summary: peter parker starts an internship at oscorp, matched into a robotics team led by you — you, who has peter believing in love at first sight
wc: ~2.2k
hi i've had this idea in my head for months and i was going to make it one really long one but i actually just can't wait to put it out, so this will probably be like three or four parts! let me know what you think! also, i'm definitely imagining tasm peter this entire time, but it's not dependent on reading as him at all
part two here!
part three here!
part four here!
masterlist and taglist!
on peter parker's first day at his junior year internship for oscorp, he knew his life would change forever — he was just wrong about how.
he'd dreamed of this opportunity since high school, being able to work in an actual lab and have access to world-class equipment and the one-of-a-kind minds that came with it.
the one-of-a-kind mind that came with it.
peter met you thirty minutes into the onboarding presentation, and he suddenly didn't understand how he'd gone twenty-one years without you in his life. from the first time he was graced with your contagious smile, he was determined to have it as a guiding light through the rest of his days.
he'd never admit it, but that was the day peter started to believe in love at first sight.
you were leading the group on a tour through the facility, going over the expectations and rules, covering everything the internship would entail. he might have imagined it, wished a bit to hard for it, but he swore your eyes caught his more than anyone else's in the group. his jaw ached from the hour-long straight smile he couldn't seem to knock as your melodic voice blessed his ears. fire safety had never sounded so sweet.
an hour and a half in, you broke the large bunch off into their designated teams for the semester, and peter felt his heart nearly leap out of his chest as he saw you approaching his group.
"hey guys! i know you just heard me drone on for a lifetime, but i wanted to reintroduce myself. i'm (y/f/n) (y/l/n), but please, just call me (y/n). i'll be leading you guys as we work on the robotics portion of the project. i look forward to getting to know everyone on my team." you greeted everyone with your heart-stopping smile once again.
my team. not only was peter lucky enough to be graced with your presence on day one, but he'd get to see you five days a week. he was pretty sure this made up for every horrible thing that'd ever happened to him.
"let's take a quick break before starting, yeah? i need a snack before your first impression of me is while hangry." everyone gave a polite laugh, breaking off in separate directions.
you immediately turned to peter, walking his way. "hey,"
okay, he was definitely sure this made up for everything that'd happened to him.
"you're peter parker, right?"
maybe everything that ever will happen to him, too.
"yeah! yeah, that's me. how'd you know?" he gave you a shy smile, trying to not get too lost in your eyes. they were vibrant and speckled, something he was close enough to know now.
your returned smile was filled with much more confidence than his. "i remember your application. you're pretty impressive, parker."
peter was a blushing mess in seconds at your compliment. "oh yeah?"
"oh yeah. i had to make sure you were on my team as soon as i reviewed it." the smirk on your lips was unmistakable.
there was only a nervous laugh in response, a hand scratching at the back of his neck as peter's gaze dipped to the floor. he hoped it passed as humility, rather than giving away just how flustered he was.
"i'm headed to the cafeteria to grab a smoothie quick, wanna grab a bite with me?"
peter's eyes shot back up to meet yours, wide and pupils blown. there's no way you were talking to him right now, no way you remembered him from his impressive application, and no way you'd invited him to hang out (albeit for ten minutes) within two hours of meeting.
your confidence faded a bit as you read into peter's hesitance. "it's totally cool if not! if you'd rather settle in, get to know the lab—"
"no!" peter interjected far too loudly. "sorry, i-i mean, no! i'd love to join. how's the food here?"
your lips curled into a smirk, and once again, peter was in a puddle at your feet.
"not nearly as good as it could be for a multi-billion dollar company."
it may have only been ten minutes, but peter memorized everything he could about you in those ten minutes.
you liked starwberries, he noted from your smoothie choice, and you'd been at oscorp for a little over a year now. you'd started in his spot your sophomore year, an impressive feat to genius peter parker. that was the first thing he learned about you: just how wickedly smart you were. it wasn't often he felt like he'd met his match, someone he was excited to bounce his ideas off of, and it being you made him far more into this internship than he'd previously been.
but honestly, he'd be lying calling it the first. the first thing he learned from his ten minutes walking at your side was how incredibly gorgeous you were. not that it mattered; your intellect and ability to command a room already had him entranced, but holy shit. he didn't know someone could make a lab coat look so irresistible.
everything about you had peter smitten, damn near having to catch drool from his lips. the way your hair framed your face and bounced as you walked, the way your perfume danced inside his nose and filled him with memories yet to come. your downright essence was beautiful, and peter was starting to understand the sheer power aphrodite had over others.
