Prompt: “I’ve been trying to tell you that I’m gay for about a month now and I’m using memes to do it in case it backfires but you’re missing the point and oh my god how are you so smart yet so stupid???”
A/N: I know this isn’t what you initially wanted, but this was the first thing I thought of when I got the request. You can also see where I was feeling inspired vs. when I didn’t have control of the braincell so. :) enjoy.
Coming out was never easy. Especially when you had to try and do it over, and over, and over again. You wouldn’t have had to try multiple times had he gotten the message, but no. Because Peter Parker was kind of an idiot. In total, it took you 3 different tries before he finally understood.
At the time of thinking it through you decided you didn’t want to do another emotional, long winded, tear-jerker coming out. Especially considering the brunette was kind of your crush.
If you said it and got it out quickly, you couldn’t go back. You couldn’t hide it anymore. That truth would be out in the open, strewn across the floor like confetti and wrapping paper from a birthday party long forgotten.
You knew he would be fine with it, maybe a bit shocked at first, but the pit in your stomach would ache at the thought that he wouldn’t.
“Okay, okay. No big deal. Just… send him a text.” You muttered to yourself.
Slowly, you pulled your hands from where they resided over your eyes and grabbed at your phone. The golden sun was just making her way down past the buildings of Queens, light beams gliding their way through the thin glass windows of your bedroom. Everything that had previously been white suddenly gained an orange tint to it; you always loved this time of day.
Peter said he had to make up some work, but you knew he’d still be out on patrol. Not that you minded, but a small part of you was always worried. As soon as you began to unlock it you were greeted with one of your favorite pictures.
You, Ned, and Peter all outside of MoMA during the annual field trip in your freshman year. It was just a dumb selfie you took on Snapchat, yours and Ned’s hairlines adorned by the filtered flower crowns (rest in peace) and Peter pouting in the background because he didn’t get one.
To you it seemed like yesterday but also ages ago, but you couldn’t get fixed on that at the moment.
“Coming out first, nostalgia later,”
Muscle memory guided you to pull up Snapchat and the chat log between you and the brown eyed boy. His name had been saved as ‘dorito king’ in your contacts, a small inside joke from freshman year. A smile tugged at your lips, forming beautifully at yet another memory you’d made together.
‘I just hope this doesn’t end that,’ you sighed, ‘here goes nothing.’
Almost instantly you watched his Bitmoji pop up then disappear.
You: I got something to say don’t ignore me you hoe
dorito king: Yeah, and what’s that?
dorito king: And don’t call me a hoe
You: I just wanted to say that—
You pulled the vine fresh from your camera roll and sent it. The iconic vine to end all other iconic vines — iDubbbz jumping from the counter in a green morph suit and saying ‘I’m gay’. As soon as you sent it and saw it had delivered, the pit in your stomach became much more obvious. The small cartoony version of your best friend in the corner gained a thought bubble as he typed.
This was it. You just came out to your best friend with a meme.
dorito king: You texted me while I’m out to send me a vine?
dorito king: I mean I’m not mad but, like, why?
You: because it’s important.
dorito king: Well, yeah, it’s an iconic vine.
Did he not get what I was trying to say?
About 10 more seconds of silence confirmed it. He didn’t get what you were trying to say. This genius boy that goes to a STEM school, the boy with a 4.0 GPA, the boy that designed his own web shooters and web fluid, just completely missed what you were trying to say.
Abruptly laughing at his sudden stupidity, you lost all composure. A genuine laugh made its way from your stomach. Fist pounding on the desk, you tossed your head back forcing (h/c) locks to flow back.
You just tried to come out to your best friend with a vine and he didn’t get it.
dorito king: Oh man I think some dude just stole a bike, I gotta go.
dorito king: I’ll be back later and then we can talk about vines.
With that, his small avatar disappeared and you were left stunned. You’d have to try another tactic, but maybe later.
Since the first attempt to come out using memes didn’t work, and it had been a few days, it seemed best to try again. This time?
Some not-so-subtle color schemes in your pictures.
