Chapter Text
“Head up a little,” Toni instructs.
Shelby complies, lifting up her head, eyes focused on the photographer's camera. Trying not to let herself stare too much at the photographer herself.
“Nice. Very nice” Toni says approvingly
Shelby feels a smell flush in her cheeks and hopes it doesn’t show up on camera. She knows Toni’s just complimenting her on finding the light. Still, the slightest praise from her gets Shelby feeling like a little kid. Probably in part because it’s a reminder they’ve come a long way since they first met.
“Alright, let’s get some expression,” Toni continues. “Show me happy.”
Shelby smiles. It comes naturally. Most of the time her smile feels vaguely forced, a byproduct of years on the pageant circuit. Right now, though, alone in a studio with Toni, it feels easy.
“OK, now, you’ve just just heard something hilarious.”
Not too hard either. Toni’s good at making Shelby laugh. Shelby knows that just because they’re alone she doesn’t have to draw all her feelings from Toni to inspire her poses and expressions. It certainly makes it easier though. She throws her head back in a faux laugh.
“Nice. Alright, give me some anger.”
A little trickier. Anger isn’t a stranger to Shelby, even if she pretends otherwise. Toni doesn’t inspire that in her, however. Frustration, certainly, perhaps even irritation, especially back when they first met and couldn’t stop quarreling. Anger, though, she can’t imagine feeling real anger towards Toni now or ever.
She thinks about other individuals in her life that cause her grief. Criminals, politicians…her own family. Her brows furrow. She glares at the camera with intense purpose.
“Wow. Good,” Toni replies, seeming just a bit surprised by the intensity she got. “Alright, let’s go the other way. You’re in love.”
Easy. All too easy. Shelby looks at the camera, and the woman behind it, with a look she normally tries to keep hidden.
“Great, great,” Toni responds, not seeing anything in the expression beyond another take, to Shelby’s relief and disappointment. “Alright, one more. Give me some mystery. You’ve got a secret. A big one.”
Shelby’s heart beats a little fast. Also too easy. Shelby has quite a few secrets. There are two in particular that she considers ‘big’. Two that she is not ready for anyone to know, especially not Toni Shalifoe.
She gives a curious, nervous expression to the camera.
“Alright,” Toni says, putting down her digital camera and checking through the last few pictures. “I think we got it.”
Shelby relaxes her posture. She can’t help but feel a little disappointed to have the session over, mostly because she rarely gets to spend time with Toni outside of when she's being photographed by her. Which, to be fair, actually occurs more often then Toni may be aware of.
“I really appreciate you doing this, Toni,” Shelby tells the photographer. “Are you sure I can’t give you anything? I feel bad taking advantage of you for new glamor shots.”
“Forget it, Shelby,” Toni replies. “It’s actually pretty nice to work with you alone, no magazine rep or advertising asshole breathing down my neck.”
Shelby smiles. She loves working with Toni alone. She loves being alone with Toni. Especially now that they’re friends. It hadn’t always been the case. When they first met on an ad shoot, Toni had been utterly dismissive of Shelby, viewing her as yet another vain model. However, when they were partnered on a more extensive campaign, Toni managed to catch a more vulnerable side of Shelby. She saw the real her. A part of if, anyway. Since then, they’ve been friends, and Shelby is so grateful to have Toni in her life.
“I loved it too,” Shelby replies, her gaze lingering on Toni a bit too long, before she forces herself to look away. “And the shots are gonna save my life. I’ve got a meeting with a new agency, and having some fresh glamor pics, especially with your work, will really help.”
Toni looks at her curiously. “You’re leaving McClain?” She asks, referring to the modeling agency that had led Shelby to Toni in the first place. Shelby sheepishly avoids eye contact.
“They, uh, they actually dropped me” she admits.
“What?” Toni responds with surprise. “That’s fucking crazy! Why the hell would they do that? You’re a fucking pro! Not to mention you’re basically a photographer's dream.”
Shelby can’t help but blush and smile at that. If she isn’t mistaken, Toni just basically said she’s her ‘dream’.
“Well, thank you,” she replies. “But I can understand it. I kinda goofed up. Missed a couple auditions. Then I missed an entire shoot.”
Toni looks at her with surprise, like she’d just admitted to murder. “That doesn’t sound like you. You’re obnoxiously professional. You show up half an hour early for every shoot I’ve been on.”
Shelby can’t deny that. Professionalism and punctuality had been instilled in her from the first days of her former pageant life, though she might have had some ulterior motives for showing up early to the shoots Toni was working on.
