𝙷𝚒𝚍𝚍𝚎𝚗 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛// 𝚂𝚙𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚊𝚗 𝚡 𝘖𝘊

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝟹𝟶

Lilah's POV

Peter had left a couple of hours ago, and I was left alone with my thoughts, which was not the best place to be right now. 

He had calmed my fears at first, but now I was overthinking. Everything. Thoughts of my brother's death and the aftermath my family went through replayed. Over and over and over. 

I had gone back to making my new suit, but it didn't distract my mind. Glancing at the clock, I realized it was 2 am. I had finished the base and was left to stitch individual lines of silver across the mask. 

I picked up a threaded needle but hovered over the suit. After staring at it for around 5 minutes, I dropped it and put my head in my hands. Tears stung my eyes but I wouldn't let them fall. 

I laid my head back on the couch, frustrated with myself. I didn't want to call Peter and Miles, they had already helped me enough lately. But I couldn't be alone with my thoughts. 

Then my phone started to buzz. I hastily pulled it from behind the pillows of my couch, thinking it was Peter, but surprisingly, it was my mother.

I answered it, wondering what she was calling about. 

"Hi, Mom. What's up? Why are you calling this late?"

"Hi Honey! It's the strangest thing, but I haven't been able to sleep all night. I felt like something was wrong, so I called. Is everything alright?"

I took a deep breath. "Yeah, mom I'm---" I paused and felt the tears well up inside me. How did she always know? "I'm not okay at all actually. That's some good mother's intuition you have there." 

"What's wrong?"

I sighed and looked up at the ceiling, wishing I could tell her everything. "I've just been thinking about...Dylan...a lot." The tears were coming hot and fast now. 

"So have I, sweetie." 

.......

It was two more hours before I hung up the phone. I mentally scolded myself for not talking to my parents for so long. I had gotten so overwhelmed with everything going on that I had forgotten to call. I had acted just like a selfish teenager. 

I laid back on the couch, exhausted but feeling more secure in what I would have to do. Maybe after this, I could tell my mom. About everything. 

--------------------------------------------------

I woke, slightly disoriented by my surroundings, but I realized I had passed out on the couch, unfinished suit in hand. 

I sat up and rubbed my eyes to look at my work. The suit was mostly finished, I just had to stitch the silver lining onto the limbs. And create a new mask. But I needed to move on for a while, maybe go on patrol. I went to open the balcony doors, but my hand hovered over the knob.

I couldn't leave my house anymore, not in my suit at least. If I were being watched, my identity would be compromised. And I probably was. 

I put on some jeans, a sweater, and a light coat over my suit. I walked out of my apartment complex and started walking to my favorite coffee place. 

I felt a small tingle travel up the back of my neck. I was definitely being watched. 

I stopped myself before I could turn to look and continued walking. I immediately picked up the phone and called Peter. After three rings, he picked up.

"Hello?" It sounded like I had woken him up, and he still had his morning voice. 

"Hey, it's Lilah. Sorry to wake you, but I'm being followed." I heard rustling and then a thud on the other side of the phone. I continued, "I went to leave my apartment to grab a coffee and then go on patrol, and felt myself being watched. I think they are trying to gauge my daily movements."

I then heard wind whistling through the phone speaker, "What are you doing?" 

His low voice sounded through the phone, "I'm on my way over there. If I swing around for a while and ask some people on the ground if they need help, I'm sure it will scare either Green Goblin or Harry away." 

"Alright, I'll try and get on patrol as soon as I can." 

I hung up and continued on my way to the coffee shop. I heard web-slinging ringing against the buildings above me. I turned to look and saw Pete's iconic costume swing into my vision. 

I continued walking and entered the coffee shop. I didn't want to be seen 'oogling' spiderman after I just agreed to help the Green Goblin. I ordered a coffee with milk and two tsp of sugar. I got a text after I got my coffee.

Swung around, can't see anything. Not getting spidey sense either. I think he is gone. 

I didn't text back but headed to the back alley. I waited for a second, but no longer felt like I was being watched. I stripped down to my suit while hiding behind a dumpster. I swung up to the top of the coffee house and went to find Peter. 

It wasn't hard to find him, as his bright red suit stood out from the city landscape. He stood about a block away from where I had changed. I swung over to him, coffee in hand, and landed behind him. 

"Boo."

I saw him flinch a bit but he just turned around to look at me. I laughed at his jump. He placed his hands on his hips. "Really?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty funny." I lifted my mask to just above my lips to sip my coffee. The eyes of his mask stayed trained on my face, not showing emotion. "I'm really going to need to help you with your mask mechanics. I hate having to guess at your emotions when you're suited up."

"OoOoO, it bothers you? Then I should definitely keep the mask just the way it is."

"Oh, fun." 

"Nah, I'm just kidding. But it keeps the enemies on their toes."

We continued for the rest of the day, working on patrol. We had stopped two rob-ins, but the day was pretty uneventful. 

We sat on the side of an apartment complex, masks pulled up to our noses to catch our breath. 

He turned over to me, "So, how are you doing with alllll this?"

"I'm fine. I've kind of accepted it at this point. And I will be able to get back at Norman." 

He turned to look back at the skyline. The sun was beginning to set, making it look like someone spilled their orange soda over the clouds. It was a comfortable silence, but it was disturbed by a buzzing in my suit. 

I let out a silent sigh and took out my phone. "It's Harry." 

I dropped by your house but realized you're aren't home. I left a little gift in front of your door.

Peter looked at my phone, and I guestered for him to take it. 

He read the text multiple times, "Is he going to try and hurt you?" 

"No, I don't think Harry would do it this soon. But I'm curious, let's go back and look."

I stood up to swing away, Pete following suit. I raised my wrist, but he stopped me.

His masked eyes gazed into my enlarged ones. My heart started to beat faster as he pulled me closer. I looked down at his lips, leaning in, but then I stopped. 

"Wait." 

I put my hands on his chest to stop him. "It isn't the smartest idea to do this out in the open. Especially two spiderpeople who can be used against each other in the future."

His lips formed a small O, and he stepped away, giving me some space. "I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want to, but we need to protect ourselves as much as possible.

He nodded, "No, you're right, I wasn't thinking at all." 

I smiled and pulled my mask back down around the rest of my face, "Let's go see the little gift Harry so graciously dropped off for me."