Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Being Spidergirl really isn’t the worst thing in the world. In fact, Megan would go as far as to say it's probably the best thing that’s ever happened to her (not including the time she won a $200 Digital Robux Gift Card giveaway in middle school. Safe to say her Roblox girlfriend was very impressed that day).

Sure, she’s been thrown through a wall a couple of times. Sure, she’s been punched in the face more times than probably every other 19 year old in the city combined. And fine, maybe that time when that huge guy in a rhino suit that had that crazy Eastern European accent (like seriously, she thought people only spoke that way in movies) told her Am going to break Spidergirl ass and she said Actually I really like my ass and I’d prefer it if you didn’t do that and he said Too bad and then he slammed her into the concrete so hard she might’ve actually broken her ass was the most physically painful experience she had ever gone through.

But really, all of that is nothing compared to the benefits that come with it. Megan is literally a superhero. It’s kind of the best job she could ever ask for, really. Protecting people, saving lives, kissing babies on the forehead, signing autographs, signing autographs on the babies’ foreheads, she even has her own fanclub. It was like she was a celebrity, except instead of going to award shows or something cool like that she got shot at in grimy New York City alleys that had very high rat populations instead. But really, she didn’t mind all that much. In fact, those rats could be pretty cool sometimes. She’s pretty sure one of them tried to share an old rotting pizza slice with her once, which made her think of Master Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and really, who wouldn't think that was awesome?

The worst part about being a 19-year-old web-slinging crime fighter (aside from the regular ass-beatings she was subjected to) was definitely trying to balance it with her college classes. She seriously considered dropping out because really, it was ridiculous trying to make it on time to an 8 am lecture after spending all night putting her body and life on the line to protect the good people of New York. She was lucky if she got a decent 3 hours of sleep. The worst nights consisted of only 30 minute power-naps between fighting crime and fighting her decreasing GPA. But, as Manon had once told her, education is important and hot so she couldn’t drop out (which is very hypocritical considering the girl’s grades were almost as bad as Megan’s own. And she didn’t even have a good excuse like Megan did, thank you very much).

Take now, as an example: Megan, in her cramped dorm she shared with Lara, frantically pulling off her suit after waking up one minute prior with only ten minutes until class started. The first class of the school year. A class which, according to RateMyProfessors.Com, had a very strict teacher. Shoving the sleeveless red hoodie and blue sweatsuit into her desk drawer, she threw on the first outfit she got her hands on in the closet and doused herself in a layer of perfume to cover the unfortunate I haven't had the opportunity to shower yet smell she was probably giving off before rushing out the door.

She might’ve even made it somewhat on time, too, if it weren’t for her crashing into a new, unforeseen obstacle (which, seriously, thanks a lot, spidey-sense, isn’t it literally its job to inform her of those?). If that wasn’t bad enough, Megan also had to fall flat on her ass because her typically-incredible reflexes and instincts don’t exactly agree with her on tired mornings like these.

There was an exclamation in a language Megan couldn’t understand, a frantic “Oh, I’m so sorry!”, and an outstretched hand suddenly in front of her face. Megan looked up and- oh.

The “obstacle” was a very, very pretty girl.

Megan would probably be embarrassed if she wasn’t so starstruck. Like, really, there wasn’t a single thought going on in her head except for wow, she’s beautiful.

Here’s the thing: Megan has met many beautiful people in her life, both as a regular citizen and as Spidergirl. She was no stranger to pretty girls, handsome guys, pretty guys, handsome girls, even that one really gorgeous non-binary barista at one of the many hipster coffee shops around campus who winked at her when handing her her matcha latte. The point is, Megan should be used to seeing people who could pass as models, especially in a place like New York City.

She clearly wasn’t, if her dumbfounded reaction was anything to go by.

But really, it wasn’t like this was just any beautiful girl. Something about her was so captivating, her sleek dark hair falling in gentle waves down her shoulders, a cute worried expression painted across her pretty face, and not to be creepy, but she smelled like vanilla and flowers and angels and puppies and everything wonderful in the world.

Megan felt like that scene in the Lego Batman movie when Bruce Wayne sees Barbara Gordon for the first time, with time slowing and romantic music playing and everything. 

It dawned on her just how stupid she probably looked at the moment. Mismatched socks, pink cherry print sweatpants, and her good old Texas is for Lovers shirt. She felt like she was playing Episode with no diamonds. At least the perfume she picked smelled nice.

The girl in front of her looked increasingly concerned as the seconds ticked by, which was greatly unsurprising considering Megan was just staring at her blankly like an idiot. It was only after the girl worriedly asked, “Are you okay? Did you hit your head?” that Megan snapped out of it.

Taking the outstretched hand, ignoring the immediate thought of wow her skin is so soft, Megan stood up. 

“I’m- I’m so sorry! I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you alright? I’m alright. I mean, I didn’t hit my head, so you don’t have to worry about that. And even if I did, I have a hard head. My skull’s pretty thick, so,” Megan awkwardly chuckled, knocking her fist lightly against her head. 

Before she could embarrass herself any further, the girl chuckled. “I’m okay.”

Megan let go of her hand, ignoring the dramatic pang her heart did at the loss of contact. Scratching her head (and momentarily cringing at the fact that she probably looked like one of those anime characters who rub the back of their heads when they’re shy and wow she’s really overthinking this), she cleared her throat. “Sorry. I can ramble sometimes. Uh, I'm Megan.”

“Yoonchae.”

Yoonchae. A pretty name for an even prettier girl. Something felt oddly familiar in the back of Megan’s mind, like she was forgetting something important, but she brushed it off because hello, subconscious, I’m kind of busy talking to an angel here. Megan beamed. “It’s nice to meet you! Although I would’ve preferred if it was under different circumstances where I didn’t literally run into you.”

Yoonchae giggled and has Megan mentioned that her laugh is the most angelic thing she’s ever heard? “You’re funny, Megan. I have to go, I don’t want to be late on my first day. But it was nice to meet you too.”

As Yoonchae walked off, waving goodbye, Megan let out what might’ve been the biggest, most dramatic sigh in her life. Yoonchae. Yoonchae called her funny. And laughed and said it was nice to meet her. Megan felt like she was floating from all the giddy feelings bouncing around her chest.

Maybe this morning really wasn’t so bad after all. Until she looked at her phone and realized she was now definitely late, like, so late that not even a full blown sprint across campus with her super-stamina could save her now. Well, you win some, you lose some.

𒌐𒌐𒌐

Megan sank down next to Lara in the dining hall, letting out a tired groan. Across from her, Manon raised her eyebrows. “Rough night?”

“Tell me about it.”

Next to Manon, Daniela frowned. “I don’t know why you keep that internship, Megs. You look so tired all the time. And you’re still more broke than ever.”

So, here’s the thing. There are only two people on the planet who are aware of Megan’s secret identity: Lara and Manon. It wasn’t even like she intended for them to know. It was just kind of unavoidable when Megan woke up the night after the trip to Oscorp Labs last year literally stuck to the ceiling. Megan’s ensuing yelp woke up Lara, which then woke up Manon who was for some reason in Lara’s bed and she was so baffled as the three of them stared at each other in shock that she became unstuck and crashed back onto the floor.

She wouldn’t be where she was today if it weren’t for them, despite how annoying they could be. After a very confusing conversation about Megan defying the laws of physics and what exactly Manon was doing there in the first place (to which she insisted we were cuddling, what, two very close best friends can’t platonically cuddle one another to sleep in each other’s rooms anymore?), they made an even more shocking discovery of literal webs coming out of newly-developed tiny wrist-holes thanks to Megan’s panicked arm-flailing, which only led to more panicking and her entire side of the room getting covered in the silk webbing. The following day consisted of the three of them testing out just exactly what Megan’s new abilities consisted of, and when she accidentally swung face-first into a metal pipe and the pipe crumpled like paper instead of Megan’s forehead, Manon had said, “Dude, you’re like an actual superhero,” and the rest was history.

Eleven months, a red ski mask, and several ruined hoodies later, here she was. Spidergirl. The city’s protector. She wanted to tell the others, she really did, but more people knowing meant not only more risk of her identity being revealed but also more risk of the ones she loved getting hurt. The last thing she ever wanted was to put the ones she cared about most in danger, and if it meant lying to them about her true identity and an internship she most definitely did not have in order to do so, Megan would do it. 

Ignoring Manon’s laugh at Daniela's broke comment, Megan justifies her non-existent super secret private internship job. “Well, y’know, it’s an unpaid internship. It’s the experience that’s important, not the money.”

