Notes:
Can you believe...that there's only two more chapters to go? I'm so emotional?? UGH I'll save the sappy stuff for the last chapter :)
TODAY HOWEVER we have a freaking rollercoaster of a fight scene!! We're all here cheering Peter and the team on! As always, I hope you have fun and please stay safe ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
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As Peter swings towards the largest Jumbotron, all the multiple forms of hologram Mysterios lunge at him and try to slow his advances. Flashes of mainly green, purple, and gold blur his vision as the holograms phase through him. The now flashing LED lights from all the screens and wailing police sirens don't do anything to help his already bombarded senses. However, he doesn't let the disorienting holograms keep him from swinging straight towards Mysterio.
Droney's view continues to show Mysterio's location, who seems to have noticed Peter coming straight towards him and is now on the move. When Peter focuses solely on getting to Mysterio no matter what, the swarming illusions are pushed to the back of his mind. With a swift tug from each arm he rockets himself, feet first, the rest of the way and breaks through one of the ninth story windows. When he looks up, Mysterio is running towards a stairwell door.
"Oh no you don't!" Peter shoots a Taser Web to electrify the metal door handle. "I wouldn't touch that unless you want Frankenstein's Monster's Wife's hairstyle," Peter cautions before shoots a Splitter Web, which jam both of gas-releasing nozzles on Mysterio's shoulders. Then, he rethinks his words. "Assuming you have hair underneath all that glass."
"You're persistent. How annoying," Mysterio complains, gas still flowing from his boots.
"Perseverance is practically a superhero requirement. Just like good banter," Peter shrugs nonchalantly. He spots the familiar liquid dripping from Mysterio's shoulders, but it doesn't do anything to the new webbing.
"What?!" Mysterio demands as he looks to his still blocked nozzles.
"Hey, the new formula works like a charm! Sweet!" They didn't have much time to test it in the workshop, so Peter counts it as a win. Mysterio still chuckles deeply.
"I like an opponent who adapts to a challenge. See if you can keep up, Spider-Man!" Suddenly Mysterio is sprinting towards Peter at full speed accompanied by a powerful, metal coated fist.
"Use his strength against him," MJ reminds. Ned probably hacked into the surveillance to keep an eye on the fight. Peter minutely moves out of Mysterio's path just in time for the fist to fly past his face and imbed itself into the drywall with a puff of dust.
"Thanks, MJ," Peter replies as he shoots a web to Mysterio's head and yanks on it to slam his plexiglass helmet into the concrete as well. With Mysterio momentarily distracted, Peter takes his chance to web the other pair of nozzles in the villain's boots. It isn't a second later that Mysterio frees his gauntlet from the drywall and goes right into his next attacks. Peter applies his training, redirecting the punches and trusting his Spidey sense when to duck or jump out of the way of an oncoming kick. Then, a voice cuts into the action.
"Your aunt is calling," Karen notifies as May's contact picture shows up on Peter's HUD.
"Decline call!" Peter instantly says as he ducks.
"I don't think that's a very good idea, Peter," Karen warns. It's true, but Peter can only handle so much.
"I can't talk to everyone at once! Last thing I need is an overprotective aunt worrying in my ear!" he tries to reason while blocking a blow and taking a few jabs to Mysterio's ribs.
"She most likely won't stop calling unless she's provided with a response," Karen counters right back.
"Then, uh, text her that I'm a bit busy with Spidey stuff and I'll call her back!" his voice cracks as he bends backwards to avoid a sudden laser. "Woah, forgot about those." Since he's closer to the floor, he takes it as an advantage to spin his leg around and sweep Mysterio's feet out from underneath him. Peter is about to celebrate, but Mysterio poofs into a cloud of smoke when he hits the ground. "Karen, infrared." Peter's vision lights up with blues, greens, and yellows, but no red Mysterio heat signature. Cheap trick.
The room suddenly fills with Tony Starks.
Peter freezes.
Uh oh.
"What happened to all that vibrato?" Mysterio's deep voice resounds throughout the room. It's not real, it's not real.
