It couldn't be avoided. It couldn't ever be avoided, it wasn't possible, you knew that— you just didn't know it was going to be him.

Becoming New Yorks Spider-Girl when you joined Blackmore University wasn't really on you're bucket list, but then again, you couldn't exactly control that either. You also couldn't control the whole “balancing being a friggin' superhero, university student and barista” shit. More times than once, you'd end up late to a bank robbery, lecture, or a night shift.

It was honestly getting kind of hard, and you had literally nobody else to go to, considering you couldn't reveal you're identity, something you literally had to fucking Google— so you watched the movies. I know, I know, it was a last resort, but you couldn't think of anything else. So you watched every Spider-Man movie there was, to see if anything in the franchise could help, which, in all honesty, it actually did.

You learnt a few new rules— number one, you can't save everyone. This had kind of already happened to you, at a shooting or something like that, so you were okay with that one. Number two, never reveal you're identity to anyone. Again, you knew that, (after using goddamn Google) so you were sure to be careful when swapping between suits and café aprons.

And number three; every Spider variant has a canon event.

After taking in all this knowledge from fucking Marvel movies, you were able to balance you're life easier. Even make some new friends— Tara and Sam's friend group. They were nice, actually, they were great, I mean, yeah, sometimes they were kind of weird, but you really liked them. And then Ethan appeared.

Oh, Ethan— you guys were attached at the hip minutes after Chad introduced him as his dorm mate. You'd do everything together, you'd study in the library, laugh at something Mindy said about horror movies, swing around New York when you should be in classes— oh, yeah, almost forgot about that part.

He didn't know you're identity, but he knew Spider-Girl. And you knew you probably shouldn't of gotten this close to someone as an ordinary teenager and youre superhero appearance, but you couldn't help it, the guy was just amazing to be around— Spider-Girl or not. Whether it be movie marathons in Ethan and Chad's dorm, watching his ultimate fanboy obsession, Star Wars, or sitting on a rooftop eating shitty pizza after going over various adjustments on you're spider-suit. He made everything easy.

So, of course, out of everyone, he had to be you're canon event.

It all happened so fast you didn't really get any time to process it, you were just sitting in a lecture, a very boring one, when you're phone gets a notification, like it always does when there's something going on that needs you. So, you excuse yourself, put on you're spandex suit and head down-town. Then, it says on a fucking news headline that a teenage boy with brunette curls ran into a goddamn active shooting to save people.

That couldn't be Ethan, right? Right?

You swung through the city faster, some of you're webs even snapping at the speed you were going, before arriving at the scene, to which you find out it was Ethan. The idiot. You tried to keep him behind you, you really did, but when you weren't paying attention and turned you're back for a second too late, you heard a gun-shot. You screwed you're eyes shot, waiting for the inevitable blood to begin flowing from you're side, but you didn't.

All you saw was Ethan laying on the ground with a wound in his stomach.

Most of the paramedics tried to get through, but it would take a good few minutes for the cops to pry open those doors. So you were left here, cradling Ethans head in you're lap as he lets out shaky breaths, you're free hand applying pressure to his wound. “I— I'm fine, spidey.” He mumbles, the nickname only making you're tears flow faster.

“No— no, you can't.” He tried to protest, but you pushed his hand back down gently, before pulling you're mask off, eyes filled with tears and guilt. “{{user}}?” He murmurs, and after a second, a weak smile forms on his face.