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#vhstown
vhstown · 6 months
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ain't no love; pt. 2
"ain't no love in the heart of town"
— miles g morales x gn!reader series
SUMMARY: Miles Morales is just a kid without a father; the Prowler is just a "rotten" vigilante. Both of them start coming into your life — one in the middle of the semester, and the other by total accident.
SERIES MASTERLIST 📼 ← PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 3 →
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chapter summary: [MILES POV] Miles thinks there's something sinister going on at Visions. But first, he has to ask you out — to a job fair.
content/warnings: mentions of food/hunger, implied kidnapping, use of drugs (not by miles or reader) and there are some word meanings at the end!
word count: 4.7k
a/n: never thought id make it this far. 2/4 yo! thank you @qiupachups for proofreading 🙏 my g fr
“Take your headphones out.”
“~Ain’t no love… in the hear–”
Miles slipped his earbud out before putting his hand into his pocket again; it’d go back in once he left the counsellor’s office anyhow. First, he had to deal with the woman in front of him — Ms. Weber, the woman he’d been avoiding all week.
“Why didn’t you come to see me yesterday?” The woman peered at him through her red-framed glasses. Her disapproving gaze was one Miles was yet to get used to.
“Had to uh, see a teacher.” Her gaze became more disbelieving than disapproving. It was true, though, his calc teacher wasn’t the only faculty member he seemed to be annoying today.
“Right, and they didn’t tell you to take out your headphones?” The woman leaned over on her desk much like Mr. Wellston had, except it actually had the intended effect, like he was talking to his mother; Miles fumbled a bit with the earbud in his pocket. “We need to discuss your extracurriculars.”
“Do I need extracurriculars? I mean, I kinda already got some.”
“Such as?”
“An extra calc class. And Spanish catch-up. And English—”
“Something that isn’t to do with your academics, Miles — hence extra-curricular. College applications are right around the corner.”
“I’m doin’ fine right now,” he shrugged. Weber didn’t look very impressed.
“If you wanna go out of state, "fine" isn’t enough. You’re not the only kid applying.”
“Not like I said that.” He leaned back, making his chair creak loudly.
Talking to Ms. Weber felt like a chore. Sure, she had his best interest at heart, but she’d never know the half of it. His cooperativeness was running thin as the ache in his muscles worsened — if only Aaron didn’t make him get so serious all of a sudden. Miles couldn't listen to everyone, he guessed.
The woman leaned forward, tilting her head, maybe for emphasis. “You can’t have your cake and eat it too, Miles.”
Leaning back wasn’t helping with the soreness, or Ms. Weber. “Not if there was no cake to begin with.”
She let out a breath, a more civil version of the loud sigh building up in Miles’ lungs. “How about this? You try your hand at some volunteering.”
“Volunteering?” He was already sure that he wouldn’t bother. He did plenty volunteering already — if illegal vigilantism counted.
“There’s a careers fair for freshmen soon. It’d look good on your application if you helped to organise.”
“Aren’t teachers supposed to do that?”
“I’m right in front of you.” Her tone was drier than his.
“You’re just a counsellor though—” Miles’ lips pressed together, Ms. Weber’s eyes narrowing at him. He didn’t want the same fate that guy had calling his mom “just a nurse”, but it came out before he could stop himself.
“The week after winter break,” she continued. Being a counsellor was less stressful than a nurse, it seemed.
Winter break was after this week — that was when he’d finally stop training for a little while. The week after was the job fair, and…
“So it’s just me that’s doin’ it?”
The counsellor contemplated for a moment, her own lips pursing. “You could ask someone to do it with you. One of your friends, maybe.”
Like he had one of those.
“Huh? What’d you say? Someone’s waiting? You got friends?”
“Miles, c’mon.”
Maybe he did.
“Yeah, fine — I’ll do it,” he muttered. Weber’s expression relaxed, as much as it could with that gruff air still about her.
“Okay, good. Just bring your friend here after school.” Miles simply nodded — now with another thing to think about. “You can go back to lunch.”
He got out of the chair, his hand already on the door handle before Weber spoke again.
“Well done on coming in, by the way.” Miles turned back for a moment, mumbling something like a thanks. He tried not to feel weird about the odd sincerity of her words as he walked through the hallways.
“~Ain’t no love, and in the heart of the city…”
Miles had a lot to think about in general, but only about 20 minutes to think about what he was going to say to you. He also thought about what he was going to eat later — maybe his mom made something. He hoped his uncle didn’t finish the stew. At least his stomach didn’t grumble… Miles tried not to smile, even if nobody was watching.
Though he wanted to talk to you outside of class, he never really had any excuse. The only reason he’d talked to you at all was because that Rafa asshole decided bothering Mrs. Hernandéz wasn’t enough. Miles wasn’t stupid, but Rafael had drawn a massive red target on his own back. It was a miracle that you decided to say something, for Miles and Rafael.
A little height difference wouldn’t make his ankles any harder to break. He half-shook away the thought. No need to get expelled when he had to be here for long enough to confirm his suspicions.
“He went missing, and now he’s teaching calculus at Visions?”
“Yup.”
“That’s my high school.”
“…Jeff did us a service with these files, huh man?”
And so Miles had gone to Mr. Wellston’s classroom with you. It only left him with more questions.
Wellston almost seemed askance when you two walked in together — he didn’t even mention Miles’ earbud. The man was reluctant to let Miles take the extra class with you, for some reason, but Miles could play dumb when he needed to. Something about the whole arrangement was off to him — like it had set off a sixth sense Miles didn’t have.
Really and truly, you were just some kid from his class that happened to be caught up in all of this. If he had a reason, he’d tell you to not go to that stupid class in the first place. He was probably a better tutor anyway — Wellston didn’t seem like the teacher type anyway.
But he was just some kid from your class too — Miles Morales. Gonzalo Morales, though he doubted you knew, or cared. Probably the only person who knew his middle name was his mom; she was always talking about it, his name — to be proud. He had his mother’s last name for a reason, one he never knew about until Aaron told him: keeping him away from crime — his dad’s side. If only she knew what he was up to now.
If only his dad knew what he was up to now.
Miles Gonzalo Morales — whoever that was, was sweating a little at the moment. That was walking quickly, not because he had to figure out what to say in the next 10 seconds. Talking to you? No big deal. He’d done it before… once.
Miles had talked to you once. This past week, all he’d learnt about you was your first name and the fact that you sucked at using your calculator.
Hunched over a textbook with a crumpled up juice box in your hand, Miles spotted you sitting by yourself in the corner of the cafeteria. It’d be an easy conversation: he could bring up the textbook and talk to you alone. The pang of embarrassment that shot through him said otherwise. You looked like you did in Spanish, quiet, focused, a little stressed — like the sketch of you that was crumpled up in his blazer pocket. In the sketch, you were facing away. Right now, your eyes were on him. Mier— (Shi—)
“Can you move?” Miles hastily stepped away, realising he was blocking the line. He tried not to catch the girl’s annoyed stare, and the many others, holding back his grimace and heading for your table.
He sat opposite you; the seat was cold, and he wished he’d brought his jacket. What if it looked like he was shaking, or something? This was stupid. It wasn’t that cold. Just ask, dumbass.
“Hey uh, pana.” Your eyes were on his again, and he tried to smile. “You studyin’?”.
“Trying to.” Gaze trailing back to the textbook, you closed it with a sigh he could only imagine with his music playing in-between the cafeteria noise.
The cover read “AP CALCULUS BC: 1st Edition” — he knew there were at least ten revisions. Maybe you liked collecting old textbooks like he did old comics — that’d be stupid.
“Still don’t know how you got six.” He took out his earphone, before realising what you meant.
“Litres per hour,” he corrected, immediately feeling like punching himself for it. “Could explain it… if you want.” The cold plastic cafeteria bench dug into his palm as his grip on it tightened. Miles Morales — Brooklyn’s only vigilante, and now an AP Calc tutor
“Uh, sure.” You took out a pencil, which clattered far too loudly on the table. He watched you grit your teeth at the sound before giving him an expectant, somewhat unsure look. Miles took the pencil in his hand and started scribbling in the back page of the textbook, with you watching intently.
It was slightly warm, and wrote nicely — would probably draw nicely too. Not important. Just solve the damn thing.
“Why does this equal to the derivative, though?” you interrupted, pointing at the garble of letters and numbers. He had to hold back a sigh, like he wasn’t the one to offer you help. If there’s one thing he didn’t get from his mom, that was his patience — no wonder she was a nurse and he wasn’t a tutor.
“Cause if you take g of x as like, let’s say v or sumn’…” he murmured, brows knitting together as he scribbled out a couple more lines on the side. Rewriting the equation, he glanced at you occasionally, hoping you were getting it.
“Wait, wait, so…”
A flash of realisation came over your face before you abruptly took the pencil from his hand, making his jaw clench as your hand brushed his. You continued the line of working, explaining it to yourself while Miles gave quiet “yeah”s and nods.
“Then all of that should equal six.” The pencil dropped with a quiet thud, rolling onto the inside of the textbook. “Litres per hour,” you added quickly, giving him a meek smile.
“…Yeah. You got it.” Miles could only hold your gaze for a moment, until the eagerness in your eyes had dissipated, and the two of you were left staring at each other. The bend of his knees practically hooked around the seat as he reeled back, realising he’d been leaning over a little too close.
Miles cleared his throat, pushing the textbook back towards you. “You get it now?”
“Yeah.”
The corner of your mouth quirked up; maybe you were a little proud of yourself. All you needed was a little guidance — and he was able to make you understand. He smiled — mentally, of course. Miles Morales — best AP Calc tutor in Brookly—
“Did you need something?”
“Uh, yeah actually, uh…”
Uhhhhhh…
“Uh…?” you repeated.
Miles held his breath; maybe some survival instinct would force him to spit it out. How was he supposed to say this?
“You free? In a couple weeks?”
“…Huh?” Your eyes widened. The cafeteria seemed to go silent.
Definitely not like that.
“Uh, like, for a… volunteer thing,” he corrected, hastily. The way he grit his teeth made his voice sound funny. Nice going, Morales. “I’m doing it. Just thought I’d ask.”
“Oh, um…” Your eyes narrowed in thought, as Miles recovered from un-asking you out. “Maybe? What’s it for?”
“Some job fair — for freshmen.” Your expression turned uncertain. Miles bit the inside of his lip so hard he thought he might split it
“Um…” The way your eyes narrowed was making doubt pool in his stomach. “You know what? Yeah, sure.”
“Really?” Yes, you idiot. “I mean, uh cool.”
“Cool…”
The cleaners were starting to wipe away at the tables. No wonder it seemed so silent — most people had left. “So what do I have to do?” you
“You gotta go to the counsellor’s office after school. We’re gonna uh, help organise and stuff.” He swallowed dry. As much as he didn’t want to be the kid that was always in the counsellor’s office, it wasn’t like he could avoid it. You didn’t ever mention it, but it’s not like anyone did outright.
“Okay,” you nodded simply, letting out a sigh and throwing the ancient textbook into your bag. Miles stood up after you, flexing his sore, bench-marked hand.
“Are you sure you wanna go to that calc class?” you asked, making him look up.
It wasn’t like he had much of a choice — but you didn’t know that. “If you go to that fair.”
You smiled again, probably at the situation — maybe at him.
“Deal. See you Friday.” You waved, and Miles let out a sigh as you walked away.
Being a vigilante was way easier than talking to people.
“~When you were mine, oh I was feeling so good…”
The rest of the day dragged on with the soft kick of bass and the hum of a guitar in his ear. The only thing Miles could think about was the fact that he had to meet you after school. The fact that you said yes surprised him. You were classmates, acquaintances at most — maybe you could actually live up to the “pana” thing.
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“~Cause your love lit up, the whole neighbourhood…”
“Miles — question eight?” Miles lifted his head from the desk, staring at the question sheet for a moment.
“Uh… forty two thousand,” he guessed, eyes narrowing at Ms. Calleros in a mix of doubt and hope.
“Forty two thousand what?”
“Six… Litres per hour.”
“Lit— Joules,” he stuttered out.
“…Yeah. You got it.”
Damn it.
RIIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIIING! Miles was thinking about you too much, and thinking about AP Physics too little.
“Remember your homework due next week!” his teacher called out as everyone scrambled to pack up and leave.
Miles let himself sigh; it was one of many he wanted to let out today. He drew his hand away from the ear with his earbud in. At the same time, he locked eyes with his teacher. Mierda. (Shit.)
She gestured for him to come to her desk with a not-so entertained look on her face. Nothing new, he supposed.
“You know you can’t have your headphones in during class,” she started, glancing at his palm with the earbud in it.
It was faintly murmuring. Miles just awkwardly pressed the pause button.
“I know.”
“There seems to be a lot you know and don’t put into practice, Miles.” It was like every teacher was out to get him. Guess he wasn’t being as sneaky about the music as he thought.
“Sorry,” he offered, half-heartedly. Might as well get this over with.
“What were you listening to?” she asked, eyebrow lightly raised. “Apart from my lesson.”
“Uh… don’t know the name.”
“Are you sure? Because it’s been playing all class.” And since lunch — he hadn’t bothered to turn it off. He didn’t know it was that loud, though.
“I gotta to go to the counsellor’s office…” Miles said in a way that sounded more like a question. He pointed to the door like it would help.
“And I have to go to a meeting, but here I am.” She readjusted her glasses, looking at him curiously — maybe more knowingly.
“Is something wrong? You’ve been pretty quiet today.”
“Nah. Just tired today,” he shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets. There was an unconvincing beat of silence, before she unfolded her arms.
“…Well, I hope you feel more energetic soon.” Miles just nodded, making his way to the door.
Gracias a Dios… (Thank God.) She was leaving him alone.
“Oh, and good job on the quiz — one of the highest in this class.” Miles bit back the fleeting warmth in his cheeks, digging his hands further into his pockets.
