An Old Aching Heart (Father!Miguel and Reader)

Chapter 16 - Twined together

Miguel's POV

"Lyla! Where the hell did she go?" I yell into my watch. I was running through the corridors, trying to focus on two things at once, which was hard. "It seems she's headed to go home, Miguel." Lyla responds. I let out a growl in my throat and turn myself to begin running towards where she must be.

I burst I to the room, once again dealing the door that was just rebuilt and saw one of the Spiders... Some tech one... Operating the large mechanical spider that sends people home.

In the centre of the web: Y/n.

As much as I wanted to tell in anger, run towards her and begin ripping the mechanical spider to shreds to prevent her from going home, I didn't.

I walked as calmly as I could, towards her. "Listen, kid." I say, trying to sound non-threatening.

She turned to me, looking through the painted panes of the spider web.  Her eyes were red, they looked sore. I didn't even really know what to say. All I did was look down at her.

She was fiddling with her nails, pulling on the sleeve of her suit too.

I have duties. So many thoughts ran through my mind. Ways I could sove this tangle of inconsistencies, problems and obstacles in my way. Could I send her to a universe where we haven't met yet? Make them meet? How would that even go. Knowing her, she'd refuse and not even go near.

I weight hung on my chest that I didn't know what to do with. I could carry buses, trains, but not this one guilt. "I want what's best for us. For all of us." I manage to say slowly. I was having trouble forming words in my mouth.

She reminded me of my Gabby. So small, so innocent. At least that's what it looked like on the surface. Did I really mean what I said earlier? That this was a mistake?

I place my hand on the glass like structure. The spider had slowed down, as if the machine was halted for now. I felt the static buzz on my fingertips. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

"I can't be your dad." I begin to say. "Because I'm not your dad. We are different people." I look at her. She's not breaking eye contact, her eyes piercing into mine, searching. It made me jump. Not from fear, no... This was something different. Like my heart was in my stomach.

Her eyes were like hers.

"I don't... It's okay..." I begin to choke out. My words felt massive in my throat. I bit my lip, drawing blood. How the hell am I meant to approach this?

Y/n's POV

I watched the man posing as my father in front of me, through hues of green and purple. It hurt my chest to see him, it hurt me. I wanted to cry, I wanted to call out. Some of me just wanted to give him a hug.

Why?

I hate this man. I do. Don't I? Why do I feel to compelled towards him, when he has shown time and time again he is not the father I crave to meet once again, the one I've been mourning? He's just a mere portrait, a picture of him, painted by the gods who decided to place me in this cruel universe, to suffer through the loss of another father when I leave forever to go home.

I place my hand where his was pressed towards me, like a failed attempt to reach out. The ripples protruding from my finger tips as I touched the pure energy rolled over onto his, as if I was touching him but not quite there. The glass hue was the wall separating two hurt people.

That's all we are at the end of the day.

Two people who fate decided to twine together.

"Dad." I whisper. He didn't flinch this time, instead his eyes softened and the corners of his mouth are tugged ever so slightly to form a small smile.

Suddenly, the machine shut off. The webs surrounding me disintegrated and the mechanical spider above crawled back into it's little hiding space in the ceiling.

As the thin wall separating our hands disappeared with it, our palms pressed together. I didn't even realise I was leaning forward, towards him.

I looked up at him.

I saw relief.

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A/N: Using my Grade 7 in English Language to good use here