i don't know if any of you guys like the last of us buttt i made a new blog for the edits/fics i wanna write! if you're interested, its @endureqndsurvive :D
request: Can we please get angst between MCU Peter Parker and the reader where she always supports him, deep inside they truly like each other but are afraid to ruin their friendship? She was the first one who discovered that he’s a spiderman and whenever he was injured she was there to tend his wounds. They always got each other’s backs. Even when Peter and MJ get together she supports them, even deep inside it hurts. One day she was going to Ned’s place but Norman ambushed her and tries to manipulate her to betray Peter. But she doesn’t want to and it ends up Norman killing her and it’s heartbreaking to see when Peter asks where (y/n) was Norman dropped her corpse in front of him.
warnings: nwh spoilers, angst angst angst, mentions of death, injuries, heartbreak, heavy pining, f!reader, lots of plot before dialogue, request <33
For as long as you could remember, it has always been you, Ned Leeds, and Peter Parker. The three of you against the world. Social outcasts for liking “nerdy shit” which was ironic coming from a school of gifted STEM students. But it didn’t matter much to you—you had the friends you wanted.
Ned was a ray of sunshine, never failing to make you laugh even on your worst days. You met him when you were six, being neighbors on the street you’d moved to at the time. You saw him playing on the sidewalk through your townhome window on the second floor. The way your little legs carried you downstairs in a frenzy of movements was impressive for a person of any age. You could’ve sworn it took you less than thirty seconds to run into the kitchen and beg your parents to let you play LEGOS with the ‘cool kid outside.’
Needless to say, that was how you made your first friend in the borough of Queens. A tight bond created over your love for Star Wars and LEGOS.
As for how you met Peter… well, you two had met by chance, stumbling upon each other at Delmar’s a few years after you’d met Ned. A rather tall boy who was definitely going through a growth spurt, Peter caught your attention immediately. After spying on him for a few minutes through the aisles, you plucked the courage to introduce yourself. His face was priceless, shocked that a girl was even talking to him.
description: when you told peter you’d always stick around, you certainly didn’t mean it like this.
pairing: tasm!peter parker x reader
genre: fluff, friends to lovers
word count: 1.9k
warnings: canon-typical violence, mention of food and alcohol
based off the subway scene from tasm that made me cringe so badly bc i felt bad for peter
“Why are you so tired?” Peter asks, having listened to you yawn for the last five minutes.
You cover your mouth with one of your hands as another one threatens to escape your lips. “I had to stay up studying for one of Mr. Hoang’s tests again. You know how hard they are.”
He hums, agreeing with you. “You should sleep when you get home.”
Your eyes shut as you rest your head against Peter’s shoulder. “Yeah, I will. I don’t think I can keep my eyes open for much longer anyway.”
You feel him stiffen next to you, not used to the sudden touch, but he relaxes after a second. You’re so sleepy that you didn’t even think about whether or not that would make him uncomfortable.
“Sorry,” you mumble, lifting your head and rubbing your eyes to wake you up a bit. “I’m so tired.”
Peter only wraps his arm around you, pulling you back into him. “It’s okay.”
hey, sweetie! how are you doing? is everything okay? this is a daily reminder that you're an amazing human being that deserves all the love and good thins this world has to offer. please don't forget to look out for yourself. stay hydrated and don't forget to eat, all right? i love you <3
this is so so kind thank you so much <3333 i needed this
hi!! i just wanted to say that i thought your waited to long writings were so good and i’m excited to see the enemies to lover stuff you come up with 🖤
AHHH this made me so so happy thank you so so much !!!! :))))
hello!! here's part two, thank you so much for the support on the first part and i hope you enjoy!
prompt: you didn't expect to see peter again, let alone kiss him. you didn't expect him to betray you, either.
pairing: tasm!peter x fem!reader (female pronouns, no specific anatomy)
content: swearing, mentions of drinking, implications of sex, angst with a happy ending, childhood friends to lovers
word count: 7.6k
additional notes: a bit of an au to fit my needs (harry isn’t crazy and gwen never died), unedited!
playlist for this part
part one
November feels like it lasts a day for you and before you know it, you’re shopping for Christmas gifts with Peter. The mall has been playing Christmas songs since before Thanksgiving and if you’re honest, they’re starting to give you a headache.
“I have no idea what to get for my parents.” You complain to Peter, plopping down next to him on the bench he’s sitting on. You rest your head against his shoulder and he wraps his arm around you like it’s a routine. You could almost call it that.
Peter’s humming along to the song playing over the speakers before he replies. “Get your Mom a new stand mixer. You broke it, didn’t you?”
You scoff. “You broke it by putting in basically frozen butter and expecting it to work.”
“That will not hold up in court. You’re the only witness.” Peter says, nudging you to emphasize the joke.
“Fine, I’ll say it’s from both of us then.” You say.
“Sounds good.”
“And in the card, I’ll tell her how I took the blame for you.”
“Okay- wait, no-”
You laugh, moving enough that it dislodges Peter’s arm and you stand. “Let’s look at JCPenny for the mixer and I’ll just find something for my dad there.”
The two of you ride the escalator up to the department store, walking around aimlessly and hoping you would spot something you could get for your Dad as well as Peter. You have been struggling to come up with a perfect gift for your first Christmas together. You were never the best with gifts in general and your aim for it to be the best is certainly not helping your case.
You’re looking at an end-cap full of ties when you spot one that almost makes you laugh. It’s a simple black tie with a striped design, but upon closer inspection, the lines are scientific equations written small enough to appear as a pattern. You put it in the basket you picked up when you entered the store without another thought. Maybe you could convince Peter to wear it to the fancy party Harry invited the two of you to.
You lost Peter in the store quickly, but you didn’t mind. It gave you time alone to look for a gift without worrying he’ll notice what you’re buying is for him. You’re walking mindlessly around for a few minutes before you find the toy section. You’re about to leave that area when a kid's camera catches your eye. A camera would be perfect to get for Peter - he had been talking about the fancy Canon camera the Daily Bugle had him using and how much he wanted one of his own. You mentally take note of your idea before deciding to find the appliance section to grab a mixer for your Mom’s gift.
There’s a couple choices of color and you decide to get a white one to be safe, taking the small ticket to take to the counter. You’ve already paid before Peter finds you, carrying a bag of his own. “What did you buy?”
“None of your business, pretty lady.” Peter says, grinning at you.
“Rude,” You say with no bite, walking out of the store with Peter right behind you. “Could you possibly be the best boyfriend and get us a pretzel to share while I use the bathroom?”
“I already am, but sure.” Peter agrees.
“Debatable.” You tease, leaving Peter before he can offer to hold your bag for you. You need the bag to hide your next purchase. You quickly make your way into Best Buy, finding the camera and purchasing it in a little under five minutes. The price is a little steep, but Harry had given everyone Christmas bonuses this year so it hurt your wallet a little less. Plus, you knew for certain Peter would love his gift and you’d pay any price for that.
You find him beside the Auntie Anne’s, holding a half-eaten pretzel in one hand and his phone in the other. You approach him, grinning about your fantastic gift idea. “Sorry, there was a line.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t eat the whole thing.” Peter jokes, handing you the rest of the pretzel.
You raise your eyebrows at him, taking a bite of the pretzel. “Then wouldn’t that make you not the best boyfriend?”
Peter slaps a hand over his heart. “I’m wounded, [Name].”
You roll your eyes at his antics, finishing the pretzel and throwing the wrapper away. “You all good to go?”
Peter nods and the two of you take the subway back to your house. The ride is quiet, both of you scrolling through social media to occupy the time.
When you finally get home, you put the gifts in your closet to hide them until you wrap them. While you’re in your closet, you take a peek at the outfit you planned for the party. “Do you think this’ll be alright?” You ask Peter, who has taken a seat on your bed.
Peter glances up and smiles at you warmly. “You’ll look amazing in anything and I’m sure this won’t be any different.”
The way he looks at you makes your knees weak. You’ll never get used to it. You feel your cheeks grow warm and you tear your gaze away from him to close your closet door. You walk over to your bed, laying down next to Peter.
Peter instantly pulls you closer to him, making a happy noise as he buries his face into your hair. “Are you using a different shampoo?”
You laugh. “Maybe. You can tell?”
He nods, pressing a kiss to your head. “Just smells different.”
You turn to face him and God, he’s beautiful. You’ll never know what you’ve done to deserve someone like Peter. Ever since you met him, even when you were younger, you knew there was something about him that made you feel safe, protected. Even without that, he’s caring and sensitive to your worries. He’s… perfect.
Peter leans closer to you, taking your chin in his hand. He smiles, a real, beaming thing that has your heart racing. He uses his hand to tilt your head up just enough to kiss you. His nose nudges against yours and his hair is tickling your forehead.
You press back, kissing him in an attempt to convey what you had been thinking just seconds before - he’s perfect.
Peter pulls back, moving his hand from your chin to cup your cheek.
The weight of his hand is comforting against your skin, grounding you here in this moment with him. “How are you real?” You whisper.
“Well, when Mommy and Daddy love each other very much-”
“Way to ruin a moment, Peter.” You pout jokingly.
He laughs, pressing another quick kiss to your lips. His hand moves to your hair, pushing it behind your ear. “It’s hard to believe you’re real sometimes, too.”
“How’s that?” You ask.
“The day I ran into you I had uh, thought about calling you. For the first time in a while, actually,” Peter says, running his fingers through your hair in a vain attempt to untangle it. He stops when his fingers catch on a knot, absentmindedly trying to brush it out. “But instead of me calling you, you fell right in front of me.”
“I did not fall.” You protest in a quiet voice.
“My apologies. You stumbled in front of me.” He says.
“Thank you for the correction. I’ll forgive you this time.”
“And next time?”
“You’ll never live to tell the tale.” You joke, moving to the edge of the bed and standing. “I found a little gift for you for the party.”
Peter sits up fully, straightening his back. “At the mall?”
You nod, rummaging through the bag you put in your closet before pulling out the tie. You grin as you show him, placing it in his lap.
Peter picks it up and inspects it, laughing a little. “Oh, this is awesome!”
“Will you wear it to the party then?” You ask, climbing back into the bed and reclaiming the spot you were laying in before.
“Yes. I love this so much,” he says, squinting at the design to attempt to read the equations. “Thank you, [Name].”
You nod. “Anything for you to look snazzy at the party.”
“I will look so snazzy, thanks to you.”
You stare up at the ceiling, crossing your arms comfortably on your chest. Your thoughts drift to something to talk about and the only thing you come up with is the newest crime-fighting hero. “How do you feel about Spider-Man?”
Peter tenses next to you but relaxes just as quickly. “I don’t know, he’s alright, I guess.”
“Just alright?” You question, turning to lay on your side to face him. “I mean, I think it’s pretty cool that he helps our city so much.”
Peter shrugs. “That is pretty cool.”
You narrow your eyes at him. “Are you jealous that I think another man is cool?”
Peter shoots you a look. “No.”
You sigh dramatically, disappointed with his lack of a funny response. “You’re no fun, joke with me!” You say, reaching over and squeezing his thigh.
Peter picks up your hand and kisses it before letting it fall back to its previous place on his leg. “Can we watch that movie you were telling me about?”
You debate for a moment before speaking. “What happened with Harry? The day you visited?”
Peter doesn’t look at you, swallowing hard before responding. “Just didn’t have the same opinion on work, or something. I don’t really remember.”
You’re doubtful but say nothing.
Peter seems to not like your silence. “Can we watch that movie?” He repeats, gazing at you expectantly.
The two of you spend the rest of the night laying in your bed together, cuddling cozily under a blanket. The movie is the only sound in your room apart from your fan. The silence is easy, but you can’t get Peter’s deflections of the topics of Spider-Man and Harry out of your head. You don’t understand why he always jokes back with you but not this time or why he doesn’t want to share his differing opinion with you. You’re barely paying attention to the movie anymore. You try to, but Peter just isn’t making any sense. You decide not to push anymore, leaving it for another time. He isn’t acting off with you so you try to remind yourself it’s nothing to do with you. You finally tune back into the movie, settling back into Peter’s arms for the remainder of the evening.
—
It’s a couple days before Christmas and it’s snowing pretty heavily outside. The weather is cold enough that frost has formed on your window during the night and you make a mental note to turn your humidifier off for a couple days. You’re still getting ready for the Oscorp party when the doorbell rings downstairs. You can’t make out the muffled voices but you know it’s Peter and your parents talking. You finish up the remainder of your last minute touch ups, smoothing out your outfit before heading downstairs.
Peter is wearing a simple black suit and you can’t help but smile when you notice he’s wearing the tie you bought him. He looks so handsome and you wish he had more excuses to dress up. He turns when he hears you coming down the stairs and his kind grin melts into something affectionate. “Oh, wow.”
You blush under his gaze, looking down to make sure your outfit looks right before meeting his eyes. “Nice suit.”
“Yeah, no- You look amazing, [Name]. Holy sh-” Peter looks over to your parents, smiling apologetically. “Sorry, got a little excited there.”
Your Dad bites back a smile. “No, I understand. I get the same with her Mot-”
“Okay!” You interrupt, grabbing your shoes from the base of the stairs. “Let’s get going, I don’t want to be late. That would be embarrassing.”
Your Mom holds up a camera in her hands. “At least one picture?”
You roll your eyes but nod, stepping closer to Peter and wrapping an arm around his waist.
He mirrors you, pressing a kiss to your hair before smiling widely for the camera.
You do the same and your Mom ends up taking at least ten pictures instead of one, but you remember suddenly that your gift for Peter is ready for him, wrapped up nicely and sitting on your bed. “Oh, wait, I want to give your gift to you now, just in case.” You race up the stairs, being mindful of your shoes and come down with the box in hand.
Peter gapes at you. “[Name], you did not! Is it a puppy-”
“Shh, open it before you say anything.” You say, handing it to him and waiting.
Peter shoots you a look but doesn’t say anything like you asked. He tears back the paper and nearly drops the box when he realizes what it is. Peter takes a few seconds to process before he basically does a lap around the kitchen in the form of a happy dance. He sets the box on the kitchen table, wrapping still half-on and hugs you tightly. “Thank you so much, [Name]! This is the best gift I think I’ve ever gotten, seriously.”
You hug him back, happy that he’s so excited. “Of course. Anything for you.”
Peter leans down right next to your ear and you think he’s going to kiss your head, but he whispers just loud enough for you, like it’s a secret. “I love it. I love you.”
It feels like a bucket of cold water falls over you and your body tingles in excitement. It’s not like this wasn’t coming, you had almost said it several times up until now, but you feared it would have been too early. The last few months have made you the happiest you’ve ever been and it’s all thanks to him. You pull back just enough to look him in the eye and he’s smiling like an idiot. You kiss the smile off his face, not caring that your parents are only a couple feet away. It only lasts a moment, but you hope he understands you recuperate his feelings. The lovestruck expression on his face answers the question for you.
Peter steps back from the hug. “Well, we should get going. Could you send me the pictures you took once you get them off of the camera?” He asks your Mom.
She nods. “Of course. Have fun you two, be safe. We’ll probably be on a plane by the time you get back here.”
You remember her telling you that they were going to be flying back to Wisconsin to check in your Aunt and her family. “Tell everyone I said hello.”
You and Peter leave a few minutes later and the second you're far enough away from your house that you’re sure your parents aren’t spying, you hug him again. “Of course you’d tell me you love me in front of my parents!”
Peter laughs, wrapping his arms around you. “I had to. You were making it incredibly difficult not to. That's your fault.”
You scoff, leaning back with your arms still situated around his waist. “Well, in that case, I don’t return your feelings-”
“I will cry in front of everyone at the party and embarrass you-”
“Okay! I love you, too, idiot.” You say endearingly.
Peter grins in satisfaction. “Knew it.”
The walk to the subway and the ride itself are filled with small affections - holding hands and quick kisses. Your heart feels so full as you enter the party hall, a little taken aback at how big it was. There’s one huge party area with small, private rooms off the sides. There’s a snack buffet and a bar, as well as a DJ who is playing acoustic versions of popular songs. “Jesus, Harry.” You mutter under your breath.
Peter snickers a little. “Yeah, Jesus is right.”
You didn’t think Peter could hear you but you roll with it anyway. “I’m going to see if I can find Gwen. She was struggling to decide between two dresses and I want to know if she picked the one I liked.”
Peter nods and kisses you. “Alright, I’ll find you in a little bit.”
You smile at him. “Love you.” You say and wink at him in a form of a tease.
“Love you, too.” Peter replies easily, winking back at you before he disappears into the crowd.
