Chapter Text
Even before some darkly techno-colored arachnid bit his hand, Miles Morales was a bug. A cuddle bug to be exact. From the time he was a week old, he decided that being snuggled up was the only way to live.
Was he excited or hyped up? A cuddle into Uncle Aaron's legs as the man smushed his hand on top of Miles' curls.
Was he sad or overwhelmed? A cuddled into Mamí arms smushed into the cove of her neck and shoulder. She'd sway him gently, kissing endearments of mi vida into his temple as her hands tapped his back.
But what about dad cuddles? They were for 2 special occasions.
One of those times was when there was thunder and hail, sudden darkness, and all the loud noises of a mean-storming world. He'd dash into the wide, strong chest of the one and only Jefferson Davis. His blocky arms barred Miles by the ribs into him until he'd become warm. Then thunder turns into rumbles of Motown and hail ain't got nothing on his daddy's heartbeat under his ears. Miles can hide from the darkness of any storm with a tuck into his father's armpit and the smell of Irish Spice and sandalwood.
Or….
Jeff hummed over his orange juice as a 5-year-old Miles stumbled into the dining area. He swam in Jeff's old JazzFest T-shirt and dragged the funky-looking bunny stuffie that Aaron won at the boardwalk for him behind him. His boy's little afro was flat in the back and rough all around as he made whining and sick little huffs. His honey-colored eyes were all red, irritated, and sad from when he had roughly rubbed them all in the wee morning. It is a rare but sad sight for Jeff and is confirmed as so when Miles butted his head into Jeff's broad hand and all his father felt was a sickly heat.
"Ah, where is my lil man? Rio, I think an oven ate our boy." Jeff said as he palmed Miles's forehead and cheeks, the little boy sighed at his dad's cool hands. Funky was abandoned on the floor as Jeff gathered his son up and settled him on his lap. Miles instantly snuggled around, both arms gripped around his father's upper arm and he sniffled into his shoulder. Jeff rested his chin on top of Miles's head while he texted his partner and lieutenant with his free hand.
Rio kissed her teeth in worry as she felt Miles's head. It made the preschooler hiccup in disdain when she gently pulled his face out of the fabric of Jeff's shirt.
"C'mon papí, let mamí check you." She scolded softly but Miles gave her nothing. Just further smushed himself into his dad. She sighed as she looked over the rest of his little body.
Shivers.
His one free little hand curled over his gurgling belly.
Stuffy nose and raspy whines.
Scratches all over his left ear.
" Ay Bendito." She sighed with a shake of her head and rubbed Miles back. It drives him impossibly further into Jeff's chest as he tries to breathe in the comfort of his dad. She tapped a soft but quick rhythm that made him hiccup out and relax for the moment.
"I'll need to get the thermometer but he for sure has a fever. Some congestion, and he maybe nauseous. Achy ears. Poor thing has the flu." Rio speculated
"Probably from the boardwalk. Aaron said he was trying to share his fries with the Zoltar Machine. All those germs." Jeff complained and Rio hummed.
"Let's try some T-I-G-E-R AND T-U-S-S-I-N" Rio prescribed and the letters flew over Miles' achy little head while making Jeff wince.
Rio getting medicine into their son was like watching his own personal bullfight. That little medicine syringe full of green goop and the jar of Tigerbalm a red cape that turned his sweet boy into a hulking Ox. Of course, Jefferson's lap would become the dirty battleground.
Jeff placated the sick bull by snuggling Miles, he sneakily laid his arm around Miles' middle, tucking the smaller limbs in with it. Miles whined in suspension, his little eyes full of misery.
"What some OJ lil man?"
"No, tummy malo"
"You can drink it outta dad's glass."
"...sí."
Jeff's glass blocked the view of Rio creeping back in with the red cape. Just as the edge of the cup was off his lips and Miles swallowed, Rio struck. Miles could do nothing against the medicine dose sent down his throat.
The bull had been enraged! Miles bucked back, his heels banged against the edge of the table while his head tossed back into Jeff's throat. Jefferson was quick to transition Miles from his lap to his shoulder and let the little boy wail in disgust as his little body shook in sick fury.
"Papi está bien, está bien!" Rio started to comfort but the words meant nothing. She soldiered on smearing the vapor salve into the open skin of his chest, neck, and under his nose.
"Dadda!" Miles shrieked. Jeff sighed and Miles shivered into his chest as the effects of the balm hit it. He started to relax but his raggedy huffs were full of distress as Rio rubbed the medicine onto his feet and wrested socks onto them.
With a nod from his wife onc,e she was done, Jeff got up and stood in front of the window. The soft sunshine warmed Miles’ back as he tried to soothe himself with the sound of his dad's heartbeat. Jeff cuddled him closer, hiding his son's face in his armpit.
"I'm so sorry baby, mamí was so mean doing that to you. I can't believe it!" Jeff said, he carefully parted through Miles's curls as he rubbed his head. It was enough of a distraction that Miles didn't feel Rio swipe the thermometer over the back of his neck.
"100.6. Not too dangerous but I'd be cranky too." Rio tsked.
Jeff kept rubbing Mile's head, the little boy hiccupped as he stayed buried in Jeff's arm.
"What feels bad Miles? C'mon, tell dad. Gotta use big boy words." Jeff asked. It took few moments and Jeff started to pat Miles’ back before his little ‘fro shifted as he slightly turned his head out.
"Malo!" He croaked and both parents winced at his sore voice.
"I know you feel bad but you gotta tell me what is bad, baby." Jeff prompted and Miles sunk back down.
