After their formal introductions, the group led Y/n to an elevator as she held on to Hobie's arm since the elevator functioned upside down. The group walked into the base crawling with what looked to be thousands of different variations of Spider-Man causing Hobie to gently place Y/n down not wanting to drop her too aggressively and give her the wrong idea. Inside the Spider-Base, the tension was steadily rising as the different versions of Spider-Man milled about, some conversing, others training, and a few tinkering with gadgets.
Y/n could feel the weight of their gazes on her as she entered with the group, but she maintained her composure knowing that seeing a non-Spider person there would come as a shock to them all.
As the group approached the large thick doors, Miguel's voice grew louder.
"They did what?!" The group heard through the large thick doors.
"He's mad!" Pavitr spoke turning around about to leave only for Spider-Woman to grab him by the back of his suit. "You and Hobie are taking responsibility for bringing her." She spoke shoving him back towards the door.
"He is only another Spider-Man. Get over it you guys." Y/n huffed fed up with their lack of action.
A tall, muscular Spider-Man in a futuristic blue suit with a red spider in the centre of his well-built chest stood in the centre of the room, his expression a mix of anger and concern. But the most bizarre thing to her was that he didn't have his mask on.
"What were you two thinking, bringing this woman here?" Miguel questioned as he spotted the Spider-Men standing behind the new woman.
Hobie stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation. "Miguel, we encountered her during an anomaly event. She's from a parallel universe, and we thought she might be a valuable asset to our cause."
Miguel's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Y/n, trying to figure out what her intentions were. "And what makes you think she can be trusted?" he asked, his tone still irrationally agressive.
"Why don't you ask me big guy." Y/n piped up not liking the fact the conversation was going on around her.
Sizing the woman up he approached her towering over her. Hobie took a step forward only to be pulled back by Spider-Woman shaking her head telling him to keep out of it, he brushed her hand off his jacket and walked over to Y/n and Miguel's stare down breaking the awkward and tense situation.
"I trust her. She has fought her Spider-Man and is still kicking, if she does something wrong then I will be responsible."
"Fought her Spider-Man?" He raised an eyebrow not sure how reliable an ally she would make only to have his worries diminished.
"In that multiverse, Spider-Man isn't exactly a 'good character'." Pavitr put it lightly informing Miguel of the missing information necessary.
Miguel seemed to consider her words for a moment before finally relaxing his stance slightly. "Fine, but you'll be Hobies apprentice. Any suspicious behaviour whatsoever, and you're out."
"I can live with that," She grinned her voice still distorted from her suit. "We have given you trust it is about time you've given us some."
Miguel crossed his arms cautiously watching the woman.
"Is that you demanding to see my face?" She snarkily yet confidently responded catching Miguel off guard.
He was taken aback by the woman's simple yet aggravating comment. He was praying and hoping that she was horribly disfigured or was missing half her face because he knew this odd feeling in his chest all too well but refused to believe it was real. The last thing he needed was for her to be a good-looking woman.
Y/n raised an eyebrow, a mischievous glint in her eyes that only Miguel could see due to him being close enough to her face to see through her lenses. "I wouldn't want to disappoint you, but I have no interest in showing you my face. It's not personal. It is simply about hiding my face and protecting my identity and the people I have left in my life."
Miguel's expression shifted from surprise to a mix of relief and annoyance. 'Good. We don't need any distractions or complications,' he thought to himself only to oppose his own thoughts, he needed to know if she was trustworthy and he couldn't let whatever these odd feelings were get in the way of his decision to share that trust.
"Get it over with and show us your face." He demanded getting over his own personal outlook and respecting trust more than his own feelings. Emotions could only take you so far, but trust was essential.
"Okay, you can see my face. If you can get my mask off me." The woman spoke.
"Excuse me?" Miguel was shocked by her statement and his eyes narrowed. he looked terrifying and once his eyes narrowed everyone around them either recoiled or took a step back whereas all Y/n did was cross her arms and shifted her weight to one leg stating, "You heard me pretty boy."
"Y/n, I don't think that's a good idea." Pavitr worried, not sure what was going on between Miguel and Y/n.
Y/n's playful smirk didn't waver, and she maintained eye contact with Miguel, challenging him. "Afraid you'll see something you like, Miguel?" she teased watching him visibly stiffen.
Miguel hesitated, torn between his curiosity and the desire to tell the woman she had absoloutly no chance with him. "Far from it sweetheart,"
"Wow nicknames already," Pavitr spoke getting a bit more comfortable knowing that the two were too engrossed in their competitive conversation to give out to him. Hobie was in shock at her competitive nature.
The rest of the Spider-Men watched with both curiosity and amusement. It was rare to see anyone compete with Miguel, especially an alleged ally. Y/n seemed to relish in the fact she was managing to get under his skin, and Y/n knew by the way the others reacted that this was a rare occasion.
"Come on, Miguel, what's the matter?" Y/n taunted, raising an eyebrow. "Are you scared?"
Miguel's jaw clenched, his competitive spirit fueling his judgment. He took a step closer to Y/n, his gaze locked on hers. "I'm not afraid of anything," he retorted, his voice tinged with defiance.
