Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"There never was a Spider-Woman in Earth-1218, and there never will be!" - Miguel O'Hara in the not so distant future. 

///////

“Oh no, oh no, no, no!” 

Margo Kess, codename “Spider-Byte”, was scrambling around the room, interacting with various consoles as she monitored the latest mission of the Spider-Society. A villain anomaly was detected in another universe, a gateway opening up as a Doc Ock found himself in a dimension where he shouldn’t be and was currently laying waste to Oscorp. It seemed like Alchemax wasn’t the only ones studying inter-dimensional travel. 

That universe’s Peter Parker had arrived at the scene expecting to see his Doc Ock, but was surprisingly mistaken when he saw that his Doc Ock had actual Octopus tentacles and was part sea creature. He was almost outmatched when Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man 2099, and Peter B. Parker “Spider-Man”, arrived just in the nick of time through one of their portals, courtesy of their watches. 

That was not the reason why Spider-Byte was freaking out. As she was monitoring the fight, she knew that the team could handle themselves, especially Miguel. He was in his element here. His predatory like senses kicking into overdrive as he fought Doc Ock head on, while Peter B. escorted that universe’s Spider-Man and other innocent civilians to safety. 

“Lyla! Please tell me a part of you is still here!” Margo’s voice strained as she whined, her finger types scrambling on the keyboard. 

“You called, Byte?” The holographic AI appeared on her shoulder as she fluffed out her jacket and adjusted her heart shaped glasses. “Wow, you seemed stressed,” 

“I am stressed, Miguel and Peter are in a lot of trouble!” She stated. 

“Why, what’s wrong?” Lyla asked, sounding very concerned. 

Byte summoned a digital duplicate of herself as she ran over and grabbed a monitor, bringing it over to Lyla. “Look!” 

Margo played the moment back frame by frame so Lyla could analyze it clearly. The monitor showed one of the radioactive spider’s from Oscorp falling through one of the wayward portal’s of the Oscorp Collider during the fight. It had happened when Doc Ock tried to tackle Miguel from behind, but Spider-Man 2099 threw him over his shoulder, his back and arm muscles pulsing as he roared, tossing him towards the spider-containment. 

It appeared Miguel was so focused on the fight, he didn’t notice one little spider escape. Or the handful of armed guards that jumped in after it. 

“Oh, this is bad,” Lyla hissed uncomfortably after watching the footage. 

“You have to tell him! I can’t tell him, he’ll freak out,” Spider-Byte panicked as she focused in on the portal. 

“Don’t worry sweetcakes. Just focus on figuring out what dimension that portal was locked on to,” Lyla reassured Margo with a motherly smile. “I’ll handle the big guy,” 

/////////

Once all the civilians were evacuated, the three Spider-Man worked together to web-shot Doc’s arms and tentacles together, webbing them like he was cattle on a stick before slamming him to the floor. When he was down, Miguel tossed a device at his feet, a red energy shield-like cage activating as it crowded around him. He yelled, banging his fists and tied tentacles against the cage, but it didn’t falter. 

“Yeah, we got’em!” Peter B. cheered, raising a hand towards Miguel. “Give me five!”

Miguel shot Peter B a glance through his mask, just staring at him. “Really?”

“Alright, no high five for you,” Peter B pouted as he turned around and gave the high five to the other Peter. “You were awesome back there!”

“I was just following you guys. I had no idea there were more people like me,” He laughed. “Any chance this could be a regular thing,” 

“We’re not currently accepting new recruits at this time,” Miguel responded as he grabbed the cage and with a heavy heave, he lifted the cage up and carried it over his shoulder like a giant barrel. “But, if something like this happens again, give us a call,” 

Peter B. handed Spider-Man a small device that oddly looked like a keychain. “Just hit that button if you see something or someone that doesn’t look like they’re from your universe. We’ll come swinging,” 

“Thank you both,” He nodded graciously as he looked back out towards the smashed window, hearing police sirens. “I’ll keep them distracted long enough for you guys to do. . . whatever it is you need to do,”

Miguel nodded towards him, a silent appreciation. Spider-Man activated his web shooter and flung himself through the window, disappearing. 

“Whew, that was a rush! I’m kind of glad I decided not to bring MayDay with me today,” Peter B sighed as he stretched his arms.

“You technically shouldn’t be bringing her at all,” Miguel lectured, rolling his eyes under the mask. “What kind of parents bring their baby to a mission?”

“It was one time!” Peter B. gawked. 

“Lyla,” Miguel called out, clearly over this topic. “Open the portal back to HQ,” 

The portal opened before them shortly after as Lyla’s form projected near Miguel’s head. “Alright, toss him through and then jump through that other portal over there!”

“What?” Miguel raised a brow at Lyla as his mask dematerialized to look at her. “¿Qué quieres decir?” - What do you mean? 

“The mission isn’t over yet. There’s another anomaly that’s about to take shape,” Lyla explained as she blipped and rematerialized next to the broken spider containment, pointing at it. 

Miguel and Peter B. starred in it. All the spiders but one were missing. Miguel’s talons sparked at his fingertips as the frustration of his carelessness slowly boiled inside of him. Peter B. however was more vocal about it. 

He whistles at the sight. “Oh, boy, okay, Miguel, just breath, we still have time to find it and bring it back here safely,” 

Miguel took a deep breath, eyes closed. As he breathed out through his nose, the brown iris of his eyes turned red as he tossed the Doc Ock variant through the portal. “Lyla, how long has the Spider been loose?”

“According to Byte, at least 2 minutes and counting,” Lyla nodded as she led them towards the other portal. “She also narrowed down which dimension it went to. Earth-1218.”

“1218? Isn’t that–?” Peter B.’s eyes widened as he looked over towards Miguel.

“The dimension where the laws of nature and physics are so pure to the point where superpowered humans aren’t supposed to exist?” Miguel chimed in, glaring seriously at the man as his mind raced with any possible scenarios that could happen. 

“I was gonna say the dimension where we’re all comic book and movie characters, but that part seems more important,” Peter B nodded as he looked back towards the portal, “I’ll be quiet now,” 

“Lyla, tell Jess she’s in charge until we get back,” Miguel explained as his mask materialized back on his face. “Either with the Spider, or it’s chosen target,” 

“What’s the magic word?” Lyla teased Miguel and Peter B. as they jumped through the portal. 

“Ugh, please, Lyla?” Miguel groaned. 

“Already texted her,” She winked, “But thank you for remembering your manners,”

////////////

“Great orientation everyone! We’ll see you all at the same time next week,” The dancing coach saw each of us as each of the dancers left the studio. 

I breathed heavily, catching my breath as I wiped some sweat off my forehead. I grabbed a towel, using it to clean myself off as I looked into a giant mirror, pulling back the hair tie around my brown hair, allowing the strands to fall past my shoulders. 

“You killed it!” I whispered to myself.

Despite the early wake up to get on a flight to New York City and dance in the matter of mere hours was a rollercoaster. I thought I would collapse if it wasn’t for the fact that I had been training for this moment for months. 

“Ms. Kendrick?” I turned to see the dance coach walking towards me. “I was fairly impressed by your performance today. I’m expecting great things from you,”

“Thanks coach, I’ll try not to let you and the team down,” I grinned. 

“I like your commitment, kid. Not everyday do I have someone catch a last minute flight from another country just to be here on such short notice,” She smiled, arms crossed over her chest. “Toronto, right? Canada?”

“It was only a 2 hour flight, I’ll survive,” I chuckled. 

You were on the waiting list for a condo near the studio, not expecting to be here for at least another month or so, but a last minute audition came through and next thing I knew, I was on a flight to New York earlier than planned. I was hiding out at a hotel until it was ready before I could call ahead for my things to come in. The company owned by the studio was kind enough to accommodate my first two weeks of the hotel stay. 

“Well then, get some rest, Lisa,” She smiled, “I have to get ready for another class, so I’m politely kicking you out now,” 

“Oh! No worries, I’ll grab my stuff and get out of your hair,” 

I gathered my belongings in my duffel bag and made my way outside. I could tell by the sweat alone I desperately needed a shower. Not wanting to overstay my welcome any more than the coach wanted me to, I opted to head back to the hotel instead of going to the locker room showers. 

It was pouring rain when I stepped outside. I muttered a curse under my breath, knowing that I’d get soaked easily. There wasn’t much cover I could use if I tried to run for it, and the hotel was a good few blocks away. Not to mention my leg muscles were begging me for a break. 

I brought out my phone, unlocking it to a Spider-Man themed widget screen as I pulled up the Uber app and called for a car. As I waited, I took cover under an overhead sign, plugging in my headphones as I listened to some music, softly muttering along to the lyrics. 

I never noticed something grace down from above my shoulder, gently pricking the fabric of my hoodie as it crawled down my arm. Only when I noticed something touch my skin, I looked down and before I could even scream, a large spider took a bite of me and it was if I felt my whole world destabilize as I screamed.

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My arachnophobia kicked into overdrive as I shrieked, swatting the spider off my hand as its fangs ripped out from my hand. It collapsed to the ground on its back, its legs frantically swinging to turn back up right as it twitched and spazzed out. I swear it looked like its colours were morphing and changing, as if it was possessed. Before long it went limp, the combined damage from the slap and the fall becoming its demise. 

I breathed heavily in and out as I backed into the wall of the studio, my chest rising and falling as I stared at its small form for a few brief moments. The pitter patter of rain helped me control my breathing as I slowly found the feeling in my legs again, dragging myself to stand up. I glanced at my hand, seeing the faint holes and small streams of blood. 

What kind of spider was that? Was it poisonous? How can I tell? Is it the bigger they are, the more venom they have? Or was it the smaller they are, the more venom they have? No idiot, that’s for scorpions! 

I used the sleeve of my hoodie to dry off the blood. “Jesus, I’m panicking!” 

Should I go to the doctor and get it checked out? Or a walk in clinic? So many questions were flooding my mind as a car pulled up near me. The driver rolled down his window and leaned closer to see me, “Uber for Lisa?”

The question managed to snap me out of my panic long enough for me to double check my Uber map. The driver and car description on my phone matched the one before me and I sighed in relief knowing it was the drive I requested. Maybe I should get back to the hotel first, and clean up this wound. Then I’ll figure out what to do. 

I gathered my bag and quickly scurried into the backset of the car, “Yes, thank you,”

“Four Seasons hotel, right miss?” He asked, as he began to pull back into the street. 

“Yes,” I nodded, sighing as I leaned back in my seat.

I looked out the window, watching the rain as I took in the view of the city. I still had trouble processing that I was actually here. It was my first actual gig since I left and moved away from my parents. It was exhilarating. A new sense of freedom, I felt I finally made a choice for myself for a change. 

I opened my phone, looking back in my photo gallery to see one of the last pictures I took with them. It was after winning a dance competition in Seoul just after my 26th birthday. There I was, holding my medal, my mom hugging me, a wide smile on her face, and then my step father. I could see the pride in his eyes, but there also. . . something else. There was always something else. 

That was just over 2 years ago. Hard to believe how much had changed since then. 

Suddenly my head was throbbing. Whether it was from looking back on old memories and cringing, or the fatigue catching up to me, or. . . oh, god, what if that spider was venomous? 

I googled “How to treat spider bites” on my phone as the drive pulled up to the hotel. I thanked him again for the ride, leaving a 5 star review as I jogged into the lobby to avoid getting anymore wet than I needed to. I went into the hotel gift and convenience stores, finding medical supplies and advil to treat this headache before making my way up to my room. 

I followed the online instructions as I cleaned and bandaged my hand. I took an advil and drank some water, laying down in my bed to try and take a nap to subside this headache. But the more I tried to fight it and sleep, the more intense it seemed to get. I could feel the pain split to other parts of my body. My back, my chest, and I felt these awful cramps. It was as if my period was here, but I knew it obviously wasn’t it because I just had it last week.

The pain was slowly getting worse as sleep eluded me. I glanced over at the clock and when I realized I had attempted to sleep it off for roughly an hour, I cursed under my breath. “Screw this,” I groaned as I slowly sat up. I saw a walk-in clinic a block away from the hotel. I’d try my luck there.

///////////

“Lyla, scan the area,” Miguel and Peter B. emerged in an alley in New York City of Earth-1218. 

They climbed their way down from the roof of the building they landed on as Peter B leapt a head, doing some scouting of his own as Miguel followed Lyla’s tracking algorithm. He noticed a heavy boot print on the ground. He knelt next to it, his finger brushing against the dirt as he calculated the shoe size in his mind.

“These footprints match the ones of the guards back at Oscorp. We’re on their trail,” He spoke, glancing up at Peter before resuming his investigation. 

Peter B hugged the wall as he came to the opening of the alley that led into the city street, looking around to see that the area was thankfully quiet. They’d be safe to look around for a while it seemed. 

When he glanced down to the ground, hearing a street rat squealing and squirting by, he yelped, seeing the now dead body of the anomaly spider. “Miguel!”

Miguel had already come running towards him when he heard Peter cry out. He knelt down, summoning his talons as he carefully used his claws to pick up the dead spider and examined it. 

“We’re too late,” he grumbled. 

“Yeah, looks like it got to someone,” Peter sighed. “The question is; Who?” 

“Lemme take a looksie,” Lyla popped up as she activated one of her drones, scanning the spider as it detected a faint drop of blood from its fangs. According to Lyla’s scan, it wasn’t its own blood. Human blood. “Okay! I got the trail. It’s still fresh, but it’s starting to fade. It’s only a matter of time before our newest Spider-Person begins to go through the side effects,” 

“And if those guards picked up on the same thing. . .” Peter B.’s voice trailed off as he came to the realization. 

“Then whoever got bit will be vulnerable, an easy target. We need to find them first,” Miguel stated as he brought out a small case and carefully put the spider inside before sealing it shut, stuffing it in his suit pocket. “Let’s go up this street and start looking,” 

///////////

I didn’t change out of my matching black baggy joggers and crop top as I slipped my shoes on, grabbed my purse as I made my way back down to the lobby. My head continued to throb as I asked the receptionist where the clinic was, just to be sure. She gave me directions and I gave her a soft smile before I stepped outside. Thankfully the rain had let up to the point that it wasn’t pouring, just a gentle drizzle. 

My forehead continued to throb and I felt another jolt of pain in my abdomen as I wrapped my hands around my stomach, my step faltering as I reached out and supported myself on a lamp post. The clinic was just a block away. I could make it. But why did these blocks have to be so damn long?!

I groaned from the pain as footsteps approached me. “Are you alright, Miss?” A male voice asked me. 

“M’ fine,” I mumbled through the pain as I shook my head. “Just getting to– ugh, the clinic over there,”

“Do you need help, miss?” The man asked as he offered his arm. 

At that point, the pounding in my head was making my vision spotty. I was terrified of the idea of passing out in the middle of the street. I reached out and placed a hand on the man’s shoulder and along his arm as he began to walk me forward. 

“Thank you, Mr–”

“Target acquired,”

I felt a sharp pain in the back of my head as I fell to the ground, my skin scraping along the concrete sidewalk. My vision blurred in and out as my body was scooped up in the man’s arms. I could barely make out a security uniform and then I saw two others trail behind him as he carried me into an alley. 

Was he some sort of corrupt cop? A deranged security guard that was getting rid of me? The combined force of the hit to the back of my head and the side effects of the spider bite was enough to overwhelm me, as I found myself blacking out. 

I don’t know how long I was out for, but it was long enough for the security guards to escort me to a second location. From the looks of things, this was far from a clinic. I was strapped to a lab table, a makeshift work station was built inside an abandoned warehouse. I tried to wiggle my wrists and ankles free from my shackles, but the continued side effects of the spider bite plagued my body as I felt another rush of pain course through me as I groaned loudly. 

“Now, now, there’s no need for that,” A voice slithered through the air like a snake. 

My body froze as I frantically searched for the source of the voice as a figure emerged at my side. It was a woman in a lab coat, large goggles and a scarf covered her face. 

“Who are you?” I panted heavily, the anxiety building up within me. “Where am I?”

“Relax, my dear,” Her voice was like a hissing snake as her hand stroked down the side of my head. The gesture sent a shiver down my spine. “I’m here to help you,”

“Help with what?” I gawked at her as she reached down into her pocket and pulled out a strange looking needle. 

“That nasty little bite you received. I’m just going to extract all that venom from you,” I could hear the wicked smile in her voice behind the scarf. “Now with that being said, you’ll lose a lot of blood in the process and since you’re still appearing to be going through the transformation, there’s the high probability that this could kill you,” 

My blood froze as my body turned still. I fought through the pain as I glared at her. “What the hell are you talking about?!” 

“Keep her still,” the scientist issued a command, ignoring my shouting. 

The security guards from before emerged from the darkness, each of them taking a hold of my body to force me still. I shouted, screamed for the police, for help, “SOMEONE! HELP ME, PLEASE! HELP!” but no one came. 

“Now this won’t hurt a bit,” The scientist sneered. 

She lowered the needle closer and closer towards me and I could feel the fear and anxiety course through me. I tried to struggle free but the grip of the guards was too strong. I remember blacking out again briefly from feeling so overwhelmed. When I opened my eyes again, there was a shout as one guard was suddenly pulled away, and then another was yanked to the side with a yelp. 

His body went flying right into a counter as it collided with the tools, everything shattering to the floor. Then a new figure leapt down from the ceiling, clad in red and blue as he shot out a white stringy fluid from his wrist, snatching the needle from the scientist. 

“I don’t recall the lady giving consent to this procedure!” He joked, but there was still a serious tone to his voice. 

“Spider-Man?!” The scientist shrieked. 

Wait, Spider-Man? My head still throbbed as I looked over to the side, seeing the costumed man. The red and blue, black lines, the white insect-like eyes on the mask. I had to be hallucinating right? There was no way Spider-Man was standing right there! 

“We’ve been compromised, stop him!” The scientist cried out towards the last guard before she took off running. 

The guard jumped Spider-Man and as the scientist kept running, a red glowing lasso whipped down from the ceiling and snatched the scientists ankles. She shrieked as the red cord yanked, forcing her to hall and hit her head before her body was pulled upside down towards the ceiling. One of the other guards reemerged, taking out a weapon as he began shooting up at the ceiling. 

I could just barely make out a large figure scaling the ceiling, only this one was clad in a dark navy blue. The shooting stopped as the security guard stared nervously, his whole body shaking. He suddenly reached for me, unlocking the clamps of my wrists and ankles before pulling me off the table. 

Due to the side-effects and my hit to the head, I had lost feeling in my legs as I collapsed to the floor. That didn’t stop him however from grabbing me by the hair, locking his arm around me as he aimed the weapon at my head. 

“Don’t come any closer! I’ll shoot!” He threatened. 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, there buddy!” Spider-Man leaped out of the way of another charge attack from his opponent before leaping into the air, grabbing onto a metal beam as he fired out a web, and launched him in the air before wrapping his webs around him in a cocoon, leaving him dangling. “I wouldn’t patronize the big guy,” 

So, there was another Spider-Man here? If my eyes weren’t really playing tricks on me. Then. . . this was all real? 

The security guard that was holding me hostage glanced over towards Spider-Man before looking back up to the ceiling of where the other Spider-Man was crawling on. “I’m not bluffing! I’ll do it!”

“yo tampoco idiota ,” Miguel snarled. - Neither am I, idiot. 

A red glowing web suddenly shot out from the shadowed ceiling, whacking the guard in the head as he yelped, dropping his gun as I scrambled out of his grasp, back pedaling away from him and into the cold metal platform of the table. The large figure then leapt down from the ceiling, clawing on all fours as he charged for the guard before firing another web that stuck to the man’s chest, launching himself forward as he readied a sucker punch to his face. 

It all seemed to happen in slow motion. As the second Spider-Man breezed by, it was as it our gazes had locked on to one another, if only briefly. His suit was navy blue with red fluorescent lines. Red talons stood out on the side of his forearms and red markings took the form of his eyes on the mask. The suit was skin tight, hugging and showing off the muscles and curves he appeared to have trained so hard to achieve. 

He was strong, aggressive, and intimidating. Maybe a little scary too. 

His mask almost seemed to narrow towards me as I stared back at him, my heart pounding in my chest. In that brief moment, I wasn’t scared. 

The security guards body went flying, crashing through a makeshift cabinet as more tools clattered to the ground as time sped back up again to its normal pace. 

I breathed heavily, my chest rising and falling as my eyes slowly trailed up the form of the second Spider-Man as he stood up to his feet fully and his gaze shifted towards me. He seemed to stare at me for a moment, as if evaluating me or studying me. 

“You were the one that was bit?” He asked. 

It took me a moment to process his question as the first Spider-Man walked around the table to join us. I watched him approach before returning my gaze to my rescuer as I nodded slowly, gulping some air into my lungs. “Yes,” 

“How are you feeling? Can you stand?” The first Spider-Man, the one I was more familiar with, extended a free hand towards me, the other holding the needle. 

I reached out and grabbed his hand as he slowly hoisted me up to my feet. “I think— I think I’m–”

“Have you been experiencing any side effects?” The other Spider-Man asked. 

I looked back at the other Spider-Man, my mind racing. Side effects? Does he mean everything I was feeling up until now? My gaze kept shifting back and forth between the two Spider-Men as my body began to heat up and muscles grow tense. 

“I think– Um,” my head was starting to sweat at this point. 

“Hey, you alright?” The red and blue Spider-Man asked me. 

“I’m feeling very—” my vision began to fade. 

I guess my eyes looked like they were going to fall at the back of my head because the first Spider-Man jumped in a panic, and the other one. . .

His mask suddenly dematerialized, revealing probably the most handsome face I had ever seen in my life. “Ay, hold on a second–!”

“--overwhelm–” I couldn’t even finish the word before I found myself blacking out again. 

Not before Spider-Man 2099 caught me before my body could hit the ground. 

Chapter Text

Miguel and Peter B. decided to split up. Peter B. would take the unconscious guards back to their dimension to stop them from glitching and causing a rift in the canon event and their dimension from potentially collapsing, while Miguel escorted the bitten woman back to HQ. 

Miguel carried the woman in his arms as he rushed through the portal, informing Lyla to have Spider-Doctor prepare the sick bay for his arrival. He could hear her pain, mumbling in her sleep. It appeared she was still experiencing the side effects of the transformation. Her head rolled around her shoulders to lean against his bicep, the touch causing Migel to look down at her briefly as he breezed through the Going Home facility, not even glancing at Spider-Byte as she yelled out, “What happened?!” 

Miguel’s expression remained stoic and serious as he kept running down the hall, passed the multitude of Spider-Persons who looked on with a mixture of confusion and concern and there were some who gladly stepped out of his way so he could continue on with no issue. Although he couldn’t help it, there was a hint of sympathy in his eyes. Of all the dimensions in the multiverse, nothing was supposed to happen in Earth-1218. Nothing of this magnitude, and now an innocent civilian was bitten and he blamed himself for it. 

He’d make it right. By any means. Like he always did. 

He ran through the automatic doors of the medical bay, his mask destabilizing as he caught his breath, looking around frantically. “Doc?” 

“Over here, Miguel!” A Spider-Man wearing a lab coat and stethoscope around his neck waved him over towards a free bed. 

Miguel jogged over, setting the woman down gently as the Doctor attached some IV’s to her and dabbed a wet washcloth on her forehead to clean the sweat off her. 

“How long has she been like this?” The Doctor asked. 

“Almost two hours, I believe,” Miguel nodded slowly as he ran the numbers in his head, reliving the events over and over to make sure he was accurate. 

“Doesn’t look like a female Parker,” Spider-Doc commented as he checked for swelling or bruising along her skin. “What dimension is she from?”  

“Earth-1218,” Miguel hissed with a ping of disappointment in his voice. 

“What?!” The Doc’s eyes widened through the mask. “But I thought with their dimensions physics and laws..?”

“It’s not supposed to happen, to never happen in fact, tienes razón,” Miguel sighed with his hands on his hips. “But it did. A Spider from another dimension escaped into that one,” - You’re right. 

“Do you still have it?” Doc asked with a sense of eagerness. “We could analyze it. We don’t know how the venom will react with her body from a dimension so pure,” 

Miguel reached into his suit, pulling out the small case with the dead spider in it as he handed it to the doctor. “Their Oscorp scientist mentioned that extracting the venom could kill her if she loses too much blood. I don’t want to imagine what will happen if it stays inside her and reacts horribly,” 

“My fluids will help her body fight any infection, but I think I can formulate a blood transfusion with her blood and the spider to create an antidote to stabilize her. She’ll have the venom, but it won’t kill her,” he explained as the eyes of his mask came to life, scanning and analyzing the spider. 

“Do whatever you need to do. I’m not having anyone die on me,” Miguel commanded with a firm point to the woman. 

“I’ll get started right away!” Spider-Doc carefully extracted a drop of blood from the woman’s arm, carrying the blood sample and the spider to his work station. 

As he worked, Miguel looked down towards the woman, watching her as she groaned, through the pain. He had no idea if she was even coherent enough to know what was happening around her.

He took a quick glance of her form and noticed her hand began to twitch. Sparks flew as her fingers and skin morphed into different shapes and colours as she hissed violently from the pain before returning to normal. She was glitching. 

“Someone get me a day pass, now!” He barked an order. 

One of the nurses ran over, grabbing one from a bin and handing it to him. He snatched it with his fingers before slipping it on the woman’s wrists, snapping it tightly on. The glitching immediately seized as the woman breathed heavily. Miguel began to pull his hands away, but almost instinctively, the woman’s fingers latched on to him for dear life. 

“What’s— happening?” She panted through the pain, struggling to open her eyes. 

Miguel saw something flash before his eyes and his first immediate thought was to yank his hand away out of fear, snarling. But hearing the pain in her voice. . . She was scared. He had to remind himself that it wasn’t her fault. 

“Just. . . Hang on. Just a little longer,” he breathed as he tried to relax himself. He pulled one hand away from her arm, but allowed his fingers to stay intertwined with the other. 

Maybe it was the sympathy talking, witnessing an innocent woman go through such pain.  But he didn’t pull away. He couldn’t. 

“Miguel!” Peter B. came running into the medbay, jogging towards him. “We got another problem with the mission,” 

“What kind of problem?” Miguel’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. 

“Those guards we took down? They never glitched when they were in Earth-1218,” Peter stated as he pulled out a chunk of worn out day passes from his pockets. “They were wearing these,” 

“Day passes?” Miguel gawked at the sight as he tried to control his anger. His breath hissing as his hand squeezed the woman’s fingers, but not too tightly. “How did they get those?” 

“I don’t know,” Peter B. shook his head. “I think. . . There’s a mole in the Society. I’ve asked Byte to look into it,” 

“A spy? Someone is foolish enough to pull something like this from under me?” Miguel growled as he could sense his anger building, and only then did he remove his hand from the girl’s fingers before clutching them into a fist. 

“Hey, hey, hey, easy! It’s just a theory,” Peter B waved his hands frantically. “Someone could have accidentally taken more than one and dropped them?”

“Considering the security protocols I put in place, I find that very hard to believe, Peter,” Miguel snarled, cursing under his breath. “Is this another one of Hobie’s stupid pranks?”

He tried to keep his voice down out of respect for Spider-Doc who was hard at work on the antidote, and the woman who was slumbering on the bed next to him. 

“Whoa, okay, switching the ketchup vendors with hot sauce, maybe, but slipping day passes to villains in other dimensions is straight up evil, Miguel, come on,” Peter B. shook his head tiredly. While he understood why Miguel would accuse him, Hobie did like causing trouble once in a while but never to that extreme. “He’d never do that,”

“I hope you’re right,” Miguel responded with a seething breath out of his nose. “Have Margo inform me as soon as she hears something,”

Peter B. nodded at his boss before he looked down at the woman. He saw the bandage on her hand where the spider bite came from as he listened to her pained mumbling. “Yeah, I’m definitely glad I didn’t bring MayDay over today,” 

“I got it!” Spider-Doc came running back, holding a vial of a colourful liquid. “I got the antidote!”

“You were quick,” Miguel commented with an impressed raised of his brow. 

“I am when it comes to potentially saving the lives of my patients,” He proclaimed. “Now this could get a little messy. Miguel, hold her down on your side, Peter, on the other, and gently please,”

The two Spider-Men did as they were told, each taking a gentle hold of the girl's shoulder and arms as the Doctor poured the antidote into her IV pouch. They all watched with bated breath as the liquid seeped its way down the tube and into the woman’s body. 

“She’ll have a slight reaction, but this will help stabilize the venom,” The Doc explained as he brought out a monitor for her vitals. 

Miguel and Peter B. watched her closely before suddenly her body started to shake. Her fingers curled into fists as the sensors started beeping and while in her sleep, it was as if she were trying to physically fight the antidote as Miguel and Peter B. kept her pressed down on the bed. 

“This is slight ?!” Peter B.’s voice strained as he tightened his grip ever so slightly. 

“Now’s not the time for jokes,” Miguel growled as the hand that was on her arm carefully moved to her waist as he pressed down on it gently. He watched the way her mouth twitched, wanting to speak, scream, do something. “No luches contra eso. Abrázalo,” - Don’t fight it. Embrace it.

He glanced up at the monitor as one side displayed a visual projection of the antidote coursing through her bloodstream, while the other showed her vitals as they slowly went back into the green. 

“It’s working! She’s stabilizing!” Spider-Doc gasped. 

////////

I felt like I was trapped in some sort of weird nightmare. I was running, and then I fell through the floor and into what I assumed was water, but it tasted awful, almost like poison. I could feel myself sinking deeper and deeper. I tried to swim back up to the surface but it was like I wasn’t making any progress. I was just stuck. 

Am I dying? Is this how it ends?

“No luches contra eso,” 

I stopped when I heard the voice. It was slightly muffled, but. . . I knew that voice. It sounded like it was one of the Spider-Men that saved me. 

“¡Abrázalo! ” The voice spoke up more clearly again. 

It really was him! I remembered seeing his face before I passed out. His strong posture, chiseled cheekbones and jawline, his hair and those eyes. . . 

“Wake up,” 

I stopped trying to swim. My brain and body embraced it all, and I quickly realized it really was a dream. That I wasn’t drowning. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. Slowly, it was like the liquid drained and I stood on solid ground once again and as I slowly opened my eyes, I was met with a blinding light. 

/////////

I opened my eyes to find myself in a hospital bed. I blinked a few times to adjust my eyes to the harsh lighting, but everything was coming out so blurry. I could see there were people around me, but I could hardly see them. 

“What— what’s going on?” I slowly reached my hands up to my face, taking my glasses off and my vision cleared. 

Standing before me were Spider-Man, the navy blue Spider-Man who I realized was more bulky and taller looking than the original, and then there was another classic Spider-Man except he wore a doctor’s uniform. 

“Ha, ha, you’re awake!” The Spider-Doc quickly switched places with Spider-Man as he brought out a flashlight pen, carefully flashing it in my eyes. “How are you feeling?”

“Um. . . kinda weird, but, okay, I think?” I mumbled softly as I was adjusting to everything I was clearly seeing around me as the doctor pulled away. 

I glanced down at my glasses, completely dumbfounded. I had to wear them for years but now it’s as if I can see perfectly without them. 

I heard a quiet laugh as I looked over towards the classic Spider-Man as he removed his mask, revealing a white skinned male with short brown hair, a faint stubble beard and green eyes. “The glasses thing got me too,” 

I stared at him briefly, my mind still coming to terms if that was actually who I was seeing and speaking to. “Peter. . . Parker?”

“Peter B. Parker, ma’am,” He introduced himself with a wave. 

I looked up towards the Spider-Doc and our eyes met briefly. “Also, Peter Parker?” I asked slowly. 

He nodded gently before typing away at a console to log his results. I then slowly turned and came face to face with the other Spider-Man that saved me. He looked completely different than the others. Different person, different suit. “Not Peter Parker?”

A small scoff groaned from his lips, but there was a very faint smile on his face. As if he were relieved. “Not Peter Parker,”

“Who are you?” I asked him softly. 

“I am Miguel O’hara,” Miguel introduced himself with a polite nod, “Spider-Man 2099,”

“2099? Like in the future? Are we in the future?” I asked him, my eyes widening at the notion. 

“We’re in my dimension's future,” Miguel clarified. “Your name is–?”

“Lisa. . .” I spoke slowly. “Lisa Kendrick,”

“Well then, Miss Lisa, welcome to Earth 928, Miguel’s dimension,” Peter smiled. 

“Wait,” I exchanged looks between the two. “You’re saying. . . we’re not still in New York?”

“Not your New York of Earth-1218, unfortunately,” Miguel answered. 

“So, I’m really in another dimension? This is all real?” I asked, my breathing slowly turning into panting. 

“As real as it can get. Don’t know how else to explain it,” Peter B. nodded. 

I exchanged one more look between the two before I stared back down at my glasses, clutching them tightly. 

“I know, this must be a lot to process and take in,” Miguel started as he leaned into his chair, his arms resting against his thighs. “But if you’ll allow me, I can explain everything in more detail when you’re cleared by our doctor–” 

A loud gurgle from my stomach stopped Miguel from speaking any further as his eyes instantly went to my face to see my expression had morph, and my skin began to turn green. 

“Oh, I know that look,” Spider-Doc strained as he reached for something. “Bucket!!”

He grabbed a bucket and handed it over to me, trading my glasses for it as I hunched over, putting my head into it as I barfed inside. The noise I made was loud and grotesque as both Miguel and Peter B. Parker recoiled back. 

“We got a barfer, I’ll get another washcloth,” Peter B. stood up as he scampered across the room to the supply shelf. 

I breathed in and out heavily as my cheeks burned from the embarrassment of what I just did in front of them, and when I gaze found Miguel’s again, realizing he didn’t leave with Peter and continued to watch me, my blush turned darker as I suddenly felt the urge to hide my face in the bucket. 

Chapter Text

I ended up barfing three more times in the last hour. My throat was burning from the acid that was left over, and it pulsed every time I took a deep breath to calm myself. By then, Miguel decided he’d prepare something for me to help further explain why I was in another dimension. 

“That bracelet will help you keep from glitching during your time here,” He explained briefly before turning to leave. “Peter will escort you to my lab once you’re well enough to move around,”

Before I could even get a question out, he was already gone. Both him and Peter had briefly explained the Spider-Society to me. An elite task force of multiple other Spider-People from other dimensions. I had asked Peter how many Spider-Men and Women there were in the multiverse. He said there were too many to count, but that didn’t stop him from trying. 

“Let’s see, that I know of, we got Me, Peter Parker, Peter C. Parker, Scarlet Spider, Spider-Punk, Spider-Ham, Spider-Noir, Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman, Spider-Gwen, Spider-Girl, Cyborg-Spider, Spider-Cat–”

I became immediately overwhelmed as he continued to list the names of all of the Spider-People he appeared to know at the top of his hand. There was a bubbling sensation in my stomach. That was when I barfed the third time. 

“Oh geez, sorry!” Peter B. cringed at the display as he gently used his washcloth to clean my mouth. “I guess I’ll leave the rest of the explaining to Miguel,” 

Spider-Doc checked my vitals once more before putting me through some physical exercises to make sure I could stand and walk on my own. When he was satisfied, he cleared me from his office. 

“Alright, you’re good to go!” He proclaimed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a Spider-Man themed lollipop. 

“Thanks, Doc,” I took the treat in my hand, hesitating briefly before taking off the wrapper and putting it in my mouth. I was pleasantly surprised that it was strawberry flavored. 

“Now from what it looks like to me, you’ve made it through the worst of the transformation side-effects. You’ll just feel a little sore and now with your throat, a little rough to speak for a while,” The Doc explained as I sucked on the candy. 

“Transformation. . . meaning I’ll have Spider-Powers now?” I asked him with a curious gaze. 

“Most likely,” He nodded. “it’s how pretty much all of us got our powers, with a few exceptions,” 

Me? Spider-Powers? Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline when I fully processed it, but my brain immediately went to that scene in Hannah Montana where Jackson was complaining about working in the basement of their house, having gotten bitten by a few spiders and was anticipating getting “Spidey Powers” as he called it before doing the web sling gestures with his hands and making the sound effects. 

Peter B. placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Easy now, don’t want you fainting on us again, or barfing for that matter,”

“Sorry I zoned out there,” I rubbed the back of my neck in embarrassment as I popped the lollipop out of my mouth. “Everything is just so–”

“A lot?” Peter finished the sentence for me. “Well, it’s only going to get a lot more from there,” He chuckled, snorting at his joke. 

I gave him a perplexed look before he immediately shook his head, waving it off. “Okay, that was awful, I’m sorry,” 

“Hey, an effort was made,” I reassured him as my expression turned sympathetic. 

“So, this is only a tiny taste of what the rest of HQ looks like. We’ll stop by the food court and get you some food before meeting up with Miguel,” He explained as he motioned for me to follow him outside. “Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour!”

I watched as he walked forward, the automatic doors opening as he stepped through and I could see the brisk white and red hallways. Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I cautiously followed him, raising my hand to shield my eyes from the bright lights of the room as we entered the main hall. 

What I saw made my jaw drop, my lollipop falling out of my mouth. The main hall was a giant room with walkways and pillars, allowing Spider-People to swing, crawl, and walk pretty much anywhere. I saw a Spider-Cop directing traffic, a Spider-Woman walking her Spider-Dog, I was so entranced by it all I almost didn’t notice a Spider-Janitor web shooting my lollipop from the ground and straight into a garbage shoot. 

“This is insane,” I gasped as I craned my neck to take in absolutely everything I could. 

“Come on, the food court is this way,” Peter tugged me along gently as I followed him down the hall.

He was kind enough to show me the normal route without needing to swing webs or wall crawl, taking a longer route. As we walked, it was hard to not notice all the stares and whispers from the other Spider-People around us. I hunched my shoulders as I tried to hide my face, shuffling closer towards Peter B. 

“I take it this doesn’t happen every day?” I asked him. 

“It has been a while since we got a new recruit to the team,” Peter B. answered as we walked, waving to some other Peter Parkers. “It’s definitely surprising seeing someone from your universe here,” 

I remembered in between my barf sessions, Miguel had mentioned that the dimension where I’m apparently from, Earth-1218 is one of if not the purest dimension in the multiverse. Superheroes aren’t supposed to exist in our world other than as fictional entities. 

I wanted to ask him further questions, but still feeling embarrassed about him seeing me so vulnerable, I didn’t pry on it. In that moment, I felt he was being patient with me, whether his intention was true or I was making things more difficult. But there wasn’t anything mistaking the sympathetic look in his eyes as he talked to me. 

If everything about my dimension is true, does he blame himself for what happened? 

Peter B. and I arrived at the cafeteria. He treated me to a Spider-Man 2099 decorative cheeseburger, fries, and a soft drink. I couldn’t help but smirk at all the themed items. So far this was becoming the most pleasant part of all this madness. The food did smell pretty good. Peter ordered the food to go so we wouldn’t keep Miguel waiting too long. 

I unwrapped the paper from the burger and took a bite out of it. It tasted pretty good too. 

“Like it?” Peter B. asked and smiled when I nodded passionately. “That’s good, that’s good. They’re some of my personal favourites to chow down here, but my favourite burger I’ve eaten is over in another buddy of mine’s dimension,” 

“Another Parker?” I asked him as I ate and walked alongside him. 

“No, no, Miles Morales,” Peter corrected with a soft smile. “He’s a really good kid. He’s been the Spider-Man of his dimension for a while now,” 

“Is he a member of the Spider-Society too?” I asked, smiling at the man. It looked like he cared for Miles quite deeply. 

I saw the look in Peter’s eyes as he paused, almost hesitating in his response before speaking, “Actually, no, he’s not. That part is a little complicated,” He suddenly became uncomfortable at the subject, his expression hanging low. 

I dropped the French fry I was about to eat back into the bag as I placed a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, was I not supposed to–?”

“No, no, it’s okay, no harm done,” Peter B. reassured me as we came upon a large set of doors. “It’s just been a while since I’ve last seen him. I miss him. He’s still learning the ropes and stuff so he just needs a little more experience is all,”

Passing through the doors, we left the bright main hall of the Society and entered a dark, almost gritty hallway. The room was just light enough allowing us to walk across without bumping into any computer consoles or metal beams that held the room together. 

“Ah, there you are!” A female voice spoke up as a small digital figure appeared from thin air. “Perfect timing, Jessica and Gwen are here too!”

I jumped seeing the hologram, clutching my bag of food closer to my chest. “What the?!”

“Whoops! Sorry about that, didn’t mean to scare you,” She apologized with a snicker. “I like a good jump scare, I can’t help myself,” 

“Lisa, this is Lyla, Miguel’s personal AI. She helps manage and run things here in the Society and monitors the multiverse. Lyla, this is–” Peter B. introduced me to her before Lyla zoomed in on my face. 

“Lisa from Earth-1218! I’ve been dying to meet you! Wait, I need to document this historic moment,” Lyla brought out her own virtual phone as she turned the camera to face us as she snuggled in close. “Selfie!”

The camera snapped, capturing a picture of the two of us. 

“Lyla, is that you over there?” A familiar tenor voice called out. 

“Oh, that’s the boss, shouldn’t keep him waiting. Don’t be shy now, he may look intimidating, but he’s harmless deep down,” Lyla winked over at me before flying off forward. “Yep! They’re here, Miguel, I’m bringing them to you!” 

Peter B. motioned his hand out, gesturing me to go first. I followed Lyla’s lead as she flew and zipped about the hall. We turned a corner and my lips parted open slightly as I took in the towering platform above us. 

It was littered with holographic screens and computer consoles and mixed in with it all as Miguel. I watched curiously as he reached over, grabbing some sort of injection device, attaching a green vial. He lifted it to his shoulder where part of his suit dematerialized, showing off some of his skin as he used the device to inject the serum from the vial inside of him. As he turned around, I saw the iris of his eyes change from a glowing red to a calm brown and our eyes met. 

I stopped, initially caught off guard by the gesture. Like I was a little kid getting caught by their parents doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing. My cheeks flushed slightly as I averted my gaze, not meaning to stare longer than I did. It didn’t help that I could feel his gaze still lingering on me. 

“Now that everyone is here,” A new voice caught my attention as I looked over towards Jessica Drew. Her dark hair was puffed out in a perfect afro with yellow glasses and matching hoop earring. She wore a red suit and belt around her waist that highlighted her pregnant belly. “Shall we get started?”

“Yeah, sorry about the wait,” Peter B. apologized as he stepped forward, looking up towards Miguel. “I got her some food, I figured she’d be hungry after, ya know. . .”

Miguel watched him briefly before using his red glowing web slinger to swing down from the platform, joining us all on the ground floor as he stood between Jessica and who I quickly assumed was Gwen. “Are you feeling any better?” 

I nodded gently. “Yes,” 

“Good then,” he nodded back. “Let’s not waste anymore time,”

Lyla appeared beside him as she did a gesture with her arms and suddenly white lines pulsed on the floor like a rain drop causing a ripple effect in a pond. A pure white light tree grew from the floor below us, its branches growing larger and stretching about the room until their structure and design resembled a spiderweb. Multiple webs in fact.

“This is. . . everything. All the dimensions and universes of Spider-Man connected into one giant web. They each go through canon events that push their universe’s story forward,” Miguel began as he reached his hand out and dragged the hologram along, showing us a specific web. “This is Earth-1218. Your dimension,” 

I stepped closer towards the hologram. It was strangely beautiful to look at. While the other webs were highlighted in red, mine was coloured in blue. 

“Your dimensions laws of physics and nature are so pure, that the very concept of a superhuman existing is out of the question. The science is not there,” Miguel went on as he slowly stalked around the hologram and came to my side. 

“What about the Spider that bit me? Did it come from another dimension?” I asked. 

The very question brought the memory of the Doc Ock fight back into Miguel’s mind as he replayed the moment of tossing him towards the Spider containment over and over again. He sighed, seeming tired and defeated. “Yes. Inter-dimensional travel is extremely dangerous unless you have the right tools. The spider slipped into your dimension, and when it bit you, it caused your universe to experience unplanned canon event,” 

He used his hands to zoom in on the web and upon closer inspection I saw that some of the blue lines were pulsing with white light. Like a spark of electricity. “What is it doing?” I looked over towards Miguel with a look of concern in my face. “Is my universe in danger because of this?” 

“Your universe appears to be trying to repair itself. If Peter and I didn’t find you when we did, more damage could have been done.Your universe is deciding whether or not it will accept a real Spider-Woman. Not just from your stories. If it doesn’t, the effects could be irreversible,” Miguel responded with a grim look. 

“What about. .  if I will become Spider-Woman or not?” I asked with uncertainty. 

Miguel looked at me for a hard second before web shooting my empty food bag and tossing it into the garbage shoot. I still had some fries left too! 

Miguel raised a cocky brow at me as he placed his hands on his hips. “There never was a Spider-Woman in Earth-1218, and there never will be,” 

“But Miguel,” Gwen’s voice perked up as she stepped forward. “She’s going to have powers now, right? She can’t just not use them, can’t she?”

“Gwen,” Miguel’s voice hung low as he shot her cautious glance. “Unless she wants her universe to not exist anymore, she doesn’t have a choice in that,” 

“But what if something happens that’s out of her control and they activate?” Jessica asked. “She’d be vulnerable,”  

“Out of the question. She can’t be Spider-Woman,” Miguel stated firmly. 

I coughed loudly into my fist, gaining everyone’s attention. “May I say something,” I looked up towards Miguel. “Please?”

Surprised by my sudden outburst, his iris pulsed red briefly before a curious expression showed on his face. “Very well,” 

“If I can’t be Spider-Woman in my universe to preserve its existence, then fine, if it means protecting every life there. But what if I could still be Spider-Woman here ?” I asked. 

“I see, you’re on to something,” Peter B. smirked, nodding in approval.

“What is she talking about? Like joining us?” Jessica looked between us all. 

My gaze returned to Miguel, my eyes pouring into his. “Train me. Let me practice here so I can better control these powers so they don’t accidental go off on me while I’m living my life,”

Miguel stared at me with a dumbfounded expression as he sighed, brushing his hand over his face and hair as he turned to the side, the gears in his head turning. 

“I understand that preserving the Multiverse is very important to you, and I want to help you in any way I can,” I stated. “But without all of your guidance, I’ll be going in blind,”

Another sigh escaped Miguel’s puffed lips as his gaze glanced back towards me, sizing me up. “Lyla, ask Margo to construct a gizmo for Lisa, please,” 

“Already did as soon as she came in,” Lyla winked. 

“Gizmo?” I repeated with a bewildered smile. 

“The Gizmo is a watch that will allow you to travel between other dimensions. In your case, between here and your dimension,” Gwen elaborated as she approached me, taking her mask off to reveal her side cut blonde hair with pink dye, eyebrow piercings, and navy blue eyes. “I’m Gwen, if that wasn’t obvious already,”

“Lisa,” I smiled as the two of us shook hands. 

“The fate of the multiverse may depend on your cooperation to this plan of yours, Lisa,” Miguel lectured softly as he stepped closer towards me. “Do you swear to only use your powers within the vicinity of the HQ?”

His stern, intimidating stare sent a shiver down my spine as he towered over me. I sucked in a breath, gulping before I stood firm, nodding my head. “I swear,”

There was a hint of a smirk on Miguel’s face as he hummed before reaching a large hand out towards mine. “Then welcome to the Spider-Society,”

“You won’t regret this, Miguel, I’ll train hard,” I smiled as I shook his hand. His grip was firm, powerful compared to my smaller hand. I pulled back and silently cheered. “I’m ready to get started, the sooner the better!”

I fist bumped the air and felt a rush of energy course through my arm as something squirted out from my wrist. I looked up to see web fluid shoot out into the air. It hovered briefly before making a harsh descent, right into Miguel’s face. 

The room was silent as everyone looked upon the display, eyes widened as Gwen tried to hold in her laughter. I gasped, covering my mouth with my hands. “I’m so sorry! That doesn’t count does it?”

With a quiet grumble under his breath, Miguel swiftly brushed the web fluid off his face, casting it aside as he shot me a tired glance. “Like you said; The sooner the better,” 

Chapter Text

Gwen opened a portal for me back to my dimension, dropping me off at the coordinates Miguel and Peter B. used. She gave me back my purse that I thought I lost and I breathed a sigh of relief, thanking her for returning it. She said she’d be back to pick me up and I gave her the address of the hotel and what room I was staying in. 

After the portal closed, I carefully climbed down the fire escape of the building I was on, making my way to the street. I was back where it all started. The corner of the dance studio where I got bitten by that spider. I turned my gaze towards the alley, the mental image of those few seconds played back in my mind as I clutched onto my purse a little tighter. 

I thought back to Miguel’s words as I walked. An unplanned ‘Canon Event’ he had said. A moment in my dimension's history and story that wasn’t supposed to happen. Unless I want my dimension to completely disappear, I can’t use my spider powers here. 

At least until it decides it wants a Spider-Woman. That’s how he and Lyla had put it. But judging by the tone in Miguel’s voice, I doubted that outcome. Which was why I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t go back on my word to him. I’d train and work hard to keep these powers under control. 

I came to a stop light and looked around the block. It was later in the day now, so the streets were more lively compared to this morning. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw something that triggered a lightbulb to go off in my head. 

A comic book shop. 

I couldn’t even remember the last time I picked up one. But if I wanted to learn everything I could about my new potential powers, I was desperate to try any and all means. 

As soon as the light turned green, I ran down the crosswalk, going straight for the store. I stepped inside, the bell chiming as it signaled my arrival. I walked over to the counter, greeting an old man with neatly cut white hair, a white dress shirt with a red handkerchief scarf around his neck, and yellow sunglasses. 

“Welcome! How can I help you, miss?” He greeted me warmly. 

I whipped out my wallet and brought out all the spare cash I had, roughly over $100 worth as I placed it on the counter. “I’d like as many Spider-Man comics as you can give me. I’m not picky on anything specific,” 

“My, my! An eager one, I see,” He smiled brightly as he took the cash and put it in the register. “Follow me, I think I know where to get you started,”

He walked over the counter, grabbing a bag as he handed it to me. “Trust me, you’ll need this,” 

After shopping around and asking questions for a good half hour, I walked out of that store with a fresh big pile of Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Spider-Gwen, Miles Morales, Scarlet Spider, and any other Spider-esqe comics I could find to get my money's worth. I scampered back to the hotel and began my deep dive into researching all things Spider-Man and their powers. 

I took vigorous notes in my notebook, highlighting anything that seemed important. For the first little while everything seemed important. For example, the Spider-Sense could work in different ways, but most commonly it was used as a danger sense, allowing Spider-Man to sense incoming danger before he could get hurt. It doesn’t work on everything however, as I quickly learned in No Way Home when MJ threw multiple rolls of bread at Amazing Spider-Man to try to trigger it. 

Most Spider characters can stick to and climb walls and even crawl on the ceiling. Gwen did mention that my powers awakening could be unpredictable, so I had no way of telling when they’d start showing up, but the fact of me regaining perfect eyesight meant that I was on the right track. 

When it came to web shooting, most Spider-Men nowadays had developed their own web shooters. I had noticed both Peter B. and Miguel using their own during my rescue, and was curious on why Miguel’s glowed red when Peter’s appeared to be normal spider web fluid. I made a note to ask them how they built theirs, but considering my case was that the fluid was inside my body as I could literally shoot them from my wrist, I probably wouldn’t need one. 

“Wait, what about the mental block?” I muttered softly as I dropped one of the comics in my lap. “Is that gonna happen to me at some point?” 

I made another note to ask Peter. B. about a mental block. 

I ordered room service, having some food and coffee brought to my door so I could continue my research with little bodily distractions like hunger and sleep. The room service attendant that delivered my food must have thought I was crazy when they saw the pile of comic books on the floor. “I tried to play it cool,”

“I’m a. . . big fan?” I chuckled nervously. 

Although the blank stare as he immediately left told me he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. Fine by me. 

I munched on some egg fried rice and sweet and sour chicken as I continued my work. I flipped through some of the older comics, revealing some of the classic enhanced abilities. They appeared to be listed as followed; Super strength, speed, agility, heightened reflexes, balance, coordination and stamina. 

This then led into a deep dive of who was the strongest Spider-Man or Woman? Or were they all equally strong? Was Spider-Man stronger than Captain America? The Hulk?

“No, that’s stupid, Hulk is supposed to be the strongest Avenger,” I rolled my eyes, tossing the comic aside. 

Then I filtered through some of the other comics for alternate powers. There were Spider-Heroes with stingers, night vision, camouflage, even fangs!

“Am I gonna grow fangs?” I thought to myself. “I think that would be one of the better ones to get,”

I made a quick list of abilities I wished I could get, one’s that I did not want, and made another list of power’s I found myself most likely getting depending on my personal strength. At that point I had eaten most of my food and completely gulped down my coffee. 

I was neck deep in the middle of reading the Dark Web saga when my phone suddenly started to ring. It snapped me out of my trance as I reached for it and answered, “Hello?”

“Lisa, honey! How are you?” An older woman’s voice spoke through the receiver.

My eyes widened as I recognized it, “Mom, hey,” I greeted her with love and exhaustion. 

“I heard you made it on the dance team in New York, that’s great news honey,” She praised me, her voice containing nothing but pride. 

“Wait, how did you know?” I asked her, my body tensing. 

“Oh, well my friend Suzie is a member of the committee for the team–” As my mother explained her elaborate story, I could feel the tension ease down to my wrist as I felt something boil up, white liquid threatening to break free.

Crap, the web fluid! 

I grabbed my napkin, wrapping it around my wrist as I took deep breathes in and out through my nose to calm myself. Slowly I calmed down and the tension in my wrist went down with it. Phew~ 

“-- and her eldest daughter is the dance coach!” My mother exclaimed happily. 

I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Of course she is,” 

“This is exciting news, honey, this is your first dance opportunity in 2 years, I know you’ll do great,” She was fairly happy as she sighed in content before an awkward silence fell between us. “Jin is happy for you, too,” 

I twitched slightly at the name as I leaned back into the headrest of my bed. My step-father.

“How is he?” I asked her, not wanting to be completely closed off about it. 

“He’s been doing a little better,” My mother sighed softly. “He’s been making great breakthroughs with his therapist. Did you. . . want to talk to him?”

I thought about it for a good long moment before I could feel my throat quench up. Maybe it was the burn of the acid from my sickness earlier or just old wounds resurfacing. I managed a breath before my lips trembled, “I’m sorry, mom. . .”

“Oh, honey, you’re not ready, yet?” She asked, yet there was no hint of hurt in her voice.

But there should be. Why wasn’t she yelling at me? It’s been 2 years for GOD’s sake. 

“No,” I shook my head. 

“It’s okay, honey,” she reassured me softly. “You’re both trying. That’s what matters,”

“Will I still see you for Mother’s Day?” I asked her, sounding hopeful.

“Of course, my love! Especially if you’re in New York! I’ve always wanted to see the Statue of Liberty,” She beamed with excitement. 

Hearing how happy she was cheered me up a little as I laughed along with her. “Tell you what; That is the first thing I’ll do to treat you when you get here,” 

“I’d love that,” She smiled. “Oh, do you think they’ll finally finish adding the Captain America fella’s shield to it when I get here?” 

“Mom, I’ve told you, it’s just CGI special effects,” I laughed, face palming my face. “It’s not actually happening,”

“Oh I knew that,” she scoffed, “But I thought they’d do that for the Marvel Day celebration in a few weeks. You’re still into that stuff aren’t you, sweetie?”

I glanced down at the pile of comics on my bed. “The movies, yeah? I haven’t picked up a comic in years. You were always put off by how they drew the female characters sometimes,” 

“Oh that was when you were younger, I didn’t want all that being a bad influence on you,” She sighed. “Anyways, it’s very late where you are, I was surprised you answered. Should I let you get some sleep now, honey?” 

I glanced over towards the clock on the nightstand and was surprised when I saw the incredibly late hour. Not to mention I failed to notice when the sun had come down and it became night time. Although with the lights out, it was pretty to look at. 

“Yeah, sorry mom, I was just. . . reviewing some old dance routines for practice,” I fibbed with a tired grunt as I sat up. 

“Well don’t overwork yourself,” She showered me with motherly love. “I love you, Lisa, get some rest,”

“Love you too, mom,” I smiled. “Goodnight,” 

I hung up my phone, tossing it aside as I rubbed my face with my hands. I really should clean this mess up and get some sleep. I crawled along my bed, starting to gather up the comics. As my fingers brushed along the covers, my gaze came upon one issue that was hiding underneath some other ones that I had read. A Spider-Man 2099 comic. 

When the old man was helping me pick some out, he had mentioned he didn’t have a lot of comics for him in stock, but he was a fairly popular character in recent years. 

My curiosity got the better of me as I picked up the comic and held the cover to my face. There were some slight differences, but there was no mistaking that it was Miguel O’Hara. 

“I guess one more wouldn’t hurt,” 

I leaned back on my pillow as I began to read it. I just have been more tired than I realized. I did not remember finishing it as I suddenly awoke early the next morning to a gentle tapping on a window. I slowly began to stir, looking over towards my balcony window. 

That’s right, Gwen said she’d be picking me up to take me back to Spider-Society HQ this morning. 

The tapping seized when I got up from the bed, tiredly stalking to the balcony as I pulled open the screening door, “Hey, Gwen, sorry I overslept–” 

A male voice scoffed almost in a playful manner. “I was not aware I was a 5’7” 16 year old girl,”

My entire body froze as I felt as if cold water was splashed on me. It might as well have been what happened as my eyes snapped open and met Miguel’s gaze as he stood before me on my balcony. 

“You’ve been busy, I see,” He spoke, eyeing the comics behind me. 

My cheeks flared up. The only thing I could think of in my mind was to ask him why he cheated on his fiancé with his best friend’s girlfriend in the comic. But I had a feeling he’d grab me and throw me over the balcony. Wait, were those stories even connected with his dimension in the first place?

So instead I stuttered horribly, “J-J-Just give me a few minutes to clean up and get ready!”

Chapter Text

“You mind letting me in? It’s a bit chilly out here,” Miguel muttered softly as he gave me a weird look after my stutter. 

“Oh, uh, sure,” I chuckled nervously as I stood to the side, inviting him in. 

“Gracias,” he responded plainly as he stepped inside. - Thank you

He was so tall he could literally reach up and touch the ceiling with his fingers. He towered over me as I closed the sliding door, shutting out the cool air before I shuffled passed him. 

“Not to be frank, but I was expecting Gwen?” I raised a brow as I began to clean up my mess. 

“Gwen was asked to assist Jessica for a mission, so I volunteered to pick you up in her place,” Miguel explained as he stepped further into the room, looking around. He glanced over, watching as I stuffed all the comic books in a bag and slammed it on the desk.  

I huffed, catching my breath as I walked over to my dresser drawer and grabbed a change of clothes. “I’ll just change quickly and we’ll go,”

“Take your time,” Miguel nodded firmly, hands on his hips. He watched me step into the bathroom and lock the door before pressing a button on his watch. “Lyla, scan the area,”

“Yep, yep!” Lyla piped up as she materialized a few tiny drones for Miguel as they began to hover around the room. 

“Wait, scanning? Is everything okay?” I called from the bathroom. 

I began to strip down yesterday's clothes, tossing them aside. 

“Just scanning and making sure nothing is out of the ordinary. I wouldn’t want another anomaly slipping through to your universe,” Miguel explained. 

“Uh huh,” I was half paying attention to him as I was focused on getting my top off, and once my bare stomach and sports bra were in view as I looked at myself in the mirror, my hands couldn’t help but wander down to faint scaring along my stomach. 

I just have zoned out for a second longer than I should have. I heard Miguel’s voice through the doorway. “Everything alright?”

“Oh, yes!” I quickly snapped back into reality as I rushed to finish getting ready. “Um, what’s an anomaly exactly? Something that’s from another universe?”

“Like the Spider that bit you and the guards, yes,” Miguel nodded as he walked closer towards the desk. One of the comics caught his eye as he gently pulled it out to get a closer look. Realizing it was a comic of him, his cheeks flushed faintly, scoffing at it before shoving it back in the bag. “Among other things,” 

The bathroom door unlocked as I stepped back into my hotel room, wearing a black tank top with a red zip up sweater over top and black cargo pants. “Like what?”

Miguel seems to stare at me for a few solid seconds, as if debating to tell me more. “That’s. . .” He hesitated briefly before shaking it off. “Not important for right now.” 

I got the feeling that it was a touchy subject for him so I didn’t want to press it any more than he wanted to talk about. He could be intentionally taking things slowly for me, not wanting me to feel overwhelmed about everything. In just over 24 hours I discovered the existence of other dimensions and in said dimensions, superheroes, Spider-Man especially, are actually real. 

I’m feeling fantastic! 

“Before I forget,” Miguel reached behind him and pulled something out from his pocket. “Your Gizmo is ready,” 

My eyes lit up at the proclamation as I extended my hand out to take it. He handed it to me and when I pulled back and took a closer look at it, I twitched, my head tilted to the side as I stared at it. 

“This looks like a SmartWatch?” I looked up at him. 

“The Gizmo is designed uniquely for all their holders to represent their dimension and its likeness. So when Lyla and Margo did their research and constructed the watch, this was the result. Do you not like it?”

The Gizmo was designed to look exactly like a Sony SmartWatch. If it wasn’t for the Society touch screen interface, I would have mistaken it completely with an actual smart device from my dimension. 

“No, I like it!” I reassured him with an eager nod as I slipped it on to my wrist before my voice lowered to a whisper, “Or cause Spider-Man is owned by Sony?”

“I’m sorry?” Miguel spoke up.

“Nothing!” I responded quickly, hands behind my back. 

We just stared at each other with these dumbfounded expressions on our face before Miguel shook his head with a sigh. “You’re certainly an interesting one, Lisa,” 

I raised a brow at the man as I grabbed my duffel bag and reached for my notebook. “Alright then,” 

“What’s that?” He asked, pointing at it. 

“This?” I paused, showing it off. “I just took some notes last night to help me prepare for my training,”

“Notes? Anything involving those?” Miguel raised a brow at me as he pointed back towards the pile of comic books on my desk. 

I scrunched my neck between my shoulders as I hesitated to answer the question, “. . . Maybe?”

He gave me a look that said ‘ I didn’t believe you ’ before motioning his hand towards me, gesturing that I hand it over. Like a kid caught cheating on a test, I handed it to him and watched with bated breath as he rummaged through my notes. He seemed to idle more on certain pages than others. 

The drones Lyla summoned chimed, a green light pulsing in their optics before they disappeared. “Scans are good! No anomalies in sight, boss,” 

When he heard that, he slapped the book shut with one hand before tossing it back to me. “Alright, I’ve seen enough,” 

I juggled the book in my hand before catching it as Miguel activated a portal behind us. Shoving the notebook in my bag, I slipped the shoulder strap of my bag on as Miguel motioned to follow me through the portal. I could tell by the look on his face that he felt training me was going to be hard . 

///////

I knew the expression on his face wasn’t lying to me. If he thought training me was hard, training under him was even harder. 

We didn’t even stop to say hi to Margo or Lyla upon stepping through the other side of the portal. Miguel told me to keep following him through the halls of the Society until we arrived at the training center. 

For the last two hours, he had me undergo strict training regimens. Running laps, push ups, sit ups. I swear it felt like I was back in my fitness class at College. But the worst of it all, which was the one I appeared to be excelling in the most, was the rock climbing wall. 

The reason Miguel wanted me to go through all of this was to help build up my body muscles and stamina, so once my powers completely kick in, I won’t feel like an absolute mess. Well, jokes on him, because my body feels like an absolute mess right now and on the verge of collapsing. 

He walked me through the course with a harness first before roping me into climbing it again without one. It got me the feeling that he was using fear to try and trigger my powers. 

“You’re slowing down,” Miguel commented with an annoyed look in his eyes. 

“Am not,” I retaliated with a heavy sigh as I reached for another handle. “Just catching my breath is all,” 

“When it comes to being Spider, villains won’t give you a chance to catch your breath ,” Miguel lectured as he shook his head. 

As I continued to steadily climb, I caught the noise of a web sling as suddenly a blob of web fluid stuck to the next handle I was reaching for. I yelped, my hand recoiling back as I started to lose my balance. My arm waved frantically before I reached out and grabbed a different handle and caught myself from falling. 

I glared down at Miguel and I just barely saw a smug little look on his face. “You did not just do that,” 

“Do what?” He raised a brow, winking at me as he didn’t bother trying to hide a spare web shooter he had on hand. 

GOD, why does his face have to look so good while he looks at me like that?

I scoffed at him, rolling my eyes. “You are so smug,” 

I carefully continued my climb and as I reached for another handle, another web blast covered it and I recoiled, only this time both of my hands drew back as I found myself falling. I screamed as I reached out and tried to grab onto a handle before my hands and feet slapped onto the wall and I found myself skidding to a halt.

