THE COUPLE ENTERED the brownstone apartment. Randy turned on the light and presented his nice-looking living room to Felicia.

"Beautiful place." She remarked. "You rent this out yourself?"

"Yeah." He answered. "Dad's always been big on saving money...so I did growing up knowing he'd want me out of his house."

She softly laughed. Randy lead her through the room.

"I've been wanting a change of scenery, though. Maybe a place more in the city. Y/N's been thinking of moving too so maybe we can help each other out."

"City is quite expensive," Felicia replied.

"I can handle it. If I get him as my roommate though, I hope his Spidey pics can get top dollar."

"He takes pictures of Spider-Man?"

"Yeah. For the Bugle. He's like...the only guy who's able to get good shots of him."

Felicia hummed. Randy put down his keys on the counter nearby.

"So..." She walked up to him and touched his shoulders from behind. "What's the plan for the rest of the night?"

He turned around and smiled.

"Wait here."

She arched a brow and Randy went to the kitchen. He opened the freezer and took out a large tub of ice cream, placing it on the counter. The blonde noticed that it was her favorite flavor and brand.

"What's...?"

"I remember you said that your ideal night is...ice cream and a movie. That you like to be relaxed. So..." He pat the top of the tub. "I thought that'd cool."

Felicia was honestly taken aback. First of all, she was surprised that Randy even remembered that she said that since it was back when they first met. Most of the guys she'd been with either never asked what she wanted or simply brushed it aside.

And once dates were done, the people she was with expected to end the night with sex. Afterward, they'd most likely never speak again. In the case of Randy, that wasn't even on his mind, and he instead wanted to do something she would like.

"You can also pick the movie." He added. "I have Disney+, Netflix...you name it I probably got it."

She smiled. Felicia held his biceps and placed a kiss on his cheek. She was very appreciative of his gesture and plan.

"Have you ever seen Halle Berry's Catwoman?" She asked.

He shook his head. "No. But word on the street is that it's...not good."

"Give it a chance." She chuckled. "It's a fun watch, at least for me."

She walked toward the couch. Randy chuckled.

"Okay." He said.  "Didn't peg you as a fan of the superhero genre."

"Just Catwoman." She replied. "She's sort of an...idol of mine."

Randy went over to the television. He looked at the stand and noticed that something was missing.

"Where's my...?" He muttered, also looking at the back of the TV. He groaned. "Damn."

"What?" She asked.

"My Chromecast. I let Y/N borrow it. It's what I used to stream stuff. I'll text and have him bring it."

Randy did as he said. He messaged Y/N about the Chromecast and how urgently he needed it. The young man said he'd leave bring it back ASAP.

"Sorry about that." Randy apologized.

"It's fine," Felicia replied, then smiled. "Means we can start with the ice cream first."

Randy smiled back before following his date back to the kitchen.

Outside of the apartment, two men wearing black were across the street. They kept an eye on the location as they awaited their boss.

It wasn't long until they heard a noise. Looking up, they saw a shadow land on the rooftop of a nearby building. The hairy figure looked over the property and they knew he was prepared to strike.

"They're both inside." A henchman informed Fireheart.

"Keep an eye out. This will be quick."

He pounced and leaped off the rooftop, going onto the brownstone and climbing to the second-floor balcony.

Back inside, Randy and Felicia were on the couch eating ice cream and talking.

"Yeah, my dad's a funny guy." He continued speaking. "Says he'd rather die than see me work in the field of journalism like him."

Felicia chuckled. She swirled her spoon around her bowl as she looked at it. His remark made her think of her own father.

"Mine would've said the same." She said.

Randy caught her use of past tense. Felicia noticed his reaction and she exhaled.

"He...uh...died a few years ago." She revealed.

"Oh." Randy reacted. "I'm sorry."

"He was a...cop. Undercover." The blonde lied. "Killed during one of his assignments."

All Randy could do was give a somber look. It was silent for a moment before he tried to speak, but something behind her on his balcony caught his eye.

He saw green eyes looking through his window. The hairy figure was enough to startle him.

"What the—?"

The doors broke open and glass flew everywhere. The assailant pounced inside and the young couple jumped off the couch.

Before them stood the Puma. He wore a suit but everything underneath was covered in tan fur. The man also wore a necklace of sharp teeth.

"Miss Hardy." The man spoke.

She stood in front of Randy, holding out an arm toward him and facing the Puma.

"Who the hell are you?" She asked.

He didn't answer her question. The mercenary pointed at Randy behind her.

"I'd prefer if he leaves...if you don't want anything to happen to him. This is between you and me."

