Speeding away from the pharmacy, you dropped the pregnancy test in the nearest trash can focusing on putting as much distance as you could in between you and your newfound 'situation'.
You kept walking, ignoring the sound of Peter's footsteps behind you, and stopping when you reached a tiny bridge over 97th Street. You put your hands on the rail of the bridge, ducking your head into your chest.
"I'm sorry (Y/N), I was just trying to lighten the mood. I didn't mean to be insensitive."
You heard the brown-haired boys words and picked your head up turning to face him. An extremely concerned face stared back at you, his hazel eyes scanning yours for any signs of forgiveness. Knowing that you were more upset with yourself for getting into this situation than with the boy standing in front of you, you cleared your throat, trying to find the words.
"It's not you Peter, I just don't know what I'm going to do."
There was a momentary glimpse of relief on Peter's face but it quickly returned to one of concern, taking a step closer to you. Stumbling backwards slightly, you bumped into the edge of the bridge, leaning onto it like a crutch.
"Are you going to be okay?" He asked, stopping in his tracks when he saw that you wanted him to keep his distance for the moment.
You were doing everything you could to relax but it felt like you were being suffocated by the world around you. In a matter of minutes, your entire life had changed and you had no one to turn to. No best friend. No boyfriend. God what was mom going say... You focused on the sounds around you, trying to prevent yourself from a full on panic attack. You heard the wailing of a nearby siren, the honking of a car alarm, and the chatter of the happy couples seemingly mocking you at the outdoor bar across the street.
"Am I going to be okay?" you chuckled at the question, your laugh coming out in a high pitch squeak before you continued with your nervous rant.
"Hmm well let's see... I'm pregnant so the gods are clearly punishing me for having casual sex, I mean this has to be some kind of sick joke right? I haven't even graduated yet," you rambled almost to yourself as you paced back and forth.
"And if that wasn't enough my ex-boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend so I'm all alone and am somehow supposed to raise a kid all by myself?"
You felt as if you could have kept ranting for hours, and you probably would have if Peter hadn't cut you off.
"I could be your friend."
You stopped pacing to look at Peter who was staring at you sympathetically. What was he playing at? Friends? Why would he want to be friends with you? He was a fucking super hero, it's not like he would be short on friends. The wheels in your brain were turning rapidly, trying to make sense of it all, until suddenly it hit you.
Peter wanted to keep his identity a secret. He wanted to make sure the world never found out who was behind spider-man's mask, but you had accidentally discovered his secret. You were a liability. Peter's best chance at making sure you didn't tell anyone, other than kidnapping you or some other kind of shady superhero bullshit was becoming your 'friend'. You wouldn't even have been surprised if it had been him following you around all those times you had convinced yourself you were imagining that red and blue suit in shadow. You didn't want his pity. You didn't need another fake friendship.
"I'm not going to tell anyone that you're Spider-Man. You don't have to pretend to be nice to me just so I won't spill your secret."
Peter was taken aback by (Y/N)'s response and the fierceness in her tone. Over the past three weeks he had learned a lot about her. She was almost always on her own, very rarely communicating with anyone else other than short interactions with fellow classmates. While she appeared to be fine on the outside, he could tell she was not happy on the inside. Given what she had just said about her ex-boyfriend and best friend, it was no wonder she was skeptical about his offer of friendship.
While the only reason he originally had followed (Y/N) was because Tony had told him to, overtime he found that he was genuinely worried for her. She was clearly having a rough go of things, and he wanted to help. Maybe it was the superhero in him but helping people in need was in his nature. No one should be alone. Life is too hard for that.
"It's not about that, (Y/N). You clearly could use a friend, let me help you," Peter said, trying to emphasize how sincerely he meant those few words.
As much as (Y/N) didn't want to admit it, he was right.
You weren't ready to let anyone new into your life, but circumstances had changed. The little baby now growing inside of you was going to need all the help it could get. Peter's offer of friendship seemed sincere enough, whether or not some part of it was for selfish reasons, you were not sure. All you knew was you were not in a position to be pushing away friendship or kindness.
