An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Watched Across the Spiderverse, got hooked, wrote fic, made fanart that went with fic. Tale as old as time. Enjoy!
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Dammit.
Dammit!
Gwen threw her mask off on what should have been Milesâ bed. Her Milesâ bed. But it wasnât, just like all the other ones sheâd tried and tried for hours. It wasnât like Miles would only be in his room, or his apartment. He could be anywhere in New York. God, he could be anywhere in New York. How could she have been so stupid?
Before, she could sense him from universes away. Now, she couldnât sense him at all.Â
You were right, Gwen.
You should have never come to see me.Â
Gwen bit back tears. The look heâd given her before falling off the highway in Nueva York was burned into her memory. He was mad at her, he had been betrayed by her, and she couldnât fucking find him. He was in danger, and she would be the last person he would reach to for help.Â
Bzzzzzzzzzz.
She jumped out of her stupor. This was a familiar spidey-sense-buzz, Miles was here! HeâÂ
Wait.Â
No, he wasnât.Â
Her heart sank. It was close, tantalizingly close. But it wasnât Miles. This was a different spiderâs signal.Â
ââsomeone in there.â
And they were coming this way.
Though it was late, she couldnât just blend into the shadows. Milesâ room was all packed up, his furniture wrapped in plastic, his action figures stuffed into boxes. It wasnât like she could turn invisible. New plan: she scrambled to the window, fiddling for the lock â and came up empty. But this window opens. Sheâd opened it before, and this was the exact sameâ no, it wasnât.Â
ââmy old roomââ
It wasnât the exact same place, it was an alternate dimension. Of course. And in this specific dimension, the windows donât open, so sheâll never be able to make it out beforeâ
âExcuse me?â
BZZZZZZZZZZZ!!
Her fellow spiders had arrived. Standing in the doorway was a woman in her late twenties, with longish bleach-blonde hair, and a man about the same age with thick locs and glasses. Who looked exactly like Miles.Â
A little too much like Miles.
âWhoa.â The man looked shocked. âAnother Spider-Person! You look⌠exactly like Gwen. Why do you look exactly like Gwen? Did you have a sister you never told me about, orââ
âNo, of course not.â The woman â also Gwen, said, assessing the situation. She was also named Gwen? She kinda looked like her⌠wait, if he looked and sounded a lot like Miles, and she looked and sounded a lot like Gwen, thenâŚ
Oh, god. It was her and Miles. From an alternate dimension.Â
âIâm not crazy, right? You see it too?â The man, no, Other-Miles, gestured with his hands just like her Miles did. Does.Â
âYep,â she said. She turned her attention back to Gwen. âSorry, are you⌠me?â
âYes! And also no.â She shuffled her feet, not knowing what else to do. âSo, yeah. I am Gwen Stacy, Spider-Woman⌠from a different dimension.â
A moment of silence. They looked at each other. They looked back at her. âOh. Okay.â
âWow, you guys are remarkably chill with this.â
Other-Miles put a hand around Other-Gwenâs waist. A pang of feelings hit Gwenâs gut like a brick. He could just do that in this universe? âWell,â he said, âweâve been Spider-Man and Woman for like⌠twelve years now, so weâre used to weird shit.â
âYep.â
âCool, um⌠so, Iâm sure you both are wondering why Iâm here right now,â she said with half-assed finger guns.
âYeah, pretty much.â
âOkay, so.â She sat crosslegged on the roomâs bed. âMultiverse is real. A bunch of Spider-people from a whole bunch of universes got together to protect the multiverse.â
Other-Miles sits beside her. âAnd they didnât invite us?â
âŚ
Even he got a watch?
God, even though heâs half-joking, Other-Milesâ questioning almost makes Gwen burst into tears. Of course every multiversal version of Miles Morales wants to be invited. Wants to be visited. Wanted to know why his friends didnât visit.Â
Other-Gwen raises an eyebrow. Gwen swallows hard, willing her eyes to stop burning. âOnly issue, the leader of this alliance is this guy named Miguel, who is insane. Heâs so scared of disrupting the multiverse, when itâs really this guy, Spot, who does it with his portals. Spot is this villain guy, by the way. Ruptures holes in space-time. Anyway, MilesâŚâÂ
Other-Miles squints quizzically. She swallows hard. âMy Miles isnât even from my dimension. I accidentally got launched into his through science shenanigans, we met, and we just⌠clicked.â
Other-Gwen sits at Other-Milesâ feet, holding his hands. âThat sounds awfully familiar.âÂ
He laughs. Gwen hurts a little more.Â
âBut we were separated. Each back to our own universe. Anyway, months pass. My dad tried to⌠arrest me after I revealed my spider-ness to him, and I was terrified, but Miguel took me in. I got a watch that let me transport between universes, and⌠and I wanted to visit Miles so badly⌠but I didnât.â
Gwen covered her mouth and turned away. Donât cry, donât cry, donât cry.Â
âWhy not?â It was Other-Gwen. She'd laid a hand on her knee, ready to listen.Â
God, she's a saint.
