Chapter Text
"You're fired, get out!"
"Again?" You replied, frowning as you adjusted the folder filled with photos of random little things you would exclusively find in New York.
"Uh, yeah? You have no latest pictures of that Spider menace, you're late for the fifth time, and for God's sake, nobody cares about subways, and landmarks people can see if they just walk down a damn street!" Jonah raised his voice, slamming a rolled newspaper down on his desk. "Tell you what, Parker, get me pictures of that charity event hosted by Osborn, and I'll give you a hundred for it. Do we have a deal?"
"Two-hundred." You bargained, crossing your arms.
He laughed, mostly in disbelief. "What? You think this is a charity case, one-fifty, and I'll stop spreading rumors about your arachnid friend."
"Really?" You gleamed with hope.
"No! Do you think I'm insane —until she takes her mask off to the public, I'll tear down her reputation until I'm on my deathbed, now get out!" He huffed, shooing you off.
You sighed, leaving the office —saying quick hellos to the receptionist.
"Wait, Y/N, before you go, have a free look at the latest," Betty said, tossing you a newspaper.
"Thanks, Betty." You flashed her a smile of appreciation as you looked at the headlines.
You raised an eyebrow. Important police documents were stolen. "Reports saw a young woman in black and white hair fleeing the scene. The documents contained info mostly about Walter Hardy, a 1980's infamous cat burglar, who is currently still living out his sentence." You read quietly to yourself. If only you were quick enough to catch her last night, you would've known what her whole deal was.
What exactly does your new thieving feline friend want with a guy in prison?
You waved at Robbie, walking over to him as you gave him another one of your friendly smiles.
"Rob... Robbie... my guy, can you do me a quick favor, please?" You asked, lightly playfully punching his shoulder.
He sighed, putting his cup of coffee down at his desk. "What is it, Y/N? This is your third favor, which you still haven't paid me for."
"Whaat... I paid you that one time—"
"Pizza doesn't exactly cut it, Parker," Robbie added. "Listen, I'm mostly doing these as a friend, but not when you have me digging in old archives just for an article about a robbery in the 50s."
"Pretty please?" You pouted, trying to persuade the middle-aged man.
"Ugh... alright, what do you want me to do?" He gave in, causing you to triumphantly grin.
"I need records on a guy who goes by the name Walter Hardy."
"I've heard that name before, any reason why?" Joe asked, taking another sip out of his mug.
"It's for... research... I want to — get a head start on a story about him... If something were to ever happen."
"He's in prison, Y/N. What could possibly happen to him?" He further questioned, suspiciously looking at you.
"Just do it... I- I will secure you tickets to a —uh Broadway show, yeah." Joe continued his suspicious looks.
"Get one for Randy as well, and I won't ask questions anymore." He said, crossing his arms.
"Deal, fine..." You rolled my eyes, sighing in defeat, knowing only one other person had access to these tickets, and it was your ex —Mary Jane Watson.
You finally took your leave from the Daily Bugle, disappearing into an alleyway, as you finally found another hidden backpack with a spare suit inside, then you dressed behind a dumpster —coming out swinging... literally.
After a full day of stopping arms dealing, carjacking, and holding ladies hostage, you were spent and bored. So you tried your luck on the tickets with Mj. She didn't know you were Spiderwoman, and it could be an okay time to tell her.
After minutes of swinging, you finally found yourself on her fire escape stairs. And there you found her alone in her living room watching cheesy, rom-com movies she would somehow always get you to watch. Hesitantly, you knocked on her window, eyebrows furrowing in surprise when she saw Spiderwoman at her window.
"Hi..." You said as she opened the window.
"Hello?" She said, crossing her arms. You sighed, dropping your head, not wanting to do this but feeling like she needed to know.
"Mary Jane."
"Yes?" She smiled, confusion mostly written on her face. As you grabbed the top of your mask and slowly pulled it up, time seemed to slow down. Suddenly, you felt a hand stop yours, making you look up in confusion.
"Y/N... I know it's you already."
"H-huh? Y-you knew?!" You quietly yelled, looking around in shock. "Since when?!" You continued, your jaw dropped within your mask.
"Well... ever since you agreed to be my girlfriend..." She replied, grinning at your reaction.
"F-four years? Then why did you break up with me... if you knew my real excuse to not show up at your premiere?" You asked, frowning slightly.
"I needed a break... and I was mostly mad at you for risking your life somewhere else when you promised and insisted you'd be there." She scoffed, looking somewhere else. "I'm also mad that you've never told me until now —that reminds me, why are you here?"
You looked at her with guilt, looking around in fake confusion.