he didn't get much time with you the rest of the evening as you led the introduction to the team, outlining the robotics project for the semester, but being in your presence was enough.
and as he packed his bag to leave and you slipped him your number 'for research purposes', he was already counting the minutes down till 4pm tomorrow.
your smile tormented his dreams the entire night.
actually, your smile tormented him the rest of the week, and he presumed it would for the next few months. truthfully, he hoped it would forever.
peter didn't get to talk to you much as your project started, but he savored the exchanged smirks and glances that came his way. he tried not to work himself up, begging his mind to not read into things too early. but every time he looked up from his paper to catch you already meeting his gaze, every time you came out of your way to say hi to him and check in on his work, peter felt himself getting further and further lost in you.
he started to come up with any excuse he could think of to talk to you, to earn a smile from you that could cure any ailment he had that day.
peter began to surprise you with a smoothie before each shift, strawberry tart, just like the first time. not only was it a reason to be in early, to talk to you until the last second before getting to work, but it freed up your breaks. the breaks you gave more often than any of the other team leads, he'd learned, your care for your team shining through in the way you taught and in the ways you didn't.
that was the next thing peter learned about you: your altruistic sense of others. you put everyone around you first, caring for people you'd known for less than two weeks as though you'd been best friends for years. couldn't make a shift because of work? you understood, new york was an expensive place to live. make a mistake on a task? no worries, you'd help error-correct and walk them through hands-on the right way to carry it out. everything you did was laced in honey, a sweetness oozing from you that nearly made peter sick to his stomach.
nearly.
peter's infatuation with you was on an exponential course, and the closer you grew, the more he couldn't help but fall for you. and the more times he caught your lingering glances, the way you started to return his smoothie favors with his favorite coffee order he'd mentioned in passing, the more his confidence in his affection grew.
it was 9pm on a tuesday night in the third week of peter's internship as the robotics team filtered out of the lab around him for the evening. they'd been wrapping up a busy and overwhelming shift as you prepared a prototype that would be reviewed by norman osborne himself. peter packed slowly as he always did, hoping to be last out and catch even a few more minutes with you.
he approached your desk at the front of the room, both hands tugging at his backpack straps as he closed in. you looked up from your work, a tired smile hanging from your lips.
"hey parker, good work today. as always," you added quickly. a blush crept to peter's cheeks just as fast.
"yeah, you too. are you almost done? i'm happy to walk you out."
you let out a frustrated groan, red eyes drifting back to your computer screen. "no, honestly. amadeus hasn't been in at all this week, so i'm trying to cover his portion before we turn everything in."
before you could even think to protest, peter had his backpack off and a chair pulled up to your desk. "here, let me help."
"peter, it's okay. it's already really late, and i know you have an early lecture in the morning. i can't ask that of you."
you remembering his class schedule had him dizzy, but he shook it off and gave you a soft smirk. "good thing you didn't ask, then."
that night set a different tone for peter. it was the first time he'd spent more than fifteen minutes alone with you, and despite being there to do someone else's work, he relished every single second of it.
he was nervous at first, his chair pulled so close he could feel your knee brush against his every now and then, your hands touching as you reached for the same tool. despite his anxiety, as the hours passed (unbeknownst to either of you), peter felt nothing but relaxed in your presence. he grew to know you more, the you that wasn't presenting to a room full of people, and he didn't know it was possible to fall even more in love than he already was. everything about you was so genuine, and when he talked to you, it felt like he'd known you for years.
it was nearly midnight as you put the finishing touches to the project, shoulders slumping in relief as you let out a breathy laugh.
"holy shit, i can't believe we did it."
peter smiled at you, leaning back in his chair to stretch out. "told you it wouldn't be that bad, (y/l/n). teamwork makes the dream work, right?"
you met his gaze with grateful eyes. "peter, i owe you my life. or at bare minimum the last three hours of your life back. you really didn't have to stay, i can't tell you how much it meant to me that you did."
he sat up, leaning towards you slightly. "nah, don't worry about it. anything to be teacher's pet," he nudged your elbow, earning a laugh that sent an ache through his chest.