âBecause Miguel said he was an anomaly, and I wasnât allowed to,â Gwen said, choking up. âHe wasnât supposed to be Spider-Man in his universe, even though heâs a great Spiderman.â Her floodgates open. âLike, heâs just so kind, and gentle, and he puts other people before himself, sometimes too much, and heâs just so sweet.âÂ
Gwen sobbed for a moment. She caught the two of them exchanging another glance. They each took one of her hands, and Other-Miles slides off the bed to match his partner.Â
âAnd I had that watch for months and I didnât visit him. Then, when I finally did, I didnât tell him why I didnât visit, or that I was actually on a mission or anything. I just showed up, and, and he looked so happy, but when he stood up to Miguel and stuff he found out everything, and he, heâŚâ Gwen wiped her tears on her shoulder. âYou should have seen how hurt he looked. Iâve given him so much pain. I even chased him, tried to get him put in jail because he was an anomaly, and thatâs just what happens to anomalies. He was one of the best friends Iâve ever had, and I just⌠I just chased him. Didnât go to him when he needed me most, didnât support him when he needed me most, and now, heâs somewhere in the multiverse, and heâs in danger, and I canât find him, and I donât know if heâd even want me looking for him!â
Gwen ripped her hands from theirs and pounded the bed before curling into a ball and grabbing her hair. âIâm such an idiot. I⌠I donât know where he is, or if heâs safe or anything. Maybe he wonât even talk to meâŚâ
In every other universe, Gwen Stacy falls for Spider-Man.
Whether she meant falling to her death or falling in love, she wasnât sure.Â
And, in every other universe, it doesnât end well.Â
No, it certainly didnât.
âIâm so sorry,â Other-Miles said after a little while. âCâmere.â
Then, Other-Miles and Other-Gwen took her by the forearms, pulled her off the bed, and into a hug.
Gwen couldn't help but collapse.Â
After so many hours of tension, Gwen finally relaxed. Into the hug, and into her sobs. They just held her and held her as she cried and cried. Something inside Gwen rejected this. She doesnât deserve kindness, not after everything sheâs done. Miles needs this hug much more than she does. Wherever the hell he is.Â
If he lets her, she would want to hug him exactly like this.Â
Other-Gwen rubbed circles on her back. âYou must have been holding onto this for a long time. You must be so scared.â
Gwen just nods.Â
Other-Gwen leans out of the hug. âWhy donât we figure it out over some tea?â
Gwen wiped away her tears, finally taking in the world around her. âIsnât it, like, midnight for you guys right now?â
âNah, itâs about eleven.â Other-Miles hopped to his feet and twirled towards the door, finger-guns blazing. âDonât worry, Iâll make the two of us decaf.âÂ
ââââââââ--
âKingpin brought you to his world?â Other-Gwen said, listening intently. The two of them had insisted she stayed for a while and tell them her whole life story, despite her protests that she clearly must keep going, and no, sheâs not going to burn out, thank you very much.
âYep! I mean, he ran the supercollider. He didnât mean to bring me in. Anyway, somehow, when I was launched from the portal, I emerged into Milesâ dimension a week before the collider had even run.â
âYou time-travelled?â Other-Milesâ voice echoed from the kitchen.
âI guess? I still have no idea how it happened. But I appear in this new dimension, and, of course, I have no idea what happened or what to do. So, I let my spidey-sense guide me.â
âSpideysense?â Other-Gwen asked.
From the kitchen: âI told you that was a good name for it!â
âYeah, the entire rest of the Spiderverse calls it spidey-sense.â
âFine, you win this one. Weâll call it spidey-sense.â Other-Gwen sighed. âAm I the only one who feels like this is ridiculous?â
âYup,â he said, popping the p. âContinue, little Gwen.â
âLittle Gwen?â
âYeah, to differentiate."
