Spider-Man: Nobody Home (18+)

Chapter 20: Something Unholy (18+)

Peter and Raven arrived back at the Tower and were completely alone for the first time in a long time. Maybe even ever.

Raven went straight to the kitchen for a cup of tea, meanwhile, Peter went up to his room to change out of his jet black suit. He stepped into his bedroom and took the mask off, then started pulling his arms out of the sleeves.

"Sorry, new suit." Peter said as he folded it up and opened his dresser drawer. "But I'm gonna need some private time. I'd say... Forty or fifty minutes." He smirked to himself as he looked at the white spider symbol. "I knew you'd understand."

He closed the drawer and pulled on a pair of red sweat pants and a black t-shirt. As he opened his door he looked back with a gasp as he heard his dresser rattle slightly behind him for a second. He looked back, only to see that it was perfectly still.

'What was that?' he thought to himself. 'Did I just imagine it?'

He shook his head rapidly at that. "Nope nope nope. I will not give life to more liminal space shenanigans. Goodbye, room!" He said to himself as he shut his light off and closed the door behind himself.

He walked downstairs and could hear Raven's tea kettle whistling as he crossed the living room. When he entered the kitchen, he leaned against the wall at the entrance and lovingly took in her curvaceous visage.

"Looks like you came back in a hurry." Raven said without looking back at him.

Peter grinned at that in amusement and gave a sheepish shrug. "How'd you know it was me?"

"Looks like your Spider sense really is rubbing off." She said as she turned around to face him.

Peter blinked at her in confusion. "But... That's not-"

"I'm messing with you." She said with a slight chuckle.

"Oh." He breathed out with a wide smile, before closing the distance and running his hands up her stomach over her leotard.

Raven enjoyed the sensation of touching him, but as she stared into his eyes, she could sense a distant look. Then, it struck her, that in this moment, she was once again able to go into his mind, and read his emotions.

"I see you decided to stop blocking me out." She said flatly.

Peter blinked again in confusion. "Blocking you out?" He replied. "What are you talking about?"

"I haven't been able to read your mind for days." She replied. "OR sense your emotions. I just thought you might have ACTUALLY learned some magic."

Peter threw his hands up at that with a nearvous grin. "Oh no no NO." He replied, rapidly shaking his head. "Last time I tried that I damn near destroyed the universe." He added, causing her to chuckle slightly. "So I'll leave the magic stuff to you and I'll just watch."

"Good idea." She teased in a flat tone. "But that STILL doesn't explain why I've been blocked out till now."

Peter shrugged at that with an exasperated sigh and shook his head. "If I'm being honest... I've been feeling really weird since I went back to that place."

"I'll say." She replied. "I mean don't get me wrong, I can't stand Beastboy all that much either... But you?..."

Peter felt a guilty lump in his throat as he recalled his attitude toward the green Titan. Other than Raven and Dick, Beastboy was one of his best friends. Yet every time he got near him it felt like something happened to put them at odds. Peter's tolerance for him seemed to be weaning more each day. Yet he didn't know why he felt this way.

"I know." Peter sighed. "I HAVE been kind of a jerk, haven't I?"

Raven shrugged at that. "I wouldn't say that... You're just going through a lot. Everyone has their limits... Even Spider-Man."