CAT SCRATCH FEVER | PETER PARKER

The Cat's In The Cradle

"Now if I were a cat burglar, where would I go?" Peter mused to himself while perched on top of a stone gargoyle. His eyes scanned the busy streets below, watching the cars zoom past in a blur of bright light. The realization hit him as he looked a few blocks ahead towards a stretch of buildings known as the premier place for buying and selling one thing and one thing only.

"A jewelry store, of course!" He slapped his forehead.

Shooting a web onto the skyscraper across the street, Peter started swinging his way towards the infamous Diamond District. As he came closer to the glittering storefronts, that same prickling sensation suddenly returned.

Could she already be here then? Or was this something else?

Peter could only hope he wasn't too late as he swung lower to the ground. After plopping to the pavement, his eyes darted around the numerous jewelry stores surrounding him. Tiffany and Co. Jangmi. I.D. Jewelry. Swarvoski.

Swarvoski.

As soon as he said the name in his head, the hairs on arms and neck shot upright. This had to be the store. But there was only one way to be sure.

Going up to the window, he squinted inside, narrowing the eye sockets of his mask. It was obvious it was closed. All the lights save for the display windows were off. However, there seemed to be something moving towards the back. Peter leaned in closer, trying to make sure it wasn't just his imagination. No, there was something definitely moving.

Backing away from the window, he glanced up at the impossibly high building. Climbing it would take too much time. And that didn't account for the time wasted trying to find a vent. Deciding against that idea, Peter looked towards the front door and noticed that once again, it was unlocked.

How this woman managed not to trip the alarm escaped him. Either she was that good of a burglar or their security sucked.

"Okay, remember." He clenched his fists, trying to hype himself up. "Be firm and demand that she fix this."

He grabbed the door handle and pulled it open, continuing to repeat what he was going to say. Peter had just stepped inside the dim store when a flirtatious voice rang out from the shadows.

"I was wondering if you were going to come in or not. I thought I might have to invite you." The woman emerged from the darkness with the same nylon bag from before. "But I'm afraid you're a little late." Her green eyes shifted to the bag, which Peter could tell was loaded.

"Look... you!" Peter took an angry step forward. "Ever since I met you, I've had nothing but bad luck!"

She rolled her eyes from behind her mask. "What did you expect? That my scratch was just for show?" Her red lips turned into a sly grin. "Would you have rather preferred a love bite?"

Peter nearly choked on his spit. "What?! No! I–I thought it was because of the mirror! Not the scratch!"

"I'm called the Black Cat for a reason, cutie." She winked, tossing her white hair to the side.

"Really?" Peter scratched his head. "Your name is the Black Cat? How did I not guess that?"

Her eyes gleamed with excitement as she sauntered up to him. "Doesn't it just roll off the tongue?"

"I find it more cliche than anything." He shrugged. "I mean, a cat burglar with the word 'cat' in her name. You couldn't have been more on the nose than if your name was Catwoman." Peter crossed his arms. "Anyways, I'm not requesting you remove this scratch. I'm demanding."

Black Cat's smirk didn't once waver from her face as she said, "No."

Peter's arms dropped to his sides. "No? What do you mean no?!"

"I thought I made myself clear enough." She examined her red nails before shifting her gaze back to his with renewed interest. "Plus, I like to think of it as a reminder of when we first met. Or quite literally, how I left my mark on you." Black Cat snickered from behind her glove.

His eye sockets narrowed once again. But unlike before, this was not out of curiosity. "Alright then. I gave you a chance to do this the easy way." He grabbed hold of her wrist and held her firmly in place. "Fix this!"

"Aww, but I would rather we do it the hard way," she purred, giving him a kick to the stomach. He instantly let go of her, but not before shooting a web at her fleeing form. Just as it was going to catch on the back of her skin-tight suit, Black Cat spun around and caught it with her outstretched hand.

"You gotta be quicker than that, Spider-Man!" She started running back towards him with the web still in hand.

Confused, Peter shot a second web at her, which she easily grabbed ahold of. Running circles around the web-slinger, Black Cat dodged each of the webs he continued to fire at her. It wasn't until Peter felt something suddenly tighten around his body did he realize what she had been doing.

"Wai–No! Black Cat! Agh!" He cried as his body swayed to the side. With a sharp yank, Black Cat pulled him down.

"This wasn't my initial choice of getting tangled up." She looked down at the hero writhing on the floor beneath her. "But I suppose it'll do... For now."

Peter glared at her, struggling against his own webbing. "Can you stop making puns and just uncurse me already?!"

Black Cat dropped to her knees, only a few inches away from his face. "But where would be the fun in that?" She brought her hand over his chest, causing Peter to squirm as she traced the spot where she had scratched him. "Since you so desperately want this gone and I do want to see you again, I'll make a deal with you."

He raised his eyebrow from under his mask. "Which is?"

"You have three days to guess my identity. If you guess correctly, I'll uncurse you. But if you don't." Her voice dropped to a whisper as she brought her lips to the side of his head. "Then you'll have this mark of mine forever."

She rose back up and hoisted the bag over her shoulder. "Oh, and those three days began tonight. Good luck, Spider-Man!"

Before Peter even had the chance to respond, Black Cat punched the alarm on the wall and fled out the door.

When the police arrived minutes later, Peter could only wiggle his fingers in an attempt to wave at them from the floor.

"Hey guys, think you can give me a hand here?"

**
A/N: If this ever gets made into a movie, you better believe Get Lucky will be on the soundtrack.