imagine peter being sad & asking for a hug by just opening his arms up to you 🥺
despite everything he’s been through, peter’s bad days are few and far between. still, though, it doesn’t take much. you can tell he’s had a rough day when he barely cracks a smile at lunch, hand holding onto yours extra tight under the table.
you finally manage to get it out of him on your ride home, pressed tightly against one another in the crowded subway car.
“uncle ben,” he whispers, and you fight the urge to widen your eyes because he’s only said his name a handful of times since… well, since. “today’s his birthday.”
he tries to smile, but it looks forced and broken. you cup his cheek in your hand and reach up to kiss his forehead, but you don’t say anything – not while you’re in a subway car full of strangers. besides, you’re not so sure if you should drag the conversation out any further.
to your surprise, peter is more than willing to talk about it when you get to his apartment.
“i’m sorry,” he says, dumping his school supplies onto his desk.
“i shouldn’t have told you. now you’re just gonna worry about me.”
“i worry about you all the time, spider-man.” you mean for it to be comforting, but the guilty look on peter’s face instantly makes your heart sink. “i-i meant that i’m your girlfriend. it’s kinda my job.”
he lets out a big sigh as he plops down on the edge of his bed. you stand a foot or so away, leaned against his desk, afraid of saying something else that will worry him more.
“i’m fine with it,” he says with a small shrug. “i - i mean, i’m not fine, but i think i’ve made my peace with it more than may has.”
“yeah, i can imagine,” you whisper, watching the way he clasps and unclasps his hands, bobs his legs up and down with intense anxiety.
“it sucks.” his throat moves as he swallows thickly. “i wish i could help her.”
it hurts your heart to know he’s been carrying this around all day, and if you hadn’t repeatedly asked him about it, he would still be bottling all this up.
you approach peter slowly, taking his hands in yours. the bobbing stops.
“honey, i see what you do for may. the little things you do - buying her flowers on your way home from school, all the things you say that make her laugh - they help her more than you realize.”
“hey,” you say a bit more sternly, making his eyes finally shift towards yours. “i mean it. i’m not saying she’d be lost without you, but she’d definitely have a hard time trying to figure out where to go.”
“yeah,” he says, a small smile blossoming on his face. the first real one you’ve seen from him all day. “maybe you’re right.”
he lets go of your hands, opening his arms up big and wide. you can’t help the smile that instantly creeps onto your face. without saying anything, you drape your arms around him, falling into his lap as he snakes his arms around your waist.
you’ve been in this position before - after tony’s funeral, after your dog died, after that girl at liz’s party made a snarky comment about your dress. varying types of hugs for varying types of sadness. but it always starts the same - peter wordlessly inviting you into his arms, safe and warm and secure.
a few moments of content silence, then he presses a loving kiss against your neck and says, “you’re the best. i love you.”
you pull back a bit, bringing your hands up to his warm cheeks. “i love you, too.”
you can still tell he remains a bit unconvinced, and more than a bit sad, but you’ll stay in his arms as long as he needs you to.
(send me more soft peter/tom concepts and i’ll write a lil blurb!)