chapter thirty-nine
thinking about you, part two!

NORMAN OSBORN'S death sent OSCORP into a frenzy. They haven't heard from him in months ... years, Nina was pretty sure. And now she watched the videos in his honour on every monitor in the building, celebrating the life of a genius who barely showed his face, and yet created an entire franchise and research facility that has brought so many discoveries into the scientific notion of the world.

And now that man his dead, and his son, Harry Osborn, returned from Europe to take over.

A boy who has been chasing this result from the moment he was forced away from his home into boarding school. And now he was back, and Nina was sure she'll never see him as well.

She knew little. She knew none of the mysterious Osborn heir; all except that Peter muttered his name once back in school. To tell her he was once friends with her late boss's son, back when they were kids and before he went to boarding school. Now, it was all Nina could think about whenever Harry Osborn was mentioned in the complex's hallways.

There was chaos for a few days. They were all resetting their systems, producing documents and archiving; showcasing everything they've worked for the past few years to the new C.E.O of OSCORP Industries. Or, rather, his assistant, Felicia Hardy. It was strange, how amongst everything that as happened, how much she was stressing in order to have all of her things ready for the change-over, Nina couldn't stop thinking of Peter.

She missed him. She really did. Perhaps it was what Max had said (though she hasn't seen him since)━how special it was to feel needed by Spider-Man━that made her remember what that was like; to remember what it was like to be loved not just by Spider-Man, but by Peter Parker, too. Or maybe it was because with Gwen's many interviews and invitations into prestigious schools━all outside of America, that Nina had started to feel truly, and completely alone.

As she sat during her lunch, enjoying a hot chocolate across from Gwen and some of Nina's acquaintances from college that she was trying to get to know more, she couldn't help but glance upwards towards to the very tops of the buildings━searching for him, wondering whether he was still there, watching her to make sure she was safe; like a guardian angel. But she was always disappointed.

Gwen Stacy, who was halfway through introducing herself to some of Nina's classmates and chatting about her most recent interview, stopped to see the forlorn look upon her best friend's face. She knew exactly where she was looking━why and who she was looking for, and it made her purse her lips. Even after a few months, Nina hadn't gotten over Peter Parker━at all.

"Did you hear about the crazy save Spider-Man made last week?" asked Gwen suddenly, pointedly towards Nina's whose gaze shot back, startled that she'd bring him up.

"What?" murmured Nina.

"Oh, yeah!" one of Nina's classmates let out; Liz Allan, a perky, brilliant minded young woman. "It was insane! The way he just swoops in and tackles that guy? What was he even trying to do with that metal suit?"

"I think he was trying to become a rhino, or something," mused Gwen. "He said he'd be back."

Nina was awfully quiet throughout their entire conversation, playing with the marshmallows in her hot chocolate until they had completely melted. She━of course━knew what had happened. She stayed on track of every fight, every save, every tabloid, every chance he'd might swing past.

Her father had told him to let her go, to protect her━and he believed he was doing the right thing. But all he had done was hurt Nina more. And she believed she had done the best thing for herself to walk away that night, and yet, here she still was. She met Gwen's gaze, and saw━that while she talked about Spider-Man as if she didn't know him at all━she held a breath of sincerity towards her best friend to tell her, just talk to him.

Because Gwen knew there was something special about Nina and Peter━something she had never seen before. It was strange, the way it had given her hope and laughter during high school, to think that two people could love each other so much through everything, like they were sculpted perfectly for the other. She knew that they couldn't let that go, no matter what.

And whether it was through a friendship or something more, Gwen knew━and Nina knew━that either way, they were miserable without the other.

Nina made a decision then. She didn't know whether it was a stupid decision yet or not━or even a dangerous one. But she excused herself and nervously opened her phone, scrolling down to her contacts: one she hasn't changed at all since the moment they broke up.

