20 Staredown Before the Battle

Only a few hours later, Gwen found herself weathering Olivia's relentless crusade, a well-intentioned if overzealous effort to convince her that Luke harbored a secret affection for her. After enduring what felt like an eon of Olivia's sentimental musings, Gwen had finally managed to bring the evening to a close, gently ushering Olivia out with the reminder that school awaited them the following day.

Standing alone in the heart of her living room, Gwen felt a mixture of laughter and tears threatening to bubble up. The night had been intended for strategizing, yet, had unexpectedly transformed into a romantic intervention, spearheaded by an overly enthusiastic Olivia who appeared keen on playing Cupid.

Exhaling a sigh that echoed her exhaustion and relief, Gwen set about cleaning up the remnants of Olivia's ice cream binge. The now-empty tub of ice cream flew into the trash can in an impressive arc, while a wipe quickly dealt with the semi-dried, sticky residue on the table.

Once her living room was restored to its usual neatness, Gwen retreated into her bedroom. Alone in the quiet sanctuary, she found her gaze falling upon the Spider-Woman outfit that lay concealed in the depths of her closet.

"Among all the high-school drama, I still need to keep Dad safe from Nightling," Gwen mumbled to herself, her voice colored with a hint of self-deprecation.

Swiftly, she changed out of her school uniform and into the Spider-Woman suit. The hood was pulled over her head, the window was thrown open, and in a flash, she was off, swinging through the city skyline in her usual role as the friendly neighborhood Spider-Woman.

Elsewhere, in a room adorned with basketball trophies, Luke sat on his bed, clad in nothing more than basketball shorts and shoes. Sweat beaded on his forehead, and his discarded, sweat-soaked shirt lay discarded before him.

Oblivious to Gwen's emotional rollercoaster, Luke sought solace on the basketball court. He had been practicing for hours, attempting in vain to distract himself from the lingering memory of Gwen pressed against him. Unsurprisingly, his strategy was failing.

"I can't just sit here... this will drive me insane," Luke murmured to himself, his voice dropping to the gravelly tones of Nightling. As he spoke, the shadows in his room seemed to gather, engulfing him until he was enveloped in his Nightling suit.

Rising from his bed, Luke ambled over to the window. Pushing open the window, the cool night air swept in. As his body melted into the shadow beneath him, he became a specter of the night. His inky form slid down the building's exterior, skimmed across the sidewalk, and disappeared into the city's labyrinth. The shadow realm was his sanctuary, his escape from the replaying echoes of the day's events.

As he moved through the city's web of shadows, his mind was a whirlpool of Gwen-centric memories. The unexpected collision on the subway unfolded in his mind with vivid detail. Her strikingly blue eyes wide with surprise, her rosy cheeks aglow, and her sharp intake of breath as she registered their close proximity.

His shadowy brows furrowed in the darkness, an unsuccessful attempt to suppress the warmth that began to spread through his ethereal form. "I didn't... it wasn't... enjoyable," he reasoned with himself, but the memories were stubborn, leaving indelible marks on his mind's canvas. The intoxicating scent of strawberries from her hair, the sensation of her body snug against his, and the soft, hushed gasp she released.

"No, stop it!" He rebuked himself, his voice reverberating in the shadowy void. Despite his admonishments, his mind was relentless, replaying the memory with painful precision. Her fluttering eyelashes, the brief flash of panic in her eyes, and the slight tremor in her lips...

"No way... Absolutely not!" He protested, even though his thoughts remained unconvinced. He found himself in the middle of a memory storm, with each remembrance of Gwen more vivid and unforgettable than the last.

His shadowy journey came to an abrupt halt at the NYPD building. With fluid ease, he solidified on the rooftop, taking a moment to recalibrate. Lowering himself to sit on the edge, his legs dangled over the side as he took in the city lights below. Yet, his thoughts were still dominated by Gwen.

Almost instinctively, his hand rose, shielding his eyes as Gwen had done earlier that day. The innocuous gesture triggered another wave of memories, prompting a resigned groan from him.

For the moment, the thrill of another encounter with Spider-Woman was forgotten. His thoughts were now consumed with Gwen.

Meanwhile, across the sprawling cityscape of New York, Spider-Woman was a symphony in motion. She danced between buildings with a grace that was uniquely her own. Beneath her hood, Gwen found her thoughts drifting back to Luke, replaying the day's events with a frequency that was both annoying and distracting.

Every web she flung out to swing from brought with it a memory: Luke's warm laughter echoing in her ears, his witty banter that always kept her on her toes, and his mesmerizing smile. The memory of their unintended close encounter, his muscular chest against hers, was a sensory overload, her cheeks flaming beneath the mask.

"Snap out of it, Gwen," she admonished herself, as another image of Luke's sparkling grey eyes infiltrated her thoughts. Her swings became more erratic as the memory of his scent, a refreshing cologne mixed with something undeniably Luke, filled her nostrils.

An internal groan echoed within Gwen as she remembered the sensation of his firm chest beneath her fingertips, the look of surprise, but not entirely displeasure on his face. The rhythm of her heart changed from erratic somersaulting to a powerful drumming against her ribs.

"No... focus!" Gwen commanded herself, shaking her head as if she could physically banish the intrusive thoughts. It felt as though her heart had suddenly picked up Morse Code and was desperately broadcasting an SOS that spelled out 'L-U-K-E'.