I breathed in heavily as I realized my hands and feet stuck on to the wall. I peered closely at one of my hands to see tiny little spider pricks on my fingers. “Hey! I’m actually doing it!”

As soon as I reached over to try and climb on my own, the emotion of fear melted away. Along with the ability to stay stuck to the wall. Both my hands and feet slipped as I screamed and I fell straight down to the floor, my back slamming into the gym matt below the climbing wall. 

“Ow,” I groaned. 

“You’re not focused enough,” Miguel scoffed as he looked down at me, hands on his hips. “Being Spider-Man isn’t about memorizing or predicting your abilities,” He knelt down beside me, giving me a hard stare. 

“What? Are they not accurate enough?” I teased tiredly. 

He shook his head at me, eyes narrowed. “It’s not so much as what’s up there,” he flicked a finger at my forehead before tapping my chest over where my heart is. “It’s about what you feel in there,” 

He stood back up, offering me his hand. 

“Again,” He commanded. 

I breathed deeply before I reached out and gripped his strong hand as he hoisted me up from the floor with such ease, I almost got dizzy as I regained my footing. 

Hands on my knees, I looked up at him. “Can’t I just take a break for 5 minutes? At least so I can get some water?” 

“We’ll take a break when I say we’re taking a break,” He stated firmly as he turned his back to me. “Only when I’m satisfied that you’ve made actual progress, Lisa,” 

I could feel the frustration boiling inside of me as my fingers curled into fists as I fixed my posture, walking past him towards the wall. “Smartass,” I muttered. 

He whipped his head towards me, a dark look in his eyes. “What was that?”

I stopped moving, standing still as I gave him a side glance. He was really starting to annoy me with his attitude and behavior this morning. “Did you not hear me?”

I felt something snap in my wrist as I whirled around and fired a web sling at Miguel. The web fluid hit his shoulder as he took a step back, gripping it tightly as he pulled it off. I froze, realizing what I had just done. 

He locked his gaze towards me. This wasn’t the same power I accidentally unleashed on his face yesterday. This was stronger. 

“Again,” He ordered.

With a strong, heavy breath, I latched my hand out, firing a web sling from my wrist. This one felt stronger, more powerful as it launched and stuck right to Miguel’s chest. A proud smile formed on my face until he suddenly grabbed the string and yanked on it, pulling me forward. 

I stumbled, my feet tripping on one another. Before I could fall to the floor, Miguel rushed forward and caught me by using his hand to grasp my chin and the top half of my neck. He stared at me for a good long second, his warm breath fanning my skin.

“You hesitated. Spider-Man never hesitates,” 

He growled under his breath, staring at me as his brown iris flashes red every so briefly, leaving a mark into my soul before releasing me. I reached out and caught myself from completely collapsing. My body felt incredibly warm, sweating even. 

“Fine. 5 minutes then,” he sighed, shaking his head as his hands found their place on his hips. 

I glanced up towards Miguel, a wave of guilt washing over me. Sure, I probably shouldn’t have reacted like that. But he was still being a jerk. A huge one. 

As I caught my breath, a new set of footsteps caught my ear. As we were training, no other Spider came near us, specifically Miguel. Everyone just let us be as we went through our training. So this newcomer might have had a death wish if he was brave enough to approach us, especially now that I had pissed Miguel off. 

A deeper masculine voice whistled a tone from his lips as he stalked towards us. I glanced over to see a Spider character who’s figure appeared black and white wearing street clothes from a punk rock band, a guitar at his back. 

“No more pencils, no more books

No more teachers, dirty looks~” 

The longer I stared at him, the sooner it hit me in my mind about who he was. Spider-Punk. 

“Hobie, not now,” Miguel spoke with a tense tone. 

“Easy, boss man, just checking in on the new girl,” Hobie raised his hands in a defensive manner. “You’re not giving her a hard time are you? Wait a minute, of course you are,” 

I stood up slowly from the mat as I took in Hobie’s appearance. He had such a swagger to him that made him act older, but I could feel by his expressions and the look in his eyes that he was a teenager, or closer to a young adult. Maybe 17?

“He’s just a little . . strict with his teachings, that’s all,” I spoke softly.

I could tell Miguel was glancing over at me. I didn’t see his gaze this time. 

“He is right about one thing though, I’ll give credit where credit is due,” Hobie smirked. “Being Spider-Man is about what’s in your heart. We all are different and unique. I get the feeling this hard core muscle training might not be for you, Lisa,” 

“You know my name?” I asked him, surprised. 

“Who doesn’t? You’re the chick from Earth-1218,” Hobie laughed as he playfully stalked around me, “Everyone has been talking about you. I’m surprised you’re gussying up to this big fella of all people,” 

I could feel the words sting as he spoke. This one was a troublemaker, but he was honest. 

Miguel stepped forward, “What, you saying I can’t teach her?” He glared at Hobie. 

“Miguel–!” I looked between the pair, reaching out. 

“All I’m saying is this might not be the way to go training her,” Hobie responded. “Look at her, she’s gonna pass out at any minute now cause you won’t cut her some slack,” 

“Hobie, it’s okay, really, it’s just–” I looked over towards Hobie. 

“He gave you the whole fate of the multiverse lecture too, didn’t he?” Spider-Punk gave me a knowing smile. 

Yes. Yes he did. 

“Well then,” Miguel sighed as he rose a hand to his forehead, pinching the skin there as he muttered something in Spanish that I couldn’t decipher before glancing over at us. “If you think you’d do such a good job, you can train her today,” 

I watched with a shocked look on my face as Miguel turned his back to us, stomping away. I called out to him, but Miguel didn’t even so much as offer me a side glance as he exited the training room, all eyes trained on him. When he was gone, the rest of the Spider’s resumed their training. 

“Now that Mr. Big Shot is getting some air, come on,” Hobie motioned for me to follow him. “Food’s on me,”

Chapter Text

As much as I disliked how my first training session ended today, I was so happy to actually sit down and allow my body to rest for a while. Hobie was true to his word and bought me brunch at the cafeteria. Today they were serving breakfast burrito specials. The patties had the classic red and blue Spider-Man colour scheme. 

The two of us sat at an empty table, away from the large crowds. I had downed two bottles of water before even digging into my burrito. It was juicy, flavourful, everything I could want when I was on the verge of collapsing after an intense workout made for Olympians. 

“Don’t you think you were a little harsh with him, Hobie?” I asked Spider-Punk as I came up for air. 

“Nah, the boss had it coming,” He shook his head. “I wasn’t a fan of how he was treating you new blood,”

I stopped munching on my burrito, swallowing. “You were watching me?”

“For a while,” I nodded as he drank a sip of his soda. Compared to myself, he had barely touched his burrito. “I gotta give it to ya, girlie, you really were committed to all that,”

“If I want to get these powers under control, I don’t exactly have any other options,” I shrugged. 

“True, but Miguel ain’t the only one that can teach you,” Hobie grinned. 

“So you have previously said,” I raised a curious brow at the man. 

Hobie certainly knew how to push people’s buttons. Definitely the rebel type. I could tell that training with him would be interesting. 

“Hey, Lisa!” A voice called out to me. 

I looked over to see Gwen walking towards me, waving as Peter B. walked alongside her, only he wasn’t alone. He wore a pink bathrobe over top of his suit and came equipped with a baby carrier and lo and behold, there was a baby inside!

“Hi Gwen,” I waved over at her before my eyes widened at the little bundle in Peter’s care. She had short and wild red hair and piercing green eyes. Her giggles were infectious as I cooed, “Who is this little bundle of joy?” 

“Lisa, I’d like to formally introduce you to Mayday Parker,” Peter smiled proudly as he adjusted her Spider-Man themed beanie before slipping it on her head. 

“She is so precious,” I booped her little nose and she giggled excitedly. 

“I’m gonna grab her some milk and I’ll join you guys,” Peter pointed out to the order counter. “Gwen, do you want anything?”

“Nah, I’m not hungry, you go and spoil her,” Gwen waved him off with a polite smile as she took a seat next to Hobie. 

“Alrighty, come on, May-May, let’s see if we can get you some strawberry milk,” Peter coddled her as they went off. 

I smiled as I watched them. MayDay had her father wrapped around her little finger and they were just adorable together. As I turned back to my table partners, Hobie broke what remained of his burrito in half and gave it to Gwen. “Here Gweny,”

“Thanks Hobie,” Gwen smirked as she began to munch on the burrito. 

“Wait, I thought you told Peter that you weren’t hungry?” I asked, appearing confused. 

“Yeah, I love the guy, but he almost always gets my order wrong,” Gwen chuckled sweetly as she began to eat her half. “I appreciate the effort, though. Oh hey! How did your first training session go with Miguel?”

“Well, it was going as well as it could have been if Miguel were training me to join Nasa!” I grumbled. 

“That bad, huh?” She raised a curious brow at me, a hint of concern on her face. 

“I mean, sure I knew he meant well, but he was super strict, I said something that I shouldn’t have and then Hobie showed up,” I began to ramble on, my words and speech pattern becoming faster as I spoke faster than my brain could process the words that left my mouth, “Words were exchange and Miguel stormed off,” 

“Hobie, what did you say to him?” Gwen shot Spider-Punk an accusing look. 

“Nothing, I was just being honest,” Hobie raised his hands in a defensive manner. 

I gave Hobie a look before looking back towards Gwen. “Long story short, Hobie said he could teach me better than Miguel could,” 

“Crap,” Gwen sighed under her breath before brandishing a tired smile. “Yep, that definitely sounds like something you’d say, Hobie,” 

“I am to please,” Hobie smirked proudly as he bowed his head towards Gwen. 

“Who could teach you better than Miguel?” Peter B.’s voice came up as he walked back to the table with a tray carrying his own burrito, soda, and small pretzel bites and a cartoon of strawberry milk for Mayday. 

“Hobie here pissed Miguel off and–”

“Again?” Peter interrupted Gwen with a knowing look on his face as he took a seat next to me.

“Yes, he claims he could train Lisa better than Miguel could,” Gwen finished her statement.

“You said that?!” Peter B. looked like he was trying to contain his laughter. 

Hobie just shrugged his shoulders at Spider-Man, smirking. 

Peter B. calmed himself down as he opened the milk carton and prepared a stray before handing it to MayDay’s delicate little hands, “Alright then, Lisa, trust me when I tell you,” Peter B. looked over towards me with a reassuring smile. “Don’t let little outbursts like that worry you too much. Miguel may seem cold and stiff most of the time, but he doesn’t bite, I promise,” 

“Are you sure?” I asked him, sounding a bit hopeful, but still slightly skeptical. “Miguel seemed pretty upset,”

“Nah it's fine, he’s just upset with Hobie. He’s our residential chaos enthusiast, loves to cause trouble,” Peter smiled as he gave Hobie a knowing look. “Ain’t that right, kid?”

“I don’t believe in the status quo,” Spider-Punk spoke with a grin as he saluted towards me.

“See? I love this guy!” Peter exclaimed as he munched on his burrito. 

“Still, Miguel had no right being so tough on Lisa like he was, Pete,” Hobie sighed, leaning back into his chair as he put his feet up on the table, but was mindful to not hit Peter’s tray. 

“Did he say something to you?” Gwen asked as she looked over towards me. 

“Well, it wasn’t anything hurtful specifically,” I explained with a nervous expression. “I was. . . studying last night and taking some notes to help better prepare me for my training, and he was concerned I was overthinking everything,” 

“What kind of notes?” Peter asked with an intrigued look. “Can I see?”

My eyes widened at the question as I fumbled for my bag. “Um, sure?” I pulled out the notebook and handed it to Peter. 

He pushed his food tray out of the way and took the book from me as he opened it and began to go through my notes. He was silent as he read it, and he was also silent when Hobie launched a web sling and stole his burrito, chewing on it. 

“This is really impressive, Lisa,” Peter’s lips slowly formed into a soft smile as he looked over towards me. “You wrote all this last night?”

“Yeah,” I rubbed the back of my neck as I processed receiving actual praise for my work, “It was all a spur of the moment thing,” 

“No, no, this is great,” Peter nodded his head enthusiastically. “From a logistical standpoint, I can understand where Miguel is coming from. You’re gonna learn a lot about your powers and yourself while on the go. But these are good starting points,”

“You really think so?” I breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Oh, Gwen, take a look at this,” Peter flipped my book over to show it off to Gwen. “This is something you know how to do, right?”

Gwen leaned forward as she peered at the page and her eyes lit up. “Yeah! Lisa, I can totally teach you how to do that,” 

“Really?” My eyes sparkled at the idea. 

“Alright, how about this; Everyone, finish your lunches, take your potty breaks, meet back at the training session in t-minus 20 minutes while I go change MayDay’s diaper,” Peter B. stated as he handed me back my notebook before glaring over at Hobie. “You, Mister, owe me another burrito!” 

“I don’t believe in compromises,” Hobie smirked. 

“I take it back, I don't like you,” 

/////////

Miguel stood in his dark laboratory, working away on his high towering platform as holographic screens hovered around him. Anomaly reports, scans of various other universes and security feeds of the entirety of the Spider-Society were at his fingertips. 

“The last scout team just came back from Earth-1997. No other anomaly sightings or experiments with their collider have been detected,” Lyla reported. 

“Thank you, Lyla,” Miguel said, his face blank and empty. 

Soft giggling caught his ear as he turned his head towards another holographic screen to see a recording playing. It was him wearing casual outdoor attire and a little girl sitting on his shoulders eating ice cream. His heart pulsed at the image, a ghost of a smile forming on his face as he reached out with delicate fingers and traced his fingertips over the image. He sighed deeply, shutting his eyes before canceling the feed. 

“Are you done moping?” 

Miguel gave a side eye glance towards Jessica Drew who appeared to be watching him closely. “I’m not moping,”

“Uh huh,” Jessica gave him a knowing look as she stepped closer towards him, rubbing a hand along her pregnant belly. “Was it Hobie again?”

“Ooooh what did he say this time? Lyla appeared on Miguel’s shoulder as she stuffed her face with popcorn. 

“Lyla, can you give us a moment?” Miguel asked as he glanced over at his AI with an annoyed glance. Lyla looked like she was about to say something before Miguel’s eyes lit up with the realization as he sighed, shoulders slouching. “ Please ?”

“Like I wasn’t even here,” Lyla winked before fizzling out of existence. 

Miguel waited a few extra seconds to make sure Lyla was actually gone and gave them some privacy. This wouldn't be the first time she’d listen in on his conversation dispute asking her not to. 

“No–, well yes, when is it not that asshole,” Miguel grumbled before shaking his head as he placed his hands on his hips. 

“Something else is eating away at you, Miguel, I can tell,” Jessica flashed a snark grin in his view. “Call it a mother’s intuition,” 

Miguel sighed as he shifted his weight between his feet. “It’s just. . . she has so much to learn, and I don’t think if what I can teach her will be enough,” 

“Give her some time to grow accustomed and adjust to things here,” Jessica smiled reassuringly. “She just might surprise you. I’ve got a good feeling,” 

“A feeling?” Miguel repeated with a teasing half grin. 

“Sometimes that’s all you need, O’Hara,” Jessica remarked before taking her leave, opening a portal back to her dimension. 

He glanced back over to the security feed, noticing Lisa’s return to the training center. Hobie was with her. Of course, he groaned, rolling his eyes as he was hopelessly reminded of their conversation, and just as he was about to move on to his work, he noticed two other Spiders with them, and training alongside Lisa. Peter B. and Gwen. 

His curiosity got the better of him as he gently waved away the other holo-screens and enhanced the security feed. He watched as Gwen walked Lisa through the “Threading the Needle” technique. Gwen then waited for her on the other side of the platform, Peter B. and Hobie offering words of encouragement. 

Miguel watched as Lisa took a deep steady breath as she took a few steps back. Getting into position, she made a running start before firing a web sling to stick to a support beam and jumped off from the platform. She was focused as she relaxed her lower body and swung perfectly through a small thin opening by two cargo crates before letting go of her sling and back flipping into the air. 

Lisa made a wobbly landing on the other platform, almost falling off it not for Gwen catching her wrist and pulling her to safety. They both appeared to exclaim excitedly before hugging one another as Peter B. and Hobie cheered from the sidelines. 

“Not bad, Lisa,” Miguel couldn’t help but utter quietly, but proudly. 

Maybe. Just maybe.

Chapter Text

It had been 3 days since I began my training with Peter and the others. They helped teach me so much, I was so grateful for their advice. As time went on, I became more confident with my swings and web shooters thanks to Gwen and Hobie, and Peter B. walked me through wall crawling. He taught me how to relax my body and to just be in the moment, instead of utilizing the emotional fear of falling.

I also spent the time getting to know them a little bit better. When not doing their Spiderly duties, Hobie was in a band and runway model, Gwen was in a band, a drummer actually, but that went south and now spends most of her free time hanging out with Hobie in his dimension, and Peter B. helps MJ take care and raise MayDay. 

“You know how to dance too?” Gwen’s eyes widened in awe as she watched me incorporate one of my dance moves into an evasive maneuver as Hobie taught me how to dodge incoming attacks from a distance. 

“Yeah, I just joined a Dance Team earlier this week,” I smiled at her. “It was why I moved to New York in the first place,” 

“Oh, you gotta teach me some moves sometime!” She beamed. 

“I’d love to! I’ve never really given a lesson before, but I’d be more than willing to try,” I smiled back, my stomach bubbling with excitement. 

For the first time since I came here, I finally felt like I was settling into this group. They all made me feel so welcomed, it was refreshing. It reminded me of going to my first dance camp and making so many friends. 

Unlike joining my step-father’s agency in Seoul. . . 

Nevermind that . I’m trying to move past that, remember?

Whenever I’d walk past Miguel’s lab either when we’re taking a break to grab food or heading home for the day, I always stop and linger at the large doorway. Should I go in and check to make sure he’s okay? Should I apologize for what Hobie said? He did seem pretty upset. I thought back to Peter B.’s words. While he probably did have no bite, the look in his eyes when he glared at Hobie, and at me , I thought it was best to give him his privacy. 

If he wanted to talk, he’d talk when he was ready. 

The next morning, I arrived at Spider-Society HQ through the portal from my dimension. I had a spring in my step as I walked into the lobby, headphones on as I listened to some music from my phone. Some Spider-People greeted me as I walked by, and I waved back, smiling. I was slowly getting to know more members of the Spider Society. Some of them I had recognized from cartoons and movies I saw growing up, and it was fun being introduced to ones I had never even heard of and learning their powers. 

I was ecstatic to learn that there was an actual Canadian female Spider-Woman. Her costume collar scheme symbolizes the Canadian flag and she carried around a hockey stick! Plus she was best friends with Spider-Plush! How cute was that?!

As I looked around the main hall of the Society, seeing how all the Spider-People made their way around the building, a light bulb went off in my brain as a spontaneous idea came to mind. I double checked the route to the training center on the map. When I figured out where to go, I took a deep breath, focusing and then fired a web sling as I began to swing across the room. 

It helped that I still had my headphones on, the music playing in my ears helping me keep calm. Peter’s instructions coursed through my mind as I repeated the motions he taught me. Aim with your hips, look where I want the web to hit, square my shoulders, then thwip and release! 

I never knew something like this could feel so free and exciting. I felt like a kid swinging on the monkey bars for the first time when the world felt so much bigger. As I swung across the large space, I quietly sang along to the current song on my playlist. As I aimed and fired the next web sling and swung across, I glanced up and my eyes locked on to my sling when I noticed it change colour. It started to glow. 

“What the?!” The change startled me to the point where I let go of my sling and began free falling. 

My heart pounded in my chest as I quickly fired one more sling, watching it latch on to a support beam as I tucked and swung across a large bridge before letting go and tumbling down to the surface, dropping my bag and headphones. My crash landed caused a commotion on the bridge as various Spider-People stopped what they were doing, some gasping and looking on, wincing. 

One of them came over to me, offering a hand, “Are you alright, Lisa?”

I glanced up to see Spectacular Spider-Man kneeling beside me. I took his hand as I allowed him to pull me up to my feet. “Yeah, just startled, is all,” 

“What happened? Do you need me to take you to the medical bay?” He asked with concern as he pulled my bag over with a web and handed it to me. 

I took the bag in my hands before glancing back up towards the previous web sling I fired. I could see it dangling on the ceiling, the faint golden glow it gave off faded away. I looked back towards Spectacular Spider-Man, or Specky, I called him for short. It was kinda weird referring to almost everyone here as Peter.

“Actually, could you walk me to the training center?” I asked him. “I need to talk to Peter B.”

“Oh, well, only if you’re sure,” He nodded softly. 

He offered me his arm as the two of us walked across the bridge and in the direction of the training center. When the others saw us walking away from the scene, they came to the realization that all was well, and so they went on with their duties. 

////////

Spider-Man 2099 woke up early this morning to patrol the city of Nueva York. While running the Spider-Society and monitoring the multiverse was a huge priority, Miguel still had his own city to protect. He had gotten some decent sleep last night, realizing that Lisa would be in safe hands with Peter B. and the others for a while. Perhaps he overreacted with Hobi, and Lisa especially. She was doing her best, but he took it too far with his training. He sighed as he swung in through one of the hangers of the building, shaking off his stiff joints as he stretched his muscles. 

Miguel would figure out a way to apologize to her. Start over, start fresh. 

“Miguel, hey!” Margo greeted him at the door, she appeared to have been running. “You’re back!”

“Margo, what’s going on?” He asked, slightly confused. Please don’t tell me an anomaly popped up in another dimension while I was gone . 

“Lisa fell,” Margo exclaimed. 

Miguel felt his entire body tense up as the iris’s of his eyes shifted from brown to red before turning back within a split second. “What do you mean, is she hurt?”

Margo shook her head, “No, I don’t think so. She just barely caught herself and came down on one of the main bridges pretty hard and–” Margo couldn’t even get the rest of the sentence out before Miguel had already started running out of the room. “SHE’S AT THE TRAINING CENTER!”

Miguel just caught her last few words as he booked it down the hall. 

//////

“Wait, they glowed when you sang?” Peter B. gawked at me. 

Specky escorted me to the training center and helped me find Peter and the others who were hanging out by the sparring arena at the opposite end of the room. It was a large arena with moving platforms and obstacles where Spiders could spar against each other and help hone their skills. Gwen and Hobie were currently sparring together while Peter B. watched from the sidelines, and that’s when I had explained everything. 

“Are you sure you’re feeling okay to train today?” He asked me with a sincere look on his face.

“I’m okay, really,” I pleaded. “I need your help figuring this out,” 

He gave me a long, analyzing stare before nodding softly. “I can take it from here, thanks Peter,” Peter B. smiled at Specky as he waved him off. “You’ve got to show me how you did that!” 

“I mean, I can try,” I shrugged my shoulders. 

I got into position in front of a target practice dummy before firing a web shot at it. I sang a note as my voice projects itself, ” Ah, ah, aaaah! ” and slowly I was stunned to see the web glowing again like before. 

“That is so cool!” Peter B. beamed. His face lit up, looking like an idea was formulating in that brain of his as he suddenly scurried in front of the dummy, pointing at himself. “Hit me with it!”

“Are you nuts?” I yelled at the man. “I just found out I could do this, I don’t even know how or if it will affect actual people!”

“We won’t know unless you try,” Peter B. grinned, “Come on, hit me!” 

I sighed tiredly, shaking my head. I was thankful he didn’t bring MayDay with him today. I composed myself, taking aim at Peter B. and I fired another web sling directly at his chest. “ Ah, ah, aaaah !” 

I watched, absolutely stunned as Peter B’s. eyes began to glow the same golden shade as the web and his arms slacked to his side, as if he were trapped in some sort of trance. 

“Um, Peter?” I took a cautious step forward, “You’re kind of freaking me out here,” 

Peter B. didn’t move as the glow remained in his eyes. I was slowly starting to panic. How could I fix this? How can I snap him out of this? Wait, try snapping! 

I snapped my fingers at him, “Peter, snap out of it!” 

Nothing. He just stood there as if nothing had happened. 

Think, think, think! I pinched the bridge of my nose as I paced in a small circle. Wait! If singing is what caused this? Do I have to sing to get him out of it? 

I took a steady breath before looking at Peter B and opened my mouth and sang. “ Peter, snap out of it~ ”

What I was hoping to happen was Peter B. snapping out of his trance and retuning to the bubble proud dad Spider-Man that he was. Instead he rose his hand up and smacked himself across the face and tumbled to the floor. I gasped loudly, covering my face with my mouth. 

“Not good!” I gulped. 

“Lisa, is everything okay?” I looked over to see Gwen running towards me, Hobie close behind her as they both looked down at Hobie. “What happened to him?”

“I discovered a new power and Peter wanted me to test it on him despite my better judgment, so I did and now I can’t wake him back up cause my singing stuck him in this trance!” I spoke quickly, the panic slowly taking over me. 

“Whoa, whoa, okay, slow down,” Gwen put her hands on my shoulders, giving them a comforting squeeze. “You said your voice enchanted him?”

I nodded vigorously. “Yes, with my webs too, and I don’t know how to wake him up!”

“What did you try to do?” Hobie asked. 

“I tried commanding him to snap out of it but all he did was slap himself,” I groaned, my voice filling with worry. 

Without thinking a second thought, Hobie grabbed Peter B. by the collar of his suit and smacked him across the face. Both Gwen and I stood there, stunned, but sure enough, Peter B. came to! The golden glow faded from his eyes as he shook his head vigorously. 

“Whoa, what a rush!” He beamed before he settled down, shooting Hobie a look. “Hobie when did you get here?”

“I kind of enjoyed that,” Hobie grinned as he helped Peter B. up to his feet. 

“Wait, did he slap me?” Peter asked, gawking at me and Gwen. 

“Only after you slapped yourself when I tried to wake you up?” I shrugged my shoulders with an embarrassed flush of my cheeks. 

“Wait, did you give me a command?” Peter raised an impressive brow at me. “Lisa, that’s amazing! Give me your notebook, I’m gonna write all of this down,”

As I handed Peter my notebook, another commotion caught my ear as I looked over to the side and my eyes widened in surprise. Miguel was here. He was searching, looking for something, or perhaps someone as his eyes locked on to our group and he stalked closer towards us. Towards me. 

“Hey, Miguel, you’re here–!” Peter B.’s greeting was brushed off almost instantly as Miguel walked past him. 

“Lisa, are you alright?” He asked, reaching for me but recoiled his hands back, as if he were second guessing myself. 

“Sort of,” I answered honestly as I looked around the group with a confused look on my face before facing him again. “Is something wrong?”

“I heard there was an incident in the main hall,” He placed his hands on his hips, looking down at me “You fell from multiple feet!”

“What?” Both Gwen and Hobi yelped. 

“I’m okay, Miguel, really!” I reassured him, raising my hands in a calm manner. “I caught myself!” 

“What happened in the main hall?” He asked me. 

“Oh, I think I know what this is about,” Peter B. realized as his eyes lit up. “Lisa triggered a new power today,” 

“Wait, you did?” Miguel looked over at me, seeming surprised. 

“I didn’t mean to at first, it was a complete accident and it scared me that I let go of my web sling. . .” I rubbed the back of my neck, my cheeks flushed with embarrassment. 

I glanced up at Miguel as he looked at me with a shocked expression, averting his gaze briefly as he raised a hand to his mouth. That’s when I saw it. His cheeks were a small tint pink. Was he. . . embarrassed too? Or was it something else?

Was he worried about me? 

“You’re absolutely sure you’re okay?” He asked me, his eyes side glancing towards me. 

“I’m okay,” I nodded. 

“Alright,” He spoke softly before lowering his hand. “All I ask is that you stop by Spider-Doctor’s office so he can take a look after practice is done, just to be safe,”

“I will,” I gave him a sincere smile, “I promise,” 

Miguel stared at me, a half smile on his face as he nodded back. He appeared more at ease now, his tense muscles relaxing. 

“Why not stick around Miguel and train with us? Get to know Lisa’s new power?” Gwen offered with a polite smile. 

“Actually, I had another idea in mind,” Miguel shook his head as he pointed over towards the arena. “Lisa, would you spar with me?”

“Huh?!” My eyes lit up at his offer. “You mean right now?”

“No, no, not right now. How about tomorrow night?” He offered. “It will give you time to recover and get some more practice in,” 

I looked back towards the group who all had surprised looks on their faces. Even Hobie, as they all gave me gestures of encouragement to go on. 

“O-Okay, how does it work?” I asked him. 

“The sparring is an all out, no holds barred match. Allowing both Spiders to use their powers to the fullest. With it being your first match, I’ll go easy at first, but I’ll get harder on you the more you progress. Is that fair?”

I listened to his terms of the fight as he offered me his hand to shake on it. With a steady hand, I rose up and grasped his own. His grip was firm and strong. “Fair enough,” 

“I look forward to seeing what you’ll have in store for me,” He offered me an encouraging nod, a sort of competitive twinkle in his eyes as he turned around and walked away from us. “Good luck, Lisa, you’ll need it,” 

Chapter Text

After a grueling 24 hours of practice, training, and a quick strategy meeting, the evening of Miguel and I’s sparring match arrived. 

Gwen helped me practice and perfect most of my move sets, Peter B. helped me plan various strategies in actually fighting against Miguel. With Miguel’s tall, large structure, Peter knew right away that I wouldn’t be able to charm him as easily as I did with him. Plus there wasn’t any way he’d let me get close enough to him. The rules did say No holds bar . So what if instead of forcing the enchantment, I gave it to him?  

Not only that, but who’s to say I couldn’t use it on myself?

After he helped me plot my scheme, Hobie brought me over to see Margo where she helped design some new toys for me to use and created a concept for my very own spider suit. 

I didn’t want to give Miguel the impression that I’d make him completely change his mind about me being an actual Spider-Woman, but if I was going to be running around and using my powers here, I might as well look the part, right? I asked Margo for a simple concept and she more than delivered. She had designed it so that it looked like street dance wear, but I could feel the spandex hugging my skin as I walked into the training area that evening. 

My suit had a black and pink colour scheme inspired by my favourite K-pop group BLACKPINK. A pink crop top hoodie with a gray spandex tank top underneath, black spandex leggings and matching black and pink high top sneakers. 

When I walked closer towards the arena, I noticed a small crowd had gathered. It looked like word had gotten out fast about tonight’s event. Peter B. Hobi, and Gwen were there, smiling as I neared them and offered cheers and words of encouragement. I smiled at them as I walked passed and looked over to see Miguel standing at the entryway, waiting for me. 

He finished his stretching, his muscles straining against his suit as he nodded his head in a greeting. I could immediately feel the pressure bottling up inside the pit of my stomach. I must have practiced and rehearsed everything at least a dozen times back at the hotel. Peter suggested I try playing into my strengths, so I thought of the whole thing as a big dance practice. I just hope it actually works. 

“So, the normal rules, right? No holding back?” I asked as I walked over to a monitor and added our names to the register. The current duo fighting in the arena had wrapped up their fight, congratulating one another as they made their exit. 

They briefly exchanged looks with Miguel, eyes widening through the eyelids of their masks as they realized who were up next. Miguel rolled his shoulders, warming himself up again. There was almost always a crowd whenever he was down here. Mostly Miguel trained by himself and rarely spared in the arena unless it was with Jessica, or any other Spider he deemed challenging enough to take on. 

"No holding back. It's not fun if there aren't any stakes," He teased with a half smile. 

I could tell he was eager to get started. I wasn’t sure how much he had been made aware of my training and recent practice with Gwen and Hobie through his security cameras. Would this new idea of mine not work out? Had he already formulated a plan to counter me? 

As much as I was nervous, I couldn’t deny I saw a glimmer of curiosity in his eyes before he materialized his mask over his head. There were butterflies in my stomach as those red optics peered at me.

“Alright then,” I nodded as I watched him be the first to enter the arena. I took a steady breath, feeling more eyes trail towards me before I slipped on my mask, pulling my hair tied through the pony tail opening in the back of the mask. 

I followed Miguel down the steps as the platforms and obstacles of the sparring arena reset to their original positions. I cracked my knuckles, a nervous habit. I looked around to see more Spider-People had gathered to watch the match. A gentle reminder that Miguel was a force to be reckoned with, and that if he was here, they’d be in for a show. 

So let’s give them a show. 

I nodded my head towards Miguel, “May the best Spider win,”

“Lucharé por eso ,” Miguel nodded back as I watched him get into a battle ready stance. “ Sorpréndeme ,” - I’ll fight to that, surprise me. 

Then, without any warning, he immediately went to attack. I flinched at his speed. He did not want to give me time to react as I just barely bent back, using my hands to backflip out of the way of his punch. I pushed my body up from the floor and as my body swung around to face Miguel, I fired a web sling that attached to his chest and propelled myself forward like a bungee jump. I pulled my fist back and threw a punch towards him.

I didn’t catch if he showed any emotion towards me, narrowly dodging his first attack, as I was too focused not getting clawed at. Miguel wasn't going to take my hits lightly and went to block my attack with a well timed left hook. I growled into his block, using some of my strength to try and push against his arm to move past it, before my Spider-Sense buzzed into my mind. 

No matter how many times I practiced it, it always felt weird. Miguel attempted to grab back the initiative with a strong uppercut of his own, but I registered the danger a second too late. 

I took the brunt of the uppercut. My body flew back, tumbling once, twice along the floor before I caught myself, my fingers and feet sliding, digging into the flooring as I focused on my stick ability and I screeched to a halt. 

“Okay, close combat is a no go,” I muttered, catching my breath as I stood up. “Let’s set this up at a distance,”

I focused, taking a deep breath as I channeled the web fluid in my wrists. I fired two large blobs of webs to stick to Miguel’s feet to keep him from charging me. If only temporarily. 

"Ah, you're not gonna give me an inch, huh?" Miguel grunted as he fought against the mass of sticky webs at his feet. He looked up towards me and stopped fidgeting. He realized I hadn’t moved in on him, and took advantage of this distraction. “What are you doing?”

I slowly grinned at him from under the mask. I whistled loudly and within seconds, both Gwen and Hobie appeared on either side of me. “You said no holding back, remember?” I reminded him. 

Miguel watched me carefully as I reached to my side, my hand hovering over my holster at my hip as I pressed play on my music player and a melody began to play. He wanted to see first hand what I had planned? I’ll give it to him.

“I composed this routine just for you,”

I fired a web shot at each of my willing test dummies, and the webs glowed as I began to sing.

[Lyrics are rough English translation of Fleeting Lullaby by Ado]

“I’m sick and tired of being alone,

Wanna be connected

Have a bond to hold on to

Just gonna lay it all out, how I feel~,”

As I purred a growl in my throat, Gwen and Hobie’s eyes in their masks began glowing. I snapped my fingers, pointing towards Miguel before they both sprang up and charged toward Miguel, ready to fight.

"Woah! Hey!"

Miguel was just as caught off guard by their appearance, more so when they attacked him so suddenly and vigorously. As if they were fighting an actual villain. 

"I guess this is what I get for–UGH!” He barked as he defended himself against their attacks. “--underestimating you, huh?"

“Maybe if you came to more of my training sessions like you agreed to, you’d be more prepared,” I remarked with a playful glint in my eyes. 

This rush of adrenaline, excitement. The sight of seeing Miguel caught off guard by my unique power was surprisingly more entertaining than I thought it would be. 

"Well, I suppose this is my punishment for getting cocky, then!” He snarled as he threw a punch towards Hobie. 

I hung back at a distance as I followed their momentum as they fought all across the arena. I incorporated some of my dance routines into my movements as I swung and maneuvered across the area, occasionally firing more web slings from my wrists toward Miguel. I continued the song as Gwen and Hobie appeared to be, in Miguel’s eyes, entranced by my voice. 

“Listen baby makin' you happy whether you like it or not,

Gonna be up in your ears

No running away just wait for the beat to drop

Listen for a surprise, every word will entice

Reality is overrated!~”

As Miguel took on both Gwen, Hobie, and my long ranged web slings from a far, he had to admit. He was actually impressed by all this. It wasn’t everyday someone could keep him on his toes like this. Using her hypnosis web slingers and voice, she could enchant anyone she targeted.

Clever , he thought to himself as he shoved Gwen away from him and blocked Hobie’s guitar smack attack. But I’m starting to get a little annoyed now . 

“You're not gonna outthink me I thought of everything,

You'll never get it, you can't keep up,

So just stay out of my way

Be my good, good, good boy, pretty please?~”

“You think this is a game?” He snapped, his mask eyes glaring daggers into me as he held Hobie back with his hand at his throat. 

But Gwen stuck his face with a blob of web fluid, causing him to flinch and release his grip on Hobie as he brushed it off, continuing the fight. 

I could sense he was getting reckless now. He really wanted a true fight between us. If that’s what he wanted, then I’ll deliver. I moved to the music, swinging and running along the platforms around their fight as I mixed in some more dance moves, gracefully landing on one of the higher platforms that overlooked their brawl from above. 

If my hunch was right thanks to Gwen’s advice, then this could go very good or very bad. With Miguel so focused on the fight, and not having Spider-Sense. . . 

“You think you're so tough? Well, I had enough of it

I got something here that's better

Come on up and we can sing togеther fun unfetterеd–” 

I did a leap of faith from the platform above the fight, soaring down as I front flipped and came down to surprise attack with a spin kick.

“Get on stage, let's go!~”

Miguel didn't see my attack coming at all, and he barely managed to duck it in an attempt to keep himself from getting hit. He dodged the initial hit, but not the other kick that followed to his chest. After that he jumped back to gain some distance and try to figure out what should be his next move.

"You certainly know how to put on a show,” He casually teased as he tried to hide his smile. 

“Oh, so the great Miguel O’Hara does make jokes,” I gasped at him, my eyes glistening playfully. “You truly are Spider-Man,” 

I could see the twitch in his eyes as he tried desperately not to laugh. It came out as a scoff as he sprinted for me, clawing on all fours before he pounced towards me. I grinned, waving my hand to the side as I signaled Gwen and Hobie to fall back, loosening the control I had on them before I met Miguel half way and brawled with him. 

I channeled a protective layer of spider web fluid around my fists, taking the form of gloves as they glowed to the sound of my voice. I threw more confident punches now, glad that Miguel was giving me his all in this fight like he promised.

“Wanna make your day, do my thing loud and proud!

No shame in what I create, I got this down!

Everything exactly how you want it, this is a utopia.

Been a long time comin', now it's here to stay.

You can't deny,

It's a miracle of mercy, you can't stop it if you try!

I know it's possible

I'm not tryin' to ask too much,~”

Miguel was starting to get excited. This was something different, something new. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt like this during a fight, whether it was a Spider or Villain alike. The closest he can think of was when he sparred with Hobie for the first time and Spider-Punk never let it go. Ever. 

He had to make sure that he was giving it his all constantly, but more than that he needed to keep an even temper if he was going to win this fight. 

"Your powers are very versatile,” He complimented before his voice turned into a growl. “But that doesn't mean you're the one who's going to win this fight!"

Miguel then nailed me with a swift uppercut hit to the gut. An audible “OOF!” fell from my lips as the hypnosis for my dummies wore off and Gwen and Hobie were freed completely from my spell. 

“Oh crap, Gweny, RUN!” Realizing they were caught in the middle of the fight, they quickly swung out of the way. 

The music continued to chime from my player as I slid across the floor before catching myself as I took a few deep breaths. “Don’t get too cocky on me, Miguel,”

I still had one more trick up my sleeve. One more trick that I wanted to show off to him. I reached to my back and tossed out an orb. 

“Salvation's got to come, this generation's done

It's tired of never being listened to

The screams were never heard

The suffering endured but no more!~”

“What’s that– HEY!” At a glance it would look like a normal grenade, but it exploded into a pink hazy dust cloud that covered the area around Miguel. Now he couldn't see me but I couldn't barely see him either. This definitely made the situation a lot more interesting. Miguel had to make sure that he kept his wits about him if he was going to make it through this. 

Miguel then began to circle the cloud in an attempt to find me, throwing some random punches towards the cloud in an attempt to catch me off guard, but every time he swung, he’d hit thin air. I had to admit, that was a very attractive power walk. 

“Watch me rock this, they got nothin'

Up to me, you just need to stay out of my way

There's no turnin' back now

Gonna be singin' jointly for all time~”

The smoke cloud warped my voice, making it sound like I was constantly either moving closer or away from him. As Miguel continued to stalk through the cloud he could hear my distorted siren voice and it started to drive him mad. 

////////

Miguel’s P.O.V.

As the song went on, Miguel began to hear her words as though they were an insult, telling him to just get out of the way and that she could handle everything herself . Of course, he wasn't going to listen to that. He was going to beat Lisa and shut her up.

So then she would see that he was someone worth listening to.

/////////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

"Get real!" Miguel yelled through the smoke as he continued to circle around for me. 

“Ask, you and shall receive,” I smirked.

When his back was turned to me, I pounced into the smoke cloud, catching him off guard as I slid past him, shooting a web at his feet and yanked him to the floor before going to pounce on him. Miguel didn't have enough time to react before he found himself being yanked back off his feet, slamming down hard as he landed on his back from my attack. 

He looked up just in time to see more webs coming for him. He managed to get his arms out and attempt to block the attack, but when I sang a series of notes, he found himself becoming incredibly drowsy. He instead found himself completely caught up in my webbed cocoon once he came to. 

“That real enough for you?” I smirked at him, arms crossed over my chest.

The crowd murmured in anticipation. Had I won? Has someone actually defeated the great Miguel O’Hara?

"Well, if that's getting real, I guess I'll have to get realer, " He grimaced under the struggle of the webs. 

I didn’t have time to cringe at his corny joke as Miguel activated the talons of his claws and forearms and he broke himself free of my webbing. The rush of his arms created a harsh wind that dispersed some of the dust cloud. I looked on in awe. He actually broke through. 

I smiled proudly. “Then let’s dance,”

“Gladly,” There was an actual hint of enjoyment in his voice as he charged at me. 

My web gloved fist glowed once more as I began to sing again, coming to the final verses of the song as the music intensified with our fighting as I matched Miguel’s pace. He was starting to find his stride, learning how to fight against all of my different abilities and I could tell it was making him feel like a God.  

“Blowin' your mind with my pace

Drummin' to burst your ear drum

Bring in the bass, guitar and keys, maccaferri got nothin'

On me, no ooo-wah!~”

///////////

Miguel’s P.O.V.

Miguel was amazed by Lisa’s ability to incorporate song and dance into her fighting style, how she had learned this routine of hers so quickly. He didn't see it as a weakness. No, he saw it as her strength, as the thing that made her special. In that moment he felt a wave of shame and guilt wash over him, regretting the times he opted to stick to his work instead of helping her like he swore to. He promised her and he broke it. Never again. 

Still he couldn't help but laugh while she was singing about her ability to " blow his mind ". He didn't plan on letting Lisa's music distract him this long. He continued to move forward and throw attacks at her, using all of his skill to try and knock Lisa to the ground once and for all. 

//////////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

The force from his next attack knocked me to the floor. I back pedaled slightly as I saw him stalk towards me, and I couldn’t help it when a flustered, intimidated smile spread on my lips beneath the mask as I stuttered the next set of lyrics. Just a little further–!

“Oh, let me hear you shout!

Banish every gaslight, let clarity shine

Gotta clean up this brainwash

Don't let ‘em tell you lies, heads up—!~”

When he sprang up to pounce on me, I fired a web sling to his chest and with a heavy heave, I yanked him to the floor to fall on his side. Miguel let out a small groan, the wind kicked out of him. I tossed one smaller grenade to blind him. It was time for the finale. 

"I will not fall for your tricks!" Miguel yelled in frustration, getting up to face off against me for one last time. 

Then, he noticed the smaller grenade that I had thrown at him and a small twinge of fear ran down his spine as he realized he was a second too late. The small grenade exploded, temporarily blinding him with a smaller pink dust cloud.

“Let my song clear your senses

All you really need Is my true voice~!”

It was up just long enough for me to pin him, webbing his hands to stick to the floor as I straddled his hips before holding a punch above his head just as the song ended.

The crowd was silent as all they could audibly hear was both Miguel and I’s heavy breathing, our chests rising and falling. Miguel suddenly dematerialized his mask, allowing me to see his face. He was drenched in sweat, some tuffles of his hair stuck to his skin. There was an enchanting look in his eyes that I could quite decipher. 

Not from my power, no. Something else. Something he was truly feeling. 

Then he started laughing. 

"Well, I guess the joke is on me." Miguel said, laughing through the pain as he accepted his defeat with a smile on his face. 

I was stunned, my mouth gawking at him. Did he just– did he yield? I won ?!

I shook off the surprised expression on my face as I slowly stood up to my feet, my body still towering over him as I offered him my hand and a confident smile. “You fought like hell. Well played, Miguel,” 

Miguel took my hand and let me pull him back to his feet, shaking off the pain from the battle as he tried to take in everything that had just happened, looking out into the crowd. 

I followed his gaze as one by one, different Spider-People began applauding us. As the chorus intensified, Miguel looked down at my hand, noting that he was still holding mine. He smiled softly and with a gentle squeeze he raised my fist into the air, formally announcing my victory. 

The crowd erupted in an uproar. I could hear Gwen and Hobi cheering loudly for me as I looked up towards Miguel, astonished. It was then I could truly see the respect towards me in his eyes. He then stepped back, motioning towards me. 

I looked at him with a perplexed expression before I realized what he was asking me to do. With a laugh, I looked out into the audience and took my bow.

Chapter Text

My body, mind, and soul hadn’t been the same since that sparring match with Miguel. It had been two days since then, an entire weekend had gone by. Over the course of that weekend, I continued my training with Peter and the others, and when he had a moment away from his normal duties or not out on a mission, Miguel stepped in with some basic workout training. 

He had apologized for coming off as too harsh and for being hard on me when we first started my training the other day. Miguel could tell from our match that I had been working hard and swore to not push me so hard and offered for the two of us to make a fresh start. I gladly took it. Since then, we’ve taken the time to try and get better acquainted, making nice small talk as we worked out together. Despite his muscular, edgy nature, Miguel was actually a very decent guy. 

While not training at the Spider-Society, I would journey back into my dimension to continue practicing for my first real day of working with my dance team, and I received the call that my new apartment was ready. I packed all my things and took a taxi to my apartment where the moving trucks were waiting for me. The landlord showed us all in and within a matter of hours, my furniture and all my moving boxes were brought inside. 

It was a studio apartment, a couple streets down from the dance studio. It would be a bit of a walk over there, but I didn’t mind it too much. I was working through unpacking more of my boxes while I was video chatting Gwen who was hanging out with Hobie back in his dimension after her shift was over with Jessica. 

“How much stuff did you bring with you from back home?” Gwen gawked as she watched me unpack another package of kitchen utensils. 

“I packed the bare essentials, but of course, leave it to my mother to pack everything extra just in case ,” I smiled, rolling my eyes as I unwrapped the cutlery. “Like mom, I think I can survive without a steak knife for a while,” 

“So you’re staying in New York permanently?” Gwen asked me with a curious tilt of her head. 

“That’s the plan, so long as the team will have me,” I nodded as I put the cutlery in the drawer before going through more boxes. “I needed a change of pace, and this seemed like a good fit for me,”

“Were there not any teams recruiting back home in Toronto?” She asked. “I get that it’s kind of competitive industry and all,”

“There were, but,”  My voice trailed off briefly as my memory circled back to my old stomping grounds before shaking my head. “Like I said, needed a change of pace,” 

“Hmmm, was it your folks?” Hobie’s head popped up on the side of the screen, offering me a wave. 

“Hobie, this is a private conversation,” Gwen glared playfully at him. “You know, girl talk?”

“I don’t believe in private conversations, to an extent . Can’t blame me for being a little curious, Gweny,” Hobie slouched beside her. 

“Sort of? They were- are very supportive, my mom especially. My step-dad, well– It’s kind of complicated,” I shook my head again. 

“Ah, the step-parent trope, very touchy topic,” Hobie nodded his head. 

“Sorry, Hobie, I don’t feel comfortable talking about this quite yet,” I grumbled softly. 

“Alright, alright, respect, I’ll back off,” Hobie rose his hands in a defensive manner, moving away from the feed. “Gweny, don’t stay up too late. We gotta head out early tomorrow, aight?”

“I remember, Hobie,” Gwen smiled knowingly as Hobie ruffled her hair. 

“You guys have a mission?” I asked, my eyes lighting up in excitement. 

“Yeah, remember back when I was first supposed to bring you back to the Society but Jessica needed me for a mission?” Gwen recalled the memory, watching me nod my head. “Well, we recruited another new Spider-Man from another dimension and Hobie and I are gonna pay him a visit today and check in,” 

“Another new Spider-Man?” An intriguing smile formed on my lips. I don’t know why but I found it reassuring that I wouldn't be the only new recruit to the Spider-Society anymore. 

“Yeah, Pav, he’s super cool and chill,” Gwen smiled. “I think you’d like him a lot!”

“You’ll have to introduce me sometime on my next visit to HQ,” I suggested. 

“Yeah, Hobie has already accepted him into our little squad, so he’s cool,” Gwen grinned. “Once Miguel gives you more training and lets you start dimension hopping, you should come with us and see Pav’s dimension! It’d be so much fun,” 

“You honestly think Miguel would let me travel to other dimensions considering the state of my own?” I asked with a surprised look on my face. 

“Well he’s warming up to you a bit more right? Maybe he’ll loosen up a bit on his whole ‘ multiverse fate ’ thing, you know?” Gwen rolled her eyes as she attempted a poor impression of Miguel. 

It still made me chuckle as I set aside another box. “I guess it all depends on how my training goes and if I can manage to not use my powers here in my dimension. It still has to figure out if it will even accept me as it’s actual Spider-Woman or not,” 

“I know, but hang in there, you’ve come this far, right?” Gwen offered me a reassuring smile before the clock on her watch went off. “Oops, dinner time for us. Don’t overwork yourself, and before I forgot, Miguel said he might stop by later. Lyla made an upgrade for your Gizmo,”

“Alright, sounds good. Later Gwen,” I waved at her before the video feed canceled out and the holographic monitor disappeared from view. 

I looked around my apartment. The unboxing of my personal items and furniture were coming along well. I even set up a little curtain doorway at the corner where my bed was so I could actually have a little more privacy. Gwen wasn’t kidding about the time. I should probably grab something to eat too and call it a night. 

I quickly cleaned up the mess I had made before cooking up some KD macaroni I bought along with some groceries earlier that morning. Once it was ready, I dumped it all in a large bowl and began to chow down as I looked about my new apartment. It was starting to really come along, but I knew there was still some work to be done. 

Especially in between dance rehearsals and now spider-training, I knew it was going to take a while. But it would be worth it. 

I glanced over towards the end table next to my couch where I had put a picture frame next to a lamp. I didn’t realize which picture I had put in the frame until my eyes squinted, peering at the image until I realized who was in the picture with mom and I. I had a minor panic, dropping my fork as I bolted over and grabbed the frame to slam it face down, but I caught myself. 

My fingers clutched the picture frame tightly as I set it back in place with a shaking hand, pulling away as my hand absentmindedly trailed to one of the faint scars on my stomach as I walked back to my macaroni. It will be worth it . 

///////

Toronto - Canada - 2017 - 6 years ago - 22 years old

I walked through the front door of my family home, a duffel bag in hand, having gotten back from a party with some of my college friends to celebrate graduation next week. 

“Mom, I’m back!” I called as I took my shoes off, shutting the door behind me. 

“Hey Lisa, did you have fun?” Mom called back. 

“Yeah, we went to that new ‘all you can eat’ buffet place that opened at the Eaton Center downtown,” I smiled as I tiredly stalked through the halls of the house looking for my mother. She wasn’t in the living room, so the kitchen maybe?

“Are you stuffed? No room for dessert?” She teased. “We’ve got cake~”

“No room for dessert? Mom, have you met me?” I laughed at her teasing as I entered the kitchen. “Why would–”

Then it hit me. She said we. My brain processed it as I found another figure standing with her in the kitchen, setting down his plate of cake as I took in the familiar presence of a tall Korean male. 

“I stopped by Dutch Dreams on the way home,” Jin smiled warmly. 

“Jin!” I exclaimed as I dropped my bag at the entryway and practically glided along the smooth wooden floor of the kitchen, wrapping my arms around him. “You’re back early!”

“I wanted to surprise you,” He chuckled softly as he hugged me tightly. “And I have a gift,”

I pulled back from the hug and watched as Jin reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small square shaped present wrapped in beautiful pink wrapping paper. I tore through it, finding a black CD case with pink letters embedded in the middle like it was stamped on. I gasped once I realized what group the CD was for. 

“You got me the BLACKPINK album?” My eyes beamed. 

“I know you’ve been anticipating its release so I called in a few favors and got an early copy for you,” He smiled proudly, hands on his hips. 

Jin worked as a producer for a music record label and idol company in Seoul, South Korea. He had met my mom 10 years ago while she was in that part of the world on a business trip with her company. They hit it off almost instantly. They really tried making it work, going long distance for a while and then when their relationship started to get more serious, he bought a place here so he could work remote during the slow seasons to be close to my mom, and to get to know me better. 

He was a kind, hard working man who was passionate about his work and his clients. He made my mom really happy, the happiest I had seen her since dad passed away when I was a kid. If he made her smile a lot more, I suppose he couldn’t be all that bad. So I took a chance, and hadn’t felt the desire to turn back since they got married 4 years ago. 

“This isn’t supposed to come out for another few weeks. Thank you, Jin!” I smiled brightly. 

“You are most welcome,” He smiled warmly back at me. “That isn’t the only surprise I have for you,”

“What’s up?” I asked, raising a brow at the man. 

“Have a seat honey,” My mom patted the barstool next to hers as I sat beside her at the counter. She cut me a piece of cake as Jin sat across from us. 

“I had an idea and ran it by your mother, and I wanted to run it by you,” He began as he took a deep breath, as if preparing himself. “How would you feel about coming with me to Korea on my next business trip?”

My eyes widened at the suggestion. I was stunned as mom handed me my plate. “You’re serious?”

“My company is starting an idol boot camp later this summer, and they’re opening it to international candidates. I showed your demo reel to the coaches that will be taking part in it and they were very impressed with your skills, Lisa,” Jin continued on, smiling. 

My heart fluttered at the idea that other people liked my performances. “They did? What did they say?”

“All very good things,” Jin nodded his head ecstatically. “They want you to be a part of the program, and if all goes well, should you want it, they could assign you to an idol group of your own,”

My heart was now pounding so hard in my chest, I thought it was going to burst through and do somersaults in the kitchen. 

“But only if you want honey,” My mom gently reminded me. “You can come back home at the end of the summer if you’re not feeling up to it, but I think it’s a marvelous opportunity,” 

My mind was racing. Me? Traveling to the other side of the world? Where I could learn from some of the best coaches in the industry?

“I would never suggest this if I didn’t think you were up for the challenge,” Jin reassured me as I reached out and took my hands in his gently, squeezing them. “What do you think?”

I looked between him and my mom who offered me a nod of encouragement. I looked up at him with a wide smile. “I want to try,”

The last thing I remembered was listening to that album on repeat until 3:00am. 

/////////

Present day - 2023 

I stuffed my face with the macaroni as I continued to look at the picture, recalling the good, and the bad. Setting the bowl aside, I walked into my bedroom, pulling the curtain closed before collapsing onto my bed, sighing heavily. It will be worth it , I told myself. 

Reaching for my phone and headphones, I opened the Spotify app and scrolled through my list of songs before playing ‘BOOMBAYAH’ on blast, the loud music blocking out the vibrations of messages coming through on my Gizmo. Whether it was Gwen messaging me again or not, I suddenly didn’t have the desire or bother to check. After a few minutes I fell asleep.  

I didn’t end up going back home that summer. 

I didn’t notice a portal opening up behind the curtain as Miguel gently pulled it back, finding me asleep. 

“That’s why she didn’t answer,” He mumbled. 

“Want me to wake her?” Lyla asked through his commlink. 

Miguel looked back at the moving boxes, some empty, some still filled who knows what. He shook his head. “No, let her sleep,” 

With a gentle hand, Miguel reached out, using the claws of his talons to carefully slip the Gizmo off my wrist before lifting it up to his face. His mask dematerialized as he did some tweaks, opening the lid as he added a modified chip into his hardware. When he was satisfied, he carefully reached down and attached the Gizmo back on her wrist. 

She moved, her voice mumbling softly as she began to stir. He froze, watching her carefully like a predator trying not to wake its prey. She shifted, part of her headphones slipping off as Miguel could hear the blaring racket of her music. 

“ Tonta torpe ,” He grumbled as he carefully reached out and took the headphones off her head, powering them off. - You clumsy fool . 

He caught one more glance at her slumbering face before he pulled away completely from her, his mask materializing once again as he pulled the curtain closed and jumped through his portal.

Chapter Text

I was jogging down the streets of the city the following morning, heading over to the dance studio. I had slept in a few minutes later than I wanted to, so I quickly changed into my dance clothes at the apartment before leaving. I was still making good progress to make it there in time. Until I noticed the missed messages by Miguel on my Gizmo. 

6 Unread messages - 11:07pm 

“Crap!” I cursed harshly under my breath. 

I hid in an empty alley, making sure I was far enough from anyone hearing me before setting up a video call with Miguel. 

“Miguel, hey, I’m so sorry I didn’t see your messages last night,” I grimaced. 

“It’s fine, Lisa, you were asleep, I know,” Miguel reassured me as his face was looking at other monitors. 

“ Phew , thanks, sorry again— Wait, how would you know?” I asked him, the gears turning in my head before it clicked. “Were you in my apartment last night?!” 

That caught Miguel’s attention as his face completely turned to face me through the screen. “I didn’t mean it like—“ he sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Yes, I was there last night. I didn’t stay long,” 

“Were you worried about me?” I asked him with a curious gaze. “You didn’t watch me sleep did you?” 

“Briefly,” Lyla commented with a sly look on her face as she hovered near Miguel. “I wanted to wake you, but he wanted to let you sleep,”

Miguel shot Lyla a look that silently told her to shut up causing me to both gawk at the man at the idea of him watching me sleep, but also snicker at his reaction. Lyla sure loved to cause drama. 

“I was concerned why you weren’t answering my messages,” he clarified, shaking a finger at me. “There’s a difference,” 

I hummed at his answer, not quite buying it. “Admit it Miguel, you’re starting to break out of your shell and warm up to me. Even just a little,” 

He shook his head, rolling his eyes. “If anything, I find you tolerable, at best, Kendrick,” he jabbed before his lips formed a faint smirk. 

“Alright, if it puts us on good terms still, tolerable it is,” I grinned back at him.

“Oooh, what is this tension I’m sensing here?” Lyla wiggled her brows at Miguel, her heart shaped lens of her glasses glaring in the light. 

“Lyla, please !” Miguel scoffed at her. 

I laughed at their interaction before calming myself down, moving back to the topic at hand. “What did you want to talk to me about?” 

“I installed an upgrade to your Gizmo, courtesy of Lyla,” he explained, showing me a small hologram on the side of the screen. “It will send gentle, non-radioactive pulses through your body to help keep your powers in check while in your dimension,” 

“This will definitely come in handy,” I smiled in relief. “Thank you, Lyla,” 

“You’re welcome!” She chirped happily. 

I smirked over at Miguel, “You too, Miguel,” 

“It’s no trouble at all,” Miguel played it off, but I could see the small bashful blush that faintly stained his cheeks. “Don’t you need to be somewhere?” 

“Dance practice, right, thanks again, Miguel!” I waved at him again. 

“Hey, be careful—!” Miguel stressed before I ended the call. 

////////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

Miguel sighed, chuckling tiredly to himself as the video call ended abruptly as he resumed his work on the other monitors. “That woman just can’t stay still,”

“But she has a point,” Lyla sang as she sat on Miguel’s shoulder, her hand cupping her chin as she leaned against her knee. 

“About what?” Miguel humored her. Big mistake. 

“You are warming up to her,” Lyla grinned. 

“So what?” Miguel rolled his eyes. 

“This is a big deal, Miguel, I haven’t seen you light up this much since–” Lyla’s voice trailed off as she noticed one of the monitors Miguel was looking at. It was Gabriella. He had gifted her a new soccer ball that day. She was so happy too. 

“You’re gonna finish that sentence?” Miguel challenged her as he glanced her way before shaking his head. “I didn’t think so,” 

“Come on, Miguel, you know what I mean,” Lyla rolled her eyes as she hovered away from his shoulder, pausing the video feed as she blipped in front of him. “Lisa seems nice. Just talk to her,” 

Miguel stopped what he was doing as he looked down at Lyla. He sighed heavily, eyes closed. “You saw what happened when I interfered with one dimension. I’m not risking that again,”

“But–” Lyla was ready to continue until she stopped when Miguel gave her a stern glare. 

“I’m not talking about this, Lyla. End of discussion,” Miguel stated as he turned away from her. 

“I’ve seen the way you look at her, you know,” Lyla spoke up with a knowing smile. 

Miguel stopped, barely offering Lyla a side glance as he began to leave his lab. He hated that she was right. 

////////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

I ran back out into the street and continued my jog to the dance studio. I couldn’t feel the web build up as strongly as before, meaning the upgrade to my Gizmo was working as intended. After running for a while, I found the dance studio, sighing in relief when I noticed the time on my watch and realized that I had made it.  

I packed my bag in the locker, grabbing a towel and my water bottle as I made my way into the main studio. A lot of the dancers had already arrived, talking amongst themselves, scattered in their own little groups and cliques. It looks like some of them had taken the time to hang out and get to know one another over the course of the week after orientation. 

Had I not been bitten by a radioactive spider from a different dimension and discovered that multiple spider superheroes were real, I probably would have done the same. An unplanned cannon event. I felt like I was the new kid in school all over again. 

“Hey, Lisa!” 

I snapped out of my funk, hearing someone call my name. I looked over to a group of dancers, two girls and two guys. One of the girls waved me over. She had dark skin with beautiful black curls wearing a matching lululemon sports bra and leggings. 

“You’re sitting with us today!”

I offered her a polite smile as I walked over towards the group. The other girl was light skinned with blonde hair in a bob cut wearing sweatpants with a sweater tied around her waist and a T-shirt that was slightly large for her size. The two guys appeared to be twins. Born of Asian descent, they wore matching outfits. Baggy pants and tank tops. 

“Thanks,” I sat with the group, squeezing in between the two girls. “I recognize some of you from orientation,” 

“I’m Kasey,” the dark skinned woman introduced herself before pointing out the others. “This is Hannah and the twins, Toya and Touga,” 

“Hiya,” the twins greeted me in unison before glaring at each other, each of them opening their mouths to speak but then quickly shutting them when the other was going to. “Stop copying me!” 

They continued to bicker amongst themselves as Hannah laughed softly before looking over at me. “Don’t mind them. They’ve been like this for years,”

“Oh,” my eyes lit up at the statement, surprised. “You’re all friends?” 

“I’ve known them since middle school. Always getting on each others nerves,” Hannah shook her head like she was mocking her younger siblings. “It’s honestly adorable sometimes,” 

“Adorable? I’m cute at best!” Toya pouted. 

“Not with that exfoliation cream you’re not,” Touga snarked. “You’re blinding me, bruh!” 

“Oh, I’ll show you blinding, smartass,” Toya growled as the pair tussled. 

“Boys, boys, you’re both pretty! Please do not fight in front of our new friend!” Hannah pleaded. 

“Coach will set them straight when they get here,” Kasey shook her head before looking over at me with a kind smile. 

“How do you know them?” I asked. 

“I’m the newbie to the bunch,” Kasey flashed me a peace sign, “We can be newbies together,” 

“Sounds good,” I smiled. “So what’s with the seating arrangements?” 

“You didn’t see? There was a group chart tapped to the door on the way in. It was there when the first dancers started piling in,” Kasey raised a curious brow at me as she pointed back at the door. 

“I was in a rush thinking I would be late so I didn’t see it,” I rubbed the back of my neck, my cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

“Aahhh, the goodie-two shoes type I see,” Kasey flashed me a grin before she broke out into laughter. “I’m just kidding, that was me during orientation. I moved here over a year ago and I still feel like I’m learning my way around the city,” 

I was going to ask Kasey why she moved before a whistle caught my ear as all eyes turned to our dance coach as they entered the room. 

“Alright, everyone, listen up!” Hands on her hips, she had a commanding presence as she smiled smugly at everyone. “Normally for first practice I’d have everyone introduce themselves but over the weekend I received a very interesting request from the mayor,” 

Her gaze looked out into the small sea of talented dancers before her, there was an almost intimidating glare in her eyes. 

