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strangesthirdeye · 6 months

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No Way (Stephen Strange x wife! Reader)

Summary: All hell breaks loose, like they said right?

Warning: It's Stephen, who doesn't love him? slightly injured, No Way Home spoiler alert for those who haven't watched it yet, fluff, mention of other injuries, special appearance,

As usual, forgive me if there are any language mistakes or confusing storylines.. also forgive me if there are grammatical mistakes.. English is not my first language

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You were married to Stephen while he was still working at Metro General Hospital and were with him when he had an incident that made him decide to head to Kathmandu to find a way to recover both hands so he could return to work as a Neurosurgeon. Too much happens as Stephen tries to recover his hands. No matter how much the surgery costs, he still wants to try to get his hands back to normal. And you, with a good heart and a patient person, try to help your husband in all the challenges you both face

So you with no choice decided to follow him to Kathmandu. And that's where all the stories begin and your new life changes. Stephen became a Sorcerer, fighting Dormamu and taking over as Sorcerer Supreme due to the death of The Ancient One and also helping Thor and Loki find their father in Norway.

How about you? well you and Wong became close friends as well as Mordo but it was only for a while because Mordo chose to go and make his own way so it's only you and Wong who still communicate but due to the things that always happen in Kamar Taj, it's quite difficult also for you to spend your time with your husband and friends.

And most surprisingly you and Cloak seem to have become good friends where Cloak will usually go to you if it is bored with Stephen or just Stephen being an ass which is sometimes. And often Cloak will put itself on your thigh like a blanket or your shoulder as if it wants to be pampered. So it's no wonder if Stephen sees Cloak with you because he knows that his relic will surely pamper you like a dog that wants it's owner attention.

But then, you usually spend your time teaching your students online in the library at New York Sanctum A. K. A your new home. So you are always alone and do your own work as a lecturer. Let me say that, you are also studying mystic art but not always because of your work as a lecturer which is often busy and also because of your students who can be said to be quite challenging as if teaching a kindergarten class. But, you still know some simple spells like opening a portal, or making things float towards you. So that's pretty easy for you too.

Oh yeah, i forgot...I haven't talked about Infinity War yet. Yeah, where Bruce Banner falls from the sky and destroys the roof of the Sanctum. sheesh.. there is a lot of money to be spent to repair the roof of the Sanctum but why be surprised? Kamar Taj students can fix it while Stephen, Wong, Bruce and Tony solve this Infinity Stones thing.. plus with you who are still confused about what happened because of this sudden thing.

"You have to stayed here.. it's dangerous outside.. I don't want anything to happen to you, yeah?" Stephen said while holding your face with both hands gently.

"Oh, you better come back safely, Stephen.. I don't want to see any cuts or scratches on you otherwise you sleep outside" you said sternly while frowning as your hands held Stephen's hand which was still holding the side of your face

And the next thing you know, an Alien comes and kidnaps your husband while Ironman and Spiderman come and try to save your husband and that was the last time you heard from your husband.

Welp-that happened 5 years ago.. where everyone in the world experienced a rather shocking situation where almost all life in the Universe turned to dust, including your husband. Lucky for you, you are not one of those dusty people.

But still, for you, half of yourself has disappeared with Stephen. You have started to feel down, you have started to distance yourself from other people.. and only Wong can give you a little motivation to continue living. The moment when the news of your husband's loss came out of the mouth of Steve Rogers who came to the Sanctum just days after the infinity Stones thing happened you started busying yourself from the outside world with work.

You have started working overtime until you forget to take care of yourself. Also, you don't realize that you have lost a lot of weight. And luckily, Wong noticed your change and tried to help you by advising you to eat and so on.

The thing happened for 3 months and that was 5 years ago. And now everyone is back to normal.. but still, the news of the death of Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff still remains in everyone's mind.

" I'm old now" you said in a soft tone to Stephen as you put your head on Stephen's chest after your 'best' night.

"yeah but I'm still older than you" replied Stephen smirked while stroking your hair gently.

"traitor"

( don't ask me about the age..)

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So! now the real story is about to begin. So you know who Spiderman is because you met him at Tony's funeral a few months ago. And you know that he is a good teenager, and caring and also has a heroic spirit. So for you it is not a problem because you know that every teenager has their own advantages and disadvantages.

And you also understand the side of today's teenagers because you also have students who are quite ok for you and some who are not right with you. But for you it's just ok. You don't even care as long as you can teach them so that they can continue their lives after finishing their studies is pretty good.

But for you Peter is different from the students you usually teach. He is a smart and independent person but sometimes he is a bit clumsy but that is not a problem because some teenagers are still not comfortable with their surroundings. Peter is also a shy person and is quite polite with the people around him. The way he talks is also a bit soft and a little stuttering because he's probably still shy but that's not a problem either because when you get to know him you immediately treat him like he's your child.. after all that's the way you treat kids and teenagers these days.

Back to the story, so the whole of New York is in chaos when the news about Quentin Beck or better known as Mysterio has spread all over New York plus maybe the whole world through his last footage of Spiderman killing him and saying Spiderman who controls all the drones to attack the population around And the most surprising thing is that Mysterio has also spread the identity of Spiderman to the entire population of New York and said that the true identity of Spiderman is PETER PARKER.

And of course you and Stephen know about this from the news that has been playing on TV. You start to feel sympathy for Peter and his family because he has to deal with this situation. And you believe that he is not a murderer or a criminal but just a teenager who was slandered by Mysterio because of his murder. You can feel that Peter's future is threatened by criticism and threats from the media or people around him.

And what happened after this was really beyond your expectations.

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"I told you, you should check again.. see what happened now?" you said while looking for a thick sweater in the closet to wear.

"oh please, I've checked ok... but I didn't expect the Rotundas Getaway was connected to Siberia" replied Stephen who was leaning against the door of your shared bedroom while rubbing his cold neck.

You see, Stephen's carelessness has caused the entire Sanctum to be filled with white snow that has been blasted into the Sanctum through the Rotundas Getaway which has accidentally connected with Siberia and has filled every room with snow. ALL THE ROOMS ARE FILLED WITH SNOW.

Coincidentally, Christmas is getting closer which doesn't mean this is part of the Christmas decorations.. In addition, with the growing cold and thick snow, Stephen and Wong wasted no time looking for students who are willing to volunteer to shovel the thick snow in the Sanctum living room.

And the lucky thing is that your shared room isn't filled with snow so it's kind of nice too because it's where you both sleep but that doesn't mean the cold isn't there either. This has been happening for almost 3 days and Stephen and Wong are trying to fix the situation in the Sanctum.

How about you? welp- you also tried to help Stephen and Wong but because Stephen was haunted by guilt, Stephen kept rejecting your offer to help him even though you insisted on helping him too and besides you don't have any class to teach.. now it's the holidays. Of course, your 'lovely' students have returned to their hometowns.

Because you insisted on helping, Stephen finally had to give in and let you help him. So, the more people do the work, the sooner this ends, right?.

"yeah, just 'check' it. Next time check with your eyes, don't just use your mouth." you murmured while sighing heavily and smoky because of the extreme cold.

"aww, don't be like that. Anyway, this thing is under control, I'm sure this situation will end soon." Stephen said and walked over and started hugging you from behind, hoping to add warmth so you wouldn't get cold.

"I know, but still.. next time you must check properly and make sure that there is nothing wrong with what happens next time. Don't just work carelessly, understand?" you said with a firm tone while rubbing both of Stephen's arms.

"okay ma'am," replied Stephen and kissed your hair gently.

No matter how great and brave Stephen is, he is still afraid of his wife. He really can't imagine your angry face. For him that is very badass and at the same time scary. that's what Stephen likes. Yes. The scariest and cutest wife that Stephen adored.

"don't always say ok if you don't even do your work, Stephen" said Wong in his hoarse but firm tone as he was carrying his heavy bags towards the Sanctum living room.

" and where do you want to go? The work here is not done yet" said Stephen loosening the hug and allowing you to walk into the bathroom to change clothes.

" you see, I have things in Kamar Taj for a few days because of my duty as Sorcerer Supreme so I'm not here for a few days until the things in Kamar Taj are finished.. and I want what happened in this Sanctum now to recover and I hope nothing happened as long as I wasn't here, understand?"said Wong while pointing his finger at Stephen.

Wong is really familiar with Stephen's personality and he is already familiar with it. So whatever happened before, he will definitely know who masterminded all that happened, no matter the matter involving duty or a spell that went out of control because all the evidence will definitely be directed at Stephen.

Stephen sighed and walked towards the door of his room and looked at Wong with an innocent face.

"Come on, Wong. Don't worry about all that, besides, nothing will happen as long as you're not here. Everything will be fine," replied Stephen.

Wong looked at Stephen for a long time while raising one eyebrow. He wouldn't be fooled by Stephen's sweet words because he knew that as long as he wasn't in Sanctum there would be trouble. And he also believes that with you being with Stephen, you will definitely keep Stephen under control.

"I don't trust you but I believe that your wife will make sure that nothing happens as long as you stay in this Sanctum and do not do anything related to dimensions or spells or else you will be in a dangerous situation" warned Wong firmly.

"oh please, you know that I-"

"The most famous person in the world. I know. " interrupted Wong without looking at Stephen before opening the portal and then walked across the portal carrying several luggage bags.

Stephen sighed heavily. The bathroom door was thrown wide open by you as soon as you finished changing into a thick sweater. You looked at Stephen confused.

"What's wrong? "you asked before walking up to Stephen with a confused face.

"well- you know that Wong always warns me right? yes.. that's why" replied Stephen before conjuring two cups of hot cocoa for him and you.

"I see.. well, what Wong warned you is true. You have to take care of yourself so you don't get into too much trouble. And you're lucky because I have to take care of you or not, I don't know what will happen in Sanctum later" you replied before taking a cup of hot cocoa from Stephen's hand and sipping slowly. Then, the sweet and warm taste continues to soothe your freeze and dry throat and warm your cold body temperature.

"I'm not a little boy to take care of" complained Stephen.

"yeah.. whatever you say you're still my boy" you said sweetly before walking out of your bedroom.

"I like that sound of that" replied Stephen and walked out of the bedroom and was followed by Cloak who had been at the end of the room from behind before landing on Stephen's shoulder.

