the-egg - Tumblr blog

the-egg · 8 months

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See Me as I Am

Tags: Hurt/ comfort, lil angsty, implied smut, no use of Y/N, couple swears :^

Based on a request here: https://www.tumblr.com/the-egg/724847770180239360/yippee-could-you-write-a-miguel-x-gn-spider-fic?source=share

Summary: How far will you and Miguel go to hurt each other just to say I love you?

Word Count: 4k

===

Location: Earth 973

Report: The Prowler from Earth 324 was seen breaking and entering into Alchemax at approximately 11:15 p.m. Two Spiderpeople were sent to support the local Spiderman.

Anomaly capture: In Progress…

===

Atop the rooftop of the esteemed science and research facility during the late hours of the night were three Spiderpeople hidden from plain sight. While that sentence may have rhymed smoothly, the plan these superheroes made could have been anything but smooth.

“Okay,” you said, calling attention to yourself after you had gotten formalities out of the way, “Our best method right now is to sneak in through the roof and head in three different directions. We can throw the Prowler off and subdue them from three different angles.”

The local Spiderman nodded his head, eager to collaborate and earn his place in the Spider Society. Unfortunately, Miguel wasn’t too keen on going with one of your plans, but he rarely ever was.

“Really? A sneak attack with the Prowler?” Miguel mocked, pinching his brow between his fingers. “A sneak attack wouldn’t work against an anomaly with heightened senses.”

You rolled your eyes at him before snapping your fingers.

“Shoot, you’re right! If only we were a team of highly trained superheroes who knew how to move without making a sound— Oh wait—”

Miguel lightly shoved his hand onto your face, groaning at your antics as he directed his attention to the other Spider.

“Don’t listen to them. What we need is a direct attack facing the Prowler head-on. They can’t take all three of us at once, and there is no point wasting time trying to attack from a blind spot.”

Spiderman put his finger up to provide his input, but you quickly swiped the hand away from your face to interject.

“Need I remind you that the reason we were sent to help in the first place was due to the anomaly’s unnatural agility and strength?” You cocked your brow at Miguel. “You’re underestimating the anomaly again.”

“I am not underestimating the anomaly!”

“Then explain last week.”

While you two kept bickering away at one another over this petty little argument, Spiderman heard sensor after sensor going off inside the building. The Prowler was still on the move, and they would get to the reactor in no time. While Spiderman didn’t think he would be playing counselor today, he just had to hope that the two of you would kiss and make up before he billed you for this session.

“Umm…guys?” Spiderman’s voice broke through the argument. The two of you turned to him, unintentionally directing angered glares toward him. “How about you—” He pointed at Miguel— “face the Prowler head-on while we sneak from behind and attack when they’re distracted?”

Like a tantrum child being offered what they want, the angered faces lifted to delight.

“Finally, a voice of reason here,” Miguel complimented as he agreed to the new plan. Your eye twitched at his comment, but you agreed with the rookie nonetheless. Using a plan created out of compromise, the three of you successfully captured the anomaly, recruited the new Spiderman, and went off your merry, separate ways.

That was until your paths would crash into each other again.

===

It was difficult for Miguel to understand how much you cared for him.

Every remark or reminder you made out of love was taken as criticism or a reprimand.

"Hey Miguel," you called out from below his platform. "You’ve been up there for a few hours, so I brought you something to eat." You waved a bag of food from the cafeteria at him even though he wasn’t looking at you.

Miguel sighed and pinched his brow in frustration.

"What I need right now is a partner. An employee. I don’t need someone to parent me every time I do something you don’t approve of," he huffed as he refused to look down at you. Your shoulders sagged at his harsh tone, not meaning to come off as a parent when you offered him food.

"I wasn’t trying to act like that. I just wanted to make sure you’re all right—"

"Well, I am! Thanks for the check-up! You can go now!" he argued as he talked in an eerie tone, like the calm before the storm. Unfortunately, you didn’t bring an umbrella, so you left before it started to thunder.

Sighing, you clutched the bag of food you so desperately wanted to share with him as you headed over to sit with the younger Spiderpeople like your friends Hobie and Pavitr. You ate and laughed alongside your friends as you had a heart-to-heart with some of the people you cared about.

It would be nice if you could have a heart-to-heart with someone you loved though.

===

Miguel was in love with you. He knew that. Lila knew that. But it was difficult for you to understand how much he cared for you. He couldn’t understand why he had such a short temper when it came to you. Why would he snap when you did something remotely kind to him? Dare he say it’s because you tore his walls down?

You and Miguel used to be so close. Partners on the battlefield and friends on the grass hills. Your battle techniques, strength, and determination were all admirable skills that he admired and even loved. Things between you two dropped off after he found out about his other, happier, self over in another dimension.

You were skeptical of his decision to take a dead man’s place, but to be the person to wipe that smile off his face would kill you. It killed you even more that all the time in the world with you could never seem to make him smile the way his new family did. Even when your friendship grew further apart your feelings toward him remained the same. If having this new family would make him happy, then so be it; it was when his attitude started affecting your happiness that made it difficult for you two to see eye to eye.

To you, he cherished the love of his family so much that he had little room in his heart to share that love with you.

To him, he was so worried that keeping you in his life would tempt him to stray away from his new spouse to continue his family with you. You had a way of alluring him, a skill that not even you seemed to understand that you possessed. A way to make him feel like he was at home when he wrapped his arms around you after a tough mission. A way to make him feel comfortable as he shared a warm meal in the familiarity of your home, your bedroom.

Unfortunately, that was a one-time deal. You, the person who felt like having a relationship with the man who just so happened to be your boss would be a terrible idea if something went wrong. Miguel was a man who believed that you were his metaphorical canon event to a happy ending that he could love and cherish in his own timeline.

While this left you two heartbroken, to stay apart would be a heavier burden, so despite better judgment, you stuck together until Miguel decided to “move on.”

After he had lost his family, he was practically a different person than the man you had known to love.

Fighting strategies were met with taunts. Opinions were met with threats. The worst was when he said he wished he could fire you after you told Gwen and Hobie to go against Miguel’s orders during a mission.

Fortunately, when Miguel spat sparks, you lit matches.

It was a delicious love that turned toxic with the growing silence between you two.

If either one of you decided to have a heart-to-heart in this state, it would be fair to assume combustion would occur.

===

It hadn’t been less than ten minutes before Jessica informed you that Miguel wanted you in his office. You knew it was about your little argument earlier. The conversation-to-be was practically rolling in your head as you made your way to him. This song and dance had been done before.

"Do you want to explain why you went against my judgment in front of the new recruit? Again?" He will say with his back facing toward you as he makes his dramatic, slow descent to ground level.

"Because it wasn’t going to work?" You’ll answer, stating the obvious.

"You undermined my authority!" He’ll snap at you, finally turning to face you as his platform reaches the floor. There’s this look in his eyes that always lets you know when it’s the calm before the storm. He’d smirk at your comment as his eyelids go half-lidded like you were friends just joking around. You knew better.

"I uplifted your authority by showing how flexible you are as a leader," you defend yourself as you reuse the same line you did last time.

"Not as flexible as you were," he’d think to himself, but you never knew that. Then he would say aloud, "I’m disappointed in—

"You’re a disappointment to this team."

Wait. This wasn’t like before.

"What?" You muttered, taken aback by the break in continuity. A disappointment to this team? With your level of commitment, your motivation, and your power, you were seen as a disappointment? Well, a disappointment only to him.

"Every time I open my mouth, you always have something to say against it. You act like you’re on the same level as me. Like you can call the shots. I take you on missions with me so you can prove me wrong—" Lies— "and be the mature Spiderperson that everyone else sees you as, but you’re just the same!" His voice was practically booming by the time he was finished. You weren’t expecting this conversation to ever happen.

To you, it had become clear. He wasn’t just annoyed with you, he hated you, but you’d be a fool to get caught in your own webs.

"I am on the same level as you! I was with you from the very beginning, before Spider Society, before Gabriella, before you started acting like a complete asshole to everyone who cares about you! The only thing disappointing here is your lack of compassion for your team, especially for me!" you yelled, refusing to break eye contact with the man who seemed to hold nothing but discontent. Miguel narrowed his eyes at you, slowly stalking his way over to where you stood.