Randy glanced at her. "Wh—What? Who—?"

She tried pushing him back. "Randy, please leave."

"I don't—"

"You have to go!"

"I'm not just gonna leave you with this freak."

Puma shook his head. "If you know what's best for you, kid."

Outside of the apartment, Y/N walked down the sidewalk. He had the Chromecast in hand. He had swung by his place and then decided to walk to his friend's place to drop it off.

"I should get me one of these," Y/N remarked as he looked at the device in hand.

As he stepped up to the apartment, his spider sense blared. In brief flashes, he saw Randy and Felicia standing in front of a hairy humanoid.

"Shit..." He muttered as he looked up.

Suddenly, the young man felt a gun pressed at the back of his head. Fireheart's two henchmen were behind him.

"Don't move, kid."

He stayed rather calm. "What is this?"

"Just shut up."

The henchman motioned him toward the alley beside the building. The other followed and began walking Y/N through it.

"You're going to walk away and not look back." He said.

Y/N had his hands up. He started to slow down.

"Mind if you tie my shoelaces first?" He asked.

"What?" The other man asked.

"My shoes. Look."

"I don't give a—"

Once the man took a glance down, Y/N grabbed the arm holding the gun and elbowed the henchman.

He stumbled back and the other reacted by raising his own weapon, but Y/N immediately grabbed his wrist and twisted it.

Y/N punched him square in the face, knocking him out and throwing him into the trash cans. The first henchman gathered his bearings and was about to act, but the young man initiated a spinning roundhouse kick and knocked him out.

The henchmen were down. Y/N let out a quick sigh and looked up toward the balcony of Randy's room. With quickness, he took off his shirt, revealing his spider suit underneath.

Puma stepped menacingly up to the two. Despite Felicia's pleas to Randy to leave, the young man had the courage to get in front of the woman and face the mercenary.

"I commend you, young man." He spoke. "Protecting a thief and liar."

Randy didn't even bother questioning his statement, keeping a stoic look.

"You're not going to touch her. You have to get through me first."

Puma had enough. He didn't what to severely injure Randy but only get him out of the way. He grabbed him and threw him aside over the sofa. Randy couldn't do much against the superhuman.

"Randy!" She exclaimed.

Puma stepped up to her. Felicia ran up to the counter that had her purse and took out a pair of gloves. She put them on and immediately drew her claws.

"How adorable," Puma stated, then brandished how own sharp claws.

Felicia stood in a stance with her claws out. Puma was still in front of her.

"Joseph sends his regards." He said.

Puma raised his hand and was about to swipe down, but a web line pulled him back. He turned around and was hit with a lamp that was thrown at him. The mercenary grimaced.

Spider-Man leaped through the broken balcony doors and landed on all fours. He looked up at Puma.

"Hope you don't mind me getting into this catfight." He remarked, then stood up. "Whoa. Weren't you on the ThunderCats?"

"Begone, arachnid. This doesn't concern you."

"Oh, shit. You got it right!"

Puma stepped up to him but Y/N quickly webbed up his face. The mercenary grunted and tried ripping it off.

"Not many get it right the first time," Y/N added.

"Argh!" Puma exclaimed after getting rid of the webbing.

He lunged at Spider-Man but the hero dove out of the way. Puma recovered and looked back, only to get swiped across the face by Felicia's claws.

Puma groaned. "Argh!"

The mercenary pounced and grabbed the blonde. They crashed on top of the coffee table and he pinned her to the floor. Puma was about to bring his fist down but he was quickly tackled by Spider-Man.

They crashed into the television set. Sorry, Randy. Spider-Man punched him a couple of times before Puma grabbed his neck and hit him against the wall. The hero grunted in his hold as Puma stood up.

The tall and strong cat-like human held him there and started choking. Felicia quickly lunged on top of Puma and jabbed her claws in his arm. He let out a yell and tried shaking her off.

Y/N took the distraction as a chance to kick him in the stomach and escape his grasp. Puma got Felicia off of him and he stood in between both combatants. A standoff was happening in the middle of the dilapidated living room...a silent one.

Felicia was the first to act and charged Puma. He dodged her kick and parried another, then tried to land a hit himself. Felicia dodged and Y/N engaged him too. Puma weaved away from Spider-Man's punch and then another one of Felicia's kicks.

Puma was a formidable fighter and was able to take on both of them. The battle went back and forth for some time with Puma landing blows and the two getting him with their own attacks. Puma then got Felicia off of him with a hard shoulder charge.

She hit the shelves and fell to the floor. Y/N then shot a succession of webbing at Puma that ended up wrapping around him.

