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A child is crying.
Prowler shoves himself through Miles’ loitering friend group to figure out who they’re all staring at.
The toddler looks up at Prowler and his screechy cries cut off. His Bambi eyes are huge and his tiny nose is soaked. Chubby cheeks emphasized by his frown and a headful of thick curls. He’s swallowed by his teen-sized suit.
Miles. Straight out of their old baby pictures.
Prowler asks slowly, his voice echoing through his mask, “What the hell happened.”
He gets three answers at once.
“Doc Oc has this new gas—”
“I tried to push him out the way—”
“He’ll grow—”
Prowler looks at Pav. “He’ll grow?”
Pav wrings his hands, voice pitching higher. “I-I mean, he will. Right? And look at him, he’s adorable like this—”
“Shut up.”
Pav flinches, looking guilty. Hobie cups his shoulder and sends Prowler a watchful glare. Prowler sighs. “Sorry. I’m just. Worried. Man, this is why I don’t invite ya’ll to my universe.”
Hobie lifts his watch. A hologram is displayed, with a map and a moving dot. “Relax. I tagged Doc Oc during the fight and got her location.”
Prowler walks over to him, eyes narrowed. “Where?”
“Underground, a half mile north and moving fast. Must be in the sewers. I’ll go with Pav, you go with Gwen.”
Prowler looks at Gwen with a wrinkle in his nose. “Her?”
Gwen crosses her arms, cocking her hip. “This won’t work. Some of us can’t let old grudges go.”
Prowler bristles. “You lied to him for months.”
She snaps back like he touched an old nerve. “Miles forgave me!”
“I sure as hell didn’t!”
“Fine!” Hobie yells. “Gwendy’s with me. You go with Pav.”
Pav looks nervous enough to be sick, glancing between him and Hobie. “Uh, Hobie? Can we rethink this?”
“I’ll go alone,” Prowler announces, turning away.
Tiny arms wrap around his leg, and he stumbles, looking down. Miles is gazing up at him, eyes wide and teary. His leggings and sleeves are a train behind him.
Well, fuck.
Prowler kneels in front of him. “Hey, little man.”
Miles silently stares at him, still pouting.
Prowler looks around at the three other spiders. Then he says, “I’d cry if I were stuck with ‘em too.” He offers a fist bump.
Miles inches closer, wiping his eyes. Then he plants his wet hand over his mask, covering the screen. Prowler blinks.
“Off.”
Prowler reaches up and presses the hidden button to disengage his mask.
When they lock eyes for the first time, Miles smiles with dimples and reaches, wrapping his thin arms around Prowler’s neck.
Stunned, Prowler holds Miles’ tiny back in his palm. Trying to ignore the other’s stares. Definitely ignoring Hobie taking a not-so-subtle video with his watch hologram.
Miles says, “Up.”
Prowler scoops him up, shaggy suit and all, and stands. Miles clings to him, hiding his face in his shoulder. “I, uh, guess I got him from here.”
Gwen says, “You are not taking him in the sewers.”
“You’re right,” Prowler says, rocking Miles back and forth. It’s… sweet, in a way. He’s warm, and a little squishy, and admittedly therapeutic; there’s something about holding a younger version of himself that makes him want to protect him from the entire world. “I’ll take him back to my house, off the streets. Contact me when you have an antidote.” He turns away.
Miles blurts, “Miles.”
All their eyes snap to Miles.
Prowler stops rocking, and gently rolls his shoulder until Miles lifts his head. Then he whispers, talking slowly, “Do you know who I am?”
“He can’t understand full sentences,” Hobie says, dancing over to Miles, in baby talk voice, “But it is important that he is exposed to clear, full language and complete thoughts in a positive tone. Right, Miles?”
Miles starts wiggling too, giggling and copying him. Watching him.
Prowler clutches his back. “Stop hypnotizing him.”
“I’m not. He likes me.” Hobie gently pries Miles from Prowler and holds him on his hip, then pinches Miles’ cheek with a wide smile. “Miles, listen carefully. All cops are bastards, say it with me. All. Cops. Are—”
“Dude.”