"With everything that I have gone through, did you really expect me not to change? If I started caring for people the way I cared for my family, I’d get weak! I’d lose my edge and allow an entire dimension to crumble!" You thought he was done after that. You thought he’d give you room to speak and remind him that he shouldn’t bear the heavy burden of losing his daughter. That no one knew what was going to happen. Despite your argument, you held the same softness you’ve always had for him, but he continued. "If I started caring for someone, I’d think that I can go against everything they say. Try to tell them when to eat and change their plans in front of a new recruit. I can’t allow myself to go soft anymore, and anyone else on the team who’s willing to stoop so low should just leave."

Shit.

Shit. Shit. Shit!

Tears pricked your eyes as your blood rushed to your face in embarrassment. He knew. He knew you still cared for him and still went out of his way to hurt you like this. With sadness turning to anger, you tried to bite your tongue and leave with your dignity intact, but your petty self had to leave with the last word.

By now, Miguel was a mere foot away from you, staring you down like he would an anomaly, but you refused to be seen as the enemy. You swallowed back the lump in your throat and prayed your voice would come out steady.

"Well then," you spoke softly, "Maybe I will. Just like how I left you alone in my sheets the morning after." You let the venom sink in as his eyes softened in pain. Eyeing him up and down, you took in the man you once knew so well, the one you still craved every night. Looking at this stranger in front of you, you wanted him to hurt as much as he was hurting you. "It’s good to know I made the right decision all those years ago."

This wasn’t an argument between fallen-out friends. This was a lovers' quarrel, but neither of them could seem to understand it. It was never just about their relationship as coworkers, in fact, there was never a time that it was.

You didn’t know that Miguel purposefully teamed up with you because he wanted a reason to talk with you, to fight alongside you.

He never knew you brought him food in hopes of having a conversation like nothing had ever changed.

Neither of you knew how much you meant to one another. It was difficult to see each other for who you were now when you both were stuck on the people you used to be.

===

You stormed down the halls refusing to look anyone in the eye, let alone acknowledge their existence. The only thing that existed in your reality was you, Miguel, and the ever-growing distance you wanted to put between you two. However, physical distance did nothing when it came to the emotional connection you two had.

Gwen and Pavitr were walking by with a newly captured anomaly when they saw you. Noticing your glossy eyes and shaking anger, they already knew exactly who had caused this.

Your feelings toward Miguel weren’t much of a secret to the Spider kiddos. While you never outright said anything to anyone about your feelings, you were an open book when it came to your emotions. Gwen found out from the way you would defend him whenever they talked about how scary and intimidating Miguel could be. Pavitr could easily read between the lines during your arguments with him. They knew how much you loved him, but the lack of proper communication between you two seemed childish, even for them.

They shared a look with one another as you walked by, and continued on their way to the Go-Home Machine.

===

"Well, that was super heartfelt," Lyla joked, appearing beside Miguel as he slowly made his way back to his platform. "I could really feel the love coming out of you when you spoke to them."

"Lyla…" He wanted to make some small quip, but all he could think about was the way your eyes looked when he insulted the way you loved him. Even though he didn’t understand how deep he was cutting, the wound was still there.

"I know, too soon, but do you know what I think is too late? Telling them you love them."

He winced, feeling his own eyes slowly grow blurry.

"Wipe your tears, big guy," Lyla encouraged, holding her same nonchalant tone. "I came to tell you that you’re needed at the Go Home Machine. Something went wrong, and Margo needs a little help."

Miguel rolled his eyes before pinching his brow, placing a hand on that slutty waist of his.

"Can’t you go and help?" He asked harshly, not wanting to be seen by anyone.

"I’m not the one who needs a breather. I feel like I’m being suffocated in here, and I don't even have lungs."

Wiping away the tears that threatened to spill, he reluctantly made his way out to resume his duties. He didn’t look at anyone as he walked by, let alone acknowledge anyone who gave him a greeting. This wasn’t abnormal behavior for him, though.

He walked by the vast cages of captured anomalies waiting for their turn to go home, until he heard a conversation that piqued his interest. Slowing down, he noticed Gwen and Pavitr off to the side as they placed an anomaly into one of the cages. Curiosity killed the cat the moment he heard your name roll off Gwen’s tongue.

"We caught this anomaly faster than they could get over Miguel," Gwen joked about your "unrequited" love.

"It’s sad, but I don’t think a confession is going to happen any time soon. Give it ten more anomalies, then maybe they’ll start treating each other nicely," Pavitr joined in.

Surprisingly, your love life was not an uncommon conversation between the Spider kids. There was always something that happened between you and Miguel that would be the next day's gossip among them. While they would be sympathetic toward you in these conversations, they couldn’t help but feel that your constant attempts to reconnect with him were pathetic. Of course, they would never say such a thing to your face.

"They’d really be cute together if they weren’t bitching each other out every time they talked to each other," Gwen admitted, locking the cage.

"Not to intrude, but it sounds like these people have chemistry, but they don’t know how to dilute their emotions to a base rather than acid. If they talked heart-to-heart, which by the sound of it, it isn’t very probable that would occur, they could stabilize their relationship. But, since that’s not going to happen, your friend should move on."

Gwen and Pavitr turned to the cage to see that the Dr. Octavius they captured was fully awake and very much engaged in their conversation. The doctor shrugged at their confused stares.

"I just thought I’d provide my input. It doesn’t mean you have to take it into consideration," Doc Oc continued.

Miguel couldn’t tell if his heart was crushed or if it had begun to bloom, but the heavy burden of guilt weighed it down. This was the first time the two had argued to this extent. It was so raw it hurt, but he knew that they had only scraped the surface of what years of disharmony had done to them.

"Hey Miguel, over here! Mind giving me a hand?" Margo called out from across the room, noticing Miguel slightly hidden behind a bundle of captured anomalies. At hearing Margo’s words, Gwen and Pavitr snapped their heads up to see Miguel’s tall frame staring them down. Their jaws dropped.

Shit, they’re gonna die.

While Miguel was furious at the way the kids talked about you, he’d be damned if he let an anomaly predict the downfall of his relationship with you. He tapped his watch to summon Lyla.

"I need you to help Margo. I have to go do something," he told her before heading back off to his office.

"It better not be something stupid!" Lyla yelled off after him, but she knew what he was about to do was probably one of the smartest choices he had made in a long time.

===

You were never going to abandon Spider Society, even if you weren’t on good terms with the leader. You did, however, plan on avoiding him at all costs till you died. It was the most logical explanation you could think of as you sobbed on the couch in your apartment. The argument kept replaying in your head, and you bid your time by reimagining the conversation if you had been honest with him. If you had been kind.

Being part of the Spider Society meant you had to be the bigger person, yet the words you threw at him were anything but. If you wanted to redeem yourself and grow, you needed to muster up the courage to go and apologize to him.

It was time to accept that things with him weren’t going to change. He wasn’t the same man you fell in love with, and you weren’t the same person he once adored.

While it was important that you apologized to him, you were still too busy being sad. You made a mental checklist in your head: Be sad, then go apologize. Solid plan.

As you sunk into the couch cushions to try and take a nap, the doorbell rang.

Fuck. Okay, pause that.

You checked the peephole before going to open the door. The moment you registered who was on the other side you froze. You had half the mind to pretend you didn’t hear him and go back to sleep, but you noticed something through your small, distorted view. Maybe it was the red rim around his eyes or the way he nervously shifted from foot to foot, but he seemed raw like a rose that just lost its thorns. Effortlessly beautiful, but lacking the edge to cause pain. It tempted you to open your doors to it, to touch the stem without fear, to cup the head of the flower with your palms before you leaned in—

Blinking away the remains of your tears, you unlocked the door.

Despite being the one to ring the bell, he looked like a deer caught in the headlights when you finally greeted him, not expecting you to be very welcoming of him at the moment.

Wordlessly, you moved to the side to let him in, and he did so with little hesitation. He followed you to the couch where he sat on the opposite side from you. As you tried to muster up the courage to speak, he was already a step ahead of you.

“I’m sorry,” he finally spoke, feeling the tension start to roll off his shoulders at his apology.

