Summary: Peter and reader have been rivals since they could remember, constantly one-upping each other within the school walls. But maybe, just maybe, they care for each other... Just a little bit. (masterlist)
Warning(s): peter and reader like math and school (weirdos haha), the title is irrelevant I was listening to out of the woods sorry, sherlock references lol, some swearing, peter is a drama queen fr
Pairing: Peter Parker x Fem!Reader
Characters: Peter Parker, Ned Leeds, MJ (mention), Liz Allen (brief), Brad Davis (mention)
Word count: 7k
"Hand me the screwdriver, Pete," Tony ordered, thick goggles on as he looked at the gadget, sparks flying from within the metal hinges.
He put out his hand, expecting to have the tool between his fingers within seconds. Nothing. Confused, Tony turned around, seeing Peter still sitting at the bench with his earphones in, studying vicariously as he'd been doing for the past two straight hours.
"Peter," Tony repeated sternly, trying to get his attention.
The faint music from Peter's earphones played as he continued to write in his notes, brows furrowed, concentrated.
"F.R.I.D.A.Y, connect to Peter's phone and initiate the study-break sequence," Tony demanded, sighing.
"Yes, sir," F.R.I.D.A.Y responded.
Tony waited patiently as he heard Peter's music get much louder, a catchy pop song playing, causing Peter's attention to break as he promptly took out the earphones, his hearing overwhelmed by the music.
"Enjoying Taylor Swift, kid?" Tony remarked sarcastically.
The music continued to play, Peter clearing his throat as he looked up at Tony, giving him a tight-lipped smile. "Sorry, Mr. Stark,"
"It's fine. She makes great music. Hand me the screwdriver," He repeated, nodding to the tool near him.
"Oh- Right, sure, I'll-I'll get that," Peter said, fixing his study area for a minute before he stood up from his stool and picked up the screwdriver. He went over to Tony, giving it to him.
Tony narrowed his eyes on Peter as he went back to the bench, scrolling on his phone to adjust the music and lower the volume. Tony proceeded to fix the gadget, back turned to Peter.
"What subject are you workin' on?" Tony asked, not taking his attention off of the invention.
"Uh, Math," Peter answered, picking a song to play.
"Still? You've been doing that all week. Don't you have other exams to focus on?" He mentioned.
Peter shrugged, turning off his phone. "This exam is super important. I have to do well on it," He told.
"Don't put so much pressure on yourself, it's one exam," Tony assured.
"It's not just one exam," Peter replied. "This is the most important one of the year and if Y/N beats me, she'll never let me live it down, like always,"
Tony finished repairing it, the sparks fizzling as the device powered on. "Who the hell's Y/N?" He wondered.
"Just my nemesis," Peter answered.
Tony snickered at that, smiling as he turned around to face Peter, lifting his goggles. "Your nemesis? There's no such thing as a nemesis, particularly when you're in High School,"
Peter sighed, picking up his pencil. "Trust me, she's as close as they come to one. She and I have had this ridiculous competition since we were in Middle School to one-up one another in class and be the best,"
"She cute?" Tony wondered.
He hesitated for a moment, stammering as he shook his head. "I don't- That has nothing to do with anything. Look, I just have to beat her in this. She got like, 96 last year and beat me by two marks and I'm determined to do better,"
"So... she's cute?" Tony concluded, nodding slowly, arms folded over his chest, suddenly not as interested in his project.
"I've never noticed," Peter shrugged, lying between his teeth. "It's-It's... She's just super cocky, right? Like, ever since we were younger, she's got this attitude where she thinks she's the best, and if she isn't, she has to take it out on everybody. Specifically me,"
"And this has been happening for years then?"
"Pretty much. She's the most determined person I know," He said. "Years of back and forth of her being the top student and me. It sucks,"
"Yet you actively participate in this... weird, childish rivalry because... what?" Tony questioned, gesturing to Peter with the screwdriver.
"I don't actively- It's more complicated than that. Whatever. Uh, I need to finish this chapter and then head back to May's," Peter said. "Can I have some help with this, though? I don't get this question,"
Tony rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fine, kid. Show me," He came over to Peter, carrying another stool.
Peter had two days to know everything about calculus and statistical concepts, alongside advanced Algebra. His entire week devoted to this one exam has made him feel like the smartest person alive.
Until he goes to school, sits in class, and you raise your hand.
He wasn't being dramatic when he said you were his nemesis. Well, maybe a little dramatic. But you were the most infuriating person he'd ever had the displeasure of meeting.
In a weird way, though, you were probably the most consistent thing in his life.
With becoming Spider-Man, an honorary Avenger, getting the Stark Internship, taking down bad guys, and more - it was a little comforting to know that whenever he entered that brick building filled with students, you would be there.
