SAFETY PIN

Chapter-7: Behind the Mask

"Not how long, but how well you have lived is the main thing" - Seneca

(AMARA'S POV):

"Hey, Ama, you and Spider-Man have a training session with FRIDAY in 10 minutes. Please don't beat him up." Steve told me. 
"I know." I sighed.
"No more beating up superheroes named after insects. The list also includes Wanda, Loki. Thor and him." I rattled off, laughing.

"Good. I'm going to the supermarket. Don't burn down the tower." Steve replied.
"Tell that to Vi, Stevey. He's the one with the gadget-making ability." I joked.

"Don't flood the tower, either." He pointedly said, walking over
He hugged me softly and placed a kiss on my head.
"Love ya, kid," he muttered.
"Love you too,".
Steve was like the father that I never had. A much better one at that. He understood me when nobody could. I would always love him for that.

You deserved your birth father, the voice in my head said.

That thought was one of the main ones that kept me up at night.

I went downstairs and saw Peter sitting down on the plush sofa.
"Hey, Pete. What's up?" I smiled. I hadn't changed into my uniform yet, and thus was wandering around in shorts and a t-shirt.

"Oh, nothing. Just waiting for Mr Stark.
Umm, have you seen Spider-Man?" he asked.
It was a weird question, but I was okay with it. They must've met at some point. He was living here. Everyone knew everyone here.
 "I heard that he was supposed to be downstairs training with Varuna," I said. Maybe they needed to speak about something? 

"Um, thanks. He's waiting for me," he muttered and ran away.
"What's wrong with him?" I sighed.
I went to my room and changed into my uniform.
"Miss Willy-Pilly Varuna-Nelly, Spidey-man is waiting for you to fight him," FRIDAY said in her robotic voice. 
"Damn it, Loki," I muttered. He had a habit of changing names. A lot. Nearly every hour. Well, I didn't really blame him. He was not allowed to leave Stark Tower without an escort(which was usually me, not that I'm complaining).

I went down the elevator and saw Spider-Man sitting on the gym bench.

"Spider, get up. We have a lot of work to do. Don't sit on your ass all day like this." 

After a lot of work on the weights, and beating the shit out of a punching bag, we were finally ready to spar. 

Spider-man didn't hesitate to punch first. His first punch was definitely weak, and I knew he thought this was fake sparring.
"Listen, dude, punch me hard," I said after I kicked his surprisingly toned stomach. "This is real fighting. Stop pretending. You're not doing anyone a favour." I said, irritated.

He punched my gut hard and started webbing my hands together. 

At that moment, I realised how tired I was. I hadn't slept properly for the last 2 months, I was barely drinking water, and I basically ran on caffeine and Mrs T's doughnuts. That was not healthy at all. 

A jet of water from my hands dissolved the webs, and I kicked the side of his head. I delivered a punch near his shoulder and caused him to take a few steps back. I kicked him hard on his thigh, but I barely had any energy left. And for sparring, I didn't normally use my sceptre. 

 I wasn't weak. I knew my limits, and I'd reached mine.

 'You bit off more than you could chew, and this is the price.' the voice in my head said.

 He kicked me hard on my back, and I fell on my stomach. I quickly turned around, but Spiderman was above me, holding down my arms, his body weight on my legs. 

"Who are you?" he whispered. He was studying the lower part of my face, but he stopped at my eyes. 

"You'll never find out," I said.  He tried ripping my mask off, and my fight-or-flight motion kicked in, a sudden spurt of adrenaline in my veins, and I pushed him off of me, running for the door. 

His webs were flying off everywhere, but my water formed a shield.

 I love water. 

I turned around to see where he was, my shield coming down, and I saw him jumping on top of me. He ripped the mask off, but I used water to hide my face, running for the door. He tried to catch me, but couldn't.

I summoned my sceptre and used a jet of water to propel me into the elevator. I banged the button for the roof, and the door closed seconds before Spider-Man ran in.

I sighed in relief, getting a few minutes of rest where I could replace my mask, and suck some moisture out of the air to use for battle. 

I was never gladder about the fact that the Stark tower was so tall.

I casually walked to the middle of the roof, and I waited patiently for Spider-Man to appear.

He wasn't anywhere. The air was silent. 
I called my sceptre over, and drew some more moisture from the air

Maybe this would be a good excuse to go check up on the city, maybe meet Steve at the grocery store.

As soon as I took one step over the ledge, Spider-Man came from the bottom of the building, holding me by the throat.

He slammed me into the ground of the roof, pinning my elbows down. I had finally given up. I lay there, waiting for him.

This reminds me of when the Winter Soldier... 
The same exact pose too.
But he was mind-controlled.

He ripped off my mask, and for a few seconds, My hair covered my face perfectly. 

 "Amara?" he asked. His movements suddenly became gentle, and it was as if a dragonfly had removed a strand of hair from my face. He sat me up, and I recognised that touch of his. 

"How," I panted. "Do you know my name?"

He ripped his mask off, and I regretted asking that question.

 My first instinct was to look at those brown doe eyes, which I'd memorised perfectly.

"Peter?!"