IF EVERYTHING HADN'T BEEN AS FRANTIC AS IT WAS, the girl was a hundred percent sure that Flash's revelation might have sent her into a full blown panic attack right there at the waiting stall, but the two teachers responsible for them on the trip ushered the class over - telling them to hurry up and get off their asses since apparently, they were running late to this boat ride that was supposed to lead them to the hotel.
Peter could see that the girl was stressed - it was her heartbeat that tipped him off; the boy had been so reacquainted with the soft pitter patter and hearing it thudding against her chest sent him into a full on alert mode, but, he also understood the fact that she didn't want to be around him at the moment, so he kept his distance - far enough to let her ease her mind a bit but not far enough for him to be unable to hear her heartbeat.
She doesn't talk to him at the hotel.
She doesn't talk to him at all, actually. To make things even worse, everyone was all coupled up. Ned and Betty stuck together like peas in a pod, Alaska and MJ were probably talking about something he didn't understand - and, in normal circumstances, he and Nina would've stuck together by default - but of course she had to find out about his deal with her father at the worst possible time. Of course.
Deep down, he knew that Matty would cause a problem and he was right. Peter watches as tourists — including them — throng the square, outnumbered only by gluttonous pigeons. The Clock Tower rises over the entrance to the Merceria, the main shopping street leading to the Rialto, and stands in a direct line of sight to the columns on the Molo, at the end of the piazzetta.
It's beautiful. If May was there at that very moment, she'd get mad at him and tell him to enjoy the scenery while he's there - but there was nothing else he could focus on, nothing, except on the sight of Nina Valkin engaging in a conversation with none the other than the person he was beginning to hate more and more.
With a forced sigh, the boy takes his phone from his pocket, scrolling through his gallery to find the picture of the necklace he had spotted a few months ago, and is hit with inspiration.
He tries to ignore the sound of laughs coming out of Nina's mouth, and instead, hops through a ridiculous amount of stairs and begins his journey on the shopping street.
"—cant believe Thompson speaks Italian," her eyes drift over towards her left, where Peter had previously stood at. Nina was now completely distracted on whatever Matty had to say - now realizing that Peter was a sensitive boy, guilt flooding her after she deliberately decided to laugh way harder than she was supposed to when she felt his eyes on hers.
Ignoring him was hard enough; and now he was sulking. She was supposed to like this - she had every right to be mad at Peter, but as time passed by, that annoyance began to hang on a thread, disappearing minute by minute.
Her eyes snap away from the area crowded by tourists that Peter had disappeared into, another wave of guilt hitting her, but this time, it wasn't directed at the certain curly haired boy who bas been flooding her mind.
Matty was a great guy - like a really great guy and she's already done him dirty by dating him while she was going absolutely crazy over Peter, and now here she was, blanking out in space, thinking about the same boy once again while he seemed thrilled to be having a conversation with her.
"Hey! Nina Viotto, right?"
"Valkin," the girl corrects with a grimace, rolling her eyes at this random boy who had the fucking audacity to call her over like she was a random friend of his. "It's Nina Valkin. Do I know you?"
He seems surprised at the fact that she genuinely has no idea who he is, but that surprise is masked in a minute, replaced by that smugness ever so present on his face. He had a very punchable aura to him, (something Druig has teacher her about) yet Nina stayed calm, unrelenting as she waited for his response.
"I'm Brad Davis. Y'know, small kid, turned—"
"Yeah, I don't know who you are." She interrupts him, sharp eyes contrasting his warm ones. "What do you want?"
He turns to Matty, the annoying smirk growing even bigger, if that was even possible. "Oh, nothing. I just saw you and Matt here—"
"You know this guy?" The girl turns to Matty, not interested on whatever Brad Davis had to say.
"Family friend. Used to babysit him."
Brad, however, continued to talk, as if nothing happened. "—and I remember five years ago when Matt here would answer all my questions about you. I got so bummed out when I found out that you two broke up."
"Brad," Matty hisses, cheeks tinted with embarrassment. "Shut up, man."
"But it seems like... you know..." he motions to the space between them, igniting this fiery, burning sensation in her chest, "... feeling a little comfortable there, are we, Nina? I thought you and Parker were a thing but—"
He didn't get another word out before all of a sudden a fist collided with his jaw, sending him down to the ground, out cold.
That got Matty's attention, suddenly not the slightest bit embarrassed anymore as he looked from the single fist that Nina had used to knock Brad out, to her gnarled expression, to Brad, knocked out on the ground.
He backed away with a step, eyes wide, muttering, "Holy shit."
There are tourists all around them, some a bit concerned, but most of them just going on with their merry way.
"He deserved that," Nina pointed out, not feeling an ounce of guilt as Brad Davis remained on the dirty ground. He was still breathing and that punch was basically nothing to everything else she could do - so she wasn't really too worried about getting in trouble.
Besides, mind control was always an option.
"Okay, he did." Matty admits, a part of him happy that the boy he once used to babysit was now out cold on the ground, in the middle of the street. "But, what am I supposed to do? Am I supposed to pick him up or something?"
