Caught in the Cat's Web

Chapter 4

Nueva York, Earth-838

"And Spider-Cat brought in a whopping 57 criminals in one night," Jessica informed Miguel as she jotted down her notes. "Did you and Felicia rip each other apart last night? I mean, you know you don't have to train them. Web-Slinger's expressed plenty of times how much he's been waiting to join me in training recruits."

Miguel shakes his head towards Jessica. "No. We didn't kill each other... it was actually... pretty nice." Jessica makes a mental note of the way Miguel smiles as he recalls the night. "Felicia was incredible, she brought in 34 criminals and made sure each and every victim was okay. It's like she's been doing this all her life."

"Hmmm." Jessica nods, trying to understand what else must have happened in order for Miguel to act so cheerful, compared to yesterday. "Well, you can take a back seat now and focus on the other universes. I think I'm gonna take Web-Slinger on as a trainer, he's been expressing wanting to take on bigger roles."

"No, no, I don't mind helping out."

"I think you're scaring the recruits, though."

Miguel sighs, "I'll back off a bit, but I like training and they should get used to it. I'm the boss."

Jessica shrugs, "Whatever you want, Miguel. I'm gonna go bring Web-Slinger on, still."

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Felicia walks into the crowded dining hall to grab her usual latte before work. She needed a pick-me-up after last night's adventures. After ordering she goes to the pick-up bar to wait, watching the masked baristas make her drink.

"Black coffee for Web-Slinger!" A barista shouts to the waiting customers.

"Pardon, ma'am." Felicia is taken aback as she turns to meet a masked horse and his masked rider.

She quickly moves out of the way, watching as he leans down to grab his cup of coffee. "Quite the entrance you two made there," Felicia said, a sly grin on her face as she leaned against the pick-up bar, her eyes glinting with amusement. "I can't say I've seen a Spider-Man and their trusty steed in a coffee shop before."

The masked rider couldn't help but return a playful smirk. "Well, we do try to make an entrance wherever we go," he replied with a hint of mischief in his voice.

"Iced Latte for Night Spider!" The barista shouts prompting Felicia to grab her drink.

The horse's rider, whose mask concealed most of his face, had an air of confidence about him as he gracefully dismounted. "Would you like to join me?" He asks, taking the reins into his gloved hands.

Felicia smiles flirtatiously, "Only if you let me ride bareback."

Web-Slinger and Felicia walk to an empty table that overlooks the sights of Nueva York.

The Web-Slinger pulls out the red chair for Felicia, for her to sit in before sitting across from her. "I don't believe I've seen you around." The man says.

"I'm relatively new." She shrugs taking a sip from her straw.

"Ahh, so you must be part of the group I'm gonna start training, huh."

"I already know everythin' I need to know, cowboy" Felicia winks.

Web-Slinger leans over the table and with a whisper, says, "I'm sure there's plenty I can teach you, little lady."

The sound of Felicia's laugh catches the attention of Miguel and LYLA as they walk to the gym. Miguel smiles to himself realizing he's rarely heard Felicia laugh. Wanting to see what all the fuss was, he followed the sound of her laughter through the dining hall to see her and Web-Slinger and Felicia leaned in close over the small table, sharing a quiet exchange before both of them suddenly burst into laughter. It was a casual moment, nothing too significant, but for some reason, Miguel felt an unexpected surge of anger.