"It's okay, Peter. They're just holograms! You got this!" Ned encourages. Peter takes a slow breath and instead tries to focus on spotting where Mysterio is hiding like the coward he is.
"What are you even trying for, exactly?" One of the many Tonys questions, the voice echoing. Peter ignores it and continues his search.
"You've fought this guy, what, four? Five times now?" Another asks as Peter walks through them.
"Why can't you just beat him already? Stop wasting my time!" That's when the chaos ensues. All the different Tonys shouting reverberating insults over each other, directed at Peter.
"Worthless!"
"I should've kept the suit!"
"I knew you didn't have what it takes!"
"Disappointing!"
"You'll never be good enough to be a hero!"
"Give up!"
Peter ignores them all, because he knows what Tony thinks. He knows Tony is proud of him. Cares about him. He'd never say these things. They aren't real. They aren't the Tony he knows.
It's then that he spots Mysterio on the ceiling right before the villain uses a laser to completely cut out the door handle. While ignoring the various Tonys and their continuous shouts, Peter shoots a web from both web-shooters at Mysterio's back. Just as Peter tugs on the webs to pull him down, one of Mysterio's lasers cuts through the webbing. Peter flies backwards from the sudden shift in weight and almost crashes to the ground. He quickly regains his balance, but it's still enough time for Mysterio to jump off the ceiling and run through the door.
Peter doesn't waste another second and shoots a web to each side of the doorframe and pulls himself through it, thankfully leaving behind the Tony illusions. As soon as he's in the stairwell, he sees the flourish of Mysterio's dark purple cape as the villain runs up to the next level of stairs. Peter starts webbing his way up the stairs in pursuit to either catch up with him or get a clear shot.
"Does this go straight to the roof?!" Peter asks as he rounds another landing. MJ is the first to answer.
"Um," she pauses, "yeah. According to the blueprints." Peter vaguely wonders how Ned and MJ manage to find this convoluted information so fast.
"Fantastic," Peter responds sarcastically. He shoots a web with a free hand as he sprints up the stairs aimed at Mysterio's back. At the last moment, Mysterio sharply turns up the next flight of steps and Peter's web sticks to the wall. Still, Peter pulls on it to gain more momentum.
Of course I miss. I wonder how long it'd take me to make webs that defy the laws of physics. The random thought triggers an idea, and he hopes it works as well as he thinks it will. He stops his chasing for second to properly aim a Ricochet Web at the wall. If his angles are just right...
He shoots the web, which ricochets in a zigzag pattern from wall to wall until it collides and expands all over Mysterio's helmet.
"Yes!" Peter exclaims, shooting a regular web at the upper railing and pulls himself up to Mysterio's level. He capaults himself upwards and kicks Mysterio square in the chest, causing the villain to fly into the wall. Peter backflips off of Mysterio and goes in for a punch to attempt breaking the glass helmet. However, Mysterio quickly catches Peter's fist, slams him into the concrete wall, and throws him down the center of the stairwell.
"Peter!" both Ned and MJ yell in sudden alarm. Peter calmly shoots a web, which attaches to a railing and stops his decent.
"You guys act like I don't have web-shooters," Peter responds playfully before shooting a web from his free wrist and hoisting himself back towards the top. Now he has to catch up to Mysterio all over again.
"Don't scare us like that!" Ned scolds.
"It wasn't on purpose!" Peter defends, catching a mere glimpse of Mysterio before the villain exits onto the roof. Of course, Peter isn't far behind. He bursts through the door leading to the roof, only for his Spidey Sense to go off. Without hesitation, he ducks right before a laser flares over his head. "Getting a bit predictable," Peter hums, shooting a Splitter Web to attach to Mysterio's boots. He yanks on the webs to get Mysterio off balance, but as soon as the villain hits the ground he's nothing but a cloud of smoke. "What the- but I took out your gas!"
"Peter? What's going on? We don't have eyes up there," MJ questions as calmly as she can.
"My abrasive didn't work," Mysterio's deep voice provides, coming from no direction in particular, "but lasers cut through your webbing like a dream." The gas starts to spread over the rooftop.
