🕸 Five Times.... || Miguel x f!Spider (2/5)
Summary: Gwen sees how Miguel takes it upon himself to comfort you.
//Five Times They Weren't Alone and One Time They Were.
Words: 2.0k
Tags: Comfort Fic, Overprotectiveness, Slight Angst, Mutual Pining, Eventual Kissing, Pre-relationship, Flirting, Dating, Fluff, Wholesome
A/N: A continuation of my 5 Times Series. Use of "Charlotte Webb" as a placeholder for y/n
|| My AO3 || Part 1 Here
2. Gwen Stacy
One thing was for certain, if you wanted anything from Miguel…
…..you went to Charlotte first.
Gwen spun around in one of the swivel chairs in the other Spiderwoman's office, kicking her new stolen shoes idly. “Sooooooo….it’s been a while since I’ve seen Miles, with all the extra work Miguel is making us do." She pouted dramatically. "Can I pllllease get time off to go visit his dimension? Just for a couple of days?”
The older Spiderwoman's soften as she looked at the teen fondly. Unlike Miguel, it seems as though his right hand woman had a soft spot for the younger Spiders.
“Did you finish all your missions?”
“Yup!”
“Did you file all the paperwork Miguel wanted?”
Gwen internally winced. Well, if you stretch the definition of words like “paperwork” and “what Miguel wants”, then yes she technically did sort of do it.
“Yup.” She popped her p.
She chuckled, clearly not buying Gwen’s shenanigans. “Of course you can go visit Miles-“
Gwen perked up. She didn’t actually think she’d get a yes, already mentally resigning to the fact she’d have to sneak out right under Miguel's nose.
“-right after you get the green light from Miguel, of course”
Gwen slumped over, defeated, all the bravado completely drained.
Getting Miguel to let Gwen do anything was like getting Charlotte and Miguel to admit their feelings for each other.
Mathematically impossible.
What would Hobie do in her shoes?
Gwen lifted her head, playing with a strand of her hair. “You know, you shouldn’t let guys like Miguel boss you around like this. I mean, you’re the Spiderwoman everyone looks up to around here. Are you really going to let a man tell you what you can and cannot do?”
She blinked. “Gwen, he's literally both of our bosses.”
The teen huffed, dejected. “You know, Spiderwoman to Spiderwoman, this whole affair is a real loss to feminism.”
She snorted, done with these childish games. “Gwen, ask Miguel.”
Well, shit.
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Miguel, like always, was not in the mood for Gwen's shenanigans. “What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?”
"Can I take some time off to go visit Miles?" Gwen leisurely strolled around the room, touching, poking, and prodding at all the fancy science gear.
She knew that Miguel got antsy (Ha!) whenever anyone but Charlotte touched his stuff, but he didn't even give Gwen the decency to look even mildly annoyed. "Go ask Charlotte, I'm busy."
She sighed, flopping her hands in front of her dramatically. "She asked me to ask you."
"Then no."
"Ughh, Miguel!"
"Go back to Charlotte, and tell her I told you to ask her." Miguel stated, his words clipped in a very "and that's final" dad voice. Gwen internally groaned. It was a long trek back to the other Spider's office. “It's like a billion miles away, Miguel. It's crazy that you two don't have your offices next to each other.”
His fingers paused in their work, momentarily distracted. Miguel toyed with the idea. How nice would it be to be able to see her beaming smiles, the small crinkle in her eyes, her laughter as she gossiped with Lyla. He could picture it now: the quiet moments in the dead of the night as they worked in comfortable silence together, her woops and hollers whenever they made a scientific breakthrough in whatever fun project they had together, the blazing passion in her eyes whenever they argued over the most inane subjects.
Miguel chewed on his bottom lip. It would be nice getting to see her every day by his side, knowing that she was safe next to him. Miguel could easily spend his whole day just watching her work whether in the office or in the field.
Gwen cleared her throat politely. Miguel blinked out of his daze, almost forgetting that the annoying teen had even showed up to his office. “She’s distracting-I mean-it’s an distraction for me when other people are here.”
Gwen raised an arced eyebrow. "Peter and Mayday are here like…all the time."
"Against my will. Charlotte is the only one to have the manners to respect my privacy."
Gwen scowled. Adults sucked.
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After begging, pleading, and whining, the other Spiderwoman did eventually fold and allow Gwen a two week vacation to go visit Miles. Two weeks had come and gone in the blink of an eye. Though she wished she could have spent more time with her boyfriend friend, she eagerly made a beeline straight to Charlotte's office. She couldn't wait to gossip with her about her time with Miles.
With a skip in her step, Gwen didn't notice how the door to the older Spider's office was already ajar. Her good mood made her blind to the muted blues and black watercolors that had painted the air around the entranceway.
Silently cracking the door open further, Gwen paused in the doorway, not expecting to see the sight in front of her. The usual joyous yellows and bright colors seeped into the walls of the room had dissipated, now replaced with muted blotched blue. The other Spiderwoman was crumpled into a ball on the floor. She could hear the quiet sobs of a woman trying to hide her sorrows in her hands.
And for some reason, Miguel was here.
It was weird to see Miguel of all people comforting her. Indeed, the big strong man looked so awkward. As if he had no idea where to put his hands or what words to say. His big hulking form was hunched over her protectively, completely shielding her from the rest of the word. His arms hovered around her form as if terrified over the thought of touching her and yet unable to help himself otherwise.
