Hey guys. I know some of you all are upset with me for taking Webbed Lines & With Great Power down, but as a writer I felt like the stories weren't going anywhere. And writer's block sucks like a lot.

So I decided to start fresh again! Season 3 so far is great, and its given me so many ideas to work with. In other words, I'm back :]

Read, review, whatever ;3

This is NOT how I wanted to spend my Saturday.

Peter yelped as he was blasted back several feet, landing not-so-heroically on his back.

I came out to have a good time and I'm honestly feeling so attacked right now.

He barely dodged a shot to the groin, twisting his legs and hoisting himself back up to his feet.

Okay. Guess I deserved that one.

"Looks like someone's not as ultimate as he claims himself to be!"

"I'll show you, Bucket Head!"

VERSUS

From then on out, Peter and Sam - once again - raced each other in who could defeat the 'bots the fastest. Ava, Luke, and Danny stopped fighting altogether and sighed, their heads flipping left and right as they watched their two friends act stupid. Again. Peter and Sam were oblivious, practically lunging themselves at their targets as they popped up from all directions. Any other Saturday and Peter would be patroling the city, but noooo ; he had a team to lead, and lone heroes to recruit. Hey-that's what makes him the Ultimate Spider-Man. And he was loving it.

"You're slackin', Webs!"

"Dream on!"

"We're gonna be here all night, aren't we?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it..."

"Ava, no!"

But the tigress was already marching her way over, pushing up the sleeve of her suit, claws extending and sharpening.

"Uh oh. Spidey senses tingli-whoa!"

Peter was the first to get it, knees buckling and automatically ready to bend at her every will as Ava grabbed him by the ear.

"What's wrong, Webs? Cat got your-agh!" Sam nearly collapsed as Ava grabbed him too, dragging her two idiots out of the training room.

"Pizza?" Luke grinned.

"Pizza." Danny grinned back.

Peter was still rubbing his ear gingerly, grumbling under his breath as he followed his friends inside the pizza parlor. Sam could be seen doing the same fashion. Ava, however, looked rather pleased with herself, and ordered the pizza while the boys found their usual spot.

"She really pinched it hard!" Sam whined, glowering in Ava's direction, sending imaginary laser beams into the back of her head.

"Heh, that's what she said," Peter commented, and the two shared a snicker.

And by then, Ava had returned; having overheard their immature, boyish exchange, she slapped the both of them upside the head and took the empty seat next to Danny, leaving the two boys groaning again and rubbing their new-found injuries.

What's with the ABUSE?!

"You two deserved that one," Luke grinned, his bulky arms crossed over his broad chest.

Peter frowned.

...Okay, so maybe he's got a point.

"So what are we gonna do about Flash?" he asked his team. The fact that Flash Thompson (Peter's bully since like, ever!) was the new Venom (really Agent Venom if you wanna get technical) shocked his team into next week when he told them. The symbiote finally found its perfect match and, well, now Flash was swinging around as a masked vigilant too. And sure, he was good. Better than good. But that didn't mean that Peter wasn't concerned at all. Flash was his friend - hard to believe, I know - and Peter was just looking out for him. Flash he trusted. Venom was another story.

"You mean, what are you gonna do about Flash?" Ava corrected him, leaning forward in her seat.

"Huh?"

"Flash is your responsibility," Ava lowered her voice, and Peter had to lean closer to hear her, his arms crossed on the table.

"Our responsibility," Peter corrected her.

She mirrored him. "That's not your decision to make-"

"You're right. It's his. But he's gonna need guidance and the right people to push him in the right direction - and that's us. He's just like we were when we first started out as heroes. Before SHIELD found you, did you know what you were doing?"

Ava hesitated, and even the others had to admit that Peter had a point. "That's...that's not the-"

"Hey, do what you want, Ava. I'm not trying to make you do anything that you don't wanna do. Any of you," he added to Sam, Luke, and Danny. "But I'm helping him."

"Even if that means telling him your identity?" Ava pressed.

Peter sighed. Flash was the last person he'd ever tell about his web-swinging secret, and to be honest, Mary Jane and Harry were at the top of his to-tell list. Unfortunately, after a series of - debatable - unfortunate events...it looked like Peter didn't have a choice. "Even that."

His team exchanged glances, and he studied all of their faces closely: Sam shrugged a shoulder; Danny's eyebrow went up in interest; the two turned simultaneously in Ava's direction with small smiles beginning to spread; Luke gently nudged Ava knowingly with his shoulder, the three of them giving her a look. Her jaw taut, Ava's hazel gaze slowly shifted to Peter's, and the web-swinger gave her his best smile. But on the inside, he was completely terrified. Ava could do anything. She could claw his face. Or worse, mount his head on the wall as a trophy. He shuddered at the mental picture.

Peter stopped counting in his head after fifty seconds (of complete, absolute silence).

"Fine." ("Yes!" Peter pumped his fist in the air.) "We'll go along with whatever you're planning. Just don't screw this up."

"No pressure, Parker!" Sam clapped him on the back.

"Gee, thanks."

"No. Way."

