thwipandquip | you know you're gonna be okay

Showoff.

[ same tone, same eyeroll, but followed by a hipcheck that nudges him aside enough that she can peer at the progress bar, as if doing so will somehow get it to go even faster. spoilers: it does not. she settles instead for turning back to peter, brows lifted. ]

You're really good at this.

[ it's pure statement of fact, not as if she's surprised by it but more a candid observation and convenient segue: ]

You know there's always a spot available on Team Hawkeye. You could be the harried but rugged Q to my sexy James Bond.

[ (it kind of begs the question: how the heck was kate planning on doing all this herself in the first place? pure gut and moxie, that's how. and luck. lots and lots of luck.)

the computer makes a sound that draws kate's attention for a second, but the screen itself hasn't changed so she chalks it up to weird computer things. oh, that reminds her— ]

Whatever happened to your friend from earlier? Did he dip?

[there's a swell of pride that comes any time someone thinks he's good at something, and he can't help but smile and revel in the observation. peter rolls the idea of more frequent team ups around in his head. he's not opposed but there is just one part of the scenario that doesn't sit well with him, however.]

Q doesn't exactly get out much, you know. How about we just stick with me being the Peter to your Kate who sometimes offers his expertise.

[sometimes is more than once, and it kind of seems like kate (and by extension clint) might benefit from a person who doesn't quite look at a computer like it's some alien life form. currently, the computer's just making typical hard drive whirring sounds. all normal. no need to worry. but kate's asking him about kingpin and peter has to shrug because he'd been busy...]

I hope so. Didn't spot him. Yeah. I know but I was also kind of making sure you didn't need a hand.

[is that his way of admitting that maybe he cares a little? possibly. but there's no time for elaboration, because the progress bar finally hits 100%. peter clicks ok and then they're in. he looks over questioningly at kate, recalling her earlier tech-y helplessness before he offers to keep helping.]

Alright, what am I looking for in here exactly?

[ of course kate hadn't really expected spider-man, of all people, to hang up his mask and take on the cushier job of working behind the scenes. peter's been at this for literally as long as she is old (oh wow); if he hasn't slowed down before, he sure as hell isn't about to slow down any time soon. still, she allows herself a couple moments of disappointment... mostly to say good-bye to the amusing image in her head of peter in a smart little cardigan.

the Look she gives him when he mentions his neglect regarding one of his very own adversaries is conflicted; surprise he let something that big go, touched he'd been so focused on her that it completely slipped his mind. but that's something she can mull over later... there's still a mission at hand after all. ]

Project Lawrence.

[ with peter effectively taking over all things technical, kate sidles up close to his side to peer over his shoulder and watch him work. ]

Supposedly there's some new drug a few of the local crime families are trying to push out. It puts people in a catatonic state where they're meant to reach "enlightenment." These files are supposed to have details on the people involved... and how to make it.

[ she wrinkles her nose after her explanation, lips pursed. she drops her chin to his shoulder, trying to make sense of the screen in front of her. ]

I think it's supposed to be a Shakespeare reference.

Shakespeare. Haven't heard that name in a long time. People are so weird about code names for projects. [he's not expecting a response, just trying to fill up the quiet and drown out the hum of the computer server he can hear tucked in a nearby room. actually, there's a lot of distracting sounds right now, chief among them even being kate herself, though he's pretty sure she's unaware or maybe it's that he's just hyper-aware. hell, even without the help of his powers, it's impossible not to notice how close she is, her breathing steady, scent of her shampoo prominent as she stands beside him.

his fingers fly across the keyboard, typing the search query into the crawler. in a matter of minutes the number of documents that they uncover is mind-boggling. curiosity getting the better of him, peter opens one. it turns out to be some lab notes, a detailed chemical composition, and 3d modeling of the compound. he skims over the test subject logs, feels his stomach churn.]

This is a lot bigger than just a few of the local crime families, I think.

[he thinks back to kingpin's presence, wonders if he's finally venturing beyond the five boroughs, wonders when they get to deep-diving into this info just how far it reaches. he copies the files onto the flash drive, safely ejects it and slips the arrowhead back on its chain, taking care to clasp it back around kate's neck, hands a little shakier this time.]

