[Silk X (m) Reader!] Cupid's Web (18+)

Memories

You tried to remember your last relationships... The ones didn't matter or carry the same weight as this one. But why? Cindy Moon sat across from you. Her eyes fixated on her laptop, and her fingers drummed impatiently on the table as she read. You glanced at your laptop and saw a wall of thumbnails of videos on YouTube. There were titles and stills of you fighting some thugs over the last few months.

As a Spider-Man, you have always managed to keep a low profile until you found yourself on this particular Earth with Peter Parker. The only time you had flaunted your powers was to impress your last girlfriend, a move that had backfired. Gwen Stacy had expected you to do more with your powers, a demand that had weighed heavily on you. You saw what happened to the Fantastic Five and the Avengers of the Galaxy. Why risk getting ripped in half or your limbs ripped off by some kind of purple alien freak?

There was also the drama of being a hero. You barely maintained your school and job life with your family. The concept of adding yet another thing that was outside of your control seemed borderline-

  "What are you doing?" Cindy Moon said, removing her headphones, her eyes wandering over your face, looking amused.

  "What?"

  "You're making faces," she laughs.

  "Oh," you felt heat rush to your cheeks. "Just thinking."

Cindy lifted an eyebrow, her mouth carving into a friendly smile. "What about?"

"Ways of helping you," you lied without meaning, too. But it seemed better than to admit you were worried about your relationship with her. It had only been two weeks since you both decided to become steady, and she seemed more distant to you than ever, wrapped up in her own secretive research and quiet web-swinging. You watched her smile straighten as she returned to her laptop. "You ever going to tell me what you're looking for? Or who you're looking for?"

  "[Y/N]," she said softly, which offended you. Cindy was about to dodge this question yet again. "I can't get you involved. I don't want you to get hurt, you know?"

  "Right," you looked outside; the busy street of New York droned by with men in business suits and casual walkers taking a stroll beneath the afternoon's sun. "I'd just get in your way and mess it up somehow."

Cindy pursed her lips together. When she opened her mouth to respond, nothing came out. Her eyes drifted to her phone, and she read a text message. You weren't able to read what was sent to her, but whatever contents were listed made her feel anxious. Your spider sense tingled slightly as the subtle twitch of her eyebrow wiggled over her forehead.

  "You're leaving?" You said, already knowing the answer.

  "Yeah," she says.

You won't ask if she wants to come because you already knew she didn't. You felt more like a little brother than a steady lover to her. When she packed up her things and left, you lingered in bitter silence at the table for a few seconds. "We should have just stayed friends."

You started to patrol New York City alone. It was an excellent way to clear your head and recall the memories you wanted to. It took months of living here to realize how much of your past life you enjoyed... how much you now miss.

Your nightly patrols took you to places you wouldn't have gone to in the morning, mainly because you were either in casual clothes or at work. You also felt braver with your mask covering your face and suit adorning your body. You struggled to pull your punches back, though. And sometimes, you wondered if you would kick someone's head off. Was there ever an evil Spider-Man? You thought, was the Superior Spider-Man, a bad guy? Or just an anti-hero?