Chapter Text
Spider-Verse: One More Day
Chapter 1: Everything’s going to be OK…
“This is bad…” Gwen Stacy also known as Spider-Woman, gasped for breath with her face hidden behind her full white mask, barely able to dodge the monster formerly known as the Spot rampage through downtown New York.
“I don’t know where Hero Me went,” the villain turned anti-hero known as the Prowler said as he landed beside her, “But now would be an amazing time for him to show up.”
“He’ll be here soon as he deals with Miguel,” Peter B Parker, the Veteran Spider-Man said as he swung past them with his infant daughter strapped to his chest.
It took this monstrosity attacking and the leader of the Spider-Society bailing on his team of Spider-People for the two groups of Spiders to team up and face the common foe.
Whatever it was that crossed the Spider-Man of 2099 when he looked at Gwen, it made him take off running and leapt through a portal. And before anyone could respond Miles Morales, the Spider-Man of this particular Earth, leapt after him, shouting something about Miguel better not dare.
Gwen barely felt her spider-sense go off before Prowler tackled her out of the way, lifting her up into the air away from the Spot’s attack.
“I could have dodged that,” Gwen said, firing off a web line to swing away from her rescuer.
“Sure you could, but I’m not going to risk Other Me getting pissed off at me letting his girlfriend get smacked around by big ugly up there,” Prowler said, retracting his face plate, revealing an identical face of Miles Morales, only real difference is unlike Gwen’s Miles, this one had his hair kept in tight braids.
“Stop calling him that,” Gwen growled softly, swinging toward the massive humanoid black blob. “We have to find a way to stop him,” before she could finish the thought, she had to release her web line to dodge another attack. “He’s really starting to tick me off…” She grumbled as she saw Scarlet Spider swing past her behind Jess Drew on her motorcycle.
“We can’t let him near downtown and Miles’ dad,” the black and white Spider-Man Noir tilted his fedora. “And I honestly don’t trust the Society Spiders not to let it happen. Stupid Canon Event nonsense.”
Gwen narrowed her eyes to the monster. Knowing that as Jeff Davis gets publicly promoted to Captain, he’s fated to be killed as a Canon Event, supposedly to keep the multiverse, or Spider-Verse as Miles calls it, intact. She felt cold and sick at how just a few days ago she was willing to let him die just to protect Miles. The betrayed look in his eyes still haunted the blonde, but looking back she shouldn’t be surprised that Miles would choose to fight fate instead of blindly accepting it.
At least they had mostly talked things out since the Spider-Gang she had assembled finally located him on Earth-42. But there was still so much she wanted to say to him, so much they had to discuss. But she had remain focused. They had to save New York. They had to save Miles’ father. They had to fight and never stay down. Just like Miles.
“Gwen!” Penni Parker cried out from her Mech Suit and pointed to where a portal opened up just behind them.
She turned and she saw Miles step through, bent over slightly holding his side. “Miles!” she cried, swinging to his side. She quickly pulled up her mask so she could better see his wounds. “Miles!! You’re hurt…”
“It’s ok…” Miles said, trying to keep Gwen from seeing just how much blood was coming from the wound to his side. “I’m ok.”
“What happened?” She asked, still trying to see but he kept his side away from her. “Miguel figured out your dad wasn’t dead, and was going to try to fix YOUR crisis event…” Gwen visibly paled.
“It’s ok, I saved your dad…” Miles coughed slightly, “Miguel put up a fight but I took him down… it’ll be a while before he wakes up from the amount of shock that I put through him…”
“Let me see your face,” Gwen ordered.
“We need to…” he tried but she shook her head.
“Miles, let me see your face,” she repeated, and he sighed and he pulled up his mask, showing not only the old bruises from his fight with Miguel and the Spider Society, but some new cuts and bruises too.
“I’m ok, Gwen, I promise,” Miles took her hand and squeezed it.
She didn’t look convinced at all.
“Nothing we’ve done has been able to scratch him,” Peter B said, landing beside his young friends. “I don’t think we can stop him. It’s like he’s completely super charged with the energy from the colliders.”
“Amped up with energy huh…” Miles glanced down to his bloody glove. “I got an idea. It’s crazy.”
“Sounding like a true Spider-Man there, kid, all our ideas are crazy,” Peter B commented as Mayday cooed in her carrier.
“Miles, what are you thinking?” Gwen asked as Spider-Man India and Spider-Punk joined them.
“I need you to just trust me,” Miles gave her a smirk, and placed his hand on her shoulder. “It’s me, Gwen. I’ve got this.”
“Miles…” Gwen felt her spider-sense going wild toward him.