Alright. That's everything I could find. Let's get out of here before we bump into anyone else. How's your stomach feeling, by the way?

[ peter's findings gets a low, grumbling curse from kate, who finally rocks back on her heels to give him back his space. she starts to pace, though, which is probably just as distracting, chewing on the nail of her thumb in thought before she's being dragged back to the present by a pair of shaky hands and a question. ]

My stomach?

[ what a weird thing to ask all of a sudden. does he know she hadn't had lunch or eating much of anything besides that bagel off the bagel cart this morning? (the cocktail from earlier definitely doesn't count.) ]

It's fine? I guess?

[ she's so thrown by it she can't even answer without the questioning tone. ]

Cool. Let's ditch this lame party then.

[which doesn't answer the question that he's sure she's dying to ask. peter gives a tug to her hand when she just gawps at him for a moment unmoving. fine.]

I'm pretty sure if we go out the way we came we're just going to invite more trouble. So, escape plan S it is.

[a grin and then he points up and then toward the windows in case it the idea still hasn't cemented itself in kate's mind.]

You. Me. A little rooftop action?

[ it all clicks in her mind a lot later than it should have, really. duh. escape plan s. aka the actual reason she'd asked him for his help in the first place. taking the stairs or the elevator down 30 floors isn't exactly the most expedient, especially when there are likely to be more security of the henchmen variety on their tail. kate somehow doubts there are other very many valuable things on this floor; it's a wonder they haven't been ambushed yet as it is.

anyway. wording. ]

I thought I told you to table that.

[ because yeah, she hasn't forgotten. but her tone isn't at all short this time, rather amused and, okay, a little excited because maybe there's a part of her that's kind of sort of always wanted to try this. shut up.

she moves towards the window, nudging it to look outside and— hmm. wow. thirty floors looked a lot lower from the ground. she sways back so she's no longer hanging out of the window, but she doesn't really get very far because peter's right there behind her, a solid but silent reminder it'd be so so lame if she chickened out now.

still... ]

So, like. I'm gonna have a harness or something, right? I'm not just going to be hanging off your back while you do your spider thing? Right? Peter?

[oh he definitely walked right into that didn't he? peter, flushes bright, sputtering as he carefully avoids her gaze in favor of the view outside.]

That's not what I — also that's not safe! [exciting, sure. but for all that he's an adrenaline junkie, peter doesn't want to drop her from this height. not that he's thinking about other reasons why she might be clinging to him. nope. not thinking about it at all. subject tabled. oh is it warm in here?

there's little time to dwell on it though as she leans back into him, the question of harnesses and hanging on his back on her mind. she should know the answer to that too, but may as well remind her.]

You were there when we packed the bag. It was either pack your bow and arrows or pack rappelling gear. Did you forget that you won that argument? And to answer your question, no you won't be hanging off my back.

[he gestures to the duffel that's already occupying that space then to his front which is clearly available to drape off before he sticks his torso out long enough to fire a safety line to the air conditioning unit on the roof. it's all for her benefit, really. he certainly doesn't need it.]

Try to hang on tight.

[ kate spares a couple of moments to look closely at peter, trying to see just how much of this he's enjoying. it's not like she's scared; there's a very normal, healthy amount of apprehension when it comes to scaling a wall from this height and your body is still so very very human.

when he gestures to his front, kate's brain switches so suddenly from being worried about the height to being hyper-aware of what that position would entail, how things would line up and— ]

I'm wearing a skirt.

[ which, again, is all poor planning on her part but somehow she makes it sound like it's all his fault anyway. trust that she's grateful, she's so so grateful he's come to help her on such short notice, no questions asked, pulling all of the heavy weight too, but gratitude and being a brat can apparently co-exist.

augh. ]

This would be a good time to tell me if you're ticklish, [ she grounds out before closing the distance between them. arms around his neck, legs hiked up and cinched around his waist. snug. it seems even more unfortunate now that her skirt had been torn; she hopes the night hasn't gotten chillier. ]

[haughty brat is unfortunately, or fortunately — matters of perspective and all, a good look on her. peter doesn't bother to school his features in the least, grinning in equal parts amusement over her mild protests and because yes he knows what she's wearing, hasn't forgotten for a second.]

