The Many Loves of Spider-Man

The Tiger of Liberty (Ava Ayala, aka White Tiger)

Ava stood in front of the door of the apartment of one hero that has not left her mind ever since their last team up against The Hand during the dubbed 'Shadowland' event. She was deeply indebted to the man that had saved her from Daredevil when the devil had betrayed every single friend he had made during his years as a hero. But the arachnid hero had gone beyond just saving her from the hands of Daredevil, but also her amulet had slightly reacted to him. It shocked her at the beginning and when she tried again to see if it reacted once more, it didn't and the only thing that did was make her even more interested in him.

It was almost midnight, when the world would celebrate the coming of a new year. And here she was standing in front of the door without being able to act properly. She wanted to get to know the man better, her heart felt at peace whenever she was close to him. She has not been able to feel such peace ever since she ended her relationship with the second Power Man. She breathed in, her chest inflating slightly before she exhaled and actually touched the button that was near the door.

*DING DONG*

She waited, looking over her civilian outfit once again before looking to the unmoving door that was in front of her. She hated to admit it, but she had seeked help from Jessica Jones, the wife of her mentor, to even dress up like this. A white scarf was around her neck as a black coat covered most of her body. Her outfit was finished with black jeans and combat boots. Because there was one thing that she would never wear and those were high heels. But it was then that the door opened, revealing the man who had invaded ever thought of as of late.

"Hey, Parker..." She whispered, a soft smile over her face as she stared directly into the man's eyes. She felt drawn into them, the hazel color being close to her own shade of brown eyes. Though she had to admit that apart from his eyes, she was deeply admiring his chest. The man had a white shirt that seemed to be a bit too small for him, and she was able to see his muscles thanks to that. She remained there watching, her mouth slightly unmoving before she regained a bit of focus.

"Ava? What are you doing here?" She rolled her eyes, but it was not like she could actually tell him that he has not left her mind since that time that day. She really wanted to tell him everything straight forward but thanks to Jessica, yet again, she was persuaded slightly to take it slowly. She remembers just how flustered she was that day, being the recipient of many laughs from the Defenders that were there. "I didn't expect to see you today"

"You know how unpredictable I can get" She chuckled slightly at his nervous state. It was a way better than to see him joking around left and right, even if she knew just why he did it most of the time. But she really wanted to let him know that what she was feeling was true, not just something she suddenly determined thanks to a few interactions together. She did not want to make any mistake with this. "You know... I wanted to tell you something since the whole Shadowland thing"

"Ten" She heard something from inside the apartment of the hero. If she had to guess, it was the countdown that happens every time a new year would arrive. It was a time of celebration, a time that should be spent with loved ones. But she did not have no one any longer, and Peter's aunt was spending time with someone else from what she heard from Peter a while ago. She kept communicating with him, it was not like she did not talk to the man from time to time. "Nine"

"What do you want to tell me?" She looked straight into his eyes, her chest constricting slightly as she felt it pound harder and harder against her chest. It was a feeling that she thought had forgotten many months ago. It felt amazing, a soundless chuckle almost escaping from her mouth as she thought of the feeling.

"Seven" She took a step further towards him. Her hands moving forward to grab his own hands. Her heart almost skipped a bit, she loved the warmth she was feeling through the contact of their hands. She had to admit that she hated showing her emotions, but she seemed not to care if she showed them to him. "Six" But every second that she was with him, it was a second that she felt slower. She felt that her time with him was endless, that nothing would be able to separate them. "Five"

"Ever since you saved me from Matt, I have not been able to think about anything else but you" She admitted, a rare smile appearing on her face as she tightened her grip on his hands a bit. She could see his eyes go wide, something that she felt through their hold as soon as she felt him tighten his own hands back. Her ears captured the words from the television, the countdown already being at three. "I love you, Peter... I really do"

"One... Happy New Year!" It was then that she acted, her lips colliding against his own in a soft embrace. She had yearned to do this ever since one of their patrols together, to pounce on him and kiss him without any end. But she held on, able to compress the hunger she felt for him. But now she doesn't need to do so any longer. She was kissing him, celebrating a new year with a new relationship. One that she would protect with her life. Because she could not see herself with anyone else that was not Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man.