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"YO, THAT WAS AWESOME, WEBS!" Nova congratulated Spiderman with a clap on the back.
They had just sparred with Agent Coulson, as a team exercise, and actually surprisingly won. Their teamwork had improved marginally from when they first met, Nova realized. Coulson looked at them only almost approvingly from the floor, which he had found himself on, and the rest of the team clapped from the sidelines from where they had observed the battle.
Peter turned to him, still marinating in the epic victory of their spar.
"You're in a good mood." He grinned.
"Huh?" Sam was pulled down from his own victory high.
"You rarely compliment me. How uncharacteristic of you," he laughed, emphasizing " uncharacteristic " like there was something funny about the word.
"Well," Sam retorted, "Maybe if you were normally awesome, it would happen more." He felt unusually embarrassed.
"Whatever." Peter wiggled his eyebrows. "You're just jealous I took down Coulson without your help ," he added, making Sam forget about whatever he was feeling before.
"Nuh-uh! I totally had him! It's your stupid webs that got in the way!" He rolled his eyes and picked a non-existent web off of his arm, as if to solidify his argument.
"I'm just messing, dude," Peter took off his mask. "You were pretty awesome too." He patted Nova on the shoulder before leaving the room, cocky as ever. Sam could feel the ghost of the touch burning his shoulder. The tips of his ears burned, too.
He was hopeless.
—
Nova had never really been interested in anyone romantically. Sure, he liked to occasionally brag about how ladies loved him ( didn't everyone? ) but that was it. Romantic feelings weren't something he was familiar with. He had never felt them before. That was, until he met Peter Parker.
Peter Parker, the Amazing Spiderman, lived up to his name. He was amazing. When Nova first met him, there was an undeniable dislike between the two of them. But eventually, it gave way to fondness. He couldn't help it. What he initially hated about Peter became endearing. He didn't care Peter was leading their team, when he at one point thought it should have been him. He realized no one was more cut out for it than Spiderman.
Nova even caught himself mimicking his sarcastic personality. Cracking more puns in his presence. It was almost contagious. Not that he minded. He didn't pay attention to his change of heart in Peter. It was only natural for feelings to develop and change over time.
Sam only started to become concerned with his feelings when his subconscious evolved into some sort of physical detriment. His stomach felt fluttery, his heart rate increased, he even felt hotter than usual. He had never once experienced such anxiety around someone, nonetheless someone he wasn't even afraid of. He was a hero after all. What was going on?
A trip to the one and only Master of Zen was what he needed, he easily concluded, sitting in his room the next day. They had just gotten out of school, but Tiger and Ironfist were on patrol, so Nova had all the free time he wanted to confront his exhausting feelings. Unfortunately, Danny, the only reasonable person he could talk to, was out of the picture. So he would have to wait.
Or so he thought.
His SHIELD communicator bleeped with a call from the man of the hour. Ironfist was battling alongside Tiger, and the two were losing. Atrociously. It was the Lizard. (Doctor Curt Connors, turned giant monstrous reptile) .
"Hey friends," he said, uppercutting said reptile calmly, "Could we get some backup down here? It's Doctor Connors."
Nova grabbed his suit from the bag hanging on his wall.
"Yeah. On the way."
Powerman joined him as they raced out of the Tri-Carrier to join the team. The only one missing was Spidey, who was honestly probably already there. He had asked Sam if he wanted to hang out at his place and game earlier, but he didn't think he could deal with more than an hour of the strange anxiety that Peter somehow instilled in him.
Well . They were going to hang out one way or another, apparently.
At the scene, Spiderman was already wrapping the monster in webs as his form slowly deflated back to human. Nova and Powerman were a little late, but hey, that happens when only one of you can fly.
"You guys just missed it." Ava greeted them in a snarky tone.
"Well, excuse me," Sam spoke, "I'll try to beat Spiderman's 'record baddie roundup time' next time."
Luke stepped between them, rolling his eyes behind his dark glasses.
"So it's really all handled?" he asked.