Ready to challenge him more than any other bad guy ever had...
"It's raining," Peter noted.
"Parker, don't talk out loud. You lower the IQ of the entire street," You replied bitterly, writing as the teacher spoke.
Peter rolled his eyes at that, looking away from the droplet-stained window as he sat beside you in the science labs. The teacher went through slides, talking about DNA molecules and genetics. He looked over his shoulder, seeing Ned and MJ sitting a few benches back, both of them giving Peter awkward thumbs up.
He was stuck with you because the universe was never in his favour, and because the teacher decided a seating plan was the way to go for this class for some peculiar reason.
The majority of these classes went by so slowly that it was draining.
He sighed, looking down at his messily written notes with doodles of smiling DNA across the page. He glanced at your notes, neat, colour-coded (of course), and straight lines as you underlined important details.
That seemed about right.
Then he moved his eyes to casually observe. You appeared so utterly focused on the content at hand, lips pursed in concentration. He might've been dramatic naming you his 'nemesis', but he wasn't dramatic naming the most determined person he knew.
Even the great Steve Rogers, the man who always got back up, wouldn't stand a chance to your impeccable dedication to simply get a good letter or string of numbers on a piece of paper.
It was impressive.
Maddening and irritating, but impressive.
Huh... He never noticed how nice your were eyelashes before. Was that weird to notice? They were long, batting against your cheeks gently. Maybe it was weird to notice.
"Can you stop staring at me?" You snapped quietly, looking up at him, eyes meeting as you glared at him. "It's putting me off,"
"My face is putting you off?" He furrowed his brows, both your voices low for the teacher to not hear.
"Yes," You asserted candidly like it was obvious.
He stayed quiet, not bothering to respond as he returned his attention to the class, the sound of the rain battering against the window. Your gaze lingered on him for a second longer before you shuffled your seat away from him by an inch or two.
"You smell like crap, by the way," You said, continuing to write notes.
Peter remembered hours earlier when he dealt with the unfortunate mugging, landing in the trash, and not having time to shower before he missed his bus.
"Well, you smell like... crap," He replied, hesitant considering he knew all too well how bad that comeback was. (If you could even call it that.)
And because you smelt like berries. It was one of his favourite smells, and he hated that it came from you, of all people.
"Right. And pathogens aren't caused by cells replicating and the production of toxins," You said obnoxiously.
Ah, there it was. A
n unnecessary fact that nobody asked for. He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I think a great idea would be for you to shut up, please," He requested, his polite tone juxtaposing yours.
"Gladly. I mean- Not gladly shut up. I'll gladly stop talking to you," You corrected yourself, inhaling sharply, seeing the ever so slight upward tug on his lips. "Shut up,"
"I didn't say anything," He quickly defended.
You weren't gonna go down the rabbit hole, refusing to look at him and remain quiet, stoic as you looked straight ahead. Peter's gaze followed yours to the teacher, the woman pointing at a diagram with a laser pointer.
Neither of you said anything, both listening to the teacher as she spoke. You briefly glanced at him, just to see if he was also hearing what she was saying, and caught him already looking at you. Both of you quickly returned your eyes to the front of the classroom.
You were just nice to admire sometimes.
"Excuse me, class, I have to deal with this for a moment. Talk amongst yourselves," The teacher announced to the class as a worker knocked on the classroom door.
Students began their own conversations, a supervisor-less classroom allowing for chattering.
"So, are you ready?" You asked, finishing a sentence on the page.
Peter furrowed his brows. "Ready for what?"
"For me to beat you two years in a row in the exam tomorrow," You hummed, prideful as you looked back up at him. "I am going to destroy you, Parker,"
"You say that now, but when I get a higher mark than you, you'll be the one complaining," He claimed. "Just like you did in ninth grade when I got that A on Geography instead of you,"
"It was a group project, it made no sense why you were the only one to- Whatever," You mumbled.
Peter's pen twirled between his fingers, eyeing you for a moment. "Good luck, though," He added reluctantly.
"You can shove that luck up your ass," You quipped.
"Once you get that stick out of yours,"
A few moments of quiet passed, equal frustration between the two of you. He sighed, biting his tongue.
"...I still beat you that time at chess," You recalled the year earlier, spending your entire lunch together playing the game of logic, purely out of competition.
"Maybe we need a rematch then," He challenged.
"Mm, maybe we do," You agreed. "I still beat you though,"
"You cannot let me live down anything, can you?" He asked rhetorically.
You shook your head. "Nope,"
~
You huffed, setting the maths textbook back onto the shelf with a quiet sound of frustration, gripping the bookshelf and standing on tiptoe to put it back on the top shelf.
You had written a few important notes while reading one of these books but no, your shitty sleep schedule had fucked you up once again, and in your sleep-deprived haze, you had written the notes in the book instead of on the paper beside it.