You don’t stop smiling until you find Gwen, who is wearing the dress you wanted her to. “Oh, you picked it! You look amazing! Didn’t I tell you?”
Gwen does a spin to show it off. “Yeah, yeah. I told you before that I trust your judgement,” you’re still smiling so hard that she takes notice. “What are you smiling about?”
Your smile drops just a little. You wonder if this is something you should tell her. You don’t want to upset her, but she did say everything. “He told me he loved me.” You say.
Gwen grins so wide that it makes you question why you doubted telling her seconds ago. “Are you serious? That’s so-” She cuts herself off, pulling you into a hug. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you.”
You hug her back before she pulls away. “Thank you, Gwen, really. You were right, he is an awesome guy,” you nudge her. “See? I trust your judgement, too.”
Gwen winks at you, looking past you to see the bar. “Want me to grab you a drink?”
You nod. “Yeah, sure. Just get me whatever you get. I’ll pay you later, I’m gonna go find Peter really fast. Let him know we’re over here.”
Gwen shakes her head. “Don’t worry, it’s on me. I’ll meet you back here.”
You nod and make your way through the crowd back to where you saw Peter go earlier, pausing when you think you hear his voice coming from behind you. You turn just enough to see Peter and Harry talking. You’re approaching and you’re about to call out to them, when you see a check in Harry’s hand. You shouldn’t listen in, you really shouldn’t. If Peter wanted you to know what was going on, he would tell you. But your curiosity gets the better of you and you decide to turn your back, stepping just close enough that you can hear. You blend in well with everyone else as you listen.
“Harry-”
“No, Peter, seriously take it. You got the girl and kept her like I told you. You earned it.” Harry responds.
Your hearing is suddenly muffled and your body goes cold. You can’t make sense of it. Peter… lied to you? Every date, every kiss, every night you gave yourself to him was a lie? Peter loving you was a lie? You can’t control your rapid breaths anymore and you really don’t want to get caught, especially now. You quickly make your way over to Gwen, who’s holding two drinks in her hands.
“I got this fancy drink for us, apparently Harry prepaid them so we don’t have-” Gwen cuts off, seeing the expression on your face. You have no idea what it looks like but it must be alarming. “[Name]? What’s wrong?”
You can’t steady your breaths, they’re coming out faster now. You can’t focus on anything. The people, the music - they’re too loud now. You can’t get your thoughts together. “Can… Can we…”
Gwen understands, leading you into one of the unoccupied rooms adjacent to the main floor. She closes the door behind her and sets the drinks on one of the side tables near the door.
You sit on the closest piece of furniture you can find which ends up being a table. “He lied, Gwen, he fucking-”
“Woah, woah, calm down! Who lied?” She asks, sitting in the chair across from you.
“Peter! I heard Harry!” You say, the anxiety fading quickly to anger. You stand, pacing around the room. “He said, ‘You got the girl and kept her like I said, take it.’ He was holding a check, Gwen, he was paying him! To date me!”
Gwen’s eyes grow wide with concern, standing up and approaching you. “Hey, hey.” She says, grabbing your hands and squeezing them tightly. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. One hundred percent.”
Her face changes from concerned to angry. “I’m going to kill-”
A knock comes to the door and before either of you can respond, Peter opens the door. “Hey, I saw you two come in-” He stops and his easy smile falls. “What’s going on?”
Gwen shares a look with you, wordlessly telling you to be calm. “I’ll leave you to it.” She says, exiting the room and closing the door behind her.
“Are you alright? What happened, [Name]?” Peter asks. He steps closer to you and you take a step back to keep the distance. Peter looks hurt by this. “[Name]?” He asks again.
You can feel your body shaking. Gwen’s silent recommendation to be calm crumbles away with him standing in front of you. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re such a fucking prick, Peter.”
“Hey, hey! What the hell is going on?” Peter questions incredulously.
You hate the way he’s looking at you, especially knowing now that it’s all an act. “You know, this is really low for you. Did I mean nothing to you? Did we mean nothing to you?”
“Why would you mean nothing?” Peter’s alarmed now, his face painted with concern. “[Name], seriously, what are you talking about? You mean so much-”
“Don’t!” You yell. “Don’t you dare lie to me again!”
“Love, you’re yelling. Please, can we-” Peter steps closer and you can’t back away anymore, the table is touching the back of your legs.
“Fuck you, Peter!” You’re still yelling. You know outside people must be hearing your muffled accusations but you can’t find it in you to care. “I can’t believe you-!”
Peter’s kissing you before you can even tell him to back up.
Your body wants to respond, you desperately want to just forget what you heard but you can’t and you shove him off of you. “Why would you-”
“You were practically screaming! I just wanted you to calm down and talk to me. It was all I could think of!” Peter says, his hand reaching out for you in a vain attempt to get you to settle.
You push his hand away. “For money? Really, Peter?” You say instead of yelling, your voice is hard and unforgiving. You can’t cry in front of him but you feel the burn of oncoming tears. “How terrible of a person do you have to be for you to agree to something like that?”
Recognition crosses his face and your heart falls. “[Name], love, how did you-”
“Don’t call me that,” You demand, tears finally filling your eyes. It blurs your vision just enough that you can’t make out his expression and you’re thankful, you can’t look at him if he’s going to just lie again. “Tell me the truth. Right now.”
Peter opens his mouth to respond when his phone pings once, then twice, then three times.
You feel a laugh of disbelief bubble up and you can’t hold it back. “Peter.” You warn.
“[Name], I have to-”
“Fuck your job! Tell me what’s going on right now.”
“I’ll come to yours right after, okay? I’ll explain, I promise. I really need to-”
You can’t believe he’s choosing to go to work over explaining the situation to you. It’s almost as unbelievable as what you heard Harry say. “You leave and we’re done.” Your tone is final.
“[Name], please, this is important!” Peter begs.
You scoff. “This is important, you asshole.” You say angrily. “You leave this room and we’re done.”
“[Name], don’t do this. Please don’t do this, not right now.” Peter looks so distraught and it makes you angrier. Why is he upset?
“Leave and we’re done.” You repeat.
Peter stares at you for so long, so long you think he might stay.v“I’m sorry.” He whispers, taking a traitorous step backward towards the door. “I swear I’ll-”
“Don’t even bother.” You say, the tears finally rolling down your cheeks. “Get out, leave, do whatever your damn job needs you to do so badly. But don’t you even think about showing up to my house.”
Peter’s crying too. You realize this as he nods and a single tear drops to right above his lip and he wipes it away. “I’m sorry.” He says one last time, tugging the door open and leaving you alone in the room.
Gwen appears in front of you, crouching down to be eye-level with you. She’s talking to you, but you aren’t listening.
You don’t remember sitting down on the floor. You don’t know how long it’s been since Peter left you here by yourself. You feel terrifyingly numb, a stark contrast to how happy you were an hour ago. “I’m going home.” You announce, standing with Gwen’s help.
“I’ll come with you.” Gwen says.
You shake your head. “I want to be alone.” You say, your voice weak. “I’ll… call you, maybe, I don’t know. Can you.. tell… Harry… that I need a day off?”
Gwen nods. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’ll handle it. At least let me know when you get home.”
You leave the room without saying anything back, walking along the wall to avoid anyone stopping you. You grab your jacket from the coat check, hating the way the employee is failing to hide their concern. It’s cold and snowing when you step outside and you pull up your hood, bracing yourself for the freezing walk to the subway station. There’s not a lot of people walking around and you assume it’s because of the weather. You’ve made it about two blocks when you hear a strange noise. You turn, seeing a figure flying through the air on the other side of the street. It takes you a couple seconds to process that it’s Spider-Man, watching as he uses a web to continue the momentum. You follow his movements with awe until you watch something drop, slowly falling down to the sidewalk. You go to yell after him that he dropped something, but by the time you look up from the fallen object, he’s gone.
You look both ways before dashing across the street to pick up whatever he had dropped, hoping you could maybe return it to him. You stop in front of it, bending down to pick it up. It looks like an article of clothing. You brush the snow off of it and your heart starts to race. It’s the tie. It’s the stupid science tie you gave Peter weeks ago. The one he wore tonight.
It suddenly clicks into place as you stand there, holding the silk tie in your hands. The police sirens when he calls, the wind when it’s not windy, the late nights, the consistent almost meetings of the two - Peter Parker is Spider-Man.
You still can’t believe it when you get home. You turn on the light and hang your coat on the rack next to your door, abandoning your shoes by the door instead of putting them away. You’re struggling to form a coherent thought. You make your way to the kitchen, wanting to get some water to hopefully calm yourself down just a little. You flip the light on and your heart clenches. Peter’s camera sits on the kitchen counter, now fully unwrapped with printed out photos sitting in front of it. You pick up the stack of pictures, seeing a post-it note on top. It’s from your Mom, telling you she printed out two of each picture for you and Peter.
The pictures make you feel even worse about the situation. The posed photos are bad enough - you smiling happily, having no idea what sadness was impending. The last one is the worst. It’s one you didn’t know was being taken, you’re looking at Peter and he’s smiling down at you. You would’ve loved this picture if you came home with him, if you had never heard Harry. There’s a part of you that’s glad you heard if it means it saved you even more pain. You have no idea how long Peter would have kept this facade going and it ending sooner rather than later is easing your pain just a little.
You set the pictures down, grabbing your water and heading up to your room. Reality doesn’t set in until you look around your bedroom, seeing various pieces of evidence of Peter’s existence. His jacket, a couple shirts, and even a pair of tennis shoes he let you borrow. You’re crying again, tears just coming and coming. You cry for what feels like hours until your phone ringing tears you out of it.
You know who it is before you even look, not surprised when Peter’s name is on your phone. You let it ring and he keeps calling, one after the other with less than a few seconds in between. You’re irritated and sad and him calling is making it worse. Against your better judgement, you answer. “Stop.” Is all you say and you’re about to hang up, when Peter starts rambling.
“[Name], no, please don’t hang up. Please. I’m begging you. Please just-”
“Stop calling.” You say, sniffing and wiping away the tears still on your cheeks.
“Can we please talk? I swear it’s not what you think, I promise. I promise-” You can hear the desperation in his voice.
An idea pops into your head. If he really, truly wanted to make amends, if he wanted to be honest with you, he’d tell you this. He’d tell you he’s Spider-Man. You might be reaching, but it’s worth a shot. “Then tell me the truth about your job.”
“What?” His voice is quiet.
“Tell me the truth about your job,” you repeat. “When your phone goes off and you leave, what are you doing?”
Peter’s silent for a long time. It’s almost a minute long of just white noise before he speaks. “I’m… You’re not going to believe me. It’s complicated. So, so complicated.”
Hope blossoms in your chest. “Try me.”
“[Name], I’m taking pictures of Spider-Man.” Peter says it like it’s a fact, like he’s so sure he’s telling the truth. But he’s not. You know he’s not.
The hope dies just as quick as it came. Realistically, if you didn’t know the truth already, you would have believed him. It makes sense, you’ll give him that, but it’s not the truth. “That’s not true.” You whisper.
“What? [Name]-”
“Don’t contact me any more,” You interrupt. ”I’ll give your camera to May, but do not come here. I’m done, Peter. I’m done.” You hang up before he has a chance to protest. He doesn’t call again, either and it makes you feel worse than you thought it would.
You dial Gwen’s number. She’s the only person you want to talk to right now.
She picks up after only one ring. “[Name], did you get home okay? You took a while.”
“Yeah,” you say softly. “Did you know Peter is Spider-Man?” It comes out with a tone like you’re joking.
“How did-”
“So you do,” You interrupt, sighing. “He wouldn’t tell me.”
“How did you find out?” Gwen asks.
“Watched him swing by and he dropped the tie I bought him.” You explain, deciding to clean up his stuff and putting it out of your sight. You put it in a plastic bag and set it near your desk to take downstairs tomorrow.
“He didn’t really tell me, either. He just kinda… webbed me once.” Gwen says and you find it in you to laugh just a little.
“Yeah. Is that why you were telling me to be careful?” You ask.
“I guess so. I had no idea if he would tell you. I didn’t… I have no idea what’s going on right now,” Gwen says and you hear her sigh. “This isn’t… like him at all.”
“You’re telling me.” You respond, laying back down on your bed. “I’m going to try and sleep, I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Alright. I told Harry you needed some time and he told me to tell you to take all the time you need. He… seemed upset, [Name].”
“Right,” you mumble. “Bye, Gwen. Thank you.”
“No problem. Try to sleep well.”
You hang up after she responds, burying yourself under your blankets. All you can think about is Peter. His secret superhero identity, his lies, his fake love confession, his stupid bet with Harry. It’s too much and it overwhelms you until you finally fall asleep.
—
The next few months suck for you. You went back to work after two days like you had said and have since avoided as many interactions with Harry as possible. You still had to see him sometimes, but you always cut the interactions short. He never really tried to say anything to you apart from asking you how you were or thanking you for your work. You were thankful he never mentioned Peter and you’re certain he knew what happened.
You kept up with Spider-Man’s qualms with city crime, too. You figured it was your way of checking up on him without actually doing it. It never made you feel better, though, at least knowing he’s still doing something he enjoyed. You missed him so badly even if you were angry with him. You’re still working though the emotions of the whole overdeal, even after this long. You did love him, you’re sure of it and you’d be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t still have feelings for him. You wish he really loved you like he said he did. You wish he never lied.
You and Gwen got closer over the last few weeks as well and it helped you feel less alone. She would come over a lot at first to help you work through everything and continues to check up on you. Her presence and insight were helpful in keeping your head above water.
You’re at work, organizing files on your computer when you get a call from the phone at your desk. You pick up, holding it between your shoulder and ear to continue working as you talk. “Front desk.” You say, deleting a folder you no longer need.
“[Name], can I see you in my office? I’ll send Jill down to cover you.” Harry’s voice immediately upsets you. You associate it with Peter. It’s difficult not to, after all.
“Sure.” You say, attempting to hide the anxious shake in your voice. You hang up and head upstairs after Jill comes to take your spot. You breathe deeply, knocking on his door.
“Come in,” Harry calls and you open the door, closing it behind you. “Hello.”
“Hi,” you say softly. “What did you want to see me for?” You ask, taking a seat when he gestures to the chairs in front of his desk.
“I’m going to preface this with the fact that it isn’t about work.”
Your heart drops to your stomach. “What is it about, then?” You question, even though you’re so sure it’s about-
“You and Peter.” Harry says, taking a sip of tea from his mug. “I realize it’s a tad unprofessional, but this is friend to friend. Not boss to employee.”
“Harry, I really… don’t want to talk about him.” You say, pulling your sleeves down to cover your hands so you don’t pick at your skin anxiously.
“[Name], I understand that you two ended things, but there’s-”
“Harry,” you say sternly. “I don’t want to lose my job so please take this as a friend to a friend, as you put it. I don’t want to discuss him or our relationship. At all.”
Harry watches you for a moment before nodding. “Alright. May I deliver you a message from him? Something he asked me to tell you.”
You avoid his gaze, staring down at the tile floor. You see a warbled reflection of your face in it. It’s similar to how you feel right now. “If you believe I should hear it.”
“I do believe so. He told me to say that…” Harry pauses for a few seconds. “It was unsafe for you to know. He never wanted to lie.”
You lift your head, staring Harry down without a word. You shake your head and stand. “I’ll be returning to work.”
“Of course. I apologize for bringing the topic up.” Harry says.
You nod, opening the door and leaving without saying anything else. You take your place back from Jill, resuming your work and trying to immerse yourself in it. Harry’s want to discuss your relationship and Peter’s words unsettle you. You have no idea if that meant Peter was afraid to tell you the truth about Spider-Man or the bet. Either way, you’re still angry. You’re frustrated and upset by his actions regardless of his cryptic message.
You make your way home after work, avoiding speaking to your parents and immediately heading up to your bedroom. You turn on your TV to watch something on Netflix, laying down under a heated blanket your parents got you for Christmas. May told them that Peter had picked up the camera a week after you left it there, as well as the pictures your Mom printed out. You didn’t expect him to take them, too, but you didn’t want them and so you gave them all to May.
It’s almost midnight by the time you’re feeling tired and you turn off the movie, taking a mental note of how far into it you were. You’re putting the remote back on your dresser when you hear a light tapping on your window. You figure it’s a branch from the tree near your window so you ignore it until it gets louder. You sigh, turning on the light and you nearly scream. Peter’s in his Spider-Man suit, crouching down outside your window and gestures for you to unlock it.
You approach the window slowly and unlock it, pushing it up but not letting him in. “Can I help you?” You ask sarcastically. You’re not sure if Peter knows that you know of his identity, but you can’t find it in you to fake being welcoming.
