𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐄; peter parker

ɴɪɴᴇ

PETER AND MAELYN PARKER FOUND themselves travelling towards one of the local supermarkets in search of better food for the apartment. Their voices were raised over the beeping of horns and shouting of civilians as they walked from the highly-protected building to the closest grocery store they could find, making conversation to fill the comfortable silence of the journey there. It was nice for the two young adults to forget about the heavy problems weighing them down. It was an escape - one they both needed.

"What do we want?" Maelyn asked whilst the pair walked through the glass doors of a colourful supermarket. She started heading towards the stack of baskets piled next to the fruit section, looking back at the boy accompanying her expectantly. 

"Anything but spaghetti, I ate enough of that last night. I won't need to eat that for another two years." Peter stated incredulously as he reached up to rub his cheeks. Maelyn stifled a laugh whilst she bent down to grab one of the baskets, but the boy beside her caught on, smacking her hand away so he could get it instead.

"Uh, no. I've got it." He told her, a successful grin plastering itself across his face as she backed away with a smile.

"How flattering, Peter. Working on your charm, are you?" She teased as her elbow came into contact with his forearm. His grin morphed into that of a smirk, his eyes flicking down to hers filled with amusement.

"Oh, I always have charm, Maelyn." He joked back as they officially entered the store, walking past the crates of different exotic fruits. Peter couldn't help himself but place a packet of grapes in their red basket, picking off two of the green ovals from their bunch and putting one in his mouth.

He held out his hand, palm facing outwards towards the girl beside him as she looked down at the single grape balancing on his skin. He suspiciously glanced around at the people in the area to make sure they hadn't been caught whilst Maelyn scooped up the grape and popped it into her mouth.

"You do that too!" She whisper-shouted excitedly as she swallowed the delicious fruit, looking up at him with joy shining in her irises. He exaggeratingly nodded with a wild smile, his cheeks flushing a light pink in the store fluorescent tube lighting.

"Mhm, they taste better when you're walking around the shop." He mumbled as he picked out another grape, holding it out to the girl who gratefully took it. Maelyn waited until they passed by a young mother, probably in her late twenties, as she watched the two suspiciously with glaring eyes. It was only when they rounded the corner that she finally ate the grape.

"Exactly! Peter never believed me when I said that." She agreed with a smile as her eyes trailed over the red and green apples sitting in their assigned boxes. Beside her, Peter widened his eyes as he lowered them to hers, his mouth falling open with a gasp.

"My aunt didn't either!" He muttered exasperatingly. Neither of them could hold onto their put together facades and so they let their laughter spill out, no matter how many people looked over at them like they were insane. Nobody in New York let their feelings loose; they always stuck to their professional selves and saved their happiness for when they got home. However, Peter and Maelyn couldn't have cared less, and so they didn't.

"What bread do you eat?" The girl pondered as they made their way towards the loaves of freshly baked bread, her eyes scanning over every individual type of the food. Peter groaned and rolled his eyes before stepping forward and dragging a loaf off the shelf, throwing it into the basket hanging from his other hand carelessly.

"It's just bread, Mae, it's not that big of a decision." He muttered as he began to walk away from her, talking to the girl over his shoulder as the basket swung by his side.

"I didn't want to get it wrong, okay?" She defended with a frown. She jogged behind him to catch up, stopping her hurried movements when he stood still in front of the array of cheeses. Reenacting her, he placed a finger to his chin and began to tap against his skin as he hummed, carefully looking at all the different types of the dairy product.

"Which one should I choose?" He questioned with furrowed brows and a high voice. Maelyn watched tiredly whilst she crossed her arms and raised her brows, unimpressed with his whole Maelyn act. She rolled her eyes before continuing to walk down the aisle, leaving him to watch after her with a breathy laugh. Quickly, he ran after her with a random block of cheese in his hand, dropping it into his shaking basket as he chased her down.

"I'm joking! I'm joking!" He shouted as they finally fell into step with one another. They slowly made their way around the store, taking their time to look at things thoroughly before moving onto another section in the busy supermarket. Once they got to the counter, their bright red basket was filled with an array of different items, like biscuits, chocolate, ice-cream and even a gingerbread house kit. What better way to pass the time, right?

The pair exited the store with their food and soft smiles, happy with what they had accomplished in such a short time. Maelyn had been the one to pay, of course, as all of Peter's belongings, including his money, were left in his universe. But she was okay with that, even if the boy with her wasn't.

Said girl watched with a grin as Peter skipped ahead of her, jumping up and clicking his heels as one of the plastic bags in his hands swung from left to right. She shook her head with a laugh but applauded him nonetheless. The walk home was amazing, a dream come true for both participants. But what was waiting for them back at the apartment building would ruin that completely, turning the night on its head for the both of them. One of them more than the other.

1082 words