warnings: angst in the beginning but it is fluff!!!
word count: 3.4k, it’s a little long but i love love.
plot: Everyone deserves flowers once in their lives.
A/N: i wrote this for @lovelyspidey and @thelazypangolin’s writing challenge and my prompt was fluff, number 19: “Aw, you got me flowers?” I hope it doesn’t suck and you like it <3
not my gif
Every single second your heart drops lower. Every single second you’re resisting the urge to look towards the door. Every single second your vision become more and more blurry, tears threatening to cause a scene. Every single second you want to melt into the ground and pretend that you didn’t do this. That you didn’t spend hours over agonizing over the perfect outfit and talking about this day to anyone who would listen. Every single second, hope seems lost.
He should be here. He said he would be here. He would meet you at this small cafe that would mark your first date with him. He told you that he was looking for an actual relationship and how serious he was about it. And you believed it all. You believed that your eyes would meet his and everything would fall into place. You believed that you would somehow fall in love to the scent of coffee and the acoustic music that surrounds you. But he isn’t here and love feels fake.
Your attention goes back to your phone that lays face up, illuminating with another text from MJ and Ned. There wasn’t any energy in your body to respond to them, the only text you wanted to read was the one that read Jonah. Of course, it wasn’t there. He was just another guy you met at a random event, who seemed decent enough for you to pursue.
Your phone buzzes again, your friends empty threats at Jonah weren’t comforting at this point. You just feel so stupid, you should have known that he was some asshole who wanted to mess with your head. Yet, you fell for his simple text messages that made you blush through the screen. You ran your mouth about him to your friends, the excitement in your eyes visible to everyone. MJ would roll her eyes, Ned would excitedly support you, and Peter would just smile. The tables have turned and all they can do is comfort you and drag Jonah through the phone that illuminated the time 12:37, making him an hour and thirty-seven minutes late from what should have been a magical day.
Something kept you tied down to your chair even if you know you should leave. It was like your pride was holding you down, your mind in refusal that this wasn’t happening. You were delusional, half-expecting him to stroll in with a perfect excuse. He wasn’t even answering his texts. But you held your ground. The poor waiter you had was too kind to kick you out yet and would occasionally ask if you wanted to order, but each time you denied.
Your eyes were trained onto the fake flowers that divides the table in half. They were screaming color, way too obnoxious for the atmosphere that surrounds you. Noises subdue to the point where you feel out of your body and all you can do was stare down the flowers. You’ve grown so dead to your surroundings that you didn’t even notice the chimes by the door jingle or the footsteps approach you. What you noticed was a voice that cut through your thoughts. The voice that said “(y/n)?”.
Your hands fly to your face, hastily wiping away the stray tears. Your posture instantly straightens out at the sound of your name, relief washing over. Then it hits you, that voice was too familiar. It wasn’t an unknown voice, it was a voice you know time and time again. “Peter?”.
“Hey,” he says. His focus was on the ground, allowing his unkept hair to flop forward. His hands are behind his back and he’s rocking back and forth on his heels, a slight pink undertone dancing on his skin if you aren’t mistaken.
“Uh, hi. Um, what are you doing here?” you ask. As much as you love Peter, you weren’t fond of the idea of him seeing you in this condition. Though there was this sense of comfort knowing he was right there.
Peter still doesn’t pry his eyes off the ground, but he grows a shade brighter. “I, um, well you know how you, you sent out the texts. I didn’t want you to be, to be lonely.”
Your heart melts, he was here for you. “Peter-“
“Here,” Peter says thrusting his hands forward. He was holding a beautiful bouquet of flowers that were filled with life.
“Aw, you got me flowers?” you exclaim. You reach over to take them from him, your hands brushing past each other as he hands them off with the lightest touch. The bouquet was abundant with fragrant, whimsical flowers that brightened up the room.
“Do you like it?” he asks with the softest voice.
You close your eyes, breathing in the aroma of spring. Your cheeks were straining from the smile that manages to grow. The flowers made your heart blossom that it forgets about the heartache. He brought flowers. “Of course I love it, no ones ever brought me flowers before.”
Peter wishes he could capture this moment forever. His heart was swelling in size as he realizes he did that. He made that priceless smile appear on your face that he could see despite the orchids and carnations that block the bottom half of your face. Your eyes give it away, they are crinkling in the corners and sparks of joy were dancing in them as you clutch the flowers close to your heart. “Really?”
“Really what?”
“That no one has, um, brought you flowers?”
“Mhm, no. I always thought getting flowers was the sweetest thing someone could do. It’s just so classic and romantic, you know? I guess it isn’t that common.” You peer up at Peter who was glowing. He was a god-given gift. “You should sit,” you say nodding to the empty chair across from you.
If that’s the way you felt about a simple bouquet, Peter wants to shower you with flowers every day so you can feel that same warmness that made you smile uncontrollably. The love you have for the flowers made Peter want to shield you from the world. You were laying them so cautiously to make sure none of the buds get crushed, it was so pure he can’t handle it.
“So, um, how are you?” he says as he slides in to the seat.
You bite your lip considering the question. You should be disappointed and hurt, which you understandably were. It was like a punch to the gut knowing that Jonah wasn’t going to show up and how the world you built in your head crashed and burned. But then Peter shows up here. He didn’t erase the scarring of the date, but everything seemed to relax back into place like this was always meant to happen. He made the tears dry up and the pain to go away instantly. His presence lifted up your entire mood that you would have forgot about Jonah. “Not sure actually.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, I was on the verge of a breakdown like ten minutes ago, but then you show up here. Then I’m just so happy and content.”
“Oh? I make you happy?,” Peter says wiggling his eyebrows.
You pick up the menu you’ve been staring out for the past hour to hide the growing blush. You laugh as you kick him underneath the table. “I guess? I don’t know, leave me alone.”
Peter can’t leave you alone though. That’s the whole reason why he stopped patrolling to buy some flowers and went to find you at this cafe. There was no way he could go about his life when you were hurting. You deserve so much more than disappointment and heartache. You deserve the entire world for all he cares. He needs to let you know that there are some amazing, wonderful people out in the world. The world wasn’t just filled with assholes who would leave you hanging. Part of him wishes that he was originally the one going on the date with you, but that’s besides the point. Even if he wasn’t the guy on the other side of the table, he just has to know that you’re smiling.
Peter was all butterflies and blooming flowers. He always was around you. He swears that your words sound like the greatest poems ever written and that you were sunshine that could make his days better. He can see the stars in your eyes and he wants to promise you that he’ll always be there for you. He could never get tired of you. There was something about you that made him act like a confident fool. Peter finds himself not caring that he’s embarrassing himself around you, he just wants to see you smile.
And you were. The aching in your heart disappears with each laugh leaving your lips. Peter just knew what to do to make everything smooth over. It was his stupid puns to making up ridiculous stories for every stranger that walks by to buying you the most luscious flowers. Part of you knew he was putting up his best front to put you at ease, but that didn’t matter. All that matters is what was unfolding.
What was unfolding was something Peter would love to do over and over again. Time was only marked by the food growing cold and the stream of customers leaving and entering. He was able to make joke about Star Wars and ramble about his theory of Mjölnir. Maybe he was overthinking it, but he couldn’t get enough of the dynamic between the two of you. The conversation flows easily, no awkward pauses and there was endless topics to discuss. He just knows that the two of you would work out. Peter wishes that you could stay here forever but lunch has to end eventually.
You weren’t oblivious to the sparks flying between one another, but you convince yourself that it’s all in your head. This was just Peter, he was the Peter whose been your friend for years. Whatever was happening, you drown out the thoughts and bask in the moment.
The flowers are back in your hand as you and Peter navigate your way through the crowded streets. He insisted that he would walk you home for a proper ending to this day and you can’t help but smile at his offer. It was a beautiful ending to a tragic start.
The wind whips around your hair as you ask him, “Hey, why’d you buy me flowers?”
“Going full circle huh? Starting the day and ending the day with flowers,” Peter says with a laugh.
“I was just wondering.”
Peter looks over to see you using your arm as a shield against the wind to protect your precious flowers from flying away. All he can think about is how adorable you are and he wishes he could do more. “Um, I thought they would make you happy. That’s what they do in the movies too, buy flowers.”
“You’re the sweetest.” A warm buzz fills you up, but that’s what Peter does. He just makes you unexplainably happy. “Hey, turn here.”
“I heard everyone deserves flowers one in their life,” Peter says with a shrug. When he turns the corner and the apartment comes into view, a part of him deflates.
When you look over to Peter to see him with his hands in his pocket and his face flushing with color. He was precious, he could melt the coldest hearts with those words. He deserves something, he deserves the world. Maybe flowers could be a start before conquering the world for him. “Has anyone ever give you flowers?”
Peter squints his eyes, partly because of the wind, partly in remembrance. The technical answer would be yes. He’s received dozens of roses and lilies that May would proudly display in the middle of the kitchen. But that wasn’t him. It was Spider-man who got all the praise for saving the city and the reward tended to be a shower of flowers. No one has gotten him flowers for being Peter Parker. “No.”
“Then it’s decided, I’m going to buy you the prettiest flowers ever,” you tell him beaming.
Peter could feel his body start to burn up at your plan. “You, you don’t have to.”
“Mhm yeah, but I want to.” The warm air engulfs you as you walk through the doors of your complex, but not before you bump Peters shoulder while he opens the door for you.
Peters heart lurches. “Well, um, I’m just saying you don’t have to get me flowers just because I got you some. I’m not, I’m not expecting anything in return.”
“I know, but I really love the feeling that it gave me. It made so happy and mushy and stuff. I just want you to experience the same feeling because it makes you so warm and fuzzy and everything in the world seems right.”
If Peter wasn’t enchanted already, those words would have made him fall for you and you weren’t even aware. “Just from a bouquet of flowers?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of specific and weird, but it just does. It makes you feel so appreciated and loved. You’ll understand once I buy you some.”
When the elevator opens, Peter wishes he wasn’t standing there. All the sides reflect him becoming red from your innocent compliments that made him was to burst. “You don’t have to-“
“Somebody once told me that everyone deserves flowers once in their lives.” You rub your shoulder against him, completely unaware of the spell you cast on him. However, you were aware of your heart picking up the pace every time you touched.
“I guess it’s too late to take it back?”
“Yup. I’m going to buy you the most amazing flowers and you’re gonna love it.”
Peter can’t help but face you, even if his face was the same shade of a tomato. “Why would you buy me flowers?”
Peter was too humble at times, he could save the world and just shrug at it. He never realizes the magnitude of his actions. But you did. You know there was nothing forcing him to show up to the cafe, but he did. When he did, everything fell into place. He just has this aura about him that made you forget about all the bad things and appreciate life for what it is. “For being an amazing person who deserves the entire world.”
“I’m pretty, um, sure that’s you.” He closes his eyes grimacing at the hesitation. If words flowed beautifully out of his mouth, he would never shut up about the beauty in everything and everyone.
“I thought these flowers were to make me happy.” Involuntarily, your heart starts to race again.
“Well, I’m going to, going to buy you more flowers.”
“More flowers?” Maybe it was the enclosed space, but the air disappears.
Peter shrugs, not noticing the way though start to blush. “Enough to fill your entire apartment.”