“I know, it’s not like me,” Shelby admits. “I guess I just over committed myself.”
Shelby’s ‘commitments’ outside of modeling mean very odd hours, and responsibilities that can arise at a moment's notice. Responsibilities that are much more important than any photo shoot. Although she can't explain that to anyone.
“All the more reason to make a good impression with the new agency,” Shelby continues with a slightly forced smile. “Any chance you can get me the edits tonight? Wanna make sure you made me look pretty” she teases.
Toni smiles. “The worst fucking photographer in the world couldn’t help but make you look pretty, Shelby,” she says. Shelby’s smile grows, ceasing to be forced. “And yeah, I'll try to. It’s gonna be late, though. I gotta go do my real job.”
Shelby’s smile slowly begins to fade, because Toni’s ‘real job’ is a lot less safe than taking pictures of models.
You will never, ever hear Toni Shalifoe describe herself as a fashion photographer. She’s a photojournalist. All of this, everything she’s done with Shelby, it’s to pay the bills, because, as she’s told Shelby many times, ‘journalism pays shit. At least if you take pictures of the things people actually need to see.’
Toni is not content with taking pictures of city hall meetings or campaigns. She wants to get pictures of the shit that goes down behind the scenes. The backroom deals, the hidden violence. She wanted to expose the real crooks who sit in comfortable positions of power.
Her determination, her bravery, her passion, it all makes Shelby admire Toni more every day. It also scares the hell out of her. Because in pursuit of those truths, Toni tends to show little regard for her own safety. She’s emerged from some of these investigations with bruises, black-eyes, even broken bones. And Shelby knows that there were occasions where she’d very nearly not emerged at all.
Of course, Toni has no idea that Shelby knows some of this first hand. And she doesn’t plan to tell her today.
Instead she simply tries to make an innocent inquiry. “Where you going?” She tries to make the question sound casual, but the small break in her voice in the middle of the sentence betrays her nervousness.
Toni clearly notices it and tries to give her a reassuring smile. “I’m just doing some research, Shelby.”
Toni simply looks back at her, with her signature concerned puppy expression, hoping to guilt her into saying more.
Toni sighs. “Fine. But this doesn’t leave this room, got it?”
“Scout's honor,” Shelby insists. She’s good at keeping secrets after all.
“I’ve been following this lead. Fisk Industries had this military contract, developing this high tech weaponry. Apparently the pentagon ended up rejecting it, said the tech was too dangerous. Which, when the fucking army says that, you know you’re dealing with something big. Fisk is supposed to destroy or secure all the weapons. But instead they’re trying to unload them onto the black market. And after a lot of digging, I think I found out where they’re housing them, totally off the books. Gonna head over there, see if I can’t get some hard evidence this dangerous shit isn’t as secure as it’s supposed to be.”
“Wow,” Shelby says with a blink. “That’s..that’s certainly something. But…I mean, the black market, weapons, doesn’t it all sound kind of dangerous?”
Toni half shrugs. “I mean, it’s more dangerous than a fashion show, for sure. But mostly it’s gonna be checking out some boxes, getting pictures of the inventory.” Shelby continues to look at her with the puppy eyes, but Toni seems unswayed. “I gotta do this, Shelby. These assholes are gonna let some really dangerous shit get out on the streets just so they can turn a profit. Someone’s gotta hold them accountable.”
Shelby presses her lips together. “Maybe…maybe you should get your friend to go with you.”
Toni frowns slightly. She knows the ‘friend’ Shelby means. “I’ve told you before, she finds me, I don’t find her. It’s not like I have her cell or anything.”
Shelby sighs. Yes, of course. Shelby knows that. Toni definitely does not have Spider-Woman’s number.
“Besides, this will be easier if I go in alone,” Toni continues. “I’m sure she’s got better shit to do then watch my ass.”
Shelby does not remotely agree with that statement. But she doesn’t know how to argue it at the moment.
“Alright, well, I’m still expecting my shots tonight,” Shelby responds as she gathers her things, trying to laugh off the growing fear in her. “So you better get back in one piece, you got it?”
“Got it, boss,” Toni responds with a smile and a quick salute. She opens the door to the studio for Shelby. Shelby walks to the door but stops in the doorway and looks back at Toni one more time.“I mean it, Toni,” she says in a serious tone. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”
Toni takes Shelby's hand and squeezes it. Shelby feels her pulse race. “I’m always careful,” she calmly tells Shelby, squeezing her hand once more, before letting go and shutting the door to the studio.
