𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬 𝐐𝐮𝐨

twentyone.

Arcades are pretty deafening when you think about it. It's an enclosed space crammed with dozens of people squealing and cheering, booing and sighing. There's a plethora of arcade games all blaring their own melodies and making electronic sound effects. The teenage staff are at the back serving food and cooking cheap hot dogs or pouring weak soft drinks with hardly enough syrup.

But we all enjoy going to the arcade anyway.
Why? Because humans are all competitive as fuck.

Ned came back from the snack bar with two corn dogs; one for him and one for MJ. I can't stand them so I declined his offer and Peter was off somewhere doing god knows what. When MJ thanked him, I took it upon myself to leave them alone for a bit - I had been third wheeling for about fifteen minutes.

Walking around with my game card, I looked for my next game. Remember when I said people like arcades because it's a fun way to be competitive? Yeah, it's really fucking shit to be competitive by yourself.

I spotted Peter at the basketball games, holding up a little boy as the kid hurled the ball towards the net. I caught myself smiling when I saw it, it actually showed me Peter had some small amount of humility. Although, he could just be doing it because the kid recognised him as the new Iron-Man and he knew he couldn't be a dickhead in public.

"You ditched us all back there, we were meeting at the tables at quarter past remember," I said bluntly, swiping my preloaded game card against the machine to start playing basketball next to him.

"I assumed you needed time away from me considering I was such an asshole to you, Y/N," he said swiping his own card and beginning to throw the tiny basketballs at the moving net. He placed quite the emphasis on my name, proving that he knew it now.

"Good job, you asked MJ for my name," I scoffed, throwing frantically at the net and out stretching my arm when one of the bounced off the hoop and back towards me. I caught it with two of my fingertips, which would be impossible without my powers; luckily nobody would have seen.

He looked over at my game, noticing that our scores were almost the same and began throwing the balls faster. I too, began throwing faster to keep up with him although my spider-senses made it impossible for me to miss. My aim was impeccable now. The machines were loudly commending our skills and alerting people around us that we were on our ways to high scores - including MJ and Ned who were standing next to us and watching.

I beat Peter by 2 points, which spat out hundreds of game tickets which I wrapped around my neck like a long necklace - I had to show them off. Peter on the other hand, passed them to a group of surrounding children to redeem for shitty toys.

Sorry kids, I'm keeping the shitty toys for myself.

"That was so impressive Peter," MJ smiled, covering her mouth as she chewed.

"Wait, what about me?" I scoffed, being the obvious winner.

"You have spider powers it's not fair, he's the one who kept up with you," MJ smiled, biting into her corn dog casually. I stared at her in shock before turning towards Ned who had his mouth dropped open and was flicking his head between Peter and I.

I laughed, trying to play it off like a joke to Ned but given Peter and MJ's reactions; he had just found out my secret identity.

"Thanks a lot Michelle you fucking idiot," I sighed, half joking but half not.

"What? I assumed cos you and Peter had fucked and that Ned invited us here that everyone in this little circle knew," MJ winced, apologetic for exposing me.

"You guys slept together too?!" Ned said choking on his mouthful of corn dog, whacking Peter against the chest as Peter sighed and glared at me.

"What? Obviously I told her that I slept with you, I couldn't just live with that regret inside me forever," I huffed, looking at Ned who still had his mouth open at everything he was hearing right now.

MJ mouthed the words 'I'm sorry' towards me before Peter rubbed his face as he tried to comprehend what was going on. It was an absolute shit show.

"I uh, I'm going to get a soda... And Ned! Ned is also going to get a sofa because he is thirsty too," MJ said abruptly, pulling Ned by the arm away from us as I took a deep breath.

"Can I trust him? H-He's not going to tell anyone right?" I asked Peter nervously. He was now the only other normal person who knew about Spider-Woman other than MJ.

"You regret the other night?" Peter asked me, screwing his face up slightly and furrowing his brows. He looked hurt, but in a cocky way, which I didn't think was possible.

"What? Peter, listen to me. Will Ned tell anyone?" I reiterated, fearful of my identity now being leaked.

"No he's like a vault when it comes to secrets. But do you seriously regret sleeping with me?" He asked again.

Deep down I knew that the other night was some of the best sex I have ever had; but I couldn't let him know that. It would inflate his ego.

"Yeah, because you don't even fucking know me," I said, looking around the arcade to see if anyone was listening to us.

"Look me in the face and tell me that again," he said quieter, staring into my fucking soul.

"No," I scoffed. I knew I couldn't lie when he was looking at me like that.

"Then I know you don't regret it. Let me get to know you then, as Y/N and not Spider-Woman. Dinner or something, to prove to you I'm not actually an asshole all the time. Even like, a movie at my house so the media don't see us. We can sit in the lounge room not my bedroom, and you can be on a complete seperate couch to me. I just don't want this to end on a bad note when we have to work together," he smiled hopefully.

"Fine. But I'm picking the movie."