You searched through half the books in the section and it looked like you were going to spend two hours more looking through every other one. You needed to find the book, it had the exact explanation for the one topic you couldn't figure out for the exam tomorrow.
Turning the corner, you stopped dead in your tracks, seeing Peter, leaning against the bookshelf leisurely, eyes faintly amused and lips upturned ever so slightly in the most irritating goddamn smirk you had ever seen.
Of course.
The most stressful day of your life would be in twenty-four hours and it wouldn't be complete without Peter just making it worse. Sometimes, in a fit of madness, you wondered what it would be like to do anything other than be annoyed at him.
"Hi," He said.
You sighed. "Hi," You responded, almost reluctant because you knew he was up to something. The last time he had that look on his face was when you were in eighth grade and he painted over your art assessment.
"Uh, are you looking for this?" Peter handed you a book, stammering for a brief moment before gathering his confidence again.
You took it with a noticeable distance between your fingers, confused by his assistance. Flipping through the pages, you recognised your handwriting in the margins beside the maths symbols and questions.
His smirk grew, clearing his throat. "You know, usually one would expect a 'thank you' in return," He mentioned. "Or, I don't know, maybe even a 'thank you ever so much, you've made my life so much easier, however may I repay you-"
"-Thank you," You ground out, tone snappish.
He shrugged as if he was being humble. You looked back up at him, shutting the book.
"What do you want?" You asked.
"Nothing. What? I can't be nice? Be a friend?" He defended.
"We're not friends, Parker," You replied, stating the obvious. "What do you want?" You repeated.
"Seriously, I want nothing," He assured adamantly. "You seem like you could use some help, though. Considering how you're cramming the day before," He nodded to the textbook in your hands.
"I'm not cramming," You refused. "Just revising. It's exactly why I beat you last year, and why I'll beat you again this year,"
"I read some of your notes and you've got the wrong idea," He mentioned. "Your answer's right but you're getting there totally wrong,"
"I know what I'm doing. Thanks for the help," You said. "See you, Pete,"
You walked down the aisle of books, Peter following you immediately.
"Okay, fine, I do want something," He admitted.
You rolled your eyes at that, shaking your head. "I knew it. God, you are so predictable. After all these years, you seriously-"
"-Liz Allen. You two are friends, right?" He interrupted, heeding behind you as you passed the fictional romance section.
You stopped in your tracks, Peter bumping right into your back, causing you to stumble as you turned to face him, a scowl on your face as he muttered an apology, clearing his throat.
You thought about just taking the book and running. It was in your hands, there was really nothing stopping you. "We are friends... Why?" You confirmed.
"'Cause, y'know, I'm just... Wondering if she likes anyone right now?" Peter admitted. "If you know about any crushes or... is she single? That kind of thing,"
"Maybe, maybe not," You said, mocking him in a childish tone. "Ask her for yourself. I'm gonna go and revise and get a full mark," You raised the textbook in your hands, stepping away.
He quickly took your wrist, tugging you back to him. "Wait- Come on, please, hear me out,"
"I have to give my hands a deep cleanse after that," You mumbled as he let go of you. "Thanks for the help with the book. Whatever your deal is with Liz, you can deal with it on your own. You're not a child,"
"I'm just asking if she's single, you don't have to make it so difficult," Peter scoffed, keeping his voice low as a librarian passed the two of you.
"Fuck off," You hissed.
He rolled his eyes. "I honestly don't know why I bother with you,"
"I'd rather you never bother again," You said. "And for your information, she's not single. She's dating some nineteen-year-old called Jared who can barely read so even if she was single, you are far, far from her type,"
"Well, what's her type?"
"Well, it's definitely not suck-up cute brunette white guys who stroll around thinking the world revolved around them and whose mission in life is to make me miserable," You replied.
He furrowed his brows, that familiar smirk appearing again.
"God, stop doing that, what is so amusing?"
"Nothing. Noth- It's... you called me cute," He pointed out, almost prideful.
You glared at him. "You're such a Leo,"
"Oh, you brought astrology into this," He mentioned.
"With Liz, seriously, don't bother. She's completely out of your league and you're like... not even remotely close," You went on. "Now, is that all you wanted to annoy me with?"
He nodded, jaw clenched as you gave him a bogus smile, one that certainly didn't reach your eyes. "Thanks for the advice... But with your math, you're gonna wanna square root the-"
"-Don't," You cut him off. " I'm smart enough to figure it out myself. Besides, this is just revision," You quickly interrupted, looking up at him sternly.
"Then what's there to figure out?" He wondered.
You couldn't quite respond to that, clearing your throat. He returned the fake smile, shaking his head as he walked past you.
"See you tomorrow, Y/L/N," He said.
