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SPOILER ALERT FOR SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING!
“You should really stop staring at him, you know…” one of your friends said, shaking her head as she picked at her fingernails.
“What?” you frowned, turning your gaze from Peter who was laying on the gym mat before you, doing exercises together with his best friend, Ned. “I wasn’t staring,” you objected. The heat rose to your cheeks and even without the obvious lie still on your lips, you knew everyone could tell it wasn’t true.
“Yeah, right.”
“I wasn’t…”
“Oh, don’t deny it. You’re clearly in love with him,” she said again.
You were going to object, but Liz already stood up for you, like she always did when it came to Peter. You figured it was because she felt guilty. Everyone knew Peter had had a crush on her for years. She had told you many times she wasn’t into him, but you still couldn’t help but feel jealous. Especially at the way he looked at her during classes, lunch and anytime in general.
You could only hope that one day he would look at you the same way.
“Come on, Trace, leave [Name] alone. Or I’ll tell everyone who you have a crush on.”
“Fine…But [Name] should really stop staring at him. It’s getting embarrassing.”
“I wasn’t staring,” you said again, more to yourself than anyone else. Liz raised her brows at you and looked at you intensely until you let out an annoyed breath. “Fine… I won’t stare at him anymore,” you huffed, crossing your arms. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Well, does anyone have anything interesting to tell?” Tracy looked at you, a bored expression covering her otherwise beautiful features. She wiped the blonde ponytail from her shoulder and leaned backward. Compared to Liz and her you stood out like a sore thumb. At least to your measures. Tracy never seemed to object when you complained about your looks, but Liz would always quickly deny it, telling you, you were just as pretty as they were.
You didn’t know who of them to believe more.
“I do,” Liz said. “Did you see the security footage of Spider-Man on YouTube? He fought off four guys!”
“Oh my gosh, she’s crushing on Spider-Man,” Tracy laughed, shaking her head. “No way…”
“I mean, kind of…”
“Gross,” you cringed your nose. “He’s probably like… thirty,” you continued, shaking off the image of an old guy dressed up in a super hero suit, going around High schools to hit on girls. You suppressed the urge to shiver, even though for all you know he could be as old as you were as well. With the full-on bodysuit, it was impossible to tell. “Besides, you don’t even know what he looks like. What if he’s like severely burned?”
“I wouldn’t care,” Liz stated. “I’d still love him for the person he is on the inside.”
You snorted, somehow having a hard time believing that. Liz was a kind and caring girl, but even she couldn’t be that perfect. Could she?
“Peter knows Spider-Man!” it suddenly sounded from a few feet away. You all turned your heads towards Ned and Peter, who seemed like Ned had just told you something he really shouldn’t have. Peter’s eyes shifted from you to Liz and back and he swallowed hard as he quickly pushed himself from the gym mat.
“N–No I don’t,” he said, trying to explain to the whole class what Ned had meant. “No, I–I mean…”
“They’re friends,” Ned interrupted before Peter could say anything else to deny it.
“Yeah, like Coach Wilson and Captain America are friends,” Flash joked, jumping down one of the ropes.
“I–I met him, yeah… A couple times,” Peter said, ignoring Flash’s comment. He focussed his attention on Liz and again tried to explain why Ned was insisting he knew Spider-Man and was even his friend. “But it’s–uhm–through the Stark Internship,” he added, when no one seemed to believe him. “But I’m not really supposed to talk about it…” he continued, turning to Ned, clenching his teeth and biting off his words.
“Well, that’s awesome,” Flash responded. “Hey, here’s an idea. Why don’t you invite him to Liz’ party, right?”
Everyone turned their attention to Liz and you shifted awkwardly in your seat when you realized that meant everyone was looking at you as well. Including Peter.
“Yeah, I’m having people over tonight,” Liz confirmed. “You’re more than welcome to come.”
“You’re having a party?” Peter asked hopefully.
“Yeah, it’s gonna be dope,” Flash answered. “You should totally invite your personal friend, Spider-Man.”
“It’s okay,” Liz cut in, seeing Peter struggle to come up with a response. “I know Peter is way too busy for parties anyways, so…”
“Oh, come on. He’ll be there, right, Parker?”
Before anyone could say anything else, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. Coach Wilson yelled at everyone to go get a shower and get the hell out of here. You looked at Peter shortly, knowing he was still lost for words. As everyone pushed themselves from their seats, his gaze passed you. You let a smile curl your lips, before following Liz and Tracy towards the girls’ changing room, hoping it would reassure him everything would be fine. Some despair seemed to leave his eyes, but you didn’t know whether that was because of your smile, or because he realized he’d be seeing Liz again tonight.
When you arrived in the changing room, Liz and Tracy had already changed back into their everyday clothes. You didn’t really like to shower at school and since it was the end of the day, no one ever objected when everyone left without doing so. It only took you several minutes to change as well. Liz’ party would start within several hours, but you had agreed to each go home first, take a shower, change into your party clothes and then after dinner help Liz set everything up.
“Do you think Peter really knows Spider-Man?” Liz asked excitedly when you walked through the hallway towards your lockers. Despite not seeming to care what the superhero looked like, she did seem anxious to meet him.
You shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he could with the Stark Internship and all.”
“You live like right next to him and have almost every class together,” Tracy stated with her brow raised, one of the rare occasions she showed any emotion. She leaned against the lockers as you and Liz started to put away the books you didn’t need for homework. “You mean to tell us he never said anything about it?”
“Well, I–I don’t know. We–uh–we don’t really talk that much…”
Tracy laughed at that. “Of course not… I don't get it, though. Didn’t you used to be best friends?”
You nodded, hiding your head behind the door of your locker, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks again. “That was a long time ago,” you mumbled, remembering the sleepovers, the movie nights and how somehow everything had changed. You didn’t really think about it that much anymore, but sometimes – when you would see the twinkle in Peter’s eyes when he was excited about something – you couldn’t help yourself but think back on those times.