“I’m just saying, you need to take care of yourself. If you die of exhaustion, Sophia’s gonna be pissed.”

Megan groaned again. “Don’t even say that. Knowing her she would find a way to resurrect me just to kill me again. Where is she, anyways?”

Lara chimed in, “She’s picking up her cousin, remember? She’s a freshman this year. You were supposed to meet her with the rest of us, like, a week ago, but you were a bit preoccupied with other matters.”

Right. Sophia’s cousin, the one she was practically sisters with considering how close they were. The daughter of Sophia’s very rich and intimidating uncle who Megan has met exactly once and seriously, he literally smells like money.

“Dude, I’m so tired I don’t think I can remember anything right now. What was her name again?”

“Yoonchae. She’s really sweet. Well, most of the time. You’ll love her.”

Oh. Oh shit. It was coming back to her now.

She knew something felt familiar.

While Manon and Daniela started chattering about how adorable the girl was and how Manon wanted to adopt her or whatever, Megan was busy sitting in shock.

Yoonchae Jeung, the only child of the chairman of Jeung Industries, aka literally one of the biggest tech companies in the world. The super rich uncle. Who was related to Sophia. One of her best friends. Who is cousins with Yoonchae. The daughter of said rich uncle.  And Megan wasn’t the best at statistics, but she’s pretty sure it’s highly unlikely that ‘cousin Yoonchae’ isn’t the same person as ‘running-into-while-late-to-class Yoonchae’. The same Yoonchae that Megan managed to develop a big embarrassing crush on within the span of about 30 seconds just this morning.

And of course, because the universe liked to laugh at Megan’s expense, Sophia and Yoonchae decided that now was the perfect time to enter the dining hall. Megan hadn’t even had the chance to make sure her jaw wasn’t hanging open in shock after her big revelation.

Sophia, oblivious to Megan’s inner turmoil, slid into the chair next to Manon. “Sorry we’re a bit late, someone lost track of time.”

Yoonchae, who was indeed real and not a figment of Megan’s overtired imagination, scoffed in offense. But instead of rebutting, her gaze turned and locked onto Megan with a small smile. Judging from her very-not-surprised expression, she wasn’t experiencing the same whiplash Megan was currently feeling. Did she know Megan would be here? “Hi, Megan. It’s nice to see you again.”

Megan stared, the tips of her ears pink, and Lara had to smack her leg to get her to stop gaping like a fish. “Oh, uh, hi! I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Not that I’m complaining!”

Sophia chimed in, “You two know each other? Since when?"

Yoonchae answered for her. “We bumped into each other this morning when I was going to class.”

Manon, as usual, had to dramatically make herself known. “Uh, hello, where’s my greeting? I thought I was totally your favorite last time.”

“You were alright.”

Manon sputtered while Daniela laughed at her expense. “Wha- hello? Just alright? I’m a delight to be around!”

Yoonchae gave a little smirk of amusement, then, completely ignoring the empty seat next to Sophia, sat down next to Megan. As if her ears couldn’t get redder.

Sophia raised a suspicious eyebrow at the exchange, squinting her eyes at both of them, and Megan let out a breath of relief when the girl dropped whatever she was thinking and moved on with the conversation. “Well, it’s good you already know each other then. I was telling Yoonchae earlier that I thought you two would get along great.”

Lara, who loved taking the opportunity to embarrass her, muttered under her breath yeah, I’m sure they will to which she received a sharp elbow in the side for. Of course Lara, who she’s been best friends with since the fifth grade, picked up on her little crush immediately. As if Megan hasn’t suffered enough today already.

Clearing her throat, Megan tried to act as normal as she possibly could (which wasn’t all that normal to begin with). “So, Yoonchae, how are you liking university so far?”

“It’s nice. New York City is kind of like the movies, except there’s a lot more pigeons and weird smells.” Yeah, sounds like New York.

“You get used to it. After a while the scent of pollution almost smells like home.”

Yoonchae let out one of her angelic giggles, and Megan felt like she had won the lottery. She’s totally nailing this. Way to go, her.

Before she could celebrate her small victories too much, however, Daniela dropped the S-word. “Have you seen Spidergirl yet? She’s around here a lot.”

“Spidergirl?”

Megan didn’t know whether to be happy or heartbroken that the girl didn’t seem to know her super cool awesome superhero persona. Manon and Lara made not-so-discreet dramatic eye contact, and Megan cursed for what may have been the millionth time that these two were the ones in charge of hiding her identity. The amount of times they’ve been extremely obvious and suspicious was so high Megan is shocked no one has caught on yet. Although Megan wasn’t all that great at hiding it herself, so she can’t be too mad about it.

“Yeah, Spidergirl. She swings around with, like, actual webs. I’m pretty sure they literally come out of her hands.”

A spark of recognition lit up Yoonchae’s face at Daniela’s words. “Oh, I think I’ve seen videos of that. She’s red and blue with a big spider on her chest, right?”

“Yeah, that’s her! I actually met her once, it was so cool. We took a picture together and everything. She’s kind of my idol. A lot of people think she might be a student here.”

Did Megan forget to mention that Daniela is a bit of a Spidergirl fangirl? Because it was a very big inconvenience trying to act normal when one of her closest friends occasionally gushed over how cool and awesome Spidergirl was. It was even more difficult during the aforementioned Daniela-Spidergirl-meeting where Megan had to act like she wasn't Megan to someone who very much knew how Megan sounded and behaved.  And of course, because the universe doesn’t like her as mentioned before, Daniela had to start talking about how she totally had a crush on Spidergirl after meeting her because she was even more sweet and charming in person.

Manon, ever the instigator, pulled out her phone. Megan knew it wasn’t going to be anything good by the evil smirk on her face, and she was proven right when Manon opened her mouth. “Lara met Spidergirl once too, by the way. She saved her from a burning building, it was really romantic.”

Ah, yes. The viral video of Spidergirl carrying Lara out of a building bridal style, fire burning dramatically in the background and everything. And, because again, Lara loved watching her suffer, she had played the damsel in distress act very dramatically. Not even almost dying could stop her. She had given Megan a dramatic kiss on the cheek and a “Thank you, my hero.”

It was no surprise when just a few hours later, after the internet found out just who Lara Raj was, the hashtag Spideraj was trending on Twitter. Manon and Lara thought it was hilarious. Megan, less so. She’s pretty sure they have actual fanfictions about them.

Yoonchae squinted at the video, courtesy of Manon shoving her phone in her face. “Huh. I think you were right about Spidergirl being a student, Daniela.”

“What makes you say that?”

“The suit looks very… homemade.”

Megan resisted the urge to cringe at Lara’s snort and Manon’s barely concealed laughter. Was it really so bad that her prestigious superhero suit was basically just a spray-painted zip-up hoodie and some goggles? Probably. But it wasn’t her fault that the suit system she had going on was simple and required no extra brain power. Every time the sweatshirt got torn to shreds she could just take a quick trip down to the dollar store and get another. It’s happened so many times at this point that Megan and Lara just keep the spider stencil and spray paint in their shared closet for convenience. 

Also, she’s pretty sure that all the superheroes with the good costumes in movies don’t have to worry about communal college washing machines. She imagines it would be pretty hard for Clark Kent to explain to everyone at the laundromat why he’s washing Superman’s very eye-catching one-of-a-kind special unique kryptonian suit. So until she gets a washing machine of her own, it’s the generic sweatpants and hoodie for her. Lara does make sure to make fun of the fact that she insists on ripping off the sleeves every time, though, and Megan has tried to tell her that it’s for the aesthetics and color scheme, no sleeves balances the red and blue better. Lara usually then calls her a nerd, and Megan steals her phone and webs it to the ceiling and doesn’t get it until the other girl apologizes, and, well. You get the point.

Sophia comes to her poor underappreciated suit’s defense. “I like it. It makes Spidergirl feel more down-to-earth, like she’s one of us.”

Daniela nodded, “Yeah, like she’s just a regular person. It’s pretty crazy to think that Spidergirl could be right here in this room and we would have no idea.”

And there went Manon and Lara again with the not-discreet faces. Someone please save her from this conversation. She’ll even take a notification from the crime app on her phone at this point.

Right on cue, Megan felt a buzz in her pocket.

She should be more careful what she wishes for. Thanks again, universe.

𒌐𒌐𒌐

A week after that very painful conversation and her equally as painful exit where she bullshitted her way through an excuse as to why she had to leave right then and there (definitely not to stop a robbery or anything), she was crouched on a rooftop, fully suited up. It was a weekend afternoon, and those were usually either very slow or very hectic, no in-between.

