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This is the day.
Miles took a deep breath and straightened his blouse in the mirror again; flowers, check, dress, check, expression, check-
It's been a while and I'm just wondering... I mean it seems that we really hit it off and--
Miles went over what he was going to say in his head one last time, then pressed his watch. He needed to see Gwen, he had something to tell her, like if she would --
Like whether or not she would be his girlfriend.
Miles thought that he likes Gwen. He thought he and Gwen are made for each other, until Gwen introduced her boyfriend to him.
All his thoughts vanished instantly the moment he walked through the portal to meet Gwen.
To be precise, it was meeting Gwen and her boyfriend.
Miles wasn't willing to speculate on the relationship between Gwen and another strange male the moment he saw them - he had done that with Gwen and Hobie - but when he stepped through the portal with a bouquet of flowers and saw Gwen kissing a complete stranger in her arms, Miles had to make up his mind about it. The relationship between them had to be decided.
Gwen looked surprised by his arrival; in fact it took her a while to realize that Miles had arrived because she looked so engrossed in the kiss.
"Haven't seen you in forever! What-What are you doing here?"
Gwen separated from the stranger. Miles could see the other man's face flushed with uncontrollable excitement and happiness.
"Oh I forgot--Miles, this is Harry, Harry Osborn. Harry, this is Miles!"
Gwen turned her head to the red-brown haired boy beside her and introduced him, "Harry is my--"
"Your boyfriend, yeah, I can see that..."
Gwen blushed at the moment she heard the word boyfriend.
He wanted to die. He wished someone would knock him out until tomorrow, when he wouldn't have to deal with the awkward situation he was in now; he wished he had never decided to come to Gwen ten minutes ago, but had just gone back to HQ.
"Hey Gwen - Hi ......Harry. "Miles' eyes fell on the two men's tightly held hands; he gave a mechanical smile, forcing himself to say something, he had to say something: "Hey - so I um... I just, just wanna give you this ."
Miles handed over the delicate bouquet he had ordered from the florist just this morning:" I just..picked some of this up by the, um, by the street and thought that you might like it, haha, ha..."
Harry Osborn's curious gaze fell on Myers:"And where exactly did you picked this, carefully wrapped, neatly pruned bouquet? Just, by the street?"
Miles wanted to say something else, but his wristwatch rang at the right moment; so he accepted the call without hesitation and said hello to Gwen: "Sorry--gotta go...you know. Good-Good to see you guys though! You two are such a lovely couple haha.... . BYE!!!"
Harry looked at Miles' back as he fled, and thoughtfully took Gwen's hand: "I think he likes you."
"And I like him too. "Gwen didn't look back at her boyfriend, but took off her shirt to reveal her uniform inside; she got the same message from headquarters: "But I don't think he realized how we liked each other. like, in a family's way --"
Spider-woman's remaining words are interrupted by a kiss；Harry gave her a kiss:"Be safe out there. Alright my heroine?"
"Sure."
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He wants to die. He wanted a villain to jump out of nowhere and knock him out. That way he wouldn't have to face an awkward situation.
Miles carefully avoids all opportunities to look at Gwen on this mission, and the atmosphere between them starts to get weird. Even Peter and Pavitr can see that the two men, who used to be inseparable, are deliberately, or rather, Miles unilaterally, avoiding Gwen.
"Have they got into a fight or something?? How?? Miles' an amazing kid. And Gwen's great--"Peter whispered to Pavitr during the mission.
"Why don't we just ask them? I always thought they were a couple--Hey Miles! Gwen! Are you guys--Mmm??!!!"
Pavitr said the first half of the sentence before Peter had time to stop him; fortunately Hobie was able to move to his side in a flash, gag him and bump fists with Pavitr, and naturally continued: "Are you guys hungry. He wondered if y'all wanna hang out after this. grab a bite maybe?"
Gwen said something; her voice sounded like normal, but Miles' spider-sense told him Gwen's attention was still on him; he was fine, except a little irritable. And his irritation stemmed not only from Spider-woman, but more from-
Miles thought that he likes Gwen. He thought he and Gwen are made for each other, until Gwen introduced her boyfriend to him.
....He also thinks that Hobie's hot and..and it's wrong to falling in love with two people.
His thoughts are not always correct.
For example, at first when he saw Gwen's with her boyfriend, he didn't take it so well. He thought it was because he's jealous of the boy, but now that he thinks about it, he's just afraid that Harry's gonna take Gwen from him. Gwen's one of his best friends, and she's the only one who gets his status, knowing what Miles' been through, what he might experience and...
And, Miles does love Gwen. In a friend/family way.
....Then there's Hobie.
Miles had always thought that Hobie's cool from first sight. It was until Spider-punk taught him how to absorb energy using his palms that Miles started to realize, Hobie's hot. Like smoking hot.
Hobbie said in his origin story that he had taken on many roles, besides being Spider-Man; he had a band, he had been a model, he had led the organization of many illegal rallies and protests, and...he's hot.