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"Is all this for a holiday party?"asked Peter confused as he looked around the Sanctum's living room filled with snow as soon as he set foot inside the Sanctum.

Wong who wearing a thick sweater placed the last of his bags on the snowy floor before closing the portal and then looked at Peter with a fierce expression on his face.

"No. One of the rotunda gateways connects to Siberia. Blizzard blasted through." Wong replied quickly.

An abrupt swoosh can be heard. Doctor Stephen Strange floats down the stairs through his Cloak of Levitation, holding a mug, wearing a sweatshirt and an anorak. Its blue color resembles his usual mystical outfit. At first glance, it will definitely look like a father who is trying to get along with teenagers.

"Because someone forgot to cast a maintenance spell to keep the seals tight."replied Stephen lazily before he landed on the snowy floor and almost slipped as soon as he landed.

"Don't say that to Wong, Stephen. You should have done the work as Wong told you before" you said slowly going down the slippery stairs due to the snow and ice.

"That's right, because he forgot I now have higher duties. thanks Y/n" replied Wong.

"Higher duties?" asked Stephen, pretending to be confused.

"The Sorcerer Supreme has high duties, yes." replied Wong with a firm yet gentle tone.

Peter who had been standing watching the conversation of the three adults began to interrupt.

"Wait, I thought you were the Sorcerer Supreme?" Peter asked confused as he pointed his finger at Stephen.

"No. He got it on a technicality, 'cause Stephen blipped for five years and made Wong to take over as Sorcerer Supreme."you said with a small smile as if trying to make Stephen jealous. (But then again, he's really jealous but on the inside..wink)

Peter then looked at Wong with a sign of understanding after what you said just now.

" Oh. Well, congratulations." said Peter with his sweet smile.

Wong nodded in thanks. At least, there is someone who appreciates him as much as you. After all, Wong had worked hard during Stephen's absence in the previous year. He also has many services as long as he takes the rank of Sorcerer Supreme in order to protect the universe and this dimension.

"If I'd been here, then I'd-"

"-burned the place down. " Wong interrupted without missing a beat before walking past Stephen and looking at the two students who had been shoveling snow since the beginning "You two, no one said, 'Stop shoveling!'"

With a jerk, the two students continued to scoop up the white snow quickly. Stephen was silent for a moment. Maybe still thinking about what Wong said a moment ago. You looked at your husband who was still silent before turning your gaze towards Peter who had been listening to the conversation between the three of you. Too bad he waited so long. You sighed lightly.

" Steph? " you called softly as you gently patted Stephen on the shoulder.

Stephen jerked and looked down at you. " yeah"

You tilted your head as if to point at Peter who was still standing waiting for his turn to speak. Stephen quickly understood your meaning and looked at Peter with his hand still tightly gripping the coffee mug.

" So Peter, to what do i owe the pleasure?

And there goes to Peter telling him the problem he is facing in the hope that Stephen can turn back the time before Mysterio revealed his identity to the public. It's quite sad, because not only is he the target of the media, but his family and close friends are also affected. Even sadder, Peter was unable to continue his studies at MIT or any other educational institution because his identity was revealed as a murderer.

For them, they didn't want the killer anywhere near them nor did they want him as a student. Even more sad, his best friend and girlfriend were also affected and rejected because they were close friends of Peter. The irresponsible party is cruel and so is the 24-hour media that only wants to make the current situation worse.

"Peter... we tampered with the stability of space-time to resurrect countless lives. You wanna do it again now just because yours got messy?" Stephen said supportively. Yes, he did feel sorry for the young man but, without the Time Stone, he couldn't do anything to help Peter.

"This isn't... it's not about me. I mean, this is really hurting a lot of people. My... my Aunt May, Happy... My best friend, my girlfriend, their futures are ruined just because they know me, and... they've done nothing wrong." Peter pleaded. His eyes began to show sadness.

You who heard the two of them talking earlier started to feel sorry for Peter. Peter is just a boy. He didn't do anything. But, just because of that person's greed and hatred, the hope of a victim is shattered without end.

What Peter went through was too big and dangerous. Because not only the media make this situation worse, but the government does the same. Just because a hero called the Avengers makes a mistake, the government and the people will no longer believe in their safety anymore.

You looked at Stephen with a compassionate face. Begged him so he could help Peter. Stephen looked at you. He really can't go against your look. He knows, every time you give that look. He will definitely lose to you. He is afraid of you but at the same time he loves you. He doesn't care if you don't have magic or work as a university lecturer, he still loves you and obeys you.

Stephen looked at Peter and sighed heavily.

"I am so sorry, but... even if I wanted to... I don't have the Time Stone anymore"said Stephen with a disappointed tone because he was unable to help Peter no matter what the situation. The Time Stone has already been returned to the past so Stephen can't do anything else.

You sighed heavily. "I really want to help you and your friends for university matters, but unfortunately I'm not the person who has the power for university matters.. I'm just a lecturer. If I'm in power, of course I'll help you all. I'm sorry." you said, nodding sadly.

Peter who seemed to have hope began to drop his hope. It's true what they say, Stephen can't do anything if the Time Stone isn't there to turn back time and you're not a powerful person when it comes to the university where you teach. So all the hopes he had started to drop.

Peter nodded slightly. "That's right"

You and Stephen nodded in unison. Peter paused for a moment before letting out a heavy sigh.

"I'm really sorry if I... wasted your time." continued Peter in a tone of disappointment plus sadness.

You and Stephen shook your heads in unison as you waved your hands in the air.

"N-No, you didn't..."

"it's okay, you're not wasting any time"

"It's okay, Stephen.. Mrs Strange"

"No Peter, I really want to help you but I can't do anything about your education. I'm not the one to solve the university thing. But I really want to help you" you said walking up to Peter and holding Peter's hand and caressing his hand as if a mother was persuading her child.

Peter held your hand and looked at you with a sad face but managed to hide it with his sweet smile.. "Just forget about it. Mrs Strange..it's ok"

You looked at Peter for a long time before nodding slowly and letting go of Peter's hands. You then slowly walked over to your husband's side but your eyes were still on Peter. Feelings of pity and wanting to help still open up in you. But if Peter says that, you have to follow what he wants. You have treated Peter like your own son so the feeling of motherhood is still strong inside you. Even though you and Stephen are not blessed with children yet, so it's not wrong if you treat children like your own children, right?

Peter looked at you both and repeated the sentence he said to you again.

"Just forget about it, I think I can manage with what's happening now" said Peter in a tone trying to be strong.

Stephen nodded and sipped his hot chocolate. You looked at your husband with a pitying expression on your face.

"Oh, he will. He's really good at forgetting things." Wong said suddenly as he lifted several bags into the portal.

This causes a temporary enlightenment in the Bleecker Street magician's mind, as he points at his companion. You looked at Stephen and Wong confused as Peter looked at Wong with a frown.

"Wong. You've actually generated a good idea." said Stephen looking at Wong with raised eyebrows.

Wong looked at the Master Of The New York Sanctum confused.

"What?" Wong asked raising an eyebrow.

"The runes of Kof-Kol." Stephen said in a suggestive tone.

"The runes of Kof-Kol?" you and Peter said in unison in confused tones.

"Oh, it's just a standard spell of forgetting. Won't turn back time, but at least people will forget that you were ever Spider-Man." replied Stephen looking at Peter and you while swinging his mug of hot chocolate in the air.

Peter with his hope reappeared. With light up eyes looking at Stephen, he looked at Stephen as if Stephen was his idol.

"seriously? Thank-"

"No. Not seriously. That spell travels the dark borders between known and unknown reality. It's too dangerous." said Wong with a firm tone. He looked at Stephen sharply.

You looked at Stephen and Wong at the same time with a worried expression on your face. Even if you don't know much about magic, you know what Wong warned is dangerous. What the Spell that crossed Stephen's mind was indeed dangerous. It doesn't matter if it's a little or a lot, you keep an eye on Stephen if he uses any spells every time you're with him.

Stephen snorted and looked at Wong. "God, we've used it for a lot less. Do you remember the full moon party in Kamar-Taj?"

The moment you heard those words, you automatically blushed hard and had to hide your face on Stephen's shoulder while your arms hugged Stephen's side. You know what happened at the Moon Party's in Kamar- Taj. Only you and Stephen know about it. And we're not here to talk about that, right?

"No"Said Wong frowning and looking at you who was still hiding your face on Stephen's shoulder.

"Exactly." replied Stephen casually.

"Come on, Wong. Hasn't he been through enough?" Stephen looked at Wong with a pleading expression.

Wong looked at Stephen with a stern expression before he looked at you who were still hiding on Stephen's shoulder and looked at Peter. Not long after, a portal appeared behind Wong that led to the Kamar Taj.

"Just leave me out of this." Wong said hesitantly before stepping into the portal. But his eyes are still on Stephen and you.

Stephen raised his eyebrows. "Fine?"

"Fine.. Y/n, take care of your husband.. if anything weird and dangerous happens feel free to be angry with him." said Wong with a tone of suggestion plus advice as if he were a father-in-law advising his daughter-in-law.

You raised your face to look at Wong. Immediately, you nodded. The "technical" Sorcerer Supreme's portal closes. The "practical" Sorcerer Supreme smiles at Peter. While you looked at them both with a worried face. You then slapped Stephen's arm hard while looking straight into Stephen's eyes.

"Ow, what was that for?" said Stephen, starting to distance himself from you. As soon as he looked at your sharp face, he began to swallow his saliva slowly.

"Do you need to mention about the Full Moon Party in Kamar Taj?" You reprimanded in a firm tone of voice.

"Don't worry, he won't know" said Stephen teasingly but cautiously.

"He will know later. Knowing Wong, he will be able to figure things out quickly. What if he bans me from coming to the Library?" you said angrily.

"I'll make The runes of Kof-Kol again. Easy" said Stephen as he walked closer to Peter and changed his clothes to his usual tunic with a spell.

"Please be careful with that spell, Stephen.. I'm worried what will happen to us later" you said with a pleading tone of advice.

Stephen looked at you then pointed at Peter and told Peter to go to the basement first before Stephen slowly walked towards you. His arms wrapped around your body and he placed his chin on your head and kissed your hair softly while inhaling the smell of your hair lovingly. You hugged Stephen tightly and inhaled the smell of Stephen's body where there was a slight smell of hot chocolate and mint as well as the smell of old books. A smell that for you is quite comfortable and can be called a safe place.