Today was a slow day. She swung around Manhattan a few times, took a stroll through Central Park, helped a cat out of a tree, tried to help some kid with his homework until he realized she didn’t totally know what she was doing, played chess with a random old guy, the works. She was back to lingering around NYU now, just waiting for something, literally anything, to happen.

She was lost in thought musing to herself about how the suit was sticking to her skin uncomfortably with the warmth when she felt a sudden sharp unease strike her. Spidey-sense. Looking below, she analyzed the situation: a few people sitting around here and there, working on various projects. Some of them talking, eating, damn that donut looked good, she forgot to eat before, and- there.

A car was approaching rapidly, and it appeared to have no driver. Campus Safety was plastered on the side, which wow, that’s ironic, and it was headed right towards a few students sitting on the lawn, particularly one girl who was sitting against a tree and seemingly lost in her own world. Megan acted fast.

Someone tried to yell a panicked “Watch out!” but at the speed it was going, there wasn't much that could be done. The girl looked up, eyes widening, but before the car could hit her she was suddenly airborne.

Spidergirl was there, one arm around her and the other swinging her to safety. The car crashed into the tree, front hood crumpling like a can, and everyone collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Nobody was hurt.

Megan landed them softly. She turned to look at the girl she saved, and- Yeah, that was just her luck.

Yoonchae stared back at her, eyes wide in shock. She had no visible injuries, not even a scratch, but if Megan focused she could hear the rabbit-quick beating of her heart. Her own heart clenched. She was probably terrified.

“Hey, are you alright? That was a close one. Well, not really a close one, because I was here. That sounded arrogant. Sorry.” Megan cringed under the mask. Not even the veil of anonymity could keep her from embarrassing herself in front of the other girl. Her arm was still around Yoonchae’s waist, and she dropped it quickly.

Yoonchae just stared at her. “You’re Spidergirl.”

“That I am.”

It was awkwardly silent for a few long moments, then- “The webs really do come from your hands.”

Megan chuckled, scratching the back of her head before stopping herself. Enough with the anime pose. “Well, technically they come from my wrists, but yeah.”

Yoonchae stared again. There was something different in her expression this time. Like a certain… suspicion.

Megan gulped, looking around dramatically. “Well, good thing nobody was in the car. Ghost car. I mean, I still could’ve handled it if there was a driver, of course, but it's easier dealing with property damage than human damage.”

Still nothing. Yoonchae squinted further. At least her heart was calming down. Maybe Megan’s rambling was actually helpful for once.

She cleared her throat awkwardly. “Ghost cars are pretty cool. Not when they’re almost running into people. More like the concept of a ghost driving, y’know? Like, they may be dead, but they won’t let that stop them from living life to the fullest. Unlife. Whatever the proper term is. You know, I'm pretty sure I have, like, a sixth sense for ghosts. Or maybe a seventh sense. I'm not sure how that all works.”

Nothing. Megan fidgeted with her fingers, scuffing her boots against the grass. “Well, I should probably go now. People to save and stuff. More ghost cars to stop. The usual.”

Yoonchae tilted her head to the side, and before Megan could swing away from her own embarrassment, the girl spoke a soft “Wait.”

Turning around, Megan looked at her again. Yoonchae looked less shocked, more sure of herself now. Like she processed whatever was bothering her (probably the car literally hurtling towards her a minute ago, genius). “What's up?”

Yoonchae stepped closer, and before Megan could do anything but internally freak out over their sudden proximity, she gave a quick kiss to her masked cheek.

Oh.

“Thank you for saving me.”

Megan’s face was probably the same shade as her mask. She responded softly, more tenderly than intended, “Of course. I always will.”

Realizing how that sounded, she backtracked, plastering on her I am a super awesome superhero voice that she sometimes practiced in the mirror. “I always will save the good people of New York. Your friendly neighborhood Spidergirl is always here to help.”

Yoonchae smiled softly. Before she could say anything else, a straggler from the crowd approached, gathering their courage to say hi. “Spidergirl, I’m such a big fan! Could I get your autograph?”

The one brave fan inspired several others to approach, too, and by the time Megan was done taking selfies with her supporters and explaining the situation to the campus police who finally arrived to deal the car, Yoonchae was gone.

Megan let out a wistful sigh. She was in way too deep already.

𒌐𒌐𒌐

Opening the door to her dorm room, suit safely tucked away in her backpack, Megan sighed again. She faceplanted into her pillow, grabbing the attention of Lara who was clicking on her laptop at her desk.

Lara pulled her headphones down to her neck. “What’s up with the dramatics? Did you fall into the fountain again?”

Megan sighed again at the memory, muffled by the pillow. Not her finest moment. “No. Worse. I'm totally screwed. Probably in love. Definitely screwed.” 

“Yoonchae?”

Megan groaned in affirmation.

“Hey, why’s #Spiderchae trending on Twitter?”

Megan groaned louder.

Chapter Text

@SpideyBase

Spidergirl spotted saving a student on NYU campus! Eyewitnesses say a university-owned vehicle slipped out of park and rolled downhill. Luckily our girl was there to save the day! Video attached below ↓

  @SpideyBase

  Update: Official sources have confirmed the student to be Yoonchae Jeung, the heiress of Jeung Industries.

    @spider_lover2005

    watch out #spideraj, here comes #spiderchae

      @barbyonce

      hydrogen bomb vs coughing baby

  @webslingz

  she’s sooo cool 😍 such a win for the girls

    @bellysjere_

    Why are people so obsessed with sexuality? She’s probably straight

      @webslingz

      actually she held the bisexual pride flag on 060625

  @SP1D3RLUVR

  SHES SO HOT!!!

    @user63201424

    you don’t even know what she looks like 💀

      @SP1D3RLUVR

      u wouldnt get it

  @gabrielakisses

  So are we all just going to act like Spidergirl isn’t definitely a student here or what

    @SpideyBase

    We do not allow speculation on Spidergirl’s possible identity under our account. Here at SpideyBase we respect her decision to stay anonymous and anyone breaking this rule will be blocked.

      @gabrielakisses

      Damn it’s strict over here

Megan was jolted out of her daily designated doomscrolling time by a notification. (And yes, she scrolled through her own fanpages sometimes. She wanted to know what people were saying about her. Sue her.)

xxx–xxx–xxxx

Hi Megan, it’s Yoonchae. I got your number from Sophia. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out at the park with me? The weather is nice and I’m free all afternoon.

Megan shot up from her bed like she was rising from the dead. “Lara!”

Maybe she shouldn’t have yelled so loud considering the way Lara nearly fell out of her chair. “Jesus, don’t shout like that! I almost had a heart attack.”

“This is heart attack worthy! Look!” She shoved the phone in Lara’s face, forcing her to look at the new text.

Lara squinted at the screen, reading. She was quiet for a moment, and then: “Just say yes.”

Megan scoffed. “Just say yes?! I can’t just say yes, Lara!”

“Why not?”

“Because! Then I’ll have to talk to her!”

“Failing to see the issue here.”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but I’m not very good at talking to her. Or standing next to her. Or just being in her general vicinity.”

Lara snorted, “Oh, I’ve noticed.”

It was true. Megan lost about 50% of her processing power around Yoonchae. It’s only gotten far worse after what happened a few days ago. After the incident.

(The incident, aka the cheek kiss. Lara thinks she's ridiculous for freaking out so badly over a quick peck on the cheek blocked by her mask’s thick fabric. Megan thinks that Lara just doesn’t understand true love.)

The five of them had dinner at the dining hall together more often than not last year, and they did their best to keep up the tradition this year, with the addition of Yoonchae. They've only all been able to meet up about two more times since the first, but it was a struggle for Megan, who pretty much shut down whenever she was near the other girl now. Every time Yoonchae looked at or tried to talk to her Megan could barely get her mouth to function properly to respond. It was bad enough that the rest of the girls noticed, and Megan has been subject to many curious and far-too-knowing glances from Sophia.

Honestly, it was a miracle Yoonchae still wanted to be around her with how strange she was acting.

Another notification.

xxx-xxx-xxxx

Sorry if it’s weird that I got your number without permission.

Lara read the message over her shoulder. “Ooh, a double text. If she thinks that’s weird she should see the way you rewatch that video of you two on Twitter.”

“Shut up. What do I say?”

“I already told you, just go spend time with her!”

“I'm scared!”

