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Contrary to popular belief, Miles is not stupid. Even if he makes mistakes, or has to navigate things through failure to get to the right solution. He's innovative, clever, and quick-thinking. Just like all the other spider-people.
So it makes no sense for Pavitr to be so distracted today. He's not his usual self, and it's obvious that it's not something weighing on his mind. If he's ever contemplating something, he always asks for the group's opinions.
As they swing through the city to grab civilians and quickly move them to safety, Pavitr is extremely quiet and fumbles a few times. That, and Hobie is a lot closer to him and louder than usual. He's overcompensating for Pavitr's sudden change in behaviour, and for some reason, Gwen isn't bothered at all by the change.
It makes him feel out of the loop, which is something that hasn't happened since he first joined the spider society and Miguel realized his existence didn't change the way the universes worked.
Miles lands on a rooftop a few seconds after everyone else does. He crouches to catch his balance but springs up to his feet as soon as he's steady.
"Aye, good job to you guys," Hobie praises. He nods upwards in approval to both Miles and Gwen before he turns to Pavitr and starts to talk quietly. Gwen ignores the sight and turns to Miles.
"No matter what universe, I hate fighting these guys," She murmurs. She shakes her head and Miles has to agree with her on that.
"Definitely. Always all over the place and leaves a huge mess behind." Miles groans to himself when he realizes all the damage done. So many trashed cars, broken windows, and crumpled walls. "Should we go help with clean-up? Since, y'know," He gestures calmly to Pavitr and Hobie with his head.
Behind him, he can tell the two are whispering. Hobie appears to be comforting the shorter, but Miles isn't sure. He never can be, with how physical Hobie is all the time. But if Miles had to draw a connection, he'd say that Hobie almost looks like a parent comforting a disappointed child.
"Sure. Race?" Gwen asks as she flings a web out and goes zooming through the air. Miles scoffs in disbelief as he chases after her, webs flying out to whatever they can grasp. He's on her heels the entire way to the main area of destruction but still ends up losing.
Two hours later, Miles high-fives Gwen. They managed to clear out all of the rubble and even manage to piece together a few slightly-broken items.
"I am so done with this," Gwen says as she walks over to him. She pats Miles on the shoulder once she's close enough.
"Yeah. I'm ready to go home," Miles agrees. He glances around at the still-destroyed street. This dimension is going to need long-term construction to fix it all, but at least the rubble is out of the way.
"See you tomorrow?" Gwen asks. She looks up as she smashes a button on her watch, creating a portal next to her. No one around them spots it, completely oblivious to the technology their eyes can't pick up.
"Yeah. See ya," Miles gives her a salute as she disappears into her portal. He messes with his watch to go back to his universe, but after a second thought, he decides to stop by Hobie's place. He has time until he needs to be home, and he wants to know what's up with Pavitr. They're likely both in Hobie's apartment since that seems to be the hangout spot for everyone.
Miles cranks the tiny dial and steps into the portal without a second glance.
The second he stumbles into the room he's backing up, pink flushing his face. Hobie and Pavitr both looked shocked to see him, but Pavitr is more upset.
"Oh, my god. I am sorry— Uhm," Miles looks down at his watch, fumbling with the dial again.
"Miles, just shut up and stay put. Give me a second," Hobie scolds from his spot by the couch. Miles doesn't know what possesses him, but he freezes at Hobie's order.
He tries not to stare when Hobie starts to shush at Pavitr gently. With ease, he lifts Pavitr off the couch and disappears down the hallway. Once they're out of sight, Miles can hear Pavitr break into tears.
Once it's been a few minutes, Miles sits down on the carpet. He can still hear Pavitr in the other room, but he's not crying anymore. Still, Miles feels bad. He doesn't know what was happening, but he upset his friend.
When he had stepped out of the portal, he had been met with the familiar sight of Hobie sitting on the couch. Pavitr was cuddled up against him, which wouldn't normally be anything out of the ordinary. But Pavitr had a pacifier in his mouth, and Hobie had been baby-talking him, so Miles doesn't know what to do.
