[A Rooftop] Cat and Spider (Closed)

Kaine knew Cats hunted Spiders. He didn't think this one would take it so literally.

This had to be at least the 3rd or 4th time by now he'd had to get out of dodge to avoid the white-haired thief. What he didn't get was why, when she spotted him, she didn't go running for the hills. Instead, every new time she'd managed to see him or they crossed paths, she'd tried and succeeded to get closer to actually crossing his path. This time he didn't even make it off of the roof before she landed, clearly looking for him. He'd had to engage his stealth suit and stand invisibly out of her way, relying on his Spider-Sense to move just in time for her not to graze past him - lucky cat.

He held his breath at the near miss, watching her silently as goes to the edge and leans on it, looking almost wistful in the glow of the city illuminating her in a soft glow from below. She was a staple in the city, and had a history with Spider-Man. Did she think he was him in a new suit? There were other Spiders in the city, he could've just as easily been one of them. He finds himself slowly approaching, looming invisibly just behind her, watching her face for any reaction or tell to what she might be thinking.

She pouts and sighs, and then speaks. Sensing the perfect opportunity to get to the bottom of what her play was, he is only five feet to her diagonal over her shoulder when he drops his invisibility and speaks. An easy distance for him to cross to her vulnerable position within seconds. "Depends which one the Cat's trying to catch," he says, as drily as he can manage, his arms crossed lazily in front of his chest and stance leaned back into his hips. He is always ready to switch to the offensive, the slight tension in his shoulders giving him away, so his words come across like a warning and interrogative anyways.

Finally, he'd get to the bottom of this. There wasn't anything he could offer her, and once she figured that out she'd stop chasing after him, and he'd get back to - wait why was she smiling? And not running. The fuck, she looked happy to see him... She looks him over and he tenses somewhat, trying to read her intentions. His eyes sweep over her in turn. She looked... cold.

Her words aren't what he expects either. They make it sound like she's in control of this situation, like he didn't just choose to step out. Did she know he was here? No, she seemed genuinely surprised he was... You've mistaken genuine before, Kaine. Don't get caught up.

The fabric of his mask pulls up as he raises an eyebrow. Her... little name for him has him scoffing and his eyes narrow, staying locked on hers now. He is quiet for a moment as he calculates his next response. "... Who do you think I am?"

"So you don't know."

Kaine shakes his head. His arms are still crossed, and his voice is dead serious in spite of the playful energy she's coming at him with. "It's better that way. You shouldn't be trying to find out," he continues, warning palpable in his tone. She may not see him as a threat, but that didn't mean he wasn't one. Her second once-over of him only solidifies his impression: she severely lacked self-preservation.


Her misplaced confidence had him fighting reactions of amusement, irritation, and confusion. "I think you've got those reversed, kitty cat," he says, amusement winning out at the absurdity. He quickly catches himself and drops the tone, hardening again. "What do you want?" It's colder and rougher than before, disguising his confusion with a demand for explanation.

Nothing he said was making her look less interested. Or discouraging her. No, instead the crazy cat lady was looking more invested in whatever game she was playing. Her eyes catch the light, and if they hadn't been in a skin-tight suit, the hairs on his arms would've raised. Even with neither of them moving, it felt like she'd honed in and closed the distance somehow, victory still plain on her face.

Then she continues, and does move forward, and the eyes of his mask narrow shrewdly. That's it? He has to fight the urge to move, shoulders tensing upwards as her words make him bristle. He can't tell if he wants lean away or further in, and doesn't trust his instinct to choose.

"I don't help." His voice comes out so suddenly it grates through a rough place that tears through his vocal chords. It is angry at the notion, and forceful in the assertion that is isn't true. He tried helping. That wasn't him anymore. "I do what needs to be done." He supplies cryptically.

"Why do you steal, Black Cat?" He turns the question on her, confirming he knows exactly who she is.

Kaine watches her approach, steadily becoming more unsure if he was still predator or had become prey. He'd confronted the cat, made it clear he was not to be messed with, and when she should be running with her tail between her legs instead she was stepping forward with her lip in her teeth... At long last, Kaine started to realize this flirtation game she was playing might really be her only motivation here. Maybe she just really liked Spiders.

Still, he couldn't trust it.

She mentions him being thanked, and she gets an expression that somehow reads as blank as the mask covering it. Before long, he remembers the kid who hugged his leg. She'd seen that? And this was supposed to be a big city... He doesn't acknowledge it, but his eyes narrow again.

He doesn't back down, even as she's only one step away from him now. No, he listens to her answer and grows more incredulous with every word. The thrill? Really? He looks incredibly skeptical, but something about how she describes the rush and satisfaction of a job well done resonates anyways. "You do this for fun? Like it's a hobby?" he asks, judgement of how ridiculous that sounded to him clear in his tone, skirting past the part he does understand in an effort to not let her in that close.

"... There are bad people out tonight, Black Cat. Every night. Ones that do more than lifting some valuables off of some poor sucker or store," he says. "Ones that don't go away even after they're put down, again and again. That won't stop causing harm. They never will. Real Monsters".

"I'm one of them. And I'm doing what someone's going to have to do to me one day."

"I'm putting a stop to it."

That's right. Let it sink in. He watches and waits for her to finally get it. He was not something you chased or played with; he did the chasing. If she knew what was good for her, she'd get the message and – why was she getting closer? Their elbows brushed, then met more solidly, and he glanced down at them, too taken aback to even register confusion.

She kept going, and his eyebrows raised. Her palm made contact with his chest, and he watches intently as she smirks. How the hell... was he supposed to do this? He looked down at her and for the first time saw the face of the woman in front of him, not the thief or the threat. The face getting closer, large grey eyes looking up at him. For a moment, the eyes and hair in front of him turn brown and loving orchestrating, then lifeless. He blinks and snaps back to reality, her white hair shining in the light.

After that suspended moment, that hint of weakness, his defenses raise again. "Another hobby? If that's what you're here for, there are plenty of Spiders around. Why not ask them?" he says, bristling. In spite of his words, his tone has lowered and he does not move.

She speaks. Shit. She knows. He doesn't know how, but she knows. Alarm bells are ringing in Kaine's head. Get out. Get out. Get out. He doesn't move. Can't show weakness. But there's fire in his blood and he can't tell if it's the adrenaline spike or the need for another dose. The skin touching his suit gets hit by a wave of wrong. It's not Spider-Sense - it's as if it could fall off bit by bit if he didn't hold it together. The only place it feels like hasn't started a cold sweat is where her hand is pressed to his chest.

""I'm fine,"" he clips. He doesn't sound like he understands what fine means right now, but whatever motions he's going through are strictly internal. ""I don't care what you do."" It's a piss-poor attempt at 'you're fine. don't move.' He has no real assurances. None he can make sense of, and doesn't know why he tries to. The concern in her voice would taste like bile and ichor in his. He swallows and forces his heartbeat to calm, even as his palms itch.

It was a quiet night. He'd have to change that.

Just, not where she was. He can't bring himself to shake his head, but he still answers, ""I'm not the one you want. You can't trust me for shit, but you can trust that. I don't know what instincts you've got, but apparently you can't trust those either. I am not something you mess around with, little kitty cat. I'm a loaded weapon.""

He takes a step back, and that cold sweat feeling spreads where she isn't touching anymore. He does his best to ignore that.