WAITING GAME ¤ peter parker

III. the one with the first 'date'

dealing with the ups and downs of progress

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"You've got a class this afternoon, right?"

"Yup."

"And you're gonna remember your laptop this time?"

"Mhm."

"Do you mind punching me real quick?"

"That's great, Ned."

"I knew it!" Peter jumps, eyes falling away from his phone as his best friend brings his palms down to hit the lunch table between them. "You aren't listening!" Noticing Ned focusing on the device in his hands, Peter shoves it into his pocket.

"I'm am listening. English. Laptop is already in my bag." His phone buzzes against his thigh, and although he resists the urge to check it, he smiles.

Ned snorts, swirling his spoon around in his bowl. "You've been texting Y/N, haven't you?"

"No!", Peter scowls, pink cheeks clearly giving him away, "No, I have not." For a second, he thinks his roommate is going to tease him like he does every time you're mentioned. But he doesn't. With a smile and a nod, Ned continues eating.

"Just wondering. You've been smiling a lot recently."

Peter feels the buzz against his thigh again. "So?"

"You don't smile much anymore."

Another buzz, and he can feel his hands getting clammy. He tries not to have conversations like this with Ned a lot, it usually ends with panic. He'd spent the entire summer before freshman year learning how to stop the panic. "Okay, whatever. So I've been texting Y/N." A glance down. "They're cool."

Which translates to they make me happy and I think I like them and how do I know this won't end in shambles? He doesn't voice his concerns out loud. Instead, he pulls out his phone and stares at the texts you've sent him.

are we still on for dinner tonight?

So he's blushing again, because he thinks he's going on a date with you. Something he's thought about once or twice before, sure, just not something he ever thought would happen. He'd been a little starstruck when you'd suggested it, but had jumped at the chance.

yeah, of course, seven still work?

you bet

dork

And does Peter ever smile.

—

Peter realises something between lunch and the time he's supposed to meet you for dinner.

First, he'd never been on a serious date. Sure, he'd done the freshman year of high school, awkward, movie theater thing. But then he became Spider-Man, and he never really had time for dating. And then he lost Tony. Then her.

So he hasn't experienced much.

He's scared of messing up.

Second, he has a habit of being late to things. Normally when this happens, he doesn't show up. For some reason, however, he never does that with you. Peter shows up for you anyways. To him, it's progress. Progress also scares him.

Being around you scares him more than he can describe, but it also makes him feel like air.

Anyways, Peter makes sure he's prepared for dinner. Ned helps him stay calm throughout the day when he's around, and Peter wears his lucky sweater. The one she had bought him when he'd gotten accepted into this school. There's a small moment where he nearly panics. But he doesn't, because progress.