the huntsman and the spider
The radio crackled throughout their empty flat; "a new masked hero has come to New York! Dubbed 'the huntsman' this vigilante has been swinging around our city for the last 9 months! Though not much is known about them, they've demonstrated similar abilities to another web slinger around town, the guy in the red spandex! Spiderman! Do these two know each other? Have they met? Find out more after the break!". It crackled once again as grainy music played through the cheap speakers.
The sun was setting through the window, casting a golden halo throughout the loft. Brick walls once bland were now covered in posters and pictures from their old home. They had acquired quite a bit in the 9 months they had been staying in this city, the old rickety dining chairs they had found in a bin when they first moved in had been replaced with a decent sofa, which they had also found in a bin, the once silent flat had now gained a tv, radio and of course a laptop for school work. In one corner, by a window a crappy old desk stored all their art supplies. Paint splattered across the table top and pens stood in jars across the windowsill, sketchbooks upon sketchbooks filled the small space to the right of the chair. The kitchen, that was once white, had been painted various blues and yellows, giving the idea of Van Gogh's starry night. A large deep blue rug splayed across the hard wood floor bring them comfort in the now winter months. The flat wasn't clean by any definition of the word; piles of blankets, laundry and just random crap was chucked across the room.
Blond hair glowed in the sunlight. Hazel eyes flecked with gold. Grey hoodie splayed out around them. Their feet jumped, just off the bottom of their bed, shaking their laying body as they stared up at the mask in their hands. They had ditched the acrylic painted face mask and now donned a helmet sort of thing. It would rest over their eyes, nose and forehead, leaving their mouth free to grin at oncoming danger. Quickly they sat up, ruffling their star printed sheets as they did. They bounced themself off the end of their bed and moved into the front room. They had yet to wear this mask out, only finishing it ten minutes ago, but they were beyond exited to see how it would hold up out in the city.
The sun almost blinded them as they grabbed their trainers and unlaced them. The city was calling. The wind whistled at them to join the birds, the skyscrapers begged for them to swing between them, the cars roared to see them fly high above the bustling streets. They placed the mask over their face as they were hopping towards the window, struggling to get their right shoe on. A pesky extension cord halted their movements, instead introducing their face to the hardwood. It didn't touch their excitement as they popped back up and made a break for the window, grin gracing their now hidden face.
The breeze was glorious. Having spent most of the day sat in their stuffy bed, needle and thread in hand, this was a needed change; any longer and they would've plucked their eye out with the seam ripper they picked up every five seconds to correct mistakes. The city was gorgeous. The ambers of the sun set peaked over the horizon, the greys of the buildings turned blue in the shadows and golden in the highlights. Their hood threatened to fly off as they swung over central park, children and parents still lingering in the later hours. Their wrists burned with that familiar friction as they let more webbing extend from the small holes in their skin.
They soon found themself slowing between two large scrapers. Choosing one of the two, they landed on its glass wall and crawled to the height they wanted before turning and sitting against it. They had a perfect view of the sun from where they sat. Its golden hues still oozing out across the city. They suddenly craved a front row seat to watch it disappear under the blanket of cityscapes, so they shot a web to the side of the scraper opposite and began making a web between the two. It took about ten minutes to perfect it, having done this almost a thousand times before, just never in this New York. They relaxed in the very centre, above the crowded main road, blaring horns and screaming. Nothing could touch them here. They looked on, the skyline displaying the avengers tower, as they found out it was called, haloed by the sun. All they needed in this moment was a cider in one hand and their phone, blasting music, in the other. One arm acted as a pillow as they laid there watching the sun fade as the other busied itself creating a web in front of them the words 'the good bit' splayed out across it. The song had been stuck in their head the past week and they could not get it out. It was only the chorus as well over and over and over in a loop "I like your style, been watching you for a while, I said oh yeah, let's dance and then, lets skip to the good bit!" They sung arms wide as the main lyric came around. They got up and started bouncing around on their web like it was a trampoline. This universe wasn't so bad sometimes, they had to admit.
Flopping back on the web they felt it wobble from a good few feet away. Assuming it was just a bird they continued to stare up at the stars. The vibrations got closer as they pinpointed the star their dad bought in their universe for their birthday, a reminder that he was always there for them. Soon enough a red face blocked it from view.
"move." They grunted.
"hi!" The person chirped.
"move" they repeated
"I- I'm Spiderman! I've seen you swinging around but I've never actually been able to introduce myself."
Seeing that the boy wasn't going to move they sat up with a huff, before standing up and politely extending their hand to him "Huntsman. Nice to meet you."
"you have good music taste." They boy grins, "skip to the good bit? Is this the good bit by any chance" he motions to the web in front of him, behind them.
"Depends. Are you a bad guy?" They raise an eye brow, one lens on their mask widening as they do so.
"no? Why would I be a bad guy?"
They sniff before answering "I don't know. Bad guys all look different."
"well... I'm not." He stutters "you seem pretty cool from where I was. Do you want to maybe- I - I don't know um team up? I mean it just seems right for the webslingers to join together, you know."
"I don't plan on being here long so what's the point. This is temporary, just need to figure out a way home."
"home? Where'd you come from? England?"
"I guess." They spin around and make their way to the edge of the web before dropping down, catching onto the edge and handing from it, spiderman following.
"woah! How'd you do that?!" He motions to the way the webs wrapped around their ankles and back, letting them hang without using their arms.
"skill." they smirk at him.
"oh"
A wiggling began in their neck, like maggots under their skin. Their hand moved to cradle it, to calm the spider beneath but nothing would stop him. It began to hurt, his moving separating skin from muscle. They hiss in pain.
"you ok?"
"move!" They untangle themself and jump down from their place on the web, pulling on spiderman as they fall.
They catch themself on a web, dragging him to a roof top nearby. Just as they land both webs snap and gently fall against the windows of the building.
"something broke my web." They hissed scanning the horizon for what could've done it. In the distance a winged man disappeared behind some buildings.
"well I mean they're not exactly strong are they?"
"spider webs can absorb three times as much energy as Kevlar before breaking."
"but that isn't spider webs? I have to make mine."
"mines organic." They show him their wrist, where a small scarred hole gently bleeds
"you're bleeding." He said, a hint of excitement or curiosity in his tone.
"oh fuck sake." They look up from their wrist and their jaw ticks as they look over the buildings trying to spot the winged man again. It's like he had disintegrated. There was no trace of him anywhere. The power he would've had to have to break their web like that. Its unmatched. No one had done that before, especially at this scale. The lines were thick, strong, he had cut through them like they were nothing. Whoever this was it was bad. He wasn't good, like spiderman, he was... mutant.