Chapter Text
Gwen never got to go dress shopping with her own mother.
The closest she ever came to it was Rio. She helped Gwen on every occasion, whether it was special or not. From a random Tuesday to her wedding day, if Gwen had to buy a dress, Rio was there for her.
But no matter how much she loves Rio, it's not quite the same.
This is what makes this moment with Charlotte all the more precious.
Gwen has the entire day planned out, and they're not just stopping in their own dimensions. No. Gwen is prepared to go across the Spider-Verse to find the right dress for her daughter.
Is it a little ambitious? Sure. Odds are they won't make it past Earth-65. But it’s always better to be prepared.
It's obviously not the first time Charlotte has bought a dress, but this is for her first real school dance, and Gwen is determined to make sure it's perfect.
She's talked to Miles about it plenty. It's been over twenty years, but the memories still linger from that dance. God bless her wonderful husband, he’s been there for her every step of the way, and she's in a much better place because of him. Thinking of all the times she’s danced with Miles helps a lot too.
“You look so beautiful,” Gwen gushes as Charlotte comes out of the changing room. She's wearing a blue dress that matches the colour of her ballet slippers.
“You said that about the last one. And the one before that, and… well, all of ‘em.”
“Because you do. Let me get a picture for your father. And your Abuela, she'll love this. And we can't forget about Grandpa.” She holds up her phone. “Big smile!”
Charlotte obliges.
“How does it twirl?”
“Why does that matter?”
“You're going to be dancing.”
Once again, Charlotte listens to her mother.
“I don’t know, Mom. There's… there's not really any boy I like, so… I probably won't be dancing.”
“No one you ‘like’, or no one you ‘like like’?”
“Oh my God.” Charlotte facepalms. “Like like. Plus boys are terrible dancers, so I don't wanna waste my time.”
“Come on, that’s not true. Your dad is a great dancer! And your brother!”
“So you're saying I should take my dad or my brother to my first school dance. Yeah, that’ll look great.”
“No, I’m not saying that,” Gwen laughs. “I’m just saying, you might not know what kind of talents people are hiding. You should know that better than anyone. And if you're worried about not liking a boy yet -”
“I am so not worried,” she interjects. Gwen acts as if she hasn't heard her.
“- just give it time. I never felt the way I did until I met your father. And it was -”
“Okay, cool!” Charlotte retreats into the changing room, slamming the door shut. You would think after all these years, Gwen would remember how much Charlotte hates her parents being all lovey dovey.
Charlotte comes out two minutes later wearing the same dress, but this one in pink. It's only when she sees it in her favourite colour she decides this dress is not the one for her.
“Can you actually critique it instead of telling me how good I look?” Charlotte asks from the changing room.
“Okay, I promise.”
Charlotte emerges this time wearing a green dress that flows down to her ankles. She tugs on the sleeve to pull it over her watch, then gives it a spin. Gwen thinks she might cry.
“Ugh. Mom, seriously?”
“Yes, seriously! Just… hold still for a second.” Gwen approaches her and runs her hand over her face. How can she not react like this? Twelve years of raising her, taking care of her, watching her grow up, all building to this. Charlotte is still half a foot shorter than she is, but Gwen can't quite wrap her head around how big she’s gotten. Born two months premature, weighing less than five pounds. And even before that, Gwen wasn't sure if they would ever get here. “My beautiful baby.”
The corners of Charlotte's lips turn into a smile. “What do you actually think of the dress? Just try to ignore me and tell me what you think.”
How can she tune her out for even a second?
But Gwen tries. She really tries.
“I love it. But what do you think?”
Charlotte looks down at herself.
“I kinda… love it too. But shouldn't you get a picture first?”
Gwen takes a few steps back and holds up her phone. Charlotte smiles for the camera and she takes the shot.
***
“Green,” Miles says, turning the page. “Who would’ve thought?”
“Not me…. This is a nice one.”
“Let me see.”