âIâm not little,â she said with a huff. âIâm sixteen.â
âWell, Iâm twenty-five, so⌠little Gwen.â She patted her head.Â
Is it too early for me to want her to adopt me so BADLY?Â
âYou were saying, you travelled back in time, didnât know what to do,ââ
âYeah, and so, I let my spidey-sense guide me to this one hoity-toity academy in Brooklyn⌠you guys have Brooklyn, right? Yeah, so Iâm just at this academy andâŚâ She tucked some hair behind her ear. âI meet him. Miles. He was funny and kind, and⌠like I said, we just clicked.â
âAnd, like I said, sounds awfully familiar.â she said, smiling. âHow long have you guys been together for?â
âOh! Um, weâre not actually together together, yâknow? Weâre more⌠friends right now, we havenât really, umâŚâ her face felt really hot all of a sudden. âAre you two⌠dating?â
âDating? Weâre not dating.âÂ
Gwen felt utterly stupid. Then why were they living together? In Milesâ parentâs apartment, no less? Other-Gwen brought her hand up beside her face and wiggled her fingers, showing off a beautiful ring on herâ
Oh.
Oh.
âYou two are MARRIED?!â Gwen still felt stupid, just in a different way. âYou guys can just⌠live together.âÂ
âYeah.â
âAnd have been for a long time.â
âOur second anniversary is in a month.â
âWithout any tragic consequences.â
Other-Gwen raised an eyebrow. ââŚyes.â
So, all this time, there was a universe where Gwen Stacy and Miles Morales, Spider-Man, lived happily ever after? Where Gwen Stacy survived long enough to get married? Where she never had to worry about being too close to somebody, as it would inevitably end in tragedy?
She hadnât realized she started crying again until Other-Gwen pulled her in. âWhatâs wrong? What happened?â
Gwen opened her mouth to speak but figured it wasnât very helpful to tell this Gwen that most of the multiverseâs Gwen Stacies are dead. âI donât know,â she settled with, âeverything.â
The electric kettle let out a chorus of dings from the kitchen. âWell, if youâre crying at the thought of us getting married,â said Other-Miles, grabbing various tea supplies from the cupboards, âImagine being me, at the end of that aisle, realizing I was about to marry that goddess of a woman right there.â
Other-Gwen smiled and rolled her eyes. âHoney!â
âWhat? You were there! I was blubberinâ like a baby! I was tryinâ to hold myself together during the vows but I was really falling apartââ
Gwen slapped a hand on her mouth to stop another sob, which, of course, didnât work. They were married. Theyâd made vows to each other. All her guilt somehow swirled into pure heartache.
âAw, câmere.â Other-Gwen put her arms around her again.Â
Other-Miles appeared with two mugs. âIâm sorry, I didnât mean to make you feel upset.â He handed her one. âHere.â
Gwen hesitated. âIs thisââ
âEnglish Breakfast with a spoonful of honey?â
âHow did you know?â
He only smiled. âPlus a squeeze of lemon juice.â
âWhy not milk?â Gwen smirked. âI usually have milk?â
Other-Gwen put a hand on her shoulder somberly. âYouâre gonna want to lay off the milk around now. Your gut will thank you.â
âBut Iâm not lactoseâ Iâm not lactose intolerant.â
Other-Gwen grimaced. She brought her voice down to a whisper, âIâm sorry you had to find out this way.â
Gwen took a moment of silence for all the cheeses, yogurts, and other treats sheâd have to discontinue from her diet. Then, she realized that was stupid and there were bigger things at stake here.Â
They must have also gotten that memo. âOkay,â said Other-Miles, âWhatâs the plan here, little Gwen?â
She took a sip of her tea. It was perfect. âSo, Margo, a.k.a. Spiderbyte, a.k.a. Tech Wiz Extraordinaire, is trying to remotely gain access to the Go-Home Machineâs history in order to find out where Miles went. In the meantime, the group of us have split up in an effort to find him more manually. As evident, it hasnât worked. So, weâre just gonna keep hoping through universes until we find him.âÂ
âThatâs a good planâŚâ he said, âI think, I donât know a few of those words. I was thinking more about the plan of talking to your Miles.â
She sighed. âYeah, thatâs the part Iâm sort of dreading.â
âForgive us for getting to the personal side, but you canât blame us for really hoping you two work out.â Other-Gwen put down her mug, then clapped her hands. "So, you kept things secret from him. Thatâs in the past. Can you change the past?â
ââŚNo.â
âWhat can you change?â
Gwen sighed. âThe future.â
âExactly. I know itâs difficult not toâ did you just roll your eyes at me?â
âNo, itâs justââ
âJust what?â Other-Gwen raised an eyebrow. It was the Jessica-Jones look, the Rio-Morales look, the look that burned into you from the inside out.Â
Gwen pulled into herself. âItâs just that⌠I donât know, everyone keeps telling me that. But it doesnât mean it works.â
âYou sure you donât want to give it another try?â
âUgh, Iâve already given it a thousand tries.â
Other-Gwen opened her mouth to reprimand but stopped herself with a deep breath. âOkay, if that wonât work, letâs try a different approach. Letâs look at apologizing like itâsâŚâ She scanned the room for inspiration, then lit up. âLike itâs a ballet!âÂ
She took Gwenâs hands and yanked her to her feet. Twenty-five-year-old Gwen Stacy may have been stockier, but boy, was she buff. Are those the biceps Iâm gonna have when I get older? Gwen thought. Damn.