Lucky for you I'm not wearing my other suit.

[spidey suit? birthday suit? swim suit? which suit is he referring to exactly? does it really matter? he knows damn well this time that he means for the comment to fluster even as she eliminates the distance between them and oh okay sure climb him like a tree. he isn't expecting that.]

If I was ticklish I'd never tell.

[behind his knees, but like his admission that's not something he would ever share, or really think that she would be in a position to figure out. as it is it took him ages to discover. what's she gonna do, figure it out in one go? probably nags some voice in the back of his head, but peter shakes it off in favor of steadily climbing up the last few stories of the building, steadying her with an arm wrapped around her waist. a cake walk.

peter walks them right to the edge, setting them both right on top. pauses to enjoy the view but more importantly, to check in with her.]

You hanging in there okay?

[ it's an unfortunate position to be caught in (in every sense of the word) — off-guard and clinging to him since he is literally the only thing keeping her from going splat. vulnerable enough in the physical sense but now she's feeling warm around the cheeks and collar and, no, she didn't need the added confirmation that he is also very aware what else this position could be used for when it is still so very prominent in the front of her mind. hey, maybe she didn't need to wrap her legs around him like that but it wasn't like she'd half-ass it either.

at several points during the climb, morbid curiosity wins out and kate ventures a few looks over his shoulder to watch their ascent. it's equal parts fascinating and daunting, realizing he's doing all this with just a few small points of contact to the wall.

haha, hanging. you're hilarious, pete. ]

It's cold, [ comes her muffled reply. goodie, the brattiness seems to have persisted. she doesn't bother to disengage; now that they're on the roof that just means the other spidey stuff happens, right? she braces herself, turning her face in towards his neck and readjusting — squirming — slightly in his hold for a more, ah, secure hold. ]

Right.

[he says absentmindedly. he knows she's just clinging to him for practical reasons: so she doesn't fall to her doom, so she can steal his warmth on this chilly night, but oh if her breath warm against his neck doesn't feel nice and if peter revels in it for a moment and again pictures a situation where this isn't a post-mission flee for your safety situation, well that's between him and the universe. the squirming is distracting however, and deserves acknowledgment.]

Can you relax? I'm not going to drop you.

[to prove his point, he tightens his grip around her waist and gives her ample warning that they're about to keep moving.]

Now for the fun part. [he leaps off the edge, flicks his wrist to shoot a web toward the next building, swings then releases, and thwips all over again.]

[ kate would like to argue (surprise, surprise) that she is perfectly calm for someone well aware of the fact that the only thing keeping her insides still inside her right now is a single human body. sure, said human body happens to be juiced up with radioactive spider powers, but her point remains. even spiders can get flattened if they fall from a great enough height.

kate would like to argue, but she never gets around to it because a firm grip around her waist steals her breath, and then the subsequent falling and flinging and swinging properly knocks it right out of her. which is fortunate because otherwise she's sure she'd be screaming at the top of her lungs right now.

note to self: spidey-ing is... fun. just like peter said. better than any rollercoaster or bungee, putting ziplines everywhere to shame. is this what he feels everytime he does it? because she gets it.

a footer to that note, though: spidey-ing is also freaking terrifying and she's pretty sure she's gonna hurl and never get rid of the ringing in her ears. she opens her eyes once during it and it is easily in her top five of stupidest things she's ever done. and she once dated noh-varr. (lol sorry noh-varr.)

she doesn't loosen her vice-grip around him until he appears to slow, stop, and even then it's only marginal. she braves picking her head up, glances around. ]

Are we there yet?

Edited 2021-10-20 18:04 (UTC)

[even on his worst days, the ones he doesn't like looking back on — just after ben died, after his divorce, after may, peter has always loved swinging. the freedom of plummeting from rooftop to rooftop, just the webbing and his acrobatic abilities keeping him from going splat. much as he would love to do a few flips or rolls while mid-air, truly show off what he's capable of, the death-grip she has him in says it likely won't be appreciated. maybe they can do this another time when he can give her the peace of mind with a harness rated for tandem sky diving.

so he keeps them mostly steady no crazy stunts, but still fast, because going slow would just make the nausea worse. he has first-hand knowledge of that.

when he figures that he's gone far enough away that no one could reasonably follow, he slows, catching his breath while perching atop a gargoyle. peter snorts at her question. she's not even in the backseat and here she is sounding as impatient as a kid on a car ride.]