Shelby frowns. Toni Shalifoe is many, many things. Careful is not among them.
And Shelby needs her to be. She needs her to be safe. She wants to know that Toni is OK every second of every day.
Because that’s the first of the two big secrets. Shelby is head over heels in love with Toni Shalfioe.
…
Hey! Just checking in again. Haven’t gotten those glamor shots yet. Might have to give you a bad yelp review if I don’t get them soon. Sent 11:17 pm.
Shelby stares at the most recent of many texts she’s sent Toni tonight. Hoping that any moment she’ll see the little typing dots appear. They don’t. They haven’t all night.
Shelby doesn’t give a damn about the glamor shots, of course. She wants to know Toni’s alright. So of course she’s been sending her lot’s of pestering little texts, all for the purpose of getting confirmation Toni has made it home in one piece. And of course Toni is providing her no such assurance.
She closes her eyes and reminds herself to breathe. She forgets to when she starts fretting about Toni too much. Why didn’t she just ask Toni for the address she was going to. Sure, it’d be suspicious, but at least then she’d know. She could be heading there right now.
She decides to take a step she’d hoped to avoid. She texts Martha. She doesn’t want to cause Toni’s best friend and roommate any undue concern, but she’s her only line to Toni if she won’t pick up her phone.
Hey! Is Toni there? She’s supposed to send me some pictures. Wanna see if she forgot.
She keeps up the act about the glamor shots, not wanting to alarm Martha. This time, the typing dots appear almost immediately. Martha’s text is soon behind.
Martha:
No she isn’t. Actually I’m really worried. She should have been back a while ago.
Shelby feels a lump in her throat. For once, she was really hoping Toni was just ignoring her. No such luck. She sends a response.
She mentioned she was going on an ‘investigation’. Maybe it’s taking awhile?
Martha:
Maybe. She’s not returning any of my texts. She knows she needs to check in with me if she’s gonna be late.
Seeing Martha’s worry makes Shelby’s worse. She doesn’t want to share that with her though. She does wonder if she might be able to actually get some useful information from her friend.
She didn’t happen to tell you where she was going, did she?
Martha:
She didn’t want to. I made her tho. 1765 Ditko Ave. That’s a pretty sketchy part of town right? I was thinking of going down there to look for her. Or maybe calling the cops
Shelby immediately knows she needs to stop either of those things from happening. If Toni is really in trouble, she’d never forgive Shelby for letting Martha get into it with her. Shelby’d never forgive herself for letting anything happen to Martha.
As for the cops, that might seem a more sensible option. However, Toni’s made a lot of enemies amongst the NYPD. Toni’s pictures tend to not paint the police in a flattering light, exposing brutality, harassment, corruption, and worse. If Toni isn’t already in danger, sending cops her way might change that.
No no. I don’t think you should do that. Not yet. She might just not be able to text back. Service in that area is pretty lousy I think. Maybe we give it another hour. Then if you don’t hear from her, you can call the police.
Martha:
Ok. I just hope she's alright.
I’m sure she is.
Shelby is not at all sure she’s alright. She’s damn well gonna find out, though. She puts down her phone and races to her closet. She pulls out a black, white, and pink costume.
That would be Shelby’s second big secret. She’s not just an out of work model. Not just a girl from Texas who came to the big city to make it big.
Shelby Goodkind is Spider-Woman.
It all started her senior year of high school. A simple field trip to a science demonstration saw her get bitten by a radioactive spider. Soon she found she had all sorts of abilities. Enhanced strength, agility, the ability to cling to walls. And to her utter disgust, webs she could shoot out of her wrists.
At first she thought the powers were a curse. A punishment from God for the feelings that were inside her. So she kept them hidden just as she kept the real her hidden.
Then tragedy struck. Her best friend was killed by a man holding up a convenience store. A man Shelby could have stopped if she hadn’t been afraid to use her powers.
From that moment on she knew she had a responsibility. Maybe it came from God. Maybe it was just pure chance. Either way she had to do something with it. She had to keep people safe.
Against her family's wishes, She moved to New York after graduation. Ostensibly to parlay her success as a pageant queen into a modeling career. That was just her cover. Really she intended to be where she could do the most good as a superhero, as crazy as that concept sounded to her. As crazy as it still sounds to her.
It was tricky at first. Despite what her father had warned her about the big city, crime was not actually waiting to jump out at you at every corner. She needed help finding where she was needed.