"Yeah, really. It's like Peter's gotten faster. He swooped in before me or Danny could get our asses whooped any further," Ava told him.
"Maybe he's fast," Luke observed, "But he definitely left a trail of destruction." He pointed.
The road before them boasted quite a few bent streetlights and broken signs, as well as a couple of Lizard sized holes in some buildings. And a Spiderman shaped one. Ouch.
The web-slinger didn't seem phased though as he spoke with Danny just a few yards away.
Sam brought his attention back to the group.
"Yeah, looks like 'Spider Menace' is gonna have to go through some more cleanup training," he scoffed.
The other two laughed in agreement as they walked over to Danny and Peter, who seemed to be… Arguing? Or, at least Peter was? Or was he being scolded?
Yes. Yes he was.
"Patience is a virtue, my friend. It is not always a means to an end." Danny chided.
"Yeah, well," Peter replied stubbornly, "It's a virtue I don't have! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to skedaddle before 'You-Know-Who' gets over here." He pointed in their vague direction, before shooting a web and leaping out of sight just as Sam and the others reached Danny. He looked a little exasperated.
"What was all that about?" Luke asked with concern.
"He— uh— has a date with his Aunt May. He was in a hurry." Danny supplied awkwardly.
"Uh-huh…" the trio replied in unison.
"Right," Sam added skeptically. "I suppose you're not lying to us right now?"
Danny cracked his knuckles. "I speak truthfully."
"Ooooookay," Ava sighed. "I don't even want to know what Parker has got you mixed up in, Danny. Let's just get back."
The sun was setting by the time they made it back to the Tri-Carrier. Sam headed to his own room, a small knot in his stomach.
He checked his watch. 8:00PM. Hopefully Danny wasn't asleep yet. Unlike everyone else on the team, he actually practiced a proper sleep schedule.
Only one way to find out.
He knocked almost inaudibly on Danny's door, then gathering courage, knocked a little harder.
Silence.
Sam was about to creep awkwardly away, back to his own room, when the door slid open.
"Sam?" Danny looked mildly surprised.
"Uh, yeah?"
"Interesting," He mused, all-knowingly. "Come in." He moved to the side, waving Sam in.
Sam awkwardly stepped through the doorway. He didn't even get to say 'hello' or anything .
"So. I wanted to talk to you about something," he started, sitting on a luxuriously soft cushion on the floor. Where did he get the money for this??
"I figured," Danny said, sitting in his own chair.
"Huh."
"Oh I mean, well. People come to me for advice, a lot, is all." He cracked his knuckles.
"Oh. I– Sorry if this is a bother." Suddenly Sam felt nervous again.
"Don't be. It is natural to seek help from those you trust, Sam. I'm glad you came to me."
"Okay…"
He didn't know what to do. It felt awkward now. How do you even begin to talk about this sort of thing?? It's not like Danny was a doctor. What was he going to do? Why was Sam even here? He fiddled with his thumbs. He was just there to talk about Peter, and then what? What did he even expect Danny to do about it?
Before he could change his mind and leave and pretend like this never happened, Danny spoke up.
"So, if I may ask, what's bothering you?" A sparkle played in his eyes.
"It's Parker," he mumbled involuntarily.
He felt like he had just confessed to a crime. He looked up at Danny, searching his expression for a reaction.
"Okay. What about Parker? We are talking about Peter, right?"
"Oh, uh, yeah, " Sam's brain spun.
"Alright. Is he bothering you? Because if that's the problem, it's something we should address as a team, Sam, or you should talk to Fury-"
"No!"
Danny raised his eyebrows.
"I mean, uhm, no. He's not really bothering me, per se."
"Right." Danny nodded, intrigued. His full attention was on Sam.
Suddenly he felt safer, like Danny really cared. He took a deep breath.
"So," he started. "I— Well, I don't know, man. Maybe I'm sick? Or maybe I have, like an illness, or something, that somehow, being around Spiderman triggers? I don't know. I just can feel my heartbeat get faster, and my stomach feels queasy, and being around him makes me nervous. I don't know why. I mean, he's a great guy. Like, a really great guy. It's not like I'm scared of him! I don't know. I guess I just wanted someone to talk to, or, a second opinion? Like you might know, 'cause you're like, the really zen guy, you know?"