“Can I uh, come in? It’s pretty cold out here.” Peter asks and you can tell he’s trying to not sound like himself.
“Depends on if you’re going to lie to me again.” You say, crossing your arms over your chest.
Even without seeing his expression, you can tell Peter’s surprised. He tilts his head. “What?”
“I said it depends on if you’re going to lie to me, Peter.” You say, tacking his name on at the end.
“Fuck,” Peter whispers. “I-I had no idea you knew, [Name], can we talk? I came here to tell you but clearly that’s… Please?”
You sigh, stepping back enough that Peter can climb in the window. You close it behind him to prevent the cold air from entering your room. You don’t say anything as he sits down on your bed.
Peter finally takes his mask off and solidifies your thoughts. “Thank you for letting me in.”
You nod, trying not to stare at him too much. He’s still so, so beautiful and your heart is racing even though you’re trying to calm down. “Why are you here?”
“I… I wanted to tell you the truth. Like you asked.”
“It’s a little late for that, don’t you think?” You ask, refusing to sit next to him and continuing to stand as far from him as possible.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault, I know it was all my fault,” Peter says, desperately trying to get you to look at him. “Please let me tell you the truth.”
“Fine.” You whisper, finally looking him in the eye.
“Okay, okay, okay.” Peter says, setting his mask down on his lap. “So, the stupid thing with Harry was for me to keep dating you, not date you.”
You feel anger bubbling up in you. Somehow, him having to be paid to continue to be with you makes it worse.
“Please don’t look at me like that! I swear it makes sense, just let me finish.” Peter begs. He looks so, so dejected.
“Better talk fast, then.”
“Okay, so, I was so worried about you. I loved you, I love you still and it scared me. It still scares me,” Peter says and your heart breaks just a little. “This… identity, it’s so dangerous. There are people who could find out and use you as a pawn and I have no idea what I’d do if I lost you.”
“What does this have to do with-”
“[Name], please. I told Harry about it. It was the same situation with Gwen, I was worried about her too and so he recommended I end things. This time, he didn’t agree with me. He wanted me to stay with you so I’d see that I… I needed you, you know? He was right. He was so right, I do need you.”
“So, he paid you to stop being an idiot?” You ask and Peter laughs a little.
“I guess that’s a way to put it. I didn’t take the money, though, [Name]. I would never have taken it,” Peter stands, setting his mask on your bed and walking closer to you. “To explain everything to you I would have had to tell you about this,” He gestures to the suit he’s wearing. “I couldn’t risk it. Not then. There was an entire group of people after me, it wasn’t the right time. I promise I would've told you when it was safe.”
You don’t move back from him as he continues to step closer to you.
“Please understand. You would’ve done the same.” Peter says, stepping close enough that there’s barely a foot between the two of you.
Everything is making sense. Peter’s ominous message for you, the bet that wasn’t really a bet, and even his break-up with Gwen. “I guess it makes sense.”
Peter’s concerned expression turns into a genuine smile. “Really?”
“Unless you’re lying again-”
“No!” Peter says a little too loud. “I’m not, I’m not, I promise.”
You bite the inside of your cheek, trying to formulate your response. You believe him, you know that. If you asked Harry or Gwen, you’re sure they would corroborate it. You can’t think of anything to say, so you go with your first instinct. “You loved me for real, then?”
“Yes,” Peter says instantly. “Nothing in our relationship was ever a lie. I loved every second I spent with you.”
“You really hurt me, Peter,” You say, feeling suddenly vulnerable. “I realized I loved you and you broke my heart on the same night.”
“I know, [Name], I’m so sorry. It was never meant to go that far, I swear. I wanted to tell you.” Peter says, reaching for your hand.
You let him take it and he squeezes it. “I don’t know what you want me to say.” You whisper.
“I would like you to say you forgive me, maybe, just a little?”
A smile creeps onto your face. He’s still the same Peter, even now. “I do, I’m kinda mad still but I forgive you.”
“Does that mean I can kiss you?” Peter asks.
You chuckle, shaking your head in disbelief. Of course you want to kiss him, you missed him more than anything. Your heart is beating quicker and you pull him closer with your joined hands.
Peter grins, leaning in without another word and kissing you. His hands find your waist, pulling you even closer to him. It’s so familiar and comforting. His lips fit the same as you remember and he smells the same, too. It feels like home. When he pulls back, he rests his forehead against yours. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” You say back.
Peter kisses you again. “I’m sorry for hurting you. I told you I didn’t want to and that’s all I did.”
“It hurt even worse because I thought you and I…” You trail off, not knowing how to phrase what you wanted to say.
Peter moves back enough to cup your face in his hands. He doesn’t say anything, letting you speak.
“I thought we were such a good fit, I guess.” You mumble.
“What’s crazy about that is we are,” Peter smiles. “From now on, you’ll know everything. No more hiding anything.”
“You still want this?” You ask, even though you think you know the answer. You just want to hear him say it.
“More than anything. I seriously love you, so much.” Peter says.
You let out a happy noise, pulling him into a hug. “I love you, too, you stupid idiot.”
Everything falls into place after Peter tells you the truth. Your relationship resumes easily, much to your delight. You assumed there would be a bit of hesitation, but it’s a seamless transition. Harry’s thrilled to find out you two are back together when Peter tells him. Gwen and your parents, too. When Summer rolls around, you and Peter decide moving you in with him is the next step. Peter helps you move in all of your stuff and unpack it, too, not nearly as big a feat as you thought it would be. You find the old pictures from Christmas and decide to frame them in a college. Peter loves it when you show him and he hangs it up in your shared bedroom above the headboard.
You’re not entirely sure what is going to come next, but you think you’re ready for anything. Especially with Peter by your side, like it always was meant to be.
---
thank u so much for reading! my next fic will be an enemies to lovers so get ready >:) also please lmk how u liked this conclusion! i love hearing your thoughts.
hello !! this is the first part of my sorta kinda fake dating au for tasm!peter. i hope you guys enjoy and please let me know if you want me to continue it!!
prompt: you didn't expect to see peter again, let alone kiss him. you never expected him to betray you, either.
content: swearing, eventual angst, fluff, fake dating ish, childhood friends to lovers, mentions of alcohol / drinking, mentions of death
word count: 10.0k
additional notes: a bit of an au to fit my needs (harry isn't crazy and gwen never died), unedited!
You never had many friends growing up. Your parents tried fruitlessly to introduce you to their friends’ kids, but nothing ever stuck. It felt like a continuous loop of meeting new people your age and never seeing them again. For a time in your life, you thought being alone was your only path. Only having to worry about yourself and having no one to upset you but your parents became… ideal.
Until you met Peter. He changed your mind so fast you felt like you had gotten emotional whiplash - one day you didn’t care and the next? You cared so much it felt like you were going to cave in. You met him when he moved in across the street from you and your parents. He was kind, he was funny, and he made you feel important and present in his life. He always sat next to you at lunch, played with you on the playground, and even showed up to your house unannounced frequently to see you. You finally felt what it was like to have a friend - a true friend, one that you could trust with everything.
So, you did. You told Peter your secrets and in turn, he shared his. You two discussed his missing parents and your absent ones, your fear of storms and his fear of Goosebumps books.
You still didn’t have many friends, but you had one and it was enough. He was your best friend and you swore you’d be his friend until the day you died.
Your developing friendship came to a screeching halt one late afternoon. You were over at the Parker’s house, enjoying a game of Mario Party on his Wii, when your parents rushed over to collect you. They were in a panic, ushering you into an already packed car and driving off before you even had a chance to ask what was going on.
You never got to say goodbye.
You found out when you arrived in Wisconsin that your grandfather had passed and your grandmother had recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She needed someone to care for her and your parents stepped up, moving the three of you to a house across the street. You used to sit in your new bedroom window, staring at your grandparents house, selfishly wishing Peter lived there instead.
You never made new friends at the school you transferred to. None of the small, budding friendships you tried compared to Peter. They lied to you, avoided you, caused drama for something to talk about - you hated it. You were back to square one.
As you grew older, your grandmother deteriorated. She lived long past her initial prognosis but eventually passed the day before your 23rd birthday. It was hard.
Once your parents had sold your grandparent’s house and theirs, you willingly followed them back to New York, living once again in your childhood home. You were thankful they chose not to put it up for sale.
You were thrilled with the idea of seeing Peter again. You could get your best friend back and resume what the two of you had lost years ago. You found out from May that Ben had passed when Peter was 17 and when he graduated, he moved out to be on his own. To reinvent himself, he had said.
Part of you wanted to ask for his new address. May even offered to let him know you were back, but you declined, suddenly feeling that perhaps he had his own life. You didn’t want to waltz back in without invitation. If you connect with Peter again, you wanted it to happen naturally, not from someone else’s manipulation.
You sigh, leaning back in your office chair, trying your best to relieve the stress in your back. You enjoy your job for the most part. Being a main receptionist at Oscorp was easy. You learned the building easily and seeing the familiar faces each day made it go by a little quicker. You sat up straighter in your chair upon hearing approaching footfalls. You smile slightly at the man who approaches your desk. “Hello. How can I help you?”
He returns your smile with a nod of his head. “I’m looking for Dr. Hayes. I have a meeting planned with him for 2 o’clock.”
You nod, rolling your chair back a little to pull out a file with Dr. Hayes’ upcoming meetings. You open it, turning to today, and find a meeting at 2:00. “Verify your name for me, please?”
“Christopher Freeman.”
“Alright,” you say, quickly jotting down his name on a name tag sticker and handing it to him. “Up the elevator to the fourth floor and take a left. His office has a plant outside of it.”
“Thanks,” He says, picking up his briefcase and walking towards the elevator.
You let out a breath and roll your shoulders, tucking the file back into it’s original place in the drawer.
“Working hard, huh?” A voice says.
You look up, alarmed, but relax when you realize it’s just Gwen. “Oh, hey, Gwen. How are you?”
“I’m all good, you?” She offers you a kind smile, holding her bag strap with one of her hands.
“I’m fine.” You say, using your foot to roll your chair a little closer to the desk. “Anything interesting you’d like to tell your favorite receptionist?”
Gwen laughs a little. “Not anything fun. Did you hear about the party Oscorp is throwing for employees? Well, it's organized by some finance guys, but everyone’s invited.”
You shake your head. Parties weren’t your thing. You’d rather stay at home and drink by yourself, watching TV in the comfort of your pajamas. “Nah, I have plans.”
“Real plans?” Gwen teases.
“Yes, real ones!” You protest. “It’s a family thing, can’t get out of it.”
“I understand, but if you can make it, you know you’re welcome to come. You got an invite, right?” She asks.
You nod, picking up the party invitation you have sitting on the desk beside your calendar and waving it a little. “One of those finance guys flirts with me constantly, I’m not surprised he hand delivered it to me instead of putting it in the mailbox. I think his name is Matt?”
Gwen lets out an airy chuckle. “Yeah, I remember that. Well, I gotta go, but I’ll see you around.”
“See you.” You call out after her as she walks away and she throws a wave over her shoulder.
The rest of your work day goes by uneventfully, just the same process of greeting guests and saying hello to your coworkers. You’ve clocked out and are about to leave when someone calls your name.
You look back and force the frown on your face to be neutral upon seeing Matt jogging at you. “Hey, Matt.”
“Hey, [Name], do you think you’ll be able to make it to the party?” Matt asks, his hands resting deep in the pockets of his slacks.
“I don’t think so, I have a family thing. Sorry.” You say, offering him a sympathetic smile, before turning to leave.
“W-Well, you’re getting off of work, right? Would you want to grab dinner?” He asks and you hold in a sigh. You will admit, Matt is cute and friendly, but you aren’t the type of person for him. You know you come across like everyone else, kind enough and extroverted, but a relationship isn’t something you want. You put on a front at work that people fall for, Matt included.
“I gotta run some errands. Maybe next time.” You offer, even though you know you’ll never agree, waving at Matt and exiting the building.
It’s getting a little chilly as August approaches. You decide that you need to start checking the weather to plan your business attire to better fit the colder months. You’re trying to find the grocery list buried in your bag when you accidentally run into someone, bumping into them hard enough that it causes you to stumble. This pushes your shoe off your foot slightly.
A hand reaches out and grabs your arm, steadying you before you fall completely. “Hey, I’m sorry, I was definitely not looking where I was going.”
The voice is familiar. You’re still not looking, trying to readjust your sock and shoe to be on your foot comfortably again. “Yeah, neither was I.” You respond, finally sliding your shoe back on. “I’m really sorry, too-” Your voice falters when you finally make eye contact with the stranger you ran into.
It’s him. It’s him. Everything you want to say dies in your throat before you can even speak, causing you to open and close your mouth stupidly.
Recognition flashes in Peter’s eyes and a wide grin spreads across his face. “[Name]? Holy shit.”
“Hey,” you manage, your heart beating rapidly. You can’t believe he’s standing here in front of you. “Sorry for bumping into you.”
“I’m glad you did! I wouldn’t have noticed you otherwise, I thought you were…?” He trails off and you realize he didn’t know anything. You two never got a proper goodbye and even when your parents offered for you to talk to him on the phone, you were too worried it would upset you more than help you.
“Right, I just kinda vanished, didn’t I?” You laugh, albeit awkwardly. You push your hair behind your ear as the wind picks up.
“A little,” Peter teases, a soft smile still on his face. “I have to run, I’m already late, but…” He pauses, pulling out his phone and unlocking it. He hands it to you and you blink, slowly taking it.
You type in your phone number and a contact name, handing it back. You can still hear your heartbeat in your ears.
“Sweet. I’ll text you later, okay, [Name]?”
You can’t form words so you nod slowly as he retreats.
“You better respond this time!” Peter calls as he leaves, walking backwards dangerously close to running into people.
You nod again, quicker and more certain this time. He seems satisfied with this, shooting you one last grin before turning around. You finally feel like you can take a deep breath. You couldn’t be more excited. You ran into him by accident, like it was fate, like you wanted it to happen when you moved back. You feel a small smile creeping its way onto your face as you continue your walk to the grocery store and the last thing on your mind is finding the list.
—
You struggle to balance your bags of groceries as you unlock and enter the house. “Mom, Dad?” You call, finally being able to set the bags down on the kitchen counters. There’s no response to your call and you sigh, slipping your work shoes off and placing them on the shoe rack near the door. You begin to unpack the groceries when your phone starts to ring in your bag.
It’s not a preset ringtone for anyone you know, so you let it ring. You figure it’s a spam call. The phone stops ringing for a second, then it starts up again. You sigh again, frustrated at the lack of help from your parents and whoever is calling you for a second time. You put the milk in its place in the fridge, walking over to your bag and finding your phone. The number calling you has a Queens area code but you don’t recognize it. You decide to answer it anyway, if they called you twice, they must want to call you. “Hello?” You say as you put it to your ear and hold it up with your shoulder.
“You told me you would answer, but I had to call twice.” A voice says and it takes you a couple seconds to process.
“Peter?” You inquire, your hands pausing above the groceries you were going to continue to put away.
“[Name],” Peter responds and you swear you can hear the smile in his voice. “Is this a bad time?”
“No,” you say, finally resuming putting the food away. “I’m just putting away groceries.”
“That sounds like fun,” Peter says, soft background noise of wind coming through in his silence. “Get anything good?”
“I got some good looking pasta I’m excited to try,” you answer. “Where are you? I hear lots of wind.”
Peter doesn’t respond for a moment. “Just walking home. It’s getting windy.”
You peek out the window, seeing the barely swaying trees. You wonder if it’s only in the inner city, then. “May told me you moved out, where are you living, then?” You ask, finally finishing putting away the groceries.
“Oh! You spoke to May?” Peter asks.
“Yeah, I moved back into my parents house with them. The one-”
“Across the street from May! That’s awesome, seriously.” Peter says, excitement evident in his voice. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Really?” You ask before you can stop it.
“Yeah! I always wondered what happened. I’m glad you’re okay.” Peter says and you feel yourself smile.
“Yeah. I’m alright.” You respond, sitting down on the couch to get more comfortable. “How are you holding up?”
Peter hums in thought. “I’m alright,” He finally says. “I’d love to actually-” He stops, sirens of police cars coming through.
“Peter?” You ask, a little worried.
“I gotta go, I have work stuff to do. I’ll talk to you soon.”
You barely even get a goodbye out before he ends the call. You pull it back from your ear and stare at the home screen of your phone, not sure what to make of his call. You add his number to your contacts and try to watch something on TV.
—
Peter follows through with his promise to talk to you soon. A lot.