" you don't have to worry, I promise I'll be careful.. If you need me just shout my name and I'll come in an instant.. ok? "said Stephen while stroking your back gently and lovingly.

You lifted your head from Stephen's chest and looked at Stephen's face. Your right hand let go and caressed Stephen's sharp cheekbone.

"It's not that I don't believe you, but you also know that I sometimes worry about what you do. That's why I'm worried that if something happens, who will help you later? Even though I don't know much about magic knowledge or cloak relic that can floating and living, I'll still help you no matter where you are." you said while peck Stephen's lips.

Stephen hummed as he grabbed your neck to kiss your lips for a long time before looking at you and loosening his embrace from your body and pulling back to look at you with his signature ego look.

"The way for you to help me is to just to be in bed" Stephen winked before he dramatically turned and walked towards the basement with the cloak swinging behind him.

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You close your laptop slowly before getting out of bed and start reaching for the cable to charge your laptop. You stretched your body and yawned a little before walking back to bed to plug the charging cable into the laptop. You then intended to make hot chocolate again in the kitchen so you took the empty mug and walked out of your and Stephen's room. The Sanctum was quite quiet right now. The students who helped shovel the snow must have been resting for a while. You know they have been shoveling snow for a long time so it is not wrong if they want to rest for a while. And strangely, there was no sound at all from the underground where Stephen and Peter were now. Perhaps the process of the runes is quite long to make.

So you plan to make hot chocolate for the two students. Slowly you walk on the slippery floor. Carefully step your feet so you don't slip. As soon as you reached the Sanctum stairs, you immediately held the stair rail tightly with your right hand. You look for the two students who are not shoveling in front of the stairs. Weird, you're going down slowly.

All of a sudden, the Sanctum began to shake as if there was a massive earthquake causing your hand grip on the rail to slip and you immediately slipped down the slippery stairs before landing with your head hitting the corner of the stairs hard causing your vision to blur and have a black spot in the corner your eyes.

"Mrs Strange!" screams were heard simultaneously, which to you were the voices of two students who volunteered to help shoveling snow there.

Your blurry vision that was getting darker and darker was only able to see the shadow of the two students before your eyes closed, your eyes managed to look at the third shadow behind the student. A glimpse of black and bushy hair. And with that, your vision darkened as if you had fallen into a dark ocean.

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Voices as if people were talking faintly sounded in your ears as soon as you started to wake up from unconsciousness. Your head is throbbing as if there is a drum in your head causing your headache to become painful. Of course this will cause you an extreme headache later. Your eyes began to open slowly as you flinched when the voice that was faint to you earlier became clear. You whimpered a little in pain as every sound made your head hurt. Immediately everything was silent.

You open your eyes and look around. It turns out that where you are now is your and Stephen's room. You tried to get up but suddenly a black figure quickly rushed to the side of your bed and grabbed your arm and back as if it was trying to help you sit up. You looked at that black glimpse.

"Stephen?"

'Stephen' looked at you strangely and confused before releasing his hold on you as soon as you were in a sitting position and pulled back but his eyes were still on you.

"Stephen? I'm Sherlock. Not Stephen. John, what is she saying?"Said 'Stephen' or known as Sherlock with a British accent looking to the man with sand blonde hair, short and dressed in a black jacket and black jeans who was standing not far from where the two of you were.

"Sherlock I think she's still semi-conscious-"

"-I'm fully aware ok. I'm not unconscious anymore. So I know what I'm talking about. And who are you anyway? Why is Stephen or Sherlock if you want to call him wearing clothes like this? As far as I know his hair is not curly like this." you said looking Sherlock up and down.

The man with sandy blonde hair approached you both slowly.

"My name is John Watson and I don't understand what you are saying right now. All we know is that we are solving a case and suddenly, here we are." John explained to you.

" and I am not the Stephen you say." replied Sherlock lazily as he rolled his eyes.

"Sherlock!" John insisted angrily as his eyes were fixed on Sherlock.

"It's true what I said. She keeps calling me Stephen. I don't know why." Sherlock replied.

"yeah but this is not the time to argue about that. Right now we have to think about how we want to go back to 221B" said John looking at you.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted. But what do you mean that you and he are suddenly here?" you said confusedly to the two men.

John looked at Sherlock with a face you couldn't read. Sherlock looked at John for a long moment before he let out a heavy sigh. John must have thought that Sherlock must have some sort of solution to this.

"I'm afraid I don't know how the two of us are here. All we know is that there's a flash of colour and the next thing we know we're in this 'museum'," explained Sherlock while running his hands through his curly hair.

You looked at the two of them for a long time before sighing heavily. It seems that this may have something to do with the spell that Stephen made. Nothing but this must have happened when Stephen made the spell.

" I think I know how to help you two. I have to go and see my husband.. " you said starting to get up but stopped when Sherlock grabbed your shoulder to sit back down.

You looked at Sherlock confused. Sherlock cocked his head to the side as if to indicate something. You looked at what Sherlock meant and gasped as you saw your right leg wrapped in a white bandage.

"I suggest you don't need to walk for a few weeks. You sprained your ankle when you fell down the slippery stairs so I've bandaged your leg and treated your head. Nothing serious, you might just have a headache but that will go away with time," explained John in doctor mode.

"oh, thank you for helping me. It seems we have to wait for Stephen to come to the room, then we can help you" you said.

Sherlock and John nodded. The atmosphere in the room was quiet again. Only the sound of motorcycle and car engines can be heard from outside the Sanctum even though it is muffled because of the windows but you can still hear how busy New York City is. Sherlock and John who were still confused by the current atmosphere seemed to have relaxed a little with the quiet atmosphere. Maybe that's what they want. Quiet and peaceful.

Maybe with the current situation, this is the best time for them to think of a way to go home. You looked at Sherlock who was now at the window looking at New York City with a frown on his face. He was definitely not used to the atmosphere of a big and noisy city compared to where he lived. Maybe?

Sherlock's face, which is indeed similar to your husband's face, makes you amazed at how different and the same they are when they stand next to each other. His clean shaven face without any goatee, even his curly hair that looks soft makes you want to run your fingers through his hair a few times just to feel how soft his hair is.

The way of wearing it is quite different compared to what your husband wears. The black trench coat and blue scarf look neat tied around his neck, probably because he doesn't want to get cold. But, no matter how different he is from your husband. You remain faithful to your true husband until the end of your life. Maybe Sherlock will find a girl like you? we don't know. Love doesn't always come rolling, what we need to do is find true love.

"so umm... Are you two partners or colleagues?" you said suddenly trying to make a conversation.

John looked at you before clearing his throat. " we can be said to be colleagues but we are also flatmates. Although, Sherlock's behavior is quite rude, we are still friends. He trusts me and I trust him. Although some people think we are umm.. more than friends. But, it's not true. I'm a married man and Sherlock has a girlfriend, so over time the rumors just...disappeared"

You raised an eyebrow. Sherlock has a girlfriend?

Sherlock looked at you for a moment before looking back at the window. "yes, is there a problem?"

You shook your head quickly. " no no. John just said your behavior is a bit rude but it doesn't mean you can't afford to have a girlfriend. You are just like my husband, Stephen.. although his behavior is a bit cocky and his ego is a bit high, he knows how to take care of a woman who he calls his wife" you smiled to yourself.

Sherlock was speechless. His eyes were still focused on the outside of the window before he slowly turned his gaze towards you.

"Her name is Y/n. Yeah, you're just like her. Strong but she knows her limits. Fierce but kind at the same time. Likes to help others a lot. That's what I like about her. Stubborn too. That's the reason why I'm not surprised to see you is because to me you are just like her. There is no difference, only the way you throw your words is different. She is more soft but firm and you are more firm but soft." Sherlock said softly, his hand in his pocket gently stroking the black box.

You were stunned by what Sherlock said. It turns out that he admires the girl he loves without realizing it. The verse that is said to be arranged is beautiful like a poem. He really loves that girl. Even if the girl has the same name and face as you, no matter how different the version of Stephen in this universe is, it will definitely be united with the girl they really admire. And that girl is you.

You looked at John who was looking at Sherlock with his mouth slightly open. "What's wrong, John?"

John jerked away from his gaze and looked at you, his head a little closer to your ear. And then he whispered.

"this is the first time he admitted that he loves Y/n to someone else. All this time it was all done quietly and in his own way. So this is a bit of a surprise to me. He never told what 'our' Y/n is like to anyone but me " explained John in a whisper. Worried that his statement was heard by Sherlock who was now still in his own mind.

You nodded in understanding and looked at Sherlock. John pulled himself away from you and walked over to the chair not far from your bed, his hands clasped and gently stroked.

"umm.. how long will it take for your husband to come back?" asked John.

" I don't think it will be long because he is in the basement. So maybe he will come up soon. " you replied while tugging at your shirt.

Sherlock sighed quickly and ran his fingers through his hair repeatedly as if his mind was reeling. He then walked back and forth in the same place before walking and sitting on the end of your bed. He sighed heavily.

"oh please hurry up. I'm bored" Sherlock said with a complaining tone.

You looked at Sherlock confused then looked at John with a questioning look on your face. John looked at you as if he understood what you meant.

" don't mind him. He's always like that when he's bored. Complains and sometimes shoots the wall with a gun.. But that's when 'our' Y/n isn't in the flat.. if Y/n is there, of course he'll just stick with Y/n ." John said to you, shrugging his shoulders as if he'd had enough of Sherlock's behavior.

"shoot a wall? like really shoot a wall with a real gun? Aren't other people angry?" you asked widening your eyes slightly as if in disbelief.

John nodded and sighed. "yeah, of course our landlady is angry with Sherlock but because she's had enough of Sherlock's behavior it's become a habit. It's just that the price of the flat has increased"

" That's when your Y/n isn't there.. but what does he do when your Y/n is in the flat? " you asked John again.

"well, Sherlock usually just puts his head on Y/n's lap and Y/n will play with her hair as if that will calm Sherlock's mind. That's the calmest thing when Y/n is in our flat. All things or experiments are not touch by him if Sherlock is stuck with Y/n" said John looking at Sherlock who was looking out the window. Perhaps his attention was lost the moment he entered his mind.

