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She was getting irritated, mostly with her secondary life. Normally it wouldn't be so bad, being Spider-Girl allowed May the freedom to untangle her muddled thoughts, go swinging around the city- spend time with her soulmate/boyfriend. Except, that's all they seemed to do lately. After their first attempt to have a 'normal' date, ended with rescuing a shallow classmate from a pissed of robot, everything got more hectic. And not in a good way either.
May had currently suited up to head out, having opted to instead to start her patrol early- just a chance to clear her head. Not that she didn't not want to spend time with Terry- Batman. But it seemed like all she did was spend time with him, suits and all! She was worried about forgetting what he actually looked like. Okay, that was a bold face lie, no way she could forget how dark his hair was, her his soft blue eyes, which seemed to burn a little brighter when he smiled with true joy. "Oh boy, I've got it bad." She muttered as she swung onto their usual building for patrol. Checking her phone, she saw it was roughly close to six. "Didn't think I was out for that long..." May thought out loud while sending a quick text to both of her parents that she would be home in time for dinner.
A grin, hidden by her mask, appeared when her mother texted back- replying she would be backing a strawberry bunt cake for desert. An idea popped into her head. Maybe she could bring some before their usual patrol together started. Make it a little fancy, even if they were still in the suits and not, well... down below, there was no reason she couldn't try and make it special. "Wait... is he allergy to strawberries?" Terry never mentioned it, then again, they kept their talks to minimal before they revealed their identities. Even after the fact, they didn't need a member from the Jokerz gang or someone from their rogues gallery learning even a shred of information about them. Since that tiger man down at the museum, rumors seemed to have spread that they were soulmates. Of course it was true- but still, even if it wasn't, couldn't two heroes work together without someone jumping to conclusions? The young woman sighed. She was letting her thoughts run rampant again- what was she thinking about again? Oh yeah, if Terry was allergic to strawberries.
"I should probably check." Pulling her phone off one of the compartments of her webshooter, May started to call- only for the call to go straight to voicemail. Frowning, the masked brunette tried again, which finally went through. Only, the young man wasn't the one who answered.
"Hello? Am I speaking to May?"
What the- "Uh, mind if I ask who's asking?" She replied in confusion at the older female voice. "This is Mary McGinnis, Terry's mother." Oh- crap. May felt embarrassment race up the back of her neck and up to her cheeks. What a nice first impression! "Oh- um, Mrs. McGinnis- sorry! I..." She would just dig herself in deeper at this point. "Is everything okay?" She opted to ask instead.
"Everything's just fine, but I'm afraid Terry is grounded for the next two weeks. He isn't allowed anything electronic, safe the computer for school."
May grimaced in sympathy. "Ah- right, sorry ma'am."
"It's perfectly alright, I'll let Terry know you called... I'm sorry we had to meet up, so to speak, like this."
"No it's okay! Um... just tell Terry I said 'hello.'" May sighed as she hung up. Two weeks, well, Mrs. McGinnis didn't say he would not be attending his "job" for Mr. Wayne. Then again, she never said he would either. And if her instincts were right, being that grounded, meant no working the "job" either. Lovely. The young woman stayed quiet as she put her phone away, already she was starting to miss him. They went from seeing each other in the suits, to not seeing and/or talking to each other for the next two weeks. Maybe she could sneak over to his place! Although, she didn't know where he lived, and it'd be creepy to look up where he lived just to sneak over and check up on him.
Maybe... letters? The old fashioned kind, Mrs. McGinnis said no electronics. Then again, no one used paper for writing and sending letters anymore. Mail people didn't even deliver paper envelopes! It was a nice try. Fighting back another growing sigh, May let herself fall off the edge, soon beginning the journey home.
Dinner was good, but the moment her mom served the strawberry bunt cake, May excused herself to finish up some last minute homework. Much to the worry of her parents, she kept quiet though about Terry being grounded. While she knew they knew that she was dating her soulmate... she didn't want to come right out and tell them Terry McGinnis was Batman. It... well for one, his own mother and little brother didn't know what he actually did for his "job" regarding Mr. Wayne. It wouldn't feel right to tell her own parents that, not unless Terry was comfortable with it. She couldn't even ask him now- not for the next two weeks at least.