“No, I’m sorry—” You tried to say before he raised a hand to stop you.

“Please, let me finish,” he urged, his eyes pleading with you to not turn this into an argument. Agreeing, you kept your mouth shut. “I went too far. I was frustrated that you wouldn’t listen to me, and I decided to hurt you rather than talk to you.

You could tell Miguel was a bit uncomfortable opening his heart to you like this after all this time, yet your heart still warmed at his attempt.

“I don’t think you’re weak. You are one of the strongest fighters this team has ever seen and I don’t want you to stop being kind to others… kind to me.”

Your face flushed, but with his silence, you decided to speak.

“I’m sorry, too. What I said was cruel, and I shouldn’t have dug up the past like that. It’s just…” You took in a shaky breath, “…I miss the way we used to be and I feel like we won’t get to that place anymore.”

Miguel looked down, understanding where you’re coming from and remembering the conversation he overheard earlier.

“We aren’t the same people anymore, so I know that we’ll never go back to what we used to be, but I don’t believe that things can’t be fixed. I still want to keep our friendship.”

You smiled at his hope, you wanted to tell him that you still had feelings for him. That this wasn’t just about your friendship. If you two were going to have the first honest conversation after years of bitter rivalry, then you wanted to be on the same page.

“That’s not what I mean—”

“But I hope you understand—”

“I still love you,” you both confessed, taken aback by the confession of the other. Flustered yet determined, you continued,

“I still love you, but I feel like I don’t know you anymore.”

Miguel blinked away his surprise but didn’t hesitate to move closer to you on the couch. You slowly did the same.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve talked, but I’ve missed you even if I don’t really know you.”

Testing your boundaries, he reached his hand up to cup your cheek. Reveling in his affection, you leaned into his touch and took in a deep breath as you closed your eyes for a moment. You missed this. You missed him.

“Then let’s start over,” you suggested, holding the hand that held your face and giving it a small kiss before you brought it out in front of you. You shook his hand. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you. What’s your name?”

Miguel chuckled as he went along with your ministrations.

“My name is Miguel O’Hara.”

You two lived your impromptu first date to the fullest learning everything about one another, the old and the new. You discussed clear boundaries, triggers, and how to better communicate from here on out as you shared a warm meal with him in the comfort of your home.

Miguel agreed that he wanted to take things slow with you. He didn’t want to rush into anything that made you uncomfortable and wanted to make a clear foundation so that you two could grow together rather than drift apart again. It was going to take time and hard work but no one said you two couldn’t have fun while you did it, even if that fun could be seen as a little too soon…

“So, what do you like to do?” you asked him as you sipped on drinks after dinner.

“You.”

===

It had been a long time since Miguel had slept in your bed. The covers were still the same soft material he knew. There were some new pictures on the walls he hadn’t noticed until now. It was hard to see anything other than you in the dark, not that he minded. It felt nice running his fingers down your body, feeling new battle scars, and taking note of any new mole or freckle that he hadn’t noticed before.

He felt like he was falling in love with you all over again. He loved holding you. Kissing you. Loving you. He loved the way you teased him. The way you cared for him. The way your eyes were like an open book of your emotions.

He wanted to make a new life with you in his own timeline, one chapter at a time.

When he woke up the morning after, he sighed and turned over to face your side of the bed. A small smile grew on his face as he felt his heart reignite with love.

After all the arguments you’ve had in the past and present, even after you bled each other dry.

There you were, warm under the sheets next to him the morning after.

You stayed.

#miguel o'hara #miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara x y/n #miguel o'hara x reader #atsv miguel #atsv fanfiction #spiderman 2099 x you #spiderman 2099 x reader #across the spiderverse #spiderman across the spiderverse #miguel o'hara x gn!reader #miguel o'hara x gender neutral reader #spiderman 2099 spiderverse

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the-egg · 10 months

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So This is Love

Song Fic: So this is love - Ilene Woods, Mike Douglas

Miguel O'Hara x gn!reader

Summary: "you can fix him" except he fixes you too.

Tags: Mild cursing, trauma bonding, strangers to lovers, fluff

Words: 9.8k

Loving Miguel was the greatest choice your heart had ever made, and you swore your life on it. Normalcy was a temporary feeling for masked heroes, but, together with him, it bloomed to be everlasting. The sun to your moon. Together, you would learn to find peace.

Before being a part of the exhilarating world of Spider Society, you lived two lives. Two exhausting lives. During the day, you worked for the government as a public defense attorney. Long hours and a terrible work-life balance were your normal lifestyle. Then, two years ago, you were bitten by a radioactive spider that belonged to the same government you worked for. Since then, you’ve been the world’s one and only spider. The Spider, to be specific. You didn’t choose the name, much like how you didn’t choose to get bit, but at least you got to choose the suit! A shining white with silver webbed streaks across your chest. You preferred Spider-Moon or Moon-Spider as your name, but The Spider had already stuck. Much like how you were stuck patrolling the city at night, every night.

On this night in particular, nothing was out of the ordinary. You leaped from rooftop to rooftop, keeping a watchful eye on all the people you'd sworn to protect.

So, wouldn’t you believe your luck?

One day you were out patrolling in the late hours of the night when the full moon shined brighter than the street lights. While criminal activity was surprisingly low tonight, your senses kept you on guard. Scaling to the top of a building, you stood on the edge as you looked down below. Everyone was now just tiny ants. Tiny ants that were under your protection. There was one ant, though, that caught your eye—someone you couldn’t quite grasp whether you were supposed to protect or attack.

You peered down below, focusing on a dark alleyway that had begun to glow into a rather large hexagonal shape, a tall silhouette making its way through the light.

"Probably not a good guy," you said quietly to yourself, both hands on your hips, waiting ever so impatiently for this mystery to make an appearance.

===

"Hey, Miguel, check this out," Lyla called out from across the platform. "I found another good one for ya!"

The man in question sighed, not removing his eyes from a video of his latest anomaly capture. Despite his team's success, they still lacked in numbers. After discovering the vast concept of the multiverse, and learning from his catastrophic mistake, he needed to expand his team of spiders to keep the multiverse safe and in balance. Naturally, he couldn’t accept just anyone; he needed people he could trust not to abuse their power. People who could make the quick decision to save the lives of 100 people over the lives of one important person.

"If ‘good’ means recruiting another Spider-Plush, then I’m not interested," he replied, his tone flat. Lyla popped up next to Miguel with a smirk on her pixelated face.

"Aww, come on! Just take a peek!"

"No."

"This relationship isn’t gonna work if you’re not willing to compromise." Lyla crossed her arms to solidify her point, yet the smirk still remained.

Miguel’s eye twitched as he ran a hand over his mouth. When he said he wanted an AI with a smart mouth, he didn’t mean this. Nevertheless, it’s what he’s got, and she’s too important for Miguel to boss her around. He finally averted his eyes and looked at Lyla’s screen.

It wasn’t a Spider-Plush, which was a plus, but it wasn’t Peter Parker from the LEGO dimension, which was a minus.

The Spider

Earth 5863

"’The Spider’? That’s a stupid name," Miguel commented, crossing his arms.

"You know what I think is stupid?" Lyla said as she narrowed her eyes at the tall brood. The brood in question made a noise of disapproval. "The name ‘arachno-humanoid polymultiverse,’ but yeah, you know exactly what things sound stupid."

He turned his head to stare at Lyla, unsmiling and unblinking. The AI responded with a Cheshire smile. Taking a breath, Miguel turned his head to the screen.

All Canon Events Completed

Special Abilities…

The list droned on about the usual abilities that came with the title: enhanced speed, strength, hearing, agility, etc. Until the list came to one ability that wasn’t as common: shadow manipulation. No one else in the spider society had such an ability. This person could actually be useful.

"Lyla," Miguel commanded, "I need you to expand on this one. What can they do with this?" He pointed out the unusual ability on the list.

"Oh, so now you’re interested in who I have picked out? They can do, like, shadowy things." Lyla motioned with her hands as if imitating what a shadow was capable of. "Ya know, be one with the shadow? Kinda freaky how the atoms in their body can just go—poof! They can change their shape if they try really, really hard, though, but I wouldn’t rely on it."

