LIAR, LIAR. Peter Parker

act one. smells like teen spirit

ACT ONE. SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING
❝with the lights out, it's less dangerous
here we are now, entertain us.❞

AS NIGHT FELL, the blue haze of day lifted to reveal the stars. The constellations, who'd witnessed centuries and millennia just the same, watched over as Nina stumbled to the ground with a groan, gasping as she felt the pain hit her torso. Pain and lots of it. A horrible, searing pain that her body is convinced is going to kill her right now, underneath the blanket of stars.

"She said no powers," Nina repeats the words her mom told the two of them very clearly, holding the burnt area of her shirt for her dear life, stopping the urge to touch it knowing it would bring her nothing but excruciating pain. She had been burnt by the same person too many times — she wasn't dumb to make the same mistake again.

Her sister has a smirk on her face - so high and mighty: it was as if Nina wasn't whirring in pain. Hands difficult to not notice - in contrast to the dark night, her fingers glowed with red embers from the burning fire underneath her skin.

They were instructed to brawl without powers - yet here she was, cheating by giving Nina a second-degree burn in her torso.

"Mom isn't here," Valeria says simply, finding satisfaction at the sight of the younger girl biting her lip, tears threatening to fall from her eyes at the amount of pain searing her torso. "Since when were you such a goody-two-shoes, Nina?"

Despite her glossy eyes, her bleeding lip, and her torso that had a large burn shaped like a handprint, Nina gave her a smug smile. One that was too smug, actually, as she blinked her tears away and forced herself to get on her feet and stand at the same level as her opponent. "Don't worry, Val. If I were you, I'd cheat and use my powers too. That's the only way you'd win against me, anyway."

"A lecture on cheating. A bit hypocritical coming from you, no?"

With that, Valeria dove forward, throwing her fist out which Nina expertly blocked, her fingers gripping her wrist and flipping her onto her back - slamming her into the ground with so much force that it knocks her sister breathless.

If it was a regular sparring match, Nina would walk away, let her shake it off before she flips back up, fighting her again. But Valeria had burned her and insulted her pride - she was determined to prove the older girl wrong and make her regret ever insulting her again.

So her non-dominant hand shot out to grip her neck, her head thudding back against the mat as she kept her other hand's firm grip on her wrist. The older girl gasped, desperately trying to fill her lungs with much-needed air, but Nina's grip was firm and unmoving.

"Yield?" Nina questions with a smile. Her torso isn't burning. Those tears aren't falling. Nothing mattered more to her than the look on her sister's face as she gasped for air, conscience slowly slipping away as Nina held her throat tighter.

Valeria doesn't answer, and the oblivious girl almost thinks that's it. That she's defeated her sister, proved to her that she doesn't need powers to win against her, but Nina was too blinded by victory — so much that she doesn't notice the way her hand slowly loosens its grip.

All of a sudden, Valeria swings her knee wildly into her sister's stomach — every contact that hits her itching dangerously close to her torso. Nina can feel her muscles tensing as the pain burst through her body.

There it comes again. Valeria harshly tugs her shoulder with the soft glow of her fingers, letting go of her sister when she cries out of pain - gasping as she cradles her burnt skin, very badly injured and extremely angry.