Bloom - Peter Parker

Purple: A Grey Mask

You wake at 7am to the sound of Callie bursting through your bedroom door, ambushing you with a large collection of balloons and confetti. She sprinkles it over you as you shriek, feeling the flakes fall into your hair as she attempts a horrifying rendition of Happy Birthday, her voice split with laughs as she watches your incredulous face.

"-Happy birthday to you!" She finishes, clasping her hands together proudly. Behind her, you see your parents slip into the room, both of them clapping quietly. "Happy eighteenth, Y/N!"

You accept the presents she thrusts into your hands, and for the next half hour, you spend some time with your family. They watch as you open their presents, and you feel the air pulse with love as you share that time together. From your parents, you get a new bracelet, a nice mint-green dress and a pair of tickets to see your favourite band. Callie gives you an assortment of gifts, but she holds back on the main ones until your parents are out of the room.

"Right," she whispers quietly, sitting down on the edge of your bed. She glances back, watching as your bedroom door closes behind your parents. "I have to go to work but I got a few things for you." She grins. "You can thank me later."

Eyeing her suspiciously, you carefully pick at the ribbon on the first one and gasp happily as you pull out a new shirt; Callie's style is always perfect, so it's the type of style you love.

From there on, every gift she presents you with makes you beam. She gives you a few pieces of jewellery, some fancy sunglasses, a nice green succulent, and a sprinkling of condoms (to which you scowl at, and then throw in her face).

You're onto the final present now, and as you unwrap it, you find yourself gasping. It's a large framed photo, and you recognise it as being from the time you went out with Peter for ice cream. The picture is of both of you, posing cheerily in front of his phone's camera, grinning from ear to ear. You identify it as being on your third date with the boy, and as you gaze fondly at the print, you can't help but smile.

"I love it," you exclaim, looking up at your sister in awe. "How did you get it?"

Callie grins mysteriously. "I might have enlisted the help of a certain ice-cream-loving guy," she explains, causing your eyes to widen.

"That's so cute," you breathe, tracing your fingers over the outline of Peter's face. You feel your heart flutter. He'd promised to take you out for brunch, so you know there's only a few hours until you'll see him, but you still feel the urge to kiss him.

"Wow," Callie mutters, and you look up to find her watching you intently. "You really like him, don't you?"

You bite your lip, shrugging a little. "Do you remember what it was like when you started getting to know Isabella?" You ask, referring to your sister's soulmate.

Callie grins. "Of course," she answers, "It was the craziest, most surreal time of my life. Every day I'd learn more about her and just think how bizarre it was that we were that good together, and that the universe had found someone so perfect for me." She gains a wistful look in her eye, and you can't help but smile for her.

"Yeah. That's what it's like for me right now." You glance down at the photo, seeing your past self grinning from ear to ear. "I feel like purple might come soon."

Callie gasps. "Purple?" She repeats, excitement creeping into her voice. "Y/N, that's amazing!"

You feel your cheeks burn, and shrug slightly. "Yeah," you admit, suddenly a little bashful. "Any day now. I can practically feel it bubbling up in me."

Purple is a colour most closely linked to the beginning of falling in love. It appears as love first starts to develop, as a deep, rich reminder that out of everyone on the planet, you've found your fit. With the way you're starting to feel about Peter: your desire to always be around him, cuddle him, kiss him, care for him... Well, you really wouldn't be surprised if the colour springs to your eyes the next time you see him.