It was the weekend, which meant you had a little bit longer to focus on your photography. Normally, you stuck to taking pictures of the architecture, people, animals, nature — anything but yourself. But with Peter not completely getting the idea the first time, you figured it’d be best if you were actually in the photos.
Something moody and aesthetic crossed your mind and your heart was set. The LED lights around your room would help you out in your mission, their colors being changed easily with a remote. Your scenes had been set, clothes with appropriate colors laid across the desk that faced your wall. Changing multiple times wouldn’t be fun, but maybe he’d get the idea this time around.
Your smooth hands gripped at the camera before placing it carefully on the tripod. A few clicks of the remote for the light and you had started.
Every color had a different and complex emotion tied to it. Maybe that was just how it was for art kids, but you were no exception. Being able to now use those colors to express who you were, and what you stand for, just gave you a nice feeling. Like an added warmth, that of a security blanket.
Red was the main color of the suit you’d grown accustomed to seeing, typically when it’s worn by your best friend as he climbs in your window to fill you in on how his night of patrolling went. That color also being the same as the hoodie he stole from you a while ago, the one you were too afraid to ask for.
Orange being the color of the sunset in one of your favorite memories; after freshman orientation at Midtown when you two had gotten some ice cream to commemorate. By the time the two of you had gotten to his bedroom it was golden hour, the beautiful orange beams flowing in carelessly through the windows.
Yellow in the same hue as the lemon Peter mistakenly (almost) ate when May was cooking dinner one night. An awkward smile and bright brown eyes coaxed you to stay, finally letting out an awkward laugh when you said yes. He tried to distract himself by eating the closest thing on the counter, which just so happened to be a lemon slice. The expression he made when it hit his tongue was priceless — you two laughed until you had tears in your eyes.
Green like the sweater he received for Christmas, a dark forest green with a fine knit, one that clung to his body immaculately. When he pulled it out and was promptly overjoyed, adding a remark about you having good taste. If he had it his way, he would’ve worn it a million times by now. But the brunette typically saved it for special occasions, namely ones involving you.
Blue with the same vibrancy as the neon lights that illuminated the midnight streets of New York, the same shade that reflected wonderfully in the wet pavement. A nostalgic memory of sitting on the fire escape with a certain boy after the rain, the time reading 2:37 AM. That night was serene and peaceful, only consisting of a few exchanged words between you two.
Purple like your tongues after movie night with AirHeads. Violet like your favorite pair of socks, only one of which you knew the location of. Amethyst as the color you once dyed your hair on a bet, eventually resulting in a lecture from your parents. But to see the grin that plastered Peter’s face, it was worth it.
With the last few pictures taken, you tugged at the purple hoodie and set it aside once it was off. Time seemed to fly during the mini-photoshoot, the clock on your phone displaying 10:56 when you finally checked it. Missed notifications cluttered your screen, a few missed texts here and there. A few from the boy you not-so-secretly liked.
dorito king: Today has been kinda uneventful tbh
dorito king: Can I come over?
dorito king: Nvm I’ll wait, I don’t want to just drop over unexpectedly. I know you hate that.
dorito king: Maybe tomorrow or something?
The texts were from 7:44, 8:32, 8:55 and 8:56 respectively. A grimaced crossed your features as you typed out a response.
You: hey sorry I was working on a project
You felt kind of bad after not replying, although it wasn’t on purpose. It wouldn’t take long to start and finish editing the shots, just a pass through VSCO or something would do the trick.
Yet again the cartoon version of the young hero appeared in the corner.
dorito king: What kind of project?
You: just some photography stuff nothing exciting
dorito king: Dude you have to show me when you’re done
dorito king: Your stuff is always really good :)
Is now the time? They’re not even edited yet. I should probably wait… they need to be perfect. Okay, well, not perfect. Perfection is an illusion — but they need to be up to my standards.
You: I don't have much to do tonight so looks like I'll be editing them
You: but thanks I'm glad somebody likes my stuff
His Bitmoji equipped a thought bubble for a few seconds, then went back to the typical peeking position. Not long after, another thought bubble — he must’ve deleted what he was going to say.
What was he going to say?
dorito king: Yeah you know, I’m actually pretty tired so I’m going to bed.