“The mayor has selected our studio to join in on the entertainment festivities of the Marvel Day celebration that is coming up on Mother’s Day weekend next month,” Coach announced. 

Gasps and excited murmurs quickly filled the room as the dancers looked upon one another excitedly. I could feel some excitement tingling in my bones too. Not only would I get to show my mom around the city, but she’d get to see me perform too? 

“Now to make things a little more interesting, I placed you all into groups of who I’d believe would best play off one another,” Coach smiled as she walked over to the side, reaching behind the sound system as she pulled out a top hat. She shaked it, showing off small pieces of scrap paper inside. “Plus, inside this hat are all of the requested gigs and venues our studio has been asked to collaborate and perform with. Each team will pick a ‘captain’ and they will come up and draw a gig at random,”

The excitement intensified as I watched Toya and Touga fist bump and punch each other's shoulders, Hannah bubbling in anticipation. Kasey shot me a playful wink as I smiled. 

“Pick a captain and once everyone is ready, I’ll call you up to select your project,” Coach snickered. “Talk about a team building exercise,” 

Our team huddled up in a circle, glancing between one another. “How should we decide who gets to be captain?” I asked. 

“Um, rock, paper, scissors for it?” Hannah suggested. 

“I’m game!” Toya beamed. “Touga sucks at it, so it’s an easy win for me,” 

“I do not!” Touga gawked at his twin, smacking him in the back of the head. 

“Seems fair to me, let’s do that,” Kasey nodded. We all brought our fists up to the center of the circle, “Everyone ready?”

We nodded, setting the palms of our other hands below our weapon . 

“Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” 

We repeated the action multiple times, somehow all of us predicting the same gesture. Until finally there was a victor. 

“Looks like it’s Lisa!” Hannah cheered. 

“Huh?” My eyes widened as I looked at the results and sure enough, she was right. I was the winner. “Are you sure you want it to be me?”

“We trust you, girl, listen to your gut,” Kasey smiled as both Toya and Touga offered eager nodes of encouragement. 

“Well, if you think I’ll be a good leader, I’ll give it a shot,” I nodded firmly. 

“We’ll follow your lead captain, sir!” Touga proclaimed as he saluted me, coughing when Toya nudged his side. “Erm, ma’am!”

I giggled at their antics. It looked like I had a very welcoming and eager team on my side. When it looked like the other groups had selected their captains, Coach called us all to attention. “Alright, I’ll call your group up one by one and your captain’s will come up and pick out their paper. Oh, and I’ll be assigning your team a codename to better manage your comings and goings with your progress,” 

More murmurs bubbled across the room as each group waited for them to be called up.

“Group A, come up,” Coach pointed out the group as their team captain, a blonde male stood up and made his way over towards her. 

All eyes were on him as he reached into the hat and rummaged through the pile before pulling a piece out and opening it, revealing the contents inside. Coach snickered as she read the paper. 

“Alright, team Star-Spangled Banners, you will be back up dancers for the charity showings of Rogers: The Musical on Broadway,”

Excited cheers erupted as the team celebrated and everyone else applauded them. It looked like some of these gigs were really huge events. I was starting to really underestimate how big Marvel Day was going to be. It sounded like it was going to be a huge deal. 

Coach called up more team captains as they got their gigs and team names. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents would be dancers on the Helicarrier float during the opening and closing ceremony parades, the Asgardians would be collaborating a routine with the New York Knicks cheer squad during their playoff game, the Fantastic Four would be hosting a performance for the Make A Wish kids at the science center, and the Mutants would be part of a street performance at Times Square. 

Finally, our team was up next. Coach called us up as Kasey playfully motioned for me to move. I stood up, walking over to Coach as I tried to shake off the knowing feeling that all eyes were on me. I looked into the hat, reaching over and and took out a piece of paper and showed it to her,”

“Okay then,” She grinned happily. “Team Web-Slingers, you will be the main stage dancers performing DJ METRO BOOMIN’s new song he wrote specifically for the event, at the Statue of Liberty,” 

A chorus of applause erupted from the other dancers as they congratulated our group. I could tell by the look on my fellow teammates' faces that we had hit the jackpot. After the last few groups for their names and gigs, the rest of the session was dedicated to warm ups and basic choreography practice and free styling, (so we could actually dance today) and allow the groups to start plotting. 

We were coming to the end of the day, the five of us in the locker room grabbing our personal belongings. 

“Hey, do you think they’d close down the area while they’re making the Cap shield for the statue?” Hannah spoke up. “I was thinking we could scout the place to see how big the stage would be?” 

“That’s a great idea, Hannah,” I beamed, smiling at her. “What time does it close?” 

“Oh, crap, if we wanna go, we should go like now ,” Toya swore as he looked up the venue on his phone. “They’re closing in a few hours,” 

“Then let’s hurry and grab the next ferry there!” Kasey exclaimed as she slammed her locker door closed. “Come on!” 

There was this excitable energy about Kasey that I found addicting as she grabbed my wrist and pulled me along, the rest of the group following us. We ran out of the studio and jogged down the street. Touga whistled loudly, doing a perfect Brooklyn accent as he waved a taxi. “AY YO TAXI!”

We all climbed inside, the driver not caring that Toya laid across mine, Hannah, and his brother Touga’s lap as Kasey jumped in the front seat and directed him to our destination. Hannah brought out her phone and angled it to score a photo of us all.

“I’m totally using this as our wallpaper for our group chat,” she giggled and before I could even speak, I had received a Facebook messenger invite. How did she find me that fast?! 

I could tell this was going to be a lot of fun. I just prayed this would turn out better than Seoul. 

/////// 

Earth-1997 - Oscorp 

It has been over a week since the Justice Department ordered the closure of Oscorp’s collider experiments after the explosive incident that left dozens of people injured. 

After the death of their long time business partner and father, Harry Osborn, the newest CEO of Oscorp was left with picking up the pieces of continuing his father’s hidden project under the legal radar. 

Spider-Man had caused his family enough pain and now he just found out there were more of them? Possible scores of them? It made his blood boil. More so in the chaos of it all, one of their test products in trying to recreate Spider-Man’s powers fell through into another dimension and infected someone, biting them. 

Harry huffed as he sat in his darkly lit office. His phone rang as he reached over and answered it, “Yes?” 

“Mr. Osborn, your contact is ready for your meeting,” his secretary spoke through the phone. 

“Thank you, Karen,” Harry hung up the phone before standing up from his chair, adjusting his tie. 

He walked over to the back of his office where a large family portrait hung on the wall. He reached up and pressed a hidden button on the emblem of his father’s tie and the painting pulled back, revealing a hidden doorway. He stepped inside, the secret door shutting behind him. 

At first there was darkness. Then a green holographic screen appeared before him. The person on the other end was pixelated and shrouded in darkness, hiding their identity. 

“Any updates?” Harry asked. 

“The target’s powers have begun to develop. I witnessed it during their training with the other Spider’s and a mock battle against their leader, Miguel O’Hara,” the spy spoke. 

“Hmm,” Harry hummed as he cupped his chin. “That’s quicker than I anticipated,” 

“Their unique power appears to be a hypnosis. She can control a webbed individual’s reaction with her singing voice,” they explained. 

“ Singing ?” Harry repeated, almost as if he didn’t hear them properly. 

“Yes, it appears the unique properties you applied in your experiments proved your hypothesis true. The radioactive serum you recreated with your dimensions Spider-Man’s blood appears to enhance the individual’s core strength and talents,” 

“What of your part in all of this?” Harry asked. 

“Miguel is starting to suspect there may be a mole in his Society , but I’m leading his investigators on a wild goose chase. By the time they realize it’s me pulling the strings, it will be too late,” the spy reassured them. 

“Good. I want that girl's power for our control. I don’t care what you need to do to make that happen, destroy her universe for all I care,” Harry ordered. 

“It will be done boss,” the spy purred. “Just be a little more patient with me,”

Chapter Text

Within a matter of minutes we arrived at the docks and one quick ferry ride later, we arrived at the small island where standing proudly, towering over us, the Statue of Liberty watched over the city. I had never seen it up close before, and it was pretty cool to look at. I had hoped to save this moment with my mom when she came to visit, but I suppose now was as good a time as any. 

Toya and Touga seemed to stare at it in awe, both muttering to themselves in Japanese as they took some quick pictures on their phones as we walked. 

“There’s the stage!” Hannah spoke up, freeing us all from our trance on Lady Liberty as we found the mounted structure. 

It was a fairly large stage. There was enough room for a DJ set up and plenty of space for dancing. We’d have a lot of room to work with. “I’m already predicted a pretty intense routine here,” 

“Right? Look at all this space,” Hannah beamed. “Now keeping in mind they might add in strobe lights and pyrotechnics, but still, we’ve got a lot of space,” 

“So how do we wanna go about this?” I looked at my group members, eager to hear out their ideas. 

“I can measure up the stage and figure out placements for the routine,” Hannah smiled. 

“Toya and I will research METRO’S albums so we can get a feel of his music and figure out what moves will fit,” Touga had an eager grin on his face as he was already searching away on Spotify. 

Kasey crossed her arms, a proud smirk on her face. “Well, I took the initiative and messaged METRO directly,” 

“NANI? !” The twins gawked at her in surprise. - WHAT ?!

“You really think he’ll respond?” Hannah asked curiously. 

He was quite a famous musician. I didn’t know too much about him, but I knew he was very successful, and with all that, understandably very busy. 

“Well, until we hear a response, why don’t we follow Touga’s idea and listen to METRO’s music to figure out what kind of routine we’ll do?” I suggested. “It will help give us an idea of what his new song might be like,”

We all agreed, and after finding the security guards and explaining the situation, they agreed to let us practice for a while before the park would close. I felt the sea breeze blow through my hair as I stood on the stage, looking out into the harbor as I took in the view of the city. It was pretty nice to look at. I couldn’t imagine what the view would be like while swinging through the city. If only. 

We did some warm ups before Touga played various songs from his latest album. He was the most familiar with METRO’s work out of all of us and walked us through the motions, showing and teaching us different movesets. He was a pretty good teacher. Turns out during his off time he’d teach dance classes for young kids back in Tokyo. 

Until METRO’s new song came out or if he’d be willing to send us an early copy to practice with, this was the best we could manage for now. 

We practiced for just over an hour or so before the security guard informed us that the park would be closing soon to start preparations for the festival. We gathered our belongings and as we were packing up, I felt my Gizmo vibrate as I looked over to see a new message from Gwen. 

“How did your first day go? Tell me all about it so we can hang!” - Gwen 

“Just packing up for the day. Meet up at my apartment in a little bit?” - Lisa 

“Sounds good! We’ll bring the food!” - Gwen 

We? Who’s we? I raised a brow at the message as Kasey and the others waved at me, calling me over.  

“You better not throw a party while I’m there, my apartment is nowhere near ready for that,” - Lisa

“Bummer, I guess I’ll call off the discoball and strobelights lol ;)” - Gwen

I snickered softly at the message before lowering my wrist from my face as I met up with the others and we walked back to the ferry. After the productive day I had, I could totally go down for some good eats and hang out with my other group of friends. 

//////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

It had been a grueling few hours of analyzing security footage, questioning other Spiders, and taking extra precautions to reset all the passwords that kept their spare day passes and gizmos locked in the vault for safe keeping. If there really was a mole in the society like Miguel and Peter B. theorized, they were making it incredibly hard to find them. 

Miguel knew that the traitor had slipped the Oscorp guards the extra day passes, that much was certain. What concerned him was how they did it and for how long this little stunt of theirs had been going on. If they caused any trouble, the balance of the Multiverse was at risk. 

Peter B. summoned himself into Miguel’s lab, arriving through a portal he fashioned from his Gizmo. “Just got back from talking with Peter in Earth-1997. He hasn’t noticed any activity with the collider since Doc Ock’s attack,” 

“Nothing?” Miguel asked with a skeptical raise of his brow. “No chatter?” 

“All quiet. The Harry Osborn of that dimension appears to be keeping a tight leash on things. He’s been complying with the Justice Department with their cease and desist order,” Peter B. explained as he snatched a spare empanada from Miguel’s bowl, noticing once again he had hardly eaten in the last few hours. 

“So far,” Miguel added with a heavy sigh. 

“Peter says he’ll keep an eye on him, and will update me if he hears anything,” Peter B. nodded as he munched on the snack, crumbs falling to the floor. 

“Thank you,” Miguel nodded curtly in thanks to Peter B. before resuming his own research. 

“No news here?” Peter B. asked as he went to lean against Miguel’s desk. 

“No,” Miguel responded plainly before quickly adding. “Don’t get crumbs on my desk, Parker,” 

“Alright, alright, I won’t make a mess,” Peter B. quickly moved away from the desk as he paced gently. “Do we even know for sure if the traitor is another Spider?” 

“How else would they be able to get their hands on a day pass?” Miguel questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Fair, but think about it. Those Oscorp guards last week; You think it’s just a coincidence they already had their own passes the same day of the attack with the Doc Ock variant?” Peter B. milled over his thoughts as he walked over and sat in Miguel’s office chair that he never used. He always kept it aside for Jessica if she ever needed a moment to sit down. 

Miguel thought it over as he turned to face Peter B. “You think it was a distraction?” 

“I’m thinking; What if they were already dimension jumping before that attack? Why go after the Spider through the portal willingly to an alternate dimension they know nothing about?” Peter B. rambled on. 

“Unless they needed the Spider,” the gears in Miguel’s brain quickly started to shift.

“Like an experiment?” Peter B.’s eyes perked up. 

“It wouldn’t be the first time a villain tried to research and recreate Spider-Man’s powers, right?” Miguel shot Peter B. a knowing look as the realization came to light. 

“The only way to know your enemy, is to become your enemy,” Peter B. quoted. “Something like that, right?” 

Miguel nodded, uncrossing his arms. “You did good today, Peter. You can head home. I’ll handle things from here,” 

Peter B. stared at Miguel’s backside, studying his body language to decipher if that’s what he truly wanted. Peter shrugged nonchalantly as he stood up from the chair. “Alright then,” 

He pressed a button on his Gizmo, activating a portal to his dimension. “Remember to take a break every once a while, alright Miguel?” 

Miguel didn’t respond as Peter B. vanished through the portal before it closed. Miguel stood by himself in the darkness of his lab, the only sources of light were a faint spotlight hovering above him and the LED lights of the many holomonitors at his fingertips. 

“Lyla, go through our database of known anomalies. See what villains have been popping up less that could match our I.M.O.” Miguel commanded. 

“Yep, yep, yep!” Her voice sang through the room as another monitor appeared, filtering through a list of Spider-Man villains. 

Miguel studied each of them carefully. There had to be something he was missing. Was the traitor from Earth-1997 as well? Or considering all the stolen day passes maybe they contacted Harry from another dimension. 

Lyla fizzled into existence next to his face. A look of concern washing over her. “You think Harry hired the traitor?” 

“I do,” Miguel nodded. 

“Do you think they’ll go after Lisa again?” She asked with worry. 

Miguel didn’t— couldn’t answer, the words failing him. But his nostrils flared as he took a deep breath, the irises of his brown eyes flickering red.

“As long as her dimension is showing signs that it’s repairing itself, I know she’s safe,” Miguel finally spoke. 

“And if it falters at any point?” Lyla raised a brow at Miguel, hands on her hips. 

Miguel offered her a stern stare. “I’ll handle it,” 

“Well, you should probably warn her that Oscorp could go after her again,” Lyla suggested as she poked his cheek. “If she hasn’t already been thinking of that possibility,” 

Miguel tried not to think about it. How she struggled to break free from that table. Her staggered and heavy breathing, smelling her fear and sweat that drenched her forehead. But the worst was when she called out, screaming for help. Hearing it in his nightmares woke him up last night, and he barely got any more sleep after that. 

“Gwen should be with her by now. Jessica mentioned she’d be visiting her after checking in with Pav,” Miguel nodded softly, calming his breathing. “I’ll tell her later,” 

“ Tonight , Miguel,” Lyla narrowed her eyes on Miguel. “ ¿Comprendido? ” - Understood  

Miguel met Lyla’s gaze and couldn’t help but scoff playfully at her flawless accent. He had completely forgotten that he implemented that in her program. She just never used it before. “Yes, Lyla, iré a verla esta noche ,” - I’ll go see her tonight 

“Good!” Lyla smiles brightly as she poked his cheek again, a little more playful this time. “I think you two could use each other’s company,” 

“Lyla, we talked about this,” Miguel rolled his eyes before pinching the bridge of his nose, mumbling to himself. 

“ You ended the discussion, I’m bringing it back,” Lyla grinned as she shut off a bunch of the monitors, directing Miguel’s full attention on to her, “Now let me give you some pointers on how to talk to her,” 

“Lyla—” Miguel raised his voice an octave higher, eyes narrowing. 

“For therapeutic purposes!” Lyla quickly raised her hands in defense. “Just because she hasn’t been talking about the attack and her powers back in her dimension, doesn’t mean she isn’t thinking about it. Now shut up, sit down, and listen up, boss ,” 

Miguel didn’t know what he was more impressed with. Lyla’s ever confident demeanor or the fact that he actually reached for the chair, sat down and listened to her advice on how to talk to a woman he wanted to connect with better. 

///////

Lisa’s P. O. V. 

“Wait, but Chai literally means tea, why would you say it twice?” I raised a brow as I munched on my noodles from my Chinese food carton. 

“Thank you!” Pav, aka Spider-Man India sprang up from his seat, pointing at me. “That’s like saying coffee coffee, it makes no sense!” 

“Pav, I said I was sorry!” Gwen’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she tried to calm him down. 

“Sorry doesn’t fix the damage to my soul Gwen,” Pav frowned with a disappointed look before looking over at Hobie. “Hobie was nice enough to get it the first time!” 

“I thought it was obvious?” Hobie shrugged with a cheeky grin on his face as he teased Gwen with his chopsticks who playfully swatted them away. 

I laughed at their antics as I continued to munch on my food. 

After dance practice with my team, I quickly rushed home to try and get a bit more cleaning and unboxing done before there was a strange sound that came from the roof and within moments I heard knocking at my living room window by the fire escape and found three Spiders poking their heads in. 

As we ate, Gwen and Hobie introduced me to Pav. He had gotten his Spider bite just a little over a month ago and seemed quite cocky and confident in his abilities and responsibilities as Spider-Man. Maybe a little too cocky. But judging by his skills, he seemed to have the know-how to back it up. Not to mention a smashing set of hair. 

“So in your dimension, India is only a single country?” He asked. 

“Basically,” I nodded. 

“Lisa’s dimension is. . . Unique,” Hobie answered after a slight pause. 

“My dimension isn’t supposed to technically have superheroes. I got bitten by a spider that accidentally took a dive into my dimension,” I explained. 

“Oh, so it was an anomaly, then? Something from one dimension that ends up in another dimension that it’s not supposed to be?” Pav asked. “Like Mr. O’Hara described?”

“That’s how Miguel describes them,” Gwen shrugged. 

“I kind of like Mr. O’Hara. Kind of intimidating, a little scary,” Pav shuddered briefly. I could imagine he was recalling his first meeting with him before he broke out into a wide smile. “But wow is he good looking,” 

I nearly choked on my noodles when I heard him say that. So far he was the bravest of us to even say that out loud. I noticed I was being watched and saw Hobie gently snicker at me. I shot him a warning glare. 

Don’t you dare. 

“You don’t say. . .” My voice trailed off, trying to find my composure. 

“I really should ask him about his skin care routine and weight training, but I don’t want to get too buff, you know?” 

“If you’re too scared to ask him directly, I’m sure Lisa could ask for you,” Hobie suggested with a knowing smile as he winked playfully at me. 

Fate of my universe be damned, I will use my powers to hypnotize you and make you jump out of the window. 

“Oh, really? You two are friends?” Pav asked. “I’ve noticed he doesn’t seem to hang out with a lot of the other Spiders during my initial visit,” 

“Oh, I mean, we’re. . . Good acquaintances,” I

My cheeks flushed slightly as I huddled closer into my chair. 

Why was I feeling so embarrassed all of a sudden?

My mind wandered back to the end of our match in the arena. Seeing the look on his face when I pinned him down, the sweat on his face, and then his laugh. That tender laugh. 

I huddled deeper into my couch, munching more of my food to hide my blush. 

Gwen could sense my tense look and decided to take pity on me as she nudged Pav’s shoulder. “Miguel just takes great pride in his work. Protecting the multiverse is very important to him,”

“Absolutely. But, if the opportunity comes up, I’ll put in a good word for you,” I smiled softly at Pav while my eyes flashed a silent thank you to Gwen. 

We all ate in silence for a few minutes before I readjusted, moving on. 

“Okay, I gotta ask, what do you do for your hair?” 

“Ah, just the usual things, prayers, coconut oil and good genetics,” he shrugged like it was the most basic information you could know. 

“Coconut oil, I’ll remember that,” I chuckled. “Well, I haven’t been with the Society for too long myself, so maybe we can learn from each other,” 

“Oh absolutely! Ever since I met Hobie and Gwen, I feel so much better knowing I’m not the only one with this awesome gift,” Pav smiled in relief. 

“I’ll teach you all the ropes, Pav,” Hobie smirked. 

Pav gasped softly, giving Hobie an idolized look. “I’ve always wanted an older brother,”

I smiled at their antics. As I took another bite of my meal, I received a message on my Gizmo. I glanced down at the preview screen and froze. 

“Are you free to talk later tonight?” - Miguel 

Miguel wants to come over? Here? Tonight?!

Even if he had already seen my messy apartment once, it was still in desperate need of a clean. Not to mention I still had boxes to unpack. I took a deep breath. 

“What’s up? Is everything okay?” - Lisa 

“I’m. . . Not sure. That’s why I’d like to speak with you. I don’t want to interrupt your dinner,” - Miguel

He must know that Gwen and the others are here. 

“I don’t mind. You’re more than welcome to join us. We have plenty of food!” - Lisa 

There was a slight pause in his response as I could see the three little dots jumping up and down on the screen. Why were my palms so sweaty?! 

“All good, Lisa?” Gwen’s voice snapped me back into reality as I noticed the three of them had stopped their own conversation, staring at me. “Who’s texting you?” 

“Uh, oh, no one?” I chuckled softly. 

*BING* 1 new message! 

Hobie snickered. “It’s Miguel isn’t it?” 

Pav gasped, bringing his hands to his cheeks. “Do you like Mr. O’Hara?” 

“I think it’s more than likes ,” Hobie playfully jabbed Pav’s shoulder. 

“Like I said, we’re just acquaintances!” I stated as I briefly checked the newest message. 

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you just the two of us,” - Miguel 

“He said he finds me tolerable at best,” I clarified, glaring at Hobie as I stood up from my chair, cleaning up my mess as I brought it to the kitchen counter. 

“You sure that’s all he finds you?” Hobie smirked. 

I dropped my container on the counter as I turned my body towards him. If looks could kill, he would have been dead four times over by now. 

“Hobie!” Gwen scowled him. She shot him a hard look before looking over towards me with a sympathetic look. “Don’t listen to him, Lisa, he just likes to cause drama,” 

“Oh, I’m well aware,” I breathed heavily, trying to compose myself. “The boss is requesting a private meeting regarding classified information,” 

“Say no more,” Gwen nodded with a reassuring smile as she motioned for the boys to follow her. “Come on guys,” 

She opened a portal back to Spider-Society HQ. She made sure Hobie went in first as Pav quickly gathered his left overs, “Honestly Lisa, I don’t blame you. Mr. O’Hara is so bloody handsome— AH!” 

Gwen shoved him through the portal, earning a laugh from me. “Take it easy tonight, Lisa,” 

“I’ll see you later, Gwen,” I waved. 

The portal closed, leaving me alone to my thoughts. I grabbed a pillow, screaming into it to get all my complex feelings and emotions out of my system. When I finished, I typed another message. 

“Want me to save you some food?” - Lisa 

“. . . Thank you. I appreciate that,” - Miguel 

“Give me a few minutes to clean up and you can come over,” - Lisa 

I brushed off my sweaty hands before I got to work to make the apartment and myself look more presentable and clean. 

Chapter Text

I quickly gathered up the leftover food, setting an assortment of a little bit of chicken, veggies, and noodles as I put a plate of it in the microwave. As the food warmed up, I ran around the apartment, picking up spare trash, clothes, and other things to make the apartment look as close to clean as I could manage with the many few moving boxes still littered around the floor. 

Once that was done, I quickly checked myself in the mirror, fixing my hair. I wondered if I should change out of my dance clothes into something more comfy, but the beeping of the microwave threw me for a loop so I grabbed a sweater and slipped it on as I slid across the floor into the kitchen. The food was ready, heated up nice and hot. Shoot, maybe I should have asked if he likes Chinese food? 

I didn’t want to keep him waiting, especially since he initiated the meeting in the first place. 

“Okay, you can come over now! o/” - Lisa 

Was the wave emoji too much? I face palmed as I realized how cringe I was acting. Why did I add that? I thought it was cute, but now I just feel stupid. 

I leaned against the counter, waiting for Miguel’s response, but it never came. A storm began to brew outside as the sky turned dark, the pitter patter of rain splatting against the windows. I felt that it represented my emotions to this situation fairly well. The wave emoji was absolutely too much. I scared him off, didn’t I? 

A bright light startled me as another portal opened up in my living room and I watched as Miguel stepped through it, his mask dematerialized to show his face. The portal closed as he looked around the apartment before spotting me, offering me a polite nod. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me,” 

“Oh, no problem at all, Miguel,” I smiled softly at him as I motioned my hand towards the couch. “Make yourself comfortable,” 

He glanced back at the couch before nodding towards me again, “Thank you,” he walked around, his long legs making big strides with each step before he sat down. He had to be over 6 feet tall at least. 

“Need anything to drink?” I offered as I took a peek in the fridge to stop myself from staring at his back. 

“Water would be great,” He replied. 

I grabbed two water bottles from the fridge before taking Miguel’s plate of food in the other and calmly made my way over towards the couch. If this was an emergency, Miguel would be more upset, frantic even. He appeared calm and collective as he accepted the plate I handed to him and set his water bottle on the coffee table, causing a pulse of relief to wash over me. 

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked him as I sat on the opposite end of the couch to give him space. 

I watched as he took a bite out of his food, gulping it down before speaking. “We have reason to believe that Oscorp might try to go after you again,”

“Oscorp? You mean those guards that kidnapped me?” My eyes widened at the realization. 

“Peter and I realized that they were experimenting with radioactive spiders, trying to recreate the venom that gives Spider-Man, well, their powers. Since you got bitten, they can’t use the spider anymore,” Miguel shook his head before he cast a hard stare. “Meaning, they’ll try to use you instead,” 

“You mean take my powers away?” I gasped, my grip on my water bottle tightening as the plastic crinkled under my grip. “But when they tried to do it the first time, they said the process would kill me. . .”

“All the more reason I’m here,” Miguel stated firmly. “I don’t know when they intend to strike. I have a plan, which is why I asked you to meet with me,”

“What did you have in mind?” I asked him as I watched him calmly take more bites of his food, the stress of the situation leaving an unsettling sensation in my stomach. 

“I’d like to stay here and keep watch for the night,” He stated before his eyes quickly widened as he registered what he had said before placing a hand over his chest. “With your blessing, of course,”

“You’d be staying here?” My breath hitched at the idea. Miguel. In my apartment. Overnight. While I was asleep. 

“Yes, but I’ll keep watch somewhere you’d be comfortable with,” He spoke reassuringly as his hand gently brushed across the couch cushion closer towards me, “I can monitor things on the roof, or stay here,” 

I noticed the close proximity of his hand. I glanced up at his face to see him giving me a relaxed, almost charming half smile. Was he trying to appear relaxed to keep me calm? 

Then why is this the closest he’s willingly ever been with me?

I blushed at the gesture as I quickly stood up and stepped away from the couch. “How about the roof? I was gonna get ready for bed now, actually,” 

I watched as Miguel pulled his hand back, waiting anxiously to see how he’d react. I was pleasantly surprised and somewhat relieved when he nodded calmly. 

“Of course, I’ll let you get some rest,” He finished the last few bites of his meal before setting the plate aside as he stood up from the couch. “Thank you again for the lovely meal,” 

“You’re welcome,” I gave him a polite smile as I watched him walk over to one of the larger windows of my apartment and stepped out into the fire escape. 

I watched him closely as the rain drops stained his face, dampening his brown hair as he looked back at me, offering me another half smile before materializing his mask on and jumped up higher and out of my view. 

My heart was pounding in my chest as I walked slowly towards the nook of my room where my bed was, closing the curtain to give me more privacy. I began to change out of my clothes into my pajamas and looked over to where my spider suit hung in my closet and suddenly felt a sharp buzz in my mind. 

My vision became more clear as this sixth sense coursed through me. No, my Spider-Sense again. Something was definitely wrong. I changed out of my clothes and reached for my suit. 

///////

Gwen’s P.O.V. 

Hobie, Pav, and I were walking through the halls of the main hall of the Spider Society, chatting away while passing Miguel’s lab when his doors flew open and he stepped outside. 

“Whoa, Miguel! You okay–” Gwen was in the middle of asking him what was wrong when he shot an accusing glare at her. 

“What are you doing here?”

“Easy, don’t need to get up all in her face, boss,” Hobie narrowed his eyes at Miguel as he took a daring step forward in front of Gwen. 

Miguel looked like he was going to snarl at Hobie, and maybe risk a punch at him so Gwen quickly stepped in between them, diffusing the potential brawl. 

“What are you talking about Miguel?” She asked as she looked over to their leader. 

“Aren’t you supposed to be with Lisa for dinner?” He responded, trying to keep his voice calm. 

“Um we were, Mr. O’Hara, sir!” Pav stepped to the side, saluting Miguel as he spoke calmly and politely. “But Lisa said that you messaged her requesting to speak with her in private and asked us to leave,” 

“Meeting? What meeting?” Miguel’s shoulders slowly relaxed from his tense demeanor. 

“You asked to speak with her about classified information?” Pav elaborated more, forming air quotes with his fingers. 

“I wasn’t planning on seeing her until–”

Suddenly it clicked. Gwen could see the gears turning in Miguel’s mind. 

“Morning. . .” he finished his sentence, his voice trailing off.  

Something was definitely wrong. He didn’t have Spider-Sense, but he quickly put two and two together that something was definitely wrong. 

“But I saw the messages pop up from her Gizmo. It was your frequency number that was messaging her,” Gwen stated as she and the others followed Miguel back into his lab. 

“Lyla, run a security check on my Gizmo’s communications link,” Miguel commanded as he swung up to his platform, the other three Spider’s following close behind him. 

“Checking now,” Lyla got straight to work as Miguel tossed his Gizmo in a tracker beam magnetic field as Lyla’s drones patched in and scanned the device. “Oh no,”

“What is it?” Gwen asked with an edge in her voice. 

“Miguel, someone hacked your communication link earlier tonight. They hijacked the sensor so my security protocol wouldn’t alert me,” Lyla spoke hastefully as she brought up the results on the monitor. 

“What were the messages?” Miguel asked. 

Lyla brought up a side screen where she manually logged Miguel back into the chat and a cluster of unread messages appeared on the screen. “¿Qué? ”Miguel’s eyes widened with shock as his mouth silently spoke the words written in the texts before speaking, “I never sent those,” 

“Then if you didn’t send them, then who’s with Ms. Lisa?” Pav spoke fearfully as he glanced between the group. 

Gwen watched as Miguel's muscles tensed up, his shoulders squared up as he used his glowing red web shooter to snatch back his Gizmo and slipped it onto his wrist. “Lyla, set the coordinates to Lisa’s apartment,”

“I’m trying but someone slightly smarter than me is jamming the signal,” Lyla growled in frustration as she tirelessly “ Slightly smarter ,”

“Then get me as close to the apartment as you can,” Miguel commanded with an intense growl. 

He tried to send a message to Lisa, but the connection was having trouble stabilizing long enough to get it through. 

“Miguel, let us help,” Gwen stated as Lyla finally opened a portal to Lisa’s dimension. 

“Wait here, I’m not risking any more damage to Lisa’s dimension,” Miguel responded with a stern look as he rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck. “I’ll call you if I need back up,”

“Yes sir!” Pav saluted him. 

Gwen could feel through her Spider-Sense that Miguel’s heart was pounding inside his chest. She knew Lisa had to be in serious trouble if Miguel was getting so worked up about this as she and the others watched Miguel sprint through the portal, vanishing before their eyes. 

She knew whoever was on the other side would be in very deep shit for messing with Miguel, and more importantly, if Lisa had gotten hurt.

//////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

I slipped my pajamas over my spider suit, clutching the crop top hoodie tightly in my fingers as I felt my nerves go into overdrive. Was I overreacting? I mean if Miguel was calm then I should be too, right? He deals with this multi-verse anomaly stuff all the time. I shouldn’t worry. 

But then why did it feel like the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, or got a shiver down my spine when he looked at me like that? With that half smile of his, and the look in his eyes. He’s never looked at me like that before. 

I shook those thoughts away as I pulled the hoodie over my head, throwing it on. Just as I was crawling into bed, my Gizmo started ringing. I glanced at the screen, but the caller ID wasn’t registering properly. The screen displayed it as an unstable connection, but the option to answer the call was still coming through. So I answered it. 

“Hello?”

“Lisa, listen to me,” Miguel spoke quickly, “You need to get out of your apartment. NOW!”

Miguel? Why was he calling me if he was only on the roof? Unless. . . 

“Miguel, what’s going on?” I asked him with uncertainty. 

“Lisa, I’ll explain later, but you need to get out of your apartment, right now!” He ordered as I could hear his harsh breathing and the whips of his web shooters in the background. 

Why would he be swinging if he was already out on the roof? Then my Gizmo vibrated for a split second, the connection stabilized and a flood of messages appeared on a holoscreen above my face. 

“Gizmo compromised!” - Miguel 

“Oscorp is looking for you!” - Miguel

“Someone is impersonating me!” - Miguel

“GET OUT OF THERE NOW!” - Miguel

“Lisa? Lisa, can you hear me?” Miguel asked through the communication link. 

“Lisa?” I heard Miguel’s voice again, but not through the Gizmo. I abruptly muted the call on my Gizmo as I looked over towards my open window. 

I didn’t dare open my curtain, but I could see the shadow of Miguel’s figure sitting at the window. My heart was pounding in my chest as I took deep and steady breaths. 

“Everything alright?” He asked as I watched his head tilt to the side. 

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” I responded with a faint chuckle as my palms began to sweat. “I have you here watching my back,”

“Just a feeling,” He spoke as I watched his body step through the window and back into the apartment. 

I could feel my body heat up instantly as I watched him take a few cautious steps closer towards the curtain. 

I coughed into my fist, trying to compose myself. “Well, I’m ready for bed, so I’m going to get some sleep now,” 

I watched as he tilted his head to the side again, as if he were trying to stare at me through the curtain. “In a hoodie? In the middle of spring?”

“I, uh, get chilly easy,” I nervously replied, “It’s the air conditioning,” 

“Oh, well if that’s the case,” there was an almost sultry chill to his voice that sent a shiver down my spine as his hand reached for the curtain, pulling it back enough to reveal a dark and predatory look in his brown eyes. “I’ll keep you warm,” 

His appearance startled me as I fell back on my bed, and I almost didn’t process his words in time as he tried to reach out, grabbing my arms to pin me down. A memory flashed in my mind of a man around my age doing the same thing while we were at my dorm, and then it cut to my step father scolding me. 

I shrieked as I thrusted my knee into his jaw, making him bite his tongue as he screamed. He let go of me, stepping back before I kicked him again with my foot, shoving him away and knocking over the support beam of the curtain as it toppled to the floor. I immediately jumped away from the bed, standing in the living room as I panted heavily. My entire body was sweating as I watched Miguel slowly recover from my attack. No, not Miguel. 

Not my Miguel. 

“Who the hell are you?!” I shouted. 

“Now, now, mi vida , is that any way to treat your friend?” Miguel lectured me with a dark laugh. - My pretty 

I wanted to fight back, but at the risk of using my powers and tearing my dimension apart, I grabbed a vase and threw it at his head before I made a break for the door. I heard the breaking of the vase and didn’t dare turn back as I grabbed the door knob, but collapsed to the floor when I felt something grab my ankle and yank me down. 

I yelped as my body hit the floor, vaulting to my side to see what had grabbed me. Miguel had caught my ankle with a web shooter. A normal one, not his glowing red ones. I saw it now. He was hiding it under the sleeve of his suit. Miguel chuckled with an evil look in his eyes as he yanked on the web sling, pulling me across the floor. 

“No, no, no, stop! Get away from me!” I screamed as I tried to scramble to my feet, but the more I tried, the harder he yanked me back. 

“You’re only making this harder for yourself, Lisa,” Miguel made a tsked sound with his tongue, shaking his head with a disappointed frown. 

“You’re not Miguel,” I yelled. “Stay away from me!” 

He yanked me back once more until he towered over me, his feet planting on either side of me. Tears were in my eyes as I tried to defend myself but he grabbed my wrists, using his web shooters to stick some web fluid on them to stick them together. He threw them aside before reaching for my neck and applying pressure. 

“You have something that belongs to Mr. Osborne, and he wants it back,” Miguel stated before his lips curled into a smile, his free hand literally ripping into my pajamas to reveal the rest of my spider suit. “But don’t worry. I’ll take very good care of you until then,” 

I whimpered softly as he extended his thumb, the rough skin of his brushing against my lips. I tried to squirm free, but the more I moved, the more pressure his hand applied to my neck. I didn’t care if I blacked out. I didn’t care if I ran out of air. I had to do something. So knowing that the call was still live on my Gizmo, I screamed at the top of my lungs. 

“MIGUEL, HELP!” 

“He’s not coming, cariño, I made sure of that. I’d save that pretty voice of yours for—” Miguel’s threat was interrupted by the sound of a loud, menacing roar. - sweetheart 

At the corner of my tear stained eyes I watched as a pair of red hued web shooters shot through the window and stuck to the floor. 

“Get your shocking hands– OFF OF HER!” A familiar voice yelled as Spider-Man 2099 flung himself through the window and tackled Miguel off of me. 

They both banged into the door, and the man who I absolutely knew was Miguel grabbed his doppelganger by the collar and shoved him against the door, punching his gut and face multiple times before shoving him into the kitchen counter. 

He looked over towards me, a feral look in his red eyes. “Lisa, RUN!” 

As the pair fought, I pulled myself up to my feet, scrambling for the window as I pulled myself over it and into the now pouring rain. I ran up the emergency fire escape, trying not to trip or slide from the rain water. The liquid turned my web robes into mush as I pulled my wrists free from their prison, tossing the gooey mess aside as I made it to the other. 

I could still faintly hear their brawl as I ran and hid one of the bigger air vents. I huddled down, my knees tucked close to my chest as my body trembled, waiting for this whole ordeal to be over. Miguel. . . he’d never take advantage of me like that. That was a phony, a fake. Miguel. . . 

He came for me. 

I didn’t know how long I was out there in the cold rain. But at some point the fighting died down, and I could hear a web sling go off and the whoosh of a figure flying up, grunting as he landed on the roof. His steps splashed in the puddles as he looked around. 

“Lisa?” He called out. “Lisa, it’s safe to come out now!” 

Liar. Was it really him? Was this another trick? 

I sucked in a shaky breath as I readied my web fluid. Dimension in jeopardy or not, I was going to defend myself. No more running. 

I sprang up from my hiding spot, aiming my wrists at Miguel. “Don’t come any closer!”

He immediately put his hands above his head, a wave of relief washing over his face as he looked at me with sharp eyes through the mask. “Lisa, it’s okay,”

“Don’t you even think about putting your hands on me again!” I threatened. 

Hearing the pain in my voice triggered something in Miguel. He dematerlized his mask. “Lisa, por favor escúchame amiga , it’s me, Miguel,” - Please, listen to me, my friend

“How do I know you’re not lying to me?” I asked with a shaky breath. 

“What can I do to earn your trust?” He asked calmly, his eyes pouring into mine. 

The rain pumped around us as thunder roared in the distance. My mind raced as I thought of a solution, gasping for air as I spoke. “Tell me. Tell me something about me only you would know,” 

I could see the pupils of his eyes shift as he registered the request, no, an order. He slowly lowered his hands, but kept them up and away from his web shooters. His hair, skin and suit were soaking wet, but that was the least of his concern. 

“Alright,” he nodded slowly. “Alright,’

I stood firm, not lowering my wrists as I kept them aimed at his chest. 

“I know that during our work outs that you prefer to use the treadmill than the punching bag because you think you’re not strong enough to use it, and I’ve offered to teach you,” He started, his eyes shifting as he quickly thought of more reasons as he kept speaking. “I know that you told me that song you performed during our fight was from one of your favourite animated movies, sorry , anime, specifically,” 

I could literally feel the walls around my defenses starting to break. My hands began to shake, but I still didn’t let them buckle as I stood firm. 

“I know that you like spicy food despite your stomach issues, you’ll eat it anyway. I know you absolutely love K-Pop, I think, sorry– I know you’re a talented dancer, I know back during your first visit to the Doc, you grabbed my hand and I didn’t let go, and I know that when we first met, at the warehouse? I saw you looking at me when I rescued you,” 

As my heart pounded, I felt it skip a beat. Twice. Maybe three times. When Miguel realized I wasn’t going to shoot him, he lowered his arms completely as he gave me a tired smile. 

“You want to know something about me that I think you’d know?” He asked. 

I cautiously lowered my arms ever so slightly, watching him carefully. “What’s that?” I asked him. 

He took a confident step forward, “I’d think of way better and original pet names for you, my Mona Lisa,” 

The walls shattered, completely breaking apart. It really was him. My Miguel O’Hara. My Spider-Man 2099. A cry broke free from my lips as I could feel my knees buckle and in an instant, Miguel was at my side. His grip was gentle, his arms wrapped around my back and shoulders as I cried into his neck. He materialized his cape and ripped it from his back, wrapping it around me as a blanket as I could hear police sirens in the distance. 

“I think my neighbors called the cops,” I sniffled. 

“I can help with that,” Miguel spoke softly as he placed a comforting hand on my head, brushing a lock of hair away from my face. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes,”

Chapter Text

Miguel’s P.O.V. - 20 minutes ago

Miguel didn’t think. The second he emerged on the edge of the rooftop of a building across from Lisa’s apartment and his enhanced eyes peered through the window seeing a version of himself standing over Lisa, he snapped . 

The talons broke through as he snarled, erupting a roar as he fired his web shooters, the red glowing hue of his web sling sticking to the floor as it flew through her window. 

“Get your shocking hands- OFF OF HER!” 

He catapulted himself forward, his body flying through the open window as he soared into the apartment and tackled the imposter off of Lisa. Their bodies tumbled, banging into the front door before toppling to the floor. Miguel was much quicker to react as he grabbed his twin by the collar and slammed him into the door before punching his gut and face senselessly. 

He then grabbed him by the shoulders and tossed him to the side, throwing him into the kitchen as his body glided over the kitchen counter and toppled to the floor, knocking over various objects and appliances. 

“Lisa, RUN!” His red feral eyes poured into hers, begging her to listen. 

He caught the sight of her scrambling to her feet, making a break for the window before the groaning of his doppelganger snapped his attention towards the kitchen. His mask re-emerged on his face. If things weren’t ugly before, it was about to get a lot more ugly now, and he would rather not get blood splatter on his face and scare Lisa more than she already was, rightfully so. 

The doppelganger’s groans turned into a coughing fit of dark laughter as he pulled himself up to his feet. They both stalked in a circle around the kitchen counter, watching each other. 

“Not a bad trick there,” Miguel complimented. “You really caught me by surprise,”

“Cut the bullshit, pendejo ,” Miguel growled. “It took a hot minute to piece everything together, but this stops now. Take the mask off, Chameleon,” - stupid

The doppelganger stopped his pacing, watching Miguel closely. He laughed again, before slowly reaching for his hair, getting a firm grip on it before he pulled his incredibly lifelike face mask off. He revealed a white metal plate mask that completely covered his face except his eyes and mouth. 

Chameleon laughed again, his accent morphing into a Russian one. “Zdravstvuyte, mister O'Khara ,” - Hello, Mr. O’Hara

“How long have you been a mole for Osborne?” Miguel interrogated, his teeth snaring as he tried to fight the urge to flash his fangs. 

“Long enough to gather all the intel that I needed,” Chameleon shrugged his shoulders with a care-free expression. 

“Tell me what you know,” Miguel demanded, raising his voice as the veins on his neck looked like they were on the cusp of popping. “NOW!”

“No can do, O’Hara. My lips are sealed,” Chameleon chuckled softly. “But I will tell you this,” 

Chameleon glanced down at himself, taking in his arms as the rest of his body still wore Miguel’s suit and took on his appearance. Miguel could hear the grin on his face as he spoke. 

“Mr. Osborne was kind enough to give me a little upgrade. So now when I disguise myself, I don’t just copy their looks or their voice. I gain their strength,” Chameleon snickered as he cracked his neck before rolling his shoulders in a threatening manner. “ Your strength, ”

Miguel growled at him as his claws sharpened, his back muscles tensing as he watched Chameleon closely, waiting for his move. 

“When I’m done with you, I’ll show Lisa just how strong I can be,” Chameleon threatened. 

Miguel leapt before he could say anything else. His mask snapped over his face and he was on top of Chameleon before he could breathe another word. They fought in close combat, throwing punches, kicks, and clawing at each other. Miguel quickly realized he wasn’t joking. He really did have his strength. But Chameleon didn’t have his brains either. 

“As if I’d let you go anywhere near her again!” He yelled, punching him in the face as his fist connected with the metal mask. 

It made a dent into it as Chameleon toppled over the couch and smashed into the coffee table, breaking it. Chameleon coughed harshly, rolling off his back. “Did I strike a nerve? I thought after losing your daughter, you’d be incapable of love?”

Miguel snarled at him, his eyes glowing red under his mask. “¡¿Qué acabas de decirme?! ” - What did you just say to me?! 

“If you thought hearing her screams was bad, don’t worry, I’ll make sure when Lisa screams for you again, it will be much worse,” Chameleon bellowed with an evil laugh. 

Miguel roared at him as he tackled him, the pair exchanging more blows. As he punched and clawed at him and blocked his own attacks, he hated that what he was saying was right. Losing Gabriella was painful in every sense of the word. He knew how cold and crass he had become after that and how difficult he could be. 

But when Lisa looked at him. He wasn’t sure what it was. But he felt his ice cold heart melt away bit by bit. Maybe he was incapable of love, but with Lisa, he felt he had a second chance at it. No matter what form it took, no matter how small. That was why Miguel fought to protect her. 

“Lyla, do you have his Gizmo frequency?” Miguel growled as he punched Chameleon in the gut. Hard . 

“Yes!” Lyla popped up. “Opening a portal now!”

“What?!” Chameleon snarled. 

A portal opened up at their side as Miguel grabbed Chameleon but the collar and with a heavy heave, hoisted him up into the air, his feet dangling.  

“I needed to distract you long enough to allow Lyla to hack and steal back access to that Gizmo you stole from me,” Miguel glared daggers into his soul. 

He reached out, snatching the Gizmo from his wrist. 

“You won’t be needing that anymore,” Miguel said harshly. “I better not see your face in this dimension again,”

He then tossed Chameleon through the portal back to Earth-1997. He didn’t care where, so long as he was stuck there for the rest of his miserable life. Lyla quickly closed the portal shortly after that. 

“I’ve blocked that dimension’s frequency. They can’t use their Gizmo’s or day passes to get here or Spider-Society HQ anymore,” Lyla spoke quickly. 

Miguel breathed heavily, his chest rising and falling. “Thank you, Lyla,” 

Miguel looked around, seeing the state of the apartment. Such a mess. He hated that he had a part in that. He’d make it up to Lisa. Make it good as new. Better even. 

Lisa. . .   

“Lyla, where is Lisa?” Miguel asked as his gaze went to the window that she climbed out of, his face filled with worry. 

“Her Gizmo coordinates says she’s up on the roof,” 

Miguel was already on the move before Lyla could finish. 

//////////

Lisa’s P.O.V. - now 

Miguel carried me back inside, not wanting me to slip on the slippery water coated steps of the fire escape. We were both soaking wet from the rain, but that was the least of our worries. The cops would be at my door any minute now. As Miguel searched for a towel, I took in the state of the apartment and my heart sunk. 

There was no hiding the look on my face from Miguel as he squeezed my shoulder gently before pulling his cape away and swapping it with a towel, gently drying off my cheeks. 

“Here, dry yourself off and change quickly, if you can,” he spoke softly. 

“Thank you,” I spoke softly in response, watching as he pulled the curtain back, and I briefly shivered at the memory of his evil twin doing the same thing. 

But Miguel was more gentle, and caring as he motioned for me to sit down, making sure I was okay before pulling the curtain closed again gently to give me my privacy. As I dried myself off, I heard ruffling as he shuffled about. He was trying to clean up some of the mess. 

Lord, bless him , I sighed softly as I tried to dry myself off as best I could. My suit was soaked, and even if I could dry myself off completely, the suit would become damp at best. After drying myself off as best I could, I tugged and pulled the damp spider suit off of my body, changing into another set of pajamas. 

“Lyla, initiate casual clothes, protocol,” Miguel commanded. “Nothing too flashy, alright?

“Got it, boss!” Lyla’s voice chirped through the room. 

I saw a quick flash of blue through the curtain, startling me. I peeked through the curtain after I finished changing and found Miguel no longer wearing his spider suit. He wore a gray sweater with a white tank top underneath, long gray sweat pants and slip on sneakers. 

I wasn’t sure what I was more impressed with. The fact that he was wearing actual clothes other than his spider suit, or that he made the illusion fit so that those clothes were also damped and soaked with water. My eyes trailed down to his tank top, the water damping the fabric just enough to tease a look at his skin. 

“Miguel. . .” I stepped out of my room, my voice calling out to him.

He turned quickly to face me, his cheeks flushing a light shade of pink, “Hey!” He quickly shook off the nerves. “How are you feeling? Does this look convincing enough or–?”

“No, no, I think–” I waved my hands reassuringly at him as my lips smiled softly at him. “I think it suits you just fine,” 

Miguel smiled softly back as he walked over towards me, making sure the towel was still safely tucked around me. He briefly took another look around the apartment again. “I, uh, I’ll try to fix all of this,” 

“It wasn’t your fault, Miguel,” I reassured him as I gently squeezed his hand. “But I would appreciate the help in cleaning up,” 

“Gladly,” He nodded before groaning with annoyance. “Once all this shocking mess is done,” 

Shocking? That’s right, in the comics, that what he says to replace saying– 

“Miguel, incoming footsteps down the hall,” Lyla warned. 

Miguel gave me a reassuring look, his large fingers brushing damp locks of my hair away from my face, “Do you trust me?”

“I do,” I nodded. 

Miguel guided me to a loveseat chair that wasn’t broken or smashed from the fight and set me down gently just as a knock came at the door. “NYPD, open up!”

“Stay there,” He gently commanded me before breathing heavily, ruffling his hair with his hands as he psyched himself up. Miguel opened the door and a pair of New York City officers stood in the hallway. “Officers, thank goodness you’re here!”

“We got a call about a disturbance here,” The male officer explained as he tilted his head to the side, spotting me. “May we come in?”

“Yes, please,” Miguel gulped in some air as he stepped aside, allowing the two cops to walk in. 

They took in the state of the apartment as the female cop slowly walked over towards me, a calm expression on her face. “Miss, is this your apartment?”

I nodded firmly, my body trembling slightly at their presence. “Yes,” 

“Can you tell us what happened? We received calls of screaming, and fighting?” The female officer asked me as I could see the male officer glance over at Miguel and I could see the look in his eyes. He was already thinking it was him. 

Well, not quite far off . 

“I was getting ready for bed, changing while–” I glanced over at Miguel and he gave me a calm, reassuring nod before I continued, “-my boyfriend stepped out to smoke. I thought it was him coming back through the window and when I turned–” I choked out a sob as I recalled what had happened in my mind and I pulled the towel over me a little bit tighter. 

“Was it someone else in your apartment?” The female officer wager a guess as she placed a comforting hand on my shoulder, kneeling beside me. 

“Some psycho,” I sniffled, tears perking up in my eyes. “I screamed, calling for help. If he didn’t come back when he did, I think that guy might have–”

“It’s alright, I think we understand,” The female officer nodded firmly before she glanced over at her partner. 

“You’re the boyfriend?” The male officer finally spoke. 

“Miguel O’Hara,” He nodded. 

“Can you explain what happened from your point of view, Mr. O’Hara?” The officer asked. 

“I stepped outside to take a smoke, get some fresh air,” Miguel brushed a hand through his hair, his body tense as he looked at me with guilt written eyes. “It’s my fault, I left the window open and I thought I was the only one out there,”

“So the fight was you attacking him for breaking in?” The male officer asked. 

“Yes,” Miguel sighed, taking in a steady breath. “I tackled him off her and we threw some punches. He was. . .  out of his mind,” 

The officer looked around and noticed a bloody rag on the counter. It was only then did I notice Miguel’s bloody knuckles. Oh my god. . . 

“So you knocked enough sense into him that he took off after?” The officer raised a brow. 

“Where did you go, miss while they were fighting?” The female officer asked, noticing my damp appearance. 

“I ran out the window and climbed the fire escape to the roof. I couldn’t handle seeing the fighting so Miguel told me to run. I hid there and watched the intruder run back out the way he came,” I explained. A half lie but a partial truth . 

“Did you see where he took off?” She asked. 

I shook my head. “No, the storm made it impossible for me to see him clearly, but I could hear him going down the fire escape,” 

The male officer walked over to the window, taking a peek outside as his eyes scanned the fire escape. “It’s gonna be hard getting solid footprints with this rain,” He took out a notebook and pen, walking back over to Miguel. “Can you describe him?”

I listened as Miguel described the intruder to the officer. He mentioned a Russian accent before going into physical details. 

The female officer regained my attention as she cleared her throat. “We’ll do what we can to keep an eye out for this creep. You’ve never met that man before until tonight?” 

“No, it was completely random,” I shook my head. 

“Well, if it’s random, I think the odds of him coming back here are very slim, especially since you got your knight in shining armor with you,” she smiled reassuringly.

I smiled softly at her before my gaze turned to Miguel, admiring his face. More like my Spider-Man in a glowing nanotech spandex suit but close enough . 

 “Okay, I think that’s everything for now,” The male officer cleared his throat. “We’ll alert your neighbors who called that the danger has passed,” 

“Thank you, officers,” I nodded in appreciation.

Miguel politely escorted the officers out of the apartment and shut the door behind them. The room was quiet except for the rain falling outside. Miguel’s footsteps were gentle as he calmly walked towards me, his clothing hologram fizzling out as he changed back into his spider suit, kneeling beside me. Only then did I turn towards him. 

“Are you okay?” He asked calmly. 

Tears perked in my eyes as I closed them shut, lowering my head. He gently reached a hand out and cradled the back of my head. “Better now that you’re here,” I answered quietly. 

His fingers curled ever so tightly after hearing the pain in my voice, his thumb gently rubbing against my hair. “What do you need?”

I managed enough courage to look into his eyes, tears streaming down my cheeks. “Can I. . . stay at HQ tonight?” 

“Of course,” He sighed in relief. “You rest. I’ll pack a bag,”

I nodded softly as he gently moved away before talking over towards my small bedroom nook, finding my duffel bag and putting it aside on the bed. I watched calmly as he packed a change of clothes, putting my damp spider suit in a plastic bag before tying it and throwing it in the bag. As I watched him, my heart fluttered again. 

After tonight. . . how different would things become between us? 

We’re now officially passed the stage of tolerable, respect-earned, acquaintances. 

Chapter Text

When Miguel and I emerged through the portal and arrived back at Spider-Society HQ, specifically his lab, Gwen and Pav immediately hovered near me, asking over a dozen times if I was okay, or hurt, and apologizing profusely for leaving me alone. Hobie hung back, hands in his pockets. His gaze briefly met Miguel’s, who had gently removed his hand from my shoulder when we emerged from the portal, as Spider-Punk offered him a very rare nod of approval. Miguel nodded back in kind. 

I reassured the two teenagers that it wasn’t their fault, and that I appreciated them looking out for me. Gwen and Hobie offered for me to stay with them in Hobie’s dimension, but I politely declined, explaining that I had asked Miguel if I could spend the night there at HQ. Miguel also didn't want to risk Oscorp jumping to other dimensions to try and track me so HQ was the safest place I could be, other than my apartment but that was currently a nervous wreck. 

Pav and Gwen hugged me tightly, glad that I was alright. I didn’t reveal all of the heavy details, not wanting to scare them, but one glance over at Hobie and he understood my partial silence. He offered me a soft nod of encouragement before gently pulling Gwen and Pav along as they exited Miguel’s lab. Pav called out, wishing me a good night's sleep, waving profusely and I chuckled softly. 

Before leaving, Miguel quickly explained the situation in more detail now that we were safely back in his dimension and away from prying eyes. The doppelganger that attacked me was a variant of a villain called The Chameleon from Earth-1997, the same dimension where the Spider that bit me came from. He was a Russian super spy and master of disguise, able to perfectly match his target's physical figure and voice. 

He was also the mole that infiltrated the Spider-Society for Oscorp in order for them to continue their interdimensional experiments and stole Miguel’s tech. He reassured me that Lyla made the necessary precautions to make sure that he or anyone from that dimension couldn’t come back here or to my own dimension in order to keep me safe. 

I smiled softly at him, thanking both him and Lyla for their help and for rescuing me. “I don’t think I’ll ever say it enough,” 

“There’s no need, Lisa,” Miguel waved it off before stepping closer towards me, placing a comforting hand on my own. “You call, and I’ll be there,” 

Miguel leant me his room for the night. Despite my protests about his offer, he reassured me that he rarely slept there in recent weeks, the task of monitoring the multiverse taking up most of his time so he usually slept in his lab. I knew that it couldn’t be even remotely comfortable, and as much as I wanted to, and tried, I couldn’t convince him otherwise, so I reluctantly but thankfully took his offer. 

It was a standard room, but then again Miguel’s dimension is set multiple years in the future. So it was a standard room for someone living in the year 2099 who also worked and earned a lot of money . The bedroom felt like it was the master room of a five star hotel, but it wasn’t super in your face. It was subtle, but the rich classy texture was still there. 

The king sized bed hovered on a large platform with a low level fluorescent blue light. The floor and walls were a beautiful polished white marble with a walk-in closest etched into the wall near the bed and a bathroom to its left. On the opposite end of the room was a small work desk with a sleek monitor and around the corner was a long sleek window that overlooked Nueva York. It was currently tinted with a black overlay to shield the resident from the harsh neon lights that lit up the city at night. 

Miguel directed me to where all the bathroom essentials were and set my bag gently down next to the bed. He offered me a kind half smile as he squeezed his hand in mine. “Do you need anything else?”

“It’s more than enough,” I smiled reassuringly. “Thank you, Miguel,” 

His cheeks were tainted with a small shade of pink at my praise as his eyes toned down to a softer gaze. His half smile didn’t let up as he slowly pulled his large hand away from mine, not before his fingers gently brushed against mine as I held myself back from wanting to reach for his hand again. I immediately missed its warmth. 

“If I don’t see you in the morning, Lyla will ensure your safe travel back to your dimension,” He stated plainly. “Rest well,”

His hand brushed my shoulder as he walked past me and I found myself turning and watching his backside as he walked towards the door. I smiled softly at him. He realized this was uncharted waters too. He didn’t want to push, but still be respectful. 

“Good night, Miguel,” I called out to him. “Try not to stay up too late?”

He offered me a half glance as the door automatically slid open in his presence. A scoff escaped him as the corner of his mouth formed a tiny smirk. “You know I can’t promise that,”

I responded with my own playful scoff, rolling my eyes at him as I crossed my arms over his chest. “Let me guess, the fate of the multiverse?”

He chuckled softly. “Among other things. Good night, my Mona Lisa,” 

Miguel quickly left the room, leaving me as my cheeks flushed a bright pink at the pet name. My voice stuttered as I watched the door close and I shook off the nerves. I’d never get used to hearing that nickname. But. . . I liked the way he said it. 

I walked over towards the bag, bending down as I unzipped it to grab my toothbrush when I caught a peek at the change of clothes Miguel had packed for me. It was the outfit I wore when he and Peter B. rescued me. When we first met. 

I smiled softly. Very subtle, Miguel. 

////////

Earth-1997 

“Useless! You’re all useless!” 

Harry Osborne slammed his fist on his desk, the contents ratling and toppling over. He shot a nasty glare at Chameleon who lowered his head in shame. He knew he was in deep trouble, and no amount of excuses would save him. 

“You had one job,” Harry pointed a finger at him. “One job! You should have brought her straight here instead of playing with your food ,” 

“I swear Mr. Osborne, I was so careful,” Chameleon pleaded. “I don’t know how Mr. O’Hara–”

“ Mr. Osborne , is my father, GOD rest his soul,” Harry snared as he tried to compose himself. “As for Spider-Man 2099, you clearly weren’t careful enough. Get out of my office,” 

Chameleon left the office in a hurry as Harry angrily paced around his desk. His stomps were like earthquakes as a black aura clouded his body and mind as he slammed his fists into his desk once more. 

“Will somebody give me some good news?!” 

The phone at his desk rang. He growled, picking up the receiver. 

“What?”

“Sir, Dr. Octavius has found a fix for the Collider,” His secretary said. 

“About damn time! Tell him to increase the staff, I want that Collider up and running again as soon as possible,” He ordered. 

“Yes sir,” the secretary hung up the phone. 

Harry tossed the receiver aside as he took a few calming breaths, his nostrils flaring as he looked out of his large window that overlooked the city of New York. “I’ll get my revenge yet on you Spider-Man. On all of you.”

//////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

Seoul, South Korea - 4 years ago 

“Get off me!” 

I screamed whilst shoving a tall male off of me after he wouldn’t take multiple hints that I wasn’t interested. My heart was pounding in my chest as he reached for me, tried to corner me in the studio in front of the other dancers and trainees. He backed up, seeing a glint in his eyes as he fell back to the floor. 

“ Aya! geunyeoneun naleul dachige haessda! ” The tall young male bellowed, groaning from the fall. - Ow! She hurt me! 

All eyes were on me. He was faking it! How could they not see through that horrible fake moaning? Didn’t they all see him try to advance on me?

“ ani, gidalyeo! geuneun naleul goelobhyeossgo, naneun na jasin-eul byeonhohago iss-eossda! ” I pleaded, looking around the room, tucking my hands close to my chest. - No, wait! He was harassing me, I was defending myself. 

One of the coaches ran over to check on the male while one of the supervisors gently escorted me out of the room. I glanced over at the other idols, especially the trainees and saw their nervous and fearful expressions. They were terrified of speaking out. If they did, the guy would have their heads and ruin their chances of breaking in the industry. 

My heart sank as I stepped out of the room, the supervisor leading me to a quiet room and said I could wait there until things calmed down. I was in the room for less than 10 minutes before there was an aggressive knock and my step-father stepped inside. 

“Jin! Thank goodness, someone who will believe me–” I sprang up from my seat, walking towards him. 

Jin closed the distance, but kept a few meters away as his face turned cold. “What were you thinking?”

“What?” I blinked, taken back by his reaction. “Jin, what are you–”

“He is our next headlining solo artist, he has a photoshoot tomorrow and now we have to reschedule,” He groaned, shaking his head in disapproval with his hands on his hips. 

“You’re taking his side?!” I gawked. 

“No, of course not, but you need a good work/life balance, Lisa. You’ve been training non-stop these last few months,” He attempted to reason with me. 

“Who’s idea was that?” I raised a brow at the man, sending him a knowing look with my arms crossed over my chest. 

“You know he likes you, why not give him an actual chance to prove himself?” He asked, appearing genuinely serious. It scared me. 

“Jin, he tried to force himself on me in front of everyone, they all saw,” I was seething, trying to keep calm to have a civil conversation. “I’m not going to date someone who's going to take advantage of me!” 

“If this gets out, it’s not just him in jeopardy, it’s the entire program, including you. Think about your future,” Jin breathed deeply, trying to keep his cool with me.

“So that’s just it? You’re not going to defend me?” I started to choke up as the tears perked in my eyes. 

“I’ll talk to his producer to have you both on separate projects for the time being, until then, think about what you did and when you’re ready to come out, you will go back in there and apologize to him,” Jin stated. 

“Apologize to him?!” I raised my voice in distress. 

“ geuge majimag-iya! ” He yelled before turning around and leaving the room. 