Miguel had to hold back an eye roll at her unprofessionalism, but the information she provided always hit the mark.

Having The Spider on the team could be incredibly beneficial on stealth missions, especially since no one would expect them to be hiding in plain sight. Mission casualties could drop, and anomalies could be captured faster. For once in the ever-growing stress of Miguel’s life, he could feel the burden of maintaining the multiverse lighten on his shoulders. He just needed to recruit them and hope that you wouldn’t give him a hard time.

===

So this is love?

When you saw the 6’9”, absolutely stunning figure of someone walking through what you assumed to be a portal, you were wishing they weren’t a bad guy. The suit was mostly blue, save for the red lines outlining certain features of his body. Standing on the ledge, you observed as he looked at his surroundings, seemingly looking for something or someone.

Without even having to determine on your own whether they were a friend or foe (which, in your universe, anyone who had powers tended to be a foe), it hit you. The spider-sense. Connecting and flowing with a stranger you would come to realize wouldn’t be much of a stranger to you anymore.

They were like you. You weren’t alone anymore.

Feeling the same sensation, the stranger's head snapped up to see you.

===

When Miguel felt your presence, your connection, he quickly looked up to meet your gaze. As soon as his eyes saw you, his breath hitched. He felt his heart pound for a quick second before calming back down. Being taken aback by a new spider was never something that he did. Sure, the disappointment he felt when meeting Peter B. Parker was a notable first impression he had, but this wasn’t like that.

In the nearly pitch-black sky above him, you were glowing. The moon behind you gave you a soft white hue as the stars glimmered at your side. You controlled the night. Your confidence. Your power. You were in your element.

And he was about to pull you out of it.

"Moon-Spider would have been a better name," he thought to himself, quickly blinking so he could get back into his no-nonsense, super-serious mindset that everyone just loved so much. As quickly as he refocused, you had left your position at the top of the building, confusing Miguel only for a moment as you appeared in front of him. His eyes followed you as you materialized into the light of the streetlamp, holding his gaze.

"You’re like me!" you lilted, taking confident yet careful steps toward him. "Are you… from here?" You peered at him through your mask, taking careful note of his hands and feet in case he was ready to strike.

"I’m not,” the stranger replied, his voice sending a warm chill down your spine.

“I figured. Well, I’m The Spider. You might have heard of me before, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard of you…” you trailed your words, hoping that this stranger would fill in and introduce himself.

“I’m Spiderman, and I’m from a different dimension.”

Your posture went slack as you cocked a brow at this wannabe Spider. He couldn’t see your expression, but it was the thought that counted.

“If I wasn’t so tired right now, I would humor you, but last I checked, multiple dimensions haven’t been discovered. Besides, I haven’t heard of anyone talking about a Spiderman roaming the streets.”

The stranger sighed and pinched his brow before holding up his arm.

“You see this?” the man pointed at the watch on his wrist. “This device helps me travel throughout different dimensions. I’m from Earth 928, and this place is Earth 5863.”

“So that goober is supposedly transporting people into other dimensions?”

“Gizmo,” he corrected, “and it’s not just any people, it's Spider-people. People like us.”

Despite being skeptical about his story, you couldn’t deny that you felt the spider connection toward him. He couldn’t have been lying about that.

“So, there’s more of you out there? More people like us?”

“Yes, I’m only one Spiderman out of the many we have back at headquarters.”

You have to admit that it was shocking to know that multidimensional travel was possible, but to know that there were other spider people out there made your heart fill with glee. Being The Spider had taken a lot of sacrifices. Shoes that were only your size to fill. Having a friend in this could make those unbearable days bearable.

"Spiderman sounds better than The Spider. I’m jealous."

"That’s not the part you should be focusing on…"

"What? Is this whole visit to my dimension just business?"

Before he could finally get into his speech and proposition, an explosion was heard a few blocks over, followed by the sounds of several car alarms going off and the on-cue cat howling. Both heads snapped in the direction of the commotion before turning back toward one another. "Okay, now I have to go deal with my business." You pointed a thumb behind you as you started walking backward, away from him. "But I’ll be back in probably 5 to 10 minutes tops, so I’d love to hear all about this multiverse stuff when I come back!"

You didn’t wait for him to respond as you shot your webs out and swung away, leaving Miguel alone and a tad frustrated until-

"Hey," Lyla greeted as she popped up out of the fancy little gizmo, "You will never believe your timing! An anomaly has been reported here, and you’re already on the scene. Lucky you!" The sarcastic tone did nothing to bring Miguel joy, but he had a job to do nonetheless. He closed his watch and swung in your direction.

===

So this is what makes life divine?

Over a month had passed since your first interaction with Miguel and the rest of the spider society. To say you were overjoyed was an understatement. To say you were a bit overwhelmed was on point. Having this watch meant that you could finally form connections with people who understood you. They knew what it was like to live a double life. To feel like you couldn’t be friends with people knowing they only knew half of who you were.

They also knew what it was like to lose an uncle, but hey, who hadn’t here?

Despite this feeling of belonging, you felt uneven, unbalanced; it was like you were juggling three worlds. Your first life as a civilian involved dealing with caseloads on a day-to-day basis. Then, you go home in the evening to your second life: The Spider. Now, you’ve been convinced to take on a third: a member of the multidimensional spider society and one of Miguel’s best friends assets.

You were hesitant at first; your mind was muddled as he brought up this proposition while fighting your first anomaly in your dimension. Originally, you were against joining. Why would you spend your time fighting villains in other dimensions when you can already do that at home? That’s when he showed you his headquarters. Let’s just say you were more in it for the spider-people than you were for the crime-fighting, multiverse saving, and all that good heroic nobility.

This job came with a lot of sacrifice and your sleep schedule was gone to the wind, but at least you’re having fun!

Multiple times a week, Miguel would send you off to fight anomalies, assist fellow spiders, and help him track and record dimensional disturbances. Solo missions became a rarity for you, something you only did back on Earth 5863. Now, you and Miguel would fight side by side with the occasional Jessica or Scarlet Spider.

Miguel was a bit of a brood; there was no doubt about it, but there were days when his face would drop and the hard lines around his face would soften. He was just like you—exhausted.

He’d make the perfect friend, and you were determined to make it happen!

Currently, you and Miguel are in another dimension. Another anomaly report. You’ve done this song and dance before.

Miguel would always go in head first. Let the anomaly think that there was only one spider there to stop them. You would blend in as best as you could, crawling from shadow to shadow and shooting out webs in the darkness to yank the anomaly in the direction of Miguel’s attack. As the song would come to an end, you’d make your appearance known when the villain of the week was a bit disoriented and weakened, and swiftly make a joint attack to knock them cold. The song was over. The two partners would bow and make their way to their next dance.

Today, though, you didn’t bow out.

"Hey," you called out as Miguel was about to make a portal, "let’s take a breather. It’s the last anomaly of the night, right?"

"I don’t have time for a breather," he denied, not even looking at you as he summoned a portal. "You did good today. Keep it up."

You frowned before quickly walking in front of him and placing your hand over his watch.

"You act like there are not around 100 people back at HQ who could easily take over for 5 minutes." You motioned over to the anomaly trapped and unconscious in the force field. "Besides, they’re not going anywhere anytime soon."

He didn’t say anything as he stared at you. Maybe he was death-glaring, but he was wearing a mask, so what you didn’t know couldn’t hurt you. Plus, you didn’t break eye contact. It was a battle of wits, and you weren’t one to back down.

"The answer is still no."

"I’ll quit the team right now."

"No, you won’t."

You gave him a pointed glare, your hand slowly tightening around his wrist. Let him call your bluff; see what happens. While you wouldn’t actually do it, you could tell he had a little quirk about letting Lyla boss him around.

He stayed silent as he gently took his wrist away from you and set a five-minute timer on his gizmo.

"5 minutes only," he agreed in defeat. You smiled at him. He couldn’t see the smile through the mask, but it was the effort that counted.

"Perfect! We’ll be back at HQ before you start to get homesick. Come on." You motioned with one hand as you shot a web onto the rooftop of a building with the other. He muttered something in Spanish that you couldn’t catch but reluctantly followed you onto the roof. Watching you as you sat on the edge with your legs dangling, he wondered why the hell he decided to listen to you. To let you drag him around as if you knew him like you were friends.

