Work Text:
Headacanon in which in an alternate dimension of Miguel's universe, also set in 2099, Miguel and Miles were once in a secret relationship.
Miles was hired as baby Gabrielle's babysitter when the girl was bo less than five months. Gabriel had recommended the teen to him, having heard his colleague praised Miles' home skills. Bonus was that he once had a little sister and was a natural with taking care of babies. Miguel was hesitant at first, but he acquiesced with how stressful it was to take care of Gabrielle as well as focus on his work.
Miles was a ray of sunshine. When Miguel first saw his face the minute he opened the door for the teen, he was gone. Miles smile lit up the whole room and Miguel didn't hesitate to give him the job - especially when he saw how good he was with his daughter. Gabrielle took a liking to him very swiftly, babbling and giggling in the teen's arms, who cooed and laughed along with her. It just took Miles spending mere minutes with Gabrielle to get the job.
Miles soon became a part of their family. Just like with Gabrielle, he got along with her eccentric uncle, tge two being nerds and annoying Miguel with it. Funnily enough, Miles got along with Miguel even though the older man was cold and off putting. He still chatted animatedly with him, not minding that Miguel would just add one sentence in their discussions.
Miles loved it with the O'Haras, and they too loved his presence in their lives.
As the months went by, Miguel fell utterly in love with him. He fell head first that it got to the point that he could no longer deny it. It took a while for him to make Miles fall in love with him, Miles crumbling under the sweetness and brightness that was Miguel O'Hara - Girl Daddy Extraordinary.
Miles was an orphan, so his family became Miguel, Gabrielle, and Gabriel. Gabriel was ecstatic that his brother had finally found love again.
Gabrielle's first words were Dada and she said this while looking up at Miles with a toothy grin, her scanty baby teeth out in the open. Miles was shocked at this, mouth open as he stared down at her with disbelief. His head raised up and turned to where Miguel stood in shock - worry evident on his face. Miguel, proud of his daughter, just picked her up and twirling her around as he praised her, causing her to squeal and giggle loudly, cause this just proved one thing - his daughter accepted Miles.
They were truly happy. Miles getting the happiness he had always wished for, Miguel experiencing happiness once again and dare he say true love, and Gabrielle being showered with nothing but love and attention from the two of them.
But nothing lasts forever.
Miguel, who had made enemies with some higher ups in the company he worked at, had his home attacked when his family were gathered for his birthday.
The day had been going well. Miles had prepared a scrumptious meal (as always) and the fires of the candles on his cake had been blown off.
A four year old Gabrielle was being chased arouns by Miles after getting a handful of Miguel's cake, loud pearls of giggles spilling from her cake frosting coated lips. Miles wasn't even trying hard to catch her, making exaggerated monster noises as he ran after her.
Miguel and his brother watched them with amused smiles, Miguel praising his daughter once in a while when she narrowly escaped Miles's hands (Miles paused each time he almost caught her, allowing her to escape).
Their fun was brought to an abrupt end when a loud groan was heard. Gabrielle and Miles paused in their steps, the four of them looking around for the direction of the noise. Gabrielle called out to her father, the toddler running over to Miles - who was closer to her - when the building started shaking. Miguel and Gabriel had already jumped to their feet, the men on high alert but confused all the same.
An earthquake?
"Miguel..." Miles called out with a scared voice, quickly picking up Gabrielle and holding the frightened girl tight to himself.
The building was trembling and groaning, as if it couldn't hold up its weight. Then, a loud bang was held and everything went down.
The floor beneath Miles' feet gave way and Miguel watched with wide eyes filled with horror as Miles and Gabrielle fell through, his daughter's screams and Miles' calls for him ringing in his ears.
"Miles!" Miguel screamed, hand reaching out to the two of them and his feet took off running on their own, trying to get him to them. His brother and he followed, the floor beneath their feet giving way and they found themselves falling.
When Miguel came to, it was to pain. Sharp, blinding pain that made his whole upper body numb. He was slow to come to his senses, white noise ringing in his ears as he looked around and beheld the destruction - eyes blinking owlishly and his breathing laboured. He came to with his brother - Gabriel who was wounded and had blood running down his face - shaking him.
"Dios Mios, your arm..."
Miguel looked at his right arm and saw that it was bent it a wrong angle.
"Come, get up. We have to look for Gabrielle and Miles."
Those words alone had his brain coming back to its full capacity and he looked around widely.
"Where- where are they?!" Miguel tried to stand up on his own but he almost fell back down due to a sprained -ankle. He cried out in pain, Gabriel hurriedly reaching out and holding him up.
"Shit. You're more banged up than I thought." Gabriel hissed out, grunting with effort as he placed his brother's good arm around his shoulders.
The two searched for Miles and Gabrielle in the debris, not caring about the dust that filled their lungs with each breath they took. They saw mangled up bodies under chuncks of rocks, some being skewed by rods. When they finally found who they were looking for, Miguel's whole world seemed to collapse under him all over again.