I broke down in a sob, huddling down to the floor as the world began to crumble around me. 

I never came home that summer. Why didn't I go back home? Why did I stay for so long? Why did I stay for another 2 years after that?

Footsteps caught my ear as I turned and saw an evil, twisted version of Miguel, hovering over me. I screamed as he reached for me and everything turned white. 

Present day

Lyla woke me up the next morning, her holographic figure buzzing around like a hummingbird as the tinted shades pulled up from the large window, letting in some sun shine. 

“Rise and shine, time to start the day!” She sang. 

I stirred from my slumber, the memory of Chameleon’s attempted kidnapping was still fresh in my mind so I had trouble falling asleep at first before snoozing away the rest of the night, passing out in my pillow. Then the nightmare happened. 

When my eyes fluttered open, I could taste the salt of my tears on my lips as I reached a hand to dry off the remaining remnants of the liquid from my eyes. When my vision cleared I had a minor panic attack when I realized I wasn’t waking up in my apartment. I sat up instantly, looking around, my chest rising and falling as I calmed myself down. 

I was safe. I was back at Spider-Society HQ. I was in Miguel’s room. 

Miguel’s room. 

My cheeks turned a light shade of pink as I glanced down at the bed I was in, my fingers aimlessly tracing along the fresh bed sheets. Even if Miguel’s claim was true and he didn’t sleep here very often, someone or something still went out of their way to make sure his room stayed clean. I wondered when was the last time he slept here in this very bed. 

“Hey, Earth to Lisa,” Lyla waved as she appeared in front of me. “You holding up, okay?”

“Lyla!” I jumped slightly, startled by her voice as she snapped me out of my trance. I turned to face her. “Sorry, I’m still a little groggy, I guess,” 

“Is that all?” She asked me, placing her hands on her hips. 

There was something about the look in Lyla’s eyes that made me feel like she could see right through me as I leaned back a little bit nervously. “Yes…?”

Lyla hummed, sizing me up before her lips formed into a carefree smile. “Just teasing, love! You have dance practice again today, right? Go on and get dressed,” 

“Right, I should do that,” I nodded, waving off my nerves as I climbed out of bed. 

I walked towards the bathroom, wanting to take a quick shower to get the rain water smell out of my hair from last night. Thankfully Miguel showed me how to work the controls. Wish we had stuff like this back in my dimension. 

“With that being said,” Lyla’s voice purred as I opened the door to the bathroom and I stopped, waiting anxiously as she continued, “I’ve seen the way you look at him, you know,” 

My cheeks turned a shade darker as I didn’t look back and shut the door behind me. 

////////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

“Good morning, Miguel,” Lyla sang in greeting as she fizzled next to Miguel. 

Miguel stood back in his lab where he had been for most of the night. After a quick power nap, he slipped back in his room to quickly shower, careful not to wake Lisa from her slumber. For a tall, muscular guy, Miguel knew how to be sneaky when he needed to be. Although he was ashamed of himself for catching a glimpse of her sleeping form. The thought made his cheeks darken and he shrugged it off instantly. 

After that, he picked up some coffee from the cafeteria and made his way back here where for the last 2 hours he was monitoring the multiverse for any anomaly disturbances. So far it had been a relatively quiet morning. Until Lyla’s voice rang in his ear.

“Morning, Lyla,” He mumbled in a greeting. 

“Hmm, someone is in a good mood this morning. You’re not as grumpy or groggy like you normally are,” Lyla commented with a snicker. 

“You’re hilarious, Lyla,” Miguel rolled his eyes at her with a scowl. 

“I try,” Lyla shrugged. 

“How is Lisa? Did she manage okay?” He asked, trying to keep his level of concern to a minimum. 

By now Lyla would have transported her back to her dimension so she could still attend her dance practice today. He hoped that she wasn’t too shaken up not to participate. He made a mental note to call her when she was done for the day so he could start helping her clean the apartment. He already had a side tab open on Earth-1218's internet browser, searching for new furniture items he thought she’d like. 

“Took her a minute to settle, but after that she slept like a baby,” Lyla smiled proudly. 

“That’s. . . That’s good,” Miguel sighed softly in relief. 

“This mood of yours wouldn’t happen to involve Lisa, wouldn’t it?” Lyla raised a curious brow as she hovered closer to Miguel’s face.

Miguel glanced over at her, raising a brow at the AI. “Lisa is safe, what else is there to be happy about?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because of how you confessed that you actually like her while on a rooftop in the rain, took care of her, and let her sleep in your room? In your bed ?” Lyla spoke with a knowing smirk.

Her smirk grew even larger when she watched as Miguel whilst in the middle of sipping his coffee, suddenly spit take his drink, the contents blowing everywhere on his desk after he processed her question. He composed himself long enough to look back at Lyla and glared at her grinning expression. 

“You know, your Mona Lisa?” Lyla remembered in a sweet tone.

He pointed a finger at her, his voice stern. “Ni una palabra a nadie ,” - Not a word to anyone 

Lyla mimicked a motion where she zipped up her lips before snapping her fingers. “My lips are sealed. I won’t make you say please this time,” 

Miguel sighed as he set the coffee mug down, reaching for a rag to clean up his mess. “Thank you, Lyla,” 

As Miguel cleaned up his desk, a soft giggle caught his ear as he looked up at one of the spare tabs. It was another old video footage of Gabriella. She was sitting on Miguel’s shoulder’s eating a cupcake he had brought her as a treat after her soccer game and she had the silly instinct to smudge the icing in his face. 

Miguel couldn’t help but smile softly at the memory. 

A second chance. No matter what form it took. No matter how small.

Chapter Text

It’s been about a week now since the apartment attack. There hadn’t been any news from Earth-1997 so it was business as usual for the Spider-Society again. Miguel would monitor the multiverse for any signs of anomaly activity, send in a team to deal with it or lead his own team personally. Whenever I was present when Gwen or Hobie or Peter B. would get the call to join in on a mission, my eyes always sparkled with wonder when a portal opened up and I watched them run through. I became curious what the other dimensions would look like. 

Maybe if I trained enough, I would get to be a part of all this? 

But whenever I’d catch Miguel staring at me, noticing the wonder in my eyes, there was an expression that he made that I couldn’t quite decipher. But I knew it was something along the lines of too dangerous . I had previously asked Peter B. what fighting in other dimensions was like, and he said if it weren’t for Miguel’s invention of the Gizmos or day passes, your atoms would break apart bit by bit, slowly killing you. 

“Your atoms don’t exactly feel too jazzed about being in another dimension,” as he once put it. 

Miguel had also briefly explained the process to me the other day during one of our work out sessions. He said that I was almost about to experience the “glitch” process myself while Spider-Doc was tending to my wounds after he and Peter B. first rescued me. When I realized it all, it started to make a little more sense. 

Now I understood the look in Miguel’s eyes a bit better. He didn’t want me to get myself killed. Understandably, I knew where he was coming from. I’m still fresh with my powers, despite my training and progress to control them. But I still had hope.

In between training sessions, I’d work on composing various routines like the one I displayed to Miguel during our mock battle. Just in case. Spider-Man had to actually start fighting villains eventually. Maybe not in my dimension, as per our agreement, but perhaps in Nueva York? Maybe another another dimension?

I had thought about asking Miguel to teach me how to fight, well, properly anyways. I knew with each Spider they had their own unique fighting style. I could mix my dance moves into my evasive maneuvers, but for my attacks? It could work, but be a little tricky. Which is why I need to learn some actual fighting moves. 

In between his Spider-Society duties, Miguel would take a little time out of each day to come visit me in my dimension and help me clean up my apartment. Some of the furniture was salvageable and easily repaired, while others weren’t as lucky. I could understand Miguel’s frustration when he tried helping me fix my bookshelf after I had gathered and cleaned up my toppled book collection. 

“Miguel, are you sure it goes that way?” I asked him as I read through the old instruction pamphlet I had saved from the movers. 

“Pretty sure,” he nodded firmly. “Any other way looks stupid,” 

I glanced back at the instruction manual, looking at the pictures of the display before looking back at the shelf. “Only if you’re sure,” 

“Lisa, really, I have a PHD in biology, engineering, physics, I think I know how to fix a bookshelf from IKEA,” He chuckled with a warm huff, his chest puffing up with pride as he worked. 

He carefully forced the piece in, snapping it in place. He wiped the sweat off his brow as he sat up. His holographic outfit was a blue tank top with beige cargo pants and white sneakers. He stepped back, admiring his work before looking over at me. 

“So?”

“I think you fixed it!” I beamed, smiling at him. “Now I can finally put these books away,” 

Until the board cracked, and toppled down, creating a domino effect that knocked over the other boards. My mouth gaped open at the sight, no words coming out. I glanced over to Miguel and I swear I could see his left eye twitching. 

He huffed, dropping the hammer on the floor. “That’s it, I’m buying you new furniture,” 

“Miguel, it’s okay, you don’t have to do that,” I spoke quickly, waving my hands frantically to try and ease him. “Besides, I can’t pay you back,” 

“Don’t worry about the money, really, it’s on me,” Miguel reached out and used his hand to gently pat my head, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “Relájate y deja que yo me ocupe, mi Mona Lisa ,” - Relax and let me take care of it, my Mona Lisa 

I raised a curious brow at the man as my hand gently caressed his. “How much are we talking here?”

“Lisa, don’t worry, really,” Miguel chuckled softly as his fingers latched on to my hand, squeezing them rightly as he lowered his hand from my head. “Besides, I already ordered everything and they’ll be delivered within a few days,” 

“¡¿QUÉ?! ” I gawked at Miguel as he brushed past me, grabbing his water bottle. - What?!

“Did you just gawk at me in my mother tongue?” He smirked at me. 

“Well, with us spending a bit more time together, can you blame me for picking up on some phrases?” I crossed my arms at him. “How much was everything?”

He gave me a side eye as I watched him gulp down his water, the adam’s apple of his throat bobbing with each gulp. When he pulled away, he sighed deeply, the drink refreshing him as a small trail of water traveled down his chin and neck. “That’s classified,” 

I whined, telling him to cut me some slack. All he did was laugh at my reaction. 

“Maybe it hasn’t occurred to you that I’m doing this out of the kindness of my own heart?” He smirked. “Maybe because I simply want to?”

My cheeks turned a light shade of pink at the realization that he was going out of his way, willingly, to make me happy. I felt spoiled. 

“But–”

“No buts about it, my Mona Lisa,” He grinned as he gently flicked his finger on my forehead before leaning in closer to my face. “ Suffer ,”

That all happened yesterday and the butterflies still hadn’t gone away. I had noticed he only acted this way around me when it was just the two of us. While at the Spider-Society, he of course would still be nice to me and offer me warm glances every now and again, but he would always keep things professional while working with the other Spiders. In a sense, I understood the switch and actually agreed. 

There could be a million reasons as to why Miguel chose to act the way he did. I was just happy he felt okay to relax a little bit and let himself go around me. I decided the next time I saw Miguel, I’d put my foot down and ask him to teach me how to fight. 

Anything to try and get that hopeless feeling out of my body after what happened at the apartment. I could feel the pulse of my web fluid quaking in my wrists during that entire encounter. The way that evil Miguel , no– Chameleon , was his name, taunted me, toyed with me. Never again. I’ll never give another villain the satisfaction. 

These thoughts had been plaguing me for the last few days, most noticeably during dance practice. Most of the teams had broken off to practice their work in smaller studios throughout the building, while my team and another worked in the main studio. We were doing our warm ups to some of METRO’s other music when I faltered suddenly and missed a step. 

“Okay, time out,” Kasey spoke up suddenly, signaling to stop the music. “We need to host an emergency team meeting,”

Toya paused the music as Hannah reached out a gentle hand, helping me up to my feet. I smiled warmly at the gesture, silently thanking her. 

“Coach, we’re gonna take a 15 in the break room,” Kasey yelled over towards our coach who gave her a thumbs up as an acknowledgement of her request. 

“Come along, our fearless leader,” Kasey took my wrist and pulled me along as the five of us left the main studio. 

“What’s going on? Did I do something wrong?” I asked nervously. 

We entered the break room, Touga immediately making a b-line for the vending machines as his eyes wandered over the various snacks and drinks. Kasey sat me down on a chair while the others sat around me at a round table. 

“Something's been bothering you, Lisa,” Kasey stated. “What’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” I shrugged my shoulders, trying to appear as normal and calm as I could. “I’m fine,”

“No, you’re not , I think we’ve worked together long enough for me to tell the difference, Kendrick,” Kasey shot me a stern look but mixed a playful grin. 

“Did something happen?” Toya asked as his brother neared carrying an assortment of snacks and drinks. 

“You can tell us, Lisa,” Hannah pleaded gently, her blue eyes pouring into mine. “We won’t judge you,” 

I glanced around at their worried faces before I sighed in defeat. “I can’t hide anything from you guys, can I?”

They all shook their heads. 

I sighed again, my arms leaning against the table as I met their gazes. “Last week, there was a break in at my apartment,” 

“What?!” They all gasped, staring at me with wide eyes. 

“They didn’t take anything did they?” Hannah asked with worry as she placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. 

“No, but my apartment was and still is sort of trashed,” I sighed deeply as Touga handed everyone a snack bag and some water. He took pity on me and gave me an extra snack. “They weren’t trying to take something from the apartment. . .”

“What were they–” Touga began to speak until he stopped speaking mid-sentence, the realization hitting him as he sat down. 

“Oh shit, Lisa, I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Toya’s voice lowered with a sympathetic look in his eyes. 

“Why didn’t you tell us, girl?” Kasey asked. 

“I didn’t want me telling you guys to affect our team’s morale, and. . . I felt scared and ashamed that it happened,” I sighed, leaning back in my chair as I opened one of my snack bags and started munching on the mini pretzels. 

“You weren’t by yourself, were you?” Hannah asked with concern. 

I paused for a moment. If we created this ruse for the police, do I keep it going with my friends? I couldn’t lie and tell them that I was alone and make them even more fearful. But I couldn’t tell them the truth and say that Spider-Man from another dimension saved me. 

“No, I wasn’t,” I shook my head. “My. . . boyfriend saved me,” 

“Boyfriend?” Toya and Touga repeated at the same time, sounding surprised. 

Kasey nudged Toya’s side with her elbow to shut him up before looking back over towards me. “What exactly happened?”

“The attacker pinned me down and before he could do anything else, my boyfriend tackled him and told me to run. They got into a fight and the apartment got trashed in the process,” I explained softly. 

“So he sent the creep packing, mad respect,” Touga nodded his head with an approving look in his eyes as Toya mimicked the gesture. 

I smiled gently at them. I very much approved as well. 

“Well we’re glad that you’re alright, Lisa,” Kasey smiled warmly. “From now on, no more keeping secrets from us, alright? We’re a team, you know,”

“Not just a team, we’re friends!” Hannah beamed as she hugged me. “Friends help each other out, right, boys?”

“Yeah! If that creep even thinks of showing his ugly mug again, give us a shout and we’ll show’em not to mess with you!” Toya stated as he punched the air. 

I looked out at my friends and I could feel a warm bubbly sensation come over me as I looked at their smiling faces. “You guys are amazing, you know that?”

“What are friends for?” Kasey grinned. 

“Hey, there’s this new ramen shop that opened not too far from here. We should all go after practice today,” Touga offered. 

Hannah smiled, clapping her hands together. “That is a wonderful idea!”

I smiled at my friends as we moved on to other bits of conversations during the remainder of our break, munching on our snacks. It felt good knowing I had another group of people I could trust that I knew would have my back. A group of friends that I didn’t need to travel to another dimension just to see. 

///////

Earth-423 

Princess Petra soared through the air on her web sling, her silk skirt of her dress retracting into a shorter one as the web fabric silk morphed into her spider suit. The moon was full out that night as the silk of her webs glowed in the moonlight. Her spider pet, Webster, clung tightly to her shoulder as she swung across her kingdom. 

She had sensed a disturbance with her Spider-Sense, as Petra made her way to the forest. She caught herself on a tree branch, hunching over as she hid herself within the leaves as she found her prey. 

A strange fiend appeared through a magical portal. It appeared to be some sort of animal, with razor sharp teeth, a long tongue and covered in this black goo. Why, this creature looked very similar to Venomilcent, a horrible beast that had plagued her kingdom in months passed. But this creature clearly wasn’t the monster she was familiar with. 

“Oh dear, Webster, I do believe the danger we were warned about is upon us now,” Petra groaned with worry as she glanced down at her spider friend. “Of all the days to leave behind that handy bracelet he gave me,” 

As much as she hated leaving the monster to roam free in the forest, Petra knew she wouldn’t be able to fight that thing alone. She wouldn’t just need the help of the royal guard, no, she needed their help to stop it and send it back from whence it came. 

“Come on, Webster, we must hurry and summon Lord O’Hara and his Society of Spiders!” Petra swung back the way she came. 

Meanwhile, Venom was left to roam the forest, searching for fresh prey to feast on.

Chapter Text

My friends and I enjoyed our dinner together after practice was done, and try as I might, I couldn’t avoid the subject of Miguel coming up. My friends were eager to know more about my mystery boyfriend that saved me from a crazed stalker. 

Just the thought of even referring to Miguel as my boyfriend seemed so. . . foreign to me. We had really only known each other for just a few weeks now, but we’ve experienced so much in that short time. He’s saved my life twice now, for crying out loud! 

I tried to keep the details to a minimum. My boyfriend worked for an indie tech company that had an office outside of the city, and because it’s so far out he rents an apartment in the middle of nowhere so our relationship is basically long distance until he manages to squeeze in just enough time to come visit me. 

“But he must be pretty serious about you if he went all out on that creep and stayed with you after the fact, right?” Kasey raised a curious brow at me as we ate. 

Get your shocking hands OFF OF HER! 

That scream, along with that moment constantly visited my dreams over and over again. The feral look in his eyes when he fought Chameleon as Spider-Man and then the shift to the gentle and caring gaze of Miguel O’Hara on the rooftop. . . 

Would him feeling that way towards me really be such a bad thing?

My heart fluttered at the idea as I finished my ramen before I felt a short ping of fear rip through me. 

But what about our dimensions? We come from entirely different worlds. Would it even work?

After an early dinner with my dance friends at the Ramen shop, I went back home to quickly change into my Spider suit and transported myself to the Spider-Society HQ. I made my way through the halls, making my way to the training area. I was hoping to run into Peter B. or any of the others. 

I wasn’t expecting to find Miguel going through a vigorous workout. Judging based off the times we had down workouts together, I had assumed he’d done his work outs early in the mornings every other day. What was he doing here again in the evening?

My curiosity got the better of me as I walked closer towards him. He was lifting a weight at the squat rack, holding a tight grip on the metal beam as he carefully squatted his legs and stood back up, carefully repeating the motions over and over.

“Skipping leg day?” I teased.

When I neared, he huffed a quick smile, “What brings you by this evening?”

His eyes kept focused on a not so particular spot in order to stay in the zone of his workout. I smirked at him. “Do I need a reason to come visit and say hi?”

“Not at all,” He panted, doing another squat. “I wasn’t expecting you to come by tonight. I thought you’d be busy,”

His muscles twitched as he moved and I couldn’t help but stare. I slowly stalked around him, watching his workout regime. “I had an early dinner and time to kill, so I thought I’d swing by,”

I walked in front of him and dropped to the floor, sitting with my legs crossed as I continued to watch him. 

His breathing was hard and heavy as he finished the set, standing up. He glanced down at me and raised a curious brow. “What are you doing down here?”

“You’ve been at that for a while right? I’m spotting you,” I smiled. 

He huffed a deep laughter from his throat as he shook his head. “Alright, I guess I could go for one more,”

Miguel got into position, taking the weight off the rack as it held along his shoulders, his muscles and veins pulsing as his biceps flexed. I watched as he slowly squatted down, bending his knees. I couldn’t take his eyes off of him. I was sweating just from watching him. 

He slowly stood back up, shifting the weight back onto the rack. Once he was free of the metal weight, he exhaled deeply, catching his breath as he wiped the sweat from his forehead. 

“How did I do?” he asked me with a confident smile. 

I gave him a thumbs up. “Perfecto,” 

He chuckled lightly as he stepped away from the rack, offering me a hand and pulled me backup to my feet. “Why thank you,” 

His hand was a little sweaty but I didn’t pay that any mind. 

“Not bad Miguel, that’s a new personal best,” Lyla beamed excitedly as she fizzled next to him, detailing a score board. She gave him an almost knowing smile. “It’s as if you were trying to show off there,” 

“Lyla,” Miguel groaned her name in warning, glaring at her. 

I couldn’t help but chuckle at their interaction. Lyla sure knew how to push Miguel’s buttons, and knew how to get away with it too. 

Miguel grabbed his bag, reaching for a water bottle as he gulped down half of the contents of the bottle. He gasped for air, drying himself off with a towel. “So, what’s going on, Lisa?”

“What do you mean?” I asked him casually as the pair of us slowly walked through the training center. 

“I think I’ve known you long enough to know you want to ask me something,” He half smirked, looking down at me. 

“Nothing gets past you, eh, boss?” I chuckled at him.

He shook his head at the nickname, offering me a gentle nod to go on. 

“I wanted to ask you a personal question,”

“About?” He asked as he walked over to the fountain to refill his bottle. 

“Nothing serious!” I immediately reassured him, raising my hands. “What would you say if I were to ask you to teach me how to fight? Properly ?” 

Miguel moved away from the fountain, casting his gaze at me. “You’re serious?”

“I know with Spider-Man, they tend to fix their fighting with their web slinging most of the time, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to at least learn the basics, right?” I briefly explained my reasoning, giving him a hopeful look in my eyes. 

Miguel placed a hand on his hip as he looked over to the side, thinking things over. “Hmmm,” 

I took a small step closer to him. “If you’re worried about our agreement, I won’t go beating people up, I swear! I just thought it would be something to know and come in handy, you know?”

Like what if more guys like Chameleon come back?

Miguel looks back, seeing the look on my face. He sighed, offering me a gentle nod. “Alright–”

“Yes!” I cheered in celebration. 

“But we do it my way, understand?” He pointed a stern finger at me. 

I nodded eagerly as he motioned for me to follow him back through the training center. “Lyla, push back my other plans,”

“Got it, boss,” Lyla grinned. “You two have fun!” 

Miguel groaned at her snicker as he led me through the workout area and we came upon the section with the equipment that he had previously offered to teach me how to use. The punching bag. I smiled eagerly as I watched him set it up. 

He noticed the glistening look in my eyes as half smiled, “Don’t get too excited,” 

“I'm just happy you’re finally fulfilling your promise,” I grinned with my arms crossed over my chest. 

He couldn’t help but chuckle at my statement, shaking his head. He finished setting up the equipment before motioning for me to come over. “Alright, show me what you got,” 

I stepped closer to the bag and exchanged a look between it and Miguel. “I just hit it?”

“Just hit it,” He repeated, shrugging his broad shoulders. 

“Alright,” I loosened my shoulders, pumping myself up as I got into position. 

I formed my hand into a fist and threw a punch towards the bag, and–!

“Stop right there,” Miguel immediately lifted a hand, signaling me to stop. 

My knuckles had just barely grazed the material of the punching bag. “What’s wrong?”

He pointed over towards my hand as he walked closer towards me. “May I?”

I nodded as he drew near and when he was close enough, he gently took my hand and uncurled my fingers. “Don’t hide your thumb with your fingers. You’ll risk breaking the bone there if you hit too hard,” 

I could feel my heart skip a beat as I watched gently curl my fingers down first, then showed me where to put my thumb. He moved behind me, gently taking my arms and moving them into the proper position. 

“Feet apart, keep your arms raised like that,” His voice was stern, but warm as he spoke near my ear before walking back towards the punching bag, holding it in place. “Now try,” 

I took a moment to compose myself before throwing the punch forward. My fist collided with the bag, making an almost ‘POP’ like noise against the material. It stung at first, but I felt a rush of adrenaline course through me as I mimicked the same thing with my other fist. 

Miguel held a tight grip on the bag, making sure it didn’t move out of place. He grunted in approval, nodding at me. “Good, keep going,” 

I kept punching the bag, following Miguel’s instructions as he walked me through different structures and routines. When I went in for a kick, the bag shook as Miguel shook his head, the force of the hit surprising him. 

“Where have you been hiding that?” He beamed at me. 

“A lot of my dance moves require using my legs,” I shrugged, chuckling. 

“Keep going. I want you to put everything you have into this,” He stated. 

We went on for another few minutes. After every so often, whenever I’d land a good punch or kick to the bag, Miguel’s arm muscles twitched as he kept the bag steady. He’d occasionally give me words of approval and encouragement and I found myself being powered up by his praise. 

I landed one more kick to the bag and it jostled hard enough that the edge of the bag bonked Miguel in the head. He hissed from the impact, letting go of the bag and stepping away. “Dios mio–!” - My god!

I gasped, my hands going up to my mouth as it muffled a quick scream as I went over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder as he sat down on a bench. “Miguel, are you okay?”

He nodded slowly, shaking off the hit and to my surprise, he laughed. “That one genuinely caught me off guard. Not bad, Lisa, not bad at all,” 

I sighed in relief and before I could say anything else, Miguel reached over and placed his free hand over mine that rested on his shoulder, squeezing it tightly. My cheeks faintly blushed a light shade of pink. “Do you need an ice pack?”

“My pride isn’t that badly damaged, Kendrick,” He grinned with a snicker. 

I couldn’t help but laugh with him. He sat up from the bench, his hand still over mine. He seemed to hesitate, wanting to say something. “Lisa, maybe we could–”

Before he could continue or let me encourage him to speak, an alert on his Gizmo went off. He rolled his eyes, not a fan of being interrupted as he let go of my hand and I removed myself from his shoulder. 

“Sorry,” He apologized with a groan.

“No, no, it’s okay,” I reassured him. “It could be important,” 

Miguel offered me a kind nod before lifting his wrist and answering the call. 

“Miguel, we got a situation!” Margo called through his Gimzo’s communication link. 

“What is it, Byte?” Miguel asked her as a holographic image of her appeared, hovering above his Gizmo. 

“We received a distress signal from Princess Petra of Earth-423. Another anomaly appeared in her dimension. Jessica assigned Team 4 to the task, but they’re struggling to contain the anomaly,” 

“Who is it?” He asked, noticing the look of worry on her face. 

“It’s a Venom variant,” She grimaced. 

I heard Miguel curse in his mother tongue as I felt my heart drop to my stomach. I knew Venom was dangerous by himself. But a Venom variant that could be a multitude of things? I was sweating in places that don’t even sweat just thinking about it. 

“Miguel, they’re requesting your help,” Margo spoke urgently. 

Miguel then sighed and took a long deep breath to calm himself down for a moment. If they were asking for Miguel’s help, I knew it had to be a serious matter. 

“Lyla, lock on to their coordinates and get me over there,” Miguel ordered, activating his spider-suit. I watched as the holographic projection took form around his body, hugging his muscles and curves like a glove. 

A portal opened up before us as multiple spider’s moved out of its way. Just as Miguel was walking towards it, I reached out to him. “Miguel, wait!”

“Lisa, what are you–” He turned towards me. 

“Let me come with you and help,” I stated. 

“What? Lisa, I can’t let you,” Miguel’s eyes widened as he completely turned to face me. “You’re still undergoing your training,” 

“But it’s a Venom variant right? Venom hates sound. I could use my voice and music to disarm him and make it easier to take him down,” I explained, placing a hand over my chest. “I swear I won’t get in your way or get involved in the fighting,”

Miguel watched me closely, assessing me. I watched as his fingers curled into a tight fist, quietly murmuring to himself as he growled. He shook his head before looking at me sternly. “You swear to not engage the anomaly?”

“I swear,” I nodded firmly. 

Miguel stared at me briefly before nodding his head. “Okay, but stay close,” 

Chapter Text

I gave Miguel a reassuring and confident smile before slipping my mask on over my head. The two of us ran through the portal and we found ourselves in a dark forest. There were skid marks and broken barks and trees all around us. 

There was a loud eardrum shattering cry, triggering my spider-sense as I searched frantically for the source of the noise. That was until a giant black paw came swinging towards us within a matter of seconds. 

“Miguel, watch out!” I ran and shoved us out of the way of the incoming paw. We crashed to the ground and I felt Miguel reach and grab me, yanking me closer to him as the paw racked across the dirt towards us. 

“Guys!!” Penni Parker swooped in, wearing her giant Spider-MEKA suit as she scooped up Miguel and I to safety from getting crushed. “Perfect timing! This thing won’t go down,”

"Penni, you are a life-safer,” Miguel sighed deeply in relief. 

I too shared the same reaction before I looked down from where I hugged Penni’s Spider-MEKA. What I saw was bone chilling. A giant wolf-like variant of Venom was tearing apart the forest, slowly inching its way closer towards a village and a beautiful castle. 

“Petra’s home?” I asked, glancing over at Miguel. 

“Yes,” Miguel nodded as he glanced over at Penni. “Is she here?”

“She was, but we told her to help the guards with the evacuation of her village,” Penni stated as she peered at us through the cockpit of her MEKA.

“That’s good,” Miguel nodded in agreement. “We can’t let this monster get any closer to the village. If he destroys it, he’ll disturb the canon event,” 

“It’s a big guy. We’ll need to put it down first before trying to capture it,” I realized as I took in its massive size.

“Any ideas, boss?” Penni asked Miguel.

Miguel paused for a moment, briefly glancing over at me. “If we can get enough webs around him, Lisa is confident she can enchant it,”

Penni gasped, looking over at me. “You think that will work?”

“Venon doesn’t like sound, right? Then he’s going to love that I got planned for him,” I grinned. “I’ll make sure he takes a nice, long nap,”

“Roger!” She smirked, “Team, you caught that?”

“Got it!” They yelled through the comlink. I recognized Hobie’s voice and when I glanced down again, I found his signature silhouette swinging through the trees, leading Venom in a wild goose chase away from the direction of the village.

“Let’s do it!” Penni powered up her jet pack as she flew the three of us up in the air before tossing Miguel and I forward, giving us some air time to shoot our webs and swing around the variant. 

Hobie kept Venom distracted while Penni, and who I quickly realized was a Spider-Pig, or Spider-Ham according to his ID tag on the communication link, hovered at his side, latching on to him with their webbing as Miguel and I trailed closely behind him. 

“RAAHHH! NEVER CATCH ME!” The Venom variant barked as it snapped its teeth at the group. 

Miguel fired a web, making the variant trip on its paw and tumble to the ground. “Maldita sea , I hate fighting these Venom variants. They always make things harder than they need to be,” - Damn it

The team worked together to web the Venom wolf down. They webbed his paws and then covered his back with web fluid to press him down. Hobie grabbed on to a large tree branch, surveying the trap before he waved over at me. 

“Okay, Spider-Muse, you’re up!” He yelled. 

“ Spider-Muse ?” I repeated. 

Is he referring to me? 

“We can’t use your real name while out on a mission, can we? Spider-Muse? Siren-Spider? Spider-Siren?”

I temporarily shook off the name change before I carefully swung and used my webs to create a little platform that connected everyone’s webs attached to the large variant as the wolf struggled to break free. “We’ll discuss that later, Hobie– Here it goes,”

I pressed play on my music player before placing my palms on the platform and began to sing, as all the webs began to glow a golden hue. “ Ah, ah, aaaah ! Ah, aaah, aaaah, aaaaaah~ ” 

I wasn’t sure what else to try and do, so my mind immediately went to Ariel’s melody from The Little Mermaid. Nothing too flashy, just get it done and over with. I continued to sing it, and after every finishing note I went up an octave and repeated the enchantment.

Miguel let out a small exclamation as he watched all of the webs start to glow. It felt like something out of a fantasy book he read as a kid. He watched with an almost bewildered expression as Venom roared, trying to fight and squirm his way free from the sound of my voice.

For a brief moment, his eyes flickered the same golden hue. The eye patches of his mask flared up as Miguel listened to my voice, briefly looking back up at me and a swell of pride coursed through him along with a flutter of his heart. This was a different feeling from before. Different from how he felt after their sparring match. 

Am I attracted to this? Miguel thought to himself. 

"I think we're making great progress! Keep it up!” he shouted, shaking off the aroused senses as he focused on the mission.  

I focused on Miguel’s words of encouragement as I continued to sing my melody, putting more power into putting this monster to sleep, but this variant wasn’t going down without a fight. I could see it growing tired, but his body still thrashed about as the area around me began to rumble, tree branches breaking apart as the webs  began to shake violently.

“No, no, no!” I hissed.

I continued to try and sing as the wolf became more drowsy and it reached a paw forward. However in the direction it was leaning, some of the webs broke off and his paw broke free. My platform began to falter, the webs falling apart. “ Ah, ah, aaaah — AH!”

I tried to jump and swing out of the way, but the platform faltered way too quickly and I found myself falling through the webs. 

“No, no, get out of there!” Miguel yelled as he ran over towards me as fast as he could. He shoots a red laser web sling from his wrist and soars towards me, reaching his hand out. “Grab on to me!”

I look over in that split second to see Miguel jump for me. I knew he was quick, but I think this is the fastest I’ve seen him react. With a yelp, “Agh!” I reach for him and grab his arm.

As soon as my hand made contact with his arm, he yanked me into him, wrapping his arms around me as he fired one more web to swing us to safety and slow down our descent to the ground as our bodies tumbled in the dirt. He used his body to shield me as best as he could, his back smashing the bark of a tree before we both came to a complete stop. 

We collided in what looked like a mixture of mud and moss, but that was the least of our concerns. I heard a crunch at my side. Something fragile breaking. 

Miguel then let out a soft, worried gasp as he pulled back, looking me over, “Are you alright?”

“That’s gonna bruise for sure, but I’m okay,” I grumbled as I slowly sat up. I patted my sides, making sure nothing was broken before my hands felt something crushed in my holster and I froze, my eyes widened. “Oh no!”

“What is it?” He asked with a ping of concern. 

I pulled out my now smashed music player, tears welling in my eyes. “No, no, without my music my voice and webs won’t be powerful enough to put Venom to sleep. He’s still too big and powerful,”

Miguel sulked a little seeing the pained look on my face, but it quickly bubbled into frustration when Venom roared again, steering their attention towards him as the wolf continued to fight against its webbing shackles. 

"We might have to just knock him out the old fashioned way," Miguel spoke in a more stern and serious tone. 

I watched as he began to stand. He brandished his claws, the eyes of his mask narrowing at the variant. A ping of fear pierced through me as I reached for him, “Miguel, wait!” I caught his wrist, my voice almost pleading. “It’s too dangerous, even with your claws and your strength, it won’t be enough by yourself,”

Miguel caught my gaze through his mask and he swore he felt his heart pulse with pain and guilt at the sight of me. Hobie swung past us, trying to patch up the escaped paw with more webs, but another one broke free and smacked him. 

“Bollocks!” He yelled as he tumbled to the ground, dropping his guitar.

As his guitar tumbled, some of the chords struck an off key note. Just faintly, out of the corner of my eye, I could see my dangling webs briefly flicker their golden hue again. My eyes widened at the sight as I gasped faintly.  

Desperately trying to search for the words as I snapped my fingers over at Hobie. “Wait a minute, Hobie, your guitar!”

"His guitar?" Miguel asked with a bit of a confused expression as he then looked at me before exchanging a glance at Hobie. "How can his guitar help us?"

“Wait a minute! Wait a goddamn minute, Musey, you’re on to something!” Hobie’s eyes widened under his mask as he clambered up to his feet, grabbing the guitar from the ground. “What sound do you want?”

“Something pop-rock, and loud enough to keep him distracted!” I called out to him as I pulled myself up to my feet.

I could feel Miguel’s gaze on me as he watched me closely, his hands hovering near my body in the event I asked for assistance. “Lisa, what are you doing?”

“You got it, girlie!” Hobie grinned as he began playing his guitar. 

The cords echoed through the forest, ringing in my ears. Venom snarled, his crying revealing his distaste for the sound as he tried to crawl back, but the webs on his back held firm. 

“I’ll help too!” Penni cheered as she set up some speakers on her MEKA, as they played along a beat from a drum pedal.

“Wait, I’m confused, what is happening?” Miguel stuttered as he looked around the battlefield, completely dumbfounded as to what he was witnessing and hearing. 

“Miguel,” I took his hand again, being mindful of his talons, I regained his attention. “I’m asking you to trust me,” 

We both shared a long glance through our masks, and then slowly, I could feel Miguel’s hand squeeze mine tightly as he sheathed his claws. “I trust you,”

“Keep Venom distracted, reinforce the webs! I have to try the enchantment again, but with something else this time,” I nodded firmly. 

“You got it,” Miguel nodded in agreement before he swung off to join the others. 

I closed my eyes, focusing on the beat that Penni provided. I tapped my foot to sync up with the beat, psyching myself up with some dance moves to Hobie’s cords before the drums kicked in. As the melody went full throttle, I channeled the web fluid in my wrists and slammed my hands onto the ground. 

A wave of web fluid coursed across the ground and splattered onto the variant. The Venom wolf howled in retaliation, trying to fight off the webbing. Miguel and the others soared in, firing their own webs to hold him down. 

"Now sing again, we have to knock it out cold for this to work" Miguel yells over the music, yanking the web over his shoulder. 

The music continued to play as I danced along to the beat, my feet gliding along the webs fluid as if I were skating as I created another webbed platform. I shot Miguel a wink as the song began to play. “Once the chorus kicks up, everyone attacks on my signal!”

“Lisa, use this!” Spider-Ham used his cartoon physics ability to whip out a microphone as he tossed it in my direction.

“Thanks Ham,” I smiled as I caught it. I held the microphone to my mouth as I began to enchant the variant. 

[Lyrics are rough english translation of Backlight by Ado]

“My memories so good and awful, it seems they gave me a grudge.

But I have left bitterness and resentment behind me,

And it is all thanks to him~”

I focused on my movements, putting all of my hard work and practice these last few days into overdrive. I locked eyes with Venom, keeping my gaze solely on him as I put in as much power into my voice as I could, the golden hue of my webs slowly returning. I could feel Miguel’s stare again as he watched in pure astonishment as I danced along to the beat. 

“Look, it’s the clowns who think they know,

How crushing loneliness can be,

You know nothing ‘till you come with me~”

I snapped my fingers, “NOW!” And then slammed my foot onto the ground, sending another wave of web fluid for the wolf.

“C’mon everyone, ¡Vamos! ” Miguel yelled in a very motivated and enthusiastic tone of confidence while he and the others fought off the Venom variant that was trying to break free from its webbing. - Let’s go!! 

“ And run wild~ ”

I watched as everyone worked together to web up the variant as much as they could, offering them all a proud smile. The more I sang, the more webs connected with one another as the golden hue glow stretched farther and farther up Venom’s body.

“Release your rage,

Let the winds of wrath blow them away,

Not gonna live with compliance-iance-iance,

I’m not playing the victim, no more~”

I watched as the wolf variant struggled, the sticky webs tightening around its body as his eyes began to droop, tiredly, its voice howling from the pain that coursed through its body from the music. 

"Now that's the good stuff, keep it going!" Miguel yells once more, a hint of a smirk curling on his lips.

“Time to rage!

Let’s punish them all,

For their love, I’m done trying to trust,

Not gonna live with compliance-iance-iance,

Gonna play with fire, backlit—”

I leaned backwards as I channeled what power I had left remaining in the high note as the glow of the webs intensified.

“By the flaaaames!~”

The Venom wolf’s eyes flickered between its pale ghost white glow and my enchanted gold until the yellow hue took over it completely. The rest of the team pulled on the webs, holding Venom down with all of their strength as Miguel looked up at me.

“Now’s your chance!”

“*Ah, ah, aaaah, ah, ah, aaaah, aaaaaahhhh!~” 

I sang one more melody before the webs pulsed and a loud groan erupted from the wolf before it fell unconscious completely, toppling to the ground as the earth shook briefly.

“You did it!” Penni cheered as the rest of the team celebrated their victory. 

Miguel clenched his fists together, cheering silently as he looked over towards me. “That plan actually worked. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but–” 

His sentence was stopped short when I blanked out from my enchantment. I breathed heavily as the song came to an end on Hobie’s guitar and once I realized it was over, I collapsed onto my webbed platform, the enchantment taking its toll.

“Lisa!” 

Miguel called out to me with a tinge of worry in his voice. He fired a web sling, the red laser webs vaulting him up to my platform. He knelt beside me, his mask dematerializing as Miguel then scooped me up into his arms. 

“What happened, are you okay?” he asked. 

“I’m okay,” I took large, deep breaths to gather myself. I felt a bit light headed as I looked over his worried gaze. I chuckled faintly, smiling. “That’s definitely the biggest enchantment— I’ve ever done so far,” I panted softly.

“So far?” He raised a brow at me. 

“Who knows? There could be other Venom variants you’ll need me for,” I panted a faint giggle from my mouth, my throat feeling dry. 

Miguel breathed a heavy sigh of relief before chuckling softly. “I really am proud of you. You've come such a long way in your power, Lisa,"

“Thank you, Miguel,” I smiled up at him. “That means a lot, coming from. . . you. . .”

“Lisa?” Miguel spoke my name softly, looking puzzled. 

I lifted my hand briefly, looking over to see the mosh that had stained my suit, feeling a very irritating and itchy sensation coming from that spot. I glanced down at myself, realizing that there was more of it along my sides and legs. And when I looked back up at Miguel, I realized some of the mosh was on his suit too. 

“Miguel–!” 

But I couldn’t get the words out. 

Miguel’s expression turned pale as he called out my name, though from my end it was muffled with a distant ringing in my ears. He watched as my eyes rolled in the back of my head and as he called my name again, I passed out from exhaustion.

Chapter Text

I slowly began to stir. My back was against a cool hard surface as the lower half of my body felt warm, almost as if I were floating. I no longer felt that itching sensation on my arm, or the mind splitting headache that shortly followed after before I remembered passing out. Where was I?

My vision started to clear as I grudgingly opened my eyes. I noticed a lot more of my skin was in view and the second my pupils trailed down to the scars on my stomach, I felt as if I had been pumped with a shot of adrenaline. I gasped loudly, panic coursing through me as the water within the tub slosh and splashed around me.

I was sitting naked in a bathtub within probably the fanciest bathroom I’ve ever been in. There was marble flooring, gold embroidered the furniture and just behind me was a large window that would have overlooked a scenic view if not for the lush curtains pulled closed. I glanced around the room, noticing a bathrobe and some towels set aside on a chair, but I didn’t see my spider-suit. Where was my suit?

Panic continued to course through me as my arms subconsciously wrapped around my stomach, trying to hide the scars. How did I get here? Who brought me here? Where was Miguel and the others? Where is my suit?! 

There was a knock on the door as I jumped, looking over at the large ivory door. An older woman stepped inside, wearing a clean and cut maid outfit. She was bringing in another set of warm towels when her gaze locked on with mine and her eyes widened, a faint blush on her cheeks. 

“Oh thank goodness, you’re finally awake!” 

I looked at her with an almost dumbfounded expression as she quickly set the towels aside and pranced closer towards me. She knelt beside the tub, looking me over. 

“How are you feeling, Miss?”

“I’m feeling okay,” I answered slowly as she gently took my left arm and pulled it out from the water. “What are you–?”

“Oh good, the rash has gone down,” She sighed in relief. “That must mean the tonic worked against the mosh,”

“Mosh?” I repeated. 

Then it hit me. Before I blacked out, I remembered finding mosh covering my arms and the sides of my body. They must have shown up there from when Miguel shielded me when he bashed into that tree. Wait a minute, Miguel had some of the mosh on his suit too! 

Was he in the same situation as me? Did he pass out too? But what about the others? Where were the rest of our team, our friends?

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” I asked her as I pulled my arm back closer towards me. “What is even going on here?”

“Oh my, yes, how rude of me,” The maid gasped softly as she stepped away from me before bowing her head. “I’m Isabella, personal maid for her highness Princess Petra,” 

“Princess Petra?” I repeated before the light bulb went off in my head.

That’s right. We were protecting her village from the Venom variant. Were the others able to send it back to HQ after I passed out? Come to think of it, how long have I been gone for? 

“Yes, she and the royal guard found you, Lord O’Hara and the rest of his warriors after you had defeated the monstrous beast. Lord O’Hara wanted to bring you back to his kingdom to be treated, but Petra insisted we had the better means of treatment here, and so she brought you all back to the castle,” the maid explained. 

I’m sorry, did she say Lord O’Hara? Did I die and end up in a Spider-Man x Bridgerton dimension that nobody knew about? 

I slowly nodded to Isabella in a silent thank you for treating me. “Where is Lord O’Hara now? Are he and the others alright?”

“Lord O’Hara experienced a minor reaction to the mosh, nothing as severe as your own. He recovered easily,” Isabella reassured me as she fluffed out the towels and the bathrobe. “As for the rest of your friends, they are all well,” 

“That’s good,” I sighed in relief, leaning back against the tub. 

“Do you need a few moments to collect yourself before I help you dry off?” Isabella offered.

“Oh, um–” My cheeks flushed at the idea of someone helping me dry off, but I felt like no matter what I’d say, she’d insist on helping me, so I smiled gently. “No, I think I’m done here. I shouldn’t keep her highness and his lordship waiting,” 

Lord O’Hara . . . Oh, I absolutely wasn’t going to let that go. I could picture me bowing before him as he walks through a door, announcing his arrival and the absolutely feral look of embarrassment he’d give me would be both hilarious and terrifying at the same time. Lyla would totally record it for black mail purposes. 

“Very well then,” Isabella nodded with a happy smile. 

Isabella pulled the cork out of the tub as the water began to drain. She carefully helped me out of the tub, warning me that my legs might still feel a little bit like jelly as the side effects of the mosh were healed from my system. My calves feel sore, but I was thankfully able to stand on my own two feet just fine. 

Isabella handed me a towel before walking over towards a giant velvet string that dangled from the ceiling. She pulled on it and it triggered a bell chime. There was a knock on the door as Isabella opened it gently, but not all the way to reveal myself. I could just make out the presence of another maid standing at the opposite end of the door. 

“Inform Princess Petra and Lord O’Hara that Lady Lisa is awake now. I’ll have her ready in a few minutes,” Isabella relayed the order. 

I nearly choked on my own spit when I heard the title utter from her lips. Lady Lisa? Is everyone here given some sort of title regardless if they were from another dimension ?

The other maid nodded. “Yes ma’am. The Queen has provided food and refreshments for them in the lounge,” 

“Very good,” Isabella responded before shutting the door. 

////////

Isabella helped me dry off with the towels, reaching into a basket and passing me my dried undergarments before slipping the bathrobe on me. She reassured me that my spider-suit was almost ready, and was being cleaned and pressed by the royal tailors. Once I was ready, she led me through the halls of the palace to reunite with the others. 

Isabella had explained that that part of the forest had been deemed off limits due to the growth of the mosh spawning, and considering the side effects it inflicted if you got into contact with it, I could understand why the people wouldn’t want to go near it.

I made sure the sash was tied and secured around my waist, making sure everything else was properly covered. My feet felt cold walking barefoot along the polished floors of the palace halls as we made our way down a flight of stairs before passing through another door where we entered the lounge. 

Plush red velvet furniture decorated the room with a large fireplace and bookshelves as far as the eye could see. A large table was at the center of the room with a tea set and snack trays filled to the brim with various appetizers and scrumptious snacks. As we entered, all eyes turned towards us as my gaze fell upon my friends, smiling in relief to know they were alright. 

“Lisa!” Penni beamed at me after munching on a cookie. “You’re awake!”

“Lisa,” The familiar voice caught my ear as I watched Miguel sit up from one of the velvet chairs that faced the fireplace. He turned, his gaze locking on to me, and when he realized I was actually here, he strided towards me with such haste as if I’d disappear before his eyes. “Are you alright?”

I nodded softly as Miguel delicately rested his large hands on my arms. “I’m okay, what about you? I know I got the worst of it, but you were infected too. Not to mention that nasty hit to your back,”

I looked at him with a worried expression as his hands trailed up to my shoulders, squeezing them gently. “Other than a slight headache, I’m alright. Nothing that serious,” 

I smiled softly at him, his answer easing my worries ever so slightly. 

“We’re okay, too, thanks for asking,” Hobie teased with a knowing smirk as his head popped up from the corner. 

Miguel rolled his eyes at his statement as I chuckled softly, squeezing Miguel’s hand as I stepped to the side to see Hobie and the rest of the team. “Come on, Hobie, you’d think I’d leave you guys hanging?”

“Not fair that the boss gets all your attention, right, Lord O’Hara?” Hobie’s smirk grew from ear to ear as he stared down Miguel who looked like his head was seething like a tea kettle. 

“Hobie,” His voice growled in a low warning. 

I squeezed Miguel’s hand again, gently pulling him along. “That’s not going to help with your headache, now is it?”

Miguel was caught off guard by the gesture, his eye and face softening as he glanced over at me. A faint mutter escaped him as I pulled him along back towards the snack table, inviting him to sit with me along the plush pillows that hugged the floor with Penni and Ham. 

It was only then did I notice the other figure that sat in the other velvet chair. She was a tanned skinned teenage girl with a white tiara on her head, her brown hair pulled back in a bun and wore a beautiful spider silk white dress. She beamed in relief, her smile filling the room with warmth that matched the intensity of the flames in the fireplace. 

“Oh, I’m so relieved you are alright,” She sighed in relief, “I was concerned we didn’t make it in time,” 

“ Lady Lisa,” Miguel smirked softly at me before bowing his head over to the young girl. “Princess Petra, the Spider-Woman of Earth-423,” 

My eyes lit up at the realization. I gasped softly, “Princess!” I bowed my head in respect. “Thank you for your hospitality!” 

“Oh, no, no, please! The pleasure is all mine,” Petra waved her hands profusely at me as she joined us all at the snack table. 

Miguel gently placed a hand at my back, signaling me it was okay to look back up. “You’ve been out for a while, try and eat something,” He handed me a cute little cucumber sandwich and I held it delicately in my fingers as I munched on it. 

“Besides, this is all the least I could do after you all saved my dimension,” Petra smiled before looking over at Miguel. “Once again, I am in your debt to you and your Spider Society, Lord O’Hara,” 

Miguel offered Petra a kind smile, “It’s no trouble at all, your highness,” 

“Yeah, that’s what friends are for,” Penni’s eyes sparkled as she grabbed another cookie. 

“Sorry, do animals talk in this dimension?” Spider-Ham whispered loudly. “I don’t want to freak her out and get sent to the dungeon,” 

Petra gasped at Ham, her eyes twinkling with excitement. “Oh my, a talking pig? What dimension are you from?”

The pair engaged in a lively conversation whilst drinking some tea. Penni offered Hobie a cupcake as they ate some sweets together, leaving Miguel and I in our own little corner of the table. I continued to munch on my sandwich as Miguel poured us some tea. It had a lovely aroma as I brought the cup closer to me, setting the remainder of my sandwich aside on a small plate. 

“So,” I took the cup in my hands carefully before nudging his arm with my elbow. “ Lord O’Hara?”

Miguel caught my cheeky grin and shook his head, trying not to laugh. “It’s a thing here,” 

“Oh, I’ve been made aware of that,” I grinned. “When did this start happening?”

“I first recruited Petra to the Society a couple months ago after a variant appeared in her dimension shortly after she got her powers,” Miguel explained as he took a sip of his tea. “Despite my protests and not wanting to interfere with the canon here, I was given a title in exchange for allowing her a place in the Society,” 

“You just couldn’t say no could you?” I smiled with a knowing look in my eyes. 

“I gotta hand it to the kid,” he shook his head with a defeated sigh, though there wasn’t a hint of actual hurt in his statement. “She is very persuasive,” 

“So you just roll with it?” I raised a brow at the man. 

“Whenever I’m sent here, yes, Lady Lisa,” He smirked over at me. “Now get your strength back up. We won’t be staying long,” 

I drank some of my tea, letting the drink warm up my insides before glancing over at him. “Did you guys manage to get the Venom variant back to HQ?”

“I asked Jessica to send a clean up crew and take it in for us while we brought you here,” Miguel nodded. “Your enchantment worked like a charm , my Mona Lisa,” 

“Are you sure you’re not secretly another Peter Parker in disguise?” I chuckled softly. “I thought you didn’t have that type of sense of humor?”

“Well then you’ve underestimated me,” His eyes seemed to glisten at my reaction as he snagged an oatmeal cookie, taking a bite out of it. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Lady Lisa,” 

I thought about his statement for a moment, hiding my face behind the tea cup as I took another sip before responding, “Well, if you’re willing, may I learn more about you, Lord O’Hara?”

“What? Couldn't you take any more notes from your comic collection?” He snickered before taking another bite of his cookie. 

I could feel my cheeks beginning to flush as I mustered the courage to speak again, “I’d actually like to hear it from you, Miguel,”

That seemed to get his attention as he looked over my way, his gaze meeting mine. He noticed the blush on my face and I could see his eyes soften, the side of his mouth forming a small half smile. “Really?”

I nodded softly, my lips forming a small smile. “Yeah, I mean, only if you want to?”

I could see the gears turning in his mind as Miguel glanced over to the side, his fingers fiddling with the remnants of his cookie. He chuckled, his chest puffing as he laughed before his gaze returned to mine. “Not to be frank with you, but I’m almost certain you’re asking to get to know me better?”

I shrugged my shoulders, the blush on my face darkening ever so slightly. “Perhaps?” 

He leaned on his side, his face inching closer, “Dare I assume you’re asking me out?” 

My entire face turned red. Alarm bells were going off in my brain as I stuttered, trying to form the words but they wouldn’t come out. The butterflies returned to my stomach, sending me in a spiral to the point where I felt like I couldn’t drink my tea anymore. 

“Oh–Um, I–” 

Yes! 

“Yes, Lisa?” Miguel gently called out to me, almost encouraging me to continue. 

“Um, well–” I fiddled with my hands nervously

“Is that something you want?” He asked me. 

YES! 

“. . . Is it something you want?” I asked while my head hunched lower into my shoulders as if to hide myself. 

“Well, I am technically your boss. People will talk. Is that something you’re comfortable with?” Miguel asked me, his face itching just a tad closer. 

YES HOLY CHEESE AND CRACKERS YES! 

Before I could get my answer out, there was a knock at the door as Isabella entered the room, holding a basket containing my freshly cleaned and repaired suit. “Apologies for the interruption, but Lady Lisa’s suit is ready,” 

“Oh, thank you, Isabella!” Petra smiled happily as the maid traveled further into the room. 

Miguel and I exchanged glances with one another, the blush still evident on my face as he offered me his hand. “We can talk more later. ¿Está eso bien? ” - Is that alright?

I nodded slowly, the blush calming down and dispersing from my cheeks. “Yes,” 

I took Miguel’s hand in mine as he carefully helped me up from the floor. Isabella neared, motioning me to a side room. “You can change in here,”

She handed me the basket, as I looked back at the group. “I’ll just be a minute,” 

“Oh, Lord O’Hara, while you are still here, the Captain wanted to ask you some questions about the attack to go over possible defensive maneuvers should the fiend or anything similar make an appearance?” Isabella bowed slightly towards Miguel. 

“Oh, in that case, I shall accompany you,” Petra smiled. 

Miguel thought it over for a moment before looking over towards the team. “You guys go ahead, report your findings to Jessica. I’ll wait for Lisa,” 

“Got it!” Penni and Ham saluted Miguel. 

Meanwhile, Hobie glanced between the two of us, offering a knowing smirk as he winked, activating a portal behind him. “Let’s roll gang,” 

The three of them traveled through the portal as I stepped inside the side room, shutting the door behind me. It only took me mere seconds to sliver off the robe and slip the spider-suit on. The suit felt good as new, better even. 

It also took mere seconds for my Spider-sense to kick in. The buzzing rang through my brain as my body froze. What’s happening? Something doesn’t feel right. I had a gut feeling in my stomach that I had to move, now . 

I heard a male scream, followed by a grunt. Miguel! 

Slipping my mask on, I pulled the door open before I was blown back by this magical blast. I scrambled to my feet, using a web sling to pull me back inside the lounge. I was horrified with what I saw on the other side. 

Isabella had transformed into this demon bat like creature, shattering the giant steel glass window behind her in the process. Petra had morphed her dress into her spider-suit, battle stance ready. But dangling unconscious in Isabella’s talons was Miguel. 

“Miguel–!” I yelled, reaching a hand out for him. 

“Not another step, Lady Lisa!” Isabella threatened me with a booming voice that made my bones shake. 

I glanced down at the floor and gasped in horror. Miguel’s gizmo was ripped off and broken! Shattered, broken into pieces. If it wasn’t repaired or replaced soon, he could start glitching, and if he started glitching–! 

“Isabella, what are you doing? Lord O’Hara is our friend!” Petra stated with a scared yelp. 

“Lord O’Hara is an outsider that you allowed to venture freely into our home,” Isabella growled. “We don’t have any more room for his kind. One Spider-Freak is enough to deal with,” 

“Put him down!” I ordered, threatening to shoot a web at her. 

“Don’t you even think about it, Lady Lisa,” Isabella snarled, her talons tightening the grip around Miguel’s body. 

I flinched, taking a step back. She grinned at the sight. 

“If you truly care for him as much as I have gathered, then I will give you a chance to save your precious Lord ,” Isabella bargained. 

I growled, my fingers curling into fists. “I’ll do anything, just please don’t hurt him anymore!”

“Just beyond the outskirts of the kingdom lies my domain. A cave guarded by a stone golem. If you can get past him and free Lord O’Hara from my curse, you’re both free to go home,” Isabella explained the terms of her bargain with a cheeky smile. 

Isabella turned and flew towards the window, flying through it. I raced for the opening, reaching a hand out. “Wait! What’s the curse?”

I watched as the pair began a distant memory as their bodies drew further and further away from the castle. I looked back at Petra, wondering why she had been oddly silent when Isabella was explaining her deal. Her head hung low, fists balled at her side. 

“Your highness?” I called out softly. 

“I know what her curse is,” Petra sighed, meeting my gaze. “Something that became my weakness in exchange for keeping my powers, and something I quickly learned that is hard to come by for my fellow Spiders,” 

“Which is?” I asked, my body beginning to tense as she walked closer towards me. 

She placed steady hands on my shoulders, squeezing them tightly. “An act of true love,” 

My eyes widened at the declaration, my entire body going cold. “You mean–?” My lips trembled as I struggled for the term. 

Petra nodded her head. “Yes,” she sighed, meeting my gaze again. “True love’s kiss,”

Chapter Text

“Lisa, what happened?” Lyla’s virtual form fizzled before me as she searched the room frantically. “I lost Miguel’s signal, what’s going on?”

I pointed at the destroyed glass window and she turned, her jaw dropping. “Oh, shock ,” 

“You could say that again,” I groaned. 

“Oh shock ,” Lyla repeated, shaking her head before she turned back to face me. 

“It gets worse,” I grimaced. 

I picked up Miguel’s broken gizmo from the floor and showed it to her. Lyla’s hands reached up to her mouth as she gasped, zipping over to hover over my hand as she analyzed the damage. “Oh, no, oh this is really bad,” 

“Can it be repaired?” Petra asked with concern. 

“Unfortunately it’s beyond repair,” Lyla sighed before looking up at me. “I heard Miguel scream before I lost his signal. Lisa, what did this?”

“One of Petra’s maids turned into a bat demon,” I answered, lowering my head. “I didn’t see the initial transformation like Petra did, but she took his body and flew through the window and out into the outskirts of the kingdom,” 

“It was horrible,” Petra shivered, “My spider-sense didn’t detect her treachery. She was my friend, and so was Miguel. . .”

“We’ll bring Miguel back, Petra, that is very much certain,” I stated with a firm nod, my fingers curling into a fist.  “Lyla, this is an emergency situation. Can you call Jessica to come down and help us?”

“Um, about that. . .” Lyla seemed to hesitate, tapping her fingers together nervously. 

“What’s wrong, Lyla?” I asked, a pit of worry growing in my stomach. 

“I’ll still call her, but, unfortunately she can’t come on this mission,” Lyla sighed in disappointment. 

She swerved to the side as Jessica’s caller ID appeared beside her. After a few rings, Jessica answered, her holographic image taking form. She appeared to be sitting down, her baby bump had grown a little since I had last seen her. 

“Lisa, Petra, please tell me you have some good news,” Jessica panted, her forehead riddled with sweat. 

“I’m afraid not, Lady Drew,” Petra shook her head in remorse. 

“What’cha talking about?” Jessica raised a suspicious brow. “Where is Miguel?”

“That’s why Lyla called. Miguel was kidnapped and his Gizmo got busted,” I explained with a worried expression. 

I could see the guilt and frustration build up in Jessica’s eyes as she smacked herself in the head. She cursed under her breath. “Oh, lord have mercy. . .”

“Jessica, easy,” Spider-Doc’s voice came through the speaker as he came to Jessica’s side. “Remember your deep breathing,” 

“Doc, what’s wrong with Jessica?” I asked with worry. 

“I’m afraid she’s not fit for duty at the moment. She’s experiencing minor Braxton-Hicks contractions,” He explained before crying out in pain. 

Jessica had tightened her grip on his hand, appearing to be literally crushing it. “You call this minor ?!”

“In medical terms, yes ,” he gasped as she released him, shaking off the pain. 

“I’d do anything to help you rescue the big guy, you two, but you heard the Doc. I’m unfortunately not going anywhere,” Jessica shook her head. “But I can send Gwen and Pav in my stead. I trust her to help handle things, and I’ll inform Margo whip up a new Gizmo for Miguel,” 

“Thanks, Jessica, that’s more than enough,” I smiled in relief. “Hope you feel better soon,” 

“Tell Lady Gwen and Sir Pav to meet us on the outskirts of the village,” Petra instructed politely. “I believe I may know where our friend is hiding Lord O’Hara,” 

///////

Petra and I arrived at the outskirts of the village, overlooking another part of the forest. The part of it that wasn’t contaminated with mosh. Within moments, a portal opened up as Gwen and Pav emerged from the opposite end. 

“We came as quickly as we could,” Gwen panted, appearing to have been running and out of breath. 

“You’re right on time, Lady Gwen,” Petra reassured the Ghost-Spider with a soft smile. “Lady Lisa and I have just arrived. You must be Pav,” 

“Your highness,” Pav offered Petra a curt smile as he bowed respectfully, his luscious hair dangling. 

“Would we have time for pleasantries, I’d love to get properly acquainted, but time is of the essence,” Petra stated as she pointed inward through the forest. “Beyond some ways away through those trees lies a gorge, and within that gorge is a cave that was once home to a demon summoning cult,” 

“You’re absolutely sure that’s where Isabella took Miguel?” I asked her for clarity. 

She nodded firmly. “I’m very sure. I’ve dealt with monsters in that dwelling before, this will be no different,” 

“Then let’s not waste any more time. We don’t know how long Miguel could have been glitching for,” Gwen responded with urgency. 

“I just hope we can make it to save him in time,” Pav shared the same level of urgency, though his voice was laced with worry. 

“You have the extra Gizmo?” I asked Gwen. 

She reached back into her pocket, showing it off. Pav also reached into his back and handed me an extra music player. I gasped, my eyes widening as I silently thanked Pav for the surprise as I slipped it into my holister for safe keeping. 

“Good. Hang on to it for me until I tell you to pass it along,” I instructed. “Isabella wants me and only me to go through her challenge. Let’s move out,” 

The four of us activated our web shooters as we slinged and swung through the forest like trained acrobats in the late night sky, the full moon shining down on us. Pav swung near me, hovering at my side. I couldn’t help but notice he kept his knees up when he swung. It was actually kind of adorable. 

“So how exactly did this happen?” He asked. 

“Isabella turned into a bat demon, claiming that Spider-Freaks were invading their kingdom and knocked Miguel unconscious and placed a curse on him,” I explained. 

“A curse?!” Pav gasped. 

“Unless Lady Lisa can get past her stone golem and free Lord O’Hara from the curse, he will remain in slumber for eternity,” Petra quickly added. 

“Or if the glitching of his atoms doesn’t kill him first,” Gwen grumbled in despair as she swung ahead of us. 

“What kind of curse?” Pav asked. “How does Isabella expect Lisa to free Mr. O’Hara?”

My cheeks flushed, a ting of embarrassment showing on my face. My memories drifted back to our dinner, at Pav’s realization that I may be developing feelings for Miguel and his reassuring words of encouragement. Did I want to give him the satisfaction and confirm my true feelings on the matter?

“. . . An act of true love,” I answered. 

Pav gasped loudly, his free hand cupping the side of his face. “You mean true love’s kiss?!”

“How did you guess that?” I gawked at the young boy. “An act could be a multitude of things!”

