NOT ANOTHER TEEN MOVIE ∙ Peter Parker

✸ Chapter Eighteen: Peter Parker's Got a Problem

When they got out to the living room, Steve was leaning against the island in their kitchen (marble, because their mother claimed it looked expensive) with her dad on the other side. Mike Carter was a tall man, about the same height as Steve, and stood with his back against the counter as he talked with his friend. Sophia and Lizzie shared a look. For the last two years, the bromance between Mike and Steve got stronger. You'd think Mike would be the one ready to pummel Steve's head in (or...ya know, try to) when he found that Steve was seeing his oldest daughter, but Mike was probably planning the wedding behind their backs. It was Sophia that Steve had to win over.

He'd done that quickly. Both men looked up when they saw them, Sophia walking into the kitchen and smiling softly when Steve greeted her with a hug. Mike gave her a kiss before starting to help her with breakfast. Lizzie, in the process, blinked with bleary and tired eyes at Steve before walking over to where he was standing. He smiled softly down at her and Sammy, his heart warming when she silently wrapped her free arm around his middle and dropped her head into his chest, still sleepy. He returned the hug around her and her brother, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and grinning when Sammy reached up to tug on the neckline of his collar.

"Rough night?" he asked, to which she nodded into his chest then sighed before pulling away, letting Sammy mess with the dog-tags around her neck. She glanced up, her brown eyes sunken in from exhaustion, her bun holding onto its last life. "Nightmares?"

She shook her head, avoiding eye contact. "Too hot. You know our AC sucks. What's up? Did you come from our place?"

Our place was Lizzie and Sharon's apartment only a few blocks away. But because Sharon was currently on a case with the CIA in God-Knows-Where, she was staying with her parents. On the weekends, she usually stayed at the apartment with Steve. He basically lived there. He stayed at the Tower sometimes throughout the week, but he almost always ended up at their apartment. The nightmares were not as severe there—he felt safe, at home, and ever since D.C. it felt weird to not be around each other. Plus Steve was dating Sharon. So. That happened.

"Tower," he corrected, and then when Sammy started to lean forward, Steve grabbed him from Lizzie so that he didn't topple over trying to get to him. He grinned down at the little boy. "Hey, buddy."

"Swee!"

Sammy still wasn't great with his T's and V's. Steve was Swee and she was Leelee. He liked E's.

"Steve, you want breakfast?" Sophia asked over her shoulder. "Think we're gonna make french toast."

Steve's internal battle was felt because no one made better food that Sophia. He frowned, glancing at her before he met eyes with Lizzie. "No, thanks, Soph. I appreciate it. I was going to see if I could drop MJ off at school today—"

"—oh, we aren't walking, are we?" Lizzie interrupted in horror. "It's like three miles. And it's hot out. My hair will get frizzy!"

He paused, blinking at her. "Well, I guess we can take my motorcycle—"

"—and have helmet hair? Ugh. Steve!"

Lizzie Carter turned around on her heel, huffing to herself as she marched back to her room to get dressed for school today. Steve stood there for a second, his mouth half-open in disbelief, trying to figure out what he did wrong. Sammy tugged on his shirt, drool falling out of his mouth and onto him. Steve turned around slowly to look at Sophia and Mike, the former of who seemed oblivious to her daughter's mood swings while Mike shrugged dramatically at his friend and raised his hands high in the air.