just a bunny

Your breath caught. His face was suddenly inches from yours. Then less than inches. Your noses nearly touched. Blue eyes met your own. "So," Ben said quietly, one eyebrow arching. "You got any more impossible things you wanna tell me?"

You dropped onto the floor with a dramatic sigh, shaking your head as if to emphasize the point. "Nope. That's it. You officially know everything about me." Ben stared at you for a moment, trying to process everything you'd just told him. He rubbed the back of his neck before pointing at you. "So, let me get this straight," he said slowly. "You're The Spider? In your universe?"

The question wasn't new. It was the third time he'd asked, just to make sure he hadn't somehow misunderstood. You nodded patiently. "Yes. Well, Spider-Woman, to be exact." You corrected him. "Right." He nodded along. "Spider-Woman."

He paced a small circle around the room, his mind clearly working overtime. "So... you're basically like me?" "More or less." You shrugged. "We have similar powers, similar responsibilities. The difference is where I'm from, there are a lot of us. Hundreds of Spider-People running around helping people." You thought briefly of the Spider Society. Of Miguel. Ben's eyebrows rose.

"Hundreds?" Ben said bewildered of the thought that they were hundreds like him. "Trust me, it sounds crazier the longer you think about it." He let out a low whistle before his attention shifted toward the strange device attached to your wrist. "And that's how you got stuck here?" he asked, pointing at it. "Pretty much." You lifted your arm and glanced down at the damaged gizmo. "That's the short version."

"Can't you just go back?" You shook your head. "It's broken. My friend is the only person who can fix it." You mentioned Miguel. "Ah." The realization seemed to settle over him. "So you're stranded." "For the time being." You sighed, looking away. "Yeah." Silence lingered for a moment.

Ben studied you carefully. For all your confidence and powers, you looked lost. You were completely out of your element—a stranger in a world that wasn't yours, stuck in a time that didn't belong to you and separated from everyone you knew.

A fish out of water. His expression softened. "Come on." Before you could ask what he meant, he slung an arm around your shoulders and steered you toward the door. "Let's get a drink. My treat." He offered "Ben, that's really not—" You started. Too late. He was already leading you down the street.

A few blocks later, the two of you stepped into a worn-down bar tucked between old brick buildings. The place smelled faintly of smoke, wood polish, and of course alcohol. You slid into a booth across from him. Ben caught the bartender's attention. "One for the lovely lady." He winked at you. A coin landed on the counter with a metallic clink. "And one for me." Another coin followed.

The bartender nodded and returned moments later with two glasses. "Thanks," you said politely. You took a single shot. That was enough. Getting drunk wasn't exactly easy when your body processed alcohol at superhuman speeds. Your enhanced metabolism burned through it almost immediately. It would probably take an absurd amount before you felt anything. Ben, however, seemed determined to test that theory for himself.

One drink became two. Two became four. Then another. And another. You watched him knock back the latest glass before reaching across the table and stopping him. "Hey, Ben." He looked up. "That's enough for now." You suggested He blinked slowly. "...Yeah." After a long pause, he nodded. "I think you're right." A few minutes later, the two of you were back at his office. Ben closed the door behind him and immediately swayed.

You caught his arm before he tipped over. "Easy there." You said holding his arm "I'm fine," he said. The wobble in his legs suggested otherwise. "I was thinking while we were drinking." That statement alone worried you. "Oh?" You said with a worried tone He pointed at you. "Why don't you work for me?" He suggested.

"What?" You blinked. "Work for me." He gestured broadly. "I keep an eye on you. You keep an eye on me. Everybody wins." You considered it. Honestly, it wasn't a terrible idea. You needed somewhere stable to stay while you figured out how to get home. Working with Ben would keep you close enough to monitor him while giving you a legitimate reason to stick around.

It made sense. "But don't you already have a secretary?" You asked "Oh, Janet?" He waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, sure." His hand continued waving long after the point had been made. "I'll just tell her you're my assistant or something. Filing paperwork. Organizing files. Doing all that boring office junk."

You couldn't help laughing. "That's your plan?" You asked "It's an excellent plan." Ben assured. "It's barely a plan." "It's a fantastic barely-a-plan." Ben said with a shrug. You stared at him for a moment before finally giving in. "Okay."