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maddieautobot273 · 11 months

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Silk & Cologne (44)

A Miguel O'Hara x OC Series - Link to AO3 (X)

Chapter 44: Vulture - previous chapter (X)

Pairing: Miguel O'Hara x Female OC

Words: 6.3K+ words

Warnings: PG-13 Contains graphic fights/violence, mentions of cannibalism, attempted assault

Summary: Miguel and Lisa take on the Vulture.

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My protective instincts kicked in thanks to my spider-sense as I grabbed on to Miguel and threw my arms over his shoulders, launching two large pads of webbing to the ground below us. Miguel wrapped his arms around me, using his body as a shield as his back collided into the webbing, breaking our fall. We rolled off each other and stood up in a defensive stance, staring up into the sky.

At a man dressed in a blue jumpsuit with metal wings and a hawk-like helmet.

Was that who I think it was?

“It’s been a while, Spider-Man,” Vulture remarked as hovered above us, his wings flapping to keep him afloat. “How’s life treating you here in the high and mighty Uptown?”

“That depends, how’s your pisspool of a slaughterhouse back in Downtown?” Miguel growled back, the muscles in his shoulders and back tensing.

Vulture seemed to glare daggers into Miguel’s soul at the comment. His own growl was almost predatory, as if he were an actual predator hunting his prey. Then his gaze fell upon me.

“Look what we have here?” Vulture purred as his gaze trailed down to my form, sizing me up. “You have a friend,”

“This is between us, Vulture, she’s not a part of this!” Miguel growled, stepping in front of me in a protective stance.

Run. On my signal, you run.

I heard Miguel’s voice flutter through my head. My eyes snapped from Vulture to the back of Miguel’s head. He never turned to look at me as he kept his gaze on the villain before us.

Don’t look back, just run. I’ll be right behind you.

“Hmm, same costume, same gimmicks, I’d say she’d make a nice appetizer before I make you my next meal,” Vulture cackled as the look in his eyes made my skin crawl. “Your dinner reservation is long overdue, Spider-Man,”

“You so much as even put a finger on her and I will slice you to ribbons,” Miguel’s threat was dark, his voice snarling.

“Shall we test that?” Vulture teased back in a playful manner, his lips curling up onto a smirk.

Vulture took a nosedive towards us and before I could even blink, Miguel reached back and grabbed me, as he made us both jump out of the way of Vulture’s incoming attack. Miguel let me go before he whirled around and fired a web sling, the red glowing rope lassoing around Vulture’s ankle before Miguel yanked on it and Vulture collapsed to the ground. Miguel stuck more webbing overtop him to keep him in place.

“Those webbings won’t keep him down long,” Miguel advised me with a stern tone before he gripped my shoulder and gently pulled me along.

“Miguel, what are you doing–?” My voice stuttered as I glanced between him and the Vulture as the villain struggled to break free from the webbing.

“Putting some distance between us and that monster,” Miguel’s voice was harsh as his arm wrapped tightly around me as I shot the both of us up into the air, carrying me as he quickly swung away from the park.

“You’re not going to fight him?” I gawked at Miguel, his expressions were unreadable to me as tried to wiggle an arm free help web sling us to safety, but Miguel’s grip only tightened around me.

“I am, and I will,” Miguel’s face lowered, “After I get you to safety,”

My eyes widened as the realization hit me like a splash of cold water. He wasn’t planning on fighting him by himself was he?

“Miguel, I can help you!” I insisted as thunder began to roar in the distance, signaling a storm incoming for the city. “You don’t have to fight him alone,”

“Yes, Lisa, in this instance, I do,” Miguel stated sternly as he glanced over at my face, his eyes pouring into mine to get his point across. “My vulture. . . is very different from the other super villains I’ve faced. Here and in any other dimension I’ve come across,”

He wasn’t. . . afraid of him was he?

“All the more reason you should let me help you, Miguel!” I pleaded with him, not liking how my voice sounded at that moment, but I didn’t care. “We can fight him together!”

