고!민보다 Go!

Y/N had found a strange thrill in riling him up, often giving him the exact dates and times of her upcoming robberies at the most random moments of their encounters near their building. She seemed to find this hilarious, especially because she managed to lead the NYPD on wild goose chases for weeks. When he had asked if this was just her twisted way of trying to get to know him, she had simply shrugged and told him not to keep her waiting—a command he routinely obeyed. Who was he to refuse such an intimate opportunity to be close to her, in a setting that gave him the chance to hide his awkward regular-guy persona?

This was why, on a Friday night he was supposed to stay in to fix a water leak in his bathroom, he flung his webs across town to reach the Metropolitan Museum. That night, the object of her desire was a gemstone of an ancient South Asian dynasty, lent for a commemorative exhibition.

Y/N was standing cross-armed in the room, busy scrutinising the protective glass between her and the jewel. She barely looked up nor flinched at the sound of soft boots landing on the floor behind her, signalling her neighbour’s arrival.

'Ten more minutes and you would’ve missed me tonight,' she spoke, her voice echoing in the vast, quiet hall. 'What took you so long?'

'The leakage from upstairs finally reached my flat,' Jungkook sighed, adjusting the wrists of his suit. 'Had to patch up some spots before coming.'

Y/N abruptly turned her head at his explanation, her face filled with confusion. 'No way. I thought the landlord went to Mrs Carmona's to get it fixed already!'

A bizarre sense of normalcy settled into the room, as if they had just run into each other on a warm morning by their front doors.

'Turns out the issue was bigger than he thought,' Jungkook said, crossing his arms. 'But don’t act like you’re actually worried about the building when you’re busy trying to rob this place.'

She shot a disapproving glare at him. 'Hey, I’m just as worried about the condition of our building as you are. I also planned on being quick and efficient tonight, but security had to fuck up my plan by upgrading this protective glass.' An exasperated Y/N uncrossed her arms to point at the casing of the gemstone, huffing at all the hard reconnaissance work she had done weeks ago that was now rendered useless. 'So much for being discreet.'

It was now the superhero’s turn to be confused. ‘Discreet? The entire NYPD has been trying to hunt you down for weeks. You’re anything but discreet, and they’re going to get you one way or another,’ Jungkook countered, carefully stepping closer to close the distance between them.

‘Please, these cops are about as good as Chief Wiggum on his best days,’ she scoffed. ‘And even when I don’t tell you where I’m going to be, you keep showing up and turning these chill nights into Olympic races,’ she corrected, pointing a gloved finger at him.

‘Because you’re breaking the law, and I’m a superhero, remember? This isn’t a game, even if you keep treating it like one by stealing all these things and hiding them in your pantry like they’re just random toys,’ Jungkook argued. He unconsciously closed the distance between them, his voice dropping to a serious, firm tone. He needed to remind her—and perhaps himself—that he had a job to do. ‘So, for the sake of both our time, step away from that stone and I might let you walk away.’

The thief now wore a broad grin at their newfound proximity, her sparkling eyes boring into his lenses with wicked delight. ‘You know I can’t do that, Spider. Coming all the way here just to back down at a tiny hurdle is not my style.’

‘You’re going to get yourself thrown in a cage just to keep your ego intact?’ he muttered, in disbelief at her recklessness.

She shook her head, her grin still showing. ‘I just hate running away from a challenge,’ she purred, taking tiny steps backward without breaking eye contact.

Before he could respond, Y/N gave an energetic kick to the jewel’s pedestal, freeing the shiny stone from its glass prison. Instantly, a high-pitched alarm began ringing all around the museum. Although it completely foiled her attempt to draw as little attention as possible, her only solution now was to make a run for it before anyone reached the scene. He swiftly tried to shoot a web at the jewel on the ground to grab it before she could, but she was astute enough to kick it out of his aim. The sudden action used his own powers against him, pulling him off balance.