Walking a little away from the table, Nina pressed Peter's name and held her phone to her ear. She waited, and she waited━she expected him not to answer, until suddenly━

"Nina?" his voice was a breathless whisper, shocked that he saw her name show up on his screen.

"Hey, Pete," she murmured, hugging her stomach. "I ... I know it's been a while. But ... do you want to meet up tonight? Just ... just to have a talk?"

Across the city, Peter Parker glanced over his shoulder back at Harry Osborn who was picking up flat stones to see what would be the best to skid across the river. His heart was hammering, but so was her's.

"Y━yeah," he said and Nina's heart leapt with hopeful relief. "Yeah, of course, Nin ... anytime. Where do you want to meet?"

That night, markets were set up outside Central Park. Nina waited there for Peter to arrive, fiddling with her fingers underneath gloves and a fitted coat, staring at her heeled boots and wondering whether he might not make it. It has been a long while since they have even spoken, let alone seen each other like this. Meeting up with an ex wasn't something Nina considered wise to do, and yet she was begging to find him amongst the crowd, too nervous to even glance at any of the things people had on offer.

She fixed her hair a little, awkwardly smiling at a little girl that walked past, clutching her mother's hand. She didn't hear any distant sirens, or screams, so she was sure Peter wasn't busy anywhere close. So, all Nina could do was wait ... and wait ...

She thought on what they'd might do, what they'd might talk about. She wondered whether she's forgotten what it was like to talk to Peter normally.

Nina took a deep breath, puffing out mist from her lips in the cool New York air. She huddled herself tighter in her coat, still searching the crowd for him. She sniffled, nudging her nose as the cold started to nip at the end of it.

She started to wonder why she was doing this; whether this was a mistake. She had gone months without calling him, and just one whisper from a stranger, a look from Gwen and she forgot all of that━how much he hurt her? How much everything hurt them?

A car horn━a few yells: "Get off the street!" a driver cried and Nina glanced over with a frown. Soon, an incredulous smile followed as she saw Peter walk straight towards her across an open, crowded street.

She chuckled, unable to believe him when he did not care that a taxi's side mirror snapped off from nicking him and his insane strength. He just made his way over━he looked good; clean-shaven, his hair trimmed ... still dressed in loose jeans, a jumper and a jacket over the top, but in a way that it made him look like he was kept-together, that he was facing life just like everyone else. He looked older━more mature, now.

Nina's chuckle turned into a genuine smile, unable to take her eyes off him━nor he, her━as Peter finally reached her in the crowd. A little nervous, the both of them, shuffling their feet and chuckling lightly amongst each other as they tried to figure out what to say. Nina hid her face a little in her hair, fighting the urge to grab the pen she had in her pocket to tap her cheek.

Peter breathed a smile at the sight of her, in awe of just how beautiful she looked. "Hey," he finally said, nervous in such a coy way as he always had been. "Hi."

Nina grinned at that, hoping her hair hid the way she blushed━she still wasn't over him, she knew that. She had a feeling she'd never quite be over him, no matter how far away she walked off, or he pushed her. "Hi, Tiger," she murmured softly.

His lips quirked upwards at the old nickname, bring waves of nostalgia for the times when everything seemed so simple between them. Peter nodded at her, "You look ... amazing."

Nina ducked her head yet again, finding it hard to meet his gaze when he stared at her like that. She nudged her nose, sniffling. "Um," she quickly cleared her throat, "I━I'm sorry," she then said, "for calling you so out of the blue. I just ..."

"No, no," Peter quickly shook his head, snuffling closer to her with his hands in his pockets. "No, it's okay━spontaneous━you know━" he shrugged and she rolled her eyes, amused. "It's all right. You know."

"I just ..." Nina watched him carefully, twisting her legs as she balanced on the sides of her heeled-boots. "Um..." she didn't know how to say it, she was rather scared of saying it, really. "I just ... missed talking to you ... you know ..."

