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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

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fake it

a/n: this one is an oldie that I’m sure has been on tumblr on my old account but 🤷🏽‍♀️fake dating tropes are just a classic warnings: so much cheese, mentions of blood/fighting/guns, language of course, and oh no...there’s only one bed... pairing: peter parker x reader word count: 9.9k (damn) summary: peter comes up with the brilliant idea of you both fake dating each other as a way to get the team to back off on the couple comments

masterlist ~ requests are closed

"Okay so you know how the team won't leave us alone about wanting us to date?"

"Weird way to start a conversation, but go on," you barely glanced up from your math homework to see your best friend biting his lip with his eyebrows scrunched up, clearly deep in thought.

"Okay hear me out," Peter put his hands flat on the table, leaning forward. "What if we did date?"

"What?" You laughed a little, giving him a weird look. "Did you hit your head during patrol?"

"I meant like, what if we pretended to date? We already hang out a lot and it wouldn't be so hard to act like we're together. It would get them to shut up about it, right?"

"That's just giving them what they want, though," you knit your eyebrows, "Wouldn't that just make the comments worse?"

You and Peter had been friends ever since you both joined the team as trainees a few years ago. It was easy to get close when you were both the same age, and you did missions and went on patrol together. Peter was your best friend and even though that was all there was, the team didn't seem to think so.

It seemed like you couldn't even look at Peter without one of them commenting on how cute you would be together. Or how Peter needed to hurry up and ask you out, since it was apparently so obvious you two were into each other. But that wasn't the case for either of you.

Sure, Peter was cute, but you had never thought of him as anything more than your friend, and you knew he felt the same. It was getting weird with the team trying to push you together when you were perfectly fine with what you already had. Your friendship was getting strained and uncomfortable, and you were both looking for anything to get them to stop so it could just go back to normal.

Maybe Peter was onto something with this idea.

"At first maybe, but then we could like, stage a break up and decide to be just friends or something and they'd have to lay off because that would be messed up if they kept pushing us to be together after we broke up. They aren't mean, it'll finally stop."

"Okay," you could wrap your head around the idea a little easier. You tapped your pencil on your head, thinking, "But I thought you were going to ask MJ out, why don't you just date her? Then they'll leave us both alone and we don't have to lie about it."

Peter let out a groan, sitting in the chair next to you and putting his head in his hands in a typical dramatic fashion. You might've laughed if he hadn't looked so upset all of a sudden.

"Oh, should I have not brought that up?" You winced a little as his annoyed expression. "I thought you had, like, a plan and everything-"

"Brad Davis is ruining my plan," he muttered, and you frowned. "I hate that the blip made him our age and now I have to deal with him trying to get with MJ before I can."

"Hey, but there's still a chance, right?" You encouraged, hating seeing him this upset over something that hadn't even happened yet. "I mean, he's not with her yet. As long as you don't use that God-awful lego themed pick up line on her-"

"Shut up," he whined, pouting a little dramatically as you snickered. "That was a joke when I said it to you."

"And it was the worst line anyone has ever used on me," you tapped his nose with your pencil, chuckling when he scrunched his nose up and swatted it away. "But seriously, I'm sure you have a chance still."

"I don't know," he sighed, shaking his head. "Okay but if we did fake date then maybe she would get jealous and then-"

"Bad idea," you cut him off, "Making a girl jealous like that would never work in your favor. It could backfire bad. Plus, I don't hang out with your friends often, how would she even know? It's not a good plan. If we're doing this, the team is the only one that can and should know. I don't want to lie to a bunch of people and make a mess."

He lifted his head, grinning, "So we're doing it?"

"It seems like it could work," you shrugged, "I'm getting tired of Sam saying I give you heart eyes every time I look in your direction. Literally yesterday I looked out the window and he asked if I was thinking about you, but really I just saw a billboard advertising half off milkshakes and that's all I could think about all day. No offense but that sounded more appealing than you do."

Peter snickered, "Yeah, and whenever I train with you and Tony tells me to keep my hands to myself. Which doesn't even make sense because how am I meant to keep my hands to myself when we're sparring?"

You chuckled with him, shaking your head. "We have to plan it. They need to buy it and it needs to last long enough to be believable, but also short enough that they don't get suspicious when we end things and decide to stay friends. Okay?"

"Sounds good to me," he agreed, sticking his hand out for you shake. You laughed and shook it, squealing when he yanked you up and spun you around in a hug.

"Put me down, menace!" You laughed as he set you down, frowning at the nickname you started giving him ever since that guy at the Daily Bugle coined it for Spider-Man.

"This'll be easy," he stole your pencil from you, sitting down and sliding your homework over to look at. "Not as easy as this math homework that you're somehow doing wrong, though."

"What?" You complained, sitting next to him and looking at your sheet over his shoulder. "What am I doing wrong?"

You weren't sure how Peter managed to keep such good grades while also being Spider-Man, but you supposed it was because he was just naturally so smart. You were struggling just to pass at this point, and you didn't even patrol with him as often just so you could try and save your grades.

Sometimes you wished you went to school with Peter just so you could copy his notes and pass a class as easy as he did.

"I'll show you," he said a little cheekily, and you stuck your tongue out at him. "We covered this stuff last year."

"Oh sorry, I forgot you went to a genius school," you poked his cheek, and he made a face, "Nerd."

"Do you want my help or not?"

"Hey lovebirds," Tony's voice interrupted your comeback, the nickname making you grimace a little as he walked into the kitchen. "What're you kiddies up to?"

"Peter's trying to teach me math since apparently I'm incapable."

"I never said you were incapable," he protested.

"Okay well, keep things PG," Tony grabbed something from a cabinet , "I'll allow PG-13 but only once I leave, please."

You tossed your empty water bottle at the back of his head as he left laughing, but Peter webbed it and brought it back before it could smack him. He shot you a glare while you crossed your arms, leaning back.

"Should've let me hit him."

"Peter, I've removed a bullet from your shoulder, I can hold your hand without getting weirded out," you muttered, and he gave you a sheepish look.

You were both in the elevator on your way to the briefing room for a mission that would be in a few weeks. Being briefed this early was a little annoying, but Steve liked to plan ahead. Way ahead, apparently.

"Just don't want to make you uncomfortable," he said, which was pretty sweet of him but also it was literally just holding hands.

"Dude, we're gonna have to do more than hold hands to convince them we're dating," you pointed out, taking initiative and just grabbing his hand.

"Like what?" He made a face, "I don't really feel like making out with you in front of the team, although that would definitely get the point across-"

"I didn't mean that, idiot," you rolled your eyes, "Pet names. Cheek kisses. Put your arm around my shoulder. Staring into each other's eyes. Be like that really annoying couple in second period that always gets separated. We don't have to kiss at all but if we just act like normal and all we do is hold hands, they're gonna be suspicious."

"Okay, fake dating expert," he wiggled his eyebrows at you and you shook your head, "What's your favorite pet name?"

"I don't have one," you shrugged, "Just call me babe or something, I don't know."

"That's not romantic enough," he gave you a look, "Aren't we supposed to be, like, in love?"

"In love?" You couldn't help but laugh at that, "We're two high schoolers just beginning to date, I doubt they expect it to be that deep. And if they do then something is wrong with them."

"Whatever you say, sweetheart," he grinned just as the elevator doors opened, and you tried to ignore the weird feeling you got when he said that nickname as he tugged you out into the briefing room.

Maybe you did have a favorite pet name after all.

"About time you guys showed up, Steve was going to start without you," Bucky grumbled, earning a look from Steve.

"We aren't even late," Peter complained, "And Tony isn't here either!"

"He's not joining on this mission," Steve said, "Are we gonna start the briefing or talk some more about Tony?"

You exchanged a look with Peter while Steve and Nat started going over the basics, Bucky and Sam listening as you both sat down. No one seemed to notice you and Peter were holding hands and sitting as close as possible, which was weird.

Though you figured soon enough someone would have to point it out, considering how eager they always are to tease you both.

During the rundown Sam made some comment about you two always being paired together and how it was a sign from the universe or something. Instead of protesting or making a snarky comeback you and Peter just glanced at each other.

"Yeah, maybe," Peter shrugged, shooting you a wink. Normally you would've rolled your eyes but you just smiled back at him.

"Yo, they're holding hands!" Sam suddenly yelled out, pointing to you both. That comment must've made him finally notice.

"So what?" You acted nonchalant. "Isn't it normal for couples to hold hands or is that like, some weird rule and not allowed in the briefing room-"

"You've been dating?" Nat asked flatly, raising an eyebrow. "You're together?"

"Yeah, we thought you guys knew," Peter said, frowning. "You kept referencing us being together? I thought we were all on the same page here."

"Wait, really?" Bucky asked with a blank expression, and you both nodded. "This isn't a joke?"

"Yeah I mean, you guys kept pushing it and we realized maybe you were right. What's the big deal?" Peter shot you a soft grin, throwing an arm over your shoulder.

"Okay, well, should we continue talking about their dating lives or the really important mission we're meant to be going on?" Steve changed the subject while Bucky gave you both a suspicious look.

Pranks were common from you both and you could already tell Bucky thought something was up. If this was going to really work, they had to think it was real before you guys "broke up". If they thought it was fake at all, the teasing would never stop and probably only get worse.

Peter squeezed your hand and gave you a thumbs up when the others weren't looking. But you knew this was only step one.

The easy part was over - convincing them you guys were serious would probably be harder.

"How was school?"

Peter let out a groan and collapsed against you in the middle of the sidewalk, making you laugh. He gave you a giant bear hug and didn't let you pull away, letting out a dramatic sigh while you patted his back.

It had been a few weeks now of the fake dating thing, and it seemed like Peter got way more comfortable around you what with all the hand holding and hugging and forehead kisses the last weeks entailed. You weren't even with the team and his hugs seemed to linger longer than normal, and once he even held your hand without realizing that no one was watching.

For the most part, they seemed to buy it - though Bucky and Tony were both obviously suspicious, and had tried to trick you both into admitting you guys weren't dating, but so far you and Peter were in the clear.

"That bad, huh?"

"Boring," he mumbled against your hair before finally pulling back. "I just want to patrol."

"We can patrol after I eat, I had to skip lunch and now I'm starving," you complained, tugging his arm. "Can we please go get Thai? I haven't been to that place by your apartment in ages and I'm kinda hoping that guy gives us free food again because of how hot your aunt is."

"I'm gonna pretend you didn't say that," Peter shuddered while you grinned, "Yeah, I guess we can go there. But May isn't coming just so you can get free food."

"You're no fun."

He just gave you a look as you both headed toward the Thai place, complaining about how you were always hungry after school. You went into a long, definitely unnecessary rant about how you couldn't pack a lunch or buy lunch, as you both finally reached the restaurant.

"You could ask Sam to pack a lunch for you, he makes good PB&J," Peter held the door open for you.

"Thanks. But how could he make it good, it's literally three ingredients?"

"I don't know, he just does. Maybe it's his secret super power."

You both sat at your normal booth and you tried not to snicker when the waiter asked Peter if his aunt would be joining. Peter got his usual and you changed it up, Peter making a face when the waiter left.

"Why do you always change your order when you know you're probably going to hate what they give you?"

"It's called living on the edge, Peter," you pointed a finger at him, "And also I've never had anything here that I've hated, it's only that Italian place on seventh that I usually regret changed my order at."

"Right," he rolled his eyes, "Must've mixed them up, silly of me."

"If you're mean to me I'm going to email J.J. Jameson and tell him that Spider-Man sleeps in Thor themed pajamas and also send him photo evidence. I bet that would at least make the second page."

"Damn, you're diabolical. Wait where did you get photo evidence-" he paused as the waiter came back already, way more food than you ordered. "Uh, sir we didn't order this?"

"On the house. Tell May I said hi," he gave you both a little grin before going to the back, Peter putting his head in his hands.

"He gave us free food and she's not even here," you cheered a little while Peter rolled his eyes. "I wish I had the power your aunt clearly has."

"Okay, but seriously, you don't actually have a photo of me in Thor pajamas right?"

"No, but I could probably get it. Unrelated question but when is the next time you're spending the night at the tower?" you shoved some food into your mouth while Peter shot you a glare.

"Well now I'm not telling you."

"Fine. Any updates on MJ and that Chad guy?"

"Brad," he corrected, staring dejectedly at his bowl while he twirled his noodles. "I think she likes him."

"Really? What makes you think so?"

"I don't know, they just seem to be hanging out more. Ned said he heard them talking about going to a protest together."

You choked out a laugh, "Peter, a protest hardly sounds like a date. I mean, good on them for being activists or whatever, but I doubt it's a date thing."

"I don't know, I'm just...I feel like she's not into me like I thought she was," he sounded sad as he said it, and you couldn't help but feel bad.

"Peter, you're a great guy, and if MJ doesn't see that then she doesn't deserve you," you said simply, taking another bite of food while Peter stared at you for a moment. "What?"

"Nothing," he scrunched his eyebrows together. "Um, anyway. What about you?"

"Too busy to think about that," you shrugged, "Also I'm almost failing chemistry so I should probably focus on that instead of thinking about boys and girls right now-"

"You're failing chem?" Peter squeaked out, "Since when?"

"Since I started patrolling every single night with you, and training in my free time," you made a face, "I think I should take a break."

He gave you a concerned look, "I can help you study if you want."

"That would be nice," you agreed, shaking your head. Peter glanced above your shoulder while you were talking and frowned, but you didn't notice. "That math trick that you taught me the other night actually really helped, so if you got any more tips like that then you'd be a life saver-"

Peter suddenly moved a hand up to tuck a loose strand of your hair behind your ear, before leaving his hand cupping your cheek. You felt your cheeks warm up under his palm as he smiled softly at you.

"Uh, what're you doing?"

"Bucky and Sam are five tables away from us," he said quietly, and you relaxed a little. But then you frowned.

"Oh, God. Are they seriously spying on us?"

"I think so, they have hats and shades on, but I can totally tell it's them, plus Bucky hates Thai food so I doubt they're here to eat," he chuckled, dropping his hand from your face but taking your free hand in his, playing with your fingers, "Sorry if I caught you off guard."

"Don't worry about it, this is good actually. They're trying to see if we're faking it, maybe they'll lay off when they see we're clearly a couple since we act like this outside of the tower."

"Hm, seems like this just became a date then," he pressed a kiss to your knuckles while you laughed, wishing you could see the look on Sam and Bucky's faces, but you knew better than to look back.

Man, you hadn't been on a date in ages. And Peter was a really good fake boyfriend.

He cracked jokes and told ridiculous stories like he always did, but this time he was holding your hand or throwing an arm over your shoulder or even dropping some pick up lines (not involving legos, thankfully) that managed to fluster you a little, which you were sure was probably enough to convince Bucky and Sam.

You couldn't help but wonder why he hadn't been in a relationship yet. Sure, there was that brief thing with Liz, and he was trying to get with MJ, but you were shocked that there hadn't been anyone to snatch him up yet.

"I think they just left," Peter whispered after a while, and you risked a glance back to see the two men leaving.

"We should be actors," you lifted your hand up for a high five and laughed when Peter slapped his palm against yours.

"I can't believe they came and spied on us. When do you think they'll let up?"

"I'd give it a few weeks," you shrugged, "Then after I dump you it should hopefully stop completely."

"Why-why would you be the one dumping me?" He sounded offended, putting a hand on his chest.

"Because you're too nice to break up with me," you laughed when he scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Can't it be a mutual break up?"

"I don't know Parker, it seems like you're pretty in love with me," you teased, "It would be hard to convince them it wasn't me breaking your heart."

"Ouch," he mumbled, but there was a grin growing on his lips as he poked at his food.

"We all know you're a hopeless romantic," you laughed as he turned a little pink. "No point in denying it."

"Whatever," he threw a crumpled up napkin at you while you laughed again, ducking to avoid it.

"MJ's gonna be lucky when you finally get the guts to tell her how you feel. You're a pretty good fake boyfriend," you lifted your drink toward him while he rolled his eyes.

"Thanks. You're a good fake girlfriend, too."

"Aw, thanks babe! It's gonna be so hard when I fake dump you."

"Oh, shut up."

The next week you and Peter had pretty much gotten a routine down perfectly. It was almost too easy to pretend to be dating. You were so used to holding his hand around the base that you figured it was a habit now.

Tony and Bucky didn't seem totally convinced, but at this point you didn't care. You and Peter figured once they stopped being so suspicious, you'd stage your break up, he could go after MJ and you could just try and save your school grade.

Easy peasy.

"I swear that's his name," Peter laughed when you shook your head, swinging you hands in between you both as you walked toward the kitchen from the main floor.

"Come on, Pete, you know that's just ridiculous, why would his actual name be Dr. Strange-"

You both stopped as you saw Tony walking down the hallway with someone behind him, but you couldn't see who.

"Hey Mr. Stark," Peter greeted, and Tony turned with a look of glee on his face, like he had been waiting for you both to show up.

Uh oh.

"Hey Romeo and Juliet, look who's here," he said brightly, stepping out of the way to show whoever was with him. To your shock it was MJ, who looked as surprised to see you both as you did her.

You had only seen MJ a couple times before, but you liked her as soon as you met her. She was funny and you both had similar taste in books, and she liked politics like you did. You always thought her and Peter could be a good match, and now you were sure you just unintentionally butchered any chance they might've had.

"Uh, hey guys," her eyes flickered down to your intertwined hands, and it took everything in your not to snatch your hand from his. But Tony was standing right there with his arms crossed and an expectant look on his face as he waited to see how this would play out.

"MJ!" Peter squeaked out, quickly letting go of your hand. Tony noticed that and gave you a look but you just shook your head a little. "What, uh, what are you doing here?"

She pursed her lips, "Touring the facility...you didn't tell me you two were together?"

"Hm, that's weird. They've been together for a while, apparently," Tony butt in, and you shot him a glare.

"We were keeping it on the DL," you attempted, not really getting a read on MJ's feelings since she had a pretty good poker face.

"It's nothing serious," Peter said quickly, and you ignored how Tony raised his eyebrows at that, trying to resist the urge to smack Peter on the head. He was just making it seem way worse.

"Hm," she said simply, turning back to Tony, "Thanks for letting me tour the place, Mr. Stark."

"No problem Miss Jones, I hope to see you again soon," he shook her hand, still grinning as she bid you both goodbye and headed for the exit.

"Why was MJ here?" Peter hissed out once she was gone, and you threw your hands up.

"I don't know! I didn't invite her!"

"I did," Tony said with a smirk, "I told you guys about the new internship programs, didn't I? I thought since Peter talked highly of her I'd invite her to join and take a look at the facilities. Did she really not know you two were together? Why wouldn't one of your best friends know you guys were dating? Kind of strange if you ask me."

"Well we didn't tell her cause she kind of had a thing for Peter and we didn't want to rub it in her face," you lied quickly, gritting your teeth. "So nice job on that. You couldn't have warned us?"

Tony didn't seem too satisfied with that answer, but he accepted it and shrugged.

"She would've found out at some point," he pointed out, turning on his heel. "I'll see you kids later!"

Peter tugged at his hair once Tony left, giving you a scared look.

"He knows we're faking it," he sounded a little horrified, "He's gonna tell everyone. Oh God, we're never gonna live this down."

"Hey, he doesn't know," you insisted, taking his hand to try and relax him a little. "He might be suspicious but they don't know for certain, I mean come on, we've been pretty good at pretending. We just need to not mess up like this again."

"Did you see her face?" He groaned, putting his head in his hands. You patted his shoulder, feeling bad that this might have ruined his chance with her in the future.

"I'm sorry, Pete," you mumbled, "Hey, it might not be bad, though. Once we stage a break up you can just tell her the truth about it being fake and maybe she'll understand?"

"Yeah. Maybe."

But that idea seemed shot down when Peter came back from patrol early and looking miserable.

You had taken the day off to get some work done for school, an awful project that you knew you shouldn't procrastinate on even if you wanted to. Peter had begged you to go with him but you knew it wasn't a good idea if you wanted to keep your grades up.

And now that you saw how sad he looked you kind of wish you did go.

"What's wrong?" You asked as he came in, suit still on and mask in hand. He glanced around to make sure no one was in the living room but you before sitting down on the couch and sighing, leaning his head back.

"I talked to MJ."

"Oh," you raised your eyebrows. You knew she had known for a while that he was Spider-Man, just as Ned did. "I take it that didn't go well?"

"She saw me swinging by and texted me to talk," he grumbled, "She's really excited that you and I are dating, apparently. She just acted neutral in front of Mr. Stark because she was trying to be professional for the internship offer."

"Oh, no."

"Yeah. She seemed so glad you and I finally got together," Peter muttered, and you winced. "Apparently she's been rooting for us. Claims she knew all along that we would get together or something like that. She does have feelings for Brad, I guess. She even offered double dates if she asks him out, ugh."

"I'm sorry, Peter," you said sincerely, and he just shrugged. "Hey, at least you didn't get that ridiculously expensive necklace for her, right?"

He managed to crack a smile at that, "Yeah, I guess that's a plus."

"Why don't we go get Delmar's before reporting for the mission tonight," you suggested, hating seeing him look so disappointed. "On me?"

"Hey, if you're paying," he agreed, and you looped your arm through his to drag him off the couch.

"Anyone else here?" He asked, running a hand through his hair.

"Nat and Wanda are somewhere. I think the rest of the team is out until we have to get on the quinjet."

"Sweet. I'll go get dressed, unless you want to go to Delmar's with Spider-Man," he grinned, and you were pleased to see he was already out of his sad mood.

"Maybe another time."

"We'll be staying the night in Austria so we can get an early morning start on infiltrating the base," Steve said, pointing to somewhere on the hologram. "We'll get there late so try and get some sleep before morning."

Steve was giving another short briefing as the quinjet made it's way toward where the Hydra base was located, one of the last few that hadn't been taken down. You had been flying for what felt like a couple hours now, and since the jet was way faster than an average plane, you knew you were probably close.

Peter had his head in your lap and feet kicked up on along the seats, while you ran your fingers through his hair. It was almost too easy to act like a couple in front of them - a lot of this stuff you did anyway as friends, just minus the little pet names and cheek kisses.

"The hotel only had four available rooms, so some of us gotta share. Since you two are together, sharing a room won't be a problem?" Steve asked you with a raised eyebrow.

"'Course not," you replied, smiling tightly.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Peter grumbled and you smacked his chest, pretending to be embarrassed. He just grabbed your hand and put it back on his head, a silent way of telling you to keep running your fingers through his hair. You just rolled your eyes but did it anyway, a small smile on his face as he shut his eyes again.

"Okay, we don't need to hear that, you're children," Sam joked, and you gave him a look.

"Don't be gross," Nat chided, "Also, you and Bucky are sharing a room just for that comment."

"Why am I getting punished," Bucky muttered, and you couldn't help but let out a laugh at that.

"We're here," Steve said just as the jet seemed to slow down. "Get some rest, guys. Tomorrow is gonna be tough."

"Aye aye captain," Peter hopped up and offered you a hand. He pulled you up easily, his arm not leaving it's spot from around your waist as you all exited the quinjet. The hotel was quiet considering how late it was and Steve got you all checked in quickly, the staff giving your group a weird look but not questioning it before assigning rooms.

"Make good choices," Sam directed towards you with a grin when everyone parted. You gave him the finger as Peter pulled you down the hall to your room with a laugh.

You figured the rooms would be double beds anyway, but you were sadly mistaken when you all finally arrived at the room and unlocked your door to find one small bed in the already tiny room.

"They gave us only one bed," you said flatly, and Peter's eyes were widened. "Assholes."

"They're testing us," he bit his lip, "If they like, burst in here and one of us in on the bed and one of us on the couch then it'll be obvious we're not together."

"You're really keen on making them believe us, huh?" You raised an eyebrow, seeing his face scrunch up.

"Yeah, I mean...they'll never let us live it down and I just want them to shut up already."

You got it - the jokes and jabs were tiring before you both starting "dating", and they hadn't died down yet. You could only imagine how much worse it would get if they found out it was fake all along.

"Fine, I call left side," you threw your bag in a corner, already feeling how heavy your eyelids were. "I'm gonna shower in the morning, I'm too tired right now."

"I'll go now then," he said quietly, glancing at the bathroom. "Uh, want to brush your teeth first?"

"Sure, Mom," you joked, ignoring how he rolled his eyes as you grabbed your bag of toiletries. You were quickly in and out, trying not to laugh at the look on Peter's face as he stared at the bed.

"This bed is really tiny," he muttered, putting his hands on his hips.

"I'll leave you as much space as I can without falling off," you promised, jumping in and getting comfortable. "I might be asleep when you come back though so just shove me over if you don't have enough room."

He snickered at that, saying goodnight before going to shower. You managed to doze on and off to the sound of the water running, too tired to even laugh when Peter stubbed his toe on a chair and cursed as he got changed and lifted the sheets to join you on the bed, leaving as much space as possible.

There really was barely more than a few inches in between you with how small the bed was, but you tried to ignore that.

You woke up feeling warm and comfortable, making you squeeze your eyes shut tighter and snuggle up more to your pillow, not wanting to get up. But you froze when you realized that was not your pillow you were cuddling up to.

Peter must've shifted a lot closer last night, considering he was practically wrapped around you. His arms were holding you to his chest and you felt his lips on your hair, soft snores leaving his mouth and tickling your scalp. His legs were tangled with yours and one of your arms was stuck between your chests, the other thrown over Peter's back while you were tucked against his chest.

You lifted your head carefully to look at his face, seeing how relaxed he was when he was asleep. The last thing you wanted to do was wake him up, especially in this position, so you carefully removed one of his arms from around your waist, hesitating when he moved slightly.

"Mm, no," he mumbled, his arms pulling you back against him. You huffed a little, not really able to move with how strong he was.

Oh, and he definitely wasn't wearing a shirt.

There wasn't any point in struggling unless you wanted him to wake up, which you didn't. You kind of hoped he would just roll over and free you and you would never mention this to him ever, because a weird feeling starting crawling it's way up your chest as he held you closer, mumbling something else into your hair.

Being in his arms like this, and how the last few weeks he'd been shooting you loving glances and holding your hand and kissing your forehead and cheek and flirting with you - even if it was all fake and for show, something real was changing in your feelings.

You liked this, and that scared you.

Finally he moved again, this time blinking his eyes open as he woke up, a tired smile on his face as he looked at you before it suddenly dropped. He probably just realized he was holding you a little too intimately for just friends.

"Didn't know you were into cuddling," you said quietly, amused at how quickly his face turned red and he scrambled to get off of you.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," he stuttered, actually falling off the bed while you cackled.

"Get up menace, I want to get breakfast before the mission," you laughed as he stood up and stumbled on something on the ground, his face still bright red.

You left him to get ready while you took a quick shower, trying to ignore any weird feeling you previously had when you were still wrapped up in his arms. It wasn't right - you never had feelings for Peter, or you at least never acknowledged them, and you certainly didn't want to now. Not now that he was still probably hurting over MJ and you were meant to be staging a "break up".

What a mess.

Peter was sliding a jacket over his suit when you came out of the bathroom, already dressed and ready. He gave you a glance but didn't quite meet your eyes, just mumbling a quick "good morning" before sneaking past you into the bathroom and shutting the door.

Great.

He didn't say anything to you until you were both in the elevator on the way down to breakfast and to meet with the team before the mission.

"Team's probably down there already," you said as you took his hand, threading your fingers together. It went silent again and you snuck a look at him, just knowing he was still thinking about it by how tense he was and how pink his cheeks still were.

"We're good, right?" Peter asked suddenly, giving you a side glance, "Like, that didn't make things weird?"

"Course not," you hummed, squeezing his hand, "I've been pretending to be madly in love with you for a few weeks now, I don't think anything is gonna make it weird anymore."

He gave you a lopsided grin, "Okay. Just checking."

You weren't lying, but you weren't really telling the truth either. Something did change after waking up to Peter holding you like a koala, but you didn't want to address it. Looking at him brought that weird feeling into your chest and you really, really didn't want to dwell on what that might be.

The whole team looked tired when you joined them for breakfast, no one even making a single comment toward you as you and Peter grabbed some food. Peter let you take the last bit of hash browns, and Sam didn't even have the energy to tease you when you kissed Peter's cheek as a thank you.

"We'll leave in twenty, meet at the jet. Don't be late," Steve warned you all before leaving to get ready, Nat and Bucky following behind. Sam was still working on his breakfast and he complained about being left alone with you two, but you and Peter just made faces at him.

Peter swiped one of your pieces of toast and you stuck your tongue out at him. "That was my last piece, jerk."

"I'm a growing boy, sweetheart, sorry about it," he wiggled his eyebrows and you tried to ignore the feeling you got when he used that nickname. "And Sam took like four pieces of toast, so. Who's really to blame here."

"Man, you can't steal your girlfriend's food like that," Sam chuckled, "She's gonna leave you if you keep that up."

"Nah, you'd never leave me, right babe?" Peter started pressing kisses to your face and you shoved him off, laughing.

"I'm thinking about it," you teased, hoping you didn't look too flustered after that. "Should've thought about that before stealing my food."

"I like seeing you two like this," Sam commented, and for once you could tell he was being genuine and not teasing. "Seriously. You guys are good together."

"Thanks, Sam," you pinched his cheek and he swatted your hand away, frowning.

"Yeah, you're both annoying, it works out perfectly."

"Hey!" Peter tossed a plastic fork at him as he got up, laughing and dodging it.

"See you kids in five!"

"Well he clearly buys it," Peter said as soon as he left, taking a bite out of your toast. "I don't think Bucky or Tony do."

"Hm, yeah they'll be hard to convince, but we're doing a great job so far, even I almost believe us," you chuckled, grabbing your remaining toast out of his hand and taking a bite while he pouted at you. "Come on, Spidey, time to join them before they accuse us of making out in a closet or something."

He choked on his drink at that while you stood up, stretching your arms. "Man that bed was uncomfortable. Or maybe it was cause your arms wouldn't let me move all night."

"Sorry," he cringed a little, "I didn't mean to-"

"I'm just messing with you, Pete," you cleaned up your plates, "At least I didn't need a heater last night since you basically wrapped around me like a koala-"

"Okay, okay," he blushed while you laughed at him, dumping your dishes with the rest of them. "I get it."

You were both right on time to report in the quinjet as Steve had the hologram back up, giving you all last minute directions. The base was only a few miles from the hotel, so you were hovering in camouflage mode until everyone was ready.

"Nat and Y/N, you two got the east side for intel and Sam and Bucky will get the south, Peter stick with me in the southwest-"

"Wait, hold up, why aren't Peter and I going together?" You interrupted.

"You're dating now. You guys might do something reckless to protect each other or you'd just get distracted in general, so you can't be partnered."

You didn't like that at all. Peter was always partnered with you on missions and patrol and the idea of going into the field without him scared you. You bit your lip and exchanged a glance with him, seeing his expression and knowing he also felt uncomfortable not going in with you.

But Steve continued talking and you knew protesting that wouldn't work out for you, anyway. Soon enough you were all landed about half a mile outside the base, your group needing to split up to circle around. And Peter was still holding your hand right up until you had to go.

"I don't like it," you admitted as you both stood outside the jet, "I don't like being separated from you."

"Me neither," he said softly, sighing, "We'll be on comms, though. We'll be fine."

He suddenly cracked a smile, "You have jam on your face."

"Shit," you muttered, bringing a hand up to find it but he caught your wrist, stopping you. Instead he brought his thumb up and wiped it along your cheek, leaving his hand to cup your face.

He held your cheek for a moment, looking like he wanted to say something else but instead he just leaned forward and pressed his lips to your forehead. Despite how many times he had done it in the past few weeks, something felt different this time as he let it linger a little bit longer for pulling back. He let his hand fall back down but he kept staring at you for a moment, still looking like he wanted to say something.

"Wrap it up lovebirds!" Sam called out, breaking you out of the weird staring contest you seemed to be having with Peter.

"See you in a bit," he grinned, shooting you a finger gun before turning and jogging to where the others were.

"You ready?" Nat's voice brought you back our of your trance, and you nodded, adjusting the electric gauntlets on your wrists that she gave you for the mission. "We're going in first, comms channel five."

"Sounds good," you agreed, following her down the opposite path. You glanced back one more time to see Peter leaving with the others, and you tried to ignore the bad feeling in the pit of your stomach.

The mission proved to be a shit show almost immediately.

As soon as you and Nat were inside, you heard fighting through someone's comms. Bucky said that there had been an ambush waiting on their end, and you felt your heart leap in your throat when Peter confirmed it, also having been caught up.

"They'll be fine," Natasha said to you once they cut out again, like she could read your mind. "Let's focus."

"Right."

You followed her through the base, the silence compared to what you could hear through the comms a little concerning. She had you both pause outside a door, nodding at you to be ready.

She kicked the door open with guns up, but it was empty. You both dropped your arms and frowned.

"It's a set up," she said quickly, pushing you back outside the room just in time.

An explosion went off and sent you both flying, but luckily all it did was throw you against some boxes in the hallway, and you weren't hit directly.

"Shit, was that all the intel?" You grumbled as you rolled back up. "They destroyed it all-"

"They must've known we were coming," her eyes widened, "We need to go help the others."

You felt your heart skip a beat and nodded, running with her down the hallway toward the south side. She tapped her comms and updated them on what was going on, and right as you both got to another door, they both slammed open to show agents.

Natasha grabbed your arm and yanked you behind a wall just as they started shooting, letting out a curse as she got clipped.

"You okay?"

"You go through that hallway, I got this," she pointed at one down the hall. "It seems like a back way to get there, no one should give you trouble."

You nodded, not wanting to defy her orders as she handed you one of her guns. With a grimace you turned the safety off and went down the hall, hearing her start to shoot back at the agents.

It was silent again except for the sound of your feet hitting the floor as you ran through some doors, making sure to have your gun up just in case. At the moment all you could hear through comms was Steve barking orders at Bucky and Sam. Nothing from Peter. Nothing from Nat.

You kicked another door open to see that you found some kind of security room. There were two guards watching screens that showed all the fighting you could hear through the comms, and they both turned when you burst in.

"Hi guys," you said cheerfully.

Despite the gun you held up, the first guy jumped you immediately. You managed to get out of the way and duck his arm, using a neat trick Natasha taught you and grabbing his arm and twisting it so he couldn't move, before pushing him against the other guy.

Suddenly someone's arms came around your neck from behind and you grabbed them, trying to pull them away so you could breath. The gun fell to the floor and you kicked it under the file cabinet so none of them could grab it.

The two men on the floor recovered and one came towards you, but you used the momentum of the guy who was still trying to choke you out and jumped up, kicking his chest with both feet. You landed and pulled the guy behind you over your head and flipped him over, ignoring the strain in your muscles as you did so. He ended up hitting his head on the metal cabinet, knocking out immediately.

Ouch.

You blocked a punch from the first guy (he really didn't want to give up) and managed to hook his leg with your foot, sending the both of you rolling to the floor. He growled as he tried to pin you down but you kneed him in the gut before shoving him off of you, using your gauntlets to give him a little shock so he'd also knock out.

"Parker's not responding on comms," Sam's voice came through, and you froze. "He's been off for five minutes now, not responding on any channels. Does anyone have eyes?"

"What?" You demanded, barely dodging another punch from the last Hydra agent. You caught his fist as he tried again and twisted it behind his back, trying not to freak out. "What happened? Where-where is he-"

"Y/N, I'm sure he's fine, it probably just got knocked out. Happens all the time," Bucky's words didn't relax you at all. "We're almost wrapped up here, someone get a location on Peter."

Steve said he was on it as you grabbed the keyboard from the desk, smacking it hard against the agent's head so he's be knocked out. You stood up and tried to relax your heart rate, knowing it would be pointless to freak out about Peter when he was probably fine. This was why you hated being apart from him. If you could see him in front of you then you knew he was safe, but now...

"Shit!" You cursed as a sharp pain caught you in the abdomen, and you nearly buckled over. The second agent hadn't really been knocked out, and he had managed to get your gun when you were distracted with the news of Peter not responding.

"Everyone check in," Steve said through comms as you collapsed against the wall, gripping your stomach as the pain became overwhelming. The agent who shot you just got up and ran.

"Sam and I are good," Bucky responded.

"I'm all clear," Nat confirmed while you winced, raising a shaky hand to your comms.

"Shot," you breathed out, wincing as the pain got worse when you spoke. "I was-"

Your finger slipped and accidentally changed the channel a little, their voices blurring together. "Shit!"

"Y/N?" Nat's voice sounded scratchy, "Guys, I think Y/N's down, we need backup. I'm going to try and find her. Did you guys get Peter yet?"

"Can't find him. Comms still down, we'll keep looking."

"Y/N?" You barely heard Peter's voice closer, and it didn't sound like it was on comms, "Y/N, hey, what-what the hell happened?"

You squinted as his face came into your view, or his mask at least. "What-how did you-"

"My senses, I-I felt something wrong," he said quickly, squatting down in front of you and ripping his mask off. He looked terrified. "What happened? Where-"

You lifted your hand away from where you were shot, feeling dizzy at the blood on your hands as Peter cursed.

"You're never going in without me again," he muttered quickly, leaning over and ripping off part of one of the passed out agents' shirts as if it were paper and wrapping it around your waist. You winced as he tied it, apologizing a hundred times as he applied pressure to it.

"Nat, Steve, someone," he tapped his comms, his voice shaking, "Fuck, it's still down."

"Pete, I'm tired," you said weakly, not wanting to open your eyes even as you felt Peter's hands on your face trying to keep you awake.

"H-hey, don't say that, please stay awake," he said quickly, shaking you a little. "You're gonna be fine, I promise."

He took your comm out of your ear and hooked it on his own, his words sounding like mush to your ears as you felt your eyes rolling back. The pain from your wound and how tired you already were was starting to hit you hard.

"Sweetheart, hey," his voice pulled you back a little, "Nat's coming, can you stay awake for me?"

"Trying," you mumbled, but your eyes shut again as you felt his hand on your shoulder, shaking you again.

"Damn it," you felt his arms move under your knees and around your shoulders, lifting you up. "I got you, I got you."

"What the hell happened?" You heard another voice but couldn't bring yourself to open your eyes, your body starting to feel way more fatigued.

