The Many Loves of Spider-Man

Shedding Heart (Paige Guthrie, aka Husk)

She stared at the desperate look in the eyes of the female carrying what she believed was her son. She looked at her hand, knowing that she could help the young mother. But a part of her knew that if anyone found out about her powers, she would be either enslaved for it or right out killed for not being normal. So with slight hesitation, she ripped the skin from her hand.

The revelations of her powers, even if hidden from view, were still amazing to witness. Her hand was now made of crystals, or more specifically diamonds. She broke her diamond nails, creating pieces of diamonds which scattered all across her other hand. She looked at the diamonds in her hand, shining brightly thanks to the reflection of the sun. Before steeling herself and walking straight to the mother and son duo.

"Ma'am?" Paige Guthrie, the mutant known as Husk, called out. She watched just how the woman looked at her, the calmness in her eyes made it seem like she was alright. But Paige knew better, knew of the mask she was wearing. After all, she always had a mask to begin with. "I found these... They're diamonds..."

"What-?"

"Please..." Paige interrupted the shocked mother, placing the diamonds in her hand as quickly as she could. She did not want to stay out in the open for long, as the longer she took was the higher the chance of others finding out her powers. "They should be able to help you and the baby for whatever you may need"

"Thank you..." She smiled, quickly leaving the mother and son duo behind. She sighed, trying to find a way back to her group before she got lost in the city of New York. But it was a big city, realizing that it will be a long time before she even reunites with her teammates.

"You know, what you did there was amazing" Paige almost jumped in fright hearing the sudden voice. She looked up, calming down a bit as soon as she noticed that the voice came from the arachnid hero of New York. Knowing that it was Spider-Man and not someone else, made Husk relax slightly. Though her heart was still quite accelerated. "Thank you for helping her"

"I just couldn't see her looking that way..." She whispered, her blue eyes looking straight at the hero in front of her. She felt as if the arachnid hero was smiling at her, which made her slightly embarrassed about it. Just thinking that a hero as known as Spider-Man was smiling at her, was enough to make her cheeks turn a slightly bright pink color. "She looked like she needed help"

"You are special..." His words made her widen her eyes wide in shock. Those were words that she did not expect to hear from the man across from her. "You went out of your way to use your powers in a way that you knew that would help them" She played with her hands, the previously diamond hand was not back to normal with a bit of blood over the finger she used to create the diamonds from. "I don't know if anyone has told you before, but you would be a wonderful hero"

"T-Thanks..." She whispered, her eyes slightly watered by the words said by the hero. She was seen as an above average hero thanks to how her powers work. But knowing that someone as strong and popular as Spider-Man had just told her that she could be a wonderful hero, was enough to make her day.

"Well, I'll be on my way. I just wanted to-"

"W-Wait!" She interrupted him, her hand extended slightly towards him. She still needed help getting towards her teammates and she had no idea of where to look for them. So getting the help of the local hero was sure to be very helpful. "Can you help me find my friends? We got separate and I don't know where they might be"

"Of course, just climb on my back" She hesitated slightly, a bit embarrassed about being so close to the arachnid hero. But she went with it anyway, getting closer to the hero and actually getting on his back. Her chest pressed against his back, which actually made her embarrassed quite a bit. "This is Arachnid Airlines, with our destination possibly being throughout New York. Please hold on tight and enjoy the flight!"

She was about to giggle a bit, when her eyes widened in fear as she felt the wind against her body. Her hold on the hero tightened quite a bit, her arms trembling slightly knowing that she was in the air. Her eyes were tightly shut, fearful of actually seeing what was happening through the ride.

But even as she had this once in a lifetime experience, she could not help but admire the body of the man behind the mask. She felt every muscle ripple with every movement he decided to make while swinging through the city. Her face could not get any redder, her face hidden by his shoulder.

"Are you enjoying the ride?" His voice made her open her eyes to look at him and when she did, the sight marveled her. The city of New York looked amazing from where she was with the hero. A different perspective from the usual sight she would often do over the streets.

"Y-Yeah..." She was definitely not having the best of times, but she was enjoying the moment with the hero. It was unique, something that she would be sure to remember forever. Even with the ups and downs of the trip to try and find his teammates, she still quite enjoyed the trip in the Arachnid Airlines, as the hero called his services. "It was amazing..."

"Glad you liked it!" She smiled softly, closing her eyes a bit and just enjoyed the feeling of the wind against her body. She did not care if he took his time, she certainly was in no hurry at all to move from her position. She was honestly enjoying it as time passed on. A chance encounter that she would forever remember.