Chapter Text
It's no secret that Miles Morales and Miguel O'Hara weren't exactly on the best of terms after the whole Spot situation.
They didn't exactly hate each other, but it's safe to say the two weren't friends by any stretch of the word. You could tell the second they were forced to interact for one reason or another; they would be walking on eggshells around each other.
Which in Miguel's eyes was fairly reasonable, given his less-than-hospitable display during Miles's first-ever visit to HQ, but things change, and it's safe to say he's not the same person he was five months ago.
Actually, scratch that; if you'd shown him a video of himself now, he'd be unrecognizable to the man he was when this whole thing started.
But he's getting ahead of himself.
Things had calmed down significantly during the months' post The Spot debacle, and everyone was just glad to finally have some well-needed downtime before working on the state of the multiverse (which was in shambles at this point.)
Despite his previous actions, he'd continued to run the show behind the scenes without much interference from his peers, which shocked him initially.
After learning everything he believed in was a lie and convincing others to believe said lie, frankly, he was more than ready to give up his position to someone better suited for the job.
But he kept trudging on, promising to do better and ensure that no matter what, he'd continue to protect the multiverse and its residents with all he had.
Which brings him to the present day.
He'd been dishing out missions left and right for the past several weeks, finishing up their last few stages of damage control to ensure they'd all get some sort of break by the end of this.
Miles, surprisingly, was as precocious as ever, lending a helping hand whenever they were shot staffed or whenever he'd been invited for a team up by anyone of the Spider-teens for the tenth time that week.
He hadn't officially joined the Spider Society, but he did more than enough for them in the past (and presently) to warrant being an honorary member.
Miguel was a little worried about that initially, not wanting to seem insensitive or patronizing after everything he'd put him through.
Shock, he put the kid through enough grief as is and he definitely didn't wanna bother him any more than he already has or face the wrath of his many friends.
But Miles didn't seem to have too much of a problem with this; then again, it wasn't hard to see why. The kid finally had an easy way to visit his friends whenever and wherever without worrying about glitching through the multiverse or getting stranded.
Anyways, he'd been planning on giving him a solo mission this time, but as luck would have it, Gwen had already volunteered to go with him, not even a day after he'd assigned it. She'd finished her last mission with Jess fairly quickly, and he hadn't gotten any new missions to give her, so he really didn't have a good reason to say no. Especially since Miles seemed far more excited to go than before (Christ, I'm becoming too soft.)
Reluctantly he'd let the two go on their own since they could surely handle a simple scouting mission on their own, despite his mind screaming at him that something was going to go wrong. Thankfully, everything seemed to be going just fine. They'd made their way to the location easily, an abandoned warehouse by the harbor, and found some surprise anomaly hiding out in the process (some Kraven the hunter variant he hadn't bothered to put into the system yet,) so all and all, he didn't see a reason to keep trailing them like a creep.
Of course, until everything went south.
***
Miguel stepped in almost immediately after the fight began.
Miles and Gwen didn't have too much of a problem dealing with Kraven, but things weren't exactly in their favor once his little companion came into play. The two opted to split up, Gwen focusing on bringing his giant pet cat down while Miles distracted Kraven long enough to send a report to Miguel and set a plan in motion. And it took only a few seconds for Miles to be shot down by an unexpected hit with a blow dart and passed out on a nearby shipping container.
He didn't need to think about protecting the kid before his body sprang into motion almost instantaneously.
His already enhanced strength now, coupled with his rage-induced stupor, meant Kraven went down far faster than he'd like to admit. Gwen had finally taken care of his pet lion, webbing it to the floor, and quickly rushed to Miles' aid as Miguel continued to beat Kraven to a pulp. When she looked back towards him, her panic evident, Miguel had already pinned Kraven to the floor, knocking him out instantly. He quickly made his way towards the shipping container, completely ignoring Kraven's still untied body, and rushed to Gwen's side.
"Is he still breathing?"
Gwen seemed taken aback by his concern.
"Y-yeah, think so. I think the dart just knocked him out, but I'm not entirely sure."
Miguel hummed a reply. "Lyla, send out any available spiders to come clean up this mess."
His holographic companion flickered to life beside him, leaning on an imaginary object and giving a half-hearted fake salute.
"Already on it, boss!"
"And make sure to reserve a spot for Morales down in the med bay."
Instead of replying this time, she gives him a knowing smirk before flickering out of existence. He looked down at Gwen, who was now cradling Miles' body, waiting anxiously for his next set of orders.
"I'll stay here to watch Kraven; you take Morales down to the med bay and–."
Miguel felt a light pinch in his neck and reached up instinctively to figure out what had just happened before pulling back with a dart loosely in his grasp. He turns to look behind him, eyeing a severely wounded Kraven who was smirking up at him, blowpipe in hand, and passed out almost immediately.