"Bubble Brain has his gas back," Peter informs his team. "Karen, how's the suit holding up?" He focuses all his attention on his Spidey Sense considering the lack of visual clarity.
"Suit integrity is at ninety-nine percent and airflow is free of any contaminants," Karen supplies and pulls the numbers up on Peter's HUD. His Spidey Sense explodes in the back of his skull and he acts on instinct, using his webs to pull him forward out of Mysterio's reach. Mysterio's fists pound into the concrete and sends chunks of rock flying up.
"You call yourself a hero, but you run like a coward," he antagonizes.
"Awe, that stings, man," Peter comments halfheartedly as he shoots Rapid Fire Webs at Mysterio's wrists. He's hoping to simultaneously clog the nozzles and knock some sense into Mysterio. Web after web is fired from his wrists, accumulating over Mysterio's wrists. He then preemptively shoots a Web Grenade at the stairwell bulkhead behind Mysterio. "It really does," he adds.
Mysterio recoils from the impact, but then instantly cuts through the webbing with his lasers. On cue, the Web Grenade explodes, encasing Mysterio in a cocoon of webbing from behind. Just as Peter rushes him, an image of Tony flashes into existence right in between them. Peter knows it isn't real, but it's just shocking enough for him to falter in his attack.
"Sentimental, are we?" Mysterio questions before breaking free of the webbing and taking advantage of Peter's momentary stupor. Just as Peter regains his wits to actually raise a hand to shoot a web, Mysterio punches him in the jaw. It shocks him, but it isn't painful and he quickly recovers...then a supercharged, magnetic kick sends him flying over the edge of the rooftop. His body ragdolls through the air, away from Mysterio and towards the ground.
Peter is briefly stunned and his brain doesn't catch up until his back is crashing through a nearby building. The concrete crumbles around his impact and he smashes straight through two separate walls. When his momentum finally stops, he tumbles to the ground with a loud thump. His body throbs with pain and he weakly tries to push himself up. Dust floats through the air and coats his suit.
"Oh my god, what's happening? Peter? Can you hear us? Are you okay?!" Ned's panicked voice pushes past the ringing in Peter's ears. Peter coughs and blinks his eyes to clear them, the lenses blinking with him.
"That one's gonna leave a mark," he mumbles and slowly gets to his feet. "I'm good. How's the research going, MJ?" A thundering crash sounds above him, presumably from a certain magician-themed villain.
"We should have enough to get under his skin. I'll transfer all the info to Karen," MJ updates just as Mysterio crashes down to Peter's level.
"Oh, hey! I was wondering when you'd join me! Just doing some remodeling real quick," Peter cheerfully greets with a mild wince.
"I'm sure the city will love what you've done with the place," Mysterio mildly threatens while raising his hands for more gas to flow out. Before too much is released, Peter webs a chunk of broken concrete and flings it at Mysterio's dome head. If he can break or even just crack the glass, then Mysterio can't use his gas for hallucinations or illusions.
The concrete breaks apart on impact with the dome, but Peter then immediately shoots a web while Mysterio is caught off guard. It sticks to Mysterio's chest and Peter swings him into a concrete support column with a grunt of effort. The force is enough to crack the concrete, but Mysterio's suit and helmet remain in contact.
"Hey, guys? How much force does it take to break plexiglass?!" Peter asks as he runs and kicks through the concrete column to kick Mysterio in the abdomen.
"Uh, approximately eighteen thousand pounds of force per square inch," Ned answers promptly. Just before Mysterio flies out the gaping hole that Peter made when he crashed through the building, Peter shoots a web to pull him back into the jagged edges of the broken column. Mysterio's helmet pings off the concrete, but doesn't so much as dent even with the added velocity.
"Perfect," Peter huffs and replaces his web cartridges. "Can I even punch something that hard? That's, what, eight tons of pressure?" He shoots a web, hoping to start containing Mysterio. As soon as the web adheres to Mysterio, the villain grasps it with his fist and harshly tugs Peter towards him.
