Work Text:
o0o0o0o
Hoping I can show I'm not the enemy
Wishing you would see that I'm more than a stalker
Let me be your Superhero
Your dynamite
Let me be the one to hold you
To do you right
o0o0o0o
Despite his weak-looking physical appearance, Roier was the last 'civilian' who needed to be saved from a group of drunken idiots in an alleyway.
But if it was this particular vigilante that was doing the rescuing...
...then Roier would play the damsel in distress gladly.
"Black Cat!" Roier exclaimed, finally picking up his dropped jaw – he hoped the darkness of the night covered up his ridiculous expression; he sincerely mourned his lack of mask right now – as the vigilante in front of him finished beating down the drunks. "T-Thank you for rescuing me!"
Black Cat stood to his full height from where he'd been placing zip ties around the ankles of the last unconscious offender. The vigilante seemed to hesitate for a moment, then turned and began to walk towards Roier.
It was a very surprising move since, usually, Black Cat hated interacting with other people - civilian or otherwise.
Even Spider-Man, who considered himself the closest thing Black Cat had to a partner-in-crime – regardless of what Black Cat would otherwise protest – could barely get the gorgeous man to even look at him sometimes!
"At least try to be professional, Spider-Man," Black Cat said coldly, looking away as Spider-Man pouted at him – an expression obvious even with his mask. "I've told you before: I'm not in this line of business to make friends or have 'fun'. Stop trying to 'get to know me' or I will stop agreeing to team up."
But right now, if Roier wasn't crazy or daydreaming again, he was pretty sure that Black Cat was checking him out.
Maybe the vigilante was just looking Roier over for injuries – you know, like a good hero should after a 'helpless and scared civilian' had just been attacked – but those goggles couldn't hide the hunger that seemed very much present in those glowing blue, slit-pupil cat eyes.
Roier gulped, heart beating faster in his chest as the vigilante stopped in front of him.
"You're welcome, Guapito," Black Cat responded, his shocking words made even more devastating with his smooth, entirely too attractive voice. "What made you think it was smart to provoke a group like that?"
Guapito!? Roier mentally repeated, wondering if he'd been drugged or hallucinating somehow. Is–Is Black Cat flirting with me!? No, he can't be – this is Mr. Eternally Grumpy Cat, after all!
It took a moment for Roier to register the question, but the twenty-two year old winced once he did.
"Those jerks were harassing some kids," Roier said, trying to defend himself and not reveal the fact that he'd been planning on easily beating them up on his own (and then blaming his 'luck' on their drunken state). "I'm a fast runner, so I was pretty sure that I could distract them long enough for the kids to get away, and then to outrun them myself."
Black Cat huffed in displeasure – a far more familiar sound to Roier. It helped to keep his heart from growing wings and flying away into the smog-filled sky.
"I saw," Black Cat said begrudgingly. "And I realize you didn't know I or anyone who could help you was around. But while you do look very fit, I'd prefer if you didn't put yourself in danger like that."
"You think I look fit?" Roier repeated, feeling a bit faint.
Black Cat flushed, seeming to finally realize how uncharacteristically flirty he was being.
Or maybe flirting is characteristic for him when Spider-Man isn't around, Roier thought, souring a bit. No stupid, nosy arachnid to bother him after all...
"Erm, yes," Black Cat said, not meeting Roier's eyes. "I mean, it's just a fact, no?"
"I do work out," Roier agreed, flexing his muscles in a way that he hoped wasn't too similar to when he did it as Spider-Man. Either way, he was very pleased to see Black Cat watching his movements closely. "I know this man, Fit, who runs a very high-quality gym!"
(Some might think that Roier was crazy for working out at Fit's gym since he was well aware that Fit was also secretly the Janitor of the Syndicate, but there was no denying that Fit was an expert trainer!
Besides, Roier could just workout when Pac from Chume Labs was also there since Fit would barely pay attention to anyone else anytime the renowned inventor and gadgeteer was nearby.)
"So I promise you," Roier continued, "I would not start any fights that I did not think I could finish!"
Black Cat snorted, looking at him with a fondness that Roier honestly didn't know the reason for.
Maybe he was actually looking at him like he was an idiot and Roier was just too lovestruck to understand the difference?
Probably.
