Chapter Text
Swinging from building to building had always been Trinity’s favorite part of being Spiderwoman. Nothing else matched the rush of weightless flight between skyscrapers. But freedom rarely lasted long, and most times, she was racing toward trouble.
When a scream tore through the night a few streets over, instinct took over. She pivoted in midair, webbing toward the sound.
Perching on a fire escape above a narrow alley, she spotted the source. At least five men were closing in on a woman pressed against a chain‑link fence. Their laughter echoed off the brick walls, harsh and mocking. Trinity’s jaw tightened. Time to move.
She dropped soundlessly behind them, heart steady now.
“Why don’t we even the odds a little?” she called out, her voice light but edged. “Five against one hardly seems fair, don’t you think?”
They whipped around to face her.
“Shit, Spider-Woman!” exclaimed the one closest to her.
“You called? ” she quipped.
She needed to get the woman out of here quickly. She moved first, and before any more pleasantries could be exchanged, a sharp kick sent the loudest one flying. She tried to web him up to keep him where he was, but the other men reacted too quickly. Two men circled her. One tried to punch her and she dodged straight into the one behind her, who grabbed her. She freed herself by headbutting him, and whirled around to finish him. In the meantime, the biggest of the pack had approached and took her by surprise, getting a good punch in. Her jaw snapped sideways with a sickening crack, and for a second her vision blurred, the alley tilting like she might black out. She tried to retaliate, only for another one to appear behind her and kick her. Her leg gave out under her, but she managed to stay up. She had to fight through the pain.
There were too many of them, and she was getting overwhelmed. She finally managed to take down the two that had hurt her, and when the man that she had kicked tried to get closer, she quickly webbed him up to the wall that was behind him.
She thought she was finally done, but apparently she had missed one, because suddenly, she felt a knife being pressed to her back.
“Not so tough now are you Spidey ? What are you gonna do ?” he taunted her, pressing the knife further.
“Sneaking up on me huh? Brave.” she mocked.
She suddenly kicked him, sending him a few feet away. He quickly got back up, and charged towards her with the knife in hand. Trinity tried to dodge, but she tripped on one of his friends. The blade flashed, and fire tore across her cheek. Blood immediately started pouring from the wound. She finally managed to take him down, and heard police sirens get closer. The woman had run away long ago.
She got up on the roof of a building close to watch the police arrive. Sirens wailed below. Trinity pressed a hand to her bleeding cheek and exhaled shakily. She hoped Dennis would be asleep when she would get home, because she didn’t know how she could possibly explain the cut on her cheek. There were only so many times a person could get “mugged” before it started sounding like a lie.
She winced, pulling her hand away from her cheek. Still bleeding. Yeah. This was going to be hard to explain.
When Trinity woke up the next morning, it was to the smell of fresh pancakes. Dennis was already up. He was asleep when she’d gotten home last night, but she probably would have to explain herself this morning.
She dragged herself to the bathroom and glanced at the mirror. The bruises had mostly faded, already healing faster than they should. The cut on her cheek hadn’t been so kind.
It was still there. Angry. Obvious.
It had already barely started healing, and she hoped that by tomorrow it would mostly be gone. She was dreading having to walk out there and lie to Dennis about it. The lie was already forming before she even left the bathroom. That was the worst part, it came easily now.
She quickly showered and dressed, and walked out the bathroom to get breakfast. When Dennis saw her, he rushed to her.
“What happened to your face, dude ?” he inquired.
“I tripped like an idiot and caught my face on some broken glass. It’s not as bad as it looks so don’t worry Huckleberry.” she replied, trying to minimise the injury so that he would leave her alone. “God I’m starving. I didn’t get to eat last night.” she tried, to distract him.
Dennis frowned, eyes lingering on the cut a second too long.
“You tripped.”
Trinity grabbed a plate. “Yeah. Graceful as always.”
He didn’t look convinced, but he let it drop.
“Right. Well. You can eat as many as you want, I already ate.” he said, nodding to the pancakes.
Trinity checked the time and swore under her breath. She was going to be late for her appointment with Robby. At least she had new pictures to show him. She had taken the time to set up her camera a few times during the week to catch herself mid swing. She hoped he would be satisfied by what she had, because if this didn’t work out, she had no idea how she was going to make rent this month.
She got there with barely a minute to spare and crossed the open space at a near run, and slammed straight into someone. And, obviously, since luck definitely wasn’t on her side, it had to be Baran. She quickly caught the reporter, who was about to fall, and profusely apologized.
“I’m so sorry, Baran, I wasn’t looking where I was going. Are you hurt anywhere ?” she rushed.
She realized she was still holding the woman, and quickly let go, blushing.
Smooth. Real smooth, she thought.
“I’m fine, don't worry.” responded Baran with a smile, before noticing Trinity’s face.”What happened to you?” she asked, concerned.
“I fell and cut myself.” Explained Trinity, rubbing her neck.
“You fall, you get mugged… you’ve got terrible luck,” she said. Her tone was casual, but her eyes weren’t.
Trinity shrugged, while panicking internally. “Yeah, definitely,” she said, forcing a laugh.
“You’re keeping Robby waiting though, so go before you’re too late.”
“Thanks! I’m really sorry.” said Trinity, while speeding away to Robby’s office.
She knocked on the door, and entered the office.
“I’m really sorry I’m late, it won't happen again Robby.”
“We both know it will. Wow you look like shit! What happened ?” Robby asked.
“I tripped last night, I’m fine, don't worry.” she explained.
“Ok, if you say so. Sit. Let’s see what you’ve got, Santos.”
Robby picked a few of them for the Bugle, and Trinity left with a check that would pay her rent. Outside his office, she spotted Baran at her desk. She debated going over to apologize again, because she had a bad habit of stumbling over her words in front of the woman. In the end, politeness won over, and she walked over to Baran’s desk.
“I’m sorry for earlier, I wasn’t looking where I was going.” the brunette apologized again.
“Like I said, it’s okay. But, you know, if you wanted to talk to me, you could’ve just said so, no need to knock me over.” teased the older woman.
“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind,” Trinity said, laughing awkwardly. “But for now, I think I’ll stick to my method.”
Trinity lingered for a moment too long, then forced herself to move before it got any more awkward.
“See you later, Baran.” she called over her shoulder while leaving.
Behind her, Baran laughed softly.