Always and Forever, My Friend (Miles Morales [Dim. 42] x F! Reader)

Chapter Four

At lunch the next day, it was as it usually was, the three friends bickering and joking and laughing. However, there was one thing that had changed.

Mike was a rather smart man. He was in all honors classes, got straight A's (despite his procrastinating nature), and above all was very observant. So, it only made sense that he was the one who noticed this subtle change.

Just as the romanticism behind their stares before the lunch bell rang hadn't gotten past him the previous day, the new tension between his two companions didn't either. The softer and longer glances, the more casual touches, their sweet whispery voices and the subtle flushes on their faces more obvious. It was clear to him that somehow, in the couple second silence that they shared, their confidence (or their boldness) in their feelings for one another grew.

But he decided against teasing them. So that lunch, Mike remained quiet on the matter. He simply observed the two behind his rounded glasses, a soft and kind smirk adorning his features.

While yes, this behavior was against his mocking and smug nature, he knew that whatever happened between them was fragile. Just as he knew it was fragile, he was certain that if he were to make a suggestive comment or joke about their relationship that it would shatter their confidence in their feelings and set them back. And while he did love instigating and annoying his two friends, he loved seeing them happy more, and he would be damned if he even thought about breaking it.

Miles noticed this new behavior in Mike despite most of his attention being drawn to Y/n. While he wasn't complaining about Mike's absent nagging, it still concerned him. Even though Mike was his biggest pain in the ass, he was still one of his best friends, and he would be damned if he didn't make sure he was okay.

So, in their shared AP Gov class as they started their partner work, Miles thought of a way to bring his concerns up. The fact that Miles wasn't skipping this class right now simply demonstrated how much he was worried about Mike, considering he hated history and took every chance he could to get out of the class.

He glanced over at Mike as he wrote on the assignment, tapping on the table as he strained to find the words. Damn, this is harder than I thought it would be, he thought to himself as he cursed his inability to comfort.

For the record, it wasn't that he couldn't comfort, it was just that he wasn't the best person to go to for comfort. Because of his dad's death, he had a hard time emotionally connecting with people, even those he was close to, including his mom and his two closest friends. This also meant that it was difficult for him to know what to do with other's emotions, especially negative ones, and it was difficult for him to express his own, especially in situations such as this.

"Miles, are you even listening man?" Mike shoved him lightly, chuckling as he tapped his pencil against his paper.

Miles was snapped from his daze, blinking a couple times before nodding, muttering apologies under his breath.

"Got lost in thought, that was my bad," Miles smiled, his voice rather monotone.

Even when he was around Mike, Miles' voice never got too emotional, staying within the same monotone range unless he was angry. The only person who was able to bring out his more emotional side was Y/n.

"That's okay," Mike nodded, glancing at Miles as he cleared his throat. "Do you maybe... wanna talk about what you got on your mind?"

Miles looked around the room and eyed every person to make sure his classmates were doing their work before sighing.  Still, just as a precautionary measure, he whispered to Mike, scooting his chair closer so that his words could only be heard between the two of them.