Jefferson figuring out that his son is Spider-Man but instead of telling him “hey you blew your secret” and possibly freaking him out, starts quietly training him in correct police procedure (without him knowing) while also repeatedly talking about how he had issues with the old Spider-Man but the new one seems like a brave and responsible young man and how he would be totally proud of him if he were this guy’s parents
Jefferson: you’ve got everything you need for the week? Books? Computer? Spray paint? Web fluid? Shoes?
Miles: wait what was that middle thing
Jefferson: spray paint! I support my son’s artistic endeavors
AISBSKSHISGSIWHEJFSHSJHDHSUEHSKSHWKA
Rio: okay but is he seeing that ballerina spider-girl or not? He seems very fond of her
Jefferson: well he’s very insistent that she’s Spider-Woman but honestly he always seems to want to act professional when he’s in the mask so I can’t tell
Rio: you could ask him
Jefferson: honey we need to let him have his privacy he doesn’t want us to know
LATER
Rio: I wonder if the new Spider-Man has a girlfriend he seems like he’d be very nice
Miles, sweating: mom are you trying to set me up with Spider-Man
I’m sorry, but Miles Morales pretending to date Spider-man to keep his secret identity while his parents 100% know that he’s Spider-man is PEAK humor
imagine miles’ dad is on his way home one night when he spots spiderman sitting by himself on the roof of a building
he looks small, and lonely, and fragile
and jefferson, who has a son around spiderman’s age, can’t ignore the impulse to make sure he’s okay
so he finds his way to spiderman’s perch and settles down next to him
they sit in silence for a long time, spiderman staring up at the moon in thoughtful silence
it’s almost five minutes before he finally speaks
“i was there, you know”
jefferson doesn’t understand
spiderman hugs his leg to his chest, resting his cheek on his knee as he turns his face to the officer sitting at his side
“when peter died,” he says by way of explanation, and his voice is wavering with the threat of tears. “i’d only had my powers for a day, and i was so scared. i had no idea what was happening to me. but then he showed up.”
jefferson is baffled, his whole world turned on its axis. somehow, he’d never thought about who spiderman had been before he was spiderman. there was a part of him that had just kind of assumed he’d been different from birth. a part of him had bought into the lie that spiderman was indestructible, that he had always known what he was doing and who he was.
“he said he’d teach me,” says spiderman, voice bitter with longing. “he promised he’d show me the ropes and be there for me when i needed him. and then he died.”
“i’m sorry you had to experience that,” says jefferson, because he doesn’t know what else to say. and it’s the most natural feeling in the world to reach out to the young hero and wrap him in a hug.
he fits in jefferson’s arms like he’s always belonged there, and in a moment of clarity, jefferson feels everything click into place
“i watched fisk kill him, and i didn’t do anything,” sobs the child in his arms, the child that jefferson would recognize anywhere, in any life. “it’s my fault he died. i killed spiderman”
“Oh miles,” he says, voice gentle as he reaches down to remove the mask from his son’s face so he can wipe his tears away with gentle fingers. “you didn’t kill spiderman. you brought him back to us.”
