"You ever think we'd be friends in different circumstances? Ha yeah me neither"
They were fighting on a rooftop, no surprise there. There were always guys up here who were up to no good. There were just a few left though. Leftovers from the escaped convicts? Miles wasn't sure. Peter didn't seem too sure either, but still threw jokes around.
"Hey, your boss just called, said you can take the night off! Promise!" There was no response, but Peter pretended there was "What? You have no boss? Not surprising, I wouldn't hire you. Need to work on your people skills!"
It made Miles laugh, every time. It was still surreal fighting next to Spider-Man, even though he was Spider-Man now too. He had been for a while, even taking care of New York while Peter went on a long overdue vacation. He thought he had a grasp of Spider-Man's personality, but turns out the cameras didn't even catch half the jokes Peter made. The guy was straight-up crazy, it was great.
Some of the goons had guns (now all stuck to the side of buildings or strung up on tall things) others had blades- like the ones the demons used to carry around, but they lacked the weird energy and creepy masks. Maybe the escapees had picked up some of the weapons? The police were focusing on getting Sable's weapons, no one would notice if a few axes or swords ended up with street gangs.
Miles jumped up to a light fixture and webbed a guy up, hanging him upside down
"Just hang out here for a bit"
Miles grinned when Peter laughed. His hero thought he was funny, no big deal.
News helicopters were on the scene, suddenly casting the roof in light as they filmed the fight. It was helpful he had to admit, the two of them were used to fighting in the dark, but the light was still nice. Miles' spider sense perked up, and he turned to see one of the goons aiming... something at him. Easy Miles jumped off the light to avoid the shot, he thought he had cleared it too, but something caught him in the legs and yanked him down.
Miles hit the ground, finding thick ropes of a net tangled around him. He quickly pulled and broke the ropes, trying to get free, and struggled to his feet. His spider-sense screamed at him this time. He looked up to a burly man lunging towards him, swinging a curved ax. Miles fought harder to free himself, stumbling back
Everything happened so fast. He heard Peter yell something, the 'thwip' of webbing and something slammed into him, pushing him to the ground. Miles saw the ax catch Peter in the side, and carry him across the roof. He hit the ground and slid over the side. The ax swung back, flinging blood across the pavement
"No" Dread filled him, making him dizzy and his heart sank with guilt. Peter pushed him out of the way, and now he was hurt. How bad? It's probably not that bad. He'll swing back up, finish the fight, and be healed up in a few hours.
Miles was lying to himself and he knew it. The ax was big and powerful. He struggled with the ropes, still tangled, his movements shaky and disorganized.
A loud clang rang out, followed by a thump. Peter fell to the roof below this one. He hadn't caught himself with webs, hadn't caught himself on the wall. How far was the roof below? 50ft? 80? How bad was Peter hurt? Not bad, it can't be that bad
The burly man was looking over the side and laughed "I got the Spider pretty good! Think he's dead?" The other goons laughed too
Anger sparked in Miles' chest, but he ignored it, finally breaking free of the net. He ran and webbed down to where Peter was lying on his side. He was still, blood puddling underneath him
"Oh man- are you okay?"
Peter wasn't answering, wasn't moving. Spider-Man was hurt or worse, and Miles struggled to know how to help. He grabbed Peter's shoulder, but moved back, hands hovering. He wasn't sure where to touch him, every instinct screaming to 'help him!'
Spotlights moved to where Peter and Miles were. The helpful light was now unwelcome, it made Miles feel vulnerable and illuminated just how much blood Peter was losing. How still he was. It reminded him of when Spider-Man was dragged into FEAST after losing that battle with Octavious... of rolling his dad over when he'd died at City Hall
'Ok calm down, don't think about that. Don't let the adrenaline get to you. What do we do first? He isn't conscious and he's bleeding.' Normally, you would check for a head wound first, but it would be hard to tell with the mask, and with the cameras on them, removing it wasn't an option. 'Ok then stop the bleeding. How?'
Miles looked around for something clean enough to cover the wound with. Unfortunately, this was a New York rooftop.
Miles' spider-sense warned him of something coming. A door slammed open, followed by a lot of yelling. The goons had found their way to the lower rooftop. The burly ax guy was in the lead, charging forward. Miles stood, running towards them, webbing the ax and yanking it away. The man stumbled forward and Miles used the opening to throw him at the other guys. Another net was fired, but Miles swung high to avoid it this time. He grabbed it as it passed below and flung it over the whole group. It made it easy to tie them up to leave for the police.
