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⋆ eight ⋆
"So... surprise."
Peter gives a quiet sigh at the sadness in Xara's voice, intertwining their fingers as she sits on her bed. It's fall break, and while Peter secretly didn't want Xara to go to Greece and leave him behind, he didn't want it to happen like this.
Her suitcase is still by the door, a reminder of exactly how much their lives have been spoiled. During the first video call with Peter, Xara seemed elated to be back in Greece, the only other country she's ever visited. (Peter would take her to Germany, but he didn't really get a chance to see the sights while he was busy fighting Captain America, so he wouldn't be able to show her around).
But the second call, she seemed a bit upset, although she tried her hardest to hide it. It seems things weren't going according to plan when people kept recognising her on the street, clamouring for autographs, Peter's number, asking all these questions and getting way too physically invasive.
The third call was when she told him she'd arranged a flight back for that afternoon, unable to stand the attention. Peter was the one waiting at 3am the next morning to pick her up from the airport (with Ky, of course - Peter still can't drive).
"If they knew your boyfriend was Spider-Man, that's all the more reason to not get on your bad side," Peter mutters angrily, but what's he going to do about it? He knows as well as Xara that him swinging over to Greece and yelling at some tourists isn't really going to do anything. In a way, the crowds are worse than the criminals.
"But now we can get food and call for hours and hang out and all that stuff," Xara says instead, trying her hardest to find the positive side. But that's the thing: she's always trying to find the positive side, pretend that things are okay to make up for the fact that they're not.
"But inside, not outside," she adds as an afterthought, "because there are tourists here now trying to catch a glimpse of you. You've become an attraction. For others, not for me. You were always attractive for me."
Peter's grateful for the compliment, managing the slightest smile, but he replies softly, "You know you can be upset about it, right? You were supposed to be on holiday. You deserved a nice time, an escape from all... this. I'm sor-"
"Don't you dare start to apologise, Peter Parker, because I will start ranting at you till your ears fall off. There's no reason to be sorry, and there's nothing wrong with what happened. Well, there is, but it's okay. Things happen. Besides, didn't you miss me?"
She knows exactly what to say in order to wear Peter Parker down, and it's with a conceding sigh that Peter finally nods, ducking his head shamefully. That at least cheers Xara up a bit, kissing his cheek.
He still pouts a little, upset with ruining her holiday, so she kisses his other cheek. Then his eyelids. Then suddenly attacks him with her lips touching everywhere on his face that they can, immediately resulting in laughter as he falls backwards onto the duvet unsuspectingly.