Maybe this wouldn't be so bad. For a while now, they only saw their personas, the Spider and Bat- maybe some... time apart would help? "Some help." She huffed under her breath as she dug through her backpack. She finished a lot of her work during study hall, determined to make sure she had little to no homework so she could patrol with Batman. One of the deals she agreed to all those months ago. Even if he was grounded for the next two weeks, it hardly meant she was going to take the easy route and simply leave the house.
Setting her suit and webshooters aside on the bed, the brunette got started on the rest of her homework. A book for English she needed to get farther in and complete a worksheet accompanying it. The minutes flew by, thankfully the book wasn't too bland- letting May enjoy it a bit to where the pages seemed to finish too quickly. After book marking it, she soon got started on the worksheet. She had just finished the final sentence when her phone rang. "Hello?" She answered without checking the caller ID, and nearly dropped her phone from... well, shock was the only work to describe the situation at the moment.
"May, listen- I need you to get to the KKG-TV building, you know, we sometimes fly past it-"
"Terry- what- I thought you were grounded- oh crap- you snuck out"
"May please! Mr. Wayne's in trouble!" May froze at his shouting, panic laced with each word. "I'll be right there." She muttered, trying to ignore the flash of hurt as she hung up before he could say anything else. He was nervous for Mr. Wayne, she couldn't blame him. This was the same man who helped her when he didn't have to, like hell she was going to let something horrible happen to him. Although she'd help the elder male regardless, her great power came with a great responsibility after all.
She still wish he hadn't yelled though, scared/nervous/ worried- whatever reason you wanted to give the situation. She still wished he hadn't yelled.
Donning her suit quickly, she texted her parents as fast as she could while swinging towards the TV building. She almost dropped her phone- but she didn't! It took her a bit to make it to the tower, even going so far as to make a slingshot out of webbing to send her to the place faster. A good thing she did, landing on the building's giant disc, she breathed easier upon seeing the Bat-Mobile fly by- Batman flying out. Wait, "Is that a camera?" May couldn't help but ask as she followed after him, frowning when he shushed her. "He might be here... is he?" Batman asked her, earning a faint grumble from her. That's what she got for not greeting him more properly, then again- would he have even greeted her properly too?
Oh that is what to focus on- instead of the situation with Mr. Wayne! Now that she focused on her, she could feel the traces of fear and worry in her soul, the same thing he felt too. Mentally scolding herself, May reached out to her spider sense, the white lenses of her mask falling shut for a moment before widening. "Batman look-!" She didn't even time to yank Batman away when a small disc scraped his right arm, sparks flying as pieces of the suit's circuits were revealed- the camera falling over the edge. Before she could attempt to go see if it actually was smashed, the assailant revealed themselves-
"Batman?!" May couldn't help but shout in disbelief as the first caped crusader, emerged from the literal shadows and began his attack on her Batman. "Spider-Girl, quick!" The elder Bat exclaimed as he started to swing another punch at her Batman, only for her to catch it. "Mr. Wayne- you need to stop- talk to me, what's going on?"
"Don't you know? Terry's behavior the last few weeks, not to mention his attack against that oil truck! He's not in his right mind- we need to stop him!" Oil truck? The past few weeks- what was he talking about?
"Mr. Wayne please- whatever you think I did it's not true!" Her Batman exclaimed from behind as he started to advance to him. "Has he hurt you?" The elder Bat's question stunned her, stunned her enough to make her drop his fist. "No! He'd never hurt me-!" She heard her Batman cry out for her as green gas suddenly filled her vision, making her cough- the younger Bat too. What was this- stuff? May groaned and clutched her head as she staggered to the side, her body feeling drained suddenly. "I'm sorry Spider-Girl, but he needs to be stopped before he hurts anyone else."
Said female groaned as she shook her head a little, waving her hand around to make the green gas disappear.