She didn’t care if it was dumb that she was more afraid of talking to a girl than fighting grown men twice her size. She had a big heart, okay? Lots of feelings. She wasn’t ashamed of it.

Lara sighed, realizing how serious Megan was. She sat down on Megan’s bed, patting the spot beside her like an old man about to impart some valuable wisdom.

Megan sat down next to her regardless, looking at the floor with her shoulders hunched. She just felt… stupid, for some reason. Frustrated with herself. Anxious in her own skin, an uncomfortable prickling under the surface that had nothing to do with her powers. It was far from the first time she’s felt this way, but it was still hard to deal with regardless of how many times she’s experienced it.

Lara spoke gently. “Why are you so scared, Mei?”

“I don’t know, I just… I don't know how to do this. The only dating experience I’ve ever had was my Roblox girlfriend in middle school, which I don’t think counts, and that guy in junior year of high school who broke up with me after a few months.” Megan twisted her fingers together, fidgeting. “And I thought it would be different in college, but then I got bit barely two months into the first semester, and I just didn’t have the time to think about any of that anymore.

“But then I met Yoonchae, and I know it sounds dumb and I know I’ve only known her for like, two weeks, but I really like her. She’s sweet and pretty and all I want is to get to know her better, even if it's just to be her friend. But I keep getting in my own head about it whenever she’s around and I feel like I’ll mess it all up just by being me.”

“Oh, Mei,” Lara cooed, and pulled her into a hug. Megan melted into the embrace.

“Listen to me,” Lara said, words slightly muffled by the fabric covering Megan’s shoulder, “You don’t sound dumb. And you won’t mess anything up.”

Lara pulled back, keeping her hands on her shoulders. “Yoonchae wants to spend time with you. She’s seen your awkward Megan-ness and still wants to hang out. You haven’t messed up or whatever you keep telling yourself.”

Megan mulled over the words. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I’m right, I’m Lara Raj.”

Megan chuckled, giving her a playful smack on the shoulder. She was feeling lighter already.

“And seriously, Megan, stop talking down on yourself like that. You're a catch, and not because you're Spidergirl, but because you're you. You're funny, hot, and you have the biggest heart of anyone I've ever met. I'm lucky to be your best friend.”

Megan smiled, cheeks a bit pink from the praise. “Thanks, Lara. For the record, I'm pretty lucky to be your best friend, too.”

“Damn right you are. Now text her back. Don’t overthink it. Just be yourself and focus on being her friend. One step at a time.”

Megan exhaled. One step at a time.

“How are you so good at this but you’re still stuck in a situationship with Manon?”

“Wow, unnecessary reminder. This is the thanks I get for being an incredible bestie?”

𒌐𒌐𒌐

About 30 minutes after finally texting back (and officially adding Yoonchae’s contact to her phone), Megan and Yoonchae walked leisurely side-by-side through Washington Square Park. While Megan was internally chanting her new mantra of don’t overthink, be yourself, Yoonchae was busy staring in awe at the trees around them, leaves just beginning their transition for the changing season. Vibrant reds and oranges mixed with muted yellows and maroons against a backdrop of dark green to paint the perfect picture of early fall.

It was the middle of September, and the park was full of life. There was a mix of both students and regular people either lounging around, playing games, or taking a walk like Megan and Yoonchae. The weather was finally down to a comfortable temperature, not too warm but not too cool. It was Megan’s ideal weather ever since she became Spidergirl, considering the hot months had her overheating in her sweatsuit while the cold months had her stuffing hand warmers down her suit. As it turns out, the wind chill from swinging in below freezing temperatures at 70 miles per hour was enough to put even superhumans at frostbite risk.

The gentle breeze did nothing to stop the nervous sweating of her palms, however. Don’t overthink. Be yourself. Go one step at a time.

“The leaves are so pretty here,” Yoonchae cut off her train of thought. “It reminds me of home.”

Don’t overthink. Just be her friend. “You grew up in Seoul, right?”

Yoonchae nodded. “I used to take walks like this in the fall with my Appa when he was home from his business trips. It was nice, spending time with him.”

“Are you two close?”

“...Kind of,” Yoonchae sighed, a heavy weight to the sound. “All I wanted was to be around him, when I was younger. But he was gone at work a lot.”

“I'm sorry. That must’ve been hard.”

“It’s okay. He tries his best to be around. But he also gets really overprotective, since I'm his only daughter. He likes to call me his gongju. It means princess.”

Megan smiled. “That’s cute. It’s nice that he cares.”

“It can be. It’s usually annoying though. He didn’t want to let me attend school here at all, since I would be so far from home. But I was able to get him to agree because Sophia’s here. He felt a lot better when I told him we would room together. He’s freaking out now, though, after the car thing. He wants to sue the school for negligence.”

The car thing. Don’t act like you know too much. Just be cool. “I, uh, heard about that. The video was really crazy. I'm glad you’re okay. It’s a good thing Spidergirl was there.”

Yoonchae paused for a moment, contemplative, before speaking again, something underlying in her voice that Megan couldn’t quite decipher. “I'm lucky she saved me. Have you met Spidergirl before?”

“Me? Personally? Uh, no, I haven’t.” A pause. Be cool. Don’t overthink. “Sometimes it feels like I have, though, with the way Dani talks about her. That selfie of them together was her profile picture on every social media app for like, 3 months straight. And her lockscreen. I think I’ve seen it more times than I’ve seen my own reflection at this point.” Ironic, considering she was looking at herself in it.

Yoonchae laughed. “I like that she’s passionate, though. When I met everyone for the first time, we went to the mall, she found a claw machine in one of the stores. She spent 30 minutes and all her money trying to get a little lion toy. Sophia had to come over and win it for her.”

Megan chuckled. “That definitely sounds like Dani. I wish I could’ve been there.”

Yoonchae shrugged. “You’re here now.”

“Yeah, I am.” And I'll be here, by your side, for as long as I can.

Megan shook that last thought off because woah, chill out Romeo, this is like the sixth time you’ve even talked to her. 

Luckily Yoonchae spoke before she could internally debate herself on how long you have to know someone before you’re allowed to start being cheesy and romantic about them. “I will admit, I was a bit sad when you weren’t there, though. I saw a picture, before, on Sophia’s Instagram. I was looking forward to meeting you.”

“Really? Me? Why?”

“I thought you looked… intriguing.” Was the other girl blushing?

Is this real life? Was she hallucinating like that one time she swung full-speed into a wall and got a concussion? Megan blinked. Sure enough, there was a slight dusting of pink across Yoonchae’s cheeks. It felt like some strange alternate reality where their roles reversed and suddenly Yoonchae was the nervous one. “Intriguing?”

“Your style, and the pink hair. You seemed cool. Pretty.” Yoonchae was avoiding eye contact.

Megan’s brain fully malfunctioned. Pretty. Yoonchae thinks I'm pretty and funny and cool. And wants to spend time with me. Megan could probably do a lap on foot around the entire city and still be energized with the way her whole body felt like it was buzzing.

She was astutely aware of the fact that she probably had a goofy grin on her face, but she didn’t even care anymore. She was too happy. “I think you’re pretty, too.”

Yoonchae smiled. “You’re sweet.”

“I’m honest.”

Yoonchae’s face was more on the red side than pink now. Before Megan could pat herself on the back for being extremely charming and awesome, though, she realized something.

“Wait, so does that mean you knew who I was when we first met?”

“Yes.”

Well, that’s embarrassing. “Oh. Did I live up to your expectations?” She wasn't exactly the epitome of ‘cool’ that day. Megan hoped Yoonchae wasn't too disappointed.

Yoonchae paused to think for a moment. “You were different from what I expected.”

“In a good way or bad way?”

“Good.”

If Megan smiled any bigger she'd probably pull a cheek muscle. Lara was right, being yourself is awesome.

The path they were walking connected into the center of the park, and they stopped their stroll to take in the sight. At the heart of Washington Square was a large circular fountain surrounded by various benches. A huge arch sat to the north of the fountain, opening up into the start of Fifth Avenue.

“It’s beautiful,” Yoonchae said.

If Megan was being honest, she didn’t quite feel the same way. She held a bit of a grudge against that fountain. Her greatest enemy to date.

It started back in Spring of last year when final exams were wrapping up, and Megan had a lot more free time on her hands. Her and Manon had made a bet: if Megan could swing through the arch and fully clear the fountain, Manon would give her fifty bucks. Megan would've done it without the money just to prove to Manon that she could do it, but it was certainly a big bonus.