That was where Toni came in. Shelby may have first met Toni while working as a model, but Spider-Woman met her shortly after. Toni the photographer had acted utterly uninterested in Shelby the model, but Toni the photojournalist was determined to get a picture of Spider-Woman. Shelby, perhaps being happy to finally have Toni’s attention, made herself easy for Toni to find.
It was Toni that pointed Shelby to the good she could be doing. Crime rings, kidnappings, businesses selling shady tech. Toni had her ear to the pulse of the city far more than Shelby. They worked out an arrangement. Toni would take pictures of Spider-Woman to sell to the Daily Bugle, and Toni would supply her with info about shady goings on that needed a superheroine’s touch.
Of course, Toni is not satisfied with being a bystander. She’ll tag along on Shelby's exploits. When she isn’t going off on ones of her own, like tonight. Shelby admires her determination, her fearlessness. What she hates is Toni’s disregard for her own safety. Shelby knows she’s one to talk, given she regularly fights armed criminals. She has powers, though. Toni doesn’t. That’s not to say she’s not capable and tough, because she is. The toughest, bravest person Shelby’s ever met. But she’s only human. And Shelby knows all too well, humans can get hurt.
She knows Toni would dismiss her worries. Tell her that the truth is more important than her life. Well, it’s not. Not to Shelby.
Which is why presently, she’s swinging fast through the city, doubling timing it to Ditko Ave. Praying that Toni is safe. Praying that Shelby isn’t too late. That she won’t find Toni-
She refuses to let herself think on that too long. She WILL find Toni, and if she’s not safe, she will make her safe. She knows Toni doesn’t think that, outside of Martha, there’s anyone in the world who thinks she’s worth fighting for. She’ll show Toni she’s wrong.
Shelby arrives at the address. It’s a large warehouse, rundown, clearly not being used for official business. Whatever happens here happens off the books. Shelby climbs up the walls of the building and tries to peer in through the windows. None of them have any transparency, likely by design. She crawls around, searching for an opening. Finally, she finds a high window, near the very top, that’s slightly ajar. She gently pushes it open and crawls inside.
There she finds a small operation underway. Various boxes and containers being loaded into a pair of large trucks. Four large men are doing the loading, but based on the guns they’re all carrying at their sides, she’s willing to bet they weren’t hired by a moving company.
And then she sees her. Toni. It’s simultaneously a relief and whole new cause for concern. A relief because she’s alive and seemingly unhurt.
A concern because she’s tied to a chair, a gag in her mouth.
Shelby exhales. She’s alive, she tells herself. Now just focus on keeping her that way.
How best to do that is the tricky part. She could simply swoop down, pick her up, and swing out. It’s possible she can do that before any of the thugs become aware. It’s also possible they could spot her the instant she hit the ground and open fire. Shelby doesn’t think she can take that chance. With her own life, sure. Not with Toni’s.
Shelby crawls along the ceiling, finding a vantage point where she can get a better look at the captured photographer. If Toni’s afraid she’s not showing it. She instead looks pissed off, struggling against the ropes, grunting what is no doubt a string of profanities into her gag. Hands bound behind her back, rope around her waist binding her to the chair itself, and legs tied to each chair leg, she’s jostling herself back and forth in her struggles. Shelby’s a little afraid she’s going to topple over and hurt herself.
The goons don’t seem too bothered by Toni’s struggles. Either they trust their ropework, or they’re underestimating just how determined Toni is. Most people do.
Shelby crawls a little closer to the trucks, trying to get a read on the goons, to plan a strategy. She’ll wager anything the crates they’re loading contain the weapons Toni had been looking for.
As she takes a closer look at the men themselves, she sees their faces are covered in bruises, a couple of black-eyes. One even has a bit of a limp. Clearly Toni did not go down without a fight. Shelby can’t help but grin a little under her mask.
“We get everything?” One of the goons, a tall man with a shaved head, asks.
“Yeah, it’s all on the trucks” a smaller man replies.
“Good,” the bald man replies, a nasty grin appearing on his face. “Then let’s start the ‘clean up’.”
Shelby’s smirk vanishes at the sound of that. Her heart starts racing as she sees what ‘clean up’ entails. The goons all grab containers of gas and begin splashing it all around the warehouse. Oh god, Shelby thinks to herself. They mean to burn the place down…with Toni inside.
Get her out, she tells herself. Get her out now!
She wants to. She wants Toni to be safe and away from here immediately. But she’s terrified to act. Every time she tries to play it out in her head, she sees the goons spotting her, grabbing their guns, opening fire, and Toni being-
She shuts her eyes. Put that thought out of your head , she orders herself. It’s not gonna help you and it’s for sure not going to help Toni.