No wonder her Batman was worried, it sounded like Mr. Wayne went off the deep end. Only when it felt like alright did she join the fray, ignoring the way her muscles felt weak as she attempted to grab the elder Bat's arm. Except he ducked under- and swiped her legs out from underneath. May grunted as she hit the roof of the building, just in time to see her Batman fall backwards. Icy dread suddenly grabbed at her heart and soul, no, no, no! She scrambled to her feet and hurried forward as fast as she could- except- her agility- where was it?! She needed to catch him-
"Terry!" May nearly cried in relief when the elder Bat caught her Batman just in time- a flash soon going off in front of his face. A flash? Oh! The camera! It must've caught on a ledge somewhere, that's why he fell backwards- to get it! It didn't explain why her Batman needed it to begin with. Nor did it excuse him for pulling a stunt like that! Shoving these thoughts aside for now, May helped the caped crusader pull her Batman up, not hesitating to pull him in for a gentle hug. Mindful of the bruises he must've gotten from the brawl with Mr. Wayne, fancy suit or not. "You- don't you dare do that again." She managed to get out while choking back a sob, feeling a bit better when her soulmate returned the hug. "I'm sorry." He whispered, the masked brunette buried her face in the crook of his neck- a shaky sigh leaving her.
"Terry there's only one- just go ahead and-"
"I'll use it in a second." May let out a startled noise, which was soon muffled by the oxy-mask Terry placed against her mouth. One of his hand cupping her face to keep the mask in place, least she try and take it off. Much to her frustration, she could feel her face turning red from the anger of it all. She was fine! She wasn't the one who decided to fake a fall- plus he got more of that dumb green gas than her! With there being only one oxy-mask, she didn't see the point in taking the first go at it. Her cheeks turned red, for a different reason this time- as Terry smirked shamelessly and kissed her forehead.
Mr. Wayne had given it to them, to help them recover from the green gas he exploded in front of them. A gas that weakened the muscles and depilated one's strength for a bit. May seriously hoped that was his only batch. Eventually she pulled the mask off and placed it over Terry's own mouth this time. Thankfully he didn't argue with her this time, she paused though as she locked eyes with him. His gaze soft, so soft it made her weak in the knees. Before she could say anything, Mr. Wayne cleared his throat, prompting the pair to quickly look over- looking rather embarrassed. The older man simply hummed something under his breath before facing his computer.
"So, anyone mind telling me what's going on?"
"Are you familiar with Spellbinder?" Mr. Wayne asked, making the brunette scowl. "Yeah, before I discovered my powers he gave you guys grief, a lot of other people too with his mind tricks." Just thinking of it made her shudder in unease. She suddenly paused though. "... what did he do?" Why bring up the villain if he wasn't behind this in some fashion? "Spellbinder put in codes, subliminal messages in the news airways for certain people- messages only they could hear." Mr. Wayne explained. May's eyes grew wide, certain people...? Who else was affected?
"But it was just us right? I mean Matt wasn't affected, mom either- but why us? Why Bruce Wayne, why Terry McGinnis?" Said teen questioned, removing the oxy-mask in the meantime. That... made no sense, Spellbinder may have met Terry when he hypnotized him- her hand curled into a tight fist at the uneasy thought- but the villain never met Bruce Wayne. As far as she knew at least. So, why?
"The message was for Batman." The older male explained, "Oh." May nodded in understanding while Terry simply sent him a look, which soon disappeared when the brunette next to him gently bumped her hip with his. Of course Mr. Wayne still saw himself as Batman, he created the legend after all. "Okay, so we know how he did this, but where?" Terry soon asked. "Now I'm going to make ensure you don't fall for anymore of his messages, you too." He nodded towards May. "Mind if I help?" She asked. She wasn't a whiz with tech, not like her dad, but she knew her way around some stuff. "Go ahead, I need to start a trace on Spellbinder's signal." Mr. Wayne pointed out to the needed tools around the cave, and the brunette got to work.