Text messages and calls increase in occurrence over the past couple weeks. You’re happy that your friendship is starting to develop itself back into what it used to be. He even starts to come over frequently to watch movies with you and discuss events in each other’s lives that you missed. Peter never spoke about his current life much and in turn, neither did you. You found it a bit odd but you never pushed his boundaries. If him being back in your life meant that you had to work up to that, then so be it. He’s worth it. He’ll always be worth it to you.
You’re sitting in your room across from Peter, playing Uno with him, the TV playing a show neither of you are paying attention to. You’re down to two cards and Peter has three. You set down a blue seven. “Uno.” You say instantly before he has the chance to call you out on it.
“Man, [Name], it looks like you might just win.” Peter sighs, pretending to be upset. He fake sniffs.
“Just play so I can win,” You say, raising your eyebrows at him. “Don’t be a sore loser.”
A grin appears on Peter’s face. “Oh, my bad, let me…” He trails off, a smirk replacing the grin on his face. “We’re playing with jump-in rules, right?”
You nod slowly, skeptical of his questioning of the rules.
He laughs. “Well, nice knowing you, [Name].”
“Don’t you fucking-”
Peter sets down a +4 card… and then another. You gape at him. It’s only the two of you playing, so when you draw, he instantly gets to go again.
“I think I’m gonna go with red. Uno.” He says, still smirking, placing his last card down on the deck. It’s a red four.
You throw your last card down in anger, not even bothering to draw the eight cards. You lost anyway.
“Hey, you gotta draw still! Don’t be a sore loser.” Peter teases and you shoot him a glare.
“I don’t want to play with you anymore.” You respond, trying your best to keep your angry facade going. The grin on his face tells you that he knows you’re faking it. Your heart skips a beat as he looks at you and you try to will it away.
“We can play something else, maybe you’ll win.” He offers and you shoot him a look, but you shake your head.
“My back is hurting from sitting on the ground so long,” You say, standing and stretching your arms above your head. “Do you want to actually watch something?”
“Hmm, sure, as long as we make something to eat first.” Peter says, standing as well, moving closer to your bedroom door to make his way to the kitchen.
You chuckle to yourself and follow him. “Just say you don’t know how to cook, Peter.”
Peter laughs as he opens your fridge to pull out some ingredients. “I can cook fine, thank you, I just enjoy yours better.”
“Uh huh,” you say, grabbing a couple of spices you want to use. “Keep telling yourself that.”
The two of you make dinner together, both of you pleasantly silent with concentration, until Peter speaks up. “Hey, uh, you free on the 17th?”
You hum in thought, stopping mixing the sauce you’re working on. “I think so.”
“There’s a party I was invited to before uh…” He trails off. “Anyways, I have a plus one for a party. Would you want to go?”
You shrug a little. It’s the same day as the Oscorp party. Now, you’d really have plans and Gwen would get off your back a little. Plus, attending a party as Peter’s plus-one sounds… good. “Sure, why not?”
Peter smiles at you. “Great, it starts at 7 so I’ll pick you up.”
You shake your head. “I’ll be at work ‘till 6:30, so don’t worry. I’ll just take the subway.”
He nods. The two of you continue to make dinner and eat it in front of the TV, watching whatever horror movie is playing. You’re watching the movie carefully, trying to prepare yourself for any potential jumpscares, when you notice Peter looking at you. You turn slightly, matching his gaze.
He opens his mouth to say something, but stops. Peter’s phone dings, alerting him of a notification. He picks up his phone and sighs, standing. “I gotta go, I’m sorry. Work shit.”
You stand, too, grabbing both plates and taking them to the dishwasher. “They’re working you this late?” You ask, putting the dishes in the bottom rack before closing the dishwasher door.
“Yeah.” Peter says, not expanding on the topic and you don’t ask. He leaves after saying goodbye and you lock the door behind him. You’re starting to wonder what exactly he does for work that has him leaving suddenly in the middle of the night a lot. This wasn’t the first time he abruptly left, either. You decide to do a little digging, googling his name to see if any LinkedIn profiles pop up. You’re surprised to find his name listed under the Daily Bugle’s employees. You sit back on the couch, your mind whirring to try and piece together why he had to work so many late nights. You come up with nothing and decide to finish the movie on your own, realizing halfway through that you miss his presence by your side.
—
The night of the party rapidly approaches before you have time to process that you really agreed to go to it. You packed a party outfit in your work bag to change into before you leave since you don’t really have time to stop at home first.
The last person to leave the building that you see is Gwen. “Hey, [Name], still not going to the party?”
You shoot Gwen a look but all she does is smile. “I have plans, I told you that.”
“Whatever you say,” Gwen teases. “I’ll let you know tomorrow if anything funny happens.”
“Please do.” You say, waving at her as she leaves. You clock out and run to the bathroom to change, stuffing your work clothes into your bag. You end up putting your bag in your locker in the breakroom, only taking your phone, wallet and keys. You could pick up your bag tomorrow.
You check out your appearance in the mirror before you leave, satisfied that your work makeup stayed on enough to be sufficient for a night out. You make your way to the subway and barely make it onto the one you’re supposed to take.
You get off at your stop, double-checking the address Peter texted you earlier in the week. It seems a little familiar, but you wonder if it’s just a common place to host a party. You approach the building, your steps slowing as you start to recognize the various people standing outside. These people work with you at Oscorp, why are they here?
“[Name]?” A voice asks behind you and you turn, finding Gwen approaching you with a confused expression on her face.
“Hey… What’s up?” You ask, not sure what to say. You haven’t seen Peter yet, so maybe you got the address wrong.
“Did you decide to come?” She asks, a happy smile replacing her previous confused one.
“Uh, my friend invited me to a party… I didn’t think it was the same one,” you say, looking behind you to see if you could find Peter amongst the crowd. “This is kinda awkward.”
“Who invited you?” Gwen says curiously.
You’re about to answer when someone approaches behind you. It’s Peter. “Hey, sorry I’m late, I had to-” He stops when he sees Gwen. Her soft smile falters.
“Hey, Peter.” Gwen speaks softly, her voice sounding different than it did when she spoke to you moments before.
“Hi, Gwen.” Peter responds. “I… It’s nice to see you. Doing good?”
Gwen nods. “I’m doing good,” She confirms. “I didn’t know you knew [Name].”
Peter takes a second to reply. “I didn’t know you knew her, either.”
She tilts her head a little. “She works at Oscorp with me. Did Harry invite you?”
Peter nods.
You look between the two of them in confusion, but you don’t say anything.
“Well, I’m going to head in, I’ll see you later, [Name].” Gwen says, offering you a smile and an affectionate pat on your shoulder before walking past you and entering the building.
Peter watches as she leaves before turning to you. “You work at Oscorp?”
You nod slowly. “Yeah, I work the reception desk… You know Gwen?”
Peter lets out a long sigh. “Yeah, uh, long story.”
“And Harry?”
“A different story.”
You try and put the pieces together as you two finally enter the building. The music is a little loud but you’re not too bothered. You look towards the bar with a questioning gesture and Peter nods, following you.
Several drinks later, you find yourself stumbling over your words a bit more and your eyesight is a bit blurry. You drop your guard just a bit, just enough to ask him what you’ve been wondering.
“Will you tell me the long story about you and Gwen?” You ask Peter as you two find an uncrowded part of the room to stand in. You couldn’t stop thinking about it all night.
Peter runs a hand through his hair and sighs a little. “I dated Gwen for a while and I met Harry pretty soon after you left. He helped me with… the process, I guess.”
You frown a little. “Oh, I’m sorry… about Gwen.”
He waves you off. “It’s alright. It was mutual, don’t worry, just still a bit awkward. I didn’t know you worked at Oscorp, though.”
You shrug a little. “It’s nothing special. It pays the bills.”
“Have you met Harry?” Peter asks, deciding to lean against the wall next to him.
“Once or twice. He’s always got meetings that I check in people for, but… That’s the extent of me knowing him.” You explain.
Peter seems to relax a little at this, flashing you a smile. “Well, originally, he invited me with Gwen, but…”
You nod in understanding. “So, your plus-one was for a friend, I assume?”
“Yeah, I suppose it technically went unused, since you were already invited.” Peter laughs a little. “This is kinda crazy.”
“I agree. Some coincidence, after I told Gwen and Matt I wasn’t coming.” You say, scanning the crowd to look for Matt among them. “I’m not in the mood to see him.”
“Why not?” Peter asks, something identifiable in his expression.
“He likes me or something. I’m not interested. He’s nice and all but he doesn’t really know me.” You say, turning your attention fully back to Peter.
“Do I know you?” He asks.
You falter. It’s such a loaded question for a phrase so simple. Did he know you? Really know you? But, as you thought, you realize he’s the closest person to knowing the real you. The front you put up at work falls when he’s around. You feel safe being yourself around him because you never had to doubt him. “The closest to knowing me as anyone’s tried to get.” You finally say. When you look into his eyes, your heart starts to race. The way he’s looking at you, studying you, makes your knees feel weak. You’ve never felt this way about Peter before, so why now? Why are you suddenly breaking under his gaze?
“How much more do I need to learn before I know you?” He asks, his voice low and quiet. You realize how close the two of you have become, less than a foot between you.
Your response dies in your throat and you swallow hard. You’re still staring back when someone touches your shoulder. Peter straightens as he looks at the person behind you. You turn, finding Matt smiling down at you.
“Hey! I thought you said you weren’t coming.” Matt says, removing his hand from your shoulder.
“Yeah, I just… decided to come with a friend.” You explain, gesturing to Peter. “Matt, this is Peter. Peter, Matt.”
Peter reaches his hand out to shake Matt’s hand. They seem to wordlessly communicate something with the handshake, but you say nothing.
“Well, I’m glad you decided to come, [Name]. I’ll see you around, okay?” Matt asks, even though it’s not really a question. He walks away without you even replying.
You watch his retreating back before turning back to Peter. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to buy me a drink.”
Peter shrugs a little. “I’ll buy you one, if you want another one.” He says, smiling gently at you.
You’re teetering on the line of just drunk enough and too drunk so you decline. “I would let you buy me a drink, though.” You say before you can stop it. You look up at him and he’s already looking back, something just short of a smirk on his face.
“If you didn’t know me already? Or in this scenario am I to assume we know each other?” Peter asks.
You hum thoughtfully, switching your gaze between both of his eyes. You can’t believe you’re being this honest with him. “I’d let you either way, I think.” You settle on saying.
“Why’s that?” He inquires, leaning just a little bit closer to you. You feel warm all of a sudden, with him so close to you.
“U-Um, I don’t know…” You stammer, trying to rid your thoughts of him. You’re drunk, you know that, and you’re sure that by morning you wouldn’t be thinking of him at all. Not like this. But something deep inside you is telling you that it wouldn’t go away by the time you wake up.
He leans down, closer to your ear. “I think you do.” Peter whispers, just loud enough over the music for you to hear. You suppress a shudder, locking your gaze with his. He’s leaning closer, you realize, the smell of his cologne enough to mask the scent of alcohol.
“Peter,” you whisper. “You’re drunk, are you-”
Peter’s lips find yours and you melt. You never intended to befriend Peter again to kiss him but it feels good. You probably shouldn’t even be kissing someone like this at a work party and even then, you can’t find it in you to care. Something about kissing Peter felt right.
Peter pulls away and stares at you with something in his eyes you’ve never seen before.
You take in a shaky breath. “Can we get out of here?”
The two of you leave without telling anyone else. The streets aren’t as crowded as they are during the day, so your slight stumbling doesn’t embarrass you like you thought it would. Your house is empty when you both arrive, your parents off somewhere else. You thank them for deciding tonight was perfect to leave for a joint business trip. You close the door behind the both of you, locking it and making your way to the kitchen with Peter in tow. You grab two glasses and fill them with ice water, handing one to him. He’s still looking at you with an intense gaze and you wonder if it’s just the booze in your system. “Peter, why are you staring?” You decide to ask, setting your cup of water on the counter. He mirrors your movements, setting his own glass down as well.
Peter is still staring as he approaches you and his hands find your hips. He squeezes the skin there gently, wetting his lips before he speaks. “You’re beautiful.” His voice is soft and his tone sweet, almost like a warm blanket.
Your heart swells up in your throat and you pull him closer before your thoughts have even caught up with your movements. You kiss him again and again and again in the dim light of your kitchen, wishing that you had never left. Maybe this would have happened sooner, maybe you would have been living with him instead of your parents.
“Will you stay?” You mumble against his lips, tilting your head up just enough to look him in the eye.
Peter smiles against your lips, pressing another kiss to them. “I would, but I have work in the morning.” He says, a small pout adorning his lips. “I’m sorry.”
“They work you so hard, sometimes.” You say, moving back a little from him. “At least drink some more water before you leave.”
You two sit in the kitchen in silence. Peter is starting to look a little more concerned than happy. You rest your head in your hand, tilting your head to watch Peter. Something is bothering him, you can tell. His face always has a certain expression when he’s thinking and you’re not sure it’s good thoughts. “You feeling okay?”
Peter nods again, turning to look at you. His expression makes your heart fall.
“What are you thinking?” You ask, trying to look him in the eye. “Peter…?”
Peter finally returns your gaze. “I don’t want to hurt you. I really don’t.”
You process for a moment before speaking. “If you’re trying to tell me you regret it-”
“No! No, no, I’m not.” Peter says, a bit urgently. “I don’t.”
You nod slowly, your anxiety easing a little at his confirmation. “Then how are you going to hurt me?”
Peter leans back into the chair, staring up at the ceiling. “It’s complicated, [Name]. Gwen and I…” He trails off, looking back to you. “I don’t have a lot of time for ‘me’ stuff. You know how often I work.”
You sigh. “I know that. But, Peter, if we think about it… How often do we find time to hang out, right? Once or twice a week? For the past month?”
Peter ponders this a little, leaning forward to rest his arms on the counter. “Yeah, but-”
“For people who don’t live together, that’s a lot,” You reason. “If it’s not having time, honestly, it doesn’t seem like much of an issue.”
He’s still looking at you with such an indescribable expression. He seems so conflicted and it makes you want to back down from the conversation. “You’re right,” He finally says and he shoots you a small grin. “So, you’re telling me that you wanted to kiss me this whole time?”
Your eyes widen a little, stuttering over your words. “I-I never said that-”
“It was implied.” Peter teases, taking a sip of his water.
“Well, should I think it’s implied that you wanted to as well?” You inquire, giving into his teasing.
Peter raises his eyebrows and smiles, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know, maybe, you’ll never know.”
“Unless you’ll tell me if I ask.” You say, raising your eyebrows back jokingly. “Would you?”
“You haven’t asked.” Peter responds, turning his chair and standing up. You watch as he approaches you, placing his hands on your shoulders to swivel the chair to face him.
You bite the inside of your cheek, feeling them heat up. “Did you want to kiss me?” You ask, your voice a little hesitant.
Peter wets his lips and you watch the movement before returning your gaze to his eyes. They’re so bright. They’re the brightest pair of amber eyes you’ve ever seen. They hold so much emotion in them that it sort of overwhelms you. In the years you’ve missed, Peter has become one of the most complex people you’ve ever met. “I did,” Peter whispers, so softly, as if he’s trying to keep the tension in the air.
“Even sober?” You whisper back and Peter laughs quietly.
“Ever since I saw you on the street.” He says, leaning a little closer to you.
Your breath hitches in your throat. “Then… Why didn’t you earlier?”
Peter smiles ever so slightly. “You’re a little intimidating, [Name].”
“I could say the same about you.” You respond, leaning a little closer to him. You flick your gaze down to his lips then back up. “Did you want to kiss me… or do you want to?”
Peter gets the hint, leaning in and connecting your lips. This kiss is slower than the previous ones the two of you shared. It’s nice - all encompassing and warm. You want to be closer to him so you stand, pressing against him. It feels so right, standing here with him, kissing him like you were meant to do it. If it were anyone else, the taste of alcohol on his lips would deter you, but something about him makes it more than bearable.
Peter pulls back just enough to talk. “So, should I assume it would be a yes if I asked you on a date?” His lips brush yours as he speaks.
A giggle escapes you, a happy little thing that bubbles up in your chest. “Yes.”
Peter leaves that night a little later after he had sobered up enough that you felt comfortable letting him walk home alone.
You sit awake in your bed, long after Peter had left and your texts asking him if he made it home are still unanswered. You decide to check social media to calm your anxiety, only to find a breaking news story. Spider-Man was seen fighting a group of muggers five minutes ago, right on Peter’s route home. “Fuck.” You say, quickly dialing Peter’s contact. It rings once… twice… three times before he finally picks up. “Peter! Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I just made it home.” Peter says, sounding tired and you can hear running water in the background.