It's one of the more recent ones, Miles can tell. It’s a selfie of him and Max sitting in the diner he went to with Peter all those years ago. They’ve just finished their burgers and chips and are in the middle of ice cream sundaes at the time of the picture. From the amount of food they've ordered, it’s clear they’ve been there a while.
***
“Charlotte, come on,” Max knocks on the bathroom door. “You're taking forever. It's my turn.” He knocks again louder. “Charlotte!”
A muffled voice comes from the other side. “Shut up and go away!”
“Hey! Mom! Dad! Charlotte just told me to shut up!”
The moment the bathroom door swings open. Charlotte glares at him for a few seconds, red in the face and breathing heavily. “Go away!” She slams the door so loud it's heard throughout the entire house.
Max runs downstairs and meets his parents heading his way.
Max tells them the whole story, not that there's much to tell. He waited for the bathroom for about five minutes, then when he knocked, Charlotte screamed at him.
“Something’s wrong with her. She never acts that way.”
Miles takes a little while longer to process it than Gwen.
“Nothing’s wrong with her, Max,” Gwen says. “What your sister is going through is completely normal.”
“It doesn't seem normal.”
They tell Max to use the bathroom down here. He has to skip brushing his teeth, then they send him upstairs with strict instructions to avoid saying anything to Charlotte, even to check on her.
“It's fine. We prepared for this.” Gwen is pacing up and down as she lays out the plan. “I checked her room, she took the kit we gave her. You do whatever you have to do. Just keep him out of the house and away from Charlotte. I’ll let you know how it's going. Don't worry about Chewie and Vizzy, I’ll take care of them. I think they might be good to have around. Oh, and text the band. See if one of them can pick up our slack.”
“I’m on it.”
They made sure to have a talk with Charlotte well in advance, not just about this change in particular. George did the best he could with Gwen, but his understanding was nowhere near what Helen would have provided. Miles has helped Gwen for years though these times, but he can only imagine how difficult the first time is. Right now, his only job is to get Max out of the way.
“Get your shoes on,” Miles says, handing Max his red hoodie. “We're going out for the day.”
“Are Mom and Charlotte coming?”
“No. It’s just you and me.”
He hugs his mother goodbye as Miles plugs the coordinates into his watch. Max asks where they're going and how long they’ll be out.
“We’re getting some breakfast. And probably lunch. I don't know how long it'll be, but we'll be home for dinner.” The portal appears in their kitchen. Miles puts his arm around Max and leads him through. “You and I are gonna have an important talk.”
***
Gwen approaches the bathroom door, unsure of what to do. She remembers what it was like all those years ago, and the last thing she wanted to do was talk to her father about this. Gwen likes to think it would have been different with her mother, but she can never know for certain.
The creak in the floor makes the decision for her and alerts Charlotte to her presence.
“Go away!”
“It's me, Lottie,” Gwen says, bringing her head to the door. “It's okay. Your dad took Max out. It's just you and me.”
Not a single noise comes from her side.
Gwen sits down and crosses her legs, leaning against the bathroom door.
“I’ll be right here when you need me.”
***
The breakfast rush left very little options for seating. Miles and Max find themselves in the corner of the restaurant right by the bathrooms, sharing a table barely big enough for one.
“Sorry for the wait,” their no doubt under-paid waitress says once she arrives, taking out her notepad and clicking her pen. “My name’s Elle, I’ll be taking care of you today. Can I start you off with some drinks?”
“Actually, I think we’re ready to order.”
Miles gets the scrambled eggs with bacon and just water to drink. Max asks for orange juice and the pancakes.
It’s loud and crowded, which Miles sees as a good thing. He can’t understand a word of what anyone else is saying, so that means no one will be able to hear them.
“We need to have a talk about your sister.”
Max sits up straighter, listening intently.
“Charlotte is starting to grow up, just like you are. And her body is going through some changes. This is called puberty. Have you ever heard that word before?”
He shakes his head.
