#please imagine a cute little cartoony spider

[beanghostprincess]

Sanji has arachnophobia but like. The type of arachnophobia that makes you have panic attacks even if you only see a little, tiny spider around you. And I just know Usopp would love to have a pet spider. They go to an island and Usopp finds a hurt spider and takes care of it because of course he would, and decides to keep it because of course he would.

So, uh, Sanji doesn't like his boyfriend's pet. It's not like he's going to tell him, because what would he say to him? Sanji hasn't told him his fear of spiders is that bad (he definitely knows, though). And he doesn't want to get in between Usopp's excitement of keeping her. So the spider stays and at least Usopp is aware that Sanji doesn't like her, so he doesn't let her go close to him (she's very polite so it's okay).

But Usopp loves having her around. On his shoulder, his head, his hands-- The guy brings her with him everywhere. And the little thing is smart and somehow seems to understand what Usopp says. They're happy. It's cute. Luffy absolutely loves her. Robin is literally thrilled to study her behavior. And Sanji can't even look at her because he will start hyperventilating the second he notices her.

He'd try to get over his fear of her because Usopp wants them to get along but he won't force it on Sanji. Sanji just knows he wants them to be friends. The spider lives in Usopp's terrarium, which he keeps in his workshop, and so Sanji goes there without telling his boyfriend.

And he tries. He really, really tries. He's shaking when he sees her there, even if she's inside the terrarium. He's barely able to breathe when he tries to get her out of there. Again and again repeating the words Usopp constantly tells him "She's more afraid of you than you are of her" (which is bullshit, in Sanji's opinion) and "She only wants to be your friend! She likes you because I like you" (something extremely romantic but Sanji's brain doesn't process it that way).

He's about to call it a day and try to calm himself down before he actually stops breathing for good. But. You know. The terrarium is on the edge of the table that's already full of Usopp's stuff and the tablecloth is long and- And the terrarium falls and breaks and the spider ends on Sanji's foot-

He doesn't want to do it and it happens in instinct and regrets it immediately, but he kicks the spider. He doesn't know where she lands and he doesn't react immediately to it because he's too focused on trying to learn how to breathe again. He sits on the floor around broken glass and dirt and doesn't realize what he's done until he starts looking for her again. It's not even because of Usopp anymore. She's just a spider. She hasn't done anything but... Existing. She shouldn't be blamed for that. Even if Sanji is afraid of her.

Sanji looks around for her without getting up and finds her alive and well and crawling around avoiding the glass, but also trying to stay away from Sanji as much as possible. That breaks his heart because he might not know what she thinks the way Usopp does, but he knows when someone is scared.

At least she's okay. She's alright. That's a relief.

"I'm sorry, I-" He feels a bit stupid talking to her like this, but he knows she gets it. He hopes she does. "It's not you. You're- He loves you, okay? You're a good girl. I just- I just can't."

He feels his chest tightening when she approaches him ever so slowly, but he knows she won't do anything. His heart doesn't share the same sentiment, but he quiets it down. She looks almost apologetically as if she was the one reassuring Sanji and not the other way around. "It must be tiring." He holds his legs close to his chest to make space for her to walk next to his feet. He feels like he's about to pass out, but she's respectful. And nice. And kind of cute, even. And she's Usopp's. Sanji thinks she tilts her little head confusedly. Thinks, because he isn't quite sure if they do that. "It sucks, right? People being afraid of you all the time. I- I can't say I'm not scared but- But you haven't done anything wrong, little one."

She stays there and doesn't move much for a few seconds, until she ends up crawling up and resting on top of Sanji's shoe. The same way she does when she spends her time on Usopp's shoulder. Sanji isn't that afraid anymore. He's overwhelmed and exhausted and really, really anxious, but he trusts her. Somehow.

Sanji looks around the room, his heart clenching with blame. "I'm sorry- For your home. I'll build you a new one. Well. Not- Not me. I don't know how to. Usopp will. Shit, he'll hate me after this..." But before he can start dwelling on it, the spider moves a little on his leg. And It isn't as bad as he thought. If she's going to murder him in his sleep it's a bit deserved after all. But she won't. He hopes she won't. "You know, you're kind of cute." She tries to crawl up to his knee, but it makes him jump a little. "Don't- Not really ready for, like, upper body touching. Please?" And somehow, she listens and goes back to her position. "Damn, you can understand what I say, can you? Smart girl."

And she doesn't say anything, but Sanji takes it as a yes. Both because he likes talking to her and also because he doesn't want to feel so damn stupid.

A few hours later, Usopp goes back to his workshop and finds Sanji asleep on the floor, lucky he didn't touch any shards of glass, and the spider rests on his foot happily. Or at least it looks like that for Usopp.