Peter nodded, "Yeah," he said in the same tone, "yeah━I've━I've missed talking to you, too..."

Silence settled between them. Nina had a feeling he was just unsure as she was as to where this night would go. "I ... I was thinking," she said after a short while and he hummed, telling her that he was listening. "That maybe━you know━we should ... we should try being friends."

He stared at her for a moment. Nina could see the slight disappointment in his gaze, and it made her own heart drop slightly, realising that he wanted the same thing as her, deep down━and yet she was too scared; she didn't want to be hurt again. But then, softly, he nodded, "Yeah," he smiled at her and relieved, she smiled back. If she couldn't have him as her boyfriend━as someone she loved and cherished in such an intimate way, Nina would be glad to at least have him back in her life as a close friend. "Yeah," he said, surer this time. "Friends ... that's━that's great."

"That way, maybe things won't be complicated."

Peter slowly grinned, "I was just saying that to someone," he told her and her nerves started to fall away. He was great at that, making her feel comfortable. "I hate complicated."

"Yeah," she nodded, bouncing a little forwards on her toes. "Yeah, definitely━we can keep it simple."

He nodded━and the nodded again. "Okay━great, great. Yeah, yeah, yeah━" he started to come into a stance beside her, and Nina couldn't help the bright smile on her face as they began to walk closer towards the markets. "All right. Well, I mean━" he chuckled and she quirked a brow, slipping her hands into her pockets as well as she matched his pace, walking a little to the right and the left━balancing on her heels once or twice, like a school-girl with her heart on her sleeve, "━If we're gonna be friends, I think we gotta━we gotta establish some ground rules."

She met his gaze, mischievous, "Some ground rules?" she echoed, fighting back the want to laugh.

"Yeah," he said, overly serious and she snorted a little, "some ground rules━like that!" he added at her chortle.

She frowned at him, confused, "Like what?"

He just smiled at her. "That laugh, Nina━that laugh."

"What laugh?"

"Don't play with me, Nina Hart━that laugh is off the table."

She gaped at him, playing along with a light and happy spirit, "My laugh is off the table?"

He shook his head, turning his nose up into the air, "Off the table! You gotta figure out a more annoying laugh."

Nina took upon the challenge. Arching a brow, she said, "Okay, okay, I can do that, I can do that━" purposefully, she let out the ugliest laugh she could manage, even scrunching up her face and snorting at the end.

Peter broke out into hysterics and she nudged him, laughing alongside him as he declared, "That's still adorable!"

"Oh, come on!" she chided, enamoured by the way the overhead pink lights made his skin glow, bathed in such a summer glow despite the overbearing cold weather━it made her heart grow warm. "That was not adorable!"

He gave her a look, "It was adorable."

"No," she argued through her laughter, "it was not. You're weird!"

"And you're adorable━"

"Stop it!" she nudged him again and his laughter faded to chuckles. Nina tilted her chin up, "Okay, Okay, okay━" she tapped his arm so he'd look at her, "I have a ground rule━"

"━Oh, good━"

She hummed, nodding in her best serious tone.

"What is it?"

"Um ..." she thought about it, and then she smirked, not sure whether they were flirting or just having fun━either way, she enjoyed it very much. "Here it is ... you are not allowed to tell me that I look amazing with your big brown doe eyes. Okay?" He arched a brow, and she knew━she knew━he was giving her exactly the same look just for the sake of it. And he knew just how weak it made her knees feel. "Stop it," she said again, gentler this time. "I'm really serious about that one."

They slowly came to a stop beside a water fountain, and Nina sniffled yet again, nudging her nose and Peter immediately threw his head back. "Oh, no━" he announced and she frowned.

"What?" she asked him. "What is it?"

"I just figured out the next ground rule."

She chuckled. "What?"