It was silent as May worked on the eyes and ears of Terry's mask, said male removing the cowl from the suit itself. She needed to make sure both vision and the ears of the cowl could block out anymore tricks Spellbinder might through their way. "You okay?" Her hands paused in her work before continuing. "Of course I'm okay." She replied simply, pausing again, soon looking over at him. "... are you?"
"Yeah I'm... I'm sorry for earlier, the yelling- and for that stunt." The dark haired male apologized, earning a surprised look from May. She... wasn't expecting that. "I'm not mad, and I wasn't about earlier... you were worried, I don't blame you." She replied, gently cupping his face in her hands, her heart beating a touch faster when he leaned into the touch. "Really though, are you okay?" May asked a second time, "Yeah... and I'll feel a lot better once we take down Spellbinder."
We- the both of them, she'd never get tired of hearing that. Smiling softly, she gave him a quick kiss before she returned back to work. "Then I better hustle." She bit back a growing grin at the growing blush Terry now sported. Red was definitely his color.
May really didn't like this plan, but... it was the only way to get Spellbinder to lower his guard long enough to jump him. So, while she crawled through air vents of the TV station- that really needed a robot or something to clean them- Batman, went in, pretending to have been affected by the subliminal message. A sight that made her shudder once again that day. Thank goodness Mrs. McGinnis grounded him from the TV... who knew such an act prevented something horrible happening. Speaking of horrible, getting a view of the room, May's breath hitched when she saw a few of the TV station workers- staring into screens. He must've affected them too!
"My, my, I didn't expect my subliminal message to work so quickly." The orange clad villain chuckled, May's hands curling into tight fists. She was so making that guy see stars before this day was over! "I wonder who you're seeing at the moment, someone threatening the world? Your soulmate?"
Oh hell no.
That was her cue to leap down from the air vent- startling Spellbinder enough for Batman to grab him by his neck from behind. "Agh-! I don't understand! The message aired everywhere all day! How- how did you miss it?!" He exclaimed in a mixture of fury and fear. Good, let him be afraid. "Not everyone needs TV in their life, it's just mindless drivel." Batman retorted as he tossed the villain towards the masked brunette. "And for the record- you- are a creep!" She exclaimed while delivering a punch at him, making Spellbinder grunt from the pain and fall backwards. She didn't have much of a snappy comeback, but her point still stood. A moment later her spider sense went off, prompting May too look behind Batman. "Bats-!"
With her sense telling her to turn around- now- she whipped around, just in time for a TV worker to tackle her to the ground. "Strong aren't you?" May grunted as she struggled to keep the male worker from strangling her- without hurting him to boot. "I hope you two like my servants? Unlike Batman, they finished the video I gave them- they don't see us I'm afraid. They simply see whatever they need to, in order to get the job I gave them, down." Was this guy giving a villain monologue? Ugh! He went on to say how the side effects of it all increased their strength- it made sense, but she stopped listening a long time ago. Instead, May focused on webbing the eyes of the man trying to strangle her- before shoving him off and webbing him up against the wall.
It was good timing too, Batman had knocked out the two workers trying to attack him with some colorless smoke- prompting Spellbinder to hurry off. "Oh no you don't!" She bounded after him, ignoring Batman's protests to slow down as she literally bounced off the walls to reach him in a video monitor room. Message after message playing on repeat. May grunted as she ripped off a TV screen, startling Spellbinder from his seat at the station. "You heard Bats- not everyone needs TV in their life!" She shouted while throwing the monitor into the others, shattering them as the few remaining in tact- shut off. Ah the magic of technology, mess one thing up the rest followed after. "No, no, no, no!" In a fury, Spellbinder raced towards her, only for her to sidestep- letting Batman rush up to sucker punch the guy out cold.
"Beautiful work my good sir." May bowed dramatically, "Yeah, that was easy... don't know how I'm going to talk to mom." Batman sighed, smiling tiredly when May bumped her hip again with his. "Just watch your tone and apologize all the way to Wednesday, don't worry- the next two weeks will fly by." She assured him, "Now let's get the GCPD and get out of here."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." He sighed in relief as they soon left the room, and TV station all together.