"8.0357142857 tons," Karen cuts in to correct as Peter is pulled through the air. Mysterio catches Peter's face with his massive gauntlet.
"Thanks, Karen," Peter's muffled voice responds. He grips Mysterio's hand to pry it off, then blindly shoots a Web Grenade. When it explodes, Mysterio drops Peter to claw the sticky webbing from his face and arms.
"Yeah, but didn't you deadlift a warehouse?" MJ inquires casually.
"Well, yes, but-"
"How is this any different then?"
"I'm not being crushed to death!" Peter counters, his voice cracking, as he catches his breath. He leaps onto the ceiling and uses a Splitter Web to yank Mysterio up. Mysterio's upper body crashes through the floor above them and Peter swings up to the next floor. Unfortunately, the plexiglass helmet is still intact.
"Mind over matter," MJ rationalizes instead. Mysterio punches through the concrete and pulls himself up. Peter rushes the villain, his fist clenched and fingers pressed to his web-shooter, when all of a sudden a woman is standing between them.
It's Anna. The woman who died.
Seeing her face again makes Peter feel like the wind is knocked out of him. He knows it's not her, but the pure shock that courses through his body causes him to hesitate. Mysterio takes his chance to attack while Peter is frozen and punches through the illusion of the woman to hit him in the stomach. Peter sucks in a breath at the impact before his Spidey Sense goes off, but he doesn't react fast enough before a metal boot is connecting to his face.
He crashes through a drywall and goes tumbling across the carpeted floor, chunks of thick fabric and insulation being torn up with his impact.
"Seeing ghosts of the past, Spider-Man? People you couldn't save?" Mysterio confronts, walking towards Peter.
"Peter, are you okay?! At this rate, you guys are going to bring the whole place down!" Ned interjects worriedly. Peter groans, but shakily gets to his feet nonetheless.
"Just peachy. No problem, I'll move the party somewhere else," Peter assures in a whisper. He groans, but shakily gets to his feet nonetheless.
As soon as he's up, he's looking down the center of The Staten Island Ferry. His heart pounds.
"It's just an illusion. It's not real, it's not real," he attempts to remind himself. "I'm in a building in Manha-" Bright purple lasers slice through the center of the ferry, cutting it in half lengthwise. They leave behind orange, searing metal as the entire structure creaks and shifts. "This isn't real!" he yells, willing his senses to get back under control.
"How do you know?" Mysterio inquires deceptively. "How can you be so sure when lives are at stake." Peter can't pinpoint Mysterio's voice, but it's hard to pull his attention away from the halves of the ferry that are drifting apart. Water is starting to bubble up between them. "Are you going to let another person die, Spider-Man?" That's when he hears the screaming of people above him. So many people screaming for help and to be saved...but his Spidey Sense alerts him to something behind him. It takes every ounce of his strength and reserve to ignore the cries for help, turn his back on the illusions, and catch a fist before it hits him in the face.
"Sorry, but the guilt train already left the station." He flips Mysterio over his shoulder, only for the villain to vanish amongst the illusion. Peter doesn't give up. He starts running after Mysterio, but the illusion around him stands still. It's like he's on a treadmill even though he can feel himself moving forward.
This isn't right. This isn't how things are supposed to work.
He takes a sharp turn in hopes that it will make a difference or at least get him out of this cycle, but then his Spidey Sense explodes before he's slamming into a wall that he can't even see. With his eyes blinking, he rubs his head and takes a step back, only to feel the floor go out from underneath him.
He falls and falls and falls through the darkness until he's crashing through water, a splash sounding. Everything feels slowed down. He falls slower, but he's almost weightless and all the screaming ceases.
It's silent.
Then he's slammed back into reality, colliding with the unforgiving ground. His hip makes contact first, then his shoulder, and finally his head. Everything seems to blur out of focus, but his muscles won't let him stay down. Instead, he gets up to his elbows and knees, his head hanging tiredly towards the ground.
"C'mon, dude!" He hears Ned's familiar voice first, filled with worry and concern.
"Parker? Can you hear us?" MJ demands, sounding like she has been trying to reach him more than once.
