Chapter 3
Whomp Whomp. SHUT UP VENOM.
Miguel is on his silly platform, descending slowly, yet still yelling at Y/N. “I came to your house last night, and you were fine then. You’re telling me that by some weird slime ball, you’re now a variant of many Spider people’s enemies??” Miguel tries to wrap his head around it. Why Y/N is the question on his mind. Out of all the people in this universe, it had to be her?
“Look Miguel.. I know you’re mad but like- it’s not like I asked for this. I teach at a university. I’m too busy to deal with this on top of work and my job as a nurse here. But here we are, as I stand in front of you with a goddamn parasite coming out of my shoulder.” Venom comes out of her shoulder, sulking like a baby.
“You know what? Fine. I don’t care what you decide to do, just don’t fuck anything up Y/N.. You’re already a handful without this thing. Now shoo, I have to finish up this mission report.” Miguel shoos her away, rubbing his temples due to his onset headache coming along.
“I only came along ‘cause I told you to rest, but fine, be it your way then. Dickhead.” She whispers that last part though. Leaving his ‘lair’, she heads towards the Med Ward, popping in to see if anyone needs help for the night.
“Gwen! What are you doing here?” Gwen is seated on a bed, not looking too great. “Y/N! I heard you were coming in today and I wanted to talk to you about something… I know we have a therapist here, but you have a licence, right?” Y/N takes a seat next to the bed, telling Gwen that she does have a licence.
“If you want to talk about anything private, would you like to move this to my office in my dimension instead? I don’t think this is the most secluded place around.” She offers the young girl, trying to make her feel comfortable.
Gwen shakes her head, signalling no. “I think this is okay, but thank you.” Y/N smiles and continues. “So what’s going on?” Y/N asks. Gwen speaks up, “I uhm.. Things have been rough and I just don’t feel mentally in tip top shape. It’s kind of like.. I’m slipping down this slope with no way of stopping. It’s like.. I barely eat, or sleep. And I’m always trying to do my best, but it’s never enough…”
Y/N grabs Gwens hand, stroking it gently as she speaks, having gone through the same feeling in her teenage years. “Gwen.. It is always okay for you to feel like this. I know in your line of work, you always have to put on this brave face and be everyone’s rock. It’s okay to feel this way.. there's more pressure on you which you should never need to feel as a growing teen. And Gwen, you're not the only one with this feeling.. a lot of Spiders feel the same and everyone is trying to work through it in their own way. I know you're busy fighting crime or all that.. but once in a while, just take the time to journal.. or even come and hang out with me and we can grab a meal together."
Gwen instantly hugs Y/N, overwhelmed with the feeling of being understood. Y/N pats Gwen's head and they stay like that for a while until the teen calms down.
"Hey Gwen, I'm not very keen on this, but if it'll help, then I am all for it. Would you like some antidepressants? Not to say you're depressed or anything.. well you might be but! That's a thing we'll discuss later. You just take them once a day, and they'll start to kick in after a week. If that's something that interests you, then I can get it for you."
Gwen thinks about the offer for a little bit, but then says to Y/N, "I think I'd like to try it out." The older woman smiles at Gwen, understanding why she would want to try it.
"Alright, so I'll write you up this prescription and you can take it down to any pharmacy. We have one here as well, but if you aren't comfortable with going, I can get them for you instead" Y/N knows that getting medication for the first time is scary, and she doesn't want Gwen to feel overwhelmed or exposed.
Gwen looks at Y/N's hand that holds the paper prescription, then back up at Y/N. "Could you get them for me? I'm not as great on my social skills.." Gwen asks Y/N, afraid she might mess up.
"Of course sweetheart, I'll get them to you by tomorrow, alright? Here, hand this not to Miguel and he'll understand. It's just saying 'Doctors Orders!! Medical leave, must not be on missions for 1-2 weeks depending on the patient!!' Give this to Mr. Spoopy and he'll take you off on missions for a little bit so you can try and take a break." Venom laughs in her head at the 'Mr. Spoopy' comment.
Gwen takes the Doctor's note, giving Y/N one more hug then saying goodbye. Y/N takes a deep breath in, then out again. A lot has happened today and she just wants to knock out on her bed.
A grumbling from her stomach is audible. Food now? Yes food now. What food? Gwen. NO DIPSHIT. But hungy :C You can have some homeless man after we through warmed honeybuns at him. Nom nom nom. I'll take that as a yes
Before they leave, Y/N goes to check on Miguel. "Hey Migs? I'm clocking out for the night. You need anything?" Miguel sighs, "Can you explain to me this note Gwen gave me?" Y/N looks at him with a stern face, arms crossed.
"Exactly what it says, she needs to be off work for a bit. And that's coming from a licensed doctor. Take her off." Y/N explains, she needs to fight for Gwen on this, knowing that if she doesn't, Gwen might crumble from the pressure.
"I just don't understand why. She's not injured or anything." Miguel wants to know why one of his best Spiders is getting pulled off.
"You know I can't tell you why Migs. She just needs time off." Y/N tried to explain, trying to keep the professional courtesy that protects Gwen from other people from knowing about what she is going through.
"I'm legally responsible for Gwen now as her guardian. I have a right to know, Y/N." He tries to pry his way into this, wanting to know just a single reason.
Y/N thinks about how to say this without exposing Gwen. "Look, she needs time to think about everything. There's too much going on for many Spiders and she's one of them. I'm worried about her.. so just take her off for a week or two.. "
Miguel's eyes change from a look of impatience and anger, to one with a flash of understanding and pity. "I.. yeah okay, I get it now. Just.. I need someone to fill in for her and everyone is too busy for it."
Before Y/N can say anything, Venom pops from her shoulder, facing Miguel. "We can do it. We get food, we help. We good" And with that, he goes back inside of her.
Y/N thinks about this, weighing her options. On one hand, they have an outlet for Venom to eat, and they can protect Gwen from overworking. On the other hand, they've never done this before and could potentially be in the line of danger. But the need to protect Gwen was stronger than anything.
"Venom is right Miguel.. Maybe we should think about this. You don't have many options and we're pretty capable." Y/N reasons with the bulky man, trying her best to convince him.
"Just.. No- It's too dangerous." Miguel pinches the bridge of his nose, turning away. Y/N walks in front of him, taking in his expression.
"Give us one chance to prove it to you, that's all I'll ask. If we don't step up to the plate, then you can just put me back to being the medic. But just once chance.. please?"