He looked back up at Danny, who had a smile tugging at his lips.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Sam suddenly felt defensive.
"No worries, friend. This is a safe space. I just think I understand your problem." Danny reassured him.
A small bud of hope blossomed in Sam's chest.
"You know what's happening to me?"
Danny nodded solemnly.
"Have you ever heard of 'butterflies'?" He then asked, a tad more mischievously than Sam would have liked.
"Like the insect?" Sam was not comprehending.
"Butterflies. In your stomach. When you're around a certain someone?" Danny said expectantly.
"Oh."
Puzzle pieces fit together in Sam's head.
" OH. "
Danny just nodded, all-knowingly.
The tiny bud of hope died right there in his chest before it could bloom. Instead it was replaced by a wonderfully intense sense of dread. He looked back at Danny.
"WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?" He shook Danny by the shoulders. "THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING TO ME."
"Love is love," he replied, too calmly.
"I DON'T CARE??" Sam let go of him and started pacing the room, when a familiar beeping noise went off. Danny's communicator lit up with a picture of Peter Parker.
"I, uh, have to get that." Danny picked it up, opening the message. "Good luck, Sam. It is likely in your best interest to talk to Peter himself about this. Remember, honesty is the best policy."
He opened the door, allowing Sam to pass him, mouth agape and eyes unfocused.
Back in his room, Sam was finally allowed to flip out again.
HE LIKED PARKER?? LIKE, ROMANTICALLY?
His face heated up. He put his head in his hands. It all made sense now. But WHY??? How could Danny realize before him?? He should have never spoken to Danny. Speaking of, why did he look so smug about it, huh? Could he see it before Sam could? OH GOD, Was he that obvious???
He buried his face in his pillow and waited for the sweet embrace of sleep to take him away from this horrid reality.
It didn't.
—
6:30AM on a Tuesday. Usually Sam was a little late for class, but today he even beat Ava. He sat in the library, scanning textbooks, but not really paying attention.
He had plenty of time the night before to study for tests that any sadistic teacher might bestow upon him, but being a random Tuesday, there were none, plus, he didn't really feel like studying anyway. Instead, he thought about stupid Peter Parker all night, against his will. He couldn't get the idiot hero's face out of his mind.
"Sam?" A familiar voice snapped him out of his weird lament. Ava.
"Huh," was all he said in response.
"Dude, you look like death. And since when did you get to school early?"
"Maybe," he responded a bit snarkily, "I'm becoming a bit of a study-bug myself." He picked up the book in front of him, upside down, and pretended to intensely read a paragraph about spiders. Funny.
"Study-bug? You're trying to steal mine and Peter's shtick now?" She grabbed the textbook— biology— and flipped it around for him.
"What?" He totally didn't stutter. "Uh, no. I just have a test." He rolled his eyes.
"Uh-huh," Ava observed. "Well, if you need help studying, I'm a semester ahead in that class."
"Yeah, got it."
"But seriously, you're okay, right?" You have patrol this afternoon, remember?"
"NO????"
"Did Fury not tell you this earlier? Danny's not feeling well. You're taking his spot on patrol after school, with Peter?"
" Danny. " Sam mumbled vengefully, before immediately passing out.
"I'll take that as a no."
He woke up in the infirmary, and immediately panicked. What time was it?? He looked around for a clock before his eyes landed on his wrist watch. 7:42AM.
"Don't worry, you're not late." Ava peered over a book from the seat next to the bed. "School starts in 18 minutes, though."
"Oh, great."
"So I take it you're not okay," She said.
"Huh?" Sam sat up. "No, I'm fine." He got to his feet.
"Okay, good. Because I did not want to have to patrol with Parker today. I'm kinda busy." She waved her textbook and stood up.
"Patrol?" Sam froze.
"With Parker?? Peter Parker? Do you have memory loss?" She looked genuinely concerned.