“Thanks.”
Sometimes it was hard to remember that he wasn’t the Prowler all the time. Right know, he was just a kid: a kid who listened to his uncle’s favourite tracks and lived in a box with his mom in the city he called home — a city that was falling apart day by day.
“Miles!” That kid. That’s who he was — Miles Morales. And you were just you, jogging right behind him.
Stealing a glance of your expression — and hopefully nothing more — he kept ahead of you as the two of you walked to the counsellors office. Neither of you had anything to say, but Miles had so much to think about. You agreed to do the fair with him; maybe he shouldn’t have asked — he wasn’t here to make friends, after all. But you were here now, and he didn’t hesitate when he knocked on the door to the counsellors office.
“Come in!”
There was a screech of chairs as you two sat opposite the guidance counsellor, who was tapping away at her keyboard as usual. Miles’ eyes met yours for a brief second, and when you gave him a smile, he spent so long debating on whether or not to return it with his own that Ms. Weber had already placed a stack of freshly-printed papers on her desk.
“Firstly, you’re going to have to post these around school.” Miles looked at the obnoxiously modern and colourful posters, with “FRESHMAN CAREERS FAIR” in a dull font that was meant to look modern. He could probably make a better version himself, but he’d rather not spend any more time on the fair than he had to.
“I have a question,” you interrupted, straining to try and be polite. “Is this something I can put on my college application?”
“I’d assume so, since your friend is doing it for his,” Ms. Weber replied, glancing unassumingly at Miles through her red-framed glasses.
Like I wasn’t forced to. But you weren’t forced to. You chose to do this — for your… college application. Right.
“Okay, got it.” You nodded, letting Weber continue.
“Secondly, there’s a list of start-ups that will be here on the day. You should familiarise yourselves with them — you could find a useful connection.” Weber put a white piece of paper with some writing on top of the stack of posters.
“The ones that are highlighted are places we haven’t contacted yet.” There were only a few different businesses marked in yellow, one of which had “OSCORP” written next to it.
“Oscorp?” You seemed to notice too. Miles could only narrow his eyes.
“Their junior apprenticeship program starts soon” Weber explained, looking at Miles for a moment. “Maybe you should apply — especially you, Morales.”
Like Miles would ever work for Oscorp. They were the reason that his mom’s hospital was so underfunded. Unfortunately for him, he was supposed to pay them a visit anyway, regardless of how much he wanted to get into that tech school out of state.
“The fair’s going to be the Tuesday after winter break. Don’t forget.” She was looking more at Miles than you.
“Got it… Thank you, Ms…?” you trailed off, giving her a hopeful look.
She tapped sharply at the nameplate propped up on her desk. “Weber.”
“Ms. Weber,” you mirrored, nodding again and offering an awkward smile. “Thank you — we’ll try our best.
The two of you stepped out of the office, glancing at each other for a moment too long as you made it a couple of metres from the door.
“So uh…” you started. “Could I get your number?” …Huh?!
“Uh, I mean, like, so we can stay in contact,” you backtracked, trying not to grimace. “I mean, in case we need to talk over winter break.” He almost mirrored your grimace before nodding.
“Yeah, here.” Miles handed you his phone, careful to avoid brushing your hand this time before taking yours. He typed in his number, and then “Miles M.”
When he got his phone back, all you’d put in was your number. Without thinking, he typed in four letters: Pana. He slipped his phone in his pocket before he could question himself.
An extra class on Friday — with his pana. Miles could only rub his temples at the thought.
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This whole school thing had gone farther than he’d hoped.
“As you exit, please be careful of the gap between the platform and the—”
Miles held back a grunt as people shoved past to leave the train carriage, eyes searching for you as he was practically being bounced around. If it wasn’t for Mr. Wellston’s useless rambling, he wouldn’t be going home on a Friday during rush hour, let alone on the last day before winter break.
“Stand clear of the closing doors, please.”
The top of your backpack peeked out and just as quickly disappeared as someone in office wear, and an enormous jacket, ploughed through right before the doors closed; he could hear your stumble.
“Cabrón… (Asshole…)” Miles muttered under his breath.
Truthfully, he’d passed his stop ages ago, but he wasn’t about to let you go home alone this late. He hadn’t even been this far down the line before, but he wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. Every night since you two went to the counsellor’s office, he’d been up, slinking through Brooklyn in his Prowler suit. People like you wouldn’t know, of course, but both Miles and his Uncle were picking up on things. With those dusty old police reports, the slew of missing people didn’t seem like much of a coincidence — and Miles didn’t think this “class” was one either.
In fact, Wellston himself didn’t seem like someone who was right to teach AP Calc. He certainly didn’t seem like the teacher type, and apart from that first class Miles had attended, all he really gave at this point were packs to do. And in that extra class of his, it was the exact same thing — except for that fact that he seemed to do everything to keep the two of you there.
“Are you sure you get it?” — “How did you get that number?” — “Where’s your calculator, Morales?”. Miles got you two out of there as fast as possible. At one point, he’d even written answers on your worksheet while Wellston wasn’t paying attention.
It was a hunch at most, but he’d always take his dad’s advice in stride, no matter how often he used to say it.
“Trust your gut, Miles.”
He wasn’t being over-protective, he was being cautious—
“What’s your problem, man?” Miles’ core tensed — like he’d done when training. He looked over to see you, and a total stranger.
“You got a place to be, huh? Can’t look where you’re goin’?”
Miles squeezed through a blockade of people to see you just standing there, unable to reply as a man blew up at you for seemingly no reason. The man’s words were getting progressively worse, his voice louder and his face so close to yours it made Miles cringe. The man’s eyes seemed to bulge out, but he wasn’t looking at you — or anything, really. He was clearly on drugs.
Miles was meant to get groceries for his mom. He kissed his teeth at the memory. Damn Wellston — and this guy.
The carriage was pretty much empty, being at the last few stops. Of course nobody cared when it came to stuff like this. Miles watched the veins in the man’s neck tighten, and his teeth were gritted together so hard it hurt to look at. He stopped his fist from clenching — he’d rather not start a fight with a junkie.
“Oy.” He put his hand on your shoulder, avoiding the man’s eyes. “Let’s get off here.”
“Wh—”
“Stand clear of the closing doors, please.” You two were out in about a second before the doors shut between you and the man, now violently knocking against the glass.
Holding onto your jacket, Miles kept you from falling as the train zipped past, the junkie long gone. He let out a sigh, eyes squeezing shut. This train station was stupidly bright.
“What was that for?” you asked, brows knitting together. “We could’ve just, I dunno, walked to a different carriage.”
“You serious?”
“The next train’s in…” Both of your eyes went to the screen, and you frowned. “20 minutes, Miles.”
“Well you would’ve had exactly zero minutes if that guy tried something.”
“Okay, that’s too far. There were other people—”
“They wouldn’t have done shit.” His annoyance only grew, and he couldn’t hold back when you were looking at him like that. “Where do you live? Cause it’s not Brooklyn — nobody gives a damn here.”
People were starting to look at you. “Are you gonna let go of my arm or what?”
Miles’ hand fell from your shoulder. He bit the inside of his cheek, his own heartbeat only muffled by the sound of the train approaching on the other platform.
“Do you really live that far?”
“Yes?” You said, almost incredulously. “Like, two stations away from here.”
“Then we’re walking.”
Your head snapped back to look at him. “Seriously?”
“You want me to leave you here?”
It came out more like a threat than a question. The realisation made Miles’ eye twitch, but that only served to make him look more pissed.
“Go on,” you replied, your expression lacking any conviction.
“Cabezón…” he muttered to himself, before turning to walk to the exit.
“What was that?”
Miles kept walking, and the sound of your footsteps a couple seconds later made him breath a sigh of relief. Maybe he was being paranoid, but he was almost certain someone was watching you back there.
When you both got to the gates, he waited before pulling you through the emergency exit with him. Despite your protest, you followed him through it, blending into the crowd of people leaving and entering the station. Metro cards were a waste of money anyway.
It was a long, silent and somewhat unsettling walk. Miles had been through every corner of Brooklyn, and right here was about where he’d start looking behind his back, even as the Prowler. For some reason, you just had to live a light year away from school and in one of the worst neighbourhoods in this damned concrete jungle.
Despite the regret building in his stomach from how he’d talked to you, he was forcing more rational concerns into his head: the turns you were taking, the people they passed, how close he should stay to you. All of it was habitual at this point, but he couldn’t risk being caught off-guard, especially when every adult man you passed was starting to look a bit too much like Wellston. If you were closer, maybe he could’ve kept an arm around you, or something. Good thing his mom wasn’t here to beat his ass for thinking like an idiot.
Trying not to imagine his mom’s voice, Miles kept just a few inches behind you, right until you reached the front door.
“…Thanks.” He couldn’t read your expression — when was the last time he overthought something?
“Don’t worry about it.”
There was another beat of silence, interrupted only by the “beep!” of your electronic key fob at the door.
“See you.” Your voice echoed through the hall, followed by footsteps as the door slowly shut in front of him. “Be safe.”
Like he needed to be told that. “…You too.”
Miles lingered by the door, looking at you for a moment longer before he forced himself to turn away. Almost immediately after, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket — Uncle Aaron.
42nd street
Special delivery for your ma
A supply interception — his mom’s hospital was probably short by now. Miles squeezed his eyes shut, blinking away the exhaustion before replying.
omw Delivered
His day hadn’t ended yet — not by a long shot. The Prowler was always on the clock.
pana = casual term used to refer to friends, means "buddy" or "pal" (used in puerto rico, venezuela etc)
cabezón = means "stubborn" or "big-headed"
from here on out it's just straight up drafting cause i wrote part 1 and 2 ages ago but i don't have anything for part 3 and 4 so !!!!
upload schedule if you didn't know is gonna be: this series one week and then a random one shot the next week (so hopefully ill post part 3 in around 2 weeks? im DROWNING in school work atm so don't hope too hard...) anyways have a good one ^^
reblogs appreciated as always <3 go back to the series masterlist here or go to my atsv masterlist here!
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incognito-duo · 13 days
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HOBART LARRY BROWN ‼️ decided to post it by myself here, too. @vhstown gave the idea (go follow vee, they're amazing amazing :D )
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qiupachups · 6 months
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miles.g / wiles
.。.+*☆ headcannons 👾💭
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contents: general hcs, mention of his father’s death, i call 42-miles ‘wiles’, me sorta bullying him
a/n: after a lot of procrastination and harassment gentle encouragement from @vhstown i’m finally posting my hcs. :3c (they’ve been sitting here since july)
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Despite his tough guy exterior and criminal career, he's actually a massive nerd geek. Like: gundham, comics, posters all over his room.
Until you bring up those interests, he won't mention them. But once you start a conversation about them, he can tell you all the lore front to back or tell you where and when each collectible is from. Just listening to Wiles and nodding along will make his day.
Accepting help from others is not an option. Ever. He's an overly D.I.Y guy since his father's death and it's staying that way.
... unless you're very close to him. Wiles will begrudgingly accept your help and then be adamant on repaying you. No matter how trivial it was, he'll show his gratitude through service.
Wiles has great memory and knows all the lyrics to his favourite songs. Go through his playlist and pick something at random- he'll recite them flawlessly!
A good memory also helps with remembering those flashes of songs playing on your lock screen. Just a split second glance? He's adding it to his playlist, maybe listening to it as he works on his latest gear.
Would be a straight A student if he were there half the time. The only thing keeping his total grades down is attendance, where he’s often absent.
However, if he’s in a group project with you, Wiles will put more effort into it. Getting a ‘C’ or GPA point lower is fine if it means keeping Brooklyn safer. What’s not fine is him being the reason for your lower marks.
Unlike his counterpart from 1610, Wiles’ art is more realistic. He tries to capture the subjects’ essence quickly and minimally, so colours are an afterthought.
Accuracy was his pride in art until it came to you. He’d be so nervous in getting your smile right, scribbling failed attempts over and over again. Wiles even resorted to a pencil sketch.
Following the passing of Jefferson, Wiles has gotten much closer to Rio. That’s a no brainer; he was fourteen— a kid. And Jefferson never got to see his son in that overpriced Visions uniform.
Wiles makes an effort to speak more Spanish. He lets his mamí braid his hair even if it hurts like hell. Those stupid telenovelas aren’t that bad on the second watch.
Once upon a time, Wiles used to be a choir boy (keyword: used). He’d love singing hymns and doing nativities before he could read; all for his mamí and dad to see.
However, the christmas after Jefferson’s passing felt… empty. Wiles quickly lost his passion for choir and now just attends mass with Rio at most.
After years of experience being a choir boy, Wiles has the voice of an angel. Not that you’d know, of course— he intends to take that to the grave. But there’s also a deeper, darker secret… he can’t rap to save his life.
An extremely personal and harrowing Musically comment told him so. Following that attack, twelve year old Wiles abandoned his account with only a black profile picture left behind.
Like any other middle schooler, Wiles had a hype beast phase (he denies it). When Aaron got a Hype shirt for Wiles’ 12th birthday, words couldn’t describe how he almost knocked Aaron down with a hug.
The shirt’s first stain had Wiles distraught and furiously searching ‘remove paint on shirt hacks’ on Youtube. His heart would probably stop if he misplaced a gift from you.
Wiles isn’t the best cook, but he can definitely make himself a good meal. With Rio working night shifts and Uncle Aaron doing… jobs, he has to be self-sufficient.
A secret lil’ side project: he’s trying and failing to replicate Jefferson’s mac ‘n cheese. It wasn’t the best, but it was his. Something’s always off when Wiles makes it and he’s not quite sure what.
Sure, cooking isn’t that hard, but baking is like wizardry to Wiles. AP Chemistry and it’s endless calculations felt way easier than making pan de agua with his mamí.
But, mamí didn’t raise no quitter! On a particularly busy birthday, Wiles pulled together a modest little cake for Rio. She burst into tears seeing the shaky ‘!Feliz Cumple!’ written in too-sweet icing.