âOkay. Imagine youâre onstage, or in the studio, whatever makes you more comfortable.â
Gwen started stretching from top to bottom in a routine sheâd done a million times. She hadnât done ballet in a while, being Spider-Woman and all. It felt nice to return to some sense of normalcy.Â
âWeâre gonna get into first.â Other-Gwen put her shoulders back and heels together. âAfter all, whatâs the first step of ballet?â
Gwen mirrored her pose. âGetting a good physical therapist.â
âHardy har. Whatâs the second step of ballet, then?â
âHaving confident feet.â
âRight. âCause if you donât know where your feet areâŚâ
âYouâll never make it as a dancer.â
Other-Gwen broke from her refined pose. ââŚthatâs the way your teacher phrased it?â
âYeah, pretty much.â
âThatâs sad. Anyway, itâs your foundation. You needâem, otherwise, youâre not going anywhere. Itâs the same with apologizing,â she said, putting her feet in second position and fixing her posture. âLetâs establish the facts, letâs plant our feet. What are the facts behind this?â
Gwen moved to second position. âI hurt Miles.â
âTry a different fact. Try third. What happened?â
To third. âI was accepted into the Spider Society, and got a watch with the ability to transport to multiple universes, including his. But when I got the watch, I was told not to visit, as he was a threat to the multiverse. So I didnât â for months.â
âMove to fourth.â
To fourth. âWhen I finally got a mission to Earth-1610, his universe, I broke protocol and visited him. But I didnât tell him I was on a mission, or that he was deemed an anomaly, or,â to fifth, âthat someone close to him was supposed to die, and he was supposed to let it happen.â
âHe was supposedââ Other-Gwenâs eyes widened. âYou didnât even tell us that happened. Thatâs fucked. Sorry, screwed up.â
âYou donât have toâ yeah.â Gwen pliĂŠd from fifth. âI canât believe I didnât tell him. Every single person in the Spider Society, including me, believed that death had to happen for the multiverse to stay together, and he was the only person who fought against it.â
âCan confirm that thatâs seriously fucked up,â said Other-Miles, not looking up from his sketchbook. âOh, by the way, I just got this out, I hope you donât mind. Yeah, totally fucked. Iâd do the same if it were me.â
Other-Gwen moved back to first. âDid you try and stop him?â
She sighed. âYes. Because I thought that if I didnât, the multiverse would fall apart. Which it wouldnât, I see how little sense it makes now.â
âSounds like youâre ready to set it up for the pirouette,â Other-Gwen said with a small smile,  bringing a foot forward. âRemember, the guilt may be eating you up from the inside, but you hurt him. Not that your feelings donât matter, they absolutely do. Itâs just that his feelings are the ones being prioritized right now.â
âSo, something likeâŚâ Gwen brings her foot forward to match. âI wanted to protect you, but, in doing so, I made you feel unwanted. No, not unwanted. I made you feel betrayed, alone, and not good enough.â
âOkay, now you follow through.â
She sets up for the pirouette. âI didnât mean to make you feel this wayââ
âTry it again. Put his feelings first.â
Gwen got ready for another pirouette. But she couldnât continue. ââŚI donât really know what to say.â
âJust follow through with what you said before. Do another spin.â
âUh⌠I made you feel terrible about yourself, and that wasnât okay.â She touched down from the pirouette and began doing all kinds of jumps and footwork, letting her muscle memory lead the way. âYou donât deserve that. You deserved to know the truth about everything from the start. You deserved a civil conversation on an equal playing field about what was going to happen. You deserved to have a say.â
Other-Gwen backed away, leaving the living room floor to her variant. Gwen fell into the routine from one of her old shows â step, touch, kick, touch. âIâm sorry, Miles, for everything. For not telling you what I shouldâve.â Step, step, jump. âFor not considering your point of view.â Step, jump. âFor not believing you.â Step, touch, step. âFor betraying your trust when you needed it most.â
âŚ
Other-Miles and Other-Gwen looked on. âWell,â Other-Gwen said after a moment, âwhereâs the rest of the routine?â