“Well, puberty is a time when your body starts to change from being a child to being an adult. It happens to everyone, and it’s a normal part of growing up. You’re not there yet, but your sister is. And one of those changes she’s going through now is something called a period. It’s this thing that happens once a month for a few days. Every woman has this happen for a long time in their life, and Charlotte has her first one. And it’s a really stressful thing to go through. Your sister is going to feel really uncomfortable sometimes. And I know you want to be a good brother to her, so you need to promise me you’re going to do what I ask.”
“Okay,” he says with a nod.
“It's important to be kind, and give her space when she needs it. If she asks for help or needs something, you do it without complaining. If she says she doesn’t want you around, you listen to her. Do you think you can do that?”
“Yeah, Dad.”
“That’s my boy. And it’s not just your sister. Your mother goes through this too.”
“Really?” Max raises his eyebrows in disbelief.
“Yeah, really. I told you, every woman goes through it. Mom’s had a lot more time to get used to it than your sister has, but it’s never a good experience. And the only thing we can do about it is try to make it easier for them. So when it’s happening, I’ll let you know, and then you can do all that.”
Max nods again, his face determined.
“Great,” Miles claps. Right at that moment, the waitress returns to bring them their drinks. They thank her, then wait until she’s gone. “If you have any questions, now’s the time to ask. And then we’re going to have a talk about puberty.”
***
Charlotte comes out of the bathroom after an hour.
Gwen makes her something to eat while she changes her clothes, though she doesn’t expect her to eat a lot. If it’s anything like hers, Charlotte is not only feeling bloated, but also quite nauseous.
“Porridge is always a good choice for me,” Gwen says, sliding the bowl over. “I know you don’t want to think about this right now, but we can figure out what works for you as we go.”
“Thanks,” Charlotte mumbles. “I hate that this is gonna happen every month. Does… does it ever get easier?”
“Yeah. I mean, it’s always the pits. But the more you know about yourself, the easier it is to handle. And I’ll be with you every step of the way. And your father, in whatever role you want. And we’ll make sure Max doesn’t do anything.”
Charlotte nods as she starts to play with her porridge.
“I know we already had a talk… but can I ask you a few more questions?”
“Of course.”
***
“I don’t know how tall you’re gonna get.”
“But I’ll be taller than Charlotte.”
It’s as if Miles has stepped into the past. He distinctly remembers asking his own father how tall he was going to get, except he was competing with his mother instead of his sister. It’s as though he’s looking at himself, though there are deliberate mistakes. Rather than hazel, Max’s eyes are the same bright blue Gwen has. He’s a bit lighter, and there are freckles all over his face, but it’s impossible not to see himself in Max, from the hair to the red hoodie to the Jordan’s on his feet.
“Yeah, probably,” Miles sighs.
“Awesome!”
“Did you listen to anything else I said?”
“I’m going to get big and strong like you! Well, stronger. Will I get a spider sense too?”
“I… I don’t know. I wish I had a better answer for you, but you know what Dr Davis keeps saying. And puberty isn’t all fun and games. It’s a really important time in your life, and it isn’t an easy one.”
“It sounds easier than what Charlotte’s going through,” Max says, shovelling an unbelievable amount of pancake into his mouth.
“She’ll probably appreciate you saying that. That’s good.” Miles makes a gesture to tell Max he needs to wipe his chin. “What else is there… um… you're going to be really emotional. Like all the time. And you’ll be eating a lot more since you’ll be growing. And your voice is gonna sound weird.”
Max’s voice is completely muffled, but Miles is fluent in mouthful and translates his grunts to ‘weird how?’
“Like it goes high and then low really quickly. That's called a voice crack. I’ll be honest with you, it’s pretty embarrassing. Especially when you’re talking to girls. But again, it’s completely normal and everyone goes through it.”
When he’s finished swallowing, Max refrains from taking another bite to ask “why girls?”
Miles grins. “Because you like them.”
“Eww, no way.”
“But… you had a girlfriend! Emily! Or Mily, what happened to Mily?”