Really easy. These guys were nothing. It made it that much more frustrating that he'd made a mistake. If he hadn't been there, Peter would have had no problems with these guys
'Am I actually helping Spider-Man?' Miles rushed back over to Peter, eyes burning making his vision blurry 'I can't cry now! I'm not even hurt, Peter needs help'
Peter was stirring, rolling onto his back, hands going to his side. Okay good, he's alive
"Hey man, try to stay still, you're hurt pretty bad"
Peter didn't react to him, the lenses on his mask were narrow. Miles guessed his eyes were closed. Dang, there was a lot of blood and no way to stop it. Peter had warned him against using webbing for wounds like this. There wasn't a way to remove it without causing more damage and a wound like this wouldn't heal right without stitches. He needed some kind of fabric. he briefly considered using fabric from his suit, but it was designed to be water resistant so it wouldn't be much help.
An idea popped up and Miles quickly ran over to where the goons sat, covered in rope and webs
'Stop leaving Peter, what's wrong with you?
"He won't live long! You're wasting your time!" One of them yelled. Was he the one with the ax?
"Nice, a volunteer" Miles walked to him, grabbed the collar of his shirt, and pulled down hard. The fabric ripped and tore off.
"Hey!" He protested, wiggling against the rope. Miles ignored him and anything else they were saying, returning to Peter's side. He moved Peter's hands and pressed the shirt to the wound. Peter gave a strained cry, hands shooting up to push Miles' hands off, but Miles moved them away again. The lenses on his mask were wider now
"Are you with me?"
Peters head turned towards him, and Miles was relieved beyond words
"Sorry bro, I gotta stop the bleeding" His voice shook, Miles hoped Peter wouldn't notice
Peter nodded and laid a hand on his chest, smearing blood across the white spider, In less than a minute, the fabric was almost soaked through
'This is really bad, he needs a hospital'
Miles glanced up at the helicopters- lights bright, cameras rolling, offering no assistance. It would be so easy to get Peter to medical attention with one of them. But, they would want to take off his mask. 'Ok, how do we get Peter changed and to a hospital?' It wouldn't be easy, they'd left their stuff on a building pretty far away. Peter had stashes all over the city, but Miles wasn't sure where they were.
The helicopter flew closer, the cameraman adjusting the lens, and Miles' heart sank. They'd recorded the fight, Peter getting hurt. If he went to a hospital in plain clothes, they would know who he was. How many injuries like this would New York see tonight?
'Ok, where do I take him? MJs?" Miles knew she patched up Peter often, but she was also far away. Miles pulled up his phone to check their location. Their new-ish apartment was nearby, just a few minutes by web-swinging. Mom had been taking first aid classes, and she was certified in a lot of things. Like 'fallen off a mountain with no cell service' first aid. She said it made her feel better about Miles being Spider-Man. It was about to pay off
The bleeding was slowing and the cops were arriving on the scene. Time to go. Miles pulled the fabric tight and secured it with webs, far away from the injury. It should hold until he got to mom
"Hey P- Spider-Man, I'm going to pick you up okay?" Miles hoisted Peter to his feet, draping him over his shoulder. Peter yelled in pain, cutting it off and breathing deep against it. He stumbled, tripping over himself
"Just lean on me, I've got you man" Miles' heart was racing, he tried to keep steady while guiding Peter, but he was shaking. He was inadvertently jostling Peter, probably making the pain worse. Peter was always so coordinated- even graceful. He was also constantly talking, especially as Spider-Man. Now, he was clumsy and silent
"Don't give up on me okay?" Please don't die
Miles could feel blood slowly soaking into his suit where Peter leaned on him. Should I be on the other side?
"Hang onto me as much as you can"
"Just like training?"
Miles was so relieved to hear Peter finally say something. Peter was right though, he'd done this before. He had Miles carry him around a few times
"You'd be surprised how many passengers I've had"
Peter's weight and height were familiar and easy to work with as he swung from the roof. Miles was so glad for that training, even if it felt goofy before
The helicopters followed, so Miles quickly shot webs at the cameras and lights. The light dimmed, casting weird shadows across the buildings with the light that got through the webbing. It was yet another trick Peter had taught him. It worked too, after just a few swings, the helicopters had lost them.