Sam felt like he was about to pass out again.
—
As it turns out, infrequent naps on wooden classroom desks and metal chairs are not very fulfilling.
The school bell rang, signalling the end of the school day and the start of Sam's own personal Hell. Four hours with the person he did not want to have to see most. He had a feeling a certain someone was behind it all, but he couldn't hold anything against Danny. Not when he was so kind and understanding and infuriatingly suspicious .
His mental rant was cut short by a voice that made his heart do a double backflip. Peter.
"SAMMMMM!! Hey man!" He threw his arm around Sam's sagging shoulders, making him jump.
"Ready for patrol?"
Sam couldn't say anything.
"No? Alright, well, Ava said you weren't feeling too hot, so don't worry, I got this," He pointed his thumb at his chest and wiggled his eyebrows. ''Should be a breeze. How long are we on? An hour? Two hours?" He looked at Sam.
"Four."
"Oooookay." Peter's spirit seemed to plummet.
"I'm fine, by the way. Don't, uh, don't worry about me." He was definitely feeling hot. He hoped his face wasn't betraying him.
"Mhm," Peter responded, now distracted. His arm slipped off Sam's shoulder, fingertips lingering a second. Suddenly Sam felt colder.
—
"Let's get this show on the road!" Spiderman said cheerily, stretching his legs.
"Yeah," Nova yawned.
The rooftop view was beautiful, a blue sky stretched on for miles with no clouds in sight. A brilliant view normal citizens never saw . Nova was almost, almost, grateful he was on patrol today.
The pair moved rooftop to rooftop for a bit. No villains, no criminals. The first hour and a half passed and they had not stopped a single crime or recieved a single call to action. They didn't really speak to each other either. Spiderman had given up trying to talk to Nova, maybe so he could relax, which was thoughtful of him.
Another hour and a half passed and all they had done was catch a purse thief, who made a lousy attempt at a getaway via fire escape. Nova and Spiderman took care of him easily.
Spiderman turned to Nova for a high-five. Only briefly hesitating, Nova accepted, giving what he hoped was a convincing cheer, and trying not to think about how maybe Peter's hand intentionally rested on his for a second.
The final hour, the pair decided it would be okay to take just an eensy-weensy break. They sat on a taller building, overlooking Manhattan. It was incredible. The sun was setting, leaving pink and orange streaks racing across the open sky.
"Beautiful," he breathed.
"Hm?" Peter turned, startling him.
"The, uh, sky. It's great, isn't it?"
"Mhm. Beautiful." He didn't take his eyes off of Nova, who was glad he was wearing a mask. He hoped the hues of the sunset disguised the blush creeping onto his cheeks.
"Earth to Webs?" He joked. He wasn't the only one spacing out apparently.
"OH. Uh, yeah. We should probably get back to patrol." He looked around before taking his mask off and wiping sweat off of his face. He ran a hand through his hair. Nova tried not to find that weirdly attractive and turned away. He had to physically refrain from slapping himself in the face.
"You ready?" Peter put a hand on his shoulder. His mask was back on. "15 minutes left."
"AUGH— uh, I mean," he coughed, "Yeah, let's do this."
Screams suddenly rang out in what Nova previously assumed was an abandoned--- apparently not--- construction site below them, diverting both of their attention to the sound.
"Speak of the devil, I guess," Spiderman quipped. He jumped down into danger without even looking. Nova raced after him.
Another purse thief. But, this one had a gun, which Nova was not too fond of.
He pointed the gun at Spiderman, then Nova, shifting indecisively between targets.
"Having trouble choosing there, buddy?" Spiderman asked. "Personally, I really would choose neither ." He said this before shooting a web and yanking the gun out of the man's hand. Unfortunately, he was gripping the gun hard, and a shot rang out as it and the purse clattered to the ground.
"AGH OWW!!!" Nova shouted, like a genius.
"NOVA!" Spiderman ran over to help him.
"I'm fine , idiot!" He caught his breath. Ow. "The thief is getting away!" He gestured wildly.