“Absolutely not!” Miguel’s voice rose at me, but he attempted to keep his demeanor calm and I could see the look in his eyes as he fought off the urge to snap.

“Why not?” I demanded.

With a flick of his wrist, Miguel fired one more web sling as he swung us to a construction site, flying through the tarp just as the rain was beginning to pour down. He set me down, his hands gripping my shoulders as he couldn’t stop himself from not just trying to shake me to my senses, as his own body started shaking. From fear.

“He’s a cannibal, Lisa!” Miguel barked, his mask pulling back from his face to show his true, fear stricken emotions.

The words struck me slowly as my heart began pounding in my chest, my hands shaking as I lifted them to grip Miguel’s biceps to keep myself anchored. “What?”

“I’m not kidding. He eats people, Lisa, I’ve seen the damage he can do, I've seen his hideout,” Miguel shook his head, shutting his eyes as if he was shaking off the past memories, nightmares, of his previous fights with Vulture.

Now I was beginning to feel scared. Scared of Vulture, yes, but I was even more scared of the idea of Miguel fighting him on his own. Especially if Vulture had put two and two together and realized we were close. . .

“But, Miguel–!” I tried to speak, but Miguel shushed me, pulling me close as he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

The rain was really starting to come down now.

“I know, I know you’re confused and scared, but Li—” Lightning cracked through the sky, the bright light interrupting Miguel along with an evil, bone chilling cackle.

My back was immediately pushed against a wall as Miguel pressed his body against mine, signaling me to stay quiet. I nodded softly, my body beginning to tremble as Miguel used his body to shield mine, the darkness looming over the sight and the tarp blowing in the wind protecting our line of sight from the outside world.

That’s when I saw him.

Lightning struck again and through the flash of light, I saw the Vulture’s body breezing passed us, as his dry voice seemed to call out, “Oh, Spider-Man~ Come out to play~”

I curled my lips into my mouth as I desperately fought not to scream. Miguel pressed closer against me, his head lowering into my hair, his large hands cupping either side of my face. He waited a few heartbeats to make sure that Vulture had flown past us before easing off me, allowing me to take a deep breath.

“Mona, I’m asking, begging you to run as far away as you can, and go. Please!”

I could hear the desperation in his voice. He genuinely didn’t want me anywhere near the Vulture, out of fear of what he’d do to me.

If Vulture was truly as terrifying as Miguel said he was. . .

I wrapped my arms around him, hugging Spider-Man tightly as my face pressed into his chest. “Please be careful,”

Miguel’s powerful arms wrapped themselves around my form, squeezing me tightly as if to reassure himself that I was here, that I was okay. That I would be okay. His lips kissed the top of my head, his senses basking and savoring my essence before pulling away.

“I promise I’ll be careful,” he whispered as he pulled away from me slowly, and the farther he stepped back, the more hesitant he became.

Our hands just grazed each other's finger tips before he finally stepped completely away. Fingers curling into a fist, he motioned his head to the side, signaling me where to go. His mask took form, covering his face as he ran past the tarp and jumped, swinging in the direction Vulture took off from.

I waited a few moments, listening to the rain as it came down. The rumbling seemed to match the unease in my stomach as I willed myself to move and I too jumped out from the construction site and web slinged in the opposite direction. I checked my gizmo, trying to get a message through to Lyla.

“Lyla, are you there?”

No response.

Either the storm was interfering with the gizmos frequency, or someone was blocking the signal. I had to find my way back to the Alchemax building and Spider-Society HQ. There was no way I was going to let Miguel fight Vulture on his own.

The look Vulture had given me earlier, calling his appetizer still sent chills down my spine as I web swung around a corner. This street looked familiar. I’ll begin my search for Alchemax here.

And try to shake off the feeling that I was being watched.

//////////

Miguel’s P.O.V.

It wasn’t hard to pick up Vulture’s trail. Miguel just had to follow the scent of dried up blood or listen for his obnoxious cackling. He scaled up the side of a building, coming up on the rooftop where he found Vulture perched on a corner of the roof’s edge, surveying the street below.