"Alright, Guapito," Black Cat said softly.
It was a tone that Roier had only heard the other use when Spider-Man was gravely injured or really upset to the point that even the thief couldn't ignore it since it was 'ruining their efficiency'.
"Do you think you can get home safe?" Black Cat continued. "I'd escort you there... but it's probably better for you to not be seen with a criminal like me–"
"Antihero," Roier immediately corrected.
He scowled when Black Cat snorted in derision.
"You are!" Roier insisted. "Yeah, you steal stuff, but most of that is information to put away blue collar criminals who would've avoided the justice system regardless! Not to mention that you regularly team up with other heroes when needed and help so many! Even President Forever regularly commends you!"
"You sure know a lot about me, Guapito," Black Cat said with a smirk. "And President Forever also regularly flirts with the anarchist Angel of Death of the Syndicate, so I'm not sure his opinion should be seen as credible when it comes to this particular topic."
Roier blushed at the first part, swallowing hard.
"I-I'm actually a cameraman for Quesadilla News, so I'd be pretty bad at my job if I didn't know everything I could about the different superpowers in our city," Roier said a bit shyly. "And for the record, the Syndicate only has as bad of a reputation as it does because the Federation really hates them constantly interfering in their business and runs smear campaigns."
"The Federation really does hate anyone who messes with their business," Black Cat agreed darkly.
The vigilante's eyes flashed dangerously – as they always did whenever the Federation was mentioned. Roier wasn't sure why Black Cat hated the Federation so much, but it definitely made it easier to work together knowing they had a common enemy.
"But since you know all that," Black Cat continued in calmer tone, "you should know that if you want an actual hero – you're better off admiring Spider-Man."
"But you are the one who saved me, not him," Roier corrected, though he was secretly thrilled at Black Cat acknowledging Spider-Man in such a positive manner when he usually did nothing but insult and push Spider-Man away. "So, say whatever you want, Black Cat, but you are my hero."
And you always will be no matter what you think of yourself.
Because even if Black Cat didn't consider himself a hero, Roier knew he was. After all, what kind of selfish villain talked someone from jumping off the ledge?
"I know my words mean nothing," Black Cat had said so many months ago, his tone serious even though his eyes were so incredibly gentle. "I'm just some stranger who has no clue what you're going through and no right to butt into your affairs. But if you need someone to listen... I'll listen."
Those words had been something Spider-Man – Roier – had really needed to hear that night.
Admittedly, Roier hadn't been standing on that ledge to kill himself that night like Black Cat had seemed to believed.
It'd been Roier's first night as a 'hero'. He'd been dressed in a very early (and embarrassing) version of his Spider-Man suit and had just experienced one of the worst days of his life.
(Yet, at least.)
It had all started a few weeks before when he and his adopted sister, Jaiden, had learned the truth of their past and powers from their parents, Foolish and Vegetta.
Neither Roier nor Jaiden could remember much from before they were eleven years old, but they'd been told that Foolish had found them wandering around on the streets. Despite only being twenty years old and not having a single cent to his name, the shark-hybrid had taken responsibility for them.
Part of taking responsibility for them had apparently been to take them to the nightclub, Las Casualonas.
To be fair, Roier was pretty sure that it was in order to get them out of a storm or something and nothing else had been open? Regardless, Las Casualonas was where Foolish and the kids had first met Vegetta, the owner of the nightclub.
The elf had taken one look at them and, after a short conversation with Foolish, had insisted on taking care of them.
Weird and questionable first meetings aside, their Dad and Papa were really amazing people. It'd been rough at first with their lack of funds, but their childhoods had still been pretty awesome – becoming even better when their sibling, Leonarda, had been adopted.
(Strangely enough, Leo had also been found wandering around without parents. Foolish and Vegetta had adopted her near-instantly and the rest was history.)
Life had been pretty good.
Then that damn bear had appeared on the television.
They'd been having dinner, watching cartoons as they usually did, when Foolish accidentally dropped the remote while flirting with Vegetta. The fall caused the station to change from the latest episode of Dragon Quest to the news.
It hadn't been an issue... until Foolish had seen the news report.
On the screen had been a white bear named Cucurucho. He was talking about how the world-renowned Federation was going to be opening up a new research branch in Quesadilla City.
