MAGIC TRICKS [PETER PARKER]

TWENTY-SIX

"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD-"

"Nadia, calm down," Peter tried, reaching for his pacing girlfriend. She ignored him, running her fingers through her curly hair nervously. "We're going to die, oh my God, no, no, no..." She was breathing heavily, panicking.

"We aren't going to die-"

"We're stranded in space, Peter! We have no food, no water, and no clue where we are going!" Nadia covered her face with her hands, leaning against the nearest wall. "Oh my God, I'm never going to see Ned again, o-or Michelle or Gwen..." she rambled.

"We're not going to die-"

"Stop saying that!" Nadia shouted at him. Peter shrunk back. He understood why she was yelling; this was their first time in space after all. She sunk to the ground, needs pulled to her chest, and pressed the heel of her hands into her eyeballs. Peter gave her a sad look. "Come on, Nad. It's going to be fine, let's just go find Mr. Stark."

"Ohhh, God, Stark..." She cried, rolling her eyes. "If the freakin' alien doesn't kill us first, he will."

"You're being ridiculous," Peter laughed quietly, extending a hand. Nadia scoffed in response, standing up on her own. "You're right- he won't kill you, because you're like his son. He'll just kill me because I'm his son's bad-influence!" she snapped, walking past him. He jogged to catch up, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Calm down-"

She spun on him quickly, pointing a finger at his chest. "Do not tell me to calm down, Peter Parker," she spat, scarily venomous, "We are stranded in a giant space doughnut, with an alien that looks like Voldemort. So do not tell me to calm down."

Peter stared blankly, a little scared of his girlfriend at the moment, but gathered her hands into his own, giving a gentle smile. "Calm... Down..."

Nadia's nose flared and her eyes glowed white for a split second, before her angry expression melted away, unveiling the scared face underneath. "I... If you didn't look so hot in that suit, I'd be punching you right now," she said quietly, turning on her heel and stalking away.

Peter blinked, falling into step after her. "Y-you think I'm hot?" Nadia glared over her shoulder, and Peter smirked to himself. "You think I'm hot..."

"I love you, Pete, but you're really pushing it."

Peter stopped short. His brow furrowed slightly. "Did you just... Did you just say you love me?" Nadia hesitated, eyes wide.

Of course she loved him; she'd known it for a while now that this boy was the love of her life. But she had loved Zac, and now he was dead. She had loved her parents, she had loved her friends, and they were dead. She was cursed with love for Peter and terrified that pronouncing it aloud was a death sentence.

And besides, like any relationship, saying "I love you" for the first time was horrifying. This is why Nadia's heart stopped when she had realized exactly what she said, why she couldn't move.

"I- n-no I just- I didn't-" she stammered, turning to face him. Nadia expected a frown or a disgusted look plastered on Peter's face, but what she got was the largest grin she'd ever seen.

"You did, you said you love me!"

"No, no, no, no this is not happening right now," she whispered to herself, starting away from him. She might have just screwed up the best thing that had ever happened to her.

Peter chased after her. "Nadia, it's okay-"

She stopped again, throwing an arm out to stop Peter as well. Down below them, the weird alien had Strange trapped, large glowing spikes impaling his face and body. A voice reached their ears.

"Wow... You're one seriously loyal piece of outwear, aren't you?"

Tony Stark was below them, talking to the Cloak of Levitation. Peter beckoned her to follow and lowered himself on a web down to the level Stark was waiting on. "Speaking of loyal..." The boy said, shamefully.

Tony gaped. "What the-"

"I know what you're gonna say-"

"You should not be here," spat Stark, shaking a finger at him. "I was gonna go home-" Peter started.

"I don't wanna hear it."

"But it was such a long way down, and I just thought about you on the way..." He continued anyway, ignoring his comments.

"Annnd now I gotta hear it."

The Cloak wrapped around Nadia's wrist, tugging her over to see Strange down below. She patted the fabric comfortingly, rubbing the hem of it before tubing back into the conversation. "And I sort of just grabbed Nadia and snagged the side of the ship a-and these suits-" He pointed to Nadia, "-are ridiculously intuitive by the way, so if anything, it's kinda your fault we're here."

Nadia's eyes widened and she put a hand over her face. Tony's nostrils flared and he tilted his head forward. "What did you just say?"

"I take that back," Peter said shortly, raising his hands innocently. "And now... we're here in space." Tony scratched at his beard, shaking his head. "Yeah, exactly where I didn't want you to be."

He clenched his jaw. "This isn't Coney Island- it isn't some field trip, it's a one-way ticket. You hear me? Don't try and tell me you thought this through, you could not have possibly thought this through-"

"But I did, I did think this through," Peter said, suddenly serious. Tony glared. "You could not have possibly thought this through."

"It's just- You can't be a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man when there's no neighborhood."

Nadia scowled slightly. In a way, Peter was right. This was obviously bigger than catching some Canadian gangsters. But it also didn't make much sense.

"Okay, that doesn't really make sense but you know what I'm trying to say," Peter rambled. Tony was quiet for a long time, staring at the boy with his lips pursed. Finally he sighed. "Come on. We got a situation."

The red cloak, which had been floating and reacting animatedly beside them, fluttered and rested over Nadia's shoulders. Peter squatted at her feet, staring intently down at the alien with Strange. Nadia came to stand next to Stark. "See him down there?" he nodded to Strange. "He's in trouble. What's your plan?"

Nadia narrowed her eyes, surveying the situation. "Hey, whats that old movie about the aliens and Sigourney Weaver?" Tony looked at her incredulously. "Aliens?"

"Yeah that one..." Peter popped up, meeting her eyes. She raised an eyebrow and they had a silent understanding of one another.

"You ever seen it?"

A/N:
Short update but an important one ;) Remember the beginning.....