Every Day ── PETER PARKER²

12. A Boy in Love

She tore her eyes away from it when the robotic voice announced her stop, the girl leaving the empty train in a rush. "I'm just being paranoid," She muttered to herself, inhaling deeply before exhaling. Lifting her head, she glared at the neon lights of the bar taunting her, not a single figure lingering outside of it. Warily, she eyed the alley beside the bar, visibly relaxing to see it was empty as well.

Her guard was down for all of a minute when arms wrapped around her, yanking her into a different alley. Instinctively, she let out a scream, causing a hand to quickly cover her mouth. Her heart was pounding in her chest as the arms tightened around her, the man seeming to struggle as she wriggled around. Unlike the last time this happened, he didn't seem as certain with his actions, making it much easier for her to free herself from his grip. She was quick to throw her fist when she was free, making the man stumble back. With a rush of adrenaline, she kicked her leg beneath his, knocking him to the ground with a groan.

She was breathing heavily, her hands shaking at her side. She should have ran away, it's what anyone would do after being dragged away into the night. But she tensed up as the man turned his head, the light shining in his face. "You!" She hissed, and with little hesitance, she pressed her foot against the man's chest, keeping him down. He winced in response, eyes squinting up at the girl pinning him down. "What? Jealous that your friend got thrown in jail and you didn't?"

Mario made an attempt to push her foot off, but he proved to be too weak, Luna only pressing harder. "Jesus, she wasn't kidding when she said you weren't a little girl anymore."

Luna's blood ran cold. "She?" His eyes widened, not expecting her to hear him. "Who the hell is she? Danielle?" Mario didn't make an effort to speak, turning his head away from her. "Answer me!"

"Luna." The girl whirled around as her name was spoken, eyes widening slightly at the sight of the familiar red and blue clad hero. This distraction proved to work in Mario's favor, giving him just enough time to knock the girl down and make an escape. She let out a frustrated huff as he took off, turning to glare at the boy watching in shock. "What... just happened?"

"I had that handled," She muttered, pushing herself off the ground and walking over to where her bag had been dropped. She could hear him trailing behind her, expecting an answer from the girl. "You were a little late to the scene, by the way. Might wanna work on that."

He was quick to grab onto her elbow when she tried to leave the alley, making her whirl around with raised eyebrows. Allowing him to lead her further into the alley, they stopped in a barely lit area, Peter tugging off his mask. "What just happened?" He repeated his question, Luna now able to see the concern that washed over his features.

Luna sighed, crossing her arms over her chest as her lips fell into a frown. "He dragged me in here, I don't know what he was planning on doing, but as you saw, I got him to the ground before I could find out."

"So you're okay?" He asked slowly, eyes trailing over her figure in search of an injury.

"Physically, yeah," She muttered sarcastically, tearing her eyes away from Peter's for a moment. "Mentally, not so much." She raised her eyes again, gesturing in the direction they'd come from. "Back there, he mentioned a she telling him I wasn't a little girl. A she. Meaning, someone else told him to do that specifically to me, and I think I have a pretty good idea of who it was."

Peter's eyebrows furrowed, "You really think Danielle did it?"

Luna rose her eyebrows, "You don't?"

"We don't have any proof it was her," He avoided the question.

"You're telling me that her dad's accomplice dragging me into an alley, then saying a she told him about me isn't proof?" She inhaled sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose. "You know what, I don't want to argue with you over this. All we've been doing lately is arguing, and I just don't want to anymore. Thanks for showing up and stuff, see you in school."

Peter watched with a frown as she threw her bag over her shoulder, walking away from him for what felt like the millionth time. He perked up when she paused, turning back to him. "Can I ask you something?" She was barely able to make out his nod in the darkness, the boy not daring to inch out of it without his mask on. "How do you feel? Finding me out here, seeing me taking on a guy that's clearly bigger than me? Unsure of what could have happened to me?"

Peter opened his mouth to respond, but quickly shut his mouth, seeing the knowing look on her face. His gaze traveled down to his feet, a sigh leaving his lips as he understood. This is what she meant. There was nothing more heart wrenching than finding Luna in the middle of an alley, her shaky hands a clear indication that something bad had happened. It would bring him back to that night outside of the bar, her cheeks tear stained as she struggled against a grown man. He'd made a promise to himself to keep her safe, and the thought of not being able to keep that promise brought a pain to his heart that was inexplainable.

"I know my word means nothing when it comes to this part of your life," She spoke quietly, slowly making her way back to him. Peter's eyes raised to meet hers when she cupped his cheek, the boy instinctively leaning into her touch. "But at least... be careful. Can you do that?" Peter nodded, Luna smiling softly in response. He frowned when she brought her hand back, already missing her touch. "Okay, good."

Peter let out a heavy sigh as he watched her leave the alley, leaving him alone again. Without thinking, his hand went to touch his cheek where hers previously rested, lips curling into a slight smile. Even now, with all the shitty things happening between them, she remained as caring and supportive as ever. Peter's smile stayed in tact as he pulled the mask over his head, only a single thought passing through his head. He was so in love with Luna.

— • —

when I was in sophomore year, my friends would literally say I love you after two weeks so luna and peter being together for like four months (and friends for like seven before that) is really not that unrealistic