Roman POV
11 years later,
Knight-Reyes Residence,
Harlem, New York.
"Roman! !Date prisa, muchacho! You're gonna be late!" A beautiful voice resounds from downstairs, sounding amazing even though its owner is yelling.
"¡En un minuto, mamá! I gotta make sure I pass the drip check!" I yell down the stairs, hovering in the air to look at my full reflection in the mirror.
It's been eleven years since I arrived on Earth, and I'm approximately twelve years old.
I say approximately because even I don't know exactly how long I was drifting in space before arriving here.
But I looked young enough to pass as a kid, so that's what my moms and pops put on my birth certificate.
I'm definitely way bigger than your average sixth grader though. At around 5 foot 10 (178 cm) with an athletic, sturdy physique, I stand out.
Besides the fact that… you know, I'm an alien.
Floating in the air before my bathroom mirror, I grin at my reflection.
Perfect waves with a fade, flawless skin thanks to my Kryptonian heritage, unique dark brown eyes flecked with hazel, and devilishly superior looks?
Yeah. I've definitely reached the ultimate level of perfection.
It's only fitting that the best person also looks the best. Sure, my mom gets annoyed at my constant flirting, but hey—what can I say? As God's gift to women, it would be a crime to be anything less than perfect! Ahem… moving on…
My fit?
A white hoodie with the words Virginity Rocks, a gift from Auntie Misty that annoys my mom to no end.
My golden cross chain with my initials on it that I got from my moms is tucked beneath it, resting over the beater I'm wearing under the hoodie.
My pristine white Forces, kept immaculate by hours of dedicated cleaning, pair perfectly with my sweats that match the hoodie.
Yeah… I'mthatnigga.
I reach for my bookbag, then visibly cringe.
The ridiculously ugly beige theme is mortifying, and there's no way I'm letting that monstrosity ruin my vibe.
But imagining my mom's face if I refuse to carry it makes me shudder.
Despite my insane powers and inability to actually be harmed, that woman still scares me.
She's my Kryptonite, if you will. With a resigned sigh, I head downstairs, plotting my next move.
Almost immediately after landing on Earth, I started to rapidly absorb sunlight.
I could feel myself getting stronger in real time, and I still can.
But I didn't want to spook my moms, and pops was already suspicious.
Luckily, I have the consciousness and intelligence of my past self.
Paired with my rapidly improving Kryptonian physique, I was able to act like a normal human kid.
My parents still don't know about my powers, thanks to my perfect body control.
In fact, they think I'm the result of some shady Earth organization's failed experiment.
I didn't want to do the cliché "acting weak even though I'm stronger than the Hulk" routine, but here we are.
I figured it'd be easier to pretend I was a mutant and just suddenly awaken my abilities one day.
At least that way, it'd make sense to my parents who've never had a kid before, let alone an insanely powerful alien one.
Lost in my thoughts, I almost don't hear Auntie Rio's voice.
"—man, Roman? Román Reyes? ¿Estás sonámbulo o algo así?" she asks, noticing my absent-minded look.
"H-huh? Oh! ¡Tía Rio! I missed you!" I say, dodging her question by running up and hugging my mother's sister, who looks taken aback by my sudden display of affection.
"I... I missed you too?" Rio says in happy confusion.
But my eagle-eyed mom throws me straight under the bus with a look of annoyance.
"Don't let that boy fool you, mi hermana. He didn't hear a word you said. He just deflected by acting like the perfect nephew. He's cunning, thanks to his father's side," she finishes, sending a look straight at my pops, who's busy reviewing a document sent by my Auntie Misty and Colleen.
My pops coughs and looks away, used to these shots by now.
"¡Tía Rio! That's not true at all! It's impossible to ignore my supermodel auntie! I even heard mamá tell Dad once that she was secretly jealous! I think it's true!" I say innocently, shooting a sly grin at my mom over Rio's shoulder.
My mom's face goes wide in shock, but before she can reply, I yell, "Oh no! School's in an hour, we gotta hurry!" I dash to my auntie's dinged and battered Impala.
Opening the door, I slide inside, settling next to my cousin Miles and dapping him up with a grin.