"All ova." Was muffled into his chest.
Jeff took a deep breath, he felt Miles's stuffy little chest copy the movement of his. His cell phone rang and Jeff took another breath, forcing Miles to calm down.
" Buenos días, Walter! Yes, well…no, yes Jeff can't come in…" Jeff listened as Rio drifted over to the bathroom as she answered his cell.
It took only 5 minutes of Jeff's humming and rubbing of the little boy's head before the cuddle had Miles out like a light. Congested snores purred in his chest and Jeff held back a cringe at the sweat and sick sticky-ness being left on his undershirt from Miles' body. Rio watched with amused concern as Jeff sunk into the couch and turned on the Planet Animal channel. He unwrapped his arms around Miles for a moment to adjust himself but the 10 seconds of lost contact was already enough to have the sleeping boy whiny. Jeff looked at his wife with pleading eyes and she just snorted a giggle at the sight.
She set up the coffee table with some sick day supplies, this was now Jefferson's fight. Rio's medical expertise meant nothing to her son. She doesn't have dad's cuddle powers.
It's always been that way.
And from the sight that Rio walks into, always will be. Even if her son is freshly 16 and Spiderman.
The TV is playing some special about whale sharks, a gallon jug of orange juice, a mug of half-eaten beef stew, and a sleeve of club crackers take up room on the coffee table. A bottle of spider-strength liquid acetaminophen (courtesy of Dr. Parker of Earth911) is sitting on the far edge, unopened. Jeff is reading over some missing case files, a folder in one hand while the other buries through Miles' curls to gently massage his scalp.
Miles is floating on the edge of barely awake. His arms hug around his dad's middle, face buried into his side and his legs both tangled with Jeff’s but somehow sprawled just over the edge of the coach. Rio grabs the thermometer m, making Miles grunt in tired irritation as she sweeps it over his neck.
102.6, definitely passed the Cranky Miles threshold.
"What happened, Papa?" Rio asks in a concerned whisper. Miles relaxes again when she softly rubs up and down his spine. She frowns at how damp his shirt is from his fever sweat.
"There is a new villain, who calls himself The Pest Controller . Used some weird spray on Miles when he finished apprehending him trying to shake down an armored truck. When I got home after processing him, Miles was about to drown himself in the bath and he was having one of those sensory overload things."
"I stunk. I was cold and itchy. The lights were loud." Miles grumbles, barely peeking his face up from his father's shirt.
"Also, I learned that spiders are repulsed by mint." Jeff chuckles and Rio gives a soft hum.
"How else do you feel mi vida?" She hums and Miles just curls up tighter.
" Jus tired 'n dizzy, ma… real sore" he confesses, Rio hums as she grabs the bottle of medicine to look over its instructions.
"Have you eaten anything?" She asks and winces as Miles curls his arms around his own middle. Jeff pauses his head-rubbing in order to brace Miles to his torso so his son doesn't roll off the sofa. Jeff gives a so-so shake of his free hand, nodding over to the little trashcan they kept near the coffee table. It has a sour smell and a suspicious amount of napkins thrown into it.
"He kept down some juice and crackers about 20 minutes ago," Jeff tells her. Rio pours out the teen dose of the medicine before squeezing Miles's arm.
"Take this and you can go back to cuddle time," Rio tells him and Miles shrugs his shoulders up to his ears in embarrassment.
"Mamíiiii. Don't call it that." He whines. Jeff tsks as he gently rolls Miles over so that he is facing out but still tucked under his dad's arm and into his side.
"Dr. Parker said you can't regulate your temperature that well anymore. You need to take this so you don't boil that beautiful brain of yours cariño." Rio reasons. She smacks her lips when Miles tries to rebury himself but his spider strength is nothing to his Father's hold.
"Miles Gonzalo, medicine, now." Rio lays out, Miles weakly sits his head up and gulps down the amber goop. Rio is quick to hold a cup of juice up to help him chase the medicine with it. He immediately reburies into his dad who rubs his back as Miles rides the wave of nausea that hits him. Jeff kisses the top of his head when Miles finally relaxes. Rio chuckles when Miles scoots his head until his ear is right over Jeff's heart, breathing in time with the man until he falls asleep.
Rio takes care of the trashcan before returning to clean up the table. Leaving the crackers and water on the table for Jeff to reach too. Jeff keeps his hand busy by rubbing circles into Miles' back. She comes back to kneel next to the sofa, a sigh of concern passing over her lips when she places a hand on the back of Miles’ hot neck.
"Can you believe this little boy runs around tossing villains and saving the city?" Rio whispers while rubbing out the tension knot at the base of Miles’ head and Jeff hums.
"He's not so little anymore, baby." Jeff reminds her. She looks over Miles to be sure, in the last year since he confessed his superpowered persona to them, he had the nerve to grow again. He was only an inch and a half from taking over Jeff now, shoulders broadening and gaining more muscle. His hair had grown out so that he now wore it in a low puff or neck long twists that his friend with the wicks would do when he "hopped" over. He was letting his stubble and mustache stay for the summer even.
"A baby. My cuddle bug baby." Rio declares.
Jeff can't help but agree as said baby snores into his arm.
_________________
“Uhm Rio, baby?”
“Si papa?”
“Can….can spiders purr? I-I don’t want to say Miles is purring but…”
They both go quiet and sure enough a steady thrumb that purrs in time with Miles' breathing rumbles quietly through the space. Rio pulls out her phone.
“Let me Google it.”