"Shit!" Spiderman exclaimed. He didn't move from where he was as he shot another web, wrapping up the criminal and sticking him to a wall. The lady grabbed her purse from the ground, bowing frantically in thanks before getting the hell out of there.
"Are you sure you're okay?" Spiderman dialed the police, signaling the criminal's location. "Shit, I'm sorry, dude."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a flesh wound. Don't worry." He said this as his legs crumbled beneath him.
"WOAH." Spiderman caught him. " 'Flesh wounds don't make people fall over. I'm getting you to the infirmary."
"I'm just. Tired. That's all."
"Yeah. Whatever, Bucket-head. Let's get you to the Tri-Carrier. Hold on."
Spiderman flicked a web up and Nova suddenly realised he was in his arms.
Oh man.
"You. Know I can fly, right?" He tried to sound normal.
"I—! Totally knew that. But you're not flying anywhere like this,"
"Okay," Nova said, "Less work for me then." He paused. "You're really strong, huh?"
Immediately: WHAT THE FUCK WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT NOVA SHUT YOUR MOUTH OH MY GOD—
"Uh-" Peter faltered.
"I didn't say that," Nova said expertly.
"Uh??" Peter managed to let out a really confused sound before descending into laughter— which was immediately cut short by a serious pause.
"Spider sense." He noted.
"Of course," Sam said lazily from his arms.
"Huh—" Peter tried to look around for the threat, which was difficult to do while swinging around and carrying a whole person.
"Giant falling steel beam. About to crush both of us," Sam told him.
"AHH!" He lunged, flinging another web and barely making it out of the way. Then the most convenient thing happened. The web broke.
They fell to the ground, or on top of a small building, either way, concrete , in a heap.
"Ow, ow ow ow ow OW—" Sam crescendoed.
"OH SORRY," Peter climbed off of him frantically.
"It's alright." Sam tried to stand up himself, before realising his mistake as he almost fell over. Peter caught him, again.
"Yeah, definitely seems 'alright'," he said. "Here." He brought Sam to the ground and they both sat. "Anddd it looks like I'm out of web fluid. Great," He sighed. "I'll call someone to come get us. In the meantime, let me have a look at that." He turned his attention to Nova's leg.
"Uhm. That's really not necessary, Webs. I'm fine."
"Uh-huh," he just agreed, staring at him dubiously.
Sam started again, "There's no need—" but Peter was already examining the wound. "I'm fine! Really!" He pulled his leg away to no avail. "Can you stop—? How are you doing that?" He pulled his leg back again at his own expense. Ow. Peter didn't let go.
"Spider grip," he said smartly. "You're right, it doesn't look too bad— for a gunshot wound . So just sit still. Okay dude? Stop whining, you're only making it worse."
"WH- WHINING?" Sam flustered. "I am not whining, okay. I just don't think this is a big deal."
"Suree," Peter hummed. He added, "You kind of are whining."
"I'm not. I don't. Stop saying that."
"Don't worry, it's kind of cute— or— funny, hah."
"Nice cover." Sam replied automatically, before processing the exchange. "Wait. What ."
"It's funny." Peter said quickly.
"That is not what you said."
"Pretty sure that is what I said."
"Okay honestly maybe I'm just delirious."
"Yup."
"But you said 'cute'."
"Yup. I mean. No. No I didn't. That would be weird."
"You're an idiot," Sam sighed. He rolled over on the cool pavement.
"I get that a lot, actually," Peter replied cheerily.
"Alright well, I think I'm going to just. Take a well deserved nap. Right here. Tell me when they get here."
"Um, is that a good idea?" Peter asked.
But he was already out.
—
Sam woke up in the SHIELD infirmary. He blearily looked around. He was alone, still in his hero suit, but his helmet was sitting on a table beside him. All of the lights were off except for a lamp, also on the table, and a forgotten reading light sitting on a desk just across the room.
He checked his watch.
3:07AM?? Some nap.
He rolled over. Only a few more hours until sunrise. He decided he would treasure this sleep greatly. Until he remembered why he was in the infirmary, when a shooting pain traveled up his leg.
