Work Text:
(this is inspired by the song casual by chappell roan)
Peter didn’t tell the team about his love life at all. It would be way to awkward and it just never really came up until he was with a man who was a complete douchebag and when they finally broke up Peter couldn’t go seek out comfort from Tony or Pepper or any of the team because they just didn’t know he was dating someone or even Bisexual.
The only people who actually knew about his boyfriend were Isabella,Ned,MJ and Aunt May, he did want to have his boyfriend over so he had to tell her. Also he couldn’t keep that big of a secret from her, not like how he did with his Spider-Manning. Ned, MJ, and Isabella were his best friends and he needed someone to talk too about him whenever he decided to act up, so of course he told them.
The only reason the team found out was because when Peter had got dumped, the team was at a HYDRA base trying to dismantle it and since he was forbidden from going on these types of missions he had stayed at the tower and was going to go over to his house until he got the text. It was short and simple. Just a “Let’s break up, ur ruining my status” and that’s was that. No actual explanation or anything. Just that Peter was social suicide and he couldn’t keep being at risk. That was the best reasonable explanation he could possibly come up with.
Peters hand had immediately found his other contacts and he had called Isabella and Ned, Both people had answered and only one could show up because the other had just boarded a flight to see his family for Winter break and couldn’t turn back. Ned had offered to stay on the phone with him until Isabella arrived and offer his support virtually.
Isabellas foot tapped impatiently against the elevators floor, every second in the small, cramped elevator seemed to last an eternity, when she finally reached the floor Peter had said he was on, FRIDAY had barely opened the door before she was sprinting out to see the mess you would call Peter Parker./p>
He was stationed in the middle of the three couches and had a large fur, black blanket around his shoulder and a large tub of ice cream seated nicely in his lap and used tissues carelessly piled in a trash can that was placed next to Peter’s feet. He had his feet pulled up on the couch and sat criss-crossed with tears running down his face, his sobs muffled by his hand and the blanket.
“Oh Pete …” Isabella’s feet were walking before she could register, she was at his side in a second, placing the Thai food she had picked up on the way onto the glass table in the middle and slid into the blanket, her arms pulling him into her, she could feel the tension almost instantly seeping out of his shoulder at her touch and that warmed her heart, his side leaning into hers automatically, and just a few minutes later he began talking.
“I actually loved him you know…? And I know you guys all call me a loser because I was still hanging around him and I-I know I wasn’t perfect but he said he couldn’t deal with me..that I was hurting his social status.. and how I was obsessed and that I needed to get help! I thought I was someone he couldn’t lose..” Peters words tumbled out, Isabella head bobbing along and running her finger through his slightly tangled brown curly hair.
“It wasn’t your fault Pete...he’s a piece of shit and an even shitter boyfriend. You deserve so much better than a guy who thinks his social status is more important then their lover.”
“He said it was just casual anyway! and that I shouldn’t care but..his mom invited me to her house in Long Beach and he talked about me to his friends..”
Hearing his words, her face fell before morphing into a soft, understanding look. Her words left her mouth before she could think otherwise. She needed to know. “Peter, was it good or bad bragging..?”
“What.. I don’t get it.. what do you mean by ‘good or bad bragging’? “ Peter looked up into Isabella’s eye with a slightly confused expression on his face.
“I really hate to say this but he could have been bragging about him having.. sex and not actually you..” Isabella said, Peter's eyes suddenly glistened even brighter than before and more tears had started to flow like a heavy river down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry Petey…” She pulled him impossibly closer, her hand resting on his shoulder with her other drawing circles onto his back. Peter's hand was resting on her waist with his other against his eyes, trying to slow down the tears but failing, and if anything more tears fell into her shoulder.
The two sat like that for however long it took for Peter to go from sobbing to light sniffles and once that happened, Isabella pulled up ‘Star Wars:A New Hope’ and pressed play, taking the ice cream out of his lap and putting it next to the untouched Thai food.
It was around 7:30pm when Isabella first got there and the last thing on the twos mind was the team coming back from their mission. If it was they would have moved from the middle of the living room to Peter’s room.
It was now around 8:40 when the elevator doors slid up and out poured the team talking amongst themselves, laughing and enjoying the feeling of a successful mission until the sounds of a sob come from the couch.
Their heads snapped to the sound expecting to see anyone but Peter, only to see Peter cuddled up to Isabella, softly crying as she rubbed his back and shushed his cries.
“Peter?” Tony called out, causing both of them startle and turn around and now that the team could actually see Peter’s tear-stricken face, they were both confused and extremely worried as they watched the few stray tears slid down his face and the already made still tears streaks placed on his cheeks and even more tears that hadn’t fell yet.
“M-Mr.Stark uh..shit..you guys are back early.” Peter stuttered out and his hands flew to his face, quickly trying to wipe away the evidence of the last hour.