"trust me, i'll do anything for you. i'll write you a reference so profound it'll be damn near biblical text."
it was peter's turn to laugh, standing to gather his belongings and pack his bag for the second time that evening. "come on, now i really gotta walk you out of here. i don't trust you alone in a parking garage at nine, let alone goddamn midnight."
you followed suit and grabbed your stuff, logging off of your desktop with a groan. "god midnight, i'm so sorry. you have to be at an analytical chemistry lecture in six hours. i did not deserve your help tonight."
he responded with a scoff. "come on, like i was gonna go to that anyway."
peter held the door for you as the two of you made your way through the empty and dark oscorp tower, tired conversations illuminated only by the faint red glow of the security lights. as you finally made your way into the parking garage and approached your car, you turned to peter with a smile that had him awake again instantly.
"thank you again. i really couldn't have done it without you."
"trust me, i'll do anything for you." he echoed your words from earlier, and had he blinked, peter would've missed the blush on your cheeks.
you unlocked your car to set your bags in the backseat, shutting the door to face him once more.
"well regardless, thank you. not many people would," you reached out while talking to grab his arm and give it a soft squeeze, so quick he almost didn't catch it. he did, though, and his entire body went up in flames at your touch.
"i'll catch you tomorrow, okay?" you gave a soft chuckle as you reached for your door handle. "that's if my boyfriend doesn't kill me for getting home this late. sleep well, pete."
you got into your car, and peter waved you off as though his entire world wasn't crumbling down around him.
Once again thinking about the great joy that is Peter Parker accidentally giving off villain vibes
Current thoughts on that rn are some heroes trying to figure out some horrifying tech Oscorp has been putting out that’s going to cause so much catastrophe and through a series of events, Peter Parker gets pulled in to look at it
Peter just looks at it and immediately recognizes it and goes on this long winded speech about the beauty of the tech while everyone gets more and more uncomfortable
It eventually comes out that he personally worked on the original prototype before getting let go from Oscorp, and everyone’s tensing, thinking they’re about to have to fight a crazed scientist who wants this tech to go out, and they ask him why he was let go
Peter: Oh, because this tech is waaay too dangerous, I urged Norman to drop the project completely, even tried to get HR involved, but got fired instead, I mean, y’know, on paper they put a totally different reason to cover themselves, but it was obviously cause I went to HR 🙄
Tony Stark hated Norman Osborn more than anyone else in the world.
Or, he thought he did until he met his intern. Peter Parker was a stuck up, cocky college student whose only sense of joy came from winding Tony up. He was snarky, rude, had no respect.
And yet Tony will do everything in his power to have him at Stark Industries.
Summary: On a school field trip to the California Natural History Museum , CC Walker is bitten by a genetically modified spider-an encounter that leaves her feverish, disoriented, and eventually gifted with spider-like powers. As she grapples with her new abilities-wall-crawling, heightened reflexes, and web-slinging-CC chooses to keep her transformation a secret, especially from you, her best friend and perhaps more than that. The truth comes to light in an unexpected way as secrets come to light and emotions rise, CC and you must navigate the tangled web of identity, trust, and love-while the world around them grows more dangerous by the day.
Words: 4.89k words
Notes: Been working on this off and on and finally decided it was time to release. Contains a Cc Walker with spidergirl abilities, slow burn romance between reader and Cc, childhood besties to lovers trope, mainly just supplementing the foundation of Cc and readers relationship in part 1. Oscorp mentions, Wyatt being the typical genius brother he is. Walker siblings for the win. Fluff with a bit of second hand embarrassment thrown into the mix. A cute read overall and a fluffy part one.
Errors will occur (Not proofread)
Something was off with Cc walker. Is the singular most prominent thought in your mind as of late. You think about it while you brush your teeth, while you eat dinner with your parents, another dinner quiet enough and void of colour and emotion that your brain takes over. She’s been different- Flighty. Always has somewhere to rush off to like she just can’t sit still. She’s less moody in class, on the field-
Well on the field she’s exquisite. No hint of tangled limbs or uncoordinated feet-she’s all eager concentrated diluted eyes and senses that can practically sense goals from a mile away.
She’s paying attention in chemistry-in science-full on paying attention with raised blonde brows and a hand raised and pen meeting paper whenever she had a question. CC’s always been smart, you thought of her as being an average girl with an average sense of intellect. But lately it’s like CC is on a mission. You can’t explain it-she’s eager to learn. Her questions are clever and witty.
Even the rest of the team agrees. It shouldn’t bother you-this uncomfortable aching feeling of not knowing. When had you? Cc’s best friend since infancy ever not known something was off?
You knew CC like the back of your hand, intimate and personal. You knew that when CC was hot her cheeks would flush, knew that she hated tying her shoelaces and would double knot them if it meant not having to tie them again for the rest of the day. Knew that face she would get when she was annoyed or fed up with someone-the one where her eyes would squint and the singular roll of her tongue pressing against her cheek.
