The Many Loves of Spider-Man

Arrow to the Heart (Katherine Bishop, aka Hawkeye)

*THUD*

She looked just as her arrow pierced through the air, hitting the bullseye that she had marked over the other end of the training room. She had to get better, she needed to let the team know that they had made the correct choice. It has been years since she wanted to join the main Avenger's team and she, Katherine Bishop, had finally done it. So all she needed to do was to keep on showing them that they could trust in her, that their decision to move her to the main Avenger's team was not a bad decision.

"I can do this..." She muttered, her hands holding her bow and yet another arrow in place. Her eyes squinted slightly, her focus was almost instinctively. Her breaths were calm and collected, which brought her even more focus to her training. But thoughts of her past action were making her not want to even shoot the arrow from her bow. He had helped her, and all she had ever done towards him was to berate him every single time she could. Sure he had helped her when she was still in the Young Avengers' team, but even she could see that his sole focus was William and Thomas. "Just breathe and let go..."

*THUD*

She sighed, watching just how her second arrow pierced through the first and even passed through the bullseye. Her training regime had increased exponentially, ever since Clint gifted her with a newer bow. But even she hasn't seen much from her mentor, with the man preferring to stay in solitude for all of his own actions against his friends. It made her frown a bit knowing that her own mentor had to practically self exile himself to be at peace. But there was nothing she could actually do apart from becoming the hero he would want her to be.

"Great shot, Hawkette. Maybe you will soon start creating your own trick arrows" Kate looked back, immediately finding herself face to face with the Amazing Spider-Man. The man was reclining against the wall of the training room, the hidden smirk over his face made her groan a bit. She knew quite well that her crush over the man in front of her was a huge factor as to why she broke up with Speed. "Now... in all seriousness. That was quite the shot. Great job, Kate"

"Thanks..." She muttered, a small smile over her face. She appreciated the compliment from the more veteran hero, though she knew that her heart throb against her chest thanks to something else. She even has to look away a bit, avoiding his gaze for the moment. "Say..." She said loud enough for the hero to hear her. She was still slightly embarrassed to even try to say the words that were in her mind from the moment she had created a crush over the arachnid hero. And if she had to be honest, was quite jealous of other females that got to spend more time with him. "I had been thinking about something..."

"Really?" She could notice his voice, devoid of any sarcasm or jokes that may come out of his mouth. She looked back, just to see that his white lenses had narrowed slightly. She could make an educated guess as to why he narrowed his eyes on her, but she preferred to concentrate on what she wanted to say instead of pondering over his current expressions. "And that would be?"

"It has been years since I became a hero..." She felt slightly nostalgic, her eyes watering slightly. And while no tears managed to escape from her eyes, it made her recall all of the good and bad times she had experienced as a hero. "Maybe I have helped you sometimes..." She did recall saving the arachnid from Rhino one time, though it was more of a team effort between all the Young Avengers' members. But she still was one of the involved heroes in helping him. "But I have mocked you more times than I could remember..." She looked into his lenses, showing just how sorry she was. Her eyes were an open book, she knew that. So she wanted him to see that she was being as truthful as she could be. "I'm sorry..."

"You're apologizing to me?" Kate couldn't help but gain a small tick over her right eye as she watched the hero acting confused. She knew that it was him trying to rile her up, and it was working quite well. It went for a couple of more seconds, just watching the arachnid actually searching with his sight to see if there was someone else in the room. "Oh... you are apologizing to me"

"Very funny, Spidey..." She made a sarcastic laugh, her words making the veteran hero chuckle slightly. She just sighed in the end, there was no way that she could actually control his words or just make him shut up for a moment. She knew that it was his way of expressing himself when he was donning the suit, or at least... that is what most of her teachers had told her about the man. "Even so, the more time I spend in the mansion... The more I ask myself if this is what it feels to have a real family"

Kate glanced right at him, her cheeks were blushing quite hard. She hoped that he didn't notice her reaction over her words, or even guess the real meaning behind them. She just wanted to make him see just how much she appreciated his support and just how sorry she was for mocking him behind his back. No more and no less, that is all she wanted. But her eyes widened in shock and fear when she noticed the brief actions that his lenses made. The white lenses were widening slowly, catching her reaction completely.

"Oh~" Spider-Man mocked her, making her blush harder than ever. He caught her, her mind hoping that he had misinterpreted her actions for something else. But even she knew that it was a wishful thought. That she was definitely not that lucky. He had seen her glance his way, and probably had seen the blush in her cheeks when she did so. "So the little archer likes me?" She blushed even harder, the heat over her cheeks making itself quite noticeable. She would even go out of her way to say that it was covering her entire face. "If the others see you right now, it would be priceless"

"Hey!" She confronted him, the huge blush still adorning her face. She was glaring at him, or at least trying to glare at him. The heat in her cheeks really didn't allow her to really glare with all of her might. It felt more like she was pouting his way. Which made her even more angry at herself and at the man teasing her. "Take that smirk off your face!" She couldn't really see the smirk, but she knew that he had one, if the slight twitches she could see were anything to notice. She looked away, fully embarrassed with her current actions. It made her look even more ashamed of what she was doing. "I was just stating something! It's not like you are someone I want!"

"Keep repeating it until you believe it" She splutters, her eyes wide in shock. She didn't know just how to respond to his allegations. She tried to come up with something, but her mind was actually unresponsive. Her throat was unable to muster enough strength to get her cords functioning again. It was a moment she would have preferred to have avoided entirely.

"S-Shut up!" Her weak response made her actually even more of a wreck. She even stuttered, practically making his guesses a fact. She would have preferred to act as if she had not even talked with him, but she knew that it was not possible. "O-Or I will have to..." She was thinking hard, her mind trying to come up with a way to make him stop teasing her. And while there was always the old fashioned threat, she tried to think of something else. But she couldn't. Which resulted in more embarrassment. "Y'know... shot you with an arrow!"

"Whatever you say, Artemis" She blushed even harder, her mind thinking that he had just compared her to one of the Greek goddesses. Sure the one that lived around them was definitely very different from her depiction in other media. While Greek believers actually thought of her as a white skinned and black haired beauty, she actually was a dark skinned and pink haired model.

"G-Good... And never forget it!" She fumbled with the string of her bow a bit, actually nervous. She couldn't help but walk away from the room, her blush increasing as she heard the chuckles of the arachnid hero behind her. Though before she would actually leave the room, she stopped her heart throbbing against her chest quite hard. Before she even had a chance to actually think, she had partially removed the mask of the hero and pecked his lips with her own.

"B-Bye!" She fumbled with her words, quickening her pace out of the room. She noticed that he stayed silent and shocked, which made her notice that the short kiss made him embarrassed for once. Maybe she should just kiss a bit longer the next time he makes her act like this. It would be the judgement that he deserved for making her act like this. Because for the moment she met him, and she would never admit it out loud, her heart was shot with Cupid's arrow.