Either way, the guilt slowly eats at him. He waits silently and picks at his fingers for another 15 minutes until Hobie comes back into the living room. Miles doesn't fail to notice the lack of Pavitr on his hip.
"Aye, props to you for waiting, mate. What's up?" When he doesn't mention Pavitr, Miles is somewhat stumped but doesn't point it out.
"Just wanted to, y'know, check-in. On you and Pav." He gestures to the punk and the hallway as he speaks. "Pavitr was being weird earlier so I was just worried—"
"He's fine, lad. Just a bit off," Hobie assures. He nods affirmingly as if that eases the situation at all.
"Why? Is everything okay—"
"Miles. It's fine," Hobie reassures. Hobie is being stern, and it's weird. Miles hasn't seen him act serious about something for a long time, and he's never directed at him.
"You're lying," He blurts out. When Hobie scoffs at him, Miles immediately regrets the impulsive action. He waits for Hobie to explode, but he doesn't. Instead, he leans back and shakes his head at Miles.
"You're pure stupid, mate." As Hobie is talking, Miles can see Pavitr peek his head around the corner. He's looking at Miles, clearly shy. When they make eye contact, Pavitr squeaks and ducks behind the corner.
Hobie spins around, glancing at the corner. He turns back to Miles and shakes his head. "Stay put," He says sternly. The tone almost reflects that of a parent, and Miles views Hobie as enough of an authority figure that it makes him nervous.
He watches Hobie disappear around the corner, no doubt talking to Pavitr. When given the moment of privacy, he sends a text message to his parents that he's going to stay the night at his friend's house. He tucks the phone back into his pocket when Hobie comes back from around the corner, this time with Pavitr on his hip.
"A'ight. Pav said it's okay for you to know, so I'm gonna need you to turn your listening ears on," Hobie explains. Miles nods, paying attention to every word the punk says.
"He's a little. This means that when he's tired, stressed, or really whenever he feels like it, he'll regress. This means he thinks and acts like a kid, which is why a stranger coming in when he's regressed is scary. Catching on?" Miles nods, glancing at Pavitr. The little is just watching him, clearly unaffected by the discussion.
"Sorry for not checking in, then. Didn't think you'd be busy."
"No questions?" Hobie asks, raising an eyebrow.
"No," Miles responds. After a second, he pauses. "Actually, can anyone.. do whatever it is? Be a little?" Hobie quirks an eyebrow at the question.
"Yeah, mate. I just like taking care of people, so here I am. Nearly a full-time sitter, between Pav and Gwenny," He snides. Miles jolts back with confusion when he brings up Gwen.
"Gwen is a little too?"
"More of an angsty 4th grader than a toddler, but yeah. She requires a babysitter whenever she's little, so she just stops by. I've got a bin of things for her, too. Why, you curious all of a sudden?" Hobie asks, readjusting Pavitr's position on his hips.
Miles flusters when Hobie turns the attention onto him. He defensively raises his hands. When Hobie says he's just teasing, Miles laughs awkwardly.
"So, you staying, then?" Hobie asks, distracting him. Miles is grateful for the change in conversation.
"Yeah. If you're both fine with it," Miles adds on. Hobie hums, turning to the couch.
"You're gonna have to share my attention though, mate. 's a fair warning," Hobie jokes. He sets Pavitr down on the couch, making sure the little's pacifier stays in. Then, he drops down onto the couch next to him. Miles awkwardly watches it before he realises he's staring. While Hobie is still turned towards Pavitr, Miles kicks his shoes off and drops down onto the couch on the opposite side of the punk.
He glances up and flashes a quick grin at Miles. Miles feels his face flush with embarrassment when Hobie turns back and starts mumbling quietly to Pavitr, who replies with stuttered words.
"Oh— Miles, if you want outta your uniform, I laid out a few outfits on the bed in there," Hobie says over his shoulder.
"Oh. Okay," Miles replies. He shoves himself to a standing position, moving to the bedroom. Pavitr shyly waves at him as he passes, and Miles grins at him.
When he enters the bedroom, Miles stops in his tracks. As Hobie said, there are a few outfits laid out on the bed. One of them is just a plain shirt and sweatpants. Be almost reaches for it without thought, but he stops. He glances over at the other two options, cringing at the furthest one. It's a onesie, and he immediately rules it out. There's no way he's putting that on in front of Hobie.
