#||..threads | leijona

“Yeah, that’s the nerves. And fear.” He was sure he’d read somewhere that without fear, there was no bravery. Being brave was doing something in spite of your fear — and right now, he was feeling more of it than usual.

But for a split second, he had to look back at the stranger, lenses wide to simulate surprise. He could hear heartbeats thanks to his spider-given abilities, but it wasn’t a common occurrence in others as far as he knew.

“Wait, how’re you able to hear it?”

A curt nod from the witch; she understood FEAR all too well. Her heartbeat was jagged, uneven, and always fast-- just one of the many cons that came with having a portion of your heart replaced by solidified magic. 

“Oh, uh--” Well, Lee hadn’t expected him to actually, er... CALL HER OUT on that. She could probably pass it off as just something to do with her magic, but maybe she didn’t have to. Letting out a huff, hair falling away from her face, the witch crouched down next to him.

SHE REGULARLY HAS NIGHTMARES-- Often times, she’ll WAKE UP ON HER OWN, screaming, CLUTCHING at her chest. But tonight, things are different. The witch’s tossing and turning in her sleep had caught Cassandra’s attention, but when the other hand laid a hand on the blonde to wake her...

SUDDENLY CASSANDRA WAS NO LONGER AT THE CAMPSITE, but instead... on a winding road, surrounded by dense forrest. It was foggy, though the moon was full, casting an eery glow over the area. The woods were quiet, almost too quiet-- uncomfortably so until the sound of hoofbeats on the hard dirt grows closer.

“Easy, boy-- Just a little further and we’ll be home--” The rider approaching is LEE, though she’s YOUNGER; there’s more life to her than Cassandra would have ever seen, and the horse she rides is a giant, chestnut charger-- a far cry from the lithe, black Lava.

“...so...” Salem had happened to LEAVE THEM ALONE together for a little while, probably to just let them get to know each other better without him having to be present. Honestly, they seemed to be getting along FINE so far; of course, that didn’t mean she still wasn’t just A BIT NERVOUS.

SCARY WAS THE UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR. he wasn’t sure she had any idea why, though. it was clear she understood to SOME extent, being obvious from the fight that she had some sort of powers herself. but peter had lost so much, in so little time that the idea that even one more person knew who he was scared the shit out of him. it put him and everyone he ever loved at RISK but there wasn’t much he could do at that point. she had seen him and, as much as he didn’t tell her his name, he guessed that wouldn’t be too hard to find, if she really wanted to.   ❝   just don’t tell ANYONE.   ❞   he sighed, running a hand through his hair, trying to figure out what exactly to do. running away seemed like the wrong move, considering her helping could very well have SAVED his life. | @rdioactiive​

THOUGH SHE DIDN’T WEAR A MASK HERSELF, SHE UNDERSTOOD. To some, their entire life depended on whether or not the face behind the mask was kept a secret. Lee, whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, didn’t have a life to worry about. There were no more loved ones; there had hardly ever been any friends. It was only her and the golem she’d mistakenly made the night she’d set one foot in the grave and never came back out. “...secret’s safe with me, SPIDER-MAN,” came the hushed, breathy response as she sat down next to him. Pale hands tamed her mess of blonde hair, the witch glancing over at him, blue eyes seeming to glow faintly.

“Hey, um--”

THE NIGHT BEFORE HAD BEEN THE BIGGEST SOCIAL TRAIN WRECK IN THE WITCH’S LIFE. Her boyfriend had broken up with her, ruining both her and Jonas’s night at their homecoming dance, and then she’d somehow ended up IN BED with her longtime best friend and not-so-secret crush. She remembered climbing in his second-story window, changing into some of his pajamas, crawling in bed with Connor, and then KISSING HIM before completely passing out. 

HAD THAT BEEN A MISTAKE?

IF YOU HAD ASKED HER TWO YEARS AGO WHERE SHE WOULD BE AT SIXTEEN, WELL... the witch certainly wouldn’t have said ‘on the highest rooftop in Gotham with the Boy Wonder.’ Arms folded across her chest as the blonde stood at the very edge of Wayne Tower, blue eyes trained on the horizon; sometimes she could get lost in the cityscape, finding herself overwhelmed by it all. Why was she staying there, she often asked herself. In a hostile city that she was sure would swallow her whole someday?

Deep down in her gut, she knew. It wasn’t something she wanted to admit, that even though she despised Gotham and its bustling false utopia, there was something about the people that intrigued her. Or, at least, one person in particular. THE ONE WHO WAS STANDING A FEW FEET TO HER RIGHT. 

Dick Grayson. The Boy Wonder. How they had ended up becoming one and the same, she had yet to discover, though she supposed it was no more ridiculous than her becoming... THIS. He didn’t know who she was to him yet, thankfully. Maybe he would, in time. Or maybe she would run well before he even got the chance to learn.