All through Elementary and Middle school Peter, Ned and you had been thick as thieves. You did almost everything together. From sharing text books (because Peter’s aunt, May, couldn’t afford to buy any) to playing on the streets till dark. You could still remember it all very well, but it had all changed when you became juniors in High school.
Somehow, in the first few weeks, you had become friends with Liz and Tracy. You had started to spend less and less time with Peter and Ned, which had resulted in Peter acting strange around you. Eventually, you had realized you were in love with him and he, in turn, had fallen in love with Liz. Somewhere in between all of that you had stopped being friends. You sometimes still worked together on projects, but for some reason, things had never been the same.
“I’ll see you guys tonight,” you said, stuffing the books that needed studying into your backpack and making your way towards the exit of the building. “Seven, right?”
Liz nodded, but Tracy just shrugged her shoulders like she didn’t care. You knew, however, that she had been looking forward to the party for weeks now. No matter how indifferent she tried to seem, you knew better than to believe her façade. Just like they knew better than to believe you when you said you weren’t staring at Peter. You clearly were, most of the time anyway.
The only person that didn’t seem to notice, was Peter himself.
“Hey, [Name], wait up,” someone called after you as you were walking down the street. “I’ll walk you home.”
You stopped and turned around, seeing Peter run up to you. He lived just a couple of streets away from you, but like you had said to Tracy, it had been quite a while since you had walked home together. Sometimes, it was hard to imagine you had even been best friends once. Especially now that you felt nervous each time he was close to you. Which, because you shared every class together and sat right next to each other almost all the time, was more often than your heart could handle. Though, you doubted he even noticed you.
“Hey,” you mumbled, watching him cross the street and catch up with you. “I thought you had that Stark Internship every day after school.”
“I–I do,” he nodded, following you as you started walking again, “but I–uh–I have a day off. Are you also going to Liz’ party tonight?”
“Yes, well, I sort of have to. I promised I’d help set everything up. So, you’re coming then? With Spider-Man?”
“Yes, I–I mean, no… I mean,” he sighed. “I guess so?”
“I thought you said you knew him?”
“I do,” Peter replied quickly – too quickly – and smiled nervously. “I sent him a text, but you know how those heroes are, right? Always busy, busy...”
“Right… So he isn’t coming?”
“Oh, no, he is.”
You squinted your eyes at him, thinking he was acting weird and evasive. But then again, you didn’t know him that well anymore. You talked in class often enough, but that was for school. You hadn’t talked to him like this – really talked to him – in years. You could feel the heat rise to your cheeks just thinking about it.
“Anyway,” Peter cleared his throat. “That Spider-Man is quite something, isn’t he?
“Yeah, sure. I mean, if you’re into that sort of thing…”
“You’re not?”
You shrugged your shoulders. “I’m sure he’s a great guy, but who knows what’s underneath that mask.”
“Ah, so personality doesn’t matter?”
A laugh escaped your lips, which made Peter’s eyes lit up and a smile curl his lips. “He could be thirty for all we know.”
He nodded. “Fair enough. So… Does Liz really have a crush on him?”
“What?”
“Liz,” he clarified, though you didn’t really need to hear her name coming from his lips again. “D–Does she really like Spider-Man?” He looked at you intensely and you pushed away the urge to shiver under his gaze. He was clearly totally oblivious to your feelings for him. He probably wanted to know if he still had a chance with Liz now that she had confessed she had a crush on his superhero friend.
You let out a slow breath and nodded. “I guess so, but it’s just a celebrity crush. I doubt she’s really in love with him or anything. I mean, I used to have a crush on Captain America, but it’s not like I expected him to come rushing through my door and save me from my mundane life.”
Now it was Peter who laughed. “I remember that,” he nodded. “You were obsessed with him.”
“Well, I wouldn’t call it obsessed…” you defended yourself in a mumble. “Just a temporary lapse of judgment…”
Peter snorted. “Right, so you’re not crushing on the Captain anymore then. What happened?”
“I fell in love with someone else…”
“Ah,” he swallowed hard, an awkward tension rising between you.
You could feel your heart beating fast in your chest as he held your gaze. Your eyes darted to his lips for only a second, hoping – desperately – that he’d kiss you someday. He seemed to think about something, yet didn’t speak. You could feel a shaky breath leaving your lips. Would this finally be the moment he’d realize he was the one you had fallen in love with? You didn’t even dare to hope that maybe – just maybe – he had felt the same way about you for all those years.
“Well, he–uh–he’s a lucky guy…”
The hope you had, was squatted quickly and you sighed, nodding at his words. “I guess.”
“This is you, right?” he said when you nearly walked past your own apartment building.
“Oh, yeah,” you nodded, shaking off the thoughts that were running through your mind. “Thanks for walking me home.”
“No problem,” he smiled, which made your heart jump again. “It’s on the way, so basically you walked me home… Anyway,” he continued, when you didn’t know what to say to that. “I’ll see you tonight.” He leaned in for a hug – something you used to do when you were younger – though seeing the surprise on your face he quickly pulled back.
You got a whiff of his scent, your nostrils filling with the smell of lemon soap, washed off teenage cologne and something you couldn’t place. “Tonight…” you mumbled, wishing you hadn’t looked so surprised so he would have hugged you.
“R–Right,” he mumbled nervously, clearly embarrassed for his attempt at hugging you. “Bye.”
He nearly sprinted away, leaving you disappointed with him, but mostly with yourself.
Several hours later at Liz’ house during the party
You sighed, taking a sip from your drink. Liz and Tracy had left you behind in the kitchen when the first guests had started to arrive. That was nearly an hour ago. So now you were here alone, surrounded by most of the people from your school. More than half of them probably didn’t even know who you were, other than the fact you hung out with Liz and Tracy. You let your eyes pass through the room, hoping to find someone you knew to talk to or just simply a kind face.