“Trust me, Gwen, I’m sure this is gonna knock me down,” Miles squeezed her shoulder, “But you know I always get back up.”
“And as soon as I do, we’ll work everything out,” Miles continued, holding eye contact. “We’ll go to our spot and talk, yell, scream, cry whatever we need to do to fix things, ok?” He stepped back and held out a hand as he did just before he sent her home after their first adventure together, “Friends?”
She didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but she grabbed his hand and pulled her toward him, capturing his lips with hers in a searing kiss. She broke it off and looked at the dazed young man. “You better come back to me, Miles Morales.”
She gave a slight glare when money was exchanged between the Spiders around her, all going to Hobie Brown the Spider-Punk, who was cheering at his win.
While she was distracted, Miles pulled his mask back and took to the air, swinging toward the monster that was just a few days ago a ‘villain of the week’.
“Time to take you down a few notches,” Miles said as he leapt from his swing and landed on the Spot’s black, planting both palms flat on his skin. His arms and shoulders sparked with more and more electricity as he absorbed the raw energy from the villain. He roared in rage as he began to shrink and the darkness began to fade to white.
“GET OFF ME YOU PATHETIC INSECT! I’LL KILL YOU!” The Spot shouted as he smacked toward Miles on his back, but he was just out of reach.
Miles held dug his fingers into his back as he kept drawing power. “Just a little more…” he said to himself as his vision began to turn tunnel, and he began to cough uncontrollably. He felt the face of his mask get warm and wet from his coughs and he didn’t want to think about how much blood he was coughing up. He had to get him down just a little more, so the others can take him down. Just a little more. Just a little more…
“What… WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME?” The Spot shouted as he saw his color fading from black, to spots on white, with the spots fading rapidly.
“You took my power!” He turned quickly to Spider-Man.
“Oh, that was your powers? My bad…” He grunted out the quip, “Here, have um back…” He said, releasing the power in a massive electric stinger blast out of both fists, sending the Spot flying through a brick wall.
“YEAH! HE DID IT!” Miles heard someone shout, as he could vaguely see a variety of red and blue shapes flying toward where Spot had landed, and he could hear repeated ‘thwips’ of webs being fired.
Miles stood there on unsteady footing as his vision blurred and it seemed like he was looking down a tunnel. He managed to turn around to see Gwen and the others catching up to them.
He could vaguely hear her calling out his name before his knees buckled and he fell.
“MILES!!” Gwen screamed as she landed and ran to his side. “NO! no no no, Miles!”
She slid on her knees to his side as she removed her mask. She finally got a good look at the wound on his side, and it looks like Miguel had took a large chunk of his flesh, and he had been bleeding out heavily this whole time. “Oh no, Miles, no, wake up, Miles wake up! Stay with me.”
“Gw…Gwen?” Miles struggled to open his eyes as Gwen removed his mask.
“Miles, stay with me… stay with me…” She begged, holding pressure to his wound.
“It’s alright… Miguel said I… wasn’t supposed to … be here… anyway…” Miles coughed, blood running down from the corner of his mouth.
“No, don’t say that! he’s wrong. He was always been wrong,” Gwen shook her head, as tears soaked her face. “You’re supposed to be here… you’re supposed to be with me.”
“Everything’s going to be ok, Gwen…” Miles whispered through his gasping breathes as Peter B called for help. “Everything’s going to be ok…” A small part of her ached as he was wasting his strength to comfort her, when it should be the other way around.
“Miles?” She whispered as his sharp breath began to slow. “MILES! Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me alone…”
“Keep… an eye… on my … rents…” Miles forced out, “You’ll… be … ok… you’re… strong… everything’s… going to… be … ok…”
Her whole body went numb as Miles’ body slumped and his chest released one final breath. She knew what a person dying in her arms felt like. It was burned in her memory as Peter died in her arms what felt like a lifetime ago now. She thought that was the worst pain she could imagine. And now… now as she cradled Miles’ body in her arms, letting his head rest against her chest, she realizes that thought was wrong. This was far worse.
She gripped his body to her tightly and could vaguely hear someone screaming Miles’ name. She wouldn’t find out till later that she was the one screaming.
The Spider-Gang and Spider-Society all gathered around the fallen hero. The Ultimate Spider-Man, who made the ultimate sacrifice. None made a sound, but a few whimpers from Mayday in Peter’s arms, not understanding what was going on.
Beyond that, the only sound that filled the New York streets were the cries and screams of a young woman who had lost far too much.
A young woman who was being watched by someone in the shadows.
Someone who was smiling at the potential.