Miles Morales arrived at the party wearing a hoodie and some clothes with jeans over his Spider-Man suit, attempting to blend in with the crowd. In his hands, he carried two cakes, hoping they would make up for his late arrival. As he entered the backyard, where the celebration for his father's promotion was in full swing, he noticed the festive atmosphere—people were chatting, music played softly, and a sense of joy filled the air.
Miles quickly placed the cakes on a nearby table, trying to avoid drawing attention to himself. However, his attempt to slip in unnoticed was thwarted as several guests spotted him.
"Miles! Where were you?" they called out, a mix of curiosity and mild reprimand in their voices.
Miles laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "I've been here the whole time, eheh." he lied, trying to downplay his absence.
Before he could make a quick exit, a familiar voice rang out, "Oye!"
Miles turned to see his parents, Jefferson and Rio Morales, approaching him with concerned looks.
"Ah! Hi." Miles greeted them, trying to sound casual despite his nervousness.
Rio, her arms crossed, looked at him with a mixture of disappointment and concern. "You were supposed to be here at 5." she said, her tone firm but not harsh.
Feeling the weight of their disapproval, Miles quickly moved to arrange the cakes on the table, hoping they might serve as a peace offering. "I know." he murmured, guilt evident in his voice.
Rio continued, her voice tinged with frustration, "You disrespected your dad."
Jefferson nodded in agreement. "Yup. Mm-hm." he added, his tone confirming the disappointment.
Rio added, "You missed his beautiful toast."
Jefferson nodded again, his expression reflecting a mixture of disappointment and sadness.
Trying to salvage the situation, Miles gestured toward the cakes. "Come on, did you even see the cakes? There's some heartfelt messages on them." he said, his voice tinged with desperation as he opened the boxes.
To his dismay, the cakes were a mess. The inscriptions, meant to convey heartfelt sentiments, were smeared and jumbled, the words barely legible. The sight of the ruined cakes made Miles's heart sink.
Jefferson and Rio looked at the cakes, then back at Miles, their faces reflecting deep disappointment. The atmosphere around them seemed to shift as the weight of the moment pressed down on the family.
Seeing the disappointment in his parents' eyes, Miles tried to explain, "That's not what I meant."
Rio, her voice softer but still firm, said, "Your dad studied for eight months."
Jefferson interjected, "Nine. It was like giving birth."
Rio, half-smiling at the memory, corrected him gently, "No, it wasn't, honey."
Jefferson, realizing his exaggeration, smiled sheepishly. "Of course not." he agreed, attempting to lighten the mood, but the air remained heavy with unspoken emotions.
As Miles walked away, Rio and Jefferson followed closely behind, their expressions a mix of concern and frustration. Rio sighed, her voice tinged with disappointment as she addressed her son, "You made us sit in that office and talk to that lady without you." referring to the meeting they had with his school about his grades.
Miles, feeling cornered, sighed. "There was an emergency." he explained, though he knew how weak the excuse sounded without context.
Jefferson, his tone skeptical and somewhat accusatory, retorted, "What, a graffiti emergency? A partying-with-some-friends-I've-never-met emergency?"
Miles couldn't reveal his activities as Spider-Man, which left him struggling to find a plausible explanation. He knew his parents deserved better, but his responsibilities as a superhero complicated everything.
Rio, her patience wearing thin, demanded, "Explain yourself."
Miles, unable to provide a satisfactory answer, replied sarcastically, "Sounds like you're explaining it pretty well."
Rio let out a short, sarcastic laugh, her frustration evident. "That's funny. Jeff, we got a funny son." she said, her words laced with disappointment and a touch of irony.
The tension hung thick in the air as they continued to walk, the unspoken divide between Miles's secret life and his family responsibilities growing more apparent. The party atmosphere seemed distant and irrelevant compared to the emotional undercurrents between them. Miles felt the weight of his double life more acutely than ever, realizing that his attempts to juggle both worlds were increasingly unsustainable.
Jefferson's stern expression remained unchanged. "I'm not laughing." he said, his voice flat and serious.
As they walked, a relative of Rio's, a woman in her 30s, approached and hugged Miles, Jefferson, and Rio in a warm embrace, breaking the tension momentarily. She spoke animatedly in Spanish, greeting them all with exuberance. Miles, Jefferson, and Rio greeted her back, masking the awkwardness of the ongoing family argument with smiles and polite responses.
The woman, noticing Miles, cupped his cheeks affectionately. "You're growing up so fast," she said, switching to English. Miles, feeling the pressure of her attention, responded, "I don't feel grown-up."
She then admired his outfit, "Wow, this is a cool shirt." Miles, conscious of the Spider-Man suit he was hiding underneath his clothes, gently deflected her attention. "Have you checked out the spread, Auntie?" he said, pointing towards the food table, and quickly slipped away.