“I was like five, Dad!” Max scoffs. “Liking girls is for babies.”
“Can I get that in writing? It’s gonna be hilarious showing you this in a few years.”
Miles borrows a pen from their waitress and writes it down on a napkin. Max, even though he thinks it’s completely ridiculous, signs his name at the bottom. Miles folds it up and places it in his pocket for safe keeping.
Another memory flashes in his head, this time between him and Uncle Aaron. Miles had a similar attitude towards girls for a brief period in his life. Thank God it was over before he met Gwen. Anyways, Uncle Aaron had this joke whenever Miles smiled, flashing his missing baby teeth. According to his uncle, the number one cause of teeth falling out was kissing girls. Miles never believed this, because he never did kiss a girl until Gwen came along. It was still embarrassing though, and one of those things Miles misses most about him.
“I remember you lost a tooth last month. You know what makes that happen?”
***
Charlotte didn’t get a wink of sleep. She spent all night feeling sick, tossing and turning with no relief. That’s one of the problems Charlotte has developed now that she’s older: she never asks for help, even when she desperately needs it.
Gwen loves that she’s independent, but it also frustrates her. Especially because she was the exact same way when she was her age.
“You don’t have to worry about waking us up, sweetheart,” Gwen whispers in the darkness of the bedroom, stroking Charlotte’s back underneath the covers. “That’s what we’re here for. We’ll always be here for you.”
“My head hurts,” Charlotte groans. “And my… everything. I just wanna sleep. But hey, at least this happened on a Saturday. Am I lucky or what?”
“There ya go,” Gwen says. “I bet you’ll be feeling better in no time.”
***
The Amazing Spider-Camp is barely used outside of the summer, which gives Miles and Max about five hundred acres of land all to themselves. But they mostly spend their time at the basketball court.
“You ever seen that old commercial with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan?”
“Who hasn’t?” Max shoots from half court and drains it. “First one to miss buys lunch?”
“You're my son, I’m not letting you pay. But I am gonna whoop you. Sudden death. You miss, you lose. No dunking. Then we can get some burgers after. How’s that sound?”
“Great, except there’s no way I’m gonna lose to you. You can shoot first.”
“All right. Don’t get co*cky.”
“I’m not. I just know I’m the best.”
Miles gives the ball a single bounce, turns, then sinks it from full court.
“And where do you think you got that from?”
“You should’ve started with something hard,” Max says with a grin, flashing the adorable gap between his two front teeth.
Max retrieves the ball, jogs over to his dad, lines up, and shoots. Nothing but net.
It becomes clear twenty minutes later that neither are going to miss anytime soon. They’re bouncing the ball off the court, off trees, shooting from the cabins, from the lake, blindfolding themselves, doing anything they can think of to up the ante. Miles jokes he regrets helping Max develop a radar sense.
“Hold up. Text from Mom… Charlotte’s doing a bit better. Got some sleep. Had a few good talks. Ate some food. Still not ready for us to come home yet. She hopes you understand. And she’s asking how you’re doing.”
“I’m good,” Max shrugs. “I’m worried about Charlotte. And I miss Mom and Chewie. And Vizzy, I guess. But I’m having a good time with you, Dad.” His stomach makes a large grumbling noise. “And I’m hungry.”
“Okay, then let's get you that burger. I know this great place in Brooklyn, I go there with your Uncle Peter all the time.”
***
It’s a terrible thing seeing someone you love so much going through this kind of pain. Not only physically, but also being sleep deprived, scared, and confused, and you can't take it away. It's never worse than when it's your own child. Every single movement Charlotte makes, every little noise, every look, even just sitting there, knowing what she's going through, all of it pulls at Gwen's heart.
Charlotte got pretty angry earlier in the day. Not at Gwen, but at herself. She couldn't believe she would have to do this once a month for the next forty or so years. Then the anger turned to panic, realising how short a month truly is, and at the same time frustrated at how long the past twenty-four hours have felt.
