Entangled

Hobie Brown has never second-guessed the things he's done. Not that once with the president, nor did everything to defy and annoy Miguel, not even when he'd pocket shit from big company chain stores. 

So why would he second-guess his feelings? Good question. He wishes he could answer that. From the moment he saw Arabella, it was like a slap in the face and a punch in the gut. The first time he saw her—before meeting her officially—he liked everything about her. 

He thought a simple friendship would become of them, and he was right about it. They shared their stories of fighting their government for the people and their experiences. 

His favorite story of hers was the time she beat her version of Doc Ock and paraded around with him strapped and unable to move around the city in protest of his illegal human experiments. 

From then on, he couldn't escape her. Whenever he saw the emerald green shade, he'd think of her eyes and hair and how it bounced as she giggled, jumped, or swung through the air. He'd like to imagine that they glowed under her eclipsed earth. 

She would smile at him, almost giving him a toothache from how sweet her smile was. And when she'd cover her laugh, he only wished to hear it in full. He noticed she had a tooth gap the second time they met, beating himself up because he didn't see it earlier. It made her so bright that he would practically shield his eyes from her, although dark as an eclipse was as bright as the sun. 

And when would she fight? He saw her anxiety fade into nothing, and her confidence was unmatched. She was utterly unpredictable and erratic when she resisted, and no one knew her next move. That compiled on with her invisible webs. 

She swung in the air like a flying spider would, graceful. 
But that's one thing he liked about her: she was elegant but not at the same time. 

She was only snarky under her breath when she was irritated. But overall, she was shy and stumbled into every room. But then she could be…interestingly dark at times. 

But no matter what, Hobie saw her as a light he'd like to keep to himself. 

Unfortunately for him, he was starting to realize that Arabella was oblivious to the fact that he liked her in every aspect that he knew of. 

He couldn't count the times on his fingers in which he'd hung out with her, and he thought it was a date. He even said so, but he didn't know she heard him correctly then. 

He'd taken her to one of his shows, seeing her excitement for the music and the message. He'd given her a shirt that she now keeps(he's never getting that back), and so far, he stood in front of her watching her brush off a compliment that she wasn't sure was meant for her. 

"Miguel needs me for a zip, so I'll be right back, okay?" 

Hobie watched Arabella wave and run for the control room. He tucked his hands into his pockets, moving his head to the side and catching Pav walking his way.
"Ey mate," He called out, seeing his friend trot over to him.

"What's up, my man?"



"Am I doin' something wrong? Or is Ari missing all the shots I've been throwing?" Hobie furrowed his brow for a moment, walking toward the cafe.
"Oh? Do you mean your crush? Is there a problem?"

"I'm being pretty upfront about it, maybe not upfront enough."
"Well, she's pretty stubborn. Have you told her that you like her?"

"Pretty much,"



"Pretty much how? Directly?"



"In a way…just been grafting her for weeks now."



"Bro, really?"

Hobie groaned, stretching his neck, "Fine, ill do it directly, but I'm not sure what she's not gettin'" 

Later that day, Hobie searched around to find her. He caught her returning from a mission and flagged her down before she went home.


"Hey! Got plans tonight?" He asked her, making her light up.

"Nope! Everything should be good at my place, other than the usual. Why?"



"Come to my place; you wanted to learn bass, right?" He asked, having an opening in mind.
"Ooh! Yes, absolutely," She practically squealed, making him grin.

"Cool, meet me there when you're ready." 

Hobie sat back against his couch, staring at his flat building, mindlessly strumming his guitar. He'd been waiting for her for a while, but it wasn't alarming for how long he was staying, knowing that she tended to be a little late—as spider people usually are.

He stopped zoning out and let her in only when a knock at his window came. 
"There's the girl. You get here, alright?" He asked, allowing her to look around his room. 

"Ah yeah, wow, your room is…cooler than mine,"


"It's somethin'," He mumbled to her as she set a small bag down. He noted the wonder and nervousness in her eyes as she stood in the equivalent in a corner. He's had her in his flat before and his room. But none of the other times had him thinking about her the way he was now. 

"Want to get started?" He asked, thinking it was too fast of a request, but he didn't know he'd get through the night properly if they sat there doing nothing for the next couple of minutes.

He cracked his knuckles, sitting on the bed and waiting for her to sit with him. He eventually noticed that she was more nervous whenever she was alone with him, She wasn't that good at hiding her emotions, but he liked seeing what she felt to fit her. 


They decided to start slow; he would play a couple of chords, talk about the finger placement, how to hold it, and how to use the pick. When she would be so focused on keeping her fingers in place, he took his time to look over her. The twitch in her nose, the curve of her neck as she hunched over. She wore a specific combo of a band tee and corseted with the same kind of studded belt he had; it sometimes made him even crazier for her.