Rio sat up in bed reading. not worrying about Miles being out late. Not worrying that he was swinging around with the other Spider-Man on patrol. The other Spider-Man had been back from vacation for a few weeks. Miles could definitely take care of himself, but she was still glad that he wasn't out there alone. She remembered when Miles was little and Spider-Man was brand new in the news. Jeff had been skeptical at first before it became clear what his intentions were. Miles was a fan almost immediately. He would pretend to be Spider-Man with his friends. When she brought it up recently to tease him, he laughed "I was just practicing, mom"
Her little boy had saved thousands when he took down Roxxcon, but it was scary knowing that he was out there fighting people who were literally trying to kill him. They'd lost Phin, and Rio worried about how dangerous this path Miles chose was.
Stop, he's fine. You're not worrying about him, remember?
From her open window, she heard a 'thwip' and she breathed in relief. Miles was home, he was safe. There was a thump from his room and the window opened with a squeak
"Mom! Mom we need help!"
Rio jumped to her feet, running to Miles' room. Okay, it was happening, how bad was he hurt? Her heart raced. Miles was climbing sideways through the window, the red on his suit darkened by something. Blood? Miles, covered in blood?
"Where are you-" Her surprise cut her off when Miles pulled the other Spider-Man through the window. The white spider logo smeared with blood, fabric fastened around his waist, clearly covering a bad wound, dripping blood
He stumbled forward, caught by Miles who grabbed him under the arm. Spider-Man tried taking his own weight, but Miles was all that kept him off the floor
"He's hurt bad- The helicopters were recording us- I can't take him to the hospital and I don't know- It's my fault"
"Honey it's okay" Rio tried to calm him down. Miles was talking fast, rambling, panic shaking his voice "The first aid kit is in the bathroom, let's get him there first"
Rio grabbed Spider-Man's other arm, taking some of his weight, and helped guide him through the house
"Are you hurt too Miles?"
"No, no I'm fine"
She would have to check on him later to be sure. They got Spider-Man settled on the side of the tub, but when they let go, he slid back. Miles half caught him, keeping him from hitting the wall, but he'd slid fully into the tub
"Sorry man, I thought you were good"
"S'okay makes it easier to clean later"
Spider-Man's voice was weak and strained, but some tension left Miles' shoulders. Rio remembered Miles telling her that Spider-Man talked a lot. He'd been pretty quiet since he got here. Miles must be worried.
It had been unintentional, but it was a lot easier to work like this, the bathroom wasn't exactly huge. Rio brought towels over and pressed them to the wound.
"Don't remove anything until the bleeding stops, just keep adding"
Miles had removed his mask and was sitting on a stepstool, eyes darting between the eyes on Spider-Man's mask and the towels slowly turning red. Rio let Miles be in charge of stopping the bleeding, he could probably apply more pressure than she could anyways. She washed her hands and gathered materials she would need- needle and stitching thread, gauze, tape, even local anesthesia
"Hey, Spider-Man! Stay awake okay? You can't sleep yet" The lenses on Spider-Man's mask had narrowed, Miles was gently shaking his shoulders. The lenses widened again and he lifted his head up in an attempt to stay awake, shifting carefully
"What happened? Is he hurt anywhere else?"
"He got hit by an ax and they threw him off the roof, I couldn't catch him." Miles' voice caught and Rio made another note to check that he was okay later
"He fell? Did he hit his head?"
"I don't know, I think so. When I got to him he was unconscious. Is that bad?"
"I'll need to check for a concussion. I just need to-" She stopped, immediately seeing a problem. Miles was looking at her expectantly, still pressing towels hard against the wound "I... I would need to see his face"
She trailed off, trying to figure out a way to explain to a distressed Miles what to look for. Miles had told her how important Spider-Man's secret identity was to him. But, instead of having her leave, Miles shifted, looking to Spider-Man
"Hey Spider-Man, uh... My mom needs to check for a concussion. She needs to see your face. She already knows about me, she won't tell anyone. She's trustworthy, I promise."
Rio's heart warmed at Miles' words, and she couldn't help but smile
Spider-Man looked at her, then back at Miles, seeming to think for a minute before slowly nodding.
"Okay" This time, his voice was clear and he lifted a shaky uncoordinated hand towards his mask
"I've got you" Miles pulled the fabric up from the base of his neck, carefully pulling the mask off.
Rio gasped and nearly knocked the first aid supplies to the floor when she recognized him
"Peter?"
