Chapter Text
Miles shoved the rest of his stuff into his carry on bag and glanced at his phone to check the time. His flight was leaving in a few hours and he had to head out soon. He tried to not overthink everything and just feel happy that he was about to start collage but it was so far away from home he was starting to wonder if he made the right choice when he chose that school.
It would only be for a few years but that would leave his city without a spider-man. He hoped nothing too crazy would happen but at the same time he knew that he had to prioritize his life goals. The city was doing just fine before there was a spiderman so it would be okay for a few years. Besides his dad was the chief now and that eased his worries a lot. His dad would do just fine protecting the city.
He walked out of his room and his mom immediately wrapped him into a hug crying. “Mami…” he sighed but hugged her back tightly. She had been crying and hugging him a lot these past few days. He understood why, of course he did. He was going to another country to live on his own. Of course she was gonna be upset.
“I’m gonna miss you too” he said not letting her go or trying to pull away from the hug. He needed it. As much as he wanted to prove that he was an adult and he could take care of himself he was going to miss her so much. It wasn’t going to be easy not having her around to bring him up when he felt down.
Finally she pulled away and placed her hand on his cheek. “Don’t let anyone bring you down, You’re gonna do great things someday” she said and he just smiled and nodded doing his best to not cry. He didn’t want her to worry about him anymore than she already was.
He looked over at the front door when he heard his dad walk in. “Bags are all loaded in the car. . . You ready?” He asked and Miles could hear the sadness in his voice. “Yeah. . . I’m ready” he said softly knowing this was hard on his dad too. But they were both doing their best to be supportive. He kissed his mom on the cheek one last time and said his goodbyes to her before walking out with his dad. She wanted to go with them to the airport but she was called into work last minute.
The drive there was silent for a while, Miles couldn’t think of anything to say and neither could his dad. “Sooooo. . . “ his dad said being the first one to speak. “London. . . I heard there’s another spider. . . Person there” he said and Miles laughed lightly looking away. “Yeah. . .I’ve heard a little about him” Miles said awkwardly wishing this wasn’t the conversation his dad would lean into.
He never told his parents about him being spider-man. He tried but he just couldn’t do it. Maybe they would suspect it when Spider-Man disappeared as soon as he left for college but he wasn’t sure.
“I just gotta say, even though I’m not the biggest fan of the spiderman here, that London one makes me real glad we got ours” he said with a scoff. Miles rolled his eyes but didn’t comment on his dads clear dislike for spider punk. “I mean seriously! He’s not exactly a role model” he added and Miles looked over at him with a tired look.
“He never claimed to be one” he added and this time it was his dad that rolled his eyes. Miles was telling the truth when he said he didn’t know much about spider punk. He had done a little research on him when he got accepted to the university. But it was hard to get a good idea of who he was just based off what the internet said.
“Just promise you’ll steer clear if you come across him okay?” His dad said as he parked in front of the airport. Miles just smiled and nodded not wanting to argue before he left. After his dad helped him get his suitcase out of the trunk Miles took it and slung his carry on bag over his shoulder. “I’ll call you guys when I get there okay?” He asked and his dad just nodded before pulling him into a tight hug.
“I love you Miles” he said and he could tell his dad was doing his best to hide how sad he was. “I love you too dad” he said hugging him tighter before he took a step back and readjusted his bag that was over his shoulder. “Thats a copy” his dad said smiling lightly and Miles couldn’t help but laugh and shake his head.
“Yeah. . . “ he said trailing off really not knowing what else to say. What do you say in a moment like this? Looking at the person that took care of you your whole life and now you were leaving to get on a plane. They looked at each other for another moment and it was clear that they were both thinking the same thing. There were no words to express exactly how they felt.
Miles nodded and turned to walk into the airport. Once he was checked in he walked down to the terminal his flight was at. He looked around and smiled seeing that Gwen was already there. She spotted him and jumped up waving at him. He walked up to her and gave her a small hug.
“Are you nervous?” She asked and he nodded “Yeah it’s my first time flying” he admitted and she looked at him systematically. “Yeah that’s rough but it’ll be alright” she said as they both sat down waiting for the announcement saying they could board.
“I’m not too scared honestly, just feeling a little guilty about leaving my parents” he admitted and she sighed deeply and he knew it was because she felt the same. It was a little worse for her he had to admit. Her dad was gonna be completely alone now that she was leaving. At least Miles parents had each other to lean on.
“He’ll be okay” Miles said trying to reassure his best friend. “It’s not forever” he added and Gwen smiled and nodded at him. “Yeah you’re right. . “ she said and they were quiet for a long while after that before they fell into a more casual conversation.
