chapter one
ARC ONE: Sugar Rush
May 26
Sometimes when Remus Lupin wants to be alone, he goes to the rooftop of Asad Tower. It doesn’t have the best view in New York City, and it isn’t as clean as he would like it to be, but it does have the hardest roof to access, which means nobody really comes up here. And that’s what really matters to him. Other than the maintenance man that comes up like once a month, Remus is always alone here. It’s his place. His hideout.
Everything looks so small from this high up. Like ants. Remus watches the ant cars and ant people walk around like a sped-up movie scene. It’s two am and he doesn’t feel sleepy at all. He’s sitting on the parapet, leaning back on his hands with his legs thrown over the roof and kicking through the air. He’s been doing this often lately, mostly to get away from all the noise on the streets. He has his mask off, and his hair is whirling through the wind. The air is colder up here, and he shudders at the way it chills his face.
The only sound he can clearly hear is the light bulb above him that keeps flickering on and off, covering him in an orange hue for the few seconds it does stay on. The rooftop tunes the city out and makes it sound dull. He really has to focus if he wants to hear anything, and he rarely does when he’s here.
Which is why he jumps back a little when he hears the door to the rooftop loudly rattle and start to open. He quickly reaches for his mask and aimlessly puts it back on, but he doesn’t move from his spot.
It’s probably Filch, the maintenance man. He’s seen Remus here before, in his Spider-Man suit of course, and he’s never said anything. Well actually, Remus had heard him hissing under his breath a few times. He’d just hoped it wasn’t about him and ignored it. He’s gotten used to seeing Filch every few months, and they both pretend like the other wasn’t there.
Remus has his body turned away from the door and continued to watch the ground below, ignoring the footsteps that are now behind him and waiting for Filch to finish whatever it is this barbaric company has him doing at two in the morning.
“No fucking way.”
The voice behind Remus startles him and his eyes go wide, because it definitely doesn’t sound like a senile old man.
He turns quickly, feeling slightly caught off guard at the intrusion, and brings his feet back into the perimeters of the roof. It feels like this person just threw every shred of security that Remus had built here over the roof and down onto the concrete floor. Splattered and maimed.
Under the dim orange light, Remus sees a man. He sees his long black hair and even blacker eyelashes to match. He’s wearing a black leather jacket with sleeves too big that he has them cuffed. He looks scruffy and young.
The man's mouth is hanging open and his eyes were ogling Remus. Not at Remus actually, at the suit he’s wearing.
Remus isn’t sure If he should stay or leave. The best option would be to jump off this building and head straight home and to just never come back. He doesn’t need to risk talking to this man and getting recognized. Which Remus knows is probably impossible since the chances of this man knowing Remus are slim to none. He also isn’t really in the mood to interact with a Spider-Man fan. He has enough of them gawking and clamoring for him on a daily basis. Which he appreciates, really he does. Most of the times. But not after midnight when he’s all tapped out for the day.
Remus looks back at the door and notices the lock wasn’t broken. And neither were the hinges. And this man certainly doesn’t work here because he’s not wearing that ridiculous company uniform. But Remus has seen his fair share of people with weird skills, so nothing really surprises him anymore.
But curiosity gets the best of him. He’s suddenly interested enough to stay. He wants to know how this man managed to get up here without breaking down the doors or setting off any alarms. Most likely illegally. But Remus doesn’t really care about that stuff, it’s not like the guy is harming anything by being here. Except maybe my personal space.
“You’re- man this is so cool”, the man says, and Remus notices an accent. An underdeveloped English accent, just like Remus’, which peaks his curiosity even more. “I’ve never met a celebrity before” he continues, which makes Remus cringe. Celebrities are known by their names, by their faces, Remus is known by his mask, which practically makes him a ghost.
The man walks to the edge of the roof and leans his arms over the railing. So casually and unrehearsed, he actually looks cool doing it. He pulls out a cigarette from his jacket and lights it, lifting it straight to his lips. He doesn’t seem at all phased by the fact that he’s standing next to the Spider-Man, and Remus feels humbled to say the least. Maybe not a fan then, just someone who watches the news.
Now that he’s only a few inches away from him, Remus notices a purple bruise over the man’s cheekbones. There are patches of yellow spots peeking through the bright purple, like there was another bruise before it that hadn’t fully healed yet. The colors contrast intensely against his pale skin. Remus makes no assumptions about the bruise and just continues to stare at the man from where he’s seated.
“Is New York City crime free tonight then?” the man blows smoke into the air and they both watch as it disappears into the dark.
