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“That statement alone proves how much you don’t give a damn about me and how I manage to keep this house together!”
Margo flung herself on her gaming chair, frantically trying to set up her VR equipment. She felt her heart beat pick up and her body temperature begin to rise to an uncomfortable, prickly heat. ‘I need to block them out’ she thought as she heard her father’s voice raise to match the volume of her mother’s
“Janelle! Imma need you to get a grip for one goddamn minute cause nobody is tryna hear-
“Yeah, that’s your fucking problem, Roy! You’re never tryna hear anything about your shitty behavior!”
“All I said was that-“
Finally, Margo was able to turn on the device and was transported to the virtual waiting room- the soothing startup chime drowned out the shrill voices of her parents. What could the be arguing about this lovely Saturday morning? Well the whole debate started because Margo asked for a dog. The spider-teen made it a habit to wake up early every Saturday morning to make breakfast she and her parents can enjoy as a family. Today’s breakfast was off to a wonderful start; she’d made shrimp and grits with home-fries. Roy brewed a pot of hibiscus tea and fixed Janelle’s plate while she was still getting ready to which she greatly appreciated and rewarded him with a kiss. Nobody brought up the mild argument from last night and pleasant conversation filled the dining room table. What a perfect time to ask for a dog. Margo read that K-9s have the ability to mend families by providing emotional support and distract those around them from negative emotions. Maybe if they adopted a dog, her parents would be more inclined to communicate with each other in a healthy way. It would make sense if the argument stemmed from a difference in opinion regarding adopting a dog, however, Roy and Janelle both loved the idea. So much of their daily life is spent online in a virtual reality and a pet was the perfect thing to keep the family grounded and practical. Margo received praise from both parents for such a smart, family-oriented idea.
“My girl is so smart ,” Janelle boasted “She gets it from her momma”
“I can’t help but agree with that” Roy stated wrapping an arm around his wife and pulling her in to kiss her temple .
Margo’s heart soared at the sight and hope began to fill her. She’s made 57 breakfasts. 14 of them ended up in a screaming match , 18 of them were ruined by sly and sarcastic remarks her parents exchanged with each other, and 9 of them were so loud with the silent treatment they would occasionally give each other. That meant that only 16 of their breakfasts have been a success, but that small variable didn’t matter because this has been the most successful one yet.
“I say we go to the shelter on East 3rd and pick one out this afternoon “ Janelle suggested, taking a bite out of her grits .
“My two favorite girls, making my childhood dreams come true. Ma wouldn’t let an animal within a mile of our apartment .
Her parents continued their friendly, affectionate banter and everything was fine until Roy said…
“…cause I always wanted a Boxer y’know, they’re so easy-going and low maintenance “
If Margo wasn’t so busy laughing at her father’s theatrics- she would have noticed the immediate change in her mother’s expression and posture.
“The opposite of me, right?” Janelle said. The redhead was laughing, but her amber eyes harbored a slight bit of doubt and resentment. Margo knew that look all too well and prayed her father would approach with caution. Instead, the 6’2 man was clueless (a trait of his Janelle couldn’t stand) and responded,
“What?”
“I mean, yeah, Boxer’s are low maintenance, but they’re damn sure the ugliest breeds I’ve ever seen.” Janelle said passively, a smirk playing on her lips. Margo realized her mother was baiting and feared her dad would lose his cool.
“Well then what breed would you suggest, love?”
Wonderful. He didn’t lose his cool, but putting his wife on the spot with a condescending tone didn’t help either. Janelle scoffed.
“Well, I don’t know, Roy” she crossed her lithe arms and shrug “Maybe a breed I wouldn’t have to clean up after as much as I do you. Perhaps a Frenchie.”
“A Frenchie!?” Roy hollered out a laugh “and you think Boxer’s are ugly?”
Janelle’s elegant face contorted into a sneer, but she remained silent as her husband continued
“Also, you act like the chores aren’t split in this house.”
“Barely, “ Janelle scoffed “you wash five dishes a day and suddenly you’re Mr. Clean?”