Peter sighed. "Yes, Flash."

"You're Spider-Man? Parker?!"

"Shh!" Peter shushed him, flailing his arms, and Flash leaped back awkwardly. "I like to keep that on the down-low, okay?"

"There's no way you're-there's no way!" Flash whispered.

"Yes, way!" Peter squinted up at him.

Flash huffed, crossing his arms. "Prove it."

Peter rolled his eyes, then cast a look around the empty locker room. When he felt comfortable enough, he finally leaped up, latching onto the nearest wall and began to climb.

Can't believe I'm doing this.

He hopped to the next wall, flipping over and around the corner, and stuck just as easily to the lockers. He could feel Flash's eyes follow him in wonder, and he wouldn't be surprised if Venom's new host began screaming and foaming at the mouth. And, in truth, Flash looked like he was close to fainting; wheezing noises were coming out of his mouth, his whole face lighting up like a super fan would upon seeing their celebrity idol face to face, and he was biting his nails at a rapid pace.

...Heh.

"You're - You're - You're -!" Flash squealed in a very un-masculine manner, jumping up and down.

"Thwip, thwip," said Peter, flicking his wrists. Webbing shot out of his shooters, hidden under his sleeves, and stuck to the opposite set of lockers from across the room. He used them for leverage as he pulled himself back and let go, propelling himself across the air, and stuck his landing. Literally.

"Do you believe me now?" Peter crossed his arms skeptically.

Flash fainted.

"He fainted."

"You guys too?"

"Yeah," Sam rolled his eyes. "Danny barely finished his sentence when Thompson fell out. What a dork!"

"And you're not?" Ava punched him in the arm, and Sam wheezed in pain.

"Now he knows about us," said Danny. "What will be our next move?"

"You're not thinking of putting him on the team, are you? One bug is enough." Sam got hit by Ava once again, and he whimpered, rubbing his injured arm gingerly.

"Spiders. Are. Not. Bugs!" Peter fumed dramatically.

"Who cares?!" Ava interjected before Peter and Sam could get into it, throwing her hands out irritably. "Despite his insensitive stupidity, he has a point. Are you?"

Peter sighed and shook his head. "No...but if he needs our help, any of us-"

"We will come to his aid," Danny finished, and Peter nodded. The group went their separate ways to get to their lockers before class started. Surprisingly, Ava followed Peter. The somewhat oblivious wall-crawler reached his locker and opened it, his mind spinning. He really hoped that he didn't just make a huge mistake. Could he really trust Flash Thompson with his biggest secret of all?

Ava leaned against the locker next to his, arms folded over her chest, one leg tucked behind the other. "You know I'm not okay with this." He shut his locker, tucking his book under his arm, and turned to face her to give her his undivided attention. Her hazel eyes narrowed. "The only reason why I'm going along with it because you're the leader. And I trust you." There was some hesitation before the next part. "Don't make me regret that decision."

In truth, Ava's opinion was one of a good handful that mattered to him the most. She was the closest member of the team to him, with Danny coming as a close second, and she never held back from speaking her mind. That's what he liked about her. He normally gave everyone the benefit of the doubt. She gave everyone blunt honesty.

Unless she somewhat cared about someone. Including Peter. Peter was one of those people.

"Aw c'mon. You can't stay mad at this face, can ya?" he jested lightly.

"Yes," Ava regarded him flatly.

"...Moving on," Peter shifted his weight from one foot to the next. But what could he say? Obviously not something stupid like - "You wanna get together with me and MJ after school? We've got this studying thing and -"

"I'll pass."

Record scratch.

Awkward.

" -Wh-what?"

"I said I'll pass. Thanks but no thanks." Ava began to retreat, but Peter fell into step with her.

"Why?" he wanted to know.

"Why what? You don't need an explanation."

"Uh, yeah I do."

"Uh, no you don't."

Peter squinted. "Uh, yeah I do!"

I can play this game all day.

"Let it go, Parker. I'm done with this conversation."

"Yeah? Well I'm not." Peter then stepped in Ava's line of view, blocking her from going any further. She stopped herself from running into him, shooting the wall-crawler an annoyed look, and he held his hands up innocently. "Do you have something against MJ or something?"

Ava arched an eyebrow blankly.

What? Girls have problems for no reason, right? ...Right?

"Get out of my way."

Peter sheepishly obliged.

"Ava's not coming?"

"Nah...she, uh...um..."

Peter and his best friend, Mary Jane Watson, were sprawled lazily across her living room floor, their homework spread out all over the place. He hadn't been spending enough time with her lately, so he decided to change that. Harry was next on his list of people-he-had-to-abandon-a-lot-cause-reasons.

So while Peter stumbled with his words, Mary Jane began to pout; the way her bottom lip jutted out just over her top and how her green orbs enlarged distracted Peter enough to make him smile. She was so adorable.

What? It's not like you see "Ava" and "adorable" in the same sentence.

Three knocks sounded in the Watson household. Peter hopped up, nearly skipping over to the door.

"Don't worry, MJ. I'm sure Ava is-"

He swung the door open.

"-here?"