“I never noticed when it was happening with you,” Charlotte says suddenly. “I don’t know why, I should have. But you always seem so… how do you do it?”
“I’ve had a lot of experience. And I never wanted you and Max to worry about me, so…” Gwen shrugs, pursing her lips. “You’ll probably notice it now, you know what to look for. It still hurts. But I'm not as scared as I was the first time. You have to look a bad thing in the eye… break the spell.”
Charlotte hums.
“I'm glad I can go through this with you, Mom… talk about it…” She catches her looking. “You can hug me if you want.”
Gwen has to restrain herself from moving too quickly. She’s been hoping to hear those words all day.
***
“That was the best burger I’ve ever had.”
“See? I told you. Now smile, I gotta get a picture of this.”
***
Miles and Max pick up dinner on the way home. When they step through the door, Gwen comes to greet them, then immediately gives Max another talk.
“I know what to do, Mom. Be nice to her, don't do anything to make her mad, don't be annoying, give her space, do whatever she tells me to do, and… shoot, what was it?” Max chews on the inside of his cheek. “Treat her normal. But also better.”
Gwen shoots Miles a look. “That's… exactly right. You're a good brother.” She kisses him on the cheek. “Chewie missed you, by the way. He spent all day in your room.”
Max runs upstairs and leaves Miles and Gwen alone in the hallway.
“He remembered.”
“Yep. He really paid attention. He did get a little distracted when we talked about male puberty, but everything with Charlotte was cool,” Miles says. “How’s she doing?”
“About as good as she can be,” Gwen says, then takes him by the hand to lead him. “She's hanging out with Vizzy in the basem*nt.”
Miles hasn't seen her all day. The idea of what she looks like has been secretly tormenting him. He won't kid himself, he has absolutely no idea what Charlotte is going through. Probably scared, afraid, angry, in pain, and Miles’ worst fear is that he'll say something to make it worse. Or that he told Max something wrong and it will mess up the relationship between his children.
But Gwen wouldn't have brought him here if Charlotte didn't want to see him.
Vizzy is curled up next to her, purring as Charlotte pets her gently. The two look up simultaneously when Miles enters the room.
“Hey, Dad,” she says, flashing a smile.
“Hey… how you doing?”
“Better, thanks. Still not… y’know… but Mom’s been great.” Charlotte swallows thickly. “I missed you today. And Max. Where is he? Can you tell him I wanna see him?”
Normally, Miles would yell, but he's almost certain her head hurts, so he airs on the side of caution and walks all the way up to Max’s room.
“Your sister wants to see you.”
Max doesn’t run. Instead, he moves slower than he ever has. Chewie too, who matches the boy's pace as he follows behind. When he gets to the stairs to the basem*nt, Max asks permission to come down. Charlotte answers with a yes.
When they see each other they speak at the same time and say the exact same thing: “I'm sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” Charlotte asks.
“Bothering you…” he says quietly. “What are you sorry for?”
“Yelling at you.”
“It's okay… I just hope you're okay.”
“I’ll be fine in a few days,” Charlotte says. “I’ll hug you then. And if I ever yell at you again or whatever - and I probably will - just know I don't mean it.”
Max nods. “Cool.”
“Cool.”
They stay silent. Max leaves without saying anything. A few moments after, Charlotte stands to her feet and heads upstairs.
***
It's been less than a year, filled with lots of trial and error. Gwen tells him they're figuring things out well. The last time, Max didn't have to leave the house once.
“That was heavy,” Miles breathes out.
“You’re telling me. How ’bout we check out a less stressful milestone? Or Miles-stone,” she grins.
Miles can't help but laugh. “You're cute.”
***
As luck would have it, it arrives on Max’s birthday in a thick blue envelope. Both Miles and Gwen thought it was a card until they saw it was addressed to them, and the seal bearing the emblem of Brooklyn Visions Academy.
They immediately decide not to tell anyone about it.