"OW."
Right. Gunshot wound. Hurray!
"You awake?" A voice— Peter's voice— called quietly from across the room. Sam jumped.
"Uh—Uhm. Yeah?" He croaked. He hadn't realised how dry his throat was.
Peter made his way over to Sam, who was now sitting up awkwardly.
"Are you okay? That sounded painful. Yeowch."
"I told you already, I'm fine. Just aches a little now."
"I'm gonna translate that to 'as fine as someone can be with a gunshot wound." Peter remarked.
"Shouldn't you be, you know, sleeping at your house? Won't your Aunt May know you're gone?" He deflected.
"Didn't I tell you earlier?" Peter rubbed the back of his neck. "She's out of town this week."
"What really? When did you—?"
"When I asked you to hang out. Earlier. And you kinda blew me off."
"Oh. Man I'm sorry, I just uhm, you know, had stuff to do?"
"No I get it, I get it," Peter said, feigning heartbreak. "No one wants to hang out with Peter anymore."
"Oh shut up, Parker."
"Whatever you say, Alexander . I guess I'll just take my leave then." He pouted and put his hand over his heart dramatically.
"Yeah get out of here, loser." Sam joked.
Peter paused.
"Do you uh— actually want me to leave? Like are you trying to sleep?"
"Pff, I was going to, but it's kinda hard with this injury. Plus I've already got like, what? 7 hours of sleep? Good enough."
"The bags under your eyes say otherwise."
"Ignore that."
"Hard not to," He paused, Then spoke again. "Hey, since, uhm, we're both here, I wanted to ask you something?"
Sam's mind immediately started racing. Did he know? No. Nope. No way . Their easygoing banter was still the same as ever. And Peter wasn't acting any differently, was he? So he didn't know anything. And Danny certainly wouldn't tell him that. Then what was it? Unless Peter wanted to confess his undying love to him. No. No way. That's so stupid oh my god. But, he's really oblivious, and now that Sam thinks about it, he has been really touchy lately, and— No . He's always been that way right? Yeah. He's like that with everyone. No . Now that he remembers, didn't Peter carry him here? He was vaguely conscious for that, or, was it a dream?? -
"Uh- Sam?"
"Huh?" He startled. He hadn't even realized he was spacing out. Embarrassing. "You know what? I think I'm going to go back to sleep after all." He moved to lay back down but was interrupted by Peter again.
"There it is! Again!"
"What?" Sam was now confused.
"You're avoiding me. I thought it was maybe just in my head, but you are!"
"Uhmm…" He said dumbly. "No?"
"You are!" Peter demanded. "Why are you avoiding me?" He almost seemed angry, but his eyes were soft. Sam realized he was genuinely upset.
"It's not on purpose?" He said, like Peter would take that as an answer. Which he did not.
"Yeah. And I'm not Spiderman."
"You're Spiderman??!" Sam automatically joked.
Peter's determined expression loosened a little. He tried to hold back a laugh.
"I can't believe I just told you my secret identity. Oh man." He played along. "We have to get even somehow!!" He then looked back at Sam, who narrowed his eyes. "Why don't you tell me something in return? Like, why you're avoiding me ?"
"Well, uh. Why are you the way you are, hm?" He deflected the question with expertise.
"Dude."
"How long have you been here?" Sam answered Peter's question with another question.
"Huh?" He suddenly flustered.
"Have you been here all night??"
"Uhm. Yeah?" Peter scratched at his neck.
"You were that worried about me?" Sam smiled a bit as he averted his eyes.
"Yeah. I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"You didn't carry me here, did you?" Sam asked another question, his confidence growing.
"WHAT? Were you awake??"
"So you did."
"YEAH?? I mean, No." Peter looked away and Sam could see the tips of his ears turning red. Suddenly he whipped his head back around. "WAIT, ANSWER MY QUESTION!"
"What question?" Sam replied innocently.
Peter moved closer to him, not breaking eye contact.
"I know you know what question," he accused.