She opens her eyes and looks towards Toni, hoping to draw strength from her. Despite being the one caught in the middle of all this, Toni still isn’t showing any fear. Her struggles against her bindings have grown a little more intense, but the glare in her eyes is still one of fiery anger. Shelby can’t help but be impressed, even if she’d rather not think about ‘fire’ right now.
“Sorry, kid,” the bald thug says sarcastically as he splashes the gas over empty boxes. “But the boss says not to leave any trace we were ever here. And that includes you.”
“FMMK YNN!” Toni shouts into her gag. Shelby’s fairly certain she gets the message.
“Getting off easy, if you ask me,” one of the other thugs responds. “Fucking bitch broke my tooth!”
“Wmmt ynn fmmkin emmrve, ammhlle!” Toni shouts back. That one’s a little harder to translate, but she’s fairly certain it’s not a warm, friendly message.
Shelby looks for an opening. She knows she doesn’t have long. The containers are nearly empty, and the building is already soaking with gas. A flame gets dropped, this place will go up fast.
The goons are distracted, but not enough for Shelby’s liking. She’s not gonna feel safe grabbing Toni while they’re armed.
So what if they weren’t, she thinks. Get the guns away from them, and suddenly they’re just four big idiots. Maybe a problem for someone else, but not for someone with spider-strength.
How to get the guns, though. She can shoot out her webs to grab them, of course, but there are four of them, and they’re spread out over the warehouse. She only has two hands, something she’s grateful for, given the nightmares she used to have about going full spider, eight limbs and eyes. Right now some extra arms would be handy, however.
She finally sees a possible opening. Two of the goons are approaching each other on the north side of the building, while the other two are more focused on the south. If she can grab the guns from one set, then snare the other two’s in the confusion, bam. No more guns.
It's a gamble. She’ll have to time it just right, and hope the other two goons don’t do anything wild after she disarms the first set. She needs to do something, though. Toni’s counting on her. Even if she doesn’t know she is.
She quietly crawls along the ceiling towards the two goons on the north side. Her heart is pounding. She’s breathing so hard she’s surprised no one can hear her, even up here. She’s scared for herself, yes, but her terror comes from the thought of what will happen to Toni if she fails. It’s so overwhelming she’s afraid to move.
Fine, an angry voice in her head tells her. Think about what’ll happen to her if you do nothing.
She allows herself a quick, horrible thought. It resolves the struggle inside her. She will not let that happen. She takes a deep breath, gets her wrists in position, and ‘aims’ at the guns of the two goons closest to her.
THWIP THWIP
Webbing shoots out from both wrists. One strand hits the gun of the thug on her left, the other the gun of the thug on her right. Bullseyes. She quickly yanks the webs back, and the guns, holsters and all, go flying out away from the goons.
“What the fuck?” One of them shouts, noticing the gun and holster being suddenly ripped away.
Shelby pulls them up and far away from the confused thugs. She looks over at the other set. Their heads quickly turn to the sound of their associate’s confusion. When they notice their partner's guns flying through the air, they quickly pull out their own.
It alarms Shelby for a moment, but refuses to give it more than a moment. The guns are out, yes, but they’re not aimed at her, because they don’t know where she is. More importantly, they’re not aimed at Toni.
Shelby focuses herself and aims two new webs at the guns in the other goons hands.
THWIP THWIP
The webs land almost perfect over the barrels of the guns. Shelby pulls them away with such force that the two men stumble forward, the bald thug nearly falling on his face, and his partner actually doing so.
The guns dangle in the air, and Shelby pulls them higher, actually whipping them out the same window she came in. She smiles under her mask. That went perfectly. Now they are in fact just four big idiots.
Now she gets to show off.
Shelby pushes off from the ceiling and leaps through the air, doing a midair somersault for good measure. She lands a few feet in front of Toni, in a perfect three point landing, the ‘superhero landing’, as Toni referred to it when she photographed it.
“Your mothers should have taught you boys better,” Spider-Woman quips. “You make a mess, you get your toys taken away.”
“Spnnr-Wmmnn!” Toni herself says beneath the gag. “Oou gnns arr fmmkd nnw!” Shelby still can’t quite translate gag, but she assumes whatever Toni’s saying is complimentary.
She sneaks a quick glance back at Toni. Even with the gag in her mouth, Toni is smiling a great big goofy grin. Grinning at her. In spite of everything around them, it makes Shelby’s heart flutter.
