#spidermike

So that’s where Mike found himself, webbing up the last unconscious criminal to the wall for the police to find and take away. There had only been a few, four muggers who had attempted to rob a man only a couple of years older than Mike himself. It was something Mike found he’d come to view as part of his new routine, he’d patrol often whenever he had the time to spare, which happened to be mostly at night. Student life be damned, he thought. So he found the night to be, well, normal he supposed. He’d stick around and make sure until the cops arrived and the thugs were in custody before resuming patrol. 

But then his spider sense, a buzzing feeling all around his body alerted him to danger behind him just as his ears picked up the sound of a gun being loaded. He swiveled round, body tense as he prepared to web up any thug he’d missed, assuming they must have called for backup. But nothing could have prepared him for who was holding the gun, he lowered his hand, the lenses of his mask conveying his shock and growing wide as he gaped, horrified.

Because it was Nancy. His older sister Nancy. And she was holding him at gunpoint, her knuckles pale with how tightly she was gripping the pistol, which she had aimed right at the spider symbol on his chest.

“Don’t move.” Nancy snarled. Mike couldn’t even if he tried, or wanted to. His body had seized up entirely. He couldn’t breathe either, his breaths caught in his throat as he stared.

“Wait-” Mike blurted, but Nancy silenced him by taking a deliberate step closer, the gun clasped firmly in her hands. 

“Don’t even try it.” Nancy hissed darkly, her eyes flashed coldly, holding an icy glare Mike didn’t know she was capable of. “It’s about time you answered for what you did.”

“I-”

“Everyone thinks you’re a hero. But you’re not, I know what you are and I’m going to show them.” Nancy went on, her voice never wavering. “You’re a murderer.”

Mike exhaled shakily, not moving an inch as he eyed the gun warily. Right, that brought him back to the complications with being Spider-Man. The complication being that his sister hated his web-crawling persona, ever since the untimely death of her best friend, someone Mike had known well with all the time she’d spent at their house.

Barbara. The thought brought back a string of painful memories, followed by immense guilt. Nancy had blamed him and sought to avenge Barb, she’d grown bitter and resented him for it  and it seemed the hate she felt for Spider-Man that had taken root since had never quite let her go.

Now she was here, gun in her hands and ready to shoot. And Mike? Part of him that felt the most guilt for what happened to Barb wanted to let her.

The spider part of his psyche however screamed at him to do something. To disarm her, run away and to not look back. But the other part, the part who had always looked up to his sister with nothing but admiration all his life, could only remain fixed in place, stiff as a board and speechless as she seethed.

“I won’t shoot you, if I don’t have to.” Nancy spoke again, her voice hard. “You’re going to stay here until the police arrive and then you’re going to hand yourself over to them.” She paused, thinking for a moment. “But if you try to leave, I will do it. I have a good enough reason to and I know how to use this.”

Mike didn’t doubt that. He would’ve laughed if he weren’t so goddamn terrified right now, he knew how skilled Nancy was with an assortment of guns, Hopper - the Chief of HCPD had taught her himself.

Mike finally found his voice again. “Please just let me-” in doing so, he finally seemed to snap out of his frozen trance, moving forward slightly but retreating just as quickly when Nancy jabbed the gun forward in his direction. His sense was buzzing worse now, but it was confused, it had never before perceived his sister as a threat. It was disorientating, with the pure panic overwhelming him in that moment he could barely think.

“I said don’t move.” Nancy repeated, her words firm.

A breathless sound almost akin to a sob escaped Mike’s lips. “Nancy please.” Usually he would have hated how feeble and weak he sounded, but he couldn’t bring himself to care about that right now.

A look of confusion flashed within Nancy’s eyes at that. Her breathing hitched and her expression then solidified once more. “How do you know my name?” She demanded harshly. Mike’s gaze was still fixed on the pistol, unmoving.

He wasn’t thinking clearly right now, he knew that much with how everything around him had muted - which is why he wasn’t sure why he did it. But he dragged his gaze away from the gun, to his sister's enraged look, then back to the gun and his fear spiked. It was a split second decision based solely off adrenaline alone and he regretted it the moment he’d done it.

He ripped off his mask.

“Nance…”

Nancy went completely still.

Mike used her reaction to finally get the words he’d been wanting to say out.

“I’ve been wanting to tell you ever since… but I… I didn’t know how. I thought about it everyday but I just couldn't…  Just please listen to me Nance. I didn’t… I didn’t murder Barb. I swear I… I tried so hard to save her. You have to believe me, I-” Mike fumbled with his words, still stricken with panic. “Can you… Can you please just listen to me?” He pleaded, “I’m your brother… Do you really think I’m a murderer?” His breaths came out short and ragged, he was finding it increasingly more difficult to compose himself.

Nancy didn’t reply, she still didn’t look up to meet his eyes.

“Nance please, please listen to me. I would never murder anyone I didn’t… I didn’t kill Barb, you don’t understand just let me-”

A thundering gunshot filled his ears. Mike’s jaw snapped shut. Nancy lowered her hand from where she’d fired the pistol into the sky.

When she finally looked up to meet his gaze, he really wished she hadn’t. Her expression was pained, but her eyes were colder than he’d ever seen. It was a look he thought he’d never see on his sister's face, especially directed only to him.  Mike’s heart raced, his body had shifted without him knowing, his instincts locking him into a defensive stance. The spider screamed at him to run, get out of here, go.

He ignored it.

“Nance, please…” Mike begged softly, hoping she’d listen.

Nancy drew in a deep breath that didn’t sound too steady, the pistol shaking as her hand trembled. “You need to wait for the police to get here.” This time her voice did waver, but her words were the only thing Mike could focus on. He stared at her, dark eyes wide and filled with disbelief, brimming with tears.

“Nance stop.” He begged, a sob catching in his throat as he desperately tried to get through to her. He took a step forward, Nancy took one back, he looked down at the gun still pointed squarely at his chest. His eyes found his sisters again. “Are you really this afraid of me? Please don’t… Just-”

He stopped short when registered the sound of sirens a block or two away, the police were almost here and Nancy…

Nancy was willing to turn him over to them.

When the sirens got closer and the sound of a car skidding to a halt at the end of the alley was heard, Nancy looked away at the direction of where the noise had come from, distracted. And Mike, still so scared and hurt and betrayed and panicked, took his chance. He shot his wrist outwards and a web shot towards the pistol, he yanked it from her hold before she could even look back.

Mike stayed in place for a few moments, eyes locked onto Nancy’s own, he didn’t have time to catch the look in her eyes before his spider sense buzzed frantically as approaching voices grew louder and without a second thought Mike launched himself into the sky, finally allowing the tears to fall. He kept swinging, the city a mere blur around him, no real destination in mind, no goal other than to get away from there.