Slightly stunned after his head collided with the floor, he had only a few moments to watch her tuck the jewel into a little satin bag and head towards the nearest window. Perched on the ledge, she looked down at him one last time with a childish grin.

‘See you next time, Spidey! Gotta take care of that leak!’ she waved, before disappearing between the many skyscrapers of New York.

_

Their snappy interactions when both of their suits hid their real selves were a stark contrast to the rapport—for lack of a better word—they had built over time in broad daylight, when everybody was watching.

Jungkook was just done wrapping his mind around it all when he was put straight to the test at a neighbour's housewarming party a few days later, on a bright Sunday afternoon. There was no need to worry about whether he looked brave enough to scare her a minimum for him, and no security system to figure out in a ridiculously small time frame for her. It was just them, making small talk with the other clueless neighbours and sitting around a table before the beginning of a card game of which he barely understood the rules.

After the first round ended and some rules were switched to start a new one, Jungkook stepped out onto the terrace to get some fresh air. There, he found Y/N sitting in a hidden corner, arms crossed over the ledge as she peacefully watched all the pedestrians enjoying their little strolls.

‘Hannah is so cool,’ she said, focusing her attention a young couple fetching a toy for their baby from the lower compartment of their stroller.

‘She is. I’m pretty sure she only invited us to bribe someone into moving the couch she’s getting delivered next week,’ Jungkook replied, leaning against the railing a few feet away from her, trying to act casual despite his racing heart. ‘But the food makes up for it.’

His heart bloomed at the soft chuckle he managed to draw out of her, ‘Yeah, that’s also the first time a neighbour throws a housewarming party so she gets a pass.’ Y/N pointed out. A comfortable silence permeated the air before she continued, ‘I initially wanted to do one for my own apartment, but I have very expensive things to hide in my pantry.’ She turned her head towards him, wiggling her brows with a mischievous grin. Jungkook rolled his eyes and let out a heavy, defeated sigh at her joke. He was utterly exhausted by the constant reminders of the messy situation he had willingly put himself in with her.

'Don't be so tense around me. You know I don't bite.'

'Everything you go after is currently tracked by every agency in the world,' Jungkook whispered, checking over his shoulder to ensure the other guests were still inside. 'You could never sell these on the black market without them tracking you down.'

'Who said anything about selling them? I know they won't go anywhere.' She stood up from her seat, fully giving her attention to him.

‘Honestly, the only thing I enjoy in this double-life thingy is how I get to improve my technique and escape plans after each night. Pretty satisfying if you ask me.’

Jungkook chose not to comment on the underlying confession, but he was deeply intrigued by it. ‘Normal people would just take up pottery or crocheting to improve their technique. They don't actively risk federal prison.’ he countered with a harder tone, his eyes trying to find any semblance of remorse in hers. As expected, he only found a softer version of the glimmer she had when she went after that Asian jewel.

Y/N let out a soft, melodic laugh that sent a strange warmth through his chest. 'I already tried crocheting once, wasn’t fun enough for me. Plus, stealing stuff is a more active way to make good use of my hands.'

She patted his shoulder playfully before leaving him by himself on the balcony to ponder.

Weeks went on with their odd but familiar dynamic after that. When they were not fighting, Jungkook got used to hearing the constant hum of her TV playing the same YouTube channels on weekends, while Y/N was blessed with his impromptu karaoke sessions at almost any given hour of the night. He was no superstar, but the man could hold a note, and she had almost told him once that he had gotten way better since the very first days she moved in. Their daily conversations in the elevator when other neighbours were there, mixed with the midnight chases completely blurred the lines of duty and quality time spent together. At the end of the day, Jungkook found himself growing genuinely fond of her and her antics—realising with a sinking heart that he was no longer just tracking a target, but falling for his neighbour. And as fucked up as it was, he was dying to know if their many nights of banter behind their respective other identities and impromptu errands ran at the shop together helped her feel the same.