"No..." Miguel shakenly breathed out, eyes filled with horror. Gabriel was no different, looking as if he was seeing the devil himself.
On the ruined floor laid Miles and Gabrielle, his lover's hold on their daughter loose - yet, she was pressed against his chest. Miles had blood pooling beneath him and Gabrielle seemed to be bleeding. Both of them looked peaceful, as if they were asleep, but the red pooling underneath them told him otherwise.
Miguel tore away from his brother, limping his way over to his partner and child, voice horse as he desperately called out their names. Gabriel couldn't even move, rooted to his spot in shock and disbelief.
Miguel tripped over a debris, hitting his face on the floor - but that didn't stop him from crawling the rest of the way over to his family. Miles' blood - and maybe a mix with Gabrielle's - stained his person as he crawled in it.
"Miles... Miles-" Miguel called out once again, sitting up and reaching for his lover and child. "Mi Amor, por favor, despierta (please, wake up)."
With only one hand, he pulled Miles and Gabrielle close to his body, grunting loud in pain as he strained his injuried body. He placed then in-between his opened legs, Miles' head resting against his stomach.
"Gabi. Gabi, es papá (it's papa). Por favor, abre tus ojos (please, open your eyes)." He begged, rubbing his daughter head. He pulled back when he felt blood, looking at his blood red palm in horror. His breathing became ragged and tears spilled down his dirty cheeks
Behind him, Gabriel fell to his knees as the realization that his niece and would-have-been brother-in-law were gone. Dead. His own tears rolled down his cheeks as he watched, numb, as his brother wailed and pleaded.
Miguel held Miles and Gabrielle close to him, screaming and begging for them to come back. His tears fell on Miles' slowly cooling face, trailing down his bloody cheek as if he too was crying.
When the paramedics and the firefighters finally came to their rescue, it was to a calm Miguel who still held onto Miles and Gabrielle, their bodies cooling in his hold. Gabriel had his back against a broken pillar, his eyes as dull and dead as his brother's.
When the rescuers tried to separate Miguel from their bodies, he went feral. His roars were born chilling and haunting. They had to tranquillise him in the end, putting him to sleep. Gabriel just watched, tired and defeated, as Miguel was taken away while Miles and Gabrielle were put in separate body bags.
Gabriel, after making sure that Miles and Gabrielle's corpses were identified, stayed besides his brother's side after being treated. He had to be the one to tell Miguel that yes, Miles and Gabrielle were truly gone when Miguel woke up Gabriel watch with defeat as his brother sobbed and screamed his heart out. What could he possibly say to comfort a man who had lost his family so suddenly? He just sat and watched silently, his heart bleeding for Miguel.
Miguel was dead to the world after that. He was like a dead man still living and breathing. It pained Gabriel to see this side of Miguel - no, it made him angry at the fucking world.
Gabriel knew that the news about the materials of the building being faulty was a goddamn lie. Someone wanted someone dead in that building, not caring about the casualties, and he was determined to find out who and why.
After much investigation, looking into the background of everyone in the building that worked for well-known companies, he found out the target of the disaster. Miguel. His own brother.
Miguel had been hiding something serious from him about his company and Gabriel was livid. He made his opinions well know to Miguel in the hospital, yelling at his brother that why didn't he trust Gabriel enough to tell him about the shady side of Alchemax.
"Because of your inability to trust me, your own brother, Miles and Gabrielle are dead!"
That finally got a reaction from Miguel and the man raised his head, settling dull eyes on Gabriel. "What?" He asked with a raspy voice.
"Alchemax are the ones responsible. The target was you, Miguel."
Realization, crippling and suffocating, finally dawned on Miguel. He fisted the sheets covering him from his waist down, his grip tight. Veins bulged on the side of his temples as rage like never before consumed him.
"I'll kill them..." Miguel spat out. "My Miles, my sweet Gabrielle... dead... because of them." Tears caused by rage and sorrow ran down his cheeks and fell onto the rumpled sheets, his nails tearing into the material.
"I'll kill them. I'll fucking them all!"
Gabriel gazed at his brother with cool eyes, harden with loss and pain. "Then let's get to work."
Miguel was merciless in his quest for vengeance. Those who stood in his way were cut down with great prejudice. Not only did he destroy Alchemax in the eyes of the public, exposing every inhumane experimentation they've conducted and were planning to conduct, he went after them one after the other - making their death painful and slow.
Gabriel didn't even bat an eye at how Miguel had changed - after all, he too had changed.
After Alchemax had been dealt with, Miguel took to becoming that universe's Spiderman - enhanced to the max and stronger.
One day, he got a shocking surprise in the form of a bruised and wary Miles - this one obviously younger than his dead lover - appearing in his home - wearing a ruined spider suit. The drink he had been holding fell to the ground as his grip loosened with shock.
"Mi- Miles?"
"How- how do you know my name?" The boy asked, highly alert and was looking at Miguel with fearful and hateful eyes.