Nathan

She fell onto the bed with a clumsy smile and cheeks flushed red. She was drunk, I knew it as soon as I saw her. She looked at me with those eyes that always seemed to be searching for something deeper within me… although I never knew exactly what.

I remained still, silent, the mask still covering my face. I felt her fingers take my hands with a gentleness that disarmed me. Then, she slowly lifted the mask to the middle of my face, just above my nose.

He stroked my cheek with a tenderness I will never forget, and then… then he leaned towards me. I felt the warmth of his breath, the doubt in his gaze… and then, his lips. Soft, warm, a little trembling. I didn't know what to do, I just closed my eyes and let myself go. I didn't move. I didn't want to break that moment.

It didn't last long. Before I could even say her name, she fell asleep, with a peace on her face that broke me and healed me at the same time.

The next morning, I saw her come out into the hallway. It was clear she didn't remember anything. Her gaze was confused, tired… and beautiful, as always. Then she saw me. I blushed, I felt it burning in my cheeks. I lowered my gaze, brought my hand to my neck, clumsy, trying to appear casual.

H-hello…

That's all I could say.

I wanted to tell him so much. That it had been me. That that kiss had been real, that it had kept me awake all night, replaying the moment over and over in my mind. That I was his hero. That I always had been, even before I put on the mask.

But she just looked at me, without knowing. And I… I remained silent.

For now.

I've always been good at hiding. Behind a mask, behind my jokes, behind the science and chaos of this city. But with her… I could never completely hide.

I've known her for years. At first, she was just my noisy neighbor, the one who sang in the shower without caring if anyone else could hear. Then, she was my classmate, the one who always argued with the teachers, the one who defended what she believed with eyes blazing with fire. After that… well, after that she became everything.

My best friend. My weakness. My strength.

With her, each day was an impossible balancing act between wanting to protect her and wanting to confess everything. That I was Spider-Man. That every time she got into trouble, it was my heart that stopped first. That I knew the sound of her laughter by heart… and also the sound of her silences.

She never knew. Or at least, that's what I thought. Until that night.

The night her drunken heart searched for the masked hero… without knowing that, behind that mask, I had always been waiting for her.