The Bittersweet Between My Teeth

Raven woke up in the morning with her phone against her face, dead as could be, and her hair clinging to her forehead. She’d been having a recurring nightmare all night long of guns being fired at her and Peter while they stood on her roof, so it was a relief to finally be awake. She had stayed on the phone with Peter for an hour after he’d gotten home, and that was the reason that she currently had a large red mark on her face. She rolled out of bed and walked over to the mirror, frowning at the state she was in.

“Work or school today…” Raven muttered to herself as she searched her closet for a decent outfit. It was a Saturday morning, meaning she had to be working at Starbucks by 11 am. With that knowledge in mind, she picked out a white short-sleeved button-up shirt and a pair of black pants. “I do not want to work today. I do not want to work today. I do not want to work today.” She chanted to herself, plugging her phone in while she got ready. As soon as it had been resurrected, she checked for messages. “7 new text messages. 3 missed calls. 1 new voicemail.”The screen read. Raven went straight for the voicemail, holding the phone to her ear.

“Raven, its Tony. I heard there was a shooting in your area. Just wanted to make sure you’re okay. Call me when you get this message.” Tony’s voice said. Raven deleted the message and dropped her phone, going back to getting ready. She pulled on her clothes and started to do her makeup. Once she was all dressed, she walked downstairs and onto the street, heading to the Starbucks she worked at. Of course, it didn’t surprise her one bit that Peter was sitting at a table, sipping a coffee. “Are you stalking me, Parker?” Raven demanded, heading towards the backroom to grab her apron. “No, how would I know that you work here? I just so happened to be on your side of town. This is where I always go for coffee, obviously!” Peter rambled, his cheeks warm.

“So basically, you always come here, yet you don’t know that I work here? Is that what you’re saying?” Raven retorted, smiling at the awkward boy. “I don’t know what you mean. I don’t, you must be new here.” Peter teased, walking over to the counter to continue his flirting. The door opened to the coffee shop, and Raven looked up to greet the new customer. “Oh God, not you. Get out.” She snapped, meeting her brother’s gaze. “You can’t kick me out, I’m a paying customer.” Tony said, walking up to where Peter stood. “I can so kick you out.” Raven growled, turning to wash out a blender that was sitting on the counter. “Well, how about I buy the place? Then you’d be my employee, and I can do what the hell I want. Why won’t you listen to me?” Tony said. Luckily the place was next to empty, so what happened next wasn’t going to get her fired.

Raven slammed down the rag she was holding and turned to her brother. “You want me to listen to you after you told me to get out of your life? Really, Stark? You want to pretend it’s all okay? Like you didn’t totally fuck me over?” she ranted. Peter was moving his head back and forth to gauge the reactions of the pair. Tony was wringing his fingers together, and he stared intently at his sister. “You need to grow up, Raven. I came here to apologize. I did some thinking, and maybe it is time we got to know each other.” Tony sighed heavily, trying to keep his temper.

Raven returned Tony’s stare with a blank one of her own, and she bit down on the skin above her thumbnail. “I don’t want to get to know you now, Tony. You should just leave.” She said softly.

The impact started in the floor and vibrated along the walls, causing cracks and fissures along the foundation. Peter was the first to react, jumping over the counter to shield Raven’s body with his own. The walls began to cave in, and Tony ran to gather the customers that remained in the store. “Is it an earthquake?!” Raven shouted at her brother as he led the customers to her. They huddled behind the counter, and all of a sudden Tony’s body started to be covered by metal. “I don’t fucking think so. Stay hidden.” He said. Raven watched as his face was masked by Iron Man, and she bit her lip. The door flew open, and Ton-Iron Man was thrown backwards by a large figure dressed in red metal. The man that had tossed Iron Man aside so easily was gigantic and there was no way that Iron Man could stop him alone.

Peter got to his feet and ran for the door, leaving Raven alone. She watched him leave, her heart falling through her chest. The big man turned to her, and he hit the counter with his large fist, shattering the marble. Raven moved her body in front of the Starbucks patrons, protecting them. That didn’t seem to faze him, because his hand wrapped around Raven, and he picked her up easily. “Hey there, Dunkin Donuts, you don’t wanna do that. Put my sister down, fatass.” Tony warned, pointing his palm at the man. He fired a repulsor beam, hitting the big man in the chest. Suddenly, the big man was shot by a string of web, wrapping around his fat wrist that held Raven.

Spiderman flew into the building, straddling the back of the behemoth’s neck as he continued to spray web at him. “You really ought to watch where you put your fat fingers. Ladies don’t appreciate being handled like a hot dog.” Spiderman said, freeing Raven. “Who the hell are you, exactly? The Stay Puft Marshmallow man?” Tony said. Raven rolled her eyes at the fact that she had the two most sarcastic superheroes in one room. “I’m the JUGGERNAUT.” The large man shouted, tossing Spiderman into Iron Man once he had freed his hands. “Watch out, it’s muscle.” Spiderman groaned. Raven was swept up by the “Juggernaut”, and he carried her out of the coffee shop. When she started to argue, he hit her in the head. Everything went black, and there was no way for her to escape.