She doesn’t let herself linger on it, much as she’d like to. Instead she turns her attention back to the four now unarmed goons, who have quickly grouped up and are approaching Shelby and Toni.
“Let’s get her!” the smallest one shouts. “She’s just one fucking girl!”
“No way, dude,” another replies, looking nervous. “My cousin got his arm broken by this chick!”
Shelby smirked at that. She tried not to enjoy the violent aspects of super heroics too much, but sometimes, with the right set of criminals, it was hard not to. For what they’d done to Toni, Shelby could see really enjoying beating the snot out of this group.
“And I can do a lot worse to you creeps,” She replied, trying to sound menacing. “Unless you want to be smart and surrender.”
She could probably web them up now and be done with it, but she was kind of hoping they’d put up a fight. She wanted a chance to show off in front of Toni.
The goons stare at each other. All but the bald one look pretty nervous now. Two of them begin to sheepishly raise their hands.
Shelby chuckles. “Not so tough when you’re unarmed, are you?”
“What’re you fucking wimps doing?” The short one scolds his fellow thugs, even as he fails to hide the fear in his own voice. The bald one, the leader Shelby presumes, is just staring at her. No hint of nervousness. Instead, a sliver of a grin creeps onto his face.
“Nah, she’s right,” he says condescendingly. “We’re totally helpless. Nothing up our sleeves. ‘Cept maybe this.”
He reveals a lighter in his hand. Shelby’s eyes go wide.
“Oh shit, boss,” one of the goons nervously responds, as they all begin to back away from the pools of gas all around them.
“Drop it!” Shelby demands.
The thug’s small smile widens into a full wicked grin. He clicks the lighter once and a small but impressive flame comes out.
“If the lady insists.”
He then drops the lighter. The flame stays lit all the way to the ground, where it hits the gas.
FOOOOOOOOOOM
In an instant large flames begin spreading. Spreading everywhere. Fast,
“FMMMMK!!” Toni shouts into her gag, finally showing some signs of fear.
“Fuck, boss!” Another goon shouts.
“Just get to the trucks!” the bald man orders. “Go, go!”
Shelby narrowly dodges a trail of fire hiding her direction. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why didn’t I stop this when I had the chance, she berates herself.
The men rush through the flames towards the trucks. Shelby stays still for a moment, paralyzed, thinking of how she’s messed it all up, how this is all her fault.
“Spnnr-Wmmmn!” She hears Toni’s muffled voice call out for her. There’s so much smoke and flame in the room already she can’t even see her anymore. No no no no. She can’t lose her. She won’t lose her. She snaps herself out of the stupor and leaps through the smoke towards the sound of Toni.
She lands right next to Toni. She’s fighting thrashing about in her chair like she’s possessed, but otherwise appears unhurt. Thankfully none of the gasoline was spilt too close to her, so the flames aren’t on top of them, but that’ll change soon, and the smoke is making it nearly impossible to see. They have to get out of here.
Shelby hears the trucks peel off, but the way they came is already covered in flame. No escape that way. She looks up…the only area that’s not rapidly being engulfed in flames is the ceiling. It’s also where the best escape options will be, at least for her She knows you’re supposed to stay low in a fire, but this once she thinks an exception can be made.
She looks at Toni. In the light of the flame she can see her eyes, fearful but also trusting. She prays she can live up to that trust.
The flames grow. No time to untie her. Gotta move now. “This is gonna be a little bumpy,” Shelby warns Toni. Then she picks her up, chair and all, and thwips out a web to the ceiling. Carrying Toni, still bound to the chair, she swings up to the top of the building.
“SHID!” Toni shouts.
They quickly reach the ceiling, but the smoke is rising all around them. Through the black cloud, Shelby can’t find the open window she came through. She can see another one, though. It looks solidly closed, however. But they can’t stay here much longer. The smoke will be overwhelming before too long.
“Close your eyes!” Shelby orders Toni.
“Whad?” Toni asks, alarmed, clearly wondering what Shelby’s plan is.
Shelby braces herself, and, keeping a tight grip on Toni, swings at full speed over to the window. She then curves her body to surround Toni as best as she is able, trying to shield her . Shield her as they go crashing through the window. Shelby closes her eyes.
CLINKCLINKCLINKCLINCK
The sound of a large glass window shattering into many pieces can be heard. Shelby can feel little shards hit her back, but thankfully her strength means they mostly feel like heavy rain drops. She opens her eyes to see they are now outside of the building, but about to fall to the street below. She quickly shoots out another web that sticks to the roof of a building across the street. Rapidly, they swing towards it.