Searching for him.

I’ll make him pay for everything he did.

Miguel launched two web slings, hitting their mark on either side of Vulture before vaulting himself forward and close-lining him around the neck, knocking him off the roof. “Surprise, turkey!”

Vulture choked at the impact as the pair began tumbling down the side of the building, cracking and denting the glass windows. They both scratched and clawed at each other until Vulture was able to push Miguel off of him, expanding his wings to try and slow down his descent. Miguel shook off the push as he got down on all fours, advancing on Vulture and pouncing onto his back before he could fly away.

“You’re not getting away from me this time!” He snapped, claws digging into his back while his other arm wrapped around Vulture’s neck.

“Just like you let me get away with those other times?” Vulture snarled, struggling to pull Spider-Man off of him. “What have you done with my little appetizer?”

“Shut up!” Miguel yelled, applying pressure to his neck.

Vulture gagged at the chokehold he was in as Miguel attempted to steer Vulture’s body away from the traffic of hover cars and walking pedestrians. He had to take care of this somewhere secluded and private. Where no one would see them.

“This ends tonight, Vulture!” Miguel barked into his ear. “I won’t let you hurt her or anyone else ever again!”

Miguel manages to steer Vulture into a secluded alleyway as the pair crash through a dumpster and trash explodes everywhere. Vulture’s wings are dented as he slowly pushes himself up to his knees. Miguel is up instantly, shoulders squared, hands curled into fists as he looks ready to jump Vulture if need be.

“Big talk, Spider-Man,” Vulture coughed up blood as he let out an exhausted laugh.

Miguel watched as Vulture pulled himself up to his knees, the heels of his feet bouncing as he debated whether or not to charge at him. Vulture wiped the blood off his lips, glancing over at Miguel and offered him a smile. Just as a portal was opening behind him.

Wait, a portal?!

The eyelets of his mask went wide. Miguel watched as Vulture pulled his hand back to the back of his head and took his helmet off. Along with his hair and the skin off his face.

“Let’s see if you can back that up,” Dmitri taunted.

“Chameleon?!” Miguel roared his name, talons springing from his fingertips.

Chameleon laughed as he took a step back. Miguel lunged for him, just barely missing his mark as the portal closed and Miguel caught himself from falling to the ground. Dmitri was gone.

Wait a minute. If that was Dmitri. . .

No–!

Miguel thought his heart had stopped right there and then. He moved without thinking. He launched a web sling and swung back out into the city streets, retracing his steps.

“LISA!”

//////////

Lisa’s P.O.V.

I was swinging as fast as my arms could carry me. If it weren’t for the neon lights lighting my way through the city, I thought for sure I’d get lost in this storm. All these streets looked the same in my frazzled, panicked brain.

Which way back to Alchemax? Come on, Lisa, think!

I still couldn’t contact Lyla or anyone from the Spider-Society. Something was definitely wrong. Was Vulture involved somehow? I wouldn’t put the idea past me, considering all that has happened the last little while.

I had to get back to HQ, and quickly. Rally a team and come back to help Miguel. I would run, yes, but I would run to grab help so he wouldn’t go through this alone.

I was so lost in my thoughts I had barely noticed metal claws about to catch me, if not for the crackling and the flash of lightning illuminating the path before me and I saw a glimpse of Vulture’s sinister face. I yelped, letting go of my web sling as I dropped and fell just out of Vulture’s way as he breezed by my head.

“There you are,” He growled like a predator. “You’re a slippery one,”

What the heck was Vulture doing here? Did he evade Miguel and come looking for me instead?

“What did you do with Spider-Man?” I demanded, firing another web sling as I continued to swing across the street as Vulture kept up the chase.

“I have done nothing to him,” Vulture stated as he swooped in to try and cut my webbing, but I swung up and back flipped out of his way.