Calling Earth-42 a wreck is a massive understatement. Shit’s like Gotham, only very real and very deadly. Just breathing in that damn city air makes Wiles’ skin crawl.
Luckily, he’s got an outlet: boxing. A fun hobby he picked up from Uncle Aaron became his release. Wiles might never be in the ring, but Brooklyn’s more than enough.
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a/n #2: what the fuck. this was supposed to be short and silly and fun. exsqueeze me how did this… erm. disjointed mess.
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phoenixinthefiles · 3 months
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Genuine
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I apologize it took me almost 2 months to write bcus I hate discussing feelings that much Warnings: v self indulgent like this some self-discovery type stuff
@vhstown (also lmk if you wanna be tagged or something)
Your book slipped from your lap as you laughed and failed to catch your breath.
Hobie, the source of your amusement, started at you stale faced. Unfortunately for him, this only made you laugh harder.
“Wait,” you gasped out, still trying to catch your breath.
He continued to sideye you as he spoke, “Yeah it’s hilarious, nearly drowned in the Thames, but as long as you’re amused.”
You managed to contain your giggles enough to get your breathing under control and you leaned on his shoulder looking up at him with your best innocent look.
“I’m so happy you didn’t die, darling,” you said, trying your best to copy his accent.
He rolled his eyes at your antics but you could see the small smile he was failing to hide.
You grinned mischievously and he narrowed his eyes at you.
“Hobie Brown, punk extraordinaire, trips into the River Thames mid performance; sounds like a headline. Oh wait…it is one.”
You cackled at your joke, but stopped when he pushed you and you nearly fell into a candle.
“Hobart Brown! I could’ve burned myself.”
“Thought you would’ve laughed it off since you find near-death experiences amusing.”
You snickered and shook your head, “You are so dramatic.”
“Nah, you’re just heartless.”
“Don’t you know how to swim?” you asked.
He glared at you instead of responding.
You gasped, “you don’t?”
He scoffed, “‘Course I do, but I was fifteen and pissed out my mind.���
“So you flailed around like little girl? sounds like a serious lack of survival instincts to me.”
He lunged for you and you reared back, putting your hands up in surrender.
“Ok, ok, I’m sorry I’ll leave you alone.”
He narrowed his eyes at you but he sat back down.
You smirked and muttered, “for now.”
His head jerked back to you and you gave him another innocent look.
He just shook his head at you again.
You watched him for a moment before remembering what you were doing before you nearly laughed yourself to death.
You had rambled to Hobie a week ago about wanting to make a reading nook where you could sit with a blanket and read your favorite books.
After you complained about being bored earlier in the day, he invited you to hang out on his boat and the two of you spent about two hours finding all of his books and making a fort.
It was cramped, and the height of the stacked books made you slightly claustrophobic, but it was still cozy. And it’s not like you hated being close to Hobie.
The candles were his idea, even though you told him it was a fire hazard.
You found your book you dropped, and dusted it off before finding your spot to pick up where you left off.
You found your focus shifting from the book to the conversation you two just had.
Everyone has been embarrassed at least once in their life, It shouldn’t have surprised you like it did.
Hobie was human, humans get embarrassed.
But still…
“Can’t read your mind.”
Hobie’s voice interrupted your thoughts and he turned towards you.
“Hm?” You asked.
“You got a question. Can tell by the way the your looking,” He tilted his head and gave you a lazy smirk. “It’s easier to tell when people with smaller brains are gearing up for a question, their brain can’t really contain it.”
You roll your eyes. You did have a question, but the reason he knew that wasn’t because your brain is small.
Not everyone can be genius.
“Ok. Why are you living in a boat if you had such a mortifying experience with water? I mean personally, I wouldn’t-
You’re cut off by your own laughter as you leap up and dodge him as he lunges for you again.
You’re fast as you dart away, but his legs are longer and he’s much more agile. You almost knocked a candle over trying to get up.
Should’ve ignored his suggestion for those.
He catches up to when you run into the door leading out to deck, bumping your hip harshly into the frame.
He saves you before you can faceplant into the many plants and flowerpots he has cluttering the deck.
You groan as you try to catch your breath, trying in vain to rub out the sting in your hip.
Hobie doesn’t aid in your efforts at all. He digs his long fingers into your ribs as you laughed breathlessly and tried to dodge his fingers.
He doesn’t let up when you trip over your own feet trying to back away from him.
He smoothly slows down your fall, somehow managing to keep a good grip on you even though his fingers are constantly moving and you’re squirming like hell. Stupid guitarist hands.
Speaking of, the rhythm he’s strumming into your ribs is akin to the song he was playing earlier…
“Ok,” you gasp, “I give up I’m sorry!”
He doesn’t let up at all.
“Nahh, it’s a bit late for that, where’s all that energy from before huh?”
“It’s gone” you grit out, still tying, in vain, to squirm away.
“Hobie pleaseee,” you beg. Well it was more of a wheeze.
He continues spidering his fingers up and down your ribcage, pretending to give thought to your plea. “Don’t know if I can do that love, still haven’t heard a good apology.”
You whine and squirm a little more but eventually give in.
“Ok, ok I'll apologize," you gasp out and he leans back, finally.
“I’m so sorry, I’m sure the performance was amazing and the dive just amplified it. Y’know the unpredictable nature of punks and that?”
He snorts and stands to his feet, pulling you up to stand in front of him.
“Your apology was still rubbish, but you recovered in the end.”
You rolled your eyes and leaned into his chest, still panting like a dog.
He wraps his arms around you pulling you even closer, softie.
You finally regain control of your lungs and took a deep breath inhaling the scent of leather and scented smoke wafting off of Hobie, you probably smelled the same considering the candles.
He rested his chin on the top of your head and you knew he was probably still waiting on you to ask your question from earlier.
“I was surprised that you got embarrassed.” You muttered out, feeling a bit stupid as you did so.
He pulled back slightly and gave you a confused look. You sighed and pulled back further turning to lean against the very short railing wrapping around the deck. Yet another hazard, if he wasn’t careful he might fall off this boat.
“I know it’s kinda dumb, but I was surprised. I mean embarrassment kinda requires you to care what people think and you being you…” You trailed off.
He nodded and tilted his head back and forth a few times before responding, “I don’t care what they think, but feelings don’t really respond to logic.”
"No they certainly don't," you mumble.
You can't really describe the tightening in your chest and the pressure in your brain, and you don't really want to.
Unfortunately for you...
Hobie knocks his knuckles against your forehead, wordlessly communicating exactly what he emans.
You roll eyes and take another deep breath before you respond.
"You wear everything on your sleeve; everything about you screams-genuine. And sure you've got a lot of other things going on but you don't...hide. I just don't understand it I guess. Not everybody does that and-
"I don't hold a grudge against you for it."
You're not surprised at the interruption, more at the fact that he read you so well.
You grimace and look away to gather yourself before you speak again.
"I-I know that but sometimes I worry."
He hums and pulls your hands into his, fidgeting with the ring he made that rests on your middle finger.
You're grateful for the distraction and direct your eyes down to your connected hands as you continue.
"I don't wanna say the wrong thing, and you not even be able to get what I mean because I can't...show it."
You shrug and let your hands fall out of his, subconsciously closing yourself off while you try to breathe through the straining in your sternum.
He places his hands on your shoulder and gently rubs his hands up and down your arms. It's not that you need to be warmed up, but the action calms you down and breathing becomes much easier.
You look up at him and he gives you that stupid smirk of his.
The one that made you fall in love with him.
"I've known you for a while now doll; you think you're closed off and cold, but you're not. You're a lil' emotionally stunted-"
You roll your eyes, while his twinkle.
"But I don't fault you for it. What's the point in being the same anyway, weren't made for it y'know? You're plenty expressive; I can see it in your eyes, in your body language, in that little lip twist you do when you're trying to be nice."
He brings you closer to him, one hand resting at the small of your back, the other one the railing behind you.
"You've let me in, I'm not going anywhere."
You give him a small smile and he matches it before tilting your chin up and leaning down to give you a kiss.
You return it and your smile widens when you pull away.
It drops in the very next second when you hear thud from inside the boat and the distinct sound of fire scorching paper.
Your eyes widen and you push away from to run back inside.
You bump your hip on the door frame again but you ignore the pain and scramble to put out the fire that's singed your book.
Luckily, you caught it before it could really spread and only the corner of the book is burnt.
Hobie snorts from the doorway and you turn to glare at him.
"Well I've got a idea of what you're feeling now."
You huff and shake your head, " I told you it was a fire hazard."
He shrugs, "It was pretty. 'Sides you've got quick reflexes; you caught it in time."
You smirk and toss the book to the ground, better to not have anything in your hands when you run.
"Yeah I do, they're really quick. I definitely wouldn't have have tripped off a boat and forgot I knew how to swim."
As soon as you finish your sentence you take off, and damn him for being a giant because he's right on your heels.
i did it 😭😭😭✊🏾
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moralesmilesanhour · 4 months
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secret santa submission!
from: @vhstown to @gimmeyourlovepls !
“Hey, babe!”
You whipped your head around to see Miles, and a smile immediately broke out on your face. You hadn't seen each other in ages — finals and all. The both of you had been busy, but looked like he just came out of his last exam.
“Miles! Hey—”
Before you could finish your sentence, he tackled you in a tight hug, pressing his lips wherever he could find on your face. You couldn't help but burst into laughter, trying to pry yourself off of him to no avail. 
Damn Spider-strength… You didn't actually mind, though. There was no way you could when it was him.
“How was your— your exam?” you stuttered out in-between laughs, his own giggles making your chest spin.
“Doesn't matter,” he replied, finally reaching up to hold your face. “How was your day?”
Another chuckle escaped you, and you could see how that made the light in his eyes brighten.
“Good. Good, baby.” 
“Good,” he repeated, pressing a kiss to your forehead.
“How was yours?”
“Well, I missed you, for starters.”
“Miles…” You frowned playfully, reaching up to pinch his cheek. He winced slightly, face bashful with his admission.
“Fine, fine... I missed you so much.”
“That's not what I meant!” You had to stop yourself from smiling when he chuckled again.
“What, you're mad at me now?” he joked.
“Yeah…” you replied, in your best “I’m mad at you” voice, though you couldn't hide your amusement.
“Ah man, what am I gonna do?” Miles suddenly pulls away, hands on the sides of his head. 
You pressed your lips together at his dramaticness. This man was going to be the end of you.
“I dunno, you really messed up this time.” 
“I really did, huh?” He shakes his head slowly, before sighing loudly. “Oh well, guess I'm gonna have to go to that ice cream place all alone.”
“Guess so,” you replied, already anticipating what you were going to do as he took a step away. 
“Man…”
Before he could turn to look back, you wrapped your arms around him from behind, the two of you bursting out into laughter all over again as you pressed yor lips to his cheeks.
“You're seriously not taking me?” you teased.
“If that means I'm forgiven.” With that smile, you almost gave in.
“We'll see about that.” 
“Cariño…” Miles groaned, turning around to pull you into a proper hug. “Please?”
“Fine,” you answered, rolling your eyes a little. So much for that.
Mies took the opportunity to press a kiss to your lips. Soft, chaste — so much like him. Now there was no way you couldn't forgive him.
“Ice cream?” he offered in a quiet voice, the small smile on his face ever-present. It was sunny outside, but your face wasn't warm because of the sun.
“Ice cream.” You took his hand, ready to go to that place you'd been wanting to go to for a while. 
“Phew…” His sigh of relief made you bite back another smile — though you were starting to miss his.
“And by the way,” you started, catching his attention as the two of you walked. “I missed you too.”
Miles had grinned all the way to the store at that.
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hobiebrownismygod · 16 days
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Do you know any e-42! miles morales x reader fanfics similar to yours ?
hmm I do know some accounts that make some great e-42 miles fanfics but I don't think there are any that similar to mine idk
but to get started I'd recommend the following
@kyngjaice --> heart wrenching mm fanfics :(( @teatoptony --> really cute MJ au that lowkey broke my heart when first reading it @daydreaming-en-pointe & @vhstown --> each have made a few but not centered around 42!Miles (gotta give my awesome ff mutuals shoutouts tho)
Sorry if I forgot anyone who writes 42! miles fics or has a 42 centered account. Feel free to comment under if I forgot you and I'll add you asap. I just can't remember all the people who's fics I love on the spot 😭
As for fanfics these are some of the ones I like the most!!
For All The Mary Janes Wear My Love Princess of New York 3AM Frights
These are just a few that were on my dash recently, but if I find more that I like I will definitely reblog them so you'll end up seeing them on your dash if you follow me
But also, the way I write Miles is just my own perception of his character. They're all headcanons. For this reason, theres not gonna be a lot of fics super similar to mine. But if you are looking for things with the same gist I recommend these accounts and stories first!
Keep in mind that my requests are always open so if you ever want to see a 42Miles story and you want it to be in my style, just let me know! I try to get to all my requests as quickly as possible <3
Sorry for the long post but lastly there was one fic I really enjoyed on Wattpad called "You've Changed". I think its one of the best Miles Morales fics I've read and I absolutely love it and recommend it to you!
Hopefully this helps anon :)
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daydreaming-en-pointe · 4 months
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A very Spidey Christmas - 1610!Miles
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Pairing: 1610!Miles Morales x GN!reader
Word count: 359
Warnings: Mentions of food (Christmas cookies), use of a nickname (mi corazón) slightly immature reader (they’re just a lil frustrated yall 💔)
A/N: sorry it’s so short 😔
:3
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“How are you so good at this?!”
You had been at it for almost an hour now, trying your very best to get a steady stream from your piping bag so you could write little words on the Christmas sugar cookies Rio had given you and Miles to decorate.