That’s right, Spiderbyte’s parents started an argument over a goddamn dog breed. As they exchanged verbal blows, they didn’t notice their daughter gather the plates and dump them in the sink. Roy and Janelle only noticed the absence of Margo’s presence when they heard the sharp click of her door closing. Out of respect, she never slammed the door on her parents . Now that Margo was out of the room, her parents didn’t bother pulling their punches.
“Amazing! My dramatic ass wife manages to ruin another morning looking for some scraps of extra attention!”
“Oh fuck you-“
‘To hell with this. I’m outta here’ Margo thought as she escaped into the world of virtual reality.
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Miles loved Saturdays. He loved weekends in general, but there was nothing like sleeping in on Saturday morning at his parents house - in his own room. This Saturday , just like the rest, he woke up to the nutty smell of Café Bustelo that Rio was brewing and Jeff blasting “Make it Last Forever” by Keith Sweat. Up until 4 months ago, he would occasionally skip weekends at his parents house in favor of testing out theories of multiverse travel in his dorm. He supposed having a crazy, grieving man and all his followers violently try to prevent him from saving his dad put so much into perspective. The spider-teen contemplated staying home all seven days of the week and commuting to school via spiderweb every day, but recognized the idea as a trauma response and dropped it. As Miles laid comfortably in his bed- eyes closed and lax, but still conscious, a stunning light engulfed the room causing him to wince and pull his blanket over his head. Once shielded from the light, the groggy boy curled into fetal position and attempted to slip back into unconsciousness.
“You could at least pretend to be startled.”
Miles pulled the covers off his head and attempted to fix his girlfriend’s avatar with an annoyed glance, but how could he be anything other than elated now that his Saturday morning just got better with her presence alone.
“C’mere” he murmured sitting up in his bed and making room. The smitten girl took off her shoes before joining him under the covers. She relished in the way he wraps his toned arms around her and pressed her body closer to his.
“Y’know you don’t have to virtually remove your shoes, right? Since you’re an avatar and all?”
“Nuh uh. There’s plenty of virtual germs out there”
“Whatever you say,” Miles said, a slight yawn escaping him “I’m just glad my favorite girl is here to share a beautiful Saturday morning with me”
Miles searched Margo’s face for her popular gapped tooth smile but was met with a slight blush instead. Her eyes held a bit of somberness to which he sighed .
“Folks were at each other’s throats again ,huh?”
Margo broke eye contact and let out a dry laugh.
“Over a dog we don’t even have yet,” she admitted “Ain’t that some ish?”
“That’s wild,” Miles said trying not to sound too bemused, but Margo’s parents were really something else. She had trouble describing their relationship until he mentioned that they acted like the one toxic couple in teen dramas that everyone finds interesting and endearing despite them hurting every other character in the show.
He felt for her. She’d told him of her idea last week and he genuinely thought it might be the first baby step to mending the family. If that wasn’t the case, Margo would’ve still benefited from having a cuddly companion when he wasn’t around . Miles wasn’t wise or experienced enough to give his girlfriend profound advice like he wanted to. Instead, he made it a point to treat her with the kindness and respect that he learned from his parents. He was patient, expressive, and communicative and she gave him the same- ten fold. It amazed him how she became such a staple in his life in three short months. Both superheroes began to doze off in each others arm before Margo began to glitch as her mother’s voice sounded from her avatar - which usually happened when her frontal lobe was reactivated by something (or someone) drawing her attention away .
“Margo! Meet me at True Religion’s queue; theres some stuff I want you to try on before I order it”
Margo groaned in mortification as her boyfriend chuckled.
“Don’t stress it, Pixel. It was nice while it lasted” Miles soothed as he pressed his lips to her forehead. She lifted her head off his chest and peered into his deer-like eyes.
“Until next time, I suppose”
And with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, Margo’s avatar blipped out in the same way an iPhone would die and suddenly, Miles’ body felt cold.
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Later that afternoon, Miles visited his favorite barbershop and was able to be squeezed in by the G.O.A.T himself: Curly. He greeted everyone benevolently and asked for a simple shape up. Miles rarely ever went to the barbershop on his own accord- usually being forced to go by Jeffery- so he was immediately met with a knowing smirk.
“So whose the girl?”