Gwen watched him, confused, only to pick up on his surprise, the dart in his hand catching her off guard.
"Miguel..?"
He gripped his neck with his free hand and attempted to rub it slowly. He could feel his eyes going droopy as he swayed side to side.
The last thing he remembered was passing out to the sound of Gwen's cries of concern and a blur of orange pixels flooding his vision.
***
He wakes up a couple hours later alone in his room.
Miguel's head feels fuzzy, as his eyes slowly adjust to the dim lights surrounding him. He takes his hands up to his temple, dragging them over his eyes before throwing himself onto his pillow. He groans
Shocking hell, he hasn't been this exhausted since he first got his powers.
Safe to say, whatever was in that poison dart of Kraven's did a bigger number on him than expected. He moves his hands to hover over his eyes and stares intently at the ceiling, his brows knotting as he does so.
"Lyla."
He can see a flash of the orange linger in his peripheral.
"Mmhhm?" Despite her seeming nonchalance, he could pick up on the concern in her tone.
"How long was I out for?"
She pondered this question for a moment. "About 9 hours, give or take."
He immediately bolts out of bed, frantically searching for a decent pair of clothes to wear before settling on his favorite hoodie and a pair of sweats.
"Shit, why the hell didn't you wake me up!"
He struggled to put his sweats on and glare at Lyla simultaneously, but damn if he wasn't gonna keep trying. Why the hell did she let him sleep for so long? She knows they still have dozens of files to sort through. Not to mention the untouched folders of mission reports he's got stored on his computer. Just thinking about them makes him shiver.
"Well, sorry, princess, but you gave pretty much everyone a good scare after Gwen tried to drag you and Miles to the med bay alone."
He froze then, eyeing Lyla with a mix of shock and concern. "Is she alright?"
"Yeah, just spooked, is all. I sent her back home once you two were checked in and promised to call her once Miles woke up."
He sighs, relieved. "And Morales?"
"He checked out not too long ago, but I sent him down to an empty dorm room just to be safe."
She let out an exaggerated sigh before continuing. "Honestly, I'm surprised they let him go; the kid could barely walk straight."
"That's...concerning."
"Yeah, you're telling me. Oh, I made sure to cancel all your scheduled appointments for today by the way, no need to thank me."
Miguel eyed her bewildered. Just how much stuff had he missed while he was out?
"Anywho, you have pretty much the rest of the day to relax, so you might as well shower and go get something to eat since I know you haven't had a proper meal in three weeks."
Miguel growled at her. "Oh, don't give me that, Migs; you know I'm right."
He sighed before adjusting his sweatpants and pulling his hoodie over his head.
"Look, I'll take care of those old mission reports for you, but just promise me to take a break, alright?"
She didn't even bother to hide her concern anymore. He looked away, mumbling to his reply.
"Fine..I'll go reheat the leftover lasagna Peter left for me in the break room."
Lyla, seemingly satisfied by his answer, hums approvingly before disappearing, leaving him to his thoughts. Honestly, this was starting to be a real pain in the ass. But he wasn't gonna try arguing with Lyla about letting him work on a couple files in his room, knowing she'd kill him if she caught him using his only break in a while for work again.
Whatever, he might as well make good use of whatever time he has left to decompress before returning to work first thing tomorrow morning.
***
His trip to the break room was pretty uneventful, all things considered.
He didn't know what he was expecting; most Spiders have returned home to their families or settled into their dorms for the night. Miguel essentially has the place all to himself.
The lasagna Peter left him isn't too bad, but it definitely would've been better if he had eaten it sooner. He remembers Peter practicall forcing him to try it when he first brought the leftovers down. They were surprisingly good, considering who made them. He decided to make a cup of coffee before returning to his room, hoping to calm his nerves. Once it finished brewing, Miguel reached into the fridge to pull out the hazelnut coffee creamer and poured a hefty amount into his cup.
After washing out Peter's Tupperware container, he walked back to his room as quickly as possible. He lifted the coffee cup towards his lips, taking a sip.
He promptly stops in his tracks and stares at his coffee cup, confused. Why does it taste bitter? He swore he put enough creamer in there to make even Peter gag, and he's seen the man down a dozen donuts and a pack of sugar cookies in the same day. He sighs.
Must be a leftover symptom from the poison. Welp, guess he's not drinking coffee tonight. Glaring at it incredulously, he promptly drops it in the nearest trash can and continues walking.
After closing the door behind him, Miguel promptly removes his clothes and makes his way to the shower. After a good 10 minutes, he turns the water off and grabs the first towel he can find, drying his hair off. He walks toward the bathroom sink and grabs his toothbrush, while continuing to dry his hair. He removes his other hand from his head to grab some toothpaste and spends the next minute attempting to brush his teeth and dry his hair simultaneously.