"Gonna need you to stay there, big fella," Y/N said.

Puma writhed a bit before ultimately ripping himself free. Spider-Man underestimated the mercenary's strength and was shocked.

"No, no, that's a big no—"

Puma charged at Spider-Man with immense speed and grabbed onto his wrists before he could shoot more webbing. He flung the hero into one wall and then had him crash through another.

Y/N landed in Randy's bedroom and groaned.

The mercenary panted. He was pretty beaten up from the fight and was getting sluggish. Puma looked back, seeing the downed Felicia slowly starting to get up. He slowly walked up to her, his claws drawn and ready for the kill.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his back as he was stabbed. He let out an angered shout. Assuming it was a recovered Spider-Man, he spun around and kicked his assailant...which turned out to be Randy.

The hit propelled the young man through the living room and out of the balcony. He hit the railing and then fell out of the second floor onto the street. Felicia was able to witness this in her dazed state.

"No!" She cried out.

Puma kept panting as he looked toward the balcony. He simply stood there and didn't move...as if he was just contemplating his actions. Thomas arrived just to deal with his target. He didn't want anyone else severely hurt.

And that's what he just did. To an innocent young man. He was ashamed.

Puma looked back at Felicia for a moment before sprinting off and leaping off the balcony, where he soon left the scene. Spider-Man had just recovered and stepped through the hole in the wall, where he only noticed the girl in the room.

Felicia didn't say a word and just ran to the balcony. Y/N followed and on the street below, they saw an unresponsive Randy on top of a parked car. Y/N's eyes widened.

"No..."

Spider-Man jumped off. Felicia deftly climbed down the side of the building and landed on the street with him. Y/N perched on the car where his body was.

"Randy? Come on, Randy..." He spoke.

Y/N checked his pulse and heartbeat. Thankfully, he felt signs of life and was immensely relieved. He wanted to take him to the hospital, but couldn't out of his safety.

"Call the police." He told her.

"You need to take him to the hospital!" She exclaimed.

"I can't move him. It'll hurt him more than he already is." He shot back. "Just call them!"

She did as told, stepping away and making the call. Y/N crouched beside his friend's body, a saddened look underneath his mask.

"I'm so sorry, Randy..." He said lowly. "I'm so sorry."

• • •

RANDY WAS ADMITTED into the hospital. He had been there for the next couple of days but was in a comatose state. The young man got visits from his friends and loved ones making sure he was okay.

Currently, his father, Robbie, was visiting him with his wife, Martha. The woman was beside the bed, caressing the side of her son's face. Robbie stood nearby, his arms crossed and staring at them.

The door opened and in came Y/N holding a bundle of flowers. This was his fourth visit in the last two days. He saw the elder Robertsons and greeted them.

"Hello."

"Y/N," Robbie spoke.

"I didn't know you were here. I'll come back later if—"

"No, it's fine." He interjected.

Y/N nodded and stepped inside. Martha, who barely knew the young man, feigned a smile.

"You must be Y/N." She said.

He nodded. "Yes."

"He's friends with Randy. Works at the Bugle too." Robbie added.

She looked back at the flowers on the table. Y/N noticed her gaze, he went up to the table and placed his down with them.

"I bring new ones every visit," Y/N said. "This time: anemones."

"We love those." She replied. "Randy's grandma always picked them...gave them to us whenever she came over."

Y/N smiled. Robbie did as well then pat the young man's back.

"How are things holding up, son?" Robbie asked him.

"Good." He nodded somberly. "Again...I'm sorry—"

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Things...happen." He replied.

"Not like this, Robert," Martha interjected.

They only knew a little bit of what happened based on eyewitnesses and the investigation. Only that Spider-Man and some other super-powered being was involved.

It could've been something the Bugle ran with, the fact that Spider-Man was involved in Randy Roberton's incident, but Robbie made sure not to have that be a headline. Out of respect for his longtime editor and coworker, Jonah decided to not do it.

"These freaks..." Martha added. "They just do what they want and not care about the consequences."

Y/N let out a quiet sigh after her remark. Robbie glanced at the young man before looking to the side.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It opened and in came a tall man. He wore a suit but what caught the young man's attention was the pigment of his skin. It was paler than usual.

Robbie recognized him immediately. He was a childhood buddy of his and despite not speaking much recently, they still considered each other good friends. The fact that he was there now surprised him.

"Lonnie?"

Alonzo Lincoln smiled and went up to his friend. It first began with a firm handshake but became an embrace. Lonnie pat Robbie's back.

"You doin' okay, Robbie?" He asked mid-hug.

"Better than a couple of days ago."