As you let your gaze pass everyone, you saw Peter and Ned approach the kitchen from the corner of your eyes. You looked at each other for a short moment and it seemed like Peter was about to say something when Flash caught both of your attention.
“Peter Parker, what’s up!” he suddenly cried out through the microphone. “Where’s your pal, Spider-Man? Let me guess: In Canada with you imaginary girlfriend?”
Everyone started laughing and you could see Peter balling his hands into fists as Flash continued.
“That’s not Spider-Man. That’s just Ned in a red shirt…”
You swallowed hard, watching Peter as he bit his teeth together, the tension in his jaw tightening. He looked determined when he turned away from Flash and quickly left the room.
“Yeah, Parker. Go get Spider-Man!” Flash called after him. “If you can find him…” he added with a laugh.
Most of your classmates joined in again and you could feel the anger rise in your chest. Even if Peter wasn’t friends with Spider-Man and he wouldn’t show up at the party, that didn’t mean they could make fun of him like this.
“You know what,” Flash continued, turning his ridicule toward you. “[Name], why don’t you help him look?”
You frowned. “What?”
“Oh, come on. Don’t play stupid with me. A little birdy told me you have quite the crush on Peter.”
“I–I don’t have a crush on Peter…” you laughed nervously, letting your eyes pass through the room. Peter had already disappeared, but with the sound system amplifying Flash’s voice, you were certain he must have heard it.
“Sure you do! [Name] is in love with Penis Parker!” Flash exclaimed into the microphone, alerting everyone to your feelings about Peter yet again. He was chanting it over and over. Your heart sank and you desperately looked around you. Every set of eyes in the room was pointed at you and even though you couldn’t hear what they were saying to each other over Flash’s annoying chant, you could see the amusement in their eyes. It would only be a minute before everyone would start laughing again.
“What? You told Flash about [Name]’s feelings for Peter?” you heard Liz ask Tracy a few feet beside you. “That’s not cool, Trace.”
“It just slipped out! He was letting me drive his father’s car and asked if I had some good gossip… I didn’t think he’d tell everyone…”
“It’s Flash,” Liz sighed. “Of course he would. [Name],” she turned to you, “ignore him. There’s nothing wrong with liking Peter. Right, Tracy?”
“Right,” she nodded quickly. “Nothing wrong with that.”
You swallowed hard, feeling the tears sting in the corner of your eyes. You didn’t know why you were crying. You weren’t a one to do so very easily, but still having the eyes of nearly the entire school on your back made you feel insecure. With everyone now knowing your secret crush – which wasn’t so secret anymore – and Peter still oblivious to it all, somehow made you feel sad.
“I’m going out for some fresh air,” you mumbled, your throat thick and your voice cracking.
“Are you alright?” Liz asked, though, you had already pushed yourself through the crowd, hearing all the whispers around you.
“They’re both geeks, they belong together…”
“Iew, gross, Peter Parker…”
“Can you imagine being called out like that? I’d die of shame...”
You swallowed your pride and quickly walked outside through the side door, taking in a deep breath of cold air. “Stupid Flash,” you mumbled to yourself, kicking at a rock in the yard. The noise of the party slowly died down as the door closed on itself and locked you out. “Great,” you sighed, knowing no one was going to hear you knock over the music. You wiped the tears that had fallen onto your cheeks from your face, cursing Flash and everyone else for being dickheads. Including Liz and Tracy.
Tracy always made fun of your feelings for Peter – even though she had once said she thought he was sort of cute – and Liz clearly just felt sorry for you that he was in love with her instead of you. A loud, angry sigh left your lungs as you walked around the building, trying to get to the garden on the other side. You’d have to climb over a fence, but Liz and you had done that several times before when you’d exceeded her father’s curfew and didn’t want him to notice you sneaking into the house.
You were ready to haul yourself over the fence using one of the garbage bins beside the house when you thought you heard a voice on the roof. You walked a few steps back and saw a young man standing near the edge, looking down on the partying youngsters inside the house through the large windows. From your place on the ground, it was almost impossible to make out who it was, let alone see the red and blue suit with the spider in the center.
“Hey,” you yelled. “What the hell are you doing up there?”
The person on the roof startled from your loud voice and stumbled backward.
“Peter?” you frowned, catching a glimpse of his dark brown orbs in the silvery blue light of the moon, before he fell from the roof. “Oh, no,” you whispered, running towards the other side of the house as fast as you could.
There was a person-like dent in the bushes beside Liz’ house and you quickly stumbled through the thick branches to make sure Peter was alright. You’d ask what the hell he was thinking later.
“Peter?” you called his name, trying to find him in the darkness of the night. “Are you alright?” You leaned closer to the hole in the bushes until you saw something move. You muffled a scream when a red masked man popped up from between the leaves.
“No Peter,” he said, his voice sounding like someone was recovering from a bad cough. “Just me.”
“Spider-Man?” you frowned. “But I thought…” you mumbled, looking up at the rooftop. You sighed, knowing it must have been your imagination. How in the world would Peter have gotten himself up there anyway? “Nevermind,” you smiled shortly, turning to him again. “You took quite the fall. Sorry if I scared you, but… What were you doing up there?”
“No need to apologize,” he shrugged it off, jumping from the bushes and helping you do the same. His weird voice sent shivers down your spine and for some reason sounded familiar. “I was just–uh–I was–uh–waiting for Peter to give me the signal,” he finally decided on an answer.
“So you do know Peter?”
“Yeah, he’s my man!” he said, the pitch of his voice changing. “I mean, we’re friends… Sort of… You know?” He cleared his throat, sounding nervous.
“Sure…” you nodded, thinking he sounded just like Peter when he’d tried to convince you they knew each other a few hours ago. “Well, I think he’s in the bathroom or something. He disappeared right before…” you swallowed hard, not sure whether to tell Spider-Man – a guy you didn’t even know and who could very well be anyone – what had just happened and how you felt about Peter.
“Right before what?” he asked, his voice sounding like a young guy again, higher-pitched than before. Whoever this Spider-Man was, he was clearly hiding something.
