Rivers have meanders, human life has phases

Chapter 13

Linh knew that behind his mask, Miguel was smirking.

"Congratulations! You've added your first contact." She'd cheered, after handing Miguel's phone back to him.

His response was equally mirthful. "First? You're my only contact. I don't plan on getting to know other people."

Linh shook her head, continuing their lighthearted conversation. "Oh, I'm sure whoever you work for will be so impressed, they'll want to keep working with you. Either that, or make a recommendation on your behalf."

Miguel seemed to briefly consider this thought. "Hm, you're probably right. Not all jobs will be posted on the internet. And it's best to have someone to vouch for my skills."

Their talk drifted away from Miguel's work life, returning to his new acquisition.

It was a mobile, prepaid phone. Certainly not the kind to play games, or with high definition graphics and rendering. But for Miguel's purposes, it suited him just fine. He could call, text, use a web browser and map - and of course, take pictures.

Miguel tested his camera out, taking photos of birds, trees, the skyline... the last photo he took was of Linh's apartment building.

While the two of them were putting away their food, Linh asked Miguel an important question. "Hey, Miguel? Can I check how your injuries are doing?"

He stopped, in order to answer her. "... You may."

Linh admitted to herself that she was curious. She treated Miguel as a patient, so her concern over the physical state of his body was under those conditions. But a small part of Linh, after discovering he was Spiderman, wanted to see Miguel's regeneration with her own eyes.

They headed to her living room silently. Miguel sat down, Linh joining him on the couch. She watched as he took off his sweater, then his shirt, until nothing but his bare skin was left.

Linh unwrapped Miguel's bandages. She widened her eyes, letting out a small gasp.

On a regular person, those injuries would have taken at least a week to heal, if not longer. However, in only two days, Miguel's skin was already knitting itself back together, and much of the previous damage she saw was gone.

"Well, it seems like you'll be completely healed in no time!" Linh told Miguel, watching as he put his clothes back on. "Since you're able to now, would you like to take a shower?"

Miguel stood up, seemingly having thought of the same thing. "That would be ideal, yes." Linh kept her gaze on Miguel, as he searched for a fresh pair of clothes to change into. Having found them, he soon disappeared into the hallway. Linh sighed, not expecting Spiderman's healing abilities to be so fascinating.

She busied herself until Miguel returned, once again in house clothes. He was drying his wet hair with a towel. Miguel's usual slicked back hairstyle was nowhere to be seen.

Soft strands of dark brown hair fell across Miguel's forehead. Linh wondered if it felt as soft as it appeared. Miguel yawned, and his fluffy hair, combined with his relaxed demeanor, reminded Linh of a cat. Speaking of cats...

"Hey, Miguel? Do you want to feed Ash some treats?"

Linh went to her kitchen to find a bag of cat snacks. After grabbing the bag, she heard something running on four paws. When she looked down, Linh saw Ash looking up at her expectantly. Smiling, she picked her cat up, while returning to the living room.

Ash noticed Miguel on the sofa, and he curled up closer to Linh's arm. Even when she set him down, he hid behind her legs. Despite observing Miguel the day before, it seemed Ash was still reluctant to approach him.

Linh stepped away towards Miguel, and Ash remained rooted to his spot. Her cat watched as she gave Miguel a few treats. Miguel slowly got up, approaching, until he sat on the floor, some distance away from Ash. He placed the treats on the ground, waiting for Ash to move first.

The cat hesitantly got nearer, until he could eat one of the treats. Miguel continued replacing them, until Ash was near enough for him to touch. Linh, who was now standing behind Miguel, gave him more cat snacks.

Ash tentatively sniffed Miguel's hand, and proceeded to eat the treats that were in it. Once he ate them all, he sniffed the other hand, until Miguel could finally pet him.

Linh felt her heart warm at the sight.

🕸️🕸️🕸️🕸️🕸️

Under the water, Miguel collected his thoughts.

His injuries weren't fully healed, despite it already being two days. Miguel had heard Linh's gasp, and the amazement in her voice as she spoke. If only she knew.

Miguel could have broken ribs and massive fractures - and he'd still be able to walk it off. In comparison, these cuts should have healed in hours at most. But they didn't.

He stayed longer, under the deluge of water, until he felt composed enough to leave.

Miguel yawned, still feeling tired from the day before. The warm shower had served to further relax his body.

He had no plans for the rest of the night, other than looking for jobs. Certainly, the first thought that crossed his mind wasn't to try feeding Linh's pet.

Miguel was actually quite fond of cats. They stuck to themselves, and they didn't require as much maintenance as dogs. Of course, growing up, his parents made it impossible to have any kind of animal.

His secret fondness of them might be why he let Spider-Cat join the Spider Society. The feline had lost his previous owners, one of them who just so happened to be a police chief as well. Being a former housecat, unlike the other animal Spiders, he was quite friendly to people he met.

After getting Linh's cat, Ash, to shyly approach, Miguel finally got the chance to pet him. It was strange how alike pets and their owners were.

Miguel felt at peace being near Linh, and her furry companion elicited the same warmth.