tyler held his arm out, the web-like substance shooting to the top of the building across the street. once he was positive it was stuck, he jumped and was jerked forward, and it felt like he was flying across the city. the breeze made its way into his body suit, which cooled him off from the hot summer sun.
whenever tyler wasn't playing music, he often spent his free time doing just this- swinging across the skyscrapers of new york city. he laid low, though. nobody knew who he was, nobody except for his best friend josh. he trusted him like a brother, and he knew that josh would never slip up his little secret.
hiding from the entire world was hard, especially when he put himself out there so much. being in a band with his best friend only made it more difficult to conceal the fact that he was literally a superhero. well, as much of a superhero as he could possibly be. there wasn't much room for him to help in the city. there were already police who had everything under control. he'd be no use.
tyler sat down atop the ledge on the building, watching the many people below him hustling through the crowd to get home. the sound of car engines and honking filled his ears. this part of the city was never peaceful.
he pulled off his mask, his dark hair becoming a frizzy mess and pointing in every which direction from being covered all day. he tried to smooth it out by running his fingers through it, but the breeze only messed it up again, so he gave up. just as he pulled out his phone to check the time, it began buzzing. josh was calling him.
"yeah man?" tyler asked, putting the phone up to his ear.
"hey tyler. you're still hanging out with jenna later, right?" tyler's eyes widened as he took in a sharp breath. he had completely forgotten about the blonde haired girl.
jenna was sweet, a friend of tyler's ever since she had moved here a little over a year ago. they met in the city, he offered to show her around, they spent the day together, and that was enough to turn them into close friends. however, over the past few months, tyler had found himself developing feelings for her. but he was determined to keep their friendship strong, so he kept it to himself, not letting it get in the way of their relationship.
"yes," tyler confirmed. "i'm still hanging out with her." he quickly got up, figuring he'd have to get home immediately in order to get ready in time. "why do you ask?"
"well..." josh trailed off, leaving tyler wondering in anticipation. "i saw these two shady guys earlier near the empire state. looks like they had something in their bag, but i'm not sure what," josh informed him. "they kept going in and out."
tyler shook his head, even though his best friend couldn't see him. "it's probably nothing, josh. people work there and go in and out all the time. don't worry about it," he stated. he heard josh sigh from the other line.
"alright then. have fun."
"do you wanna come?" tyler asked. he always feared he was leaving josh out when he hung out with jenna, and he definitely wasn't intending to. he wanted to make sure he felt included, and he wouldn't have minded at all if his friend decided to tag along.
"are you stupid or what? you're going on a date with a girl you like and you wanna take your best friend? no wonder you don't have a girlfriend yet," josh replied playfully, yet there was a hint of seriousness in that statement. tyler knew he was probably right, but rolled his eyes and scoffed into the phone.
"it's not a date, josh. whatever. i'll see you later," he said, ending the call.
after about a half an hour, tyler had made it back to the apartment. he opened the window to his room, and sneakily crawled inside, careful not to be too loud. if his siblings or parents heard him, he'd be done for. he couldn't imagine how angry his parents would be with him if they found out that he was in fact the masked hero who'd been swinging around the city.