Miles chuckled softly, scooting closer to watch your futile attempts at drawing a tree in green icing. “Oh, you know. I’m just awesomely artistic, nobody can frost cookies as well as I can~”
You raised your eyebrows at the exaggerated attitude packed into his voice as he pretended to flip an imaginary ponytail over his shoulder. “Oh, okay then. Take these, will you?”
His overly sassy façade crumbled as you pushed your plate of cookies toward him and made to get up. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry - see, the trick is to spread your fingers evenly over the base of the bag. You’ll have more control over the line that way. Also, don’t squeeze too hard or it’ll come out blobby.”
“You’ll come out blobby,” You muttered under your breath as you took the plate of cookies. Was that comment immature? Yeah, definitely. Did you care? Not particularly. You grabbed your piping bag again, trying not to let your frustration get the better of you as you watched the slow line of icing appear along the cookie’s border.
The silence that followed your remark would have been odd, almost awkward if you couldn’t somehow sense the wrath of the ever-familiar doe-eyed gaze that was being unleashed upon you.
“Miles, no,” You tried to put your hand in front of him to block him from your view, but he grabbed your wrist and gently tugged it away, forcing you to look him straight in his eyes. Big brown eyes didn’t do them justice, they were more like… pools of chocolate with honeycomb undertones. Enough to put a puppy’s saddest gaze to shame.
“Noooo, not the eyes - you know I can’t handle those eyes!” You complained, a small laugh gracing your tone as he pulled you in to plant a kiss on your cheek, wearing a large shit-eating grin.
“That’s the idea, mi corazón.”
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Mi corazón - my heart :D
@vhstown @l0starl @tatumis-a @deritosmi @hobiebrownismygod @therealloopylupin2099
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ask-hobie-brown · 4 months
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🌐🔓 https://www.tumblr.com/ask-hobie-brown
ENTER USERNAME: h0B1e-138
ENTER PASSWORD: ****
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...
...
...
LOGIN SUCCESSFUL!
open for rules & info ↓
RULES !! 🪧
absolutely NO nsfw or suggestive asks (admin is a MINOR)
would prefer if you don't send asks about ships (especially controversial ones)
oc x hobie or asks abt sonas will be ignored
PLEASE don't ask about anything weird in general asks can and will be deleted
anon will be turned off if need be
can send basically anything else
other ask blogs can interact ! rp blogs are chill too just don't be Strange pls
NO slurs will be used at all
DMs for this blog are CLOSED but you can DM the admins (check below)
if you go against the rules you will be blocked (soz!)
this is a side-blog so certain interactions are limited!
we use a queue system to keep the account active so answering your ask may be a lot later than when you sent it — please keep this in mind when sending asks!
asks are labelled with the tag #ask hobie
admin stuff will be labelled with the tag #admin talks
ADMINS ?! 🪪
MAIN ADMIN: VEE (she/her)
@vhstown
indicated by 📼
dms: open!
CO-ADMIN: CHEWY (he/him)
@qiupachups
indicated by 🍭
dms: open!
BOTH admins are from london and poc 💥
timezone is GMT+0 or BST
lil promo we both write fanfic also 😊
answers are mainly in MLE and estuary dialect (bc that's what we're used to) but cockney can be thrown in there as we get more confident with it !
we're also full-time students so pls be patient 😭 your ask will be answered hobie's just got a slow internet connection yanno... this multiverse ting is long
blog inspired by @/ask-the-prowler !! please check it out it is so hilarious give bro a follow
this blog is just for fun pls don't take it too seriously lol this is just our interpretation of the character based on canon & headcanon !
blog created at 2am on the xmas of 2023 😭
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cleo30300 · 7 months
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m.A.A.d city , a boxer!miles g. morales x gn!reader
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• WARNINGS : violence , boxing , experimentation , human experimentation , murder , conspiracy .
in which you and miles are good kids in a mad city . heavily inspired by kendrick lamar’s album; good kid , m.A.A.d city. also heavily inspired by @vhstown ‘s writing, time out.
PROLOGUE ; GOOD KID .
CHAP!ONE ; BACKSEAT FREESTYLE .
CHAP!TWO ; THE RECIPE .
CHAP!THREE ; THE ART OF PEER PRESSURE .
CHAP!FOUR ; MONEY TREES
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qiuweyballs · 5 months
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two hobarts and a bushra hackin her lungs out
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@vhstown cant wait for the new meowler drop🔥
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vhstown · 6 months
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love our a.m.
— hobie brown x gn!reader
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summary: Hobie hates mornings, but the ones with you aren't so bad.
warnings: hobie pov, fluff, alarm clock murder 😱 /j semi-edited
word count: 0.8k
a/n: wrote at midnight in like 2 seconds 🙏 p shabby but it's ok a little ooc hurt nobody thank you qiuwey for title idea ly
BRRIIIIII— Smash!
It didn't even get past the first ring. That was the third alarm clock Hobie had broken so far. If was almost a skill by now; he didn't even have to open his eyes. In fact, it was too bright to open his eyes. Everything was too much in the morning. Too bright, too loud, too cold. Why was it so bloody cold?
You. Or the lack of you, for that matter. The lack of you — and the back of you facing him. He stopped himself from moving you when he noticing the gentle rise and fall of your breath — that faint exhale he could listen to forever. Well, maybe not forever, given the way his arm was now cautiously hovering over your sleeping form.
Hobie inched just a little forward, peering over, his face tensed. You were asleep, alright. He couldn't tell if the expression on your face was a smile or a frown. For a moment, Hobie debated getting up and rotating his entire bed to stop you facing the wall, but his strength was only used for destroying appliances this early in the morning, it seemed.
With a sigh that had much more frustration than he'd like, the punk fell back against his pillow. He wasn't being needy, or anything, was he? Sure, he hadn't seen you in a while, and he hadn't held you in a while, but he could wait until you woke up at the very least — right? Hobie tried checking the clock, but it had already suffered fate of his fist. Truthfully, he hadn't slept a wink. Hobie thought about you often enough, sure, but you were all that had filled his mind last night — and arms. He surpressed another grumble. Not needy, of course — maybe a little cold.
You looked so warm — and comfortable. It'd be a crime to wake you up (not that he was much more lawful around you, but he didn't want to anyway.) The fact that his short-lived scrap with the alarm clock didn't alert you was a mystery. The wretched thing was from you, Hobie recalled: brand new from that little junk shop near the docks, now as good as a drumkit without sticks. There was probably a spring he'd dislocated somewhere on the floor for him to step on later. Another reason to hate mornings.
His pillow was starting to feel uncomfy. And the mattress. And all of his clothes. It was freezing now, as well. The blanket was too far, and was also probably too itchy, of course.
He relented, but not entirely. It was far more uncomfortable for him to try and keep his weight off of you, arm moving over your side and bent an awkward angle. If he wasn't so needy, this would be enough. No, this was enough, obviously... Hobie wished he had a second alarm clock to punch right now.
A sudden twitch of movement from you — and Hobie nearly punched himself. He held his breath, the muscles in his arm straining as you moved under him. He debated letting go (though he wasn't holding on much in the first place), before you were still. Hobie let out a quiet exhale.
It was a second later that your fingers curled around his. Then you squeezed his hand. Hobie's eyes flew open; his breath was trapped in his chest again.
"Hey..." He wasn't sure if he was just whispering to himself. "...You awake?"
Another squeeze to his fingers. Hobie sucked in his stomach. The expression on your face looked more like a grin. He had been, what one may call...
"You little—" Fooled.
Hobie couldn't finish his sentence before you turned to bury yourself in his chest, arms slotting between his to wrap him in a hug.
"Little what?" Your voice vibrated against his chest, still somewhat sleepy but awake enough to prove your guilt; you'd been awake all this time. All he could do was pull you more against him, closing his eyes in defeat. "Thought so."
Hobie sighed, soaking in your warmth as his body curled around you. He was like a bug to a radiator; the strange accuracy of that thought made him frown. He wasn't as small as a bug, but he could be as small as he wanted around you. Maybe one morning you'd hold him, but was more than enough, for now. He opened his eyes again when you shifted, yours narrowed by a faint smile.
"Morning," you whispered. The word didn't sound so bad coming out of your mouth.
Hobie leaned down to kiss your lips, if only for a moment, before pulling you back into his chest.
"G'mornin'..." he mumbled, yawning and closing his eyes again.
It was warm, comfortable. The sunlight had mellowed and the only sound was of your breathing, soft and even. Hobie hated mornings, but this one wasn't all that bad — not with you in it.
He decided he'd apologise about the alarm clock later.
🕸️🔭🎸
oho thank you for reading ^^ im trying to write more often but i have exams like... every week now so 💔 tis life but i hope u enjoyed
reblogs & feedback appreciated as always <3 find the rest of my atsv stuff here!
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tatumis-awesome · 4 months
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Let’s do this one more time —
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My name’s Tatum, or Tate, Tae, Ty, etc.
i dont care what you call me, just as long as its not a slur, Thanks.
i dont have preferred pronouns, I go by any, or you can use my name in place of them.
(If you could call me a ‘he’ every once in a while that’d be pretty great too..)
free palestine 🇵🇸 !! & Congo 🇨🇩 !!
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DNI !!
basic dni
dni if you’re a Zionist, Zionism is NOT sexy.
proshippers dni
terfs dni
i dont care if you’re an adult,, jst don’t be a freak & we good.
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BYF !!
i cuss a bit too much, so if that makes you uncomfortable, 👋🏽
I also have dark humor so uh, if you cant handle that shit, its best to stay away, yeah?
I make jokes about my (mostly) uninvolved father. If you cant handle that either, i’ll see you on your way out.
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Maybe get off the kid’s ass ..
i got the ‘tism, along with ADHD woo..
im secretly miguel o’hara (im not I would never bodyslam someone into a train)
im still questioning my sexuality, but I do know that I’m asexual (not aromantic, theres a difference) and i’m def NOT straight.
i am a minor.
hispanic (🇲🇽, Im also 🇨🇺) & Irish (🇮🇪) make a joke about me eating burritos or tacos and I will gut you like a fish. (ref, /hj)
current obsessions: space, flowers/plants, ATSV, Coraline, FNAF, hobie brown, Sam and Colby, etc.
tag me in shit!! im on here 24/7, (I have no life) I will see it.
my birthday is MAY 19TH - ♉️ - (Keep that in mind, buy me a present, would you?)
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MUTUALS: @ask-the-prowler @daydreaming-en-pointe @blooming-gwens @hobiebrownismygod @deritosmi @screamfome @arriettyandherpin @jgrills + more !!
follow them, (if you dont already) please & thank you!!
Second Blog: @tatumis-agoober
follow this one as well, yeah?
not a moot but follow them anyways: @vhstown & @vhscity
spam acc: @taetalkstoomuch
Thanks 4 reading this shit.
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vhstown · 7 months
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ain't no love; pt. 1
"ain't no love in the heart of the city"
— miles g morales x gn!reader series
SUMMARY: Miles Morales is just a kid without a father; the Prowler is just a "rotten" vigilante. Both of them start coming into your life — one in the middle of the semester, and the other by total accident.
SERIES MASTERLIST 📼 PART 1 / PART 2 →
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chapter summary: [READER POV] The one day you decide to skip breakfast, your deskmate comes in. AP Calc has never been more unbearable — and interesting.
content/warnings: brief mentions of death, depictions of hunger, a little bullying </3
word count: 4.8k
a/n: first series idk what im doing BUT WE ROLL (criticisms accepted lmao) proofread courtesy of @qiuweyballs you're a real one
You were starving. In AP Calc, no less, with probably the least talkative bunch of students in the whole school, the period before lunch. Whoever made your schedule was a monster, and whoever put this class together was even more of a monster. Everyone was dead silent, which was usually fine, but not when your stomach was threatening to detonate a nuclear grumble. Maybe it’d even echo given how big the classroom was. It was too early in the year to have a mental breakdown, though — you’d save that for midterms.
Even the teacher found the silence awkward, muttering to himself as you walked into the dreary classroom. He was a bit of a pushover, Mr. Wellston — a newbie who really had no idea what he was doing besides fixing his unevenly cut hair every two seconds while everyone pretended to know what was going on. God bless AP Calculus; you didn’t even know how to do the starter activity on the board.
But your teacher’s ridiculous inadequacy didn’t matter right now. The most important decision you had to make was what poor soul you were going to look at sideways when everyone turned to the source of the growl. Being nice wasn’t exactly an option when you were 3 seconds away from dying of starvation.
Thankfully, you were at the back, and the only seat next to you was empty. It wasn’t so bad, you tried convincing yourself as other students started to fill up the seats in front of you. Maybe you'd even forget about how hungry you were if you engrossed yourself in "one of the most riveting fields of mathematics", as advertised by your freshman year math teacher. Just one hour. You could hold back your hunger for one hour.
"Attendance..." Wellston murmured, looking around the room without much attention. It was reasonable to assume was here as usual, except for one kid who'd been absent since the first week. "Morales" — you didn't know his first name, not like you had the chance to learn it.
Scribbling down whatever activity there was, a part of you was glad this kid wasn't here today. It was one less person to hear the result of your unfortunate choice to not have breakfast this morning. You'd never spoken to the kid, but everyone knew why he wasn’t here. The renowed "hero", PC Davis had passed away — his dad. It was all over the news: "PDNY OFFICER DIES SAVING A CHILD", around mid-freshman year. You couldn't guess what was going on with the kid almost 2 whole semesters into sophomore year, but you couldn’t exactly think too hard when your pen had barely touched the page, and your other hand was clawing into the side of your shirt.
You were sure your stomach was going to growl, and loud. And your teacher was looking at you. Pretty much every muscle in your face was straining. You probably looked insane, which you’d actually rather be right now. The worst he would make was a bad joke, but the sheer panic that rose in your chest when Mr. Wellston started to walk towards you made your heels dig into the ground, ready to bolt out the class. You were exhausted, anxious, praying to anything you could think of that your teacher would just turn around and stop looking at you and—
Creak... Everyone's eyes, including Mr. Wellston's, turned to the door. You could make out someone with a black jacket — teacher? They wouldn’t let you wear jackets inside. Not important. Water.