He'll ask what happened later, for now, it's time to clean the mess without waking up his boyfriend. He's been brave enough for a day.

[tiny-tim-writes]

Side notes before i begin:

This is supposed to be set in the movie Spider-Man: Into the SpiderVerse. I imagined it happening before the spiders leaving for the final fight with King Pin.

Miles and Gwen are apparently tgt and married in a few continuities. I like this.

Another side note:

it was written more like a movie script than a story, it flows better to me and it was easier to get my pov/idea across that way.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So.

Miles n Gwen are training/sparring, a room or two away from everyone else.

Gwen knocks him down once, twice.

Cut to another scene where Miles is fighting a training system and Gwen is on the sidelines, sitting cross-legged on a platform of sorts, giving advice, that he either doesn't understand or doesn't work for him.

He gets knocked down again, to which he says:

It's useless, I'm never gonna be like you guys.

Gwen stops for a second, then two. And three. She seems somewhat thoughtful. She turns the programme off, and stares at Miles, calculating. The longer she stared, the more it felt like she was staring through him rather than at.

Miles: Um... hi?

He does a small wave with an awkward air.

Gwen: Hm...

She signs, jumps off her lil perch and walks towards Miles, looking slightly upset and a bit... self deprecating. Huh.

Gwen: I think I found our problem.

Miles: I'm just not meant to be Spider-Man?

Gwen flicks him, hard. He flinches, rubbing his forehead with a whine.

Gwen: No. It's cause we've being teaching you wrong.

Miles looks at her for a moment, puzzled. He responds, frantic energy coming off him in waves, confusion clear in his voice.

Miles: But... you're Spider-Woman. You've been Spider-Woman for two years! You guys have been doing this basically forever!! You're way better at this than I'll ever be.

Gwen sighs.

Gwen: That's it. That's the problem.

Miles: That you guys are all better than me?

Gwen shakes her head, hands covering her face in either frustration, or exasperation, Miles couldn't tell.

Dragging her hand down her face, her reply was a bit muffled.

Gwen: No, we've been trying to train you like us, when we should be trying to help you find you.

Miles: Help me... find me?

Gwen: Pfttttt- okay, look at me.

He does a quick side glance, it was easy to see his awkwardness at the request. Well, from Gwen, it was more like an order. But still. She rolls her eyes, then refocuses.

Gwen: My costume. Anything defining or that stands out from the others?

He pauses, then stares. His eyes go to her left. Then go back to the right. Left and right again.

Miles: Your hood? Um, the zigzag pattern?

Gwen: Yeah, what else?

Miles: Yooouuuuuurrrrrr shoes?

Gwen looks pleased, but patient.

Gwen: Okay, what about my shoes?

Miles continues at her suprisingly gentle urging.

Miles: Um, your shoes. They're the only teal on you, and wrap around... they're ballet shoes- right?

Gwen's pratically bouncing now, her ecstaticy suprisingly clear for someone who was previously quite closed off.

Gwen: Yeah, but why am i the only one who has ballet shoes?

Miles' confusion continues, but he looks to be piecing it together.

Miles: Okay, they're ballet shoes. So u do ballet. But... is it because u do ballet while you fight?

Gwen: Exactly! I have ballet shoes because i mixed my ballet training into the way i fight. So do the others.

She walked a way off to pace a bit. Her hands waved a little, her hand passing through her hair once or twice, tucking it behind her ears. She was kinda cute when she was being less cold. She turned back to Miles, startling him out of his thoughts.

Gwen: Noir, he mixes boxing. Porker uses Cartoony Logic.  Penny uses her robot to do her Japanese Mecha moves. Peter B. and this dimension's Spider-Man used something he called The Way of The Spider? Apparently, it's supposed to be a mix of gymnastics, martial arts and the spider-sense they both created... in separate dimensions... at the same ti- it doesn't matter.

Miles: Uh, kinda sounds like it does matter-

Gwen turned back to him fully, apparently done with pacing and hand waving. At least for now.

Gwen: The point is: It works for us because it's made for us. I can't box the same way Peter can't do ballet based moves. You can't do it like us because you're not us. You're you. So you gotta find what works with you.

Miles: Uh...huh. and, do i get any help with that?

Gwen: I don't think it'd work out, we don't exactly know what would work for you. Only what would work for us. And last time we tried...

She didn't have to reference it, he could still hear Penny and Porker. Yeesh.

Miles: Yea. I got it. Find myself. Shouldn't be that hard, heh.

Gwen stops, puts a hand to his shoulder. He looks up at her, and she smiles, soft and sure, her eyes a quiet steel.

Gwen: Hey. It's gonna be fine. You'll figure it out. I know you will. It's part of the job.

He smiles back, and she pats his shoulder before walking past, leaving him to his thoughts.