STEPPING UP [BOYXBOY]✔️

CHAPTER 1: WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

PETER PARKER
Flashback

I sat on the roof of the building that Fury had yelled at me in. He wants me to step up, be the next Ironman, get myself together. But I'm just the friendly neighborhood Spiderman. I'm not the man the world needs me to be.

I cradled my knees to my chest and sobbed into them, my arms wrapping around myself protectively. I jumped up as I felt a warm hand on my shoulder.

"Hey, Peter," Quentin Beck greeted me with a sad smile. My face heated up when I realized that he was watching me cry. I rubbed my cheeks in a hurry and cleared my throat awkwardly

"H-hey," I silently cursed myself for stuttering.

He sat down next to me and raised my chin so that our eyes could lock. I gazed into the swirls of his sparkling, deep blue eyes and got lost in the irises. "Don't let him get to you," he told me, caressing the side of my face with his large hand. "I bet he's just jealous a sixteen year old kid is stronger than him," he chuckled.

I blushed and subconsciously leaned into his touch. "There's no way I could beat the Nick Fury in a fight," I mumbled.

He grinned down at me and shook his head, "you don't know your own strength, do you?"

I broke our eye contact, not knowing how to respond. Now he brought both of his hands to cup my cheeks, brushing away the wetness on my face from crying. "Never doubt yourself. You're so much more extraordinary than you think, Peter."

"I seriously doubt that, I said honestly. "I'm not cut out to be who everyone wants. I'm not good enough for this." My eyes teared up again even though I tried to stop them, "I'm never going to be good enough. I'm pathetic, I don't know what Mr Stark was thinking when he chose me. I mean, just look at me," I laughed bitterly and motioned at my appearance.

Red faced and swollen eyes from crying, torn suit from fighting the Elementals, messy hair from running my fingers through it in distress a dozen times. I shifted in embarrassment. I didn't want to look unattractive in front of the man before me.

"You're gorgeous," he breathed in a deep voice, wiping away the freshly formed tears, "everything about you is. Not just your smooth skin,  beautiful smile and puppy dog eyes. But especially the heart in your chest that's too big for your own good."

My breathing hitched as his intimidating gaze looked down at me.

He thinks I'm pretty?

My face turned a fierce shade of cherry red. "I- ah," I stuttered, "I think you're handsome too."

He grinned down at me with a wide smile, "thank you, Spiderman."

I stared up at him in adoration. In that moment, I forgot about all of my problems. Fury, MJ, the Elementals- even Mr Stark. I lost all of my worries and doubts in the depth of his alluring orbs.

His face cleaned closer to mine as my heart sped up. My eyes squeezed shut as I anticipated the feeling of his warm lips on mine. "Peter," he called, forcing me to open my eyes as he murmured the words I needed to hear so desperately for so long.

"You are good enough," he emphasized every word he spoke, tracing his thumb over my bottom lip distractedly. "I don't care what anyone else says, and neither should you. Never mind Nick Fury. What does he know, anyway?"

I shook my head in a daze, staring at his lips that I craved to crash mine against. "Dunno."

He leaned in and I got excited, awaiting the kiss my body was yearning for. When I felt his lips press against my forehead, I almost swooned.