"Nice seeing you here, Morales," Wellston said, his expression as unamused as he could attempt. The pushover was feeling confident today.
You drank so much water that it got stuck in your throat for a moment, making you scrunch up your face. "I'd take off that jacket if I were you,” Wellston continued.
The boy obliged with an incoherent mumble, stepping into the classroom and slipping off his jacket. His eyes landed on the seat right next to you. Even if he wasn't looking at you, something about his gaze made you look away immediately. Great. 53 minutes until lunch. Why did he have to show up today? Why did you wake up late and skip breakfast? A part of you was telling you it’d be better to not blame it on this guy either — maybe it was your gut. Ha-ha. Maybe you were insane.
Screeech! The slap of a notebook next to you snapped you out of your mini-spiral. You were now all the more aware of the boy next to you. His attendance was so low that it competed with your will to live, so you couldn’t help but look. His hair was in two braids slipping just past his collar, but that’s all you dared to notice. They were kind of cool, you admitted to yourself. The muttering was quickly shut down by a grating "Focus!" from Wellston, and you tried to get back to your work.
Calculus, calculus... When was the last time you’d gotten a question right? All you could do was keep uselessly pressing the fraction button on your calculator, watching the empty boxes stack up. It felt like he was staring at you. Math, come on, you know math. What was the probability he was looking at you? What if he was just glancing at you? What was his eye colour? Black or dark brown, probably. You could check — if he was staring, of course. Not his eye colour. That'd be weird.
That tight feeling built up in your stomach like the foreshock of an earthquake. You pictured yourself slamming your head into the desk, far too vividly to be normal — like an insane person. No need to traumatise the “new” kid on his first day back.
"Alright class, considering we have a full house now," You stopped yourself from imagining Wellston’s head slammed into a desk. "I suggest you all try to solve this problem. It's the hardest question that's ever come up on Calc BC, and you're getting secret access to it."
Yeah, like you cared. This man did not have a lesson plan, as usual. Now you had to fight the urge to look at the kind of cool kid next to you, fight your hunger like a famished Victorian child and fight the stupid calculations forming a jumbled mess in your brain. You were fighting a lot of things, and losing miserably. Just looking at the question made your brain hurt, and you could see it in the rest of your class too. All Calc BC nerds who were just now realising their mistake in taking this class with this particular teacher, probably. Visions was a scam.
"Does anyone have an answer?" It hadn't even been two minutes; it was like the man just wanted to feel smarter than everyone else. Something about him today was even more annoying than the pitiful jokes he usually came up with ― just because a "new" kid came in? Maybe this was to make up for the first day of class where he totally embarrassed himself mumbling all lesson, the bell ringing overtop of him.
The awkward silence and the slight cocky curl to the corner of Mr. Wellston's mouth made you question why they hired someone who was fresh out of college to teach you the classes that were supposed to get you into college. Your frustration only grew when you were going in circles with your attempt.
"No? Guys, you that you have a midterm soon." Helpful.
"This is more simple than you think." Explain it, then?
"Nobody? Really? Okay, you really should start paying attention, the―"
"Six." You almost forgot about the kid next to you until he spoke up. He put down his pen, giving Wellston an expectant look while the whole class was silent.
"…Six what?"
"Litres per hour."
The man quickly shuffled to his computer. Of course he didn't know the answer either.
"Six litres per hour," Wellston confirmed. No other kid had a chance to retort. Wellston seemed surprised for once. A part of you was surprised too at how simple the answer sounded when it came out of the "new" kid's mouth. You noticed that the boy didn't even have a calculator.
"Well, it looks like you all have something to learn from Morales here," he continued, something almost like contempt in his words. "Do you want to explain how you got that?"
The boy went about explaining it pretty simply, almost like he was reading off of a script. It was concise, different to what you'd learnt. Something about chain rule, which you truthfully had no idea how to actually use because someone didn't bother to go through it properly. Even if you were still somewhat unsure, it sounded easy enough.
"Interesting method..." Wellston murmured, trailing off for a moment. "Well, that settles it then. Do you guys understand how we got six?"
We? This guy... Aside from the fact that he was looking at you a little too much for comfort (probably because you were still clutching your stomach like you’d been shot) you had another reason to be annoyed by this teacher and his stupid hair. Everyone just returned his question with silent nods and mumbles, people taking opportunities to actually look at the calc-wiz.
You took a chance too, looking over at his seemingly unbothered face. You were almost right about the brown eyes. They were more coppery than anything, maybe even a little green. If he was staring before, you couldn't tell, his gaze trailing his desk with disinterest. Why did his eye colour even matter?
Forty minutes of class to go. You felt like you could eat your calculator at this point. The mystery kid didn't seem to need one anyway, and you weren’t getting much use out of it.
BRIIIIIIIIIING!
"The bell doesn't―" The screeching of chairs cut him off.
Like that would work this far into the semester. The Morales kid was already gone by the time you'd stood up. Letting out a drawn-out sigh, you debated between your tiredness and hunger. Would you try to fight to the death to get to the front of the lunch queue? All you wanted was food, maybe a nap afterwards, definitely no more calculus.
That couldn't happen, of course. For some reason, you were the only one left in class. You heard your name, wincing a little as you stopped in your journey out of the door.
"I just want to speak for a moment, spare me a few minutes?" You figured this was coming. It looked like he wanted to speak to you about something all class; his expressions weren’t exactly mysterious like that new kid. You wanted nothing more than to strangle him with his ugly patterned tie as you walked over to him.
Mr. Wellston leaned on his desk by his elbows, lowering his voice as if he was about to tell you something serious.
"You're not doing very well in this class." Okay… not that serious. "It’s the longer questions, I think. FRQs.”
Your grogginess made it impossible to focus on Wellston’s rant, but what you did pick up on was his weird accent. You guessed he wasn’t from Brooklyn, but the way he was talking right now let you pick up on the strange intonation in his voice you otherwise wouldn’t care to notice. Almost European-sounding. First that kid's eye colour and now your teacher's accent... what was it with you and random details today?
"So..." he continued, looking up at you with his head still low. "I'm going to start an extra class after school. I want you to come to it." Okay, this is worse. You couldn't have lunch, and now you couldn't even have after school.
"When is it?" It better not be some unreasonable time.
"Well, I've only got Friday afternoon free. You know how it is, meetings..." If he was trying to be apologetic, or convincing, he was failing at both. "I'll call you in later to discuss it further."
You just nodded, the grip on your backpack tightening. "Okay."
"It's important that you come!”
His voice was drowned out by the flood of students in the hall as you shut the door, turning on your heel to head to the cafeteria. The line was probably impossibly long by now. You couldn't care less about that extra Friday class. Forget college. You'd be a bum, or work at a WcDonalds. You'd probably make more money than Mr. Wellston there anyway. Forget Visions.
Forget that Morales kid who was standing outside the door all that time while you were too frustrated to notice.
You slumped down onto an empty table as you tried to rid your mind of him.
The probability that he'd show up to class with his cool braids and coppery-green eyes again was too low for you to care anyway.
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"Soy Miles. Miles Morales."
Calc-wiz, or Miles as you just found out, was also in your Spanish class, and was also sitting directly behind you. It seemed like he was coming into more classes than he had been all semester — good for him?
"Morales… ¿Eres hispano, Miles?" (Are you Hispanic, Miles?) Miles simply nodded while Mrs Hernández flicked through the worksheets, licking her finger to set them down on individual desks. Spanish was one of the classes you actually liked. Apart from your classmates, Mrs Hernández was funny, and a good teacher, even if she was a little strict.
She paused for a moment to look at Miles again, eyebrow raised. "¿Guatemala?"
"Puerto Rico." The woman's raised eyebrow fell along with the rest of her expression, eyes narrowing in disappointment. She was always talking about where she was from, Guatemala. You found it kind of endearing, though you weren't sure if she'd get any teaching done if there was another kid from there.
"All these years y nadie de Guatemala..." (and nobody from Guatemala...) She simply frowned, cracking her knuckles while making her way back to the front. Most of the people taking AP Spanish were Hispanic, just trying to get extra credits, but it seemed like Mrs. Hernández was out of luck when it came to finding her natural favourite. "Vale clase, quiero que miren este articulo sobre―" (Okay class, I want you to look at this article about―)
All that class you felt like Miles was staring at the back of your head, of course. If he wasn't uncomfortably silent, he was conversing with Mrs Hernández, and she came over more than once to talk to him behind you. As much as you wanted to overhear, they were talking too quietly and quickly — and in Spanish. What they were talking about wasn't your business — most likely about his absence. You had also no idea what this article was talking about. It was something about art, but most of the words you were reading were unfamiliar as your highlighter hovered uselessly over the paper.
It had almost been a week since Miles first came in. You constantly saw him get pulled out of class or talking to teachers — except in AP Calc; it seemed like he was doing just fine there. He could speak Spanish fine too, but was behind on everything else. Other than teachers, he never really talked to anyone. You occasionally saw him with his earbuds on in the hallways, but more often his jacket was what got him chased down by teachers; the kid didn’t really seem to care. Good for him. He was probably more ahead of you anyway given the way your studies were going.
“Oye, look a little alive!” You noticed Mrs Hernandéz standing over you, and that your highlighter bleeding through the paper from pressing too long. A half-hearted “lo siento” (sorry) is all you could offer. “Extraño (strange) — What's different today, chicos? Is it because you’ve got a new friend here?” She crossed her arms, eyeing everyone with her brows knitted together.
The atmosphere around Miles was strange. Not only was he known for being missing since freshman year, but also for his late father. It wasn’t a secret, as much as he didn’t talk about it. Everyone could tell from the way teachers whispered to him and how he disappeared to the counsellor’s office that he wasn’t treated like any other student here. In fact, he didn’t even live in the dorms according to what you’d heard. He was quiet, but the rumours were undeniably loud. You tried not to involve yourself — you hadn’t even spoken to him yourself, anyway.
“He’s not the only Puerto Rican. You gonna forget about us, Señora?” The voice made you hold back a sigh. When Rafael started speaking there was no stopping him. You figured it was time; no matter how far he was moved from his friends, he always found a way to talk to them from the other side of the classroom. He was also right next to you. You had a few reasons to want to drop this class, and each of them were all going “yeah” in agreement to what Rafael had to say.
“I think you’ve forgotten that you have an article in front of you, Rafa.” You couldn’t help but crack a smile at your teacher’s words, and nickname. To your dismay, Rafael noticed you immediately.
“You makin’ fun of me, bro?” He turned his head to stare at you.
“Rafael,” Hernandéz warned.
“Nah, Señora, you don’t get it, I should be sitting over there.”
She wasn’t amused by the way he was gesturing to his friends. “I’ll kick you out.”
“Come on man…” He just threw up his hands and sunk into his far too tiny chair. You prayed he wouldn't start rocking on it and make that god-awful creaking sound. Mrs. Hernández simply turned to ignore him and continue with class.
“Why’s he special anyway?” Rafael mumbled to himself. “Famous cause of his dad?”
Tension – it was so thick you could cut it. The only thing that was cutting through it, apart from your Spanish teacher’s rant, was Miles’ gaze. You could feel it burning right through you. It seemed like Rafael, the moron, for some twisted reason, wanted Miles to hear that.
If you had anything to say at all, it was too late to give Rafael a piece of your mind. Considering how quickly he'd shut you down, it would be useless to stick up for some kid you barely knew. Nobody else heard Rafael anyway; it'd just pit everyone against you. Still, a part of you felt bad. Even though you didn’t really know Miles, he was in a lot of your classes. You’d gotten used to his presence over the past week: moving out of the way so he could get to his seat, occasionally picking up each other’s fallen pens, giving unshared glances to see how the other was doing on the work.
He seemed nice enough despite the lack of words you'd exchanged, but when you turned a little to fix your chair, the expression you caught was anything but. It was almost scary, if you could make out anything from his darkened features. There was a strange sense of focus in his eyes, like he was calculating something – deliberating. You didn't try to guess what, keeping silent and trying to listen to Mrs. Hernández talk about the article while ignoring the deadly gaze simmering behind you.
If you were stronger, scarier, more influential, maybe you’d punch one through Rafael right now. Just looking at him was irritating, and it's not like you hadn't thought of it before. Maybe you wouldn’t have to, though, because it seemed like Miles was thinking the exact same thing. As much as you wanted to learn Spanish and not have a fight happen right next to you, it’d be nice if he was able to teach Rafael to shut up instead of the material he didn't seem to care about.
Miles didn’t look particularly strong — he was kind of scary-looking right now, but that didn’t mean he could take on a 6ft tall football player, no matter how pissed off said football player made him. You couldn't tell what he was thinking, but Miles stayed put for the rest of class; it felt like a sniper was right behind you.
The all-too-familiar creak of the chair made you automatically grit your teeth.
“Oy, mi pana, you got gum?” Rafael murmured to you in his worst friendly voice. It was 10 minutes till the end of class, and he was asking now? You still had no idea what pana meant since he moved next to you, but the way he said it always made you feel icky regardless.
You quickly shook your head, getting a sigh out of him. You hoped he’d give up, but he just leaned over to whisper to you. “What do you think of that dude, huh?
“What?”
“Strange, yeah?”
“He’s okay.” Your defence was quiet, but it was the most you could do as you heard Miles scribbling right behind you.
“He’s drawing, dude.”
You looked at him almost incredulously. Rafael just rolled his eyes.
“Why do you care?” Your voice came out louder than you wanted.
“¡Silencio!” You gave Mrs. Fernandez, another one of your muffled “lo siento”s, shrinking into your seat as her eyes locked onto you. Snickering from Rafael’s friends only fuelled the embarrassment surging through your cheeks. Miles shuffled in his seat behind you, followed by the sound of paper being crumpled up. You wanted to crumple up the smug expression plastered on Rafael's face right now.