It hadn't seemed like a big deal to Roier or Jaiden, but it was like Foolish had just learned that a nuke was about to be dropped on the city.
Foolish had freaked out, yelling how they needed to pack their things and go now. He'd literally picked up Roier and Jaiden over his shoulders, rushing around and trying to pack their suitcases using his feet despite the protests of his twenty-year-old plus children.
It'd taken a lot of combined effort, but eventually Foolish had calmed down. He'd tried to brush it off, but of course, Roier and Jaiden weren't just going to let it end like that.
Foolish would've probably kept his mouth shut forever... but it was then that Vegetta had said that it was time to tell them the truth.
That, to better protect them, Roier and Jaiden needed to know exactly why Cucurucho and the Federation coming to Quesadilla City was such a threat to their family.
And so, they had sat down as a family...
...and Foolish had revealed the many, many, many lies that he had told Roier and Jaiden the past decade.
First and foremost, Foolish hadn't just 'randomly found them on the streets'.
No, Foolish had once been an agent for the Federation – a far darker and more twisted research company than Cucurucho and various politicians liked to proclaim to the public.
Or, at least, Roier wasn't sure there was any good words to describe a company that experimented on children and researched things like mind control and brainwashing!
Foolish, back when he'd gone by a different name, had been unaware of this darker underbelly of the Federation until it was far too late to turn back. He admitted to having done a lot of things he wasn't proud of – not really caring about the harm he was potentially causing because the job had been 'interesting'.
But then, Foolish had learned about the child experimentations.
Like before, the shark hybrid could’ve just turned a blind eye.
He could've just ignored the test tube babies being raised as weapons and tools for the Federation's purposes.
He could've just done his job and kept reaping the plentiful benefits .
Instead, Foolish had secretly planned and broken two of the test subjects out – Subject 0037 and Subject BLUEBIRD.
Or, as they would later be named, Roier and Jaiden.
Something about escaping the lab had caused their memories to be wiped – perhaps some sort of security protocol or failsafe by the Federation? Either way, for eleven years, the two of them had no knowledge of their Dad's or their own dark background.
But this information combined with seeing Cucurucho on the news after all those years had made some of the horrible memories come back:
The experiments.
Meeting Foolish.
Escaping the lab.
Having to leave their fellow test subjects – their siblings in a way – behind.
Of being on the run until Foolish had desperately hidden them at a strip club with the belief that the Federation would 'never look there'.
(And somehow actually being somewhat right since Vegetta had been an unusually good man who'd done everything he could to hide their traces and support them...)
All of this new – old – information... it shattered their happy lives and everything they thought they knew to pieces.
Because, really, how were they 'supposed' to deal with this?
How were they supposed to react to the fact that they had been the lab rats they'd seen being poked and prodded on television?
How were they supposed to deal with their fragmented memories being worse than NIGHTMARES!?
Jaiden had locked herself in her room for days, refusing to leave and alternating between screaming at Foolish for ever being associated with such monsters and justifying the Federation's experiments on her.
(It was true that Cucurucho had seemed to favor Bluebird more than the others, but it also didn't change the fact he'd experimented and tortured her as well.)
Meanwhile, Roier had the opposite reaction.
He'd been unable to stay home, avoiding his parents whenever he could and just running around the city like some sort of extreme parkour madman.
A part of him had been just waiting for Cucurucho to pop out of the shadows at any time – to re-capture him and begin those horrible experiments that he had flashes of in his memories and worst nightmares.
(It was impossible to sleep – better to just run.)
Eventually, some combination of the cold open air of the city and endless adrenalin had allowed Roier to finally start thinking as well. Roier had always believed he was an average hybrid – just one of the countless spider hybrids that existed in the city and country.
No one special.
Nothing unique in the grand scheme.
But now, Roier realized that he'd always been had quite a few unnatural talents that Foolish and Vegetta had always told him to hide or be very careful. His strength, speed, and many of his other senses had always been more impressive than other hybrids, but he had never found it odd that his parents weren't encouraging him to join sports or other competitions that displayed his abilities.
In fact, they'd even made up some sort of lung condition that made it so he didn't have to do gym class. But he'd enjoyed the alternative culinary class far better and worked out with his parents at home to get rid of his excess energy, so it hadn't been a big deal.