He loved how close he could get to watching her composure change from one movement to another. Lucky for him, he had his ideas in mind. After two hours of trying to get it right for herself, he stopped her with a chuckle that she reciprocated. 

"You're terrible at this. It's hilarious,"



"Fuck off; I'm trying! Just looking at how you move is doing me nothing. And it sounds like trash,"

"Eh, another man's trash and all that. "

"Mkay, alright. So what do you think would help with my incompetence in playing?" 

At that moment, he caught an idea and took the guitar from her.


"Come here, sit." He patted his lap, lightly spread for her to sit right between his thighs. He could see the light fizzle in her eyes and then chuckled at her stumble of words.

"I don't know how that's gonna help me,"



"I have an idea; come on. Won't harm anyone," 

He enjoyed her bashfulness as she sat between his legs. He pulled the guitar over her and pressed his chest to her back, his face in the crook of her neck.

"Now grab it…" His voice was lower, softer than before, and he could feel her breathing slow.

He bit down on his snake bite; he could practically feel her skin against him. 
"Follow my fingers, match what they're doing," He said against her hair, only staring at her as she focused on the guitar.

He mindlessly played notes for her to practice as he comfortably melted into her. The moment felt nice, and the only thing that went through his head was how much he wanted to kiss the back of her neck. He almost did as the thought became louder, and he could only sigh deeply, gaining her attention.

"Am I doing something wrong? I'm sorry; I know you want me to learn-"


"That's not it," He let go of the guitar and set it off to the side, leaving her flush against his chest.

"Oh..well, if were," She went to stand but was held down by his hands on her hips. Heat flushes through her.
"Hobie?" She asked, which made him turn her face to him as much as she could.

"Yeah?" 

“Is..everyhting okay?” She asked with a worry set in her tone

"Pretty much; I got a pretty bird on my lap. Kinda wanna snog her too if she'll let me," 

It took a second for her to register, and when she did, she bit her piercings.
"Hobie… you're not..pranking me, right? This isn't a joke?"

"You know how I feel about that," 

He prompted her to turn around, which she did. 

"Why do you want to kiss me?" She asked innocently, her hands stabling herself against this chest.
"You invade my mind, love. Been wanting to for ages," He could see her chest rise and fall faster. Noting that she was deciding what she wanted to do in her head. 

"I won't if you don't want-"Hobie eyes closed as she leaned forward and captured his lips in hers. Not a second had passed before he wrapped his arms around her hips and pressed forwards into her mouth.

It started soft, a little hesitant like she wasn't sure if this was precisely what he wanted, but as he drowned out her thoughts with his kiss, she relaxed and put her hands against his face. She tasted like blueberries; he didn't even know if she liked blueberries, but after this, he was never going to think of anything else. 

The room was filled with their rough breathing and the occasional clink of piercings hitting each other. 

Arabella only pulled back as she made an unmistakable audible moan against his mouth, and he thought he could feel the pressure in his jeans.


"Oh praises…I didn't mean..to do that," She covered her mouth, feeling her lips wet and swelling from how hard she was kissing him.

"Sorry? Come on, love; this is a once-in-a-lifetime feeling." He moved her hands from her face and kissed her; this time, the slowness felt more…erotic than nervous like before. 

He pulled her arms around his neck, letting her settle between his thighs again. He brushed his tongue against her teeth, prompting her to open up for him. He slid his tongue against hers and decided to try something.

He managed to wrap his tongue around hers and sucked gently, feeling her reaction to see if she liked it. It seemed like she did as she shifted and opened her mouth a little more. His hand traveled right at her hips, squeezing until he could feel her top ride up as he could slip his hands under her shirt. 

As he did, he felt her push him back, which he happily let her do until he groaned deeply into her mouth. She let out a gasp and pulled back.



"Whoa, you straight?"

She looked flushed, her two-toned lips smeared just like his in spit. Her eyes darted around his frame, held up by his elbows behind him. He smirked, waiting for her to respond as she cleared her throat. It was clear she was enjoying it.

"I erm, should—should be going…." 



"Yeah, but could I have one more to remember you by?" 

He watched as she leaned back into his lips, leaving a lingering kiss as she stood up. She grabbed her bag slowly, making him stretch off the bed and up to her. He took her fingers In his.

"I like this; I like you; I like us even more" He dipped his hand into hers, pulling her into his chest and hugging her close. He could see the twitch of a grin and hesitation on her lips.


"Mmm, you really do…" She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than ask him. 

He leaned forward into her mouth again, the kiss softer, as one meant a confirmation. She inhaled deeply and broke apart from him, her nose touching his.

"But tell me, what will you do when you get home?" He whispered against her ear; the ghost of her breath made her shutter.

The question was so open-ended that she couldn't find herself to answer; she only pressed her forehead against his.
"You're embarrassing."

"Yeah yeah, cheeky girl" With one last cheek kiss, she tossed open a portal, leaving Hobie to smile to himself.