"She, she was shot, please, I-I can't stand it if..."

You didn't hear the rest before you blacked out.

The beeping woke you up.

You were lucky enough not to have many hospital visits, but you knew enough to recognize the smell and the sound and the general feel. Your eyes were still shut but you could tell you were in a hospital bed, your hand sore from an IV with one of your fingers clipped, a heart rate monitor beeping, a painful ache in your stomach.

And someone was holding your hand.

You blinked a few times against the harsh lights, your eyes moving down to the boy who was holding your hand in his. As far as you could tell Peter was knocked out, his chair pulled up next to your bed and his head resting on the bed space next to your hand and by your legs. He was the only one in here and it seemed dark outside, but you had no idea what time it was.

"Pete," you tried squeezing his hand a little, though you were pretty weak. "Wake up."

"Hm?" His head lifted up a little but then his eyes widened and he shot up fully, "H-Hey, you're awake!"

"I am," you confirmed as he leaned forward and gave you a hug, "Ooh, careful."

"Oh God, sorry, I'm sorry," he pulled back and let his hands hover over you, "Are you okay, should-should I call someone-"

"I'm fine," you smiled a little, leaning back and sighing. "Just fragile at the moment."

"Good, good," he mumbled, sitting back down and not quite meeting your eyes as he took your hand in his again.

"What happened?" You asked, having some trouble remembering exactly how you ended up in here. You definitely remember getting shot, but the rest was kind of blurry. "Is everyone-"

"Everyone's fine," Peter interrupted, and you realized now he had tears in his eyes, "We got out fine, there was a set up and the intel couldn't be saved but-but it doesn't matter. You've been in here for a few days, they wanted you to wake up naturally instead of medically, so-so, yeah."

"Are you okay?" You asked softly, concerned at the way he looked now and how scared you remembered him being when he found you.

His eyes were rimmed red, bags under the, his hand almost too tight as it still held one of yours. "I'm not okay, because you're in here and you got hurt and I was being an idiot with a broken comm and I-I'm so sorry, Y/N."

"Wasn't your fault," you said, your voice sounding croaky.

"They said you got distracted because I wasn't on comms," he sniffed, "It was my fault."

"No, it was my fault for not paying attention to my surroundings," you tried to clear your throat, the scratchiness starting to annoy you. "Hey, do you mind-?"

You didn't have to finish before he grabbed your water from your side table and handed it to you, somehow knowing what you wanted. You took a few smalls sips while Peter watched you, still not letting go of your hand. His expression gave away that he had something to say so you just waited, hoping the water would help your throat a little.

"I'm in love with you," he blurted.

You choked on the water, "Excuse me?"

"I'm in love with you and you almost died and I should've told you before but I didn't so I'm telling you now," he said quickly, his expression terrified but also relieved at the same time, like he had been holding those words in since you blacked out.

"Peter, no one else is in here, you don't have to pretend," you said slowly, but he just shut his eyes and gripped your hand tighter, shaking his head.

"I'm not - no, Y/N, I'm not saying it to try and fool anyone. I'm saying it because it's true and I almost lost you and I can't keep lying about how I feel, I can't."

You stared at him in shock, but Peter was already talking again before you could even think of a response.

"I think the team's teasing always bothered me because I was in denial about how I really felt about you," he said quietly, almost sounding scared as he said it. "I got distracted with Liz and then MJ but...but it was always you. When MJ told me she liked Brad I was hurt but I realized it wasn't because she didn't like me - it was because I realized I liked you. And you had been encouraging me to go after her so much that I knew I never had a chance with you. And I didn't want to accept that I loved you because you're my best friend and...and it was obvious you didn't feel that way about me."

"I do, though," you whispered, his eyes widening a fraction. "I realized recently that I did, at least. And maybe I always have, but...but being with you like this made me realize that I do feel that way about you."

"Really?"

You nodded and he grinned, bringing your intertwined hands up to his face and pressing a kiss to your knuckles. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

He stood up and leaned over you, being careful not to press against you at all as he took your face in his hands, a contagious smile on his lips. "Say it again. Please."

"I love you," you promised, letting your hand that wasn't wrapped in an IV clip come up and hold his face too, as he let your foreheads press together. "I love you, Peter."

He moved forward and pressed his lips against yours, kissing you for real this time. You hadn't pictured your first kiss with him to be when he was still all teary eyed and you were stuck in a hospital bed, but you weren't complaining as you moved your lips against his, trying not to smile.

You both pulled back when your heart rate monitor started going crazy, Peter's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. You groaned as he got a smirk his face, now realizing why it was going off.

"Seriously? Am I that good of a kisser-"

"Shut up," you mumbled, catching his lips in another gentle kiss, moving back before your stupid heart rate monitor decided to betray you like that again.

He brushed his lips against your forehead briefly before pulling away, his hand still holding your face delicately as his expression got serious. "I hate seeing you like this."

"And I hate seeing you like this," you ran your thumb under his eyes, the dark circles more prominent than ever. "Have you been sleeping?"

"In this chair, couple hours a night."

"That doesn't count."

"Well shit," another voice made Peter jump a little, turning to see some of the team standing in the doorway. Tony and Bucky looked pissed while Sam did a fist pump.

"Called it! Okay, you idiots both owe me a fifty," Sam said with a shit-eating grin, both Tony and Bucky groaning as they reached for their wallets.

"What's going on?" Peter asked, and Tony just glared at you both.

"You two just had to actually be together, didn't you?" He muttered, smacking the bills onto Sam's hand. "It seemed so obvious it wasn't real, now I don't know left from right."

"What are you guys talking about?" You winced as you sat up a little, Peter's hand on your back to support you.

"We thought you guys were faking it to get us off your backs," Bucky admitted. "But clearly not since we just walked in on Peter laying one on you with no one else around. Glad to know we were right to force you two together though, I guess."

Peter and you exchanged a look, trying not to laugh.

"Why in the world would you think we were faking it?"

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#why did I make this so long lol #peter parker x reader #peter parker fic #peter parker fluff #spider-man x reader #spider-man fic #peterpparkerwrites masterlist #my writing

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

Text

reward system

a/n: don’t forget to let me know if you want to be on the taglist! warnings: jealously, feelings of insecurity around intelligence, slightly suggestive language/situations pairing: peter parker x reader word count: 6.8k summary: sometimes you feel a little behind everyone else, but peter makes sure to remind you that you’re not as alone as you think you are

masterlist ~ requests are closed

"How did I even get into Midtown?" You banged your head against your desk, making your best friend snicker. "I have no brain cells in my head. Maybe just one but it's bouncing around and not retaining anything."

"Come on, you're just not trying hard enough. You can do it," Peter encouraged, and you couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm.

He had always been this way. Ever since you met his little nerdy self in fourth grade, he had pushed you to believe in yourself more and try harder. The fact was, you just didn't have things click for you the way they seemed to click for him. But his faith in you was relentless, and you supposed that was part of the reason why you started to love him so much.

"Is it bad if I don't even know what an...inertia...is?" You read slowly, looking up to see Peter putting his head in his hands.

"It's not a thing, it's an action, or an inaction I guess - that's not really the point," he sighed, "Y/N, were you paying attention last lecture?"

"Uh..."

"I already know the answer to that, I guess. What's on your mind?"

You. Of course you weren't going to say that out loud, but really, how were you supposed to concentrate when Peter was right next you to every class and had the audacity to look so cute? It was his fault you were failing, obviously.

"I dunno," you mumbled, leaning your face on your arm and staring at him, "How can you do all this and be Spider-Man?"

"I have many brain cells bouncing around my head, unlike your single one."

You threw your water bottle at him and he caught it easily, laughing at you. "I don't know, Y/N. School's never been stressful for me, you know that."

You couldn't help the spark of jealousy you felt at that, knowing he didn't mean it in a bragging way, but it still sucked. He barely had to study to take a test and still ace it, and he spent minutes on homework that took you hours.

He never made you feel stupid, even when you would stare at words of a question and have to reread it multiple times to understand what it was asking. Even when you had to have him repeat concepts to you over and over again until you finally remembered. Even when you mixed up definitions and dates and equations.

"I think you need a new studying approach," he suggested, his eagerness to help you focus making your jealousy evaporate almost immediately. He was too kind for you to be annoyed at.

"What do you have in mind?" You asked, tapping your pencil against your paper, "Because I've tried pretty much every tactic there is."

"What about a reward system type of studying? You nail one concept and give yourself some kind of reward."

"And what would my reward be?"

He snapped his fingers like he got a sudden idea, "I'll take you swinging."

"Seriously?" You gave him a funny look, hoping you didn't look flustered at the idea, "You told me no, like, years ago."

"Hey, it's something you want to do really bad though, right? So it's the perfect motivator."

You frowned at his excited expression. He wasn't wrong - ever since you found out he was Spider-Man, you had begged him to take you swinging. It looked fun! But he always said no, at first because he wasn't confident enough in himself that he wouldn't drop you, but now because he was worried if someone saw, they'd somehow track you down as a target.

"Fine," you pouted, "I really do want to go swinging."

"Then once you nail these concepts, we'll go."

"Promise?"

"I promise," he grinned at you, "But low swinging only, in case you suddenly decide you're afraid of heights. And we'll need to go early in the morning, not at night, I don't want anyone seeing Spider-Man swinging some girl around. Okay?"

"That's a lot of rules," you joked, but you couldn't help the excitement building in your chest.

Maybe a reward system wasn't such a bad idea after all.

"I got in!" Ned's excited voice made you and MJ glance up. Peter was grinning next to him as they approached your lunch table.

"To MIT?" MJ asked, and he nodded and held up his letter.

Both of you cheered, Peter joining in on hyping up your friend by shaking Ned's shoulders.

"Told you you would get in," you teased, making Ned roll his eyes as he sat down with you all.

"Hey, now we all know where we're going next year," Peter grinned at you, and you smiled back weakly.

He wasn't wrong. You had decided first, choosing only to apply to the small community college that was close to where you were going to get an apartment with some friends that were going there, too. It would save you money, which was nice. There wasn't a point in applying anywhere else given your grades, but you hadn't told your friends that.

It didn't really bother you until your friends started getting tons of acceptances to their "safety" schools, which were ones you wouldn't have ever gotten into. Then MJ got into Princeton, Peter got into Columbia, now Ned to MIT - you suddenly felt small compared to them, and it bothered you a little.

They didn't brag about it, at least not around you. Ned and MJ were excited that you were going to the school you were going to, saying it would be awesome to be able to come back and visit New York and know that you would be there. Peter was thrilled that you'd still be in New York with him. It didn't make you feel any better about it, though.

"We're gonna go celebrate after school, want to join?" Ned asked, and you forced a smile.

"I'd love to, but, uh, actually I have to go to Ms. Smith's class to go over a quiz," you sighed, trying not to pay attention to that stupid feeling of jealousy you were getting.

It left a bitter taste in your mouth whenever you thought about them going to such prestigious schools, despite knowing that they deserved everything they got and more. You were so proud of them, even if you constantly felt like you were a step behind.

You'd have to get over that some day, but you weren't sure how soon that would happen.

You were nearly finished with your first year of college when you decided that you didn't like it very much.

It wasn't necessarily that it was harder than high school - you had gone to a science school meant for smart kids, so it really wasn't that different. Your classes were pretty much on the same level that Midtown was on.

But you missed your friends. You missed Peter the most, and not being able to see him every day sucked. He still was able to visit you frequently, but he was busier than ever with school and also with missions that the remaining Avengers would now suddenly spring on him since he was legally an adult.

Multiple times he would drop into your new bedroom, ripping his mask off and looking so tired that you would just let him sit and rant.

If possible, you loved him more than ever. His determination, his kindness, his eagerness to help people who often didn't return any thanks - you loved every part of him. Seeing him in the fleeting moments made you just miss him more, and realize more and more that you needed to do something about it, or you'd regret it forever.

It was nearly summer break when you were able to get your hands on something you knew he'd love. Your science teacher provided all students with four tickets to a science exhibit that wouldn't normally interest you, but you saw it as an opportunity.

He liked stuff like this. And you liked him. Obviously you were going to invite him, if just to be able to spend time with him and see how excited he would get about the exhibit.

Still, you invited MJ too since she was in town. You were a coward.

"Y/N, this is so awesome!" He hugged you tightly when you presented him with the tickets during a study session, making you laugh. Your heart might have also skipped a beat, but you made yourself let go before it became awkward.

"I had an extra ticket for Ned, but I don't think he'll be in New York," you shrugged. "And my roommates aren't really science people, so."

"Do you mind if I bring a friend?" Peter asked, "Her name's Gwen. She's in one of my classes and would probably love this."

Huh. Gwen, a girl in his class he's never mentioned before, but apparently he knows enough about her that he knows she likes science stuff. You felt the frown on your face as you recognized that ugly emotion rising in your chest. You hated jealousy.

You really hoped he wasn't reading too into the expression on your face, and you masked it quickly. "Oh, sure. That'll work! Yeah, okay."

He stared at you for a second with a strange emotion in his expression, one that you couldn't place. "You alright?"

"Yeah?"

"Okay, just checking," he didn't look away from you for a moment, before suddenly reaching for your pencil. "You did this equation wrong, by the way."

"What?" You pouted, the sudden subject change taking you slightly by surprise.

"All you did was accidentally switch these around," he suddenly leaned closer to you in order to write on the page, and you almost felt like you had to hold your breath as he scratched out some numbers and rewrote the problem. "See?"

"Ah," you replied, ignoring how he didn't move away, instead just keeping his chair close to yours as he squinted at your paper some more. Your eyes trailed over his knit eyebrows and down to his lips before you forced yourself to look away.

You needed to chill out.

"Simple mistake," he looked back at you, grinning, "The rest of this is flawless."

"For once," you muttered, quickly changing the subject, "Well, thanks, Peter. I seriously appreciate these tutoring sessions."

"Anytime, sweetheart," luckily he wasn't looking at you, so he missed the way you nearly choked at that nickname. "How did your bio test go, by the way?"

"Uh, great, good," you paused, collecting your thoughts, "Actually, the grade isn't out yet, so I don't know for sure."

"You did really good in the last studying we did, I'm sure you'll do great this time, too," he smiled, nearly making your brain short-circuit.

He was sitting way too close to you, being way too sweet, calling you pet names that made your insides churn - he needed to stop, or you would probably combust.

"Wow, look at the time!" You suddenly scooted your chair back, "It's pretty late, shouldn't you be patrolling soon?"

He gave you a funny look, his gaze sliding over to your clock. "It's not even three?"

"Crime doesn't work around a clock," you chuckled awkwardly, "I actually have to meet a classmate at the library anyway, so. I'll see you for the exhibit?"

"Sure," he agreed, still giving you a weird look, but letting it slide nonetheless.

You sighed and resisted the urge to bang your head against your door once he left, just leaning your head against it instead. You should've just lied and said there were only three tickets. Or even just said two and gone with him alone like you should've done in the first place.

Coward.

Sooner than you would've liked, you were waiting outside a coffee shop with Peter, waiting for Gwen and MJ to show up.

"Gwen should be here in about five," Peter said after glancing at his phone, and you shrugged.

"Cool."

It was quiet for a minute, which was unusual for the both of you. You glanced up at him, surprised by the weirdly giddy expression on his face. Peter might have loved science, but he was strangely happy for just an exhibit trip.

"Why are you grinning like that?" You questioned, and he just shook his head.

"No reason. What time will MJ get here?"

Hopefully soon, you thought to yourself bitterly. Peter's suddenly happy mood made you wonder if this Gwen was really just a friend. Was he really grinning like an idiot because she was coming?

A few introductions and coffees later, and you were all walking through the exhibit. MJ stuck with you, catching you up on her life since being at Princeton. Peter had seen her more recently, but this was only the second time you saw her in person since starting college, and you were happy to listen to her and share stories.

Unfortunately, that meant Gwen and Peter were pretty much left to each other.

Gwen was excitedly talking about the process of something or other, Peter listening to her intently as she pointed at something on the exhibit. MJ had stuck right next to you while you stood a few feet away, pretending to be interested in something else.

"You look a little green," MJ grinned, and you shot her a dirty look. "You're lucky Peter is blind to jealousy."

"Leave me alone. I'm mourning."

"You're dramatic. He doesn't like her like that."

"You should've seen how excited he was for her to get here," you grumbled, ignoring it when MJ rolled her eyes.

"You're the only one for him, Y/N. One day he'll have to admit that."

Maybe in your wildest dreams.

Gwen was smart. She was smart, and pretty, and really nice - you didn't want to be that person who got annoyed at someone just because you were jealous, but it didn't really help that Peter was around her a lot.

She was pointing out things in the exhibit and talking about them in a way you never could. How could she remember all this stuff and just pull facts out like a magic trick?

She would suit him better. She was as smart as him, he wouldn't have to sit with her for hours and explain concepts to her. She understood and liked the same niche science things that Peter did. He deserved someone like that.

"Well, I have to head back, I have my internship in the morning," Gwen said in an apologetic tone, snapping you out of those thoughts. "It was really nice to meet you guys, thanks for inviting me!"

"Of course," you smiled back, hoping it didn't look forced. She really was nice, and you would need to get over it - she seemed like a good fit for Peter, and you were sure you'd see her again.

"She's great, isn't she?" Peter asked once she had left, and you nodded.

"Yeah. Really...smart."

MJ shrugged, "She was cute. I have to meet up with my mom pretty soon, you guys alright if I take off?"

"Sure, I'll make sure she gets home safely, Miss Jones," Peter hooked his arm with yours, making you laugh a little.

"You better," MJ pointed at him accusingly, before laughing and hugging you both goodbye.

It was only about ten minutes into the walk home when you started complaining.

"Can't we just swing home? It'll be faster!"

"Nope, swinging is for the studying reward system only," he said firmly, making you pout. "Alright, don't give me puppy dog eyes, it isn't going to work."

"It'll take so much longer to walk, though," you clasped your hands together in a pleading motion, and Peter just scoffed.

"What, you hate spending time with me that much?"

"You suck," you dropped your hands, frowning at him, "You know that's not true."

"Well, I know that I love spending time with you," he grinned, and you felt like you would melt into a puddle if he ever looked at you that way again. "Thanks for inviting me today. It was fun."

"Of course," you smiled back, looking away as you realized you were already approaching your apartment building. Maybe it was a good thing you didn't make him swing you both - it was kind of a short walk.

You were going to bid him goodbye when he suddenly wrapped his fingers around your wrist, stopping you.

"I know this is a weird question," Peter hesitated, "But...you never want to come visit me on campus anymore. I usually have to come to you, and this is the first time we've done anything in a while. Did...did I do something wrong?"

You felt your heart drop, hating that that was the first thing he was assuming. "No! No, not at all, I just...I don't really feel like..."

He waited patiently, looking at least slightly relieved that you quickly denied him doing anything wrong.

"I feel out of place whenever I visit you on campus," you admitted, and his eyebrows knitting in confusion pretty much told you that he didn't get it. "I didn't bother applying because I knew I wouldn't get in. There's so many smart people there, and I feel like...the more I'm there, the more you'll realize I don't belong there, with your smart friends. Like, for God's sake, you have to tutor me in a subject I've been taking since the eighth grade, you'd never have to do that for any of them."

Peter was silent for a minute, his expression almost looking angry when he finally spoke. "You think...you think I'd rather be friends with people that go to Columbia, over you? Because you think they're smarter than you, or because it's apparently a burden for me to tutor you?"

"Is it not?" You looked at the ground, frowning, "I mean, don't you get tired of it?"

"I like tutoring you," Peter insisted, his fingers lifting your chin up to look him in the eye. "I like being around you, I like being your friend, I like supporting you. You aren't stupid, Y/N. In fact, you're so smart. You can't base your intelligence off of grades or standardized testing, you know? And you can't base your value off of how quick you can pick up a concept."

He made it way too easy for you to fall in love with him. You stared at him for a moment, trying not to blurt your feelings even as the words crawled up your throat. "Thanks, Peter."

"You know that you're pretty much my best friend, right? And that I would never think less of you just because you don't go to an ivy league?"

"I know," you said quietly, finally forcing yourself to lift your chin out of his loose grip. "I know that. Guess I just need reassurance every once in a while."

Best friend. You should have been thrilled that he called you that, but something in your heart cracked nonetheless. One of these days you would need to face your feelings head on, and just deal with the consequences.

"Does this mean you'll visit me on campus again?" He asked, his hopeful grin making you laugh a little. "There's a new cafe right down the street that I think you'll like. And it's quiet enough for studying!"

"I'd like that."

That weird look from the other day crossed over his face, making you once again wonder what he was thinking. Instead of saying anything, he just took a closer step toward you. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to your forehead, "Have a good night, Y/N."

You felt something weird building in your chest as he grinned and waved goodbye, and you couldn't even bring yourself to say anything back as he walked away.

Even after all these years, you still hated studying.

The music was not helping. In fact, it was really distracting, but you were trying to force yourself to make it work anyway. The reward system idea was the best one, but it wasn't the same when Peter wasn't there.

Your window was always open this time of day, the summer air finally cooling down enough. While New York didn't exactly have "fresh" air, it was nice to have a breeze come in and to enjoy it before it was nighttime and bugs would come in from the light. You also lived several stories up - the only thing that ever really came into your room was Peter, but he hadn't been around for a few weeks. Maybe you hoped he would randomly show up if you just kept it open every night.

The last several weeks had been crappy for several reasons. You hated summer school, you hated the fact that you had to do it at all, but also the work load was ridiculous. You hated that Peter wasn't around - not just for studying, but because you missed him. His stupid jokes, his Spider-Man stories, the sound of his laughter and the smile on his face when he got excited about something.

You had to tell him how you felt. But the idea of any type of rejection made you want to curl up and die and never speak to anyone ever again.

Summer school was really frying your brain.

You grit your teeth and forced yourself to read the math equation again, determined to get through at least this worksheet before giving up. You were in an awful mood, but hopefully if you just got through this, you could go and hang out with your roommates and calm down. And maybe Peter would text you before you started to worry.

The sudden sound behind you made you jump out of your chair, eyes widening at the sudden appearance of a tall figure standing by your window. Normally you wouldn't jump to conclusions and would assume it was Peter, but you couldn't see who it was in the dark. And Peter would've texted you first, right?

You almost let out a scream, but suddenly a hand was covering your mouth and you stared wide eyed at Spider-Man's mask as it was muffled. "It's just me!"

"What the hell was that, Y/N?" Peter still didn't drop his hand when your roommate shouted from the other room.

You grabbed his wrist and removed it from your mouth, glaring at him as you yelled back, "Nothing! Just thought I saw a spider!"

Peter snickered at that and you shushed him, going to lock your door just in case one of them decided to investigate. He ripped his mask off, shaking his head and making his hair stand up all funny. He took one look at your annoyed expression before bursting into laughter, making you shush him again.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" You hissed while he kept laughing quietly, "You scared the shit out of me!"

"Sorry," he didn't sound sorry as he crossed his arms, "Just wanted to say hi, it's been a while."

"Yeah, where the hell have you been?" You relaxed a little, realizing how much you had missed him during his absence. You definitely knew you missed him, but having him here in front of you made you want to hug him and never let go. You hated when he had to leave abruptly and he couldn't even text you.

"Sam and Bucky asked me to join on a mission, it wasn't a big deal, just had to leave last minute and had no cell service," he sighed, plopping down on your desk chair and spinning around in it. "What have you been up to? And what the hell are you listening to?"

You pouted as he leaned forward and squinted at your playlist. "I heard that classical music helps you study and actually focus so I wanted to try it."

"This is making me feel like we're in the 1600's," he laughed, grabbing your phone and looking for something different, ignoring your protests.

"You have a lot of nerve coming in here and messing with all my stuff after being absent for two weeks," you muttered, crossing your arms.

"Aw, I knew you missed me," he winked at you, and you pretended that didn't make your heart skip a beat.

If that didn't fluster you, it certainly did when he started playing "I Hear a Symphony". You recognized it the second the first few notes played, staring at him wide eyed as he stood up and offered you a hand.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, the expression on his face making you take his hand no questions asked.

Peter's hand held yours tightly while he let his other rest on your waist, pulling you right up to his chest. For a minute he stared at you, and you let your free hand hold onto the top of his shoulder while he seemed to shake himself out of his stare.

"You looked like you needed a break," he whispered, and you felt yourself relax. His eyes focused on a spot just beneath yours, probably noting the dark circles. He wouldn't know that they were because you were worried about him and could hardly sleep.

"I probably do."

He spun you around your room as the music picked up, making you laugh at the goofy smile on his face as he essentially was ballroom dancing with you to possibly the cheesiest romance song you'd heard this year.

"I really did miss you," you managed to say as he dipped you, unable to keep the grin off your face, "Even if you are trying to make me trip over all the shit on my floor."

"You have just enough room for dancing, my dorm would be way too small for this," he lifted you back up, his hand tightening on your waist as he started swaying with you again. "And I missed you, too. A lot."

He spun you a last time, his hand finding your waist again immediately as he smiled at you. For a second you stared at him, the soft expression on his face almost making you suspicious. It almost mimicked the ones that he had given you weeks ago, the ones that you couldn't really figure out.

The mood was cut short when the song ended and instead skipped to the next one, which must've been from your cleaning playlist. You both flinched at the suddenly loud music blasting, barely able to look at each other for a second before bursting into laughter.

"What the hell is wrong with your playlists?" Peter chuckled in your ear, for some reason not letting go of his embrace on you, "You go from classical music, to whatever the fuck this is?"

"Don't bash on my taste," you patted his chest, making the move to go over and just shut your phone off. Peter held onto your hand as you did so, surprising you by pulling you back to him once you stopped the music.

"Yes?" You asked, a teasing smile dancing on your lips until you saw the look on his face. "You alright?"

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay?"

He continued staring at you for a minute, his eyes moving over your curious expression, as if he were contemplating what to say. You stared right back, trying to look him in the eye despite the suddenly nervous feeling you had in your chest whenever his brown eyes looked at you like that. You didn't want to get your hopes up, but...

"There was a moment, on the mission," he finally spoke, shutting his eyes for a second, "I-I wasn't sure if...I didn't know if we were going to make it out. I don't want to go into detail, and looking back on it we were definitely fine, but...it made me think some things. Like some 'my life is flashing before my eyes and I don't want to go with regrets' kind of things."

You raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to continue. He only stared into your eyes for another minute before bringing a hand up to your face. His eyes moved down to your lips and you were suddenly aware of how close he was, how his fingers were now trailing down your jaw, how your heart was racing and you were certain he knew it by the slightly shy grin suddenly appearing on his face.

"I'm in love with you, Y/N," he whispered, his eyes moving back up to yours, "I think I always have been. I never wanted to say anything, because I wasn't really sure how you felt back then, but then I wasn't sure if I was going to make it back home and I knew I had to tell you. In case I never got the chance again."

You stared at him blankly while he waited for your reaction, his expression as nervous as you had been feeling before. Unfortunately, you had a tendency to deflect to humor when you were nervous.

"You had to almost die to realize you had feelings for me?"

He let out a groan, leaning his forehead against yours as you laughed at him, forcing yourself to relax as he did. "Come on. I've known how I've felt for you for a while, but this just...gave me the push I needed. And hey, I'm trying to be romantic here. You're killing my vibe."

"You were being really romantic up until you brought up your vibe."

"Y/N."

His tone was warning, one of his hands sliding up your back and his eyes searching yours while you tried not to grin at him. All you could think about was that he loved you, and you were wondering if you were going to wake up any second to realize this was a dream.

"Peter."

"I love you."

"I know."

"I swear to God, if you Han Solo me right now-"

You reached your hands up this time to hold his cheeks, making him stop talking. "I love you, too. I have for a while."

His mouth broke into a wide smile, "I know."

"If you already knew, then why are you acting like a nervous wreck?"

"It's different knowing something versus you actually saying it out loud," his smile turned soft, one of his fingers catching and playing with a strand of your hair. "Say it again."

"I love you," you repeated, his smile contagious, "And I'm going to kiss you now because you're taking way too long."

"I'm not gonna protest that," His hand moved to cup your cheek, bringing you toward him. "I seriously do love you."

You felt it. The way he was now kissing you, the way his hands were holding you, like he never wanted to let you go - he meant it. He almost died and his last thoughts were that he wanted you. He wanted you.

That thought made you press against him even more, forgetting any thoughts about how you should probably not go any further with your roommates in the other room. He didn't hesitate to match your energy, and you didn't even realize he was moving you both until you felt your back meet your mattress.

"I can't believe I waited so long to do this," he muttered once you broke apart for air, hovering over you with a hand still on your face. "I love you."

"Say it again," you whispered what he himself said earlier, not able to help the childish giddy feeling in your chest when he said it. Even if he already said it multiple times now. It was all you had ever wanted him to say, and it still didn't feel real. If your alarm clock went off in a second and woke you up, you wouldn't even be surprised.

"I love you," he repeated, his smile mirroring yours as he leaned down to kiss you again. "I love you so much, sweetheart."

His lips moved to your nose, your cheek, your jawline. You shut your eyes as he started moving toward your neck, but you grabbed his face and pulled it back to yours, knowing better than to let him move into that territory just yet.

Peter didn't hesitate this time to part your lips, deepening the kiss enough to make you feel slightly dizzy. His hand gripped your waist, and you squeaked against him when his other one brought your leg up to hook over his hip.

You let your hands move up to his hair, and you felt him groan against your lips when you unintentionally tugged on it. That noise made you pull back, pressing a hand to his shoulder to keep him from following your lips, though you could tell he still tried.

"My roommates are home, dude."

"You did not just call me dude after I had my tongue in your mouth."

You bit your lip to keep from laughing, the annoyed expression on his bright red face making you almost go over the edge.

"My roommates will be coming to bug me in about ten minutes to go out for drinks, and will wonder why a maskless Spider-Man in is my room. Or, if you took the suit off and wore your normal clothes, they'd be wondering how Peter Parker just magically appeared in my room. Think logically, you're supposed to be the smart one here."

He sighed, resting his head against your collarbone and relaxing against you. "Fine. Whatever."

"You're such a boy."

"I missed you," he whined, and you laughed as you let your fingers run through his hair, "Are you really going to kick me out?"

"Maybe if you came through the front door like a normal person, I'll let you back in."

"Hey, I can do that," he sat up, making you laugh as he hurried to put his mask back on. "I'll go knock on your door and everything!"

"You're a dork," you snorted as he hurried to your window. "See you in five?"

"More like two," his masked eye winked, and you chuckled again as he ducked out.

It wasn't even a minute later that you heard a knock on your front door. You waited, arms crossed as you heard your one of your roommates groan and get up to answer it.

"Peter, what a surprise," you heard your roommate say flatly, almost making you laugh. "You know we love you, but on drinking night? Seriously?"

"Sorry, Y/N said she needed a study buddy," you heard Peter say apologetically as you made your way around the corner.

"I did," you shrugged as she glared at you, "Sorry?"

"I'm guessing this means to drinking tonight," your other roommate frowned, making you laugh.

"Not for me at least. Got a lot of studying to do, I'm sorry," you apologized, hoping Peter wasn't making a face behind you that would give away the lie. "Tomorrow?"

"Sure," she waved her hand, smirking a little, "Have fun you two!"

You shot her the middle finger as you shoved a snickering Peter into your room. He tossed his bag on the floor, turning to grin at you as you shut and locked your door.

"Hello," he circled his arms around your waist, and you tried not to grin when his eyes moved to your lips again.

"Hi," you whispered back. "I'm really glad you're back okay."

"Me too," he rested his forehead against yours, shutting his eyes. "And I can't tell you how happy I am that you feel the same."

A warm feeling made its way through your chest and you couldn't help the smile on your lips when he opened his eyes to meet yours again. "Come here."

You tugged his hand and brought him back to your bed, ignoring the raised eyebrows he shot at you. "Don't get any funny ideas. I still have roommates and now they know I have a boy in my bedroom."

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" He held his hands up, and you tugged him down onto the bed with you anyway, rolling your eyes.

You were tired, and he was extremely tired from what you could tell. So you let him settle against you between your legs, tucking his head into your neck and wrapping his arms around your waist before shutting his eyes. Just like before, you let your hand travel up and tangle in his hair, feeling him sigh against you as you both relaxed.

"How long have you known?" You asked quietly, meeting his eyes when he lifted his head to rest his chin on you.

"Known what?"

"That I've had feelings for you."

He smiled a little smugly, making you roll your eyes. You had always figured he was just blind, or that maybe you weren't as obvious as you thought you were - but no, apparently he knew that you liked him. You just hoped it wasn't for an embarrassingly long amount of time.

"Pretty much since the face you made when I brought up Gwen Stacy for the first time. You have a cute jealous face, by the way."

"Oh," you raised your eyebrows, "You haven't known too long then. And really? I thought I covered it pretty well."

He frowned, "Wait, when you say that wasn't too long...how long have you liked me?"

You didn't answer immediately, which made him squint his eyes at you. "I don't know if I want to say it now."

His hand squeezed your side, making you jump and glare at him while he grinned.

"Y/N," he said softly, his teasing expression dropping, "I don't think you could possibly have liked me as long as I've liked you. As long as I've loved you, even."

"Try freshman year of high school," you said flatly, and his grin only widened.

"Try fifth grade," he countered, making you stare at him in bewilderment. "Maybe it was just a crush then, but I still think it counts."

"Fifth grade?" You asked weakly, "God, that means you liked me even through my emo phase. And you still liked me when I tried experimenting with make-up and looked like shit for three years in middle school. Something is seriously wrong with you, dude."

"And you liked me pre-Spider-Man," he raised an eyebrow, "I was like a twig. What the hell did you see in that?"

"I saw the sweet, funny, and cute guy that I couldn't picture not being in my life. I miss the glasses, actually. And you still are a twig."

"Why didn't you say anything?" He ignored that comment, resting his cheek against your collarbone again. "We could have been together literally all of high school if you had told me."

"Why didn't you say anything?" You threw the question back at him, "You had a longer amount of time to tell me."

"I didn't think you felt the same until last month," he mumbled against your skin, "I wasn't gonna risk the best thing in my life until I knew if you felt the same."

"And I didn't know you felt anything else aside from friendship toward me, until about...ten minutes ago? So I guess we're even."

"How did you not know? I thought it was obvious."

You suddenly sat up straight, "Was that why you were smiling like an idiot the day I met Gwen?"

"You being jealous was hilarious. And also it confirmed that you did feel something for me, of course I was happy about that."

You grabbed your pillow and smacked him with it, making him laugh as he blocked it. "I thought it was because you were excited to see her, you asshole!"

"I know," he snickered when you started hitting him more, "Hey!"

"You suck."

"I'm a suck-er for you, sweetheart," he grinned, making you roll your eyes. "Shouldn't I let you get back to studying?"

"Or you could tutor me, because I hate this class and you'd taken it in high school," you suggested.

"You know I love tutoring you. And the reward system we've made up."

"Alright. Swinging the prize again?"

He suddenly grinned, taking your hand in his and kissing your knuckles. You felt your face heat up at the gesture, especially at the grin he was now giving you.

"I actually have a different reward in mind, now."

"...You're terrible."

"I know."

taglist: @lilbeatlebear

#peter parker x reader #peter parker self insert #spider-man x reader #spider-man fic #peter parker fic #peter parker #spiderman x reader #my writing #peterpparkerwrites masterlist

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

Text

spider-man cookies and napkin notes

a/n: ok I’m kind of going back on what I said and posting fics that haven’t previously been on tumblr yet first, so any of you that didn’t follow me to wattpad can see some “new” content :) warnings: really bad coffee puns, but otherwise it’s just really cute pairing: college!peter parker x reader word count: 6.5k summary: peter has finally been bullied (lovingly, of course) by his friends into asking out the cute barista, but things go a little wrong. or maybe a little right.

masterlist ~ requests are closed

"God, you are so whipped," Ned's grumble made Peter break his gaze to give his friend a dirty look.

"What?"

"Maybe if you'd stop ogling at our barista for five seconds, you'd be paying attention to what I just said.

"Her name's Y/N," Peter defended you, "And I was paying attention. But, uh...say it again anyway."

"You are awful."

Peter listened this time as Ned went over the crazy professor he had, making sure his attention didn't waver even as you passed by their table to help another customer.

He had been coming here since the beginning of college, discovering it was unusually quiet compared to other cafe's near campus, and it had some of the best coffee he'd ever had. Caffeine didn't affect him as much since becoming Spider-Man, so he didn't usually care for it - but one cup from here changed his life.

Though, there was another reason that he liked to frequent this place more than the ones closer to campus.

And that reason walked right up to their table, making his attention slip away again from Ned's rant.

"Are you guys wanting anything else?" You asked as you started gathering up their empty cups, "Maybe a refill?"

"I'm good, thank you," Peter said softly, barely trusting himself not to stutter around you.

He knew he had a track record for falling too quickly and too hard when he had a crush on someone, but he was convinced it was entirely different with you. When you first smiled at him and complimented his Iron Man shirt, he swore it was just a coincidence that he turned bright red and stuttered a thank you, which made MJ lose her mind. But the fact that he still had that reaction around you was enough to tell him that he liked you. And he didn't mind it at all.

It had been months now, you knew him and his friends by name, and you always greeted them like friends. The little conversations you all had between you helping customers made his day, and made him like you even more. And lately he had a feeling that maybe you liked him a little too.

"Well, I'm not," Ned interrupted his thoughts, making him frown, "I think I need something strong to get through the day, this class is killing me."

"Well, you're taking computer science, so I don't know what else you expected," you teased a little, pointing at the menu, "Our cold brews are pretty strong if you want to try that?"

"Yes, and please add some type of sugar, I can't handle drinks like the ones Peter orders."

"I'm more a sweet coffee girl myself," you smiled a little as you wrote that down, "Anything else? You sure you don't want anything, Peter?"

He ignored the increase in his heart rate when you said his name, "Uh, I-I'm good, thanks."

He was pathetic.

You just shrugged, somehow always oblivious to his nervousness around you, which he was grateful for.

"We saw you guys have Spider-Man cookies now," Ned asked, and Peter wanted to bang his head against the table. "How much are those?"