Megan's plan was simple: start at the other end of Fifth Avenue, build up speed and momentum while swinging down the street, swing through the arch, do an awesome backflip as she flew above the fountain, and land gracefully in her signature pose on the other side. Easy.

Her plan in action turned out to be very much not easy. Long story short, the awesome backflip devolved into midair flailing, the ‘graceful’ landing happened far earlier than intended, and the signature pose turned into more of a mess of limbs crashing directly into the fountain.

The whole incident was caught on camera, courtesy of Manon and a few intrigued bystanders. Several angles of the fall were up on the internet within hours, and Megan went to bed that night with a bruised tailbone and a matching bruised ego. At least Manon gave her the fifty bucks out of pity (only after laughing at her for twenty minutes straight). To this day Megan couldn't quite look at the fountain or the arch the same.

“I like it in the winter when they put up a big Christmas tree. It's not as cool as the giant tree at Rockefeller Center, though. It’s way better in person than in the movies, I should take you when they put it up. The six of us can go ice skating.”

Yoonchae grinned. “I would like that.”

Before Megan could say something stupid like It's a date or Let's get married or anything equally as absurd and not thought out, she felt a sudden tingle at the nape of her neck, and–

Thwack. A soccer ball landed firmly in Megan's palm, arm outstretched in front of Yoonchae’s face. Yoonchae blinked, eyes taking in the hand just a few inches from her nose. She didn't even have time to process the ball hurtling towards her before Megan had stopped it.

Megan tossed the ball back to a group of apologetic boys nearby. “That was a close one. Why does everything seem to want to hit you in the face?”

Yoonchae looked at her, that same contemplative look on her face as before. She seemed to be debating with herself, then: “It is a good thing you’re here then, right?”

What did that mean? Megan felt oddly like they’ve had this conversation before, although last time she was behind a mask. Yoonchae didn’t know that was her, though. She couldn't.

If Yoonchae was able to figure out she was Spidergirl from just a few interactions, she was either a world-class detective or Megan seriously needed to work on not being the most obvious person on the planet. Or both.

Megan was back to overthinking. Her inner Lara mantra was suddenly silent. “Uhhh, I guess? I mean, yeah. Yes. I am… here to catch flying balls.” Haha, flying balls. If Manon was here she'd laugh.

Luckily Yoonchae sensed that she was two seconds away from an aneurysm and dropped the very strange conversation, moving to sit on an unoccupied bench. Megan followed, taking the win, and shoved the whole incident far into the back of her mind, hopefully never to be thought of again. She had too much on her plate to start panic-obsessing over the thought that Yoonchae might've already had her figured out.

She tried to bring back her helpful little mental Lara. Don’t overthink. One step at a time. What would Lara say in this situation? Probably ‘girl, calm down. She doesn’t know who you are. Superman literally flies around showing his face to everyone and they still haven't figured out he's Clark Kent.’ The thought was comforting, regardless of the fact that Superman was not actually real and that whole scenario is fictional and Lara wasn’t even anywhere to be seen. Thanks, inner dialogue Lara.

She forced herself to be present in the moment, taking a deep breath. She wasn't about to spend all her time with the other girl stuck in her own head because she couldn't get over herself. She'd been doing that too much already.

“I'm glad you said yes,” Yoonchae suddenly said unprompted, and Megan furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Yes?”

“To coming here with me. I thought you would say no.”

Oh. “Why wouldn’t I say yes?” She pointedly ignored the fact that she was indeed planning on making up an excuse as to why she couldn’t before Lara convinced her otherwise.

Yoonchae frowned, thoughtful. “I thought… that maybe you didn’t want to be around me. After the first day, you didn't really look at me or talk to me anymore. I thought that I made you upset. Or that I…” she hesitated for a long moment. “...did something. That made you uncomfortable with me.”

Megan’s chest clenched painfully. She got so in her own head the past few days that she unintentionally made Yoonchae think she didn’t even want to be near her. She felt like an idiot.

She had to fix this. Immediately.

“No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong! I swear. I was just… I’ve been really tired, that’s all. It’s been busy starting school again. I’m sorry I made you feel that way.”

Yoonchae looked at her and smiled softly, eyes crinkling at the corners. Megan’s heart skipped a beat at the sight. “I’m glad. I like spending time with you.”

Megan smiled back, cheeks dimpling and heart racing. “I like spending time with you too.”

𒌐𒌐𒌐

Since their trip to the park, Megan and Yoonchae made it a habit to hang out at least once a week, outside of the group setting. Sometimes they would go to new places, Megan showing her the best spots in the city (she’s found a lot of hidden gems during her time as Spidergirl.) Other times, they would go back to the park and just talk. Megan made sure to bring her digital camera with them every time now, too, so she could document all their adventures.

Megan bought it in senior year of high school after being influenced by both Manon and Pinterest, and she had zero regrets. She had a designated section of her wall dedicated to putting up the pictures she took of her friends, and the first photo of Yoonchae she added had her heart singing in happiness. It was a picture of her illuminated by the setting sun and falling leaves at the park that she had taken during their third hang-out, and if she stared at it wistfully several times a day when she worked at her desk, that was nobody’s business but hers.

Megan and Yoonchae talked about anything and everything, from trivial silly things (“You could only listen to one artist for the rest of your life and you'd pick Maroon 5?!” “This Love is one of the greatest songs to ever be made, Megan!”) to deep conversations about life and the future. Yoonchae shared how hard it was living with the pressure of taking over her father’s company, and in return Megan told her about her struggles with anxiety.

They grew close, close enough for Megan to confidently say that while yes, she still had a big fat crush on the other girl, she also cherished her as one of her dearest friends. Yoonchae blended seamlessly in with the rest of the girls. It was like they didn't even know they were missing something until Yoonchae came, and now it was hard to remember what it was like when it was just five of them instead of six.

Of course, her Spidergirl duties never stopped, but Yoonchae was oddly understanding every time she had to suddenly leave in the middle of their time together. Whenever Megan got a notification about some sort of incident she needed to get to and blundered her way through a poor excuse of why she had to leave, Yoonchae would just look at her knowingly, saying “Megan, it’s okay. I understand.”

Megan was grateful the other girl didn’t get upset with her sudden absences, although she couldn’t help but go back to the train of thought that maybe Yoonchae knew more than she let on. She didn’t really have time to think about it any further, though, between classes, spending time with Yoonchae and the rest of the girls, and being Spidergirl. She barely had a single free minute in her day.

The free minutes she did have were spent doing absolutely nothing in her room, either taking a nap, scrolling on her phone, or chatting with Lara. 

Right now, she was in the chatting with Lara category.

Megan hung upside down from the ceiling, letting the blood pool to her head. “I mean, what do you think? Do you think she knows? She literally looked me dead in the eyes yesterday and said ‘Don’t worry, Megan, I know what you do is important.’ That’s weird, right? It sounded weird. Like, she doesn’t even know what I do at my internship. Even I don’t know, I just pulled it out of my ass last year and ran with it.”

“It’s kind of weird, I will admit. I think you might just be reading too much into it, though. Also, get down from there, Sophia’s gonna be here any minute. We're working on that song together.”

Megan dropped, flopping onto her bed. Her back hit the mattress softly. “Maybe you’re right. Maybe I should just take the win and be happy she isn’t upset at me disappearing so often.”

“See? Small victories.”

There was a knock at the door, and Lara opened it. Sophia entered the room.

“Hey guys! I come bearing gifts.”

Megan shot up at the scent of fresh coffee.

Lara groaned in relief, taking the cup with her name on it. “Soph, you’re a lifesaver. Have I ever told you how much I love you?”

“Many times on many occasions just like this, actually. Here, Megan, I got you your usual.”

Megan grabbed the coffee with both hands like it was a precious artifact. She put it down on her desk and went straight to embrace the other girl. “I love you, Fifi. I love you a lot.”

Sophia chuckled, squeezing her back just as tight. “Wow, I should do this more often. I’m about to start showing up at your door with coffee every day just so I can hear you guys tell me how much you love me.” 

“Please do.”

Megan was reluctant to let Sophia go. The older girl’s presence was one of Megan’s biggest comforts. She’d contemplated multiple times telling her about her true identity just so she could come back after a long, painful day and get a nice warm Sophia cuddle. 

“I got this new cinnamon pumpkin thing for myself since it just turned October, and it’s so good, I have to get Dani to try it. I’m in such a Halloween mood lately. We really have to decide on our costumes. What do you think I should be this year?”

Lara thought for a moment. “Either sexy vampire or Superman. No in between.”