"No more of this━" he nudged his own nose with a smile. She gaped, horrified he'd suggest such a rule, "━no more of this nose rub that you do. Don't think I haven't━hey━" he caught her hand before she could nudge her nose yet again and she giggled, not realising that she had shuffled even closer to him yet again.

"What am I supposed to do?" she feigned innocence. "It's cold, I get the sniffles."

He let go of her hand, shaking his head. He turned to walk away, "Nope━nope━you're just spitting in the face of my ground rules. I'm out."

"No!" she chortled as she ran up to him, feeling like she was in high school all over again. She grabbed his arm, spinning him back around to smack his chest at the way he was laughing at her. "You're playing with me!" she scolded.

"Believe me, Nina Hart," he told her in all seriousness. She smiled tenderly, "I think you are the one playing with me." Her smile slowly dropped, and she gazed up at Peter Parker, unable to stop how much she ached in her heart to see him tonight━and yet unable to hide how much she had ached not seeing him at all.

He seemed to notice, and there was a moment where he let out a sad sigh. He glanced up at the buildings around them, complexes to which the sky was never the limit. She knew what was going on through his head━trying to remind himself why he had told himself he needed to let go of her in the first place. Nina pursed her lips and looked down at her boots.

"Come on," then said Peter Parker, politely leading her shoulder towards a vendor truck parked near the entrance. "First we get ice cream, and then I'm out."

And so they did. Peter Parker bought them ice cream and the two once lovers chatted about anything and everything as they wandered the streets around Central Park. The lights of Midtown gazing down upon them with such a gentle breath, leading them through a journey of the past few months. Nina learnt that while studying at ESU, Peter had a job at the Daily Bugle as a freelance photographer which she couldn't help but frown at. She asked him why he'd work for the man who had every intention of tearing Spider-Man down, and he told her: "It keeps me humble," and she wondered how she was ever going to keep it simple when he told her things like that. Told her how much he had started to change, and yet at the same time, hadn't.

She told him about how OSCORP was going━how Norman had died and his old friend Harry had taken over. How her studies were starting to take up most of her time, and how she was fairing in her new apartment. She didn't have the courage to tell him that apartment was supposed to be for them. As Nina ate her chocolate ice cream, she found herself not at all alone for the first time in such a long while. She told him how she was scared that with Gwen leaving, she'll have no one else to spend time with. He told her how he was worried that he wouldn't be able to help his Aunt keep his childhood home; how she was taking up two jobs to keep the bills paid. They shared adult problems instead of problems within the lives of teenagers, and there was something so special about it━so different that settled between them, made them realise just how much they've grown up being away from each other; and now they had the chance to come back together, to learn and get to know the new parts of themselves that made each other so much more interesting and amazing.

"So, yeah," Nina was saying, finishing her ice cream and placing it in a bin with Peter's. "That's what's been happening, I guess. I still meet up with Gwen anytime that I can before she'll have to go, but ... It just won't be the same here without her, you know?"

"Yeah," he sighed, gazing outwards to the lights of Times Square, bright down the length of 7th Avenue. "But━you know━that's life. You guys'll stay in touch. She'll be the C.E.O of some company and you'll lead some amazing science discovery."

Nina blushed at that, shaking her head. "How can you be so sure I'll be so successful?"

"Because," Peter told her, genuine, "sometimes you just know people ... you can just see what's coming."

She frowned at him, taken aback by such wise words. "Really?" she asked him, quite vulnerable.

"Yeah," he smiled, nodding. "I mean, all that time you do studying out in that cafe on 6th is going to really get you places."

It was a joke, but Nina didn't laugh. She stopped under the shadow of a growing tree, quite confused. "How do you know that?" she asked him.

He realised his mistake. Peter wouldn't look at her, swinging around the trunk of the tree with his gaze anywhere else but the suspicious one she sent. "Hm?"

"How do you know I study there?"

"Because━um ..." he tightened his grip on one of the branches, "... Because you told me."