His body was perfect, even judged by model standards; amazing proportions, smooth lines, and he got the longest legs that could kill someone with. And the five or six decorative studs in his face, his hair, not to mention the fact that he also played in a band - when When he put on the Spider-Man uniform, his charm only grew exponentially.
Miles first realizes he's attracted to Hobie in one of his dreams. Don't get me wrong - he's a teenager, but he's equally not that horny. It was a very pure dream, and when he woke up all Miles remembered was that he was walking with the person in his dream holding hands, and then they shared a sweet kiss. That's all.
And the guy in his dream was Hobie Brown.
When Miles woke up the next day and realized the problem, his mind was empty for ten minutes.
And from then on he was in a deep self-contradiction. He thinks he likes Gwen, but at the same time he can't help being attracted to Hobie；and it's wrong to fell in love with two people.
And when Miles realized that he loved Gwen in a friend/family way, he still feel guilty about being attacked by Hobie. He somehow feels that, it's a betrayal of....of something. Anything.
He can't be attracted to Hobie, can he?
....wait why can't he be attracted to Hobie??
Hobie's cool, he's hot, he's a supermodel, and Miles' always trying to be more like him, bu he just can't....
Everything is a blur now. Making him dizzy and confused.
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"So you guys wanna come?"
Gwen politely declines Hobie's invitation, her things have been completely removed from Hobie's house, and she apparently has a date tonight after she finishes her mission, which is probably why she's wearing makeup; Pavitr also has a date with Gaia; Peter needs to take Mayday, again, going on a date.
Now there's Miles. and Hobie.
"Nah man.... . gotta run some errands.... . so I'll see you around I guess-"
Just as Miles tries to leave, something happens: Hobie grabs him by the wrist and pulls Miles to his side:"Un-uh--you're not running away from me man."
"What--what are you doing--"
Too late. Hobie had taken him by the wrist and dragged him into his portal.
And Miles, Miles is still processing the message "Hobie is grabbing his wrist". Hobie's body temperature was too high for him, and the moment he touched him Miles even felt his wrist catch fire.
When Miles finally came back to his senses, he was already being led by Hobie to jump into the ever-changing portal.
"Where-are-we-going??"
To which, Hobie's response was equally brief: "An adventure."
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Hobie took him to Earth-138. a bar in Earth-138, to be exact.
The style of this universe is exactly the same as Hobie's, like a page ripped straight out of some punk magazine, filled with lots of bright colors, hand torn collage style, and heavy ink and color.
Miles had wanted to talk numerous times along the way; when he came out of the portal he wanted to ask Hobie where this was, and the style around him gave an answer; when Hobie led him to the bar Miles wanted to say he was under twenty-one, but immediately after Hobie took him over the outer wall - or walked went inside. They are Spider-Man, they can walk on the wall; when Hobie handed him a glass, Miles wanted to say he wasn't allowed to drink yet, but the sweet, creamy liquid in the glass tasted like Coke. And it's sugar-free.
"So, you gonna tell me what happened between you and Gwenie."
Hobie was holding a glass of liquid that definitely contained alcohol and was not low in concentration; the bar was so noisy that he had to lower his head against Miles' neck in order for him to hear; as the breath with alcohol sprayed on Miles' skin, he seems to get drunk too.
"You're both members of my band. Gotta look out for you two."
Miles had to raise his voice:"It's nothing--it's stupid. I-I thought I'd asked her something--and I planned on doing that! But then I just ran into her...kissing her boyfriend...So...yeah, it's all just a misunderstanding."
Hobie extracted important information from Myers' vague answers:"Awww, poor Peter Pan. So your Wendy refused to come to Fantasy Island with ya? She already got a boyfriend--lucky guy. Gwenie's a great person. She didn't even tell us about that. Boy she must really loves him--My drummer has her own thought huh? Can't argue with that."
Then Hobie lowered his head and saw the faintly forlorn look on Miles' face.
"Oops, sorry. Too soon?" Hobie's voice sounded unapologetic. He asked if it was a little too soon for Miles to say these things, and Miles shook his head; he really didn't seem to mind.
"Yes...and no. I mean I-I wanted to invite her to my prom a-and maybe during the dance I'll ask if she wants to be my girlfriend... coz you know, we have so much in common and, and I thought we're made for each other....But then Gwen told me she had a boyfriend and... and I came to realize that, I do love her, but more in a friend or family way than a boyfriend way...so... I guess here I am, alone again."
"And why are you upset, since you realized that the fact Gwenie's with someone are not so frustrating?" Hobie tilted his head as if thinking about something, and from Miles' perspective, he suddenly felt that Hobie resembled the mysterious big cats of ancient Egyptian mythology. When Miles was about to answer Hobie suddenly shoved the glass into his hand: "My time's up. catch you later."
"What? What time--where you going???"