"Nah," Nina replied nonchalantly, proud of her creation. Her eyes shoot over to where Peter had disappeared off into once again, "He'll wake up soon. I actually need to go check something out, so I'll meet you later."
Guilt. Again. Sometimes Nina missed the moral ambiguity and the thrill of not having her chest grow heavy at every single bad thing she's done.
But she shoves that guilt down the bottom of her stomach, curiosity now getting the best of her - where had Peter suddenly disappeared off into?
It feels like forever - searching for the boy through the flocks of tourists and pigeons. Peter never really stood out in a crowd like she did; the boy was just some normal kid and that's what made finding him harder. He looked like every single tourist that passed by at it was beginning to make her thighs hurt due to the fact that she has been walking for almost the whole day.
However, after minutes of searching, and searching, and searching, she finally spots the boy, walking in her direction with a brown paper bag clasped tightly on his hand.
"What are you holding?"
"Nothing." The boy quickly responds, shoving it behind his back in a speed so fast that it turns Nina suspicious for a second, but she quickly washes it away.
For a moment, no one says a thing. The chatter of tourists is the only sound that echoes around them, but to Peter, the only thing his senses zero on is the sound of her heart beginning to drum frantically in her chest.
"Look, if you're only sticking around me cause of my dad, it's fine. It just sucked a bit, that's all. Cause I actually liked spending more time with you." Nina turns around and focuses on the sight of pigeons, too scared that she'd might to something she regrets if she glances at Peter. "My birthday... your apartment... school, that stuff. If you don't wanna hang around me it's cool - I'll just tell my dad once we're back at Queens that you're busy with your studies or something."
But the fact that she doesn't know what he's feeling is killing her, so she flicks her eyes over to look at him.
Hurt. That's what took over Peter's face. His eyes became slightly glossy in the matter of a second, his mouth dropped open, shoulders tensed up, eyebrows pulled together. He was staring at the ground for a moment, seemingly trying to decide what to say. He lifted his head again and looked into Nina's eyes. "You think I kissed you on your birthday because of your dad? You think I invited you over, or swung you around the city at midnight... you think I spent several hours with you because I was following your dad?"
At those words, Nina frowned.
It was ridiculous - she was ridiculous; and it caused her chest to ache.
Because that was the moment she realized that something inside her is terribly broken, and it can never be fixed. No matter how many therapy sessions she attends, no matter how much help Pepper offers her, it's still there.
She doesn't really know what it is - that brokenness inside of her, but it's there. It's there and it's hurting and now it's pushing her away from Peter.
"I'm sorry." Is all she manages to croak out, eyes shut in desperation. "Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with me?"
He lets out an exhale, something in his chest breaking at the sight of her eyebrows scrunched together. "Don't say that. Please. Don't. There's nothing to be sorry about, okay?"
"I'm a bitch to you." Nina deadpans.
"You're not. I kinda get it why you'd think that, but, I was spending more time with you because I think you're one of the coolest people I know and not because your dad scared me because I know you can protect yourself. You're the strongest superhero I know and you're right, Samara has nothing on you - nothing, and I'm sure that you ever see her again, you'll kick her ass." The weight leaves his chest at the sight of her lips twitching upwards, a telltale sign that she was beginning to feel better. "What I'm trying to say is that I'm spending time with you because I like spending time with you. I like how you're mean to everyone except for your friends— well, including me."
It's amazing, that ability of his that makes her feel immensely better about herself in the matter of seconds. Nina bites back a smile, "Don't flatter yourself, Parker."
"And I like it when you call me Parker. I like it how everyone thinks you're a stone cold person when in reality you're one of the softest people I know." Peter pauses, not caring that his brain and mouth were going on autopilot. It was true. Every single word that was coming out of his mouth was true and Nina needed to know that. "And I like you, if you haven't noticed."
"You do?" Nina pretended to think, feeling the weight in her chest begin to lift away. "Really? I haven't noticed. To think of it, I'd say you're in love with me, Parker."
Flirting. It was mindless flirting. Nina did it all the time - he tried not to put any mind into the weight of her words. Nina flirted like this all the time - so why was he acting all weird now?
"I guess you caught me, then." Peter responds, trying his very best not to look like a freak while this pretty girl was flirting with him. "And now I can't wait for the day you realize you've fallen in love with me so I can laugh and call you a loser."
He's joking, Nina reminds herself while she forces out an uneasy laugh, the fluttering, calm sensation in her stomach hard to ignore. With Peter, it has always been messy and weird and exciting - but this was different. It was calm. It was calm and it was new and it was weird and she liked it.
"Come here, Parker." Nina sighed, the smile still there as she grabbed the boy and tugged him closer, creating a smaller space between the two of them.
"Wha—" Peter started was confused, cheeks tinted a bright red. Nina usually wasn't this... affectionate in broad daylight where everyone could see them.
Nina curled one her his arms around Peter's waist and pulled him close.