A goofy grin spread on his face, one eye scrunched up in pain
"Suprise!"
There was so much going through her head. Did Peter give Miles powers on purpose? Miles told her it was accidental but was it? He'd been friends with Peter for a bit before he got powers. As far as she knew at least. Miles wasn't one to lie, but this was a unique situation. She didn't have time to think about it, so she brushed it off for now.
"Miles how's the bleeding?"
"It's slowing down, I think"
"Ok that's good, keep it up."
She carefully moved Peters head around, finding a gash by his temple, bruising going back into his hair. It might need stitches, but it wasn't as pressing. She used some medical tape to hold it closed
"Are you dizzy? Nauseous?"
Peter nodded "The rooms spinning pretty good, but I should keep my lunch"
"What about lights and noise? They bothering you?"
"A little" His voice was getting more strained so she stopped asking questions, instead having him follow her hands with his eyes. He was reacting pretty well. She moved to shine a flashlight in his eyes to check his pupils, but he moved before she did.
"Ah, sorry- Spider-sense"
He held still this time, wincing a bit at the light.
"You definitely have a concussion, but I don't think it's too bad"
Rio hoped that his healing ability would take care of it, but she would still watch him to see if it needed further attention. She looked to the would, blood soaking through the towels. Even if the bleeding hadn't stopped yet, they would need to close up the wound, Peter was losing too much blood. Rio really hoped his healing ability was as quick as Miles said it was.
She gathered the stitch kit and grabbed the numbing anesthesia. It would be a lot easier if Peter held still for the stitches, and she didn't want him in pain. Peter laughed a little when he saw it
"Don't bother, that won't work"
Miles looked surprised "Pain meds don't work? They work for me, I need a lot though"
Peter shrugged "Guess our healing abilities are different"
"What about strong ones, like Morphine or something?"
"Nope, alcohol doesn't do anything either"
"Really? Would it work on me?" Miles asked quietly. Rio frowned but Peter jumped in before she could say anything
"Dunno, but you're not trying it. You're 17!"
She chuckled when Miles rolled his eyes. Peter was talking more and Miles was calming down, but they were getting off task. She pulled the first aid kit closer, trading Miles spots to sit close to Peter
"I've never done this on a person before, so try to stay still"
"You got it doc"
Peter sat back, grabbed one of the drier towels, and adjusted to give Rio plenty of space to work with. His suit was in the way Isn't this part supposed to be blue? Before she could ask about damaging it further, Miles moved in and cut the fabric back with some scissors.
The gash was deep but clean, the blade had caught him above his hip. They were lucky it hadn't hit any of his organs.
The stitches took a while, much longer than she would have liked. She was very aware of how tight Peter was gripping the towel, trying to hold still for her. His face scrunched up in pain, breath hitching every time she touched the wound or pulled the stitches together. When they were finally in place, she taped gauze over the injury.
"Ok finally done"
Peter laid his head back against the wall, eyes closed
"Be honest with me doc" He said, voice serious "Will I be able to play the violin after this?"
? His question caught her off guard but Miles laughed. Probably a lot harder than it deserved but Peter grinned
"Are you hurt anywhere else?"
Peter shook his head "Miles, are you good?"
Miles nodded, looking down "I'm not hurt"
Peter took a second before seeming to accept the answer. "You mind swinging by the water tower? I have some clothes there. I can't swing home like this"
"What? You're not-"
"You're staying-"
Miles and Rio imminently protested, talking over each other and Peter laughed, wincing as it pulled at his stitches. Rio crossed her arms
"You're staying here tonight. You might heal fast, but you can't expect me to just send you home alone in the middle of the night after an injury like that"
Peter looked unsure
"I've crashed at your place a bunch Pete, it's no big deal"
Peter nodded "Fine, but I still need a change of clothes. I don't like just hanging out in my suit. Plus it's all soggy"
"Right! Uh..." Miles looked around trying to find a solution, glancing at the window in the living room, not wanting to leave the apartment, but not seeing another option
"Miles, there's a box of your dad's clothes in my closet. Go find something comfortable for Peter" She gestured to the hall "Get yourself changed too"
Miles looked relieved and jumped up, quickly going down the hall
"You sure? I might bleed all over them."