“Likely story,” I growled as I landed on his back feet first, an audible ‘OOF!’ couched from his lips, our altitude plummeting. I webbed his wings, pulling on the ropes as I began to fly him like an airplane. “Give it to me straight, Vulture!”

“I speak only the truth, my dear,” He struggled against the webbing as our flight path became rocky, unable to keep still. “My twin is keeping him busy so that we may become acquainted,”

Twin? What twin? Miguel never said anything about him having a twin.

Unless. . . this wasn’t an actual twin?

But someone who could disguise themselves to look like him?

“Chameleon?” The name was a whisper on my lips.

“Yes,” Vulture’s voice purred.

His affirmation was enough for me to lose my focus just for a split second. He laughed as he suddenly spun around and threw me off of him. My body went flying through a skylight, the glass shattering as I fell through multiple stories and crashed to the floor of a brightly lit room. Screams of civilians surrounded me as my vision spun, my mouth feeling nauseous as I slowly sat up.

It looked like I was thrown into a shopping mall. Civilians shopping, wearing snazzy clothes and carrying shopping bags cluttered around me, both on the ground floor I crash landed on and from the higher levels, their bodies poking over the railing to spy the commotion. Some were too startled to speak and ran for safety, while others stood up and whispered with fear in their eyes.

“Who’s that?”

“It kind of looks like Spider-Man!”

“But that’s a woman!”

“Oh shook, is there another one?!”

None of them offered a hand to help me up. I wasn’t exactly sure of Spider-Man’s faith among the people here in Nueva York. Miguel never exactly made that clear.

Another time. I had to get out of here and put some distance between myself and all of these people. I couldn’t let Vulture hurt them, use them to get to me or Miguel, if he too had realized the villains trick.

Rain continued to pour down from the shattered skylight as I struggled to sit up. Patches of my new suit frazzled, like static on a TV as they fought to keep my suit patched up. I glanced down at my gizmo, noticing the suit was running a self repair diagnostic.

Move. Move, Lisa, damn it!

I fought against the pain that coursed through my side as I pushed myself to sit up. I had made it up to my knees when I heard that familiar cackle. My skin crawled as I looked up at the skylight to see Vulture hovering over it, looking down at me before he made his descent.

At the sight of his presence, more civilians ran.

Lisa? Lisa, where are you?!

That voice. It was faint, a distance away in my mind. But there was no mistaking it.

Miguel? The voice in my head matched the pain I was currently feeling as I slowly managed to bring myself to kneel on one knee.

Just as Vulture touched down, and pulled out a pair of nunchucks.

Where are you?!

Shopping. . . Mall. . . Look for people running. . . My mind throbbed as Vulture began to approach me.

Vulture was mere meters away from me when I managed to pull myself up to my feet and swerved out of the way of his first strike. His next strike was quicker as I rose my arm, blocking the attack with my forearm. I growled at the impact, the pain coursing through my veins, but again I pushed against it as I shoved the nunchuck aside and punched Vulture square in the face.

He was big, bulk, and almost barbaric. He faltered back a step, shaking off the hit. “I can see why Spider-Man has taken a liking to you,”

“You don’t know anything about me,” I hissed.

I used that opening to fire a web sling, swiping the nunchucks from his hand and swung it back at him. He caught it, his fingertips just grazing the web fluid stuck to the weapon. Now was my chance as I opened my mouth and began a quick melody.

“Yeah-aaah!~”

My goal was to try and put him to sleep and run. To find Miguel so he could take him out himself, or the Public Eye to arrest him, I didn’t care. But my main goal was to get the shock out of this mall.

The golden hue snaked up the webbing towards Vulture’s hand-!

“Not so fast!” He snarled as he yanked his arm back, dragging the webbing and me along with it.

I yelped out of my serenade, my voice caught in my throat as Vulture reached out and grasped my neck with his large, burly hand. His grip was firm, tight, and for a second I thought he would brush my jaw with his fingers alone as he lifted me up from the floor, my feet dangling.