So how did you not know this?
Cc had been avoiding you. That much was certain. She was quick to talk always dodging you around the lockers-always quick to give you a forehead kiss and prattle off, “I swear I’ll call you tonight! It’s a promise!” She’d say racing off across the school’s corridor.
To say you were fed up with this whole ordeal was an understatement.
From then on you’d watch her in class, study her like some odd chemist would study its own chemicals. ‘Stop being such a creep’ your mind would utter, but your eyes would always drag back. Flit across her pale sunken cheeks-across the planes of her back, straight and wide, across the patch of skin beneath her soccer uniform- perhaps not that close.
It would always leave you with an uncomfortable unique feeling laced in your gut-a mix of girlish delight and utter horror because you fancied CC walker and you shouldn’t have. You had no business doing so-you-captain and co captain of the debate club, you’d barely even made the cut for the girls soccer team-the only reason you had a spot on the team was CC herself. Cc who practically dragged you and pleaded with rushed hands and puppy dog eyes to sign up with her freshman year. And then coached you for a month just so you could play better. Without falling on your knees and getting your pretty face muddled with mud. You were not on CC walker’s radar, especially in that way.
Sure you were confident with the knowledge that you were indeed into girls. That had been apparent for years-and had been a topic of discussion one rather uncomfortable sleepover when Cc had blurted out mid midnight chat when you both were laying side by side-you can still feel the heat of her breath-the way her throat had sunken and the uncomfortable throat gulp-audible and quite nerve wracking. Freshmen year.
“Wyatt said the reason you wear flannels is because your-because you like girls….” The confession had been rushed, said between pink flushed skin and blue eyes that were avoiding your own fear stricken eyes. Perhaps it was your own imaturity at that time that made you squeak
“What?”
“He didn’t tell me straight out like that-god this is all coming out out of context-Wyatt was defending you. One of his chess buddies, Elon, was taking the mick out of you-rather harshly. He’s probably still nursing his wounds after you wiped the floor with him last debate-but he made some offhand comment about how-how your always near me. And you don’t seem to like-gravitate towards others. Not that your a weird loner-“ cc was quick to point out, finger moving to caress your nose in a affectionate bop, “but-well he said your always staring at the girls cheer team when we practice and you listen to girl in red and wear a lot of flannel--I-I might have tried to deck him-“.
Your eyes had widened- cc Walker choosing to defend you-your own knight in shining armor, had been your thought but you quickly snubbed it down. You were silent for a few minutes before a giggle erupted from your lips, shaking your chest and making you throw back your head against CC’s sheets, a hand to your stomach, perhaps if you had payed attention you would have seen the way CC’s eyes had ghosted over your lips-
“Wyatt had to pull me away. It wasn’t even anything remotely bigoted really-he could have called you much worse things-cruel things-but I couldn’t help myself. I didn’t like it-the way he was trash talking you-and then Wyatt told me that-well that you-confided in him and I felt even more like an ass. Because-your my girl-and we tell each other everything-w-when did that stop? Do you not trust me? Because-well I already knew that you were-lesbian. I mean your eyes stay in one place in the girl’s locker room. I kinda figured.”
A warmth spread over your cheeks, because it made sense-why cc always spoke to you in the locker room-a soft cascading voice, asking questions she knew you would answer, because you had a mind that just couldn’t mutitask-which sounded humorous enough given all the accolades you had been given, but now it made your heart warm. Because Cc had known how gay you were and seemed to try to-take the attention away from the awkward tumbling eyes.
Little did she know they were mostly directed at her. And you had hated it. Despised it. Had written in your journal more times than you could count, ‘why can’t I be normal?’
Cc had softly taken your hand then, squeezing a little too hard like you’d get up and rush out, which you had once-eighth grade-when Cc had given you her jacket after practice, and suddenly you felt a little to comfortable in it-a little too into the way her arm had woven around you-and you had wished she would lean down and let you see her eyes up close-a blue that even the gods would love. So you had immediately pushed it into her chest and had ran off.
You trusted Cc…and she trusted you. It seemed.
Her eyes caught yours-mid thought as your eyes grated from your chemistry paper, still on her as she sat dutifully taking notes, the bridge of her eyes cast down in concentration, you couldn’t pin point it. But something was off. New about her.