Once finished, he sets his toothbrush on the counter and wraps his towel around his waist. He decides to put the same sweats on as before, being too lazy to grab another pair, throws his towel on the floor, and falls face-first into his pillow. Miguel groans into his pillow. God, he's so sore. He can already feel himself on the verge of sleep despite barely doing anything.
So, instead of fighting it, he lets sleep overcome him, praying he'll wake up on time tomorrow.
***
It's around midnight when he hears scratching at his door.
He gingerly turns to look at the door, staring into it. Who the hell is up at this hour?? And why the shock were they so determined to get into his room? The scratching at his door doesn't stop, only getting more frantic by the second. He's content to just cover his ears and wait this out until a quiet meow comes from outside.
That's...weird. There shouldn't be any cats around right now unless Spider-Cat was prowling the hallways again. He groans loudly into his pillow before pushing himself back to stretch. His hands stretched past his head to knead his bed sheets as he yawns. He brings his arms back, pushing his back as far into the air as possible, then sitting up to toss his legs off the side of the bed.
The scratching and the meowing were even louder as he slowly moved to stand. Shock, why the hell is he still so sore? By the time he reached the door, the scratching had stopped, but he immediately picked up on the sound of footsteps pacing behind it. He opened the door slowly to not scare away whatever was lingering outside (and not because his hands were oddly shaky, thank you very much.)
Through the crack, he noticed an odd pair of glowing yellow eyes watching from the wall in the hallway. The second he noticed it, he could feel how blurry his vision was, with everything in the hallway looking ten times darker than normal.
He hadn't realized how bad it was until his eyes adjusted to the dark hallway, and the figure before him became clearer by the second.
"..Miles..?"
The boy didn't say anything. He just continued to watch Miguel as he opened the door a little wider and took a small step forward.
"...Is something wrong? Do you want me to get you something?"
Miguel took another slow step forward, but Miles tensed immediately before he could do so, dropping down on all fours before sprinting away.
"Wha- Miles??"
Miguel swung the door open, running out to stand in the center of the hallway. Miles skidded to a stop several feet away from him, leaving tiny claw marks in his wake. The two stared each other down again, with the golden-eyed boy in front of him watching his every move. Miles sticks his back out in the air as his..tail curves behind him, lightly twitching back and forth.
Wait, since when did he have a tail??
In his stupor, Miles relaxes and tilts his head curiously, giving Miguel a better view of the large cat ears sticking out of his hair. How did he not notice those before?? He tries and fails to speak, his mouth bobbing open and closed; all the while, Miles etches closer and closer, sniffing the air as he does so. When he finally comes close to saying anything, Miles sits in front of him, his pupils wide and questioning.
"Uhh...hi."
God, that was stupid.
Miles seemed to perk up at his words, his ears shooting straight up as he started even more intensely at Miguel from the floor. Almost immediately, he begins to stand, clinging to Miguel's shoulders and gently head-butting him. Their height difference made this far more awkward than it already was, as Miles continued to rub his head against him while pushing himself up by the balls of his feet.
This little display of affection caught him off guard; however, he refused to move just in case he spooked Miles off again. He seemed to be getting more daring by the second, eventually pulling himself off the ground to climb over his shoulders, digging his claws into Miguel's back. He had to bend over to ensure Miles wouldn't fall face-first into the floor.
"O-Oi, kid, get down from there!"
Miles ignored him, curling up into a loaf, and casually sitting on his back. Miguel's spine is as flat as he can manage; all the while, Miles' tail gently hits his face.
Miguel huffs a laugh after the third swat to the face. "Are you proud of yourself?"
Miles trilled in response. He knows he should probably be freaking out right now; after all, a boy who was supposed to be in a dorm halfway across the building is suddenly sitting on his back like a cat would and only replying to him by making sounds only cats could.
But he was fairly convinced half of this was a dream. To be fair, this isn't the weirdest thing his sleep-deprived mind has come up with, but it's pretty high up there.
To avoid getting swatted by Miles' tail, he decided to stare at his legs for a while; noticing a faint furry shadow lingering near his left leg. It was dark brown with subtle streaks of grey hidden between each tuft, that seemed to shine in these dark halls. He stared at it for a few seconds before reaching out to grab it. Once he does, it sends sharp twitch down his spine, prompting him to release it immediately.
Okay.., this was starting to turn into an even weirder fever dream. Surely whatever this is, it was just his sleep deprivation catching up with him and that he'll wake up tomorrow morning all groggy and exhausted, but everything will be fine. He could feel Miles shifting above him, unfurling from his loaf and motioning up Miguel's broad frame. He attempted to look up again, but the sudden movement startled Miles, prompting the teen to hop off his back and run away.