"I'm sorry Mig, I shouldn't be troubling you with this." She sniffed, voice thick with sorrow. "It's just the anniversary of…you know…his death-"
"I know, I know," Miguel said phrases in Spanish too quick for Gwen to even understand. Charlotte let out a rather wet laugh through her sobs. No doubt, laughing at a joke Miguel told her.
Which…honestly made Gwen's stomach twist into knots. She shouldn't be here. It was one thing to see Charlotte like this. But seeing Miguel so caring and vulnerable was…
….well she shouldn't be here.
Charlotte's eyes were a blotchy red. God, she probably looked so horrendous to him. "M-miguel, you shouldn't be here. You always have so much on your plate. You shouldn't have to worry yourself dealing with my stupid bullshit."
He clicked his tongue, annoyed at her words. "Chiquita, no te voy a dejar solo así (I'm not going to leave you alone like this)."
Blessed with a sudden burst of confidence, he smoothed his thumb over her cheek, carefully avoiding pricking her with his talons. Miguel wiped away her tears so gently it almost seemed like he was a completely different person. "Mi Cielito (My sky), you're safe. I'm here. I won't like anything bad happen to you."
The cordial professional boundaries that they put between the both of them flew out of the window. She slid forward, burying her face into his shoulder. She inhaled shakily, trying to stem the flow of tears. Miguel's presence was so soothing. His warmth seeped through his skin into hers.
Gingerly, he shuffled on the couch, wrapping his arm around her.
Gwen, now satisfied that her friend (boss?) was well supported, gingerly tip toed out of the entranceway.
It was about time those two love bugs (Ha) got their act together. She couldn't wait to tell Pav.
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Charlotte didn't know how long they sat on the floor of her office together. With only the steady rise and fall of Miguel's breathing keeping time, it could have been minutes or hours. The once blurry dark world sharpened and refocused whenever she was with Miguel. Blotchy inky blues that had settled in the room slowly faded away.
She sniffed gingerly. It was too embarrassing to lift her head from Miguel's shoulder to look at him in the eye. "I'm…I'm sorry. God this is embarrassing, you're not supposed to see me like this."
For some reason, it stung to hear those words come out of her mouth: "not supposed to see me like this". Had she been crying like this often? All smiles and arrogance during the day, have they simply been another mask she wore? To hide the tears that she had at night?
Though Miguel couldn't judge her too harshly. How often would he look at pictures of his daughter just to torture himself with a life that would never be his?
Well, it was time that she stopped moping on the floor. "Come on, let's get you straightened out." Before she could protest, he leaned over, hooking one of his arms under the crook of her knee. She gasped, momentarily off balance, throwing her arms around Miguel's thick neck. He scooped her up in his arms, picking her up bridle style. Miguel was trying his hardest to not touch her so familiarly that it would border on unprofessionalism.
Because really he would do this for any of the Spiders. Like..well, certainly not Miles, or Peter but..well..
…well he definitely would…
Her shaking stopped. The arms around his neck remained in place, selfishly not wanting to let go of him any time soon. Miguel's chest was so warm against her. She could feel his rapid heartbeat, a comforting presence against her cheek. In his arms, she felt safe.
He didn't need to be able to look down at her to sense the rising blush on her face. "Thank you, Miguel." Her words were so soft, he could barely hear her. "I'm sorry to put you in this position. You're a good friend."
Miguel swallowed thickly. That's right. That's what they were: friends. There was a million reasons why they couldn't be anything more than that.
Though for the life of him, he couldn't come up with any.
She was so warm against him, a comforting reminder that he was still very much human. It was like he was in a trance, as he carried her over to the couch. How many times did he carry his wife to bed, as she sleepily cuddled against him? How many times did he carry his daughter like this after she had fallen asleep in the middle of playing with her dolls?
"Are you okay?" she asked, snapping him out of his daze. He could feel the featherlight brush of her lips against his chest as she spoke.
He tried to fight the blush rising on his cheeks. He had got to stop daydreaming about her around people. "I should be asking you that." His voice was surprisingly soft and gentle.
Gently (and reluctantly), he placed her on the couch in her office. His eyes softened as he watched tuck her legs close to her chest, curling into a tight ball.
"Thank you. I'm..better now. I'm sorry for troubling you. You don't have to stay with me."
Miguel stopped himself from pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance. If there was anyone in this whole building who knew what it was like to have the painful flashbacks, the nightmares, the dark memories... He sighed, running his fingers through his wavy brown hair.
He knew what it was like to sleep in a bed that was too large and too empty. In a house that once held so much life and joy. He knew what it was like to be alone.
Gingerly, he sat on the couch next to her. Her head was so close to his thigh. He resisted the urge to put her head in his lap. "Go to sleep, mi corazón. I'll be here to watch over you."
Her eyelids were heavy. Crying her eyes out in front of her crush was more exhausting than battling the Vulture. "Please, Miguel, you don't have to."
"No, I don't." Miguel agreed, his voice firm and steady. "I want to. Now go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake."
Too tired to protest any future, she nodded sleepily. As she drifted off into unconsciousness, she felt a familiar large palm resting on her head, comforting her even in her dreams.
Part 1 Here
To Be Continued!