Max has been waiting for this day his entire life. When they gave Charlotte her first real suit and her own watch, that day was all about her. It’s only fair that Max gets the same experience. Miles and Gwen can hold onto the news for just one more day.
What they can’t do is go an entire day without knowing.
Neither of them speak. At last, Miles manages to open the envelope and unfold the letter inside. Miles reads through several times while Gwen taps her fingers against the table as if it’s a drum. With each reading, Miles’ breathing becomes steadier.
“She aced the test.” Miles says, a smile forming on his face. “And ‘We are pleased to inform you that Charlotte Rio Morales-Stacy has been accepted at Brooklyn Visions Academy.’ Some formal crap about the history of the school, blah blah blah, please confirm by April 6th, go to this website … and more congratulations. Yours sincerely… Natalie Calleros… Principal.” He looks up at Gwen, his smile stretching across his face. “Now it's the perfect school! She has to go!”
Gwen doesn't believe it's real until she reads the letter herself. With almost every line she lets out a squeal.
“Our daughter’s a genius!” She raises a hand to high five Miles, which he happily accepts.
***
They took Miguel’s suggestions while designing the suit, but also made sure it feels like Max.
The top half of the suit is almost completely red with the occasional black that takes over the bottom. Covering the entire torso is a bright blue spider symbol that’s armoured. If anything hits him, even a bullet, he’ll be protected. The rest of it is made from a special material. It’s light, soft, and most importantly, can deflect knives.
Much like his father, Max decides to wear his hoodie over his suit. And his beanie.
“Are you serious?” Charlotte asks.
“What? New York is cold. Can we go for a swing before school?”
“Pictures first!” Miles says. “Lottie, put your suit on. I wanna get a few with you two together.”
***
Max is acting as if the suit makes him invincible.
The first time he jumps off a skyscraper he falls headfirst, hands at his sides like he isn’t afraid of anything. Miles’ heart drops with him until he sees him pull up, barely missing the ground.
“I can’t wait to show Bhim! This is the best birthday ever! Thanks, Mom and Dad!”
Max says hello to everyone he passes, never failing to introduce himself as the brand new Spider-Man. Charlotte always corrects it to Spider-Boy.
“When can I change my name to Spider-Woman?” she asks. “The OG Spider-Man started when he was only fifteen. You guys have always been called Spider-Man and Spider-Woman, and you were even younger.”
“But not as young as you,” Miles says.
“I’m twelve and a half. You were thirteen.”
It’s been just over thirteen years since Charlotte was conceived. Miles genuinely can’t believe how fast it all went by. He wouldn’t take a single thing back, but at the same time, he wishes they could go through it all over again.
“I was closer to fourteen than thirteen. And people didn’t know we were kids. This is completely different.”
“What if I make people think I’m an adult?” Max asks.
“You’re less than four and a half feet tall,” Charlotte says. “And scrawny. And your voice is super high.”
“I’m gonna be taller than you, Dad said so. Just wait ‘til I hit puberty. I’m gonna be big and strong just like Dad.”
“Okay, that’s enough,” Miles swings between them. “New rule: No bickering while on patrol. Because if you weren’t, I wouldn’t have to tell you about that guy.”
Charlotte and Max look in the direction Miles is pointing. There’s a man running down the street with a bag slung over his shoulder and bills falling out. An older woman is chasing after him but falling behind yelling “stop him!” and “thief!”
“Max, help her out.”
Max zips into action and tackles him on the spot. Or rather he tries to. The man is so large that Max barely takes him out of his path, clinging to his back as he continues to run.
“Excuse me, Mr Criminal?” Max tries to tap him on the shoulder, not realising his fingers are charging. The man yelps as the shock travels through him. “Sorry. Did that hurt?”
“Yes!”
“Shoot, my bad.” Max flips over him and puts his hand on his shoulder, slowly skidding to a stop. When the criminal tries to run past him, he finds Max’s hand is stuck to him. “Don’t go anywhere. Hey, ma’am, is this yours?”
