Overwhelmed- Spider-Man

Helping Hand

<><><><>

Sirens wail from each car in the blockade behind Yuri, shielding as much of the scene as possible from the crowd amassing behind them. Reporters tilt over the barricades, poking cameras into every available space in the mass of people.

For all the attention this was getting, you'd think there was a supervillain showdown in the middle of Manhattan— but no, it was just a hostage situation. Dangerous? Yes. A spectacle? Apparently; but nothing unusual enough to warrant such a crowd.

Unfortunately, most crime scenes were high traffic nowadays, since every news site wanted someone on the scene on the off chance that Spider-Man would show up. Yuri wasn't sure what the goal was— even if Spider-Man showed up, it wasn't like they'd get anything more than a blurry photo and eyewitness testimony. Spider-Man didn't exactly stick around for interviews.

Nonetheless, the negotiator had to scream into the megaphone to even be heard over the bustling crowd, shouting pleas into the warehouse.

No one responds.

The silence trickles out. As the crowd starts to take notice of the abnormal taciturnity from the police officers the noise dims behind the sirens, until every onlooker is silent, waiting with bated breath for whatever could be waiting on the other end of the silent door.

The negotiator holds the megaphone to his lips again. "Hello?"

The other side of the door answers with a muffled yelp.

Furrowing her eyebrows together, Yuri slips toward the door, placing an ear to the side.

Nothing.

She pushes the handle down.

The crowd erupts into screams, cameras flashing to catch sight of the criminal hanging upside down just in front of the door.

'Thought you could use a little help with this guy! -Spider-Man'

Yuri could cry. Whether that was good or not was up for debate.

After nearly ten days— ten days of confusion, concern, and frustration — Spider-Man was back.

And he hadn't called to let her know. There was no heads up, or stopping outside the precinct to fill her in on where he'd been.

Ten days of radio silence, and it didn't even seem like Spider-Man was sorry.

She tugged open the door to her car with a dark expression., watching a police officer with sandy hair swing at the webbing, new enough to be noticeably unpracticed with cutting away the strings.

And then her phone rang.

"Hey, Yuri." Spider-Man had the good graces to sound sheepish on the other end of the line.

"You made quite an entrance."

"Thanks." He shuffles on the other end of the phone, mixed noise blaring through the speaker. "Sorry I didn't give a heads-up, it happened kind of fast."

Oh. So maybe he was sorry.

She sighs. "It's fine. Welcome back."

"Glad to be back."

She rolls her eyes. "Meet me back at the precinct, we have some stuff to go over."

"Yes, Ma'am." She can almost see him saluting on the other end of the phone. She hangs up rather than dignify the theatrics with a response.

He better have a good explanation for this.

<><><><>

"So." Spider-Man drags out the word, nervously bouncing on the balls of his heels.

"You came back."

"That was always the goal."

Yuri slumps against the railing. "Where'd you go?"

In lieu of a response, Spider-Man gestures vaguely. Yuri huffs.

"I'm sorry." Spider-Man's shoulders hunch as he speaks, making him seem more like a pouty teenager than a grown adult. "It's not that important, though."

"Then why won't you tell me?"

"Because it's embarrassing, okay? Drop it."

She does, if only because the tone in Spider-Man's voice tells her the only road their current conversation can lead to is an argument, and she doesn't have the energy to fight with him right now.

Besides, she knew when she asked that she was nagging; knew the smart thing to do would've been to leave it alone. But she's been leaving it alone for the better part of a year, and it hasn't gotten her anything except an irritable partner and unnecessary grey hairs. Forgive her for worrying.

"Fine, it's dropped." She crosses her arms. "Are you busy this week?"

"No more than usual," He responds, straightening up enough to tilt his head at her. "Why?"

"The commissioner wants to meet." Seeing the horrified expression — even through the mask — Yuri holds up a hand. "You're not being arrested. He wants your help."

"Me?"

"Yeah. He was adamant right after you disappeared that he wanted to track you down," She explained. "And since you're back, my phone has been ringing off the hook for the last half hour."

"What does he want?"

"Otto Octavius won't talk."

"And?" Spider-Man stares at her, unblinking. "What does he need to talk about? It's an open and shut case."

"But Martin Li isn't," Yuri explains, rifling through her bag for the file she had tucked inside. "We think the Doctor has a lead on Li's location, but he's demanding that he won't answer to anyone other than you."

"And it's working?"

Yuri throws her arms up. "We don't have any other options. Might as well exhaust this one first."

"I can't see any way this is going to go well." Huffing, Spider-Man tucks his legs into a crouch, perching on the railing. "I'll do it."

"I'll send you the details." She turns to pull out her phone, opening her mouth to remind him that—

He's gone.

Figures.

<><><><>

"She wants you to what?" If Peter has ever seen MJ look more horrified, he does not remember it. "And you agreed?"

"I'm going to have to deal with him at some point." Peter shrugs. "Might as well be in costume. It'll save me a trip."

"You're really okay with it?"

"Wouldn't have agreed if I wasn't," Peter assures with a smile that's probably too wide to be fully believable, but it comes across genuine enough that MJ doesn't question him any further. "What'd I miss?"

"Not a ton. Lunch was finished and served hours ago, dinner's probably getting started in a little bit."

Peter's phone buzzes. A text from Yuri.

He might as well get things finished up here. There are only four days until he has to meet Otto again.

He only hopes they pass by as slowly as possible.