Roier had thought his fathers' actions were because they didn't want him to get an even bigger ego, but now he could see how they'd been desperately trying to balance giving him a normal childhood with keeping him from being discovered by the Federation again.
From turning into the weapon that the Federation had designed him to be.
When Roier had finally gone home, dragged Jaiden from her room, and asked them why they hadn't forbidden them from using their powers altogether, Foolish and Vegetta only looked at him and Jaiden sadly.
"Because that would be forbidding you from being you, my son," Vegetta said softly. He reached out and cupped Roier's face, softly caressing the area below Roier's extra eyes. "Yes, it is more dangerous, but Foolish did not fight to get you and your sister out of a prison just to put you in another one."
Foolish nodded. "He's right, Roier. The Federation had... very, very bad intentions for you and the other kids. It's my own fault for being involved, but once I saw what they were doing... what they had planned for you to do..."
The shark hybrid's expression was uncharacteristically dark. It lightened as Vegetta reached out to take his hand soothingly.
"But that doesn't mean you or your sister are bad! And not your powers either!" Foolish hurried to say, glancing from both Roier to Jaiden pointedly. "Yes, we reeeeeeeally don't want the Federation finding you again, but no matter what happens, the only one who decides what your powers are meant for is you."
Those words had been the spark behind Roier deciding to be a superhero.
Jaiden had thought he was being crazy, but had agreed that being able to use their powers to take down the Federation would be quite the bit of poetic justice for all the bullshit they've put their family through – a way for Roier to truly prove that his powers were his and his alone.
But on Roier's first night out as Spider-Man – using a red ski mask, goggles, and old blue hoodie since he'd been too excited to wait for an actual suit to be made – he'd been an absolute failure.
He'd mistaken two actors rehearsing in the park as a mugging...
He'd somehow made a kid cry after getting their cat down from a tree (resulting in a very angry mother chasing him off with an umbrella thinking he was a kidnapper)...
He'd been mistaken as stripper while patrolling downtown (which was partially his fault since he'd been practicing some of his Melissa dances on a pole)...
He'd accidentally trapped this store owner inside his store by using too much strength and denting the doorknob before running off in panic...
The list went on... and on...
Though, out of all of them, car theft had probably been the worst.
Not only had Prototype Spider-Man failed to stop the thief from getting in and driving off, but he'd been dragged behind the car for a few blocks because the webs he'd shot at the car had gotten tangled up in his arms!
The night had been an absolute disaster.
Suddenly, Roier had been worrying less about being 'a weaponized monster for the Federation' and more worried about being a failure in every sense of the word.
Maybe the Federation purposely let Foolish take me, Roier had thought bitterly. Save them the effort of getting rid of such a useless disappointment themselves...
That was how Prototype Spider-Man had found himself on the ledge of the roof that night. It'd been perfectly safe due to his powers and expert balance, but he could see how it would look alarming to anyone who saw him and didn't know about his abilities.
Not to mention he'd been in a pretty dark mood so... yeah.
But regardless of what had brought him to that ledge, Roier was beyond grateful.
Because he'd been there in that exact time and place, Black Cat had reached out to him that night – had offered to listen and didn't pass any judgment as Roier revealed a (very edited) version of all the things plaguing him.
He might not have saved Roier's life, but he'd certainly become Roier's hero.
As well as Spider-Man's hero – because the thief and so-called 'villain' had inadvertently reminded him that, sometimes, all that was needed to save someone was to simply be there... Roier just needed to keep trying no matter how many failures might come his way.
And so, Spider-Man had been officially reborn!
A newer version with a far more impressive costume and far higher success rate at helping others!
It'd taken a few weeks before Spider-Man had been able to see Black Cat again. Unfortunately, the other vigilante hadn't been nearly as exuberant to see him.
Admittedly, Black Cat probably didn't know Spider-Man was that ledge guy from weeks prior and Spider-Man was too embarrassed to remind him, but it was clear that while Black Cat had been kind to 'Loser Ledge Guy' that night, he would offer no such consideration for the rising hero, Spider-Man.
In fact, Black Cat had even thought that Spider-Man was trying to capture him!
Which, given that Black Cat had still been freely killing criminals back then, Roier supposed that he maybe should've done more than stop Black Cat from killing whenever the two crossed paths...