And the smug smirk she sent your way followed by a wink that was much too flirtatious and inadvertently made your elbow brush against your desk, nearly sending down the beaker and bunson burner, you could practically hear your voice in your mid beaker in the air, ‘oh, remember that girl who lost her chance at a scholarship because she burned the chemistry class down?’
But it was the feeling of someone’s hands on your waist, strong and steady and familiar-grip not necessarily bruising but tight enough and then the unrelenting feeling of something sticking to your back-a distinct sensation followed by the way your back jolted-and soon two hands, excellent coordinated and far beyond logical caught both the glass beaker and the bunson burner, fingers moving to immediately turn the gas off with a clever hand.
It had all happened in slow motion-or felt like.
“Careful, you almost hurt yourself” Cc spoke, gently placing the beaker and the burner down on your desk-her blonde hair cascading over her eyes-a deep blue that made your head spin-because how on earth did she do that?
You almost felt like pinching yourself-just to make sure. Because you were pretty sure you were having some sort of stroke-it had to be-because how did Cc manage to get to you so fast from a few rows in front? How had she managed to catch both the bunson burner (with fire mind you) and the beaker-with liquid still inside? Did she defy gravity? Not to mention the feeling of something pushing her back-like an invisible force pulling her against the desk?
You had to be crazy. That was the only logical explanation-your brain had conjured up some elaborate mental images-
“What was that?” You stuttered out-cheeks a blaze-eyes only on Cc, her wide set blue eyes-usually so charming-confident-but right now they were red-the type of red that would adorn her cheeks after a hard practice.
Cc softly moved to invade your space, fingers moving over your waist, slightly pulling just enough that your lips came close-and your eyes drifted down on their own accord.
Panic. Want. Need. All the range of emotions filled your chest as you eyed her rather pink lips-moist and soft and oh so beautiful-but then her fingers were wrapping around something on your skirt and soon she was searching for something-fingers trailing over your low back side-dangerously close to to your ‘gentleman should never touch this area’ place before a brief squelching sound echoed over your ears-and Cc moved away-her hand that was around your waist coming to hide behind her back.
“Are you alright? I didn’t mean to startle you” she moved to cup your chin, strong fingers and strong brows set in concern.
But before you could talk-even get a measly-‘what?’ Out a few classmates were clapping Cc on the back-
“That was sick Walker!”
“Totally our captain in action!” One of your team members, Clarissa, who often got penalized for body checking spoke up.
You must have stared into her eyes for minutes-observing-like if you could just peer into her eyes you would know-have some inkling-some clue-god you needed a clue.
Slaps on her back and words were said and Cc merely blushed, speaking to the few that were now Corning the action. Her cheeks were red-signaling she was embarrassed by the attention-but the lazy smirk on her lips spoke volumes. Cc walker adored attention. Excelled in it. Craved it.
The lazy smile would have charmed the pants off of you earlier-but no-you had to be firm-to find some sort of footing. Because Cc was unaware of what she had kindled in you. A fire-a deep seed that yearned to find the truth behind those lies. Because What had just transpired was not normal-not even remotely normal.
By the end of the day you were her shadow. Eying her like she had done something to wrong you-you weren’t trying to make it seem like Cc had pissed in your teacup-but the way you eyed her-like she had done some great mistrust against you-or you were just very in love and quite conflicted at her keeping secrets-because Cc ‘we tell each other everything’ Walker was currently not meeting the bar.
You managed to school your attentions long enough to corner her by her locker-books held against your chest with what you hoped was ease as you slowly made your way over-taking your spot that you claimed since freshman year.
You didn’t need to say anything-because Cc was already speaking-blonde curls loosely limping over her bangs as she put her books away, her eyes a familiar look-amusement if anything.
“Find what you’ve been staring at me for?”. It was typical Cc Walker. Using her charm-her natural people skills to outway you.
But you were better than that. You could outway her just as easily-if not better. Because you were just as clever-and you knew Cc Walker to a tune. It was almost unfair. So you switched tactics.
“I am still sleeping over tonight right? We can switch the nights if you feel too coddled-“ you began, trying to add sensible words, not too much ease, but more of a uncomfortable tilt-
In an instant, it was almost comical how fast. A nanosecond at best, Cc whipped her locker shut-a force so fast the locker creaked on its hinges. Her blonde brows were no longer pinched in what had been amusement-no they were pinched in almost alarm. Her backpack hung loosely on her side, like it didn’t matter-like all her attention was on you. Her eyes-those blue greys looked at you like you were from another planet.