“That’s a lot of flowers Parker.” Whatever was happening to you, you didn’t like it. You didn’t like being showered in endless compliments and how Peter was being sickeningly sweet. It felt like your heart was going to explode and every time you looked at him, it made you feel fuzzy. You want to punch him in the face for it. There was no way you can see him in a different light, he’s your friend. A friend that saved your day with flowers, but he’s a friend and all he should be.
“You deserve more really, you deserve every flower that’s ever existed.”
Can he just shut up with the compliments? There is no way you can fall for him, but if he keeps talking you just might. You can’t afford falling for Peter, but you know you’re close to it. He’s always been so caring and kind since you’ve met him and you would be lying if you didn’t think about kissing him one or twice or twelve times, but this time you were dangerously close to falling into him forever. It was different before, they were just random thoughts brought up through teases by friends, but you see it now. You see how you could end up dating him and what the relationship would hold. It would hold sunshine and happy days and endless support. There might be faults, but you didn’t care because you can see it clearly. You can see the good and bad and every time it becomes clearer, the closer you get to the edge.
The only way to escape this trap, was to stop giving him an opportunity to praise you. So you suck in a breath and switch the conversation around to him with “Well, you deserve those flowers and every single flower that’s going to grow.”
“That’s way too much flowers.” The elevator doors part and he doesn’t want this day to end.
“Well, I can start out by buying you a single bouquet before conquering that.”
“Why would you want to buy me flowers though, like um, why me out of everyone?” Peter asks as you fumble for keys. You lead him to your door, but he would know your apartment without your help.
You look over your shoulder as you turn your keys to see him cocking his head and his eyebrows scrunched like he had no genuine idea why someone would do that. Your heart goes out to him. “For being you. You don’t see it but you’re the most considerate, caring person I’ve ever met. You’re the embodiment of everything good and right in the world and you have no clue. Who would even show up to my failure of a date with flowers?” As the words leave your lips, you’re both equally shade of red.
“I, um don’t know?”
“Exactly.” When your door swings open, you don’t want this day to end you realize. That’s the only thought ringing through your head. Then, you know.
You’re hopelessly falling for him against every aching bone in your body. He pushed you over the edge and now you’re going be free falling right into him. Maybe it was unconscious before, but now it isn’t. It was brought to the surface against your will, that Peter had your heart. Something was telling you to run away from your feelings, but you can’t. It’s refreshing, like breathing in the scent of spring after a long, cold winter. In retrospect, you should have seen it coming, you simply can’t think about kissing someone and get over it, but you didn’t see it. It hit you out of nowhere. Now the truth runs wild in your head and everything turns in butterflies and summer days. Everything was so good and real. All you wanted to do is hold him and never let go.
“(y/n)?” Peter says cutting through your thoughts.
You shake your head, snapping yourself out of your daze, but the epiphany lingers. Something holds you back from entering and it was undoubtedly Peter. Peter who has your heart. “Thank you for the flowers and- everything.”
“It was nothing,” Peter says with a shrug.
You turn around, for one more look, one more glance. “It really meant a lot.”
Peter wants to do something more for you because that’s what you deserve. All he did was buy some flowers. “I did nothing.”
You can blame this on the adrenaline later you tell yourself as you lean over to kiss his cheek. He needs to know that this wasn’t nothing. This was everything. “You mean a lot to me.”
“I-, you-, um,” Peter stutters out but with a goofy smile placed on his face. His heart was through the roof because you were there and you kissed him. Maybe it was on the cheek, but god help him. You would think he just got married with all of the excitement running through him.
You laugh as Peter tries to organize his thoughts, but nothing comes out of him. Part of you is wondering if that was the right move, but you know it is. His smile was contagious. It was a smell step, but it was something. “I’ll see you soon Peter. I’ll have flowers when I do.”
The next time you saw him, you had flowers in hand and a blooming heart.
Summary: In which there’s only one bed for you and Peter to share in a beach resort.
Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader
Word Count: 816 (really short ik, it’s my first time to write a very uneventful and just really laid back of a one-shot)
Warnings: None + bad writing?
Prompt: There’s only one bed
A/N: This for @lovelyspidey ’s and @thelazypangolin ’s love month writing challenge. Hopefully, I made it into the deadline. Thank you for letting me enter! and I hope you enjoy this!
“Hey, Y/N, can you hand me those chips?” Peter said beside you, nudging you so you can remove your headphones and give him the chips your mother is offering the both of you from the passenger seat.
“Sure,” You reached over and grabbed the chips. You gave it to Peter and he devoured it right away.
“Mmmh, this is delicious!” Peter said, noisily eating the chips. “Thanks, Mrs. Y/L/N!”
“You’re welcome, Peter!”
Yours and Peter’s family are on a road trip right now to a beach resort. Its summertime and your family organized a family outing along with Peter’s. You and Peter have been friends ever since kindergarten. From then on, Aunt May became friends with your family, and now you’re as close as ever.
“Y/N, look!” Peter said pointing to a person selling Spiderman balloons.
“What is it?” You asked, removing your headphones so that you can hear him clearly.
“Oh!” You exclaimed as you the balloons. “They’re so cool. Andrew, look spidey balloons!” You showed Andrew, your younger brother, the balloons.
“Oooh! Want!” He said, looking at how cool it's designed is and how it flies.
“You want? Oh, you want?” You asked him, picking him up and tickling him. He squealed and squirmed and Peter laughed beside you looking at the both of you.
“Pete, welp!” Andrew said, struggling to breathe due to laughs. He reached over to Peter and grabbed the ends of his shirt and yanking it hard.
“Andrew, no!” Peter said as he was pretending to be hurt by it.
“Andrew,” Your mom gave him these warning look that they give whenever you’ve done something bad. “What do say?”
“I’m sowwy, Petey” Andrew said, frowning and doing his best puppy dog eyes look.
“Aw it’s okay, big guy,” Peter said, ruffling Andrew’s hair.
“Kids, we’re here!” Your mom announced and the three of you cheered while the adults chuckled at yours and Peter’s childish state.
All of you got out of the van and went to get your belongings.
“Mom,” You whined, “Why is this bag so heavy?” You said, lifting the bag.
“Because it’s filled with food that can last you and Peter for the night, plus it’s for our bonfire tomorrow and snacks for our island hopping trip,” Your mom answered.
“Okay?’ You said, unsure if the both of you can finish the snacks.
Your dad and Aunt May checked all of you in the hotel you’ll be staying in for three days.
“Okay, here are your room assignments. Y/M/N and I will be sharing a room with Andrew while Aunt May will have their own and Peter and Y/N will share a room. Is it alright?” Your dad explained giving all of your keys to your respective rooms.
Peter and you head to your shared room and went inside.
“Hey, Pete, is this the right room?” You asked Peter as you saw that your shared room only has one queen sized bed.
“I think so,”
“Let’s ask Dad,” The two of you went to your family’s room and asked your dad why.
“I don’t know, Y/N, maybe their slots for twin bedrooms are taken,” Your dad answered, “You can manage right?”
“Yeah, we can,” You answered, “Thanks, Dad!”
“So, what now? There’s only one bed,” Peter asked you, looking at you as he opened the door to your shared hotel room.
“I can take the floor, and you can take the bed?” You suggested as you entered the room.
“Or maybe the both of you can share the bed and sleep beside each other. I mean, it won’t be that bad right? You guys did it until fifth grade,” Aunt May butted in as she passed the both of you.
“That’s a good idea, you okay with that?” You asked Peter.
“Yeah, thanks, Aunt May!” Peter agreed.
“You’re welcome, Peter. Enjoy watching movies!” Aunt May said going back to her room.
Both of you entered the room and began to organize your belongings since you dropped it when you saw that there’s only one bed. After both of you finished organizing your stuff, Peter and you set up the TV and put in the USB that contains the movies you’ll be watching tonight since you’ll be having a movie marathon. You also grabbed some chips and drinks that you placed on the bedside table
Both of you lie on the bed and watched the first movie. As both of you are watching the movie, both of you are inching closer together. By the end of the movie, Peter and you are now cuddling, forgetting the boundaries the both of you have set in fifth grade when you’re all shy and awkward.
And by the end of the fifth movie for the night, both of you have fallen asleep beside each other with the sounds of crickets and beach waves heard from outside.
Tagging some wonderful people who might like to check this out and leave a comment so that I can improve my writing (lmk if you don’t want to be tagged): @prince-p-parker @leiasfanaccount648 @friendly-neighborhood-ash @petalparker @tomshufflepuff @cutie1365 @wayfaring----stranger
❥ IT’S LOVE MONTH, aka the cheesiest month so we thought we'd do a soft ass writing challenge! ❥
all the prompts are fluff or smut, but you can write them however you want. so just because you pick fluff doesn’t mean it has to be a fluff piece - it can include angst or fluff can be written as smut, etc.
rules:
— REBLOG THIS POST PLEASE. don’t have to be following us but it’d be nice :’)
— two to three people per prompt
— send me an ask with the prompt you want (include the number + category)
— can be any mcu cast member or mcu character / tom holland & co. / shawn mendes - just make sure you let me know who you pick when you choose your prompt.
— AUs AND TROPES ARE ALLOWED | i.e. mob, roommate, best friends to lovers...
— can be multiple parts or a full series
tag us; @lovelyspidey and @thelazypangolin when you post and use the tag #LAfebwc ! i’ll also be making a masterlist that’ll be updated as we read each entry.
deadline is mar. 15 but if you end up needing more time, just let us know.
PROMPTS UNDER THE CUT
fluff:
“You’re cute when you blush.” | rachramblesstuff with harrison ; poetrypeter with peter parker
“Wait... did you just say you love me?” | mischiefandi with tom ; gennyld with mob!tom
"Are you flirting with me?" | death-over-coffee with peter parker
"There’s only one bed.” | stuckonspidey with shawn ; spidey-caps with best friend!peter parker ; maoricth
"You’re so annoying. I love you.” | keepingupwiththeparkers with tom ; myspideysensesrtingling with peter parker
"Hey, it’ll be alright.”
“Can you keep holding my hand, please?”
“I could kiss you right now!” | uglypastels with harrison ; calum-hoodwinked-me with tom
“You come to my room and wake me up at 2am, to cuddle?” | tominhoodies ; sunshinehollandd with tom
“Can you please stop giving me butterflies?” | fairydustparker with peter parker
“You could just stay.” | silverofthunder with tom ; noir-spiderr with enemies to lovers tom
“You did it. You made me fall in love with you.” | marvelousxtsh with tom ; suncityparker with uni!peter parker
“You did all this for me?” | princeofsassgard with enemies to lovers peter parker ; maryjparkers with tom ; mina22 with peter parker
“I'm falling.” // “You’re sitting on the couch/bed.” | givemeamelody with shawn ; sleepwalkingdragon with harrison
“I’m attracted to stupid.” | reveredsapphic with peter parker ; anxieteandbiscuits with peter parker
“Are you single by any chance?” | afterglowparker with college!peter parker
“This is mine.” // “and that's your side of the bed.” | tomhollandandmarvelsworld with best friends to lovers tom
“You're a fucking catch, my love.” | ilytomholland with tom ; hollandarling with tom ; summernykole with harrison
“Aw, you got me flowers?” | sweetlysilent with roommate!tom ; akaspiderman with peter parker
“Is that chocolate on your lips?”