“You're going to wash me off of you, huh?” You say teasingly, a smile creeping onto your face when you hear him laugh. You realize how deep into this you are all of a sudden. You’re smiling because he’s laughing. You’re smiling because he’s happy and that’s all you could ask for.
“No, no. Just showering because I know I’ll wanna sleep in tomorrow.” He replies. “You worried about me or something?”
“There was just something going on with muggers and Spider-Man on the route you take home. I wanted to make sure you got home okay.” You explain.
“Oh, yeah, I saw that on the news app. It was after I had already been there, no worries.” He says.
“Glad to hear it. Well, enjoy your shower. Talk to you soon?”
“Talk to you tomorrow.” Peter clarifies and you smile to yourself.
You’re excited, giddy even, that Peter obviously is interested in you. You’ve never felt this way about anyone before and you’re thrilled that he’s matching your energy. “Okay. Goodnight, Peter.”
“Goodnight, [Name].” Peter says and you end the call.
You put your phone on your bedside table after plugging it in to charge. You sigh as you lay back, staring up at the ceiling. Your mind is whirring with thoughts of Peter and your ever changing relationship. Friends to strangers to friends again with some romance littered in seems common enough in life, but you never thought it would be something you’d get to experience. Your mind is full of a certain brown-haired boy as you finally fall into the depths of sleep.
—
The day is moving excruciatingly slow for you. There’s been a significant decrease in meetings and visitors to Oscorp as of late, which means you have nothing to do. Communications are slow today, too, and any emails you receive you answer almost immediately. You’re resorting to testing the various pens in your drawers to pass the time when someone approaches your desk. You glance up, smiling warmly at Gwen. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she responds with a grin. “Sorry if I made things awkward with Peter-”
“No, no, don’t apologize,” You interrupt. “I had no idea you two… If I knew I would have said something.”
Gwen shakes her head. “No worries, seriously, it’s been a long time,” she approaches the desk, leaning against the front of it to speak quietly. “Should I assume the kiss I saw was a long time coming?” Her tone is teasing, not upset like you assumed she would be.
Your cheeks get warm almost instantly. “You saw that?” You ask incredulously. It was a crowded party and you two were tucked into a dark corner - you hoped no one was looking. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t of-”
“[Name]. I told you, it’s been a long time. I’m not angry or anything.” She says but the concerned expression on her face is telling you a different story.
“Then… Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask, your voice quiet and timid. You never want Gwen to be upset with you. She’s the closest thing to a friend you’ve had since Peter and you don’t want to lose that.
Gwen ponders her response for a while, her gaze not meeting your eyes until she’s ready. “Just be careful.”
“Be careful? With him?” You inquire, even more confused than you were moments prior.
“No, just in general. Take care of yourself,” Gwen says, offering you an encouraging smile. “I trust your judgement.”
“Is there something I should know?” You press, not wanting to get yourself wrapped up in something that Gwen is actively trying to advise you against. If she tells you it’s not a good idea, you’d trust her judgement, too.
“No, seriously, he’s an awesome guy. I’m just saying! Relationships are hard and I don’t want to see you get hurt. You’re my friend, [Name],” Gwen replies, reaching over the desk to grab your hands in hers. “I’m not mad. I only want you to be happy.”
You nod, squeezing her hand that’s holding yours before she lets go. “I appreciate it, Gwen. I’ll keep you in the loop if it’s not too weird?”
“Tell me everything. I care about Peter just as much as you. I want to hear that you’re both happy.” Gwen says.
You can’t stop the smile that dances across your face. “Will do.”
Gwen grins right back. “Talk to you soon.” She says, waving as she leaves the building.
You’re still thinking about Gwen’s words when your phone buzzes on the desk. You look down, picking up your phone and unlocking it. It’s a text from Peter that reads: ‘Hellloooooo! I got the table for 7, can we walk together from Oscorp?’
You reply with a quick ‘of course’. You don’t realize you’re smiling until you hear a voice. “What’s got you smiling so big?”
You nearly drop your phone in an attempt to put it down on the desk. You look up and find none other than Harry Osborn standing in front of your desk. “Hi, sorry, I was just-”
“It’s alright. I’m just messing with you.” Harry says. “I know there weren’t a lot of meetings today.”
You nod, grabbing a file of papers and sliding it across the desk to him. “Those are this week’s updates for the partnerships that I was emailed.”
Harry smiles and takes it. “Thank you, [Name], reliable as always.” He opens it to thumb through the pages, scanning them as he speaks. “I heard you came to the party?”
Your movements pause, the drawer you opened still ajar as you try to think of how to reply. You slow push the drawer back into the desk. “Yeah, I didn’t plan on it but…”
“Peter invited you.” Harry finishes for you. You’re alarmed for a second before you remember that Peter and Harry are friends.
“Right, yeah. I got officially invited but didn’t realize the party he invited me to was the same one. He didn’t know I worked here, I guess.” You say.
Harry hums in thought, finally closing the file and placing it carefully into his bag. “I thought I had mentioned it to him before.”
“You talk to him about your employees often?” You ask.
Harry laughs a little. “You just came up in conversation once. All positive things, of course.”
You nod, wondering why Peter never mentioned this to you before.
Harry looks at his watch before moving his eyes back up to you. “If there’s no additional meetings, feel free to go home a little early.”
“You sure?” You ask, opening the calendar to double check your memory. “It doesn’t look like it.”
“I’m sure. Have a good night, [Name].” Harry says, offering you a kind smile before leaving.
You take a moment to store all of your important documents away before picking up your phone to call Peter.
He answers relatively quickly. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Just getting off a little early. Did you still want to meet here? I know it’s short notice.” You say, putting the phone between your shoulder and ear to tug on your jacket. You switch sides to put on the jacket fully.
“It’s alright. I can be there in five minutes.” Peter says and you can hear him already rummaging around for something.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you. See you soon.”
“See you,” Peter says before he ends the call.
You wait outside for barely 2 minutes before Peter arrives. “Wow, that was quick.” You say, tucking your hands into the pockets of your coat to prevent them from getting too cold.
Peter cocks his head at you. “Are you complaining about my punctuality?”
You laugh. “Yeah, of course. How dare you be on time?”
Peter scoffs, feigning hurt. He puts his arm over your shoulder, tugging you closer as he starts to walk, forcing you to walk with him. Not that you’re complaining. “I’ll just never be on time again.”
You nod. “Sounds great. Glad we got that tough conversation out of the way.” When you look at him, Peter is smiling.
The two of you arrive at the restaurant after a short walk. Peter approaches the hostess. “Uh, for Parker? Peter? I forget which I put it under.”
The hostess laughs a little. “It was both. Follow me.” She leads the two of you to a small booth in the corner of the restaurant. She sets down two menus and steps aside. “Enjoy.”
You smile at her in thanks, taking a seat across from Peter. You pick up your menu, scanning through the various options. “I heard you were talking about me with Harry.”
Peter glances up from his menu, a flash of concern crosses his face that you almost miss before it turns into something more neutral. “Just about how terrible you are.”
You roll your eyes, attempting to be dramatic. “Okay, sure, whatever you say.”
Peter smiles at you. “It was just about you leaving. He knew I met you before him but I didn’t really talk about you much.”
“Ouch.” You say, not really meaning anything by it. You didn’t talk about him much either but you certainly thought about him frequently. “Did you at least think about me?” You ask, internally cringing at how desperate you sound.
“I did. Especially when I called you for weeks and you never wanted to talk.” Peter says, his eyes meeting yours. You find a twinge of hurt in them and you frown.
“I thought talking to you would make it worse,” you admit, setting your menu down. “I do feel bad about that.”
“You answer now, so it doesn’t matter. I forgave you for it a long time ago.” Peter offers you a smile, reaching across the table and grabbing your hand. He squeezes it gently before releasing it to resume looking at his own menu.
You let out a breath, picking up your menu as well. “I’m glad to hear that.”
You two order your meals when the waitress comes around. The food arrives quickly and you two eat, joking around in between bites. By the time the waitress comes around to ask about desserts, your cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“I think we’ll take the, uh, cookie pizza thing? That’s a thing, right?” Peter asks, looking between you and the waitress for clarification.
She nods. “Yeah, it sure is. I’ll put that in for you. If that’s all for the two of you, I can take your payment now.”
“Oh, yes!” Peter says, as if he had forgotten about paying, getting his card out of his wallet and handing it to her.
She smiles at him and leaves, bringing back the card and receipt with the dessert.
“Thank you.” You say to Peter after she leaves. “This was really fun.”
Peter grins happily at you. “I’m glad. It was-” A ding from his phone stops him from finishing and he pulls it out of his pocket.
Your smile falls just a bit at his expression and you have a feeling you know what he’s going to say.
“[Name], I’m so, so sorry.” Peter says as he looks up to meet your eyes.
You let out a long breath. “Work, huh?”
He nods, pocketing his phone and reaching across the table, taking your hands in his like he did earlier in the night. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
You stare back at him, trying to push your disappointment far down so he can’t see it. You convinced him that this was okay and you weren’t going to backtrack on that. “It’s alright, Peter, I can get it to go and we can have it together later.”
Peter nods. “Of course.” His phone dings again and he sighs. He scoots to the edge of the booth and stands.
You watch as Peter approaches your side of the booth and you tilt your head up to look at him properly.
He places his hands on your cheeks, smiling down at you. “You look beautiful. Thank you for tonight.” He punctuates his statement by kissing you.
You kiss back for a moment before he pulls back, kissing you briefly again before he removes his hands. “Thank you, too.” You say.
Peter grins at you before finding your hand to squeeze it lovingly. “We’ll do this again.” He lets go of your hand, seeing the waitress approaching. “Hey, could we get a box for this?”
She nods and retreats back to the kitchen to grab a to-go container.
Peter waves at you and you watch the entrance doors open and close as he exits.
The waitress gives you the box and you pack up the dessert, gathering your bag and coat before leaving yourself. The wind is stronger outside than it was when you arrived and you shiver, making your way back to Oscorp to get your car.
You arrive home 30 minutes later, putting the untouched cookie in your fridge. You discard your bag and coat next to the couch, sitting down and sighing. You toe off your shoes, stretching your legs in front of you to rest them on the coffee table. Your parents were already asleep; they always had to get up at ungodly hours of the morning for work.
You turn on the TV to find something to distract and tire you. Your parents left the news station on from earlier in the night. You’re about to change the channel when the host starts to talk. “Spider-Man was seen fighting a group of bank robbers earlier tonight, right outside of Chase Bank on Dalny Road. All of the perpetrators were apprehended with webs, trapping them until authorities arrived.”
You hum, nodding a little before changing the channel. You’re glad your city has Spider-Man to take care of criminals before they get to follow through with their plans, but you’d rather watch something other than the news.
You’ve nearly fallen asleep on the couch when a soft knock at your door jolts you awake. You almost fall off the couch, grabbing the remote and pausing the movie that was lulling you to sleep. You look through the peephole and see Peter. You move back and unlock the door, opening it. “Peter, it’s late, are you alright?”
Peter grins at you, walking inside when you step aside to let him in. “It’s only 11.” He reasons.
You look at the clock in your foyer, shrugging a little and closing the door. “I thought it had been longer, I- Holy shit, what happened?” The light inside your house illuminates Peter’s features better than outside and you notice a cut on his eyebrow. It looks recent.
Peter’s hand raises to touch the area around it. “Yeah, right, I ate shit. I cut it when I fell.”
You nod slowly. “Right. Let me clean that for you.” You say, moving to the kitchen to grab a first-aid kit that’s in a lower cabinet. You lead Peter to the couch, sitting next to him and opening the kit. You feel his eyes watching you as you grab a small packet of antibiotic ointment and a larger band-aid. “Can you tilt your head towards me?”
Peter turns his head as you asked. “I appreciate it, even though I could have done it myself.”
“Yeah, yeah.” You say, applying the antibiotic and putting the band-aid over it. “How did you fall?”
“Just tripped on the uneven sidewalk.” Peter says, leaning back against the couch.
“Oh, like an idiot?” You tease.
Peter gasps. “How dare you, [Name], after our amazing date? I’m an idiot?”
You nod. “100 percent.” You close the first-aid kit, setting it on the table. “Why are you here? Not that I mind.”
Peter shrugs. “May wanted to see me and I decided to surprise her. I figured…” He trails off, standing and walking into the kitchen. Peter opens the fridge, finding the uneaten dessert from earlier and returns with it and two forks. “We could finish our date?”
You can’t help but smile at his actions. He went out of his way to come over and make it up to you. Your heart feels like mush in your chest as he sits down next to you again, setting the cookie on the table and handing you a fork. “You’re such a sweetheart.”
“Oh, I thought I was an idiot. Did I get an upgrade?” Peter jokes, gently nudging you with his shoulder.
“Maybe so.” You say, using the fork to get a bite of the cookie. It’s cold now but you don’t mind, your body is already warm enough from Peter being so close. You unpause the movie to give you two some background noise. You two eat the cookie in a comfortable silence, ending up watching the movie instead of talking. You lean into him and Peter wraps his arm around you.
Peter presses a kiss to the top of your head, rubbing your shoulder with his hand affectionately.
The two of you stay there for a while, both of you ending up falling asleep together on the couch. You awake with a start from a loud noise from the TV. You sleepily reach for the remote and turn it off, feeling Peter’s arm try to pull you back. “Peter, it’s late.” You say softly, gently removing his arm from you.
Peter stirs awake, bleary eyes meeting your own. He yawns, rubbing his face with his hand. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know, around 3 maybe.” You say, standing and stretching. Your neck hurts a little from the position you fell asleep in. “Will May be awake to let you in?”
Peter shakes his head, blinking hard a few times to wake himself up. “My bedroom window is unlocked, I’ll be fine.” He stands, yawning again.
“Don’t eat shit again.” You say, brushing your hair out of your eyes. You’ll need to brush it before you go back to sleep.
Peter laughs tiredly. “I won’t,” He leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. “Sleep well, love.”
You smile at the pet name. “You too.” You let Peter out, watching from the doorway as he climbs the tree next to his house to get into his bedroom. He does so successfully and you hope May doesn’t think someone’s breaking in. You close the door and lock it, making your way up to your room afterwards. You brush through your hair, barely able to keep your eyes open and you fall asleep easily when you finally lay down in your bed.
—
The next few weeks flew by for you. It was a consistent routine of work, seeing Peter, and sleeping. Not to say you’re complaining at all - for the first time in a while you could confidently say you were happy. It felt like life was suddenly being kind to you. You were handed one of the most beautiful and precious things you could have ever asked for and you hoped it would be yours for as long as you wanted.
Although, there’s one thing missing. Your relationship with Peter has been tilting more and more towards being an official thing, but he hasn’t defined anything. You’ll admit to yourself at least that you’re getting a bit impatient. You want to be able to call him your boyfriend for real instead of repeatedly telling your parents and Gwen that you two are just “talking”.
You’re at work, typing rapidly at your computer to reply to an email you somehow missed from earlier in the afternoon, when you hear someone approaching your desk. “Hello, give me one moment and I’ll be right with you.” You say, still looking at your computer instead of the visitor.
“That’s no way to talk to your boyfriend, [Name].” The visitor says and you instantly recognize it to be Peter.
You whip your head to look at him. “What?”
Peter seems taken aback, staring at you with a confused expression that matches your own. “What?” He says.
“Just remind me, how long has this…” You say, gesturing between the two of you. “Been that?”
Peter tilts his head. “Uh… for a few weeks, right? Is this a test? Are you testing me?”
You’re still staring at Peter in bewilderment when he continues.
“I swear I know the date. I wrote it down in my phone-”
“Peter, what the fuck?” You say in a quiet voice before you can stop it. “We never… what?” You say, still utterly confused.
“We never what?” Peter asks.
“You never asked.” You protest.
“Yes I did! I asked you on, like, multiple dates! I figured-”
“That is not the same as asking to be exclusive!”
“Yes it is-”
“No it is not.”
“Fine, fine, fine. [Name], lovely, beautiful [Name], will you be my girlfriend since-” He pauses, fumbling to grab his phone. “October 14th?”
You stare for a moment before laughing, shaking your head in disbelief. “Holy shit, you really are something else.”
“Is that a no? I’m offended, actually, because-”
“What are you here for?” You ask, finally finishing and sending the email you accidentally procrastinated.
“I was here to see you-”
“Peter.”
“...And Harry.”
“Ah, well, in that case,” You say, grabbing a name tag sticker and writing his name on it, handing it to him. “Have a good visit, Mr. Parker.”