You nodded understanding what John explained. Even though Sherlock looks cold and a little rude, he still has a kind and gentle nature to his lover. Also, just by looking at Sherlock you can imagine what it would be like if Stephen took criminology instead of the medical field. Surely Stephen will be like Sherlock. Thirst with knowledge and criminal cases must be his main characteristic. There is no difference at all.

You looked back at John but before you could open your mouth, Stephen opened the bedroom door wide and entered the bedroom you shared with his face covered in claw marks and bruises. Stephen limped into the room slowly.

Your eyes then light up when you see Stephen but turn worried when you see your husband's condition. The startled John quickly got up and walked towards Stephen to help him.

"Stephen! " you called in a soft voice plus a hint of concern towards Stephen.

Stephen who was limping and helped by John looked at you with a relieved face before turning to worry when his eyes looked at you who was lying on the bed with one leg wrapped.

"Honey, what happened to you? Are you ok?" Stephen asked worriedly and tried to go towards you with John's help. Stephen was still unaware of the presence of two men there even though he was helped by John. All his attention is only on you.

" Don't worry about me, dear. My ankle is just sprained and I'm sure I have a slight concussion but what we need to worry about is you, Steph.. what's going on?" you replied in a worried tone and tried to move towards Stephen but you winced in pain as you moved your bandaged leg.

Stephen sighed heavily and began to sit on the edge of the bed. John then stepped back trying to give the two couples privacy. Sherlock, who had been in the realm of his mind, started to snapped out of his mind and looked at you and his variant. Sherlock began to make deductions against Stephen.

Stephen rubbed your bandaged leg gently so that it would not put any pressure on your sprained leg. You looked at Stephen with a worried frown.

"What happened? you asked Stephen as your hand tried to reach Stephen's hand that was stroking your bandaged leg.

"well.. you know what Peter wants right? So I cast the spell but it started backfired and everything went haywire. And guess what, I found a lizard monster in the basement so I fought it and put it in the cell. It's pretty strong too and that's why I got some of these injuries. " Stephen explained. His hand then reached your hand and stroked it gently.

You let out a deep breath. Fortunately, nothing bad happened to Stephen and he only had injuries that could be treated with a first aid kit and enough rest. Luckily nothing bad happened after that. You frowned.

"So, the spell you cast and backfired is what caused this Sanctum to shake?" you make assumptions right away.

Stephen lowered his head slightly before looking at you with pleading eyes.

"yes.." replied Stephen with a small voice.

" and that spell caused the detective version of you to appear with his friend?" you said again as you pointed your index finger towards Sherlock and John.

Stephen raised his head quickly and looked at you with a confused face.

"sorry?" Stephen asked in a confused tone.

"the detective version of you appeared after I fell down the Sanctum stairs. Luckily, his friend helped me with a sprained leg and my head. Otherwise, I'd still be at the end of the Sanctum stairs." you murmured to Stephen.

Stephen immediately looked at your pointing finger and let out a heavy breath as his eyes widened to see his own twin standing upright next to the window of your room. Sherlock who looked narrowly at Stephen stiffened when he saw another version of himself in front of him.

The two men looked at each other in silence. Their eyes study each other's faces and selves quickly. Honestly, Stephen himself doesn't know whether this is an impressive thing or not because one, of course he was quite amazed when he could see another version of himself although it was a bit strange because he saw himself in front of his eyes and secondly, it was also quite dangerous if any variants who set foot in another universe, it will definitely result in bad things like incursion.

Talk about Incursion made Stephen widen his eyes with shock.

Stephen quickly shook his head in distress. "no, no no.. this is very dangerous. The two of you cannot be in this universe. It's too dangerous. One step in another universe, that universe will be destroyed and disappear from existence. This is all a mistake" Stephen rambled with stress while walking one places around the room.

John looked at Sherlock hoping Sherlock knew what Stephen meant. Destroyed and disappeared from existence. These two gentlemen should not be in this universe let alone other variants from different universes.

And what Stephen knew was that he was already fucked up after he cast the spell. Sherlock can only see the version of himself that is in distress and walking in that place. Back and forth steps were arranged by Stephen while rubbing his head. Stephen's injuries became numb and forgotten.

John decided to open his mouth. "You see, we here don't know what's going on right now. All we know is that your wife told us that you can take us back to.. our universe"

Stephen stopped and looked at John confused. "and you are?"

"John Watson, call me John" John introduced himself.

Stephen nodded his head. "Doctor Stephen Strange. Doctor Strange is fine" Stephen replied and looked at Sherlock with a frown. "and who's this friend of yours?"

John looked at Sherlock who was still standing stiffly by the window. "That's Sherlock Holmes.. just call him Sherlock.. Don't mind him, he's always like that. Trying to make some deductions."

Stephen nodded his head in understanding. Although Stephen knows who Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson are due to him having read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books in his spare time. But he does not expect that the real Sherlock Holmes is a variant of himself. He excepted that Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson would appear as in the book describe both of them and in Victorian era clothing but his expectations were wrong just seeing the way they both wore.

Although the way they both dress is quite good for the season in London, it is also good that they wear such clothes in Sanctum because Sanctum is still in a 'Christmas holiday' state.

You, who had been a witness to the conversation, began to open your mouth after being silent for a 'long time'. "Stephen, I think we need to treat your injury. I'm afraid there will be an infection and we can continue this while Doctor Watson is here treating your wound. Doctor Watson, you go to the bathroom and open the bathroom mirror. In there we keep first aid kit." You told John.

John nodded and walked into the bathroom. Stephen sighed heavily.

"Do you still want to stand there or do you want to ask questions?" Stephen sighed tiredly.

As if he had just woken up from his mind reverie, Sherlock jerked out of his Mind Palace. His mind played some questions that only his variant could tell. The Great Sherlock Holmes himself does not know how the universe works let alone know about the solar system.

Stephen sighed weakly and shook his head several times trying to get rid of the dizziness that was growing in his head. "I still can't believe I will discover a variants from another universes let alone my own variant" Stephen paused and looked at Sherlock. "seems like you have a question to ask"

Sherlock nodded slightly. "although I believe in science but what is happening now is a bit confusing for me"

"I can say the same thing for you. Even I know everything about universes and mystics but this is really out of control and shouldn't happen" Stephen rubbing his chin with both hands.

Sherlock cocked his eyebrows at Stephen. "and why is that?"

"Because once any variants or things from the alternative universe are traced in another universe, it will trigger something that can bring chaos to that universe" Stephen explained.

Sherlock frowned. Meanwhile John came out of the bathroom with a first aid kit in his hand and walked towards Stephen. The first aid kit was opened and John began to enter his Doctor mode and began to treat the wound on Stephen's face.

"don't bother telling him about that, Doctor Strange. He doesn't know that the earth goes around the sun let alone knows about things like this" John muttered.

You stifled a giggle and put a palm over your mouth to hide your smile. Sherlock grumbled unpleasantly when he heard what John said then he turned his gaze to the window again.

"and by the way. Back to the trigger something.. how long do you think it will take to start happening?" John asked with concern. "we didn't want to cause any danger in your universe, honestly"

Stephen sighed. "I don't know.. let's just hope it doesn't happen so quickly"

"also, we still need to find out how to bring you both back to your universe" you stated.

Sherlock looked at you. "can you do magic too?"

"uhm.. no. I don't have magic like Stephen, I'm just a university lecturer" You replied.

"Y/n in our universe is a Detective Inspector at Scotland Yard. From there Sherlock knows her" John said all of the sudden as his hand dabbed cotton on Stephen's wounds.

Stephen winced as the stinging pain flashed across his face. John looked at Stephen apologetically before continuing his work.

"Stephen met me.. correction bumping into me and causing my coffee to spill all over him that's how we both met. Years later we both got married and still have no children but we are still happy" you smiled towards Stephen passionately.

Sherlock looked at you both for a long time. This is what will happen if he and your version are in his universe. His hand in his pocket tightly holding the ring box.

Just as Sherlock was about to open his mouth, your phone made a loud 'ping' sound indicating that notifications had arrived.

You looked at your phone on the bedside table and reached for it. The screen opens and the dim light from your screen shines on your face. Sherlock, Stephen and John just looked at you.

Your face is shocked when you receive a message from one of your students which is the latest news about the attack on the bridge but what makes you more shocked is Spiderman and squid man? who made havoc there. You quickly flipped your phone and directed it to Stephen.

Stephen widened his eyes and quickly got up from his sitting position causing John to jerk in surprise at the sudden movement.

"i have to go" Stephen said then leaned and kissed your forehead.

You nodded in understanding and caressed his cheek. "be safe" you muttered to him with concern.

Stephen nodded and walked out of the room you two shared. The two grown men who are with you can only witness the situation unfolding in front of them with confused and worried faces (John who is worried).

"What's wrong?" Sherlock spoke after a few moments of silence.

"He needs to get Peter before something untoward happens" you muttered.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

*Time Skips*

After the whole fiasco where Peter trapped Stephen in the Grand Canyon and he ran away with a cube that contained spells in the hope of changing the fate of the villains there, well that's what Peter said to you before he and the others left the Sanctum. You worriedly pacing with a slight limp in the main room of the Sanctum with a concerned face engraved.

You don't know how long you've been pacing around because you're worried about Stephen's condition now, you don't know how to open the portal. Stephen always said that he does not recommend you to learn magic because for him it is dangerous even though a simple spells can lead to a dangerous situation. You just scoffed at that. Said the one who always casts simple spells and leads into dangerous situations.

John and Sherlock who are 'still' in the Sanctum can only see your distressed session. John who was sitting on the steps was staring into space at the same time unconsciously tapping his foot on the floor while Sherlock was observing everything in the Sanctum trying to get rid of his boredom.

"it's been twelve hours he's trapped.. I don't know what happened to him and yet I'm here doing nothing to help him" You said with a worried tone.

"Calm down, Y/n. He's a Sorcerer of course he's fine. You don't need to worry about him.. Just sit here you shouldn't put pressure on your sprained leg. It will interfere with its healing" John tapped the spot beside him with his left hand.

"What if something happens to him? And I can't do anything. I don't have magic like Stephen" you said worriedly as you take a seat besides John.

"he's a great man, he'll be back later. You shouldn't worry about him. He might be dealing with what happened now." John assured you while patting your shoulder. He looked at Sherlock who was trying to hold the artifacts there. "Sherlock" he called.

