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Gwen Stacy likes Miles Morales. No, that wouldn't be an entirely accurate statement - Gwen Stacy loves Miles Morales. From his voice to his looks, and from his moral values to the simple way he has of finding the good things in life; Gwen is deeply in love with Miles, no one can deny that.
And among the myriad of aspects she's passionate about him, the way he cares for her is one of her favorites. She's not entirely honest with her guy about it, but deep down inside she recognizes that being with him speeds up her heart to an unhealthy point. Of course, like everything else, things come in pairs, with their pluses and minuses.
Miles looked after her as gently as possible, so what does that mean, then? Well, a boyfriend quite concerned about her well-being... perhaps to the point of paranoia.
"Miles, you don't need to hold me like this." She says, looking at the clasp of their intertwined hands. "I'm not running away."
"I believe you, but I won't let go until someone sees you and confirms to me that you're okay." He replies to her. Their gazes meet and Gwen can tell that all that's inside that brown is concern, irritation and anger. She doesn't like to see that in his eyes, but she knows she's the cause of it. In the midst of her thoughts, Miles speaks again. "You should have come as soon as you caught the anomaly." Scolding escapes his lips.
"I didn't think it was that serious."
"We're talking about a gunshot wound, Gwen." Hearing this, the girl remains crestfallen, avoiding confrontation. She doesn't like to get into arguments she knows she's going to lose; this is definitely a battle in Miles' favor. So she stays silent, waiting for the boy to leave her alone. He doesn't. "It could have been worse."
"But it wasn't." She whispers without looking at him.
"Only because my mom found you." Gwen cringes again, biting her bottom lip. She screwed up. Miles is absolutely right, after all, if it weren't for Rio, she most likely would have bled to death. Or maybe not, because the regeneration factor was still present. However, it is undeniable that Miles' mother's first aid prevented her condition from worsening. Gwen won't deny it, Rio Morales most likely saved her from dying there, in her son's room.
She exposed herself, she showed herself to be vulnerable and even though she may have had a conversation with Rio about it, it's still hard to accept that she must expose herself to signal that she needs help. Of course, she must because she simply wouldn't dare do it through words. And that's another problem. She says to herself. "I'm sorry, Miles."
The boy lets out a big sigh, his hand sliding through his dark hair, as if he's looking to sort out his thoughts. "Look, I don't like being mad at you. Trust me." Miles' two hands rest on Gwen's pale hands forming a shell around them, protecting them. He reaches for the blue one, which escapes a couple of times until she decides to confront him; the grip becomes tighter. "But something bad could have happened to you, really bad. And, look, I know you don't like coming here, but you had other options." The brown glows bright, a hint of fear appears and Gwen swallows the instant she notices it. "You could have called me."
"I didn't want to worry you..."
"And look at the state of us." That instantly silences her. "We made a promise to my mom." He reminded her. "We look out for each other. You have to talk to me if anything happens to you, do you understand?"
Gwen wants to tell him yes, that she understands perfectly well that she shouldn't keep everything to herself and seek help whenever she needs it. And she looks at him, those colors, the expression on his face... Gwen can't lie to him. "I don't know how."
Because she genuinely doesn't know. She doesn't know the method of the rest of them to be willing to open up to others, asking for their help. The results of the people she has been exposed to have been twofold: they hurt her or take advantage of her. Her own father pulled a gun on her when she begged him to listen to her and Jess turned her back on her as soon as she defied Miguel's logic. She's not hypocritical, she's aware that she's made the same mistake, but the trauma? remains there.
"It's weird, Miles." She begins, her mouth feels dry. "It's contradictory, because I know that you, of all people, would never hurt me or take advantage of my vulnerability." She trusts him more than she trusts herself, that's how much faith she has in Miles. "But...I don't know. I don't know how to ask for help, I don't know when I'm being unreasonable by not going to you, or Hobie, or whoever to ask them to help me." Gwen wishes she had the ability to recognize a situation where maybe she should ask for reinforcements from her partner, from her friends, from her family. "Rio told me I was putting my well-being on the back burner, but I'm not able to notice it. All my life I've been like that, denying help from others." In her five years of experience, Spider-Woman never sought outside succor, so why would that change now? "I've always been the one to treat my own wounds because I never had someone to turn to."
And therein lies the difference with Miles. He, in comparison to her, had someone. At first it was his uncle, now that has extended to his parents, the occasional friend and, of course, Gwen. Miles Morales learned from before he was bitten by the spider to look for support in situations he thought he couldn't handle. But Gwen? She was lonely, especially after Peter.