Nina continued to watch him, her heart beat starting to race once more as she began to understand. Her breath hitched. "No I didn't," she whispered. Peter let out a long sigh, leaning up against the trunk and Nina tilted her head, curious: "Have you been following me, Tiger?"

He glanced up, and with an another sigh, he admitted it. Nodding, he was unable to hold back from rubbing her arm━but she smiled, something inside her delighted to know that even after everything, he never once let her go; just like she hadn't him.

She leant against the trunk as well, meeting his eyes, "How often?" she whispered.

He smiled at her, too. "Just once a day," he shrugged. "Sometimes. Sometimes more..."

"Why?" her voice was nothing louder than a distant breath, but he could hear it like it was calling just for him. And it was. "To make sure I'm safe?"

Peter Parker nodded slightly. He squeezed her arm. "Yes," he mumbled. "And ..."

"And what?"

"And because it's the closest I can get to still being with you."

Nina's brows lifted. Her breath hitched again, and she couldn't find any words to say. She remembered the night he told her that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if something happened to her, and it hurt, because even if he said those words, she knew that he'd leave her over and over again━fighting his guilt more than he would any villain.

But she did not move away as he leaned in. Stepping so close until his forehead rested against hers, and she closed her eyes, emotional to feel his hand slide around her waist after so long━sending chills up her spine she could barely describe. Nina set her hands on his chest, taking a deep breath that was mixed with his, heart pounding in her ears.

"Don't," she whispered, suddenly tearful. Peter frowned at her━they did not move apart. "Please, don't ... I ... I know where this will lead, Pete ... I know you'll walk away, again. You'll let me fall and you won't be there to catch me."

"I'll always catch you," he told her.

Make up your mind, she wanted to ask him; beg even. But before she could get the chance, Peter Parker suddenly stood up━every hair on his body went on end, and Spider-Man glanced over his shoulder back towards Times Square, something cold settling within his bones.

Nina frowned. She stepped closer, trying to see what he was seeing━but to her, everything looked normal in the distance. "What?" she asked. "What is it?"

He didn't answer. She surged forwards around the tree. When he still said nothing, she glanced over, only to blink━surprised as she saw nothing except his jacket hanging on the branch and at her feet, two forgotten shoes. Peter Parker was gone, and Spider-Man had swung off into the night.

*ೃ༄

HIS BACK HIT the stone. He kept himself still, arms tight around her as the water flooded them, hoping Nina held her breath. It only lasted a few seconds, and when it was over, then surrounded them screams. Peter took a shaky breath, trying to comprehend all that happened so soon. But while he had the chance, he glanced at Nina in his hold, her face hidden in his shoulder. She was barely moving.

"You okay?" he asked her in a trembling voice of his own. "Are━are you all right? Nina?" when she didn't answer, he started to grow distressed. He wondered whether the water had been too heavy━whether the force it struck them was nothing for him, but too much for her. His heart jolted. Peter's voice cracked, the worst coming to mind as he shook her, his hand reaching up to her head. "N━Nina?" he croaked again. "Nina, Nina━are you awake? Can you hear me?"

When he felt her nod, shaking, he let out a breath of relief. The screams still rang around them━water tunnelled through markets, crashed up against the buildings and swept in entire tidal waves over the stretch of the canal. Peter pulled them both to his feet, not letting go of Nina at all as he pulled them out of the way of a second rush of water, narrowly missing an empty gondola that crashed with such force against the wall beside them, it shattered.

Everyone was running━sprinting away from the water that had turned into a tornado of waves, carrying anything in its road; gondolas, tarps, stone, even people. Peter glanced around, desperate to try and find a way to help━but he had left his suit at the hotel. He was completely stranded.

A horrific thought struck Nina━and like that, she pushed herself away from Peter and rushed forward, "Ned! Betty!" she screamed.

