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Aggressive knocking rattled Peter’s front door like someone was trying to punch a hole through it.
Peter B. Parker froze halfway through drying a mug. Whoever it was clearly had no respect for the concept of knocking once, or gently.
‘Maybe if I just ignore it they’ll go away’ Peter thinks hoping his silence will be seen as a message to back off.
However this just seemed to intensify the noise.
“Jesus Christ, I’m coming!” Peter B. groaned, wiping his hands on a dish towel as he trudged toward the door. MJ had gone to bed an hour ago, and he was ready to join her, so whoever was doing this better have a damn good reason.
When he pulled it open, there stood Miles Morales with his rumpled hoodie, messy hair, and that nervous, caught-red-handed look he always wore when he showed up unannounced.
“Miles?” Peter said, blinking at him. “What are you doing here?”
“Um, hey, dude.” Miles scratched the back of his neck. “My phone died. Can I… charge it here? Please?”
Peter stared. “How did you even get here?”
Miles shifted uncomfortably, eyes darting anywhere but Peter’s face. “That doesn’t matter!”
Peter arched an eyebrow and stepped aside to let him in. “Kinda does.”
“Whatever, dude,” Miles muttered, brushing past him into the kitchen.
“Oh, feisty,” Peter said, under his breath as he followed. “What’s up?”
Miles plugged his phone in at the counter without answering. The kitchen light flickered faintly, catching the edge of his anxious expression. “Why does something have to be up?”
Peter crossed his arms. “Well, you did travel to an entirely different universe to charge your phone. You see how that doesn’t make sense, right?”
Miles hesitated. His fingers fidgeted with the charging cable, looping it and unlooping it. Then he sighed, shoulders slumping. “Okay. Maybe something is up.”
Peter grinned knowingly. “There we go. Hit me, kid.”
Miles frowned. “Hit you?”
“It’s a figure of speech,” Peter explained, waving a hand. “Though now that I say it out loud, it doesn’t make any sense. But you get what I mean.”
Miles exhaled through his nose, looking exhausted. “To put it simply… I am down horrendously bad.”
Peter’s brows furrowed. “What? Is this about that roommate boy?”
Miles’ cheeks flushed instantly. “He’s not just my roommate.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Peter said, a teasing edge in his tone.
Miles groaned and rubbed at his temples. “…Yeah, okay. It is.”
Peter leaned against the counter with a knowing smile. “Ah, young love.”
Miles glared. “We aren’t in love, Peter.”
“You aren’t?” Peter asked, smirking.
“No! He probably doesn’t even like me like that!”
Peter tilted his head. “Well, how do you know that?”
“I don’t,” Miles admitted quickly. “But I’d rather silently pine forever than ruin our friendship.”
Peter sighed, his voice softening. “Miles, you know that feeling’s not gonna fade, right? He’s your roommate. Your best friend. You can’t exactly ignore him.”
Miles’ face twisted in frustration. “I know, but,ahh!” He threw his hands in the air. “He’s just so… I don’t even know. He’s so Ganke! It’s like the universe is punishing me for something!”
Peter’s laugh was light and amused. “What do you mean?”
Miles started pacing. “He listens to me. He doesn’t find my flaws annoying. He’s just… too nice. And then the universe decided to give him that role,just to make sure I’m too scared to ever do anything about it.”
Peter chuckled. “Is it the universe’s fault you overthink everything?”
Miles muttered, “It’s their fault for making him perfect.”
Peter’s smile softened. “Jesus, Miles… you really like this boy, don’t you?”
Miles looked down at his sneakers. “I don’t know. He makes me feel good about myself. Grounds me. Reminds me there’s still good in the world.”
Peter tilted his head, his teasing fading into sincerity. “Sounds like he tries for you, kid. Maybe he likes you too.”
Miles groaned again, slumping onto the couch. “It’s not that simple, Peter. What if he doesn’t? Then I lose my best friend,and I’m alone forever.”
Peter let out a low whistle. “Ah, kids. You really don’t see the bigger picture, do you?”
Miles crossed his arms, pouting. “I’m not a kid.”
Peter smiled fondly. “Fix your face, kid.”
Miles cracked a small grin. “Shut up.”
Peter laughed, scratching his chin. “So… is he gay?”
Miles turned bright red. “I mean,technically? I mean, he’s not really into labels.”
Peter raised an eyebrow. “And you?”
Miles’ blush deepened. “Can we not talk about this right now?”
Peter lifted his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. Just remember I’m here for you, okay?”