They almost seemed threatening. But you knew-deep inside that you had hit a nerve. When had you ever-in the history of knowing Cc Walker-ever canceled a scheduled long overdue sleepover? Never. Because it was like clockwork. The walker’s home was a second home for you. You even had a sock drawer in Cc’s bedroom-a spare toothbrush adorned besides Cc’s. A mug bought for you by Wyatt die Christmas one year.
“Why would I want to cancel?-“ the question was gruff and heavy. CC’s fingers gripped the backpack harshly, eyebrows still pinched-then a slight sniff of her nose, her eyes holding a pensive expression.
“D-do you want to cancel?” The crack of emotion laced in the words-made your heart hammer in your chest. Because you were never prepared for this-Cc Walker looking at you with glassy eyes and an expression almost to say, ‘don’t you love me anymore?’
“I don’t want to cancel-“ you stumbled over your words. You fell in line with her as she began walking the school corridors, eyes still alertly on you-like she was trying to figure out just what you meant.
“I just wanted you to know we can cancel. I don’t want you to feel too coddled-“ you began.
The next thing you knew hands were lacing around your fingers, pale fingers dragging against your palm-
“Then it’s done. Your staying in my bed tonight and eating my mothers Friday dinner. No buts or what’s about it-coddle me? Coddle me my ass-“
Friday in the Walker house consisted of a meal that made your stomach grumble even before you ate it. Dinner rolls-deliciously set and buttered-green beans-gravy as thick as you liked it-because Jess Walker knew you loved her food more than her daughter-a joke she would always tell that would make Cc roll her eyes but pout. You sat in the chair across from Cc, nestled next to Wyatt who as always was a delightful dinner guest.
Mr Walker, or Bill as you often called him, began to talk about his glory days in his band, spouting out stories that made the whole family including you laugh and laugh. The walkers were your only healthy format of a family-and you appreciated how they treated you. Like one of their own.
You helped Mrs Walker put the dishes away-or by helped you held Miles in your arms as Jess put the dishes away-she was always struggling-balancing work and children. You didn’t mind-Miles was use to you and you did your best to wrangle him. Playing toy trucks with him and delighting when he said your name-in his little baby voice with those pink cheeks and eyes so alike to Cc’s it made you love him even more.
Cc loitered-by that she sat side by side, pressed up so close you could feel her ribs-she also was a doting big sister-teaching miles the colors. You noticed Mrs Walker and her darting eyes-fondness in her features when she eyed Cc and you.
Finally after the kitchen was sleak and finished and Mrs Walker scooped up Miles to put him to bed did Cc help you up off the floor, her hands strong and steady as she waves goodnight to miles-her fingers still interlocking with yours. “Thank goodness that child goes to sleep” she uttered, and you laughed, bumping your hips with hers. “Be nice!”.
“You gotta admit you’re happy it’s just us and not us and a little baby toddler who keeps stealing you from me”.
“I wasn’t aware I was being stolen”.
The banter was cut short by CC’s watch. A sharp insisted sound that made CC’s eyebrows raise-like she recognized the sound. Was waiting for it.
“What’s that for?”.
Cc’s lips quirked-like she was trying to come up with some excuse, “just Miles playing with my watch earlier. Little fingers pushing all the wrong buttons”.
You weren’t sure if you believed it-it was perfectly crafted-said between well formed lips. Cc must have known you didn’t quite believe her because she was walking ahead, the familiar path to her room as similar as ever.
She opened her door with a push of her fingers-revealing her room in all its glory. Miraculously clean-save for a few notebooks strewn about her night stand. CC’s pens were deliberately laid out-textbooks laid down. Your eyebrows rose as you took in the curious sight of what looked like to be a some sort of science textbook you couldn’t even begin to pronounce.
But before you could get near and see the crafted notebooks (because this why Cc payed attention in science) did Cc rush in with nervous fingers.
“I thought I put these away. Let’s get these out of the way-“ she hummed.
“I don’t mind. Since when are you so interested in-“ your eyebrows creased as you read the smudge of CC’s handwriting on her notebook, “fluid formula?” You asked, curious indulgent in your eyes. Adoring. Like all you wanted was to just know.
“Just-been trying to get my GPA up. You know how it is with football” she speaks, gently taking the notebook and putting it away.
You can tell Cc is nervous-it’s obvious from the way her fingers are strewn about each other, the tick of her jaw. The way her eyes just won’t meet yours. Refusing to do so.
“Are we going to talk about what happened in biology today?” The question is quiet, almost like a whisper.
