Overwhelmed- Spider-Man

The Raft

Four days rush past, oblivious to the way Peter clings to each moment like his last, until that Friday comes.

Peter shoves his suit on, glancing at his clock with a grimace. He called Yuri the day before just long enough to get the details about the visit: he needed to be outside the Raft by eight, and then wait for Yuri and the Chief of Police— Jon Murad— to show him inside. And then he faked an emergency and hung up.

Listen, he did feel kinda bad for ghosting Yuri. But he panicked, okay? Yuri was a Spider-Man friend, not a Peter friend, and every moment she spent in the F.E.A.S.T. center was a moment she could put the details together; a moment she could pin the too-quick head turns when something crashed, or the too-similar voice to her unofficial partner.

It was too much of a risk. And maybe that bled over into the mask, but it's a little difficult to ignore someone half the time!

It's not like she seemed to care about the difference, anyway. Calling her a Spider-Man friend was a bit of an overstatement.

However, she did call to make sure Peter hadn't forgotten about the visit with Ock (as if he could). Bright and early. Ugh.

He let the call go to voicemail before unlatching his window and crawling to the roof.

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Yuri has two cups of coffee tucked in the crevice of her elbow. She barely even glances at him when he plummets down from the helicopter he hitched a ride on— much to the dismay of the pilot— and just shoves one of the cups into his hands.

"You don't seem like a morning person," She explains. "I don't want you falling asleep in the interrogation room."

Caffeine does nothing for Peter. Similar to, well, basically anything else, his powers burn through the chemical before it has time to do anything. He appreciates the gesture, though, so he doesn't explain that part to Yuri, instead sipping from the cup and nodding.

"You're here early." She settles against the wall, glancing at the mass of metal in front of them.

"Don't get used to it."

"Never." She snorts. "I told you to come fifteen minutes early because I didn't think you were going to make it in time."

"So, we're just gonna wait here for fifteen minutes?"

"Sorry." She says, sounding distinctly not sorry.

Peter shakes his head. "I don't mind."

They sit quietly for a few minutes, tension hissing into the air, until it feels like Peter is suffocating.

He turns to Yuri, shuffling uncomfortably on the balls of his feet. "So, how's your mom?"

"Fine," Yuri huffs. "Right back to complaining about not having grandchildren."

Peter chuckles a little, cringing when the tension resurfaces. Was it this awkward before? Or is this his fault?

"How's yours?"

Peter holds a hand over his heart, gasping. "Aw, you've never asked me that before!"

"Yes, I have!" Yuri crosses her arms, looking a little defensive.

"You absolutely have not."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

Peter shuffles awkwardly. "I don't have a mom. You would not bring that up more than once."

"Oh. Sorry." It sounds like she means it this time.

"Don't be," Peter insists. He didn't mean to make it weird. "It's not a big deal."