“Do you really think making a pillow boundary would help?”
“That lipstick?”
“You’re playing dirty again.”
“Why aren’t you looking at the sky?” | musiclover1263 with harrison
“Your hoodie/sweatshirt/jacket looks warm.”
“Dance with me.”
smut:
“Maybe I’d rather take my time.”
“Forget the bed. Let’s fuck right here.”
“I can’t wait to taste you.”
“I’ll be gentle. Promise.” | thelazypangolin
“Tell me what you want.” | tomhollandeu with tom
“That's my towel!”
“Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?” | fanficparker with harrison ; tomhollanduniverse with tom
“Do it, coward.” | lovelyspidey with tom
“We're about to find out, princess.”
“It's gonna be a long night.”
“Aren't you a little overdressed?” | spiderboytotherescue with tom
Summary: Its one night that might change everything between you and Tom, but you know that he wont remember it
Words: +1.6k
Warnings: Language, drinking, angst, mentions of smut, and bad writing
A/n: So this was originally supposed to be fluff all the way but um…Im sorry, maybe if you guys want a part 2 I’ll make it fluffy??
Masterlist!
Friday Night
The day when everyone dresses up in their most sluttiest outfit and go drink with their friends, usually until they do something they’ll regret
But hey! No shame, it’s happened to everyone at least once
And not everyone is like that!
Some were fucking forced to go to party with their friends, to ‘let off steam’ whatever that means
So, you somehow ended up in a tight uncomfortable dress, sitting at the bar table as you shook your head at two idiots at the dance floor
Harrison was definitely drunk. He grinned as he…danced? If you can even call that dancing, wow. No, he’s drunk no doubt about it
At least he was still able of standing and walking straight
Tom on the other hand?
“Heyyyyyy, Y/n!” he stumbled over to you, leaning on the counter for support as he gave you a lopsided grin. “I missed you” he slurred and pouts at you
You raised an eyebrow, examining his pink face, messy hair, and hazy eyes. Yep, definitely drunk. “I’m your best friend and your roommate, you see me almost all the time bud”
Tom just shakes his head, grinning as he stared at you and hiccuped
You scrunch up your nose, “Yeah, time to go home” Tom giggles, shaking his head as his eyes darted around the room. You stood up from your seat furrowing your eyebrows, giving him a concerning look
“Hey” you bring your hand over cupping his chin, causing his darting eyes to focus on yours. “Just focus on walking, you’re too heavy for me to hold” you say softly giving him a smile, he swallows a lump in his throat and nods.
“Good boy” you smile, brushing your thumb over his cheek before linking your arm into his to help steady him.
“Haz! Let’s go!” Harrison freezes, looking at you with wide eyes. “B-but I-”
“Now! Harrison!” you hiss at him through clenched teeth, to which he immediately drops everything and follows you outside. “What happened?” you barely walk over to the sidewalk, struggling to support Toms body before looking up at Harrison in disbelieve.
“What the fuck do you think genius!? You’re drunk and I’m taking care of a big baby!” he puts his hands up in surrender, “Alright, calm down”
“Heyyy, I’m not a baby” Tom whines from your arms, you and Harrison raise an eyebrow at him. “Just help me get him in the car”
The three of you piled into the back of the car, letting out a sigh when you finally got Tom and yourselves into the seats. Tom stayed silent before swinging his head around, looking at you with his hazy eyes. “Y/n?”
“Hm?” you look over at him giving him a soft smile, he bites his lip hesitating. “I wanted to tell you something” Harrison looks up from his phone with wide eyes before quickly elbowing Tom in his stomach to stop him from saying anything.
“Fucking hell mate!” Tom curses, groaning as he held his stomach. You glare at Harrison and smack his shoulder, “Y/n… Haz hit me!” he whines rubbing where Harrison hit him.
You sigh, bringing his head down to your lap and playing with his hair to calm him down. “I know” you glare at Harrison, but he just rolls his eyes as Tom hums and nuzzles your thigh. Your whole body tenses up as he nuzzles your leg, but you just bite your lip and stare out the window for the rest of the car ride
A soon as the three of you got into your shared flat, Harrison just gave Tom a glare before passing out in his room. His snores could be heard through the whole place seconds after his head hit the pillow.
You quickly walk into Toms room placing water and painkillers for the next morning on his dresser, then turning around and making your way towards the door before hearing Tom whine from the bed.
He sat leaning against the headboard, the covers down at his waist exposing his shirtless chest, and messy unruly curls covering his eyes as he whined at you. “Y/nnn, where are you going?”
“Bed? You guys should be fine for the night”
He pouts, pulling the covers off and walking over to you. “Tom what are you doing?” you raise an eyebrow, taking a deep breath you take a small step back. He frowns, staring at you through the hair in face before wrapping his arms around waist and nuzzling into your neck.
“T-Tom?”
“Please don’t leave me” he cut you off, breath fanning your neck. You bite your lip, feeling his body pressed against yours and his lips so close to you neck
You didn’t know what the hell was going on
Maybe you were more intoxicated than you thought
And you didn’t know what was going through his brain either
Maybe this was just all the alcohol
He kissed your neck gently, lips barely even touching your skin, wrapping his arms around you tightly he kissed up your neck before reaching your face and staring at you. Your eyes were wide and your whole body tense, but at the same time you felt your stomach flip and heart beat out of chest.
You look at him to see him looking back at you with his big brown eyes, inches away from your face. “Stay with me?” he mutters under his breath. You swallow a lump in your throat staring at him before shaking your head slightly and stepping out of his reach. “Okay…fine”
Avoiding his gaze, you walk towards his bed and start setting it up, he raises his eyebrow watching you like a confused puppy. You take pillows and set them up in the middle of the bed like a barrier, “This is mine” you point at one side of the pillow barrier, “And this is your side of the bed” you point at the other side of the bed.
Tom stares at you with a confused look
Still avoiding his eyes, you sit in the bed pulling the covers up to your waist. “You need some sleep Tom” he bites lip looking down at the ground before laying down in bed and staring at the ceiling
You furrow your eyebrows looking at him quickly, you reach to turn off the light.
“I’m sorry” you stop, turning your body to look at him over the barrier “What for?” He turns his head looking away from you. “I’m sorry for kissing you, you’re my best friend and I shouldn’t have done that. I just liked you for a long time, it’s stupid I’m sorry”
You look at him carefully as he continues rambling, the freckles that decorated his face, his frizzy tousled curls, the way his ran his hands through his hair and bit his lip when he was nervous, and you couldn’t help but look at his arms and his naked torso.
You never wanted to fall for your best friend
You would do anything for him
Maybe you should have said no and went to your own room to sleep
But he made you weak
In more ways than one
“I tried to get you out of my mind, but I can’t, I just can’t Y/n…” he rambled fiddling with his hands as he looked everywhere but at you. “Tom” you whispered quietly, he stopped talking biting his lip as he turned his head to look at you. You stared at him intently parting your lips, “Kiss me, please. I need you”
He widened his eyes but with no hesitation, he shifted and crashed his lips into yours. He tasted of alcohol only reminding you that he wouldn’t remember any of this in the morning, if everything he said was even true. But you were too caught up in the moment, he was making you weak and the alcohol coursing through your body didn’t make it any better.
He massaged your mouth with his tongue as he kissed you, one hand on your cheek while the other was on your back pulling you closer. Your hand trails down his chest slipping under the elastic of his boxers and scratching the skin softly, “F-fuck” he groans head falling into the crook of your neck
You giggled, your giggle turning into a moan as he bites your neck with a smirk, he continues biting and sucking leaving marks on your neck and collarbone leaving you a moaning mess under his burning touch. “I love you so fucking much” he whispered breathlessly into your ear sending chills through your body and heat between your legs as you groan
Turning your head, you kiss him deeply and bite his lip causing him to moan, with a smirk you shift over the pillows and straddle him. You lean down capturing his lips in yours in a hungry kiss, he moans into your mouth and you feel him grow hard beneath you.
“I need you Tommy” you whisper in his ear, his hands instantly finding your hips he flips you over holding your arms above your head. You squeal slightly, biting your lip as you look at him above you. He shakes his head with a grin, still gripping your arms tightly over your head he kisses you tugging your lip between his teeth.
“Tom” you whine, squirming under him and looking up at him with pleading eyes. He chuckles kissing you and sliding down your body, “No more teasing Princess”
You knew it was wrong, he wouldn’t remember anything
Gif credit goes to the owner. NOT ME. @thegayfleet I think.
(Tom Holland x Reader)
Summary: Being in a long distance relationship is as difficult as it sounds, but Tom never fails to show you how much you mean to him.
Prompt: “I could kiss you right now.”
Warning: Fluff to the ends of the earth, description of bruises, a few swear words, one mention of some sexy clothing.
A/N: This is my first piece of writing ever. Constructive criticism is encouraged in comments. This is also for @lovelyspidey and @thelazypangolin ‘s February Writing Challenge. Fluff prompt 8: “I could kiss you right now!” Also, if there are any warnings I missed, please tell me. I also based the campus and the dorm layout off of my own college. I kinda went overboard with the gift box and rushed the ending, but you learn as you go. If the links work, you can see the items I’m referring too by clicking on the underlined stuff. REQUESTS are OPEN, and asks are open if you want to talk. BTW the bruises are my arms every Monday night after cymbal practice (it’s an 8 month long try out process). And I KNOW Valentine’s day was weeks ago, but college is hard, so bite me. Italics is Y/N’s thoughts.
Feb 14, 2019. 6:00 p.m. EST
First entering your dorm room since 10 a.m. Not ideal, yes, but you didn’t have to leave for the rest of the night. The weight the day brought upon you showed in your slouched posture as you entered your single room. Pros: getting a single in an all-girls dorm on central campus your freshman year was very lucky. Cons: You had no friends and the nursing building was a 20-minute walk away at least every day (except every other Friday). You unzipped your boots before you stepped too far on the rug and got it wet (unlike your mom). You decided against turning your radiator on in the middle of February since the warm air and peaceful atmosphere made you sleepy and you needed to get some work done.
By the middle of February, you meant Valentine’s Day. It has never been a bother to you before. Your parents and friends always gave you chocolate, once you got a marvel mug from your parents, and you were relatively fine. Also, you were a more of an introvert, never dated before, and was very socially shy. Since you had no one to spend it with, you always viewed Valentine’s day as a self-love day. None of your close friends ever dated before so there was no one to get jealous over, and as you said before you didn’t have friends at college, so it was fine. That was until about 7 months ago. Because 7 months ago is when you got asked out by none other than Tom FREAKING Holland.
You two had met in a karaoke bar during comic con season just after you graduated high school, but that’s a story for another time. After some nerves were shattered and some bad singing of Bohemian Rhapsody happened, he asked you (stuttering in the process) for your number at the end of the night.
You two had only met the other’s family over face time a couple of times. It was hard trying to meet up with Tom’s schedule being so busy with a bunch of different time zones and you having 18 credit classes to worry about. You don’t know if your family knew he was Spider-man. You know your Dad knew that Spider-man was Peter Parker, but you’re pretty sure he has not seen any MCU movies. You’re confident that the topic of occupations will come up sooner or later. Tom was staying in the UK for a few weeks before doing more promoting and filming, so you had to call him as soon as you got home from clinicals because it wouldn’t be Valentine’s day in the UK for much longer.
