Busted (Alibi Drabbles #5)
TASM!Peter x female reader
This is the fifth in a short series of drabbles based on my fic, The Perfect Alibi
Word count: ~2200
CWs: swearing
♥️ thank you to the amazing @raylan-c for making headers for this drabble series ♥️
It was a beautiful, sunny day on campus. One of the warmest you’d had in a while. So to feel some semblance of freedom and outdoorsy-ness, one of your friends had suggested studying together on a large lawn near the science building. You’d packed a picnic for you and Peter and some snacks to share. It was going well, you were enjoying the sunshine and making some very detailed notes, until Peter decided he’d had enough physics for the day and wanted to work on his photography project with some human subjects.
“Hey,” he called in that way he only spoke to you. You lifted your head to see him take the lens cap off. “Smile for me,” Peter winked, then slotted his eye behind the camera as he pointed the lens in your direction.
“Go away,” you laughed and held your hand up towards him, making sure your palm was blocking your eye-line to the camera and so your face would be blocked too. “There are plenty of people here to bother. Take Josh’s photo,” you tilted your head to the side to bring Peter’s attention to one of the many people in your friend group studying together on the grass.
Josh lifted his head and gave a huge, cheesy smile to Peter - who then snapped his photo before looking back at you. “See how easy it is?”
“I’m reading about currents. Josh can model for you.”
“Just one smile.”
You sighed, lowered your hand, and smiled for the camera. His own smile grew wide and warm, but before he could fully snap your photo you dropped your face to a deadpan.
He peeked out from behind the lens to give you a look of betrayal. “Why don’t you love me anymore?” He whispered in fake pain.
That made you laugh, and you looked away before he could take a photo of it.
“Do I need to rig a self-timer, come over there and make you smile?” He threatened playfully. You shot him an unimpressed look and there were a few cutesy comments around from the group of seven or eight people studying together. A lot had music going through their headphones, so they weren’t really paying attention.
Knowing he was bluffing, you challenged, “Yeah, go for it, Peter. See how good that picture looks.”
Josh laughed next to you and then dropped his book. “If this is what it’ll take to shut you two up,” he suddenly scooted behind you and dug his fingers against your sides. You immediately squeaked and folded in on yourself. “Alright, Pete. Go for it, bro.”
“Oho gohohod,” you giggled hard and tried to scoot away but Josh kept you in place. “Fihine!” You squeaked and looked up at Peter, who was frozen in place.
Peter licked his lips and grimaced. “Josh, man, you don’t have to-”
"Tahake the damn pihicture, Pete," you giggled, then fell to your side on the grass as Josh followed you down and continued on his onslaught.
"Alright," Peter chuckled dryly, lowering his camera further, “cut it out now.”
"Take it already!" You squeaked and then kicked your leg out.
"O-ho! Your girl's a fighter!" Josh laughed, and you gave him the best death glare you could muster. "Have you got the shot yet?"
"Hey, really-"
"PEHETER!"
"Josh!” Peter shouted, drawing stares from around the circle. “Get the fuck off my girlfriend! NOW!"
The anger in his voice was so out of character that it made both you and Josh freeze in place and wither sheepishly. Anyone in the circle who had been paying attention averted their eyes awkwardly, and anyone who hadn’t been paying attention - people in other groups on the lawn - were subtly looking over.
Josh looked down at you with a guilty blush and lifted his hands in surrender, "Hey, I didn't mean-”
"No, no," you held up a hand to reassure him. "Pete, we were just messing around." You sent him a confused glare but his eyes were on his camera as he zipped it back into the case.
He sniffed in annoyance. "I uh- I need to go check on the developments." He stood and left faster than you could stop him.
Josh looked mortified and he turned to you with a stammered apology. "I really didn't mean to-"
"Josh," you put a hand on his arm. "You're my friend. It's not weird," you assured him. "Please don't feel bad, alright?" He nodded. "I'm gonna go talk to him."
Peter had all but run off, leaving you walking to the university’s darkroom by yourself. You’d been there with Peter a few times, given he had 24/7 access due to his enrolment with a minor in Photography. He’d shown you how he developed the film of the photos he’d taken. Some, he’d snapped from the rooftops of New York’s highest buildings. You had one of those photos, stuck with a small collection of others, just above your headboard. Sometimes when worry got the best of you, if Peter had been injured recently, you’d look at it as you waited for him to climb through your window so you could make sure he was okay. He’d seemed okay lately, but there he was - snapping at one of his good friends.
It’s not like Josh made you uncomfortable. It’s not like he was flirting with you. Peter was out of line. Maybe he needed more sleep. Maybe he needed someone to put their foot down and say, you’re too stressed and you’re taking it out on people who really care about you.
It wouldn’t quite be all guns blazing, though you made sure to enter the darkroom with confidence in your step. Peter was the only person in there, and he was pouring the fluid chemicals into a tray. He didn’t look up as you entered, even though you both knew he knew it was you.
You opened with "Are you okay?"
"Yep."
"Then what was that all about?" You prodded with an edge to your voice, walking to stand beside him, just a few feet away. "You made Josh feel like he'd done something wrong."
Peter shrugged, setting his jaw, still looking at the solution in the tray. "Maybe he did."