“Oh, never mind. They were just making fun of me…”
“Who was?”
“Everyone, I guess,” you sighed, taking a seat on the pavement on the front of Liz’ house. You could feel the tears sting in your eyes again. Biting your lip until you could taste your own blood, you quickly tried to shrug them off. You hadn’t wanted anyone to see you cry and a stranger like Spider-Man least of all. Who knew who was really under that mask. “Shouldn’t you be getting inside?” you asked. “Peter won’t hear the end of it if you don’t show up.”
The young man before you turned his head towards the house, hearing Flash call out his name as the wind blew the noise of the party in your direction.
“Penis Parker, come out come out wherever you are! Where’s your pal, Spider-Man?”
You could hear him sigh. Though, instead of jumping back onto the rooftop and showing his face to everyone at the party, he took a seat next to you.
“Peter will be fine,” he said, taking in a deep breath before turning his attention back to you. “You, on the other hand, seem like you could use some company…”
You laughed softly, evading your eyes from him and looking down at the asphalt road before you. You fidgeted with the seam of your shirt, trying to find the words to react. “I guess… But I’m sure you have better things to do than sitting beside the road with a High school kid.”
“What makes you think that?”
“You’re Spider-Man. You’re a hero. I’m sure there are tons of bad guys for you to chase in New York.”
“Probably,” he nodded, “but I’m fine right here.”
You couldn’t help a smile from curling your lips and you nodded slowly. “Well, I guess introductions are in order then. I’m [Name].”
“Spider-Man,” he said, shaking your hand. “But–uh–I–I guess you already knew that… So, what–uh–what were they making fun of you about?”
“It’s nothing,” you shrugged it off.
“You wouldn’t be sitting here by yourself if it was nothing.”
Fair enough, you thought, taking in a deep breath before telling him the story. Or part of it at least. “One of my friends told Flash – the guy behind the DJ booth – that I have a crush on… someone… and he made a joke about it in front of everyone…”
“Right… Well, I–I’m sure he’s just jealous.”
“Ha,” you laughed at his words, shaking your head. You turned your head towards him, still finding it a bit weird Spider-Man was actually sitting beside you, talking to you about your problems. “I very much doubt that.”
“If anything, Flash is an idiot for making fun of you. I mean, he’s the one who got… N–Nevermind…” he finished in a mumble. “What–uh–What about the guy you have a crush on? W–Where is he in all of this?”
You shrugged, evading his eyes from him again. You got a small piece of asphalt from the ground and played with it between your fingers. “It’s a complicated story…”
“That bad?”
A sigh escaped your lips. “I don’t know. I’ve liked him for years, but I don’t think he likes me back…”
“Oh, come on,” he brushed it off, softly pushing his fist against your shoulder. “I’m sure he does. You’re smart, you’re funny, you’re pretty…” he stopped, shifting his position nervously as you frowned at those words. “I–I mean…” he cleared his throat, trying to seem older again by puffing out his chest. “For a High school kid, you’re not so bad to look at… I–I mean… You’re not bad to look at all. You’re–uh…” he swallowed hard, shaking his head. “Man, I’m making this worse, aren’t I?”
You laughed, letting your eyes shift over his face. For some reason, those words spread a warm feeling through the pit of your stomach. He sounded younger than you had thought he'd be. He couldn’t be much older than you were. Maybe he even was still in High school. The more time you spend with him, the more you started to like him.
“You’re not… No one has ever called me pretty…” you blushed.
“Really?”
You nodded. “My friends are the prettiest girls in school, so… I doubt anyone even notices me around them. I don’t compare to them…”
“That’s not true.”
“You don’t know my friends.”
He seemed to want to say something to that, but decided otherwise. “Still,” he whispered eventually. “I–I think you’re beautiful.”
A small smile curled your lips at those words. Your eyes shifted over his mask and for the first time since the Spider-Man had shown up in the media, you wondered – truly, desperately wondered – who was behind that red mask.
“Thank you,” you whispered, evading your eyes from him again.
“I mean it,” he told you, laying his hand over yours. “If he would know you like him, you wouldn’t be sitting here with me.”
“Well, Flash just basically told the entire school that I like him. So… He’s either deaf, or he doesn’t like me back.”
“Then he’d be an idiot.”
You smiled at his words again, slowly turning your gaze back to him. The soft light of the moon reflected in the white of the eyes on his mask. They seemed to shrink as they focussed on you and slowly, but surely, his face moved closer to yours. You could feel your heart beat faster in your chest and your lips parted slightly, wondering what was going on.
You were about to ask him something, when he quickly closed the space between you, pressing a kiss on your lips through the fabric of his suit. A soft sound escaped your throat as the rough fabric rubbed against your skin.
“I–I’m sorry,” he quickly apologized.
“It’s okay,” you laughed, rubbing your lips where his suit had touched them. You startled when his hand found a place against your cheek. Though, you didn’t back away. Instead, your eyes shifted over his mask again, imagining the face beneath it. Soon you followed his example and reached your hands up to his face.
With your fingers, you searched for the edge of his mask and with both hands, you lifted it slightly up. You were dying to know who was underneath the mask, but for some reason the mystery of it all had the adrenaline surging through your body as well. You pulled the mask up until he softly stopped you, leaving only his chin, lips and nose exposed.
Sucking in a deep breath, you stared at his lips until they were so close you could feel his hot breath on your skin. His hand slipped into your hair and he kissed you again. A real kiss this time.
As he held onto you tightly, kissing you gently, the wind carried his scent around you. There was a faint hint of lemon soap and a familiar cologne filled your nostrils together with a scent you couldn’t place. Your mind started racing and almost provided you with the answer to the big question burning in the back of your mind (who was Spider-Man?), but before you could he pulled away.
“What was that?” he asked, quickly lowering his mask back over his face.
“What was what?” you frowned, wanting him to kiss you again.