_

The next time Y/N extended an invite to him for her upcoming heist was at the Brooklyn Museum. The moonlight streaming through the grand glass ceiling casted a soft glow over the exhibits, bringing a strange sense of intimacy to the bizarre circumstances. The webslinger didn’t have much detail on what to expect tonight, but had followed her orders nonetheless. He actively avoided asking himself if he was only caving to her mind games because he wanted to enjoy the time spent with her the only way she allowed him to, or if he wanted to make sure she stays out of trouble while already putting herself at risk. Either way, both were wrong motives and he unfortunately knew it.

He snuck into the museum and padded quietly through the shadows as he waited for signs of her arrival. Carefully inspecting the room, he caught the faint sound of her heels clicking on the marble floor behind him. There she was.

'Boo.' she whispered close to his ear, her sudden proximity sending a light shiver down his spine.

'I heard you walk in.'

Y/N fake-pouted and sashayed past him, her shoulder deliberately brushing his along the way. 'Does your spidey-sense make it absolutely impossible for you to be caught off guard?'

'My spidey-sense works for serious situations only,' Jungkook replied, turning around to follow her alluring silhouette. 'And like I said, I literally heard your heels on the floor.'

'Ouch. Ruin my fun, why don't you?' She sighed, leaning her hip against a pillar.

Jungkook didn't let the silence simmer for too long. He was aggravated enough at his undeniable attraction to her as it was, and wanted to wrap up this umpteenth round of the game she kept playing with him. 'Well, this room's empty.' he stated, letting his arms fall on his sides at the vastness of the room they were engulfed in in the middle of the night. 'I'm sure you have better things to do than to request my presence if it's not for something important.' He aimlessly played with the cuff of his suit, realising he found it harder and harder to look her in the eyes while speaking. Every minute spent leaning into her playful antics was another minute his resolve was close to crumbling for good, making him forget which side of the law he was supposed to be standing on.

'What are you going after this time, Y/N?'

She was surprised by his firmer attitude, but found it endearing.

'Don't think so low of yourself, I actually enjoy our little escapades together.' she gleefully admitted, digging his grave even deeper. 'But if you want to go straight to business, let me show you.' She made a come hither motion with her fingers and started her deliberate strut towards another area of the museum.

He carefully analysed the gallery she guided him into, walls elegantly decorated with what looked like golden stripes faintly showing between dozens of different-sized paintings hung on the walls. When she reached the center, Y/N twirled on herself before throwing her arms wide to present the room to him like she arranged everything herself.

'Welcome to the Time Machine exhibition.' she announced, voice echoing at the vast unoccupied space. 'Big shots from all across the globe wanted to create the most impressive art experience for history retelling, and they all agreed to plan it here.'

She paused before sharing more of the background of the exhibition. 'Basically, they want to show how gruesome the genocide of Native Americans as well as the Atlantic slave trade and everything that followed was, to make sure none of this happen again.' The sarcasm in her tone was clear as day, 'which is a bit funny considering, well… the world we live in.'

Jungkook mentally approved of her words and kept admiring the room. Some paintings hidden behind heavy canvas covers leaving his imagination wild, others proudly displayed for future visitors to see.

It was an impressive collection of fierce history caught in oil and fiercely saturated colour palettes, paying respects to the courageous victims of what was the worst of Western colonialism. All the uncovered canvases depicted the brutal, chaotic clashes with Europeans, but also vibrant indigenous celebrations and the rich, intimate rhythms of their daily lives before the world they once knew collapsed.

Some also portrayed former slaves thriving in the very environments into which they had been cruelly forced after the Atlantic trade. Although the backstory was nothing but depressing, the artists aimed to capture moments of community and solace amongst each other at their newfound freedom, even in the absolute thick of chaos and generational grief this had caused.

Each figure created on the canvases possessed incredibly vivid, sharp facial expressions, striking, and deeply expressive to convey the monumental historical weight of what was pictured. Each piece was magnificent, bursting with singular, deeply personal stories that felt vital to keep the heritage of ancestors unspoiled.