Cc’s brows are knitted. The confused kind. The kind that state she doesn’t quite know to lie or say yes. Your stomach is a nervous jumble. You’re half hoping she’ll confide in you. She always had-does. There’s nothing she doesn’t tell you.
CC’s eyes are conflicted-like she’s facing some desperate situation. But soon the conflict is gone-just a sea of calm blue. The charming Cc walker-but it’s for show.
“What happened in Biology? My sick save of the beaker? Want me to show you how to catch?”.
You don’t expect it to hurt this much. Like some sucker punch to the gut. You have to remind your mind that no-you didn’t just get punched in the gut. But it feels like it. Like Cc is always running away from you. And you’re always running after her. Taking her by her hand or dragging her back-and suddenly it dawns on you. Cc will always be running from you. Hiding some part of her.
“We’re not connected anymore. I know that. But I was hoping you’d trust me enough to tell me. That-that we love each other enough”. The words are like shards-and the soft smile on CC’s face shifts. She senses the emotion in the words.
“Look-if-if I tell you-it could-“ she struggles, moving to close her door, fingers to the bridge of her nose, her strides going back and forth. It makes you confused and worried-
“If I tell you-it could put you in danger. Like-danger that I can’t save you from-I’m not doing this to distance myself from you or whatever you think” CC’s words are calm yet hold a distinct sense of direct firmness.
Danger?
Just the words makes your skin arise in goosebumps. Because what danger could Cc Walker possibly be in? Your mind immediately imagines the worse. Street gangs. Pack mules. Illegal trouble-
“I-I don’t understand. W-what trouble could you possibly get in?” You speak, your voice shaken, unsteady.
Cc sighs, rubs her face. There is no sign of the confident footballer you grew up with-there’s a flicker of something her eyes. You’ve never seen it before. But you felt it-staring into her eyes the very day.
When the world had cheered at her act of heroism-when you could think of nothing-see nothing-but her flecks of grey. Of her calm brows-of the way she had held you-like you were worth everything.
“I need you to understand something. You-are-“ CC’s breath halts-emotion laced in her tone, her eyes are a glassy blue, her throat bobs-“you are one of my most cherished person close to my heart. And I-i wanted to tell you-god I did-I wanted to call you the very first day-when I felt like something was wrong with me like I was losing my mind going insane-“ Cc laughs, a watery laugh.
“But I couldn’t. I just-I couldn’t put you in that situation. But now-I realize it only hurt you-hurt us. And I can’t lose you. So-“ with a defeated sigh, she moves to lean her forehead against yours-the act makes your stomach swoon and heart chatter out of its chest.
CC’s lips are pink-and rest just inches across your own. Just inches-mere centimeters-her eyes are a cool puddle of grey.
“I’ll tell you.”
Three letter words that mean the world to you.
Cc moves away, moving to open her drawer and grab the notebooks she had put away, she reaches into her drawer and pulls out glasses-the type that make her eyes pop just a little-but it makes your heart beat even faster. Because Cc looks so-effortlessly good. Attractive. It’s honestly a shameful thought. But you tug it down.
“Remember when we went to the Natural History Musuem last fall?”
It was a simple question. You did- the whole football team had been given a private tour of the museum-you had loved it-
“Yeah. You got sick with a fever and had to go home” you speak.
Cc nods. “Exactly. Remember they took us into the lab with all the new special projects? Well Dr Kleiman was able to show Jessica and I this new spider venom they are creating-it’s a spider with blue scorpion venom. Very rare. And only being tested in that one lab. Well I made the idiotic mistake of touching one of the webs-and all of them began to fall-like millions-all onto my head and into my sweater and all over my hair-Dr Kleiman was frantic and kept trying to make sure we got them all off-said it would have been fatal if one of them bit us.”
Cc licked her lips, moving to push the glasses back on her nose, fingers moving to another drawer and pulling out what looked like to be a vial-a name printed on the side that you hadn’t ever seen before-save for the name of the lab you had been in months ago.
Oscorp Industries
You watched as the vial glinted-silver in manner-polished-pristine. A liquid inside-green substance.
“Where did you get that? More important how?”.
Cc sighed, “This ” she reiterated, “is what is in the spider that bit me”.
Almost as if to show you, Cc lifted another vial in her hidden compartment drawer -this one hid behind plexi glass. It looked like it had been done by Cc-with a at home bug pin kit. Nothing like the two vials you had just seen. Those looked like they were under lock and key.