Miles’ expression softened. “Thanks,”
Peter leaned forward slightly. “Kid, listen. What would you rather do,confess and get it over with, or pine for the rest of your life and regret never trying?”
Miles’ voice dropped to a whisper. “What if something happens to him?”
Peter frowned. “What?”
“What if something happens to him and it’s my fault?” Miles’ hands twisted together in his lap.
Peter’s expression became gentle. “So you’re scared.”
Miles hesitated, then nodded.
Peter sighed. “I was scared to try again with MJ. Terrified. But if I hadn’t, I’d have regretted it forever. And hey,if no one knows who you are, the chances of him getting hurt? Pretty slim.”
He looked at Miles thoughtfully. “Do you really like this boy?”
Miles’ voice came out small. “…Yeah.”
“And he loves you? At least platonically?”
Miles shrugged. “He’s said it before, yeah. But--”
Peter cut him off gently. “Miles, you come here and talk about that boy at least once a week. I don’t think he’s the type to say something and not mean it.”
Miles’ lips curved into a quiet smile. “Yeah. I guess he’s not.”
Peter nodded. “If this boy truly loves you,platonically or romantically,your friendship can survive an awkward confession.”
Miles looked up at him hopefully. “You think so?”
Peter smiled. “I know so. You’re a good kid.”
Miles opened his mouth to argue the “kid” part, but Peter kept going.
“You deserve a little romance in your life.”
Miles blinked rapidly, his eyes shining. His throat worked before a small, broken laugh escaped him.
“Hey, hey,it’s okay,” Peter said quickly, but the words barely left his mouth before Miles lunged forward, wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug.
“Woah!” Peter wheezed, arms flailing before returning the embrace. “Easy there, pal,I’ve got you.”
Miles buried his face in Peter’s shoulder. His breathing came out uneven, and Peter could feel the damp warmth of tears seeping into his shirt.
After a moment, Miles pulled back, cheeks pink. “Sorry…”
“It’s okay, kid,” Peter murmured. “That whole ‘boys don’t cry’ thing? Total bullshit anyway.”
Miles laughed weakly at that. “I don’t know if I’m ready yet… to confess.”
Peter looked at him with something like pride. God, I love this kid, he thought.
“Take your time,” he said softly. “Don’t rush it. He’s not going anywhere.”
Miles smiled, small but real. “Thanks, Peter.”
Just then, footsteps creaked down the stairs.
MJ appeared, hair tousled, wearing one of Peter’s old shirts. She blinked sleepily at the scene. “Okay, as cute as this is,shouldn’t you be going home soon?”
Peter turned. “Let the kid stay a bit, sweetie. Look at him,he’s adorable!”
“I am not adorable!” Miles huffed.
MJ smirked. “Honey, do you even know what time it is?”
Peter blinked. “No, I left my phone upstairs. Miles came here to charge his.”
“Peter,” MJ said flatly, “it’s two in the morning.”
Peter and Miles shouted in unison, “What!?”
“Shit,Ganke’s gonna kill me!” Miles scrambled to grab his phone, now glowing fully charged with twenty unread messages.
Peter chuckled. “See? He’s already controlling your life. You two will be fine.”
MJ gave him a sharp look. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
Peter held up his hands. “Kidding!”
Miles shoved his phone into his pocket, groaning. “It’s been great, but I gotta go before my roommate calls my parents and I end up on a missing persons list.”
“See you later!” Peter called as Miles headed for the door. “Practice safe intimacy!”
“Gross!” Miles shouted back.
“Don’t be a stranger!”
“Love you!” Miles yelled from the hall before the door clicked shut.
Peter froze, then broke into a grin.
MJ smirked from the stairs. “He loves you.”
Peter laughed softly. “That kid is something else.”
“Stressed, overworked, and down bad,” MJ said, stepping closer. “Almost reminds me of someone I know.”
“Hey!” Peter protested, but the smile tugging at his lips betrayed him.
They stood there for a long, warm moment, the night quiet around them.
Finally, Peter said, “You know, we could’ve just driven him home.”
MJ shrugged, eyes twinkling. “Pretty sure the driving laws differ from universe to universe.”
Peter groaned. “Why do you insist on always being right?”
“Not sure,” she said with a grin. “Also, he lives in Brooklyn,it’d probably be faster to swing.”
Peter chuckled, shaking his head. “Okay, I get it.”
“Do you?” she teased.
“Yeah,” he said softly, wrapping an arm around her. “I do.”