Lonnie nodded and parted from the embrace. He pat his shoulder and looked toward the hospital bed, where he smiled at Martha and then put his gaze on his godson.

"Damn..." He muttered.

"He's going to be fine. At least that's what the doctors said." Robbie told him. "He should be...up in about a week or so."

"Do they know what happened?"

He shrugged. "Just...a fight at his place. Involving Spider-Man and some other guy."

Lonnie nodded. He then turned, seeing Y/N with his arms crossed. Their eyes met and the businessman was the first to speak.

"Ah. A friend of the Robertsons?" He asked.

Robbie spoke. "This is Y/N L/N. He works with me at the Bugle."

Loonie shook Y/N's hand. The surname caught his intrigue.

"L/N? You a journalist?" He asked. "There was this gentleman back when I was an investor in the Bulletin...Michael. Damn good reporter. You—?"

Immediately, the young man denied it.

"No. And I'm not really a journalist. I'm a photographer."

Lonnie nodded and then let go of his hand. Y/N didn't want to dwell on that topic and moved on.

"So...I heard you invested in the Bugle not too long ago."

"You're correct. The news is a big part of society. I prefer having a hand in what the people take in. Accurate and real news."

"Funny you say that with how JJ portrays things."

"Like what? Spider-Man?" Lonnie scoffed. "Who really believes that crap anyway? At this point, it's satire."

"Yeah, Y/N's always having these fun spats with JJ about it. How he gets his photos of Spider-Man and puts a spin on it." Robbie said.

"Oh." Lonnie looked back at Y/N. "You take the web head's pictures?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Well, kid...those are some damn good pics."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've seen 'em. How do you—?"

"Flagpoles." He quickly said. "I climb a lot of them."

Lonnie laughed at his apparent joke. Suddenly, the man's phone started ringing. He took it out and glanced at it.

"I gotta take this." He said. "I'm glad you all are doing fine. Believe me, from now on...I'll be here every step of the way."

Robbie appreciated his word. He pat the side of his arm. Lonnie remembered a mantra from their childhood.

"Brotherhood..."

"Set in stone." Robbie finished. "Called you Mr. Stone for a reason."

He chuckled. "Thought that was because of my white-ass skin."

They both laughed but the name caught the young man's attention. Mr. Stone. That was the alias of the mysterious gang leader that dealt arms in the city.

He gave one last look at Lonnie as he walked toward their door. Their eyes met again and the man smirked.

"Nice meeting you, Mr. L/N."

Lonnie walked out, leaving Y/N standing there with an arched brow. He hummed.

Outside, Tombstone walked down the hallway and finally picked up his phone. He looked over his shoulder and made sure nobody was around to hear his call.

"This better be important." He spoke.

"Tech guys are about to crack into the drive. We need you here to see it."

"Good. I'll be there."

He glanced back at Randy's hospital room for a second before looking forward again.

"Give a call to our contact in the NYPD. I want to know about what happened to Randy Robertson."

"Why, sir?"

"I think H found out I took the drive and tried to get me back by going after my godson. No one messes with my family and gets away with it."

"What do you want them to do?"

"Find out who was there with the wall crawler. You get anything...a clue...hint...relay it back to me."

"Okay, sir."

Lonnie hung up the phone. He put it back into his pocket, adjusted his lapels, and walked down the hallway.

• • •

AT HIS HIGHRISE, Thomas Fireheart sat in his living room. The lights were low and the sound coming from his fountain nearby was the only thing he could hear.

In his hand was a picture frame. It was of a woman and a young boy...his family. He hadn't seen them in years after they discovered what he did on the side and moonlighted as. In the eyes of his wife...he was a monster.

And maybe that is what he was. During his time as a mercenary and assassin, he never harmed innocents. It was only the target and just them. In the case of a few days ago, he didn't even complete his mission of eliminating Felicia Hardy. All he did was put a young innocent college student into a coma.

She was right. That was something a monster would do. With all the lives he took, he now was possibly going to be responsible for Randy's being taken.

An assistant of his walked into the living room and saw him. She spoke up and got his attention.

"Mr. Fireheart?" She asked.

He looked over at her. "Hmm?"

"Mr. Gryphon is on the phone. He's ready."

"Right." Thomas cleared his throat and got up.

Before he stepped into his office, he stopped and looked at his assistant. He fixed up his suit.

"Uh...mind doing me a favor?"

"What is it, sir?"

"I—I heard about the incident with Randy Robertson. If you could...I want to pay for the hospital fees. If there's any."

"I'll see what we can do."

He stopped her before she could walk away.

"Make it anonymous."