You knew nothing about him.

As the silence filled the air around you, he sat down next to you, giving himself a considerable amount of space. He heard you sigh as you took off your mask, allowing yourself to truly breathe after the day you'd had. He followed your motions. Despite his annoyance with your request, he wasn’t fully opposed to it. Throughout your short interactions together since you started working with him, he could tell that you shared more in common with him than he would have liked. You were constantly busy. If you weren’t patrolling the night or stopping an anomaly, you were contacting clients and reviewing dockets. Your brain was a lightbulb that was never shut off until it was so hot it could burst, so when you insisted that you both take a break, he knew you meant it. He knew you were asking if he could switch off your light and you to his.

Two heroes, unmasked, sat side by side, quietly watching the sun slowly rise in the cool air.

To him, it felt nice not having a marathon of thoughts in his head, and he was glad he wasn’t alone. At the thought of your presence next to his, he turned his head and—

His thoughts came to a halt.

Even with the sun slowly making its presence known above the horizon, he could have sworn the moon was still shining right next to him. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought you were absolutely stunning.

He cleared his throat, catching your attention as you averted your gaze from the sun.

"Did you pick the name The Spider?" he asked, his voice quiet as if any louder would break the peace. You hummed as a smile grew on your lips.

"Nope," you denied, shaking your head slowly as the exhaustion crept up on you. "I would never pick a name that had the word ‘the’ in it, but it’s not like I could get a say in it."

"We don’t get a choice in any of it. The title and the powers."

"Yup." Your eyes went downcast, unfortunately being reminded of what awaited you back in your dimension. The unbearable responsibility. The sleepless nights. Now wasn’t the time to think about stress and work, though. You looked back up at Miguel. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged, silently shutting off the timer before it reached its end.

"I always thought Moon-Spider suited you better."

===

I’m all aglow.

It was Saturday on Earth 5863, or midday to be more specific. Despite the rest of the world already up and tackling the day, your life as the masked hero didn’t end until 4 A.M. Unfortunately, it didn’t matter how tired you were because your body refused to be dormant past 11 in the morning. You groaned, burying your head in your hands, trying to comprehend why your body wouldn’t just rest. As much as you’d like to sink in and become one with your bed all day, your social battery was empty, and so was your stomach. Your sleep was going to have to wait.

During the week, you didn’t have much time to get yourself a proper lunch, mainly just a quickly made sandwich or salad that you’d have to chow down on during a quick lunch break. This made it a struggle to really treat yourself, but you knew just the treat you’d like today.

After stretching your aching muscles, you slid out of bed and got ready for a trip through the multiverse.

===

You walked through the doors of HQ, adorning your suit without the mask and greeting every Spider as you briskly made your way to the cafeteria.

"Hey, Jess," you greeted, catching her eye as she walked in the opposite direction. "Is Miguel in his office?"

"Yup, he’s been there all night. Are you gonna go and bother him?"

"Not today, I might feed him, though. Maybe water him and give him some sunshine while I’m at it."

Jess giggled, committing to the bit, "Well, the kitchen just made a fresh batch of empanadas if you wanna give him some fertilizer."

You hummed happily with her as you carried on down the hall, desperately rubbing the sleep out of your eyes. Aside from getting a small box of empanadas, you learned that their hamburgers were now made with buns that looked like Miguel’s mask.

"It’s probably a courtesy to that nice ass," you thought to yourself. Although you would never voice that thought out loud, Miguel was handsome; he was most definitely your type, and you knew that from the moment you met him. The way he acted, though, seemed so defensive, like he couldn’t trust anyone. While you enjoyed your regular rooftop breaks with him, you couldn’t help but want more.

On the other hand, Miguel didn’t know what he needed from you; he just liked it when you were near him. Whether you guys were fighting or sitting in silence. When he was with you, he felt like he had permission to loosen up a bit. Although he would never voice that thought out loud, the last thing he needed was to feel an attachment to someone who wasn’t his…

Nevertheless, one box of empanadas and two Miguel burgers later, you were off to his office.

When you arrived, Miguel was staring off into the multitude of screens around him on his platform. You knocked on the frame of the threshold before webbing yourself up onto the platform. He turned his head in your presence.

"Morning," he greeted, his tired eyes shifting back to the screens.

"Afternoon," you corrected, emphasizing the time difference. "Long night?"

This time, Miguel turned his whole body toward you, leaning back against the desk to give you his full attention. At this angle, you could see the eyebags forming on his face.

"You have no idea."

You shrugged, your own eyes just as exhausted as his.

"Try me," you encouraged as you tossed him an empanada. "Was it Hobie again?"

"It’s always Hobie!" he exclaimed as he threw his hands up in frustration, catching the empanada in the process. "Two weeks into this, and he’s managed to get sidetracked from his missions 10 times! Instead of going after the anomaly, he went after the corporate head of some phone company. Can you believe him?"

You nodded as he continued his rant but looked around the platform for a good place to set your lunch. Eyeing a small swivel chair near Miguel, you put the food there before leaning back against the desk. The ranting man continued his complaint, but you could practically see the stress rolling off his shoulders as his posture relaxed. You never really minded being a listening ear for him, especially when he let you both have a moment to relax after the pressure of it all. It was a silent, yet mutual, agreement between you and him. To rest together. To be just a bit normal together. Even if it’s the small things like having a quick lunch or taking a somewhat silent break that always lasted more than five minutes.

"I swear if he blows a hole into the multiverse next week... I don’t even know what I’m going to do," Miguel concluded, absolutely exasperated as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He took a deep breath before looking up at you, wanting to shine the spotlight on you. "That’s my life, I guess. What’s been going on with you? You look tired."

You took a bite of your burger before responding, "More or less than usual?"

"More."

"Damn. Well, before I start, I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Are there any universes where Doc Ock is MD rather than Ph.D.?"

"There might be a few, why?" Miguel cocked his brow at you.

"Because now I have to find a new physician." Hearing your news, Miguel’s eyes went wide as he leaned in a bit closer.

"Your physician was Doc Ock?" Miguel asked as his voice raised an octave.

"Doc fucking Ock," you confirmed, putting emphasis on the added middle name. "I had a fight with her the night before my appointment and finally caught her the next day." You finished off your burger and tossed your trash dramatically into the bin next to you. Miguel had a small smile on his face, finding your suffering just as amusing as you found his.

"How did you not catch on that your doctor was Dr. Octavius? It’s in the name!"

"She went by her married name!" you defended yourself with a smile on your face before sighing. "We’re too tired for this shit."

"Now, that I can agree with." On cue, Miguel yawned.

"At least I’m not as tired as you."

"Doubt it. Have you seen yourself?"

"Have you?" You leaned forward. "It’s like you’re moving in slow motion over there."

Miguel just scoffed, not believing your accusation.

"Yeah, sure," he agreed, with sarcasm dripping from his tone.

"It doesn’t matter anyway. Just eat your burger already; it’s probably cold now."

You motioned to the food still sitting on the chair next to him. Without turning to look, he reached a hand over to grab his lunch, confident in his aim. You watched, without a single bit of energy left to move, as he missed and hit the chair. Miguel turned to look, just as unmoving as you, and watched as the chair rolled off the high platform.

Both of you peeked your heads over to watch its descent. You turned to look at Miguel.

“So are you going to catch it or…?” you trailed as you looked back down to the swiftly descending meal. Miguel blinked once, then twice.

“Oh shit–”

It was too late. The chair and delicious food landed with a loud clatter on the ground far below.

The two of you look at the wreckage. Neither of you said anything. Neither of you even thought to web the chair as it made its descent; you were too tired to realize that you guys had the ability to stop it and simply accepted fate.

Slowly, you both turned to each other. You had to put a fist to your mouth, trying to stop the rolling laughter bubbling inside of you.

"Don’t laugh," Miguel threatened, pointing a finger at you, but seeing you try and hold it in caused a smile to bloom on his face. "It’s not funny."

