[⚠︎] ▼ 𝙵𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚑 𝙱𝚒𝚝𝚎 ▲ Miguel O'Hara x Reader▼ 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷/ 𝟸

▸ FIVE ◂

You find yourself alone in a training room to enhance your skills with your new suit and lack of weapons, but really, you were seeking to let off some steam. You couldn't help but feel a bitterness rising within you. 

Miguel's order for you to stay put as he left gnawed at your pride. It made you feel small and weak, as though he thought you could not handle another anomaly despite your obvious capability.

For the next few hours, you were dedicated into mastering your web-shooters. With time, you began to swing effortlessly across the vast, empty gym. But it wasn't long before you transitioned to close combat, where your real skills came alive. Training bots swarmed you in groups, and you felt your heart pulse at the thrill.

One by one—or often five at a time—you tore through them with precision and ease. Sparks flew as you struck, dismantling their joints with deadly efficiency. The room echoed with the sound of metal clashing and tearing under your hands.

When other Spider-People occasionally entered the gym to train or hang out, they froze at the sight of you in action. Watching you dismantle the bots with alarming speed and unrelenting aggression sent a chill down their spines. They whisper nervously among themselves and quickly retreat, leaving you alone once more in the vast space. The stillness only increased your singular focus as you reset the training bots for another round.

Here, in the empty gym, you pushed your body to its limits, trying to eliminate the burning frustration of uselessness in your chest. The sound of the metal denting and tearing became your rhythm of release, each hit helping to fill the emptiness you felt. It wasn't much, but it was something. The weakness within you began to fade, replaced by a hard-earned clarity the more you destroyed.

After countless victories, you took a moment to hydrate, the water cold against your dry throat. You saw major improvements in your abilities and an immense boost in your confidence. You practically mastered slinging your webs in just a few hours. As you stretch out your sore muscles, you sigh in relief, feeling incredibly better.

But as the hours slipped by, the silence began to suffocate you. The gym, once a haven for venting your frustrations, now felt smothering. Boredom crept in, accompanied by an unexpected loneliness. You wiped your head with a towel as your thoughts shift toward Miguel and the others. How long had it been since you last saw them? Were they alright? Should you request a status report from Lyla? What if they needed help? No, you weren't capable. You weren't ready.

You growl out in frustration and abandon the gym, heading straight for your room to turn in for the night. You sought relaxation, but it didn't come easy.

Once in your room, you indulged in a hot shower, the boiling water drilling into your back and trailing down your aching muscles. You were always accustomed to taking less than five-minute showers, but with your newly found freedom, you stayed in for the next hour. The warmth of the water washed away your worries, taking the tension with it down the drain. Still, the irritation remained, simmering beneath the surface. You'd been left behind—left to stew in your own feelings of uselessness—and the pettiness you felt toward Miguel was hard to shake.

The shower helped, but not completely, you still didn't feel the relaxation you were seeking. You dressed in comfortable clothes that were already in the dresser, slipping on tight leggings that didn't cover your long limbs all the way, as well as a thin, long-sleeved shirt. You head toward the cafeteria in search of something small and satisfying to eat despite it being the late hours of the night. You remember Miguel told you there was a small, convenient kitchen open to the public whenever the cafeteria was closed for the night.

As you venture down the building, you can feel the leggings as they stretch over your curves with every step, so you make a mental note to go shopping for bigger clothes. But with what money? You weren't even allowed to take down anomalies yet, so how could you earn their currency? You bite your cheek in annoyance, planning to hold Miguel accountable later.