"Wait, where are you going!"
Unlike last time Miles didn't even bother to look back as he sprinted down the hallway until he was out of sight. He attempted to run after him before he remembered his new surprise appendage. He looked back just to confirm that he did, in fact, have a tail now. Instinctively he reached for his hair, brushing his fingers through his locks and catching on the small...cat ears protruding from his scalp. At least, that's what he assumed they were.
Miguel tugs on them softly and regrets it almost immediately, letting go to smush them under his palm. He could feel them twitch under his palm, signaling their need to be freed
Great, he's got cat ears now too.
Jeez, this was all surprisingly realistic for what's supposed to be a dream. Maybe he'd finally gone insane, and this was just one big hallucination. Or maybe his sleep-deprived ass was being punished for never sleeping properly even when he gets the chance too.
Realizing he's been standing for far longer than intended, he slaps his cheeks to free himself from his thought spiral. Now that Miles had completely disappeared, the cat ears and tail were the least of his concerns. He needed to find him as soon as possible before he ended up locked in a room or injured himself.
Right on cue, he heard a faint thump echo through his eardrums. Almost immediately, he runs down the hallway in an attempt to catch up to Miles.
"Mierda, how am I gonna explain this to Lyla?"
***
Finding Miles was easier said than done.
The kid was fast, faster than he remembers, and surprisingly good at evading him at every turn. By his third failed attempt to catch him, Miguel found himself running on all fours just to keep up with the boy. It evened the playing field a little bit, somehow being a more comfortable position for him and making him even faster at the same time. Unfortunately for him, Miles had no intentions of being captured, taking every opportunity to get out of sight.
They'd done at least several laps around the building by now, stumbling into trash cans and break room furniture, knocking down cups and plates, and nearly ramming head-first into glass railings.
Their little game had brought them to the lobby, with Miles just close enough for him to pounce and take the boy down. Miles had other ideas; jumping on top of one of the railings, he pushed himself off, letting himself free fall towards the platform below him.
"Oh, no, you don't!"
Miguel jumped after him, relaxing his muscles, and he fell what felt like 100 feet through the air staring down at Miles the whole way down. Miles touched down first, firmly planting all four paws on the ground before attempting to run away again. Miguel came down after landing directly on top of the boy, causing them to tumble forwards. Once the two had separated, Miles sprung into action, tensing his body and curving his back upward in an attempt to intimidate him. He hissed, his tail thrashing wildly behind him as he circled Miguel.
He attempted to do the same, but unlike Miles, his hulking frame towered over him even as he crouched, choosing to stay close to the ground, glaring at Miles as he did so. They kept doing this for a while, with Miles hissing and growling even louder the closer Miguel got while simultaneously shrinking in on himself, trying to placate the man in front of him. Miguel only made himself look bigger, hoping to taunt the younger boy into submission without needing to raise a hand. All it took was one solid growl for Miles to start cowering before him.
Miles pushed himself flat on the floor to signal his surrender, examining Miguel's body language as he did so. His tail was completely still on the floor, with his ears flatter than they'd been the first time he spooked him. The tension in Miguel's shoulders dissipated instantly as he bent down to pull Miles up by the scruff. As he hung there limply in Miguel's jaws, the older man began walking down the hall; the sound of Miles' paws dragged across the floor, following them all the way back to Miguel's room.
***
Miguel was woken up for the second time by the sound of faint snoring beside him.
He glances down briefly, only to be met with a solid bundle of hair clinging to his collarbone.
Miles is still placed firmly against his shoulder and the wall. The slow rise and fall of his chest was somewhat comforting, causing him to release a low purr before wrapping himself tighter around his slender frame.
Another faint snore echoed throughout the room. Miguel opts to forget any chance he has of sleeping as he slowly removes himself from Miles' side.
Miguel lifts his arms up to stretch, letting his arms fall to his side before reaching up to massage the back of his neck. He stands up then, keeping one hand on his neck while the other struggles to hide the yawn that escapes his lips.
He walks into the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him and lingering in front of the mirror, waiting for his drowsiness to disappear. His eyes take a second to adjust as he runs calloused fingers through his hair. The second his hand snagged on something, he freezes instantly.
Ever so slightly, Miguel removes his hand from his hair, allowing him to properly take in his appearance in the mirror. He analyzed every part of his face, from the drop of his eye bags to the subtle red glow of his eyes. Nothing looked out of the ordinary, but that was before he looked up to stare at the top of his head. And smack dab in the center of his head, two fuzzy brown ears stick out, twitching slightly.
Fuck.