"Oh, they're only a dollar, and they're really good," you promised, "Do you guys want two?"

"Yes please. This boy needs some type of sugar in his life."

Peter shot Ned at angry look while you laughed, telling them you'd be right back.

"When are you going to ask her out, dude? She's clearly waiting for you to."

"No she's not," he glared at his friend again, forcing his insecure thoughts away. "She probably has a boyfriend, anyway. Or a girlfriend. She could get anyone she wants, she-she wouldn't say yes to me."

Ned rolled his eyes, "You're such a pick me boy."

"And you're an-"

He didn't finish that sentence as you were already back with their cookies, dropping them off with a quick smile before going to help another table that was waving you over.

Peter read the pun you wrote on each of their cookie bags, like you always did whenever one of them got a pastry. His said "made espresso-ly for you" with a winky face, and Ned's read "dough me a favor - enjoy these cookies!"

"These puns are awful," Ned chuckled, "You two must be made for each other. And she gave you a winky face!"

"I didn't even know they made Spider-Man cookies," Peter grumbled, ignoring everything he said. He didn't want to read into something as silly as a winky face and get his hopes up for no reason.

Ned was dying as Peter stared down at the frosting version of his mask. "Seriously, dude?"

"What, I think it's hilarious," Ned laughed, taking a ridiculously large bite out of Spider-Man's head. "And besides, Y/N said they were really good."

"Shut up, man."

When Ned and MJ exchanged a look when Peter brought up going to the cafe to study, he knew he was in for it.

"Why don't you go alone today?" Ned suggested slyly, making Peter frown even more. "Maybe without us there you'll finally get the guts to ask Y/N out."

"Please, we'd literally have to force him to do it," MJ rolled her eyes, "But I did want to check out that new place by my dorm. Apparently they donate have their proceeds to the organization of your choice."

"Guys," Peter clasped his hands together, pouting, "Please don't make me go alone. I don't really like any other coffee shop but it'll look weird if I'm by myself and-"

"Stop making excuses!" MJ threw her hands up, "You complain about not getting to know Y/N better because we're always there, so this is your chance! If you actually want to talk to her like a normal human being instead of gaping like a fish."

"I don't gape like a-"

"MJ is right," Ned put a hand on his shoulder, "We're doing this because we love you, and it's been way too long since you've been on a date."

"This wouldn't be a date-"

"At least ask for her number," MJ continued, "Anything. This is getting pathetic, I'm about to ask her out if you don't."

"Okay!" Peter threw his hands up, "Fine! I'll go by myself but I won't promise anything, I don't want to make her uncomfortable."

"At least you're a gentleman," MJ rolled her eyes, throwing her arm over Ned's shoulder, "Have fun with Y/N, I'm going to be enjoying coffee that probably tastes like shit but will at least be for a good cause. Who are you thinking of donating to, Ned?"

Peter droned them out for the rest of the walk, barely giving them a wave as they split ways to go to each different shop. He was getting too much into his own thoughts as your shop came into view, almost wanting to turn around until he saw you behind the window.

You were just cleaning a table, looking at the front door every once in a while like you were expecting someone. Maybe he was stupid to think that maybe you were hoping him and his friends would show up, but it was the usual time of day they would all go...never mind. He was being ridiculous.

Still, he managed to make himself go inside anyway. You looked up at the door ringing, your lips spreading into a wide smile.

"All alone today?"

He noted that you seemed to be in a really good mood today, which made him feel giddy. He dropped his stuff on the usual table, trying to get himself together before speaking to you. God, he hadn't had this much trouble speaking to a girl since Liz. At least then he was a kid and there was an excuse.

"Yep, Ned and MJ are cheating on this place for one closer to campus," he sighed dramatically while you gasped.

"The betrayal," you put a hand over your heart, making him laugh, "How will I ever forgive them?"

"I'm sure once they realize the coffee cakes here are better than anywhere else, they'll come crawling back," Peter joked as he sat down.

"I'm guessing that's what you want today, then?"

"Please," he smiled as you jotted that down.

"And your usual drink?"

"Why don't you...surprise me this time?" He asked, and your eyes lit up. The look on your face made him glad he was risking his usual drink for whatever you would make in its place.

"Really? Okay, do you want caffeine today? Cold or hot?" You were already writing faster on your little notebook, your excitement making Peter melt.

"Hot, it is freezing outside," he shuddered, making you laugh, "And you can choose caffeine or not. I trust you."

You smiled at that, "Sure thing. I'll be right back."

There was only one other customer in the cafe, an older man typing furiously on his laptop. Peter tried to pay attention to his own computer instead of watching you behind the counter, but he couldn't really help it.

You were pacing between machines and syrups, and he tried not to wince when he saw you were using quite a few different ones. To him, syrup meant sugar, and he needed to prepare himself to act like he would enjoy whatever you were making him.

"Ta-da!" It was only a few moments later that you were presenting the drink to him like a prize, your excited expression making him smile despite how...light the coffee looked. Still, no matter what it was - he didn't regret it in the slightest if it meant you were going to smile at him like that.

Peter took a sip and tried his best to keep his expression neutral, but it was way different from his normal drink.

"Wow, that's...that's great!" He tried, and you frowned.

"You totally hate it," you sighed, but you were hiding a smile.

"No, no, it's really good," he promised, but you were already laughing.

"Too sweet, huh?"

"Maybe a little," he winced, and you grinned wider.

"Then it's on the house, and I'll go make your usual right now instead."

He had to admit he was a little relieved when you brought him his usual drink, setting it in front of him with another chuckle. "I guess I should have remembered you're not a sugary guy."

"Hey, coffee is better without sugar," he defended himself, "Besides, that's what the coffee cake is for."

"Oh, let me grab it!" You hurried back to get it, almost making Peter laugh at your rush. "I'm sorry, I was so excited about your drink that I forgot."

"No worries," Peter chuckled, taking the bag from you and immediately looking at the pun you wrote.

Where have you "bean" all my life? He hoped his face wasn't red enough for you to notice. And he definitely wasn't going to read into that too much. You always made puns on the pastry bags...even if this was the first one that sounded like borderline flirting.

Surely that didn't mean anything.

"Do you want me to take that away?" You were stifling a laugh as you gestured to the other drink you made him.

"I feel bad wasting coffee, even if it is disgustingly sweet," he admitted, but he was grimacing at the thought of drinking it.

"I actually made it really sweet on purpose," you winked, and he thought he was going to die right there. "I know how much you hate sweet drinks and thought it would be hilarious to see your reaction."

"You...are evil," he finally managed to say, making you laugh, "How could you betray me like that?"

You held your hands up, "Hey, it was funny watching you scramble to tell me it was good!"

"I'm never coming back here again," he said dramatically, making you laugh even harder.

"Yes, you will. You like me too much to ever abandon me like Ned and MJ did," you teased, not knowing how true your words really were.

"Yeah, I suppose," Peter said carefully, making himself take a drink before he said anything stupid. "But I'm never letting you surprise me with a drink again. I never knew you could be so cruel."

"You're so dramatic," you laughed, picking up the drink you made him, "This is my favorite drink from here, I'm a little offended."

"If I didn't drink straight black coffee every day, I might've found it good," he tried, making you roll your eyes. "I'm very sorry for insulting your favorite drink. Please forgive me?"

"Fine, I guess," you sighed, "Enjoy your incredibly bland and boring coffee, Peter."

He scoffed as you walked away laughing, going to check in on the other customer. He forced his eyes back down to his computer, knowing that he would be in trouble if he spent his whole time here focusing on you instead of his school work.

Even if he wanted to do the former instead.

Peter was by himself again the next time he visited the coffee shop. This time it wasn't because Ned and MJ ditched him - in fact, he went by himself on purpose. For one, you never worked in the evenings, so it wouldn't matter if you were there, anyway. For another, it was nearly eleven at night and he needed to do last minute studying somewhere he could actually focus.

The cafe was quiet when he came in, and he didn't see anyone behind the counter. Whoever had the night shift was probably cleaning in the back, considering they would only be open for a few more hours.

Peter didn't rush to get his things out, though he was hoping someone would have heard the door bell and come to get his order. He needed something strong if he was going to get through the night.

It was only a few seconds later that he heard footsteps, but he didn't look up from his computer until they were right next to him.

"Late night studying?" Peter was already smiling in surprise at the familiar voice, looking up to meet your equally tired eyes.

"I-I thought you only worked in the afternoons," Peter said with raised eyebrows, a little embarrassed that you were seeing him like this. Frantic last minute studying wasn't exactly the best impression of himself.

"I took a long shift today," you shrugged, and Peter realized you really were just as tired as he was. "Coworker is sick, so they needed the help. Anyway, what can I get for you?"

"The usual," he smiled a little, "But with like four extra shots, please. I need to stay awake."

"I'm considering making one for myself," you agreed, "I'll be right back with that, Pete."

Luckily, you were already walking back to the counter and didn't see his face turn pink at that nickname. Unfortunately, more customers came in, most of them his age and likely also doing last minute studying for finals week. You were busy with other customers to the point where he couldn't talk with you much, but that was okay - you looked exhausted and he didn't want to make your shift any more difficult by bothering you.

He didn't know how much time had gone by until he realized you were on your way out.

"Your shift done already?" He asked as you passed by him without your apron or name tag, and you nodded.

"Yep, finally," you stifled a yawn, and he felt awful that you had to work so long, as if it was his fault. "Hopefully I can stay awake on the walk home."

"Walk home?" He repeated you, glancing at the time and seeing how late it was. "Wait two seconds."

You watched him curiously as he started quickly gathering his things up, only processing what he was doing after a second, "Oh, wait, you-you don't have to walk me home, that's really sweet but you said you had studying to do-"

"Trust me, that can wait," he zipped up his bag, slipping it on, "Besides, it's really late, I was just about done anyway. Do you...mind if I walk you home?"

You hesitated, not wanting to be a bother - but the look in his eyes convinced you to cave. "No, I'd like that, actually."

He smiled and held the door open for you, a soft "thank you" coming from your lips before you both headed out into the night air.

"How many hours did you work?" He asked as you both started walking down the street, almost afraid of the answer.

"About eleven," you winced at the expression on his face, "I know, that wasn't a great idea. But overtime, am I right?"

"I suppose," he chuckled, "Hopefully this is a one time thing, though?"

"I won't be doing again for a while," you shuddered, and Peter thought it was because of the idea of doing a long shift again. But then he realized you were holding your arms to yourself, and it was cold, and you had no jacket.

Peter hesitated for a moment before shrugging his jacket off, really hoping this wasn't crossing a line. "Here, it's freezing."

Your expression softened as he held his jacket out to you, "Are...are you sure? You only have that thin sweatshirt-"

"Please," he insisted, holding it out further, "You're only wearing a t-shirt and it's about to snow. The last thing you need is to get sick."

"Thank you, Peter," you smiled as you took it from him, sliding it on gratefully. "I guess I hadn't really planned on walking home this late when it was cold."

You immediately felt warmer, still hugging your arms to yourself as you warmed up. Maybe it was a good thing you left your jacket at home.

Peter let you lead the way, considering he had no idea where you lived. He assumed it was close by since you walked instead of taking the subway, and he found that it was a nice walk nonetheless. Despite that, he was racking his brain for something to say, wanting to talk to you in the spare time he had before you reached your place. Luckily, you spoke for him.

"So, what do you study that requires a textbook that massive?" You raised an eyebrow at the one book Peter couldn't fit in his bag, held between his arm and side.

"Biophysics," he held the book up, "It's hard, but I like it. What about you? Are you in college?"

He didn't realize how much he didn't get to know about you in the fleeting moments he had with you.

Between helping other customers and cleaning up tables, you two only got to talk briefly. He knew you liked to crack bad puns, you liked Star Wars because you complimented Ned's shirt once and expressed excitement for the new movie, and you read a lot based on the amount of times you would take a break and have a book in your hands.

Otherwise, he didn't know much - but he wanted to know it all.

"I'm actually taking a gap year," you smiled a little, "I wanted to save up for school and honestly, I hadn't really figured out what I wanted to do right after graduating. So right now it's just the cafe, I guess."

"That's great, actually," he grinned, "It would probably be hard to tackle a job and school at the same time."

Technically, if he wanted to count being Spider-Man as a job, then he was doing just that. But obviously he wasn't going to tell you that.

"I'll have to do that in the fall," you made a face that he found adorable, "But I'll probably just take less shifts. Still, it'll be nice to have some extra cash, I suppose."

"That's a shame, if I don't get to see you as often," he said without thinking, but luckily you laughed in response.

"That would be a shame," you agreed, your smile making him relax, "Though I'm sure I'll be there for late night studying just like you are."

He couldn't help but feel disappointed when you stopped walking outside an apartment building. The walk went way faster than he had hoped, but he was relieved to know you lived close by your job and you didn't have to walk through any sketchy areas to get back and forth.

"Well, this is me," you gestured a little awkwardly, making Peter grin. "Thanks for walking me home, Peter. That was really sweet of you."

"Anytime."

To his surprise you pulled him into a hug, and he tried not to get lost in it. He counted only a few seconds before he made himself pull away, already missing the feeling of your arms around him.

Okay maybe Ned was right - he was whipped.

"Thanks again," you smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Definitely," he breathed out, watching you give him a small wave as you entered your apartment building. He waved back, suddenly not feeling as tired as he was before. And he wasn't even upset that you forgot to give his jacket back.

In fact, he kind of hoped you would keep it.

Peter felt awful.

His side ached, he was pretty sure a nasty bruise was growing on his face, and he was losing energy. It was almost midnight and he had only fought the group of drug dealers because he thought there were three, which should've been a piece of cake.

But more came out of the shadows and even though he won and they were all carted away in police cars, he was beaten up pretty badly.

He sat down hard on the ledge of a building, ripping his mask off and sighing. Everything ached, and he knew he should go home, but the light of the cafe across the street distracted him.

It was your cafe, still open despite the late hour. He squinted as he noticed the worker cleaning tables, and he frowned when he realized it was you. He didn't see any customers, but also no other workers - were you in there by yourself?

He slipped his mask back on and leaped off the building, shooting a web to bring him to a more gentle landing. A pain still shot up his leg, and he winced, hoping his super healing would kick in soon.

Coffee. He needed coffee and a break and his energy back - that was why he was going in there. Not any other reason.

You looked up immediately when the bell rang, already behind the counter, but you froze when you realized just who was walking in.

Spider-Man. Freaking Spider-Man, who you never thought you'd meet in person in your entire life, had just walked into your coffee shop of all places. Despite not seeing his face, you almost thought he looked nervous, the way he hesitated before crossing his arms. Was this some kind of weird dream?

"Uh, hello," you finally spoke as you stared at him wide-eyed, your hand hovering over the cups, "Um...what can I...get for you?"

Peter resisted the urge to reply with 'the usual', luckily remembering at the last second that he was in his suit. In fact, he should probably order something different just to throw you off.

"Can I get a vanilla latte?" He clasped his hands together, "Please?"

"Sure thing," he found it cute how you scrambled to grab a hot cup and write his order on it. "Anything else?"

"And one of your Spider-Man cookies, of course. I've been told I look like that guy."

You chuckled at that, making Peter's heart skip a beat. He'd never get sick of that sound, he was certain of it. "That all?"

"Yep," he grabbed his card from one of his suit's pockets, "What do I owe you?"

"Oh, it's on the house," you waved your hand, "With everything you do for us everyday? It's the least I can do in return."

"I couldn't possibly-" Peter couldn't protest because you already left the register, starting work on his order and completely ignoring him. He just sighed, going to stand at the end of the counter and crossing his arms.

"Do you like latte art?" You asked as you were steaming the milk.

"Absolutely," he leaned against the counter, "What do you have in mind?"

You held the cup away from him, narrowing your eyes, "It's a surprise."

He sighed dramatically, making your mouth twitch as you tried not to smile. That was...a little familiar. It only took a few seconds for you to finish the design and be happy with it, and you slid it over the counter to him.

He took the cup, glad you couldn't tell how red his face was when he realized you had done latte art of...his mask.

"I love it," he looked back up to see your beaming smile, "You're really talented."

"Thank you," you did a little curtsy, making him laugh. You grabbed some tongs and got his cookie in a bag, handing that to him as well.

"Thanks," he took the bag, glancing around, "Are...are you the only one working tonight?"

"Yeah, my coworker has the flu," you frowned, eyeing the clock, "I've closed by myself before though, it's not so bad."

"This late at night?" He asked, not liking that at all.

"Are you about to give me a whole superhero speech about how I shouldn't walk home alone at night?" you crossed your arms, "I have...pepper spray."

"Still," he shook his head, plopping himself down in one of the seats. "I'll wait with you and walk you home."

"We're still open for another thirty minutes," you protested, "And then your drink will get cold! I'll be fine, seriously. But I appreciate the thought."

"I would feel really bad if I left right now and something happened," he shrugged, "Besides, you seem like nice company. Are you alright with me staying?"

You frowned, jumping up to sit on the counter. "Okay, fine. It was getting boring here by myself, anyway."

Without really thinking about it, he lifted his mask halfway as he had done several times on patrol when he was eating between fighting crime. He braced himself for the drink, hoping it wasn't as sweet as the one you made him the other day. Luckily, it wasn't too bad - though the vanilla was probably too much.

He noticed your eyes were trailing his jawline, and you almost laughed when his mouth turned down in a frown.

"Hey, don't be trying to sneak a peek," he pointed at you, making you roll your eyes, "Secret identities are secret for a reason, Y/N."

"Well, it's not like I could tell much from the bottom half of your face," you crossed your arms, but Peter didn't like the look in your eye. Maybe he should have just let his drink get cold. Surely you wouldn't recognize him? You had tons of customers every day.

"Have you ever had a vanilla latte before?" You asked suddenly.

"Course I have. It's my favorite," he lied, his mask's eyes narrowing as you bit your lip to keep from laughing.

"You don't seem to be enjoying it very much."

"I don't drink it that much," he tried, "Uh, gotta stay healthy, you know?"

"Sure," you got up from the counter, "I'm going to start cleaning up, but continue struggling to enjoy that latte."

"I-I am definitely enjoying this latte!" He protested, making you laugh as you went to the back.

It was quiet as he finished it, quickly finishing the cookie, too. You were humming as you cleaned the counters and the tables, adjusting things so they'd be ready in the morning. He was glad you didn't seem as tired tonight as you had the last night shift he encountered you on.

"I'm about ready to lock up," you told him after a little while, and he immediately jumped up. You grabbed your bag and to his surprise, shrugged on his jacket. He was glad the mask was covering up his undoubtedly red face, his chest feeling warm at the thought of you wearing his clothes.

He was in way too deep.

"So," he started speaking the second you locked the doors, feeling much more confident behind the mask. "What's your favorite flower?"

You gave him a funny look, "What?"

"Just curious. I like getting to know the citizens of the city I protect."

You smiled a little as you put your keys away. "So you ask them what their favorite flower is?"

"Among other things. So, what is it?"

He was grinning as you answered that question, and when you didn't hesitate to answer the next one he shot at you. It was a lie that he asked everyone this, but he wanted to know more about you, and he wasn't going to waste the chance on another short walk to your apartment.

And he loved listening to you talk, even if you didn't know it was him. Every little thing you said that gave him something more to know about you, he tucked away into a mental folder for later. You mentioned your favorite song, and he made a note to listen to it later. You told him your favorite color, and he scrambled to think of a shirt he could wear in that color.

These were things he hoped you would tell him as Peter, and he knew he could only do that if he finally shoved his fears away and asked you out. And he planned to - tonight had solidified that decision, and the next time he saw you, he would ask.

And hopefully it would work out how he wanted it to.

"This is me," you stopped outside your building, the deja vu hitting you both pretty hard.

"Thank you for letting me walk you home," Spider-Man bowed, making you laugh.

"And thank you for walking me home," your eyes sparkled like you knew something he didn't, making him nervous again. "It was a pleasure, Spider-Man."

"Have a good night, Y/N," he waved as he backed up, his chest feeling warm as you smiled back at him before heading into your building.

"I'm going to ask Y/N out."

"Finally," MJ groaned, much louder than Peter's whisper to her and Ned. "I'm sick of hearing you talk about her and not doing anything."

"Shh," he glanced over at where you were making a drink, glad the machines were too loud for you to have heard her say that.

"So, what are you going to do?" Ned asked, always the supportive friend.

Peter held up a napkin and a pen, "Leave a napkin note."

"Sweet," Ned gave him a fist bump.

"Are you gonna write a love poem?" MJ snickered, and Peter gave her a dirty look.

"No," he frowned, "I don't think that would go over very well. I suck at poetry."

"Not to mention that would be corny, and even though you are an incredibly corny person, I think that would be a little too far."

Peter ignored the other quips from MJ, focusing instead on what he was going to write that would hopefully make you want to say yes.

He made the note short and sweet, writing his phone number down at the end with shaking fingers. A note was probably the best way to do it - the last thing he wanted to do was put you on the spot, especially at your place of work. This was probably the best option he had to not make you uncomfortable if you didn't feel the same.

His heart ached at that idea, but he felt certain that you felt something toward him. Enough for him to put his heart on the line with this note.

Okay, maybe that was a little dramatic, but he would definitely be devastated if you didn't feel the same.

MJ and Ned had stacked their empty dishes up like they always did, and Peter folded the napkin and tucked it next to his cup instead of with the other trash so you'd see it. Considering he wrote your name on the note and that you were the only one working on the front end, he was sure no one else would take it by mistake.

"Are you going to wait for her to open it, or head out with us?" Ned asked, and Peter jumped up immediately.

"Definitely head out with you guys," he said quickly, "I'm sure she won't see it for a while, anyway."

His friends both agreed, and they headed out to spend the rest of their day on campus. It was nearing spring break and they were all going home soon, so they had decided to hang out for the day before splitting off.

He wished his mind was focused on spending time with his friends instead of wondering about that note.

Peter waited by his phone for ages. He tried to not make it obvious around Ned and MJ, but he kept glancing at it, waiting for that text. You probably had a long shift, and he was sure you didn't carry your phone on you while working behind the bar.

Still, several hours later, and his phone was still waiting for that text. As he was falling asleep, he was still staring at his phone, the disappointment and embarrassment feeling like it would eat him alive.

He clearly read it all wrong. Of course you didn't feel anything toward him, he was just a customer. You probably acted like that with everyone. He remembered telling Ned that you probably had someone in your life, or maybe you just weren't interested in him regardless

He was suddenly really thankful he left a note. At least it saved you from having to reject him, and it saved him from the embarrassment.

Still, it hurt more than anything else.

You were smiling when Ned and MJ came in, but it dropped when you realized it was just them. You loved their company, of course, but you were pretty disappointed that Peter wasn't with them.

"No Peter today?" You asked when you approached their table, hoping that wasn't too weird. But you missed seeing his usual smile among his group of friends, and it was strange for him not to be there.

"He's a little butthurt," MJ shrugged, "Boys tend to take it hard when a girl turns them down. He'll come around."

You felt your heart drop. "He...he asked someone out?"

You felt so stupid. He didn't like you like that - he was just really nice, and funny, and charming, and...it didn't matter. He asked someone else out, and you were angry at the thought that they rejected him. How could anyone not see how great he was?

Ned and MJ stared at you blankly, "Is that supposed to be a joke?"

"What? No," you said, lowering your notepad, "Am I missing something?"

"Y/N, he asked you out," Ned gave you a funny look.

"No he didn't," you said quickly, scrambling to remember the last few conversations with him. You would definitely remember if he asked you out, and you wouldn't have ever said no.

"He left his number and a note on one of the napkins," MJ tapped said napkins, making your heart drop again, "Didn't you see it?"

"I-" you tried to remember the last time he was in, "No, I-I must've cleaned it up without looking at it. Oh, no."

MJ burst into laughter while you put your head in your hands, "This is hilarious. Of course that would happen to him."

"Wait, so you wouldn't have rejected him?" Ned asked excitedly.

"No," you said quickly, waving your hands, "No, not at all, I'd love to go on a date with him. I-I can't believe this."

"Hey, we can fix this. I have an idea."

You had to wait for your shift to end, but a few hours later, you were standing in front of the door of the apartment building Ned had given you the address to. He also gave you the code, and you had double checked probably too many times that you had the right door, knowing it would be embarrassing if you knocked and anyone other than Peter answered.

Once you were sure, you knocked twice, stepping back a little and clutching the pastry bag tighter in your hands. Despite knowing that Peter shared your feelings, you couldn't help but feel kind of nervous. And bad that he thought you didn't feel the same because you weren't being observant when you cleaned up their table.

Peter answered the door after a minute, his eyes widening when he saw you standing there. It was silent for a second as he processed that, and you finally spoke.

"Hello," you couldn't help but smile brightly at his confused face.

"Hi..." he glanced around, "How-what is happening?"

"Ned told me your apartment number," you almost cringed, realizing now how weird that probably was that you just showed up at his place. "I messed up. Ned and MJ showed up today without you and when I asked why they explained and I feel awful. I didn't know you left me a note, or I would've answered it immediately and said yes."

Peter stared at you for a minute, "What? You mean...you never saw it?"

"No, when I was cleaning up the tables I didn't realize it was there," you winced, "Which was stupid. You guys always leave everything tidy and I should have realized there was a napkin out of place, but I didn't, and...I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize," his mood changed quickly, his eyes brightening, "I probably should have thought about that. So...you would have said yes? To a date?"

You nodded, "I would love to go out with you, Peter. I figured the pastry puns I wrote on your bags were a hint enough."

"I-I couldn't really tell," he admitted, his smile widening. "Though maybe the last one should have been a dead giveaway."

"Well, this one definitely will be," you said a little nervously, holding up the pastry bag. He laughed at the pun you wrote on it, that familiar blush on his cheeks making you grin.

"I like you a latte too," he grinned with you.

"Open it."

Peter opened it curiously, chuckling when he realized you brought him one of the Spider-Man cookies.

"You shouldn't have," he said teasingly, making you laugh with him.

"Well, it matches your mask," you winked, while his expression dropped.

"What?"

"Come on," you shoved his shoulder a little, "You think I didn't recognize the bottom half of your face? Or your voice?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he forced a chuckle, but he was certain by the look on your face that you weren't buying it.

"Well, the obvious giveaway was that I wasn't wearing my name tag that night, and you still knew my name. Not to mention insisting on walking me home, that was classic Peter behavior. The way you were acting around me in general, actually. Did you really think I wouldn't realize?"

He let out a groan, making you laugh while he circled his arms around your waist into a hug that you happily returned. "I am really, really stupid."

"It was sweet," you smiled against his shoulder, "And I couldn't picture anyone else as Spider-Man."

It was silent for a minute, neither of you pulling away from the hug until Peter suddenly laughed. You gave him a curious look.

"Hey," he grinned at you, "We're the perfect blend."

"You're even worse than I am."

"Ah, you love it."

"Yeah, I love it a latte."

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

Text

sunburn - part one

a/n: another soulmate fic (first skin to skin touch & can’t see color until they meet & can feel each others emotions after contact), there’s about eight parts to this one! warnings: language pairing: peter parker x reader (soulmate au) word count: 4.1k summary: you’ve dreamt about meeting your soulmate forever - but you didn’t expect it to go quite like this

masterlist ~ requests are closed ~ part two

"Apparently she dyed it pink."

"Pink?" MJ scoffed, "There's no way it's pink."

"Is pink not a normal hair color?" You choked out a laugh, though you were slightly serious in asking the question.

It wasn't your fault you couldn't see color. How were you supposed to know if pink was a normal hair tone? You couldn't see it anyway. You didn't know what it looked like, or what brown or purple or green or any of them looked like.

"Shut up, I know you can't see color but I also know you at least know what natural hair colors are meant to be," MJ snickered, nudging your arm as you both walked.

"What's it like?" You asked wistfully, though you knew she was probably tired of you asking.

"I think I need to open a kickstarter for you to find your soulmate cause if you keep asking me that question-"

"I know, I know," you kicked a rock on the sidewalk, frowning, "I'm just getting impatient."

MJ pursed her lips, and you could tell she was holding back from trying to say something comforting. You didn't like being told that the right person would show up when the universe deemed it time - you were just getting tired of watching everyone around you meet their person, while you still remained color blind and lonely.

You were with MJ when she met hers. It was a year ago and MJ was arguing with them about the last available book in a bookshop, some biography about the black panther party, and when they both reached for the book, boom - their worlds burst into color.

It was a sweet moment to witness. You watched MJ smile more and look around the world in awe and fall in love with her soulmate - and that was fine. A year ago you weren't as desperate to meet yours. But then you had to sit while Ned and Betty realized they were soulmates, when Peter started going out with Liz and you put two and two together, even Flash met his (at least, he claimed so, since they didn't go to the same school apparently).

You were the only one in your friend group left, and it was starting to annoy you.

"I know you don't like hearing this bullshit," you groaned at MJ's words, knowing what was coming, "But they'll come, okay? You'll meet them and it'll be like you didn't even have to wait at all."

"Yeah, yeah."

You went about your day as usual - you and MJ only had a few classes together, but you were lucky enough to have all your classes with at least a few friends. You shared history and Spanish with Ned, and you had Peter and MJ in English. All three of them were in your science class, too. You only had Peter in math, but Liz and Betty were both in student council and all of your friends were in decathlon, which was nice.

It was definitely a blessing and a curse to have the friends that you did. They were all great - you and MJ were close over your love of books and politics, you and Peter were both the smartest of the group and he was the best study buddy, you and Ned liked to nerd out about sci-fi movies, and Betty and Liz were your go-to girls for advice on anything you needed. The only downside was at lunch when you were painfully reminded that they all had someone else.

"I can confirm her hair is indeed pink," MJ said as soon as you sat next to her at the cafeteria table, making you laugh, "I'm shocked."

"It doesn't look too bad," Liz cut in, giving MJ a look, "At least it's a pretty pink!"

"Hey guys," Peter jogged up to the table, and you ignored the sting when he gave Liz a kiss on her cheek and sat down, looking at the empty side of the table. "Where's Ned and Betty?"

"Probably making out in a supply closet," MJ quipped, making you and Liz choke on your drinks. "What, it's true!"

"Gross," Peter replied flatly.

"As if you two weren't like that at one point!" MJ retaliated, and Peter stuttered to make a response.

"She's kind of right," Liz muttered over her drink while Peter just gave her a look and you tried to keep a straight face.

"Who's kinda right?" Ned's voice saved you from that whole conversation, him and Betty sitting down and joining everyone. Luckily someone changed the subject and for most of lunch it wasn't too bad. For a while, at least.

You bit your lip a little as Peter and Liz exchanged some inside joke, ignoring that tight feeling of jealousy. Jealousy that you convinced yourself was just because you wanted someone to be with - you wanted so badly to meet your soulmate that it felt like it was eating away at you at times. That's the only thing you were jealous about, that's what you told yourself.

There was no way you liked Peter Parker like that.

"At least when she goes to college we won't have to sit through that anymore," MJ muttered, making you laugh a little.

"Just face time calls during lunch, probably," Ned replied while you and MJ snickered.

"What's so funny?" Peter leaned forward, raising an eyebrow at the three of you for the first time during all of lunch.

"Just talking about how gross you two are," you teased, making Liz laugh while Peter's face turned a shade of darker grey, making you assume he was blushing.

"Young love!" Ned said loudly while the rest of the table laughed, and you ignored the familiar sting in your chest when Liz hid her face in Peter's neck, laughing with everyone else.

You loved your friends, but sometimes lunch could become almost unbearable. Liz and Peter would get lost in their own little world, Ned and Betty would be much the same, MJ would be on her phone with a smile that told you she was talking to her soulmate. The empty seat next to you felt painfully obvious

Meeting your soulmate was the main thing you thought about lately - seeing the unconditional love between your parents, your older sister and your friends who were lucky enough to meet their other halves already...that was all you wanted.

You remembered listening to your sister's funny stories about how she met her soon to be husband. She told you how amazing colors were, and how it made it so much better to love someone when you could see them completely - the color of their skin, their hair and eyes.

She insisted the best part was how you could feel their emotions, especially their love for you, so you never would have to doubt it.

That was what you craved so badly.

"Hey, I found a new bookstore on third that you might be interested in," MJ gave you a nudge, drawing you out of your thoughts. "Maybe tomorrow we can go check it out?"

"Yeah, that would be nice," you agreed, glad for the distraction.

"Do you guys mind if I come with?" Liz asked, "I need a book for English and I can't find it anywhere, maybe they'd have it."

"'Course," MJ smiled, and you nodded.

"We'll make a girls day out of it," you agreed, giving Peter a look, "No boyfriends allowed."

He pouted a little, making you and MJ snicker as Liz just agreed with you, laughing at his offended expression.

You managed to get through the rest of lunch avoiding looking at them and especially not at Ned and Betty, who were still in the honeymoon part of their relationship and were even getting on MJ's nerves.

By the end of the day you were packing your bag with all the textbooks your teachers made you bring everyday, grumbling about the amount of them. You were only interrupted when you heard a familiar voice calling your name.

"Hey, Y/N!" You ignored the little skip in your heartbeat as you turned to see Peter jogging after you, a little breathless.

"Hey, Peter," you smiled, raising an eyebrow as he reached you. "What's up?"

"So listen," he clasped his hands together, giving you a pleading look. "I need your help."

"Sure, what do you need?" You wished you didn't agree that quickly, but the relieved look in his eyes made up for it.

"I really need a study partner for Calc," he ran a hand over his face, sighing, "I've been so caught up with the internship and Liz and other classes that my grade is dropping and May will kill me if I fail this class, and you're the only one who has the same teacher as me-"

"Peter, relax," you interrupted, trying not to be hurt at the fact that he only really asked because you both had the same teacher. Not that you cared, or anything. "I can totally help. But only if you help me with English because I'm kind of in the same boat."

"What, psh," he crossed his arms, giving you a look. "You're great at English, what are you talking about?"

"I like English, that doesn't mean I'm great at it," you pointed out, pretending to ignore the warmth rising in your cheeks at the compliment, "But I appreciate the compliment. When should we start?"

"Is today okay?" He scratched the back of his neck, "We have that test on Thursday and I promised Liz I would see her Wednesday but tomorrow you guys are going to that bookstore so-"

"Today's fine," you smiled a little, "Should we go to the library or my place or-?"

"Is mine okay? It's close to school and I have a feeling the library will close before we're done studying, it's a big test. If you're okay with that, of course! You can totally leave early if you need to-"

"Peter," you laughed a little, cutting off his rambling for probably the hundredth time. "Honestly, it's fine. You're really nervous about this test?"

"I can't fail it," he sighed, "Mr. Grant said one more fail and I won't pass the class."

"Shit," you mumbled, shutting your locker, "We better get started then."

You tried not to stare.

But you couldn't help that Peter was cute. He had his tongue poking between his teeth as he wrote down a few formulas, his other hand tapping on the desk. His eyes skimmed the paper and his curly hair was a mess on his head, bouncing a little whenever he moved his head.

He seemed even cuter now that you were in his apartment, in his room, and you saw how he was at home. His aunt was sweet and had to leave nearly the second you both got there, but you knew you liked her already just from her attitude. He seemed to be more relaxed and happy around her, if that was even possible. You could see that just from the few minutes they interacted before she had to leave.

And now you were in his room, which was covered in posters and pictures of may and his uncle and Liz and all of your friends - some of you were up there too, smiling next to MJ at prom or with your legs kicked up over Ned's lap at decathlon practice. He had a lot of candids like that, for all of you - you knew he liked photography but you were still a little shocked at the amount of photos he kept of the group, and it made you happy to see how much he cared about you guys, knowing the feeling was obviously mutual.

There were also small drawings taped to the wall, some that you noticed he snatched quickly and stuffed into a drawer as soon as you came in, but you didn't say anything about it. His desk had lego bits, a nice camera, some old movie ticket stubs and pieces of plastic that probably belonged to something. He had brushed most of it off and apologized for the mess, but it honestly wasn't that bad for a teenage boy.

His room only made you feel like you knew him more, which only added to the feelings you wished you didn't have for him.

"What did you get for forty five?" He asked suddenly, making you snap out of your thoughts and focus on your paper again, realizing you were so distracted by him that you weren't even there yet.

"Uh, haven't gotten to it yet," you laughed a little awkwardly as you skipped ahead to that problem, "One sec."

"You gotta keep up, L/N," he said a little cheekily, and you felt your cheeks warm up.

"Not my fault I'm studying with the school genius," you said back while he laughed, finishing the equation. "I got seventeen."

"Nice, me too," he sounded a little proud, "So far so good."

"Peter honestly, you're fine with this, you know the material," you huffed a little, giving him a look, "Are you just a bad test taker or something?"

"Yeah, I get test anxiety pretty bad. But seriously, once we get to the stuff from chapter fifteen, trust me, you'll see how bad I am," he promised, making you snort.

"Okay, we'll see," you joked, shaking your head.

That mood was ruined when his phone started buzzing and you saw Liz's name, grimacing a little as his face lit up and he grabbed it.

"Sorry, I'm just gonna take this real quick," he grinned and you and you just gave him a tight smile in return, gesturing for him to go ahead. He stumbled as he got up, making you laugh a little while he answered and went outside the room for some privacy.

You chewed your lip as you focused on getting some problems done, trying to ignore his laughter you could hear through the door. You wanted to pretend that your jealousy only stemmed from not having a soulmate like he did, but you knew it was more than that.

You had to accept now that you liked Peter, and you hated it. Acceptance was just another step toward moving on, though, so you were at least on your way to getting past it.

"Sorry," you jumped a little as Peter came back in, a wide smile on his face, "Ready to struggle through another twenty problems?"

"Can we move on to the English homework and then switch back? My brain hurts," you pouted a little while he laughed, nodding and grabbing the assigned book.

"Good idea," he pulled out his binder and you sifted through your papers to find the worksheet.

"Do you mind sharing your copy, I can't find mine," you grumbled, shoving through your mess of a backpack and still not seeing it.

"Yeah, no prob," he tossed you the book and you barely caught it and shot him a little glare while he just grinned a little. "Sorry."

"Sure you are," you smiled a little while he scoffed, pretending to be offended while you opened the book to find the right page for the first question.