Everything deemed to be "ancient" art was not his forte, but he still could objectively appreciate how some paintings still felt vividly alive after centuries. The freshness of the air contrasted with the weight of the ancient history surrounding them, only added to the experience. He wished he could have taken her on a date in a museum with a brighter thematic and in a way better circumstance, but this illegal rendezvous would have to act as a substitute until they (she) finally defined whatever their relationship was.

He only noticed she was far from him when Y/N failed to respond to his quiet whisper about how cool the room looked despite his lack of art knowledge, and saw her standing still in front of one of the largest canvases.

He went to stand next to her smaller frame, not fully noticing how enthralled Y/N was. Unbeknownst to him, the work in front of them had her feeling jittery, all the colors and heavy energy the painting shaking her to the core.

The canvas illustrated what looked like a family of four, standing at the very top of a hill with nothing but spears to defend themselves compared to the long, foreign, metallic guns the attackers pointed at them. Even in the dark, you could make out in their faces the panic and horrifying realisation that no matter how desperately they stood up against the enemy, they were about to meet a tragic end.

'See that one?' Y/N chinned toward the painting above them, getting her neighbour's attention, 'It belonged to a tiny indigenous tribe of the Caribbean, the Kueyu. They thrived for centuries on the archipelago now called Saint Theodore before the Spanish crown came over and killed almost all of its inhabitants. Back in the 1930s when an anticolonialism movement started in some areas of the Americas, a painter named Luann Beckett recreated this historically accurate event of one of the last families that fought for their survival before getting executed.'

He took some time to contemplate the painting with deep concentration. He was fully aware of the wide range of emotions with which this work was soaked up — both by the story of the artist and for those who had unfortunately known the immense sorrow of being torn from their native land. The pain, dismay, grief, and anxiety... it would never fully encompass the true anguish the family depicted in this painting went through, but he could totally imagine how colossal that sacrifice must have been.

'That painting was stolen from her descendants after her passing and miraculously found thirteen years ago. They didn't find any of her direct lineage in the country so they consider it property of the museum until someone related to her shows up. This is why it's here now, displaying it like it's theirs to show off.' Y/N tsk'ed, visibly annoyed at the turn of events.

'I always thought us Asians had a hard time dealing with American imperialism, but this actually is so much worse in the Caribbeans.'

'The islands being located right under the U.S.A make it difficult for them to fully gain their independence and resist Western oppression. I can’t recall one resistance movement that actually worked and totally left said country alone until now.'

'Does the Dominican Republic count?' he pondered out loud, 'They seem pretty well off.'

'Meh, they’ve been invaded by Spain twice and I'm not a fan of how xenophobia is basically institutionalised.'

A comfortable silence ensued, both joining different trains of thought and basking in the intensity that art piece emanated.

'Don't you think it's too big to fit into your stash back home though? If your flat is designed like mine, you're probably running out of space.' Jungkook wondered while pointing at the art piece, hell-bent on the idea that all her stolen goods were hidden in a tiny closet of her apartment when she never confirmed or denied his theory. She didn't bother to correct him on it and only scoffed, but it was not as lightweight as it usually was with her.

'This one's not staying with me.' He rapidly blinked and brows furrowed at the sudden solemnity of her statement. 'I’m just correcting a historical error. This painting is going to go right back where it belongs.' she said with no trace of her usual mischief.

‘Going back where, exactly?’ Another silence. But ten times heavier than the previous one.

He turned his body completely to face her as she kept her eyes on the prize, seemingly lost in her inner turmoil. ‘Look, if you gonna get involved in something riskier tha—‘

'Don’t worry about it.' She cut him off a little too quickly. He was stunned to get a glimpse at what looked like a more vulnerable version of his neighbor, a usually flirtatious and carefree woman now showing a rather determined and intense gaze behind her feline-masked face.

Y/N briefly realised she had shown too much and forced a quick, deflecting assertiveness to get the ball back on her court. 'As I've always shown you, I'm not a damsel in distress.' she reminded him —and herself after this little slip-up. 'Tonight's heist might have a symbolic significance, but I'm perfectly capable of handling myself.'