Y/n smirked, her playful demeanour not backing down. "Prove it, then," she challenged.
"Everyone out!" he said, his tone harsh and solemn.
The playful banter turned into something slightly more terrifying, and the atmosphere around them seemed to shift. The rest of the team could feel the underlying tension between the two and left as soon as the opportunity presented itself. Pavitr discreetly nudged Hobie on his way out while Hobie didn't move an inch, as he simply shook his head in awe.
"Hobie, get out."
Hobie knew that the situation could escalate further if they were left alone. "Miguel, I get it, but you two need some space," he argued softly, in an attempt to to reason with Miguel.
Before Miguel could respond, Y/n interjected, "Miguel is right, Hobie. ." Her tone was surprisingly gentle, and she shot Hobie a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I won't cause any trouble. I'll be out soon."
Hobie hesitated, not entirely sure this was a good idea, and instead settled on waiting outside for her. "Fine, but I'll be outside the door, just in case," he finally gave in as his protective instincts were cursing him.
Hobie left reluctantly, closing the door behind him before sending Y/n one last glance and a nod allowing the door to slam shut.
Y/n and Miguel were left alone in the room.
The woman took a step closer to Miguel, closing the distance between them. Her playful demeanour had faded, revealing a more serious and contemplative side. She studied his expression, trying to deduce his emotions and intentions. Miguel, too, found himself examining her, curious about the woman behind the mask.
"You know," Y/n began, her voice softer now, "I didn't come here to cause trouble or make enemies."
"Well you're doing a trabajo de mierda." He groaned in frustration looking at the girl's face of confusion.
"It means 'a shit job'" He sighed only for Y/n to correct him, "I know what it means, I was confused by what you meant by me doing 'a shit job'."
He growled before raising his voice, "Challenging me! Trying to assert dominance-"
"I am asserting myself so I will be respected by you, I don't want to be like the others cowering at your presence being your personal doormat."
Miguel's eyes narrowed as he listened to her. He was not used to people standing up to him, especially not with such boldness. Part of him admired her spirit, but another part was annoyed by the challenge. "Respect is earned, not demanded," he retorted, his voice firm.
Y/n didn't back down. "I agree, but you seem to think that respect should be a one-way street. I'm not here to challenge your authority, but I won't let you treat me as less than an equal."
"You're not an equal," Miguel shot back, his frustration becoming more apparent. "You're new here, and you have a lot to prove." He spat at the girl.
"Then give me the chance to prove myself," Y/n insisted. "Judge me by my actions, not your assumptions."
Miguel's frustration was evident and Y/n could see she was getting to him. "You think it's that easy?" he challenged, his voice laced with irritation. "You think you can just waltz in here and demand respect without earning it? I've been through more than you can imagine, and I've earned every bit of my place."
Y/n stood her ground, her expression unwavering. "I never said it would be easy," she replied calmly. "But I won't let anyone walk all over me just because they have more experience. I'll earn my place too, but I won't do it by bowing down to anyone."
Miguel stopped his pacing, his eyes locked onto hers. There was a flicker of something in his gazeY/n couldn't seem to place her finger on but nonetheless she held his gaze, adamant on setting a proper impression.
After a moment of tense silence, Miguel decided on something. "I will try to retrieve your mask, and you are to prevent me from doing so within the confines of this room. If you last three minutes, you can join immediately. If not, then you're to leave here back to your own universe."
"Deal."
Miguel's spider senses tingled as he sensed her readiness. He shot a web towards her, aiming to pull the mask off with his web, but Y/n was quick to react, gracefully dodging the web.
"No countdown then Miguel?" she retorted jokingly as he simply grunted pulling his mask over his own face as things began to get serious.
As the seconds ticked away, Y/n moved with an impressive display of agility and precision, countering Miguel's attempts to unmask her. She utilized her suit's capabilities repeatedly reminding herself her grapple hooks were broken not wanting to overestimate her options.
Firing web projectiles at Y/n she swiftly evaded Miguel's attempts to rid her of her mask. He could tell she was analysing and carefully moving with absolute precision.
The two engaged in intense combat, their movements fluid and exact. Y/n's kept Miguel on his toes, making sure to make it difficult for him to get close enough to snatch her mask.
She remained very defensive careful not to attack the man. But Miguel knew she was holding back, deducing that she most probably had a rather aggressive fighting technique.
The three minutes seemed to stretch on, and Y/n could feel the sweat forming under her suit. She knew the stakes were high for gaining Miguel's respect and ultimately the respect of the other Spider-Men.
After what felt like far too long for Y/n the time limit approached, Miguel saw an opportunity and lunged forward, aiming to catch Y/n off guard. With a quick twist of her body, she evaded his grasp and delivered a swift kick, knocking him back a good few steps.
Shocked by her strength he realised how powerful she could be with the right training.
Miguel quickly regained his footing, a mix of surprise and admiration in his eyes. "Not bad," he said, acknowledging her obvious skill set. "But three minutes aren't up yet."