He wasn’t annoyed at the invasive question nor was he bashful. Boasting about Margo was his new favorite thing to do and for the whole sixty minutes of his haircut- he gave a Ted Talk about how he scored the most perfect girl in the universe .
“There you go, youngblood,” Curly said handing Miles a mirror “I hope miss Margo likes it”
Miles looked at his reflection- impressed and confident. It was still the perfect Saturday.
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By the time three pm rolled around - Miles had dropped off his parents’ dinner and instead of taking the train back home, he decided to walk it. It was then he thought back to his brief time with Margo that morning. The way that leaving him was obviously the last thing she wanted to do. Not only that, but how one of the people who caused her shitty morning, roped her into a shopping spree. He wondered what she was doing right now and if she was alright. He mentally kicked himself for not suggesting she visit him again once she was done shopping . He wondered if her parents squashed their beef and went down to the shelter after all. With that thought, Miles felt a familiar tingle start in the back of his cranium and travel along his spine. The streets of were quiet on this autumn afternoon and everyone else looked unsuspecting and unfazed, but Miles knew there was something going down in the alleys. The young Spiderman walked down one particularly deep alleyway and was led to a large metal cage enclosure behind a set of store fronts.
In the year and four months he’s been Spiderman, he’s seen a lot of shit go down behind store buildings. Not excluding drug deals, robberies, collection/selling of stolen car parts, etc. Miles was shocked and gutted as his eyes landed on four pit-bulls - each hindered by a short metal chain in their respective corners of the cage. Three of the K-9s who were very large in size tugged at the chains around their neck trying desperately to get at the other. Miles didn’t speak dog , but they were all barking so aggressively it was obvious harsh sentiments were being exchanged. To avoid being noticed, Spiderman camaflouged himself into the brick wall as he began to crawl the surface area. With a better view, Miles saw in detail, four grown ass men.
“Ay! Tony, you sure you wanna put your money on that pup?”
The pasty man with bad posture, who Miles assumed was ‘Tony’ scoffed
“I’ve been waiting ages for my sister’s dog to give birth so I can have ‘em- plus he’s a pure breed, he can hold his own in a fight “
“That’s…not how it works, pendejo” some guy said with a sneer “Your dog is gonna be minced pit-bull meat and you’re gonna be $500 poorer”
“Better for us if you ask me- Tony’s puppy isn’t even a contender “ another chimed in
Miles noticed an oddly silent fourth man out of the group. He was tall and scrawny, but the massive scar -running from his left brow through his cheek and mouth, ending at his jaw -indicated he was not to be messed with. At least not by anyone who wasn’t Spiderman. Miles’ suspicions of him being the organizer of this thing was confirmed when the man walked around with an upside down fitted Yankees cap.
“Y’all are doing too much talking, “ his steely voice was laced with annoyance “Put the money in the cap so we can get started.“
Each man silently obeyed and the organizer continued to speak.
“There better be 2Gs in this cap right now, if I find out otherwise- it ain’t the pits that’ll eat y’all alive.” Each man went to unchain their snarling dogs. Obviously, it wasn’t gonna be a one on one fight, but an all out brawl between the four.
‘Oh shoot!’ Miles thought. He could take down four men no problem, but how was he gonna do that and prevent the dogs from killing each other at the same time? Unfortunately, Miles wasn’t quick enough because the men- except Tony had already released their dogs. Immediately, the three pit-bulls charged- wrestling, clawing, and biting each other viciously. Miles was not afraid of the four low-lives , but he was afraid of their ferocious dogs and new he had to proceed with caution.
He noticed that one of the guys was trying to coach his dog- directing it to strike the cowering puppy that Tony wasn’t smart enough to release. The poor thing was an easy target right now, but fortunately for him - the other three dogs were dead-set on destroying each other. Miles knew that he couldn’t let Tony succeed in untying the chain or else the young dog’s luck might run out. With perfect precision- Miles used his web to shoot across the alley at a lose gutter hanging up above and pulled, causing the piece of metal to bluntly strike Tony upside his head. Unable to take a hit, Tony fell to the floor disoriented and nearly unconscious. The three other men were suddenly on alert.