I swatted at him, my hands clawing at his arm and hand to pull myself free. He chuckled darkly as he studied my form, his finger tips curling into my mask. “Feisty, nimble, a smart mouth. . just like an easy prey,”

He then slammed me down to the floor, my back colliding hard with the cool marble flooring. I hissed from the pain, my hands grabbing for his fingers as he slowly lifted me back up, only to slam me right back down again. And again.

“You’ve got to pound the meat to tenderize it. That makes it all the more delicious,” He teased, his eyes dark.

Every part of my body was aching, screaming for relief. There were warning signs in the HUD of my mask, the self-heal diagnostic recalculating over and over again after each strike. I found myself gasping for air as Vulture released his grip on my neck, before shifting as he stepped over my body and towered over me.

“Chameleon was right. You are everything he said you’d be,” He laughed, squatting down to get a better look at me.

My muscles tensed as he drew closer, lifting a hand to my face.

“Don’t you dare touch me,” I hissed.

“Now, now, no need to get defensive,” He rolled his eyes, his fingers curling over the edge of my mask. Even with the slightest graze of his finger tip edging along my skin, I wanted to yell, scream, and puke all at once. “If you follow the same code as Spider-Man, I won’t reveal your face. But I’d love to see that pretty mouth of yours when you scream,”

He pulled the mask up past my mouth, up to the bridge of my nose. I had to fight back. Do something.

The more the diagnosis worked, the more I could feel the scorching pain become a dull ache. It still hurt, but I could start to move my body again. Slowly, my arm snaked back along the marble as I curled my fingers into a fist and threw a punch at Vulture.

My fist grazed his jaw as he snarled, his eyes flaring. “If you’d behaved, I would have kept you alive as my little songbird. Now I’m hungry and angry!”

He grabbed my wrist and pinned it above my head with one hand. With the other, metal claws extended from his gloves and he made them slowly scratch and ease down my form, threatening to not only cut through my suit, but my very skin.

I whined at the pain, my body shaking as I tried to struggle free, trigger my webbing–!

“VULTURE!” A voice roared in the air.

My heart skipped a beat as I recognized it immediately. A flash of red and blue whipped down from the skylight as Miguel fired his webs, sticking to Vulture’s back and yanked him off of me. When Vulture was tossed up to Miguel’s eye level, Spider-Man sucker punched him right through a pillar, tumbling to the floor.

The commotion scared away more civilians. As they scattered, Miguel weaved his way through the crowd to my form, helping me up. “Are you alright?”

“I’ll survive,” I groaned, still shaking off the feeling of Vulture’s claws brushing against me.

“This is my fault, we should have never split up,” Miguel scolded himself, shaking his head vigorously. “I’ll take care of this, and I’m getting you–!”

Miguel’s sentence ended with a sharp cry as he suddenly clutched his side, falling to one knee. I gasped, stepping back as I anxiously searched his body for the source. I found something sharp poking into him. A dagger?

Vulture emerged from the rubble, raising a hand and as if issuing a telepathic command, the dagger that pierced through Miguel’s side rumbled and shot itself out of Miguel’s body. It tugged Spider-Man with him a few meters before he fell to the floor, blood starting to leak from the wound.

“No!” I screamed, reaching a hand for Miguel.

I wanted to call out his name, but bit my tongue, not wanting to reveal his identity.

“I don’t like to play with my food for long,” Vulture grumbled as he stepped forward, his dagger twirling in his fingers. “Else they spoil,”

My blood was boiling at the look Vulture was giving Miguel. A hand at his side to cover the bleeding wound, Miguel managed to pull himself up to his knees, his gaze never straying from Vulture’s form. He was desperately trying to not give his opponent the satisfaction of having the upper hand.

But it wouldn’t last long.

Run, Lisa, Run!

Miguel’s voice rang in my mind again. My legs were frozen, unmoving as I looked at Vulture.

Do something, I told myself. I have to do something!

I’m not running, Miguel. Not anymore.