"Yeah! Yeah, it's, it's just-" Even Peter can start to hear the tremor in his voice. Calm down. Deep breaths. It isn't real. You've got this, Spidey.
"Breathe and focus. Remember your training and trust your instincts," MJ reminds with determination.
"Yeah! You're the best superhero ever and this jerk can't change that!" Ned is quick to encourage. Peter smiles slightly underneath his mask. If his friends believe in him, he can do this. Still, his hip throbs as he moves.
"Man, this sucks," he grumbles, pushing himself up with protesting muscles. "Thanks for the confidence boost. You guys are the best." With restored conviction, he staggers to his feet on strong legs. A dark void still surrounds him, but it feels more bearable now that he remembers he isn't alone.
Life isn't ever that easy, though.
When he looks up, another illusion appears. This time it's Elijah.
"And now a poor, innocent boy is without a mother. How do you justify that, hero?" Mysterio challenges, standing next to the child, as he fires a laser. Peter jumps out of the laser's path, a red-hot line being drawn in his previous place. You can do this. He shoots a Taser Web through the Elijah illusion.
Mysterio hadn't expected the hero to be so willing to attack the illusion of a kid, so he isn't able to dodge the abrupt, electrically charged webbing. The webbing sends jolts of electricity to both Mysterio and his suit.
"You should really try something besides the whole 'guilt-trip-my-enemy-into-submission' thing.'" Peter critiques as all the illusions flicker away.
"Are you really that heartless to not feel weighed down by the loss of a life?" Mysterio seethes.
"No. The exact opposite, actually. I'm going to carry that guilt with me for the rest of my life. But I'm not about to let it get in the way of stopping someone like you." Peter then releases his web and runs towards Mysterio to shatter the glass helmet with a punch. He draws back his fist and slams it into the dome, hoping to hear the glass shatter. Instead, his knuckles crack. "Shit!" Peter gasps and leaps back, shaking out his hand.
"You have overextended your extensor digitorum communis tendons," Karen informs. Peter dodges Mysterio's kick in retaliation by sticking to the ceiling.
"That's real helpful, Karen! Do me a favor and keep my injuries to yourself, please. And I told you I couldn't do it, MJ! Jeez, that hurt!" he complains as he crawls to the gap made by Mysterio's descent.
"Mind over matter," MJ repeats without remorse. "You lifted tons of concrete, you can break plexiglass. Simple."
"Easy for you to say!" The closer Peter gets to the edge of the room, Mysterio uses his boots to jump up and almost manages to grab Peter. "Woah! Okay, up we go!" Peter exclaims before crawling outside of the building and swinging towards some open area. Where would there be open area in New York, you might ask? Well, it's also a place that puts Peter at a disadvantage for swinging; Central Park in the middle of a work day. There's a distinct lack of anything to swing from, but it keeps them from destroying buildings or hurting bystanders during their fight.
After a few swings, Peter hears a blast and looks up to see Mysterio leaping from the tops of building with the aid of his springed boots.
"You won't ignore me! I'm the star of the show!" the villain yells.
"Egocentric much?" Peter antagonizes, then lowers his voice to talk to Ned and MJ. "How am I supposed to beat this guy when he cuts through my webs with lasers and I can't break through his helmet?"
"You can," MJ says simply.
"At least you don't have to fight his giant ego," Ned comforts as best as he can. Peter perks up slightly and mumbles,
"Maybe I can..."
"What?" Ned asks in confusion, not quite following. Peter quickly speedreads through all the information MJ sent to his suit.
"Quentin's whole schtick is that he became a bad guy because wanted more attention and fame, right?"
"Uh huh," MJ confirms, humoring him.
"So what if we-" Peter is suddenly knocked out of the air mid-swing. He tries to recover by shooting a web, but it doesn't attach to anything. There's no buildings, he reminds himself. Instead, he hits the grass-covered ground with a hard thud and leaves behind trench as he tumbles, until his back collides with a tree trunk.
"Peter? Peter, what happened?! Are you okay?!" Ned questions, his words going a million miles per minute.
