Chapter 35: Chapter 35: This One is Also a Valid Title
Atop the towering skyscraper, Luke dangled his legs over the edge, boots swinging blithely over the vertiginous drop. The flickering landscape of New York City unfurled before his eyes, reduced to a twinkling vista from this soaring perspective. Up here, his troubles seemed to shrink to equally tiny insignificance, giving him a sense of escape.
Of course, the persistent ache in his shoulder served as an uncomfortable reminder that his dilemmas couldn't simply be left behind on solid ground. Wincing, Luke adjusted his position, trying to ease the strain on the still mending wound. He had donned his Nightling persona as a symbolic act as much as an escape - merging with the shadows was a way to embody the detachment he desperately craved right now.
The sound of whooshing air and thudding footsteps announced the arrival of another nighttime figure. Not needing to glance back, Nightling called out a casual greeting. "Goblin. To what do I owe the honor?"
The Green Goblin grunted, heavy boots scraping the rooftop gravel as he approached and lowered himself down beside Luke. "Was in the neighborhood," he replied with a noncommittal shrug. "Saw you brooding up here like a great big bird of nighttime angst, figured I'd join your pity party."
A wry chuckle escaped Luke's mouth at the apt description. "Well, misery does love company after all." He flicked a pebble off the roof edge, watching as it was swallowed up by the dark abyss below. "Still chasing after Spider Girl then?"
"Spider Woman," Green Goblin corrected with an irritated snarl. "And yes, unlike some, I haven't abandoned our little crusade against her. Speaking of which..." Luke could feel Goblin's scrutinizing gaze boring into his profile "...what exactly has you, our infamously ruthless Nightling, moping alone instead of raising all shades of hell tonight?"
Luke grimaced beneath his mask. The throb of his shoulder almost paled in comparison to the turmoil still rioting in his mind and heart. How could he even begin to articulate this tangled mess to his edgier ally?
"It's...complicated," Luke finally sighed out. "I'm rethinking some things is all. Maybe this whole 'reign of terror' thing needs more nuance."
This statement drew a contemptuous laugh from Green Goblin. "Nuance? You must have taken one too many hits to the head then! What's next, cuddling kittens and blowing kisses to old ladies? I always took you as a real villain, Nightling, not some pansy poser."
The derision dripping from Goblin's words flared Luke's temper. "You don't know anything!" He snapped, voice resonating with preternatural authority. " Circumstances have changed is all. I don't have time to explain the full story."
Silence followed his sharp rebuke, tense as a taut wire. Then Green Goblin rose abruptly to his feet with a disgusted grunt. "Whatever man. You want to bail on our anti-Spider Woman revenge plan for 'circumstances?' Your choice. I'll leave you here to braid daisy crowns or whatever the hell you've decided to occupy yourself with now that being a stone cold badass apparently ain't good enough for you."
Without waiting for Luke's reply, Goblin stormed towards the skyscraper's edge and hurled himself out into empty space. Luke watched resignedly as his disgruntled ally disappeared into the night, leaving a wake of hurtling insults and obscenities.
Alone again, Luke settled back against the roof ledge, tilting his head skywards towards the stars. This was proving more difficult than he had imagined - finding a way to merge his shadowed existence and darker impulses with this softer realm of tender hopes for tomorrow. Perhaps it was impossible after all. The thought hounded him as he gazed unseeingly into the yawning expanse above, suspended between endless night and the promise of dawn yet to break.
With a resigned sigh, Luke peeled himself off the icy rooftop ledge. As much as he wanted to remain curled in his little cocoon of shadows, the decision he had been grappling with could no longer be avoided. He needed advice, an outside perspective to cut through the snarl of confusion ensnaring him.
Ironically, the one person likely to give him sage counsel was also the least probable choice - George Stacy, police captain and devoted father of the girl currently making Luke question his devotion to villainy.
"This is insane," Luke grumbled under his breath, even as he dissolved into inky smoke and descended the skyscraper. "I must have a death wish."
Yet he persisted in his search, scouring the city until he finally spotted George sitting solitary vigil within his parked cruiser. Before he could talk himself out of it, Luke materialized soundlessly into the backseat.
"Evening, Captain," he intoned, his gravelly Nightling timbre slicing through the silence.
George jolted violently in his seat, hand instantly flying to his holstered gun. Seeing Luke's spectral form reclining casually behind him, he froze halfway through drawing his weapon.
"Dammit, Nightling!" George sputtered out when he managed to find his voice again. "Are you trying to send me to an early grave?"
"Come now, if I wanted you dead so you think we would even be having this conversation," Luke replied evenly. When George simply continued glaring daggers at him, Luke sighed.
"Look, I'm not here to fight or threaten anyone tonight," he continued, palms raised in a pacifying gesture. "I know it sounds crazy, but...I need some advice. From you. And it absolutely cannot involve handcuffs, interrogations, or calling your pistol-happy officers as backup."
George's eyes bugged at Luke's audacious request. But beneath the incredulity, intrigue glinted in their depths. Settling slowly back into his seat, he scrutinized the shadowy figure, curiosity outweighing animosity.
"Alright, I'll hear you out," George finally conceded. "But no promises I'll actually offer any counsel to a known criminal."
"Hypothetically right, there is this girl, cute and stuff, but I don't she's into villians... but you see I got plans and now because of her I'm not sure what to do..." Luke replied carefully in an attempt to not spill too much.