“WHND HHE FNNK!!” Toni shouts, not seeming to have been fully prepared for this much swinging around.
Shelby, only barely in control, gets them to the rooftop, tumbling as she does so. She keeps her grip on Toni’s chair, careful not to slam her into the rooftop. Slowing their impact as best she can with her feet, she finally tumbles down onto the surface of the roof, placing Toni down on her back, not particularly gently, but not as forcefully as it could have been either.
Once she’s found her footing, Shelby immediately turns to Toni, kneeling down so she’s close to the still chair-bound photojournalist's face. Toni looks exhausted, bewildered, and dazed.
“Toni! Are you alright?” Shelby demands. Normally, as Spider-Woman, she hides her natural accent. However, in her panic, the Texas twang shines through brightly, particularly on the ‘alright’. Shelby’s far too preoccupied to care at the moment.
Toni, still gagged, answers with a simple nod. Shelby still checks her over. There’s a bit of dirt and dust in her hair and on her face, but no sign of burns.
Shelby quickly realizes Toni could probably better assure her how she was doing if she didn’t have something in her mouth. “Here, let me get that,” she says as she pulls the gag out from Toni’s lips. It hangs under her chin like an unflattering scarf.
Toni takes in a deep breath and rolls her tongue around her mouth, trying to get the taste of the gag out. “Ugh,” she complains.
Shelby finally begins to relax a little. “Are you sure you’re alrig-”
Before she can finish her sentence, Toni has lifted her head up, and crashed her lips into Shelby’s. Over her mask. Despite them not being visible, Toni manages to hit them square on. It’s awkward, lips pressed against lips with the thick cloth of the mask separating them. Yet Shelby can’t help but find it exhilarating. She leans in slightly.
It’s Toni who breaks off, and lays her head back down, staring back at ‘Spider-Woman’, wide eyed. “Shit. Fuck. I..I’m sorry. I just…fuck.”
Shelby moves herself further back from Toni. “No, no, it’s, it’s fine,” she replies, trying to sound casual, as if something she’s been dreaming about for months hadn’t just happened. “I’m just, just glad you’re alright.”
“I am,” Toni replies, the most sheepish Shelby has ever heard her.
“Good, good,” Shelby responds.
They stay there for a moment, Toni still laying on the ground, her feet still bound to the chair legs, sticking awkwardly in the air.
Shelby is focused on her face. Even with everything she’s been through she’s still so beautiful. So handsome. So Toni. So perfectly Toni.
She’s not sure quite how long she stays there staring, but Toni snaps her out of it.
“Um,” is all she mumbles, while glancing down the ropes still binding her to the chair.
“Oh!” Shelby exclaims. “Oh, yes of course. Sorry!”
She gently tips Toni’s chair up. She then, in quick succession, snaps the ropes binding Toni’s waist, hands, and legs. Toni stands up from the chair and stretches her body out, before rubbing her wrists.
“Fuck, that feels good. They had me like that for hours.”
“Did they hurt you?” Shelby asks cautiously.
Toni shrugs. “I’ve probably got a few bruises, but I gave worse than I got.”
“Looked like,” Shelby says approvingly.
“Plus, I got my pictures of the weapons uploaded to the cloud before they caught me. So even if things had gone really south, night wouldn’t have been a total bust.”
Shelby frowns under the mask. “Losing your life would have been a lot worse than a ‘bust’, Toni.”
Toni looks down at the ground. “World would have gone on,” she sullenly responds.
“Not everyone’s,” Shelby replies, a small crack in her voice. “You matter to people, Toni. I need--this city needs you.”
Toni looks at Spider-Woman and gives a sad smile. “Naw, this city needs you. It needs a hero.”
Shelby shakes her head. “I’m just some silly girl in a costume. You, Toni, you’re the real hero. You’re my hero.”
Toni appears stunned at the words. She looks at Spider-Woman for a long minute. Then she looks across the street at the burning building. The one she was very nearly trapped in.
Shelby gives the building a quick glance, but keeps her focus on Toni. “You sure you’re ok?” she asks. “Didn’t take in too much smoke?”
“I feel fine,” Toni replies gently. “I think this actually helped with that.” She tugs at the gag hanging around her neck before untying it and letting it fall to the ground. “Are you ok? You were in the same fire.”
“The mask’s good for that. Besides, super powers, remember? I can take a lot. You, though, should probably get checked out. Maybe wait here for the fire trucks, see if they can have an EMT check you out.”