Remus doesn’t know if he should speak. He tries not to make it a habit to talk to people when he’s wearing his suit in case they recognize his voice. But Remus doesn’t know this man and the probability of running into him in when he’s not Spider-Man is pretty low. The voice muffling device that Lily placed into his suit comes in handy for times like these, especially since Remus can’t fake an American accent to save his life.
“Hoping someone else will take care of it.” He half lies. The cases that came through the radio haven't been serious enough for him.
“You’re taller than you look on TV. Did you know that?” The man smiles up at Remus and blows out another puff of smoke. Remus takes that as a compliment, not yet sure how to reply.
He waits for the man to start asking him questions about the suit, or about his powers, or really anything a person who gets the chance to meet Spider-Man in real life asks him, but they never come. The only sound between them is the crackle of the cigarette as the man inhales.
It’s not an awkward silence really, just plain silence. Just quiet. But somehow Remus feels like everything suddenly got louder. The wind is harsh and slicing through the air. The cars are honking and there was music blasting from places he can't tell. They ring through his ear, and even the neon billboards, bright and blinding, feel like they’ve developed sound.
Nothing feels tuned out anymore.
“How did you get up here?” Remus asks, trying to evict the sounds out of his head. He hates how this man is pushing him to speak when he knows he shouldn't. The man appears indifferent to the fact that Spider-Man is in front of him, and for once the tables are turned, and Remus is the one with questions.
“I’ll tell you only if you promise not to arrest me or whatever.” The man says.
“You do know I don’t have the authority to do that right, plus it’s not like you’re the only one here trespassing.”
“Fair enough” the man says and pulls out a metal device from his pocket and brings it up for Remus to see. “It’s a device that lets you decrypt passwords.” He presses a button and the device lights up in his hand “And there’s a digital lock on almost every door in this building so...”
He twirls the device in his fingers and Remus jumps down from the parapet and leans in to take a closer look at it. If there’s one thing he likes more than swinging around New York City, it’s science and technology. The device is small and amateurly crafted, but Remus is still looking at it like it’s the most intricate thing he’s ever laid eyes on. The casing is made out of metal, with small slits along the surface that emit beams of blue light. There’s also something carved at the bottom of the device.
“The S stands for Sirius.” He says after he flips the device over “You’re officially the first person to see my latest invention. Had to test it out here before I earned bragging rights.”
“You made your own decrypting device” Remus tries to tone down his excitement “that’s- That’s really cool, you definitely deserve bragging rights.” A little bit of the annoyance he had about Sirius invading his space started to disappear in increments. Because whoever can bypass the security at Asad Tower, probably deserves to be up here more than him.
“Thanks” Sirius says and beams down at his invention. Remus lets his eyes linger a little longer on the device before remembering how close he’s standing and what he’s currently wearing.
He backs away from Sirius and looks back over the railing, mentally kicking himself. It’s too risky to be this close to someone and to talk so openly with them. It’s already bad enough that he spoke in the first place, and he really doesn’t think his accent was convincing enough.
Sirius notices the way Remus backs away and looks at him with curious eyes but doesn’t say anything. He just puts the device back in his pocket and simultaneously brings a cigarette pack out of the other, which was weird since his first cigarette is still lit.
“Want one?” Sirius shakes the pack and gestures for Remus to take one, but he shakes his head.
“Right the mask. Does it ever get annoying wearing it all the time? I bet it does, especially on a night like this” Sirius continues and puts the pack back in his pocket, his lit cigarette still hanging on his lips and dropping ash on the floor. Remus doesn’t tell him that he had his mask off before he came.
He’s right though. There’s something so calming about the weather tonight. The breeze that wraps around them and the lack of humidity in the air is refreshing. And Remus is jealous that Sirius gets to experience it without his face or hair covered. It’s nights like these where he really hates having to hide his identity.
He looks over at Sirius. He has his eyes fixed on the sky and his fingers wrapped around the railing. He looks calm. He watches as the air blows through his hair. All sleek and Black and brushing against his face.
“Why do you keep looking at the ground?” Sirius asks, his head still angled towards the sky. Remus applauds him for being able to continue a one-sided conversation, he starts to feel a little bad for not speaking, but Sirius doesn’t seem to mind.
“I like watching the lights, and the people” he gives in and speaks again.
Remus sees a smile form on Sirius’ face.
“There’s a full moon tonight.”
He tilts his head up, mimicking Sirius, letting himself look up at the moon, because now he’s just curious to see it, not because Sirius suggests it of course.
“I hadn’t noticed.”
There’s nothing special about it, it doesn’t change the way the lights on the ground do. It’s just a bright white ball in the sky, but for some reason Remus feels hypnotized by it. The sky is clear enough to where he can count each and every star that’s twinkling above him.