Rio nodded, if Jeff were here, he would have offered, doing so in his place was just right "Jeff would have been happy to help"
Peter was quiet for a minute
"I'm sorry I wasn't there"
She looked at him. He was apologizing as Spider-Man she realized. Had he been carrying guilt this whole time? He was the one who stopped Li and took down the demons. He personally saw to it that the people who killed Jeff saw justice, even taking him down again when Li escaped from the Raft
"You were weren't you?" She asked, remembering something. Peter looked a bit confused "At the funeral, you told me that you were at City Hall. May told me you went to the hospital. You were hurt"
Peter sighed "I should have looked harder- found something to stop it"
"It's not your fault. You did everything you could, but you're human, and that means you're not magic. You can't stop everything. Things happen. But you took down the demons and I know Jeff is grateful. You're even looking out for Miles. I don't love that he's fighting gangs and superhumans, but I know without you, he would still go out there. I'm so glad he's not alone out there. I know Jeff is too"
She changed the subject, City Hall still hurt
"Did you give Miles powers on purpose?"
Peter shook his head "Couldn't if I wanted to. He fell backwards into the same powers I have. Pretty much the same way too. Spider bite from a modified spider. Mine was radioactive though. Miles' doesn't seem to be, which is good. He didn't get sick after he got bit like I did. Radiation poisoning is awful, I'm lucky I got a healing ability"
"Where are the spiders now?" She brushed off the radiation poisoning thing, it made her feel sick
"Dead- the bites hurt. We both squished them"
"Your spiders were different? Do you have the same powers?"
"Mostly, but Miles has bioelectricity and invisibility. I'm a bit jealous"
"I keep telling you, I've got nothing on the OG"
Miles was back and changed. He placed a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt on the counter.
Peter pulled himself up, bracing himself against the wall, leaving red handprints, and climbed out of the tub. He was shaky but was taking his own weight pretty well. Was that due to the healing ability? Or was he just sticking to the walls?
Peter insisted on changing by himself, reassuring them he'd call for help if he needed it. Rio and Miles worked on setting up the living room, working together to gather pillows and blankets, clearing away some clutter, and fully closing the blinds.
It was really weird knowing Spider-Man was Peter. She had two separate people in her mind that were the same person. It made sense when she thought about it, Peter had a big heart and always went out of his way to help people. He was missing when Spider-Man was on vacation- and when Miles was running FEAST during the Devil's Breath incident. Peter was always busy with 'something' he wouldn't tell Miles about. It all made sense, she just didn't expect him to be so young. 9 years he's been Spider-Man. He must have been 15 when he started, a year younger than Miles was when he got powers. It made her uneasy, Miles has someone to train him, and look out for him if things go wrong. Peter had been alone this whole time. A 15-year-old kid fighting people like Rhino and Vulture.
Had May known? Rio wished for the hundredth time that she could speak to her again. She had so much wisdom and kindness and had helped her deal with what had happened to her little family when Jeff was killed.
"Mom" Miles broke her out of her thoughts. He was quiet so she moved closer to him "It's my fault Peter got hurt. I got caught... the guy was aiming for me. I should have swung away- or moved... but I didn't"
"Miles" Rio searched for the right words to comfort him
"He pushed me out of the way. He wouldn't have had a problem with them if I hadn't been there"
"Miles things happen" How had she said that line to both of them in less than an hour? "I doubt Peter holds it against you. I'm sure he's made mistakes like that too. You used to scour the news for him when he got hurt. Sometimes it was Rhino, but sometimes it was some guy with a knife. No superpowers, he just got a lucky hit."
Miles made a face "I guess"
"If you're worried about it, just talk to him"
"Maybe tomorrow, he still seems a bit out of it"
Rio nodded, Miles wasn't one to run from his worries.
The bathroom door opened and Peter slowly shuffled out, one hand covering his side, the other carrying the Spider suit. Miles quickly moved to help him to the couch
"I'll hide this with mine," Miles said. Peter nodded, letting him take his suit away
"Thanks for patching me up, sorry for the mess"
"Don't worry about it Peter" Everything was catching up to her and she remembered the promise Miles made on her behalf "Miles was right- I won't tell anyone"
Peter shrugged "You would have figured it out soon anyway, it's not a big deal"
Miles was back and went straight to the kitchen. He was always hungry these days
"Hey, Pete you hungry?"
"Nah, just tired now"
"If you go to sleep without eating you'll wake up hungry"
"Miles, I'm fine"
"After you donate blood, don't they make you eat so you can recover? You lost a lot of blood"
"How should I know? I've never donated blood!"