Toni sighs. “Fine. I get along better with firefighters than cops anyway.”
They look at each other another moment. Shelby has more she wants to say. A lot she wants to tell Toni.
“Well, I should see I can’t track down those jerks in the trucks,” is what she ends up saying.
“Yeah, for sure,” Toni awkwardly responds.
Shelby awkwardly turns to leave, and sticks out her hand to shoot a web.
“Wait,” Toni stops her. “Think you could give me a ride back to street level? I could take the fire-escape, but that might look shady.”
“Oh, of course!” Shelby replies, a little too enthusiastically. “Um, just, uh, grab onto me.”
Toni awkwardly approaches Spider-Woman, and slowly slides her arm around her waist, like a freshman figuring out how to dance at homecoming. Shelby wraps her own arm around Toni.
“Just, uh, make it a little more gentle this time, if we could,” Toni requests. “Beggars can’t be choosers, I know, but I felt like I was gonna get whiplash while we were swinging around.”
Shelby smiles. “I’ll be gentle.” She then blushes furiously as she hears her own words.
She gently leads Toni to the edge of the roof and shoots out a web to cling to the side. After a small jolt as they step off the roof, it’s a gentle glide down as the web slowly extends, until they reach the sidewalk.
All the while they stare into each other’s eyes. Or at least Shelby stares into Toni’s, as Toni stares in the large blank white eyes of Shelby’s mask.
They stay embrace for a moment as they reach the ground. Toni slowly removes her arm from Shelby.
“Thanks,” She finally says. “For everything. I know I’d be toast without you. Literally.”
Shelby smiles under the mask. She knows a ‘thank you’ from Toni Shalifoe is a rare thing indeed. She’ll treasure it. “Well, I would never let that happen.”
Toni smiles, then looks back at the ground. “Sorry too, for, uh, for kissing you.”
Shelby’s heart starts to race again. She didn’t expect her to bring up the kiss again. Now that she has, though…
Part of her thinks she should just brush it off. Another part, however, is feeling bold. Maybe it’s that she feels like a real superhero tonight. Maybe she’s just so glad Toni’s alright. Whatever it is, she does not brush it off.
“I’m not,” She states firmly. “Sorry, that is. The only thing I might be sorry about is that you did it over the mask. Would you like to give it a real try?”
Toni looks at her, amazed. No words come out. However, a tiny nod of the head signals she does.
Shelby peels up her mask. For a moment she considers peeling it all the way. Show Toni who’s under here. She stops herself. She’s not ready for that. She’s not sure if she ever will be.
Instead she leaves it partially open, just showing her lips.
Toni stands still for a moment, seemingly unsure of how to proceed. Then, she slowly approaches Spider-Woman/Shelby. Once more she wraps her arms around her, this time with confidence. She lifts herself up just a bit to fully reach her lips.
At first she kisses her gently, tenderly. Then more urgently. Shelby can feel the relief at being alive in the kiss, and she returns the eagerness. Their tongues gently stroke each other. Shelby places her own arms on Toni’s and squeezes her gently.
They stay in that embrace, lips locked, gently exploring each other, until the sound of several fire trucks interrupts them.
Shelby suddenly breaks off from Toni. They share a quick awkward glance. “I should go,” Shelby finally says.
“Sure, right,” Toni replies. “Gotta, gotta catch the bad guys.”
“I’ll see you soon, Toni,’ Shelby promises, pulling down her mask. “Until then, please be safe.”
With that, she thwips out another web, and swings off into the night.
As she goes from building to building, a whirlwind of thoughts crashes through her head. She finally kissed Toni.
Except she didn’t. Spider-Woman kissed Toni. Toni kissed Spider-Woman.
Oh, lord, She thinks to herself. Now I’ve gotta be jealous of myself?
She shakes her head. That doesn’t matter. Not right now. Focus on the good. Whoever Toni kissed, she was able to do so because she’s alive. That’s what matters. Toni’s still here.
As long as the world still has Toni Shalifoe in it, everything’s going to be alright.
….
Toni sits in the ambulance, a blanket wrapped around her. Her mind is in quite a bit of a whirl. She still can’t believe she actually kissed Spider-Woman. Twice.
While she goes over and over the evening, a question pops in. How did Spider-Woman know where to find her? She never asked that. Toni keeps her plans pretty close to the chest. Only two people even knew what she was doing tonight. Just Martha and Shel-
Wait. Wait. Wait.
Shelby?