And now, they were eyeing each other for far too long for her liking. Scrambling to break the heavy seriousness their conversation had just created, she mentally flipped through the pages of her favourite imaginary book titled ‘Masking Vulnerability 101’ to change the subject.

'I genuinely thought you were more into art, but I’m glad you enjoy this kind of art movement nonetheless.' Jungkook saw her offering him a soft but honest smile, kind of glad to gradually get her usual radiant energy back.

'I don’t know,' he mumbled, shrugging his shoulders. 'I’ve been raised to be more of a comic-book guy, but I know good stuff when I see them.'

She giggled, his confession not even surprising her one bit, 'From being a comic-book guy to a vigilante protecting the neighborhood from pesky criminals like me and supervillains? What an inspiring success story.’

He bit back a smile under his mask before opening his mouth to say something else—perhaps to insist on knowing what this painting actually meant to her on a more personal level—but the words died in his throat.

An intense knot suddenly settled in the pit of his stomach, accompanied by the tightening of his muscles for a millisecond throughout his entire body. The familiar but unwanted buzz ringing in his ears followed suit, taking over his other senses by blurring his ability to focus on anything else than the violent urge to act quickly on the incoming threat… which was apparently coming from above.

He straightened up instantly and got closer to her, reclaiming his heroic, combat-ready stance. 'Don’t make a sound.’ Jungkook hissed, lenses of his facemask squinting dangerously.

It was now Y/N’s soft face’s turn to frown, taken aback by the radical change of demeanour, ‘What are you on ab—‘

A police squad crushed the glass ceiling that overlooked the two of them, forcing Jungkook to lunge forward and push her out of the way. His entire body rolled across the floor, just as a heavy chunk of the ceiling collapsed right where she had been standing. 'NYPD! Freeze!' authoritative voices boomed through tactical masks, loud and clear even over the rhythmic wail of a silent alarm that had suddenly gone live.

And to make matters worse, more units kept rappelling down to position themselves at every exit, targeting her with blinding spotlights and instantly cutting down Y/N’s chances of escape.

Jungkook scrambled to his feet and saw her eyes go wide at the sudden intrusion. He took one look at the tactical team flooding the lower level and the major exits, turning the museum into a tightly locked fortress.

The moment she regained her footing, Y/N scanned the room with calculated precision and in the blink of an eye, bolted for her life towards a tiny unguarded door she had previously noted as an emergency exit. She wasn't used to getting caught red-handed, but a life spent in the shadows always carried such a lingering risk, so the ambush wasn’t a total surprise. Her flight instinct forced her to tune out the blaring sirens and the shouting guards running after her, leaving her entirely focused on the rhythm of her legs and finding secure footing on any surface she deemed safe enough to land on.

While trying to lose the police by switching heights in her frantic escape, a misjudged leap over a massive gap between buildings made her feet miss the targeted ledge. And for what felt like eternity, she was falling from a four-floor building, eyes closed as if it would help her brace for the brutal impact on the asphalt— But the impact never came; instead, a warm, powerful grip locked securely around her waist.

Before fully registering why her bones and muscles haven’t been blown to bits, she was suddenly launched back up into the sky, the wind loudly whistling in her ears against a never-ending, tilting city skyline.

A sharp gasp left her feeling even dizzier from the lack of air at the highest altitude she had ever seen in her life. 'What the—?!' She looked up, finally noticing the red and blue suit belonging to none other than Jungkook, swinging the both of them to God-knows-where. 'Spidey, what the fuck?! Where are you taking me?'

'If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in jail, you better wrap your arms around my neck and shut up until we’re both safe!' Jungkook yelled over the rushing wind, firing another web-line toward the next building in his line of sight.

Y/N had no choice but to obey, grabbing his well-sculpted torso with all her might as he leapt from one robust structure to another. She was not sure where to look so as not to disturb her inner ear's balance more than it already was. All she could do was force herself to focus on breathing somewhat properly, while trusting the man holding her to bring the both of them to safety.