It was mostly silent as you went through the worksheet, and it was only interrupted when you had a question you struggled on that Peter was able to help with.

You groaned in frustration as the next question asked something specific about colors and their significance in the story, and it would be impossible to answer. Your teacher said that anyone who hadn't met their soulmate could skip those questions, which was nice in retrospect because you got to do less work, but it was just a constant reminder that you hadn't met them yet.

"Wish I could see color already," you sighed, tapping your pencil on your paper. "That would make this a lot easier."

"Tell me about it," he chuckled, but the words made you frown. "I can't answer half of these."

You stared at him blankly for a moment as he continued his work unfazed. It had never been stated before, but you were positive he could see color. Liz could. And it seemed clear they were together and soulmates so...what? You had to ask.

"You can't see color?"

"Nope, still a black and white world for me," he joked, but you were still confused.

"But...you and Liz?"

"Oh, well, we aren't soulmates," he said simply, but the words made you stop in your tracks.

"You and Liz aren't soulmates?" You asked in shock, "But...what?"

"Yeah, don't tell her I told you, she kinda wants to keep it on the down-low," he scratched the back of his neck, "She met hers when she was really young and they ended up moving to another state and she doesn't think she'll meet them again. She says she doesn't even feel their emotions that often, she can only really see color. And I obviously haven't met mine but...I don't really care."

"What happens when you do meet them?" You asked in confusion, "Or if her soulmate appeared again?"

Peter bit his lip, shaking his head, "It doesn't matter. We've talked about it and we care more about each other and...soulmates don't even have a foundation, you know? Like you meet and suddenly you're just supposed to love them? It doesn't make sense, I think I would care more about Liz, someone I've been with for a while, rather than some stranger that the universe deemed my soulmate."

You frowned at that, sort of getting what he meant. But at the same time the idea of having another half out there just waiting for you made you feel giddy inside, so you decided he was entitled to his own opinion, and you to yours.

"To each their own, I guess," you shrugged, deciding to drop the subject. "Personally I can't wait to meet mine. I'm tired of sitting around all of you love birds, I'm getting bored."

He let out a laugh at that, "I'm sure the wait's worth it. I hope they're everything you want them to be, you deserve it," his reassuring smile made you feel a little more hopeful about it.

"Thanks, Peter. I hope so too."

You only studied for another few hours before deciding to call it quits. English only took half an hour and as for math, Peter really only needed help on certain concepts that you were luckily pretty good at, and he seemed to get them down by the end of your study session.

"You're a lifesaver, seriously," he thanked you again as you both packed up, but you brushed it off.

"Don't worry about it," you waved your hand, slinging your bag over your shoulder. "Just let me know if we need to study again, I'm down."

"I will," he grinned, "But really, I owe you one."

"I'll hold you to that," you warned as he walked down with you to the steps outside his apartment.

"I'm sure you will," he chuckled, before staring up at the sky and frowning. "It's getting kinda dark, I can walk you home?"

"It's barely seven, it won't be dark for a while, don't worry about it," you shook your head, but he was already shutting the door. "I've walked home by myself plenty of times."

"That's not very safe," he pointed out, "And I want to."

You threw your arms up in defeat and starting walking away while he laughed, jogging a little to catch up with you. It was easy to make conversation with him - you were friends, after all. That was something you were both thankful for and something you hated, though.

It wasn't easier to get over him if he kept dropping jokes that made you laugh until your sides hurt, or asking about your day and remembering little things you told him months ago without thinking twice about, or offering to walk you home when it wasn't dark and you knew the path like the back of your hand already.

"Welcome to my humble abode," you gestured to your normal looking apartment building, making him snort. "Thanks for walking with me, Pete."

"Thanks for helping me with those equations," he said back, about to wave goodbye before you cursed, reaching for your backpack.

"Oh, I almost forgot, here's your book back," you reached into your bag and handed it to him, but it slipped through your fingers at the last second.

"Ah, shit," you muttered, bending down the pick it up at the same time Peter did.

"Don't worry, I got-"

His voice caught the second your hand accidentally brushed against his.

They called it a "sunburn" - it was like the feeling of having sun-kissed skin, but instead of the hurting of a burn, it feels like a nice, pleasant warmth. Soulmates know when they meet because not only does their world burst into colors, but they feel the sunburn in their chest.

As soon as Peter's fingers brushed yours, your chest felt almost uncomfortably warm, and your vision was no longer black and white. The book you dropped burst into a color you couldn't name, and suddenly Peter's hand had color, too - and so did yours, and the floor, and the sweater he was wearing-

This wasn't what you expected to happen.

"Peter..." you flinched when he snatched his hand away, panic in his eyes. His eyes that suddenly had color, a really pretty color that you couldn't wait to find out the name of.

"No, we-I don't understand," he said quickly, taking another step back. "We've already met!"

"But we've never touched," you felt your lip tremble slightly as he just kept backing up, already knowing where this was going. "Don't-please don't leave, we need to talk about this."

"There's nothing to talk about," he straightened up a little, not meeting your eyes this time. "You already...you already know how I feel about it. Nothing's changing."

He suddenly winced and brought a hand up to his chest, scrunching his eyes up, "What the-"

You felt confusion briefly take over the hurt that was overflowing your thoughts and heart, but it disappeared just as quick as the realization dawned on Peter's face as he looked back at you. Then it turned into guilt before being overtaken by your pain again.

You forgot about the emotions thing.

"Y/N-" he reached a hand out toward you, but you stepped back, shaking your head.

"It's fine," you said quickly, holding a hand up, but he knew it wasn't fine, he could feel that with how bad his reaction (more like rejection) was hurting you. Your emotions were betraying your ability to lie and blow it off. You'd probably never be able to lie to him again, not with how soulmates were able to feel each other's emotions so easily. "Go home, Peter."

"I..." he didn't know what to say, the look on your face and the pain he could feel from you telling him to shut up. "I'm sorry, I-"

"Go home," you insisted again, wishing your voice didn't crack and wishing he couldn't feel your hurt and definitely wishing it wasn't him. Well that was kind of a lie, you did wish it was him (you always had), but you wanted him to actually want you back. "Please go."

This wasn't what you were waiting so long to have.

It wasn't fair.

He still didn't move so you took it upon yourself to turn around and continue walking to your door, ignoring when he called your name. Instead you quickly unlocked your door and shut it behind you, resting your forehead against the frame and resisting the urge to cry as you remembered his words from earlier.

"I hope they're everything you want them to be."

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#peter parker x reader #peter parker fic #peter parker reader insert #spider-man x reader #spider-man fic #spiderman x reader #peterpparkerwrites masterlist #my writing

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

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sweatshirt

a/n: hello all! forgive me for taking so long for posting my fics on here again, I’m getting used to the changes tumblr has had since I was last on here, lol. I won’t be posting all of my fics on here, but all of my popular ones or ones I like will definitely be reposted here. any that aren’t here are on my wattpad. my page and masterlist are in the works right now so this post will be edited when my masterlist is up and running, but I did want to get at least one fic out there! x j warnings: mentions of a break-up, undoubtedly some good ol’ swearing, nothing else! pairing: peter parker x reader word count: 2.9k

masterlist ~ requests are closed

Sitting atop a building that had become familiar to him in the last four months, his hands freezing despite the built-in heater that Tony had created in his suit, all he wanted was to shove his hands in pockets or mittens because God, New York was so cold this winter.

It wasn't snowing, not yet, but it would probably be within the next few hours. Everyone walking about below him was bundled up, making him think that maybe next time he would wear that Spider-Man sweater Ned had given him as a joke, over his suit. After all, heroes had to stay warm too, didn't they?

He shifted slightly on the ledge, trying to remain a bit hidden but also stay out enough so he could watch the front door of the apartment building across from him. For the last couple months he had kept up this routine, at eight pm every night. He felt ridiculous about it, but it wasn't like he could stop himself from pausing his rounds to sit on this ledge and wait. He never had that kind of self-control.

Right on cue, you came out into the open, your apartment door slamming as you rushed to lock it behind you. Peter felt relief, and the usual stab of pain in his gut, when he saw you shove a hat over your head and glare at the sky. He chuckled lightly at your expression, knowing how much you hated the cold, but loved the snow - ironically.

As you began walking down the street, pulling on mittens and biting your lip in concentration as you struggled to get them on your freezing fingers, he stood up and followed, rubbing his hands together for a bit of warmth.

He swore to himself every night it wasn't creepy that he followed you. Okay, maybe a little, but he couldn't help it. You worked a night shift at a local 24-hour cafe, something he protested against when you two were dating, and he didn't like the idea of it any more now.

Peter just wanted to make sure you were safe. He was doing his job - you were a citizen, he was the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, it would be messed up if he didn't make sure you got to work safely.

His eyes were on you as you finally got your gloves on, shifting your purse and walking with a bit of a quicker pace. He remembered how paranoid you got about walking alone, and he knew you had a right to be - how many people had he saved from muggings in random alley ways?

It had been four months since you ended things, but it still made his heart hurt to see you. He didn't see you any other time, because when you left, you had no reason to visit his side of Queens. You went to a college in a different borough, and you only lived and worked here. Peter lived on the other side of town.

Maybe, he always thought, that was why you waited until graduation to break up. He knew he was hurting you by always skipping dates, or being extremely late, or not telling you the reasons for his tiredness and bruises. If you had dumped him while you were still seniors, you still would've had to see each other every day.

He hated himself for doing that to you, but ever since May and Ned found out about Spider-Man, his life had gotten so much more complicated. He realized things that he hadn't considered before - they were in danger now because of him. They had knowledge of who Spider-Man was, and if that ever got out, it could get them hurt, or worse. He couldn't take back the fact that they knew, but hell if he wouldn't try to keep it from you. You were such an important person in his life, and if endangered you for something like this, he would never forgive himself.

When you turned a corner, he shot a web at the adjacent building and swung off, following. He didn't mind if anyone else saw him, but he would rather not have you see him. Of course, you didn't know it was him, but he also didn't want to freak you out if you realized Spider-Man had been stalking you for the last few months.

He landed on the side of the building, climbing up easily and perching on the ledge, watching with relief as you made it into your cafe, the sound of the bell ringing reaching his ears, something that he never would've been able to hear had it happened prior to the spider bite.

Waiting a few seconds before he hopped off the building, he knew you would be safe while he did the rest of his rounds before returning back here to see you home safely.

It was two am when your shift ended (Peter had no idea why you decided to take that time, since you loved sleeping early) and he was waiting once again on a building rooftop where he could see you clearly.

This time, he noticed what you were wearing, and his chest tightened when he noticed the familiar grey sweatshirt that was a bit too big, rolled up once at the sleeves and hanging loosely over your work uniform. His breath caught when you shoved your hands into the pockets, a small smile on your face before you continued on your way home.

You still wore his sweatshirt. It was his favourite on you - in fact, he had given it to you to keep, even though he liked it so much, just because you loved it more. Seeing you in that piece of his clothing was the final breaking point for him.

Before he knew what he was doing, he dropped down in front of you, making you jump back a bit. His brain screamed at him to stop before he did something stupid, but you relaxed with a sigh, a small smile on your lips when you realized who it was.

"I was wondering when you were gonna approach me," you laughed lightly, causing him to frown behind the mask. His head tilted to the side slightly.

"What?" He asked, not bothering to cover up his voice at all. He didn't think that you might recognize it, and if you did, he wasn't sure he cared anymore. He just needed to talk to you before he went crazy.

"You've been following me," you said flatly, your voice not carrying any hint of accusation or fear or anger like he might've expected. His eyebrows raised in shock, his thoughts jumbled as he tried to form a sentence, or an excuse, anything.

"Whaaaaat?" He asked, laughing lightly, "Ma'am, I think you're mistaken-"

"I'm not stupid," you ran a hand through your hair, and he realized you didn't have the hat this time. "I've seen you, you aren't as stealthy as you think."

"Oh," he scratched the back of his neck, not sure what to say. He thought he had been pretty good about not being seen, but he should've known you would realize, since you were pretty perceptive that way.

"What made you decide to drop down and finally say hey?" You questioned teasingly. Peter was surprised he hadn't broken down yet - he hadn't been this close to you, or talked to you in so long, it was causing his head to start hurting.

"I-I um, thought I'd, offer to walk you home. It's pretty late."

You bit your lip, "I'd like that. Thanks."

"Of course, it's kinda my job," he gained a bit more confidence, grinning when you chuckled and rolled your eyes, walking next to him.

"Your job, huh? Does someone pay you?" You asked, making him laugh and shake his head.

"Nope," he sighed, "I get paid in churros sometimes, though."

You gave him a weird look, making him laugh again, "Helped an old lady with directions, she bought me a churro. Pretty good pay if you ask me."

You snickered, "Spider-Man's got a sweet tooth. Who knew."

He shrugged, "Who doesn't have a sweet tooth?"

"Touché," you crossed your arms, trying to get more warm, even though your ex-boyfriends sweatshirt was comfy.

In all honesty, you don't know why you still had it, much less why you still wore it. It certainly didn't help you move on, and since you ended things in the first place, it wasn't right of you to keep it. But you missed Peter so much, especially on cold days like this, and this sweater was one of the last things you had to remind you of him.

"You alright?" The soft voice broke you out of your thoughts, and you glanced at Spider-Man's mask.

"Hm, yeah," you answered, "Just had a long shift, and I zone out sometimes."

"How come you chose a night shift?" He asked curiously, which caused you to eye him, but he didn't seem to notice.

"Um, it was just more convenient. I go to school, when I get back I do my homework, and then I go to work. It's a good system."

"Yeah, good except that you walk alone at the worst possible times," he pointed out, making you shake your head.

"You sound like my ex," you rolled your eyes, not seeing him tense. "But I can handle myself. Plus, I heard there's this superhero guy that watches out for Queens."

You said the last part teasingly, making him laugh despite your earlier sentence. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes at you.

For the rest of the walk, you noticed things about Spider-Man that reminded you way too much of Peter. Enough to make it more than just a coincidence that he scratched his neck the same way, or moved his hands in gestures just like your ex did. The thing that really gave it away was his voice, because even though you hadn't heard it in months, the more the hero talked, the more you became sure it was him.

When you reached the door to your apartment, your heart was racing. You missed Peter so much and never felt enough closure with the break-up, and if this was really him, you might have answers to the unanswered questions. And maybe you wanted to see his face again, even if you would break down later because of it.

"Night, Peter," you said softly, eyeing him to see if he would catch what you just said.

"Night, Y/N," he said back quietly, and you could hear the small smile in his voice. Your chest tightened when he responded, confirming your suspicions.

You stared at him, waiting for him to catch on. Even though he was a genius, the boy could be kinda dense sometimes.

"Oh shit," he finally blurted, making you want to burst into laughter, but you managed to keep a straight face.

"You've never been very good at keeping secrets," you said quietly, a sad smile on your lips.

He carefully pulled his mask off, since no one in their right mind was up and around you two right now. Your breath caught when you saw his face for the first time in so long - the brown eyes you would always get lost in, the curls you used to love to run your fingers through. His slightly chapped lips that reminded you of memories too painful to think about. Of course, you noticed the other things - the bags under his eyes and the bruise on his cheeks, things that drove you crazy not to know the cause of.

And now you did.

"Y/N," his lips formed around you name as though it held such importance, and you shut your eyes for a moment and took a breath. He didn't say anything else, so you decided to talk.

"Peter," you replied after a moment of silence, meeting his gaze again, "Why have you been keeping an eye on me for four months?"

"You know why," he said instantly, making you bite your lip.

"Why didn't you just tell me you were Spider-Man?" This time you said it in a whisper, even though no one was around. The idea that he didn't trust you with this secret hurt, and it felt like your heart was breaking all over again.

He hesitated, fiddling with his fingers and biting his lip, avoiding your sharp gaze. "You know I couldn't let anything happen to you, Y/N. If you were kept in the dark, it would be safer."

You scoffed, making him meet your eyes again. "That is the lamest thing I've ever heard."

He knit his eyebrows, "Your safety is the most important-"

"Peter," you interrupted, "Me knowing you were Spider-Man would have made me more safe. If I was in danger, I could have called you-"

"But people could have found out!" He interrupted you this time, running a hand through his hair and tugging at the strands a bit, his voice cracking once from the stress of the conversation. "If you knew, and someone knew that you knew, they could've hurt you to get to me, to find out my secret. I didn't want to tell anyone for this exact reason, especially not you. Sweetheart, if anything happened to you, I don't know what I would do with myself."

You stared at him for a moment, your eyes a bit wide at his outburst. The last time you saw him get this emotional was when you left, and the memory caused your fists to tighten, hating yourself more for doing that to him.

"You still have that sweatshirt," he pointed out, desperate to change the subject, even though he wasn't getting far from the topic. He said it before he could realize how dumb it was to, but luckily you didn't seem upset by it.

"It's a really comfy sweater," you said with a shaky laugh, easing the tension only a bit, "But...that's not why I kept it."

His eyes met yours, which had started tearing up a bit.

"Why did you keep it?" he asked in a quiet tone, one that you wouldn't have heard if it hadn't been so quiet aside from the snow starting to fall and the occasional car driving on the other side of the building, far from you both.

"You know why," you repeated his words from earlier, your voice catching a bit at the end. It seemed he got what you were saying, since you both meant the same thing when you said the words to each other.

He stepped closer to you hesitantly, one of his hands still gripping his mask tightly. His other one reached upwards to cup your rosy cheek, the contact making his heart race and fingers tremble slightly, because God, it had been so long since he'd touched you.

Your eyes shut and you leaned into his gloved palm, your other hand coming up to cover his hand and holding it tightly, afraid he'd let go and remember how much you had hurt him all those months ago and leave.

"I still love you," he finally managed to say, causing you to open your eyes to look at him, seeing the adoration in his eyes as he smiled softly at you, his thumb brushing along you cheek.

"Even though I hurt you?" You asked shakily, to which he nodded, leaning forward to press his forehead against yours.

"I deserved it," he chuckled, interrupting before you could protest. "You probably thought I was in a secret fight club or something. I should've been more honest and told you from the beginning, but I was too scared. I'm the one that hurt you."

"First rule of fight club - don't talk about fight club," you said jokingly, causing him to laugh and get those crinkles by his eyes that you loved so much.

"I love you," you smiled after a moment, causing his gaze to meet your again, his eyes hopeful. "I never stopped. Clearly, I have a hard time moving on."

You gestured to his sweatshirt, making him grin again, before he leaned forward to press his lips against yours for the first time in what felt like forever.

Your hands went to cup the back of his neck while you tried not to smile into the kiss, only pulling him closer and wishing this moment didn't end, because it was all you had been dreaming of ever since you stepped out of his apartment.

His hands were now tangled in your hair, his mask discarded on the ground as he held you as close as possible, not thinking of anything but the feeling of you finally held against him again. When you had to pull back for air, he let out a shaky laugh, causing you to smile a little breathlessly and give him a weird look.

"I can't believe it was this stupid sweatshirt that finally gave me the guts to jump down and talk to you," he explained, tugging the strings a bit.

"Well, I'm glad it did," you replied, pulling him in for another kiss as the snow fell more heavily around you both, and despite the cold, you hadn't felt this warm in a long time.

#if you've read this before just a reminder this is me starting from scratch with the old url being pparkerwrites #also wrote this in 2017 and uh my writing has definitely changed LMAO #peter parker x reader #spider-man x reader #peter parker fic #spider-man fic #peter parker #spider-man #peterpparkerwrites masterlist

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

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far from love - part one

a/n: this series (and all posted fics) will be on a set schedule of posting everyday at 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM PST. this will only be the posting schedule for fics already written and just needing to be reposted on here. when I get back to new fics, there won’t be a set schedule. keep that in mind! italics are flashbacks - there’s quite a few in this series warnings: language pairing: peter parker x silk!reader word count: 8k summary: your life is finally starting to get back to normal after everyone (yourself included) returns from the snap. the last thing you need is to get bitten by a radioactive spider

masterlist ~ requests are closed ~ part two

"We're really excited to open this program to high school students," the woman at the front of the room spoke, shifting her glasses, "You interns will be gaining so much experience from working here at Oscorp, and we hope you are all ready and eager to learn. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity."

You knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity - you remembered how long you spent grueling over the application, asking multiple people to review your entry essay and qualifications, doing phone interviews and in-person group interviews and finally a last interview with the head of the research labs, before managing to secure the position.

It was hard, but you worked for so long for it, and you couldn't help but be proud that you were one of the five chosen out of who knows how many high school students that applied.

So now you stood with four other eager and smart kids being shown around the labs and having orientation for your first official day at Oscorp Industries. The other kids seemed nice so far, but you knew you weren't going to work with them much. The jobs were mostly individual work or assisting with scientists in other labs, and you were all chosen for a specific section, so you wouldn't be surprised if you didn't see them at all for the rest of your time here.

"We're going to split you all up and send you with your supervisors to tour your specific labs, get to know the people in your groups, and give you your first instructions," the woman continued, gesturing to five researchers standing off to the sides with badges and tablets. "Enjoy your time here at Oscorp, we look forward to having you all."

Everything went quickly from there - you were assigned to a researcher to guide you around and explain your job and tasks. Yours was a younger lady who was excited to have you on board, and seemed very into the work she did.

You weren't too thrilled when she mentioned that you would be starting in the radioactive unit, particularly with the test subjects. There were a lot of non-disclosure forms you had to fill out before accepting the internship position, and now you knew why - it seemed like Oscorp was still doing some research that maybe they didn't want the public to know about.

Still, you followed her as she led you through different labs and explained various jobs and functions. She led you to a lab at the end of the building, far from most of the other work stations.

"We're going to get you set up with a coat and badge, and then I'll explain your first task on the way, sound good?" She smiled and you agreed, feeling excited to do something aside from listening and nodding along to whatever she said.

You felt giddy as you slipped a lab coat on, feeling official for the first time as she pinned an ID badge to your front. It granted you access to almost all levels of the radioactive unit, as she explained, as well as the main levels where the cafeteria and break rooms were. Though since you were only interning a few hours a day a few days a week after school, you doubted you would need to go there often.

She explained some more things as she led you to the room where you were going to officially start, and you felt more excited as you got closer. This was a dream for a long time for you - to work in a lab, to get experience and learn new things about science that you didn't know before.

You wished you could tell Peter all about it.

There was a twinge in your heart at that thought, but you pushed it away to focus on what the researcher was telling you. The last thing you needed was to get distracted and forget about what you were doing.

"We've opened this section up recently, a few years before the snap they shut down the radioactive spider unit except to visitors, and then last year completely shut it down – but the board has finally let us continue research on them," she said enthusiastically, tapped her card to a scanner. The doors slid open with ease, the room a little warmer than the outside. "Y/N, I'm gonna have you prep this room for next week's reopening of the lab – it's pretty simple, there's instructions on your tablet and I'm a call away if you have any questions."

"Thank you so much," you smiled at her as she walked away, wishing you a quick "good luck!".

The instructions were simple – mostly you had to sterilize the work stations, organize a few empty flasks and chemicals for the lab, and count the spiders to make sure none were missing (which concerned you only slightly – was there really a chance for some to go missing when they had been locked up?).

Once she left, you got right to work and realized almost immediately why this room was so familiar. Two years ago (well maybe seven technically, with the snap) you were in this very room with your then best friends on a field trip.

The first and only time aside from now that you had been to Oscorp was on that class trip, back in freshman year. Peter and Ned were goofing off around the spider exhibits and you followed them when they begged you to, even though it was ditching the rest of class.

You remembered when Ned knocked over a few glass cases in this room and you all bolted, though it didn't seem like anything broke, luckily. And no one mentioned when you three appeared back with the class like nothing had happened. You had to all suppress yourself from laughing when your class went back into the same room, the glass cases back where they were meant to be and a researcher in the corner was giving you all dirty looks.

You missed that Peter.

He had changed after the snap. You weren't sure why - it had been months since everyone returned, but he had drifted away from you in that time. Originally you both had been relieved to see that the two of you were the same age and had been snapped together, but then Peter seemed to shut away and close you out.

It came out of nowhere and man did it hurt.

You regretted not fighting harder to keep him in your life, but you moved on. Or you at least told yourself that - whenever you saw him looking at MJ the way he used to look at Liz, you felt your heart squeeze in on itself. Losing your friendship hurt, but losing someone you loved in more than a friend way hurt more.

Still, you don't know what you did to make him create this distance between you both, so suddenly. He probably just wanted space after his mentor died, and then realized maybe being friends with you wasn't what he wanted anymore.

You just had to learn to accept that, even if you still didn't want to.

You wiped down a counter a little harder, trying to push those thoughts away. It had been a while since you thought about Peter or Ned or any of that. You missed them, and MJ was the only real connection you had left to your old best friends, but you weren't as close with her either. Especially not now that you saw the way Peter looked at her, and vice versa.

After an hour, you had cleaned the lab space as best you could and organized beakers and scales and the like in the correct places. You had moved the spider cases to the front as required by the list on the tablet, and counted them accordingly. They all seemed to be in there, though it was hard to check when they moved around so much.

You snapped pictures of the lab for your report and marked test tubes, hung coats and checked the room temperature. It was simple work - nothing fun yet, but you hoped that would change soon.

Within the two hours that your internship required, you had fixed the room to near perfection. The lid on one of the glass cases was loose but you were able to fix it, proud of yourself for doing everything without needing to call for help.

The day had gone quickly - you were sent home with a simple "good job!" and "see you next week!", but you were satisfied with how it went. For a first day, not so bad.

You wondered if this was how Peter felt when he first started the Stark internship - he never talked about it much, always getting weird and quiet and changing the subject, but you guessed it was because he didn't want to give too much away and get in trouble. If Stark Industries was anything like Oscorp, they wanted to keep their secrets under wraps as well.

"You know, you work an awful lot for just an intern," you took a bite of your sandwich, giving Peter a funny look across the table at Delmar's. "Isn't it against the law technically for a fifteen year old to be working basically a full-time job-"

"It's not a job, it's an internship," his face was a little red, "And-and I like working this much. It's fun."

"You never talk about it, though," you pointed out, and he conveniently decided to stuff his face with food so he couldn't answer. "Fine, don't tell me, but don't expect me to shut up about it if I get into Oscorp's internship."

"Oooh, we'll be working for competing companies," he wiggled his eyebrows, and you threw a crumpled up napkin at him while he laughed.

"If I even get in," you grumbled, leaning back and crossing your arms.

"Y/N, you're crazy smart, you work really hard, and your entry essay is killer," he said confidently, making your cheeks warm up, "You're going to get in, there's no need to stress."

Of course, you never got to apply - the snap happened and suddenly you came back to life five years later, your mother losing it when you appeared in the living room like nothing had changed. You had called your best friend and he hadn't answered - you remember he and Ned had been on a field trip to MOMA while you had stayed home for a doctor's appointment.

And then he showed up at your window with tears in his eyes and was relieved to see you were still the same age as him. He had hugged you tighter than he ever had before when he explained how Tony Stark had died and he wished he could've done more.

"Peter, you, I know you guys were close, but there wasn't anything you could do," you mumbled while he held you tightly, burying his face in your neck. "You're his intern, not a superhero, there was nothing to be done. It isn't your fault."

You remember how he tensed against you when you said those words, pulling back almost immediately. His eyes were still red but suddenly he looked unsure, like maybe he regretted coming to you, but you didn't know why.

"Yeah, you're right, I'm just an intern," he said a little harshly, not meeting your eyes. Your expression softened at the look on his face.

"You know I didn't mean it like that," you said quietly, reaching a hand out for him, but he flinched away and took a step back. You tried not to be hurt by that, knowing he was hurting from this loss. "Pete, you're just a regular kid, we all are. What could you have done?"

He stared at you for a moment, clenching his jar and nodding. "Right."

He went back to your window while you protested, "Wait, Peter, don't leave. I'm sorry if I said something-"

"Bye, Y/N," Peter said quickly, hopping down your fire escape before you could call him back.

Whatever you said that struck a nerve with him seemed to ruin your friendship - he never spoke to your after that, he ignored your texts and somehow avoided you at school. Ned told you he wanted space, and so you gave it to him.

But he never came back around.

Your phone rang with a text and you snapped out of it, coming back to the present where you were on a subway on your way home from the internship, not Peter's friend anymore, not really Ned's friend anymore either, and you had to be fine with that.

It had been months anyway - you should be over it by now.

With a sigh, you glanced at your phone and saw it was a text from MJ, asking if you had the notes for the class she missed today. The subway came to your stop and you hopped off, digging in your bag a little to make sure you had the notes she was looking for, and didn't leave them at school.

"Aha!" You pulled out the right ones, snapping a picture of them before stuffing them back in your bag and making your way home.

When you lifted your phone back up to answer the text before you could forget, your eyes suddenly widened upon seeing something crawling out of your sleeve and onto your wrist.

You flinched at the sharp pain on your hand and smacked it off, shuddering a little. You hated spiders more than anything and stomped it with your foot, making a noise of disgust at the sound that made.

"Gross," you muttered, looking at your hand and seeing the area it bit was already turning red. Luckily it was near your wrist so you just tugged your lab coat sleeve over it, hoping that by the time you got home and put ointment on, it wouldn't be worse.

You hand itched a little the rest of the way home, but you had almost forgotten about it when you reached the steps to your building.

"I'm home!" You yelled out when you opened the door, feeling a little faint as soon as you did so. For a minute you paused, almost not hearing you mom yell back a response as you blinked a couple times, wondering why your eyesight was getting blurry.

You took your glasses off and tucked them away, frowning as your vision got better, which made no sense. "What the hell?"

"Hey sweetie, dinner will be ready in five!" You winced and put your hands over your ears as your mom's voice sounded way too loud, but she wasn't next to you like you thought.

Your ears were ringing as you dropped your bag by the door, flinching at the loud sound in made.

"You okay?" Your moms voice sounded even closer but also somehow softer with how loud your ears were ringing. "Y/N?"

"I'm feeling really sick," you said quietly, your head starting to pound, "Can I just go to bed?"

She put a hand on your head and you tried not to flinch away at how cold her hand felt. "Oh, you definitely have a fever. Yeah honey, go get some rest, I'll bring soup up later if you're awake."

"Thanks," you hurried up to your room, still feeling weird and faint and also like you could sleep for ten years. You didn't bother to change out of your clothes, only throwing your lab coat in a corner before falling onto your bed.

You knocked out as soon as you hit the pillow.

You woke up several hours later in a panic, the position you were in making you jump out of your skin.

"What the-" You would've fallen in shock if your feet hadn't been literally stuck to the ceiling. Your shirt was bunched up around you from the gravity pull and your hair was also falling toward the ground, but you remained upside down and somehow...not falling.

With a pull, you tried to get your feet off the ceiling but they wouldn't budge. You squatted, using your hands to yank at your feet but nothing was happening. It didn't feel like you were upside down - you felt like you were simply standing normally, and if the room hadn't been upside down you wouldn't have known the difference.

"What is going on?" You whispered to yourself, pulling again with no success. "Am I still freaking dreaming?"

"Honey?" Your mom's voice made you freeze, still on the ceiling in a squatting position. "Are you ready for school? I brought you breakfast."

"I'm still not feeling well," you said a little breathlessly, hoping she didn't open the door, not remembering if you locked it the night before. What the hell would she do seeing your feet stuck to the ceiling? "Can you leave it outside the door?"

She sighed, "Should I call and tell the school you won't be in?"

"Please," you replied, trying to pry yourself off the ceiling again. With a little screech you finally fell off, smacking your back against the ground and letting out a groan of pain.

"What was that?" Your mom asked worriedly, jiggling your door handle.

"Nothing!" You panicked, rolling up and trying not to touch anything in fear of sticking again, "Just, ah, fell off the bed?"

"That sounded louder than falling off the bed," she huffed, but stopped trying to barge in. "What did I tell you about locking the door?"

"It's a habit," You shot back, to which she just sighed.

"I'll call the school, get some rest, honey."

You didn't rest. All you did for the remainder of the day was pace around your room and try not to touch anything else. When you went to try and google what was wrong with you, your fingers ended up sticking to the keyboard and you nearly ripped your keys off the computer, so you gave that idea up really quickly.

All you knew was that you were sticking to things, and you suddenly didn't need your glasses, and you felt weirdly on edge and jumpy all day. Eventually you gave up trying to figure it out and just went back to sleep, somehow still exhausted.

The next day you felt a little better, more relaxed for sure - the vision thing was still the same, but so far you didn't stick to anything when you got ready, so hopefully you were in the clear.

You looked in the mirror a few minutes before leaving, frowning a little. Everything seemed normal - you didn't look sick anymore, but you still didn't need your glasses and you were sticking to ceilings. Maybe you picked up some weird disease at Oscorp.

"Okay," you mumbled to yourself, looking at your hands. "Please don't stick to anything else today."

Everything was fine on your walk to school. You picked up a coffee at your usual shop on the way, took the subway, even arriving on campus a few minutes earlier than normal.

You seemed back to normal. After the weird incident with sticking to your ceiling and not needing your glasses anymore, you decided maybe it was a fluke thing. Or you were just dreaming it all up.

"Hey, Y/N," MJ's voice brought you back to the present as she came by your locker. "You got sick too?"

"Uh, yeah, something must be going around," you shrugged it off, putting your combo into your lock and tugging it off, "I feel much better now, though."

"That's good," she looked amused while you struggled with your locker, somehow always fighting with it just to open it up.

"Stupid thing," you muttered, tugging a little more.

"Still jammed?" MJ tried not to laugh as she watched you frown at the door.

"Come on," you grumbled, yanking the door again a bit harder. This time it not only opened, but it also went a step further and ripped right off the hinges. You stumbled back a little, staring in shock at your open locker, the hinges falling and hitting the floor.

MJ was just staring at you with her mouth open.

"What the hell?" she muttered, giving you a weird look as you held the locker door in your hand.

"Um," you dropped it, thanking the universe that it didn't stick to your hand. "It was loose for ages, I figured it would come off at some...point..."

That was a dumb excuse since you knew damn well the door was always jamming, and MJ had literally just pointed that fact out, but you didn't have any other explanation. There was no way you or anyone would have been strong enough to rip a locker door off the wall. It must have been loose.

You felt a weird tingle on the back of your neck and had the feeling someone was watching you. Without thinking about it you glanced over MJ's shoulder, meeting that someone's eyes.

Peter Parker was staring at you.

You hadn't spoken to him at all in the months since you two had drifted apart. It was sad, especially considering your feelings for him, but it wasn't the worst thing in the world. You missed him a lot, but he seemed happy, so you let him go. It was easier when he ripped it off like a bandaid and you didn't have to talk to him or have him acknowledge your presence...like he was now.

Sure you broke a locker, but he didn't just give you a weird look and go back to ignoring you. It seemed like he was suspicious about something as he gave you another funny look, staring hard at the locker you dropped.

Why the hell was he staring at you like that?

"Earth to Y/N," MJ waved a hand in front of your face, bringing you back to reality. "Are you going to do anything about that?"

"Oh, right," you grabbed the locker door and put it back on, leaving it for the time being. "I'll, uh, tell someone about that later."

On instinct you went to push your glasses up, but remembering you didn't need them anymore, you dropped your hand awkwardly and crossed your arms, knowing MJ just noticed you do that.

"Where are your glasses?" She suddenly asked, confirming what you suspected and sounding as suspicious as Peter looked a second ago. You glanced back up at him to see his back was turned now, talking to Ned.

"Oh, contacts," you waved a hand dismissively, starting to feel weird again. You had some goosebumps on your arms, but it wasn't even cold out.

What the hell was going on with you?

"Okay," MJ shrugged, shifting her books, "We're gonna be late, maybe try not to break any more lockers?"

"I'll try my best," you laughed a little nervously, hoping she wouldn't press more about that. You didn't have any answers as to what just happened, but you didn't want to think about it anymore.

Nothing else seemed weird for the rest of the day. Your classes went normally and you got the work you missed during your absence. Peter gave you an odd glance once in a while, which was starting to annoy you - how could he have ignored you for the last several months and now was deciding to pay you some attention? It was getting tiring.

Especially because you missed him so much.

By the time P.E. came around, you almost forgot about the whole issue with the locker. But there was a weird buzzing in the back of your head and you felt even more on edge than you had for the last two days, and you weren't sure why.

"Dodgeball day!" Coach Wilson announced, making everyone groan in frustration. Except for Flash, who looked excited - probably so he could use it as an excuse to take out Peter. "Quit complaining and go get into teams."

It only took a few minutes to break up in half - your class was often split into two and now it was habit to move to a certain side. Flash was on the other team and was looking smug as he tossed a ball between his hands, but he was the only one. Everyone else just seemed bored.

MJ let herself get hit almost immediately so she could duck out and read on the side. A few more people on both sides were out almost immediately, and you were a little surprised you hadn't been hit yet. All the balls flying around were starting to make you dizzy, you could barely tell where any of them were coming from.

Suddenly there was that weird buzzing in your head again and everything in you was screaming at you to duck, so you did.

"Wow, nice dodge!" Ned complimented next to you, and you didn't even realize you had barely missed the ball flying toward you. "How'd you see that coming?"

"I-I don't know," you admitted, ignoring Peter's piercing gaze. "I...saw Flash throw it?"

"Well, nice," he chuckled, giving you a fist bump. "Our team might just win!"

You had never been good at dodgeball, and Peter was already giving you a suspicious look (though you wished he would stop staring at you, it was bringing back feelings you had spent the longest time trying to push away). So with a little humiliation you let the next ball hit you so no one else would notice how you suddenly became great at a sport you usually sucked at.

Something definitely wasn't right, and if that wasn't clear before, it sure was now. You'd never been able to dodge something so easily and you also could suddenly see perfectly and you were strong enough to break a locker off the wall and you were sticking to things.

By the end of the day, you had pretty much made up your mind to retrace your steps and figure out what was wrong, considering you were fine two days ago. You weren't meant to be at your internship for another week, but you were sure if you acted like you forgot something there, they'd let you back into the rooms you'd been working in. Maybe you had touched something or spilled something and it had infected you.

You shook your head at yourself on the way to Oscorp, knowing it sounded ridiculous. But what other explanation was there? Everything was fine but now you had weird (God, you didn't even want to say it) superpowers, and you needed to figure out where the hell they came from.

