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reb0rned · 10 months

Text

A Window Opens.

Summary: Gabi knew that hoping for having her late father back was impossible in every sense of the word. Still, this didn't stop her from hoping, once given the slightest thread to pull on.

Warnings: angst, mentions of death, cursing, grieving.

Pairings: Miguel O'Hara x Gabriella O'Hara (platonic).

Characters: Gabriella O'Hara (Gabi), Hobi Brown, Miguel O'Hara.

Word Count: 2179.

The streets of Nueva York were unusually quiet, as they always were in the aftermath of major attacks on the city.

Gabi had noticed that this one felt stranger, however; out of place.

The masked, jumping human that somehow managed to arrive before her only confirmed her suspicions further.

His suit, even while decorated with all sorts of daring and retro accessories, resembled hers in a way that she thought couldn’t be a coincidence. Webs not unlike the ones she used shot out from his wrists as he swung around the city. Wildly, swiftly, filling the girl’s stomach with secondhand vertigo.

Following him was only a result of the spark of curiosity that he had awoken within her; she’d wondered if he’d lead her to some sort of justice organization. Or maybe she just hoped to get to know him and feel like she wasn’t alone in this.

What Gabi didn’t expect was to see him walk straight into a mass of blinding bright lights, colors bouncing on the walls of the dark alleyway giving the street a psychedelic appearance. Her head tilted to the side with the crumbs of a memory where she’d seen the same hypnotizing circular motions. A memory she’d hoped to forget for many years, but that still haunted her nonetheless.

She knew that it was impossible, still her heart only hoped that the thing she recognized was nothing but the very own signature of her father.

All these thoughts constrained into a split second, a single instinctual motion as she noticed the mass become smaller and smaller. She kicked her tail against the floor to gain impulse and leapt inside.

The experience that followed was an amalgamation of sensations. Her body contorted in ways that it shouldn’t, exposing parts that were meant to remain hidden, as if she were being pulled into an infinite vacuum. Every single part of her moved as one entity, yet somehow still reached different destinations.

Gabi felt herself die and be born a million times before she was able to even think about blinking. And when she finally did, she found herself somewhere completely different to the alleyway she stood at mere seconds ago.

The portal closed behind her as she took a single step forward, sealing her fate. Her racing thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a figure dropping right in front of her.

‘’Hello there! Care to explain why you followed me here?’’ The man’s voice was deep and laced in a cockney accent that took Gabi off guard. He inspected her form thoroughly, neck slightly crooked to the side and both hands inside the pockets of his leather jacket.

The girl opened her mouth to answer, but as she did, she felt the unmistakable feeling of a tingling on the back of her neck, something that never failed to make its presence known and could only mean two specific things.

One; she was in danger, which wasn’t too bad of a guess, considering the power that this man had displayed back at her city.

Or two;

‘’Oh, fuck me…’’

She was currently more than 10 meters above solid ground.

Just by glancing around it was very apparent that this place had not been designed for the average human. It looked like a labyrinth of bridges between what looked like gargantuan skyscrapers, leading up and down and in every direction imaginable. She knew then, to her utmost dismay, that her gut was right. The distant, safe land looking up at her as if waiting for the moment where she’d slip and fall.

Instinctively, she lowered herself down to the platform beneath her feet, the only thing keeping her safe, hands and feet clinging to it like a lifeline.

‘’Where am I?’’ She managed to gasp out, the figure just staring at her as if her behavior was utterly irrational, completely unbothered by the height that they stood at.

‘’You’re not from ‘ere? Come to think of it, you’re not wearing the wrist thinghy. How’d you get to that universe then? You an anomaly, eh?’’ He crouched down to inspect her even closer.

‘’What are you talking about? I have no idea what any of that means,’’ the girl was at least grateful that her field of view was now obscured by the spiky mask of the man standing mere inches away from her face.

‘’Hobie, aren’t you supposed to be in Earth-2000?’’

Before Gabi had time to recognize the voice that spoke close enough for them to hear, a huge figure landed right beside the both of them, a blur of red and blue, face concealed by another mask, but this one much less friendly than the one of the punks.

The man who's name was apparently Hobie seemed to barely manage to hold in an annoyed grunt as he rose back to his original height, turning his head lazily to this new individual.

‘’Already done,’’ he announced dismissively, at which the second man crossed his arms in front of his chest, holding his gaze for a few seconds in complete silence.

She would’ve been intimidated by the imposing presence of the taller man if it weren’t for the way her blood ran completely cold at the cadence of his voice.

‘’Miguel…?’’ The word came out of her mouth before any rational thought could stop her from it. The name of her father felt strange on her tongue, barely having been spoken since Gabriella was but nine years old, used as a way to call for his attention when she needed to be taken seriously.

She remembered then the glimpse of a smirk forming on his lips every time, as he tried to answer in the most serious way possible.

The man, who hadn’t actually noticed her presence in first instance, turned his head to look at her in a casual manner, deactivating the mask of his suit with one swift movement, and thus revealing to Gabbi's wide eyes the face of a man that died ten years ago.

He looked strict, serious, with no remnants of the hidden smile that she used to try to convince everyone around her that she hated so much, for it meant that he wasn’t paying complete attention.

He hummed drily to indicate her to go on.

From down on the ground, it felt as if she hadn’t aged at all, just as tall as she was in comparison to his titan of a father, someone she used to think of as an indestructible protector. She nearly felt like throwing up now, this action thankfully stopped by the inability to move a single muscle in her body. The only response that she could give the man was a shaky breath coming out of her throat like a ghostly whimper.