You immediately sent the sticker of your avatar in bed with the Dancing Hot Dog (rest in peace) hovering over your cartoon bed, the one you commonly referred to as your ‘sleep paralysis demon’ sticker.
Sighing softly, the plush cover of the large bed shifted under your weight as you leaned back to lie down. It was warm and welcoming, with the sheets thrown around from your constant tossing and turning — just how a bed should be. The thought occurred that if Peter was asleep (or at least going to be), you could work on editing the pictures and then send them for him to open when he finally woke up.
You slid your laptop over from the spot on your desk and proceeded to hook the camera up to transfer the images. There were a lot, so you’d have to sort through and pick the best of the bunch. Which didn’t exactly sound fun, but whatever.
The bright white screen of the laptop couldn’t distract your eyes from wandering, to which they soon landed on a small box on top of your dresser. Cardboard walls that contained some sketches, polaroids, pencils, old homework, and a new addition.
Just a pride flag, about the size of a tee shirt, that you came across while shopping online. The colors were deeper and richer than a normal flag, almost having a handmade quality about it. It had just been sitting there for a month or so, shoved under miscellaneous junk; how ironic.
A flag that was supposed to be flown with pride had been hidden and concealed under papers and sketches of no importance.
Bright and lively (e/c) eyes fixated on the item, almost as if it had been the tool of hypnosis. You glanced back down at the laptop, photos not fully imported yet.
With little thought and energy you stood and walked over to the box, pulling out the flag and grasping it tightly within a clenched fist. All of the colors in the fabric looked gorgeous against the (s/c) of your arm. Originally you hadn’t put it up in case Ned or Peter happened to drop by, though it was typically the latter, and it wasn’t like you didn’t want to put it up — you just weren’t ready.
Not ready for the shock, confusion, and possible rejection that could come about because of one small detail. A detail you couldn’t change, but instead had to accept and love. That you, a boy, liked other boys.
As if breaking free from the spell, you shook your head gently and put the flag back in the box. After they found out, you’d put it up. For right now you had to focus on editing the pictures.
Editing wasn’t as long as initially expected; considering VSCO has that save-your-filter feature. With everything saved, you sent it to him in the chat (at around 11:47) then finally drifted off into a dreamless sleep.
The days that followed after the pictures were… unusual. Peter was slightly more antsy, always making excuses, losing track of things — and probably would've been searching for his own head, had it not been attached to his body. You asked Ned if it was about the pictures and such, but he said that the webslinger never mentioned anything.
Which meant one of two things: either he figured it out and was trying to adjust silently, or he still didn’t take the hint and was just overworked.
Both of you assumed it was the latter.
So, becoming bored of dropping hints, you told him to stop by after he was done patrolling. Initially, he made up a few excuses — May was making dinner, he had homework, was going to spend some time with Tony — but taking no for an answer was never your strong suit.
Everything had already been worked out for how you’d tell him. The (shorter/taller) brunette would creep through your bedroom window before dinner, maybe catch up on some homework, order a pizza, then you’d say it. Nothing too complicated, hopefully, but you braced yourself for the worst.
It wasn’t quite dark when you heard the familiar tap tap on your window. The familiar figure wrapped in red and blue tilted his head to the side, motioning for you to unlock it. You leaned over and nudged it open, giving him enough room to slide in. The brunette just scooted across your bed, sitting on the edge, then yanked the mask off and sat it on the side table.
Caramel curls fell perfectly in front of matching eyes. Not much in your room had changed since he was last in your presence, but he still looked it over like the first time. The usual awkward smile formed when you gestured over to the pizza box, knowing he’d be hungry after being Spidey for the evening.
“What’s that look for?” You raised a brow.
“Oh uh… can I, maybe, borrow a shirt and shorts or something? I lost my bag. Again.”
Eyes locked onto the English assignment that was being typed up, you mindlessly flicked your hand in the direction of the closet. Peter scanned through the tees and eventually settled on the worn-out red one with ‘SAVE FERRIS’ printed on the front. If he had to pick, that was always his favorite shirt on you. Something about the way the shade of red looked with your eyes.