But something caught your eye on the front page of a paper on your way there, and that same buzzing in your head told you it was important for some reason, so you stopped in your tracks.

You grabbed the newspaper, frowning in annoyance at the front page - it was just another weekly bashing of New York's favorite hero. Spider-Man had returned from the blip and was out helping people and all the Bugle had to say about it was criticizing him for not being there the last five years. Did they even consider that he was probably snapped as well? It was pathetic.

You didn't know why you had the urge to stop and read the paper, but clearly it was a fluke. Stupid weird powers.

With a sigh, you went to put the paper down, but paused when it didn't come off your fingers. You knit your brows and shook it a little, realizing to your horror that it was stuck to your palm. You shook it with a little more force, trying not to freak out.

"You gonna pay for that or just stand there?" The salesman snapped, giving you a dirty look.

"How much is it?" You grumbled, not wanting to draw anymore attention to the fact that you were still not able to drop it. Maybe you could pay for it and leave so he wouldn't get weird with you.

"Five dollars."

"Five dol-" You scoffed, "I'm not paying five dollars for this, are you kidding me?"

"Then put it back on the stand," he muttered, and started getting annoyed when you didn't move. "Is this a joke to ya?"

"Uh, no," you tried one more time before huffing, "Sorry!"

"Hey-Hey!" He shouted as you turned and sprinted away, knowing that nothing was going to come from you standing and arguing with him all day. And you weren't sure how to unstick, or why you were sticking in the first place-

Your eyes widened as you rounded a corner, coming to a stop in an alley as it suddenly hit you.

Sticking.

Strong.

Spider bite.

Spider-Man.

"Oh, God," you leaned against the brick alley wall and put your head in your hands, forgetting you still had the paper stuck and crumpled it to your face. You pulled it away and tried to relax your shaking, understanding now what was going on, but it only brought a million more questions.

"Come on, unstick," you whined to yourself, shaking your hands more. The whole realization you just had could be dealt with once you figured at least this part out. The paper just refused to fall off. "What the hell!"

"Uh, ma'am?" The voice made you panic a little, staring up to see Spider-Man with his arms crossed, leaning against the alley wall. Speak of the devil. "I just saw you steal that paper."

"It's not what it looks like," you insisted, lifting your hands up again and shaking them some more. You imagined he was probably giving you a weird look under the mask, but you also just realized that maybe this was the perfect opportunity to see if he had any idea what was happening to you.

He scratched the back of his neck, "I mean, you kind of ran away with it in your hand, so-"

"I was reading it, and now I-I don't know what's happening," you said in more of a panic, trying to pull the papers off your hands with more force this time, "Why-why isn't it coming off?"

"Hey, hey - you have to relax," he tried to say it calmly, moving forward and putting his gloved hands on your shoulders, "Y/N, calm down. Panicking is making it worse, relaxing will release the tension and you can unstick."

"How am I supposed to relax? I can't have these powers, that's your thing!" You complained, "Why is this happening to me? I don't want this!"

"I didn't choose it either, you know," he said, his voice softening, "I don't think we really get to choose it. Just try and think of your happy place, whatever helps you chill out, and you can get these papers off and we can move to the next step, okay?"

Something told you to trust him so you shut your eyes, nodding and breathing through your nose, trying to ignore the thoughts that had been all over the place all day and the weird tingling feeling you kept having.

The only thing that could possibly be in your "happy place" involved Peter. It wasn't hard to just pick one and try to focus on that instead of the feeling of Spider-Man's hands still on your shoulders trying to calm you down.

On walks home from school, or rides on the subway, or even just sitting on each other's beds – you'd share headphones with Peter. Usually one in his left ear, one in your right, listening to anything he had on his playlist. You both had similar music tastes and it was nice to show each other new songs. Sometimes he'd shoot you a little smile and hook his pinky with yours as you walked or stood or sat together, his cheeks turning a little red as he looked away, but the smiling staying the same, always.

You hadn't done that with him in ages.

"Hey, you did it!" Spider-Man's voice made you snap your eyes open, and you saw that the paper had fallen on the ground, no longer stuck to your hands. "Told you so."

"Oh my God, thank you," you pulled him into a hug, trying not to cry, "Thank you so much. I think I'm going crazy."

He hesitated a little, feeling almost tense, but then he hugged you back, his arms snaking around you and holding you close. "Hey, don't worry about it. I've been in this boat before, I get it."

You pulled away from him to look at your hands, almost as if they'd start glowing. "I don't understand. I was fine yesterday, I-I was just in my school and then my internship-"

"Where's your internship?" He asked a little sharply, "Oscorp?"

"H-How'd you know?" You asked, eyes wide.

"Were you around the radioactive spider unit?" He pressed on, rubbing his forehead. "Did you get bit?"

"I got bit on my way home, I-" you frowned, pulling your sleeve back to see the bite. It was gone now, except for a little red mark where it had bitten you. "It didn't occur to me until a few minutes ago...I thought it was a normal spider."

Spider-Man reached forward and took your hand, a thumb brushing over where your bite was. "I was bitten there. A few years ago, back when they had the unit open to visitors. Or I guess several years ago, what with the...blip."

"You - that's how you became Spider-Man?"

"Well, the fancy suit didn't come with the bite, but yeah," he said a little cheekily, almost making you laugh. "It's crazy they're still letting people near those spiders, I figured after me they would've closed it up...but I guess maybe they don't know their spiders bit me? Sorry, I'm rambling. Anyway, are you...are you alright? I know it's a lot."

"Um, yeah," you let out a breath, shaking your head. "It is. A lot, I mean. I don't know what to do."

"I can help you?" He offered, sounding a little unsure. "H-Have you told anyone about this? Your family, friends?"

You scoffed, "I don't really have friends. And my mom is my only family but I-I can't tell her about this, she'll probably take me to a doctor. Or a psych ward."

He was silent for a second, and you felt a little uncomfortable knowing he was staring at you, but you couldn't see his eyes. "What do you mean you have no friends?"

You looked away for a moment, shaking your head. "I didn't mean it like that, I have friends, I just...I used to have closer friends but we drifted apart. I don't have anyone close enough that I would tell about this."

He was silent again, and you almost worried that you weirded him out, but then he nodded. "Well you have a close friend now. Us spider people gotta, uh, stick together."

"Very funny," your lips pulled up into a little smile at his pun, and by the way his mask shifted, you could assume he was grinning, too. "And spider people, really?"

"I don't know what else to call us, I haven't met anyone else that was bitten by a spider and got weird powers, so," he rubbing his chin. "Do you think there's anyone else?"

"I guess when we see someone else swinging around on webs, then we'll know," you chuckled, "Wait, how do you get your webs? Do they like come out of your wrists or what because I definitely have not gotten that weird power-"

"No, no," he laughed, twisting his wrist around so you could see a bit of machinery on it. "Um, Tony Stark made them for me. I make the webbing myself, but uh, these came with the suit."

"Tony Stark, huh?" You sighed, noticing his shoulders tense. "Were...were you close with him?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly, the mood souring a little. His voice sounded off, like maybe he had something in his suit that changed the pitch or something so it wouldn't be recognizable, but you could tell he was upset.

"I'm sorry," you apologized, and he started shaking his head, "No, seriously. It's hard to lose someone you're close to. I get it."

"Yeah," he was silent for a minute before suddenly jumping right back into being upbeat. "Okay, anyway, moving on - you got these powers, you definitely might need some help with them cause I know they can be weird."

"That would be much appreciated," you sighed in relief, but he was already moving to the next step.

"I might have a way of getting you a suit," he said, his masked eyes widening a little. "It could be so cool, I could help you learn about your powers, we could fight crime-"

"Wait, wait, slow down," you held up your hands, "I-I don't know about all that, I've never been very agile and I don't know how keen I am to get punched in the face."

"The powers help with agility, I'm sure you've probably noticed. We can go back to that," he crossed his arms. "Aside from the sticking, anything else weird happen?"

"I broke my locker, I don't need glasses anymore, I can dodge dodgeballs which I think is part of the power thing considering I've never been good at dodgeball," you counted on your fingers, "Uh, and the sticking thing, obviously."

"I call it my spider sense," he tapped his head, "It warns me when I'm in danger. Maybe that's what happened to you at...dodgeball?"

"Maybe, I didn't see it coming but-but suddenly I just felt like I needed to duck, so I did."

"We really do have all the same powers," he put his hands on his hips, "This is so weird. I never considered another person with my powers being out there..."

"How did you do it on your own?" You rubbed your temples, "I feel like I'm going crazy."

He shrugged, "I, uh, just went through it, I guess. But you don't have to, I can totally help-"

Both of you suddenly tensed at the same time, your ears ringing a little as you both looked towards the left. You were still in the alleyway and nothing seemed wrong, but by how tense Spider-Man suddenly was, and that weird buzzing you felt, you knew something was up.

"I gotta go," he said quickly, backing up again, "But listen, why don't...why don't you meet me again tomorrow, do you know that sandwich place called Delmar's? On 17th?"

You almost winced at the memories that brought. "Uh, yeah?"

"Meet me on the roof of that building it's in, around seven," he backed up some more, "I can talk more to you then, but, I really should go - and remember the key to unsticking is finding your happy place!"

"Okay?" You said in a questioning tone as he quickly hopped over the fence at the end of the alley, shooting a web and swinging toward whatever danger your "spidey senses" were warning you both about.

"My 'happy place'," you mumbled to yourself, kicking a rock and frowning at the newspaper you had dropped on the ground. "What the hell just happened?"

The next day all you could think about was meeting Spider-Man again.

You couldn't concentrate, your "spidey sense" (or whatever he called it) all over the place, your body probably trying to adjust to having these new powers. Luckily you remembered the trick he gave you about sticking to things, and you managed to be able to stop that from happening too much.

Though you wished your 'happy places' didn't involve Peter and Ned so much.

Whenever you got stuck to something, a pencil or your textbook or even the bleachers in P.E., you thought about the stupid things you used to get up to with them - like taking Ned's dad's car to McDonald's at the crack of dawn even though none of you could legally drive. Or the time Peter used his shoe to try and knock his backpack off the basketball hoop Flash had stashed it on as a prank, but he ended up getting his shoe stuck there as well. You remembered those times being hilarious and the most fun you'd had (yes, even watching Peter eventually get both his shoes stuck with his backpack was considered the most fun you had freshman year). They were easily moments that made you happy and thinking about them relaxed you a little and you were able to unstick from whatever it was you were stuck to.

The one thing you couldn't completely handle was the strength you suddenly had. You almost gave some guy a black eye when you tossed him an eraser to borrow. Luckily he had laughed it off and not paid much attention, but you vowed not to "toss" anything to anyone ever again.

Plus, your locker was still broken, and you had managed to craft a lovely story to the office about how it broke. They moved you to a different one that was also jammed, so you had to be extra careful not to break it again.

All in all, a great day of trying to adjust to what that stupid spider bite gave you.

By the time you were sitting on the roof Spider-Man wanted to meet you at, you were a little more excited.

Having powers could be cool - especially with someone there to help. You didn't know how old Spider-Man was or what else he did with his life outside of this, but you hoped he could give you some pointers for how to keep the powers controlled when you were out doing normal things. The last thing you needed was to shake someone's hand and break their fingers accidentally, or not be able to let go, or something horrifying like that.

"Sorry I'm late," the familiar altered voice almost made you jump. The senses thing wasn't totally working yet, apparently. "I, uh, went to pick something up."

"What's that?" You asked, seeing something in his gloved hand as well as a take out bag hanging from his wrist.

"I brought presents," he said a little cheerfully, making you raise an eyebrow. "I know we didn't talk much about it yesterday, but I hoped you'd be willing to maybe, I don't know...use your powers like I do?"

"You mean fight crime?" You asked, and he nodded. "I mean...if you think I can do it-"

"I know you can," his mask shifted in a grin, "You want to?"

You'd never considered it before, obviously, but you knew that maybe you were given these powers for a reason. Maybe you could do good with them, like Spider-Man was. And he seemed eager to help you, and it would be wrong to not use them for good like he was.

"Okay, yeah. I do want to."

"Awesome," he set the takeout bag down before sitting next to you on the ledge, the other thing still in his lap. "So, Mr. Stark made my suit for me years ago, and I wasn't sure how I would get one for you, but I doubted you'd want to be out there in like, your regular clothes and without a mask. Or that horrible suit I had before this one."

You snickered, "It looked like pajamas, if I remember correctly."

"Hey, I worked hard on that! But anyway, I pulled some strings with some friends," he said as a little pun, making you laugh as he held what was in his lap out to you. "I kind of guessed on measurements, but it's built like my suit so it'll shrink to your size anyway. But, uh, what...what do you think?"

You held up the suit, a little in awe at the design details. It wasn't red and blue like his was, but white and black - with a red mask and hood that would cover your face and hair. It seemed a little less restrictive than his suit, and it was different enough but also similar enough to his. The web design across the front and back of the top part made it clear that you were also someone with spider-like powers, but you didn't copy his spider emblem or red and blue design either.

It was perfect.

"I love it," you smiled at him, seeing his shoulders drop with relief. "Seriously, this...this is amazing. I can't thank you enough."

"Nothing to thank me for," he said in an excited tone. "Seriously, it's-it's cool that you agreed to let me train you and stuff. It'll be nice to have someone who gets it. And someone to watch my back, too, and vice versa."

You ran your hands over the suit, "You really think I can do it?"

"Yeah, I know you can," you could almost hear a smile in his voice, "Seriously, you're taking this way better than I did when I got my powers, I can tell you're gonna do great. Plus, you have me, so you're in good hands."

The last bit was said a little smugly and you couldn't help but give his arm a little shove, laughing, "No one told me Spider-Man was so full of himself."

"Hey, I didn't say anything like that," he held a hand to his chest, chuckling. After a beat of silence, he said, "I really missed this."

"Missed what?" You raised an eyebrow in confusion, watching his shoulders drop as he tensed.

"Having...someone to talk to about these kinds of things," he said a little weirdly, like maybe that wasn't what he was actually talking about at all. "I don't really - I mean, after Tony..."

"Sorry," you frowned, putting your hand over his and missing the way he jumped a little at your touch, "You have someone now. As long as you promise to not let me die when I try swinging for the first time, then you definitely have someone to talk to about these kind of things."

"No promises," he said a little cheekily, his joking mood back while you rolled your eyes. "Hey, what's...what's your name, by the way?"

"Y/N," you stuck your hand out, letting him shake it with a laugh. "What's yours?"

"Once I determine you aren't secretly a villain trying to find out my secret identity, I'll tell you," he said simply, dropping your hand to grab the takeout bag you almost forgot he brought. You scoffed.

"What, that's what I get after you gave me a suit and promised to help me fight bad guys? You think I'm a super villain?" You huffed, not able to keep from smiling while he laughed at you, pulling out drinks.

"Hey, I have a lot of enemies, okay? I'm playing it safe," he chuckled, handing you a cup. With a pout, you took it from him, noting the logo on the bag.

"If this wasn't a smoothie from what happens to be my favorite smoothie place in Brooklyn, I would be very upset with you right now," you took a sip, surprised to realize he had somehow guessed your favorite flavor too. "Wow, I actually forgive you for that comment, how did you know I liked strawberry?"

"Lucky guess," he shrugged, and you could see a grin on his lips when he pulled his mask up to take a drink of his own smoothie. "Who doesn't like strawberry?"

"I could've been deathly allergic," you pointed out, making him laugh. "How bad would it be if you killed me before even getting to train me?"

"Pretty bad," he leaned back, kicking his feet over the edge. "But then if you did turn out to be a super villain, it would've made this a lot easier."

It was really hard to believe you met this guy yesterday. Maybe it was easy to bond over both of you getting bit by a radioactive spider, but it was so easy to get along with him, it almost frightened you. You hadn't been like this with anyone since Ned and Peter were still a part of your lives.

"What do you wanna call yourself?" He asked suddenly, taking another sip of his drink. "You could always be called, I don't know...Spider-Woman, but if you want to be more unique or something..."

"Would you sue me for copyright infringement?" You joked and he laughed.

"I promise not to sue you. But I don't know, there's a lot of spider puns you could use if you want to. But please use a spider related name or you really have learned nothing from me so far."

"Got any ideas, since you're so good at spider related names?" You asked, chuckling.

He paused for a moment, tilting his head a little as his masked eyes squinted and got wide again as he hummed.

"What about...Silk?"

taglist:

@somefuckshit1 @hufflepuffseeker @nocturnalms @sanniesdiary @peter-parkers-passport @chosuah01 @runawaywithmyghost @baby-bi-bi-bi-yeah

#wrote this in 2019 too lol #peter parker x reader #peter parker fic #peter parker reader insert #spider-man x reader #spider-man fic #spiderman x reader #peterpparkerwrites masterlist #my writing

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

Text

stood up

warnings: language, mentions of blood/fighting/guns, very brief mentions of drinking, this is like enemies to lovers but more like they just annoying each other :) pairing: peter parker x reader word count: 9.3k summary: you and peter get on each others nerves - funnily enough you would not have expected a date-gone-wrong to be the start of fixing your relationship

masterlist ~ requests are closed

You let out a groan as your back slammed against the mat, shutting your eyes. Peter let out a cheer above you and pumped his fist, making you grimace slightly. He smirked down at you while you leaned up on your elbows, glaring at him and trying to catch your breath.

"Nice try," he snickered and offered you a hand but you huffed and swatted it away, getting up on your own. "Don't be such a sore loser, Y/N."

"Shut up, Parker," you muttered, brushing off your pants, "It's not an even match when you pull shit like that, I don't have super powers!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said cheekily, making you roll your eyes.

Natasha pursed her lips and joined you both on the mat, crossing her arms while watching you glare at him. "Kid, we said it would be without the super strength."

"It was without the strength," Peter stared at her wide-eyed, his innocent expression making you grit your teeth, "It's not my fault Y/N can't take me down normally-"

You swiped your leg under his and knocked him down, not even caring if it was immature to do so. The look on his face made it worth it, and you put your hands on your hips, trying not to laugh.

"You kinda deserved that," Nat admitted.

"That was uncalled for," Peter grunted while you jumped off the mat, going to your water. "I still won!"

"Not if you cheated!" you spat back, resisting the urge to give him a middle finger while he muttered something under his breath, following you to grab a towel and wipe his face. He got a cheeky grin back on and threw the now sweaty towel at you, making you squeal and throw it on the ground.

"Gross, what is wrong with you?"

"Aren't you supposed to be an Avenger, and you're scared of a towel?" He sneered a little, while you glared at him.

"Can't you two play nice?" Nat sighed, coming up behind you both, "How are you supposed to have each other's backs out there if you act like this in here?"

"Yeah, I'll just let him get-"

"Don't finish that sentence," Natasha interrupted, giving you a stern look. "You know you wouldn't actually, and you wouldn't either, Peter, so don't speak up. Training can be done now, but we're going again tomorrow and if you use your strength again Peter, we're gonna have some problems."

"I said I didn't-"

Nat just raised an eyebrow and Peter gave up, grabbing his things with a huff. You started unwrapping your hands, ignoring the angry feeling in your chest as Peter shot you a last dirty look and left the training room.

"I don't understand you two," she said once he was gone, giving you a look, "You guys would be even better partners if you would just get along."

"He's annoying," you frowned, tossing the empty water bottle in the trash. "I don't understand why he's like that with me."

"You know, boys are mean to girls they like," she smirked a little and you made a face.

"This isn't kindergarten, Nat," you muttered, "You sound like Sam."

"Sam might be on to something," she teased a little, dodging the towel that you went to smack her with.

Sam (and sometimes Bucky) liked to joke that you two would be perfect together if you weren't bickering all the time like an old married couple, and you tried not to let it hurt when Peter made a disgusted face at those comments.

At one point you were desperate to be friends with him, maybe even more, but that time had clearly passed.

When Tony told you a new recruit was joining that was your age, you were ecstatic. Being a teenager around a bunch of adults was a bit frustrating at times - you went to school, but for training and missions and whatnot, there was no one else your age.

Peter had been nice when you first met, you remembered that. But something seemed to click after a while, and suddenly he was getting cocky during sparring and making unnecessary comments about your fighting style. You thought maybe it was jealousy but it was obvious that he was getting along well with the others and sometimes even getting more praise than you did, so you weren't sure what his deal was.

The thing you hated most was that Peter got along with everyone - even Bucky, who did his best to avoid the kid after the whole airport incident a few years back. Tony obviously had a favorite (you didn't really mind it that much, you'd never been close to Tony), Steve and him joked about Queens and Brooklyn, Scott and Clint had pranks with him whenever they came by. You got along with them too, but not like Peter did - he was clearly the preferred trainee around the compound, and you wished it didn't hurt to realize that.

"Doesn't matter, it's never gonna happen," you said flatly, grabbing your gym bag and swinging it over your shoulder as you walked out. Nat was just a step behind you.

"You almost sound upset about it."

"Please, stop."

"Fine, but I wouldn't be surprised if you get distracted on your mission tonight-"

"I might get distracted when I go after you-"

"Okay, okay," she held her hands up, trying not to smile. "We're briefing at six, leaving at seven, make sure you and Peter are ready."

"Yeah, we will be," you frowned as she walked away, pointing a finger at you while you made a face.

A few hours later and you were in the briefing room with Sam, Bucky, Natasha, and Peter. Everyone was in their suits, Peter's bright red and blue attire standing out against everyone else's, but he was yet to get a stealth suit made, so it had to do.

Natasha had a map projected on the table and was pointing out areas for each of you to go, and you weren't surprised to have her pair you and Peter up, despite the amount of times you both protested. There wasn't much of a point of arguing against it now - he was going to go where you went, and vice versa.

"Barnes, Wilson, you two take the second floor, east side. Take the agents out, try and cause a big enough distraction for one of them to call a distress and get the rest of the base to go there. I'll get the intel on the west side, Y/N and Peter go to the third floor and get into the main office. Both of you keep with your pairs and watch each other's backs. Sound good?" Natasha looked up at all of you, seeing Bucky and Sam exchange a look.

"Ooh, pairing up the love birds," Sam joked, making you twitch a little.

"I didn't realize you guys were together," Peter gestured at him and Bucky, making them both stop laughing. "I'm so happy for you two!"

You couldn't help but giggle at that, missing how Peter grinned and looked a little pleased at the fact that he made you laugh. Natasha just shook her head while Sam and Bucky started bickering.

"I should've retired," she muttered before smacking her hand on the table, getting everyone to shut up. "I said, does the plan sound good?"

"Yep," you and Peter responded at the same time, making Bucky snicker.

"Great, let's go before you all kill each other."

"Why do I feel like we're in a horror movie and we're about to get killed?"

"Why would you say that?"

"I don't know, that's just the energy of this place," Peter muttered, and you gave him a look that basically told him to shut up.

You were both crouched on an outside platform, waiting for an all clear on when you could enter. Peter had swung you both up to the third floor where no guards were waiting outside, figuring it was the best place to break in and enter when the time called for it. And you usually didn't like to agree with him, but he was right this time.

"We're on the second floor," Bucky alerted through comms, his voice quiet, "We'll signal when it's clear."

"Copy that," Nat replied.

You sighed and shifted a little, the position uncomfortable, especially with Peter so close to you. His suit at least looked comfortable, and he was probably a lot warmer than you - yours was tight and the belt was clunky and you certainly didn't have a heater, and it was freezing in the cold.

"Stop shivering," Peter whispered, and you went to smack his arm but he dodged it easily.

"Now!" Sam said in a rush and you heard yelling and gunshots through the comms.

Peter swung up to the window and kicked through it with his foot, not even needing to try hard for it to break. He offered you a hand and pulled you up, swiping some broken glass out of the way. You crawled in first, nearly falling forward but he managed to wrap an arm around your waist and catch you.

"Shit," you muttered, both of you looking down and seeing how far the ground was.

"Careful next time," he muttered, startling you by sticking your waist with a web and pushing you down. You held the web tight and managed not to scream as he grabbed the end of it before you hit the floor, cackling above you.

"Uncalled for," you muttered, hoping he couldn't hear how loud your heart was beating. "You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"I thought it was fun," he dropped down next to you, his masked eye winking while you tried to resist the urge to attack him.

"Whatever, don't do that again."

You both fell into a silence as you turned on a flashlight, not entirely sure why the lights were off, but not having enough time to question it. The comms were like background noise in your ears and you could hear Sam and Bucky causing a ruckus on the floor below, hopefully creating enough of a distraction for no one to come find you both.

"Seems like we have the whole base in here," Bucky said through the comms, "You guys should be clear."

"I haven't seen anyone here," Natasha replied, "Y/N, Peter, you guys have been silent for a while, all good?"

"They're probably making out in a closet," Sam chuckled amongst the fighting, and you quickly rolled your eyes.

"Funny how the kids are acting more mature than the adults," you snapped over the comms, missing how Peter cracked a smile - not that you would see it through the mask anyway. "Are you even doing your job?"

"Ooh, she's getting attitude," Bucky whistled, "Better watch out."

"Boys," Natasha said sternly, making you relax a bit, "We can make jokes later, we need to focus on getting the intel. Go off comms unless we have a problem, Sam let us know when you two are done with the agents."

"Yes ma'am," Sam responded, but you could still hear the smirk in his voice, "Peter, keep your hands to yourself."

You heard the comms click off and you muttered under your breath, while Peter was glad he was wearing the mask so you couldn't see how red the comments were making him. Finally you both came across the door, Peter putting an arm out to keep you from moving.

"Hang on," he put a hand to his mask, probably using some fancy update Stark had given him to look through and make sure no one was there. "Alright, all clear."

You jiggled the handle, frowning as you dropped your hand. "It's locked."

His mask shifted into what you assumed was a smirk, and he simply grabbed the handle and snapped it off, pushing the door open. He bowed and held his arm out to let you walk first, making you frown in annoyance.

"Show off," you muttered, fumbling to grab the flash drive from your pocket as you hurried to the computer. Peter just snorted and shut the door behind you, putting a chair up to block it.

You typed quickly on the computer while Peter stood next to you, his fingers twitching with impatience. There were several passwords that might have worked, and it was starting to annoy the both of you when it kept blocking you out.

"Can't you go faster?" He muttered, and you shot him a look.

"Do you want to do it?"

He just huffed and crossed his arms, looking around the room. It was mostly empty aside from some filing cabinets and chairs, but it was pretty large for just an office. You bit your lip as you finally managed to log in and start downloading the files.

"This place is creepy," Peter said quietly, bouncing on his feet a little.

"You're distracting me."

"Just trying to make conversation."

"Well, it's distracting."

"Fine, whatever."

You just rolled your eyes as you finished the code, ignoring how he kept fidgeting around.

"Got it," you pulled the drive out, sticking it in your belt and you began wiping the computer of any evidence that you both had been there.

"About time," Peter muttered, and you went to snap back at him but suddenly you both heard voices from outside the room.

The door burst open despite the chair blocking it and Peter quickly yanked you down behind the desk. "Why didn't my senses go off?"

"Maybe you're too busy annoying me and it's distracting you," you whispered back, ignoring his masked eyes squinting at you in what you assumed was a dirty look.

You could both hear multiple people come in, and you looked at Peter while he listened. His enhanced hearing often helped him figure out how many people were in the room or even where they were. He held up seven fingers, making you frown a little. Someone was definitely tipped off. With a deep breath, you adjusted your suit and nodded to him.

Despite how often you both argued, you and Peter were good partners. You could fight together without really needing to verbally communicate, and you could almost always predict each other's moves. Missions with him got easier over time, even when the bickering was more frequent.

He jumped up first while you snuck to the side, waiting for him to cause a big enough distraction before you came in. You watched him web two guys and bring their heads together, wincing as they both crumpled to the floor.

Once the focus was on him, you came up behind the nearest guy and placed your hands on his shoulders, kicking the backs on his knees in and forcing him to kneel and fall forward. A gun shot rang out and you almost lost focus from the guy you were fighting by looking up in a panic, only to see Peter pulling the gun from one of the men's hands and webbing it to the ceiling where no one could reach. You relaxed a little knowing he wasn't shot.

You quickly grabbed the gun from the guy you were trying to force to the ground, hitting his head with the butt of it and knocking him out. The gun was quickly knocked out of your hands by another guy and you struggled against him, trying not to get distracted watching Peter at the same time.

He was handling two guys at once, which you thought was a little unfair, even with his super strength. You twisted yourself around and managed to get your guy around the neck, but he was smart and fell back, crushing you under him. With a wince, you managed to push him off of you and roll up, glaring as he stood up again.

He didn't hesitate to start fighting you again, clearly having the upper hand. You hated on missions, how easy it was for Peter to just take down several guys with no issue, while you had to struggle so hard not to get beat in - having super powers must've been nice. You took a hit to the stomach and fell to your knees, rolling out of the way as he aimed a kick for you, not sure how much more you could take. This guy was bigger than anyone you'd fought before.

You groaned as he pulled his arm back to hit you again, but a web stuck to it and yanked him back, his face going right into Peter's fist. His nose crunched and the sound of it breaking made you cringe as he crumpled to the ground, knocked out. It almost shocked you - Peter usually held back on hurting people that bad.

"You're welcome," he muttered as he came over to you, holding his hand out for you to take. He was surprised when you took it, letting him help you up while you tried to ignore the pain from that guy gut punching you.

"Thanks," you tried not to sound too bitter, snatching your hand back from him when you realized he was still holding it. "That it?"

"Think so," Peter moved around to make sure they were all out while you stared down at the guy, trying not to feel annoyed at how Peter could take him out with one punch, while you struggled with him for several minutes.

You nudged him with your shoe, relieved to see he was knocked out even if it was Peter who did it. He put his hands on his hips as he came back toward you, stepping over a few of the knocked out men.

"Your spidey senses working now?" You asked sarcastically, still out of breath as you held a hand to your side, feeling the ache from the punches and kicks.

Peter started speaking harshly to you but you weren't listening, your eyes focusing behind him to see a man hiding behind a desk you had both missed raise his gun at Peter's back, right where his heart was.

Your eyes widened and without thinking you yanked him around, letting the bullet catch you in the back of your shoulder. The pain made you collapse against Peter as you cried out, barely hearing his panicked voice asking what happened.

Peter finally caught sight of the guy angrily smacking his gun, clearly having some sort of issue with it, and didn't hesitate to shoot a web at him, using the taser webs that Karen always suggested but he usually tried to avoid. The guy dropped the gun and fell to the floor, the electricity knocking him out while Peter bent down next to you.

"Why did you do that?" He asked in a panicked tone, kneeling down as he ripped his mask off. His face was blurry in your vision, even when he put his hands on your face and tried to make you look at him. "Y/N, stay with me, come on-"

"It hurts," you hissed out, gripping his wrist probably too tight, but he didn't seem to mind.

"I know, sweetheart, I know, it'll be okay they're on their way," he put a hand up to his ear, tapping his comms while the other one still held your face. "Natasha, you need to get here now. She's-she's been shot, someone, please-"

You were definitely out of it if you were hallucinating Peter being this soft with you, right? Nat's voice was in your comms but you couldn't hear her, the only thing you could feel was your shoulder wound and Peter holding you, trying to keep you awake, but your eyes were starting to roll back.

"Hey, hey come on, I got you," Peter lifted you up carefully, avoiding your wound, "Please don't pass out."

"Sorry," you breathed out, not able to help it as your vision went dark, Peter's panicked tone trying to keep you awake fading out, and you blacked out.

The first thing you felt was the obvious sharp pain in your shoulder, the rest of your body having small aches and pressures. You could tell that you were in a hospital and it made you scrunch up your nose, hating the smell.

"Y/N?" You heard a soft voice ask, feeling fingers tuck your hair behind your ear and the quiet creak of a chair moving. "You up?"

"Hm?" You barely opened your eyes, your sight a little blurry as you tried to focus on who was sitting there.

"You're awake," you blinked and saw Peter next to you, a relieved smile on his face that made you confused. He never smiled genuinely at you. "I almost thought you weren't gonna wake up, you-you really scared m-us! You really scared us."

He looked exhausted, his hair all messed up and the bags under his eyes prevalent. You were confused by the pressure in your hand until you looked down, seeing how he was holding it in both of his tightly.

"Are you holding my hand? Did you think I died or something?" You mumbled with a little smirk, but his face turned hard, clearly not amused by your teasing as he dropped your hand.

"Why the hell did you do that?"

"Do what?" You frowned, not liking the sudden hostility in his tone compared to how sweet he sounded when you woke up. Dumb of you to think that would last.

"Do you realize how stupid that was? If he had shot you somewhere else you could be dead, I would've been the reason you died and-" Peter kept raising his voice, nearly yelling as he told you how idiotic you were being when you saved his life, which was starting to piss you off, considering you literally just woke up.

"What, are you mad I stole your spotlight or something? Or are you upset that I saved your life? Which one is it?" You interrupted, starting to feel the ache in your shoulder that was only making you angrier.

He stared at you blankly for a minute, and you just glared back. It was obvious he had a lot more to say and you weren't sure you wanted to hear it. You had never seen him this upset about something before.

"Do you seriously think that's what this is about?" He asked quietly, and his tone somehow seemed angrier than when he was yelling. "You think I'm mad because I'm jealous?"

"Why else would you be upset?" You said, gritting your teeth a little. "Just admit that's the reason."

"Don't you think I'm mad because you got hurt?" He snapped, tugging a hand through his hair, "Because I saw you get shot and you were bleeding out and I didn't know where you had been hit and I didn't know if you were going to die and it would have been my fault? Did you not think that maybe that's why I was mad?"

"Don't act like you care about me," you scoffed, but you remembered the moments before you passed out. You remembered his hands holding you and calling you "sweetheart" and speaking softly to you, the panic on his face-

Whatever. It was just in the moment.

"I care about you doing reckless shit that could get you killed. You could've died, Y/N, do you not realize that?"

"Mine was just a shoulder wound, you would've died! What was I supposed to do, just let him shoot you?" You asked harshly, accidentally moving your shoulder too much. The sharp pain had you wince, putting a hand on your shoulder and gritting your teeth.

"Are you okay?" He asked quickly, getting up and letting his hands hover a bit, not sure what to do. It was almost funny how quick his mood changed. "Should I get the doctor?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," you muttered, not sure if you were enjoying how weird he was being. The back and forth between him pissing you off and suddenly being nice was giving you whiplash. "If I didn't take it you would have, and it would've hit you by your chest and you would've died. I can handle a shoulder wound, you can't handle one to the heart."

"I can heal fast," he said flatly, sounding annoyed again. "I would've been fast enough to dodge it, anyway, it never would've hit me-"

"But you didn't even know it was coming!" You cried out, resisting the urge to raise your arms in disbelief, "You asked me what happened, you didn't even realize someone was shooting at you, Peter! You know that, why can't you just admit that I'm right?"

He opened his mouth to answer, but then your door opened, Natasha peeking her head in. "Hey, you're up. Parker, can I have a minute with her?"

He shot you an angry look before stomping out, not saying anything to Natasha when he stormed by. She just raised her eyebrows and shut the door, giving you a quick look before taking the seat he was in.

"He was in here the whole time," Nat said with a little smirk, and you felt your cheeks heat up. "Wouldn't move from that chair."

"Probably only did that so he could yell at me the second I woke up," you muttered, carefully crossing your arms.

"Y/N, you should've seen how scared he was when he brought you back," she ignored what you said, "I don't think I've ever seen him that worried. And don't act like I didn't see him holding your hand."

"How long was I out?" You changed the subject, knowing she wouldn't be quiet otherwise.

"Just a day," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "You're lucky. I'm glad to know that you guys have each other's backs, that was obviously shown but...try not to get shot again. I don't need that on my conscious."

You smiled a little, "I'll do my best. What about the flash drive?"

"Perfect work, as usual," she complimented, making you feel a bit better, "We got the intel and no one else was hurt besides you. Which reminds me, you're on bed rest for a week minimum, and no training or anything crazy until your wound is healed, got it?"

You wanted to argue, but even you couldn't be that stubborn. The bullet hole was starting to ache even more now that you had been awake for a while, and you could still feel the bruising from where you had been fighting.

"Can I still go to my date on Friday?" You asked, ignoring her little smirk.

"I suppose you'll be healed up enough by then. Gotta say I'm a little disappointed it isn't with Peter."

"Why are you like this?"

"Just think you two would be cute, that's all," she poked your nose, and you swatted her hand away while she laughed. "But yes, you can go. Just be safe, and you know what to do if they start acting like an idiot."

"I can handle myself," you promised, "Now can I please get something to eat? I'm starved."

You were allowed out of the hospital bed that night, much to your relief. You were tired enough to go to bed, hoping to avoid Peter on your shared floor - luckily he seemed to have gone home or something, because he wasn't there.

Training for you was postponed until you got better, but you still attended sessions with Natasha and Peter so you could watch and listen to tips she gave him.

Peter didn't speak to you, which was unusual. He might've not liked you, but he tended to go out of his way to make sure you were aware of that - snarky comments, sarcastic quips, whatever it was that made your blood boil. Now it was like radio silence.

You figured he was still mad about your argument, which still made no sense to you. It's not like you expected him to thank you or anything, but he was acting way too angry about it - it was you who got hurt, so you didn't understand why he was being this bitter and petty with the silent treatment.

It didn't matter, though, you had better things to think about. By Friday you had healed up, no longer needing a bandage and your bruises had mostly faded (nothing a little concealer couldn't fix if needed). You sat in the kitchen with Natasha, Sam and Bucky, who were getting ready for a mission of their own and trying to bribe you to make them food before they went.

"If you eat now you're gonna get a side ache," you smacked Bucky's hand away from your sandwich while you cleaned up. "Are you really that desperate for PB&J?"

"Um, obviously," Bucky held his hands up and pouted, "Please?"

"I don't have time to make you one, maybe you can bribe Nat," you took a bite of your sandwich, wiggling your eyebrows at him and Sam, who looked offended.

"When are you gonna start getting ready for your date?" Nat shot you a little wink while your face went slack.

"Natasha!" You said sharply, ignoring all the eyes on you. "I said don't bring it up!"

"Nah, who's taking you out? Is it Peter?" You choked on your food while Bucky and Sam snickered, making you want to throw something at their heads.