The one in the middle, though, doesn't seem all that bad either. It's a pair of cartoonish pyjamas, clearly meant for kids. But it's a large enough size that Miles can fit in it, so he carefully lifts it. He looks at it and then sets it down on the bed.
He bites his lip and stares at the two options he has left. After a few minutes, he decides on the pyjamas. For some reason, it doesn't feel as embarrassing as it normally would. He is slightly interested in whatever "being little" actually means. Hobie wouldn't have laid out the different options if he wasn't okay with it.
Miles quickly changes, tossing his costume into a small pile at the foot of the bed. Once he's done, he turns around to find Hobie walking into the room. His eyes are trained on something in the hallway until he stops in the doorway.
When he finally looks at Miles, the younger feels his face flushed with embarrassment.
"Aye, you chose that one. Seems you do want to give it a spin then, yeah?" Hobie asks. His tone is playful, but it doesn't stop the hot shame from creeping up Miles' neck at being caught.
"Uhm. Maybe," Miles admits. His voice is hushed and hesitant, but Hobie doesn't mind. And if he does, then he doesn't show it.
"A'ight. Nothin' wrong with that. You wanna walk back to the living room?"
"What else...?" Miles trails off. Hobie smirks at his confusion and then opens his arms. He points to one of his hips before crouching down as well. Miles' face goes red when he remembers how Pavitr had been carried. "Oh," He squeaks. Hobie chuckles.
"Well?" Hobie inquires. Miles stares at him, completely torn. He's extremely embarrassed, even if he secretly wants to be held.
When Hobie stands up, Miles feels guilt and disappointment. He hates that he made Hobie crouch, but is disappointed that his window is closed. But when the older starts to approach him, all he feels is embarrassment.
"Here," Hovie says under his breath. He grabs Miles and lifts him, laughing when he yelps and clings to him. For a second, Miles ends up sticking to Hobie with his powers out of nervousness.
Hobie doesn't say anything about Miles' panic. Instead, he just turns to the hallway and starts walking. Miles clings to him the entire time, feeling guilty for making Hobie carry him.
As soon as they're in the hallway, Miles protests. "I can walk," Miles whispers. Hobie shrugs, not giving the attempt any mind.
"And you don't want to. 's fair, you just gotta say something, mate." Miles glares at the floor as Hobie carries him; he's embarrassed that he's so readable. Hobie didn't even think to ask him before scooping him up. "You wouldn't have hesitated so long if you didn't want to be carried. Now stop thinking yourself into debt," Hobie teases. Miles scoffs at the accusation, even though he knows it's obvious.
Pavitr is sitting on the couch when they enter the living room. Miles quickly notes the pacifier in his mouth and the picture books in his lap. Most of the books are discarded and falling onto the floor, but the few that aren't are sitting unopened in his lap. Instead, he appears to be playing with a spiked bracelet.
"Oi, Pav," Hobie calls when he comes to the same conclusion. The little throws the bracelet across the room the second the caregiver speaks and looks up innocently. Hobie sighs loudly but doesn't react.
"You didn't need to chuck that, mate." Miles can see Pavitr's cheeks go warm at the comment. He's relaxed about it though, and Miles distantly wonders how he isn't more affected by Hobie chiding him.
"A'ight, Miles," Hobie says as he steps closer to the couch. "What do you want me to do here? Treat you like normal and let you figure it out, or help you like I help Pavitr?" He asks. He glances down at the teen on his hip, expression neutral.
"Uhm." Miles pauses. He stares at Hobie, the familiar feeling of shame creeping up his spine. Even if the punk isn't going to judge him, it's a hard decision to make.
Hobie shushes at him when he feels Miles tense up, bouncing him gently on his hip. Miles only feels more embarrassed by it, but no doubt less intimidated. The gesture is calming, even more when he knows that Hobie's trying to calm him down.
"You dunno, that's fine. It's a'ight, mate. We'll just... go with the flow. Yeah?"