It hurts Miles to see her like this, even more so when she tells him herself that it's not a trust issue, but mere ignorance. "But you can learn." Blue eyes revealing doubt to her, he continues. "For example, now you know that if you get shot, you must ask me for help. Or at least give me a heads up." The blonde nods, she can do that. "Although, I'd rather you be more careful and not expose yourself to that kind of danger."
Gwen flashes her a somewhat subdued smile. "I'll try." After that, they don't exchange any more words for a couple of minutes. The silence is not broken, but it is not an awkward silence. On the contrary, it is a sign of trust between the two young men; they don't need any more dialogue to understand what the other feels.
You need to take care of yourself.
I know that.
And if anything happens, you let
me know.
Okay?
Okay.
What ends up breaking the calm and quiet atmosphere is the sound of the futuristic door sliding open. A person -a Spider-person being more precise- enters the room with a hologram in front of her. "Miss Stacy, I've reviewed the tests and, to your good fortune, all you need is some rest." She explains without paying attention to Miles, who is standing very close to her. "My recommendation is that you stay here for the rest of the day, you'll have a dressing change before you leave here." Despite the stranger's mask, Miles notices how he is being judged. "For now, you should rest. Your body was shot, after all." And after a fleeting movement with his hand, the hologram disappeared. "I'm retiring. At ease, Miss Stacy."
The clacking of heels fades with the seconds until they are inaudible. They both look at each other, and Miles is the first to speak. "Did you just tell me I have to go?"
This time, a smirk appears on the girl's face. "Looks like it."
The boy blinked a few times before deciding what to say. "And you want me to go?"
"Mmm... I don't know." With a much more playful and animated tone, something more common for Gwen Stacy, she smiles at him with fake innocence. "Are you going to leave your injured girlfriend alone?"
"That will depend on the patient's wishes." Miles replied playing along. "What does the dama wish this humble servant to do?"
Gwen takes a few seconds to process an answer. So many things she could request, or perhaps just end this little joke. The possibilities are endless, some more decent than others. In the absence of an answer, Miles stares at her, he really wants to hear what she has to say.
The girl concludes that, after so many feelings in this couple of hours, there is only one thing she wants right now.
Finding what little dignity she has left inside her after being carried bridal style by Miles in front of his mother, Gwen carefully moves to the edge of the gurney and lifts the white sheet covering her. "Come here."
Her gaze conveys it all: I want to sleep with you. Touches of pink creep up her white cheeks, her smile trembles at how daring it would be to lie next to Miles in a dimension that belongs to neither of them. And at the thought of being discovered - Gwen could be swallowed up by the earth. But she'd rather give it a try anyway.
With an invitation as clear as daylight, Miles is surprised by Gwen's initiative to... well, sleep together. They're used to doing it at his place or hers, but at headquarters? In Miguel O'Hara's dimension?
Fuck it, let's do it. He motivates himself inwardly.
As carefully as possible, Miles lies on her side, with Gwen showing him her back. Of course, to avoid stressing the injury, her left shoulder is pointing up. Miles has to decide where to direct his limbs-he won't sleep next to her in a position lacking comfort.
Although both were bitten by radioactive spiders, the reality is that their physiques are completely different. Miles is taller, more muscular and imposes himself more against Gwen's body. It's not that she isn't developed, but the difference is abysmal. Considering this, Miles slides his left arm over her waist, until his hand reaches her stomach and presses. He urges her to snuggle against him, such that her back is covered by his chest.
And she does. She settles in very carefully, the warmth radiating from Miles soothing her. Gwen loves sleeping like this, cuddled together, with Miles protecting her from the cold and the outside. It's comfortable. She slides her hand to meet his, and presses it against herself, it's almost instinctive.
His remaining arm passes under Gwen's head, disappearing into the blonde hair. He pulls her even closer, he needs to hold her close. At least this way, he knows he can protect her from anything. His nose burrows into the tresses and he inhales. Her scent, Gwen's scent, makes him feel at home. His heart goes wild for her.
There is a small chuckle. "Miles?"
"Yes?"
"Te amo."
The Spanish sounds strange, like it's broken. And he doesn't mind in the least. Hearing Gwen love him not only in her native language, but also in his, takes him through the roof.
"También te amo."
Gwen says nothing, just takes a big breath and drops her eyelids.
Miles covers them both with the sheet and after a couple of breaths, they both fall sound asleep.