"Peter has sustained-" Karen starts, but Peter cuts her off.
"Nothing," he wheezes and slowly gets up to see Mysterio getting nearer. He coughs as his lungs burn and his back aches. "Karen, what did I say about reading off my injuries as I'm fighting a bad guy?"
"To not," Karen recounts, maintaining her seemingly infinite patience.
"Exactly. It throws off my groove," Peter rolls his shoulders before putting his plan into motion. "This has been fun 'n all, but I've kinda got places to be so can we wrap this up? All you're doing is wasting my time," Peter banters. "I'm sure you have somewhere to be too. Oh wait, you don't, do you?" he says smugly. Mysterio instantly halts his advances.
"Your plan is to make him even more angry?!" Ned questions, no doubt already panicking. "He's going to kill you!"
"What did you just say?" Mysterio demands, clenching his fists.
"I just mean that you must have a lot of time on your hands for this supervillain thing. Y'know, since you sucked at your job and got yourself fired," Peter continues and hopes the antagonizing works.
"The Great Mysterio fails at nothing! All those who doubted me will bow before my powers and cower in fear!" Typical villain speech, Peter notes as Mysterio raises his arms.
"You sure?" Peter crosses his arms against his chest. "I don't think some fancy smoke and a costume is gonna change their minds. Did you screw a fishbowl on your head because they said you didn't look good enough to become an actor?" Mysterio's fists shake in rage.
"I have talent!" he shouts in retaliation.
"Then you should've stuck to your mediocre job as a special effects guy. At least you were making money then instead of parading in a circus outfit." I hope this works, Peter thinks hopefully.
"I was getting nowhere! You're just like all the others! I'll be famous and everyone will know the name Mysterio, the sorcerer hero who crushed Spider-Man!" Mysterio yells and uses his magnetic coiled boots to leap closer as more gas pours from the various nozzles. Why are bad guys always insane with skewed morals? At least they keep things interesting.
"Damn, Mysterio! Back at it again with the hallucinogenic gas? Alright then, Plan B!" Peter says, partly to himself but also to relieve some nerves. He flips out of the path of destruction and lands on Mysterio's cape-covered back. "Dude, you need to relax. Have you ever tried electroshock therapy?" Peter banters before shooting a Taser Web right in between Mysterio's two air tanks.
"Get off you pesky-" With the electric current from the Taser Web and added pressure, the tanks burst. Peter is sent flying and just manages to catch himself before faceplanting.
"Ha! Can't use your handy gas without an air supply!" Peter continues to provoke.
"You're nothing but an annoying brat hiding behind a mask!" Mysterio insults as he rushes Peter, throwing punches. Peter's Spidey Sense effortlessly warns him of the incoming attacks and he dodges every single one.
"Oh yeah? Well, uh, you're as observant as an Amazon river dolphin!" When the joke doesn't seem to land, he catches another one of Mysterio's punches and adds, "...Y'know, 'cause they're basically blind."
"Humor won't get you out of this," Mysterio says, his tone full of his usual dramatization.
"Are you sure?" Peter asks as he webs Mysterio and proceeds to fling him into a nearby tree.
Mysterio causes a dent in the tree and leaves fall due to the harsh collision. Peter uses the opportunity to start webbing Mysterio to the tree with Web Grenades, but his hope dissipates when Mysterio's laser easily cuts through it. Next goal, rip the lasers off his shoulders, Peter mentally notes. Mysterio breaks free and uses the strength of his boots to kick out the middle of the tree, sending chunks and splinters of wood flying at Peter.
Peter webs a nearby park bench and gives it a hard pull so that it passes in front of him to take the damage of the blast. There's no way he's going to be pulling splinters out of his suit for the next week. Then his Spidey Sense goes off and he catches a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye. He quickly arches his back and tips his head out of the way as Mysterio's fist flies in front of his face. He takes a few fast breaths then grips the gauntlet on Mysterio's hand.
"Your heart rate appears to be elevated," Karen's voice calmly points out.