"None of your business, but no, it's definitely not him," you glared at Nat as you took another bite of your sandwich. "It's just someone from school, and you guys aren't my parents, so please chill out."

"Ooh, she's got an attitude today," Sam grinned, nudging your arm a bit. "Nervous?"

"I'm begging you to shut up now."

Natasha cracked a smile and left to get some work done while Bucky and Sam decided to stay and keep annoying you with questions, but after a few minutes luckily (or maybe unluckily) a new voice interrupted.

"Why is everyone laughing?" Your frown only deepened when a familiar set of curls was seen peeking over Bucky's shoulder, his eyes catching yours before quickly moving away. Weird.

"Bet Spider-Kid here is gonna be jealous," Sam clapped Peter on the shoulders while him and Bucky laughed, Peter's face turning confused. "Have fun on your date!"

His face was blank for a minute while Sam and Bucky left chuckling, and you almost thought he looked upset - but then the corner of his mouth turned up.

"You have a date?" He gave you a shit-eating grin, "Someone actually wants to date you?"

You threw a spoon from the table at him, but he easily caught it, "Yes, Parker, someone actually wants to date me. Will you just leave it?"

"Is it tonight?" He continued, ignoring your request while he tossed the spoon back. "You should probably not wear Thor pajamas to a date, just a little advice."

You swatted his hand away from where he was tugging your Thor themed shorts (you weren't that embarrassed, and Thor thought they were hilarious). "Back off, idiot, I'm obviously not gonna wear these. And what advice would you know about dating, anyway?"

He made a face at that, "What, you don't think I've dated anyone?"

"Not with your rude personality, no," you missed the slightly hurt look on his face, "I'm gonna go get ready now."

"Should you really be going out on a date when you're still healing?" He blurted out, making you frown.

"Why would that matter? I'm not going to be doing anything that would make me move it around?" You looked at him in confusion as his face turned a little red and you scoffed, realizing what he meant.

"You're disgusting."

"I wasn't thinking about that-"

"It's a first date, dude, I wouldn't be-"

"All I'm saying is be careful-"

You held a hand up, "Whatever. I'm leaving."

You shook your head as he left, pushing the annoyance away and trying to focus on being excited. Peter watched you leave with a frown, losing the appetite that he had before walking into this conversation.

He would never admit it to anyone, but the idea of you going on a date...hurt. And when you came down an hour later and he had to see you dressed up and nervous and excited to go out with someone that wasn't him - it just made him feel worse. He covered those feelings up quickly, giving you a once-over.

"Wow, you can actually look nice!" You shot him a middle finger, pretending you didn't notice how he had definitely just checked you out.

"If I come back and my snacks are gone, I'm coming for you," you threatened, and he put his hands up.

"I'm so scared," he mocked, rolling his eyes. "Can you go already? I have the floor to myself tonight and I'd like you to not be in it, as soon as possible."

"Dick," you muttered, adjusting your jacket a little and hoping he couldn't tell how nervous you were. "Bye."

"Bye!" He mocked your voice, but you were too wound up about the date to respond with something snarky, so you chose to just slam the door behind you.

They had asked you to meet them at a coffee shop, which you thought was cute - you knew them from school and you hadn't thought about going out with them, but when they asked, you couldn't help but get a little excited. It had been ages since you went on a date and maybe...it could help you get over some stupid, definitely unrequited feelings you might have possibly had for a certain boy.

Not that you would ever admit that to anyone, not even yourself.

They weren't there when you arrived, which wasn't that strange - you came a little bit earlier than you had both planned. You ordered a drink and sat down, trying to relax a little. The coffee shop was cute and there weren't many people there considering it was later in the day, soft music was playing and workers seemed to be in a good mood.

After a while of fumbling with your hands and not doing much, you checked the time and realized it was past the time they were meant to arrive. You stared at your drink, biting your lip and tapping your feet. It was only ten minutes, that wasn't too long. They could be stuck in traffic, or held up with something.

You typed up a text, just offering to get a drink for them if they were running late, giving them the chance to explain but also trying not to be weird and flat out ask if they were still coming. You sent it and just sat and sipped on your drink as you waited, trying to ignore the bad feeling in the pit of your stomach.

But ten minutes turned into an hour with no text back and you were getting a little concerned.

You didn't want to be weird and stalk their social media to see if they were active, so you found yourself opening instagram and just going through the explore page. Some mutual friends of yours had stories up and you clicked on them to distract yourself, nearly dropping your phone when you realized what you were watching.

They were at a party, ones that you usually avoided, and you felt a little sick as you watched the video showing the person meant to be here with you, grinding up against other people while loud music played in the background and drunk people made a mess of themselves.

It was obvious that you were stood up.

You stared at your phone, your chest tightening at the realization that they were definitely not going to show up. That only left you with the option to go home, or wait here longer and ignore the stares of pity from the workers in hopes that maybe they'll still come.

But you weren't stupid.

With a sigh, you left a couple dollars on the table and hurried out of there, not wanting to see the looks on their faces. You typed a rather angry text before deciding it wasn't worth it and shoved your phone away, holding your arms around you while you started your walk home, trying not to feel pathetic.

You were obviously sad, you could feel the burning rejection in your chest and the tears forming at the edges of your eyes, but the idea of coming home early made you feel sick. It was only Peter there, and you could already imagine the look of glee on his face when he finds out you were stood up.

Hopefully he would've gone to his room or would just ignore you, but you weren't sure it would be that easy.

It was quiet when you got back to the compound, and you tried not to make any noise as you got to your floor. You were sniffling a little as you came into the living room, hoping you could sneak past Peter, who was watching something on the tv, but you almost forgot about his spidey senses.

"What are you doing back already?" He asked when he noticed you, sounding a bit annoyed, but that tone quickly dropped when he saw your expression. He jumped up to block you from the hallway, concern taking over any annoyance he might have felt.

"Are-are you crying?" his voice went soft while you wiped your eyes, and looked down so he couldn't see your face.

"No," you said miserably, sniffing, "Can you move? I want to go to my room."

"What happened?"

All you wanted was to sob pathetically into your pillow but he was just standing there looking like he actually cared about you for once, and that made you break down more.

You were shocked when he pulled you to his chest, his arms snaking around your waist and hugging you, his voice attempting to calm you down. But instead of pulling away, you gripped the back of his shirt with your fingers and held him back while you cried, letting him comfort you.

You'd never thought in a million years you'd be hugging Peter Parker, but here you were, staining his shirt with your tears and make-up. He didn't seem to care, surprising you by pressing his lips to your hair and holding you tighter, murmuring sweet words under his breath.

"It's alright," he said quietly once you calmed down a little, "You okay?"

"Sorry, I probably look like a mess," you mumbled, not even sure why you were apologizing to him or why he was even comforting you in the first place.

"At least you smell good," he said flatly, and you couldn't help but let out a laugh at that, giving him a weird look. "There's that smile!"

"You're so strange," you muttered, taking the excuse to step out of his arms, even though you didn't really want to.

"What happened?" Peter asked again, his soft tone making you relax a little.

"They never showed up," you sniffed, still not able to meet his eyes. Peter was the last person you wanted to be this vulnerable in front of. "And I saw on instagram that they're at some party. Maybe you're right, no one wants to date me-"

"I never said that," he said quickly, before you even got the words out. "Anyone would be lucky to have you, Y/N."

You stared at him for a moment, wondering who the hell was standing in front of you, because it sure wasn't Peter. Maybe Loki came back and was pretending to be him, because Peter would never be this kind to you, even if your heart just got stomped on.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" You asked, not caring if it was blunt. "Did you do something bad and now you feel guilty? I swear if you ate my snacks-"

"No, no, I didn't," he chuckled a little, "I just...I don't like seeing you like this. Makes me want to go punch that idiot that stood you up."

"What, so you're the only one allowed to be rude to me?" You scoffed, though the words he said made you feel a little warm inside, even if you hated to admit it.

Peter stared at the ground for a minute before biting his lip, "Can we talk?"

You stared at him blankly, "I'm not really in the mood to argue with you when I just got stood up, can we do this another time-"

"I don't want to argue," he promised, his tone sincere, "I just...I want to explain why I've been a dick. And I want to apologize."

Your mouth almost dropped in surprise. "Are you serious?"

He nodded, gesturing to the couch. "Please?"

You gave him a look, but decided it might as well happen. With a small sigh you wiped your eyes of any last tears or smeared make up and went to plop down on the couch, pulling your legs up while Peter sat across from you. He stared at the ground for a minute, seeming to collect his thoughts while you waited patiently.

"I don't hate you," he finally said, making you raise an eyebrow. "I never have. I was just jealous because when I first got here, you already had everything under control. You were my age but it still felt like you were my superior, and you knew what to do in any situation. I felt stupid, so I acted out in ways that I probably shouldn't have.

"You don't even need powers to kick my ass," he continued with a light chuckle, focusing on picking at his fingernails rather than meeting your eyes. "It bothered me that even with my powers you were still seen as the better fighter. And...I only had my aunt and you had this family with the Avengers that I haven't really had and...and I guess I was jealous for a few reasons. I'm sorry."

"They think of you as family, you know," you pretended not to see the blush rising on his cheeks, "Tony likes you more than me, you at least have to know that - he's obvious at playing favorites."

"Yeah, but you're Nat's favorite," he shot back, and you couldn't help but agree a little with that.

"Maybe, but she still likes you. They all do. Maybe I was here first, but they see us both as family, and equal members of the Avengers."

It went silent for a minute, and you realized that it was probably your turn to explain some things. Peter hadn't really started the hostility between you two, and you didn't necessarily either, but it wasn't one sided by any means.

"I have a hard time getting along with people, but I also always want people to like me," you admitted, trying to ignore the intensity of his gaze, "It took me a while to get close with this team since I'm younger than them. But when you came along it was like they all immediately loved you, you barely had to try - it took me ages for that. I guess I was insecure about it and especially when you didn't get along with me, I just-I hate when people don't like me. Guess that's why tonight was an especially hard blow."

You let out a harsh laugh, shaking your head while Peter stared at you for a minute.

"I'm sorry they did that, you seemed really excited," he finally said quietly, "You deserve better."

"Thanks, Peter, but...I don't really mind, I wasn't that interested in them anyway," you scoffed, "I think I just...I haven't been on a date in a while? And all the ones I've been on have been shitty, and I just - I really want to go on a nice date, you know, with someone who actually wants to be with me, who treats me how I deserve."

"I'm sure there's someone out there who's gonna treat you right," he promised, suddenly very focused on his lap, not really making eye contact. "Maybe they're closer than you think."

You stared at him for a moment, not missing the light blush dusting his cheeks and the way he was sort of avoiding meeting your gaze. His nervous tell was how he tapped his fingers on his knees, biting his lip.

You were making him nervous.

"How close, do you think?" You asked quietly, shifting a little bit so you sat closer to him, but not making it too obvious. His eyes finally met yours and he saw your expression, but he couldn't bring himself to answer. Instead, he carefully slid his hand into yours, maybe a little afraid that you would pull away and hate him again. But instead you let him, even giving his hand a little squeeze.

"Remember the last time you held my hand?" You said jokingly to ease the tension, and he rolled his eyes.

"Don't remind me, that was the worst day I've had since officially becoming an Avenger," he shook his head, making you raise an eyebrow.

"Worse day you've had? I was the one that was shot."

"Well, I thought I was gonna lose you," he responded without thinking, "I was so mad because...because I was scared you were going to be gone and I don't know what I'd do if anything like that happened to you."

"I didn't know you cared about me like that," you said, trying to ignore the butterflies in your stomach.

"I care about you a lot," he admitted, his eyes searching over your face. "I guess I just have a funny way of showing it."

"Maybe."

Peter watched you as he moved his free hand to you, scooting a little closer when you didn't make any objection. He let his finger trail along your arm, raising goosebumps while he bit his lip, and you knew he was dragging it out on purpose, allowing for you to pull away if you wanted to. His eyes were on your lips, a smirk raising on his own as he leaned closer.

"Your heart is beating really fast," he said, and you tried not to roll your eyes.

"You can hear my heart beating?" You asked while he brought his hand up from your arm to cup your face, and you were sure it started beating louder by the way his grin widened. "That's not very fair, it gives away how I feel."

"Don't worry, m'sure mine's beating just as much," he murmured, and he didn't wait for you to answer before pulling your face to his and kissing you.

You weren't exactly shocked, he had definitely been making it obvious that he was about to lay one on you, but you couldn't help the noise of surprise you made when he pressed his lips against yours. But still, you didn't hesitate to kiss him back, your lips moving against his and your mind wondering why you spent all that time bickering with him when you could've been doing this.

His nose rubbed yours as he moved closer, and you could feel him smiling a little, just making the moment sweeter even if it made the kiss messier. He hand cupping your cheek moved to the back of your neck while the one holding your hand was moved to your waist.

He pulled away only to press you back against the couch, the look in his eyes soft before he closed them, connecting your lips again as he leaned over you. You snaked an arm around his neck and let your hand find its way into his curls, your other one resting on the back of his neck while he laid himself against you, resting between your legs.

You tried not to smile against his mouth, not really sure you believed this was even happening. Were you actually locking lips with the boy you were sure hated your guts? Those thoughts were interrupted when he was quick to slip his tongue into your mouth, surprising you again, but you tilted your head and deepened the kiss, your fingers tugging his hair a little.

He hummed into your mouth as his hand brushed against your stomach when he went to hold your waist again, and you tried not to wince when he accidentally moved over one of the bruises that still remained from the mission. With some hesitation you made yourself pull back, almost laughing when he followed your lips, pouting a little when you put a hand on his chest to stop him.

"We should slow down a little," you breathed out, trying to ignore the sharp pain in your shoulder and waist that was more evident now that you weren't distracted by his lips.

"What, you don't want to make out until Sam and Bucky walk in and prove them right?" He smirked a little while you smacked him on the chest, laughing.

"I'm not supposed to move around too much, remember?"

"Oh, shit," he scrambled off of you, "I forgot, are-are you okay, I'm so sorry-"

"I'm fine," you chuckled, holding his arms so he didn't go too far. One of your hands moved to cup his cheek and he shut his eyes, smiling a little as you traced his jawline, brushing your thumb against his lips. "You're cute when you worry, though."

He just grinned and leaned down, giving you a soft kiss while this time avoiding touching you in any way that might hurt you. His curls tickled your face as he moved his lips down your jaw, and you laughed a little as he pressed kisses against your neck, propping an arm up so he didn't squish you.

"As much as I'm loving this," you chuckled, and you could feel him smirking against your throat, "I really think Sam and Bucky walking in on us is a big possibility that I'd rather not face the consequences of right now."

"Where does this leave us?" He pulled up, still leaning over you, his eyes bright and usually thin lips swollen from all the kissing were pulled into a lazy smile.

"Where do you want it to leave us?" You countered, letting your fingers trail up his arm while you didn't quite meet his gaze, choosing instead to focus on his crazy eyebrow or slightly crooked nose or freckles dotting his pink cheeks.

You didn't think you could handle it if he didn't want to be with you after that. He didn't explicitly say he had feelings for you, what if this was just in the moment? Or he wanted some friends with benefits thing? You couldn't stand the idea of him suggesting anything like that.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the sound of the door slamming open interrupted him.

"We're back!" Bucky's voice made you both jump apart, you frantically trying to fix your shirt while Peter smoothed down his hair, as if that would really work. "Hey, thought you were on a date?"

"I cancelled it," you said quickly, hoping your mascara wasn't streaking from your crying earlier. "I was just down here annoying Peter."

"Mhm," Sam rolled his eyes, "Sure you were. Night kids, don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

Instead of leaving with Sam, Bucky threw himself on the couch in between you both, changing the television channel with the remote. "Sorry to interrupt your little date, but I didn't get to watch the game earlier, so."

"Whatever," you scoffed, pushing his face as you got up, making him laugh. You exchanged a glance with Peter, not sure what to do. You almost wanted him to follow you so that you could both talk, but at the same time neither of you wanted to tip Bucky off. The teasing was not worth it. "Um, night."

"Night," they both replied, Peter shooting you an apologetic look when Bucky wasn't looking, but you just gave him a smile and mouthed "it's fine".

It wasn't really fine, especially when you went to bed and hoped that maybe he would come knocking on your door, but never did. You didn't fall asleep for a while, thinking that you were looking into it too much and then wondering if it even happened and if he would just ignore you for the rest of your life (maybe a little dramatic, but you'd had an eventful evening).

But you did manage to fall asleep, and there was someone knocking on your door in the morning.

You opened your door to see Peter standing there with a bouquet of flowers and a bright, nervous smile on his face, and you felt stupid for staying up all night thinking he would just ignore you forever.

"I thought I'd take you out on a date," his face turned a little red, making your lips lift up in a small smile. "We could go get breakfast and talk and you know, I can show you how you deserve to be treated? If-If you want."

"I'd like that," you said softly, taking the flowers from him and grinning. "I should probably change out of these Thor pajamas though, right dating expert?"

"You could keep them on if you want," he laughed, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you against him, being careful of your shoulder. "I think they're cute."

"Sure you do."

Peter pressed a kiss to your lips, and you used your free hand to hold his face so he wouldn't pull away so quick. He chuckled against your mouth, definitely realizing what you were doing, but not finding that he cared as he just kissed you back, his arm holding you closer.

"Um."

You both broke apart to see Bucky standing there with a cup of coffee, a surprised look on his face before he grinned and went back down the hallway.

"Oh no," you mumbled, pushing your face into Peter's chest while he laughed, his face bright red. He put his other arm around you while you also starting laughing, hugging you to his chest while you heard Bucky screaming in the kitchen.

"You owe me fifty bucks Sam!"

taglist: @lilbeatlebear @somefuckshit1

#peter parker x reader #peter parker fic #peter parker reader insert #spider-man x reader #spider-man fic #spider-man self insert #peterpparkerwrites masterlist #my writing

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

Text

sunburn - part two

warnings: language, unrequited feelings so ouch pairing: peter parker x reader (soulmate au) word count: 4.6k

masterlist ~ requests are closed ~ part three

Orange was so far your favorite.

When you woke up for school the next day, way earlier than you wanted to since you needed to get on the subway, you were shocked by the pretty color rising over the skyline. Orange danced across the buildings and peeked through grey clouds and made the sky feel more alive than you had ever seen it.

At least from this mess, you got to finally see color.

You tried to hide it, and your parents didn't suspect anything, but your sister knew you too well. She had come over that night and almost like she had a sixth sense asked you what was going on, and you admitted that you met your soulmate (but you left out basically everything else). She had been way more excited than you were about it, but you didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

She showed you different colors of things so you'd know instead of having to just figure it out or guess. She told you purple was her favorite, and that brown was a close second because it was the color of trees and dirt (you weren't surprised, she had always loved nature).

Peter's eyes were brown.

You had only seen them for a minute before you bolted off, but they stuck in your memory. She showed you the color and you remembered seeing it in his panicked eyes, in the curls on his head, on his messy eyebrows, lighter on the freckles across his nose and cheeks.

You weren't sure if you'd be able to see that color again without thinking about him and what happened.

But you were able to see so much more now. One of your favorite shirts was an ugly green color and you were almost offended that no one told you so. It was like seeing with new eyes when you looked at your photos on the wall, seeing what you looked like with color in your skin and eyes and everything else.

The photos on your wall had plenty with MJ and Liz. There were quite a few with Peter, Ned and Betty too, even some with Flash and Cindy and Abe and some others from your decathlon team. Now it was like seeing them all for the first time again - grey and black and white no longer covered their features.

One photo caught your eye and made your heart hurt a little when you remembered who took it and what happened that day.

"This trip is gonna be boring," Ned complained, and you and MJ immediately scoffed in offense.

"Just because you aren't into history and art museums doesn't mean this is boring, it just means you have no taste," MJ shot back, and you gave her a fist bump.

You four decided to hang out more the summer between your sophomore and junior years, and that meant going out places you hadn't been. Peter always brought his camera and Ned always brought snacks, and you and MJ decided on what places to go. It was the last summer you had before your friend group extended to Liz and Betty, and it was also the last before everyone found their soulmates (well, not everyone, apparently).

"We could've gone to the science museum instead!" Ned protested, giving Peter a look that was practically begging for him to take his side, but Peter shrugged.

"I don't think it'll be so bad. We can do that another time, we have all summer."

"See? If that nerd agrees, then you should too," MJ pointed out, ignoring Peter scrunching his face up.

"Wow, I take your side, and you slander me like this."

"Top ten anime betrayals," you muttered, Ned being the only one that heard you as he choked out a laugh.

"Suck it up, Y/N and I are going to the modern art section first and you are welcome to join as long as you don't complain."

Ned managed to keep his comments to himself as you four ventured around the museum, Peter taking goofy pictures of you all by different pieces of art, MJ insisting he get as many of Ned sulking as possible so she could draw them later.

After a while MJ dragged Ned to find another map since he conveniently "lost" the one you were all using, leaving you and Peter in the statues section to laugh at the ridiculous poses and names the artists gave.

"Hey look, it's Coach Wilson!" Peter pointed at a statue, making you snicker as you saw the resemblance.

"Yeah, Coach Wilson flexing his nonexistent muscles."

"Hey, copy the statue's pose, it'll be cute," Peter held up the camera while you laughed, waving your hands to say no but Ned and MJ came back and jumped into the picture with you, and Peter managed to get a few.

"It'll be cute."

Did he think you were cute? Or just the pose would be? Or were you definitely reading into it too much like you always did?

Wait. Why the hell would you care if Peter Parker thought you were cute?

"Hey, come on, we're gonna grab lunch from a cafe down the street," MJ's voice pulled you out of your realization and you followed her without saying anything, staring at the back of Peter's head as he and Ned walked in front of you.

Oh, no.

Luckily, MJ and Ned's bickering about where to eat distracted you enough from this newfound revelation that you might just have a little crush on one of your best friends. They eventually decided on some burger place, though they were both still complaining as you entered the restaurant.

Peter's eyes scrunched up as he laughed at them, shooting a look in your direction like "they're being ridiculous", and you just gave him a smile before turning away, hoping he hadn't caught you staring.

You didn't want to have a crush on Peter. With a world of soulmates, there wasn't a point in that - there was someone out there waiting for you, and it probably wasn't Peter. You guys had been friends for ages, you would've known by now. He and you had touched before, right? With a frown, you tried to think of a time you and Peter might've high fived or brushed shoulders or even hugged, but Ned's voice brought you out of your thoughts.

"Are we hanging out later? We still have the rest of Black Mirror to get through."

"I can't, have to babysit my niece," MJ scrunched up her face, making you laugh a little. Despite her attitude, you knew she loved that kid and didn't at all mind babysitting.

"My mom and I are going to visit my sister, sorry," you sighed.

"And I have...stuff," Peter trailed off, making Ned pout.

"That just sounds like an excuse to not hang out with me."

"You know I love you, man, but I'm busy!"

"Yeah, yeah, if you really loved me-"

"If you two keep arguing about how much Peter loves you, I'm gonna be late to babysit," MJ interrupted, tapping her wrist like she had a watch. "Your bromance can wait until later."

Peter had been the one to drive you all to the museum, so you clambered into his old car that he bought off Mr. Delmar, who had probably had it for fifteen years.

"Okay, let's say a prayer that this piece of junk doesn't break down on the way home," You said after climbing in the front seat. MJ put her hands together while Ned did the sign of the cross, making Peter huff.

"Hey, no digging on my car, it might chug a little but it works just fine."

"You almost killed us on the way to school everyday," Ned pointed out.

"That's just cause he's a shitty driver," MJ chimed in while Peter started the car, ignoring the engine revving for a while before finally starting.

"Should I remind you guys that I'm driving? Like I can kill us all, I'm in total control of your lives right now. You should watch how you trash talk my driving."

"That's a little dark and twisted."

"Shut up, MJ. Y/N if you don't plug your phone in and play music I will, and I know you guys don't want to hear my music," Ned said flatly, making you chuckle as you grabbed the cord.

"Yeah, yeah."

The rest of the ride consisted of you playing music that you knew they would all like, and everyone making comments on Peter's shitty driving while he just shook his head and threatened to crash.

Peter dropped you off last, since you lived closer to his apartment. You thanked him for the ride and went to get out of the car but he said your name to stop you. With a little concern at his expression, you leaned back in the seat.

"What's up?"

"Can I ask you something?" His voice sounded shy as he stared at his lap, fumbling his fingers together.

"Of course," you replied, scrunching up your eyebrows in concern. He sounded almost scared, and his nervous tick was how he tapped his fingers together on his knees.

"Do you think Liz would say yes if I asked her out?" You felt your heart drop a little, a hopeful look in his eyes. "Cause I think I like her and I want to make a move but, what if she met her soulmate already or she doesn't like me like that or-"

"I think that's a great idea, Pete," you gave him a tight-lipped smile, forcing down the weird, unfamiliar feeling of jealousy.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you should go for it. You guys would be cute together," you didn't know exactly why you were encouraging him, but it would be easier for you to nip your feelings in the bud now rather than later, and him going out with one of your friends would definitely help that. Convenient how the same day you realized you might have liked Peter, he basically confirmed that he didn't feel that way about you at all.

They were officially dating once school started back up. And based on how they were around each other, you assumed they had gotten lucky and were soulmates.

Clearly not.

You had felt an unusual amount of guilt in your heart for most of the day. It wasn't your own - you had no reason to feel guilty, it wasn't your fault you were Peter's soulmate. You felt it even more every time you thought about what happened, and you knew it was because he could feel your hurt.

It wasn't fair.

You made a point of avoiding him all day. Even during your shared classes you didn't look in his direction, but you caught him peeking at you a few times, concern and guilt and hurt flooding your emotions each time. You had a bad feeling he'd want to talk to you, and that was the last thing you needed.

Before lunch you told MJ you had some meeting with a teacher but actually went to the library, doing homework and hoping no one questioned why you weren't at the table.

For the majority of the day you did a decent job of avoiding Peter, until you were on your way to your last class. You shared it with Peter and MJ, but you knew he wouldn't say anything to you when she was there, so you assumed you were safe.

But as soon as you were in the crowded hallway heading for that class between bells, you ran out of luck.

You let out a squeal when you were tugged into an empty classroom, the grip gentle despite you stumbling a bit as the door closed. Peter stood there, guilt as clear in his expression as it had been in his emotions all day.

With a frown you stepped back, crossing your arms and not meeting his eyes. "Why did you pull me in here? We're gonna be late to class."

"Are we okay?" he asked carefully, feeling a flash of your anger go through him, seeing your eyebrows pinch together as you frowned. "I-I think we should talk about what happened, I just want things to go back to normal and know that we're...that we're gonna be okay."

"No, we're not okay," you replied, a little annoyed, "I'm finding it hard to even think about how to still be friends with you after this, Peter. I don't think we can be anymore."

"W-What?" His voice raised in pitch a little, "Y/N, you don't mean that. We can just act like it didn't happen-"

"I don't think you understand," you interrupted, wishing once again that he couldn't feel what you felt. "I can't stand it. I can't watch my soulmate be with someone else. I can't stand knowing you don't feel anything for me. Don't you know how long I waited for this?"

"That's not fair," Peter struggled to form a sentence, the overwhelming feeling of hurt from you and guilt from him making his senses go a little haywire. "Y/N, you-you're one of my best friends, and I can't do that to Liz, not after we talked about it and-and we-"

"You don't get to tell me what's fair," you snapped, backing up, "I can't have this conversation with you Peter, it hurts too much."

"I'm sorry, but-but you have to see my side here," he took your hand to stop you from leaving, ignoring the spike in your emotions as he did so. "I don't want to hurt her, and we're friends Y/N, just because the universe thinks we're meant to be together like that doesn't mean it's be together or be nothing, we can figure it out and be back to normal again-"

"Just leave me alone," you mumbled, tugging your hand from his and moving away. He clearly wasn't understanding that you already had feelings for him that were just amplified by the sunburn. That was what was meant to happen, and you weren't sure why it didn't happen on his side.

"I won't say anything to anyone if that's what you're so scared of," your jaw tightened a little, wishing you didn't feel his slight relief at that sentence. "We can just act like nothing happened, but I don't want to see you outside of school or when we're not with our friends. I can't, Peter."

He looked like he wanted to say something, but you didn't give him the chance, quickly leaving just as you had yesterday.

You made it to your class before him, MJ giving you a strange look as you sat down in your desk next to her. Peter came in a minute later, getting told off by the teacher, but you could tell he didn't care. His emotions were all over the place but one stood out more that made you cringe into your seat.

Regret.

You sat in silence while the teacher started going over the day's subject, and you could barely focus with how you were still getting used to feeling Peter's emotions as well as seeing color on top of that - you could see that your teacher had a really ugly green and orange sweater on and how that girl's hair really was pink-

"You've been acting weird all day," MJ whispered and nudged your arm a little, bringing you back to the present, "You alright?"

You felt a little anxiety in your stomach at her question and glanced up to see Peter a few seats ahead, his jaw clenched and fist tight around his pencil. Did he hear that all the way up there?

"I'm fine, just uh, cramps," you made a random excuse, knowing she wouldn't buy it but also knowing she would drop it. She just pursed her lips and nodded, leaning back in her chair and facing front again.

"You still okay to go out with Liz and I after school?" She asked after a minute, some concern in her tone. You nearly froze and you swore Peter almost broke his pencil when he felt your nerves.

You completely forgot about hanging out with them, and now you had to act like everything was normal when you just found out you were soulmates with Liz's boyfriend.

Awesome.

"Yeah, no problem," you confirmed, not meeting her eyes as you slouched back in your chair, "If we keep talking we'll get in trouble."

"Like you ever cared about getting in trouble," she scoffed, but luckily dropped the subject.

The rest of class was unbearable with Peter's anxiety making you feel even more nervous that you might fuck up and accidentally give away that you and Peter were soulmates. You honestly had no idea how Liz would even react to that if she knew. It was still a shock that her and Peter hadn't been soulmates - with how they acted around each other, well...

Peter twitched a little and the guilt was back, reminding you again how you needed to try and block those stupid jealous and hurt emotions.

You were determined to keep your mouth shut about it, and even with Peter's nerves and guilt distracting you all day, you were sure you could do a good job of keeping it under wraps for the few hours you were hanging out with Liz and MJ.

At least, you hoped you could.

Liz found her book easily and you picked a few up too, while MJ grumbled about not being able to find a third wave feminism book she had been searching for everywhere. You all decided to grab lunch and then go to the mall nearby and look for clothes since Liz needed something cute for a family reunion coming up, and you had some extra cash and wouldn't mind looking for some clothes for summer.

"Okay, opinions," Liz came out of the fitting room with a cute dress on, one of probably twenty that she had already tried on, but you and MJ didn't mind. It was entertaining to watch her be so picky with clothes when she could probably wear anything and pull it off.

"That's adorable, Liz," MJ commented, "The colors look nice."

"I like the yellow on the flowers, it goes well with your skin tone," you agreed without thinking, not realizing both Liz and MJ's mouths dropped.

They were both just staring at you.

"What?" You asked a little nervously while they exchanged a look.

"You can see color?" Liz shrieked, and you felt your heart drop.

"You met them and didn't tell me?" MJ whined, and you knew Peter was probably freaking out feeling all the emotions that went through your head. Shock, fear, embarrassment, annoyance, guilt, pretty much every one hit you while Liz and MJ were ranting about how you didn't tell them.

"Guys," you cut them off, feeling more anxiety in your chest and knowing it was from Peter, who probably put two and two together and realized you let something slip. But you could still save it. "I didn't want to make it a big deal-"

"But you've waited so long, I figured you'd want to make it a huge deal," MJ complained, and you tried to ignore how that sentence hurt. You did wait a long time, and you definitely would have made a big deal, had it not been for the current circumstance.

You could never lie to MJ, but you could at least bend the truth a little.

"They don't want to be with me, okay?" You snapped, the excited grins on both their faces immediately dropping, "That's why I didn't say anything. I don't want to talk about it cause it hurts. So can we drop it?"

That wasn't technically lying.

"I'm so sorry, Y/N," Liz said quietly, and you felt it was a little ironic that she was the one to say it, "That's...that's awful."

"That's pretty shit, Y/N, I'm sorry, we won't bring it up again," MJ promised, but you could tell she wanted to ask more. And she probably would once Liz was gone.

"Okay, subject change," Liz announced, making you crack a little smile as she reached over and grabbed something from her discarded clothes pile. "I saw this while looking through stuff and thought it would look cute on you.

"You wear this color quite often," she smiled and held up the shirt to you, "Yellow suits you."

You smiled a little, thanking her and taking it to go try on. Yellow was a lighter shade, and back when you'd get dressed when you couldn't see color, you tried to choose a lighter shade of grey - you liked lighter shades and it made sense that you accidentally chose yellow more often than other colors.

And you were grateful for the subject change.

You bought your clothes first and went to look around while MJ and Liz stayed back to talk to one of the managers about a discount or something (Liz liked bargains). MJ seemed like she wanted to come with you, but it was obvious that you wanted to be alone for the moment, so she stayed back.

Once you were a little bit further from them, you took your phone out, already knowing Peter had probably sent you a few texts about your panic earlier.

I know you don't want to talk but please tell me what's going on

your emotions are all over the place I'm freaking out

did they find out???? or is it something else, are you okay??

You bit your lip, glancing up to see MJ and Liz still talking to the store clerk.

they know I have a soulmate. they don't know it's you. I told them to keep it between us so, you're fine

You didn't answer his last question, but he should know that you weren't okay. You didn't need to say it for him to feel it.

"You alright?" MJ's voice startled you a bit and you shoved your phone away, barely meeting her concerned expression.

"Yeah, I will be," you gave her a tight smile, knowing she could see through it but hoping she wouldn't point it out. "Where's Liz?"

"Still bribing the manager for a discount," she pursed her lips, crossing her arms, "Who do I need to go beat up?"

"What?"

"Is it someone we know? Where did it happen? When did it happen? Why-"

"MJ, I really don't want to talk about it," you kicked at the ground a little, knowing she meant well, but also it was making you feel worse. And you really wanted to stop your emotions from going crazy cause the last thing you needed was more guilt from Peter or even worse, another text.

"It's someone we know, isn't it?" She asked again, but you didn't answer, just crossing your arms and staring at the ground. "I swear to God, I'll-"

"Michelle," you snapped, making her go quiet when you said her actual name, "I know you mean well, and I love you for it, but the last thing I want to talk about or think about right now is that. I will when I'm ready but-but right now I just, I can't-"

"Hey," she pulled you into a hug, and you didn't even realize that you started tearing up until you hugged her back. "I'm sorry for pushing you, I shouldn't have done that. I just really want to go punch someone's face in for hurting my best friend."

You let out a teary laugh, "I know. I appreciate it."

She pulled back and sighed, brushing a stray hair from your face and patting your cheek. "You're the strongest person I know. And I'm here for you, even if you don't need me to be."

"I know," you repeated, squeezing her hand and putting on a smile. "Thank you."

Liz came back just in time, luckily not noticing your state as she got excited about the discount she managed to snag. You offered to help carry her many bags and the three of you made your way to her car, ready to go home and get started on any homework.

MJ was dropped off first, and she gave you both a quick hug over through the car windows and gave you a look that told you to call her if you need it. Liz dropped you off last, and you almost felt deja vu as she asked you to stay a minute before you got out.

"Can I be honest with you?" She asked, and you nodded, ignoring the guilty feeling it came with because you weren't being completely honest with her. "Peter and I aren't soulmates."

You should've gone to acting school.

"What?" You asked, knowing if it was MJ she would see right through that fake surprised face, but luckily Liz didn't know your give aways when you were lying. "Seriously?"

"Yeah," she confirmed with a nod, taking your hand in hers and squeezing it. "I want to tell you this because I haven't been with mine for years. I have no idea where they are or what they're up to, or if I'll ever see them again. But I'm okay. And I know it's a different situation entirely, but I want you to know you aren't alone, okay? And relationships without soulmates can work, so don't give up hope, yeah?"

You wanted to cry with how sweet she was being and how guilty you felt that she was being this open with you. But you couldn't bring yourself to tell her the truth when you knew it would hurt her and it would hurt Peter too.

"So you and Peter just...make it work?" You asked, ignoring the sting that question came with.

"Peter is a great guy," she said earnestly, "And I really like him. But it's always felt like something's missing, you know? We don't have the soulmate connection, we didn't have the sunburn. But he gets me and I get him and we go well together. It might not be the universe that destined it, but we're both okay with that."

"I'm glad you found that," you smiled a little, though even she could probably tell it was forced.

"I'm here for you if you want to talk about it or anything, okay?" She gave you a hug and you hugged her back, trying to keep your guilt under control. You didn't want Peter to feel it and question you about it tomorrow in another empty classroom.

You shouldn't even have to feel guilty about it. It's not like you and Peter were sneaking around behind her back - nothing was happening and nothing was going to happen, he made that very clear. And even if something were to happen...you didn't want to hurt Liz like that.

"Thanks, Liz, that-that means a lot," you said sincerely, trying not to tear up for probably the tenth time that day.

"Anytime, sis. Have a good night," she gave you an encouraging smile as you left her car, waving as she drove off.

You wondered if the conversation would have gone differently had she known it was Peter who broke your heart.

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

Text

second chances

warnings: hmm some brief secondhand embarrassment (sorry), bits of unrequited feelings, drinking/mentions of drinking, language, and some cheesiness because why not pairing: peter parker x reader word count: 7k summary: you meet your unrequited high school crush/best friend years later at a college frat party of all places - things go about as well as expected!

masterlist ~ requests are closed

"You know, I bet that new school isn't going to have nearly as many fun people as us."

You glanced up from your book to see one of your best friends glaring at you, sitting down across the lunch table.

"Well, at least they won't all be nerds," you grinned at Ned, who rolled his eyes.

"I don't think you're understanding how I will not shut up about the fact that you're abandoning us tomorrow and for the rest of our lives."

"Ned, I'll still bother you on weekends and during breaks," you promised, though it warmed your heart to know how much he would miss you. You would definitely miss him just as much.