"Hmm?" Sam leaned back. "Not sure what you're talking about, man."
"Why are you avoiding me?"
"I'm not avoiding you now, am I?"
"Then what changed?" He demanded.
"Maybe the fact that you're like, 3 inches from my face."
Peter jumped back. He looked down again and sighed.
"I'm not getting anywhere with you, am I?"
"Don't know what you mean," Sam shrugged.
"How about I ask you a different question. And you have to answer it."
"Why would I do that?" Sam laughed.
"Um, it's the rules?"
"You know what. I actually have a question for you, Parker."
Peter pretended to think.
"Will you answer my question then?"
"Mhm," Sam said mischievously. "Sure."
"Okay. Shoot."
"Why did you really wait here all night? You're clearly very tired. Delirious, even."
"That doesn't count as a question. I already told you. I felt bad." Peter looked away.
"So do I get another question?"
"Uh— Fine." He was starting to look annoyed.
"Why do you want to know why I've been avoiding you?"
"What?? No fair! You have to answer my question first." Peter looked as if he had just lost a game, and was a sore loser.
"But the rules, Peter."
"Screw the rules. I made them up anyway!" He declared defiantly.
"I didn't know you were such a rule-breaker." Sam rolled his eyes.
"I prefer the term 'rule-bender'," Peter joked in reply.
"Okay, how about this for a question?" Sam looked down and fiddled with his hands, before looking back up decisively. "Why did you say I was cute earlier?"
Peter faltered, clearly not expecting that.
"I— uhm. Remember? I didn't say that?"
"Parker, I wasn't born yesterday. I was tired, not drunk. I know what you said." He smirked a little bit, and Peter looked away again.
"Okay. So. Maybe I said it. You can stop acting so 'know-it-all' now." He was trying, and terribly failing, to hide his red face.
"You didn't answer my question, though," Sam said smugly.
Peter smashed his face into his hands.
"I said it because I thought it???"
"Okay," Sam almost laughed. "Like in a puppy kind of way or a 'I wanna kiss you on the lips' kind of way?" He acted surprisingly normal about the situation, but when he became confident, there wasn't any stopping it.
"Sam. Please. I think I'm dying. You have killed me. Is this what you wanted?" Peter sunk into himself.
"Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to like. Kiss. Or… You know. Something."
"HUH?? Y- YOU COULD'VE JUST SAID THAT."
"Why would I say that?????"
"That's what normal people do???"
"Then why didn't you say anything?" Sam demanded.
"I—! Got a little nervous!" Peter confessed.
And then a very not awkward and totally normal moment of silence passed. Sam looked at Peter expectantly and disapprovingly.
"So am I gonna have to ask again or are you going to like—"
"Do you wanna kiss?" Peter asked quickly.
"Dude. Yeah?"
"Okay well I wanted to make sure, because I kind of actually really like you and I didn't wanna make it awkward but wow okay I said that and I think I'm making it awkward anyway. I never thought I'd say this but I really need to stop talking."
"Well how do you plan to do that?"
"Uhm. Is that an invitation or am I misreading this situation?"
"Dude."
"Okay?? Just making sure? I'm gonna kiss you now."
"Okay," Sam grinned, holding back his laughter at Peter's awkwardness.
"Why are you laughing?"
"You're ridiculous."
"Do you want this kiss or not??" Peter huffed and looked away.
"Come here, idiot." Sam grabbed his face and pulled him in.
It was a short kiss, inexperienced and awkward, but it made butterflies erupt in his stomach. He could feel how hot his ears were and how fast his heart was beating. A buzzing played about in his brain, and he wondered how he could have ever mistaken this feeling for sickness. They pulled away and he looked back at Peter who seemed dazed, but wore a stupid grin.
"Do you wanna do that again?"
"Hmmmm. I'll have to think about it, I don't know…"
"WAS I BAD??"
They broke off into laughter and Peter took the chance to kiss him again. And they followed with more giggling. Until suddenly Sam stopped, wincing. He looked back at Peter, eyes wide.
"I think," he started, "I want some pain medicine."