You opened your laptop that was still on your desk and tried to call the Holland Family. You honestly loved all of them as the brothers you never had. You just hoped they saw you as the sister they never had. The screen soon popped with your puppy-faced boyfriend. “Hey darling. You just get home?”
“Yeah. I swear to Got it’s snowed more in the past few weeks than it has in all of December. Not much went on today. We helped them set up snacks and played Legos with them.” The clinical you had was working with children after school in a lower income neighborhood. It was safe and decent and that’s all you could ask for. You stood up to get something from the shelf above your desk, revealing your navy blue scrub pants to the camera that had the Grey’s Anatomy logo on it. You could hear the snicker in his voice as you sat back down.
“Damn you look sexy.” This made you blush even redder than your cheeks were already. Any of his compliments had this effect on you, but he never called you sexy.
“I’m wearing scrub pants. It’s like LITERALLY the most unflattering thing you could pick.”
“You look sexy to me in anything” You’re pretty sure there’s now no difference in a rose and your cheek color right now.
“And even sexier in nothing. Oww!” You couldn’t see what happened until Tom turned the camera to reveal Harry sitting across the table doing something on his computer (probably editing some more photos) while Sam, Harrison, and Paddy were in the background by the kitchen counter. You gave them a wave which they kindly returned.
“Happy Birthday boys.”
“Thank you.” the curly redhead said. You were getting better at telling the twins apart. Harry was the curly redhead often doing anything with pictures. Sam had straighter hair that was slightly darker. They were both equally sweet, as were all of the Hollands.
“Kinda late to be saying that now isn’t it?” Sam snickers back.
“It’s late over there, but it’s early evening here.”
“Yeah, but we were born here, so.” He had you there.
“I got it in before midnight, so it still counts.” You loved all the boys. Their brotherly relationship, as tiring as it may be, always brought a smile to your face.
“The marching cymbals not give you too many bruises this time babe?” That’s when the other boys came from the counter to hover over Tom’s shoulder. You rolled up your left sleeve a little bit more to reveal a collage of red, blue, green, purple, and brown bruises above your elbow. They all cringed at the sight of them.
“The purple ones are where I pinched a blood vessel. The bruises on my abdomen don’t show as much, but they still are sore. Can I open the package you sent me now?” It was getting harder to hide your relationship from your parents, especially when Tom sends a Valentine’s package.
“Sure love. But first, there’s something at the front door for you.” It wasn’t difficult to realize that Tom had a smirk on his face and was hiding something.
“Okaay… I’ll be back.” You left your laptop open, grabbed your key cards, a jacket, your wallet, just in case, put on your flipflops and went to the front door of your building. Going down the three flights of stairs with sore muscles was still a challenge. When you finally made it to the front door, there stood a man from Panera Bread with your name on a delivery bag. He told you it was paid for over the phone, but you wanted to make sure it was Tom who ordered it and it wasn’t someone trying to poison you (that’s just where your mind went).
“Did you order this Tom?” Coming back into view of the webcam, you could see a proud smile paint his chiseled face.
“Yeah. You...you told me that this would be your perfect single Valentine’s Day...so.” You didn’t remember when you mentioned your perfect single Valentine’s day, but you were intrigued to see if he remembered what you said. You opened the bag to find White Cheddar Macaroni and the Bread Bowl Chicken Noodle Soup. Two of your favorite dishes. You were still in a state of shock, you barely registered what was happening on the other end. “Open the package.” You opened the box and opened a smaller styrofoam container. It had some ice and a Rocky Mountain Caramel Apple, one of your favorite treats that you only got around Christmas. The air had been sucked from your lungs as you kept a big toothy grin on. That was your perfect single Valentine’s day, Panera Bread and a caramel apple.
You opened the Jaffa Cakes, which Tom knows you love, and began to eat those as you went through the rest of the box. The man knows you love your fandoms. The rest of the box consisted of a Doctor Who cardigan, Shuri’s bracelet, a Black Panther Umbrella, a Captain Marvel tank top, a Supernatural pocket watch (because pocket watches are awesome), a Supernatural Shirt, and of course a Spider-Man hoodie. (The links weren’t working, so here https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i0PR1zfp4cFV26_8aHyNEM3yf5eY0K80c2RdQuoKBF8/edit?usp=sharing)
There were only two things left and you thought you couldn’t geek and freak out anymore. There was a long thin box with the words ‘Don’t Open This On Camera’ written on it. “There should be one more in there.” You guessed he saw the puzzled look on your face and decided to push what you were thinking aside for the moment.
The last one was a small cube box and you didn’t think anything of it until you saw the other boys enter the camera frame again, all staring at you. You hesitantly opened the small cube to reveal a navy blue felt box. You could tell your vision was already getting blurry with tears and you tried to blink them back. It’s not that you were afraid of crying in front of the boys, you were afraid you were overreacting and it would turn out to be a prank, like a ring pop in the box or something. You popped the box open and what lay inside was simple, but a beautiful rose gold ring. One thread was rose gold and the other was covered in small white diamonds and the threads intertwined to infinity. The diamonds captured the light like the freshly fallen snow that was outside.
By now the tears were flowing freely, you had never been so open with anyone about your likes except your friends, but none of them ever bought you something this meaningful. “It’s uh promise ring.” You had completely ignored the other presence in the room at this point. You stared back into those milk chocolate eyes you fell in love with while your cheeks were stained with tears. “I know it’s early…, but I want you to be mine one day...if you’ll have me that is.” He avoided your eyes while trying to get the words out. You’ve never seen him this nervous.
You gently slid the ring out of the box and on to your left ring finger. How did he get the size perfectly? “I love it Tom and I love you. Jeez, I could kiss you right now.” He let out a chuckle and you could listen to that sweet melody all day. You lent forward and gave the camera a kiss. No matter how cheesy it was, you kissed him again and again. “Ok, now I definitely have to tell my parents about you. It wouldn’t be easy to lie my way out of this otherwise.”
“What did you tell your parents about me?”
“Well, I couldn’t straight up say I’m dating Spider-Man.” This gave a laugh from Tom and the boys in the background, who you assumed were still listening in. “I said I met someone a while back who is amazing, humble, and presentable in every way. We’ve been dating, but he understands that my classes come first and we only meet up a few times a month.”
“That’s what I told them?”
“It’s not a complete lie.” You say through your teeth.
“You didn’t lie. You just avoided certain truths to manipulate them.” That devilish smile was on his face that told you he was impressed with himself.
“STOP QUOTING SUPERNATURAL AGAINST ME!” This left you both in a fit of giggles for a while longer. It was late in the UK and you had to get homework done, so you said bye to the boys, Nikki and Dom, and one more to Tessa and Tom before kissing him through the screen again.
You started to put away the package and gifts before you remembered the Do Not Open Me package. You take out the long thin box and open it. It’s a single rose. Aww. He remembered my love for Beauty and the Beast. Wait… Why would a rose be in a box? You inspected the rose more carefully and gently graced your fingertips over it. It felt lacy. You started to pull at the petals until the whole rose came out.
“That little shit. Really Tom, sexy lingerie .” You smirked to yourself as you held it up. You knew you had to get him back somehow.
Taglist: @lovelyspidey and @thelazypangolin for their February Writing Challenge. I don’t really have a tag list at the moment, but I’m tagging @sippin-my-milky-tea because I made an effort to tell the twins apart. Also, @lamptracker is my main inspiration, so thanks! Send me an ask if you want to be part of the tag list.
Warnings: anxiety (spiraling), self-doubt (very surface-y; I don’t think I get that deep into it), angst, everything ends up ok :)
Notes: this is for @lovelyspidey and @thelazypangolin‘s writing challenge! Congrats on such a huge milestone!!!!! The prompt is in bold. Thank you to @spideysstark @uselesspileofstressandsadness and @badbucky for their help!!! This is my first piece with real warnings and I hope I did the issue justice. I tried to describe how I feel when I get a wave come over me but everyone is different. It’ll make sense later. Otherwise it’s literally 100% pure fluff. As always, let me know what you think!! Also? Star Wars.
Summary: Friends can say “I love you.” Couples can say “I love you.” What does it take to get from one to the other? A.K.A. four times she said I love you and a fifth time that was a little…different.
masterlist | taglist
Y/N was a loving girl. She always told her friends she loved them without a second thought. It was nonchalant; a normal occurrence in her speaking that no one second-guessed the meaning of. She’d say it as she parted ways with friends after lunch, after school, and everywhere in between. It was her way of saying goodbye. But Peter Parker? He wanted it to mean more.
Peter liked Y/N as long as he could remember. So long, in fact, that he had been brainstorming ideas for how to ask her to their first high school dance long before the school year even started. Now, it was still a week away, but he would be ready. He wanted to be the one to ask her.
THURSDAY
As Y/N walked down the hallway, her friend MJ told a joke that lit up her face and – as Peter saw it, at least – illuminated the entire hallway. She was a breath of fresh air; he knew it was cheesy, but after all the crime he fought around Queens, her glowing optimism and gleeful aura reminded him of the good in the world and the reason he protected New York.
Y/N met Peter’s gaze and waved with a cheeky grin as she passed his locker. Peter broke free from his trance with a start and looked down to his shoes. He shook his head and brushed his hair back with his hand as an attempt to reset. His best friend Ned, however, knew Peter’s efforts to forget Y/N were futile.
“You are so whipped, man,” Ned whispered.
Peter’s eyes darted to his friend’s smug face as he shushed him. Ned knew about Peter’s crush and badgered him constantly about it. Given that Peter knew Y/N since middle school, he was relatively used to it by that point.
“Are you ever going to do something about it?” Ned wanted to get the two of them together as much as Peter did. The issue was that Peter wanted everything to be perfect; it had to work. On top of that, he was terrified.
“Yes, Ned, remember? I told you I’m going to ask her to the dance tomorrow,” he mumbled under his breath and partly into the void of his locker.
“And you promise you won’t chicken out?” Ned asked. “I can’t emotionally handle the soap opera that is your life much longer.”
Though Peter knew his friend was joking, the butterflies in his stomach were whipping around at the thought of asking Y/N to the dance. They had been friends since he could remember, but he had to do it. He had to.
The day dragged on like any other before Peter, Ned, MJ, and Y/N found themselves in P.E. The class was going to play modified hockey in the gym and today they would be learning how to hold and use hockey sticks correctly. They stood in line to get their stick and spread out to practice their technique with demonstrations by the teacher. Peter and Ned were just behind MJ and Y/N, who stood talking while they waited for the rest of the class to get their sticks.
Feeling bored waiting, Peter and Ned seized the opportunity to act out a lightsaber duel with their hockey sticks, crashing them together as they had with actual lightsaber toys many times before. The noise was enough to distract Y/N from her conversation with MJ.
Y/N spun around, her expression both playful and devious, with her hockey stick raised. She immediately jumped in and separated the boys using her own pretend lightsaber to stop the fight.
“Young Jedi,” she voiced, easily falling into character. “Stop playing, you must. Starting soon, class is.”
She stepped back, starting to giggle as Peter and Ned simultaneously replied. “Yes, Master Yoda,” they said with bowed heads. Even with his head down, Peter couldn’t help but peek up at her one more time before their teacher blew the whistle to start class.