“But that’s the most effective,” I could hear the smirk on his face as he winked at me. “You like Mr. O’Hara! I knew it, I knew it!”

“Let’s focus on the mission, Pav,” Gwen yelled from her position. “Miguel’s life is literally in danger!”

“Right, right, you’re right, Gwen, the mission is important,” Pav collected himself, composing his emotions. 

///////

We arrived at the gorge and quickly found the cave that Petra described. She wasn’t kidding about it previously being overrun by cultist demons. Strange drawings and glyphs written in paint littered the walls as we walked through the entrance of the cave. When we came to the other end, it was an open clearing with a large pit at the bottom that was shaped like an arena. 

Passing the arena, my eyes quickly recognized Miguel’s form as his body had been placed on an old altar, left to slumber on his back. 

“Miguel!” I cried out, my voice filled with relief now that I laid eyes on him. 

The others and I began to race forward but stopped when a large black winged beast flew past us, the wind blowing harshly as we steeled ourselves. Isabella flew upwards, flipping her body so that she clung to a stone spike on the ceiling, her hair dangling in the air. “So you’ve come,”

“You thought we wouldn’t?” I raised a brow at the bat demon. 

“Isabella, you can still stop this. Release Lord O’Hara and we can talk this out in a peaceful manner,” Petra stepped forward trying profusely to reach out to her friend that hopefully lingered still inside the beast. 

“NO!” She roared. Pointing a clawed finger towards me. “The deal was for her to accept my challenge,”

I could feel my body shudder as stones and boulders within the pit began to shake and merge together, forming a big stone golem. The guardian of the cave Isabella had mentioned earlier. So that was the thing I had to get passed in order to get to Miguel? 

“It’s okay, Petra,” I placed a hand on her shoulder. “I don’t think she’ll budge on an alternative,” 

“Are you going to enchant it with your powers?” Gwen asked. 

“Hopefully,” I sighed, loosening my shoulders as I warmed myself up. 

“You can do this, Lady Lisa,” Petra offered me an encouraging nod. “Just sing from the heart,” 

“Show that golem that love conquers all!” Pav cheered. 

I handed Pav the spare music player that Byte made for me. He pressed the play button as the melody began to play. I bobbed my head, getting a feel of the music and the beat it made. “Here it goes,” 

I took a deep breath, taking a moment to compose and steel myself for what was to come. I opened my eyes, firing a web sling as I vaulted myself into the pit below and faced the stone golem. Its red eyes glared at me as it raised a fist and swung towards me. Time to dance! 

[Song: One Kiss by Sofia Carson from Descendants 3]

“Don't freak out, it's okay

'Cause true love can save the day

And I think we feel the same

But I don't know~”

I jumped out of the way of the punch, firing a web to sling myself onto its hand as I began to run up its arm. I fired some web fluid into its orbs and it groaned in frustration, staggering back a step. My footsteps were loud against its rough terrain, able to feel where I was climbing as it swung for me with its other hand. 

“When we met, it was sweet

He was oh so into me

Seems like things are meant to be

But I don't know~”

I front flipped out of the way, channeling some power into kicking it in the face. The golem fell back completely and collapsed to the ground. I saw my chance, jumping off its body as I began to run for the otherside of the pit to reach Miguel, but then the ground shook violently at my feet as I stumbled. 

“Does he love me? Or does he love me not?

Do I love him? And is it strong enough?~”

I turned around to see the golem slam its hands into the ground. Its body made a 180 U-turn with its body, standing itself back up right and faced me completely. I glanced between it and up at Miguel’s unconscious form on the altar. 

“One kiss, one kiss

It all comes down to this

One kiss, one kiss

Ooh~”

I whined a hiss from my lips, quickly shooting another web fluid at its face before making a break towards the opposite end to the pit once more. 

“One kiss, one kiss

This moment could be it

I, I, I wanna know

So here I go~”

I fired two web slings and yanked on the rope, propelling me forward as Pav, Petra, and Gwen watched on in anticipation. “Oh, oh, oh–!”

When it looked like I was going to make the jump, my spider-sense went off as I felt something tightly tug at my legs. I turned around to see the golem reach its hand out and grab me and tossed me back the opposite way, crashing into a boulder. Thank GOD for the enhanced Spidey-strength or I would be a dead Spider-Muse right now. 

Oh GOD, I agreed on Hobie’s Spider name for me didn’t I?

“OH!” The trio winced at the hit. 

“Keep it cool, keep it calm

Think he's loved me all along

But maybe I got it wrong

So I don't know~” 

I pulled myself free from the rubble, desperately shaking off the hit. My eyes widened as the golem threw another boulder at me. I managed to roll and swerve my body away from the incoming projectile. I fired a web at his chest, vaulting forward as I channeled my power and activated my webbed gloves, glowing their golden hue as I struck the golem. 

“He's so good, got my back

But maybe I'm just too bad

Could we be a perfect match?

Now, I don't know~” 

The golem stumbled back as I landed firmly on the ground. I dashed forward, going to try and bust his stone knee-caps and shins. He didn’t take kindly to that as he swung for me. I did my best to swerve and duck around his swings. 

“Does he love me? Or does he love me not?”

Finally he grew tired and decided to straight up squish me with his fist. I raised my arms above my head, crossing them as I channeled more power into my fists as the golden hue intensified. When the fist came down, I grunted, kneeling closer to the ground as I managed to stop him from completely squishing me as my leg muscles screamed for relief. 

“Do I love him? And is it strong enough?
Ooh-ooh-ooh!~”

With a loud grunt I put everything I had into lifting my arms and shoving the golem’s fist away from my form. His stone ridged arm flew back and smacked himself in the face as it recoiled. Taking a few steps back, he composed himself and I began to stalk towards it. 

“One kiss, one kiss

It all comes down to this

One kiss, one kiss

Ooh~”

I could hear Petra and the others cheering me on, offering words of encouragement. I cracked my knuckles, flexing and shaking off my fingers before I charged at the golem as it went in for another punch. I met it half way, firing a web to sling me forward to meet its momentum and channeled my golden punch one more and broke through its hand, tumbling into rubble. 

“One kiss, one kiss

This moment could be it

I, I, I wanna know

So here I go~”

The golem fell forward, landing on its side as I walked past it. Isabella snarled, giving it a command but I paid it little mind. I gaze shifted towards Miguel’s sleeping form on the altar above us and I continued moving forward. 

“Yeah, here I go~” 

Rumbling caught my ear as my spider-sense kicked back up again. I turned back to see rocks flying towards me and I managed to duck down out of the way of the incoming fire. I stood up only to see the rocks flying back pounded into me, and carried me as the rocks around me formed back into the golem’s hand as I was now caught in its grasp. 

“I feel my heartbeat beating saying, "It's gonna work"

But if I'm dream-dream-dreaming, this is gonna hurt,” 

The golem hurled me around like I was a toy and it was a little toddler having the time of his life. He slammed his fist into the ground, knocking me around senselessly, dragging me across the wall. It was painful, not to mention aggravating. Every hit made me think back to all the times I was with Miguel. The good, not so good, and the ugly. 

Either I will or I won't

What if I do and he don't?

Is he my Romeo? Oh~”

When the golem pulled me out of the rubble, I could faintly see out of the corner of my eyes of Gwen, Petra, and Pav wanting to step in and help. But they held back, knowing it would break the deal I had made with Isabella. Even still, my gaze solely fell on Miguel’s form, and I felt my heart flutter. Something snapped in me, encouraging me to keep fighting. 

Even if these feelings don’t fall through for us, Miguel was still my friend. He was still someone I cared for. 

“There's only one, one way to really know~”

I managed to wiggled one of my hands free, slapping my hand onto its wrist. Web fluid leaked out as I sang a quick melody, enchanting it. Its orbs turned yellow as it released me. It stayed in its daze, allowing me to swing and zip through the air, creating dozens of webs around him and smacking them into its body. 

Finally the golem released itself from my trance, its body getting stuck on my webs as I created a little platform for myself along the webs. Once the golem realized he had caught himself into my trap, a wicked grin curled on my lips as I crouched down, slamming the palms of my hands onto my platform.

“Heeeey!~” 

All the interconnected webs of my trap glowed their golden hue and I raised my voice an extra octave, putting more power into my voice. It caused a chain reaction and there was a sudden explosion on the golem’s right side. When the smoke dispersed, it stumbled back and its right arm had shattered into tiny pebbles and dust. 

“NO!” Isabella scowled. 

“One kiss, one kiss
It all comes down to this
One kiss, one kiss
Ooh~”

One by one, small parts of the golem’s body began to explode. The more I sang, the more webs gave off the chain reaction around its body. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Pav shaking Gwen by her shoulders, freaking out as Petra cheered me on. A sense of pride swells through me. 

“One kiss, one kiss

This moment could be it

I, I, I wanna know
So here I go~”

I ran and glided across the webs, chasing after the golem’s crumbling body. When I was close enough, I jumped onto its chest, running up its body. I leapt up from its head as the last of its body exploded. 

“Here I go

Here I go 

Here I go!~”

I fired a web and swung out of the fighting pit and landed safely mere feet away from the altar. I jogged up the steps and inched closer to Miguel’s sleeping form. I looked him over, my hands hovering above him, hesitating to touch him. Until I saw him glitch in front of me. It was awful, due to the curse, he couldn’t scream from the pain, but the way his body morphed and shifted before resetting. . . 

“Gwen!” I shouted, looking back at her. 

Gwen ran ahead, using her webs to sling shot the brand new gizmo towards me as Pav and Petra chased after her. I caught the gizmo in my hand before putting it on Miguel’s wrist, securing it tightly. My eyes trailed his body frantically, taking deep steady breaths to try and keep myself calm. 

“Lyla, is he okay?” I asked nervously. 

Lyla’s AI form appeared before Miguel as she hovered over him. The screen on his gizmo lit up with vital signs and beeps repeatedly. Lyla wiped virtual sweat from her forehead, sighing in relief. “You did it, Lisa! His body is restabilizing from the glitching,” 

“Thank GOD,” I exalted a heavy sigh of relief as I leaned my hands against the side of the altar. 

Lyla stayed silent, making sure everything else was running smoothly on the new Gizmo to finetune them back to Miguel’s preferred specifications. My eyes trailed over his form, up to his face. A felt a shiver course through me, my fingers beginning to tremble. 

“Everything checks out okay,” Lyla spoke up, drifting towards me. “All that’s left to do is wake him up,” 

I took small steps along the altar, walking closer towards Miguel’s face. There were butterflies in my stomach as my heart pounded in my chest, beating so fast I thought it would burst out of my chest. I slowly began to reach a hand out towards him, but stopped, hesitating as I pulled back. 

“What’s wrong, Lisa?” Lyla asked me. 

“What if he wakes up, realizes how I freed him, and he thinks of me differently?” I looked over at the AI with worry. 

“Like in a bad way?” Lyla tilted her head to the side. 

I slowly nodded my head. 

Lyla gave me a soft smile. “Lisa, trust me when I tell you, Miguel can come off as a bit closed off. But behind the scenes? He likes you, Lisa. A lot more than he’s willing to tell, even to me,” 

“You really think so?” My eyes widened a bit at her proclamation. 

“I’ve seen the way you look at him,” she grinned. “—and I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” 

A blush formed on my cheeks. I glanced down towards Miguel’s face. To his lips. 

“Tell you what; I’ll leave the call to you on how you want to explain this to him. You can be fully honest about your feelings or play it safe,” Lyla explained as she hovered down and patted my head. “Your secret is safe with me, girlie,” 

“Thank you, Lyla,” I smiled. 

Lyla fizzled away to give me some privacy. I managed a deep breath to compose myself, steadying my nerves. I reached my hand out, gently caressing Miguel’s face, my thumb brushing against his cheek. 

“Please, please, let this work,” I uttered a small prayer. 

Closing my eyes, I leaned and pressed a gentle kiss to Miguel’s lips. 

It was a small, little peck, not meaning to overstay my advance, as this felt like a strange invasion of privacy even if it was saving him. But his puffed lips were soft, the complete opposite of his demeanor. I pulled back softly, watching him closely. 

There was a gentle pulse of a magical aura coursing through him and then his arm shifted. A groan escaped him as he opened his eyes. He slowly sat up, lifting a hand to his head. 

“Dios mío, mi cabeza . . .” He grumbled under his breath. - My god, my head.  

My eyes widened at the sight as I took a step back in disbelief. I could hear Pav and the others cheering in the background, but I was so focused on Miguel that I had tuned them out. I was so happy and relieved that a small cry escaped me. I placed a hand over my heart, monitoring my heart beat as it pulsed quickly. 

“You’re awake!” 

“Lisa?” Miguel mumbles as his eyes adjust to his new surroundings. His gaze fixed on me and his eyes went wide. “Lisa!”

He tried to move and stand from the altar, but he growled, instantly reaching for his side. The growl sounded like something from a feral animal as he hissed from the pain. I came to his side, carefully placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“Go slow, Lyla said you had been glitching for a minute there while you were under,” I explained, slowly helping him stand to his feet 

“What happened? I remembered the meeting in the lounge back at the castle. There was this light and then–,” Miguel hissed as he shook his head, the memory alluding him. “- nothing,” 

“Isabella, Petra’s maid, was a demon in disguise. She put a curse on you and brought you here,” I recalled the events as I glanced down to see the bad demon at the bottom of the pit, weeping over her crumbled golem. 

“What kind of curse?” He asked, looking down into my eyes. 

I could feel my cheeks warming up at the question. I thought back to what Lyla said, the butterflies in my stomach returning as my fingers fiddled nervously along his shoulder. “Well–”

“YOU WENCH!” Isabella suddenly screamed. 

Her form jumped from the pit and she shook the ground at our feet as she landed before us. I immediately stepped in front of Miguel, raising my arms in a protective manner. “I completed your challenge. The bargain was made,” 

“No, my bargain was for you to get passed my golem, not destroy it !” She roared. 

“It didn’t exactly let me go easy,” I grumbled, narrowing my eyes at the demon. 

“You don’t deserve it, no one deserves true love!” She screamed. 

She reached into her back, pulling out a large sword and rose it in the air in a threatening manner. I gasped loudly, eyes wide as my legs suddenly froze, not wanting to move as she swung the sword down towards me. 

“Miguel, RUN–!” I screamed until I saw a tall figure move by me. 

It happened in slow motion. I watched as Miguel stood in front of me, raising his hands as he summoned his talons and caught the blade of the sword in his hands. My knees buckled at the impact, listening to him growl under his breath as the pupils of his eyes turned from his soft brown to feral red. With a heavy snarl, I watched as his talons sliced through the metal of the blade, tearing it to shreds. 

The metal pieces cluttered to the floor, Miguel’s chest rising and falling as he breathed heavily, staring Isabella down like a predator intimidating his prey. Isabella let out a cry, and before she could make another move, webs shot out from behind her as Gwen, Petra, and Pav yanked her away from the two of us. 

Isabella struggled in the webbing as Miguel began to stalk towards her. He stared down at her with cold, menacing eyes. “Anyone who dares lay a hand on my Lady, will answer to me,” 

My heart skipped a beat, my blush darkening. 

Miguel rose his head, seeing Petra’s smile as he shot her a wink. He turned back to return to my side as Petra and the others webbed the demon in a cocoon. 

“Now we’re even,” he grinned. 

“Yeah, I suppose so,” I nodded slowly, the blush still evident on my face. 

He offered me his hand, “Shall we return home, Lady Lisa?”

I smiled at him as I took his hand in mine, squeezing it tightly. “Yes, Lord O’Hara,”

Chapter Text

The team and I escorted Miguel back to Spider-Society HQ. Lyla had called ahead, Spider-Doc waited for us on the other end of the portal. Despite Miguel’s initial protests, he was eventually convinced to go to the medical bay to ensure that his atoms were healing properly. 

“You asked me to look out for myself, so now it’s my turn to return the favor,” I teased him softly. 

He offered me a kind half-smile as Spider-Doc and I brought him to the medical bay. Jessica was still there, she appeared a little more calmer now and in less distress. I set Miguel down in the hospital bed next to her while Spider-Doc began checking his vitals. 

“Glad to see you’re still in one piece, boss,” Jessica offered Miguel a relieved grin. 

Miguel chuckled softly and nodded his head at her. “What are you in for?”

“False contractions,” She sighed, gently rubbing a hand on her swollen belly. “This one is going to be a troublemaker,”

I smiled at the pair as I took a seat on a chair beside Miguel’s bed. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I’m back here,” Miguel sighed softly as he leaned his head back against his pillow. 

“His vital signs are in the green, and his atoms are healing at a nice pace. He’ll experience some pains here and there, but he’ll be fully recovered by morning,” Spider-Doc explained. 

“That’s good to hear, Doc,” I smiled at him. 

Jessica’s gizmo went off as a small holoscreen appeared before her. She hummed, reading it over briefly before nodding in approval. “Just got a copy of the mission report from Gwen. You did good out there, Lisa, not bad for a first mission,” 

My cheeks flushed from the compliment as I rubbed the back of my neck. “Nothing like taking down a venom variant and saving the leader of the Spider-Society as the best first mission,” 

“That reminds me, what was the curse Isabella put on me?” Miguel asked. 

My body froze. I tried not to break eye contact with Miguel to not raise suspicion. The kiss was permanently tattooed into my brain. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it out of my head. If I told Miguel. . . would he really believe me? Would he take me seriously? 

But about our previous chat at the lounge? Was he accepting my offer to get to know each other better? Was that an actual positive reaction to asking him out? What if things are moving too quickly? 

“The curse?” I repeated for clarification. 

Lyla fizzled into existence, hovering behind Miguel’s head. She gave me a silent signal, encouraging me to speak. Whether to tell the truth or to fib, I couldn’t tell. But her gesture reminded me of our own talk before I woke up Miguel. 

I’ll leave the final call to you . 

“Well, turns out it was this curse that bound your soul with this stone golem she created. So long as it was alive, you’d remain unconscious,” I softly explained as my hands expressed and acted out the scenario. “So in short, beat up monster, monster goes down, loses control on you, you wake up!” 

“It was that simple?” He raised a contemplative brow at me. 

Behind Miguel, I could see Jessica giving me this look in her eyes. I started to sweat. Something tells me that’s not what she read in her mission report. What exactly did Gwen write down? 

Please, please, please, don’t say anything! 

I shrugged my shoulders, trying my best to hide my nerves. “I guess the simplest of plans can be the most effective? Sometimes?”

Lyla smirked, giving me a nod of approval. Jessica’s stare lingered for a moment before she relaxed, resuming her reading. 

I glanced over to the AI, silently pleading, eyes pouring into hers. I’m not ready to tell him . 

“Thank you for saving me, Lisa,” Miguel spoke softly as I met his gaze once more. He appeared genuinely thankful, “I’m sure it wasn’t easy going through all that,”

“Well,” I fiddled with my fingers as I smiled softly at him. “With you back here safe and sound, it was worth it, and I’d do it again,”

There was a faint twinkle of surprise in Miguel’s eyes at my declaration. I noticed it immediately and before Miguel could even speak more on it, I coughed into my fist, my cheeks flaring up. 

“You know, for the team,” 

Miguel paused, as if processing it for a moment. “For the team, right,” he nodded slowly in agreement. 

We both sat awkwardly for a few moments before Spider-Doc stepped in, “I can take it from here, Lisa. All that’s left to do is for Miguel to rest for a while,” 

“Oh, okay,” My eyes widened, surprised by his words as I slowly stood up from my seat. I checked the time on my Gizmo. I should pop back home and get some sleep before practice tomorrow. 

“Thank you, again, Lisa,” Miguel spoke softly towards me, “It is getting pretty late back home for you. Get plenty of rest. You earned it after today,”

I smiled at him. “You get some rest too. Message me when you get released?”

“Of course,” He nodded. 

I nodded back and with one last wave to everyone, I made my way out of the medical bay. 

////////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

When Lisa left the medical bay, Miguel leaned back against his pillow, aimlessly staring up into the ceiling. “Lyla, send me a copy of the mission report,” 

“You can read it after you get some rest,” Spider-Doc prescribed after not so subtlety coughing into his fist. 

Miguel glared at the doctor. 

“Don’t give me that look, when it comes to medical jurisdictions, I outrank you.” Spider-Doc spoke sternly, his eyes glaring back at his leader. 

Miguel huffed, but admitted defeat as he lowered his Gizmo attached wrist to his side. “Nevermind Lyla, send it to me when you get the chance,” 

“No problemo,” Lyla chirped. 

Miguel shut his eyes for a few moments to collect himself and reflect on the mission. What he didn’t notice was Lyla opening a small holographic screen, placing her hand on it as some of the words of the report fizzled and changed, some vanishing entirely before swiping the screen out of existence. 

“Something wrong, Miguel?” Jessica spoke up. 

Miguel opened his eyes, turning his gaze towards his second in command. “What do you mean?”

“Did something about what Lisa said trouble you?” She asked. 

Miguel thought about it for a moment. Lisa did appear a little but tense, nervous even. “She wasn’t technically supposed to be on this mission. I authorized it. I can understand if she seemed a little frazzled,” 

“True,” Jessica nodded. “She hasn’t had to fight an actual enemy before,” 

“Wait,” Miguel raised a skeptical brow at Jessica. “You think she’s hiding something?”

Why would Lisa feel like she had to lie to him?

Jessica glanced over, seeing Lyla make a motion with her hand, cutting across her throat. Please stop talking . 

“No. . .” Jessica responded, hesitating briefly. “Like you said, this was her first mission. Give her some time to collect herself. If there’s more, I’m sure she’d tell you,” 

Miguel nodded slowly, processing what she had said and taking it to heart. “Right,” 

Miguel laid back down, trying to get comfortable again as he stared up at the ceiling. Did something happen during her fight? Was she hiding an injury? What was Lisa not telling him?

What did Isabella mean when she screamed, No one deserves true love?

These thoughts plagued him until he shut his eyes and fell into a light slumber. 

///////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

Walking through the portal, I arrived back in my studio apartment. I pulled back the curtain, entering my bedroom as I collapsed onto my bed. I reached out, grabbed a pillow and yanked it to my face and screamed. 

I kicked my feet, rolling around in the bedsheets and just squealed like a child. I pulled away, taking deep breaths as I processed what had just happened in the last few hours. I struggled to believe, pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.

I kissed Miguel. I kissed Miguel! 

We were definitely way past the tolerable-at-best acquaintances stage of our relationship now. I need to do something to distract myself, to calm my nerves. It was late, but I couldn’t fall asleep. I glanced over at my phone, realizing I had left it on the nightstand and didn’t bring it with me to HQ. 

I grabbed the device and unlocked it, finding a flood of mixed messages. My face turned pale as I opened the group chat. 

“Hey, I’m here!!!” - Lisa 

“Hey, fearless leader, where the heck have you been?” - Kasey 

“Were you freaking MIA or something?” - Toya 

“Sorry, my apartment lost cell reception. Phone line repair crew blew a transformer. I didn’t have signal for hours, and didn’t feel safe leaving the apartment,” - Lisa 

“Oh shit, I’m sorry about that :(“ - Touga 

“OMG are you okay now???” - Hannah 

“Yeah, I’m okay! Just catching up on everything that I missed. You guys seemed busy here?” - Lisa

“Um, yeah!!! Did you not see???” - Toya 

“METRO RESPONDED TO MY MESSAGE!!” - Kasey 

“What?!” - Lisa 

 “CHECK YOUR EMAIL!!!” - Kasey 

Wasting no time, I switched tabs and opened my email app, refreshing the mailbox. Sure enough, there was a forwarded message from Kasey with the original sending being METRO BOOMIN. 

“Yo, Kasey! Appreciate you reaching out! My people called your people and confirmed everything is set to go. Here’s a sample of the new song for the show so you guys got something to work with. It’s not ready yet, but lemme cook! I promise you it will blow everyone away for the show. Make sure ya’ll sign the NDA before listening. I trust ya’ll, but just in case. Can’t wait to work with ya’ll.” - METRO

I opened the attachment, taking me to an electronic NDA form. I signed my name and submitted the signature. Within moments, another email was sent to me containing an audio file. 

“I GOT IT!!” - Lisa

“LISTEN TO IT THEN MESSAGE US AFTER PLZ!” - Kasey 

“COME VIBE WITH US!” - Touga 

I reached over, grabbing my headphones as I plugged them in. I laid back on my bed and with an anxious breath, my trembling finger pressed the play button. A chorus of violins coursed through my ears as I felt like I was being carried away on a cloud. 

I put my hands behind my head as I bopped my head to the beat of the song, getting a feel for the rhythm as the vocals came in. 

“Not done fighting, I don’t feel I’ve lost,
Am I dreaming? Is there more like us?
Got me feeling like it’s all too much,
I feel beaten, but I can’t give up!” 

Oh, yeah. I definitely need this. I listened and found myself moving with the flow of the music. I got up from my bed, moving to an open area of my living room floor and slowly began to dance along with the music. 

//////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

After waking up to eat some dinner, Miguel was taking a much needed power nap later that night. Probably the best nap he’s had in a while. Jessica was discharged from her medical bed a while ago and so he was by himself while Spider-Doc worked quietly in his office. Thankfully other than their two scares, it was a quiet night in the medical bay. 

Or it was . 

The digital bell for the door chimed as the automatic doors pulled open, a male figure walking inside. His green jumpsuit clashed with the dim lighting, his oil and dirt stains along his legs camouflaged in the dark. Spider-Doc glanced up from his desk and his eyes widened under the mask. 

The man offered him a kind wave as the Doctor creaked his door open, peeking outside. “I was thinking you’d wait until morning,” 

“I didn’t want to keep him waiting,” The man shook his head. “Sorry, I know visiting hours are long over,”

“No, no, it’s fine, you can stay for a bit,” Doc reassured the gentleman. “Just be mindful, and–”

“I know, don’t touch anything,” The man chuckled softly, shaking his head. “How is he?”

“Recovering well,” Spider-Doc nodded. “I’ll leave you two alone,” 

Spider-Doc retreated back into his office, softly closing the door behind him. The jumpsuit male quietly made his way over to the chair next to Miguel’s bed, taking a seat. He removed the goggles from his face, setting them up into his curly mullet hair to reveal piercing hazel green eyes.

He sighed, rubbing a hand down his face, his fingers brushing against his freckles. The fatigue of his work schedule caught up to him as a wave of exhaustion flowed through him. He desperately needed a break. Not that he was thankful that Miguel got hurt, giving him an excuse to come see him. He glanced over at Miguel’s body, watching him. 

Miguel’s face twitched as he spoke, “You’re staring,” 

“I thought you were asleep,” He raised a brow at Miguel. 

“And I thought you were working?” Miguel responded, keeping his eyes closed. 

“Come on, at least be a little happy to see me,” The man smirked in a playful manner as he leaned his arms against his knees. 

Miguel’s eyes slowly fluttered open as he looked over to the side and met the man’s gaze. “¿Cómo has estado, hermanito? ” - How’ve you been, little brother? 

Miguel’s brother chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. “I was doing fine, until I got a call that you were glitching during your last meeting,” 

“Same old Gabriel, always worrying,” Miguel huffed with an annoyed expression as he lifted his wrist, showing off his new gizmo, “Well, obviously I’m not anymore,” 

“Hey, my brother is Spider-Man, how can I not worry?” Gabriel’s lips twitched into a half smirk. 

“Pendejo , first of all, I’m one of now many Spider-Men and women, and second of all, I’m your older brother,” Miguel lectured with a pointed finger, “Let me do the worrying,” - Dummy

“You’ll end up with more gray hair like that,” Gabriel cautioned before he snickered suddenly. “Although I could see you going for a silver fox look,” 

“You didn’t come here to give me beauty tips, Gabriel, I know you,” Miguel gave his brother a hard look. “What is it?”

“Just wanted to make sure you were okay after the mission,” Gabriel raised his hands, “Can I not be concerned?” 

Miguel stared at Gabriel, his brown eyes pouring into his hazel orbs as the two brothers stared each other down like they were in a Mexican standoff, waiting for the other to move first. 

“And?” Miguel raised a brow at him.

“And?” Gabriel repeated, imitating Miguel’s voice. 

“Sólo dilo ,” Miguel huffed in annoyance. - Just say it

That’s what brothers were for after all. 

Gabriel held Miguel’s gaze for a moment longer before his shoulders shook, his chest rising and falling with his quiet laughter. He shook his head, composing himself before a playful glint sparkled in his eyes as he looked at Miguel and said, “Entonces, ¿quién es la chica? ” - So, who’s the girl?

Of course, Miguel huffed tiredly, narrowing his eyes towards Gabriel as his younger brother’s grin grew wider. Nothing gets past him. 

“Who is she?” Gabriel asked. 

“She’s–!” Miguel could feel his cheeks warm up from embarrassment as he turned his head to the side. “She’s just. . .” 

“Just a friend?” Gabriel raised a curious brow at his older brother. 

Miguel’s mind flashed back to that night on the rooftop, holding her in the rain, and again in his room. He tried to fight it, but his blush intensified. He growled under his breath when he recalled him practically encouraging her to ask him out. 

. . . Deep down, he wanted that. 

But he also felt like he couldn’t have that. 

“Just a friend,” Miguel grumbles softly. 

“I don’t know,” Gabriel mused with a shrug of his shoulders. “That attitude of yours doesn’t make it sound like she’s just a friend ,” 

“Gabriel–” Miguel groaned tiredly as he leaned back into his pillow. “It’s way too late for this shocking crap,”

“Alright, alright, just teasing you, big brother,” Gabriel chuckled. “I’m just saying; I’ve seen how you look at her~”

Miguel narrowed his eyes on him. “You’ve been hanging around Margo during her monitor duties again, haven’t you?”

Gabriel shrugged. “You got me!”

Miguel rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t help it when a faint chuckle escaped his lips. 

Same old Gabriel . 

Chapter Text

“I can't find it in myself to just walk away

I can't find it in myself to lose everything~”

My dance crew and I stepped lightly as we walked through a rough routine I had managed to plan out in the span of a mere two hours. I stayed up a little longer than I should have, exhaustion over taking me after fighting a stone golem to rescue your boss and crush will do that to a person. But after a quick run to Starbucks for a cold brew, I was back on my feet. 

We all turned, forming a circle as Touya, Touga, Hannah and I surrounded Kasey. We all reached our arms out towards her as she crossed her arms over her chest, something similar to the Wakanda Forever salute before flexing her arms down to her sides. As she did that, the rest of us dropped to one knee, kneeling as we bowed our heads to her. 

“Feel everyone's against me, don't want me to be great

Things might look bad, I'm afraid to look death in the face~”

Kasey then propelled herself forward, sliding along the floor. Hannah and I steered clear of her entrance. As we faced in her direction, Toya stepped behind Hannah and Touga stepped behind me, the boys hoisting us up to our feet and became our dance partners. The pair of us did a sweet waltz as Kasey was up front performing her own solo. 

“I'm good now, who's really bad?

I choose me now, what's wrong with that?

Wish you could see me

Now, now, mm, who had my back, baby?

Know no love lost, good always will win~”

As Kasey finished her solo, the boys slowly dipped Hannah and I closer to the floor as the music began to fade. When it was over, they pulled us back up and the group erupted with a series of cheers and applause. 

“That was so good!” Hannah exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with excitement. 

“You guys really liked it?” I sounded hopeful as I looked at their excited faces. “I mean, it’s not done yet, I still have the rest of the song to figure out–!”

I tried to not let my rambling get the better of me. I couldn’t help but as the nerves coursed through me and I began to crack my knuckles out of habit. They all seemed so thrilled, the rush of adrenaline still coursing through their veins. 

“Lisa, that was stunning!” Kasey praised as she clapped her hands together. “I knew making you our team captain was the right call,”

“Got any other sick moves planned?” Toya asked with an accelerating look in his eyes. 

“Yeah, I wanna keep going!” Touga nodded his head eagerly in agreement. 

“Sorry guys, but that was all I could manage to come up with and write down before clocking out for the night,” I rubbed the back of my neck, casting an apologetic look at the boys. 

“Well, I thought it was wonderful!” Hannah smiled sweetly. “Maybe next time don’t do it in the middle of the night and pace yourself?”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” I chuckled with embarrassment. 

“But hey, we’ve got a framework now, so let’s use that when figuring out the rest of the routine,” Kasey grinned with an eager look on her face. 

We all agreed and ran through the routine once more before taking a break. I sat on the floor, leaning against the wall as I rummaged through my bag for the banana bread I had bought during my Starbucks run. As I pulled it out, the screen on my gizmo lit up. 

My face lit up as I tapped on the screen, bringing up the message before taking a bite out of my snack. 

“Just got discharged, wanted to let you know I’m feeling okay.” - Miguel 

“How’s practice going?” - Miguel 

I smiled at the message, sighing in relief that he was alright. I continued to munch on my bread as I typed up my own message. 

“It’s going well! I was just going through a part of the routine I came up with with the others. It was well received!” - Lisa 

“So you finally heard back from the artist, then? Do you like the song?” - Miguel 

“It’s definitely different from most of his other songs that my friends have shown me. I think it’s something you might actually like! I would show you, but I’m under an NDA agreement, lol” - Lisa 

“No interdimensional exceptions?” - Miguel 

“Was that another joke from the great Miguel O’hara?” - Lisa 

“ *eye roll emoji* perhaps” - Miguel 

“Sorry, no exceptions. But I’d be happy to show you when the NDA is lifted after the performance,” - Lisa 

“I’d like that,” - Miguel 

I chuckled at his response, not sure if he was just being nice or was genuinely serious. What was his music preference? Would he like this? 

Maybe I should make a playlist for him for his work outs when I’m not with him. 

“If you’re free after practice today, would you mind stopping by HQ?” - Miguel

“I wanted to talk to you about something,” - Miguel 

My body froze, jaw dropping slightly as I read his latest messages. Did he read the report Gwen made? Does he know about the curse? Does he know I kissed him? 

My mind began to race as I tried to calm myself down, not wanting anyone else to notice me and think I must have looked like a lunatic. 

“Sure thing. Is everything okay?” - Lisa

“Yes, everything is fine. No need to worry. I just wanted to go over some things, that’s all,” - Miguel 

What things? 

“No problem, I’ll be there!” - Lisa 

“What’cha doing, Lisa?” Hannah’s voice caught my ear as she sat down beside me. 

I instantly shut the screen off on my Gizmo and looked over at her. “Oh, nothing! A friend just messaged me, that’s all,” 

“Oh? Is it the famous boyfriend you’ve told us about?” Hannah giggled sweetly as her eyes seemed to sparkle. 

My cheeks flushed at her claim as I chuckled nervously. “Maybe?”

“Oh, and how is he doing?” She asked with a genuine curiosity before handing me a small zip lock bag. “Cookie?”

I couldn’t help but giggle softly as I reached in and grabbed a cookie. “He’s doing good. He was at the doctor’s yesterday and he was just letting me know it went well and he’s feeling okay,”

“That’s good! You must be very relieved,” She smiled sweetly. 

“I am,” I sighed happily as I took a bite out of the cookie. 

“Say hi to him for us the next time you see him, and tell him we’re happy he’s feeling better!” Hannah beamed. “I hope it wasn’t anything serious,” 

Oh, you know, just glitching cause you were stuck in another dimension and your atoms were slowly breaking apart and killing you bit by bit unless you’re wearing a fancy high tech watch. Absolutely not serious at all. 

“Oh, it’s fine, just a normal check up,” I nodded, waving the worry away. 

“Oh, good!” Hannah smiled. “You know, my mom always said that the best way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Why not try making something to cheer him up?”

“Make him something?” I repeated, raising a brow at Hannah as the idea peaked my interest. 

Would that help make things less awkward for us and get to know him more?

“Yo ladies,” Toya waved off at us as his brother Touga and Kasey were doing some warm ups. “You two ready to keep practicing?”

“Coming, Toya!” I smiled before looking over at Hannah. “Ready?”

“Ready Freddy!” She giggled. 

No use in worrying about what Miguel wanted to talk about right now. I needed to focus on this routine and be here in the moment with my team. 

///////

After practice was done, I ran back home to my apartment and quickly changed into my spider suit. I know for simplicity sake, most Spider-Men wear their suits under their clothes. You never know when a villain is going to show up, but considering my current situation, I thought it wasn’t necessary. 

I jumped through the portal activated from my gizmo and arrived at Spider-Society HQ. Coming through the lobby and entering the main hall, the building was lively as ever as I made my way through the halls and arrived at Miguel’s lab. Walking through the large doors, I stepped out of the brightly lit hallway into the dim lighting of his lab. 

It didn’t feel as scary coming back the second time around. I walked through the entryway and entered the large hall where his platform hovered high in the air. It was beginning a descent as Miguel swiped at some holoscreens. 

“Miguel?” I called out, offering him a wave. 

He turned, looking down towards me after hearing my voice. “Lisa,” he offered me a kind nod. “Thank you for coming,” 

“Hey, you said it was important, so who am I to make you wait?” I smiled in response. 

I stood there for a few moments, watching as the platform continued its slow decline. Its painfully slow decline, I should say. I crossed my arms, patiently waiting as I shifted my weight in between my feet. 

“Um, Miguel?” I spoke up.

“It’s slow, I know,” He shook his head in understanding. “I’ve been meaning to get it fixed, but things keep getting in the way,”

“He won’t fix it,” Lyla pipped in as she appeared on my shoulder. “He likes it that way cause it makes him look so imposing,” 

“Lyla,” Miguel’s voice deeply groaned in warning.

“Am I wrong?” She grinned as she fizzled and reappeared on top of my head. 

Miguel scoffed, shaking his head. “It’s alright, Lisa, you can come up,” 

“Oh,” My eyes widened at the offer, jumping briefly before shaking off the nerves. “Okay, coming up!”

I used my web sling to hoist me up in the air and landed on Miguel’s platform. There were computer consoles and monitors setup along its center, not to mention the multitude of holographic screens that hovered around Miguel. I stepped closer, taking them all in. Some were schematics for machines, others were various security monitors of the building, and anomaly detection scanners. 

“I can certainly see why you’d be busy up here,” I spoke softly as I continued to look around. 

“Someone’s gotta do it, might as well be me,” Miguel shrugged his shoulders. Speaking as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. 

I watched as he reached for a vial and grabbed that strange looking staple gun, injecting the contents of the vial into his shoulder. He grunted slightly, his body twitching with the injection. There was a tingle in his eyes, and before I could ask him about it, a new noise caught my attention. 

Someone giggling. A child giggling. 

I glanced over, my eyes coming to one of the holographic monitors. There was video footage playing of a little girl in a soccer jersey. She ran towards someone as the male figure kneeled down and patted their head. My pupils widened when I realized it was Miguel. 

He was smiling. He looked happy. Genuinely happy. Who was the child that was with them?

“Who’s–?

Miguel coughed suddenly as my cheeks flushed and I stepped away, looking towards him. Miguel lowered his fist from his lips as he motioned his head to the side. “That’s enough work for the day, Lyla, thank you,” 

“Shutting it all down, boss,” Lyla smirked as one by one the holographic monitors powered down, their orange hues disappearing. 

I noticed that the video footage of the child was the first to go. 

“Thank you again for coming on such short notice,” Miguel spoke up as he walked closer towards me. 

I composed myself, clearing my throat. “It’s no problem. What did you want to talk to me about?” 

“I wanted to properly commend you on the mission yesterday. I read Gwen’s report earlier this morning,” He explained. 

My eyes widened at the realization. A sting of fear coursed through me. “You did?”

“Yes,” He nodded and his face relaxed into something more genuine from his stern demeanor. He was proud. “Although I had trouble playing back most of the Gizmo surveillance footage. Lyla says there was some sort of magnetic interference in that sector of Petra’s world.”

My soul nearly left my body in pure relief as I heard that sentence. Lyla was still keeping true to her word and hiding what really happened during that mission. Although I felt awful about lying to Miguel, something kept nagging me in the back of my mind that it was the right thing to do. 

“With that being said; You displayed true bravery, skill, and determination. All good qualities of a Spider,” Miguel offered me a proud nod. 

“Wait, does this mean?” My pupils slowly grow wide as I feel a wave of adrenaline course through me. 

“This doesn’t change anything about our deal,” Miguel quickly elaborated, pointing a gentle finger at me. “However, it made me realize you would do well to earn more hands on experience in the field,” 

“So?” I pressed on, taking a step forward as I crossed my arms behind my back. 

He scoffed with an almost half smile on his face. “ So , I’ll allow you to take part in missions, under my choosing . Is that fair?”

I nodded eagerly, even offering him a friendly salute. “Yes, absolutely! I won’t let you down,”

Miguel let his guard down briefly, chuckling as he began to walk to the platform’s edge. “At ease, Spider-Muse,”

I gawked at the man as I stared at his back, watching how his muscles seemed to twitch and move with his arms as he laughed. “Please don’t tell me that’s catching on already,” 

“Oh, believe me, it has,” Miguel smirked with a smug look in his eyes. “For once, I actually agree with Hobie,” 

“ You ? Agreeing with Hobie?” I stared at him with a stun expression as I took a couple steps towards him. “Who are you and what have you done my Miguel?”

I instantly bit my tongue, taking a step back as Miguel turned to face me. His eyebrows arched in surprise, but I couldn’t tell if he was actually offended by what I had said. “ My Miguel?”

“Well, you must be in a really good mood if you’re agreeing with Hobie?” I quickly back tracked, chuckling nervously. 

He seemed to stare at me for a few moments, the silence obliterating me before he hummed softly, “I suppose I am. But enough messing around, follow me,” 

Miguel motioned for me to follow him as the platform finally made its descent to the floor. We exited his lab and made our way through the halls of the Spider-Society and entered a wing of the building I had never been in before. “Where are we?” I asked as I looked around a very messy laboratory. 

“Welcome to my domain!” A voice called out. 

I jumped as a male figure stepped out from the shadows. He had curly brown hair with a pair of orange goggles strapped to his head. Freckles adorned his cheeks and his eyes were a hazel green. He wore a dirty green jumpsuit with a yellow scarf around his neck. The most shocking part of it all was that his face bore a striking resemblance to Miguel. 

“Lisa, I’d like you to meet the Spider-Society’s head engineer,” Miguel motioned a hand towards the man as he stepped forward. “Gabriel O’Hara,” 

“O’Hara?” I repeated, my eyes widening as I exchanged a look between the pair. 

“I’m Miguel’s playful, charming, younger brother,” Gabriel introduced himself with a playful bow before offering his hand. “It’s an honor to finally meet you in the flesh, Miss Lisa,”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” I smiled softly as we shook each other's hands. “How come we never met before?”

“Oh, you know how older brothers get when they introduce a girl to the rest of the family,” Gabriel grinned with a teasing look before he whispered lowly. “ Very protective, you know?”

“Gabe,” Miguel shot Gabriel a warning glare, his hands crossed behind his back as if to stop himself from physically laying a hand on him. 

“I’m just teasing big brother,” Gabriel chuckled with a sweet laugh. “Although I can’t understand why he never said how cute you look,”

Gabriel shot me a wink and I found myself blushing at the compliment. “Oh, uh–!”

“¡Oye, eso es suficiente! ” Miguel growled, his muscles tensing. - Hey, that’s enough

 “See?” Gabriel raised a brow, nodding his head with a knowing look. “Protective,”

“Need I remind you that’s not why we’re here,” Miguel tried his hardest to calm his tone as he glared at his brother. 

I glanced between the pair and took a step forward, deciding to intervene in the event things got ugly. Although maybe this is normal sibling banter? I wouldn’t know since I’m an only child. 

“Um, so Gabriel, you’re the engineer here?” I asked him with a peak of curiosity. 

“I help out with his gadgets and help Lyla keep things running here at HQ. If you think about it, that would make me his–” Gabriel had a wide, teasing grin on his face. 

“Gabe, don’t you dare say it!” Miguel pointed a lecturing finger at his brother. 

“Guy–” Gabriel started. 

“No-!” Miguel narrowed his eyes. 

“--In the chair,” Gabriel bowed as if he were a showman. 

Miguel sighed heavily as he pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “No puedo mas, no puedo mas, ” - I can’t even 

“Come on! It’s a cute concept,” Gabriel chuckled at his brother’s reaction as he fell back into his chair. 

“ Once, I let you come with me to Earth 19999 once ,” Miguel huffed, putting his hands on his lips as he paced anxiously in a circle. “I’ll never hear the end of it,” 

“Anyways, I imagine Miguel has given you the news about your promotion now, right?” Gabriel smiled. “I’m gonna be helping you make some upgrades to your suit so you’ll be better equipped while you’re out dimension hopping,” 

“Upgrade my suit?” My eyes lit up as I glanced down at it. “I thought it was working fine,” 

“Just because something already works, doesn’t mean it can’t be improved,” Gabriel softly lectured as he motioned for the two of us to follow him. 

Gabriel activated a console and a machine came to life. A platform glowed as holographic screens surrounded it. 

“After the incident with the mosh, I became concerned that your suit had been compromised,” Miguel spoke up, speaking honestly as he looked over towards Miguel. “I asked Gabriel to help,” 

“Now Miss Lisa, all you need to do is stand up there and get comfy,” Gabriel smiled as he put his goggles on. “We might be here a while,” 

I cautiously walked over towards the platform, stepping on it as its hue glowed brighter when it registered my presence and a blue beam of light began to scan me from the feet up. 

“Lyla, in the meantime, keep trying to repair the frequency of Gwen’s Gizmo,” Miguel spoke as the AI appeared at his shoulder. “I’d like to see the mission play back,”

Lyla exchanged a look with me, her digital eyes pouring into mine before nodding her head. “I’ll keep trying boss,”

Chapter Text

Earth - 423 

Isabella struggled against the webbing and chains as she was left to waste away in the dungeon of the castle. One day a proper trial would be held where she would answer for her crimes, at the request of Princess Petra. Oh, how she loathed her and the other Spiders that ruined her plan. 

She thought Petra was the only one. How could there be more like her? Potential scores of her? 

She wanted revenge. On Petra for allowing that swarm to venture into their realm, on Lord O’Hara for staining his filth and presence here and finally on Lady Lisa for foiling her plans on getting rid of the Spider-Society’s leader. She’d get her revenge one way or another. 

Just as soon as she’d find a way out of this cell. 

A magical portal suddenly opened and Isabella stopped struggling. Her eyes twinkled at the colours, and her pupils went wide when someone stepped through the other side. It was a tall man, lean muscular build, wearing a black suit. 

There was this aura about him. Black like the night, dark as an abyss. She liked it. 

“It appears we have a common enemy,” the man spoke. 

He brought out a strange device from his pocket. It fired a red beam of light and suddenly Isabella’s chains at her wrists exploded and she was set free. The melted and shattered pieces of iron tumbled off the floor as she fell to her knees, her fingers easing their tired wrists. 

His footsteps echoed along the cobblestone floor as he extended a hand towards her. “Perhaps we can help one another?”

“What would you give me if I helped you?” Isabella questioned the man, raising a skeptical brow in his direction as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. 

His lips curled into a dark smile. “The head of Miguel O’Hara, and all of his spider pests. Including your dear Princess,” 

Isabella smiled wickedly at the man, her eyes twinkling as a surge of delightful joy coursed through her. Metal footsteps could be heard from down the hall as the guards finally caught wind that something wasn’t right. 

“Hold it right there!”

“Do we have an alliance?” The man asked her. 

Isabella took his hand, her cold fingers lacing against his warm hand. “Indeed, Lord–?”

“Osborne,” Osborne brought his lips down to her knuckles, kissing her there gently before smiling again. “Harry Osborne,” 

“Let’s get started,” Isabella’s fangs poked through her lips as she laughed. 

Harry pulled her through the portal and before the guards could get the cell gate open, the magical portal disappeared. 

“Alert the Queen! The demon has escaped!” 

////////

Earth - 928 

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

When Gabriel said that I’d be standing there for a while, I thought it was an exaggeration. But I was wrong. I stood there to the point my leg muscles and calves were begging for a break. As Gabriel worked, I couldn’t help but hold back my complaints as I marveled at his invention. 

After the blue light had scanned my body, long robotic arms that resembled spider legs carefully and gently took my measurements, using tiny claws and needles to fortify and strengthen the spandex material of my suit. The crazy part was that I didn’t feel any pain on my body from the needles as they worked. If anything, it felt like I was getting tiny, brief, massages here and there. 

The pink fabric was more eye-catching, blending well with my now dyed white spider sigil along my chest. My black secondary colour was polished and almost shined, blending with the dark lighting of Gabriel’s lab. The optics of my mask were enhanced, granting me a small HUD overlay to my surroundings. 

I listened quietly as Miguel and Gabriel talked, providing insight and suggestions to one another how to best go about these upgrades for me. I was actually refreshing seeing Miguel open up a little bit and have a full on conversation with someone. He seemed a bit more relaxed too. 

Over the course of the upgrades, Lyla kept trying to repair the corrupted feed of the mission log. But seeing the look in her eyes, I knew she wouldn’t be able to keep hiding it from Miguel for long. I don’t know if GOD or the universe was taking pity on me, but Miguel had received a summons for a mission so he left Gabriel to continue his work in peace. 

“Soooo,” Gabriel spoke up suddenly after a few moments of silence. “Have you and Miguel been getting along?”

“Getting along?” I repeated, a small flush forming on my cheeks. 

“I heard he was a little hard on you when you first came here,” Gabriel elaborated. “I don’t leave my lab a lot so all the gossip I get is through word of mouth,” 

“Oh, um,” I fidgeted with my fingers as I tried to answer his question. “He was a little strict at first, but I think we found common ground after,” 

“That’s good,” Gabriel nodded as his gaze trailed over a holoscreen before he glanced my way, offering me a warm smile. “Miguel is tough, but I promise when push comes to shove, he doesn’t bite, I promise,” 

I chuckled softly, “Peter said the same thing too,” 

“Which one? I’m struggling to keep track of them all,” Gabriel raised a brow at me. 

“Peter B. Parker,” I smiled. 

“Oh, B. I love that guy,” Gabriel beamed as he typed in a command on the console. “Not to mention his little bundle of joy,”

“MayDay is so adorable,” I smiled softly. 

I remembered playing peek-a-boo and patty cake with her one afternoon while Peter B. went through some training. I still had to ask Peter how he made that cute little beanie for her and if he’d let me commission him to make one for myself. 

“So Miguel has been nice to you, is what I’m getting at?” Gabriel asked. 

“Yes, he’s been very nice to me, Gabriel,” I answered softly. 

“Good, good! About time my big brother went out of his comfort zone and met someone new,” Gabriel snickered. “Although I was worried when he stopped coming to our weekly lunch dates,”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that,” My eyes poured apologetically into his.

“Nah, I’m used to it. Miguel has always been a workaholic hermit,” Gabriel shook his head. “Both here at the Spider-Society and working with Alchemax,” 

Alchemax? Where have I heard that name before?

After a few more minutes of standing, I could feel my right leg beginning to cramp. I winced from the soreness, my hand reaching down gently to rub along the area where I felt the pain at its worst. 

“Lisa, are you okay?” Gabriel sat up in his chair, pausing the motions of his machine’s claws. 

“Yeah, is it alright if we take a break?” I looked up at Gabriel with a pained smile. “My leg is starting to cramp,” 

“Oh, yeah, no problem,” Gabriel nodded eagerly as he typed in a few commands on the console. “Let me just pause things here–”

I could hear the machine powering down as the claws loosened and became less constrained. I saw an opening between the claws and went to take a step forward, but the cramp in my leg shot up to my knee and I hissed, biting my tongue. 

“ Aya-! ” I hissed as I fell over, falling to the floor. - OW!

Not before one of the claws caught on my spider suit and tore a hole into it. 

“Lisa!” Gabriel yelped as he pulled his goggles off. “ Dios mío, Miguel is gonna have my head–!” - My god

Gabriel jumped over the console as he ran around the machine, kneeling down as he placed a hand on the platform to stop himself from running right into me. His knees grazed the floor before coming to a complete stop before me. 

“Lisa, are you–” Gabriel started to speak as I slowly sat up and he froze. His eyes went wide, just staring at me, his pupils beginning to trail down. 

I wasn’t sure what he was meaning at first, until part of my skin suddenly felt cold. My eyes trailed down my body and I saw the tear of the suit. Part of my stomach was exposed, revealing my scars. 

geuge majimag-iya! 

Those words rang in my ears, tattooed into my mind. My cheeks burned a bright red as I began to tremble. I wrapped my arms around my stomach, trying to hide the scars as I huddled my knees close to my chest. 

“You weren’t supposed to see that!” I spoke quickly, my voice quivering. 

Gabriel’s gaze softened at my reaction, his shoulders slacking as he watched me carefully. 

I took a shaky breath, my eyes peering over my knees as I looked at him. “I’m sorry. . .” 

“No, don’t apologize,” Gabriel spoke softly as he reassured me. 

I heard shuffling as I glanced over to see Gabriel take a seat beside me, sitting in a similar position. “Are you okay?” he asked again. 

My arms were shaking as I processed the question, and after thinking it over, I shook my head. 

“Did you want to talk about it?” He asked. 

I sat there for a while, weighing my options. Gabriel didn’t rush me or try to encourage me more. He just sat there waiting patiently. He was being patient with someone he had just met and knew nothing about their struggles or hardships. 

I could tell he had a heart of gold. Miguel is so lucky to have someone like him as a brother. 

“There was. . . an accident,” I said softly. 

Gabriel nodded his head, listening attentively. “Is that how you got them?”

I nodded slowly. “I trusted someone close to me with a path I wanted to walk, but. . . I didn’t see the signs changing,” 

“Did they take things too far?” He asked. 

I nodded again. 

“What happened after that?” Gabriel asked. 

“I put my foot down, stood up for myself,” I sighed, my voice barely a whisper. “But it was too late. After I physically recovered, I– I cut contact with him and left,” 

I could sense the change in Gabriel’s eyes at the confirmation that the person who hurt me was a he . His fingers curled into a fist, squeezing tightly as he controlled his composer. “Have you seen him since then?”

I shook my head. “No,” 

“Did he learn to fix his mistake?” Gabriel asked. 

“. . . He’s seeing a therapist, getting the help he needs. They say he’s making progress,” I explained gently. 

I watched as Gabriel reached over for something and pulled back, “Well then, until said progress is actually complete, you deserve a break from all that,” He extended his hand towards me, offering me a towel. “Don’t you think?”

My eyes lit up at the gesture as with a delicate hand I reached up and took the towel. “Yeah. . .”

I wrapped it around my stomach as Gabriel stood up from his spot on the floor, offering to help me up. I took it gladly as he carefully hoisted me up.

“How about we get that patched up and then I’ll have Margo send you home?” 

“Thank you, Gabriel,” I smiled softly at him. 

////////

Earth - 1942 - Web Slinger’s Dimension 

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

Miguel threw in one last punch, knocking the robber out cold. He grabbed him and tossed him into the pile of the rest of his beaten up cronies who tried to pillage this small town with weapons not from their dimension. Specifically weapons of the Chitari from Earth - 616. 

“Thanks for your help, O’Hara,” Patrick reigned on his horse close to his leader. “That could have gone south very quickly,” 

“I’ll send a clean up team to remove the stolen weapons,” Miguel nodded as a shiver crawled up his spine, taking a small step to the side and away from the horse. “Lyla, is the canon intact?”

“Yep! No other anomalies detected,” Lyla fizzled to life as she gave him a thumbs up. 

“I’ll send a clean up crew to help you deal with this mess,” Miguel nodded over to Patrick. 

Patrick nodded, tipping his cowboy hat with gratitude. “I tip my hat to you, partner,” 

Miguel managed a half smirk through his mask, his fingers mimicking a smile gesture. He reached over to his Gizmo, activating a portal back to his dimension. 

“Lyla, have Ben lead the clean up crew for this one,” Miguel commanded as he walked through the portal, his eyes still trained on the screen of his Gizmo. 

“Roger that!” Lyla saluted. 

“Be sure to– Wait,” Miguel entered his laboratory, bringing up a holoscreen visual from his Gizmo. 

It was the mission feed of Lisa’s mission back in Petra’s dimension. Some of the originally corrupted visuals were fine now. That wasn’t like that earlier today, and Lyla had stopped working on it as soon as he left to help Web Slinger.

“Lyla, did you fix the mission log while I was out?” he asked. 

Lyla froze, the buffering icon fluttering above her head along with the desktop start noise. “I did?”

“Lyla?” Miguel turned towards her, raising a skeptical brow. 

“Oh, that !” Lyla’s eyes lit up, an exclamation point over her head as she blipped over towards Miguel. “I mean, yeah, I made progress but it’s still not fixed completely,” 

She suddenly yanked the holoscreen of the video recording away from Miguel soaring up towards his platform. 

“Lyla!” Miguel’s mask optics went wide as he saw her fly off. He web-slinged after her, his red laser webs cutting a line through the dim lights as he soared into the air. “What are you doing?”

“Helping you fix it like you asked me too,” Lyla chuckled nervously as she swerved out of the way of his reach. “Just trust the process, Miguel,”

“Lyla, you’re being really weird right now,” Miguel’s voice strained as he tried to reach for her again and just missed her. “It’s freaking me out, you know that?”

Miguel huffed in frustration, reaching for his Gizmo and typing in a command. Lyla suddenly began to glitch and jolt before her avatar popped and then reappeared before him as he motioned for the holoscreen to return to his side. 

“Lyla, what is going on?”

Lyla buckled under the pressure. As much as she wanted to keep her promise, she knew she wouldn’t be able to hide anything from Miguel for long, and now it looked like her time was up. She hung her head, hovering to the side as she made the holoscreen large, shifting it into a platform as the video feed transitioned into a 3D projection. 

“The mission recording was never corrupted,” Lyla spoke softly, twiddling her thumbs. “I– messed with it, and tweaked Gwen’s report,”

“What?” Miguel looked taken back, his eyes widening. Why would his trusted companion AI scheme such a thing? “Why would you–?”

“Just watch,” Lyla commanded as she pointed to the projection and pressed play. 

Miguel watched attentively as the recording played out. He watched as Lisa jumped into the pit and fought against a stone golem as Isabella watched from her perch on the stone pike. He could hear the music, hear the passion in Lisa’s voice as she sang her enchantment. 

He pulled a chair over and sat down slowly as he watched the rest of the fight play out. The golem exploded as Lisa swung to Miguel’s bedside. Gwen tossed her a gizmo as Lisa attached it to Miguel’s wrist to stop him from glitching. 

His heart seemed to flutter as he watched Lisa nearly collapse from relief. Lyla joined her side, talking with her. What he heard her say caught him completely off guard. 

“What if he wakes up, realizes how I freed him, and he thinks of me differently?” Lisa looked over at the AI with worry. 

“What is– what is she talking about?” Miguel shook his head, visibly confused as he looked over at Lyla.

Why would Lisa think he’d think of her differently for saving his life?

Lyla said nothing, motioning her head to keep watching. Miguel’s gaze returned to the video projection. His pupils went wide as Lisa’s projection gently caressed his face, her thumb brushing against his cheek. 

“Please, please, let this work,” Lisa uttered a small prayer. 

Miguel watched with bated breath at the projection as Lisa leaned in closer to him and her lips brushed against his gently. 

Lisa kissed him. 

Miguel instantly shot up from the chair, the piece of furniture fumbled on its side. A hand reached out to cover his mouth to stop himself from screaming. Miguel swore his heart stopped right there and then. 

A second chance. No matter how small . 

Chapter Text

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

Miguel stood there. He just stood there. He couldn’t move. Still as a statue. His lips parted, wanting to speak, scream, say something. But words were failing him. 

She kissed me. Lisa kissed me. 

“Miguel?” Lyla spoke up, her AI form slowly hovering towards him. “Are you okay?”

Miguel took a deep breath, and sighed heavily, letting it out. He took another deep breath, and let it out. He repeated the action several times, his chest rising and falling as he tried to calm his thunderous heart beat. 

He reached a hand out, interacting with the holographic controls of the projection as he rewound the video and played it back from the beginning. Miguel didn’t pay attention to anything else in the recording. He focused everything on Lisa. Her movements, her voice, he studied it all. 

When it came to the part showing the kiss, Miguel paused the feed as their lips touched. He studied her blemish, the way her hands gently cradled his face. He rewound the feed and watched it again, and again, and again. 

The hand at his mouth curled into a loose fist as his gaze stare intensely at the projection. Something was pulsing in his stomach, like butterflies. But in his chest. . . 

“Miguel?” Lyla gently called for him again. 

His thundering heart fluttered, a fire burning in his chest. At recognition, passion, but also. . . betrayal. 

Why did Lyla lie to me? Why would she cover this up? 

Why would Lisa lie to me? 

His eyes flickered briefly to its ruby blood red iris as he narrowed his gaze towards the AI. Lyla was digitally sweating bullets on her forehead as Miguel managed the strength and courage to take a step forward. 

“Lyla. . .” The words were right there, but Miguel had trouble getting the full sentence out. All he could manage was a low growl as he spoke, “Why?” 

“I promised Lisa I wouldn’t tell you,” She gulped as her body flew over towards the projection, enhancing the image of Lisa and Miguel together. 

“But why would Lisa think I’d treat her differently because of that ?” Miguel asked her. 

Unless–?

Then it hits him. Like a splash of cold water was dumped on him and woke him up. His eyes go wide as Miguel stumbles back before catching himself. His heart thundered harder in his chest. 

What if Lisa liked me? 

“Oh, shock-!” Miguel cursed as he began to pace. 

“Miguel, look at me!” Lyla flew around him, trying to catch his gaze but Miguel kept pacing. “Miguel–!”

“Le gusto a Lisa. ¿De verdad le gusto? ” Miguel’s low grumbled voice rambled on as he continued to pace, his breathing becoming more staggered. - Lisa likes me. She actually likes me?! 

“Will you listen to me?!” Lyla yelped. “I won’t order extra empanadas for you for dinner if you don’t stop pacing around!” 

All the teasing he did and the compliments. Deep down he knew that he wouldn’t be able to pursue her in that kind of relationship. The risk of triggering another dimension shattering anomaly was convincing enough for him. He thought a little cute flirting here and there would be fine, but now that he has the knowledge that she genuinely liked him back?

Could he take that risk? 

He had to know for sure. 

“I need to talk to her,” Miguel realized with a stern snarl as he stalked towards the edge of the platform. 

“What?!” Lyla gawked. 

“I need to get to the bottom of this,” Miguel’s eyes narrowed as he leapt down from the platform, bending his knees as he landed on the bottom floor of his lab, down on all fours. 

She has to still be here, right? With Gabriel? 

“Miguel, no, stop,” Lyla cautioned as she zipped onto his head, banging her digital fists into his hair. “Lisa will talk to you on her own time!” 

“Lyla, out of my way,” Miguel shooed her away gently as he sprinted for the door. “I can’t wait until then,” 

Miguel wasted no time, running straight for Gabriel’s workshop. He got some weird looks from some of the other Spider’s but he paid them all no mind. His goal was finding Lisa and getting to the bottom of this mystery. 

The automatic doors to Gabriel’s workshop swung open after sensing Miguel’s approach. He stormed inside, panting as he caught his breath, hands on his knees. 

“Gabriel? Is Lisa–” His eyes trailed up towards the console and he froze, his breath hitching from his throat. 

Gabriel wasn’t here, and neither was Lisa. Where did they go? His brown irises shifted to red again as he frantically searched the room. He placed a hand on the platform of Gabriel’s machine, the one he was using to upgrade Lisa’s suit. It was still a little warm. So they couldn’t have left not too long ago. Maybe they were still in the building. 

“Miguel, can you please just pause and think for a moment?” Lyla hissed at him, pulling the strands of her hair. “What if she’s not ready to talk about this?”

He ignored her as Miguel brought out his Gizmo, searching for Gabriel’s frequency number. Within moments, a small holographic image of Gabriel appeared as he answered the call. “Miguel, hey! Must have been a quick mission if you’re back so soon,” 

“Is Lisa still with you?” Miguel asked, trying his best to keep his voice calm and in check. 

“Yeah, I brought her to the training center to test out the upgrades before sending—” Gabriel couldn’t even finish his sentence before Miguel ended the call. 

To the training center. 

////////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

I swung through the obstacle course, jumping and vaulting through platforms and beams. I jammed out to the music in my new player on my thigh holster as I swung my webs, my body swerving as I avoided pop up displays of Spider-Man villains. 

[Song: Romanized lyrics to BOOMBAYAH by BlackPink]

“Been a bad girl, I know I am,
I’m so hot, I need a fan,
I don’t need a boy, I need a man~” 

My webs glowed their golden hue as I tossed a punch dummy of green goblin over to a member of the Wrecking Crew. My Spider-Sense triggered as I back flipped out of the way of incoming blaster fire as replica Doc Ock arms fired lasers at me. I slipped and slid along a platform as I dodged the incoming fire. My spandex felt more breathable, durable even. My body felt more free to move around. 