"Yeah," Miles agrees. He exhales loudly, relieved that Hobie is deciding for him. It's surprisingly overwhelming, even if neither of the other two are reacting at all to it.
"Here, I promise." Hobie holds up his pinkie finger, offering it to Miles. He stares at it for a solid minute before linking his with it. He turns away from Hobie's face after doing so, shy that he's participating in childish behaviours.
"Atta boy," He praises. Then, he turns to Pavitr and speaks, "Pav, what you wanna do?" The little bounces in place, giggling when Hobie calls out to him.
"TV?" He asks excitedly. Miles watches, quickly picking up on the fact that Pavitr looks like he's expecting to be rejected but asking anyways.
When Hobie sighs, Miles tenses up. It's just for a second, but Hobie's free hand starts to pat him on the back in an attempt to soothe him. Miles hates to admit that it works.
"A'ight, I suppose. Just 'cause Miles is here, you hear? Not an everyday thing." Pavitr nods excitedly, barely paying attention to what Hobie's saying. "C'mon on then," Hobie says to the both of them before turning. He fixes Miles' position on his hip, making sure that he isn't falling. Then, he heads for the kitchen.
Pavitr launches up from his spot on the couch, giggling wildly as he runs past Hobie. He waits patiently by the side of the fridge, where he claps his hands quickly.
The noise isn't bothersome at all, but it startles Miles. He watches Hobie's free hand reach up and grab the TV remote off the top of the fridge. Pavitr is quick to take it when offered and runs back to the living room.
"He's excited," Miles comments. Hobie snorts at the comment and Miles can feel him nod in agreement.
"You could say that again. Are you still a'ight with all of this?" Hobie asks, looking down at the teen on his hip. Miles' face goes red when Hobie makes eye contact with him.
"Yeah. It's embarrassing," He answers quietly. He can hear Hobie scoff.
"It's not. Just an average way to cope. You don't see any of the others bashing it, hm?"
"No, but—" Hobie cuts him off with a finger pressed to his lips. The action does more to make Miles feel smaller than anything else so far, but he tries to make sure it doesn't show on his face.
"No 'but's. If you want something, ask. M'kay? Yeah, I get it's difficult at first. Pav was shy too, until I bribed him with sweets. I'd rather you try to be comfortable and let me take care of the rest. It's my job, mate." Hobie drops his hand to his side and hoists Miles up on his waist again.
"Okay. Sorry," Miles squeaks out.
"No need to be sorry. Just try and tell me what you need," Hobie reassures. He mumbles in such a soft tone that it makes Miles feel babied, but in a different way than the rest of the actions.
"Okay," Miles mumbles back. Hobie beams at his response and lats him on the back proudly.
"Now, let's go sit with Pav and watch cartoons, yeah? You like those." Miles nods shyly, embarrassed that Hobie's connectjng his interest to being little.
When Hobie starts walking again, he tucks his face into the caregiver's neck. He can hear Hobie hum satisfactorily. The small reassurance is enough to soothe some of Miles' nerves, even if he's still extremely embarrassed.
"Oi, kid, give me the remote," Hobie says as he approaches the coach. Pavitr's managed to turn on the TV and log onto a streaming site that Miles doesn't recognize. Pavitr hands it over without arguing, moving over so that Hobie has enough space to sit between the two of them.
Hobie reaches out and ruffles the little's hair and thanks him before sitting down. When he sits down and slides Miles off onto the empty space of couch next to him, he doesn't expect him to whine. Hobie immediately turns to look at him, worry laced in his expression.
"What is it?" He asks, wrapping an arm around him. When Miles' only response is to lean into him, Hobie realizes what's happening and chuckles. He pulls the younger to press up against him, humming satisfactorily when Miles relaxes again.
He can't deny that it's adorable, even if he knows he's not allowed to say otherwise. Miles would immediately grow too embarrassed and lose his head. Hobie is sure the more he disrupts Miles, the further away his headspace is going to get.
"A'ight, Pav. What movie?" Hobie asks, looking at the other little. Pavitr hums for a second, shrugging once. He watches the TV screen as Hobie starts to scroll through them. When they get to the section of old movies, Pavitr ends up telling Hobie to pick one. Hobie clicks on the Labyrinth, smirking when Pavitr starts whining that he has bad taste.