“Wait, you’re so right. Maybe we should be a coven of vampires like Twilight, Manon would go crazy. Or maybe we could all be different superheroes.”

Lara smirked. “I think Megan would make a good Spidergirl, right?”

Megan choked on her latte. Sophia patted her back in concern. “You okay, Meimei?”

“Yup, yup, perfectly fine. Just great.”

Sophia frowned a bit, still rubbing her back soothingly. “I always tell you to slow down when you eat and drink, but you never listen.”

“Sorry, Fifi.”

Lara looked between the two of them. “Wow, it’s like watching a mother and her slightly overgrown child.”

Megan glared at her. She would make her pay for that Spidergirl comment. Sophia, oblivious, scratched Megan’s head like she was a puppy. 

“Well, Meimei is my little baby. I’d sign the adoption papers right now if I could.”

“Would that make Yoonchae Megan’s aunt? That would be kinda weird, right?”

Megan choked again, this time on air. Lara cackled at her reaction. Even Sophia snorted, the traitor.

“Lara, shut up,” Megan spoke through gritted teeth.

Sophia cooed. “Aw, it’s okay, Megan. It’s perfectly normal to have a crush.”

Megan sputtered in shock. Lara laughed even louder.

“Wha- I- you- what are you talking about?!”

“Dude,” Lara said, “You’re the most obvious person on the planet.”

“Be nice,” Sophia scolded.

“Sorry, mother.”

Sophia turned back to Megan, who looked like she was about to spontaneously combust. Her poor cheeks were practically on fire.

“Meimei, don’t be embarrassed. I think it’s cute. Honestly, I’m kind of shipping you two.”

“Shipping?” Megan’s voice climbed five octaves.

Lara’s face could not be more gleeful. This was probably the most entertaining thing she’d seen all week.

“Yoonchip is my baby. You’re my baby. I love you both and I think you’re good for each other. She’s been talking about you nonstop lately, it’s adorable.”

Pause. Hold on. What did she just say? “Yoonchae’s been talking about me?”

“Your name comes up every five minutes. It’s always ‘Megan showed me this’ and ‘Megan said that’ and ‘Megan likes these’ and ‘Megan, Megan, Megan’. It’s so cute. Actually, don’t tell her I told you all that. She’d probably smother me in my sleep with my own pillow.”

Megan felt like she was about to melt into a tiny puddle. Or explode. Or scream. Or do a little dance. Or run around the room like she was one of those tiny rabid dogs. Anything was possible.

Clearly sensing that Megan’s brain was completely malfunctioning, Sophia took pity on her. “Listen, this is the last I’ll say about it right now. Yoonchae’s really happy to be your friend. And I know you’re happy to be hers. I'm just saying that you have my support and blessing, Meimei. Love you.”

Sophia kissed a still shellshocked Megan on the forehead and went to Lara’s side of the room for their project. Megan flopped back onto her bed, drink forgotten. She stared at the ceiling, mouth open in disbelief. Her brain was simultaneously empty and going 100 miles an hour.

Sophia’s really done it. She’s officially broken Megan.

Her phone buzzed, the special vibration she set for her Citizen crime app going off.

Criminals couldn’t even let her have an internal freakout in peace. Some people were just so rude.

𒌐𒌐𒌐

Megan landed softly on a rooftop across from the small bank. She looked through the large windows, assessing the situation. A group of about five people, all wearing full black attire to blend in with the night. They were pulling cash from an ATM machine that was ripped from the wall.

Megan swung onto the wall of the bank, crawling down to the door. The robbers were all crouched down, preoccupied with stuffing the money into their bags.

Perfect.

The robbers turned around at the chime of the door’s bell. There was nobody there.

A voice came from above. “That was creepy. Do you think it was a ghost?”

All five heads shot upwards. Spidergirl stared back from the ceiling. One of them immediately pulled out a gun, shooting at her. She darted to the side.

“Woah, hey, that’s no way to greet somebody!”

She webbed the gun out of the man’s hand and stuck it to the wall, dropping into a crouch on the floor.

Megan dodged an incoming fist. “You guys are being so rude right now,” she swept his feet, making him fall into his buddy. “Maybe I should teach you some manners. Let’s start with introductions.”

She caught another punch, using the man's momentum to smack him against the window. “My name is Spidergirl, what about you?”

“Fuck off,” spit out a man swinging a crowbar.

She jumped, grabbing the ceiling. “Wow, no offense, but that's a terrible name.” She kicked the crowbar out of his hand and landed on his back. The force pulled his jacket collar just enough for her to get a peek at his neck tattoo. “Hey, cool snake tattoo. You know, back when I was-”

He slammed his back against the wall, trying to shake her off. “I’m trying to tell a story! When I was seven-”

A heavy metal bat swung at her head. She webbed it and swung it around, knocking over three of the men. She kicked off snake-guy's back, hurling him towards the floor. She webbed him to the ground. “I'm starting to think you don't care about my story.”

The last man standing, the one she shoved into the window earlier, pulled out a weird-looking gun-thing from a bag by the ripped-out ATM wall. “Hey, what's that? It kind of looks like the Fortnite rail gun-”

A weird charging-up noise, and boom.

She dodged an incoming bright blue beam purely on instinct. The beam shot straight through the window into the convenience store across the street, causing a small explosion.

All thoughts of the robbers were forgotten as pure panic shot through her. She darted out the now-shattered window, propelling herself forward with her webs. She ran into the store, ignoring the smoke and dodging the flames. Please say nobody was in there, please let it be empty.

There was a coughing noise, and she sprinted towards the sound. It was a man crouched behind the now-cracked counter, presumably the owner, holding onto his cat for dear life. They both appeared relatively unharmed, aside from a sizeable cut on the man's leg. Thank god.

Megan helped the man and his cat out of the store, guiding them safely out of the burning building before fire fully overtook it. She set him down on the sidewalk and sighed in relief as she heard sirens incoming. “You're going to be alright, sir. 911 is here.”

The man hugged his cat tighter. “Thank you, Spidergirl.”

She felt a pang of guilt in her chest. He shouldn't be thanking her. She got careless, and now his store was in shambles.

She looked across the street at the now-deserted bank. And they got away.

As Megan left the scene, swinging away once the paramedics reached the store owner, she thought of the weapon that caused that explosion. It was like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. She’d never seen anything like it.

A nervous headache throbbed at her temples. She couldn’t help the feeling that this was going to end up becoming something bigger. Much bigger.

Chapter Text

“It was the craziest thing. It was like, like, some kind of… burst of light.”

Manon and Lara sat on the latter’s bed across from Megan, listening intently. She had gotten back about 20 minutes ago and was now pacing around their room. She hadn’t even taken off her suit aside from her mask, too preoccupied with what she had seen. She was trying to communicate what exactly happened, but was struggling to describe it. Maybe she should try drawing it.

Lara leaned forward, eyebrows furrowed in thought. “Like a flashbang?”

“No, no, more like… a blue laser bullet.”

Manon scratched her head. “Like the guns from Star Wars?”

“Yes! It was kinda like that! Like the Star Wars blasters if they looked like a longer Peacekeeper from Apex Legends and exploded on impact.”

“So like the rail gun from Fortnite?”

“That’s exactly what I said!”

“To the robber?”

“Well… yeah.”

Manon snorted. Lara facepalmed.

“Okay, I have no idea what video game stuff you guys are talking about,” Lara started, “but I'm assuming it’s not good.”

“Yeah, Apex Legends is pretty bad now. Which totally sucks ‘cause it used to be way better-”

“I meant the weapon, Megan.”

“Oh.” She plopped down into her desk chair. “Yeah. Not good.”

They sat in silence for a bit, Megan staring at the floor in anxious thought. Lara stood, resting a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You should get some rest. We can talk more tomorrow.”

Megan nodded wearily. “You’re right. I'm sleep-deprived enough already.”

“Also,” Manon added, “Shower maybe? You smell like smoke. I thought there was a fire when you walked in.”

“Wow, Manon, I wonder why that would be. It’s not like I was in a burning building or anything.”

“Okay, cranky. I was just showing concern for my dear friend. And my nose.”

“Why are you here again?”

“Because Lara loves and appreciates me, unlike some people.”

Lara made a noise of uncertainty. “Debatable.”

“That’s not what you were saying an hour ago.”

Megan shot up, marching to the bathroom. “Alright, enough!”

“Love you too, Meg!”