“Click-clack, badda bing badda boom,
Muneul bakchamyeon modu nal barabom!
Gudi aesseo noryeok an haedo

Modeun namjadeureun kopiga pangpangpang ~” 

As I swung through the course, a commotion caught my ear as I glanced down towards the entrance. I saw Miguel approach Gabriel, Lyla fizzling into existence beside him. Lyla appeared to be upset about something, flailing her arms at Miguel. Was something wrong? 

I landed on a platform nearby, bending my knees as I crouched down to try and hear them better. 

“Miguel! How’d your mission go?” I called out towards him. 

Miguel heard my voice and his gaze instantly locked on to me. I saw the red flicker in his eyes and a shiver crawled up my spine, my eyes going wide. Something was definitely wrong. Did the mission go south? Did he need my help?

“Lisa, get down here, I need to talk to you!” Miguel yelled as he motioned his hand for me to come down. 

“Uh, this course doesn’t exactly come with an off switch!” I yelped as I avoided another series of blaster fire. 

“ Pangpang parapara pangpangpang

Jigeum nal wihan chukbaereul jjanjjanjjan
Hands up nae sonen bottle full o' Henny

Nega malloman deuddeon gyaega naya Jennie~”

Miguel groaned, his fingers curling into fists as he huffed in frustration. “Fine, if you won’t come to me—”

Miguel pressed a command on his Gizmo before getting into position at the starting line. My muscles began to tense up as I slowly stood up from my crouched position as I watched Miguel,his mask materializing over his face. 

“Miguel, don’t!” Lyla yelled. 

“I’ll come to you!” Miguel launched himself, swinging his way into the obstacle course.

Lyla tried to chase after him, to make herself fizzle and place herself at his side. But the moment she tried to teleport, an invisible holographic barrier projected itself around the perimeter of the course. Meaning Lyla couldn’t get to him. 

“Oh, you snob! No empanadas for you!” She hissed. 

I made it a little further into the obstacle course, finding a safe spot where there weren’t any signs of danger. I caught my breath as I turned around to see Miguel literally sprinting through the course. He put so much power into his swings, climbing on all fours as he jumped and rolled to avoid the lasers, even slashing some of them with his talons. 

“ Chumchuneun bulbicheun nal gamssago done

Black to the pink eodiseodeun teukbyeolhae
Oh yes, Chyeoda bodeun maldeun I wanna dance
Like ttaradaradanttan, Ttaradaradanttan, ttudurubbau ~” 

As I watched him, I suddenly became nervous. Why did I get the feeling that he didn’t want to talk to me about his mission? He would have said something by now? Why go after me if he could have just waited for me to finish the course on my own? 

I glanced back over towards Lyla who was banging her little fists against the barrier, yelling for Miguel. If Lyla looked that distressed trying to reach out to him, then I knew something was wrong. What was Miguel up to? 

Miguel was getting closer, as he used his webs to swing up to a moving platform as he jumped across them. “Lisa, I know what happened during your mission!”

I could feel my soul eject itself from my body as my brain processed the words. My palms instantly became sweaty as my feet started to move back. “What are you talking about?” I chuckled nervously as my eyes began to search frantically for an exit. 

It better not be what I think it is-! 

“Lyla came clean and showed me everything!” Miguel called out as he jumped down after reaching the end of the moving platform stage. 

I felt like I was going to throw up right there and then. But why wouldn’t my heart stop pounding so hard in my chest?

“Joha i bunwigiga joha

Joha nan jigeum nega joha

Jeongmal banhaesseo oneul bam

Neowa chumchugo sipeo~! ”

“What?!” My breath hitched from my throat as I watched him soar into the air. 

My feet were at the edge of the platform, my heels just on the edge. 

Miguel’s optics narrowed through his mask as he jumped and used his claws to latch on to the platform and pulled himself up. "LISA! YOU KISSED ME?!"

My body froze, my eyes widening.

Oh shit! 

I watched as Miguel stood up, his chest rising and falling as he began to stalk towards me. Just as a metal support beam was flying by us. My eyes flickered towards it before looking back at Miguel. His gaze caught on instantly as he paused his steps for a moment.

“Don’t you dare–!” He reached a hand towards me. 

I shot out a web, attaching it to the beam as I laughed, fearing for my life. “ BOOMBAYAH! ” 

The web yanked me just out of Miguel’s reach as the music kicked into overdrive in the background. 

“No, wait, get back here!” He yelled. 

I let go of the web sling, dropping down onto another platform as I ran and avoided more blaster fire. I could hear Miguel’s heavy footsteps as he chased after me, mimicking my movements as I continued to navigate the obstacle course as if my life depended on it. In a sense, it did. 

“Go away, Miguel!” I shouted back at him. 

“I just want to talk to you!” He growled as he swerved out of the way of an incoming obstacle. 

“Well I’m not ready to talk about this with you,” I groaned as I vaulted myself over a series of metal poles. 

“Like hell you aren’t, we’re talking about this now !” He yelled. 

I tried to ignore him as the final obstacle of the course approached us. A giant cement wall. There were multiple ways you could get past it. With the speed I was running at to try and get away from Miguel, I found myself slipping to my side as I slid underneath it. 

When I came to the other side, instead of running for the exit, I jumped and stuck myself to the wall using my feet and my palms. I reached down, pausing the music on my player as it came to a sudden halt. Silence quickly filled the air. 

I looked up, panting hard as I caught my breath. Within mere seconds apart, I heard earth shattering noises as I saw Miguel jump and vault himself over the wall. His talons were out, the claws gleaming in the light. He must have used them to climb the wall! 

He landed with a hard grunt, his knees bent. I instantly held my breath as he slowly stood up, standing tall as his back muscles tensed, his claws recoiling back. Without a Spider-Sense, he wouldn’t know I was hiding here, right?

His head titled and then he suddenly whipped around and fired his red laser web shooter in my direction. I yelped, my body flinching as I expected to get webbed. But the web instead latched on to the wall near my head as he launched forward. 

I gasped loudly as his hands slammed into the wall on either side of me. He had me pinned. At first we both just stayed there, breathing each other in as our chests rose and fell almost in sync with one another. Miguel’s mask dematerialized, and I could see him breathing heavily through his nose and out of his mouth. His red eyes seemed to stare me down as he gently lowered his right arm, leaning forward. 

“Why didn’t you tell me that you liked me?” Miguel asked.  

I suddenly felt like I was struggling to breathe. I heard Miguel’s words, but I couldn’t say anything back. My pupils went wide as a memory flashed into my mind. 

The apartment was trashed. Furniture was broken, and I was there. On the floor. With him standing over me like a predator toying with his prey. 

“You’re only making this harder for yourself, Lisa,” Miguel made a tsked sound with his tongue, shaking his head with a disappointed frown.

No, not Miguel. Not my Miguel. It was the Chameleon. But he looked like Miguel. Talked like Miguel. 

Miguel was so close to me. I didn’t think before I made a move. I whined softly, pushing him away from me, “Get off me!” 

Miguel stumbled back and before I realized it, I went in and punched his jaw. Just like how he taught me to. 

Miguel growled, falling on his side. My punch connected, but it wasn’t hard enough to cause serious damage or draw blood. After realizing what I had done, I gasped sharply, my body tumbling from the wall as I collapsed to the floor. 

“Lisa, why did you–” Miguel looked like he was going to make some sort of snarky comment until he saw the look on my face. 

“Don’t you even think about putting your hands on me again!” I threatened. 

Immediately, the iris of his eyes changed from red back to his chocolate brown. “Oh, shock . . .” he choked, his face softening. 

My body was shaking as I brought my hands up to my mouth, muffling my sobs as tears threatened to give way. Out of the corner of my eye I could see Miguel sit up and shuffle towards my side. He hesitated at first, before reaching out and placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Mona?” he called out softly. His fingers reached up and gently brushed some strands of my hair away from my face.

I glanced over towards him, seeing the brief outline of where my punch had landed. “Are you okay?”

“No, no, I should be the one asking you that,” Miguel gently shushed her as he sat beside me, wrapping an arm around me as he held me close to his side. “Mona Lisa, I’m so sorry . I didn’t mean to scare you like that,” 

I’m not sure how long we stayed like that for. A few minutes, maybe longer. But at some point I could see Gabriel walking around towards the exit, a look of sympathy and pity in his eyes as he watched us. Lyla hovered near him, arms crossed over her chest as her face hung low. 

When my breathing calmed and I felt like I wasn’t on the brink of tears anymore, Miguel gently pulled back, peering his gaze down towards me. “Why didn’t you tell me about the kiss?” 

My eyes poured into his as my lips thinned into a tight line. “I thought if I told you, things would be different between us. That you'd treat me differently. . .”

I lowered my gaze, my face hanging low. Miguel continued to stare at me with a soft, almost understanding look. 

But there was also a hint of sorrow in his eyes.

“Well, if me wanting to kiss you back is treating you differently, then yes. . .” He mumbled softly. 

My gaze shot back up to his eyes, my eyes wide. “What?” My voice was but a whisper. 

His fingers stroked down my hair to my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. “But. . .”

“But?” I repeated, urging him to speak his mind. 

“. . . I can’t,” He hissed, shutting his eyes. 

My eyes poured into his, my head tilting to the side as I watched him. “Miguel?”

He took a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. Miguel opened his eyes again and the look in his eyes was something I had never seen from him before. Grief. 

“I was very close with someone before. Someone not from my dimension. I stayed with them, thinking it was harmless. Until I realized I had disrupted the canon, it was too late. She and her entire universe was gone ,” He sighed deeply, shaking his head with regret. 

Slowly my hand snaked up and found his, my fingers intertwining with his. Miguel didn’t pull away. 

“I’m worried, no, I’m scared , that if I allow myself to like you, to love you. . .” His voice cracked as he briefly looked away to compose himself and his thoughts. He sucked in a shaky breath before looking back towards me. “You and everything you love will be gone because of me,” 

My breath hitched at my throat as my mind fully processed what he just said. 

If I allow myself to love you . . . .

He wants it? But he can’t. . . He’s forcing himself not to. . .

I squeezed his hand tightly. He still didn’t pull away. 

I sighed softly, shutting my eyes. “Yes. . .”

Miguel glanced over at me, his voice quiet. “Yes, what?”

“I have feelings for you, Miguel,” My gaze found his. 

I watched as Miguel’s eyes went wide. 

“But. . .” I hesitated briefly, trying to find the right words to say, “What you did back there? That was not okay, Miguel,” 

He nodded his head in agreement. “Absolutely, I swear to you I’ll never do it again,” I could hear the confidence and hardness in his voice as he swore to me. It made me believe him. 

I took another shaky breath as I prepared myself for what else was to come. “That, and– I don’t feel comfortable talking about this more, right now,” 

His next nod was a little slower, but the look in his eyes told me he understood my reasoning. “Okay,” 

“And–” I absolutely hated myself for what came last, but after what Miguel had said, it seemed it was the logical call to make. “You don’t officially have to say how you feel back, if you can’t or don’t want to, regardless. . .” 

I felt Miguel’s hand squeeze mine. He didn’t say anything after that. 

We locked gazes as he carefully helped me up to my feet. His gaze lingered briefly before flickering down to our hands. Carefully, he brought my fingers up to his lips and gently pressed a small kiss there, his eyes pouring apologetically into mine. “Lo lamento , my Mona Lisa,” - I’m sorry

He lowered my hand away from his face before he slowly, hesitatingly, pulled his hand away from mine. He offered me one more glance before turning his head as he walked through the exit of the obstacle course. He stopped at Gabriel’s side, glancing over at him. 

“Make sure she gets back home safe,” He politely requested. 

Gabriel offered him a sympathetic nod. “Of course,” 

Miguel nodded back in kind as he made his way out of the training center. Gabriel looked back towards me before slowly approaching me as I wrapped my arms around myself, calming myself down. 

“Are you okay, Lisa?” Gabriel asked. “Do you want to go home now?”

I looked up at him, figuring out what I wanted before responding. “I want to run through the course again,” 

He offered me a pitiful glance before nodding. “Alright. I’ll reset the platforms,” 

////////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

Miguel needed time away. Away from other Spiders, away from other people in general. He entered his bedroom for the first time in weeks. The lights were dimmed low, his sensitive eyesight adjusting to the lighting. Miguel walked over to his bed, setting down at the edge. 

He sighed deeply before pressing a button on his Gizmo and slowly, his entire suit dematerialized from the neck down, revealing his muscle toned body. He brushed a hand over the bedsheets, wondering when was the last time they were washed. If Lisa’s scent would still be there. 

Lisa. . . 

Miguel growled suddenly, frustrated over what happened, but also with himself , as he reached out and grabbed his alarm clock. He chucked it at his work desk, breaking the monitor as the screen cracked and the clock shattered into pieces. It wasn’t as satisfying as he thought it would be. 

Lyla appeared suddenly beside him. Her arms crossed over her chest. She gave him the look of a very disappointed mother figure. “Are you happy now?” 

Miguel huffed as he waved her off, “Déjame en paz, lyla. es lo mejor para ambos, créeme .” - Leave me alone, Lyla. It’s what’s best for both of us. Trust me. 

Lyla watched as Miguel laid back in the bed, turning to his side as he climbed into the covers. She sighed as she hovered over to the tinted curtains of the window. She activated a holographic panel, setting an alarm. 

“For both of you, or only for you?” Lyla lectured sternly. 

Miguel didn’t answer her. He saw Lyla’s faint glow disappear and he was left alone in his room. Miguel shut his eyes and for the first time in weeks dreamed of nothing but longing. A longing to hold her hand again.

Chapter Text

I remember powering through the obstacle course again. My focus was neither here nor there as I mindlessly navigated the moving platforms and obstacles. By the time I made it to the end, my stance was more wobbly as I lowered my hands to my knees, catching my breath. 

Gabriel took note of my lap times and provided insight on the suit upgrades. As much as I tried to stall, he knew the best thing for me right now was to rest at home. I needed a break. 

Not just from training, but from the Spider-Society. From Miguel. From everything. 

I remember walking through the portal and arriving back in my apartment. It was late at night, the lights turned off as the entire suite was dark. It was drizzling outside, as I could hear the tiny pitter patter of raindrops against the windows and the fire escape. I glanced over towards it, half expecting Miguel to come through there at any moment. But he didn’t. 

Why would he? 

I remember looking down at myself in my spider-suit. The emblem, though different designs, reminded me too much of the sigil on Miguel’s suit. In a huff of frustration, I ripped the zipper down and yanked it off my body. I grabbed a fistfull of it in my hand, about to toss it across the room until I stopped myself, looking at it again. 

My mind drifted back to Margo and Hobie helping me design the concept and most recently Gabriel helping me upgrade it. My free hand gently wrapped itself around my stomach. I wasn’t mad at them, or the suit. I wasn’t really mad either. With a defeated sigh, I dropped my spider-suit to the floor and I collapsed into my bed. 

I remember not bothering to change into pajamas, or crawling into the covers. I laid stomach down in my undergarments, letting the cool chill draft over my skin. My fingers curled into the bedsheets. 

I remembered the look on Miguel’s face, and his apology as he kissed my hand. After hearing what had happened to him, to the person he cared for and their universe, why would I allow him to go through the pain of potentially losing someone again? Why would I allow him to go through the pain of wanting to be with me but he can’t? It’s for the best. Right?

If I allow myself to like you, to love you. . . You and everything you love will be gone because of me. . . 

“Oh, Miguel. . .” I mumbled as I reached for a pillow and dragged it to my side, holding it tightly. “I already lost something I loved when you said those words,” 

I remember crying after that. I didn’t remember falling asleep as my eyes opened to the sunlight the next morning to tear stains on my pillows and cheeks. I glanced at the time. I couldn’t bring myself to get out of bed. 

I reached for my phone, opening the group chat to my dance team. 

“Hey, I won’t be coming in to practice today. Let the coach know for me. I’m not feeling the best right now,” - Lisa 

“Oh no! :O What happened?” - Hannah 

“I was getting some extra practice in at home and I think I pulled one too many muscles and I just feel. . . sore,” - Lisa 

“That sucks ass, do you want us to get you anything after practice?” - Kasey

“No, it’s okay, I appreciate the thought. I’ll just sleep it off,” - Lisa 

“If you’re absolutely sure. Don’t hesitate to message us, I’ll have the boys get you anything you need! ^_^” - Hannah 

“Thanks girls, you’re the best :)” - Lisa 

I managed a small smile at the messages. As much as I hated lying, I was happy for their understanding. Plus I wasn’t ready to explain that the guy that I like who pretended to be my boyfriend to fool the cops can’t actually be romantically involved with me otherwise he could potentially destroy my dimension and everyone living in it. 

I dropped my phone as I lowered myself back into bed, cuddling my pillow close to my chest. I felt numb, like my heart left a dull ache inside of me. If I tried to move, it was like a weight was keeping me down. Maybe I was just tired, and not still thinking about last night. 

I went back to sleep. 

I dreamed of Miguel. His voice, his touch, every moment we had together the last few weeks up until that moment. The tears returned. 

I woke up to the sound of something tapping my window. Realizing my curtain wasn’t closed all the way through, I peek over to see the fire escape window open, and a familiar Ghost-Spider blonde enters my apartment. 

“Lisa?” Gwen calls out softly. 

I gasp sharply as I see Gwen come through my window. I try to dry my tears and cover myself up with a sweater and blanket to not embarrass myself and protect what shred of dignity I had left. "Gwen--! What are you doing here?"

Gwen’s eyes lit up as she registered my voice and looked over towards my bedroom. She jumped over, pulling back the curtain slightly as her eyes widened at my appearance. “Wow, you’re a mess!”

I couldn’t help but huff a tired laugh. “You don’t know the half of it,” 

“We hadn’t heard or seen you since your mission in rescuing Miguel,” Gwen explained with a worried expression. “I tried talking to Lyla but she’d been acting weird all day yesterday,” 

“Yeah, uh, it’s a– been a weird day,” I nodded my head, acknowledging Gwen’s observation. 

“Wait, you–” Gwen’s eyes peered closer towards me before she gasped softly, “You were crying just now?”

“She was crying?!”

I could hear Pav’s voice from outside. My cheeks flushed as I instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around myself. Pav was here too?

“Pav, Hobie, hold on a second!” Gwen lifted a hand out, signaling the boys not to come inside yet. She looked back towards me. “Lisa, what happened?”

"It's stupid. I-- I got into, well, I don't know if it was a fight or what, but–” I sniffled as I adjusted myself to sit up properly in my bed before meeting Gwen’s gaze. “It's about Miguel,"

She looked genuinely concerned. "Miguel?"

“Miguel knows Gwen,” I sighed deeply, taking a moment to compose myself before continuing. “He knows about the kiss,”

“What?” Her eyes widened in surprise as she sat down at the edge of my bed.

“How did he find out?!” Pav exclaimed as he poked his head through the window. 

“Eh, he was bound to find out eventually,” Hobie gently pulled Pav back by the back of his collar. 

“Yeah, eventually , not so soon!” I groaned, rolling my eyes at Hobie’s comment. 

“I thought Lyla was helping you cover it up until you were ready to talk?” Gwen recalled the small private talk the group had after the mission was over when I left Miguel at the medical bay. 

“She was, but I guess Miguel caught wind that something wasn’t right. He said that she ended up telling him everything,” I huffed tiredly. 

Gwen looked around my room, noting my dresser. She motioned her head towards it. “Here, let me help you get dressed so the guys can come in and talk. Is that okay?”

I nodded gently as Gwen stood up, pulling the curtain fully closed to give us privacy and to allow the guys to enter the apartment with no trouble. I could hear their footsteps coming through the window, as their heels click clacked along the wooden flooring. Gwen rummaged through my dresser, offering me a change of clothes. 

“Lisa, where’s your tea kettle, I’ll make you some chai!” Pav called from the kitchen. 

“Oh, I haven’t unpacked that yet,” My eyes widened at the kind gesture, my face softening as I began to pull on the clothes. “It should be in the second box next to the microwave,”

Faint rummaging noises quickly followed as an excited gasp escaped him. “Found it!” 

“I got the cups,” Hobie quickly added as I could hear the clattering of cups being placed on a counter. 

I changed into a black sweat pants and a light gray t-shirt, Gwen turning her back to me to give me more privacy while I got dressed. When I was ready, she helped me up from the bed, pulling back the curtain. The two of us walked into the kitchen to find Pav and Hobie. Pav worked on the kettle machine while Hobie shuffled through the tea bag flavors. 

“The chai is just heating up,” Pav offered me a warm smile. 

“Thank you, Pav, that’s really sweet of you,” I smiled sweetly at him.

Gwen and I took a seat at the bar stools at the kitchen counter. She placed a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Okay, start at the beginning,”

“So, before I kissed him Lyla said that if I wanted to, I didn’t have to tell him that I kissed him to free him from the curse,” I began with a deep sigh, “When we brought him back to HQ at the medical bay, Lyla did some tampering and messed with the mission log and your report,” 

“Yeah, I remember, she sent me a message saying she had tweaked it,” Gwen nodded. 

“Gotta respect the anarchy,” Hobie smirked in approval. 

“What happened after that?” Gwen asked. 

“After practice, Miguel asked to see me. He’s allowing me to go on more missions now so he introduced me to his brother Gabriel so he could upgrade my suit,” I explained. Pav poured me a cup of chai and passed me the mug. I smiled warmly. “Miguel was called to a mission so Gabriel helped me with the rest of the upgrades on his own and then asked me to run through the obstacle course at the training center to make sure everything checked out okay,” 

“Is that where it happened?” Pav asked with a sympathetic look. 

I nodded slowly as I gripped my fingers around my mug tightly, letting the liquid inside warm my hands. “He must have found out when he got back cause as I was going through the obstacle course, Miguel showed up and literally chased me through it to talk to me,” 

Gwen and Pav’s eyes widened as they both simultaneously yelled. “He chased you?!”

“The man sounds desperate to me,” Hobie made a comment before taking a loud sip of his cup. 

“In his defense, I panicked and ran away from him cause I was scared of talking about it,” I grumbled as I deflated into my seat. 

“That still doesn’t make it okay,” Gwen shook her head with a disapproving look. 

“Oh, it gets better,” I rolled my eyes. 

“Define better ?” Pav raised a curious brow as he drank a sip of his mug of chai. 

“We both make it to the end of the course, he pins me to a wall and asks me why I didn’t tell him about the kiss, and– I–” I hesitated, almost afraid to say it as I hung my head in shame. “I had a panic attack and I punched him,” 

The three other Spider’s gasped, gawking their eyes at me as they all briefly glanced at each other in shock before turning their gaze back to me. 

“You punched him?” Gwen exclaimed, not believing what she was hearing.

“Like right in his handsome face?” Pav quickly added, hands over his face. 

“Fight the power, Lisa, I like it,” Hobie offered me a playful grin as he leaned back on the opposite counter. 

“Hobie, not helping,” Gwen casted a cautious warning glance towards Hobie before focusing her attention back on me. “Did you punch him because you were scared of what he would do or say?”

“No, nothing like that. I mean– Yes, I was scared of how he’d react, sure, but–” I shook my head furiously before taking a breath to calm myself and finally allowing myself a small sip of my chai. 

“What happened, Lisa?” Pav asked with concern. 

All eyes were trained on me, as the trio all leaned in closer, anticipating my answer. 

I sighed tiredly. “I punched him because what he did reminded me of the attack here in this apartment the other week,”

“You mean you were attacked by a doppelganger variant of the boss man?” Hobie raised a curious brow at me. 

I shook my head. “No, it was a variant of the villain Chameleon. He disguised himself as Miguel. He talked like him, sounded like him, and he. . .”

I found myself beginning to choke up, my shoulders trembling. Gwen reached out and gently wrapped her arm around me, offering me a tight hug. “It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything else,” 

I sighed tiredly, exhaling a trembling breath of air. Footsteps caught my ear as Pav walked around and gave me a hug on my other side. I smiled at the gesture and before long, I felt Hobie’s hand pat my head gently.

“We got your back, luv,” I could hear the faint smile on Hobie’s face. 

“Thanks you guys,” I relaxed in my friend's embrace, a sweet genuine smile on my face.

I was actually starting to feel a little bit better. 

“Miguel apologized for what he did and we just. . . sat there for a while,” 

Pav pulled away from his hug, offering me a glance. “Did Mr. O’Hara say anything after he apologized?”

“I– I confessed my feelings for him, but he said that even if he wanted to be involved with me romantically, he can’t,” I sighed deeply. 

“He can’t?” Pav repeated. 

“He could disrupt the canon,” Gwen realized with a soft voice. “Wait, does your dimension even technically have a canon?”

“If it does or doesn’t, we don’t know, but Miguel was very specific. He doesn’t want another dimension disappearing again because of him,” I hung my head low. 

I didn’t see the further look of recognition on Gwen’s face as she realized in more detail what I was talking about. Hobie hummed deeply, his head turning to the side. He knew it too. 

Before I could say anything more, there was a knock suddenly at my door. The other Spider’s panicked, trying not to talk as they hurriedly scrambled to find a place to hide. 

“Who is it?” I called out towards the door. 

“Delivery!” A cheery voice exclaimed.

Wait, I knew that voice!

“Hide!” I whispered harshly as I ushered them all out of the window and onto the fire escape before shutting the window. 

I slid across the floor to the kitchen, carefully taking Pav and Hobie’s mugs in the sink to hide them. I had to make them think that I was the only one here. I scampered to the door, taking a moment to fix myself up before opening the door and stunned to see Kasey and the others. 

“Guys?" I gawked at them. 

“Surprise!” Kasey grinned with a friendly wave. 

“We thought we’d surprise you and bring you stuff to make you feel better,” Hannah smiled as she handed me a homemade care package. 

“Oh, wow, that’s really sweet of you guys,” My eyes softened at the gesture as I took the basket before my expression morphed and I looked at them with an almost horrified expression. “Wait, how did you guys figure out where I live?”

“We asked Coach for your address so we could check on you after practice,” Kasey offered me an apologetic look. “Can you blame us for worrying a little?”

“Do you need help with anything?” Toya asked. 

“We brought you some heating pads too,” Touga held up the product box with a proud grin. 

“Aw, thanks guys,” I smiled sweetly at them before I stepped to the side, allowing them to pass. “I’d feel bad sending you guys on your way so quickly, so come on in for a bit?”

“Really? Yay!” Hannah beamed happily as she was the first to enter the apartment while the rest of the group followed behind her. 

I shut the door behind them, watching as they all got settled and looked around the apartment. 

“Sweet digs, Lisa,” Touga nodded in approval as he looked around before plopping himself down on the couch.

“Yeah, it’s really cute,” Toya agreed as he took the seat next to his brother. 

“Lisa, what’s this cute onesie?” Hannah reached out and picked something up from the floor and I thought I was going to have a panic attack. 

MY SPIDER-SUIT! 

“Oh, that!” I chuckled nervously as I walked over to her and gently took it off her hands. “Um, well–”

I glanced out the window to see Gwen, Hobie, and Pav, all with their masks on, peeking through the window. 

“We’re supposed to be The Webslingers right? I thought for the show we could dress up in costume?” I rubbed the back of my neck nervously, hoping my voice was convincing enough. 

“Oh cool! That’s a great idea!” Hannah beamed. “Even when you’re not feeling well, you’re still thinking of ways to help the team,”

I was sweating bullets at that point, laughing along with her. “Yep, that’s me! A team player!”

“I’ll message my sister, she works as a costume designer in the city,” Hannah smiled as she took a seat whilst bringing out her phone. “I’ll message her,” 

I sighed in relief at the offer before I found myself collapsing into my loveseat chair. I huddled my knees up to my chest. I hated it. The constant lying. I hated every second of it. 

“Are you feeling okay, Lisa?” Kasey spoke up. 

I glanced over towards her as Kasey leaned against the armrest of the couch, sitting beside Toya. Her arms were crossed as she gave me a look that was a mixture of genuine concern, but also suspicion. 

“Yeah, just sore is all,” I nodded softly. 

“Is that all?” She asked, tilting her head to the side. “Or is there something else that’s bothering you?”

“Oh, did you hear from your boyfriend? How did his doctor visit go?” Hannah asked with a sweet innocent smile. 

Oh, sweet, sweet, innocent Hannah. . . 

My eyes widened at the question, and I couldn’t stop my hands from trembling as I wrapped my arms around my knees. “Right, um. . . I don’t want to talk about it,”

Hannah gasped softly, worry coursing through her as she was worried she struck a wrong cord. “Did something happen?”

I didn’t answer her, instead burying my face into my knees. It all came flooding back all over again. 

The twins' gaze sombered as they stared at me, before exchanging glances with one another.

“Hey bro, are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Toya grinned over at his twin. 

“Oh, brother of mine, I think I am,” Touga smirked back at him. 

“What’s going on?” I raised a suspicious brow at the twins as they both got up from their spots on the couch. 

Toya grabbed his backpack and suddenly started walking towards the fire escape window and I immediately started to panic as Touga extended a hand towards me. “Trust the process, Lisa, it will be fun!”

I casted a nervous glance between the window and the girls, and Hannah nodded her head encouragingly. “Trust them, Lisa, they know what they’re doing,” 

I looked up towards Touga as he offered me a similar encouraging glance. I reached out and took his hand as he gently led me towards the window where Toya had already climbed out onto the fire escape and began climbing up the stairs. No sign of the other Spiders. Had they left?

“Come on, ladies!” Touga called with a grin.

“Right behind you!” Hannah beamed. 

I glanced back at Kasey as I stepped through the window and she seemed to have a knowing smile on her face, as if she knew what was coming. Before I could ask her about it, Touga gently pulled me along with him as we climbed up the stairs and made our way up to the roof. I instantly felt nostalgia as I reflected on Miguel’s confession to me that night. 

It felt bittersweet now after what happened yesterday. But his words, his emotions, they were so raw and real . I could tell that he meant every word. During both interactions. 

I was snapped out of my funk when I heard a loud and sudden static. I glanced over to see Toya had pulled out a large portable speaker. Colours flashed along the speaker as it powered on. “Ready?” He glanced over at his brother. 

“Ready!” Touga grinned, giving Toya a thumbs up. 

“Ready for what?” I glanced between them, completely confused. 

“To cheer you up, silly!” Hannah giggled with a knowing laugh as she sat beside Kasey. 

Okay, now I am really confused. 

Then a beat shook from the speaker, vibrating in my bones. Faint music began to play as Toya and Touga tapped their feet to the beat. 

[Lyrics: Rough English Translation of Fighting by BSS ft. Lee Young Ji] 

“Whoops, gotta wake up, morning already

Closed my eyes, open, sun's way up in the sky

Give breakfast a pass, gotta sleep ten more minutes, oh-oh-oh~”

“Take-out coffee, go

(Ame, ame, ame, americano)~”

Toya sang and danced to the first set of lyrics before taking my hand and spinning me around. I found myself twirling into Touga who gently caught me in his arms. He walked me through the dance steps as I tried to follow along in my confused daze. 

“In the stories, why do all my friends?

Look so cool there, why me, me? Only me? Why?

Why, why, why, why?

Why am I still struggling?

Why am I getting pushed around?
I-gu, i-gu, i-gu, i-gu~”

Touga sang along before he carefully picked me up and plopped me down in the center of their makeshift dance floor they’ve made for themselves. They both clapped along to the beat of the drum, side stepping around me.

“We're all earphone-wearing zombies

Everybody needs a boost up pumpin'

Come on, let's get it-!”

They both slid to either side of me and that’s when I realized what this was all about. They were dancing to get me to join in. They were dancing to cheer me up. 

Kind of cheesy, maybe a little bit cringe. But I loved them for it. 

“We're your Web-Sling-Ers~”

I broke out into a laughter as the pair continued to dance to the chorus, and slowly I found myself moving along with them. I mimicked their moves as best as I could, occasionally throwing in my own dance moves that I felt would match with the song. 

“On a day like any othеr day

You hear this song start to play

We'll be thеre to sing it for you

Gotta keep going, what else can you do?

Fighting, yeah

Fighting, yeah

Don't give it up, never give it up, yeah~”

Hannah and Kasey cheered and applauded us from the side lines as they each did their own dance. I looked around and finally spotted Gwen, Pav, and Hobie hanging out on another roof nearby. They offered their own cheers, Pav even trying to dance along himself but the poor boy kept tripping on his feet. 

The sight made me laugh as I continued to dance with Toya and Touga, chanting and singing along with them. 

“Fighting, yeah

Fighting, yeah

We're the Webslingers!

Ah, fighting, yeah~” 

As all of this was going on however, we all didn’t notice that another portal had opened on a different rooftop moments prior to the dance starting. Staying close to the shadows, Miguel and Peter B. watched, their enhanced eyesight peering through her windows.

They watched as the group of teen Spiders offered her a group hug before quickly being ushered outside as Lisa’s other friends arrived. Then they watched as they escorted Lisa up the fire escape and up onto the roof. The music started  playing as Lisa’s walls were slowly broken down and she danced along with her friends. 

“See, Miguel? I think Lisa has everything she needs to heal,” Peter B. smiled as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You can have that too. I don’t think she wants to move on from how she feels,”

Miguel sighed deeply in relief as he watched her. He sat down at the edge of the roof, not saying anything at first, until a soft smile spread on his lips. “Neither do I,”

Chapter Text

Miguel’s P.O.V. - that same morning

Miguel groaned softly as the alarm echoed across the room. It rang once, then twice before the tinted curtains began to slowly loosen, the black tint became less intense as it allowed some of the outside sunlight into the room. 

“Lyla, that's enough light,” Miguel grumbled as he slowly sat up, his hand briefly shielding his eyes as it allowed him a moment to adjust to the light. 

“Good morning, Miguel,” Lyla fizzled next to him, hands behind her back. “How are you feeling?” 

“Um, fine?” Miguel raised a brow at the AI as he managed to pull his legs around to the edge of the bed. 

“So, you’re fine enough to go see Lisa and apologize again for what you did last night and actually talk to her?” Lyla gave him a look that told Miguel that she would not be dropping this conversation no matter how hard he’d try. 

Miguel huffed tiredly as he pushed himself up from the bed, the bedsheets fluttering off his lower half. He walked naked into his bathroom. “Lyla, first of all, I did apologize to her, and second of all, after what happened yesterday, I can imagine she does not want to see me,” 

Lyla followed him into the bathroom as he went through his morning routine. He brushed his teeth, allowing his muscles to relax as he let his fangs hang out before quickly shaving the stubble beard that was beginning to take form along his jaw. 

Her arms crossed, she nodded along. “Okay, give her space? That’s totally fine,” Lyla zapped up and sat on his head, nestled in his bed head. “Just don’t become a hermit and never talk to her again,” 

“I never said I’d do that, Lyla,” Miguel huffed, rolling his eyes, clearly used to her antics at this point. 

Lyla watched him through the mirror, her head tilted to the side. “You missed a spot,” 

“Yeah, yeah, I see it,” Miguel mumbled as he gently shaved off the remaining stubble from his chin. 

“I know, I know,” Lyla’s lips curled into a small smile. “I’m just gently reminding you that it’s okay to talk about your feelings once in a while,” 

“I think after last night, that was my once in a while for the next while,” Miguel huffed as he put his razor away before stepping into the shower. He was about to turn the water on before he glanced up towards Lyla. “Lyla, please–?”

“”What?” Lyla gave him a look as she hovered away from his hair, a question mark bubble hovering over her head. “Miguel, honestly this isn’t the first time I’ve seen you naked,”

“ Lyla !” Miguel stressed out her name, his teeth grinding. 

“Okay, okay!” Lyla flew out of the shower before Miguel slid the door shut as the water started running. “Jeez, so pushy,” 

“You would be pushy too if your privacy was being invaded,” Miguel grumbled. 

Miguel took a few minutes to clean himself off, rinsing off soap and shampoo off his toned body. He could feel the dopamine flow through his brain, sighing deeply as he relaxed under the showerhead. Miguel needed this. Just a moment to clear his head. 

I can’t be with Lisa. Even if I wanted to, it would disrupt her canon event. 

He thought back to their first meeting in his lab, when he had shown her his holographic projection of the multiverse. He remembered the projection of her world, the white threads working desperately to heal themselves. When was the last time he had checked personally on their progress? 

They were acting out that way because he had believed that the Spider biting Lisa was an unplanned canon event. He had seen it happen before on multiple occasions. Once even first hand. 

Wait, does Lisa’s dimension even have a canon in the first place? 

As far as he’s aware, hers is the only dimension that doesn’t physically have a Spider person. Their comic books, movies, TV, allows them to safely exist as fictional characters, yes, but with no direct impact on that universe’s life source. Could it actually work?

“Lyla,” Miguel called as he stepped out of the shower, dripping wet as he grabbed a towel, quickly drying himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist. “Run another diagnostic on Lisa’s dimension,” 

“I thought you were still moppy and gonna hide in your room all day?” Lyla crossed her arms at him. 

“I am,” Miguel responded with a sassy tone in his voice. “I’m just gonna be a little productive about it,” 

Miguel reached for the door, sliding it open. The second he saw a figure standing in his room, he didn’t even check to see who it was. He immediately slammed the door, pressing his back to it. Did Lyla let someone in his room while he was showering?!

“Lyla!” Miguel harshly whispered the AI’s name, giving her a look of rage that would have disintegrated her soul if she even had one. 

“Oops, I forgot to mention I called dear old baby brother up here to check in on you,” Lyla winked at him, unphased by his behavior.

Baby brother? She doesn’t mean–! 

Miguel backed away from the door, sliding it open before turning up the brightness in the room just a smidge. The shadowy figure standing in the room did indeed turn out to be his baby brother, Gabriel O’Hara. Instead of wearing his lab jumpsuit, Gabriel was dressed in a green jacket with a gray shirt, black cargo pants, and slip-on sneakers. Not to mention that signature scarf of his.

“Morning, Migs,” Gabriel waved with an apologetic smile. “Sorry for the wake up call. Lyla rang me up,” 

“Yeah,” Miguel sighed deeply as he stepped out into the room. “I noticed,” 

Gabriel watched as Miguel crossed the room to the blinds, activated the interactive touch screen as he looked at some reports. 

“I was surprised when I didn’t find you passed out on your desk in your lab,” Gabriel teased with a light hearted grin before his muscles relaxed, and his lips shifted to a thin concerned line. “. . . How did you sleep?”

Miguel paused his task, offering his brother a side glance. “You want me to be honest?”

“That bad?” Gabriel stepped closer to him, his arms crossed over his chest. 

Miguel’s gaze returned to the touch screen, peering through to watch the city before him. “She’s all I could think about,”

“Alright then,” Gabriel patted Miguel’s shoulder before turning on his heel. “Get dressed, and no spider suit,”

“Espera, ¿de qué estás hablando? ” Miguel shot his brother a puzzling look. - What are you talking about?

“You clearly need a break,” Gabriel played it off as if it were nothing, waving at him to hurry along. “Breakfast is on me. I’ll wait for you outside, you got 5 minutes,” 

“Breakfast? I can’t leave now–!” Miguel called out to him, surprised by his sudden offer.

“Okay, just for the attitude, you now have 3,” Gabriel rolled his eyes before stepping out of the bedroom and shutting the door behind him. 

Miguel glanced over, seeing Lyla sitting back on a beach chair with a knowing look on her face. “You planned this didn’t you?”

“Can you blame me?” Lyla scoffed, sitting up from her chair. “You need a break, and someone you trust enough to talk some sense into you,”

Miguel groaned, swearing under his breath. As much as he hated to admit it, standing around here wasn’t going to solve anything. He absolutely hated that she was right. 

“Fine, just, can you please run the diagnostic while I’m gone?” He asked, a hint of pleading in his voice. 

Lyla offered Miguel a soft smile, leaning her upper body forward before winking playfully at him. “Only because you said please,”

Miguel sighed, pleased that at least something was going to go his way today. “Thank you, Lyla,”

“Enjoy your brotherly bonding!” She smiled before fizzling out of existence. 

////////

Minutes later, Miguel and Gabriel were walking away from the Spider-Society HQ. The building that was once home to his dimension’s Alchemax. As they walked, he couldn’t help but turn back and catch a glance at the tall structure, the rays of sunlight reflecting off the glass as he adjusted his sunglasses. 

It only seemed like yesterday he was a lowly scientist who became a part of their top secret experimental project that gave him his spider powers. It only seemed like yesterday he worked his way to the top and kicked his former CEO Mr. Stone to the curb and became the new head of Alchemax. It only seemed like yesterday when Alchemax shut down after their last big incident with their collider and Miguel took an early retirement, deploying much of his resources into shaping what was now the Spider-Society.

So much has happened over the years. To think so much had happened in all that time. Miguel felt older and wiser beyond his years, and tired. Mostly tired. Sometimes he wished he could just take a step back from it all. 

“Hey, are you done sightseeing?” 

Gabriel’s voice snapped Miguel out of his trance as he glanced over at his baby brother who was waving at him to keep up. He was half expecting him to walk Miguel to his car for a drive. He was thankful his eyes didn’t set themselves on Gabriel’s beloved retro red sports car. 

It wasn’t always a convertible, until a crazed man with a samurai sword sliced his roof off. He refused to get it fixed, let alone buy a new one, despite Miguel’s wishes. Said it adds to the charm. 

Miguel adjusted the collar of his jacket before picking up the pace. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” He caught up to his brother, offering him a side glance. “Where are we going?”

He stuffed his hands into his pockets, wearing blue cargo pants, a red t-shirt and a black leather jacket. The heels of his black slip on shoes clicked against the sidewalk as his black sunglasses tinted in the harsh light. 

“Not too far, big brother, I won’t keep you from your work for too long,” Gabriel offered Miguel a reassuring glance as they crossed over to the next block. “Just up this street,” 

Miguel’s expression was skeptical as they continued on their walk. He couldn’t remember the last time he had walked these streets. Not as Spider-Man 2099, but just as Miguel O’Hara. As his true self. Since moving uptown, he thought he would forget all these shops or other places, but he remembered it all. Buried in the back of his mind. 

“Here we are!” Gabriel proclaimed with a proud smile. 

Miguel glanced up to see they had arrived at a small food stand with cute patio chairs and tables set up on the side. Miguel paused, looking around. He recognized this place. It was familiar to him, but he had never seen this place in Uptown. 

“Hey Tony!” Gabriel waved at the chef working hard in this convertible kitchen. 

Tony glanced up after hearing his name called, his face lighting up. “Eh, Gabriel! ¿Cómo estás? ” - How are you? 

“Bien gracias. ¿Recuerdas a mi hermano, Miguel? ” Gabriel smirked as he patted his brother’s shoulder, nudging him along. - Good, thank you. You remember my brother, Miguel? 

“Miguel?” Tony's eyes examined his frame, and the look of realization was slowly taking over, but as soon as Miguel removed his sunglasses once safely in the shade, the chef’s eyes beamed. “ Miguel O’Hara , it is you! Look at you! That’s one heck of a growth spurt! Did you go through two hits of puberty or something?”

Miguel chuckled softly at his reaction, his hand rubbing the back of his head as he and Gabriel approached the stand. “Tony, it’s good to see you too. What are you doing up here? I thought your shop was in Downtown?”

“Oh, it’s still there, but you wouldn’t believe what happened to me the other week,” Tony’s expression was in pure awe as he told his tale. “I was getting robbed, and you wouldn’t believe who came to my rescue. Spider-Man! Of all people!”

“ The Spider-Man?” Gabriel gawked, his eyes filled with shock as he shot a quick playful look at his brother. “What happened?”

“He stopped the guys that robbed me, taking them to the station. I thought that was the end of it but as I was closing shop later that night, a big bag filled to the brim with all the money they took and more was dropped at my doorstep,” Tony explained, making excited hand gestures as he acted out his story. 

“You’re kidding?” Gabriel’s eyes widened as he leaned against the counter. 

“No one else was on that street when it happened. So I saved up and used that money to open up another shop here and help send my two daughters to their new school,” Tony smiled brightly as he finally turned his gaze to Miguel, “I don’t know what changes you helped push for the Uptown school system since you were CEO, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Miguel. I haven’t seen my girls this happy before,”

Miguel could feel his heart swell with pride as he tried to hold back the smile that was forming on his lips. Gabriel elbowed his side, encouraging him to say something. 

“Oh, it was no big deal. Someone had to set things right,” Miguel faintly smiled. 

“I’m glad it was you,” Tony grinned before he quickly whipped up some food and set two trays of spicy chicken rice bowls on the counter. “Aquí, en la casa. ¡No aceptaré un no por respuesta! ” - Here, on the house. I won't be taking no for an answer!

“Gracias Tony,” Miguel smiled politely, nodding over at the man. - Thank you  

Miguel and Gabriel grabbed their food trays and sat at a table. They both sat there in silence for a moment, just enjoying the food. Miguel hadn’t eaten a meal from Tony’s since he was a young teenager. He remembered it being good, but not this good. He couldn’t believe he was thinking this, but he needed to get out of the lab more often. 

Gabriel gulped down another forkful of his food before glancing up at Miguel, “So. . . what happened yesterday?”

Miguel sighed as he set his fork down. He was bound to bring it up sooner rather than later. Now he supposed it was as good a time as any. Now Miguel understood why Lyla called Gabriel to come up. 

Miguel leaned against his side, his hand keeping his face leveled as he placed his elbow against the table. “Lisa. . . Lisa lied about how she rescued me on our last mission, and Lyla helped cover it up,” 

Miguel recapped how he was called in by Margo to help capture a Venom variant in Princess Petra’s dimension and that Lisa convinced him to take her with him. They captured the variant and while they were recovering at Petra’s castle, one of Petra’s maids revealed themselves as a demon and kidnapped Miguel, rendering him unconscious and placing a curse on him. A curse that could only be broken with an act of true love. 

“Like true loves kiss?” Gabriel’s eyes widened in disbelief as he tried to hold back a snicker. “Like in those old stories we used to read when we were little kids?”

Hearing the snicker that fell from Gabriel’s lips, Miguel got a better understanding of why Lisa would want to hide this from him. Did she think he’d treat it as a joke? Treat her as a joke?

“Sorry, sorry, I shouldn’t laugh,” Gabriel coughed into his fist, taking a moment to compose himself. “How did you find out?”

“Lyla was acting a little jittery around me since it happened, but after I came back from my mission with Patrick, I found out she tampered with the mission log and she played back the original copy for me. I confronted Lisa about it, and–” Miguel waved his hand towards Gabriel, “The rest you already know,” 

“Oh chico. . .” Gabriel whistled. - Oh boy. . . 

Gabriel witnessed pretty much his and Lisa’s talk in its entirety after he had caught her at the end of her obstacle course training. Their heartbreaking heart to heart. Gabriel’s fingers curled into a loose fist along the table as he looked up at Miguel. Never in a million years did he think Miguel would come to him for relationship advice. 

“You really think what happened–” Gabriel winced, almost afraid to say her name before mustering up the courage to speak. “With Gabriella and her dimension will happen again to Lisa?”

Miguel nodded slowly but sternly, “If I get too close with her and miss with her timeline, there’s always that possibility,” 

“Okay, how about this? Lisa hangs out a lot here in our dimension at HQ right?” Gabriel adjusted his seat as he looked at his brother. “Why is that?”

Miguel raised a brow at Gabriel with an ‘are you kidding’ expression on his face. “The Gizmo, obviously. It protects us from glitching while we’re visiting other dimensions,” 

Gabriel snapped his fingers before pointing towards him. “Precisely! Focus on that keyword, visiting ,” 

“Where are you going with this?” Miguel started to regret bringing this up to him as he watched the gears turning in his brother's mind. 

“When you went to Gabriella’s dimension, did you take any breaks at all to come back to our dimension to give your body time to rest and recuperate?” Gabriel asked with a genuinely curious expression. 

Miguel froze, processing it in his mind. The Gizmo was designed to protect the user from glitching while in another dimension, yes. But not for long periods of time . That was why it was so important to catch the anomalies and take them back to HQ so quickly. Not just to stop them from destroying the canon events of those universes, but to ensure that the users are reminded to not stick around for too long. 

He recalled back to that horrifying nightmare. He was running through the street, carrying Gabriella in his arms as the universe around them was literally crumbling. Innocent people were scrambling for safety as Peter B. and other Spider-Men and Women who they called for backup to try and fix this mess worked tirelessly.

They were able to use their powers. He wasn’t . He couldn’t, because he had overstayed his welcome in that dimension. 

“No,” Miguel was ashamed of himself for the answer. “I didn’t,” 

“Okay, now,” Gabriel nodded before quickly moving on to his next point. “Going back to that keyword. What if instead of staying in Lisa’s dimension or vice versa for a prolonged period of time, you plan it in spurts, visiting each other on a daily basis?” 

Just like how we already do so for our missions? 

Miguel sat up in his chair, leaning back as his arm draped over the backrest of the chair. “Gabriel, be honest, am I stupid?”

“HA!” Gabriel huffed a quick, loud laugh from his throat before it fluttered into a hearty chuckle. “No, idiota, estás enamorado .” - No, idiot, you’re in love 

Miguel couldn’t help it when he chuckled softly along with his brother. 

Gabriel shook his head, leaning forward against the table. “Miguel, I can’t say this enough. Talk to Lisa,”

“Wait, like right now?” Miguel gawked. 

“I mean, we can go right now if you want to,” Gabriel shrugged his shoulders. 

“No, no, it’s still too early for that,” Miguel dismissed the idea, waving his hands. “But. . .”

“Ah yes, there’s always the but ,” Gabriel smiled knowingly. 

“You really think we could make this work? The two of us being from completely different universes?” Miguel asked. 

“If she’s clearly into you and you’re very clearly into her, why not give it a shot?” Gabriel smirked at his brother. 

“Then–” Miguel almost hesitated, before shaking off the nerves. “Can I at least make sure she’s doing okay?” Miguel asked.  

Gabriel smiled softly. “Of course,” 

The younger sibling stood up from his seat, stealing one more bite of his food before both of the brothers began turning away. They waved back at Tony, thanking him for the food before quickly returning back to Spider-Society HQ. 

They passed by Miguel’s lab, the eldest sibling wasting no time in powering back on his holographic spider suit. As he was entering his lab, he turned, noticing his brother not following him.

“Wait, where are you going?” Miguel’s eyes widened as Gabriel began to walk away. 

“I’ve got some work I’ve put off for too long that needs some attention,” Gabriel sighed, shaking his head before his lips curved into a grin. “But don’t worry, brother dearest, I’ve arranged an escort,”

“What does that mean?” Miguel shot his brother a puzzling gaze until the automatic doors to his lab opened up. 

“Miguel, there you are!” Peter B. greeted with a cheery smile as he fist bumped his shoulder. “You’re up bright and early for a change this morning,” 

“Peter, why am I not surprised,” Miguel rolled his eyes, although after his previous conversation with Gabriel, he couldn’t find it in his heart to pester Peter at the moment. 

“Ready to go check on our dear Musey?” Peter smirked at the nickname as he activated a portal through his gizmo. 

Miguel sighed deeply at the name, narrowing his eyes as the pair walked towards the portal. “Please, never refer to her as Musey ever again,”

“You’re right, my bad, that’s Hobie’s nickname for her, he coined it first,” Peter teased playfully with a finger gun. 

Miguel scoffed, rolling his eyes, “Can we just please go?”

“Alright, alright, we’re going!” 

Peter and Miguel jumped through the portal, landing on the roof of a building across from Lisa’s apartment complex with a clear view of her studio apartment windows. 

They both hung low, sticking to the shadows. Miguel’s heart fluttered when he saw Lisa sitting at the kitchen counter, noticing some of the younger Spiders with her. He was thankful that she wasn’t by herself and was even more relieved when they offered her a show of support with a group hug. 

They quickly scattered as her own friends from this dimension showed up suddenly. They walked for a while and soon they started leading her up the fire escape towards the roof of her building. Miguel would be lying to himself if he didn’t admit he was a little nervous about what was happening. 

He would have jumped over there if not for Peter B.holding him back, pointing at one of her friends bringing out a speaker. Music started to play, and soon enough they started singing and dancing. They roped Lisa into their little dance, and she seemed genuinely happy. She was laughing and smiling. 

Miguel became enamored with how she almost effortlessly mimicked their movements, learning the dance as they went. Even when just letting her hair down and having fun, she was learning and working hard to perfect her craft. 

“See, Miguel? I think Lisa has everything she needs to heal,” Peter B. smiled as he placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. “You can have that too. I don’t think she wants to move on from how she feels,”

Miguel sighed deeply in relief as he watched her. He sat down at the edge of the roof, not saying anything at first, until a soft smile spread on his lips. “Neither do I,”

His gizmo beeped as Miguel glanced down as a small holoscreen appeared in front of him. It showed a projection of Lisa’s world, and in bold letters a test result became tattooed into his brain as a sprite of Lyla performed a little happy dance. 

“No canon events detected!”

Chapter Text

After the surprise visit and comfort from my friends, I suddenly didn’t feel as sad anymore. Despite how heartbreaking it was, I established with Miguel that if he didn’t feel comfortable telling me how he truly felt, he didn’t have to. I never specified about our friendship, so deep down I knew a part of it was still intact. 

We’ll just give each other the space we need to heal. That’s what’s important right now. That’s what matters the most. We were both grieving after all. 

I woke up the next morning with a bit of spring in my step. It was the weekend now, meaning I had time off work to basically do whatever I wanted to do. Hannah’s orders specifically, “You need to rest all weekend so when you come back Monday morning, you’re feeling 100%!” 

She then kindly asked to borrow my kitchen and baked me a whole container of oatmeal cookies. Hannah is obviously so sweet, I could get a toothache, but it would be so worth it. How is she not with someone and spoiling them rotten and letting them shower her with gifts back already?!

I start the day with a light breakfast before cleaning up some of the empty moving boxes that were taking up space in the apartment. Soft music was playing from my phone, as I felt inspired by my friends to make a new playlist. The song they showed me yesterday was the first one that came up.

I quietly sang along as I cleaned. I could sense the gentle hum of my gizmo, their pulses shielding my web fluid and calming them. I knew as long as I had it on, my powers wouldn’t trigger in my dimension, else I could cause more damage to it. 

I glanced down at the gizmo, lifting it up as I examined it more clearly. I wondered when the day would come where I wouldn’t have to wear this while in my home dimension. Perhaps when I could control my powers completely? When my universe was finished repairing itself?

When it accepted me as its Spider-Woman?

“There never was a Spider-Woman in Earth-1218, and there never will be,” 

Those were Miguel’s exact words during our initial meeting when he showed me the multiverse for the first time. Why was it that my universe was so different compared to the others that it can’t handle the concept of an actual superhero helping to protect it?

I was zoned out of my trance when the gizmo started beeping and a holographic image of Jessica Drew appeared above it. 

“Lisa, are you busy?”

“Jess, hey, what’s going on?” I asked, a little concerned. 

“There’s been an incident in Petra’s dimension,” She explained with a grim expression on her face. “Miguel is asking everyone who was involved in the mission to come to HQ for an emergency meeting,”

“I’ll be right there,” I nodded firmly. 

I reached up to end the call, but Jess’s voice caught my ear. “By the way, how are you holding up?”

She knew? 

“I’m. . . managing,” I responded after a brief hesitation. 

“If you need an extra shoulder or need some girl talk, I’m just a phone call away,” She offered with a caring grin. 

“Thank you, Jess,” I smiled at her before ending the call. 

Personal feelings would have to wait. Right now, my friends and teammates needed help. 

I ran for my closet, changing into my spider-suit. Personal feelings would have to wait. I just hoped Petra was alright, and that it wasn’t anything too serious. 

I activated my gizmo and opened a portal, jumping through as I arrived at Spider-Society HQ. The main hall was lively as usual as I made the journey to Miguel’s lab. I passed by different Spider-People, saying hi and offering small waves as I walked by, not wanting to be rude. 

When I stepped into Miguel’s lab, the atmosphere completely changed. Yes, I was used to the whole low light, dark gritty aesthetic look to Miguel’s lab, but overall it felt like there was a shift in the air. It was worse when I rounded the corner and found everyone. 

I was the last to arrive, joining the circle as I stood with Hobie, Peni, Ham, Gwen, and Pav while Miguel was in the center of his platform that was on the ground floor, Jessica Drew and Princess Petra flanking his sides. Petra looked a little shaken, but did her best to stay calm as she held her wrists over her stomach. Hobie nudged my side in a friendly greeting, offering me a curt nod.  

I glance around at the others, silently greeting them all until my gaze lands on Miguel. I noticed he was looking at me too. Our eyes met, and I could feel my cheeks flush slightly. My eyes darted to the floor briefly, hands behind my back as my palms began to sweat. I haven’t really talked to him since the other day. 

Personal feelings would have to wait.

I slowly pulled my gaze up from the floor and looked back at him. His gaze was softer towards me, as we both seemed to silently ask each other, Are you okay? A silent recognition. 

I managed enough courage to bring one hand up from my back, offering him a small flicker of a wave of my fingers. Hands on his hips, he managed a tiny half smile as he slightly bowed his head towards me. We’ll talk more about this later . A silent promise. 

“Now that everyone’s here, we can start this meeting,” Miguel spoke up as he motioned to his sides where Petra and Jess were standing by. He waved them both to step forward. “Your Highness, Drew, you two have the floor,” 

“I was in charge of Multiverse Monitoring when I received an urgent message from Princess Petra regarding the newest villain Lisa, Gwen, Pav, and herself apprehended after rescuing Miguel,” Jessica explained before her gaze shifted over to the young Princess, nodding her head for her to speak. 

“Late two nights ago, Isabella escaped the castle dungeon,” Petra proclaimed. 

The team of Spider’s reacted in shock as we all glanced at one another. 

“After our guards found no trace of her in the kingdom, it was said that a magic portal had opened in her cell and she suddenly vanished,” Petra explained. “To the naked eye, that would seem that way, but we know the truth,” 

“So how did she get out?” I asked. 

Miguel pressed a button on his gizmo as Lyla activated a holographic projection, recreating what looked like a dungeon as the lines traced out a cell, with Isabella trapped in her chains. “Finding and capturing Isabella is mission priority number 1. Priority number 2 however. . .”

“Playing back the dimensional recording from Petra’s security feed!” Lyla chirped. 

We watched as a portal opened up, a portal just like the ones we’d use with our gizmos as a man stepped through it, entering Isabella’s cell. He used a device to free her from her shackles and words were exchanged. 

“Perhaps we can help one another?”

“What would you give me if I helped you?” Isabella questioned the man, raising a skeptical brow in his direction as she slowly pulled herself to her feet. 

His lips curled into a dark smile. “The head of Miguel O’Hara, and all of his spider pests. Including your dear Princess,” 

Isabella smiled wickedly at the man, her eyes twinkling as a surge of delightful joy coursed through her. 

“Do we have an alliance?” The man asked her. 

Isabella took his hand, her cold fingers lacing against his warm hand. “Indeed, Lord–?”

“Osborne,” Osborne brought his lips down to her knuckles, kissing her there gently before smiling again. “Harry Osborne,” 

I felt like I was going to be sick. Harry Osborne. Osborne as in the company Osborne? The same company that hired The Chameleon to attack me? To kidnap me and bring me back to their dimension so they could take my powers away?

I felt like I was going to faint. 

“Let’s get started,” Isabella’s fangs poked through her lips as she laughed. 

Harry pulled her through the portal and before the guards could get the cell gate open, the magical portal disappeared.

I wasn’t paying attention to the ending of the recording. My chest rose and fell as I tried to take deep, calming breaths. I felt a gentle tap at my back and glanced over to see Hobie. 

“You alright, Musey?” He asked. 

I’ll never get used to that nickname .

“I– I don’t know,” I spoke honestly. 

He glanced back as Lyla put away the projection. “Let’s hear what the gang has to say. If you need to step out, let me know, aight?”

“Thank you, Hobie,” I managed a kind smile. 

I managed to compose myself enough to not look like a sweating mess as Miguel stepped forward again. “That was Harry Osborne of Earth-1997. Recently we discovered that he hired a villain known as The Chameleon to disguise himself as a Spider and infiltrate the Society to steal our tech and my designs. We do not know their end goal, but as of now, they are using our technology to jump dimensions and cause rifts in the multiverse,” 

“In short, more anomalies are beginning to pop up in places where they very much shouldn’t be,” Jessica pipped in. “At an alarming rate than normal,” 

“As of today, we have isolated them so that they can no longer use any remaining gizmo’s or day passes to jump to this dimension, Lisa’s dimension, and now Petra’s, to avoid the risk of another infiltration,” Miguel explained as he looked out towards the group. “As the situation develops more, more members of the Society will be notified. Until then, I am entrusting this information to you select few. What you saw and heard in here must not leave this room. Am I clear?”

Everyone nodded, speaking their compliance to the order. 

“Good,” Miguel nodded as his hands returned to his hips. “In the meantime, Petra will continue to monitor things from her dimension should Isabella or any other anomalies return. That’s all,”

“You’re dismissed,” Jessica nodded her head. 

Everyone relaxed, some lingering to chat for a bit before slowly piling out of the room.Petra activated a portal and jumped back through to her dimension after exchanging words with Miguel. Jessica walked out with Gwen and the others, leaving Miguel, Hobie, and me the last remaining people in the room. 

“Lisa, you coming?” Hobie asked over his shoulder. 

I looked back towards Miguel, seeing the soft, but awkwardness of his body movements as he casted me a glance, walking over to his computer set up as he brought up some holographic screens. 

“I’ll, uh, be another minute, Hobie,” I answered Spider-Punk as I glanced over at him. 

“Suit yourself,” Hobie shrugged his shoulders and sauntered out of the room. 

It was just the two of us now. 

Silence was quick to fill the room, only the distant piper patter of Miguel’s figures guiding and typing away on the holographic screens provided the only subsistence. Hands behind my back, I took slow and cautious steps towards Miguel. He made no indication that he wanted me to leave, or even really turned to look at me, so I took it as a sign to keep going. 

When I was close enough, I gently cleared my throat, “Hey,” Offering him another small wave. 

Miguel glanced down at me, his eyes softening as his face still tried to put on a strong front. “Hi,” He greeted me softly. 

At that moment I forgot how tall he actually was. He seemed to tower over me, and the platform was still situated on the ground. This was his full height. It made me both nervous and anxious at the same time. 

We both idled in our own positions next to each other, awkwardly trying to predict who would be brave enough to speak first. I oddly felt a little relieved that I didn’t appear to be the only one that was nervous. So I took a deep breath, mustered up as much courage as I could and–!

“How are you–?” Miguel and I both spoke at the exact same time. 

We stopped, eyes widening. 

“I’m sorry–” I immediately apologized.

“Oh, I’m sorry to–” He stepped in as well. 

We both stopped, realizing we had been talking over one another again. I watched as a faint blush formed on his cheeks. I felt mine warm up in return. 

My heart fluttered in my chest when I heard him chuckle quietly under his breath, waving off the interruption. “I’m sorry,”

“No, no, it’s fine,” I gently reassured him. 

We both shared a quiet laugh together before settling, and once a few small moments of silence passed, I felt confident to speak again.

“How are you doing?” I asked him. 

Miguel actually took a moment to process the question in his mind. He sighed softly. “Honestly? Managing, but. . . a little weird,”

“Feeling is mutual it seems,” I sighed in relief as I turned and leaned my waist against the edge of his desk. 

Miguel looked like he was going to say something, but stopped himself, deciding against it. He placed his hands on the desk, leaning against them to support himself. “Feeling weird too?”

I nodded slowly, “Yeah, just trying to figure out where to go from here I guess,” 

He hums at my response, his head turning as if he were deep in thought. “About Osborne, were you alright back there?”

I blinked, my pupils widening. He must have seen how I reacted to hearing and seeing Harry Osborne for the first time. The guy that runs the company that hired someone to abduct me for my spider powers. 

“Now I can put a face to the name at least,” I spoke honestly as my shoulders slouched, hunching over. 

“. . . I swore an oath to Chameleon, passing along a message to Osborne,” Miguel spoke suddenly. He turns over to look at me, standing up straight from the desk as his arms crossed over his broad chest. “I swore that I’d never let him or anyone else lay a hand on you ever again,”

I swore that in that moment I felt like I was going to faint. Just straight up fell from where I stood at his desk. The sweating of my palms intensified.

As if realizing what Miguel had said to me, his gaze drifted to the side, trying to hide the blush that formed on his cheeks as he raised a hand to cover his mouth. Just like he did when I first told him about my powers. 

It was still very adorable. 