‘’Yes?’’ Miguel quirked an eyebrow up then, expression and voice growing impatient, as he surely found the lack of communication on her part strange. It took a second for his eyes to narrow significantly, he suddenly seemed to be putting the pieces of a puzzle of his own together.

‘’You mind telling me your name?’’ He spoke calmly, offering a hand down to help the girl up to her feet. The sight of his hand seemed to snap Gabi out of her momentary trance, as she realized that she needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

She held his hand, but used the movement to turn her body around, sweeping the ground with her seemingly materializing tail and throwing the man down in a way she’d done many times before with people way heavier than him.

Letting go of his hand as soon as his face hit the floor, she slid across the polished surface, holding herself with the help of her powers to the lower side of the platform as she moved, where she could look for an escape. She bit her lip as hard as she could, trying to ground herself to reality and ignore the way her body was hanging seconds away from her complete demise.

She, however, nearly forgot about her fear of heights when a bloodcurdling growl roared from not too far behind her, accompanied by an amused laugh in the distance. But she didn’t dare look back. She ran to the utmost of her ability toward the closest building, barely managing to avoid body slamming the people that stood in her way. This helped her understand the ridiculous amount of masked people that walked around those series of buildings, and it also increased her panic significantly.

—

‘’This is bullshit, this is complete utter fucking bullshit,’’ Gabi muttered under her breath as she looked around frantically for a space to hide. No windows, no trap doors, only tables and screens and computers, and one single door behind her, which meant that she was currently in a dead end. Great news.

She moved to the computers, trying desperately to recognize anything that could help her minimally, but the door swung open before she was able to read any of the strange commands.

She cautiously stepped into the middle of the room, watching a pair of glowing red eyes looking at her from where he stood. She unveiled her scorpion tail, raising it over her head in a threatening way, an attempt at appearing more intimidating than she was. A warning thrown, light hiss escaping her lips.

‘’Stand back!’’

Miguel ignored her words and walked with firm steps directly towards her.

‘’Or not, man. Do whatever.’’

‘’How do you know my name? Where do you come from, and why are you here?’’ He growled out, seeming predatory in the way that he stalked closer, like a panther about to jump. Gabi scratched at her head awkwardly.

‘’Those are a lot of questions, like, I don’t know, I’m kinda getting overwhelmed here,’’ He stood towering over her, his presence intimidating enough to make a nervous laugh escape her lips. He was missing smoke coming out of his ears, but otherwise, he was the clear image of someone who you shouldn’t try and mess with. ‘’Maybe some space would hel-’’

There was no time to process what happened as she felt her back slamming against the wall, one hand pushing against her neck, the other practically digging its nails into her tail.

‘’Identify yourself,’’ His words sliced through the air, as sharp as his claws. Gabi held on to his arm, pushing effortlessly as she struggled to regain her breath.

‘’Trust me, tough guy, you don’t want me to identify myself,’’ Her mouth became smaller and words softer as Miguel’s fingers curled around her neck, claws threatening to break skin.

‘’NOW!’’ His demand sent a painful shiver travelling through the entirety of her body. One that clearly urged her to flee, for she had gotten herself into a situation that surpassed the extent of her ability.

‘’Alright! I’m going, I’m going! Jeez!’’ Gabi wondered what in the world she could’ve done wrong to deserve to be in this situation right now, a few ideas instantly coming to mind without much effort needed. She reached up to her mask, pulling it off with a defeated sigh.

Miguel’s expression shifted from anger and severity to a neutral look, then to a look of sheer horror. His breath hitched, scanning over and over the face of the teen in front of him. His grip instantly got softer, and for the first time since Gabi had gotten herself into this mess, his eyes appeared gentle. She felt a stinging pain on her chest as the monument of a man seemed to crumble before her, as she saw hope twinkling in once rage-filled eyes.

‘’Gabby…?’’ She flinched then at the sound of his voice. Barely a whisper, barely holding on to reality. Closing her eyes for a moment, she allowed herself to breathe, to steady herself. This man spoke nothing like her father. He had his voice, sure, but as much as she tried to look for something to cling to, she found nothing that resembled the picture engraved deep within herself of the man who had raised her.

She then felt a pair of hands, softer than before, trembling over her cheeks. She knew exactly what had caught his attention.

‘’What happened to you, mi pequeña?’’ A single finger trailed down her left cheek, following the scar that marred her face from forehead to chin. She opened her eyes then, a sad smile on her lips as she looked at this stranger. An illusion. She moved her face to the side, freeing herself from the weak hold that the man had on her.

‘’I’m not her, Miguel. Whoever you think I am, I’m not.’’

The broken man recoiled as if her words had struck him physically. The hope that had briefly illuminated his eyes dimmed, replaced by confusion, sorrow, and finally realization.

He stepped back, hands falling to his sides in a nearly awkward position.

‘’I see,’’ gaze turned cold once again, he shook away the remnants of emotions left in him, as if that was something the he could just do. He cleared his throat before speaking again. ‘’LYLA, call for Jess, Hobart and Peter. Some decisions must be made. And scan her for coordinates.’’

Gabi's eyes narrowed in confusion before shooting wide open when the hologram of a minute woman seemed to appear out of thin air and right before her nose. She let out a dramatic sigh and crossed her arms.

''Bit bossy, but I'm on it,''

#DEATHSTALKER #Gabriella O'Hara #Miguel O'Hara #Hobie Brown #LYLA #spiderverse #one shot #alternative universe #AU #platonic #Miguel O'Hara x daughter #spidersona #across the spider verse #spiderman #spider man #scorpion

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