"If I was the one who got hurt, you would make me eat!"
They went back and forth for a bit and Miles convinced Peter to eat a granola bar and an apple, insisting he also drink a glass of water. It struck Rio how close they were. Miles was treating Peter the way he treated Ganke. She knew Peter was a good friend, she cared about him too- but he was practically family at this point
"I'm going to get cleaned up and go to bed. You two get some sleep" She was tired and sleeping seemed like a good idea after all the anxiety, those two could take care of themselves now. Miles seemed fine and Peter just needed rest
"Goodnight mom!"
Peter finished the granola bar and pulled out his phone. He'd left it connected to his mask by accident. His heart skipped when he saw missed calls from MJ. A lot of them, too many for it to be cute. More like something was wrong.
He remembered the cameras on the rooftop. Had news spread that fast? He pulled up the NYC local news
'Spider-Man wounded!'
'Is Spider-Man dead? What we know'
'Exclusive footage! Spider-Man fight'
He scoffed "Dang it's all over the news. I gotta call MJ, hopefully, she hasn't seen it yet"
"Already?" Miles asked
19 missed calls- she'd definitely seen it yet
MJ picked up on the second ring
"Pete! Are you okay? What happened? Where are you?"
A lot of questions, she was freaking out. Okay, first step- calm her down. Try not to feel too bad about letting her worry, it'll just make it worse
"Yeah, I'm okay, everything is okay. I'm sorry, I left my phone connected to my mask- I didn't hear it ring"
"Don't do that to me!" Her voice was sounding a bit calmer- progress "Robbie called me half an hour ago about this. I've been looking for you ever since. What hospital are you at?"
Peter's heart dropped, half an hour? That must have been when they'd left the rooftop. Those cameras were live. Dang, MJ had been looking for him this whole time?
"I'm at the Morales' place. Rio patched me up"
"Pete" Her voice was panicking again, so much for progress "You got hit with an ax! You need a hospital! Don't tell me it wasn't that bad, I saw exactly how bad it was!"
Okay, they had clearly gotten shots of the hit he took. Did they catch what he hit his head on? Peter was a little curious.
"I'm fine MJ, at this point they won't do anything besides keep me for observation, and I can't have them noticing how fast everything's healing"
It took a lot of reassurances and even a video call for her to calm down
"Rio knows her stuff huh? Want me to come over?"
"She's pretty good, but no, I'm probably just going to sleep. Robbie is going to want you to try to run a piece on this tomorrow."
MJ sighed "I don't want to watch that footage again. That scared me, Pete"
"I know, I'm sorry"
"Don't be, you saved Miles. I'm glad he's okay. Was he hurt at all?"
"No, he's fine. I wouldn't have been able to get out of there without him"
MJ sighed in relief. "Wait- you're not wearing your mask, and you missed my calls because your phone was still connected to it. Rio patched you up. Did she see you?"
"Yeah, she knows, but I'm not worried about it," Peter said. Rio was well on her way to figuring it out herself. Once she knew about Miles, Peter knew it was only a matter of time. If they were smart, Peter and Miles would keep their civilian lives as separate as possible. But, they were friends before Miles got his powers, so it made it complicated. They would just have to be careful
"She isn't trying to blackmail me so I think it's an improvement" His voice caught a bit. It was supposed to be a joke, but Peter had hurt his own feelings. Maybe jokes about Otto weren't funny yet
"Man, Robbie wants a draft by 7 am. I think I'm going to lean into the online attention. People are mad they didn't help you at the scene" MJ was calming down, going back to her work now that her mind was clearing up
"You would know best"
"You sure you don't want me there? I could take you home" He heard the unspoken offer if you need me, I'll be there. Robbie can deal with it. It made him smile
"Nah, you work on your draft. I'm set up pretty nice on the couch. Is it me or do you sleep better on couches?"
"Hmm, pretty sure it's just you" Peter could practically hear her eyes rolling "Get some sleep okay Pete?"
"Yeah I'll call you tomorrow"
Dang it Robbie- who calls their employees at 1:30 in the morning? Who does Live News at 1:30 in the morning?
How many hospitals had MJ visited or called before he called her back? What if he hadn't realized she'd called and fallen asleep? Peter didn't like it
Rio had gone to bed it seemed. Good, she deserved it. She'd taken care of him and kept Miles calm, she needed to rest. Miles was in the bathroom moving things around. Probably cleaning up. Peter should probably help, he was the one who bled all over everything
He slowly moved, his Spider-sense quietly letting him know this would hurt. Before he could stand Miles was back, pointing at him
"Don't you dare get up!"