She nodded and left. With a sigh, Thomas turned around and entered his office.

• • •

FELICIA HARDY ENTERED the hospital room. In it was only a comatose Randy. She gazed somberly at the unconscious man and let out a shuddered breath.

She went up to the bed, hugging herself and rubbing her arms. Seeing the young man like how he was brought her immense guilt. She knew that he got hurt only because Puma went after her.

"I'm so sorry, Randy..." She spoke softly. "It's all my fault."

The young woman teared up. Soon enough, she started to cry and she wiped away the wetness from her cheeks.

"You were so good to me in this brief amount of time we've been together. Unlike most...you actually treated me like someone special. Not just...some object."

She thought of past relationships. Most were bad while a couple were downright horrible. One relationship involving a man named Ryan during her freshman year was even traumatic. It hurt even thinking about it.

"You deserve someone much better. Someone that won't put you in harm's way when they're around you. With—with what I do...I can't be that person."

Felicia took out a letter from her purse and placed it on the table with the flowers. She took in a breath before leaning over and planting a kiss on his lips. She parted and stayed there for a moment.

"Goodbye, Randy."

With that, she walked away from the bed and toward the door. She looked back for a moment before leaving the room.

Moments later, the young man's fingers twitched. As he was just waking up, Randy could only let out an intelligible mumble.

• • •

TWO WEEKS PASSED. With the Spring semester about to begin, that was something Y/N had to tackle along with his responsibilities as Spider-Man. It wasn't anything he couldn't handle though, and was he pretty much used to the cycle of homework, regular work, and superhero work.

After dealing with a robbery in Greenwich, Spider-Man swung to the Osborn penthouse. Harry was throwing a welcome back party for Randy, who was recovering well and now walking. His friends were going to be there and Y/N was surely not going to miss it.

He stuck to the side of the building and reached one of the windows. Y/N went through and stepped into the hallway, making sure nobody was around. He slipped into a closet, changed out of his costume and into regular clothes, then came out.

Y/N took the elevator the rest of the way and went up to the door. It only took a few seconds after his knock for it to be answered and greeted by Harry.

"God damn, man. You finally made it!"

He let him in. Inside the living room were Indira, Randy, Flash, Giovanni, Angela, and Kate. There was a few other friends of Randy and Harry that were present as well.

"Sorry about that. You know how the traffic is." He replied. "And getting through this huge ass building didn't help."

Harry laughed it off and pat his back. He lead him inside and Kate immediately greeted him.

"Heyyyy."

He imitated her. "Heyyyy."

The two hugged and she pecked him on the lips. Harry chuckled and walked away to join the rest.

"Fashionably late as always." She whispered.

"Blame the wannabe gangsters down in 6th Avenue." He whispered back.

Kate snickered and the two soon joined the rest of their friends. They talked, drank, ate, and had a great time. Harry kept telling people to not eat everything though, as he still had someone coming by later.

Among these conversations, Flash mentioned that he'd get lucky with a date soon enough. That remark was met by scoffs and laughter. He stood firm with the belief though.

Randy sat with Y/N during one conversation. He confided in him with his situation with Felicia, telling him about the letter and how she didn't think he'd be safe around her.

"I get it," Randy said. "But...but I can't stop thinking about it, man. About her."

Y/N nodded. He did get why Felicia did what she did and left. It was the same reason why Y/N often worried about how his double life could get the people close to him hurt as well.

"Hey, man. These are some extraordinary circumstances...and I'm sorry. But just know that I'm here for you."

Randy smiled and nodded, looking down. Y/N pat him on the shoulder.

"Maybe I can help you. We can go out...I can be a wingman and help you with another date." He added.

"Uh...I'll pass." He chuckled. "Would rather have Harry do the wingman-ing."

Y/N scoffed. "Come on, bro. Don't you always say I'm the rizz king?"

The two laughed it off. Y/N saw that their drinks were empty and he offered to refill them. He got up and went toward the kitchen when the doorbell suddenly rang.

"Y/N!" Harry noticed his friend by the door and pointed. "Mind getting that?"

"All right!" He called back.

He put down the cups and went toward the door. Y/N opened it and put on a smile for whoever was on the other side. Upon seeing who it was...his expression began to falter.

It was MJ.

She was gazing down and fixing her sleeves. The girl looked up and saw the young man before her. Putting on a smile, she fixed her hair...which now had a red hue to it.

There was also one things that stuck out to him...the broken black dahlia necklace. She was still wearing it.

Y/N was still awestruck, and the reaction brought a chuckle out of Michelle Jones-Watson.

"What's with the face? You won the jackpot or something?"