"Too bad, mate. You made me choose," Hobie reasons. Pavitr huffs, but is quickly immersed in the show once it begins. Hobie takes the chance to focus on Miles, who is surprisingly still leaning into him.
"You doing a'ight, lovey?" Hobie asks, raising an eyebrow at the younger.
"Mhm," Miles says absentmindedly. He's watching the TV, and Hobie shakes his head at the fact that both of the littles are glued to it despite Pavitr's protests.
"Sure you are," Hobie mumbles. He lifts his hand from Miles' shoulder to rest it on his head. Miles doesn't react to it, so Hobie figures that it's alright.
Nearly half an hour later, both of the younger spider-men are leaning against Hobie. Pavitr is completely enraptured by the movie and fidgeting with Hobie's left hand, while Miles is shifting awkwardly next to him. Hobie doesn't ask what's up yet; Miles doesn't seem like he's upset, so he chalks it up to be boredom.
And in the case of boredom, Hobie believes that Miles is capable of asking for something himself. He told him earlier that's all he has to do, but he's not quite sure if Miles is still aware of that.
After another five minutes of Miles fidgeting, Hobie caves. When Miles quietly whines and slaps Hobie's palm (though it barely counts as a slap), Hobie turns to the little immediately.
"What's up, mate?" He asks, eyebrows farrowing in a mixture of worry and confusion.
"Bored. An' wan' food," He mumbles. Hobie hums and nods to show he's listening.
"Why didn't you say something, kid? Could've got you everything ten minutes ago," Hobie jokes.
"You was watching the TV," Miles explains shyly. His eyes drop to his lap, where he's started to tug at his fingers.
"TV doesn't matter when it comes to you needing something, okay?" Hobie asks, holding out a pinky. He watches Miles' resolve immediately crumble at the gesture. The little hooks their fingers together, a small grin on the corner of his lips.
"M'kay," He answers. Hobie gets up from the couch at that, standing. He can feel Pavitr look up at him before going back to watching the movie, unsurprisingly. The regressor is an addict to any screen available when regressed. It's almost as bad as a drug, at this point.
He picks Miles up, hoisting him onto his hip. The little wraps his arms around Hobie's neck for stability before tucking his face against the caregiver's neck as well.
"A'ight, Pav. Gonna make some dinner, yeah? Get me if you need anything," Hobie instructs. Pavitr nods excessively, most likely barely registering what Hobie's saying. The caregiver sighs in defeat before turning his back and walking to the kitchen.
Miles is surprisingly quiet when regressed. Hobie can't tell if it's because he's shy or if he's just quiet in general, but he's not complaining. It's a sharp contrast to his normal attitude, but still just as Miles. Makes sense for him to be clingy and quiet when young. He's all anxious too, until he's up in Hobie's arms. Hobie blames the Morales parents for spoiling him when he was a baby.
"How old are you, mate?" Hobie asks once he comes to a stop in front of the counters. He doesn't want to make something that Miles isn't going to be able to eat, but at the same time he wants him eating something more than snack foods.
"Dunno," Miles responds. Hobie sighs, but makes sure to reassure Miles. He doesn't want the little thinking that he's being bothersome.
"You have any ideas for dinner?" Miles shakes his head, movements slow since he's leaning against Hobie's shoulder. Hobie hums, then turns and steps back into the doorway.
"Any easy dinner requests, Pav?" Hobie calls out to the other little. Pavitr looks up quickly before pausing to think. Hobie doesn't fail to notice the small collection of leather bracelets in Pavitr's lap. He can't be bothered to say anything about it, but he hopes that Pavitr doesn't get them lost around the apartment.
"Veg pulao," He answers, excitement pouring over his words when he makes a decision. Hobie glances up to the ceiling when he tries to remember if he has the recipe to that. When he can't remember, he puts a finger up in Pavitr's direction and turns back to the kitchen.
He grabs a small notebook out of the spice cupboard. It takes a second, since Pavitr had decided to stack all of the little jars on top of the book, but he manages to get it out without spilling anything.