As she approached the NYPD building, a solitary, dark figure captured her attention. Seated on the edge of the rooftop was Nightling, his ominous silhouette unmistakable. With a powerful leap, she shot into the air, landing as silent as a sigh on the roof, her eyes transfixed on him. Despite the tense situation, the rapid pounding of her heart seemed less about the villain before her and more about a particular daydream (Nightdream? Is it still daydreaming if it takes place during the night and you are simply awake??? I got no clue lads).

Oddly, the typically alert Nightling seemed completely unaware of her arrival. This was a deviation from the norm that felt both peculiar and disconcerting. Nightling sat bathed in moonlight, but he exuded an unnatural stillness.

As Gwen stealthily approached him, a strange sensation swept over her. For a fleeting second, she felt as though she was not gazing upon Nightling, but rather, Luke's back. With a sharp shake of her head, she reprimanded herself mentally.

"Pull yourself together, Gwen! This is Nightling, not Luke! You can't see Luke in every guy you come across..." Dispelling the absurd thought, she refocused her mind on the matter at hand.

Taking advantage of Nightling's unusual moment of distraction, she aimed and released a web in his direction, hoping to immobilize him on the roof. A triumphant 'gotcha' echoed in her mind, a smirk danced on her lips despite the maelstrom of emotions threatening to unravel her concentration.

However, as if jolted back to reality, Nightling reacted in an instant. He dived into the abyss of shadows, evading the web, yet not before it attached itself to him. He emerged from a separate pool of darkness a few yards away, the web still connecting them through the fluid shadow.

"Ready to call it a night, Nightling?" Gwen challenged, yanking on the web with determination. "I've had a rough day. How about we make it easier for both of us, and you just... surrender?"

A deep chuckle resonated from Nightling, echoing ominously across the silent rooftop. "Surrender? To you?" His words carried an air of amusement and provocation. "Your sense of humor has certainly improved, Spider-Woman. But if anyone should be thinking about surrendering, wouldn't that be you?"

Hearing Nightling's mocking response, Gwen's grip on her web tightened. A switch seemed to flip within her, setting her determination ablaze. With a concealed smirk under her mask, she shot back, "Guess we'll just have to see about that, won't we?"

That was the trigger, the signal that set off their electrifying duel. Gwen catapulted forward like a human missile, aiming to ensnare Nightling before he could react. But Nightling was no ordinary foe. He dissolved into her shadow, and in a blink, he had vanished, reappearing several feet away.

In the same moment, Nightling reached into his shadow and conjured a weapon, a blade composed of pure darkness. With a swift, practiced motion, he sliced through their shadowy connection, severing the web that had bound him. A smirk etched into his shadowy countenance, as if he found their game of shadows and webs amusing.

An intricate dance of strategy and strength unfolded, with Gwen employing her spider agility and quick thinking to counter Nightling's shadowy maneuvers. Every lunge Gwen executed was met with Nightling's swift dissolving and reappearance from a different shadow. Her spider-sense was in hyperdrive, warning her of Nightling's impending attacks, allowing her to dodge with the grace of an acrobat.

Despite her relentless offense, Nightling's mastery of shadows rendered him a slippery adversary. Gwen found herself on the defensive more often than not, as Nightling manipulated the darkness to his advantage, deftly evading her attacks and launching his own.

Each time Gwen thought she had him cornered, Nightling would meld into the shadow, only to reappear in a different location. However, each of his shadowy tendrils targeting her were met with nimble dodges or a swift yank of her web, disrupting Nightling's control.

The tense face-off between Spider-Woman and Nightling raged on, bearing all the hallmarks of an epic spectacle - a stage set on a towering rooftop, a dance punctuated with heart-stopping maneuvers, and two central characters enmeshed in a dangerous ballet. Nightling was an enigma, a shadowy figure slipping in and out of the darkness, but Gwen was unyielding, her desire to protect her city fueling her every move.

Their confrontation hung in a stalemate, with neither willing to cede any ground. Panting heavily from the exertion, Gwen steeled herself for the next phase of this high-stakes drama. Her mind was a whirl of thoughts about Luke, or rather, her dad (she hadto quit thinking about Luke, she scolded herself), but her concentration remained unwaveringly sharp.

The dance was abruptly interrupted when a group of NYPD officers, attracted by the odd commotion on the rooftop, aimed their flashlights at them. The rooftop was instantly awash with harsh, piercing light, casting elongated, twisted shadows and significantly altering the dynamics of the battle.

As the beams of light invaded the rooftop, Nightling's shadowy haven began to shrink, and his spectral form flickered under the intense light. The flashlights became unexpected allies for Gwen, cornering Nightling and minimizing his escape routes.

With Nightling's movement constrained, Gwen's spidey-sense kicked into high gear, anticipating his potential moves. Her heart hammered in her chest as she observed the pattern forming in front of her – this was her moment.

But, in a surprising turn of events, Nightling, rather than appearing cornered, leaped off the rooftop with an uncanny grace. As he landed, he looked up, meeting Spider-Woman's gaze with a cool and composed expression.

Ignoring the numerous flashlight beams trained on him, he casually walked towards the entrance of the police station. His actions were unsettling; they didn't resemble those of a cornered villain, but rather someone who had the situation under control. Gwen instantly leaped off the roof, realizing the situation could take a turn for the worse if Nightling obtained hostages.