âOh, uh,â Gwen said, falling from her practiced pose, âafter this is the leap. Where I jump to my dance partner and they catch me. Oh my God, wait. Wait, wait.â
âWhat?â
âThatâs such a neat coincidence. A leap at the end. A leap of faith.â
Other-Miles gasped. âThatâs such good symbolism! The leap of faith! âCause this whole thing is aâ whoa.â
âYou do leap at the end of this, donât you? Well, just remember. The dance partner, in this case, is you.â Other-Gwen put a supportive hand on her shoulder. âYouâve got to remember to catch yourself on the way down. Youâre not a monster. Youâve made a mistake, but youâre not a terrible person. That is evident by how youâre working on yourself and making a promise to change your behaviour later.â
âWow,â Gwen said. âWhereâd you learn all this?â
âTherapy.â
âOh.â
âAlso,â said Other-Miles, âgive him some time to figure it all out. Donât expect an answer right away.â
âYou can afford therapy for the both of you? In NYC?â
âEh, we kinda flicker in and out when we can.â He put down his sketchbook. âItâs more like I like having time to work my thoughts out, and⌠yâknow, Iâm Miles, heâs Miles.â He splayed his fingers and mashed them together to emphasize his point of being one and the same.Â
âThat is helpful. Thank you.â She took a deep breath in. âThank you both, honestly, so much. I feel a lot better now and am filled with a lot less dread.â
âHooray for less dread!â Said Other-Miles from the couch. He was back to being nose-deep in his sketchbook, felt-tip-pen behind the ear and everything.Â
Gwen smiled. Some things never change.
âWell, little Gwen,â Big Gwen said, ruffling her hair, âYou got any more personal problems you need help working out, or do you just want to sit and finish your tea?â
She plunked herself back on the couch. âI donât know, do you guys have any more⌠helpful pieces of advice? I guess?â
âHmâŚâ Other-Gwen picked up her tea and took a sip. âHere: Itâs Mr. Morales and Mrs. Morales. Until at least a year of dating."
âYeah, Gwennie found out the hard way that you donât casually call my parents by their first names. Theyâre kinda sticklers for that.â He took his brush pen out from behind his ear and put the cap on it. âYou havenât met them yet, right?â
She pursed her lips. âNo, I haaaaaaaave.â
âAnd did youââ he said. Gwen nodded. âOh. Oh no.â
Other-Gwen was quick to stop that negative thought spiral. âHey, donât worry, donât worry. Thereâs still plenty of time for a better impression, so just apologize the next time you see them and it should all turn out okay.âÂ
âI have another question, kind about that, but it may be a bit weird.â
âAsk away.â
"Are they â the Moraleses â both⌠alive in your universe? Like, why do you guys have their place?â
âGod, little Gwen, how has your universe been treating you? Yes, theyâre both alive. My dad was caught in some rubble one time, but heâs fine now. He just needs a wheelchair to get around, so the elevator breaking down every now and again wasnât just an inconvenience anymore.â
âBut by the time that happened, weâd been talking about moving in together anyway, so they just moved downstairs.â Her smile softened. âYou can go say hi to them if you want, they know about the Spider stuff.â
âAnd is my dadâ our dadâ forget it. Is Captain Stacy alive?â
âCaptain Stacy? Pffft.â Other-Gwen rolled her eyes. âHeâs a math teacher.â
Gwenâs head was spinning now. Not only was there a universe where her and Miles were living together, happily married, but Captains Morales and Stacy were alive.Â
Miguelâs theory was bullshit.Â
Miguelâs theory was bullshit!
âWhat theory? Whatâs wrong?â Said Other-Miles, grabbing her forearm.
Shit. She hadnât meant to say that out loud. Her mind had been suitably blown tonight, but she didnât want this Miles to know his father was supposed to die, or tell this Gwen their relationship working out perfectly was a statistical miracle.Â
But they both were looking at her expectantly, with all the openness in the world. Maybe these two didnât need to beat up their villains. Maybe they just talked them out of it.Â
But before Gwen could explain everything, her watch dinged, with a message.Â
From Margo.