He understood what she meant. Their best friend and his new girlfriend were stuck on the canal, screaming amongst the churning whirlpool━alone in a gondola that was starting to splint at the sides. Peter shouted his best friend's name, running after Nina and jumping over the shattered remains of the boat in front of them. While everyone ran from the danger, they sprinted straight towards it.

The canal spun Ned and Betty off course━their gondola twisting wildly towards the edge of the water. They braced themselves for the hit━and with a jolting shudder, their boat rammed up the side of the canal, bursting through a door and skidding to a stop on the stone.

"Ned!" Nina ran forward to grab his arm and tug him out of the boat, glad that he was okay.

"Betty!" Peter helped the blonde instead, pulling her out of her seat and helping her stand. "You okay?!"

She nodded, breathless as she ran towards the stairs. Nina tugged Ned along, reaching Peter and the three of them huddled together as the water rose yet again━writhing and twisting into something horrific. Betty screamed, "Guys! We gotta go!" but they did not move, unable to take their eyes away from the figure that formed from the very waves of the canal. A monstrous, tidal sized giant; it roared, a hollow bellow that shook the stone and quivered their knees.

"What is that?!" whimpered Ned, clutching tight onto Peter━Spider-Man shook his head, pale and just as terrified as the rest of them.

"I━I don't know!" he cried.

"What'll you do?!"

"I left my suit in the hotel room!" said Peter, hopeless.

"Why?!"

"Because I'm on vacation, Ned!"

Nina shut the both of them up, pulling Ned away and turning to Peter with flushed cheeks, but a determined gaze. "We'll get everyone out so no one sees your face." He nodded, grateful for her level mind. He went to go but she grasped his arm, turning him back around to say, "Just━just be careful."

Peter found himself suddenly wishing he knew something to say━someway to tell her how he felt; in such a moment, his adrenaline was high, his heart was pounding, and the thought that something might happen to her was enough to want him to tell her everything. But he didn't have time. So, he nodded again, "I will━now go!" he pushed them along. Nina glanced back over her shoulder, reluctant, but knowing it had to be done. "Get out of here! Get somewhere safe!"

She pursed her lips but followed Ned and Betty up the stairs. Behind her, the water giant roared with an unleashed fury━he brandished his fists, and despite being made purely of the canal, he destroyed the brick of buildings like they were nothing but sand━water exploded from his fists, cascading waterfalls of rushing rivers down upon the canal and the plaza. Nina and Ned helped as many as they could, tugging others back onto their feet and pulling them in front━pushing anybody to try and reach high ground before the entire canal would flood.

Nina searched for MJ amongst it all, screaming her name over the shouts, stampedes and beastly roars. While the others were running for safety with Ned leading them, she hesitated, glancing around her amongst the crumbling buildings and churning canal for her friend.

Ned called her from the top of the stairs, "Nina!" he cried, gesturing for her to follow. "Nina━come on!"

"I need to find MJ!" she instead shouted and like that, descended back towards the destruction.

"Nina!" Ned cursed. He glanced around him, shuffling on his feet━he was considering going after her until Betty grabbed his arm and tugged him along, and he continued to evacuate the rest of their school group away from the canal.

Nina ducked behind one of the buildings when the monster slammed his fists down into the water━the entire canal erupted yet again and her eyes went wide, watching it shoot up into the sky with a tidal wave larger than the rest. She gasped and quickly ran down the side street, feet pounding on stone around buildings that groaned as their already sinking foundations weighed thin.

She missed it━only barely outrunning the waves until they became loose water, soaking her sneakers and her jeans. Nina continued, sprinting around the block and back towards the plaza. "MJ!" she called out, desperate. "MJ━WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Nina ran across the small bridge, hearing screams as the creature wreaked havoc all across the Grand Canal. She pushed herself to run faster, wrapping around the block and heading straight back into the chaos. She almost made it━until she heard the terrible sound of metal splintering. Nina glanced up, and she gasped━shuffling back on her feet, she turned to run the other way as the scaffold above her started to snap and crumble.