I reached back, grabbing a few of my smoke bombs from my belt pouch and scattered them to the floor. The area around us exploded in pink puffs of smoke, the falling rain from the skylight amplifying it.

“What trickery is this?!” Vulture bellowed.

With the smoke keeping Vulture blind, I threw out a series of strings of web fluid around us. I then shot a web to knock out the dagger from his hand before reaching down to my music player.

I pressed play.

[Lyrics: Show by Ado (English Translation]

“Na-na, na-na-na

Ready for my show!”

Romantic sounding cords of an acoustic guitar fluttered the space, along with voices shouting in the ground, mixing in with the haze of the smoke as I shouted along, my voice raw, raging with fire.

“Okay, one man show

Listen, listen!”

Any civilians that were even remotely crazy enough to stay and watch this brawl unravel watched as the webs around us slowly began to glow, turning from their fluid white to a radiant golden hue. Vulture whipped his head around at every chord, every note as he struggled to search for the source of the music.

“Na-na, na-na-na

Ready for my show

Go crazy!”

The webs suddenly sparked like strobe lights as the music grew more intense with the beat of the electric drum before the synthetic notes died down as if a battery was being drain. There was a flash through the smoke as I landed a hit on Vulture just as the music was starting back up again, the acoustic guitar playing a melody that made me want to dance my worries away, and knock some sense into this overgrown turkey.

Mop the floor with him, mi Mona Lisa~

Miguel’s encouraging words caused my lips to curl into an eager grin as I narrowed my eyes towards Vulture. He moved to try and hit me, but quickly realized his body had caught in to one of my webs and his arm was stuck. The look in his eyes said it all.

“Let's shake it off~”

I saw genuine fear in his eyes as I charged forward, leaping into a spin as I roundhouse kicked him square in the face, shooting him into the air. The darkness surrounding the mall was my audience and the raining skylight was my spotlight and stage. I leaped after him, jumping and dancing along the various webbed platforms I made.

“Ha! Ya-ya-ya-ya-ya, show time

Behold the summit's grand arrival, come over now

Complete the night, alright, hell yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Getting pumped up, it's super easy, brah, brah, brah! Pow~”

I timed my punches and kicks to the beat of the last verse. I dented one of his wings, as Vulture struggled to swing back at me, his form beginning to plummet down in spurts. He was trying to aim for one of the higher level floors of the mall, but I knocked him into another one of my webbed platforms. He stuck to it like a fly

“It's beyond words, ain't nobody stop~ Ha, ha!”

I climbed behind it, pulling back the webbing before letting go and Vulture’s body went flying like he was being thrown with a bungee cord. Bungee cord? That gave me an idea. I soared down after him.

“Oh, the realm shines in stunning splendor

Attention! Let's make some noise~”

I fired a web sling, a bundle of webbing wrapping around Vulture’s ankles. With my other hand, I shot a web sling up to the roof of the mall. The two slings connected, forming one long rope as the web glowed with my voice, Vulture was left dangling upside down and I slid down it dramatically.

“Soon, comes an impressive debut, expressing purpose with a voice of impact

The empty shrine has long been eradicated–!”

I made it down to Vulture’s ankles, brandishing another smoke bomb, and I threw it at his face.

“Ay, cherry blossoms madly bloom, behold the grand arrival~”

The smoke bomb exploded in his face, leaving him in a haze along with the effects of my web that was now coursing through his body. I didn’t want to put him to sleep. I wanted to make him pay, suffer for all torture he put those innocent people he killed through. For the torment he put Miguel through.

I shot a web at the broken up circuit breaker box, the device sparking. The stage went black, the only light remaining were the golden hues of my webbing and the now fluorescent pink highlights of my suit as I stalked around Vulture’s body with a snarl.

“I don't mean to show off, no, no

It's automatic, natural instincts overflow, ho no!”

I fired some web fluid, sticking to his mouth to stop him from snapping his teeth at me. After that, I smacked him across the face with the back of my hand. As I waltzed away from his dangling body, continuing my song, Vulture managed to raise a sharp, clawed hand and slice himself free from my webs, dropping to the floor.