You watched him go, unsure of who exactly won this round.
You spent years and years cultivating a perfect academic score and for years and years, Peter was your competitor and rival in that sense. He wasn't a bad person. Arrogant and petty at times, but you never made much of an effort to get beyond that.
You didn't want to.
~
Peter was almost excited. Strange, right? Being excited about an exam. He was more excited to see you show up with your signature pen. Every single year, like clockwork, you'd bring the same pink fluffy pen that clicked way too loud and annoyed half the class.
It was just a small thing about you he relished. Frankly, it was one of the only things about you he did. Your eyes were on the list.
(Yes, he'd made a list of features about you he liked.)
Throughout his patrol as Spider-Man, Peter had gone out of his way to do practice questions while he sat on rooftops, humming to himself in delight as he went through the questions and answers.
Passing with flying colours, of course.
As he swung through the buildings of New York and found himself on the fire escape of some strangers, he did end up across from your building. Your room was at a perfect level for him to see you, window shut and blinds open as you sat at your desk, furiously writing notes, earphones in.
Studying? So late at night? He thought.
He remembered when you'd tell him that getting eight hours of sleep was the best thing someone could do before an exam. Well, maybe it wasn't for this exam. You'd be more prepared. That was your whole thing.
He didn't return to that train of thought, continuing with his patrol throughout the night, deciding not to return to that fire escape.
The slam of Ned's locker brought Peter back, talking on and on about the Millennium Falcon lego project. He leaned against the metal, his best friend finishing his explanation on finding two pieces he lost not too long ago.
"Man, I really gotta put a tracker on that crap," Ned sighed, putting a few books into his backpack.
Peter looked behind him, seeing you at your locker as you talked to Liz Allen, smiling as you spoke to her. It wasn't the most conventional of friendships.
Liz Allen was the girl next door, the it girl, popular, kind, on the debate team. You were... well, something else, that's for sure.
You were nodding along, hand trailing over the space between your neck and shoulders, your lips pursed slightly, a faint gloss over them. He stared for a moment too long, your eyes moving away from Liz to Peter, feeling his gaze on you.
Caught red-handed, he quickly looked away, clearing his throat. You resumed your conversation, smiling for a different reason now.
"And the battle of Y/N and Peter continues to rage on with weird tension that everyone has to sit through," Ned remarked dramatically.
"I'll steal one of the pieces of the Millennium Falcon," Peter told.
Ned put his hands up as if to surrender, smug with himself. "Wow, alright, no need to use threats,"
They both headed to their Geography class and by the time the exam came about, it had started to rain again, like the day before. He sat in his seat, desk a mess with pencils scattered and eraser dust as the teacher handed out the exam papers.
He glanced at you at the front of the classroom, your desk clean and organised in a specific way as you read the front page of the exam, famous fluffy pink pen in hand, concentrated. He saw you bite your bottom lip in thought, chewing on it restlessly, an anxious habit.
You were nervous. That's got to be a first. You usually seemed so much more confident during these kinds of exams. He brushed it off, thoughts interrupted as the exam was set in front of him.
He gulped and counted down internally before writing his name and the date and then; "You may begin,"
Forty-six minutes later - he had finished.
Peter had ten minutes left of free time, deciding to use it to check his answers a few times. Five minutes before the exam ended, you had seemed to finish, checking your answers as well, focused.
"Pens down," The teacher directed.
The class complied, a few reluctant as they rushed to get their answers in. The teacher came around, collecting all of them, lecturing everybody on the importance of honesty when it comes to tests. When they finished and sat down and their desk, the bell went for the next period.
Thank God, Peter thought. He packed up his things, alongside everybody else. He looked up, a little surprised to see you making your way over to his desk as he stuffed his backpack with textbooks.
"Are you excited to see me beat you this year?" Peter wondered, smiling a little.
You weren't as amused. "Not as excited as I am to see that idiot face of yours look so defeated when you realise I beat you twice in a row,"
"Ouch," He said, zipping his backpack. He stood up, able to look down at you now. "Can I ask you something?"
"No, you suck and I hate you," You deadpanned.
A little surprised by the bluntness, he slowly nodded. "Alright then. Feeling's mutual," He said. "What's the deal with the pen?"
The class emptied out and you started to walk off, Peter quickly followed you as you both entered the busy crowded hall, headed to lunch.
"Come on, I'm curious about it. You've had it for years," Peter mentioned with a shrug, behind you.
"It brings good luck," You answered, eyes straight-ahead. "Surprised you've noticed,"
"You're a noticeable person," He stated.
You glanced back at him, surprised by how close he was as you both walked into the bustling cafeteria. "That explains why you stare at me all the time," You said.
"I don't stare," He defended, passing Ned, MJ, and Betty as they sat at the table, waiting for Peter to join them. "I'm observant. Haven't you seen Sherlock?"
