Truly Blind | p. parker

xix • it's official

"Well, what does that mean? Are you going with them?"

"No, thankfully." Peter said quietly.

You shook your head. "My grandma thinks my parents are insane so she's agreed to pay for me to stay here for the rest of the school year and then she was already going to pay for my college, so that'll be taken care of."

"Damn, she must be loaded." Flash remarked.

"Probably," You shrugged. "I've barely seen her. She hates my dad so...."

The bell rang then and everyone gathered their things for next class.

As you slung your bag over your shoulder and Peter pulled your arm around himself you caught Flash's eye. He gave you a begrudging smile that you knew meant he was proud you were happy. You grinned back at him.

"Alright, be ready next hour, I'll be back to walk you to writing."

Peter wrapped an arm around you and sunk his chin onto your shoulder for one last hug. This hour was his study period in the cafeteria so he didn't need to leave.

You returned the hug and inhaled his familiar scent. Now that the two of you were official, Peter was using every opportunity to hold onto you in some way. This wasn't a big change from before, but the shift from gripping shirt sleeves to hands and elbows to waists was something that Peter, it seemed, was taking full advantage of. And you had no complaints.

The afternoon passed slowly; any time without Peter seemed to drag by like maple syrup. But you walked him to writing and then met him after his biology lab and the school day was finally through.

"Hey, my place, tonight, seven-forty-five!" Flash called over the heads of the team as you exited the school.

"Hey, some of us actually have homework to do," You replied.

But others were nodding their heads, grinning at Flash.

You shook your head. Next time, you thought.

You and Peter began the familiar trek back to the subway and through the city to his house. "Oh, hey, I forgot to tell you," Peter said as you exited the train.

"What's up?"

"I got a job."

You spun to look up at him. "What?"

"Yeah, at Delmar's." He was grinning.

"How?" You cried.

"Well, they needed a busboy for the back. Just to organize things and I can sense stuff like that so Mr. Delmar's gonna give me a chance."

"Pete, that's wonderful! But, why the sudden interest in a job?"

"Well," He chewed his lip. "Obviously May can't pay for my college tuition, so I'll need to start saving, and I sorta have someone I'm taking on dates now," He lifted his hand and twirled you around as you stopped to wait at a crosswalk.

You hit him playfully. "I already told you, we don't have to go on fancy dates like that."

"I know, but sometimes it's nice to buy my girlfriend flowers or get ice cream in the park or something. Plus," the crosswalk flashed and you continued on. "Fancy dates are great, just wait."

You laughed.

"But," Peter faltered. "Well, there's something else."

"Hm?"

"I've been thinking about it for a while now actually, but there's this new medication available for restoring sight...."

"Wait, what?" You creased your eyebrows. "Why haven't you said something before?"

"Well, it's really expensive, and if I take it the wrong way, it could just make my condition worse. And it's a pretty new serum so I wanted to wait for more conclusive evidence that it would work before bringing it up with anyone."

"Peter— wow—" You stammered. "When would it... like, how would it—"

"It's seven doses and I'd take them once a week. So if I can save up another few hundred dollars, plus use my savings from before the accident, I've done the math, I can have my sight back as soon as eleven weeks from now."

Your mind felt blank. "Peter, that's— wow, Pete, that's incredible."

He must have sensed something off in your voice because he raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

You swallowed. "Nothing, I'm just... surprised, is all."

Peter seemed only to be half focused, because you knew he would have normally continued to pester you until you told him what was bothering you. But instead he said: "I just hope it works."

You hitched a smile onto your face and squeezed his hand. "Me too."

"Come on then," He said, standing up a little taller and grinning. "I have an English exam to study for that I intend to pass."

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