Superfamily One Shots

MoF Day 28: Adopt a what now?

**Enjoy some more Miles Morales content y'all.**

Jefferson was a proud, thoughtful man. He was dedicated to his job, and to his family, and when he had to go out on the line, he was careful to call backup and wear protective gear so he'd come home in one piece at the end of the day. He liked to take extra precautions. He was compassionate and caring, which drove much of his community minded service, but his priority was always his family. Always.

Miles, while so much like his father in so many ways, was anything but careful, and could often be found slipping away from family games of Yahtzee and pizza night. Now that the boy was Spiderman, the protector of New York, he was recklessly on the front line of crime, defending any and all who needed him, even when he was in the worst possible danger.

Jefferson noticed. Not that Miles, his son, was reckless, but rather that Spiderman was. Every now and then, the NYPD would get a call about Spiderman going up againt some baddies who looked a little too big to handle and Jefferson would take the call and show up to yell things like 'watch your blind spots' and 'you've got this, Spiderman' from the sidelines.

"Don't let him get too close!" Jefferson yelled from afar during a particularly bad fight. "He's got that stinger thingy on his back! Watch- Watch!"

"I have fought this guy before, ya know!" Miles shouted back, letting his voice slip a little. Usually, Miles was careful to lower his voice in a vain attempt to disguise himself, but when he was in the middle of something serious, it was hard to keep it up.

"Keep your core low! No, no, lower! Bend your knees!"

Miles dodged a few punches, weaving around the Scorpion's attacks. "This isn't helping!"

Jefferson watched the vigilante take a hit to the shoulder, gasping as the boy fell backwards and hit the pavement. The older man pulled his gun, firing a few shots at the bad guy. Scorpion turned his attention to the cop.

"Standing up for the little boy?"

Even though he spoke in a different language, years of Rio's Spanish around the house had given both Jefferson and Miles a pretty good understanding of the basics.

"Hey! I'm not that little!" Miles yelled as he shot a length of web at the Scorpion, setting it ablaze with shocks.

"You just try me!" Jeff yelled at the same time, shooting the Scorpion in the chest. The villain went down, hitting the sidewalk with a heavy thump.

Jefferson rushed to Spiderman's side, crouching down to check his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Miles smiled through his mask, putting on his deeper voice. "All in a day's work. Thanks for the backup, officer."

Jeff shook his head, remembering when the Scorpion had called the superhero a little boy, and how his voice had sounded so soft and sharp during the fight. Spiderman really was a little boy.

"As long as I'm around, I'm going to be backup," Jeff assured. "How's the shoulder?"

Miles shrugged. "A little sore."

The two parted ways, Jefferson still thinking about how young Spiderman had to be under the mask. He couldn't help but feel paternal towards the boy, looking out for reports of Spiderman sightings, upping his backup patrols, and getting involved in Spiderman's fights when things got out of hand. The police department made fun of the man for the first few weeks, but after a while, the joke died down. Jeff really cared about the superhero. Some thought it might have been because of Miles' love of Spiderman, like Jeff was trying to connect with his son, but some officers knew better. They'd heard Jeff grumbling under his breath about how reckless Spiderman was, and how dangerous the superhero could be, and how Jeff had to be there and help him.

And Miles, on the other side of things, was becoming accustomed to the man being around. He loved his father, especially when he got protective. It was annoying at times, but it made Miles feel all warm inside, like he was being watched out for.

And then... One day...

Miles flew through the air, landing on the sidewalk cleanly in a crouch. Rushing down the street, the teen watched out for the robbery he'd overheard on the police radio scanner. He got there just as Jefferson was pulling up, the both of them launching themselves into the action. The robber, who was putting up a fight, pulled a gun on Jefferson. Miles webbed the gun out of the robber's hand.

"Dad!"

Jefferson froze, not even reacting to the gun. Spiderman... called him Dad? Was that what he thought of the cop? Was he a father figure to the boy? Was it possible Spiderman didn't have a family to go home to? Did he need a parent?

While Jefferson was having a mental breakdown, Miles was having his own panic. Had he really just called his father 'Dad' while under the mask? Did anyone hear that? Was there going to be a news headline about Spiderman's daddy issues? Or, worse, was Jefferson going to be targeted as being close to Spiderman?

Both the officer and the superhero were so frozen in thought that the robber slipped away.

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Jefferson paused outside his son's door, taking a breath. It was going to be a hard conversation, but he knew that when people needed help, that came before everything else.

The man knocked, waiting for Miles' go-ahead. "Come in!"

"Hey, kiddo, can we talk?"

Miles nodded, setting down his book. "What's up?"

Jefferson took a seat on the edge of Miles' bed, looking up at his son, who was swiveled around in his desk chair. He took another heavy breath, preparing himself.

"Miles, do you know what I think the best day of my life is?"

Miles furrowed his brows. "No?"

"The day I became a father," Jefferson filled in, continuing. "I was so damn happy, Miles. And you're everything to me, you're smart and handsome and creative. And kind. Really kind. You really believe that when people need help, you give it to them, no matter what."

Miles nodded. "Yeah, of course. You have to help people."

"Exactly. Miles, your mother and I have talked a lot about this. We... we want to adopt."

"Adopt a what? A dog?"

Jefferson chuckled. "No, kid, we want to adopt a kid. A boy. A teen."

Miles' face didn't even change. "Adopt a what now?"

"A kid. Spiderman, actually."

Miles nearly choked. "Why do you think Spiderman needs to be adopted?"

"He called me 'Dad' while I was helping him in a fight. I think he needs someone- someone like a dad. He needs a dad, Miles, and a family, and he could be your brother. But only if you're okay with it."

Miles searched his father's face for any sign of joking, then burst into laughter and tears. It was just too much.

"Dad, I can tell you for certain that Spiderman doesn't need any more family, and he certainly doesn't need a brother."

Jefferson raised an eyebrow. "And how would you know that? Miles, I am shocked at you! Why can't you see how much he needs this?"

Miles took a deep breath. The jig was up. "Dad. I need to tell you something."