You didn't want to transfer schools, especially not when the school year just began. Unfortunately your mom lost her job unexpectedly, and with money being tight, it made more sense for you to go to a school that was within walking distance so you didn't have to pay for public transport. You were a little relieved you wouldn't be going to such a prestigious school anymore as well, so you could relax and not stress as much about grades - but you were still going to miss your friends.

"Peter's been acting weird," Ned grumbled, "I thought maybe it was because his best friend was moving, but I think it's something else."

"Ned, you're moving too?" You asked in fake shock, and he glared at you.

"Come on, we both know you're his actual best friend. You both just found me in middle school and introduced me to Star Wars, and the rest is history," he huffed. "But back to what I was saying - I think he likes someone again."

You let yourself process that for a minute, hoping your feelings weren't showing in your expression. It wouldn't be the first time you had to go through Peter liking someone that wasn't you, but it didn't mean you wouldn't still be hurt.

"Really?"

"I mean, you remember how he used to act when MJ and Liz were around?" Ned pointed out, "He's doing that again. He just won't tell me who he likes, it's frustrating."

There was a tiny, dangerous feeling of hope that rose in your chest. Normally it was something you'd squash - every time you thought about it, you squashed it - but Ned's words and the way Peter had been acting around you made you hold onto that feeling for a second longer.

"Well, any ideas?" You asked carefully, "It's not like he's been hanging out around many girls lately."

"He's been tutoring that new transfer girl, what was her name? Madison? Could be her."

"Doubtful, considering she has a girlfriend and I don't think Peter would be dumb enough to like a girl he just met anyway," you poked at your food, not wanting to voice any hope to Ned. As much as you loved your friend, you knew he would probably blurt that secret to Peter by accident and then everything would be ruined. "He always likes people that he's known for at least a few months, right? I remember how he was around MJ when we first were friends with her versus after that first semester."

Now Ned was giving you a weird look. "Hey, there's one person we haven't considered."

"Who?"

"You."

You stared blankly at Ned before laughing, "Alright, who's your next guess?"

"No, seriously," Ned leaned forward. "It would make sense, considering you're the only option."

You tried not to roll your eyes. You were lucky that you had always loved Peter, and that there was no change or "tell" that Ned could detect for when you were into someone. He would never find out on his own unless you explicitly told him. But this conversation was dipping into dangerous territory.

"Come on, Ned. We've been friends since kindergarten, and we're basically family. He's had years to realize his feelings for me, don't you think it would be kind of unlikely that he would realize now?"

"Well, you are moving away literally tomorrow, it could be a last minute realization before he loses you," he pointed out, and this time you did roll your eyes. "Plus, he gets so weird now when we all hang out, and since we know it's not MJ anymore...that only leaves you."

"Could be you," you grinned a little, "Your bromance has always seemed like it was more than that."

Ned huffed, "Fine, change the subject. But I'm thinking maybe I'm right."

He didn't continue the conversation once Peter showed up to the lunch table, out of breath and apologizing for being late - something about his internship. Despite the fact that it was the middle of the school day, you let that slide.

It wasn't until later that day when you were hanging out with Peter that you tried to entertain the thought of it maybe being you that he was suddenly into. He was sitting on your couch with you watching tv, literally laying his head in your lap while you played with his hair - that might have been a tell normally, except that you both had always been like this. Physical touch boundaries had never existed.

Peter snickered at something on his phone, holding it up for you to see. You squinted at the text from May, who had sent him a picture of the both of you when you were young - it looked like maybe fourth grade. You felt your face warm up at the way you were hugging him, while he was giving the camera a wide smile.

"Jesus, thank God my mom let me grow those curtain bangs out," you forced out, trying to ignore the fact that the picture was probably from around the time you realized you liked him. If the way you were clutching onto him wasn't enough of a tell.

"Hey, those bangs were adorable," Peter said defensively, and you laughed. "Well, maybe they were a bit of a hair nightmare, but it didn't stop me from having a crush on you."

Your fingers froze in his hair, and you tried not to think about what he just said too much. The idea that you both had a crush on each other at the same time...nope. You weren't even going to go there.

"You...had a crush on me?" You asked softly, hoping the feeling of hope wasn't obvious in your voice.

"Yeah," he snorted, "Don't worry, it was for like maybe a week when we were ten. I don't think anything really counts at that age"

Well, that hope was punted straight to hell. You chuckled awkwardly, "Right."

You watched as Peter saved the photo and immediately added it to his favorites folder, and you felt that hope try to crawl its way back. Stupid mixed signals.

"I'm gonna miss you when you go to Maspeth," Peter sighed, "Why are you going again?"

"Because I hate science," you snickered when he gave you a dirty look, "You know it's expensive to afford transport here, it's much closer."

"Traitor," he whispered, and you couldn't help but laugh. "It'll be the first time we haven't gone to school together, like...ever. It's gonna be so weird."

"I know. I'll miss you too, Pete. A lot."

His eyes closed as he relaxed, and you couldn't help but smile down at him as you kept running your fingers through his soft hair. One of his hands came up and grabbed your free one, interlocking your fingers and letting your hands rest against his chest.

From what you could remember, you never saw him act like this with Liz or MJ. It had always been different for you both, sure, but this was definitely jumping over that fine line between friends and more than friends. You had just ignored it for too long.

You really couldn't keep doing this to yourself.

"Can I tell you something?" You asked carefully, and his eyes snapped open to give you a questioning look.

"Yeah, of course. What's up?"

You bit your lip and looked away from his face, wondering if this was really the best time. But you knew it might be the only time.

"I'm kind of scared," you admitted, his face turning concerned as he sat up.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he kept holding one of your hands comfortingly, and you squeezed it. "You can tell me anything, Y/N. Is it about moving to a new school? Because I promise you'll do great, everyone will love you. Maybe not as much as we do, but enough!"

You felt your expression soften at how much that meant to you, even if it was way off from what you were actually planning to say. You knew you could tell him how you felt and it would only result in two ways - either he'd admit the same, which you tried not to get too hopeful about, or he would let you down in the kindest way possible, because he was Peter.

Plus...you'd be changing high schools literally tomorrow. This might be the only chance you had.

"I don't really know how to say it, so I'll just go for it," you took a breath, making yourself look him in his eyes before you chickened out. "I have feelings for you, Peter. I have for a while and I feel like I need to tell you that before I leave."

He stared at you blankly for a second, his thumb freezing from where it had been moving across the back of your hand. He cracked an unsure grin, "Um...is this meant to be like, a last prank before you go away?"

You shut your eyes, trying not to wince. "No, Peter. It's not. I wouldn't joke about something like this."

He took a minute, searching your face to see if you were really serious. You joked around a lot, and there had always been teasing from others around the subject of you two being together, and you both had participated in the "old married couple" jokes because it had never been serious. You couldn't really blame him for thinking you might be pranking him to ease the blow of you moving.

"I didn't...know that," Peter said slowly, and you felt your heart sink with his words. He looked nervous, but not in the way that he did when he liked someone. He looked like he was figuring out the best way to let you down without hurting you. Unfortunately, you didn't think that would be possible, no matter how nicely he did it.

The feeling in your chest tightened as you let go of his hand, "Oh. Right, that's - um, you obviously couldn't have known, I didn't really ever say anything, so-"

Peter interrupted your word vomit, his expression pained, "You're my best friend, and I love you, but I'm sorry I don't...I just don't see you like that. I'm so sorry."

"You don't have to apologize for how you feel," you said quickly, moving back a little, "It's okay, seriously. I'm sorry for dropping that on you out of nowhere, Ned just kind of gave me the idea that you might...it doesn't matter. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or-"

"Y/N," he cut you off again, shaking his head, "You could never make me uncomfortable, I just-this is kind of out of nowhere, I never thought you...how long?"

"It doesn't really matter," you repeated, hoping the way your hands were shaking wasn't noticeable to him. "I, um...maybe you should go home?"

Peter suddenly looked panicked, "Wait-wait don't, please don't do that, we- we can still be friends, right? I can't lose you just like that. We can talk about it if you want but-"

"Peter, relax," you tightened your hands into fists, avoiding his eyes, "I don't want that, I'm not trying to push you away, I swear - I just think maybe I need some space for a bit. It's not your fault, it's me. I should've thought about your reaction before...can I just have some space? Please?"

He looked like he wanted to hug you, but luckily he didn't. "Yeah, yeah, 'course. I'm...I'm so sorry, Y/N."

"You don't have to apologize," you repeated, your voice wavering. "I'll...I'll text you when I'm settled at Maspeth, okay?"

"Okay," he said weakly, seeming like it physically hurt him to stand up and move away from you. "We're...we're gonna be okay, right?"

"Of course," you promised, not letting yourself look at him. "I'll see you soon."

To be fair, you didn't know you were lying when you said it.

He had been gone a while when you finally stopped crying and feeling sorry for yourself. It could've been worse, you knew that, and you should have felt lucky he even wanted to be around you still. After nearly an hour, you forced yourself to finally look at your phone for a distraction.

You felt like your heart dropped when you saw several texts from Ned, who was apologizing profusely while also saying he had no idea you had feelings for Peter, and he didn't mean to get your hopes up. It was easy to tell from those that Peter had told Ned about what happened (and might've even blamed him for this situation), and you tried not to be upset about that.

Several days had passed and Peter tried to reach out a few times before you had to change your number for a cheaper phone plan, but you knew your feelings wouldn't go away if you tried to just be friends with him. God, you had been friends with him for years and those feelings never went away, so you knew space was the only thing that might help.

Unfortunately, those feelings didn't disappear as quickly as you had hoped. There were more than a few nights that you would stay up late looking at photos of you both throughout the years, trying not to cry and trying to convince yourself to not call him. You weren't sure how you could face him again knowing your feelings weren't reciprocated.

Ned and MJ stayed in touch, but not as much as you had hoped. When junior year was underway and everyone was insanely busy with AP classes and SATs and college applications, you barely spoke on the phone but maybe once every two months - and definitely no in-person hang outs.

And you never got in touch with Peter again.

If someone told you that you wouldn't see Peter for nearly five years, you would've laughed. If they had continued to tell you it would've been at a frat party that you'd finally meet again, you would've laughed even harder.

You weren't one for insane drinking and definitely not for frat parties, but your friend and roommate has convinced you to go to at least one. Her boyfriend was having one for the beginning of the school year and after new members had been initiated, and you felt like maybe a fun night out would be nice. Junior year was already kicking your ass.

Of course, she convinced you to dress up for the theme, which for some reason was beach party. You were literally wearing a bikini and board shorts in the beginning of fall in New York, which was sort of hilarious, but you would've dressed differently had you known what was coming.

You knew fully well Peter had likely also gone to Columbia. It was always his goal, and he wanted to stay in New York - plus he was sure to be able to afford it with the Stark internship likely getting him a nice scholarship. When you got in, you were always nervous (but also hoping) that maybe you would run into him on campus.

It never happened in the two years you had attended.

So when you were two drinks in and finally alone after helping a drunk girl find her friends get an Uber home, you felt like a deer stuck in headlights when you caught sight of familiar brown curls that you could still recognize anywhere.

Peter Parker was in a Hawaiian shirt holding a beer in his hands. He seemed to be alone, looking at something on his phone that had him frowning. He looked almost the same minus how tall he had gotten and how fit he looked, but the sight of his brown eyes almost made you run at him like a crazy person.

You hadn't realized how much you really, really missed him.

You were able to get a good, probably panicked, look at him before he noticed you, your eyes moving from his horrendously ugly shirt to his more defined face. Then his eyes swept over you before jerking back to do a double take.

You were both staring at each other wide-eyed, and you suddenly felt out of place in the outfit you chose to wear. In high school you were all about avoiding parties and strictly wore sweaters and thrifted jeans, so you were pretty sure based on Peter's expression he was surprised to see you like this. Or even just seeing you here, at all.

"Uh, h-hi," Peter stuttered first, his eyes barely moving down before snapping back up. His voice was so familiar and different at the same time, it almost made you flinch. "You, Y/N...hi?"

"Hi, Peter," you said quietly, gripping your cup tighter and trying to think of a way to break this weird tension, "I never would have guessed I would find you at a frat party, much less dressed like a father having a mid life crisis."

His stiff demeanor cracked, his shoulders relaxing a little as a familiar sheepish grin rose on his lips. "Just have to stick to the theme. My friend Harry has joined this one, though, that's-that's why I'm here. I'm not in a frat. What are you doing...here?"

"Enjoying the horrible liquor choices," you joked again, the expression on Peter's face almost making you regret it. You always resorted to bad jokes when you were uncomfortable. "Um, wow, you...you're like a foot taller than me now, what happened?"

"Growth spurt, and probably the amount of caffeine that you drink stunting your growth," he smiled a little and you found yourself grinning back, not even having to force it. "You still drink like, ten cups of coffee a day?"

"Hey, it was never that many," you felt yourself relax slightly, "But yes."

It was silent again for a second before his expression softened, "It's really good to see you, Y/N. I've missed you, I tried reaching out, but..."

"I had to change my number unexpectedly," you weren't even lying, but you also had Peter's phone number memorized from the day he got his first phone, so there wasn't an excuse on your end for not reaching out. "Things got kind of crazy after I moved but, yeah...I really missed you, too."

His face seemed to light up at that admission, and you couldn't help the small smile climbing your lips too. You hadn't thought about what it would be like if you saw Peter again, especially not in this kind of situation, but it was great to see him. He looked a little older and even better than he had last time you saw him, which didn't help the old feelings creeping up your chest.

"Hey, is this guy bothering you?" You tensed as a guy threw his arm over your shoulder, shaking you a little and giving Peter a weird look.

"This is Peter, a...friend from high school," you huffed a little at the smell of alcohol wafting off him, "Peter, this is my roommate Gina's boyfriend, Chris."

"Nice to meet you," Peter said slowly, his eyes focusing on where Chris had his hand on your shoulder.

"Dude, you're Peter?" Chris asked, his speech sounding slurred, and you both gave him a weird look as he stared at you in disbelief, "This dude is the reason you haven't dated anyone?"

You felt your face heat up, not even daring to look at Peter's reaction. "Maybe I should go find Gina, you've clearly had enough to drink."

"Y/N-"

"It was great to see you again, Peter," you interrupted him, forcing a smile, "Maybe I'll see you around."

You didn't give him a chance to answer, going to find Gina and wring her neck for saying anything to Chris about that situation. You had gotten drunk freshman year and overshared way too much to your friend about Peter, but you certainly had never told her boyfriend of three months anything about him.

"Why would you tell him that?" You hissed at your friend once you found her and berated her for over two minutes, "It's-it's not even true! I just haven't found the right person!"

"Honey, we both know it's true," she sighed, "I'm sorry I told him, he was just trying to find some of his frat buddies to set you up with and I didn't want you to end up with one of those losers, so I told him that so he'd back off. I didn't think there would ever be a situation as to how he would meet Peter and say that."

You knew she had a point, unfortunately. It wasn't really like you were holding out hope that Peter would change his mind nearly five years after he rejected you - it was more like you hadn't met anyone that was up to his standards. No one knew you like he did, you were sure that no one else would treat you as great, and you were still hoping someone would turn up that even had an ounce of the kindness Peter had.

Every guy you came across in the circles your friends had were just not up to the same standards. Peter Parker had ruined any other guy for you.

After forgiving Gina and telling her she should tell Chris to keep his mouth shut sometimes, you wandered off to find more to drink. You weren't sure if you were happy or not about the fact that you didn't run into Peter again - he might've even left after that embarrassing interaction with Gina's annoying boyfriend.

A few hours later and you found yourself sitting on a curb a few streets away, annoyed at the situation you found yourself in. Your phone was on two percent, and then died as soon as you opened maps. You had over estimated how well you knew this area, and you weren't sure how to get home. You were debating just heading back and waiting for Gina, like you probably should've done in the first place.

As if the universe was answering some kind of weird prayer, you jumped when you heard a loud crash a few feet away.

You watched, a little dumbfounded, as Spider-Man of all people swung down from one of the rooftops, landing in front of what appeared to have been a man that had crashed into one of the cars parallel parked on the street. He was trying to get up, but some of the pieces of his (metal?) suit had fallen off, like it wasn't very well built.

"Dude, you have to stick a better landing," Spider-Man chided loudly, and his voice made you sit up straighter. "You're going to try new fun gadgets to rob these houses, and then not even know how to properly use them? Pick a struggle."

You continued to watch as he webbed the guy up like a cocoon, then pulled him off the car and set him on the sidewalk. He started to talk back, but Spider-Man shot a web over his mouth and crossed his arms.

"Man, I hope these people sue you for car damages, that is a nasty dent," he continued talking, tapping something on his wrist. "Karen, call the cops, please."

Once he seemed done with that, he said something else to the man that you couldn't hear from where you were. It looked like he was going to leave, and before you could stop yourself, you jumped up, "Hey, Spidey!"

Spider-Man turned around quickly, tilting his head when he realized you were across the street, "You alright?"

"Um, I'm fine, technically. Just...kind of lost?" You hated admitting that.

Spider-Man glanced at the guy, shrugging. "Hold on a sec!"

You almost laughed when he webbed the guy's ears, confused as to why he would do that. Maybe he didn't like eavesdroppers. Within a few seconds he was heading over to you.

"You are very lucky I was here and not some creep," he chided a little, sitting next to you on the curb, "Are you waiting for a friend or anything?"

"Well, I was supposed to get a ride with my roommate, but she wanted to stay at the party longer. And I decided to walk home. I've done it before, but then my phone battery died, of course. I just can't remember how to get back."

"You definitely should have asked someone else there to walk back with you," he continued, his masked eyes squinting, "It's really unsafe this time of night, you've been drinking, you-"

"Peter," you said quickly, making Spider-Man freeze. "Are you going to lecture me, or can you just walk me home?"

Spider-Man's white eyes were wider than before, and he didn't answer.

You frowned and reached up, pretending to knock on where you guessed his forehead should be, "Is Peter home? I asked you a question."

"I'm-I'm not Peter," he laughed nervously, the familiarity of it almost making you roll your eyes. "Whoever Peter is. Sounds like a dick name if you ask me."

"Okay, what's up with the self-deprecating comments? That's always been my thing," you crossed your arms, "Also, we may not have seen each other in a while, but I know you well enough to know that Peter Parker is under those red and blue spandex."

"You're still drunk," he said with finality, standing and offering his hand, "Let's get you back to your apartment."

"I'm going to make you admit it," you taunted, but took his gloved hand anyway. "And I'm not that drunk anymore."

He helped you stand before letting go of your hand, his eyes squinting at you. "Okay, Y/N. Where do you live?"

You stared at him blankly, "I'm in some apartments right next to campus. Also, I win - you just said my name."

"I did," he sighed, shaking his head, "I forgot how stubborn you are. No point in fighting it."

You told him your address and he plugged it into whatever technology was on his wrist, and tilted his head like he was listening to someone. Probably the AI in his suit. You questioned him about leaving the criminal guy on the street, but he assured you the cops would be there soon, and you decided not to care.

You took the opportunity on the silent walk back to look over the suit he was wearing, realizing that he had been Spider-Man...a while. Like back when you were friends.

You remembered you and Ned geeking out when Spider-Man had saved you all at the Washington Monument. No wonder Peter had been so uncharacteristically quiet.

"What happened to your face?" You asked probably too suddenly at the end of the walk to your apartment, almost making him jump.

"Oh, this is nothing," he didn't look at you, but your eyes were narrowed at the cut you had noticed on his suit. "That dude had too many pieces of metal sticking out from his makeshift wannabe villain suit, and it scratched me up a little. I heal fast."

You stopped walking when you reached your building, and Spider-Man awkwardly paused when you did. You eyed his mask again, frowning at the cut.

"Hey, meet me on the balcony?" You asked quickly, "I have a bandaid and some wipes. It's the seventh floor, no one should notice this time of night, and Gina won't be home for a while."

He seemed hesitant, but nodded. "Yeah, okay. Thanks."

It was barely five minutes later that you finished cleaning the cut for him and putting a bandaid on, leaning back to admire your shitty work. It was still kind of weird to see Peter's face under Spider-Man's mask, but not that weird when you really thought about it. He had always been selfless and kind, and something changed in him after Ben's death. You couldn't picture Spider-Man being anyone else.

"Ta-da!" You said lamely, making him crack a smile. "All better."

"Thanks, Y/N," he said softly, and you leaned away mainly to avoid seeing that expression on his face - it was messing with your heart a little too much.

It was quiet as you leaned back against your balcony railing, crossing your arms and staring at your old friend as he got up, twisting his mask in his hands. He stood next to you and sighed, staring down at the street. It was weird he didn't put his mask back on, but you supposed there really weren't many people down there that could look up and be able to make out his face anyway.

"So, Spider-Man, huh?" You held you arms tighter to yourself to keep from shivering, giving him a sideways glance, "You never told me that."

"No, I didn't," he crossed his arms like you had, making you grin a little, "I was planning to. The...last time we talked before you switched schools."

Oh. You shut your eyes, leaning on your railing more and trying not to be annoyed at yourself. If you had just kept your mouth shut, you wouldn't have lost him, and he would've told you he was Spider-Man.

"Of course you're Spider-Man too, you're way too perfect," you muttered, the alcohol sort of speaking for you, not fully out of your system yet. Peter's cheeks went a little red and he rolled his eyes.

"I think you're putting me on too high of a pedestal," he cracked a grin, but it looked a little forced. "I...I shouldn't have hurt you that day. And I definitely should've tried harder to keep in touch with you. I was a jerk for a lot of things, and I'm really sorry."

"Peter, like I said then, you can't help how you feel. You don't have to apologize for not returning my feelings, and it's been years. I got over it a long time ago. Also, you let me down in probably the nicest way possible, so there's really no need to beat yourself up over it."

Sort of lies - you definitely thought you got over it, but you couldn't help the butterflies doing jumping jacks in your stomach when Peter gave you a soft look. Of course he just had to waltz back into your life, and it be like he was never gone.

You didn't make a noise as he suddenly grabbed one of the blankets you left on your balcony and draped it over your shoulders. Again - another gesture that made those butterflies nearly combust, but you tried to force the feeling away as he leaned against the rail next to you.

"You never did tell me," Peter said out of nowhere, and you glanced at him with a raised eyebrow. "When you told me...how you felt, I asked you how long you felt that way. You never told me."

"Since primary school," you said quietly, Peter's head snapping up to stare at you in disbelief, "It was just a crush at first, I chalked it up to you being the only friend I had that was a boy. But around middle school I kind of realized it wasn't a crush anymore, and it hadn't gone away in years, so."

He was quiet, his jaw clenching as he looked back at the skyline again. You couldn't really tell what he was feeling or why he even asked that, but you waited for him to continue.

"And how do you feel now?" He asked, and you stared at him blankly. "About me?"

"We haven't talked in years," you answered slowly, eyeing the way he was tapping his fingers on the rail, nervously.

"That wasn't an answer," Peter pointed out, and you realized he was nervous. It wasn't like how it was when he rejected you - it was the kind of nervous you remembered seeing on him when he asked Liz out for the first time.

No. You weren't going to sit here and make a fool of yourself again.

"Peter, why are you even asking me that?" You asked, again avoiding answering his question, despite it being the same unchanging answer for the last decade. "I mean, why does it matter? You made it clear years ago how you felt, so what difference would it make how I feel about you now?"

Peter stared down at you again, and you tried not to lose your train of thought when you met his brown eyes. He looked different, older, but those eyes looked the same, and you hated how often you had thought about them in the last several years.

"Can I talk for a minute about what happened after that day?" He asked quietly, not breaking eye contact, "I have waited five years to talk to you about it, and if now is the only chance I have, I need to get it all out before you say anything."

You were a little speechless at that, and worried about what he was going to say, but you found yourself nodding anyway. He gripped the railing a little, staring out again before speaking.

"You know, when you walked away that day and never spoke to me again, it left this empty feeling that I haven't been able to fill in the last five years. When I told May why you weren't coming around anymore I thought she was going to club me over the head with a frying pan, which I would've deserved. She told me I was stupid for not thinking about why I was so hurt when you left, versus when Liz had to leave and when MJ ended things. That you and I had something that she hadn't seen since my parents. I didn't really listen to her when she said that until later, but...either way, I knew it was time to reach out.

"MJ wouldn't give me your new address or even your new phone number," Peter sounded annoyed at that, but shook his head, "I understood that. It wasn't her place, but she said she would ask you. I don't know if she ever did, or if you guys were even talking frequently in general, or if she did ask and you didn't want me to have either, but either way...I didn't know how to keep trying to find you."

You remembered MJ telling you that, barely a month after you had started at your new high school. You also remembered telling her you would think about it, the rejection still fresh in your heart, and you were way too hurt to talk to him yet. You wanted to get over him first, but...that never really happened.

"I found this coffee shop near Columbia last year that was a combination book store," he smiled a little, "It's called like, Bookstockings, or something. But it seemed like a place you would enjoy, and I thought maybe if there was at all a place I might run into you, it would've been there. So I sat in there almost every day for an hour just hoping you'd maybe drop by."

You stared at him, quickly shutting your mouth when you realized it had been hanging open. The idea of Peter sitting in what happened to be your favorite studying place so often, and just barely missing him...how did he know? How did you never run into him?

"Between May, Ned, and MJ all telling me how stupid I was, and how I should've really thought about how I felt about you...I did feel stupid for realizing it too late. If I didn't know before, I definitely realized when I sat in that shop so often. At first I tried to convince myself that it was just because I wanted my friend back, but then I realized that was kind of over the top for someone who was just a friend. And the more I thought about it, I knew you weren't just a friend. You never had been. It took losing you for me to realize that, which is the worst part."

His fingers played with the edges of your blanket, which made you realize now how close he was. "So...that's why I'm asking you feel now. Because I know how I feel, even if I didn't know until it was too late."

You stared at him silently, knowing what he was saying without really outright saying it. The 16 year old in you was basically screaming at you to accept it, but the present you had years of hurt that she just couldn't let go.

"I was really scared to tell you how I felt that day," you said after a minute, now avoiding Peter's eyes, "And honestly? I still am. Because we haven't seen each other in years, or even talked, and I can't know for sure if you really mean it. I can't be hurt again like that, Peter. I'd like to think I'm strong enough, but losing you sucked, and I can't do that again. If you're going to be back in my life...I can't risk that."

You felt his gloved hand suddenly cup your cheek, and turned to face his pained expression.

"That Chris guy said you haven't dated anyone, because of me," he said quietly, his thumb brushing your cheek. "Is that...true?"

"Haven't met anyone that lived up to those standards," you admitted, and he shut his eyes, leaning his head against yours. "Probably why it's taking me so long to get over you."

"Again, you're giving me too much credit," Peter said softly, "I mess up all the time. Missing my chance with you is probably the biggest mistake I've made. Realizing that I love you much more than I had tried for years to convince myself I did, after I lost you, is something I regret so much. I'm not going to make that mistake twice."

"You really feel that way?" You asked quietly, hating the scared tone in your voice. "Even after this many years?"

"I've been spending the last five years trying to find you so I could apologize and tell you what I realized," his eyes were open again, and it really was getting hard for you to not get distracted by them, "I will quite literally get down on my knees and beg you to give me another chance. I won't even be embarrassed."

You couldn't help the nervous giggle that escaped your lips at the idea of Peter getting down on his knees, but then it turned into full on laughter when he actually stepped back from you and did it. "Peter, you really don't have to-"

"Y/N," he gripped your hands tightly, a shit eating grin now on his face, "I promise I will grovel at your feet every day if it means you would do me the honor of making up for the stupid mistake I made back then. I know I don't deserve it, and I will be totally okay with waiting or taking things slow, but I have waited way too long to tell you how ridiculously in love with you I still am, and how badly I want to make you happy."

"What in the Hallmark movies are you even doing?" You said between laughter, intertwining your fingers with his and pulling him upright. "I've always known you were a hopeless romantic, but what the hell was that?"

"It was me begging for you to give me a chance," he grinned, his eyes shining as he lifted your hands to press a quick kiss to your knuckles. As cheesy and horrible as what he just did was, you felt like you were going to melt. "It's always been you, Y/N. I haven't had a single day where I haven't thought about you since I left your room all those years ago."

"Slowly," you said simply, smiling at the look on his face. "I haven't even talked to you in five years. It's sort of unrealistic to start anything right now. Maybe we should try to get to know each other again first."

"I'll take it," he agreed easily, his hand brushing your hair from your eyes, "You know, any new habits you've gained, I'm sure I'll love anyway."

"Even if I actually do drink ten cups of coffee a day?"

"Especially then."

taglist: @lilbeatlebear

#meant to queue this for earlier and forgot lol #peter parker x reader #peter parker fic #spider-man x reader #spider-man fic #peterpparkerwrites masterlist #my writing

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

Text

good looking

a/n: this is the last of the one-shots I’ll be posting on here :) on to the series! just a reminder there are more on my wattpad, I just didn’t want to flood all of them on here especially because some of them are pretty old (like 2017 so just old to me maybe lol). if you do want to read them the link to my wattpad is on my page! warnings: language, potential no way home spoilers (basically my interpretations based on the trailers), lot of back and forth between memories/current, overkill on the vine and tiktok references I’m not sorry pairing: peter parker x reader (but mostly spider-man x reader tbh) word count: 7k summary: spider-man landed on your balcony once and the rest is history (said every peter fic ever)

masterlist ~ requests are closed!

"Peter Parker is Spider-Man."

Your fingers tightened around the strap of your tote bag as you stared up at the screens in Times Square.

Peter Parker. It must've been a yearbook picture or something they used, because it wasn't a candid. He was smiling at the camera, and it almost looked a little forced. Your eyes focused on the bottom half of his face before moving to his nose, his curly brown hair, and finally his eyes.

Shit.

It could've been a lie. It could have been an awful prank, or misinformation, but you knew as soon as you saw this boy's face that he was your Spider-Man.

The realization hit you like a brick, and you suddenly wished you hadn't seen it. Because this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. You were supposed to find out when he was ready to tell you. You were supposed to do it on your own time, not like this.

You didn't stop to stare long, no matter how much you wanted to. This was a moment you had thought about ever since Spider-Man first landed on your balcony, ever since you first patched him up, ever since you became friends. Ever since he kissed you.

But this wasn't fair to him. Or you, but you couldn't think about yourself right now. Peter was probably losing his mind about his identity being revealed.

Peter.

You had to force yourself to focus on getting home, not getting lost in the idea of finally having a name for the boy you had been in love with for months. Even if it was perfect. And he was perfect. And better looking than you could have imagined.

Nope. You had to get home.

Spider-Man landed on your balcony for no apparent reason in the middle of a snow storm in December. You remember seeing a red and blue figure suddenly appear on your railing, and feeling the slight shudder as it happened.

It was freezing outside. What the hell was a superhero doing on your balcony this time of night?

He whipped around before you had the window fully open. "Uh, hello! Sorry if I woke you up."

"You didn't," you glanced at the way he was curled up into himself, his arms tucked underneath his armpits and his knees to his chest. "I was reading. Our heater is having issues and I don't think I could sleep until it comes back on."

"My heater broke, too," he admitted, and you laughed. You figured he was making some kind of joke, but then you paused.

"Wait, does that thing have a heater? That is so awesome!"

"Well, it would've been more awesome if it worked," he visibly shuddered, and you suddenly felt bad.

"Hey, I made some hot chocolate earlier," you said almost shyly, "Do...do you want to come inside and warm up for a little?"

"I-" he paused, "I mean, are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. You've saved my life before, this is a really minuscule way to say thank you."

"I have?" He perked up, and you waved him inside before answering.

You told him how he saved you while you got a towel and a hot cup for him before sneaking back to your room.

"I was in a bank robbery," you almost shuddered at the memory as you passed him a cup of the hot chocolate. It was hard not to laugh at the image in front of you - Spider-Man sitting on your fluffy rug, a towel around him, holding a cup. Not how you imagined your night to go.

"You came in before the bankers really had a plan set. Everything went crazy, and they started shooting, and it became a panic."

"And I pulled you out of the bank first," he finished, and you looked up at him in surprise. "I remember...you tried to argue with me about your friend. You told me I was stupid for pulling you out first."

"Well, I couldn't abandon her," you tried to justify your actions, but you knew that it had been a stupid move. "But you were right, and I'm sorry I called you stupid. And you managed to save us both anyway, so I guess I was just frantic."

"Well, you were in the middle of a robbery with guns," he said softly, "It's bound to make anyone freak out."

You smiled a little, "Not you, though."

"Oh, I freak out all the time. Usually just after the fact."

You snorted, "Fair. Either way, thank you. I might not be here if it wasn't for you."

"Of course. It's my job."

"No, it's not your job. You do it because you're a good person. So seriously, thank you."

"Well...you're welcome." He finally moved his hands to lift his mask, and you didn't look at him as he did so. You weren't sure if he meant to have you catch a glimpse at the bottom half of his face, so you waited to see if he would say anything about it.

"This...is the best hot chocolate I've ever had."

You smiled widely, "Really? I tried a new recipe. Mexican hot chocolate, my cousins suggested it."

"I wish they sold this in stores," he took another drink. "This is perfect."

"Well, come back for some whenever you want," you said before thinking, and then scrambled to keep talking, "I mean, if you want to. I'll probably make it every day just to get through the winter. It's been unusually cold."

"I...I might take you up on that," you couldn't help but grin at his agreement, even if he did sound hesitant.

And he did.

You threw your bag on your bed, holding your phone in your hands and feeling tempted to throw it out the window.

Texts were flooding in. Of course they were - all everyone talked about was the heroes of New York. Spider-Man's identity being revealed was probably the biggest thing to happen since the alien invasion.

You forced yourself to read the messages, trying not to feel ill.

akira : there's no way in hell spider-man killed someone. i refuse to believe it. this is why i hate the media 😤

charlotte: idk...i mean they literally showed the footage...😃

akira: nah. i don't buy it. anyway, spider-man is hella hot 👀💀

mihika: AKIRA! HE MURDERED SOMEONE! HE CAN'T BE HOT! 🧍🏽‍♀️

akira: come on. spider-man saved y/n and i, remember? why would he just randomly kill this dude who we never heard of. you guys are whack. speaking of y/n, what are your thoughts on this babes?

You almost locked your phone, not having the stomach to reply right now. People thought Spider-Man killed someone? You didn't see that on the billboards, probably because you weren't paying attention until they showed his identity.

Now you had to look it up. Seeing Spider-Man's face, his actual face, made you heart skip a beat as you tried to find a genuine article on what happened.

None of this made sense. You could see it clearly in the video - Spider-Man ordering a drone strike. But you knew Spider-Man, maybe better than most people. He would never, ever do this.

So you sent a reply to your friends saying you agreed with Akira but didn't think there was any point in talking about it further, then got up and opened your window. It would be wishful thinking to think your boyfriend would show up today, but maybe he could.

Although, he was likely already taken into custody for a crime you know he didn't do. You looked at your phone again, an article with Peter Parker's face still up.

It didn't matter anymore that you shouldn't know his identity. You smiled a little at the photo, knowing it didn't change anything. You were still very much in love with him, and knowing what he looked like and what his name was made that more certain for you.

You hoped that this issue would be dealt with soon, so you could see him again and reassure him that none of your feelings changed. You knew he didn't do what they were accusing him of.

Peter...you finally had a name for him. You couldn't wait to be able to call him that.

You left your window open. Just in case.

"So, can I have a hint at least?"

Spider-Man huffed, and you could guess he was giving you a look underneath his mask. "No."

"Come on," you teased a little, putting down an Uno card while you spoke, "I'm not asking for your name or like, your social security number. Just a little tidbit of information."

"Y/N," he said warningly, before smacking down a +4 card. You rolled your eyes and muttered a curse before picking up four cards. "Information of any kind is dangerous."

"Well, I think we've ruled out that I know you in real life. That or you're an incredible actor, which I think you aren't. I can always tell when you're bluffing and I can't even see your face, so. What would be the harm?"

Spider-Man was silent for a while as you both continued, and you dropped it. He had been coming to see you for months now, long after you stopped making hot chocolate. You were sure he knew you were only ever teasing, but sometimes you worried you would push him too far and he'd decide he didn't want to put up with it anymore and just not come back.

You really didn't want that. You were thinking of a way to apologize and maybe crack a joke that would get him to relax again, but he spoke first.

"How about this. I'll tell you something about me whenever you want to ask, but you have to tell me something you've never told me before in exchange."

Well, that was a great offer. You wanted to know more about him since the day he landed on your balcony, but the problem was...

"I'm an open book," you complained, "I tell you everything. How am I supposed to come up with something?"

Spider-Man chuckled, and you found yourself wishing you could hear him laugh forever. You were constantly teetering on the edge of whether or not you had a little crush on him, and you were pretty sure that if he kept laughing at your dumb jokes, you were going to definitely fall over the edge for him sooner rather than later.

"My favorite color is blue," he said in response, putting down a blue five as if to emphasize the point. "Your turn."

You put your card down, trying to think of something. Well, you weren't sure if this counted, but you definitely hadn't told him this before. "Um...I picture you having brown eyes."

Spider-Man seemed to pause a second too long before putting his card down. "Really?"

"Yep," you felt your face warm up, "Warm brown. Like, in the sunlight, they almost turn golden."

He was quiet for a minute before putting his next card down. "Well, you're wrong, sorry. They're green."

You bit your lip to keep from smiling. Like you said, you always knew when he was bluffing. "Well, guess I get an F in the chat, then."

Spider-Man chuckled, "No biggie. There's like, only four eye colors, I think. Easy to guess wrong. You had a 75% chance of failure."

"Is that how math works?"

"How would I know. I totally definitely suck at math."

Your eyes focused on the uno deck sitting on your desk, almost wishing you could go back to that moment. While it was before Spider-Man and you were more than friends, and before you knew who he was...at least his identity was a secret. At least people didn't harass him constantly for something you knew he didn't do.

Plus, you hadn't seen him in person in two weeks now. You assumed he was in for questioning, but you hoped he was okay. Even though you knew who he was, you knew better than to stomp up to his school and demand to ask why he hadn't come to talk to you. If he only knew you as Spider-Man, no one else probably knew who you were.

