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You hated Valentine’s Day - yet another commercialised gimmick, an excuse to sell shitty chocolate and cutesy junk at exorbitant prices for lovestruck suckers to buy at the last minute. You especially hated it when people referred to it as a ‘holiday’ - if it really was, then why didn’t people get the day off?
Not that you would ever have the day off - a sad moment of realisation for every Spider-Person soon after they become the protector of their city.
The vibes at HQ were somewhat mixed - some people were wearing cute red and pink accessories, but most went about their day like usual. Unsurprisingly, there were no decorations adorning the building’s interior to suggest the stupid day has come upon you all, but there was one person determined to help people feel the love.
“Happy Valentine's Day!” Peter B. Parker swung through the foyer, his sweet daughter Mayday giggling in her front pack as they gave out what looked like Spider-Man themed chocolates to anyone who would accept them. Despite your general disdain for the day, you couldn’t help but crack a smile as you watched from a distance. Who would have thought Peter of all people would enjoy the lame festivities so much?
Actually when you thought about it, it made sense. He had earned the love of his wife back and discovered the love of becoming a parent. From a man who thought love was dead, to one who was at peace with his life - he was the living embodiment of hope. You weren’t sure if you wanted kids yet, but seeing the inseparable father and daughter was starting to sway you.
But first you’d have to find someone to have kids with. And at this rate, you’d probably die alone.
Your crushes had always been the unattainable man - the star of the high school baseball team, your physics tutor at college, your friend’s older brother. And now, it was quite possibly the worst crush of all.
The leader of the Spider Society and your boss, Miguel O’Hara.
Join the fucking club.
Everywhere he went, at least a couple of people stared - it was hard not to, given his enormous stature and commanding presence. He was a bit of a grumpy asshole, sure, but God was he hot. Perfectly tousled dark brown hair with subtle streaks of grey, his bronzed skin only intensified the crimson eyes deep-set under his thick brows. His bone structure was as if it had been chiselled from marble - a strong nose, sharp cheekbones and an even sharper jawline. And despite all the hardness, his lips looked so plush. You truly could look at him all day. And don’t even get you started on his physique…
“Come oooon, Miguel! Just take the damn chocolate!” Peter’s voice rang out across the foyer.
Your heart dropped into your stomach - no wonder you had been able to picture Miguel so clearly just now; you were literally staring at him without realising!
“No, Peter,” Miguel grumbled. Thankfully, he hadn’t seemed to notice your gawking. “Don’t you have something more important to do?”
“This IS important!” Peter insisted, Mayday cooing in agreement. “A lot of Spiders are single this time of year, including you –”
“¡Cállate!” Miguel’s nostrils flared as he glowered at Peter. “Put an end to this madness. Valentine’s is stupid, anyway. All a big marketing scam.”
Well, at least that was something you could agree on.
“You’ll eat your words when you find that special someone, Miguel~”
“PETER!” A couple of startled Spider-People looked in their direction but bolted the moment Miguel’s head whipped towards them. Turning back to Peter, he shot him another death glare. “I’ve had a good amount of you.” His mask quickly materialised as he stalked off, but not fast enough - no, surely you were seeing things. Yet your enhanced sight and hearing haven't failed you so far…
Miguel had been blushing.
Your mind began to race as to what could possibly make the big angry Spider-Man go red. Was it simply due to the nature of conversation being held in a public setting? Was he worried the wrong person would hear it? Was… was he thinking about who that special someone could be?
Could it be you?
Your working relationship with Miguel had come a long way over the last three months or so. He’d recently promoted you to a squad leader, which meant you not only had your own team of Spider-People, but a personal workspace too. Going higher up in the ranks also meant you saw him more often, whether it was a pre- or post-mission briefing, and he requested for you to accompany him on more missions. Despite the whole lone-wolf thing he had going on, you worked excellently as a duo - your creative thinking complemented his analytical approach, and your considerable size difference allowed for dynamic fighting styles. Although one time, Lyla commented that you ‘bickered like an old married couple’, leaving you both speechless.
You wondered if he had blushed under his mask back then, too. Because God knows you’d turned scarlet.
Now your personal relationship with Miguel...
—
Miguel deprogrammed his mask as he entered his lab, stepping onto the main computer platform and bringing up multiple holographic screens. He cringed as he tried to ignore the pile of Valentine’s gifts steadily building up in a corner. It was like Christmas all over again - every 15 minutes or so, a Spider-Person would request entry into his lab, hand over a gift, babble some sort of nonsense he didn’t really listen to, then scurry off like a frightened squirrel. He didn’t even want any of these stupid gifts; why was he accepting them when he had no intention of opening any?
You’ll eat your words when you find that special someone.
“Dammit Peter,” Miguel muttered. “You make it sound so simple.”
He was the founder and leader of the goddamn Spider Society - he didn’t have time for something so trivial like a relationship! There was an entire Multiverse to protect; hundreds of anomalies to contain, thousands of Spider-People under his responsibility, infinite canon events to keep in line. Falling in love would just make things more complicated. It would become a weakness, it would cloud his judgement… it would only end in loss again.
So why the hell couldn’t he get you out of his head?
