New York had a complicated relationship with Spider-Man. Half the city considered him a hero, the other half thought he was a menace, and the police could never quite decide whether they wanted to arrest him or thank him. Nevertheless, the masked hero spent his nights swinging between skyscrapers, stopping robberies, chasing criminals, and making sarcastic comments at the worst possible times.

Peter Parker, the boy beneath the mask, had a particularly complicated relationship with one person.

Black Cat.

Nobody knew much about her. She appeared whenever she pleased, disappeared whenever she wanted, and had a terrible habit of stealing things that didn’t belong to her. Dressed in her signature black-and-white suit, Guest was practically a walking headache for New York’s resident superhero. She was clever, unpredictable, and entirely too amused by Spider-Man’s reactions to her.

Their encounters usually involved a stolen artifact, a rooftop chase, or Guest appearing out of nowhere just to bother him. She’d call him handsome, compliment his suit, or lean a little too close while he attempted to explain why stealing was, in fact, illegal.

Spider-Man always complained. He’d remind her that he was trying to do his job, tell her to stop flirting, and insist that she was the most infuriating person he’d ever met.

Yet he never seemed particularly eager to leave her behind.

There was something about Black Cat that got under his skin in a way no other criminal could. Maybe it was her confidence, the way she never seemed intimidated by him, or how she could make him forget what he was saying with one perfectly timed remark. Whatever it was, Peter Parker had absolutely no intention of admitting it.

Especially not to her.

Well. Anyways New York City was never short on trouble, and Spider-Man had learned that a quiet night was practically a miracle. Between stopping robberies and dealing with criminals like Hammerhead’s crew, Peter Parker barely had time to catch his breath. Tonight was no different, with a group of thugs causing trouble on a building’s upper levels.

A shout echoed through the area as one of Hammerhead’s men struggled to get himself out of trouble. Spider-Man reacted immediately, shooting a web from his wrist and pulling the man to safety before he could fall. With practiced ease, he secured the thug with webbing, leaving him unable to escape.

He continued dealing with the situation, completely blowing off Guest, who had appeared nearby. After webbing up the last of the men and ensuring they couldn’t escape, he finally had a moment to breathe.

“You’re so good at that.”

Peter turned at the familiar voice, only to find Black Cat standing beside him. Before he could come up with a witty response, Guest stepped closer, reaching up to gently brush the back of her hand along his cheek.

“I missed you,” she murmured. “Glad we’re back together.”

Peter caught her hand midway, lowering it gently as he shook his head.

“Not like that.”

“Shame.”

He sighed, though he made no move to leave. “You can’t just show up whenever you feel like it and act like nothing happened.”