"Yeah. Thanks. Never woulda guessed," Peter forces out as he pushes the fist back. He keeps his stance wide and stable to prevent himself from losing his balance, just like MJ taught him. He kicks in the back of Mysterio's knee, which drives it into the ground. With Mysterio on one knee, Peter again attempts to punch through the plexiglass helmet. Peter breathes out as he slams his heel into the helmet with all his strength, but to no avail. Now all he has to show for it is a throbbing heel. "Guys, it's not working! I, I can't just punch or, or kick through it!" Peter is starting to panic and he can feel the self-doubt causing his hands to shake. Mysterio quickly gathers his bearings and punches Peter twice, the first in the face with his right hand and the second in the gut with his left. The air is forced from Peter's lungs.
"Get out of your head and believe you can do it, Parker. Don't let him push you around," MJ encourages with a slight edge to her voice.
Strong. Just stay strong, Peter reminds himself. His Spidey-Sense erupts at the base of his neck before another fist appears. He easily dodges it, which he counts as a small victory. Without much time for him to recover, he stumbles into a sudden kick to his chest. Another punch slams into his back, almost packing enough force to knock the wind out of him again. He's knocked to the ground, but is back on his feet before Ned or MJ can say anything. Why is he getting the upper hand all of a sudden?! Maybe making fun of him wasn't the smartest move, but it did make him sloppy.
He quickly recovers and whips around to grasp Mysterio's fist, bending the metal underneath his strong grip. He uses his free hand to bind Mysterio's hands with a web, then reaches up to the mounted lasers and crushes them to pieces underneath his grip. At least that takes care of that, but it only adds to Mysterio's rage. Mysterio uses his bound hands as a club and rockets it down on Peter's shoulder. Peter gasps and holds back a shocked cry as he's forced down to his knees.
"A fracture has been detected," Karen informs worriedly. Fantastic. "Tony Stark is calling and needs to speak with you."
"I don't need backup, Karen," Peter immediately insists before another blow collides with his cheek. It sends him the rest of the way to the ground and he heard the mechanical adjustment of his lenses as he blinks. He breathes through clenched teeth as his surroundings spin.
"He just wants to talk. No backup, only encouragement," Karen urges.
"Sure, that'd be helpful," Peter says sarcastically and tries to keep his voice from wavering. He can feel the sweat under the mask of his suit, but tries to focus all of his strength on forcing Mysterio's hand back. Suddenly, Peter's Spidey Sense causes a wave of chills before there's a force driving his knee into the ground with a crunch and another force slamming itself into his already fractured shoulder.
"So long, Spider-Man. Sorry you didn't go down in a blaze of glory, but instead as a second-rate hero who couldn't take a punch," Mysterio feigns sadness, chuckling deeply.
"Something tells me you aren't too sorry," Peter quips, rolling to his hands and knees with a pained groan. Everything hurts.
"C'mon, kid. Use that brain of yours." Peter instantly reacts to Tony's sudden voice, his eyes widening.
"Mr. Stark?" Peter moves to the side to dodge Mysterio's daunting boot, then gets back to his shakey feet.
"The one and only. Use that dipshit's anger against him and quit doubting yourself already," Tony orders, giving him a quick dose of tough love to get him going again. Peter takes his chance to web Mysterio in close range and shoots a Web Grenade, encasing Mysterio's torso. He then jumps up and kicks Mysterio so far back that he stumbles into a fountain with a splash.
"But, but it takes over eight tons of pressure to break through plexiglass," Peter counters nervously. He hops slightly, taking the wait off his injured knee.
"You lifted well over twenty tons of warehouse off of you, this should be a piece of cake for Spidey," Tony fires right back. He makes a good point, and Peter lets it sink in as Mysterio stomps out of the fountain even more enraged than before. If I could do this before, I could do it again. Push through the pain. Believe in yourself. Don't hold yourself back. Peter takes a deep breath.
"I can do this," he finally agrees with a nod.
"Damn right," Tony confirms, a proud smile on his lips. "I'm rootin' for ya, kid." Peter nods to himself again and readies his web-shooters. "Oh, and Pete?" Tony interjects one last time.