“On top of a ironic guillotine, have a blast, gracefully~”

He picked himself up, his chest puffing and huffing angrily as he began to reach for me as I had my back turned to him. He stopped suddenly when he felt something grip his shoulder, holding him back. I glanced over with a knowing smirk, seeing the familiar glowing laser red webbing.

My dance partner emerged from the dark.

“Da-rat-a-tat-a, warning!”

Miguel leaped forward, the webbing propelling him as he threw a punch at Vulture and the two began their brawl.

“Na-na, na-na-na

Ready for my show

Hooray, rejoice in the spirit of delight

Shout it out, shout it out!”

I hung back and observed the fight play out. My music and voice rang out as I poured my heart out, reaching Miguel. I could see it in his movements. He could hear me. He could feel me empower him.

They went on for a moment longer before Miguel reached out and caught my hand, tagging me into the fight as he literally twirled me back onto the stage. My body moved along to the music as I fought against Vulture. I suppose he was right; I was Feisty, nimble, and a smart mouth.

But never prey. Never again.

“Na-na, na-na-na

Ready for my show

Elegantly soaring, let emotions guide

Shout it out, shout it out!”

I avoided an incoming attack, sliding under Vulture’s legs and emerging behind him. I relished and showed no regrets as I kicked him straight in the balls. His howl spoke volumes.

“(Hey, uh) Eat it up~”

His hands moving to his crouch, Vulture bent his knees and collapsed to the floor. The eyelets of Miguel’s mask were wide as he observed what I had just done. I’d never do that to you, I reassured him in a pleasant tone.

I never said you would. Just remind me to never get on your bad side.

I smirked back at him as I offered him a bow worthy of a showman, and my cheeks flushed in delight when he bowed graciously in return.

“(Hey, ha) Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat Pull up!”

My steps were light as I danced to the beat, stepping around to look down at Vulture as I met his gaze. “Songbird? Please, I’d rather be a Spider,”

“What kind of witch are you?” He gawked.

“Call me Spider-Muse, and that’s all you’ll ever call me,” I narrowed my eyes at him.

I fired one more set of web fluid onto his body, the webs glowing gold as I sang my final verse.

“(Hey uh, wa-wa-wa)

Full bloom, all at once with full force, jump around!”

The enchantment finally kicked into motion, knocking Vulture unconscious. I glanced back towards Miguel who approached my side. He seemed to be walking alrigh again after applying some protective webbing over his wound.

“Care to do the honors?” I asked him. “He’s your villain after all,”

“Why not,” Miguel smirked under his mask.

With a taloned hand, Miguel flicked his finger against Vulture’s forehead and the villain toppled over. He was completely zoned out.

The music stopped and the lights turned back on. The few civilians that remained to witness the entire spectacle actually started cheering, applauding us. But I didn’t look at them, as my attention was purely on Miguel as I held his hand tightly with my own.

Are you okay?

He squeezed my hand back in kind.

I will be when we get back to HQ.

A motorcycle engine caught both of our ears as we glanced over to see Jessica Drew pull up to the scene with Gwen quickly following behind her.

“We’ve been trying to contact ya’ll all night, what the hell– Oh!” Drews expression quickly changed when she laid eyes on the carnage around us.

“I heard the music from a block away, did we miss the show?” Gwen pouted.

I laughed, offering her an apologetic shrug. “Sorry,”

“Private Eye is on the way,” Drew reported as she looked over towards Miguel. “We gotta go, like, now,”

“Agreed,” Miguel nodded, glancing towards them and me as he motioned to follow him. “HQ. Now,”

We all vacated the mall quickly before the Private Eye could spot us. I followed Miguel as Jess and Gwen led the way back to Spider Society HQ and when we laid eyes on the Alchemax building, the biggest sigh of relief fluttered from my lips. As far as tours go, this one took the cake.