“Kinda sad though I won’t be able to update my blog” she said with a sigh and Miles rolled his eyes dramatically. She blogged about spiderman and posted all her theories about him online. She didn’t know it was him though. And he planned on keeping it that way. Not that he didn’t trust her but he knew she was better off not knowing. “You’re so obsessed with him” he said bumping their shoulders together lightly as he teased her.
“He’s cool! I mean seriously how lucky are we that we live in one of the two cities that has a spiderman!” She said and he just laughed and shook his head before responding. “London has a spiderman too. Make a new blog about him” he said and immediately regretted it when she smiled slyly at him.
“I already did” she admitted and he groaned loudly and leaned his head back dramatically. “Oh come on Miles!” She said immediately getting defensive. “If you met him you’d totally get the hype” she said and he shook his head not responding. “You always disappear when he shows up. . . “ she mumbled seeming to be deep in thought and he looked at her with wide eyes before looking away and leaned forward trying to act natural.
“Oh. . .yeah! Thats so silly! Huh Imagine that” he said in the most casual voice he could manage. “Yeahhh it’s just annoying. You always miss the good stuff!” She said slapping his arm playfully and he lightly breathed a sigh of relief that she let the topic move away from him potentially being spiderman.
“You better actually focus on collage instead of spiderman” he said giving her a stern look. She just rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “And you better not overwork yourself like you always do” she said and he knew she had a point there. He took his studies very seriously.
Considering there was a spiderman in London he knew he’d be able to focus more. He planned on stepping back from being a superhero and focus on being just Miles. There was no reason a city should need two spidermen. Also he had no idea how this spider punk guy would react if he just swooped in and was like “Oh hey I’m here now deal with it”. He didn’t know enough about him at all and he wasn’t gonna risk pissing him off.
They both looked up when they heard that their flight was boarding. He looked over at her and smiled lightly.
“You ready to sit on a plane for seven hours?”
“Ugggg yeah, let’s get this over with” Gwen grumbled as they both stood up. Miles laughed lightly and looked out the window trying his best to not think about it too much. He was definitely going to miss Brooklyn.
———————
*a week later*
Miles walked down the hall towards his next class checking the time to make sure he wasn’t running late. It had been a slow start for college but he was slowing getting into the routine. He had called his parents a few times since then and things were really starting to feel somewhat normal. London was gloomy but he didn’t mind it too much. He hasn’t had the chance to go sightseeing yet but he planned on it.
He walked into the lecture hall and glanced around the room for an empty space. He noticed a new person there all the way in the back but that wasn’t too unusual since the semester had only just started. He only noticed him because he was leaned back with his feet propped up on the desk in front of him. His hair was what stood out the most. Large wicks framed his face and Miles couldn’t help but silently compliment them in his head. They suited him well.
Then he took notice to all the piercing on his face and his very punk style. He looked like the guy your parents always tell you to avoid but Miles wasn’t as judgmental. But it didn’t matter much since he didn’t really plan on talking to him. He took his seat a small distance away from him and pulled a few things out of his bag.
“Hey. . .” He heard a thick accent say and he glanced behind him and noticed the guy in the row behind him. He raised an eyebrow at him questionably. “What is this class for?” He asked and Miles noticed he was now leaning forward on his desk. “I. . . You don’t know?” He asked feeling very confused by his question. All he did was shrug in response.
“Okay. . . Let me see your schedule card and I’ll let you know if this is the class you’re supposed to be in” he said holding his hand out to him. “What makes you think I’m in the wrong place?” He asked and Miles stumbled over his words feeling very confused and taken aback by what he said.
“I. . . You said you didn’t. . .know what the class was so?” He said trying to reason as to why he thought he wasn’t in the right place. “I don’t have a schedule card” he simply said and Miles pressed him lips together in a straight line as he thought over what to say next.
“You lost it?”
“No”
“If you’re enrolled here they should have given you one”
“Im not enrolled here” he said simply and at that Miles just stared at him in disbelief. “I. . . Then why. . .are you here?” He asked carefully hoping it didn’t come across as offensive. “You ask a lot of questions but didn’t answer my first one” he said bouncing around Miles question with ease.
“Quantum physics” he said simply not knowing what else to say to him. At that he nodded and leaned back and kicked his feet up again. “Are you like. . . Auditing the class then? Trying to decide on a major before enrolling?” He asked figuring that was the most likely answer.
“Naw mate” he simple said while placing his hands behind his head as he leaned back. “I’m just here. Don’t need some fancy piece of paper that proves I know what I learn” he said with a slight scoff in his voice. Miles looked at him for a while before he realized he was serious. “That. . . I mean if you want a good job in this field. . You’re gonna need to enroll” he said not really understanding why he would do things this way.
