Y/N practically threw herself onto her bed, collapsing with a sigh as she peeled off her mask. The room seemed to spin for a moment as she shifted back into her normal form, shielding her eyes with an arm.
That conversation… it had been excruciatingly awkward. Though, she conceded, the masks had probably helped. It was better that way.
Spiderman.
Why had she blurted out something about responsibilities? She groaned inwardly. She'd been trying to be funny, to deflect. She always did.
School had been, as usual, mind-numbingly boring. She’d been tired, perpetually exhausted, and she’d practically sprinted to the nearest alleyway, yanking on her layered costume. The coat, mask, boots, leggings, gloves… it was a bit much, she knew. But it *felt* right. It *looked* cool. She could picture herself running through the city, her coat billowing like a cape.
She made a face, pushing herself up to peel off her boots. Carefully, methodically, she removed each piece of her hero attire, her thoughts swirling.
She wasn’t, really, a hero. Not in the grand scheme of things. And she wasn’t a villain either. An angsty teenager, yes. But not one capable of mass destruction or senseless violence. No, she was just Anima, the shapeshifter who went out for a little fun.
She shrugged into comfortable clothes and flopped back onto the mattress. Ah, sleep. A fleeting, elusive thing. What *was* sleep, anyway?
She needed to stop spiraling into these thoughts.
Sitting up again, she grabbed her phone and opened the front-facing camera. Usually, she avoided it. But tonight, she wanted to practice.
She closed her eyes, focusing her energy. When she opened them, her pupils had narrowed into vertical slits, mimicking a cat’s eyes. She laughed, then shifted her hair, watching the strands cycle through a rainbow of colors as if she’d spent hours at a salon. A costume party… she could go to one with shifted features. Everyone would assume it was elaborate makeup.
“Friendly neighborhood Spiderman,” she mumbled, shifting back to her normal appearance. “Not wrong…”
She’d find him again during her next “patrol.” She was already looking forward to it.