Pandemonium (Miguel O' Hara x OC)

(5)

The anomaly on Earth-71827 turns out to be an Adrian Toomes "Vulture" variant.

At first, a glitching Toomes is dead set on putting up a fight—disoriented by the fact that he isn't in his own universe, yet still bloodthirsty and determined to kill Spider-Man. Upon seeing Miguel and Tara, he briefly hesitates before becoming violently enthused at their presence and attempting to physically battle them.

Despite Vulture essentially being a 70-year-old man in a "fairy costume," as Miguel likes to put it, he's still a formidable opponent.

He's strong and seems to have a stamina that can go on for hours. Miguel's main focus is on subduing him so he can transport Toomes back to Earth-2099 and detain him with the other villains until his turn comes to be put into the Go-Home Machine and sent back to his rightful dimension.

However, Miguel is acutely aware that if there's any chance of Tara releasing some pent-up negative emotions, now would be as good a time as ever to let them out.

In other words, he lets her do all the work as he watches the duo exchange kicks and blows with minimal intervention on his end.

Toomes seems offended by Miguel's apparent passivity, insinuating that Miguel sees him as weak and unworthy of a fight.

Miguel refrains from responding—he knows Toomes is right, but Tara's strength makes his involvement unnecessary.

She proves herself to be a skilled fighter, and Miguel sees no need to intervene when she is capable of handling the situation herself.

It's clear that she's using the opportunity to release stress.

As they battle, Miguel notices that she's intentionally prolonging the fight, seizing the chance to vent her frustrations. Vulture becomes little more than a punching bag to her, and Miguel can't help but feel a sense of pride as he watches her deftly maneuver Toomes to the ground, using his own wings against him.

Despite a few broken bones and missing teeth, Miguel wastes no time in securing Vulture with an ATC (Anomaly Teleporting Chip), ensuring he can't escape, and sending him back to HQ for confinement.

____________

As they walk through the corridors of HQ, Tara questions Miguel about his lack of involvement in the fight.

"How come you didn't help me back there?" she confronts him.

Miguel chances a glance at her before briefly shaking his head.

"It didn't look like you needed it," he retorts, turning down a hallway that would lead him to one of the closer entrances to his lab.

Tara continues to follow him, crossing her arms as she speaks, "But, the plan was to let off some steam."

"I think you've got more steam than me," he answers flippantly, finally reaching his lab and walking past the automatic doors.

When she doesn't answer to that, he turns to regard her once more only to notice a contemplative expression on her face.

Miguel doesn't know how to tell her that his decision had less to do with avoiding anger and more to do with wanting Tara to release hers.

He sighs heavily, before continuing further into the crowded space of his laboratory.

"Next time," he utters, without turning to look at her. "We'll fight together next time. Stop pouting," he adds with a roll of his eyes.

"I'm not pouting." Tara denies flatly, her eyes sweeping over the lab with a hint of curiosity. "Is this where you spend most of your time?" she inquires, her hands clasped behind her back.