Sherlock withdrew his fingers from touching the artifacts there and turned his gaze on John. He grumbled and sat next to you. Now you are among British men. One that looks like your husband and one that looks like one of the CIA agents you see on TV.

"I just wish he's okay, that's all. That's what a wife should do right? Worry about their husband's well-being" you murmured.

"Mary don't do that" Sherlock muttered.

John glared at him. "Pardon?"

Sherlock grumbled and looked away. You looked at Sherlock with confusion engraved on your face.

"Mary? As in Mary Watson?" You asked.

"My wife." John replied, smiling to himself.

"She sounds lovely"

"oh she was lovely.. Still is" John looked down his lap with sorrow.

"Was?" you furrowed your eyebrows.

"She's passed away a few years ago. It's complicated but everything is sorted out" John said, grieving.

"Oh, John.. I'm sorry for your loss. She's probably in a good place" you said, rubbing his back in a comforting way.

"Thanks" John said lowly. "without her me and Sherlock will not make up after a long time of not being on the same page for some reason regarding her death. She saved us one last time. Well, she's probably going to kill us if we still don't see each other. Rosie going to be pisses to her dad for that" John added.

"at least she has a favorite auntie and uncle by her side" Sherlock interrupted.

"yeah, well. obviously you and Y/n are her favorites. You both spoiled her too much with the puzzle. Now she's obsessed." John complained.

"It's good for 5 years old to grow up with the great brain. Otherwise you spoiled her with Mrs Hudson biscuits" Sherlock shot back his response.

"Rosie's first word is Murder. Murder! Not daddy or Papa. It's all your fault for teaching her that word" John said loudly.

Two British men fighting like old married couples? yup. Your day is very beautiful.

" her first word is Murder. Well.. that's quite surprising" You are dumbfounded.

"I expected she said mother but I heard it wrong.. She loudly said Murder. Now you know whose fault" John crossed his arms.

"At least she doesn't have a bad temper like yours" Sherlock said flatly.

"what?" John glared at Sherlock.

"nothing." Sherlock looked at you. "She and Y/n are very inseparable. Y/n loves her like her own daughter so no wonder Rosie has almost the same personality as Y/n. She follows her everywhere" Sherlock said admiringly.

"You really love her, don't you?" you said, grinning at him.

"Well, love is a strong word but yes. You can say that. Mycroft still debating with himself when I say that I have a girlfriend" Sherlock muttered.

You nodded in understanding and thought into space. The Sanctum is quiet.

"You know, it's a bit weird knowing that the characters from the books I read when I was little actually exist in another universe. Let alone have the same face as my husband." you chuckled.

"I'm still debating with myself that the Multiverse exists. Let alone meet the same person as my girlfriend" Sherlock said.

"I'm still in the state of making sure this is not a dream by the way" John spoke.

"well, Mr Watson. It's one hundred percent real and not a dream" you replied, smirking.

"But still, being in another universe is not our line of work" Sherlock said next to you.

You sighed lightly. "Is it true that you once encountered Professor Moriarty?"

"Moriarty is not a professor in our universe but well he claimed himself as a Consulting Mastermind. Well, he's dead now.. So no need to worry"

"is it Reinchenbach Fall? He's dead because he fell right?" You tilted your head slightly.

"he shot himself with a gun.. I was the one who jumped not him.. I'm pretending to be dead for 2 years just to destroy his network" Sherlock replied.

"oh, yeah.. i read about that too.. You pretended to be dead for 2 years... Gosh, that must be bothering you, isn't it?" You said, glancing at Sherlock sympathetically.

"You can say that" Sherlock replied.

"It's sound weird that you know everything because you read books about us even though you've never been to our place" John blurted after a long time silent.

"Well, the timeline in the book is the Victorian era, so compared to your modern era, there is no difference. The characters and the story lines are almost the same," you explained.

"but not all of them, right?" John looked at you.

You nodded. "yup" you thought for a moment. "Gosh, it's been a while.. I'm starting to worry about him" you rubbed your arms anxiously.

Sherlock awkwardly put his hand on your back and rubbed it gently in a comforting way.

"He's okay, Y/n..Don't worry about him.. Like you said he has magic so he knows when to protect himself" John reassured you.

"but what if something happens-"

The sound of the spark started to be heard in the middle of the Sanctum where the three of you were. You started to wake up with Sherlock's help. Both hands hug yourself as you try to warm yourself. There Stephen came out of the portal with scratches and cuts on his face. He looked obviously tired.

His body bends a little, probably his ribs are sore after fighting for a long time. You sighed in relief and rushed to Stephen. You immediately put Stephen's right hand on your shoulder as you helped him to sit on the Sanctum stairs.

"Oh, Stephen. Thank God you're okay" you put both hands on Stephen's cheek and caressed his cheek.

Stephen sighed heavily before putting his forehead against yours. He closed his eyes tiredly. "it takes a long time to handle that opponent"

"Are those villains already defeated? What happened to Spiderman?" You asked concerned.

"I already took them all back to their universes.. It took a long time to handle that because of Goblin. Spiderman is also okay, he's the ones who cure them all" Stephen explained.

"Oh, what a relief. At least you're okay" you said while looking at the injury on his face. "Luckily it's just a small wounds and not a big one. Need me to clean it?"

"no need, I can use healing spells besides I have one last job to do" Stephen opened his eyes and glanced at the Baker Street duo.

Stephen started to get up and walk forward facing the duo. "I believe this is the time for you two to return to your universe. Can't risk any danger in this universe, right?"

"yes.. of course.. We don't want that to happen" John replied.

"the spell doesn't hurt, it's just a bit tickle so both of you will arrive in your universe as usual" Stephen explained.

Sherlock nodded in understanding. "Thanks for letting us both sit here for a while. We appreciate it"

Stephen nodded then held out his hand to shake Sherlock's hand. Sherlock reached out and shook his hand.

"Until next time" Stephen nodded.

Sherlock nodded. John looked at you with appreciation.

"Thanks, Y/n. for explaining and letting us stay here.. Also for helping us get used to being here for a while. We owe it to you both" John said.

"You don't owe us anything, John. Besides, thanks for helping me about what happened earlier. Thanks for treating my injuries." you said to him with a smile.

You turned your gaze to Sherlock. "and you, Mr. Holmes. Make sure you propose to Y/n with a lot of books as a gift, yes? Don't think I didn't see your hand in your pocket, fidgeting with the ring box. Make sure she said yes even though she always says yes to you" you warned him.

Sherlock was stunned. His face turned red. John gawked at Sherlock while Stephen smirked.

"you-"

"right, shall we?" Sherlock cut him off by telling Stephen to leave.

Stephen smirked then nodded and then he began to cast a spell to send them both back to their universe.

Their bodies glowed with a bright yellow light and slowly they disappeared in front of you both. Sherlock nodded his appreciation at the two of you before disappearing in your sight.

You looked at Stephen with a grin. "well, that went well"

"yes.. it went well, honey" Stephen put his hand on your hips.

"now, why don't we just clean ourselves up and treat those injuries? After that we can just marathon read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's books in our room? what do you think?" you suggested

"Is there hot chocolate?" Stephen smirked at you.

"oh, Husband. Of course there is. Besides Sanctum is still in the Christmas spirit, so we need more hot chocolate" you smiled teasingly at him.

"well, my wife. Lead the way then" Stephen squeezed your hips teasingly causing you to shriek.

#benedict cumberbatch x reader #bbc shows #benedict cumberbatch #doctor strange x reader #doctor strange x female reader #sherlock holmes x reader #bbc sherlock #sherlock bbc #bbc sherlock x reader #dr stephen strange #dr stephen strange x reader #stephen strange x reader #dr john watson #Spotify

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the-wize-1 · 2 months

Text

Thawing the Widow (A Natasha Romanoff Story): Chapter 5 - Spidey Saves the Day

Chapter Summary: Being homeless is like... kind of hard. Cat hustles a girl scout and nearly gets mugged. Luckily, there's a red and blue superhero with a high-pitched voice ready to save her.

Chapter Warnings: Mugging, Fighting

Notes: Hope you enjoy this chapter! As always, please reblog and like and share this story if you’re liking it! Also I think I’m going to start adding gifs to hopefully attract more readers. :)) Please don’t repost it anywhere else impersonating me.

Thawing the Widow Masterlist

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January - One(ish) month later - Soup kitchen

“What up, Maxine?”

“Hey, Beck,” Cat said.

“Back again?”

“Can’t seem to stay away.”

Beck slid Cat a piping hot bowl of pasta. He winked at her. “Well, for such a flattering compliment, this one’s on the house.”

“How generous,” she commented dryly.

He slapped a buttered slice of bead onto her tray. “My pleasure, little lady.”

Beck was a volunteer at the soup kitchen. He couldn’t have charged Cat for the pasta if he wanted to. Cat had been coming every now and then for about a month, and it was easily the best decision she ever made. Not only did the food taste great— or maybe she was just so hungry she no longer cared— but no one asked any questions, barely anyone decided to strike up a conversation with her, and Taco was allowed to sit on one of the chairs if he was quiet and not disruptive.

Beck had told her he was nineteen, had three sisters and a brother, had been volunteering at the soup kitchen since he was thirteen, and also worked at a local deli. He was in med school, and was going to be a neurosurgeon. He’d asked her questions too, but Cat always had to sidestep them or lie. She liked Beck, but the further away she held him at length, the better it was for the both of them. To him, her name was Maxine Wheeler, her parents died when she was young, and her dog was called Sandwich.

She didn’t know why she felt the need to lie about Taco’s name, but the less he knew, the better.

Cat tugged on Taco’s leash, leading him towards one of the tables in the corner. She’d gotten him a red one, so she could tie him to a lamppost whenever he wasn’t allowed in supermarkets or libraries. She wasn’t concerned that he would run away, but rather that if someone saw a dog without a leash, they might take him away. But if they saw a dog tied to a lamppost, they might think, Hmm, looks like someone tied this dog to a lamp post. That must mean someone owns this dog.

At the beverages station, Cat made herself a cup of coffee. It was easily the most repulsive watery coffee she had ever tasted, but beggars couldn’t be choosers. This turn of phrase applied to her quite literally now. At the end of the day, she’d rather have a cup of disgusting watery coffee than nothing.

She unceremoniously dumped five packets of sugar into her coffee and stirred in a large amount of milk, diluting the bitterness tenfold. She drained half of the cup in a single gulp, the hot liquid scorching her throat.