"Yeah?"
"Give 'em hell." Peter chuckles, then smirks in determination.
"Coming back for more, Dome Head?" he challenges with newfound confidence.
"I should be asking you that!" Mysterio roars, ignoring the webbing around his chest as he charges Peter. He tries to punch Peter, who simply ducks."Why won't you quit?!"
"That's funny coming from you! You're the one who's the quitter." Peter moves out of the way of Mysterio's flying kick and webs the villain's legs together with a series of Splitter Webs from each wrist. "You quit your job in special effects, quit being an actor, all for what? Because someone told you that you wouldn't make it?" Mysterio tries to pull his legs apart, but without his abrasive or lasers, it's useless. "Your first mistake was believing that they defined your self-worth." Mysterio still tries to punch, but Peter grabs his fist mid-air and binds them with webbing as well. "They didn't let you down. You let yourself down."
With that, Peter shoots a web at the fountain and uses it as a focal point to swing around it horizontally and gain velocity. When he swings back around, he lets go of the webbing and rockets towards Mysterio's plexiglass helmet with a leg extended in front of him.
"Please work!" he begs, then his foot makes contact.
As soon as his heel hits, the glass cracks outwards, then shatters to pieces.
Mysterio is pushed back from the force of Peter's kick and crashes onto his back. When Peter lands on his feet, he can see the black hair, blue eyes, and grimace of Quentin Beck as he comes back to reality. Peter doesn't waste another second before tiredly shooting a Web Grenade from each wrist to keep him pinned to the ground. Just in case.
"You freaking did it!" Ned suddenly shrieks. "Oh my god, that was so epic! You did the whole thwip thing and, and then defied gravity to kick him in the face! That was awesome!" he excitedly rambles.
"Thanks, man. Couldn't have done it without you guys. Good job, team." Peter chuckles breathlessly, staring down at the dazed Quentin Beck.
"Told you so," MJ casually points out as if it's no big deal.
"Yeah, you did," Peter confirms with a wide smile.
"I'm proud of you," Tony interjects, causing Peter to smile wider. Peter can hear sirens in the distance slowly approaching.
"I appreciate it, Mr. Stark. I hope you don't mind taking care of a few damaged Jumbotrons and destroyed building walls," he laughs nervously.
"Nothing a few checks can't fix," Tony nonchalantly waves off. "But I do have someone else here who's ready to kill me to get to you." Peter is about to ask who when May's voice comes through the other end.
"Peter! Peter, are you alright? How's your shoulder? Do you need me to come down there and whoop his ass?! If he hurt you I swear to-"
"May! I swear, I'm okay. Just a few bumps, I promise," Peter reassures. He wonders how long she has been watching the fight along with Tony.
"Don't you dare ever, ever not answer my call again, do you hear me?" she questions, her voice wobbling. "I was scared to death. You get to pay for my therapy, got it?" she still manages to joke. Peter laughs in relief.
"You got it, May. Anything," he promises. Once he sees the red and blue lights from the police cars and the police officers rushing towards him and Mysterio, he starts to leave.
"I'm so damn proud of you, no matter how much you scare me sometimes," May adds as Peter limps through the trees to leave Central Park.
"I know. I'm proud of you too." He is proud of her, every day. He's grateful that he has such an amazing support system. No matter what they go through, they'll always be there for each other, and that's what he loves about their family.
"Head to the Tower," Tony insists. "May and I are already here and I'll have you checked out in the Medbay."
"You got it." For once, Peter doesn't disagree. He's aching from head to toe.
"And I'll send Happy to get Ned and MJ," Tony relays. Indecipherable, excited ramblings start on the other end, most likely from Ned.
"Sweet," is all MJ says.
"Sounds good," Peter confirms as he exits Central Park and starts swinging towards the Tower, the sun shining over the now safe city. For the time being.
---
Notes:
MY GOSH WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT
THE FINAL BATTLE IS COMPLETE
I hope it met your expectations because man was it an absolute blast to write <3
Next week, we wrap it all up!!
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