Spider-Man 154

[Third Person's PoV] 

Spider-Man was seen swinging through the rainy night, causing him to sigh, "Of course it would be raining," he grumbled.

On his way to Felicia, Spider-Man stopped a few incidents, mostly preventing car crashes and mishaps due to the wet and slippery ground.

Spider-Man landed on the railing of a fire escape directly outside Felicia's window. He tapped the side of his ear, causing his helmet to retract and stay on as a metal chin guard.

Peter peered inside, seeing Felicia sitting on her bed with books scattered around her, doing homework. He noticed her push a strand of hair behind her ear; she was wearing a large black sweater.

Peter took a deep breath to mentally prepare for their conversation. He knocked on her window, and she jumped slightly in surprise, looking up in confusion.

Peter fogged up the window with his breath and wrote "Hi" in the condensation.

Felicia scoffed in amusement, opened the window, and saw his now-wet hair clinging to his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know… I was just patrolling the neighborhood and decided to drop by and say hello."

Felicia leaned against the window, looking at him with an expression that said she didn't believe him. "Uh huh… What do you want, Pete? I'm kind of busy with homework."

"Huh? You still do that? I just gave it to Aria to handle for me. I haven't done a single piece of homework since middle school."

Felicia shrugged. "I just do it to keep myself busy. I'll get bored otherwise… Anyway, do you want to come in? You're going to get sick if you stay in the rain."

"I can't get sick… but I'll still take you up on that offer."

"Right… forgot, sorry, habits. Just don't get my floor wet."

As Spider-Man entered, he closed the window and the curtains behind him. When he turned around, Felicia was in front of him with a towel, drying his hair.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? Drying you. You're the idiot who decided to take his helmet off and get wet–"

"I found your father…" Peter blurted out suddenly.

Felicia froze, her hand resting on Peter's head with the towel. She lowered her hands to his cheeks, lifting his head to look at her. Her expression was serious as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

Peter looked away, unable to meet her eyes. "I had Aria access all the information SHIELD had. One piece of that information was that your father was once in SHIELD custody for trying to steal information from them."

Felicia turned Peter's head, forcing him to look at her. "Are you saying my father is in SHIELD custody? Is that where he's been this entire time?"

Peter decided to brave it and look Felicia in the eyes. He saw her eyes begin to water as she bit her lip. "Your dad was really skilled. They even tried to recruit him. He actually managed to break free and escape their custody."

"Peter," she sobbed, "Why are you so scared to tell me the rest? What is it that you're not telling me?"

"Aria found out SHIELD was infested with Hydra agents. They were secretly running SHIELD. Your father had the misfortune of discovering that. Once he did, Hydra sent someone after him, someone to take him out."

Felicia gripped Peter's suit and pressed her forehead against his chest. Peter saw her shoulders trembling. "Are you—" She choked out, her voice trembling, "—saying my daddy was killed? Please… Please tell me you're lying."

Peter couldn't say anything as Felicia continued, "He can't be dead. My dad is one slippery bastard. He's probably hiding out somewhere until it's safe," she said, looking up at Peter with her tear-streaked face.

Peter turned his wrist, projecting a holographic picture Aria had found. "This was the last picture Aria was able to find of your father."

Felicia reached for his wrist with shaky hands. "Who is that? Who is that against my father…"

"He is known as the Winter Soldier, Hydra's exterminator. No one who the Winter Soldier has gone up against has ever made it out alive. He's like an urban myth that no one truly believes in. From what Aria and I were able to gather and infer, we believe he's enhanced. Hydra has managed to create an imperfect Super Soldier Serum and used the Winter Soldier as an experiment."

Felicia slowly looked up at Peter, tears streaming down her face, her lip quivering. Sobs wracked her body as she buried her face in his chest, clutching him tightly. "My daddy... he's really gone?" she whispered between sobs. "He can't be. He just can't be..."

Peter held Felicia as she began sobbing, her hands gripping his back tightly. He could feel her whole body shaking with each sob, her tears soaking into his suit. Peter gently rubbed her back, trying to offer some comfort.