“What’s wrong kiddo?” Steve said, voice filled with worry and sympathy, his feet carrying him over to the curly hair teen.
“You okay пйтер?” Natasha voice was heard right beside Steve. She walked briskly past Steve and bent down slightly to rest a hand on Peter’s shoulder.
“Y-yeah uhm just some school drama…nothing for you guys to worry about.”
Peter could feel Isabella’s disappointed stare and he pointedly ignored it to focus’s on the two adults in front of him.
“Enough to make you cry like this? and from the looks of it you’ve been crying for awhile. This isn’t just some school drama.” Tonys voice, soft and concerned echoes from behind Natasha, his eyes surveying the room and his eyes landing on the half-eaten Ice cream that was sure to be melted by now and the untouched Thai food that was sitting on the table next to it.
“Sorry for the mess, We can um…clean it up…” Peter said, following Tony’s gaze already preparing to get up, he was in the middle of shrugging the blanket off but was stopped by Steve.
”Hey..Hey no. Tony didn’t mean it like that. You don’t worry about the mess okay? Just worry about yourself.
“It’s fine Peter, I’m just wondering what’s got you so worked up?” Tony said, walking around the couch to sit next to Peter.
“It’s just..relationship problems..” Peter said, causing the room to momentarily freeze before words were shouted over each other.
“You're in a relationship?!
“What?! I thought the kid was still hung up on that MJ kid!”
“It is probably that MJ girl???”
“Why didn’t you tell us Pete?”
“Wait hold on, backtrack what did this person do to make you cry like this? In all the years I’ve known you and even when you have literally broken bones you haven’t cried like this.” Steve spoke, his hand grazing Peter’s leg in a silent act of comfort.
“I didn’t know you were dating anyone!.”
“GUYS. I don’t care that you didn’t know what I do care about is Peter, so if you didn’t mind can we keep the screaming to a minimum please?” Isabella yelled, grabbing the tissue that had been tossed aside and dropping them in the trash can. She reached over and grabbed a new, cleaner blanket that was on the other couch and throwing the one they were using now on the ground.
“Here Petey.” She draped the blanket around his shoulder, to which he gratefully accepted as seeing the old one was starting to get crusty and uncomfortable from all the tears and snot.
“FRIDAY, can you dim the lights back to 40% please?” Isabella said, picking the remote off the floor and turning around to face the team as the lights dimmed.
“Now, you can either sit with us and listen to Peter or you can leave us alone to wallow in peace? And I would perfect the first option. No offense.” She said with a look that said she wouldn’t allow anyone but her to be there.
“I-It’s fine..? I know you guys are tired and I have Bella here so..” Peter said, instinctively trying to downplay his feeling to the others. he didn’t like how vulnerable he was feeling at the moment.
“Yeah okay, so what Peter is trying to say is can you guys leave?” She said with a small sigh leaving her lips, she turnt to look at the team and gave them a look that they were ni longer welcome.
“Wait a minut-“ Tony attempted to protest but was quickly cut off by Sam’s hand on his shoulder and a look that said to shut up.
“Sure kid. It’s not a problem if you need us, you can always have FRIDAY call us down. I hope you feel better Peter.” Sam said, voice filled with sympathy and love.
He grabbed Tony’s shoulder and lightly steered him out of the room, the rest of the team members offered the same words and small encouragement as they left and went to their own separate floors.
Once they had all filed out, the thick silence between the two teens was almost suffocating.
“That was so embarrassing.” Peter said, breaking the tension and burying his face in his hands.
“Hey no cut it out. They are showing their love and support for you. It's just they don’t know how to handle a teenager going through relationship problems as most of them don’t have teens or didn’t have a good teenhood.”
“Can I rant again?” Peter asked, voice slightly wavering.He moved to lay his head in Isabella’s lap, her back moving automatically into a now Up-Right sitting position creating more comfort for the both of them.
“Of Course you can.” Isabella said, pausing the movie and giving her full undivided attention back to Peter.
“H-he fucked me in the bathroom when we went to dinner with his parents and he wonders why I’m bitter? I even overheard him bragging about it to his friends..” Peter spoke, quieter and more shame filling his face, a few stray tears rolled down his cheeks.
“I did everything for him I-I helped him through his old relationship thinking when he was over, that he would finally show me the love he did when we first met, but instead he said everything was just fucking casual! like I meant nothing to him! I hate that I let this drag on for so long but I really thought he was going to change at some point..?” Peter ranted, eyes welling up with tears again at just the thought of him, he looked up from her lap and at her eyes.
“Shh..” She quietly shushed Peter, running her hands calmly through the almost fully untangled brown hair.
When there was no more tangles, she gently rested her hand on his hand, running her fingers across the hairline and just slowly massaging the scalp until she saw his eyes flutter close.
Only then did she dare to rest her eyes.
—-