“Yo, what in the hell was that?” one guy exclaimed
Miles quickly entrapped each of the three pit-bulls in a cocoon of his web, hindering them from using their limbs. He didn’t like the sight the K9’s struggling on the ground against his webs more that he did them fighting, but it was the only way of preventing them from eating each other alive. He detached himself from the brick wall and faced the three criminals standing. Now look, Miles was your friendly neighborhood spider-man who always had a witty joke and cool one liner, but that was in regards to petty thefts, arsons, car/train jackings. This was animal abuse- a blatant disregard to humanity and Miles was too enraged to joke at this. One of them attempted to make a run for it, but Spiderman silently shot a web that wrapped around his wrist and yanked hard, causing the ball of his arm to pop out of its socket . The low life let out a slew of Spanish curses as he sank to the floor, clutching his dislocated arm.
The guy without the scar, just like Tony, was obviously dumb because he boldly charged in Miles’ direction while he was hindering the one with the broken arm. Without sparring the man a glance, Miles caught him by the throat and lifted him the air
“Now what was the plan here?” the teen said before flinging the struggling fool across the alley where his head honcho stood - rendering both men unconscious. Unleashing such an ass beating made Miles feel slightly better and he felt his rage begin to simmer. The dogs were no longer barking, but began to whimper and whine. His heart ached as he opened the cage and saw the baby pit still cowering. He became aware of the unfamiliar presence and began to howl in defense . Miles slowly approached the dog and allowed him to sniff his hands. It was then that he took in the puppy’s physical traits: steel gray fur with white accenting the center of his torso, all four limbs present and equal in size, and warm hazel eyes that contrasted with his fur. After a minute the howling ceased and the pup was licking between his fingers.
“You’re probably starving, little man” he murmured before untying the dog and scooping him up. Law enforcement and animal control would be there any minute, but Miles didn’t have it in him to leave a defenseless puppy in a scene like this and ultimately made the decision to take little man home.
______________________________________________________________________________________
By the time the pair had gotten to the’Morales Residence’ Miles was regretting his decision. As he sat in his chair, Miles observed Little Man as the puppy nibbled on some sausages in the corner of his room. His temperament wasn’t unruly and he was young enough to easily train, but Rio would flip shit. His mother had a strict ‘no strays’ policy- plus how would he explain to Jeff that he randomly encountered a stray pit on the same night Spiderman stopped a dog fight? For the third time that day, Miles had to think fast. It was a quarter past six and he had 45 minutes to find Little Man a safe place to call home. A light bulb went off and he skimmed the books that were lined up in his wooden cubed organizer until he landed on the book titled “Inter-dimensional Travel : For Dummies”. The hollowed out book held none other than a busted looking stopwatch that allowed inter-dimensional travel- compliments of Hobie Brown of course. Unfortunately he didn’t use the gift as often as one would presume. After getting transported to Earth-42, Miles decided to pause on dimension hopping. Of course, his friends (and Miles G.)were welcome to visit him on Earth 1610, but the very idea of traveling between worlds was a trigger. Plus, one of the bright sides to having an avatar girlfriend was that he got to see her whenever he wanted without having to risk getting stuck in someone else’s dimension. Miles carefully fixed the settings on the watch and with 25 minutes left to spare, he picked up Little Man and the pair was Earth- 22191 bound
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Margo shut off the main lights in her home. It was after dinner and Janelle retired to her bedroom while Roy decided he would spend the rest of the night in his work study. Her mother always enjoyed escaping to a tropical pink sand beach before bed so there was no doubt she was doing that. Her dad on the other hand could either be on his VR or knocked out. He had been quieter than usual since breakfast and Margo took it upon herself to head to his office and check on him. She opened the door and gave the man a wistful look. His headset was on and an amused smile graced his handsome face. Wherever he was and whatever he was doing- at least it was bringing him joy.
“Goodnight , Daddy” the girl whispered before shutting the door. Before she could make it to her respective room, Margo heard a quiet rap at the front door. Her spider-senses would have alerted her if danger was on the other side of the door so instead of feeling wariness or anxiety- the onslaught of irritation came instead.