"Uh... I-I... need... tickets... to your new Broadway show...?" You quietly confessed, biting your lip in stress.
"Wow... and here I thought you came here to apologize." She scoffed, standing up to prepare to shut the window on your face.
"W-wait...!"
"What?" She asked.
"I-I'm sorry, Mj... for not being there for you even though I promised many times I would, a-and... for not telling you that I'm Spiderwoman." You lifted off your mask, waiting for a response.
"Good girl..." She smiled as she thought about something. "I'll get you tickets... if you go to my show as well, give a flower to each of my fellow cast members... and you have to give me a free swinging ride around Times Square." She stated, her face lighting up as she stared at the misery on yours.
"Alright... deal."
"Okay, you can go now, Y/N. You made me skip very important parts of my movie." She waved you off, closing the window, as your schedule was packed with Aunt May's charity event, Mj's show, and pursuing the Feline Femme Fatale's plans.
As you patrolled more around New York, your phone finally rang inside your backpack, and you reached for it.
"Hey... Robbie... got anything for me?" You asked, perched on a nearby rooftop while you had the phone.
"Yep, so Walter Hardy, as most know, a cat burglar in the 80s, sentenced to multiple years, was recently diagnosed as terminally ill, looks to me this guy is almost finished with his life sentences, heh, not the time," He coughed with awkwardness. "Oh, and he has a daughter, Felicia Hardy." He added.
"Thanks, Rob, you're a big help." You smiled at the very helpful info.
"No problem, kiddo. If you want, I can send you the daughter's number and address over on texts if you'd like... maybe a personal interview... which is what I hope you're doing." He said —you could practically hear his suspicion over the phone.
"That would be great, catch you later, Robbie." You hung up, putting your phone back into your backpack pocket.
"Guess I should pay a visit to Walter then, huh...?" You spoke to yourself, standing up as you dived off the roof, swinging to the prison where he's likely serving his sentence.
As you finally arrived, things looked clear, no distant figures sneaking in, guards at every perimeter. Maybe you miscalculated. Then, suddenly, nerves spiked up to your brain, something telling you to dodge the danger. So you did.
A woman passed below as you jumped to avoid what was coming.
"Didn't expect to see you here, Spidey." She missed the attack, and you turned to look at her with surprise.
"And here I thought you wanted to ask me out on a date." You remarked, flipping out of the way again when she went for another attack. "I know why you're here... Felicia."
She looked stunned, like she didn't expect Spiderwoman to know her name.
"Walter Hardy's your father, right? And I'm guessing you want to break him out?" You confronted, crossing your arms.
"What's it to you?" Felicia asked with aggressiveness. "Don't try to stop me, I would hate for me to kill you." She threatened, flipping off the prison wall.
You chased after her, climbing down the walls as the guards hadn't noticed both of your presences. "You don't have to do this, Cat —I know a lot of things, and this doesn't have to happen."
"Then you should know that I'm getting out of here and you aren't, Spidey."
An alerting buzz roamed through your head as an explosion happened right near you, but not close enough to knock you out, yet enough to leave you dazed.
"Catch you later, sweetheart." She bent her fingers down, in a hinge motion, waving bye at you mockingly. You shook your head to clear it, webbing her waist as you pulled her towards you before she could walk into the bomb-made entrance.
"You're not going anywhere, Hardy." You said, staring right into her eyes as you held her webbed waist.
"Wow... so strong, striking jawline —have I ever told you that you're pretty hot for such a stubborn, mysterious spider?" She complimented you, purposely biting her lips.
"That won't work on m— h-hey...!" She started to lift your mask, your hands quickly stopping her.
"Relax, sweetie, I'm not gonna unmask you —it would honestly ruin the illusion." Your weakness for attractive women let her continue, only lifting your mask to where your nose was.
"What are you?—" She lightly grazed your jawline with her sharp nail, leaning forward as she enveloped your lips within hers, causing your breath to hitch. Her lips soft against yours, leaving you breathless with each slow, lingering parting.
You should've stopped to turn this thief in to the NYPD, but you were caught up in the moment —dazed from the explosion, and dazed from the hold she has on you.
After seconds of just making out, she finally pulled away, her green eyes peering into yours with an unidentifiable intensity through her mask. Before you could say another word —at the last minute your senses spiked, but you were already hit hard in the back of the head with a metal bat, knocking you out longer than last time.
"Aww... you couldn't have let it last a little longer, could you Boris?" She let you fall onto the floor unconscious, while she went to go retrieve her father from prison.
"Thats's what happens when you cross this Black Cat —T.T.F.N love." She blew you a kiss, before fully leaving.