𒌐𒌐𒌐

Megan exhaled in irritation. There was barely any valuable information online about the robbery. The most she could find was shitty black-and-white CCTV footage of the fight, but when the beam fired, the bright light blinded the camera. By the time it wore off, the robbers were already gone.

The camera was low quality enough that she couldn’t see any details on the gun clearly, either. It just looked like a fancy shotgun.

Megan put her head in her hands. She couldn’t help but feel like she was failing. It was her job to protect people, and now there was a dangerous unidentified weapon out there and she had no idea what it was or who made it.

She was disturbed from her contemplation by the door opening.

“Hey,” Lara walked in, “Any luck?”

Megan sighed. “Nope. Nothing.”

Lara frowned at the frustration in Megan's eyes. “Don't stress yourself out. Maybe you should take a break. You need to let yourself relax for a bit.”

Right on cue, Megan got a message from Yoonchae.

Yoonchae 💞

Do you want to come over and watch something? Sophia just left and I'm bored 😣

Yes, Megan put a heart next to her name. She was a romantic, sue her.

The thought of spending time with Yoonchae with no expectations or worries sounded heavenly. Lara was right when she said she needed a break.

Megan

that sounds perfect rn

Yoonchae 💞

Great! 😁

𒌐𒌐𒌐

Yoonchae’s dorm was much bigger than Megan’s own. Yoonchae and Sophia each had their own separate rooms, with a common room connecting both of them. Perks of being able to afford the good dorms.

The best part of the dorm by far was the TV in the common area, across from a big couch that was so soft it felt like it was made of clouds. Megan sank down on it, feeling herself properly relax for the first time since the robbery. 

Cartoons played softly on the TV, and Megan watched mindlessly. She could smell a scented candle fill the air, and she nearly fell asleep right then and there. She hadn't fully realized just how tired she was.

Yoonchae put a mug in her hand. “Here, I made hot cocoa since it’s getting cold out.”

Megan smiled, chest filling with warmth. It was cute how similar she was to Sophia sometimes. Little moments like this were what really reminded her how alike they could be. “Thanks, Yoonchip. I love hot cocoa.”

“You look tired. More tired than usual. What’s wrong?”

Her smile faltered slightly. Yoonchae noticed.

The younger girl sat down next to her. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. But maybe sharing would help.”

Megan stared at the brown liquid in her hands. “No, I want to, I do. I just… don’t know how to explain it.”

Yoonchae stared at her. She’d been doing that a lot lately. “I'm sure I’d understand. Whatever it is.”

Megan stared back, considering. Yoonchae was looking at her with nothing but gentleness and concern. It was the push Megan needed to open up.

“It’s my job. I just feel like I could be doing more. People are counting on me, and I… I’m afraid of letting everyone down. I feel like I'm not… good enough for what I need to be.”

Yoonchae frowned. “Why would you think that?”

Megan took a sip of her drink, letting the warmth comfort her. “It’s hard to explain. I'm just… afraid that something bad will happen, at my job, and if it does, it would be my fault.”

“How could it be your fault? You aren’t responsible for every bad thing that happens.”

“But aren’t I, if I could prevent it?”

“You can’t fix everything. It isn’t your job to fix everything. You’re still human, Megan.”

But was she all that human anymore?

Yoonchae picked up her own mug, taking a sip at her silence. “You have needs too. Your job isn't the only important thing. I think you need to let yourself relax.”

“It’s funny, Lara said the same thing, actually.”

“Then you should listen.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Yoonchae slapped her shoulder. Megan grinned.

“You’re annoying, Megan.”

Megan grinned wider. “Yet you still want to spend time with me.”

“Shush. Pick a movie.”

“Yes ma’a-”

“Shush.”

“...Lego Batman, please.”

“Good.”

(Sophia came back a few hours later.

“Yoonchip, I’m home-”

She paused at the sight before her. 

Yoonchae and Megan were huddled together on the couch, both fast asleep. Megan was leaning into the younger girl's side, head resting in the crook of her neck. The TV was playing in the background, and there were two empty mugs on the coffee table.

Sophia smiled. She covered them with a blanket and went to her own room, careful not to disturb them.

Not before taking pictures, of course.)

𒌐𒌐𒌐

“...So I just really feel like there's a connection there, y’know? Whenever I'm with her I just feel… at peace. Like everything makes sense and nothing is wrong. Does that make sense?”

No response.

“Oh yeah, my bad. Hold on.” Megan pulled the webbing off the man’s mouth. “So, what do you think?”

He let out a heavy sigh. “Just ask her out, man.”

“You really think so?”

“Yeah, dude. You like her. Why not go for it?”

“What if she doesn’t like me back?”

The guy scoffed. “You’re Spidergirl and you’re scared of asking someone out? Didn’t know you were chickenshit.”

Megan gasped. “I am not chickenshit.”

“Then stop acting chickenshit.”

“Just for that I'm leaving you here for 20 more minutes.”

“Hey, you can’t do that!”

“Well you also can’t steal bikes, but that didn’t stop you, did it?”

“I'll put it back!”

“Yeah, you’ll put it back in 20 minutes.”

A phone ringing interrupted their bickering. A few passersby were staring at them. Megan took out her phone to see Yoonchae’s name on the screen. “Shit, it’s her! Give me just one second.”

Ignoring the protests of the man, she webbed herself up to the top of the nearest roof. Leaning back, she answered the call.

“Hey, ‘Chip! What’s up?”

“Megan! I need your help.”

She sat up. “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t decide what to eat.”

Megan snorted. “That’s it? Why don’t you ask Sophia?”

“Because Sophia will say ‘just get sinigang’ but I don’t want sinigang.”

“What about… chinese food?”

“I don’t want chinese food.”

“Chicken?”

“...That sounds good. Thanks, Megan.”

“Of course. Always here to save the day.”

She dropped back down after Yoonchae hung up. “Sorry about that. She wanted to know what to get for dinner.”

The man stared blankly at her. “Seriously? You guys are already dating.”

“What?! No we aren’t!”

“You act like you are.”

“Yeah, well, what would you know?”

“I have a boyfriend. I know what dating looks like.”

Megan paused. “Wait, seriously?”

“What, I don’t look gay enough for you?”

She backpedaled. “No, no, that’s not what I meant!”

“I don’t sound gay? A gay guy can't steal a bike?”

“I didn’t say any of that, okay. You're putting words in my mouth. Stop being difficult.”

“I'm not difficult, you're difficult. You're the one asking random strangers dating advice. And where’d you get that costume, anyway? The dollar store?”

Megan stuttered. “What- Excuse you- The dollar store?! No!” Yes.

“It looks like it. Let me go.”

“What's the magic word?”

“...Let me go please.”

“Better.” She moved to undo the webbing, but before she could release him, she felt a prickle of unease underneath her skin. Movement from her edge of her vision caught her eye, sticking out in her senses from the other people walking by.

It was a large man whose eyes widened at the sight of her. He turned around to walk away, and that's when Megan saw it: a tattoo of a snake curling up the back of his neck.

The same tattoo of the robber from the bank.

She swung after him, tossing a “I'll be right back!” over her shoulder. Snake-guy sped up, walking turning into a full-blown run, nearly barreling over several people, but it was no use. She landed lightly on top of a streetlamp above him, webbing his leg to suspend him upside-down.

“Hey, buddy! ‘Fuck off’, right? From the bank? It is so crazy seeing you again!”

Snake-guy wiggled around futilely. “Let me go!”

“You know, you're the second person to say that to me tonight. Which isn’t a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.”

He reached up to pull on the webbing attached to him, but it was no use. The silk material was too sturdy. “What do you want?”

She descended from her own web, facing him. “Straight to business, huh? I want to know exactly what that weapon was. The one that blew up that store.”

“Why would I tell you anything?”

“Because I'll sit here all day if I have to. And I can handle some blood rushing to my head, but I don’t think you can. Also, I don't know how much you care about public humiliation, but a lot of people are staring.”

His face was already turning bright red. Someone passing by pulled out their phone to take a picture. Megan threw up a peace sign for the camera.

She turned back to the robber. “You aren't getting out of this. Might as well tell me what you know.”

Another ten minutes passed with him struggling to loosen himself. His head was getting a bit purple. Megan actually started to get concerned.

Luckily, he broke. “I- I don’t know what it was, exactly. They said it was this new, high-powered tech.”

“Who’s ‘they’?”

“These two guys, they sold it to us. We made the deal, wired them the money and a week later they left it at a drop-off point. I don’t know their names, but they’re selling the tech to a bunch of people for a lot of money.”

