A/N: No chappie tomorrow. Really don't want to burn out with writing too much.
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Dante shifted resonances. The connection to Death faded, replaced by Sue Storm's power. The light bent around them, rendering them invisible.
They could still see each other perfectly, which meant he had perfect visibility of that terrible, up-to-no-good grin spreading across Felicia's face.
"Do you have any idea what we could do with this?" Her voice was pure mischief and adventurous. "The possibilities are endless. We could rob banks in broad daylight. Walk right past security at the Met Gala and sneak into forbidden places—"
"Felicia."
"I'm just saying." That delightful grin didn't fade one bit. "Think about it. We could make out in the middle of Times Square with thousands of people and no one would know. How thrilling would that be?"
His mind conjured the scene with an unbelievable level of detail—Felicia pressed against a wall, their mouths pressed together to muffle her seductive moans as crowds passed within feet of them.
"You just imagined it." She poked his cheek. "Don't try to lie."
It took every ounce of self-control to maintain a neutral expression. "Isn't that what you wanted?"
"We can turn that fantasy into reality." She drew closer until her lips brushed his ear, or what had become of them after Death's given mask. "You just have to ask."
"Let me ask your Dad's permission first."
"..."
Dante moved out of the apartment. His place wasn't suitable for living without a complete renovation. All of his shopping with Death became meaningless after Felicia's rampage under symbiote control.
'My fifteen grand…'
They walked through the streets, heading towards where he had left Walter.
Felicia observed the destruction she had caused. "I can't use my Black Cat suit now. Aww, I used so much time to design it."
"Time for a new suit," he said with a shrug. "Soon, everyone will know you did this."
She opened her mouth, probably to make light of the situation. Then she seemed to reconsider. She looked at him for another long beat. "I'm gonna miss going to ESU."
Her decision to be open and honest made him smile. "Do you trust me?"
"More than I trust myself." She chuckled. "Probably sounds ridiculous, but it's true."
He could only nod in the face of such heavy trust. At this moment, Felicia might've become a woman worth fighting Death for—just like Silvija.
"Darling, can we go… faster?"
He gave her a fish-eyed stare. "I wish I could."
Powerful Death's Resonance had extracted its price in significant energy, but he'd been forced to maintain it back in the apartment to guard against another potential sneak attack.
So he had to maintain this tedious walking pace.
It took them twenty minutes to arrive at their destination. The street now looked like a disaster zone.
Police cruisers formed a perimeter around a black limousine, their emergency lights overlapping red and blue that hurt to look at directly. Yellow police tape had secured off a wider area. Officers stood at intervals, physically restraining the news reporters desperate for footage. They had to hold back the passionate journalists as well as the curious crowd.
Felicia's arms tightened slightly around Dante's neck. "Hey, Gwen's there!"
His attention snapped to Ghost Spider, who was casually watching everything stuck to a building.
Only after that he processed what Felicia had just said. "That's Ghost Spider."
"I know what I said."
"You called her—"
Felicia's fingers pinched the side of his neck. "I matched Gwen's proportions with Ghost Spider. That's how I figured it out."
That smug, boastful smirk was classic Felicia. She wasn't standing idly during his negotiation with Gwen—she was figuring out Ghost Spider's identity. And she succeeded.
"You make it sound so easy."
"It was easy," she whispered, "Darling, she's got a delicious figure."
"I know."
"Hmph, what's with that disappointing reaction?" She snorted. "Seriosuly, what do we do now?"
He dropped the invisibility. The effect was immediate and thunderous.
"HE IS BACK!" Someone screamed in panic.
People stumbled backward over each other in their haste to create distance from him. Several people simply dropped their phones, hands too nerveless to maintain grip. A few ran outright, sprinting away without looking back.
The police whirled toward him as a squad. Within seconds, he was alone in the hundred meter radius, held at the business end of a dozen service weapons. The officers exchanged nervous glances, maintaining their positions through sheer professional discipline. They had all witnessed footage of what he was capable of achieving.
Felicia glanced at those barrels before nesting closer to his face. The appearance that terrified everyone else made him safer. She had complete trust that he wouldn't let anything happen to her.
"Darling, you sure know how to stand out."
He tilted his head, the blue flames surrounding his skull flickering menacingly. After glancing at the quiet Ghost Spider—who seemed to have recognized both him and Felicia—he walked forward with unhurried steps.
The police formed a tighter defensive cluster around the limousine, weapons raised, though he could see some hands visibly shaking.
One officer fired a warning shot that kicked up the asphalt at his feet. "Stay right there!"
Dante stopped walking. "You crazy bastards are pointing firearms at a civilian."
He was, of course, referring to the young, fragile lady in his arms. Felicia Hardy, the "victim" of today's tragedy, where a demon possessed her and her father, and a mysterious skull-head appeared to help them. They had to work with this story if Felicia wanted to keep continuing her normal life.
"Everybody stand down!" A roar came from the very back of officers.
The guns dropped slowly, reluctantly, though eyes remained wary and several hands stayed close to holsters. No one looked comfortable.
A man in a worn suit jacket walked out. His tie was loosened, and his face had the weariness of someone who'd seen too much for too long.
Captain George Stacy. Father of Ghost Spider, though the man wasn't yet aware of his daughter's second identity.