Cat took a seat at a table and fed Taco the piece of bread on her tray. He gnawed on it aggressively. She felt bad she didn’t have any meat to give him, but then she saw Beck walking over. He had a small plate with a chicken leg and sausages in hand.

“Beck, you’re amazing. I could marry you right now.”

Beck grinned at Taco, who had leapt on the chicken leg almost immediately after seeing it. “I think I might be too old for you.”

“Seriously,” Cat said. “We both appreciate it.”

“Aw, it was no trouble. Just leftovers from breakfast. We would’ve had to throw it away anyhow.”

Cat didn’t know Beck to be the type to waste food, but she was still grateful to him. She gave him a rare, genuine smile as he waved goodbye, heading back to the serving table.

After he was out of sight, Cat turned back to her meal and began to think. She’d had lots of time to do that these past few days, with no one but Beck and Taco to talk to. She saw other kids at the park, of course, but they never came to talk to her. She noticed the looks the mothers gave her, and how they whispered and pointed. She couldn’t blame them— she knew how she must’ve looked to them. Unkempt and shifty, with her backpack holding all of her belongings.

Cash was a problem.

Cat was down to just a handful of twenties, which wouldn’t last her long at all. It was frightening how fast it had all vanished. Money spent on food, warmer clothes, a bigger backpack, supplies at the cheapest convenience store. Money that dwindled away, day after day. Maybe Trevor hadn’t really had that much money in his drawer to begin with, and maybe Cat had just thought that was the case because she was so unused to seeing it.

“Mo’ money mo’ problems” did not apply here.

Less money meant more problems. Significantly more problems.

No more washing her clothes at the laundromats. No more food or supplies. She’d been surviving off the soup kitchen’s meals, but she was careful to travel to several different kitchens in the city so that no one would notice her consistency and call CPS.

The cold was definitely a problem. New York winters were rough, and Cat only had the shabby gray coat she’d gotten from a homeless shelter and a couple of blankets in her bag to brave the cold. She was no longer going to homeless shelters to sleep. She didn’t feel comfortable being so vulnerable amongst a bunch of untrustworthy strangers she barely knew. Who knew if she was going to wake up with half of her possessions stolen?

For that entire week, she’d found less windy spots to bundle herself with coats and blankets, Taco wrapped in them, and eventually drift off to sleep. Sometimes, she hid behind the bookshelves in the library after closing hours, where it was warm and cozy, and fell asleep. But she wasn’t doing that anymore, because one of the librarians had caught her in the morning and chased her off. They were being more careful now.

For the first time, Cat was scared.

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January - Apartment Lobby

Cat was scared, which meant she was desperate. And a desperate Cat was a Cat with great ideas.

Wonderful, amazing, life-saving, great ideas.

For instance: pretending to be a Girl Scout in order to get free unused cans from people’s apartments.

What a great idea, right?

She couldn’t keep going to the soup kitchens every day. It was tiring to travel to another one every day, and if she went too often they might call CPS on her. She’d gotten the Girl Scout idea from seeing one of them walk into an apartment, bags in hand. There was only one problem: Cat didn’t look like a Girl Scout. At all.

Luckily, that sort of problem could be easily fixed. She’d cleaned herself off using sanitary wipes and a shower she’d found in an old gym, switched her dirty clothes out for clean ones, and arranged her hair so that it no longer resembled a rat’s nest.

Now, there was only one thing she needed.

“I’ll give you ten dollars for it.”

The Girl Scout wrinkled her nose at her. “Ew, no! Why would I give you my sash, anyway?”

They were both standing in the lobby of the apartment, close enough to the entrance so that they were out of earshot of the disapproving receptionist. Cat had managed to flag the girl down as she was on her way inside, holding two empty black bags meant to be filled with cans. The apartment had a no pets policy, so she’d had to tie Taco to a pole outside.

The Girl Scout was maybe a little older than Cat, and looked every part like a Little Miss Perfect. She had long, curled dark hair in a ponytail and tiny manicured nails. She was decked out in a crisp Girl Scout uniform, looking like a miniature summer camp cabin leader. Her eyebrows were scrunched up in a permanent tiny frown.

“How about twenty?”

“Are you kidding me? Mom will kill me if I tell her I traded twenty dollars for my sash.”

“You could always tell her you lost it,” Cat suggested, but the girl reacted as if she’d suggested flinging herself into the middle of a roaring fireplace.

“Lost it!?” Miss Perfect all but shrieked. “What makes you think I am the sort of person who just loses my sash? All of my badges are on this thing. Do you see these?” She violently stabbed a finger towards a badge on her sash. “They were earned by sweat, blood, and tears.”

Cat squinted at the shiny little sewn-on patches on her sash. “Yeah, ‘Finding a Daisy In the Woods’ sounds like it took some serious training.”

“Whatever,” Miss Perfect sniffed. “I don’t expect you to understand.” She looked Cat up and down with a snobbish expression. “Where are your parents, little girl?”

You’re not even that much older than me!

“Don’t have any.”

“Oh, that’s sad,” Miss Perfect said, unperturbed. “Well, if you need a sash so bad, you should become a Girl Scout, it’s not that hard. They’ll probably give you a sash then, but you probably won’t earn as many badges as me.”

If I was a Girl Scout, you’d bet I’d earn as many badges as you, Cat thought viciously . Probably two, three times as many, and then I’d parade them around just so I could see the stupid look on your stupid smug stupid face.

(What? No, Cat wouldn’t consider herself a competitive person.)

“Well, I don’t want to be a Girl Scout.”

“What?” Miss Perfect asked, aghast. “Why?”

Because I’d rather die than wear one of those tiny matching uniforms, Cat nearly said. Instead, she opted for, “‘Cause I’m homeless.”

She gasped, a manicured hand flying up to her mouth. “What?!”

“Yes, I’m a sad, sad, homeless orphan,” Cat said impatiently. “And you’re supposed to be a friggin’ Girl Scout. Aren’t you guys supposed to be a bunch of walking Mother Teresas or something? Helping people is your whole thing.”

“You’re homeless?” she repeated, like she couldn’t wrap her head around the idea. Her eyes had turned wide and disbelieving. “But you’re my age.”

“It’s a long story, okay? Anyway, that’s why I need your sash. So I can get cans from people who don’t need them.”

“What are you going to do with them?”

Cat stared at her like she was stupid. “Eat the stuff inside. What else would I do with them?”

“That is dishonorable!”

“Not really.” Cat was not getting through to this girl. She needed to go in another way. She thought for a moment. “Think about this.” Which might be pretty difficult for you. “You’re collecting cans from people, right? So where do you think all those cans are gonna go?”

“Well… the food bank, of course.”

“Right, and that’s probably going to go towards people like me, homeless people. So by giving me your sash, it’s basically the same thing, but faster. See?” Miss Perfect didn’t look very convinced, so Cat added, “Plus, you’d get twenty dollars from me. That’s probably enough to buy you two sashes.”

Miss Perfect thought about this for a long time. She was silent for so long that Cat was beginning to think that she was ignoring Cat to see if she’d go away, but then she finally said, “Fine. Fifty dollars and we have a deal.”

She stuck her hand out. Cat didn’t shake it.

“What? No,” Cat groaned. “You are seriously the worst Girl Scout ever.”

“Fifty,” she insisted, “or I walk.”

Clearly, Miss Perfect was watching too many action movies.

“Thirty,” Cat bartered.

“Fifty.”

“Thirty-five.”

“Fifty.”

Cat’s hands flew up. “Unbelievable. Do you not know how to barter?”

“Barter?”

“You know! You want one price, I want another. I slowly start raising the price, you slowly start declining until we reach a satisfying consensus.”

Miss Perfect’s frown deepened. “Why would I do that? Then I get less money.”

Un-freaking-believable,

Out of the corner of her eye, Cat noticed their argument had drawn the attention of a few men, lurking in the corner of the lobby. They were dressed darkly, in baggy clothes, and looked very shifty, whispering and laughing to themselves. One or two of them was smoking, filling the lobby with the smell of it. Cat didn’t like the way they were looking at the two of them.

Cat wasn’t going to win this argument, and she really needed to get out of there. However, there was also no freaking way she was about to pay this girl fifty dollars for a little brown piece of fabric with colorful other pieces of fabric on it. She made a show of sighing and rifled through her backpack, opening a small zipper in the lining where she kept her cash. She didn’t like looking in there because it was depressing how little there was now. She stuffed a handful of ones in the center and covered them with a ten and a twenty. Cat held the cash up to her, covering the bills just enough so that it looked enough to be fifty dollars.

Miss Perfect’s eyes widened in awe. She’d probably never been given this much cash to spend in her life. She reached to take it, but Cat held it back from her reach.

“Sash first.”

Miss Perfect crossed her arms. “How do I know you won’t just take it and run?”

“How do I know you won’t just take my money and run?”

“At the same time, then.” She slid her sash off her shoulder and held it out. They exchanged their items.

“Better hide it in your pocket, fast,” Cat suggested, before Miss Perfect could inspect the cash she’d been given for too long. She lowered her voice and darted her eyes at the darkly dressed men purposefully. “You don’t want anyone stealing it. And you’ve gotta tell your mom that you lost the sash or something, so you can’t have her seeing that money.”

“Huh,” Miss Perfect said, surprised by the reasoning of this. “Good idea.”

As Cat had expected, she didn’t bother counting the cash. Rookie. She probably had enough faith in humanity to expect that even scrawny homeless orphans were trustworthy enough not to attempt to scam her out of receiving her money. In a way, Cat envied her.

Cat eyed her bags, thinking of how full her backpack already was. “Hey, uh— you won’t mind if I take those too, do you? I’ll need something to collect the cans with.” She didn’t think Miss Perfect would actually give them to her, but it was worth a shot.

To her surprise, the girl handed them over. Cat was nearly about to say thanks, but then she asked, “This is giving me points, right?”

“Points?” Cat echoed. Is she serious?

“Yeah, like in class. You get good points for doing good things.”

The intelligence of this girl was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Cat wanted to inspect her under a microscope to see what other miracles her brain might produce. Yet at the same time she wanted to flee in case whatever disease Miss Perfect had might be contagious.

“Yeah, sure, you get ‘points’ for this.”

“Great. Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, random homeless girl.”