Peter rolls his eyes dramatically, jokingly, and takes the name tag. He puts it on his jacket to humor you. “Thank you, Miss. [Last Name]. Will I see you tonight?”
“Now that I can call you a boyfriend to my parents, sure.” You say, cracking a smile.
Peter grins back at you, flashing you a peace sign before heading for the escalators.
It hits you as he walks away that the two of you have, unconventionally but officially, become a couple. You smile, burying your head in your hands and finally feeling like everything was falling perfectly into place. The rest of your shift is thoughts full of Peter rather than work. The hours pass by quickly and soon enough, you’re clocking out. As you’re leaving, you realize that you never saw Peter leave. You weigh your options for a moment before deciding to head up to Harry’s office. You can see two figures through the frosted glass and right before you knock, Peter throws open the door. You barely dodge the door, stepping aside just in time for Peter to catch it before it hits you.“Jesus-”
“Sorry!” Peter says, closing the door more gently this time. “What are you doing up here? Not that you can’t be up here, you work here of course you can be up here-”
“Are you alright? You were pretty aggressive with that door.” You say, not paying any mind to Peter’s rambling.
“I’m fine, I’m all good.” Peter responds.
You’re still doubtful but decide not to push anymore. “Still coming to my house?”
Peter nods. “Of course.”
“I have to give some stuff to Harry, I’ll meet you downstairs, yeah?” You say, moving past him to go inside Harry’s office before Peter can respond.
Harry’s sitting at his desk. He looks up and a surprised look crosses his face. “Oh, hello [Name]. What do I owe the pleasure?” Harry asks.
“Just had some files for you.” You say, approaching his desk and handing him the file folder.
“Oh, perfect, thank you.” Harry says, taking the folder and putting it amongst other stacks of papers you assume he will review later.
“Yeah, of course,” you pause, debating whether or not to ask about Peter’s behavior. “I’m sorry if I’m overstepping… but is Peter upset with you?”
Harry sighs a little. “He was a little rough with the door, wasn’t he?” He pushes his chair back and stands, grabbing a small envelope from his desk drawer.
“You two were talking for a while.” You add.
“Yes. Catching up is all.” Harry clarifies, walking towards you and holding out the envelope to you. “This is an invite to the Christmas party I’ll be hosting for Oscorp. Peter is invited, of course.”
You take the invite from him, a little confused. “Right, thank you, but-”
“Peter’s fine, don’t worry about him, alright?” Harry interrupts. “Just a little bit of a disagreement.”
It feels final. You don’t want to throw yourself into an argument with your boss, especially when it doesn’t involve you. You nod. “Right, I understand. See you around.” You leave his office and try to ignore the feeling of something being wrong settling deep in your stomach.
---
thank you for reading! please leave me comments about your favorite parts its MY favorite part of writing! or if u want to be tagged in part two <3
my inbox is always open to comments and taglist requests. link here for ease.
hello !! this is the first part of my sorta kinda fake dating au for tasm!peter. i hope you guys enjoy and please let me know if you want me to continue it!!
prompt: you didn't expect to see peter again, let alone kiss him. you never expected him to betray you, either.
content: swearing, eventual angst, fluff, fake dating ish, childhood friends to lovers, mentions of alcohol / drinking, mentions of death
word count: 10.0k
additional notes: a bit of an au to fit my needs (harry isn't crazy and gwen never died), unedited!
You never had many friends growing up. Your parents tried fruitlessly to introduce you to their friends’ kids, but nothing ever stuck. It felt like a continuous loop of meeting new people your age and never seeing them again. For a time in your life, you thought being alone was your only path. Only having to worry about yourself and having no one to upset you but your parents became… ideal.
Until you met Peter. He changed your mind so fast you felt like you had gotten emotional whiplash - one day you didn’t care and the next? You cared so much it felt like you were going to cave in. You met him when he moved in across the street from you and your parents. He was kind, he was funny, and he made you feel important and present in his life. He always sat next to you at lunch, played with you on the playground, and even showed up to your house unannounced frequently to see you. You finally felt what it was like to have a friend - a true friend, one that you could trust with everything.
So, you did. You told Peter your secrets and in turn, he shared his. You two discussed his missing parents and your absent ones, your fear of storms and his fear of Goosebumps books.
You still didn’t have many friends, but you had one and it was enough. He was your best friend and you swore you’d be his friend until the day you died.
Your developing friendship came to a screeching halt one late afternoon. You were over at the Parker’s house, enjoying a game of Mario Party on his Wii, when your parents rushed over to collect you. They were in a panic, ushering you into an already packed car and driving off before you even had a chance to ask what was going on.
You never got to say goodbye.
You found out when you arrived in Wisconsin that your grandfather had passed and your grandmother had recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness. She needed someone to care for her and your parents stepped up, moving the three of you to a house across the street. You used to sit in your new bedroom window, staring at your grandparents house, selfishly wishing Peter lived there instead.
You never made new friends at the school you transferred to. None of the small, budding friendships you tried compared to Peter. They lied to you, avoided you, caused drama for something to talk about - you hated it. You were back to square one.
As you grew older, your grandmother deteriorated. She lived long past her initial prognosis but eventually passed the day before your 23rd birthday. It was hard.
Once your parents had sold your grandparent’s house and theirs, you willingly followed them back to New York, living once again in your childhood home. You were thankful they chose not to put it up for sale.
You were thrilled with the idea of seeing Peter again. You could get your best friend back and resume what the two of you had lost years ago. You found out from May that Ben had passed when Peter was 17 and when he graduated, he moved out to be on his own. To reinvent himself, he had said.
Part of you wanted to ask for his new address. May even offered to let him know you were back, but you declined, suddenly feeling that perhaps he had his own life. You didn’t want to waltz back in without invitation. If you connect with Peter again, you wanted it to happen naturally, not from someone else’s manipulation.
You sigh, leaning back in your office chair, trying your best to relieve the stress in your back. You enjoy your job for the most part. Being a main receptionist at Oscorp was easy. You learned the building easily and seeing the familiar faces each day made it go by a little quicker. You sat up straighter in your chair upon hearing approaching footfalls. You smile slightly at the man who approaches your desk. “Hello. How can I help you?”
He returns your smile with a nod of his head. “I’m looking for Dr. Hayes. I have a meeting planned with him for 2 o’clock.”
You nod, rolling your chair back a little to pull out a file with Dr. Hayes’ upcoming meetings. You open it, turning to today, and find a meeting at 2:00. “Verify your name for me, please?”
“Christopher Freeman.”
“Alright,” you say, quickly jotting down his name on a name tag sticker and handing it to him. “Up the elevator to the fourth floor and take a left. His office has a plant outside of it.”
“Thanks,” He says, picking up his briefcase and walking towards the elevator.
You let out a breath and roll your shoulders, tucking the file back into it’s original place in the drawer.
“Working hard, huh?” A voice says.
You look up, alarmed, but relax when you realize it’s just Gwen. “Oh, hey, Gwen. How are you?”
“I’m all good, you?” She offers you a kind smile, holding her bag strap with one of her hands.
“I’m fine.” You say, using your foot to roll your chair a little closer to the desk. “Anything interesting you’d like to tell your favorite receptionist?”
Gwen laughs a little. “Not anything fun. Did you hear about the party Oscorp is throwing for employees? Well, it's organized by some finance guys, but everyone’s invited.”
You shake your head. Parties weren’t your thing. You’d rather stay at home and drink by yourself, watching TV in the comfort of your pajamas. “Nah, I have plans.”
“Real plans?” Gwen teases.
“Yes, real ones!” You protest. “It’s a family thing, can’t get out of it.”
“I understand, but if you can make it, you know you’re welcome to come. You got an invite, right?” She asks.
You nod, picking up the party invitation you have sitting on the desk beside your calendar and waving it a little. “One of those finance guys flirts with me constantly, I’m not surprised he hand delivered it to me instead of putting it in the mailbox. I think his name is Matt?”
Gwen lets out an airy chuckle. “Yeah, I remember that. Well, I gotta go, but I’ll see you around.”
“See you.” You call out after her as she walks away and she throws a wave over her shoulder.
The rest of your work day goes by uneventfully, just the same process of greeting guests and saying hello to your coworkers. You’ve clocked out and are about to leave when someone calls your name.
You look back and force the frown on your face to be neutral upon seeing Matt jogging at you. “Hey, Matt.”
“Hey, [Name], do you think you’ll be able to make it to the party?” Matt asks, his hands resting deep in the pockets of his slacks.
“I don’t think so, I have a family thing. Sorry.” You say, offering him a sympathetic smile, before turning to leave.
“W-Well, you’re getting off of work, right? Would you want to grab dinner?” He asks and you hold in a sigh. You will admit, Matt is cute and friendly, but you aren’t the type of person for him. You know you come across like everyone else, kind enough and extroverted, but a relationship isn’t something you want. You put on a front at work that people fall for, Matt included.
“I gotta run some errands. Maybe next time.” You offer, even though you know you’ll never agree, waving at Matt and exiting the building.
It’s getting a little chilly as August approaches. You decide that you need to start checking the weather to plan your business attire to better fit the colder months. You’re trying to find the grocery list buried in your bag when you accidentally run into someone, bumping into them hard enough that it causes you to stumble. This pushes your shoe off your foot slightly.
A hand reaches out and grabs your arm, steadying you before you fall completely. “Hey, I’m sorry, I was definitely not looking where I was going.”
The voice is familiar. You’re still not looking, trying to readjust your sock and shoe to be on your foot comfortably again. “Yeah, neither was I.” You respond, finally sliding your shoe back on. “I’m really sorry, too-” Your voice falters when you finally make eye contact with the stranger you ran into.
It’s him. It’s him. Everything you want to say dies in your throat before you can even speak, causing you to open and close your mouth stupidly.
Recognition flashes in Peter’s eyes and a wide grin spreads across his face. “[Name]? Holy shit.”
“Hey,” you manage, your heart beating rapidly. You can’t believe he’s standing here in front of you. “Sorry for bumping into you.”
“I’m glad you did! I wouldn’t have noticed you otherwise, I thought you were…?” He trails off and you realize he didn’t know anything. You two never got a proper goodbye and even when your parents offered for you to talk to him on the phone, you were too worried it would upset you more than help you.
“Right, I just kinda vanished, didn’t I?” You laugh, albeit awkwardly. You push your hair behind your ear as the wind picks up.
“A little,” Peter teases, a soft smile still on his face. “I have to run, I’m already late, but…” He pauses, pulling out his phone and unlocking it. He hands it to you and you blink, slowly taking it.
You type in your phone number and a contact name, handing it back. You can still hear your heartbeat in your ears.
“Sweet. I’ll text you later, okay, [Name]?”
You can’t form words so you nod slowly as he retreats.
“You better respond this time!” Peter calls as he leaves, walking backwards dangerously close to running into people.
You nod again, quicker and more certain this time. He seems satisfied with this, shooting you one last grin before turning around. You finally feel like you can take a deep breath. You couldn’t be more excited. You ran into him by accident, like it was fate, like you wanted it to happen when you moved back. You feel a small smile creeping its way onto your face as you continue your walk to the grocery store and the last thing on your mind is finding the list.
—
You struggle to balance your bags of groceries as you unlock and enter the house. “Mom, Dad?” You call, finally being able to set the bags down on the kitchen counters. There’s no response to your call and you sigh, slipping your work shoes off and placing them on the shoe rack near the door. You begin to unpack the groceries when your phone starts to ring in your bag.
It’s not a preset ringtone for anyone you know, so you let it ring. You figure it’s a spam call. The phone stops ringing for a second, then it starts up again. You sigh again, frustrated at the lack of help from your parents and whoever is calling you for a second time. You put the milk in its place in the fridge, walking over to your bag and finding your phone. The number calling you has a Queens area code but you don’t recognize it. You decide to answer it anyway, if they called you twice, they must want to call you. “Hello?” You say as you put it to your ear and hold it up with your shoulder.
“You told me you would answer, but I had to call twice.” A voice says and it takes you a couple seconds to process.
“Peter?” You inquire, your hands pausing above the groceries you were going to continue to put away.
“[Name],” Peter responds and you swear you can hear the smile in his voice. “Is this a bad time?”
“No,” you say, finally resuming putting the food away. “I’m just putting away groceries.”
“That sounds like fun,” Peter says, soft background noise of wind coming through in his silence. “Get anything good?”
“I got some good looking pasta I’m excited to try,” you answer. “Where are you? I hear lots of wind.”
Peter doesn’t respond for a moment. “Just walking home. It’s getting windy.”
You peek out the window, seeing the barely swaying trees. You wonder if it’s only in the inner city, then. “May told me you moved out, where are you living, then?” You ask, finally finishing putting away the groceries.
“Oh! You spoke to May?” Peter asks.
“Yeah, I moved back into my parents house with them. The one-”
“Across the street from May! That’s awesome, seriously.” Peter says, excitement evident in his voice. “I’m glad you’re back.”
“Really?” You ask before you can stop it.
“Yeah! I always wondered what happened. I’m glad you’re okay.” Peter says and you feel yourself smile.
“Yeah. I’m alright.” You respond, sitting down on the couch to get more comfortable. “How are you holding up?”
Peter hums in thought. “I’m alright,” He finally says. “I’d love to actually-” He stops, sirens of police cars coming through.
“Peter?” You ask, a little worried.
“I gotta go, I have work stuff to do. I’ll talk to you soon.”
You barely even get a goodbye out before he ends the call. You pull it back from your ear and stare at the home screen of your phone, not sure what to make of his call. You add his number to your contacts and try to watch something on TV.
—
Peter follows through with his promise to talk to you soon. A lot.
Text messages and calls increase in occurrence over the past couple weeks. You’re happy that your friendship is starting to develop itself back into what it used to be. He even starts to come over frequently to watch movies with you and discuss events in each other’s lives that you missed. Peter never spoke about his current life much and in turn, neither did you. You found it a bit odd but you never pushed his boundaries. If him being back in your life meant that you had to work up to that, then so be it. He’s worth it. He’ll always be worth it to you.
You’re sitting in your room across from Peter, playing Uno with him, the TV playing a show neither of you are paying attention to. You’re down to two cards and Peter has three. You set down a blue seven. “Uno.” You say instantly before he has the chance to call you out on it.
“Man, [Name], it looks like you might just win.” Peter sighs, pretending to be upset. He fake sniffs.
“Just play so I can win,” You say, raising your eyebrows at him. “Don’t be a sore loser.”
A grin appears on Peter’s face. “Oh, my bad, let me…” He trails off, a smirk replacing the grin on his face. “We’re playing with jump-in rules, right?”
You nod slowly, skeptical of his questioning of the rules.
He laughs. “Well, nice knowing you, [Name].”
“Don’t you fucking-”
Peter sets down a +4 card… and then another. You gape at him. It’s only the two of you playing, so when you draw, he instantly gets to go again.
“I think I’m gonna go with red. Uno.” He says, still smirking, placing his last card down on the deck. It’s a red four.
You throw your last card down in anger, not even bothering to draw the eight cards. You lost anyway.
“Hey, you gotta draw still! Don’t be a sore loser.” Peter teases and you shoot him a glare.
“I don’t want to play with you anymore.” You respond, trying your best to keep your angry facade going. The grin on his face tells you that he knows you’re faking it. Your heart skips a beat as he looks at you and you try to will it away.
“We can play something else, maybe you’ll win.” He offers and you shoot him a look, but you shake your head.
“My back is hurting from sitting on the ground so long,” You say, standing and stretching your arms above your head. “Do you want to actually watch something?”
“Hmm, sure, as long as we make something to eat first.” Peter says, standing as well, moving closer to your bedroom door to make his way to the kitchen.
You chuckle to yourself and follow him. “Just say you don’t know how to cook, Peter.”
Peter laughs as he opens your fridge to pull out some ingredients. “I can cook fine, thank you, I just enjoy yours better.”
“Uh huh,” you say, grabbing a couple of spices you want to use. “Keep telling yourself that.”
The two of you make dinner together, both of you pleasantly silent with concentration, until Peter speaks up. “Hey, uh, you free on the 17th?”
You hum in thought, stopping mixing the sauce you’re working on. “I think so.”
“There’s a party I was invited to before uh…” He trails off. “Anyways, I have a plus one for a party. Would you want to go?”
You shrug a little. It’s the same day as the Oscorp party. Now, you’d really have plans and Gwen would get off your back a little. Plus, attending a party as Peter’s plus-one sounds… good. “Sure, why not?”
Peter smiles at you. “Great, it starts at 7 so I’ll pick you up.”
You shake your head. “I’ll be at work ‘till 6:30, so don’t worry. I’ll just take the subway.”