Not quite. Gotta get down first. Might not want to look for this part.

[if she chooses to heed his advice, it'll just be another few minutes of walking down the side of a building. no big deal. otherwise, if she opens those eyes and looks again she's going to see what probably looks like them hurtling toward their doom. it's fine. it's a day that ends in y for him.

eventually his feet hit ground for real and his grip eases, hand running down her back in what he hopes is a soothing motion.]

You can let go whenever you want, Kate.

[ next time — and there will be a next time, dammit — she'll be ready. better prepared, better dressed, better circumstances. she'll know what to expect so all she would have to focus on is enjoying herself.

but that's later. right now kate has to be contrary because of course she does, opening her eyes the moment he advises her not to. she can feel that sad little bagel churn in her stomach, but thankfully in her stomach it stays. she thinks she'll stick to the swinging and leave the wall crawling to the other adrenaline junkies; the whole horizontal thing is just messing with her sense of equilibrium way too much.

but finally, finally! solid ground. (bold of him to assume she'd want to let go—) ahem. carefully, she eases herself off until she's got both feet back on the ground, but her hands linger on his shoulders for a few moments longer as her knees learn to steady themselves again. ]

I didn't think the gargoyle perching was a thing.

[ it had always seemed too romanticized in all those dramatic art of him. ]

[he's fully expecting her to let go the minute his feet touch solid ground, and while she does unwrap her legs from around him, her hands don't quite leave, not right away. peter regards her carefully, his shoulders hunched, head tipped down so she doesn't quite have to strain so much. height differences can be such a pain.

now might be the time to broach that topic they'd tabled earlier, given that there's no imminent threats, they've got files to show their success, and the only real victim her is her hemline. he doesn't though, drawing back to a respectable distance as he scuffs his shoe on the cement. yep. she's still beautiful. you're so screwed parker.]

It's a good place to do the Sunday crossword or take a coffee break, and the pigeons are usually good about sharing.

[he jokes, about the pigeons at least. the other bits are true. they're in good shape to split up now. she's got files to pour over and he's got — well he's got zero plans but she doesn't need to know that. peter looks her up and down one more time, reluctant to leave and unsure about asking her to stick around.]

So... that wasn't terrible working together, was it?

[ she watches him wedge that distance between them, as curious as she is disappointed. though the space isn't wide enough that she can't reach out to carefully readjust his tie, pulled askew from all her clinging. this time when her hands linger, it's deliberate. ]

Surprising, right? [ or not. they've got pretty good chemistry in general; stands to reason they'd jive well in the workplace, too. ] I'd say we make a pretty good team.

[ speaking of chemistry... there are very few ways a scene like this could play out: two people lingering without real reason to, staring into each other's eyes, her hand still lightly curled around the silk of his tie.

of course she'd be the one to make the first move, of course. ]

Shouldn't you drop your date home?

[it's only fitting she make the first move as far as he's concerned. she did grope him earlier. the precedent's been set. it doesn't mean that he can't go along like a good boy, though.]

Most interesting date I've been on in awhile. [or not date. work date. whatever it is that they're calling it these days when a boy and a girl beat up a bunch of bad guys.] Sure. I was just planning on swinging home, but I guess I could take the long way and ride share.

[because he didn't drive here, doesn't drive much in general. it's for the best that she never see him get behind the wheel of a car. he's terrible with a capital T. but peter doesn't give her the chance to reply. not just yet.]

If this is your way of saying we're un-tabling that discussion, that is.

[ okay, so she hadn't completely thought this through. sure, not two seconds ago she'd been determined to do better the next time she swung — but she hadn't really considered the opportunity to do so would come up so soon. or that she'd be the one asking for it.

her jaw twitches slightly as she steels herself, and that casual grip she'd had on his tie tightens slowly into an almost-fist. ]

No... We can swing there... It's fine.......

[ she's excited for it. really. ]

But — yeah. Pretty much.

you know you're gonna be okay — open post

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