#spidey!burrow

spidey!burrow who starts developing an absolutely ridiculous sense of balance, and you notice because he can suddenly stand on things that no normal human being should be able to stand on. you catch him balancing on the edge of a treatment table one day and just stare at him until he awkwardly climbs down and insists he was "just stretching."

spidey!burrow who heals from injuries in days instead of weeks, which initially makes you think he's either secretly taking something or deliberately hiding how badly he's hurt. you keep checking the same bruises because you cannot understand how they disappear so quickly.

spidey!burrow who develops spider-sense and absolutely hates how often you catch him reacting to things before they happen. you'll reach for something behind him and he'll suddenly turn around before you even touch him, making him have to invent increasingly terrible explanations for why he somehow knew.

spidey!burrow who accidentally scares the hell out of you one morning by appearing beside you without making a sound. you jump so badly that he instinctively catches you before you fall, and you're left staring at him because he somehow reacted before you'd even started tipping backwards.

spidey!burrow who has to relearn how to control his strength around you. early on, he grabs your wrist during a joke and immediately loosens his grip when he realises how easily his fingers could hurt you. after that, he's almost comically careful with you until you eventually tells him, "joe, i'm not made of glass."

spidey!burrow who becomes incredibly protective of you but refuses to admit it's because he's spider-man. he'll casually offer to walk you to your car, insist you text him when you get home, and somehow always appear when you're leaving the facility late.

spidey!burrow who knows exactly where you are in a crowded room because of his enhanced senses. he doesn't even have to look for you anymore. he can hear your laugh from across the building and immediately know where you are.

spidey!burrow who finds that incredibly comforting. no matter how chaotic everything becomes, hearing your voice somewhere nearby makes the constant noise in his head feel a little less overwhelming.

spidey!burrow who starts sneaking into the training room after particularly bad nights, usually under the excuse of needing something checked, when really he just wants somewhere quiet where you are still awake and don't ask too many questions.

spidey!burrow who has to come up with increasingly ridiculous explanations for his disappearances. "where were you?" becomes his least favourite question because you are exceptionally good at detecting bullshit.

spidey!burrow who gets annoyed when you treat his injuries like you treat any other athletes. he'll insist he's fine, you'll tell him to sit down, and suddenly the superhero who can swing between skyscrapers is obediently sitting on the treatment table while you wrap his ankle.

spidey!burrow who secretly loves that you don't treat him differently. everyone else sees spider-man as something extraordinary. they see joe burrow as someone extraordinary. you still see the guy who forgets to ice his shoulder, leaves his water bottle everywhere, and complains when you make him stretch.

spidey!burrow who becomes the world's worst liar around you because you know him too well. he can lie to reporters, teammates, coaches, and basically anyone else, but you only have to tilt your head and say, "joe," and suddenly he's reconsidering every decision he has ever made.

spidey!burrow who eventually realises you are the only person he actually wants to tell. not because you figured him out, but because you make him feel like he doesn't have to carry the secret alone.

spidey!burrow who tells you the truth after a particularly bad night, sitting on the edge of the treatment table with his elbows resting on his knees, staring at the floor because he's more nervous telling you than he's ever been facing an armed criminal.

spidey!burrow who finally looks up after taking off the mask and finds you staring at him with the softest expression. he expects fear, confusion, maybe even disbelief. instead, you just ask, "how long have you been doing this?" 

spidey!burrow who laughs when you immediately starts asking medical questions. how does the healing work? does he still feel pain? does his heart rate change? what happens when he's exhausted? has he been eating enough? is he sleeping?

spidey!burrow who eventually realises you're not fascinated by spider-man. well at least not in the way others are. you're worried about joe.

spidey!burrow who absolutely hates when you patch him up after a fight because you can see every bruise and every cut, and he knows you can tell which injuries he's trying to downplay, but secretly loves the way your hands are always gentle with him, even when you're scolding him for being reckless.

spidey!burrow who eventually starts associating the smell of athletic tape and antiseptic with safety. because no matter how bad the night was, if he makes it back to you, he knows he's okay.

spidey!burrow who discovers that being spider-man is terrifying, but being loved by someone who knows exactly who he is underneath the mask is somehow even scarier.

🕸️ Bonus

spidey!burrow who comes back from patrol injured and climbs through your window instead of going to the facility. you wake up, see him sitting on the floor in his suit, and don't even ask how he got there. you just sigh, turns on the lamp, and says, "treatment table. now."

he smiles beneath the mask. "missed you too."

hello everyone! this is just a little something something think of it as an appetiser. if y'all like it i might have to go into the kitchen and whip up some entrées... we'll see. i got my wisdom teeth removed so i've got a lot of free time.