“Man, who ‘dis knocking on my door?” She mumbled
She opened the solid arched door and every ounce of annoyance she felt quickly evaporated when she saw her boyfriend on the other side. No words were spoken before she flung herself on her beautiful brown boy, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and entrapping him in a tight hug. Spiderbyte couldn’t believe he was here in her dimension- wait. Margo pulled away from a grinning Miles Morales.
“Is everything ok, boo? You never leave 1610.” she whispered as she pulled him inside and locked the door
“I’m fine, Pixel,” Miles reached out and twirled a strand of her coils around his index finger. Man , it felt good to actually touch her physical being. Miles also took a second to admire her chestnut skin as he was used to seeing her in blue and purple.
“Where are your folks?”
“Far away in their own little world. Literally.”
Margo plopped on the light blue suede sectional and patted the spot next to her.
It was then Margo realized that his right hand was hiding behind his back.
“I have a non virtual, very tangible surprise that I wanted to personally deliver.”
“Miles Morales,” she said crossing her arms and a coy smirk playing on her lips “You’re popping up to my crib with gifts now?”
She expected a vinyl record , flowers, jewelry, or even a heart shaped pizza. However, when Miles pulled out the cutest puppy she had ever seen, Margo was speechless. Oh how she wished she could just snapshot this moment of Miles holding a puppy to her- both staring at her with looks that would potentially make her melt.
“Where did you..? How did you..?” The girly gamer girl had so many questions.
“I met him during my mission earlier, “ Miles explained , taking the seat next to her “I rescued him from a dog fight”
Anger coursed through the her for a split second before she calmed herself with the knowledge that the dog was safe now. Margo held out both hands towards the puppy, allowing him to smell her, but after a mere few seconds- he was struggling out of Miles grasp and into Spiderbyte’s arms. He weighed about 25 lbs which was nothing given Miles and Margo’s super strength. Margo scratched behind his ears as his tail wagged.
“So…do you want him?” Miles asked sheepishly “I know this is a surprise, but you were talking about wanting a dog and Little Man needs someone as loving as you. I thought it would be perfect but-“
“This is perfect,” she said stopping his ramblings
‘You’re perfect’ was on the tip of her tongue, but she wasn’t ready to give away just how much she was falling for him. Instead she fixed her boyfriend with a radiant smile and said..
“It’s crazy to think you did all this just for me.”
Miles could only blink in response because with that utterance, he realized there’s not much he wouldn’t do for Margo Kess. Housing an abused dog? Activating his trigger by traveling to her dimension? All light work if he got to see her light up they way she did right now . Suddenly, a chuckle escaped his girl as she stared at Little Man.
“What? His ear crooked or something?”
Margo turned to look at Miles and started laughing harder.
“No, but I just realized I now have a dog from a different dimension”
A flash of worry hit him because how did he not think of that. Its not like Little Man was glitching, but what would be the effects?
“Miguel would definitely be pissed,”
Margo sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes
“And? We don’t answer to Spider Society anymore remember?”
“True that,” he said with a shrug. Miles never liked to stay on the topic of Miguel O’Hara for too long.
“So what are you gonna name Little Man?”
Margo pondered for a moment before deciding
“I like Kilometer- Kilo for short.”
Miles busted out laughing, but he couldn’t say he wasn’t flattered.
“It’s actually perfect,” he said as he controlled his laughter.
“I know right!” Margo said rubbing Kilo’s belly “He’s the cutest anomaly “
“Ummm pause, “ Miles pointed to himself as Margo giggled “How can you say that when I’m right here? The original anomaly?”
“I mean, you’re a close second.” She offered as she put Kilo down to sniff about his new home .
As a form of revenge for her slight towards him, Miles engulfed his girl in what was supposed to be a suffocating embrace. Instead, the spider girl continued to laugh and wrap her arms around his waist in return. Leave it to Miles to completely turn her night around. The laughter between the two faded as Miles peered into her soul.
“Happy three months, bae” he said tenderly
Margo opened her mouth to profusely apologize for not getting him a gift (she only thought anniversaries were annually) but he kissed her soundly before she could get a word out. The kiss conveyed his feelings of- not disappointment- but gratefulness and Margo was reminded again just how much this boy valued her and how she wouldn’t end up like her parents after all.