black treacle - matt sturniolo

Chapter Six, Operation unmask Spider-Man

Matt Sturniolo. Spider-Man was Matt Sturniolo. It all made sense. Who else would know to give her Spider-Man's precise location? In fact, it was actually Spider-Man going to her location. Who else could access the newsroom? Who else knew which desk she sat at?

Also, who would write an article about places for card lovers if they didn't even know what a royal flush was? He probably just got a puzzle he couldn't solve. Moreover, the card attack had happened in Flushing, the place she told him to visit. He was Spider-Man. Matt Sturniolo was Spider-Man.

And he couldn't have been any more discreet about it.

Robyn wondered why Matt had picked her to report about Spider-Man. He could've just written the articles himself, would've saved him time and effort.

He'd probably report in depth Robyn could never reach, and include photographs and leads which could have boosted publicity a thousandfold. Before she finalised her perception, it wasn't like she was drafting an article about his exposure anyways, Robyn took a step back from this thought.

She had to consider the extraneous factors. The adrenaline high she'd just got from flying around New York and the overdose of caffeine she consumed to overcome the effects of two hours of sleep could've led her to jump to conclusions.

Plus, she had just accepted her crush on Matt, was she sure that it wasn't just a projection of her fantasies?

Her face burned when she remembered how gently he had held her while they were swinging across the city. Honestly, just making sure she got home safely almost sent her into cardiac arrest.

After giving herself a good slap across the face, she was able to regain her thought track. What was the rush? It wasn't like she had already planned an exposé article. Robyn reminded herself that nothing in the courtroom (or newsroom) could exist without evidence. Her plan to collect evidence simply waited on the next post-it.

Once it finally appeared on her monitor (only eleven days later, but who was counting really), Robyn swivelled in her chair to face Matt, who was focused on editing his article.

"Matt?" She'd mustered the courage to breathe out a word.

"Yes, Robyn?" Turning away from his screen, Matt leaned back into his seat with his hands away from the keyboard. She watched as his face morphed from its focused rendered state to a carefree relaxed smile, then mixed with a hint of fright once actually fixating on her face.

One of his eyebrows curled upwards in a silent 'are you alright?' and Robyn latched on to it in an attempt to calm her nerves.

This was Matt, for heaven's sake. Why was she suddenly so aware of every little thing he did? Why did she suddenly seem to zero in on every nose flare, every lick of his lips, every rise and fall of his shoulders on inhale? Did she always do this, or was she only now hyper-aware of every sharp line of his jaw and the soft curve of his smile?

"Could you come outside with me for a minute?" she dropped her voice while leaning in, taking in a deep breath, "I need to tell you something."

After shutting the door behind them and peeking into the halls to make sure nobody could see them, Robyn confessed everything she knew about Spider-Man: from the post-its all the way to the articles. She watched carefully for Matt's facial expressions, reading him like a novel, grasping at something he could give her.

When he's shy or smug, the edges of his lips curve upwards, like when the journalism club celebrated the success of his new article. His jaw tenses when he's mad, an expression seen many times when he and his brothers were together.

The most recent occurrence was at lunch during another one of their impromptu debates. She supposed not everyone enjoyed a conversation about what was the best way to handle a zombie apocalypse. Before you ask, no, she wasn't a part of the conversation. They were just that loud.

The expression Robyn was waiting for was widened eyes and slightly parted lips, indicating surprise. It was the face he made when she first wished him a happy birthday. As she said, he was easy to read.

The only expression she couldn't decipher was the face Matt made whenever they talked or were together. It felt like reading an inconclusive ending to a novel but instead of flipping to another page, you're met with the acknowledgements. Or worse, the unnecessary blank pages.

"So these post-its..." Matt paused, eyes wide and parted lips while gathering his thoughts, "they just, lead you to Spider-Man?"

Robyn nodded, watching Matt rub his temples in confusion, "Yes, and I just got another one. Times Square." He pulled his attention to her as if she was speaking in tongue-twisters.

"What?" He asked, confused, eyebrows pulling at the centre and his eyes squinting slightly.

"I need a good photographer so... Please go with me. "

"Me?" His eyes shot open and he looked at her, brows furrowed and ears reddening. "Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to spook him or anything if you've met with him before- And you can borrow my camera because the pictures you took were great, I don't want to mess up your only chance- What if you asked someone else? Bryan could go, maybe Sadie, just don't ask Kevin. He's not gonna get the job done-"

"Yes, I'm sure. Matt, you're the best photographer I know... I don't trust Bryan or Sadie, especially Kevin..."

His eyes darted across her face, searching for something until for a momentary second she saw it. The look. The face he made around her and only her, the look he didn't seem to give to other people. It lit on him like a strike of lightning, if she'd blinked she'd missed it. His eyes went softer and his cheeks lifted by mere millimetres. His pupils froze in their tracks. The muscles in his forehead seemed to relax and his jaw slackened. His shoulders did as well, falling limply in what almost looked like relief.

And then the mask returned and his face subdued on submission. Just like that, the image of him she could never seem to decipher disappeared. He exhaled and nodded reluctantly. "Okay, but could you give me a while? I need to tell Nick and Chris where I'm going."

What could only be described as a brisk jog, bordering a run, Matt hurried away while Robyn celebrated the success of her plan so far. If she couldn't ask, she'd find the truth herself - and when it came to searching for that she'd get what she sought.

She was going to prove - or disprove - that Matt Sturniolo was Spider-Man.