Class ended with another stack of homework in your backpack, and you were more than happy to leave. Free period — you could get a start on the homework. Or talk to Wellston about that extra class. The thought made you wince, but you didn’t exactly have a choice. You had to see him by the end of the day.
“Ay, Milo!” You turned to see Rafael and his little group approaching Miles’ desk. “What’s good?”
“Nothing.” He kept his voice low, pushing his chair under the desk. The boys just laughed as he got up, a grating mix of malice and mirth.
“Right, right. Puerto Rican, eh?” It sounded like Rafael was just talking for the sake of talking. You were also standing for the sake of standing too, of course.
Miles let out a mumble as a confirmation of sorts. Heading for the door, he was blocked by Rafael.
“Ay, where you goin’? Let’s talk, huh? Got a free period?” You could see Miles’ eyes narrow, a flash of impatience in his demeanour before he let out a breath. Rafael was trying to get a kick out of this. A kick out of some kid with a dead dad.
“Someone’s waiting for me.”
“Huh? What’d you say? You got friends?” The start of more laughs were already forming around Miles.
You didn’t know what came over you. Maybe it was the regret of not saying anything earlier, or the strange intrigue you’d felt since a week ago. Peeking your head through the door, you took a step back into the classroom. “Miles, c’mon.”
The gnawing feeling only intensified as you felt four sets of eyes on you at the same time. You’d rather it be hunger than the anxiety coursing through you at that moment.
“Comin',” he murmured, shoving past the three boys towards the door.
The two of you left the classroom, hearing a faint “what the hell man?” as the door fell shut. Miles lingered behind you as you approached the next turn in the hallway.
“What’s your name?” He’d already stepped in front of you.
No thanks or anything? Well, he didn't really owe you anything. It was "the right thing to do", like the many anti-bullying posters around the school encouraged you to do. God damn Visions.
“You uh… know my name.”
“Wanna hear it from you.” His voice had a little twinge of an accent that you hadn’t noticed before. You tried not to think too hard on it. Too many details for too little of an interaction.
“You’ve gotta introduce yourself first — pretty sure that’s how it works,” you tried to joke, something like embarrassment replacing the lingering anxiety in your stomach.
“I did — in class.” Miles’ face was unreadable, but there was something like amusement in his voice.
“Not to me specifically, though.”
The two of you stood in the hallway as people ushered past you. A freshman almost hit you running past, making the two of you retreat to stand beside some lockers. Damn freshmen. You were a freshman only last year, but shoving past them in the cafeteria wasn’t exactly fun. Miles seemed unbothered, as he usually did.
“You seriously don’t know my name?” you continued, almost frowning a little.
“Let’s say I don’t.” He leaned back against the cold blue metal of the lockers, tilting his head at you. The tiny mannerism only made your embarrassment grow. “What’s your name, pana?”
“…I still don’t know what that means.” The frustrated sigh you let out made the corner of his mouth curl up.
“And I still don’t know your name, pana.” No wonder you didn’t bother to talk to anyone. It seemed like you never had the upper hand, first with Rafael and now with Miles. Truthfully, though, you knew which you’d rather talk to.
“Sounds like a food,” you continued, shrugging.
“Could be,” he pretended to muse. And to think you thought he was nice. You hadn’t decided to be annoyed yet, though.
“You know my name, Miles.” You must’ve looked funny the way you crossed your arms and furrowed your eyebrows, because that got an entertained breath out of him.
“Who’s Miles? Haven’t introduced myself yet.” His smirk wrote guilty all over his face.
“Milo, then?” It was a bit harsh, but his cockiness made you say it without much thought. The apology was written on your face already, and you unfolded your arms, deciding you couldn’t have Mrs. Hernandéz’s sass today.
“You wanna be called pana forever?” He slipped an earbud into one of his ears, the blue light flickering into life. At least you didn’t tick him off.
“Not like I care,” you murmured, trying to take a step away.
“Seems like you do.”
“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” you asked, trying to keep your tone in check as you glanced down the hallway.
“Do you?” You felt like you were talking into a mirror, one that reflected back a person that got all the more mysterious and annoying when you did.
“Yeah, actually.” Mr. Wellston’s class. The thought made your eyes narrow, probably in exhaustion, most likely in irritation. “Need to speak to a teacher.”
His brow raised in mild interest. “You in trouble?”
“I wish. It’s about some extra class I have to take.”
“Calc?” You turned to look at him again, and his expression was more knowing than curious now.
“How’d you guess…?” It sounded more like a statement, your tone more disappointed than surprised. Were you really that bad at Calculus? Maybe you did need this class, especially if calc-wiz thought so.
“…You have lunch today?” he thought to ask instead. For a moment, you were confused, until you remembered calc last week.
“Shut up.” Your cheeks burned, hand balling up the fabric of your uniform. God. Damn it. All.
“Aight, sorry.”
More silence. You should’ve blamed the growling on him.
“Why the class though? You failing?”
“I’m not failing… Just need some help, I guess” Your shrug wasn’t very reassuring.
“Anyone else goin’?” The longer he kept inquiring, the more you figured Mr. Wellston’s attitude was building up.
“No clue. Bet everyone else is gonna join, though. He’ll probably tell everyone anyway.” The people in your class were quiet, but desperate to out-do each other. Maybe the problem wasn’t you, but the fact that everyone else was trying so hard.
“He didn’t ask me.” The corner of his mouth dimpled into his cheek in thought.
“You’re good at calc anyway.”
“Haven’t been here a while, so I gotta catch up, right? Lemme come with.”
You tried to think of what to say as your hand found the back of your neck, but he was already walking past you. Miles looked back at you to see if you were following.
If he had somewhere to be, it didn’t seem to matter. You noted the slight rhythm to his step, wondering what he was listening to, and if his eyes were green or brown. Ripping away your gaze from him before you could chase that thought, you tried to dodge all the freshmen running around as the bell went for next period.
You had more questions than answers so far — both in your backpack to do this period and in your mind. Aside from Miles, you wondered what that extra class would be like, and what Wellston would say. A part of you hoped that Miles would be in that class with you, despite your less than favourable introduction. Maybe you’d figure out why the answer was six litres an hour. Maybe you could be friends.
What was the probability of that? Some questions couldn’t be solved with a calculator. But Miles didn’t need one, after all.
thank you for reading. im so tired of looking at this but its okay part 1 !!! hooray !!! next chapter is miles pov .... need more Substances in my Bloodstream before i post that though LMAO
reblogs appreciated!!!! go back to the series masterlist here or to my atsv masterlist here :)
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vhstown · 7 months
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hobie brown with a giggly s/o like... one glance is all it takes and the snickers start. it's IMPOSSIBLE to have a conversation without an amused breath every moment. it's endearing, and so mind-numbingly cute to him.
and often times he just knows what he's about to say is going to absolutely destroy the both of them, because once his s/o starts laughing, he starts laughing, and then they both laugh at how funny each other's laughs are until it hurts to breathe. he swore to himself he wouldn't laugh but he's been picking up his s/o's habits and that first crack of a smile is more than contagious.
it's a little absurd, and hobie's stomach might hurt, but the ache in his heart is good.
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vhstown · 8 months
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hobie green
— hobie brown x gn!reader
summary: You never knew punks could be into gardening — or into you.
word count: 2.9k
warnings: mentions of underage drinking, brief mentions of politics, fluff, not very edited
a/n: based on a silly headcanon me and @qiuweyballs came up with. 99% identical to my tag team fic arrest me i love friends to lovers (just lovers in my drafts prommie)
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There were a lot of things you didn't expect about your friend Hobie. The first thing was that he was Spider-Man (but you kind of figured after all those patch-up sessions at your place.) Second, was that he lived on a boat — not the most outrageous thing; somewhat non-conformist, somewhat Hobie-like — he wasn't the only boater in Camden. The third thing you didn't expect, however, was that this “hero”, non-conformist, punk, anarchist and whatever other label he'd projected, would have so many… plants.
“You're lookin’ at me funny.”
The “hero”, non-conformist, punk, anarchist and now plant dad in question sat with his feet propped up against one of the many windows of his canal boat, an unassuming eyebrow raised.
“…Nah, don't worry about it,” you muttered, shifting awkwardly on your feet as you tried not to knock anything over, taking in the overflowing greenery of the room.
There was pretty much every plant you could think of: regular household plants under the windows, a tomato stalk in the corner, small cacti in odd places — he even had a pretty well-maintained chilli plant, bathing more gloriously in a patch of sunlight than you ever could. The boat felt more like a disorganised plant shop than a home, if it weren't for the rowdy radical posters and punk collages peeking in-between. Maybe these plants were as much like your friend as all the anarchy-themed decoration he’d made himself — or Hobie had just stolen a boat with a lot of plants in it.
Squeezing past some more foliage, you sat beside Hobie on his tiny canvas couch. He gave you a glance of acknowledgement before reaching for his guitar, setting it between his kicked-up legs as you tried to get more comfortable. The red coating of the instrument had almost entirely peeled off, instead covered by loud stickers and scratchy writing. You weren’t sure what any of it really meant, or why his guitar wasn’t tuned in the first place (it never seemed to be when you two were hanging out) — but right now, you were wondering why he was being so quiet. The silence was nice, though, so you didn’t let yourself think of anything else to ask.
Swaying gently from time to time, the canal boat hummed with the splashing of water and faint strumming of Hobie’s guitar. These quiet, almost tranquil moments were unexpected for someone as spontaneous as Hobie, but they were also welcome, you decided. The world was falling apart, but it was nice to be away from that in the middle of a canal with your best friend — even with his many plants.
You felt a tug behind your back, realising Hobie was trying to get something. Mumbling a quick sorry, you moved to let him get the thing you were sitting on. It was a pink jumper — much too small to be his. After carefully draping it over the backrest, he cracked a smile at you.
“Gotta give that to Gwendy,” he told himself, nails tapping on the back of the guitar neck.
Gwendy (Gwen? Wendy?) was a friend he'd made recently, and you’d never seen a trace of her despite the fact that they supposedly lived together. That was until now; the sweater looked nice, soft, high-quality — nothing like anything you could afford here. Maybe she was well-off. How old even was she? Did Gwendy like plants too?
“Yeah? Is she your roommate?” you inquired, leaning forward to look at him. “Boatmate?”
“You sayin’ this isn’t a room?” Hobie set his guitar against the wall as if the conversation was suddenly more important.
“More like a garden.”
He tilted his head to the side at your response, finally meeting your eyes with his own glinting with amusement.
“You want a tour, then? Private — totally elitist.”
“Have you got more plants or something?”
He crossed his arms at you. “You’re actin’ like it’s a problem.”
It wasn’t a problem, per se, you just couldn’t imagine living with so many plants. Maybe it was his superhuman reflexes that kept him from slipping and smashing his face into a plant pot; you almost tripped on some dead roots earlier.
“Nah nah, it’s not. You got uh… free oxygen.” Clearly there wasn’t enough oxygen going to your brain at that moment if that's the only thing you could come up with. You held back a sigh; you’d never be as fast as Hobie. He just snickered.
“They privatise oxygen too?” Not his most clever quip, you thought.
“Maybe. Is that why you have so many plants? To breathe better?”
Hobie gave you a frown. If you didn't know better, you might've felt bad. “You don’t want the tour?”
“Go on,” you beckoned, dryly.
“Get up, then.”
“Can’t be bothered.” The sofa creaked as you leaned back on it, folding your arms as if you were going to sleep. If it was still quiet, maybe you could’ve actually fallen asleep to the gentle rocking motion of the boat.
“You come over to have a snooze?” he teased, leaning over until you pushed him away — one of his usual ways of driving you mad; you wouldn’t have it. “Want to be my boatmate too?”
“Wouldn’t mind.” The words came out by themselves, but you figured they might be true.
“Gwendy’s only here sometimes — you could.”
“I’d miss my place,” you objected, feeling slightly uncertain at the idea now. It was probably better if that weird feeling in your chest whenever you saw Hobie wasn’t a constant in your life anyway.
“Your place is only good for the pub down the road.” Maybe so — you two certainly weren’t good for the pub, though. All you did was shrug in response.
Hobie tapped his foot for a moment, appearing to muse about something. Before you knew it, he slid his hand between your back and the sofa and you were suddenly your feet in one swift motion.
“Hey—” The floor creaked as he started walking you out to the front of the boat, arm slung around your shoulder. You sighed reluctantly at him, but his grin just widened.
“You starting the tour from here?” Despite the cool wind now rushing past the two of you, your tone came out less energetic than you’d like.
Your heart dropped for a moment as Hobie let go of you, suddenly jumping up backwards onto the barriers. He crouched easily on the edge as you let out a small breath of relief. Even if there was no chance he’d fall into the water, you’d never get used to that.
“Nah, no tour,” he replied, hands on his knees as he looked down at you with squinted eyes. “I ain't no elitist.”
The lingering fear in your chest from Hobie’s stunt died down, and the way the late-day sun was hitting his face replaced it with that weird swishing sensation you could never get used to.
Honey-gold sunlight reflected off of his skin, his face shimmering where there were angles and glowing softly where there weren’t. His eyes glistened like copper, your own face in the reflection like the rich people on coins as you searched for any trace of amusement in his expression. You couldn’t find anything; he was just looking at you. The swishing became more like a crashing tide, your chest growing tighter. Maybe you should’ve feigned interest in the plants when you could.
“…Okay,” you managed, after realising that you’d been staring for a while. Tearing your eyes away from the tall, glistening silhouette of your best friend who was sitting like the figurehead of a sailing ship, you looked back into the boat house before another little plant caught your attention. It was the only plant sitting outside — a young rosemary with a paper tag attached to it.
You squatted down to look at it, figuring that Hobie had nothing to say right now. Taking the tag in your hands, you read “Helen”, written in lovely cursive writing.