“Where are they?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know. I can tell you where we picked it up, though.”

“Tell me.”

After he told her the address and she stored it in her brain, she let him go. He fell flat onto his stomach, groaning. “Man, your head got really purple. Like a blueberry. Hey, isn't it kinda funny that blueberries can be purple sometimes? It's kind of contradicting, right?”

He scoffed, but stayed quiet, even when she webbed him to the floor. He seemed to have accepted his fate at this point.

“The authorities will be here soon. My advice for next time: rob less banks. Sound good?”

There was a shout a block away. “Hey, Spidergirl, I'm still here!”

“Oh, shit. I forgot about that guy.”

𒌐𒌐𒌐

How long do stakeouts usually take?

Megan had been on a roof close to the buying site Snake-guy gave her yesterday for two hours now. It was a secluded suburban area, not much action going on after the sun set. She was currently laying on her back scrolling through Tiktok mindlessly, bored out of her mind, waiting for anything to happen.

Cat video, dog video, Spidergirl edit (she saved that one), Dance Moms clip, cats again, Spidergirl again (another save), a frog doing a backflip, more cats-

A notification popped up.

Yoonchae 💞

Look!!! [Video Attachment]

Megan sat up, grinning. It was a video of a golden retriever and a tabby cat snuggling. Megan hearted the message.

Suddenly her boredom was cured.

She typed out ‘us’ a response, but hesitated to send it. Maybe that would be a little much.

Well, you only live once. She clicked send before she could think about it too much.

Megan

us :)

Instant regret. Why did I say that?! She watched Yoonchae type in apprehension, slight dread increasing the longer it took.

The dots disappeared. Reappeared. Disappeared again. Then:

Yoonchae 💞

Yes, us. :)

All previous regret vanished, replaced by a light floaty feeling. It was a good thing nobody was around, because people seeing Spidergirl kicking her feet and giggling while texting would probably hurt her cool reputation.

Megan was trying to think of something else to say to continue the conversation when a drop of water landed on her phone screen. Then another. And another.

She groaned in irritation. There was no weather worse than rain when it came to being Spidergirl.

It was uncomfortable trying to fight in wet clothing, and Megan always had to tighten the drawstring of her sweats to the point of cutting off circulation so that she didn’t accidentally pants herself in front of the entire city trying to swing with heavy waterlogged joggers. Manon and Lara would never let her live that down.

Not to mention it was ten times harder to breathe. Depending on how heavy the rain was, her mask could get pretty soaked, and at that point she was basically just getting lightly waterboarded.

She texted Yoonchae.

Megan

rainnnnn :( 

Yoonchae 💞

I like the rain, it's cozy.

Megan

it’s less cozy when i'm being rained on 😫

Yoonchae 💞

Why are you outside? Lol

Hmm. Megan didn’t think that far ahead. She needed a solid excuse.

Before she could think of one, the noise of an engine began to creep closer. Finally.

A large white van pulled into the alleyway next to the building. A man got out of the passenger seat and opened the back doors. Megan couldn’t see what was inside from her point of view.

He took out a decently sized cardboard box. It looked completely unassuming and normal, but Megan was certain it contained a weapon similar to the one she saw at the bank. He pulled out a few loose bricks from the building wall and stuck it inside a pre-made hole.

The man covered the hole back up and turned around to get back in the van. He was greeted by a masked face instead.

“Hey, how’s it going?”

Megan dodged a punch thrown at her face, firing a web at his heel and tugging. He lost his footing and fell, cursing at the harsh thud of his back against the pavement.

She was about to web him to the ground when the clanking of metal doors opening sounded behind her. She had just enough time to turn to see a ball of electricity fly towards her.

Every muscle in her body seized violently as it hit her stomach straight-on. She collapsed to the ground, convulsing.

She’d been electrocuted once before, but nothing as bad as this. (She had tried to help an old lady carry her groceries. The lady thought she was robbing her and pulled out a taser. It was a humbling experience.)

The water soaking through her suit made the sensation twice as painful. She internally cursed the rain again. Spidergirl’s number one enemy: water.

Megan forced herself up on quivering arms, blinking through the tearing-up of her eyes to see the men getting back into the van. Shit.

She shot a web at the vehicle, connecting just in time as they started to drive away.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit. Ow.” Her back skidded along the road, scraping against the rough asphalt. She could feel little rocks and pebbles cut up the back of her hoodie. This was not going how she wanted it to.

The back door swung open again, and she was met with the sight of the guy she tripped.

He was holding a gun nearly identical to the one from the bank. Oh, great. More exploding balls of light.

She yanked herself to the side as he fired the gun, narrowly missing her. The beam exploded into the road so close to her she could feel the extreme heat evaporate some of the wetness in her suit.

Megan was suddenly grateful for the rain, as it was probably the only thing that stopped her clothes from catching fire. Thanks, water. Maybe you can be my number two enemy. Number three if I'm feeling really generous.

"I'm sensing some hostility here!" she yelled. Another beam brushed past her.

The driver made a sudden hard right, and she crashed full-force into an empty parked car on the street corner. The alarm blared on impact. A dog started barking a few houses away. She really couldn't catch a break today.

But Megan wouldn't give up. She refused. This was her chance to get to the bottom of this, and she wasn't going to let the opportunity slip through her fingers. No matter how many times she was electrocuted or almost blown up or flung into cars.

Her entire body ached, her suit was soaked and sticking to her skin, and there was a 45% chance she dislocated her left pinky toe on that car, but she got right back up (after 15 seconds of pained groaning) and swung after the retreating van.

Before she could get far, though, she spotted a shadowed figure in the distance. She had very low visibility with the downpour, and she squinted. Batman? Is that you? Are you real?

It rapidly came closer. She could barely process what was happening before the web she was swinging on got severed, metal glinting as it passed her. “Oh, shit!”

She was caught by the foot before she hit the ground, and Megan looked up to be met with green glowing eyes. “You’re not Batman!”

Whoever had hold of her was wearing a sleek flight helmet, an aviation jacket, and had two massive metal wings. Wings that were very functional, considering they were currently ascending higher.

Megan felt like she was dreaming. What was supposed to be a pretty straightforward weapons bust turned into being ragdolled around a few neighborhoods then caught by a giant metal bird-man. And she still could barely see shit with all the rain. This had to be one of the worst nights as Spidergirl she’d ever had, and that was saying something.

She tried to get loose, but Bird-man (as she decided to call him in her head) had a vice grip on her. It appeared that his feet had metal claws on them, and it was near impossible to reach up and free herself at her current position. (Said position was upside down and 50 feet in the air).

Megan looked below, which she definitely should not have done considering they were extremely high and only getting higher. She let out a string of curses. Bird-man had taken her above the water, and she had an overwhelming feeling of dread fill her when they stopped ascending.

He leaned forward, the glowing eyes in the mask piercing her vision. The water on her lenses made the green light appear astigmatic. She felt a pang of fear run through her.

A gruff voice spoke, powerful over the wind and rain whipping at them. “Stay out of this if you know what's good for you.”

Then, she was let go.

If anyone were to ask Megan later if she let out an ear-piercing scream while plunging 55 feet through the air, she would answer this: yes I most certainly did, do you know how scary that is? She had no shame. It was a 1/10 experience.

Hitting the water felt like a harsh smack against every bone in her body. She was very glad she wasn't a normal human, or she would most certainly have some sort of severe internal injury. Or external injury. Who's to say?

Surfacing (after about a minute of struggling to determine which way was up and propel her sore muscles through the water), she gasped for breath. The waterlogged fabric of her mask made her inhale a good mouthful of polluted river water, and she decided that no, this was definitely what being waterboarded was like. Swinging through the rain seemed like light work compared to what she just experienced.

Megan ripped her mask over her mouth and nose, coughing. She hovered there in the water for a moment, wheezing, and let herself process what the hell just happened.

She doesn’t think she’s ever felt so defeated as Spidergirl. She must have broken a record for how many ways one person can get their ass handed to them within a span of twenty minutes.

She swam back to shore, movements labored and tired. Upon pulling herself onto land, she laid down, whining in exhaustion and frustration. 

It only got worse when she pulled out her phone to see it completely drenched. She could see the water moving inside the screen. There was only one notification.

Yoonchae 💞

Are you okay? You never responded

Megan shut off the device. She was doubtful she’d be able to use the touchscreen anyways with the state it was in. 

Her head was filled with thoughts of her failed mission. And that man with the metal wings, who the hell was he?

She wasn’t quite sure she was okay after the night she just had.