You scoffed and folded your arms. "Excuse me?"
"Yeah, you know, maybe you did too," Peter turned to you with a frustrated glance. "Because how are we supposed to play a convincing couple if you're out there flirting with other guys-”
"That wasn't flirting, are you serious?"
"-and letting them put their hands all over you-"
"Peter, you do that to me all the time it's not-"
"-Right in front of everyone, I mean, come on-"
"What's the big deal? He was just tickling me!"
"Oh, come on! Really? Really?" He scoffed. "No one puts their hands all over someone like that for no reason. It's an excuse to have you close to him. Can you really not see it, or-or do you just not want to?"
A thick silence fell across the room, only the hum of the dark lights filling the small space between the two of you. You dropped your arms to your sides and raised both eyebrows at him. Peter looked taken aback. He opened his mouth to say something else but instead turned back to the tray, opting to focus his attention on taking the photo out to hang on the line. You didn't say anything as the weight of his outburst sunk into the atmosphere. There was no coming back from it, no confusing it or explaining it away. Right from the start he'd put his hands all over you in a cute playful way, and now he'd just told you what it really meant. He was absolutely, entirely, busted.
"Peter."
He set the tongs down and planted his hands on the table, shaking his head in defeat. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should've said something sooner," he turned back to face you, standing right in front of you, as he gesticulated and grimaced and apologised for the way he felt. "I thought I could get over it even though we're together all the time, but you- you're amazing, you know, and I've tried to ignore the way I feel when I'm with you but I- I can't and so maybe we should-"
"Peter."
"Yeah?"
You let out a huge breath. “Stop. Talking.”
He always talked too much. So you stepped forwards and silenced him with a kiss. A long, long, overdue kiss.
He didn't seem surprised or guilty or anything other than right there with you. Peter’s strong hands cupped your jaw as he deepened the kiss and sighed into your lips. He pulled back, opened his eyes and looked between yours for any signs of hesitance or any signs you weren't right there with him. You felt a smile tug at the side of your lips as you gave a cheeky nod towards the photos. "But if any of these are of me while I was sleeping I'm gonna rethink things-mmmhm!" You giggled against his lips after he rolled his eyes and pulled you in to kiss you once more. He stepped you backwards, then to the side, then effortlessly lifted you onto an empty table to sit level with him as he stood between your legs and pulled you closer by a hungry grip at your waist.
"Go on a date with me," he said, breathless and earnest.
You laughed and gave him an endeared stare. "We go on dates all the time, we-"
"No, no," he shook his head. He rested his forehead against yours for several seconds before lifting it and gazing his deep brown eyes into yours, an excited smile plastered across his kiss-blushed lips. "A real date."
You giggled and nodded, "Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, okahay," you laughed harder as Peter pulled you in for a tight hug and nestled his face into the crook of your neck.
"Okay," he sighed contentedly, holding you close, running his hands up and down your back as you two sat in the darkroom, locked in an embrace making up for lost days. You breathed him in and out, lacing your fingers through his hair, tugging affectionately, smoothing your hands along his back, his shoulders, his neck. Nothing had ever felt so right or so needed compared to sitting here right now, with him, as close as he'd ever been.
You had to ask, because you had to know. "How long?" You whispered. He hummed in question, asking you to clarify, and kept his head where it was. "How long have you felt like this?"
"I don't know," he mumbled against your skin, drawing his breath in close to you, then he lifted his head and pressed a soft kiss to your lips before pulling away just enough to look at you with a love-drowsy shimmer. "I do know when I realised."
“When?”
"When you called me. Freaking out. Telling me to come to your dorm," he started, then kissed you again. "It was just a double-date, and you were being overdramatic," he teased. Another kiss. His eyes fell to your lips as he said, "But I didn't know that when you called," he whispered. He met your eyes. "All I knew is that you felt like you were in trouble and I felt like I couldn't breathe."
You smiled shyly and lifted your hand to cup his cheek. Your fingers swirled at the hair behind his ear. Then, you kissed him again. Before you could pull him back against you, he broke the kiss to ask, "What about you?"
"Oh, like three minutes ago," you rolled your eyes and teased. Peter broke into a grin, a playful growl and then pulled you against him to nuzzle sloppy kisses against your neck and dig his fingers into your ribcage. "Okay-okay-okay!" You laughed and tapped on his back. He put his face level with yours, hands planted either sides of your legs as he looked all around your face like he'd never been allowed to before, fighting the urge to kiss you senseless.
"When?" he whispered, dragging his gaze away from your lips long enough for you to capture him in a locked stare. A smile formed across your lips as you told him.
"Do you remember the first time you called me your best friend?" He nodded. You gave a breathless laugh, then looked at his lips too. "It didn't feel like enough."
He broke into a soft grin and shook his head. "It wasn't."
"It's not," you corrected. "It's not enough. I wanted more then and I want more now I just-" Your breath caught as he nodded in agreement and leaned in closer. Your lips touched, and that electric spark flew through your bodies. Peter kissed you deeply, passionately, not daring to take his hands off you even when he'd break away to let you both breathe. As your lips and breaths collided, so did your whispered words. "I just want you."
"You have me."
"All of you."
"I'm yours."