As Miles tried to make his escape, he was intercepted by Jefferson and Rio, who seemed to appear out of nowhere. "Who are you running around with?" Rio asked, her tone probing.
Miles, caught off guard, stammered, "What?"
"I said, who are you running with?" Rio repeated, her eyes narrowing.
"Just..." Miles hesitated, searching for a believable answer.
Jefferson interjected, "Is it Ganke? I never liked him." His voice carried a note of disapproval.
Miles defended his friend, "Yes, you did."
Jefferson shook his head, "He calls me by my first name."
Rio added, "Ugh. We hate that."
Miles, feeling cornered, insisted, "I have more friends than just Ganke."
Jefferson raised an eyebrow, "Like who?"
Miles scrambled for names, "Well, there's Michael Wilson... and Peter... Well, both of them are out of town."
Jefferson and Rio exchanged skeptical glances, clearly unconvinced.
Miles quickly added, "Um, there's... There's Gwanda, my other friend... Well, you know, she also left town."
Rio, exasperated, said, "Miles, dame un break."
Miles, trying to lighten the mood, joked, "Is that Spanglish?"
Rio and Jefferson, however, were not amused. The atmosphere remained tense, with the underlying issue of Miles's secret life causing friction between them.
As the party continued around them, the atmosphere was festive and lively, with guests chatting, laughing, and enjoying the celebration. The room was decorated with streamers and balloons, the smell of barbecue and other delicious foods filling the air. Yet, in this corner of the room, a different scene unfolded, one that was more serious and personal.
Miles, wearing his hoodie and casual clothes to hide his Spider-Man suit, stood with a tense expression, facing his parents. His mother, Rio Morales, was a petite woman with warm eyes, now filled with a mix of concern and frustration. Jefferson Morales, tall and imposing in his police uniform, had a stern look, his brow furrowed with disappointment.
Miles sighed, trying to make his case. "Has it ever occurred to you that maybe I'm just doing benign, private, unremarkable things when I'm not with you guys?" he said, his voice tinged with desperation.
Rio and Jefferson, standing close together, responded in unison, "Nope, never." their disbelief evident.
Frustrated, Miles insisted, "I am 15 years old. I am basically an adult." His words hung in the air, met with skepticism.
Rio, crossing her arms and giving a sarcastic chuckle, replied, "Oh, right. Oh, right."
Jefferson, hands on his hips, added, "You don't have a driver's license."
Miles, feeling defensive, shot back, "Neither does Mom!" pointing at Rio, who raised an eyebrow.
Jefferson shrugged, "We live in New York and never plan to leave." his voice calm but firm.
Miles, feeling cornered, raised his voice, "It's my life, Dad!" His words were more a plea than a statement.
Rio stepped forward, her voice steady but filled with emotion, "It's not your life. It's mine and your father's and your abuelos' y abuelas'." She paused, her eyes locking with Miles's. "They put you in this spot that I'd give anything to be in."
Miles, realizing the gravity of his words, tried to backtrack, muttering, "All right. Whatever, whatever." But the casual dismissal only worsened the situation.
Rio's eyes widened, her voice rising in disbelief, "Whatever?"
Jefferson echoed her, "Wow." shaking his head.
Rio, her tone incredulous, repeated, "Whatever?"
Jefferson, sensing the moment, looked at Rio as if seeking permission, "Do I get to say it? Please tell me I can."
Rio, nodding, encouraged him, "Say it."
Jefferson, taking a deep breath, declared, "You're grounded!" His voice was firm, leaving no room for argument.
Miles's face fell in shock, "What?"
Jefferson nodded, confirming the decision, "Oh, yeah!"
Miles, unable to believe what he was hearing, asked, "For how long?"
Jefferson, his tone unwavering, stated, "A month!"
Miles looked to his mother, his eyes pleading, "Mom, are you...? Seriously?"
Rio nodded solemnly, supporting Jefferson's decision.
Jefferson, wanting to drive home the seriousness of the situation, reiterated, "Yeah, dead serious."
As the music and laughter of the party continued in the background, this family moment stood in stark contrast. Miles, standing between his parents, felt the weight of their expectations and the consequences of his secret life as Spider-Man.
In the midst of Jefferson's promotion party, the atmosphere took a tense turn as Miles, Jefferson, and Rio Morales found themselves in a heated exchange. The room, decorated festively with balloons and streamers, had been filled with the lively chatter and laughter of friends and family, but now a hush fell over the crowd. Guests glanced awkwardly towards the Morales family, their curious eyes adding to the weight of the moment.
The DJ, sensing the growing tension, tried to raise the volume of the music to mask the argument, but the effort was futile. The conversation was too intense to be drowned out.