“That,” he said, pointing into the distance. You had to squint your eyes to see a small blue flare a couple of miles away. “What the hell?”
Before you could respond, he had already pushed himself from the pavement and jumped back up on the rooftop. “Wait!” you cried out. “I don’t even know your name…” You tried to follow him as he jumped from the roof and into the dark night, but your eyes weren’t as good in the dark as his were and you were simply staring into nothing.
When you could feel the disappointed filling your body and you were certain he was gone – and you would never see him again – he was suddenly there before you again.
“I–I am sorry. That was rude. Please don’t think this didn’t mean anything,” he said, sounding almost desperate. “I–I have waited a long time for this moment and I–” he stopped himself, shaking his head, thinking he’d really said too much this time. “I have to go, but… I’ll be back. I promise.”
You nodded, though barely registered a word he said. The kiss was still fresh in your mind. All kind of feelings were rushing through your body and your thoughts went back and forth between Spider-Man, the kiss you had shared with him, and your feelings for Peter. None of it was making any sense to you anymore.
You were so lost in thought, that you didn’t even notice him leave the second time.
“There you are,” it sounded behind you. “We’ve been looking all over for you," Liz said worriedly.
“We?” you frowned. “Or just you?”
Liz sighed. “Tracy didn’t mean to tell Flash you’re in love with Peter. She would never do that on purpose.”
“Sure she wouldn’t…”
“Don’t be like that, [Name],” Liz said, following you as you made your way back inside her house. "You know what Tracy is like. It’s not her fault Peter doesn’t like you back.”
“Wow,” you said, a frown covering your brow. You stopped before walking into the door and turned to Liz. “Really?” you shook your head. “Fine, you know what… I’m going home. I was going to tell you about something amazing that has just happened to me, but fine… Have it your way.”
“Wait, [Name]. That just slipped out. It’s been a stressful night. I’m sorry. I–I didn’t mean it like that,” she said, running after you as you walked back toward the road and got your phone from your pocket, already dialing your mother’s number, hoping she’d be off her shift in the hospital to come pick you up. “What happened that you wanted to tell me about?”
“I don’t really feel like talking anymore,” you said, crossing your arms. Your mother promised she’d be there within a few minutes. Even though you were dying to tell someone – anyone – about what had just happened, you didn’t want to talk to Liz anymore. At least not right now. Not after what she had just said.
“[Name], please. I’m really sorry.”
“I know," you sighed, truly knowing she would never have said that normally. "I just… I don’t really want to go back to the party, so, I’d rather just go home.”
“Oh, yeah, of course,” Liz said, sounding relieved. “You’ll tell me about that amazing thing tomorrow?”
“Sure,” you nodded, knowing you probably still wouldn’t. Who would believe you anyway?
Liz stayed with you until your mother arrived and took you back home. She was too tired to ask you why you didn’t want to sleep at Liz’ place anymore, for which you were grateful for a chance. When you arrived home several minutes later, she immediately went to bed and you soon followed her example.
You didn’t feel like sleeping though. So instead of crawling into bed, you took a quick, cold shower and decided to spend some time on your makeshift balcony. You pulled on some comfortable clothes and pried open your window that led to the fire escape where you had made a small, but cozy place for yourself to sit and enjoy the soft summer night breeze. You climbed onto it and lowered yourself down into the pillows, pulling your knees up to your chin. With your cheek resting on your kneecaps, you took in a deep breath and stared at the bright moon, peeking up from behind the tall buildings of New York in the distance.
You let the soft air fill your lungs as you thought back on what had happened tonight. Only hours earlier during gym class, you had thought about Spider-Man as a thirty-year-old pervert and now you were comparing him to Peter, the guy you had been in love with for the past few years. Things always had a strange way of turning out.
Your mind was still racing in circles when you saw a young man making his way through the streets, walking underneath the fire escape of your apartment building. A backpack rested on his shoulders and he kicked a large stone out in front of him as he strode forward.
“Peter?” you frowned, lifting your head from your knees and looking down at him through the holes in the platform.
He quickly looked up, a bright smile soon curling his lips when he noticed you above him. “[Name], is that you?”
“Yeah. I didn’t see you anymore at Liz’ party. Did you leave early?”
“Uh, yeah… I–I mean, sort of. I–uh–I went to look for Spider-Man.”
At the mention of the superhero's name, your cheeks turned red. You didn’t think Peter noticed it from so far below, but you still hid your face between your hands. “R–Right… Did you find him?”
“N–No. He–uh–texted me something had come up.”
You nodded, feeling a smile curl your lips again. You had come up. You were that something. “I’m sure he had a good reason.”
“Yeah, I’d like to think so too…”
“Hey, shut it!” it suddenly echoed against the walls of the apartment buildings around you. “People are trying to sleep over here!”
Both Peter and you laughed softly and you waited until the man had closed his window before talking again.
“You want to come up?” you asked, pushing yourself from the pillows and staring down at him over the railing.
He seemed to hesitate for a moment, weighing the backpack he carried over his shoulders. “Yes,” he whispered eventually. “I do…”
You could feel your heart leap again when you realized you’d be spending time with Peter again for more than a few minutes for the second time today. Your kiss with Spider-Man was still in the back of your mind, but your feelings for Peter were still roaring in the pit of your stomach.
“Hey,” you smiled, when he had made his way up the fire escape way more easily than you thought he was able to. “Welcome to my humble balcony.”
“It’s lovely. I like what you’ve done with the place.”
“It was way past time to get rid of our collection of dirt.”
“Right,” Peter nodded, seating himself beside you in the soft pillows. He crossed his legs and leaned back against the wall. “What were we even thinking back then?”
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I was just following Ned.”
He laughed. “So that wasn’t just me…”
“No, maybe I should have saved them and gave them to him for his birthday.”
“I’m sure he would have appreciated that.”
“Yeah…” you swallowed hard. “He would have.”