He flips through the pages quickly, pausing when he finds the page with the recipe. He whispers a 'thank you' to no one in particular before turning back to the living room.
"A'ight, that works, kid. We're going to have that." Pavitr does a small cheer, his smile growing. Hobie gives him a small salute with his free hand and Pavitr is quick to mimick it.
Roughly 30 minutes later, Hobie's setting three plates on the table. When he tries to set Miles down in a separate chair, the little whines and sticks to him. So, he moved the plate back to sit next to his.
"Yo, Pav, dinner," He shouts. Pavitr comes running into the kitchen a minute later, likely delayed by pausing the movie. Hobie guesses there's probably another half hour left of it and makes the decision to let them finish it after dinner.
"Bubba?" Pavitr asks as he comes sliding into the kitchen.
"Yeah, kid?" Hobie asks, glancing over at him. Hobie is still standing near the counter, cleaning up a bit of the mess. He managed to get Miles to sit still on his chair, satiated by Hobie wrapping his jacket around him.
"Miles is in your spot," He points out. Hobie glances over his shoulder, humming in acknowledgement. He already knew that, but he figures Pavitr isn't going to like that.
"Yeah. He's gonna sit on my lap, since he's too little. Don't worry, I'm still sitting in my spot."
"Kay," Pavitr answers. Hobie exhales in relief when he hears Pavitr's chair scratch against the floor while being pulled out. A few seconds later, he hears the little chatting to Miles about the movie.
It takes Hobie a few more minutes to get everything cleaned up, but he's happy with it. The only things he has left to clean are going to be the dishes.
"A'ight then, you two. Dinner time," Hobie says. He lifts Miles from his seat. Then, he sits down and adjust the little to sit on his lap.
Pavitr is content to tell him all about the half hour of the movie he's missing, and Hobie listens intently to his chatter. He feeds Miles as well, until about half-way though his plate. Miles seems to have aged up enough to do it by himself, so Hobie lets the little have at it while he eats his own food.
"Bubba, can we finish the movie?" Pavitr asks the second they're all done eating. Hobie hums, deliberately acting dramatic to get a rise from the little.
"Please, please. Miles wants to," Pavitr adds.
"Go for it, mate. After you finish it you're going to bed, yeah?" Pavitr nods and launches out of his chair to hug him before taking off to the living room. Hobie shakes his head in amusement.
"A'ight, Morales. You chill sitting here, or d'ya need me yo hold you?" Hobie asks, gaze moving to focus on him.
"'M 'kay," He answers. Hobie shrugs and sets him down on the other chair, still wrapped in the stolen vest. Hobie makes quick work of cleaning the dishes and setting them out to dry. After that, he walks over to Miles.
"You good, mate?" Miles blinks abruptly when Hobie crouches down in front of him, as if he hadn't expected him to be there.
"'M bored. Wan— Wan' be wif Pav," He complains. Hobie nods.
"Got it, kiddo. You want a paci, or anythin'?" Miles shakes his head and holds his arms out for Hobie to lift him. Hobie takes the hint, lifting him up onto his hip like before.
Pavitr waves excitedly at the two when they walk into the living room.
"What's going on, bud?" Hobie asks and nods in the direction of the TV. Miles sits next to Pavitr when set down, leaning closer to the other little. Pavitr barely seems to notice.
"They're trying to get to the castle," Pavitr says. Hobie nods like that clarifies anything. He drops down onto the couch on the other side of Miles, resting a hand across the back of the couch. He lets his hand drop onto Pavitr's shoulder, even if Pavitr doesn't notice.
He does notice the way Miles is leaning into him, though, and he grins. Hobie grins back at him, giving him a small nod.
Pavitr leans into Miles for the rest of the movie, though he falls asleep before the last five minutes. Hobie doesn't try to move them, though. He decides there's worse things in the world than the two regressors sleeping on the couch. That, and Pavitr isn't going to go back to sleep if he's woken up. He'd likely incite chaos and make bedtime much worse than normal because Miles is here, unless he was taking his perceived "big brother" role seriously.
Hobie leans closer to Miles and closes his own eyes. Like he said, there's worse things than sleeping on the couch.