Y/N met his stare and goofily shook her head. “You guys are so annoying.” She turned around to face the front before glancing back over her shoulder. “But I love you anyway.”
Y/N chuckled and returned her focus to class. Ned, meanwhile, side-eyed his pining friend’s face as blush filled his rounded cheeks that couldn’t stop smiling.
FRIDAY
Ned stopped Peter as they stood at the library door after school. They had decathlon practice after school, but that was the last thing on their minds. The day before, Peter – along with Ned’s help of course – meticulously planned how Peter would ask Y/N to homecoming after decathlon practice. This moment, standing at the library door, was the last moment they could talk before the plan was in motion.
“No chickening out,” Ned reminded his friend for the thousandth time that day.
“Not helping, Ned.” Peter’s voice was already shaking and his hands trembled. Everything was ready, but nothing could stop the butterflies still in his stomach from turning into what felt like wasps buzzing around violently.
“Dude, it’s going to be perfect. If all else fails, do this for me, ok? I’ve shipped you two together for ages.”
Peter rolled his eyes playfully as Ned opened the door and the duo headed over to the usual table and sat down with their teammates.
Decathlon practice went as usual with question after question answered correctly. Mr. Harrington hit all the subjects – calculus, history, geography, art, English, biology, chemistry, and more. Time flew by and, before they knew it, the extracurricular bell rang and practice was over. Peter caught Ned’s eyes and they both nodded; the plan was officially a go.
Peter snagged his backpack and darted out of the library as quickly as possible. He trotted out the front doors of his school, heart already pounding and nerves running rampant. He made his way to the street, down the block, and around the corner, until he finally reached the alley he frequently used to suit up. His suit spilled out of the front pocket of his backpack as soon as he unzipped it, and checking to make sure he was alone, Peter stripped down and suited up as he would any other day. But today was not any other day.
Back in the library, Ned and MJ (whose help Ned enlisted) stuck by Y/N’s side. The three of them planned to go to Y/N’s house after school to watch a movie, but Ned’s job was to stall. A few extra minutes was all Peter needed.
“Y/N, do you mind helping me with a few more questions?” Ned asked, holding her up as she was trying to pack up.
“Of course, Ned. What do you need help with?” she replied, confused as to why Ned wanted to practice extra on a Friday afternoon when normally he was the one trying to get out of there.
“I was hoping,” Ned prefaced, summoning his best puppy-dog eyes, “that you could explain the Uncertainty Principle and a little Quantum Theory to me? Please?”
“Um, sure. What specifically about those do you want me to explain?”
Ned hesitated. He wanted to give Peter as long as possible just in case the spider-boy couldn’t help himself from stopping a crime on his way.
“All of it?”
“That might take me a few minutes, but ok. For starters, the Uncertainty Principle basically says that there is a fundamental limit to the precision with which the qualities of a particle can be known. Do you want me to get more complex than that?”
“Please,” Ned replied, satisfied with his efforts to delay the trio. MJ, sitting at the other end of the table, mirrored his satisfaction and texted Peter.
“Mr. Parker?” Karen prompted as Peter swung from building to building with his backpack strapped on tight. “You have a new text message from MJ. She said, “The princess has been delayed successfully. The plan is a go. Good luck. Over.”
“Thanks, Karen,” Peter replied, his voice cracking with his nerves. “Hey, do you think this is a bad idea?”
“Based on the amount you’ve talked about her, Peter, I would say waiting any longer would be a bad idea.”
“I don’t talk about her that often!” Peter protested. “Thanks though, I guess.”
Peter shot his web to the next building, letting go of the one behind him and launching himself forward. The wind whipped through the mask and wicked away his nervous sweat as he soared through the sky, thankful no one could see the panic he felt inside.
After Y/N answered all of Ned’s questions, the group packed up and headed to the train to go to her house. They boarded, giggling about the stupid things Flash said earlier and their movie marathon plans, until the speakers finally crackled to indicate that it was time for the train to depart.
“The doors are closing. Please stand clear. Next stop: first street. The train is departing. Please hold on.”
The train lurched forward, knocking some of the adult passengers off balance but failing to bother the teenagers.
“Hey, where’s Peter?” Y/N asked suddenly given that the four of them normally watched movie marathons together.
“He told me he had spider duty for the Stark internship for a bit this afternoon and would try to head over afterward,” Ned explained. After Ned found out by walking in on Peter earlier in the school year, Peter felt compelled to inform his other friends as well. It was partially a result of Ned’s begging to tell them so he didn’t have to keep it a secret, but Peter also didn’t want them to feel like he was ditching them all the time. He especially didn’t want Y/N to think he didn’t like her. Quite the opposite, actually.
As the train pulled into their stop by Y/N’s house, MJ shot Peter a second text. Getting off train and escorting princess to house. Estimated arrival in t-five minutes. Over. Karen read the text to Peter as before, but Peter this time nodded along, already in position in Y/N’s driveway. He repeated the words he wanted to say to her over and over in his head, each time stumbling over different words and requiring encouragement from Karen. Finally, his spidey sense tingled and he could hear them walking toward the house, still a block away, but approaching every second.
Y/N’s head fell back in laughter at something Ned said just as they turned into her driveway. As soon as she looked ahead again, she spotted a white fiber running up her driveway. She followed it with her eyes until her gaze landed on Spider-Man – er, Peter Parker – suited up and hanging by his feet from the overhang of her garage.
“Peter? What are you doing?” She asked, stepping in front of Ned and MJ. Ned and MJ shuddered with excitement and relief that this was finally happening.
“Y/N,” Peter started before clearing his throat. He shot out a web to the yard, pulling a poster up to him and turning it so it was no longer upside down for her to read. He didn’t need to read it, anyway; he had the words perfected and memorized. He shot a second web to the other side of the yard to retrieve a fresh bouquet of red roses. With a deep breath, he slipped off the mask and popped the question.
“Would you be my Spider-Woman and swing to homecoming with me?”
Peter held his breath – everything was perfect so far – but the most important was yet to come. Wishing for his mask back to hide his desperation, he looked into her eyes as she took in the costumed boy hanging from her roof. Behind her, Ned and MJ leaned in, straining to be a part of every word.
What seemed to Peter like minutes later – though really it was only a second or two – Y/N beamed up at her upside-down friend. “It would be an honor, Spider-Man.” She strode toward him, the smile and now-glistening eyes never fading. Peter froze with both embarrassment and excitement flooding through him. Had she said yes?
“I’d love to go to homecoming with you, Peter.” She smiled wider, hands drifting up to his shoulders to steady him as she stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He blushed even redder than the day before as he flipped down from the roof and landed on his feet right in front of her, his own smile now beaming down at her.
He handed her the flowers after nearly forgetting he had them, then pulled her in for a hug. They were great friends and hugged countless times before, but Peter, heart pounding out of his chest and swelling all at the same time, still got excited every time.
“Love you, Pete,” Y/N whispered as they pulled away, cheeks straining from smiling so wide. “Does this mean you’re going to let me try your web shooters? If I’m supposed to swing to homecoming?” She taunted.
Peter grinned but shook his head as she laughed and trotted inside with MJ to set up the movie marathon and get the flowers in a vase. Peter turned to watch her go in the front door as Ned walked up behind him to catch a fist-bump before heading inside themselves.
SUNDAY
Even with his alarm going off early on a weekend, Peter hadn’t been able to stop smiling. The girl of his dreams was going to homecoming with him. With him! He couldn’t wait. But as excited as he was for the following Saturday, he reminded himself that he needed to focus. Sunday, the Midtown decathlon team had a large competition they just had to win. Plus, Peter thought in the back of his mind, it’s another chance to see and impress her. Sure, it was a distraction, but it was also his best motivation.
Peter jogged into the auditorium as May went to park the car. It was relatively quiet other than their team and their opponents sitting up at their respective tables at the front, fitting in whatever last-minute studying they could. The seats in the crowd filled up one-by-one as the start time ticked closer and closer.
Finally, it was time to start, and the teammates standing scurried over to their seats as the moderator approached the podium. Peter took his seat, doing his best not to look out into the crowd of judging eyes.
“Hello and welcome to today’s academic decathlon between Midtown School of Science and Technology and the Queens Institute of Science.” He explained the rules briefly before rolling straight into questions.
“Question 1. What is meant by the phrase “turn genes on” or, alternatively, “turn genes off”?”
Peter snapped to attention as Y/N smashed the buzzer from the seat to his right. “Hox genes determine whether specific genes are expressed in a particular place and time,” she recited as he stuck out his hand and nudged her shoulder for a fist bump that she happily returned.
“Correct! Ten points to Midtown. Question 2. Maddalena Casulana is best known for what contribution?”
Now it was MJ who hit the buzzer and blurted out the answer with more energy in her voice than every other time she spoke combined. “Maddalena Casulana is best known for publishing the first book of madrigals by a female composer.”
Teammates patted her on the back as the moderator confirmed her answer and granted Midtown ten more points. Questions proceeded like this, with the opponents getting some along the way, throughout the competition. By the end, however, it was a landslide.
“We’re down to our final question, and Midtown leads the Queens Institute 400-90. Question 50. What economic value measures the responsiveness of the quantity demanded to a change in price?”
Peter jumped out of his seat as he hit the buzzer, slinking back down as he realized all eyes were on him. “Elasticity measures how much one economic variable responds to changes in another economic variable,” he explained, holding his breath such that the minor microphone static could be heard throughout the auditorium.
“Correct! And with that, Midtown School of Science and Technology wins today’s competition against the Queens Institute of Science by a commanding score of 410-90!”
The Midtown team jumped out of their seats in celebration as the home crowd cheered. Y/N nudged Peter’s shoulder for a fist bump just as he had earlier. He returned the gesture but then held his arms out wide as he smiled down at her, so proud of how successful they were. She drifted into him and he closed his arms around her as the team continued to celebrate around them, jumping up and down between their own hugs.
“You were awesome today,” he praised, in awe of her intelligence.
“So were you,” she grinned until MJ came up and grabbed her arm to have her turn to celebrate with Y/N. “Love you, Pete!” she called after him, looking back as MJ dragged her away.
Peter’s spirits shot up as he walked over to celebrate with his teammates. He couldn’t help but feel slightly guilty for the fact that his celebration was primarily due to Y/N’s words.
FRIDAY
The week had gone by as would any other with Peter bouncing from school to decathlon practice to the Stark internship to home. He hung out with Ned, MJ, and Y/N a couple of times as usual, too. Now, though, besides the usual group texts finding times to hang out, he had an excuse to text Y/N about the dance that weekend. He’d start a conversation by asking her what color her dress was, what time she wanted to leave for the dance, and if the plan he worked out was ok with her. But then they’d keep texting and texting, Peter even pausing between criminals while on patrols to reply.
On Friday, the day before the dance, he texted her almost as soon as he was on patrol after decathlon practice. He swung through the city, building to building, when he enlisted Karen’s help.
“Karen?” he grunted as he shot out the next web and let go of the one behind him. “Would you text Y/N and tell her I can’t wait for homecoming with her tomorrow?”
“Sure, Mr. Parker. Would you like to add a smiling emoji to the end of your message?”
“Oh, yes, nice touch, Karen. Thank you!”
Not a second after the message sent did Peter spy a pickpocket on the streets below him. He swept down and shot a web at the thief along the way, attention now solely on protecting Queens.