“I have a job” he said simply without looking back at him. “Whatever man” Miles mumbled turning and looking back at his notebook deciding that he was done with this confusing conversation. He tried to focus on organizing his notes while he waited for the class to start. “What’s your name?” He heard the mystery man behind him ask and he just sighed dramatically.
“Miles” he said without looking back at him as he wrote a few things down on his notepad. “Don’t get your knickers in a twist” he said and Miles looked back at him with a confused look. “What?” He asked with a bewildered look and he just smirked back at him.
“You’re definitely not from around here” he said with a light chuckle and Miles rolled his eyes and looked forward again just praying the class would start soon so he would stop talking to him. “I’m Hobie by the way thanks for asking” he said and Miles did his best to ignore him. But he really didn’t wanna come off as that rude so he looked back at him.
“Nice to meet you” he said simply before looking back down at his notes. Class had started and he really did try to pay attention but he could feel Hobie staring at him every now and then. He was definitely the weirdest guy he’s met but at the same time he seemed interesting. He didn’t say anything else to him during class and for that he was glad.
———————————
Miles was happy to be done with classes for the day and he made his way up the stairs towards his dorm room. He opened the door and froze in the doorway. He knew he had a roommate but he hadn’t met him yet. He figured he was just late getting there or was just never there when he was. But he was there now and he was in the middle of handing up a poster on his side of the room. He was standing on his bed pinning the music poster above it. Miles didn’t recognize what it was.
He looked back when he heard the door open and he smiled and jumped down off the bed. “Hey!” He said while walking towards him “ I’m Pavitr Prabhakar, My flight got delayed so I’m a little late” he said cheerfully holding his hand out towards Miles.
Miles smiled at him glad that he seemed to be easy going. He had been a little stressed about who his roommate would be this past week but he could already tell he was going to get along with him. “Im Miles Morales” He said while he shook his hand before stepping away to throw his bag on his bed.
“I hope you don’t mind I took the right side” Miles said as he fell backwards onto his bed. “It’s okay. I don’t mind” he said with a shrug while grabbing another poster and jumping up on his bed to place that one on the wall as well. “We’re gonna get along great!” He said cheerfully as he placed the poster. “I know because I’m very good at reading people and you seem super chill” he said casually as he worked.
Miles laughed lightly and nodded “Yeah I agree” He said simply as he pulled out his phone to check his notifications. “Where are you from?” Pav asked as he sat down on his bed and leaned up against the wall to face Miles. “Brooklyn” he said sitting up and leaning against the wall to face him as well.
“Thats cool! We both traveled a long way to get here so we already have that in common, told you we’d get along” he said and Miles couldn’t help but smile warmly at him. He really was glad his roommate wasn’t some crazy person.
They quickly hit it off just like he said they would and Miles was happy. He was glad that this was all going by so well. Him moving so far away had been stressful but having everything turn out smoothly put his mind at ease. Although his interaction with Hobie was the first negative experience he’s had. It wasn’t the worst he had to admit but he was definitely confused about that guy. He thought that maybe he should avoid him for the rest of the semester. That is if he decided to crash any more classes. He wasn’t sure if he would. He was definitely a mystery.
“Have you gone out to sightsee at all?” Pav asked breaking him out of his thoughts. “Oh! Umm no not yet actually” he admitted and Pav jumped up and nodded his head towards the door. “Wanna tag along with me?” He asked and Miles smiled and nodded standing up and grabbing his coat.
———————————-
Miles and Pav walked down that street laughing together as they joked about how random stuff. Miles was glad he was able to make friends with him so easily. It put his mind at ease. He had texted Gwen but she didn’t answer so he assumed she was still in another class.
“Oh yeah that reminds me of when I would take breaks to have a cup of chai with my aunty” Pav said in reference to what Miles said as they walked by a coffee and tea shop. “Oh yeah i love chai tea” he said and Pav immediately stopped walking and looked at him like he just kicked a puppy.
“Chai tea? Chai means tea bro! You’re saying ‘tea tea’ would i ask you for a cup of ‘coffee coffee’ with room for ‘cream cream’ ?!” He asked and Miles held his hands up in defense “Ok ok im sorry!” He said but couldn’t help but laugh at how defensive he got over it.
Pav rolled his eyes and they continued walking down the street. “Americans” he mumbled while shaking his head. “Hey! We’re not all that bad” he said but he laughed again when Pav pushed his shoulder while shaking his head laughing too.
They both froze when they heard a loud explosion and they ducked down as dust flew past them. Miles looked around feeling his spider senses go off like crazy as people ran past them screaming. “What was that?!” Pav asked while looking around and at the same time they looked up and saw a man flying around on a glider holding something in his hands. Miles quickly connected the dots and realized he was holding a bomb and that was the loud noise they had heard.