"You stare. You're basically in love with me," You remarked, sighing as you sat at the empty table, expecting him to leave at that point.
He joined you, sitting across from you, plopping his bag beside him. "I'm not in love with you, I'd rather die,"
"Oh, what a shame that would be," You said dryly.
He rolled his eyes. "Why do I bother?"
"I don't ask you to bother," You pointed out. "You're just in love with me, admit it,"
"I'm not in love with you," He assured sternly.
"Oh, you're totally in love," You stated like it was a fact, a small smile tugging at your lips.
"No, I'm not," He reiterated.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. It's embarrassing for me," You shrugged, smug.
He licked his lips, seeing how your eyes momentarily shifted to them, subtly before meeting his gaze again. "I'm not in love with you,"
"Then why are you still talking to me?" You asked, tilting your head at him slightly.
"Because... I..." He trailed off, hating how he didn't have a witty response.
You smirked slightly at that. "Go to your friends, Parker. My head needs a break from math and your presence. I'll be right here if you feel like confessing your love for me though,"
He hesitated, stuck in a staring game with you as you waited patiently, well-aware of his next actions. Peter hurriedly stood up, picking up his bag and going to the table Ned and MJ sat at. You watched him go, still smirking to yourself.
You may have won the battle, but he will win the war.
...Okay, maybe he was being melodramatic.
"I mean, who does she think she is?" Peter began, scoffing as he paced back and forth. "Who acts like that? I never did anything to her, all I did was have a brain and she saw that as a threat. God, I'd do anything to just see her finally fail something instead of nearly beat me or actually beat me,"
Ned listened, nodding along as he sat on the couch, attention switching between the movie playing behind Peter and Peter himself. "Uh-huh..."
"In love with her- Who-Who insinuates that kind of thing? She's insufferable. She's cynical, selfish, obnoxious, arrogant and so just- annoying," He went on. "You know what? She's probably in love with me. Yeah. That's it,"
"I thought she was dating Brad Davis," Ned said, confused.
Peter stopped his pacing, looking at his best friend, brows furrowed. "What?" His voice cracked, surprised. "Since when?"
Ned shrugged. "Just a rumour,"
Peter nodded slowly. "...Seriously? Brad? She's- No way," He refused.
"I don't know, some people saw them getting cozy together-" Ned started.
"-She isn't dating Brad Davis, he's not her type," Peter cut him off. "She doesn't go for idiots,"
Ned hummed. "Uh-huh,"
Peter thought about it for a few moments, the movie playing in the background. "Whatever. Whatever I don't-I don't care. They're probably not dating anyway,"
"Yeah, probably not," Ned agreed. "You should just drop it,"
"I will- Dropped. Entirely,"
-
"Y/N, Y/N, Y/N, Y/N," Peter repeated, tapping your shoulder incessantly as you tried to focus on your experiment, getting the bunsen burner to work. "Y/N, Y/N, Y/N-"
"-Oh, my god, what do you want, Peter?" You snapped, glaring at him as he stopped tapping you like a needy child asking for attention.
He hesitated, stammering.
"What?" You hissed. "Spit it out, I don't wanna look at you longer than I have to,"
"I was just gonna ask if you and Brad Davis are dating," He responded, unable to make eye contact with you as he looked at your successful experiment, fingers dawdling.
Your face contorted in surprise, brows furrowed. "Why do you care?"
"I don't- I just... It's a normal question," He defended. "I heard from a friend," Peter shrugged.
You sighed. "I swear, it's like you don't know me at all, Parker. These years of rivalry must be wearing you down, huh?"
"People change, you know, I wasn't-"
"-No, we aren't. I don't go for idiots," You assured. "Are you dating Liz Allen?"
"What? No, ‘course not," Peter quickly argued, looking up at you. "She's dating that college guy like you mentioned, right?"
"They broke up, I thought you might've made a move but it makes sense considering she'd obviously reject you,"
"And it makes sense why you and Brad aren't dating because he'd obviously reject you," Peter threw back in your face.
You scoffed, getting more and more distracted from the experiment at hand. "Is that all? Just come over here to ask about my love life?"
"No. I was- I was, you know, gonna ask if I could borrow a beaker. Please," He cleared his throat, scratching behind his ear as the teacher looked over at the two of you.
You rolled your eyes, took a beaker out from the cabinet, and set it in his hands. "This was a waste of time. As is every other second I spend with you," You mentioned. "Leave me alone,"
"Gladly. Your presence was giving me a headache," Peter stated.
"Ditto," You hissed.
You had really beautiful eyes, Peter noted as neither of you moved. A few moments passed before you blinked, clearing your throat and turning away quickly, going back to your experiment. He returned to his bench with MJ.