“So, did–uh–anything interesting happen while I was looking for Spider-Man?” Peter changed the subject, probably feeling the same awkward tension rising between you again that had cost you your friendship before.
“No,” you said quickly – probably too quickly, judging by the look Peter gave you. “I–I mean, you know how those parties go, right. More hearsay than anything else.”
“Are you sure? ‘Cause I–I heard something about Flash and you and everyone laughing…”
“Oh,” you deflated. You bit the inside of your cheek, weighing whether Peter knew exactly what had happened. He didn't really seem to, but what if he did know you liked him and Spider-Man was wrong? What if Peter knew and just didn’t like you back? You’d feel like a fool for inviting him up here. “You heard about that?”
"Well, partly. I – uh – I was in the bathroom so I didn’t hear most of it."
"Well, that probably makes you the only person in the entire school. Ned didn’t tell you?” you frowned.
“I kinda left in a hurry… I haven’t spoken to him yet. He did seem like he wanted to tell me something… What happened?”
You sighed, pulling your legs back up to your chin. You felt even more vulnerable now than when Flash had told everyone about your feelings for Peter. And Somehow – for some insane reason – Peter still didn’t know. You cursed him and the universe in your head for not throwing you a bone. If only you had the courage to tell him yourself.
”Well, after you left, Flash told everyone who I’m in love with,” you took in a deep breath, turning your head from him, knowing your eyes would betray the way you felt. "But it's fine. He's in love with someone else, so..."
"How do you know?"
"Trust me," you snorted, shaking your head. "It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out... Anyway, it doesn't bother me that much anymore. Not after tonight."
"D–Did something happen tonight?"
"I guess you could say that," you nodded, feeling an involuntary smile curling your lips.
"Something good?" he asked and if you had been actually paying attention to him, you would have seen the hope and twinkle in his eyes.
"Yeah..." you sighed.
"Good... Good," he mumbled, suppressing a yawn. "I'm glad you had a good night... So– uh–that guy you have a crush on... Do I know him?"
"You do. Very well, actually."
"Really? Wait... It isn't Ned is it?"
A sharp laugh escaped your lips and you quickly shook your head. "No, it's not Ned."
"Oh," Peter frowned. You could see his mind trying to work out the puzzle as his brow dipped even lower. When you thought he was finally going to get it, he looked up at you again, confusion still written all over his face. He seemed to want to say something when his phone started beeping.
“I–I should probably go,” Peter whispered in a sigh. “May must be worried.”
“Right,” you nodded, "of course. Tomorrow is another school day so I should probably go to bed anyway.”
"Yes, me too... I–uh–It was nice talking to you. Again."
"It was."
"And if that guy you're in love with really doesn't like you back, you should just forget about him."
You snorted, evading your eyes from him. "I'll try," you said, suppressing the urge to shake your head at him again. How could someone be that oblivious? You practically told him you were in love with him. If it wasn't for the kiss you had shared with Spider-Man – knowing at least someone out there thought you were beautiful – you would have cried then and there and yelled at Peter for being an idiot.
But you didn't. Instead, you listened to his advice. You could never compete with Liz for Peter's affection, so you'd just try to forget about him and focus on someone that did like you.
Spider-Man.
"Peter?" you asked, watching him climb back down the fire escape. "If you–uh–happen to speak to Spider-Man... Could you thank him for me?"
"For what?" Peter stopped, looking up at you.
"He'll know," you smiled shortly.
He nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on you. "Alright, sure."
"Thanks. Goodnight, Peter."
"[Name]?" he called out for you when you turned your back towards him. "Would you– uh–Would you be disappointed if he was someone you knew? Someone you've known for a long time?"
You thought about that question for a moment. You had wondered the same thing all night. What if Spider-Man was someone you already knew? What if he went to the same school? You hadn't really decided yet how you'd feel about that, but you'd definitely not be disappointed.
Maybe only if it was Flash. Which, logically wasn’t possible.
"No," you shook your head, earning a smile from Peter. "Not at all."
You watched as he continued to climb down the stairs. When you couldn’t see him anymore you made your way back inside your room, closing the window with a strong pull downwards. A deep breath filled your lungs as you closed the curtains. Your mind raced past everything that had happened tonight and you still couldn’t believe most of it.
Everyone now knew about your feelings for Peter, even though he himself still had no idea and you were too scared to tell him. You had been kissed by a superhero – who hadn’t been of your mind ever since – even though you had no idea who he was and didn’t know if you’d ever see him again. On top of that, you had talked to Peter more in just a few hours than you had in the past few years. Even though you wanted to forget about your feelings for him, you knew that was going to be impossible. Especially since you’d spent tomorrow having most of your classes together, sitting only one seat away from him.
As you stepped into your bed, you started to wonder how you’d get yourself out of this mess. If you’d have to wait for Peter to finally realize you liked him, you would be waiting till you graduated. But with the kiss you shared with Spider-Man in your mind, you didn’t think you could wait that long for him to notice you.
On the other hand, Spider-Man had seemed like a kind, caring if not socially awkward guy. You had liked the little time you had spent with him. Maybe that was the universe telling you there were plenty of other fish in the sea…
You let out an annoyed breath again, getting more frustrated the more you thought about it. Time passed quickly as you stared up at your ceiling, trying to figure out if anything could ever happen between you and Spider-Man. He had kissed you already and told you he thought you were beautiful. His odds were way better than Peter’s.
You closed your eyes to get the thoughts running through your mind to go away, when there was a knock on your window, startling you. For a moment you thought you had imagined things until there was another knock, harder this time.
You dragged yourself out of bed and opened the curtains, seeing Spider-Man crouching on your balcony.
“Y–You? What are you doing here?” you asked, pulling open the window again and making room for him to enter. “How did you even know where I live?”
“I–uh–I asked Peter.”
“And he just told you?”
“Well, he said you wanted to thank me.”
You could feel your cheeks turn red and you quickly nodded, hiding your face behind your hair. “I did, yes. For staying with me tonight.”
“It was my pleasure.”
