hostel in Venice and I think she has a serious vendetta against you and if I stop talking right now I seriously feel like I'm going to burst into tears and this is all so crazy and sudden and I'm so sorry but if we're doing this I don't wanna lie to each other anymore so maybe I'm oversharing but I'm super nervous and super almost about to cry and that sentence didn't even make sense━"

    "Nina, Nina," Peter cut her off, holding her shoulders and she stared at him, growing purple-faced, "breathe. Breathe, okay?"

    Nina took a gulp of air. Then she burst out: "MJ knows you're Spider-Man. Felicia is the Black Cat. I spoke to her in Venice. She hates you. She's alive. She didn't blip. She left me. MJ figured that out, too. MJ hates me now. I'm going crazy. Literally crazy. Please tell me to stop talking right now, Peter, I swear to god━"

    Peter stared at her. His jaw fell agape. That was still a lot to process after just sharing their first kiss after ages. The mood tipped like the Titanic when it hit the iceberg. "I━MJ knows I'm Spider-Man━?!"

    "Don't freak out!" she whisper-shouted at him.

    "What?" Peter hunched up, his voice unnaturally high. "I'm not freaking out this is not me freaking out that is just a very interesting thing of you to say and what about you knowing about Black Cat since when do you know about Black Cat being Felicia━?"

   Nina's eyes widened. She backtracked. "Wait━you knew━?"

   Peter stopped abruptly. He pursed his lips and stared back at her with that look which told her he very much did. 

    She was too much of a crazed mix of emotions to even consider how long he knew, and why he didn't tell her━or whether she felt hurt, or angry, or shocked━or one of the three. "A━am I the only one who didn't know?! What━when were you going to tell me?!"

    Peter hunched up again, his voice stuck high in the back of his throat, "I'm telling you now I thought we were letting out all of our secrets and we'll move on from it and start anew━I'm very sorry, super sorry, really, please, forgive me I should have told you about it but everything happened so fast and MJ knows I'm Spider-Man?!"

     Unable to stop herself━they were on a crazed, ongoing roll now, Nina also said: "Susan Yang also thinks you're a male escort."

    Peter gaped. There was a pregnant pause. Then he let out a horrified whisper, "What?! W━Why? What was the...?"

    They fell into a silence. Finally, the weight returned to Nina and she frowned up at Peter ... that hurt struck her and she pursed her lips. Hanging her gaze, she mumbled, "You ... you knew where Felicia was and you didn't tell me?"

    Peter faltered, too. The giddy feeling between them washed away, and she saw something that looked like shame in his eyes. "I ..." he looked down, apologetic. She didn't see him fiddle with the box the glass necklace has stayed in this entire trip. "I didn't want to see you get hurt," he admitted. He tucked the box away into his pocket, dejected. The swell of his heart deflated as he noticed how hurt she actually was━despite all he had done to protect her from the truth, Peter Parker saw her get hurt anyway. He stammered, his throat closing up. "N━Nina, I'm ... I'm sorry, I━"

    The night erupted into a bursting blue light. Nina squealed, startled as streams of lasers shot out of the zipper of her backpack. She gasped, immediately throwing it off. She had reacted in the nick of time, for as soon as the bag was thrown onto the roof pavement in between them, the fabric got so hot it melted. 

    Peter tugged her back, and the two of them stared, horrified as the back dripped onto the brick, revealing the strange mechanical object that had fallen in front of Nina tonight during the fight. It was trembling━vibrating against the ground; more light expanded from the projection lens━

    Nina and Peter stared upwards, shocked to see a storm vaporise into view. Clouds billowed into a full-blown hurricane in the air above. Lightning struck━it scattered across the night sky. The cloud twisted and it formed together. Nina stumbled back further when a misty, grey smoke arm swiped down at her━only for it to pass right through. 

    The object jolted again, and the light blinked to nothing. And once again they stood on the rooftop in the night, frozen with terrified shock at what they had just seen. 

    Peter spun around him, searching for the elemental figure, but there was nothing to be seen. "What the hell was that?!"

    Nina followed his gaze━she met it as he turned to face her again. She was pale and trembling, "I━I don't know. I just━I brought it. It fell━"

    Her eyes widened. 

    A horrible feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. Her gaze dropped to the object at their feet; it sparked and it whirred, the lens spinning underneath the web of Spider-Man's creation. An elemental figure ... Nina's heart pounded to a different beat. A terrified, dreadful beat.

    She stepped forward but Peter stopped her. Holding a hand out to tell her to stay where she was, he hesitantly crouched down to pick up the object. It smoked in his hand, but he held it up, frowning at it with a set jaw. 

    Nina watched him, waiting for an answer. At his silence, she stepped closer, "W━what is it?" she asked Spider-Man with a deep frown on her face. "Like some kind of projector or something?"