Miguel hadn’t thought much of you when you first joined; Jessica Drew had taken it upon herself to be your mentor, so he didn’t have to deal with you. But when you saved his life during a mission gone awry, you’d earned his gratitude and more importantly, his respect. You were smart, hard-working and resilient - you proved yourself again and again, to the point he deemed you worthy of becoming a squad leader.
He’d promoted you because of your excellent skills and dedication - not because he wanted an excuse to see you more often. He wouldn’t die if his days didn’t start with you handing him his usual from the coffee shop around the corner. He wouldn’t be bothered if you didn’t drop off your weekly ‘leftover baking’ to the lab. He couldn’t care less if you woke up one day, decided that you didn’t want to report to him anymore, and went back to working under Jess. He was doing just fine before he met you; he would be fine without you too.
Or so he told himself.
Miguel sighed, looking away from the screens for a moment when something glinted from the corner of his eye. Following the light, he couldn’t stop a soft smile gracing his lips as he saw the trinket on his desk. The crystalline blue flower you had gifted him at Christmas - he’d seen it in a shop window during a mission in another universe, and you had gone back for it. It was meant to represent a memory of his late daughter, but whenever he looked at it, his mind would inevitably drift to you. The way your eyes sparkled when you were happy, the sweet smile you’d give him every time you saw each other, the chime of your infectious laughter when you two were knee deep in banter.
He walked over to the small sculpture, fingertips brushing its delicate petals. How would it feel to touch your cheek like this–
Miguel jerked away, inadvertently knocking the flower off the desk. He yelped, heart stopping for a split second before his instincts kicked in - he had to practically dive to catch it in the nick of time. Still on the ground, he closed his eyes, clutching the trinket to his chest but being careful not to break it.
He didn’t want to lose the piece of you that was always with him.
Standing back up, Miguel carefully placed the flower back on the desk, this time in a spot where he could always see it. That was when a pang of guilt hit him - he never did get around to getting you a present in return.
And he couldn’t help but notice you hadn’t swung by his lab today.
But why was he hoping you would bring him something? It was Valentine’s Day. A day for crushes and lovers. You were just a colleague, a friend … right?
Miguel groaned, burying his face in his hands. But even then, all he could see was you. Your delicate fingers brushing his when you gave him his morning coffee, your beautiful eyes softening when conversations took a more personal turn, your plush lips whenever you spoke…
Vas a ser mi muerte.
“Lyla, I need you to place an urgent order for me.”
—
The rest of your day went by rather uneventfully as you made preparations for an upcoming mission and oversaw the orientation of some new recruits. It was just another day, you kept telling yourself.
Wrapping up the last of your errands, you headed back to your workspace. It was a humble office-slash-lab compared to Miguel’s, but it was yours to do with as you pleased. You’d slowly been giving the place your personal touch - polaroids of your Spider-People comrades turned friends tastefully hanging from one wall, a photo frame of your family perched on your desk alongside little knick knacks which reflected your interests. And of course, there were multiple snack drawers.
But as you entered, you froze - there was something sitting on your desk that definitely wasn’t there a couple of hours ago. A smallish box, wrapped in a big red bow.
While you adored your team and the friends you’d made during your time here, you’d made it very clear that you weren’t giving anyone anything for Valentine’s Day, nor did you want anything in return. So for this to show up with zero explanation…
You were immediately hit by the heady aroma of sugar as you opened the box before gasping in pure delight. The glorious sight of Levain Bakery’s famous cookies, impossibly thick and loaded with chocolate chips and walnuts. You’d always wanted to try them, and now you had four of them to indulge in. And they were still warm!
Wait, they were warm? That's when you remembered - these cookies didn’t exist on Earth-928.
Someone had gone out of their way to get these, and they would have only just put them in your office. Your heart rate skyrocketed; there were very few people who had clearance for entry to your space. And there was exactly one Spider-Man you’d been with the day you learned of Levain’s existence.
You impulsively opened your Gizmo’s communication channel - calling was a safer option than dealing with any potential embarrassment in person.
He answered quicker than you were expecting.
“Hey.” Miguel’s tone was that of perfect indifference. If only you knew how nervous he was.
“Hey.” You tried your best to keep your voice even. “Um…” Why did you think calling him was a good idea again? “Someone just came into my office and left a box of cookies here. Do you happen to know anything about that?”
Miguel was a lot of things, but he wasn’t a liar. If it really was him who did it, then…
“Well, you like to treat people with your baking. Maybe one of them wanted to return the favour?”
You smiled widely, your heart soaring. “Really? They travelled across the Multiverse for these, to ‘return the favour’?”
“Seems like that’s the case.” You were probably imagining it, but it sounded like he was smiling too. “You think it might be for another reason?”
“Should I be thinking that?” You bit your lip, closing your eyes as you awaited a response.
The few seconds of silence which ensued felt like an eternity. Shit, maybe you’d taken it all the wrong way. You were stupid to even think he saw you this way. Surely, this was just out of friendship, nothing more–
“I wouldn’t rule it out.” Not a no, but not a yes. You’d take it.
God, feelings were so complicated.
“I do have a question for you though.” Miguel sounded a bit unsure, as if what he was about to ask could change everything.
“Um… sure.” Your pulse was thrumming in your ears. Oh no, what now?
Another moment of hesitation. Your poor little heart was going to give out at this rate.
“They came in a box of four, correct? You mind saving one for me?”