Danny missed having Dani with an I around, but understood why she had to leave. She said something about traveling the country with her sisters to get away from their creator, but Danny was sure they probably also wanted some degree of normalcy. Anyway, aside from the clones leaving, things have been going well, at least for Spider-Man. Jameson said the same shit about Spider-Man being a menace as he does for Spider-Woman, but at least MJ was there to make Spider-Man look like a hero. His Spider-Man videos were going viral.

Speaking of MJ, Danny has been seeing a lot more of MJ now. He moved in with his Aunt Anna, who happens to live next door to the Davises. Danny had a view of MJ’s bedroom from his own bedroom window.

Relationship wise, as far as Danny understood, he was still single. He and Chase were on a break, and MJ made it clear he was not ready to be tied down with a relationship. And yet, they were still going to Times Square for New Years Eve together. Danny still hoped to get a kiss at midnight, even though he was sure MJ would rather kiss Spider-Man.

On New Years Eve, while Caty was on patrol as Spider-Woman, Danny was there as Danny. Though he still had his Spider-Man costume on standby just in case things went wrong.

While MJ was taking selfies, Danny was having a chat with Harry. [color=pink]“Hey Harry. How’s Gwen doing?”[/color]

Harry shrugged. [color=39b54a]“It’s been rough. I barely managed to come out for this… Whatever you do, don’t bring up you know who…”[/color]

Danny saluted. [color=pink]“Right, got it!”[/color]

[color=39b54a]“Anyway, Spider-Man has been all over the internet lately!”[/color]

Before Danny could respond, Skyler butted in. [color=blue]“Spider-Man is lame! Spider-Woman is where it’s at. Her costume is cooler, and she’s hotter.”[/color]

At this point, MJ put the phone down. [color=red]“If Spider-Man is so lame, why did you dress as him for Halloween?”[/color]

Skyler shifted his feet nervously. [color=blue]“Uh… that was supposed to be a joke Matt. You know, funny haha. I would never be caught in a sissy pink costume for real!”[/color]

[color=red]“Right… Then, explain that photo of him in your locker.”[/color]

Skyler’s face turned bright red. [color=blue]“Um… I think I hear my date calling!”[/color] He stammered before running off as Danny and Harry laughed.

MJ smirked. [color=red]“He doesn’t have a date. No tea, no shade, but I think that boy is hiding something, if you know what I mean.”[/color]

Danny just chuckled at the exchange.

Just as Danny was starting to have fun, a crazy person had to go and ruin it. As soon as Mysterio came on the big screen, Danny ran off to change into Spider-Man. When he got back, he was greeted with chaos. Everyone was running and screaming in terror.

Amidst all the panic, Jumper found Spider-Man, and directed him to Spider-Woman, where she was in a fight with Mr. Fishbowl head himself. Danny stepped in, and caught his fist. [color=pink]“Excuse me, I think you’re mistaken. I’m the hero here. Oh, and the fishbowl isn’t a good look.”[/color]

Spider-Woman and Mysterio's eyes widened with shock as the latter's fist was caught by [color=E137E3]“Spider-[/color][color=993399]Man!?”[/color] They exclaimed in unison, but with two completely different tones. Hers was more of hope and his was more of rage and annoyance. He was confident he could take Spider-Woman, but Spider-Man as well? Two was a bit more than he could chew.

Spider-Woman wasn't sure if her brother was really here or if this was her mind hoping he was there to save her. Either way, she was alive and Spider-Man provided an opportunity for her. She pushed herself up sending her flying above Spider-Man's arm feet first to kick the giant target that was Mysterio's fish bowl. It was surprisingly very durable and sturdy, but the force of the kick sent him flying into the crowd where he disappeared into the gas waiting for his next opportunity to strike.

Spider-Woman recovered her bearings and turned to face her brother. [color=E137E3]“Thank you. I didn't realize you were so close. You weren't on a date were you?”[/color] She knew he and MJ had gotten closer since Christmas. It was part of the reason why she decided to still go solo tonight. She waited for his response before getting back to the subject at hand.

Danny shrugged.  [color=pink]“Kinda. But this is more important!”[/color] He wasn’t sure if he and MJ were considered dating, or if he was just in the friend zone. Either way, that didn’t matter, they had more serious matters to deal with. 

[color=E137E3]“There's something strange about his gas. Outside of the hallucinations it seems to even be affecting our spidey-sense.”[/color] Caty finally said.

[color=pink]“If it’s affecting us, then Fishbowl head must have gotten his hands on some really powerful Neurotoxin.”[/color]

Right on cue, Mysterio attacked, spraying Danny with a whole bunch of the gas. Suddenly Caty was gone, as well as the rest of New York. Danny was standing alone in darkness. [color=pink]“Uh…h-h-hello?”[/color]

Suddenly, Mysterio came out of nowhere, and punched Danny in the face, knocking him back. [color=993399]“You may act like a hero, but we all know it’s a farce!”[/color]

Then, another Mysterio appeared, and punched Danny. [color=993399]“You and I know the truth. You’re just a scared little child playing dress up!”[/color]

And then a third Mysterio attacked. [color=993399]“The city may think it’s cute, but they’ll turn on you!”[/color]

Danny stumbled backward, disoriented by the sudden onslaught of attacks from multiple Mysterios. Each punch landed with force, shaking him to his core. He tried to fight back, but it was like battling shadows in the darkness. Of course, in reality, Danny was punching the air.