GENETIC MODIFICATION UNIT
Specimen #E-15
Arachnid: Steatoda Genus
Status: Active
“This is what bit me. I didn’t know until I woke up the next day. Scared Wyatt half to death-breaking things-I could see clearly-I didn’t need reading glasses-I scraped my knee during football practice and by the end of the day it healed-like completely healed-“.
You bit your tongue, trying to take this complex information in.
“W-wait. So-this spider bit you…and-and what you have..abilities? That doesn’t explain how you got these vials-“ your brain was a mess of how’s and why’s and how could you’s on the tip of your tongue.
“I got the vials from Wyatt. He knows some of his science buddies who gave me a tour last week-I smuggled these out of the lab. I needed to know what was in them-see if I can make some sort of antidote”.
You were halfway between mind spinning and mind going wild with this new fresh information when footages and the rustle of the doorknob began to jiggle and with senses far beyond human Cc hid the notebooks and the vials-a impressive web slinging out from her wrist to close the drawer-
Web shooters. Cc made web shooters. Or did they come out of her wrist? You were too kind boggled-trying to see the remnant of web on the drawer handle that Cc was positioned over.
The door opened and Wyatt came in view, leaving Cc to puff out a breath, cheeks red, blue eyes wide, “I thought you were mom” she spoke, moving away from the drawer.
“Come in. Close the door” she gritted to her brother, Wyatt for his part immediately flew in to the side of you, his curly hair bouncing and his cheeks-the same color and hue as his sisters flushed as he eyed the notebooks and vials.
“It’s about time you told her.” He spoke, smiling that calm comforting smile, “I’ve been helping Cc try to figure out what’s in the vials. We’ve even taken some of her blood for testing”. That didn’t surprise you in the slightest. Wyatt was a genius in his own right-the type that didn’t need formulas but the type that decode numbers in less than a minute. And it seemed Cc needed that.
“So far all the evidence that we have-came from the spider bite and its interaction with CC’s blood. I wrote down everything it caused. Fever-chills-sweats-“ his finger ran down a column on the sheet of notebook.
“So far we are as close to finding an antidote as we are to find a piece of 100 dollar bill. But I’m actually working on that”. The glint in his eyes made you hopeful-and Cc seemed to shine at that. Wyatt took a comment to revel in it before speaking again.
“I got an internship in the Natural History Museum. In the lab. And I’ll be able to access the information we need. The series numbers of where the vials came from-all of it”.
The look in CC’s eyes was the closest you’d ever seen to admiration for her brother. She smiled-that lopsided grin that she still hadn’t grown out of-and soon she was gripping Wyatt in a bear hug.
You almost felt like you were intruding on the moment. Like you shouldn’t have been here. You allowed your eyes to wander, taking in CC’s handwriting on sheets of paper, notebooks, formulas, science books strewn about.
This was why she was so flighty.
You tried to imagine it. Waking up one day with senses too strong-where everything was too loud and you were too strong-where webs flew out of your skin like foreign parasites-
And suddenly you felt guilty. What for, you didn’t know.
Later on in the night when Cc and you had calmed down for the night, Cc on her side of the bed and you to the left, did you speak. A whisper into the air.
“I shouldn’t be mad at you for keeping this a secret. I would too-probably even from you”.
Cc seemed to contemplate it.
“I didn’t want to scare you. Because if I’m being honest-I scared myself. There’s this new world for me now-it’s like my nervous system is broken. My senses are all wild and it’s hard to tame them. Sometimes I think I’m going mad”.
Your pinky moved on its own accord, moving to lace with hers. A subtle movement but strong in the way it united you.
“I don’t know how much help I’ll be-but I’d like to help you and Wyatt. Any way I can”.
The admission made Cc blush, but she clung to you even tighter.
It was a few days later that you sat next to Cc in the school library, finishing up homework and perhaps checking out some biology books. You were flirting heavily, batting your eyes, biting your lip, and Cc was falling for it. You were about to gain the courage to just grab her by the sweater and kiss her, when the sudden thunk caught your ears. Wyatt walker had just slipped over the linoleum flooring of the library landing smack dab in the front of your table.
He didn’t say anything, didn’t even wait to get up, almost comically he threw his phone and piece of paper on the table.
“I came up with a way to solve our problems. I designed this suit to suit CC’s new abilities.” It was said between hushed teeth as he got up from the floor, an ache in his back. You were still wide eyed, trying to help the poor boy up and sooth his injuries. But cc was staring down at the design with pensive brows and-admiration? You couldn’t read the exact expressions
Once Wyatt had gained his bearings he spoke again.