She would've made it━but the stone was wet underfoot and before Nina knew it, she hit the ground. She cried out as the stone struck painfully against her knees━she cared little about her blood that stained the pathway, and instead focused on the side of the building above about to fall onto her.

Then━out of nowhere━a hand grasped around her arm and pulled. Nina screamed, not expecting it. She was pulled onto her feet and away, watching as brick and scaffolding fell just where she had been moments before.

She let out a breath, shocked that just in seconds, she could have been dead.

Nina glanced at the hand that grasped her arm━she expected it to be Peter, only to frown when she noticed metal claws from a black and white gauntlet. She glanced up to her savour, and was met with a girl who's identity was hidden behind a feline's mask. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled off her shoulder in a long ponytail that draped down her slender black suit. Nina's heart hammered━as if she was supposed to know who this person was, and yet, she couldn't think of it.

She stared at her, not sure on what to say. Her saviour didn't say anything either, staring right back at her━she did not let go of her arm; she clung onto it so hard, it started to hurt.

Until, she gasped, "A━are you okay?"

Nina nodded, very confused. "I━I'm okay," she took a deep breath. "Thank you. You saved my life."

"You're okay," breathed the stranger, as if to reassure herself. Before Nina knew it, she was pulled into a tight hug. She frowned, taken aback. Awkwardly, she patted the stranger on the back.

As if burned, her saviour pulled away. She shuffled back, shaking her head at Nina━there was something about her; something strange and familiar, in a way that made Nina suddenly want to cry. She had no time to ask her name, or what she was doing here━who she could be, for the screams and the roars of the monster in the canal brought their attentions away and down the next side street.

Nina jolted back to reality, "M━my friend━" she began, rushing forward towards the feline hero, "━I need to find my friend. Her name's MJ. She has curly brown hair, she's wearing a feminist shirt━you'll really see her when you see her, she definitely stands out in a crowd━"

"I'll find her," promised the strange new hero so suddenly she seemed to confuse even herself. "You need to go somewhere safe."

"No," Nina immediately agreed, shaking her head. "No, I'll come with you to find her."

There was a nasty shudder━the buildings on either side of them trembled dangerously. The feline vigilante pursed her lips, then she glanced back at Nina and took her arm, "No, you're not coming with me, but we're getting out of here."

She had no chance to argue before she was being pulled along. Nina followed the stranger, quite bewildered by the whole ordeal. But her confusion soon turned to a gut-wrenching fear as she thought of Peter. She stopped as they reached the canal, eyes wide and searching for him━but she couldn't see him anywhere.

"What are you doing?" asked the stranger, tugging her along. "Come on!"

"Who are you?" asked Nina as she was dragged along back up the stairs away from the main destruction━in the chaos, no one stopped to frown at the two of them, especially the girl dressed like a black cat in front of her. "Why did you help me?" she was tugged through the crowd. "Are you a superhero? Do I know you? How can you find MJ without my help━?"

"Stop asking so many questions," scolded the girl, turning her around to follow the crowd through the overpass and down the other side. "Now go! I'll find Michelle."

Nina's heart dropped. She froze, her breath hitching━she said MJ, she never said Michelle━she spun back round, ready to demand how she knew her name, but the strange superhero was gone, like she had never even been there.

She gritted her teeth. Instead of following the crowd, Nina searched for the stranger in hopes to run after her. She was pushed and shoved as everyone ran for their lives and so she grabbed the side of the closest building, clinging on tight as she glanced back at the canal monster.

It hadn't stopped its rampage━she watched it rise above the Rialto Bridge; everyone upon it scattered, screaming. There was one boy who didn't follow, who groaned as he tried to stand back up from where he had hit the back barrier. Nina recognised his flannel━it was Peter.

"Wait━no━!" she wasn't sure who she was shouting at; she was sure the monster wouldn't hear her from all the way over here. But it seemed as if somebody else had heard her prayers. Descending down from the clouds above, a third superhero arrived.