But in the months since then, Black Cat had slowly stopped leaving a trail of bodies in his wake – or at least had gotten better at hiding the corpses and not leaving them displayed in very pointed ways as some sort of 'statement' – and Roier would readily admit he wasn't the most 'moral' of superheroes.
(He'd been raised by an ex-Federation agent and a feared nightclub owner - what did you expect? Jaiden was a bit of an odd duck out - or bird, rather - in their family with her higher level of morality, that's for sure. But he supposed that was a good thing with her particular line of work.)
Regardless, over time and great efforts, Spider-Man had finally gotten to a point that Black Cat didn't run away every time he saw him.
(Though Spider-Man swore Black Cat was being purposely difficult at times because he liked being chased...)
Now, they could spend an entire night patrolling in his Gatinho's presence as long as he didn't talk too much! And even if he did, the worst that Black Cat would do was push him off the building!
...which, again, made it super weird that Black Cat was willingly talking to a completely random citizen right now.
Does he know that I'm Spider-Man? Roier wondered before mentally shaking his head. No, there is no way he'd be acting so... so... like this if he did! Unless he's trying to fuck with me???
But, regardless of the reasons behind why Black Cat was giving him the time of day right now, Roier would be forever grateful.
Because if Roier words of praise and adoration could get through to Black Cat where Spider-Man's words could not...
Then, for the first time in a while, he would be beyond happy to be just Roier.
"I really mean it, Gat–"
Roier bit his lip, almost saying Gatinho despite that being a signature term used by Spider-Man for Black Cat.
"G-Gato Man!" Roier tried to correct, much to him eternal embarrassment. "You are my hero! Not... just for tonight, but for everything you've done for me and this city. You deserve... so much more credit than you give yourself."
(There was a true kindness and boundless empathy in Black Cat. Roier just wished Black Cat would turn some of that kindness upon himself.)
Black Cat stared at him, studying his earnest expression...
Then his Gatinho flushed once more, looking away with a bashful expression. Roier had to hold back a coo at the flustered way his ears cutely twitched on his head.
"Thanks, Guapito," Black Cat said quietly. "I... I really appreciate it."
Before Roier could say another word, there were the sounds of sirens – likely the police arriving from the text that Roier had sent right before getting the attention of those drunks. Even though Roier was glad the cops were here to deal with these idiots zip-tied on the ground, he mourned the probable end of their serendipitous conversation.
As expected, Black Cat jumped onto the nearby dumpster. He then leaped up, catching the ledge of the roof before flipping himself on top.
Despite being able to easily do that move himself, Roier almost swooned.
"Take care of yourself, Guapito!" Black Cat called out, winking – absolutely winking Roier wasn't crazy – down at him. "Try to avoid any more trouble, hmm?"
"I'm a cameraman for a very ambitious journalist!" Roier called back, grinning like a lunatic and resisting the urge to wave like a madman. "So I'm not so sure I can keep that promise!"
Black Cat paused. "Well... I do hope Mr. Journalist takes proper care of you then." He saluted with two clawed fingers. "Have a good night, Guapito."
The vigilante leaped off the roof towards the next, racing into the night.
Roier had to resist the urge to scale the wall and follow him. A lovesick sighed left him as he stretched his enhanced hearing as far as it could go... until even his senses didn't allow him to hear the beautiful thumps of Black Cat's pounding heart and quick breaths any longer.
"What mess did you get yourself into now, Roier?" came a familiar, sassy voice.
Roier tensed, reluctantly turning to see his two favorite detectives. While he welcomed the sight of Detective Bagi, he was a bit more apprehensive to see Detective De Luque.
Or, as Roier better knew her, his sister Jaiden.
His rather annoyed looking older sister.
The spider-hybrid grinned nervously. "Heeeeey Jaiden–"
"Don't you hey Jaiden me," the police detective interrupted, though there was a smirk on Jaiden's face. "I look forward to seeing how long Chief Felps chides you for getting into random trouble – again."
Roier pouted, but obediently entered the vehicle as Detective Bagi looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and amusement. It was a look Roier was rather familiar with, seeing it almost every time he and Cellbit accidentally encountered their sister detectives while investigating various leads.