"But you—" You quickly put a hand back over your mouth to stop a laugh— "I'm sorry." You laughed again before shaking your head. "You’re right, that’s not funny. It’s actually very… sad." Your lip quivered as you tried your hardest not to upset him by laughing again despite seeing the smile on his face.

Miguel turned to look back at his lunch. The top bun with his mask was resting on an exploded empanada. The urge to laugh began bubbling inside of him, but he refused to give in. He wasn’t the kind of guy to laugh at silly little things.

You followed his gaze and pointed at the bun.

"Imagine being that guy," you said, your voice breaking. He couldn’t hold it in anymore, and neither could you. Both of you started giggling quietly, gradually growing into full laughter. Miguel couldn’t tell if it was because you both were so utterly exhausted, but to him, this was the hardest he had ever laughed since he lost his daughter, and you didn’t have a clue. Neither of you could stop gasping for air, and you had to place a hand on his arm to stabilize yourself. He placed a hand on your shoulder so you two wouldn’t topple over, leaning close to you as the laughter kept rolling out.

As the humor died down and your eyes met his, the smiles on your faces continued to bloom. No matter how extraordinary the circumstances of this situation, for a moment, you two felt something you hadn’t felt in a long time: normal.

===

And now I know.

Something wasn’t right today. For once, your workload was light, and your patrol was more of a peaceful midnight walk. When it came to your third, most preferable life, you knew there had been a shift. You were sent on a mission with a different group of spiders, Miguel not being one of them. Then, when you went back to HQ, no one had seen Miguel. Some spiders had joked that he had finally taken a day off, but you knew better than that. The only time he seemed to ever take a break was when he was forced to, and not even Peter B. knew where he was!

The only information you could get out of Peter was,

"Today is not a good day for him," Peter grimaced. "It’s probably best to let him be."

"Why? What happened?" you questioned as your brows furrowed.

"It’s not my place to say, bud. Sorry!"

You weren’t going to press Peter further, already gathering that whatever had happened was a sensitive topic to discuss, but there was one thing you knew for sure. Miguel was alone. More importantly, Miguel struggled to take care of himself mentally and socially, and he struggled even more to admit that to anyone.

Despite worrying that you may be overstepping your boundaries with him, you went into his empty office and asked Lyla to track him down for you. Again, you were met with resistance.

"I dunno if I should tell you," Lyla cautioned, shrugging her shoulders at you. "He told me not to tell anyone where he was going."

"And how often do you actually listen to his requests?" you argued, noting a serious change in Lyla’s tone. "I’d like to make sure Miguel is okay. He’s my friend."

Lyla cocked a brow at you, knowing full well how "friendly" you and Miguel seem to act around one another. Taking breaks to watch the sunrise and sunset while sitting less than a foot apart. Joking around with one another whenever the moment aroused. Grabbing a meal when you stopped by his office. Yeah, these were totally activities that Miguel does when he’s "just friends" with someone. She’s seen the looks you two give each other. Whether you realized it or not, you guys didn’t like each other just as friends. Not only that, but in the six months you had been here, there had been a change in the atmosphere around HQ. Miguel was smiling more, you were happier, and missions ran more smoothly with you two as a team.

So, fuck it. Miguel can yell at Lyla later if this all goes wrong.

"Fine," Lyla groaned, despite believing that sending you to Miguel was a good move. "Good luck."

===

Miguel sat on the rooftop of an Earth that wasn’t his own. The sun was on the cusp of setting as warm orange and pink colors slowly made an appearance in the darkening sky. He refused to meddle in this world, not even going down onto the streets to interact with anyone. Instead, he sat on the rooftop alone in his thoughts as he watched the people live their normal lives down below. Doing this made him feel alone, like an outcast undeserving of the simple pleasures life had to offer. In his mind, this feeling was what he deserved; the joy of simplicity wasn’t a concept he could keep in his life. For him, he needed this reminder of how he should feel after what he had done.

The sound of a portal opening could be heard behind him. Miguel immediately tensed; no one should be here. He turned his head, already glaring at the person who dared to track him down today. Unfortunately, it was you. His glare softened. No. No. NO. You could not be here. You can’t be here. Especially today…

You stood there silently, your mask off and your hands fidgeting, as you looked at him with your kind eyes. Even without words, you could practically feel the tension radiating off of him, but you could also see the look in his eyes. He was scared. Nervous even. You had to tread carefully. He was your friend, but there was still so much you didn’t know about him.

"I don’t know what you’re going through, Miguel," you started, your voice a touch quieter, "but I’m here for you."

He turned his head away from you, unable to tell you to go away. He wanted you here with him, but—

"I don’t deserve it," Miguel finally said, his voice level matching your own. You took his voice as a reason to move closer, sitting next to him on the rooftop.

"What don’t you deserve?"

"This." He motioned between the two of you. "I don’t deserve to have this kind of peace."

"Why?" Your eyes pleaded for an answer, knowing that he had the right to not tell you anything yet silently begging for him to open up to you. He didn’t answer as he continued to look down upon the crowds of people walking on the street, a hard expression glazing over his face. He was too nervous to admit to you what he had done in fear that you would leave after knowing how selfish he once was. You reached out one more time, placing a hand on his shoulder. At the warm contact, Miguel turned to look at you again. "Please," you begged. "You can be vulnerable with me, I promise."

He searched your eyes for a sliver of regret, an instance of a fruitless promise, but he found nothing. Sighing, he placed a hand over your own, his eyes finding security in yours.

"Understand that I regret what I’ve done, and the actions I took are inexcusable."

You nodded.

"I’m here for you," you reassured, trying to quell the tension choking the air around you two. Miguel squeezed your hand before you pulled away.

He told you everything.

What he did. When he did. Why he did it.

Your heart cracked inside your chest. It yearned to reach out and hold him. To tell him that it wasn’t his fault. That he couldn’t have known the consequences of breaking canon. This tragedy had become the driving force behind all that he did within the Spider Society. He’s exhausted because he felt he didn’t deserve to rest knowing he put the lives of an entire reality six feet under, including his daughter. The daughter that wasn’t really his. The daughter, the family, that he so desperately craved but felt he could never achieve in his own time.

Instead of an embrace, you told him everything that was running through your mind. You knew that his self-deprecating mindset was not something you could fix in this conversation, but you could push him in the right direction. Encourage him to go to one of the many therapists back at HQ, help take some of the blame off his shoulders, and remind him that he deserves and will find his own happiness and normalcy in his own life. In his own reality.

Miguel listened to every word you had to say, taking it more into consideration than he would have if it were someone else. As he continued to sit close to you, listening to your sweet voice, he felt his heart swell before realizing he was in deep trouble.

He was in love with you.

===

The key to all heaven is mine.

This mission was a shitshow.

Three Green Goblins, all from different dimensions, combined forces to try and carry out their mission here in your dimension. Even with Miguel’s help, you struggled to do your song and dance, and once your position was revealed way too early, you had to call for backup.

It was barely enough.

Jess and Peter B. were an enormous help, but the anomalies were too erratic with their movements; their lack of coordination, unfortunately, proved to be a solid strategy against the spiders. Miguel told everyone to split up and try to drag the Green Goblins away from one another, so you quickly got the attention of one and tried to maneuver them away. With your abilities, you normally relied on stealth to carry you through a mission; unfortunately, you were forced to face this villain head-on. Jessica was handling the one on the left, while Miguel and Peter were farther down the street.

It hurt like hell. You had been knocked into a building one too many times for your liking, but honestly, your pride was more bruised than your body. Thankfully, your little shadow disappearing act came in handy, allowing you to web your green fucker up nicely between two tall buildings. Admiring your handiwork for a mere second, you had to act fast and trap him before assisting the others.

"Watch out!" Miguel screamed from down the block, his voice practically vibrating the space around you. Quickly, you turned around as you saw a large shadow loom over your head, far too close for your liking. It was a semi.

Son of a—

===

Miguel watched from afar as the semi-truck crashed directly where you stood with a chilling crunch. His heart dropped to the bottom of his chest, and his eyes were fixed on the crash site.

He didn’t see you leave on time.

At that moment, something crushed inside of him; the adrenaline in his body pumped faster, and the ringing in his ears grew louder. His mind had forgotten about the mission. He couldn’t, not when you were...

He needed to get to you now. His senses slowly came back to him, but the weight in his chest still hung heavy.

"Fuck!" he cried, swinging to your location as fast as he could, not hesitating to start dragging the semi with all of his strength. Jessica and Peter came to assist as soon as they captured their anomalies; they couldn’t waste a second knowing that their teammate had been hurt, or worse.

Together, they pulled the semi away to reveal nothing.

You weren’t there.

Miguel was frantic. His eyes scanned the surrounding area, looking for a trace of your white suit. Still nothing. He called your name. His vision was blurred. He couldn’t find you anywhere. He didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t even think. He called your name again.

Jess placed a hand on Miguel’s shoulder. He tensed at the contact.

"You keep searching for them. Peter and I will take care of the anomalies. Breathe, Miguel," she urged, trying to soothe the man who was losing himself in the depths of his mind. Her words meant nothing to him, not when he couldn’t even think straight. Despite his scattered mind, his eyes caught something—the white that had brought him so much comfort these past several months.

There, under the shadow of the semi, you emerged, a little roughed up but otherwise fine. You were alive.

"I’m sorry," you panted as you took off your mask. "Even in the shadows, I couldn’t find a way out from under the—"

He didn’t let you finish.

Moving quickly toward you, he took off his mask and pulled you tight against him. Arms wound around you in a tender, shaking embrace. He pressed his chest up against yours, desperate to feel your heartbeat and to give him more assurance that you were alive.

"Miguel?" you spoke, your voice soft as you were unable to do anything but hold him. "I’m sorry, did I scare you? I didn’t have time to swing out, so I had to go under." You pulled back slightly, feeling resistance from Miguel’s hold on you. Noticing the tears building up in his eyes that were looking through you, you placed a hand on his cheek. "Hey," you consoled, bringing him back to the present. "I’m okay."

Finally, he met your eyes fully, taking a couple controlled deep breaths like he had been practicing in the therapy sessions you urged him to go to. His hand came up to grasp the one on his cheek. He never wanted to go through this feeling again. He never wanted to let you go.

"Yeah…" he trailed, "I’m sorry I—" he sighed—"I didn’t mean to overreact like this. It’s just—"

"No," you asserted, not allowing him to downplay his emotions. "You didn’t overreact. I would have done the same thing if this had happened to you. Please don’t apologize." He hummed at your words, a small smile growing on his face. Turning his head, he kissed the inside of your palm; your heart fluttered at the contact.

"Cariño, you’re too good for me."

You smiled, your face heating up at his sudden affection. This man made your heart swoon over the simplest of things, and you made his heart go crazy. You both wanted more from each other, but you knew it was going to take time. It was going to take healing. As long as he continued to hold you with such tenderness and love that you could not compare, you knew you wouldn’t mind the wait. For now, though, you two would go back to HQ, side by side, and continue to save the multiverse.

You’ve waited this long to find someone you can be at peace with; a little more time wouldn’t hurt anybody.

===

My heart has wings.

And I can fly.

Exhausted couldn’t even begin to describe the state that you were in. The juggling act you had been doing for about a year now had started toppling over. Your work had gotten sloppy; you were constantly missing your targets on missions and somehow portaling to the wrong dimensions. The worst was when you nearly showed up late to a trial at work. Despite teetering on the edge of insanity, you still willed yourself to go to HQ, as you craved the comfort your friends could provide simply by talking to you. Even if it was during a mission.

This mission in particular was your breaking point.

It was just you and Miguel. The two of you were in a dimension you couldn’t remember the name of while fighting the next villain of the week. The sun was still shining brightly out on a Sunday afternoon, and it seemed like this earth was having a peaceful day until a comic book Prowler came crashing in.

The usual song and dance were done, and the Prowler was contained and ready for the Go-Home-Machine. There were a few minor flukes along the way, like missing a couple of webs and not having enough energy to stay inside a shadow for very long. All of which Miguel lightly scolded you for, but you found it to be more out of concern for your well-being than out of anger.

Unfortunately, you couldn’t take a nice, long break. There wasn’t a time in your life when you could relax for hours on end or do nothing for a whole weekend. There were always some tasks you had to do: grocery shopping, night patrolling, taking your car to the shop, missions, cases, house cleaning, laundry, and the list goes on and on and on. It was ruthless and never-ending.

"It’s still pretty early," Miguel noted as he picked up the unconscious Prowler. "How about we grab some lunch when we head back?" You weren’t focused on him, though.

The fight had taken place at a nature center with beautiful forestry and vast trails throughout the area. Your enhanced senses picked up on someone in the distance in the parking lot.

You.

A version of you who was getting out of the same car you drove. Eyebags were nonexistent. Your body glowed and radiated with energy and joy. It was like looking at the sun. There you were, happy, content, and normal, hanging out with friends on a Sunday afternoon in a nature center. You held no secrets about a double life. No hint of exhaustion. There is no looming worry about upcoming stress.

This version of you was living the life you dreamed of while you lived like this. Not living one life, but three.

Your eyes grew wet as your breathing slowed. All this suffering. All this exhaustion. What was it all for? You couldn’t tear your eyes away from yourself.

"Hey!" Miguel called out, noticing your lack of response. "Are you all right?" You couldn’t hear him. While you were wearing your mask, he recognized the symptoms and noticed your labored breathing. "Cariño—" he said, placing his free hand around your shoulder—"regresa a mí." He followed your gaze and saw what had shut you down. His heart sank. He knew all too well how you were feeling. "Let’s go."

Gently, he guided you back through the portal, dropping you off at his office for a quick moment while he took care of the anomaly. You sat on his new, non-swivel chair and stared at the multitude of holographic monitors showcasing all around HQ. All these different Spider-people, laughing and communicating as if they’ve gotten a good night's rest, as if they can guarantee one square meal a day. What were you doing wrong?

You bit the inside of your cheek as the envy bubbled within you.

Why did you have to get bitten?

A warm hand on your shoulder halted your thoughts. You turned your head to see Miguel standing over you, his eyes holding an empathy that could make you melt if you weren’t tipping over the edge of your mentality.

"I’m sorry," you murmured, taking a breath. "I shouldn’t have reacted like that in front of civilians. It wasn’t very professional of me." Allowing yourself to embrace his comfort, you placed your hand over his. In return, he grabbed your hand and kneeled in front of you.

"I know we joke about our terrible work-life balance, but I’d rather see you happy and healthy than make jokes about your misery." You managed a small smile.

"Being funny is my charm. The misery comes with it."

"But having you in my life is a charm I never want to lose," he argued, not wanting to feed into your humor. "I know how much seeing something like this can hurt you, so please talk to me."

You trusted Miguel with your life, so you opened a part of your heart to him. A part that buried your burdens with each passing second because you worked for others and not yourself. The part that people hide from others to give the impression that they had their whole lives life together. Because if you didn’t, then you were incapable. Then you weren’t strong enough. Then, you weren’t worthy of a title you didn’t ask for but would still die on a hill defending the name.

You were incapable of living three lives, yet didn’t you just start out with one? What happened to that one?

Avoiding his gaze, you looked down at your interconnected hands. Unable to look at him without shedding tears, you flooded him with three different worlds. Your worlds.

He rubbed small circles into the palm of your hand, mesmerized by the weight of your hand against his. He wished he could hold it forever. How he wished he could take away the pain that was destined to fall on you. The feeling of your hands intertwined was one that he wished would take root and grow—a touch that was fairly unfamiliar to him yet one that he found himself craving desperately. Without a complaint, he absorbed every word you spoke like a sponge, knowing full well how you had dropped everything to do the same to him, his heart aching at every self-deprecating comment you made.

He understood where you were coming from. The worthlessness you felt as you wondered what it was that you were doing wrong. He also knew now that it's harder to see the ocean when you’re the one drowning in it. It was going to take time, just like how he was learning to forgive himself, but he’d help you through your struggles the same way you did with him: by providing patience, care, and normalcy.

When you eventually came to the end of your stressed ramble, he watched you take a shaky breath before he placed his hand on your cheek.