He nods. The two of you continue to make dinner and eat it in front of the TV, watching whatever horror movie is playing. You’re watching the movie carefully, trying to prepare yourself for any potential jumpscares, when you notice Peter looking at you. You turn slightly, matching his gaze.
He opens his mouth to say something, but stops. Peter’s phone dings, alerting him of a notification. He picks up his phone and sighs, standing. “I gotta go, I’m sorry. Work shit.”
You stand, too, grabbing both plates and taking them to the dishwasher. “They’re working you this late?” You ask, putting the dishes in the bottom rack before closing the dishwasher door.
“Yeah.” Peter says, not expanding on the topic and you don’t ask. He leaves after saying goodbye and you lock the door behind him. You’re starting to wonder what exactly he does for work that has him leaving suddenly in the middle of the night a lot. This wasn’t the first time he abruptly left, either. You decide to do a little digging, googling his name to see if any LinkedIn profiles pop up. You’re surprised to find his name listed under the Daily Bugle’s employees. You sit back on the couch, your mind whirring to try and piece together why he had to work so many late nights. You come up with nothing and decide to finish the movie on your own, realizing halfway through that you miss his presence by your side.
—
The night of the party rapidly approaches before you have time to process that you really agreed to go to it. You packed a party outfit in your work bag to change into before you leave since you don’t really have time to stop at home first.
The last person to leave the building that you see is Gwen. “Hey, [Name], still not going to the party?”
You shoot Gwen a look but all she does is smile. “I have plans, I told you that.”
“Whatever you say,” Gwen teases. “I’ll let you know tomorrow if anything funny happens.”
“Please do.” You say, waving at her as she leaves. You clock out and run to the bathroom to change, stuffing your work clothes into your bag. You end up putting your bag in your locker in the breakroom, only taking your phone, wallet and keys. You could pick up your bag tomorrow.
You check out your appearance in the mirror before you leave, satisfied that your work makeup stayed on enough to be sufficient for a night out. You make your way to the subway and barely make it onto the one you’re supposed to take.
You get off at your stop, double-checking the address Peter texted you earlier in the week. It seems a little familiar, but you wonder if it’s just a common place to host a party. You approach the building, your steps slowing as you start to recognize the various people standing outside. These people work with you at Oscorp, why are they here?
“[Name]?” A voice asks behind you and you turn, finding Gwen approaching you with a confused expression on her face.
“Hey… What’s up?” You ask, not sure what to say. You haven’t seen Peter yet, so maybe you got the address wrong.
“Did you decide to come?” She asks, a happy smile replacing her previous confused one.
“Uh, my friend invited me to a party… I didn’t think it was the same one,” you say, looking behind you to see if you could find Peter amongst the crowd. “This is kinda awkward.”
“Who invited you?” Gwen says curiously.
You’re about to answer when someone approaches behind you. It’s Peter. “Hey, sorry I’m late, I had to-” He stops when he sees Gwen. Her soft smile falters.
“Hey, Peter.” Gwen speaks softly, her voice sounding different than it did when she spoke to you moments before.
“Hi, Gwen.” Peter responds. “I… It’s nice to see you. Doing good?”
Gwen nods. “I’m doing good,” She confirms. “I didn’t know you knew [Name].”
Peter takes a second to reply. “I didn’t know you knew her, either.”
She tilts her head a little. “She works at Oscorp with me. Did Harry invite you?”
Peter nods.
You look between the two of them in confusion, but you don’t say anything.
“Well, I’m going to head in, I’ll see you later, [Name].” Gwen says, offering you a smile and an affectionate pat on your shoulder before walking past you and entering the building.
Peter watches as she leaves before turning to you. “You work at Oscorp?”
You nod slowly. “Yeah, I work the reception desk… You know Gwen?”
Peter lets out a long sigh. “Yeah, uh, long story.”
“And Harry?”
“A different story.”
You try and put the pieces together as you two finally enter the building. The music is a little loud but you’re not too bothered. You look towards the bar with a questioning gesture and Peter nods, following you.
Several drinks later, you find yourself stumbling over your words a bit more and your eyesight is a bit blurry. You drop your guard just a bit, just enough to ask him what you’ve been wondering.
“Will you tell me the long story about you and Gwen?” You ask Peter as you two find an uncrowded part of the room to stand in. You couldn’t stop thinking about it all night.
Peter runs a hand through his hair and sighs a little. “I dated Gwen for a while and I met Harry pretty soon after you left. He helped me with… the process, I guess.”
You frown a little. “Oh, I’m sorry… about Gwen.”
He waves you off. “It’s alright. It was mutual, don’t worry, just still a bit awkward. I didn’t know you worked at Oscorp, though.”
You shrug a little. “It’s nothing special. It pays the bills.”
“Have you met Harry?” Peter asks, deciding to lean against the wall next to him.
“Once or twice. He’s always got meetings that I check in people for, but… That’s the extent of me knowing him.” You explain.
Peter seems to relax a little at this, flashing you a smile. “Well, originally, he invited me with Gwen, but…”
You nod in understanding. “So, your plus-one was for a friend, I assume?”
“Yeah, I suppose it technically went unused, since you were already invited.” Peter laughs a little. “This is kinda crazy.”
“I agree. Some coincidence, after I told Gwen and Matt I wasn’t coming.” You say, scanning the crowd to look for Matt among them. “I’m not in the mood to see him.”
“Why not?” Peter asks, something identifiable in his expression.
“He likes me or something. I’m not interested. He’s nice and all but he doesn’t really know me.” You say, turning your attention fully back to Peter.
“Do I know you?” He asks.
You falter. It’s such a loaded question for a phrase so simple. Did he know you? Really know you? But, as you thought, you realize he’s the closest person to knowing the real you. The front you put up at work falls when he’s around. You feel safe being yourself around him because you never had to doubt him. “The closest to knowing me as anyone’s tried to get.” You finally say. When you look into his eyes, your heart starts to race. The way he’s looking at you, studying you, makes your knees feel weak. You’ve never felt this way about Peter before, so why now? Why are you suddenly breaking under his gaze?
“How much more do I need to learn before I know you?” He asks, his voice low and quiet. You realize how close the two of you have become, less than a foot between you.
Your response dies in your throat and you swallow hard. You’re still staring back when someone touches your shoulder. Peter straightens as he looks at the person behind you. You turn, finding Matt smiling down at you.
“Hey! I thought you said you weren’t coming.” Matt says, removing his hand from your shoulder.
“Yeah, I just… decided to come with a friend.” You explain, gesturing to Peter. “Matt, this is Peter. Peter, Matt.”
Peter reaches his hand out to shake Matt’s hand. They seem to wordlessly communicate something with the handshake, but you say nothing.
“Well, I’m glad you decided to come, [Name]. I’ll see you around, okay?” Matt asks, even though it’s not really a question. He walks away without you even replying.
You watch his retreating back before turning back to Peter. “I’m surprised he didn’t try to buy me a drink.”
Peter shrugs a little. “I’ll buy you one, if you want another one.” He says, smiling gently at you.
You’re teetering on the line of just drunk enough and too drunk so you decline. “I would let you buy me a drink, though.” You say before you can stop it. You look up at him and he’s already looking back, something just short of a smirk on his face.
“If you didn’t know me already? Or in this scenario am I to assume we know each other?” Peter asks.
You hum thoughtfully, switching your gaze between both of his eyes. You can’t believe you’re being this honest with him. “I’d let you either way, I think.” You settle on saying.
“Why’s that?” He inquires, leaning just a little bit closer to you. You feel warm all of a sudden, with him so close to you.
“U-Um, I don’t know…” You stammer, trying to rid your thoughts of him. You’re drunk, you know that, and you’re sure that by morning you wouldn’t be thinking of him at all. Not like this. But something deep inside you is telling you that it wouldn’t go away by the time you wake up.
He leans down, closer to your ear. “I think you do.” Peter whispers, just loud enough over the music for you to hear. You suppress a shudder, locking your gaze with his. He’s leaning closer, you realize, the smell of his cologne enough to mask the scent of alcohol.
“Peter,” you whisper. “You’re drunk, are you-”
Peter’s lips find yours and you melt. You never intended to befriend Peter again to kiss him but it feels good. You probably shouldn’t even be kissing someone like this at a work party and even then, you can’t find it in you to care. Something about kissing Peter felt right.
Peter pulls away and stares at you with something in his eyes you’ve never seen before.
You take in a shaky breath. “Can we get out of here?”
The two of you leave without telling anyone else. The streets aren’t as crowded as they are during the day, so your slight stumbling doesn’t embarrass you like you thought it would. Your house is empty when you both arrive, your parents off somewhere else. You thank them for deciding tonight was perfect to leave for a joint business trip. You close the door behind the both of you, locking it and making your way to the kitchen with Peter in tow. You grab two glasses and fill them with ice water, handing one to him. He’s still looking at you with an intense gaze and you wonder if it’s just the booze in your system. “Peter, why are you staring?” You decide to ask, setting your cup of water on the counter. He mirrors your movements, setting his own glass down as well.
Peter is still staring as he approaches you and his hands find your hips. He squeezes the skin there gently, wetting his lips before he speaks. “You’re beautiful.” His voice is soft and his tone sweet, almost like a warm blanket.
Your heart swells up in your throat and you pull him closer before your thoughts have even caught up with your movements. You kiss him again and again and again in the dim light of your kitchen, wishing that you had never left. Maybe this would have happened sooner, maybe you would have been living with him instead of your parents.
“Will you stay?” You mumble against his lips, tilting your head up just enough to look him in the eye.
Peter smiles against your lips, pressing another kiss to them. “I would, but I have work in the morning.” He says, a small pout adorning his lips. “I’m sorry.”
“They work you so hard, sometimes.” You say, moving back a little from him. “At least drink some more water before you leave.”
You two sit in the kitchen in silence. Peter is starting to look a little more concerned than happy. You rest your head in your hand, tilting your head to watch Peter. Something is bothering him, you can tell. His face always has a certain expression when he’s thinking and you’re not sure it’s good thoughts. “You feeling okay?”
Peter nods again, turning to look at you. His expression makes your heart fall.
“What are you thinking?” You ask, trying to look him in the eye. “Peter…?”
Peter finally returns your gaze. “I don’t want to hurt you. I really don’t.”
You process for a moment before speaking. “If you’re trying to tell me you regret it-”
“No! No, no, I’m not.” Peter says, a bit urgently. “I don’t.”
You nod slowly, your anxiety easing a little at his confirmation. “Then how are you going to hurt me?”
Peter leans back into the chair, staring up at the ceiling. “It’s complicated, [Name]. Gwen and I…” He trails off, looking back to you. “I don’t have a lot of time for ‘me’ stuff. You know how often I work.”
You sigh. “I know that. But, Peter, if we think about it… How often do we find time to hang out, right? Once or twice a week? For the past month?”
Peter ponders this a little, leaning forward to rest his arms on the counter. “Yeah, but-”
“For people who don’t live together, that’s a lot,” You reason. “If it’s not having time, honestly, it doesn’t seem like much of an issue.”
He’s still looking at you with such an indescribable expression. He seems so conflicted and it makes you want to back down from the conversation. “You’re right,” He finally says and he shoots you a small grin. “So, you’re telling me that you wanted to kiss me this whole time?”
Your eyes widen a little, stuttering over your words. “I-I never said that-”
“It was implied.” Peter teases, taking a sip of his water.
“Well, should I think it’s implied that you wanted to as well?” You inquire, giving into his teasing.
Peter raises his eyebrows and smiles, shrugging his shoulders. “I don’t know, maybe, you’ll never know.”
“Unless you’ll tell me if I ask.” You say, raising your eyebrows back jokingly. “Would you?”
“You haven’t asked.” Peter responds, turning his chair and standing up. You watch as he approaches you, placing his hands on your shoulders to swivel the chair to face him.
You bite the inside of your cheek, feeling them heat up. “Did you want to kiss me?” You ask, your voice a little hesitant.
Peter wets his lips and you watch the movement before returning your gaze to his eyes. They’re so bright. They’re the brightest pair of amber eyes you’ve ever seen. They hold so much emotion in them that it sort of overwhelms you. In the years you’ve missed, Peter has become one of the most complex people you’ve ever met. “I did,” Peter whispers, so softly, as if he’s trying to keep the tension in the air.
“Even sober?” You whisper back and Peter laughs quietly.
“Ever since I saw you on the street.” He says, leaning a little closer to you.
Your breath hitches in your throat. “Then… Why didn’t you earlier?”
Peter smiles ever so slightly. “You’re a little intimidating, [Name].”
“I could say the same about you.” You respond, leaning a little closer to him. You flick your gaze down to his lips then back up. “Did you want to kiss me… or do you want to?”
Peter gets the hint, leaning in and connecting your lips. This kiss is slower than the previous ones the two of you shared. It’s nice - all encompassing and warm. You want to be closer to him so you stand, pressing against him. It feels so right, standing here with him, kissing him like you were meant to do it. If it were anyone else, the taste of alcohol on his lips would deter you, but something about him makes it more than bearable.
Peter pulls back just enough to talk. “So, should I assume it would be a yes if I asked you on a date?” His lips brush yours as he speaks.
A giggle escapes you, a happy little thing that bubbles up in your chest. “Yes.”
Peter leaves that night a little later after he had sobered up enough that you felt comfortable letting him walk home alone.
You sit awake in your bed, long after Peter had left and your texts asking him if he made it home are still unanswered. You decide to check social media to calm your anxiety, only to find a breaking news story. Spider-Man was seen fighting a group of muggers five minutes ago, right on Peter’s route home. “Fuck.” You say, quickly dialing Peter’s contact. It rings once… twice… three times before he finally picks up. “Peter! Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine, I just made it home.” Peter says, sounding tired and you can hear running water in the background.
“You're going to wash me off of you, huh?” You say teasingly, a smile creeping onto your face when you hear him laugh. You realize how deep into this you are all of a sudden. You’re smiling because he’s laughing. You’re smiling because he’s happy and that’s all you could ask for.
“No, no. Just showering because I know I’ll wanna sleep in tomorrow.” He replies. “You worried about me or something?”
“There was just something going on with muggers and Spider-Man on the route you take home. I wanted to make sure you got home okay.” You explain.
“Oh, yeah, I saw that on the news app. It was after I had already been there, no worries.” He says.
“Glad to hear it. Well, enjoy your shower. Talk to you soon?”
“Talk to you tomorrow.” Peter clarifies and you smile to yourself.
You’re excited, giddy even, that Peter obviously is interested in you. You’ve never felt this way about anyone before and you’re thrilled that he’s matching your energy. “Okay. Goodnight, Peter.”
“Goodnight, [Name].” Peter says and you end the call.
You put your phone on your bedside table after plugging it in to charge. You sigh as you lay back, staring up at the ceiling. Your mind is whirring with thoughts of Peter and your ever changing relationship. Friends to strangers to friends again with some romance littered in seems common enough in life, but you never thought it would be something you’d get to experience. Your mind is full of a certain brown-haired boy as you finally fall into the depths of sleep.
—
The day is moving excruciatingly slow for you. There’s been a significant decrease in meetings and visitors to Oscorp as of late, which means you have nothing to do. Communications are slow today, too, and any emails you receive you answer almost immediately. You’re resorting to testing the various pens in your drawers to pass the time when someone approaches your desk. You glance up, smiling warmly at Gwen. “Hey.”
“Hey,” she responds with a grin. “Sorry if I made things awkward with Peter-”
“No, no, don’t apologize,” You interrupt. “I had no idea you two… If I knew I would have said something.”
Gwen shakes her head. “No worries, seriously, it’s been a long time,” she approaches the desk, leaning against the front of it to speak quietly. “Should I assume the kiss I saw was a long time coming?” Her tone is teasing, not upset like you assumed she would be.
Your cheeks get warm almost instantly. “You saw that?” You ask incredulously. It was a crowded party and you two were tucked into a dark corner - you hoped no one was looking. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t of-”
“[Name]. I told you, it’s been a long time. I’m not angry or anything.” She says but the concerned expression on her face is telling you a different story.
“Then… Why are you looking at me like that?” You ask, your voice quiet and timid. You never want Gwen to be upset with you. She’s the closest thing to a friend you’ve had since Peter and you don’t want to lose that.
Gwen ponders her response for a while, her gaze not meeting your eyes until she’s ready. “Just be careful.”
“Be careful? With him?” You inquire, even more confused than you were moments prior.
“No, just in general. Take care of yourself,” Gwen says, offering you an encouraging smile. “I trust your judgement.”