~
"You will be getting your results back," The teacher announced. "In a week. Marking has been delayed due to staffing difficulties,"
You groaned quietly, impatient as you pressed the pen's clicker repeatedly. You glanced around the classroom, not seeing Peter. You hummed to yourself, confused by his lack of company. You could only imagine his nose scrunching slightly in disdain at the idea of waiting longer.
He went missing about halfway through the school day.
You tried to look for him at lunch, briefly. It's not like you cared - you were just curious.
It was last period, no sign of him. You didn't make mention of it, the lesson nearing the end and you were suddenly eager to get the hell out of the room with math and motivation posters plastered across the walls.
The ringing immediately had you picking up your already packed bag as the teacher dismissed everybody for the day.
You walked out of the school, the New York breeze hitting you immediately. You glanced up from your phone as you strolled, seeing the grey clouds. Chance of rain, you assumed. You made your way to the bus stop, texting Liz.
You sent her a few cute birds, trying to help her as she was stuck in her bed with some kind of flu. She sent a selfie of her and Grey's Anatomy in response, joking about how much she'd like McDreamy to be helping her get better.
"I didn't know you caught this bus," You heard.
Looking up, you saw Ned Leeds standing beside you with a smile on his face. "Every day for the past four years," You told him.
"You learn something new every day," Ned chuckled, shrugging.
"How are the cats?" You wondered.
Ned furrowed his brows, confused. "You remember Juno, 'Paw' McCartney, and Darna?"
"Hard to forget such great names," You remarked.
He still had a smile on his face, pleasantly surprised and amused. "They're alright. Juno's been causing drama lately, but I think it's cause he's got a crush on Darna,"
"Well, you know, cats and their drama, what are you gonna do?" You mentioned sarcastically. "How about your lola? I saw her at the markets downtown last week,"
Ned and you always got along. You used to share art class together for two years straight and it was always filled with pleasant conversation.
"She's good. Your memory is pretty sharp. I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning or what I just learned in my Geo class," Ned joked.
"'Course I remember. You're the good to Peter Parker's bad," You remarked, sighing. "Speaking of Parker, you haven't seen him around, have you? He wasn't around during lunch or maths,"
Ned raised his brows curiously at your words, his smile turning into more of an amused smirk as he nodded slowly.
"Don't look at me like that," You rolled your eyes, looking down the road for the bus and then back at Ned. "It's a very... you know, normal question,"
After another moment of Ned simply nodding and smirking, he responded. "Uh, well, Peter... is sick. Just was like, throwing up chunks in the middle of Bio. It was really gross. His Aunt picked him up,"
"Right. Okay then,"
"Yeah, it's bad. Like, I think he must've eaten something cause he was sweating and like, it was like he had the plague but so much worse, like," Ned continued.
"I got it,"
"He was coming down with something too, maybe, I-I don't know, just a theory, really, and-"
"-The bus is here," You interrupted, gesturing towards the vehicle coming towards you two.
~
Peter let out a quiet groan as he stretched his arms, rolling his neck to relieve tension around his shoulders. He stood on the rooftop of the building, the sun halfway down. He adjusted his Spider-Man mask covering his face and looked over the edge of the apartment building.
"Nice job today, kid," Tony said over the comms of KAREN. "Thanks for coming in in the middle of the day,"
Peter started to crawl down the brick wall, making sure he was nearly above his fire escape. "Thanks, Mr. Stark. It-It was really no problem," He gently landed on the metal and opened his bedroom window, stepping inside his room.
"Alright. I gotta go, Pepper's calling for me. I have to do 'paperwork'. She always keeps me in check, you know," Tony mentioned.
"Right. Tell her I said hi, Mr. Stark," Peter responded as he stripped himself off his blue and red suit, tripping over a pile of clothes he's yet to take down to the laundry.
"No worries. See you soon, kid,"
Tony hung up and Peter took off his mask, letting out a breath as his hair stood messily on his head, curls falling over his forehead. Being called in the middle of Bio to help with an Avenger-level threat was certainly not the most fun of adventures.
He cleared his throat, standing there half-naked with his Spidey suit still hanging from his waist.
An abrupt knock on the door pulled him away from his thoughts. He furrowed his brows in confusion. May wasn't supposed to be home until late that night. Peter hurriedly undressed from the rest of the suit and pulled a loose tracksuit and walked out of his room, down the hall as he put on a t-shirt.
"Who is it?" He called out, adjusting himself before opening the door, not waiting for a response.
"Don't say a word," You said, sighing as you tried your best to not hang your head in shame as you stood at the doorstep of Peter Parker's apartment.
He had an utterly confused expression on his face, frozen in his spot. "What are you-"
"-Did you not just hear what I said?" You cut him off, scoffing.