“Likewise,” Cat responded.

She stole a glance at the darkly dressed men in the corner, and saw that they had stopped laughing. Most of them were watching her like hawks. Cat left the building in a hurry, not bothering to say goodbye to the Girl Scout.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

January - Outside

The Girl Scout routine had been a success. Cat had done her best to make herself even more presentable, copying the sensible ponytail Miss Perfect had put her hair in. She washed her face three times in a restroom of a dingy little restaurant and practiced her most sweet, innocent smile in the mirror. It made her facial muscle stiff. She hadn’t smiled that wide in a long time.

It surprised her how many people were willing to give food away. Maybe her smile still had some usefulness. Or maybe it was her young, hopeful face. A lot of people asked if they could pet Taco, so maybe it was that. By the time Cat had collected cans to fill up a bag or so, it was getting dark.

She was hoping to find a quiet place where she and Taco could enjoy a can of cold chicken noodle soup with the single metal spoon that she carried with her, but of course that wouldn’t be happening anytime soon.

In New York, the air was filled with so much honking, voices, music, and movement that it made it hard to focus at times. But Cat had been living on the streets long enough to sense when someone was following her. She’d see reflections of the same people in glass doors, or hear the same jingling of clothing accessories behind her. Sometimes, she would get a weird feeling in the pit of her stomach.

It was usually nothing but paranoia. The people who followed her usually meant no ill will. Usually, they were just heading towards the same direction she was. But this time, it was different.

Cat had recognized the four men who were walking behind her. Darkly dressed, baggy clothing, mischievous expressions. She’d turned three corners, and they were still a few yards away from her. Close enough so that she could hear their footsteps, clumsily falling on the New York sidewalk. They weren’t laughing or talking. They were silent.

Cat walked faster. She tugged Taco closer to her. Taco seemed to sense that there was trouble. Instead of pitching a fit and plopping down on the sidewalk, the beagle hurried along and matched her pace. Cat inwardly thanked whoever was the god of beagles, because they’d come through for her on this one.

It’s probably nothing. They’re probably a bunch of nice people. Like… really intense but nice dentists who are following me because they’re concerned for my dental health.

Even the voice inside her head sounded ridiculous.

Don’t turn back. If they ask you to stop, keep walking. If they walk faster, you walk faster. If they start running, run like hell. But don’t run yet, in case that makes them run. If they catch you, turn around and punch them in the face like you did to Trevor that one time.

At the word Trevor, a shiver passed through her body. If she had the nerve to actually punch her uncle, she should have the nerve to punch these random guys who may or may not be a bunch of nice dentists. She’d clocked Trevor right in the face. The punch had landed somewhere next to his nose— somewhere squishy. (She preferred not to revisit what happened to her after that had happened.)

No, a punch wouldn’t do it. There were— how many?— about four of them, and one of her. She needed her knife. The kitchen knife she’d stolen from Trevor’s kitchen. She suddenly remembered Natasha’s knife as it sliced through the ropes, and cursed herself for not stealing one of them when she left. The woman had to have at least ten of them, missing one wouldn’t have done her any harm. Pushing the bag of canned goods into the crook of her elbow, Cat reached into her jacket pocket, and with great relief, noted that the kitchen knife she’d stashed in there hadn’t been stolen.

Cat fisted the hand that was holding the bag of canned goods. She could feel her heartbeat all the way throughout her body, thrumming in her ears, ramming against her ribs, pulsing at her wrist.

Cat steeled herself. You’re not scared.

As she told herself this, her grip on Taco’s leash had tightened so that her knuckles were white. She didn’t realize how fast she was walking until she took a glance at Taco and saw his legs moving faster than usual.

Her heart was thumping against her chest.

Cat had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t realized that she’d accidentally wandered into a darker part of New York. She hadn’t been here before, and she certainly had no idea where she was. The narrow streets were gloomy, lit creepily by streetlights. Buildings loomed above her, hiding the moonlight. Even creepier, she could still hear the footsteps. This was not where she wanted to be.

Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump —

“Hey!” one of the men yelled. “Little girl! Are you lost?”

It wasn’t friendly enough to be convincing. She walked faster. She made up a rhythm in her head that went to the beat of her steps. Maybe if she focused on that hard enough, the footsteps and voices would fade away… But no luck.

“We can help you, if you’re lost!” a different voice called. It was deeper.

“Yeah, just turn back around!”

“Hey! Why’re you in such a hurry, little lady?”

Cat turned her head back, quickly. They were closer than they had been before. “I’m not lost!” she called. “Leave me alone, please.”

There was a sprinkling of laughter.

Cat’s thoughts were flying every which way, her mind was a mess. What was she going to do? It would be dumb to turn around. It would be dumber to stop. But what would happen if she just ignored them? Cat only had time to notice that her footsteps were slowing down before the men moved on her.

It all happened so fast.

She didn’t have time to scream, let alone grab out her kitchen knife and make the decision to stab one of them. One of the men smashed into her, pulling her into an abandoned alleyway. The rest surrounded her. The canned goods crashed to the ground, cans rolling in every which way. The sash was ripped off of her shoulder violently, and it fluttered to the ground.

“Taco!” Cat screamed.

She didn’t know why she was screaming for the beagle when it was her being attacked. Maybe it was easier being worried about someone else’s safety than her own.

“TACO!”

There was more laughter from the men.

“What the hell is she screaming about?” the man with the deep voice rumbled. “Is she hungry?”

“Whaddya lookin’ at me for, man? I don’t freakin’ know anything about kids.”

Cat scrambled to her feet. She had to strain her eyes to see the dark shapes of the four men, all standing above her. She scanned her surroundings, looking for Taco. With an inward sigh of relief, she noticed that the beagle had retreated in a dark shadow. Part of the red leash was lying on the ground, illuminated by the circle of light cast by a street lamp. Cat hoped the muggers wouldn’t notice as well. More so, she prayed that Taco wouldn’t try and bark at the muggers, which would be sweet but unhelpful.

Deep Voice picked up a fallen can of chili from his feet. “Why do you need so much food, Fake Girl Scout? You have so much money.”

“Don’t you recognize us?” another asked. Cat could make out a bright red fedora on his head. It clashed horribly with his hair.

“We saw you give that Girl Scout some money,” chimed Deep Voice.

“It looked like a lot of money,” agreed Red Fedora.

“You got any more in that backpack?”

“How ‘bout you share some of that money with us, huh?”

“There’s no more left.” Cat hated that she couldn’t stop her voice from shaking. She tried to make it sound braver. “Too bad, so sad. So suck it.”

One of the other mens’ smiles turned menacing. “I think she’s lying.”

He was essentially a giant. Every part of his body looked like it had been enlarged and stretched out by some type of machine. His muscles bulged on his neck— which was a weird place to notice muscles bulging, but whatever.

“How about you show us what’s in that backpack of yours, and we’ll see for ourselves?”

It was at that point Cat started screaming. First it was nonsensical yelling, then it turned into cries for help. “HELP! HELP!”

No one came. The only response to her shouts was jeering from the men. She realized that no one was coming. Of course, no one was stupid enough to get in the middle of a mugging with dangerous men in the middle of the night. In no time, her fear morphed into anger, then she was cursing and swearing up a storm at them. She wouldn’t repeat the things she said, because they weren’t very nice things.

It only made them laugh harder.

“My! This one’s got a filthy mouth!”

“It’s getting annoying. Shut her up!”

Cat refused to shut up. She screamed and screamed and screamed, until the giant man clamped his hand over her mouth. It was so large, it covered the entire bottom half of her face. She flailed around in his grip and chomped down on one of his fingers. Giant Hand Man withdrew his hand with a howl of pain.

That seemed to make him mad. Red Fedora threw her against a wall and held her there, which knocked the air out of her so that she stopped yelling for a moment. Her backpack was still hanging onto her shoulders. She heard something in there crunch painfully. Before she could regain control of her breathing, Giant Hand Man reared back and punched her in the stomach. Cat’s head jerked forward as pain exploded where his fist had rammed into her abdomen. The laughter had ceased.

The last man was standing a little further back. “Jeez,” he whispered to Giant Hand Man, “no need to be so rough. She’s just a kid.” His voice was higher than the rest. He seemed younger, and a little uneasy with it all. Cat hadn’t heard Young Guy participate in the taunting and laughing. He was glancing around like he was expecting to be caught any moment.

“She’s a bitch,” Giant Hand Man replied.

Damn right I am. Cat spat right in the Giant Hand’s eye. She cursed at him again.

He recoiled in disgust, wiping the spit off of his face with a roar. “The hell did you just say to me?”

She saw the blow coming but her shoulders were pushed against the wall— she couldn’t do anything to stop it. She struggled helplessly as the man’s hand connected with the right side of her cheek. It stung.

In the darkly lit alley, the Giant Hand Man’s face looked startlingly like Trevor’s. Cat was still. Her arms hung uselessly at her sides, the right side of her face burning.

“Where’s the money?” he demanded.

“I told you, idiot,” Cat snarled through gritted teeth, “there’s no more money.”

“Check her backpack,” Deep Voice suggested.

Giant Hand Man reached for her shoulder, and Cat reacted by kicking him hard in the groin. He collapsed with a strangled groan. Before she could kick Red Fedora in the face and run, both him and Deep Voice secured her arms so that she was pressed against the wall. Deep Voice maneuvered her so that Red Fedora could wrench the backpack from her. He tossed it to Young Guy, who nearly dropped it.

“Dang,” he muttered. “This thing is heavy.”

“Quit messing around and find the money,” Red Fedora snapped.

Young Guy fumbled with the zippers, opening and closing all the pockets and rooting through her stuff. He tossed some of her clothes on the ground as he searched for it.

“Hey!” Cat protested. “Don’t just throw my stuff on the ground! It’s going to get dirty!”

Red Fedora shook her so hard that Cat could nearly feel her brain rattling around in her head. “Shut up!”

Young Guy looked up. “There’s nothing in here.”

“Give me that!”

Red Fedora let go of Cat’s arm rifled through the bag. Deep Voice’s attention had been diverted; his grip on her other arm was starting to loosen. With her right arm free, Cat’s hand dropped to her coat pocket, where her knife was. Giant Hand Man was helping Red Fedora look through her bag, with no success.