Nina gaped at the sight of the man diving down in clouds of green mist━he flew with a cape of scarlet; dressed in peculiar armour that glowed the same green as his mist; but the strangest thing about him, was he did not wear a mask to cover his identity ... on his head, he wore a large, round, mystic crystal ball.

He came to a hover before the monster, twisting his arms out━and from his hands, he produced some form of green magic━it surrounded him, in the way he flew, it clouded the crystal ball around his head, glowed from his armour, and extended out from his gloved fingers.

The screams around her started to falter as everyone gazed upwards at the strange magician━they watched as he blocked a ferocious blow from the monster with a wall of mist; he dived through, dodging the water━not one hit from the monster touched him. He spun out, victorious━and from his hands, like lasers, the green magic projected blasts that blinded Nina's eyes━they struck the monster, causing him to shriek with fury.

Until he was hit. Nina gasped, hunched up by the wall as she watched the mysterious superhero be struck so hard he was thrown the length of the canal, crashing through a few boats and disappearing below the depths.

The monster raised his fists in victory━and around him, the canal churned even more. Spurs of water rose upwards, twisting and turning━as if following his very command, and he fed off them all, rising higher and higher until he towered over them all.

But when they thought the superhero was gone, he surfaced━and with fresh determination, he charged through the water spouts towards the canal beast. He blazed explosions of green; striking the sky in bright colours. He directed the beasts fists away━and they struck buildings all the same. Screams returned. Nina's knees buckled━but she locked them in as the stone beneath her quaked. She frowned up at the hero, startled by how little he cared for the destruction he was causing━and the people below who would be affected by it.

She gasped when he led the beast straight through the Rialto Bridge━smashing the brick face completely in two. Nina ducked, desperately trying to hide herself amongst the destroyed venders and rubble. The superhero fuelled the creatures rampage all through the canals, leading it away from the centre, but into the heart of the city━and he did not falter in his destruction.

Nina searched, anxious as buildings crumbled━until she saw somebody swing through them. Her heart rose as Peter raced amongst the falling buildings━he darted around their crumbling facades, through their windows and up over their bricked roofs, keeping them together with the strength of his webbing. She smiled, rising back up onto her feet to cheer.

No one noticed him, and perhaps that was a good thing━but Nina did, and cared little of the strange superheroes she met today; not when Spider-Man was always there to save the little guys. To people the big guys always forgets about━that was who he was, even across the water: the Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man.

"Nina!"

MJ's voice made Nina spin back around. Her breath hitched, about to cry as she found her best friend alive and unharmed, pushing through the crowd to her. Nina broke out into a sob and ran straight to her, throwing her arms around the taller girl and clutching on tight. MJ buried her face in to her shoulder, just as relieved.

But soon, Michelle Jones glanced up, searching for the stranger who had found her and brought her back━she caught sight of her white-blonde hair disappear within the crowd, not even staying to witness their reunion, and she frowned, a strange suspicion rising up within her.

*ೃ༄

a/n:

no one:

nina: wow, this person seems awfully similar to a old friend of mine - they look awfully similar, too - i wonder who they are!

lol give her a break, the girl is freaking out rn.

also nina doesn't give a shit about any superhero menace with green smoke, not when peter's around lol he's always her no. 1.

everyone: wow, mysterio!

nina: yeah, but nIGHT MONKEY IS LOOKING PRETTY GOOD RN-

by the way, guys, two things!

I now have an editing account on instagram! you can follow me on: pndragcns and see my terrible edits how fun is that?!

also my loveable fav @-swrites made an edit for deja vu and it's amazing and I love it it made me literally cry:

https://imgur.com/a/hpwucwj

I'm not too sure whether the link will work, but it should also be on my highlights on pndragcns so be sure to check it out!!!

(minimal editing)