we all wear masks [ p.p ]

→ii. mutual friends

Spiderman left you stranded behind him, feet still dangling from the edge of the roof and before you knew it his red and blue shadow had disappeared into the night. As you made your way back home, you checked the news–there was no robbery on fifth.

You knew Spiderman was avoiding your question. You suspected it, but the night after when he didn't even show–you knew it for sure. You crossed the line.
He was always very secretive, making sure you didn't know anything about him–his name, his age, where he lived, where he trained, how he got his powers; he didn't tell you anything. Sometimes you wondered if you even knew him, but then you ended up chuckling to yourself, the thought dismissed whenever you were able to predict what he was about to say next. In fact, you knew Spiderman better than you knew anyone else in this city, probably even better than you knew Liz.

Sure, you didn't know the dry details about him, but did that information really matter when you knew all the other things about him? Like, you knew he bit his lip when you made a horrible joke. You knew he had freckles. You guessed he had dark brown hair, because a strand of it peaked from underneath his mask when it was overgrown. You knew he lived somewhere in New York. You knew he was your age, because he never had to shave his face and because his voice gave it away. You knew you cared about him. More than words could say, and you knew not seeing him last night was torture beyond any other.

*

Unfortunately, it didn't matter how much you tried ignoring Peter's presence, it was impossible when Liz was still venting through her feelings to you and MJ. But that was alright. Besides, you got to finally voice your opinions on her ex boyfriend, although they were never that secret, and as you yelled about how stupid his hair looked half the time Liz rolled her eyes with her large smile sitting proudly on her dark skin. Then she wondered out loud, if she knew who she was–the girl who stole her boyfriend away from her. You offered Liz to find out who she was, then you offered to TP her house–which caused her to giggle–but she declined both, saying it didn't matter anyway. It was in the past now. You admired Liz for her strength, and gave her a big hug, before the subject turned back to you.

"So, MJ tells me you've been seeing someone?" She asked, laughter echoing in her eyes at the sight of your pink cheeks.

"It's complicated," you let out, but that caused Liz to let out a sound fit for a girl ready to gossip and so you had to tell her. Or rather, you told her a version of the story.

You met him in a park, that much was true. And you hit it off right away, both searching for the owners of the black and white corgi he found at said park. Then he offered to buy you a milkshake and it was blue and red and you talked all afternoon.

"Wait, what's his name?" Liz pushed, and frightened you looked over at Michelle. She raised her brows as if to say 'your call', and your call was a lie.

"Ian. He's a junior as well," you nodded to her, or to yourself, as your curly haired friend tried her hardest not to roll her eyes at your lie.

"Aw, that's so cute," Liz gushed, brows high and smile wide, "and what does he look like?"

"I don't know," you said quickly, too quickly, before adding, "cute!"

Liz asked a few more questions, ones you could answer–like when this started, and if you liked him, and if you considered him a gentlemen, and what his thoughts were on gender equality and if he was smart like you and all other things a best friend should be concerned about when her girl sets her sight on a guy.

"It's been... weird, the last couple of days," you confessed slowly, not sure if you could exchange the details to support such a claim, but sure enough you needed to tell someone about it.