“I already told you, dimwits,” Cat said, turning her voice into an indifferent, bored drawl. “There’s nothing in there. Zip. Zilch. Nada.”

Giant Hand Man turned to Red Fedora with an almost laughable sheepishness. “There ain’t nothing’ here, man. We should just go home.”

Red Fedora turned on her. “Don’t lie to me, girl!”

“Hey, listen,” Cat said. She was no longer scared. These were a bunch of silly men whose blows couldn’t hurt her, and she didn’t have anything that they wanted. “You’re in denial. I get it. I’ve been there. But trying to beat up a little girl while your buddies are holding her against the wall ain’t the way to go about it.”

“I know you’ve got more money hidden,” he repeated. “Where is it?”

“Trust me, if I had money to give, I’d sure give it to you. Only, you chose the wrong homeless orphan to terrorize tonight. Facts are, I’m broke, dude. And you’re just pathetic.”

That did it. He viciously backhanded her. The blow made her ears ring and the blood pound in her ears. This time, Cat didn’t stop yelling.

“Okay, fine! You really wanna know where the money is? It’s at the North Pole with Santa’s goddamn reindeers!”

Another punch. It didn’t faze Cat. Her cheek was numb. She had taken worse hits before. She felt herself slipping back into an old routine. Before Red Fedora could strike her again, something weird happened.

“HEY!” a voice called out. It was a high-pitched male voice, coming from above their heads. “That isn’t very nice!”

Thwip! Thwip!

Two strands of a translucent-white material attached themselves to each of Red Fedora’s wrists. Cat saw his face transform from anger to shock, then increasing horror as the white material yanked him upwards into the air.

“Karen,” the same voice said, quieter, “that was your cue to do the thing.”

Cat had extremely good hearing, but even she had to strain her ears in order to hear the sound of a robotic voice going, “My apologies. I wasn’t sure what you meant.”

The voice sighed. “Just do the sedative web thingies.”

“Sedative webs initiated.”

There was another thwip, the noise of something hitting flesh, then Red Fedora’s groaning fell suspiciously silent. Cat’s, and the other three men’s, gazes followed the sound of the groan to see a blue and red figure perched on a balcony about five stories above.

“Howdy, gentlemen,” Spider-Man said pleasantly. He tilted his head towards Cat. “And lady. I just have one question for you all. Why do you need four guys to mug one little girl?”

“It’s Spider-Man!” Giant Hand Man gasped.

“Hey! You know me! Then you should know that I don’t condone mugging people in dark alleys.”

“Wait! Wait, wait— ahhhhhhhhh!”

Giant Hand Man’s screams followed Red Fedora’s as he was yanked up into the air as well. Cat was shocked how easily Spider-Man was able to pull him up, considering how his lean frame compared to Giant Hand Man’s hulking mass of muscle.

“Sedative web!” Spider-Man called as he shot a strand of web towards him, cutting his screaming short. Cat saw Giant Hand Man’s hand fall down to his chest like he had fallen asleep.

“First of all,” Spider-Man continued conversationally, as if nothing strange had happened, “it’s cliche. Like, how many movies have you seen where people get mugged in dark alleys? Second of all— hey, where are you going, man?”

Spider-Man flipped down from his ledge, landing neatly in a stance on the ground. Deep Voice had been dumb enough to try and run away. Young Guy, who’d been trying to do the same thing, froze in his place. Spider-Man shot a web that landed in the middle of Deep Voice’s back and pulled on the strand, yanking the man back so hard that he flew over their heads and crashed into a Dumpster.

“Hey, you trying to leave without even saying goodbye?” asked Spider-Man, making his way towards the Dumpster. “Rude.”

Deep Voice got to his feet. His eyes were panicked. Once he realized that Spider-Man was after him, he changed tactics. With a cry, he started charging at him, fists raised. Spider-Man stopped walking towards him. He awkwardly stood there until Deep Voice was just a couple inches away from making contact before he caught his fist mid-air and flipped him hard on his back, as easy as someone might squash a cockroach. Deep Voice let out a long, drawn-out groan. Spider-Man threw him— yes, threw him — into the air and webbed him to the wall next to Giant Hand Man.

Spider-Man then turned to Young Guy, who already had his hands up. He was shaking like a leaf. “I-I’m a huge fan,” he said.

“Thanks. I appreciate that, man,” Spider-Man said amiably, pointing his web shooters towards his face. “Too bad you’re a huge jerk. Otherwise, we would’ve gotten along great.”

“W-wait!”

Spider-Man paused, humoring him. “What?”

“Um.” Clearly, Young Guy hadn’t expected that to work. His face held a shoot, what do I do now expression. “Please d-don’t hurt me!”

“Why?” Spider-Man’s voice was disgusted. “You were perfectly content to hurt this girl a few seconds ago. Why shouldn’t I give you the same treatment?”

“I didn’t even want to do this! The other guys, they’re my cousins! They made me come with them!” Young Guy babbled. “I didn’t even hurt her!”

“So? You could’ve stopped them. Did you?”

“Well, no, but—”

“But nothing. Bye now.” Spider-Man threw him up with the rest of the guys and stuck him to the wall, shooting two more sedative webs up to silence both Young Guy and Deep Voice.

“That’s a neat trick,” Cat commented, clutching Taco to her chest. While the chaos was going on, she’d grabbed him from the shadows to make sure the beagle hadn’t been trampled. Luckily, they were both still in one piece.

“What? Nah, it’s nothing. It’s just a little— thwip! Thwip! Bam!” He made und motions with his web shooters, mimicking the sounds they made.

“Are they completely knocked out?”

“Yep. Probably gonna stay that way for a bit, until the police find them. I left them a nice note, stuck it in that big hairy guy’s beard.”

“That was really cool of you to save my life. Thanks.”

“Hey, it’s what I do. Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and all.” His lenses widened as he focused on her. “You okay?”

“I’ll be fine.”

A wave of exhaustion crashed over her. She swayed on her feet, nearly toppling over before Spider-Man steadied her. “Whoa, whoa, whoa— yeah, I don’t think so. You look pretty beat up. No offense.”

Cat imagined she looked awful. She could feel her right cheek burning and her left eye beginning to puff up. Her ribs ached from the hit she’d taken from Giant Hand Man. Not only that, but she probably had dark circles around her eyes from lack of sleep, messy hair, and generally looked like a homeless girl who’d lost a fight with a giant.

“I’m fine,” she repeated. It was her motto these days. She set Taco down on the ground and started picking up the fallen canned goods that had rolled away.

Spider-Man joined her on the ground. “Whew,” he said, loading his arms full of cans. He picked up nearly all of them at the same time, lifting them with ease. “Whaddya need all these for?”

“It’s food,” Cat said, picking up the torn Girl Scout sash. She could probably fix it with some duct tape from the soup kitchen. No one would even notice. “So I can eat. Duh.”

“Oh. Wait, are you—”

“Homeless? Orphaned? Pathetic? Yeah.” Cat was getting tired of explaining all this to people. But this was Spider-Man she was talking to, so she’d give him a pass. (She’d have to add a third tally to her mental Avengers I’ve Met list. Maybe her good-for-nothing luck was starting to be a little more good-for-something.) She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t a little in awe of him. But now that the adrenaline was ebbing away, she was feeling a little too drained and sleepy to properly fangirl.

“Oh, uh,” Spider-Man seemed embarrassed. He slid the armful of cans he was holding into her bag—

“Thanks,” Cat said.

—- and straightened. “I didn’t mean—”

“You sound younger than I thought you would,” Cat interrupted. She really didn’t want to get into the pity zone. “You sound like a kid.”

“What? No!” His voice raised an octave, sounding suspiciously panicky. Then, he not-so-subtly deepened his voice. “I mean— no, of course not. Why would you even think that?”

“Hey.” She raised her hands. “Just an observation, no need to get so defensive.” She tilted her head. “But the fact that you did get defensive makes me think I’m right.”

Spider-Man opened his mouth to realitate, but she talked over him.

“I’m not hating or anything. I think it’s super cool. But you should invest in one of those things— what are they called? Oh! Voice modulators. Yeah, they make your voice sound super weird, like Darth Vader.”

“Huh, I actually tried that once. Didn’t go so well. Which is not me admitting that you’re right, by the way,” he added on quickly.

“You don’t need to. I already know I’m right. But I can play along, if that makes you feel better, Spider-Boy.”

Spider-Man frowned at her. At least, Cat assumed that he was frowning because the mask creased a little in the center of where his eyebrows should be. “It’s Spider-Man.”

“Really? That seems a little misleading, since you’re obviously not a man.”

His shoulders sank a little. “You really think I should go with the voice modulator?”

“Not unless you don’t want people thinking you’re Spider-Boy.” Cat lowered her voice. “Don’t worry, though, I won’t tell anyone.”

“I’d appreciate that.” Spider-Man held out the bag full of cans as well as her backpack to her. He’d picked up all the items Young Guy had scattered all over the floor and zipped them shut inside her backpack.

“Thanks,” Cat found herself saying for the third or fourth time.

Spider-Man patted Taco on the head. “Whoa! Cute beagle.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Cat told him. “I think she’s getting full of herself.”

“What’s her name?”

“Taco.”

“That’s adorable!”

“I know. She doesn’t look like a taco, though. I named her that because the first time we met, she tried to steal my taco.”

“Good dog,” Spider-Man crooned at her.

“No,” Cat frowned. “Bad dog. Very bad dog.”

Spider-Man looked at her thoughtfully. “What’s your name?”

Cat nearly told him Maxine, but to her surprise, founding herself telling him her real name.

“It was nice meeting you, Cat. I gotta swing now—” He stopped to snicker at his own joke, then coughed. “Stopping crime and all. But is there somewhere I can drop you off? I know you don’t have, like, a house or anything,” he rushed on hurriedly, “but maybe like a shelter? Or— I don’t know— a warmer place? It’s pretty chilly out here.”

Cat almost declined his generous offer, but at that moment an idea at the back of her mind nudged her. She was cold, hungry, and tired. Collapsing in the middle of the street in this shady neighborhood was not the best of plans. No, she needed a place to stay, preferably a place with food and heaters. It had to be a place that allowed dogs and had food for Taco. But… where?

Suddenly, a light switched on in her brain, and Cat knew exactly where to go.

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.

Notes: Our favorite redheaded assassin makes her return next chapter! What did you think of the Spider-Man interactions?

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