Lovebug ── PETER PARKER¹

23. Watching Over

— • —

          She was drenched in sweat, her gym bag swinging in her hand as she trekked home in the darkness. The decision to attend her self defense class had come last minute, which resulted in Diana Giraldo glaring at her sister as she met her at the front desk to pick up the clothing she'd asked for.

          Mia had insisted it was a good way to release tension, and how right she'd been about that. For the first time in all the classes they took, Luna had managed to knock Esther off her feet with a single kick. She stared in amazement as her teacher hit the floor, the grown woman grinning before scrambling to high five her. The next few hours were spent trying to repeat it, but it seemed it was a single thought that granted Luna that strength.

          Through the weeks, Esther taught the three girls that in order to truly reach their full potential, it was necessary to tap into their emotions. If they were to ever be held in a situation where it was necessary to use their strength, Esther insisted they tap into their anger. "Think of things that aggravate you, infuriate you, frustrate you. Then, give them hell." Liz deemed it unnecessary, just five seconds before Mia kicked her while shouting the name of her french teacher, Liz flying into the padded wall. It's safe to say she proved her wrong.

          Liz had insisted it was the heartbreak, but Luna wasn't all too sure. She wasn't exactly angry at Danielle for what she did, it was necessary. It was clear the girl was much more mature than the average sixteen year old, just by the way she handled the situation, and Luna respected that. Had it been the other way around, Luna didn't know what she'd do besides cry out of frustration, opposed to taking action.

          As she walked in the direction of her home, she passed the bar, it's neon sign illuminating her face. This time, fear didn't settle within her, instead, she felt pride. Beside that building, she tackled her biggest fear; the man who'd tried to take advantage of her. Of course, she was shaking as she told the police of her encounter, and the tears she didn't get the chance to shed exposed themselves in the arms of her sister, but that didn't rid her of the happiness she felt that she'd successfully ruined his life like he did hers.

          Out of curiosity, she surveyed the buildings surrounding the bar, more specifically, their roofs. And to her surprise, across the street, a figure remained crouched on the roof. Just the person she'd been searching for. A wave of confidence came over here, and after assuring the streets were empty, she called out, "You watching me?" The silhouette slowly rose to their feet, and Luna could feel her lips twitching up into a smile.

          She was unsure of how to describe whatever feelings she held for the hero. Any feelings of distaste towards the man had vanished when he walked beside her that night, his goggle covered eyes constantly focused on her as she kept her head low. She respected him, maybe more than she expected herself to, even more so when she saw him watching her from a distance as she spoke to police just over a week ago. Now she stood across the street from him, and she wanted so desperately for him to come closer so she could speak to him once more, when she wasn't in need of saving.

          Wordlessly, she watched as he lifted a hand, gesturing for her to come over. Luna hesitated for a moment, before scurrying across the street, her gaze never leaving the hero. When she was close enough, the familiar woosh sounded through the air, and suddenly he was in front of her.

       "Sorry, most of the men in that bar aren't that fond of me," he explained, not that Luna needed an explanation, she was just happy to be able to speak to the hero without being in danger. His eyes looked her up and down, the darkness hiding the blush that dusted across her cheeks. "How are you holding up?"

          She blinked, before clearing her throat. "I'm alright," she shrugged, warily looking around in case someone had decided to walk out of the building all of a sudden. "He got sentenced to five years in jail, which... isn't much, but it's something."

          The boy beneath the suit found himself frowning. Only five years? For the trauma he put the girl through, he deserved to rot in a cell. A silence fell upon the two, both unsure of what to say to the other. Luna had so many questions she wanted to ask the hero, but none of which seemed appropriate for their first proper conversation with one another. Meanwhile, Peter felt as he was walking on a tightrope, and one wrong statement would send him falling to his death, or in the literal sense, reveal his identity.

          "So, you patrol this neighborhood now?" Luna questioned, a smile playing on her lips. "I didn't see you around these ends before."

           It was true in a sense. Sure, he visited the neighborhood once in a while during his nights out, but it wasn't exactly a priority of his. Now, it seemed every night he'd find himself swinging off billboards, and past subways carts, ending up in the typically very quiet neighborhood. More often than not, he'd remain hidden on the roof until he spotted the familiar girl making her way home, lingering until he assured she was home before moving on to the next neighborhood.

           Luna cleared her throat once he didn't respond, and his eyes snapped back to her. "Y–Yeah, I um, I am here a lot more now," the hero shrugged his shoulders, and Luna smiled slightly. "After what happened to you, I figured this neighborhood might need more.... protection."

          "Well, that's sweet." She hiked her bag further up her shoulder. "My girlfriend and I broke up, so me walking these streets super late is one less thing you need to worry about."

          He perked up at this, and for a moment, he felt guilty. Luna was telling Spider-Man these things, not Peter. It was almost unfair in a way, she believed she was confiding in a stranger, not her biology tutor. He opened his mouth to bid her goodbye, suddenly uncomfortable with their situation, but Luna began speaking again. "You remember that advice I asked you for? I guess you were sorta right, because she realized I like this other guy, and not her, and I got dumped over it." His shoulders fell in defeat at her words, but Luna continued, "I guess I knew I wasn't going to get over him, my friends have been pushing us together for so long. They even have this stupid book, with all our interactions in it that they found significant, it's dumb."

         A book. Every question he had about the person who'd managed to snag the girl's heart was written in that book. "I don't know why I'm telling you this," she sighed, shaking her head. Her phone screen lit up for a moment, causing both eyes to turn to it. 9:24. "I was meant to be home ten minutes ago," she huffed, beginning to walk backwards. "I've gotta go, but it was nice seeing you, I think. See you around Spider-Man, hopefully not for something bad." A smile rested on her lips once more as she waved goodbye to the hero, the male barely lifting a hand to wave before she was turning away.

          He watched as she jogged in the direction of her home, the boy beneath the suit wearing a frown. "I need that book," he muttered to himself.