You remembered watching the news when they let him go back to school. You were certain you had never run into him as Peter before - he was completely unrecognizable or familiar, except when you focused on the bottom half of his face. You could definitely imagine him with the smile he usually wore when you were lucky enough to see him with his mask halfway up.

He was never smiling in the footage they showed.

You hated it. You hated so much that he was being harassed by the media and protestors demanding he be thrown in jail. No details about the case against him had been shared with the public yet - it was clearly more of an international issue.

You just wanted to be able to help him. You wished you could see him to even just be there for him, since you knew this issue was beyond your ability to fix.

Once the press and government laid off him, you were sure he was going to come see you.

"Hey."

You let out a scream, making Spider-Man also jump, nearly launching the bag in his hands. It would've been funny if he hadn't crawled through your window with minimal noise and jump scared you.

"Jesus, what the hell! I told you I was watching a scary movie," you complained as he laughed.

"Coulda dropped my croissant," Spider-Man muttered, and you shot him a dirty look, turning back to your computer and shutting it.

"How dare you make a vine reference after that, I feel like my soul just ascended," you put a hand on your chest dramatically, "So what are you gonna say at my funeral now that you've killed me?"

"Well, I can make it up with snacks," he held up the bag he almost dropped, and you cracked.

"Only if they're from Mah-Ze-Dahr."

"Of course," Spidey sounded offended as he handed you the bag. "I know you too well."

You grinned and pulled out a cinnamon roll before handing the bag back, "Tell me a fact."

Spider-Man lifted his mask up just to above his nose, the most you've ever seen of his face. It took him a while to even do that, but even he couldn't resist your pumpkin bread when you made some last fall. He grabbed a brioche donut from the bag before setting it on your desk.

"Um...my best friend and I built a lego death star in less than three days. Three school days, actually."

"I can't believe it," you said in fake shock, "Spider-Man, a secret nerd? New York will never recover from this. I'm shook. Shooken. Shaked."

"Okay, okay, stop butchering the English language," Spider-Man protested, his face turning red much to your delight. "It's your turn."

"I've never seen Star Wars."

Spider-Man choked on his donut, "What? No, that's a crime. Totally illegal, actually. Sorry to do this Y/N but I have to take you in."

"Can I get a phone call at least? I know someone who would bail me out."

"Nope, this is way too high of a crime. Bail is like a million dollars."

"Okay, but to be fair, the movies came out like. Forty years ago or something."

"Y/N," Spider-Man frowned, "There were ones that came out last year. You didn't even see those?"

You shrugged, "Just...never got the chance?"

Spider-Man was shaking his head, "I can't believe you've done this. You understand now that we have to watch them, right? I'll bring my copies. Like, right now. I'll go get them."

You tried to hide the small smile rising on your lips. "Okay, sure."

"I don't even have to convince you? That was easy."

"Well, if you want to, go ahead. I'd love to hear your arguments." Spider-Man stared at you, and you assumed he was giving you a dirty look. "Okay, no, you don't have to. I'd like to watch them, especially if you like them."

Really, you were grasping onto any chance to get to know him better. Based on how passionate he seemed about these movies, you definitely wanted to watch them with him.

The familiar knock made you sit up straight and whip around, feeling your heart leap up to your throat when you saw Spider-Man perched on the balcony. You were quick to go open the window.

Neither of you said anything for a moment, but you opened your arms and he was already hugging you. You managed to pull him into your room, not bothering to shut the window considering he wasn't letting you go anytime soon - not that you minded in the slightest.

You missed him so much.

It was a while before he finally let you go, but you didn't let him go very far. You cupped his cheeks, giving him a reassuring smile before he could say anything about the identity situation. You didn't need words to convey to him that you were okay.

"Y/N," Spider-Man whispered, and you felt some kind of relief at the sound of his voice after so long.

"Peter."

He visibly relaxed when you said his name, and you realized it was the first time you were able to say it out loud. It was almost thrilling, even if you hated how you found out. His masked eyes shut as you held his face, smiling at him softly.

"This wasn't what I wanted it to be like," he said, his gloved hands moving down your shoulders to lightly hold your arms. "Is...are you...does this change anything?"

You moved his chin up so he could look at you, before hesitantly moving your fingers down to his neck. He didn't protest as you felt for the ends of his mask, going slowly enough for him to stop you if you wanted.

Once you pulled his mask off, you knew already that seeing him on a screen didn't do him justice. His eyes were warmer in person, and you felt like you could finally see him. You let your thumb move over his freckled cheeks, almost smiling at the way his eyebrows got messed up from the mask, but you couldn't move your eyes away from his.

"I knew you had brown eyes, you liar," you broke the silence, and his lips spread into a beautiful smile. You'd seen him smile a hundred times, but seeing it reach his eyes was so much better.

"And no, Peter. This doesn't change anything, not for me," you reassured him, and he shut his eyes and pressed his forehead against yours. "I told you it wouldn't."

"Hearing you say my real name...almost makes this all worth it."

"I can't tell you how happy I am that I know it," you smiled as he looked up at you, not sure how you'll get used to seeing his real eyes light up.

"Really?"

"I'm not happy about the circumstances, but I am happy to know you," you smiled weakly, "I can't believe they're accusing you of something like this. After all the years you've dedicated to saving people."

"I don't know if...I'm not sure how to go about this," he sighed, "They're watching me like a hawk. I'm lucky I didn't get followed here."

"You sure you didn't?"

"Karen has been keeping me updated on any kind of police activity and surveillance on me. Trust me, that's why it took so long for me to come see you. I wanted to see you the second they let me out, but..."

"It's okay," you promised, not able to look away from him if you wanted to. "I mean, you've been in Europe for so long before this even happened, so it's definitely been a while. But totally worth the wait."

"So long," he agreed, his eyes searching your face before lifting his hand to hold your face, "I've really, really missed you."

"Me too."

"I know it's been a while and a lot of insane things just happened," his eyes flickered to your lips as his thumb brushed against your cheek, "But...can-is it okay if I-?"

"Yes," you interrupted him, lifting up to press your lips to his. He held you closer, and you could feel the tense air seem to disappear as you finally kissed him.

"God, I missed you so much," he whispered when he pulled away, his voice sounding like it was on the verge of cracking. "This month has been hell."

"I know, sweetheart," you kissed his forehead, "Let's talk about it. If you want to."

"I do."

"When I became Spider-Man, I woke up with abs, which was almost more concerning than the powers that came with them."

You couldn't stop from laughing, eventually shoving your pretzels to the side so you couldn't choke on them if he decided to tell you another stupid piece of information. Spider-Man grabbed the bowl for himself, but you didn't mind.

"Your turn. And you better make it a good one, because that was some juicy information," Spider-Man chuckled, and you forced one in return, remembering what you wanted to say.

You had been building up the courage to tell him how you felt. It was hard to tell if he returned the feelings, considering his face couldn't give him away, but you were at the point where you figured you'd combust if you didn't tell him.

And hey, if it went bad, at least you didn't know who he was. You could probably avoid him forever.

"Um..." you took a breath, not letting yourself chicken out. Better now than never. "I...I have feelings for someone."

Spider-Man froze, his gloved hand stopping half-way to his mouth. "Oh?"

"Mhm," you didn't continue, and Spider-Man didn't bother eating any more. He let his hand drop and you tried not to stare too obviously at his lips as they turned downward, frowning.

"Who?" He asked quietly, and you grasped onto the almost jealous tone in his voice, hoping you weren't just imagining it.

"Well, you have to tell me a fact first. That's the rule."

He shifted a little, crossing his arms. "I...also have feelings for someone."

You stared at him, though he wasn't looking at you anymore. His gaze seemed to be focused on his hands.

"I never know what to do when I'm around her," he continued, and finally brought his masked eyes up to meet yours. "She's smart, and funny, and never lets me forget how many times she's beaten my ass at Uno."

"Uno, huh?" You asked weakly, and Spider-Man cracked a smile.

"She makes me nervous, but in a good way," he kept going. "I always want to be around her. I think about her all the time. I think about what I say before I speak so I could come off as smarter than I actually am, because I want her to think I am. I say stupid jokes because the sound of her laugh is my favorite thing in the world. I want it to be a song so I can listen to it every day. I think she's the most beautiful girl in the world. And I don't think I deserve her."

"Is her favorite bakery Mah-Ze-Dahr?"

"Yep," he said shortly, and you could tell he was nervous. But you felt like you just won the lottery.

"And she makes Mexican hot chocolate during the holidays?"

"Yeah. The very best."

You were grinning as you leaned toward him, wishing more than anything that you could see his expression. But the bottom half of his face was enough for now.

"Well, I'm pretty sure she probably feels the same."

"Yeah?" He prompted, sitting up and leaning toward you slightly, "How sure are you?"

"Like, 100% sure."

"Okay. Well, you still haven't answered my question. Who do you have feelings for?"

You didn't want to make it easy for him, but you were pretty sure if you didn't admit it already, you were going to combust. "You."

His wide smile made the nerves go away, and he was reaching for you before you could say anything else. "Oh, good. You had me scared for a second."

"Psh, as if it could be anyone else," your eyes moved to his lips as he brought his gloved hands up to your face. "It's kind of always been you."

"Are you sure?" He whispered.

"Never been so sure of anything."

"Then I can kiss you?"

"Well I've been waiting very patiently, so uh, yes please."

That cliche about fireworks erupting and butterflies doing jumping jacks in your stomach the first time you kissed someone you really liked was stupid, in your opinion. But when Spider-Man kissed you, carefully as if to make sure you had time to shove him away if you wanted, you knew that maybe that cliche had some truth to it.

Your hands moved on their own to hold the back of his neck, your body shifting upward to get a better angle as your lips moved against his. He was soft, and sweet, and you didn't ever picture kissing someone like this to be so amazing. His free hand moved to your waist and pulled you even closer.

You didn't want it to end, but after a minute you both had to pull away to breathe and process what just happened. Spider-Man had been a constant in your life for months, but you didn't think you'd get so lucky to have him return your feelings. But based on at least the bottom half of his face that you could see, he definitely felt the same.

"That was nice," he finally said, and you cracked a grin. "We could've been doing that this whole time."

"Yeah, well if someone dropped that beautiful confession earlier, maybe we could've."

"Glad my romantic rant worked on you," he grinned, and you laughed as you rested your head against his chest, not able to keep the stupid smile off your face.

"If that whole romantic rant wasn't about me, I would have actually kicked you out," you said, and his chest moved as he chuckled.

"And I would've deserved it," you felt his lips press against your head, and you felt like you were melting. "I...I know I can't be totally honest with you, and you can't know me completely. But I feel like you know me despite the mask, and you never really push me to tell you who I am. I love that. I love that you can trust me and be normal with me despite the whole superhero thing. I love who I am with you."

"I love who you are with me, too," you lifted your face up to look at him, "I love you."

His wide smile confirmed that he felt the same, but he said it out loud anyway.

"I love you too."

"Tell me a fact," you said out of habit.

A few weeks after the unexpected identity reveal, and nothing had really calmed down. Peter was still sneaking in to see you, and not as often as he used to. But every moment was completely worth it, and your feelings were somehow even stronger knowing who was behind your Spider-Man's mask.

"I don't have anything to hide anymore, sweetheart," Peter chuckled, and the sound of that nickname without a mask to cover it made your heart skip a beat. "You can ask me anything."

"Yeah, but I like doing it it this way," you grinned, "Besides, I'm sure I still have some things I could tell you about me."

"Okay, fine," he agreed, shifting slightly so he could look down at you. He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear, his lips lifting slightly.

"I hope you never stop looking at me like that," he admitted, which made you smile more.

"I won't. I don't think I'll ever get used to being able to see your face," you leaned up to give him a quick kiss, "And being able to do that whenever I want."

He didn't let you escape so easily, his hand moving to the back of your head to keep you in place while he kissed you more.

"I hope you don't get used to it," he mumbled against your lips, and you couldn't help but laugh through the kiss. It might have been a few minutes before you fully pulled away.

"Your turn," he said breathlessly, and you chuckled.

"I want to meet your family," you said softly, and his eyes lit up, "I know with the whole identity thing going on right now it's...not really possible. But I'd love to meet your aunt. And your friends."

"I'd love for you to meet them. May would love you. So would Ned and MJ. I think you and MJ might get along too well, actually. She already wants to meet you."

"She knows about me?" You asked, maybe a little too hopefully.

"Of course, they all know about you," he scoffed, "I mean, they didn't always know. I told them when this whole thing happened. They were pretty upset I kept you a secret."

"Well, you don't have to anymore," you ran your fingers through his hair, and he shut his eyes, "I mean, of course...I guess right now wouldn't be a good idea. If anyone saw us together it probably would spark another newspaper headline about how your spider powers help you seduce women. They're getting really creative."

"Right," he didn't laugh like you thought he would, which made you frown.

"You okay?" You asked softly, even though you knew it was kind of a stupid question. Of course he wasn't okay right now.

"You're...the only secret I still have," Peter said quietly. "My whole life is being dissected every day, I get questioned at school, all everyone wants to talk about is me being Spider-Man. If people knew you existed, what you meant to me - it would ruin everything. Then you'd start getting questioned, and I don't want that for you."

"Well..." you trailed off, not sure how to reassure him that everything would be okay, because you weren't even sure if it would be. "That's kind of just the way it has to be, right? I want to be with you. That's something I can deal with when it comes to that point."

"I don't want you to have to deal with it."

"I wish I could fix this for you. I hate knowing you go through all of that."

Peter sat up suddenly, making you drop your hand from his hair. "Y/N, that's the problem. It's not me - I knew what might happen if my identity got exposed. I thought about it all the time, but I became careless, and I didn't think about it when I met you. You don't deserve for me to sneak around to see you. You should be with someone who can show you off, who can actually be there for you."

"Hey-" you started to protest, not liking the direction this conversation was going, but he was already on his feet and sliding the suit on.

"I need to go figure some things out. I think I might be gone for a little while, it's too risky coming here so often. I'm sorry."

"Peter," you tried, "Please don't leave. You haven't even let me talk about how I feel about what you just said."

"Because you'll try to change my mind," his eyes were pleading as he looked at you, "I need some time to think about this. I need to talk to someone who would understand."

You knew immediately who he wanted to talk to. Tony Stark. He also had his identity as Iron Man announced to the public (albeit he chose to tell everyone, unlike Peter), but at least he would have understood the consequences. Not for the first time, you wished he was still around to help Peter through this.

And you weren't the person who would understand.

"Okay," you finally agreed, "But you aren't allowed to break up with me. It's illegal."

He cracked a small smile, "Yes, it's very illegal. Much jail time. And just so you know, that wasn't what I meant. I'm not stupid enough to break up with you."

"Then no more talk about not deserving me or wanting me to be with some rando that can 'show me off'," you narrowed your eyes at him, "I want you. I don't care what baggage comes with it. You know that, right?"

He visibly softened, coming back over to your and cupping your face. "I love you."

"Love you more," you smiled, closing your eyes when he kissed your forehead. He was gone when you opened them again.

"I want to try something."

You looked up at your boyfriend (you couldn't believe you were lucky enough to be able to call him that). "Okay?"

"Close your eyes," he prompted, and you gave him a funny look. "Trust me. And keep them closed, okay?"

You definitely trusted him, so you shut your eyes and sat up a little straighter on your bed. Your eyebrows knit as you heard a rustling sound, and then felt the bed dip as Spider-Man got on it across from you. Then he took your hand.

You breath caught as you realized you could feel his skin, and not the usual rubbery glove feeling when he held your hand. He brought it up, and you almost stiffened as he placed your palm against his cheek. His bare cheek.

He wasn't wearing his suit.

You pressed your lips together, almost having to squeeze your eyes shut so you wouldn't open them no matter how much you wanted to. His breathing hitched a little as you moved your hand up to his hair, surprised by how much of it there was.

"You...have curls," you couldn't help but smile, your fingers moving through his hair. You almost thought he was pressing into your hand, so you didn't stop.

"I do."

His voice sounded softer without the mask, less muffled. It really was taking everything in you not to open your eyes. You let your hand move back down his face again, cupping his cheek. Your other hand moved around blindly until his fingers caught yours. Of course he knew what you were looking for.

You smiled as you intertwined your fingers, and you could feel him shaking a little. The fact that he was trusting you so much made your heart want to burst out of your chest.

"I wish I could see you," you whispered, and he sighed through his nose, his fingers tightening around yours.

"Me too. I would break every rule right now if I could." You wished you could hear his regular voice like this more often.

"Well, you're the rule-maker, so you could also be the rule-breaker," you chuckled, and you were sure he was rolling his eyes.

"You'd be worth it," his words made butterflies start breakdancing in your stomach, but you ignored them, "I think some Avengers would come kick my butt if anyone else found out about my identity, though."

"Fair enough. One day."

"One day," he agreed, and you felt him shift slightly, and then felt his hand on your cheek, "Can I kiss you?"

"You don't have to ask anymore."

"Just want to make sure."

It was different this time, and it made you crave for the day you could finally do this knowing who he really was. At least now, your hands could actually feel him instead of his suit. Your fingers could thread through his hair as he moved his lips against yours. His hands were warm as they cupped your cheeks, tilting your head to deepen the kiss.

He didn't put the mask back on for a while. You were still riding off the high of knowing how much he trusted you, so you weren't going to complain at all about the difficulty of having to keep your eyes closed this long. So instead you laid on your bed with him while he talked to you, thrilled at the fact that you could actually touch him now without the barrier of a suit.

"Tell me a fact," you said after a while, your eyes still shut as you left your hand come up and play with his hair. You couldn't get enough of it.

"I wish now more than ever that I could tell you who I was," he whispered, and it was so hard not to open your eyes. "I wish we could be like this all the time. I wish I didn't screw up how we met - I wish I met you as the real me, and won you over without the mask. I don't know if I could've, though."

"You definitely could've," your voice felt weak after that confession, "I didn't fall in love with a mask. I fell in love with your personality, your stupid jokes, the way you suck at Uno. I fell in love with the real you, and I would've done the same if I met you without the mask. I know it."

You felt him sigh, his arms tightening around you, "Your turn."

"It's getting hard to think of things I haven't told you. Uh...I've never left the country?"

"Hm," Spidey hummed, "I'm actually going to be going to Europe in a month."

"Wait, really?" You luckily didn't open your eyes, but it was hard not to, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's just a school trip. Something about wanting us to have fun and be normal since the whole snap thing. It won't be that long, anyway. Like, a couple weeks max."

"Are you gonna bring me a souvenir?" You joked, and he laughed.

"Of course. To make up for all the time I won't be able to spend with you."

"Simp," you whispered, and he chuckled again, "I'll miss you too."

"Wish you could come with me," he pressed a kiss to your neck, making your chest warm, "Especially since you've apparently never left the country before. Also, you've told me that already, so you still owe me another one."

"Wait, I did?"

"Yep. When we first met. I remember very clearly."

"I think you're lying just so I'll say something else."

"Nah, Spider-Man can't lie. It's illegal."

"Well I'm not telling you anything else."

"Fine. Keep your secrets."

Peter came back a week later.

"I'm going to ask Dr. Strange to make it so everyone forgets who Spider-Man is."

"Dr. Strange?" You couldn't help the nervous laugh that escaped your lips, "Is that a real name?"

"I have no idea," Peter chuckled with you, but then he scrunched his eyebrows and looked serious again.

"So...this guy with the weird name would have the ability to do that?"

"I think so," he frowned more, "He's the only person I can think of, at least. And...it would just be easier if everyone forgets. I could start back from square one."

"You don't need worry lines," you sighed, reaching a hand up and smoothing his out with your thumb, "You're, like, seventeen."

"And a superhero that was put on a watch list," he countered, catching your wrist with his hand and pressing a kiss to your palm. "But you're right. That's why I'm going to fix this. It'll make everything easier."

"Then...won't I also forget?" You couldn't held the sad tone creeping into your voice, and Peter's expression didn't reassure you. "Oh."

"That wasn't how I wanted you to find out. I did want you to find out, I promise - just...not like that. And I will tell you, the right way. Especially now that I know you'll like the real me."

"I already liked the real you, dork," you sniffed, "Just because I didn't have a name or face doesn't mean I didn't like the real you."

"I know," he smiled, and you felt your heart clench at the idea that you wouldn't know what it was like to see his smiles reach his eyes anymore.

"When will you tell me, then?"

"I don't know," he squeezed your hand, his eyes meeting yours. "I will, though. I promise. I've gotten way too used to you knowing me completely for me to want to go back to having to lie to you."

"It didn't bother me that much," you shrugged, "I mean, knowing that I was right about the brown eyes was definitely the peak part of this whole thing."

He chuckled, "I already miss this. Yeah, I'll have to tell you sooner rather than later."

"Well...you're going to figure it out either way. It's not like I'll remember you promising me you'll tell me," you joked, but Peter's eyes got a little sad. "But don't worry. Just know that no matter how long it takes, I'll be happy with who you are."

"I'll probably go to Strange tomorrow, then."

"Good," you forced a smile, hoping he didn't notice, "I hope it works out how you want it to, Pete."

He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to your forehead, and you tried to ignore the weird feeling that told you it might be the last time he did that for a while.

"Me too."

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peterpparkerwrites · 3 years ago

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sunburn - part seven

a/n: final part! hope you guys enjoyed :) another series will be posted tonight at 7:00 PST, following the same posting schedule I’ve been using! warnings: language, and nothing because I got sick of the angst pairing: peter parker x reader (soulmate au) word count: 4k

masterlist ~ requests are closed!

Venice was pretty at night - the longer you sat on that balcony, the darker the sky got and the more the lights lit up the canals and the boats. You could see the stars better and the air was a perfect balance of warm from the summer heat but also cool from the occasional breeze coming off the water.

But you didn't care much about the view anymore.

Peter had stopped hugging you a while ago but he didn't let you go so easily - one of his hands clasped one of yours, his thumb moving to draw circles across your palm or to intertwine with your fingers. His other arm was around you, keeping you warm whenever the breeze was too chilly.

The sunburn might've passed, but you still felt something warm in your chest the longer you sat with him. You weren't even talking but feeling his emotions was enough - anytime you squeezed his hand or smiled or even barely shifted, you felt them. And you didn't have to doubt how he felt about you anymore.

"Did you mean it when you said the prequels are your favorite?" You asked suddenly, and his laughter broke the peaceful silence, but you didn't mind. He had a cute laugh.

"That's the first thing you're gonna ask?" He said between chuckles, giving you a look.

"It's a really important question," you insisted, not able to keep from smiling when you felt his emotions turn a little mushy as he stared at you. "This is life or death, Peter."

"Okay, jeez," he looked away, biting his lip, "No, I was only joking."

"You're so lying!" You poked his arm, and he struggled not to grin, "You totally meant it and you're just trying to brush it off cause you know it's ridiculous to like the prequels the best."

"Ouch," he put a hand on his chest, feigning hurt, "I have feelings, you know."

"I know, I can feel them, remember?" You patted his chest right above his heart, and he chuckled and grabbed your hand to hold it there.

"Thank you," he said softly, and you raised an eyebrow. "For letting me explain. And for not pushing me away when I told you everything."

"Sorry I didn't let you explain earlier," you bit your lip, "I shouldn't have been so stubborn."

"And I should've told everyone Liz and I weren't together as soon as it happened," he sighed, "I didn't want the group to be all weird but-but I should've prioritized you over a stupid fear that our friends would react badly."

"We both messed up," you shrugged, "Guess communication is something we gotta work on."

He cracked a grin, "Yeah, you're probably right."

It went silent again as he drew patterns on the back of your hand with his fingertips, the feeling relaxing you. But you still had a thousand questions on the tip of your tongue, and you knew he was just waiting for you to ask.

"How come you didn't come back that night?" You whispered, and his eyes tightened a little, knowing you were talking about the night of the bombings.

"I wanted to," he replied, sighing through his nose, "But I couldn't. I was bleeding and bruised up and didn't think you should - I didn't want you to see me like that that."

You frowned, noticing once again the bruising on his face. Up close it looked worse than it had on the bus, and you couldn't help but raise a hand up to hold his face, letting your fingers lightly move over the already fading bruises.

Without saying anything, your hand moved up and you ran your thumb over his crazy eyebrow, over his freckled cheeks, his jawline. He shut his eyes at your touch, his emotions relaxing as you admired his features. Peter without color was already sight, but now that you could see his complexion, even the dark circles under his eyes and the faint yellowing bruise on his jaw, how his cheeks heated up with a light pink underneath your fingertips - nothing compared to that.

Especially when he opened his chocolate colored eyes to meet yours.

"Is your favorite color really brown?" He breathed out, making your cheeks warm up and a small smile form on your lips as he basically read your mind.

"Is yours yellow?" You asked back, making his grin widen.

"Sure is," he gave a little tug to the light yellow sweatshirt you were wearing, and you rolled your eyes. "I love when you wear it. It's a...happy color?"

You snorted at that, letting your hand fall from his face. "It's a happy color? What does that even mean?"

"It's true!" He complained when you laughed, shaking your head. Without hesitating you leaned your head on his shoulder, pretending not to notice his emotions spike as you did so.

It was quiet again aside from the sound of someone playing music in Italian across the water. You felt safe with Peter's arm around you and his other one still holding your hand, his heartbeat steady and emotions relaxing again. There was absolutely no danger whatsoever, but you knew even if there was, as long as you were with Peter - you would never feel more safe.

And you supposed it made sense now why you were always so comfortable around Spider-Man even though you didn't know who was under the mask.

"I'm sorry I didn't give you the soulmate meet you deserved," Peter suddenly said, and you lifted your head to say something, but he wouldn't let you interrupt. "No, don't say it's fine, I know it's not. I should've thought before I hurt you like that. I knew how much getting your sunburn meant to you and I should've taken that into consideration before opening my stupid mouth and-and hurting you like that."

You didn't know what to say as his guilt filled your emotions again, his expression showing it even if you couldn't feel it.

"Peter," you whispered, bringing your hand up to his cheek so he could look you in the eyes. "It wasn't fine, you're right. But I know how much you regret it and how much you were hurting too, and it wouldn't be fair of me to still be angry when you've proven that your intentions weren't to hurt me in the first place. And when you're actively trying to make up for it now - and you had been for the last two months but I was too busy feeling sorry for myself to let you."

"You were hurting, I don't blame you for not wanting to talk to me," he said quietly.

"You were hurting, too," you replied, frowning, "I didn't even notice. That's on me, and I'm sorry."

"Hey, don't turn this around, I'm the one trying to apologize here," he joked a little, and you realized how close you two were when he chuckled, his breath tickling your face.

"I'm saying you don't have to," you insisted, letting your thumb brush over his cheek. His eyes moved down to your lips before back up, and you felt nerves run through you, not having any idea who they were coming from.

"I like you," he said softly, letting his forehead rest against yours, "I really like you."

"I know," you grinned a little, "I like you too."

The butterflies in your stomach wouldn't relax and it certainly didn't help with Peter let go of your hand only to bring his up to your face, holding you as gently as you were holding him. Your eyes shut as he caressed your cheek, nerves still bouncing around as his lips almost brushed yours.

"Hey, Y/N, I'd like to go to bed!" MJ's voice made you both snap back, and you shot her a glare over your shoulder, seeing her grinning as she came and leaned out the window. "Oh, hey Peter. Funny to see you out here."

"Great timing," Peter mumbled.

"It's almost eleven and Mr. Harrington is about to do room checks, so you might want to swing back to your room," MJ directed at him, a shit-eating grin still on her face as you frowned at her.

Peter just sighed and gave you a hand to pull you up with him, laughing when you stumbled a little on the old brick. You just smacked his arm and gave him a look, ignoring the feeling in your chest when he didn't let go of your hand.

"Flash is spreading rumors that Liz dumped you over text, by the way," you warned him, but he didn't seem phased at all.

"I deserve for that rumor to go around," he chuckled, "But I don't care. All I care about is us."

MJ made a gagging noise, reminding both of you that she was still there, and you shot her another dirty look.

"Do you mind?"

"I'm jetlagged and tired, so if you and Romeo can wrap it up here-"

You rolled your eyes, turning back to Peter, whose cheeks were bright red. "I'll see you tomorrow, I guess."

He hummed, not hesitating to lean forward and press his lips to your forehead like he did the last night he had to leave. You felt your cheeks warm up as he leaned back, a shy smile on his face that only made your emotions spike more.

"Um, yeah, g-goodnight," he stuttered a little, and you bit your lip to keep from laughing as he helped you back through the window and into your room.

"Night," you replied softly, shutting the window as he went back to his own, a goofy grin on both of your faces.

"That was embarrassing to watch," MJ said flatly as you flopped down on your bed, and you shot her a look.

"No one said you had to snoop," you made a face at her.

"I take it you guys are good then?" She raised an eyebrow. "I was right to let him come talk to you?"

"Yeah...yeah, we're good."

"Is this seat taken?"

You glanced up from your book to see Peter standing in the aisle a little awkwardly, but he had a hopeful grin on his face as he waited for an answer. The flight to Prague to London was a few hours and since it was a night flight most of the group was going to sleep. Finally being able to spend time with Peter somewhat alone was all you had been trying to do the whole trip, and it seemed like this was your chance.

"I was gonna save it for MJ, but since she interrupted us last night I guess she can find her own seat as payback," you patted the seat.

"So I was second choice to sit next to you?" Peter pouted a little as he sat down, shoving his bag under the seat in front.

"Oh no, of course not," you grinned, "Ned was second choice. You were third."

"Okay, I guess I'll go find Ned then," he chuckled and went to get up, but you grabbed onto his sweater sleeves and pulled him back down.

"Don't be like that, you know I'm kidding."

"That's a relief," he grinned at you, and you rolled your eyes and went back to your book while he buckled in.

The rest of Venice and all of Prague went by quicker than you would've liked. The teachers got a little more strict after finding out students snuck out the first night, and because of that you didn't get much alone time with Peter. You hadn't had a chance to talk since that night on the balcony when you mended things.

The only chance you got to be alone with Peter was last night before MJ decided to interrupt that time to steal you away. Seeing him pout about it was pretty funny, though, and you knew you'd have more time with him after the trip anyway, so you weren't too upset.

"Reading? On vacation? You know we have all summer to finish that, right?" he tapped the book, making you sigh.

"You just want me to pay attention to you," you muttered, trying not to grin as he sighed.

"I won't deny that."

You put the book away, giving him a look as he did a quiet little cheer. "You're a dork."

He took your hand now that it was free, his eyes bright as he smiled at you, "Yeah, but I'm your-"

"Don't say what I think you're about to say, that's too cheesy," you stifled a laugh.

"I like saying cheesy things, it's just who I am," he insisted, and you tried to hide a grin.

"Sure."

"I thought for sure you would've caught onto all the times I felt like this around you, as Spider-Man," he admitted, his thumb drawing circles on the back of your hand. "Almost every time you opened your mouth I wanted to blurt out how much I adored you. Cheesy or not."

"You're laying it on pretty thick, aren't you?"

"Just want to make sure you know how I feel," he winked, turning back to face forward when Mr. Harrington walked by. "MJ said I needed to just say it upfront instead of assuming you knew, when she yelled at me-"

"MJ yelled at you?" You squeaked, and he just shrugged.

"Yeah, she laid it out on me really bad, actually, back when we went bowling," he winced a little, "But she had every right to, and I definitely deserved it."

"I told her not to say anything to you," you muttered, suddenly thinking of the conversation you had with her after the day you went bowling. When you told her about Spider-Man. "She totally knows you're Spider-Man, doesn't she?"

"I've never told her," he frowned, "But I wouldn't be surprised if she knows. She wouldn't say anything to anyone, though, so I'm not worried."

"Nah, you don't have to be," you squeezed his hand, "Unless she decides to yell at you again."

"Well, hopefully I won't have to worry about that anymore, either," he smiled a little, bringing up your intertwined hands to press a kiss to your knuckles, making your face warm up.

"You're probably right."

London went by almost faster than the rest of the trip, which was a little disappointing. Your class still had a great time and you were happy with the memories you made with your friends, and even more so with your soulmate.

Peter went out of his way to make sure you knew he was serious about you, even if you insisted he didn't have to try so hard. You two still hadn't gotten any time to really talk things out more, but you were happy with where you were both at.

And hey, you weren't going to complain about finally having a soulmate who wanted you as much as you wanted him.

The one thing you were both able to talk about, even if briefly, was that you wanted to keep things quiet. MJ already knew that you two were together, but the rest of the class didn't need to know and you wanted to keep it private, considering you two hadn't even been on a proper date yet.

But by the time you got back to New York, he made sure to plan one with you for the next day and promised to "swing" by your apartment that night like he did before, only this time you knew it would be him under the mask.

You were currently unpacking your suitcase and trying to find an outfit for the date Peter had planned the following day, which you hoped wouldn't involve any swinging around as Spider-Man. You figured if you wore a dress then he couldn't try and pull you around the city without you, like, flashing everyone.

And since he liked seeing you in yellow, you found one in that color and set it aside for the morning. He was coming by to see you tonight but tomorrow morning he promised breakfast as an actual date, which you were looking forward to.

You couldn't help but wonder what it would mean when you and Peter made it official. Liz might've graduated and supposedly met her soulmate but you couldn't help but feel that she was upset with you considering she hadn't reached out since you and Peter got your sunburn and he broke up with her.

So you were a little surprised when your phone rang with a Facetime call from none other than Liz, who you were sure wouldn't talk to you ever again with the way things had been going. Speak of the devil, you supposed.

"Liz!" You answered in shock, her happy expression not exactly what you were expecting. She had on a Stanford sweatshirt and seemed to be in a dorm room, so that part of Cindy's story was true after all. As far as the soulmate thing...

"I heard you and Peter got together, so I figured it was time I reached out," Liz smiled brightly, a little to your surprise. MJ must've snitched.

"You're not mad?" You asked with a wince, but she just laughed.

"Of course not. In fact, I told Peter he was a dick for hurting you when he told me what happened."

You raised your eyebrows at that and she held her hands up, "I know, I know. But that's the truth! I know we had that agreement or whatever, but it was selfish of me to expect him to choose me over his soulmate. And when I realized how hurt you were over your soulmate, it made me want to change that anyway. I thought of how that would be his soulmate if he decided to stay with me and...and I was honestly planning on ending it with him that week. And then when I realized it was you who was his soulmate, I wished I ended it first. Peter and I might've liked each other, but it wasn't love. It's nothing compared to how I feel about my soulmate now that she's back in my life."

"I thought you were avoiding me," you admitted, and she shook her head.

"I'm sorry, that wasn't my intention, but I wanted to give you space," she promised, "Mostly cause...I figured seeing me didn't make it any easier to deal with the whole soulmate thing with Peter. Even though we weren't together anymore, I assumed it would be easier for you if I wasn't around as often."

"Well at least now I know why you dropped off the face of the Earth," you chuckled, and she just shrugged.

"Honestly, I needed a break for a while. And coming to Stanford early was clearly the right decision since I met my soulmate again."

"Ooh, you gotta give me all the details, I want to hear all about her!"

Your call ended with Liz after she caught you up on everything, promising not to ghost you all like that again and wishing you luck with Peter. The quick conversation made you feel a lot better and definitely tied up some loose ends. You were glad she was happy and that she wasn't upset at you after all.

Like most nights since summer began, you ending up on your fire escape, your book in hand. And like most nights prior to the trip, you were expecting a visitor.

"Hey," the voice made you jump, nearly dropping your book as you saw Spider-Man hanging above you from the roof, upside down. You didn't need to see Peter's face to know he was grinning.

"Trying to give me a heart attack?" You teased, a hand to your chest as you felt some butterflies go through you stomach. This was the first time you'd seen Peter in the suit while knowing his identity, and it felt a little weird.

More nerves went through your chest and you put your book down, giving him a look.

"You're nervous," you pointed out, and he let out an uneasy laugh.

"You always make me nervous," he breathed out, "But-but in a good way!"

"Cheesy," you shook your head, leaning up and stretching a little, wondering why he was still just hanging there. "What's going on?"

He held a hand out to you wordlessly and you took it, letting him help you up. He held you close to him and you grinned at his upside down face, raising an eyebrow.

"I kind of want to try something, if that's okay," he said carefully, making you knit your eyebrows. "MJ interrupted us last time."

"You might need to remind me," you teased a little, and he groaned while his masked eyes shut a little. "I'm having trouble remembering what she might've interrupted-"

"Can I kiss you? Please?" He almost whined when he asked it, "I've been dying to since that night and we had absolutely zero alone time on the trip and it would've been weird to have our first kiss in front of like Mr. Harrington and the class and we don't have to if you don't want to but-"

"Peter," you laughed, bringing your hands up to cup his cheeks over the mask, effectively shutting him up. "You're rambling."

"Sorry," he breathed out, his masked eyes now blown wide as you moved your fingers up to the edge of his mask.

You gently untucked it and rolled it up, exposing his chin. Lifting it more revealed his pink cheeks and you tucked it over his nose, now cupping his bare face.

It was only a second before you moved your lips onto his. Despite the weird angle considering he was literally upside down, you absolutely melted into the kiss and held his face closer. It felt like your sunburn was happening all over again as he moved his lips against yours.

He hummed against your mouth and dropped one hand to cup your face, trying to get more stable. It felt like forever but also no time had passed at all before you pulled back, his lips chasing you for a another quick kiss before you completely pulled away to catch your breath.

"How was that?"

He answered you by pulling you toward him again with his free hand, and you happily brought your lips back to his. This kiss only lasted a few seconds before he suddenly dropped right off the web, barely catching it again before hitting the ground.

"That was totally planned," he insisted as he scrambled to get up, while you held your stomach and laughed so hard you felt tears in your eyes. "Yeah. Definitely meant to do that."

"I-I can't believe you fell off-off your own web," you cried, and even though he was pouting you could tell he was trying not to laugh too. He took his mask off the rest of the way and moved an arm around your waist, bringing you back against him for the third time.

"Only cause you distracted me," he protested, leaning forward and letting his lips brush against yours. You let him press his lips to yours again, definitely not complaining as you now were able to bring your hands up to run through his hair and actually properly kiss him.

There was a new warm feeling in your chest as he smiled against your lips, his arms bringing you closer. It was comforting and made you feel more alive than you ever had.

It was a new and much better sunburn.

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