Meanwhile, Y/N arrived home and meandered into her bedroom without turning on a single light. She tossed her backpack onto her bed and slumped into her desk chair, head immediately resting on her arms. A yellow post-it note stuck to her desk right above her arms with a note scribbled on it from her mom in black ink.
Dad and I have a work function tonight and will be home late. Get some sleep and we’ll see you in the morning. Love, Mom
After a quick glance at it, Y/N’s head fell back in her arms. With a sigh, she sat up and hefted her AP calculus textbook off the ground and flipped to her homework page. Her phone stayed in her backpack, still on silent from school.
She worked tirelessly to complete the weekend’s assignment as well as all those for the following week. The more she could get done that afternoon, she thought, the less stress she’d have the day of homecoming. The thought of it as she planned her weekend brought her own butterflies to her stomach, unaware the nerves were mutual.
As she checked the answer to the last problem – which she answered correctly, of course – she tapped out for the night. The sun set out her window; only the smallest fraction was still visible over the horizon. She stood up to go to her bathroom and get everything ready for the following day. Makeup, curling iron, and perfume – she got it all set out. Finally, she rinsed off and toweled her hair dry before slipping back into her room.
The only thing left to prep was her dress. She gingerly pulled it and the clear plastic bag encasing it out of her closet and hung it on her door. The short, navy dress was her favorite dress she ever owned. It was completely lace with a thin navy layer of satin fabric below the lace everywhere but the sleeves. The sleeves were three-quarter length and, like the entire bodice, hugged tightly. It fell more casually below the waist, loosening to drop over the hips before ending about halfway down her thigh.
As she looked at it still in the plastic bag hanging on her door, she couldn’t help feeling excited to wear it. She had never been a girly-girl, but this was an opportunity for Peter to see her in something other than school clothes or pajamas as he always did. This was an opportunity to be pretty, for once.
For no reason other than her excitement, she dropped her towel and slipped the dress on. It fit like a glove, that was for sure. But as she closed her closet door and looked at her reflection in her floor-length mirror, she didn’t feel the expected excitement as she had the first time she put it on. The dress was beautiful on the website, beautiful hanging on her door, and even beautiful laid out on her bed. Despite its perfect fit, she suddenly feared it wasn’t beautiful enough.
Y/N looked deeper into the reflection staring back at her as her mind conjured up all the possible ways the dance could go wrong. What if I do something stupid? What if everyone thinks my dress is weird? What if I fall in heels? Her worries started at a surface level but it didn’t take long before she spiraled, down further and further. She watched unmoving as her eyes glossed over, each self-criticism and worry more pointed than the last. What if everyone says I’m ugly? I already am. What if everyone hates me? They probably do.
A single, salty tear rolled down her left cheek before she could hastily pull herself away, stripping the dress off and throwing it on her desk in exchange for baggy sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt. An uncontrollable urge pulled her back to the mirror, forcing her to survey her wet hair, makeup-less face, and tragically unflattering outfit. The sight tipped her spiral over the edge; she crumpled to the ground and caught her head in her hands as tear after tear streamed down the tracks on her face.
She couldn’t remember how this wave of misery started or how it escalated; the only thought that consumed her was that she wasn’t enough. Searching for some way out of whatever this feeling was, she crawled across the floor to her backpack and pulled out her phone before slumping back into the same position as before.
Across the city, Peter swung up to and on top of the Bank of Queens after stopping a robber from breaking into their vault. Thankfully, the burglar wasn’t armed, but that hadn’t stopped him from trying to take hostages and snag some cash. It was nothing Spider-Man couldn’t handle, however, and Peter easily stopped the thief and called the police before anything got out of hand.
Settled on top of the roof and spotting the sun beginning its descent, Peter realized Y/N never texted him back. This was strange given the conversations they had the previous days that week where she’d respond instantly and, if she didn’t, if was because she already informed him she was going to practice (she was an athlete too – what couldn’t she do?) or had some appointment. This time, though, there was nothing.
“Karen, did Y/N ever reply? I don’t remember hearing a message from her,” Peter asked, hoping his message hadn’t annoyed her or something.
“No, Mr. Parker, she never replied. Would you like to text her again?”
“I don’t think so…I mean, what do you think, Karen?” he asked, not having much experience in the “more than friends” department. Although it wasn’t like Karen did either, he chuckled as he went on. “I don’t want to bug her, but it seems weird she didn’t reply.”
“Based on my analysis of your conversations this week, I would agree, Mr. Parker.” Though Karen was as romantically inept as Peter himself, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of relief at her assurance. That was until Karen alerted him of an incoming message, reading it to him as it popped up on his mask’s display.
Y/N: are you on patrol
The unpunctuated and odd message baffled Peter. She had either ignored or not gotten his text, both of which seemed unlikely.
Peter: Yes, what’s up?
Casuallycool, he thought. It was a strange way for her to start a conversation but that didn’t mean that he was going to pass it up. He slipped off the mask and pulled out his actual phone, holding his breath and excitement as the three dots popped up, disappeared for a minute, and then returned briefly before the next message arrived.
Y/N: can you come over
If Peter thought he felt baffled before, it was nothing in comparison to how he felt now. He had been to her house countless times but never like this. It was usually to hang out along with Ned and MJ in tow. On top of that, it was getting late and they’d be hanging out most of the weekend. He knew she was smarter than him, so it wasn’t like she needed homework help, either. His heart sank; he couldn’t figure out what was going on and, more importantly, where his energetic, goofy, loving best friend went.
Despite his uncertainty, he pulled his mask back on and shot a web out in the direction of her house without hesitation. His mind continued jumping to conclusions with each swing. He asked Karen to tell her he was on his way, hoping for an explanation in a third message that never arrived.
It didn’t take him long to cross the city, but the suburbs just outside were a little trickier. He swung between trees like Tarzan, trotted along roofs, and hopped over fences in backyards, dealing with the occasional stumble as his mind was undividedly on Y/N.
Finally, what felt like hours later, he scaled the side of her house, traversed the roof, and used a web to lower himself to her window on the second floor. The blinds were closed and there were no lights on; if he hadn’t known better, he’d think no one was home. He slipped off the mask and inhaled as he tapped his knuckles against the glass a couple of times, then pulled his arm back and waited.
The blinds, then the window itself, opened promptly. Though the sun had now set and her light was off, the faint moonlight was more than enough for Peter to see the dried tear streaks down Y/N’s face. His own panic surged as he hopped inside and she closed the window behind him without a word.
Peter stared at her in the dark room. Her eyes fell to the floor and she stood motionless and silent – two terms Peter never before would’ve considered to describe her.
“What’s going on?” He finally asked. He stepped to her desk to turn on the lamp as he waited for her response, but she still fell silent. She bit her bottom lip and pressed her eyes together, trying to smile and fight the feelings back but failing. A second wave of tears started poking out the outer corners of her eyes, squeezed out by how forcefully she shut her eyes and by how forcefully she fought back emotions.
Peter’s eyes narrowed and he stepped closer. “Y/N, what’s going on?” He repeated. “What’s wrong?” He lowered his eyes to meet hers as she pried them back open. She sniffled and hesitated before piecing together her words.
“This wave hit me,” she sniffled again, this time accentuated with a small hiccup, “and I didn’t know what to do.” She collapsed back to the same spot on the floor, back pressed up against her bed. Peter crouched down in front to her, then decided on sitting down and took a seat beside her.
He had never seen this side of her, this expression of vulnerability. No part of it scared him away; on the contrary, he found himself drawing into her, aching to support her in her struggle. “What do you mean by ‘wave?’ What’s making you upset?” He chose his words carefully; this was uncharted territory for the boy but all he wanted was to relieve her of her pain.
“I don’t know,” she mumbled, “one second I was excited and went to put on my dress for tomorrow again and the next thing I knew…this happened,” she hiccupped again, pointing at her watering eyes. She hugged her knees to her chest and dropped her head such that her forehead rested on her knees.
Reassured by the fact she had been excited about the dance not long ago, he convinced himself to reach out and rest his hand on her rounded back, softly rubbing clockwise circles. “Do you want to talk about it? Or figure out why it happened?”
“I know why it happened,” she replied, her voice muffled as her face was still buried in her knees. “But it’s stupid.”
“Hey,” he said quickly. The hand on her back found her shoulder and pulled her up so he could see her face. “Whatever it is, it’s not stupid. You don’t have to, but you can tell me anything.” He smiled weakly, his heart breaking at the sight of the despondent girl by his side.
She took a few deep breaths while the intensity of the sniffles subsided. “I spiraled,” she admitted, getting comfortable saying the words out loud. “Seeing myself in the dress and realizing the dance was tomorrow I just…spiraled.” She paused, trying to pry out the feelings buried inside. “It started with a fear I would look stupid, or do something stupid, or say something stupid, or be stupid. It got more and more serious…I told myself I’m ugly, that no one actually likes me, and that I’m worthless.”
Though sitting up, her eyes fell shut in defeat. She struggled to blink back open, eyes unmoving and peering at a spot on the carpet as she chastised herself for saying those things out loud. Peter, on the other hand, wanted immediately to dispute everything she said. None of it was true; he couldn’t fathom how she could believe a single word. But here she was, trapped by these false claims and feeling completely alone.
“Y/N, I promise you, none of those things are true. No matter what your head is telling you, please listen to me. Nothing about you – how you look, what you do, what you say, or how you act – none of those are stupid. Honestly, I’d say the opposite. For one thing,” he pulled her shoulder up again and peered straight into her eyes, though unsure of where this newfound courage came from, “you’re absolutely beautiful, everything you do is incredible, you only say the most brilliant things, and you are one of the kindest people I’ve ever met.”
Her eyes dropped from his and looked down again as her eyes pressed closed, far more softly this time, and she forced her lips into a soft smile. He could tell it was forced and that she hadn’t internalized it and took it upon himself to keep going.
“For another thing, I can’t think of a single person at school who doesn’t like you. Besides, even if someone didn’t, who cares what they think? Ned, MJ, and I care so much about you, and—”
“You do?” she interrupted, voice cracking.
“I—I mean, we—of course we do. You’re our best friend.” He looked at her again, somehow finding even more courage he didn’t know he had. “Y/N, you’re really important to me.”
She smiled, even if only slightly more genuinely this time, as she turned to him with glossy eyes. Warmed by her response, he kept going.
“Most importantly,” he started, eyes narrowing even further to gaze deeper into hers. “You are worthy of anyone and anything. You deserve the world.” His voice had dropped to nearly a whisper but it was more than loud enough for the two of them sitting side-by-side on Y/N’s bedroom floor. He placed his arm around to her far shoulder this time and rested his hand on top of it. “I’ll do anything to help you realize it.”
She blinked a few times before smiling just slightly wider than the previous time. But in this instance Peter could see a change in her eyes; a glimmer of hope that hadn’t been there minutes ago. She leaned back and rested her head on his shoulder and gently closed her eyes. Peter moved his hand down from her right shoulder to her arm, pulling her into him just slightly and gently stroking it up and down. She sniffled once more and Peter rested his own head on top of hers.
“Thank you, Pete,” she whispered. He felt her slowly putting more and more of the weight of her head on his shoulder, both literally and in trust.
“Believe me, you’re incredible,” he muttered, closing his own eyes for a second.