[color=E137E3]“Mysterio!”[/color] Spider-Woman yelled. She watched as her brother fell victim to his gas and was fighting the air.

[color=993399]“That's my name! You can say it as much as you want before you go down. Your partner's useless and you're all alone.”[/color] Mysterio replied more sure of his victory.

Spider-Woman closed her eyes. He was trying to get under her skin and it was working before, but he was wrong. She wasn't alone and Danny was far from useless. [color=E137E3]“You're wrong about everything you said here today. I'm not a villain and I'm not alone. Spider-Man's my partner and I have friends, many friends and I think it's time you got a taste of your own medicine.”[/color]

Spider-Woman borrowed Cassandra's move and called for all the spiders in the surrounding area. It'd take a while for them to get there since the ones in the Square were affected by the toxin. She needed to help Danny and keep Mysterio distracted for the time being. [color=E137E3]“SPIDER-MAN, STOP FIGHTING THE AIR AND WAKE YOUR ASS UP!!!”[/color] She hoped that hearing her voice was enough to get him to break through Mysterio's illusion. She needed his help. She needed her brother.

As Danny was being piled on by multiple Mysterios. He tried to regain his composure. [color=pink]“This… this isn’t real,”[/color] he muttered to himself, trying to shake off the effects of the hallucinogenic gas.

But the onslaught of Mysterios continued, each one taunting him with words that cut deep. Danny felt his confidence waver. Were they right? Was he just a scared child pretending to be a hero?

But then, he heard his sister's voice calling him. His mind latched onto the familiar sound of his sister’s voice. It cut through the illusions like a beacon of hope, reminding him of who he was and what he fought for.

With renewed determination, Danny focused on Spider-Woman’s words, pushing aside the doubts and fears that threatened to overwhelm him. Taking a deep breath, he summoned all his strength and resolve. With a sudden burst of energy, Danny broke free from the illusions. He was back in Time’s Square with his sister by his side. [color=pink]“Thanks.”[/color] Danny muttered. [color=pink]“God, that was awful. I knew there was nothing there, and I was still taking a beating…”[/color]

Caty smiled under her mask. She knew she could rely on Danny. Spider-Woman was reinvigorated and ready to finish this. She'd play Mysterio's word game to buy them time. [color=E137E3]“You failed, Mysterio. You reflect people's insecurities and fears back at them with your words and your fishbowl. All that to hide how much of a failure you are inside. Your first thought was to put people in danger to turn them against someone trying to protect them. If you really wanted to be a hero you wouldn't have put on a flashy performance or attacked people. You would've talked to and joined us.”[/color]

Mysterio was furious now. He refused to let his plans be reuined. He really wasn't expecting Spider-Man to be here. They only worked together once to his knowledge and that was in California. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He could deal with one spider freak, but when they were this in sync he was useless. No. He was not going to give up. [color=993399]“So what? You haven't won yet.”[/color]

Mysterio threw his arms forward preparing to release his neurotoxin again on the Spider-Duo when he noticed something on his gloves. His helmet magnified it and he realized it was a spider. No, there were multiple spiders crawling all on him. He let out a girlish scream. [color=993399]“Get them off, GET THEM OFF!!”[/color]

Spider-Woman held back her laugh. [color=E137E3]“I will, only if you release everyone from their torture.”[/color]

Mysterio released a neutralizing gas into the air immediately. Once the gas was in the air and Caty didn't feel any illusions she told the spiders thank you and that their job was done. They scurried away leaving Mysterio on ground scratching his body in a frenzied panic. Caty would've webbed him up, but she wasn't all that concerned about him running away at this point. The police should be here soon anyway.

The civilians were returning to normal and realized that they weren't being eaten alive by spiders and that Spider-Woman and Spider-Man saved them. The crowd ran up to the Spider-Duo and began thanking and praising them. Some saying they always knew Jameson was full of it. For the first time since they put on their masks the Spider-Twins were finally being recognized and not looked at as menaces or villains. For the first time it all felt worth it to Caty.

And amidst all the praise, everyone’s favorite redheaded social media influencer was filming the whole time. [color=red]“This is getting even more clicks than the Mall incident. You know, you two should work together more often. The Spider-Twins of New York has a nice ring to it. Do you mind if I get a pic? My friend Danny is going to flip when he sees I got a picture with both of you.”[/color]

Spider-Man’s eyes went wide. [color=pink]“Sorry, I have to go. Duty calls!”[/color] He swang off, to find some place to go change. MJ just chuckled knowingly.

Spider-Twins of New York? Caty thought to herself. It was official. MJ definitely knew, but at least he wasn't forcing Danny to admit it. Spider-Woman waited for the police to arrive to pick up Mysterio and took a picture with MJ and a few other people in the meantime. She needed the good PR and he was right. They definitely needed to work together more often.

Once the police arrived her job here was done. She had something else she needed to do tonight.