𝐂𝐈𝐑𝐂𝐔𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐘 ━ peter parker

ix. "hot girls and tequila"

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ㅤㅤㅤDICK'S PHONE BUZZED  obnoxiously from within the inner pocket of his blazer. To him, who could feel the vibrations through the red satin lining, the raucous noise wasn't distracting in the slightest – there was nothing to be distracted from, anyway. Bruce was off talking to some up-and-coming candidate in Gotham's mayoral election taking place in the Fall. But the high-strung woman sat miserably beside him took the moment to tut audibly at Dick's apparent popularity, arms folded across her chest. As if he was the one being rude.

The teen pulled the sleek device out into the open, trying to discreetly hide the screen beneath the extravagant tablecloth. The model's sigh of discontent grew louder as she watched him through her periphery, hazel eyes glinting.

Dick didn't even know why she was still sat with him. There was no reason for her to have continued the charade they'd entered the gala with: Bruce had brought her as his date, and she'd found herself promptly ditched as he smoothly excused himself to mingle with Gotham's upper-class denizens. It wasn't like she was being forced to babysit the billionaire's ward. Who, Dick thought quite indignantly, was perfectly capable of looking after himself.

Maybe she thought she still had a chance with the ever-avoidant Bruce Wayne, the Forever Bachelor. Or maybe she just felt scorned. That seemed to be a common recurrence for the man's side-pieces. Dick didn't have the heart to tell another one-night-stand that it wasn't personal, just Bruce.

He resolutely set out to ignore the shifting of her emerald skirts as she made her irritation all the more obvious, upset at her inability to garner the attention of a sixteen year old. Dick lowered his brightness just enough to be able to flick through his notifications, feeling her prying eyes over his shoulder. Careful lady, he thought to himself dully. The Wayne's don't like invasions of privacy.

Dick had been buzzed by Snapchat aggressively, quick-fire messages sent all within the span of a few seconds. If it had been Ned, they would've been easy to ignore. As it were...

Thanks for the shoes.

This is Peter btw

Parker

Ned gave me your snap, sorry

You don't have to add me back

Sorry

Thanks for the shoes

Dick bit at the inside of his cheek as a smile stretched there, running his charcoal tie through his hands to soothe the excitement bubbling in his chest. He felt the instinctive need to lower his phone, check for prying eyes – he spared a glance to the curious, squinting blonde to his right. She was adjusting the diamonds around her neck, watching him closely as they caught and refracted the light from the chandeliers overhead.

The boy coughed, reaching for a sip of the alcohol-free cocktail that had been handed to him the moment he'd stepped through the door. It tasted like passion-fruit - tart and sour, almost too sweet. His thumbs moved of their own accord, typing and deleting as they went.

'No problem,' he sent back. And then quickly, so as not to seem a stale conversationist, he continued: 'Do they fit ok? Had 2 guess ur size'.

Almost instantly there came the reply – a thumbs up emoji, simple and clean and easy. Dick expected nothing less from the guy. Peter remained hovering in the chat for a few moments after, designated as 'typing' despite never sending anything, and Dick hesitated to put down his phone.

"Uh, hey, Sally," he began, angling the screen to his knee as he turned to face Bruce's date. The scowl she sent him wasn't attractive in the slightest.