Their escape from the police finally ended at a deserted construction site, Jungkook using his body to roll them across the dusty concrete floor for several meters before finally grinding to a halt.

He landed heavily on top of her, head resting right against her chest violently heaving from the sudden exertion and rush of adrenaline. He hurriedly lifted his head when noticing the position he was in, yanking his mask off to breathe some cool night air—completely forgetting in his blurred mind that it would leave his flushed face entirely exposed to her.

Now that the aggressive sirens and shouting had faded into the background noise of the city, they just stared at each other. They were both way too aware of their bodies glued together, erratic breathing, and the abnormal thumping of their hearts.

Jungkook scrambled off her, rolling onto his side with a pained groan before pushing himself up, back and shoulders aching from the hard landing. Y/N dusted off her leather suit right after as she got back on her feet, eyes lingering on his uncovered face with a completely new, unreadable expression. 'Thanks…' she exhaled, head still spinning from all the acrobatics she experienced. Lost for words, Jungkook just gave a tight nod, trying to his breath as he pulled his mask back over his face, hiding himself once more.

Dying to flee from the onslaught of confusing emotions, he mentally shook his head to get it together. ‘Wait here for another thirty minutes before going back home.’, he instructed her, voice now lower and muffled by the fabric.

‘And where are you going?’

‘To check if we actually lost the cops.’

Seeing him walking away, Y/N seized the last occasion she had tonight to hesitantly ask him for a "ride" after he was done with them.

'Don't push your luck,' he warned her. Without another word, he fired a web toward the upper buildings and fled into the night, leaving her standing there completely dumbfounded.

'But we live in the same building!' she called out to the quiet air, her saviour long gone in between the shadows of the city.

His silhouette finally gone from her line of sight, another big deep breath escaped her chest. Standing alone in the dark, she realised the web she had got caught in was going to be much harder to detangle herself from than she thought.

It was almost eleven p.m, and Jungkook was waiting for her in the most secluded booth available at the diner, his mind wandering. While it was indeed a good idea to be in a public place in case she tried something against him, the familiar setting of the very restaurant he often sat at to satisfy his greasy food cravings didn't help much to ease his nerves. The poor guy’s leg kept bouncing like crazy under the table at the idea of sitting in front of the girl he helplessly wanted to get to know before he found out she was a thief. 

How could someone as sweet and kind as Y/N, his cute neighbor and long-time crush ever since she moved in the building, could simultaneously live the life of an outlaw? The irony was not lost on him, considering he was also the complete opposite of his Mr Average persona working for a tabloid newspaper since that radioactive spider bit him years ago.

Overall, Jungkook and Y/N's interactions mostly happened when they ran into each other in their elevator on the way to or coming back from work, but also in the laundromat around the corner. Her clean loads always had the most addictive smell, to which she'd always say it's only "some cheap fabric softener samples some clerk gave me" after getting her groceries. And yet, he swore that aroma had that little something else laced when she was the one using it.

While he was busy basking in the memory of her smile after he told her she smelled heavenly, the distant sound of the bell above the doorframe had him turn his head towards the entrance, where he saw her walk in.

Y/N appeared like nothing but her usual self, his favorite neighbor, when she closed the door behind her and thoroughly scanned the room to find where he was seated. Her upper body was engulfed in the extra large navy blue hoodie he often saw her wearing when they met in their hallway, and he caught himself wishing they sat in this booth for more romantic reasons (maybe even with her wearing his hoodies instead). He abruptly shook his head to get his mind out of it, but if he played his cards right tonight, his daydream could happen soon anyway.

« Hey. » She greeted him in the same honeyed voice he was so used to hearing, a whiff of that damn citrus fruit permeating the air the second she sat in front of him.