“Helen… you name your plants?” It was too nice to be Hobie’s handwriting, but you decided to joke a bit anyway.
“Yeah,” he answered, deadpan, and you tried not to let him catch your eyeroll. “Some lady comin’ through Regent’s gave it to me.”
“People give you plants?”
“All the time, actually.”
Huh… It made enough sense. You did see your fair share of plants in other boats; maybe people wanted to give Spider-Man a thanks or something, or just get rid of some plants they get lying around. You recalled aloe plant you saw earlier, having almost slipped on the pile of dead roots beside it — interesting to gift a rotting plant. It looked like it needed a lot of care; you wondered who could get an aloe to that point.
Deciding to sit by the much nicer rosemary plant with your back against the doors, you caught the faint aroma of the leaves. If Hobie already had vegetable plants, he’d probably make good use out of this one once it got a little more mature. Maybe as a seasoning, or make it into an oil somehow, or just leave it as decoration. There was a lot you could do, you realised, and having plants was starting to look just a little cool. Everything Hobie did was cool — as much as you didn’t like to admit it.
“…What’s up with you?”
Hobie’s voice caught you off guard. You looked back to see that the figurehead was now sitting opposite you on the floor of the little outdoor cockpit, hands loose between his bent knees.
“What do you mean?” He couldn’t just tell like that, could he? Nothing was different… until recently. Until you realised you had that feeling.
“You're quiet,” he stated, though his tone wasn't all that serious. “Y’don’t come over, or come see old Hobie.”
“Old Hobie,” you repeated, half of a laugh coming out of your mouth. “Like Old Tom?”
Tom was the bar owner of the pub you frequented — if your antics could be considered “frequenting”. The two of you were probably the reason why he was “Old” Tom.
“Need to see that geezer,” Hobie mused, leaning back against the wood with a creak.
“A lot of people you’ve gotta see.” It came out far too sardonic, and you held your breath like you’d just placed a bet.
Hobie stuck his bottom lip out, lip ring catching the light. “Like you.”
The sun had faded by now, but that feeling hadn’t, you realised.
“I'm right here,” you replied.
“I brought you.”
“It’s not like I knew which out of the hundred boats was yours. Half of them’ve got plants anyway.”
“You do now.”
“I guess.”
Stretching a little, you shifted to sit more like Hobie, leg brushing against the rosemary leaves for a moment. Hobie cracked his knuckles in the meantime, and you realised you hadn’t really seen him in a while. It wasn’t all your fault, he just kept disappearing. Maybe you should stop waiting for him to come to you all the time.
“I’ll see you again before you have to go to the care home, Old Hobie,” you muttered, getting a snicker out of him.
“They’ll never get me in one of those.”
“You don’t wanna be an elder punk?”
“Not in them institutions — I’ll bail you out as well.”
You never imagined the thought of growing old with someone would go in this direction. Well, it was Hobie.
“I appreciate it, Old Hobie” you replied, though not too enthusiastically. Hobie smirked.
“Come pub with me, then. Don’t need ID if I’m retired.” Despite your best efforts, you smiled just a little.
It wasn’t like you gave Tom ID anyway, but you found it amusing regardless. Maybe it was the idea of being like those old people at the pub: loud, obnoxious, opiniated… Nothing much would change, actually.
“Don’t think that’s a good idea.”
“How come?” Hobie leaning forward on his knees, as if to taunt you. “Scared you’ll get pissed like last time?”
“I did not get pissed!” you retorted, face aching with an incriminating smile. Your stomach churned with the memory of that night — or lack thereof.
“Had to actually peel you off me. My Spider Powers didn’t even help.”
You groaned and laughed at the same time, trying to ease the embarrassment by putting a hand on the plant pot; it was cool, and you felt a chip near the rim.
“Don’t lie.”
“Never did.”
“Fine, yeah.” It sounded like a bit like an admission to a crime; maybe getting that drunk was a crime. “Don’t wanna get pissed like last time.”
Hobie’s smirk faded a bit, before he let out a sigh — those were rare for him, you thought.
“Seriously though, we gotta go again sometime — it’s on you, yeah?”
You frowned at that, but it got no reaction out of him. “You’re the worst.”
“Like I don’t know.”
“You don’t know the half of it.” You weren’t exactly sure what you meant by that, but Hobie didn’t seem to question it.
Maybe he did actually know what was going on with you, even if you never tried to make a move. It was possible — the observant prick. A prick with a green thumb and looked like he’d been kissed by the sun itself and that you couldn't get out of your head.
If he did know, you wished he'd say something, at least.
Your hand lingered on the pot, and the paper tag found its way into your hands again.
“Helen,” you stated, glimpsing at the nice handwriting.
“You gonna call it that now?”
“Got a better name?”
“Yours,” he replied, too easily.
You weren’t sure what a rosemary plant was like, but it sounded enough like a compliment. Did rosemary have a meaning? Hobie wasn’t thinking that deep, of course. Not about things like labels, no matter how many you had for him.
“Am I like a rosemary?”
“Dunno. If you were a plant, I’d keep you though.”
That made you laugh, albeit awkwardly.
“…What are you on about?” you muttered, shaking your head. “Random… You keep like, any plant anyway.”
“I keep the ones I like.”
“Your boat's a greenhouse. Maybe you just like every plant.”
“Maybe I just like you.”
A jolt of pain ran in your mouth, eyes almost squeezing shut — you’d bit your tongue. Hobie was silent, so you couldn’t be.
“Maybe,” you murmured through gritted teeth.
“Maybe,” he repeated, with his usual unbothered amusement that drove your feelings back into hiding. Hobie Brown — “hero”, non-conformist, punk, anarchist — your best friend.
You’d get over it, you told yourself — not for the first time.
Now with a weird attachment to the plant, you tried to seem interested in the tag again — you could say it’d… grown on you. Would he make a joke like that? You wanted to crumple the tag. It looked too nice to do that, so you turned it around to look at the back instead.
“ROSEMARY — remembrance, friendship, love.”
A dry laugh escaped your mouth; even this plant was mocking you. Maybe it felt sorry.
“What’s got you laughin’?” You almost forgot about Hobie; that would’ve been nice. No, you’d get over it soon.
“You better name this plant after me,” you joked, more so to yourself, and in a very much self-pitying way even though he wouldn’t get it. As Hobie’s gaze trailed to the tag, that feeling in your chest threatened you, so you ripped it off before he could see it.
Thwip! Mistake. In a second, the tag was in Hobie’s hand. His face was unreadable as he looked at the back, no longer gold with sunlight.
“Yeah,” he mused, folding over the edge with his nail as his eyes met yours. You tried not to bite your tongue again.
“Yeah…?” You couldn't even give him an awkward laugh.
He held up the tag to show you the folded bit. There was a single word, the rest cut off — “love.”
“Your name fits pretty well.”
Your mouth was so dry, not even a cactus could live in it.
“I’d rather you not be a plant, by the way,” he continued, despite how lost you must’ve looked. “Be yourself, at the pub, tomorrow — opening time. Dress how you want.”
No words were coming out of your mouth. Hobie didn’t need you to say anything, though.
“It’s on me.”
You couldn't leave him hanging. You also couldn’t shy away forever, not when it was right in front of your face. Not when he'd just asked you out.
”…Like a date?”
“Better than a date.”
A smile formed on your lips. After that feeling had been buried under the soil for so long, it was starting to blossom, like the little blue flowers on a rosemary bush.
“Okay,” you replied, winning something that was neither a grin nor a smirk from him — a smile, warm like sunlight, and just like yours.
“Okay.” Hobie chucked the tag back to you, the edge still folded over as you took it in your hand.
“ROSEMARY — remembrance, friendship,”
“love.”
“I’ll let you keep it, if you want.”
Your smile turned into a grin as you brushed your fingertips over the leaves. “I’ll think about it.”
Spice, oil, decoration — this plant had one more use: getting you a date.
Maybe you liked plants more than you originally thought.
🕸️🔭🎸
thank you for reading !! honestly the friends to lovers thing was so not planned i just wrote this for fun (intended to be a drabble / imagine but it turned into this) less friends more lovers in the future hopefully?
thank you again to my friend chewy ^^ tom is actually his chr + the aloe plant detail
reblogs & feedback are super appreciated <3 catch the rest of my atsv stuff here!
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vhstown · 8 months
Text
time out (part 1)
[boxer au] — 42!miles g morales x gn!reader
summary: Miles Morales makes boxing history. Your boyfriend isn't there to celebrate.
warnings: angst-ish, description of (boxing) injuries, self-destructive behaviours, briefly implied death, pov switch (yay), gtranslate spanish
word count: 3.9k
a/n: ive never written 42 miles before but he's a cool lil guy split into two parts cuz it was too long 😭 semi-edited (for the millionth time)
PART 2 → / THE AU
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"Just six rounds in, Miles Morales knocks out the Vulture!"
Screams and cheers exploded from your phone as you laid in bed, watching the recap of your boyfriend's boxing match. Your eyes were straining from how close you were holding the screen to your face; this was probably the third time you’d watched Miles’ win. After training to hell and back, he’d made it to the national league with you and Aaron to support him. He did more than just “make it”, in fact. His “revolutionary” victory was plastered all over social media and the news. Everywhere you looked was: “17-YEAR-OLD NYC BOXER OVERTAKES LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION ‘VULTURE’ IN US NATIONALS”. Miles Morales — your boyfriend — had made boxing history.
The giddy grin on your face only grew wider as he came up again on screen, sporting the stoic expression he'd perfected over the last few months behind the overly-done editing and animations of the recap. As much as you'd wanted to go out and see him live (though begging your family to let you go to Vegas wasn’t exactly feasible), he'd made it clear he didn't want you, or anyone for that matter, in that arena. It was something about having "total focus" — and it must've worked, you thought, as you watched him give his post-fight interview.
“I jus’ hope you watchin’, cause I’m here. Miles Morales made it!”
Despite his boyish, adrenaline-fuelled shout at the mic, the quiet laugh you let out was one of pride rather than embarrassment. He had every right to celebrate, and you were watching, even if it wasn’t live. Everything he'd done up until this point was well worth it: the constant training, sparring, the late nights and early mornings — maybe even the countless unanswered texts and missed calls too. Miles had worked himself to the bone, and while it might've worried you at the time, it was nothing compared to the satisfaction you felt while watching him on screen. He knew what he was doing; Miles was semi-professional at this point. You had to let him do his own thing, even if that meant letting him go for a while.
Right now, though, Miles was home from Vegas. Tapping out of the video, you scrambled to your messages. The last ones were from you, sent weeks ago, a "good luck" and "i love you" read and without a response. Your fingers kept missing the keys, and you frowned at yourself until you finally were able to hit send.
CONGRATS BABY!!! Not delivered
IM SO PROUD OF YOU Not delivered
You tried resending them, only to be met with the same red message.
why arent my texts sending Not delivered
miles??? Not delivered
Not delivered? It'd almost been three days since the tournament; Miles always had his phone on.
"To leave a message, please press one—" The call went to voicemail for the third time. Your stomach swirled with something like uncertainty. It didn't even ring at all. Miles made it a habit to always be available, so why...?
Boxers needed time to recover, he was probably just tired and turned his phone off. Or he could be busy with an interview; Miles Morales was sort of a celebrity right now — who wouldn't want to talk to the 17-year-old boxing prodigy? You knew you wanted to, prodigy or not.
It was probably because you hadn’t seen Miles in so long, but possibilities kept forming in your head, disappearing just as fast. What if he blocked you? Or he could’ve changed his number. Were you over? No. Nope. No way. Not like this.
There was one other reason that made some sort of sense, but you decided to think against it. Miles had made it to the semi-finals in entire the National League. It was over; he'd gotten what he wanted. He was supposed to be resting right now.
Miles wasn't that stupid, right...?
You pulled up Rio's contact. It was better to be safe than sorry.
Riiiiiiing, riiiiiiing…
Better for him to be safe than sorry — or stupid.
"Hello?"
"Hola, tía, uh, could I speak to Miles?" You felt just a little crazy as you held the phone to your ear, but there was no harm in calling his mom.
"Ah, he's not home right now — said he was going out with his tío."
"Oh… Do you know where they went?"
"I'm not sure. Something important. About a... contract?"
"Contract…?" you muttered to yourself. “Okay… thank you.” It wasn't like you knew anything about a contract, though it wasn't like Miles would tell you anyway. At least he was safe, and with Aaron. It was probably important, official — something that didn't involve you. Not a lot of things in Miles’ life involved you, it seemed.
"How have you been?” Rio's voice interrupted your thoughts. You had called her out of nowhere, and after a while. "Have you eaten yet?"
"Oh, um..." The last time you'd talked to Rio was… right before Miles had left for Vegas. Well, you hadn't exactly talked. All you remember is just comforting her in silence. "Yeah, tía. Have you?"
"I have, but I've just been all over the place recently. So many reporters…" Rio's voice lifted up slightly in exasperation. You could only imagine what it was like for her. Your feelings suddenly felt a lot less significant, and you were back to your comforting mode all over again.
"I see. Must be exhausting." You attempted a polite laugh, which came out more like a sigh. If only you could be as patient as Rio…
"I'm so proud, though." Her voice warmed with a smile. If your chest ached with melancholy or empathy, you didn't know. "I didn't want him to leave home so soon. I still think this whole… professional thing is a bit too much, but… I want to trust him also."
"I'm sure he'll be fine, tía. If he's in the nationals already, he's probably getting a lot of support." It was more like you were trying to convince yourself. "I'm sure he has great coaches... and he's got me and Aar— uh, his uncle, too."
"I know…" For a moment, you weren't sure if either of you had anymore to say.
"…If not, I'll have to go there myself and give them a piece of my mind, eh?" she continued. You weren’t sure if it was a joke, but a smile formed on your lips anyway.