Miles, visibly frustrated, tried to explain, "You don't understand."
Jefferson, his face stern and voice tinged with frustration, responded, "You are right. I have no idea what's going on with you! So why don't you tell me?"
The crowd, caught in the uncomfortable crossfire, shifted uneasily. The DJ, feeling the awkwardness, eventually turned off the music entirely, leaving an uncomfortable silence that magnified the family's confrontation.
Miles, his heart pounding, pleaded, "Just listen to me!"
Jefferson, raising his voice, challenged, "Okay, champ, you got it. Go for it. Say whatever you wanna say." His tone was sharp, his patience wearing thin. "What do you got to tell me so bad?"
Rio stood by, her face a mix of concern and frustration, sighing as she realized how out of hand the situation was getting.
Miles, torn between his secret identity as Spider-Man and his parents' expectations, felt cornered. His thoughts raced, "You don't understand. I can't tell you all about it, about me being Spider-Man, saving people. You don't understand, Dad, Mom."
He looked at his parents, his eyes filled with a mix of sadness and resolve, and sighed, "You know what? Never mind."
With that, he turned and walked away, his shoulders slumped. Jefferson and Rio watched him go, a mix of frustration and helplessness in their expressions. Jefferson, trying to regain control of the situation, called after him, "All right, great, walk away. Because now you got two months!"
Miles kept walking, heading towards their home, his steps heavy with the weight of unspoken truths.
As the guests watched in silence, Jefferson turned to Rio, seeking reassurance, "That was good, right?"
Rio sighed deeply, her expression a blend of worry and resignation. The party atmosphere had been completely overshadowed by the family's conflict, leaving everyone with a sense of unease. The celebration, once a joyous occasion, now felt tainted by the unresolved tensions hanging in the air.
.....
In another universe, Michael Wilson, known as the legendary Spider-Man, approached the imposing S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. The building, a marvel of modern architecture, loomed tall against the skyline. Michael entered the facility, making his way down to the underground laboratory, where cutting-edge technology and scientific marvels were housed.
The laboratory buzzed with activity as scientists and agents worked diligently. The focus of their efforts was a mysterious power stone, dimly glowing with an ethereal light. This stone, originating from another dimension, emitted only weak energy, indicating it was nearly depleted.
Director Loe Halloway, a former hero (Angel) known for his sharp intellect and calm demeanor, stood by the stone, discussing its properties with the scientists. he turned as Michael approached, greeting him with a nod. "Michael, you're here."
Michael's eyes were fixed on the stone, his brow furrowed in thought. "Loe," he greeted, before asking, "How's the investigation going?"
Loe sighed, a hint of frustration in his voice. "Still none... We've been at this for a year, but it looks like this power stone is really hard to figure out. We can't even calculate the power it emits due to how weak it is. The only thing we can do is try to bring it back to at least 20 percent of its capacity."
Michael nodded, understanding the challenges they faced. "Well, that's to be expected. After all, it's from another dimension."
Loe met his gaze, a mix of determination and concern in his eyes. "If we can understand the source of this energy, perhaps we can discover something that can benefit our world."
Michael looked thoughtful, his voice carrying a note of caution. "I hope so... But be careful. This kind of work can be dangerous."
Loe offered a reassuring smile, his voice steady. "Don't worry, Michael. We won't do anything reckless. We're just trying to learn from it, not exploit it."
As they stood by the enigmatic power stone, both Michael and Loe understood the immense potential and the equally significant risks involved. The stone, a remnant from a different reality, held secrets that could change everything—or unleash unforeseen dangers. Their conversation was filled with unspoken concerns and the weight of responsibility that came with handling such a powerful artifact.
....
Miles lay sprawled on his bed, staring at the ceiling of his room. He muttered to himself, "Two months. I'm Spider-Man. I'm not grounded." a mix of frustration and disbelief in his voice. The soft hum of music played through his headphones, a temporary escape from the recent family argument.
Suddenly, a strange sensation jolted him from his thoughts. The ground beneath him trembled slightly, and an odd hum filled the air. Miles sat up, pulling off his headphones in confusion. As he looked around, he noticed an unusual glow emanating from the ceiling.
His eyes widened in surprise as a shimmering portal began to form above him, its edges crackling with energy. From within the portal, a familiar figure emerged, standing upside down and peering into his room.
"Miles!!" the voice called, echoing slightly.
Miles blinked, hardly believing what he was seeing. "Gwen?" he exclaimed, recognizing the face of his friend, Gwen Stacy, also known as Spider-Woman.
The portal's light bathed the room in a surreal glow as the two stared at each other, their worlds once again crossing paths. The sight of Gwen, appearing so unexpectedly, filled Miles with a mix of surprise and curiosity.
To be continued