"Okay, friends it is," you said, giving him a nod and a small smile which he returned enthusiastically. You gave a slight chuckle at his enthusiasm, starting to relax a little.
"Great now that that's settled, can I ask you something?"
"Yea, sure" you said hesitantly.
"Who is the father?"
You sighed rolling your eyes. He really didn't waste any time did he. They had been 'friends' for all of five seconds before asking very personal questions.
"I can't tell you that," you replied, shaking your head back and forth.
"Why not?" he asked innocently, "Do you not know who it is?"
"No I do, there's only one person it could be, it's just personal."
This was true. You and James hadn't been intimate in the weeks before your break-up. This was one of the many signs that something was wrong that you had ignored before finding James and Amanda in bed together that night. This baby was Steve's. That was the simple, hard, and inescapable truth, but you couldn't tell Peter that. He was way too close to Steve.
Your heart fluttered at the thought of him. Steve. The man who had called your night together a mistake and asked you to leave. You didn't blame him for telling you to leave, you had been awful to him. He deserved better than this, better than you.
"Come on, we are friends now right? Part of that is trusting each other," Peter spoke up, interrupting your train of thought.
He was asking for large leap of faith. You barely knew Peter and here he was asking you to trust him with a huge secret. You didn't want to trust him. Where had trust ever gotten you before? Then again, Peter already knew way more about you than you had ever wanted him to know. He knew you were pregnant and he had seen you leaving Stark Tower the morning after your night with Steve. What if Steve had told him you had spent the night together? Peter wasn't an idiot, he went to school with you at Columbia. It would only be a matter of time before he put two and two together. This was not a secret you would be able to keep to yourself, not anymore. Well, time to rip off the band-aid.
"Alright, it's Steve."
"Steve?" Peter stared back at you confused for a moment causing you to roll your eyes again. Maybe he wasn't as smart as you had figured. Realization dawning, Peter's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open.
"Steve Rogers?"
You nodded watching him closely trying to gauge his reaction. He seemed decently shocked but you weren't sure if that was because he hadn't realized you and Steve had slept together, or if it was just general surprise at finding out Steve was now your baby daddy.
"Uh Wow... okay so uhh.. When are you going to tell him?"
Part of you wanted to laugh as it was obvious he was uncomfortable talking about any part of your and Steve's sex life. The other half of you was beginning to panic again after hearing the question he had just asked.
"I don't think I can," you replied, shaking your head vigorously.
"What are you talking about? You have to tell him!"
"I don't have to do anything," you said crossing your arms across your chest defiantly before continuing. "You weren't there when I left. Steve and I didn't exactly leave things on good terms. I don't think he wants anything to do with me."
How could you tell Steve? You had only spent one night together. While the night had been amazing the next morning had been a disaster. It's not like you could just waltz up to Stark Tower now and be like... congrats Steve, you're a daddy!
"I know things ended weirdly between you two, but I still think you should tell him. You know, he hasn't been the same since you left the tower that day."
"What are you talking about?" you asked, not understanding what he had meant by that.
Peter blushed a deep shade of crimson, clearly realizing he had said too much.
"It's nothing really. I can just tell he is upset about whatever it is that happened with you," he replied, trying to dodge your question. "Steve is a good guy (Y/N), I really think he deserves to at least know. Just give him a chance."
You knew that Peter knew more about the situation with Steve than he was letting on. You also knew that he was trying to guilt you into telling Steve about the baby, but you were slightly surprised that it was working. Peter was right, Steve was a good guy. The issue was if you told Steve and he wanted to be a part of the baby's life, what would that mean for you?
And that's when it hit you. It didn't matter what you wanted anymore. It didn't matter what was best for you. It didn't matter that you weren't ready to let other people worm their way back into your heart. You were going to be a mom, and all that mattered now was what was best for your baby. If there was a chance that the baby could know its father, you needed to at least try to make it work.
"Please just come with me to the tower tomorrow. I'll be with you and we can tell him together, you're gonna get through this, I promise," Peter pleaded.
You laughed to yourself silently. Promises. Nobody could promise you a damn thing. To you, his words were empty but having made up your mind you nodded in agreement, already regretting your decision and dreading the impending reunion.