"Yo cuz! What's the word?" I say, instantly shifting from "Perfect nephew" to my real personality.
"Not much, fam. But I nearly got grounded by my mamá for having too many girls coming by the house. So, thanks for that…" he says, wincing slightly at the memory.
"You're totally welcome, fam. You'll thank me one day."
"I would. Except they only come over to see you're around. Which kinda hurts. But…"
"But you like it anyway! A nigga after my own heart." I grin.
Miles grins back. "Yeah… somethin' like that. We still gotta pick up Tamara and D'Kiyah, right? Plus JMac?"
"Yeah," I say, pulling out my phone and slinging my arm around Miles' shoulder, snapping a pic. "Yo, this is going on the 'Gram!"
Miles POV
As Roman takes a selfie, I shake my head with a small smile. I'm not really the extrovert like him, not even close, but he always pulls me into his orbit, and I end up in the spotlight by default.
Being the cousin of the handsome, popular kid makes it impossible to stay unnoticed.
Especially when that cousin takes handsome and popular to an entirely new level.
My mind drifts back to yesterday, when school let out.
Miles Flashback
Roman had basketball practice, and I was chilling in the gym working on Mrs. Mendoza's chemistry homework.
I was deep in thought and didn't even notice her until I smelled her perfume.
Turning, I saw the girl I've liked since damn near Pre-K. Keisha Clark.
Long light braids framed her glowing almond skin.
Her warm brown eyes seemed to draw you in without even trying.
And it didn't hurt that she had the biggest ass in our sixth-grade class.
As I awkwardly tried to play it cool, she leaned in close, making me lose my grip on reality entirely.
"Um… hey. You're Miles, right?" she asked eagerly, causing physiological reactions I prayed she didn't notice.
"Y-yeah. That's me. Um… can I help you?" I stammered, both excited and insanely curious.
"Actually… yeah. I heard you're Roman's cousin. Me and a few friends were wondering if you knew his number?" she said, slightly biting her lip and twirling a braid, instantly making my body heat up.
Before I knew it, I gave her Roman's number like I was hypnotized.
"Thanks so much! Bye!" she called, skipping away, snapping me back to reality.
And that's when I realized—
The girl I'd liked as long as I could remember just used me to get my cousin's number. And I… actually gave it to her...
I started thinking about my standing at school:
"Yo, he Roman's cousin. He chill people. What up, Em-Em?"
and—
"Yo, Em-Em! We headin' to the Coney after school if Roman and you tryna kick it!"
I realized I was "Roman's blood," not Miles Morales.
I was annoyed at first, upset even, but Roman genuinely cared about me and wasn't doing this on purpose, so I let it go.
Plus, trying to stay mad at Roman is like trying to fight the Hulk. Completely impossible. Eventually I decided to just do my thing and let him do his.
At least, that's what I thought… until Roman's words just now cut through that thought like Wolverine through paper.
Miles POV (Present)
"Yo! Yo! Cuz!MILES!" Roman yells, snapping me out of my memories.
"Huh? What? " I say.
"Nigga, get some hearing aids! I just put you on with Brandi! Brandi Carter! You know? super hot white chick. Brunette? Captain of our undefeated dance team? Ring a bell?" Roman grins, his perfect teeth gleaming almost as bright as his mischievous eyes.
"Roman?" I say, completely stunned. "Forget someday! I'm thanking you now! You for real, cuz! Good lookin' out!"
"You know how I do! Anyway, she and McKenna are meeting us after school for a double date. Just make sure your moms think it's a study session or something." He pauses before adding, "Both our moms would absolutely kill us if they found out we're going to Long Island on a date—"
"Oh?" a voice cuts in from the curb, sounding dangerously sweet. As if on cue, Roman and I look up, faces pale, as we see both our mothers standing there with lived expressions.
"A date in Long Island? I had no idea our sons were bold enough to plan sneaking out. For girls, no less. Did you know, Marianna?"
"Of course not. But… I do now."
Gulp!
Gulp!
As if on cue, Roman and I audibly gulp.
We're so dead…
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