Peter froze, caught red-handed. Dang, he'd forgotten Miles' spider-sense warned him about Peter- and vice versa. That was something to get used to. How does it work? he thought for the millionth time.
"You don't want help?"
"No, I've almost got it. Lay down and go to sleep"
Sleep did sound nice. He wasn't lying earlier when he said he was tired. The food had helped though, it was probably a good thing that Miles made him eat. He also did promise MJ. So without any other real options, Peter adjusted, and tucked his phone under the couch... still
"Let me know if you change your mind"
"Go to sleep!"
When he woke up, it smelled like food. He could hear Miles chatting with his mom. Right, he was at the Morales' place. Rio had seen his face and he'd bled all over her bathroom. He'd have to make sure everything was cleaned up, didn't want to make a bad first impression. Or a bad second impression? She already knew Peter Parker, but that was the first time she'd met Spider-Man. Wait no, she knew Peter was Spider-Man now. Was the bathroom still messy or had Miles cleaned it? His head was a little foggy
There was a text from MJ
MJ: You feeling any better? How's Rio taking things?
Peter took a second. His head didn't hurt anymore, and the lights weren't hurting his eyes. His side definitely hurt though.
Peter: Getting better, but I'll be grounded for a day or so
Peter: Not sure about Rio yet
He felt more awake now, so he moved to sit up, holding his side as moving pulled the stitches
"Morning Pete! How are you doing?"
Right, spider sense
"Morning"
Rio came close, eyeing his head, with unspoken permission, he let her check on him. She pulled the medical tape off
"You really do heal fast. Is it faster than Miles?"
Peter shrugged, they'd never really tested it. Seemed like a bad idea, how do you test a healing ability without intentionally hurting yourself?
"Not sure, we really haven't been hurt at the same time"
Peter vaguely remembered talking about the healing ability last night. How much had he said? He didn't like hazy memories, made him feel like he was missing something.
"I'm going to leave the stitches alone, they should dissolve as it heals, but be careful not to rip them" She turned back to the kitchen. "I made omelets, come eat"
She'd made them with goat cheese and spinach. Peter hadn't eaten many homecooked meals lately so it was a treat
"I've made plenty so eat all you like"
He was pretty sure Rio was the first person to feed both Spider-Men. (Spider-Mans?) He really hadn't planned on another Spider-Man when naming his alter-ego. He would have to do better next time
She really had made a lot, Rio must have had practice feeding Miles. The raised metabolism that came with the powers required a ton of food. Peter couldn't remember the last time he'd seen leftovers.
"Thank you for cooking for us Rio"
"Make sure you eat enough while you're healing. Your body can't heal if you don't eat"
"I will," Peter said, helping clear the dishes while Miles put the leftovers away
"Hey Pete, want to come with me to go get our stuff?" Miles walked to his room
"Sorry, I probably can't web-wing today. I'll need to fix my suit anyways"
Miles came back, wearing shoes now
"I was planning on walking, Oh- but I fixed your suit, come here"
Peter followed him
"Do you web-swing everywhere? Like even to work or the store?"
"Uh- no! Of course not!" Peter answered too quickly- on purpose. Miles would think it's funny, he was the best audience he's ever had.
Miles did laugh and Peter was a little proud of himself.
When Peter saw his suit, he noticed it had been washed too. The repair was perfect- strong stitching and the fabric hadn't been folded down anywhere
"Look good?" Miles asked. Peter could tell he was a little nervous so he made sure to convey how happy he was with it
"Looks great Miles! I couldn't have done better myself" He meant it too "Thank you"
"My mom cleaned the mask. It's all ready to go"
It hit him right in the 'Acts of Service'
"I think this is the first time my suit was ready before I was"
Miles was practically beaming "Let's go"
They packed both suits into a backpack to carry with them. Peter's phone went off, a text from MJ
MJ: If she needs anyone to talk to, tell her to call me
"MJ?" Miles guessed "I meant to ask, did you catch her before she saw the news?"
"Nah, her boss called her pretty much as soon as we left the scene. Turns out those cameras were live. Who does live news at 1 in the morning? When I called her, she was searching hospitals"
"Ooh that's rough" He pulled out his own phone "Dang, she tried calling me too. We need a system or something for this"
They waved goodbye to Rio, Peter promising to take it easy
"Now that I know who you are, I get to worry about you. Got it?"
