Imagine Being Miguel’s Canon Love Interest (Pt.2)

Imagine being Miguel’s Canon Love Interest (Pt.2)

Miguel x gn!Reader

(Pt. 1)

Summary: Miguel is not a popular guy after rejecting you. You avoid him out of embarrassment, and he knows he needs to clear up some things with you. But is it too late?

TW: Angst, protective Peter B., Miguel continues to drop the ball, there will be a Part Three because of that lol.

You are a grown adult. You have been rejected before. This should be fine. Nothing to cry about! And yet here you were, quietly crying in the stairwell. The stairs seemed like the best place to have a good cry about this, since you were the only person at HQ that needed stairs to begin with. Of course, this moment alone was promptly ruined by Peter B. swinging by. He caught sight of you wandering off and just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were Not Okay.

Peter B. was honestly at a bit of a loss with what to do at first. You kept saying that you were "Fine," but you were crying. When he finally got it out of you as to why you were crying, oh... Peter B. went into Dad Mode. You begged him not to go after Miguel. It would be embarrassing.

"I was the one who tried to ask out my boss here. I should've known better," you wipe at your face again "and what do I have that he would want anyway? I'm not you guys. I mean, Lyla designed these stairs for me specifically! I'm the only one who uses them."

Peter B. put a hand on your shoulder "Hey, watch how you're talking about my buddy. That means you, by the way. You're great, kid, don't let ol' grouchy suit make you feel like you don't belong here."

You force a smile "Thanks Peter. I don't know if I can be around him for a while. That was so, so humiliating."

"So, don't! Just hang around me and Jessica for a while. I'm sure this'll blow over soon," Peter B. gives you a thumb's up with Mayday.

A real smile spreads on your face "Alright, just... can we keep this whole 'crying alone in the stairwell' thing between us? I just want to forget any of this happened."

"Of course!"

Miguel’s harsh rejection of you got around. You hadn’t meant for it to. But he hurt your feelings, and you cried. Being one of the few non-Spider-People at HQ, you were well-liked and taken care of. A good 75% of Spider-People agreed, Miguel was an asshole. It was probably a good thing that Miguel rarely left his dark corner of the Society. But... uh... Lyla was refusing to take his requests. Not even to lower the brightness of his monitors. In fact, she was turning them up.

Peter B. confronted Miguel after about a day, partly because he felt responsible. It had been his idea for you to try asking out the only unfunny Spider-Man. And Peter isn’t the type of guy to be harsh, but he felt like he had made things worse again by accidentally mentioning that you were trying to get some space from Miguel. So, here he was:

“A nice, smart person asks you out to coffee and you just rip them a new one for it? Seriously Miguel?” even Mayday was giving him a sour look "Couldn't just say, 'Sorry not interested'?"

Miguel was quick to turn back to his screens “You wouldn't understand.”

“Is this about the canon again?" Peter B. narrowed his eyes. Miguel leaned his weight into his desk. Head bowed, and back hunched. Yeah, it was definitely the canon.

He shook his head "In every universe where we meet, I drag them into my world and we fall for each other.”

Peter sighed at that. Typical. Self-sacrificing hero BS. He put his hands up and asked, “Aren't you the one that's all about obeying the canon? If it feels right, and you like them just go for it! What's the worst that could happen?"

“They die."

Well, that sucked the joy right out of the room.

"Okay I walked right into that one-- but hey! You don't even know if that's how it ends. And let me just run this by you here, they don't know that! They think you think they're hot garbage and all they've ever done is be nice to you. You owe them an explanation, because this is their story too."

Miguel doesn't want it to get to him. But shit. It does. After days of pretending not to notice that you were avoiding him, Miguel cracks. You had as much control of these odds as he did. Always patient with him, laughing at his jokes that no one thought were funny. He tries to get Lyla to give him your location. Which she refuses to do, citing "Oh, you haven't made them cry enough? I'm not helping you with that!"

It looks like he's on his own. The whole time he's searching HQ, he's thinking of you. Only a week or so without you bugging him and it feels like an eternity. Miguel even misses the smell of you that would linger in his control room after you left. That lotion, or perfume... your shampoo? Whatever it was it smelled good. And he missed it. He missed you. All of this felt so strange. Knowing that his feelings were almost predetermined. Some sort of algorithm that dictated who was born, who lived, and who died.

When he finds you, it's clear that you're still hurt. Miguel clears his throat, put his hand on his hip with his index finger raised and he blanks. Wow, you are dressed very, very nice today. Your hair is fixed all nice and you just look... amazing. You're wearing your lab coat over the outfit and something about that has him blushing. He starts by try to explain his rejection of you... and it bombs. Miguel's tongue is in knots. It feels like the first time he met you all over again. It's impossible to convert a single thought into speech.

You stop him as he stammers about how "It all came out wrong," and "I did not mean to offend you." It all sounds like he's trying to apologize, but also let you down. That's not a problem for you. Because you actually have a date. A real one. With someone who asked you out, not the other way around. Everything else that he wanted to say has completely imploded between his ears.

"A date," he's nodding with a flat expression "that's why you're dressed... like this."

He gestures to your outfit and you shrug "Oh, yeah. I'm going tonight. I would have changed at my apartment but I'm getting picked up after work, so, yeah!"

Miguel is just... still nodding. He cannot stop "D-Do I know them? This area is off-limits to the public."

"Ben, as in Scarlet Spider. Not the dead Uncle Ben. That sounded insensitive, I'm sorry," you cringe at yourself. Why did this feel more awkward than asking him out for coffee? Maybe it was the fact that Miguel just keeps staring at you like that.

His eyelids flutter "Ben? You're going out with... Ben Reilly?"

Your brow furrows "Yes, and? He asked me out and he's nice and--"

"Is that the only reason? Because he asked?" Miguel is screaming internally as his mouth is suddenly moving much faster than his brain.

The look on your face is a molten rod in the chest for him. Staring him down with arms crossed to hold yourself. You say "I'm going out with him because he's nice to me and I have no reason to say no. It's not like I'm seeing anyone."

"...No, you're right. I'm sure you'll have lots of fun," Miguel says quickly. Why did he say it like that? Miguel isn't even sure what he's saying right now.

You scoff at his tone "What is your problem? I ask you out for coffee, and you act like I'm some annoying fan with boundary issues. Now I tell you that I have a date with someone else and you... Why?"

Miguel swallowed thickly, turning away "I just don't see why you would feel the need to go on so many dates. We have important work here. If you want to get all dolled-up just for the fun of it I don't see why you need one of my best agents."

A long pause. Pure silence. Miguel actually thinks you left, so he turns back around. And what he sees is far, far worse. You're still standing there. Glaring at him. And you're fighting tears as you say "You're a dick."

Right after that, you leave the room. And Miguel is left to wonder how he keeps messing this up.

He works late into the night. Trying to keep his mind as busy as possible. Forcing himself to not think about how pretty you looked. How you were smiling for someone that isn't him. Maybe the canon doesn't include you and him together after all. He should be happy about that. You'll be out of danger. You won't be doomed to die to further his character arch. He... he should feel relieved.

Miguel's hands are in his hair as plops down into his chair "Ugh... they're right. I am a dick."

"I'm glad we can agree on at least one thing"