We slipped back inside through one of the hangers. The air in the room was so tense and thick you could cut it with a knife. I could tell Miguel was upset about what had happened, not entirely how he wanted tonight to go, and I was sympathetic with it on that front as I took my mask off and breathed easy for the first time in hours.

“Finally, I had been trying to contact you for two hours!” Lyla groaned. “What happened out there, Miguel?”

“Vulture, Chameleon, collars, I can’t go into detail about it right now,” Miguel raised a hand as he tiredly brushed Lyla away, his muscles tensing with every step as all eyes trailed him.

“Wait, Chameleon was here?” Gwen gawked. “But I thought–!”

“Not now, Gwen,” Miguel narrowly avoided snapping at the young girl as he whirled around to face her, his mask turning off as he revealed how stressed he had become. He faced her mentor and his loyal AI, and to me. “I’m sorry, but. . . not now,”

Jessica looked over towards me, a silent question in her eyes.

“Give him some time,” I softly pleated. “Please?”

Jessica sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. “Alright, big man, but I expect a full report in the morning. You gotta do it just like everybody else, alright?”

Miguel glanced over towards her, his face softening. “Yes,”

Drew nodded in affirmation before glancing over at Gwen, motioning the girl to follow her. “Come on, Gwen, these two have been through enough tonight. Give them some space,”

Gwen offered me a small wave after silently glancing between the two of us. “See ya around?”

“Promise,” I smiled at her.

Gwen offered her boss a polite nod goodnight before jogging after Jessica who waited for her at the hanger door. When the door closed, there was little light in the hanger. I glanced over at Miguel, just in time to catch him pointing his wrist towards me.

“Miguel?” His red webbing stuck to my hip, pulling me forward. “Whoa-!”

Miguel caught me in his arms, hugging me close to his chest as he buried his face into my neck. His body was trembling, his breathing shaky. When I felt something wet my skin there, my arms found his neck instantly.

“When I saw Vulture hovering over you,” he spoke softly. “I was terrified. . .”

I didn’t say anything. I let Miguel talk. I would be here to listen.

“I asked you to run. But you stayed. You stayed, to fight him. . . to save me,” Miguel mumbled as the realization seemed to settle within him.

Miguel slowly pulled away from my neck, lifting his head to meet my gaze. My heart broke when I saw the tear stains on his cheeks. With a delicate hand, I gently brushed my finger along his skin to wipe them away.

He didn’t pull away. “. . . Thank you,”

Thank you for saving me.

I smiled softly at him, my own tears threatening to break free. “Thank you. . .”

Thank you for coming for me.

Miguel reached a hand up to grasp my own that caressed his cheek. He gently pulled it aside before his free hand cupped my face and he leaned it and pressed a hard kiss to my lips. It was as if I could feel everything he was feeling in that moment within the kiss.

I couldn’t help the sensation that coursed through me as I attempted to kiss him back with the same vigor. His response was combing his large fingers through my hair, and with a gentle tug, angled my head back so he could deepen the kiss. A pleasant hum sang from my throat.

Miguel broke the kiss, his eyes pouring into mine. “Stay with me for the night, please?”

My eyes widened at the request. “Miguel–!”

“I won’t make you late for practice tomorrow. I’ll escort you back home in time, I promise,” he reassured me gently, his gaze lingering to the side briefly before looking back to me. “After what happened tonight, I don’t want you to leave yet. . . I don’t want to be alone. . .”

I’ll be here when you wake up.

Some tears broke free, racing down my cheeks as I snaked a hand up to his neck, caressing the skin there delicately. “I’ll stay, Miguel,”

His eyes shined with my answer. He carefully picked me up and my cheeks flushed as I hooked my legs around his waist to stop myself from falling out of his grapes as he walked us out of the hanger. “I got you, mi Mona Lisa, I won’t let you fall,”

The last thing I remembered that night was Miguel walking us to the private elevator that led to his private room, the two of us sharing a kiss in said private elevator, and us cuddling up together as Miguel pulled the bed sheets over us, tucking us in.

/////////

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