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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Alright.
I admit it.
I fucked up.
I'd known it since those stupid words had left my mouth. Spider-Freak and I had gotten too close during our time training together for me to pull shit like that.
She hadn't spoken to me since that night. We'd stopped training together, which had been fine, since we'd only had two days until the Festival. At school she'd avoided me, her gaze down. If I joined a conversation, she politely excused herself.
It pissed me off.
And the fact that it did pissed me off even more.
These days it felt like my own body and emotions were betraying me.
Still, I couldn't deny that I wanted to try and fix things between us. But the Festival had to take precedence. This was a big moment, and I couldn't afford to mess it up. Especially since I'd promised Spider-Freak I'd help her. I figured that scoring high in the Festival would land me some good internships, and maybe I could help her find a hero who knew how to help her through it.
I just had to hope her anger with me was enough of a motivator to get her to the finals.
"Everyone! Get your game faces on! We're entering the arena soon!" Four-Eyes called.
I shot a glance at Spider-Freak. She was sitting in the corner, next to Deku, pulling her hair into a bun. Her face was set with determination.
Should I say something to her before we start? the thought crossed my mind, but I silenced it immediately.
I was self-aware enough to realize the shift in my own focus. And that couldn't be permitted right now. Long-term goals, I reminded myself. Future number one.
Those were dreams I'd been fighting to reach my whole life, and I couldn't lose sight of them during this critical period.
"Midoriya," called the Icy Bastard's cool voice. "From an objective standpoint, I think it's fairly clear that I'm stronger than you."
Deku startled. "Uh... um... yeah..."
Spider-Freak stood up. "Now hold on a moment," she snapped, glaring at Half n Half. "The fuck do you think you're doing right now?"
Todoroki stared at her for a few seconds before turning back to Deku, apparently deciding that her outburst wasn't worth addressing.
"You're weaker," he continued, "but you've got All Might in your corner, helping you out. I'm not here to pry about what's going on between you. But know that I will beat you."
Spider-Freak grabbed him by the collar, jerking him forward.
"You disgust me," she seethed. "What happened to dignity? Don't forget what we're here for. This is part of our hero training. The fact that you're using this as an opportunity to lord yourself over others and speak down to them says a lot about your morals. Izuku may not have as much control over his quirk as you do, but at least he has the intellect to recognize that this is a school event and that a true hero isn't someone who fights for their alleged superiority to be validated. Get your fucking complex in check and deal with your own issues before you bash him down. We all know those flames are going to be kept under lock, so don't pretend you're all that."