A web-line zipped down from above with the distinctive sound, and Ghost Spider landed between them.
"Don't—"
"Ghost Spider." Dante cut her off before she revealed anything. He approached steadily, closing the distance until only a few feet separated them. "She is fine now. Take care of her."
Felicia shot him a look of utter betrayal, but didn't actually resist as she was transferred to Ghost Spider's uncertain grip. Gwen adjusted her hold awkwardly, arms coming up under Felicia's knees and back. Her superhuman strength made the weight trivial, but the positioning was all uncomfortable.
"Ahem." Gwen cleared her throat. "Captain Stacy, I'll leave her in your care. She needs medical attention."
Captain Stacy stepped forward while keeping his eyes on Dante. He directed Ghost Spider to let Gwen rest in the car until medical services reached them.
"Ghost Spider," Captain Stacy said. "Who is this man?"
"He's a fellow superhero." Gwen's voice carried respect even against her wishes. "His superhero name is—"
"None." Dante snorted and turned his attention to the limousine, noting the empty interior through the open doors. Walter wasn't there. "Where is the old man I left in this car?"
Captain Stacy's jaw tightened almost imperceptibly. "He wasn't here when we arrived at the scene. Multiple witnesses reported two men with dark clothing and baseball caps arrived in a vehicle with no license plates and took him."
He clenched his fists. Norman wouldn't harm Walter. The legendary burglar still had use for him as a valuable asset. But Norman would put him under symbiote control again.
"When did it happen?"
"About forty minutes ago."
About the same time he sent a warning to Norman since he had spent about twenty minutes comforting Felicia and twenty minutes arriving here. Norman had known Walter would be unguarded at that time and decisively made his move.
"Dad…" Felicia's whisper came from Captain Stacy's patrol car. The brief reunion with Walter had been her only moment with her father in years. And now he was gone again, taken before she could even say goodbye properly.
"How incompetent," Dante said, letting scorn drip from every word. The act had to be maintained so nobody connected him to Dante, the honest mercenary working under Silvija.
"Officer, I stole a motorcycle to pursue them. You'll find it over there. See that it's returned to its owner with my apologies for the unauthorized use."
After making sure nobody connected him to Piotr's motorcycle either, he turned away dismissively.
"Wait!" Captain Stacy called out, taking one step forward before stopping himself. "We need a statement. You're a witness to multiple felonies. There are procedures…"
Dante had already disappeared before Captain Stacy could finish. He really wanted to go out with the arrogant, slow walk, like he was an entity who shouldn't be questioned or detained. Not unless they wanted to lose their lives. But he had to settle with the magical disappearance to save some respect for Gwen's father.
He stuck around in his invisible form to make sure Norman didn't try anything with Felicia. Captain Stacy looked frustrated, and Ghost Spider tried to offer explanations to console him, but she provided no important information.
'I don't have to do it myself.'
He approached Ghost Spider from behind. She quickly turned to the muffled steps, and those teardrop-like lenses narrowed in suspicion.
"Who?"
"Shhh, follow me."
She recognized the whispering voice and followed his footsteps with her sharp hearing even in this rowdy environment. They soon arrived at a clear area.
"What do you want?"
"Protect Felicia," he said. "The symbiotes might come for her again."
"I can't babysit her all day." She crossed her arms, throwing a fit after what he did to her father. "I also have a life you know."
"Send her to Silver Sable International after this. Make sure nobody knows about this, okay?"
Although it might reveal Felicia's link to Silvija, he couldn't afford to risk letting Felicia be alone in her apartment. She would become too easy of a target for Norman.
"She is your girlfriend. You're more capable of doing it yourself."
Dante smirked, which couldn't be reflected on his skull face. "Did you forget that day on the island?"
She flinched, recalling that she owed him a favor. He had spared the Maggia leader.
"You're so mean," she groaned. "I do this for you, and we are even."
"Yup."
"I'll do it." Gwen turned around before looking over her shoulder. "Thanks for not killing anyone here."
"I don't kill my people."
He jumped on a SUV heading in the direction of Silver Sable International. The symbiotes came out of his clothes and wriggled around his shoulder, one on each shoulder. Despite deactivating Death's Resonance, the two obediently stayed with him without trying to possess him.
'They might be useful for Silvija and Felicia.'
Speaking of Silvija, she would be gritting her teeth while watching him on the news. Even though he was protecting her contract, he had completely shut her down before she could offer her help.
The buzzing made him check his phone. It was a cute cat emoji from Felicia, who had already recovered her phone from the site.
The three dots came and went, making him wonder if she was writing a whole essay.
[Felicia: Thanks]
[Felicia: For coming]
[Felicia: I'm blessed to have such a caring darling.]
Felicia could openly talk about sex, but such simple words needed her to hide behind her screen. Angering Silvija was completely worth it for Felicia. There was just nobody who could match Felicia's chaotic and sometimes honest energy.
[Felicia: My ambulance is here. I'll talk to you later]
[Dante: Alright]
He hitched a ride from one car to another and arrived at his destination. He didn't even undid his invisibility when he saw Anna. Taking the elevator to the 2nd floor, he entered Silvija's apartment and collapsed on her bed.
He sent a quick text to inform Silvija about his current location before covering himself under a blanket.
Wrapped in Silvija's scent, his consciousness drifted to the dreamland.
***
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