After composing himself, the blush was gone as Miguel turned back to face me completely. “Maybe, if you want–” he stops himself, as if second guessing himself. 

“If we want?” I raised a brow, gently encouraging him to continue with hopeful eyes. 

My reaction seemed to ease him slightly as he shook his head, shaking off the nerves before speaking again. “Do you want to talk more about this? About us ? After the mission?”

After the mission, right. 

Personal feelings aside for now. My friends needed help. 

I smiled at Miguel, nodding my head. “I’d like that,” 

Miguel’s face seemed to brighten at my response, as he let out a deep sigh of relief. I tried not to stare as his muscles relaxed along his chest and arms as he lowered the limbs to his side. “Me too, Lisa,”

“Do you need help monitoring anything here?” I offered politely. 

He shook his head, “I appreciate it, but I can handle things here on my own with Lyla,”

“No problem,” I responded as I pulled myself off from his desk, waving at him. “I’ll leave you to it then,” 

I could feel his stare on my back as I began to walk away. Once I was off the platform and far enough from its range, Miguel activated a lever and the platform began its slow ascension from the floor. 

“All active patrol teams. Keep an eye out for a female bat demon villain with a DNA signature from Earth-423,” Miguel commanded through an open communication channel.

As I walked away, an idea came to mind as I turned on my heels, looking up towards the platform.

“Miguel!” I called out.

I could see him walk over to the edge, looking out at me. “Yes?”

“Do you want me to bring you anything from the cafeteria?” I offered. 

I could see the gears in his head turning as he contemplated my offer. A small grin spread on his lips as he cupped a hand around his mouth. “Save me some empanadas?”

I offered him a thumbs up. “You got it!” 

I waved at him before turning around and exiting the lab. My palms weren’t as sweaty as my heart beat steadied after beating a little faster than normal. A smile formed on my face as I launched a web sling and launched myself in the direction of the cafeteria. 

Progress had been made. 

////////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

As soon as Lisa turned to leave the lab, Miguel leaned forward against the desk, palms flat against the surface. He just stood there, breathing in and out, sweat dripping from his forehead. Throughout that entire conversation, his heart wouldn’t stop beating so shocking fast. He thought he was going to pass out. 

Lyla fizzled in front of him, a cheeky grin on her face. “Breathe, Miguel, breathe,” she gently coached him through the exercise, “She’s gone now, you big softy ,”

Miguel took another deep breath before laughing quietly, his fingers curling. “I actually did it,”

“Yes, you talked to her!” Lyla cheered. “You offered the topic of conversation and she accepted! Now all that’s left to do is to prepare for the actual conversation,”

“You’re right, Lyla,” Miguel gently nodded his head as he looked up at her. “You’re right,”

Miguel stood up straight, relaxing his muscles as he rolled his shoulders to loosen his nerves. 

“I can do this,”

“Um. . . boss?” A new voice perked up.

Miguel froze as his eyes darted towards a holographic screen. Spider-Woman Canada was on screen, hockey stick in hand as the eyelets of her mask displayed an awkward yet concerning look on her face. 

“Team 6 is still on the call. . .” She spoke. 

Oh for shock’s sake! 

Miguel face palmed as his hand rubbed down his face in both agony and utter embarrassment. He pointed a finger at the screen. “Not a word to anyone,”

“My lips are sealed, boss!” She saluted before ending the call. 

Spider-Man 2099 sighed deeply as he pinched the bridge of his nose, slowly pacing in a small circle. “It’s going to be a long day. . .”

Chapter Text

“One order of hot and fresh empanadas for Mr. Miguel O’Hara!”

I announced my arrival as I stepped back into his lab, seeing the platform raised up. I swung my way up there just as Miguel was turning towards the sound of my voice. He seemed genuinely surprised to see me back so quickly. 

It was the next day now, and there still hadn’t been any sign of Isabella. Miguel had been working around the clock, monitoring for any activity. After dropping off his order of empanadas, I stuck around to chat and help out with any minor tasks to lesson the load on his plate. This morning, I popped in to say hi, asking if he wanted another order of empanadas and he said yes.

“You’re quick,” He smirked a little. 

“Well, I figured you were hungry, so why keep you waiting?” I shrugged my shoulders. “You’ll need fuel if you want to keep doing what you’re doing,”

After a quick breakfast with Hobie and the others, I picked up a package of empanadas for Miguel, just as I promised. Hannah did say the way to get to a man’s heart was through his stomach, so? Would it hurt to try?

“Come on, and eat up,” I smiled as I reached into the bag and pulled out one of the boxes, setting it on a table. “Lyla ratted you out and said you didn’t each breakfast,”

“Lyla!” Miguel growled at the AI as her little holographic body stuck her tongue out at him.

“Hey, you don’t take care of yourself? I tattle, those are the rules,” She sneered.

“So I sweat talked the chef and asked to make two fresh batches for you,” I smiled as I brought out the second box and opened it up.

Miguel stepped closer towards the table, his mouth watering at the sight. “All of this is for me?”

I hummed in approval, nodding as I crossed my arms over my chest. 

Miguel couldn’t help but chuckle softly as he reached down and grabbed an empanada, taking a bite out of it. His eyes fluttered closed, his expression was everything I could hope for. He felt like a kid in a candy store. 

“Thank you, Lisa, I’ll eat these while I work,” Miguel spoke before gulping down his bite. “Isabella could be anywhere. I have to stay vigilant,”

Eating while he works? Not sitting down to take a breather? Oh no, I’m not letting that slide. I coughed into my fist, gaining Miguel’s attention as he was turning back towards his computer station.

“You know what I like most about you, Miguel?” I asked him with a sweet expression as I stepped closer towards him.

I didn’t miss the faint blush on his cheeks as I neared, but he managed a calm smile as he raised his brow curiously in my direction. “What’s that, Lisa?”

“I do honestly find your snark and sass quite charming,” I admitted, looking up at him as I was mere inches away from him. “Not to mention your work and passion,”

“Oh, just stroke my ego, why don’t you?” Miguel teased softly. “What else?”

“I also like it–,” My hands gently placed themselves on his chest and I could feel his heartbeat racing under his suit and skin. It was beating just as fast as mine as I pushed him back down into his chair. “-When you actually sit down to eat something and take care a break once in a while?”

“Duh! I’ve been trying to explain that to him for years!” Lyla rolled her eyes as her holographic hand flicked Miguel’s forehead before vanishing as he swatted her away. 

I couldn’t help but laugh at the gesture. Lyla really did care for him, and while on the outside it appeared that Miguel despised the constant dotting, he knew he’d be lost without her. 

Miguel sighed in defeat, although he couldn’t stop a smile from forming on his lips as he took another bite of his empanada. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. I promise I’ll take better care of myself,”

“Good, cause if you don’t, I won't hesitate to nag you constantly until you do,” I shot him an accusing glare, although there was a hint of playfulness as my eyes twinkled. 

Miguel laughed as he saw the twinkle in my eyes, shaking his head. “I already have Lyla nagging me about my eating habits, I don’t want that from you either,” His own expression became playful. “In fact, I’ll go as far to say I’ll never eat another empanada again if you’re threatening me with constant nagging,”

“Oh, really?” I raised a brow at Miguel as I reached out and slowly began to pull back his box of empanadas. “A shame really, I guess I’ll have to take these back then. Say bye-bye, now–!”

Miguel’s eyes widened at the site, although he enjoyed this playful banter, he had to admit this tactic of mine was working. I could see it in the look on his face. He really did love those empanadas. 

He raised his hands in a defensive manner, “Okay, okay, I’ll eat more, I promise!”

I smiled, giving him a wink as I slid the container back to him. “I thought so, tough guy,”

We both shared a laugh as we continued to eat our empanadas in peace. It made me feel like this was the first time since our fight where we could have a normal moment as. . . friends. It felt good. Really good. 

The moment was short lived however when Miguel’s computer monitors suddenly started to flash. Warning symbols quickly filled the screens. I dropped my empanada as I looked around the platform. “What’s going on?”

“Miguel! Isabella has been spotted!” Lyla flared as she zipped around, summoning multiple holoscreens. 

Miguel and I both stand up suddenly from our seats, the food long forgotten. Miguel was quicker as he used a web sling to launch himself back to his desk, cycling through the footage. “Where is she?”

“She’s in Spider-Noir’s dimension, Earth-90214,” Lyla reported as I neared Miguel’s side.

I looked at the holoscreens, watching the security footage. It was raining in the black and white aesthetic universe and jumping through a portal, I caught sight of the bat demon herself. But something was different. 

“Um, does she look different to you?” I asked nervously.

“From what I can recall, yes,” He nodded before looking over at me. “You would be more familiar with her than I would,”

“Well, She wasn’t always that tall and looked so menacing ,” I shuddered as I saw her shaper talons and pointy teeth. 

But what I saw next shook me to my core. Her body seemed to fizzle and stretch, as she formed a duplicate version of herself! Then another, and then another.

“She’s cloning herself?” I gawked.

Miguel reacted quickly as he opened a communication link to Spider-Man Noir. “Peter, you got big trouble coming your way,”

“The screw loose bat demon dame you reported earlier?” His smooth voice came through the speaker. “Yeah, I see her. All of her in fact,”

“Do not engage her by yourself, I’m sending in as many Spider’s as I can to assist,” Miguel ordered as he simultaneously sent out an alert to all available teams that were out on patrol. 

“Roger, I’ll evacuate as many civilians from the area as I can,” Peter nodded before cutting the feed. 

“Lyla, broadcast me on all channels,” Miguel ordered.

“Got it!” Lyla saluted as she established the connection, a holoscreen of Miguel’s gizmo projecting on his face. 

“Any available units, we have a code red. Multiple villain anomalies spotted in Earth-90214. Spider-Man Noir needs all the help he can get. Any available units are to report there immediately and assist in civilian evacuation or engage the anomalies,” 

Miguel sent out the message as overhead us, a bright red light flashed every other second, along with a loud buzzing sound. He pressed a series of buttons on his Gizmo and within moments a portal opened up before us. 

“I need to move quickly or else she gets away, but–” Miguel almost seemed to hesitate before continuing. “You don’t have to come on this one. I won’t risk her trying to hurt you again after what happened back in Petra’s world,”

Something stirred within me as my fingers curled into a fist. “I want to go, Miguel. She hurt you too. I’m not letting her get away with it,”

Miguel stared intently into my eyes before slowly nodding his head. “Okay, let’s go,”

We both slipped on our respective masks before running through the portal. We arrived at the other side, immediately getting drenched with the pouring rain as thunder roared our ears and lightning strikes lit up the sky. There were dozens of Isabella clones running around, but there were also dozens of Spider people keeping them at bay and away from civilians. 

“How do you want to do this? She could be anywhere,” I looked over towards Miguel as the portal closed. 

He looked over to me, his eyes widening as he suddenly yanked me to the side and out of the way of a clone zipping passed us. He launched a laser web from his wrist, catching the clone’s ankle and pulled as hard as he could. The clone came crashing down and blew into dust upon impact. 

“Well, now we have a way to tell the difference between them,” He huffed, before looking at me once over. “Are you okay with splitting up to cover more ground?”

I nodded firmly. “I’ll call you if I find her,”

“Be careful,” He spoke softly before web slinging down the street. 

I watched him leave before a series of cries caught my ear. I ran a head, vaulting upwards as I climbed up to the roof of a large building, finding a cluster of Isabella clones terrorizing a group of civilians. Not on my watch.

I reached down, pressing play on my music player. The beats and sounds caught their attention as they all turned towards me, offering them a narrowed glance as I brandished one of my smoke bombs. 

“Why don’t you brats find some other toys to play with?” I sneered with a grin. “I’ve got one right here!”

I tossed it into the air, the grenade exploding into the pink glitter cloud of smoke. The bats shrieked at the site, trying to use their hands and wings to shield them as they gagged. Now they were distracted. 

“My turn at bat ,” I quipped before springing forward. “I’ll sing this in one language you’ll understand!”

“Now gotta step on it, what else can I do?

I'm young and fearless, man

Middle finger up, F-U pay me

90's baby, I pump up the jam~” 

While they were dazed by the smoke cloud, I came in swinging, punching and kicking my way through the herd towards the civilians. I cleared them a path to safety as they took off running. As my smoke cloud cleared, the remaining few bats didn’t take kindly to me taking away their playthings as they all rushed to swarm me.

“Step on it, step on it, oppa-ya lambo

Today yours and mine, our youth's a gamble~” 

I swerved and twirled out of the way of their incoming strikes. When they circled back around, they were each met with a spin kick to the face, as for the last one I did a special backflip kick, knocking them back. I then fired a web at their chest before pulling myself forward and body checking them to the roof.

“Don't dare to stop me, if anyone gets in my way

I'ma go, brrrr, Rambo!” 

When the dust settled from their disintegrated body, I caught my breath, taking one last look around. The roof was clear. I ran over to the roof as I looked around at the battlefield below. One by one, Spider’s were taking down each of the clones. Soon it would be easier to find the real Isabella, but where was she?

My Spider-Sense suddenly kicked in as I looked around frantically for the source of the danger, and that’s when I saw it. At a nearby park that was covered in mud and gunk, trees chopped down and playground equipment trashed. A clone was stalking towards Gwen at a frightening speed.

“Gwen, look out!” I yelled as I swung for her.

At the same time, Isabella was getting ready to strike, raising her sharp talons in order to slice her to ribbons. I reached out and grabbed Gwen as I swung by and felt a horrible sting at my side. I had still managed to swing Gwen to safety, but not before I lost the grip on my web sling and the two of us tumbled to the ground. 

Isabella growled, the real one snarling at the fact her kill was stolen. She was about to stomp over towards us when a series of webs ensnared her as Peter B. yanked her back, vaulting himself towards her as the two got caught up in their own brawl. “I got this, you two get out of here!”

I clutched my side, feeling a sharp pain as I tried to sit up. I glanced down as I slowly lifted my hand from my side and saw blood stained on my palm. I hissed as the cool breeze brushed along my wound and immediately brought my hand down to cover it up. 

“Lisa, are you okay?” Gwen asked with a worried look. 

“I’m fine, just get the rest of the civilians out of here, I’ll get Isabella to focus on me,” I groaned, slowly pushing myself up with my other hand. “Find Noir!”

Gwen seemed to hesitate, but after noticing Miguel swoop in and take out another one of Isabella’s clones and immediately rushing towards us, Gwen nodded before swinging away. Miguel’s heavy footsteps caught my ear as I turned to look at him, and I could see the wave of concern wash over him as the eyelets of his mask flared at the sight of my injury. 

“What happened?” He immediately asked as he knelt at my side.

“Isabella tried to gut Gwen, but I got her out of the way,” My voice strained from the pain as I tried to sit up. 

“Just barely it seems,” Miguel mumbled as he noticed the spots of blood seeping through my fingers. “Let me quickly take a look,”

My eyes widened as I tried to reach for his wrist to stop him, but his movements were quick and precise, not to mention the pain was unbearable, “Miguel, wait–!”

He gently moved my hand away, finding the spot where Isabella’s claws tore through my suit and saw the blood. He carefully brushed it away to find the source of the wound and that’s when he stopped, frozen. His eyelets went wide. 

Miguel saw the scars. Multiple small marks scattered across my stomach and side. My scars.

“Lisa?” He called my name softly. 

I shut my eyes, suddenly ashamed of how I looked at this moment. This was not how I wanted to show him, to tell him. I could see the question dangling from his lips, but Miguel was almost too afraid to say it out loud. 

“Lisa, what happened?” Miguel asked softly instead, although there was a hint of desperation in his voice. 

“Miguel, I—” Words were failing me as I stuttered, and it wasn’t helping that the pain at my side stung like absolute hell. “This wasn’t how I wanted to—” 

“Who did this to you?” He asked with a terrifying sense of calm. 

I hissed from the pain as I tried to press my palm back into the wound, but Miguel held my wrist firmly and instead pressed his whole hand into it. His pupils momentarily flared from the sound of my cry as we locked our gaze with one another. 

“ Not yet –” I choked. 

Miguel almost recoils, as if realizing a mistake he had made. The moment of clarity washed over him, offering me a quick sympathetic look. This was not how I wanted to tell him, and he came to understand that. 

“We’ll talk about it when you’re ready,” He responded, “Now, try to hold still,”

I watch, almost stunned as Miguel's hand suddenly fizzles as the glove of his suit strips from his skin. The holographic nanites of his suit sparkling as he stretches it out and carefully slaps it on my side. I muffle a pained cry as Miguel steadies me, waiting it out.

Miguel slowly helps me up, one hand at my side and the other along my back. “We’ll get it looked at back at the infirmary,”

“No, Miguel, Isabella is right there!” I gasped, grabbing his arm, “Don’t send me back!”

“Well, well, well,” Isabella’s voice sent a shiver down my spine as she descended from the air, touching down on the ground as she sneered at the two of us. “Look who we have here,”

“Where’s Peter?!” I demanded. 

“I took him for a ride and shook him off me. My little lovelies will keep him occupied while we have our fun,” She smiled. 

“Isabella, you’ve gone too far this time,” Miguel growled. “Causing trouble in your home dimension is one thing, but potentially dooming the date of an entirely different one is another!”

Isabella rolled her eyes at the remark. “Ugh, Lord Osborne mentioned that you might say something as lavish as that,”

“Harry?” He pressed. 

“Yes, for you see he granted me a new gift, in exchange for your heads,” she snickered darkly, licking her lips. 

Miguel snarled in frustration as he got into a battle ready stance, “Lisa, stay behind me and let me handle this,”

“No,” I spoke firmly as I managed to stand up completely. “I’m not letting you fight her alone,”

“I’m not going to let her hurt you again,” He snapped back. 

“Oh how adorable,” Isabella cooed. “You bicker like an old married couple. It will make killing you both all the more pleasurable,” 

“That’s it!” Miguel charged forward, leaping up into the air to grab her. 

My eyes widened as Isabella’s tail suddenly enlarged, extending as it slithered up and snatched Miguel. It wrapped itself around his waist and then tossed him like a rag doll across the park and into some concrete rubble, the cement breaking apart around him.

“That’s not the only gift Lord Osborne has bestowed upon me,” Isabella grinned. 

“Miguel!” I screamed out for him. A growl was brewing in my throat as I turned and faced her when I suddenly felt an ear drumming screech reach my ear. “GAAAAAHHH!”

Isabella had opened her mouth, sending out a sonic screech from her throat. 

"Now tell me, tell all what you continue to deny to yourself!" Isabella screeches as the sonic pulses rattle my eardrums. "Be a good girl and I'll make the pain stop,"

The pain is unbearable. I thought my brain was going to explode as I yelled, screamed as my hands desperately tried to block out the sound. My knees were starting to buckle, my body warm with sweat as I tried to fight it.

"Say it! Tell me everything!" Isabella demanded. 

"No!" I screamed. 

"Say it!" She ordered.

"NO!" I shouted back. 

"SAY IT!!"

As all of this is happening, Miguel manages to pull himself free from the rubble Isabella tossed him in, shoving a piece of concrete off his back. The eyelets of his mask go wide as he starts running towards them, “Lisa!”

I let out a heartbreaking cry as I fell to my knees. "IT WAS HIM! HE DID THIS TO ME! HE GAVE ME THE SCARS!"

Miguel stopped in his tracks, his heart stopping. Who? Who’s he?

Isabella pulls back, her sonic screeching coming to a halt as she relishes in watching me pant heavily, sweat dripping down my face as I collapse to my side, my body trembling. "Jin. . . Step-father. . . it was an accident, but he---"

The bat demon laughs at the sight, a wicked smile on her face as her talons sharpen, taking a haunting step closer towards my frame. I couldn’t move. My body was exhausted, tired, and shook to the bone with fear. I was so overwhelmed with my emotions that Isabella left me defenseless. I was literally at her mercy. 

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH"

The roar snapped me out of my miserable trance as I glanced over to see Miguel barreling towards us. The talons of his claws were sharp, the talons of his side arms expanded, and his mask was gone as his eyes were blood red and full of rage. Isabella turned, her wicked smile ceased to falter. 

“Don’t you dare touch her!”

"MIGUEL DON'T-!" I try to warn him.

But I was too late. 

Blinded by his rage, Isabella launches another sonic screech directly at Miguel. He tries to resist, slowly putting one foot in front of the other as his knees buckle. 

"You're not going anywhere, Lord O'Hara, not until you give me what I want. Tell me your secret. Tell me your deepest desire!" Isabella laughs manically.

"Stop it, you're hurting him!" I let out a weak scream, trying to reach out a hand towards him. "Miguel!!"

"A-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!"

Miguel fell to his knees, but he kept going. With everything that was being thrown his way, he still kept moving. Even when he collapsed completely, he continued to crawl and pull himself forward. He really tries to push through it but the more he fights, the more his body starts to fail him. 

“No, no, se puede enterar así ,” He strains, his throat dry from the screams. - She can’t find out like this 

In that moment I realized he was crawling towards not Isabella, but to me . 

“This isn’t. . . What I planned. . .” Miguel choked. 

I’m begging, pleading for him to stop. But with the high frequency of Isabella’s sonic blasts affecting Miguel’s sensitive hearing, I didn’t know if he could tell that I was telling him or Isabella to stop. Either way, it didn’t seem to matter to him.

I just wanted him to not be in pain anymore. 

"Just let it out, O'Hara and the pain goes away!" Isabella smiles with devilish intent.

"MIGUEL!" I screamed out, trying to reach for him. "PLEASE, STOP THIS!"

He tries to. He wants to. But try as he might, he can't fight this anymore. He can't fight himself anymore. Heaving heavily, he manages to pull himself to his knees and screams– "I LIKE YOU, LISA!" 

Isabella lets up on the sonic beam as Miguel catches his breath, his ears ringing as the muscles of his body pulses from the dull aching pain that coursed through him. He lifted his head, his gaze meeting mine as the red iris faded away to his chocolate brown orbs. 

"I have feelings for you, too,"

The world seemed to stop and fade away around Lisa. Her eyes go wide, her vision blurring from the tears that are threatening to give out. "Miguel," Her voice was but a weak whimper.

Isabella’s laughter echoed around us as she stood between us. “Oh, this is delightful!” 

Her tail slithered to my side, wrapping itself around my frame as it hoisted me into the air. The combined pain of my wound and the sonic screech coursed through my body as I hissed and whined at the pain. Isabella brought me closer towards her, her claws extending as she angled them to my neck.

“How about an exchange, Spider-Man?” She smiled. “Your head, for hers,”

Miguel’s breathing was heavy as he looked up, his pupils wide as he slowly pulled himself up to his knees. “Please– Don’t,” He pleaded softly. He retracted his claws, hands in the air. 

“Speak up, you peasant,” Isabella ordered with a roll of her eyes. “I can’t hear you when you whimper,”

“Don’t–” Miguel’s cast down to the ground before he looked up, his red iris’s flaring as he managed a half smile. “Let the door hit you on the way out,”

“What?” Isabella’s demeanor quickly changed when she noticed his sudden change in attitude. 

Then there was the sound of a car horn. She turned and took the brunt force of a 1930’s convertible to the face. The front of the car dented and cracked as she shrieked from the impact. Her tail loosened as my body fell free from her grasp, as Miguel sprang forward and caught me in his arms. 

As Isabella crashed to the ground, Miguel glanced over, a very relieved sigh escaping his lips. “Cutting it a little close there,”

“Sorry I’m late to the party,” A smooth bravado voice spoke up as the figure’s black trench coat blew in the wind.

He landed on the ground, taking a second to snuff out his cigarette and adjust his fedora before Spider-Man Noir stepped up to the plate, cracking his knuckles before putting his fists up. 

“Now that I’ve finally made it to the ballroom, let’s dance,” 

Chapter Text

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

Slowly the world stops spinning round him. Slowly his vision clears up as he sees Isabella push the now wrecked car hunk of metal off her form, snarling as she vaults forward. Miguel just narrowly jumps out of the way as Spider-Noir met her halfway, using his web shooters to catapult himself towards her as the two clashed. 

He watched the pair fight in close combat, each exchanging hard blows but neither one backing down. That was one thing Miguel admired about Noir. He didn’t feel pain as easily as the other Spiders, allowing him to keep fighting, lasting longer in most fights. 

“Hold still you insufferable insect!” Isabella growled.

Miguel watched Noir swerved out of the way of an incoming slash attack, his trench coat flowing in the breeze before upper cutting the bat in the chin. 

“I don’t like hurting a lady, but for you I’d be willing to make an exception,” Peter quipped as he staggered after her tumbling form. 

While Noir had her distracted, Miguel glanced down at Lisa and his face immediately softened, his heart breaking bit by bit. He looked around, finding a clear spot in the park a bit of a ways away from the fighting and brought her there, gently setting her down to lay against a smooth rock. She was still trembling as he gently pulled back her mask, allowing her to breathe better. 

“Mona Lisa. . .” he called to her softly as he reached out his large hand, gently cupping the side of her face. 

She sniffled as she looked up at him, tears racing down her cheeks. “Are you okay?” With a delicate hand, Lisa reached up, her fingers shaking as she brushed over through his hair and caressed his ear, the skin there a bright red. 

His heart broke at the question as he reached his other hand out to her other side, his thumbs gently brushing away the tear stains on her cheeks. “I’m– I’m okay,” He forced himself to speak, shaking his head. “It’s you I’m worried about,”

Lyla’s voice came up as I felt my Gizmo vibrate along my wrist. “She’s stable for now, Miguel, but it won’t last long. She’ll need proper treatment soon,”

Lisa took a shaky breath, her eyes drifting downward. “I’m sorry. . . You weren’t supposed to–”

Miguel immediately clued in to what she was talking about. In that split second, his eyes darted down to where he had patched up her wound on her side, covering the slice from Isabella’s claws. Covering up the scars that her step-father gave her. 

It made Miguel’s blood boil. Her step-father, this ‘Jin’ person. Someone who was supposed to protect her and take care of her. . . and he hurt her? He hurt his Mona Lisa?!

He gently shushed her, bringing his face closer towards her as Miguel gently pressed his forehead against hers, his eyes fluttering closed. “No, no, it’s not your fault, ¿Tu me entiendes? ” - You understand me? 

It took her a moment to process what he had said before she slowly nodded her head as he pulled back softly to gauge her reaction. This wasn’t on her. This was Isabella’s trick all along. To make us vulnerable and hit us at our weakest. She hurt Lisa, and she would pay. 

Miguel’s grip tightened on her face ever so slightly, the tips of his fingers brushing along her hair. “You need to rest. You’ve done more than enough,”

Miguel didn’t miss a beat when he saw her eyes widened as he leaned back down, placing a gentle kiss on the top of her head. He pulled back, taking her hand as he silently commanded her to keep applying pressure to the makeshift bandage. His expression was serious, but his eyes still contained a hint of softness behind them. 

“I’ll be right back,”

Miguel stood up to his feet and without a second thought, his mask materialized as he ran back into the fight.

/////////

Lisa’s P.O.V. 

I tried to steady my breathing as I reached out a hand out towards Miguel as he took off running, “Miguel, wait!” But my plea went ignored as he kept running. 

I watched as he and Noir fought side by side against Isabella. They were each holding their own, but Isabella clearly wasn’t going down without a fight. Whatever enhancements Harry gave her were really showing their true colours now. 

I wanted to help. I wanted to help them fight against that monster. I couldn’t just stand by on the sidelines and do nothing. Not after what happened. Not after everything Miguel said. 

So I tried to stand up, albeit slowly. I favored my good side when standing up to try and not put as much pressure on my injured side. I hissed from the ache as I managed to stand up tall, looking around the park. It looked like all the other Spiders and left over clones were out on the streets of the city. 

“Lisa, what are you doing?!” Lyla appeared beside me, a look of concern on her face. “You shouldn’t be moving!”

A loud cry caught my ear as I looked up and saw a pair of Isabella clones flying towards me. Of course this was bound to happen. 

“I can’t sit around and be helpless, Lyla,” I huffed  as I fired a series of web fluid into their faces. They immediately shrieked, trying to claw the gooey mess off their snouts as they crash landed, exploding into dust. “Not anymore,” 

Another shriek caught my ear from behind as I turned and nearly fell on my butt when I saw another clone zooming towards me. I heard a gunshot ring out, making me flinch as I shut my eyes and shielded myself on instinct. The Isabella clone cried out and as I opened my eyes, I watched the remnants of its dust blow away in the breeze. 

“Howdy there, little miss,” A southern drawl accent caught my ear. 

I turned to see an Old Western cowboy Spider-Man approach me on horseback. He was a tall, light skinned, brown haired man with a black cowboy hat and a dark blue serape with a spiderweb pattern embedded in the fabric. He wore a black eye mask along with the classic Spider-Man red themed handkerchief over his nose and mouth to protect his face. Under the poncho he wore classic cowboy garb complete with boots and spurs. His horse even wore a mask of his own. 

“Don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced,” He tips his hat towards me in a friendly greeting. “Web-Slinger, Patrick O’Hara,”

O’Hara? 

I raised a curious brow at the man.

“No relation to the head honcho, though I understand the confusion,” He chuckled softly. 

“You seem awfully calm with, well, everything happening around us,” I responded with a curious glint in my eyes. 

“This is just a normal Monday for me back in the West,” He shook his head. “Got a name, miss?”

“Spider-Muse,” I greeted, tipping my head. “Lisa Kendrick,”

“Well then, Miss Muse, I couldn’t help but overhear,” I could hear the grin on his face as he reloaded his revolver. “You don’t want out of this fight yet, do ya?”

“No sir,” I grinned back at him. 

“Well then, I propose a compromise, then,” He extended a hand down towards me. “I ride, you shoot,”

“Sounds like a plan,” I smiled, grabbing his hand. 

Patrick hoisted me up to sit behind him on his horse, being mindful of my injury. Lyla appeared on my shoulder, a puzzled look on her face.

“Lisa, are you sure about this?”

“Miguel said to rest,” I reminded her with a knowing smile before I pulled my mask back down. “He just didn’t say when ,”

She gasped at my proclamation, hands covering her mouth. “I’m rubbing off on you, am I?” Lyla sniffed, taking off her heart-shaped glasses to dry a tear. “I’m so proud of you,” 

“Hold on tight, now, we’re going in hot!” Patrick yelled as he slapped the reins. 

His horse neighed, standing up on its back legs briefly before stomping back down on all fours and made a dash towards the fight. 

/////////

Isabella swung her arm, knocking Noir straight into Miguel as the pair tumbled to the ground. Crawling on their hands and knees, the pair of Spider-Men scrambled to their feet as Isabella towered over them, sharpening her claws. 

“Any last words?” She sneered. 

“Only that my Miss Mary Jane is insanely prettier than you,” Noir quipped. “I wish she was the last thing I’d get to see in this Earth,”

Isabella grinned, licking her lips. “Then I’ll drop your corpse on her doorstep for you,”

The bat swung her hand back as Miguel staggered to stand in front of Noir, activating his arm blades to use as a shield to block the incoming strike. Isabella was certainly strong, Miguel had underestimated her. He wouldn’t make that mistake again, as he pushed against her with as much strength as he could muster. 

“I’ve seen less uglier dogs than you,” Miguel hissed under the mask. 

Isabella shrieked as she raised up her other arm as if to swat him away, But it never came as a series of web slings shot up from behind, locking on to her wrist, yanking her back. She collapsed onto her back, falling to the ground. With her large figure out of the way, Miguel and Noir could clearly see Webslinger and I riding along his horse, the both of us tugging on our web slings. 

“Don’t you know Spiders are stronger together, Izzy ?” I smirked. 

“Lisa?!” Miguel gasped at the sight of me. 

“You,” Isabella growled lowly as she turned to her stomach, her wings flapping to get her elevated back into the air. 

“I wasn’t about to let you get away with knocking us down, now was I?” I raised a brow through the eyelet of my mask. 

Both Webslinger and I fired another series of web slings, sticking her ankles as strings of webs stuck to the ground. They kept her chained as she flapped her wings hard to try to free herself, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn’t fly away. 

“She’s stubborn, I like her,” Noir nodded his head with an almost approving stare as he patted Miguel’s shoulder. “You picked a good one, boss,”

Miguel was stunned, hearing what Noir said but he couldn’t keep his gaze off of me as I worked alongside Webslinger on his horse, being mindful of my injury, yet insisting on fighting. He slowly smiled. “Indeed I did,” 

Webslinger guided his horse for the two of us to trail around Isabella as we regrouped with Miguel and Noir. 

“What’s gonna be the rundown on this throwdown, Miguel?” Webslinger asked, casting a glance down at his leader. 

Miguel narrowed his eyes, watching Isabella’s attempts to escape her webbing. He then glanced over at me, the eyelets of his mask relaxing a smidge. “Do you think you’ll be able to manage an enhancement?”

“For her?” I loosened my shoulders and arms, cracking my knuckles as I looked over at the demon. “Oh yeah, definitely,” 

“We’ll keep her distracted, and get enough webbing around her,” Miguel nodded, his back muscles tense as he got into a stance. 

“Widow, you be gentle and take care of Miss Muse, you understand?” Webslinger stroked his horse’s neck soothingly as Widow neighed in response. 

“Thank you, Webslinger,” I smiled at the cowboy as he climbed off his horse, allowing me to scoop up more into the saddle. “Noir, this is your home. What kind of sound do you want?”

“Someone smooth, maybe with a little jazz into it, and flashy, but nothing too hard, you got me?” He rambled as he too got himself psyched up for the fight. 

“I can work with that,” I grinned, nodding my head as my finger’s reached down to scroll through my playlist.

I have the perfect song in mind for the occasion. 

“I’ve seen your tricks, wrench, that siren song of yours won’t stop me!” Isabella hugged, brandishing her fangs. 

Miguel stepped in front of me and Widow, activating his claws and sidearm talons, his back arching low in a threatening manner. “Likely story,” He seemed to roll his eyes at her. 

“One thing I have learned, Izzy, is that when you mess with one of us, you mess with all of us,” I smirked under my mask. 

I pressed play. 

[Lyrics: Where Have You Been by Rihanna]

“I've been everywhere, man

Looking for someone

Someone who can please me

Love me all night long~”

The three Spider-Men charged forward, swinging into action. They each took turns fighting Isabella head on or swinging around her, trying to get her stuck with more webs. It was a challenge because the talons of her claws and wings were fairly sharp, so if she angled them correctly, she could free herself from the strings. 

“I've been everywhere, man

Looking for you, babe

Looking for you, babe

Searching for you, babe~”

I continued to sing as I watched the Spider-Men fight Lisa. Widow kept me a safe distance away from the fighting as he trot along, his hooves digging into the dirt with each step. He almost seemed to move along to the beat of the music. 

“Where have you been?

'Cause I never see you out

Are you hiding from me, yeah?

Somewhere in the crowd!”

I held on to that last note as I fired some web slings from my wrist, my webs sticking to the assortment of webs that the guys had managed to stick around Isabella’s body. As I sang, the webs slowly began to glow in my enchanting golden hue. The light trailing up my two webs as they fluttered to the beat of the song and then spread out amongst the other webs. 

I watched as Miguel carefully climbed up along Isabella’s back, making his way to her upper torso. He made sure he was towering over her, the talons of his feet digging into her back so she couldn’t throw him off. 

“Get off me you bothersome pest!” Isabella snarled, her fangs gleaning in the moonlight. 

Miguel snarled back at her as he grabbed his face, his talons digging into her skin as he angled her face upward, her neck straining. His mask dissolved as he growled, his red eyes flaring like a burning fire. “Mine has venom,”

He opened his mouth wide, fangs brandishing from his jaw. I remembered gasping at the sight as I watched him sink his teeth into Isabella’s neck, as the bat shrieked from the impact. Her body turned, trying to shake him off but to no avail. 

As she swerved, Miguel’s body was facing towards me now, and our eyes met as he pulled back from Isabella’s neck. My throat was dry as I saw drips of Isabella’s blood and his venom, a pale clear green colour, running over his lips as he wiped it off with his hands. 

Without tearing his gaze from me, he flashed me a toothy grin. I quickly found my voice again as I poured everything into the chorus. 

“Where have you been

All my life? All my life?” 

I watched as Miguel removed his foot talons from Isabella’s back, winking at me. He fell back effortlessly from her body, using the webs to catch himself as he crawled and jumped his way back into the ground as the music slowly became more intense. 

“Where have you been all my life?

Where have you been all my life?

Where have you been all my life?”

“She’s vulnerable with my venom,” Miguel glanced around at all of us, squaring his fists. “Hit her with everything we’ve got!”

“Where have you been all my life?”

It was on sight. One by one each of us threw in a punch, a kick and a swing at Isabella as she tried to fight off both Miguel’s venom and my singing enchantment as the web continued to glow brightly to my voice. While she wasn’t as big as the Venom wolf variant, she seemed more hostile, and had some energy left in her. 

Once there was enough webbing around, I gently coaxed Widow to let me slowly stand and grab on to the webbing. I climbed up, favoring my good side as I used my webs to create a quick platform. I waved my arms, staying on my good leg as I danced along to the last remnants of the break before I slammed my hand onto the platform and the golden hue began to shine brighter as I sang.

"You can have me all you want

Any way, any day~”

I looked around and locked my gaze onto Miguel, smiling at him from under my mask. 

“Just show me where you are tonight~”

I placed both of my palms down on the platform, sending a surge of energy through the webbing. I rolled on my good side to lay down on my back as I continued to sing. I watched as Miguel jumped off of Isabella’s back, climbing the webs as he reached out with a delicate touch. He took my hand, his mask partially dissolving to reveal the lower half of his lips as he pressed a gentle kiss to my fingers.

“We’re almost there,” he spoke gently. “Finish it strong for me,”

I smiled at him as he swung back down to help Noir and Webslinger reinforce the webbing around the villain.

Isabella’s knees began to buckle as she collapsed, caught in a sticky cocoon.

“No, no, this— can’t end–” She mumbled softly. 

“Ohh yeah-yeah

Ohh!”

I reached out, grabbing on to the webs as I slipped down, my body slivering into a bundle of webs as they cradled me like vines in a jungle

“I've been everywhere, man

Looking for someone

Someone who can please me

Love me all night long

I've been everywhere, man

Looking for you, babe

Looking for you, babe,”

I finished the last series of verses as a lullaby soothing the bat to sleep as the webbed cocoon shined brightest with my enchantment. Isabella’s body hung low as she bobbed her head down, her black eyes fluttering closed. When her quiet snores began to fill the air, I looked up towards the Spider-Men, towards Miguel, as I finished the last set of lyrics.

“Searching for you, babe~”

Spider-Noir jumped forward, examining the cocoon closely. He glanced up towards me, offering me a thumbs up before looking back down at the others. “It worked, she’s out cold!”

“Perfect, but just to be safe,” Miguel reached into his back, pulling out a disc as he tossed it to the ground at Isabella’s feet. “I’m not risking anything else,”

Noir jumped off of the cocoon as a red laser shield cage took form around the bat, caging her from the rest of the world as bits and pieces of the webbing snapped off. 

I heard Widow’s soft neighing from below me as I glanced down, seeing him line up to catch me. I carefully climbed down from the webs, sliding into Widow’s saddle. I gently patted his head, stroking his hair. “Thank you, Widow,”

He snorted, shaking his head in response. A whistle caught my ear and before I could blink, Widow moved forward. He strutted towards Webslinger who was waving him closer, Miguel standing nearby. I took my mask off as we neared him, smiling at Spider-Man 2099. 

“Whoa, now, Widow,” Webslinger gently coaxed Widow to slow down, brushing his muzzle with his finger tips. He glanced over towards Miguel, signaling for him to approach. “Don’t keep the lady waiting,”

Miguel’s mask dissolved as he huffed, a half smile spreading on his face as he approached the saddle. His eyes were warm, the irises reverted back to his smooth chocolate brown stare. I watched as he offered me his hand, a soft smile on his face. “Mi Mona Lisa,” - My Mona Lisa 

My cheeks flushed a light shade of pink at the gesture. I reached out, taking his hand in mine as Miguel carefully helped me down from Widow. The second my feet had touched the ground, Miguel held me in his arms, tucking me close to his frame. 

“I told you I’d come back,” he mumbled into my hair. 

There were butterflies in my stomach as I took in his warmth, his. . . safety. I reached out, wrapping my arms around him as I hugged him tightly. “I wasn’t going to let you fight her alone, now was I?”

I could hear the smirk on his face, his grip tightening ever so slightly. “Were you always this stubborn?”

I giggled softly, resting the side of my head against his chest. “Only for you,”

Miguel pulled back, lowering his arms as he looked down at me. He looked so. . . calm. 

Remembering that we had an audience, he coughed into his fist as cheeks flushed a light shade of red as he looked over towards Webslinger, issuing an order. I didn’t quite catch what it was as I was too focused on the fact that even when Miguel pulled away, he still had an arm around my shoulder, letting me lean against him. 

As he chatted with Noir about the damage, having Lyla survey the area, Miguel’s fingers trailed down my side before stopping, lifting his hand as it seemed to hover above me. Our eyes met as he asked, “Sorry, uh– May I?”

I smiled softly at him, “You may,”

He smiled back as he gently placed his hand on my waist, his fingers gently rubbing against the makeshift bandage to ease the dull ache on my wound. I sighed softly, the side of my head resting just along his arm, under his shoulder. 

I continued to smile as I began to wonder what would become of this. Of us after today.

Chapter Text

After Isabella was put to sleep from my enchantment, the rest of her remaining clones that were fighting the other Spiders had disappeared, vanishing into dust. It appeared they were only active while she was awake, able to focus her energy into keeping them active. With them gone, it made the clean up a lot easier. 

Jessica organized a cleanup crew with Noir overseeing the repairs to his dimension. Thankfully thanks to Lyla’s previous analysis, no canon events had been disturbed, so his dimension was safe and not at risk of disappearing. Some civilians were injured, but no casualties. I’d call that a win. 

Kept locked in her cage, Isabella was brought up to HQ and put in the holding cells with some of the other villains. She’d be kept there until her interrogations were complete about her involvement with Harry Osborn, in order to try and figure out what Harry’s intentions were with the Spider-Society and the Multiverse as a whole. After that, Petra would be able to bring her back to their dimension where she’d be charged for her crimes and imprisoned for good. 

For the remainder of our visit, Miguel never left my side. In fact, he kept me at his side for as long as he could. His arm was still wrapped around me, his hand at my waist as I leaned against him for support. He continued to support me, even as he gave orders and looked over reports and analysis of the damage, spewing no indications of discomfort or needing to adjust, even as he opened a portal back to Spider Society HQ. 

Miguel walked me to the medical bay where Spider-Doc was waiting, a spare bed ready for me. He must have called the Doctor ahead of time to prepare. Miguel carefully set me down on the bed, helping me lay down. He carefully recalled the piece of his suit that covered my wound and the nano-tech slipped back onto his hand, taking the form of his glove. 

He exchanged a look with Spider-Doc, as if communicating silently with him. Spider-Doc nodded before glancing over at me with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. By the time I’m done, this will look like nothing more than a paper cut,” 

“I know I’m in good hands with you, Doc,” I managed a smile as I coughed, my body adjusting to the new position as a small jolt of pain ached at my side. I glanced over towards Miguel. “What about you?”

“I’ll be okay,” Miguel nodded, reaching down to squeeze my hand. “Rest a while. I need a moment to step out and. . . think , if that’s okay?”

Think?

"I have feelings for you, too,"

Ah, of course. It was just like he said. That wasn’t how he wanted to tell me. Not to mention it was most certainly not how I wanted to find out. 

“Of course,” I smiled softly at him, my eyes pouring into his. 

He gave me a soft look in exchange, his fingers squeezing mine again before pulling away. His warmth lingered on my hand as he stepped away from the bed. “I’ll call you when I’m ready to talk,”

“Okay,” I nodded as I watched him turn and leave. 

“So, I heard the mission went well today,” Spider-Doc spoke up, breaking the ice as he gathered some supplies before pulling up a chair beside me. 

I sighed softly, biting back a hiss of pain as he got to work on disinfecting and patching up my wound. “That’s one way to put it,” 

My Gizmo buzzed as I glanced over as the small holographic screen appeared to see a message from Gabriel. 

“Hey, heard what happened. Want to come by after your check up so I can patch the suit for you?” - Gabriel 

“Thank you, Gabriel, I’d appreciate that :)” - Lisa 

//////////

Once Spider-Doc finishes patching me up, Gabriel picks me up and walks me over to his workshop where he can fix up my suit. His machine patched up my suit, the little legs working tirelessly as they sewed it back together. During the process, Gwen had offered to jump over to my apartment to grab a change of clothes if I wanted a break from wearing the suit for a while, but I politely declined. 

Leaving Gabriel’s lab, I was a bit of a nervous wreck as I walked through the halls of the Society. Other Spiders congratulated me on a job well done, applauding my good deeds during the mission. No one said anything about what Isabella had done to me or Miguel. Did he ask them to not mention it in the mission report, or were they choosing to not say anything and invoke their bosses' wrath?

Speaking of the boss? Where was Miguel?

I had briefly stopped by his lab, hoping to find him there just to check in with him and see how he was holding up. I wasn’t going to force him into talking when he wasn’t ready yet, but I was still worried about him regardless. So when I peeked into his lab and didn’t find him there, my heart rate spiked. 

“Miguel?” I called out, thinking maybe he was hiding deeper up on his platform when I didn’t see him on the ground floor. 

To my surprise, his platform wasn’t active. It looked like it had been lowered since we left for the mission. So if Miguel wasn’t in his lab, where was he?

“Lyla, do you know where–?” Before I could even finish asking my question, the virtual AI appeared before me. 

“Do you even have to ask?” She teased with a playful grin. 

“But he hasn’t called me yet, so maybe I should give him his space,” I mumbled with worry as I began to turn.

“Oh, don’t worry, he wants to see you, Lisa,” Lyla had a knowing look on her face.

A chime noise caught my ear as I glanced over to an unfamiliar part of Miguel’s lab, seeing a set of doors pull back. It looked like an elevator. Lyla’s body fizzled inside it, motioning for me to come forward. 

“Uh, Lyla, what are you doing?” I asked her as I took a few cautious steps forward.

“I’m taking you to see Miguel,” She beamed. 

“Are you sure I should be in here?” I asked again with a nervous expression on my face as I peered inside the elevator. 

“Miguel wants to talk to you, Lisa, trust me,” Lyla’s lips form into a grin. “He’s just been. . . occupied,”

“What does that mean?” I raise a brow at the AI, jumping when the elevator doors close. 

“You’ll see,” She gives me a knowing smile before she fades away and the elevator comes to life, soaring up. 

I tried to keep myself calm and collected as I thought about what I was going to say to Miguel. Rather it was more like rehearsed. I couldn’t remember the last time my palms were sweating so much, or how I was pacing around the small elevator. 

After what felt like an agonizing eternity, the elevator chimed again, coming to a stop. Only this time the doors in front of me didn’t open, but rather the doors behind me did. I stepped out, walking down a short narrow hallway until I turned at an exit and I froze. 

I saw a beautiful scenic view of Nueva York. I found myself on a private balcony that overlooked Uptown. I was enamored by the puffy white clouds, the sleek structure of the buildings below us. But what stunned me the most was the silence. No honking of cars, no sounds of traffic. Just tranquil peace. 

That was until I heard a voice muttering, sounding stressed. 

I glanced over and my cheeks flushed finding Miguel sitting near the balcony’s edge. His gizmo was activated, a holographic image of his brother Gabriel hovering above it. 

“ No lo se, Gabri ,” Miguel sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “ Estoy aterrorizado voy a estropear esto de alguna manera ,” - I don’t know, Gabri. I’m just terrified I’m going to mess this up somehow

“ Te conozco, Migs, siempre haces todo lo posible para que las cosas funcionen .” Gabriel smiled at his brother through the holographic feed. “ Ya has llegado hasta aquí, ¿verdad? ” - I know you, Migs, you always try your damn hardest to make things work. You’ve come this far already, right?

“I know, it’s just–” Miguel shook his head. “That was not how I wanted them to find out,”

I coughed into my fist, watching as Miguel jumped in his spot before whirling around to see me. 

“Tell me about it,” I chuckled nervously. 

“Lisa?!” Miguel gawked. 

“Lisa?” Gabriel repeated, his hologram trying to move to get a better look.

Miguel immediately blocked his view, looking back towards the hologram. “I’ll call you back,” he ended the call as the hologram quickly disappeared. 

“Did I come at a bad time?” I asked with an anxious tone in my voice. 

“No, no, it’s just I wasn’t– how did you even get up here?” Miguel asked me before he froze, his expression doing deadpan as he grumbled. “Lyla. . .”

“Sorry, Miguel,” Lyla apologized as she appeared on my shoulder with an innocent expression on her face. “I can’t help myself,”

Miguel pulled up a knee to his chest, resting his arm along it as he looked back out to the city view below us. He fiddled with his fingers, contemplating. I stood back, wanting to give him his space. 

“Lyla, can you give Lisa and I a moment?” Miguel asked the AI as he kept his gaze on the city. “Please?”

“Sure thing big guy,” Lyla smiled, offering the both of us an encouraging wink before she disappeared. 

We both stayed there in silence for a moment. There was a gentle breeze in the air as the wind brushed against Miguel’s hair. He turned to look at me, offering me a calming look as he motioned for me to join him. 

I nodded softly as I walked slowly towards him. The balcony was made of this hard glass plating. I couldn’t see right through it, otherwise I’d be staring straight down to the ground and not moving an inch. My footsteps were quiet as I neared Miguel and eased down to sit beside him. 

“How are you feeling?” I asked him. 

“A bit bruised up, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” He nodded softly, his gaze still trained on the city. 

I pulled my mask off, letting the wind brush against my skin before I pulled back my hair tie. My hair dropped past my shoulders, some of the strandles flowing in the wind. I sighed softly as I looked out at the view. 

“I can see why you’d come up here,” I smiled softly, glancing at him. “It’s a beautiful view,”

Miguel hummed in agreement, his eyes softening as he kept looking out into the sky. 

I looked down at my hands nestled into my lap, my fingers fidgeting with my mask. “We don’t have to talk about. . . us right now, if you need more time,” 

Miguel sat there silently for a while. He twiddled with his thumbs, as if debating whether or not to say something. I could sense the gears turning in his mind as I glanced over towards him. 

“Almost one year ago, after I had first established the Spider-Society, I found another dimension with an alternate version of myself,” Miguel began, his voice a little shaky, but he spoke with a calm demeanor. 

I turned my attention to him completely as he took a deep breath, as if encouraging himself to keep going. 

“I had found a version of myself where I had a family, and I was happy ,” He spoke, almost flinching at the last word as he shut his eyes briefly. 

“You weren’t. . . happy here?” I dared myself to ask, my voice quiet. 

Miguel glanced over, our eyes meeting for the first time. I noted his eye colour. It was chocolate brown. 

“It wasn’t always just Gabriel and I. A few years back, there was this girl that I worked with during my time in Alchemax. . . I was convinced that she was the one. I asked her to marry me and we soon found out she was pregnant. Things were going well,”

Miguel raised his wrist, bringing up a holographic picture from his gizmo. I leaned closer to get a better look. She had light skin with brown eyes and long silky black hair. The photo ID tag read: Xina Kwan-O’Hara. 

I smiled at the photo. “She’s really pretty,”

Miguel smiled softly in turn. “Xina really was,”

I shook off the nerves, gulping as I glanced back at his face. “What happened to her?”

“Shortly after our baby, Gabriela, we called her, was born, Xina suddenly became sick. Very sick,”

I could hear the material of his suit stretched as he balled his free hand into a fist.

“Here in 2099 we’ve made over a dozen impossible things possible,” Miguel couldn’t help but smirk at the prospect of it all before his head hung low. “A cure for cancer? That’s. . . still one hurdle we haven’t crossed yet,”

My eyes widened at the claim as I felt a ping of sadness ache in my chest. Losing someone to an incurable disease. I knew the feeling all too well. 

“Did she–?” I asked, my words hitching as I quickly realized the outcome.

“Xina fought like hell. She really did. But soon it became too much,” Miguel’s head hung low, shutting his eyes as he momentarily paid his respects. “I did my best trying to raise and take care of Gabriela on my own but, even she— she got–”

I didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to realize where Miguel was going. 

I hesitated briefly before I scooted closer towards him, one hand placing a soothing hand on his shoulder, the other gently placing themselves over his free hand. I could see faint tears in his eyes when his eyelids opened, sensing my touch. 

“I was 11 when I lost my father to cancer,” I mumbled softly. 

My finger tips gripped his shoulder gently as my thumb brushed against his suit. Miguel glanced down at my hand as he gently flipped his free hand around, his palm facing my before his fingers wrapped around my hand. “I’m sorry for your loss,”

“It’s funny how grieving works, doesn’t it?” I can’t help but chuckle a little. 

I feel Miguel’s chest rumble as a quiet huff escapes him, shaking his head.  We both sat there in idle silence before he took another breath. “When I found the other dimension, of me and my family, well, I was happy that at least a version of me could still have it all. I observed from a distance for a while, but. . .”

Miguel swiped the hologram feed to show footage of a young girl running around with a soccer ball before jumping into Miguel’s arms. I realized it was the same child I had seen from a previous feed when I went to see Miguel in his lab. This was Gabriela. . . 

“That version of myself was killed,” Miguel sighed deeply, as if those very words were haunting him. His grip on my hand tightened ever so slightly as he took a deep breath through his nose. “So, I replaced him. . .”

The pupils of my eyes widened at the claim. After losing his family once, he didn’t want them to experience the grief he went through. “Miguel. . .” I mumbled out his name, whether in sympathy or guilt, I wasn’t sure. 

“I thought it was harmless,” He shook his head, thinking back on it all. The look in his eyes seemed to tell me he was almost scolding himself for what he did. “But I was wrong. . .” 

A prompt appeared on the holographic screen saying “No other recordings detected” . 

“The other Miguel dying,” I spoke slowly as the pieces of the puzzle were put in place in my mind, connecting each other to show me the full picture. “That was the canon event, wasn’t it?”

“Miguel O’Hara was supposed to stay dead. If I hadn’t taken his place to keep taking care of Gabri–” He almost choked at the mention of her name. “Her dimension wouldn’t have crumbled,” 

I looked up at Miguel with sad eyes as my one hand stretched across to wrap my arm around him as I pressed my forehead against his arm. “I’m so sorry you went through all of that, Miguel,”

Miguel didn’t say anything back. But he didn’t have to. I got a grasp of what he meant when he powered off his gizmo, that arm reaching over to hug my frame, albeit a tad awkwardly, but I didn’t pry. Especially when he squeezed my hand as I felt a tear drop stain the skin of my hand that held his own. 

“Now, with all that being said,'' Miguel sniffled as he glanced down at me after a few minutes had passed, trying to manage a half playful smile. “You don’t have to share your stuff with me right now just because I did,”

I felt like the air had been kicked out of me as I wheezed a slow laughter, drying the few stray tears from my face. “Well, when you put it like that, Miguel–!”

“All I’m saying is, you made me feel like I could talk about this now,” Miguel clarified with a relieved smile as he gently pulled back to look down at me. “Talk about my stuff. Don’t feel pressured to share yours right now if you don’t want to. But just know for when that time comes, I’ll be here to listen,”

“Thank you, Miguel,” I smiled sweetly at him before my gaze softened. “However, with all the close calls I’ve had, now might be the best time for me,”

The look on Miguel’s face said it all as his body turned to face me. “Are you sure?”

“You’ll be here to listen, right?” I grinned with a sincere expression. 

He smiled softly, nodding his head. 

I took that as my sign to start telling my story. I took a deep breath, my hand still holding Miguel’s free hand tightly along his lap. 

“After my dad passed away, it was just me and my mom for a while. My dad worked as a sound stage engineer, setting up the sound system for bands for their shows and my mom was a music producer. Everything I know about music I learned from them, and I was the type of kid that could never sit still so they put me into dance classes at an early age,” I began, smiling at the memories. 

“You? Not sitting still?” Miguel raised a brow at me with a teasing glare. “I find that a little hard to believe,”

“Oh, you would not be a fan of me if we met when we were kids, trust me,” I chuckled softly. 

“How did they meet?” Miguel asked almost cautiously, and I knew exactly who he was referring to. 

“While on a business trip in South Korea, my mom met a guy named Jin Park. She was overseeing her company’s new branch opening in Asia and he was one of the new team members. They went long distance for a while, but they made it work. Eventually he moved in with us, they got married, things were good. After mom retired, Jin was my biggest supporter and hype man when it came to my dance career,” 

I looked back out into the sky again, looking out at the clouds. 

“One summer, he invited me to come with him back to Seoul for an International Idol Boot Camp. He had shown the coaches of his company’s idol department my demos and they were really impressed. I figured, where was the harm in trying?” I shrugged my shoulders. 

“A once in a lifetime opportunity,” Miguel spoke, as if he understood the meaning of those words. 

“I was only supposed to stay there for the summer. Two, maybe three months,” I continued, and the closer I got to the gritty dark underbelly of those memories, I could feel my fingers begin to tremble. 

“Lisa,” Miguel gently called out my name, his other hand reaching out to carefully brush my hair away from my face. 

I only realized then how tall, how big and strong he actually was. How large his hands were. My hands looked like a child’s compared to him. 

“How long did you stay there?” He asked me. 

I took a shaky breath, my throat starting to go dry. “Something. . . changed about Jin. I don’t know if it was the stress of the job, or whatever, but I stayed for him. I stayed and worked hard to try and make it work for Jim, thinking that would help ease him,” I could start to feel the tears swell up in my eyes as I shook my head to try and shake the nerves away. 

Miguel drew me closer to him almost instantly, his arm wrapped around me in a protective manner. “How long? What did he do?”

The silent question hung on his lips. What did he do to give you those scars? 

“I stayed there for two years,” I groaned. “I endured the toxic work environment, the verbal abuse, the long hours of non-stop rehearsals, horrible diets, constantly apologizing for things I didn’t do, and let an asshole walk all over me, for two years , and I did it for him,”

I could feel the tears racing now, as Miguel held me close. I’m sure he was thinking of a million things right now. Such as why isn’t the father paying for his sins against his daughter?

“We were coming up on a headlining show. I was supposed to perform with a group, but I couldn’t take it anymore,” I shook my head into Miguel’s chest as I felt his hand cup the back of my head, his fingers combing through my hair. “I stood up to Jin and told him that I was done, and that I wanted out. We got into a huge argument about it and he– he hit me,”

I choked the last few words out and I could physically feel Miguel’s muscles stiffen, his body freezing and tightening all at once. 

“I fell into one of the stage decorations. It was made of glass and– I got sliced pretty bad,” I took slow deep breaths. “I needed emergency surgery,”

I could feel Miguel’s hand trace down to my stomach, placing his palm gently to where the scars were, his fingertips curling into my suit. “Did you get out?”

I nodded softly. “I cut contact with him and left,”

We both sat there for a while, just enjoying the view and taking solace in each other’s company. 

“You were really brave, you know that?” Miguel mumbled softly. “You still are. . .” 

I pulled my head back to stare up at him, the tears drying on my cheeks as he met my gaze. Oh god, those eyes. . . 

“Thank you for listening. . .” I spoke quietly. 

“I promised, didn’t I?” He flashed me a toothy grin. 

We both smiled at each other before Miguel reached over, drying his tears as another sniffle escaped him. 

I pulled my arm back from his shoulders, looking up at him. “So. . . you genuinely like me back?”

If not for the memory of his confession due to Isabella’s sonic screech earlier this morning, the question would have caught Miguel way more off guard. 

"A part of me still grieves Xina and misses her deeply, and I'm not sure when I'll recover with what happened to Gabriela, but,” Miguel paused as he gathered himself, finding the right words, no, the perfect words to say. “. . . I'm at the point where I can no longer hold back or deny how I feel about you, Lisa. Not anymore."

My heart fluttered at his confession, the pupils of my eyes widening. 

"I'd never ask you to forget them, Miguel," I look at him with soft, sympathetic eyes as I grip his hand tightly in my own, gently placing his hand on his chest over where his heart rested. "You'll always remember them, the memories you share with them, in here. They'll always be a part of you,"

“I know, Lisa, I know you wouldn’t,” he smiled softly at me before offering a playful wink. “You wouldn’t hurt a fly,”

“Hey! Only if it's a mutant villain fly maybe-!” I stuttered, my cheeks burning a bright red. 

Miguel laughed at my outburst, his hands lowering from his heart as he reached out and wrapped an arm back around my shoulders. The redness of my cheeks never faded. 

“Do you remember earlier when I mentioned that if I allowed myself to like you, I’d risk disrupting your canon and your dimension’s life force?” He asked me. 

I nodded my head slowly. 

“Well, I asked Lyla to run a diagnostic for me the other day,” He explained as he brought out his Gizmo again, the holographic screen reappearing. “The good news is, your dimension is still steadily repairing itself and no other tears in its threads have been detected,”

“Is there bad news?” I asked nervously. 

Miguel paused before his puff lips formed into a prideful smirk. “Try more good news,”

He brought the screen closer to me as I read the report and I nearly froze, a hand coming up to muffle my gasp. 

“No canon events detected!” 

“My universe doesn’t have a canon?” I asked him with surprise as I looked up at him. 

“Not according to Lyla’s model,” Miguel confirmed. 

“So you’re saying. . . There’s a chance that we—?” I could feel the rush of adrenaline kick in as my heart began to beat faster. 

“We can. We can, mi Mona Lisa ,” Miguel smiled brightly at me as he took his large hands in my small delicate ones, before his lips thinned. “But a part of me is still scared. No canon means. . . Anything could happen. Good and bad,” - my Mona Lisa 

My gaze drifted off back towards the sky as I processed his words, “Well,” I glanced back over towards him, offering him a soft smile. “We can support each other through both. There’s a first time for everything, Miguel,”

The pupils of his eyes widened as he took my words to heart, smiling softly back at me. “Indeed, Lisa,”

We both looked back out to the sky, Miguel keeping me tucked close as I found myself leaning my head against his frame and his arm around my shoulders tightened ever so slightly. 

“So, what now?”

Chapter Text

I felt a little lighter after that talk. I had just found out that the person I have feelings for likes me back, and to top it all off, our dimensions aren’t going to prevent us from trying to be together?!

Miguel and I had sat there on the balcony for a while longer, his arm tucked around my shoulders as he held me close to his frame. I remembered relaxing in his embrace. Body heat radiating from him as if he were a personal walking heater. It felt nice just sitting there. 

He was really warm. So warm I could see myself falling asleep in his hold if we stayed any longer. 

Eventually we did have to get up and regroup with the rest of the Society. Otherwise people would start asking around, wondering where we were, especially their fearless leader. I was surprised that we hadn’t heard anything yet, but perhaps Lyla was keeping things quiet so we wouldn’t be bothered. 

“Should we go see if Isabella is awake yet?” I asked him as my eyes glanced up towards him. 

The sigh that left his lips was one of content, almost peaceful. “We probably should,” He spoke softly before a half smile curled on his lips. “Jess will have it out for me if I leave her alone with Peter B. for too long,”

“Oh, the audacity,” I chuckled, rolling my eyes. 

I scooted over to allow Miguel to stand up, looking up and watching him as he stretched out the stiff joints from his arms and legs. I had caught myself staring at him before, but at this moment, I couldn’t look away. I smiled, admiring him from where I sat before he offered me a hand. 

His lips curled into a soft smile as I took his hand in mine. He helped me to stand up on my own feet, pulling me up with ease. Miguel glanced down at our held hands before he motioned towards the elevator. A silent question.

I answered him with a small nod and smile. His gaze grew softer as we both walked hand in hand. 

We took the elevator back down to his lab. The elevator doors opened and as we walked across the floor, I turned towards the table of Miguel’s platform and only then noticed that the two boxes of empanadas I got him earlier this morning were completely empty. Had he eaten the remaining bundles while I was recovering? Was he stress eating? 

I decided not to bring it up, not knowing if it was a touchy subject as he did promise to try and take better care of himself. With a physic like his, he should be eating more anyways. Exiting the lab, we then make our way towards the villain holding-cell block. 

I tried to play it cool, but noticing a lot of Spiders glancing our way made me feel a little squeamish. It’s not that I didn’t like the attention per say, if anything, I was worried about how Miguel would react to this. He was the leader of the Spider-Society. He had to maintain this professional appearance and demeanor almost constantly around his fellow Spiders, and for the first time in who knows how long, they’re seeing him relaxed and holding hands with someone else?

“Lisa?” Miguel’s voice snapped me out of my nervous trance as I looked up at him, a look of genuine concern on his face. “Are you feeling alright?”

“Y-Yeah,” I nodded slowly, my eyes shifting around us briefly before I returned my gaze to him. “Are you okay?”