« Hey. » Jungkook shot back with a tight-lipped smile, trying to calm his heart rate that slowly picked up when she walked towards him. He quickly noticed a drastic difference of energy at the table. While he had been rehearsing every single thing he could say to her ever since they found each other's secret identity, she appeared very collected. Hell, she even asked him if he ate before coming before ordering two strawberry shakes with some fries from the waitress... who ended up complimenting her manicure and asked where she got it from. 

Jungkook watched them squeal over whatever girls find great about nail techs, in utter confusion. She was so whimsy, so bubbly… Was it really the same person that knocked down a whole crew of police officers at the Natural History Museum?

After getting their (her?) order, Y/N slid one of the shakes towards him and took several sips of hers, savoring the taste she probably have craved all day. They pretty much stayed there in silence after she ran out of small talk options, drinking the cold beverage before he psyched himself up to get this awkwardness over with. 

Y/N lifted her head when she heard him loudly clear his throat. « So? » she pursed her lips and waited for him to start the discussion he was hellbent on having.

« You have to stop robbing these museums. »

Y/N didn't even try to suppress her snort. « Are you always this nice to all these criminals you fight with? » she asked, genuinely amused.

« I'm dead serious Y/N— look, » he straightened his back and unconsciously puffed his chest in the process, putting on the big guy persona in action… Not so easy to show off his usual bravado when his face is not behind that mask.

« I wanna go on about this the "civilized" way because this is the first time I'm in this type of situation. » She cocked her head to the side, waiting to see where this little speech was going. Jungkook stared dead in her eyes before beginning, « I like you a lot. »

… That had way more meaning than initially intended. 

The second of silence that stretched right after felt like eternity, and he blurted whatever came up in his mind to tone down the seriousness of this involuntary confession. « I- I mean as a person, a-and a neighbor! ». His cheeks felt hot when he noticed her eyes beaming. Ugh, that Freudian slip or whatever that was will cost him a lot during their next encounters.

Y/N put her chin in her hands and tried to fight a playful smile at his rambling, making it even more troublesome for him to act like his superhero-self. « I have no issues with you as my neighbor, but whenever I have my suit on I have to be on the side of the law. »

« I’m not as ill-intentioned as you think I am. » she plainly stated, picking on a lukewarm fry.

It was Jungkook's turn to openly scoff at her. « Honestly? It's very hard to tell when you keep knocking out these guards and police officers. »

Y/N slouched back on her seat at the recollection of the officers who had fallen for her very predictable jabs before she ran away, eyes rolling to the back of her head. « Please, these idiots barely do their job anyway, no wonder why I get away with all this shit so easily. » Y/N swallowed before arguing further. 

« Also, remember that guy who tried to rob Fresh Bitez the night I took a painting at the Bronx Museum? You're so lucky cops only noticed the robbery the day after, like-- it left me all the time needed to knock that guy down myself. » she smirked after her little anecdote, « I kinda did you a favor here 'cause you would've arrived there too late. »

Jungkook had a hard time understanding her twisted logic (she also had a point about the lack of effort the NYPD has been delivering for the city, but he wasn't going to admit it out loud). 

« Are you even taking our discussion seriously? » 

« I am, I'm just very goofy and I like messing with you in the process. » she confessed with a cat-like grin.

Jungkook groaned in frustration, his energy depleting when he realized his poor attempts at reasoning with her were failing miserably. « I should've thrown you and that guy helping you to the police when I had the chance, 'cause this is getting nowhere. »

« What guy? I got out of that alley by myself. » she went back to that nonchalant stance, lying through her teeth. Had he not been there to witness everything himself, he probably would have believed her without any further question. As infatuated as he was, he wasn't going to let her get away with any lies tonight and if he failed to convince her to stop her illegal activities, he was at least going to get all the information he could use to prevent her next heists.

« I'm not talking about that night. Cops always think you're doing everything yourself, but there's someone else helping you out. I saw you talking to each other after you went for a sculpture in the Museum of Modern Art. » he recalled, her eyes briefly widening at the amount of detail he shared.