Once turned around, he tapped at the black spider in the middle of his chest; the rest of the suit falling loosely to the floor. You couldn’t help but look up at his toned back, good lord. It was one of those moments where you couldn’t quite tell if you wanted to be built like him, or if you wanted to run your hands all over him.
But, considering your little secret, it was probably the second one.
Watching him changed proved to be pretty amusing. He bumped into your dresser a few times, then the wall, and the dresser again just trying to get the shorts on. How could a boy with superpowers be so… clumsy? Baffling, if you were being honest. You were quick to focus again before he could catch your wandering eyes.
After changing he grabbed the pizza box from your desk, pulled out a slice, and started eating. The face of pleasure and satisfaction soon became more apparent the more he ate.
“Oh my god, that’s so good,”
You could’ve died right there.
“So, how goes the Spidey thing?” You begin.
He shrugged, wiping some sauce from the corner of his mouth. “The usual. Nothing really weird, thank god. Oh, but the other day I helped this old Dominican lady with directions. Then she bought me a churro, so that was cool.”
A fond smile found its way to your lips, remembering the picture he sent with the mask half off, the churro in one hand, and the sunset behind him.
“God bless the Churro Lady,”
The only reply you receive is a nod and the cheers of a pizza crust. Although you’ve seen him what seems like a million times, your eyes can’t help but scan his features like you’ve just met. When you first came to terms with liking dudes, you swore you’d never fall for him. But damn, was that a lie.
After another slice of pizza he seemed less nervous. You soon found him sprawled across the plush bed, facing each other. Every click from the keyboard was enough to drive yourself insane. The more you thought about it, the tighter the feeling in your stomach became.
Peter, however, remained completely oblivious and stuck in thought. Normally you were good at reading others but him. That boy was something different, something that drove you crazy because you could never tell what he was thinking. It was like all at once, the red alarms started to go off in your head and the world around him started to close in.
Goosebumps started to rise on (s/c) skin, clammy feeling becoming more obvious as the pit in your stomach built up a bit more. The speed at which you tapped nervously on the keyboard quickened. It eventually caught his attention, prompting you to slide your laptop aside with a sigh.
Face in your hands, you mentally prepared to say it.
His eyes guided you towards the cardboard box that rested on the dresser, what used to hold the flag, now sitting empty. The rainbow flag that had been stashed away was now laying carelessly on the floor next to the Spider-Man suit. Something about the combination just seemed right, neither of you could put a finger on it.
Brown and (e/c) hues glanced between the flag and back, no hostility held in either pair. Just a new understanding. Something you hadn’t felt in a while.
The look that crossed his face was similar of that to the woman with the equation meme. His eyes narrowed slightly as if trying to add all of the pieces together. A few moments later, he finally got it. He shook his head, embarrassed, and let out a pathetic laugh.
A breath you didn’t know you had been holding was released, soon evaporating into a smile of contentment. Everything in that moment felt warm. Soft, warm, and bright. Nothing mattered except you, a flag, and the boy sitting next to you. The knot in your stomach had been replaced by butterflies. A nice pink tint replaced the paled look you gained while working up the courage.
That same pink colored the other male’s features as well, even going so far as to paint the tips of his ears. Muscular arms that had previously been folded were now open and inviting; everything just seemed right.
“Not to steal your thunder or anything… but uh... yeah. I’m—I’m bi.”
As soon as those words were out in the open it was like every piece fell into place. All you could do was reach over and wrap your arms around him. He was stunned for a second before realizing what was happening, quickly reciprocating. It seemed to last for hours and seconds all at once.
It was like your veins started glowing and skin emanated light. Nothing in the world could compare to the feeling, and nothing could take it away. Suddenly every rude comment, punchline, and beating paled in comparison to that moment. Like they were all worth it just for this new feeling of pure joy.
After a few minutes the two of you came down, still in shock from what just happened.
“I was avoiding you because I didn’t exactly know how to tell you,” the spider admitted.
“Well, I guess you’re glad you came over, huh?”
You could’ve sworn that for a split second he was focused on your lips instead of your eyes.
I hope it stays like this forever.