âSheâs found him! Earth-42!â She jumps from the couch and begins fiddling with Hobieâs watch.
âThey found him?â
BWOOSH! A collage-like portal appears in front of her. âYep!âÂ
Other-Miles and Other-Gwen ignore all the swirling junk and newsprint that used to be their living room. They just stand and look at her.
âWhat?â
Other-Gwen smiles sheepishly. âCan we get one last thing before you go?â
âI guess, uh-OOF!â They pull her in for one more hug.
âSorry, couldnât letcha leave without one,â she says.Â
He gives her a kiss on the forehead, and they both let go. âGood luck out there, little Gwen.âÂ
Gwen smiles. âThank you for the tea. And everything else.â
Other-Gwen gives her a two-fingered salute. âNo problem, Spider-Woman.â
âNow, go kick some ass!â
âMiles.â
âAnd give a meaningful apology. But donât forget to kick ass on the way,â he said with a wink.
Gwen snorts. âOf course.â
She gives her multiverses selves a wave. God, this day has been wild. She leaps into the portal headfirst. She leaps like sheâs onstage in a ballet, performing a routine sheâd rehearsed thousands of times. She leaps with the knowledge that her dance partner will be right there to catch her.Â
In every other universe, Gwen Stacy falls for Spider-Man.
And, in every other universe, it is beautiful.Â
âââââââ--
Both of them wait until the portalâs been closed for a few moments before saying anything.Â
The living room is a mess. The door to Milesâ old room is open. Thereâs an extra mug on the ottoman.Â
Other than that, thereâs no record that all that was all real.
âWhat the fuck,â is all she can say.Â
Miles flops on the couch. âOh my God, Gwen.âÂ
âWhat the⌠even for Spider-people standards, that wasâ whew! That was so weird!â
âGwenââÂ
âThereâs another you, and another me, and weâre teenagers, and angsty as hell, and thereâs a whole bunch of other Spiderpeople, some fuck named Miguel whoâs screwing it all up, a- and the multiverse is collapsing?â She sighed. âAlso, the multiverse is real, thatâs new.â
ââŚGwennie?âÂ
Miles was looking up at her with those puppy-dog eyes â the same look when he first told her he wanted to marry her, and when he did marry her â a look with so much love it almost made her sick.Â
It didnât take much these days.
âWhatâs wrong, honeybun?â She sat down next to him, and their arms gravitated around each other. Just like flips and death-defying maneuvers, having each other close was an instinctual reflex.
He let the silence hang as his eyes grew glossy. He grabbed his sketchbook and passed it to her.
Inside was a pen-and-marker sketch of her and Little Gwen. They were in matching poses, mid-pirouette-prep. Heâd perfectly captured the warm moment â not that she didnât think he could. Her thoughts about his art were what she always thought.
âAmazing, just amazing.â She turned her head up to him. âWhatâre gonna call it?â
He leaned back to look at her. âWhat about The Moment I Fell in Love With My Wife All Over Again, ink on paper.â
âYou say that every time!â She said, giggling.
âAnd I mean it every time! Iâm serious, IâŚâ he waited for her to calm down, then quickly realized it was to no avail. âI was watching you two from the couch, and you just looked like a natural up there. Helping her with stuff, talking her through it, speaking her languageâŚâ
He rested a hand on her stomach. âAnd I guess it just hit me, like⌠thatâs gonna be you and me⌠forever⌠in like, what, half a year?â
âYeah, it is.â She kissed him on the nose. âAnd donât discredit the job you did out there.â
He chuckled. âI mean, if a Miles had come through the portal I could have been a little more helpfulâŚâ He closed his sketchbook. âBut it was a Gwen. And she needed a Gwen.â
The sun had long since set over the Brooklyn skyline. It was there, out the window, where the portal once stood. The day had been fairly normal until Little Gwen had showed up, but it ended like so many days did â with her head on his shoulder and his arm around her waist.Â
âGod,â said Miles, in that low whisper that spelt safety, âI think I could make a million paintings about how I feel about everything and you right now, and it wouldnât nearly be enough.â
She squirmed to one side to get a good look at him. âWow, Miles Morales." She poked him on the nose. âDo you have a crush on me?â
He got a sly look on his face before saying, âAbso-lute-ly, I do,â and burying her face in kisses.

