“Love you,” she murmured, eyes closing more heavily as her whole body pressed more heavily into Peter’s side. Hand on her back, Peter felt her heart rate slowing and breathing deepening as she drifted to sleep. He basked in their closeness and her comment before cautiously lifting his head and holding her head up while he turned to scoop her up. He tentatively rested her head against the front of his shoulder while he slid his arms underneath her shoulders and knees, lifting her up. He turned slowly and delicately set her down on her bed, taking utmost care in resting her head on the pillows comfortably. He pulled her comforter up over her and brushed a strand of hair out of her face while her body eased into the mattress.
“Love you, too,” Peter whispered, grabbing another post-it note and jotting something down. He stuck the note to the window at the end of her bed before quietly opening the blinds and said window to hop out. He pulled on his mask and smiled beneath it, content with his expression of his feelings despite Y/N’s deep sleep. He shot a web up to her roof to hang from it, closed the window behind him, and swung off into the night, thoughts focused on how to show Y/N how worthy she truly was.
SATURDAY
Y/N woke up the following morning when the sun poured into her room through her window. She couldn’t remember how she got to her bed but remembered Peter was there. Relaxing as she thought back to him being so kind and understanding, she looked up to her window, her eyes immediately falling on a bright note stuck to the glass. She sat up and crawled to the edge of her bed, reaching out and pulling the note down with the tip of her fingers. Sitting with her legs crossed at the end of her bed, she read the note.
Y/N – I had to go home so May wouldn’t worry, but if you need anything I’m always a text away. I’m so relieved you texted me yesterday because to see you feeling upset was painful but knowing you were upset alone before I got there breaks my heart. You are and will always be one of my best friends and I’ll always be there to support you. Never forget how incredible you are. If you do, give me a call, and I’ll remind you :)
<3 – Peter -->
Y/N saw the arrow at the edge of the note and flipped it over, finding a little more scribbled on the back.
P.S. I can’t wait for homecoming with you tonight. It’s going to be a blast and there’s no one else I’d rather be going with! See you soon :)
She clung to the note and her focus drifted out the window. It felt cliché, like she was in a music video (or, better yet, like she was little and looking out the car window in the rain while listening to music), except it was real. Flooding with warmth despite the chilly morning, she stuck the note back to her window with care and scampered to the kitchen for breakfast.
Now just an hour before he needed to leave for the dance, Peter hopped out of the shower and toweled off. He shaved his nonexistent facial hair and liberally applied deodorant followed by brand-new cologne. He slipped on his navy pants – May had rented the suit specifically to match Y/N’s dress – and crisp white dress shirt, then started trying to comb his hair. Rolling curls stuck out this way and that; somehow not even his strong gel could tame them. Eventually, May came in with her hair dryer and smoothed over both the spikey hair and his nerves.
He tucked in his shirt as smoothly as possible and whipped out the tie. May found a YouTube video and the rest of the time he spent getting ready was figuring out how to tie it. Finally, he laced up his shiny black dress shoes and pulled his navy suit coat on as May smooshed down one more curl on the back of his head. He snagged the corsage from the fridge and ran out the front door right behind May.
The group was going to meet and take pictures place at Ned’s house. May had driven there enough times and knew the route without Peter having to tell her, which he was thankful for as his mouth was too dry and brain too jittery to say anything clearly. They pulled up at Ned’s and parked on the street between cars Peter instantly recognized as belonging to MJ’s and Y/N’s parents. May ushered him up to the front door which, again, he was thankful for as his legs seemed to not be working underneath him.
Ned greeted them at the door and thanked them for coming, ever the gracious host. As soon as Ned opened the door further for them to come in, Peter saw her. She faced away from him, her hair cascading over her shoulders and the laced navy dress she wore fitting her personality and style just right. She laughed then, steadying herself of MJ’s shoulder.
Suddenly both his arms were being pulled in through the door frame by May and Ned. Ned closed the door behind him while May looked Peter up and down as if checking him for injuries.
“What’s gotten into you?” May pried. Peter stared just over her shoulder like a puppy begging for a treat. May got the hint and turned around, spotting the girl behind her. She shook Peter’s shoulders lightly while Ned stood by intently. “You have to focus, buddy. It’s game time. You got this.”
Ned nodded along with her pep-talk and gave Peter a thumbs up. May stepped aside and Peter’s path to Y/N was clear. Across the room, MJ leaned down to Y/N and whispered something in her ear and pointed to Peter behind her, causing her to turn around.
Peter felt like he was in one of those videos where they show the groom seeing his bride walk down the aisle. A forceful push from Ned brought him back to reality: he was a boy with a crush on a girl he had been friends with forever and they were going to homecoming together. And maybe she had fallen asleep with her head on his shoulder the night before. And maybe she had kissed him on the cheek when he asked her to the dance. And maybe she liked him, too.
Everything flashed through Peter’s mind as he stepped toward her, who now faced him with a soft but widening grin on her face. As soon as he saw her face light up, the tension binding Peter melted away and he opened his arms wide to pull her in for a hug. Neither of them knew it, but both their eyes drifted closed for just a second until they realized others were around and separated.
“You…you look beautiful,” Peter said, hands fidgeting around the corsage box. “As always,” he added with a wink, though again not completely sure where this wave of confidence came from.
“You clean up pretty well yourself, Peter Parker.” Y/N looked up at him with big eyes through her lashes. “Which is unusual for you, so good job,” she teased, giggling. He only smiled wider – he couldn’t be mad at her if he tried.
“No, really though. Y/N…you are—"
“Hi, Y/N, it’s so good to see you!” May interjected, pulling Y/N in for a hug. Peter took the opportunity to step aside and say hello to Y/N’s parents standing nearby talking with other parents. They knew him well, of course, and recognized him instantly.
“Peter! You look so dapper!” Y/N’s mom exclaimed, pinching his arm. “Your suit matches her dress perfectly – you were made to be a couple!” Y/N’s dad stepped up behind his wife. Peter had been dreading this – Y/N’s dad loved him, but every movie dad hated their daughter’s boyfriend. He wasn’t her boyfriend (yet, he hoped) but who knows.
“You do look good, kid. Thanks for asking Y/N to the dance tonight. She hasn’t stopped talking about it or you all week!”
Given his fear of how that conversation could have gone, Y/N’s father’s comments brightened Peter’s outlook for the night. If that was even possible. Shehadn’t stopped talking about him?
“Thank you, thank you so much. I’m just happy she was willing to go with me!” They all laughed until Y/N and May walked over, the rest of the kids having arrived. Everyone exchanged their corsages and boutonnieres while parents started going wild for pictures. Pictures of each kid with their date, pictures of all the girls, pictures of all the boys, pictures of everyone together, and every candid they could get. Once nearly all the possible pictures had been taken, parents began filing out.
Y/N’s dad walked over to Peter and tapped him on the shoulder on his way out. “Have a good time, kiddo. Take care of her for me,” he said with a grin, and stepped out the front door. The only parents left were Ned’s, who lived there and would be driving them to the school in their family’s minivan.
Peter stuck his arm out for Y/N as they walked outside and hopped in. The two of them clambered into the back row while MJ, her date Abraham, and Ned’s date Betty sat in the middle. Ned sat up front with his dad and controlled the AUX, a role he claimed to be “destined” for.
It would only be a few minutes before they got to the school as Ned lived only minutes away. Still, Y/N felt once again like she was in a music video, staring out of
the car window as Ned’s music blasted from speakers in all directions. Peter glanced over at her, a wide smile already on his face. The glow from the traffic lights was enough to see her and the at least partially-restored hopefulness in her eyes compared to the night before. Her hands sat together in her lap, her head relaxed a little off to one side as she watched the city around them.
Peter reached over and placed his hand on top of hers, instantly pulling her attention to first their hands and then to Peter’s face. She looked at him expectantly, her eyes somehow delicate but strong. Music too loud for any real conversation, Peter mouthed, “doing ok?” to which she nodded and smiled softly. Just as he was about to pull his hand back in case she was uncomfortable, Y/N laced her fingers through his and beamed at him across the backseat with excitement twinkling in her eyes.
All too soon, the van pulled up outside the school. Ned hopped out and slid open the automatic door for Betty while MJ opened it for herself on the other side. Abraham clambered out behind MJ with Peter and Y/N close behind. The teens thanked Mr. Leeds and walked into the school, chattering and laughing all the while.
They walked through the hallways and eventually reached the gym doors. The main gym lights were off but spotlights flitted around; a disco ball hung from the center and reflected moving beams of light throughout the space. A DJ up front was already playing a new song with the dance floor just in front of him. On the opposite side there was a long table with drinks and a few snacks, and in the middle of the room, there were tables and chairs with some worn-out students taking a break.
All six kids immediately made a run for the dance floor as some pop song from the radio boomed through the speakers. The kids all jumped up and down in a circle, everyone having fun with their friends. Song after song came on and they all had a blast, all slightly out of their comfort zones but enjoying good company.
Eventually, the floor got a little hot and Y/N stepped away to grab some water. Peter followed, sitting down with her at a table while they sipped refreshments.
“Are you having a good time?” Y/N asked.
Slightly taken aback as he hadn’t even questioned it, he chuckled. “Of course! Are…are you?”
Y/N beamed back at him. “I’m having a blast.”
“Y/N! Y/N!” MJ and Betty ran up to them hand-in-hand and somewhat out of breath. “The guys are taking a break – come dance with us!” Their dates came up behind Peter and plopped down at their table with lemonades.
Y/N smiled and looked from her friends to Peter, eyebrows raised minutely as if asking for permission. Peter felt her gaze and turned to her, eyebrows furrowing. “You don’t have to ask me,” he laughed with an encouraging nod toward the DJ. “Go!” MJ and Betty pulled Y/N’s arm and dragged her off. She turned briefly and grinned at a glimpse of Peter giving her a thumbs up and a wink.
Ned, now alone with Abraham and, more importantly, Peter, jumped on the opportunity for interrogation. “Dude!” he punched Peter’s shoulder excitedly. “You and Y/N? Tell us the deets!”
“I don’t know, Ned,” Peter said, his crooked smile never leaving his face. He peeked at the dance floor and saw Y/N having fun with her friends. “I just…really…really like her…and…and I think she might like me too.”
Ned nearly jumped with joy. “Finally! I told you! What made you see it?”
“I just…I guess I just talked to her a lot this week? We texted every day after school, late at night, all the time. She’s kind and funny and easy to talk to and—”
“That’s great, but, gotta go!” Ned bolted off, as did Abraham. Removed from his reminiscent trance by Ned’s abrupt departure, Peter looked around, confused at first until he heard the characteristic slow song now melodically flooding the room. He stood up and saw Y/N immediately, standing out from the crowd like a cliché movie. He cringed at the thought but, deep down, was in love with the moment.
He walked over to her and shyly stuck out his hand. “May I have this dance?”
“No,” she said sternly, staring off into the crowd for just a second until she could no longer suppress her laughter at his panic. She turned back to him with a cheeky smile and took his frozen hand. Filled with relief, Peter moved his hands to her hips while hers snaked up around his neck.
“Is this ok?” he asked, his face only a few inches above and in front of hers. She nodded and quietly hummed along to the music while they swayed back and forth in the sea of teenagers.