He poked his tongue in his cheek, glaring at you in patience as he decided to stay quiet.
"You look like you're feeling better," You said as you looked at him up and down. Peter's confusion grew from there, tilting his head at you like a puppy. "I don't want you to get anything twisted in that stupid, ridiculous head of yours, okay? I just came by to give you something and it will be the last thing I ever give you. Ever. So,"
You raised the plastic bag you were holding, a container inside. Peter could smell faint chicken and fresh thyme.
"Chicken soup. Helps with sick stuff. I made it for Liz a while back, she loved it and it healed her up pretty quickly," You elaborated. "I got rid of the garlic, cause I know you have some freaky allergy to garlic which is a little embarrassing but I'm here so I think I balance it out,"
Peter's glare quickly dissipated as he listened.
"Yeah. I don't know. You weren't there during maths and Ned mentioned you were like, horribly ill and throwing up so..." You said. "Anyways, it's fresh from the stove. No need to heat it. And... I hate you, you're a prick with zero tolerable traits about you,"
He nodded, his smile struggling to hide. "Yeah?"
"Shut up, okay. I shouldn't have come here, I shouldn't have spent my fucking afternoon cooking. Whatever. Just- Take the soup," You put it out for him to take.
Peter did as told, gently taking it from your fingers.
"And our math marks come out next week. I'm looking forward to beating your ass but I'd rather beat your ass when you're feeling better." You said. You paused for a moment, squinting at him a little. "Your cheeks all banged up,"
Peter raised his hand to his face, feeling a small cut or two along his cheekbones, flinching as he touched a light bruise. Must've gotten it from those stupid bad guys. "Oh- Um, I rolled out of bed," He lied, chuckling to himself.
"Of course you did. Anyways, I... I have to get going. My dad's waiting for me out front, so," You gulped. "I'll see you on Monday, Parker. Rest up this weekend, you're gonna need it when you realise-"
"-That you've beaten me. Sure, whatever helps you sleep at night," Peter finished for you, sarcastic. "I appreciate the soup. I don't think this is helping the allegations that you're in love with me,"
"Really? Wait till you have the soup and realised I've poisoned it," You shrugged with a straight face.
"How'd you know where I live?" Peter asked.
You hesitated for a second. "A few years back when we had that group project, you brought me over, remember? We did history and I left that bruise on your shoulder and you cried, my mum had to pick me up," You recalled.
Peter's grin grew immensely at the memory. "Yeah, I remember. I didn't talk to you for like, a week,"
"The best week of my life," You remarked.
God, he had such a pretty smile. The two of you lingered in the doorway as you fiddled with a ring on your finger. Peter was waiting for you to break your unspoken staring contest. You won, he looked to the ground and inhaled sharply.
"Don't keep rolling out of bed, I want your brain to be working for our next exam, Parker," You ordered.
You walked down the hall and Peter observed for a moment, his smile permanent. "See you Monday,"
You rolled your eyes and Peter hummed to himself as he closed his door, looking at the container of soup with smelled amazing. He couldn't be entirely sure that you were joking about the poison but if he was being honest, he didn't care.
You went out of your way to give him something. This was for the history books. You asked about him.
Maybe, just maybe, you even cared. And maybe Peter cared too. Just a little bit.
~
It was the longest weekend of your life but that Monday made up for all of it. Your teacher was handing back the exams to each student, facing them against the table. Peter sat directly behind you, knee bouncing up and down as he waited patiently for the teacher to arrive at him.
You fidgeted with your fingers, looking over your shoulder to Peter briefly before straight ahead, acting as if he hadn't been looking at you either. He looked down into his lap, clearing his throat.
You were back to your less-than-giving ways. Peter didn't mind it, especially because you were wearing his favourite necklace. It was a small spider, slightly resembling the Black Widow but Peter chose to connect it with Spider-Man. It was cute.
Your hair looked nice today, he noted. More done up than usual.
"Good job, Peter," The teacher muttered, handing him the papers. They continued to walk ahead and hand yours. You took it excitedly.
The second Peter stepped out of the classroom, you were on his tail and stopping him.
You stood in front of him. He sighed, almost pretending to be disappointed. In actuality, this may have been a highlight of his year. You, standing there so eager to shove your results in his face.
And he would shove his right back. Sure, your soup was amazing, but that didn't make you any less infuriating or remove the past few years of academic hell.
You were still the same old Y/N Y/L/N. Nothing about that would ever change.
Students went by as you stood on the side of the hall, papers in hand.
"So, how did you do in the exam?" You asked, looking up at him with a competitive stare, giddy.
He shrugged. "Not bad. I got a 97," He replied, smirking slightly as he noticed your flicker of disappointment.