The woman pauses to catch her breath once she’s caught up to him. “Yes…” she breathes out. “He stole from my shop.”
“Hey, you’re British! That’s cool, my uncle’s British!” Max reaches out his hand, then notices the electricity sparking at the tips. “Uh… maybe not a good idea. I’m Spider-Man.”
She looks him up and down, a sweet smile spreading to her face. “Abigail Morse.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs Morse!” Max takes the bag off his shoulder, throws the criminal into the air and shoots a web, sticking him to the side of the street light. “Here ya go.”
“Thank you, Dear.”
“You’re welcome,” Max says, posing with his hands on his hips. Charlotte laughs from a distance. Miles and Gwen glare at her. “What kind of shop do you own?”
“It’s a coffee shop, right around the corner. Morse’s.”
Max walks her back to the shop, picking up the lost bills with Miles, Gwen, and Charlotte watching from a distance. He comes out with a muffin in his hand.
“Did you know coffee shops sell more than just coffee? I didn’t think that was allowed.”
***
Present Day:
Mrs Morse is still the only person in the world who calls Max ‘Spider-Man’.
Max tried to get it to catch on in the school, but Charlotte convinced him to stop lest he expose his identity. Miles and Gwen also made him a brand new hoodie to wear over his suit just in case people recognise the other one. He’s kept the hat though.
Much to his dismay, the word people use the most when describing Spider-Boy is 'adorable’. Miles and Gwen especially.
“I’m not adorable! I’m cool!” he always protests, trying to mask his blushing.
Max is much more accepting when it comes from his mother.
The last photo they took that day was one of the entire band gathered around Charlotte and Max.
Peter B made Max take an oath, officially inducting Max into Spider-Hood. He came up with the speech on the fly when it was Mayday who joined (ten years ago!). And from there, it became a tradition. Charlotte, then Maya, Gar, and Bhim, and last but not least, Max. Peter couldn't stop talking about how old he feels. Like his light grey hair and glasses didn't do that already.
The feeling is spreading throughout the band. Mayday is now older than Miles when he got married. Next year, Gwen will be the same as Peter B when they first met.
You can't tell by looking at her. Miles often finds himself staring at his wife when he thinks she isn't looking, just like when they were kids. She always catches him and tells him to stop, but Gwen can never stop the blush across her face or the telltale lift on the corners of her mouth.
Another huge Miles-stone that came shortly after this was their fifteen year anniversary this past spring. This year, Miles and Gwen managed to convince their parents to do something subtle; no big party. It fell on a Saturday this year, and instead of having the kids spend the day with their grandparents, Miles and Gwen were thrilled to have them around.
Rio, Jeff, and George still put up a banner congratulating them. That was their one request. The last photo in the album is Miles and Gwen standing beneath it.
“Wait, is that it?” Miles asks, flipping the page. Then the next, and the next, then skims through the rest. They’re all blank. So many spaces left.
“That’s it,” Gwen confirms. “For now. Peter told me he just got some more pictures developed. He’s gonna bring them this weekend.”
“Great… Man, we’ve really fallen behind.”
“Right? I expected better from you, Mr Stacy. I have a lot on my phone if you want to look at those.”
“First off, it's been a really busy summer. Second, later, for sure. We've been up for way too long.”
He closes the photo album, met with those four photos they put on every single cover. Their wedding, the bus trip from the day they became friends, and Charlotte and Max’s sonograms.
“I miss it,” Miles sighs.
“Me too. I wish we could do it all over again.”
If only there was a way they could. Miles would take it all, the bad with the good, for just one more day with their babies…
Miles finds Gwen staring at him when he looks her way. He can feel her pulse quicken. Is she thinking what he’s thinking?
He asks by resting one of his hands on her lower stomach and Gwen’s breath hitches. He leaves his hand there, waiting for confirmation to go forward. Gwen rests one of her hands on his cheek and brushes her thumb along, pulling his head slightly forward. Everything else fades away when their lips finally touch. It becomes just the two of them, frantic and needy. Gwen’s hand slides down Miles’ pyjama bottoms and he gasps against her lips.
