Mara Lee is just your regular teenage girl living a double life as New York's friendly neighborhood Spider-Woman. Until one fateful day when she's thrown through a strange orange portal and everything she's ever known changes drastically. Trapped in...
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Humiliating me in front of Spider-Freak seemed to be life's favorite pass time.
After she sped down the stairs, I had to stand there for a few seconds and force myself to swallow my embarrassment.
Why should I be embarrassed? I asked myself. It's just music. She can judge if she wants. It just means she has bad taste.
So I walked to the dining room with my head held high.
"Set the table," the old hag commanded me. She handed me a stack of dishes. I took them and glanced at Spider-Freak who was standing to the side rocking back on her feet. Her face was painted with shame. She must've felt bad about recording me.
I rolled my eyes. "Come here."
She looked up. "Huh?"
"D'you expect me to do this for you? Get over here and help me set the table."
She hesitated, watching me as if wondering whether or not this was a trap.
"Okay," she said finally, her face relaxing. She stepped forward and grabbed some of the dishes from me.
I watched her as she dutifully positioned plates on the place mats, her bangs flopping gently over her forehead. Without her glasses, and with her hair pulled back, I could really see her clear blue eyes. It was a definite improvement.
"What?" she asked, and I realized she'd caught me looking at her.
I coughed aggressively. "You're not doing it right! Just let me do it! How can you be so bad at setting the table!?"
"Okay, Mr. Perfectionist. Sorry that it's not up to standards." She rolled her eyes an handed me the remaining dishes.
I coughed again, my throat feeling dry.
"Are you done?" the old hag said, coming in with a big pot.
I nodded as she set it on the table.
"MASARU!" she screamed. "DINNER!"
She smiled sweetly at Spider-Freak. "Sit next to me, dear. Katsuki will be too loud."
"Says the one who was just yelling," I snapped.
"Be quiet," she muttered under her breath, still smiling sickly at the wallcrawler.
We sat down, my parents on either side of Spider-Freak, and me across.
"So Katsuki tells me you're from abroad," the old hag asked.
Spider-Freak nodded. "Yes, ma'am. I'm studying here from the US. I'm originally from New York!"
"I see! Then your parents must be friends with the Midoriyas?"
"Yes, they are," she said.
"So how are you liking Japan so far?" the old man wondered.
Spider-Freak smiled. "It's great here. I've made lots of friends at UA, and I feel very at home with the Midoriyas!"
"That's great," he said. "How'd you learn Japanese? You speak excellently!"
"My grandmother is Japanese," she told him.
"Oh, wow! So you must--"
"Stop peppering her with all your questions!" I interrupted.
"Katsuki, this is my first official meeting with her! You have to let me get to know her properly!" The hag turned away from me. "So, are you dating anyone?"
"YOU CAN'T ASK HER THAT!" I shouted. "SHE'S GOING TO THINK YOU'RE A WEIRDO!"
"Bakugo, it's fine," Spider-Freak said. "No, Mitsuki! I'm not in a relationship."
"Not with Izuku?" the hag pushed.
I scoffed. "AS IF SHE'D DATE THAT TRASH!"
"He's not trash," Spider-Freak snapped.
"Katsuki, don't be rude," my mother said at the same time. "He's such a sweet boy! It's a shame you're not together!"
Spider-Freak laughed. "He likes someone else, and besides, we have more of a sibling relationship."
The old hag practically lit up. "I see! So then... are you considering anyone?"
She shook her head. "Not really. I'm focused on school right now!"
"How about Katsuki?"
The clatter of silverware ceased.
The silence came so abruptly that it almost gave me whiplash.
"Um, sorry?" Spider-Freak said hesitantly after a painful moment.
I shook my head, wondering if I'd heard right.
The old hag was grinning wildly now. "You heard me! I think you and Katsuki would be a lovely match seeing how well you get along!"
Spider-Freak's mouth dropped open slightly. She glanced at me expectantly, shock painting her features, waiting for me to refute the statement, but I was just as dumbstruck.
"Now, now, Mitsuki! They're old enough to decide things like that for themselves," my old man stuttered, trying to backtrack for her. He smiled apologetically at Spider-Freak.
"I'm only trying to help! They look so cute, and they're always stealing glances. How can I not say anything?"
"NO ONE IS STEALING ANY GLANCES!" I shouted, finally finding my voice. "IT'S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN! IT HASN'T EVEN BEGUN AND IT'S NEVER. GOING. TO. HAPPEN!" I could feel heat rising to my cheeks, could feel my muscles tense, could fell my words spill out in an uncontrollable gush of embarrassment. I could sense that my voice was inappropriately loud--too loud, even by my own standards. But I couldn't restrain it or stop myself, my thoughts drifting abstractly away from me as I tried clumsily to save face.
My mother was staring at me.
My father was staring at me.
Spider-Freak, on the other hand, was staring pointedly at the ground, her neck as flushed as I felt, her lips held in a tight line.
"Katsuki, sit down," my mother said, and I realized only then that I was standing.
I didn't listen, my vision locked on Spider-Freak, waiting for her reaction. Was that too much? Was that what she wanted? Did I fuck up again?
But I never got to see her face as the old hag lifted her gently by the arm and guided her out of the dining room, stating quietly that she would drive Spider-Freak home.
A/N: Sorry guys! I know y'all have been waiting and it's short, but lately I've been busy with school and friends visiting! I've also been working on an original project, which I plan to possibly release on Wattpad as well, so let me know if you're interested in hearing more about that :)
I promise to post more consistently. I hope you enjoy this snippet of a chapter.