"So a hypothetical girl is making you question your dedication to villainy?" George asked slowly, clearly trying to make sense of the unexpected twist.
"Yes, exactly," Luke replied, keeping his voice intentionally vague. He could sense George's burning curiosity, but protecting Gwen's identity remained paramount. "There's just something about her that stirs my conscience. Makes me reconsider this path of destruction I'm on."
George regarded him thoughtfully for several long beats of silence. Finally he spoke, choosing his words carefully. "Playing with someone's affections for personal gain or strategic advantage rarely ends well." His eyes bored into Luke's, voice resonating with meaning. "If you truly care, don't tether an innocent girl to your world of chaos and secrecy."
Luke swallowed hard, the warning in George's advice piercing his defenses. Was it possible for Gwen and himself to build something real when his existence was mired in deception? He wanted to hope, but doubt gnawed relentlessly.
Sensing Luke's inner struggle, George added more gently, "Sometimes we have to let go of toxic paths before pursuing new ones. Not easy, but worthwhile if something better waits."
Luke made no reply, shadows swirling around his conflicted form. But he absorbed each word, searching desperately for answers amidst the swirling uncertainties that consumed his soul.
Just as the heavy silence was becoming unbearable, Luke dissolved into wisps of darkness. Before George could react to the sudden disappearance, tendrils of shadow swirled into being in the cruiser's passenger seat. They solidified into Nightling's imposing form, eliciting a sharp gasp from George.
"By all the saints, would it kill you to exit vehicles normally instead of these dramatic evaporation acts?" George griped, one hand still clutched over his racing heart.
An amused chuckle vibrated through Luke's chest. "Now where's the fun in that? I have a reputation to maintain, Captain." Growing serious once more, he angled to face George. "But I do have one more question, if you'll indulge me."
George raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Because clearly I have a choice when it comes to your whims." But he waved a hand in begrudging permission to proceed.
Luke stared pensively out the cruiser's window into the night-cloaked city, gathering his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his tone held a surprising vulnerability. "Is it worth it? Romance I mean? The effort, the sacrifice of certain ambitions or grudges, the vulnerability of caring for someone so deeply?"
He lowered his eyes. "Most days I can't imagine anything taking priority over my own desires and plans. But now this girl makes me want to be better somehow. To maybe leave behind who I was and have a chance at the warmth I've been lacking." Luke shook his head ruefully. "I must sound quite foolish admitting that."
George studied Luke's shadowed profile, glimpsing the conflicted young man behind the façade. With a heavy exhale, he answered gravely, "It's complicated. Love - true and selfless love - always is. But despite the difficulties, nothing is more worthwhile."
His eyes took on a faraway sheen. "When I met Gwen's mother, I was prepared to rearrange the stars for that woman. And for Gwen, I'd topple mountains without hesitation." George refocused on Luke. "If this girl awakens that level of adoration in you, she's worth fighting for. Whether others understand it or not."
The cruiser's interior returned to pensive quiet. Luke absorbed George's words like a man lost for days in desert would soak up an oasis. Perhaps he hadn't found definitive answers tonight regarding his and Gwen's future. But hearing George's ardent perspective sparked the first fragile blossoms of hope inside his chest.
To George's immense relief, Luke opted for a mundane exit this time. The cruiser door creaked open, and Nightling unfolded himself from the vehicle. Cold night air swirled inside, tousling the papers strewn across the dashboard.
Halfway out the door, Luke hesitated. Turning back, he regarded George's wary but resolute expression. "I know our allegiances still render us enemies," Luke began awkwardly. "But I appreciate you entertaining my questions tonight instead of attempting to slap handcuffs on me straight away."
George waved off Luke's thanks with a gruff snort. "Don't mention it. Really," he added pointedly. "I'd rather not have it get out I played supernatural therapist for New York's most infamously chaotic villain instead of dragging him off the jail."
Luke bit back an amused chuckle at George's severe tone contradicting the altruism of his actions. "My lips are sealed, Captain," he assured, sketching a playful zipping motion across his mouth.
Sobering, Luke made to exit the cruiser and melt back into the night's concealment. But George's unexpected question gave him pause. "Just how old even are you?" George probed, scrutinizing Luke as though attempting to peer beneath his obscuring mask through sheer willpower. "The way you tell it, you sound practically adolescent beneath all that shadow sorcery."
Luke straightened to his full height, a wry smile playing about his lips. "Aw fully grown I'm afraid, Captain," he volleyed back breezily. "But a master villain never reveals all his secrets. What fun would that be?"
Without waiting for George's surely disgruntled reaction, Luke dissolved into umbral smoke. He drifted into the air, borne upon a light breeze. Settling atop a nearby roof swathed in darkness, he solidified, gazing down at the now vacant cruiser as Captain George walked around it whilst holding his firearm and speaking into his radio. The twinkling cityscape unfurled before him, brimming with both promise and uncertainty. But for once, he looked to the future with daring hope instead of cynicism. Tonight's conversation had lit a flame in his soul, driving back the shadows with stubborn persistence. And Luke found himself clinging fiercely to its fragile radiance as the first light of the day began showing in the distance.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Penpool
Penpool BOOM! GREEN GOBLIN BABY! YA KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS!? NEW CHARACTERRRRRRRR SAY HELLO TO HARLODDDDDD OSSSSBORNNNNNNNNNN!
I think ima also put him on the basketball team. Yes... I am oh so wise.
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