“I’ll lock the door,” Gwen says, giving him one last kiss before she jumps out of bed while Miles strips. She returns naked and giggling, so infectious that Miles can’t help but laugh too.
He flips her over and reaches a hand between her legs, building up until he slides into her slowly. "Oh f*ck," she groans out, her hands drifting down to his ass. Gwen gives him a quick nod, giving him permission to move.
And boy does he move.
Miles starts with quick, shallow thrusts, pressing his forehead against hers and staring into her eyes. Gwen locks her legs around his waist. She kisses every single inch of his face. His forehead, his nose, his cheekbones, his jaw, his neck, his chin, his mouth. Miles curses and moans before pressing his lips against hers.
“Just checking. What are we doing here?”
“What do you think we’re doing?”
Miles grins.
“Trying for another baby…. We are, aren’t we?” he says, slowing his hips. Gwen tightens her grip on him and forces him to up the pace.
“Oh yeah.”
They weren't even thinking about the possibility of a baby when they found out about Charlotte. Their sex life took on a new sort of thrill after she was born; finally able to be in each other's arms again, figuring out what still worked and what didn't, trying to be quiet so they wouldn't wake up their newborn. Memories rush back to him and Miles lets out a small laugh.
“What are you thinking about?” Gwen asks quickly, more focused on the task at hand than her husband's laughter.
“The time I put a web over your mouth.” Miles knows what she’s going to say next and beats her to the punch. “Which time?”
Max was planned, and boy were they thorough. It was nights like tonight they could always try; far too late to get a decent night sleep but invigorated by the idea of their family growing larger. Sometimes they could try again in the morning if there were no surprises. They took every opportunity they could get, even skipping out on after mission meals with the gang just so they could fit in a quick session before picking up Charlotte.
And then when they finally learned she was pregnant with Max, Miles’ heart leapt for joy. He felt like they had just accomplished the most wonderful thing in the world for the second time. Charlotte was terrifying. Wonderful, but still terrifying. Especially after they learned there was a risk. With Max they hoped. For so long they hoped, and at last their prayers were answered. Two perfect children with the woman he loves more than the entire multiverse. Life is indeed amazing.
And now here they are after being friends for over twenty years, being able to call her his wife for over fifteen of those years, up at three in the morning in each other's arms, sheets rolling together and staring into each other's eyes, hoping they’ll have yet another child.
“Gwen… oh, f*ck… Gwen, are you ready?” Miles manages to say, feeling the pressure build to a breaking point. “You want this?”
She answers by crashing her lips against his, knowing it will send him over the edge. Miles cries out and goes still. Gwen has a vice grip on his hips, holding him inside her.
They stay still, even after Miles comes down from his high. His whole weight is on her as his face is buried in her neck, muttering ‘I love you' over and over again. After their breathing steadies, Gwen taps him on the shoulder.
“Got it all?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, I think so,” he says, starting to pull out.
“Wait,” Gwen says, not moving a muscle. “Go slow, okay?”
And Miles does. He should have remembered this from Max. Their routine after sex is all worked out: clean up each other, go to the bathroom, change the sheets if they have to, then fall asleep. When they're trying for a baby it's different. Gwen doesn't like to move afterwards, worried that anything else will disrupt the chances of a baby.
Miles doesn't get off the bed, not even to put his clothes on. He stays by her side with their hands intertwined.
“If I’m not pregnant…” she says after a few minutes.
Miles shrugs. “Then we’ll keep trying.”
“So you're still serious about it?”
“Yeah… I told you… I want to do it all over again.” Miles tilts his head to look at the clock. “It's been fifteen minutes.”
“Finally.”
Miles gets up and hands Gwen her clothes. “Sheets or bathroom first?” he asks, feeling around. They’re covered in sweat. It’s no question they have to be changed.
“Sheets. Definitely.”