Jungkook was referring to a lean masked man he saw her have a rather tense conversation with, after they went for an artifact lent by the Louvre for an exhibition. Jungkook managed to crawl onto the wall of a nearby building to spy on their conversation after the police failed to arrest them, hoping to make a move at the perfect time. The woman’s body language wasn't particularly exuding warmth towards the guy, a mental note he kept in mind as years of being the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man taught him criminals are easier to apprehend when they only seem to be coworkers rather than friends outside their criminal hours. A sound coming from around him killed the momentum he was building to neutralize them, and by the time he got his focus back, they were both gone, probably surprised by the random noise as well. He cursed himself for not acting sooner, but since their crimes so far were not essentially targeting civilians, he figured they were not a threat for now.

« Ohhhh, that guy. » she feigned remembrance after swallowing another damn fry. « I actually met him recently, he said he also had… things to steal in these museums too or something, » she talked about her point of view of the encounter with her partner in crime like she was updating one of her girl friends about a date she had the other week. « He was like « we could definitely help each other out. My powers can come in handy. » blah blah. »

She frowned and pouted before going on, « He was right about being helpful, but he's a bit intense y'know? Like, he always ends up taking unnecessary risks and I hate that. »

By the looks of it, she did not care much about him and merely considered him as a coworker. Was it fucked up for him to feel some kind of relief? Probably, but he was too far gone to care.

« When I do these heists myself I get in, do my lil' burglar thing, and get out. No fuss, no muss. » she explained, mimicking a stickman walking to the left on the table, running away to the right with her fingers.

Jungkook couldn't wrap his head around any reason why she robbed these museums in the first place. Unlike the other villains he fought, she didn't seem to have that life-altering trauma that made her vow to herself she'd pursue a life of crime, or get revenge on someone, or even a need to get rich. All the stuff she kept robbing couldn't be sold on the black market anyway, and no one would risk depositing them for money. And even if she found a way to do it, she still had a regular office job she was fine with and lived in that barely above-average building like he did.

« Why are you going through all this trouble if it's not even for fame or money? »

« You don't know how hard I wish I could sell these bad boys on the market so I could buy a house on a private island and never come back. And fame? » she gasped, almost offended at the idea he could see her being like that, « Believe it or not, I don't like the attention. » 

« You sure do love a theatrical exit with these artifacts when all these spotlights are on you. Y/N really, why are you doing this? »

« Okay, look. » The atmosphere took a weird shift when Y/N cleared her throat and straightened her back, before leaning her chest forward as if to let her favorite neighbor in on a secret. Her eyes and tone softened, but her assertiveness remained. « I know what I'm doing is wrong, but my goal has never been to hurt people and it'll never be. All the casualties that happened lately were not in my plan, and I'm glad you and emergency are always around to help when needed. I would gladly stay and help them myself cause I do feel bad about it most of the time, but y'know…» she lightly shrugs, « can't risk staying around if you don't want to get arrested. » 

Jungkook let her words sink in, and her change of attitude matched the Y/N he was used to seeing in their hallway. No jokes, no mischief, just honesty. Sure, she definitely was an iceberg of secrets which he could only see the tip of, but he chose to trust his gut (or spider sense) about her for now.

« What I’m trY/Na say is, I won’t stop my heists anytime soon, but try not to worry your little brain too much on this, okay? » He barely had time to let his soft spot for her bloom even more in his chest when she patted her soft hand on his as a reassuring gesture. « From now on I’ll be even more careful not to make a mess. »

Before breaking contact, she gently rubbed her palm on his to slide something in it, and Jungkook's face dropped when he realized the rather small and crumbled texture in his hand was of a twenty dollar bill. 

« Shakes and fries are on me. See you around! »

Her citrusy smell vanished after she grabbed her purse and casually exited the diner, leaving him unsure of what to think in front of his barely touched shake and the rest of her fries. All in all, this whole conversation did a poor job at deterring her from stealing precious stuff and he managed to lose all the aura he thought he had, but it could've been worse… right?

part 2