"What a shame," You feigned a sigh. "I only got 98,"
You grinned triumphantly before leaving for your next class, failing to notice him hiding his exam folded between his fingers, stamped with a large red '100%' behind his back.
He shook his head and watched you go. He left for his class, going in the opposite direction. There was a faint smile that didn't leave his face. Nor did the small glint in his eye.
Now - don't assume that Peter doesn't hate you. He does. But he doesn't hate that smile of yours. Or your eyes. Or your voice, or your intelligence, your determination, honesty. He liked that fluffy pink pen. He liked your handwriting and the way you smelt. Your lashes too.
He didn't quite feel like taking away that smile this year. Sure, you'd make the next few months of his life absolute hell. But at least you'd be making his life hell. Besides, your soup was really good.
Would he ever do anything about it? Now that's a question neither you nor he was smart enough to answer.
Peter crunched up his exam, into a ball and tossed it into the bin.
“Parker!”
The hallway empty now, Peter turned, confused to see you walking hurriedly towards him, exam paper still in hands as you smiled.
“You’re gonna be late for your class,” He pointed out.
“Lunch, meet me at the library. We’re having that chess rematch. Who knows? Maybe I won’t totally destroy your confidence. Again,” You quickly told, smiling. Your smile was a mixture of giggles and sarcasm.
“Why would I put myself through the hell of that?”
You licked your lips, shrugging in thought. “Because... you care about me,”
He looked at you for a moment, your words basking in the odd quietness. He neither confirmed or denied, nodding along as he shared your smile, fidgeting with his fingers and chuckling. Your face said it all as you looked at him, so amused.
“Just say yes, idiot,” You scoffed, still smiling.
“Yes. Yes, I’ll-I’ll be there,” Peter stammered out. “Bring your A-Game, Y/L/N,”
“I always do, Parker,”
--
A/N: Yes! See? I promised I’d be uploading. Boom. I’ve also been working on this one for like, AGES. Seriously. I just randomly got a boost of energy and finished it all. It’s longer than I thought it would be, damn. No part two for this, I like leaving it open ended. I love academic rivals, despite me having 0 intelligence whatsoever. And dear god, I would never be that excited to do a maths exam. I finish up the term in about a week or two. I’m headed to New York with some family early July, if I meet Spider-Man or Matt Murdock, I will let you know. Also going to Philly. Very, very excited omg. Okay, not much else to update on. Enjoy my slow, slow, stream of fics that I started months ago and finish randomly in the middle of the night.
OMG you're back 🥺 Hey!! I kept coming to your url hoping you pop up again because Tumblr never say "nothing is here" but just never stop charging so I kept hoping!! It's been a while, so I hope you're doing well ♥️ Also, I don't know if you're aware, but your blog is only viewable by those who have a Tumblr account.
ah okay, can someone tell me how to fix that then?😭 sorry, i’m a grandma half the time i have to dm my ibf’s for help with majority of what i do on social media.
btw i still love peter, obviously, i just have phases, you know? when i’m like super obsessed. that was nearly six months ago, i’ve gotten into like 30 different phases since then. currently? probably stranger things. not really sure. i’m in between phases, i guess.
im forcing out as much as i can to let whoever the hell i can that THIS BLOG IS ALIVE and i am gonna try to post more!!!!!! i swear!!! i said that like 5 months ago fml lol anyways x
nobody ask about dancing with our hands tied, i’ve left my peter parker phase i’m sorry to say it but once a phase is over, it’s so hard to write for whatever that phase consisted of
ironically i’ve basically finished the last part i just dont wanna post it cause i dont think it’s that good😭
nobody ask about dancing with our hands tied, i’ve left my peter parker phase i’m sorry to say it but once a phase is over, it’s so hard to write for whatever that phase consisted of
ironically i’ve basically finished the last part i just dont wanna post it cause i dont think it’s that good😭
so, i’m officially out of my loki/bucky/druig phase. i think this was for the best! but unfortunately, i’ve been in a frank castle/matt murdock/rick grimes/marc spector phase for the past few months and i fear i see no end to this madness.
Hey, by chance do you (or any of your reaers) know the fic Peter x Reader called "Dancing with our hands tied" by @maybepointlessthoughts ? I wanted to re-read it, but I can't find it anymore 😭I don't know if they change their name or something. Have a nice day!
Hii Yess I used to follow her and I think her name was claire but she deleted her page :(( I adored that story and wanted to read the end but it was a wip
Hey I noticed that your blog was gone for a second and I’m not kidding I was really sad and also worried. Hope you’re doing well🫶🏻
the scare is over and i have returned! whether this is good or not, i have no clue! :) missed y'all. thanks so much for checking in i appreciate it more than you know and am very grateful.
i'm doing alright how about you!!! x
maybepointlessthoughts @maybepointlessthoughts - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