He noticed my gaze shifting and quickly put two and two together as we kept walking, noticing a few stares our way. He knew they weren’t staring because they were judging them. In fact, he noticed some of them looked almost happy, pleased. Even saw a pair exchanging something like they were doing a bet? His cheeks flushed at the thought. Okay, slightly embarrassing, however. . .  

“Is this too fast for you?” he asked me.

My eyes widened at the question as I hastily shook my head. “No, no, just. . . the nerves talking is all,” My cheeks heated up as I rubbed the back of my neck with my free hand. “So, are you okay with this?”

Miguel glanced back down at our intertwined hands before he looked into my eyes, offering me a reassuring nod. “So far so good,”

“So far so good,” I smiled softly at him, repeating the words to reassure myself. 

We kept walking down the halls of the Society, and I found myself becoming nervous. I felt like I should say something, anything. I just prayed Miguel wouldn’t notice my palms beginning to sweat. 

I cleared my throat. “So, um, maybe, after all this is settled, I was thinking–?”

“Yes?” Miguel looked at me curiously. 

“Would you like to do something sometime? Together ?” I offered. 

“Like a date, you mean?” The corner of his mouth curled as he grinned softly at me. 

Oh GODS, that devilish smirk of his would be the end of me! 

“I mean, if you want?” I caught my voice squeaking as I coughed again, trying to regain my composure as Miguel chuckled softly at me. 

“We can take things slow, but, I certainly wouldn’t mind if you’re up for it,” Miguel spoke gently as his fingers squeezed my own. 

I smiled up at him, my eyes sparkling. “I am,”

“Then we’ll plan a date then, once this is all settled,” Miguel smiled back, nodding his head. “Sounds like a plan?”

“Yeah,” I squeezed his hand back. 

We continued walking and entered the cell block. Jess and Peter B. were monitoring the records at the console while Gwen, Hobie, and Pav were on guard duty, making sure Isabella’s cell was secured. Her cell was separated from the other cells to make sure there were no slip ups. The others turned at our arrival, meeting our gaze. 

Miguel and I glanced over at each other. He gave me a tight squeeze to my hand, offering a curt nod. I silently understood as I nodded back. There’s a time and place for everything. 

We pulled away as his fingertips gently brushed along my fingers, flashing me this almost knowing look in my eyes as he approached Jess and Peter. 

“So, what’s her status?” He asked when he drew near. 

As the trio talked, I had trouble focusing on their conversation. I glanced down at my hand, bringing it up closer to my chest. I could still feel the warmth of Miguel’s touch, the tingle of the brush of his fingers against mine when he pulled away. Even though he was right there, I missed it. I missed him. I missed him holding my hand. 

Oh GOD, I really do have it bad don’t I? 

Shuffling caught my ear as I glanced over to see Pavitr side step towards me, his hands behind his back like an innocent child. “Soooo,” He rolled his eyes over towards me, a smirk on his face. “What did you two talk about?”

My cheeks heated up again as I stared at him. “Um, you know, just recalling the mission and checking in after our battle with Isabella?”

“Uh huh,” Pav nodded his head slowly, an almost cat-like smile forming on his lips. “Does it have anything to do with that ?”

“That?” I repeated, trying to play dumb partly just to mess with him. I knew he saw, everyone saw in fact. 

‘Lisa, don’t play with my emotions like that!” Pav hugged my arm, shaking me like a little kid having a tantrum, although he wasn’t actually trying to be mean about it. 

“Ease up on her, Pav,” Gwen cautioned as she and Hobie drew near after finishing their security check. “If she doesn’t wanna talk, she doesn’t wanna talk,”

“He didn’t pressure you into anything, Musey?” Hobie asked, raising a curious brow. 

“No, no, nothing like that,” I shook my head before giving them a reassuring expression. “We both just had some catching up and overdue explaining to do that’s all,”

“We weren’t there, but Gwen told us about the enchantment you pulled on Isabella,” Hobie smiled with an approving nod, “As a fellow artist, I salute you. Heard it was quite the show,”

“Not as big as the one I pulled on the Venom variant, but it definitely took a lot of energy,” I offered Hobie a cheap smile, rubbing the back of my neck as I could feel my cheeks flush from the compliment. 

“We may or may not have heard that Mr. O’Hara might have cozied up to you during said performance and for a bit after the fact,” Pav continued to play this innocent child act as he leaned the side of his head on my shoulder, his hair brushing over my suit. “What did he do?”

My eyes immediately shot over to Gwen, “You saw?”

She shrugged her shoulders in defeat, not saying another word. Yep, she saw everything that happened from the sidelines. Figured. I did tell her to run and grab Noir after all. She must have stayed back and watched the fight play out after Noir rescued Miguel and I from an early grave at Isabella’s hands. 

I sighed softly, relaxing my shoulders as I glanced over at Pav, “Alright, Miguel may or may not have kissed my hand,”

The gasp that escaped Pav was like something out of a cartoon. His eyes went wide as sat his head up from my shoulder. “No way!”

I tucked a lock of hair behind me ear as I smiled, kicking my feet against the floor, “He also may or may not have let me lean against him for support from my injury,”

Pav gasped again, only this time cupping his hands over his mouth to muffle his squeal to not catch the attention of the other adult Spiders.

“--And kept her at his side for the entire time even when they came back here to HQ,” Gwen quickly added with a playful wink.

Pav waved his hands excitedly, trying to contain his reaction. When he calmed himself down, he looked over towards me, placing both hands on my shoulders. “Does that mean you two are–?!”

I chuckled at his antics, offering the boy a soft smile. “We’re going to try and see where this goes,”

“Yes!” he cheered, fist bumping. “I knew it, I knew it!”

“Yes, Pav, we know you called it,” Hobie rolled his eyes playfully at Spider-Man India, although he did enjoy watching him do a little happy dance. 

“You two,” Pav pointed a finger at me whilst motioning his head towards Miguel, “--are my Bridgerton, that doesn’t even come close to what’s going on with you two,”

“Whoa, that’s quite the claim, Pav,” I laughed at him. “Don’t hit me with the sorrows, sorrows, prayers, speech if I tell you something goes wrong,”

“He’s been rooting for you two since we found out you liked the boss man way back,” Hobie smiled knowingly at me. “Low key, he ain’t the only one,”

I smiled at my Spider friends, honestly a bit relieved that they appeared to be happy for me and supporting me with this news that Miguel and I would try to be together. “Thanks you guys,”

“If he does try to pull anything, just give me a call, and I’ll come knocking,” Hobie grinned as he punched his hand into his fist. 

I gulped nervously, waving my hands at him. “I appreciate it, Hobie, but I don’t think it will come to that,”

“Suit yourself,” He shrugged it off as Gwen rolled her eyes at him. 

“You two seem genuinely happy. I’m happy for you,” She spoke sincerely.

“Thanks, Gwen,” I smiled at her. 

“Lisa,” I look over after hearing my name being called to see Miguel motioning for me to join him and the other Spider adults. 

I nod my head over to him before I wave by to the others, “I’ll see you guys later,”

The three of them waved back at me before resuming their posts. I joined Miguel, Jess, and Peter B as they formed a small circle around the main console. There was a holographic screen displaying Isabella’s vitals and her known appearances throughout the multiverse. 

“What did you find?” I asked. 

“It looks like Miss Isabella has been busy,” Jessica’s lips drew a thin line as she brought up a list of dimensions, “Noir’s dimension isn’t her only sighting. This bat was flying and jumping to other dimensions like she was jumping from club to club on a Friday night,”

“I kind of like the Izzy idea,” Peter B. grinned. “All in favor of making that her villain name?”

“Focus, Peter,” Miguel lectured with a scowl, hands on his hips as he narrowed his eyes towards Spider-Man. 

“I’m focused!” Peter B. raised his hands in a defensive manner. 

“We can assume she’s popped up into these other dimensions thanks to Harry Osborn,” Jess quickly added, “As we now know he has a means to traverse the multiverse now as well,”

“Whether she went there to disturb the canon or some other purpose, we’re not sure,” Miguel shook his head. “I asked Lyla to run a diagnostic on those dimensions. Thankfully their canon events are still in tact, for now at least,” 

“Can’t we interrogate and ask her why she was in those dimensions?” I asked him.

“We want to, but that’s the problem,” Miguel sighed as he glanced over, pouring an apologetic look in my eyes. “She hasn’t woken up yet from your enchantment,”

My eyes widened at the statement. “What?”

“Back when you knocked out that Venom wolf variant? That thing stayed asleep the entire time Margo and the clean up crew were working to send it back to its home dimension,” He explained. 

“Honestly, that was the smoothest extraction I’ve ever done here,” Jessica almost smiled in relief as she glanced over at me, “And quiet too, but very heavy,”

“Do you think you’ll be able to wake her up?” Peter asked me, “I know when you used it on me, Hobie had to slap me out of it,”

“I’m sorry, he what ?” Miguel raised a brow at us. 

“Miguel, don’t act like you don’t know,” Peter shook his head with an amused grin. “Knowing Lyla, she probably recorded it and showed it to you to get a good laugh out of you,”

“Nope, not yet,” Lyla appeared on Miguel’s shoulder, hands behind her back with a proud grin. “I’m saving it for a rainy day,” 

Miguel raised his hands, trying to keep his cool, “Okay, can we please stay focused here?”

“Right, right, my bad,” Peter apologized before looking over at me. “Have you figured out a way to snap your targets out of their enchantment?”

I shook my head. “No, I haven’t. Up until now, I never actually had a reason to,” 

“In a sense, she has a point. Why not just let the villains sleep it off instead of giving them another chance to do more damage?” Jess hummed, deep in thought as she looked at us. 

“If it does help in any way,” Lyla suddenly popped up as she brought out another holographic screen, one that displayed the venom variant we had caught earlier. The display showed him being sent back to his dimension and within a few minutes, he was slowly waking up, looking around. “It does look like the enchantment does wear off on its own, albeit slowly,”

“How long was he under for?” Miguel asked. 

“You mean since Lisa first knocked him unconscious?” Lyla piped up, cupping her chin. “Hmm, I wanna say, maybe a couple of hours?” 

“Maybe, but Venom is an alien symbiote,” Peter pointed out as he glanced over towards the cage. “Sure Izzy is part demon bat, but she’s also half human. Maybe the enchantment has different effects depending on the target,”

“It’s possible,” I shrugged my shoulders. “Since I can’t really use my powers in my home dimension, your guess is as good as mine,” 

I didn’t miss the split second wave of guilt wash over Miguel. I wanted to keep my promise to him, wanting to play it safe and not risk anything happening with my dimension. But I could use the extra practice with my powers. I wouldn’t hold it against him though. 

Miguel shook his head, as if shaking away any doubts he was having. “We’ll play it safe then and wait it out. As much as we’re pressed for time to find out what Harry is up to, I don’t want to risk something going wrong if you try to force her back awake,”

“We’ll wait for Izzy to wake up on her own time, then,” Jessica nodded.

“See? It’s catching on already!” Peter B. beamed happily, “I haven’t lost my touch,”

///////////

Earth - 2023 

Harry Osborn of Earth - 1997 grumbled under his breath as he ended an interdimensional call through his reverse engineered Gizmo. His latest addition and asset to his team, the lovely Lady Isabella, had been captured. While she did some damage to that Noir Spider’s dimension, it wasn’t enough to break the canon. Oh well . 

But from what he's heard from the audio report he managed to salvage, she also did some other damage as well. He loved hearing the sounds of Spider-Man 2099 begging, and the heart-shattering pleading of Ms. Kendrick. 

He wanted more. 

But in order to get that. He needed more power, more time. More allies . 

He’d find a way to help her escape and return to his kind embrace. Isabella was still a valuable asset to his cause. But that would have to wait for another day. For now, he had other matters to discuss.

Harry smoked his cigar as he sat in a lavish leather chair, sitting across from a larger male dressed in a smart suit and cold chain necklace around his neck. 

“This all seems very promising, Mr. Osborne, but what can you give me that I don’t in order to seal this little deal of ours?” The man in the suit asked. 

Harry smirked as he snapped his fingers. An associate of his stepped forward, dropping a large case on a table and opening the lid. Inside were various high weapons and gear. “This is merely a prelude. But in exchange for helping me rid the Multiverse of some Spiders, I’ll grant you the power to destroy your own,” 

The man in the suit snickered, puffing a smoke from his own cigar. “Then we have an accord, Mr. Osborne, just tell my men what they need to do to make that happen,”

“It will be my pleasure,” Harry smiled as he stood up, fixing his jacket. “I look forward to working with you, King-Pin,” 

Chapter Text

The rest of that afternoon went by fairly quietly. 

Petra was notified of Isabella’s capture, and she wasted no time in showing up to HQ as quickly as possible. The look on her face when she ran into the cell block facility and saw Isabella’s sleeping form inside her cell. I offered her a comforting hand to her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze.

She had sighed in relief, a tear streaking down her cheek. “How long until I can bring her back home?”

“We have to wait for her to wake up and then question her about her allegiance with Harry Osborne,” I explained in a gentle tone. “But Miguel as soon as her interrogation is done, he’ll make the arrangements for you to take her back to your dimension,”

It was what he initially promised her after all. 

I was surprised when Petra turned and gave me a tight hug. “Thank you,” Her voice cracked as she sobbed into my shoulder. 

I instinctively wrapped my arms around her shoulders, returning the embrace. “It was a team effort,” I smiled as I looked up and met Miguel’s gaze. 

He looked on towards us with a soft sympathetic look. He nodded over towards me, offering the Princess a silent you’re welcome , before stepping out of the room. All that was left to do now was wait for Izzy to wake up. 

I passed the time by helping Miguel with his duties, relying on messages, helping organize reports and other data. After a while though without hearing any updates about Isabella’s condition, even Miguel started to get a little antsy. 

He sighed deeply as he shuffled his feet. He was struggling to stay put for a long period of time. “Still no updates?”

“No word from Jess,” I shook my head as I double checked my gizmo for the tenth time that afternoon. 

“Nothing yet on my end, boss,” Lyla appeared near Miguel as she brought up Isabella’s statistics. “With the rate the enchantment is wearing off, she could sleep through the night, maybe longer even,”

Another sigh left Miguel’s lips as he placed his hands on his hips, “Looks like we’ll be waiting a while longer,”

“I’ll notify you two the second I hear anything,” Lyla reassured Miguel with a bright smile. “Why don’t you take a break for a bit in the meantime?”

Miguel nodded gently before glancing over at his AI assistant. “Thank you, Lyla,”

“You’re welcome!” She chirped before fizzling out of existence. 

I got up from the desk chair, stretching out my stiff limbs from sitting there for a long period of time. “So, what now, boss man ?”

Miguel huffed a tired laugh from his chest as he shot me a playful glare. “Please don’t ever call me that. I don’t want to hear that nickname from your lips ever again,”

“Okay, okay, duly noted,” I nodded before my lips curled into a smirk, “ Boss ,”

Miguel was turning towards one of his other screens as he heard me utter the title as he whipped his head towards me. “Oh, ho, ho, okay,” A hearty chuckle escaped him as I could see his chest vibrate from the laughter, pointing a lazy finger at me. “ Te gusta jugar, ¿verdad, mi Mona Lisa? ” - You like to play games, don’t you, my Mona Lisa?

“Sometimes,” I shrugged my shoulders as I raised my hands in a defensive manner, giving him a not so apologetic look. “You said no to boss man , but not to just boss , like a lot of other Spideys call you,”

Miguel stepped closer towards me, giving me an annoyed yet almost proud smile. “Alright, fair point,” He nodded, placing his hands on his hips. “But you really don’t have to call me boss just because everyone else does,” 

“So, just Miguel, then?” I asked him with a curious raise of my brow. 

“Miguel, and perhaps, other things, at a later point in time,” He offered with a tilt of his head. 

I smirked up at him, lifting my chin at him. “I’ll keep that in mind,”

“Also, you’re picking up on more Spanish?” He asked me with an amused grin. 

“Well I picked up a word or two from our previous time spent together, and since it appears we’ll be spending some more time together, I figured I should at least try and learn more,” I explained with a soft smile as I could feel my cheeks flush. 

Miguel hummed, recalling the moment where Lisa had responded to him in his mother tongue he had put it, teasing her when they were working to fix up her apartment. 

“You’d do that for me?” His pupils widened in surprise. 

“Why not?” I offered him a kind smile. 

We both stood there on the platform as slowly more holographic screens began to disappear. Miguel shuffled in his spot, hands still trained on his hips as he glanced over a me, “You know, I do feel bad about interrupting your obstacle course training the other day,”

I glanced over at him, arms crossed over my chest. “When I was working the kinks of my suit upgrades?”

“Yes, with Gabriel,” he nodded as he turned completely towards me. “Was that a new routine you were practicing with too?”

“Oh, you caught onto that didn’t you?” I smiled at him, an intriguing glint in my eyes. 

“I haven’t heard you play that one before,” He shook his head, giving me an honest look. 

“Is this another way of apologizing for what happened?” I questioned Miguel as I stepped closer to him. 

“I was just wondering, before you leave for the night–” He shuffled in his spot again as he glanced down at the floor before looking back up at me, his cheeks a faint pink. “Would you show it to me?”

“You want to see it in action?” I asked him with genuine curiosity. 

Miguel shrugged his broad shoulders as he offered me a playful wink. “If you want to? Run through the course with me again, that is,”

“Okay, let’s go,” I smiled as I motioned for him to follow me. 

He grinned back as he followed me, leaving the lab and entering the training center as we maneuvered our way to the obstacle course. Thankfully it wasn’t in use, so it was ours for the taking. Miguel typed in a few commands as the moving platforms and turrets came to life. 

“So, how do you want to do this?” Miguel asked me. 

“How about something similar to before?” I looked over at him as I warmed up, “I go on a head, and you follow me?”

“I promise I won’t try to catch you this time,” He teased playfully as he materialized his mask over his face. 

“Maybe nothing as intense as before, but, for the sake of training , I won’t mind a little cat and mouse chase,” I grinned as I finished stretching, walking over to the starting line. 

“Oh really?” The optics of Miguel’s mask widened as he sauntered closer towards me. 

I glanced over towards Miguel as I pulled my own mask on. The swagger in his step, the swing of his hips as he walked. He had the attitude of someone who was extremely attractive and they knew it. 

I pressed play on my music player as BLACKPINK’S ‘BOOMBAYAH’ started chime through the speaker. 

“ Been a bad girl, I know I am!
And I’m so hot, I need a fan!”

I bounced to the beat, doing some simple side steps and jumps to get me psyched up,moving to the rhythm of the lyrics. I then shot up a web sling as I jumped up. Gripping the web string, I flipped myself upside down, hovering down near Miguel’s face as I mimicked my hand to emote blowing a kiss at him. 

“ I want a boy, I need a man~” 

The flash of his mask optics told me everything I needed to know. 

“Catch me if you can, Spider-Man,” I smirked as the web sling shot me up like a bungee cord and launched me further up into the obstacle course. 

I glanced down and saw Miguel hot on my trail, wasting no time as he parkoured with his claws and slung his laser webs to chase me. 

This was going to be fun.

//////////

Our little game of cat and mouse went very well. I showed off the rest of my new routine to Miguel, and being able to actually finish it this time around was very satisfying. Also getting to use my smoke bombs. 

Miguel seemed to follow along and keep up with my pace as we maneuvered the obstacle course. He even chimed in with his own webs, launching me or guiding me where I directed him to as we played off one another with the music. It was actually really fun. 

When we were finished, Miguel complimented me on my performance. A wide smile of approval showed on his face. He had asked me how I came up and chose the songs I wanted to use for my enchantments and wanted to take a listen to them himself. 

“For research purposes,” he quickly added, coughing into his fist to hide a faint blush. 

I smiled softly at him. “I just pulled them up from my Spotify playlists. If you want, I can send you the links or make one for you?” 

“You’d do that?” He asked in surprise. 

“Sure,” I beamed. “I can make a playlist for your workouts. In fact, I know a perfect song already,” 

“Then I look forward to seeing what you come up with,” he grinned, crossing his arms. 

After our training session, we grabbed a quick bite to eat at the cafeteria before he opened a portal and escorted me back to my apartment in my dimension. 

Holding my hand, he dropped me off as I stepped on the wooden floor of my apartment, making sure I was away from the barrier of the portal before letting go of my hand slowly. 

“So. . .” I fidgeted in my spot, hands behind my back. “I’ll see you around?” 

Miguel smiled gently at me, his eyes glossing over me. “See you around, mi Mona Lisa,” 

He offered me a playful wink as I waved goodbye, watching as he walked back through, the portal closing behind him. 

As soon as the portal closed, I squealed loudly, jumping up and down like a kid waking up on Christmas morning. I jumped into my bed, hugging my pillow tightly. I still couldn’t believe all of that happened. It was real. It was all real. 

I had trouble falling asleep that night because my body felt so bubbling and warm, and when I did manage to fall asleep. I . . I dreamt of Miguel. I dreamt of us together and what it might look like. 

I felt happy. I was happy. 

Those emotions didn’t leave me anytime soon when I woke up bright and early the next morning. I got dressed and ate breakfast as I scrolled through my phone, making a playlist for Miguel. I titled it, “ My Spider-Man <3 ”, with the leading song being Stray Kids, “Zone”. I had to pace myself and not completely go overboard with it, but I was just so excited. 

There was a spring in my step as I walked to the dance studio and an extra bounce in my movements as my team and I rehearsed our dance. I moved to the flow of the music, getting lost in its rhythm. It was really starting to come together and with just a few weeks left until the Marvel Day celebration, I was bubbling with excitement. 

Maybe I should invite Miguel to come see the show? Perhaps also partake in the festivities? 

My friends immediately noticed my happy go lucky attitude, with Kasey being the first to bring it up officially after rehearsals had finished for the day. Toya and Touga had already left to meet up with their folks for an early dinner so it was just me, Kasey, and Hannah getting our stuff ready. We had made plans to stop by Starbucks for some drinks together before heading home for the day.

“Someone is in a good mood today,” she grinned at me as tied her shoes. “Have a good weekend, Lisa?” 

“Oh, I had a weekend you wouldn’t believe,” I smirked back at her as I grabbed my duffel bag, shutting my locker door.

“What happened?” She asked. 

I shuffled nervously as I slipped on my SmartWatch disguised gizmo onto my wrist. I couldn’t lie and tell them that my fake boyfriend Miguel was now officially my actual boyfriend. 

Well, maybe a partial truth? 

“So, you know Miguel right?” I reminded her with a soft smile on my face. 

Oh gods, just saying his name and telling people about him was making me feel butterflies. What is happening to me today? 

“Wait, your boyfriend?” Hannah jumped in, her eyes widening like an excited puppy. “Did something happen?”

“Well, previously we were kind of just talking, but as of yesterday, it’s kind of official ,” my smile beamed at the pair as I tried to contain my excitement. 

The pair squealed in delight as they bounced towards me, their arms wrapping around my form in a bear hug. 

“Oh that’s great news!” Hannah smiled. 

“If he had the balls to go all in to protect you, I knew something was going on,” Kasey was grinning from ear to ear as she pulled away, patting my shoulder. “We’re happy for you, Lisa,”

“Thanks girls,” I smiled softly, exchanging looks between the both of them. 

“So have you two gone out on a date yet?” Hannah claps excitedly.

“Not yet,” I shook my head, my brain trying to come up with a convincing replacement for Spider-Society and interrogating a demon bat . “Work has been piling up at his office recently. He wants to get all that done and out of the way first,” 

“HmmMmm,” Kasey nods as she listens, her fingers caressing her chin. “Takes his job seriously but not to the point where he ignores you. Solid, solid,” 

I chuckle at Kasey’s analysis, shaking my head as the three of us leave the locker room. “I’m still trying to figure out what we should even do for a first date,”

“Grabbing coffee at a cute café is pretty popular!” Hannah suggested with an excited grin. “Comfy clothes, the sweet aroma of coffee beans. . .”

“Tempting,” I nodded along as I thought it over. “But considering his work, maybe it’s not a good idea for him to consume so much caffeine in one day. He has trouble sleeping already as it is,”

“Oh, I feel you on that,” Kasey hummed with a knowing look. “The last guy I dated was a complete night owl. Now I’m not one to judge on someone’s sleep schedule, things can happen, sure, but sleeping all day and only awake at the ungodly hours at night? A girl needs her beauty sleep,”

“Maybe we could grab dinner at a restaurant somewhere?” I mumbled to myself. 

“Oh, that’s a classic!” Hannah beamed as we walked out of the dance studio. The city was buzzing with traffic and the afternoon rush hour. “What kind of foods does he like?”

“Well, I’m not too sure, but he really likes empanadas,” I opened the notes app on my phone and began to make a list of known foods and snacks I’ve seen Miguel eat that he seemed to really like. 

Foods & Drinks Miguel really likes:

• Empanadas

• Oatmeal cookies

• Burgers and french fries

• Tea 

I was discouraged at how small the list was. Looks like I’ll need to do some research and ask him what he likes. 

“Ooh, that’s a great comfort food, I like him already,” Hannah hummed. “A food date is always a good date. Why not just ask him what he likes to eat and go from there?”

“Yeah, maybe I’ll do that,” I nodded in agreement. 

“Hold up a minute, the light bulb just went off in my brain, full stop!” Kasey jumped in front of us, signaling us to stop as she gave me a knowing look. “Have you two kissed yet?”

I froze, my eyes widening as I could feel my body immediately turn warm. “Well. . .”

Hannah gasped, her hands covering her mouth. “Did you?!”

“It’s complicated,” I nervously rubbed the back of my neck.

“Complicated how?” Hannah asked, bombarding me with questions. “Did he kiss you first? Did you kiss him? Have you not kissed each other? Was it on the lips or was it something cute like on the cheek or your hand?”

I zoned out Hannah’s interrogation as my cheeks flushed darker. Other than my kiss to wake Miguel up from Isabella’s curse, and his sweet gestures on my hand and forehead, we’ve never actually had our first actual kiss yet. But I shouldn’t worry yet, right? We still needed to plan a first date after all.

And then. . . would it be time for that after?

As the three of us walked down the street, I felt my Gizmo vibrate as I glanced over at the screen. My cheeks flushed as I recognized Miguel’s caller ID. 

“Oh, what’s the face?” Kasey snickered at me as she glanced over. “Is it him?”

“Can we say hi?!” Hannah jumped excitedly. 

“Girls, girls, come on, give a sister some privacy, please?” I narrowed my eyes playfully at them. 

“Fine, fine,” Kasey rolled her eyes before gently tugging Hannah along with her further up the street. 

I smiled at them before stepping into a nearby alley to give us more privacy to talk. I answered the call as a holographic image of Miguel’s upper body appeared. He wasn’t wearing his Spider-suit. In fact, it looked like he was dressed pretty casually, t-shirt, jacket, his hair combed back with red sunglasses over his eyes. He looked nice.

“Hey, you,” I greeted with a soft smile. “Heading out on the town on a Monday afternoon?”

“One could say that,” He smirked at me, adjusting his glasses, “How was practice today?”

“Good! We’re really nailing down this routine,” I smiled proudly, eyes sparkling. “Once we get the rest of the song sent our way, we shouldn’t have any trouble coming up with the rest of the steps,”

“Well if anyone can come up with it, it’s you,” Miguel offered me a half smile, his eyes giving me a knowing look. “I’ve seen what you come up with one on the go during a fight with a villain, this should be easy for you,”

“Don’t go stroking my ego, big guy,” I chuckled at him, pointing a lecturing finger at him. “Any news on Izzy?”

“Still hasn’t woken up yet,” He shook his head. 

“Well, bats can sleep to up to 20 hours a day,” Lyla buzzed in, “So it still might be another while,”

“Thank you for the observation, Lyla,” Miguel rolled his eyes, both looking annoyed but couldn’t help stifle a small laugh. 

I sighed, a wave of guilt washing over me as I gave Miguel a somber look, “Maybe I overdid it with the enchantment,” 

“No, Lisa, you did everything right,” Miguel reassured me with a gentle look in his eyes. “It’s Izzy making us wait on her that’s bugging me,”

I was about to call him out on using Peter’s given villain name for her when a car horn caught my ear. It didn’t come from the street beside me. I could hear it coming through the feed of the Gizmo. 

“Miguel? Where are you?” I asked him, an eyebrow raised with curiosity.

Miguel sighed, shaking his head before he gave me an apologetic smile, “As far as first dates go, it’s not quite what I had in mind,”

“What are you talking about?” My cheeks turned a light shade of pink.

First date? Did he want to take me out tonight?!

“Remember how I ordered new furniture for your apartment?” He reminded me. 

“Yeah?” My voice trailed off as I recalled the memory. 

The way his arm muscles stretched and popped as he worked and tried to fix the broken shelves and furniture. His teasing look when I tried to get him to talk about how much everything costs and he brushed me off. Don’t worry about it. Maybe it hasn’t dawn on you that I’m doing this out of the kindness of my own heart? That I want to help and spoil you? 

“Well, I just got the call that they’re 10 minutes out and I’m sitting here on the fire escape, so. . .” Miguel rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks blushing a shade of red as his eyes poured into mine. “Are you free?”

“I’m on my way!” I spoke quickly, not giving him a second to react as I dropped my hand to end the call. 

“Look both ways when you cross–!” He yelped but the feed cut him off as I stepped out into the alley. 

I jogged up to Kasey and Hannah, nearly knocking them over as I whipped around to face them. “Rain check on the coffee!”

“What happened?” Kasey asked with a bewildered expression as she caught Hannah in her arms. 

“My new furniture is arriving now and Miguel is waiting for me at the apartment!” I squealed as I rapidly tapped on the walk button at the sidewalk intersection. 

“Ooooh, exciting!!” Hannah beamed, hugging Kasey tightly as she helped her up. “Text us all the details when it’s over,”

“Yes, I wanna hear everything about this mystery man of yours,” Kasey grinned. 

“I will, I promise, and I’ll make up for the coffee!” I waved at them. 

“Good luck!” They cheered.

The second the light turned green and the walk symbol lit up, I bolted down the street. My duffel bag flew at my bag as I ran, my eyes shifting occasionally to the streets at my side. There had to be over dozens of trucks out, and I had a feeling one of them was the delivery truck. I just hoped I’d make it in time. 

I turned the corner, seeing my apartment complex. I was running so fast, I hadn’t bothered checking the fire escape as I ran through the main lobby doors. I noticed the elevator doors closing, crying out for whoever was inside to hold the elevator. Of course they didn’t. Typical New York manners at its finest. 

I grumbled, running for the stairs as I began my climb, sprinting up the next few floors. Even without my new spider powers, I was fortunate with my years of dance training and work outs that I was able to manage this little hike. But now, it felt like almost a walk in the park. When I made it to my floor, I barely had broken a sweat, but my muscles still ached.

I barged through the side door, running down the hall before skidding to a halt outside my door. Fumbling the keys, I unlocked my door and pushed my way inside. I could just barely make out Miguel’s form standing outside my window, and without thinking a second thought, I tossed my duffel bag to the side as I practically slid across the floor. 

I opened the window before collapsing to the floor, catching my breath. “I made it!”

Miguel stepped inside, and I could make out him wearing beige cargo shorts and slip on shoes as he crouched beside me, his hand soothing at my back. “Did you run all the way here?”

“Well, who was I to keep you waiting?” I chuckled with baited breath. “Before you ask, yes , I looked both ways before crossing the street,”

He smirked at me before wrapping an arm around my waist, “ Levantate ahora , they’re going to be here soon,” - Stand up, now 

Miguel helped me up from the floor bringing me over to the kitchen counter as he sat me down on the barstool. Remembering where the drinks were from his last visit, he brought out a water bottle and handed it to me just as the doorbell went off. He walked over to the machine wedged into the wall, pressing the buzzer. 

“Modani Furniture here for a delivery,” A voice spoke through the speaker. 

“Yep, come on up,” Miguel responded. 

I gulped down my water as I turned to see, a curious look on my face. “What exactly did you order?”

“Don’t worry, Lisa, I have it all under control, I promise,” He gave me a reassuring look as he pulled the door fully open, leaning against the door frame. 

I narrowed my eyes at him as I continued to drink my water. I wasn’t a huge fan of him being so cryptic about this whole thing. But GOD, did he look handsome in those clothes, and the way he leaned against the door frame-! I huffed, pouting. 

“Mona,” Miguel’s voice drawled out the name as he glanced over at me, raising a brow, “What’s with the face?”

“How much did you order?” I asked him. 

“Don’t worry about it,” He insisted, smiling at me. 

Footsteps approaching among other noises caught my attention as a man pulling a trolley with some boxes stacked on top of one another approached the door. 

“Apartment 705?” The man asked, glancing over at Miguel. “You Mr. O’Hara?”

“Yes sir,” Miguel nodded. He glanced over at me before looking back at the delivery man with a polite smile. “ Gracias por su servicio hoy ,” - Thank you for your service today 

“ De nada señor. Sólo firme aquí por favor, ” The delivery man smiled as he handed Miguel a clipboard and pen. - You’re welcome, sir. Just sign here please

Miguel took it in his hands, looking over the paperwork before signing his signature at the bottom. “ Todo se ve en orden. Aquí tienes ,” He handed the clipboard back to the man. Everything looks in order. Here you go

“ Gracias ,” The delivery driver smiled before he whistled, glancing further down in the hallway, “ Muy bien, vamos a hacer esto, muchachos, ” - Alright, let's go and get this done, boys

Oh the cheeky bugger! He was speaking Spanish to hide the order, wasn’t he?!

The delivery man grabbed the trolley and carefully maneuvered it inside the apartment. I turned in my chair to face him, offering him a kind smile. “Do you need any help?”

“Oh, it’s quite alright, señora , my boys and I can handle the rest,” He nodded politely. 

A confused look washed over me as he pulled the trolley to the other end of the apartment. “What does he, huh–?!” I looked at the door to see another delivery guy bring in another trolly full of boxes, and then another!

What was the place called again? Modani Furniture? I brought out my phone, looking up the company. When I found their website and did some digging, I thought my eyeballs were going to pop out of my sockets. This wasn’t just any furniture store. It was a chic furniture store. An expensive one at that. I couldn’t even afford to buy a trash can, much less a chair!

Miguel walked over to my side, draping an arm around my shoulders, “Surprise?” He gave me a cheap smile as he tried to hold back a teasing chuckle. 

“Okay, first off, what and how much did you buy?” I narrowed my eyes at him, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Second of all, did you really use your mother tongue to hide the surprise from me?”

Miguel snatched my fingers with his hand, grinning down with a mixture of menacing and mischief as he pecked my fingers with his lips. “First of all, as I keep gently reminding you, don’t worry about it. Second of all,” He inches closer as he lowered his head, his lips kissing my temple as his voice muttered in my ear, “Absolutely,”

I rolled my eyes at Miguel as I leaned against him, “You’re such a snob,”

“Only for you,” He smirked, his fingers stroking my hair. “Keep drinking your water, mi Mona Lisa, stay hydrated,”

We watched as the delivery men brought in all the boxes and carefully moved the remaining broken furniture pieces out of the apartment. I provided drinks and snacks for them as they worked on building and resembling the larger pieces of furniture such as the new coffee table, bookshelf, they replaced the doors of my kitchen cupboards and fixed my kitchen counter. 

Once they were finished, they set the smaller boxes with the replacement appliances and other nick nacks aside before cleaning up their mess and leaving the apartment. I could tell the service was expensive, but they were very efficient and polite. When they were done, Miguel sat down on the newly cleaned couch, patting the seat next to me, “So, what do you think?”

“It’s. . . going to take me a second to get used to it,” I said slowly as I looked around at the new furniture. “It’s. . . a bit nicer than I’m used to,”

“Well, you deserved it and more,” Miguel smiled softly at me as he gently pulled me down beside him. “Think of it as my apology for what happened the other week,”

“Miguel, I–” I looked at him, his gaze giving me this sweet look. I realized that no matter how hard I would argue, he’d never squeal or change his mind. I sighed, resting my head on his shoulder. “Thank you,”

“You’re welcome,” he smiled softly down at me, his hand caressing my arm. 

“But I’m ordering dinner tonight,” I spoke up sternly. “You’ve spent enough money on me for like a year , understand?”

Miguel laughed at me, shooting me a playful glare, “Alright, alright, si mi Mona Lisa . Order anything you want,” 

Chapter Text

The rest of the afternoon died down as the sun set and night gave way to the evening. Miguel helped me unpack the last of the smaller furniture and appliance boxes. He helped me set up the new carpet for the living room space, hang up a new curtain for my bedroom, and wash and clean new dishes and cutlery before I ordered dinner. 

My favourite thing he got me was a large blanket for the couch. It was so fricken soft and comfy. I wanted to just roll out in it like a burrito and just fall asleep right there and then. 

I still had trouble coming to the fact that he actually went out of his way to do this for me. All of this, lush, chic, and expensive furniture was all mine now. Almost everything here would have cost more than my rent for the next 2 years. 

I ordered some Chinese food, a great comfort food after a long day. As we were preparing the plates and just talking about miscellaneous things, I froze suddenly. Why did I get a certain sense of deja-vu?

“Thank you for the lovely meal, ” 

I remember now. I had given the same thing to Chameleon. That was wrong, but this felt right. Then again, at the time, that moment felt almost right too. 

“Mona?” Miguel’s voice snapped me out of my trance as I looked over at him. “ ¿Qué passa, mi vida? ” - What’s wrong, my dear?

My cheeks flushed at his question as I shook my head to compose myself. “I’m okay, just zoned out for a second,”

“I can pack up the leftovers if you need to rest for a while?” he offered. 

I smiled softly at him. “I’m okay, but thank you. I can definitely eat,”

“Alright then,” He smiled back at me as he motioned for me to follow him. 

We both sat together on the couch, eating dinner, passing the time by making conversation and getting to know each other a little bit better. I had kept my initial promise, wanting to hear Miguel’s story from his own lips and not from reading my dimensions comics about him. From my understanding, it sounded like his upbringing in his own dimension seemed different compared to what I had read up to in the comic.

Then it was true then that different dimensions had different stories to tell when it came to Spider-Man? That not every single dimension was exactly the same. 

“So Alchemax is the name of the company that created the collider to make gateways to other dimensions, and you worked there back in your dimension?” I asked, quickly recapping what he had explained to me thus far. 

He nodded his head. “Yes, although when I first started, inter-dimensional travel wasn’t the highest on their to do list. I was a scientist in their biology department,”

“After that you got your powers, right?” I recalled softly after munching on some rice. 

Miguel stilled for a moment, allowing himself a moment to chew, savor and swallow his general tao chicken. “Yes, I did,” He nodded again, looking over at me. “According to numerous other dimensions and your–” He huffed a quick breath of a chuckle before continuing, “dimension’s comic books, I wasn’t bitten by a radioactive spider,”

“You got it through DNA splicing?” I questioned him, my side leaning against the couch cushions, quickling typing something on my phone. 

“I was trying to make an antidote for a substance called Rapture,” Miguel explained, his expression stern but he kept his voice calm. “My boss tried to get me addicted to the stuff as a way to keep me working for him and his company, and while yes, it did cure me of the addiction–”

Miguel dropped his fork briefly as he extended his hand closer towards me. I watched it attentively as he flexed the muscles and suddenly, small claws sprung from his fingertips. My pupils went wide as I looked at them, a tad startled, but also intrigued. 

“I also got a bit more than I bargained for,” He stated softly before retracting them. 

“Do they hurt when you— bring them out?” I asked him, struggling to find the correct words. 

“At first,” He nodded as he gently pulled his hand away, “But after a lot of practice and training, I grew accustomed to it,”

He took another bite of his food, relishing in the flavour. From the sound of things, it appeared he may have skipped a meal today. Again . Getting too caught up in his work. I brought my phone out again, noting how he practically devoured his egg roll. 

“I figured if Alchemax was going to make me gain these powers, I might as well use them against them and do good,” Miguel spoke with a somber expression. 

“With great power comes great responsibility?” I smirked, glancing up at him. 

Miguel laughed at the phrase, “Actually, with great power comes great guilt . You read way too many fortune cookies,”

“But they’re tasting!” I whined with a pout. 

“Too tasty, I might add,” He teased me softly, shaking his head in disapproval, “Don’t let those go to your head,”

Too tasty? 

I pulled my phone out of my pocket, side eyeing it as I quickly typed in something else. 

“Lisa, what are you doing?” Miguel asked me suddenly.

“Doing what?” I asked him as I quickly locked my phone screen.

“Every once in a while you take out your phone and do something with it,” He observed me closely, gauging my reaction. “Is everything alright?”

“I-I do?” I chuckled nervously, trying to play dumb.

“Mona. . .” Miguel's voice drawled out the pet name, setting his plate aside on the table. “What are you hiding?”

I was compromised. I had been made. I had to do something to hide the evidence. I made an attempt to get up but the flash of red caught my eye as Miguel activated his red web shooters, the web poking through the holographic sleeve of his jacket. It latched on to my phone as he yanked it out of my hand. I yelped at the contact, falling back into my spot on the couch. 

“Hey!” I narrowed my eyes at him as I moved my plate aside before moving towards him, “Give me back my phone–!”

I tried to jump him and grab it but he stuck his arm out, his large hand catching me and holding me in place. I wasn’t sure if I should be impressed with the fact that he made sure his hand didn’t land anywhere he wasn’t supposed to touch, or that his hand didn’t apply too much of a grip or pressure to actually hurt me. Or the fact that he did all of that while not even looking my way, his eyes glued to the small screen, 

“You know you really should set up a password,” He grinned. “Someone could easily steal your information,”

“You’re an ass,” I huffed. 

He offered me a side glance, winking, “But I’m your ass,”

I groaned loudly, my head slouching in defeat as I hunched beside him, drawing away from his arm. I watched him open the most recently used app. 

Foods & Drinks Miguel really likes:

• Empanadas

• Oatmeal cookies

• Burgers and french fries

• Tea

• General tao chicken

• Eggrolls

• Fortune cookies

“What’s this?” He raised a curious brow as he skimmed through the contents before finally turning his attention towards me. “You’re taking notes on me?”

“Well, I–” My cheeks burned as I nervously fiddled with my fingers. “I thought I’d make a list so I can remember and keep track,”

“Really?” He asked me, his eyes searching mine to see if I was genuinely serious. 

I nodded softly. 

Miguel glanced between my face and the phone. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he managed a half smile, “ Eres adorable, ¿lo sabías? ” - You’re adorable you know that? 

My cheeks flushed at his compliment, catching on to one of the words that was very obvious to understand. He thought I was. . . adorable?

Taking a steady breath, I mustered enough courage to look him square in the eye, my words fumbling at first, “ Eres bastante –” but the more I spoke, the calm I sounded, “-- guapo también ,” - You’re pretty handsome too 

I could see it the moment the sentence registered for Miguel. His pupils dilated, the gears in his head turning as he looked back at me. “Lisa, did you just–?” Suddenly realizing he still had my phone, he carefully tossed it on the table, not averting his gaze from me. 

“Did I say it wrong?!” I tensed up suddenly, a wave of fear washing over me. 

“No, no, you said it perfectly,” He reassured me, taking my hands in his as his thumbs gently brushed against my skin to ease me. “When did you learn that?”

My cheeks flushed as I attempted to hide my face but I shook my head, gazing up at him. “Well, I started practicing earlier this morning,” I admitted softly. “In my defense I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon, so I thought I’d practice for when we go on our first. . . date,”

The realization settled in for Miguel as I felt his grip on my hands tighten. “You really mean that?”

“I do,” I nodded softly. 

His face inched closer to my own, smiling at me, “Tell me then, whatever you’d like to do for our first date, I’ll make it happen,”

I gasped at his proclamation. “Miguel–! You’re my guest in my dimension, I should let you pick,”

“But you know your way around here a lot better than I do,” He smirked knowingly. 

“Fair point,” I sighed. 

“So Lisa, you choose, that way, I want to hear you say that again, how you wanted to,” Miguel offered me a warm gaze as he smiled at me. 

“Oh, Miguel. . .” My eyes softened at his expression. “Okay, but, give me some time to figure out what I’d like to do?” 

“Of course, mi Mona Lisa,” He nodded. 

I smiled softly at him as our faces slowly inched closer to one another, and I got so lost staring into his eyes, I almost didn’t notice the split second when his gaze lingered to my lips. 

“Miguel. . .” I gently called his name, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. 

He stopped when he felt my touch, his cheeks blushing. “Sorry, I uh–” He chuckled nervously. “Was I being too brazen?”

“I—”

Before I could answer, both of our Gizmo’s went off simultaneously. The screens blinked a flashing red light, starling the both of us as we pulled away from each other. 

“ Dios mio ,” Miguel growled in frustration. He glanced over at me, his eyes softening as he collected himself, “Sorry, I don’t mean at you–” - My god

“It’s okay,” I reassured him, “Besides, it might be important,”

He nodded at me softly before bringing a hand up to the screen of his gizmo, pressing a few buttons. Within moments, the buzzing stopped on both of our gizmo’s as Lyla’s holographic form took shape. 

“Miguel! I know you said not to interrupt unless it was urgent!” Lyla stated. 

Wait, did he ask Lyla not to bother us tonight? 

“So, is it urgent?” Miguel raised a brow at the AI.

“Izzy is awake,” Lyla responded. 

Both Miguel and I immediately sat up, our posture straightening. “When did she wake up?” I asked her. 

“Just a few minutes ago,” Lyla nodded, “Jessica asked me to call you guys down, she’s getting her interrogation ready and wants you both there,”

“On our way,” Miguel nodded before cutting off the call. He stood up from his seat at the couch, the holographic outfit changing into his spider-suit. He glanced over at me, eyes widening. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to speak for the both of us, I just assumed you’d–”

“Oh, I’m coming,” I nodded in agreement, standing up. “Don’t ever doubt,”

“Go get your suit,” Miguel commanded gently. 

I quickly rushed over to my room, pulling the curtain closed as I quickly changed out of my clothes and into my spider-suit. When I emerged back in the living room, pulling the curtain back, Miguel had cleaned up our mess, pulling the leftover food in the fridge while simultaneously activating a portal. 

“Ready?” He asked me. 

“Ready,” I nodded firmly as I slipped my mask on, tying my hair back.

“Apologies our night was cut short,” he spoke as he cradled the back of my head as he leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head before winking at me, “One for the road,”

I chuckled at him as his mask materialized over his face. With a swift motion of his head, the two of us jumped through the portal. We emerged in Spider-Society HQ within moments, as Miguel immediately began moving and I quickly followed behind him.

“Before you go in, there’s something else!” Lyla was buzzing like a bumblebee as she brought up multiple holoscreens around Miguel. 

“Can this wait until after the interrogation is over, Lyla?” Miguel attempted to swat the screens away, his frustration slowly seeping through. 

“No, it can’t, Miguel!” Lyla grunted, shaking her head. “It’s about Petra’s canon in her dimension!” 

“What is it?” I asked the AI, encouraging her to speak as I gently held Miguel’s wrist. 

Based on my understanding of what Miguel explained to me, the canon events were crucial moments in a Spider-Man’s story. Most commonly, they were moments such as losing uncle Ben, your first mission as a Spider, saving Mary Jane or other love interest equivalents, and so forth. Something that drives the story forward, good or bad. 

“Was the canon disrupted?” Miguel added quickly, his eyes widening at the thought. 

“That’s the crazy part! According to my scans, the canon is still technically intact, but—“ Lyla fumbled nervously as she brought up a model, a timeline for Petra’s dimension. 

“What do you mean, technically ?” Miguel stressed on the word, gently removing his wrist from my hold. 

“Turns out, Isabella was supposed to turn into Izzy, yes, it’s a canon event, but something happened where it triggered earlier than it was supposed to!” Lyla stated. 

It made Miguel stop in his tracks, his mind racing. “What the shock . . .” He muttered. 

For the first time that I’ve known him, I saw Miguel genuinely stunned. 

“Has this not happened before?” I asked nervously, looking between him and Lyla. 

The AI shook her head, vigorously, “No! I’ve studied hundreds of timelines and canon events and made a model outlining the most accurate and predictable course. This is totally new!” 

“Did I do this?” Miguel spoke softly, regaining his composure as he looked over at Lyla. “Was it because I got Petra involved with us?” 

“Miguel, do you know that for sure?” I asked him as gently as I could. I could hear the shift of the tone in his voice, his demeanor. He was blaming himself for this. . . 

“I warned Petra about the risks of disrupting the canon,” Miguel pinched the bridge of his node, shaking his head as he tried to collect himself. “Let’s go talk with Izzy,”

The cell block was lively with activity. As soon as Miguel and I entered the large space, we noticed Spiders patrolling each of the aisles containing villain anomalies locked in their cells. I noticed that Izzy’s cell was empty as we were walking by, Miguel leading the way to the interrogation room. 

A shield barrier was lowered as we walked through an archway before materializing again. There was a large see-through glass portable with two chairs and a table inside it. Izzy was inside, sitting in a chair, her wrists strapped down by handcuffs and chains attached to the table. Jessica was standing behind the glass, observing her when she turned to face us as we approached. 

“She hasn’t said a word since waking up,” Jessica reported. 

“That saves me the trouble of asking the question then,” Miguel sighed as he neared her side, hands on his hips as he watched Izzy. 

I peered around his arm, glancing at Izzy. She seemed a little tired, probably a side effect of my more powerful enchantment, but otherwise fine. Izzy also seemed very irritated. It looked like she didn’t want to be in there any more than we did. However, considering past events, she may not want to go back to her home dimension. 

“I called Petra,” Jess nodded, “I figured she’d want to be here,” 

I remembered the look on the Princess’s face when she first saw Izzy in the cage. Deep down, after everything that happened, she still saw a small part of her old friend, Isabella, still in there. My heart ached for her. It made me feel like Izzy’s transformation and deception came completely out of left field. 

A part of me understood what that felt like. I curled my fingers into a fist, my fingertips digging into my skin as the thoughts rattled my brain. 

Was Jin’s personality shift back then completely out of left field too? 

“Sorry I’m late!” A voice called out as we all turned, seeing Princess Petra, Peter B. also with her, entering the room. “I came as quickly as I could,” 

“You’re right on time, your highness,” I smiled reassuringly at her as she neared. “We just arrived a moment ago,” 

“Oh, please, after everything we’ve been through, you can call me Petra,” she offered me a friendly smile. 

“I asked Peter to keep an extra eye on her just in case Osborne had something else planned for her dimension in the event of Izzy’s capture,” Jessica explained to Miguel. 

“Good news, all quiet on our end,” Peter B. offered us a thumbs up. 

“Hmm,” Miguel glanced down to the floor, seeming to think. “Maybe a little too quiet. . .” 

As the three adult Spiders conversed with themselves, Petra walked closer to the glass, placing a delicate hand on the surface as she watched Izzy. The bat made no indication that she could see or hear Petra, keeping her head lowered. The Princess pouted at the sight, a soft groan escaping her. 

Does she know about her canon event? 

I approached her flank. “Are you alright?” 

“I just. . . Can’t believe this is all happening,” she spoke softly. “After I lost Watson, Isabella was the only other true friend I had left,” 

My heart broke for her as I gazed down softly at her. “I’m sorry. . .” 

“When Lord O’Hara explained how my tale unravels, the canon events , he calls it, I took solace knowing I still had some time left with her. . .” Petra choked, taking a deep breath to compose herself. “Now, I’m not so sure,”

Was Petra’s dimension in jeopardy now because of this? I never got a chance to ask her as Miguel approached us, Peter B. standing close by. “Your highness, I’d like your assistance in trying to talk with her. Peter will watch our flank if she tries anything,”

“Of course,” She nodded. “I’ll help in anyway I can,”

Miguel glanced over towards me, “Wait here and monitor things with Jess,”

“You got it,” I nodded firmly.

Miguel politely motioned for Petra to follow him as he took the lead, stepping inside the portable as Peter B. followed behind them. Their entrance attracted Izzy’s attention as she lifted her head up to greet them. I joined Jess’s side as we observed everything from the other side of the glass. 

“What do you want?” Izzy growled. 

“We want to know about your involvement with Harry Osborne,” Miguel demanded, arms crossed over his chest as he sat down across from her. “And what his plans are for the multiverse,”

“I haven’t the faintest idea about what you’re talking about,” She grinned, her eyes glistening playfully as she leaned back in her own chair. 

“Don’t play dumb with us,” Miguel’s eyes narrowed at her, trying to stay calm. “We know Harry helped you escape the castle dungeon back in your own dimension,”

“Why would you ally yourself with someone like him?” Petra questioned her, “Surely you’ve witnessed first hand the damage he can cause,”

“Maybe that’s why I decided to join him,” Her lips curled into a smile. “We have a common goal after all,”

“What would that be?” Miguel asked, leaning forward. 

“We both despise Spider- freaks like you,” She sneered. “All of you,”

“So that’s Harry’s endgame?” Peter B. spoke up from his position, leaning against the glass wall with his up behind his head. “To hunt down Spider-Man in his dimension?”

“That’s one piece of the puzzle, but based on the tales he’s shared with me, it sounds like he’s hunting to squish more than one Spider,” Izzy’s voice gurgled like acid as her eyes lingered between the three of them and briefly her gaze shifted towards me. “I should have saved him some time and squashed your precious Lady , Lord O’Hara ,”

I gasped softly, steeling myself as a chill crawled up my spine. Those eyes. They were the same ones that stared me down when I was hopelessly at her mercy in that downpour. 

Miguel snarled, brandishing his fangs as he stared daggers into her soul. “You do not talk about her like that. Ever ,”

As soon as Izzy brandished her own fangs back at him, Peter B. stepped forward, a steady hand on Petra’s shoulder as he gently pulled her back, a protective fatherly gaze befell on her. 

“Lord Osborne has promised me things. Many things. He granted me the power to overthrow you, my dear sweet, Petra, so that the kingdom can become mine for the taking,”

The bat demon chuckled menacingly at the site before she fixed her gaze back to Miguel. The pair seemed to have a staring contest, evaluating each other, sizing each other up.  

"Mine are bigger," Izzy snarled with a mischievous grin. 

"Mine have venom," Miguel snapped at her before his lips curled into a grin as he stood up, hands on the table as he leaned forward, staring her down, "Look where that got you,"

His intimidation sent a chill not just to Izzy's spine, but mine as well. 

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty, can we stay focused, please?" Peter B. steps in, standing protectively in front of Petra. 

They both snarl at him.

He takes a step back with Petra in tow. 

Izzy looks back towards Miguel, frowning. “Even if I did know the rest of his scheme, what makes you think I’d ever tell you?”

“If you won’t tell us willingly, we have ways of making you talk,” Miguel threatened, his voice growling. 

“You’ll have your siren say some pretty things to make me talk?” She gawked. “No thank you,”

“If it worked to get you here, it will work again–” Miguel began until a smaller form came forward, slamming her hands on the table.

“Because our world is in danger!” Petra yelled, her hands shaking. “It’s all my fault,” 

The action caught everyone off guard as I stepped closer to the glass, placing a hand on the cool surface. She. . . she was blaming herself for this?

“What are you talking about?” Izzy raised a brow towards the young Princess. 

“Izzy– Isabella, I’m so sorry for everything that happened. I didn’t see the signs, or noticed how frustrated you were with my comings and goings with the Society of Spiders. If I hadn't gotten involved, none of this would have happened. . .” She sighed deeply, her lips quivering. 

I wanted so badly to go in there and support her. Jess could sense my sudden instinct and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, signaling to stand down. 

“Because you’ve been gone for so long, our kingdom, our very world is at risk of falling apart,” Petra sniffled. “I lost my best friend, and I can’t lose our home too. . .”

For a split second, I could have sworn I saw Izzy’s eyes flicker. What was once anger and irritation turned into compassion and guilt. Izzy curled her fingers into a fight fist, her fangs retracting as she glanced away. 

Miguel glanced over at Peter B. before reaching over and gently placing a comforting hand on Petra’s shoulder. A silent request spoken with his eyes. She nodded slowly and took a step back. 

“Izzy– Isabella , if you can tell us anything at all about Osborne’s plan, anything at all, it could be vital to stopping him,” Miguel spoke calmly. 

There was silence in the room for a long while before Izzy sighed, as if defeated and tired before glancing up towards the trio of Spiders, towards Petra. “I don’t know which dimension he went to, but he scheduled regular meetings with someone. Recruiting another to his cause,” 

“Who?” Petra asked softly. 

“A brute known as King Pin,” Isabella answered. She glanced over towards Miguel. “Are we finished?”

Miguel sighed, breathing through his nose to calm himself. “We’re done here,” He stood up from his seat, looking over at Petra and Peter B. “Let’s go,”

The three of them exited the glass portable as I walked over to check on Petra. She dried off her tears, reassuring me that she’d be alright. 

“You really think she’s telling the truth?” Jessica asked them. 

Miguel glanced over towards Petra, seeking her counsel. The Princess nodded. 

“Comb through Isabella’s gizmo with the list of dimensions she’s previously visited. With any luck, maybe our King Pin we’re looking for resides in one of those dimensions,” Miguel ordered as Jessica walked off to do her task. 

“What about us, Miguel?” I asked him, keeping a comforting arm around Petra’s shoulder. 

Miguel glanced down towards Petra, offering her a brief sympathetic look as he took a deep breath. He nodded slowly, looking down at us. “I’ll make the arrangements for Isabella to return to her dimension,”

Petra smiled softly, a wave of emotions coursing through her as she bowed towards Miguel, “Thank you, Lord O’Hara ,”

Miguel spared a glance towards me before smiling softly back at the Princess. “I made a promise, didn’t I? I try not to break them,”

The four of us helped prep a device called the Go-Home machine where a giant mechanical Spider climbed down, wrapping a giant webbed cocoon around Izzy and Petra. It was also scary how life-like its movements actually were. I huddled close to Miguel, part of my face hiding behind him as I desperately fought against my arachnophobia, wanting to see that the machine worked properly so Petra and Izzy would return home safely. 

It was the smallest of touches, but I felt Miguel gently reach back, his fingers wrapping around my hand, giving me a gentle squeeze. 

As the tractor beam kicked in as Petra and Izzy were pulled through the portal, a sigh of relief escaped me. We were one step closer to finding Harry Osborne, and unraveling his plot. Hopefully, one step closer to stopping him from hurting anyone else again.

Chapter Text

The evening ended with Miguel issuing a channel wide announcement, alerting the other Spider-Men to keep an eye out for Harry Osborne of Earth-1997. Whether their villains were planning a meeting with him or if they see him in passing/dimension hopping, he wants to know about it immediately. After an hour or so went by without any updates, it was getting rather late, so Miguel escorted me back to my dimension, landing on the rooftop of my apartment building. 

We both climbed down the fire escape stairwell to my floor and arrived at my window. I sat at the windowsill as Miguel leaned against the metal railing. 

He crossed his arms over his chest, sighing tiredly. “As far as things go, that could have gone a bit better,”

“You and Petra somehow got Izzy to talk,” I shrugged my shoulders, glancing up at him. “I’d call that a win,”

“I just wish she was able to tell us where exactly he was,” He huffed, his chest rising and falling as he took a deep breath to compose himself. 

“Think of it this way; You two convinced her to tell you who Harry was meeting with, we have a slightly better understanding of his end goal, and she willingly went back to her dimension with Petra without kicking or screaming,” I counted off the points on my fingers, offering Miguel an encouraging smile under the mask. 

Miguel’s gaze wandered to his feet before slowly trailing up towards me. The eyelets of his mask softened slightly, “How do you do it?”

“Do what?” I asked him, unsure of what he was referring to. 

“Look at the positives so easily?” He clarified. 

“I don’t know,” I thought about it for a moment before I shrugged my shoulders again, laughing a little. “I sort of just. . . do?”

“Just do?” Miguel repeated, his head tilted to the side as he struggled to believe me. 

“It’s just–” I felt a shiver crawl up my spine from the cool wind that breezed by. I opened the window, climbing inside the apartment before inviting Miguel to follow me. “Yes, a lot of bad stuff has happened, so some good just has got to turn up sooner or later, right?”

I pulled my mask off my head, granting me a clear view of my apartment as I turned around to look at Miguel. He stepped inside, his mask dematerializing as his chocolate brown eyes cast over me. 

“Are you speaking from personal experience?” He looked at me curiously. 

I shuffled between the soles of my feet, a tired smile on my face. “Well between my dad passing away and then going through the dance camp from hell, among other things, I’ve decided that only good things can happen to me from now on,”

“Oh, is that how it works now?” Miguel rose a brow in my direction as I stepped closer towards him. 

“Well, I mean, it’s worked out so far,” Hands behind my back, I tilted my head to the side. “I got a new start here, made some new friends, and I– I met you?”

I offered Miguel a shy side glance, and his cheeks blushed a gentle shade of pink. He sucked in a breath before averting my gaze briefly to gather himself. 

“You really mean that?” He asked me, his voice laced with genuine honesty. 

I nodded softly. 

He glanced back over, his eyes searching as if he were trying to figure out what he should say. “Well, if some other Spiders didn’t stop King Pin’s collider in Earth-1610, I wouldn’t have discovered the rifts between the multiverse,”

My eyes brightened as he started talking and I gently motioned for him to continue, “Okay, keep going,”

“If that didn’t happen, I wouldn't have asked Lyla to help me design and construct the first ever Gizmo, or start traveling to other dimensions,” He went on, his hand trailing up to his chin as he glanced over. 

“Or start the Spider-Society?” I raised a brow at the man. 

He huffed a quiet laugh at me, shaking his head. “Point taken,”

“See? It’s not so hard,” I crossed my arms over my chest. 

He sent a soft gaze in my direction. Miguel seemed to be thinking about something, but didn’t appear to have the courage to say them outloud. He shook his head gently, offering me a curt nod as he pressed a button on his gizmo, his large fingers typing away at the pin-pad. “It’s late, you’ve had a long day. I’ll let you get some rest,”

Within moments, a portal opened up behind him. The red, orange hues of the hexagon rims seemed to make his silhouette glimmer before me, the dark blue background blending with the navy blue of his spider-suit. It was so mesmerizing, I almost didn’t notice him moving to leave without saying anything else. 

“Miguel?” I called out to him gently. 

Miguel stopped at the base of the portal, turning around to face me, “Yes?”

I approached him, reaching for his hand. When I was close enough, I stood on my toes and leaned up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. I could see the look in his eyes when I pulled away, his pupils widening. 

“Get some rest too. We’ll figure this out, okay?”

Figure out Osborne’s plan. Figure out how to stop him from creating more rifts in the multiverse. How to fix and preserve the canon events he’s undoubtedly disturbed. 

Miguel’s lips slowly curled into a soft half smile. “Okay, we’ll figure it out, together,”

With my hand still holding his, he gently lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a gentle kiss to my fingers. My breath hitched in my throat at the gesture. He pulled away, offering me a wink. 

“Sleep well, mi Mona Lisa,” 

He released my hand and walked through the portal just as it was closing. I stood there in silence briefly before my cheeks darkened and I muffled a soft squeal. How does he keep doing that?!

///////

Miguel’s P.O.V. 

He remembers stepping through the portal, arriving back in his lab. But instead of staying, he leaves the lab, making his way through the halls to his private residence and up to his master bedroom. Lyla appeared at his side, a puzzled expression on her face. 

“Are you feeling okay, Miguel?” She asked. 

Miguel walked towards his bed before falling forward and collapsing into the sheets. He reached for a pillow, muffling a surprised scream. After that, he rolled over to his back, holding the pillow close to his chest, his cheeks a bright red. 

“Oh, shock . . . “ He sighed deeply.

She just. . . she just walked up and kissed me! Right there!

I am never washing this cheek ever again! 

. . . Okay, actually, a poor hygienic choice. Figuratively, I won’t wash it ever again.

No. That moment will be tattooed into his mind for the rest of his life. 

“Ooooh, I know that look,” Lyla grinned. “You got it baaaad ,” 

“Lyla, please don’t embarrass me more than I already am,” Miguel groaned as he rolled his eyes, but the blush to his cheeks were still etched on his face. 

“But you look so adorable like that!” Lyla cooed playfully as she zipped down, her small virtual body sitting on his forehead as she peered down into his eyes. “So, I take it things are going well between you two?”

Miguel chuckled softly as a small smile slowly spread on his lips. “Yes. So far so good,”

“Good!” Lyla beamed. “With that being said, I want you to dress and ready for bed like you promised Lisa. I better not get an alert of you walking into that lab for the rest of the night, got it?!”

“What are you, my mother?” Miguel jabbed in a teasing manner as he sat up from his bed, making the small holographic body launch and tumble in the air. “ Si, si, I’m going to bed,”