Felicia had her head resting on his shoulder as she cried out for her father, her voice breaking with each sob. Peter ran his hand over her head in comfort, his fingers gently threading through her hair. "I'm so sorry," he murmured, his heart aching for her. He held her tighter, wishing there was more he could do to ease her pain. "You're not alone, Felicia. I'm right here." His words seemed to soothe her slightly, but her tears continued to flow. All Peter could do was stay by her side, offering silent support as she grieved.

After a few long minutes, Felicia's sobbing began to calm down. She still refused to let go of her grip on Peter, finding solace in his warmth. Her breathing gradually steadied, but she remained nestled against him, drawing strength from his presence. Peter continued to stroke her hair gently, offering silent comfort. "Take your time," he said softly, his voice filled with compassion. He knew she needed this moment to feel safe and supported, and he was more than willing to be there for her, for as long as she needed.

After a while, Peter gently laid Felicia down on the bed to rest, but she still clung to him. "Please don't leave me…" she mumbled sadly. She knew that if she let go of Peter, she would return to a crying mess. He was her warmth during this time, the time she felt most alone. Peter froze for a moment, then took a deep breath and complied with her wishes. He lay down beside her, wrapping his arms around her as she nestled against him. "I'm not going anywhere," he whispered reassuringly, holding her close. "I'm here for you, Felicia." They stayed like that, finding a fragile peace in each other's presence as the night slowly passed.

"You know, ever since my dad disappeared, I have always resented him slightly. I always thought he was hiding somewhere because of something he stole but couldn't bring us along. I understood that if that was the case, he was doing it for our own protection, but I always wondered why we couldn't have hidden together with him." Felicia shared, her face buried in Peter's chest.

"So, have you always known your father was in the thieving business?"

Felicia chuckled. "Yeah, believe it or not, I found out when I was five. I heard someone breaking in, and being so young, I didn't know any better and went to check it out. I found my dad coming through the window in black spandex with a bag over his shoulders. I remember us just staring awkwardly at each other for a while. Then he said, 'Don't tell your mother.'" She deepened her voice towards the end, chuckling slightly.

"I feel like if it wasn't for that incident, my father and I wouldn't have been as close as we were. Ever since that day, he taught me all his skills, from fighting to pickpocketing, even how to escape if I was ever tied up. Every time he stole something, the first thing he did was show it to me. It almost became a sort of tradition between us.

Obviously, my mother never found out what my father was up to, but I had a feeling she knew or had a clue but chose to keep quiet about it since it brought us close. Not to mention how good the money was and how he got us lavish gifts and took us to fancy, exotic places."

Peter had a smile on his face as he listened, while Felicia also had a small smile with a reminiscent but pained look. She then chuckled, "Wanna know something funny? I was the one who came up with the name Black Cat for him. He loved it, and ever since, he used it as his moniker. He would always leave something to tell people it was him who stole whatever it was."

"Well, that all stopped when I was twelve, when he suddenly disappeared…" she said, burying her face in Peter's chest once more.

"Peter…" she called out with a deep sense of sadness in her voice, "I miss him so much." She cried.

Peter continued holding her. "I know… From what you told me, the two of you sounded really close… I'm a bit jealous," he said teasingly, trying to make her smile.

When she looked up at Peter, tears were rolling down the side of her face. Peter subconsciously wiped her tears away, causing Felicia to lean into his hand and close her eyes. "Thank you… for being here with me, Pete…"

"Always…"

When Felicia opened her eyes, she saw Peter smiling at her with tenderness. Unable to resist, she reached out and placed a hand on his cheek. As Felicia softly caressed his cheek, her touch was tender and soothing. She guided her face closer to Peter's, shifting upward with deliberate slowness. Their lips met in a gentle, affectionate kiss. The kiss was tender and soft, each movement slow and deliberate, creating a quiet, intimate moment. The sound of their kissing was a subtle mingling of soft, fleeting whispers, enhancing the warmth and closeness they shared.

As they slowly back away Felica had a small blush on her face as she smiled slightly, while Peter just had a look of pure disbelief. 'I'm so fucking dead…'

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