Hobie had disappeared into the crowd. A little bewildered, Miles started to push his way outside to retrieve Hobie, but the bar was too crowded; he subconsciously took a sip from his glass to keep from looking so out of place, then choked on the spicy sensation and bent over coughing. In the process Miles realized two things: first, Hobie was drinking scotch; second, he had just drunk Hobie's drink; Hobie's black lipstick mark was even on the glass.
The crowd suddenly became even more frantic; countless people began to rush toward the center stage, and Miles was caught unprepared and almost pushed to the bottom of the stage; he tried to stop ("Hey guys? Um can you like calm down--wait I--alright.") but no one paid any attention; when he was finally pushed to the When he finally looked up from the forefront, Miles realized what was going on through the cheers of the people around him and the figure on the stage that was walking the runway.
He remembered that Hobie had mentioned that he was briefly a runway model.
"Spider-Man! Spider-Man we love you!!!!"
"Spider-Man!!! I love you Spider-Man!!!! Take my panties!!!! ❶Spider-Mannnnn!!!!"
Miles looked in shock at the crowd beside him that had fallen into a frenzy, a girl with Spider-Man painted on her face, waving her pink...bodysuit in her hands.
But immediately afterwards his full attention was drawn to the man on stage.
Hobie was wearing his uniform, his thigh-high leather boots, his studded hood, his guitar; every accessory was just right, and every step he took seemed to tread on the point where the crowd's desire and reason intersected, and then relentlessly smashed everything with his next step.
When Hobie reached the end of the stage, he jumped high and then leapt; the crowd raised countless hands to greet their leader, lifting Hobie up and transporting him until he landed safely.
Hobie stood right next to Miles.
Miles was still in shock, when Hobie through the crowd to his side, Miles excitedly grabbed Hobie's arm to say something; when they touched the moment Miles immediately again that inexplicable feeling of guilt, like he shouldn't be attracted by Hobie, so he just let him go.
But Hobie did not let him go.
He grabbed Miles' wrist again, this time he didn't stop; Spider-punk caught Miles' chin and turned it to him; then, in front of the whole pub, Hobie pressed his lips heavily on Miles'.
It was a kiss. A long, hard, fierce kiss.
The crowd boiled. Miles could hear someone whistling, there were guys cheering, laughing, clapping--then he could hear nothing.
Nothing, but his heat pounding. Heavily on his chest.
Miles forgot to react. He froze. Actually he had hardly remembered how to breathe.
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"You alright Spidey."
Hobie released him when the crowd had slowly dispersed; no one cared that a Spider-Man had just kissed another Spider-Man - even in this universe no one knew that there were parallel worlds, countless universes with countless Spider-Men, and just two of them had fallen in love here.
"Yeah. I guess."
Hobie laughed at Miles' answer. He took Miles' wrist again: "C'mon let's get outta here."
And Miles had too many questions. Yet every one of his questions seems a little ...... silly in hindsight. Like why Hobie kissed him, like the purpose of their visit here today, like ...... why he accepted Hobie's kiss so naturally.
But once again, Hobie spoke before him.
"Seems that you're still confused. so I'll just get you started. you like me, don't tryna deny it, you do. i saw you peeping."
When???!!!! Is it that obvious????
Miles admitted he did sneak a peek at Hobie a few times, just a few times - or more times than he thought.
"Second, you and I both love Gwenie, in a family/friend way. Gwenie is family, it's great. And there's no need to feel bad or ashamed just because you'thought' you like her in another way. She got a boyfriend, she's doing great, everything's awesome. And I like you. Period."
TMI. Too much information. And Hobie is still talking.
"Oh just so you know, even if Gwen said yes today, that she'd be your girlfriend, I still won't quit on you. She's my drummer and you're my love, I'll still look out for her, but meanwhile I won't give up on you, just because she and I are close friends."
Hobie twitched his nose a little: "We'll make it a fair competition."
When Miles finally found his voice, the first thing he said was, "So you're basically saying that. . you would come to the prom with me?"
In response, Hobie simply raised an eyebrow at him.
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"You know that, if you gonna come to the prom with me you gotta wear a dress right?"
When Miles finally came back to his senses, he even started joking:"Like, you gotta dance with me and I'll be wearing suits and...heh heh...so.."
Hobie's expression on his face implied nothing. It was starting to make Miles' heart beat faster, and he still wasn't sure what was going on between the two of them, even though Hobie had just kissed him in front of the entire bar-
"Who said that." Hobie still sounded very calm. Hobie suddenly leaned down and trapped Miles between the wall and his own body.:"I don't against wearing a dress though. I don't believe in genders or consistency. Gender is the word created to constrict our nature."
"Though, if you gonna take me to the prom, you also gotta take me home."
Miles was getting nervous again because of the full implication of the words; the distance between Hobie and him was getting closer and closer, should he initiate a kiss that would be really bold, what if Hobie didn't mean to...
He couldn't think about it any more. Just as Miles was debating with himself, Hobie had lifted his chin and kissed him again.