"What are you–" he started to protest again despite very much liking whatever this was. But the mind controller simply shushed her, knowing that Peter would enjoy what she was about to do.
Nina let go of him, stepping a bit back and holding onto both his hands as she turned to face him, their fingers lacing together.
Then, she steps closer.
And closer. Her eyes drift off to his lips.
Nina's grin shrunk down to a soft smile, and they both closed their eyes, pressing their lips together almost tentatively.
The press of Nina's lips against his was warm and light— like the summer wind that blew through their hair in the second that they remained in the liplock.
It was sweet and simple, even chaste. It wasn't the best kiss in the word - but this certainly was the most memorable one. With just that kiss, several emotions were expressed to both teenagers, emotions Nina has been trying to hide ever since she'd realized what they were.
She could've kissed him forever. Honestly. Until a loud boom echoes through their area, causing the two teenagers to jump away from each other in fear.
A tidal wave bursted in the middle of the water, pushing several boats underneath it. One in particular, the boat that Betty and Ned rode on- was pushed straight into the two teenagers, who had jumped out of the way in the same time to avoid getting impaled by a gondola.
"Ned!" Peter immediately goes into panic mode, rushing over to get his friend out of the boat. Nina does the same, assisting her into hopping down into the ground before the water comes in contact with her again.
"Nina, whats going on?" Betty whisper shouts, staring wide eyed behind her. "What the hell is that?"
The girl turns around to see the water straight from the canal rising into the air in swirls, creating a form that almost looks like a man. A scream - sounding like a siren, leaves the creatures lips. It was terrifying.
"Nina! What's going on?" Betty repeats, panicked and frantic.
She doesn't answer because she doesn't know. Her initial thought was that this was Samara putting images in her mind, but everyone could see what was happening, and Samara couldn't control several people at once so that was impossible.
So instead of answering, her eyes glow a bright white - and in an instant, Ned, Betty, MJ, and every single person that was close nearby all jump into a sprint, getting the hell out of there in a speed that their bodies couldn't physically handle if they weren't under her control.
"I'll get people out of here," Nina rushes our, pressing the pendant on her bracelet which activates her nanotech suit, while Peter desperately tries to help civilians get out of the way. "You do something about the big water man!"
Once her identity is fully concealed, Nina desperately tries her best to get everyone out of there - controlling every tourist's mind as she does so. They all break out into a sprint, so she flies everywhere she spots people in.
It's a bit of a frantic hassle, making everyone get the hell out of there, but saving civilians is as rewarding as killing evil creatures and Nina is totally okay with that. It takes her a few minutes to make sure that everyone is safe - and when she's by the stone bridge, her final stop, Nina lets out a breath of relief when she looks to her left, then to her right, and realizes that there's no one left to save and she's all alone, except for Peter, who had assisted the last person out.
But her biggest mistake is not looking behind her, and the girl lets out a loud groan; a punch of water smashing onto the bridge, sending her and Peter slamming into a stone wall out of the impact. Thank god her suit is waterproof - so she's as dry as the dessert while Peter is soaking wet beside her.
"Can you mind control it?" Peter breathes out, watching in a mixture of dismay and panic as the water creatures continues to hurl around.
"I can't— I can't feel it, or anything! It's like the creature isn't there!" Nina yells back in panic, "Do you think a water gun would do anything?"
"I don't think so!"
"Do your webs do anything?"
"No!" Peter yelps, grasping her arm and pulling her closer so that the two of them could avoid another wave of water hurling at them.
"The best we can do right now is damage control!" Just when Nina was about to command him, a flash of green light hits the creature— the only thing managing to hit it. A broad figure appears out of nowhere, face concealed by a glass bowl; Nina watches in confusion as the guy summons two shapes out his bare hands.
"You know this guy?" Peter questions, eyes squinted against the bright sunlight.
"I don't, which is weird cause I was forced to familiarize myself with every super-powered person in radar." Her mind briefly shoots over to those days with Rhodey, before it hurls her back into the present. "Peter, get that mask behind your back and cover your face. People are seeing you."
"Yes, Ma'am," Peter responds instantly, watching in awe as the girl examined the man who emerged from the green mist with sharp eyes - it was Nina's thinking face, and he always liked the sight of her thinking face.
"Cmon!" The boy shouts, taking her hand in a frantic motion - interrupting her train of thoughts. "He looks like he knows what he's doing — let's go help him!"
"I don't know this guy, Peter!" Nina hisses back, refusing to follow whoever this person was and whatever his commands were. "I'm supposed to know him and I don't. I can't even feel him. I'm supposed to be feeling him."
"Well he's helping us right now," Peter turns towards him, feeling a bit of relief when he sees the water man being dealt with, "So..."
Nina examines the man again - eyes glowing underneath her helmet again in an attempt to feel him, but she doesn't. It's like he isn't there. It's terrifying - she's always felt everyone around her with enough concentration.
But people need help, and if he was going to offer that for a bit, then who was she to risk the safety of others, right?
"Fine," she hisses, grabbing Peter as she flies upwards. "But I still don't trust him."