"Yeah…" A quiet laugh leaving your mouth at the image of Rio cussing out Miles' poor manager, in two languages no less. No wonder he was such a good boxer — Rio must have passed down her fighting spirit. "Maybe you'd even get signed,” you joked, the image of that even more amusing (and a scary possibility.)
Rio let out her own laugh, and your smile only grew; talking to her always made you feel better. "Me? Boxing? Nunca (Never.) — I'll work in that hospital until the end of me."
There was another stretch of silence. You thinned out a sigh, trying not to let the smile leave your face, even if she wasn’t there to see it.
"Come over for dinner tomorrow. I'll tell Miles to come and get you."
"Sure, tía, I'd love to." He probably just needed a break. Not from you specifically, but in general.
"You know tú y Miles sois mi vida, ¿bien?" (you and Miles are my life, right?) It wasn’t often Rio said that, but you always remembered every time she did, and how it made you feel — like you were family. Rio was pretty much a second mother to you. It made you wonder what Miles' father would've been like.
"Well, it's getting late, and I have a lot of laundry to fold." Rio's tone had a fake sort of enthusiasm — tiredness? You couldn’t really tell with her; the woman was always upbeat. "Take care of yourself, okay?"
"I will." It was late, you realised, and the sky outside your window was a lot darker than it had been before. "You too, tía."
“Descansa, ¿sí?” (Get some rest, yes?)
“Sí, tía.”
The call ended, and you were left facing your messages, a bittersweet feeling hugging you from behind. Right now, Miles was out with Aaron, about some contract, probably to do with boxing…
But why weren't your texts going through?
miles are you ok? Not delivered
im really proud of you Not delivered
i wish i couldve seen you live Not delivered
It wasn’t like there was much point, but…
i love you Not delivered
Maybe it was just out of habit; maybe you just missed him. Your reflection frowned at you behind the messages, thumb hovering over the power button to shut your phone off, until your phone pinged with a notification — Aaron was texting you.
Hey man
Out of town
LMK if miles breaks in
You sat up immediately, fingers floating uselessly above the keys for a moment.
sure Read at 11:24PM
are you out of town already? Read at 11:25PM
Ping!
Yeah
@ Queens
Miles was with Aaron about some “contract”... and Aaron was in Queens?
You knew Miles hadn't blocked you, or turned his phone off — he had no signal. And there was only one place in Brooklyn you could think of that had no reception, and that MIles had any reason to be in. It was also the one place you didn't want him to go to: that damn warehouse.
The place he’d spent training all those weeks — what reason did he have to be there right after finishing the tournament? Putting on your jacket, blinking back the sleepiness and collecting the fleeting remains of patience you had left, you could only hope that Miles had even a shred of common sense with him.
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THWACK! THWACK! THWA— Crack!
"Mierda..." (Shit...) Miles hissed, drawing his glove away from the punching bag. His hand was paralysed for a moment, a deep, gnawing pang running through his fingers down to the rest of his arm. The tight gloves only suffocated him more, doing nothing to ease the pain as he gritted his teeth and waited for it to dull down.
Why was he even here? It was over — that Norman bastard had blown him off hours ago. It felt like a couple minutes, the words still fresh in his mind. Searing pain shot through his hand when he tried to flex his fingers, the rest of his muscles starting to ache too. This was going to hurt after the adrenaline wore off. Damn it, Morales.
The walls flashed white all of a sudden, a faint rumble of thunder interrupting the pounding of his heartbeat as he tried to straighten himself out. It was quiet, except for the sounds of the incoming storm. The playlist he was listening to had finished ages ago — your playlist. If he didn’t want to think about you, he wasn’t doing a good job of it.
Rain blasted quietly against the windows, and Miles’ eyes stung with dryness as he squeezed them shut. There was no way he'd be able to go back now, not to you, definitely not to his mom. She'd probably go on and on about how he should've taken his jacket, how he ruined his hair in the rain again, maybe how he wasted his damn time being a boxer...
It was probably fair; his mom had enough on her plate trying to support them both — especially him right now. She’d done everything in her power to make sure he got to Vegas, and he’d just left her alone again right after. But how was he meant to face her now? He was supposed to make her proud, make his dad proud, but it wasn’t like he had any pride left after he’d lost his contract. The Green Goblin had probably set the record for fastest knockout when Miles lost to him. Of course just the semi-finals weren’t enough; Norman Osborn was the big shot of boxing, and if Miles lost to some rookie in just about 15 seconds, then maybe he wasn’t worth the investment.
It didn’t make sense — nothing about The Green Goblin (or “Harry”, whatever they liked to gossip about) made sense. He’d just debuted, but didn’t even look like a boxer; he didn’t stand right, his style was inconsistent, his head movement was all over the place, but his punch had almost knocked Miles’ brain straight out of his skull. It was almost superhuman. Even with no openings, the freak of nature had forced his way through like an animal. And he was scrawny, not nearly as built as Miles at least, like he should’ve been in the weight class down. Either way, the asshole was being celebrated, and Miles was out of a contract.
And Miles had just stood there, while Norman berated him and tore Miles’ dream apart right in front of his very eyes. Maybe he’d hoped too much as an “amateur” boxer. That’s all he was, apparently — no matter how hard he worked, or what he achieved, or what he promised.
“Why should I keep you? The Vulture was destined to lose at his age.”
“Even rigged matches wouldn’t get you anywhere.”
“I mean, you’re as good at fighting as one of those street kids.”
“That’s all you were before I decided to give you a chance, no?”
The image of the Norman’s uncanny, sneering face sent his good fist reeling towards the punching bag. Should’ve pummelled his pelirojo (redhead) ass to the ground—
"Miles!"
The glove crumpled mid-air against the bag, arm going rigid. It was silent as he let out a breath through his teeth — he wasn’t hearing things, was he?
The rush was starting wearing off, his mind starting to cloud and pain faintly radiating again from his other hand. His good fist tightened inside the glove, pushed against the bag which was still and awkwardly tilted.
You’re losing focus, just punch the damn thing—
"Miles, what the hell are you doing here?"
The noise of the door shutting made him turn around, floor squeaking under his stumbling feet. It was you by the door, breathing just as heavily as him and dripping head to toe with rain, in a jacket that was way too thin for any sort of weather.
Dios... (God...) He knew he couldn’t be hallucinating that disapproving look on your face.
Rain was pattering gently against the glass as he pulled his arm away away from the bag, letting it swing in front of him before his eyes met yours.
"It's midnight, what are you..." A sharp intake of breath interrupted your words — a shiver.
"What’re you doin’ here...?" Miles asked instead through a grimace. His voice came out wrong — hoarse. Cold sweat was clinging to his skin, and his throat was dry and tightening. A mess — that’s what you were talking to right now, barely your boyfriend. All he could do was stare as the rush died down and his senses were coming back to him. The fog in his mind made it hard to speak, even harder to look at you.
"My texts and calls weren't going through— You weren't with Aaron or your mom, I just..." You sucked in another breath through your teeth; raindrops were glistening on your skin. He should’ve just stayed home, damn it. "Was just worried."
Well, he certainly looked worrying, even more so than you. Swallowing back his breathlessness wasn’t helping; it was like he’d ran a marathon with his fists. The pain from his knuckle was starting to bleed into the rest of his hand so much so that it might’ve been broken.
"'M good... You, though?" He let out a bit of a growl to clear his throat before deciding to cut straight to the chase: you’d come here in the middle of the night, in the rain, by yourself. As much as he was being an idiot right now, the amount of times he’d told you to not do any of those things, pleaded with you even, was making you look like the delirious one in his eyes. Miles was being stubborn, but he knew you were worse.
“You insane…?” he muttered, taking a step away from the bag. “Did Aaron tell you to come here or sumn’?"
"No, he was supposed to be with you," you shot back, eyes narrowing at him from under your hood before thunder bellowed from all around. The rain was growing into a loud static noise, and your voice was muffled as your expression grew more exasperated. "You came home 3 days ago and you didn't even text me. Yeah, I probably should've texted you, and I tried, but now you're here training alone again when your mom thinks you're with Aaron and—"
"You come here to scold me?" His jaw crunched a little as he tried to keep the annoyance out of his voice. Miles wasn’t trying to be mad at you — he was just mad in general. It just so happened to be in your direction right now.
“Huh? No, I came here because you scared the hell out of me — and Aaron told me to not let you break into his place.”
If it was supposed to be funny, the laugh he let out was anything but amused. At least Aaron wasn’t here for him to disappoint too, or get a weirdly-phrased life lesson from, or both. “Well I’m not breakin’ in, and I told you, I’m good, so I don’t get why you’re still here.”
You stepped a little closer, and Miles’ heels dug into the ground to keep himself from moving. “Isn’t it obvious? Or are you just being difficult on purpose?”
“Difficult?” he mirrored dryly, trying to push back the growing exhaustion clouding his head.
“Can you not just take a break for once? It’s over, Miles; you already won—”
“I didn’t win.” The walls echoed with his voice, words having escaped on their own. It wasn’t at you, but he didn’t know what he was mad at, resolve fading as he watched your face straighten with realisation.
“Don’t tell me that’s why you’re here…”
His fingers unconsciously clawed into the boxing glove, pain shoot through his hand. Nothing came out of his mouth, but his silence was loud — incriminating. That was the reason, right? That he didn't win?
“Kid didn’t stand a chance.” What was the point of you being here?
“A one-punch concussion — on a newbie, no less.” It was over, like you said.
“It’s a shame, I bet on him too.” Everyone had given up on him.
“You should be resting right now— you’re shaking, Miles.” So why wouldn't you?
“No ‘m not…” is all he could muster, flexing his shoulders uncomfortably. Your hand was on his arm before he could realise, and he was met with a stern look as he tried to keep his gaze from shaking too.
The velcro on his gloves crunched as you started undoing them, and he couldn’t bring himself to stop you. It’s not like he had the energy.
“You coulda’ got hurt on your way here.” The croak in his voice made him sound more hopeless than reprimanding as you slipped off the first glove, pausing half-way down his palm. His bare palm.
“…I could’ve got hurt?” Miles held back a sigh as he was made to look at his own hand. Bruised, blackened, branded with anger — it hurt more to look at it than anything. “You didn’t wear your wraps?”
The other glove slid off, revealing the fresh, festering swelling coming from his middle knuckle — the aftermath of that sickening cracking noise. You took his curled hand, easing up his middle finger and making him hiss under his breath.
“Think you can straighten it?” you muttered, gently trying to do it yourself only to lose his hand from your grip.
“’S gonna be fine,” he mumbled, eyes fixed to the side as his hand closed back up.
“It won’t if you can’t move it properly.”
“You a doctor now?”
“Nah, but your mom’s a nurse.” You carefully held his hand by palm, thumb tracing over the tender, split skin, his fingers wrapping around the side of your hand in futile protest. He’d have to bother his mom again — he didn’t even think about that. “You basically just punched yourself.”
Everything you were saying was right — it always was. He hated that fact.
“You a boxing expert too?” he thought to retort.
“Thought that was supposed to be you.” Miles’ eyes narrowed, and yours narrowed in response. “I don’t get it, baby...” you sighed, shaking your head a little as you put down the gloves to the side.
Baby. His breath almost hitched. You were dating, and it didn’t even seem like it anymore. Not after all those weeks apart. The word didn’t even feel endearing, it was condescending, like he didn’t deserve it. Maybe he was being a baby, and maybe he always had been. You were the one who always had to drag him out of this make-shift gym. Right now was no different, except…
“…Why are you still doing this?” he heard you mutter, still turned away with his hand in your grip. You didn’t even know the half of it.
“Why are you still here?” His hand tried to slip away again, but you only took it by the wrist instead, now facing him.
“Why won’t you answer my questions, Miles?” Your voice deadened into a whisper, only serving to frustrate him.
“I don’t know why you care so much.” He let out a quiet huff, staring at your hand when your grip ceased to relax.
“I care because you look like you’re about to pass out and I can’t let my boyfriend kill himself over something stupid—”
“I’m not killing myse—” A pained groan escaped his mouth as you ruthlessly pushed up his injured finger.
“Don’t push me, Miles.” Oh, you were serious.
“You’re pushin’ sumn’,” he strained through gritted teeth. “Mierda… quit it already.”
The pain tore on another moment, and he was just now realising how bad it actually hurt. All you were doing was staring at him, brows knitted together. “Cariño, please…” he whispered, a wince forming on his face.
Your hand loosened, and he let out a quiet, frustrated, somewhat relieved sigh.
Still a sucker for nice words... He didn’t say them as much as he would’ve liked.
“You need to take a time out,” you stated after a beat of silence. The expression on your face was serious again, killing any sense of tenderness you might’ve shown.
He freed his hand from your grip with the opportunity, before giving you a dubious look. “Like, for kids?”
“Like for boxers, dumbass.” Your gaze followed his retreating hand for a moment before falling back on his eyes. “But if you want me to treat you like a kid…”
“I’m good.” Another roar of thunder rang out before he could add anything, and the rain was so heavy that anything you could see from the windows became a blur.
“…You got your jacket?” you suggested, without much hope.
The idea only made Miles’ eyes squeeze shut again. A shallow exhale left him, and he tried not to let his fatigue cloud his judgement. If he kept talking stupid to you, he’d probably have worse to worry about than a broken knuckle. “You think imma go outside?”
All you could do was sigh. It seemed like the two of you would be in “time out” for a while.
🕸️🔭👾
thank you for reading part 2 soon but then again its not my fav fic in the world 💔 i rewrote this like 8 trillion times and it still wasn't clicking for me 😭 idk i just got sick of editing it again and again
this isn't as short as my usual fics because i felt like i needed to add context... I've never written an au or anything remotely original so this is just yeah... im tryna figure it out! i have . too much lore for this au
reblogs appreciated lmk if you did like it (i hope this is someone's cup of tea lmao)
catch my atsv masterlist here !
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