"Yes ma'am"
Peter only wore socks on his feet as they walked, but people didn't seem to notice. There wasn't much pedestrian traffic today- for New York at least
"People are freaking out online. You gonna post that you're good?"
"Hmm" Peter didn't usually post much but Miles was encouraging him to be more active online as Spider-Man. Still, it didn't seem like a good idea to announce he was down for the day, even if Miles was around now
"You can keep it vague"
Peter pulled up his spidey account. Miles was right, he had thousands of notifications
MichaelStone: Yo NYCWallCrawler You alive out there?
BeckyOnline12: Spidey saving the new Spider-Man is everything! NYCWallCrawler I hope you get better soon!
KennyP: NYCWallCrawler My bro says no one's spotted you at the hospital, it makes me worry. BKLNSpider42 Is he doing okay?
PaulineB: The news says NYCWallCrawler is dead? No way that's true right?
Peter remembered when everyone was afraid of him. This was kind of nice if he was being honest. He typed out a message
NYCWallCrawler: My death was greatly exaggerated. Thanks BKLNSpider42 for patching me up
Peter showed Miles "Ok if I tag you?"
Miles nodded, pulling his phone out and replying as soon as Peter posted with a simple 'I got you!' Miles put his phone away but kept his hands in his pockets
"Pete, I'm sorry I messed up"
"What are you talking about?"
"If I hadn't been caught you wouldn't have gotten hurt. You wouldn't have had a problem without me." He shifted "It was my fault, I'm sorry."
"Miles that wasn't your fault, we don't know what would have happened without you there. Besides, if I had gone for the guy with the ax, neither of us would have been hurt. But, when I saw you were stuck, my first reaction was to get you out of the way. I didn't have time to change my mind."
Maybe it was time to be a little vulnerable. On the rooftop, he felt the spider-sense warning him of something bad, really bad but he couldn't figure out how he was in danger. It took him a few seconds to realize it was Miles who was in danger. The ax was aimed high, going for the chest or the head, and it had scared Peter more than any of his villains ever had.
"I'm not used to having someone fight with me," Peter said, and Miles looked surprised "Or my spider-sense warning me about someone else in the middle of a fight. It's something I need to work on. What happened wasn't your fault"
"Guess I didn't think about it that way." Miles said, seeming to accept it- for now at least "You good with my mom knowing? I asked, but you were pretty out of it and I wasn't sure what to do- sorry"
"All good Miles. Last night is kinda fuzzy but I meant it when I said it was okay"
Miles nodded, seeming more relaxed now. "You headed home after this? You can come back to my place if you want"
Peter smiled "Thanks, but I think I should stop by and see MJ, she's at work by now. I doubt she slept much so I can at least make sure she eats."
"Tell her hi for me"
When they got to the building where they'd stashed their stuff, Peter waited on the ground. Wall crawling stretched your sides and he didn't want to bleed on Jeff's shirt. When he and May had gone through Uncle Ben's stuff, they only kept a box or so of his clothes, but they were important. His favorite jackets, the sweatpants he wore on his days off, the dress shirt he was always most confident in. Neither Rio or Miles mentioned it, but Peter knew that he was wearing something Jeff wore a lot and Peter felt the importance of it.
Miles came back down and handed Peter his backpack. Peter pulled his suit out of the bag they'd carried with them and zipped it into the front half of his backpack. He looked around for a spot to change on the ground
"Hey, don't bother. Jeans will be rough on your side. Bring the clothes back next time"
"But Miles-"
"It's okay, I know you'll take care of them"
Peter had to admit that he was pretty comfortable and jeans didn't sound fun with the wound placement
"If you're sure"
Miles nodded "Like my Mom said, Dad would be happy to help. You good getting to the Bugle yourself?"
Peter slipped his shoes on and nodded "Yeah, it shouldn't take too long to get there. I'll bring the clothes by tomorrow"
"Only if you're feeling better"
They walked together for a bit before Peter turned off to go to the subway
"Hey Pete, let me know if you need anything alright?"
"Will do. Be safe getting home"
"Hey, Pete?" Miles called, and Peter turned back around. Miles stood a bit awkwardly "Thank you, for- you know..."
Peter grinned, pointing at him just like when Miles first met Spider-Man "Anytime"