You smiled at that, feeling your heart beat faster in your chest. When neither one of you started talking, you could feel an awkward tension rising between you.
“Take a seat,” you said eventually, pointing at the chair behind your desk. “How–uh–How has your night been.”
“It’s been good.”
“Good,” you nodded, seating yourself down on your bed. “Good…”
A laugh escaped Spider-Man’s throat and instead of taking a seat on the chair you had appointed him, he dropped himself next to you. “So–uh–Peter told me you talked about that crush of yours again.”
“Wow, news travels fast… But yeah. I mean he asked me about it…”
“Right, so our kiss didn’t make you forget about him?”
You could feel the heat rise to your cheeks and you quickly evaded your eyes from him. “Maybe… I–I mean, yes… No…” you sighed. “I–I don’t know.”
He nodded slowly, folding his hands in his lap. “I understand. I’ve had a crush on someone for quite some time as well.”
“You have?”
“Yes, but I don’t think she likes me back either. Not the real me, anyway.”
“Have you told her?”
He shook his head. “No, but I’m sure she knows. We’ve known each other for quite some time. We used to do everything together…”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that… Take it from me,” you said, remembering your conversation with Peter. “You should tell her.”
“And if she doesn’t like me back?”
“She’d be an idiot.”
He snorted, looking down at his hands in his lap. “You don’t even know what I look like.”
“I don’t need to know what you look like to realize you’re a great guy.”
“I could be thirty for all you know.”
You laughed at his words, thinking the irony of them was funny considering you had said the same to Peter a few hours ago. “Maybe, but I don’t think you are.”
“Who are you talking to?” it suddenly sounded behind your door.
You quickly turned your head back and before you could object, your mother entered your room. “Wait, I can explain,” you exclaimed, your eyes darting to the young man beside you. You tried to hide your confusion from your mother when you found the place beside you on the bed empty. Spider-Man had disappeared.
“What’s going on?” your mother asked, rubbing her eyes. “I thought I heard voices?”
“I was just watching some TV,” you swallowed hard.
“It’s twelve o’clock, [Name]. You have school tomorrow. You should be sleeping.”
“I will,” you promised, crawling back into bed. It wasn’t until you looked up at the ceiling that you realized Spider-man hadn’t disappeared at all. He was hanging upside down above your mother, clinging to the ceiling. “Goodnight,” you added, clicking off the light beside your bed. It because dark instantly and even though you could barely make out your mother standing only a few feet away from you, you could hear her walk out of the room and close the door behind her.
You waited until you heard another door close before pushing yourself up from underneath the covers. Your eyes got used to the darkness quickly, but still, all you could see were silhouettes and shadows. It wasn’t until Spider-Man jumped down from the ceiling and landed right beside your bed on the floor, that you realized you had been holding your breath.
“Well, I guess it’s time for me to go.”
“You don’t have to,” you whispered, reaching towards the light beside your bed to click it on again. Spider-Man stopped you before you could and startled you by pressing a kiss on your lips. You hadn’t even noticed him lifting up his mask, but you were met with soft, moist lips that kissed you fiercely like it would be the last time that he did.
“I–I like you,” he whispered against your lips, his hot breath caressing your skin.
You smiled. “I like you too… Obviously,” you chuckled, rubbing your fingers against his lips.
“No, I–I mean, I like you, [Name]. I have for a long time.”
You frowned, letting your eyes shift over his face. You couldn’t make much out in the darkness of the night and half of his face was still covered, but the way he said it and the different smells that filled your nostrils were somehow familiar.
“Do I know you? The real you, I mean?”
“You do…”
“Hmm,” you wondered. “And you like me?”
He nodded. “I do. A lot.”
“And you don’t think I like you back?”
A sigh escaped his throat and he pulled his mask back down. “It’s probably best if I go,” he mumbled, pushing himself from the ground and jumping towards the window.
You watched him as he climbed back out onto your makeshift balcony like he’d done it a hundred times before. Like he’d been there a hundred times before. Like he’d been with you a hundred times before. In that moment everything that had happened tonight clicked together in your mind and an image flashed before your eyes as he started to pull your window closed.
Peter standing on top of a rooftop, looking down on you.
You swallowed hard, pushing yourself from your bed. What if he was right? What if you had known each other for a long time? What if your eyes hadn’t been deceiving you tonight at Liz’ party?
“Peter?”
“Yeah? I–I mean, no I'm not... Crap...”
You smiled, knowing you had been right all along. You clicked the light back on, revealing Peter standing on your balcony. He had lifted the mask completely from his face and swallowed hard, looking at you doubtfully.
“Surprise?” he whispered as you walked up to him, crawling through the opening of the window. “Y–You’re not disappointed?”
You shook your head, taking his hand to pull you back up. “I wish you would have told me, but at least now I know I was wrong.”
“Wrong?” he frowned. “About what?”
“About my crush not liking me back.”
He seemed confused for a few more seconds until for him everything seemed to click together too. “You mean to tell me… You… You like me? The real me?”
You nodded, feeling his arms folding around you. You wiped a strain of hair from his face and swallowed hard. “I guess we’ve both been idiots.”
He laughed. “I guess we have,” he agreed, before pulling you even closer and slowly but surely leaning in until your lips touched again and he was kissing you. You could feel his fingers running through your hair and his heart beating fast in his chest, in sync with yours.
“[Name]?”
“Hmm?” you said in a low whisper.
“You can’t tell anyone I’m Spider-Man.”
“Sure,” you nodded, wanting him to kiss you again. “It’s not like anyone is going to believe me anyway…”
“I thought I’d told you to shut up hours ago!” someone yelled at you from across the street. "Go. To. Bed!” the same man as before cried out angrily.
Peter pulled you closer protectively, which made you laugh. You liked the warmth that radiated from his skin as he held you tightly against him. If it hadn't been a school night, you wouldn't have minded staying in his arms the entire night.
