I'm Sicker Everyday
Miguel is doing fine. He's doing missions almost twice as fast as he used to and he's taking them in stride. He's getting a bit better at actually taking care of himself so he's not so dizzy when he stands up and and he doesn't take a couple of seconds to recuperate himself. Now, it only takes like two of them.
This is because Miguel is so focused in improving himself emotionally for Peter that he forgets about the physical aspect of it. Though to be fair he never really remembered the physical aspect. Which is why Peter would come and visit almost daily. Now that doesn't happen, in fact Peters visits are few far in-between and less pleasant than they used to be.
They still happen though. They mostly happen because Peter remembers that Miguel is piss poor at taking care of himself and because they made a lot of progress. So when Peter takes a week off for a reason Miguel doesn't need to know. It's safe to say that Miguel was not taking that good of care of himself.
Then again who could blame him. He'd always had trouble managing his own well being ever since he'd decided to found the Spider HQ.
Lyla pops up her heart shaped sunglasses on the bridge of her nose as she stares down the man in disgust. As his digital assistant she had the man go through many things. The various ups and down of life. This was most certainly a down and she was tired of watching it.
"Miguel."
"Miguel!" She forms next to his ear screaming into it.
"What?"
"You need to take a break."
"I'll take a break in five minutes." Its dismissive and he says it everytime he's doing something he shouldn't be. He used it way back before the multiverse interrupted his life and he hasn't stopped since.
"You said that yesterday!"
"Shut up." Miguel says swatting at the woman.
"Why do you still do that? You know it never works."
Miguel grumbles and his stomach copys his voice. They both glance down at Miguel's stomach and Lyla raises an eyebrow and scoffs.
"I don't think your stomach wants to wait five more minutes."
"Well it's gonna have to."
Lyla just sighs and disappears. It's getting pretty late there's not that much she can do to convince Miguel so she decides not to. Instead she messages Peter and begs him to stop by because a week with only three meals is too few for anyone let alone Miguel.
So when Peter drops onto the floor with a to go box in hand Lyla cries out.
"Oh thank god!"
She wraps her arms around one of Peters for a hug because she's only so big.
"Hello Lyla!"
"Peter help Miguel's been neglecting himself all week!"
"I have not been neglecting myself. You're just being dramatic." Miguel says webbing the box out of Peters hands. Similar to a few months ago the man inhales the food in a few rapid bites.
Peter notices how Miguels eyes look more tired than usual. And he notices the way that they soften when he looks up at him.
"I don't know man you do tend to forget about necessities."
"Domt agree with her, and thank you."
"Consider it repayment for the one time you brought me a burger."
Miguel chuckles a bit and he feels a lot better than he has in days.
"Now all you need to do is sleep." Lyla comments. One thing that Lyla has yet to be nicknamed is a snitch.
Upon finding out tha Miguek has refused himself proper sleep Peter groans loudly.
"What did I tell you about staying up, you're gonna look like you're 50 by the end of the year."
"He already does!" Lyla corrects.
Miguel glares at the both of them as they both laugh. Peter catches his glare and slings his way up to Miguel.
"Calm down O'Hara we're just teasing." His joke doesn't denote the concern in his voice.
Miguel rolls his eyes and Peter takes a seat on the floor. They're awkward but it's not killing either of them to be near eachother so they ignore it.
"You look like death." Peter says.
"What else is new?"
"I think a lot about you is new."
"Guess you'll just have to find out then."
Peter slowly smiles as he stares at Miguel while he spins around in his office chair.
"I cant believe it. I must be rubbing off on you. You've gotten so good at flirting Miguel."
Miguel sits up clearly embarrassed and protest.
"What? No! I'm not flirting."
"Sure, I believe you."
"You don't sound like it."
Peter laughs.
There's something in him that wants to load the barrel and shoot his other foot but he stops himself. His other wound itches and he wants to scratch at it because if he does then he can bleed freely without having to shoot himself again.
Peter doesn't know If he avoids the topic of her because he can't bear the idea of what happened last time happening again or if it's because doing so will force them to have a conversation that he wasn't ready for.
"Anyways what have you been doing?" Miguel asks.
Peter is caught of guard because Miguel ask a lot of things, like about his missions and about him. Although it's usually something sarcastic like,
"Why are you like this?"
But he normally asks these things. One thing he's never done. Is asked about Peters life outside of heroing because that crosses a line of professionalism that both of them, though mostly Peter, teeter on. Peter responds and it comes out shakily.
"Been meditating."
"Divine intervention."
Miguel notices and wants to tell him it's fine and he doesn't have to worry but if Peters state of mind was anything to go off of Miguel knows that Peter would find it to be more disconcerting than anything. So he says nothing about it.