“Is there something I should know?” You press, not wanting to get yourself wrapped up in something that Gwen is actively trying to advise you against. If she tells you it’s not a good idea, you’d trust her judgement, too.
“No, seriously, he’s an awesome guy. I’m just saying! Relationships are hard and I don’t want to see you get hurt. You’re my friend, [Name],” Gwen replies, reaching over the desk to grab your hands in hers. “I’m not mad. I only want you to be happy.”
You nod, squeezing her hand that’s holding yours before she lets go. “I appreciate it, Gwen. I’ll keep you in the loop if it’s not too weird?”
“Tell me everything. I care about Peter just as much as you. I want to hear that you’re both happy.” Gwen says.
You can’t stop the smile that dances across your face. “Will do.”
Gwen grins right back. “Talk to you soon.” She says, waving as she leaves the building.
You’re still thinking about Gwen’s words when your phone buzzes on the desk. You look down, picking up your phone and unlocking it. It’s a text from Peter that reads: ‘Hellloooooo! I got the table for 7, can we walk together from Oscorp?’
You reply with a quick ‘of course’. You don’t realize you’re smiling until you hear a voice. “What’s got you smiling so big?”
You nearly drop your phone in an attempt to put it down on the desk. You look up and find none other than Harry Osborn standing in front of your desk. “Hi, sorry, I was just-”
“It’s alright. I’m just messing with you.” Harry says. “I know there weren’t a lot of meetings today.”
You nod, grabbing a file of papers and sliding it across the desk to him. “Those are this week’s updates for the partnerships that I was emailed.”
Harry smiles and takes it. “Thank you, [Name], reliable as always.” He opens it to thumb through the pages, scanning them as he speaks. “I heard you came to the party?”
Your movements pause, the drawer you opened still ajar as you try to think of how to reply. You slow push the drawer back into the desk. “Yeah, I didn’t plan on it but…”
“Peter invited you.” Harry finishes for you. You’re alarmed for a second before you remember that Peter and Harry are friends.
“Right, yeah. I got officially invited but didn’t realize the party he invited me to was the same one. He didn’t know I worked here, I guess.” You say.
Harry hums in thought, finally closing the file and placing it carefully into his bag. “I thought I had mentioned it to him before.”
“You talk to him about your employees often?” You ask.
Harry laughs a little. “You just came up in conversation once. All positive things, of course.”
You nod, wondering why Peter never mentioned this to you before.
Harry looks at his watch before moving his eyes back up to you. “If there’s no additional meetings, feel free to go home a little early.”
“You sure?” You ask, opening the calendar to double check your memory. “It doesn’t look like it.”
“I’m sure. Have a good night, [Name].” Harry says, offering you a kind smile before leaving.
You take a moment to store all of your important documents away before picking up your phone to call Peter.
He answers relatively quickly. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Just getting off a little early. Did you still want to meet here? I know it’s short notice.” You say, putting the phone between your shoulder and ear to tug on your jacket. You switch sides to put on the jacket fully.
“It’s alright. I can be there in five minutes.” Peter says and you can hear him already rummaging around for something.
“Okay, I’ll wait for you. See you soon.”
“See you,” Peter says before he ends the call.
You wait outside for barely 2 minutes before Peter arrives. “Wow, that was quick.” You say, tucking your hands into the pockets of your coat to prevent them from getting too cold.
Peter cocks his head at you. “Are you complaining about my punctuality?”
You laugh. “Yeah, of course. How dare you be on time?”
Peter scoffs, feigning hurt. He puts his arm over your shoulder, tugging you closer as he starts to walk, forcing you to walk with him. Not that you’re complaining. “I’ll just never be on time again.”
You nod. “Sounds great. Glad we got that tough conversation out of the way.” When you look at him, Peter is smiling.
The two of you arrive at the restaurant after a short walk. Peter approaches the hostess. “Uh, for Parker? Peter? I forget which I put it under.”
The hostess laughs a little. “It was both. Follow me.” She leads the two of you to a small booth in the corner of the restaurant. She sets down two menus and steps aside. “Enjoy.”
You smile at her in thanks, taking a seat across from Peter. You pick up your menu, scanning through the various options. “I heard you were talking about me with Harry.”
Peter glances up from his menu, a flash of concern crosses his face that you almost miss before it turns into something more neutral. “Just about how terrible you are.”
You roll your eyes, attempting to be dramatic. “Okay, sure, whatever you say.”
Peter smiles at you. “It was just about you leaving. He knew I met you before him but I didn’t really talk about you much.”
“Ouch.” You say, not really meaning anything by it. You didn’t talk about him much either but you certainly thought about him frequently. “Did you at least think about me?” You ask, internally cringing at how desperate you sound.
“I did. Especially when I called you for weeks and you never wanted to talk.” Peter says, his eyes meeting yours. You find a twinge of hurt in them and you frown.
“I thought talking to you would make it worse,” you admit, setting your menu down. “I do feel bad about that.”
“You answer now, so it doesn’t matter. I forgave you for it a long time ago.” Peter offers you a smile, reaching across the table and grabbing your hand. He squeezes it gently before releasing it to resume looking at his own menu.
You let out a breath, picking up your menu as well. “I’m glad to hear that.”
You two order your meals when the waitress comes around. The food arrives quickly and you two eat, joking around in between bites. By the time the waitress comes around to ask about desserts, your cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
“I think we’ll take the, uh, cookie pizza thing? That’s a thing, right?” Peter asks, looking between you and the waitress for clarification.
She nods. “Yeah, it sure is. I’ll put that in for you. If that’s all for the two of you, I can take your payment now.”
“Oh, yes!” Peter says, as if he had forgotten about paying, getting his card out of his wallet and handing it to her.
She smiles at him and leaves, bringing back the card and receipt with the dessert.
“Thank you.” You say to Peter after she leaves. “This was really fun.”
Peter grins happily at you. “I’m glad. It was-” A ding from his phone stops him from finishing and he pulls it out of his pocket.
Your smile falls just a bit at his expression and you have a feeling you know what he’s going to say.
“[Name], I’m so, so sorry.” Peter says as he looks up to meet your eyes.
You let out a long breath. “Work, huh?”
He nods, pocketing his phone and reaching across the table, taking your hands in his like he did earlier in the night. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
You stare back at him, trying to push your disappointment far down so he can’t see it. You convinced him that this was okay and you weren’t going to backtrack on that. “It’s alright, Peter, I can get it to go and we can have it together later.”
Peter nods. “Of course.” His phone dings again and he sighs. He scoots to the edge of the booth and stands.
You watch as Peter approaches your side of the booth and you tilt your head up to look at him properly.
He places his hands on your cheeks, smiling down at you. “You look beautiful. Thank you for tonight.” He punctuates his statement by kissing you.
You kiss back for a moment before he pulls back, kissing you briefly again before he removes his hands. “Thank you, too.” You say.
Peter grins at you before finding your hand to squeeze it lovingly. “We’ll do this again.” He lets go of your hand, seeing the waitress approaching. “Hey, could we get a box for this?”
She nods and retreats back to the kitchen to grab a to-go container.
Peter waves at you and you watch the entrance doors open and close as he exits.
The waitress gives you the box and you pack up the dessert, gathering your bag and coat before leaving yourself. The wind is stronger outside than it was when you arrived and you shiver, making your way back to Oscorp to get your car.
You arrive home 30 minutes later, putting the untouched cookie in your fridge. You discard your bag and coat next to the couch, sitting down and sighing. You toe off your shoes, stretching your legs in front of you to rest them on the coffee table. Your parents were already asleep; they always had to get up at ungodly hours of the morning for work.
You turn on the TV to find something to distract and tire you. Your parents left the news station on from earlier in the night. You’re about to change the channel when the host starts to talk. “Spider-Man was seen fighting a group of bank robbers earlier tonight, right outside of Chase Bank on Dalny Road. All of the perpetrators were apprehended with webs, trapping them until authorities arrived.”
You hum, nodding a little before changing the channel. You’re glad your city has Spider-Man to take care of criminals before they get to follow through with their plans, but you’d rather watch something other than the news.
You’ve nearly fallen asleep on the couch when a soft knock at your door jolts you awake. You almost fall off the couch, grabbing the remote and pausing the movie that was lulling you to sleep. You look through the peephole and see Peter. You move back and unlock the door, opening it. “Peter, it’s late, are you alright?”
Peter grins at you, walking inside when you step aside to let him in. “It’s only 11.” He reasons.
You look at the clock in your foyer, shrugging a little and closing the door. “I thought it had been longer, I- Holy shit, what happened?” The light inside your house illuminates Peter’s features better than outside and you notice a cut on his eyebrow. It looks recent.
Peter’s hand raises to touch the area around it. “Yeah, right, I ate shit. I cut it when I fell.”
You nod slowly. “Right. Let me clean that for you.” You say, moving to the kitchen to grab a first-aid kit that’s in a lower cabinet. You lead Peter to the couch, sitting next to him and opening the kit. You feel his eyes watching you as you grab a small packet of antibiotic ointment and a larger band-aid. “Can you tilt your head towards me?”
Peter turns his head as you asked. “I appreciate it, even though I could have done it myself.”
“Yeah, yeah.” You say, applying the antibiotic and putting the band-aid over it. “How did you fall?”
“Just tripped on the uneven sidewalk.” Peter says, leaning back against the couch.
“Oh, like an idiot?” You tease.
Peter gasps. “How dare you, [Name], after our amazing date? I’m an idiot?”
You nod. “100 percent.” You close the first-aid kit, setting it on the table. “Why are you here? Not that I mind.”
Peter shrugs. “May wanted to see me and I decided to surprise her. I figured…” He trails off, standing and walking into the kitchen. Peter opens the fridge, finding the uneaten dessert from earlier and returns with it and two forks. “We could finish our date?”
You can’t help but smile at his actions. He went out of his way to come over and make it up to you. Your heart feels like mush in your chest as he sits down next to you again, setting the cookie on the table and handing you a fork. “You’re such a sweetheart.”
“Oh, I thought I was an idiot. Did I get an upgrade?” Peter jokes, gently nudging you with his shoulder.
“Maybe so.” You say, using the fork to get a bite of the cookie. It’s cold now but you don’t mind, your body is already warm enough from Peter being so close. You unpause the movie to give you two some background noise. You two eat the cookie in a comfortable silence, ending up watching the movie instead of talking. You lean into him and Peter wraps his arm around you.
Peter presses a kiss to the top of your head, rubbing your shoulder with his hand affectionately.
The two of you stay there for a while, both of you ending up falling asleep together on the couch. You awake with a start from a loud noise from the TV. You sleepily reach for the remote and turn it off, feeling Peter’s arm try to pull you back. “Peter, it’s late.” You say softly, gently removing his arm from you.
Peter stirs awake, bleary eyes meeting your own. He yawns, rubbing his face with his hand. “What time is it?”
“I don’t know, around 3 maybe.” You say, standing and stretching. Your neck hurts a little from the position you fell asleep in. “Will May be awake to let you in?”
Peter shakes his head, blinking hard a few times to wake himself up. “My bedroom window is unlocked, I’ll be fine.” He stands, yawning again.
“Don’t eat shit again.” You say, brushing your hair out of your eyes. You’ll need to brush it before you go back to sleep.
Peter laughs tiredly. “I won’t,” He leans down, pressing a gentle kiss to your lips. “Sleep well, love.”
You smile at the pet name. “You too.” You let Peter out, watching from the doorway as he climbs the tree next to his house to get into his bedroom. He does so successfully and you hope May doesn’t think someone’s breaking in. You close the door and lock it, making your way up to your room afterwards. You brush through your hair, barely able to keep your eyes open and you fall asleep easily when you finally lay down in your bed.
—
The next few weeks flew by for you. It was a consistent routine of work, seeing Peter, and sleeping. Not to say you’re complaining at all - for the first time in a while you could confidently say you were happy. It felt like life was suddenly being kind to you. You were handed one of the most beautiful and precious things you could have ever asked for and you hoped it would be yours for as long as you wanted.
Although, there’s one thing missing. Your relationship with Peter has been tilting more and more towards being an official thing, but he hasn’t defined anything. You’ll admit to yourself at least that you’re getting a bit impatient. You want to be able to call him your boyfriend for real instead of repeatedly telling your parents and Gwen that you two are just “talking”.
You’re at work, typing rapidly at your computer to reply to an email you somehow missed from earlier in the afternoon, when you hear someone approaching your desk. “Hello, give me one moment and I’ll be right with you.” You say, still looking at your computer instead of the visitor.
“That’s no way to talk to your boyfriend, [Name].” The visitor says and you instantly recognize it to be Peter.
You whip your head to look at him. “What?”
Peter seems taken aback, staring at you with a confused expression that matches your own. “What?” He says.
“Just remind me, how long has this…” You say, gesturing between the two of you. “Been that?”
Peter tilts his head. “Uh… for a few weeks, right? Is this a test? Are you testing me?”
You’re still staring at Peter in bewilderment when he continues.
“I swear I know the date. I wrote it down in my phone-”
“Peter, what the fuck?” You say in a quiet voice before you can stop it. “We never… what?” You say, still utterly confused.
“We never what?” Peter asks.
“You never asked.” You protest.
“Yes I did! I asked you on, like, multiple dates! I figured-”
“That is not the same as asking to be exclusive!”
“Yes it is-”
“No it is not.”
“Fine, fine, fine. [Name], lovely, beautiful [Name], will you be my girlfriend since-” He pauses, fumbling to grab his phone. “October 14th?”
You stare for a moment before laughing, shaking your head in disbelief. “Holy shit, you really are something else.”
“Is that a no? I’m offended, actually, because-”
“What are you here for?” You ask, finally finishing and sending the email you accidentally procrastinated.
“I was here to see you-”
“Peter.”
“...And Harry.”
“Ah, well, in that case,” You say, grabbing a name tag sticker and writing his name on it, handing it to him. “Have a good visit, Mr. Parker.”
Peter rolls his eyes dramatically, jokingly, and takes the name tag. He puts it on his jacket to humor you. “Thank you, Miss. [Last Name]. Will I see you tonight?”
“Now that I can call you a boyfriend to my parents, sure.” You say, cracking a smile.
Peter grins back at you, flashing you a peace sign before heading for the escalators.
It hits you as he walks away that the two of you have, unconventionally but officially, become a couple. You smile, burying your head in your hands and finally feeling like everything was falling perfectly into place. The rest of your shift is thoughts full of Peter rather than work. The hours pass by quickly and soon enough, you’re clocking out. As you’re leaving, you realize that you never saw Peter leave. You weigh your options for a moment before deciding to head up to Harry’s office. You can see two figures through the frosted glass and right before you knock, Peter throws open the door. You barely dodge the door, stepping aside just in time for Peter to catch it before it hits you.“Jesus-”
“Sorry!” Peter says, closing the door more gently this time. “What are you doing up here? Not that you can’t be up here, you work here of course you can be up here-”
“Are you alright? You were pretty aggressive with that door.” You say, not paying any mind to Peter’s rambling.
“I’m fine, I’m all good.” Peter responds.
You’re still doubtful but decide not to push anymore. “Still coming to my house?”
Peter nods. “Of course.”
“I have to give some stuff to Harry, I’ll meet you downstairs, yeah?” You say, moving past him to go inside Harry’s office before Peter can respond.
Harry’s sitting at his desk. He looks up and a surprised look crosses his face. “Oh, hello [Name]. What do I owe the pleasure?” Harry asks.
“Just had some files for you.” You say, approaching his desk and handing him the file folder.
“Oh, perfect, thank you.” Harry says, taking the folder and putting it amongst other stacks of papers you assume he will review later.
“Yeah, of course,” you pause, debating whether or not to ask about Peter’s behavior. “I’m sorry if I’m overstepping… but is Peter upset with you?”
Harry sighs a little. “He was a little rough with the door, wasn’t he?” He pushes his chair back and stands, grabbing a small envelope from his desk drawer.
“You two were talking for a while.” You add.
“Yes. Catching up is all.” Harry clarifies, walking towards you and holding out the envelope to you. “This is an invite to the Christmas party I’ll be hosting for Oscorp. Peter is invited, of course.”
You take the invite from him, a little confused. “Right, thank you, but-”
“Peter’s fine, don’t worry about him, alright?” Harry interrupts. “Just a little bit of a disagreement.”
It feels final. You don’t want to throw yourself into an argument with your boss, especially when it doesn’t involve you. You nod. “Right, I understand. See you around.” You leave his office and try to ignore the feeling of something being wrong settling deep in your stomach.
---
thank you for reading! please leave me comments about your favorite parts its MY favorite part of writing! or if u want to be tagged in part two <3
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