"I think I'll be just fine," you said, knowing his reaction had been a protective urge from him as Spider-Man. You laid your head on his shoulder and took in a deep breath, folding your arms around him. You suppressed a yawn and closed your eyes, feeling safe within Peter's embrace. "You should probably go. My mom will be pissed if I wake her up again."
"May is probably wondering where I am as well. See you tomorrow?"
"Yes," you agreed, slowly pushing yourself from his arms reluctantly. "Tomorrow..."
Before Peter put his Spider-Man mask on he gave you a last kiss, which only left you wanting more. He disappeared into the dark night, leaving you alone on your balcony missing the warmth of his body.
By the time you lay in your bed again you were nearly falling asleep. Even though you were tired, your mind was still racing. You turned on your back and felt your eyes slowly closing while you looked up at the ceiling. Images of Peter and Spider-Man shot through your head and you smiled, still feeling his lips against yours and his arms holding you close against him.
When you had woken up this morning – or even when you had gone to Liz' house for the party – you had never thought you'd look back on tonight with a smile on your face. If anything, you thought you'd lay in Liz' room on an air mattress feeling jealous of her because Peter had swooned over her again. That you'd lay in your own bed after spending most of your night with Peter, was something you would have never thought.
Not even in your wildest dreams.
Slowly, but surely, you drifted off to sleep, sinking into a dream you would not soon forget...
Extended ending: The next day
A sigh escaped your lips as you leaned against your locker. You held your books firmly in your hands and bit your lip, thinking about the kisses you had shared with Peter and the revelation that he was Spider-Man.
"Oh gosh," Tracy said, sounding annoyed. "[Name] is staring at Peter again..."
You ignored her comment and waved at Peter, who was staring back at you from across the hall. He smiled at you, his cheeks turning slightly red, probably thinking about the same things as you were. He turned his gaze from you when Ned started talking to him, though looked at you now and again from the corner of his eyes. Knowing he had felt the same way about you for all those years, made your knees weak and spread a warm feeling through the pit of your stomach.
"I thought we agreed not to talk about that anymore," Liz whispered to Tracy, hoping you didn't notice.
You did, but after everything that had happened last night, you couldn't care less.
"So," Liz continued, turning to you. "You had something to tell us?"
Right, you thought, having almost forgotten you had promised Liz you'd tell her about your kiss with Spider-Man. "Did I?" you faked ignorance, pushing yourself from your locker.
"Yeah," Liz nodded. "Something amazing happened last night, remember?"
"Hmm," you wondered out loud, while Tracy was frowning at the both of you.
"Did I miss something?"
"Oh, come on, [Name]," Liz crossed her arms at you. "Are you really not going to tell us? I told you I was sorry about what I said about Peter."
You could feel Peter's eyes on you from across the hall. His hand rested on the lock of his locker, but he didn't seem in a hurry to open it. The look in his eyes told you he was listening in on your conversation. You held his gaze until Liz said your name again.
"You should really forget about him," Tracy added. "Liz is too nice to tell you, but I'm sorry. After all these years, he's not magically going to like you all of a sudden."
You snorted, nodding at her words. They didn't hurt as much as they would have before last night. Before Peter had confessed his feelings for you. Though, her comment still stung. "Yeah, maybe... But a girl can dream, right?"
"Sure... But–uh–I think he's coming this way," Liz said, elbowing you.
"Who's coming our way?" Tracy asked.
Before either of you could answer, Peter had already reached you. Nerves were raging through your body as you wondered why he was coming your way. When you walked to school together this morning, you had agreed it would probably be best – at least for now – if no one knew about what happened last night. It had been hard not to kiss him when you parted ways, but Peter had insisted he wanted to tell Ned first. Keeping it a secret had you giddy all morning.
"Hey, Peter," Liz smiled, a wondering look on her face. She probably thought he was coming over to talk to her. "What's u–"
Peter didn't let her finish and walked straight up to you, getting your face between his hands and pressing an urgent kiss on your lips. A squeak left your throat. Your hands rested on his chest and you could feel his heart beating as fast as yours.
"I'll see you in class," he said, slowly pulling away from you. Before you could say something, he had already walked back to Ned, who still stood on the other side of the hall with his mouth wide open.
As you looked at Tracy and Liz, you could see neither of them was any better off than Ned.
"What–What just happened?" Tracy asked, turning her questioning look from Peter to you.
"Wait, was that what you wanted to tell us? You and Peter... Last night..." Liz mumbled, seeming lost for words until she started laughing. She hit you softly on your shoulder. "So that's why we couldn't find you."
A small smile curled your lips and you could feel your cheeks turn red. "Well, not exactly. Back then I was kissing Spider-Man."
Now it was Tracy who laughed. A rare occurrence, which made you laugh as well. "After what just happened, I'd almost believe you..."
When you were done laughing, the bell finally rang, signaling the start of the school day. Liz quickly closed her locker and stuffed the books she needed for the first period into her bag, motioning Tracy they needed to hurry to get to Drama Class. A class you didn't share with them.
"We'll talk about Peter and you later," she said. "I'm dying to hear what happened last night."
"Sure," you nodded. You wouldn't see them again till lunch, so that gave you a few hours to come up with a story together with Peter. You watched them walk away from you and slowly turned around when Liz waved goodbye.
Peter was still standing a few feet away from you together with Ned. You smiled as you made your way towards them and followed them towards Science Class.
"So, does this mean you're friends again?" Ned asked.
"Something like that," you said, wiping the hair behind your ear, looking at Peter.
"Yeah," he agreed. "Something like that... Ready?" he asked you when you had arrived at the right classroom. He offered you his hand before walking in, a hopeful look in his eyes.
Peter holding your hand might have meant nothing to everyone else – not even to Ned – but to you, it signified the start of your adventure together. You hadn't really talked about it yet, but accepting Peter as your boyfriend meant you accepted someone else as well.
He was Spider-Man after all.
You nodded, taking his hand and letting him pull you to his side. "Ready..."