    Peter turned the device in his hands, "Yeah, but it's really advanced," he muttered. 

   She shook her head, trying to comprehend it all━but it didn't make sense. How could such a small device create something so ... so vivid? "I don't━it━it looked so real. I━It━"

    "Yeah," agreed Peter, troubled. He met her stare, clutching the device with a tight, stern grip, "really real..."

    Nina clenched and unclenched her hands, finding all of this very hard to take in. "But that means ... that would have to mean that━?"

    "The Elementals are fake?" Peter finished. He clenched his eyes shut and shook his head. "B━but━but that doesn't make any sense because we were there, right?" She nodded frantically. "There was fire and destruction, and ..." he was growing breathless as his mind raced, and he was barely able to keep up with it. "W━who would do something like that?"

    The device shook in his hands once more. Both teens jumped when the night lit up in stormy blue again. They watched, horrified, as another scene played like a movie picture in the starry night. A ghostly, gaunt monster swept past them━it roared; a skeleton terror made purely of smoke and nightmares. But as it attacked, something green burst amongst the blue. Peter frowned. The green exploded again. Nina started to see his face drop. 

    Another figure joined the fight. Nina's eyes widened━a figure in golden armour, a billowing long cape and a mystical ball that masked his identity ...

    Nina couldn't believe her eyes, "Mysterio..." 

    The image faded away, dissipating in the late night air. Peter spun to Nina once it did, looking as if he had just been caught doing something terrible. He pursed his lips, "I made a mistake," he told her. "I have made a huge mistake. I have made a lot of mistakes. Like I have really, really messed up."

    She stumbled on her words, blinking in her surprise, "O━Okay━Wait━what? What happened? What is happening? Are you━Are you being serious right now━?" he hummed, nodding stiffly. "What did you do, Peter━this━this is not funny━?"

     "Nina━" he tried as she started all over again. 

    "━When you say mistake do you mean a little mistake? Do you mean you messing up about not telling me about Felicia━because that's a serious mess up━?"

    "━Nina━"

    "━Or are we talking about the end of the world sort of mistake? Because I can't handle that right now, Peter━!" 

    "Nina, Nina, Nina━" he managed to cut her off and she held her breath again, positively about to lose her mind. "I know, I know━I know I should  have told you about Felicia and I'm really, really sorry. I really am. I promise I'll tell you everything once this is over and I'll explain everything  but we really have to get out of here, okay?"

    She nodded, flustered and scared. "O━okay. Okay. Yeah━yeah, we need to get out of here."

    Peter awkwardly held a hand out and Nina realised what he meant. She blushed, "Oh━oh, okay━" she grasped on around his shoulders and held on tight as he jumped off the side of the building with her. The two teens returned to the motel, their hearts racing with hitched breaths of fear. 

*ೃ༄

    a/n: THYEY KISEJISSED

    I can't spell COS PHAHBPUFVSNBOUVA GUGHJUFGH

    the flow of the flashbacks last act were so much better than this one I'm so sorry. but there's no much far from home content heh. and its like the lead up to the 'end fight' in spider-man 2 and tasm2 is like such a different vibe than in the mcu movies. it explores relationships and moral twists primary from peter's view and all the scenes he would have with Nina are surrounding their relationship. 

    I was gonna add another spider-man 2 scene but then this chapter was getting a bit too long for the feel of this book. but I might switch up the time line of that movie a little bit just to make it flow with the growth of action in this book and in tasm2.

    oh shit we're getting closer to the end of tasm2 wait no-

    maybe I've been procrastinating, writing so many ffh chapters. 

    guess what guys, Felicia redemption arc is just around the corner >>> sorry for putting u guys through all of that, I hope most of u learn to love her again because I never stopped loving her. she's a super interesting character - a very broken, self-damaging and scared character who is desperate to protect herself from the pain of her past in these sort of ways (and protect Nina, because my girl NEVER stopped loving and caring about Nina. even if she's terrible at showing it). 

   and like, also, I wanna say this now. the flow of the flashbacks in act three are gonna be super different again. like spider-man 3 won't be huge in storyline, primary because ... well, you'll see. we get to learn the story of what happened to Nina in spider-man 3 a little differently. 

    and like, also, (again), as much as I love the meme that spider-man 3 is, I don't rly wanna write Peter's emo era suddenly able to play the piano, dance, looking like primary school boys who think they're cool with their emo fringe and all: 'imma put some dirt in ur eye-' it doesn't match the theme of this book. what I'm gonna write of spider-man 3 is gonna purely fit in with the nwh storyline of this book. (you'll see. just trust me. it'll still be good - I hope). 

    the memes are making a comeback:

   just mj:

    Nina at mysterio:

   Nina and Peter being a mess of emotions this chapter:

    mj and peter at some point: