synopsis: you thought he was gone. what you didn't know was that he was waiting for you a universe away... or in other words... miguel is your gwen stacy and in another life, you're his.
word count: 2.5k (unedited as of 07/19 per usual)
a/n: a short (or at least in my terms is short) oneshot of sorts just to scratch that miguel angst itch
you never particularly believed in second chances.
you thought they were something foolish to believe in. often you think that second chances alternated the future that bewitched you with its cruelty towards you, despite knowing that this was what was to become the moment you put on that suit that gleamed to others of pride and glory.
fate as an embodiment is never, and will never, be kind towards you. you never believed in second chances because they were never offered to you because if they were, you could've prevented the entirety that was your life if you could've just chosen a different path.
you could've never gotten the job at alchemax.
you could've never been one of the star scientists that captured the attention of tyler stone.
you could've never met him—the love of your life.
because if you didn't, he would've been safe in the blissful ignorance that was your existence. but now, the haunting image of his face laying woefully in your lap—loving eyes now permanently close, the shallow river of crimson streaming from his nose with pale and dry lips that could no longer whisper sweet nothings slightly agape—is now permanently tattooed in the halls of your memory.
the failure to save the one person you kept to closely at heart served as a reminder that you had a duty to attend to and that you were to attend to it with nothing more than confidence, that you were to never repeat such a feat ever again.
because death offers no second chances to those who he greets. second chances are mere child's play, a figure of imagination that people choose to believe out of hope.
at least, that's what you've chosen to believe.
whenever jessica looks at you, you just barely manage to catch the glimpse of a particular look that you can't pinpoint the exact emotion of. you think it's a mixture of melancholy or apprehensiveness, but you're never able to quite accurately describe the look for it. but it goes away just as fast as it comes, her quickly shooing it away as if it was a pesky spider.
you've never inquired about it. you don't think you should, really, especially considering when she's in charge of possibility escorting you to what you've never known you could desire for.
"i've decided," jess states, a hand going to caress her prominent belly affectionately.
you let out a hum, your gaze not moving from the magnificent view you and her share of your universe's new york's skyline—you wonder how it differs from her own new york. "decided what?"
from her amber glasses, she offers you swift glance. "decided to perhaps let you visit hq once and for all."
it's no surprise that her statement makes your eyes go wide and jaw slack. jessica drew had found you alone in your own universe awhile ago, her being the first proven evidence that there were worlds beyond yours existing... meaning that there was existence of different variants of you. acquiring that knowledge had sparked an excitement in you that you hadn't felt in such a long time, that you didn't even know you could feel.
you wanted to see the other spider-people, a hunger caverning itself within you to know more, see more, to satisfy the loneliness you've felt since the dreaded day you lost miguel o'hara. to know that others likeminded to you actually existed was something you longed to confirm, leading to jessica constantly putting up with your begging to see what the headquarters of the so-called "spider society" was like.
you've met a few already—the rebellious, yet ambitious hobie brown from earth-138, the egotistic, yet grandiloquent ben reilly from earth-94, and the sarcastic, yet compassionate peter b. parker from earth-616. but it isn't enough. a yearn to see all of everyone alike to you grows stronger and stronger by the day, yet jessica is always quick to deny you from seeing hq and the rest of the spider-people, quick to excuse it with her needing to “evaluate you more.”
something about the excuse seemed rather loose to you, as if it was a cover-up for something... bigger? but again, you never questioned her actions because if you did, you could end up screwing yourself over and the possibility of you never joining them was perhaps a pit that welcomed you with open arms.
but now, after what seemed like ages (it was a given three weeks in reality) of consistent "no"'s and "soon"'s, your wish has been finally granted.
"do you mean it?" you whisper excitedly, leaning towards her with a gleeful smile. "like, really mean it?!"
"no, actually i was just joking," jess says with a suppressed grin. you whine aloud with furrowed brows, making her laugh aloud. "i'm kidding. yes, i mean it. i talked with my... my superior of sorts... and they granted me permission to let you into the spider-society."
jess watches with a soft grin as you giddily bounce about the twilight-cladded rooftop, the phrase of "thank you" endlessly on loop from your lips. with no time to waste on either ends, jessica opens up a portal leading to the universe that the spider-society was held in, jutting her head towards it for you to step foot in.
the tantalizing colors of a fiery sunset twirl about in your vision as the hum of the portal whispers itself in your ears. you've gone in portals before, but this particular one forces you to ground yourself and truly acknowledge what was to become of this present moment because the moment you enter this portal, your fate was sealed.
and fate gives no second chances regardless of any situation.
"nervous?" jess asks as she stands still besides you, examining your hypnotized state.
you swallow thickly, despite the smile still lifted atop your lips. "a little..."
"i see," she hums. she studies your features for a bit, admiring the way the sun halos your side profile before her gaze returns to the portal that you still stare at.
jessica suppresses a giggle, with her hand lifting slowly behind you without acknowledgement before it pushes you in with no warning. your screams of terror fall deaf on her ears, her being too busy with a soft fit of laughter at your bewilderment.
"jess!?" you shout from inside the portal.
"sorry, my hand slipped," she calls from the outside, mindlessly examining her fingernails.
"i'm gonna kill you!" you screech before your figure dissipates itself from her view.
jessica watches as the portal expands itself again like a blooming flower before she turns away from it once again, the smile of amusement fading ever so quickly. her wrist lifts itself up and quietly she murmurs into her device, "are you one hundred percent sure about this?"
there's a static that scuffs by before another voice stereos from it, one that jessica knows for a fact that you'll be much too accustomed to.
"there's no going back now."
jessica thinks she might have to put you on a leash. somehow, you've reverted back into a child at a playground from the way you're consistently getting out of her sight, too distracted by all the unique spider-people that pass you.
"i love your armor," you compliment with glowing cheeks to the spider-knight that gives you a salute. "wow, her hair is really cool... i love that guy's webbing! holy shit, is that a fucking t-rex?"
"yes yes," jess sighs and grabs you by your collar, "that's pter. he's one of us, now would you please behave?"
you smile sheepishly at her, "sorry... i can't help but get—a cat!"
jessica slaps a hand to her forehead, rubbing it with annoyance. you're not much younger than she is, but she thinks that there's too much of a resemblance between a five year old and the you that's much too preoccupied petting a content peter pawrker that purrs as you affectionately scratch behind his ears.
while rather a little irked, jessica can't help but feel a little at ease with the more time that gets eaten up as it passes by. she knows it's foolish, but to put off the one thing that you were supposed to come here for was perhaps ideal, knowing that the future truly remains unknown of what to come in the next few minutes.
her anticipation grows more weary by the second, especially as you and her approach the one location that is rarely ever allowed visitors.
she shoots a web and reels you back to her, not wanting to waste any more time than needed. your pleas of wanting to pet spider-cat more are ignored, being replaced with an urgency of, "there's someone i want you to meet."
jess walks you to a darkened and closed off area of the headquarters, one that you didn't know would've existed had she not lead you there. it's dark all around, the wide and vast space only illuminated by the golden glow of holographic computers atop a floating platform. there's no one around, just the hum of the technology filling the void until a voice echoes out from seemingly nowhere.
"you may leave, jess."
your companion offers you a final goodbye, a whisper of "you'll be okay, he doesn't bite." tickling your ear. there's not much time to react, as jessica stalks off faster than you can blink, and the thundering shut of the door bellows in the corridor.
you're left alone in the odd, dark room. it's a contrasted atmosphere to the interior of hq and rather, it unsettles you—especially considering the fact that despite it seeming like you're by yourself, you're not alone.
"are you the person that jess was talking about?" you ask quietly, hoping that despite the timidity and softness of your voice, that it's still heard.
the voice thunders out again hauntingly.
"you haven't changed."
the majority of your voice gets caught in your throat. something about that voice seems vaguely familiar, but seven words aren't enough for you to quite decipher its owner, despite the wisp of the ghost of the past whispering something unintelligible behind you.
"i-i'm sorry?" you state aloud with your voice caught between a question and a nervous laugh.
the owner of the voice stays quiet for a still moment before speaking once more.
"why are you just as still just as beautiful as the day i lost you?"
your brows furrow. are you supposed to know him? this person?
you're so focused on the platform of computers that it doesn't register to you that someone emerges from the shadows from behind you until the wind of something... someone grazing you. reflexes jumping into action, you gasp and jump back, your feet skidding themselves on the ground too painfully to the point where your balance is lost and your back stumbles first on the ground.
the shadow comes closer to you and fear strikes itself in your heart at last. something about this person is warning you with danger, that something bad is brewing. your hands dig into the ground and shuffle yourself backwards until you hit the wall. your heart is pounding painfully loud, with the rhythm of it pumping through your ears. a scream is begging to be let out of your throat, a certain type of terrified you haven't felt in years clawing at the edge of it, but the only thing that you can let out is a weakened whimper.
whoever the shadow is merely comes closer to you in the same pace he kept himself at, showing no signs of stopping.
the light of the moon that seeps into the rooftop windows suddenly let the light in and spotlights the person at last, making all the resolve in your body evaporate the moment you catch his face.
the face that's supposed to not exist anymore—the face of a dead lover who you watched with your own two eyes slip from your life—is currently plastered itself in front of you.
the face of miguel o'hara stares at you with the same daunting expression you wear.
the last time you saw this face was in the open casket funeral held for him two weeks after his death. you had stared at it for what seemed to be hours in the open rain, trying to come to terms that you will never see it again.
yet here you are, looking at it once more in the life that you thought would never show you any sort of mercy.
"miguel...?"
the person in front of you crouches down to your height and comes shyly closer to you, afraid that if he made the wrong move, you'd scamper away from him like a frightened doe.
unconsciously, you lift your hand up to truly see if what you were seeing right now was real—that your deceased lover was somehow alive right in front of you. the miguel that stands before you lets your hand cradle his cheek ever so gently, like he was made of the finest glass alive. the physical contact jolts you awake again and out of your trance, making you retract your hand as if you had just touched something hot.
miguel blinks. his chest heaves, mimicking your own that pools with longing. he goes to gently touch your hand again, bringing it back up to his face and shuffling his cheek to feel the warmth of it again.
the way his his face fits so nicely in your palm makes your chest burn.
"mi sol..." he murmurs, his lips wisping a soft kiss to your palm.
and suddenly, you're alive again. it's a different sort, the type of liveliness that only love could spark. so when you realize that the very flame you thought could never be lit again is once burning bright, you break into sobs.
your arms wrap around his neck tightly, like he'll be taken away from you all over again. his own go to hug your waist in the same manner, enveloping you in a warmth you could never seem to mimic with anyone else.
"i thought i lost you," you cry quietly, the image of miguel's face during that night flashing through your eyes.
his hand caresses your hair warmly. "i thought i lost you," he murmurs back, his throat evidently tight with a flood of yearning emotions.
you retract back and study him carefully this time, making sure he's here with you right now... alive.
and when his lips connect with yours for the first time in years, it doesn't take long for you to return the favor, knowing that the one thing you've longed for the most for the past years is finally back into your arms.
deep inside, you know he isn't your miguel, just in the same sense that you aren't his (y/n). you know that no matter how many miguels and (y/n)s are out there, no two could ever replicate each other in the manner that the latter wants.
but for now, you let yourself indulge in this second chance you thought could never come to life.
by the power of fate though... it somehow did. and you'd rather not waste any more time questioning it.
idk if u play f&h2 yet, if u have like. why daan sitting across from marcoh? bro staring at his bobbies? also karin calls daan a queer so like... did she see it happening???
i haven't played f&h2 and i haven't played f&h first of name either and it's not a question of "yet", i just will not play either of them, because for one i know enough about them to know the sexual/sexualized violence of f&h (first of name) will just make me rabidly angry and i don't want to play/watch a LP of something that will just make me rabidly angry, and for the other even if from what I've heard of f&h2 that component has been toned down(?), it's still not something that interests me. from what i know it just straight up won't scratch the itch like patho did/does and i don't really care for turn-based combat RPGs honestly.
i know a lot of patho people have migrated/are migrating/are incorporating that game in their field of vision but i'm not doing that 🙏 love it for you all + it's a fandom-in-law of mine and i appreciate my mutuals' art of it + i quite like some of the characters, the way it handles gods and godhood (as someone who. not even sharing my lore actually nobody needs that) and the character designs (the painterly style is saur good lois...) but i ain't playing any of them so i have no idea what you're talking about rn. you are speaking in tongues to me. i vaguely recall who those people are but i have no idea what you are referencing. love and light tho 🙏.
tangentwithtanner
areudirty
2087