He couldn’t really do anything right now except get him and Pav out of there. He didn’t have his suit or his web shooters so he was left with nothing. Before he could worry too much about how he couldn’t help he saw spider punk for the first time since he’d gotten to London. He swung towards the goblin landing a kick directly to his face and he lost control of his glider briefly from the impact.
He dropped the bomb in his hand after being kicked and it fell to the ground causing another loud explosion. They both flinched from the loud noise and it took a while for the dust to clear enough for them to see again.
“We gotta go!” Miles shouted at Pav and pointed in the opposite direction. He nodded quickly at him and they both started to run down the street and Miles froze when he heard a woman scream. He looked back and noticed a woman trying to push debris away from someone and he quickly realized a little girl was trapped underneath. He looked up and realized that spider punk was occupied with the villain and hadn’t noticed the woman and her child yet.
Miles turned around and ran towards them ignoring Pav yelling at him that it was too dangerous. He reached them and pushed the rubbish off the girl and as soon as she was free the mother scooped her up and thanked him before running away with her.
“Awww a hero!” He heard a voice shout and he looked up to see the man on the glider above looking down at him. Before he could react or respond he flew down and reached out trying to grab him. He jumped back and he swooped down grabbing a hold of his ankle and immediately flying up high. Miles screamed and tried to reach up and hit him. He was really in a tough spot without his web shooters but he also couldn’t do much since he was still in public view.
“Put him down!” He heard a voice shout and he saw a flash of spider punk before the goblin laughed. “Whatever you say!” He said and then he did let him go. “Wait don’t!” Miles shouted realizing he was several stories above ground at that point.
He fell down fast and he had to think of a plan quickly. He reached out and grabbed a flag pole and he swung back and forth before settling down and he just hung from it. He looked down seeing that he was still about ten stories above ground and he could survive jumping down and land on his feet but there were people looking up at him. He couldn’t do that without raising suspicions about himself and he also couldn’t just crawl up the side of the building so he really was just stuck hanging from this pole.
Realistically he was okay just hanging there. But he was stressing about how he could get out of this situation without anyone seeing him do it in a superficial way. He hung there for a long time and eventually he didn’t hear any more explosions.
“Are you okay?” Someone asked and he looked up seeing spider punk clinging to the side of the building with a hand reached out towards him.
He looked at him seeing him up close for the first time. He looked much cooler in person honestly and Miles just stared at him in awe for a few seconds before he spoke. “Yep. Just peachy” he said reaching out and taking his hand. He honestly hated being rescued. Especially when he could have easily saved himself but he was in a weird position where he couldn’t expose himself to the public view.
He took his hand firmly and pulled Miles up against him before he shot a web and swung them up until they were standing on the top of the building. Miles immediately stepped away from him as soon as they were on the roof. “Thanks” he said simply and spider punk tilted his head looking at him curiously.
“You seem awfully calm for a bloke that almost fell to his death” he commented and Miles immediately realized that he was right. A normal person would be freaking out right now but this was like a normal occurrence to him so he was acting super calm.
“Oh! Well. . . I’m from Brooklyn so. . . I guess I’m just used to this kind of thing” he said with a light nervous laugh. “Is Brooklyn like. . . Off the rails or something?” He asked and Miles hesitated before answering. “Well that’s where the other spiderman is so. . . I’m used to this” He said hoping that cleared it up enough for him to stop questioning him.
“Is he? Eh I don’t know anything about him. Didn’t know that’s where he was” he said shrugging and Miles had to try really hard to not act offended. How did he not know? There was someone out there just like him and he didn’t even know where? He also didn’t even seem to care for him and for some reason that irked Miles.
“Well. . . Yeah! Hes pretty cool” Miles said and he inwardly cringed at his own comment. He was literally talking about himself and if that wasn’t cringe material he didn’t know what was. “Well i guess that explains why you’re so calm. . .but still” he said slowly before going on “I still think you’re acting weird, You in shock bruv?” He asked and Miles immediately shook his head no.
“Ahh well if you’re good then I’m heading out” Spider punk said casually as he walked over to the edge of the building. “You’re just gonna leave me on this random rooftop?” Miles called out to him as he walked away.
“There’s stairs over there” he said pointing to the doorway to the stairwell without turning around to look at him. “Wow you’re so nice” Miles said sarcastically as spider punk jumped up onto the ledge and looked back at him.
“Just your friendly neighborhood spiderman” he said and he could hear the smirk in his voice as he jumped off the side of the building probably to go finish taking care of that goblin guy. Miles rolled his eyes and walked over to the door that would lead to the stairs.
“Yeah. . .so fucking friendly” he grumbled as he started to make his way down the several flights of stairs.