(It honestly happened too often. Both as Roier and Spider-Man!)
Speaking of which, Roier groaned as he realized that Quackity, the Chief Editor of Quesadilla News, was going to be rather annoyed with him at work tomorrow for not getting any pictures of the 'illusive Black Cat' when he'd had the chance!
(Though, honestly, Roier was kicking himself for not snapping some photos of the gorgeous, black latex-wearing antihero as well.)
For someone who also not-so-secretly ran the biggest underground casino in the city (Las Nevadas) and promoted entertainment and fun as the Jester, Quackity could be such a hardass when it came to his daytime persona and work.
The only times Roier saw his editor actually chill out was when he was given surprised visits by the famous singer, Wilbur Soot – who Quackity also not-so-secretly had a crush on – and his daughter Tallulah, or was visited by his own child, Tilin, with his right-hand-man and co-parent Luzu.
But while Quackity had patience for those specific four... it did not extend to his workers.
(Especially Roier and Cellbit since they had a habit of exasperating Quackity with their 'constant shenanigans' while investigating for news.)
As the police car drove off, it suddenly occurred to Roier that it was a bit odd that Black Cat had known that the journalist he worked with was male.
Maybe he's read one of Cellbit's articles? Roier thought. But even then, why would he recognize an invisible cameraman like me?
o0o0o0o
We're living in a world with madness in the shadows
I'm here to keep you safe
Protect you from the dark
Sometimes I feel a monster...
But I know what's best for you
Let me be your Superhero
Your dynamite
Let me be everything you need
To feel alright
o0o0o0o
A few hours later, Black Cat watched intently from a distance as Roier and Detective Jaiden exited the police car that had been assigned to take them home.
Their 'home' being a literal tower that had been designed by the infamous Architect Power Couple, Foolish and Vegetta De Luque. It was basically a stronghold too – outfitted with the latest technology and security from Chume Labs, Aypierre Factories, and even the renowned software engineer and hacker, Maximus Blog.
It'd been manually built by Foolish and Vegetta too, making it so that there were no blueprints that could be found if one wanted to... sneak in more easily.
Not that I would sneak in, Black Cat scolded himself. Because that'd be weird and an invasion of privacy of my non-crime associated coworker.
Admittedly, Black Cat had wondered why the De Luques had gone to such great lengths to secure their home – and whether they were hiding any dark secrets as any millionaire inevitably did. But all their builds had proven rather eccentric and over extreme to say the least (much like their personalities). It was part of how the two had become so famous in the first place.
It should also be noted that Vegetta was a longtime associate of Maximus Blog and, as a result, also an associate of Aypierre Factories (since Maximus was dating its CEO who loved to publicly shower Maximus and his son, Trump, with presents).
Overall, it seemed to be more of a 'talented people knew and liked to collaborate with other talented people' kind of thing than anything corrupt or nefarious.
Admittedly, a part of Black Cat told him there was something more to the situation, but even though he rarely ignored his instincts, he refused to disrupt or upset the De Luque Family. Not until he had hard evidence that they were involved in something potentially dangerous or related to Black Cat's enemies.
(It wouldn't be very good to upset his potential future-in-laws after all... assuming, of course, that he could ever muster up the courage to actually talk to Roier as Cellbit instead of just being flustered and tongue-tied and probably looking like an inept weirdo the entire time!)
Black Cat watched as Roier and Detective Jaiden were immediately met by their adopted parents, feeling a hint of something close to envy as he saw Foolish and Vegetta warmly greet and dote over their already adult children.
(Bagi had told Cellbit numerous times that their parents had loved them dearly, but those memories had been yet another thing stolen from him by the Federation.)
There was also a little kid wearing dragon-themed pajamas rubbing her tired eyes – Leonarda, if Black Cat remembered from the pictures that Roier had on his desk at work.
Speaking of work, I should probably go, thought Black Cat reluctantly as he slipped back into the shadows. Good thing they didn't keep Roier too long for questioning since we both have to report to Quackity early tomorrow morning... though, maybe I should take the day off since I have no fucking clue how I'm going to face him knowing I secretly and shamelessly flirted with him the night before!
Black Cat sighed, beginning the long trek home.
(Sometimes, having an alternate persona was truly a blessing and a curse...)