Miguel O Hara - AU Scientist (Across the Spider-Verse)

Chapter 1

The first time you met Miguel O'Hara, you were intimidated.

He worked at Alchemax with a lot of other great scientists. Everyone who saw him would somewhat flee. His stature was a bit overwhelming and he mostly stuck to himself. That's why when you were assigned a project with him, you were a bit anxious. He seemed like the type to become completely immersed in his work and you were worried that you would make a mistake and he would lose his shit.

Alas, that was so far from reality.

"If you'd prefer to work separately I would understand."

You were a bit confused.

"I-I uhh, n-no it's fine. I don't mind working with you. We're supposed to figure this out together right?"

You offer a smile, and Miguel's eyes look at you for a moment. Then he looks away. At first you thought that maybe you annoyed him, but there was a delicate flush on his mocha cheeks and you almost couldn't believe what you were seeing. You tried your hardest not to stare, but it was difficult.

"Is he really..blushing?"

Maybe you were imagining it.

You carried on with the project.

It must have just been the reflection of his glasses.

Within a week, you were convinced of it.

Miguel O Hara was the cutest human being you'd ever met.

On Monday you'd made a mistake in one of your reports and Miguel had stayed back with you to fix it. He really didn't have to and you felt foolish for being so careless. But he spent the better part of the night explaining that it was okay to make mistakes. He even got you a candy bar from the vending machine.

Tuesday you invited him to have lunch. While you were undecided you just threw out a few possibilities and you could practically see a tail and a pair of ears sprout when you mentioned a Caribbean cuisine shop close by.

Wednesday you caught him knitting a scarf on his break. It was clear he hadn't expected to be discovered. He was on the first floor dining room after all and no one ever really ate there. After you were done gushing, you asked who the scarf was for in which he skillfully evaded the question. You didn't mind. It really did make a lot of sense. It was getting cold. From the looks of it he was almost done.

Thursday he came in with a small gift bag. Of course you were curious. Before you could ask about the occasion or the gift, he handed it to you. To your surprise it was the very scarf he'd been working on. He said nothing more than he had pre ordered way too much wool the last time so he was trying to give it away.

By Friday you were fully convinced that this man was an angel.

You felt completely foolish for judging him just by his appearance.

Now it made sense.

Much like you, others made assumptions. It was hard to read someone when you never had a full conversation with them. Through your time you learned that Miguel was smart, considerate, passionate, silly and selfless. He'd given his all in each part of the project in DNA splicing.

When it was finally over, he'd praised you immensely which did not go unnoticed by your boss. You enjoyed working with Miguel. In his presence there was always something to learn. He never demeaned your lack of knowledge when he realized you didn't know a certain theory or fact. Time with him was educational and inviting.

It sort of made you wonder about what another version of him would be like. He was just too perfect. Maybe in another universe he was probably a hot-tempered maniac. You giggled under your breath.

"Hmm, what are you giggling about?"

His head was tilted cutely to the side as he stared at you. Waving your hand, you shook your head.

"Nothing, don't worry about it."

He was still watching you with those cute little brown puppy eyes. You felt a bit ridiculous. You couldn't believe you thought this guy was ever a threat. He was a teddy bear in a giant's body.

Time seemed to run by faster than you wanted.

Before you realized it, weeks turned into months, then years.

Three years you'd known and worked comfortably.

Somewhere around year two of your little partnership you came to realize something.

You were completely and utterly infatuated with the hulk of a man.

It was hard not to fall for him.

If perfection was a person, he would be it.

He may not have been the best at socializing, but he put in the effort. You could see. Over the years you began to recognize little things about him that drew you to one single conclusion.

It made you very aware of why he did the things he did.

The subtle avoidance of eye contact with some of his peers. Discomfort with sudden physical touches. Inability to stray off a routine.

You internalized it all.

The more you learned about him, the more you seemed to fall for him. More than anything you wanted to make your feelings known, but you were scared. Given what you figured out, relationships weren't really easy for him and you would not be able to live with yourself if he ever forced a smile or retracted from your side because of your own selfishness. So you kept it in. This wasn't the first secret you harbored. It probably would not be the last.

"You're still here."

Miguel's words slightly disrupted your focus, and you turned with a smile.

"I was just about to leave. I came in because I was looking for you. Lyla told me you wanted to discuss something. Was there an error in the readings I provided last week?"

You closed the canister at your side, discarding the gloves as you began to gather up all your belongings. Once you were done, you fully turned in his direction to hear him out, but he was much closer than you expected and you almost stumbled right into him. He caught your arms easily, and out of habit, you tried to pull away. But he was the one initiating contact, so your body slowly relaxed.

"I'm sorry about Lyla, she was just teasing me."

"It does sound like something she would do."

Lyla was possibly the only other scientist Miguel was comfortable with. While his skills did improve over the years, there were still things that you could read. He was slowly coming out of that bubble, and you couldn't have been more proud. Because you understood why. His effort was important.

"I've been wanting to tell you this, but it's a bit difficult for me to put into words.."

He trailed off, and he was looking away from you once again. A habit he'd done around others, but not so much you. That's why you were nervous now.

"W-what is it?"

There was a part of you that feared the answer to this question.

"I would like to date you."

It sounded like a proposal, and your brain needed a moment to really catch up with his words.

"Date...Wait really!!!"

That familiar blush adorned his face and he released you, taking a breath as he flexed his fingers.

"Yes I..Lyla said that all I needed to do was be honest. Are you not interested in-"

"I'm interested!"

At that moment you didn't care how desperate you sounded. The man you'd been pining after for almost a year and a half was actually asking you out.

"I'd love to Miguel."

"Wow eso es bueno..."

It was a little mutter, and you smiled.

All of it felt great.

It's like a dream.