“Peter?” She turned to him and met his gaze, which had yet to leave her face. “I…thank you. For everything.” The chorus of the slow song echoed off the walls of the gym. “For taking care of me yesterday and for letting me have a fun time tonight. I’m really sorry I kept you up last night and for needing you to check in on me. I just—”
“Y/N.”
“I just really trust you, and I’m so thankful to have you, and so thankful we got close this week, and—”
“Y/N.”
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Peter, I just—”
“Y/N!” It was her turn to freeze now, nervous words no longer rambling from her lips. The corners of Peter’s mouth tilted upward, quickly stretching ear to ear as she scanned his face.
“Yes?”
“It’s ok,” he assured, leaning his head toward her just slightly. “Please, you don’t have to thank me. You know I’d…I’d do anything for you. I’d…I’d even force Spider-Man to put his duties on hold so I could come see you.” Her eyes pressed shut and her head fell forward, resting on his chest for a moment as she snorted. His heart pounded beneath her forehead and he hoped she couldn’t tell. She lifted her head and met his tender gaze, soft smiles gracing both their lips as they snickered.
“I really would do anything for you,” Peter sustained, “I…I love you.” A weak yet desperately hopeful smile formed on his face as he held his breath and stared at her. As usual, she smiled.
“I know,” she replied, deadpan.
Peter’s heart sank for a split second before it occurred to him. “Did you…did you just Han Solo me?” It only took a moment for her to break character and for both of them to laugh it off. “You’re so annoying. I love you,” he hesitated, wanting to cement it more. “Like, I love love you.”
This time, she smiled. Her grin spread ear to ear, cheeks rounding as she bit her bottom lip on one side and, as Peter would describe it, glowed. “I love love you, too, Peter Parker.” She clarified, smiling wider and wider with each word.
He looked back at her, elated, just as the slow song ended and more dance music swept over them. Sticking together, they meandered through the floor to find the rest of the crew and enjoyed the rest of the night awkwardly jumping up and down to the music with their friends.
An hour later, the DJ announced the last song and the dance floor began to open up. Feeling wiped out themselves, the six friends made their way to the parking lot to meet May who was on pick-up and after-party duty. They somehow squeezed into just four seats and sputtered along home, already reliving the fun night.
At the Parker’s apartment, everyone changed from their suits and dresses into pajamas. Since it was late and everyone’s parents were comfortable with the other kids, everyone was staying at Peter’s, boys in the Peter’s room and girls in the living room. Once changed, they made their way back to the living room for games until the energy from the dance wore off.
They started with charades and broke into three teams of each person and their date. Round after round, Peter and Y/N got far more answers correct than either of the other teams – even doubling their answers one time.
“You’ve got to be cheating!” Ned and Abraham nearly shouted, happy Peter was doing well with Y/N but not happy enough to be ok with losing.
“Nope! Peter and I are just on the same page,” Y/N teased, looking over to Peter with a cheeky grin and wink. Peter reveled in it – celebrating their wins every single round, high-fives, hugs, joking, and teasing the others – it was perfect. He watched her react to Betty struggling to guess Ned’s obvious clue and sat back in his seat, realizing that, more importantly than how his night went, she was back. Y/N seemed like herself again.
As the charades intensity began winding down, Peter suggested a movie. He clicked on Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and half-sat-half-laid into the left arm of the couch. Everyone else found places around the room and Y/N scampered over right next to Peter. Once the movie started and sound took over the room, she scooted even closer to Peter and tapped on his shoulder.
Peter nearly leaped up thinking something might be wrong, but her calm air told him otherwise. Y/N pointed to his shoulder again and he opened his arm and ushered her in. Her head pressed down between his shoulder and chest and he wrapped his arm around her such that his hand rested on her back.
A bit into the movie, Han Solo delivered the line they joked about earlier – he told Princess Leia he loved her only for her to tell him “I know.” Y/N smirked up at Peter and he titled his head to gaze down at her eyes reflecting the movie light. She nestled in tighter, head almost in the crook of his neck, and draped her arm up and around his torso. He sighed as she held him tight and let her eyes drift closed, breathing deepening with every minute of the movie passing by. Peter felt himself nodding off, but not before he peered down to see Y/N somehow still grinning, muscles relaxed and heavy as they pressed into his side. More comfortable than ever, he lay his own head on top of hers and let himself start to go.
“I love love you,” Y/N suddenly whispered, catching him just before he slipped.
“I know,” Peter giggled, hand gently tracing circles on her back. Y/N felt his chest rise and fall as he laughed. “And I love love you, too.”
With warm smiles decorating their faces, they drifted off to sleep, no dream nearly as magical as reality.
Requested: No, but this is for @lovelyspidey & @thelazypangolin Writing Challenge. I had the prompt “I could kiss you right now!”
Summary: Y/N was enjoying her normal Saturday morning in her local coffee shop. But what happens when some random stranger sits down in her booth?
It was your normal Saturday morning, you were sitting in your favorite booth in your favorite coffee shop just a block over from your apartment reading your book when you heard the bell over the door ring making you look up. Walking in was someone you hadn’t seen before. You would have remembered those brown curls. He shakes the rain off of his jacket before he looks around sending you a small smile that makes your heart jump before you smile back. You notice that when he continues looking, he cringes when he makes eye contact with a girl near the front of the shop. He looks back to you with a pleading stare before he makes his way over as she starts to walk towards him. Just as she reaches the both of you, he sits down beside you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pressing a kiss to your temple.
“There you are, darling. Almost didn’t see you all the way back here,” he half laughs. You look up at him sheepishly.
“It’s quieter back here,” you tell him as he nods his head. The girl clears her throat making you both turn your heads.
“Oh… Lex, hi. Did you need something?” he asked her.
“What are you doing here?” Lex asks the guy.
“Well, I would think that was obvious,” he said as he motions to you.
“Seriously?” she asks as she eyes you up and down.
“Uh… yes? Why wouldn’t I be serious?” he retaliates to her question. “Is there a problem?” he asked as he pulled you close to his side.
“Whatever,” she said as she stomped off back to her table. When she was out of earshot, you heard him let out a deep breath he was holding before he looked over at you.
“I could kiss you right now!” he tells you as you bite our lip feeling your face flush. “Sorry, my name is Tom,” he laughs as he holds his hand out to you.
“Y/N,” you say as you shake his hand.
“Y/N,” he repeats. “Well, Y/N, thank you so fucking much for not throwing me to the wolves there,” he laughs. “She’s… a little psycho.”
“I can see that,” you tell him as you glance over to the girl who is now glaring at your table.
“Yea…. sorry for that. I was hoping she wasn’t going to be here. I just wanted to stop in for a quick coffee, but… looks like I got something better instead,” he says as he smiles at you, making your face flush again. “Maybe I should go thank her for that,” he says as he moves to get up. You grab his arm as he stands, making him sit back down.
“You sure you wanna go do that?” you laugh at him.
“Absolutely not,” he laughs back, smiling at you. “So, since it’s raining, I can’t ask you to walk in the park with me… How about we sit here and talk awhile?” You nod your head with a smile.
“Go get your coffee,” you half laugh.
“You want anything?” he asks you.
“Hot chocolate, please,” you tell him as he stands to walk to the front. You watch as Lex and her friends leave before Tom makes it to the front of the shop. A minute later, he’s back with your drinks and sitting beside you again. Losing track of time, you sit in the shop with Tom for hours talking with each other about everything.
“So… about Lex…” Tom starts.
“You don’t have to explain,” you tell him.
“I do, really,” he says. “She’s not well,” he explains. “She’s had some problems in her past that made her have some issues and that’s what led to our break up. She didn’t trust me, accused me every time I wasn’t home of cheating and lying and it just became too much. Then after, she started frequenting the places we used to go to try and run into me, trying to get me to take her back… That’s why I was hoping not to run into her here today,” he tells you.
“I’m sorry you went through that… and I’m sorry she had to go through that in her past… no one should have to put up with things like that,” you say quietly. “I… I dealt with something in my past too… abusive boyfriend… didn’t think I’d make it out… If it wasn’t for my friend, Sam, I don’t think I would have,” you tell him.
“Wait… Y/N…” Tom says as he looks at you through squinted eyes.
“Yes…?” you look at him confused.
“Do you mean Sam Holland?” he asks you.
“Yea… you know him?” you ask with a smile.
“Yea… sort of,” he laughs. “He’s my little brother… And if I’m not mistaken, you are the girl that he was talking about setting me up with. You went to uni with him?”
“Yea, I did…” you say as you bite your lip again, feeling your face flush.
“It’s gotta be you. I don’t think he knows any other Y/N’s,” Tom says with a laugh. “He was right though…”
“Right? About what?” you ask.
“You’re amazing,” he tells you as he tucks a strand of hair behind your ear, feeling your face flush again. Tom makes sure that you exchange numbers before you leave. “Can I walk you to your car?”
“I didn’t drive. I live a block away,” you tell him.
“Then could I walk you home?” he asks you with a shy smile.
“If you really want to,” you laugh. “I would hate for you to walk back to your car in the rain.” He holds up an umbrella with a smile. “Let’s go then,” you laugh. You both walk slowly, huddled together under his small umbrella, his arm around your shoulder as he holds you to him, talking the whole way.
“So how did you meet my brother?” Tom asks you.
“Music class,” you smile at him. “I asked the teacher for help learning piano and she didn’t have the extra time, but she said she knew a student in class that was an excellent pianist and that would be glad to help.”
“Yea, that sounds like him,” Tom smiles at you. “So you play?”
“I do now,” you smile. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t. I couldn’t read music to save my life before that. It was like Latin to me. Honestly, I don’t know how he taught me. But I’m grateful that he did. It helps relax me.”
“Will you play for me?” Tom asks you.
“Maybe one day…” you tease as you walk up to your door. “This is me.” Sticking your keys in the door and unlocking it, you turn to face Tom once again. “I’m really glad you came in the shop today.”
“So am I,” he tells you. “But, even if I hadn’t… it seems like we were destined to meet eventually, seeing as Sam was supposed to set us up and all,” he laughs as he rubs his hand across the back of his neck.
“Yea,” you laugh as you look at the ground.
“Hey… Y/N…?” Tom asks. ‘God, she’s gorgeous,’ he thinks to himself, ‘Sam should have set us up sooner… Should I kiss her…. I want to… Fuck it…’
“Yes?” you respond as you look up at him slowly. He takes a step closer to you.
“About that kiss I mentioned earlier at the shop… after you helped me…” he said softly and you feel your heart flutter in your chest.
“What about it…” you said quietly. Slowly putting his hand on the back of your neck to pull you towards him, he rubs his nose against yours before he presses his lips against yours in a soft kiss making your eyes flutter shut. It takes a second, but when it registers with your brain what’s happening you move your lips against his as you feel him smile against you, his free hand resting on your waist to pull you closer. You rest your hands against his chest before you slide one up to tangle in his hair as he pushes you against the wall beside your door. His grip on your waist tightens as you run your tongue along his bottom lip. He slips his tongue out to glide with yours as you both moan lightly into the kiss. He bites your bottom lip gently as he pulls back, leaning his forehead against yours as he looks in your eyes as you both return your breathing to normal. “You’re gonna be trouble…” you say as you look up at him with a smirk. He returns your look with a mischievous glare.
“Darling…. You have no idea,” he tells you with a wink.