“You there?” Lily’s voice travels through his earpiece and he nearly jumps from the sound.
Lily Evans, his oldest friend and the only person who knows his secret, never lets him take his earpiece off whenever he’s Spider-Man. She likes making sure he’s okay at all times. And even though it surprises him sometimes, hearing her voice randomly throughout the day like when he’s taking a piss or a thousand feet above the ground, he appreciates that she’s always with him wherever he goes. Strangely though, he doesn’t appreciate it right this second.
“Shit” he murmurs, and Sirius turns to face him.
“Um not you, sorry,” he says and unmutes his earpiece to reply to Lily.
“Hey I’m here”
“Are you done for the day?”
“Yea I’m-” He mutters and shoots a small glance towards Sirius, who was still staring straight at him. “I’m done,”
“Alright, swing back home and get us a pizza please, I’m starving, and be safe!” She stresses the last words and disconnects from her earpiece.
He is a little hungry, so he decides to end the night here. He doesn't know if he should let Sirius know that he was leaving, or would it be even weirder to say bye.
He hopes he never has to see him again. He starts to climb over the railing and onto the parapet, and he notices Sirius’ eyes following him.
“Back home to your web then?” Sirius asks and actually chuckles at his own joke. He leans a little closer to the railing, holding on to the metal bars, rocking back and forth as he watches Remus intently.
“Ha Ha” Remus replies sarcastically. He’s thankful his mask hides the smile that threatens to creep up on his face. He’s standing on the parapet now, waiting to see which one of them would break and say goodbye. He’s looking down at Sirius. The intruder. With his dark clothes and hair that curls down to his shoulders, who Remus noticed smelled like mint and burning metal. The trespasser who didn’t even bother to ask if this rooftop was taken before bursting in and making himself comfortable.
“Goodnight.” Sirius ultimately says, with the same bubbly smile he’s been wearing since he first walked in.
“Goodnight, Sirius.” Remus exhales softly.
He takes a couple steps back, still looking at him, then lets his body free fall over the roof. He’s dropping through the air, hundreds of feet above the ground and as he feels the air push his body closer to the concrete floor, the last thing he sees before he shoots a web toward the nearest building is Sirius’ face leaning over the parapet, staring at him with wonder filled eyes. And maybe Remus did that to show off a little, which he ends up justifying because Sirius’s reaction slightly mended the bruised ego he'd initially caused.
*
Remus enters their apartment carrying a pizza box in one hand and his bag in the other. He shuts the door with his leg by giving it a small nudge and follows the smell of strawberry scented candles into the living room.
He’s changed out of his suit of course. He keeps his bag hidden behind a dumpster in an alleyway near their house so he can easily change into something that isn’t as outlandish as red and blue spandex. Of course it’s not the most sanitary place, but he doesn’t have the option of just walking up to his apartment with his suit on, and he doubts anyone would willingly look behind that rusty hunk of metal anyway.
He finds Lily cross legged on the floor of their living room staring at the laptop on their coffee table. Her hair is thrown into a bun atop her head and she’s wearing a pajama set with bunnies embroidered on the fabric. She seems extremely focused on whatever it is that’s on the laptop. A mild scowl covers her freckled face while she absentmindedly chews on the nail of her thumb.
Remus calls out her name to break her from the spell she seems under, and she looks up at him and smiles.
“Finally,” she exhales and pats the floor for Remus to come and sit by her.
“Hello to you too” he says. He places the pizza box on the table and drops down next to her. They both grab a slice and groan as they take their first bite.
“Sorry, I’ve just been sitting here all night, and I was too lazy to get up and make dinner” Lily says with a mouth full of food and Remus jokingly sticks his tongue out in disgust. “I’ve been trying to come up with a pattern for one of my classes. It’s always easier coming up with ideas for your suit. Would you pay me if I just dropped out and started making them instead?”
“I wear the same suit every day.” he raises an eyebrow.
“That’s gross and not the point,”
“I wash it every day too”
“Everybody loved the Valentine’s Day suit you wore!” she whines “Maybe I can make a Halloween one this year!” She claps her hands together like she’s just come up with the most brilliant plan. Her attempt at distracting herself with new work to avoid the work she’s ignoring.
The only thing the media talked about a year ago for over six months (which were perhaps the longest of his life) was the pink and red suit that Lily begged Remus to wear for Valentine’s Day, So he's not sure if he's ready for that kind of attention again this Halloween. He saw enough news articles about his body in pink spandex to last a lifetime. Unsurprisingly, the people of New York city can be pretty crude.