Hobie glances up. “Not yours. Captain Morales is tight.” He looks back at Miles and lifts his voice again. “Everyone besides your father sucks. Okay? A is for Affirmative Action. B is for Black Power. C is for Colonization, which we hate. Say it with me. We hate—”
“He is two years old,” Gwen says and takes Miles, holding him in a baby carry. Miles reaches up and plays with the pink tips of her hair, wide-eyed, and she smiles.
Hobie tickles Miles' stomach and he squeals, kicking his legs. “You’ve gotta start young.”
Gwen holds him out the way and taps his nose with her pointer finger. “My name is Gwanda. Nice to meet you again.”
“Give him to me.” Pav snatches Miles from Gwen, despite her protests. “I’m wonderful with children.” He holds him to his chest and pinches his cheek, voice pitching up. "Look at these chubby cheeks, oh my goodness, what a cutie!" Then he holds him high in the air. Miles’ suit dangles. “Hi! I’m Pav, and I will be your best friend when you get older!”
Hobie and Gwen huff. Hobie says, “Please. He likes me the best.”
Gwen says, “He’s known me the longest.”
Pav begins tossing him up, and down. Over and over. Miles laughs. Prowler’s eye twitches. “He’s known me the shortest. The rose-colored glasses are still on our friendship.”
Hobie steps in and catches Miles, then tosses him ten feet in the air. Miles squeals.
“What the—” Prowler shoves Hobie aside and catches Miles when he falls, holding him close to his chest. “—hell are you doing?!”
Hobie reaches for him again but Prowler steps back. “Come on, mate, he loved it. He’s Spider-Man.”
“He’s a baby. He’s vulnerable.”
Pav says, “Actually, we don’t know that. The spray de-aged him. There’s no telling that the venom left his body.”
Prowler blinks and looks at Miles. “Are you crazy strong right now?”
Miles blinks at him.
Prowler squints at him. It's just a hunch, but he asks again, “Miles. Do you know who I am?”
Miles’ face is blank.
Gwen asks, “You think he’s playing us?”
Prowler answers, “Could be. He could have the same memories, I mean, the brain is weird. And he’s a little shit, no matter what age.” He asks Miles again, “Are you really a baby or are you committing to the bit?”
Miles doesn’t react.
Hobie says, “You've gotta startle it out of him, mate.”
Pav points behind Prowler. “Look, Miles, oh no! It's Miguel!”
Miles only stares back at Pav, unreadable.
Pav whistles and pinches Miles' cheek. “He’s good.”
“Or he’s really just a baby.” Prowler shakes his head. “Nevermind, this is ridiculous. Doc Oc is getting away, you all need to go.”
That gets them all focused. Hobie pulls up the location again; she’s much further. “Shit.”
Prowler covers Miles’ ears. Just in case.
Gwen says, “This may take an hour or so.” She looks at Prowler. “Make sure he doesn’t get hurt.”
He very nearly rolls his eyes. “Right. You know, I’m excellent at that but I can’t say the same for—”
“Dude.” She glares at him.
“Let’s go,” Hobie calls, already using a web to haul up the nearest manhole a couple feet away. The black hole beckons. He crouches and crawls in, and Pav follows. Gwen lingers, looking at Miles for a couple seconds longer, then slips into the darkness.
Silence settles over the street.
Prowler looks down at him. Miles looks up at him.
“So?” Prowler asks. “Are you really a baby?”
There’s a familiar gleam in Miles’ eyes.
Prowler chuckles. “Asshole. I oughta throw you in the sewers.” But he can’t deny how good it feels that Miles chose him over them.
Miles says, voice high and boyish, “You should’ve seen their faces when I was turned. I had to.”
Prowler laughs and starts walking to their house. “Little shit.”
Miles says, “I wanna see how long I can fool them.”
“Whatever. I ain’t changing your diaper.”
“There’s so much we can do,” Miles says, still with a wild grin. “We should scare Mami. Knock on the door and leave me on the doorstep.”
“She’d cry.”
“Maybe. But then she’d get excited about it. Can you hurry up and get to higher ground? Walking is boring.”
“We’re walking. Your baby lungs can’t handle it.”
Miles scoffs. “I’m Spider-Man.”
“You are two years old.”
Miles grabs the grapple from his hip holster, aims and shoots.
“Wh— Miles!” It anchors. He barely tightens his hold around Miles and takes the grapple away before it yanks them into the air. “Miles!”