Peter can see Miguel intentions and the way he cares and the way he's showing it is tantalizing. It's tantalizing because Peter has wanted him now more than he ever has because Miguel's trying so hard and Peter sees himself in him and it's so unfair because he can't have him.
Miguel's eyes scan his face and Peter can only describe it as tantalizing, the way Miguel's face folds into a puzzled expression that shows that Miguel care about him more than he should as a boss and a friend.
A familiar tension strings out between the two and suddenly they're both very aware of the temperature drop.
"Someone forgot to pay the heat bill!"
"What are you talking about? We don't pay for AC, we made it."
"Yeah I was just," Peter is cut off by Miguel.
"Honestly you were there for that Peter."
Peter feels a new wave of embarrassment. Not just because his joke bombed but also because Miguel said his name. Peter had noticed a while ago when he got promoted from a strained.
"Parker."
To a natural
"Peter."
He had noticed and he was just a bit confused but he was happier than anything else. Now he feels less happy and more warm because Peter had just heard his name exits Miguel's mouth in the softest tone ever. It reminds him of their late night conversations about SpongeBob and reincarnation and it makes him blush.
"Peter?"
"Yeah buddy?"
"You doing okay?"
Peter hesitates before answering because the last time he answered this question he lied and they ended uo avoiding eacother again and Peter felt even worse than he did before that and he doesn't want to put either of them trlhrough that again. So he's honest with himself and Miguel for the first time.
"Not really. I guess I'm just adjusting still."
Miguel hurts a little bit. He hurts because he loves Peter and knowing that Peter was still uncomfortable because of him hurt but he'd be willing to sing his love to the divine forces if it meant Peter could feel that love and he's okay with that.
Peter worries that he made a mistake and that he had been counterproductive because he probably had been but the Miguel smiles a bit.
"Yeah. Me too I guess. It's awkward really. After everything."
Peter just raises his brows in agreement. He thinks that's the second time he's hear Miguel admit he was wrong without actually admitting it.
"I hope that I'm not making to hard for you to eb here." Miguel says.
"Huh. Oh no you're fine honestly it's me."
"You sure?"
Peter gets a strange sense of deja vu but this time he knows he's right.
"Yeah I'm just in my head."
"You and me both."
They share another glance and for the first time in a while Peter looks at Miguel's face because.
Number 1. Miguel will notice and they're at they're wierd stage where he doesn't care.
And
Number 2. It's his favorite past time.
Miguel's eyes still look as tired as they did before but they're happier than they were before and he countsit as a win. He know that he shouldn't be taking care of another grown man because he was not Miguel's mother, he had earned a lot of titles but not that one. Still Peter finds that he doesn't care about that because taking care of Miguel gives him an excuse to saddle up besides the man and exist with him.
He supposes that only matters to him so much because he was the only one who knew Miguel early enough to fall for his personality that had made a 180 since those days. Everyone who'd ever been intrigued by the man had never met anything but his body and it didn't take long for them to kick rocks after a brief conversation.
This is because, "For someone who looks that nice he surely didn't act like it." Peter thought that they were wrong but also Peter was Miguel's favorite so anything he says is unfairly measured to the majority. None of that really matters though because Peter stands by both him and Miguel.
Peter also leaves after an hour and a half. It's short for a visit but it's longer than thier recent ones. They both feel better about it but they're both doubtful.
Miguel calls Jessica and she groans picking up the phone.
"What is it Miguel?"
"You know how I told you I messed up everything with the person I like?"
"I know you called me on the verge of tears calling yourself stupid."
"I dont think that's hiw that happened."
"That is exactly what happened. And if you're calling to tell me you messed it up more I'll tell you what I told you then, find God, because he's the only one that can help you!"
What Jessica doesn't know is that Miguel doesn't believe in God and he hasn't since he became his own God. Maybe that's why his life was like this.
"Well it's a good think I didn't mess it up."
"What?"
"Yeah. We've actually been hanging out more."
"So what do you want me to do about that."
"I don't know. Tell me how to not mess it up."
"Dont be a ass."
"Something other than that."
"Keep meditating."
Miguel sighs and rubs the space between his brows.
"I told you that doesn't work for me."
"Its cause you're not giving it a chance!"
"No. It's because it's all bull!"
They argue for the next couple of minutes before Jessica hangs up on him.
"I wanted to hang up first."
Lyla forms infront of him.
"Hey chin up boss, you can hang up first on her next time."
"It won't be the same."
Miguel looks down defeated a frown covering his face.
"Youre brooding Miguel."
"Am not!"
Miguel sighs and he tries to stand up. He's not sent back to his seat from vertigo like normal but he's not exactly in his best condition.