The first suit Remus wore wasn’t even really a suit. Blue sweatpants and a red hoodie. And Lily just wasn’t going to let that slide. “You look like a middle schooler” she’d said and scolded him for not asking her for help. He would’ve asked. He knew her skills, she just didn’t know his at the time. So he had to make do with what he had in his closet. Which, like Lily had said, were mostly clothes from middle school.
Lily ended up spending five days making his current suit. A thick stretchy fabric made of spandex. Reminiscent of his first costume, but obviously better and less of an eye sore. Blue fabric covering his thighs, and red covering his chest. She painted a black spider that projected across his torso, which, Remus thought, was a bit on the nose. She had covered the suit in black stripes that resembled a web and Remus had never seen anything crafted with so much care, precision and attention to detail. Lily loved it so much she almost didn’t want to give it up. It was a game of tug of war when she finally handed it to him. And sure he was against wearing spandex at first, but that was before he realized how easier and lighter he felt swinging in it.
“Alright, alright, why don’t you focus on your own work first.” Remus says and reaches over to separate Lily’s hands from each other.
She looks back at her laptop in frustration, sighs loudly, and then lets her head fall back onto the couch cushion.
“Whoever came up with summer classes needs to actually be taken to court.”
Remus holds back from reminding her that summer classes are optional, because for an over achiever like Lily, it’s really like they're mandatory. Of course Lily has had her life planned ever since she was twelve years old. The university she’d apply to, the classes she wanted to take, everything perfectly planned. and if she wants to stay on top of that ancient schedule, she has to graduate in about a year, which Remus has no doubt she will end up doing.
Lily lifts her head up from where it was resting on the couch and looks at Remus with wide eyes like she suddenly remembered something important. “Right Remus, any news from Starcorp yet?”
And now it was Remus’ turn to sulk. He’s waiting to hear back from Starcorp regarding their summer internship program. He wasn’t taking any summer classes this year in hopes that he would get accepted. He knows how stupid it was, to risk wasting three months of the year on an internship that he might not even get, and Starcorp’ s internship programs are highly selective, so it’s getting to the point of the process where he's really starting to doubt his academic abilities.
Unlike literally every other internship, Starcorp is taking their time sending their acceptance or rejection emails. Considering the internship starts in one week, Remus was starting to get less hopeful as the days passed and has all but convinced himself they've rejected him, and has decided that he instead was going to start looking for a summer job next week. Maybe Ben and Jerry’s would be fun.
"No nothing yet" he says and picks his phone up to check his email for the tenth time tonight. “If I don’t get an email by tomorrow, I’m going to start working on my resume. At this point I don’t care if I get rejected, I just want to get that stupid email so I could finally figure out what to do for the next three months.”
“Hey, don’t lose hope yet, there’s still time” Lily assures him, “speaking of jobs, I was thinking of maybe tutoring again.”
Remus scrunches his face. He looks at her frazzled hair and under eye circles and wonders how she’s going to be able to tutor when she can barely manage her own course work.
“Are you sure you’re going to have time for that?”
Remus partially blames himself for Lily’s lack of free time.
Lily helps Remus when he’s Spider-Man, which is something he still sometimes agonizes over. Even though she knows how dangerous it could get, she’s assured Remus multiple times that she would take the risk any day if it meant she could help him if he ever needs it, but Remus still feels guilty about it. If he could go back and stop her from getting involved in the first place he'd do it in a heartbeat, but trying to convince her to do something she doesn't want to do is a dead end. Lily Evans doesn’t budge
A few years back, after Remus decidedly accepted the responsibilities that were placed on him and became serious about using his powers for something good, he also used his powers to commit his first and (so far) last crime. He stole two police scanners, one for him and one for Lily, and she’s been his third eye and ear ever since. She's used her scanner to help him with things like locating crime scenes or getting information about a suspect. He wishes she could take as much of the credit as he does, but she says it’s enough that she knows she helps, and Remus wholeheartedly believes her.
“Yea, trust me I can manage. I put an hour on my calendar today for moping, so I’m not wasting any time right now, things are actually going exactly as planned. I have two minutes left before I have to shoo you away and get back to work.”
Remus blinks and watches the smug smile on her face form. Sure, this is typical behavior from her and he’s no stranger when it comes to her ability to meet deadlines and stay on schedule, but he’s always in awe of her level of self-control, and he has no doubt that as soon as those two minutes are up, she’s going to force him out of the living room, and she’ll probably keep the pizza with her too.
Remus grabs another slice before the two minutes are up, for safety measures.
“You have to stop underestimating me bug boy.” Lily lifts her brows and says smugly.
“Have I ever?”
“Ok then” Lily looks at the time on her laptop then up at Remus “any last words?”
Remus looks at her with wary eyes then nods.
“I won’t let you hog the pizza.”