"I know you’ve already told me this once, but you deserve to be happy in your own life, and you will find it. You’re not weak for wanting to take on less responsibility or for wanting to be normal." He wiped a stray tear that was falling down your cheek, noticing the buildup of tears glazing over your eyes. "You and I both know that what you’re doing isn’t manageable, but I want you to know that I am here for you. I… I want us to be as normal as we can be as Spider-people, and we can do it together, okay?

The tears bundled in the corners of your eyes flowed freely down the wet tracks on your face. Trying desperately to take a breath—a breath meant to calm you and help clear your head—got caught in your throat.

You sobbed.

You sobbed like you had just lost your uncle, like you did when the captain of the police force (one of your closest friends) died. You sobbed like you did after a month of being Moon-Spider, except now you weren’t alone.

Miguel wrapped his arms around you and pulled you down to join him on the platform, on stable ground, as he rubbed your back and let you have your long-overdue breakdown. Though your mind was scattered, your heart was set here with Miguel. No matter what, being your dimension’s masked hero was a title you would hold with pride, and you refused to hang your cape even if it killed you. Yet not all your lives revolved around the mask.

When Miguel calmed you, he reluctantly said his goodbyes as you insisted on going back to your own dimension. You weren’t going to sit here anymore and cry; with a newfound freedom, you went home.

You took on no new clients.

Finished your cases.

And quit.

===

I’ll touch every star in the sky.

So this is the miracle,

Everyone had their own nickname in the Spider Society. After a year of being members, you and Miguel were crowned the "work spouses." It started off as a joke.

"Hey, your work husband is mad again. Do you mind talking to him, please?"

"Miguel! Where did your work spouse run off to now?"

Now, it wasn’t really a joke. After everything you two had done for one another, how could someone not fall in love?

===

That I’ve been dreaming of.

"Break?" Miguel offered after the now-paralyzed anomaly was safely captured. You agreed, stretching your arms above your head to look at the sky. Despite it being around six in the morning, it had begun to lighten up. Together, you picked out the highest rooftop you could find and swung up to take your usual five(ish) minute break. Side by side, you sat, enjoying each other’s company and having idle chit-chat.

For once, this break wasn’t a desperate attempt to switch off a light bulb that’s been shining for far too long. After quitting your job over a month ago, life became much more bearable. There was still a long road ahead to unstick the pessimistic mindset you had grown comfortable with, but being able to breathe without the resistance of stress on your shoulders outweighed the costs. You were still missing something, though: peace. A type of peace that was so close to you that you could hold its hand. A type of peace that was so handsome that sometimes you found yourself blushing. You wanted that peace, and peace wanted you. It wasn’t enough to be friends with it anymore.

"Miguel?" you said softly, moving your hand to press up against his. "Can I ask you something?"

Miguel placed his hand on top of yours.

"Sure."

You took a moment before responding.

"What am I to you?"

His hand practically froze on top of yours as he turned to look at you, the gears turning in his head.

"We’re… friends."

You scoffed, but there was no malice behind it and gestured at your hand intertwined with his.

"Do you really call this ‘friends’?"

"Okay. Close friends."

"Miguel."

Nervous about the confrontation, he stood up abruptly and headed toward the unconscious anomaly, ready to head back to HQ.

"I don’t think we should mess with what we have now," he lied straight through his teeth, not wanting to look at you in fear he would fold. You stood up after him, slightly shocked at his response but not wanting this conversation to run away.

"Am I just a work spouse to you?"

"Now you know that you are more than that to me," Miguel scolded as he turned and pointed a finger at you, upset that you would think such a thing.

"Then why don’t you want to show me? Treat me the way I want to treat you? I don’t want to keep acting like this knowing that I love—"

"Fuck, I’m scared!" His voice raised slightly as he cut you off, his heart pounding at your near confession. You froze, recognizing the look in his eyes, but still pushed to ask:

"Why? What makes you so scared to be with me?"

"How every time I start feeling excited about my future, how I start feeling excited with you, it goes terribly wrong. I’m scared it's all going to crumble. No quiero perderte, amor. If something bad happens to you, I just— It would be my fault!"

His words sat in the air. This behavior was familiar. It was the same ocean, just a different person drowning.

"And if you were to get hurt…" you cautioned as you carefully chose your words, not wanting this to become an argument, "…would it be my fault?" Miguel opened his mouth, but you refused to let your words go unsaid. "If I were to feel loved and safe with you, would it be my fault or yours? You can’t control the actions of others, Miguel, but you can control yourself and how you respond to others." You sighed as you gazed at him with those worried eyes he loved so much. "Miguel I thought you were working on this," you said, referring to the therapy sessions he had taken in the past.

"I have—chingado—lo siento!" He cursed, trying to remedy the situation. "I swear I’ve been. It’s just… I love being with you, but I’m worried that if you get too close, you’ll get hurt. Having that normal life, it feels unnatural to me."

"In the year I’ve known you, I have never gotten hurt because of something you've done," you refuted, refusing to let him compare this situation to what had happened with his daughter. You walked closer to him and reached out to hold his hands. "I understand why you’re nervous, but this is different. We are different. It’s your own happiness. It’s your own life, and it hurts watching you try and punish yourself for living it. You’re not a bad person, Miguel."

Unable to form words of his own, he pulled your intertwined hands toward him and wrapped his arms around you, burying his face in the crook of your neck.

"You don’t understand how good you are to me," he sighed as he embraced your comfort. You move your arms around him, allowing yourself to sit in this temporary peace for a moment. When you felt he was calm, you spoke again.

"Do you feel ready to be in a relationship right now?"

He was hesitant to answer, but when his head was above the water, he knew denying it would be self-sabotage.

"Only if it’s with you."

Your face heated up; you were constantly at the mercy of Miguel O’Hara’s words.

"We can take things slow. It’s not like I have much experience with relationships either, you know? So, if there’s anything you ever wanna do or try, just ask. Just stay with me, and I’ll stay with you."

Miguel hummed, and you could feel a smile forming on his lips in the crook of your neck. Slowly, he moved his head to face you, leaving a mere few inches between you two.

"Can I kiss you?" With your breath now hitched, all you could do was nod before he closed the gap. It was short, sweet, and addicting. He held you tight around your waist, and in return, you moved your arms around his neck, pulling him in. When you broke apart, who could blame you when you leaned back in for another? Another? Okay, maybe just one more, but you promised it was the last.

Miguel chuckled, finding it in himself to pull away and open his eyes to you. Your pupils were dilated, and your lips were slightly swollen; you were electrifying. He had the urge to finish what he started right there on the rooftop, but you didn’t deserve some quick sex in a random dimension. He’d have to settle with just this for now. Leaning back in, he trailed his lips along your jawline, stopping to leave little pecks along the way. Pecks on your cheek, your nose, your forehead—anywhere he could reach without letting you go.

You couldn’t stop giggling, the light trail of his lips tickling your face. Your heart bloomed with a love for him that could last forever. He leaned away and gazed at you with loving eyes, taking in every little feature that made you who you are. The shape of your lips and how they fit perfectly between his. The curve of your nose as you dragged it across his jaw. The look in your eyes as you looked at him with a love that’s meant only for him.

The sun began peaking over the horizon, shining behind Miguel in blooming shades of yellow and orange. He was so beautiful; his vulnerability and care warmed your soul. He shined a light on your life and helped you learn to grow and to continue to grow together.

Your sun.

From his view, the dark shades of pink, purple, and blue colored the sky. The glittering stars only illuminated your presence in front of him. So pretty, so handsome. You were so perfectly flawed. To hold his heart so gently in fear that someone might come and hurt it. Not you, though; never you.

His moon.

To him, you provided the peace he needed to come to terms with. Someone to help ground him in the quiet hours of the night and show him that comfort was a calm feeling he should indulge in.

Fuck, you were just so—

"I..." he trailed, his throat closing in a nervous tremor. You hummed, urging him to continue as you trailed your fingers up to cup his face in your palms. "I want to be normal with you. Te amo, cariño."

You grinned, the corners of your eyes crinkling.

"I love you," you lilted, giving him another quick peck. "Let’s go be normal together."

So this is love.

{Hope you guys liked it! It's my first try at an x reader. I had two people check over my Spanish, but if there's something that's not right, please let me know!!}

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